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Turning Back the Clock on Aging; Pay Freeze for Federal Workers; American Diplomacy Laid Bare; It's OK To Be Cheap; Hot Off The Political Ticker

Aired November 29, 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: 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 top stories. Reversing aging -- scientists say new research being done on mice actually reverses the effects of getting older. Could it hold promise for aging humans? We are digging deeper.

Sensitive diplomatic information leaked on the Web. We are digging deeper on what was leaked and reactions ranging from red faces to outrage from governments around the world.

You are on line now, and we are, too. And actor Leslie Nielsen is who you are talking about.

We are celebrating the late actor's life in clips from some of his most memorable and funny performances.

Let's get started with our lead story of the day.

We are standing by waiting for comments from President Obama. He is expected to announce a pay freeze for all federal employees. That statement expected in minutes, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Got to tell you, it is the stuff of legend, the search for the fountain of youth. Now scientists report a breakthrough in mice that partially reverses the effects of aging. What this means for humans is unclear at this point, but the implications are huge.

Our senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, is here to talk us through the findings.

And Elizabeth, what exactly did the researchers, the scientists, do, and how did they do it?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: They simply took old mice and made them young again. I mean, I'm telling you, if I was a mouse, I would be so excited. I would be so -- I would be e-mailing this guy if mice knew how to e-mail. I'd be saying, "Hey, make it work for me."

And we're actually going to have the scientists who did this on in a second. But first, I want to talk about what they did.

Take a look at these mice. What you are going to see in a second, see, Tony, there on the right? You've got a mouse. You see he's kind of gray, the one on the right, and he's kind of balding a little bit.

HARRIS: Yes.

COHEN: And so he was not treated with this genetic engineering, but they did treat the one on the left. And so gray hair became dark again. Brains that had kind of shrunk with age sort of de-shrunk, as it were. The ones -- the old mice, their fertility was really plummeting. Their fertility was sort of born again after this genetic treatment.

HARRIS: But we don't have a before and after?

COHEN: Well, you can -- that's not really a before and after, but you can kind of see, the guy on the right is old. The guy on the left was old, but now is young.

HARRIS: Yes. Yes. Was old. OK.

COHEN: Right. Was old, but now he's young, yes.

HARRIS: We'll take your word for that.

COHEN: So that's basically what we're seeing right there.

So I want to bring in Dr. Ronald DePinho. He's at the Dana- Farber Cancer Center, which is affiliated with Harvard Medical School, and he is going to talk about the incredible things that he did.

HARRIS: Terrific.

COHEN: Dr. DePinho, great to see you.

DR. RONALD DEPINHO, DANA-FARBER CANCER INSTITUTE: Well, it's great to be here. Thank you for your interest.

COHEN: Well, great.

So, have you found the fountain of youth?

DEPINHO: Well, what we have learned is that there is a point of return for even aged tissues, that tissues retain the remarkable capacity to rejuvenate if you remove the underlying cause of the aging, which in this case was excessive DNA damage in the mice. And DNA damage is a major cause of aging.

And essentially, what we did in this mice was to have increased damage, and then erase that damage. And we were expecting an attenuation, a slowing of the aging process, but what we saw, as you described in your lead, a remarkable reversal of many of the signs and symptoms of aging.

COHEN: So, Dr. DePinho, if I came to you, and let's say I said, "Hey, I'm old. I'm 70 years old and I want to look young again. I want to be fertile again." Could you do it? DEPINHO: Well, I think the implications are that if we understood the basic underpinnings of aging, and where to alleviate that, that there would be the potential for increased healthy living. Whether or not there would be a significant reversal, a Ponce de Leon- like effect, I think remains to be determined.

We have to keep in mind that in natural aging, there are many factors, many co-conspirators that cooperate to compromise the health of the individual. And so one would really need to understand all of those factors and reverse them in order to have the sorts of result that you are having. But, again, it does teach us that there is a point of return even for fairly degenerative tissues.

COHEN: So you went in, Dr. DePinho, and you messed with the very DNA of these mice. You went into their genes and played around with them. Is it even legit to do that on humans? It is it OK?

