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Tense Situation Remains in Korean Peninsula; Velma Hart Discussing Obama; "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"; History Shows Homosexuality Was Encouraged in Military in the Past; "Tron Legacy" Expecting High Returns at Box Office

Aired December 18, 2010 - 17:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone, I'm Don Lemon. We're following a breaking news out of Washington for you, it's an historic day for gay rights, gays and lesbians will be able to serve openly in the military after the Senate passed a repeal today in a 65 to 31 vote. The House already passed it. Now it's awaiting the president's signature. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs released a statement saying, as the president has long said, ending "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and allowing gay men and women to serve openly in the military will strengthen our National Security while upholding the basic equality on which this nation was founded. And Senator Joe Lieberman says, this has been a long time in coming.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOE LIEBERMAN (I), CONNECTICUT: A thrilling day. Honestly, one of my best days in my 22 years in the Senate. Not just because I was so committed to the cause, but because at a time when the people of our country are so justifiably cynical about the partisan politics that prevails so often here in Washington and stops us from getting anything done, we've come together and proven across party lines that you can get something done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Let's go now to our congressional correspondent Brianna Keilar. It is a big day on Capitol Hill, Brianna. This is historic. Please tell us how this vote breaks down.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Sixty to 31 was the vote, Don. There were eight republican senators who joined the 57 Democrats and independents who were present and voting today. So, that is the breakdown. You can see it's bipartisan with a significant amount of republican support there. This was the final passage vote that I'm talking about. There were actually two very significant votes today. The first one earlier on in the day, it was a key procedural vote that showed us that there were more than 60 votes definitely paving the way for this repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell to head to President Obama's desk, Don.

LEMON: So, it's a controversial issue we know and it's been going back and forth for years since the Clinton era. What are lawmakers saying about this?

KEILAR: Right after the vote, we saw a press conference from the two key co-sponsors on this bill. You had Joe Lieberman, who is an independent who caucuses with Democrats, he was saying, as you mentioned, this was, you know, one of the best days in his 22 years that he said, this is about righting a wrong. And his co-sponsor on the bill, his lead co-sponsor on the bill Senator Susan Collins, who is a republican from Maine, she said, this is about making sure that anyone can serve in the military as long as they're willing to put on their uniform and fight for the freedom of all Americans. But we also heard on the Senate floor, certainly some descanting words, Senator John McCain, one of the leading critics of this said, he's concerned that this is going to be a distraction that is going to cost lives.

LEMON: And this has failed before in the Senate, didn't it?

KEILAR: It has. And the thing that was different about this bill is it was a standalone repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. This recently failed in the Senate when it was attached to a larger defense bill that had other controversial items on it having to do with abortion, detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the House want to head in pass this standalone Don't Ask, Don't Tell bill which is what it's going to make it way -- which what's going to make it way to President Obama's desk this week.

LEMON: Brianna, one more question. It's interesting, we said, you know, it's failed before, but even a week ago, everyone thought that this bill was all but dead. What happened?

KEILAR: Yes, you know, it really made you wonder. There was some Republicans who said that even though I support this, I want to make sure that some of the other business in the Senate and the clock is really winding down here ahead of the holidays, there were a lot of Republicans who said, we want to make sure that some of the economic measures that we're dealing with are dealt with first. And so it just seemed like a matter of it, might be the clock was going to run out, not necessarily that there wasn't republican support. In the end, they got it done. There was time to do it.

LEMON: I've just said, that was just running to my head. Maybe the clock and them running out of time, maybe that worked in favor, you know, for the people who wanted to repeal this bill. Thank you, Brianna Keilar, stand by because we want to go now to our Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr is on the phone. Barbara, what does this mean for the military and what is going to be the reaction? What is that going to be like?

BARBARA STARR, PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, for the United States, you know what, the president's policy had been that he wanted to see this repealed and of course, civilian control of the military, the military supports the president. For those inside the military who perhaps do not support this, there are two choices. Salute smartly and follow the rules and this is the new law of the land, or leave military service. It's a volunteer force, and people can make arrangements to leave. That's pretty much the two choices. This will now undergo -- they're calling it a certification process, Don. There's been some period of months making sure all of the rules, regulations, policies, training, everything. And in fact, they will certify that this will not impact the military readiness or effectiveness, and then 60 days after that, it all goes into effect once and for all. So, there's still a ways to go, but it's pretty clear that the Pentagon's not going to move to separate anyone or put them out of the military at this point while this process is under way.

