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Mark Madoff Found Dead in Manhattan Apartment; Richard Holbrooke in Critical Condition; Holiday Financial Advice From the Dolans; Remembering Elizabeth Edwards; Proper Holiday Tipping and Gift Ideas For the People Who Serve and Help Keep Things Running Every Day; Sam Adams Brewery Helping Small Businesses Start; Comedian Steve Harvey Talks Relationships

Aired December 11, 2010 - 15:00   ET

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

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Deborah Feyerick sitting in for Fredricka Whitfield. Welcome to CNN NEWSROOM.

We're following two developing stories this afternoon. The older son of convicted swindler Bernie Madoff, Mark has apparently committed suicide. Mark Madoff's death comes on the second anniversary of his notorious father's arrest.

And U.S. Special Envoy Richard Holbrooke is in critical condition after emergency heart surgery. Doctors at George Washington Hospital repaired a torn aorta.

We begin in Manhattan where police are examining the SoHo loft of Mark Madoff; his father in law discovered the body this morning hanging from a ceiling pipe. Let's get right to our Susan Candiotti live outside Madoff's apartment. Susan, what's developed over the last hour?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'll tell you, not too much, other than more and more people certainly as the day goes on are passing by and stopping to stare up at this apartment building where Mark Madoff's body was found. As you indicated, strangely enough this comes on the second anniversary of the arrest of Bernie Madoff two years ago for that Ponzi scheme.

Now back to what happened to Mark Madoff. It was a very stunning development. Apparently, he hanged himself from a pipe in a living room ceiling while his 2-year-old son was asleep in another room. Here's what police say happened, that before he died, Mark Madoff sent an e-mail to his wife who was not here, she's in Florida. And he said words to the effect of, someone should check on our son. At that point Mrs. Madoff from Florida called her father and he came over to the apartment, and that's when he made the discovery.

Mark Madoff as we said, hanging from the ceiling of the living room with a black dog's leash, belonging to the family pet around his neck. Now, the police spent several hours here at the scene before they allowed the medical examiner's office to remove Madoff's body from the apartment. And an autopsy will be performed tomorrow.

Again we have a statement now from the attorney representing Mark Madoff. And he says this. Mark Madoff took his own life today. This is a terrible and unnecessary tragedy. Mark was an innocent victim of his father's monstrous crime who succumbed to two years of unrelenting pressure from false accusations and innuendo. We are all deeply saddened by this shocking turn of events. One of many questions we have, Deborah is was a suicide note left behind? We don't know the answer to that question.

I will tell you this, as people continue to stream by here and check things out. I want to pan up to the apartment building. Mark Madoff and his wife and 2-year-old son lived on the fourth floor. They took up the entire floor. That's where police had been conducting their investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death. Was he depressed? Good question.

Certainly he's been slapped with two very serious civil lawsuits. One filed just a couple years ago and one filed on December 8th, just a few days ago. That one going after him for millions and millions of dollars, not only him but his brother as well as Bernie Madoff's brother. Bernie Madoff of course is serving a life sentence in federal prison. We have no confirmation as of yet as to whether he's been informed of his son's apparent suicide -- Deborah.

FEYERICK: Susan thank you so much. And we did actually just a short while ago get a message from the Bureau of Prisons. They say that it is their practice to immediately notify an inmate any time there's a death in their family. From that we presume that in fact Bernie Madoff has been notified. Mark Madoff had tried getting a job as a trader after the scandal broke; he was not able to do that. He was looking to try to develop some iPad apps, clearly a very difficult time for him. Especially with this latest lawsuit.

Now veteran U.S. diplomat Richard Holbrooke is in critical condition after surgery this morning to repair a torn aorta. He fell ill yesterday during a meeting with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Holbrooke, who is 69, is this country's special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan. His long diplomatic career involves brokering the agreement that brought peace to Bosnia.

Let's bring in CNN's Jill Dougherty she joins us on the phone. Jill what are we learning?

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Well Deb the latest is that he had been joined by family. They have been there all morning. And as you said, still in critical condition.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was seen by a CNN crew visiting the hospital this morning. And if you look back at the history of Ambassador Holbrooke. He really is one of the top notch diplomats of the United States. Certainly, a key member of Hillary Clinton's team.

And it comes at a time that he's involved as others are in the policy review on Afghanistan. Which is expected next week, it's been a very intense time. And over the past two years, an intense thing for this diplomat who really created that strategy that the U.S. and the administration are following.

So, at this point, not too much new, but certainly hopes from all the diplomatic community. I've been speaking with a number of ambassadors and people who are in the Foreign Service who are all saying that this is a real star. And they're hoping that he will be OK.

