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Census Breakdown; Southern California Stormy Nightmare; Snow Buries Parts of Upper Sierras; Snow Freezes Europe Travel; The Big Maestro; Your Web in Jeopardy; Census Reveals Recession Fallout; New Out Of Congress; European Travel Nightmare Continues; 'Bullets' Made of Sound
Aired December 21, 2010 - 12:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: All right, you are looking at the most heavily populated city in the country. New York, New York, Central Park, 8 million people strong, 2 million people in Manhattan alone. And by the way, the population almost doubles during the work day when people come in from other places and then leave.
Population today is front and center. All because the numbers are out. The first results of the 2010 Census. We only do it every 10 years. A head count of the number of people living in the United States.
As of April, this year, the nation's population was 308.7 million. That's up 9.7 percent over the past decade. That, by the way, is the slowest growth rate since the Great Depression in the 1930s.
Two areas, are especially affected by the Census results, politics and the economy. Kate Bolduan is in Washington right now with the political angle.
Kate, you've been digging through the numbers. What do you make of this?
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, there are a lot of numbers but they're important numbers. And we're trying to give you a little bit of picture of what we're getting because these are the first stats coming out. We're getting through this - the first snapshot of how the political landscape in this country is, really, changing for the next decade. The south and the west are the big winners here, while the Midwest and the north, Ali, are not fairing as well.
And here's what I mean when I say that. The new numbers coming out today decide how many House seats each states gets in Congress. Texas is gaining the most congressional seats, which is four. Florida is gaining two seats, and then you have Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, South Carolina, Utah and Washington state. They are all gaining one seat. Now coming from these Census numbers.
Then we have the flip side. We have the states losing congressional seats which are Ohio and New York, they're losing the most, each losing two. Then Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, they're all losing one.
In all, it affects 18 states, and if you look at this through a political lens, it appears Republicans are gaining the most advantage from the new numbers. That's because most of the states we're seeing population increases are Republican leaning states and Republicans also made very big gains, you remember, Ali, in governorships and state legislatures in the midterms. And these are the people controlling the redistricting process going forward, then.
VELSHI: So, that's - that's the interesting confluence here. States that are getting more seats, those seats could go either way, but if it's controlled by a particular political party, they control how the map is redrawn, basically.
BOLDUAN: Exactly. Where the lines are, where the districts are. And that can have an effect on that and it can also, then, have an effect on the presidential race. There's another page of why that's, actually, a big deal. Because we're talking about electoral votes. These numbers, they do decide where the vast majority of electoral college votes go. This is in the weeds, but it's important, so bear with me. Gains in Republican leaning states may, we say may with a question mark, because we're not sure, may help Republicans as they prepare to take on a re-election bid from President Obama.
And one quick anecdote on that, from our wonderful political unit. They were able to conjure this up. Of the eight states gaining house seats this time around, Obama won three of those states in the 2008 election. On the flip side, of the 10 states losing House seats, Obama won eight of those in the election. Doesn't say anything definitive, Ali, but it gives us a; little window of what we're going to be looking at coming - going forward.
VELSHI: Good stuff, Kate. Always good data in there. Fun to look at. Thanks for joining us. And come down and be on the show with me, again, sometime.
BOLDUAN: I know. I miss you.
VELSHI: Good. We'll do it, again, soon. Kate Bolduan in Washington.
For more on the 2010 Census, by the way, be sure to check out the census bureau's interactive map. It's quite cool, actually. We've pulled the link up for you. Go to 2010.census.gov and then click on Data.
OK. About a week of heavy rain already and the skies won't stop dumping it on southern California. We're talking, especially, the cluster of Los Angeles, Kern, Ventura and Orange counties here. Many roads are impassable. Streams and rivers are overflowing. The saturated ground just can't take any more of it. Chunks of it are giving way along canals and cliff sides. Stretches of the Pacific Coast Highway and Highway 1 have been shut down at times. And rescue crews are working overtime trying to get to drivers stranded or swept away by all the water. Then there are the folks stranded by snow. Head north and inland a bit, not that far, we're talking some record amounts up in the upper Sierra, Nevadas.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Basically, you can't go anywhere. The storm's kept us stopped, whiteout, can't see anything, you know?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's night. What are you going to do?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sleep in the car.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was raining and, all of a sudden, it got really bad in, like, five or ten minutes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And now you are stuck also.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And, now, my car is over there, and it's buried in snow.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have not seen it like this ever. We couldn't even see.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: All right. Let's get more on this from one end of the state to the other, they are really getting whacked. Bonnie Schneider's tracking it all in the severe weather center.
