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Practicing The Ball Drop At Time Square; Kidney Is Key For Scott Sisters; Mississippi Governor Suspends Scott's Cases; Buffalo to NYC The Hard Way; Virginia Textbook Published With Inaccurate Information; Selling A House In A Tough Market; New Year's Eve: Hawaii Style; Blizzard Conditions Possible Out West; Encouraging News on the Job Front; Tips on Treating Post-New Year's Eve Hangovers; to Oil Tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky Sentenced to Additional Jail Time; Former Israeli President Convicted of Rape Charges; Top Ten Most Intriguing People of 2010; Top Ten Innovations of 2010; Wave of Bombings Against Christians
Aired December 30, 2010 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, feel free to delay, Tony. Feel free to delay.
Good to see you always, my man. Thanks so much.
Hello to you all. We're getting close to the top of the hour here.
Take a live look. Oh, look at that. It's a beautiful shot we thought we'd share with you at Central Park in New York City. Of course, big New Year's Eve celebration doing to be taking place there in that city tomorrow night. And just a few blocks away from Central Park, if you're watching, they're actually practicing. You know that ball drop that takes place every year in Times Square? You know, it doesn't just happen. They have to practice it. They're actually practicing it as we speak, right now as they gear up for New Year Eve, as well. But thank you for spending some of your time with us, here, today.
What a holiday treat for the Scott family out of Mississippi. Let me back up here, explain this story to you. Here, at CNN, you often see politics, you see crime and justice, you see life and death, you see hope and drama, you see outrage as well. It's rare, though, that we get all of those mixed up into the same story.
That is exactly what we have today. Now, what I'm talking about is a decision by the Mississippi governor, Haley Barbour, to release two sisters who were serving two life sentences each for a 1993 robbery. A robbery that netted just $11. Nobody was hurt in this robbery either, by the way. Now, that would be news in itself, but that is where the story gets started.
Jamie Scott, one of the sisters, she's there on the left. She is desperately ill with kidney disease. Gladys Scott, her sister, on the right, wants to give Jamie one of her kidneys. Haley Barbour suspended their sentences on that condition, yes, the condition that, in fact, one sister gives the other a kidney. The Governor says a transplant, quote, "Should be scheduled with urgency."
The Scotts have plenty of friends and supporters who pushed for their freedom for years not just out of mercy but fairness. The sisters were convicted of armed robbery for luring two men into an ambush. But they and their lawyers say they're, actually, innocent. Even if not, they've already served more time than did the teenagers who actually robbed the two victims.
Barbour says the Scotts pose, now, no threat to society. Prison officials say Jamie Scott's dialysis costs taxpayers $200,000 a year. Now, among those who have been pushing for years for these sisters, the NAACP. They've been among The Scott's most forceful advocates. Ben Jealous is the group's President and CEO.
He met with Governor Barbour just this morning. Joining me on the line, from Mississippi, Ben, thank you for hopping on the line. I know this is a big deal, a big day. Let me start, though, do we have any idea when these sisters might be stepping foot out of prison?
BEN JEALOUS, PRESIDENT AND CEO, NAACP: We're focused on that right now. We're working with the family's lawyer to get them out as quickly as possible. There's one hurdle here which is at the - and, by the way, he's done the same thing here that he's done in all the cases, where he finally gives a pardon, which he has suspended their sentence. And that means that they're going to need to have supervision. And they're moving out of state. They're moving to Florida and that's where their mom is, that's where their kids are. And, so, they've got to work it out with Florida. And that's why it's important to have a national civil rights group involved because we have people in Florida, and, now, we'll be working with them to try to make this happen as quickly as possible.
HOLMES: Now, you said there, he has indefinitely suspended their sentence. Do you expect, and do you believe, that a pardon actually is necessary in this case?
JEALOUS: We certainly think that one is deserved. It is not necessary to get them out of prison, and they're out now. And that's the most important thing. But it, certainly, is deserved. He has a year left. We'll continue to push for that. In the meantime, we are just very pleased that they're free.
It really shows what happens when the media lets the world know about a grave case like this one. When church people and civil rights people and everybody comes together, across race lines, across party lines, and says, this cannot stand. We must do the right thing. Put everything else aside and let's get the right thing done.
HOLMES: Ben, you, certainly, watched the press conference a short time ago. You and other officials there in Mississippi. A lot of people happy and thanked the Governor. We invited the Governor, Governor Barbour, to be on with us today for this conversation. He declined.
But we do have part of his statement. I'm going to share with you and our viewers. It says, "Incarceration is no longer necessary for public safety or rehabilitation, and Jamie Scott's medical condition creates a substantial cost to the state of Mississippi." Also says, Gladys Scott's release is conditioned on her donating one of her kidneys to her sister.
