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Buying into the New GM; Punishing Charlie Rangel; Cholera Reaches the U.S.; Tiger Tries Twitter; George H.W. Bush to Receive Honor from President Obama; To Wed, or Not to Wed?
Aired November 18, 2010 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, guys. Good morning. It's 9:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 6:00 a.m. out West. Here's some of the stories that got us talking this morning.
This sounds like a Tom Clancy novel. A computer attack targeting Iran's nuclear plants now posing a worldwide threat. It's a computer worm known as Stuxnet. And it could shut down power grids, water treatment centers, even oil pipeline. And no one knows who unleashed it.
The so-called barefoot bandit due in federal court in Seattle. Nineteen-year-old Colton Harris-Moore accused of a flamboyant crime spree. Stealing planes and flying without a pilot certificate.
Short tempers and large crowds at college campuses across California. The cash-strapped state hiking tuition costs again. This time another 15 percent.
Well, we begin with buying into the new General Motors. Today the automaker, rather, is expected to be a darling of Wall Street when its new stock goes on sale. It's a jaw-dropping turnaround for an American icon that teetered on the edge of ruin just two years ago. Many taxpayers were outraged that their money would be used to rescue it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, 43RD PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In the midst of a financial crisis and a recession, allowing the U.S. auto industry to collapse is not a responsible course of action.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Now, just six months later, GM can no longer avoid the inevitable. In June 2009 it declared bankruptcy and looked for a new beginning. That comes a mere 39 days later, the company emerges from bankruptcy thanks to massive cost cutting and a government bailout of $50 billion.
That makes you, me and the Treasury Department the largest single shareholder in GM and have the most riding on its future success.
So the question most of us are asking now is, will we even get our money back? There's a lot of factors at play. And here to break it down, Poppy Harlow of CNNMoney.com. She's joining us from the New York Stock Exchange.
So, Poppy, will taxpayers actually see a return on their investment now?
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: That is the number one question. It's the first thing that I asked the new CEO of General Motors this morning. We talked to him just about an hour ago, Kyra.
As of this IPO that will begin in less than half an hour, General Motors will pay back U.S. taxpayers $22 billion. That leaves $28 billion left to be paid back.
Good news, we are no longer the biggest single shareholders in GM. We now have about a 33 percent stake.
Take a listen, though, to what the CEO said when I pressed him on whether or not taxpayers will get paid back in full.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAN AKERSON, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER: The good news is we've paid all of our debt back, all the bonds that were issued and we paid back all of preferred with dividends and interests. And we're reducing the government's ownership now from roughly 60-plus percent to about 33 percent.
Over the years, I'm sure that there will be other stock issuances or sales by the government and I don't know where the market is going to be a year or two down the road. So I can't make such a bold statement.
HARLOW: I think that's the big question. Shares priced at this IPO at $33. They have to rise 65 percent for American taxpayers to be paid back in full. And you're saying there's no guarantee to happen. Are you hopeful?
AKERSON: Sure, I'm hopeful. And I'm not saying it can't happen. I just don't know if what the markets are going to do.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: And that's very important because less than a year ago, Kyra, when we talked to his predecessor, Ed Whitaker, the former CEO, he said no doubt taxpayers will get paid back that $50 billion.
This new CEO saying he can't guarantee that will happen. He is, though, hopeful, Kyra. And so are the rest of us.
PHILLIPS: Well, so is GM planning to hire more people?
HARLOW: That's a great question. They said, look, we've hired 7300 people this year so far. They are selling more cars in this country. They're selling even more cars in China than they are in the United States.
He said as long as that demand continues, they sell more cars, they will hire more people. This is great news for anyone that's unemployed -- unemployed autoworkers. But the key also is what price do they hire them at? Because through the bankruptcy, GM hired new workers at about half of what they were paying former union workers.
They had to cut benefits across the board. So the big question is, what's ahead and how many will they hire -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Got it. All right. We'll be talking about this all morning. That's for sure. Thanks, Poppy.
Well, in Alaska, the final votes are still being counted in the bitterly-fought Senate race but this morning the woman who waged a remarkable write-in campaign is declaring victory.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. LISA MURKOWSKI (R), ALASKA: I want to thank all Alaskans for helping us make history. It is truly, truly, truly remarkable. And we will look back on this. We'll look back on this and say, what a race this has been. What a summer this was. And now where we are today.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, you may remember incumbent Senator Murkowski launched her write-in bid after losing the Republican nomination to Joe Miller. He was backed by the Tea Party, at this point has not conceded.
