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Jobless Rate Rises to 9.8 Percent; Battle Over Extending Tax Cuts; Snow Blankets Buffalo, Stranding Motorists; Winter Storms in Northeast; Remembering John Lennon's Death; Cleveland Disses Lebron James
Aired December 03, 2010 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Thank you, guys, very much. And have a great weekend.
We start with some breaking news this hour. From the boardroom to your living room. There may be no more important issue and measure of the economy than jobs. This morning, we have breaking news and a grim sign of a weak economy to tell you about.
Just minutes ago, we learned that the jobless rate has increased to 9.8 percent. 9.8 percent. You know, that's a double whammy that economists had actually expected good news and they had thought they'd see an optimistic uptick in jobs.
So joining us right now to talk about all of this, Christine Romans who's part of the CNN money team. She's in New York with that report.
And our chief business correspondent is here, Ali Velshi, well, he's going to break it down and tell us what all this means.
We're going to start with Christine in New York, though.
Christine, talk to us about the job numbers that came out today.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: All right. 9.8 percent unemployment rate, it rose after holding steady at 9.6 percent for about three months. That was a bit of a surprise.
And the economy only added 39,000 jobs in the month of November. Another surprise. People had expected 150,000 jobs added. It didn't happen.
One thing we've been watching very closely -- Ali and I -- is the private sector jobs creation. We have now seen private sector jobs creation for 11 months in a row. That is a trend you want to see continue but it has been pretty weak.
Fifty thousand private sector jobs created. That means all of main street adding just 50,000 jobs for such a big country. It's simply not enough to keep the unemployment rate from going up.
When you look within the numbers -- look, it's the longest period of unemployment now in history. The longest period above 9 percent unemployment that we have ever seen meaning the duration, the length of this -- of this horrible situation for many job seekers. It's worse than it was in the '80s and -- when you look at how long people have been unemployed.
A couple of other things here, too, we've been watching. There's been some activity for people who have just recently become unemployed. They're having a better chance finding a job in this economy.
People at the long-term unemployed, Don, the people who've been out of work for six months or longer, their prospects have been dimming. So this is going to be a challenge for the president at 11:15 today when he's going to talk to the nation about the economy.
How you take a look at this kind of anemic jobs growth and try to explain how you're going to get the -- how you're going to get the juice going again in the labor market.
LEMON: Yes. And I want to go to Ali Velshi.
Ali, you and I were talking about this, and it doesn't really help the president's agenda and as she said --
ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Right.
LEMON: When he's talking about that today, these are not good numbers.
VELSHI: Right. So we have two sort of emergency issues the president has got to deal with. One is this jockeying in Washington about tax cuts for the wealthy that the Republicans want, in exchange for the Democrats wanting an extension on unemployment benefits which have just run out.
So there's the immediate issue. This does help the president on that front to say, look, we still have more people who are on long- term unemployment that we have to deal with, but for the longer term issues, this is the -- this is not only issue number one within issue number one, which is the economy, this is the number one issue, solving the jobs problem.
So we are still in a bit of a rot. I don't want to paint too dower a picture, we are creating jobs but at 150,000 jobs --
LEMON: We need a lot more.
VELSHI: We need a lot more.
LEMON: Yes.
VELSHI: If we've got 150,000 this -- in November that we were expecting, the unemployment rate probably would have stayed the same, maybe even ticked up. We need about 300,000 jobs in November to bring the unemployment rate down. We've got 39,000.
LEMON: Can you break this down among group -- amongst group --
VELSHI: Yes.
LEMON: Men, women, ethnicity?
VELSHI: OK, so, men have a higher -- the national average is 9.8 percent. For men, on average, it's a little higher, about 10 percent, and that's because men dominate the industries that have really lost jobs in this recession -- construction and manufacturing.
Women have an unemployment rate that is lower than the national average and that's because women occupy the jobs like education and health care that have been growing but for -- if you break it down by ethnicity, whites have -- Asians have the lowest unemployment rate. Whites, more along the national average.
Blacks and Hispanics really suffering. The unemployment rate for blacks is 16 percent. And further, when you break it down by educational level, if you have -- if you have a bachelor's degree, it's about half the average -- the national average. If you have advanced degrees, it's about 2, 2.5 percent.
So you can understand that if you are black or Hispanic, male without a high school education, I'm guessing here but it's around 40 percent is your unemployment rate.
LEMON: Yes. And you and I were talking about this. Christine, I want you to weigh in on this. Because all indications were -- at least yesterday, all the reports we're seeing --
VELSHI: That it's going to be better.