DEPINHO: Well, we are not in the business of genetically engineering humans, but there may be pharmacological means by which one can reactivate, reawaken the gene that is responsible for repairing the DNA, particularly the DNA at the tips of chromosomes which become frayed. This is an enzyme known as telomerase. And one could imagine that reawakening the telomerase enzyme, which is normally low or absent in ourselves, could reset the clock, the rejuvenative potential of our tissue.

COHEN: So, do you plan on studying this in humans anytime soon?

DEPINHO: Well, I think that the mice have been really outstanding in giving -- illuminating the complexity of human biology. So I think these insights now give us a path towards trying to at least quell the type of damage at the tips of chromosomes that might impact on years of healthy living in humans in the years ahead.

COHEN: OK. Doctor DePinho, thank you so much. Exciting work, and congratulations on your new study.

HARRIS: Will you keep us posted, Elizabeth?

COHEN: Absolutely.

HARRIS: Let's get to the president of the United States.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: -- sharp elbows that's getting a little carried away. For those of you who were worried about my lip, I should be OK. The doctor has given me a clean bill of health, and I will continue to be playing basketball whenever I get a chance. In fact, I played yesterday with Sasha and Malia, and they took it easy on me because they were feeling pity.

I hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving, but now it's time to get back to work. Congress is back in town this week, and I'm looking forward to sitting down with the Republican leaders tomorrow to discuss many issues. Foremost among them, the American people's business that remains to be done this year.

My hope is that tomorrow's meeting will mark a first step towards a new and productive working relationship, because we now have a shared responsibility to deliver for the American people on the issues that define not only these times, but our future. And I hope we can do that in a cooperative and serious way.

Our two most fundamental challenges are keeping the American people safe and growing our economy. And it's in that spirit that I look forward to sitting down tomorrow and talking about urgent matters like the ratification of the new START treaty, which is essential to our safety and security, and the status of the Bush-era tax cuts that are set to expire at the end of this year. And this is just one of many economic issues we've got to tackle together in the months ahead.

As I said a few weeks ago, the most important contest of our time is not the contest between Democrats and Republicans, it's between America and our economic competitors all around the world. And winning that contest means that we have got to ensure our children are the best-educated in the world, that our research and development is second to none, and that we lead the globe in renewable energy and technological innovation.

It also means making sure that in the future, we're not dragged down by long-term debt. This is a challenge that both parties have a responsibility to address, to get federal spending under control and bring down the deficits that have been growing for most of the last decade.

Now, there's no doubt that if we want to bring down our deficits, it's critical to keep growing our economy. More importantly, there's still a lot of pain out there, and we can't afford to take any steps that might derail our recovery or our efforts to put Americans back to work and to make Main Street whole again.

So, we can't put the brakes on too quickly. And I'm going to be interested in hearing ideas from my Republican colleagues, as well as Democrats, about how we continue to grow the economy and how we put people back to work. But we do have to correct our long-term fiscal course, and that's why earlier this year, I created a bipartisan deficit commission that is poised to report back later this week with ideas that I hope will spark a serious and long overdue conversation in this town.

Those of us who have been charged to lead will have to confront some very difficult decisions -- cutting spending we don't need in order to invest in the things that we do. As president, I'm committed to doing my part.

From the earliest days of my administration, we have worked to eliminate wasteful spending and streamline government. I promise to go through the budget line by line to eliminate programs that have outlived their usefulness. And in each of the budgets I have put forward so far, we have proposed approximately $20 billion in savings through shrinking or ending more than 120 of such programs. I have also set goals for this government that we're on track to meet -- reducing improper payments by $50 billion, saving $40 billion in contracting, and selling off $8 billion of unneeded federal land and buildings. I have also proposed a three-year freeze on all non- security discretionary spending, a step that would bring that spending to its lowest level as a share of the economy in 50 years. And we've brought unprecedented transparency to federal spending by placing all of it online at usaspending.gov and recovery.gov, so Americans can see how their tax dollars are being spent.

The hard truth is that getting this deficit under control is going to require some broad sacrifice. And that sacrifice must be shared by the employees of the federal government. After all, small businesses and families are tightening their belts. Their government should, too.