LEMON: All right. So what does this mean for members of the military? Can they start coming out now? They can't start doing it right away, because it won't go into effect right away.

STARR: That is what they are already being advised by some of the advocacy groups out there. Don't do anything yet. Be careful, be cautious, and advocacy groups are already calling for Defense Secretary Robert Gates to make a very clear statement that no one will be separated, no one will be booted out of military service while this period's under way. There is another wild card sort of on the other side of the equation, which is the federal courts have been looking at this for some time. There is a growing body of court rulings across the country that Don't Ask, Don't Tell is flat out illegal, and that it should have been done away with immediately. So there could still, unless the federal government files some sort of motion before the federal courts, saying hang on, we're taking care of this now, there could still be some sort of immediate lifting of it if there's a final separate court ruling in the coming weeks.

Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr. Barbara, thank you for that. As we mentioned, the repeal now awaits President Obama's signature. Our Kate Bolduan is standing by for us at the White House right now. So Kate, do we know when the president will put his pen to this bill?

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're getting a little bit of guidance, but in these early stages, there's no date certain quite yet. But we'll be sure, we'll be getting more guidance as the days continue. This is a major victory, Don, for President Obama and this Obama White House, really making good on a promise, a pledge made all the way back on the campaign, the presidential campaign to repeal the military's policy of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. This is one of the exact reasons that the president delayed his vacation to Hawaii in order to stay in town while Congress remained in session. In a statement that the president released a little earlier today, he said in part, and I'll read to you what he said in part, it's a quite emotional statement.

He says, "By ending Don't Ask, Don't Tell, no longer will our nation be denied the service of thousands of patriotic Americans forced to leave the military, despite years of exemplary performance because they happen to be gay." He goes on to say, "No longer will many thousands more be asked to live a lie in order to serve the country that they love." President Obama said that it is also time to close this chapter in our history, and you can be sure that from the perspective of this White House that it is exactly what happened on Capitol Hill today. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs did released another statement just a short time ago confirming what we all know that the president is very much looking forward to signing this bill into law, and the guidance that we are being told from the White House is that that will be next week -- Don.

LEMON: All right. Kate Bolduan at the White House for us tonight. Kate, thank you, as well. And I want to bring in someone who has been one of the loudest voices in the fight to end Don't Ask, Don't Tell. former Army Lieutenant Dan Choi who famously outed himself last year, while he was still in the service, earning him a discharge. Dan, this is been a great day for you.

DAN CHOI, FORMER ARMY LIEUTENANT: It's a historic day as everybody has been saying. But it's something that we've all expected. We know that when you're on the right side of justice and history, you don't ever go backwards. And so, this is the real moment. It's not for me that is the most excited. I'm sure that this is sending shockwaves to all the closeted and fearful and self-hating people all throughout America who are afraid to come out because they're gay. And they're saying finally that the government is saying that we're taking steps closer for you to access your integrity. And that's why it's so amazing. Not just amazing for me. And oh, I'm already out. I'm fairly openly gay, I guess you can say.

LEMON: Yes.

CHOI: But, you know, this is for all of those people in the military who are languishing, not able to come out to themselves, because they are so engrained with this self-hatred and it's a message. And I hope that it really stiffens their spine.

LEMON: Listen, Dan, you're in the military. Is it not true that most people in the military know who the gay men and women are around them and they're OK with it, so this is -- this is something that is -- it seems, you know, sort of -- what is the word I'm looking for? Not hypocritical, but people are already there and now people will know?

CHOI: Yes, it's already a reality that, look, we're not only acknowledging the truth that we already know, we know that we're serving with openly gay people in other countries as well. You know, we're in these operations with NATO allies. There's openly gay people that we're already serving with. And so, it's ridiculous when you hear people say, OMG, as John McCain said, wow, look, this is going to cause the amputations of soldiers and marines. And that is probably the most ridiculous thing that I've heard in a long -- and I've heard a lot of ridiculous things, but when I heard that, I just felt sorry for him. He must have lost a screw somewhere, because he was saying that.