FEYERICK: It's interesting, Jill, because we spoke earlier with the Pakistani ambassador to the United States who's saying in his meeting with Ambassador Holbrooke on Friday that in fact he was determined, that he was really working to broker a good situation in Pakistan. Is there any sense that this is a setback to whatever review the White House may come out within the next couple days?

DOUGHERTY: The review is almost wrapped up. Really, when you look at the architecture of how they wanted to approach Afghanistan and Pakistan. Ambassador Holbrooke is the person who came up with that conceptual idea that you link them in the sense that they are part of one overriding challenge in issues.

So in that sense he's really key. And he was -- he is key -- has been in terms of visiting the region, reaching out to people. You mentioned Mr. Haqqani. He knows everybody in that region knows them very well and has often hiked up into mountainous areas trying to assess the situation and advice the president and Secretary Clinton on how to do this.

FEYERICK: The ambassador said that everyone in Pakistan also sending their best regards for a speedy recovery. Jill Dougherty, thank you so much. We'll check in with you a little later.

In Eastern Afghanistan, at least seven people are dead. An Afghan official says the victims were civilian construction workers killed by mistake during a joint NATO Afghan military operation. He says the joint forces were hunting down a militant linked to a recent suicide bomb attack at a nearby military base.

Meanwhile, fighting in north and south Afghanistan left several people wounded.

Take a look at these live tower cam pictures from Minneapolis. We're watching a powerful winter storm slamming the Midwest, bringing freezing temperatures and strong gusty winds. Whiteout conditions as you can see there. More than a foot or more of snow could fall on Minnesota's twin cities before it's over. Even for the winter harden Minnesotans; this storm is triggering cancellations and a run on grocery stores. Jacqui Jeras is tracking the storm; we're going to join her a little later this hour.

Looking for something to give this holiday that will actually help somebody? Our personal finance experts have a few ideas. Get ready to jot them down.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) FEYERICK: At this time year, a lot of people are looking for gifts that will actually make a difference in someone's life. Need some ideas? Well our personal and admirable finance experts Ken and Daria Dolan have a few. So good to see you both. First of all, how are you?

KEN DOLAN, PERSONAL FINANCE EXPERT: Good, how are you?

FEYERICK: I'm great. Thank you. We're thinking about schools, everybody's going to college, there's a lot of talk about that, how do you help somebody in that situation?

K. DOLAN: That's a great start. Before we do that, I want to say one thing. The importance of money gifts is the fact that more than 13 million Americans are still paying their bills from last year. And a lot of what we bought is up there on eBay. We're saying, let's do stuff that really makes sense, like maybe funding college.

DARIA DOLAN, PERSONAL FINANCE EXPERT: Exactly. The 529 plans are certainly a very good way to get your toe in there and to help somebody. Help finance that college education.

K. DOLAN: Every state in America has basically -- every state has what they call a 529 plan. It's mostly for parents and grandparents to contribute. Anybody can, if you have a friend or a neighbor or a child. Put a few bucks in their 529 plan. Go to saving for college.com. It has a listing of all the plans in America. What a great thing to do.

FEYERICK: That can really make a difference. You put in $50 or $75 and that adds up over the course of a couple years.

K. DOLAN: No doubt about it Deb and it grows with good investing.

D. DOLAN: There's other great gifts as well.

FEYERICK: OK. So, for example, what's another one? Helping people organize their finances. That's pretty key at this time?

K. DOLAN: Organize.

D. DOLAN: I tell you, somebody might open it up and think you just presented them with the skunk at the church picnic, but they'll appreciate it going-forward. For example, "The Quick and Deluxe 2011 edition." It's about 40 bucks online at Amazon. The fact of the matter is this little handy dandy quicken deluxe will help you set your savings goals, your budgeting goals.

K. DOLAN: Pay your bills on time.

D. DOLAN: Give you alerts so that you pay your bills on time, you won't be late with your bills. It gets your whole life right there in front of you, so you know what you're doing.

K. DOLAN: And it's that time of the year, Deb and that is turbo tax.

D. DOLAN: I don't know if I'd go that far for Christmas.

K. DOLAN: Well, can I do this?

FEYERICK: Yes, ho, ho, ho, Ken.

K. DOLAN: I know, it's a tough time of the year to be talking taxes, but Turbo Tax Deluxe 2011 is a very good idea too.

FEYERICK: What about books? People thinking about books, books maybe on college, investing, savings, what about that?

K. DOLAN: Yes.

D. DOLAN: Yes, I -- for somebody that you have in your family who has a child getting ready to go off to college. You could give them no better gift this year than our friend's book that gets updated every year, "Paying for College without Going Broke." The 2011 edition is out, it is available on Amazon. It gives you so many strategies for ways to finance that college education. It can be for a very cheap price on the book, it's going to be worth thousands to the person you gift it to.

