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Reconsidering "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"; Rare Thunder Clap in Buffalo; Winter Weather Paralyzes European Travel; WikiLeaks Back Online But At New Web Address; Government Jobs Report Disappointing and Shocking to Wall Street
Aired December 03, 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: All right, everyone. It is the top of the hour, 10:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 7:00 out west. I'm Don Lemon. Kyra is off today. Here are some of the stories that have us talking right now.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wow!
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HOLMES: That is what you call a rare snowstorm thunder clap. It happened in Buffalo as the city shivers under three feet of snow. Some roads are shut down. As you can see, drivers are stranded for nearly a full day.
Congress fights to seal the deal on taxes. Republicans and Democrats agree tax breaks should be extended but they can't agree on whether to give them to everyone or just those earning less than $250,000 a year. A Senate vote could come tomorrow and we're following it on Capitol Hill now.
The WikiLeaks web site is back on line this morning but you can't find it at wikileaks.org. The U.S. based domain name provider shut down the site because of multiple cyber attacks, so it switched to the company out of Switzerland under the name of wikileaks.ch. That's the new place.
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators is calling for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to be prosecuted for publishing classified material. This comes as Assange faces a sex crime investigation in Sweden.
We start with this. Breaking rank on the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. This morning on Capitol Hill. Lawmakers are hearing from the leaders of the five branches of the military. Looking at pictures now of those hearings. The focus, the possible repeal of the policy that bans gays from serving openly in the military. At least one lawmaker says today's testimony may well decide how she will vote on this issue.
CNN's Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr following that hearing for us and she joins us now live with the very latest. There is no sugar coating going on there this morning, is there?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Oh, absolutely not. Good morning. You know why is this hearing so important? Why these five men? These are the chiefs of the military services, and under law, they're job is to provide trained and equipped forces for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and other contingencies around the world.
So these are the men who are very responsible for training the young troops that join the military and then go off to war. How would repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" affect the young troops that they're responsible for? It is no surprise, I think. It's the Army and Marine Corps this morning that are voicing the most concern.
General George Casey, head of the Army saying he's worried about the impact of repeal on the readiness of the force, although he says if the repeal comes, the army will salute smartly and follow the law. No surprise, General James Amos, the head of the Marine Corps saying outright he is opposed to repeal because of his concern about the impact on young Marines on the front lines. Have a listen to what General Amos had to say.
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GEN. JAMES AMOS, COMMANDANT OF THE MARINE CORPS: I cannot reconcile nor turn my back on the negative perceptions held by our Marines who are most engaged in the hard work of day-to-day operations in Afghanistan. We asked for their opinions and they gave them to us. Their message is that the potential exists for disruption to the successful execution of our current combat mission should repeal be implemented at this time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR: So, again, General Amos, the head of the Marine Corps, flat out saying that he opposes repeal in that survey that they're discussing where military members were asked about all of this. About 50 percent of the Marines serving in front line combat unit said they were concerned about repeal. They thought it would affect the job that they had to do in the war.
Congress taking this up, not clear yet whether there are the votes in the Senate to vote repeal of "don't ask, don't tell." Back to you.
LEMON: Barbara Starr, appreciate it. Thank you very much. And pardon my rudeness. Good morning to you as well.
Listen, I want to get back to those live pictures. Just showing you John McCain there. And it's getting interesting, John McCain is doing the questioning. Of course, yesterday, it was very controversial what he had to say. He and Mike Mullen sort of went back and forth so we're following that for you. If anything interesting comes out, we'll bring it to you live right here on CNN, the hearing for the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell."
All right. Let's talk about money now. Today a 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 eliminating tax breaks and raising the age for social security. Panel members say without the sacrifices, the government faces a real threat of bankruptcy. If approved, the recommendation could face a House vote later this month and later today at 3:00 p.m. Eastern, we'll hear from the panel member who has been an outspoken critic of those proposals. Make sure you're tuned in.
Also on Capitol Hill, lots of negotiations but still no compromise on extending the Bush era tax cuts. They are 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. A vote could come tomorrow.
