Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Angry Students Protest in London; House Dems Won't Take up Tax Cut Deal in Current Form; Foreclosure Crisis Far From Over; Hot Off The Political Ticker; Trending on the Web

Aired December 09, 2010 - 12:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hey there, everybody. I'm T.J. Holmes, in today for my good friend Tony Harris.

It's the top of the hour here in the CNN NEWSROOM, where anything can happen, and often does. And there's a lot happening right now.

Here are some of the people behind today's big stories.

Tough times and big protests happening right now. People taking to the streets in London, upset about plans to raise university tuition and fees. We are tracking this developing story.

Also, passing up an NFL dream? A man gets the call to play in the pros. He turns it down. No thank you.

The question is, why? You'll hear him explain it, and it will make perfect sense to you.

Also, you're online right now, so are we.

And the possible pardon of late rock legend Jim Morrison for a crime he was convicted of in the '60s, a decision that could happen this hour.

Let's get started here at the top with that nasty scene, the pictures we've been watching out of London this morning. Thousands of students are clashing with police as parliament debates a plan to almost triple college tuition and fees.

Our Dan Rivers has been live from London. He is in the thick of things.

And I'm seeing the picture there. You describe what's happening around you again, Dan.

DAN RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we're just in Parliament Square here, where you can see they're trying to keep warm with a fire because it's bitterly cold. And we understand the vote is going to get under way in the next few minutes in that building over there.

That's the House of Commons. That's where MPs are gathering to vote on a tripling of the cap on tuition fees, something that the students here are bitterly opposed to and something that they have turned out in considerable numbers for.

There have been some fairly angry clashes with the police. The latest figures are that six protesters have been taken to hospital, and three policemen. Seven people have been arrested, two for assaults on the police, two for violent disorder, and one for drunk and disorderly.

So, a fairly small number of arrests, given the number of people down here. There were a lot of angry protesters.

We'll move away from this, because they're obviously wanting to get on and knock around on camera.

But there have been some pretty violent clashes over in this northwestern corner of the square. That's where we saw the police charging in on horses and so on.

So, you know, there have been some fairly angry scenes. But things now have calmed a lot. There, I would say, probably several thousand protesters still contained in this square.

The police are urging them to go back to the agreed route down Whitehall (ph). They're saying they will allow the vulnerable and those who are injured or need to get out to leave. But otherwise, people are being urged to go back to the agreed route, down Whitehall (ph).

HOLMES: All right. And we're going to let you go. A lot going on around you right now, Dan.

But just a reminder, when is that vote? It hasn't taken place yet, but we're standing by. That could come at any moment. Is that right?

RIVERS: Yes, exactly. I think the vote, any time now, in the next few minutes. Certainly probably within the next hour. So, as soon as we get a result on that, we will bring it to you.

HOLMES: Dan, we appreciate you, as always, buddy. Thanks so much.

Well, let's turn to Capitol Hill now.

You remember it was just days ago the president came out and said a deal had been reached between his administration and Republicans on what to do with the Bush-era tax cuts. Cut a deal. That means nobody's taxes were going to go up starting next year.

Well, slow down. House Democrats now have something to say about it.

Our Senior Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash is here with us now with a breaking story. You just got this a short time ago. We were talking to you about it last hour. Democrats, they made it clear they weren't happy with this. But now they're making it clear, this ain't happening.

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. The House Democratic Caucus voted this morning in a surprise move that they are not -- not -- going to take up this package in its current form. It really is a stunning blow to the president from his fellow Democrats here.

Lloyd Doggett of Texas is the one who crafted this resolution which says exactly as I just explained it. And what he told reporters is that there was a very loud voice vote approving this decision not to go forward with this package in its current form. He said nobody voted against it.

Listen to what Democrat Chris Van Hollen told reporters after this vote.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN (D), MARYLAND: This message today is very simple, that the -- in the form that it was negotiated, it is not acceptable to the House Democratic Caucus. It's as simple as that. We will continue to try and work with the White House and our Republican colleagues to try and make sure that we do something that is responsible for the American people, right for the economy, right for jobs, and fair and balanced package as we go forward.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Now, T.J., we talked about this before, but it's important to emphasize, there are really two things going on here, two reasons why House Democrats in particular are so angry at the president for making this deal.

