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Face-to-Face at the White House; Out of Jobless Benefits; Importance of an Education; Pentagon Releases "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Survey; Oscar Hosts For Younger Audience; Santa On A Budget
Aired November 30, 2010 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. Live from Studio 7 at CNN world headquarters, the news and information you need for Tuesday, November 30th.
Starting off, South Korean's coast.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STAN GRANT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They make an absolutely almighty sound as they come in, an extraordinary sight as they come to such an abrupt halt. You can really feel that shake right through your body.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: CNN watching American/South Korean military drills in the Yellow Sea. The North threatening all-out war.
Congress lets unemployment benefits expire today for millions of Americans. I will ask one woman how she will survive.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris.
Those stories and your comments right, here right now in the CNN NEWSROOM.
And happening right now, President Obama and congressional leaders meeting behind closed doors at the White House. Can they find common ground?
And on Capitol Hill, the policy on gays in the military is front and center this hour. House lawmakers learn results of the Pentagon study on repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
The latest on both stories as developments come into the CNN NEWSROOM.
It is their first formal get-together since Republicans won dozens of seats held by Democrats in the midterm elections. President Obama and congressional leaders from both parties sitting down face- to-face.
Here's a look at who's in the room. Will they see eye-to-eye on major issues facing the country?
Now let's look at what's on the agenda with our Senior White House Correspondent Ed Henry.
It seems to be, Ed, taxes, front and center, at the top of the agenda?
ED HENRY, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, absolutely. I mean, they've got all kinds of things they have to deal with, and the president is trying to say that he's focused on the economy, he's focused on taxes. I mean, you've got "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" out there as another issue, and the president pushing to overturn the ban on homosexuals serving openly in the military.
So there's all kinds of issues happening this lame-duck session. At the same time, the president is also looking at a whole new power dynamic come January, when the Republicans take over the House.
He's got a shrunken Democratic majority in the Senate. And so this is the first time, as you say, since the election for each side to sort of eyeball each other and figure out what comes next.
Are they going to work together or not? You know, the president was here at the White House yesterday saying he's hoping to reset things and trying to start a new relationship with Republicans. Senator Mitch McConnell, though, the Republican leader, was just on the Senate floor suggesting they're far, far apart on what's important on the agenda.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R), MINORITY LEADER: With just a few weeks left before the end of the year, they're still clinging to the wrong priorities. Instead of preventing a tax hike, they want to focus on immigration and "Don't Ask, Don't Tell. And maybe if there's time left, see what they can do about jobs and the economy. Indeed, their entire legislative plan for the rest of the lame duck session appearing to be to focus on anything except jobs, which is astonishing when you consider the election we just had.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY: Now, White House aides reject that. They say, look, the president does want to deal with the economy, not just those Bush tax cuts that are expiring on December 31st, and decide whether or not it's just going to be the middle class that get an extension of those tax rates, or whether or not the rich will also get an extension of current tax rates.
Meanwhile, they say the president wants to also deal with unemployment benefits. As you know, there are millions of Americans who are going to have their unemployment benefits run out before Christmas. It's a big, big issue -- Tony. HARRIS: Hey, Ed, let's see if we can cut through the weeds for just a moment here. You were listening to the statement from the president yesterday as he was announcing a pay freeze for federal employees. He seemed to outline an agenda for this meeting today. I don't recall him mentioning immigration, do you?
HENRY: He did not, but I think what Mitch McConnell was referring to is that Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid has been pushing the DREAM Act, dealing with immigration status for members of the military. He's also been pushing an overturn, the ban, again, on homosexuals serving openly in the military.
HARRIS: Yes.
HENRY: So, look, there's a little bit of spin going on, on each side, no doubt. But it is true that while Democrats are talking about jobs, they are also talking about these other side issues, including the new START treaty as well, the arms reduction treaty. The president considers that his top foreign policy priority. And it is a big issue, obviously, but it's not about jobs and the economy, so that provides an opening for Mitch McConnell and the Republicans to say, look, this agenda, it's a packed agenda in a short amount of time, is clouded by a lot of other side issues, not just jobs, which is issue number one.
HARRIS: Well, maybe we'll get an idea of what Mitch McConnell and the Republican leaders has as the plan for jobs coming out of this meeting. That would be nice.
