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2010 Census Results In; Storms in California; Breaking Down START Treaty; The Help Desk; Earthquake Near Japan; Hot Off The Political Ticker; Trending Online

Aired December 21, 2010 - 12:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Top of the hour, big stories for you now.

California taking a pounding. Heavy snow, torrential rain and high winds with more on the way. The downpour is causing widespread flooding and some mudslides. Flood watches and warnings posted for most of Southern California.

In the northern part of the state, more than 13 feet of snow in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Wind gusts topping 150 miles at high elevations.

A live weather report straight ahead.

About 30 minutes from right now, we expect to hear a report on the British government's release of the convicted bomber of Pan Am Flight 103, Abdel Baset al-Megrahi. An investigation was conducted by Senator Robert Menendez.

It is the 22nd anniversary of the bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland. Two hundred fifty-nine people were killed in that attack, most of them Americans.

Al-Megrahi was released from a Scottish prison last August. It was said he had no more than three months to live. He is still alive in Libya.

Let's begin this hour with a brand new snapshot of America. The 2010 Census results are now in. They show the population of the United States, as of April 1st, 308,745,538.

Twelve House seats in Congress will shift.

CNN's John King, host of "JOHN KING USA," live in Washington with a bit of a breakdown for us.

And John, there are big political implications in these numbers for 2012 and beyond.

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Huge implications, Tony, beginning in 2012, which is a big year for the House of Representatives, but also the president's re-election year.

And generally, let me just say this -- the states that are losing seats, they tend to be in the Northeast, in the Midwest. They tend to be states that Barack Obama carried and the Democrats do well in.

The states gaining seats, they tend to be in the South and in the Sun Belt area. And they have more often than not been Republican states.

Of the states that are gaining, eight states gain congressional seats. Some gain more than one, of course. Eight states gain. President Obama carried only three of those states.

Of the 10 states losing, he won eight of those 10. So you can see, the states losing are good Obama states, the states gaining tend to be more Republican states.

So, Tony, the Republicans look at this data, at least in the short term, and they see more gains for them, more help at the presidential level, more gains probably in House races come next time. There's a longer-term dynamic that's more troubling for the Republicans, because a lot of this population growth in those states is Latinos.

HARRIS: Yes.

KING: So the Republicans may have a long-term problem with Hispanic voters. But today, the Republicans look at this data from a political standpoint and say, we'll take it.

HARRIS: OK, John. Thank you.

And, of course, John will be back at the half-hour for a roundtable discussion on the Census and political impact of population shifts. He will be joined by Rosalind Gold. She is with the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials.

Before that, the CNN Money team's Poppy Harlow compares population growth and job growth, what the Census tells us about the future of the U.S. economic machine.

In California, it is tough going this holiday week from snow in the Sierra Nevada, to flooding, rains near Los Angeles, and mudslides in Ventura County. They're measuring snow by the foot around Mammoth Lakes. As iReporter Sarah Butner shows us, it is fun to play in, but not to drive in.

To the south, days of downpours have turned roads into rivers in places like Arvin. That is just east of Bakersfield.

Our Casey Wian is in Ventura County, where they've been having some massive mudslide issues.

And we're talking about a pretty dangerous situation right now, Casey.

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. We actually got a break in the weather right now, Tony.

There's no rain. It's been raining all night long. In fact, for five days, almost nonstop here in Ventura County, California, and throughout southern California.

So we thought we would take this opportunity and show you what some of the real concern is here.

You know, normally when we get these big storms in southern California, these beachside homes are often what's at risk, some of the most priciest real estate in southern California. That's not the case this time, because there's not that combination of high tide and heavy surf. All we have is rain.

So what is the real concern are mudslides. And you can see mudslides and raging waters. You can see some video her from our affiliate KTLA of a man trapped in his truck.

He was eventually rescued by some of the swift water rescue teams that have been deployed throughout this state. They've had to conduct several rescue operations. People that get caught in these flood control channels, crossing riverbeds that are normally dry but aren't dry now.

Also we can look at some of the video that -- you were referring to the snow in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. It's really, really heavy. Mammoth Mountain reporting thirteen-and-a-half feet of snow in the past five days. And at the peaks of some of the Sierra Nevada mountains, wind speeds of over 150 miles an hour.

