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Chile Hit By 7.1 Quake; Deputy Killed in Line of Duty; "No Refusal" Roadblocks; Dieting Tips; New Congress to Address Hot-Button Issues; Restaurant Boots Food Critic; Billy the Kid Doesn't Get Pardon
Aired January 02, 2011 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: A wild shootout at an Ohio trailer park leads one deputy dead, another injured. The sheriff says it's a terrible tragedy for the community. We'll hear his emotional words.
And police have a new tactic in the fight against drunken driving. It's called a "No Refusal" checkpoint. Some say it's the best way to stop offenders. Others say it's over-the-top law enforcement.
And a really strange mystery in Arkansas -- see those things on the road? Thousands of birds literally falling dead from the sky. Scientists believe the deaths may be stress related. How could that be? We'll tell you.
Good evening. I'm Brianna Keilar, in for Don Lemon.
And we begin with breaking news in Chile. A major earthquake measuring 7.1 magnitude. It rumbled through the central coast area of Chile, about 2 1/2 hours ago. This was felt in the capital of Santiago, nearly 400 miles north of the epicenter.
And Jacqui Jeras is in the weather center, keeping an eye on this.
So -- I mean, how bad is this, Jacqui?
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, 7.1 is very significant. You know, this is what we would call a major quake and certainly capable of causing quite a bit of destruction near the epicenter. So far, we don't have any reports of major damage or any injuries. And it's been a couple of hours, so that's a little bit of good news.
Here's the location and this is about 45 miles away from Temuco. And this was on the land. This was not over the water, so no real tsunami threat associated with this. About 91,000 people live within the area of severe shaking. And we do know that shaking was felt as much as 400 miles away.
We were also able to get in contact with a hotel operator that was in Temuco and they reported that they heard a lot of noise, that they felt a lot of shaking, but they didn't see any significant damage. There's also some reports of power outages in the way.
And I also want to just make a mention, we all know about what happened back in February of the real extreme earthquake. This was about 150 miles to the north of our current one today. That was an 8.8 magnitude.
And keep in mind that the intensity on this scale goes up exponentially. So, there is a significant difference between a 7.1 and an 8.8 as well.
We're also being told by the USGS, by the way, that the buildings in this area near the epicenter are very well-constructed. This is a very active seismic zone. So, communities like this are prepared for it.
So, we'll continue to monitor the situation. We've already had one aftershock, you can see right there. That was 5.0 in magnitude. And these aftershocks will continue for the coming days, weeks and even months -- Brianna.
KEILAR: Yes, you can definitely say it could have been worse. And, Jacqui, we'll be checking in with you for the forecast ahead as well. Thanks.
JERAS: Yes.
KEILAR: You know, it's been a long time coming for 9/11's first responders. And they can now get federal coverage for health problems that they trace back to their time working at Ground Zero. President Obama signed a bill while on vacation in Hawaii. There was no official signing, but the White House released this photo right here.
This is a bill that Congress pushed through at the last minute, last month in the lame duck session. What it does is it creates a $4 billion program for first responders who say they were sickened from working in the rubble of the Twin Towers. New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand helped bring the bill back from the dead before Congress went into recess.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND (D), NEW YORK: This is something that's important to the American people. And that's why, fundamentally, this is a triumph of our democracy, of the American people, demanding a response for these first responders and for the families that live at Ground Zero, the victims who also inhaled these toxins for weeks and months. And a lot of the children are suffering from asthma and other grave health effects.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: The full name of this bill is actually the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act.
Zadroga was a New York City police detective who died from a respiratory illness in 2006. He was only 34 years old. And he's often cited as the first NYPD officer to die from exposure to toxic chemicals at the Ground Zero site. Zadroga was not a smoker. He didn't have any known history of asthma. And his family says that he spent 450 hours working at Ground Zero right after the attacks. Now to a very different kind of story about those who serve. Just what is going on aboard the USS Enterprise? The Navy is investigating some pretty bawdy photos or videos, I should say, that were produced and shown to the crew of that aircraft carrier back in 2006 and 2007. "The Virginian-Pilot" newspaper first published clips from them.
The man in the shower cap seems to be driving -- seems to be the driving force there behind the videos. He's Captain Owen Honors, who now commands the Enterprise, if you can believe that. He was second in command at the time during deployment in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
And, you know, we'd give you more context for this clip, but there's not really all that much to give. The videos are clearly intended to be funny, but they feature antigay remarks, simulated sex acts, lots of profanity.