Hello, Bonnie.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Ali. We're looking for more rain for southern California, and, if that's not enough, a wind advisory will go into effect tonight. Those winds pick up to 30 miles per hour, making visibility just impossible for those of you that are doing some holiday travel kind of early, days before Christmas.
Look at the rain. It's a steady stream of moisture from L.A. through San Diego, Orange county getting the worst right now, in between. And we're watching for more substantial rainfall to accumulate over the next 24 to 48 hours. Advisories are posted all the way to the east, including Las Vegas. So, if that's your holiday destination, it's going to be soggy there on the Las Vegas strip.
And, then, stormy and snowy through Utah and Colorado. This storm will, eventually, work its way to the east and even affect folks in the Mid-Atlantic. I'll talk more about that in a moment.
But, in the meantime, for those of you that are in the Midwest, there's a fast moving storm that may bring some snow showers to you into Minneapolis. We're starting to see light snow coming into the northwestern part of the city and then slow sweeping across northern Michigan, just to the north of Detroit. So, it is going to be stormy for you in that part of the country, and, certainly, cold with temperatures in the 20s. And the wind chill - oh boy, the wind chill is 14 degrees right now in Minneapolis.
So, here's a look at the rainfall accumulation. Heavy, heavy rain south of L.A. in the San Diego area as that storm kind of drifts to the south. But watch what happens as we go into the next couple of days. The energy from this storm, the surge of moisture goes straight across the country.
And by the time we get to this weekend and maybe you're heading back home, after your holiday adventures for Christmas, well, we will be looking at some snowy conditions all the way from the Great Lakes to the northeast with, possibly, a coastal storm and this will impact travel. You guessed it, on Sunday, which I'm anticipating will, obviously, be a very busy travel day right after Christmas this week. So, it's going to be a mess for a lot of travelers as we go through the entire week - Ali.
VELSHI: I see that Toronto, where I'm going to be for Christmas, is in the little region you've got there. Maybe check it out for me, and tell me what I'm looking forward to on the weekend. Bonnie, great to - great to have you here. Thank you so much.
SCHNEIDER: Sure.
VELSHI: Hey, across the pond, London's Heathrow Airport frozen up by a weekend snowstorm. We're talking thousands of people sleeping on terminal floors. Many since Saturday. When they'll be able to get out of there is still up in the air. Many travelers are in tears. European officials, well, they are in a rage as to how the whole situation has been managed.
CNN's Atika Shubert, is live from Heathrow with the latest for us. Hi, Atika.
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Ali.
Inside the terminal, it is so bad that one passenger has said it's like a refugee camp. They've been camping out there now since Saturday.
There is a little bit of good news, however, one of the - both runways, now, at Heathrow have been opened. And that means more flights are able to get in and out. And they are going to be working through the night to get jets and crews in place to try and come up with a normal service as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, however, there's such a backlog that they say that there will still be significant delays and cancelations tomorrow. So, they say any passengers who are traveling through Heathrow, call ahead, confirm the flight, and if there is no confirmation, don't come to the terminal because there's already too many people there right now.
VELSHI: OK, Atika, we'll continue to check in with you and the situation in Europe. Anybody who's traveling anywhere, this continent or Europe, just check what's going on before you head to the airport. Shifting gears, now, away from weather, to the merry sounds of the holidays, brought to you by none other than the big man of basketball. Shaquille O'Neal, taking up the wand of the Boston pops is today's Sound Effect.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Maestro Shamrock.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: Nice. I like the little head thing that he has going on as well. O'Neal plays for the Boston Celtics. For a guy who has been playing hoops ever since he was a kid, we were just a little surprised by the concession he made after a practice session before last night's performance, saying, my arms are shot right now. Well, from doing that? I wouldn't have thought so.
All right. Imagine the electric company charging more for power, depending on the appliance you used, not the actual amount of power used. Well, that fight is going on right now over your Internet access. We break it down for you right after the break. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Live pictures of the White House in Washington, D.C. Looks kind of nice over there. All right. Let's talk about Web sites for a second. Right now, every Website on the Internet is created equal so you're able to see everything and read everything at equal speeds. Your Internet provider cannot limit what you view online, as long as it's legal, you get to view all Web sites the same way, that's called network neutrality. And the FCC, the Federal Communications Commission, wants to keep it that way
So, today, the FCC voted to approve net neutrality rules. Don't change the channel. This, actually, affects you. But first, let's break down what net neutral means.
