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Searching for E.T.; Twist in Murder of Hollywood Publicist; Amping up for 2011 Grammys; The 30-Second Pitch: Edwin Gutierrez

Aired December 02, 2010 - 10:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, it is coming up on the top of the hour right now. Almost 10:00 a.m. on the East Coast, in just a couple of seconds, 7:00 a.m. in the west.

I'm Don Lemon in today for Kyra Phillips. Here are some of the stories that have us talking this morning.

Another day, another round of embarrassing revelations from WikiLeaks. It is now exposing U.S. Diplomatic concerns that Russia's government is corrupt at almost every level. Former Russian president, Vladimir Putin appeared on CNN last night and urged the U.S. to not interfere with this his country's affairs. That was on "LARRY KING LIVE".

NASA has scheduled a news conference today and the Web is abuzz with speculation that it's about life beyond Earth. NASA's news release is certainly intriguing. You have to read it, it promises a binding that will impact the search for extraterrestrial life.

And just minutes from now, we'll know which city will host one of the biggest events in sports, truly one of the biggest events in the world. Soccer's governing body will announce the sites for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup finals. 18 U.S. cities are among the contenders. We're going to have a live report for you.

We start with some developing news out of Hollywood right now. A new twist in a high profile Hollywood whodunit. Police moved in on a person of interest in the killing of publicist Ronni Chasen. But that man suddenly killed himself. He apparently pulled out a handgun and shot himself at a Hollywood apartment building last night as detectives were questioning him.

It has just over two weeks since 64-year-old Chasen was murdered. The showbiz vet was on her way home from a party at the posh W Hotel following an A-list premiere of the movie "Burlesque." But someone fired into her Mercedes Benz in one of the swankiest neighborhoods in the world, Beverly Hills. There have been no arrest in this case and police are considering several scenarios.

Maybe it was case of road rage, just maybe. And maybe it was a hit. CNN's producer Alan Duke retraced part of Chasen's last drive.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALAN DUKE, CNN PRODUCER (on camera): If someone has been stalking Chasen as she left this after party at the W Hotel, it possibly would have been obvious. There are security cameras around here and plenty of people and they would have had to have been lying in wait to see as she left, one would think.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Well, Chasen may not be a household name, but she was well-known and well-respected in Hollywood, in those circles. And if you wanted to build your Oscar buzz or build your name and your brand, she was the go-to PR woman to do it. Working on campaigns for the "Hurt Locker," "On Golden Pond" and "Driving Miss Daisy" among many others, this is such a bizarre case. So many up unanswered questions. So let's go live now to Hollywood to our entertainment correspondent, Kareen Wynter.

So Kareen, what do we know about this person of interest? Do they know why he took his life and is this the end of the investigation?

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: It is not the end of the investigation, Don. That we know. Detectives made that very clear that this is a case that's far from over so maybe they're still looking for that suspect or suspects perhaps who are out there. Btu what is really interesting as well, Don, especially here, you summarize at the top this case that we're all very familiar with, there was so much mystery concerning Ronni Chasen's death.

Who would have wanted this popular publicist dead? And now with all the developments that took place here, that man who turned the gun on himself, who by the way lived in this apartment complex behind me here in Hollywood, what made him want to turn the gun on himself?

Police again saying that this was not a suspect but they did show up here with a police warrant, a search warrant rather, and this guy before they could even question him put a gun to his head and ended his life. Now, we don't know much about him at this hour except that he was a black male in his early 40s. We've been on the phone all morning with the coroner's office. And they're still holding off on releasing that man's identity. They're trying to reach out to family members.

So from an official standpoint, we don't know a lot about him, but from people who live at this apartment complex, they've been shedding plenty. They say this is a guy who was no stranger to trouble, that he had been in and out of trouble with the law. He was an ex-con, he had stints in and out of prison. I mean, you name it, they said that did he it. And so a lot of mystery surrounding his death. Why he actually killed himself? Police say they were just looking to question him. Don.

LEMON: Listen, there are reports this morning, I think "The New York Post" reported that Chasen was afraid that someone, Kareen, was following her, that she was being followed. So what about her last moments? Do we know what happened? Have police at least figured out that much? WYNTER: We do know from a report that was leaked early on in the investigation, Don, something that should have been given to coroners, you know, once they started their autopsy that it was a nine-mm handgun, that was used in her killing that there were several shots fired in her car. Three hit her in the chest and shoulder area, that there was a shallow casing, a bullet that was used and apparently that's used to cause extensive tissue damage.

