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Senate to Vote on Tax Package Today; School board Discusses Shooting; Reynolds, Johansson Split; Larry King Bids Farewell; Statue of Liberty Decoded
Aired December 16, 2010 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: To stand up and form this wall, players in an illegal area, so the guy who was supposed to be the get- back coach when things go wrong is now the get-up-here coach.
(LAUGHTER)
HARRIS: I got to go, man.
(CROSSTALK)
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Before you go, it says the sports (INAUDIBLE) is a game.
HARRIS: It's hard. That's what it is.
HOLMES: OK.
(LAUGHTER)
HARRIS: That's what it is.
HOLMES: Just ask the tape.
HARRIS: Just ask.
HOLMES: As always, Tony. We'll see him in one hour, Tony is coming back of course top of the hour next hour.
And Tony Harris, always good to see you, my man.
But here we are, top of the hour here. It's 10:00 on the East Coast, 7:00 a.m. out West. Wherever you may be, we are glad you are right here. I'm T.J. Holmes sitting in today for Kyra Phillips.
Here are some of the stories that we are talking about this morning, including Britain's high court granting bail to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
The ruling supports a lower court decision that he could be freed on bond. He's not out just yet, though. Well, just waiting for the money to exchange hands, if you will. Swedish prosecutors want to question, of course, Assange about sexual allegations unrelated to his WikiLeaks Web site. Also, it was s rough morning commute for a lot of folks in the eastern part of the U.S. A mix of snow and ice from the upper plains to the Deep South. Icy roads blamed now for dozens and dozens and dozens of accidents in Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia as well.
Also a TV meteorologist is off the air and facing charges. New York Police say Heidi Jones, which you're seeing here, lied to them about an attempted sexual assault. They say she's now admitted to lying but she won't say why she did. Her bosses at WABC have suspended her.
It is crunch time on Capitol Hill. The clock is ticking. This morning the House is taking up the Bush era tax cuts. A lot of differences to overcome here, even more issues to tackle. The big issues having to do with your money, of course.
Also the military, even national security, at one of the most passionate debates yesterday was over working through the holidays.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JON KYL (R), MINORITY WHIP: It is impossible to do all of the things that the majority leader laid out without doing -- frankly without disrespecting the institution and without disrespecting one of the two holiest of holidays for Christians.
SEN. HARRY REID (D), MAJORITY LEADER: I don't think any of us -- I don't need to hear the sanctimonious lectures of Senator Kyl and DeMint to remind me of what Christmas means.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, they fight over everything else, might as well fight over Christmas.
Here's a laundry list of the issues. The White House could -- the House, I should say, the House could vote today on extending the Bush era tax cuts. The Senate to begin debate on the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. The House has already approved repealing the ban on gays and lesbians serving openly.
Also today the Senate begins formal debate on ratifying that new START treaty with Russia. The reduction of nuclear arms is considered one of President Obama's top priorities.
Let's head to Capitol Hill now. Our congressional correspondent Brianna Keilar keeping track of things for us.
All right, is the House all set? When are they going to get going this morning?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, the headliner in all of this, and all these things that Congress is trying to get done, T.J., right, is tax cuts, those Bush era tax cuts. And the House is set for a vote. We're expecting this to come this afternoon. And the first vote we're expecting is one that would change that compromise President Obama struck with Senate Republicans because a lot of liberal Democrats in the House don't like the estate tax provision of it. They feel like it's too generous and it's a giveaway to the wealthy, although Republicans say no, this allows things like businesses to be passed down generations without completely depleting the worth of them.
So we're expecting to see a tax -- or pardon me, a vote on that and then if it were to fail, because the outcome of that is uncertain, then we could just see a vote on the Senate bill, the Senate bill that passed the Senate overwhelmingly. And the question then, T.J., is, are some of these Democrats going to hold their nose and say, you know what I got it on the record saying I wanted to change it, I wasn't successful, and I can just go ahead and move this along.
But we are two weeks out now from these tax rates going up, two weeks out from unemployment benefits being or expiring for millions of Americans. And if this doesn't go through today, you're going to have a lot of people biting their nails, even though it's pretty hard to feel like Congress isn't actually going to go ahead and extend these tax rates before they leave for the holidays, T.J.
HOLMES: OK. And Brianna, we have it right. If it changes one bit in the House, Senate Republicans have threatened that this would kill the whole deal. So are they holding firm to that threat?
KEILAR: Yes, you know, we expect that they would. But let's say that it does change, here's the other option. If this changed bill were to be sent back to the Senate, what we might expect happen -- to happen would be senators, and not just Republicans, Democrats, too, over 80 of them who signed on to this in the Senate, would say, you know what?
We're not buying the changes you made. We're just sending you again back the same bill that we passed and then it would kind of just be this back and forth between the House.
That is one scenario that a lot of people up here think might be likely.
HOLMES: . OK. Is another scenario is for them to just leave, not get the work done, let the taxes go up January 1, you get the new Republican House in place come next year, and they just enact the Bush era tax cuts and this compromise in the first place? Is that being talked about?
