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A Win for Amanda Knox Defense; Richardson Visits North Korea; Senate Repeals "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"; Dr. Bill's Tips On Avoiding Weight Gain On The Holidays; CNN Viewers Offer Opinions On The Senate Vote On Gays And The Military

Aired December 18, 2010 - 16:00   ET

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

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: House Resolution 2965 is adopted.

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DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: That vote taking place just this afternoon. Eight Republican senators crossing over to vote with the Democrats on this one. Senator Udall, Brianna Keilar up on Capitol Hill, said, you know, the fact that this was a stand alone bill, that may have been the key. It was clean. It was straight up or down, not attached to spending, not attached to anything else. It was just do you support this or do you not?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, what we saw last week is it wasn't going to pass the Senate, certainly attached to a larger defense bill. It was attached to a defense authorization bill that had a number of controversial items from things dealing with Guantanamo detainees to abortion, as well as this "don't ask, don't tell" issue. And it failed.

So the House went ahead and passed a stand alone measure, and that is what is able to clear the Senate today. As we speak right now, supporters of this bill in the Senate who voted for it are holding a press conference. I was just listening in.

We heard Joe Lieberman, who is an independent, who caucuses with Democrats. He's really been the leading voice on this. He's one of the co-sponsors of this legislation, and he just was telling reporters that when an issue like this comes up, he said "it's not about them, meaning gays and lesbians in the military. It's about us," and really sort of the message he was saying that he and members of Congress and Americans send about whether those people should be accepted.

We also heard from Senator Susan Collins of Maine, a Republican, one of the leading co-sponsors on this legislation who said we need to welcome the service of anyone who is willing to get in a uniform and fight for our freedom regardless of their sexual orientation. But in the end, the vote here, 65-31, pretty decent showing there. Eight Republicans, who joined the 37 Democrats who were present and the bottom line now, this is a policy, Drew, that's been in effect for 17 years implemented under President Clinton. When it heads to President Obama's desk, that's it. That will be the beginning of the end for "don't ask, don't tell" as the military then works to implement this repeal.

GRIFFIN: Brianna, thanks.

The White House is our next stop. The president apparently already eager to sign this. Let's go to Kate Bolduan who is at the White House right now. Kate?

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Drew. This is a very big moment for this White House. We often say that to be honest when big pieces of legislation pass or we overcome a filibuster or the president overcomes a filibuster or something like that. But this is a very big moment for this White House and this president and here's why, because the president has vowed since and promised since way back on the campaign trail, the presidential campaign trail that this is one of his top priorities, repealing the military's don't ask, don't tell policy.

And since then, it's become a point of frustration and tension, especially with the gay and lesbian community. Many thinking that the president turned a blind eye to this very big issue for them. And today, really, the president is kind of making good on that promise, if you will. And we're waiting for new reaction from the White House at this moment to this vote. The final passage of the repeal.

But in a statement earlier after the procedural vote, the president really kind of laid it out and I'm sure his statement when we get it will be very similar. He called it "a historic step," and also in the statement saying, Drew, "as commander in chief, I am also absolutely convinced that making this change will only underscore the professionalism of our troops as the best led and best trained fighting force the world has ever known."

The president going on in that statement to say 'it is time to close this chapter in our history" and you can be sure that this White House thinks they've taken a major step in turning the page on this chapter in our history, their words, at this very moment.

One point to note, also maybe a sign of the times, we're getting kind of a scheduling update from this White House from a tweet from White House press secretary Robert Gibbs who said that the president will sign this repeal next week.

GRIFFIN: All right. Kate, thanks a lot.

Let's go to the Pentagon now, specifically Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr who is joining us on the phone. And Barbara, we did get a statement from Secretary Gates, which quite frankly, was a bit confusing to me. It basically said thank you, we're for it, we plan to implement this. Just give us months and months and months to do it. I don't understand what's going to take so long.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (ON THE PHONE): We'll see how long it takes. It's what we've been talking about this afternoon, of course, and part of this law that has just been passed requires the military to certify that they are ready, that all the rules and regulations and policies that may need to be looked at or adjusted have been - that has been done. And then 60 days after that, it will all go into the final effect.

So make no mistake, there is still some time ahead before this is finally done. We have a statement, as well from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Michael Mullen, referring to the fact that for so many years, so many military people have had to lie about who they are in order to stay in the service. He says "no longer will able men and women who want to serve and sacrifice for their country have to sacrifice their integrity to do so. We will be a better military as a result."

