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New Congress & Your Finances; Senator McConnell on GOP Agenda; Kobe Bryant Shines; Happy Meal Toys Banned; Giving Away Millions; Republican Platform to Create Jobs
Aired November 04, 2010 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Crazy, crazy times we're living in, Kyra. Thank you very much.
Live from Studio 7 at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta, the news and information you need for this Thursday, November 4th.
Republicans power up in Washington. You know they promised to fix the country's long list of problems. But here's the question: What's their plan?
You know, money is no problem for a couple who won the lottery, but why are they giving their millions away? Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALLEN LARGE, $11 MILLION LOTTERY WINNER: You can't buy happiness.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: I'm not so sure about that.
And a grown man doing cartwheels on stage. One politician is so happy to keep his job, he is doing a victory dance.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Don Lemon. Tony is off.
Those stories, your comments, more cartwheeling right here, right now in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Well, we begin right now with politics and, of course, your money. Republicans reclaim power in the House by focusing on concerns about jobs and the economy. So now what?
We expect to hear now from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell any minute. You see the pictures there, the live pictures. If he talks about the GOP plans for creating jobs and reviving the economy, we're going to bring you his comments. That should happen in just a little while, and we'll bring it you right here on CNN.
But right now, we want to focus on what the new Congress means for your personal finance, your taxes, your job, and your investments.
Christine Romans of our Money unit, she took a look on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING" this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: How will a Republican House matter to you and your money? So let's go to the wall and take a look at these things and break them down one at a time.
Taxes. Taxes, a really big issue on the campaign trail.
The Bush tax cuts expire on December 31st. The White House has said that it would like to keep the tax cuts for the middle class, everybody making under $250 a year. The Republicans have said they want these tax cuts kept for everyone. This is not the time to be raising taxes in a weak economy.
Look for some compromise here. And also look for a hiccup. Because if this current Congress doesn't deal with the issue of the Bush tax cuts immediately before it adjourns November 15th, you could see your tax bill go up in January. Until this is handled by the new Congress. So watch for that. Let's take a look at your job here. The Republicans have said they like to see less federal money.
They would like to see smaller government and less federal spending. That could very well mean that jobs like teachers, jobs like local and municipal workers could see, as the stimulus expires, no new federal money coming in there to replace it. You could see more job cuts in that area. So that could be a fallout from there.
Also, the jobless benefits extension. Will the Republicans be so quick to keep extending jobless benefits?
Jobless benefits extension again needs to be addressed by this Congress first, before we stop talking about the next Congress. And in fact, you guys, in Indiana, they're putting armed guards in the jobless benefits offices because it's such a stressful situation with potentially so many people losing their jobless benefits that they're relying on. So watch that space as well for potentially jobless extensions not continuing all the way through next year. Again and again like we've seen now.
Investments, the Dow is historically up in the third year of a presidency. And many people on Wall Street have been saying that one of the reasons why the stock market has been up, and that affects your investments, your retirement, your 401(k), it's been up because of anticipation of a Republican victory here.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Christine Romans on "AMERICAN MORNING" this morning.
The politicians and the pundits are already talking about the 2012 elections, but the dust is still settling from Tuesday's midterms. Two U.S. Senate races still undecided right now.
In Alaska, write-in incumbent Lisa Murkowski appears to lead Tea Party favorite Joe Miller and Democrat Scott McAdams. And in Washington State, Democratic incumbent Patty Murray leads Republican challenger Dino Rossi. We'll let you know when the totals come in.
(NEWSBREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: And our very first story in this newscast, Mitch McConnell speaking now in Washington at The Heritage Found. Of course he's the Senate Minority Leader. Let's listen in.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R), MINORITY LEADER: And they demonstrated to all of us that constitutional conservatism is actually alive and well.
There isn't a reason for Republicans to gloat. Rather, it's a time for both parties to realize who is really in charge -- the people -- and to be grateful for the opportunity we now have to begin to turn this ship around.
Tuesday was, indeed, a referendum, not a choice. It was a report card on the administration and anyone who sported its agenda, plain and simple.