For millions of Americans who are out of work, this next story maybe the latest punch in the gut. A gut punch. Just about 90 minutes ago, we learned that the jobless rate has taken a surprising uptick to 9.8 percent, and the encouraging signs that we all expected really all be dissipated. Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange with the very latest. Alison, for Wall Street, how big of a miss was this report?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It was a big, big miss, Don. You know, a huge disappointment. It really left everybody here on Wall Street kind of scratching their heads especially since all of these other economic reports that we've been getting this week have been so positive. Now we found out that the number of jobs that we gained in November were 39,000. That missed expectations by, about 100,000.
I want to show you what that looks like on this chart we put together for you because it shows these job losses and the gains over the past two years. I don't know, seeing a lot of red, not much green there. You know, we do have a recovery in the works, but it's spotty at best. It's not going to be that straight line. Typically, recoveries really aren't smooth but this report, Don, really kind of smacks Wall Street in the head with that idea that this is going to be a rough recovery.
We've got this weak job market and it affects virtually every corner of the economy. I'm talking about spending, housing, corporate profits. So this is not good news for the recovery itself. Although, Wall Street if you take a look at the numbers right now, Wall Street is doing pretty well today considering. The Dow only down four points, and the NASDAQ is in positive territory.
I think what I'm hearing here on the floor, Don, is that a lot of investors are really looking at those Bush era tax cuts that you just mentioned. They're being positive and thinking that they're not going to be allowed to expire, not for anybody. That they'll be extended for the wealthy as well. Don.
LEMON: What's the idea on Wall Street for getting the unemployment rate down, Alison? KOSIK: You know, we're just not adding jobs fast enough to bring down unemployment. We found out today that it ticked up to 9.8 percent. You know, we need at least 200,000 jobs gained every single month just to make a dent in the unemployment rate, and now more people are being counted as unemployed, and that's also why we're seeing the unemployment rate tick up a bit because what's happening is all of these people are getting out there, they're starting to look for work again but they're really not finding jobs out there, and these people, by the way, weren't being counted before because they gave up looking.
So now they're jumping back in and they're not finding work out there and that's why we're seeing the unemployment rate tick up. Don.
LEMON: Alison Kosik, appreciate it.
President Barack Obama is expected to make a statement on this morning's surprising jobs report. That is scheduled in just over an hour and CNN, of course, will carry it for you live.
And if you can watch us, you're lucky. Because some people probably don't have electricity. Parts of Buffalo blanketed by three feet of snow this morning. Some drifts are taller than me, not quite as tall as Reynolds Wolf because he's a tall guy. You know, it's been blocking doorways, driveways and shutting down roads. It is not over yet.
We're told a chunk of upstate New York is under a lake-effect snow warning well into the afternoon, a nightmare for drivers and really everyone involved. Some of the drivers though were marooned on i-90 for nearly a full day.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just want to be home. I mean, they're all home from a snow day and I have been working, I've been up for like over 24 hours. I want to go home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From the official three-way radio, it was saying traffic is heavy, it's stop and go. And we've been stopped dead for six hours.
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LEMON: As the weather reporters say, you know, northeast and midwest, hey, it's winter. It's supposed to snow. A lot of people might say it's all part of December in Buffalo. But one moment of the storm is so rare and we're going to show it to you. It made a group of winter weather vets cringe and curse.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a good situation in everything.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh [ bleep ]. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Holy cow!
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LEMON: That bolt was part of a phenomenon called thunder snow. It's mysterious, doesn't happen very often and it is really quite scary.
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, it really truly is. One of the neat things about it, Don, is when you have thunder snow, it's one thing to have it in the daytime, but at night, when you have it, when it seldom happens but if you happen to have it, it illuminates the sky and you see it filtered through the snow, the effect is just eerie and cool. It's eerie cool. It's one of those kind of things.
Speaking of Lake Erie, you got Lake Erie right here. That's where all that moisture has been coming up and it's been mixing with that cool air and landing in the snowfall. We do have a bit of good news for the time being for Buffalo. Here's Buffalo right here on the map. A little bit of sunshine maybe popping up around the city. That's some great news. Because the snow is beginning to drift off. It's going to be a very brief break though for the time being because we do anticipate that it's going to start up again and it's going to crank up for that prevailing wind from the west, northwest and we're going to see more snow possibly into the weekend, and not only this Saturday and Sunday, maybe even Monday and Tuesday.
