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Mississippi to Free Scott Sisters on Condition of Kidney Donation; Jobless Claims Drop; Britain: Prepare for One-Third of Your Life in Retirement; Hot Off the Political Ticker; Most Intriguing People of 2010

Aired December 30, 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, everyone. Let's check big stories for you right now.

First-time jobless claims fell below 400,000 for the first time since the summer of 2008. The Labor Department says 388,000 initial applications were filed last week. Analysts caution the number could be skewed by the Christmas holiday.

Online sales were quite jolly this holiday season. Market researcher comScore says Americans spent almost $31 billion on the Internet.

You know what? Let's drop out of this story and let's get to Mississippi now, and let's listen to the news conference that's under way right now.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

CHOKWE LUMUMBA, CITY COUNCILMAN, JACKSON CITY, MISSISSIPPI: -- even though there was great disappointment after each effort. And over a period of many years, Jamie has had to suffer greatly because of her incarceration. And unfortunately, it probably wasn't because until her kidneys failed that many of the media picked up on this case and began to concentrate on it and begin to show it to the world.

But that's kind of like the story of a lot of our people who are stuffed away in prisons and jails and who should not be. That's kind of like the story, really, is that actually, you have got to suffer on top of suffering on top of suffering before you would get the recognition that we need, because it was bad when they were convicted in the first place.

It was bad when after this conviction, they were rejected on appeal and post-conviction motion. It was bad when two women got sentenced to two life sentences in prison for something that most people don't even do a day in prison for. Something, really, if you look at the transcript closely, seems to have been no more than a confrontation and an argument between some young men and these two older gentlemen who probably were trying to take advantage of these women sexually at one point in the game. But, in any event, we've come here and we've gotten to the point where we can celebrate their release. You know, I've always spoken frankly. I don't mind challenging icons and things of that nature. But I'm also going to speak frankly in this way.

I think that, you know, I've been asked a lot of questions -- did the governor do this for political reasons? My guess is he did do it for political reasons. But on the other hand, I want to commend him for a movement which bespoke humanity.

It's something that the governor asked before him did not do. It's something that Musgrove did not do. It's something that he did do, and I think that if we're going to be with the people, if we're going to represent the people, we always have got to speak the truth to the people. Right?

And so, as we suggest that he did it for some political reasons, we also suggest that it's a good thing that he did do it.

And we also want to thank all of those in the coalition that have helped us. I'm not going to mention everybody's names because we have got several speakers here today representing those coalitions, like the Mississippi Center for -- Mississippi Workers Center for Human Rights, ACLU, MIRA, and, of course, who's standing right next to me now, our comrades from the NAACP who have not only helped here in Jackson and in Mississippi, but actually in Washington, D.C., and all over the country.

So we want to thank everyone. We want to recognize and remember the mother's struggle and the work that she did.

We want to recognize and remember the struggle of the people in the little store -- the little restaurant here. What's it called? Gloria's Kitchen. When we went out in the street to talk about (INAUDIBLE), I want to recognize that because I think it needs to be recognized.

And we went out in the street to talk about the demonstration (INAUDIBLE) because of the work. And the Mississippi Workers Center had already begun to the work on the case, too.

But when we bumped into people on the street, they already knew about the Scott sisters, many of them, because the mouth in the South and others had taken those little homemade leaflets. You know homemade leaflets? Sometimes you're all too sophisticated and you get your big (ph) leaflets.

But we wanted -- I just wanted to say thank you for supporting us. We are going to now not only get them out of jail, but I'm sure they're going to be an asset to speaking of what one author has called the new Jim Crow, massive incarcerations of people in prison penal systems which have really become obscene, and talk about different ways to do it.

We want to thank those who are part of the government, the state legislator, the Black Caucus of the state legislator. Some of the representatives will speak to you because they helped. They did write a letter and they did do things to help.

We want to thank -- including joining us in the September demonstrations. We want to thank the -- my colleagues on the City Council of Jackson, because they were one of the first to pass a resolution supporting the release of the Scott sisters.

So all of those, we thank all of them. You're in our hearts. We might not get everybody's name at this moment, but thank you very much.