And CNN asked Meredith Kruse, the military editor for "The Virginian- Pilot," whether the crew of the Enterprise was laughing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MEREDITH KRUSE, MILITARY EDITOR, THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT (via telephone): There was mixed reaction among the crew. Some crew members thought they were funny. There were some people we were told who were offended. Some of whom we're told did try to make complaints about it at the time, but those complaints were brushed off. And the people that we talked to did not want to be identified. They were worried about possible repercussions to their careers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: A Navy spokesman has called the videos inappropriate. CNN reached out to Honors for a comment. So far, though, he hasn't responded. We'll be showing you more from these videos next hour.
Funeral arrangements are pending for an Ohio sheriff's deputy killed in the line of duty New Year's Day. Forty-year-old deputy Suzanne Hopper was at a trailer park in Enon, Ohio, to investigate reports of gunfire. Her life ended a moment later with a shotgun blast coming from one of the trailers.
What happened next was violent and disturbing. We should tell you, you may not want to watch. Another officer was wounded in the shootout that followed, but he is expected to survive.
The voice that you'll hear here is Clark County Sheriff Gene Kelly.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, WDTN, SATURDAY)
(GUNFIRE)
GENE A. KELLY, CLARK COUNTY SHERIFF: The suspect inside opened fire and struck a German Township police officer. He's currently in Miami Valley and it appears to me right now that he's in serious condition, but they tell me that he's believed to be -- he will be OK. It appears that the door of the trailer opened and the person inside fired one shotgun blast, striking the deputy and fatally wounding a deputy.
They did enter the trailer. The suspect was deceased apparently from the exchange of gunfire with deputies.
Our deputy never had the opportunity to return fire or take cover.
The deputy was an outstanding deputy and is married and a parent of two children.
This is the worst day in my 24 years as the sheriff of Clark County.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Terribly sad story. And as we said, the officer who was wounded in that gun battle is expected to survive. The dead suspect has been identified as 57-year-old Michael Ferryman.
Now, picture this -- you get stopped at a DUI checkpoint. Instead of taking the breathalyzer, you refuse. OK. That's your choice. But in some states, get ready to get your blood drawn. A fair enforcement or is this an overreach of police power? We will be discussing that.
And a picture that's worth a thousand words -- maybe one that will spark criticism in Washington. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Venezuela's president, Hugo Chavez, they get friendly in Brazil.
And speaking of New Year's, did you make a resolution? I know I did. Maybe you made more than one. Maybe you've already broken it. We have the tricks to make those resolutions actually stick this year.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: With all of the holiday drinking right now, you've probably seen some police roadblocks out there. And if you get stopped for suspected DUI? Good luck trying to refuse the breathalyzer. Nine states now use "No Refusal" checkpoints.
What does that mean? Well, police can immediately get a judge's order to draw blood if you say no to the breathalyzer. This is a pretty big deal because one in four, that's right, one in four DUI suspects refuse to blow into that plastic tube.
New Hampshire, significantly higher, 81 percent will not voluntarily take the test.
Now, you may not be surprised, "No Refusal" is pretty controversial. Groups like Mothers Against Drunk Driving say it's necessary to save lives, but civil libertarians say that this is an overreach of police power.
And joining me now: Warren Diepraam. He is the assistant district attorney in Houston. He is a strong proponent of the "No Refusal" program. And with me here in Atlanta is criminal defense attorney, B.J. Bernstein.
And, first, we're going to start with Warren in Houston.
But, you know, explain, Warren, how this works. How can a cop at a traffic stop immediately get a judge's order for a blood test?
WARREN DIEPRAAM, ASST. DIST. ATTY., MONTGOMERY CO., TEXAS: Well, it's through the use of the Internet and technology. We're not doing it out on the streets. They're actually taken to a centralized facility, a police department or some sort of a fire station or someplace where all the tools are in place to get that search warrant reviewed and signed by a judge, and to get that blood taken as soon as the search warrant is signed.
KEILAR: So, you're saying it's not done right out there on -- there's no judge necessarily right there, or there is?
DIEPRAAM: No. There's no judge on the street. We do have bat mobiles or portable breath alcohol testing mobile units that we use with the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office or the Houston Police Department. Every now and then, we'll have nurses and judges available there.
But we take people to a centralized facility where it's sterilized. The judges are separated from the defendants and from the suspects and the police. So, it's a pretty extensive operation. But all it takes is an arrest, quick five-minute transport to the closest police station and we can get a search warrant drafted, reviewed and signed in under five minutes.
KEILAR: But I think the point, B.J., that you would make is this is an orchestrated situation where the judge is standing by, ready to make a ruling -- and you have some major concerns about this and you feel like this is an overreach.
B.J. BERNSTEIN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Absolutely, there's an overreach in terms of what Warren just said. Where he said, here's a person driving up to a roadblock, which normally we're all used to and we've accepted that we give a driver's license. It's an opportunity for an officer to look at our eyes, listen to our speech, see signs of intoxication to see whether then a breathalyzer should be administered.