If the official results confirm her victory, Murkowski will become the first senator elected as a write-in candidate since 1954. And this morning she appeared on "AMERICAN MORNING."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MURKOWSKI: I was not my party's nominee. I was -- I went outside the box. I went outside and took a different path. Clearly, a harder path but clearly one that is more grassroots.
When you are running a write-in campaign, you're getting a coalition of Alaskans that come together that support you. It is absolutely unprecedented.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, Miller has filed a legal challenge to disqualify some of the votes for things like smudges, spelling errors or poor handwriting. Murkowski says that even those contested ballots are thrown out she still has enough votes to win.
Charlie Rangel has served 40 years in Congress but today may be one of the most important of his storied career. His colleagues on the House Ethics Committee will meet behind closed doors to decide how he should be punished for violating House rules. Possible penalties range from a simple reprimand to expulsion.
CNN congressional correspondent Brianna Keilar is on the Hill. So what do we really expect to happen today, Brianna?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, before, Kyra, the Ethics Committee deliberates, there is going to be a public hearing. And as you know, Charles Rangel boycotted his trial. But we're not expecting him to boycott the sentencing phase.
And I spoke with his publicist who said Rangel is expected to take his 30 minutes that he is allotted to make his statement.
What does that mean? Well, we know that it's going to be dramatic, no doubt. So in the end when this ethics committee then goes behind closed doors and they deliberate on exactly what's going to happen to Rangel, there are a number of different levels of rebukes.
The worst one is expulsion -- being kicked out of the House of Representatives essentially. And this is seen as very unlikely. We have to tell you.
There's also censure, which is a pretty high level of rebuke. This would require Rangel to the go to the well of the House -- there at the front of the House of Representatives -- and get a verbal rebuke. So it's a little bit of public humiliation there.
And then you've also got a reprimand, which is a lesser level of disapproval. And then you see the few others, a number of other things, including fine, or maybe some loss of privileges.
And, Kyra, just to -- just to really emphasize here, this kind of thing doesn't happen very often. This whole ethics trial, the last time we saw this was in 2002, so this is going to be a very dramatic day and something that we don't often get a glimpse of.
PHILLIPS: Brianna Keilar on the hill. Well, we'll be keeping our eyes on it to see exactly what happens. Thanks so much.
Well, the verdict is in for the first ex-Gitmo detainee to stand trial in a civilian courtroom. And it could test the president's entire strategy on detainee terror trials.
Ahmed Ghailani was found guilty on just one charge for his role in the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in East Africa. He was cleared on 284 other terror-related counts.
Hundreds of people died in those attacks, many more were injured. But Ghailani's single conviction wasn't for murder. It wasn't for attempted murder. It was on a conspiracy charge. Not the outcome that the White House was hoping for.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: I think it's important to remember. Ghailani himself is not going anywhere. He got -- he's looking at least 20 years, probably life in prison. So it's not like this guy is walking out the door. However, this is an extremely disappointing verdict for the Obama administration. And it's a reminder that when you go to civilian courts, to federal district courts, you don't get a guaranteed result. Juries are unpredictable and this judge excluded important evidence which happens and there was almost an acquittal here.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, the Obama administration had hoped that this trial would clear the way for other civilian terror trials. And still the verdict may have to put that goal in jeopardy.
Refuse a full body scan in the airport security line and you may face an enhanced pat-down. But some of your kids and grandkids might be able to get a less aggressive screening.
The TSA is now saying that children under 12 and under who need extra screening and --those who need extra screening, rather, will get a modified hand search, one that isn't so intrusive.
The agency says that it made the decision to ease up on kids after a thorough risk assessment and after hearing from concerned parents.
Skis, snowboards, could be the best way to get around in the mountains just east of Seattle this morning. A northwest storm brought up to 18 inches of fresh powder to the cascades. Parts of Washington state remained under a winter storm warnings, still, too.
Rob Marciano, it's a skier's dream.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MARCIANO: I do want to point out -- one other thing just to give a little look to everybody. What we got going in the mid -- some sunshine. Huh? Come on. Don't want to be all gloom and doom and show you the obligatory ski video all the time. But, you know, there is some sunshine out there to be had.
PHILLIPS: It's got a little good stuff.