LEMON: Jobs are coming back. It's going to be better.
Is there anything, Christine, that we should be looking at on Wall Street? Is that going to affect Wall Street today since you're there in New York?
ROMANS: Well -- yes. Futures turned lower after this. I mean, look. They were -- there were some signs earlier this week that maybe the economy was starting to stabilize a little bit but we talked to Jeff Jarris, the CEO of Manpower, and he said look, demand isn't there for most companies.
Demand, simply, is not there yet and until they have customers who are really out there buying more of their products, they're going to get more with less in the workplace. We're still seeing that.
He also said that there's not going to be a lot of hiring he doesn't think in December, maybe even January. It's a time of the year when people are kind of figuring out their books and looking forward to the next year. Maybe February is the next time we're going to get a chance to see whether the hiring has come back full barrel.
And Ali is right, you don't want to paint too negative a picture on it because a couple of things here. September was better than we thought. Only 24,000 jobs lost. And October -- in October this economy created 172,000 jobs. That was more than they had initially gauged.
So remember, this is -- this is not exact. There will be some revisions. We're going to be, you know, very closely watching this but gosh, 50,000 private sector jobs is just not enough.
I think, Ali and Don, too, this is going to be something they're talking about over at the Fed, the Federal Reserve, where they're trying to figure out about new ways to stimulate the economy and the president could try to use this as ammunition to get an extension of unemployment benefits through -- he could say, look, we know -- we've always known that the recovery was going be very jagged and painful, so that means, we as the nation -- the president could take the position.
We need to be spending some money in the near term to help us long-term unemployed who've been left behind.
LEMON: Very interesting. You know, it's going to help the folks who want to increase or to extend benefits.
VELSHI: Extend unemployment.
LEMON: Unemployment benefits. That's going to help them. But does it --
VELSHI: Boy, but you'd rather not have the -- you wouldn't want your help from this course.
LEMON: Exactly.
VELSHI: Yes.
LEMON: You took the words out of my mouth as they say. OK, thank you both. Christine and Ali. -- and stick around viewers because we're going to be following this all day long to tell you exactly what this means to you.
New jobs numbers are not good. Worse than expected.
All right. Let's go to Washington now. Democrats on one side. Republicans on the other. And your future tax bill stuck right there in the middle. On Capitol Hill today, the two parties are still trying to hammer out a deal on extending the Bush era tax cuts. A vote could come tomorrow we are told.
So let's go to CNN's congressional correspondent Brianna Keilar.
Brianna, you heard what we were saying here with Ali and Christine. Not good news with the job numbers. So tell us about these negotiations. They hit a snag last night. Last night What happened and is this likely to affect what happens there?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we were expecting, Don, to see a group of votes today. Four votes having to do with extending these Bush-era tax cuts that they're set to expire here in less than a month and obviously that would have a huge impact on so many people's tax bill if that were to happen.
But we are expecting the four votes and then these negotiations kind of fell apart. There's a Republican senator whose name we at this point still do not know who objected to this agreement and so it's not going to go forward.
Now what we're going to be seeing is two votes tomorrow on Democratic-backed bills. One that would let tax cuts expire for couples who make more than $250,000 per year and then there is another one that would bump up that cap to $1 million.
Of course, remember, Don, that Republicans want to extend tax cuts for all Americans. Democrats want to have them expire for the wealthy, keeping in mind, though, there are some Democrats who are joining Republicans and wanting to let these tax cuts be extended for everyone -- Don.
LEMON: So listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R), OHIO: Trying to catch my breath so I don't refer to this -- this maneuver going on today as chicken crap. All right? But this is nonsense. All right? The election was one month ago. We're 23 months from the next election and the political games have already started trying to set up the next election.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: All right. We jumped the gun on that a little bit, Don, on rolling that sound.
LEMON: Chicken crap. Chicken crap.
KEILAR: Yes, but I mean -- Right? As I heard that you know I tweeted that. And so did so many other people up here on the hill. It's not very often you hear the House minority leader say something like.
But that was just part of the rhetoric. John Boehner was talking about a House vote, very similar to what they're going to be -- or they're going to be voting on tomorrow in the Senate that would have allowed tax cuts to expire for anyone -- couples making more than $250,000 a year.
The reason he called it, quote, "chicken crap," is because it's not expected to clear Congress and so he's saying, look, this is just politics but you have Democrats saying, no, Republicans are on the side of millionaires and billionaires here. We are on the side of the middle class and that's why you see them pushing the votes -- Don.