And that's why on my first day of president, I froze all pay for my senior staff. This year, I have proposed extending that freeze for senior political appointees throughout the government, and eliminating bonuses for all political appointees.

And today, I am proposing a two-year pay freeze for all civilian federal workers. This would save $2 billion over the rest of this fiscal year and $28 billion in cumulative savings over the next five years.

Now, I want to be clear, this freeze does not apply to the men and women of our armed forces who, along with their families, continue to bear enormous burdens with our nation at war.

I did not reach this decision easily. This is not just a line item on a federal ledger.

These are people's lives. They are doctors and nurses who care for our veterans; scientists who search for better treatments and cures; men and women who care for our national parks and secure our borders and our skies; Americans who see that the Social Security checks get out on time, who make sure that scholarships come through, who devote themselves to our safety. They are patriots who love their country and often make many sacrifices to serve their country.

In these challenging times, we want the best and the brightest to join and make a difference. But these are also times where all of us are called on to make some sacrifices. And I am asking civil servants to do what they have always done -- play their part.

Going forward, we're going to have to make some additional very tough decisions that this town has put off for a very long time. And that's what this upcoming week is really about.

My hope is that starting today, we can begin a bipartisan conversation about our future, because we face challenges that will require the cooperation of Democrats, Republicans and Independents. Everybody is going to have to cooperate. We can't afford to fall back under the same old ideologies or the same stale sound bites. We're going to have to budge on some deeply held positions and compromise for the good of the country. We're going to have to set aside the politics of the moment to make progress for the long term.

And as I have often said, we're going to have to think not just about the next election, but about the next generation, because if there is anything the American people said this month, it's that they want their leaders to have one single focus -- making sure their work is rewarded so that the American dream remains within their reach. It would be unwise to assume they prefer one way of thinking over another. That wasn't the lesson I took when I entered into office, and it's not the lesson today.

So, while our ideas may be different, our goals must be the same -- growing this economy, putting people back to work, and securing the dream for all who work for it to some of what is best for each of us, to make lives better for all of us. And that's why we are here, and that's why we serve. It's how we've moved this country forward in the past, and I'm absolutely confident that that is how we are going to move this country forward once again.

Thank you very much, everybody.

HARRIS: OK. The president pointing to tomorrow's meeting with a bipartisan group of congressional lawmakers to discuss issues to be resolved in this lame-duck session, what to do about the Bush-era tax cuts set to expire by the end of the year, getting a federal budget done, and looking for ways to reduce the federal budget deficit moving forward.

The president also proposing a two-year pay freeze for all civilian governmental employees. The military would not be touched by that pay freeze. The freeze would save an estimated $5 billion over the next two years, $28 billion over the next five.

We will continue to follow the developments. Looking very much forward to what comes out of that bipartisan meeting tomorrow. All eyes pointing toward Capitol Hill.

American diplomacy laid bare for the world to see. I will speak live with the Israeli ambassador about leaked State Department cables.

That's next in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Backroom bargaining, diplomatic deal-making, confidential conversations by and about world leaders. It is stuff you tell your closest friends that you don't want told to others.

Information from secret documents released by the Web site WikiLeaks causing an uproar in the U.S. and around the world.

We want to talk more about the revelation that Arab allies urged the U.S. to stop Iran's nuclear program.

Joining me now is Michael Oren. He is Israel's ambassador to the United States.

Michael, it's great to see you. Thanks for your time.

MICHAEL OREN, ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED STATES: Good to be here, Tony.

HARRIS: You know, there is a lot of reaction coming in to the release of these State Department cables. We have something from another player in the Middle East, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the president of Iran, who is saying the release of the documents through WikiLeaks was simply psychological warfare against Iran. He is also saying that the release would not affect Iran's relations with other countries -- we can talk about that. That seems a little suspect.

I have to ask you, first of all, what is your view of essentially that release of diplomatic cables from the State Department?

OREN: Well, we understand the Obama's concern with this. Confidentiality is an important part of diplomacy and diplomatic life.

