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Unemployment Rate Rises; President Obama Visits Afghanistan; House Censures Rangel; FBI Warning For New Barbie; Debt Commission Vote; Dems Move Ahead With Tax Vote
Aired December 03, 2010 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Now this --
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: In the middle of the night, President Obama sneaks out, makes a surprise trip to Afghanistan. We are going to tell you who he is meeting with, but perhaps more importantly, who he is not meeting with. It is all developing at this hour.
I'm Brooke Baldwin. The news is now.
(voice-over): But while the president is overseas, the headline here at home, unemployment up again. Are we still in a slow recovery and who is hiring?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I work at a bank. And there has been a robbery.
BALDWIN: Four masked suspects storm a Florida bank armed to the teeth.
911 OPERATOR: Where are the suspects right now?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're in the bank. I don't know. I'm hiding.
BALDWIN: The brazen robbery caught on tape. And so is the desperate call for help.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It frightens me.
BALDWIN: A doll, a built-in camera and a warning about pedophiles. Parents, you have to check this out.
And how was infamous killer Charles Manson able to get his hands on a cell phone in prison?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: I'm Brooke Baldwin, a lot of news happening right now. Let's do rapid fire.
First, if North Korea attacks again, South Korea will retaliate immediately. That is the new warning from the South. In fact, they are even revealing exactly how they will attack. We are told possible revenge will include air raids. Now, today's warnings, they are a bit different, because they are very specific.
Next, dramatic video from Israel of this raging deadly forest fire. Look at this -- 41 people are dead, most of them, we're told, Israeli prison cadets who were burned alive when their bus was swallowed by these flames. Police suspect arson is the cause here. Fire has charred more than 7,400 acres. Those cadets were traveling to a prison near Haifa to help evacuate inmates. Funerals were held for some of those victims today.
Next, is the government getting any closer to charging John Edwards? Two of the former senators' aides testified yesterday about campaign cash. A federal grand jury is looking into whether Edwards used money from his supporters to pay off his mistress during his presidential run. Rielle Hunter worked as his videographer. Edwards fathered her child, which he had initially denied. It is still not yet clear what the aides said in court.
Check this out. This is like out of the movie "The Matrix." New York University Professor Wafaa Bilal has a camera. That's what that thing is. It is a camera surgically implanted in the back of his head. He is going to take one picture per minute for a year for this art project. And Bilal -- of course he did -- he let our own Jeanne Moos attach the lens to demonstrate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WAFAA BILAL, NEW YORK UNIVERSITY: Now, you have to take it off.
(LAUGHTER)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: OK. Am I hurting you?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Yes, Jeanne Moos, it looks kind of painful. Bilal says installed with titanium camera mount hurt as well a lot. Cue the "eyes in the back of the head" jokes. Ba-dum-bum.
Next, it is something we do every single day. We talk on our cell phones. But making a simple phone call sent this Texas man, wow, rushing to the hospital. You can see why. Aaron Embry says he was calling his dad on his new Droid 2 phone when it exploded. He heard a loud pop. You see all that blood. It trickled all the way down his face.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AARON EMBRY, SAYS CELL PHONE EXPLODED: As I got into the bathroom, and once I got to the mirror and saw it, it was only then I kind of looked at my phone and realized that it -- the screen had appeared to burst outward.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BALDWIN: So what is Motorola saying? That's the maker of the Droid 2? Here's what they're saying. Here's a statement for you. "Motorola's priority is the safety our customers. The company plans to reach out to Embry to investigate this thoroughly" -- end quote.
Next, China's new high-speed system breaking records. Listen to this. The country's railways minister says one train set a new world record during a trial run today. The sleek white train reached speeds up to 298.9 miles an hour. So, like 299 miles an hour, that's how fast this thing is going. That's about as fast as a jet plane cruising at a low speed. It was making a run on an unopened bit of track between Beijing and Shanghai. China is expanding its high-speed rail network to boost growth. It also hopes to make its rail system the world's longest.
Next, an FDA advisory panel is considering whether or not to allow this popular weight loss device to be used on people who are less obese. So, right now, the deal is this lap-band surgery only available to people who are morbidly obese, that is those 100 pounds or more overweight, or patients with severe health problems.
But lap-band maker Allergan wants the FDA to lower the weight requirement. And that could make the device available to tens of millions more people. The panel is expected to vote on this later this afternoon.