LEMON: Dan, I want to ask you this, because there have been lots of reports over the past weeks that you were hospitalized for a breakdown. I spoke with you a little bit earlier about it today. You say, you're doing OK. Part of it was the stress from dealing with this Don't Ask, Don't Tell issue. What happened?

CHOI: Well, this year has been a very tumultuous year. It's not easy to come back from war. I was diagnosed with combat post traumatic stress disorder, which essentially a lot of the soldiers coming back from the war zone are dealing with, the coming back home and reintegrating. And I've come back to a country where I'm being discriminated against for telling the truth of who I am. And coming out in itself is a traumatic event for some people. And my dad is a southern Baptist minister. My mom and dad came from Korea and I came out to them just two years ago. I'm dealing with all of this, and on Thursday, when we had the Senate vote, I was so disappointed and dismayed, it really got to me.

And I think that triggered an anxiety attack, which I had and I was taken to the hospital by a Fellow West Point graduate here in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I went to the Veterans hospital here. They treated me so professionally, so wonderfully. And I learned a lot about PTSD. And I want to just allow this -- I didn't want to publicize this in the beginning. It's hard for me to deal with this. As public has this year...

LEMON: Yes.

CHOI: I just want to let people know that for soldiers, for veterans who need the help who are dealing with their own private hell, they need to get that help. And the resources that are available to them are top notch. And they will show you the way that it can be treated and with all the stresses that we're going through, I know that there are many others that are in the same boat, particularly gay people who are dealing with it. Today is a great day for them that they can see some hope, as well.

LEMON: And Dan Choi, we wish you the very best. And all of our men and women in uniform who are dealing with any type of ailment specially PSTD. Our thanks to Dan Choi and our thanks to all of our guests through this evening. A lot of people are weighing in on these historic votes. The internet is on fire with the news and we'll take a look at what people are saying. I'm online and I know you are, too. So, check out my social media accounts and let's connect and talk about these issues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHOI: Breaking news, everyone and welcome back. We continue our coverage of today's historic Senate vote to repeal the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy that gays and lesbians service members from serving openly. The vote was 65-31 to repeal. And President Obama says, he will sign the bill into law.

I want to talk more about it now with Michelangelo Signorile, he is a writer and columnist. And he's a host of the show on Sirius XM Satellite radio. It's on OutQ. So, Michael, thanks for joining us. Thanks for coming in after this vote.

MICHELANGELO SIGNORILE, SIRIUS XM SATELLITE RADIO HOST: Thank you, Don.

LEMON: You've been listening to all the people we've been speaking to in Washington, you heard Dan Choi. You talk about it every day with people on radio. What's your reaction and what have you been hearing?

SIGNORILE: It is a great day, certainly for gays and lesbians serving in the military. But it's a great day for our country and for civil rights. And it's a monumental day for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transcender people. The military is the largest employer in the United States and it is the last department, the last institution within the federal government that was discriminating against people. We now have the Federal government of the United States not discriminating against people on the basis of sexual orientation. That is a big deal and it will go far for people all across this country.

LEMON: I want to ask you this and I will ask some of my colleagues who are in the services civil rights. Do you think it's fair to compare this moment to the integration of the military?

SIGNORILE: I think in many ways it's similar, except for the fact that gays and lesbians have been serving in the military, they just haven't been open. Now they're allowed to come out, they're allowed to actually say who they are. There are similarities in that. There was a lot of fear, there was a lot of bigotry. It took political will, it took political coverage, and it didn't cause any problems. The same thing applies here.

LEMON: Well, it's interesting because back in 2000 when they did it in the UK, I've been watching a number of reports and they said, this all happened, there was this big uproar and then nothing once it did happen. Nothing happened. So you think it will be the same thing here? Do you think all of those things will come true with Senator McCain and others who oppose this bill are saying?

SIGNORILE: Absolutely not. As I said, gays and lesbians have been serving. The only problem has been, the stress that they feel to have to keep it a secret. That has been the problem. Otherwise, there has been no issue at all. And now people are going to be able to serve with dignity. Not feel they have to hide. And most of the people who are in the military who are not gay in the surveys, in the studies we saw, said that it didn't matter to them. They knew gay and lesbian people and it wasn't a big deal to them.

