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Beatles on iTunes; Rangel's Ethics Trial; Medal of Honor Awarded Today

Aired November 16, 2010 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Top of the hour.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Top of the hour now. Tony Harris, go get ready for that 11:00.

HARRIS: Here we go.

PHILLIPS: All right.

It's 9:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 6:00 a.m. out west (sic).

Here's some of the stories that have us talking this morning. President Obama awards the Medal of Honor to the first living service member since the Vietnam war. Army Staff Sergeant Salvatore Junta braved a withering Taliban firefight to rescue two fellow soldiers. The 25-year-old Iowan says that that honor should go to his comrades who didn't survive.

One of the world's most eligible bachelors off the market. Prince William formally engaged to his long-time girlfriend, Kate Middleton. The royal couple says that will probably marry in 2011, spring or summer.

And Beatles fans, you've been waiting for this news. At this very moment, Apple is announcing it will now sell Beatles songs on iTunes. The Beatles had been one of the last holdouts on the popular music selling site.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

PHILLIPS: Well, if you're planning on flying this Thanksgiving holiday, get ready for the big crowds at the airport. AAA just released its travel forecast moments ago. More than 1.5 million Americans expected to hop on a plane right along with you. That's way up from last year, by the way.

Stephanie Elam standing by in New York. So Steph, what does that mean? If there are more people, are they spending more money? Are they feeling more confident about our security? I mean, this is right among the whole controversy with this full-body scans. I don't know, everybody is talking about boycotting.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It could but you know what, I think for the people who really means a lot to them to be with their family on Thanksgiving, I think for a lot of those people, they are willing to go with the pat down so that they can get home and have their favorite sweet potato pie and some of that turkey that mom always make.

I think for a lot of people that's what they want to do. But what's really funny, Kyra, you're talking about the travel. Most people are not going to fly for thanksgiving because we just got out the new report that's coming to us from AAA, the Thanksgiving holiday forecast here. And they're saying, well four percent of people are traveling by air, 94 percent of people are hopping in the car and they are driving to wherever Thanksgiving dinner is going to be. So that's going to be the option for about 39.7 million Americans. That's up 12 percent from last year. Train, bus or boat. I don't know where you are when you take a boat in the United States and call it commuting.

PHILLIPS: You can take a boat to Martha's Vineyard, I guess. Is that closed down in the wintertime?

ELAM: I guess. Yes.

Good question. I don't know.

PHILLIPS: (INAUDIBLE) ferry in Wisconsin. Is that still going?

ELAM: That's true and a lot of people here still take ferries across.

PHILLIPS: It is. It's still going.

ELAM: There you go. Those are the people who are probably very comfortable on their little ferry ride or boat ride across water, wherever they're going. But if you look at it overall, 42.2 million travelers are expected to travel 50 miles or more for Thanksgiving. That basically means anywhere from Wednesday through Sunday. And this is going up. So this is good news. This is saying that people are feeling a little bit better about their situation right now. They feel like they can spend a little bit more. So you got 2010 travel up 11.4 percent. 2009 it was up only 0.2 percent, and look at 2008, it was down more than 25 percent.

People were just not traveling while we were in the thick of the recession there. But keep in mind this, this is actually a little interesting tidbit from AAA. They are saying of these 42 million travelers, that's still less than half of the volume for the travelers that were just lost or no longer hitting the roads between 2007 and 2009, and they also point out this is still 30 percent below the 2005 peak when 58.6 million travelers hit the road for Thanksgiving. But at least, we're moving in the right direction. Right, Kyra?

PHILLIPS: There you go. Where are you going to be moving to?

ELAM: I'm going to St. Louis.

PHILLIPS: OK.

ELAM: Got to take the baby to see, you know, grand mom and grand pop. PHILLIPS: Absolutely.

ELAM: Got to go out there.

PHILLIPS: (INAUDIBLE)

ELAM: You know what, I'm going to go before thanksgiving, though, because I just can't handle all of those people with a baby. That's just too much. That's the way we're getting around it.

PHILLIPS: All right. I'll talk to you tomorrow and get the update. Maybe we can bring the grandparents on.

ELAM: OK.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Steph. All right.

ELAM: Exactly, sure.

PHILLIPS: Boy was there a lot of drama yesterday. But what else do you expect. It was the ethics trial of Congressman Charlie Rangel. This morning the House Ethics subcommittee resumes its deliberations behind closed doors. As you might remember, that iconic Democrat accused of 13 violations of House rules, most of it related to taxes and fund-raising, none criminal.