Rather here, he just said it, he arrests someone and takes them to a judge for simply saying no when laws historically have been that the right to drive -- we don't have a right to drive in this country. But when you refuse, it does have an effect on your license. You lose your license in some states -- either one to two years for refusing. But that's very different than saying, you know, I'm OK with my blood being taken.
KEILAR: But some might say, you know, if you're refusing, even if there is a consequence for refusing, a person might be refusing to do the breathalyzer because they're hoping to give themselves a little time for their blood alcohol level to go down. I mean, isn't refusing in a way something that should be punished? Isn't it in a way an admission of, "Oh, no, I know I may be blowing over the limit here"?
BERNSTEIN: Well, it is punished in terms of taking your driver's license through a civil thing, but regardless. I mean, we're talking about a criminal case. The constitutional rules apply. And, yes, there's been U.S. Supreme Court precedent to allow a blood test to be taken. But that's based on probable cause. And I would argue that it's a slippery slope for a misdemeanor offense that probable cause is just because you don't choose to take a government test that is not required by law.
KEILAR: And, Warren, how is this better, do you think? How is this better than the current -- I mean, obviously, this is going on in jurisdictions in several states -- but how is this better than those jurisdictions that are not using the "No Refusal" plan?
DIEPRAAM: Well, there are people watching the program tonight that are alive because of this program. In my jurisdiction of about 500,000 people, our DWI fatality rates have dropped off close to 20 percent. We've gone almost two years during the program's operational hours without an alcohol-related fatality where an innocent victim was killed.
You cannot argue with the fact it saves lives. And I'm glad to hear some defense attorneys recognize it is constitutional. We don't even have to get search warrants to get blood in DWI cases but we do. We give extra due process to our suspects.
It is not like we're pulling people off the street. They do failed sobriety tests. They failed field sobriety tests. They're given an opportunity to comply with the law and give a breath test. It's only after that that we get involved and present a search warrant to a neutral and attached magistrate.
In addition to saving lives, we've reduced or number of DWIs significantly, close to 30 percent -- our crashes, everything. Our conviction rate is close to 100 percent with this.
And, lastly, the benefit of the program is, we also save a sample for defense attorneys. So, if they want to get independent testing with the blood, we do that as well.
So, there's no downside to this program. It saves lives. It reduces costs. It puts more police officers on the street and it can be done almost instantaneously in most states without legislative involvement or approval.
KEILAR: And let me ask you this, B.J., as a criminal defense attorney, this is not going to be -- just quickly -- this is not the last we see of this. I imagine this discussion is going to continue in the courts.
BERNSTEIN: It's going to be in the court because he's saying some things that he does in his jurisdiction that other jurisdictions are not doing. They're having judges on the side of the road. They're not necessarily doing these pretesting or field sobriety tests. They're just saying, refusal, "Hi, Judge, he refused, get him arrested." And that's going to create some problems.
KEILAR: And take a blood sample.
BERNSTEIN: And take a blood sample.
KEILAR: Yes, I expect that this conversation will continue on a court of law.
B.J. Bernstein, criminal defense attorney with us here in Atlanta and, Warren Diepraam, assistant district attorney in Houston -- thank you both for being with us.
DIEPRAAM: Thank you.
KEILAR: And a developing story from Iran -- that country claiming to have shot down two drone spy planes from the West.
Also, a mystery in Arkansas, when thousands of birds -- you see them there -- they just fell from the sky. So, what was this? A freak of nature that brought them down or did humans, perhaps, play a role?
And a swanky restaurant cooks up a hot dish of controversy when it kicks out a prominent food critic before she can even sit down. We'll take a closer look at anonymous restaurant reviewers, how the rating system can make or break a restaurant and what one eatery was willing to do to avoid a bad review.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: Checking some of our top stories now.
Signs of a thaw in the frigid relations between the U.S. and Venezuela. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton shook hands with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in Brazil this weekend. Both were there attending the inauguration of Brazil's new president. Venezuelan television said the two discussed specific issues in a brief, informal conversation. No word, though, on what exactly those issues were that were discussed.
Well, Iran, it says it has shot down two drone spy planes over the Persian Gulf. Iranian media reporting that an official with the Revolutionary Guard accused western powers of sending those planes to take pictures. But he didn't specify which country might be operating the planes. There's no immediate reaction from U.S. officials to this report.
And there is no letup to the massive flooding in Australia this weekend. The rising waters will likely force the evacuation of at least 1,000 people in the state of Queensland. Also today, the Australian government confirmed the first fatality. It was a woman whose body was recovered after her car was overrun by floodwaters.
And a major storm on the West Coast. It started as rain yesterday. Today, some snow has been mixed in. Meteorologist Jacqui Jeras in severe weather center with this.