One is the substance. Obviously, overall, Democrats did not like the idea of extending all of the Bush-era tax cuts, particularly those for the wealthiest Americans. That's number one.

But talking to House Democrats, they're really, really angry about the estate tax provision in here, which was a big surprise, a last-minute add. And what it does is it exempts estates for individuals who have estates of about $5 million, and that is something that many Democrats say is just an unnecessary giveaway to wealthy Americans.

But that's the substance. It's also the process.

I told you we were getting e-mails from House Democratic leadership aides, for lack of a better word, trashing the White House for the way that they handled this. One said that it's really breathtaking, the way that the White House messed this up. Another told our Deirdre Walsh that the White House really put the tax deal and the economy in danger by the way that they did this, because they didn't -- they moved a deal that was hard, in these words for this aide, hard for Democrats to swallow without laying the groundwork first.

And this particular aide and others, we've heard this as well, complained that the White House announced this deal in a surprise move, without even telling House Democrats in particular. So that's what's going on here.

One last thing, T.J. You asked me, what happens in the Senate? And that's a very good question, because the Senate was supposed to go first.

I just got an e-mail from an aide to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who said that he does plan to still introduce the tax package in legislative form later today, that there might be some changes. So he's still going to go forward.

How this is all going to play out, who knows? I mean, you kind of get the sense that maybe they're going to just kind of try to change things to make it acceptable, acceptable enough on the Senate floor, and take it from there. But we'll see.

HOLMES: OK. Well, you kind of answered my question. The congressman there said something about what we're going to do as we move forward.

I'm curious what the definition of "move forward" is right now. And we just don't know.

BASH: We don't.

HOLMES: Dana, I know you are on it. If anything else pops out, by all means, let us know. We'll get you back in here.

BASH: Will do. Thanks, T.J.

HOLMES: Thank you so much.

Some major developments happening on Capitol Hill right now.

Thank you so much.

(NEWSBREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, our "Random Moment of the Day" is really random moments of the day.

First, we've got a buffalo whisperer and a runaway emu. All right.

Let's start here, in Edmonton, Canada. A buffalo is riding shotgun. A man there has apparently trained his pet buffalo to be just another member of the family.

He takes it for rides in his Pontiac convertible. Why? Why? It's an odd picture, but that's how he gets down with his pet buffalo. Here's another "Random Moment" for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm house sitting for my brother. He lives at 153 Regina Drive.

911 OPERATOR: And you've seen a big chicken run across your yard.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh my God! Oh my God! I'm afraid to take their dog out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We just came across an ostrich. I think it's an ostrich. A very large, large bird.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(LAUGHTER)

HOLMES: You know what? I wouldn't easily and readily know what that was either. That's an emu. It's not a big chicken, it's not an ostrich. It's called an emu.

And the phone calls started pouring in after this thing escaped from a Rhode Island farm, caused chaos in the town of West Greenwich yesterday. The emu was caught, returned to the farm unharmed.

People these days just don't want dogs anymore, do they? My cat seems really low maintenance now after seeing that.

Just a couple of "Random Moments" for you of the day.

A quick break. We are right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: All right. Taking a look at the markets right now.

The Dow down about 28 points -- 30 points as we speak here now. The Nasdaq, we checked in on that as well. Up about three points.

We will keep a close eye there. Investors are weighing a slight dip in the weekly jobless claims data against the larger-than-expected rise in wholesale inventories right now. That's happening there.

Meanwhile, we have all been waiting and wondering and hoping, really, that the housing market is going to turn around at some point. Well, it appears that the bleeding is far from over. Home values still sinking. Millions of Americans struggling to hold on to their homes.

CNNMoney.com's Poppy Harlow joins us now from New York.

This is going to take some time, isn't it, Poppy? POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Yes, it's going to take a very long time. And I think the evidence that the foreclosure crisis is very far from over are these numbers we got today.

Zillow.com -- that's a real estate Web site -- they said, T.J., home values just this year alone have lost $1.7 trillion. That means since the peak in 2006, home values have lost $9 trillion.