And I'm going to move on, because I know you want to hear from some of the other folks. And right beside us here is Ben Jealous, the president of NAACP, and Derrick Johnson, who's the president of the state chapter of the NAACP. I think they have just come from a meeting with the governor of the state of Mississippi, who just signed this order.

So I thank all of you. And free at last.

(APPLAUSE)

BEN JEALOUS, PRESIDENT, NAACP: Thank you, (INAUDIBLE). It's an honor to be here with you and all the friends who are standing behind us, and Derrick Johnson, the president of the state association.

This is a great day. This is a very good day.

We just crossed the street from the swearing in of Judge Carlton Reeves (ph). And just before that we came from a meeting with Governor Barbour.

We need more days like this in Mississippi. We need more days like this in this country. It's a great way to end this year.

(APPLAUSE)

And it happened because people across this country, across this state, starting with their family and their mom, who has kept the faith for years, the little old "Jackson Advocate" newspaper, my old paper, and a whole family of civil and human rights organizations here in Mississippi, from which the NAACP is the old big tree. We all work together to make justice work in this state.

And in so, I'm here to say thank you to the people of the state, to the governor of the state.

When you are right, you are right, Governor Barbour. And you are very right today.

(APPLAUSE)

I also want to thank all the people across the country. There's been a great chorus speaking out on behalf of the Scott sisters.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. That's right. JEALOUS: It's a chorus in the black church. It's a chorus in media across this country, including the black media. It is a chorus of activists across this country who every day get engaged, organize, believe in great and possible dreams, and make them a reality.

And it is humbling to be here standing both next to Derek, but also next to Chokwe. This is not the first or the second time I've been blessed to work with Chokwe to get somebody out of prison who shouldn't be there in the first place. It's the third time. And it's probably president 100th time that he's done it.

(APPLAUSE)

And it was the easiest thing in the world to get involved in this case. Chokwe called, and I called Derrick, and I said, "Derrick, Chokwe called." And he said, "Well, that's all you need to know. If Chokwe called, then we need to do what Chokwe is asking us to do."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's it. That's it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's right.

JEALOUS: So I'm going to hand it over to my colleague, Derrick Johnson. But again, this is a very good day.

Thank you, Governor Barbour. When you're right, you're right. This is a shining example of the way clemency power should be used.

Governor David Paterson did it last week in the John White case. Now Governor Barbour. We hope next will be the governor of Georgia, the John McNeil (ph) case. These are important cases, and it's important governors realize that they have a role to play --

HARRIS: So there you have it, a press conference under way. Jamie and Gladys Scott serving life sentences for an $11 robbery.

As you may know, supporters rallied for the sisters, arguing the time didn't fit the crime. But here's the thing. Freedom comes with a condition. One sister must donate a kidney to the other. That saves the state on dialysis costs.

All vacations eventually end. When the president gets back to the White House, Republicans will be moving into their House. We will look at the challenges ahead.

First, our "Random Moment" in 90 seconds.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: So let's do this -- let's dig a bit deeper now on the weekly jobless claims report. Experts say anything under 400,000 should push the unemployment rate down.

CNN Money's team's Alison Kosik joining us now from New York.

And Alison, let's remind everyone that the nation's unemployment rate is just under 10 percent.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Exactly, Tony. And, you know, this 400,000 number that we seem to be throwing around these days, it's not just something we pulled out of the sky at random. It really is a level that's critical, because if we stay below it for an extended period, economists say we could begin to see the unemployment rate move lower. And remember, the weekly number, it's been stuck above 400,000 for more than a year now.

Think about what this report measures in the first place. It measures how many layoffs are happening. That means 400,000 to 500,000 people have lost their jobs each and every week. And it adds up to more than four million people collecting those benefits.

So, you know, the big drop in this week's report is great news, Tony, but -- and this is a really big "but" -- we really have to see if this continues into the early part of next year. You know, it's really possible that many people were working at these temp jobs over the holidays, especially retail. They're going to find themselves back in unemployment line.

Now, we're going to see if this report we got today is any indicator to the big jobs report that we get Friday, because there could be a nice surprise in there -- Tony.

HARRIS: Well, yes. And at least for the moment, let's enjoy the good news here. And that number being under 400,000 --

KOSIK: Exactly.