And back here at sea level, what we're concerned about and what officials are concerned about throughout southern California is hilly areas like this over my right shoulder. Pacific Coast Highway here has been closed for a couple of days, a 20-mile stretch of Pacific Coast Highway, because boulders the size of an SUV have come down onto that highway because the rain has saturated these hillsides. So that's what we're going to be watching for over the next 24 to 48 hours -- Tony.

HARRIS: OK, Casey. Appreciate it. Thank you.

Wicked weather is playing havoc with a lot of travelers this holiday. Take the East Coast. Snowstorms there, too. A pileup last night in Portland, Maine, left 18 cars pretty banged up here, but no serious injuries, thankfully.

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HARRIS: The national fight over gays in the military has ended. Now a state lawmaker is waging a new battle to keep gays out of the National Guard.

First, though, our "Random Moment" in 60 seconds.

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HARRIS: He is the tallest guest conductor in the history of the Boston Pops. Check out our "Random Moment of the Day."

It is none other than Shaquille O'Neal of the Boston Celtics waving the baton at Symphony Hall. The 7'1" center did a holiday number and one from those five Jackson brothers.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

HARRIS: Shaq says his arms are just shot right now. He says he has got a whole new respect for conductors.

Here's the thing -- Shaq has put his musical skills on display before. Remember this? He was dressed at Shaquita, a Beyonce clone, for Halloween.

Shaq's music skills, a tall order and today's "Random Moment."

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HARRIS: A new nuclear arms treaty with Russia is close to a crucial procedural vote in the Senate. The START treaty would reduce warheads from 2,200 to 1,550, re-establish onsite weapons inspections, and limit the number nuclear missile launchers to 700.

Senior Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash is counting the votes on Capitol Hill.

And Dana, is the White House correct in predicting approval here?

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They are, by our account, Tony. As we first reported to you in the last hour, we are counting nine Republican senators. That is the magic number, Tony, that the White House needs to get to the two-thirds majority.

I'm going to show you who we're talking about -- Lamar Alexander of Tennessee. He made a public statement earlier today. Richard Lugar, Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins, they have been out there for a while. Johnny Isakson put out a public statement. He's from Georgia.

Scott Brown, George Voinovich and Bob Bennett and Bob Corker -- those two senators told me in the hallway, actually, that they are going to be a "yes." In fact, if you look at the Senate floor right now, Tony, Bob Corker is actually speaking on the Senate floor, making his position clear, explaining why he's going to vote yes on this treaty.

And one other interesting thing, though, there are a lot of Republican senators in play, Tony. I n fact, I've got to tell you a funny story.

One of them is Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. She doesn't want to talk to any of us. In fact, she walked by me and a few other reports in the hallway, and literally, when I tried to ask her, she put her hands over her ears and said, "La, la, la. I don't hear you."

So, there are a number of senators who are just trying to sort of weigh their options right now. But it would not be surprising if the White House got a substantial vote at the end of the day. And we expect the end of the day on this to be -- a final vote to be tomorrow. HARRIS: Man, that would be a huge win for the administration. As I recall, there has never been a treaty passed in a lame-duck session before, and the GOP is pushing hard for more time. Well, what are the opponents saying?

BASH: I think that's right. And the other interesting tidbit that Republicans had been pushing is that there has never been a treaty approved over the opposition of the minority leader. And the minority leader in this case is Mitch McConnell.

And he came out on CNN, to Candy Crowley on Sunday, saying he is against this. So he's not happy, others aren't either.

They actually had a press conference, the Republicans who were sort of leading the opposition, earlier this morning. Listen to what Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: I stand here very disappointed in the fact that our lead negotiator on the Republican side who is very serious about the treaty, who is very willing to work with colleagues on both sides of the aisle, basically is going to have his work product ignored and the treaty be jammed through in a lame duck. How, as Republicans, we justify that, I do not know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: There you hear Lindsey Graham actually talking about Jon Kyl, who also came out against this, who was also at that press conference, Tony. He had been the lead negotiator on the Republican side with the White House.

It was disappointing to the White House that they did not get him, but the opposition, as you just heard there, is because of the timing, because they feel that Democrats are doing this too fast, in the last hours, literally, of this Congress, where Democrats have more votes than they will in January. But also, it is, in large part, on the substance, too. They're very concerned, many Republicans say, that this is not verifiable, for example, that Russia really will reduce its arsenal to the numbers that you put up on the screen a little earlier.