Next, and if you give a kid a toy this Christmas, guess what you get to get out of? A parking ticket. Yes, that is the deal on the campus at Texas Tech University. Officers say they give out hundreds of tickets every day. Last year, they did the same thing and sent more than $3,000 to the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. And get this. The toy has to equal the value of the parking ticket. I like that.
Next, take a look at this. This is the first-edition copy of "The Star-Spangled Banner." By the way, only 11 of these exist at all. This is the only one known to be owned by a private individual. It just sold at auction for Christie's -- or at Christie's. How much? For -- can you guess? Going to give a moment. Half a million dollars. We don't know who bought it. The buyer bid by telephone. The name has not yet been revealed.
Next, the Chicago Cubs, they are mourning the passing of colorful commentator Ron Santo today. The current generation may remember him as a longtime broadcaster, but Santo was also an All-Star third baseman who spent his whole career in Chicago. He was 70.
And, finally, a powerful speech from a president in wartime, President Obama making a surprise visit -- there he is shaking a lot of hands -- in Afghanistan. The White House tells us he was supposed to meet with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, but bad weather in the country has forced a detour. The president gave a rousing speech, emotional at times, thanking troops for their service.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Because the freedom, the liberty, that we treasure, that's not simply a birth right, it has to be earned by the sacrifices of generations, generations of patriots, men and women who step forward and say, send me. I know somebody has got to do it and I'm willing to serve, men and women who are willing to risk all, and some who gave all, to keep us safe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: President Obama didn't just shake hands and give a speech. He also took some time to visit wounded troops in the hospital and awarded several Purple Hearts.
Next, there is a big-time controversy brewing over -- wait for it -- Barbie. Yes, Barbie. Some of them comes equipped. You see her in chest she's kind of got a hole? That's a camera. But there are concerns pedophiles may be using these dolls. We are going to figure it out together. I am going to show you the doll. We ran out, we bought one. Let's do a little show and tell ahead.
Plus, a bank robbery caught on video and a manhunt underway right now. You are going to see how it unfolded and hear the desperate calls for help. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: All right. Folks in Kissimmee, Florida, have one robbery suspect in custody. They are still out there searching for three more. Here's the story.
Three of them are accused of terrorizing bank employees before they allegedly made off with cash Wednesday. Look at them just hopping on over the bank counter there. Now, you are looking at a surveillance tape. It shows these guys armed with multiple firearms. They enter this RBC Bank. One employee forced to the ground. You see it kind of in the back left of your screen, forced to the ground at gunpoint. Another managed to hide from the robbers and make a desperate call to 911. Here it is.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
911 OPERATOR: Nine-one-one. What is your emergency?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I work at a bank. And there has been a robbery.
911 OPERATOR: Which bank?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: RBC in Kissimmee.
911 OPERATOR: Where are the suspects right now?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're in the bank. I don't know. I'm hiding.
911 OPERATOR: OK. Where are you hiding?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have a conference room in the back.
911 OPERATOR: Are they armed?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
911 OPERATOR: OK. They are armed. OK.
Do you know how many subjects are there?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There were two, masked.
(CROSSTALK)
911 OPERATOR: OK.
(CROSSTALK)
911 OPERATOR: Do they have assault rifles?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Black.
911 OPERATOR: Two black males, assault rifles? Yes.
OK. No, sir, stay on the phone with me. Just leave it open, OK?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Kind of impressed by how calm that caller was, given the scene.
Now, the suspect in custody is identified as Stanley Haugabook. Police arrested him during a felony traffic stop. So far, they say he is not giving them any information about the robbery or the whereabouts of those other suspects.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. CHARLES RANGEL (D), NEW YORK: You interrupted a point I was trying to make. That's OK.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Hmm. You know that guy. That is Joe Johns. History happened yesterday. Joe Johns got to witness it. He got to sit in there. He has the behind-the-scenes skinny, Mr. Johns, on the Charlie Rangel censure.
We are going to talk to you here in just a moment, one of my favorite segments.
Plus, Sarah Palin and former President George W. Bush squaring off. It is a war of words, you could say. That's next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: By my watch, it was about this time yesterday when we were showing you live pictures of the floor of the House of Representatives, veteran Congressman Charlie Rangel's final defense. Would he get reprimand? Would it be censure?
Well, we now know he was censured, publicly dressed down in front of his pier peers yesterday. And it was a bitter pill for Rangel to swallow after a 20-term career in the House. In a news conference after the censure, Rangel called the vote, quote, "very political."
