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President Obama on U.S.-Chinese Tensions; Hollywood Gears up for the Golden Globe Awards; Back to Work for the House of Representatives; Revised Zodiac Chart Stirring up Confusion
Aired January 16, 2011 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Just days before his official state visit to the U.S., China's President admits tension between Beijing and Washington, but he says his trip will focus on forging common ground, the story straight ahead.
And a new revised zodiac chart is released during a huge controversy and a whole lot of confusion. An astrologer joins us live this hour.
And we'll take you live to the red carpet as the biggest stars of Hollywood gear up for the Golden Globe. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
First, it is back to work for members of the U.S. House. The contentious issue of health care reform will take center stage but the rhetoric surrounding the debate may sound much different than before.
CNN's Sandra Endo joins us live now from Washington with more on this. Sandra?
SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, certainly that's the goal at least to tone down the rhetoric. As you mentioned, lawmakers will be returning to normal legislative business this week after spending last week grieving for the victims of the Arizona shooting.
Now on the agenda is healthcare. House Republicans want to repeal the reform law but while Democrats are fighting to make sure it stands. Now the debate was heated the first time around, this time the focus will be on the rhetoric. In the wake of the Arizona shooting, President Obama called for a more civil tone when it comes to public discourse. Lawmakers were talking about that point this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JEFF FLAKE (R), ARIZONA: I think you'll see a more civil debate than you would have had otherwise. I'm not sure the substance of the debate will change that much. And I think Republicans are committed to repealing the law in the House obviously, but I do think that the tone will change, and that's a good thing. I think it was a good decision to put it off for a week.
REP. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (D), FLORIDA: I think we need to be leaders by example and when we do that, then hopefully we're going to be able to push the shock jocks and others outside our process to take a page from our book. And if we can have a more productive civil discourse then we can really live up to President Obama's words and Christina Taylor-Green's dreams of her expectations for our democracy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ENDO: Now the House returns Tuesday after the Martin Luther King holiday.
WHITFIELD: And the meanwhile the White House has a pretty busy schedule as well. The White House will be hosting a state visit from China's President come Tuesday, right?
ENDO: Yes. This is a pretty big deal. The president will be hosting Chinese President Hu Jintao this week and the focus is supposed to be on expanding cooperation between the U.S. and China, and on the agenda will be bilateral, global, and regional issues, very important because the president has said before, he believes the U.S.-China relationship will shape the 21st century. Of course, China being a very recognizable force actually to be reckoned with. So it will be interesting to see how this meeting shapes up.
WHITFIELD: All right. Sandra Endo, thanks so much from Washington.
So expect a lot of talk about trade and the economies of both nations, the Chine and the U.S..
Ted Fishman joins us now from Chicago. His best-seller "China, Inc." looks at the effect that that country has had on the global economy. Good to see you.
TED FISHMAN, AUTHOR "CHINA, INC.": Nice to be with you. I think you're so right that this is a very important moment, Fredricka. Americans should be watching this very carefully.
WHITFIELD: A lot is at stake. Why is that? The Chinese president was willing to talk to "The Washington Post" and Hu Jintao was willing to say that while there's a lot of tension, he's almost certain that there will be common ground during this state visit. Why would he venture to say that?
FISHMAN: Well, there has to be common ground. One reason is that we should be looking for it. China is now at a stage it's hard for Americans to grasp but their economy is nearly as large as ours. By some accounts, it surpassed ours. Our prosperity in the future really depends on our ability to find markets there, to drive American industry into China, to find the kind of prosperity the rest of the world found when America rose to the top of the economic heap. We brought prosperity for much of the rest of the world and now we need to count on China to make us richer and better.