LEMON: All right. Brianna Keilar. Nice job today breaking news. A lot going on so we're trying to handle it all. We'll check back with you. Thank you very much. KEILAR: OK.
LEMON: And still on the topic of money today, presidential commission tries to move ahead with a controversial plan tackling America's staggering debt. Almost every American would feel the sting. The measures include this. Eliminating tax breaks and raising the age for Social Security.
Panel members say without the sacrifices, the government faces a real threat of bankruptcy. Now, if approved, the recommendations could face a House vote later this month.
Breaking rank on military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. This morning on Capitol Hill, lawmakers are hearing from the leaders of the army, Navy, air force and marines. At least one lawmaker says it will be their testimony that may well decide whether she will vote to repeal the policy.
It bans gays from serving openly in the military and yesterday we saw just how divisive the issue is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT GATES, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Most of the Marines who are in combat are 18 to 24, 25 years old. Most of them have never served with women, either. And so, they have 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.
SEN. 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 make enough to make a judgment on who they want to serve with and the impact on their battle effectiveness.
Mister Secretary, I speak from personal experience.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And yesterday's hearing, Joint Chiefs Admiral Mike Mullen joined Secretary Gates in calling for the repeal. The House has already passed a repeal. The Senate has only weeks to follow suit.
Oh boy. Miami at Cleveland. Cavaliers' fans were so eager for Lebron James to return home. OK. There were some boos there. Yep, Cleveland fans brought out their boos. You almost heard it. But Lebron James brought out the game. We'll show you how he seemed to feed off of the boos coming up here on CNN.
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LEMON: All right. We're back here on CNN. Let's try this again. Parts of Buffalo blanketed by three feet of snow this morning. Some drifts are taller than me, blocking doors and driveways. And it's not over yet. A chunk of upstate New York is under a lake effect snow warning into the afternoon. A nightmare for drivers, really, a nightmare for everyone here. Some of them marooned on I-90 for nearly -- get this -- a full day. WIVB's Paul Chambers (ph) gives us a roadside view.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAUL CHAMBERS, WIVB-TV CORRESPONDENT: Snowbound for nearly a day. Drivers stranded on Interstate 90 near Buffalo in disbelief over the winter pummeling.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've seen snow three times my entire life. This would be the third time.
CHAMBERS: Two four-mile stretches of Interstate 90 finally started to move Thursday night, though several sections remain closed. Some of the only people getting anywhere, rescue crews on ATVs.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Taking people out in the cars that want to get out. And then just bringing water and granola bars is all we could carry, really.
CHAMBRES: Snow fell as fast as three inches per hour in some areas. The only sounds in most neighborhoods, spinning tires and snow blowers. Some areas got up to three feet of snow, with snow drifts as high as six feet. Despite a grueling wait, one stranded driver took a positive approach to the ordeal.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It has been a long 24 hours, but this is Buffalo weather, I guess. You make the most of it.
CHAMBERS: The National Weather Service says most of the heavy snowfall should be tapering off this morning, though more is expected through the weekend.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: That was Paul Chambers reporting, and you heard that woman say it's all part of December in Buffalo. It happens every year. But one moment of this storm is so rare, it made these winter weather vets cringe. Then they cursed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a good situation and everything.
(LOUD BOOM)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Aah! What was that? Holy cow!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: What in the world? That bolt was part of a phenomenon called snow -- "thundersnow." It's mysterious and it's rare, Reynolds Wolf. I've heard it, but not that loud before. That would scare the bejesus out of me. REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It's unexpected. It's not what you'd normally anticipate during an event like that, but it does happen. Essentially, what it is is just a thunderstorm that occurs, but instead of the primary precipitation type being a water droplet, like rain, it happens to be a snowflake. And -- but other than that the structure is very similar to what you'd find at least a, say, a summer thunderstorm.
Right now, we could see more of that activity form, and it is not just Buffalo that's getting in on the snow action. Up to the north in Rochester, they're getting some light precipitation. North of Syracuse, same deal. But it's what we've been seeing in Buffalo and especially south of Buffalo along parts of 90 that really takes the cake.
The reason why we're seeing this, very simple. We've got very warm water in the lakes. Now, when I say warm, if you were to jump in, you'd feel very cold. Say, for example, up in Lake Ontario, water temperatures are at 50, 40 for you in Lake Erie. But it's above the freezing point. And water, of course, is in that constant state of evaporation.