It doesn't take a roomful of political scientists to figure that out. The Americans voted for change in the last two elections because of two long and difficult wars, and because they hoped a changing of the guard would stabilize the economy and get America moving again.
And then the people they elected set about dismantling the free market, handing out political favors at taxpayers' expense, expanding government, and creating a more precarious future for our children. In other words, Democratic leaders used the crisis of the moment to advance an agenda Americans didn't ask for and couldn't afford, and then they ignored and dismissed anyone who dared speak out against it.
So the voters didn't suddenly fall in love with Republicans. We know that. They fell out of love with Democrats. And while they may have voted to send more Republicans to Washington, they're sending them here with clear marching orders -- very clear marching orders -- stop the big government freight train and respect the will of the people who sent you there.
As Churchill once observed, "Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak. Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen." And I can't think of a better way to sum up Tuesday's election than that.
This morning, I would like to talk a little bit more about how we got here and the task ahead. And I wanted to do it here at The Heritage Foundation because for nearly 40 years, Heritage has played a crucial role in promoting and defending the principle of free enterprise, limited government, freedom, and a strong defense. In other words, the very principles the American people voted to uphold in Tuesday's historic election.
LEMON: And you are listening to the Senate Minority Leader there, Mitch McConnell, at The Heritage Foundation in Washington, of course, talking about Tuesday's historic election. And now with the Republicans having the majority in the House of Representatives, he's talking about how to move the government forward.
Of course, he opposes President Obama's health care plan, and he said that's one mission on his agenda, is to repeal that health care plan and also that health care law. And also, he said his major mission -- his main mission is to make sure President Obama only has one term.
We'll follow up on that if there's any other news to come out of it.
In the meantime, more concerns about the struggling job market this morning to tell you about. First-time claims for unemployment benefits jumped by 20,000 last week. The Labor Department says the number of Americans filing initial jobless claims rose to 450,000.
And of course some that's discouraging news. It's a discouraging sign ahead of tomorrow's monthly jobs report that we'll have for you.
That 457,000 number measures only new claims, or people who just lost their job and are up for benefits for the first time. There are millions more who have been drawing unemployment over the long term.
Alison Kosik on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange for us now.
Alison, when you count everyone, how many people are we talking about here?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: You know what, Don? This is the kind of number when you hear it, it really stops you in your tracks and you want to say, wow -- 8.7 million people, Don, in this country are collecting unemployment benefits. And this includes those people who are collecting those emergency long-term benefits, those federal benefits that kick in when the state benefits run out.
The average weekly check these people are getting, $290. Not a lot, but, hey, it helps pay some bills.
But the bigger problem here is that the federal benefits are looking to expire on November 30th, and if this lame duck Congress doesn't extend these benefits, two million people will stop getting those checks. Now, this extension could wind up being a big fight. We know in the past, Republicans have fought tooth and nail against extending these benefits.
Why? Because they say, who's going to pay for these benefits? They say we've already got a ballooning deficit of $1.3 trillion.
Of course, the bigger problem is when these Republicans move into their new seats in the House in January. That could be an even bigger blockade.
Not many blockades here on Wall Street right now. The Dow industrials rallying almost 200 points.
Don, back to you.
LEMON: All right.
Alison Kosik, thank you very much.
And one of the stories getting you talking today is in San Francisco. It's the passing of the so-called Happy Meal Law. Have you heard about it?
Kids now craving fast food, a fix there, will no longer find a free toy at the bottom of the box. Can you do that? We want to know what you think. Send us your thoughts, CNN.com/newsroom, and we're going to share some of your comments.
Someone said it was un-American.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: It was a huge night for Kobe Bryant. The Lakers star backed up his claim that he is fully recovered from his off-season knee surgery.
Remember that happened?
TNT NBA be analyst Mike Fratello checking in from New York now.
So, Mike, you can't argue with the numbers for Kobe Bryant that he put up last night. Listen, how old is Kobe now? I mean, I guess can he can fully recover from an injury like that, because the older you get, the harder it gets.