From Israel's perspective though, our public position is very, very close to the things we say privately to the administration, and it will not affect our relationship, or certainly my relationship with my counterparts in Washington at all. We will continue to have complete faith and confidence in that confidentiality.

HARRIS: Can you explain to us why it is that the Arab leaders and Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah, in particular, is seen and heard in these cables urging some strong action against Iran, decapitation and -- what is your take on that, the "head of the snake" and that kind of language?

OREN: I think that they fear. I think they fear a nuclear Iran, and that Iran is seeking to undermine the regimes, to overthrow those regimes, that Iran poses an existential threat to many Arab governments. And I think these Arab governments have said as much publicly, as well as privately, in many different ways in recent years.

HARRIS: So, Michael, can I ask you straightforwardly, how is Israel processing this Iranian threat? Can I ask you to first assess the Iranian nuclear threat? And then, what kind of actions -- I know you won't tell me in any kind of detail, but what is the thinking in Israel?

OREN: Well, if Iran gets a nuclear weapon -- understand it's a new era, and not just the Middle East, but in the entire world. Iran supports terrorist organizations. Those terrorist organizations, Hamas, Hezbollah, will have access to those military nuclear capabilities.

Iran will trigger a nuclear arms race throughout the entire Middle East and beyond. There will be no more nuclear nonproliferation in the world. Countries in this hemisphere can get nuclear weapons as well. Iran, right now, even without a nuclear weapon, is trying to undermine governments throughout the Middle East in supporting terror. Imagine what Iran with nuclear weapons will do.

HARRIS: If the consequences are as dire as you describe, how does Israel not move forward with some kind of aggressive action? How can Israel stand by and not take out that program?

OREN: Well, we do have an Iranian regime which, as we all know, is assiduously trying to acquire these nuclear weapons, which pledges almost daily to wipe Israel off the map. We used to say we have deep and profound concerns.

The government of Israel has committed the follow President Obama's lead in the sanctions regime, which is working well. The sanctions have gone into effect, and we've seen how those sanctions are making the Iranian government squirm. But they have yet to have an impact on the Iranian nuclear program. They are still enriching uranium at quite a pace.

We would hope that the American position of all options on the table -- and that is our position as well -- would be made credible, that the Iranians understand, as the president has said, that an Iranian nuclear program weapon is unacceptable to the president of the United States, and that President Obama is determined to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

HARRIS: When does that window close, the window when you can take meaningful action against Iran and its program before such time that any action militarily against -- and you know this is what I am driving at -- any action militarily toward Iran becomes -- you end up with too high of a price in terms of collateral damage?

OREN: Well, the window is not infinitely open. I think we have a strong agreement with the United States on that. American leaders have said that as well.

The Iranians are -- again, they are advancing a pace toward acquiring a nuclear weapon, and that we are not talking about the very, very distant future. We are going to have to make some decisions shortly.

Now, there are many other ways that we can address the situation short of, as you're implying, sort of military action --

HARRIS: Sure.

OREN: -- just ratcheting up those sanctions. There are different ways that we can approach and prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

HARRIS: Michael, I wanted to ask you about the Palestinian issues, but I think that we're -- I'm going to try to sneak one in.

OREN: Please.

HARRIS: What is it going to take, in your view, for there to be some kind of significant movement on settlements? Settlements seems to be the barrier, the hurdle that has to be crossed by both sides if we're going to get anywhere close to some kind of an agreement between Palestinians and Israel.

OREN: Well, the United States and Israel now are working very, very seriously to try to move this forward, to get over this particular issue. But to advance toward peace, there is one condition that has to be met.

It seems simple, but we haven't been able to meet it yet, and that is to get the Palestinians to sit with us at the negotiating table. There is no way we can make peace unless the Palestinians will actually talk with us, and we are waiting for the Palestinian leaders to rejoin us at the peace table.

HARRIS: Does another pause in settlement activity get you back to the table?

OREN: Well, we are examining different ways, but we are working very closely together. And I'm confident that we're going to find a way to move forward.

HARRIS: Michael, it's good to talk to you. Thanks for your time.

OREN: You, too.

HARRIS: Appreciate it.

OREN: Thank you.

