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Wintry Storm Pounds Country; WikiLeaks Founder Released From Jail; House Democrats Sour on Tax Cut Deal

Aired December 16, 2010 - 15:00   ET

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

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, let's going here, a couple major stories we're watching right now.

First of all, there is no compromise, at least not yet, I should say. House Democrats have taken the president's tax cut deal now off the table, at least for now. Remember, the clock is ticking. And it's coming down to the wire now for Congress to try to get something down, or else your taxes, my taxes, everybody's taxes are going to be going up come the 1st of next year.

In fact, there is some bitter back-and-forth going on about working through Christmas. We are live on the Hill with that.

Also, this: Lawmakers could be forced to be working anyway. Take a look at this. You see something that is a bit new there? Snow. It is a wintry mess across large parts of the country now, including our nation's capital. I'm talking ice, snow, frigid temperatures rocking the U.S. So, coming up, we will make sure you know all the latest new warnings. And we will show you some new video to prove this is just about everywhere.

But, first, the president of the United States here standing with his closest military and diplomatic advisers today talking war in Afghanistan. You know, today is the day this long-awaited report is released on the U.S. military strategy with regards to not just Afghanistan here, also Pakistan.

This is a five-page report that the president says he personally shared with the presidents of both countries.

So I want to bring in two people here, foreign affairs correspondent Jill Dougherty for us. And also all the way over in Islamabad, Pakistan, we have our Pentagon correspondent, Chris Lawrence.

Chris, I want you to hang tight there just for a minute for me, because, Jill, I want to begin with this.

The president really made this point today to try to accentuate the positive, saying essentially the strategy is working, yet the situation is precarious. Or I think his word was fragile.

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

It was really kind of, I would say, subdued. There was no triumphalism. The president wasn't there in the East Room saying we have won at all. In fact, it was really pretty nuts and bolts as he came in with his A-team crowding into that briefing room. And he said it's a very difficult endeavor. We're on track.

But that word kept popping up. And let's listen to how the president said it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Progress comes slowly and at a very high price in the lives of our men and women in uniform. In many places, the gains we have made are still fragile and reversible. But there is no question we are clearing more areas from Taliban control, and more Afghans are reclaiming their communities.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DOUGHERTY: Yes, so fragile and reversible. And that's really the theme that came out of here.

They do say that they have made some progress, but, in the same breath, Brooke, it is always fragile and reversible. And you would have to say the two things that president said that are important to do in Afghanistan, to get that government functioning and to provide services to the people, both politically and economically.

And then also with Pakistan, he said there has been some progress in convincing Pakistan that the real threat is the Taliban, but that much more had to be done. And, as he put it, progress hasn't come far enough and that they are telling them that this has to be dealt with.

BALDWIN: Right, and some of the relationships, some of the inroads they have made could easily be unwound.

Before we get to Pakistan, and I will talk to Chris about that, Jill, look, we're here in the holiday season. There are a lot of Americans who are missing husbands, wives, because they're serving currently in Afghanistan. So I have to get to that. What about the president's assertion that he's still on track with withdrawing our troops come July? Did the report confirm that that is still a go?

DOUGHERTY: Well, you have to look at the fine print on that, Brooke, because --

BALDWIN: Huh.

DOUGHERTY: -- it's beginning the drawdown. And it is, as they say, conditions-based.

In other words, if they get to July of next year and the conditions aren't right, they are not going to be withdrawing significant numbers. It is the beginning of the process. And the process is not even supposed to be completed under the best of circumstances until 2014. So there is no imminent type of marching out of Afghanistan very soon.

BALDWIN: Jill, stand by for me, because I want to bring in Chris Lawrence for us in Islamabad.

And, Chris, I want to bring up the point that the president said, obviously Pakistan very much a priority. He said he would be taking a trip to Pakistan some time next year.

What are you hearing there in Islamabad, what kind of reaction to this report? And why is it so important for the president to physically be there in person?

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, because he's going to try to keep making the case that the U.S. wants Pakistan to do more, to crack down on some of the militant safe havens, the terrorist safe havens right along the border where the militants are getting trained, they're making plans, they're getting rested and supplied, and then flowing back over into Afghanistan.

But, today, the Pakistani officials sort of pushed back on that and said, look, our army is already overstretched. And the defense minister said -- quote -- "We can't do more until we're able to, and it's got to be in our interests first."