They're getting a little bit of a wallop there, aren't they?
JERAS: You know, they can't get a break.
KEILAR: No.
JERAS: I mean, what is this, three in a row where we've seen a lot of major weather across parts of the West. And with the ground being so saturated, unfortunately, this is really not good news. And this storm has kind of cut off from the main jet stream system. So, been with you all weekend long and, yes, it's going to be with you for tomorrow as well. Our lows offshore and it's kind of drifting off to the south.
I want to show you something a little fun about this storm, however. This is some video that we got from Arbuckle, California. This happened last night. And there you can see some snow on the ground.
You're like, what? Snow? Arbuckle? This doesn't happen very often in Arbuckle -- maybe a handful of times a year.
So there you can see some people throwing some snow balls, getting out in the action and just kind of having a good time in some of that snow. Now, the snow is going to be causing some problems, say, on the Grapevine where we've seen some gusty winds, up to 88 miles per hour recorded there earlier this morning. The snow level is kind of low, down to maybe around 3,000, 4,000 feet. And we could be talking about some significant accumulations here.
You can see that outside of L.A. and up on I-5 right there in the Grapevine. That's where it is. And, of course, up to a foot-plus expected into the higher elevations. So, there you can see all the watches and warnings.
Now, across the East, we've got a little system here as well. This is the same system that caused the tornadoes earlier this week. You remember in Missouri and parts of Arkansas. This is not severe. Today, it's just bringing in some light rain showers but it is causing some issues with travel.
A lot of stragglers out there, Brianna, of course, with the holiday travel. Biggest problems at JFK and in San Francisco at this hour.
KEILAR: All right. And we'll keep an eye on that. And stick around, because this is kind of a creepy story we have coming up next.
JERAS: I love this one, yes.
KEILAR: I definitely. I need your insight. I think you might have an explanation, Jacqui. This is the mystery of the falling birds. No, it's not a new Alfred Hitchcock movie, it's a real life mystery in Arkansas.
Tomorrow, Arkansas game officials are going to start testing these things here -- yes, little birds -- trying to determine why up to 5,000 of these black birds have been found dead. They fell out of the sky. This happened --
JERAS: Five thousand?
KEILAR: Five thousand of them. And here's what's kind of weird and this is --
JERAS: It's crazy.
KEILAR: The timing is creepy because this was just before midnight on New Year's Eve.
JERAS: Right. So, the head would naturally start thinking fireworks? Perhaps? Apparently there's some evidence that could be the case.
KEILAR: So, that would be -- that would be the stress-related explanation.
JERAS: Right.
KEILAR: So, are you telling me there's a bunch of black birds, they fly around and they have little bird heart attacks because of -- I mean, what would it be?
JERAS: Well, stress would definitely cause a heart attack, but potentially -- they're going to do necropsies of this to find out exactly what happened.
KEILAR: I shouldn't laugh. It's sort of sad. There's a lot of them.
JERAS: It is a lot. But things like this have happened before actually, when birds fly into thunderstorms, if you get higher altitude hail or maybe they get hit by lightning. So, this isn't completely unheard of. But, yes, fireworks -- imagine waking up and having all those birds in your backyard.
KEILAR: Creepy.
JERAS: Definitely Alfred Hitchcock.
KEILAR: Yes. Sort of apocalyptic.
OK. So, then is a potential natural explanation of hail -- was there hail in the area?
JERAS: There were storms earlier in the day, so --
KEILAR: OK.
JERAS: I don't know. We'll wait for the officials tomorrow.
KEILAR: All right.
JERAS: Anyway, it's just weird.
KEILAR: That is weird, bottom line. Jacqui Jeras, thank you very much. JERAS: OK.
KEILAR: Did you make a New Year's resolution? Have you broken it already? I know some of you have. Well, we have the tricks to make sure that those promises actually stick this year.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: Quitting smoking, losing weight, getting a new -- it is a New Year. Of course, that means New Year's resolutions. It also means you'll probably break yours by the time we hit February. That is the truth. But it doesn't have to be that way.
Dr. Wendy Walsh is a psychologist and relationship expert who can help us with this.
So, Wendy, before everyone signs that new gym contract -- and I say that considering I did just sign one yesterday -- but can you tell us how to make your New Year's resolutions really stick? It is so hard.
DR. WENDY WALSH, BLOGGER, MOMLOGIC.COM: You know, there are seven tips that I have for you. I have to say, by the way, don't focus on the 80 percent of people that don't make it. A 20 percent of people do make major behavioral change. So, you ready?
KEILAR: I'm ready.
WALSH: OK. First, you need to have a desire. It can't come from someone else. You can't change because your spouse says you need to change, because your kids say you need to. You need to change because you desire to change.