HARRIS: You can find much more on the diplomatic documents on our Web site. Also, what is WikiLeaks, and why is it releasing confidential information?

All of that and more at CNN.com.

We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: College football's championship series appears close to being set, we think. And then pro football, can you blame God for a bad play? One player is pointing the finger at heaven, and it is not a "Thank you, Lord" move.

ESPN's Michelle Beadle is back! Michelle is back!

MICHELLE BEADLE, ESPN: I'm back.

HARRIS: Hey, Michelle, did you see the fight over the weekend, yesterday? Did you see that?

BEADLE: That was one of the best fights. I mean, you don't get to see that very often in football. It's more of a hockey-style fight.

HARRIS: Yes. Yes.

BEADLE: Andre Johnson, he's been boxing in his off time. It was good.

HARRIS: So who were the combatants here? And this is what happens in the National Football League when push comes to shove?

BEADLE: That's right. That is what happens.

Titans-Texans, Andre Johnson, Courtland Finnegan. Courtland Finnegan, I have to say, is known as a dirty player. And from everyone that's even spoken on the subject today, it seems as though everyone is high-fiving Andre Johnson. Maybe not publicly, although he did get the game ball after the game, which is sparking some controversy.

But Andre Johnson is a quiet guy. He's good, he does his job well, and that is it. You never hear anything about him off the field.

So you know he had to have been extremely ticked off to go off the way he did on Courtland. And I loved it. I mean, there was an undercut, there was an uppercut.

HARRIS: Yes. Yes. Yes. That was good stuff.

BEADLE: There was everything you could want out of a fight.

HARRIS: That had a little bit of that -- what is it, that MMA feel to it, didn't it? Didn't it have a bit of that feel to it?

BEADLE: Oh, it was good. It was good. You know Portland wanted more.

HARRIS: Yes, he wanted more. And have you made sense of the BCS? Is it Auburn and Oregon, and that's the way it is going to be? Set it in stone, Michelle?

BEADLE: No. That is not definitely not set in stone yet, because here is the deal. Oregon has to play their civil war game against Oregon State. SEC Championship game between Auburn and South Carolina, which has potential upset written all over it. If that happens, TCU is sitting there again with another undefeated season -

HARRIS: Oh, come on!

BEADLE: -- and so we could still have a mess hopefully. Because Boise State kind of blew it. I am still hoping for a mess out of the whole thing.

HARRIS: And the mess would be, you know, throw the balls up in the air. And what would the mess be that could maybe bring this whole system crashing in on itself?

BEADLE: Well, if Auburn loses or Oregon loses, now you have yourself looking at all of the one-loss teams, which is a lot.

HARRIS: Yes, yes.

BEADLE: Wisconsin, Stanford, and so, then we are back to where we started with what happens if. And then there are still the people who say, you know, TCU doesn't deserve a shot at the national championship based on who they played during the year.

So, for me, I love it. I love the fact that there are a lot of suits sitting in a room somewhere stressed out right now, because if these two teams happen to lose or one of them, they've got to figure things out once again. I feel bad for Boise State, because I was rooting for them the whole time. Kyle Bratsman, wherever you are, you need a hug, brother.

But other than that, this could be a mess. We'll see after the game.

HARRIS: Hey, I want to ask about the Buffalo Bill's game. Now this is Steve Johnson, right? The wide receiver for Buffalo who essentially has the game in his hands, only really all he needs to do is to do what he has been doing for what, since he was a kid? Since he was playing in college? All he has to do is to catch that ball, right?

BEADLE: Catch the ball.

HARRIS: Let's show the play.

BEADLE: And he didn't.

HARRIS: And he didn't.

BEADLE: Oh! It is bad. And this is the same guy who is playing the Bengals had written why so serious on his T-shirt underneath. So when he scored a touchdown, it was a mockery, of course, of the Batman and Robin Ochocinco and T.O. situation.

I like him. Except for after the game, he tweeted to God, who I'm not even sure is on Twitter, asking him "Why are you doing me like this? All I do is praise you every 24/7." He did end with a thank you, which is very respectful.

