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Update on Congresswoman Giffords and Others' Conditions; Funeral for Federal Judge John Roll; Fast Track to Sainthood; The Help Desk; What's Trending; Aussie Flood Victims Clean Up

Aired January 14, 2011 - 11:59   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to take you to Tucson now. There is another news conference going on at the hospital, and hopefully, we'll hear that that breathing tube will come out.

Let's listen.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

DR. PETER RHEE, MEDICAL DIRECTOR FOR TRAUMA: -- elaborate on in a few minutes here.

And there are three patients in good condition. One of the patients finally underwent her surgery yesterday. Everybody is doing extremely well, they're progressing forward, nothing is unexpected at this time period. And everybody seems to be making progress on healing.

So with that, we have one particular patient of interest whose also making particular strides, and for that I will introduce Dr. Lemole to give an update on that. But I also wanted to state that we would like to have a few minutes of your time for a statement read by the Douglas family, which we'll do and then followed by just a few questions regarding them -- Michael.

DR. MICHAEL LEMOLE, CHIEF OF NEUROSURGERY: As records to Congresswoman Giffords, she continues to follow those commands as we told you about before, and we're confident that she's making progress now. Her eyes that we described being opened, that kind of occurrence is more frequent at this time. And we can even think that she is beginning to carry out more complex sequences of events, more complex sequences of activity in response to our commands, or even spontaneously.

So we're very encouraged that she's continuing to make all the right moves in the right direction. Obviously, we're very cautious that she makes them at her own pace. But, again, we couldn't have hoped for any better improvement that we're seeing now given the severity of her injury initially.

RHEE: With that, if I could have the Douglas family coming up. We have Jenny and sister Chrissy here, who is going to make a brief statement.

JENNY DOUGLAS, ROB BARBER'S DAUGHTER: Good morning. My name is Jenny Douglas, and I'm Ron Barber's daughter. Standing beside me is my sister Chrissy Blake.

Our dad asked us to read a statement on his behalf, as he is being discharged from the hospital today. Here is the message from my dad.

"I want to thank the staff at University Medical Center for the incredible care and treatment they have given to me since I was brought to the emergency room last Saturday. But first, I don't believe I would have made it to the emergency room had it not been for the aid rendered to me on the scene by Anna Ballis, who applied pressure to one of my bullet wounds and helped stop the bleeding."

"There are so many people at UMC who have given me and my family every type of support we have needed over these days, and it would be impossible to name them all, but every one of them has had a profound impact on my recovery and the well-being of my family."

"There are a few I would particularly like to acknowledge: Dr. Rhee, and his trauma team; Dr. Hughes, and his vascular team; critical services director Jane Maddie Wilson (ph); the nurses, technicians, and all the staff in the ICU; case management; and social work staff; and my therapy team."

"Two nurses in the ICU were largely for my care. I have never met two more compassionate, skilled health care professionals as Tracy Coburt (ph) and Buck Marsala (ph). They feel like family to us now."

"All have contributed greatly to my recovery and ability to be discharged today. Their help has made it possible for me to attend the funeral services for Chief Judge John Roll and return home."

"We are extremely fortunate to have such an outstanding medical facility in our community led by CEO Kevin Burns (ph), and now the whole world knows about the high level of expertise and professionalism that is found here."

"I also want to thank, from the bottom of my heart, the people of Tucson who brought their words of encouragement to the front of the hospital. I saw their tributes, candles and photographs for the first time yesterday, and was deeply moved and uplifted."

"My healing process is well under way, and so is the healing of this wonderful community we call home. I ask everyone to continue their prayers for Congresswoman Giffords' full recovery and for all of the survivors of the tragic events last Saturday."

"I send my condolences to the families of the good people we lost and wish them spiritual solace and emotional recovery."

We will take a few questions.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

DOUGLAS: He has been. He was asked to make a personal statement, and he couldn't physically be in two places at the same time. And it was very important that he was at the funeral, so he asked my sister and I to make it on his behalf."

QUESTION: Did you see him when he left the hospital.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I did. I was with him when he left the hospital. It was both joyous and sad at the same time. We've really created quite a family up on the ICU, and we're going to miss them greatly. But we're definitely going to come back and visit.

It was quite a moment.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

DOUGLAS: He really wanted to see what was going on. My dad is a hands-on kind of guy. And being in a hospital bed does not suit him, so he insisted that we take him out there. He wanted to see the entire thing.