Secondly, you need to have the ability and the tools to change. So, it doesn't matter if you want to start a daily blog. If you don't own a computer, you'll have a problem.
KEILAR: Or, if you don't have -- if you don't have the time, right? If you're not budgeting the time.
WALSH: Well, we're going to get to time, too. But that's one of the abilities. You have to make the time and make it a priority.
You also need a supportive environment. So, if you're trying to lose weight or save more money this year, go on austerity plan as it comes to spending. Don't hang out with spenders and eaters. I mean, people who have had substance abuse problem certainly know this. You can't hang out with the addicts if you're going to hope to make this happen. So, that means if you're really trying to save money, for instance, this year, or lose weight, you can't hang out with the spenders or the eaters.
Now, another, and I think the very, very vital piece, is self- confidence. It doesn't matter if you have the ability, if you have the tools, if you have the supportive environment. If you're a doubter and you doubt yourself, you're less likely to change permanently. Here's one you're going to love. You know how they used to say that small incremental changes are the best thing because it doesn't shake up our world so much and we'll stick to it because it's a gradually change?
KEILAR: Yes.
WALSH: Actually, studies on human change have shown the opposite. The big dramatic changes provide a feedback loop, instant feedback loop from the environment. So, if you suddenly go on a crash diet or lose weight and people say, you're looking good, that makes you stick to it more. If you want to save money, really, go on a tight budget in January and put a big nest egg to start you off in your savings plan, and even the bank tellers will be nicer to you. So, a big, dramatic change.
If you want to move on to a new city and start your life over, this is the time to do it because then you'll have this positive feedback because you're making your dreams happen quickly.
Time -- it takes a long time for a new behavior to become a habit. So, we have to remember that there are going to be setbacks. You're going to fall off the wagon.
And you have to tell yourself -- give yourself a calendar year to make the change permanent, say, you know, by the end of this year I will be a fit, athletic person for the rest of my life. And there will be times where you fall back. But if you quit when you fall back, that's how you lose.
And the final, final thing is, you've got reward yourself. Reward your good behaviors, not the results. For instance, let's say it is weight loss. Do you do a 1500 calorie a day diet, for instance? On Friday, you give yourself the piece of chocolate cake, even if you didn't lose the two pounds you hoped for because you're rewarding the behavior. Give yourself frequent, small rewards, are better than waiting for the end of the year.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN NEWS GUEST ANCHOR: Let me ask you, Wendy, about this one, the confidence one? If you're going to doubt yourself, you're going to have problems. But there's a lot of people who are going to make resolutions that are goals they've tried and failed at in the past. So, how do you have confidence that, OK, this time, the fifth time I've tried to lose weight or the sixth time I've tried to stop smoking that I'm actually going to do it?
WALSH: Well, you make small attainable goals that you reward yourself with. And you set that up ahead of time. So, if you, for instance, say, I've just joined a gym and I'm determined to go three times a week for the entire month of January, why not give yourself a reward for two times a week by the end of January? Don't wait until June to see what you look like in a bikini. Just reward yourself and keep plugging. As Dori says, keep on swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming.
(LAUGHTER) KEILAR: Keep doing it. Keep at it.
WALSH: Exactly.
KEILAR: Dr. Wendy Walsh, thank you so much. All good tips.
WALSH: Thank you. Good to see you.
KEILAR: Good to see you.
Well, let's get ready now to rumble, shall we? Congress back in session this week. from the nation's debt to efforts to repeal the new health care law, both sides sounding off today on the Sunday talk shows. And a leading Republican names his choice for the GOP's candidate for president in 2012. Who is it? That story is hot off the "Political Ticker."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: Congress rolls back into town this week. Insiders say it's time for the political battles of 2011 to begin. Many of the Sunday TV talk shows focused on several hot-button issues likely to dominate the 112th Congress. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AUSTAN GOLLSBEE, CHAIRMAN, COUNCIL OF ECONOMIC ADVISERS: It pains me that we would even be talking about this. This is not -- this is not a game. If we hit the debt ceiling, that's the -- essentially defaulting on our obligations, which is totally unprecedented in American history. The impact on the economy would be catastrophic. That would be the worst financial crisis than anything we saw in 2008.
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM, (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: This is an opportunity to make sure the government is changing its spending ways. I will not vote for the debt ceiling increase until I see a plan in place that will deal with our long-term debt obligation, starting with Social Security. A real bipartisan effort to make sure that Social Security stays solvent.
REP. DARRELL ISSA, (R), CALIFORNIA: The health care bill clearly, when it became law, was about expanding Medicaid, mandates that have been at least tentatively ruled unconstitutional, and a big growth in government. And the reform was extremely light or nonexistent. So, you know, as Republicans, our goal was to repeal what was done on fallen a partisan basis, come back and do it on a bipartisan basis real reform.