So what is Pakistan's interest? Well, you have got a lot of the leadership here who still believes that India is still the more existential threat to the Pakistani state. They are also dealing with massive flood relief from millions of people displaced by the recent floods here and there are some elements of Pakistan security forces who still support some of the militants.

There is a feeling among some in Pakistan hedging their bets, so to speak, because if Afghanistan falls apart, if the NATO mission does not work, if the government fractures or splits apart, China and India could move in. Pakistan might want to hedge to sort of have an influence, have a way for their interests to be heard in that.

And those militants that are right along the border are their potential way to still have influence in Afghanistan.

BALDWIN: Chris, would it be fair to say, you know, Pakistan, from their perspective, it's very, very different from us here in the United States. As you mentioned, their -- their -- one of their priorities is the perceived threat from India, instead of, say, rooting out insurgents in Waziristan, for instance.

LAWRENCE: Exactly. And it's not just India. You have got -- you do have a certain leadership in Pakistan who do believe that militancy and the extremists in their country are the primary threat to the state, but different kind of threat.

They see the militants in Waziristan as something that only really affects Afghanistan. They flow over the border. They fight in Afghanistan.

BALDWIN: Huh.

LAWRENCE: But to go in there and rile them up and turn them against the state would only cause the state problems. They feel they have other militant groups embedded more in the heart of the country that are really making attacks against the state of Pakistan. Some people see those extremists as much more of a threat to Pakistan than, say, the extremists along the border that the U.S. is focused on.

BALDWIN: How about that? It's their perspective simply vs. ours, Chris Lawrence for us in Islamabad.

And also Jill Dougherty, thanks to you for us in a very cold White House setting there in Washington.

Thanks to you both.

Now to this. The controversial founder of WikiLeaks, there he is, he is walking free. He is out of jail today. So is the U.S. after him and have you heard where Julian Assange gets to stay now to avoid the spotlight? You might be a little surprised by that one. That is ahead.

Also, you might call it the Christmas rush. Have you noticed how fast Congress is moving or seems to be moving this week alone? The House and the Senate pushing through big-time issues that affect all of us and our wallets. We are going to show you what they're doing rapid-fire style. I have got Brianna Keilar on that. She joins me next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Welcome back to the NEWSROOM.

As I mentioned top of the hour, look, a lot of big goings-on today in Washington. I want you to stick with me. I have some information you need to know.

First, I want to take to the House of Representatives. And I want to tell you first what they are not working on right now, at least not there on the House floor. They're not working on the deal that we have been talking so much about to stop taxes from going up the 1st of next year. You remember just yesterday the bill passed in the Senate. The House was working on that.

But then the Democratic leadership pulled the bill from the floor.

And actually let's go now to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MAJORITY LEADER: -- separation of tower -- of powers.

And one of the issues that I have fought is to make sure that the White House doesn't continually take from us our power.

Everyone should understand this earmark issue is simply that, a way for the executive branch of government to steal power we have been granted in our Constitution.

We have a constitutional duty to do congressionally directed spending. And I don't want to give up that responsibility.

I can't understand why some of our more conservative members here want to give up their power. I don't understand that.

On the issue that's before the Senate, that will soon be before the Senate, dealing with how we're going to fund the government over the next few years -- next -- I should say next year -- I can't accept the fact that people are saying, "Why should we vote for this?" It's got congressionally directed spending in it. That's our job. That's what we're supposed to do.

And I'm -- I have some things in this that I'm very happy will help the state of Nevada. There are things in this that help our country in addition to helping Nevada.

As was learned yesterday, some of the people who speak out against congressionally directed spending, or earmarks, are people who have more earmarks than others. They're hoping, of course, it will pass, they can go home and do the press events as they have done with the stimulus monies that we have gotten back to the state, saying, "Here I am. Cut the ribbon. Look what I did."

You can't have it both ways. You can all look it up in the dictionary yourself, but I will bet if you went to "H" in the dictionary and found hypocrite, under that would be people who ask for earmarks but vote against them.

I have not yet heard any of these folks, once they get an earmark that they asked for and they didn't vote for, I have not heard any of them ask to rescind it.

So I would hope that we could cut down the mean-spirited talk about this and just do our jobs.

Now, the little Constitution that we have doesn't have a lot of information in it, but what is in it is what runs this country. And I am convinced that I do not want to give up more power to the White House, whether it's George Bush or Barack Obama.