So you're not out of the woods just yet. We will see snow begin to develop across parts of the midwest, especially in portions of the corn belt and to Minnesota and maybe into parts of the Dakotas and Iowa before all is said and done. We still have the winter snow also out in parts in the central and northern Rockies and into the Sierra Nevada. Great for skiers. But if you're driving through it, it can be a bit of a headache. No question about it.
Hey, no questions can be nice and comfortable for you in parts of southern California. Los Angeles, your high for the day 69 degrees, 66 in Vegas, 78 degrees in Phoenix, in Chicago, the breeze picks up into the afternoon. 31 degrees the expected high. 42 in New York, 58 in Atlanta and 69 degrees currently in New Orleans. That is a quick wrap on your forecast. I wish I had better news for the folks in Buffalo but certainly rough times. You know, Don, we do talk about them getting snow in Buffalo. They're used to that but getting this magnitude and this quickly -
LEMON: Being trapped for 24 hours that is a lot. People are "oh, my, gosh, it's snowing outside." That's terrible. 58 here? Didn't feel like that.
WOLF: Yes, I know. We have a ways to go. Yes, you bet.
LEMON: Remember the "Golden Girls"?
WOLF: Oh, absolutely. Huge fan.
(MUSIC PLAYING) WOLF: I do remember. Yes.
LEMON: What is it> Rue McClanahan, Bea Arthur, Estelle Getty, all of them gone. Betty White is the only one still around.
WOLF: Going strong.
LEMON: She's a national treasure. There are some women though, some people who are trying to take up in their stead, Reynolds. He's like, what are we talking about?
WOLF: It's hard to replace them. They're irreplaceable.
I've got a picture at home. I've got the "Golden Girls" lunch box. I am a huge fan. Feeling it right there.
LEMON: The only thing I can say about the "Golden Girls," it has some of the best writing on television. I miss it. Dorothy, Blanch, Rose and Sophia, that show was ahead of its time. Of course, 18 years after it went off the air, we're seeing more older divorcees and widows moving in together. Thanks to the economy. We'll tell you that's what Reynolds and I were talking about.
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LEMON: I thought you guys were taking a bum shot. Scotty (ph), not nice. I love that song. Every Aretha Franklin song pretty much is a classic. That's Aretha Franklin singing "Freeway of Love" but right now the queen of soul is on the road to recovery. Franklin had surgery yesterday in a hospital in Detroit. She says it was a success and thanked her doctors and fans for their support. But she is not saying what was wrong with her.
Last month Franklin cancelled concert dates and appearance through May. She said it was on doctor's orders. Queen of soul, get well soon. Now, she is a national treasure.
And the 92nd Street Y in New York says it will refund hundreds of $50 tickets. Steve Martin, you see him there, was there to talk about art. He's been a big art collector for years but the crowd wanted to hear about his career as a comedian and actor. Martin stayed focused on art, though, and the crowd wasn't happy about it. So, hence, those refunds.
The "Golden Girls," remember them? Blanch, Sophia, Rose. What was the other one? Dorothy. Making a comeback. Not those, though, and it has nothing to do with the TV show. Hard times have made real "Golden Girls" out of more American women. CNN's Alina Cho is going to explain for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ALINA CHO, CNN, CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Don, call them modern day "Golden Girls." More and more women of a certain age are deciding well that it's practical to become roommates. They're saving money, of course, which certainly helps in this economy, but in some cases there's an added bonus. Friendship.
You seem like an old married couple to me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We sometimes argue that way, too.
CHO (voice-over): From the looks of it, you'd think Jeannette Brown and Linda Young have been friends forever. Not so. Three years ago they were perfect strangers who came together out of necessity. Jeannette need help paying her mortgage and Linda Long divorced had lost her job. So they decided to become roommates.
(on camera): What attracted you to this?
Well, I didn't want to bother my family and I wanted to be able to take care of myself.
CHO (voice-over): Call them modern day "Golden Girls," like the TV show.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have I got a man for you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, thanks. Had one.