And when we tell you these foreclosure stories, they're usually about people that are from lower-income areas. They've been hit the hardest.

But what we also want to show you is the flip side of this, people living in, say, million-dollar homes and being foreclosed on, getting evicted because they got into homes they couldn't afford. That's happening in wide numbers in a place called Ladera Ranch, California.

We want you to take a look at two couples in different situations, but both suffering from this foreclosure crisis, especially there.

Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEVON HOCKER, VERANDA REALTY, LADERA RANCH: Well, the market peaked in Ladera in 2006, and it was a feeding frenzy. When the credit crisis happened, and people couldn't borrow the money anymore, people began their series of defaults because they couldn't pay the mortgage.

STUART MANLEY, HOMEOWNER, LADERA RANCH: There was a point there was one in every three houses was in foreclosure. If you were to drive around, you would see somebody living in it, somebody vacant, and one in foreclosure. And it would be the same thing over and over again.

IRENE VECCHIONE, HOMEOWNER, LADERA RANCH: Let me get the napkins, honey.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our business went down 50 percent to 70 percent. We just now no longer could pay the higher mortgage that we were paying at such a high interest rate. We decided to try this loan modification, this new thing that was going on with the banks in July of this year. And then we got the final letter that said, "You do not qualify for a permanent loan mod."

VECCHIONE: We were forced to short-sale. It was either short sale or foreclose.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I put 20 percent down. I did it the traditional way, got a 30-year fixed. It's worth way less than we put into it. It just feels like we did it wrong.

MANLEY: Because we've got neighbors that put nothing down and have got a loan modification and pay less in mortgage than we do, and a principal that's less than ours.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We want to move out. It's just that it's difficult for us to get financing for the home that we actually want. So now we have to put more money down.

VECCHIONE: You know, as a husband, you feel broken, that I failed. That there was nothing more that I could do, and the banks weren't going to help. And for me, that's something that I have to regroup for myself to, again, provide for my family and rebuild.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: And, you know, T.J., this is that other side of the foreclosure crisis, two couples in very different situations, facing this crisis. And we want to show you this, because this is something that is increasing right now across the country.

California, a place where it's happening a lot. Nevada, Florida, other places like that.

As for the man you just heard at the end of the piece, Josh -- well, the husband there -- what happened in their situation is the short seller fell through. The house went back on the market.

It sold in one day. But sort of the silver lining to this is that they're going to get to stay in their house through Christmas. And then they're going to move in with his parents.

Their plan had been, when the market was strong, to build their parents a house on their property. But it shows you just how much times can change -- T.J.

HOLMES: Right. And so many stories out there like that. Important for us to see those.

Poppy, we appreciate you. Thank you so much.

HARLOW: You got it.

HOLMES: Well, we're coming up on about 20 minutes past the hour.

It is that time of year, the busiest time of year for Santa Claus. Well, one Santa just got fired. He got fired for something he told adults who had actually come to see him.

He told a joke. You'll hear the joke. And you judge for yourself if that was enough to cost Santa his job.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: All right. He was known for his raunchy live performances, and that is what got him in trouble. Almost 40 years ago, Jim Morrison, the lead singer for the rock group The Doors, was convicted of indecent exposure in Florida. As the state's governor tries for a pardon now for the crime, Morrison's widow has stepped in to object.

Here now is CNN's Susan Candiotti.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(MUSIC)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Rock 'n' roll legend Jim Morrison, nicknamed "The Lizard King," would he want a pardon for his controversial 1969 performance in Miami?

PATRICIA MORRISON, JIM MORRISON'S WIDOW: I think he would reject this completely out of hand. He would just say, you know, no thanks. I can't be bothered.

CANDIOTTI: Morrison's widow, writer/novelist, Patricia Kennealy- Morrison, was in court and says the whole thing is ridiculous.

MORRISON: I just think it's a complete travesty of justice.

CANDIOTTI (on camera): What did he think of the charges?

MORRISON: He thought they were basically a political setup, and I think he was absolutely quite right to think so.

CANDIOTTI: A political setup by whom?

MORRISON: Oh, yes. By the establishment, trying to get at the counterculture.

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): During the trial, the sultry rock star talked about his performance?