Here's how the Internet works. Web sites like Facebook, Skype, Netflix, YouTube, Google, millions of others, well, these are called content providers. OK? That content is, then, funneled to an Internet service provider. AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, Time Warner Cable and lots of others. Content providers, Internet service providers. Don't worry about the fact sometimes these two are mixed. They're the same companies. These service providers, then, push to Web sites out to your home or your computer or your wireless whatever it is. With the Internet now surpassing television, when it comes to consumption of media, everyone in here is trying to make money.
So, let's talk about how Internet companies make money. Web sites mostly sell advertising. They are selling someone else, an advertiser access to the fact you go to their website. That's, generally, how it happens. Some Web sites like Netflix, for instance, sell subscriptions. You won't find advertising there. They're paying for the service. Internet service providers sell access to those Web sites via broadband. They provide the internet superhighway. That's the road on which the Internet travels. But watching movies online, for instance, puts a bigger strain on networks than reading e-mails does. And, now, some Internet service providers want to ration out the Internet access and split it into tiers.
OK. Here's the problem. Some Internet service providers control Internet access also offer, let's say, video services of their own. Let's use Comcast as an example. Imagine if Comcast was able to limit Netflix's use of the big Internet pipe. It could block or significantly slow down Netflix so users, instead, would watch Comcast videos online. This isn't to say it's happening today, but there are people in the - in the industry who are worried that it could happen in the future. Some say it's not a concern.
Let's compare it to a grocery store, for instance. Let's say there's one grocery store in your town, and that grocery store sells bread. All different kinds of bread. All these different bread are different companies. They're made by different bakeries. All of a sudden, this grocery store tells the bread makers that they would only sell one type of bread in the store. Their bread, actually. The only bread you could buy would be the same brand. Nobody else could get their bread into that store. Does that sound fair?
Well, the argument from some of the Internet service providers is that they're footing the bill for the equipment and the maintenance to bring the Internet into your home, so they need to ration and regulate the content running through their pipes - make money where they see the opportunity to do that.
Let's talk about your home and this tiered system that some providers are suggesting. The Internet comes, basically, via a pipe like this. And, right now, everything that goes into the Internet is equal. Right? So, if I'm watching video online from my house, you know, I can - let's say I'm watching it on YouTube. All right? It goes into the pipe. All right?
Then I want to Skype with somebody. That goes into the tube. What about Facebook? Do that. Netflix. All of that goes through the tube at the same price. And it all, as you can see, from the bottom, sometimes it's a little slow, but, generally speaking, it all comes out.
Now, let's say you had a two-tiered system, where you charged some people for the ability to use the big pipe, but they want to divide up the pipe, and if you just want to surf the web and write e- mails, you need a smaller pipe.
If I want to watch videos online, I'm going to need the larger pipe. So some providers say I should pay more money for the access of the larger pipe, unless I'm only doing things that fit into the smaller pipe. And increasingly there's less and less of that around, as you can see.
Now, some people say this division is actually censorship. Others say doing this will kill innovation in the country. Yet others say that you shouldn't regulate the Internet at all. And this rule is a way to regulate it.
Now you heard these new census figures. We're going to talk about that in a moment. But I am going to continue to explain why this is an issue for you a little later on in the show.
Let's talk a little bit more about the census figures. You've heard what they do reveal about the economy. Christine Romans has some -- oh, hang on a second. I'm going to continue having this conversation. Tell me who I'm having the conversation with, Sarah. OK, David Goldman from cnnmoney.com is with me right now. He's laughing. I think he's not liking my explanation about net neutrality.
What do you think, David?
DAVID GOLDMAN, STAFF WRITER, CNNMONEY.COM: No, it was a pretty good explanation, actually. The main concern for net neutrality advocates is that there's going to be information that you're going to have to pay more for. So, you know, for instance, a Comcast or a Time Warner Cable or one of these Internet service providers that you talked about might make you pay more to access amazon.com than eBay or maybe it's going to allow you better access to Amazon than eBay or even block one of those services. So what the FCC did today was to put forth net neutrality regulations so that those kind of things can't happen.
VELSHI: David, we should be clear that this is not by any means the end game. This could go to Congress where there are some people who oppose it. This could end up in the courts. But let's just try and explain to our viewers what the analogies are. And one that I came across from Barry Diller of Interactive Corporation, he said, if you don't have net neutrality, if you allow the Internet companies, the Internet service providers to do what some suggest they should be able to do, that would be like, what did he say, it would be like making your toaster apply for the right to use electricity from the electrical grid. That we're used to these things being available without distinction to how you use the Internet. Is that a fair analogy?