KEILAR: Well, no. No, and Republicans and Democrats aren't saying that, and the actual reason behind that is because Republicans want to get this done just as much as Democrats. They actually feel like they've gotten a pretty sweet deal out of this and that they're not going to be able to get as much as they want in the new Congress because they only control the House.
I know that it's pretty complicated stuff, right? But no one is talking about no getting this done, although it's really getting down to the wire.
HOLMES: Like you said, everybody is biting those nails up there. It's just they're cutting a little close right now for a lot of people's comfort.
Brianna Keilar, we appreciate you as always. Thanks so much.
Well, at five minutes past the hour now. We've got some new concerns to tell you about with al Qaeda possibly planning suicide attacks in the U.S. and Europe. This holiday season, a U.S. official says that new intelligence they're getting is coming from captured insurgents.
You'll of course remember Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, that Nigerian man accused of trying to detonate a bomb aboard a Christmas Day flight to Detroit. But passengers and crewmembers subdued him after they said he tried to ignite an explosive device hidden in his underwear.
Today he's set to be arraigned on new charges specifically tied to terrorism.
Let's look closer at these newest concerns of these holiday threats. CNN national security contributor Fran Townsend joins us by phone now.
Fran, always good to talk to you. Is this something we all should just be accustomed to? We hear some kind of increased chatter or more threats around the holidays, but also people are -- this is really fresh on their minds from last Christmas?
FRANCES TOWNSEND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CONTRIBUTOR: No, that's right, T.J. And the thing that makes it concerning is that it's information coming from a captured insurgents in Iraq who have direct links to al Qaeda's command structure.
Now I will tell you, it seems to me as I have spoken to people in the intelligence and counterterrorism communities, they point to the fact, look, these threats have been building since late spring or early summer. We've been all over this, and in fact they increased screening procedures at airports.
Remember the controversy just before Thanksgiving. And so they say, look, we've seen this, we're concerned about it. It's not -- this is not new based on the holidays and so when we get this sort of information, we feel like we are prepared positions to counter any threat.
HOLMES: But, Fran, help us understand the information we're getting from an insurgent who's captured in Iraq versus getting the information through increased chatter.
I guess how much -- how much credibility is put on those two sources, as one considered quite frankly more credible than another?
TOWNSEND: Well, generally speaking, yes. You know chatter, that there's an increase in volume has rarely ever indicated it. We used to go back and study that. And so the increase in chatter, but if real intelligence, that is, if it's somebody who's got access to the information. The people who would make a decision. All of those go into how much credibility you give the source.
Now look, but al Qaeda has learned this, even in these failed attacks. They get a lot of attention, a lot of publicity, we spend a lot of money. And political capitalism one in loss. And so for them, even now, even small unsuccessful attacks have their benefits for them and that's what makes it much more difficult for law enforcement and intelligence authorities.
HOLMES: And finally here, Fran, what can the government do, certainly publicly they might come out and just tell us all to be more vigilant, even more vigilant than they've already asked to already be, but behind the scenes what's certainly going on right now as we move closer and closer to the Christmas holiday?
TOWNSEND: No question the government is in the interagency process, FBI, CIA, Department of Homeland Security, sharing information, trying to understand, are there any specific and credible threats. May have a -- you may have credible information but no specifics.
They're certainly looking for that. I think travelers should expect -- you know, all these enhanced procedures, you may see them randomly applied. That is, you know, at one checkpoint they're asking for your boarding pass and at another checkpoint they're asking for your boarding pass and driver's license.
Sometimes they do that not because they're not confident, but because they don't let the bad guys and maybe trying to get through and be able to gain their system. And so they change it up. And I think people need to leave enough time when they travel.
HOLMES: All right. Fran Townsend, we appreciate you as always. Thank you so much, enjoy the rest of your day.
Want to turn to the weather now. Parts of the country, have you seen ? Just icy. As we know what happens when the ice gets out there on the roads, people have a tough time controlling those vehicles. That was certain the case with the frozen streets and pileups. Fender benders all around the Atlanta area.
In Kentucky, as well, pretty dangerous as well. Slick, you're seeing both Atlanta and Kentucky here in some of these pictures, if you're making your way across icy streets and sidewalks this morning, you certainly are not alone.
Take a look at this picture, which Rob Marciano will break down for me a little more. But just showing it to you. You get the idea there but Rob, you're keeping an eye on what's happening out there right now.
A lot of places got hit overnight. Are some places still need to be on the lookout for icy conditions right now? ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, this is all moving to the east as you saw in that radar picture there, T.J. Places like Louisville, places like Atlanta that really were iced over this morning, are beginning to see things improving. In some cases, because temperatures are rising, but another case just like here in Louisville, because a lot of the moisture has moved on to the east, but not before it's -- left a layer of ice across parts of the roadways and sidewalks here.