HARRIS: OK.

Our CNN congressional correspondent, Dana Bash, with us.

Dana, good to see you. Thank you.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi holds a ceremony next hour to sign the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Tomorrow, President Obama plans to sign the law allowing gays to serve openly in the U.S. military. And that is set for 9:15 a.m. Eastern Time.

The national fight over gays in the military may be over, but a Virginia lawmaker is waging a new battle. Republican House of Delegates member Bob Marshall wants to ban gays from serving in the Virginia National Guard.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

BOB MARSHALL (R), VIRGINIA HOUSE OF DELEGATES: You have got ground troops, and those are the ones who are most adamantly against this, disturbed that the person in the foxhole next to them may decide to sexually assault them under certain circumstances. That's going to distract them from dealing with an enemy across the field.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLAIRE GASTANAGA, EQUALITY VIRGINIA: I mean, the reason I laugh is that it's so completely ludicrous. One, there have been gay people in the military for a really long time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Marshall says he plans to introduce a bill to make "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" the policy for the National Guard.

History remembered, hurt revived. Charleston, South Carolina, unveils a plaque marking the state's secession in 1860 and draws protests.

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(NEWSBREAK)

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HARRIS: A big vote in Washington today could dramatically change the future of the Internet. The FCC is taking a vote on net neutrality.

What does it mean for all of us?

Josh is here to explain.

Good to see you, Josh.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Tony.

It's the kind of thing people talk about a lot. Most people don't understand the idea.

The basic idea behind net neutrality is that everyone should have equal access to the Web. That whether you're a huge company or a small independent operator, you should have equal access and speed on the Internet. And the FCC says its rules would require that high- speed Internet providers treat everybody -- all these providers -- equally.

Think of it as a road. We've got a little picture for you here. Think of it like this road. All right? Right now everyone can get on the road and use those high-speed lanes. But if the people who control the roads started allowing big companies to pay to use the faster lanes, while the smaller operators had to use the slower lanes, that could damage business opportunities for those smaller operators. It would make them harder to compete.

Consumers don't like sitting around waiting for information. They want whatever is fastest. And if the big guys are faster, they're going to be doing better.

Now, the FCC's proposal is facing criticism from two different angles here. First, you have some Internet freedom advocates who says it actually doesn't go far enough. One of their complaints is that it's not creating the same set of rules for mobile communication devices like your smartphone.

Here was Senator Al Franken complaining about that on the Senate floor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. AL FRANKEN (D), MINNESOTA: Maybe you like Google Maps. Well, tough. If the FCC passes this weak rule, Verizon will be able to cut off access to Google Maps, to the Google Maps app on your phone, and force you to use their own mapping program, Verizon Navigator, even if it is not as good, even if they charge money, and Google Maps is free.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEVS: That was him complaining over the weekend there.

Now, there's also people on the other side who say that government just shouldn't be getting involved here. Here's an example.

Robert M. McDowell, one of two Republican commissioners on the five-member commission of the FCC, he wrote this in a "Wall Street Journal" editorial. He wrote, "Analysts and broadband companies of all sizes have told the FCC that new rules are likely to have the perverse effect of inhibiting capital investment, deterring innovation, raising operating costs, and ultimately increasing consumer prices."

So, Tony, the debate is raging on right after that vote there at the FCC today.

HARRIS: Well, is it expected to pass, Josh?

LEVS: It actually is. The expectation is that these net neutrality rules will pass. And then there are expected to be court challenges to what passes.

We want to hear from you. We're talking about it on Facebook and Twitter today. I'm at JoshLevsCNN. Go ahead, weigh in, your thoughts on net neutrality -- Tony. HARRIS: Terrific stuff. All right, Josh. Thank you.

LEVS: You got it.

HARRIS: Boy, the weather is really complicated. Really complicated in most of the country right now, and it certainly making your travel plans difficult to maneuver and to finalize.

Bonnie Schneider has an update for us in just minutes.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: If you think the weather is bad here, check out Western Europe. It is socked in by one of the worst snowstorms in decades. Few people going anywhere right now. Hundreds of thousands of people spending one, two, three days now in airports, hoping to get a flight out.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen is in Berlin.

And Fred, describe that situation and share with us some of what you're hearing from folks who are trying to get to destinations for the holidays.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's a terrible situation for a lot of these people, Tony, especially if you're stuck in London Heathrow. A lot of those people, quite frankly, are probably not going to make it to where they want to go for Christmas.