Now, Ben, I'll ask you, because, in his statement, he never really made a judgment about the justice in this case and the conviction and sentence being unjust. Did the Governor ever express to you that he thought that was unjust?
JEALOUS: You know, we didn't talk about that. What we focused on was really for the broader conversation. And we thanked him for this. He made it clear that his staff, you know, would stay involved. He made it clear - well, his staff made it clear yesterday that, you know, if for some reason there's not a match, you know, if, for some reason, there was not a match, Gladys has nothing to worry about. No one, you know, thinks that she needs to spend any more time in prison.
And it's clear (ph) that he paid attention, because a lot of folks around him saw the facts for what we saw them, and I get the sense that he did, too, which is that these women simply don't need to be in prison one day longer. The Governor, actually, has gone farther and asked if the state should consider releasing all dialysis patients. The reality is that, as we all know, this is a state with a lot of divisions. I worked here as an organizer reporter for years.
And you've to communicate across all of those. And, I think, that his statement does have a way - that it's very craftily done and very intentionally done, and that's - and that's probably a good thing, but what's also clear is that months ago when we first filed the papers, he sent out an investigator within a couple weeks, and that's rare.
Usually, a governor waits six, eight months down here and he did it in a couple weeks. And you've got to believe he was driven by the facts, because all the aides we talked to were very close to their Governor were as outraged as we.
HOLMES: And, Ben, you called it, his statement, crafty and intentional. Some are already calling it political as well in making this decision. We know he has come in to scrutiny for some comments he made about the civil rights movement back in Mississippi, and, in some ways, calling it, it wasn't so bad or he couldn't remember it being so bad. Some call this political. But did you think it's necessary, though? Because if you read his statement, it sounds like, you know what, I'm going to let them out because it's costing my state money.
That doesn't get at the heart of the issue, which a lot of people feel maybe the conviction shouldn't have been done in the first place. But, secondly, how in the world can these two young black women get double life sentences for an $11 robbery in which they weren't the actual ones robbing the guy? So, do you think it's necessary for him to, still, go further and say, you know what, justice was not done in their case?
JEALOUS: Yes. I said craftily, as in skillfully. But that's what we're pushing for. That's what we want. At the end of the day, the most important thing is that they're free and they're reunited with their families. It's been clear to me where the Governor's office has handled it.
The conversations we've had with people, you know, who - all up and down and very close to him, that justice was at issue here. But if he chooses to talk about it in a different way, or heck, if he's truly motivated to get to the right decision in a different way, as Ben Hooks (ph) told me, when I first told this job, don't focus on the credit. Don't focus on how the right thing gets done, just make sure the right thing gets done. And this is the day when the right thing has been done.
HOLMES: Oh, well I know a lot of people just happy no matter how they're getting out. Just happy they are. I know you are as well as so many others working for this case. Ben, good to talk to you. Sorry to mix up your words. Can make a difference sometimes between crafty and craftily. That's all right. Thank you. We are going to talk to Ben, again, next hour along with our Jeffrey Toobin. Kind of breakdown, as well, some of the legal matters involved in the case. and the condition of, actually, having to have a kidney exchanged as a condition of release. So, he will be back with us next hour.
We're going to turn to our Sound Effect today. Our Sound Effect is a man on a mission. Eddy Emran. He was determined to get to New York at the height of the yuletide blizzard. You probably know, planes weren't flying, buses weren't rolling, nobody pretty much going anywhere. But, Emran had a job to do. He's a cab driver in Buffalo. Yes, Buffalo. He's used to the snow there. Let me tell you, here, about this man. On Sunday, he, and a fellow immigrant from Nigeria, piled into this cab with her five children at the Buffalo airport. Her flight wasn't happening. So, she wanted to go to the bus station. That didn't work out either. So, what do you do?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EDDY EMRAN, TAXI DRIVER: She started crying. I said, why you crying? She said, how much to New York City? I said, the flat rate from the airport is $1,100. She said, I do not have that money with me. I said, I'll give you a break. She said she loved us. America was a free country. I say I love it, too, you know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: All right. Supposed to be a seven-hour drive. That would be normal. Took twice that. But they, in fact, made it. Says he well remembers the kindness of a Buffalo woman that showed him and his family - showed him kindness when they first came to town some nine years ago.
How about coming up, appalling, that is just one word used to describe the historical inaccuracies found in, of all places, a textbook for fourth graders. Next, how it ended up in the classroom in the first place.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HOLMES: They don't know much history in Virginia right about now. The books, the textbooks, supposed to teach the kids what's right about history, correct history. Well, Virginia's Department of Education reviewing its process for reviewing textbooks. Why? Because a panel of historians found, quote, "an appalling number of inaccuracies in a fourth grade history book." CNN's Morin Savage reports it was an alert parent who brought the situation to light in the first place.