Still not able to get above freezing in Louisville. So thankfully, most of the precip has moved off to the east.
Here's what it looked like when we woke up this morning. The salt trucks and the plows were out in full force. Treating the roads that in many cases were already pretreated. Sidewalks, as well. The sidewalks, the railings, the grassy surfaces, the side streets, still frozen over.
And we still have ice building up on some of the tree limbs. And that was really the main concern here. So far we haven't seen a lot of power outages because of falling tree limbs and that is what we were most worried about.
Atlanta, on the other hand, you know, they weren't really expecting a ton of freezing rain, but it doesn't take much. Just a little coating of ice across Atlanta metro, especially up in Cherokee County where hundreds of actions were reported around the Atlanta metro area last night and early this morning.
A rough, rough go but thankfully, things are melting rather rapidly now as temperatures rise above the freezing mark. There are still some slick spots out in North Georgia but we'll be on the improving side of things as we go through the afternoon.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MARCIANO: Here's the expected forecast for the next 24 hours, and again basically south of the Mason-Dixon line oddly enough is where you'll see most of the snow today.
Here's what it looks like -- all this stuff just coated all over the roadways and the sidewalks, still about a quarter of inch of ice here in Louisville, but luckily not upwards of a half an inch which will take down a lot trees, which we'll take down power lines. And that was the main concern here. So far so good in that respect. T.J.?
HOLMES: Rob, well, good to hear some good news in there.
Rob, we appreciate you as always, buddy, thanks so much.
Well, actor David Hasselhoff. Did you see him on "Dancing with the Stars"? Didn't go so well. Didn't go so well with his reality show. But he has landed a new TV gig. That's next in our showbiz update.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, push this out. No push this out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One, two, one, two.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Didn't I tell you to turn, Larry?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Larry, he's had a great gig. Can you believe, in 25 years, he's giving up the throne tonight? Tonight will be his last live show, but him leaving is actually opening up things for other folks.
Of course, the man's going to be taking over his time slot, Piers Morgan. He's from Britain's Got Talent. Now he's leaving that gig, that's leaving an opening for somebody else on that show, Britain's Got Talent.
"SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" host A.J hammer is here to tell us about that and also you got some other headlines in showbiz. A.J., good to see you as always, buddy.
A.J. HAMMER, HOST, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT: Good to see you, T.J. Yes - so really you have Larry King doing all kinds of good things for all kinds of people. He's probably not even aware of that, but we'll get to him in just a second.
First let talk David Arquette, you know, what's been going with him after several public confessions about his separation from Courtney Cox and a few very wild weekends of post-breakup partying, David Arquette is admitting he has a drinking problem.
The actor was on Howard Stern's radio show yesterday. He said he is just heartbroken. He's been using alcohol as a way to cope with the trauma of his split from Courtney. He says his psychologist believes Arquette is having a nervous breakdown.
Now during this interview with Stern, Arquette admitted, quote, "Everybody's worried and concerned about me. I've been drinking a lot. It's really a personal traumatic thing. When I drink, I become a maniac."
Ever since he and Courtney announced their trial separation back in October, Arquette has been regularly been seen out drinking. Just a few weeks ago on his own Twitter page, he was posting pictures of himself out on a wild weekend in Miami, just partying like a kid on spring break. You've seen a couple of them right here.
Arquette did tell Stern that he's realizing his alcohol use has gotten out of hand so he plans on not drinking for a long time. He and Courtney have been married for 11 years. They have a six-year-old daughter together and they are still officially on a trial separation. But I wish him the best. He's obviously in a lot of pain.
All right, moving on now to the Larry King effect, which leads us to David Hasselhoff and you can't keep the Hoff down. Now David's brand-new A & E reality show, it was cancelled after just two episodes, but the Hoff has a great new gig lined up.
The former Baywatch star has his new job on Britain's Got Talent because, of course, there was a vacancy at the judge's table after Piers Morgan left that show to work on his new job here at CNN.
Now a publicist for Hasselhoff has confirmed to "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" that Hoff is on board do judge the U.K. series and you got to remember, he has experience in the talent show judging arena. He was once a judge on "America's Got Talent" and now he'll be joining current judge Amanda Holden and Britain comedian Michael McIntyre who's another new addition to that show along with, of course, Simon Cowell who invited the Hoff to be a part it.
So T.J., I have to say. I'm happy to see the Hoff is not down on his luck after doing miserably on "Dancing with the Stars" and his brand new show on A&E. To my surprise, they didn't give him -- two episodes, it was gone. I'm glad to see he's got a gig.
HOLMES: It was a reality show? Why did they pull it after two gigs?
HAMMER: The ratings were terrible. They just didn't want to see it continue.
HOLMES: All right, well, the Hoff as you call him. That's pretty good. All right, A.J., good to see you as always, buddy. Thanks so much.
And of course if you want information on everything breaking in the entertainment world, A.J. is your guy. He's got it this evening on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" 5:00 and 11:00 on HLN.
