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Death for Home Invasion Killer; Snowstorm Pounds Great Lakes; Lebron James Returns to Cleveland; 2018 and 2022 World Cup Hosts; NASA'S Alian Announcement; Hayes Sentencing

Aired December 02, 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 the people behind today's top stories.

Severe weather in the northeast has many people trying to dig out. We will get the story of one man trapped in his car for hours.

Is there anyone out there? We're expecting an announcement later today on the possibility of life in outer space. We will find out just how big a deal it really is. You're online right now. We are, too. The world cup's elections are one of the top stories trending right now. We will get reaction to a couple of real surprise choices.

Let's get started with our lead story. A judge imposes a death sentence in a horrific home invasion murder case in Connecticut. Sunny Hostin of "In Session" on our sister network truTV. You are running back and forth. Thanks for getting back up here.

SUNNY HOSTIN, LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR, "IN SESSION" ON TRUTV: It's my pleasure.

HARRIS: So we can talk about this. Take us inside the courtroom today where there was plenty of drama.

HOSTIN: It was so dramatic today. Today we heard from Dr. William Petit. I think he sort of the star today, quite frankly. Everyone's wanted to hear from him. He's the only survivor of this horrible crime.

He sat in this courtroom day in and day out, during jury selection, Tony, also during the trial, and also during death penalty phase. This was his (inaudible). What is striking it that he said he has considered suicide several times as a result of these crimes.

He said he's lost the will to practice medicine, which is his profession. He said that his wife was his spiritual anchor and best friend and with no children, no wife, no home, he wanted to die. So that is just, I think, was unbelievable.

We also heard from Steven Hayes today. I have been saying on television, we're not going to hear from him. He has everything to lose. But apparently he wants to die. That is what he told the judge today.

HARRIS: He did?

HOSTIN: He did. He said, he committed these heinous crimes. He said he was remorseful. He apologized to the family. He said he, you know, that he welcomes death and I think that that was what was most striking about his testimony. He looks different in the courtroom. He's not this heavy set guy anymore. He's very thin. He's lost a lot of weight. He has a beard now. He looked pitiful.

HARRIS: Sunny, then it was the judge's turn.

HOSTIN: It was the judge's turn. Usually, Tony, in death penalty cases you do hear the judge impose a death sentence because in Connecticut it's not a recommendation from the jury. It's a verdict.

So he was going to have to impose that sentence unless he completely set it aside. Usually what you hear is something like, may god have mercy on your soul. That is not what this judge said.

He said something like, it gave him no pleasure to impose such a sentence but that he sealed, Steven Hayes seals his own fate in flames on July 23rd, 2007.

I thought that it was so striking because I've never heard a judge say something like that. It just goes to show you how this has struck a chord with everyone.

HARRIS: I want to see that. We need to create -- I think that is such a strong statement. I think we need to see that.

HOSTIN: Absolutely.

HARRIS: So maybe we can create a graphic as we revisit this in top stories and just let folks see that as well as hearing you report on it. That is a strong statement. There's another trial to come, too.

HOSTIN: There is, 2011, Joshua who's known as the mastermind behind this crime and these horrible crimes. I think that while viewers are saddened by this, I think they want to hear more about him. Why did he do this? Why was he the ringleader? They want justice, still, for this family.

HARRIS: Sunny, appreciate it. Thank you.

Other big stories we're following for you now in the CNN NEWSROOM. A Senate panel is hearing testimony on Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Pentagon brass facing questions about their report on repealing the policy and alloying gays to serve openly.

Senator John McCain says it is not time to change policy. Secretary Gates says he thinks any concerns among can be addressed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ROBERT GATES, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Most of the Marines who are combat are 18 to 24, 25 years old. Most of them have never served with women, either and so they've had a very focused, very limited experience in the military and it's been a tough one. But I think that with time and adequate preparation we can mitigate their concerns.

SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN, (R) ARIZONA: Well, I couldn't disagree more. We send these young people into combat. We think they're mature enough to fight and die. I think they're mature enough to make a judgment on who they want to serve with and the impact on their battle effectiveness. Mr. Secretary, I speak from personal experience.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: A dangerous situation along the Great Lakes this hour. In Buffalo, New York, a blinding snowstorm has turned highways into parking lots, trapping a lot of motorists. Some of them had to spend the night in their cars and they're still stuck.