WHITFIELD: So there are huge strategic differences between the U.S. and China, not just how it does business but how it even talks about does business with other countries. So for example, if I get this right, you know, China, many other representatives will be visiting some Chicago members of leadership there, talking about doing business, going to the local economies, going to the local governments as opposed to dealing directly with the U.S. government. Why is that? FISHMAN: You know, there's two kinds of Chinas as far as America is concerned. There's the kind that's talked about in Washington, which is the big threat, how do you navigate the big issues like currency, intellectual property. And then there's the China that is greeted by local constituencies all over the country, cities and states. And China's bringing 400 businesses to Chicago in a huge parade that shows their economic might.
And for Chicago, this is a big moment because it is a way for the local industries and the heart of industrial America to find an inroad into China, to cement those relationships, and to invite China to invest in the local economy here in Chicago where I sit.
WHITFIELD: But then you're also willing to -
FISHMAN: -- the mayor has taken a very personal interest in it.
WHITFIELD: But some in the vernacular are even saying China is actually undercutting the U.S. government by taking this approach.
FISHMAN: Yes. Well, we're undercutting some of our national agendas. You know, we had a vigorous discussion in Washington about tariffs, about retaliatory measures against some of China's trade programs, but when it comes to the localities, they are saying we will do anything to get you here. We will fight to have you here. We will give incentives to Chinese businesses, and China hears both of these.
And so it's not an accident that they're going to the biggest, most friendly constituency for China in the United States, which is Chicago.
WHITFIELD: So these discussions between Hu Jintao and President Obama - and by the way, this is really the first state visit for Hu Jintao. He did come to the U.S. on the invitation of former president George W. Bush but it wasn't considered a state visit. Why is it different this time? Why is it important to have the state visit treatment?
FISHMAN: Well, I think part of the reason is there has been so much tension between the two leaders. They've met seven times to date. In one of their last meetings there was a big negotiation about whether they will meet at all. So as Hu Jintao moves out and a new group moves in into power in China in the next two years. And the president faces re-election, they need to find a prosperity path together to cement both of their credibility.
And I think this is one of the deals they struck for this visit. They didn't have a real definite date on it until just a short time ago and then once they set it, they decided to go all out and go for this cooperative strategy.
WHITFIELD: So do you see the U.S. or President Obama extending some sort of offer to China that would mean both China and the U.S. would benefit?
FISHMAN: You know, I actually see bigger offers coming from China. I think China's going to be striking very, very large business deals, tens of billions of dollars' worth of business, and they're going to hope that through the back channel that the rhetoric from the U.S. and from the White House and from the Congress gets toned down. There won't be immediate overtures from the American side on this visit. But the long term kind of easing of tensions is what China hopes for by striking big.
WHITFIELD: So when you say big deals, does that mean big deals that would ensure more jobs for Americans or big deals that might mean that American businesses might be able to profit more if they do business abroad in China?
FISHMAN: We're going to see both those things. We're going to see Chinese willing to take big stakes in American companies, place big orders with our large industrial firms like our aerospace firms and also they're going to be promising an increasing openness to China. Whether that openness will pan out in the long run remains to be seen. They're very good at talking a good game and then closing the doors later.
WHITFIELD: Ted Fishman, author of "China Inc." Thanks so much for your time from Chicago. Appreciate it.
FISHMAN: Thank you, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And there's an ironic twist I want to share with you in the aftermath now of the Tucson shooting. A 63-year-old survivor of the attack is in a mental health facility after threatening an Arizona Tea Party member.
James Fuller is a former campaign volunteer for Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. He has publicly tried to link gun rights advocates to the attack which killed six people and wounded 13 others including Fuller and Giffords. Fuller was taken into custody at a town hall meeting yesterday after an outburst during a discussion on gun control.
Fuller told Tea Party member Ted Humphries (ph), "You are dead." Fuller was arrested for disorderly conduct, and making a threat, and then sent to a mental health facility for a health evaluation.
Meantime, Congresswoman Giffords continues to recover from her wounds. She remains in critical condition in a Tucson hospital. But a friend says she's "doing great." U.S. Representative Kirsten Gillibrand says Giffords is able to move her arms and legs and to look at people who are visiting her.