Our Senior White House Correspondent --
HENRY: They're going to address reporters after the meeting.
HARRIS: That's right.
HENRY: The president is going to speak about 12:30 Eastern Time. And you're right. I mean, I see in your question, you know, you're suggesting something that the White House has talked a lot about, which is that they believe in the last two years, the Republicans have just said no on everything the president has proposed on jobs, and they think one of the messages coming out of the election was, let's work together.
And that's why you heard the president strike that tone yesterday. We'll see what kind of tone Republicans have coming out of their meeting today.
HARRIS: The Republicans get an opportunity to focus the agenda. That's for sure.
Ed, good to see you, as always. Thank you.
We expect to hear from the president and the congressional leaders when their meeting ends. As Ed mentioned, we will bring you their comments live, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM .
(NEWSBREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Soon the checks will not be in the mail for millions of out-of-work Americans. The deadline to apply for extended unemployment benefits expires today, and Congress has not approved legislation to give workers additional benefits.
About two million people are expected to stop receiving checks in December. The average weekly amount of unemployment benefits is about $302.
The numbers tell only part of the story. Running out of unemployment benefits is a reality for millions of people.
Wendy Ashley has been out of work for more than two years, and she has exhausted her benefits. And she is joining us. She's on Skype from Evansville, Indiana.
Wendy, it is good to see you.
Two years without a job. Can you even believe -- I'm sitting here and I'm saying that to you. That is such a long time. Can you believe you've been out of work for two years?
WENDY ASHLEY, UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS EXHAUSTED: It's incredible. It is incredible. I mean, I've had little tip jobs here and there, but nowhere is really wanting to hire anybody permanently.
HARRIS: So let me get this right. You worked at a factory for 12 years before being laid off in August of '08.
ASHLEY: Yes.
HARRIS: And you haven't worked since then. Where have you looked for work?
ASHLEY: Everywhere. I've sent out resumes. I've even looked outside my field of work, like clerical stuff. I've tried looking for part-time jobs.
HARRIS: Well, what are employers telling you?
ASHLEY: Let's see. I've been overqualified for positions, I've been underqualified for positions. The job market is so tight right now, it's just flooded with so many people, that they can just nitpick over everything.
You know, you may have the experience, but you don't have a college degree. You may have, you know, the education, but not the experience.
HARRIS: Hey, Wendy, let me jump in here. Where do your passions lie? What would do for free because you love it?
ASHLEY: Volunteer -- oh, gosh. I liked what I did for a living before in my factory work. You know, I was (INAUDIBLE) operator.
I loved that. I love working with children, the elderly. There's all kinds of things.
HARRIS: OK. So, Wendy, do you see what I'm getting at here? I mean, what we keep hearing from the folks on our Money team is that if you follow your passions, you know, there is probably an opportunity that will develop for you to get paid for what it is you love to do.
Does that make sense to you?
ASHLEY: Yes, absolutely. I mean, right now, I advocate for the unemployed. You know?
HARRIS: OK. But we need to get you a paycheck. So have you considered retraining programs in areas that you have an interest?
ASHLEY: Yes. I have. I've looked into it, and I'm trying to narrow it down to something and find out about getting help paying for it.
HARRIS: All right. I'm not going to scold you here, but you know you can't be narrowing it down after two years. You need to have made a decision by now, right?
ASHLEY: Yes. Yes.
HARRIS: So what's going on, Wendy, really? What's going on?
ASHLEY: With?
HARRIS: With you in this search, in this job search to get you, probably your family, up and running again? Why are you still considering what to retrain for after two years?
ASHLEY: Well, I've got to find something where there's going to be -- I'm looking to fields that are going to be hiring people.
HARRIS: Technology, medical services, IT.
ASHLEY: Yes, I'm considering, like, nursing.
HARRIS: OK.
What do you want to tell the president and Congress? Congress is not likely to appropriate new monies to extend unemployment benefits. What would you like to say to the president and Congress?
ASHLEY: I would like to tell them that they need to work together to do something to create jobs. They need to close the loophole that's allowing jobs to be outsourced. And there are just so many people that are suffering over no fault of their own. You know.
HARRIS: Yes.
