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Northeast Battles Snowstorm; President Obama Heading to Tucson; Improving Safety for Congress; Haiti Earthquake: 1 Year Later; Fatter Paychecks For 2011

Aired January 12, 2011 - 10:59   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Live from Studio 7, I'm Carol Costello. CNN's big stories for Wednesday, January 12th.

Remembering the dead and wounded in the Arizona shooting rampage. Democrats and Republicans honored Representative Gabrielle Giffords on the House floor this morning. New speaker of the House John Boehner spoke about the shooting that injured Giffords and 13 others Saturday in Tucson. Six others were killed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER: Our hearts are broken, but our spirit is not. This is a time to lock arms in prayer for the fallen and the wounded, in a resolve to carry on a dialogue of democracy.

We may not yet have all the final answers, but we already have the answer that matters most, that we're Americans and we'll make it through this difficult period. We will have the last word.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: President Obama heads to Tucson later today. He and the first lady will attend a memorial service and meet with victims' family members tonight.

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill get briefed today about their safety, too. They'll hear from Capitol Police, Secret Service and the FBI. Concerns about safety increased after the Arizona massacre. Authorities say Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was the target, and as you know, she remains in critical condition but she's holding her own after she was shot in the head.

Armies of snow plows and salt trucks are being deployed across the Northeast right now to combat two powerful winter storms that have collided, sort of like a weather bomb. A weather system that turned the South into an ice rink has merged with a storm from the plains. That's why it's a bomb. It dumped heavy snow on major cities from Philadelphia to Boston.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is holding a news conference. He is vowing a rapid response to the storm after being sharply criticized for the city's slow response to a blizzard just weeks ago. When weather becomes the news, CNN is your severe weather headquarters. We have Carter Evans at LaGuardia airport with your travel update. Our senior correspondence, Allan Chernoff, is in New York City, too. And CNN meteorologist Rob Marciano is in Midtown in Atlanta, the city now hoping to thaw.

Let's go first to you, Carter.

CARTER EVANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol.

Well, everybody's waiting for flights to resume here at New York's LaGuardia airport. All in all, in the three major airports in this area, more than 1,000 flights canceled today. Things could get rolling again soon.

We've had a couple of flights arrive, none leave. Some airlines are trying to resume by 2:00 p.m. today. As you know, this could have a ripple effect all over the country. So no matter where you are, if you're flying today, it's a really good idea to call ahead first.

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: I'm Allan Chernoff, driving the streets of Brooklyn, New York. And as you can see, lots of people hard at work digging their cars out. But the streets, well, they have been plowed and plowed over again.

This is about as bad as gets here in Brooklyn. A huge contrast to what happened the day after Christmas, when many of these streets right here were not touched for a good two, three days. So, for the citizens of New York, a big relief. The snowstorm this time around wasn't nearly as bad, but the response clearly has been very, very quick.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I'm Rob Marciano, in Atlanta, Georgia.

After getting crushed by a snow and ice storm, a little bit of melting yesterday, followed by another cold snap behind that blizzard today. The mayor had to call in reinforcements.

The snow removal army went from about 10 vehicles to 50, and this road, Peachtree Road, one of the busiest in all of Atlanta, moving now because they dropped some salt and some sand down, and the sun coming out just a little bit. But it's still cold, it's still very windy. Wind-chills in the teens.

And this road, which is 11th, you can see it's a tough go up there. Pretty icy, still. The let it melt mentality has kind of backfired. We're still waiting for this stuff to melt.

COSTELLO: Yes. The question now, Rob, is how long will it take to melt? And what about the storm now moving up the East Coast? Is it gone?

MARCIANO: Not yet. It's still -- speaking of getting crushed, New England is getting hammered right now. They are experiencing blizzard conditions. Look at some of the snow totals that have come in so far. I think we'll easily see two feet in some of these spots across Connecticut and Massachusetts. And right now we're approaching that in some of these areas.

New York, the snow is done, as you probably have seen. But it's not done yet in places like Hartford; Springfield, Mass.; in through Boston. Boston is under a blizzard warning.

Here is the radar which shows you the intensity of this storm which, as you mentioned earlier, combined with two systems. And now it's intensifying, or rapidly intensifying, bombing out, as we saw in the weather community, as it rolls up the Cape Cod shoreline.