CHO: Single women in their 50s, 60s and 70s choosing to live together to cut down on expenses without giving up standard of living. The recession, high divorce rates and the fact that women live longer than men are all reasons, according to home-sharing agencies across the country why older women are moving in together. So popular, a cottage industry has popped up nationwide. Like New Jersey-based HomeSharing Inc., a roommate finding service.
RENEE DRELL, HOMESHARING, INC.: I'd say the number one reason is economics, and then, of course, there are the other attendant factors, such as companionship, security and having another voice in the home.
CHO: Jeannette and Linda attend church together, walk their dogs together, even read their mail together. Of course, it's not always perfect.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's in the sink and I get upset sometimes but you know, we work it out.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sometimes, she turns the music on in every room.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, yes.
CHO: But these two golden girls now say they're as close as sisters.
(on camera): Do you finish each other's sentences? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, we learned to do that. We just did that recently. We started finishing each other's sentences.
CHO: Plan to live together a long time?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hopefully.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I haven't thrown her out yet.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: Home sharing for women has become so popular there are now agencies that cater exclusively to older women, like Minnesota-based Golden Girl Homes. As for Jeanette and Linda, well, they've become so close that next year, Don, in true "Golden Girls" fashion, they're planning to take a trip together. Don?
LEMON: Very nice. Alina, thank you so much.
Advertisers watching your every move on line. Hate it? Sure. Well, now there's a new plan and it's in the works to keep them from tracking you across the internet. We'll tell you about it.
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LEMON: Let's take a look at some of the stories that are happening across the country right now. Starting on the side of the interstate 95 in Boca Raton, Florida. You see this SUV burning? Well, what you can't see is a woman is trapped inside of that SUV. You see a firefighter slam the window - there it is right there, with a fire extinguisher but the glass won't break. So a police officer fires two shots, breaks the glass and pulls the woman out. Officer Jimmy Jelil (ph). We have to say well done, sir.
And in case you still don't believe the holiday season is here. Here's more proof. This is Legoland and California officially lit up its giant Christmas tree. It's a fake tree built with more than 245,000 Legos, and, behold, Miami's first cougar convention. Seasoned ladies on the prowl for younger guys proving 40 and 50 are the new fabulous.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Their vitality and their flexibility.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, many. Did I say that? I'm sorry, a few.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am, I am a cougar.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I always had a crush on my mom's friends, my teachers, all of that good stuff.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Awkward. The cougars all head to the Bahamas today on a cougar cruise. Nassau, you have been warned.
OK. So whether you know it or not, companies are secretly tracking you on line in order to show you targeted ads but there is a new push to keep what you do on the internet private, a do not track list. And CNN's Christine Romans is live in New York. So Christine, this is kind of like a do not call list that keeps telemarketers from interrupting dinner?
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
LEMON: Right?
ROMANS: You are trying to get me off the cougar story, I can tell.
LEMON: I'm trying to not laugh.
ROMANS: A do not call list - there are about 200 million people, phone numbers rather, in that do not call list. Wildly popular. I'm on it. I bet you're on it, too, Don. But what about a do not track list? So that companies can't see your every move when you are on the internet shopping or browsing and the like? That's what the FTC is considering, the Federal Trade Commission, and they'll know for sure whether they are going to propose this by January or so. But it's intriguing. And consumer rights groups really like this idea because whether you know it or not, there are so many eyeballs watching every thing that you do on line and then selling that information to advertisers who are very eager to know your every move so they can try to target ads to you.
So this will be a do not track list, like the do not call list. It would just be an add-on piece of software, tech experts say it's pretty easy to do. An add-on piece of software that would basically let you go dark when you are working on the internet.
LEMON: Isn't this basically a big part of the business model on the web because people think they are being anonymous. And sometimes they go and leave comments or whatever. You can always track your IP address. So what about the unintended consequences here?
ROMANS: Well, here's the thing. I mean, you have - Facebook is free, right? Gmail is free. Lots of other e-mail services are free, there are web sites you go to and applications you use that are free. And why are they free because the people who are offering them are making money and doing things like selling your information and selling your traffic and interests to advertisers. So would the unintended consequences be maybe higher costs for you? Would it be maybe some restrictions on where you go on the internet? It's unclear.