And our own Joe Johns who was there, in fact, he got a couple of questions into the congressman about that particular comment, that this was political. What did he mean by that?
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REP. CHARLIE RANGEL (D), NEW YORK: Anything we do in the Congress is political.
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Do you think that the members of the Congress who took this vote tonight were voting what they thought their constituents wanted them to do rather than on the facts?
RANGEL: I thought I made that abundantly clear.
JOHNS: You kind of talked around it a little bit.
RANGEL: I don't want to talk around it. I try to give an analogy.
People love Adam. They knew it was unconstitutional for them to kick him out before he was allowed to set, but they said that was too complicated to explain to their constituents back home. And I really think that most of you know that if it is too complicated to explain, don't do it.
But there were a lot of people that, if you look and see the districts that they came from, then honestly, as in a lot of cases in votes on the floor, prevailed because they thought the constituents wanted honesty and not something that would make someone to look like they were better than thou when, in fact, it related to someone else and not them.
That's why I am so pleased that the facts came out for the whole country to judge. And perhaps then, the newspapers might have a headline tomorrow morning -- Rangel Found Not Guilty Of Corruption and Self Dealing. Rangel found --
JOHNS: But you admitted this -- you admitted so much, so why would it be a political vote?
RANGEL: You interrupted a point I was trying to make. JOHNS: I'm sorry, sir. Excuse me, sir.
RANGEL: That's OK.
It is not the vote, it is not the evidence, it is not my admissions, it's the sanctions. Come on, you understand that.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Come on, Joe Johns.
With "Political Pop" Joe Johns.
Here is what I learned from that, two lessons. Number one, never interrupt Charlie Rangel.
JOHNS: Absolutely. I knew better.
BALDWIN: And number two, he says that this vote was political.
JOHNS: Yes. Well, what he is really talking about is the sanction. You know, there is a lot of going back and forth about whether there ought to be censure, which was the more severe sanction, or a reprimand, which would have been less.
He wanted to get a reprimand, because he thought that was what he deserved and he thought that other people who would come in about where he did on an infraction of House rules also deserved or got a reprimand. And the House voted in a different direction.
What he was referring to there about people voting what their constituency wanted, I think he was talking about this culture of accountability that started when the Democrats first came in and said they were going to drain the swamp. And he felt that he was being held to a higher standard.
BALDWIN: So not only did he have to stand up there in the well of the House and be publicly dressed down, it's also cost him being the head of the Ways and Means Committee.
JOHNS: Yes, that's probably the worst sentence of all. You know, he was the first African-American chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, a very powerful committee, the tax-writing committee, and he stepped down from that. It seems pretty unlikely that he could get that job back. Certainly, not in the next two years because Republicans control the House of Representatives.
That was the bad part, but there was also this censure, which is something that really hasn't ever happened, you know over the last --
BALDWIN: Since '83.
JOHNS: Yes, since '83, right, and only 22 times in history. Pretty rare for a member of Congress to actually get the censure. The next step is expulsion from the House of Representatives -- serious.
BALDWIN: And there you were, witnessing history as so many others were last night.
JOHNS: Yes.
BALDWIN: Quickly, let me get this in quickly and then we have to go.
But Sarah Palin, we know she is out and about, she's promoting her new book. But apparently, she is only number two in the charts.
JOHNS: Yes, former President George Bush's book, there you go, is number one. But she thinks she is keeping pretty good company. She tweeted Thursday saying, just heard "America By Heart" is number two on "The New York Times" bestseller's books behind President Bush's good book. So thanks for sharing inspiration. She figures she's keeping pretty good company.
We don't know how many books have sold, but we do know they printed, what, a million books. She sold 2 million books the last time, the last time around. So a lot of people like her books. A lot of people like to read what she has to say. And the question, of course, is whether she is going to run for president. I think she has got, what, two visits to Iowa now.
BALDWIN: Two visits to Iowa with that book tour. Yes, we will all have to wait and see. But she says she is in good company.
Joe Johns, have a wonderful weekend. We will see you on Monday.
JOHNS: Thank you, you, too. Take it easy.
BALDWIN: Joe Johns, I know you have kids. Maybe you will stick around for this.
Barbie Dolls, they are now available with cameras hidden inside. Have you heard about this? But who actually benefits from the film, kids, parents or pedophiles? That controversy is next.
Plus, we are going to do some show and tell with Miss Barbie. She is somewhere in the studio here, I'm told.