JIM MORRISON, THE DOORS: Well, in the realm of art and theater, I do think that there should be complete freedom for the artist and performer.

CANDIOTTI: Despite a conviction, it remains unclear whether he exposed himself.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jim, do you have anything to say?

P. MORRISON: Despite the fact that there were 10,000 people in the hall that night, the funny thing, no one has a picture of the actual exposure of The Lizard King's lizard.

CANDIOTTI: No stranger to controversy, on "The Ed Sullivan Show," The Doors famously refused to change their lyrics from --

J. MORRISON (singing): Girl, we couldn't get much higher.

CANDIOTTI: -- "to get much better".

Outgoing Florida Governor Charlie Crist is spearheading the pardon.

GOV. CHARLIE CRIST (R), FLORIDA: It's never a bad idea to try to right a wrong.

CANDIOTTI: Patricia Morrison wrote to Crist.

(on camera): You didn't mince words in this e-mail.

P. MORRISON: I seldom do. What's the point?

CANDIOTTI: If I can read some quotes --

P. MORRISON: Please.

CANDIOTTI: -- you said, "He would hate, loathe, detest and despise the whole idea. No doubt he would rip the pardon into tiny pieces. He did nothing to be pardoned for. Nothing."

P. MORRISON: Quite right. If the conviction could be expunged, I would be happier about it.

CRIST: I'm sympathetic and understand. I believe what she is trying to communicate. What I do know is that if someone hasn't committed a crime, that should be recognized.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: All right. Let me bring in Susan Candiotti now.

And Susan, I've got a weird look on my face here. Why is the governor so passionate about this?

CANDIOTTI: He's -- because he's a huge fan of The Doors, as a lot of people are. And he said someone came to him with this idea a couple years ago, a reporter, actually, and asked him whether he was going to consider a pardon.

And so he said that's when he started looking into it, had his people compile a file for him. He studied it and he said, you know, when I look at it here, there just doesn't seem to be enough evidence here to have warranted a conviction.

So then you might ask, well, why didn't he ask to expunge the record, as Patricia Morrison mentions? Well, there's a different agency that handles that, and someone who have to suggest that.

The governor didn't. Certainly someone else who knows him, a family member, someone else, anyone could suggest it. So maybe that would eventually happen.

The bottom line, they haven't taken the vote yet. We're waiting for it at any time now. And when we get word on it, we'll let you know.

HOLMES: Well, we know you will. A very curious story there. Let's see how this one works out. Susan Candiotti, we appreciate you bringing that to us. Thanks so much.

Well, coming up, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid may be pressing ahead with a Senate vote that could end the repeal of the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy on gay service members. That story coming up.

Stick around.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: The bottom of the hour now. We'll give you a look at the stories making headlines.

You're seeing pictures of some angry protests taking place in London. Angry students clashing with police over plans to triple college tuition fees. The protests outside Parliament, where lawmakers are debating the plan. Expecting a vote at any time.

Also, Senate majority leader Harry Reid pressing ahead with a vote today on whether to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays in the military. Supporters of the repeal say it will likely fail if the vote is today. Some progress was made last night in talks to get Republican senator Susan Collins to vote for the measure. Collins wants to wait until after the tax cut vote to take up "don't ask, don't tell."

Meanwhile, a new warning about the dangers of smoking. A surgeon general's report says exposure to tobacco smoke, even occasional smoking or secondhand smoke causes immediate damage to your body. And it can lead to serious illness or death.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: So, say you want into a smoking - a smoky bar. You're not smoking but other people are. Just inhaling that smoke in that bar can immediately cause damage, especially to the lining of your blood vessels. And a lot of people don't know this. They think that it takes time, that these things happen over time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: WikiLeaks supporters declaring war on the Web. Hackers who are sympathetic to the plight of the secret leaking Web site WikiLeaks are taking their fight online. A group of hackers calling themselves Anonymous have hit the Swedish government's Web site as well as those for Sarah Palin's political action committee, Visa and also MasterCard's Web site.

Atika Shubert, live for us from London. Have the attacks stopped? Do they have this under control now?