MARTIN SAVAGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The United States entered World War I in 1916. No? It was 1917. There were 12 confederate states. Actually, there were 11. In 1800, New Orleans was a US port. No? It was still under Spanish control. These and dozens of other errors could be found in the textbook handed out to thousands of Virginia fourth graders. Problems with the book "Our Virginia Past and Present" published by Five Ponds Press, first surfaced last October as reported by "Washington Post." When the mother of one fourth grader, a college history professor, spotted several lines on page 122.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAROL SHERIFF, PARENT, VIRGINIA FOURTH GRADER: It was particularly jarring when I got to this one passage that was so at odds with what historians have been saying about who participated in the Civil War.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: The book says thousands of blacks fought in the confederate ranks. Something not supported by mainstream Civil War scholarship. But it's the next line that's just plain wrong. Quote, "Including two black battalions under the command of Stonewall Jackson." Unquote.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SHERIFF: The textbook does note it wasn't until 1865 that African- Americans could legally serve in the Confederate Army. It also tells children Stonewall Jackson died in 1863.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: The error about blacks serving in the Confederate Army was outrageous to many in academia.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEREMY MAYER, GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY: It is the equivalent of Holocaust denial being taught in the public schools, but worst, it's also equivalent of saying that the Jews helped the Holocaust.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: The textbook's author, who is not a historian, says she found the information while researching online. The publisher defended the author saying, she used real books as well. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LOU (ph): I don't think the author can, necessarily, be accused of being stupid and doing Internet only research.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: Because of the outcry in November, the Virginia Board of Education hired five historians to review the textbook. They were the ones who found the dozens more of mistakes or misrepresentations, leading one to ask, "How in the world did these books get approved?" He recommended they be pulled from the classroom, immediately.
As to who selected those books in the first place, it was done by the individual school districts in Virginia that are now using the books.
To fix the problem of the wrong information regarding blacks serving in the confederacy, the publisher came up with this idea, stickers. That would be with the right information placed over the wrong information. The problem is now there are so many errors in the textbook, everyone agrees they don't have enough stickers.
The publisher says the second edition of the book will correct everything, but those districts with the first edition, well, they're going to be meeting after the first of the year to determine what to do. Martin savage, CNN, Atlanta.
HOLMES: Well, one school district official telling CNN that the book was, actually, about $17 cheaper than its competitors. So, they thought they got a deal. Not a good deal if the information is wrong, however.
Well, coming up, quarter past the hour now. A lot of people still keeping their eyes on home prices. They keep falling, shocking even those experts out there. The housing industry experts. Well, coming up next, what in the world are you supposed to do if you're trying to sell your home in this market?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, it's usually not a good sign if even the experts are shocked. But they are right now about the steep dip in home prices. Latest numbers. Check them out. This comes from October. Show prices plunged for the third month in a row. They're now at their lowest level since May. But what are you supposed to do now if you're trying to sell your home? It could actually come down, Christine, to what's on the wall.
Our Christine Romans joining me live from New York.
Good to have you, as always, Christine. What are we supposed to do here?
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I do not like the looks of the chart. Ooh, that starts to look like a double dip. You've heard that before.
HOLMES: Oh.
ROMANS: And a lot of people who are looking at housing are saying, oh, man, they thought that 2010 was going to be the year of stabilization or recovery. And it really isn't. It just never came.
So does it come down to what's on the wall, you ask? It might. Because for every house that's for sale out there, there are a whole bunch of other houses that aren't for sale yet but people want to move. They want to retire. They want to downsize. They want to find a job in another part of the country. So that's called the shadow inventory.
Home prices, I want to show you this quickly, down more than 30 percent from their peak. That's a lot of value taken out of a house. So some people feel like they can't move. They can't move right now. They're trying to get more out of their house. They want to sell it for more than it is. But it is -- a house is worth what someone will pay for it. Earlier today I talked to Mike Aubrey, who is on this HGTV show called "Real Estate Intervention." He said, OK, if you want to sell right now, your house has to be priced right and it has to look good. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE AUBREY, HOST, HGTV'S "REAL ESTATE INTERVENTION": I hate to give you the lipstick on a pig theory, but walls and floors sell houses. I mean if you don't have money and you're in a position where you don't have a ton of cash to spend and invest on your property to get it to sell, paint it, put new carpet in it. Things like that have an amazing impact on what buyers think when they come into the property.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Especially when you've got a whole bunch of houses on the same block that are for sale. And we know that that is, quite frankly, the reality there, you know. I mean there are people who, you put your house on the market and your neighbors have their house on the market, too. So this is no doubt a tough real estate market. But there are things that people are doing to try to stand out from the rest of the pack.
Curb appeal is key. I've looked at these renovation statistics over and over, T.J. You can put in a new front door, some very low impact landscaping on the front, some low voltage landscape lighting, a new insulated garage door. Things like that, that don't sound very sexy, but these are things that actually sell a house and don't cost as much as a high-end kitchen remodel, which you are not going to get your money out of.