MIKE FRATELLO, TNT NBA ANALYST: Well, he's not quite as old as I am right now. I can tell you that, Don. But it was a great performance.
And I think the thing to note here, that was his 17th triple- double in his career. But in the last five years, he had only two triple-doubles. Now, after the off-season knee surgery, he comes back, and in five games he has his first one this season. So this guy is like that good wine that keeps getting better with age.
LEMON: I wish we were all like that. Let's see, what did he have? Thirty points, 12 assists, 10 rebounds, and the Lakers won 112- 100, a victory over Sacramento last night. So definitely a good sign for them.
Where do you see them when it comes to his year?
FRATELLO: I don't think there's anyone that would say this team is not going to be fighting for another NBA championship. They are clearly the best team in the West right now, and arguably the best team in the NBA now, early in the season.
Obviously, injuries do take its toll on certain teams. Odom, last night, had his thumb pulled back severely during the course of the game. They had to come out and re-tape him. But if you can go through the season with just small injuries, and make it to the playoffs, then obviously this team is talented enough to have a chance to win another championship.
LEMON: And it certainly helps their chances, having Kobe back on the court.
So, listen, let's talk about the Washington Wizards last night, because there were some great dance moves. John Wall wows the crowd with his dance moves -- take a look -- while he's being introduced.
What do you think of that?
FRATELLO: Well, according to what I was told, he did this only because his teammates had asked him to do it. This was part of the routine that he had at the University of Kentucky, when he was playing for head coach John Calipari.
His guys asked him, would you do it tonight at home to get the crowd into the game? And he said, "OK, I'll do it." I'm not sure he wants to do this every night, nor would I recommend this every night. I seem to remember another player who had routines that were planned before their games in Cleveland the last couple of years.
LEMON: Oh, come on, Mike. You can do the stanky leg. I can see you doing the stanky leg.
FRATELLO: That's not my favorite dance. I couldn't do that on "Dancing With the Stars."
LEMON: Hey, listen, let's talk about the Giants. And I know they had their huge -- their parade yesterday in San Francisco. But you know what people have been talking about the most here? Talking about Brian Wilson's beard.
I mean, the fans were wearing it. Even the people who were against him, they were saying, "Fear the beard." He has caused more people to grow beards in two weeks than anyone I've known.
FRATELLO: You know, I don't even want to tell you how old I am, but I've tried all these years to try a beard one time. I still can't grow one. It takes me too long to get to the point where it starts to show.
But I think it's a tremendous thing, for the fans to identify with someone like Brian who came on -- this is a great job for them -- in relief, and the fact that the city, after all these years, can celebrate a championship together. It's just a wonderful thing.
LEMON: It was very nice.
Mike Fratello, thank you, sir. Appreciate you helping us out here today in the world of sports.
Meantime, "The Best Political Team on Television" got some ribbing as well. And we're pulling up a chair at the kids' table. What is it? Is it a seder? Is it Thanksgiving?
What's going on? There's a bunch of tables there and a lot of folks.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: For Haiti, it's one nightmare after another. Right now, Tropical Storm Tomas is swirling toward the Caribbean country. It is expected to grow into a hurricane by the time it brushes past Haiti.
The storm is a serious threat for hundreds of thousands of Haitians still living in tents after losing their homes in January's earthquake. Haiti is also coping with a cholera outbreak right now. Four hundred and twenty-two deaths are reported so far in that country.
Rob Marciano joins us now with the latest.
(WEATHER REPORT)
(NEWSBREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. So I come over here to find out what is hot, and we're bringing you the hottest videos trending on the Internet.
Josh Levs, what do you have? Can you do it if I stand in front of this?
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it doesn't matter. We're going to show a cool video.
Take a look at this karate competition. Everyone else is chopping away at their wooden block. You can see one competitor tries and tries, but just can't break his piece of wood.
Meanwhile, it's a guy in the background who is having the bigger problem. Ouch!
LEMON: Ooh!
LEVS: Let's slow this down a little bit. You see he breaks the wood, but completely falls off the stage. Apparently, he's fine. Yes, a little bit painful to watch.