GOLDMAN: That's exactly right. You know, we're used to all content being treated equally. So you go online and it doesn't matter if you want to access cnn.com or thenewyorktimes.com, if you want to access, you know, espn.com or sportsillustrated.com, all like content is treated equally and you get the same speed and the same availability of everything.
What some people think is going to happen in the future, and this isn't necessarily happening now, but some people are worried that they -- that might not be the case down the road. Where, you know, a Comcast, which is buying NBC or in the process of buying NBC, might want to give better access to MSNBC than, say, cnn.com. We're not saying that that will happen, that that's certainly not happening now. It's just one fear that some people have down the road.
So the FCC put in some pretty strict mandates to make sure that that's not going to happen. But like you said, that might face a challenge. Congress isn't necessarily so thrilled with the regulations that the FCC put in place today and it might also face a court challenge similar to the court challenge that Comcast brought against the FCC back in April, which Comcast actually won the court rule that the FCC overstepped its bounds and that it couldn't impose these things. So the FCC went and said, OK, we're going to make this part of our charter. We're going to make this something that we can do and that might face another challenge.
VELSHI: David, good explanation. Thank you for joining me. We'll talk again about this in about an hour.
David Goldman from cnnmoney.com, where they have lots and lots of fantastic information about this on the site.
All right, we were talking earlier about the census figures. What do they reveal about the economy? I talked to Kate Bolduan about what they mean for politics. Pretty impactful there. What does it mean about the economy? Christine Romans has some numbers that you need to hear about after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: And that is Miami. All wondering how that's going to look next week. They, like so much of the country, have been going through a cold spell. But it's warming up now. Might be back to normal weather later this week or next week.
In "Your Money" today, we're going to look at the new census report from another important angle. By the way, this is what the census is for. You can look at it for so many angles to determine how it's going to affect life in the United States of America. Today's figures offer new insight into how the recession has affected our lives. This census came in April of 2009 -- April of 2010 after the worst of the recession for some people had hit. Although the effects are still being felt. Christine Romans has been looking at the numbers.
Christine, what did you find?
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's fascinating, Ali, 308 million people in this country and the growth rate in those 10 years, 9.7 percent. That sounds like a lot, and indeed it is faster growth than most industrialized countries usually have, but it's the slowest growth rate here since the Great Depression.
Why? Well, the fertility rate is now 2.1. That means women in this country are having 2.1 babies for each of them on average. And that's down from the 3.7 that we saw in baby boom years. But also immigration is down a couple of percentage points because word is out that the jobs market, the housing market, the construction market, even the technology market not as robust as it had been in the peak of 2005. So those are some of the reasons why you're seeing a slower period of growth, particularly the last few years, than you have in periods before that, Ali.
VELSHI: All right, now you've been digging through there. What might we determine from these numbers?
ROMANS: Well, it's interesting. You look at Michigan. Michigan actually lost people. It's no real surprise there why. That's an impact of the recession. But even before this recession, you were seeing people move out of those rust belt states and into the south and the west, Ali. When you look at the growth in places like Texas, even Nevada having some 30 plus percent growth, it had 66 percent growth in the census before this. You can see where there was red hot growth in the sun belt. Still, that's where the subprime mortgage problem chased some of that population to those areas, too. You can see Rhode Island, other states, West Virginia, having lagging in population growth as well. You can see where the economy has been doing better than in other places and how that's affecting where people are living.
VELSHI: All right, Christine, good to talk to you about the census. We'll talk more about it this weekend.
Christine Romans, you can see her on the weekend. "Your Money" airs Saturday's at 1:00 p.m. Eastern and Sundays at 3:00. Be sure to tune into Christine on "Your Bottom Line" each Saturday morning at 9:30 a.m. Eastern.
OK, it's time -- it's 24 minutes after the hour. Here are the latest developments in our top stories.
More flood watches and warnings for southern California, where it's been pouring for four days now. Forecasters expect the rain to intensify tonight and tomorrow. They're predicting another storm on Christmas night. Mudslides are already closing roads, including at least two stretches of the Pacific Coast Highway.
More college campuses may open up to military training programs now that Congress has repealed the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. The move will allow gays and lesbians to serve openly in the armed forces. The presidents of Harvard and Yale both responded with written statements expressing interest in formally recognizing and hosting ROTC programs.
A bill that would provide free medical coverage for 9/11 emergency workers may be stalled, at least for this session. Supporters had hoped for a vote before Christmas, but "The Wall Street Journal" is reporting that Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn will use procedural issues to block it. The bill would cover workers exposed to toxins while cleaning up the site of the World Trade Center. Coburn says advocates are trying to rush the legislation through Congress without consideration of spending cuts to offset the cost.