HOLMES: OK, am I hearing this right, you just dress it up a little bit? You throw a little mascara on it here or there. You're not really making a renovation, like you said. Now is this stuff meant to -- it's not going to change the value of your home, it could just make it a little more attractive. Is that what I'm hearing?
ROMANS: Here's the thing. That's absolutely right. I mean when you've got four houses on the block that are all for sale, you have to do something. Curb appeal is key. Everyone says it. Mike Aubrey says it, too. It has to be priced right. You cannot have it priced to high. Has to be priced right and it has to look good because renovation statistics show that you're going to get money out of a renovation. But if you put in a big home office, it's not really going to sell your house. It's -- the front door might sell your house better than a big home office renovation. I'm not kidding. That's what the numbers show on some of these renovations.
If you're going to do a big renovation, just because you want to live in this house and you like it and you love it, but be strategic about how you're spending your money because there's a lot of other people doing the same thing out there.
HOLMES: All right. I will go door shopping then, Christine, and put a big ribbon on the house if I can --
ROMANS: Are you trying to sell your house?
HOLMES: I am not trying to sell my house. Let me not get that out there. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. That was a big no, no. I'm sorry, Christine. Thank you, as always. But, no, I'm not getting a new door.
ROMANS: You mean me in general. In general I'm going to go do that.
HOMES: Just in general, yes, dear lady.
Christine, good to see you, as always. I'll talk to you soon.
And be sure to tune in to "Your Bottom Line" with Christine Roman each Saturday morning, 9:30 Eastern Time and "Your Money" with Ali Velshi Saturdays at 1:00 p.m. Eastern and Sundays at 3:00.
Want to give you a look now, update you on some of the stories making headlines.
Two Mississippi sisters serving life sentences for armed robbery are being granted early release from prison on the condition that one of them gives the other a kidney. Jamie Scott on dialysis now. Before today, she and her sister Gladys would have been up for parole in 2014. We'll have a lot more on that developing story throughout the show.
Also, in Houston, police have arrested a woman in the death of a 12-year-old boy whose burned body was found in a ditch. Jonathan Foster disappeared Christmas Eve. Our CNN Houston affiliate KHOU reported 44-year-old Mona Yvette Nelson had met the boy's stepfather two weeks before he vanished. Witnesses had reported seeing her around the family's apartment complex.
Also, some encouraging unemployment numbers, if you can call them that. The Labor Department reports the number of Americans filing for initial unemployment benefits fell below 400,000 last week for the first time in more than two years. So, yes, a lot of people pointing to that as good news. Analysts say it is impressive. They also note the holidays could affect the data.
All right, what would you guess? It's 14 feet tall, weighs in at nearly 350 pounds and will usher in the new year. Probably thinking the Times Square giant ball. Not so much. Ed Henry is going to bring us the answer next in the stakeout. Stick around.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. Time to check in, of course, with Ed Henry. That's his theme music there. Our senior White House correspondent. For nearly two weeks now he's been soaking up all the beauty and charm of Hawaii, while on assignment covering the president's vacation there. Right now he's hard at work on the stakeout. Just one day before New Year's Eve.
We got that right, Ed?
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: T.J., we're at the Kahala Hotel and Resort here. A really swank part of Oahu (ph). And every single president since LBJ in 1964 has stayed here except for one. Can you guess who? Ironically, it's Barack Obama. Because, of course, he lived in an apartment when he was younger. Now he does a vacation rental. He doesn't want to take over an entire hotel. But they hope to get him to stay here one of these days. And in the meantime, they've got huge plans for New Year's Eve.
You've heard about that giant ball dropping over Times Square. They're going to have a giant pineapple dropping from 10 stories in the sky.
OK, so this is the model for the giant pineapple. As you can see, this is standard size. And then ta-da, this is the big one. Eight feet tall right now and they're going to add the stem before New Year's Eve and that's going to add six more feet for a grand total of a 14 foot pineapple. And the creative genius behind it is Stuart Kotake.
What has gone in to building this?
STUART KOTAKE, DIRECTOR OF CATERING, KAHALA RESORT: Quite a bit actually over about a week just building the frame. Chicken wire, wood, a little bit of steel reinforcement. Almost 350 pounds. Thirty pounds of news print has gone in on the paper-mache shell just itself.
TAPPER: And how long have you been working on it?
KOTAKE: Almost two weeks now. Last four days actually detailing the outside. We'll build the fabric plume or the crown on top of the pineapple.
TAPPER: Well, we've got our own Anderson Cooper, who's going to be with Kathy Griffin in Times Square and they're laughing at us now because they've got this big --
KOTAKE: You're in Hawaii.
TAPPER: I know, but they've got that big giant ball in Times Square. That's a classic. How are you going to overtake that? Do you really think you're going to overtake it?