K. DOLAN: Get a copy of it, it's the best. It is the bible.

Also, "One up on Wall Street" by my college friend we graduated from Boston College together, Peter Lynch. "One up on Wall Street." Basically how to use what you already know to make money in the market. Very good primer for anybody who's interested in investing, anybody.

FEYERICK: If there still is an interest in investing these days. What about stock? Speaking of which, my segue; you also talk about stocks, teaching people. I think that's instrumental, especially to young people or people who have their first jobs. Buying a stock, helping develop their interests and their intelligence.

K. DOLAN: That's a good question.

D. DOLAN: And exactly and what better way. Let me tell you something, kids are great stock pickers, they know where the trends are, they know what's hot and what isn't.

There's a wonderful website called Firstshare.com where you can buy one share of stock. You as the grandparent or as the parent can say to your child you're going to go on this website, it's a small annual fee to be a member there. You're going to pick a stock that you would like to own. We're going to follow it, and we'll buy you that first share right here on the website. And you can check it out from there.

K. DOLAN: Great education. One share of stock, it would be a proratic concerning as you relate to the price of the share, really expensive. Firstshare is the way to do it. FEYERICK: Now I know you also suggest the American Eagle silver proof coin but I want to ask you one other question, and that is you have also suggested helping people with debt, and that's personal, but it could really be poignant if somebody's having trouble with a bill or something. What do you suggest?

D. DOLAN: Well, first off, know the person to whom you're going to make this offer, because you don't want to give a check -- hand over a check and then find out that they didn't use it to relieve that debt, but rather went out shopping again. So what you want to do is know your person. But it certainly can be, look, I know you've lost your job, it may be a little difficult.

Instead of me giving you a gift this year, and certainly I don't need one from you, how about if I give you something toward paying your mortgage. Paying your car payment? Paying off a credit card balance. Something to give them a hand rather than make them beholden to have to repay in kind with another gift of equal value.

K. DOLAN: Taking a little pressure off somebody during a difficult time of the year in a very difficult year. Deb.

FEYERICK: Absolutely. That's what it's about.

Well Ken and Daria Dolan, so good. You guys are getting younger, you look fabulous. Thank you so much. I hope to see you real soon.

K. DOLAN: Happy holidays, Deb.

D. DOLAN: Santa's bringing you glasses, Deb.

FEYERICK: You know, it's so funny, I thought you were being serious, because I do need them. Thank you so much. There are all those gift cards, don't forget those. For help getting the best deals on them, check out Dolans.com.

A look at this week's best viral videos. Josh what do we have today?

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I have a new Christmas duet by two big stars who you would not expect would ever put out a song.

Plus, I got a cat's daring jump and this -- take a look here. 3- d mapping on a building in Dallas to advertise a major movie. I'll tell you all about it coming up in "Viral Video Rewind."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: Well Josh Levs a look at hot viral videos that are exploding online. You're going to have to wait for that.

First a quick check of top stories moving at this hour.

Mexican armed forces have killed an alleged Mexican drug lord. Authorities say Huzari Gonzalez (ph) was the founder and leader of a violent drug cartel. He was gunned down after two days of shootouts. Investigators say Gonzalez called himself the savior of the people and used religion to recruit criminals. Three cartel members were killed, three others were captured.

An American convicted of murdering her college roommate in Italy says the court made a huge mistake. Amanda Knox pleaded with the judge for 15 minutes during her appeals trial today. Knox was sentenced last year to 26 years in prison for killing her roommate Meredith Kircher while studying abroad in Italy.

Sarah Palin is in Haiti today traveling with evangelist Franklin Graham and his relief organization. The former Alaska governor's visit comes in the midst of a devastating cholera outbreak that has killed more than two thousand people and infected nearly a 100,000 more. The humanitarian delegation will stop at a cholera clinic to deliver holiday gifts to children there.

A new twist on a Christmas classic tops today's viral video. Josh Levs joins us with that.

LEVS: It's kind of two classics in one. This is pretty cool. This is a duet. You wouldn't expect it to be from these guys. They're doing this against of peace on earth and little drummer boy that was made famous once by Bing Crosby and David Bowie who did it together in the '70s.

Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pray my wish will come true for my child and your child too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FEYERICK: Jack Black is one of the funniest people I know. I loved him in "School of Rock." I loved him in "Kung Fu Panda." I'm actually chomping at the bit for the sequel. They did a good job at this. It's like South Park meets --

LEVS: It's like the South Park type animation. It's a really nice holiday song.

FEYERICK: Absolutely. And he has that famous stance where he likes to spreads.

LEVS: I think you could do a silhouette of Jack Black and you would know its Jack Black. No one stands like that.