Stay right there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Trending today, just in time -- hanging out with Barbie here. Trending today, just in time for the gift giving season, this is a Barbie by that comes with a government warning. She looks harmless enough, right? But according to the FBI, the doll could pose a danger to your child's safety and even lead maybe to child pornography.
So here's the deal -- and Robert (ph), feel free to come in close, cause I want everyone to get a close up of this. This is the new Barbie, it's called Video Girl Barbie. And you can see here, on her chest, that is actually the camera and a microphone in her chest as well. And then, if you flip her around -- there you go, see on her back, we actually turned it on so you can see me -- that is where you can watch the play back. So kids can record their play time and actually even edit a movie. This has editing software, if they like, on the screen. Then, you can upload this to your computer, you can do it online and have a little fun with it.
But the concern is child predators could get these images. And now the doll has been on the market since July and there have been, so far, no incidents that anyone is reporting.
But CNN reached out to Mattel. They have yet to reply to us, but they did release this statement to our affiliate King TV. Let me read this for you.
They say, "The FBI is not reporting that anything has happened -- Mattel products are designed with children and their best interests in mind. Many of Mattel's employees are parents themselves and we understand the importance of child safety -- it is our number one priority."
So we brought in my tech guy, Derrick Dodge, to play with dolls today. Sorry, Derrick. No, but seriously, you know, I think a lot of the concern is perhaps a child predator would lure a child in with a Barbie doll and then who knows what could happen from there.
So we handed this Barbie over to you, friend, and we asked you to tell us just how easy it is to work. And apparently, you are pretty good with playing with dolls because it worked really well.
DERRICK DODGE, TECH EXPERT: I'm not going to comment on that. My sisters could probably tell you something.
But I will say I know a lot about cameras as I went to film school. And this camera is very easy to use. So we went through CNN Center and I walked through the different newsrooms of CNNi and CNN.com. And I just went to people and I said, hey, how is this going how are you doing today.
BALDWIN: Holding your Barbie.
DODGE: And I got to tell you, about half of them didn't even know she had a camera. Of course, everyone wanted to comment on the Barbie and they're like, well, why do you have a Barbie, but only about 50 percent -- I guarantee you, 50 percent -- had no idea that she had a video camera.
BALDWIN: So let's take a look at some of the reactions.
DODGE: Yes, so I cut them all together into this video using the software.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Brooke.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Barbie, how are you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you hear about the video one? This could be used for child pornography. Look, it's actually a camera.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wait a minute. What is that? Oh, no, she has a camera. I don't want to be on Barbie cam.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my gosh.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: So a lot of people were surprised.
DODGE: That last girl there, she had no idea. She was commenting on Barbie's blouse. Had no idea that she was looking directly into the camera that has a microphone in it too.
BALDWIN: So, again, nothing nefarious has been reported out there, but one could see if it falls perhaps in someone's hands --
DODGE: It's almost like one of those a nanny cam. You can set it in the room and you have no idea you are being video recorded, because you think it is a Barbie. It is harmless.
BALDWIN: Which could be great for parents, you know. And apparently, when we sent our P.A. out, Stephanie (ph), to go buy this thing, there were two left. I think she went to Wal-Mart, but there were two left.
And she told me one of the moms sort of chased her down the aisle trying to get it as a Christmas gift. So apparently, it is a hot gift this year, but there's a whole other possible use as well.
Derrick, nice job. Your sisters would be proud.
Now to this, developing now, most of Spain's airports, we are hearing they are closed. Tens of thousands of passengers, they are stranded. We are going to go live to Madrid next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: There's a lot happening in the world today. Time to play "Reporter Roulette." Our players, Poppy Harlow in New York, Al Goodman in Madrid. I want to begin with Dan Lothian live for us at the White House.
Dan, we know the president popped into Afghanistan, surprised a lot of troops, men and women, over there. Why now?
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, I should point out, you know, the White House saying that this trip had been in the works now for more than a month. But in terms of the timing, officials are saying that the president wanted to go and visit the troops sometime around the holiday season between Thanksgiving and Christmas. And so, this was the right time they believe to go there. And also, they wanted to sort of highlight the fact that there are some of these troops who are on their fourth tour of duty over there. So, the president wanted to thank them for their service and also honor the thousand or so civilians who are also working there in Afghanistan.
BALDWIN: We know he's speaking to the troops. You mentioned some of the civilians who he's not speaking with, Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Why is that?