Thousands of people have lost power and schools have been shut down. Let's bring in Karen MaGinnis to tell us what's going on. Are we talking about that Lake Erie, snow machine cranking up and stranding these folks?

KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Furiously. It's been doing it since about 8:30 yesterday. That's when everything was shut down. This is the latest radar imagery that we do have for you. Right now, still seeing signs of that snowfall moving in. Buffalo has picked up about 10 inches so far.

When it's all said and done, we're expecting about 20 to 24 inches of snowfall. Interstate 90, that's the main route that has been shut down between Rochester and Buffalo, extending down along Lake Erie.

We have got another pocket of activity further up here around Watertown. Syracuse has kind of missed the bulk of this activity. In the forecast, I want to show you what we're anticipating. We've seen temperatures stay in the 20s.

Some of these people that have been stuck, and let me tell you, it's 16 miles in some cases, tony. They have not moved an inch. They've got vehicles, ATV vehicles coming by giving people water and gasoline. Not that they're going any place.

HARRIS: And the temperature has remained about 28, 29 degrees. It hasn't really moved. Tony, yesterday, the temperature was 54 degrees.

MAGINNIS: Normal is about 40 degrees for a high and yesterday we're 54, today they're about 28 with about 2 feet of snowfall on the way. But I know we've got someone -- yes?

HARRIS: You want to help me with this? We have college student Sam McMann on the line with us. He is literally right now going through this big snowstorm. He is on his car on the New York State thruway and has been stuck there. Is it true you've been stuck there since last night?

SAM MACMAHON, STUCK IN SNOWSTORM (via telephone): I have. Yes, absolutely right. I want to say 9:00 last night is when I first hit heavy, heavy traffic. By 9:30 slowed to a complete stop and I haven't moved since 9:30 last night so essentially 15 plus hours now of no movement.

HARRIS: When you hit the road, Sam, did you anticipate this was a possibility? I guess, I'm asking, did you load up with supplies with the thought that this might happen?

MACMAHON: Well, I filled my gas tank today when I left for school, but I really had no idea that I was in for this kind of a snowstorm, this kind of a lake-effect event. Honestly, this is being stranded on the road for this amount of time is not something I envisioned at all.

HARRIS: OK, so what do you have in the car -- are you in the car alone or have a classmate?

MACMAHON: I am.

HARRIS: OK. So what do you have with you to eat, to stay warm?

MACMAHON: Well, fortunately like I said, the full tank of gas. I'm down to about half a tank right now. I kept the car running so I've been able to stay warm. I had a jacket, hat, gloves, everything like that.

I had a bottle of water. There was a civilian gentleman who came by 15 minutes ago who was just handing out water and candy bars, snack food, things like that to anyone who needed it. I took a bottle of water from him.

MAGINNIS: Sam, this is Karen Maginnis. So you are safe, you feel relatively safe. Do you have any indication of when you might be moving again?

MACMAHON: No, absolutely not. At this point, even if they were to clear some of the vehicles out of the way, some of the vehicles that were disabled, the snow has been falling so fast, it seems like an inch or two an hour, my vehicle is actually buried. If the cars in front of me weren't there, I would not be able to move my vehicle as it stands right now.

MAGINNIS: There have to be people in this 10, 16 mile long, depending on which direction you in, who have real emergencies and they are stuck there. Do you know what's happening in their situation?

MACMAHON: I've been listening on the local news talk radio and they've been saying actually -- I can see emergency vehicles. They've cleared the eastbound -- I'm on the westbound side of the thruway. They cleared the eastbound side of the 90. I see state troopers and emergency troopers going back and forth and saw behind me a mother who had small children and there was a state trooper who stopped and removed the small children from the scene.

That was good. I heard people with medical emergencies, if you call 911 on a triage basis they will remove you if it's a serious emergency. It's a matter of when they'll be able to take us from the cars or when we'll be able to move and they'll be able to clear the road.