We walked the entire memorial. And what he said in the statement is right. He was both sad, but it was uplifting, for him to see this community that he loves so much come together in that way.

QUESTION: You said sitting in a hospital bed didn't suit him. Can you describe his character, his personality?

DOUGLAS: Our dad, he works hard. He works so hard. That's something that he's taught my sister and I.

He's always worked in service for people in his community. What they have said about him is that he's the first there at work and he's the last to leave. And that's true. That's what we know about him. That's how we grew up.

But he plays hard with us, too. I mean, he loves his family. And Sundays in our family, every Sunday, even when we were teenagers and we rolled our eyes, every Sunday was family day. So it's something he insisted on. He holds his family close to him, and he works hard, too.

QUESTION: How has this changed him? And how has it changed you guys?

DOUGLAS: People have been asking us that, and I -- it's hard to say right now. It's been such an emotional roller-coaster for us.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think we'll see the changes to come.

QUESTION: Is he walking?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's taking a few steps on his own with a walker.

QUESTION: I imagine he's eager to get back to the office. Is he going to be there on Monday?

DOUGLAS: We're going to keep him from doing that. He had a meeting in his room yesterday. My husband took some pictures of him sitting in his bed, you know, all his staff around him, staff and co- workers around him.

And, you know, that was heartwarming to see. It's like, dad's back.

QUESTION: Will you be releasing those pictures?

DOUGLAS: I believe my husband has given the permission to "The Star" to release a couple of photos this morning.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) .

DOUGLAS: He doesn't need any further surgeries. We don't expect any complications because he's healing so well. He will have in the home physical therapy and nursing care provided to him until he feels well enough to do things on his own.

QUESTION: What is this Sunday going to mean for you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's going to be quite a celebration.

DOUGLAS: It will be mixed because we'll be attending a funeral that day, but we'll be together.

RHEE: All right. Well, thank you very. Appreciate it.

This will be the last time we meet regularly like this. We haven't been picked up for the next season.

So, at this time, all other information that we have to give out, we'll give out in a routine way, both either on our hospital Web site or through our Public Affairs Office. And if something was to happen that we need to reconvene, then we'll coordinate that through our Public Affairs Office as well.

Thank you very much.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Well, we were hoping to hear the breathing tube would come out of Congresswoman Giffords' throat, but apparently not so yet. But she is still doing quite well and making good progress.

Other good news, Ron Barber, one of Giffords' staffers, being released from the hospital today. And he's going to be released specifically so he can go to Judge Roll's funeral. Of course, Judge Roll was killed in the shooting last Saturday.

Still, Ron Barber is well enough to go home after that. And as you heard from his daughters, they are quite happy.

Our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, talked with Giffords' doctors about her progress.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Do you feel that she understands all that has happened to her? LEMOLE: I'm starting to think so.

GUPTA: She knows?

LEMOLE: It's really -- I was there when the congresswoman and the senator were in the room. And to see her open her eye and look at them, there's just no question in my mind. And she's done that for her hospital as well. Those glimmers of recognition, that tracking of the eyes, tells you a whole lot more, that she is aware of her surroundings to some extent, coming in and out, perhaps, and that she's trying to engage that reality as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Want to take you live to Tucson right now to check in with Ted Rowlands. Judge Roll's memorial service is being held today.

Ted, can you set the scene for us?

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well, Mr. Barber is not the only one here. There are hundreds of people here to pay their respects to Judge John Roll.

He was a respected member of the court and law enforcement community here in Tucson, and the community as a whole. He was a very religious man.

In fact, when he went to see his friend, Gabby Giffords, at the Safeway for her event, he had come from mass on Saturday. Friends and family say that he attended mass pretty much every day. They are having mass right now at the same church that they had Christina Green's funeral at yesterday, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. And security is very tight here.

It is a closed mass to invitees only, but it is a full mass. And another sad day here in Tucson, Carol. The second string of six funerals that this city is going to be enduring over the next few days.

COSTELLO: I know Judge Roll's family has asked for privacy. Have they made any statement at all though, Ted?

ROWLANDS: No, they haven't. And since the beginning, they have respectfully asked for privacy. And I think it was in honor of Judge Roll, because that's the way he conducted his life.