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: No, they have not stopped. In fact, Anonymous has a new target in its sights, PayPal. PayPal, of course, along with Visa and MasterCard, actually throws WikiLeaks accounts, making it very difficult for supporters to donate directly to WikiLeaks. And as a result, Anonymous says they are going to attempt to attack these sites.

Visa and MasterCard have already been brought down temporarily. It's now all about PayPal. And that could cause major disruption if they are able to bring down the payment system of PayPal. That could cause some serious damage for online commerce.

HOLMES: All right. Let me go back to Visa and MasterCard. A lot of people have those in their wallets. Is this going to affect the consumer in one way or another necessarily?

SHUBERT: No. MasterCard says it does not affect anyone who's using a MasterCard. It doesn't affect the transactions. And so far, they have not been able to affect the payment system that's online.

But that may only be temporarily. Anonymous -- I was able to speak with some of the hackers in Anonymous, and they say they will certainly try to push forward these kinds of attacks.

So far, however, they don't quite have enough power to do that. But what's interesting about these kinds of attacks is it doesn't just have to be this circle of hacktivists, as they call themselves. They can also if volunteers give them IP addresses, even if you've never had any experience with this, if you volunteer your IP address to Anonymous, they can then use that to power these attacks. So, the more people they get involved, the bigger and wider the attacks will become.

HOLMES: And Atika, back up a little bit there. You said you talked to some of these hackers from Anonymous? Are they willing to talk and get their message out and do they seem like, if you will, reasonable people who are really trying to get a particular message out? Who are these folks?

SHUBERT: They are -- you can talk to them on Internet chat rooms, essentially. They are willing to talk. It's interesting, it wasn't just a two-way conversation. There were really four or five people jumping in, none of them identified. All of them say they are Anonymous.

But basically they say -- they compared it to a protest. For example, a strike that stops, you know, production, for example. They used the exam of striking farmers in France, for example. They basically want to make a point and make sure that gets across. And once they feel that point has been made, then they'll call off these attacks.

The problem, of course, is that Anonymous has no leadership. So, there's nobody exactly calling these attacks, and tells them when to stop. So, you're never quite sure when it's going to begin and when it's going to end. And this could go on for some time.

HOLMES: All right. Atika Shubert for us. We appreciate you, as always. Thanks so much. Turn to a picture here. Is this a place you'd like to be right now? Ah! Live picture from the beaches of Jacksonville, Florida. But you might want to put on your sweats before you go out to this beach. Yes, it's beautiful. Ain't exactly warm. Ain't exactly beach weather.

Chad's coming up next. Stick around.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: All right. Thirty-five minutes past the hour now. Chad, officially winter starts when? The official start is, what, a couple weeks away?

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Still a couple of week.

HOLMES: Couple of weeks!

MYERS: Yes. My son said, when is winter over? I go, it hasn't started. Sorry, man. It's just way too cold!

You got married on a beach in summer, didn't you? Don't you love beaches?

HOLMES: Well, honeymoon was on the beach. But I love beaches. That looks like a place I would like to be right now.

MYERS: There's just something wrong with that picture.

HOLMES: Nothing's wrong with that picture! That's gorgeous!

MYERS: The lack of people.

HOLMES: Oh, OK.

MYERS: And you know why.

(WEATHER REPORT)

MYERS: You know what they're moving into in Antarctica?

HOLMES: What?

MYERS: They're moving into summer. You want to see what summer looks like --

HOLMES: What does summer look like? Like the beach, right?

MYERS: No. This is what a 290-foot cruise ship looks like going from Antarctica to Argentina. Do you like cruising?

HOLMES: I do.

MYERS: Do you like cruising in this? Look at the bow wave. The bow wave came over so hard, it hit the engine, basically, hit the control room up in front of the boat, and the engines were out for a while, because there was so much water in the electronics.

This is a boat here -- the National Geographic took these pictures. Wait till you see this. I just want to let this run. Wait until you see, this boat is rocking. People are laughing. Well, the casino was probably still open. Yes, and you were playing with the guy's chips next to you as the waves went back and forth and back and forth.

Hard to see from that shot. It'll go for a while, but I don't want to take too much time. Go online to CNN.com or just go ahead and Google "cruise ship" and click on news. That's a ship that I don't want to be on.