Two other survivors of the Tucson shootings remain in the hospital and both are reportedly in good condition. A third survivor, 58-year-old James Tucker was actually released yesterday.
Tucson continues to mourn those who died in the January 8th shooting. Funeral services are being held at this hour for Dorwin Stoddard, a retired construction worker. Stoddard died trying to shield his wife from the gunfire. She is recovering from leg wounds.
And many people have been wondering why there was no intervention for the shooting suspect before the Tucson tragedy. Yesterday I spoke with a leading forensic psychologist about the signs of mental instability. He offered some advice for protecting yourself if you suspect someone's behavior could turn violent.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. PARK DIETZ, FORENSIC PSYCHIATRIST: In the workplace, one should contact human resources or the highest ranking member of the company one can and tell them what one knows. In a school or campus environment, if it's about a student, one should contact the dean of students. And if it's about an employee, one should contact human resources.
If it's about your neighbor, you have a bigger problem because there's no organized process short of going to law enforcement or seeking assistance from private security -
WHITFIELD: And law enforcement would say, "wait a minute, you only suspect something strange, he hasn't done anything or she hasn't done anything. We can't do anything, right?
DIETZ: Yes. The tools that institution have are much more varied than the tools that law enforcement has and it's quite difficult, if this is within one's family or one's neighborhood.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Dr. Park Dietz. And we'll look at the impact the Tucson shootings could have on congressional security later on this hour.
Also ahead, counting votes in Sudan. The outcome could lead to a new country. But next the answer to the question, what's your sign? Well, it's not as easy as it used to be. We found out this week that we may not be the sign that we always thought we were. We're bringing in an astrologer to explain.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. There's a whole lot of buzz about a new revised zodiac chart released this week and it's stirring up a lot of controversy to it, a whole lot of confusion. So we went looking for help.
Susan Miller is an astrologer and the founder of astologyzone.com. She's joining us right now from New York. So Susan, before this segment, what was your sign? And what are you now?
SUSAN MILLER, FOUNDER, ASTROLOGYZONE.COM: You know, everyone is exactly the same sign as they were before.
WHITFIELD: Really?
MILLER: There is no difference. This is not a new concept.
WHITFIELD: Well, what is this? What is Ophiuchus - I don't even know how you pronounce it. And what is it? MILLER: Well, first let's go back to the press release that started all this. I think the scientist had mentioned all this as an aside, didn't mean to stir up this controversy and was quite bewildered when a firestorm of media descended on these comments.
The idea that the constellation have shifted somewhat actually originated back with Hippocrates of Narsia which started back in 125 A.D. approximately. This is ancient Greece. We knew about it then. It really has no bearing on western tropical astrology.
WHITFIELD: OK. So if I was a Capricorn before Friday when this was first reported, I'm still a Capricorn today.
MILLER: You are.
WHITFIELD: What is the dynamic? I mean why do we care about this -
(CROSSTALK)
MILLER: First of all - no, no, no. That constellation actually did exist in ancient days. It was part of the constellation, but the ancients felt it was not important.
WHITFIELD: OK. So we're going to pull this chart because this chart has been devised as a result of this - is it Ophiuchus? Am I saying it right?
MILLER: I know.
WHITFIELD: OK. This is Ophiuchus. Which means it shifts everything by about a month.
MILLER: Yes.
WHITFIELD: So while I may have been a Leo all my life, now, according to this I'm a Taurus. And I tell you now, based on all the characteristics from what I've known, a Taurus, a Gemini, I am a Gemini.
MILLER: No. Ignore it. Here's why. The constellations don't give you your personality. Planets do. First of all, that extra constellation doesn't even have a planet ruling it. If you don't have a planetary ruler, you don't have any personality characteristics. It's insane. Each sign has a ruler. For example, you're a Capricorn, did you say? I'm sorry.
WHITFIELD: No. I'm actually a Gemini. I'm using my Capricorn friend.
(CROSSTALK)
MILLER: A Gemini.
WHITFIELD: A Gemini.