You can see some of the police presence here as these motorcycles are coming off. That team of motorcycles brought the casket in about 30 minutes ago, and it was quite dramatic, to see the support of law enforcement going right up next to the hearse on those motorcycles. They came in, and like I say, a lot of people here in that community, law enforcement community, here to pay their respects for the judge.

COSTELLO: Thanks very much.

Ted Rowlands reporting live from Tucson. A pope's journey to sainthood. The Church prepares to beatify John Paul II. I'll talk to priest, author and culture editor, the Reverend James Martin.

First, our "Random Moment," moments away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Our "Random Moment of the Day" has found a goat that's a real grease monkey.

A North Carolina mechanic keeps a goat at his repair shop. He got the goat to trim his lawn initially, but wouldn't you know it? The neighbors complained, so Z moved into the auto shop. That's his name, the letter Z.

Z turns the shop lights out before going to sleep and occasionally swipes a wrench just for fun. Z may be last, but this goat is the first with customers.

And it's our "Random Moment."

OK. On to a completely different topic.

Pope John Paul II is on the road to becoming a saint. It's a fast track, really. The Vatican making plans for step one of a beatification ceremony this spring.

The Reverend James Martin is the culture editor and associate editor of "American" magazine, a Catholic publication based in New York. His most recent book is "The Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything."

Thank you for joining us, Father.

REV. JAMES MARTIN, "AMERICAN" MAGAZINE: My pleasure.

COSTELLO: OK. So can you explain this process, though? The first step is now taken, and it's because the Church determined, or the Vatican determined, that Pope John Paul performed a miracle. And he did this after death.

MARTIN: Well, actually, God performs the miracle. The idea is that people pray to John Paul for his help, for his prayers from heaven, and then God perform this is miracle. And it's a sign taken by the Church that John Paul is in heaven and is worthy of this beatification.

COSTELLO: And in this case, it was a nun suffering from Parkinson's Disease. And she was miraculously cured?

MARTIN: Well, she was. Her congregation prayed to John Paul for his prayers, and she was literally cured overnight. There was no scientific explanation of this. She did not go back to the Parkinson's, and it's very touching because, of course, John Paul, as everyone knows, suffered from Parkinson's. And the nun herself said she felt a great kinship with him because of his illness.

COSTELLO: So what is the next step?

MARTIN: Well, the next step is people continue to pray to John Paul for a miracle, for his prayers, and the Church waits for another miracle to be authenticated. And after that, he will be canonized. Before that, of course, he's beatified in a special ceremony that will be presided over by Pope Benedict, but it will probably be only a few years, God willing, to full canonization, and we'll be calling him "St. John Paul."

COSTELLO: So how does that exactly work? I mean, do people call in to the Vatican or write the Vatican and say, I think Pope John Paul has performed a miracle in my life, or help performed a miracle? Because as you said, God does that.

MARTIN: Yes, it's a very strict process. You know, they have a team of medical experts, many of them non-Catholics, who pore over medical records. And you not only have to have medical records afterwards, but beforehand, so people can tell whether or not there was actually an illness, whether it was incurable, whether it was attributable to -- the cure -- to some other medical cause, and it really has to be miraculous.

It has to be totally unexplainable by scientists. So the Vatican sets the bar very high.

COSTELLO: This process, though, you know, in Vatican terms, has moved along rather quickly though, hasn't it?

MARTIN: It has. He was really fast-tracked.

Normally there's a five-year wait after the person has died before the process starts. But Pope Benedict XVI waved that, I think, in response to popular demand for the process to be moved along. So, you know, it's an occasion where the pope was responding to really the wishes of the people on the ground.

COSTELLO: I know that right after his death there were already calls to make Pope John Paul a saint. Why do you think he's so beloved?

MARTIN: That's a difficult question. I mean, for many reasons.

I think people liked him personally. I think they saw a very difficult life that he led through Nazism and communism. He went all around the world, so people had a chance to see him personally.

I think they admired his great faith, his devotion to Christ, his devotion to Mary, his many accomplishments. So, you know, there are many reasons that people love John Paul.

COSTELLO: You know, as with everything, there is controversy surrounding this, especially from the sex abuse victims, you know, people who have been victims of priests within the Catholic Church, because some of that abuse happened on Pope John Paul's watch. MARTIN: No, there is. I mean, a lot of groups are not happy about this.

I think that, you know, when a lot of these things came to light -- this is by no means an excuse -- but John Paul was a very elderly and quite sick man. And so I think that needs to be factored into the equation as well.