But it's funny. God may not be a Bills fan. I don't know what God does on Sundays, but he gets a lot of praise from a lot of teams. This is the first time I've seen someone call him out on a missed catch. So, we will see how that plays out amongst the religious.

HARRIS: And how am I supposed to learn from this? That's all this is about, is a learning moment, right. And here is play, Michelle. I don't know if you can see it, but here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: And he drops the ball! that was --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BEADLE: I can hear the audio and feel the pain once again. He said he will never get it over IT, and he is taking it seriously.

HARRIS: So, Michelle, you mentioned when we had you on the program last week you were going to go enjoy the Thanksgiving and you were going to feed. I think the quote was, "Mama is going to feed." Did Mama feed?

BEADLE: Mama did feed. Mama fed and Mama ordered a treadmill that's being delivered tomorrow because she forgot the go to the gym for the last seven days.

(LAUGHTER)

HARRIS: There she is, Michelle.

BEADLE: Should be interesting the next few weeks.

HARRIS: Michelle, it is great to see you as always. We will have you back soon.

BEADLE: Awesome.

HARRIS: All right. You take care and we are back in a moment. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. The great Michelle Beadle.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Ah, Michelle Beadle. Mama fed for Thanksgiving. I did, too. Did you strap on the feed bag?

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, you know what?

HARRIS: Moderation?

MYERS: Well, Thanksgiving is the shortest holiday on record, because you eat a bunch of turkey and fall asleep, and then you are waking up the next day.

HARRIS: I did that! Right there on T.J.'s couch, just fell asleep. Everybody with whipped cream all over my head. It is ridiculous!

MYERS: Oh, no, you didn't go back in the time machine, did you?

HARRIS: Oh, yes, I did.

MYERS: All right, dude.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: Yes, but it is good to see you. Always good to see you.

The FBI says he wanted thousands of Americans to die, women, children, entire families. Today, the alleged Christmas tree bomber faces a judge. We have the latest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: And taking a look at the top stories right now. Oregon terror suspect Mohammed Osman Mohamud is in court today. The charges, attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction. The FBI says the Somali-born 19-year-old tried to blow up a van full of explosives at a Portland tree-lighting ceremony Friday night.

And just moments ago, President Obama announced a two-year pay freeze for federal employees. The wage freeze would affect civilian workers, not military, and save more than $60 billion over the next ten years.

The Justice Department is conducting a criminal investigation into the latest WikiLeaks disclosure. The Web site publishing more than 250,000 confidential cables sent by U.S. diplomats. The White House has directed government agencies to tighten procedures for handling classified documents.

Holiday shoppers raided the stores all weekend. Today, they are back at work and - shh -- pointing and clicking their way to bargain gifts. Yes, there are deals out there. CNNmoney's Poppy Harlow in New York to talk about an important day for online shopping. Let's talk about Cyber Monday, Poppy.

HARLOW: I have to tell you, Tony, I prefer this assignment so much more than Black Friday. Do you remember that?

HARRIS: I remember that, but you looked great out there with the people! And the people loved you, poppy.

HARLOW: Well, that was intense. My first real Black Friday in front of Macy's for 12 hours.

HARRIS: Well, you handled it well.

HARLOW: Cyber Monday, interestingly enough, more shoppers even than Black Friday. Take a look at these numbers. This is what is expected, folks.

The National Retail Federation is saying 106 million Americans are going to shop online today, which is up from 96 million last year. They are also saying that 88 percent of retailers, so pretty much nine of 10 retailers are expecting to have special promotions today. And nearly half of you out there are planning on shopping during the workday today, according to staffing firm Adeko. Check your company's policy for doing that before you do that.

But it is interesting, Tony. We were looking at this, and we found out that Cyber Monday, the term was coined in 2005 because stores saw this big surge of people shopping online on the Monday after Thanksgiving. Most of them at work because and that was five years ago when we had faster Internet connections at work than we did at home. Not the case anymore. But take a look at how Cyber Monday has been growing. From 2005, we had just about $484 million in sales on this Monday. Last year, it was almost $900 million. This year, it's expected to be more, but an interesting point is that today is actually not the busiest online shopping day of the year. Last year, Tony, it was December 15th which was the biggest shopping day online where they had $913 million in sales. And I think that is because people realized, oh, my goodness, we have ten days until Christmas, and I don't have any gifts.