LEMON: Hey, Michael. Are you surprised by the bill? This 180 that this turn because it seemed like this bill was dead, even just a week ago and then it came back up. And I was sitting here reporting, I think it was yesterday. And John King came on and said hey, listen, there has been some interesting developments when it comes to Don't Ask, Don't Tell. And all of a sudden we hear just within a week. Are you surprised by that?

SIGNORILE: You know, you're always surprised when you have all of these losses and letdowns and you don't want to get yourself built back up again. But I have to say that it happened because there was a real will to get it done and happened because activists pushed really, really hard. And I hope that...

LEMON: OK, I get that. I get that. And I don't mean to cut you off, because I think you're a very smart guy and I want to get some interesting -- I think you have an interesting perspective I want to get in before I have to go to break here. Where do you think we go from here? Where do you think the country goes from here. Is this a watershed moment for other issues when it concerns gay rights? SIGNORILE: Absolutely. We are now waiting for a decision in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on proposition 8 and marriage that may go to the Supreme Court. The society is changing, the country is changing. This is going to send an enormous message throughout the country that discrimination is not acceptable. It is going to have an effect on private industry, as well. It is a very big deal. And we will look back on it.

LEMON: Michelangelo Signorile, I appreciate your perspective. Again, thank you for coming in on a Saturday for us.

SIGNORILE: Thank you, Don.

LEMON: You very welcome. My twitter account has been going crazy ever since the Senate vote took place. Our Josh Levs has been monitoring the social media storm that this vote has picked up. Josh, I've been watching it every second I get a beep, but a little bling with more people responding to Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Both for and against it. What are you seeing?

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. They've been so many people responding all over the place. And I'm going to talk you through that. I want to do something. We have some helpful information for you in our coverage at cnn.com. I want to go to a couple of screens here to help contextualize today, in the world today, in history. And the people who are affected by. Let's please go to this screen here. What this is going to talk you through is people in U.S. history, a lot of numbers on your screen but the idea here is how many people over the years have been discharged because of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. If you look back to the beginning, it's more than 13,000 gay and lesbian service members, according to and the service members legal defense network. The numbers there show you what's happened over the past decade. One more thing. Go to the next screen. I want you to look at these countries. These are the countries that have openly gay people serving in the military. So the U.S. is now joining a couple dozen other countries there. There are more details on cnn.com.

All right. Come back to me. Let's do this. I want to give you some of the responses we're getting here from our viewers, which is a lot. Now, by far, most people that you're seeing weigh in are in support of the decision, but not all. This is one from Matt. Amazing that in 2010, people still have to fight for civil rights. This is a good step in the right direction. Here's someone who disagrees.

From Riku, "I think having them gay people serve openly now is just going to cause more trouble. Just keep going here. Craig, thank you, President Obama, and the more open minded and fair people in the Senate. It's long overdue. Kenneth, big moment for civil rights in America." Again, one more here from Facebook. "Volunteers volunteering all should be welcome."

Now, we've been talking about twitter, all people posting on twitter, here's an interesting one. A lot of people want to see. Ellen DeGeneres has come out with a tweet. "Thank you, senators, for pushing us one step closer towards full equality." I would tell you this, Senator John McCain usually really big on twitter, he sent out a bunch of twitters in the last week, he is opposed to repeal, nothing from him today. Senator Lindsay Graham, we're following his tweeter fed as well, nothing from him today. He was opposing the repeal. We are certainly watching all takes on this, Don, and throughout the night, CNN will be following your responses on social media.

LEMON: Josh Levs. I appreciate that, sir. You know, it's been a busy day on Capitol Hill and it wasn't all great news for the president. Another big Senate votes on another big issue today has failed. Supporters fell five votes short of the 60 Senate votes needed to advance the Dream Act, that's the bill that offered a path to citizenship for some illegal immigrants who entered the U.S. as children. President Obama issued a statement calling it a quote, incredibly disappointing vote and he vowed to continue fighting for the legislation. The House passed its version of the bill earlier this month.

Also, a huge prison break -- also in Washington, President Obama signed a short-term spending bill today that will keep the government in business through Tuesday. The short term spending measure passed both houses of Congress yesterday. It's necessary because Senate budget negotiations broke down Thursday night and the current budget resolution expired today. The goal is to pass another temporary spending bill that will last into the New Year when the new Congress takes office.

Now to that prison break. A huge prison break just across the border from Laredo, Texas. More than 150 inmates walked out of the door of the Mexican prison. Some consider the worst of the worst. How did this happen?

