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President Obama to Sign Tax Extension; Breast Cancer Drug Approval Yanked; Tea Party Panning First Presidential Debate; Hot Off The Political Ticker; The Help Desk

Aired December 17, 2010 - 12:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon. Tony is off today.

It is the top of the hour in the CNN NEWSROOM, where anything can happen. And here are some of the people behind the stories -- the top stories today.

U.S. soldiers and sailors are making their way home for the holidays, where family and friends are turning out to welcome them. Some very warm reunions.

And if you're on a laptop right now, someone is tracking every move you make. Can Congress do anything to preserve your privacy?

And it was an amazing farewell to "The King" last night. We share some of the best moments from last night's last "LARRY KING LIVE."

So let's get started right now with our top story, shall we?

Your taxes not rising. President Obama seals the deal today. He is set to sign the massive tax bill that he negotiated with Republicans, but several of the president's other priorities are still in limbo. So let's focus on his next moves right now.

And for that, we turn to our White House correspond, Mr. Dan Lothian.

Dan, next moves?

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right. You know, before this one is even over, he's celebrating, certainly, but focusing ahead. The president wants to get "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" signed, ratified, the START treaty as well. Those are two things that the president wants to get done in this lame-duck session.

And so we're told by White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, who just held a gaggle with reporters, that the president, over the next couple of days, will really be working the phones, pushing very hard to try and get that done. And then, looking ahead into the -- after the holidays, into the new year, when, of course, in the House, Republicans will have the lead there, and the gains that they made in the Senate as well, the president will be looking at a whole host of issues, including education, perhaps even immigration as well. And I asked Robert Gibbs if perhaps he could lay out for us maybe some of the other things that the president really wanted to focus on early in the new year, and he says, well, those are the things that the president will be laying out in his State of the Union Address. But certainly here, today, this White House feeling very good about "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and also about START.

Robert Gibbs was asked if he felt like they "had it in the bag," and he said that he's very superstitious and so he won't say that, but he believes that at this point, you could frame it as saying that the White House is "cautiously optimistic" that those two will get done in this lame-duck session -- Don.

LEMON: Dan Lothian at the White House.

Dan, thank you very much.

In about four hours from now, President Obama will sign a bill keeping Bush-era tax rates in place for two more years. The bill also cuts the Social Security payroll tax by two percent -- two percentage points, and it got final House approval around midnight, when the majority of Democrats gave up the fight to increase the estate tax.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. LLOYD DOGGETT (D), TEXAS: I think you can talk about cutting taxes, and that's great. We all like less taxes. But this came at an immense cost, and with the efficiency of our essentially having stood at the front of the Capitol and shoveled cash out, that's about as efficient and job-producing as some of these provisions in these bills are.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MARSHA BLACKBURN (R), TENNESSEE: Our next step has to be to make these tax reductions permanent and to implement some across-the- board spending reductions. It is what the American people are demanding, and you're going to see us do that. And you're going to see us begin to make these cuts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: And Senate Democrats have thrown in the towel on a $1.2 trillion measure. It would have paid the government's bills for the rest of fiscal 2011, but Republicans forced Democrats to accept a short-term spending bill. That gives Republicans more leverage over spending because they'll be in charge of the Senate when the primary funding bill comes up for a vote.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is under house arrest today at a country estate in Suffolk, England. He's out on bail, accused of sex crimes in Sweden. Assange calls the criminal charges a politically- motivated smear campaign. WikiLeaks has publicized hundreds of secret U.S. documents, some of them embarrassing. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JULIAN ASSANGE, WIKILEAKS FOUNDER: It's very nice to be out in the sun, and amongst impotent and courageous friends. We should remember that this is not the beginning of the end. Rather, it's merely the end of the beginning. We hear credible reports today in "The Guardian" newspaper confirming what we heard yesterday, that there is something like an espionage indictment made secretly against me in the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: And we turn now to a growing debate over the blockbuster cancer drug Avastin. The FDA now says it should not be used to treat breast cancer, but Europe's medical advisory board has decided quite the opposite.

Our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, is following these developments closely.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, there's no question this decision will come as a disappointment to some women who were thinking about this medication as a treatment, and sometimes a last resort sort of treatment for their metastatic or breast cancer that had spread.