We're asking this question, is the statue of liberty the lady we all really thought she was? Or does the lady hold a dark secret, a dark message that's right there in front of us, but we just can't see it? We have got some theories to throw out there, if you can believe it or not, we want to hear from Brad Meltzer. He's joining us next to decode some of America's most celebrated icons.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: There she is, Lady Liberty. Every time you see it, I mean what words come to your mind? You thinking about America, you think about liberty, you think about freedom, but maybe not?
Yes. There is an author and history expert out there by the name of Brad Meltzer. He's trying to find out if there's much more to the Statue of Liberty than meets the eye. Here's a clip from his History Channel show "Dakota." Check this out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BRAD MELTZER, HOST, "BRAD MELTZER'S DECODED": Some believe this lady is not what she appears to be. That her outward message cloaks a much darker meaning, a coded symbol meant for a chosen few.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: All right, Brad Meltzer joins us now. OK, if she's not who we think she is, Brad, tell us who's Lady Liberty?
MELTZER: Well, listen, if you want to ask me, a sane human being, it's one of the greatest symbols in America.
But if you go to Google right now, and you put in Statue Of Liberty and the word Satan of all things, you'll see all these pages, hundreds of pages come up saying that she has secret symbols that relate to Satan and she is somehow a secret, you know, Trojan horse of satanic messages.
And let's be clear, that is nonsense to me, but where does that story get started in. It doesn't just get made up out of a whole cloth so where does it come from. And on decoded, every week on history, we try to figure out the answer.
And tonight we actually do find the answer of what are the secret symbols because the amazing part is there are hidden symbols built into the Statue of Liberty, there is greater meaning in here structure, but it's not the meaning you think.
HOLMES: OK, give me the idea. What is some of that stuff like we've been kind of teasing here? Some of it in plain sight, we can all see it but maybe we don't realize what we're looking at?
MELTZER: Yes, exactly. When you look at the creator of the Statue Of Liberty, the head of the Statue Of Liberty is actually based on his mother, the body is based on his mistress. It's one of the greatest (INAUDIBLE) disasters of all time.
OK, but when you look at the symbolism, Bartoli who designed what she looks likes and the other three designers are all free masons. It doesn't mean that free masons are trying to eat your babies or trying to kill you. What it does mean is he's master builders put things that are important in there.
So for instance, there were seven spikes on the Statue of Liberty's crown. What does that seven stand for? There are 25 windows on the Statue of Liberty and there are numerologists who will tell you 25 is 2 plus 5.
You'll see tonight all the different seven ways that she's there. She's kind of a symbol to the number seven and to me one of the most fun things is the Statue Of Liberty is 151 feet and one inch stall.
The pedestal - the base that she's on is 305 feet and one-inch tall. Why is there always an extra inch hidden in the Statue of Liberty? It's a great question and you'll see tonight on decoded what the real answer is.
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HOLMES: A friend of mine who works for the National Parks Service when she was built with never meant to be seen from the inside. It wasn't meant to be a tourist attraction. She was meant to be seen from the outside. She was even a lighthouse at one point.
But you know what that means this to me. He said the Statue Of Liberty when she was built was never meant to be seen from the inside. She was meant to be seen from the outside. She was even a lighthouse at one point, but you know what that means?
I want to go inside, I want to go inside now, show me the inside of the statue. The structure inside resembles something you know really well. It was designed by a man named Eiffel. So there's all these great things that are hidden inside this great person.
Great things hidden in there and I know people can see the show this evening. But are people going to walk away from this thinking any less of the symbol of Liberty and America and justice that this thing has come to stand for?
MELTZER: Listen, not if I have anything to say about it. You will see tonight where that thing about Satan really does come from, and she's one of the greatest symbols of all time.
And you'll see tonight on decoded where it actually comes from. It's a mistranslation of all things, but, you know, we have the reason we love lady Liberty is that she's fantastic. We're not there to pick her down.
HOLMES: History Channel tonight, tell me the time.
MELTZER: It's history. It's 10:00 tonight on History Channel and it's 9:00 central. And you'll see, you know, to me the best part of history is history is a selection process and it doesn't just choose moments and men and put them together, it chooses all of us.
The question is do you hear its call? When you find out about history, you find out more about yourself, when you find out more about the Statue Of Liberty, you find out more about America and that's the best part ever.
HOLMES: Brent, we appreciate you. Very interesting stuff. Brent Meltzer, good to have you.
Well, how many people out there can say they just love, I mean truly love their job? After the break, survey results on the best places to work created by the employees themselves and we're going to ask, are these companies actually hiring? Maybe you could be a happy employee there as well.
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HOLMES: When you think about the best places to work, does your own employer come to mind? We have got some ratings here for you. CNN's Stephanie Elam is here with the new survey results. Please, do tell me, where are the best places to work?
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, T.J., it may not be surprising based on the kind of year they have had. But at the top of the list, according to a survey of employees - keep in mind, these are employees who are putting it on the survey -- Facebook is at the top of the list. They have had like a banner year. Everything's all good with Facebook there.