Also there are people in the tech industry who point out that you can already privately browse in many cases through your web browser, and a lot of people just simply don't know it. So what kind of compromise could there be with some kind of a universal do not track list and maybe helping people and urging industry not to use so much of our information. That's still unclear as well, but consumer rights people really like it. Privacy rights people like it. Tech people, not so much because this is how the big companies, they make money this way.
LEMON: Can I ask you this real quickly?
ROMANS: Sure.
LEMON: I notice that on my browser there's something that says private browsing and does that matter or is that just for your own computer?
ROMANS: You should use that. I mean, if you can, you should use private browsing. I mean that means that where you are going and what you're doing is just for you, it's not being sold and shopped around, and I use it pretty religiously, actually.
LEMON: All right. Christine Romans, thank you so. If you go to that cougar web site, they'll know and they'll start getting ads for cougars.
ROMANS: I'm not going on the Miami cruise, I guess, darn.
LEMON: Have a great weekend.
ROMANS: Bye.
LEMON: Buckle down and study. It can be a tall order with three middle schoolers. Can you imagine? But we're tracking one family as they go through an education makeover with Dr. Steve Perry. And he's giving us advice every parent can use to make their child a more effective student.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. The stock market opening bell rang just about an hour ago. So, let's check the numbers. You see the Dow down about 20. There it is right there. And NASDAQ down 3. We'll continue to check that for you here on CNN.
It is half past the hour. And it's time to check your headlines here. As much as three feet of snow has fallen in upstate New York, and even more is in the forecast today. Six-foot tall snowdrifts have kept people in their homes and paralyzed roads. Some motorists were stuck in their cars on Interstate 90 for about 20 hours.
The nation's jobless rate has ticked up to 9.8 percent, but here's the double whammy, everyone. Economists actually expected good news on jobs being created. Those new jobs turned out to be only about a fourth of what was expected.
Today, a presidential commission tries to move ahead with a controversial plan tackling America's staggering debt. The measures include eliminating tax breaks and raising the age for Social Security. Panel members say without the sacrifices, the country faces a real threat of bankruptcy. If approved, though, the recommendations could face a House vote later on this month.
Success at school. It's something every parent wants for their kids, of course. But between classes and homework and sports and a social life and everything else, dinner on the table, all that stuff, it can be tough to keep your student on track.
For one family, though, the battle begins before the first bell rings. It starts when the alarm clock rings. So, we went in with Dr. Steve Perry for an education makeover.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have three marvelous children. They're all in middle school right now. The first is Nathan. He is 14, just turned 14, and he's in the eighth grade. Then our twins David and Eva are 12 years old. They love school because they get to see all of their friends there, but Victor and I feel that the children -- maybe are not meeting their full potential.
STEVE PERRY, CNN EDUCATION CONTRIBUTOR (on camera): We gave the Waikoski (ph) family a flip cam so that I could get a sense of what was going on inside the home. What the daily routines look like and how mom and dad struggle to get their children to comply with what they want them to do to be successful in school.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good morning, Nathan, time to get up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good morning, Eva, time to rise. Are you awake?
David, good morning. Time to wake up. Time to get up and get your stuff together to go to school. Good morning, c'mon, rise and shine, happy guy.
C'mon, Nathan, this is your second call. OK, hurry up because you need to leave with Daddy in, like, five minutes, OK?
It's worrisome because it's five minutes of 8:00. I'm leaving the house and the kid isn't out of the bed yet.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: CNN education contributor Steve Perry joins us now on the set. So, where do you start with a family like this? It's a typical family.
PERRY: In many ways, it is a typical family. In fact, when I first started watching what they were dealing with, I thought, I don't know what I'm going to do to help them. But as I watched more and more, some of the specific challenges they were dealing with, I found that structure was a real challenge for that family.
Not atypical. This is what happens when people come to school -- and I find myself talking to a parent, doesn't matter what their education is, doesn't matter where they live, doesn't matter their race. Everybody's got issues with their kids.