MARCIANO: Mostly in central and southern part of the U.S.
PHILLIPS: You Facebook, right?
MARCIANO: Yes. It's kind of required.
PHILLIPS: Do you --
MARCIANO: To a certain extent.
PHILLIPS: Yes, it is.
MARCIANO: I'm more after a Twitter than a Facebook-er.
PHILLIPS: OK. Do you check in with old girlfriends? Old loved ones?
MARCIANO: No. No.
PHILLIPS: From college, high school?
MARCIANO: That's hands off taboo thing.
PHILLIPS: Sixth grade, kindergarten?
MARCIANO: Well, yes. Six graders, you know, Sherry (INAUDIBLE). I still have a little thing for her. But sorry.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: I know. I always think about my sixth grade boyfriend, too. Wonder what he's up to. You're such a sweet kid.
MARCIANO: I'm sure he thinks about you as well. Look where she went. Look what I could have had if I --
PHILLIPS: Why didn't I hold on to her?
MARCIANO: Think long term when you're in sixth grade.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Well, this is today's "Talker." Now I'm blushing. It's about Facebook and -- well, let's face it. Facebook can be, you know, temptation's best friend and a marriage's worse enemy. We've actually seen the stories and we've got a pastor that says he has a solution to that. He's telling his married employees to get off the site or find another job.
And in waters off Florida, beachgoers are wowed by some giant manta ray magic.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP - "Ferris Bueller's Day Off")
JENNIFER GREY, (AS JEANIE BUELLER): Ferris.
JEFFREY JONES (AS ED ROONEY): Bueller.
GREY: Ha!
JONES: Ha!
GREY: Aah! Ugh! Aah!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" probably has the most famous example of a principal who went too far to check on a sick student. Well, guess what? It sort of happened in real life, minus the kick in the face. And unlike Ferris, the kids, apparently, weren't faking it.
A Chester, New York man says that their two teen sons were staying home sick when the principle drove over to the house, walked in and tried to take them to school. The parents say they weren't even home at the time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL DIQUATTRO, FATHER: My kids were in their underwear. All right? Again, you're talking a 12-year-old and 16-year-old. All right? Where does he get the right to violate my children's rights?
PETER GRAZIANO, CHIEF, CHESTER, NEW YORK POLICE: The parent has filed a complaint. We're treating it as a regular criminal complaint. The school district is cooperating with us with any information that we need or any interviews we need to conduct.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: The kids called their mom at work, and she told the principal to get the heck out of the house. He's not really talking. His wife did tell our affiliate, WABC, though, that there are facts that the public just doesn't know yet that will explain why her husband did what he did.
And for some other stories going Cross Country, let's go ahead and go to Tempe, Arizona, where a homeless man is being hailed for returning a college student's backpack containing $3,300 in cash. Dave Talley found the backpack at a light rail stop.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVE TALLEY, FOUND BACKPACK: Not something I wish anybody to have to go through because, that's rough places. A lot of things that could have taken care of, but the fact of the matter was, it's not my money. I didn't earn it.
BRYAN BELANGER, LOST BACKPACK: This is the greatest thing I've ever experienced, I think. It really is a lesson to keep your faith in people. And character exists, no matter what your circumstances are.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: The cops found a flash drive inside the backpack and found the student's resume, and that's how they tracked him down. No word on whether Talley received a reward for his good deed.
A magnificent sight of the coast of Florida. Take a look at this. Beach goers spotted this giant manta ray swimming near Singer Island. Affiliate WPTV made it to the area just in time to capture these aerial pictures. Manta rays can grow as large as 17 feet wide and weigh thousands of pounds.
And finally, a veteran sky diver in Florida says that he's, quote, "embarrassed as heck today." Fire crews had to use this ladder truck to rescue Al Griffiths from the top of a pine tree. He got stuck there after straying off course during a retraining jump. Griffiths wasn't hurt, by the way. Well, we're just minutes away from today's Talker. We're talking about Facebook, that virtual home wrecker. Let's face it. Facebook, there can be temptation's best friend and a marriage's worst nightmare, or marriage's worst enemy. We're going to talk about one pastor's solution, though.
(MUSIC - "Somebody's Watching Me")
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, there's a story that's been getting a lot of clicks on cnn.com. Eva Longoria filing for divorce from her NBA star husband Tony Parker. Splitsville after three years of marriage. Apparently, the honeymoon ended when Longoria found hundreds of text messages from another woman on Parker's phone. At least that's what she told "Extra" host and friend Mario Lopez.