KOTAKE: You know what, the pineapple is a symbol of welcome. We welcome everyone. And this is bigger than life. And so this is Hawaii to us. This is Hawaii.
TAPPER: Now, if you can't make it to Hawaii in time for New Year's Eve, the Kahala Resort is going to post on its website a link to the u-stream of the big pineapple dropping live midnight local time on New Year's Eve.
In the meantime, I'm actually sad because it's going to be my last standup of the year without pants . Let me clarify, my last standup of the year where I'm wearing shorts. I'm leaving Hawaii to anchor "John King USA" on Friday night and so I'm going to miss the giant pineapple falling out of the sky. But in the meantime, I'm going to at least have a tiny pineapple.
T.J.
HOLMES: That's a good gig if you can get it. And he's got it. I mean, Ed, we love you. You see him there having a drink. A lot of people are going to be having a lot of drinks. As you know, it's New Year's. People are going to drink. They do it. Now, and everybody out there also has their own remedy for getting over a hangover. What do you do sometimes? Do you do the Bloody Mary? Do you just drink a lot of water? Do you take the aspirin? What do you do? Well, we've got the cure coming up. And we'll dispel some of those myths out there. We'll tell you what works and what doesn't.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. Happening right now, Governor Haley Barbour suspended the sentences of two Mississippi sisters with the stipulation one must donate a desperately needed kidney to the other. The two have spent 16 years in prison over an $11 armed robbery.
Also, rain, snow, moved out of California into the southwest now. Blizzard conditions possible for Arizona, Utah and Nevada. New York, still digging out today from the storm that came through the northeast earlier this week.
Also, some encouraging news on the job front. The number of people filing for first time unemployment benefits fell below 400,000 last week for the first time in two years.
All right. It's that time. It is New Year's Eve coming up. I'll explain this in just a moment. A lot of people out there going to celebrate. They're going to party. They're going to drink. It just happens. Some of you are going to drink too much. If you do, though, how are you supposed to treat that hangover the next day?
Our senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joining us now from a big party city, Miami.
Elizabeth, hello to you.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello.
HOLMES: A lot of people have their own theories and their methods about how to treat their hangovers. This has got to be one that is most popular. The Bloody Mary. Now --
COHEN: That's right.
HOLMES: Now, does it work?
COHEN: You know, I think college students especially love this. I remember hearing a hair of the dog that bit you, right? That's that the theory. That you just have some of that and you'll be fine. But actually it doesn't work. Not surprisingly. And the reason is, is that alcohol is a toxin. So you're just pouring more toxins back into your body. You're going to make the hangover worse. Now, you might get a little bit drunk in the beginning, and then that'll make you feel better. But, eventually, you're just going to have a worse hangover.
HOLMES: OK. What about the tomato juice? Some people just say the tomato juice is good. Does that help at all?
COHEN: If you want to drink tomato juice, just go right on ahead. No reason not to.
HOLMES: OK. Let's move on here. Alka-Seltzer is on the list, as well.
COHEN: Yes, that actually can be helpful and that's because Alka-Seltzer has sodium bicarbonate in it and that can settle your stomach. So if your stomach's upset, go ahead and have some Alka- Seltzer.
HOLMES: All right. That makes perfect sense. All right. Hangover pills. These are kind of popular. People stock up on those.
Do they work?
COHEN: You know what? According to a study that was once done -- believe it or not -- on hangover remedies, they found that they didn't work. They were no better than a placebo. So those don't seem to work very well.
HOLMES: All right. Advil, painkillers, get rid of a headache at least, won't they?
COHEN: Exactly. Those can be very helpful for a headache and if that's your major hangover complaint, go ahead and take them. But, if your stomach is more the issue, you may want to think twice because things like Advil and aspirin can really upset your stomach.
HOLMES: All right. And I've heard plenty of times people say, oh, I just got to get me some coffee. Does that work?
COHEN: Right. You hear that all the time. No, that does not work. And the reason why is that caffeine dehydrates you and you're already dehydrated and it can also raise your blood pressure.
Now, there is one exception to this, OK? If you are already addicted to caffeine, you should keep drinking your coffee because the last thing you want on top of a hangover is caffeine withdrawal. So if you're already addicted, keep going and keep drinking that coffee.
HOLMES: All right. Here is another one, and I'm going to take this in two fronts. Some people say, you've got to drink water, try to hydrate the next morning. And others say, as long as you keep drinking water throughout the night, as you're also drinking alcohol, that can help you.
Let's take the first one. You wake up the next morning, you get some water in you. Does that help?
COHEN: Oh, yes. It definitely helps to drink water. I mean, that's probably the best hangover remedy there is. Just keep hydrating yourself because you're dehydrated. So, water's a great idea.