That from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs. Another major step forward, because what Admiral Mullen had talked about for so long was he could not abide the notion that people had to lie in the military, which is an organization that does not tolerate lying. They had to lie in order to stay in military service and serve their country. Drew?

GRIFFIN: Barbara Starr, thank you so much. A lot of people have been weighing in on this historic vote. And Josh has been gathering reactions. Josh, what are people saying?

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They're pouring in, Drew. Something to tell you about at the top, very interesting here. We've been talking about how lawmakers now turn to the web, right? A lot of them turn to Tweeter to get their messages out. Well, Senator Harry Reid has sent out two tweets. One of them to Lady Gaga. And the other one to Dan Choi. We've heard him often talking about how he was kicked out of the military and talked about being openly gay.

Let me tell you a few of the tweets that we're taking a look at here. This is the one he sent. It's to @ltdanchoi "One hour away from fulfilling my promise to you to kill 'don't ask, don't tell.'" That's something he wrote out earlier. And he also wrote one to Lady Gaga that says, "We did it. 'Don't ask, don't tell' is a thing of the past." This is the kind of thing that's going on online right now.

Let me read to you some of what our viewers have been sending in right here and we're looking for people from all sides. We did get one from someone who is opposed to this decision. This is Lea who wrote a tweet to me and says "our country can't afford to build new barracks, boot camp facilities, et cetera. Our country is broke." They're actually not planning to build (INAUDIBLE) is not believed to be necessary, but this is the kind of thing that some people are concerned about. That some people believe.

So I want to share with you that we're hearing from people on all sides. Let's take a look at the vast majority of what we're getting, just here on Facebook. "History has been made for equality," from JdotSon. Chris, "time will tell how the military treats openly gay soldiers." Another one here, Devin, "congrats to all our troops and our country." From Mark, "I'm proud to be an American today." I'm looking at one more, "our military just became stronger." So Drew, what we're here are getting tons and tons of messages from our vieweres who are weighing in right now. You got I-report. You got me Josh Levs CNN on Facebook and Tweeter. And while you're online, go to CNN.com, take a look at the stories we have up there. We trace you through the history of 'don't ask, don't tell.' We talked to you about the rules in other countries. We talked to you about the different sides of this debate, who voted how, a lot of good context and Drew, I'll be here throughout the hour following your responses, as well as the tweets that we're getting from lawmakers as we mentioned earlier, all the way up to Robert Gibbs, tweeting in behalf of the White House, the plans for the president to sign next week.

GRIFFIN: I'm still chuckling, Harry Reid and Lady Gaga, the new power couple.

LEVS: He went and tweeted her. You know, she had actually been in the news, on CNN, because she held these big events against 'don't ask, don't tell.' It is very interesting the way this works, to see Harry Reid go and tweet, the one tweet he sent out, after this message, after this decision was made to Lady Gaga.

GRIFFIN: All right. Josh, thanks for that. We'll continue to watch this as we monitor reaction now on what is now a historic vote in the Senate.

Next the tinderbox on the Korean Peninsula. While South Korea plans for a military exercise, New Mexico's Governor Bill Richardson is meeting with North Korean leaders trying to get everybody to just calm down.

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GRIFFIN: A big break for Amanda Knox, currently in prison in Italy for killing her British roommate. An Italian appellate judge has agreed to new DNA tests on some of the evidence used to convict the Washington State College student. Earlier, we spoke with Barbie Nadeau, who freelances for "Newsweek" magazine. She's following the court proceedings and says a brand new witness may be called, somebody who could really help Knox's case.

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BARBIE NADEAU, FREELANCER "NEWSWEEK": She saw Amanda Knox and Rafaelle Sollecito outside the house where the murder took place in the hours after the murder based on the time of death of the body. The judge wants to hear witnesses talking basically about this particular witness' testimony. This witness was a homeless man who lived on a basketball court near the house where Meredith was killed. And he was certainly a questionable witness at the time, but the judge at the time during the criminal trial let everything go.

Now the judge in the appellate trial wants to re-examine his testimony, because he's the only one that really put Amanda and Rafaelle at the scene of the crime. And so these are key developments, I think, and key indicators that no matter how this appeal comes out, no matter what happens at the end of it, that she is really getting a fair look again at the way the criminal trial went.

This could be very much the defining moment, this appeal, because it's the independent review of these two key pieces of evidence that were used to convict her, Amanda Knox and Rafaelle Sollecito are found to be, you know, wrong, if the results are wrong, if they find that the way that these were tested was somehow improper, that could result in overturning her case. These are two very key elements of evidence that were used against her. Knox was very, very excited. She came into court today looking depressed and down, but when she left, when she walked out, she really looked like Christmas had come early for her.