ASHLEY: And it just can't be allowed to happen. HARRIS: OK, Wendy. We'll check back with you, because we want to hear that you've got a plan on retraining, if that's what you think you should do, what you're doing in terms of finding an outlet for your passions. So, let's check back with you and let's see how you're doing in the next couple of weeks, all right?
ASHLEY: OK, thanks.
HARRIS: How are you going to survive? I mean, your money is running out, right? You're not going to get a check in January. How are you going to survive?
ASHLEY: I don't have a check now. I got my last check yesterday, and it was a partial check. My husband does work.
HARRIS: OK.
ASHLEY: But it's not enough, so I don't know. I mean, a lot of retailers aren't even hiring for holiday work, so --
HARRIS: OK. So you have health care, correct, through your husband's plan at work?
ASHLEY: No, I don't have health care.
HARRIS: Oh my. OK. Let's check back.
ASHLEY: No health care.
HARRIS: Wendy, we'll check back with you, OK?
ASHLEY: OK.
HARRIS: All right.
Got to tell you, one group in America has an unemployment rate -- you won't believe this -- of 4.5 percent, less than half the national rate. We will tell you who's in that group in 90 seconds.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: So, how valuable is a college education in today's job market? Here is one way to look at it. Unemployment among those with college degrees -- Josh has some striking numbers for us -- Josh.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tony, you know, we were talking about this in the morning meeting today, right, about how valuable it is to get a degree? Well, take a look at this.
When you look at unemployment nationwide, these numbers are really striking. This breaks it down by your education level.
And if you look right here, people without a high school diploma have 14 percent unemployment. People with high school diplomas, high school graduates, 9.2 percent. Then, if you've done some college, eight percent. And this, right here, is what you were just talking about before the break. People with bachelor's degrees or higher have unemployment rates down at 4.5 percent.
So you look at what a massive difference it is based on the degree, and you can think about what's happening in the economy right now. More and more people have been going back to school, saying that if they can't get a job, they might as well go get a degree right now. Ultimately, it can pay off. So that's one way to look at it.
And there's another way to look at it here, that the Bureau of Labor Statistics points to, that all you need to see here if we zoom in is just the color and how big the bars are. Basically, they talk about how much more money you make given the kind of degree you have, and this is a weekly poll.
About $450, if you have less than a high school diploma, all the way up here, professional degrees and doctoral degrees. On average, people pulling in about $1,500 a week. So, it is a fact that even in this economy, when you hear about people struggling, when you hear about people with all these degrees unable to get a job, still a difficult story, but the reality is, the higher your degree, the more money you're making, the much greater your chances of having a job.
HARRIS: OK. I'm getting a wrap, but I need to see that. Can you get back to that first presentation again?
LEVS: Yes, let's go to it right here. Yes.
HARRIS: Can you go through those numbers again? And the reason I ask is because Wendy Ashley, the woman we were just speaking with out of Evansville, she has some college courses under her belt, but she doesn't have a college degree.
LEVS: That's here.
HARRIS: That's right there.
LEVS: Some college courses is eight percent. Look, I mean, everyone -- it's still a lot of suffering in America. None of this makes unemployment any less awful than it is right now.
HARRIS: Right.
LEVS: But what we are seeing here -- so she'd be in this category. A lot of people in this category, around 8.1 percent, people with some college. If you've graduated, if you have a bachelor's degree or higher, a professional degree, Ph.D., you're down at 4.5 percent.
HARRIS: OK. And that 14 percent number is for people who --
LEVS: With no high school diploma, did not finish high school.
HARRIS: Have no high school -- all right, Josh. Appreciate it. Thank you.
LEVS: You got it.
HARRIS: So take a look at this. Captain America, I tell you, on the streets. What on earth is he doing?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: North Korea threatening the South with -- and I quote here -- "all-out war" at any time if military exercises with the U.S. continue. Yesterday, South Korea cancelled live-fire artillery drills on the island shelled by the North last week. But the South is going ahead with planned war games with the U.S. in the Yellow Sea.
Our Stan Grant is in the center of it all aboard the USS George Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GRANT: One after one, these fighter jets are coming back in to land on the USS George Washington aircraft carrier. There are about 75 of these.
We'll take a break right now.