MILLER: You are ruled by Mercury. Of course, you're in the news business. You would be a Gemini. But the constellations don't give you your characteristics. They have moved in time, but they have no bearing on astrology. There are two different things that don't intersect, and the scientists who put this forward is not an astrologer. And he even had to (INAUDIBLE)
(CROSSTALK)
MILLER: Yes, all of the astrologers are. I could get technical but I'm afraid I'll just confused people even more.
WHITFIELD: Well, you're so smart, and it's all really convincing but I still am confused, except that I like that you're telling me I get to say -
MILLER: No, tell me -
(CROSSTALK)
MILLER: There's a whole branch of astrology that has studied (INAUDIBLE) astrology. That's what this whole new thing is. We've been studying it for decades and hundreds and upon hundreds of years, generations of astrologers. When we shift things, it's actually 23 degrees, we find astrology doesn't work.
Astrology is based on the beginning of the equinox in spring, being Aries, and it's related to the seasons. So I could get technical, but I'm afraid it's going to be like kittens and yarn. People won't be able to get out of that.
WHITFIELD: So when we open up the newspaper and I read the horoscope, I just want to know what's happening to me today, what could happen, et cetera. I'm going to stick with the plan and I'm not going to -
(CROSSTALK)
MILLER: You must stick to it. Yes, I just wrote a book, "The Year Ahead 2011."
WHITFIELD: All right. That's our guide (INAUDIBLE) now.
MILLER: You know, I can tell you which sign is going to have money, which sign is going to have careers. You know, all the goodies you have to look forward to this year.
WHITFIELD: That's right. 2011 is going to be a great year. We like that. Positive thinking.
MILLER: Yes. It is. And instead of getting all stirred up about this, let's focus on the positive parts of life. Let's do that always.
WHITFIELD: I like that. All right. Susan Miller, thanks so much. Appreciate that. Half glass full beginning with you remain what you think you have been all these years in terms of the zodiac sign. Hold up the book.
MILLER: It's "The Year Ahead 2011," which is only available on my astrologyzone.com site but also on the nook and the kindle on Amazon.
WHITFIELD: That's fantastic, Susan. Thanks so much. Appreciate it.
MILLER: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: Bye-bye.
All right. Hey, we're going to shift gears quite a bit because we're going to have viral videos coming up, and you're going to see a dog who simply can't get enough of the snow, and a cross-eyed possum. You may have seen a little bit of him during the past week. Well, some people just can't get enough of it.
It's in our viral video rewind, after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: One of our favorite moments of the day. You never know what makes videos go viral but it happens out there. And you know, if it involves a cute pet, anything can happen.
Our Bonnie Schneider is here taking us for the ride.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: That's true. We got great videos. It goes with the weather. Of course, we have snow videos to start you off. And this is a concern a lot of people have. Snow on the roof. How do you get rid of it? Well, check out the way one guy.
WHITFIELD: There you go.
SCHNEIDER: Whoa. Avalanche. But look. All right. Don't try this at home. If you ever tried to clear a roof, you want to use something called a snow rake, and you don't want to put yourself on the roof because the snow will take you right down.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
SCHNEIDER: There goes the snow with him with it. He's lucky it wasn't too high up. Had it been a higher story, I think we would have had a different ending.
WHITFIELD: Head first.
SCHNEIDER: Yes, definitely - exactly.
Well, speaking of snow. We know animals love the snow, especially with our snowstorm here. Dogs seem to like it. They play like little kids. Well, we've got video of a cute dog sledding without a sled.
WHITFIELD: I love this. I wish that were my dog.
SCHNEIDER: Oh, my gosh.
WHITFIELD: (INAUDIBLE) for a pooch not wanting to get her paws cold.
SCHNEIDER: That is cute. It's kind of cool because dogs have their own ski pants (INAUDIBLE) they don't haven't to put on the stuff we do.
WHITFIELD: He looks like he's having so much fun.