LEMON: We're laughing at other people's expense.
LEVS: Yes. But you know what? It's a competition.
LEMON: It's fun.
LEVS: None of us can do what he's doing. None of us --
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Can you fall off the stage like that?
LEVS: We're just laughing because we're impressed -- fall off the stage.
All right. Now look at this guy. Some people here can do this.
A Colorado congressman, so overwhelmed with joy over winning the election, check out what he does. He does cartwheels. Cartwheels. Democrat from Colorado's 7th District won reelection. Fifty-seven years old. Not bad.
LEMON: When was the last time you did a cartwheel?
LEVS: Third grade.
LEMON: Come on, Josh. Do one for us. Come on.
LEVS: Maybe fourth grade.
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: Do a tumble right now. Do that.
LEVS: That would violate one of my cardinal rules for TV. That is impressive though.
All right. Now, finally, you were talking about this earlier in the show. Last but not least, Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert.
LEMON: I knew it was going to happen when I saw it.
LEVS: Did you?
LEMON: It's fun to have a little fun at our own expense. Right?
LEVS: We enjoyed it, obviously. Poking fun at our election coverage.
LEMON: We enjoyed it, yes.
LEVS: He was pointing out with humor that we had so many points of view on the air, that's how -- that's our take. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHEN COLBERT, "THE COLBERT REPORT": Now, while Republicans made a lot of headway last night, the biggest gains of all were seen in the CNN newsroom, with 33 analysts on hand.
(LAUGHTER)
They picked up an unprecedented number of opinions. It looked like a bunch of people trying out laptops at Best Buy.
(LAUGHTER)
Each of the 33 analysts brought a unique -- a unique and indispensable perspective. Of course you have your liberal, your far- left liberal, your near-left liberal, your left-handed liberal, your moderate, your moderate-conservative, your moderate, moderate, your fiscal family conservative, your strategist, your tactician, your liberal minority, your minority-minority, your Bond villain, and, of course, your eye candy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: That is so awesome. Where's Ali? The poor guy.
LEMON: I was watching that thinking, oh, my gosh, it does. It looks like the kids' table at Thanksgiving or Christmas. It's amazing.
LEVS: Yes. I like how you called it the kids' table at the seder.
LEMON: How many more tables can we get? What did they have two or three?
LEVS: I think there were three different ones. But there, that was, like, the mega one that everyone was talking about.
All right. All the links are up for you on Facebook and Twitter. You'll be able to see them later on.
And I know, I'm being told we've got to go.
LEMON: We've got to go. What would you be, the nerdy candy?
LEVS: Ouch.
LEMON: President Obama's next move. We're checking in with "The Best Political Team on Television."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: OK, we asked you this earlier in the show, who are the most powerful people in the world. So who are the most powerful people in the world today, that's according to "Forbes" magazine? So coming at you right now, number two, President Obama. Barack Obama is number two.
And can you believe who number one is? Do you want to guess? There he is. Chinese President Hu Jintao. Under his watch, China has become the second-largest economy. He presides over 1.3 billion people, 1.3 billion people, that is a fifth of the world's population. I know we get a little myopic and think we are the only country on the planet. But Hu Jintao, "Forbes" magazine's most powerful person in the world. Meantime, the White House sends an invitation to the new speaker- in-waiting. At his cabinet this morning, just this morning, President Barack Obama announced a November 18th meeting with Republicans John Boehner and Mitch McConnell, as well as Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Tuesday was a big election. I've congratulated the Republicans and consoled some of our Democratic friends about the results.
And I think it's clear that the voters sent a message, which is that they want us to focus on the economy and jobs, and moving this country forward. Their concerned about making sure that the taxpayer money is not wasted, and they want a change of tone here in Washington where the two parties are coming together and focusing on the people's business as opposed to scoring political points.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And there she is right there, White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux in the room for that announcement.
He was asked this yesterday, the president, about a so-called "Slurpee Summit." Is this the one we have been hearing about?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: You know what? You could take it as a "Slurpee Summit." It's probably the closest thing that's going to happen to a "Slurpee Summit." But we got some details about what the president is actually going to be doing.