I showed you before the break; take a look at this building here, this huge 3-d image. It's 3-d mapping. In this case it was done as advertisement for the movie "The Tourist" in Dallas, 80 feet by 80 feet. It's kind of like laser projection, but video mapping is its own thing. This was created by a group called TDP. It looks 3-D.

FEYERICK: They're projecting on to the building, is that what that is? LEVS: Basically. The video is mapped on to the building. Every time I see one of these, I'm amazed at what they can create.

FEYERICK: They have cameras across the way?

LEVS: Yes. They held a party where people see it.

FEYERICK: I was not invited to that party. And I really wanted to. I like Johnny Depp. I'm still waiting.

LEVS: Next we have something from the world of sports. A lot of times these things go viral. A high school girls' basketball game. This half court shot at the very last second wins it. And have you to hear the announcer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's tipped, Schaffer has it. Haas throws it up. Wow!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FEYERICK: It's like watching a soccer match.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was plenty of time on the clock. That one's good.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEVS: Point guard by the way was Jacqueline Haas who made the winning throw with just 1.1 seconds on the clock. She says she couldn't believe that she made it; it was a lot of fun. The video now everyone's watching online.

FEYERICK: I love those shots.

LEVS: It goes right in.

FEYERICK: That's awesome, can you say Hail Mary for basketball or is it just football?

LEVS: I don't believe it's traditional. I knew exactly what you meant so it's fine.

FEYERICK: Did I get my point across? What else do we have?

LEVS: We have the quick clips for you. First we have this cat way up high who -- go ahead, take a look at this wire. I believe it's a phone wire. It's just hanging out. There's a crew ready to go up there and help it get down. These people are watching. Once the people are up there to help the cat. Then he says no thanks. Jumps down 30 feet, totally fine. He landed safely. They do always land.

FEYERICK: What's going through the cat's mind? He's afraid of the guy, but not the colossal leap to the ground.

LEVS: No.

FEYERICK: That's why he's a cat.

LEVS: He's obviously here to help you. But they're so independent.

FEYERICK: What did he think he was doing, delivering lunch? Seriously. OK.

LEVS: No, thanks, I don't want any.

We're going to end with this. The adorable kitten hugging a teddy, every week there's an adorable video.

FEYERICK: What a couple.

LEVS: He's hugging his little teddy bear. Everyone's going crazy about that. Let's skip to the next one. Salsa dog.

FEYERICK: Him I love. He's got some good moves that pup.

LEVS: And the last adorable one, kid learns to drink from a hose. It's almost too much adorability.

FEYERICK: Dad, you said this would work. This does not taste like Poland Springs, that's what the kid is thinking.

LEVS: All the good spring water. We are raising kids to be like that, aren't we?

FEYERICK: Yes, a little bit.

LEVS: You and I both have kids; we have to make sure they don't turn out like that.

FEYERICK: That's exactly right; I'm going home and getting the hose.

LEVS: I take all the videos I just showed you and I put them on my Facebook page. So Facebook.com/joshlevscnn. Go there right now and while you are there tell me your favorites we will have some of those right here for you tomorrow.

FEYERICK: Josh thanks a million, lots of fun.

Well tipping can be tricky over the holidays. Who should you tip and exactly how much should you give? The answer is coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: A moving celebration and tribute service in Raleigh, North Carolina, today for the late Elizabeth Edwards. Friends, family members and those inspired by her showed their respects at her funeral. Edwards died Tuesday after a battle with breast cancer. Her daughter, Catherine, or Cate, eulogized Edwards, sharing some of her fondest memories.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CATE EDWARDS, ELIZABETH EDWARDS' DAUGHTER: As everyone's mentioned, she had an incredible sense of humor. I don't think anyone can doubt that who met her. She was feisty and she was witty. She always had the ability to make fun of herself and laugh at herself. She was smart as a whip, but tried to never hold that over anyone -- well, unless she was right and they were wrong.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FEYERICK: And Cate Edwards also calling her mother "a source of light to us."

Marty Savidge is outside the church -- Marty.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Deborah, as you heard, you know, Cate giving that eulogy there was extremely moving, very, very powerful, because if you will remember back in 1996 -- and this goes to the tragedy that the family has endured over the years -- her brother, Wade, was killed in an automobile accident, Elizabeth's son.

And she delivered the eulogy back then in this very same church. She said the difference between then and now is, of course, back then, she had her mother to help and comfort her and help her through that difficult time. She, of course, does not have her mother today.

But she also went on to say that her mother had gone to great lengths with the family, in preparing for her death, in letting them know exactly how she felt, and that she comforted them even as she lost her ability to speak. That was Elizabeth to the very, very end.