He actually walked out of the trial in its opening moments when the panel refused his request to delay the proceedings. He said that he didn't have enough time or money to actually put together a new legal team. So we'll keep you updated on what happens today.

Now, here's an example of lawmakers listening to angry voters and their calls for change. The Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell has been a long-time supporter of earmarks. Those pork filled local projects that have outraged a lot of voters. So in a remarkable reversal, McConnell now says that he'll support a ban. The Senate is due to take that vote today.

And there's only one Senate race in the country that's still undecided. But we may be getting closer. Election officials in Alaska say that incumbent Lisa Murkowski has taken the lead. You may remember Murkowski launched a write-in campaign after losing the Republican nomination to Joe Miller, the Tea Party back candidate has filed a legal challenge that could dismiss write-in votes that are misspelled or smudged.

Now, former secretary of state Colin Powell is offering some tough love for President Obama this morning. You may remember that the Republican's endorsement of Candidate Obama as considered a critical movement in his presidential campaign, but even Powell now concedes that the first two years of the Obama administration have struggled. Last night Powell said that the president has overreached, and that's costing him supporters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) COLIN POWELL, FMR. SECRETARY OF STATE: The American people are losing some focus on President Obama, what he's trying to do, and when you look at the election results, as he said - I mean, he got shellacked. But I think it was more than a shellacking. I think it was a real body blow that he now has to reflect on and figure out how to come back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, Powell says that he talks regularly with President Obama and other administration officials but he knocked down reports that he could become the president's next chief of staff. The retired general says that no one has contacted him, and he's not interested in returning to public service.

Now, today at the White House, a recognition of heroism and courage under fire. U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Sal Giunta ran into a ferocious firefight with Taliban forces to rescue one of his wounded buddies. Well, today, President Obama will award him the Medal of Honor despite Junta's protests that he doesn't deserve it.

CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr joining us with this remarkable story and a remarkable story it is, Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Kyra. This is a young man, this is a unit, a battle company that was in an ambush in Afghanistan in October 2007. It became a night of honor and heart break. Sal Giunta running into a hail of gunfire to try and save his friend, Sergeant Joshua Brennan, o was being dragged away by the Taliban. Every man in that unit, on that mountain that night got hit. It was dreadful business out there.

Sal Giunta now being recognized for his heroism, his valor, his character and courage. But this is a young man when he met him a few weeks ago told us he didn't feel he deserved it. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STAFF SGT. SAL GIUNTA, MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT: It's very bittersweet. I mean, it's such a huge honor. It's a great thing, but it is a great thing that has come at a personal loss to myself and so many other families.

STARR (on camera): And that is what you want people to know?

GIUNTA: Absolutely.

STARR: Sgt. Giunta and all of the men from battle company today want Americans to remember their friends, Sergeant Joshua Brennan and Specialist Hugo Mendoza, two men who fought that night and didn't make it home. Sal Giunta says the Medal of Honor is on behalf of all of them. Kyra.

PHILLIPS: And Barbara, there seems to be a sense of history being made even at the highest levels in the military? STARR: Oh, absolutely. You know General David Petraeus very well, Kyra. He's a man who chooses his words very carefully. When I spoke to him in Afghanistan a few days ago and asked him about Sal Giunta and Sgt. Giunta's modesty, here's what David Petraeus had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. DAVID PETRAEUS, CMDR., U.S. FORCES AFGHANISTAN: He is going to say that it was not his actions, it was what anyone would have done, it was the team. Well, let me tell you, it was his actions. They were incredible, and he is so very deserving of it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: So why Sergeant Giunta is modest about the whole thing, the president of the United States, General David Petraeus, and secretary of defense Bob Gates all beg to differ and they say this is a remarkable young man. We will bring you the White House ceremony at 2 p.m. Eastern time today. Kyra.

PHILLIPS: And we look forward to it. Barbara Starr, thanks so much.

Well, coming up in our home and away segment later this hour, a special tribute to the fallen hero that Sal Giunta actually helped bring home. We're going to lift up Sergeant Joshua Brennan.

All right. A tornado watch out for parts of Florida this hour. Rob Marciano, what do we know about that?

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It's starting to weaken a little bit, which is good news. We haven't seen too much action other than that. We saw a tremendous amount of wind damage yesterday across Seattle, west Seattle, and the Olympic mountain range in through this area. 50 to 60-mile-an-hour winds. We got some scaffoldings down, we had some trees down.