And I'm going to fight as hard as I can against President Obama on these earmarks, and my Republican colleagues who hate to vote for them but love to get them.

Questions?

QUESTION: Senator Reid, you talk about --

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid talking about earmarks. You see, the Senate is taking up this spending bill. And a lot of these different senators, they want to push these earmarks, get these earmarks in this bill to help out their own constituencies. Some of the Republican senators said, you know, look, they didn't want to use some of the earmarks, yet they're talking about them nonetheless. And so is Jessica Yellin. We are going to delve a little deeper into why this has become so controversial. Isn't this just a different piece of the pie? This is just part of the budget in totality. Jessica will have more on that.

But first, I want to go back to something that affects every single of us. That is the tax cuts, the fact that our taxes could be going up the 1st of the year. Apparently now today the House not taking up this tax cut bill, at least thus far. That could change.

Brianna Keilar knows all about that. She joins me live there on Capitol Hill.

And I guess the reality of the situation now is that they're not talking tax cut bill right now, Brianna. But would that mean it's totally in jeopardy or not necessarily?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: No, the House floor -- the House is actually in recess right now while they figure out what to do with this.

BALDWIN: Huh.

KEILAR: In jeopardy? I don't think we can say that. Is this going to be really messy? You bet, Brooke, because when it became clearer the Democrats were going to have a hard time getting votes within their ranks just to get this bill to the floor, they pulled it from the floor. Why did they do that?

Because some liberal Democrats said, you know what? It's not going to be enough for us just to have a vote on changing the estate tax, which we have spent so much time talking about. That's not going to be enough for us. We want to at least have a vote on some other changes, even though we know we're not going to get them.

But, Brooke, the bottom line right now is we have Democratic sources saying that we are going to have a vote tonight. It get pushed back, though. We're talking late into the night, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Late into the night.

And as they do that --

(CROSSTALK)

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: As they do that though, Brianna -- and we have heard the word changes. You just mentioned it. Would it be possible that some of these frustrated, angry House Democrats would try to slip a few changes in this bill, so much so that the Senate won't accept it?

KEILAR: It's -- I mean, they want to do that. But it's likely that they don't even have the votes to do that. And let's just say that they were able to make some changes to this, which we know that Senate Republicans have said, Brooke, you make changes, this deal is off.

If they were to send changes to this bill back to the Senate, the Senate would still have the opportunity -- and, remember, 81 of them voted to pass this tax cut extension.

BALDWIN: Right.

KEILAR: The Senate could say, you know what, guys over there in the House, no, no, no. And we're just going to send you back the original bill, which is a compromise between President Obama and Senate Republicans and kind of jam the House with it, but then these liberal members in the House would have kind of had a chance to make their stand.

BALDWIN: Well, it sounds like these members of the House of Representatives have a long night ahead of them. And unfortunately for you, you may as well.

Brianna Keilar for us --

KEILAR: I do.

BALDWIN: -- on Capitol Hill, thank you so much.

And we were just talking about this -- or I wasn't, we weren't -- Harry Reid was -- earmarks. Lawmakers say all the time, no more earmarks. Well, maybe they're going to turn over a new leaf come 2011. Coming up, we are naming names. Jessica Yellin, she is live with me from Washington. She is next to drill down on that.

Also, the man who rushed in to save a school board from a hostage-taker is finally telling his side of the story. The guy everyone is hailing as a hero, you're going to hear from him in his own words. That's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Want to take you back to the Capitol. Want to give you a look at the floor of the U.S. Senate. And we are waiting to see -- there's Senator Kerry right now -- but waiting to see if Jim DeMint, Senator Jim DeMint, makes good on the threat to tie this place in knots.

They are -- just as they are trying to plow through this mound of crucial year-end chores, the South Carolina Republican has threatened to force a full reading of a 1,900-page spending bill, full reading of that.

Folks, that could take two days, while the clock very much so ticking on matters that are important to you.

Jessica Yellin is there in Washington.

And, Jessica, that's a -- that's a lot of reading, Jessica. What's going on there?

(LAUGHTER)

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: What's going on is a delay tactic. South Carolina's Jim DeMint hates this appropriations, this omnibus spending bill because there are earmarks, so earmarks on it. So, he's trying to run down the clock.

Now, Brooke, what's sort of funny is, he said he hates it so much, he will keep folks here until Christmas, even New Year's, to block it. And, by the way, what they're talking about on the floor is not even this bill. They haven't gotten to it yet.