So, texts might have wrecked Eva and Tony. Now, let's talk about wall posts, inboxes, and online chats. Know anyone who got on Facebook and reconnected with an old friend or an old flame and the next thing you know, the two old pals are having an affair and their marriages are on life support or worse?
Well, a pastor in New Jersey, the Reverend Cedric Miller, says that happened far too often among his flock. So, he's taken a stand. He says Facebook is nothing but trouble for married couples, so he's told married church leaders to get off the site or resign.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CEDRIC MILLER, PASTOR, LIVING WORD CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP (via telephone): Most times it's that Facebook creates the vehicle for people to reunite with their past. If it's a pre-Jesus past, it's something that needs to stay dead and buried.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Miller's going to tell his whole 1100-member congregation to avoid Facebook if they want to keep their marriages intact. The story is a Talker, that's for sure. That's why we had to bring on CNN analyst Roland Martin. He's a Facebooker, but I know he's a good man. He loves his wife. Roland, what do you think about this story?
ROLAND MARTIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, look. I certainly understand the pastor's position in terms of he is counseling people. He is dealing with infidelity. But the issue is not Facebook. The issue is not social media. What this says is that if somebody is committing infidelity, there is something else going on in their marriage that has nothing to do with social media.
And so, he can say, "Get off Facebook." But what about Twitter? What about Dig? What about all of these other social media outlets? Black Planet. The Root. All different kinds of websites and blogs. So, the root issue is, what is happening inside of the marriages? How are they being fortified? Also, I think he's crossing a line by telling somebody what you can do in your personal life as a staffer. How do you say, "I'm going to link you having a personal account on Facebook with your job?" That makes no sense to me.
PHILLIPS: All right. But let's just back up for a minute, and let's admit it, Roland. This even got our team talking this morning in the meeting, whether it was a personal experience or somebody that they knew. Pretty much everybody agreed that there is temptation there. It's easier to flirt. It's easier to connect.
MARTIN: OK.
PHILLIPS: It's easier to send -- kind of feel things out via Facebook, Twitter, texting, internet. It's an easier way to get into trouble. It is a temptation.
MARTIN: OK. But there's -- but you also have a temptation in the workplace. Because you're actually interacting with people every single day. There's a temptation if you're traveling on the road.
There's a temptation if you -- there's a temptation if you are a pastor or a staff member and you're dealing with people in the church every single day. We know pastors who have had affairs with secretaries. With church members.
And so, the reality is, there's temptation all around us in this world, but the whole point of people of faith, the question is, how do you deny temptation? You look at the Bible. Jesus was tempted himself.
And so, you have to have something inside of you that says, "I have made a commitment to be with somebody else, to be with this person so, regardless of whether or not I see them face to face, regardless if I see them on Facebook, on Twitter, Black Planet, whatever it is, I am going to say, no." And so, you can say that about anything, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Finally, ten seconds or less if you can. Your wife's an ordained minister.
MARTIN: Yes.
PHILLIPS: You've written books on spirituality. If you stood in front of this congregation knowing that it had issues with Facebook and hooking up with old flames, what would you say?
MARTIN: What I would say is, "Your issue is not Facebook. Your issue is you. Your issue is your particular lust. If you want to fortify your marriage, Facebook is not the issue. It's a question of between you and your spouse, what is happening inside of your home, what is happening inside of your temple. Not on Facebook."
PHILLIPS: Reverend Martin, nice to have you on this morning.
MARTIN: Yes. I'm more bootleg. My wife's official. She has papers.
PHILLIPS: Our bootleg Reverend CNN analyst Roland Martin. Thanks, Ro.
MARTIN: OK.
PHILLIPS: Tell me what you think, please. Should married couples avoid Facebook? What do you think? Or is there too much temptation? Or is the pastor going overboard? Going after the symptom and not the real problem. Tell me what you think on my blog, cnn.com/kyra, or hit me up on the Twitter page, twitter.com/kyraCNN.
More and more Americans questioning the purpose of getting married. We're going to stay on the marriage beat. Why four in ten people say marriage is becoming obsolete.
(MUSIC - "Shop Around")
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
PHILLIPS: It's half past the hour and time for some of the stories that got us talking this morning.
