Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Blowing up the Tax Code; Tales From a Nightmare Cruise; Getting Men to Go to the Doctor; A CNN Political Update; The Help Desk; Lunch Crashing
Aired November 12, 2010 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And hello again, everyone. I'm Tony Harris.
Top of the hour in the CNN NEWSROOM, where anything can happen. Here are some of the people behind today's top stories.
Deductions in danger. Recommendations to lower America's crushing debt could mean you will lose prized tax rates like your home mortgage interest deduction. We are digging deeper.
Chaotic cruise. What was it like on board that ship stuck at sea? We will have home video from on board the ship.
And for all the men watching and the women who love them, do something you're likely to be a little wary of, maybe even afraid to do.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So stick your tongue out here, now a high "E."
T.J. HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ah.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: T.J. Holmes overcoming his -- I'm not going to call them -- fears, concerns, issues, and sharing an important message about going to the doctor.
Let's get started with our lead story -- your taxes and what to expect.
President Obama insists he is not caving to Republicans on the issue. Reports recently surfaced suggesting the president was willing to give in to GOP demands to extend Bush-era tax cuts to the rich. It is a fight that will play out on Capitol Hill beginning next week, when Congress returns for its lame-duck session.
But the president sets the record straight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: That is the wrong interpretation, because I haven't had a conversation with Republican and Democratic leaders. Here's the right interpretation.
I want to make sure that taxes don't go up for middle class families starting on January 1st. That's my number one priority for those families and for our economy.
I also believe that it would be fiscally irresponsible for us to permanently extend the high-income tax cuts. I think that would be a mistake, particularly when we've got our Republican friends saying that their number one priority is making sure that we deal with our debt and our deficit.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: OK. Asked about his future discussions with party leaders, he would only say he wasn't going to negotiate in Seoul, but negotiate back in Washington.
So the other money and politics story we're following, reducing the nation's crushing debt. It was a major theme in midterm elections, as you know. Most of you have made difficult decisions about your own personal debt and finances. Now it is certainly the country's turn.
And as this debate unfolds, we are going to go and follow it in depth, in great detail. We will focus on the size of the debt and how we got here; who owns the debt, and why it matters to you; what cuts are being proposed. And what would you cut? Think about that.
A preliminary proposal to slash the nation's debt has gotten the conversation going. The plan by the co-chairmen of a bipartisan panel calls for deep spending cuts and tax increases to cut $4 trillion over 10 years. It also calls for overhauling the tax code. That could mean the end of some very popular tax deductions.
Jeanne Sahadi, senior writer of CNNMoney.com breaks the issue down on their Web site.
Jeanne, great to talk to you again.
JEANNE SAHADI, SR. WRITER, CNNMONEY.COM: Good to talk to you.
HARRIS: Let's start here -- your article is called "Blowing up the Tax Code." If you would, walk us through the three main ideas for tax reform.
SAHADI: The co-chairmen of President Obama's commission did what a lot of tax policy experts have been saying all along needs to happen. They simplified the tax code. Their proposals would simplify the tax code. They reduce the income tax rates for individuals and businesses, and they called for the reduction or elimination of most of the tax breaks that lots of people in the country enjoy, lots of special interests lobby for.
HARRIS: Yes. So let's do this -- let's break these down one by one, starting with the idea of simplifying the tax code.
SAHADI: Right. A couple of things they do.
They get rid of thinks like the alternative minimum tax, which is the so-called wealth tax that is capturing more and more people. It's sort of complicated to figure out. You have to figure out your taxes twice every year to see if you're going to be subject to it.
HARRIS: Right.
SAHADI: It's like a marketing plan for Advil (ph). They're getting rid of that.
They are reducing the number of tax brackets from six to three. Right now there are six tax rates. So, under some of their proposals, there would only be three.
They also -- part of simplification is also reducing the number of tax breaks in the code, but that also accomplishes a lot of other things. And I know we're going to get to it.
HARRIS: Right. Yes. So the next item here is the idea of actually lowering tax rates, correct?
SAHADI: Right. Right. And again, that is tied into reducing tax breaks.
They have a couple proposals in their draft plan, and it would reduce rates across the board for everyone, individuals and corporations. The idea of doing it for corporations is that it makes them more competitive internationally because companies will choose to invest here. That's the theory.