BALDWIN: Hmm.

YELLIN: So, DeMint says he will keep people here through Christmas.

What's funny about that is, earlier this week, he slammed Democrats for saying that they would keep the Senate in session until to Christmas, because DeMint said -- quote -- "What is going on here is just wrong. This is the most sacred holiday for Christians. They did" -- they being the Democrats -- "did the same thing last year. They kept everybody here until Christmas Eve to force something down everybody's throat. And I think Americans are sick of this."

Seems a little inconsistent.

BALDWIN: Yes. It seems that way.

And then you have this spending bill. I don't know if you were listening. We were just listening to Harry Reid talking about earmarks, right? So the spending bill is packed with millions and millions of dollars of these earmarks. But didn't the Senate Republicans just promise not to use earmarks? Explain.

YELLIN: Right. Yes.

OK, and that's why passing this bill has become so difficult. So Republicans point out that they requested the earmarks that are in this spending bill before they took the pledge not to support earmarks. They also say in that pledge they promised no earmarks in the next Congress, not this Congress.

Still, Tea Party activists say this smacks of hypocrisy. They threaten to fund primary challenges to any person who does vote for this bill.

Here's Amy Kremer from the Tea Party Express.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMY KREMER, TEA PARTY EXPRESS: We will go after them, yes. We are not going to accept it. We are absolutely not going to accept it. There's all kinds of pork in there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YELLIN: When she says we will go after them, she is talking about Republicans. They will go after Republicans who vote yes on this.

BALDWIN: Hmm.

YELLIN: So this would be a tricky vote for anyone in office right now in the Republican Party.

BALDWIN: Huh. Well, let's -- let's name names, shall we? I have a list of some Republicans who I believe were part of that pledge.

Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, he has inserted $86 million in the earmarks into this bill. John Cornyn, Republican of Texas, $4 million. John Thune of South Dakota, $39 million in earmarks. So, were they not serious when they took the pledge?

YELLIN: They say again that they took the pledge after they put the earmarks in the bill, because this bill was done before that pledge.

BALDWIN: They're saying next year it goes into effect?

YELLIN: But these same members say they will now not support the bill.

BALDWIN: OK.

YELLIN: So they will not be yes votes. But they do have earmarks in the bill anyway.

BALDWIN: And were you listening, Jessica, to it all, what Harry Reid was saying? He was using some strong words, talking earmarks, talking about hypocrites. What was his message there?

YELLIN: Well, first of all, he said he's willing to keep the Senate in session up to January 5 if necessary to get this done.

And what Harry Reid is talking about is that many members believe that earmarks are exactly what members of Congress are elected to do, which is advocate for the hometown. Earmarks are Congress' way of saying, Mr. President, we're giving you this money to spend, but some of it you have to spend our way. Otherwise, they leave those spending decisions up to the president.

So, for example, Brooke, if your town needs infrastructure repairs or a new road, you might want your member on Capitol Hill fighting to get funds directed to that. That's an earmark. But it's become a bad word because some members have used them to dole out favors to donors or to fund silly projects and therein lies the rub.

BALDWIN: Therein lies the rub and the fine line here.

Thank you for helping us explain it, because it just seemed like pieces of a pie that was already baked, but it just depends on where that money goes.

(CROSSTALK)

BALDWIN: Got it. Jessica Yellin, thank you so much.

YELLIN: Thanks.

BALDWIN: Excellent as always.

And now let's talk about this stuff. Look at this, four different pictures, four different places. This is a wintry mess, large sections of the South dealing with some nasty, nasty conditions. So, coming up next, we even have new warnings out today about where this storm is headed next.

And nearly a year after the so-called underwear bomber allegedly tried to blow up a plane, we have a new threat from al Qaeda, and the apparent target, the U.S. and Europe on Christmas -- details next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: All right, I want to get you a brief look at some of the other stories that are moving this hour, beg with this.

Look at this. Look at who is walking out of London's high court just a couple of hours ago to applause and many a camera flash. That is Julian Assange there in the center of the crowd free on bail nine days after being jailed for questioning on sex charges filed in Sweden.

The Australian activist and founder of the Web site WikiLeaks says he was kept in solitary confinement. As a bail condition, Assange has to stay at the home of a friend just outside of London and wear an electronic tracking device.