A chilly warning on Capitol Hill about this computer worm called Stuxnet. Apparently government experts believe that it may have been targeting Iran's nuclear plants. And now it's threatening computers that run infrastructure all around the world. That means things like power grids, water supplies, even oil pipelines might be at risk. And nobody knows who's behind the virus or who unleashed it.
And the FDA is cracking down on high-powered drinks that combine alcohol and lots of caffeine. We talked about this yesterday with our Elizabeth Cohen. The FDA is telling makers of these alcoholic energy drinks that they're dangerous and they're illegal. So the drinks are very popular on college campuses and have been blamed for a lot of blackouts. That's why the changes are being made.
Love then marriage. Throw in a big old diamond ring and that's that. Always seem to be the status quo. But now instead of asking, will you marry me, a lot of Americans are asking, what's the point? A new "Time" Magazine/Pew study says that nearly 4 in 10 Americans say marriage is becoming obsolete, 4 in 10.
(VIDEO CLIP, DISNEY'S "CINDERELLA")
PHILLIPS: From Cinderella's Prince Charming, those wedding bells, the happily ever after. So, are you one of the people following in the path of the runaway bride instead?
(VIDEO CLIP, "RUNAWAY BRIDE")
PHILLIPS: And she's out of there.
And that brings us to our AM Extra. John Roberts joining us live from New York.
John, how did that old saying go? Marriage means commitment, of course, so does insanity?
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR, "AMERICAN MORNING": But people find commitment elsewhere. You know, Kyra, it is a fact that 72 percent of people three decades ago married. Now only 50 percent of people married. And a survey that was done by "Time" magazine and the Pew Research Foundation found that unlike 1970, when 28 percent of people thought that marriage obsolete; now 40 percent of people feel like that.
You know, they think that you don't have to be married anymore to have sex, to have kids, to have financial stability. You can do all of that and then get married at some future point. So they're saying, Kyra, while we appreciate the institution, we don't necessarily think that it's for us.
Now, people are also waiting longer to get married. And rather than this being sort of like a demarcation of adulthood, saying, OK, we're adults now. It's time to get married, time to have a family, time to do all of the things that you do as a married couple, it's more like an exclamation point, a coda at the end of adult life. When you've got everything that you want, then you get married.
Here's what Belinda Luscombe said about that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ROBERTS: There's a shift in attitude about when people get married. People used to get married very young. If you were not married by 22 or 23 years old, you were starting to get up there.
BELINDA LUSCOMBE, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, TIME MAGAZINE: An old maid.
ROBERTS: It used to be the demarcation of adulthood. When you became an adult, you got married, you started a family. Now it's almost a finishing touch on adulthood. When everything else is said and done and in place, then you get married.
LUSCOMBE: Yes. One of the sociologists we talked to said it's like the ultimate merit badge. You've got everything sorted. Your career is in place. You've done your education. You've worked it out. You've probably lived with this person that you're thinking of marrying for a couple of years and worked out some of the kinks, you know, done a little bit of house training, figured out what you like, what you don't like. And then finally you get married. And it's a big step. It becomes this, not the beginning of your adulthood, but, like the last little brick in it, the last little finishing touch.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Now, Belinda was saying, John, that it's not that people are against marriage, right, they take that seriously. It's just that they just don't think it's necessary.
ROBERTS: Exactly. Because they can get all of the things that they want to have out of life without having to get married. And the reason why they are getting married these days, surprise-surprise, is because people actually love each other and they want to spend time together.
But it's not for the all of the other things that marriage used to bring with it. What's most interesting is that -- of the 40 percent of people who believe that marriage is obsolete, most of those people are women. Men still think that to some degree it's necessary. Also the average income of people who are married is greater than those who are not. But among young people, the 44 percent who say that they think marriage is obsolete, only five percent of them say they don't want to get married.
PHILLIPS: Well, no matter if you're married or not, love is tough but it's always worth it, right?
ROBERTS: Exactly. Just remember, when you've everything you want, Kyra, then you get married.
PHILLIPS: Oh, got it. Thanks for the advice.
ROBERTS: OK.
PHILLIPS: Well, Sarah Palin, throws down the gauntlet. She says that she can beat President Obama in 2012. Sarah Palin in her own words, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Sarah Palin in 2012. She told ABC's Barbara Walters it could happen and she could beat President Obama.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SARAH PALIN, FORMER GOVERNOR OF ALASKA: I'm looking at the lay of the land now and trying to figure that out, if it's a good thing for the country, for the discourse, for my family. If it's a good thing.