Well, it's looking more likely that the president will get a Senate victory on the START Treaty. We'll hear how he snatched this one from the jaws of defeat in the stakeout next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: I feel like answering my phone when that music plays. That's the theme song for my ring tone. It is Hawaii. Look at that. Look at that. Ed Henry in Hawaii for the week. But this is still the stakeout. And he is working. I just love this gig. Every Christmas he gets to go to Hawaii because he's working. That's where the president hangs out. Although the president isn't there yet because he is very busy, Ed, and it looks like he has managed a victory on this long stalled START Treaty.
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Big-time. I mean if you had looked a week ago at where the president was in this lame duck, he did not have a tax deal yet, he had fellow Democrats in the House pretty angry at him. Secondly, it looked like a repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was dead in the water, frankly. And then number three, the START Treaty was also struggling along. And if you look at the reporting from our colleague, Dana Bash, it looks like there are now enough Republicans willing to cross over and give the president a victory here on the new START Treaty.
And so a week later, this is looking like a pretty good end to the year for this president so quickly after the shellacking in the midterm election. It shows that maybe 2011 he can carve out some victories. We'll see. But I do want to correct you on one thing, which is that I'm not here for a week, I'm here for two weeks.
VELSHI: Nice. Nice. You are going to be there as long as it takes to complete our coverage of the president in Hawaii, even though he's not there yet.
HENRY: Yes, I want to make sure it's comprehensive.
VELSHI: Let's talk about Mitch McConnell.
HENRY: It might be confusing for you --
VELSHI: Yes?
HENRY: Yes, go ahead.
VELSHI: Let's talk about Mitch McConnell.
HENRY: Well, if I call you from Hawaii and you get the Hawaii 50 music on your ring tone, it might be really confusing to you.
VELSHI: That would be confusing.
HENRY: I'm going to start calling you.
VELSHI: That would be fun. I do have the music on my ring tone.
Let's talk about Mitch McConnell. What is he saying about President Obama?
HENRY: Well, it's interesting. Take a listen to what Mitch McConnell said yesterday. You know, he had come out on Sunday and told Candy Crowley first on "STATE OF THE UNION" that he would be opposing the new START Treaty and then he had this to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), MINORITY LEADER: Our top concerns should be the safety and security of our nation, not some politician's desire to declare a political victory and host a press conference before the first of the year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY: So I just spoke to Senator McConnell's office, and they say that he was not referring to the president holding a news conference potentially at the end of the year and having a victory, he was talking about potentially denying a victory for Congressional Democrats.
But you put that together with what Mitch McConnell said just last month to "National Journal" when he said, quote, "The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one- term president," and you have to wonder.
There's been a lot focus on John Boehner as the incoming speaker and how that's going to be the most critical relationship for the president in the new year. Mitch McConnell you know laying it out there and not, you know, being secretive about it but just saying flat-out, I think he should be a one-term president and look, we should deny Democrats these victories at the end of the year suggests that, you know, it may not be an easy slate for the president with Mitch McConnell.
Remember, Mitch McConnell is going to be getting more Republicans come January, it's going to be a shrunken Democratic majority there in the Senate. It's going to be tough sledding for the president there.
And I just spoke to Senator McConnell's office, though, and they said, look, a week ago, though, he supported the president on the tax- cut plan. That was not necessarily popular among all Republicans, there were some who were upset about the spending in that tax plan. He's not going to oppose the president every turn.
But you have to wonder which McConnell is going to be with the president more next year, the one who wants to make him a one-term president or the one who is willing to cross the aisle and work on the tax deal? That's going to tell us a lot about what kind of 2011 this president has.
VELSHI: That's -- that's going to be a big issue, whether they're helping or whether they're hurting the president.
Hey, listen, I heard you and I made the news in Hawaii yesterday.
HENRY: You know, you would have loved it.
The 5:00 news here in Honolulu, it was obviously a slow news day, they had you and I bantering about the weather in Hawaii and they were showing a clip and I was a guest on their news show, Hawaii News Now, which is our affiliate here. And I just wanted to tell you that, cause I also talked to the weather guy. His name is Guy (ph), and he was talking about how the president, when he gets here, is going to have more rain for a few days, but they think that by the weekend it's going to be better and that the first family will at least have a week of sun, finally some relaxation.
But I just wanted you to know that, you know, you may have been in a motion picture this year and be a national figure and have all that popularity, but you know, I have a pretty big following in Honolulu.