As a matter of fact, i-5 going south was closed for sometime yesterday because a tree that was on the ground there. So a lot of this energy is going into the inner mountain west. We have a number of high winter storm warnings. You see the snow beginning to fall and pile up across parts of Utah and Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and in through Colorado as well. Kyra we could see several inches of snow, if not a couple of feet at higher elevations before too long here.

Here's what we saw yesterday 15 inches at the Red Mountain Pass. Telluride got into it with six inches and a lot of these places will continue to see more as we go through time right now. If you are doing some travel via air, we got some issues on the East Coast because of the rain that begin to increase. Philadelphia and New York, both have delays, Philly on the tighter side with delays there because of this storm system which is rolling up the East Coast.

A good eastern third of the country is seeing some wet weather now, and we do have that tornado watch just about to expire across the Florida panhandle, and luckily so far we haven't seen too much so far as severe weather. There's a look at your day time highs today, not terribly cold air behind the system. It's not a very, very strong system but it's a big one, so a lot of people are enduring the cold, wet nastiness that comes sometimes in November.

PHILLIPS: It's November weather. The timing is perfect. It's going to get better.

MARCIANO: Exactly.

PHILLIPS: That's right. Staying positive. Do you listen to Jay-Z?

MARCIANO: Here and there.

PHILLIPS: Yes, over here and there.

MARCIANO: Not really.

PHILLIPS: Well, can you imagine Poppy Harlow sitting down with Jay-Z?

MARCIANO: Really?

PHILLIPS: Yes.

MARCIANO: A little one on one.

PHILLIPS: A little one on one. Well, Poppy (INAUDIBLE) Jay-Z decoded. Poppy decoded and take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY-Z: On the streets, having great instincts can be the difference between life and death, not just losing a deal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: That's right. The rapper opens up to our Poppy Harlow about his new book, "The Evolution of Rap" and his life as a drug dealer, after this.

And the Beatles and iTunes, finally worked it out after a long and winding road of obstacles. Apple's big announcement, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

PHILLIPS: It's now official. Just moments ago, Apple announced it, the Beatles and iTunes have finally come together for the first time ever. You're going to be able to buy and download the fab four's catalog from iTunes. "Showbiz Tonight" host A.J. Hammer joining me now. So A.J., what took so long?

A.J. HAMMER, HOST "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Well, part of the deal, Kyra, is that they didn't think it was going to sound good enough. Over the years, they've said that the sound quality just didn't do their catalog of music justice. Obviously they've worked past that, and now satisfied with them and quite frankly, it's how most of us listen to music.

But we are just getting some of the details of what this potential deal will involved. What we do know is that the Beatles' surviving members, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, along with John Lennon and George Harrison's widows have been among the music industry's last major holdouts against making their songs available on line.

And its' worth noting, this is the band that also resisted putting its music on compact disc for several years, that was until 1987, which was a little late in the game. In the 40 years since the Beatles have broken up, they've sold 177 million albums in the United States alone. Now there is an expectation within the music industry that the Beatles songs will become available a la carte. So you can buy them by track in this iTunes deal and that there's going to be a device integration, Kyra, maybe a Beatles branded iPod or iPhone or an iPad. It means you have to go out and buy one because inevitably it will become a collector's item. So Beatles' fans, rejoicing today. It's just going to be that much easier to get their music.

PHILLIPS: All right. Well, let's switch topic, shall we? Larry King actually got a big interview with Mel Gibson's ex, but now that interview may actually get Oksana, in trouble with the law. What's going on there?

HAMMER: Yes, the judge just doesn't want anybody talking here, Kyra. It seems that somebody other than Mel's ex-, Oksana Grigorieva, who is involved in this custody battled between Mel and his ex, may be talking too much. The judge overseeing this case is ordering a probe into the leak of some sealed court documents that were published on the web site, TMZ. Now, Grigorieva and her attorney did discuss these leaks in an interview scheduled to air Wednesday night on CNN's "Larry Ling Live."

TMZ is reporting that Oksana did this interview despite the judge, specifically saying, "Oksana, if you do media, you might pay when it comes to awarding custody." TMZ is citing sources who were connected with Oksana who say she did the interview because "she feels she's been silent too long and feels bad for other battered women if she stays silent."