This is November 18th, this is when the lame-duck Congress, not the new Congress, but the lame-duck Congress comes back into session. He has invited eight members of Congress, the Republican as well as the Democratic leadership to the White House for a working meeting.
And he says this is not the kind of thing that's going to be a photo op. It's going to be substantial. That they're going to deal with real issues because he says that he is going to be sincere and consistent in working with Republicans to try to get things done.
So what is he talking about? The president specifically said that he would be negotiating with Republicans when it comes to the Bush tax cuts expiring.
We asked Robert Gibbs in the off-camera briefing this morning to be more specific. Is he talking about possibly allowing those tax cuts to continue for everyone, like the Republicans want, at least for the next two years? And Robert Gibbs said that he would be open to at least those discussions. So there may be some maneuvering in there, Don, regarding the tax cuts.
The other thing he mentioned is that there are some things that have bipartisan support and appeal, like the START Treaty with Russia, both sides eliminating or reducing their nuclear arsenals. That that is something that they can agree and discuss on and move forward. These are the kinds of things they wants to get done right away in the lame-duck session before January. So he's going to try in earnest to get them here at the White House and, Don, he said also, they will be having dinner at the residence. Robert Gibbs says, you know, maybe they will serve some Slurpees for desert. So we'll have to see.
LEMON: Watching the president today, his body language and his tone, Suzanne, it wasn't quite somber, but it was very moderated dad. Yesterday, it was -- I'm not sure if conciliatory is the right word, but it was definitely a degree of self-examination that he took after what he called a "shellacking" on Tuesday night.
What's the mood there? Is it different? Do you get a sense that things are different now and that there actually may be more working with the other party?
MALVEAUX: Sure. I thought the president was very reflective. I think a lot of people felt that he struck the right tone, at least towards the second half of the press conference when he really did seem like he was taking it all in, digesting it. And he obviously acknowledged that he had some responsibility.
Robert Gibbs said this morning, he said, look, we have been trying for a consensus with the Republicans since the very beginning. So maybe that message is a similar, but I do think that he said, look at the math, and when you look at the math it's a much different equation, it's much harder for them. So I think you're going to see a real earnest effort from this president and from this White House to reach out to Republicans.
So we'll see how this goes, but they're at least trying. They say there are some things they can do initially that have bipartisan support that they can get done right away, and that's what they're going to be working on to prove to the American people it's not this total gridlock that everybody is so frustrated with.
So we'll see.
LEMON: Suzanne Malveaux, hey, before I let you go, a serious question. Did you have a Happy Meal as kid or even as an adult?
MALVEAUX: Yes, sure. Absolutely
LEMON: And you get for the toy, right?
MALVEAUX: Yes, the toy.
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: I knew I'd throw you off. You're like, what the heck is he talking about?
MALVEAUX: I also get Slurpees. I love Slurpees, too.
LEMON: I do, too. I love Slurpees. Very nice. Thank you. MALVEAUX: I'm waiting to see if they serve them for the dinner. I just -- I want to see if it happens. There are so many jokes about it, I think it's going to happen.
LEMON: I would ask your favorite flavor, but they're saying we got to go. I think you are right on, they are going to serve Slurpees.
Thank you, Suzanne, as always.
And the reason I asked her that is because one American city is taking the toy out of the Happy Meal. What's going on? That story and your comments you've left on our blog, we're going to show it to you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: What has this world come to? Because San Francisco is taking the happy out of Happy Meals. For kids that means no toys. What about adults who like them?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: My children are so glad we don't live in San Francisco, that's all I can say. They love those toys.
LEMON: I know. I know there's the whole nutritional thing or whatever, but it's a Happy Meal. It's happiness for the tongue and it's happiness cause you get a little -- you know, for the taste buds.
COHEN: Exactly.
LEMON: Our senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is here. So why would the city want to do this for kids? It's about nutrition.