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GRIFFIN: New Mexico's Governor Bill Richardson is in North Korea. He is trying to calm tensions in the Korean Peninsula. Today, South Korea postponed live artillery exercises because of bad weather. Richardson now urging both North and South Korea to show maximum restraint.

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GOV. BILL RICHARDSON, FMR. U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N. (ON THE PHONE): I'm concerned, because there's a potential for a miscalculation. I've raised with the North Koreans the importance of being extremely restrained, to cool down, to not overreact. I am concerned, because these routine exercises of the South Koreans could cause a miscalculation. My sense from talking to the North Koreans is they want to tamp things down a bit.

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GRIFFIN: The only television correspondent traveling with Richardson is CNN's Wolf Blitzer. And here's what Wolf told us about the meetings that are taking place.

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WOLF BLITZER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (ON THE PHONE): Earlier today, he met with the chief nuclear negotiator Kim Kye-Gwan (ph) and they elaborated. Those meetings are going to continue. Now Sunday morning, local time, he's going to meet with the top military official in charge of the DMZ in the Armistice Major General Pak Rim-Su (ph). And that's going to be a critically important meeting, because Richardson is aggressively pushing for some serious restraint on the part of the North Koreans. I know they're going to be very happy that the weather has delayed the South Korean military maneuvers at this point.

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GRIFFIN: Richardson is in North Korea as an unofficial capacity. The guest of North Korea's chief nuclear negotiator. One thing is certain though when he returns, he'll likely be asked important questions.

CNN's Brian Todd says the U.S. government is anxious to find out what he has seen and heard.

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RICHARDSON: I'm not here as a representative of the Obama administration.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He may not have been sent by Washington, but Governor Bill Richardson's visit to Pyongyang may give U.S. officials a fresh source of intelligence on an aging, unpredictable dictator and his inner circle when he returns.

Mike Green, former national security council official, who dealt with North Korea, knows how officials in Washington will likely approach Richardson after his trip.

(on camera): You've done these debriefings, take us inside that debriefing room when he comes back. What are the kind of questions he'll face?

MIKE GREEN, CENTER FOR STRATEGIC & INT'L STUDIES: Well, if he meets Kim Jong-Il there will be a lot of questions about his health, his command of the room and so forth. He probably - people will still be interested in the government in hearing, you know, what was the propaganda line he was given, trying to read the tea leaves and see if North Koreans are moving in a different direction.

TODD (voice-over): Green says they'll ask Richardson who was in the room when he met officials in Pyongyang, what they might have said about Kim Jong-Il or his likely successor, his third son. He says because Richardson like many visitors to North Korea, was asked by the North Koreans and not the Americans to go. Another key question U.S. officials will have for him will be -

GREEN: What did you tell them? Because there's a worry that the wrong signals being conveyed when you have private citizens doing these high level trips.

TODD: Green went to Pyongyang as part of a U.S. government delegation. He says this about what Richardson's group including our colleague, Wolf Blitzer, are likely experiencing.

GREEN: They will find that the North Koreans are cleaning their room every two hours because they're going through everything. They are followed everywhere. They can get out a bit in Pyongyang. They can walk to the stamp store and buy stamps commemorating the death of American soldiers in the Korean War or extolling the virtue of Kim Jong-Il and his nuclear program.

The most stunning thing to me was to see basically battalions of school children, eight, nine-year-olds marching to school in perfect regimentation with flags and bugles and drums, totally militarized society.

TODD: Green says this delegation could also be observing what may seem like a normal amount of electricity. But he says the North Koreans turn up the electricity in Pyongyang when high level visitors come to give the impression that their economy is in good shape.

(on camera): He says much of the city may go dark once the delegation leaves, but Pyongyang still gets more electricity than other parts of the country. This night time satellite photo from 2003 shows the difference in electricity levels between North and South Korea. This dot right here is Pyongyang.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

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GRIFFIN: We'll wait for Wolf's reports when he gets back and we'll be back right after this break.

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GRIFFIN: Our top story, the U.S. Senate has approved legislation that will allow gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military, the final vote to repeal "don't ask, don't tell," 65-31. President Obama expected to sign the measure next week.

Many people have been following this closely, the repeal. Among them and probably no more closer than anybody else is Lieutenant Colonel Victor Fehrenbach. In the Air Force for 18 years. He has been fighting to stay in the military after, I guess, coming out, right? And has filed an injunction to stay on active duty and he filed a lawsuit to overturn "don't ask, don't tell."