LEMON: That's what I was going to say when I saw the family, that it was -- they seemed upper middle-class to maybe wealthy. So, why is it a problem for them? Because a lot of people are struggling right now. We have the jobless numbers today. So -- but you say it doesn't matter?
PERRY: It doesn't matter how much you make or used to make, how much education you have or how much education you hope to attain. Parenting is a lifelong battle, and we don't seem to get it right until we become grandparents. So while people are struggling their way through --
LEMON: Wait a minute. Can you say that again?
PERRY: We don't seem to get it right until we become grandparents.
LEMON: Mom, are you listening? Because the grandparents - not that my mom did anything bad --
PERRY: They are geniuses when they become grandparents.
LEMON: Yes! They're so different with the grandkids.
PERRY: Right. Same thing with me and my mother. Now she's the best parent on earth.
LEMON: OK, so go on. I interrupted you. You said, so we don't get it right until another generation.
PERRY: We don't. And what this talks about -- what the education makeover is about is imagine if you could ask an expert -- ask your principal to come home with you and help you fix home so that it would complement what's happening in school. And that's what we do. This is really exciting because the parents and I get to sit down and I go through the kids rooms, and you get to see the guts of the home.
LEMON: Yes. Do you get them to realize that what happens when they get to you in the classroom at school is - starts really, in their bedroom, in the den, in the kitchen --
PERRY: It all matters. There's a direct line between what's happening at home and the level of success at school. You hear me often talk about how schools need improve, and that's very important in this discussion.
But this is what I really do, Don. When you see me at home and I'm on the phone with a family, and they saying, you know, if my daughter comes in with marks on her tomorrow, it's because I had to strangle her because she wasn't listening to me.
LEMON: Yes. Your child doesn't become a different person once they leave the house, right? Or a better student or smarter or whatever. They're the same person all of the way through the process. Thank you.
PERRY: My pleasure.
LEMON: Always good to see you. Let's go have some chicken wings again like we did that one time.
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: Thanks, Steve Perry.
You can catch "Education Makeover" with Dr. Steve Perry at 2:30 tomorrow and at 4:30 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN. Good stuff.
Weather hassles galore, snow, high winds and bitter cold causing major problems all across Europe. Not just talking about the United States. We're live in London after the break.
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LEMON: All right. Heavy snow, bitter cold temperatures and high winds are wreaking havoc all across Europe. Looks like Buffalo, doesn't it? It is stranding travelers on roadways and airports and raillines. In Poland, the temperature dropped to as low as minus 27 degrees Fahrenheit. There are reports of at least a dozen people who died from exposure. And in France, mounds of snow forced travelers to abandon their cars and caused major disruptions to air travel at Charles de Gaulle airport. But as you can see, the kids are loving it as always.
And speaking of airports, Gatwick Airport has been reopened in London after being closed for two days, but that doesn't mean the weather hassles and delays are over yet.
CNN's Dan Rivers joins us now from Gatwick. What's the latest there, Dan?
DAN RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The airport is open, but there are still severe delays here. They say they're getting in about 16 planes coming and going every hour. The normal rate is about 50 or 60. So, it's well under half capacity, operating at almost a quarter of capacity, really.
I don't know if you can see, there is a lot of ice crystals in the air right now, and it is perishingly cold here as well. So, there's a lot of ice around. It's still very, very dangerous on the roads.
And this is the situation really across most of continental Europe as well. As you mentioned, in Germany, we are getting reports of some 3,000 people stranded on trains and stations at one point yesterday. In Poland as well, 12 people have been killed from the cold basically. In France, there have been a few flight disruptions, as well. And in the Czech Republic, eight people also killed from exposure to the cold. So, the whole of Europe, as well as UK is in the grip of this really bitter Arctic blast of air coming down from Siberia. And at the moment, the forecast really is for more of the same throughout the weekend.
LEMON: This is rare, isn't it?
RIVERS: Yes. This is really rare. I mean, in the UK, it's very rare to get this kind of cold before Christmas. I mean, sometimes in January -- last January there was a big cold snap, January and February. But this early on, it's pretty rare.