COHEN: right, it's about nutrition. We have an epidemic of obesity in this country among young people and so this is one way to combat it. You tell kids, hey look, if you want to get a cheeseburger, fries and soda Happy Meal, you don't get a toy. But if you get chicken and milk and fruit, then you can have a toy. So that's one way of doing it.
LEMON: So their enticing them by giving them -- it's like giving a prize or a treat or rewarding bad behavior for bad nutrition?
COHEN: I guess you can look at that, sure.
LEMON: What about choice? What if I want my kids to get a -- if you don't want a Happy Meal, don't take your kids to McDonald's to get the Happy Meal. Why are you taking away my choice to get a Happy Meal with a toy?
COHEN: That is true. Right, that is true.
And you know what? That's what McDonald's said. I'm going to tell you about their reaction to this. Because what they say is, we're extremely disappointed. This is not what our customers want and they say it's the parents right to make a decision, not the government. That's what McDonald's says, too.
LEMON: What's in a Happy Meal now? I feel bad because I'm sure it's not good. It tastes good, but it's not for you.
COHEN: OK, so we're going to take a look at one of the Happy Meals that would not get you a toy.
LEMON: OK.
COHEN: OK, so take a look at this.
If you have a cheeseburger Happy Meal with a small fries and soda, 640 calories and 24 grams of fat. Now to put that in perspective, that is more than half of the calories that an 8-year-old is supposed to have in a day.
So in one meal, you're getting more than half the calories you are supposed to have in an entire day. So you see why a lot of people aren't really crazy about the meals.
LEMON: But here is the thing you're not supposed to -- I'm looking at some of our viewer feedback here. You're not supposed to do it every day. Everything in moderation. If you do it once in awhile -- but the problem is, sometimes that's the de facto meal.
COHEN: Right, and that's what McDonald's says in their statement. They also say, look, most kids eat at home. They don't always eat here. So sure, maybe -- they say this isn't supposed to be every day.
LEMON: I know it's not good for you, but I think we should have a choice. I'm sorry, that's just me, I'm saying that.
COHEN: And McDonald's does also say, look, if you don't want the fries, get the fruit. If you don't want the soda, get the milk.
LEMON: All right, let's look at this real quick. Will you look at this with me?
COHEN: Sure.
LEMON: These are some of our viewers comments from our blogs. Most people are taking issue with this. Here's what Jason, this is what Jason writes. He says, "It is not the government's job to be parents to the kids. It is up to you." So kind of what people have been saying.
And there's this from Little Sweeter, "All of the child abuse going on in America and they are worried about a Happy Meal?"
And here's what Bill writes, "The Nanny State runnamok (sic)."
More later. Keep your comments coming right here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LEMON: It is all over but the shouting. The voting may be done, but the counting continues from the 2010 midterms, what is it, two days after the election. Paul Steinhauser, part of "The Best Political Team on Television," joins us now live from the Political Desk. He's in the Washington bureau right now.
What's crossing, Paul?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Well, Don, you're absolutely right. Two days after the elections and it's still not over.
How about this? We have four gubernatorial contests that are still undecided, 10 House races that are still undecided, and in the Senate, of course, two states left. Washington state, they vote by mail there, they're still counting votes. It's too close between Patty Murray and Dino Rossi. And up in Alaska, that three-way race still too close to call because you have Lisa Murkowski, the senator up there who was running as a write-in candidate, they don't even count those write-in votes till next week.
But, Don, all right, enough about 2010, that's so Tuesday. Let's talk about the next race for the White House, the battle for the White House in 2012. It is underway, and check this out, brand new numbers this morning from CNN/Opinion Research Corporation. A national poll, we asked just Republicans on this one, who would you most likely vote for for your nomination for your party.
And check that out at the top, Muck Huckabee, 21 percent, the former Arkansas governor. Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, at 20 percent. They both ran last time.
Sarah Palin, of course, the vice presidential nominee last time, at 14 percent. The former House Speaker Newt Gingrich at 12 percent. Ron Paul, congressman from Texas, at 7 percent, he ran last time in '08.
Let's keep going. Haley Barbour, the Mississippi governor, he is 3 percent. So is Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty. And Mike Pence, the congressman from Indiana, at 3 percent. And Rick Santorum at 2 percent.