They make an absolutely almighty sound as they come in, an extraordinary sight as they come to such an abrupt halt. You can really feel that shake right through your body.
Now, these aircraft are part of these exercises in the Yellow Sea between South Korea and the United States. There are about 6,000 troops on board this aircraft carrier, and they have been linking up with the South Korean forces.
We are about 100 kilometers, 60 miles, south of the disputed maritime border between North and South Korea. Now, these exercises were meant to be for defensive purposes, but, of course, they've taken on a whole new significance after North Korea's attack on Yeonpyeong island. South Korea branding that an inhumane act, an act unprecedented since the Korean War to target civilians, and warning that any more aggression, any more provocation, and South Korea will hit back, and hit back hard.
Now, the U.S. forces are standing shoulder-to-shoulder with South Korea as their ally in this region. North Korea saying this is a pretext for war. But what we have seen is a real display of the fire power that South Korea and the United States have at their disposal.
And here's one other one. And that's another example of that fire power I've been talking about.
Stan Grant, CNN, on board the USS George Washington in the Yellow Sea.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: I don't know about you, but that was pretty cool stuff.
The results are in, and we find out today what U.S. troops had to say in a survey about "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: On Capitol Hill right now, the Pentagon outlining results from its survey on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Defense Secretary Robert Gates makes the report public this afternoon. The findings are widely expected to show a majority of troops don't have a problem with repealing the policy.
Congressional Correspondent Brianna Keilar is keeping watch for us.
Brianna, will the lame-duck Congress vote on repeal, and is it a possibility that it might, in fact, pass both houses?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're waiting. We would expect that it would, the House, in a lame-duck Congress, no doubt, Tony, but this is something that the Senate has taken up before.
Back in September, Democrats tried to push this through, and they were unable to do it. They fell a vote short. So now, the question is, with this report out on how to implement a report out on to implement a repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," are you votes there, now.
And what you have are some Moderate Republicans who haven't said publicly how they feel about this. They have said with the Pentagon releasing this report they're willing to take a look at it, but they haven't come out and said, this is where I stand.
So we are on the cusp now with this report coming out this afternoon of some of those lawmakers -- perhaps, might they change their mind? They are going to be under pressure to take a stance here, and then we're going to start to see where all of these chips are going to fall on this issue and if this lame-duck Congress will be able to push it through, Tony.
The other thing we're going to see are hearings, of course. Thursday and Friday, we will be hearing from Secretary Gates, from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and we're going to be hearing their take on this issue.
HARRIS: OK, Brianna, appreciate it. Thank you.
I want to get to some of your comments on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Ronald Ortiz on Twitter says, "I support inclusion , not exclusion. We need the best and most qualified serving, sexual orientation aside."
Also on Twitter, "If it's not broke, don't fix it."
And this comment comes from Michael Meredith on Facebook, "Those NOT serving are making it an issue --get over your personal demons and LISTEN to the enlisted! "
We want your comments on Twitter, Facebook and certainly on our CNN blog, that's CNN.com/Tony.
It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas, especially in Pittsburgh. A stunning beacon of good will from one of our iReporters. How nice?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: One last thing, Tony.
HARRIS: Yes, yes.
JERAS: You want to look at the jingle lights?
HARRIS: Sorry, I just bit my lip. I'm hungry, obviously.
So here's the thing, do you do a big light show at your home or your neighborhood?
JERAS: It's not big, but we do it. Do you?
HARRIS: No, no.
JERAS: Not so much?
HARRIS: No, not so much.
JERAS: Listen to you, Mr. Scrooge.
HARRIS: But these folks make up for it, right? Take a look at this neighborhood in Pittsburgh. Check it out for just a moment here.
(VIDEO CLIP, IREPORT BY BOB COX)
HARRIS: How about this? This comes from one of our superstar iReporters, Bobby Cox. He has been lighting his home up early since 2006. He says they had to scale it back a bit this year because he has a bit of a bad back.
JERAS: Six miles of extension cords, from what I understand.
HARRIS: Is that what that is?
JERAS: Yes, six miles, 265,000 lights.
HARRIS: Do you want to guess the electricity bill for this? JERAS: Oh, gosh, outrageous. Did you ever see the movie "Deck the Halls" with Danny DeVito and he fights his neighbor over who has the biggest light display?