HARRIS: Yes. Yes, and just curious, what should we be looking for today in term of the deals and the risks, Poppy?

HARLOW: Well, great deals and aggressive promotions. And also, don't take the deal on the Web site. Go on Google, search for coupon codes. You've got Web sites like retailmenot, couponcabin, get extra discounts. And look for free shipping. Almost every big retailer will offer that today. Wal-Mart, Target, and Best Buy. They're all offering free shipping.

But you've got to be careful of the scams. I'm going to show you what the Better Business Bureau is saying. Three very good tips. The first one is, if a deal is sounding too good to be true, it probably is. If you got it from an unsolicited email, do your research. Make sure the site is authentic. Second, be aware of emails that claim, hey, we just got your order. There's a problem with the order. Then they ask you for more financial information. That could likely be a scam. Also, always pay with credit card online. No money orders or anything like that. This will allow you to dispute the charges if anything goes wrong.

And also, if you bought something, say, yesterday, and you can probably call them today and get the cheaper price today. I did that this morning. Just to let you know.

HARRIS: Nice stuff, nice stuff, Poppy. And again, don't underestimate the Poppy factor with the people. Get out there.

HARLOW: No! Don't make me do it next year.

HARRIS: Come on, it's huge! It is huge. All right, Poppy, good to see you. Thank you.

Have a big heart but your wallet does not match? Christine Romans will show you why it is okay to be a bit of a cheapskate this holiday season. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: So no one wants to waste their hard-earned money on gifts that friends and family don't want. CNN's Christine Romans reports, in this (INAUDIBLE) economy, it's OK to be cheap.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There's never been a better time to be a cheapskate. The economy gives you cover to pinch your pennies.

ROMANS (on camera): Let's be seriously. There are some people who need to be a cheapskate. They need to prioritize because the same amount of money isn't coming in for a lot of families.

JEFF GARDERE, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: Oh, I totally agree. And these days, being a cheapskate is really a moniker for being a smart shopper.

ROMANS: Yes.

GARDERE: And there's nothing wrong with it.

ROMANS (voice-over): But don't tell that to the retailers. There's pressure to spend and spend often everywhere.

LISA CAVANAUGH, USC MARSHALL SCHOOL OF BUSINESS: As a kind of gift recipients, most people are very mindful of the state of the economy and how that might be affecting people's ability or propensity to give.

ROMANS: So when you choose to spend, choose wisely. By one economist's count, $13 billion is wasted on unwanted gifts each year in the U.S., $25 billion worldwide.

JOEL WALDFOGEL, AUTHOR, SCROOGENOMICS: I'm certainly not advocating taking Santa Claus away from children, but I think being aware that the spending often results in things that people don't want could give people pause to think of, well, do I really want to buy that?

ROMANS: If you have small children and you know exactly what they want, then go for that great gift. If you want to make the gift for your spouse a stunner, go for it, but don't spend yourself into the poor house everywhere else.

ROMANS (on camera): How do you make sure that you have psyched yourself up to avoid the guilt of maybe not giving as much this year as you usually do?

GARDERE: I think the answer is actually in the question. Psyching yourself. In other words, looking at what your mindset is. A lot of us have a lot of values around if we don't give the way that we feel that we should that we do feel that guilt. A lot of that guilt is self- imposed guilt because whatever you're giving, most people will appreciate it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And Christine Romans joining me now.

I agree with that. It's the thought that counts. So, Christine, how would you advise folks to sort of get creative without spending too much money?

ROMANS: Right, prioritize, first of all, Tony. You know, you've got to find out what's important to you and focus on that. You don't have to do everything. You've got to set a budget and make a list, check it twice, follow through. Don't buy anything that is not on your list. Concentrate on one or two big gifts for the kids.

Look, I'm not telling you to tell Santa to take the year off. I'm just saying that you need to focus on -- if you've got little kids, focus on them. If you've got kids in college, focus on that. If you want to focus on the meal, do that and spend the money -- because the bird's going to cost 28 percent more this year we know. Beef prices are up. The meal's going to cost you more.