They're at the top of the best places to work, according to Glassdoor.com. Southwest Airlines, and then you've got Bain and Company, General Mills and Edelman.
So we decided to take a look at the top three to see what makes working there so great. So, with Facebook, the pros that these employees said? The job is all about cooperation, not competition. The food and the laundry is free. That's pretty cool. And the food apparently is also really good. And it also helps when you get great pay on top of it.
Now, the cons: everyone expects to change the world, there's long hours, although they're pretty much used to that. And then there's lots of meetings. So, that's something to keep in mind about Facebook. Obviously it's like the it place right now.
Southwest Airlines, the pro about that one, they're just different from the rest of the industry. They have a way more casual environment, best pay in the industry, and they're encouraged to have fun. And on top of it, they have 11 job openings. So, that's another good point for them, too.
And then Bain and Company, a business consulting firm. It's very prestigious. A lot of CEOs of other big companies started out there. They just have a very good network of teamwork, T.J.
HOLMES: Any of those folks hiring? You mentioned 11 jobs open I think, at Southwest. Not that I'm looking! But are any of these places hiring?
ELAM: Yes. They are, and even at Facebook, they have 245 positions open. You can find them right on the Web site. They're also opening a new facility in North Carolina, so that's another thing to keep in mind. But big companies looking for good, talented people.
HOLMES: All right. What's the deal with this dress code at UBS if you're going in for an interview?
ELAM: Yes. When you go to UBS, you might want to just keep in mind to keep your outfits together. They have a new rule of things that they want to wear at the Swiss bank that they're just rolling out in Switzerland. They testing it out.
But basically, here's the deal. For women, wear your jacket buttoned and unbuttoned when you're sitting down. Touch up your hair if you're regrowing it. And now showy accessories or trendy glasses. They have a lot of things. In fact, we should just try to talk about this another time. Because I know you've got to go, but it's pretty funny if you take a look at their list of things.
HOLMES: But something as simple as the jacket being buttoned or unbuttoned? That's a little picky.
ELAM: Yes. And Eeven down to making sure your socks go all the way up to your knees -
HOLMES: Oh, wow!
ELAM: There's a bunch of stuff. Don't show your underwear -
HOLMES: That's on there?
ELAM: There's no bare skin. No cuff links for men. There's a ton of stuff. So, it's really pretty interesting. So, we'll talk about it.
HOLMES: We will! Stephanie, thank you as always. Thanks so much.
Well, here we are at the bottom of the hour, about 10:30 here in the East, 7:30 out West.
In just about an hour, President Obama will talk about U.S. efforts against the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Expected to address progress that is both quote "fragile and reversible." U.S. still on track to bring some troops home next summer.
Also -
(COUGHS)
HOLMES: -- excuse me. Nearly a year after the infamous underwear bomber incident, word that al Qaeda is planning suicides attacks in the U.S. and Europe this holiday season. U.S. officials say word is coming from captured insurgents in Iraq. No specific threats against the U.S., how.
Also the number of people who filed for their first unemployment check dropped by 3,000 for the week. Wasn't expected. It was the second straight week the number actually went down.
We're hoping the job situation is going to change for a lot of folks. Including Jake Reznikow. Pink slip, more than a year and a half old. He is ready to be among the employed like so many others. He is our "30-Second Pitch" this week from Boston.
Jake, good to see you here, man. Is that right, you haven't had a full-time job in how long?
JAKE REZNIKOW, JOB SEEKER: It's about a year and a half, right now. I have had a couple of part-time jobs, but I'm still looking for that full-timer.
HOLMES: Now, what kind of part-time work you been doing?
REZNIKOW: I actually did the work for the census over the summer for about four months, and I have had a couple of sales positions. But other than that, I'm still looking for work in the finance industry.
HOLMES: Yes. What was your full-time gig, I guess what is your expertise?
(COUGHS)
HOLMES: Excuse me.
REZNIKOW: My most recent job, I was a mutual fund accountant working at a bank. So I love working with numbers. So, hopefully something in that arena.
HOLMES: I assume it's been a full-time job for you as well over the past year and a half looking for a full-time job. Have you been at it, hitting the payment pretty much every day?
REZNIKOW: Yes, have definitely been looking online, going to job fairs, networking events and things like that. As you said, it's a full-time job looking for a job.
HOLMES: Here we go with the clock. I know you're prepared, and when you start talking, we'll start the clock. So, please, everybody, this is Jake Reznikow. You give those potential employers out there your 30-second pitch.
REZNIKOW: OK, first of I would like to thank T.J. and CNN for having me here today. My name is Jake Resnikov, and I'm from the Boston area. I have a bachelor's degree in accounting. My most recent job was as a mutual fund accountant.
I love working with numbers, and have many years of sales experience. I am currently seeking a role as a financial analyst or similar position. However, I would definitely be willing to explore other options as well. So, if you're a company out there looking for a hard-working individual who always goes the extra mile to get the job done, look no further, because I'm your guy.