Next to this. Are al Qaeda operatives planning a Christmas season attack in Europe and the United States? An American tells CNN captured al Qaeda insurgents are talking to Iraqi authorities. And here's what they're saying. They're saying that suicide attackers are eying targets both in the U.S. and in Europe. That information reportedly is being taken very, very seriously. But the U.S. official adds there is no intelligence indicating a specific or a credible threat there.

And listen up here. If you have a certain brand of electric space heater -- I know it's cold out there -- you may be using this -- Wal-Mart is recalling more than two million electric heaters.

And here are the four brands: Flow Pro, Airtech, Aloha Breeze, and Comfort Essentials. The retailer says there is a chance the heaters may be overheating, smoking, burning, or even possibly melting. Wal-Mart says, if you have one, stop using it and return it for a full refund.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MIKE JONES, SECURITY DIRECTOR, BAY COUNTY SCHOOLS: The first thing that came to mind was, you know, I have watched this community grow. And I'm known as Salvage Santa, this nice guy, and now I have taken somebody's life?

And I'm not a hero, folks. I just done my job. And --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, you are.

(APPLAUSE)

JONES: And --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Gosh. Isn't that what always the true heroes say, through tears? That guy being hailed a hero, rushing to rescue this school board members who were being held hostage by that guy there with a gun. Now he's speaking out for the first time. And wait until you hear what Mike Jones, the hero, has to say, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Well, here's a name we have heard a lot about. We haven't yet heard from him until now. Mike Jones says he is not a hero. He is insistent upon that.

But a lot of people in Panama City, Florida, including those members of the Bay County School Board, they disagree with that.

Jones is the school security chief who took out Clay Duke just a couple of days ago who had opened fire on those school board members during its meeting on Tuesday afternoon. And in case you missed it, I want you to look at what it looked like after Duke cleared the room of everyone but the men. He let the women and the children go, kept the men as hostages. They are on the board. This is disturbing video, but I want you to know that none of the school board members was killed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've got a feeling that what you want is the cops to come in and kill you because you're mad. You said you're going to die today. But why? This isn't worth it. This is a -- please don't. Please don't. Please.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: I know. It's tough to watch. But here's who you never saw in that video -- Mike Jones. Here he is. He was standing in the back of that school board meeting when he started shooting. Today we are hearing from him for the very first time. He talks about what happened and how thankful he was that none of the school board members were even injured in that barrage of bullets.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MIKE JONES, SECURITY DIRECTOR, BAY COUNTY SCHOOLS: When I was planning my engagement and I saw that first shot and I knew the superintendent fell backwards and all the board members fell backwards and he and if engaged in the gun battle, that I'd lost the superintendent. I love him and I love the board and I love the school system, and that was the only thing that went through my mind.

When the superintendent came up and he came and hugged my neck, that's when I lost it. I was just crying. But just to see him, it was like seeing a newborn baby for the first time. I knew -- I'm not laughing to you. I can't get that out of my mind. That's the picture I see the most. I don't see the shots being fired. I see him. And they're coming from -- I knew that it was OK.

The first thing came to mind was, you know, what's this community going to think of me? I'm known as this nice guy and now I've taken somebody's life. You know, my parishioners, what they would think. And then honestly, I shot the man in the back the first time. I was thinking I was going to jail. There are just so many things that go through your mind.

But it was the instinct and the training. I'm just glad that they're all here and alive. I'm not a hero, folks. I've just done my job.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: So modest. Mike Jones actually started his remarks by saying his heart goes out to the family of gunman Clay Duke. We're also hearing from Duke's wife, who is now speaking out, talking about her husband. She told reporters she doesn't think her husband intended to kill anyone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REBECCA DUKE, CLAY DUKE'S WIFE: As close as he was, seriously, people, he was that close. If he really wanted to shoot somebody, they would have already been dead. He was wanting them all to be underneath that counter so that if stray bullets were flying that they would be underneath that counter.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Back to Mike Jones, the salvaged Santa. Next up for him is the local Wal-Mart. He'll help collect toys to disadvantaged children. How about that?

We are just getting word that a federal customs officer based at the Atlanta airport is now facing charges in an alleged massive drug trafficking ring. The feds seizing nearly $3 million worth of ecstasy, which we're told makes it one of the largest busts in the country. And 13 others are also facing charges in the investigation called operation "Rude Beast."