HARRIS: So Sam, when do you start rationing? I ask the question about whether you have blankets or anything in the car, because at some point you're down to half a tank now, at some point you have to turn the car off and save that gas, don't you?

MACMAHON: Absolutely. I think it's going to come to a point if it continues much longer, there's no sign of any movement, where I'm close enough to an exit ramp that I would abandon the car.

I would just bundle up as warm as I could, walk down the exit ramp and find the nearest gas station. I heard on the radio the Red Cross set up a shelter. I would look for something along those lines.

MAGINNIS: What concerns you the most, Sam, about your situation now? You know that there have been some emergency vehicles that have moved through. You obviously are pretty resolved that this is going to be your situation for some time now. What do you foresee maybe over the next 10 or 12 hours if things don't improve?

MACMAHON: Well, honestly, I would be most concerned for small children, anyone with a medical issue that needs attention. Prescription drugs. People who are on a --

HARRIS: Yes.

MACMAHON: (INAUDIBLE) hat would be something that I would envision being a real problem. For me right now I'm -- I'm all right. I'm not really hungry, per se. I have water, I'm warm.

HARRIS: Good for you.

MACMAHON: I know I can move and be mobile and make it through the snow if I need to. For the elderly and people who aren't able to do that, though, that would be the real problem. That's what I envision being a public safety issue.

HARRIS: Sam, you got a battery, a charger in the car to charge up the cell phone.

MACMAHON: I do. My phone's been charging all morning.

HARRIS: You're in good shape. Sam, appreciate it. Thanks for taking the time to talk to us. Stay safe and warm.

MACMAHON: I appreciate it.

HARRIS: Yes, yes, our pleasure.

The U.S. makes a pitch to host the biggest sporting event on the planet. We will tell you where future world cups will be played. First a random moment in 70 seconds.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: OK, the random moment of the day, road rage. This is a first. An electronic crosswalk sign in Spokane, Washington, is giving motorists the middle finger as they drive past.

Yes, the old salute. The city says snow is probably jammed inside the sign and it is obscuring the other fingers. Yes. They're going to try to get in there and fix it. Crews say they've got to clear the streets first. Stay tough, Spokane. Thank you for today's random moment. You're number one.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: He is enemy number one to Cleveland Cavalier fans. Lebron James back in town tonight. For the first time since he ditched the team for the Miami Heat. The move, as you know, infuriated Cavs fans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEITH DAMBROT, JAMES' HIGH SCHOOL COACH: He's never been booed in Cleveland and he's never really been booed hardly anywhere or any place in his whole life. So again, I think he understands the business side of this and he understands that there's some animosity toward him.

MO WILLIAMS, CAVALIERS POINT GUARD: The heckling, you know, is part of the game. When we go on the road we get it. Obviously, you know, this is going to be a little bit worse. I get that also, but once we get talking about harming people and their family and their wellbeing, I think that's kind of taking it a little too far.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Authorities have tightened security for tonight's Cleveland/Miami game.

The 2018 World Cup goes to --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So the 2018 FIFA World Cup, 2018 FIFA World Cup, ladies and gentlemen, will be organized in Russia.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: OK, the announcement made this morning. The World Cup Selection Committee then revealed the host for 2022.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The winner to organize the 2022 FIFA World Cup is Qatar.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: We didn't win that one? All right. Qatar's win. A big surprise and a disappointment for the United States. CNN's Richard Roth with some fan reaction from Secaucus, New Jersey. Richard, what are you hearing from fans, soccer fans there at Secaucus?

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Well, I was with fans who watched the announcement and there was disappointment to say the least. The explanation started about why the United States may not have gotten this.

We're hearing from Zurich that the U.S. did make it through a final round maybe through four rounds of voting though the original may have been two countries voting for the U.S. Finally, they got it and we're defeated Qatar who got 14.