What happens when you have prevailing wind out of the west or northwest, it actually picks up that moisture, and when you have air temperatures that are in the 30s, it causes that to form into snow and the snow, of course, begins to mount up along parts of the shoreline. That's what we've been seeing in Buffalo.
It's not going to just end today, folks. It's going to last all the way through the weekend and possibly into early next week. So, Don was saying earlier the snow is about as high as he is. Don's a pretty tall guy. We could see the snow that high or possibly a bit higher into Monday, maybe even Tuesday. More snow possible for the Midwest.
And as we fast forward very quickly, your temperatures across the nation, although we're going to see some rain north of San Francisco, San Francisco a few scattered showers and 60, 69 in Los Angeles with sunshine, 72 in Dallas, 43 in New York, and 68 in Tampa.
More on the snow coming up. Again, Don, it's not over just yet. Could last through Monday or Tuesday.
LEMON: Some people were stuck in their cars for, like, 20 hours. Can you imagine the interstate?
WOLF: It was insane. Absolutely. Bad situation.
LEMON: All right. We'll see you soon. Thank you, Reynolds.
Nearly 30 years after John Lennon's assassination, we're learning more about his last days. We're learning more about the people who were there. Next, we'll hear from a woman who met the man who became the assassin. Something he said to her days before the murder just didn't sound right.
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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LEMON: Just amazing. Timeless music. Every time you hear it, it sounds like it should be right now -- it was made right now. Next Wednesday, though, marks 30 years since John Lennon was fatally shot outside his home in New York City. His killer, Mark David Chapman, stalked Lennon for three days leading up to the night of December 8th.
In the CNN documentary, it's called "Losing Lennon: Countdown to Murder," we hear from people who were there. CNN's John Roberts talked with a woman who had a pretty eerie conversation with Chapman days before his infamous crime.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARK DAVID CHAPMAN, JOHN LENNON'S KILLER: It had to be done. Nothing could have stopped it.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN HOST, "LOSING LENNON" (voice-over): On December 6th, Chapman arrived in New York City. He checked into the YMCA, just blocks from Lennon's home. Almost immediately, he began stalking his victim and headed over to the Dakota.
JERRY MOLL, SPOKE WITH CHAPMAN BEFORE LENNON'S DEATH: He was very quiet, dressed casually, dressed very normally.
ROBERTS (voice-over): Jerry Moll and her friend Jude Stein were there when Chapman arrived.
MOLL: And then he said he was there to see John. And it was always his dream to meet John.
ROBERTS (voice-over): But Lennon never came out of the building. Moll and Stein went across the street to have lunch. Chapman set off to buy Lennon's new "Double Fantasy" album. Less than an hour later, they were all back on the sidewalk at the Dakota.
MOLL: He was out there, waving the album, very excited that he had it. "I got it! I got it!" And he said, "Do you think John would sign it?"
I said, "If you were quiet and mannerly, and if he had the time, maybe he would sign it for you."
He said, "Oh, OK. So he is nice?"
I said, "Absolutely." I said, "He's terrific."
ROBERTS (on camera): But he had this idea that maybe he wasn't nice?
MOLL: Yes. ROBERTS (voice-over): Chapman gave Moll no clue about the deep- seated anger for Lennon. But as she left to take in a movie, he did hint at his deadly plan.
MOLL: He had said to us, "You might not see him again. This may be your last time to see him."
ROBERTS (on camera): He was indicating to you in a way that you didn't understand at the time that Lennon might not be around much longer.
MOLL: Right.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: What's most surprising is after that encounter with Mark David Chapman and Lennon in the afternoon, where Lennon signed his "Double Fantasy" album, Mark Chapman had some second thoughts about whether or not he wanted to carry out his deadly plan.
But then, as he waited for Lennon for another six hours while he was at the "Hit Factory" working on Yoko Ono's song, "Thin Ice," he says, "The little person in my head, as John Lennon was pulling back up to the Dakota and walked into the Dakota, started screaming in my head, 'Do it! Do it! Do it!'"
He said, Don, up until that point, the big person in his head, two people, little one evil, big person good, the big person had won out. And this is what he told police, though. "At that moment, it was the little person in my head who won me over."
LEMON: And John, what of Mark David Chapman today?
ROBERTS: Mark David Chapman remains in solitary confinement in Attica State Prison. And here's the real kicker. A lot of people don't know this. We were actually surprised to find it out ourselves. He remains married to Gloria Abe Chapman, and she still visits him yearly for conjugal visits. Many people didn't know that he was married at all, but the fact that they are still married, 30 years later, it's something that, for many people, might be inexplicable. But we'll find out why.