Look, you know, there was a desire to sort of look at this drug more carefully, after some time now. Four studies came out. The FDA wanted two questions answered. One is, does this medication prolong survival? And do the benefits outweigh the risks?

The answer to both those questions, according to the FDA, seems to be no. And by the way, the risks that they're talking about are pretty significant ones -- heart failure, heart attacks, perforations or holes developing in the colon, or the stomach as well. So, you know, that was why we're making so much about this, because when the FDA tried to answer those questions, they got those answers back.

Look, there was a lot of enthusiasm about this back in 2008, so much so that this drug was fast-tracked, given very quick approval. But there was a bargain that we need to see more studies. And now that those studies have come back, the FDA has really leaned down on the side of not recommending this medication for women with breast cancer specifically.

In Europe, they looked at the same data, arrived at a different decision. And over in Europe, they say, look, you can use the medication, still, for women with breast cancer, but in conjunction with another chemo medication.

Look, nothing happens quickly with regards to decisions like this. The company is already planning an appeal. And women that are on the medication now aren't going to immediately stop taking it. And also, the medication is approved for other types of cancer. But the FDA has sent a pretty strong signal here saying, look, in medicine, it's always about risks and benefits. And in this case, they just don't seem to add up.

Don, back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Thank you very much, Sanjay.

And coming up, they probably know more about computers than you do. So how do you protect your kids when they go online? It's part of our special report. It's called "The End of Privacy."

First, though, our "Random Moment" in 90 seconds.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Let's take a page from our dumb criminals handbook for the "Random Moment of the Day."

If you are going to commit arson, don't do it on camera like this man did. I want you to watch as this Jacksonville Florida, hair salon bursts into a fireball. You see that.

Well, investigators think the blockhead knew about the cameras, but didn't have the wherewithal to disable them. And detectives have digitally-enhanced images and vow to smoke out the arsonist.

That is a "Random Moment" for a Friday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: A big first for the Tea Party. And CNN will be bringing it to you.

CNN Political Producer Shannon Travis is on the story from Washington for us.

Shannon, so, tell us, what's the plan here?

SHANNON TRAVIS, CNN POLITICAL PRODUCER: Well, Don, we get excited about a lot of things around here at the political unit, but this one is especially worthy of maybe a drum roll. Maybe? Somebody? I'll do my own drum roll.

CNN is teaming up with the Tea Party Express to host a first-of- its-kind Tea Party debate. We just announced it.

It's up on he Ticker right now. Our viewers can go to the Ticker and check out all the details. But just a few details right now.

It's going to be during the week of Labor Day in 2011, and it's going to be in Tampa. Tampa is important, because that's where the Republican National Convention is going to be for the 2012 presidential nominee.

We're pretty excited about it, and we've been talking with other people, just getting reaction. One person that we had to speak though, of course, was Amy Kremer. She is the chairman of the Tea Party Express. Let's take a listen at what she had to say when I asked her, "Hey, who do you expect to see at this debate?"

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMY KREMER, CHAIRMAN, TEA PARTY EXPRESS: Well, I would hope that we would see, you know, Mitt Romney there, and Newt Gingrich there, and Sarah Palin there, and possibly Mike Huckabee. And there are some others out there, but obviously those are the ones that are at the forefront right now, whose names keep popping to the top. But I think this is something we're going to have to watch closely, because I definitely think there are some understudies that are going to come out, and that may rise up and surprise a lot of us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TRAVIS: You heard those names, Don -- Mitt Romney, possibly Newt Gingrich, possibly Sarah Palin, that she's hoping to see. Probably a lot of other conservative activists are hoping to see at this debate as contenders, and possibly some underdogs.

So this is a huge announcement that CNN is making, the first of its kind debate, Tea Party debate, and we're pretty excited about it.

LEMON: All right.

Shannon Travis from Washington.

Thank you very much, sir.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LEMON: You know, every time you go on the Web, they are watching.

Our Brianna Keilar reports on what Congress is trying to do to protect you and your kids from prying eyes of online advertisers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(MUSIC)

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You know that catchy '80s song by Rockwell, popular decades before Facebook, Twitter and Google were even around. And yet, the lyrics speak to the Internet age in which we now live, when what we do on the Web, everything we click on is tracked by online advertisers.