Over 60-mile-an-hour winds in some places along the cape. We've got power outages. Over 60,000 people are without power. This is a blockbuster of a storm that has the snow blowing sideways in Beantown.

We expect the snow to come to an end, but not until later on tonight. And before that is done, New England gets its second blizzard in three weeks. They'll see two feet-plus in many of these areas. And from another city on the East Coast crippled because of winter weather just in the last few days.

And this cold air continues to pour into the Deep South, with freeze warnings out tonight. We don't expect any sort of significant thaw, Carol, until this weekend. And even then, we'll be well below average.

Back to you.

COSTELLO: It's so awful everywhere. At least we're all sharing in the misery, at least most of us on this side of the country, the East side of the country.

Thank you, Rob Marciano. We'll get back to you.

The commander in chief becomes the comforter in chief. Ed Henry is following that story. He'll have a live report for you coming up next.

And a quick look at the stocks right now. The Dow is up 82 points. Well, that's a good sign, too.

We'll have much more news for you right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: We're following several developments today in the tragedy in Tucson. Much of the focus is on the condition of the wounded and remembering those who died, as well as addressing concerns about safety for members of Congress.

In the next hour, we'll get an update on Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and the other five people who remain in the hospital. Now, just a minute ago -- in just a minute, rather -- we'll go live to Capitol Hill, where lawmakers are getting briefed today on security. The youngest victim of the shooting rampage will be remembered tonight. Visitation, a vigil and a rosary will be held for 9-year-old Christina Green.

And President Obama leaves soon for Tucson, where he'll take part in a memorial and meet with relatives of the victims.

The president faces the challenge of becoming comforter in chief in the wake of the mass killings in Arizona. Much of the country still in shock, and much of the country will be looking to the president for words of reassurance.

Let's bring in Senior White House Correspondent Ed Henry.

Ed, I know the president has been working on his speech for the past couple of days. What do you suppose he'll say?

ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, Carol, he has been working on it since about Monday night. We were told his speechwriting team started working on it. But this is a president who tends to be very hands-on with his speeches, especially the big ones, whether it's the State of the Union Address, something like this.

Let's remember he also gave a pretty similar address at Fort Hood there in late 2009, after that terrible tragedy, so many folks who were killed there, as well. And so he's had a little bit of a experience with this, but every time something like this comes up, it's obviously unique.

We saw Ronald Reagan after the Challenger disaster, Bill Clinton after Oklahoma City, when, again, there were far more people killed than we saw this time. That was a very difficult task. President Bush after 9/11.

And so this is a chance for this president to try to walk that delicate balance, try to comfort the nation, help the nation heal, but also try to steer clear of politics. And that's one thing that aides tell us the president is not going to do, is sort of weigh in on this whole debate about whether heated rhetoric contributed to this.

The last thing he wants to do is to have this moment at the memorial service tonight for the victims and their families be overshadowed by politics. And I think it's interesting as well that we're being told this morning by White House officials the president and the first lady, who will be traveling with him, are going to meet with some families of the victims.

There's even been some talk that he might go to the hospital and meet with Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, or at least her husband. All of that, though, in terms of the details of exactly who he's going to meet and how many of the victims' families he'll meet still being worked out right now. This trip was kind of thrown together in the last couple of days. But he is going to meet with some of those families and that's obviously, beyond the memorial service, very important, as well -- Carol.

COSTELLO: And usually I'm pretty cynical about politicians like much of America, but I would like to believe that politics won't play a part in President Obama's remarks. You hear a lot of pundits talking about how, ooh, if he does a good job, maybe it will increase his poll numbers. I find it difficult to believe that any president, after an event like this -- I'm sure President Bush after 9/11 didn't say, wow, what can I say to make my poll numbers go up?

HENRY: Well, exactly. I mean, look, there's nothing this president can do to either stop the poll numbers from going up or not by the one he delivers -- I mean, and the last thing he's going to do is think about any of that.

Of course, those of us in the media are going to talk about the impact after the fact, but when you talk to his senior aides, they, of course, say look, that's the last thing from his mind right now. The most important thing that he's been dealing with since Saturday, frankly, in the initial moments, was making sure, A, that this investigation was going to be handled properly. That's why he personally sent the FBI director, Robert Mueller, to the scene to deal with that and coordinate all the different elements.