HOLMES: Nobody does. All right. Chad, we appreciate it as always, buddy.

We'll take a quick break. Chad and I will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Forty minutes past the hour now. Welcome back to the CNN NEWSROOM.

Listen to this news. Lindsay Lohan is going back to rehab. Not the kind you're thinking right now. Possibly image rehab, we're talking about.

Let me bring in A.J. Hammer, "Showbiz Tonight" host. A.J. Hammer. A.J., good to see you, as always. This is one way to do it, I guess. You get yourself back in front of a large audience, and we're talking now possibly "Dancing With The Stars" for her?

A.J. HAMMER, CO-HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Yes, she gets exercise in on the deal, too. A lot of people, T.J., think this would be a great move if Lindsay were to cha-cha her way back into the public eye. Now, "Radar Online" is the one reporting Lindsay is in secret talks to compete on "Dancing With The Stars" next season. We have reached out to both Lohan and the show to confirm the story. Neither side has gotten back to us.

But I think doing the show for her, it makes a lot of sense, not just for PR. It would obviously put her in a very structured environment, which is obviously a good thing after she gets out of her court-ordered drug rehab at the Betty Ford Clinic. She gets some cash in the bank. And the show would certainly get a lot of buzz by casting her.

But this isn't the first time the story has surfaced. There were reports floating around in August which linked Lohan to the series. She obviously wasn't able or ready to do the show at the time. Another report online said there's nothing to the story, and the show doesn't want Lohan involved. Obviously, we'll have to wait to see, T.J. I think if the show can get her, they're going to take her.

HOLMES: All right. Well, it could be a win-win possibly for her and for the show as well. And so many of these shows, they have to get some buzz. They've been on for a while. So, you have to get people excited. "American Idol" is one of those shows trying to build some buzz. What's the latest about their upcoming season?

HAMMER: Yes, a lot of people are saying the show needs all the help it can get. One of the new twists of course, for the new season of "American Idol," which is about to start, the new panel of judges. We're just now getting our very first look at how Jennifer Lopez is handling her new role as a judge in the show. It's in these new promos for "American Idol." Take a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENNIFER LOPEZ, SINGER AND ACTRESS: We know this. We've been in your position. We understand how you feel. Have fun. And believe in your destiny. Just do your thing, OK?

ANNOUNCER: This January, it's a whole new season --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: So, I'm getting a sympathetic vibe from J.Lo there based on that clip. Looks like she may be the encouraging judge, kind of like Paula Abdul was.

And aside from the new judges, another twist. "American Idol" is reportedly going to let us behind the scenes a little bit more this season. "The Hollywood Reporter" saying the last 12 contestants could actually live in front of the camera in the same house together, making it kind of like a "Real World" meets "American Idol" deal. A little drama involved there.

The contestants are expected to have their own Twitter accounts and interact with fans this season. That would be something new, T.J. A lot of people, yes, are saying this is exact live the shot in the arm this show may need if it wants to continue to have the kind of success it's had. It's been around a long time now.

HOLMES: Yes, I can't remember how long it's been on. It's a long way from Kelly Clarkson. But who would have to be the mean judge? If she's going to be the sympathetic, J.Lo, they have to have a mean judge in there, don't they?

HAMMER: Well, listen, I look to Steven Tyler to keep things very real. I also always look to Randy Jackson also to do that. But Tyler, you know, a lot of people are questioning his decision to do this show at all. A lot of his big-time fans, my stage manager included, don't want him doing this show. So, I'm interested to see his performance.

Maybe he's going to be the guy who's going to be a little, I don't want to say mean, but perhaps a little more harshly straight to the point.

(LAUGHTER)

HOLMES: We'll just call it mean. Harshly straight to the point, that's awfully nice.

A.J., good to see you. Thanks, buddy. Good to see you.

Of course, if you want more information, information on everything breaking in the entertainment world, of course, A.J., he's got it. This evening, "Showbiz Tonight," 5:00 and 11:00 on HLN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Tuition might be going up three-fold in Great Britain. You're seeing the live pictures of protests we have been watching for the past several hours. They've been protesting today because a vote was anticipated in parliament that would essentially raise the cap on how much universities there in Great Britain could charge for tuition. It would raise it from about $4,700 to about $14,000. That would be the cap. Well, parliament has voted. And we have gotten word that they have, in fact, approved raising the cap on those fees.