So the point of entry in a person's entry is small, but when it exits the body it's a huge, huge wound there and it creates for greater injuries. And so police don't really have a lot to go on. I remember checking up on this case we had been doing it daily but last week before Thanksgiving break, and we thought that there may have been something in a surveillance tape that was handed over to authorities that showed the video of a woman exiting the condo where Chasen lived, it looked like her but it turned out it was someone else.

So that's what was so surprising about these developments. Yesterday, police have been saying to us, at least publicly, all along, Don, that we have no motive, we don't have a suspect here and then all of this unfolds, but you can bet there will be a lot more developments in this especially when the autopsy results come out, not just for Chasen, but for the man who took his own life here. Don.

LEMON: Hallowed point bullet, a serious weaponry for just something anonymous. So I'm sure police, as you say, will be looking into that. Thank you very much. Kareen Wynter.

This could be a pivotal day in the battle over military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. The Senate Armed Services Committee is taking up the issue and is hearing from the two top military leaders. Two of the top military leaders, look at John McCain talking right there in front of that committee. These are live pictures that you're looking. Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs chairman Mike Mullen, back a repeal of the law which bans gays from serving openly. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADM. MIKE MULLEN, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: I've been serving with gays and lesbians my whole career. I went to war with them aboard a destroyer off the coast of Vietnam. I knew they were there. They knew I knew it. And what's more nearly everyone in the crew knew it. We never missed a mission, never failed to deliver ordinance on target.

Readiness was not impaired. What mattered most, what made us a crew was teamwork and focus on our combat mission.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: OK. This has been very contentious, so let's get the very latest now. Senior congressional correspondent Dana Bash on Capitol Hill with more for us. Dana, a lot of people have been saying "hey, I want to hear what this committee says. What the military says and I will make my decision on that. John McCain was one of them. Are they going to stick to that, do we know?

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, John McCain is involved in the first - his first round of questioning right now and he is, as expected, asking some pretty tough questions specifically about the parts of the report that revealed that there are specific parts of the military, those who tend to engaging in the most combat, those in the Marines, those in the Army, who think that this is going to have a pretty significantly negative effect on military cohesion, on military readiness.

He was talking about statistics like 67 percent of Marines are very concerned about this. And that's what he's engaged in right now. But back to Admiral Mullen, you played a sound bite from him, he was incredibly, incredibly powerful, Don, he started out his testimony saying "look, it has been my personal opinion that repealing "don't ask, don't tell," is the right thing, but now after this lengthy and nine month review, he says it is now his professional opinion that it is the right thing to do.

What both he and Defense Secretary Gates. They made clear in their opening statement is that they believe that now is the time to do it. And it will not be easy, but they believe that the people in the military can deal with it. They said there will be some people quit? Sure. Will some people demand separate showers? Sure. But they said that they will deal with it.

One other interesting point that everybody on the panel has been making, the witnesses, that they are very concerned about the courts. They said that "look, they understand it is Congress' job to formally repeal "don't ask don't tell" and they're very concerned that there are a lot of legal battles going on right now and that if some succeed and continue to succeed, I should say in the courts, then the military will be forced to do things that they're not ready for and it will be better for them if Congress does this in reasonable and orderly way, therefore they would be able to do this in the right way, not to be force the by the courts.

LEMON: Dana Bash from Capitol Hill, watching it all very closely. Thank you, Dana.

And also on Capitol Hill today, House Democrats plan to vote on extending the Bush era tax cuts to the middle class. You may remember the tax cuts are due to expire at the end of the month and debate is split right along party lines. Democrats want the extension only for those making less than $250,000 a year. Republicans believe the wealthiest Americans should also keep the tax break.

Another vote is expected before the full House today in the punishment for Democrat Charlie Rangel. The House ethics committee had found him guilty of violating facts and campaign rules and recommended that he face censure. That's essentially a public dressing down from his colleagues. Yesterday, Rangel e-mailed his supporters. He called the punishment "excessive" and asked them to call on other House members to vote against it. No matter where you are, if you're traveling anywhere in the country, pay attention there's lots of weather going on and bad weather. Look at the rivers are rising in Pennsylvania, cars at homes, are swamped there. Roads and schools closed. Look at that video. Right now there is a state of emergency in Butler County. That is just north of Pittsburg. People are keeping an eye on the water levels, bracing for the worst of it. Pittsburgh "Post Gazette" says Monongahela and Ohio Rivers are supposed to crest today. Not good news. There's lots of water, lots of snow. Reynolds Wolf, what else can I say?

REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Everything. We have all the components of bad weather today. We've had rain, sleet, we've had snow. Flooding as you mentioned some Wind damage in parts of the northeast. And now one of the big stories, that really, just capturing the imagination is taking place up on parts of the Great Lakes. We're talking about lake effect snowfall.

In fact, you see a chain of that snow just sweeping right across, just north of Eerie, all moving towards Buffalo. Now Buffalo is certainly no stranger to heavy snowfall, but this is certainly something that really takes the cake. It's snowing at times, at a rate of one to two inches per hour. By the time we get to tomorrow morning, some places could easily have over a foot of snowfall and there have been many people that have actually been trapped on the major thoroughfares around Buffalo. In fact, we've got a fellow on the phone with us today, his name is Sam McMahon. He actually was - Sam, are you with us? Can you hear me, Sam.

SAM MCMAHON (on camera): Yes.

WOLF: You were stuck out there, I guess, last night at some point, correct?

MCMAHON: That's right. Yes, I was coming back from (INAUDIBLE) UV probably about 8:30 at night and I got down past the galleria on the interstate 90 and all of a sudden I hit traffic and it started to slow down and then by 9:00, we were stopped probably between 9:00, 9:30, I moved about 100 feet and I've been right where I'm at. About 10:10 now and since 9:30 last night, I haven't moved an inch.

WOLF: How are you in terms of fuel for your car?

MCMAHON: Well, fortunately, I saw yesterday, I saw the storm coming and I always like to have a full tank of gas before I go into the storm. So I filled the tank and I'm down right now, still a little above a half tank, but I know a lot of people away here right now that are not in the same situation. Not lucky like I was to fill up. There have been state troopers and firefighters going back and forth on ATVs and I can see they have cans of gas on the back of the ATVs so I'm assuming that's to deliver gas to the vehicles out of commission right now.

WOLF: Sam, where are you from originally?

MCMAHON: I'm from a (INAUDIBLE), New York, which is a suburb of Buffalo and (INAUDIBLE) in my life.

WOLF: OK. So have you ever seen anything quite this extreme?

MCMAHON: In terms of snowfall, I have seen snowfall like this before, but I have never been stuck in a situation like this before on the thruway this extreme. This is pretty crazy.

WOLF: OK. how about doing me a favor. As soon as we finish this phone conversation, how about giving your folks a call, let them know you're OK. that kind of thing. Hopefully they're tuning in, and they know firsthand but I'm sure there are a lot of folks out there that are concerned about you. So make this phone calls and be safe. All right.

MCMAHON: Absolutely well.

WOLF: Good deal. Thanks a lot.

All right. Let's show you what other people are going to be dealing with. it's not just Sam who's going to be dealing with some heavy snowfall in his friends in Buffalo. It's also (INAUDIBLE) back in Eerie just north of Cleveland, some snowfall, back over toward parts of Michigan, you can see some snow, anywhere from this six to 10 inch range of snow. And folks again, winter is just getting under way.

We've got more weather we're going to share with you throughout the rest of the morning. Let's toss it right back to Don.

LEMON: Thank you very much, Reynolds Wolf. We appreciate that.

Hey, we have developing news that we want to tell you about here on CNN. Just getting the notice, we're going - the announcement in Zurich for the World Cup for 2018 and 2022. It was supposedly announced at 10:20 Eastern time right now. Here's what we're hearing that it has been delayed. It's been delayed because the voting is taking longer than first thought. You're looking at live pictures now.

The live pictures you're looking at now in Seoul, South Korea, where they are expecting and (INAUDIBLE) contention as well. They're in contention for the 2022 Olympics. That's Atlanta right there. Of course, the U.S. in contention, as well. And if the U.S. gets this, about 18 cities around the country would have some events and do some host games or what have you. But it has been delayed - it has been delayed because the voting is taking longer than first thought and that's all we know. Not sure exactly when it's going to happen. A quick answer to that is when the voting is done. That's when it's going to happen and we'll have it here for you on CNN.

Again, a delay in the World Cup announcement. We'll let you know what happens. Be back in a moment on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Call him Slim Shady -- well, maybe if you're in the '90s or the early 2000s, I don't know. Marshall Mathers, Eminem, call him whatever you will, but he has the potential to clean up at the 2011 Grammys. And nominations are out and "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT"'s A.J. Hammer has the low down.

Can you can call him Slim Shady anymore?

A.J. HAMMER, HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Yes, he won't hit you or anything, as far as I know. He's OK with it.

LEMON: I could take him, though.