The U.S. last held the World Cup in 1994. The field you see behind me, the red bull arena is where some of the teams would have practiced if they were here in 2022. I asked several fans their reaction after the announcement that Qatar was the winner.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't describe how disappointed I am. As an American soccer fan having the World Cup here would do so much for this sport in the country. There was so much momentum last world cup. If we had the World Cup in our country it would do so much to grow the sport here. Huge disappointment. I thought we had a good chance of winning it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't believe, in fact, they chose a country the size of Connecticut with one city. I mean, what we did in 1994 being the best attended World Cup, I mean, even to this day no other world cup has been more attended than the U.S. 1994. So I'm very shocked.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: The U.S. fans were baffled, really, because they say the United States is stadium ready. They don't have to build all the facilities, the transportation is here. The huge demographic spread of interests from different countries, immigrants, people here, ready to root for not just the United States.

So they're unhappy, though. Tony, they acknowledge it was likely the soccer authorities wanted to take the sport to a new area, the Middle East, where the World Cup has never been held.

HARRIS: Yes, but we need to continue to grow soccer here in the states. That is disappointing. Richard, appreciate it. Richard Roth for us in Secaucus, New Jersey. Is anybody out there? NASA plans an announcement soon that will answer that age old question. We're back in a moment here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Space bloggers are speculating about the possibility of an "ET" today. NASA scheduled an announcement about the search for alien life forms, it is less than two hours away. For now, CNN's Dan Simon is in San Francisco.

Dan, good to see you. What's all the hype about and how big a deal is this?

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony, first of all, can we just applaud NASA for a second for writing a really good press release?

HARRIS: The last couple have been great. You're absolutely right.

SIMON: You know, the blogosphere is running wild with this announcement. Let me tell you what this is really about. First of all, Tony, I know you might find this difficult to believe, I'm not a scientist. For you, Tony Harris, I'm going to play one on television.

HARRIS: Appreciate it.

SIMON: All right, let me tell you what this is all about. So in order to sustain life, let's go back to sixth grade science class. You need six things. We got them here in this white carbon. You got carbon, phosphorous, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur.

What if, Tony, you got rid of phosphorous and you added arsenic? And you could tell that this was not my handwriting originally. All right, so you got arsenic instead of phosphorous.

It had previously been thought arsenic was too toxic to sustain life. Well guess what? NASA scientists discovered a micro-bacteria in a California lake that had arsenic instead of phosphorous.

What that does, Tony, is raises the possibility that there could be atmospheres on other planets that don't have phosphorous. And that leads to the possibility that there could be life on other planets. So that's what this is all about.

That's what this press conference is going to be all about in a couple hours, Tony. I'm sorry if it's not what you wanted to here. Don't blame the messenger.

HARRIS: I won't do that.

SIMON: That's the deal.

HARRIS: I thought we were looking for "ET." I thought we were looking for the things chase people around in those alien movies. We're looking for microbes. I'm disappointed. Not in you. Good to see you, sir.

Let's take a look at top stories right now. Police say a person of interest in the shooting death of celebrity publicist Ronni Chasen shot and killed himself when detectives tried to question him. Officers say the man's suicide does not mean the investigation is over.

A new report shows if you're in an accident, bumper height could determine whether you pay more for your repairs. The insurance institute for highway safety finds higher bumpers on SUVs can lead to serious damage, even in a minor fender bender.

Jobless claims ticked up again last week after falling to the lowest level in two years. The week before, the Labor Department said the number of first time unemployment claim rose to 436,000 and that is up 26,000.

So the White House Deficit Reduction Commission is throwing out some ideas for cuts and you know some groups are already pretty angry about it. That story coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: As you know, by now, Steven Hayes has been sentenced to death for his role in that brutal home invasion murder, a mom and her two daughters killed in a home invasion in Connecticut. CNN's producer, Bryan is on the phone with us, he was actually in the courtroom earlier today and he heard the witness, the victim impact statement from Dr. Petit and he also heard the statement from Steven Hayes as well. Brian, if you would, walk us through what you saw, what you heard today.

BRIAN VITAGLIANO, CNN PRODUCER: That's right, Tony. It was quite an emotional day in the state superior court in New Haven. Prior to the sentencing, we were all taking bets on whether or not we thought that Steven Hayes would speak.