LEMON: John, it's very interesting. I know that at Jackie O.'s apartment on the upper west side, they hold vigils for her birthday and the anniversary of her death. And at the Dakota, they do the same thing. Has it waned in the last 30 years, has it grown, is it steady when they have those vigils?
ROBERTS: It waxes and wanes, depending on the significance of the anniversary. Obviously, five years, ten years, 25 years, you're going to have a big observance there. We expect that there will be a fairly large observance next Wednesday, which is the 30th anniversary of his death.
But what's really interesting, Don, and I was just there yesterday, is when you go to the Dakota apartment, you can't help but recognize the history and have some -- have it have some sort of emotional impact on you.
And every day on the streets of New York, there are people who walk up to the front of the Dakota, up to the gates there off of 72nd Street, and they take photographs of that entranceway where John Lennon was killed. They're still doing it 30 years later, and they'll probably still be doing it for another 30 years.
LEMON: Amazing. And it's amazing that John Lennon and the Beatles, still on the charts after all these years. They make it every year, they're on the Billboard.
ROBERTS: Yes, you know.
LEMON: At the top of the charts.
ROBERTS: All those analysts who said, why would you need to put the Beatles catalog on iTunes? Anybody who's a fan already has it. And yet, they've been selling millions of albums.
Hey, we should tell you, Don, the special airs Saturday, Sunday night, 8:00 PM Eastern here on CNN. And then, at 10:00 on Saturday and 10:30 on Sunday, we have a little bit extra for you. We've got a half-hour special just on John Lennon's life in New York and, of course, that infamous 18-month-long lost weekend that he took, 1973, when he went out to Los Angeles.
LEMON: Looks amazing, John. We're looking forward to it. Thank you very much.
ROBERTS: Thanks so much, Don. Appreciate it.
LEMON: You know, we're not the only ones battling the bitter cold. You heard Reynolds Wolf talking about what happened in Buffalo, people trapped in their cars. Snow is also blanketing parts of Europe right now, making it tough to catch a flight or hop a train. For the fifth straight day. We're on the ground in London for you.
And a breakthrough bacterium hungry for arsenic. It's a tiny little microbe that could have huge implications about what we think about life on earth and beyond.
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LEMON: Want to get you live now to Capitol Hill because on Capitol Hill a debate that could impact your wallet and your future is happening right now. This is the presidential commission that is considering a controversial plan to reduce America's staggering debt.
Almost every American would feel the sting here. Among the possibilities, raising the Social Security age and eliminating tax breaks. And members say without the sacrifices, the government faces a real threat of bankruptcy. If approved, the recommendations could face a House vote later on this month. And later today at 3:00 p.m. Eastern here on CNN, we'll hear from one panel member who's been an outspoken critic of those proposals. 3:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.
You know, the job market is Wall Street's focus over the past few days as several reports have been released, but today is the most important report of them all. Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange right now.
Alison, we added just 39,000 jobs last month. The unemployment rate rose, so how's Wall Street reacting to this?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: You know what, Don? There's no way to sugar coat this. This jobs report was a huge disappointment for Wall Street. It really caught the markets by surprise. The expectation was that the economy was going to show that it added 150,000 jobs in November and that the unemployment rate held steady. Instead, it showed that the economy added only 39,000 and the unemployment rate ticked up to 9.8 percent.
So, sure, this report was a huge shock because we got all of the other economic readings over the past few weeks, and they have been strong. Retail sales have been strong, manufacturing has been growing for 16 straight months. Even housing. Pending home sales were up yesterday, we found out.
But this job reports, it's really the biggie. It really shows people are out of work and they're searching for a job, but there aren't any out there. Wall Street has been waiting for this all week, and the reaction was immediate. The Dow right now down 20 points. The NASDAQ off four.
Don, back the you.
LEMON: All right. Thank you, Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange, we appreciate it.
It is half past the hour - just past half past the hour, and it's time to check your headlines here on CNN.
On Capitol Hill, lots of negotiations but still no compromise on extending the Bush-era tax cuts. They're due to expire at the end of the month. Democrats want the cuts extended only for families making less than $250,000. Republicans believe the wealthiest Americans should also benefit.
Government regulators may soon block advertisers from spying on your web surfing. The Federal Trade Commission wants to create the online equivalent of the "do not call" registry, which blocks telemarketers from phoning you. Experts say the "do not track" list requires only basic technology, but the challenge will be enforcing it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a good situation in everything. (THUNDER CLAP IN BACKGROUND)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Aah! What was that?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Wow, yes, that was a thunder clap. Thunder accompanying this wicked snowstorm in upstate New York. Look at that. As much as three feet of snow has fallen in Upstate New York, and even more is in the forecast today. Some people were stuck in their cars on Interstate 90 for almost a day. About 20 hours. Can you imagine?