Another reason for lowering income tax rates is it makes the whole system more economically efficient. And by that, they mean it would reduce incentives to avoid taxation. In other words, you wouldn't do something economically just to avoid -- you know, to lower your tax bill.
HARRIS: Got you.
SAHADI: And the same thing is true when you reduce tax breaks. But they're reducing tax breaks for a couple of reasons.
One, to simplify the code. But also, because we give up about a trillion dollars in revenue every year to these various tax breaks.
We talk about the mortgage interest deduction, the health tax break you get at work when employers help you pay for your insurance policies, the charitable deductions, state and local tax deduction. None of these would be sacred until these proposals. They account for a disproportionate amount of that trillion dollars that we lose in tax revenue every year. And this is a deficit reduction plan.
HARRIS: Yes. I think you blended in some of the ideas on closing some of the tax breaks there, didn't you?
SAHADI: Right. Did I blend them? Well, there are over 200 tax breaks in the code, but about five or six of them are the most expensive, and they're also the most popular. And so you will see a lot of fights about it.
This isn't just a proposal right now. I don't think -- most people don't think that the fiscal commission will sign onto it, certainly not as is. But what tax experts are saying is this is really laying the groundwork for people to begin this discussion.
HARRIS: Right. And aren't we getting another report next week with some additional ideas, and maybe some of the same ideas on debt reduction?
SAHADI: Yes. Alice Rivlin, who is a budget expert, she's a member of the president's commission. She is also co-chairing a debt reduction commission for the Bipartisan Policy Center. And they're coming out with their report, and they, in fact, were supposed to come out before the president's commission. And as we know, the co- chairmen this week surprised, oh, everybody by putting out their draft.
So, it was my understanding -- Alice Rivlin had told us a couple of months ago that she thought that her group's proposal would actually be more aggressive than what the commission puts out. I think what the final report for the commission will be will be less aggressive than either with the co-chairmen or what Alice Rivlin's group has put out.
But the truth is, once the commission is gone -- they disband after December 1st -- these two reports will really lay the mark against which President Obama's 2012 budget proposal will be measured, against the proposals that the Republicans and the Tea Partiers who have been complaining about the debt are going to be making. This is an important framework that both groups are laying down.
HARRIS: OK. Terrific. Well done, Jeanne. And your piece at CNNMoney.com, again, is called -- it's titled?
SAHADI: "Blowing Up the Tax Code."
HARRIS: All right. So there it is.
And Jeanne Sahadi from our Money team.
Terrific work. Thank you, Jeanne. That really helped.
SAHADI: Thank you, Tony.
The saga of the cruise ship Splendor is all over, except the storytelling is pretty amazing stuff, too. Hugs all around after the ship was towed into San Diego Thursday. Carnival offering free cruises after an engine room fire turned the vacation into a nightmare. A passenger captured the announcement that signaled trouble ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have a smoke situation, lots of smoke in one of our engine control areas. You are all smelling that smoke if you're on deck 1, 2, possibly deck 6 as well, or you're on the back of the ship.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Wow. The ship actually set out on Sunday, but by early Monday, it was dead in the water. No electricity. For passengers, that meant no air-conditioning, no hot water, no real food. Just Pop- Tarts, mayonnaise sandwiches, and stuff like that, Spam.
Passengers talked to CNN's John Roberts on "AMERICAN MORNING."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMBER HASLERUD, PASSENGER ON CARNIVAL SPLENDOR: When it happened, it was loud. The rest of the days were just -- I wouldn't say chaotic, just a little not organized at first. But as the time went on, it got a little better. Situations weren't great as far as not having toilets and power, but, I mean, most people made it through and survived all right, obviously.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: We've talked about people being left with mayonnaise sandwiches because passengers in line, in these two- hour lines for food ahead of them, were taking all the meat off sandwiches. Backed-up toilets, cold showers in the dark.
What was the worst for you?
LETICIA LEWIS, PASSENGER ON CARNIVAL SPLENDOR: You know, I was disappointed. I was planning this trip with a group from church. It was a church event.
And I don't wish this experience on anyone, John, but I was just really disappointed like, oh my goodness. Why is this happening? Why now?