LOTHIAN: That's right. Well, he did not speak with him face to face. He did plan to take a helicopter ride from the Bagram Air Base over to Kabul to meet with him. But there was bad weather, about 45- mile-per-hour winds. There was sand and dust. And it became too dangerous to actually fly the helicopter over there.
They had to consider doing a video conferencing call. But then there were some technical problems. So, they had a 15-minute call. We don't have a readout on what was said during that conversation. But they did talk by phone.
BALDWIN: Dan Lothian for us at the White House -- Dan, thank you.
Next, unemployment numbers going the wrong way. Next on "Reporter Roulette," Poppy Harlow in New York.
And, Poppy, why the jump in unemployment?
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: You know, it's very interesting. We saw the unemployment rate, Brooke, jump up to 9.8 percent. Most economists thought it would stay at 9.6 percent. What happened was that we had much fewer jobs added last month in November than we thought. Everybody thought 150,000 jobs at least are going to be added. The reality is, this morning, we saw 39,000 jobs were added. The market had a very negative reaction to that. Somehow in the last few minutes of trading, the market ended up higher. But this number just confirms how bad the jobs crisis is, Brooke.
And what it also showed us, 15 million-plus Americans now unemployed, Brooke. About 6 million of them are now unemployed long- term, for more than six months or so.
So, clearly, a huge problem is facing the White House, facing the new Congress. The jobs picture is not getting sustainably better here.
BALDWIN: Sure. And hear another number, $13 trillion and counting. That's the national debt. We've seen the clock. We know that the national debt commission --
HARLOW: Yes.
BALDWIN: -- they voted 11, yeses, seven nos on this painful plan to reduce the deficit. So, what next, Poppy? HARLOW: That's just an amazing number, $13 trillion. And you're right, this was front and center today. Obama created a debt commission 10 months ago. Eighteen members, they needed 14 yes votes to get their proposals to Congress. What they want to do is cut that deficit by $4 trillion in the next 10 years.
Brooke, what happened today, this morning, they could only get 11 of the votes that they needed. They needed 14. I say the highlight from this is that there was a lot of bipartisan cooperation. They had five Republicans, five Democrats and one independent vote yes on this.
Now, that commission is over with. It's done. They're not going to meet again. It is up to the new Congress in January to decide to take action or not action on this, Brooke.
BALDWIN: But at least they used this perhaps as some sort of blueprint.
HARLOW: Right. Exactly.
BALDWIN: Poppy Harlow, thank you.
Next on "Roulette." Al Goodman in Spain, where airports are at a standstill this hour.
Al, this sounds like such a mess. What happened?
AL GOODMAN, CNN MADRID BUREAU CHIEF: Hi, Brooke. Well, if you had a flight into Spain or out of Spain or anywhere around Spain this Friday afternoon or evening, you're really out of luck because of this wild cat strike by the air traffic control. Many of those thousands of people who are stranded are on the planes themselves. They have been calling into our news rooms here, sending twitters, families with young children on what was supposed to be a lovely, long holiday weekend through next Wednesday because of some holidays here early next week -- Brooke.
BALDWIN: Yikes. Al Goodman for us in Madrid -- Al, thank you. A lot of signs are saying "cancelado" in Spain. Al, thank you.
That is our "Russian Roulette" for the day.
So, the debt commission, we were just talking about this -- what did I say? "Reporter Roulette."
So, the debt commission couldn't come to an agreement today. What happens now? And who is calling for the national debt? Who's calling as a force five hurricane? Our Political Ticker is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: CNN has all your latest political news with "The Best Political Team on Television," "CNN Equals Politics." And our team followed the debt commission vote today.
Gloria Borger joining me from the CNNPOlitics.com desk. And, Gloria, I hear you just spoke to two key members of that panel. What did they say?
GLORIA BORGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Right. Well, I spoke with a Senator Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, a Republican who is about to retire from the Senate, and Senator Kent Conrad of North Dakota, who is the ranking member of the budget committee, a Democrat. Both of whom voted for the commission report.
They are kind of elated by, I should tell you, by even getting 11 votes out of 18. Senator Conrad said to me, you know what, that's 60 percent. And maybe we shouldn't have said it at such a super majority. They had to get 14 out of 18 to get it to the floor of the Congress.
So, they were feeling pretty good that they crossed a lot of partisan lines, philosophical differences, and managed to get something with that many votes out of the commission.
Having said that, Senator Gregg said to me, look, Gloria, this is a huge problem. And he called it, quote, "a force five hurricane that's 30 miles off the shore" that the Congress is just going to have to deal with.