And secondly, comfort the families. He's been on the phone, this president, since Saturday with almost all of the family members, reaching out to as many as he can.

And so I think the last thing on his mind right now is politics. There's also people obviously talking about whether there needs to be new gun control measures. We don't expect the president to address that in his remarks either, because, in part, number one, that could inject politics into the discussion, which he doesn't want to do.

But secondly, this is a president, we should point out, who has been reluctant really to weigh in on gun control in general long before this episode. So I think after the dust settles on this, after this moment at the memorial service tonight -- in the days ahead there is going to be some big debates on issues like gun control. And I think the country will be looking to him then as well for leadership on whether he thinks there needs to be new measures or not -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Ed Henry, live at the White House.

Thanks.

With the media camped outside of their home -- and we mean camped out -- Jared Loughner's parents have put out a statement and, by all accounts, they're truly distraught and horrified by the shootings.

The Loughners write, "We don't understand why this happened. We wish that we could change the heinous events of Saturday. We care very deeply about the victims and their families. We are so very sorry for their loss."

And Sarah Palin finally responds to criticism over her crosshairs Web page. Not live, but on tape on her Facebook page, she denounces those who rush to blame the toxic political climate for the shooting in Arizona.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARAH PALIN (R), FMR. ALASKA GOVERNOR: Acts of monstrous criminality stand on their own. they begin and end with the criminals who commit them, not collectively with all the citizens of a state, not with those who listen to talk radio, not with maps of swing districts used by both sides of the aisle, not with law abiding citizens who respectfully exercise their First Amendment rights at campaign rallies. And not with those who proudly voted in the last election.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: No direct connection has been found between the political rhetoric and the motivation behind Saturday's shooting. During last fall's campaign, Palin's political action committee put crosshairs on targeted Democratic congressional districts. Among them, Congresswoman Giffords' district.

Many politicians are asking, what can be done to prevent similar violence in the future? One of the few pro-gun control Republicans in the House, Representative Peter King of New York, wants to it make it illegal for someone to knowingly carry a gun within 1,000 feet of certain high-ranking federal officials, including members of Congress. Also, New York Representative Democrat Carolyn McCarthy wants to see a restriction on the sales of high-capacity ammunition clips similar to the one allegedly used by Loughner at Tucson.

And it's not just gun control proposals. Representative Robert Brady of Pennsylvania wants to make it a federal crime to use symbols or rhetoric that appear to threaten members of Congress.

And then there are the briefings. Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are getting briefed today on efforts to improve their security in light of what happened to Congresswoman Giffords.

Senior Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash following that part of the story.

Dana, who are lawmakers hearing from?

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, they're hearing from members of the Capitol Police force, they're hearing from the House Sergeant-at-Arms.

There was a briefing this morning for House Republicans. And as we speak, Democrats are getting their own briefing.

It's kind of a real odd mix here, I think it's fair to say, because on the floor of the House, the lawmakers are paying tribute to Gabbie Giffords, to their colleague, to people who lost their lives. But meanwhile, behind closed doors, they're trying to figure out how they can better secure themselves.

And Buck McKeon -- he is the House Armed Services chairman -- he talked to our Deirdre Walsh coming out of one of the briefings and explained some of how they might be able to figure out how to tighten security.

Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. BUCK MCKEON (R), CALIFORNIA: We'll set up a local coordinator that they're recommending, and we'll just probably have our staff take care of that. And what they're asking is, if something happens, you call the local law enforcement, that you also have that local coordinator contact the Capitol Police so they can coordinate things.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: That seems to be the biggest proposal, or the most frequent proposal, we're hearing, Carol, that the members of Congress, when they're here in Washington -- they're obviously here in the Capitol -- the feel very safe and secure. The issue is obviously when they're home in their districts.

They don't have any security. Most of them don't want any security. But some members, like, for example, Congressman Dan Lungren, he is in charge of the committee that oversees the Capitol Police.