Weather, big problem in Europe, as well. Heavy snow, bone- chilling temperatures and high winds are wreaking havoc. Stranding travelers on roadways, at airports and railway lines, as well. We're going to get more from CNN's Dan Rivers. He is joining us in London with the very latest.
Dan, unbelievable. People have been trapped for days.
DAN RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They have, yes. This is Gatwick Airport, which is the sort of second airport for London. It's been shut for three days. It's open again now. They say they're getting about 16 flights in and out every hour against the 50 or 60 that they would normally be getting. So it's open, but it's still a very reduced service and they say it's a couple of days before they can get all this worked out here before the chaos begins to be sorted out.
You can see behind me just how much snow and slush there is around, and it's still bitterly cold here. About minus 5 right now, so there's a lot of ice and stuff around.
Looking around Europe, it is a very similar picture. In Germany, I think we have some pictures from Germany of people stranded at railway stations and on trains. Told about 3,000 people across Germany at one point stuck on various different trains. In Poland, as well, have been terribly cold temperatures. Minus 26 Centigrade. That's minus 14 Fahrenheit there. Twelve people dead in Poland. In France, as well, flight cancellations and in the Czech Republic, eight people also dead from exposure.
A lot of these people who are dying, sadly, homeless people who've got nowhere else to go. When you're out in those kind of temperatures, you don't really stand much of a chance.
LEMON: Dan Rivers reporting on the problems they're having with weather in London. Thank you very much, Dan Rivers.
There's been a big breakthrough in NASA's search for life out there. No, it's not little green men. It's not E.T. It's a weird microbe grabbed from Mono Lake in California and trained to eat arsenic, and it is shifting the definition of life as we know it.
Here's why. Until now, we thought there were six basic ingredients required for life on earth. Carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur and phosphorous. Remember, we learned that in grade school. But the Mono Lake microbe uses arsenic instead of phosphorus. That's right. We're talking about arsenic, the poison. It is a historic discovery, to say the least.
And if you're having a hard time getting pumped up about the big announcement, you are not alone. But the Science Channel's Michio Kaku can shed some light on why this is such a very big deal.
First, Kaku, thanks very much for joining us. Why is this so important?
MICHIO KAKU, HOST, "SCI FI SCIENCE" ON SCIENCE CHANNEL: This is a potential game changer. I mean, this is a home run for NASA. Every single biology textbook in the world has to be rewritten. The very definition of life itself may have to be changed. And this is going to alter the way we look at the search for extraterrestrial intelligence in outer space, and it may even have industrial, commercial applications on the earth. This is big.
LEMON: OK. That was one of my questions. You said it will change the definition of life as we know it. So, will we start to look at life in a different way? What we perceive as life forms?
KAKU: That's right. All DNA, believe it or not, on the earth is basically the same. Just rearranged differently. Take a yeast cell, scramble the DNA and, bingo, you get an elephant, you get a human being.
However, this is the first time in history that we have found an alien form of DNA. And that raises a whole question. How many more microbes, how many more forms of DNA can you get by simply substituting? Substituting one atom for another?
So, this means that in outer space we have to be much more open- minded about what alien life form can look for. Forget just California. We are talking about Mars, Saturn, extra-solar planets.
LEMON: So this is Mono Lake in California, and you said alien. Why are people thinking aliens in outer space before this announcement was made?
KAKU: Well, NASA consulted astrobiologists who searched for chemicals of life on outer life on moons of Saturn, Jupiter and even on extra-solar planets.
However, now we have to widen the scope of what we may find in outer space that qualifies for life. And if we find the exotic bacteria in California, you can imagine what kinds of exotic microbes or germs may exist in outer space. So, this is basically a world altering point of view.
LEMON: Professor Kaku, in the short time we have left, what does this mean for medical research?
KAKU: Well, for the short term, nothing. However, it also has industrial commercial applications. We use bacteria as a way to enhance our production of fertilizer. Energy production. Oil. Plastics. This may have industrial applications as we find more and more different kinds of DNA that is altered.
And remember, these microbes proliferate for free, and so they would have commercial industrial applications as we discover more varieties.
LEMON: Professor Michio Kaku, thank you very much. Have a great weekend, sir.