COSTELLO: Father Martin, thank you so much for joining us and explaining things. We appreciate it.

MARTIN: My pleasure.

COSTELLO: Danger ahead. See what happens when there's a mix of melting snow and steady rain.

Plus, imagine ordering food at a restaurant and paying whatever you want to. A handful of restaurants are doing this for millions of Americans who have fallen on hard times.

Panera Bread is opening its third pay what you wish for store on Monday. It's in Portland, Oregon. Last year, it opened stores in Missouri and Michigan.

The stores are run as nonprofits. There is a suggested amount to pay, and if a customer can't afford to pay anything, they are asked to volunteer their time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RON SCHAICH, CHAIRMAN, PANERA BREAD: You take what you need, you give what you can. And the bet we're making is on humanity. The bet we're making is that enough people will come in who will give enough that this cafe can sustain.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So, you're wondering, how many people actually pay less than the suggested about? Twenty percent, 40 percent, or 80 percent? You might be surprised by the answer.

We'll be back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Did you have the right answer? Well, it turns out only 20 percent of people pay less than the suggested amount at Panera's new pay what you wish stores. Talk about honest Americans.

Sixty percent pay what is suggested, and 20 percent actually pay more. That makes me feel good.

Let's talk about something bad, though.

Dangerous mix. Melting snow and continuing rain are filling rivers across the state of Washington that is triggering mudslides. One actually caused a hillside to collapse onto a highway. Another hit railroad tracks, halting passenger train service. Flooding, also becoming a problem, and authorities warn of avalanche dangers in the mountains.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: It's been one year since the devastating earthquake in Haiti. What's the status of the relief efforts there? That's what we're talking about in our "What Matters" segment today.

Only 38 percent of donations from 60 major relief organizations has been spent for the country's recovery. That's according to the chronicle "Philanthropy."

The U.S. alone raised $1.4 billion. Worldwide, more than $10 billion was pledged. It takes planning and legislation to turn those pledges into cash and put the money to work. Some have been critical of the Haitian government for not taking the necessary steps to get the country back on its feet.

From broken government to broken homes, the U.S. Census Bureau is breaking down the diversity of divorce. The survey polled more than three million people over a span of five years. Here are the results.

More than 12 percent of Native Americans had divorced and not remarried during that period; 11.5 percent of African-Americans; just under 11 percent of whites; but fewer than five percent of Asians divorced. What is their secret? That's a story, isn't it?

To read more stories that matter to all of us, pick up the latest issues of "Essence" magazine now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Doctors report more progress of the condition of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Just moments ago they said she is responding to commands and she is moving.

Giffords' husband says doctors may remove her breathing tube today. She opened her eyes for the first time on Wednesday, and doctors say her eye movement suggests she's aware of her surroundings. And she's able to move her arms and legs.

Our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, was granted access to the trauma room where Giffords was first treated. He talked with her doctors and her husband.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA: Captain Mark Kelly was in Houston when he got the call from Giffords' chief of staff telling him to come quickly to Tucson. He's a Navy pilot, he's an astronaut. He was able to get on a plane, a private one, and get here within 45 minutes, he told me.

He got here right as his wife was coming out of the operation and into the ICU. And it was at that time that he spoke to Dr. Rhee and Dr. Lemole specifically about what had happened, learned the details of this gunshot injury to his wife's brain. Remarkable.

He talked a lot about what the last several days have been like, including when the president came to visit. And I asked him -- I said, "Do you think your wife knew the president was in the room when he visited?" And he paused for a second and he said, "Well, I think she knew he was there, but she was trying to piece together why he was there."

And I tell you that because I think it's important to get an idea of exactly where the congresswoman's cognitive function is now. She's starting to put pieces of this puzzle together, trying to understand exactly what happened to her.

She's shown higher cognitive function all along. This a further step up of awareness.

I asked the chief of neurosurgery specifically about that. This is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GUPTA: Do you feel that she understands all that has happened to her?

DR. MICHAEL LEMOLE, CHIEF OF NEUROSURGERY: I'm starting to think so.

GUPTA: She knows?

LEMOLE: It's really -- I was there when the congresswoman and the senator were in the room. And to see her open the eye and look at them, there's no question in my mind.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUPTA: Captain Kelly also told me that his wife could have her breathing tube out as early as today. It could be a couple more days, but they have not had one day backwards, something they expected. Every day since this injury they have been moving forward.