On Capitol Hill, a bipartisan group of lawmakers is calling for privacy guarantees led by strange bedfellows Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, and Joe Barton of Texas, who's about as conservative a Republican as you'll find. REP. JOE BARTON (R), TEXAS: You know, we're in an Internet age, but I still think the basic premise of the frontier, where you have a door and a peephole, and you don't let somebody in your farm or ranch unless you know who they were, unless you want them to come into your home, I think that simple concept should apply to the Internet.

KEILAR: Markey says the place to start is with kids. And he's planning to introduce a bill in Congress that stops online tracking of children's activities.

(on camera): When you have constituents contact you, what kind of horror stories are they telling you?

REP. ED MARKEY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: Well, people are concerned that it's the Wild West with regard to children, that they don't fully understand what the impact will be on them later in life when all of this information can be gathered about them, what they did as kids, and used against them as adults. That's the real concern.

KEILAR (voice-over): He wants privacy guarantees for children that prevent companies from collecting certain information, and a mechanism that will allow parents to delete information even after it's been collected.

Internet companies, concerned Congress will stifle their bottom line with a heavy hand, are vying for a seat at the table. Dave Levinthal is with the government watchdog opensecrets.org.

(on camera): How much money are we talking about here that these Internet companies, online marketers are spending here on Capitol Hill?

DAVE LEVINTHAL, OPENSECRETS.ORG: Computer companies, Internet- related companies over the past two years have spent about around $120 million annually. And we fully expect that in 2010, that they're going to spend at least that much, if not more, in terms of federal lobbying dollars.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: So, Brianna, are these Internet companies saying anything about their lobbying efforts?

KEILAR: You know, we reached out to a lot of the ones that of course create a lot of content. We asked Yahoo!, Microsoft, Facebook, Twitter, Google to give us interviews to talk about how they lobby Congress. All of them denied our request, but a lot of them said, you know, we are implementing a lot of this do not track -- these do-not- track devices on our own, and we're looking forward to dealing with Congress on this issue.

But there certainly is a bit of a tension here, Don, because they're making their money off of advertising. Information is a commodity. And then, on the other hand, you have members of Congress listening to a lot of outraged Americans and certainly a lot of parents who are concerned about kids. LEMON: Brianna Keilar, thank you very much.

A president's order, 30,000 more troops in Afghanistan. One years later, in CNN's documentary, "A Soldier's Story," we get unprecedented access to the soldiers fighting this war.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

LEMON: Unprecedented access to men and women on the front lines. CNN's documentary, "A Soldier's Story," examines a war through the eye of three soldiers. And we have been following them for more than a year now.

CNN's Jason Carroll takes us on the journey.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the fading light of a cold December evening, barely one full year ago, the president of the United States forged Marine One, and then Air Force One for a trip to West Point, New York.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ladies and gentlemen, the president of the United States.

CARROLL: The 33-minute speech he is about to deliver will affect the lives of every cadet in Eisenhower Hall.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And as commander in chief, I have determined to send an additional 30,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan.

CARROLL: Along with every man and woman serving or about to serve in the United States military.

For more than a year, CNN has followed three of these soldiers. Together, they tell a story of how the president's decision, to expand the war in Afghanistan, affects the people most directly in harm's way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One, two, three -- come on, you got it. Come on. You got it.

CARROLL: Latrisha Rose (ph) joins the army, leaving behind a 2- year-old daughter with a husband wondering how he can do it alone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here we go. Almost done.

CARROLL: Sergeant Randy Shorter is a husband and father of two. Just 32 years old, he's already a veteran of two combat tours. Now, he's about to return to Afghanistan to an area the military calls hell on earth. And then, there's 18-year-old Will McLain, who, weeks from tonight, may find himself carrying out the president's mission into the very heart of Afghanistan. (END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: And Jason joins us now live from New York.

So, Jason, what is it that you're hoping to see through the eyes of these three soldiers?

CARROLL: Well, I'll tell you, Don -- and I know you've been following along, but my goal in putting together this series, I come from a non-military family, and what I saw happening is I saw a lot of attention being drawn away from the war effort. So what I wanted to do was I wanted to find a way to get people reengaged in this war that's been going on for such a long period of time, and specifically the people who are fighting it, making it more personal.

And so that's how the idea for the series came about that we've been running here on CNN. And we've gotten such an overwhelming response, we decided to take what we've been putting together in the series and put it into a one-hour documentary.