HAMMER: Yes, I expect big things for Eminem, Don, definitely this year because the Recording Academy put on this big, primetime live TV concert to announce the nominees for this year's Grammy Awards last night. And when all the nods were tallied, yes, it was all about Eminem, no matter what you call him.

The Detroit-based rapper got 10 nominations, including song and record of the year for "Love The Way You Lie" -- that's his huge hit with Rihanna. His album "Recovery," no big surprise to me here, it's also up for album of the year and rap album of the year.

Singer, songwriter, producer Bruno Mars is next. Seven nods for Bruno followed by Jay-Z, Lady Antebellum and the Lady Gaga -- the ladies getting some recognition this year -- they get six apiece. Rihanna, Cee Lo Greene and Katy Perry each got four.

And, of course, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" was right there as the nominations were announced, and the stars were naturally really excited. Take a look at what they told us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNO MARS, SINGER: It's such a surreal feeling what's going on now.

KATY PERRY, SINGER: That's for you, but still I'm very excited.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: You should be excited. Four nominations, including, it says right here, album of the year, Katy Perry "Teenage Dream."

PERRY: They are telling me that that is a big deal, so I feel like a big deal tonight.

MARS: Do I have seven for real? Did I read that right? Wow. Like I said, we worked so hard and I think we're just happy to our hard work is getting acknowledged by the biggest association as far as music. I'm going to shed a tear.

CRAIG FERGUSON, HOST: I only got one? I'm a failure. I'm a failure. I failed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: I think Craig actually is surprised there with his nomination for his spoken word album, "American on Purpose."

But, Don, the Grammy Awards, it's like New Year's Eve to me. It's my favorite night of the year.

LEMON: Really, why is that?

HAMMER: You know, music has always been my thing. I come from a music background before I started doing the showbiz thing, and it just -- it's the party. It's all the artists, it's the creative energy in the room. It's a pretty amazing night and I'm expecting actually it will be a big night, big ratings night for them, too.

LEMON: I got you. And, you know, I was watching Bruno Mars perform last night, and it's good to see people who can actually sing get nominated. Really talented people getting nominated.

HAMMER: He doesn't need the electronics to sing.

LEMON: You said it much better than I did, eloquently. Thank you, sir.

Listen, you know, everybody is concerned about -- you remember the wardrobe malfunction on CBS a couple years ago, and this live telecast on CBS just might draw more attention, A.J., than usual from the FCC, the parent television council. Why is that?

HAMMER: Well, Cee Lo Green got four nominations, and that is for including song and record of the year for his huge hit, "F you," which is co-written by Bruno Mars, who you were just talking about. It's bird-flipping, really catchy tune that was turned into "Forget You" for its radio edit. And it's going to be very interesting how it's referred to on stage and if it's sung, if Cee Lo is invited to perform it during the show what they're going to do with that.

Now, he did perform a version of the song at the Soul Train Awards that aired last weekend on BET, but he sang the edited version that night. Well, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" did catch up with Cee Lo backstage last night, and we asked him how he felt about his song potentially being censured on the Grammys live show.

Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CEE LO GREEN, SINGER: At this point, it's just a privilege, you know, to perform either of the versions. They're all alternatives and they're all equally great, you know what I am saying? Like, you know, of course I prefer the original. I'm an adult, I prefer adult entertainment, you know what I'm saying? So, you know, but just about everybody will be watching the Grammys, so I'll do the one that's appropriate for everyone, which is probably the cleaner one about that.

(END VIDEO CLIP) HAMMER: And, of course, we're going to get to watch it all for ourselves live on February 13th when the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards are handed out.

I'm thinking -- Don, I don't know if you saw Gwyneth Paltrow performing that song on "Glee" a couple of weeks ago, she did the cleaned up version, maybe he brings her out to do it. I don't know, that was a pretty cool version of it, if you ask me.

LEMON: No, but I did see her singing on the -- what is it, the Country Music Awards. She was great. She was really good.

HAMMER: Yes. Yes, she actually can sing. But she did a good job with that song.

Anyways, we'll see. Grammys coming February, we got some time, the buildup is here.

LEMON: Can you do the "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" tag line for us? The most provocative -- I love it when you guys say that.

HAMMER: Well, we are TV's most provocative entertainment news show.

LEMON: A.J. Hammer, thank you.

HAMMER: We'll see you live at 5:00 p.m. Eastern.

LEMON: At 5:00 and 11:00 p.m. Eastern on HLN. Thank you, A.J. Hammer, appreciate it.

OK. More entertainment here, sort of. When you think Chuck Norris, you probably think action movie show star, right? Or the TV show -- remember? -- "Walker Texas Ranger"? Very successful television show.