HARRIS: No.
JERAS: Hilarious.
HARRIS: All right, I'll round up the kids. It's $300 to $40 for this display in Pittsburgh. You are a crazy man, Bobby.
We're back in a moment. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Very quickly, let's get to Chris Lawrence at the Pentagon for us.
Chris, I guess my question is, is there more information coming out on the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" review, survey?
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Tony, between what a Senate staffer you know, has told my colleague on the Hill, Dana Bash, and what an official that I spoke with here, we have been able to confirm a lot of details that have not yet been released on this Pentagon study.
Basically, it's going to provide a real boost to those who are arguing for the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." In one part, it says much of the concern about openly gay service members is based on stereotypes and misconceptions. It finds that the risk of repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" on military readiness is low, and the authors are confident that "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" could be repealed with little effect even now during a time of war.
There's also some really interesting statistics. When asked if they had served with a gay or lesbian service member, nearly 70 percent of troops say they had. So there's apparently a lot of people not asking and not telling.
And of those who served with gay or lesbian service members, when asked how did it affect your unit's cohesion, 92 percent said they were able to work together very good, good or, you know, pretty much not good or bad. So some very favorable opinions on that.
But there is things in this report that those who oppose repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" will still be able to point to. For example, there is somewhat significant minority of those who are surveyed who opposed "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" who feel it could impact the services negatively. About 30 percent overall and much higher when you look specifically say, the Marine Corps, which was anywhere from 40 to 60 percent negative on this topic.
However, what this report is really saying is that even with those negative views by some, they don't think it was anything that was going to be widespread or long term. They said there might be some very limited, isolated, short-term disruption to some units, but overall, the service would be able to adopt it -- Tony.
HARRIS: Good information, good information. All right, Chris, thank you.
Chris Lawrence at the Pentagon for us.
Two young actors will host the Oscars in February. James Franco, he is 32, Anne Hathaway, the terrific Anne Hathaway, is 28. The decision comes as a big departure from Academy Awards shows, you'd have to say.
Host of HLN's "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" A.J. Hammer is with us with this "SHOWBIZ Update."
And A.J., first of all, good to see you. What do you think the Academy is thinking with this decision on its hosts?
A.J. HAMMER, HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Well, Tony, I think they are thinking out of the box. I love this move. And maybe I'm in the minority because I hear a lot of people pushing back on this, but I think they're inspired choices.
It is a very surprising move by the Academy naming these two actors, James Franco and Anne Hathaway, as the co-hosts of this year's Oscars' telecast. In the announcement, the Academy made a big point to note that Franco and Hathaway, quote, "Personify the next generation of Hollywood icons."
Can't argue with that, but this is a big move because clearly it shows the Academy is making a much-needed strong move to appeal to a younger demographic. As you mentioned, Tony, Franco is 32, Hathaway is 28.
But what we can also watch for is the fact that both of these guys, they are in current movies, and there's the potential they could be receiving awards during a ceremony that they themselves as hosting.
Now I'd have to look in my records to see that last happened, but Franco happens to be on a lot of lists right now as a best actor nomination for "127 Hours." He was great in that. Hathaway has a shot at a best actress nomination for the romance, "Love and Other Drugs."
The Oscar show, of course, happens on February 27th. We'll have to let is settle in, meld a little bit, see how we feel about it. But of course, we'll all be there for that.
But right now, Tony, I do want to move onto something else you got to see. David Cassidy, his DUI arrest in Florida all caught on tape, as things are wont to happen these days. The state attorney's office in Fort Pierce has just released the video. Watch and listen carefully.
HARRIS: This is not going to be good.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, WPTV/FLORIDA HIGHWAY PATROL, NOVEMBER 3) POLICE OFFICER: That's cool. You can relax. (INAUDIBLE) Do you have any problems with your eyes? What's wrong with you eyes?
DAVID CASSIDY, ENTERTAINER: As a child I had a wandering eye.
POLICE OFFICER: Do you have cataracts or anything like that?
CASSIDY: I do, but however I had a wandering eye as a child.
POLICE OFFICER: OK.
CASSIDY: I had surgery at 12 years old.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Well, OK. So, A.J., did he really just use the wandering eye defense?