Now, this does not mean automatically that all tuition goes up at all universities automatically. No. But what this does, it allows the universities to, in fact, raise it -- raise the tuition up some three times if they want to. So a lot of people fear that, in fact, that is what's going to happen. A lot of universities are going to go that route and students have been protesting and protesting loudly. And their voices were heard, but what they wanted was not followed by parliament. So, in fact, they have voted in parliament just minutes ago to raise, or to at least raise the cap on the fees in tuition at universities there. We'll continue to keep a close eye.

We are hearing -- for our political update now -- getting word that members of the Westboro Baptist Church, the church that's been known for picketing the funerals of American soldiers who have been killed overseas -- you've seen some of those protests and the stories out there -- we're hearing now that they're planning to picket the funeral of Elizabeth Edwards. Our Jessica Yellin is part of "The Best Political Team on Television." She is at the political desk.

And, you know, Jessica, we -- the First Amendment, freedom of speech, that is one thing.

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right.

HOLMES: And we all appreciate it in this country. But it kind of hurts your heart to hear that this could possibly be taking place.

YELLIN: That's so well put, T.J., and it's really upsetting, is the only word to use. When you look at the website of the Westboro Baptist Church and see -- or the release that they put out and see what they're saying about Mrs. Edwards, it's just some horrifying comments.

As you mentioned, this is an organization that has been declared legal to protest at military funerals, especially against gay soldiers who served publicly, who serve in the military. On -- in the Mrs. Edwards case, it's a little hard to understand why they would protest her. But basically it seems to come down to the fact that after her son Wade died and she spoke about her grief, she often questioned God. How could God let this happen? And because of those comments, it would seem, they are going after her at this event on Saturday where she will be remembered. Of course, we are all going to focus on the family and friends who are remembering her and her amazing legacy of grit and strength. And for also speaking so openly about grief, which so many other people do appreciate.

HOLMES: Yes, hopefully this won't take too much attention away from what the day is supposed to be about.

YELLIN: Yes.

HOLMES: For her, her family, and, really, a lot of people around the country who admired Elizabeth Edwards.

Also, Jessica, one more thing here. We've got some folks on Capitol Hill wanting to spend less time at work. That's a great idea.

YELLIN: Right, I'm with it -- I' for it, too. Of course, they're not going to put it that way. So the incoming Republican leadership in the House of Representatives, now that they're in the majority, they can control the schedule. And they've just made it clear that instead of working the whole month, what they're going to do is have two weeks on in Washington and take the third week home in their districts.

Now, they'll say that, of course, they're still working, and they are when they're home in their districts, meeting with constituents, going to events, listening to voters. That is work. But the funny thing is, T.J., they used to complain about Democrats' schedules, saying that they didn't work long enough because they took off parts of Mondays and Fridays. So I think we should push for that schedule here at CNN.

HOLMES: My goodness.

YELLIN: Two days we're on air, the third day we just talk to sources. Do you like that?

HOLMES: That is my schedule, actually, Jessica.

YELLIN: Sweet!

HOLMES: You didn't know. Yes, I work from home all the time. All the time.

YELLIN: Nice. I want that deal.

HOLMES: Jessica, good to see you, as always, dear lady.

And our next political update coming your way in one hour. For the latest, of course, political news, cnnpolitics.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, if it's hot on the web, we are watching it for you right now. In particular, Sandra Endo is watching it for you right now. She is in Washington today with what's trending.

Sandra, good to see you, as always. And always good to hear about people with a lot of money giving it away.

SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right. And this is a story trending today. And, T.J., you better listen up because I know you have a lot of cash. How about forking over --

HOLMES: You do not know me well, Sandra.

ENDO: Well, how about forking over most of your wealth to charity. Come on, it's a good cause. Well, FaceBook founder Mark Zuckerberg is one of more than a dozen billionaires newly vowing to make that commitment to The Giving Pledge. It's a group founded by billionaire Warren Buffett and Microsoft chief Bill Gates and his wife Melinda. Now, you can see a full list of the new donors here on their website, thegivingpledge.org. And these are a list of people making that commitment and pledge.