Why did not just one but two Americans go to jail in Abu Dhabi? It is all about what was found in their luggage, and you may be learning a lesson or two from this. Finally we're able to share this story with you today. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: I want to tell you a story about two American men who are now no longer locked up in the United Arab Emirates, but they're also not allowed to leave. These men were arrested. Their passports confiscated. They were thrown in jail on charges over what airport security officers found in their luggage.

And we see this as a cautionary tale for world travelers and a good look at how they do things there versus here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LORINA MOODY, NICHOLAS MOODY'S MOTHER: We did not have any idea when he would be able to call. We were completely in the dark.

BALDWIN: Lorina Moody's son was supposed to be home long before now. Instead, Nicholas Moody is stuck in the United Arab Emirates, half a world away from his parents' northern California home. The reason -- this 23-year-old Iraq war veteran was arrested.

NICHOLAS MOODY, RELEASED ON BAIL IN UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: I was going through security and I got to the last security checkpoint to leave the country. That's when they scanned by bag and they determined that the items I had were in violation of their laws.

BALDWIN: Moody, now a private contractor, was on a layover in Abu Dhabi on his way home from Iraq. He wasn't carrying his gun, but he was toting parts that attached to a rifle, a plastic stock, a strap buckle and a gun-cleaning kit, typical items a soldier uses.

Makes sense. Nicholas Moody is a corporal in the Nevada National Guard. He served in Iraq and now works as a civilian for a private security firm in Iraq. The thing is, those items attached to a weapon or not are illegal in the UAE. And after that airport search, Nicholas Moody was sent to jail with limited contact to back home.

LORINA MOODY: He really felt that it was possible that they were just going to look it over and decide that, OK, well, this is not serious, and just release him. They felt the things in his possession could be considered related to firearms. And that made it a more serious situation.

BALDWIN: After 64 days in prison, UAE officials did release him and drop the charges. Why? Moody says they didn't tell him the specific reason. And Emirati officials typically do not discuss such things publicly. Moody says when he gets his passport back, he is free to leave.

NICHOLAS MOODY: I hope to make it home in time for the holidays. But I don't know. It's looking pretty hopeless as far as that area is concerned.

BALDWIN: The situation is not unique to Nicholas Moody. In fact UAE officials arrested Las Vegas native Eric Bergman last month. It also happened at the airport, also because of weapon-related items in his luggage.

ERIK BERGMAN, AWAITING COURT DATE IN UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: The guy found it pretty quickly. It wasn't hidden. He just opened it right up and took it out.

BALDWIN: "It" was a box of bullets.

BERGMAN: I've been charged with bringing in ammunition without permission.

BALDWIN: Bergman is out on jail, released the same day as Moody. Bergman too has surrendered his passport and is awaiting a court appearance. He also faced drug charges over the prescribed medication he was carrying. With his fate less certain than Nicholas Moody's, his mother Lorina hopes others will benefit from her family's ordeal.

LORINA MOODY: We feel that this is a very educational event. We didn't mean for it to be. And we really do feel like many of the parts of it that we've learned are things that need to be addressed, that people as travelers need to be aware of so that they don't get in these situations.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: And now to the weather. I know if you're in the northeast, Midwest, you're used to this stuff, but those of us in the south, we're not used to shoveling out and digging out. We're getting it. We're getting the stuff. Coming up, I'll share with you new warnings. Chad Myers will join me and we'll walk you through some of the best video from across the country, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Ice, frigid temperatures, snow, all causing headaches and hazards and a lot of problems across the country again today. I want you to check out -- first this is Raleigh. The roadways there, that's a mess. You have a layer of ice and sleet, very much so, unwelcome for drivers this morning hopping out on their morning commutes. Look at this fountain. It's pretty to look at, still working. I wonder how long it will be working. Ice building up there.

And in Atlanta, drivers were spinning their wheels on icy roads last night. Hundreds of fender-benders were reported across the city. And remember the scene at the Minneapolis Metrodome Sunday when the big inflatable roof opened up and collapsed under all that snow?

Work crews may be feeling a little arctic deja vu because this is the scene at the metro dome today. Another panel of that roof ruptured under the weight of more snow. Repairs are on hold as workers evaluate the damage and see what shape that roof is in.

And check out this ice sculpture. This is actually a lighthouse. It's coated in ice. Chad Myers, it's beautiful to look at. But not so beautiful, I guess -- I guess no one is stuck in there, but that's going to take a while to thaw out. That's some chunky ice. (LAUGHTER)

Enjoy that lighthouse in April.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It looks like something that belongs on a wedding cake.