Today, Chuck Norris will become a Texas ranger in real life. He's getting a honorary title from Texas Governor Rick Perry for his work in the TV series. The show ran from 1993 to 2001 with Norris playing the character Cordell Walker.

We took you live to Zurich a short time ago. We took you live to Seoul. Live here in Atlanta for the announcement of the World Cup. We told you it was delayed just a bit, we think because voting was taking longer than expected.

That first one was Seoul, this is Atlanta right now. We're going to take you there live as soon as it is announced. That is Zurich right there where they are counting those votes. The announcement coming up on CNN, don't go anywhere.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Well, we have bad news on the labor market. Sorry about that. The number of Americans filing for the first time unemployment check, it ticked up last week. Initial jobless claims surge d by 26,000 to 436,000. Boy. Just the week before, initial claims had fallen to their lowest level in two years.

So right here, you know, we're trying to reduce that jobless number by at least one. Edwin Gutierrez from the Bronx is an experienced IT guy. He's from the Bronx, I like that. He's been married for 16 years, he has three kids and has been out of work now for almost two years. And we're giving him 30 seconds on CNN right now to end that dry spell. Edwin is with us now for "The 30-Second Pitch."

Thank you, sir. How are you doing?

EDWIN GUTIERREZ, EDWINGUTIERREZ@MAIL.COM: Doing good, very good.

LEMON: How has this jobless streak affected your career? Affected and your family? I'm sure it's been tough.

GUTIERREZ: It's been very, very difficult. You know, I have three kids and the job market has been very difficult.

LEMON: So you've been cutting back so some fun stuff. You have some frustration over sending out so many resumes and getting a little response. How have you been making ends meet?

GUTIERREZ: We've been doing a lot of cutting corners. The kids, we have cut all vacations, all movies are gone. You know, we've just been cutting a lot of corners.

LEMON: And the holidays are coming up, so that's not good. You want to get presents for the family and for the kids.

GUTIERREZ: Yes, well, right now, we spoke -- I spoke to the kids and they understand the situation and I'm hoping that the year is still not over and very hopeful that something will come up and things will be better.

LEMON: Edwin, you're not nervous, are you?

GUTIERREZ: I'm a little nervous, but --

LEMON: Don't be nervous. Take a deep breath. You're fine. You're fine. We got you here. A lot of people are looking and maybe someone will hire you. So for your family and for everyone, go ahead, give us your 30 second pitch. Let's hear it. Deep breath, do it.

GUTIERREZ: Sure.

Good morning. My name is Edwin Gutierrez. I'm very eager to meet with you and explore the possibility of utilizing my experience and knowledge to benefit your company. With my expertise in network administration, desktop support system, I'm now seeking the opportunity to meet with you and also to bring over 13 years of experience in the information technology to your organization.

Over the course of my career, I have created value by timely diagnosing and resolving network and desktop issues. Please contact me at Edwinguttierez@gmail -- I'm sorry, Edwinguttierez@mail.com. LEMON: Edwinguiterrez at what?

GUTIERREZ: Edwinguttierez@mail.com.

LEMON: Edwinguttierez@mail.com.

Hey, you great. And listen, someone should hire you because you know what the heck you're doing, right? You've been doing it for a long time and plus you're eager to work.

GUTIERREZ: Yes, I'm ready every day. I'm ready today. I'm ready tomorrow to take on any responsibility.

LEMON: All right. Before I let you go, how did you hear about "The 30-Second Pitch"? Were you watching CNN or is there some story behind it?

GUTIERREZ: Actually, it was by accident. You know, I always watch CNN, and it was just one of those days that I was just watch willing the news, and I was just about to walk away. And then I just saw the advertisement on the 30 second. And that kind of caught my attention. And once I saw what it was all about, it caught my attention and I said, hey, you know, it's a good opportunity. There are a lot of people out there looking to hire. This is a good opportunity for me to try and hopefully something would happen or something would work out.

LEMON: Edwin, good luck to you. There his e-mail is, employers, at the bottom of your screen. EdwinGutierrez@mail.com. Best of luck to you. Happy holidays to you and your family, and we hope you do find some work soon. We appreciate you coming on.

GUTIERREZ: Thank you very much. Thank you.

LEMON: All right. You're welcome.

Listen, I want to tell the audience, if you're out of work and you want to sell yourself to perspective employers like Edwin just did, let us know. Send us your resume and a letter to 30SecondPitch@cnn.com. 30SecondPitch@cnn.com. Also, if you want it hire our 30 Second Pitchers, go to our blog, CNN.com/kyra. CNN.com/kyra. Their information and e-mails will be there as well.