After the impact statements were read by Dr. Petit, which was very emotional, you know, he had to endure during the guilt phase and penalty phase of this trial horrific, horrific testimony about what happened to his wife and two daughters on that night in 2007. It was quite emotional. He did say he could go on and on for hours, but what he missed most is his entire family, just the simple things in life.

Then the defense got up after the emotional statements were being read and they reiterated what they were saying before, when we kill, and I quote, when we kill in response to killing we all become Steven Hayes.

And then in fact, the judge, John Blue, asked if Steven had anything to say and he did get up and he was in his orange jumpsuit with shackles on his hands and feet. And I witnessed him throughout the penalty phase and he was cleanly shaven and, you know, plain clothes. This time he was in his jumpsuit and had full beard and he said that he became -- he came to court as a convicted murderer and words cannot express what I have done.

He was sorry for his actions and the pain and suffering he had caused and that for the first time he, you know, we did hear he takes full responsibility. He said this is not the real me, a monster I have never known. And you know, the family was in a packed courthouse.

There were emotions, people sobbing. Afterwards the family got up to hug and embrace Dr. Petit. This is not over by any means. The second defendant's trial is expected to start next year and they'll likely have endured the horrific testimony once again.

HARRIS: Brian, take a moment and describe the demeanor, tone, temperament of the judge when he announced the sentence. We had Sunny Hostin on a few moments ago talking about this.

VITAGLIANO: Yes, he was very, very forceful in an otherwise soft spoken courtroom when the judge imposed the sentence for Steven Hayes, he said, quote, this is a terrible sentence but one you wrote for yourself in flames.

When we wrote all six counts that Steven Hayes were to suffer death, he had force in his voice. You can tell this is not a man that he said that this is -- he's been doing this many, many years and this is the gravest crime known to our law. But his duty was to impose the death sentence.

HARRIS: That had to be horrible testimony for anyone to sit through and particularly the judge.

VITAGLIANO: Without a doubt.

HARRIS: Yes, yes, Brian, great reporting. Brian Vitagliano, one of our producers was in the courtroom today as the judge announced sentence in the death sentence for Steven Hayes.

What to cut to reduce the deficit. Proposal to pare down popular middle class tax cuts is bringing out the houses industry with guns ablazing. Christine Romans joins us from New York.

Christine, if you would, I know that there is a very popular deduction that homeowners have and that they get when they buy a home, and that is under some threat now, correct?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: This is the mortgage interest deduction and something that costs the deficit about -- more than $10 billion every year. It is probably the most popular middle class, upper middle class tax cut. That is the interest deduction on the interest you pay on your mortgage currently where law stands, where it stands is that you can get this deduction on mortgages up to $1 million on second homes.

Also on home equity loans up to $100,000, but the proposal would cap the deduction at $500,000, end the break for second homes. In fact, replace all those with a 12 percent non-refundable tax credit for everyone. The mortgage and housing industry is furious. This is an industry for years spent an awful lot of money lobbying Congress as you know.

Lobbying that the tax code is a good way to encourage home ownership. Critics say there's no evidence these things promote home ownership. Nonetheless, the housing industry very, very concerned. The National Association of Realtors says leave that tax break alone, it would be devastating. "Any changes to the mortgage interest deduction now or in the future could critically erode home prices and the value of homes by as much as 15 percent." Other representatives and lobbyists for the industry has said this would, quote, "kill us in the housing industry right now." Would come at such a terrible time.

But this is -- this is part of middle-class belt tightening I think, Tony. You can say everything is on the table, and something that adds $100 billion a year to the deficit is something that clearly the people looking at deficit control and deficit reduction in Washington are going to take a close look at.

HARRIS: And Christine, the reality is the commission comes back with recommendations and everyone with a dog in the hunt is going to be screaming, not our projects. Correct? Not our area of concern.

ROMANS: Oh, you're going to hear so much screaming, Tony, it's going to make your ears ring. It's absolutely right. Everybody thinks their tax break is the one that's good for the economy or theirs is the one we can't afford to get rid of right now, or their part of the budget is the thing --

HARRIS: Is sacred. Sacrosanct. Yes.