TIM KAINE, DNC CHAIRMAN: I think health care reform will go down as one of the great achievements of the president, and it's not unrelated to the economy.
CHRIS WALLACE, HOST, FOX NEWS SUNDAY: When you say Attorney General Holder is guilty of all those failures, should he step down?
ISSA: Well, I think he needs to realize that, for example, WikiLeaks, if the president says, I can't deal with this guy as a terrorist, then he has to be able on to deal with him as a criminal. Otherwise, the world is laughing at this paper tiger we've become. So he's hurting this administration. If you're hurting the administration, either stop hurting the administration or leave.
In saying that this is one of the most corrupt administrations, which is what I meant to say there, when you hand out a trillion dollars in TARP, just before this president came in, most of it unspent, a trillion dollars nearly in stimulus that this president asked for, plus this huge expansion in health care in government, it has a corrupting effect. When I look at waste, fraud and abuse in the bureaucracy and in the government, this is like steroids to pump up the muscles of waste.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: And here's the latest news from the world of politics. Michael Steele will face his rivals in his bid to remain chairman of the Republican national committee. The GOP leader has agreed to attend a debate with the five other candidates on Monday. Steele hopes to win a second term as chairman of the RNC. His tenure, of course, has been plagued by controversy, even as he led Republicans to historic gains in the 2010 mid-term elections.
No Democratic opponent for President Obama in 2012. That was the prediction today from Democratic National Committee chairman, Tim Kaine, on CNN's "State of the Union." He says Democrats feel very good about the president's re-election prospects and Kaine also said he expects to continue as party chairman for another two-year term.
South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham says he thinks Mitt Romney is the leading GOP presidential candidate for 2012. In an interview today, Graham said the front-runner has to be the most electable conservative. Right now, he says that's Romney. Romney lost the 2008 presidential nomination to Arizona Senator John McCain. He has yet to make any official announcement about his 2012 plans.
Go to a popular travel web site to book your plane tickets and there's one leading airline that will not be among your choices. Why Expedia has kicked that airline off its site.
And just because you own a car doesn't mean that you can drive it in one country. Why Indonesia is telling some drivers to park it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: Checking some of our top stories. President Obama today took time from his Hawaiian vacation to sign the bill granting federal health coverage to 9/11 first responders. The law creates a $4 billion program for first responders who say they were exposed to toxic chemicals at Ground Zero. It was a long battle but Congress pushed the bill through in that lame-duck session last month.
The Navy is investigating some pretty raunchy (ph) videos produced and shown to the crew of "USS Enterprise" in 2006 and 2007. "Virginian Pilot" newspaper was the first to publish clips from them and they feature Captain Owen Honors, who now command the "Enterprise." Big role. They're supposed to be funny skits about the ship's rules and regulations but they do feature anti-gay remarks as well as simulated sex acts and quite a bit of profanity.
Expedia has deleted American Airlines. It's gone. The online travel site has removed American fares and schedules because of an ongoing legal battle between airlines and travel web sites. American Airlines says travelers can use other web sites or the American site for flight information.
CNN will be closely following developments on Wall Street this week. We'll be seeing if the market can keep the rally going into the New Year.
But we begin our look at the week ahead at the White House, where President Obama returns to a full agenda after his holiday vacation.
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I'm Ed Henry in Washington. The president doesn't return to the city from Hawaii until Tuesday, after an extended vacation. Then he's likely to move on to making some big staff changes at the White House, starting with picking a successor chief economic adviser, Larry Summers, one of the most important positions in the administration, as the president vows to spend the next two years focused on jobs.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: I'm Paul Steinhauser at the CNN Political Desk. It's back to the future in California tomorrow as former governor, Jerry Brown, is sworn in as the state's new governor. Minnesota and Nevada and Wisconsin also inaugurating their new governors. Michael Steele faces off tomorrow in debates against the five candidates challenging him for his job. The often outspoken chairman of the Republican National Committee is up for re- election later this month. And Wednesday, the 112th Congress gets sworn in. Republicans will control the House and have a larger minority in the Senate.
POPPY HARLOW, HOST, CNN MONEY: I'm Poppy Harlow in New York. Ahead in this first trading week of 2011, we'll get December sales results from individual retailers. Signs pointing to solid gains thanks to holiday shopping. The most critical number comes on Friday with the December jobs report. Analysts expect a gain of about 110,000 jobs for the month, but the unemployment rate is expected to remain stubbornly high at 9.8 percent. That said, we'll see if the market can post some gains as we kick off the New Year. We'll track all the week's news for you on "CNN Money".
KEILAR: Now let's bring in CNN international desk editor, Azadeh Ansari, about the events coming up overseas. And we start in Indonesia.