I was talking to him, and he said, "Look, members just have to be better about formalizing these security procedures" like what we just heard, making sure that local law enforcement knows what you're doing, knows where you're doing it and where you're doing it in terms of a public event, and things like that. And I believe that we're probably going to see something formalized in his committee. He says he's working on it.

But later today, at least the members say that they are going to get a security briefing book just to remind them of some of the security measures that they all get in general, but to have it again formalized in a place for them to look at -- Carol.

COSTELLO: And just to put this in perspective, I know America has had its share of assassinations, but there have not been that many. I mean, we don't hear about this kind of thing happening every day.

BASH: Oh, I mean, not at all, not even in the least. And that's why, look, we have certainly seen and heard about threats to members of Congress. We saw it most prominently last year during the health care debate. But I have talked to so many members here in the halls who have said, look, they obviously didn't broadcast, but they had a threat, their staff had a threat. And they did quietly take security measures to deal with it.

The issue of course is, what happens when there isn't a threat, as we don't know all the details, but appear to be the case with Gabbie Giffords? They didn't see it coming, so how do you protect yourself better?

But I can tell you, to a person, I have not found a member of Congress who has said that they're going to do what they can to keep doing their job,. As I've seen Congresswoman Giffords herself quoted as saying, "representative" isn't just a title, it's a job description.

And they take it seriously, that they have to go home, they have to meet with their constituents and the voters. That's what their job is all about.

COSTELLO: They do. They represent the people.

Thank you so much.

Dana Bash reporting live from Capitol Hill today.

Coming up in the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM, new steps to protect politicians. We were just talking about that.

I'll also talk with the sheriff in Oklahoma City about his new dignitary protection unit. And I'll also talk to a New Hampshire lawmaker about a new rule in that state. Lawmakers are now allowed to carry concealed weapons on the State House floor.

It's been exactly a year since the violent earthquake brought Haiti to its knees. We'll show you the state of the country today and how families are coping. We'll have a live report for you from Port- au-Prince.

We'll be back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: One year ago today, an earthquake with almost unimaginable power killed more than 220,000 people in Haiti. Hundreds of thousands more were injured by the magnitude 7 quake. And despite billions of dollars in pledges, very little has been rebuilt.

CNN's Ivan Watson has more from Port-au-Prince.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's been a year since the earth shook Port-au-Prince. And like millions of others, Michel Clearville (ph) is still reeling from that terrible day. The earthquake destroyed his home. And several months later, his wife Alyon (ph) died of disease in a camp for homeless. Michel Clearville (ph) still lives in one of these camps.

The earthquake killed close to a quarter million people, and it left national symbols like this Catholic cathedral in, ruins.

In October, disaster struck again in the form of a deadly epidemic of cholera. The death toll now, more than 3,600 people dead and climbing. On November 28th, Haitians went to the polls. Disputes over the presidential election turned violent and triggered a political crisis that's still simmering.

Foreign governments pledged billions of dollars to help Haiti, but survivors say like Michel Clearville (ph) say they haven't seen a penny of that help.

"One year, nothing has changed here," he says. "Many people are suffering and we don't know why."

For Michel Clearville (ph) and so many other Haitians, this has been a year of misery.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Ivan Watson reporting. We're trying to get him live from Port-au-Prince. When the live shot is available and up and running, we'll get it to you.

Snow and ice all across the country. Find out what you can expect next in your neighborhood. Meteorologist Rob Marciano joins me live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

COSTELLO: Illinois Governor Pat Quinn plans to sign a new tax bill approved by legislators early today. It increases the state's personal income tax rate a whopping 66 percent.

The CNN Money team's Alison Kosik in New York.

Alison, I know many states have these big budget gaps left by the recession, but holy -- raising income tax to 66 percent? Do taxpayers in Illinois understand?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: You know what? I think they're going to understand real, real soon, Carol.

You know, these tax hikes have been approved. They're coming whether people like it or not, because the problem here is that Illinois is facing a $13 billion budget deficit.

Now, unlike the federal government, states are not allowed to run a deficit. So here is the plan that Illinois has put into action.

It's going to temporarily raise personal income taxes to five percent. They're now sitting at three percent. They're temporarily raise corporate income taxes to seven percent. They're now at five percent. They're going to go ahead and cap spending growth as well on programs.