LEMON: OK. I know one of the soldiers you followed in Afghanistan. Did any of them talk about the withdrawal date and what they think about July, 2011?

CARROLL: Absolutely. Randy Shorter, who you saw there, Sergeant Randy Shorter, who we followed over to Afghanistan, Don, as you know, part of what the soldiers there have to do is engage the Afghan people, help to train the Afghan police and army. And it's going to be a long haul.

I mean, we saw him just a few months ago, and definitely progress has been made. But I think in sort of paraphrasing in terms of what the soldiers felt at that time, still a long ways to go in terms of getting Afghan police and Afghan army up to speed where they can then take the reins and be at the forefront of this war effort.

LEMON: Jason, I'll be watching. Thank you very much.

This weekend, you can watch the entire documentary. It's called "A Soldier's Story." It's Saturday and Sunday at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, only here on CNN.

Thousands of servicemen and women are on their way home right now, just in time for the holidays, too. And you can imagine the scenes playing out all across the country now.

Many will past through Atlanta's Hartsfield International Airport, and that's where we find our Reynolds Wolf, live with these coming home stories.

Reynolds, we have a weird delay here, so I'm going to let you take it over and tell us about these heartwarming scenes.

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, the scenes we've been seeing here all day long have just been incredible. I can tell you from our vantage point here at the USO, what we've been seeing are just the soldiers come up one at a time, two at a time, sometimes it happens to be in groups.

They come up through the escalator, they go past this desk, they sign in, they go through those doors. In a year, they'll have about half a million people that will go through those doors and get a bit of taste of home, so to speak.

I can tell you, this weekend it will be especially busy. Today, they're expecting around 2,000. Tomorrow, another 2,000. Then, as we get into Sunday, about 5,000 servicemen and women will be coming home.

I can tell you that parents are very excited to see their soldiers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVE CLARK, FATHER OF RETURNING SERVICEMAN: Yes, I just got back from Afghanistan about two weeks ago.

WOLF: Thank you so much for your service.

How is the adjustment coming back?

DAVE CLARK: Oh, it's pretty good. It's great to be back.

WOLF: I understand a huge part of your family is still there. Well, actually, coming back today. That is?

DAVE CLARK: Yes, my son Brad. He's coming in today.

WOLF: Does Brad have any requests from mom, anything he wants to eat, anything he wants to do?

DAWN CLARK, MOTHER OF RETURNING SERVICEMAN: A lot of home cooking.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WOLF: You know, just a few seconds after that interview was over, we had gone back after the commercial. We actually were able to see this. Let's take a look at this.

I'm going to put this into motion for you on this computer and you can see the reunion -- the mom, the dad, the son. Just amazing.

That's what it's all about, Don. Just an amazing scene that we're seeing.

LEMON: Reynolds Wolf at the airport, Atlanta's Hartsfield.

Reynolds, thank you very much.

And as Reynolds was talking there, showing the pictures on the computer, we were live earlier, and you saw the man and his wife, a reunion played out live here on CNN. And it's just amazing.

So thank you. There it is right there. The soldier walked up the escalators -- came up the escalators just as we were live.

You guys have been tweeting me about this, and it's just an amazing story. We love to see this. And as Reynolds said, this is playing out all across the country.

We thank you so much for your service, all of you. And we hope you have an amazing holiday season.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Oakland is known for having one of the highest dropout school rates in California, but one woman is trying to change that statistic. Her name is Oral Lee Brown, and she opened her heart and her pocketbook to a group of kids in East Bay and is sending them to college. Can you believe it?

CNN's Dan Simon has the story in our "What Matters" segment.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ORAL LEE BROWN, SENDING KIDS TO COLLEGE: Read number two and tell me which is the correct answer.

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These third graders in Oakland may not know what they want to be when they grow up. But thanks to a woman they call "Mama Brown," they'll have a better chance of making their dreams come true.

BROWN: Does everyone have "B"?

UNIDENTIFIED CHILDREN: Yes.

SIMON: For 23 years, Oral Lee Brown has helped students and low- income families by paying for their college education.

MARLONIE WILLIAMS, THIRD GRADER: Mama Brown really helps all the people. If we didn't have Mama Brown, we wouldn't be able to go to college.

SIMON: Inspired by a girl she saw out of school and on the street, Brown made a promise in 1987 to an entire first grade class.