HARRIS: -- is -- yes, that's a good number.

All right, Alison. Appreciate it. Thank you.

KOSIK: Yes. We very well could have good news next week. Sure.

HARRIS: Yes. Thank you.

"The Wall Street Journal" reports some big U.S. banks are starting to loosen up their purse strings and lend more money. Moody's estimates commercial and industrial lending just saw its first quarterly increase in two years. Those loans are used, as you know, by businesses to expand their operations, and that could lead to new jobs.

The British government says people should prepare to spend more than a third of their lives in retirement due to a staggering rise in life expectancy. Many of you could live past 100 years old. So can you afford it?

Christine Romans joins us now from New York.

And the answer today would be no for a lot of folks, Christine.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I can't afford it. Every time I try to do a retirement calculator, I can't even get to 75, let alone get to 100.

HARRIS: Yes, there you go.

ROMANS: So none of the calculators on the Web sites are geared to us living to be 100. But look, these are the pension folks within the government in London, and they're saying that a really big chunk of people are going to live to be 100 years old.

I mean, if you look at this chart we have got for you, it's astonishing when you see how the demographic shift will go. Look at that.

That's the projected number of centenarians in the U.K. They expect more than a sixth of the British population that's alive today can expect to live to their 100th birthday. In addition, by the year 2066, they think at least half a million people will be older than 100, and that there will be some 7,700 super centenarians, as they call them, people older than 110.

What I did not know, Tony, is there is someone in Buckingham Palace on this very day who is the centenarian clerk whose job it is to give a birthday card from the queen to everyone who turns 100.

HARRIS: Are you kidding me?

ROMANS: If you look at the demographic trends and how long we are living, that's going to be job security right there, that particular job. But 100, I mean, we have big advances in health care.

This is also something that -- you know, this is the U.K. This is London. This is across the pond. But when you're looking at other western countries with similar middle classes, similar economies, similar health care systems, you can see how we could be wearing out two or three hips, Tony, by the time we're at the end of our road.

HARRIS: Can you imagine? The legendary weatherman for NBC, "The Today Show" for all those years, Willard Scott, I mean, he could have a whole show now of folks living to 100 and beyond.

(LAUGHTER)

ROMANS: But it raises serious questions. It raises serious questions about how well our government is ready --

HARRIS: Quality of life, yes.

ROMANS: -- for what is a new -- we have the baby boomers. Did you know that in January, there will be 10,000 baby boomers turning 65 every single day?

And just think about this wave of people that is growing into middle age, and then the young people who are being born today with all of the new technologies in medicine, who will live to be very long, apparently at least 100 years. Our government, our safety net, our everything isn't geared to all of us living for so long.

So I predict some very interesting days ahead, Tony. I'll invite you to my 100th birthday party.

HARRIS: And of course I will be there.

Spending power. I'm thinking about spending power, too, because there may be some --

ROMANS: Yes.

HARRIS: Yes. Yes.

All right, Christine. That's fascinating. Thank you, Christine.

When the president returns from his Hawaiian vacation on Sunday, he will find Washington a very changed town.

Here's Senior White House Correspondent Ed Henry.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED HENRY, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): To hear the president tell it, bickering with the Republicans is so 2010.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: A lot of folks in this town predicted that after the midterm elections, Washington would be headed for more partisanship and more gridlock. And instead, this has been a season of progress, and it's a message that I will take to heart in the New Year. And I hope my Democratic and Republican friends will do the same

HENRY: But with the Republican, John Boehner, taking the speaker's gavel, that rosy scenario will be tested immediately in 2011. Because both parties will now have to agree on a long-term budget after kicking the can down the road on all those spending cuts the Tea party was demanding, and the president's own debt panel was proposing to no avail.

OBAMA: I expect we'll have a robust debate about this when we return from the holidays. The debate that will have to answer an increasingly urgent question, and that is how do we cut spending that we don't need while still making investments that we do need.

HENRY: With the federal cash register tapped out, it will be, especially, difficult to tackle the president's biggest challenge of all.

OBAMA: My singular focus over the next two years is not rescuing the economy from potential disaster but rather jump-starting the economy so that we actually start making a dent in the unemployment rate.