But you know what? These cuts that I'm talking about, they're not even going to be enough. The state's going to have do even more. Analysts, Carol, ,are saying that the Illinois budget crisis is one of the worst in the nation -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Even worse than California?

KOSIK: Even worse than California. Well, California -- well, I guess if you sort of weigh the two, California has got huge issues, as well, that's true.

California, of course, is saddled with $25 billion for its deficit. The new governor's first executive order though is to take away state workers' cell phones, believe it or not.

You know, the governor says it's hard to believe that almost 50,000 employees really need a work cell phone. So he's going to save 20 million bucks by swiping their cell phones.

The governor has also proposed a budget plan this week. He wants to slash spending and extend tax hikes. That still has to be voted on.

You know, California, of course, has already been trying to deal with its huge budget issues, as you mentioned, Carol, that it's been laying of teachers, cutting Medicaid and state workers' pay. So, things are already in motion, and even more things are going to be in motion for California -- Carol.

COSTELLO: And it's not likely any of that will end soon for many states in the nation. I know the recession --

KOSIK: Exactly.

COSTELLO: -- technically ended more than a year ago, but we're still having these problems.

KOSIK: We really are. I mean, if you go home, Carol, and ask your neighbor, does it feel like we're in a recession? Chances are that neighbor is going to tell you yes.

We are still feeling the effects of the recession. And think about it -- states get much of their income from taxes, like on sales taxes, income, payroll taxes.

But think about it. If people aren't working, they're not buying things, they're not paying the sales tax. And this is cumulative. This has been happening for years.

So we're making less as well because of the recession. We're making more money, bringing home less money, so we're paying less in taxes, as well.

Overall, just to give you the big picture here, states, overall, are facing a $41 billion budget gap this year. Not including the other two states I just mentioned, California and Illinois, there are 21 other states included in that $41 billion budget gap.

Yes, we're all in a tough situation, to say the least -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Yes. Alison, thanks

President Obama prepares to offer words of comfort to the nation. A preview of his visit to Tucson in the wake of what happened there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Taking a look at top stories.

The surging floodwaters in Australia are threatening the city of Brisbane. Twelve have died in the flood so far with dozens reported missing. The Australian prime minister is calling it the worst natural disaster in the country's history. Almost 20,000 homes are expected to be flooded before the waters peak sometime tomorrow.

And President Obama is going to Tucson, he'll be attending a memorial service and meeting with the families of those affected by Saturday's shooting in Arizona. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is accompanying the president. Hospital officials now saying Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is breathing on her own after being shot in the head during the attack.

What's worse than tripping and falling on your face? Doing it on camera. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton knows the feeling. CNN's Jeanne Moos remembers other spills and a few bumps.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, it was a foreign trip with a little too much tripping. Her aides say she was OK, unlike the last time she tripped while walking to the White House and broke her elbow.

She cited that had injury when dismissing talk that her role in shaping foreign policy was being diminished.

HILARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: I broke my elbow, not my larynx.

MOOS: She's had a lot of practice boarding and exiting planes.

(on camera): Steps are tricky enough, but imagine having a camera trained on your every arrival and departure.

(voice-over): Presidents develop their own style. President Obama prefers to jog. Bill Clinton was more leisurely. And George Bush occasionally clutched the railing, something Gerald Ford should have done. His fall while deplaning in Austria has been embellished with sound effects and lives eternally on YouTube. President Ford even stumbled going up the steps.

(on camera): And it's not just American officials who slip on the airplane stairs while everyone is staring. (voice-over): French President Nicolas Sarkozy managed to stay on his feet, but just barely.

So far, President Obama hasn't lost his footing, but he has lost his BlackBerry while jogging up the stairs and he bonked his head while boarding the presidential chopper. But then so did President Bush, more than once, and Michelle Obama has banged her head on Air Force One.

(on camera): Even presidential pets no matter no better than to trust those airport steps.

(voice-over): President Bush has to give Barney a push to get him on go up and he had to nudge Spot to get her to go down.

As we learned in a Jimmy Kimmel bit, the only thing more treacherous than using the stairs is having them go nowhere.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The president was surprised when Air Force One pulled away without him. He suffered only minor bruises.

MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: It's just cruel to keep showing those picture, but we kind of thought it was fun.