(on camera): And you said to yourself, I want to help kids go to college.

BROWN: Right.

SIMON: Where did that come from?

BROWN: It's the one thing in my mind that you can give a child that no one can take away. I don't have a million dollars, but if I had a million dollars, I could give it to a child today and they can be broke tomorrow. And education, to me, is one of the things that will set you free. SIMON: Brown was making just $45,000 a year as a real estate agent when she made that pledge. But she managed to scrimp and save $10,000 a year for 12 years.

BROWN: I can remember going to the school and you would think that Santa Claus had walked in the classroom.

SIMON (on camera): This is the school where Oral Lee Brown adopted that original first-grade class, Brookfield Elementary. Of the 23 students, a remarkable 19 of them went to college. But Brown's mission to help children get an education was just beginning.

(voice-over): Brown says she now hands out 20 scholarships every three years through the Oral Lee Brown Foundation. With help from corporate donations, she no longer carries the financial burden all by herself.

DEMANI LEWIS, 10TH GRADER: I have an opportunity to actually make something of myself. It makes me real thankful that she's actually doing this for not only me, but all of the kids that doesn't have this type of opportunity.

SIMON: Julius Orejudos received a scholarship from Mama Brown in middle school. Now he's a sophomore at UC Berkeley, studying biology and music with plans to become a doctor.

JULIUS OREJUDOS, "MAMA BROWN" SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT: To me, having the scholarship means that I have a place here in Berkeley. It means that I don't have to worry about work a full-time or part-time job. That way, I can prepare myself for the future.

SIMON: Orejudos is one of 60 students Brown says she has sent to college, and she plans to keep her promise to many more.

BROWN: Give a child an opportunity no matter where he or she comes from, they will succeed.

SIMON: Dan Simon, CNN, Oakland, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: To read more stories that matter to all of us, pick up the latest issue of "Essence" magazine now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: I'm Don Lemon in today for Tony Harris.

Breaking news as you can see there. You're looking live at New York City. There's a news conference there, and it has to do with Bernie Madoff. And this is where a settlement, we were told, just a short time ago a Manhattan judge approved a settlement in the case related to the Bernie Madoff scandal.

Here's the deal. The estate of Jeffrey Picower, he's a deceased billionaire accused of being a key beneficiary in this Madoff Ponzi scheme. He agreed to repay $7.2 billion to victims of fraudulent investments.

Our chief business correspondent Ali Velshi here. He has been listening to this press conference, watching it. Ali, this is a big deal --

VELSHI: It's a huge deal.

LEMON: -- and huge news for a lot of people independent.

VELSHI: Yes, it is. First of all, the news conference is going on and we have our producer Brian Batalliano, in there. He's sending me information. He said the speaker at the news conference just said the aim is to distribute this money as fast as humanly possible. $7.2 billion.

Let me put this into perspective. $20,000 -- $20 billion was the money that was lost. There was $65 billion on paper, but it was $20 billion. So far, $1.5 billion has been recovered. Out of this one deal, $7.2 billion more, a third -- more than a third of the money lost is going back. The money is in a bank already.

This Jeffrey Picower was the most prominent of the successful Madoff investors, right. There were successful ones who made more than they put in, and there were unsuccessful ones who lost money. He made $7.2 billion more than he put in -- brilliant investor. He got the money back.

He died. He was found dead last October 25 in his swimming pool.

His wife settled this and the trustee had said Mrs. Picower is to be commended is going to go to the investors.

LEMON: We wanted to hear from the folks at the press conference. Do we have thatyet? We do have it. Ali, let's listen in and we'll talk about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PREET BHARARA, U.S. ATTORNEY FOR SOUTH DISTRICT OF NEW YORK: Just a few minutes ago, a Manhattan federal judge approved a settlement agreement between my office and the estate of Jeffrey Picower, represented by his widow, Barbara Picower. The agreement resolves a complaint we filed this morning seeking to recover the profits that the Picowers received over the course of 35 years from Bernard Madoff. Monies we now know were the proceeds of the largest Ponzi scheme in all of history.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: OK. You are listening to the U.S. attorney there. Is he the first? He's the biggest of the investors so far. Are there others that they're going after?

VELSHI: Yes.

So there are 16,000 total claims. Of that, the trustee has determined 2,300 of them to be legitimate. That's on the claims side.