Let me get your reaction first to what is a historic day certainly for you and any other gay man or woman serving in the military.

LT. COL. VICTOR FEHRENBACH, U.S. AIR FORCE: Thanks. And it is a historic day. I want to correct two things. I've been in 19 1/2 years, not to date myself, but pretty close to retirement there. I was actually outed, I didn't out myself. But no, this is a historic day for thousands, tens of thousands of military members that are serving right now. It's obviously a great day for me. But it's a great day for America and the military in general. I was overwhelmed today.

GRIFFIN: Let me ask you because we're still trying to see how this is going to be implemented, Colonel. Over at the Pentagon, there's talk about changing procedures, changing policies. You have been in the military for 19 years. You've flown combat missions. You've gotten medals. You've obviously served this country very well. Give me an idea of what, if any procedures need to be changed to allow you just to be who you are?

FEHRENBACH: I'll tell you, not much, because, you know, as far as conduct goes, there are already standards established in the uniform code of military justice. So really nothing has to be changed there. Maybe a couple of words to include discrimination for sexual orientation. But other than that, not much needs to be changed. And as I've been witness to in the past two and a half years, you know, people in the military are ready for this change. I've got nothing but support from all the people I work with. So overall, not much is going to have to change.

GRIFFIN: Yes, does this end basically your case in your mind? You are just now a member of the military outright?

FEHRENBACH: Well, I have been a member of the military outright. I've been serving on active duty since this ordeal began for me, two years and seven months ago. And unfortunately, it won't end my case right away, and that's a very important point to make to the service members out there that are serving right now. They need to understand that even though this is a great day, a historic day and the first step towards equal rights, they need to understand that they are not safe, that until we receive certification from the president, until that is signed, the president, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Secretary of Defense, they are not safe to come out.

So there was no timeline given for that period. It could take several months. So service members right now need to understand that they are not safe to come out. My case will be on-going again until certification. I hope in the meantime, that the Secretary of Defense and the President use their powers they currently hold where they can take current discharges and current investigations and put those on hold until this law is certified.

GRIFFIN: You - let me listen to a bit of your story, Victor. You said you didn't come out, you were outed.

FEHRENBACH: Correct.

GRIFFIN: Tell me the circumstances surrounding that. Did somebody have a problem with you?

FEHRENBACH: You know, I can't talk to that person's motivation, but yes, somebody basically accused me of a terrible crime. Basically, I had to tell the truth and in doing so, expose the nature of our relationship and in doing so, I guess in the Air Force's sense, I violated "don't ask, don't tell." But I was accused of a crime, I told the truth to prove that it was a false allegation, to prove my innocence, and I was basically, my back was against the wall and I was forced to tell the truth and admit who I was.

GRIFFIN: Yes, and up until then you had no problem at all serving as a gay man serving in the military.

FEHRENBACH: No.

GRIFFIN: Did you feel like you were living a lie or anything like that?

FEHRENBACH: I did, but I was able to deal with it. You know, for 17 years I kept my private life private. No one in the military knew of my orientation. It was never really a problem as I saw it. But you know, in many ways, like 65,000 that are serving right now all over the world, you live with this sense of fear that this could be the day that you might have said the wrong thing, that somebody could out you at any moment and you're compromising your integrity every day. Even a simple question like, what did you do over the weekend? Who you're spending your time with. You're constantly making up stories and lies and it goes against the very values that this military and our country are based on.

GRIFFIN: Before we leave, I just want to say, F-15 fighter pilot. Eight air medals, one for heroism. Handpicked to protect Washington, D.C. air space after 9/11 and flew combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, targeting the Taliban and Al Qaeda. Victor, gay or not, I just want to thank you for serving the country and thanks for sticking in there.

FEHRENBACK: It's been my pleasure and I hope to continue to serve. I look forward to it and it's a great day for America and a great day for our military. Thank you.

GRIFFIN: All right. It's certainly historic. Thank you for joining us from Washington, D.C..

Thank you so much, sir.

FEHRENBACH: Thanks.

GRIFFIN: Well, the weather outside definitely frightful in Europe. More on that right after this.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's different (INAUDIBLE) it's quite nice, going on a little weekend break and snow everywhere. It's quite good.

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GRIFFIN: Karen, stick around and you're going to tell me what he said right after this.