HOLMES: You are my guy today, Jake! That was very good. And you talked about the field you're looking in. Are those jobs few and far between right now especially in that field?
REZNIKOW: I would definitely say so. They say that for every one job out there, there's hundreds of applicants. So, you definitely have to make yourself stand out, and I'm trying to do that.
HOLMES: Well, Jake, we appreciate you taking the time out, coming in and giving us your pitch and sharing some of your experience. We had your information up on the bottom of the screen. Anybody wants it, you know how get a hold of you. We will make sure you get a hold of him.
Jake, good luck to you, buddy. Thanks so much for taking the time out.
REZNIKOW: Great! Thanks for having me here today, and have a great day.
HOLMES: If you are out of work and you want to possibly sell yourself to prospective employers, let us know. Send us your resume and a letter to 30secondpitch@CNN.com. Also, if you want our 30- Second Pitchers, go to the blog, CNN.com/kyra. Their info, emails are right there for you.
A lot of people doing their Christmas shopping online. Do you know how to protect yourself? This season can be a holiday for hackers. What you need to know to shop safely, coming up.
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HOLMES: All right, we're about 20 minutes from the top of the hour. And all week long, we have been focusing on the end of privacy. Today, we take a look at online holiday shopping. E-stores have raked in about $22 billion so far this holiday season. That's about a 12 percent jump from 2009.
But before you fill up that digital shopping cart, take a look at this. There are about 10 million identity thefts a year, and a growing number of those criminals are preying upon people online.
Hemu Nigam is an Internet security analyst in San Francisco. He is with us now. Thank you for being with us. We talked about how many identity thefts there are a year. Do we see a spike around the holidays?
HEMU NIGAM, FOUNDER AND CEO, SSP BLUE: Absolutely. Thanks for having me, T.J. If you think about it, Cyber Monday, recent statistics are telling us had over $1 billion in sales in one single day. That's a record. So, that tells us that people are going online. And whenever people go online, it's just like the real world. When you go shopping in major malls, the bad guys show up either to steal your wallet or steal your identity. So, we all have to be on guard.
HOLMES: You know, I talked to a security expert over the weekend. And you know what? We handed him one of our writers - one of our producers name and login and gave him an hour. And we were amazed at how much information he could come back with on the Internet.
And one thing he said was, you know what? There's really not much you can do to protect yourself. Is that true? How much can you really do?
NIGAM: Well, with all respect, I would disagree with that. We have to look at this from two perspectives: the companies that have your information and you yourself who chooses to give it to them. You think about the companies, even the last week alone, the hacks have happened on YouTube, Amazon, MasterCard, Visa. You name it. These are the fabric of America, if you think about it.
So, if you're a consumer at home watching, you have to look at this in a real world sense. When you look at your key chain, and I'm sure, T.J., you have your key chain and your producers say leave at it at the door because it jingles too much. Well, there's a separate key for your car, your house, your security deposit box. There's a separate key for your gym locker, for that matter. And your key chain gets bigger and bigger and bigger.
And when we're thinking about providing an e-mail address and a password, we have to think about our passwords in the same exact way, which is a different password, a different key for every site we visit. And I say this because if you get victimized, let's say on Amazon, that hacker now has your information on the 40 other sites you visited if you kept the same password. So, it's really up to you to control what can happen to you, and you don't want to make a mess out of your life because one site got hacked. You really got to think about this.
HOLMES: OK, so that's key there. Making sure you have different logins and passwords for all of these different sites you might visit. And then in regards to something like Visa and MasterCard, those sites that were hacked, if you use those Web sites and it's hacked, that's kind of out your hands at that point. Is there anything you could have done in logging on with your information on those sites to try to reduce the risk?
NIGAM: Yes, there is. What you could do -- it's actually not out of your hands in the sense that Visa, MasterCard, all of these companies have been put on notice by the hackers. If you can make a great headline and major corporations in America always make a great headline, it's worth it to talk about them on CNN and other shows. So, if you are one of those companies, you ought to be on red alert, you ought to be locking down your systems, protecting their usernames, protecting the passwords, encrypting them. So, that's number one. That responsibilities rest on the companies.
If you're at home, the responsibility is for you to think about whether or not you're going to allow the company to store your personal information. When you're shopping, it's so much easier to say, just pull-up my old info, don't worry about it, I left it for you. But if you're nervous, then think about whether or not you give them that right. And if you do want to give them that right, they need to earn it.
HOLMES: Well, that's a very good point, and a lot people probably don't think about. Hemu Nigam, that's why we have you here because you know this stuff and can bring us some perspective people can actually use.
We appreciate you, thanks so much. Enjoy your day out there in San Francisco.
NIGAM: Thanks for having me, T.J.
Well, coming up, we're talking about some folks who are making some decisions possibly about running for the White House. Also Newt Gingrich doing some campaigning? We'll explain. Stay here.