A lot happened to make her recovery so successful, and part of it is how she was treated exactly when she got to the hospital. Dr. Randall Fries was there. He was the first doctor to see her. And he showed us an exclusive look at what transpired, including the room where she was initially treated. Listen to how he described it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. RANDALL FRIESE, CRITICAL CARE SURGEON: The first thing I did was walked in the room. Some things were occurring and I think I've said this before, but my first response was, I grabbed her hand, leaned in to her and said, "Ms. Giffords, you're in the hospital. We're going to care for you. Please squeeze my hand." And she did.

(END VIDEO CLIP) GUPTA: Why exactly one survives a gunshot wound is - lots of different factors. But one of them was the speed at which this worked. Thirty-eight minutes from the time she hit the door to the time she was in the operating room, as the Dr. Friese, Dr. Rhee and Dr. Lemole went to work. Back to you.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Sanjay. Join us this weekend for a special edition of "SANJAY GUPTA, M.D." He will be in Tucson with the latest on Congresswoman Giffords' condition. That's Saturday and Sunday at 7:30 a.m. Eastern.

Taking a look at top stories now. A state of emergency declared in Tunisia just an hour ago. The president dissolved the government. Thousands of protestors have been clashing with security forces on the streets of the capital for days. They are angry over high unemployment, rising prices and alleged corruption.

(VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: A woman is wailing as flooding in Brazil becomes even more desperate. More than 500 have died, many more are missing. Rain fell again overnight, and the forecast has it continue for several more days.

Another scandal rocks Italy's colorful prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi. Get this, he is now under investigation for allegedly having sex with a teenage prostitute. Prosecutors say that the nightclub dancer was 17 at the time.

It's the ultimate man versus machine competition. We'll find out how a supercomputer named for IBM's founder handled a practice round of Jeopardy against the game show's top contestants.

You're online right now and we are, too, tracking the hottest stories "Trending Online." Sandra, what have you found?

SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, "Trending Online," CNN.com has a story about Chernobyl, the site of the world's worst nuclear accident. Well, look at it now. There are signs of life. And this is certainly an amazing scene with a lot of vegetation growing. So, scientists are encouraged by this.

Keep in mind, a lot of people are not allowed to go there yet, but they are hoping to open the site up soon. That is trending on CNN.com, and we'll have a lot more coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: OK. The Jeopardy category is "Chicks Dig Me." Who wins it, a human or a computer? Here's a hint. It's not a human.

IMB's Watson easily defeated top Jeopardy champs Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter in yesterday's practice round. Show host Alex Trebek tells us about his computer contestant.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ALEX TREBEK, HOST OF "JEOPARDY": You expected to come up with the correct question, and yet it will pull something that is so out of line it makes you wonder, is there a glitch? Is my home computer locking up on me? Do I have to press escape, delete, alt, whatever? All of those things.

But most of the time, Watson performs extremely well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Darn it. To be fair, Jennings and Rutter haven't had a buzzer in their hands for five years. The charity tournament being recorded today will air next month. That's when you can see it.

Old-school paper checks are quickly becoming a thing of the past. The latest example, the government is offering to give some Americans their tax refund on a prepaid debit card. Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange with the details. How does this work, Alison?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, what this is, Carol, it's a test program for low-income Americans only. I'm talking about people who make less than $35,000 a year. And what this would do is it would give their tax refund, actually direct deposit them on to a prepaid debit card.

Now, the government is going to go ahead and send out letters next week to about 600,000 people who would be eligible. It will tell them how to activate this card if they choose to do so. And these low-income Americans are targeted because they most likely would not have a bank account in the first place.

Now, keep in mind, this debit card would have some fees, but it could be worth it because with a lot of these people who don't have bank accounts, they have to go to these check cashing places. And fees are often charged there. Besides, it's convenient. They can make purchases with it, pay bills, make a direct deposit. It may be a win-win, Carol.

COSTELLO: Maybe so. I was just wondering. It sounds convenient, but it's not exactly a goodwill effort, is it?

KOSIK: No, no, of course not. It's all about saving money with the government. With this prepaid card, the government only needs to spend about 10 cents for each card. And with a paper check it's about a buck each.

And it's also part of a bigger push the government putting underway. It is phasing out those Social Security paper checks. The IRS is not mailing out that big book of tax forms anymore, either. So by not having all of these mailings, it means that the government is going to wind up saving hundreds of millions of dollars.