People across Europe finding the silver lining to a very white weekend, blizzard conditions dumping massive amounts of snow from London and Germany and Ireland and Austria. Airports closed. London's Heathrow Airport included. That's making pre-holiday travel a challenge. Check out this scene too. This is something you definitely don't want to have to deal with. This is snow inside the house. Strong, blizzard winds pushed the door open at this Iowa house, letting in the snow. The homeowners were out when it happened. A relative came by to check on the house and discovered all that snow. Luckily once they shoveled it out, no damage.

All right. Karen Maginnis, you're following the snow. But what the heck did that guy said?

KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: He said there was a lot of snow. He liked it. It was fun. I just talked with one of our meteorologists down at CNN International, she said Heathrow was closed and it doesn't look like it's going to be until tomorrow that they'll be operating again. Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, they've all been hit very hard. The second time that they've seen a significant snow event and the second time Heathrow and Gatwick have canceled flights.

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DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR, CNN NEWSROOM: It's science fiction for the 21st century. "Tron: Legacy" takes moviegoers to the digital frontier. Pete Hammond with "Box Office" magazine joins us from Los Angeles.

Let's start with a clip of that movie, "Tron."

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sam, two fights before he disappeared, he came to my house. I've cracked it he kept saying. Now he was talking about genetic alga rhythms, quantum teleportation. He said he was about to change everything, science, medicine, religion. He wouldn't have left that, Sam. He wouldn't have left you.

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GRIFFIN: What do you think of this movie, any good?

PETER HAMMOND, "BOX OFFICE" MAGAZINE: Actually, the original "Tron" 28 years ago I didn't think was any good at all. It was just a convoluted sci-fi thing. I couldn't even understand it. This one's got a story. It's really quite good. And it is really interesting to see Jeff Bridges play opposite himself, his younger self. He's 30 years younger. Amazing technology they've got going. I think the time has come for "Tron" and all of this CGI and fancy stuff. It really quite works this time. It's fun.

GRIFFIN: It's funny that they even made it, though. Because like you said, I don't remember this being a super big deal back when I would have been very interested in this.

HAMMOND: No, it really wasn't. I think that's the reason you didn't hear of "Tron" again. But I think the technology now and what they're able to do special effects wise made it a tempting idea. I know the film makers had to prove to Disney they could pull this off in a different way now. And I think they have -- it's actually a good father-son story that they've got going. There's more content than there was before.

GRIFFIN: You've got another movie to talk about?

HAMMOND: Yes. We have a couple of movies, "How Do You Know?" which is the romantic comedy.

GRIFFIN: Is it any good?

HAMMOND: This year, from James L. Brooks, big holiday romantic comedy, with Jack Nicholson and Reese Witherspoon. We've got Owen Wilson in it and Paul Rudd.

GRIFFIN: I mean, is this a good chick flick, date movie? Give me a grade on this one.

HAMMOND: Yeah, you know, I'm giving it a C plus. It's not the greatest. I think that the characters don't mesh. There's not a lot of great chemistry in this movie. Coming from James L. Brooks, the director who did "Terms Of Endearment" and "Broadcast News" and "Jerry Maguire," and "As Good As It Gets", it's a bit of a disappointment. Although, I did enjoyed the Paul Rudd character. He's kind of a young Jack Lemmon, for this generation. And he's amusing to watch. Owen Wilson is always fun. Jack Nicholson looks like he's in a completely different movie. I don't know what they thought about on the casting here. It doesn't quite mesh. But look, if you are looking for any kind of romantic comedy, this is one of the few out there, so you are going to have to just take it or leave it.

GRIFFIN: All right. Peter, we're going to play a clip from "Yogi Bear." A lot of kids home from school. What do you do with them? Here's the clip.

(BEGIN MOVIE CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You better hang on, Yogi.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to be fine, Boo-Boo. Just sit back and let Mother Nature carry us along.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think Mother Nature is kind of cranky.

(END MOVIE CLIP)

GRIFFIN: Before I weigh in, what is your take on this movie?

HAMMOND: It's not smarter than the average kid's movie. But look, it's fun. It's in 3D. If you liked "Alvin and the Chipmunks, The Squeakuel" last year, you're going to love "Yogi Bear". Yogi Bear came out in 1962, I'm not sure kids today even know Yogi. But I always thought he was fun. It's OK. It's not a great movie by any means, but it will do. It's less than 80 minutes, so it's a fast sit. Adults are going to have a really hard time with this, though. It's strictly for the preteen set.

GRIFFIN: What is the technology here? What is this? Is this a cartoon mix or something like that?