Let's head to Washington now and check in with Ed Henry, part of "The Best Political Team on Television."

You're going to tell us what's crossing right now. I know one thing that's crossing is Sarah Palin's response to all the criticism she's gotten for possibly adding to the violent political rhetoric in this country and somehow causing what happened in Tucson. So, what did she say?

HENRY: Well, Carol, as you just noted, Sarah Palin basically pushing back and saying, look, she calls it blood liable that some liberals are suggesting that Facebook posting that she had during the midterm election season targeting various districts, including Gabrielle Giffords' district there in Arizona, which is a swing district formally held by a Republican, obviously, Gabby Giffords a more moderate Democrat, that maybe somehow that contributed to the violence in this situation. Sarah Palin pushing back saying that she finds the whole situation tragic and she thinks it's deplorable that political opponents are trying to pass the blame on her and other conservatives.

Interesting, because the president is just about an hour from now, he and the first lady are going to be leaving the White House here to go to Tucson and we're told by White House aides one thing the president will not mention in his speech tonight at the University of Arizona memorial service is this whole political debate that's playing out about whether overheated rhetoric contributed at all to the violence there in Tucson. Bottom line, White House aides say the president's speechwriting team has been working on these remarks since about Monday night. The president himself tends to be very hands on, though, with these speeches and he will be doing that, has already been working on revisions.

And this is a unique, obviously, challenge for any president of either party when they're faced with a tragedy like this to both comfort the victims but also try to help the nation heal. Very difficult task and we're told by White House aides the president, beyond just this speech, he and the first lady will also be visiting some of the families of the victim there in Tucson, Carol.

COSTELLO: Yes, I know there won't be any politic playing in what the president says tonight, but you know, thinking about what you said about Sarah Palin, other Republicans and Tea Party members are defending themselves, too, like Sharron Angle. So this argument about what exactly caused will this mentally unbalanced man in Tucson to do what he did, it goes on, doesn't it?

HENRY: Well, certainly, the debate is going to go on. And Sharron Angle, you mentioned here, a Tea Party favorite, the Republican candidate for Senate in Nevada against Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Harry Reid obviously prevailed in the end.

But during that debate, there was some heated rhetoric. There was also Sharron Angle talking about guns very often in that race. And so now it is sort of coming up as to whether or not she maybe crossed some lines and she is defending herself. She says, quote, "I condemn all acts of violence. The despicable act in Tucson is horrifying and senseless tragedy and should be condemned as a single act of violence by a single unstable individual." And that was an official statement from Sharron Angle.

So you can see both Sarah Palin and Sharron Angle, two Republicans who are frankly fed up that this has become a debate in this country at all and saying that liberals should basically back off -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Ed Henry, live in Washington, thanks.

Your next "Political Update" in an hour. And for the latest political news, you know where you can go, CNNPolitics.com.

"Forbes" magazine is out with its annual list of most affordable cities. Notice I didn't say most livable cities, there's a difference there in that "Forbes" survey. The number five most affordable city, Cincinnati. Number four, Indianapolis. Number three, Detroit. Number two, Buffalo.

And number one -- we'll tell you after a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: "Forbes" magazine most affordable cities, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Detroit, Buffalo and American's most affordable city, according to "Forbes"? Oh, I like the drum roll -- Omaha. And that is a terrific city, it's got a great arts district and man, the food good. That's a deal.

We were talking about Haiti a little while ago. It's been one year ago -- it's been a year, I should say, that an earthquake of almost unimaginable power hit that tiny island. Hundreds of thousands were injured by that magnitude-seven quake and, of course, hundreds and hundreds of others were killed.

We told you we'd try to get Ivan Watson back, well we've got him back from Port-au-Prince. Ivan joins us now live from Haiti.

Ivan, not much has been rebuilt from a year ago, has it?

WATSON: It's pretty frustrating. As you can see behind me, Carol, this is almost for me just an indicator of how little progress has been made. We're in the center of Port-au-Prince right next to the ruins of the presidential palace, the Champ de Mars square, and you still have thousands of people living in this tent city.

And it's just one of countless of he's ten these tent cities across the capital. You've got close to a million people still close to a million living in crude shelters like this, despite the billions of dollars that were pledged to this country. You've still have rubble on every street. It still looks like a war zone in a lot of places here.