Now, both men say that the work that they did on this commission can really serve as the template for future deficit reduction. But, they say, there is not enough time to sort of waste about getting to it. And so, Senator Conrad said to me that he wants the president to call for a deficit summit. And maybe he could do it in the State of the Union address. Who knows?
But he said, you know what, people have to get back to the table. We have to use these proposals as the blueprint and we have to get back to work right away.
BALDWIN: You mentioned the super majority, 14. They didn't get that. Three House Republicans did not go for this plan.
BORGER: No.
BALDWIN: So, Gloria, what does that tell you?
BORGER: Well, you know, I asked Senator Gregg about that. I said, OK, it's OK to talk about bipartisanship. But what about those key House Republicans? One of whom is running the budget committee that didn't vote for it. He said, you know what, they didn't vote for it because they said it didn't go far enough.
And Congressman Ryan, who's going to be the chairman of that budget committee, has already said publicly that he is going to use some of these proposals in his budget proposal. But he wants to get those folks back to the table. So, they can all sit down and actually try and do something with the president, with the Office of Management and Budget right there. So the Congress can get real about this finally, Brooke. BALDWIN: All right. Gloria Borger for us with the latest on the debt commission and this blueprint that we will see probably in the next Congress -- Gloria, thank you.
BORGER: We will --
BALDWIN: We will see.
BORGER: -- see.
BALDWIN: We will see. Gloria, thanks so much.
I want to remind you, you can get all the latest political news at CNNPolitics.com or on Twitter @PoliticalTicker.
I want you to take a look at this big rig. Look at this. It's just hanging off the edge of this guardrail in the snow. So, obviously, this gives new meaning to the term cliffhanger. I'm going to tell you what happened and how it ended.
But, first, we all know diehard college football fans will do just about anything, you know who you are, to support your favorite team. And now, some students in the government are trying to get fans excited about a new idea. Don't let your tailgate go to waste.
Aishud Tasfar (ph) with today's "Solutions."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AISHUD TASFAR (ph), CNN REPORTER: College campuses are a neat and tidy places of higher learning -- until football season, that is. A traditional tailgate includes food, drink and lots of garbage.
ANDREW LENTINI, UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA: Average game day, we are producing almost 40,000 pounds of trash.
TASFAR: That's the tradition students like Calley Mersmann are trying to break.
CALLEY MERSMANN, STUDENT: The amount waste generated was just incredible. I felt really sad for the university that that was a culture we fostered and allowed to happen.
TASFAR: Calley and some University of Georgia students started their own team and began a game day recycling program. They educate fans on ways to have greener tailgates and make recycling easier.
MERSMANN: It's not something that only the green eco geeks do.
TASFAR: While it may seem hard to get 90,000 people this excited about anything besides football, the EPA found a way to level the playing field.
LENTINI: Game day challenge was a way for the Environmental Protection Agency to get involved in trying to eliminate the amount of waste that happens on a university campus for game days. TASFAR: About 80 colleges and universities participated in the game day challenge this October. UGA collected more than seven tons of bottles and cans during their one day of participation, results that could make this a game for the ages.
Aishud Tasfar, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Cliff-diving, zip-lining, ultra-high rope swings -- you know, the kind of thing you do every day after work, right? Maybe not so much.
If you think those are extreme sports, you've got to see this. How about a combination of all three?
This is Mike Wilson. He zips, he swings, he launches into the air. Oh my goodness. Takes a plunge 99 feet below into the water, all against a backdrop of breathtaking horizons and vistas.
You can call this triple extreme. And I give him a 10. Amazing.
Now, this is an Ice Road Trucker. This big rig skidded on this icy road, crashed through the guardrail. Look at it, almost just dangling through this perilous spot.
The truck hung over that guardrail basically until crews could remove it. Amazingly, no one was hurt. Lucky ending for the driver.
And check out this feisty French bulldog. So cute. Her name is Emma, and either the little pup just discovered the swinging door stop in her family's walkway. I don't know, I'm thinking Emma doesn't so much like the doorstop, but maybe she's thinking it's a friend.
I feel like that's something my pug would do. Anyway, super cute on camera.
And That was "You Gotta See This."
Next, it is known as the perfect town. It's actually called "Celebration," Celebration, Florida. Disney developed this place, but now police are investigating the second mysterious death in just a week. The first murder. We are "On the Case" ahead.
But first, want to talk about the big "D," divorce. "The Wall Street Journal" just listed the states with the lowest divorce rates. And I have the top five for you.