BARBARA WALTERS, ABC NEWS: If you ran for president, could you beat Barack Obama?
PALIN: I believe so.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: But a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll taken before the November 2nd election says President Obama would beat Palin in the popular vote, 52 to 44 percent.
CNN's senior political director (sic) Mark Preston in Washington with our political ticker.
So, Mark, what do you think about Palin's comments?
MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: You know, Kyra, it's interesting that we're talking about that this morning. I was just in New Hampshire the other day and was talking to a whole lot of people up there about the presidential race. Interestingly enough, New Hampshire, which plays a very important role in the presidential nominating process, all the folks up there say that she hasn't done anything up there. She's not soliciting support, she's not trying to build a ground game up there. So if she does run, doesn't look like Sarah Palin would necessarily look at New Hampshire as a path to victory. In fact, she's probably run through Iowa, South Carolina.
But again, who knows if she's going to run? She says these interesting comments like that, Kyra. So, if she does run, we'll have a lot to talk about in the next couple of years. That's for sure. PHILLIPS: All right. President George H.W. Bush getting an honor today? Tell us about that.
PRESTON: Yes. So President Obama yesterday announced that President Bush, 41, as a lot of people like to call him, will get the highest civilian honor ever given to folks here, you know, that arne't in the military. He's one of 15 people. The ceremony will happen early next year. Some of the other folks who are going to receive this are super rights legend John Lewis, of course, who's a Democratic Congressman from Georgia, as well as investor Warren Buffett.
And in order to qualify for the award, Kyra, it's given to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States to world peace or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors. So, a very nice award for the former president, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Mark Preston, thanks so much.
We're going to have another political update in an hour. And a reminder, for all the latest political news, just go to our web site, CNNPolitics.com.
And one of President Obama's top foreign policy objectives hits a roadblock in the Senate. The president wants lawmakers to pass the new Russian Nuclear Arms Control Treaty before the lame-duck session ends. But Senator Jon Kyl, the Republican point man on the issue, doesn't want it considered before the newly elected Congress is seated next year.
It was a hot topic last night on CNN's primetime show "PARKER SPITZER."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES TRAUB, CONTRIBUTING WRITER, NEW YORK TIMES: Until now, arms control treaties passed by a bipartisan majority is because there was the thought that when we're facing these supremely important global issues we have to put partisan issues to one side. That feeling isn't there anymore. And so when you think about the Republicans who are blocking this, and above all Kyl, and ask yourself, what's his calculation? I would guess it is in part genuine conviction. You can't trust those Russians, and the thought, I'm not going to give this victory, this all-important victory to Obama.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: "PARKER SPITZER," every night, 8:00 p.m. Eastern.
Miami Heat fans typically known for being late to games despite having LeBron James. But now the team wants fans to be on time. I'm going to show you how they're trying to get the message across.
But first, flashback, November 18th, 1929. The world first met Mickey Mouse that day. He started Walt Disney's new cartoon "Steamboat Willie". The first cartoon when the audio actually matched the video. That audio came from a 15-piece orchestra and Walt Disney himself provided the squeaks for Mickey. Disney used today's date as Mickey Mouse's birthday. So a big shout-out to Mickey, who's still looking great 81 years later.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well a developing story now. Cholera reaching U.S. shores.
CNN's Ivan Watson has been following it all the way from Haiti. What do we know, Ivan?
IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Florida health authorities have confirmed that a woman traveling from Haiti to Florida had been detected carrying the cholera bacteria, she had gotten that virus and that was detected on Wednesday, the first known case in the U.S.
Meanwhile, Haiti is battling this cholera epidemic that has claimed more than 1,100 lives in about a month's time. And it's created a lot of chaos here Cap-Haitien, the town that I'm currently in right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WATSON (voice-over): Angry Haitians lashing out at foreign peacekeepers. Hurling stones and bottles and building barricades of burning garbage. For three straight days, the violent protests have brought Cap-Haitien to a standstill. Shots periodically ring out through the city's burning streets.
(on camera): There are still pockets of trouble and anger here in Cap-Haitien. People lashing out. (INAUDIBLE) because of the cholera?