SCHNEIDER: It looks great and this is at a ski resort. (INAUDIBLE) You take your pets with you.
WHITFIELD: I didn't know that.
SCHNEIDER: There you go. That looks like a lot of fun.
WHITFIELD: That looks like a lot of fun.
(CROSSTALK)
SCHNEIDER: Speaking of the sports theme, this is totally different. I know we were just talking about your child's birthday party, bowling -
WHITFIELD: Don't tell.
SCHNEIDER: OK - they have bowling parties but there are professional bowlers that sometimes make a shot, sometimes they don't. Well, we want to show you some video of (INAUDIBLE). He is a world-class bowler. There he goes. This is the United States Bowling Congress team in (INAUDIBLE) Nevada. He does pretty well. Usually he makes a strike, he takes a break, kind of warms up in between the two. You know, it's hard to keep that consecutive pace of making strike after strike after strike. I mean, for him he makes three strikes in a row and there's this competitor in the lane next to him. He looks like he got a spare, it looks like, not that I'm a bowling expert but I remember a little about it.
WHITFIELD: Yes, yes.
SCHNEIDER: All right. Here he goes. One more try. Gutter ball, he turns around. No. But he made the strike. I actually checked and it did not count. I'm wondering if it counted for his opponent. That would be cool, right?
(CROSSTALK)
SCHNEIDER: Hey, I meant to do that. He kind of was surprised am took another quick glance at it.
Well, here's our most adorable cutest, most popular animal ever.
WHITFIELD: It's hugely popular. People love this.
SCHNEIDER: Since we last broadcast this, the Facebook fan page has sky rocketed. And I'm not talking about a rock star. I'm talking about a cross eyed possum.
WHITFIELD: Goodness.
SCHNEIDER: This is Heidi. Heidi has a little bit of a vision problem.
(CROSSTALK)
SCHNEIDER: Heidi is so popular because Heidi came from Denmark to a zoo in Germany. She's actually not really on display yet. They're expecting to publicly display her more this summer but the video of this went viral and now Heidi has over 200,000 fans on Facebook, on her German page.
WHITFIELD: 100,000?
SCHNEIDER: Yes.
WHITFIELD: That's ridiculous.
SCHNEIDER: This is one popular possum.
WHITFIELD: Yes indeed.
SCHNEIDER: You know, they're nocturnal animals. They don't have great vision. They're OK to use their sense of smell.
WHITFIELD: A very keen sense of smell. So she's all right. Heidi is all right as long as she's doing her thing at night. She's really cute.
SCHNEIDER: Very cute.
WHITFIELD: All right. Bonnie, thanks so much. Lot so fun.
All right. From viral videos we're going to shift gears quite a bit to talk about some security concerns and how that's on the rise on Capitol Hill after the Tucson shooting. That story, after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: A friend and fellow congresswoman says Gabrielle Giffords is "doing great." Representative Kirsten Gillibrand says Gifford is moving her arms and legs and communicating with visitors by holding their hands and looking at them. Doctors announced yesterday that Giffords is breathing on her own after being removed from a ventilator.
A gunman opened fire while Giffords was meeting with constituents last Saturday. Six people were killed, and 13 others wounded. Besides Giffords, two other people remain in the hospital, both of them in good condition. A third patient, 58-year-old James Tucker was released yesterday.
The Arizona shooting rampage is raising a whole lot of questions about congressional security. Just how well are lawmakers protected and are they concerned about their safety as they prepare to return to work this week. Here now is CNN's Sandra Endo.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you think about healthcare?
ENDO (voice-over): Just another day in the life of Congressman Gerry Connolly, pressing the flesh in his northern Virginia district.
REP. GERRY CONNOLLY (D), VIRGINIA: Don't worry. I'm not going to support repeal.
ENDO: As he and other lawmakers get back to regular legislative matters on the hill this week, the mood and mindset are different. With colleague Gabrielle Giffords still recovering from being shot in the head while at an event with constituents.