You might be surprised by which places actually made the list. Check it out.
Number five, you have Massachusetts.
Number four, not a state, it's actually a district, Washington, D.C.
Number three, Pennsylvania.
And if you thought those were surprising, wait until you hear the other two states with the lowest divorce rates after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: All right. Want to take you back to that list as promised.
Divorce may be on the rise in much of the country, but the states in The Wall Street Journal's list of lowest divorce rates are bucking the trend.
So, who are our top two?
Let's roll it, Roger.
Number two -- are we playing "Love and Marriage"? "Heartbreak Hotel." Nice.
All right. Number two, Iowa.
And number one, who'd have thunk, New York, with the lowest divorce rate.
All right. Tomorrow, Senate Democrats moving ahead with a vote on a pair of bills, bills that could extend middle class tax cuts. Now, negotiators from the White House and both parties, they're meeting behind closed doors, still trying to figure out some kind of a compromise here. But the sticking point as to whether households making more than $250,000 should be included in that extension.
Meantime, take a look at this. This is a new CBS News survey. It shows that 53 percent of the public says that the cuts should be extended, extended specifically for those under that $250,000 threshold from "THE SITUATION ROOM."
And so, looking ahead to tomorrow's vote, is this rare, Wolf, to have the Senate voting on a Saturday?
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: It is rare, but in this lame-duck session, they don't have a whole lot of time between now and Christmas Eve, when they would like to wrap it up. Actually, they would like to wrap things up even the week before Christmas Eve. But they may have to work until the very end to get everything done they need to get done. That's why they're going to be working on Saturday.
It's rare, though, for another reason, because they probably won't get, the Democrats, the 60 votes that they need to break a filibuster if they get 56, 57, 58. That will be symbolically important, and the Democrats will be able to use that vote as a wedge over the Republicans, who will vote against granting them the continuation of the tax rates for the middle class because they want them to continue for everyone. But it's not going to have any real substantive value in terms of getting the legislation through, because they need, especially now that the House passed that bill yesterday extending the middle class tax cuts, they need more than 60 in the Senate. It's unlikely that of the 42 Republicans, any of them will bolt on this one.
So we'll see what happens tomorrow. We'll watch if one or two or three of those Republicans bolt. That would be a huge deal.
BALDWIN: Also making news today, the fact that President Obama hopped on Air Force One late last night at Andrews, flew all the way overnight to Afghanistan to surprise American men and women, folks serving over there in Afghanistan. But what seems to also be making news today, Wolf, not who he is talking to in person, who he is not talking to in person.
BLITZER: It's a real embarrassment, I think, in the sense that he hasn't been able to have the few hours that he was on the ground in Afghanistan a face-to-face meeting with Hamid Karzai because of some wind, some weather-related issues. They tried to do a video conference call. They couldn't do that, so they just had a regular phone call.
He certainly could have done that from the Situation Room in Washington over at the West Wing of the White House. He didn't have to fly all that way.
But more important than any conversation he might have with Karzai was the simply the symbolism of meeting with the troops, wishing them a happy holiday season, showing his respect, showing his appreciation for what all the young men and women are doing over there. That was much more important gesture that he was trying to make.
Some thought he should have done it Thanksgiving, for example, go over there on Thanksgiving. But this is the time that he wanted to go. It's the second trip to Afghanistan for the president, and I'm sure the U.S. Service personnel over there are very happy the commander in chief came over.
BALDWIN: All right, Wolf Blitzer. We'll be watching you. We'll be watching for your interview also with Austan Goolsbee coming up in "THE SITUATION ROOM."
We'll see you in just a couple of minutes. Thank you.
Still to come here though on our show, did someone hire a hitman to kill a Hollywood power player? There are a couple of new developments here in this murder mystery, this Hollywood whodunit, including how and where a person of interest lived before he killed himself. That is next.
Plus, how in the world did Charles Manson got a cell phone in prison? And who was he talking to?
Sunny Hostin "On the Case." She is here, live in Atlanta. Sunny is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Sunny Hostin is "On the Case." We're going to talk about a couple of stories.
Number one, the first murder in a town developed by Disney.
Two, the latest on the murder of an A-list Hollywood publicist, Ronni Chasen.
And three, Charles Manson apparently has a cell phone in prison.
So, I want to begin with the homicide in Celebration, of all places. It's called Celebration, Florida.