You know how it is. It all comes down to the old greenback, Carol.

COSTELLO: Definitely. Speaking of -- well, I guess not exactly greenbacks, but how are the markets looking?

KOSIK: You know, they did a 180. We started in the red, and now we are in the green. The Dow is up 38 points. The NASDAQ higher about 11.

Our eyes are on JPMorgan Chase. Shares are up two-and-a-half percent. It's fourth quarter earnings were a whopping $4.8 billion, up almost 50 percent. Analysts say it's a good sign that bank earnings next week will be strong. We're going to hear from some of the biggies, like Bank of America, CitiGroup, and Wells Fargo. Carol?

COSTELLO: So glad they're doing well. Thank you very much. Alison Kosik reporting for us.

KOSIK: Sure.

COSTELLO: The suggestion for a new seating plan at the state of the union address is catching on. We'll tell you who is in favor of the Democrats and the Republicans sitting together.

But, first, a University of Colorado study of almost 700 bloggers suggest the words they used most often are a pretty good indicator of personality. Among extroverts, the top words are bar, restaurant, drinks, dancing. For those bloggers deemed "agreeable," wonderful, together, morning, and spring.

Just ahead, we'll run down the words used most often by conscientious and neurotic bloggers.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: You can blog, but you can't hide. A recent study suggests that the words used most often by bloggers can reveal their personalities. Among conscientious bloggers, those words are completed, adventurous, stupid, and boring. While neurotic bloggers like to use words like lazy, depressing, awful and worse. The study's author says our personalities don't change just because we've turned on a computer.

A top Republican likes the idea of mixing things up for the state of the union address. Brianna Keilar, part of The Best Political Team live from Baltimore, Maryland. What is crossing right now?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Carol, taking the political ticker on the road, This is our newest story that you can see at CNNpolitics.com. Right here in Baltimore, the House GOP retreat. The number three Republican, Kevin McCarthy, says he likes this idea of Republicans and Democrats sitting next to each other during the president's state of the union address later this month.

Listen to a little bit of what he said to reporters a short time ago about why this is a good idea.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R), MAJORITY WHIP: I think in this time and in this nature, it kind of goes to what Speaker Boehner said. After the incident with Gabby, he said "one attack on one of us is an attack on all who serve." And I think that comment set a tone to what that House looks like, and I think the action that you're seeing, members are now saying, hey, yes, why don't we sit next to one another? We are all one House.

That's the action that you'll see, and it doesn't take a call from somebody. I think you're going to find that people are willing to do it and wanting to do it and not because someone is out telling them to do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Now, McCarthy is the number three Republican in the House. He's the first Republican leader in Congress to give this idea a thumb's up. Who would he sit next to? He told CNN he would sit next to Steny Hoyer, the number two Democrat. He says he has a good relationship with him.

But keep in mind, he's not saying that Republican leaders are telling all other Republicans that they should go ahead and do the same thing. He said it's a good idea but he thinks people will embrace the idea without it being some sort of formal edict.

Now, also on the ticker, you know that race for the Republican nomination for the 2012 presidential race really starting to heat up. You can tell just by where people are going. And we're talking about Mitt Romney.

He's all but declared, and where is he? Israel, where he snagged a sit down with president - or Prime Minister, pardon me - Benjamin Netanyahu. This is the first of many likely candidates heading to Israel. Romney on a week-long tour of the Middle East. He was also in Afghanistan where he met with Hamid Karzai.

So, it's really interesting, Carol. You can see where all of these potential candidates are going. We're covering it on the ticker. You can just chart their ambitions by where they are going on the map.

COSTELLO: Back to the State of the Union, it reminds me of girl, boy, girl, boy. So it will be Democrat, Republican, Democrat, Republican. I mean I know I'm not being very nice, but I think Americans really want them to get along while they legislate.

KEILAR: Yes, and that's actually something that McCarthy (ph) was talking about. He said, you know, this idea, I like this idea of sitting next to each other, but what the American people want is for us to have a debate. And I think you are right in that regard, that this concept of them kind of mingling is maybe important but certainly I think people maybe want it to go farther than that.

COSTELLO: Well, for example, Brianna, isn't the health care thing going to come up next week again? KEILAR: Yes, the health care repeal vote in the House. And certainly that's a very politically charged vote. It was supposed to happen this week. It got delayed because of the tragedy in Tucson.