Now, of course, we can see the interview for ourselves when it airs Wednesday night on CNN's "Larry King Live." But Kyra, pretty much if the judge saying, you shouldn't be talking, it may not be the best thing. Obviously, it was her decision and she went ahead and spoke regardless but it could end up hurting her in the end here.

PHILLIPS: Yes, we'll see what happens.

A.J., thanks.

If you want information on everything breaking in the entertainment world, A.J. has it every evening "Showbiz Tonight" 5:00 p.m., 11:00 p.m. on HLN.

Rapper and businessman Jay-Z was a big supporter of President Obama during this campaign. So what does he think about the president's progress two years later?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY-Z: it's impossible for someone to take eight years of our last administration and turn it around in two years. It's very difficult to deliver on everything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: His interview with our Poppy Harlow, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: All right. Well, if you guys don't know who Jay-Z is, he's great. If you don't, well, you're in really good company.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who wouldn't want to go see Jay-z. He's fabulous, an amazing performer.

I like Jay-Z. I don't know any of his songs except for the New York song. I don't know if that's the name of it but it's something to do with New York.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: The "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" had no idea who Jay-Z was but they knew he was worth hearing. And whether you or your kids are rap fans or not, Jay-Z has a story worth hearing or reading in his new book. That's today's talker.

Poppy Harlow, cnnmoney.com interviewed the man who went from a life selling crack on the streets to being a music mogul, philanthropist and husband to Beyonce.

Talk about a turnaround, Poppy.

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: This is an incredible story. I mean, this is a guy that at 13 years old lived in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, had almost nothing, his father walked out and then he was selling crack. Talk about a turnaround in his life. Jay-Z out today with his first book ever. It's called "Decode ed" and he breaks down, Kyra, the lyrics of 36 of his songs and explains how they tell his life story.

We got a chance to sit down with him one on one last night and he talked about why he wrote the book now. It actually has to do with President Obama. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JAY-Z: I wanted to make the case that rap is poetry, for one, and you know, some of the decisions we made to give those decisions context. Why these songs are the way they are, why there is a certain gangster rap, you know and why this is taking place in America. And it just felt like the perfect time to write it.

HARLOW (on camera): You've said that President Obama had the courage to tell the press that he had your songs on his iPod. You have been a big supporter of his the entire way through. Has he followed through on the hope that he promised?

JAY-Z: I think he has - he is on his way to delivering that, but it's impossible to someone to take eight years of our last administration and turn it around in two years. It's very difficult to deliver on everything, you know. I think he's moving in the right direction, yes.

HARLOW: You've spent hours meeting with him, and you write in the book about that meeting. And you say "I wish I could remember one thing," but it was more what President Obama represents for you, the people you grew up with, black children, black adults across this country.

JAY-Z: Yes, and which means all children across this country, you know. You know, us first because it gives us another face, the hope of, OK, maybe I can be president of the United States. It takes for someone to do it for you to believe that you can achieve such lofty goals.

HARLOW: You insist that rap is poetry and you wrote (INAUDIBLE) famously called hip hop to CNN of the ghetto. Does hip hop and rap have a responsibility to report, and not just entertain, to take it one step further?

JAY-Z: Yes, of course. You know, you can entertain. It's everything. Rap is entertaining, it's informative. It's provocative. It's funny. It's silly. You know, it's all of these things, so absolutely.

HARLOW: What you learned on the street, because you talked about being 13 and selling crack, did that teach you something of how to be a successful businessman or how we all overcome -

JAY-Z: Yes, all of the things that you apply in business, you know. They say that he has great instincts, but while on the streets, having great instincts can be the difference between life and death, not just losing a deal.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: And after that, Kyra, he said, obviously he doesn't condone selling drugs or life on the street but for him that was the reality of his childhood. He also said and I though this was really interesting that his most valuable possession still today are his words because it was his music, it was his lyrics that brought him out, that give him a new life, and when he talked about giving back to others, he said "it's all about giving them that opportunity." In the Marcy Projects here in New York, not far from where I'm standing now, to help those kids because opportunity is what brought him out and brought him up. Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, talk about not forgetting your roots and moving everything -

HARLOW: Right.

PHILLIPS: - in such a better direction. It's a pretty awesome story of redemption. Poppy, thanks so much.

HARLOW: Yes. He was amazing. You're welcome.

PHILLIPS: I can just imagine.