OK. Taming the sky-high federal deficit. President Barack Obama's commission is recommending major spending cut, saying we'll all have to do some sacrificing here. Find out how it could impact you, right after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Live now to Zurich. You see now Sepp Blatter. He is the president of FIFA, making the announcement about the 2022 World Cup Games - 2018, I should say -- World Cup Games. The U.S. is involved, but not until 2022. Let's listen in in Zurich, shall we?

(JOINED IN PROGRESS) SEPP BLATTER, PRESIDENT, FIFA: -- to all the bidders, to all the national associations accompanied by their political dignitaries, for the big job they have done and for the messages they have delivered. They have all delivered messages. They're saying that football is more than a game, and I'm happy that all those they have been in, they have said in football we learn to win and that's easy. But in football, we also learn to lose. And this is not so easy.

As we have had four bidders for the 2018 and we can have only one winner, then obviously three of the bidding companies or associations, they must go home winner, then obviously three of the bidding companies or associations, they must go home by saying what a pity. But they must now stand also by saying, football is not only about winning. Football is also a school of life where you learn to lose. That's not easy. It's not easy.

So, ladies and gentlemen, everybody's now awaiting the result of the 2018 -- four contenders. Combined there together, the Netherlands or Holland and Belgium. We have had Portugal and Spain, or Spain and Portugal. Then we've had Russia. And the mother land of football, England. The secretary general has announced that we have taken the decision, the executive committee, the elective college in FIFA. Twenty-one members and the president, we have taken the decision.

And now I would like to know what is the decision for the 2018. I could speak more and more, but I have to announce it. And this is the public notary of the city of Zurich. He gives me the envelope.

Ladies and gentlemen, I do hope that the name of the winner is on both sides because I don't know. So, the 2018 FIFA World Cup -- 2018 FIFA World Cup, ladies and gentlemen, will be organized in Russia.

(APPLAUSE AND CHEERING)

LEMON: A live picture of Moscow. Guess what, though? Everyone thought that Russia wasn't going to get it. They thought that they were going to be really the underdogs here and that it would go somewhere else. The five countries that were competing -- Russia, England, Spain-Portugal, Holland - Belgium. But this is a surprise.

We're going to talk to our Max Kellerman in just a little bit to get an update on this, but a surprise for the 2018 World Cup. Going to Russia. Okay. In a few minutes, 2022 will be announced, and you'll see it live right here on CNN as well.

OK. It is the bottom of the hour (sic), and it's time to check some of your headlines right now. And of course, that is one of them going on in Zurich. World Cup, 2018 going to Russia.

Right now on Capitol Hill, two of the military's top leaders are calling for the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell." The policy bans gays from serving openly in the military. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and the joint chiefs chair, Mike Mullen, testifying before the Senate Armed Services committee.

Still no sign of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, but there are report that he may be in Britain. That's where he's believed to be right now. Police there are asking Sweden for more information on the rape investigation that it is conducting against him. Earlier today, Sweden's supreme court refused to hear an appeal by Assange.

Okay. You can cue "The X Files" theme music right now. NASA has scheduled a news conference today, and the Web's abuzz with speculation that it's about life beyond earth.

Here's breaking news on CNN. Many people didn't think that Russia would get the World Cup in 2018. There was some concern. They said Vladimir Putin wasn't that interested. People weren't that interested in the country. But they did.

And so, FIFA president made the announcement just a short time ago. The prime minister is accepting -- deputy prime minister, I should say -- accepting right now. We are watching it. There he is. Holding up the trophy there. The World Cup trophy.

In just few minutes, 2022 announcement, and guess what? It could be held right here in the United States! I'm keeping my fingers crossed, and I know you are, too.

Don't go anywhere. It could happen any moment, and we'll bring it to you live right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right. Weight loss surgery may soon be an option for twice as many Americans. The FDA is set to vote tomorrow on (INAUDIBLE) how obese somebody has to be on qualify for a lap band. That's at surgery, right? Until now, they've been reveresed - or reserved, I should say, excuse me -- for the heaviest among us, but that could all be changing. And our senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, has all the details.

So what's the change here? Can anybody go in now?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, no. You or and I could not go in if we wanted to love five pounds -

LEMON: After Thanksgiving -

COHEN: Not that you need to, not that I need to. But if you want to lose five or 10 pounds, obviously, you're not going to qualify for obesity surgery. But currently, you have to be quite heavy in order to qualify. If the FDA agrees to these new guidelines, you have to be heavy, but maybe not quite so heavy to qualify for this lap band surgery.