What do all these people, Don, have in common? They all may want to run for the White House, but nobody, though, nobody has jumped in and made it official yet. And remember, two years is a long time from now, Don.
LEMON: It is. And it's very interesting, you look at that Mike Huckabee at the top and then double the numbers of Sarah Palin. I wonder if that says anything about how much air time she gets. It is deserved or is it just she's manipulating the media. Who knows?
STEINHAUSER: You got it. And, Don, if she jumps into the race, though -- this is interesting, look at this number right here from our poll. If she jumps in, what would it be like, her versus Barack Obama? Let's say she won the nomination. Take a look at this hypothetical, head-to-head between Sarah Palin and the president, 52 percent -- and this is everybody, not just Republicans -- say they would maybe vote for Obama, 45 percent for Palin.
But what about Romney-Obama? Look at that one, 50 percent for Romney, 45 percent for the president.
And what about the president versus Mike Huckabee? Then it's 52 percent for Mike Huckabee, 44 percent for President Obama.
Again, Don, a long time from now. We will be polling a lot more between now and then.
LEMON: Oh, you think so?
STEINHAUSER: Yes, I think so. Go figure.
LEMON: Thank you, Paul Steinhauser.
Your next political update just one hour and for the latest political news, you know where to go, go to CNNPolitics.com.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: OK.
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: She's still talking in my ear. You still have that key, Jen (ph).
So listen, "Rob's Moment of the Day." What are we going to call it?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I don't know, we just start talking about stuff.
LEMON: "Deep Thoughts by Rob Marciano"?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: The gang said, maybe we should bring you on at the end of show and have a moment. I didn't think we would name it "Rob's Moment" because now that I'm older, I have several moments, including senior moments throughout the morning.
LEMON: So no surprise, we were watching -- we having the meeting today and then on the television screens, this video came and I'm not surprised that it's your moment.
MARCIANO: You know, using an animal video is a bit cliche in the television world, but this has something to do with weather.
The Skokomish River, which is on the Olympic Peninsula just west of Seattle, it floods every now and again. And this dog, Honey, did some fishing.
Look at the size of that salmon, Don.
LEMON: I know, it's huge! Oh my gosh, so no salmon were hurt in the taping of this video?
MARCIANO: I can't guarantee that. This one doesn't look happy, I can tell you that. And Honey, presumably, brought it back to its owner and they had a nice fillet later on that night.
Anyway, it won't be animal video every day, but I just wanted to share that with you.
LEMON: Pacific Northwest, there are plenty of salmon to go around, right?
MARCIANO: Yes, it's improving.
LEMON: And that is "Rob's Moment of the Day."
MARCIANO: We'll have to change that.
LEMON: Lottery winners give it all away.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALLEN LARGE, $11 MILLION LOTTERY WINNER: It made us feel good that we could do something to help other people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: We will meet a couple whose hearts are bigger than their bank account.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: You go in every day, you put money on that lottery ticket and then you hope you win. But most people who hit the jackpot, right, they splurge on themselves. And why not?
But this Canadian couple says they don't need anything, so they're giving away their $11 million lottery prize.
Here's Kevin Harvey with the CBC.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEVIN HARVEY, CBC REPORTER (voice-over): They still live in the same 147-year-old home. There are no new cars in the garage and no giant TV in the living room. The Larges say they haven't spent any of the money on themselves.
VIOLET LARGE, $11 MILLION LOTTERY WINNER: Nothing.
ALLEN LARGE, $11 MILLION LOTTERY WINNER: Absolutely nothing.
V. LARGE: We haven't bought one thing. That's it, because there's nothing that we need. A. LARGE: You can't -- you can't buy happiness.
HARVEY: Or health. Seventy-eight-year-old Violet is just getting over surgery and six chemo treatments for cancer, but it hasn't changed her outlook on life.
V. LARGE: It could be worse because I'm not bedfast. But -- and I haven't been sick to my stomach so, I mean, I'm very fortunate.