Well, wedding bells soon will be ringing for Britain's Prince William and his soon to be princess. But will the tough economy be lower budget affair compared to the last royal wedding? We'll go across the pond for some answers.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: All right. It's 10:30 in the East, and the morning commute is getting in full swing right now, out west. Here's some of the stories we're following for you right now.

The ethics trial of Congressman Charlie Rangel, the House Ethics subcommittee meeting again but with the door shut. The New York Democrat is accused of 13 violations of House rules. Most are related to taxes and fund-raising, none criminal.

A man called the merchant of death on his way to the U.S. to face terrorism charges. Victor Bout is an alleged arms dealer. He was arrested in Thailand. He has been indicted for allegedly buying American cargo planes to take weapons in the conflict zones of Africa and the Middle East. Bout is a Russian citizen. The Russian government calls his extradition "an outrageous injustice."

And ladies, there's always Prince Harry. Older brother William now off the market. The British prince and the heir to the throne is now formally engaged to his long-time girlfriend, Kate Middleton. The royal family says that the couple will marry in the summer or spring of 2011.

Well, a cholera epidemic and street violence in Haiti. Misery piled on top of misery. But there is hope and there are a number of ways to help. We're going to detail that in just a second.

But first, let's take stock of the situation, shall we? Nearly 1,000 people have died of cholera across Haiti. Thousands more of sick ten months after the devastating earthquake. And the disease has moved into the capital city. Now protesters are turning against U.N. workers in violent street fights, and there's rumors that the disease outbreak originated with police peacekeepers, a story flatly denied by U.N. spokespeople. About a million people are homeless after the January quake, and many of them are still living in the makeshift tent cities. There's limited access to clean water, sanitation is horrible, and all of that is a breeding ground for cholera.

But clinics like this one are definitely saving lives. These photos are from the medical team for Samaritan's Purse on the ground in Haiti. That charity just opened its second treatment clinic in a crowded Port-au-Prince community.

Reverend Franklin Graham is the minister in charge of that and the head of Samaritan's Purse. He's joining us now live from Boone, North Carolina. Franklin, so great to see you. Go ahead and bring us to the speed on what your teams are doing right now to tackle this outbreak.

REV. FRANKLIN GRAHAM, HEAD, SAMARITAN'S PURSE: Kyra, this is a huge problem, and, of course, it's going to take the entire international community. We have two sites. Each site has about 200 beds, and we're able to treat - of course, we put some beds, more than two people in a bed, especially children.

But you can only treat so many. We're a small organization, but we are going to continue to treat as many as we can. This outbreak is growing. Kyra, there is a great problem down in that country with just trash, and that has probably precipitated a lot of this problem with the cholera. The people are living in a trash dump. And we've got to find a way to address this trash dump, and I'm going to be meeting with some people later this week and hopefully, we can make a program to collect some of this trash to clean up the country, to improve the life and the health of these people.

But we're doing all that we can. We're going to do more, and I hope we can save lives. This is what we want to do is try to save the lives of these people. We've already got 15,000 people in temporary shelter - excuse me, that's 15,000 families, that we've been able to put in temporary shelter. And we're going to build more shelters in the coming weeks. People have to have a place to live.

And of course, this is the Christmas season. We're going to be taking gifts down to the children. So many children are hopeless. They have lost their family. They have lost their loved ones. We are going to take a quarter of a million gifts and distribute them this Christmas season. And that's what we're working on this week is we are trying to do something for the children to give them a little bit of hope to let them know that God loves them and that God hasn't forgotten about them, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: And I want to talk about Operation Christmas Child in just a minute, because that's where you are and it's one of my favorite programs. And I know you are going to be taking a lot of those shoeboxes to those folks in Haiti.

But one more question, if you don't mine, about Haiti before we talk about Operation Christmas Child. I was reading about this mass messaging campaign that you have been doing as well, because a lot of these folks are getting mixed messages on what's safe and what's not safe and where they should go, and, you know, how to get there. Explain what you're doing to try and get through to some of the folks in the outlying areas that may not know what you're bringing in and what's available to them.

GRAHAM: Well, first of all, there's a lot of confusion with the population. They think that people that have cholera are spreading the cholera, and so they don't want sick people coming into their community. They want to push them out.

What they don't realize is that the cholera, they're not going to get it from the person that has it. We are treating them, and they're OK. But the people in the community don't realize that if you come to our clinic, we can take care of you. They're afraid by coming to the clinic, there's going to be a stigma attached to them, and they're going to be thrown out of the community.