ROMANS: The bottom line is these people have to decide and weigh benefits and risks of all of these things because as it stands right now, America is living a life it can't pay for.

HARRIS: Well said. Christine, appreciate it. Thank you.

And Christine's new book is titled "Smart Is The New Rich." It's a terrific read. In it, you will find all kinds of things to help your bottom line. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Boy, looking now another pretty good day for stocks. Yesterday, what a big day yesterday was. Stocks ending the day up over 200 points here.

We have a nice rally going today. Can we put together triple- digit gains back to back? Two days in a row? That would be really nice.

We're up 91 points, and the NASDAQ, just checking now, is up 20, 21 points. We're going to follow these numbers throughout the day for you right here in the CNN NEWSROOM. We're back in a moment!

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: OK. Let's get you a check at top stories right now. This afternoon, a vote is expected before the full House on the punishment for Democrat Charlie Rangel. The House Ethics Committee found him guilty of violating tax and campaign rules and recommended censure. Rangel e-mailed supporters to call House members to vote against it.

Convicted killer Steven Hayes has been formally sentenced to death. He murdered a mother and her two daughters in a 2007 home invasion in Connecticut.

And it is official. Russia will host the 2018 World Cup tournament. The U.S. was in the running to host the World Cup in 2022, but the selection committee announced Qatar will get that honor.

Call him Slim Shady, Marshall Mathers, Eminem, call him what you will. He has the potential to clean up at the 2010 Grammys. The nominations are out. And "Showbiz Tonight" host Brooke Anderson has the lowdown.

And Brooke, first of all, good to see you. How well thought of is the real Slim Shady?

BROOKE ANDERSON, HLN CO-HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Pretty well thought of, Tony. He's getting a lot of Grammy love. And I got to tell you, it's well deserved. His new album "Recovery" has sold millions of copies, top selling album of the year. It's a huge commercial success, and now, it's a tremendous critical success because the Detroit-based rapper got ten -- count them, ten -- Grammy nominations at last night's big live primetime television concert, announcing the honors, including song and record of the year for "Love The Way You Lie." That's his monster hit with Rihanna. You know that song.

Eminem is also up for album of the year which, Tony, he's never won despite winning Grammys in the double digits over the course of his career.

Also, singer/songwriter producer Bruno Mars is next behind Slim Shady with seven nods follow - don't want to leave these guys out -- Jay-Z, Lady Antebellum, Lady Gaga with six apiece. Rianna, Cee-Lo Green, Katy Perry each got four.

"Showbiz Tonight" of course, right there as the nominations were announced. The stars were naturally psyched. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KATY PERRY, SINGER: I'm very excited.

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

PERRY: They're telling me that is a big deal. So, I feel like a big deal.

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

CRAIG FERGUSON, HOST, "LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FEGUSON": He got six, and I've only got one? I'm a failure. I'm a failure. I failed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(LAUGHTER)

ANDERSON: As you can see, a lot of them just in disbelief. Craig Ferguson there surprised with his nomination for his spoken word album, "American On Purpose."

Tony, the music industry, of course, knows how to turn anything into a party. They did it last night with this third annual Grammy nominations concert.

HARRIS: Let me ask you this, Brooke. The live telecast on CBS just might draw more attention than usual from the FCC. The Paris Television Council. Maybe you can explain that to everyone.

ANDERSON: Well, it's because, Tony, there's a song called "F You" that's getting some Grammy love. Cee-Lo Green got four nominations including song and record of the year for that huge hit song.

It's a really catchy tune. And it was actually turned into "Forget You" for its radio edit. So, it's going to be very interesting to see how it's referred to onstage and song if Cee-Lo is invited to perform it live during the actual Grammy show.

He actually performed a version of the song at the Soul Train Awards. That aired - you were there - that aired last weekend on B.E.T. He sang the edited version there. So, "Showbiz Tonight" caught up with him backstage and asked him how he felt about the show potentially being censored on the Grammys live show possibly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CEE LO GREEN, SINGER: At this point it's just a privilege, you know, to perform either of the versions. There are alternatives, and they're all equally great, you know what I'm 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, just about everybody will be watching the Grammys, so I'll do the one which is appropriate for everyone, which is probably the cleaner one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Tony, I think Cee-Lo would have achieved as much success had the song been "Forget You" from the beginning - HARRIS: Amen! Amen!