On the other side, the people they're suing, 400 people are being sued. But this was by far the absolute biggest. So this is a big, big deal. Now we're close to $9 billion having been received out of $20 billion lost.

Remember, when this first happened, Don, people thought they'd get nothing back. So, this is a big deal to a lot of people.

LEMON: It's a big deal. People can use the money at the right time of year.

VELSHI: For those of you who weren't victims and don't care, this is just a big deal for justice. This is a great job. This isn't a class action suit. This is the U.S. attorney and the trustee, so every dollar that is being recovered, it is in a bank account right now. It is being distributed, as I said, their words, "as fast as humanly possible."

LEMON: Yes. Everybody will get the money back at the right time of year. All year is the right time of year.

VELSHI: Fantastic. Right, but so great for these people.

LEMON: Yes. Absolutely, absolutely.

Ali will be following it. Ali is coming up in just about 20 minutes. He'll be leading the charge here on CNN at the top of the hour and talking about this breaking the news. Thank you, Ali Velshi.

Hollywood lost a heavy hitter this week. Talking about Blake Edwards, the director, producer and writer behind such great movie classics as "The Pink Panther" and "Victor Victoria." He died this week. He was 80 years old.

Do you remember the original Pink Panther movie? Peter Sellers with the great French accent playing the bumbling detective, Inspector Clouseau? And do you know how the Pink Panther got its name? Think about it. We'll have the answer for you after the break.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

LEMON: We asked you before the break how did "The Pink Panther" movie get its name? Well, that question, you know, we asked. So here's what the answer is. Do you know?

It is the name of the stolen diamond Clouseau attempts to find, the diamond Clouseau attempts to find. It has an imperfection in it, and it looks like a pink panther. Today, we remember the writer and director of the classic film. His name was Blake Edwards. He died this week. He was 88 years old. At long last, it is Friday, ladies and gentlemen. The end of the week and opening night for some really big movies. Are you planning on going to catch a flick tonight? Are you?

Our digital producer is here. Derek Dodge joins us with some of the hot film Friday, some of the - oh!

DEREK DODGE, CNN DIGITAL PRODUCER: This is what I'm seeing.

LEMON: This is everywhere, every time I click on something online, this advertisement is there.

DODGE: So, when "Tron" came out in 1982, it was a box office flop. But it turned into this cult favorite. It was a movie about the Internet before the Internet existed, really. This sort of cyberworld. It was kind of cheesy to look back at it now. But I mean, this is the reincarnation of it. "Tron: Legacy."

It's kind of a sequel. The story is picking up, I think, 20 years later. The special effects look incredible. Jeff Bridges is back in his old role and it's in 3-D, of course. What better way to experience "Tron" than in 3-D?

LEMON: So, that's why they think it maybe a hit this time. It became this cult classic, but it didn't work the first time, why do it again in?

DODGE: You know, the technology wasn't really there in 1982 to make this type of movie, to visualize it the way it needs to be visualized. Just looking at the trailer, it looks stunning.

One note about this move they has me really excited, Daft Punk is doing the music. So, if you're into electronic music, you'll see it just for that.

LEMON: All right. Here's my thing. The reason I'll go see this because it makes us old guys happy. Jeff Bridges is an interesting choice. It's not like a 20-year-old who's in the lead role.

(LAUGHTER)

DODGE: Well, there is a 27-year-old in it, but you're going to go see it because of how it looks, because of the music, and you're a fan of cult favorites.

LEMON: They don't make a lot of holiday movies anymore. They're just not profitable. Do you have any favorites?

Oh, who's that? Is that considered a holiday movie?

DODGE: You know, I'd say it's a family film, so it's the classic Yogi Bear in the modern CG rendition here. Dan Ackroyd is playing Yogi Bear. Guess who's playing Boo-Boo?

LEMON: I don't know.

DODGE: Justin Timberlake.

LEMON: Ahh!

DODGE: Or at least doing the voice. This is a fun film I'm sure a lot of families will go see.

LEMON: Look at that! Animation has come I mean - leaps and bounds, so clear. Unbelievable.

DODGE: And if you're insistent on a more romantic comedy, you've got "How Do You Know"? New James Brooks movie. Some big stars here. Owen Wilson, Reese Witherspoon.