But I'm so thankful that we're all alive. I give God praise that we made it out OK, because it could have been so much worse.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Got to tell you, some passengers say, sure, they'll take Carnival up on their offer of a free cruise. Some are running in the other direction quickly.
Ask any woman how tough it is to get a man to go to the doctor's office. I've got to tell you, though, those checkups are really important.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So stick your tongue out here. Now I high "E."
HOLMES: Ah.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "American Idol" needs you, huh?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: That's good. That's a good look, T.
T.J. Holmes on the importance of getting those men in your life to visit their doctor.
First, though, the "Random Moment" in 90 seconds.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Yes. Cute babies, our "Random Moment of the Day."
You know, you can really work up a sweat wrestling a cranky baby in a car seat. Right? All right. So this dad has found the magic elixir for his crabby mini-me. It's the soothing sounds of reggae legend Bob Marley.
Watch and prepared to be amazed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the power of Jesus? No, it's the power of reggae.
(MUSIC)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Pretty amazing, isn't it? So, the baby just actually -- well, loves music. Things get off to a kind of slow start, and then the baby gets loose.
(MUSIC)
(LAUGHTER)
HARRIS: Alas, all good things must come to an end.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is what happens when it ends.
(CRYING)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good job.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Unhappy baby.
OK. Like we said, all good things, they have to come to an end. Even the "Random Moment of the Day." We have got to get to T.J. We're back in a moment.
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: OK. If it ain't broke, and you're not bleeding, why go to the doctor?
HOLMES: What's the point?
HARRIS: What's the point?
HOLMES: Ain't broke, ain't bleeding. Ain't no problem.
HARRIS: We're not bleeding.
So -- but here's the point, right? There are people in our lives -- and men, this is for all of you who actually, believe it or not, love us and want us to be around.
So, T.J., you did something you haven't done in how many years?
HOLMES: I'm embarrassed. It's been over 10 years since I actually had a physical at the doctor.
HARRIS: Why so long?
HOLMES: Ain't broke, ain't bleeding. I ain't going. What's the point? We feel fine, and we just don't go.
HARRIS: Right.
HOLMES: And you know this, and every guy out there listening right now can relate to this. And so what happened to me in March? I got married.
HARRIS: Right. Right. Right.
(CROSSTALK)
HOLMES: Things changed a bit. And she's been on me, even before we got married.
So she's on me. I had my executive producer, Tanisha (ph), hearing this conversation with my wife and I on the phone. She's like, "You ain't been to a doctor in how long?"
HARRIS: Right.
HOLMES: And that triggered it. And I am the exact problem -- 33 years old, fairly young man.
HARRIS: Right.
HOLMES: Work out, eat fairly well, no problems. HARRIS: We could talk about your eating though.
HOLMES: Meat and vegetables. That's it. But there needs to be something else in there.
HARRIS: OK. Yes.
HOLMES: But that's the point. But you're seeing this.
I went -- Tom Joyner, a syndicated radio host, he does this -- he's had this campaign for years called, "Take a Loved One to the Doctor." And so what happened with me here is that we decided to try to do some good, because I am the exact problem.
HARRIS: Yes. I've been there, man.
HOLMES: And so, you're talking about a guy like me who has all those risk factors -- I like red meat, my dad had prostate cancer; granddad, prostate cancer; and I'm a black male.
HARRIS: Right.
HOLMES: Every risk factor they tell you about -- heart disease and prostate cancers -- I'm all of those things. So what you're seeing here, Cooper Clinic. They took me to down in Dallas.
HARRIS: They worked you out, didn't they?
HOLMES: They worked me out.
HARRIS: And worked you over.
HOLMES: A little bit. You could say that.
HARRIS: Yes.
HOLMES: I had to --
HARRIS: This was the stress test?
HOLMES: This is the stress test. This tests the heart to let you know what kind of condition that heart is in. And if you're in a risk area for heart disease.
And the point, I'm doing this at 33, though.
HARRIS: Right.
HOLMES: But what I learned at 33 can help me change my life now to keep from having to go back when I'm 50 or 60 with a much bigger problem.
HARRIS: Yes. This was tough for you. You were telling me this was tougher than you thought it would be.
HOLMES: It was a lot tougher, because what you see happening there -- everybody has -- you know, treadmills, you've been on 3.3 miles an hour.