And when you ask ordinary Haitians, hey, has anybody helped you out, many of them say, I haven't seen a penny of that help that was promised to this country.

COSTELLO: There were so many -- there were donations just pouring into Haiti, so what happened to all the money?

WATSON: That's a complicated question. Some of the fault probably lies with the Haitian government, which itself was nearly decapitated in this earthquake with government ministry buildings destroyed and a lot of civil servants workers killed. And it was a weak government in the first place, but there's been criticism that there was not enough leadership has been provided.

There's also been criticism of the international aid effort itself. Doctors Without Borders and another group, Oxfam, saying this is a failure, the fact that after all this money was pledged, after hoards of aid workers came in to try to help. Then, when a cholera epidemic hit last fall, you still had thousands of Haitians dying from a disease despite the people who were on the ground here to help. The death toll from the cholera, which is an easily preventable disease, easily treatable, more than 3,600 people. Doctors Without Borders asking, how could that many people die when you had thousands of aid organizations on the ground here?

COSTELLO: Just impossible to -- it's just wrong. Really wrong.

Ivan Watson, I know you'll have much more throughout the day here on CNN. Thanks so much. A survey finds 98 percent of companies will boost paychecks this year. I said boost. You have to squint to see it, though. On average, we're talking about 3 percent or so. The CNN Money Team's Poppy Harlow has top tips in New York.

So, Poppy, if you're just starting out and you're not expecting a raise for awhile, you'll have to get your starting salary at a point where -- I guess it's crucial what the starting salary is for you to go up accordingly through the years.

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: You have to start at the beginning here. And if you're sort of in the middle of your career, keep listening because this matters for you.

Look, the economy is recovering. We might not feel it on the jobs front, but we're seeing companies post record profits and you probably want a piece of that pie if your company is doing well.

What's interesting here is if you look at men versus women. Women's earnings actually, Carol, are set to recover faster than men's as we see the economy recover. So now is the time, women, for you to negotiate a raise.

And listen to this, I want to tell you something out of Carnegie Mellon. A professor there, Linda Babcock, she's the co-author of "Women Don't Ask," she says by not negotiating on a woman's first salary, she stands to lose more than $500,000 by the age of 60. That's a big amount of money that you could lose. Men, on the other hand, are four times as likely, she says, as women are to negotiate their first salary and to not just accept that first offer.

Now, women who consistently, Carol, negotiate their salary from that first job offer when you're 20 some years old in their lifetime, they get a million dollars more in earnings than those that don't -- a million dollars -- because you're talking about 40-plus years of work here.

So bottom line, it pays in a big way to start the negotiations as early as possible in your career, Carol. I think I took the first offer.

COSTELLO: Me too, I didn't do that. I said, oh, thank you, thank you. I don't care if I'm living at the poverty level, I'll take it.

So how do you go in and tactfully even ask for a raise these days in light of, you know, I mean, they say the recession is over, but it sure doesn't feel that way?

HARLOW: Officially, the recession is over. We aren't feeling it from an employment perspective. We spoke with some experts. One is Manisha Thakor, she's a founder of the Women's Financial Literacy Initiative, and also Robin Bond (ph), she's actually an employment attorney. And both of them said you have got to do your homework before you go marching into your boss' office. Find out what the average salary is for your position and also in your city, it really varies with salary city to city.

Go on websites. There's salary.com, salary expert.com, also website called getraise.com. Figure out what a reasonable, reasonable raise to ask for is. You want to be competitive and you're your need to do your research and highlight specific situations where you have improved for the company so you can take that to your boss, Carol.

COSTELLO: And there's that other problem, what if they say no? What do you do, because it makes you feel icky?

HARLOW: It does. You know, if they say no, what you do is just say, I know it's a hard time right now for the economy, I'm going to keep trying and keep a list. Write down your accomplishments, show your boss and your boss' boss what you have done for the company, why they need you. But you know, don't push too hard because it can get a little uncomfortable, but keep trying. Don't give up.

COSTELLO: Keep trying, I know. So we're going to talk more about that, because what if a raise isn't in the picture for you at all? What if you shouldn't even ask? We'll ask Poppy about that after a break. We're going to get to that after a break. So hold on, hold on, sister, we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: More pay raise top tips with Poppy Harlow.