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: I've been seeing tweets about it. And Ed will keep you posted on Twitter, so follow Ed, @EdHenryCNN. At the same time, it's a two-for-one thing, so follow me @AliVelshi, @EdHenryCNN.
Keep us posted what's going on in Hawaii. You seem to be having a great time there and we will check in with you again tomorrow.
HENRY: We think the president is going to be here as early as Wednesday or Thursday, and so we'll have more details on all that tomorrow.
VELSHI: Very good. After the ceremony, we'll keep up to speed with it with Ed.
Thanks, Ed.
All right, something happened to the moon overnight that hasn't happened in about 400 years. It was quite a show. See what you missed coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, right next door to CNN, across the road, actually, in downtown Atlanta. Overcast, been cloudy all night. That's why we couldn't see that lunar eclipse all that clearly, but it's clearing up, looking nice out there.
Happening now, the first results are in from the 2010 U.S. Census. The population of the United States has topped 3.7 million, growing 9.7 percent over the past decade. This is the slowest rate of growth since the Great Depression.
Rain continues to pummel Southern California. It's causing flooding and mudslides and numerous road closures. Meanwhile, heavy snow is falling in the Sierra Nevadas. The weather system causing this is supposed to move out of California toward the end of the week.
It looks like there are now enough Republicans on board to approve a new nuclear arms treaty with Russia. At least nine Senate Republicans have announced their support for the START Treaty. There might be a test vote today, a test vote gives the government some indication or gives the Senate leader some indication of whether it will pass rather than having the vote subject to a defeat.
All right, did you stay up last night to see the show? Look at pictures of the moon from our iReporter, James Hammerson (ph). The total lunar eclipse occurred on the same night as the Winter Solstice for the first time since 1638. It's remarkable how excited everyone is getting over that.
The show started around 1:33 a.m. Eastern, lasted until about 5:00 a.m. I looked out, I couldn't see a thing. I live in Atlanta, it was cloudy. I heard one of my producers, though, tell me she saw something, so I don't know, maybe I was looking at the wrong sky.
On the screen we're showing you different time lapses of the move from across the country. An eclipse happens when the Earth blocks the sun's light from hitting the moon. So basically the Earth's shadow is now being cast on the moon, the moon can't reflect anything. So that's the Earth's shadow you're seeing on the moon.
The Winter Solstice marks the day when the Earth's tilt is farthest away from the sun, which also makes it the longest day of the year. It was only viewable for watchers in North America, Greenland and Iceland.
To check out more of these pictures, and we've got a lot of them, go to CNN.com/iReport.
Well, as it turns out, this was not the year to schedule a European Christmas vacation. Coming up in "Globe Trekking," we'll have a live report from Berlin.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: That is Los Angeles. In this case, that isn't smog, by the way, that's fog and clouds. They've been having rough weather. I mean, some of that may be smog, I don't know. You can sort of make out the skyline in the distance there. It's not very clear altogether.
OK, over to "Globe Trekking" and another look at terrible weather in Europe, it's stranded thousands of Christmas travelers in airports and train stations.
Fred Pleitgen is live in Berlin. How's it looking over there, Fred?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's not looking too good, Ali. And you know, the really sad thing for a lot of Christmas travelers also ones, of course, a lot of them coming from the U.S., is that a lot of them are not going to reach their Christmas destination before Christmas actually comes.
We have issues here at Frankfurt Airport. The airport was closed for several hours today because of heavy snowfall. Right now, they say they're trying to come to terms with that backlog and also with a lot of the other European disruptions that are going on. But still, hundreds of flights have been canceled, people are stranded in the terminals there.
The same is true for a lot of airports in France, especially in Paris, where thousands of people, are still stranded in the terminal. So certainly, it's not looking good for a lot of them as far as their travels are concerned.
One thing that the German authorities are trying to do now is they're easing restrictions on night flights to help people get out. If there are people who are watching us who want to travel to Europe, you do have a better shot if you're traveling long haul international cause those flights are getting priority right here, right now. However, it is still a very, very difficult road to take, Ali.
VELSHI: All right, Fred, we'll continue to check in with you on the circumstances.
Again, anybody traveling to Europe or for that matter in the United States, just check with the airports first before you leave or check with your airline to see where things stand. It's a lot more fun than getting stranded at an airport.
Firing bullets made of sound waves instead of lead. Powerful blasts that could attack anything from enemy subs to cancer. Today's "Big I" coming up next.
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VELSHI: Is there anywhere in this country that isn't cloudy? That's the Statue of Liberty outside of -- just below Manhattan. Gosh, I'm just looking for a sunny shot. We're going to try and get you one.