There were a lot of members here from politics, Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, who in 2004 picked Elizabeth's husband, John Edwards, to be his vice presidential running mate. But there were also many people here that came from worlds away from politics, drawn not because of Democratic or Republican, but drawn by Elizabeth herself. She was such an inspiration, the way she dealt with the loss of her son, the way she dealt with cancer, the way she dealt with the wanderings of her husband. All of that was the reason that they felt so close to this woman and wanted to be there for her funeral.

It's now moved on to the private part of this ceremony. It's a graveside service. She will be laid to rest next to her son, Wade.

FEYERICK: Marty, you know, did you see John Edwards and the other children, Emma Claire and Jack, leaving the church? Did you -- how did they comport them -- because, again, the camera on their lives again at this really sad moment. How did they appear?

SAVIDGE: You know what, Deborah? I'm sorry. I can't hear your question. So I'm afraid I'm going to have to leave it there. I just don't have it from my earpiece. FEYERICK: OK, Marty Savidge, Martin Savidge joining us from the church at Elizabeth Edwards's funeral, thank you so much.

Now, you can almost hear the people shivering -- different story, the latest on the winter storm hammering a huge section of the country. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: If you're in business for yourself, you know all about taking chances. In this week's "Turnaround," Stephanie Elam looks at one woman's brewing passion for her business.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I met budding barista Lucy Valena in July 2009. She was determined to take her mobile espresso catering company from the cart to her very own corner coffee shop.

LUCY VALENA, VOLTAGE COFFEE AND ART: I'm just going to keep working at it. I'm not letting up. I'm not letting up, Boston! I don't care!

(LAUGHTER)

ELAM: And now, welcome to Voltage Coffee and Art in Cambridge's Kendall Square section. To make her dream a reality, she used her catering funds and worked at a second job at another coffee shop. Then Valena found a venture capital firm, Launch Capital, which gave her a $150,000 loan. By networking with her biz-savvy clients, Valena got help writing a business plan, finding a contractor and building her clientele.

VALENA: What's so cool about this place and how it became a brick-and-mortar location from a catering service is that I already had a name for myself before I even opened the door. Voltage coffee already meant something to people before we even opened. JIM KOCH, FOUNDER, SAMUEL ADAMS BREWERY: It's the first time I've been here.

VALENA: I know!

KOCH: Congratulations!

ELAM: Sam Adams founder Jim Koch is seeing how his help paid off.

KOCH: Wow. Welcome to small business! It's only an 84-hour week!

ELAM: Koch awarded Valena $4,000 to start her catering cart through the Sam Adams Brewing the American Dream program, which helps small food and beverage businesses get funding. He says he understands Valena's brewing passion. KOCH: Lucy is the quintessential turnaround. When I first met her, she was pushing a little cart around, catering, making little cups of coffee with a beautiful little flourish. She had a great idea. She had passion. And with just a little bit of a loan, she was able to make that dream this beautiful coffee shop.

ELAM: Now with one successful shop, she's hoping this is just the beginning.

(on camera): So basically, you still are not done with Boston?

VALENA: Absolutely not!

ELAM: Even though you know have your storefront.

VALENA: No, no, no, no, no. This is just the beginning, OK?

ELAM (voice-over): Stephanie Elam, CNN, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FEYERICK: All right, well, we have some solid advice coming up on how to tip during the holidays. But first, we're going to check our top stories.

A car explosion in Stockholm, Sweden, has killed one person and injured two others. It took place in an area crowded with holiday shoppers. Multiple explosions went off inside the car. A police spokesman says the car contained gas canisters, but would not speculate on what caused the blast. There was also a second explosion at another location about five minutes later.

Rallies in support of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange were scheduled in several cities around the world today. This one was held in Melbourne, Australia, Friday. A Spanish Web site that supports WikiLeaks -- WikiLeaks's cause urged protesters to gather in the capitals of Spain, Peru, Mexico, Argentina, the Netherlands and Colombia to demand Assange's release. Assange was jailed Tuesday on suspicion of sex crimes related (SIC) to WikiLeaks.

And a monster snowstorm is pounding -- pounding Minnesota and Wisconsin. This is a towercam shot from the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. The storm is causing white-out conditions in many areas. Officials are warning motorists to stay off the road, if possible. And following the storm, even more discomfort. The temperature is expected to plunge as low as 20 degrees below zero.

And 'tis the season to tip. Yes, it's that time when you're expected to give a little extra holiday cash to people in the service industries. So who are you supposed to tip, and just how much should you give? And this is something I wrestle with all the time.

Debra Shigley is the author of "The Go-Getter Girl's Guide: Get What You Want in Work and Life." Welcome, Debra.

DEBRA SHIGLEY, AUTHOR, "THE GO-GETTER GIRL'S GUIDE": Thank you.

FEYERICK: First of all, let's start with your hairdresser. A lot of women -- they get their hair cut. How much should they be tipping?