Plus, 15 minutes of fame and the ticket to the unemployment line, that's the hand Thelma Hart was dealt. Now she's become one of the millions looking for work this holiday season.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Let's check some of our top stories right here on CNN. Actor Shelley Malil has been sentenced to life in prison without parole for repeatedly stabbing his former girlfriend. Now, you may remember Malil from his role cracking up audiences as an electronic store clerk in the movie, "The 40-Year-Old Virgin." Well, he was found guilty of premeditated attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon. His former girlfriend survived that attacked.

Federal officials in Mexico are blaming local authorities for sloppy security that led to a major prison break near the U.S. boarder. At least, 141 inmates escaped through a service entrance force stopped vehicles, authority say, they apparently had help from prison workers. Prisons broke out of a penitentiary on Nuevo Laredo in Mexico. One of the prison's housing inmates connected to drug gangs.

Former U.N. Ambassador Bill Richardson met today with North Korea's chief nuclear negotiator as that country continues to threaten South Korea over military exercises. The south announced that scheduled military drills would not be held this week, this week end due to bad weather. The plan drills by chars reaction from the north threatened which threatened a massive military strike if South Korea goes ahead with the exercises.

Someone who is now in North Korea is our very own Wolf Blitzer. This is a rare thing to be reporting from there. Wolf, I talked about those military exercises and about Bill Richardson, as well. You want to start with Bill Richardson first?

WOLF BLITZER, HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": Yes. Yes, I'll start Sunday morning, Don and Richardson is getting ready for a very important third round of meetings, this time with the top North Korean military officials in charge of the demilitarized zone between the North and South Korea and the armistice that was signed back in 1953 ending the Korean war, arguably at least most expert now agreeing certainly Richardson does that this is the most serious crisis in North-South Korean -- on the Korean Peninsula since 1953. So he's going to be meeting later this morning with Major General Pak Rim Su and that meeting will certainly be significant in terms of Richardson has been consistently urging the North Koreans to exercise maximum restraint right now.

The situation here described as a tender box, that one miscalculation on the part of either the north or the south could result, God forbid an all-out war, and -- strength to prevent right now. He did meet Saturday with the top nuclear official of North Korea Kingeg Wan (ph). This is the individual who invited Richardson to come here. On Friday, he met with the Rean Co (ph), the top foreign ministry official in charge of U.S. Foreign Affairs. So, he's had all of these meetings, but it's obviously still not enough, even though the South Koreans have delayed for the weekend, the start of these military exercises at this island, Yeonpyeong which was shelled by the North Koreans back in November 23rd. It's still a very very tense situation and if something that Richardson is pushing forward. Serious proposals, he hasn't publicly told us what those proposals are, but he's putting forward a series of proposals that would try to ease this crisis. It's a tense situation, Don.

LEMON: Yes. And the fact that those drills were postponed because of weather, that's good news but that is only temporary, Wolf.

BLITZER: That's right. It's only temporary. Because the North Koreans have publicly said that if the South Korean military goes ahead with these live-fire exercises, at this island Yeonpyeong, they will retaliate. And, who knows what that means. It's a matter of anyone's guess, the rhetoric is intense on both sides. There's a lot of domestic pressure in South Korea for the South Korea's to respond more assertively.

As you remember, the South Korean Defense minister was forced to resign because there was a lot of political pressure that they didn't think he respond tough enough not only to the shelling of this Yeonpyeong Island by the North Koreans but what the South Koreans say was the sinking of this South Korean warship back in March, killing 46 sailors. The North Koreans denied they were responsible for it, but the U.S. has accused them of it, South Korean, a lot of the world has accused the North Korea of it. So it's obviously a tense situation.

And hovering over all of this are these new indications that the North Korean nuclear program is considerably more advanced that everyone had thought earlier, based on some inspections that other U.S. experts have had over the past few weeks. So all in all, it's a rough situation.

What I'm going to try to do, Don, at the -- near the top of 7:00 eastern, I'm going to try to get Richardson to come with me and brief us directly, you, me, our entire audience, on what's going on. Hopefully, he'll do that, just as he gets ready to into this next round of meetings with the North Korean military.

DON LEMON, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: Wolf Blitzer in Pyongyang.