HARRIS: Exactly.
HOLMES: That ain't no problem.
HARRIS: I could walk that.
HOLMES: That's no problem.
HARRIS: That's my sweet spot.
HOLMES: But on this one, it goes one degree up on the incline every minute. So you're climbing up the wall.
HOLMES: Whoa. Let's listen. Can we listen?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You feel (ph) like you're about 17 to 20 on there?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: I'm trying to hold on.
HARRIS: You're trying to hang on for dear life here. Look at you.
OK. And here's the point -- I know you're in good shape. I've tried to play a little ball with you. I know you're in good shape, but this was tough.
HOLMES: Yes. We think we're in good shape because we can do all that. But what you don't know is what that blood pressure is doing, where your cholesterol is, how that heart is really doing.
So that is the point we're trying to get out, and maybe by showing folks what you have to go through -- men, heart disease the number one killer. The second leading killer for men is cancer. Those are things you can detect early to keep from having a problem.
Like I said, I mentioned, Tony -- I think we still have this sound bite we can play of him talking about prevention.
HARRIS: Yes, let's do it.
HOLMES: Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Are we literally killing ourselves?
TOM JOYNER, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.
But we can do something about it with prevention. And the first step of prevention is right up under your shoes. Take a -- you're at the doctor's office, and that's the first step to prevention.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: All right. I'm sick of these -- prevention is key, and you've done good work with this piece. Right?
But I've got to tell you, I'm sick of these text messages and e- mails I'm getting already about, "Keep T.J. on longer with his shirt off."
What is this?
HOLMES: Stop. Stop. Stop.
HARRIS: What is this?
HOLMES: We're trying to get a serious message out here, Tony. But that was part of it.
HARRIS: And I get these blasts, but did you come away with any knowledge about health factors, risks, things that you need to be mindful of?
HOLMES: Yes. For me, my life changed this week.
HARRIS: Really?
HOLMES: My life changed this week. My habits changed this week, because like the doctor said -- and you're going to hear this weekend on our show -- prevention, they don't focus on it in the medical community because there's no money in it.
HARRIS: There's no money in it.
HOLMES: There's no money, when you get really, really sick --
HARRIS: Oh, we talked about that.
HOLMES: -- isn't that sad?
HARRIS: Right. Right. Right. OK.
HOLMES: But I'm glad I got to do it. The wife is glad. And everybody loves me, like you. I'm glad I got in there.
HARRIS: Terrific. This weekend -- starting tomorrow?
HOLMES: Tomorrow, we're going to do a whole half hour, 9:00 Eastern Time, on men's health. You'll see the results of my physical, see what I went through, and maybe we can get some men into the doctor.
HARRIS: That would be awesome. All right. 9:00 a.m. tomorrow morning, "CNN SATURDAY MORNING."
T.J., good to see you, man. HOLMES: Appreciate you, buddy.
HARRIS: Rocking it. Boy, that was tough. It looked tough.
Still to come, a winter storm watch for parts of the country this weekend. The forecast, straight ahead.
And right now enjoy a delicious way to try to set a world record -- 14,000 pies, 650 students in Lawrence Township, New Jersey.
We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Checking top stories now, a Tennessee politician admits to a poor choice of words, but he stands by the point he was trying to make about pregnant illegal immigrants.
Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are not permitted to determine citizenship because the child, once born, is a U.S. citizen.
CURRY TODD, TENNESSEE STATE REPRESENTATIVE: Well, we can go out there like rats and multiply then, I guess.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KASAR ABDULLA, TENNESSEE IMMIGRANT & REFUGEE RIGHTS COALITION: It showed that him, as an elected official, he doesn't care about the immigrant community, that he doesn't value them as human beings.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Boy. Representative Curry Todd later told WSMV he is sorry if he offended anyone, but he is not going to try to be politically correct with everything he says.
Also in Tennessee, the college student convicted of hacking the e-mail account of then-vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is going to federal prison for a year and a day. David Kernell had asked for probation.
Anticipation and uncertainty. A building in Myanmar where an icon of democracy could soon walk free. Aung San Suu Kyi, her long house arrest is set to end on Saturday. And there is word the military plans to release her, but no one is sure exactly when. Got to tell you, this Sunday is officially the Day of the Child. Drawing awareness to the needs of 52 millions orphans around the world.