BALDWIN: Exactly. Like a snow globe.

MYERS: And they put fondant on it. Temperatures are not going to be above freezing for a while, so it's going to be like that for a long time. But I don't think there will be that many mariners out there today. And they have GPS now. They should be able to find their way back home.

BALDWIN: Just a cool picture. Just wanted to share it.

MYERS: Look at this. This is what Maryland looked like. This car is not on the road this morning. Temperatures are still cold from D.C. through Richmond and Roanoke. D.C., 27, and snow coming down. I can prove it. Right here. Here's the nation's capitol right there, a couple of snowflakes coming down. People are walking faster than they are driving through the nation's capital today, special around the beltway.

Here's traffic.com. You can go in and put any city you want to drive through and find out what the road conditions are like. Jam factor it's not that pretty there from the beltway out into northern Virginia and the B.W. Parkway up to Baltimore, very, very slow today.

Here is a live picture from WTVR, one of my old stations. The south's first television station, Richmond, Virginia, seeing snow on the ground there. Relative to last year, that is a dusting. Richmond got pounded last year with snow.

So here's what it looks like here, 54 in Knoxville. That's a significant change from this morning when it was 29 and raining. Nashville, better as well.

So for tomorrow, snow in the Rockies. Snow in the sierra. Major snow right through there. Get to the ski resorts while you can. Boy, there will be feet of snow. Some computer models printing out ten inches of rain, which above 5,000 feet won't be rain. It will be snow. That could be ten feet of snow.

BALDWIN: Can we say "powder"?

MYERS: You can say "buried."

BALDWIN: Powder. Good news for skiing and snowboarding. Chad Myers, thank you very much.

MYERS: You're welcome

BALDWIN: Let's take you to Florida now. Look at this. What is this, you ask? This is a major, major sink hole that has everyone down there on edge. It's massive, getting bigger and bigger. Is it threatening the water supply? That's the big concern there. That is ahead.

Also, look, this is a major day for us here at CNN. That guy there, Larry King, the legend Larry King, his final show airs tonight in primetime, 25 years wearing those suspenders on the air. We'll take a look back at his 25 years in three minutes. It's an impressive piece they put together, coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Just into us here at CNN, a major, major ruling involving a tobacco company luring kids to smoke cigarettes. Let me get you the information. This is coming out of a Massachusetts court. They have ruled this company lured children -- this goes back to the 1950s, actually, lured children into smoking these cigarettes that were apparently provided free. These are Newport cigarettes -- awarding a woman who died of lung cancer with $152 million in damages. Suffolk superior court jury ad added $81 million in punitive damages, huge ruling there out of Massachusetts.

And also, a huge day for us at CNN. Today is the day, the end of an era for us at CNN. Larry King signs off tonight after 25 years as host, stars and newsmakers, everyone in between, on CNN's "LARRY KING LIVE." So we want to take a look back at some of his many, many memorable moments from "LARRY KING LIVE."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY KING, HOST "LARRY KING LIVE": Good evening. My name is Larry king and this is the premiere edition of "LARRY KING LIVE." Every night at this time, we will be here for one hour. We will meet fascinating people from all walks of life.

You're a legend. You do know that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody is a legend. There no normal people in the world.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From here up, I'm fine. From here down, I need makeup.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Larry, kiss me, just do it now. Don't be afraid. Hold me. I love -- your nipples are hard.

KING: Struggling Jew.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: See, I told you, low to the floor.

KING: I'm low to the floor.

KING: You want more children?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, yes, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Poison glands here, back there. The dog eats it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Paul going to get upset you touching my leg, Larry.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You must have something in your head for you to come out and call me a murderer of my child.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We went downhill carrying that coffin feeling like slaves, and we are going uphill feeling like free people.

KING: Make him an offer he can't refuse.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good-bye.

KING: Good-bye.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It wasn't a road I would have are picked but a lot of times, you know, things get picked for you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why should I be bitter? I'm thrilled to death with life.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Peace possible? Can we do it? Are we even trying?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Jesus, Jesus. Even the bible says his name is all powerful. His name is above every name.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Don't spend your time worrying about when it is you are going to die. Spend it is how you are going to live today.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That is why I was put on this earth, to try to help conserve our trees, our wilderness, our oceans and our wildlife.