There was one person who actually described the situation to us as saying, "London Heathrow terminal is almost like a refugee camp with so many people who are camping out there, trying to get out somehow." A lot of those people have been in there since Saturday and have not been able to get a flight in or out of the place, and have not been able to leave the U.K.

Things are a little bit better here in continental Europe. Frankfurt Airport, which is one of the busiest here in continental Europe, was shut down for several hours earlier today. Hundreds of flights there were canceled or have been canceled.

Right now they say they're operating again. And also, Munich Airport and the airport in Paris is operating again.

So, the situation is a little bit better in continental Europe. So, anyone traveling to Europe, better to do it through Paris or Frankfurt than to try and go through London, because that is almost impossible.

And right now, especially in London, it looks as though the disruptions are going to go on for the next couple of days. We're hearing continental Europe, they might actually get a little bit better. But it certainly is a very, very difficult situation for a lot of people there trying to get to their Christmas destinations, and they're just not going anywhere -- Tony.

HARRIS: Yes. Boy, that sounds rough.

All right, Fred. Appreciate it. Thank you.

New Census numbers out today. We'll focus on what they may mean for jobs and politics.

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HARRIS: Checking top stories right now. In Rome, a suspicious black box was found under a seat of a train today, causing a bomb alert. Authorities now say the situation is under control and the city's metro stations are safe.

In Puerto Rico, at least one person is dead in the crash of a National guard helicopter off the coast of San Juan. A search and rescue mission continues for five others who were on board.

It's been 22 years since Pan Am Flight 103 was bombed over Lockerbie, Scotland. We're waiting the results of the investigation into the release of the man held responsible, convicted Lockerbie bomber Abdul Baset al Megrahi. That report expected within minutes.

As we mentioned earlier, the first results from the 2010 census are out. And there was a lot at stake. CNNmoney.com's Poppy Harlow is in New York for us. Poppy, if you would, tell us what we're learning about states' economic problems.

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Yes, you know, Tony, I think the big headline from this is our population grew only 9.7 percent over the last several 10 years. That is the slowest rate of growth we've seen since the Great Depression. And why the numbers matter is that they're used, state by state, to decide which states gets $400 billion in annual federal funding

Now, it also, of course, means a lot for politics and reallocates seats in the House. Ohio, tough economy for them over the last decade. They're going to lose two seats in the House. I want to take a look at Ohio by the numbers. This state, Tony, grew 1.6 percen. That is very slow growth for the state of Ohio. And why that is? A lot of that has to do with the loss of jobs in Ohio. Take a look at their unemployment rate. Four percent ten years ago. 9.8 percent now. Because they lost over 400,000 manufacturing jobs in the last ten years. That's a 40 percent drop in one state in one area.

Now, GM, a huge employer in Ohio, they have cut thousands of jobs. So slow growth in Ohio, Tony.

Here's the surprising state. North Dakota. They grew a lot more than we thought. Still pretty slow growth. They grew 4.7 percent, I believe. Let's look at the numbers. 4.7 percent for North Dakota. But this was a lot more than we thought. The reason is they have a very diversified economy. If you want to know how to run your economy, look at North Dakota. This is why.

Their unemployment rate is the lowest in the entire country. 3.8 percent, Tony. 3.8 percent. They have a huge oil and gas boom, they have a big health care industry, big agriculture industry. Added more than 38,000 jobs since 2000. That's a 12 percent increase, despite, despite the deep recession. So, North Dakota, Tony, certainly doing something right here. Tony?

HARRIS: That makes a lot of sense. OK, Poppy, appreciate it. Thank you. Good stuff.

The 2010 census shows the population of the United States. As of April 1st, 308,745,538. Growth in population shifts means 12 House seats in Congress will move to other states.

Let's discuss the political impact with CNN's John King, host of "JOHN KING USA" live in Washington for us. John, good to see you. And Roslyn Gold in Los Angeles. She is with the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials.

Roslyn, let me start with you. Red states look to be the winners, blue states the losers in the 2010 census. Pretty simple analysis. Is it too simple?