LEMON: I've seen this all over, especially all in New York City. Ken, just real quick, can show my favorite holiday movie that I want to show you?

That's my favorite holiday movie.

DODGE: So, I didn't know what this was. And I researched --

LEMON: I said "Derek, what happened to the yule log?"

DODGE: Guess what? They still play it!

LEMON: I know!

DODGE: At 9:00 a.m. Christmas morning.

LEMON: All right. Thank you very much. I'll be watching it. I have a DVD of it, as a matter of fact.

All right. No new taxes - thank you, Derek, enjoy your movies. No new taxes now. John King with the political news driving the discussion in the Beltway and beyond,next on CNN, your place for politics.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Time for a quick check of your top stories on CNN. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is sequestered at a country estate in Suffolk England, today. He's out on bail, accused of sex crimes in Sweden. Assange calls the criminal charges a politically motivated smear campaign.

A drug meant to euthanize animals has been used to execute a death row inmate in Oklahoma. John Duty was put to death using Pentobarbital as part of a three-drug cocktail. An appeals court allowed the drug because there's a nationwide shortage of the sedative normally used in lethal injections.

Government officials seeking compensation for the victims of Bernie Madoff just unveiled a $7.2 billion settlement with the estate of Jeffrey Picower. He is a deceased billionaire accused of being a key beneficiary of the Ponzi scheme. And his wife is returning every penny he earned from those deals. No new year's tax increase. How's that for a Christmas present for you? John King, host of "John King USA," and part of "The Best Political Team on Television," of course, live from the political desk in Washington with the latest.

John.

JOHN, HOST, "JOHN KING USA": Don, a big signing ceremony over at the White House today. President Obama will sign into law that deal he finally got through the House last night. It is, as you said, an extension of the Bush tax cuts. So nobody's taxes will go up next year. A lot of people will see their taxes go down because it also includes a 2 percent payroll tax holiday for one year. Very controversial. But the president thinks it's good for the economy. A lot of people think it might be good for his re-election campaign as well. The president will sign that this afternoon.

As we mentioned, this tax cut deal has been a huge debate. Liberals don't like it because they say it's a giveaway to the rich. A lot of conservatives don't like it because they say it will add to the deficit.

If you want to learn more about the political debate, I'm going to point out a column. Our Ed Rollins, our Republican contributor, he's got a column on the Political Ticker today. Go read that. It goes through the left and the right debate. And Ed makes the point this, that the American people seem to like it so maybe, just maybe it's a downpayment on bipartisanship here in Washington.

And lastly, Don, "don't ask, don't tell." Repealing the military's ban on gays serving openly in the military. Many thought there was no way it wouldn't pass in the lame duck session. As of right now, it looks like it will pass the Senate tomorrow. It already has passed the House as a standalone piece of legislation. The key movement here, four Republicans now have committed to vote for it. They are Senator Brown of Massachusetts, Collins of Maine, Snowe of Maine and Murkowski of Alaska. If that -- if all these vote counts hold, Don, tomorrow the bill could pass and go to the president. A major, major change in policy. Gay Americans would be allowed to serve openly in the United States military.

LEMON: Oh, this will be historic. That's some interesting news there. John King, thank you very much. We'll be watching you this evening.

And for your next political update, it's coming up in one hour. For all of the latest political news, go to cnnpolitics.com.

Last night was a milestone. The last episode of "Larry King Live." Can you believe it? For Larry, it marks 25 years here at CNN and 50 years in broadcasting. A fact that nobody seems to know better than his son.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CANNON KING, LARRY KING'S SON: Where's Sean (ph)? Get in the car. I'm too old for this. I've done this for 50 years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: That kid had me cracking up. So more highlights from the King's last show after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Time now for "The Help Desk," where we get answers to your financial questions. Joining me this hour, Donna Rosato. She's a senior writer with "Money." And Lynnette Khalfani-Cox is a columnist for walletpop.com.

All right, let's start in Missouri with Don who writes in, "I invested in 250 shares of GM stock when it was $3.65 a share. Since the bankruptcy, do I have the chance to recover my losses?"

A lot of people wondering this one, Donna.

DONNA ROSATO, SENIOR WRITER, "MONEY": That's right there's been a lot of buzz about GM because last month it actually had one of the largest IPOs on Wall Street in Wall Street history.