HAMMER: Yes. If you are listening very carefully, that's what you heard. Just after the Highway Patrol pulled him over on suspicion of drunk driving, this was back on November 3rd, the trooper asked Cassidy if he had any problems with his eyes. And he said that he had a wandering eye as a child, and his right eye still wanders when he gets tired.
Now, after he preformed and failed a battery of field sobriety tests, he was arrested -- booking photo right there -- he was charged with driving under the influence. Cassidy said he was on prescription medication, this morning TMZ reports that Cassidy's lawyers were in court and officially pled not guilty to the DUI charge on his behalf.
Tony, he's due back in court in January. So obviously, we will reserve judgment, but it is just something you don't want to see David Partridge, one of your teen idols.
HARRIS: Don't want to see it. Not a good look.
All right, A.J., appreciate it, as always. Thank you, sir.
And if you want information on everything breaking in the entertainment world, A.J. has it this evening on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT " at 5:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. on HLN.
And taking a look at "Top Stories" now, more drama at the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping trial. Defendant Brian David Mitchell went into a seizure in the courtroom. The trial came to a halt as paramedics rushed him to the hospital; no word on his condition. Mitchell is facing life in prison if convicted. His defense team argues he is insane.
A mass grave found in the Mexican border state of Chihuahua, 18 bodies have been unearthed since Friday. No word yet how they died or how long they have been there.
And talk about a retirement plan. For almost 40 years, Pablo Picasso's electrician kept more than 250 never seen before Picassos stashed in his garage. Estimated worth -- $80 million. He says they were a gift from his boss. Picasso's family isn't buying it and is suing to get them back.
The wish lists are out and you're ready to shop, right? But can Santa succeed on a budget? "YOUR MONEY" co-anchor Christine Romans has top tops. Christine is next.
And take a look at the top toys for girls -- Barbies, dolls, princesses, and of course, Bratz. We will have the top toys for boys in just a bit.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: So here's the list, the top ten toys for boys, hands-on stuff mostly on this list. We're talking about Legos, cars, trucks and all the video games, including Nintendo's games. And I think the Nintendo people also make the Wii, right? That's on the list as well.
The wish list for your kids, bigger than your bank account, right? So what do you do? Well, what you do is you put Santa on a budget. CNN's Christine Romans in New York with today's top tips.
Christine, good to see you. All right, help us keep the kids and Santa happy.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Is that possible? I'm not sure. And mom and dad, too.
Four out of 10 of you plan to buy toys this holiday season, and about 33 percent of shoppers already have bought some toys, so this is well underway. When it comes to the kids, you got to make a list and make it budget friendly.
You can ask your kids to narrow their top picks down to five things. Five things, that's it. If they are older, you can give them a dollar amount. Janet Bodnar from Kiplinger's author of "Money Smart Kids," she told us it helps kids make choices and learn about budgeting. So either a dollar amount or number of gifts.
I say three gifts. The original Christmas, after all, was about gold, frankincense and myrrh. So three gifts, maybe that will really narrow it down and maybe one of those gifts is a big gift and two smaller gifts.
Be up front with your kids if there's a toy you can't afford right now, tell them. Tell them, look. Mommy and daddy can't afford this right now, but don't scare them. Tony, you don't have to give them all the details of whatever your financial troubles are right now. You can be honest with your kids and not burden them.
Also, don't feel like you have to fill up under the tree. You can rely on grandparents, aunts, uncles, other people who tend to spoil your kids. Don't forget, some of their gifts can end up under you tree as well.
HARRIS: Just going to get a smaller tree and then it will look like there are more gifts.
How do you --
ROMANS: What about fewer kids?
HARRIS: Yes, yes.
How do you handle this situation where your kids say to you -- and maybe I should whisper this -- hey, I'll just ask Santa for it.
ROMANS: It's the beginning of a long trend of them going around your back. This is what that's all about, Tony.
(LAUGHTER)
HARRIS: Yes.
ROMANS: When it comes to younger kids, Janet Bodnar says, let your kid know that Santa and parents are a team and good old St. Nick is going to check before he brings anything that might be too pricey or not suitable for kids your age.