And I'm glad that you mentioned while you're drinking, would drinking water help? Sure. That'll keep you more hydrated, but still, you're going to get a hangover because you're still drinking alcohol.
HOLMES: OK. As a friend of mine said to me, he said it was recommended to him, don't drink water while you're drinking alcohol because that just means you're going to be drunk and you got to use the bathroom a lot. So, that kind of makes sense.
(LAUGHTER)
Elizabeth, this is -- interesting segment here. So, we got the water that works, the painkillers that work, and pretty much that's it. If you're a coffee drinker --
COHEN: Well, you know what? I do have one more. I do have one more.
HOLMES: OK. Go ahead.
COHEN: And that is this: it's this. A pillow. Sleep it off.
HOLMES: Sleep it off.
COHEN: Get lots of sleep and that will help.
And, you know what? An CNN.com/health, you can see 10 hangover remedies and whether or not they work. So there's more online. CNNhealth.com.
HOLMES: Elizabeth, not that I don't usually pay attention when I do a segment with you, but I have never paid more attention than I have in this segment today.
Elizabeth, good to see you.
COHEN: So, can I give you one more pointer?
HOLMES: Well, I'll take it.
COHEN: OK. Don't drink in the first place. That's the best remedy.
HOLMES: Gotcha.
COHEN: OK.
HOLMES: All right. Elizabeth, thank you so much.
COHEN: OK, thanks. Happy New Year.
HOLMES: Some great advice.
Happy new year to you.
Some great advice for some folks out there are you gear up for this Friday night. Everybody, play safe, drink responsibly, please don't be driving out there, as well. But again, some advice there. We're having a little fun with it, of course. We know people are going to drink. Can't stop that. But please, do it responsibly out there, all right?
Well coming up, the victims had the courage to testify, and as a result, former Israeli president now a convicted rapist? We got a live report from Jerusalem, next, as we go Globe Trekking.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Time for us now to go Globe Trekking.
And our first stop is Israel. The Prime Minister there, Benjamin Netanyahu is calling today's rape conviction of former Israeli President Moshe Katzav a sad day for the country. A three-judge panel say his testimony was riddled with lies.
Our Paula Hancocks has been following this trial, joins us now from Jerusalem.
Paula, what's the reaction been like so far?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, T.J., this is certainly a spectacular fall from grace for this former Israeli president. As you say, the prime minister has said it's a sad day. Many people have said it is a sad day for Israel. But it does show that the democracy works, that the judicial procedure works. It took over four years from the first accusation to the conviction of Moshe Katzav.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) HANCOCKS (voice-over): A former Israeli president walks out of court a convicted rapist. Moshe Katzav made no comment after being found guilty of multiple charges of rape and sexual harassment.
Prosecutors say the crimes took place during Katzav's time as tourism minister, a post he held in the late '90s and during his time as president from the year 2000 to 2007. He resigned the presidency because of the allegations made by three women who'd worked with him. The three judges rebuffed Katzav's defense, saying his testimony was riddled with lies, manipulation, and his credibility was problematic.
In a statement the prime minister said this is a sad day for the state of Israel and its residents. The court today stated two clear and unequivocal messages about the equality of all before the law and about a woman's right concerning her own body.
Prosecutor Ronit Amiel praised the three women for coming forward. She said, we saw you act with courage, with steadfastness, with the ability to go back and deal with difficult events that hurt you. She said, we salute you and we believe that the message that is going to come out of the court to victims who have experienced such things: don't remain silent.
A similar message for women's rights groups protesting outside the Tel-Aviv court. Katzav's son who cried out in court during the verdict insists his father innocent.
He says, Isarelis, for generations, will know that this trial is not moral, the judges make convictions according to the way we feel and we will continue to walk upright and the whole nation will know my father, the eighth president of the state of Israel is innocent.
It's been four years since the allegations first emerged, but the case is far from closed.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HANCOCKS: Now, Katzav's lawyers are telling Israeli media that they're recommending that Katzav actually appeals this decision. We haven't yet heard from the man, himself, as to whether he will take their advice. There's no date set at this point for sentencing by the court. Bear in mind, though, the minimum prison term for rape conviction here in Israel is four year, the maximum is 16 years -- T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Paula Hancocks for us, live for us in Jerusalem. Paula, we appreciate you, as always.
Want to turn now, as we continue Globe Trekking. Let's head to Moscow now, and a trial condemned by the U.S. and other western governments. A judge today sentenced oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky and his business partner to six more years in prison on corruption charges.
Khodorkovsky was first jailed in 2003, after clashing with former president Vladimir Putin. His sentence was due to expire to next year. He's now facing life behind bars until 2017. The judge said the former richest man in Russia could only be reformed by being isolated from society. His lawyer said they will appeal. The U.S. State Department called the sentencing an abusive use of the legal system for improper ends.