Founder of Children Uniting Nations, Daphna Ziman.
Daphna, good to see you.
DAPHNA ZIMAN, FOUNDER, CHILDREN UNITING NATIONS: It's so good to see you, Tony. How are you?
HARRIS: Oh my goodness. I've been waiting for this conversation all week.
Daphna's joining us from our Los Angeles bureau.
ZIMAN: I'm waiting for you to come to L.A.
HARRIS: Yes, that's happening next week. I can't wait to see you and the family.
ZIMAN: Yes.
HARRIS: Tell us about the Day of the Child and your organization's involvement with this.
ZIMAN: Well, the Day of the Child this year is particularly amazing. We're hosting 1,000 foster children and 1,000 university student mentors for a day of fun, rides, food, and major, major celebrities.
Actually, a sponsor this year is George Clooney, and our hosts, Forest Whitaker, Don Cheadle, Maggie Gilliland (ph), Luke Wilson, David Arquette, and so many more -- Adrian Grenier. He's actually performing with The Honeys. And so it's going to be a very special day for all the kids.
HARRIS: Yes.
ZIMAN: And this is so important.
HARRIS: So, Daphna, if you would, tell us -- you've got a star- studded roster for the event on Sunday. What is it about this cause that has resonated with the stars who will be on hand and with you to take it on as an issue for your life?
ZIMAN: Well, these children are removed from their home through no fault of their own because of abuse and neglect. And because they don't raise money, they don't vote, and they don't have parents who vote or raise money, they are neglected and abandoned by our community.
And the whole point is to really reach out and make the most voiceless children in our community or in our country have a voice. And I think the fact that the communication media and all of us stars have reached out like that shows that we are developing a consciousness and feeling that the community has to become a family.
And I am so proud of Los Angeles, of Hollywood, of Washington, and all the people that are reaching out to those children. And in this day, these children who are, at best, caught up in a revolving door of strangers, they are actually being considered as stars. They are the stars of the day.
And you know that Ron Artest is actually raffling his championship ring, and he's going to bring it to the Day of the Child, and it's $2 a raffle. And with that money, he's actually going to adopt schools, and he's going to add a mental health component in the educational part of children who have suffered such trauma.
HARRIS: Is it true that every time you get some media attention, that you get a number of kids who actually are adopted as a result of you talking about this issue?
ZIMAN: Absolutely. You know, I was actually involved in starting Adoption Saturday, which then became Adoption Day across the country. And in the beginning, we only had, like, 300 children that are being adopted.
There are now Adoption Days across the entire country, and people call and people adopt these children. And, you know, more than anything, every child has the right to a family. And it's so important to raise other people's children, because that's the future of not only our country, but our world.
You just mentioned that there are 52 million children across the world who are orphaned. Right here in Los Angeles, we have 59,000 children. We really need to think again, because 78.8 percent of all inmates in penitentiary come from the child welfare system. And with this --
HARRIS: Well, Daphna -- well, I want to tell you that I love having you on the program. We've talked about this on a couple occasions now, and we spent time among ourselves talking about this issue.
I'm going to see you soon. I want to thank you for being on the program. And I want to say good-bye by reading your goal and mission statement to everyone. "Our mission is to create loving, tolerant and capable world citizens, and we are dedicated to helping children find their way to fulfilling their dreams." Daphna, always good to talk to you, and see you soon.
ZIMAN: Thank you so much, Tony.
HARRIS: We'll visit soon.
Still to come, in the CNN NEWSROOM, the trauma of war. And a novel approach to helping vets heal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We developed a program to be able to help the men and women that are coming out of Afghanistan and Iraq. These are heroes, and these people deserve our accolades, deserve our applause.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Finding solace in the most unexpected places. We'll take you there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: A Vietnam veteran helping other vets cope with the trauma of war. CNN's photojournalist Jerry Simonson visits the shores of Marathon Key, Florida and captured this amazing story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on, let's go out to the dock. Come on out. Who wants to play? There you go. Look. Good girls.
MANDY RODRIGUEZ, CO-FOUNDER, DOLPHIN RESEARCH CENTER: So, this is not a bad way to spend the rest of your life, watching these wonderful animals, learning from them.