So, Poppy, if you already know a raise just is not a possibility in 2011, what would be Plan B?

HARLOW: Well, you know, first of all, you have to just have a very frank conversation with your boss. You've got to sit down with them, set up the meeting. And if not getting that positive feedback, if they just don't think they can do it right now, don't push them too far.

I told you about our talk with employment attorney Robin Bond and another tip she had for us is, ask your boss for a salary review in the next six months. Sit down and say, OK, I know you can't do it right now, but let's sit down in half a year and see where things stand. And then you have to go in very, very prepared. You have to have a written list of your accomplishments.

You also have to keep your boss aware along the way of what you're doing. Think about it, your boss has a lot of people to manage. So you want to not be too pushy but say, here's what I did by the way or how can I help you more or need me to come in this weekend, extra hours, that sort of thing. But keep it all written down so you can come to them with bullet points of what you've done.

Also, if you can't get that raise in money, you might be able to get that raise in another way. Try negotiating other perks, extra vacation days, flexible hours, maybe working from home one day a week, you could maybe get that.

Also, other nonmonetary perks, a better assignment, trying to move your career forward. Let's say that you want to move to another city, you want to get on another team, you can ask for those things. So don't just stop if the boss says it's not in the budget. There's a lot of other ways that you can get a raise.

COSTELLO: OK, I've written all that down. Thank you, Poppy. Thanks so much.

You're online now and we are, too. Sandra Endo is tracking the hottest trending stories.

Hey, Sandra.

SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Carol.

Trending today, what else? All that snow. Forty-nine of fifty states nationwide have snow and our iReporters are doing a fantastic job sending us all their iReports.

And, Carol, what do you get when you take two Cajuns from Louisiana, transplant them to Georgia, add six inches of snow, three kids and an air mattress? We'll, take a look.

COSTELLO: I can't wait.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: If it's trending online, we're tracking it right here. CNN's Sandra Endo is here with what's hot on the web. And, Sandra, it seems like -- no, I want to know the answer to your riddle.

ENDO: Well, Carol, I was going to say that you survived the snowpocalypse up here in D.C. last year. So they're either loving you or hating you for bringing all that snow down to Atlanta, right?

COSTELLO: I know. I was in the blizzard for New York, I was in those two blizzards that hit the Washington area last year, and now I'm in Atlanta for the big snow apocalypse.

ENDO: That's right. And, of course, a lot of people down south are not used to the snow and they're really just trying to brave it out. But some people are really enjoying it.

And I asked you before, what do you take and what do you get when you take two Cajuns and transplant them to Georgia, add six inches of snow, three kids and an air mattress, well here you go. Here's the answer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do it again. Do it again.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One more time. I think it will work.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One, two, three. Go!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yay! (END VIDEO CLIP)

ENDO: All right. They finally made it down. Yes, it took them a couple of tries though.

COSTELLO: Just so brave of them to even blow that air mattress up and try that dangerous stunt.

ENDO: Pretty fun there. They're having fun.

Take a look at another one. In Alabama, this guy built a -- oh, here we go. We have another video. This guy puts on his skis, this is in South Carolina, and he takes video shot from his helmet. He attached a camera to his helmet. So pretty smooth skiing there. Nice shot, Dan in Alabama.

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: How bored people are.

ENDO: They're loving it. You know, they're not used to all this snow.

So one more shot. Take a look at Alabama. This young man who built a good size igloo from all the snow. If we have that picture, pretty funny stuff. So a lot of people enjoying.

COSTELLO: We have all these people having fun and then we have people like who are not having fun.

For example, on I-85, which is the highway through Atlanta, right now there's a serious accident involving two tractor trailers. Semis have been jackknifing for the past three days, and when they do this, it's hard to get emergency crews to them to get them of the highway. And as you can see, people are just stuck on the roadways with nowhere else to go.

So it's been crazy here and I guess it's not going to thaw until Friday.

Did Sandra leave us? Sandra left us.

We'll keep you updated on this accident. We don't believe there was anybody was hurt, but it's going to take time, I would guess, for emergency crews to get there to clear off that highway.