And also joining the prestigious group this year, investor Carl Icahn, former junk bond investor Michael Milken, and America Online founder Steve Case. So the 57-member group is committed to giving away most of their wealth, either during or after their lifetime, to charities of their choice.

Now, the billionaire, 26-year-old Zuckerberg says in a statement, "people wait until late in their career to give back. But why wait when there is so much to be done." So a prestigious group there, T.J. You can get in on that.

HOLMES: Oh, you know what, it's never -- no matter what, we can all give. You don't have to have billions, quite frankly. Sure, they have more that they can give and throw around, but I think it's sending a good message for everybody.

ENDO: That's right.

And one more story trending real quickly. We are talking about fans of Howard Stern. Well, they finally got the news that he will be on Sirius XM Radio for another five years. And this is a story trending on Twitter today.

Now, for months, the shock jock has been telling his listeners that his contract was up, he didn't know if he was going to be back. But he signed a deal. He says he'll be back for five years. We don't know the details of the contract. But, you know, in 2004, T.J., he signed a contract for $500 million.

HOLMES: Oh, so who knows what this one might be worth. And he does have a legion of very loyal followers.

We appreciate you following what's hot out there. Sandra, good to see you, dear lady.

ENDO: You got it. HOLMES: All right. Well, he gave up a shot at his dream. All he wanted to do was play in the NFL. Well, the phone rang one day. He got the call to go to the NFL. You know what his answer was? No. We'll explain why he wanted to hold on to his day job.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: All right. If it's been your dream since you were a kid to play in the NFL, would you give up your day job for a chance to play in the NFL? Sounds like an easy answer.

Well, not for that young man. That's Keith Fitzhugh. The injury- riddled New Jets, you know, they had some issues. They need some players right now. They called him and invited him to return to the team this week. When I say return, he actually was on their practice squad earlier, didn't make the team though. He said, thanks for the call, but no thank you. I talked to him last hour about this decision he made.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: The New York Jets called you not too long ago. When was that phone call?

KEITH FITZHUGH, DECLINED OFFER TO RETURN TO NFL: Tuesday morning.

HOLMES: On Tuesday morning. What did they say to you?

FITZHUGH: (INAUDIBLE). What flight can you catch? Can you catch the 2:00 flight?

HOLMES: And your answer was?

FITZHUGH: Hold on, I need a little time to get in touch with my job.

HOLMES: What did they say about giving you a little time?

FITZHUGH: They gave me approximately like 30 minutes and --

HOLMES: Thirty minutes?

FITZHUGH: And the phone calls kept on coming in and out. You know, I'm a new employee with Norfolk Southern and I wanted to be professional with my job and get in touch with them and see if I could take a leave of absence, but, you know, it was just -- everything was happening so fast. You know, they kept on calling and calling. I had to make the decision for me, my family at the time and just do what was best for me and my company also, because I also know that I have a job to do with them also.

HOLMES: All right, let me back up a little bit here. Played college ball at Mississippi State. You got to play with -- you were active with the Ravens and on the Jets practice squad.

FITZHUGH: Right. HOLMES: So you dabbled in the NFL a little bit already?

FITZHUGH: Right.

HOLMES: Now you're with this company now. Did you still have hopes of being in the NFL at some point?

FITZHUGH: It's always -- it's always -- that was always my childhood dream and also driving trains was always my second childhood dream. And - also, the job in the transit was always my second dream. And, you know, the lord blessed me to be able to accomplish both of those dreams, you know? And some people have dreams that maybe they don't even get a chance to accomplish one of them.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Now, his company, Norfolk Southern, said they would have given him a leave of absence if he decided to go to the Jets. Right now, he's staying put. Great story.

ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: It is an excellent story.

HOLMES: Would you give up a dream to stay with us here at CNN? Or is this your dream, actually?

VELSHI: I've already given up my dream to stay here at CNN. As long as you're here, I'm here. T.J., you have a fantastic time and keep living that dream you're living. T.J. Holmes.