SHIGLEY: Well, around the holidays, you want to tip up, usually at least double your normal tip. So 50 percent is a good start. Maybe throw in a bottle of wine, homemade goodies, a gift card (INAUDIBLE)

FEYERICK: So it's interesting because I always thought it was twice the price of the haircut or the -- or the blow-out, but it's not.

SHIGLEY: Well --

FEYERICK: It's the (INAUDIBLE) of the tip.

SHIGLEY: The old rule is 100 percent of the service, but that's wide-ranging, especially if you're doing color or you're doing some other kind of service. So it's a little more flexible nowadays. Talking with hairdressers, they say the custom -- it really has changed, 50 percent is about right.

FEYERICK: OK. So let's go -- what about your -- if you have a housekeeper or somebody who comes once a week, somebody who comes five times a week, how do you determine that?

SHIGLEY: Well, generally, it depends a bit on your relationship with the housekeeper. Sometimes it's part of the family, sometimes it's more of a cleaning service. General rule, 50 to 100 percent of the cost of the cleaning, wouldn't go below $25 no matter what, though.

FEYERICK: OK. All right. Because, obviously, this person's going to continue to come to your house.

SHIGLEY: Right.

FEYERICK: You don't want any bad blood.

SHIGLEY: Right.

FEYERICK: You have to think of -- you have to keep that in mind, as well.

SHIGLEY: Right, showing your appreciation.

FEYERICK: And your respect.

SHIGLEY: Yes.

FEYERICK: OK, so what about postman, doorman, valets, people you pass (ph), people who increase the quality of your life? How much do you give? SHIGLEY: Right. So under postal service laws, basically, you can't give more than a gift worth $20. So you can do a gift card. You can't do cash. But you want to do something below $20.

For doormen, it varies a little bit per the city. If you're in a big city like New York, bare minimum, 20 bucks. And tip up a little bit because you don't want to be stingy with the doorman. You might notice your packages don't arrive as quickly. All those different things do happen. So again, don't be stingy, $20 at least for them.

FEYERICK: OK. And is it -- and again, is it -- do you tip on seniority, for example? Like, the doorman compared to, like, let's say, an elevator man or somebody who handles packages?

SHIGLEY: Right.

FEYERICK: Is it seniority or is it positioning?

SHIGLEY: It's seniority and it's also the amount of contact you have with that person. So if there's a regular doorman who's always there when you're home, they get more money than the person you see maybe just once a week.

FEYERICK: OK. Obviously, nanny, day care, people who are caring for your kids!

SHIGLEY: Yes, yes.

FEYERICK: (INAUDIBLE) your kids to be.

SHIGLEY: Yes. Exactly. Well, with the nannies, it's pretty straightforward, one week's salary at least. And there's not a lot of wiggle room. Nannies pretty much expect that nowadays. With day care providers, you do have a little more flexibility, at least $25 per each day care provider because many day cares have several different people that care for your kids.

And another tip is to consider adding with another couple of families at the day care to give a larger denomination because that's always great if you can give $100 or $200.

FEYERICK: Somebody who I know used to know gave fruitcakes. But I think in this day and age, you really -- can you give baked goods? Can you slip in some baked goods and lower the cost of your tip, or is that just not -- not done?

SHIGLEY: You know, I mean, if you -- if it's -- I think if it's really a cute and good-tasting baked good, then it's great to give in addition. You always want also give a handwritten thank you card is very meaningful, as well, with any of these tips we're talking about.

FEYERICK: What about school teachers? Because that's a big one, too.

SHIGLEY: Right. So usually, there's some kind of policy at the school. There may be a sort of unwritten policy, even if there's a written policy, so be mindful of what other parents are actually giving, as well. Generally, $30 and under is appropriate. And do a gift card instead of, like, a mug with candy because teachers have plenty of those right now.

FEYERICK: Exactly.

(CROSSTALK)

FEYERICK: And it's interesting, especially given the recession, the amount in the end that everyone's tipping -- do some people expect maybe a little bit less or conservative or maybe -- you know, are people aware of that when they expect tips these days?

SHIGLEY: Yes, but you also have to think about, you know, the people that work in the service industry, they expect tips during the holidays. It's kind of part of their yearly salary. So people are more understanding, but give what you can, and especially the people that are closest to your family, your nanny, your housekeeper, anybody like that, show your generosity this time of year.

FEYERICK: And what about waiters, waitresses, baristas, like, if you go to the same Starbucks every week (INAUDIBLE) Should you be tipping them?

SHIGLEY: Yes.

FEYERICK: Something?

SHIGLEY: Definitely during the holidays, tip up. Maybe add 5 or 10 percent to what you normally tip. So tip 25 or 30 percent instead of your normal 20 percent. And put some folding money in the barista's jar. It's nice to give something extra this time of year.