Coming up, what's more than five tons? It's going to play a big part in tomorrow's New Year's Eve festivities. Bet you could probably guess. We're going to show you the preparations and it does take a lot to get ready for New Year's Eve in New York City.
Stay here.
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HOLMES: All right, couple live pictures we showed you there of New York City. Lady Liberty and, of course, the Central Park there.
Well, Times Square is going to be a focal point, of course, tomorrow night. And if you're throwing a party that big and you have a show that big, you have to have a dress rehearse. And yes, the Times Square, the ball has to have a dress rehearsal as well. They threw the switch today on this 12,000 pound ball. They tried to test the more than 32,000 LED Lights that are on that thing and also took a practice ride up and down like it's going to do tomorrow night. The new year's ball covered with more than 2,600 Waterford crystals. And this year's theme, did you know, it was "Let There Be Love."
Wrapping up the year, you've seen a lot of lists, and there was one list we asked you actually to compile for us, asking you who's the most intriguing person of 2010. You voted, your answers are in. Josh has them.
Hello there, Josh.
JOSH LEVS, CNN ANCHOR: Hey there to you, T.J. Yes, interesting list our viewers have come up with. Take a look at who you put at number ten.
Antoine Dodson, the guy originally quoted talking about something serious, crime in his neighborhood. Everyone thought he was hilarious, it became a viral video. The auto tune, the news guys made a song, he got money out of it and the rest is history.
Let's go on to number nine now. This is interesting, man of the news, Kim Jong-un who a lot of people believe is in succession to take over for his father, Kim Jong-il, as the future leader of the secretive kingdom there in North Korea.
Number eight now, Tony Hayward, the former CEO of BP, a man that "Fortune" magazine is describing as the disgraced former CEO. We all recall some disappointing comments he made amid this disaster over the summer with the oil spill. He referred to wanting his life back, then went to watch some yachts. Did not play out well, he was ultimately replaced at the end of July.
Number seven now, a woman who has been in the news a lot lately, this is who you named as the number seven most intriguing person in the world. This is Elizabeth Smart, now 23 years old. She testified this year about eight years ago when she was kidnapped and her months in captivity. She took time out of her Mormon mission to go do that. A lot of people really impressed with her class, dignity and the way she spoke about that awful time in her life.
Moving on now. Number six, Edison Pena. Who can forget this guy? One of the Chilean miners who was rescued and happens to be a big Elvis fan, got to go to Graceland afterwards.
All right time for the top five. Let's take a look here. Number five is Marisol Garcia, a young woman, only 20 years old, who is now the top cop in a very dangerous Mexican area.
Number four, Steve Jobs. Right, the guy behind Apple, behind the iPad, which was the innovation of the year on a lot of people's lists.
Number three, someone related, Mark Zuckerberg, the head of Facebook, which now has more than 500 million users and he was depicted in the movie this year "The Social Network."
All right, the number two most intriguing person in the world of 2010, according to you all, is our president, President Obama. It's always interesting to see where the president falls on that list. A couple years ago, he probably would have been number one.
But this year, look who is the number one most intriguing person in the world, according to you, Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks. Incredibly controversial man who has remained stalwart about what he says WikiLeaks is doing.
And you know what? Doesn't mean everyone loves him just because they are intrigued by him. This is the man people chose on CNN.com as the most intriguing person in the world this year.
We'd love to hear what you think about this list. I have conversations going at Facebook and Twitter, I'm at JoshLevsCNN. Go ahead, jump in, weigh in, let us know what you think about all this.
T.J., I got to say, you and I have been covering Julian Assange now for months, not totally shocking people would be intrigued there.
HOLMES: Interesting pick. He's been in the news more than anybody else, or just about as everybody else this year.
So thank you, everybody, for your votes. Thank you as well, Josh. We appreciate you.
Also, we're talking about iPads this year, you've got lab grown lungs, you've got controller-less game systems, you've got driverless cars. It's been a busy year for innovation. Ali Velshi now taking a look back at the year's best in today's "Big I."
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ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I'm Ali Velshi with the top ten innovations of 2010.
Number 10; the rebirth of 3D. No longer is it just a drive-in oddity with those red and green cardboard and plastic glasses. In their place, incredible technology that's changing entertainment.
JEFFREY KATZENBERG, CEO, DREAMWORKS ANIMATION: It allows the storyteller to take the audience into that film -- into that storytelling, into the film experience. And it amplifies the feelings.
VELSHI: 3D is already showing up in the biggest movies and sporting events. And it's coming to a TV near you.
KATZENBERG: It is actually going to become a part of our everyday life.
VELSHI: At number nine; look, ma, no hands and no driver either. It's Google's driverless car. It uses cameras, sensors, and lasers to see traffic. Add in the map database and you're good to go. Just think: if you don't have to worry about actually driving, you'll have plenty of time to text, talk on the phone, and put on makeup.