My name is Mandy Rodriguez. I served in Vietnam. When I joined the Marine Corps, I was a teenager. I was -- I went through my training, was sent to Vietnam almost immediately, like the rest of us. I made the best friends ever in Vietnam. And I also saw the most horrific things I have ever seen in my life, which unfortunately, still stick with me.
After coming back from Vietnam as a young Marine, I was very confused, very angry, probably just like all of us out of war. These animals helped me. They actually saved my life, if you want to say. They're just a wonderful way of being -- their happiness, the way they look at you, the way they treat you. It carried through, and I actually use that with other humans. And guess what? It works.
I'm Mandy Rodriguez.
We figured maybe this would be a good way to help these veterans.
Ready, Marine? Attagirl. Here she comes. She's sizing you up. There you go. Now look this way. Big smile. Feel the vibration?
We developed a program to be able to help the men and women that are coming out of Afghanistan and Iraq. These are heroes. And these people deserve our accolades, they deserve our applause.
(APPLAUSE)
RODRIGUEZ: For that one half hour of time, they probably would have forgotten all those things they have gone through in their war.
Can you kiss Johnny good-bye, please?
They have that ability to put you in a world where you're accepted, to put you in a world where it's a good world and you're not thinking about those things, those traumatic things you have experienced in the past.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: That's good stuff. Catch more of these stories all week here in the CNN NEWSROOM. And tune in Saturday at 3:00 p.m. Eastern for a one-hour special. You can also visit CNN.com/veterans. We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: How about this? A ten-carat diamond ring, a vintage Rolex are just some of the items, jailed billionaire Bernie Madoff's items going up for auction.
But another auction is taking the baseball world by storm this weekend. Check it out. This baseball autographed by Babe Ruth, was used in the game where he hit his 702nd home run. It's expected to fetch between $50,000 and $100,000.
And guess who is the amazing photograph that will go on sale this weekend? A personal picture given by a particular blond bombshell to Joe DiMaggio? We will show you the pic after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Okay. Let's just do a quick reveal. Here's the picture. Marilyn Monroe, Norma Jean. Joe DiMaggio, of course, was on of Marilyn's former husbands. The picture is going for between $40,000 and $50,000. And you can see her autograph right there on her upper chest. Can you make that out? It says "I love you, Joe."
OK. If it's happening in Hollywood you will see it in our Showbiz update. Kelly Carter is an entertainment journalist in Los Angeles. Kelly, good to see you.
KELLY CARTER, ENTERTAINMENT JOURNALIST: Good to see you too, Tony. Thanks for having me again.
HARRIS: It's my pleasure. Are you one of those highfalutin entertainment correspondents that gets advanced copies of shows like Sarah Palin's new reality shows that's on TLC, one of my favorite networks, this weekend?
CARTER: You know, I'll take the highfalutin label, certainly. So, yes, I do get a sneak preview of things like reality TV shows with ex-politicians.
HARRIS: What do you think about it? Did you get a chance to look at it? What did you think?
CARTER: I haven't seen it in its entirety, but I will say, for Sarah Palin, this is kind of her revenge on what she considered to be a pretty brutal media. You know, this is her controlling Sarah Palin. You know, this is her controlling her image as you will see it. She gets to show us a different side of herself. We see her hunting, we'll see her taking on polar bears. You know, she's really showing you her Alaska.
HARRIS: Is it anything more than travel log? I know that it is because I know the folks over at TLC and the work they do, but do we get to sort of see sort of those random, unscripted moments that make reality shows kind interesting to watch?
CARTER: Absolutely. We'll defintely get to a chance to see a different size of the Palin family and her interaction with her children, and what it's like inside the household, yes.
HARRIS: OK. Can I switch gears here because -- this is the Palin block, it seems.
Bristol Palin is actually still in the hunt on this "Dancing with the Stars" program. Now, I haven't watched a lot of it, but plenty of people have told me she's not the best in the group and they have wondered out loud how is it she's sticking around? But she looks pretty good here.
CARTER: Well, you know, Bristol is the consistent low scorer on "Dancing with the Stars," but what makes a show like "Dancing with the Stars" work is you get this eclectic, kind of random group of celebrities or whoever is considered celebrities together, assembled, and dancing. And Bristol, for better or for worse, has landed herself in the top four. And she's staying there, even though the judges consider her not to have much rhythm.