So, let's just get right to it and give an example. OK. Let's say you're 5'8. Right now man or woman, you'd have to weight 230 pounds or more to qualify for this surgery. Under the new proposal, you'd only have to be 197 pounds or more. So, 197 pounds, 5'8". You know, everyone has their own sort of - it's in the eye of the beholder how heavy that is. But that's what the new guidelines would mean if they're passed. And this is just for the lap band surgery. LEMON: And you're talking 5'8", 200 - obese person. Not if you're a big weight lifter, obviously you can't do that.

COHEN: Correct, correct.

LEMON: -- that'd be a lot. Five foot eight. Okay. So, listen, these are only guidelines. Is this really a big deal?

COHEN: You know, it does matter, because technically a doctor can do any kind of surgery they want on anybody. They don't have to go by any guidelines. But insurance companies care about guidelines. So, right now if you weigh 200 pounds and you're 5'8, your insurance company likely will say no or give you a really hard time. If these pass, your insurance company will be much more likely to say, yes, we will pay for it.

But it is important to remember, this is just the lap band. There are other kinds of surgeries - other kinds of obesity surgeries besides the lap band.

LEMON: All right. Can I ask you, because for some people who are grossly obese, this is a life saving surgery.

COHEN: Absolutely.

LEMON: You know, lose weight, their heart gets better, they get stronger. If someone is thinking about this, what do they need to know right now?

COHEN: OK, there are a couple things you want to keep in mind if you are considering lap band surgery, and that is there are complications. Things really do go wrong. Sometimes these bands don't do as well as people would like. Sometimes they slip. Sometimes they spontaneously deflate. Sometimes they can erode. I mea, all of those things can happen.

So what you've got to do is be an empowered patient when you're deciding. One, whether to get the surgery, and two, what kind of surgery to get. So, there are a whole bunch of questions that you should ask.

First of all, you want the right doctor. That's probably the most important thing. You want someone who does this all the time. You don't want someone who does obesity surgery, as, like, as a side thing.

LEMON: Elizabeth, hey, stand by. We got to go --sorry about that. We got to back to Zurich. Please pardon the interruption. We've got to go back to Zurich because they're announcing the 2022 World Cup. Who's going to hold it? America is in contention. Let's listen.

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BLATTER: -- United States of America. The winner to organize the 2022 FIFA World Cup is Qatar. (APPLAUSE AND CHEERING)

LEMON: OK. We will say congratulations to Qatar - Qatar, as he said it. We were hoping it would be the United States. But I do have to say it's very interesting that it's going to be Qatar because you know, yesterday I think their stocks when they were in (INAUDIBLE) surged. Because this will be great for that nation.

Max Kellerman, help me out with this. How are you doing, sir?

MAX KELLERMAN, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: I'm fine, mainly because I don't care so much about soccer.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: Football!

KELLERMAN: But if I did, I'd be really upset right now. Football. In this country, it's soccer. Football is that fun sport we watch on Sundays in the United States. But, look, Russia was kind of an obvious choice for 2018. They're the fastest emerging European/Asian football market --

LEMON: Hey, Max, we're going to go now. I hate to cut you off as well. A lot happening. Let's go to Sara Sidner. She's reporting now from Qatar. Just look at the excitement behind her. Listen in. She's reporting on CNN international right now.

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SARA SIDNER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It will do big things when it comes to putting on the World Cup.

LEMON: All right. That was our Sara Sidner there. Sara, can you can hear me? Are you -- she can't hear me. OK, so Sara Sidner is in Qatar. And look at the excitement there. Max Kellerman standing by as well for us in New York.

You know, Max, I know you said you would be more excited if you were a soccer/football fan --

KELLERMAN: I'd be more upset. I would be more upset.

LEMON: You would be more upset. Listen, but Qatar -

KELLERMAN: Yes, because it seems to me - sorry, Don. It seems to me that this is a corruption of the process. Qatar is hosting the Asian Cup next year. They have a lot of petrol dollars, obviously. They have very good infrastructure because oil is cheap there. And so, you can kind of make the argument.

But, come on, the United States is so much of a bigger market with much more potential in terms of soccer interest because it hasn't been fully exploited here. And in light of - and there are all kinds of allegations of corruption and investigations into FIFA. It's a very insular organization. They're not really regulated by any external body.

Qatar spent a lot of money lobbying and doing who knows what else here. So, it's difficult - you know, there were even calls to postpone this announcement because of all the allegations of corruption. And that Russia in 2018 where you can make a more sensible argument. And Qatar in 2022, both fueled by petrol dollar, by the way. Both get World cup bids, is very interesting to me.