CONNOLLY: But you can't live with fear. You've got to do your job. You can't allow one crazed individual to pervert and distort the Democratic process.
ENDO: But the cloud of concern is inevitable. Lawmakers are in the public eye, sometimes targets of anger and discontent. Last week the House sergeant at arms sent this memo to members and staff with guidelines on how to stay safe. For example, members should contact their local police when they have local event, report any individual threats and request a security survey of district offices. Safety is of top concern for Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro.
REP. ROSA DELAURO, (D) CONNECTICUT: So let's take precaution, my staff I got them to think about that. It's not just the safety of members. We have staff and we've seen that tragedy can befall their lives. What should we do? How should we make this a better and a more safe environment?
ENDO: A lot of unanswered questions, how to strike the right balance between being accessible but staying safe. Congressman Connolly's aides are trying to take things in stride.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I felt safe at all of the events for the two years I've worked for him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, you can't put barriers between ourselves and the public we serve, otherwise democracy itself is compromised.
ENDO: But lawmakers may have to make some compromises in the name of safety.
Sandra Endo, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Some of your favorite celebrities are getting ready for the big night out tonight. We'll get a preview of what to expect at tonight's Golden Globes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: The award show season officially now begins. Just a minute from now we'll go live to L.A. for a preview of tonight's Golden Globe Awards but first a look at our top stories. All right. Flooding around the world has killed hundreds of people. Brazil is among the hardest hit areas. Most of the damage and deaths are just outside of Rio de Janeiro. Parts of Australia and the Philippines are also being devastated by flooding.
And celebrations turned to lawlessness in parts of Tunisia. Its army clashing with armed gangs in the capital city. And we have also seen rioting and looting since the popular uprising forced the president from power on Friday. A dust-to-dawn curfew remains in effect and CNN says, wait a minute, a unity government has actually been formed but the details won't be announced until tomorrow on that unity government.
And the White House will be the setting of the latest talks between the U.S. and China. President Obama is playing host to President Hu Jintao on Wednesday up front and centers the economies of both nations and the growing tensions over trade.
All right. For the 68th year, the Golden Globe statuettes will be handed out in Hollywood tonight. The stars will begin arriving in a few hours from now and our Brooke Anderson is already there outside the Beverly Hills Hotel checking out the red carpet, looking dazzling as ever. What's going on there right now?
BROOKE ANDERSON, ANCHOR, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT: Hi, there, Fredricka. Yes, we're anxiously awaiting the arrival of the stars tonight and the 16th annual Golden Globe really signifies the official launch of the major awards telecast and those star-studded parties that are associated with them. One of the films that is expected to do extremely here today well is the "King's Speech." it's the British historical drama about King George VI, a leader struggling to overcome a stuttering problem. It stars Colin Firth he does an amazing job. If you haven't seen this move, I think it is definitely worth the time. It is pretty darn fantastic.
Also Jeffrey Rush are nominated as well. The move, "The Social Network" about the birds of Facebook is also on everybody's list. Nominated in that coveted category best drama. Other films that could give those two a run for their money, "Obsession," "Black Swan," the "Fighter." And I want to know this in most years there is a huge disconnect between what is critically acclaimed and what is recognized during award season and what the public actually sees at the movies, actually familiar with and cares about.
This year, not quite so much, because you see a lot of commercial successes being recognized during the awards ceremony such as "Inception," such as "The Social Network." Fredricka, I can't promise you that my predictions are 100 percent accurate but I can promise you that this side is going to be glamorous, it always is. Sandra Bullock will be here, Jennifer Lopez they are all presenters, Halle Berry she is a nominee. So it's going to be a fun night.
WHITFIELD: Oh it is going to be a fun night. When you talk about some of the stars that are up for awards, not just the movies that you were mentioning. Johnny Depp up twice in one category. So he's kind of got a leg up on everybody in that category to walk home with a Golden Globe.