ELAM: Right.

ROSATO: Unfortunately for this person, they bought those shares pre-bankruptcy and they're out of luck. When a company files for bankruptcy, creditors and bondholders can get reimbursed for what they owe, but, unfortunately, shareholders are last in line and those shares are, unfortunately, worthless.

ELAM: Low -- yes, low on the totem pole.

ROSATO: The one bright spot, they could probably take a tax deduction for the losses on that stock.

ELAM: And they should make sure that they do that and look into that.

ROSATO: Yes.

ELAM: All right, let's go on to Wisconsin where we hear from Roy who writes us, "I'm moving $300,000 from an old 401(k) to a new IRA. I'm being offered a service where it will be actively managed for $1,000 a year. Will I make more money with the investment company managing it?"

What do you think in, Lynnette?

LYNNETTE KHALFANI-COX, COLUMNIST, WALLETPOP.COM: I think not necessarily. You know, it depends also on the performance of the manager and the fund that you're going to be invested in. That's really the key determinant about whether or not you're going to make more money.

Here's the bottom line. Most index funds, frankly, outperform a lot of actively managed funds. In this case, though, the fact that they had $300,000 in this account and they're only going to pay $1,000 for that actively managed fund, that's a really low fee. It's like a third of 1 percent. So I don't quibble at all with the fees, but I don't think that this person should think they're going to make more money just because it's an actively managed fund.

ELAM: Yes, that's often something that people need to keep in mind. And they should probably keep their eyes on it as well, too.

All right, well, thank you, Donna and Lynette, for your information, as always.

And if you have a question you'd like for us to get answered for you, we're happy to do it. Send us an e-mail any time to cnnhelpdesk@cnn.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Trending online this hour. A little techno doohickey to make traveling abroad a walk in the park. It's a new iPhone app that's called Word Lens. Point your iPhone camera at a sign, a menu or any other text, Word Lens instantly translates for you. Right now the app only works with English and Spanish, but more languages are on the way.

And here at CNN, last night we marked the end of an era. The last episode of "Larry King Live." And here are a few highlights for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KATIE COURIC, CBS NEWS: As you hang up your suspenders on your dressing room door, I speak for us all when I say, we want more. More of the show that we instantly loved for 25 years, couldn't get enough of.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, I've done about 7,000 interviews in my 25 years at CNN, and I've saved my best guest for last. I'm talking to me!

LARRY KING, "LARRY KING LIVE": First Cannon does me. Do me.

CANNON KING, LARRY KING'S SON: I'm too old for this. I've done this for 50 years.

BARBARA WALTERS, ABC NEWS: No one has done more than you. You've been able -- you were my biggest competition. I hate to see you go, but a little part of me says, oh, terrific, now I can get (INAUDIBLE).

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You say that all you do is ask questions. But for generations of Americans, the answers to those questions have surprised us, they've informed us and they've opened our eyes to the world beyond our living rooms.

BILL CLINTON, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Thank you, Larry. And thank you for all the years. You were great.

GOV. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, CALIFORNIA: Today is officially in California Larry King Day.

L. KING: That's the staff in Washington. And now we'll switch to the staff right here in Los Angeles. There's the control room. There you see Wendy Walker (ph).

TONY BENNETT (singing): The best is yet to come and babe won't that be fun.

L. KING: I am -- I don't know what to say except to you, my audience, thank you. And instead of good-bye, how about so long.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: So long, Larry. CNN TV won't be the same without you.

If you are in Des Moines, Iowa, you might want to look out for the man in a red suit. He's handing out money.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: A mystery Santa has been giving away money to complete strangers in Iowa. The Secret Santa, he has been walking streets of Des Moines handing out $100 bills there to the less fortunate. First, they can't believe it. Wonder what they have to do to keep it. Then lots of hugs. Some even burst into tears.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Merry Christmas to you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, Lord, have mercy. Thank you. Are you sure this is real?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am sure it's real. It's real.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You couldn't have picked a better person. I can show you a picture of my tree in front -- I just took yesterday and it has not one present under it and my 15-year-old son is like wondering what we're going to do for Christmas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Random act of kindness. I love that. I love that. The Secret Santa says he was inspired by another mystery Santa in Kansas City who helped the needy. Great story.

Ali Velshi picks it up from here.

Ali, we like good news, sir. We like that.