And to get this much snow, as well. I mean, there has about been a foot or more of snow here over the last few days. They've been saying here to clear the airport, they had to clear 1.8 million square meters or yards of concrete. A huge amount of snow, I think they said about 150,000 tons of snow have been taken off the runway here. So, it's been a massive operation. It is now open, but as I say, there are huge delays, a backlog of planes that they need to now clear.
LEMON: CNN's Dan Rivers at Gatwick. Finally opened after days of being closed. Thanks again, Dan Rivers.
New evidence of an expensive election campaign. The Republican National Committee is more than $15 million in debt.
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JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST, "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE": Qatar beat the United States 14 to 8. And I don't want to point fingers, but this celebrity endorsement probably didn't help.
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MORGAN FREEMAN, ACTOR: In a country that admires individual achievement, we truly cherish what can be done when we come together as a group. And there is no stronger, more resolute supporter -- I'm sorry, I missed a page.
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KIMMEL: When you are trying to impress FIFA, you can't miss a page. This is not the first time the United States has been beaten out by qatar. The first was in the most sand competition. They crushed us.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Oh, it happens all of the time. Can you imagine missing a page? Well, he's a pro. So, it's all good. OK, let's talk some politics now. That was some expensive election campaign that just happened. Let's take a look at the RNC's bottom line right now. Our deputy political director Paul Steinhauser did. Paul, tell us what it looks like. Not good?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Not good. You're right, Don. The most expensive midterm elections in the country's history.
And let's talk specifically about those two party committees. Both the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee, both $15 million in the red. That's how much money they owe now. They put out their filings last night. I was one of the first to get them, and of course, I put them right up on the CNN Political Ticker.
Here's the difference, though. The Democrats have $10 million cash on hand, money in the bank. The Republican National Committee only has a little under $2 million.
Now, why does all this matter? Because hey, you were talking about this last hour with Mark Preston. Michael Steele, the chair of the Republican National Committee, thinking about running again. The election is in January. And he's under attack by a lot of people, and one of the reasons is because of the money and fundraising. These numbers may not help his case, Don. We'll see.
Let's talk about another Republican, Sarah Palin. The former Alaskan governor, of course, John McCain's running mate from the last presidential election. She was in Iowa yesterday, her second stop in Iowa on the book tour for her new book, "America By Heart." Today she's in South Carolina, by the way.
But let's go back to yesterday. We sent our Jim Acosta there. And guess what? Jim was able to shout a few questions to her. She is not taking questions during these book signings, and he asked if she's any closer to making a decision about running for the White House. Sarah Palin said, no, I am not. There you go, Don.
LEMON: OK, so, listen. Let's talk about these Bush-era tax cuts. And they're debating that now. What do Americans think about extending them?
STEINHAUSER: Interesting. A brand-new poll came out last night from CBS News. Take a look at this. This is the first time I've seen a majority of Americans in any recent poll say that those tax cuts should not be extended for the wealthiest Americans. This poll indicates that 53 percent say yes, extend those tax cuts. You know, they expire at the end of the year. They say extend them for people - families -- making under a quarter million a year.
But only 26 percent say continue them for all Americans. That's lower than other recent polls. Fourteen percent, you can see at the bottom there, Don, say don't extend those tax cuts for anybody. We can't afford them. Don? LEMON: Paul Steinhauser, thank you very much. And we'll have next political update in an hour here on CNN. And here's a reminder for you, for all of the latest political news, go to our Web site, CNNpolitics.com.
"Making Their Mark" and living the dream. A former NFL player helps single parents to honor the mother who was killed in a robbery. That story is just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: In today's "Making Their Mark," we're highlighting Janice Cantrell. She is a brand-new homeowner, thanks to Habitat for Humanity here in Atlanta. She thought she was going to sign the necessary paperwork and was greeted by a former NFL star and a former U.S. president. Our camera was there as her dreams came true.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here is your surprise.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All of the work is done.
JANICE CANTRELL, DUNN FOUNDATIONS 100TH RECIPIENT: Oh, the football player?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, ma'am. Today is special. Because you are our 100th recipient -
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the president, Jimmy Carter.
CANTRELL: Oh, my God!
JIMMY CARTER, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think she's going to be completely dumbfounded when she goes in her house. She knows what Habitat can do, but she hasn't heard what Warrick Dunn (ph) can do.