FEYERICK: And whatever you do, do not give a coffee card as a gift --

(LAUGHTER)

SHIGLEY: Yes!

FEYERICK: (INAUDIBLE) working at Starbucks.

SHIGLEY: They probably get free coffee anyway.

FEYERICK: That's exactly right. And scones (ph). Debra Shigley, thank you so much.

SHIGLEY: Thank you.

FEYERICK: I have your book. I'm looking forward to reading it. Thank you.

Well, comedian Steve Harvey gives it to women straight in his newest book. Deciphering what a man really means in a "Face to Face With Fredricka Whitfield." Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: Well, a monster snowstorm is pounding Minnesota and Wisconsin. It is cold out there. Nobody can drive on the roads, or if you are, you're really taking your life in your hands. Jacqui Jeras in the weather center -- this is a tough one! winter is finally here!

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. Definitely. This is a major winter storm that we're talking about. Yes, travel is not advised. There are some interstates that are closed. It's kind of spotty, but the upper Midwest is really, really wicked.

We're going to start out by showing you some pictures of what's going on in Minneapolis-St. Paul. This is a live picture from our affiliate, Kara Levin (ph) there, where the temperature's in the 20s, but the wind chill index only 4 right now, winds gusting at 33 miles per hour, visibility about a tenth of a mile. So we're very near blizzard conditions here. The snow's going to taper off by tomorrow. But the high, 5, feeling like 20 to 30 degrees below zero.

Des Moines, it's no better for you. Let's show you a towercam in that area, where there's a blizzard warning in effect until 9:00 o'clock tomorrow morning. Your snow's going to be less here in Des Moines, maybe 5 to 8 inches, but we could see gusts 40 to 60 miles per hour. So we're concerned not just about travel, but we could have some power outages, and with plummeting temperatures to go along with that. That is certainly a major concern.

Here are some of the snowfall totals that we've seen so far. As of last night, more than a foot in Shakopee, Minnesota. That's a suburb of the Twin Cities. Nearly 13, as well, in Bloomington. Minneapolis itself 11.7, 11 Menominee, Wisconsin, and Eau Claire at about 8.2.

Let's show you where that system is right now. And this thing is kind of lingering a little bit. It's kind of a slow mover. And it's going to be gliding off to the east here. You can see the wraparound, or that little curlicue here. That's where our main area of low pressure is. And so everything on the south side here is going to be rain. So Chicago, for example, maybe a little freezing rain here, changing to rain before we start to get some of that snow tomorrow. And those winds are going to continue to be a very big concern in the area, as well.

Let's take a look. Des Moines, 23 miles per hour. Around 30-ish in Omaha, as well as in Sioux Falls. And there you can see the temperatures from Milwaukee and Chicago not quite cold enough yet to start seeing that freezing precipitation, but it's on the way for tonight. So you guys have a little bit of time to do what you need to do and get outside before you have to stay in then, certainly for the night.

How much snowfall accumulation are we talking? Well, we could see maybe another five inches on top of what you've already seen in parts of Minnesota. Here you can see where the heaviest accumulation is going to be in northern Iowa, southern Minnesota, on into northwestern parts of Wisconsin. You can see the amounts lesser down here toward Chicago, a little more as you head into northern Indiana because of lake effect snow on the back side of this system.

And for the most part, the northeastern quarter is going to get off pretty easy, at least in terms of snowfall accumulations because that low's going to track a little further on up to the north. So most of your precip is going to be rain here before you get that back side with the snow and the wind. But very little accumulation can be expected for those big cities in the Northeast, so a little bit of good news for you there.

Bitter cold temperatures, 15 to 30 degrees below average behind this system. And Deborah, that cold air will continue to advance southward throughout the week, and we could be talking about freezing temperatures again in places like Florida by the middle of the week.

FEYERICK: And 20 below -- I mean, that is scary cold.

(CROSSTALK)

JERAS: Yes, like, five minutes outside, and you could be having frostbite.

FEYERICK: Right. And those poor kids who are wishing, like, today was Monday.

JERAS: It's the weekend!

(CROSSTALK)

FEYERICK: -- -snow day, right?

JERAS: Yes, we'll see if it holds out until Monday. You know, the problem is, is that even though the snow is going to stop, those winds will still be really strong, so that's going to blow the snow right back over some of those streets.

FEYERICK: OK. Well, good luck to all those folks who've got to shovel out. Well -- thanks so much, Jacqui.