HARRIS: So, wait a minute. Kelly, let me understand this. The judges don't care for her much, but she's making it from week to week because the fans at home, the viewers are voting her?
CARTER: The fans at home, they're absolutely voting her on. For whatever reason they find her endearing. Again, with shows like these, I think the underdog really, really is what the audiences look for and what they root for. And that's definitely the case in this situation.
HARRIS: Kelly, does chef a chance -- I don't know who us is in the final four, does she have a chance of winning the program?
CARTER: You know, stranger things have happened, Tony. Right now, the front-runners are Jennifer Grey and R&B singer Brandy. That's who the judges love. And that's who the fans love as well. But you know, Bristol is hanging in there. It looks like she'll sail her way into the finals.
HARRIS: OK. I've gone on too long here. I wanted to get to the new Michael Jackson single with the singer Akon, but maybe we can have you back next week. All right.
CARTER: That sounds good to me.
HARRIS: Hey, Kelly, have a great weekend. Good to see you.
CARTER: Thanks. You too.
HARRIS: And if you want more information on everything breaking in the entertainment world, get it on this evening's edition of "Showbiz Tonight." That's at 5:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. on HLN.
We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: The Tea Party lays out its agenda for soon-to-be members of Congress. Paul Steinhauser, part of "The Best Political Team on Television," joining us from my hometown. Hey, he's in Baltimore, Maryland.
Paul, good to see you. What's crossing right now?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Tony, they miss you here in Baltimore. They remember you well. They remember you well.
But, yes, just finished up a news conference here in a hotel in downtown Baltimore. We had about 25 Republicans who were just elected last week to Congress. This whole thing was put on. It was a two-day retreat, I guess you could call it, put on by FreedomWorks. What is FreedomWorks? They're not well known, but they're very important. It's a conservative grass-roots organization. They do a lot of the organization for the Tea Party movement and they also put a lot of money into this election helping Tea Party backed candidates get elected.
What was this retreat all about? It was to get these new lawmakers together so they can hit the ground running, they say, when they come into Congress in January. It was also to talk about some of the conservative values they preached on the campaign trail, how to implement them, how to turn politics, I guess, into policy.
Tony, though, one of the story lines here was, is this what's happening here at this two day gathering kind of at odds with the House Republican leadership? Because, you know, a lot of these Tea Party candidates, when they were running for Congress, were directing their anger not only at Democrats, but also at some of the establishment Republicans. But the chairman of FreedomWorks, Dick Armey, said absolutely not. Take a listen to what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DICK ARMEY, FREEDOMWORKS CHAIRMAN: There is no conflict here. There is no difference of objective or point of view. There is a complementary effort for us to all come together, make sure we have a clarification of our mutual understandings and commitments, hone our skills and our working relationship together for one reason and one reason alone, to make this new Republican majority the most responsive majority to the will and the needs of the American people in that which we will have seen in our lifetime. And I think -- I dare say it, Speaker Boehner understands this as well as we do.
(END VIDEO CLIP) STEINHAUSER: That's what Dick Armey says, but we're going to keep our eyes on this. It will be interesting to see how these Tea Party candidates, now lawmakers, deal with moderate Republicans in the next Congress.
Tony, back to you.
HARRIS: All right, Paul, appreciate it. Thank you.
Your next political update -- have a crab cake for me. Put it on my bill.
Your next political update coming up in one hour. For the latest political news, just go to cnnpolitics.com.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Time for "The Help Desk," where we get answers to your financial questions. Joining me this hour, Carmen Wong Ulrich, she's a personal finance author, and Ryan Mack is the president of Optimum Capital Management.
Thanks so much for being here, guys. Let's get right to our first question which comes from Lebron who writes in, "I'm interested in consolidating all the debt on my credit report and paying it off. Is that smart and will I pay less in the long run?"
Sounds like he's working on making things happen, Carmen.
CARMEN WONG ULRICH, PERSONAL FINANCE AUTHOR: Well, it's always smart if you can pay less in the long run, right?
ELAM: Right.