(APPLAUSE AND CHEERING)
CANTRELL: I lost two sons. One in 2008. One this year. I lost a nephew to gun violence. And God has given me new families. I've got six grandkids now, but I did this for them. This is their home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She didn't want to move. Did you imagine this? Could you imagine this?
CANTRELL: No, because I was trying to figure out what was I going to do.
WARRICK DUNN, WARRICK DUNN FAMILY FOUNDATION: Growing up and not having somewhere stable forced my mom to work as hard as she worked, forced my mom to sacrifice her life. I'm sure if someone could have helped us, she would still be here today.
Everything you need to start cooking today. Today. Can you cook? I know my grandmother can cook.
CANTRELL: Yes, I can. I'm from the South. Pinch me. Am I dreaming?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're up. You're up.
CANTRELL: I feel like I have won the lottery. I swear. I've won the lottery. I thank almighty God. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Whew. You are my guardian angel.
DUNN: It is all yours. I want to figure out what I can do to really change someone's life. So, the only person I can think about is my mom, her dream. Her dream was to own her own home. It's definitely been a dream come true.
Congratulations.
CANTRELL: Can I get another hug?
DUNN: Yes ma'am.
(END VIDEOTAP)
LEMON: What a nice story. Congratulations to her. Perfect for the holidays. Perfect.
This week, we told you about the international manhunt for the WikiLeaks founder. When somebody finally finds him, maybe they can ask how he says his last name because no one seems to no for sure. CNN's Jeanne Moos all over the story.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
LEMON: As Joan Rivers would say, can we talk? Let's talk about the mysterious WikiLeaks guy, Julian Assange. Defended his Web site today in an online chat. He says posting all of those documents never harmed anyone.
But no one knows where he is. They kind of know, but not for sure. Or even how to say his last name. You say Assange. I say Assange. Too bad the pronunciation isn't as transparent as he is. Here's CNN's Jeanne Moos.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's been like a drip, drip, drip.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: WikiLeaks --
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: WikiLeaks -
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: WikiLeaks -
MOOS: -- founded by a guy named --
LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": Julian Assange.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Julian Assange.
STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, "THE COLBERT REPORT": Julian Assange. A man relentlessly committed to transparency probably because his skin is see-through.
(LAUGHTER)
MOOS: Occasionally, someone pronounces it wrong -
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange -
MOOS: -- but most of those who get his name wrong do it on purpose, like Rush Limbaugh.
RUSH LIMBAUGH, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: This isn't the first leak from Julian Assange --
MOOS: -- Or Bill O'Reilly --
BILL O'REILLY, FOX HOST, "O'REILLY FACTOR": A sleaze ball named Julian Assange.
MOOS: -- or Jon Stewart --
JON STEWART, HOST, "THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART": WikiLeaks -- Julian Assange. Shepp, am I pronouncing this right?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: WikiLeaks and its founder, Julian Ah-ssange.
STEWART: Ah! Ah-ssange. Thank you, Shepp-ahrd --
MOOS: Now, in one case, it wasn't the last name someone got wrong.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Because Jack Assange has --
MOOS: Did she say Jack Assange ? Because his first name is really -
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Stan. All right. Sorry to break into that. Listen, we have some breaking news that we're going to tell you about. We're hearing that Barack Obama is in Afghanistan. That's what I'm being told. The president is in Afghanistan.
The interesting thing is that he was supposed to talk about jobs today, the jobs report. That's what we were reporting. That's what his schedule said. Turns out that is not the case. The president is actually in Afghanistan today. So, listen. That's going to do it for me. I'm going to let my partner Tony Harris pick up on this because he is up next in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Tony. Surprising news. The president is supposed to be talking about jobs now. We're learns he is in Afghanistan, and we know the withdrawal period is July 2011, it's supposed to be.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, yes. That's interesting. It's not that he can't -- I suppose if he wanted to, he can still talk about the report from Afghanistan. It's not where we thought the statement was going to come from. That's for sure. All right. Well, so will just continue to follow it.
LEMON: You have a great weekend.
HARRIS: Yes. You too. You, too, sir. Thank you.