A malaria proof mosquito comes in at number eight. Scientists at the University ever Arizona genetically engineered the insect making it immune to the parasite that spreads malaria.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What does this mean for the world right now?
MICHAEL RIEHLE, RESEARCHER, UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA: Well, you know, again, malaria is causing so many problems worldwide, number of deaths and also it's a hugely expensive disease to try to fight and treat. So by eliminating that, we could actually, hopefully at least control a major scourge of the world.
VELSHI: They have to make a few tweaks though, before the sqeeters (ph)are left to go in the wild.
At number seven; biker chic and safety device rolled into one. The motorcycle jacket air bag. Inside a carbon dioxide cartridge when triggered by a rip cord, the vest inflates. I actually got to try this one out.
Dave Barbosa from Armored Air Products stopped by the studio to demonstrate. It protects your neck, spine and major organs. The jackets sell for $250 to $595.
At number six; lungs grown in the lab. Researchers at Yale were able to grow a new set of lungs for rats, a set of lungs that really works. They hope to use it as a starting point for helping human patients suffering from emphysema or cystic fibrosis.
The top five innovation stories of 2010, right after this.
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VELSHI: I'm Ali Velshi. Now back with the list of top ten innovations stories of 2010.
Commercial space explorations checks in at number five, specifically Space X's Falcon 9.
The rocket made it through earth's atmosphere and put a space capsule into orbit. This was an important test that puts us one step closer to commercial space travel.
Number four was something I had a great time playing with. It's the X-box, Kinect. The next innovation for video games, let's you do away with the joy stick and buttons.
VELSHI: Where cameras and sensors measure your movements to make you part of the game.
Miraculous movement is at the heart of innovation number 3.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So we have to try it.
VELSHI: Let's -- let's do it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now there's no excuses, Ali. There's a -- for a doctor to ever say again you will never walk again, because we've got bionic technology.
VELSHI: They are called E-legs. The bionic devices can allow some paraplegics to actually walk again. The artificially intelligent limbs use sensors to determine where you want to go and amazingly they take you there.
The rise of the electric car comes in at number 2, the Nissan Leaf and the Chevy Volt were two of the biggest we heard about this year. There are limitations to these cars, like price and speed but you can just plug in and go. Demand has pushed every major carmaker to design at least one electric car. And that brings us to number 1, the number 1 innovation of 2010.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you here for the iPad?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am here for the iPad. The greatest newest best thing ever, man.
VELSHI: That's right Apple's iPad.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, it feels very exciting. You know, I can't believe I hold this in my hand.
VELSHI: People lined up all over the world for a chance to get their hands on what Steve Jobs calls as truly magical and revolutionary product. It was designed to bridge the gap between laptops and Smartphones. In the first month alone Apple sold one million iPads.
I'm Ali Velshi and those are the top 10 innovations of 2010.
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HOLMES: Our friends over at CNNMoney.com, we have a great section going called "Innovation Nation" where they highlight great innovations. For a link to the direct site, head to our blog, CNN.com/TJ.
I want to give you a look at some of the stories that are making headlines now, including one that we are just getting in here about two people killed and 14 wounded in violence targeted at Christians in Baghdad. Iraq's Interior Ministry say the explosives were left near six homes across the city today. The latest violence targeting the Christian minority in Iraq.
Turn to California now. Forecasters say it's been the state's wettest December in history. The hard-hit community of Highland in San Bernardino County is still saturated from yesterday's downpour.
On the other coast now, some New Yorkers still waiting for snowplows to clear their streets. The work continues and they may be working for quite some time.
Coming up, got "Odds & Ends" for you and 'tis the season for giving and getting. Find out what some folks gave in exchange for pre-rolled marijuana joints.
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HOLMES: All right, welcome back here, folks. We've got some "Odds & Ends" we want to tell you about here now, including one that had a lot of us scratching our heads, but you need to hear the details.
It's been a tough year for food banks, but one California charity made demand thanks to a desire for marijuana. A medical marijuana dispensary did its part for the food bank by offering its approved patients complimentary pre-rolled joints for every four cans of food donated by patients. There was, though, a limit of three free joints a day per patient. The dispensary took in about 11,000 pounds of food, handed bout about 2,000 joints between November and Christmas
Also, listen to this, a 92-year-old man, Washington state man -- look at those teeth here. He used his head and specifically, he used his teeth, his false teeth, to get free following a home invasion.
Authorities say, Lester Madison (ph) let two men into his home who said their car had broken down. But the men tied him up, took his cash and pickup truck. He then used his false teeth to chew to freedom.
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LESTER MADISON, HOME INVASION VICTIM: It took me about two hours to work myself out of that tape.
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HOLMES: The World War II vet suffered a few bruises and said he's learned a lesson to be more careful who he lets into his home.