HENRY: Mr. Obama also may face resistance to his economic plans from both liberals still smarting from the tax deal he just cut, and conservatives determine to repeal his health reform law. A Republican-turned independent is urging both sides to give the new balance of power a chance. SEN. LISA MURKOWSKI, (R) ALASKA: Let's figure out how we deal with some of these very, very difficult issues, whether it's tax policy or whether it's going to be what we're going to be doing on spending. We've got enough that we need to do that we don't need to get weighted down in the partisan politics.

HENRY: Music to the ears of White House aides trying to hammer the message that Republicans now have a responsibility to govern.

ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: They can't afford any long to just simply sit and say no. They have to be part of a constructive conversation.

HENRY (on camera): White House officials say the president has started at least some work on his State of the Union Address, which should be at the end of January. And we should expect a big theme to be exactly what you just heard from Robert Gibbs. Now that Republicans run at least half of Congress, they have an obligation to meet the president halfway on some of these big issues, especially the economy.

Ed Henry, CNN, Honolulu.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: From Hawaiian heat to the cold, hard reality of snow removal in New York, where does all the snow go once it is scraped off the streets? Our Susan Candiotti shows us how it's done.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

HARRIS: Snow plows still haven't cleared the snow from all streets of New York, and it's been five days since the blizzard hit. Mayor Michael Bloomberg has apologized for not doing a better job.

Our Susan Candiotti wanted to know where the snow goes after it's picked up.

And it's right there behind you. And are you able to get really close to that mountain of snow we saw you parked next to earlier in the day?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I wanted to snuggle up to it again, but they won't let me anymore because they're afraid I might get squished by one of these big guys. Right?

They have got at least four front-end loaders out here, Tony. This is just one block among the many, many streets in Manhattan.

And, you know, they're longer going east to west than the blocks are going north and south. So all the way down this east-west block, as far as the eye can see, mountains and mountains of snow at least 20 feet high. At least.

And all of it is coming just from Times Square. Times Square, just that one spot, from all the many blocks and side streets.

Why? Because, of course, they have to clear it on out for New Year's Eve. And it's got to be a monotonous job for these guys because they scoop it up, they pile it up here, but then what do you do with it? We're about to show you, as we did before.

This thing is a snow melting machine. And they drop it in the top in there. It's super hot. It melts it.

It goes down this drain here into the city's sewer system. And there's a drain in there -- a filter, rather -- that picks up all the gunk, all the big stuff, so that they can get rid of it.

Now, Chief Al Turrell, he's in charge of everything going on in Times Square.

You just came from there.

DEP. CHIEF ALBERT TURRELL, NYC SANITATION DEPT.: I did.

CANDIOTTI: How's it looking? Because you've been bringing this stuff nonstop.

TURRELL: Well, we're making headway. We started there yesterday morning, and we have been doing a 24/7 operation.

We have numerous pieces of equipment out there -- front-end loaders, containers, 20, 25, 30 yards. We've made numerous piles and we're removing lots and lots of snow. And as you can see, we brought it over here.

CANDIOTTI: Are you having to goose the guys a little bit to get them moving to make sure they're done on time?

TURRELL: Well, you know, sometimes you have to crack the whip, but we're getting things done. The guys are working hard. I have to give them a lot of credit considering the hours they're putting in. And they're doing a good job, and we're going to make it hopefully -- and we will clean up in times for New Year's Eve.

CANDIOTTI: You have the prediction there, Tony. It's going to happen. They're going to get it all out --

HARRIS: Love it.

CANDIOTTI: -- all of this stuff.

Thanks, Chief.

It's a big job out there, but it's fun to watch. I tell you, one right after the other. And just when you think the pile is starting to go down, they bring another truckload in.

Tony, back to you.

HARRIS: Oh, that's terrific stuff. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: Got to tell you, folks are making their way back home after being stranded at Northeast airports for days now. More than 10,000 flights canceled since Saturday. Almost 30 international flights were stuck for hours on the tarmac at JFK alone.

On CNN's "ANDERSON COOPER 360" last night, Randi Kaye asked who's to blame for the extreme waits?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RANDI KAYE, HOST: It's my understanding that you think the airlines have actually done a fairly good job throughout all of this. Now, there are a lot of people watching tonight who probably disagree with you.