What you're hearing from Republicans here in Baltimore is that, you know, the tone needs to be addressed certainly of the way this goes down, but that the people's business needs to continue. And they're saying that they're going to be firm in delivering what they think voters want them to deliver from the election results of the midterms -- Carol.

COSTELLO: I'll just be interested to, you know, -- I'll wait to see if we hear words like socialism and, you know, all of the rest of those loaded words on the House floor. It will be interesting to hear the tone.

KEILAR: Yes, it will be.

COSTELLO: Brianna Keilar, thanks, live from Baltimore.

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

Brazil scrambles to save people in danger of being washed away. Caught on tape, a woman is pulled to safety by her neighbors.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Time now for "The Help Desk," where we answer your financial questions. Joining me this hour, Ryan Mack. He's the president of Optimum Capital Management. And Gary Schatsky's here. He's the president of objectiveadvice.com.

Gents, thanks for being here.

Let's start off with our first question from Jill who writes in, "I own a small online children's boutique which I started about three years ago. I decided to expand and used several credit cards to purchase merchandise. I owe quite a lot of money on the credit cards. The monthly payments are being made but mostly on behalf of my husband's income and we need to somehow cut it down. Do you recommend debt consolidation? Is there another alternative?"

What do you think, Ryan?

RYAN MACK, PRESIDENT, OPTIMUM CAPITAL MANAGEMENT: Well, first of all, I would like for her to eliminate the word small from her children's boutique. It's a children's boutique. Let's not -- start thinking big. And she's already acting big by using a credit card to make expansion. So next time you want to do it a little bit more responsibly. Maybe she should -- if you go the consolidation route, understand that they do charge fees sometimes and you might actually end up paying even more money than if you'd have called them individually and negotiated to get the credit card rates down.

So what she would also start doing is using social media and other different outlets to do some free marketing strategies, to get more revenue and income and start making -- helping her husband out and paying those bills down. Maybe do a viewing party of some of her sample merchandise for all of her family and friends so they could start acting as sales agents. Put some newsletters out on constant contact reminding her friends of different sales that they have and she can start earning additional income. It's a business. Sixty, eighty percent of all new hires are going to come from small businesses. I wish her the best of luck.

ELAM: Yes, let's see if she can make it happen and pay down those bills.

MACK: Yes.

ELAM: All right. The next question is from Sonja in New Hampshire. She writes in, "our family of four incurred medical and dental expenses between $2,000 and $3,000 in 2010. Is this tax deductible and does it depend on your annual household income?" -- Gary.

GARY SCHATSKY, PRESIDENT, OBJECTIVEADVICE.COM: It absolutely depends on our household income. And this is kind of the bad news for a lot of people. In order to itemize medical and dental expenses, your expense has to be greater than 7.5 percent of what they call your adjusted gross income. So that's all of -- really all of the income that you're taking in. So what that means is in order to deduct $2,000 to $3,000, unfortunately, the household income has to be somewhere around $30,000. So it's a really -- the only time people are able to really deduct medical and dental is if kind of a real tragedy occurs, either because the expenses or high or the income has dropped off quite low.

ELAM: So, more than likely the answer for her is probably not?

SCHATSKY: Probably not.

ELAM: All right. All right, well, thank you, gentlemen, for your advice today. It's good to have you here.

Of course, if you have a question you'd like to get answer, we'd love to help you out. So send us an e-mail any time to cnnhelpdesk@cnn.com.

COSTELLO: You're online and we are, too. Sandra Endo is tracking what's trending on the web.

Hi, Sandra.

SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Carol.

Well, Twitter certainly has a life of its own. A whole personality of its own. And don't ask me why, but trending today is confessing hour. So people are tweeting some funny things they're confessing to. Let's take a look.

We tried to find the most juiciest stuff for you, Carol, but here we go. Confession hour. "I'm scared of heights, but I love roller coasters." All right, pretty PG there.

Another guy writes in, "I haven't beat up anyone in a while now but my attitude is getting a lot better." And kind of weird, right?

Another guy writes in, "people thought I'm strong and invincible, but in reality I'm a cry baby."

And one more. I kind of like this one. Confession hour. "I still sleep with stuffed animals."

So it's not the deepest confessions in the world, Carol, but that's what's trending. Why on earth would you pour out your soul on Twitter anyway? I don't get it.