So, we have to go in with the information to let them know to come to the clinics, we can take care of you. You'll be safe. But we have to deal with the community that the clinic is not spreading the disease. It's really a tragic situation, Kyra. People think the clinics are spreading the disease. And it's not. We're treating the disease. So, it's a tough thing.

PHILLIPS: Point well made. And no, I understand, and it's so frustrating, too, when you see all of the money that was raised to go into this area and help these people, and you're wondering, okay, where is it, there's got to be more.

OK. So, let's get back to the holidays and what you're going to be doing. I mean, this program goes to more than 130 countries, but I know you're going to be sending a lot of stuff to Haiti. One of my favorite charities, especially during the holidays, and that's Operation Christmas Child.

Franklin, I'm going to have you start talking about it. I'm actually going to take our viewers over to our U-Touch here where I can show them your actual Web site SamaritansPurse.org. And if you go to that, you immediately see Operation Christmas Child pop up on the screen. Now, Franklin, a couple of weeks ago at my church, they had a bunch of your boxes, and we all assembled them, and we're moving it through obviously for the week to donate this week.

But tell our viewers how they can get involved with this. I'm going to take them through the Web site, too, so they will know what to put exactly in those boxes.

GRAHAM: We just take an empty box, Kyra, and put gifts in it for a child. If it's a girl, put a doll. If it's a boy, put a soccer ball or baseball. Put candy, school supplies.

But, Kyra, the most important thing you can put in a box. We ask people to pray. We know God will hear the prayer of one righteous person. And this year, we will collect somewhere north of 8 million boxes, and if we can have 8 million people praying to God for 8 million children, Kyra, I believe God will hear the prayers and answer those prayers. And these little children will know that there's a God who loves them, and we want the comfort and joy of knowing God to come into the lives of these little kids.

PHILLIPS: And Franklin, as you were describing what exactly you can do. You can click on the Web site down on the bottom that giving you exactly the details. You have the Operation Christmas Child boxes, but you can take any shoe box and stuff it, correct?

GRAHAM: Any shoebox, and if you have an old boot box, that's better. They're bigger. So, just fill them up with toys for children and candy. I tell you what. And every gift is different, Kyra. They're like snowflakes. There's no two boxes that are alike. When you give a gift to a child that never had a gift, a kid that's living in a garbage dump, and you give them a gift, and you tell them there's a God who loves them, the joy that comes into that little child's heart --

PHILLIPS: Amen.

GRAHAM: And the hope that that child has.

PHILLIPS: Absolutely. And you can go to the drop-off, which is number 5 there on the Web site, and put in your zip code and find out exactly where you can drop off that box. And one of the neatest things, Franklin, you can actually follow your box, if you go down and see. You can print off the label, but the label on there, and then the last part will tell you once you do that, how can you actually follow that box.

Operation Christmas Child. Just go onto SamaritanPurse.org. Reverend Franklin Graham, it's always great to have you on, especially during the holidays. You guys always do so many amazing things for people around the world. It was a real blessing to have you with us today.

GRAHAM: Thank you, Kyra. God bless you.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Franklin.

Well, most days, many of us can't even wait to get out of the office and breathe fresh air, right? But as our Dr. Sanjay Gupta is going to point out, it's not always healthy. He's talking about toxicair dangers right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, it's ugly. It smells. It's going into your lungs, and it can kill you. How's that for a lead-in? CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has today's "Daily Dose" from Kobe, Japan on the dangers of air pollution.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, as things stand right now, there are about a billion people around the world that are subjected to toxic air, a lot of those people living in big cities. And if you look at health problems especially in developing countries, about a fifth of them, 20 percent, can be attributed to environmental causes such as pollution. So, this has really got the attention of the World Health Organization, trying to really define the problem and also some solutions. Here's what we found.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA (on camera): What you're looking at is urbanization or at least the consequences of it, big factories as your neighbors. Here in Kobe, it's a beautiful city but they suffer from pollution problems like so many cities do. They've got 15 factories in this small area and you add to that the exhaust from cars, trucks and buses and you get that smog that hangs over so many cities.

The problem is the air is just too dirty to breathe. And here's the most frightening part. You're likely to not even notice it. Your body becomes accustomed to this after just four days of breathing it in.