So what makes you think that?

MICHAEL BOYD, PRESIDENT, THE BOYD GROUP: Well, I think it's what you can do versus what you would like to do.

You know, having been on that side of the table, or both sides of the table of this, you know -- and I wasn't at LaGuardia to put up with this grief, but what can you do when the runways are shut down, you have 3,000 or 4,000 people there, you've got people calling reservations trying to rebook, you don't have many reservations people? That's a problem.

I guess it's wrong to say I think they have done a great job. I guess the point is, could they have done anything better under the circumstances? Probably yes. But would it be marginally better? I don't know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: JFK Airport's spokesman says the blizzard kept aircraft service personnel from getting to work.

The big storm that dumped more rain on southern California is moving east right now. And Arizona, it collided with cold air. Chad was just talking about that, and this is the result -- heavy snow and icy roads. The situation so dangerous, the Arizona Department of Public Safety shut down a section of Interstate 17 near Flagstaff.

The storms compounded the flooding and mudslide problems in southern California. The damage is already in the billions of dollars. This month has been the wettest December on record in that region.

In Minnesota, no more events in the Metrodome through March. It will take at least that long to repair the roof that collapsed under heavy snow earlier this month. Right now there's not even an estimate of the damage and of the repair costs to fix the damage. The dome in Minneapolis is home to the Minnesota Vikings. A lot of other events are held there as well.

Clearly rock 'n' roll lives on. Those stars were among the top grossing concert tours of 2010. We're talking about Bon Jovi -- how long has Bon Jovi been around from New Jersey? Lady Gaga, AC/DC. How long has AC/DC been around? And John Mayer.

Can you guess who was number one? I know, I know. And how much they made.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Rock stars pulled in big money on tour this year, but who made the most? Think old school for this one. This is a bit surprising. Bon Jovi came in number one in ticket sales. AC/DC came in second. What about Beyonce? Is that "Back in Black?" That's how I live my life!

Anyway, Bon Jovi beat out Lady Gaga and others, grossing $201 million. Worldwide. That's a great song.

All right. Let's market check here. We are just past three hours into the trading day. We're trading in negative territory, as you can see here. Anyone have a NASDAQ number for me? We are down 23 points. Of course, we will continue to follow these numbers throughout the day in the CNN NEWSROOM.

The space shuttle program is winding down, but others are in line to pick up the slack. CNN's John Zarrella has a look at the future of space exploration from Kennedy Space Center.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): For more than 50 years, the Kennedy Space Center has been the focal point of America's space program. The vehicle assembly building over there where the Apollo moon rockets were assembled, space shuttles for the last 30 years assembled there.

But now as the space shuttle program winds down, activity here at the Kennedy Space Center is winding down as well. Next year, two shuttle flights are on the books. One in February, one, perhaps, in April, and then NASA wants to add a third sometime around June or July next year. And that would be it. That will be the end of the shuttle program.

After that, commercial companies will start to pick up the slack. The plan is that by 2015, commercial companies will be flying U.S. astronauts to the international space station. Until then, the United States is going to have to rely on the Russians to get its astronauts to the space station.

John Zarrella, CNN, at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE) HARRIS: Bodies found after an explosion in Michigan. It is one of our top stories.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: So, two sisters sentenced to life in prison over an $11 robbery are about to be set free. When exactly, we don't know. Gladys and Jamie Scott have already spent 16 years behind bars. Mississippi's governor is suspending the sentences, but only if one of Gladys' kidneys is donated to Jamie.

Our Marty Savidge is on this story. And we had a bit of the news conference at the top of the hour. Did you pick up anything in that news conference? I know the attorneys spoke for a while.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right. That's Chokwe Lumumba, and he basically said that they have been in contact. They made a telephone call to Gladys and have spoken to her within prison. And of course, she was ecstatic with the news.

They have not had a conversation with Jamie. What's interesting, the two of them may be sisters, but they are not housed together and they're in separate parts of the prison, which is the reason for the different communications.

HARRIS: The sisters have been in prison for, what, 16 years now?

SAVIDGE: Right. They would have been 19 and 22. And now they're, of course, 35 and 38.