The probe into John Edwards' payments to his one-time mistress expands. Two of his former aides testify before a grand jury.
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JON STEWAT, HOST, "THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART": This is the sort of -- didn't ask for their views? If "don't ask, don't tell" is repealed, how would it affect how service members in your immediate unit work together to get the job done? How would it affect how you trust each other and pull together as a team? How would your job performance and personal morale be affected?
Here's a good one, if "don't ask, don't tell" is repealed and you're assigned a bathroom facility with an open bay shower that someone you believe to be a gay or lesbian service member also used, what are you most likely to do? I don't know how you can get more specific about their views than what would you do if you we're showering with a gay guy without maybe giving the name of the actual gay guy they would be showering with.
Oh, oh, how about this? Would you be ok with Roy? And what about Jim?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Oh, a little politics from "The Daily Show" last night. Always a good time with Jon Stewart.
You know more than a month after they went before the voters two Republicans fighting for a senate seat will go before a judge. Our senior political editor Mark Preston joins us now from the CNNPolitics.com desk with that story. Hello, Mark.
MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Hey, Don. How are you? Happy Friday to you. Exactly, you know this senate race up in Alaska still is unresolved but there will be a court date set for next Wednesday. Joe Miller who was the Republican nominee, he was that Tea Party-backed candidate that took on the establishment candidate, Lisa Murkowski and beat her in the primary.
Lisa Murkowski said that I'm still going to run -- ran as a write-in candidate and as of now if you look at the vote totals, she has won the election. However, Joe Miller says that the way that the state counted those ballots was incorrect and he is taking it to court. Hopefully we'll have a resolution on Wednesday when the court makes a ruling on that.
Speaking of court, John Edwards, two of his former aides went to the federal courthouse yesterday. Now we believe that the two aides, Jennifer Paul Mary and Jonathan Prince, were answering questions about this allegation that he made illegal payments to a mistress and how he did that was through -- some of his campaign benefactors.
Now, John Edwards who had this once rising career and was supposed to be the superstar, Don, of the Democratic Party has come crashing down. He eventually acknowledged having a child out of wedlock with his mistress Rielle Hunter -- Hunter rather and he says that he maintains his innocence that he did anything of criminal wrongdoing.
So that case is ongoing and, of course, to John Edwards really that rise to the stratosphere also came crashing down -- Don.
LEMON: Hey let's get back to the Republican Party now Mark, because there's been a lot of buzz this week about who will be the next chairman of the Republican National Committee and will Michael Steele decide to seek another term. Lots of people are weighing in on the matter. Who's weighing in now and what are they saying?
PRESTON: Yes, Don. This is really the biggest pure political story of the day. It's who is going to be the next chairman of the Republican National Committee? In fact, there was a forum in Washington this past week where several candidates answered questions from Tea Party activists as well as from RNC members.
But we're hearing from Liz Meere (ph) she's a former RNC staffer, she has five bullet points, Don. Among those, the next RNC chairman has to be a prolific fund-raiser as well as have Fortune 500 management skills, Don. So the RNC race next January. We'll see that election -- Don.
LEMON: All right. Mark Preston, thank you very much.
And as Wolf Blitzer says, stand by, sir. Because we're going to be coming back to you. I'm sure shortly because we're going to have your next political update in one hour.
And a reminder for all the latest political news, go to our Web site, CNNPolitics desk, CNNPolitics.com. CNNPolitics.com.
They are CEOs of major companies by day and then they transform into this at night. Nice night job, right? Belting out rock and roll. Business execs find a great way to shake off their stress of the day.
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LEMON: All right, we want to scan our "Morning Passport" for you.
Wildfire raging near the northern Israeli city of Haifa. It has killed more than 40 people. The fire fanned by strong winds has devoured 3,700 acres and is moving close to a neighborhood in Haifa. More than 15,000 people have been evacuated in the nearby towns and villages. Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu calls it one of the worst fires in Israel's history.
I want to move now to Japan. More than 10,000 U.S. service members are taking part in joint military exercises along Japanese troops. The drill's code name "Key Sword" -- "Key Sword" they marked the 50th anniversary of the U.S.-Japan alliance.
Let's move on now to Hong Kong where business execs strut their stuff.
All right, so Hong Kong's hottest new attraction is a night spot designed for CEOs to let loose and de-stress. I think we can use one right here in the CNN NEWSROOM, maybe in the studio.
One night a month, the business leaders tap into their inner rock gods, belting out songs and forgetting about the balance sheets and all the stuff that happens at the office, politics. One night even raised thousands of dollars for medical work in China.