ROSLYN GOLD, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF LATINO ELECTED AND APPOINTED OFFICIALS: Thanks so much. Yes, it is too simple. What's interesting about the states that have gained congressional seats is that Latino growth in those states have fueled the population increase in those states. That means that Latinos are reshaping the political geography of states such as Texas, such as Florida, such as Arizona, such as Nevada, even states in the Deep South, such as South Carolina or Georgia.

So, if you want to understand the political future of these states you need to look at other places in the nation that have had Latino population growth translate into Latino political clout, such as California where Latinos now actively participate in the political process. If you want to understand Texas's political future, you just need a look at California's recent past.

HARRIS: Yes. Yes. But John, there could be no doubt that this recession has led to a migration of people to cities and states offering -- we just heard it from Poppy, cheaper housing, more available jobs. A state like Texas is picking up seats, you would have to say in some part because of the economic climate. It's perceived to be better there. Texas and Florida, no personal income tax.

KING: Absolutely. Rust Belt states where we used to see industry, they tend to be losing. More in the Sun Belt states they tend to be gaining, in part because of the economy and growth of the Latino population, as Roslyn just pointed out. And I think her analysis was excellent, Tony, for the generational growth of the Latino power in our politics.

The question is, what happens in the short term? This is why the most recent election is so important. When you go through the states that gain seats, Arizona gains one, Florida gains two, Texas gains four, Nevada gains one, South Carolina gains one, Utah gains one, Washington state gains one. Only one of those states has a Democratic governor. Because the Republicans did so well in the midterm elections, the Republicans will dominate the redistricting process in most of these states that are gaining seats.

And in a lot of the states that are losing seats as well because of Republican gains. The new Republican governor in Ohio, Republican governor in Pennsylvania, Republican governor in Michigan. So, the Republicans have so much influence now in redrawing the lines in the short term, the process should work, could work, to their political advantage.

To the longer term generationally, the growth of Latino political power, Roslyn is exactly right. Barack Obama would not be president if it were not for the Latino population in Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico that he helped ride to victory in 2008. The question is, what happens in the short term in the big political fights over redrawing all those lines?

HARRIS: Roslyn, let me flip John's analysis a bit with this question. Are you worried legislatures, say, in Florida, in Texas, will realign districts to minimize Latino political power?

GOLD: Well, you know, that's always a concern in the redistricting process. That both parties are going to seek political gain. But federal law requires that there not be discrimination against Latinos and other underrepresented groups during the redistricting process. So, what that means is no matter who draws the line, they have to ensure that Latinos have an opportunity to elect their represented leaders. And what that means is partisan gain cannot come at the expense of Latino political progress.

HARRIS: Yes. Hey, John, do you think David Plouffe and the team for the administration is working right now, crunching these numbers and figuring out, where do we go? Why can't we get votes right now?

KING: What is fascinating, Tony, is the technology has made leaps and bounds in terms of its progress. And both the Democratic and the Republican House campaigns committees, they had this technology where they can redraw House districts. Literally move your neighbor out of your congressional district and do something like that. So, here's a Democratic leaning district, then they click a few clicks, take a neighborhood out. Here's a Republican leaning district.

So, that is what they'll be doing now in all these states with help from their powers and friends in Washington to go forward into this process. And Roslyn's exactly right. The question is, do they create three new districts in Texas where Latinos have good power, could be swing voters? Or do they create one big Latino district and essentially put a big segment of Latino voters in one district and then make the other ones more to the Republicans' favor? That's what you watch when the so-called gerrymandering starts.

HARRIS: Yes. John, appreciate it, as always. Roslyn, good to meet you. Good to see you, and we'll have you back. GOLD: Thanks so much.

HARRIS: A Spiderman stuntman suffers a major fall, and it is all captured on tape. The details and video ahead. Plus a live showbiz update from Los Angeles.

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HARRIS: Entertainment news now. A new setback for "Spiderman," the most expensive musical ever staged on Broadway. A stuntman hospitalized in serious condition today. He fell 20 to 30 feet during a preview performance last night. The show plagued by cast injuries and technical glitches.

"30 Rock's" star Tracy Morgan goes under the knife. For details on that and other big entertainment stories, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" host Brooke Anderson is joining us from Los Angeles. And Brooke, even for a comedian, a transplant is no laughing matter. What's up here?

BROOKE ANDERSON, CO-HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Ooh, transplant, definitely no joke, Tony. Actor/comedian, Tracy Morgan, though, I'm happy to say is recovering nicely from a kidney transplant. He had the surgery around December 10th. He's taking some time off now from his show "30 Rock" to recover. So, there are going it be a couple of Tracy-free shows next season. The show won't be the same, right?