Look at these pictures. It was developed by Walt Disney Company, patterned after beautiful towns of days gone by -- ice skating and everyone knows everyone. A great place to raise kids. Just had the first murder in its 14-year history.
So, Sunny, what happened? And do we have any suspects?
SUNNY HOSTIN, LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR, "IN SESSION," TRUTV: Well, a 58-year-old retired teacher was found murdered in his apartment, his car missing -- a 2008 black Corvette, a fancy car. And the police really aren't releasing any suspects' names, anything like that, because they said they do have a suspect and they do have some information, but they don't want to compromise this investigation.
And I think what's so shocking though is that it is five miles from Disney World, and it's sort of this wonderful place, apparently, to raise a family.
BALDWIN: "The happiest neighborhood on Earth." That's what I read this morning.
HOSTIN: That's what they are saying, and everyone is shocked that something like this would happen there.
BALDWIN: So that's why that's making news today.
HOSTIN: That's right.
BALDWIN: Next, I want to get to the story we have been covering a ton out of L.A. with regard to Ronni Chasen, the veteran publicist gunned down a couple of weeks ago off of Sunset Boulevard.
What more do we know about this story and about this guy who killed himself when police went to try to serve the search warrant?
HOSTIN: This is a true murder mystery, a true Hollywood murder mystery. There are so many clues going on out there, Brooke.
They're saying that it could have been a road rage incident, because you know people in California spend so much time in their cars. And she was found murdered in her car, late at night, after attending this Hollywood premier after-party. That's one theory.
Another theory is that this person of interest may have been somehow been a contract killer, apparently. His name has been released, is my understanding, Harold Smith. He has been a person of interest. He was approached by the police and he shot himself.
Now, some people are saying in the neighborhood that he told them that he did it and that he would receive about $10,000 for the hit. And she was apparently shot execution-style, in the chest, several times by some sort of marksman. But I will say there are also reports that he was mentally unstable and perhaps was just making this up, or was nervous that the police were approaching him about suspected burglaries and didn't want to go back to prison, because he was apparently a convicted murder.
BALDWIN: Right, an ex-convict.
HOSTIN: That's right.
BALDWIN: Sort of living in this, I guess, shady part of L.A.
And we had heard from a former police officer on the L.A. police force essentially saying, I couldn't have even pulled that off kind of -- I guess the angle, the shooting.
HOSTIN: The angle was sort of sideways. And so they said it would have had to have been some sort of expert marksman. But people are thinking, well, who would want to kill her? Who would put out this contract on her?
BALDWIN: Well, quickly, can we connect the dots at all with regard --
HOSTIN: Well, I don't know if we can connect the dots. You know I'm a former prosecutor --
BALDWIN: We can't connect the dots.
HOSTIN: -- so I try to be very careful about investigations.
BALDWIN: Well, what do you have in your hand, Sunny Hostin?
HOSTIN: But I have this will. I have her will.
It's about 48 pages. And in the will, she gives all this -- she has about a $6 million estate. A lot of money to charities, a lot of money to people in her family. But she did snub one niece. And she says, "I have intentionally and with full knowledge of the consequences omitted to provide for my niece."
BALDWIN: So we don't know, but it's just another angle.
HOSTIN: She only gave her $10.
BALDWIN: Bizarre story.
HOSTIN: A bizarre story.
BALDWIN: And finally, I want to get to -- and we have less than a minute -- Charles Manson, in prison with a cell phone.
HOSTIN: Yes. It's unbelievable.
BALDWIN: What?
HOSTIN: Apparently, they found an LG flip phone underneath his mattress. He was texting people in British Columbia, texting people in New Jersey, in Florida.
It's really something that's been happening in the California prison system. They have been confiscating --
BALDWIN: How are they getting in?
HOSTIN: -- 8,000. People are smuggling them in. Apparently, you can get up to $1,000 for a phone from a prisoner because --
BALDWIN: That's the going rate.
HOSTIN: -- it's such a hot commodity.
BALDWIN: Quickly, do we know who he has been talking to, texting with?
HOSTIN: We don't know. The investigation is ongoing.
They did snatch that phone from him, but he was sending text messages. And that's very scary because we know his history. He is someone that gets other people to commit murder for him. And he is the one that had a phone, among others.
BALDWIN: Among others. I've got the creeps.
HOSTIN: Very creepy.
BALDWIN: Sunny Hostin, thank you.
HOSTIN: Thanks.
BALDWIN: And with that, we turn things over to Wolf Blitzer in Washington and "THE SITUATION ROOM" -- Wolf.