ULRICH: But here's the thing, you've got to not just look at the average interest rate you have now, because you have different balances on different cards with different interest rates. So you're going to need to do a little bit of math. Go to some calculators at dinkytown.net. These are free calculators. You know we love that site. And just go in and plug in your numbers and see what you average interest rate is now and see what you could get as a consolidated loan. It depends if you have good credit or bad credit. So that's the first thing you want to do, get the interest rates down. And also you've got to put more money towards the debt. You're not going to turn out ahead unless you can find more money, put more money to pay it down more quickly.
ELAM: And if you can do that, that is a good thing.
ULRICH: Always.
ELAM: All right, going next to our next question, which comes from Bev in Ohio who writes, "I'm 51 and I'm looking to start college and change careers. I want to know if there are any scholarships or grants available. I don't want to go into debt."
What do you say, Ryan?
RYAN MACK, PRESIDENT, OPTIMUM CAPITAL MANAGEMENT: Well, definitely. You want to look at the local community colleges as well. That could be a good, cost-effective way. A lot of funding that goes into from stimulus into expanding their programs. So you might be able to get it for next to nothing. Or if you have a good financial aid package, even free. But you also go check out back2college.com for individuals going back to school. They have great scholarships and grants available for individuals who are trying to get back into the workforce. And look at local non-for-profits around your area to see a different training certification. You might not even want to go back to school, but just get a different training certification to make sure you can expand your horizon and diversify your skill set without having to get back into the college mind-set.
ELAM: OK. So it sounds like both of our questions here, they need to do a little research before they go for it.
MACK: Yes.
ULRICH: You got it.
ELAM: Thank you so much.
All right, well, do you have a question you want to get answered? Send us an e-mail any time to cnnhelpdesk@cnn.com.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Let's get you caught up on top stories now.
A Nobel Prize winner who spent most of the past 20 years under house arrest in Myanmar may be released very soon. Political activist Aung San Suu Kyi has become the world's most recognizable political prisoner.
The death toll in Haiti's cholera outbreak rose to 796 today. Scientists predict the outbreak could last for months and the entire nation is at risk because they have no immunity to cholera.
And San Francisco's mayor is expected to veto the city's ban on most McDonald's Happy Meals with toys, but the veto will be meaningless because the board approved the ordinance 8-3. That's a veto-proof margin.
And next, CNN's Pete Dominick and his two producers seen here on their way to Studio 7.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: OK. So you're back at work after a day off for Veterans Day, but did you really use any of that time away from the office to support the troops? CNN's Pete Dominick, host of "What The Week" crashed your lunch yesterday to find out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) PETE DOMINICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ladies, can I crash your lunch real quick? Do you guys know what the federal holiday is today?
What day is today?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today is Thursday.
DOMINICK: Uh-huh.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Veterans Day.
DOMINICK: There, he knew. Why don't you support our troops?
(INAUDIBLE) are you a veteran?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
DOMINICK: Yes, you are.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So you can have everybody tell me "happy Veterans Day," and that's all we need.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I served in the Navy for 20 years.
DOMINICK: So what does this day mean to you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've been retired for 10 years, but, you know, people still come up and say, hey, thank you for serving. And it means a lot.
DOMINICK: You know any veterans?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I do.
DOMINICK: Who?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One, me.
DOMINICK: Yes, you're a veteran?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sir.
DOMINICK: Oh, you're 19.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Afghanistan, six months.
DOMINICK: You were in Afghanistan?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Six months.
DOMINICK: Really? What would you like to receive in a care package? What do you need when you're over there?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anything from home that shows that you have folks back here that actually care about the troops that are overseas protecting you. DOMINICK: Do you think we do enough right now legislatively for veterans coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not really.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need to do more. We're not doing anything for them right now. We need to get or veterans out from under bridges, sleeping in cardboard boxes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wow, that's a tough question. Not really, but can you ever do enough?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think we're doing a lot, but there might be something more.
DOMINICK: You're an 18-year-old kid, yet you barely know anything about life. Look at you. You just started shaving. You're not joining the military? Yes or no.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I am.
DOMINICK: You are joining the military?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Joining the Army.
DOMINICK: You're joining the Army?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sir.
DOMINICK: Well, good luck to you man. Thank you for your future service. You've already gone the haircut. Do five pushups right now. He's joining the military. He's doing number two, three, four, five. Oh, that's -- you've got to get -- keep doing them, man. All right? Good luck.