Many of you in relationships can understand this. Men and women seem to speak different languages at times. Well, comedian Steve Harvey has some sage advice in his newest book, "Straight Talk, No Chaser." In "Face to Face," Harvey gives it straight to Fredricka Whitfield.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Funny man Steve Harvey just wanted to be a comedian. He never expected his career would evolve from stand-up to radio and talk show host many times over, and relationship guru. But after being inundated by many of his seven million radio listeners about relationship questions, he found a new calling.

After a giant success from his first book, called "Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man," with nearly 2.5 million copies sold worldwide, he's out with a sequel. "Face to Face," Harvey tells me "Straight Talk, No Chaser" is also written for women to help understand men's actions and words.

STEVE HARVEY, ENTERTAINER/AUTHOR: See, a man answers a question three ways, and you've got to get to the third way to get to the truth. The first thing he's going to tell you is -- the first answer he gives you is what makes him look the best. That's the first answer he's going to give you. The second level of answer he's going to give you, he's going to tell you what he thinks you want to hear.

Now, after a man has told you what makes him look best, once he's answered the question in a way that he thinks you want to hear, there's nothing left but the truth. You've got to get to the third level of questioning. Stop asking a guy -- and I give examples in the book, but stop asking a guy one thing and then dropping it.

WHITFIELD: You've got to probe.

HARVEY: You've got to go deeper to get to the truth. See, in the first book, "Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man," you just got to keep the lady thing going. Look, you all are sexy. You're very cunning. You're (INAUDIBLE) Use that femininity to hold tight (ph). We're stupid. We're stupid. We really are. We're very simple. We're going to yield to the femininity. And if you keep it, you know, you're so striking -- Tell me, how do you feel about kids? OK, now, he's going to tell you an answer that makes him look best. Then women go, Wow, he loves kids. He and I can have babies together. No, he just told you an answer that made him look good.

Then you've got to go a little bit deeper and say, But, like, if you were with someone, like if you and I, how would you feel about having children? Then his next level is, he's going to give you an answer that he thinks you want to hear. I think that would be great. I think two people in love should have children, blah, blah, blah, blah.

OK, now, you've heard what makes him look best and you've heard what you wanted to hear. Now you're through. Now you think you've met the perfect guy. You are going to go off and raise kids. He never once told you he wanted kids. He never once told you when he wanted kids. He never told you that he saw kids for himself. He never said any of that.

WHITFIELD: Or that it would be with you.

HARVEY: And he really never told you that it would be you and him having a baby.

WHITFIELD: So then now you're saying you need --

HARVEY: If you and I were together and we were in love, how long do you think it would be before you and I should have children? You ain't got nowhere to go with this answer.

(LAUGHTER) FEYERICK: Because I don't have an answer (INAUDIBLE)

HARVEY: You have nowhere to go with this answer. But guess what? That's not nagging. You have every right as a woman to know this. You're the one got to carry the child. So why are you walking around, playing this game here that you don't care, it doesn't matter to you, you know?

WHITFIELD: More "Face to Face With Fredricka" and Steve Harvey. If you're among the seven million listeners to "Steve Harvey Morning Show," you hang on every word in the strawberry (ph) letter. Why it's so popular.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FEYERICK: Lots to listen to.

Well, the Alaska Senate race has taken a decisive turn. We'll tell you what an Alaskan court has ruled and what it likely means for Tea Party supporter Joe Miller.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: Time for a "CNN Equals Politics" update. We're keeping an eye on all the latest headlines at the CNNPolitics.com desk. Here's what's crossing right now.

A judge in Alaska has ruled against Senate candidate Joe Miller. Miller had asked the court to toss out all misspelled write-in ballots in his race against incumbent, write-in candidate Lisa Murkowski. Election officials are now asking a federal judge to lift a stay so that they can certify Senator Murkowski as the winner.

And White House press secretary Robert Gibbs predicts the Senate will ratify a new arms control treaty with Russia by the end of the year. Three Senate Republicans declared their support for the treaty yesterday.

Former (SIC) Bill Clinton backs President Obama on the controversial deal to extend the Bush tax cuts. Both made that clear in an unexpected joint appearance when the two presidents walked into the White House press room together.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAM J. CLINTON, 42CD PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In my opinion, this is a good bill, and I hope that my fellow Democrats will support it. I thank the Republican leaders for agreeing to include things that were important to the president. There's never a perfect bipartisan bill in the eyes of a partisan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FEYERICK: Never known for his brevity when he was president, Clinton had more to say. He was still going 10 minutes later, when President Obama had to leave. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Here's what I'll say, is I've been keeping the first lady waiting for about half an hour. So I'm going to take off, but --

CLINTON: I don't want to make her mad. Please go.

OBAMA: You're in good hands, and Gibbs will call "last question."

CLINTON: Yes. Help me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FEYERICK: Well, you never want to keep the first lady waiting. Clinton did stay behind to answer questions ranging from Mr. Obama's political standing to the nation's deficit.