KING: Police radio 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.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know that is a line you are trying to come across with, but either -- it is weak.

KING: You say your sons.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you guys ever do anything but propaganda?

KING: Was there a holocaust?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You want to impose your view point on me.

KING: No, it is not a viewpoint. It is a question.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have never been in the Watergate. KING: Never been in? Never been in the restaurant?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Other people were in there, unfortunately.

KING: Still a Texas driver's license?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Still. You want to see it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Don't have a question, I have a statement please.

KING: Go.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to say hello to my son, Bill Clinton.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, mother.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That is a strange question to ask.

KING: What happened with the submarine?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know. It sunk.

KING: Does it come with a curse of any kind?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, it comes with so much love.

KING: What's it like to kill someone?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If tears could build a stairway and memories a lane, I would walk right are up to heaven and bring you home again.

KING: We'll also go live to Haiti and show you specifically what your donations mean. For now, for here, it is time to hang up the nightly suspenders and who knows what the future's going to bring.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Hmm, 25 years. Thank you, Larry King. A lot of people are tweeting about you. I want to go this way and show a couple of tweets here. First from the governor of California, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. He says "We'll probably proclaim today Larry King day in California, and I'm excited to see you tonight."

We've got another from Mariah Carey. "I am honored to have been able to sit and talk with you over the years. I love Larry."

And finally from the man himself, Larry King, "Thank you all for your kind words tonight. Tonight is a special night for me, the "LARRY KING LIVE" staff, and my family. I hope you al watch our "LARRY KING" finale." I know I will be and I hope you will be as well.

I want to remind you, again -- tonight is the night, 25 incredible years, al culminating in this final evening. You won't want to miss also Larry's surprise guest, the final live show tonight, 9:00 eastern.

So there is a guy who says something big is going to be happening on May 21, 2011 and he says he knows this simply because of math. And now billboards are popping up to make sure you know as well. What is that all about? That is ahead.

Also, Gloria Borger standing by with breaking news from the world of politics, including some new developments in that tax cut debate. We will wait for that with Gloria. Your CNN Political Ticker is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: CNN = Politics. Here is your update. Gloria Borger joins me with the latest from the political ticker. And Gloria, we know that the House in recess now. Is the tax cut compromise becoming the first big issue of the upcoming battle for the Republican presidential nomination?

GLORIA BORGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Why not, right? They need something to talk about, and Republicans are looking for something differentiate themselves on.

And of course, this san easy issue, particularly if you are outside of Washington and you want to establish your anti-Washington credibility, so you have folks who are intending to run, like former Senator Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney, and of course Sarah Palin who say no, no, this $858 billion bill is way too much and we are not paying for it.

On the other side, Senator John Thune, Mike Huckabee, and even Newt Gingrich supports this bill extending the tax cuts, saying it's the best compromise they could get and we need to extend those tax cuts. So this is clearly going to be an issue in 2012. And you know, they are starting early, right?

BALDWIN: They are starting early, but I think the story right now, we are hearing from this Republican senator out of South Carolina, Jim DeMint, he has threatened to read this like 1,900 pages, this 1,900-page spending bill on this whole floor. What is the story there and will that actually happen?

BORGER: Well, we don't know. It could take days. Senator Harry Reid, the majority leader, just took to the microphones to say this is ridiculous. They are trying to stall START, they are trying to stall a vote on "don't ask, don't tell."

Jim DeMint has called Harry Reid sacrilegious for trying to keep the Senate in session around Christmas, and now he wants to read the bill for days. So, there is a little inconsistency there.

Brooke, I have to tell you, my favorite little twist in this was just provided by our political producer, Peter Hamby.

BALDWIN: What is that?

BORGER: He sent me an e-mail, and apparently Newt Gingrich is against this omnibus spending bill, right? And Newt Gingrich is accusing the Democrats of what he calls "blackmail, threatening the American people with a government shut down if we don't accept their pork barrel spending."

Now, remember Newt Gingrich? He was the one who shut down the government, if I recall, when he was speaker of the house. So there is a little twist on that. So some of us have longer memories than others.

BALDWIN: Gloria, it's the end of the year and things are getting hot and heated on Capitol Hill. Despite all that snow falling down for you in Washington, it is getting interesting, isn't it? Gloria Borger, thank you so much for the latest on the Political Ticker and the latest off the Blackberry as well.

BORGER: Sure.