These tiny particles are smaller than a strand of hair and inhaled almost like a gas, it constricts the muscles around the airways. Think of it like breathing through a straw. All of it can impair your airway and cause increases in blood pressure, heart attack risk and the chance of heart disease.

You may think health impacts of breathing in toxic air would take years to develop. Well, that's just not the case. On days when you have particularly bad pollution in cities they say emergency room visits spike over the next 24 hours. And it's not just adults that are at risk, either. There are studies that show that babies are being born pre-polluted with more than 230 chemicals in their system at the time of their birth.

The truth is progress is starting to be made. In fact, there are places in China that I visited where they're starting to move the coal-fired power plants outside the big urban areas that the more rural areas, where fewer people are around. And also in New York, there are new laws on idling of buses and trucks.

The personal things we can all do to try and make our lives a little bit better; for example, driving less, using public transportation such as this. That can really help. Also, keeping in mind when pollution is at its worst; hot days are going to be worse, also, during the midday. If you're exercising at this these times, you're taking in seven to ten times as much air and seven to ten times as much pollution, as well.

And here's something else that may surprise you. Indoor air quality can often be worse than outdoor air quality, sometimes 50 percent worse. So open a window or at least make sure you have good ventilation.

Look, urbanization is here to stay, no question about it but these are tips for individuals and for society to try and make the beautiful city that you live in a safe and healthy one, as well.

(END VIDEOTAPE) GUPTA: Now, Kyra, you are probably asking yourself - everyone always does after seeing something like this -- what is the most polluted city in the planet? The honor goes to, the dubious honor goes to Liftin, China. They say spending one day there is like smoking three packs a cigarettes. In the United States, Los Angeles and Phoenix are the most polluted cities.

But there are some examples of success, as well. Pittsburgh used to be a very polluted city but it's actually been able to get better over the last several years, and they say residents there can expect to live ten months longer on average as a result of those improvements. So, some good news there, Kyra. Back to you.

PHILLIPS: Sanjay, thanks so much.

And from backing candidates to having their own candidates, should the Tea Party become a third party? Americans are evenly split on that idea.

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PHILLIPS: All right. Let's check in on our political ticker. Not too early to throw out names for the 2012 White House race, right? CNN deputy political director Paul Steinhauser working that for us. Hey, Paul.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Never too early, Kyra. We were talking about this even before the election earlier this month.

But let's talk about earmarks in the race for the White House. Earlier this hour, you were talking about all of that action on Capitol Hill. Well, two former governors who may - may want to run for the White House in 2012 are weighing in on the issue. Both Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts, and Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas, who ran last time in 2008 who maybe will run again, both putting out petitions online, urging people to sign these petitions to favor or to support that ban that Republicans are going to vote on today in the Senate that ban on earmarks.

You can see more, of course about that right here, CNN political ticker. You know, Kyra, if you're running for president on the Republican side, the ban is pretty favorable among conservatives. So, maybe not a bad idea to support it. Maybe that's the thinking behind Romney and Huckabee.

Let's talk about another -- possible contender for the possible 2012 presidential nomination. And that is the former House speaker, Newt Gingrich. Where is he today? Iowa. And anytime somebody who may want to run for the White House goes to Iowa, kind of sparks our interest because Iowa, of course, their caucuses lead the way in the presidential primary calendar. Gingrich is there today to sign books. It's a new book called "Valley Forge." The book tour takes him to three stops. Today and tomorrow in Iowa.

Kyra, we're going to keep our eyes on the race for the White House, as you can imagine.

PHILLIPS: All right. Well, what's this about the Tea Party forming a third party to challenge the Democrats and the GOP?

STEINHAUSER: There's been a lot of talk about that this year. Check out these brand-new CNN poll numbers. This is from CNN/Opinion Research Corporation, a national poll. Should the Tea Party just do, in fact, that, and form a third party? You can see, Americans are divided on the issue. 48 percent, say, yes, that's a good idea, and 48 percent say, no, it's not a good idea.

And Kyra, when you break down those numbers, there's a gender gap here. Women do not like the idea of the Tea Party forming a third party, men, a majority do. Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Interesting. All right, Paul. We'll continue to follow it. Thanks so much.

STEINHAUSER: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Well, wedding bells will soon be ringing for Britain's prince William and his soon-to-be-princess. But will the tough economy mean a more budget-minded affair compared to the last royal wedding? We're going across the pond for answers.