HARRIS: What crime were they convicted of?

SAVIDGE: It was armed robbery. The way the court case went was that they were accused of luring two men into an ambush where these men were beaten and robbed, and a shotgun was involved.

HARRIS: Yes. Yes.

SAVIDGE: They were charged -- or actually pled not guilty to being accessories, but they were found guilty of armed robbery. As a result, both got life sentences.

But what many have pointed out is, well, the other accomplices which were men in this case, got lighter sentences. They already served their time, and they are out. It seems to be clear, that, of course, they're very happy with the governor, Haley Barbour, for ordering their release. But it appears now what they will try to do is get these women pardoned because they believe they were improperly convicted.

HARRIS: So, Haley Barbour has been the governor of Mississippi since 2004. He has certainly been petitioned on this case before. Do we have --

SAVIDGE: I know where you're going.

HARRIS: You know where I'm going. The timeline on this. Why is it happening right now?

SAVIDGE: Well, you know, certainly at this news conference they said, look, they believe the governor acted out of political motivations. There's no doubt about that.

And what's interesting about the release is he didn't release them because he felt they were unjustly punished. He's releasing them on humanitarian grounds. Thereby, if he does run for president, as some have suggested he might, they're not going to come back on him and say, oh, you were light on crime. He would say, no, I released those young women based upon a humanitarian need.

HARRIS: There was an opportunity. We thought that the governor would actually participate in this news conference, and then we found out from Ben Jealous, president of the NAACP that he wasn't participating maybe because he would have to answer some difficult questions like the one we just asked you.

And we still don't have a timeline for when the sisters will be released, and they're moving to Florida.

SAVIDGE: Florida, right. That's where their mom lives and their children live. This is apparently why there is a bit of delay. Because tthers would like to see them out immediately. They have to set up a sort of parole process. This has to be, of course, set up in the state of Florida. They say it's going to take some time, could be up to 45 days.

HARRIS: Yes. And we were talking about the other rationale we heard for this is that, you know, there are medical costs involved and housing, particularly Jamie, but in housing the two women. Medical cost for the kidney treatment the state will no longer have to pick up. The state of Mississippi.

SAVIDGE: Right. She is on dialysis. The state estimates it costs them about $190,000, alone, for her specific case.

Now, if she does get - and it's expected that she gets this transplant. It may not be from her sister, by the way.

(CROSSTALK)

SAVIDGE: And the governor has said, look, if they don't match and the kidney doesn't go forward with the transplant, they're still not going to go back to jail. But he cost of the surgery alone is expected to be $106,000. That is thought to be picked up by Medicare. So, essentially, your, shifting the financial burden from the state of Mississippi to I guess, the federal taxpayers. That's all of us.

HARRIS: Very interesting. All right. Marty, as always, good to see you. Thanks, sir.

Let's do this. Quick check of top stories for you.

Today in Chicago, thousands paid their last respects to Cory Enkumlee (ph), one of the two firefighters killed last week after the roof of a commercial building caved in during a multiple-alarm blaze. Seventeen other firefighters were injured in the collapse.

A second body has been found in the rubble of a furniture store that blew up in Michigan yesterday. Breaking news in these hours yesterday, as you'll recall. Three hundred people were evacuated after the blast. Authorities still not sure what caused the gas leak, blamed for the explosion.

And the Tea Party candidate who lost her bid for U.S. Senate seat in Delaware now under investigation for possible misuse of campaign funds. Christine O'Donnell says it is politically motivated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTINE O'DONNELL (R), FORMER DELAWARE SENATE CANDIDATE: Keep in mind that we upset the Delaware political establishment, and we beat their so-called untouchable incumbent. There's a vendetta to stop the movement in its tracks because if the citizen politicians continue to rise up and put the career politicians on notice, we are going to continue to political establishment on notice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: A big New Year's Eve stunt for Snooki, Sean? Snooki? Has been dropped. CNN entertainment correspondent Kareen Wynter joining us from Los Angeles.

Kareen, what's the word from the "Jersey Shore" star here?

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Tony, don't act like you don't watch that reality show. You know who Snooki is.

(LAUGHTER)

WYNTER: Come on. Well, I'm still -- I called you out. I did. I know you watch it.