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HOLMES: Take a look here. Live picture. On top of the White House, snow coming down in Washington, D.C. right now. The work, as you know, continues in Washington as they're trying to figure out what to do about those Bush-era tax cuts. The House taking it up on Capitol Hill as we speak.
There could be some conservative payback for Republicans out there who voted for T.A.R.P. CNN political producer Peter Hamby has that and other political stories making the news this hour. Hey, there.
PETER HAMBY, CNN POLITICAL PRODUCER: Right, well the new (INAUDIBLE) spending bill, the $1.1 trillion spending bill before Congress right now, the new T.A.R.P. A lot of conservatives are really mad right now because included in that bill, $8 million - sorry, $8 billion -- in earmarks. The Club for Growth, the conservative group, a number of Tea Party groups are furious about it and they are vowing to primary challenge Republicans who vote for this bill.
Remember, these guys had a big impact in the 2010 election cycle. They could play in some 2012 races and swing the party against some incumbent Republicans if they vote for this bill.
Also on the ticker today, Mitch Daniels, tthe governor of Indiana, is setting a deadline for himself about running for president. He says he is going to make a decision by the end of April. That's when the legislative session in Indiana wraps up. Mitch Daniels is a fiscal conservative. A lot of establishment Republican insiders in D.C. really want him to run, but he's been really cagey about what he's going to do.
And finally today, Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker, has been not very cagey about his ambitions to possibly run for the White House. He's made a lot of noise in the past about running for president, but a lot of operatives, a lot of his rivals think he's serious about this time. And today he's in South Carolina speaking to the Spartanburg County GOP. Really making inroads with Republicans insiders there, which he'll need if he wants to win that pivotal primary state in 2012.
HOLMES: All right. Peter Hamby with our update this hour. We appreciate you as always, Peter.
We'll have our next political update in one hour. And of course, for the latest political news, you know the spot. CNNpolitics.com.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Over the past year, CNN has been following the lives of three U.S. soldiers from basic training to the battlefield. Today, we take you inside one unit in Afghanistan on a mission to gain the trust of the Afghan people. Our Jason Carroll reports. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On the move again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On the move again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. Enemy situation, last 24, a lot of IEDs, you anticipate the worse. Everybody tracking?
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): OK, right now, Sergeant Shorter and the rest of the men in his unit, you can see that's Frank Worten right there, are about to head outside the wire for the first time on foot patrol. So we're going along with them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, if you haven't done so, lock and load it. It's game time now.
CARROLL: Our first stop outside the wire on this particular day is a meeting with the village elders. But security is such that you really have to have troops surrounding you, in order just to get to this location.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I need shooters on this side. You need to have eyes on every direction possible.
CARROLL (voice-over): Inside, Shorter's superior officers are trying to build bridges with Afghan elders. Some are Taliban sympathizers. They're demanding the release of Afghan prisoners.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have six prisoners. There with you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know you guys are all vouching that they are innocent.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And we have more up there.
LT. CHIP EVANS, U.S. ARMY: We just don't randomly go and take them. Usually, there's a reason. Now, that doesn't mean that we're right all the time.
CARROLL (on camera): Did anything happen while we were inside? While you were outside?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, nothing significant, just a lot of traffic coming in. A lot of motorcycles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL: And an area just steps from Sergeant Shorter's base that you saw there, T.J., was later attacked by insurgents. The clips you just saw are from a one-hour documentary that we put together for you, expanding the series that you talked about that we've been running here on CNN. That documentary debuts this Saturday at 8:00. T.J., I know you've been following along, I hope you'll be able to watch either Saturday or Sunday night. I think you're going to see and learn a lot about the three people that we've been profiling there.
HOLMES: Jason, I absolutely will. I have been complimenting you from the moment you have done the first story with some of these soldiers. Absolutely phenomenal series. Looking forward to it. Glad you pieced it together for one full hour like that.
Jason, thanks so much and congratulations on a great series.
CARROLL: Thanks, T.J. Appreciate it.
HOLMES: Coming up, Larry King. His suspenders, in that signature set, actually signing off tonight for the final time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": My name is Larry King, and this is premiere edition of "LARRY KING LIVE." Every night at this time, we'll be here for one hour. We're going to meet fascinating people from all walks of life. We hope you enjoy this kind of alternative to primetime programming rather murder, mayhem, sex, violence. We'll bring you all of those, but disguised as talk with questions.
Boy, did that turn out to be true.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
ANNOUNCER: Welcome to "LARRY KING LIVE."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Larry King. The career, the iconic career. Can you believe it's coming to an end here on CNN tonight after 25 years? He's signing off for the final time. You're not going to miss it tonight, I know. Here's a look at some of the more memorable highlights.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LARRY KING, CNN HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": Good evening. My name is Larry King and this is the premier edition of "LARRY KING LIVE."
Every night at this time we'll be here for one hour. We're going to meet fascinating people from all walks of life.
You're a legend. I mean, you do know that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anybody could be really legend would be nobody, no normal people in the world.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Fame is almost impossible.