But first, mayor Kasim Reed - that's right. He's the mayor of Atlanta, Georgia. He's actually been hanging out with some royals apparently. Working a new project overseas, the news breaks. The next thing you know, the mayor's calling in.

Mayor Kasim Reed, can you hear me?

KASIM REED, MAYOR OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA (via phone): Ha, no, I can hear you well. How is everybody at home?

PHILLIPS: Everything is going very well. And I know -- did you even seen see this coming? You were going over there to talk eco- friendly projects, and next thing you know, you're in the center of a huge national -- international story.

REED: Exactly. I didn't think I was that popular with all of the cameras, so I figured it must be about the prince's announcement. But we were over here working and looking at Poundbury, so we can bring some of their best practices back to Atlanta.

PHILLIPS: So, go ahead and why don't we led our viewers know about Poundbury and why there was an interest here between Atlanta and London, England and then --

REED: Sure.

PHILLIPS: OK.

REED: Poundbury is an eco-friendly development that's been developed and supported by the prince's foundation. And they have an interest in helping Atlanta as we move toward making the city one of the most sustainable cities in the United States. So as a part of that, we spent about three hours with Prince Charles today, and it just happened to be on the day that we got very good news.

PHILLIPS: OK. So, the news comes out that there's an engagement between his son and his long-time girlfriend. Were you -- did he talk to you about it? Did you get to ask him about it? Was there a moment when you were together when the news came out that you had some sort of discussion about it?

REED: No, we didn't. I mean, obviously, I extended my heartfelt congratulations, and he was very excited, but we were really focused on sustainability. We didn't discuss it very much at all. The press asked him about it a good bit, and he expressed his excitement. But we were really focused on sustainability. But I will tell you, it was very exciting to be here today.

PHILLIPS: I can just imagine. Mayor Kasim reed of Atlanta, Georgia. Thanks for calling in.

We're going to take a quick break. More from the CNN NEWSROOM straight ahead.

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PHILLIPS: Well, every day at this time, we honor the men and women in uniform who have given their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan for all of us. It's called "Home and Away."

And today we have a special tribute. We're lifting up Sergeant Joshua Charles Brennan. He's the wounded soldier that Medal of Honor winner Sal Giunta saved from Taliban fighters but later died from his injuries. Our affiliate, WKOW, actually provided these pictures of the family memorial for Josh in McFarland, Wisconsin. His final resting place is just a few blocks away on the shaded edge of a small cemetery. And then another one of our affiliates, WISC, is reporting that Josh had plans to come home and join his dad, Mike, on the Madison police force. Mike Brennan will attend today's Medal of Honor ceremony.

We also want to lift up the squadron's medic. Specialist Hugo Mendoza was killed in the same battle. Mendoza was from Glendale, Arizona. "The Arizona Republic" reports that he he dreamed of being a firefighter there after leaving the Army.

If you have a fallen hero that you'd like us to honor, here's all you have to do. Go to CNN.com/homeandaway. Send us your thoughts, your pictures, and we promise to keep the memories of an loved one alive.

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PHILLIPS: All right, well, one of the big stories we are talking about today, engagement of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Crossing all across -- from here the pond, Max Foster joining us live from London.

So, Max, what do you think? Is there anyway this tough economy could impact a royal wedding, one like we saw many years ago?

MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's the worst kept secret, and it's finally out. Prince William and Kate Middleton are getting married sometime next year, spring, summer, somewhere here in London. Obvious parallels to the last big royal wedding, which was Prince William's parents, Prince Charles and Lady Diana.

Will it be a big affair? We don't know. Could be in St. Paul's Cathedral, like the last big one. Could be a small affair. Certainly, we know that Kate Middleton is quite private, but her privacy pretty much out the window now. She will be queen of England one day. Kyra?

PHILLIPS: Well, we will definitely be talking about it throughout the afternoon. I'm sure we'll be talking about it all the way until next summer or spring.

Max Foster, thanks so much.

So, Tony, you've got a little bit of everything. A little royal wedding, a little Senate leadership voting.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. Whole plate, huh?

PHILLIPS: Yes, all kinds of stuff going on right now.

HARRIS: I'm thinking about the song from the great Larry Graham, Grand Central Station, "When We Get Married."

You remember that one?

PHILLIPS: I know you've sung that a couple of times, I believe.

HARRIS: Boy, I tee that up, don't I?

PHILLIPS: Love you, Tony.

HARRIS: I really leave myself wide open to that, don't I?

Kyra, you have a great day. Thank you.