HARRIS: Yes, you did. Yes, you did.

I'm still trying to figure this one out logistically, and is it even safe? Snooki, she got a giant New Year's Eve snub. Organizers of the big times square New Year's Eve bash, the one that happens every year in the Big Apple. Well, they just shot down an MTV plan for the petite "Jersey Shore" star Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi to be inside a ball, which would be dropped to ring in 2011. This one, Tony, just blows my mind.

All right. So, we got a statement, CNN and "Showbiz Tonight" did, from the co-producers of the Times Square event which clarified for us for those who were worried about Snooki, quote, "It was never intended or requested for Snooki to be in the actual New Year's Eve ball in Times Square. The request to have her in a separate ball on a setback roof came too late and was too impractical to fit into our outdoor events." Now, the idea was, we're told, the brain child of MTV, which has a studio overlooking Times Square. So, maybe that's how they put two and two together. As for Snooki's --

HARRIS: OK. Yes, she's OK? She's going to be fine, right?

WYNTER: As for Snookie doing -- she's -- yes, she's going to be fine. She still has plans for New Year's Eve. So don't worry about her. We're finding out now that "People" magazine, as well as TMZ, they're reporting that she's going it be falling from a ball after all in a location where she's fallen many times before, the Jersey shore. So I guess they say people get addicted to fame, Tony. You know, they just want those 15 minutes to continue.

HARRIS: Oh, that's good. Oh, yes. Yes, yes, yes.

Michael Jackson's estate is voicing some outrage today.

WYNTER: Oh, boy.

HARRIS: What is all of this about, Kareen?

WYNTER: OK, here's the lowdown. The trustees of MJ's estate, they're coming out swinging, Tony.

HARRIS: Yes.

WYNTER: It all has to do with an upcoming documentary. Listen to this. It re-enacts Michael Jackson's autopsy. And MJ's camp, as you can imagine, they're demanding that the network -- they want the network to cancel that show. The trustees, they fired off an open angry letter Wednesday to Discovery Communications -- that's the network behind the show -- which even slams the ads for the special calling them sick. They're saying that it's also insensitive. The estate, they're particularly outraged at the special itself and says the airing of MJ's autopsy, what really killed Michael Jackson, is offensive and mind-boggling.

Now, the letter to Discovery adds, Tony, quote, "your decision to even schedule this program is in shockingly bad taste, insensitive to Michael's family and appears motivated solely by your blind desire to exploit Michael's death, while cynically attempting to dupe the public into believing the show will have serious medical value."

Now the special, it's going to air January 13th in the U.K.

Tony.

HARRIS: Wow, that's a tough one.

All right, Kareen, good to see you. Thank you.

If you want information on everything that is breaking in the entertainment world, just watch "Showbiz Tonight." That's at 5:00 and 11:00 on HLN.

American support for the Afghan War. New CNN poll numbers are not good news for the Obama White House.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: American support for the war in Afghanistan continues to wane. Deputy political director Paul Steinhauser, part of "The Best Political Team on Television," joining us live from Washington.

And, Paul, if you would, share with us the results of the new poll.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: I sure will, Tony.

This is fresh this hour just for you and our viewers. A national poll from CNN/The Opinion Research Corporation. And take a look at this. You can see support for the war has dropped. Thirty-five percent of Americans now say they support the war in Afghanistan. Look at that. That's down from 48 percent in March. So you've got a 13-point drop. And one of the reasons behind that drop, less people now think the war is going well.

But our poll also suggests, a this is interesting, a partisan divide on the issue. Go to the next graphic and you will see a majority of Republicans, they support the war. They favor the war right now. Fifty-two percent. But that number drops to 35 percent for independents. And for the president's own party, Democrats, only one in four support the war.

Hey, Tony, another story I want to talk to you about, and that is on the political ticker right now. And I'm going to ask our cameraman, Worth Kenlaw (ph), to zoom right in here to the Political Ticker. Let's talk about the next Democratic presidential convention in 2012. Party officials will probably announce early next year where they're going to hold the convention. But, you know what, we couldn't wait, Tony, so in that same poll we asked Democrats, of the four finalists, where do you want to see -- where do you want the convention? No front-runner. But, on top, at 29 percent, Cleveland, followed by Charlotte, North Carolina, followed by Minneapolis, Minnesota, and then St. Paul, Missouri. So that's what the rank and file Democrats feel about the next convention. We'll find out from the party early next year, Tony.