So they say -- they say they want the U.N. peacekeepers called "minustah" to leave this city. They are blaming "minustah" and the peacekeepers for the cholera epidemic.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to live in Haiti. I no more -- no "minustah", "minustah" no good, no good. They come to Haiti and come cause problem. Everybody is sick.
WATSON (voice-over): A deadly cholera epidemic is tearing through this port city. In the past 24 hours, a flood of nearly 200 patients have arrived at this basketball stadium, which has been turned into a crowded cholera treatment center.
DR. ESTHER STERK, MEDICINA SANS FRONTIERES: The disease is spreading very fast. It's a very contagious disease. People here don't have any immunity because there was no cholera here in the last 100 years.
WATSON: Most of the patients arrive severely dehydrated from nausea and acute diarrhea.
(on camera): Getting here in time for treatment is a matter of life and death. People can become so dehydrated in a matter of hours that they can succumb to the disease, but the violence has prevented the aid organization here from being able to get fresh supplies, like these I.V. gags which can help save patient's lives.
(voice-over): Treatment of cholera is tragically simple, rehydration solutions and disinfectant to prevent spread of the bacteria. The United Nations denies accusations that peacekeepers from Nepal imported the cholera bacteria. These Nepalese peacekeepers took a moment of calm to clean up glass and debris from two days of clashes.
(on camera): Were you surprised at how angry the people here were? You're supposed to be here to help. Are you surprised?
COL. LABA BITA, NEPALESE PEACEKEEPER: Yes.
WATSON: Are you surprised that they got so angry at you?
BITA: Yes, we are help, we are -- we are to help the people here. We are helping now, you see, this is the part of help.
WATSON (voice-over): But just a few blocks away, these men chant "Peacekeepers go away, you brought us the cholera." It will take far more than brooms to convince these angry, frightened Haitians that the target of their rage is not the source of this deadly epidemic.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WATSON: Continue -- the doctors at the local hospital tell us they've received 35 gunshot wound victims since Monday when these riots first erupted. And we can see smoke in the distance from burning tires, we know that locals have set up barricades again. They're still trying to cut off the city from the outside world.
As for the cholera epidemic, it has reached Port-au-Prince where the teaming camps -- makeshift camps are for -- for the hundreds of thousands of people made homeless by the earthquake ten months ago. And in addition to the cholera case in Florida, at least one cholera case has been found in neighboring Dominican Republic -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: And Ivan we've been watching your piece as you know come in for the past couple of days you got caught up in a lot of this violence. What exactly happened, and did you think it was even going to get this bad?
WATSON: Well, we knew that the city was out of control when we flew in to Cap-Haitien, we have found the only pilot willing to do the flight. He couldn't get anybody on the radio tower on the flight in, and when we landed, the airport had been deserted by security forces. No U.N. peacekeepers and the civilian police weren't wearing their uniforms. The only way into town was on the back of little motorbikes. That was the only way to get around the barricades and to try to make friends with the demonstrators who are blocking all traffic.
Yesterday, a group of missionaries from the Christian Motorcyclists Association they were stranded at the hotel we were at for three days. And they tried to escape by bus. Their bus was attacked by the demonstrators who threw stones at it and they had to take shelter after the bus was incapacitated in a nearby U.N. peacekeeper base. None of those 11 American missionaries were injured. And I've spoken to them today. They have managed to escape Cap-Haitien. This town is very much out of control right now -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Well, we'll definitely follow along the developments with you Ivan. I sure appreciate it.
We're also following a lot of developments in the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM on a number of other stories. Let's go ahead and start with Stephanie Elam -- Steph.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hey Kyra, we are taking a look at that General Motors initial public offering, the largest one in U.S. history. The big question is what does this mean for U.S. taxpayers? Well, I'll tell you coming up in the next hour.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: And I'm Rob Marciano, in the CNN Weather Center, severe weather, well, in the form of some snow continues to pile up out west, and the wind continues to blow out east. But change is on the way forecast at the top of the hour -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Thanks guys.
And beware of identity thieves. You hear that warning often enough, right, but what happens when the crook stealing your ID is your mom or dad? Parents mooching off their kids' good credit. We're talking about it next in the CNN NEWSROOM.
We're also talking with a student who is living the dream, valedictorian of his high school class, elected student body president in college. An all-American kid by all measures except one, he's an undocumented immigrant. Now everyone knows and not everyone's happy, and he's worried about getting deported.
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