But the actor's rep tells us that Morgan is doing well, plans to get back to work after the holidays. Listen, Tony, he's not letting his procedure slow him down. He's actually been out and about in New York City lately, including at a New York Knicks game last Friday.

Morgan was diagnosed with diabetes in 1996, and he's remarkably the second member of the "30 Rock" cast to get a kidney transplant. Gris Chapman, who plays part of Morgan's entourage on the show, underwent the surgery earlier this year, Tony.

HARRIS: Wow. And Chris Brown. Boy, he has been trying to rehabilitate his image ever since his domestic violence arrest. And he's taking another step in that direction. If you would, Brooke, tell us about that.

ANDERSON: He is, Tony. Chris brown isn't just trying to repair his reputation. He genuinely seems to be working to become a better person. He has been trying to redeem himself after brutally beating his then-girlfriend, Rihanna, in early 2009. And now, Brown is stilling his fans he just completed a domestic violence class. He actually tweeted a photo of his diploma, told his fans he's proud of his accomplishment. He added, quote, "Boys run from their mistakes, men learn from them."

Okay. This one-year class was part of the sentence he received after pleading guilty to the assault. He remains on probation until 2014. And I should point out that Brown has been consistently praised by the judge who's been in charge of his case for his work toward rehabilitation. And Tony, before I go, I want to quickly tell you some sad news that I have, unfortunately. Actor Steve Lansburg has died. The character actor was famous for playing Detective Detric on the 70s sitcom "Barney Miller." He was nominated for three enemies on "Barney Miller." But his career also included appearances on "The Golden Girls," the 2008 film "Forgetting Sarah Marshall." His agent told "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" that Lansburg died after a battle with cancer. He was just 65.

HARRIS: Wow, he was so good on that show. Man. He was good on that show. All right, Brooke, thank you. Good to see you.

More information on everything breaking in the entertainment world. Certainly, Brooke has it for you this evening on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" at 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. Eastern on HLN.

Hopefully your trip to the mall won't end like this. A flash mob forced authorities in Roseville, California, to shut down the Westfield Galleria last night after about 5,000 people showed up for a singalong of (INAUDIBLE) chorus. The fire department ordered the evacuation after reports of the mall floor actually moving.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were on our way there and the floors just went -- and at which point a lot of women kind of yelped. Guys were looking at each other like, was that an earthquake?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You couldn't even, like, get to the escalator.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There were people with children, moms, freaking out with their children wanting to get out of there. Kind of got a little scary for those people.

(END VIDEO CLIP

HARRIS: Yes. Building inspectors examined the mall overnight and determined it was structurally sound.

A final push for a bill to help 9/11 first responders with medical expenses. An update on efforts to pass the legislation before the lame duck Congress ends.

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STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS 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.

Ladies, thank you for being here.

First question is a little bit of a tough one here. It comes from Delaware and Brent who writes in, "I have a 22-year-old daughter and found out her mother maxed out a credit card in her name. She even purchased a new car using our daughter's name. I'm very concerned about our daughter's credit. She did not OK these purchases and is terrified to report her mom for fraud. What can I do?"

This is awful, Lynnette.

LYNNETTE KHALFANI-COX, COLUMNIST, WALLETPOP.COM: Yes, this is a case of identity theft, pure and simple.

ELAM: Truly.

KHALFANI-COX: Don't know that there's so much that the father can do, frankly. He can give the daughter this good advice, which I hope is what he will do. Really she needs to start protecting her credit rating. If she doesn't want to report her mom to the police and file a report, which is really what you would need to do in order to make sure that that could potential be disputed and deleted from her credit report, at the very least she needs to set up credit alerts on her credit reports with the three credit bureaus. With Equifax, Experian and Transunion. She should put a statement on her credit report saying, I've been the victim of identity theft. Most times, however, they're going to want to see a police report. So even if you can just file the report but not necessarily report the mom, who should be reported, by the way, but I understand that people just don't want to do that. This is a very common act, believe it or not. It's sad and true.

ELAM: And she's actually an adult child, too. She's 22. So there's not a lot dad can to. So it's good to keep in mind.

KHALFANI-COX: That's right.