HARRIS: Yes, Democrats going to win. They need to hang on to Ohio, that's for sure.

All right, Paul, appreciate it. Good to see you, sir. Thank you.

For the latest political news, just go to cnnpolitics.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: So, who is the most intriguing person of 2010? We invited you to vote. And your answers are in. Josh is here to unveil the top 10.

Are you going to go through every one or are you going to divide it up a bit?

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're going to do 10 -- yes, we'll do 10 down to six and then we'll bring you back for the top five.

HARRIS: Ten to six, OK.

LEVS: Folks, this is your choice. You got online and you told us who the most intriguing people of the year are. Take a look. Number 10, Antoine Dodson, the guy who was originally talking about crime in the local news report (INAUDIBLE).

HARRIS: Hide your wife, hide your kids, hide your kids, hide -- that guy, right?

LEVS: That guy. Yes.

Number nine, now, Kim Jong Un, who experts believe is in line to take over the secret of North Korea from his father. They believe he's next in that line of succession there.

Number eight, disgraced former BP CEO Tony Hayward. That's how "Fortune" magazine describes him, as disgraced. We all recall some remarks he made during the BP oil disaster over the summer. He was ultimately replaced at the end of July.

Number seven, Elizabeth Smart. A young woman, 23 years old now, who testified about her abduction eight years ago and the impact it had on her. Took time out from her Mormon mission to come do her testimony.

And at number six, interesting one, Edison Pena. One of the 33 Chilean miners who was rescued. And he's, as we know, a big Elvis Presley fan. He got to take a little visit to Graceland afterwards.

HARRIS: He ran the marathon, right?

LEVS: And he ran the New York City Marathon.

You are going to find some surprises in the top five most intriguing people of 2010. And we have them coming up for you right after this.

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HARRIS: Josh, you ready for the top five?

LEVS: I'm ready. Are you ready?

HARRIS: Yes.

LEVS: All right. So here's what happened, folks. You voted for the most intriguing people in the world in 2010. We have your results.

At number five, the woman you chose, young woman, Marisol Garcia. This is a 20-year-old who became the top cop in a violent Mexican municipality. And she was a criminology student. She decided someone needed to it. She went out there, put her life on the line and is working for that border city there.

Number four, Steve Job. The man behind Apple. The man who is behind many of the big innovations people are talking about all the time, especially iPad, which was in a lot of ways the phenom of this year.

Number three, someone sort of similar in the tech and computer world. Mark Zuckerberg. Founder of FaceBook. And, as we know, they now have more than 500 million active users. He was also portrayed in the "Social Network" this year. Lots of people talking about him. Gave a bunch of money to charity.

All right, Tony, time for the top two most intriguing people.

HARRIS: OK.

LEVS: And I know you have some thoughts on this. Number two, our viewers at cnn.com chose the president.

HARRIS: I'm not going to argue anymore because the viewers voted.

LEVS: That's right.

HARRIS: Not arguing.

LEVS: The number two most intriguing person in the world of the year, that's what they said. And we've been talking a lot about the things that happened in this presidency this year.

Now, let's just get to number one.

HARRIS: Yes.

LEVS: The number one most intriguing person in the world, 2010, according to you, Julian Assange.

HARRIS: Are you kidding me?

LEVS: Right there. Founder of WikiLeaks. A man who has often said that he -- it isn't all him, but he's become the face of WikiLeaks and who has remained stalwart that he believes in what he is doing, but extremely controversial.

We have the whole thing posted for you at my FaceBook and Twitter pages at JoshLevsCNN. Go ahead and weigh in. It's turned into a discussion online, Tony, what people think about this.

HARRIS: But the people have voted.

LEVS: (INAUDIBLE)

HARRIS: In the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM, the leader of the NAACP, Ben Jealous, joins T.J. Holmes. They will talk about the two sisters set free in Mississippi today. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HARRIS: And without a moment's delay, CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with T.J. Holmes, in for Ali Velshi.

Doctor.