HAMMOND: Yeah, this is basically a live action movie with a couple of cartoon bears. Animated bears that they put in. But it's a live action animation mix. Sort of like "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" and that kind of style and "Alvin and the Chipmunks." But the whole show is Yogi and Boo-Boo. And that is what the kids come to see. Forget the live action actors, this is like a thankless job for an actor basically.

GRIFFIN: Oh, my gosh. Pete Hammond thanks for joining us with the box office this week. Appreciate it.

HAMMOND: Sure.

GRIFFIN: Well, keeping your waistline in check this holiday season, Dr. Bill Lloyd is going to tell us all how to do it, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: Our top story this hour. The U.S. Senate approving legislation allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military. The final vote to repeal "don't ask, don't tell", 65-31. Eight Republicans joining Democrats to vote for that; President Obama expected to sign the measure in the coming week.

Five years after cracking up audiences as an electronics store clerk in the movie "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," the actor Shelley Malil sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole. He was convicted in California for stabbing his former girlfriend. During the trial, he claimed it was the knife that stabbed her, not him.

Triple-A says the number of Americans planning trips during the holiday season is expected to jump 3 percent. In all, 93 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from their home by car or air. The snow out west could hamper a lot of those folks' plans, though. With Christmas just around the corner, lots of us are going to be shopping this weekend. Technology is being used, security cameras, to give retailers an edge. CNN's Mary Snow tells us how these devices are tracking you, in an effort to boost sales.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARY SNOW, CNN FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): This scene seems pretty ordinary, a woman browsing through a shirt rack. But for retailers keeping a watchful eye, this is considered valuable information.

(On camera): You wouldn't be surprised to know there are security cameras like this one videotaping you. What you might not know is what's being done with those images.

(Voice over): As soon as you walk through the door, your movements are tracked.

KATHRYN HOWE, BVI NETWORKS: It's like getting really close without touching, right? I want to understand as much as I can without invading your space.

SNOW: Kathryn Howe provides technology to retailers hoping to boost sales by studying shopper's behavior. American Apparel allowed us to get a look at how it works.

HOWE: I want to say, all right, bring it a little further out and track people coming in who go to the coat display.

SNOW: Howe will look to see who goes to that coat display and for how long. Her job is to convert videos into information. Like this map, showing the stores' most trafficked areas. She also shows us how a camera captured shoppers inside a convenience store looking at a promotion sign.

HOWE: I could click on each of these and I would get a little video clip that would show me exactly their behavior as they approached it.

SNOW: Armed with that information, stores might move displays or change how merchandise is presented. In addition to cameras, this store attaches RFID, or radio frequency tags on clothes. John Brooks, with American Apparel, says his store uses them to track inventory, and insists they aren't followed once an item leaves the store. He sees another purpose for them in the future.

JOHN BROOKS, AMERICAN APPAREL: Where somebody may go into a change room, we will have run-well, the system will have run a log rhythm that says with this particular item you're likely to also be interested in these items, and our sales assistants can then move to efficiently provide those products.

SNOW: As retailers try to gain an age on competitors, Paco Underhill, a pioneer in consumer behavior says there's an infinite amount of technology.

PACO UNDERHILL, AUTHOR, "WHY WE BUY: THE SCIENCE OF SHOPPING": I can put sensors on a shopping chart to track where that shopping cart goes and how long it stays for. I can key in to your cell phone and if it is turned on, be able to pinpoint where you are.

SNOW: What remains unclear, he says, is whether all this information is leading to something useful. But that is not the only question.

(On camera): How aware are consumers about how much they're being watched?

(Voice over): John Brooks says most people know about security cameras, but has this message for consumers worried about their privacy.

BROOKS: At the end of the day, our technology is driven towards creating a more rich and efficient in-store experience. And that is our primary concern. Information outside of that is really of no interest to us. And is unactionable, in terms of our business model.

SNOW: But the use of all this technology has made privacy advocates increasingly uneasy. As one attorney at the ACLU put it, analytics being collected are being dwarfed the information about you obtained online. Mary Snow, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN: Of course, a lot of us will be attending holiday events, parties this weekend and beyond, with plenty of food to eat and stuff to drink, and that means a lot of weight to gain. Dr. Bill joins us.

Dr. Bill, I was reading ahead. You've got some very, very specific tips on how you can actually avoid putting on those pounds as soon as you walk in the door of a party.

DR. BILL LLOYD, SURGEON & PATHOLOGIST: You're absolutely right, Drew. When you think of the holidays, if you want to preserve a healthy weight, you have think about it like an obstacle course. So between now and let's say, January 2, you've got to navigate your way around these parties.