LEMON: Hey, Max, listen for people who are just joining us and they're wondering what is all the craziness happening on CNN? Can we get those live pictures back? That was one on the right that we saw. That was Qatar because Qatar is going to host the 2022 World Cup finals, OK? Games.

So, the U.S. was among those that could have possibly gotten it. We were hoping that it would be here. Our Max Kellerman was explaining that it might have been better if it was here in the U.S. because they could have exploited more people here, more resources and what have you.

I'm being told in Atlanta here, people are just stunned. There was a watch party right here in Atlanta. There it is right. You see the mayor of Atlanta, Kasim Reed, either about to give an announcement. It looks like - or he may have just given one. But anyway, there is Kasim Reed and there is his press person there, Reese. Because we're in Atlanta, and we know that. Reese (INAUDIBLE) and the mayor. The mayor about to give a speech.

But listen, 2018. As we watch these pictures, Max, 2018. Russia, really? They were the underdog. No one thought that they were going to win. Vladimir Putin didn't even go over to try to vie for the Games.

KELLERMAN: Well, I mean, in the first place, Russia does make some sense. Because there is this emerging interest, this big economy, this big country and this emerging interest -- or increasing interest in soccer or football --

LEMON: Max, this is - I want to show this real quickly. Hold that thought. Live pictures, Max. And look at these light up balloons. This is Moscow right now. I just want to let our viewers know that there's an alive - these are live pictures of Moscow. Go ahead, Max, sorry.

KELLERMAN: But it's also this oligarchical kind of autocracy. You know, really, it's just interesting to me where you see corruption and petrol dollars, you see the World Cup now. This is obviously my own opinion, but looking from afar, it would make some sense anyway for Russia. But the combination of Russia and Qatar in consecutive World Cup bids among -- amidst allegations of an investigation and exposes of corruption in FIFA.

LEMON: Yes. Exasperation.

KELLERMAN: Draw your own conclusion.

LEMON: That's exasperation on Max Kellerman's face. It's like this.

All right, Max. Appreciate it. Thank you.

Again, if you're just tuning in, we're not going to get the 2022 World Cup Games. They're going to Moscow - I'm sorry. They're going to Qatar. And the 2018 going to Moscow. That's that. Back in a moment.

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LEMON: It is the holiday season and time to hang Christmas lights and all of the stuff. Get out your menorah. Everything. That's exactly what three sanitation workers in Crawfordsville, Indiana, were doing before stumbling on to a load of cash in the middle of the street. But it wasn't just anyone's cash they found. This money has some meaning behind it. Heather McWilliams of our affiliate WXIN shows us how these men are "Making their Mark."

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(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

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CHRIS MOORE, GOOD SAMARITAN: Just finished hanging that light over there, and Chris was looking on the ground. He walked over and picked up this envelope.

HEATHER MCWILLIAMS, WXIN-TV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The grungy envelope was sitting smack dab in the middle of a busy street.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It looked like it had been in the street for a little while. It had been ran over by a car.

MCWILLIAMS: But when the men opened it up, they could hardly believe their eyes about.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wow. There's a lot of money in here.

MCWILLIAMS: A stack of $100 bills and even more checks.

MOORE: It's a rarity you find any money on the street.

MCWILLIAMS: And even rarer that someone would try to find its rightful owner, which is exactly what the men did.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you so much. I so appreciate it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm so glad. After I found out where it goes to, I'm even more happy about that.

MCWILLIAMS: Carolyn Truax's name was one of several scribbled on the envelope.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We did not even know the money was missing.

MCWILLIAMS: Until now, she didn't know who had turned it over to police.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We were just incredibly thankful.

MCWILLIAMS: Chris, Troy and Doug knew the money was probably well needed, but they had no idea to what extent.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It goes to Udan (ph) Minstries.

MCWILLIAMS: The money had been raised for the ministry's mission work, helping those less fortunate and promoting the word of God.

(on camera): Do you believe this is God's work?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. Because, yes, to have the right people come along an find the money so shortly after it was missing is just, you know, it's theLord's money and he takes care of it.

MCWILLIAMS: And these good samaritans are just happy to have had a hand in it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: After hearing where it goes -- that's a full circle right there.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Fits the bill for good holiday cheer, consider this. The men said no amount of money would be better than seeing the smile that was on Carolyn's face.

I'm Don Lemon. Thanks for watching. Kyra's back soon. I'll be here tomorrow. But Tony Harris is up next, right after the break.

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