ELAM: All right, let's go on to our next question from Kentucky. L.R. writes in, "I'm trying to find a solution to my credit card debt. What companies out there are honest and can really work to find a quick solution to end my debt?"

Donna.

DONNA ROSATO, SENIOR WRITER, "MONEY": Well, there are a lot of companies out there who will give you quick and easy solutions. But this person is definitely right to be worried about that. A lot of companies will charge you money and make your situation worse. But if, you know, if you need help with credit card debt, I always recommend getting in touch with a credit counselor. And you can find a good, honest credit counselor that's been vetted through the NFTC, that's the National Federation for Credit Counseling. They'll charge you a low or small fee -- no or small fee to help you come up with a debt management plan to help you get back on the right track with your credit.

ELAM: Good thing is it's looking into it and following up. That's the best thing they can start doing.

KHALFANI-COX: And nfcc.org I think is their website. ROSATO: Yes, that's right. Thank you.

ELAM: Well, Donna and Lynnette, thank you for tag teaming there.

Well, if you have a question that you would like to get answered, hey, go ahead, send us an e-mail any time, cnnhelpdesk@cnn.com and we'll help you out.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And this just in to CNN. We're getting word of a magnitude 7.4 earthquake off the coast of Japan. Let's check in with Bonnie Schneider now.

And, Bonnie, do we have anything more on this?

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, yes. The Japanese Meteorological Agency has issued tsunami warnings for the Augasawa (ph) Islands and an advisory for southern Japan. So here's Japan and here's Japan and here's where you can see where the earthquake is.

However, it's important to note that this earthquake is pretty far from land, so we are not expecting a tsunami. An lot of times these warnings are issued almost as standard procedure because of the proximity to the coastline. But, generally speaking, this one's pretty far off to sea. If it was closer to land, it might be more of a serious situation.

You also have to realize that Japan is an extremely seismically active area.

HARRIS: Yes.

SCHNEIDER: Some of the -- most of prominent earthquakes occur in this part of the world. So it's not unusual to see earthquakes in this region. We'll monitor it for you. Right now it's 7.4 magnitude occurring in this area just to the south of Japan.

Tony.

HARRIS: OK, Bonnie, appreciate it. Thank you.

Senate Democrats are trying to bring the 9/11 first responders bill to a vote before the lame duck session ends. It guarantees medical care to rescue workers who became ill from toxic dust and gas at Ground Zero. But Oklahoma Republican Tom Coburn tells Politico he may block the bill. That angers one of the bill's sponsors, New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND (D), NEW YORK: This is the coverage that's going to be there for them when their insurance runs out, when their workmans (ph) comp runs out, when any settlements that they make run out. This is to be there so that when they are suffering from these grave diseases, that if they reached their cap in their regular insurance, they will have the health care that they desperately need just to survive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: A nuclear treaty with Russia moves closer to passage. But what does the public think? Shannon Travis, part of "The Best Political Team on Television," live from the political desk in Washington.

And, Shannon, we've got some polling on this issue?

SHANNON TRAVIS, CNN POLITICAL PRODUCER: That's right. Earlier this hour, Tony, you heard from senior congressional correspondent Dana Bash about the Senate moving closer to a critical vote over that START treaty. But we've got some numbers here from the CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll about public opinion about whether that treaty should be ratified or not.

Take a look at this. Should the Senate approve the nuclear treaty with Russia? Seventy-three percent of the people in our poll say yes, and 24 percent say no. But if you look at the partisan breakdown, Republicans who say yes or no versus Democrats and Independents, Democrats, 86 percent say yes versus 12 percent no. Independents almost the same, 75 percent say yes versus only 23 percent of independents. But take a look at this. Republicans are nearly split on that matter, 50 percent say yes -- 50 percent of Republicans, while 45 percent say no. So a little bit of a partisan divide there over whether or not to approve that nuclear treaty.

Speaking of polls. One other poll. There's a new poll out from the Quinnipiac University over New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. How's he doing? He's almost a year in office there. Take a look at these numbers. Forty-six percent say that the governor of New Jersey is doing a good job, but 44 percent say that he's not.

That's kind of critical because he's a bit of a rock star in Republican and conservative circles and a lot of people want him to run for president.

HARRIS: OK, Shannon, appreciate it. Thank you, sir.

Your next political update coming in one hour. And for the latest political news, you know where to go, that's cnnpolitics.com.