AZADEH ANSARI, CNN INTERNATIONAL DESK EDITOR: That's right, Brianna. If you think driving in New York City and L.A. is bad, you don't want to be a driver in Jakarta, Indonesia. Take a look at these pictures that we have. You have these cars that are bumper to bumper. It's a real problem. The roads are so congested --
KEILAR: Oh.
ANSARI: Take a look at this. This is crazy -- that the city itself has imposed a tax, a progressive tax on all privately owned motor vehicles. It's a 1.5 percent tax that they're going to implement starting on Monday. That tax is going to increase for each additional vehicle a person owns. So --
KEILAR: Maybe in Washington, D.C., I don't know. OK, it's an interesting idea. Also, there's a new oil pipeline in operation.
ANSARI: Yes.
KEILAR: Where is this?
ANSARI: The first oil pipeline that's connecting Russia to China. Now, it started producing oil today for the first time. If you can envision this, it's about 621 miles, which is roughly the distance between Atlanta to Boca Raton.
KEILAR: Oh, wow.
ANSARI: It's expected to produce 15 million tons of crude oil a year.
KEILAR: That is quite a lot.
ANSARI: Yes.
KEILAR: And then this story is interesting. We've been talking about this. Brazil inaugurated its first female president.
ANSARI: They have. You know what's more interesting? It is who was in attendance at her inauguration, which took place on New Year's Day. The interaction that took place between Secretary of State Hillary Clinton --
KEILAR: That's right.
ANSARI: -- and president of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez. They exchanged handshakes and chatted a little bit. Whether or not this will help in easing tensions between the two countries, which have been strained for a while, we'll wait to see.
KEILAR: Azadeh, this is something that is going to be discussed here in the coming week. What does this mean? When a photo like this is taken, it's not just a photo. This is a big deal.
ANSARI: This is a huge deal. So, again, another story we're following into next week.
KEILAR: Azadeh, thank you so much for that. We appreciate it.
ANSARI: Sure.
KEILAR: A restaurant cooks up controversy when it boots, kicks out, a prominent food critic before she can even sit down. We'll be talking with another food critic about anonymous restaurant reviewers, how the rating system can make or break a restaurant, and what this one eatery was willing to do to avoid a bad review.
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KEILAR: Foodies everywhere are buzzing about what recently happened to "L.A. Times" restaurant critic Irene Virbila. She had gone to a new eatery called Red Medicine, but rather than serving her, the owners actually kicked her out. Not only that, they snapped her photo and they posted it online.
John Kessler is a chief food critic for the "Atlanta Journal- Constitution." As a chef, he also knows what it's like to be on the receiving end of a bad review.
So, the question, John, why would a high-end restaurant -- I mean this is a high-end restaurant. Why would they treat a food critic like this?
JOHN KESSLER, CHIEF FOOD CRITIC, ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION: In a word, I think they just freaked. I think they --
KEILAR: This was not premeditated. You think they just freaked out?
KESSLER: I think so. I've read a little about it, but it seemed like they made her wait for like 40 minutes. They knew it was her. The place was jamming. They couldn't seat everybody who wanted to come in.
KEILAR: Why would they -- if they knew it was her, why would they make her wait for 40 minutes?
KESSLER: Well, the way the story went is they thought it was her, but they weren't sure and then a customer recognized her and so -- but I think he wanted to embarrass her. I think she had given a bad review to -- or reviewed a dish poorly, one of the chef's dishes poorly before, and, you know, I think he just kind of snapped and wanted to embarrass her.
KEILAR: Now, the thing is, Virbila said she wasn't there to review the Virbila wasn't even there to review the restaurant. She was just kind of checking it out.
KESSLER: Right. It had been open something like eight or nine days so she was just getting a first look, which is something some critics do. They'll poke in early just to see what the vibe is like.
KEILAR: The really intriguing part about this story is that they took a photo of her and sort of outted her.
KESSLER: I know.
(LAUGHTER)
KEILAR: And this is a big deal because part of her weaponry is her anonymity. So what does this mean for her?
KESSLER: She's worked so hard to protect her anonymity. She's been doing the job for a long time. Honestly, it means not a whole lot, because I think once you've been on the job for a couple of years, people start to recognize you anyhow. As long as she continues to, you know, play by ethical rules, not announce she's coming, which I'm sure she wanted. I think she's a very honorable, good critic. I think she's just trying to do her job.
KEILAR: So if you have a high-end restaurant, you're probably figuring out, OK, that's a food critic.
KESSLER: Right.
KEILAR: Explain how this rating system works. and I know, because I will read my hometown newspapers, "The Washington Post," and I kind of joke to myself, yes, a lot of restaurants just don't get very good ratings. So some of these high-end restaurants will argue, they're too stingy. So, how does it work?