COSTELLO: I don't think they're exactly pouring out their soul. I sleep with stuffed animals.

ENDO: Yes.

COSTELLO: It's cute, though. Whatever makes you happy.

ENDO: Who knows. Yes, exactly.

COSTELLO: Yes.

Tell us about this rat.

ENDO: Oh, my gosh. I know. I saw this video and I was just squirming in my seats. This video is going viral and it grosses me out every time we look at it. So here's the scenario. A New York City subway, an unassuming man and a rat. Take a look.

Oh, isn't that disgusting? That is just so gross. And I love how there was an expletive bleeped out there because that would be anyone's reaction, right?

COSTELLO: I can't even -- I usually, when I ride the subway, see the rats on the platform, not inside the cars.

ENDO: Exactly. That is so disgusting.

COSTELLO: Although someone told me the other day that rats are so big in New York's subway that they can actually walk up stairs.

ENDO: Oh, it is gross. Yes, I lived there a long time.

But if we have one more time for this, a New York City girl, Martha Stewart, is blogging about her recent trip to the emergency room. You should check it out on her blog. And that is trending online, Carol.

COSTELLO: And she's OK, too.

Thank you, Sandra. We appreciate it, we think.

ENDO: You got it.

COSTELLO: We're back after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Breaking news to tell you about right now. These pictures out of Tunisia. As you can see, there's been a lot of unrest there. The government has been dissolved. We've just learned moments ago that the Tunisian prime minister has now taken over as president. He declared that on state TV. Thousands of protesters have been clashing with security forces on the streets of the capital for days. These people angry over high unemployment, rising prices and alleged corruption. But, once again, maybe they'll get relief, I don't know. But the Tunisian prime minister now taking over as president of Tunisia. We'll have much more for you later as things develop there.

Down under in Queensland, Australia, the floodwaters have receded, leaving a massive, muddy mess. CNN's Phil Black talked with some of the survivors in Brisbane as they clean up the sludge and try to rebuild their lives.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When we last came to Lincoln Street two days ago, we needed a boat. The water was still rising, but it was already up among the rooftops. This is what Greg Baldwin's house looked like then. Today he returned for the first time.

BLACK (on camera): First impression?

GREG BALDWIN, BRISBANE FLOOD VICTIM: Oh, shock. You never appreciate how bad it gets. People kept telling me how bad it was, but until you come and see it yourself, you never know.

BLACK: So was all this slim and silt right through the house?

BALDWIN: Yes, the silt and slim was right through the whole area.

BLACK: Thick?

BALDWIN: Yes, it would be a half an inch or so thick.

BLACK: This was clearly past the roof.

BALDWIN: Oh, yes, well up past the roof. As you can see, you've got ceiling damage there. You want to have a quick (INAUDIBLE) --

BLACK: Yes, please.

BALDWIN: And just see what mother nature did. Tossed the beds up and around and the cupboards. We haven't even started in there yet. BLACK (voice-over): When he says we, he means the team of volunteers who showed up at his house that morning.

BALDWIN: And before I know, there was like people behind me saying, what can we do?

BLACK (on camera): Did you know ---

BALDWIN: (INAUDIBLE) never seen them before.

BLACK: Didn't know these people?

BALDWIN: No.

BLACK (voice-over): You see it across Brisbane's worst hit areas, locals desperately trying to clear their homes of ankle-deep mud, building piles of goods destroyed by the water and working with them is a volunteer force of those who were spared by the flood.

BLACK (on camera): What are you up to?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I'm just delivering sandwiches to my neighbor.

BLACK: Why?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because they're hungry. Look at them.

BLACK: That's very kind of you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, we didn't get affected, so anything we can do to help.

BLACK (voice-over): This isn't what Shelly Douyere had planned for today.

SHELLY DOUYERE, BRISBANE FLOOD VICTIM: It's not a great birthday.

BLACK: She spent it throwing away 50 years of possessions and memories.

DOUYERE: You just start again because we're all alive and there's a lot of people out there that aren't. Sorry for crying.

BLACK (on camera): It's all right. It's OK.

DOUYERE: We are so lucky and I've got amazing family and amazing kids.

BLACK: Despite all this sludge and ruin, you don't hear a lot of complaining. People are just getting on with it. As you walk up and down the street, talking to them, people will tell you, it could have been a lot worse and they're just glad they're not mourning the loss of someone they know.