It kept a lot of astronomy buffs up all night. The lunar eclipse. Sandra Endo has more incredible images that you have just got to see. We're back in a moment. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: It was a dark and foggy night, but it was clear enough where you live. Well, maybe you saw a glimpse of the lunar phenomenon not seen in almost 400 years.

Sandy, do we have pictures? Oh, we're following. OK, we changed the board, great. So we've got pictures, tweets. SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, all kinds of stuff, Tony. But a lot of people were yawning today in the NEWSROOM, right. Did you see --

HARRIS: Because they were up late or early.

ENDO: Yes, everyone's stayed up late, right.

HARRIS: Yes.

ENDO: It started at around 1:30 in the morning Eastern Time and it lasted for several hours.

HARRIS: That's pretty cool.

ENDO: Take a look at that. Amazing. I didn't stay up. Did you?

HARRIS: No, no, no, there was no way that was going to happen.

ENDO: But this is the first time that there was a total lunar eclipse with the winter solstice on the same day. And the last time that happened was back in 1638.

HARRIS: Wow, so this is from Seila. She's in Grand Bay, Alabama. Obviously a great place to see this. The weather was not so good here in Atlanta. So even if I wanted to see it, it wouldn't have been a good night because we had cloud cover.

ENDO: Yes, we were hearing that from a lot of i-Reports, tweets out there --

HARRIS: Yes.

ENDO: People saying it was to cloudy, it was rainy. But check that out. That's really cool. It has like a red skin, right?

HARRIS: No, that's fabulous. Yes, that's fabulous.

ENDO: And that's because -- you know why it looks red, Tony?

HARRIS: No. No.

ENDO: OK. Well, according to scientists at NASA, right, I got the scientific answer for you. That's because the sun's rays goes through the earth's atmosphere and it casts a shadow on the moon.

HARRIS: I really knew that but I didn't want to steal your thunder.

ENDO: You make me look like a nerd. So, that's good.

HARRIS: How was that? Was that pretty good? Believable?

ENDO: All right. So if a lot of people missed it because they were sleeping or it was just too early to get up.

HARRIS: Or the skies were overcast.

ENDO: Yes, that's right. The next one, the total eclipse, happens in 2014.

HARRIS: OK. OK.

ENDO: But the next time the total eclipse happens with a solstice is 80 years after that.

HARRIS: Right. And we will both be around for that one, I'm sure. Are we're talking about 2094 or something?

ENDO: That's right. Yes.

HARRIS: All right, did we get any tweets on this? Did anybody send us anything?

ENDO: We did, you know, and a lot of people were saying -- the board -- yes, the magic board is not working.

HARRIS: Is stuck.

ENDO: So, yes, you called me out on that.

HARRIS: All right. OK. So that's a big story.

ENDO: A lot of tweets out there. Also, it's trend on cnn.com. So you can check it out for more comments. But clearly a lot of people saying, hey, look, it was a magnificent sight. You see it. It's kind of eerie. And, get this, Tony, actually the mythical part of all this is that in other cultures, because they see the moon, it's pink or red, they think it's diseased and the actually bang pots. And this happens in Asia. They think it's a diseased moon.

HARRIS: Oh, come on. Really? Really?

ENDO: Yes, it's really interesting the whole theory and myth behind it all.

HARRIS: OK. So if you've got some i-Reports, we keep showing the one from Seila, but I'm sure there are others. If you've got some i- Reports, you can send it to us at cnn.com/ireports. If you want to tell us a bit of a story about staying up late and watching this or getting up early to watch this, you can certainly send that -- send -- write us a blog to my blog page, cnn.com/tony. And if you do that, we'll recycle some of these pictures, we will get them on the air for you tomorrow 11:00 until 1:00 Eastern right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Good stuff.

ENDO: Sounds good.

HARRIS: Sandy, good to see you. See you back tomorrow.

ENDO: All right.

HARRIS: You're with us all week, right?

ENDO: That's right.

HARRIS: OK. Time to go. CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with the man Ali Velshi.

ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: Tony, good on you for admitting that you didn't stay up to watch that. I can't imagine you missed the confluence of the lunar -- the solstice with the lunar whatever it is.

HARRIS: That thing.

VELSHI: You have a good afternoon my friend.

HARRIS: Thank you, sir.

VELSHI: You look well rested.