KESSLER: Everybody's different. Our feeling at the AJC, the "Atlanta Journal-Constitution," is we have a one-to-five star rating. If a restaurant gets a star, then it's a recommendation. If the restaurant is super-duper hit and miss, it doesn't get star. We might say it's fair.
KEILAR: How often does something get five stars? What's the usual? Two?
KESSLER: The usual is two. Two means that it's a good, solid neighborhood restaurant. Atlanta's such a sprawling city, we figure driving is everything here. If it's worth the destination, we say it's a three.
KEILAR: What is five? Like the unicorn?
(LAUGHTER)
KESSLER: Five is where you can drink unicorn blood from a silver goblet.
KEILAR: Got it. With your foie gras.
KESSLER: With your foie gras. It's really a restaurant that sets the tone for the region. That's just one of the great restaurants of America. In Atlanta, there may be perhaps two.
KEILAR: Two. That's not going to happen very often. How important are these reviews? Do they make or break it for these restaurants?
KESSLER: They help get the word out. And I think that -- I've been on both sides of it. I used to be a restaurant cook and chef and I've been reviewed and called out on some things that I didn't do right. But I think a good review can help. I think a bad review still gets people talking and brings them in the door. I think an honest critic is somebody who's trying to tell the people, who want to go to the restaurant, go. Tell the people who should stay away from it, stay away. And if you go, try these dishes.
KEILAR: It gets people thinking.
John Kessler, chief food critic for the "Atlanta Journal- Constitution." Fascinating. Thank you so much for being with us.
KESSLER: Thank you for having me.
KEILAR: We appreciate it.
And the decision. It's been made. No pardon for who? Billy the Kid. When we come back, we'll hear from a man who says the famous outlaw really did get a raw deal.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
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KEILAR: Yes, that actor, Emilio Estevez, as none other than Billy the Kid in "Young Guns 2." This world-famous outlaw back in the news because of something that did not happen. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, on his last day in office Friday, declined to grant Bill the Kid a posthumous pardon. Apparently, it was a promise once made to Billy, but it wasn't honored.
One of the world's foremost authorities on Billy the Kid is Bob Boze Bell. I asked him why anyone should care about someone who died such a long time ago.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BOB BOZE BELL, AUTHOR: It matters because, as Americans, we always want to right a wrong or we want to get resolution. and in the case of Billy the Kid, he's arguably one of the most famous people that came out of our territory. There's over 1,000 books written on him, 40 movies, so his legend has some clout. And I think the governor was smart to address this and get us talking about it.
KEILAR: So, you are intimately familiar with all of the details of how this played out. You've told me in the break you've been kid crazy now for going on 40 years. Do you think he should have been pardoned or not?
BELL: I can look at it from a couple of different ways. If you look at it rationally, like the governor just spoke there, the rational mind has to go, no way, you cannot pardon someone who, in our parlance, is a cop killer. But if I look at it from my heart, maybe we could see a way to pardon him and forgive. And he really did get a raw deal if you look at the facts. And the third way to look at it is -- KEILAR: You say he got a raw deal because he struck -- he struck a bargain with the governor. And then what happened?
BELL: He struck a deal with the governor that he would testify and get a pardon, but I think the raw deal part of it is that he was involved in a Lincoln County War, and this was a brutal war in which hundreds were killed on both sides. And the Kid was operating sometimes as a deputy, deputized and serving warrants. The other side was doing the same. A lot of people think there wasn't enough law in the West. In this case, there was actually too much law. But the raw deal is that Billy the Kid was the only one who was tried and prosecuted for killing someone in the Lincoln County War. And other people did just as bad and they ended up to be solid citizens and powerful politicians. And as the Kid himself put it, he said, "Think it hard that I am the only one to suffer the full measure of the law," end of quote. And I think he's right.
KEILAR: You said there's another way to look at this about whether he should have been pardoned.
BELL: Yes, you have the three ways and the third way is my wallet, which is, I'm going to make a lot of money on all this attention from Salem Books. So when I look at it that way, I go absolutely, pardon the guy.
(LAUGHTER)
KEILAR: Very interesting. Let me ask you this. Everyone knows about Billy the Kid. There are all of these books and movies. He's been so romanticized over time. Should he be -- should he be held up as this folk hero? This is a guy who murdered a lot of people.
BELL: Yes, but it's complicated. Here's basically the rub as I see it. You have these two contradictory facts. He's a cold-blooded killer. He's the all-American boy. He was resourceful, brave. Everyone agreed he was a great dancer. You put those two together and they don't go together. They're contradiction. That's what any good legend needs. You need to have this unresolvable fact. That's why we're still talking about him 130 years later.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