Wolf, we look forward to that report at 7:00 p.m. eastern.

We're back in a moment here on CNN. We're following breaking news on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," and other stories we're following here as well. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: You probably don't remember her name, but you probably remember her moment in the spotlight, and you'll remember her face when you see her. Take a look. That's Velma Hart, the woman who questioned President Obama, and passionately, during a televised town hall meeting, and she told him how worried she was about the economy. It turns out, she had good reason to be. She was recently laid off, a casualty of the recession she was so concerned about.

Velma Hart joins us now from Washington.

Thanks for coming in. And I want to start with you and talk about the president, because I want to know your opinions on his policies and if you still defend him. But I also know one of his policies now will be the legacy of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," and I understand that you have -- you're very passionate about it.

VELMA HART, TOWN HALL MEETING ATTENDEE & FORMER NATIONAL FINANCE DIRECTOR, AMVETS: I am. I certainly respect the fact that there are extreme opinions on both sides, and some not so extreme. And that some of the concern may be well founded. But I want to believe that the passage of this bill is significant in that it recognizes a wrong. Civil rights violations in any era should never be tolerated. So I see that as a correction that is long overdue. And I'm very, very excited about this for the president, and quite frankly for the Congress, because it looks like a bipartisan support on this bill.

LEMON: You said civil rights -- is what you call it -- are you comparing it in a way, to the civil rights movement and passage of civil rights legislation?

HART: I heard your question to one of the people you were speaking to earlier about the comparison. I don't think it is comparable in every way. You know, the color of your skin is not something you can hide. So the reality is that when you have a sexual preference issue, that's something you can hide. So from my perspective, it's not the same, but it's equally as important. Because I've worn the uniform of this country, proudly wore that uniform, would wear it again if they would let me in, and give me a bigger size, of course.

(LAUGHTER)

But the fact of the matter is I think volunteers should be allowed to serve this country.

LEMON: Maybe that's your next thing. Let's talk about that, and thank you for talking about it. I understand, during the break, you were very passionate, you wanted to comment on it. So let's talk about you being laid off. Maybe you can go back into uniform and that would be a way for you to work.

(LAUGHTER)

Do you blame the president --

HART: I think there's an age and a weight thing, but that's OK.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: Maybe we can get rid of that. You can be the exception.

Do you blame the president for your layoff?

HART: Absolutely not. I don't know what country everybody else lives in, but I live in a democracy. That means there are three legislative branches of government and there are lots of people, more than 500, who make the decisions about what happens in this country.

Am I disappointed? Absolutely. I don't know anybody who wouldn't be. The community that I reach out to and talk to often are certainly concerned. But the fact of the matter is, this is not a problem for one man. This is a problem, though, that at least from the base that I come from, we want leadership and results. It's time, and it's long overdue.

LEMON: Ms. Hart said that you were exhausted. You still support him? It sounds like you do.

HART: Absolutely, I support this president.

LEMON: OK. Let's talk about the tax cut deal between the president and Republicans, what do you think?

HART: Well, here's where I come down on it. I listened to the president's message that Wednesday -- I believe it was a Wednesday -- when he talked about why he thought this was the right direction for the country to go in. And I believed what he said. I bought it off on it because, at the end of the day, his driving agenda was his constituent base. He absolutely wanted to make sure that they could be supported through what were unprecedented economic challenges. I think his heart was in right place and the agenda was in the right place.

The concern I have is the concern that I think he shares and many in Congress shares, and that's the added debt. LEMON: Listen --

HART: But I also believe that that was the first and many decisions that will have to be made, Don, and some are going to be very hard. I'm hoping further effect on the people can be averted, but I don't know that that's possible.

LEMON: In the short time we have left, you are not so concerned about finding a job. Of course, you would like to. Everyone needs a job. But you're focusing on what right now?

HART: I'm focusing on the holidays.

(LAUGHTER)

I'm focusing on my family. I'm very excited. Christmas is special. As a Christian, but even beyond that. Christmas is a special time of year for a lot of families around this country.

And one of the things I've been saying in the forums I've been in, not all people are blessed with a loving family and extended support systems. You know, I'm trying to remind people to check on everybody. Make sure everybody is doing OK. These can be challenging times.