ANDERSON: -- because it's just a good tune. People love the rhythm. It's fun. The video is terrific, too. I don't know if you've seen it. Kids just jamming in a diner. It's really cute.

HARRIS: Well said! Amen, sister. I agree with you totally. These guys come up these amazing beats and these amazing hooks, and they put these lyrics on them --

ANDERSON: Expletives -

HARRIS: It's just not necessary, Brooke. I am so with you. Thank you so much. Well said, Brooke!

ANDERSON: Good to see you.

HARRIS: If you want information on everything breaking in the entertainment world, Brooke's got it this evening on "Showbiz Tonight" at 5:00 and 11:00 Eastern on HLN.

The GOP threatens a tax cut filibuster. We'll get the latest from the man, Wolf Blitzer, next in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: A Republican senator issues a warning in the battle over Bush tax cuts. Wolf Blitzer, leader of "The Best Political Team on Television," live from the political desk in Washington.

Wolf, great to see you. What are you following this hour?

WOLF BLITZER, HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": Lots of stuff happening at the CNN Ticker, at cnnpolitics.com, Tony. As you know, we cover politics like no one else.

But you know there's a big fight going on right now in the Senate. The Republicans, all 42 members of the Republican Party in the Senate, they have the ability to stop legislation because of the filibuster rule. You need 60 to break a filibuster. They can stand in the way of that.

So they're saying, until they resolve the issue of the Bush era tax rates, until they resolve the issue of funding the government for another fiscal year, they're not going to allow anything else to come up. Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader in the Senate, making it clear the reality is that 42 Republican senators don't believe we should raise taxes on anybody and there are also an indeterminate number of Democrats who agree with that.

So, in other words, the pressure is on right now the White House, the Democrats and Republicans to work out a compromise on extending the Bush era tax rates. Not just for the middle class, because the Republicans say it has to be extended for everyone, at least for a couple years. I suspect they're getting close to that compromise, but it's not a done deal yet by any means. And I think they'll get close to passing a continuing resolution to keep the government funding. If they do those two things, then they'll be able to move on to some of the other issues in this lame duck session, like ratifying the START treaty or extending unemployment benefits for those who've been unemployed more than 99 weeks. There are other issues. The "don't ask, don't tell" repeal. So they'll be able to get to those if they first resolve these two sticking points for the Republicans.

Some other issues we're covering here on the CNN Political Ticker. Iowa. The Republican former governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, she's promoting her new book, "America By Heart," which is selling really well. It's a bestseller. A huge bestseller. She's probably made $1 million or $2 million in the last week or two alone from the royalties from that new book. She's making her second appearance in Iowa within a matter of a week right now. She's signing books at a Wal-Mart Supercenter in Spirit Lake in the western part of the state. She was in Des Moines earlier. So there's lots of speculation, obviously, as you know, Tony, whenever she or any of the other major Republican candidates show up in Iowa or in New Hampshire, you know what that means, because they're getting closer and closer to those contests, those early presidential contests.

One other thing I should point out. The newly elected governor of Iowa, Terry Branstad, he's saying any Republican who is serious about trying to win the Iowa caucuses, which is in February of 2012, a little bit more than a year from now, they have to show up in August, this coming summer, at that presidential straw poll in Iowa, which is a huge fund-raiser for the Republican Party in Iowa. If they're not serious about winning the Iowa caucuses, then they shouldn't show up at that Iowa straw poll. But if they are serious, they've got to be there, they've got to attend, they've got to invest and they've got to go out there and start campaigning in those 99 counties of Iowa.

And, look, the presidential season, the election season, as you well know, Tony, it's upon us right now.

HARRIS: Yes.