Remember this clip, by the way, from the movie "Minority Report" with Tom Cruise? Check this out.
(VIDEO CLIP, "MINORITY REPORT" TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX)
VELSHI: OK. So in this movie, the characters used guns that fired sonic waves instead of bullets. It was, of course, set in the future.
The future is here now. In today's "Big I," this is where we talk about it. Ideas, innovation. Bullets made of sound waves that can be used by the military and in medicine. Here to explain her design is Chiara Daraio. She is an assistant professor of aeronautics and applied physics for the California Institute of Technology. Chiara, is that an exaggeration to say what is depicted in the movie is actually possible?
CHIARA DARAIO, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY: Hi, Ali. Well, that's quite still away from where we are right now, but some bullets do exist. And that's part of what we've been doing so far.
VELSHI: What is it? DARAIO: Right. So, what we define as a sound bullet is a compact burst of energy, a single pulse of acoustic energy or sound that can form in traveling a host material -- for example, air or water or a solid medium. So, usually acoustic waves travel in trains of crests of high pressure and low pressure regions that follow each other. Similar to what you see waves in an ocean or ripples in a pond.
What we do is we create a bullet, which is consistent of only a single high pressure region that can achieve very, very large altitudes.
VELSHI: What can the military, for instance, do or what can people -- what can you do with the sound bullet?
DARAIO: Sound bullets can replace many of our - of today's technology in terms of acoustic waves. Acoustic waves are not used just by the military. For example, there are many biomedical applications like ultrasonic imaging or surgery, for example, to remove kidney stones or image babies in the belly of a mother.
At the same time, you can use acoustic waves to test, for example, integrity of materials in structure like cracks in a pipeline or the integrity of an airplane wing. Some bullets have much larger amplitude, which means they can improve the signal to noise ratio and they have a much more compactly support wave, which means they can achieve shorter pulses and better resolution than current technologies.
This, together with being extremely controllable, would allow better ability, scanning ability of images that people desire to acquire, for example.
VELSHI: I want to show you a picture that we have here, a graphic we have which shows one of these sound bullets being used on someone's brain. What are the medical applications of this?
DARAIO: So, that's a schematic diagram that represents one of the potential applications of our technology. The idea of being able to focus sound in a very narrow spot and with a much higher precision, higher energy so that you can either, for example, in theory, image parts of the human body or focus energy so that you can increase the temperature in, for example, cause death of undesired cells. For example, tumor cells. This is a technique used in technology today and called ipotherma (ph).
VELSHI: All right. And finally, we're -you said we're some distance away from what I showed in that movie clip. Where are we with this? I mean, obviously, we're not looking to invent a gun. Where are we in the process of using this ability to have sound go in a bullet as opposed to a wave?
DARAIO: So, right now we are in the proof of principle stage. We in our laboratory we have developed a fundamental, theoretical and computer simulation, as well as an experimental proof of principle for the creation of the sound bullets. Which means we've been able to test and demonstrate their feasibility and experimenting in the lab. It was done in solid media.
We're now bringing the technology forward, trying to redesign a lens that's more automated, more controllable and scaleable. And also that is capable of generating bullets that travel in water, for example, and fluids so that they're closer for applications. For example, for underwater detection of vehicles similar to Sonars or in the human body.
VELSHI: Very, very interesting. We'll watch this with great interest. Chiara Daraio is an assistant professor of aeronautics at the California Institute of Technology.
By the way, she was named one of Brilliant Ten by "Popular Science" magazine. Thanks so much for being with us. We love having brilliant people on here. It makes us feel a little bit smarter.
DARAIO: Thank you for having me.
VELSHI: For anybody who doesn't think I'm all that smart, I confirm it. Again, for the second day in the row, I've now said winter solstice was the longest day of the year, when in fact it's the opposite. It is the shortest day of the year. But you know what I meant.
OK, checking the latest developments in our top stories.
The first numbers from the 2010 census are out today. 308.7 million people were living in the United States as of April 1. That's 9.7 percent more than a decade ago. Nevada was fastest growing state, Michigan suffered the biggest population loss.
The government says Toyota will $3.2 - I'm sorry -- $3.4 million in fines, the maximum allowed by law. Fines stemmed from two separate recall investigations, one involving accelerator pedals and another involving possible loss of steering. Added to another settlement announced in April, Toyota has racked up nearly $50 million in fines this year.