The first important tip that you think about is never arrive hungry at a party. A lot of people try to starve themselves before a reception, saying they can munch away when they get to the party, but it works the opposite. Follow your normal nutritional schedule and have a snack before the party and you won't eat as much.

Here is another important one, Visualize yourself eating. Big research this week in "Science" magazine, researchers in Pittsburgh said if on your way to the party you think about eating those cheese cubes, you think about eating those shrimp, you actually go through the maneuver of eating those M&Ms, when you go to the party, you'll already be full and you won't want to eat as much. Try that one, Drew, and let me know if it works.

Also, arrive late. If you get there early, you have more time to graze. And think about using smaller plates when you're in line for that buffet. Take the smaller plate. Research has shown you'll eat less. And between every bite, put the fork down. When you force yourself to pick up the fork, you eat less. And limit the amount of alcohol you drink and you'll keep that calorie count down.

GRIFFIN: Bill, I got to tell you, every time I visualize M&Ms, I want to eat them. So that's not going to work for me. I'm going to try something else. You said something interesting, the 30 minutes you arrive, the first 30 minutes are the danger zone.

LLOYD: Absolutely right. Because people want to be hospitable to their guests and they lay out all the good stuff. Again, if you arrive hungry, you'll get right in there. You know there is a kind of survival mentality that, you know, those shrimp may not last, those meatballs may go away, I better eat them now. When in fact, most good hosts, like you, will put the food out in stages throughout the party. Hosts need to be very sensitive to their guests. Make sure there's low-calorie dishes as well as the regular fair as well. So by getting their later and choosing the smaller plate, you'll consume far fewer calories. And start the new year at your target weight.

GRIFFIN: There's an emotional problem wrapped up in a lot of people's Christmases, too. Their moods kind of go sour. Why does that happen?

LLOYD: Well, Drew, we're not talking about somebody that has a diagnosis of a clinical mood disorder. These people need to be in the hands of health professionals. But a lot of healthy people do get down in the dumps when the holidays come. The answer is simple, too little sun and too much anxiety. Anxiety is linked to depression. If you're buried with woes about gift wrapping, going to the mall, and the economy, you're really not going to enjoy the holidays. Of course, there's always triggers that can bring you down. You have to be alert about your feelings. Now, don't wait till next weekend, now how are you feeling about the holidays?

GRIFFIN: Let me ask you something else, Doctor Bill, because this was news to me. It was a great idea, that I had just never thought of. You say that holidays are a good time to get together with your families and try to assess, or organize a family health history. LLOYD: I think everyone should do this, Drew. Because we know that an accurate family history is one of the most powerful steps that physicians can use to get to a correct diagnosis. Now and in the future, for yourself, and for your children. So if you're having a family reunion, take a few minutes sit down and collect some information. Go ahead and build that family tree. And of course, with so many blended families, now that tree is going to have many, many branches. Get the names of all the family members and for those that have passed on, get the age when they passed away.

Here's something very important. For those where you know an individual had a health problem, get the age of their diagnosis. Aunt Lucy went crazy. Well, maybe she went crazy when she was 90. But if she started having memory problems and started acting funny when she was 65, then maybe we ought to be thinking about that she had dementia or Alzheimer's disease and we can track that in the family. So the age of diagnosis is very, very important.

And it is the holidays, so you want to probe gently. This is not the conversation to have over the dinner table. Find some time with the older relatives, get them aside, and see how much they can remember about your family health.

GRIFFIN: You know, they generally like talking about their history, no matter what, good or bad, don't they?

LLOYD: That's an important point. We don't know how anybody in the Lloyd family died. I ask my parents all the time. Hey, how did Uncle Bob die? We don't know. So this is a great opportunity to get that information. The reason is, if you have this information, and there's a family trait, you and your doctor can decide if there's a role for preclinical treatment, diseases like Alzheimer and Parkinson's disease. They're offering therapies now to people even before their earliest symptoms, if they have a strong family history.

So by having this information for yourself, and for your children, the next generation of health care is going to change tremendously. This information will put you in the best place to have a healthier life and longer survivorship, as well.

GRIFFIN: Dr. Bill Lloyd, always great, good advice. Thanks so much and happy holidays.

LLOYD: We'll talk again soon.

GRIFFIN: OK. Take care.

LLOYD: Same to you.

GRIFFIN: We'll be right back.

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GRIFFIN: It is time for a CNN=Politics update. Here's what's crossing the ticker right now. Republicans and Democrats have approved a temporary spending deal. Keeps the government running until next week. They're still finding over a trillion dollar spending bill to fund the government through September.