Hey, Wolf, I want to circle back to this idea of what to do about the Bush era tax cuts, because I'm looking at something that just crossed. As you know, House Democrats have been talking about it, but it looks like they're going to go ahead with a vote today on extending the tax cuts for those making $250,000 or less. And now we've got the House minority leader, soon to be the speaker of the House, John Boehner, calling that move chicken crap. Is it your -- yes, we've got the sound, we just don't -- we don't have it in a position where we can turn it around. Is it your sense from what you're hearing, as you're reading the tea leaves, that they are actually pretty close to some kind of a compromise on extending those cuts for everyone?

BLITZER: At least for a couple of years. So that's the compromise that everyone is speculating is in the works. Because the Republicans don't want to decouple. They don't want to break off the tax cuts for the wealthy from the tax cuts for the middle class because they know if they're separate votes, they're not going to get that -- they're not going to get that vote presumably. So that's why Boehner is being, you know, very, very tough in saying this is just politics and using some colorful language, as you point out.

HARRIS: Very tough, yes.

BLITZER: But, you know, it's a tough vote because the Democrats are saying, let's make sure that there's a permanent extension for every family earning $250,000 a year or less, at the current rate, and it's going to be a tough vote. So that's why they're saying this is politics. But the Republicans say, during a time of economic distress, economic recession, you don't raise taxes on folks because that will only accelerate the deterioration in the economy. Those are the arguments you hear back and forth.

So I suspect there's a compromise that's going to come forward. Not a permanent extension of the tax rates for everyone, but a temporary one at least a couple years.

And let's not forget what it means specifically. Right now the highest tax rate for those earning at the highest income levels is 36 percent. But if it goes back to the Clinton era tax rates, it goes back up to 39.6 percent. Something like that. So it's a 3.5 percent increase in the highest income tax rates. That's what we're talking about.

HARRIS: And I've got the dollar amounts here. What that means in real dollars to folks. And let me -- we'll get that in the -- after the break.

Wolf, appreciate it. Good stuff, as always. It's great to see you, man. Thanks.

WOLF: Thanks.

HARRIS: Your next political update coming up in one hour. For the latest political news, you know where to go, it is cnnpolitics.com.

Wouldn't it be sweet if you just sent a tweet, one tweet, and got $20,000 in return? It is a true story. We will tell you what a high school student tweeted to win college scholarship money. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: A California high school student turns a single tweet into a $20,000 college scholarship. KFC asked high school students to send one tweet for the contest. Here's the winner. Are you ready? "Hey, Colonel, your scholarship's the secret ingredient missing from my recipe for success. I got the grades, drive, just need cash." Talk about the winner, winner, chicken dinner.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: We were just talking about what would happen if the Bush tax cuts were allowed to expire with Wolf just moments ago. So let's do this. Let's break it down in dollars and cents. If the tax cuts are allowed to expire, you will pay more taxes starting in January. But how much more? Let's say you're married with two kids and you make $70,000 a year. Right now you pay $2,300 in taxes. If the cuts expire, that goes up to $4,900, an increase of $2,600 a year or about $7 a day. There you go, dollars and cents.

The holidays are here. Maybe you're a little short on cash. What would you do if you found a stack of $100 bills?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: OK, before we go and get to the top of the hour and Ali Velshi, let's head cross country for stories our affiliates are covering. First off, Frankfort, Kentucky, where the governor announced a planned Bible-based theme park will bring 900 jobs to the northern part of the state. Pretty good, huh? But with private investors seeking tax breaks for the project, some say it crosses the line separating church and state.

Crawfordsville, Indiana. Three county workers hanging holiday lights found a grungy envelope in the middle of a busy street. Inside a stack of $100 bills and a lot of checks. They gave it to police who found out where it belonged. A ministry's mission work.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAROLYN TRUAX, MONEY OWNER: Thanks. Thank you so much.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're so welcome.

TRUAX: I so appreciate it.

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

TRUAX: To have the right people come along and find the money so shortly after it was missing is just -- it is just, you know, it's the Lord's money and he takes care of it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: That's what we want to do. We want to leave you on an upbeat note.

CNN NEWSROOM continues right now, the man is back, Ali Velshi.

ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: You have a great afternoon, Tony.

HARRIS: You too, sir.

VELSHI: Always a please to see you, Tony Harris.