A vote of confidence on Wall Street today. Both the Dow Industrials and the S&P 500 index hit their highest levels in two years. Traders say while December rallies are not uncommon, there's optimism the economy will continue to improve next year. I'll talk to Alison Kosik about that very shortly.
And those census numbers I just mentioned, well, they'll have some pretty big political consequences. And that could mean your state could gain or lose a congressman. We'll go through the winners and losers in our political update, coming up next.
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VELSHI: Time now for a CNN political update. One of the stories we've been following closely this hour is the census data. Gloria Borger is CNN's senior political analyst. She's in Washington with more on the political consequences of some of these numbers. Hi, Gloria. GLORIA BORGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Hi, Ali, and just for the record, I think you're brilliant. I think you --
VELSHI: Thank you, even though I don't know the longest from the shortest day.
BORGER: Right. Well, but that aside, I think you're brilliant.
Let's talk about what goes going on with the census because it is a huge story, Ali. Eight states will gain members in the House of Representatives. Take a look at this. They are Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and the state of Washington.
Now, you may remember that Obama won three of those states in 2008: Florida, Washington state and Nevada. They are all up for grabs. As you head into the 2012 presidential, on the face of it, this looks really good for Republicans, Ali, because most of the states that are gaining seats tend to trend Republican. You will also have large victories in state legislatures for Republicans around the country and governorships around the country. So as they redraw those districts, that's going to be very good for the Republican party.
But let me give you one big caveat here, which is very important to keep in mind. The states that are gaining congressional seats are states in which there are large minority populations, hence the gain. And those are populations -- Hispanic populations, for example -- which the Democratic party has lately gained a lot of traction with. So, this could help the Democrats in those states. So, you know, it's a very, very complex situation.
VELSHI: All right. And the thing that I was talking to Kate about earlier is, it's sort of been determined who will make the determinations as to where those seats go, as they restrict.
BORGER: Well, it is. What happens is the state legislatures decide. You can decide, for example, as you draw these lines that you can put your -- the large minority population, say it's Hispanic in the state of Arizon, in one district. That could potentially, say, be a Democratic district, and the other two would not be Hispanic population. So it does matter. It does matter what the state legislature looks like, who the governor is.
But I will tell you what this is, Ali. This is a boon for lawyers. Shock? Because the last time we had this, there were 34 lawsuits throughout the country, 34 states, that challenged redistricting. So, while this looks good for Republicans on the one hand, maybe some benefits for the Democrats on the other hand. Really good for legal fees, because every state is going to challenge redistricting in one way or another.
VELSHI: Gloria, thanks so much for that. Good to see you. Gloria Borger.
BORGER: Sure, sure! Great to see you.
VELSHI: Your next political update from The Best Political Team on Television just an hour away.
OK. Using a purse as a weapon, grandmothers around the world would be proud. A heartwarming postscript to an awful story, next in "Odds & Ends."
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VELSHI: Another shot of Miami for you, there. It looks sunny. I was looking for someplace sunny. It looks like we got someplace sunny. Thank you for that to our director.
Time for "Odds & Ends." I know a lot of times we've got some wacky stuff for you. But today, we'll go more serious.
So, take a look at some folks trying to squeeze some good out of a tragedy. Check out this eBay auction, drawing a lot of attention and a lot of bids. A gently used faux crocodile cool purse, brown, lots of pockets. Pretty standard-looking. But notice the current bid, high bid, more than $11,000.
This is Ginger Littleton's bag. You don't know who Ginger Littleton is? Just wait. She's the very brave and very lucky lady who tried to disarm an angry gunman by whacking her with that purse! Ginger was not successful, but she also wasn't hurt. A security guard was able to shoot and wound the guy who then killed himself.
Now, what does all this have to do with selling a purse? Well, all the proceeds are going to go to a Christmas charity for kids founded by that sharp-shooting, soft-hearted security guard.
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GINGER LITTLETON, TRIED TO DISARM GUNMAN WITH PURSE: If it will bring some money for Salvage Santa and bring some honor and assistance to my hero, Mike Jones, then by all means, let's go for it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: Good on you, Ginger! You have just over 24 hours left to bid on your new bag.
And you are looking a picture of Waikiki Beach on the coast of Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii. Population, about 376,000 people. Believe it or not, the 50th largest city in the United States when it comes to population, at least as of 2009.
But there's a new Census and new numbers are out, the first results of the 2010 Census. We only do it every 10 years, a headcount of the people living in the United States.
As of April this year, the nation's population was 308.7 million people. That's up 9.7 percent over the past decade. That's the slowest growth rate since the Great Depression in the 1930s. Now two areas especially affected by the Census results are politics and the economy.