A sweeping foods safety bill appears to be dead, at least for this session. Congress approved this bill earlier in the year, but a new vote was necessary, because of a procedural mistake. Sources say the new vote is unlikely before the current session ends, so the bill is going to have to be reintroduced next year.

Bad news for Sarah Palin, coming in a new poll from ABC News and "The Washington Post." Nearly 60 percent of Americans surveyed say they won't even consider voting for Palin if she decides to run for president. Only 8 percent say she definitely has their vote.

For the latest political news, you can always go to CNNPolitics.com. Really great stuff all the time.

Josh Levs, is getting still more reaction on this "don't ask, don't tell" debate that has been going on. And now ended in the Senate, where the Senate has passed repealing that law, 65 to 31.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. So many people weighing in on this issue, Drew. It's been interesting to see the kinds of responses we're getting from our viewers. The vast majority in support of the decision, but here and there, some people against it. Let me start off with some of our viewers. I'll show you resources on line to learn more about today's decision.

I'm going over to Facebook. This one from Jameel, who opposes the decision today. "Thumbs down, we can do with out anyone who wants to go against the values this country was founded on."

But these are more of the kinds of things we're getting. This is from Raul: "God bless for America for this change. Now it can finally be the land of the free."

Here's Marge says, "So proud of my country. Equality and human rights moves one step forward. Yes, we can!"

Let's get another one here.

"I'm very happy this repeal is done with. It truly don't think this will be a problem in the military.

And I believe we have one more here. "Having served four years in the U.S. Air Force, I'm elated that this legislation made it through the U.S. Senate."

I want to bring you over to some of the white pages we have up. First of all a lot of information at CNN.com, but I mentioned earlier that Harry Reid sent out two Tweets, one to Lady Gaga, another to Dan Choi, someone who has been on our air before. Let me show you what they've been saying.

Lady Gaga, very interesting, this is from her.

"Can't hold back the tears and pride. We did it, our voice was heard. And today the senate repealed the DADT." That is "don't ask, don't tell". This is what people are calling it on Twitter. "A triumph for equality after 17 years."

Let's talk about Dan Choi for a second. His Twitter handle is Lieutenant Dan Choi, he is the former Army National Guard lieutenant who was let go, and has been outspoken against "don't ask, don't tell". He's openly gay. Here he wrote something interesting. Let's zoom in here.

He wrote, "Now we begin work to fully repeal 'don't ask, don't tell' in the hearts of every gay soldier waiting to access their full integrity." This is interesting, I've been following the Twitter sites of Lindsey Graham and John McCain, who had spoken out opposing this repeal. Nothing from them ever since this decision was made. They haven't come out with anything new.

You can weigh in. I'm at Twitter and Facebook. @JoshLevsCNN. Go ahead, let us know what you think. I'll have more of that for you, next hour, Drew.

GRIFFIN: Josh, thanks a lot. Hey, listen to this, though, Josh. A first of its kind vending machine, spitting out bars, but not chocolate bars. Tory Dunham (ph), from CNN affiliate, WBPF has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TORY DUNHAM (ph), REPORTER, WBPF TV: Looking for that 100 Grand candy bar, you might just get some thing in a similar shape, that may be worth a grand.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think of a vending machine, like a coke. Or say a candy bar, maybe, or gum. But gold? It's unbelievable.

DUNHAM: Instead of a liquid drink in an aluminum can, how about a solid gold bar? The Gold To Go ATM machine is the first of its kind in the U.S., right here in South Florida.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Boca Raton is Wall Street South.

THOMAS GEISSLER, GOLD TO GO INVENTOR: You come home with the chocolate, it's gone. You come home with flowers, two days later, they are out. Out of order. You come home with gold, it will be there for 5,000 years and gives much more points at home.

DUNHAM: These gold ATMs are on three continents now. And this is actually the 20th machine. But in order to make sure the consumer gets the right market value of gold, it resets itself every 10 minutes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is the easiest way, you cut out the middleman.

DUNHAM: Right now the cap is set at two ounces, the price value of just less than 3 grand, and if you don't like it, return it within 10 days.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I never imagined I would see this, but yeah, great. I'm not sure how it's useful, but I'm intrigued.

DUNHAM: If you're used to getting chocolate that melts, remember the only bar you'll get won't melt in your mouth, or hands.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN: And that is it for this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. Don Lemon is next with more reaction over the historic vote in the Senate's over "don't ask, don't tell". Plus, the latest on retail fraud.

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