My friends, several of them have told me Christmas is canceled in their households. I hope that's not true, because of what -- the further implications that has on the retail market, but the fact of the matter is we're just trying to make it through. I think we're going to make it through just fine.

LEMON: Velma Hart, thank you for those inspirational words.

HART: Oh, thank you so much.

LEMON: I was kind of a Grinch this year, but you make me --

(LAUGHTER)

HART: Don't be a Grinch. Don't be a Grinch. Go out, buy something.

LEMON: I haven't put up one light. I haven't put the tree up. I'm not going to have a party this year. My mom said, you're a Grinch, son. So I'll do some of those things at least.

(LAUGHTER)

Thank you.

HART: My pleasure. Thank you so much.

LEMON: Merry Christmas.

HART: And also, just thank you guys for focusing on our men and women serving in the military. I'm very excited about the soldier story program going on tonight. While the economy is important, we still have hundreds of thousands of people in harm's way. And I'm just so grateful that you continue to pay attention to that.

LEMON: Merry Christmas, Velma Hart.

HART: Merry Christmas to you, too.

LEMON: We're continuing to follow breaking news out of the White House. The Senate has voted to overturn the Pentagon's controversial "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. Coming up, a closer look at what that means.

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LEMON: Breaking news here on CNN. We're talking about "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." And repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is a big deal for the U.S. military and really for the country. But gays serving in the military have some historical precedence.

Psychologist Wendy Walsh joins us from Los Angeles with some interesting perspective on what this means.

It's historic, Doctor.

WENDY WALSH, PSYCHOLOGIST: It certainly is. It's long, long overdue. You know, fear happens when we're not exposed to people different from us. So if you suppress it and tell people, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," you increase fears. In a military society, which is extremely masculine, even in some of the female ranks, extremely masculine gender identity, you're going to have fears. It's so homophobic. If they finally start getting exposed and realize the people they're fighting beside, are who they've love and are great friends, maybe a little different. It's all good. It's going to change the military in a positive way.

LEMON: Why is it so homophobic? There are many who believe -- and I believe this as well -- that homophobia, gay people, it is the last bastions of discrimination, of one of the last bastions of discrimination, where you can say, you know, you can say fag or that something is so gay, and people go, what? What's wrong with that? I don't understand. I say it all the time. Why is that?

WALSH: It's not the only last one. We have people with disabilities. We have troops coming back who are, you know, disfigured and disabled, who have risked their lives for the country, who are being discriminating against more than ever here. So that's not the only one. You know, it's --

LEMON: One of the last, I said.

WALSH: One of the last ones, for sure. But it's just that when you get mixed up gender identity and gender role with sexual orientation -- they're all distinct things. I promise you, there's some macho dudes, men and women, in the military, who may be straight, who may be gay. We don't know, because sexual role and sexual -- sorry, gender role and gender identity is not necessarily linked.

Historically, Don, some historians believe that homosexual relationships were actually encouraged by Alexander the Great and Napoleon armies because they felt that a man would fight harder for his lover or an intimate than a family back home he hasn't seen in two years. So, no, it's not a bad thing. Not to say we should be encouraging homosexuality in our troops today, but just let people be who they are.

LEMON: Dr. Wendy Walsh. Very interesting. That's something I didn't know, and you taught me something today, and probably our audience, as well.

Thank you for coming on.

WALSH: Thanks. Good to see you.

LEMON: Good to see you.

A major winter storm slams Europe. Thick snow covering everything from the U.K. to Bulgaria. Anyone trying to fly out of London's Heathrow right now, well, will have to find other travel arrangements or they're going to have to stay put.

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LEMON: Checking some of our top stories right now, Amanda Knox won a major victory today when an Italian appeals court agreed to independent testing of key pieces of evidence in her murder case. Know was convicted of murdering her English roommate at the home they shared in Italy in 2007. The judge is allowing new forensic tests on the knife believed used in the attack and he's also agreed to allow testimony from new witnesses from the defense, who are said to have information showing Knox was not involved in the killing.

A massive winter storm has grounded all flights, all flights at London's Heathrow Airport. As of right now, it is closed indefinitely. It was the same story across much of Europe today, with blizzard conditions from Northern Ireland to Bulgaria. Up to 40 inches, more than three feet has fallen in parts of Bulgaria.