GEORGE BURNS, ACTOR: From here up, I'm fine. From here down I need makeup. PAUL MCCARTNEY, SINGER: Everybody going to dance around tonight --
ROBIN WILLIAMS, ACTOR: Larry, kiss me. Just do it now. Don't be afraid hold me. I love your nipples are hard.
KING: A struggling Jew.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So press your body, wait. No.
KING: Dance, dance whoa.
SNOOP DOGG, SINGER: I told you low to the floor.
KING: I'm low to the floor.
Want more children?
BRAD PITT, ACTOR: Oh, yes, yes, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're pointing glance right here man, right back there. When a dog eats it --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get away from me. Get off of me.
HEATHER MILLS, FORMER WIFE OF PAUL MCCARTNEY: Paul is going to get upset. You're touching my leg, Larry.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You must have conjured something in your head for you to come out and call me a murderer of my child.
BILL CROSBY, ACTOR: We went downhill carrying that coffin feeling like slaves and we're going uphill feeling like free people.
MARLON BRANDO, ACTOR: When the chapel bells ring out --
KING: I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse --
BRANDO: Darling. Good-bye.
KING: Good-bye.
CHRISTOPHER REEVES, ACTOR: Like an accident didn't help. And that wasn't road I would have pick but a lot of times things you know get picked for you.
JOHNNY CASH, ACTOR: Why should I be bitter? I'm thrilled to death with life.
MATTIE STEPANEK: Is peace possible? Can we do it? Why are we even trying?
TAMMY FAYE MESSNER: Jesus, Jesus. You know, the Bible says that his name is all powerful. That his name is above every name.
ELIZABETH EDWARDS, JOHN EDWARDS WIFE: Don't spend your time worrying about when it is you're going to die. Spend your time worrying about how it is you're going to live today.
STEVE IRWIN, ANIMAL PLANET: That's why I was put on this earth, to try to help conserve our trees, our wilderness, our oceans and our wildlife.
KING: Police radio are saying that Simpson, the passenger in the car, has a gun at his head.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I will not run as either a Democrat or a Republican.
GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I know, that's kind of a line you're trying to come across with. But either -- no. It's weak.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You said your sons --
BUSH: No that you guys never do anything but propaganda.
KING: Was there a holocaust?
MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD, PRESIDENT OF IRAN (through translator): You want to impose your viewpoint on me --
KING: No it's not a viewpoint it's a question.
RICHARD NIXON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, I've never been in the Watergate. So it's kind of hard --
KING: Never been in? Never in the --
NIXON: No. Other people where in that. Unfortunately.
KING: Still a Texas driver's license?
GEORGE H.W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Yes. You want to see it?
KING: Yes.
VIRGINIA CLINTON, BILL CLINTON'S MOTHER: I don't have a question. I have a statement, please.
KING: Go.
V. CLINTON: I want to say hello to my son Bill Clinton.
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Hi, mother.
MARGARET THATCHER, FORMER PRIME MINISTER OF U.K.: That's a strange question to ask.
KING: What happened with the submarine?
VLADIMIR PUTIN, PRIME MINISTER OF RUSSIA (through translator): It sunk. KING: Does it come with a curse of any kind?
ELIZABETH TAYLOR, ACTRESS: Oh, no. It comes with so much love.
KING: What's it like to kill someone?
If tears could build a stairway and memories a lane I'd walk right up to heaven and bring you home again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
JERMAINE JACKSON, BROTHER OF MICHAEL JACKSON: It is his creation, his idea. To come here and to feel him here. I'm happy.
KING: We'll also go live to Haiti showing you specifically what your donations mean.
For now, for here, it's time to hang up the nightly suspenders. And who knows what the future's going to bring?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And Larry King's final live hour tonight, 9:00 Eastern Time.
Where are you going to be 9:00 Eastern Time tonight?
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, yes, in front of that set watching Larry.
Umpteen years ago --
HOLMES: Yes?
HOLMES: -- I'm a young guy doing radio in Baltimore, Maryland. I was doing the morning show, and I used to get up in the morning, get to the morning show, and I would listen to Larry King's radio show on Mutual.
HOLMES: Wow.
HARRIS: What a career this guy -- what a career.
HOLMES: Are you all right? You look upset about it. Are you OK?
HARRIS: I'm OK with it. It's just -- it really is the end of an era, right?
HOLMES: It is. It's remarkable. We've got the new guy coming in next year. Piers Morgan is the name. That's just the new guy.
HARRIS: Yes. Yes. Right. New guy, right.
HOLMES: I'm just saying. But, yes, we've got to see. A surprise guest tonight.
HARRIS: Yes. I'm going to be on it. Are you going to be on it?
HOLMES: You want to just stay here and do this? Can we do this? I know they want you to start your show, but I don't get on TV with you much.
HARRIS: Take care. I'll call you later.
HOLMES: OK.
HARRIS: Some things to discuss.