And, you know, look, Kiran Chetry was kind of laughing at me earlier about this, but I said raid the attic. Go upstairs, find some creative and thoughtful gifts. You know, take your old photos. Get pictures of all your great grandparents. Make a DVD of childhood pictures for your hubby, you know, or your wife or your girlfriend or your boyfriend or whatever. You know, find some creative ways to do things. I mean that really -- that really might stand out more than another set of bath gels that you're going to put on the credit card, right, that you're not going to pay off until the end of January.

HARRIS: I love this.

ROMANS: Just a cheapskate -- I feel bad about cheapskate, you know, but, look, I mean it's about being smart. It's not about being cheap.

HARRIS: And the point you're stressing to us is, look, you can't spend so much money over the next five weeks or so that you're still paying off the debt into -- deep into next year. You just can't do it.

ROMANS: Oh, it's ridiculous. Some people don't even have that choice anymore.

HARRIS: Right.

ROMANS: But this is about being smart. And I'm telling you, this is not the year to buy gold. This is not the year to buy, you know, the fancy cuff links. All of these things are at record highs.

HARRIS: Right. Right.

ROMANS: Be smart. You know, be smart about what your buy -- that gold, frankincense and myrrh is pretty expensive this year.

HARRIS: Right. Because, as we know, "Smart Is The New Rich."

ROMANS: Yes, it is.

HARRIS: Christine, thank you.

ROMANS: Oh, what a segue.

HARRIS: Yes, I try.

Still to come in the CNN NEWSROOM, gays in the military. The Pentagon about to release its findings on what troops think. We will tell you how the public feels. Results from a new poll in our political update.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: What the public thinks about "don't ask, don't tell." Paul Steinhauser and Mark Preston, part of "The Best Political Team on Television," live from the political desk in Washington for us.

Gentlemen, good to see you. So we've got some poll results for everyone?

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Yes, we sure do, Tony. One day before that Pentagon report comes out. And you know the lame duck Congress may vote on this. Chris Turner, our cameraman, zoom right in here, if you don't mind, to the CNN Political Ticker. A Pew poll out just a few hours ago. And in it, a majority of Americans say they support gay people serving openly in the military. Remember, "don't ask, don't tell," which is that policy from the 1990s, prevents that from happening. A similar poll, similar numbers from a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll, Tony, just about two weeks ago as well.

Let's talk about the race for the White House. The next race for the White House. Two Republicans who may want to run are making news today. Mike Pence, a top House Republican from Indiana. He's in Detroit at the Economic Club there giving a big speech and he's talking about a flat tax. He's calling for a flat tax to be implemented. And Rick Santorum, the former senator from Pennsylvania, guess where he is today, New Hampshire. It's his second time there this month. Of course, New Hampshire plays a big role in the race for the White House as primaries kick off the presidential calendar.

That's what I've got. What about my partner in crime, Mark.

MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Hey, Tony.

Up in Minnesota, they have just started the recount a couple of hours ago for the governor's race. The race right now has Mark Dayton, the Democrat, is leading the Republican, Tom Emmer, by 8,751 votes. Now, our viewers will remember two years ago, Al Franken, the comedian, ran against Norm Coleman. Franken, the Democrat. Coleman was the Republican incumbent. That recount lasted eight months. They hope to have this recount for the governor's race concluded by December 14th. So, the vote counting begins.

HARRIS: (INAUDIBLE) stuff.

Gentlemen, appreciate it so much. Thank you.

And, of course, your next political update coming up in one hour. For the latest political news, you know where to go, at cnnpolitics.com.

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HARRIS: Well, you know, babies just love patty cake. The "Random Moment of the Day" stumbled across catty cake.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Patty cake, patty cake, baker's man, bake me a cake as fast as you can.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: How cute is that. Well, things veer a little off course here when the felines realize they're on camera. You'll see it in a second here. The paws go down, the scowls come up, the nursery rhyme ends when the cat on the left swipes at the cat on the right. Are we going to see it? Did I miss it? The "Random Moment of the Day." A proud moment for Mother Goose?

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