But don't be afraid to adapt your traditions like having Santa only bring a gift, one gift. Mom and dad maybe give another gift, maybe some stocking stuffers. Sarah Humphries from "Real Simple" magazine told me she thinks a bigger family present, say like a Blu- ray player for the whole family or an ice cream-maker for the whole family, something you can do together.
That's another way to -- that's something we try to enjoy the holidays for your kids but also limit the number of gifts you are giving and keep Santa and everyone happy.
HARRIS: Let's do this, Christine, I want you to think about alternative gifts, OK? Think about that, I know you have some thoughts on this.
ROMANS: OK.
HARRIS: Let's take a break. We're back in a moment. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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HARRIS: Back now with Christine Romans from the CNN Money Team and the author of "Smart is the New Rich" -- see how I work that in all the time? We're talking about ways to put Santa on a budget.
Christine, if parents are really strapped for cash, what are some other gift options for young people, their kids?
ROMANS: You know, you got to get creative, quite frankly. And I'm not advocating being a Grinch here at all, but there are other things you can do.
You can have maybe have an older sibling take over another's chores for a month. You can suggest certain kinds one-on-one times with mom or dad doing their most favorite thing, like going to a movie, restaurant, an outdoor activity.
Janet Bodnar, the "Money Smart Kids" author, says, don't underestimate the value of personal attention parents crave from their parents, a date mom and dad, mom or dad, it something that might go a long way.
But, Tony, no matter if your kid gets one gift or a hundred gifts, it's really a good time to teach them that it's better to give than receive this year. You've heard me say this before, kids get so much stuff all year round, they don't even -- I remember the best gift I ever got in fourth grade, a tape recorder. Isn't that ironic? And think of that.
Kids today might not even remember a best gift from a year, because they get gifts all the time. So have them donate an old toy or buy a gift with their own money to deliver to a shelter, to a children's hospital, to a charity. It's really an important time to teach them the value of stuff, the value of the dollar and the value of the experience appreciating what you have, Tony.
HARRIS: Made me think of my favorite gift.
ROMANS: What was it?
HARRIS: I guess I was nine or ten, and I got a pair of steel roller skates. They were my favorite gift until I went outside later that morning, put the skates on, started skating up and down the street. I ran over a rock and busted my knee.
Why is that my favorite gift? Why do I remember that?
ROMANS: I don't know.
HARRIS: Let's make that a blog question. Your favorite gift all time. Spur it on. Sparked by Christine Romans.
That's terrific stuff, Christine. Look there, we've got blog comments going. Thanks, Christine. See you next hour.
ROMANS: All right. Thanks, Tony.
HARRIS: Congressional leaders in the White House getting face time with President Obama. We expect to hear from them in the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM.
Plus, New Orleans was the comeback story of the year, but the story would have been incomplete really if the Saints hadn't marched all the way to the Super Bowl and then won the doggone thing. The man who brought the party back to the Big Easy -- yes, that guy -- Drew Brees, joins me next hour.
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HARRIS: All right, very quickly, Ed Henry, part of "The Best Political Team on Television," our senior White House correspondent, is standing by.
Ed, I know you are following closely this congressional meeting happening behind you in the White House. And we're expecting a statement from the president in the noon hour as well, correct?
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: We are. That's right, Tony.
I mean, the bottom line is that Robert Gibbs, yesterday, said that this would last no more than an hour, hour and a half. We're getting up to just about that point, actually. It started an hour and a half ago, they have not emerged from that meeting.
A lot of big issues being decided behind closed doors that will affect our audience's pocket book. Bottom line, will the Bush tax rates stay the same or will they start going up come January 1st. They are set to expire at the end of the year, a lot of people wondering whether their taxes are going up January 1st. That's on the agenda.
Also interesting, it's going to cross the Ticker in a minute. I've just learned from a senior official, the president is now thinking about delaying the start of his Hawaiian vacation. It was supposed to start about December 18th, he's thinking he might have to delay that at least a couple of days because of this tax cut fight.
They just have not made a lot of progress. This meeting today is really just round one. They think this is going to drag on for some time, Tony.
HARRIS: OK, Ed, appreciate it. I know you're following that and we'll get an opportunity to talk to you after the president makes his comments in the noon hour.
Our senior White House correspondent Ed Henry.