We're following lots of developments in the CNN NEWSROOM this hour. Let's check in first with Christine Romans. Hi -- hi Christine.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hi Don.
Do not call me at supper time with your offer and hey, do not track my action on the Internet because I -- I want to browse and not have all my information sold to advertisers. That's what the FTC is considering right now, it's something like a do not call list but a do not track list for Web users. I'll have that story in the next hour.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: I'm Barbara Starr at the Pentagon. Top military brass on Capitol Hill right now talking about repealing "don't ask, don't tell". We'll have the latest at the top of the hour.
WOLF: And I'm meteorologist Reynolds Wolf. And in Buffalo, it began as just a few snowflakes a few days ago, now there are some two to three feet of snow on the ground with even more maybe on the way. We'll have the full story coming up.
LEMON: All right, thank you guys.
Parents, you know that one about the biggest keys to success in school -- studying, of course. But before your kid can hit the books, they've got to be able to find them.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Take me on a tour of the other part of the bomb that exploded. Where do you study?
(END VIDEO CLIP) LEMON: Looks like my room. We're tagging along as Dr. Steve Perry starts one family's education makeover, and he's giving advice that every parent can use to make their child's study habits more effective.
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TONY HARRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The idea is do you want to go -- did you guys put on that music? That would make me Samuel Jackson.
LEMON: Come in, Tony Harris.
HARRIS: As Shaft, right? Yes, yes. They found it.
LEMON: That was good, thanks.
HARRIS: You asked for it, you got it.
How are you, sir?
LEMON: They say that cat is bad.
HARRIS: Yes. How are you? You're good?
LEMON: I'm good. I'm good.
HARRIS: That's a bad man.
LEMON: That's a bad mother.
HARRIS: He is a bad, bad man. He is arguably the number one or number two best player in the NBA right now. Some folks would say that Kobe Bryant is the number one player.
Listen to this.
HARRIS: That's last night. This is the player introduction. This is Lebron obviously being introduced as he goes back home to Cleveland. His home is Akron but he goes back to the team where he played and starred for seven years in another team's jersey.
LEMON: That sounds like when you and I walk into the newsroom every morning.
HARRIS: And we just sort of switch.
LEMON: You are a mess.
HARRIS: Listen, it was over.
LEMON: I had to come in early to do this show. And so I had on the background, I was trying to sleep but it was over pretty quick. The Cavs came out and they were like, I was like, oh, they were leading but it was over quickly.
HARRIS: It was. There are a couple of things. Kevin McHale said yesterday, this is a different experience for the fans than it is for the players.
Here's the thing. Lebron is still friendly with a lot of folks on that Cavaliers basketball team. For the fans they had their moment with the signs -- you will see some of the signs here in a moment. And the chants -- they came up with some chants, "Even Akron hates you, Lebron," and that's his hometown.
But the reality is the fans in Cleveland have to look at last night's game and they have to be bitterly disappointed, A, that he's gone and with him goes one of the best basketball players in the league and he'll be one of the top ten when he's done all-time and he's not playing for your team.
You don't get to see this 41 nights a year and in the playoffs. You don't get to see this anymore. And as much as the fans want to excoriate Lebron James. You also have to look at your team's management and ownership.
There was a point in time when Lebron was saying, I need a better team around me. If I can get a couple of additional pieces, we can win championships here in Cleveland. Kobe Bryant -- in about that same time -- said, you know what, I need a couple of complementary players if we're going to continue to win championships in Los Angeles.
The Lakers got Pau Gasol, and the Cavaliers didn't make the moves necessary to take this over the top.
LEMON: I need to you name that story in 15 seconds. Let's talk about Michael Vick real quick.
HARRIS: Yes. He's just playing great ball. They're 8 and 4; the Eagles are 8-4. He has only lost one game, five games that he started, he's only lost one. And he continues to play amazing ball. Over 300 yards in passing, two touchdown passes, he ran for another one. He's getting pounded for much of the evening. He hung in there and led his team to a fourth-quarter victory. A come from behind victory. He's playing great ball.
LEMON: But this story is kind of salt in the wound for a lot of people.
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HARRIS: Yes. Absolutely.
LEMON: Thank you very much.
HARRIS: Sam Jackson, Tony Harris is shaft. Shaft's big score.
LEMON: I'm talking Richard Roundtree, man.
HARRIS: Richard Roundtree (INAUDIBLE) I don't have any hair, man. So it has got to be Sam Jackson.
LEMON: All right. Get you a wig. Get you an afro wig.