HARVEY: One of the things the couple isn't worried about is what to do with all that money, that's because most of it is gone. Some to family, but the majority they hand-delivered to charities.
V. LARGE: We've made the donations, which were -- which really has perked us up. We've helped hospitals and the fire departments and churches and the cemeteries and all charitable donations we have given to. And they've all been well-appreciated.
HARVEY: The couple doesn't want to talk about how much each received.
V. LARGE: But when they seen the check, their eyes really opened up wide.
A. LARGE: It made us feel good that we could do something to help other people.
HARVEY: The couple knew the money couldn't help with Violet's health problems, so with the money out of the way, they are spending more time on Violet's recovery.
A. LARGE: She says, I may not be able to get up and dance, I may not be able to get up and swing to the highland fling or anything, but she said I'm quite happy. I'm coming every day and feeling a little better, a little better every day.
V. LARGE: And I've never been down and out. So what more -- what more do you want?
HARVEY: Al and Violet say they have kept some money for emergencies and, yes, they are still buying lottery tickets.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Ah, good for them.
You know, the number one issue for most Americans right now, jobs. How do Republicans plan to turn their campaign talking points into real jobs? Our chief business correspondent, Mr. Ali Velshi, breaks it down for us in the next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM.
And the Federal Reserve's $600 billion treasury purchase, what does that mean for main street America? Christine Romans will give us -- that to us in plain English, coming up in the next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Creating jobs. Creating jobs. Cut spending. Well, Republicans ran on those promises and took control of the House on Tuesday. And we asked earlier this hour, now what? What happens next?
Josh Levs has been going over some of the Republican plans that we're seeing so far and he joins us now.
What are you seeing, Josh?
LEVS: So what I've been doing is piecing through these documents. Oftentimes, it's inside these documents that you find specifics where people lay out what they want to actually do if given the chance to do it.
So from the GOP, from the presumed next speaker, John Boehner, much of it surrounds tax cuts. When you look at what they're saying they'll do to build jobs, a lot of it is tax cuts and this is where you get into that debate between different sides. You have a lot of Republicans saying it's a necessity to build jobs and keep more money in the private sector. You got a lot of Democrats saying that's the last thing the government can afford right now.
Here's a specific for you. One thing they're talking about doing to build jobs, the GOP says they want to give income tax breaks to small businesses, up to 20 percent of income would be deductible by small businesses not paying taxes on that.
Along with that, a lot of focus in these documents on spending, cutting spending. And one specific example that they talk about is they want to cancel unspent stimulus funds. Now, as you know, that stimulus bill is still very, very controversial. There are certainly those out there who say it has achieved a lot, especially on the Democratic side. The president says that.
Meanwhile, on the Republican side there are plenty who say it has gotten nothing done. And John Boehner actually tweeted a link to the GOP document that says they should cancel unspent stimulus funds. They're calling it a failed bill.
Let me touch on a couple more things here. There's a lot of talk about free trade agreements and this also gets into another controversial issue here. There's a lot of talk ion GOP platform writings about how more free trade agreements around the world would, they believe, ultimately lead to more jobs here in this country, more of a free market system.
And one other thing that I just think is so striking that I want to point to. It's interesting, they talk about creating additional requirements for you to receive unemployment insurance. So if you're out of a job, you want that insurance, what they're pushing for is more education. They want there to be certain requirements saying that you would have to have more education, enhanced training, or show that you're doing additional job searching in order to get those benefits all the way until they exhaust. So, you know, Don, what we're seeing here as we look at some of these items on the platform is really the debates that we're now setting ourselves up for in January, when Republicans take over the House and have the power there, fight with the Democrats there, fight with the Senate, fight with the presidency. Hopefully, they'll all work together to get some stuff done.
These are some of the key points we can expect these debates to be about in the hopes that jobs will ultimately come about.
LEMON: All right. Good description of what at least the plans are. But, Josh, of course, will this plan work? Will it create jobs?
Our chief business correspondent, Ali Velshi, has been going over the details for you. He'll be here in just a few minutes to give us his take on this. Will it work? Will it work?