AAA says the number of Americans planning trips during the holiday season is expected to jump more than 3 percent. Perhaps it's a sign of the economy. Who knows? It may be picking up. In all, about 93 million Americans are expected to travel at least 50 miles from home by car or air.

New life for an old movie. "Tron Legacy" hits theaters this weekend, taking a father and son on a life-and-death journey across the cyber universe.

Also ahead, our Dr. Sanjay Gupta will introduce you to a 16-year-old who has fought an uphill battle since he was born. His mom has lost 30 pounds to try to save his life. And now a 14-year-old friend has joined the fight.

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LEMON: Right now we want to focus on ordinary people doing extraordinary things. We call it the "Human Factor." And tonight, it's about a 16-year-old who's been living with a life threatening illness. his mom and a friend he met while he was sick who's now trying to help. Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports.

(HUMAN FACTOR)

LEMON: That's Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

And it's important to mention how much dialysis drains patients like Kiwane of their energy. He wasn't feeling well, and it was a strain for him to talk to Dr. Gupta. While dialysis does help patients feel better, it doesn't cure the kidney disease, which means he'll have to be on dialysis his whole life unless he gets a transplant. Let's hope so.

It's science fiction for the 21st century. I'm talking about "Tron Legacy." It takes moviegoers to the digital frontier.

Our favorite tech expert, Katie Linendoll, is here. She's going to -- I have some "Tron" swag, too.

(LAUGHTER)

Don't you go away. I'm going to show you mine if you show me yours.

(LAUGHTER)

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LEMON: The 1982 sci-fi movie that's become a cult classic is the odds-on favorite to win at the box office this weekend. The special effects have changed a lot in 28 years since the original. So really cutting-edge movie technology.

Sounds like it's right up Katie's Linendoll alley. She is a tech wiz and a contributor for CNET.

Katie, "Tron Legacy" really does set some firsts in cinematic history.

Look, I have a sweatshirt. I was going to put it on but I'm already wearing a crazy sweater. I'm sure I'm going to --

KATIE LINENDOLL, TECH EXPERT: Nice.

LEMON: Look at that. My producer got this. I'll probably have to send it back if it's worth more than 25 bucks. But there you go, it says "Tron."

LINENDOLL: Great.

LEMON: So this is big cinematically?

LINENDOLL: It is. The 1982 version, which was low tech, was ahead of its time because they used a decent amount of CGI which, back then, was a big deal. Following, this film uses a ton of graphics. There was over 60 scenes and settings rendered in computer graphics. You couldn't the difference.

You and I chatted. One of the coolest things they did in the film, Jeff Bridges had to play a younger version of himself at 35, and also himself at 60. They put four high-def cameras on his face, marked 52 dots on his face and they digitally transferred his face to a digital body to create the younger character. So top of the line technology. They utilized the newest 3-D cameras. Great in terms of special effects.

LEMON: How much money did they put it into? How much will it gross?

LINENDOLL: $170 million, Disney dropped on it. $120 additional million in terms of the marketing and advertising I have say the midnight showing on Thursday, the first day, $3.5 million, ties "Avatar" for an opening. But I have to say, this is a lot of money put in. We're expecting $47 million projected from this weekend in sales.

I tell you what, Don, I don't know about you, you give us $1 million and my four Red Bulls, I'm going to create a blockbuster for you.

LEMON: Did you see the movie?

LINENDOLL: I did. I thought it was incredibly stunning, a lot of glitz and glamour. As expected. The effects -- you see it in IMAX. It's over the top, incredible. There's a lack of story line, which is a Hollywood mistake these days. It was kind of frustrating in terms of getting into the story and the feel and plot.

LEMON: You know what I have been saying, I've been saying, I like this movie because it's not some 20-something who's playing the lead role. I like it because it's an older substantial actor who has a great career.

LINENDOLL: Yes. Totally. It was a cult classic in 1982. As the sequel, what you expect great visuals, new 3-D tech. It's all there. It's one of those movies like "Avatar" that you have to go out and see in terms of pop culture.

LEMON: OK. Katie Linendoll, thank you very much.

LINENDOLL: Thank you.

LEMON: We have Mike here in the studio, who is -- turn around. He's modeling it for us.

Mike, thank you, sir. Looks great.

(LAUGHTER)

Thanks to Katie Linendoll.

I'm Don Lemon at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta. "The Situation Room" begins right now.