ANDERSON: Yes, he's competing against himself for his role in "The Tourist" and for his role in "Alice in Wonderland." So I hope Johnny will be here and be part of the celebration and I hope we will be able to interview him about that. But interestingly his movie "The Tourist" is nominated for best comedy or musical. Many people think well it is neither a comedy or a musical so little people are confused about that. But the Golden Globes loves to include stars, huge glamorous stars, they are always going to be nominated, their films are always going to be a part of this so that the telecast is a success.
WHITFIELD: OK. Also weird was this talk about allegations of payola (ph) and how there was some unfair influence over who might walk away with what. Explain more about that and where is that? What's the status of this?
ANDERSON: This event is really shrouded in controversy this year Fredricka because late last week the publicist, who represented the Golden Globes and the group behind the Golden Globes the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, for 17 years he represented this. He filed a lawsuit claiming the Hollywood Forum Press accepted bribes, pay, lavish vacations in exchange for nominations and potential wins. So he's claiming fraud. He's claiming payola, bribery.
The Hollywood Foreign Press is saying that the allegations are completely without merit. So there is bitterness on both sides, I'm sure people will be talking about that tonight. I'm sure host Ricky Gervais will probably address this controversy on stage. He's promised to cross the line this year even more than he did last year. He's going to be irreverent. He's not afraid.
WHITFIELD: No, he's not afraid. And I guess that's part of the appeal. That's why they invited him back. Never know what you're going to get. All right Brooke Anderson thank you so much there on the red carpet. We'll check back with you throughout the evening.
Meantime heavy rain and threats of more flooding, this time in parts of the U.S. this weekend. We'll check out the forecast with Bonnie Schneider.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: We're keeping an eye on all the latest headlines on the CNN politics.com desk and here's what's crossing right now. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is explaining comments that he made about fellow Republican Sarah Palin. He recently told "The New York Times" that Palin quote rightfully has been criticized unquote for following a script. Well today he said his comments were not criticism, just an observation.
And just one month after congress repealed don't ask, don't tell a congressman is drafting legislation that could put the brakes on dismantling the policy. Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter of California thinks gays serving openly in the armed forces could hurt combat readiness. He plans to introduce a bill requiring the president, the U.S. Defense Secretary and top military officials to certify that the armed forces are ready for the change.
And the new head of the Republican National Committee is spelling out his goals to overhaul the RNC. Reince Priebus said he'll focus on paying off RNC debt and earn party members trust in the months ahead. For the latest political news, log to CNNpolitics.com.
All right. Most of the chat on the Sunday talk shows today centered on the Arizona tragedy, the lessons learned, and what will change in its wake. Here now is a sampling of the discussion.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER, (D) NEW YORK: Violent discourse in political life, right, left, or center is wrong and should be rejected. But I do think we as elected officials have an obligation to try and tone that down. My colleague Senator Mark Budall (ph) called for Democrats and Republicans to sit together at the State of the Union. I called up Tom after he did that and he graciously agreed we're going to sit together Wednesday night at the State of the Union and we hope that many others will follow us.
SEN. TOM COBURN, (R) OKLAHOMA: What we can't question is our president's love for our country. Chuck Schumer's love for our country. And where we get in trouble is when we start looking at motives rather than differences of ideology.
REP. GRACE NAPOLITANO, (D CALIFORNIA: You do diabetes, you do heart diseasing but you do not do mental health and unfortunately that has been the case for many, many decades and I think we need to begin to oppress upon both the states and federal governments the urgency of this because every time there's a tragedy, there's a lot of hoopla for a month, two months, it dies down and goes away and everybody forgets about it, we are on to the next thing.
REP. TIM MURPHY, (R) PENNSYLVANIA: I believe this issue has touched the hearts of so many members of Congress who are constantly stopping me and saying is there something else we could have done or is there something else we can do. And I believe so by looking at some of the laws here and looking at some of the ways we do have health care spending and we're looking at the aspects of mental illness as a treatable thing, but we have to pay attention to those things.
RUDY GIULIANI, (R) FMR. NEW YORK MAYOR: There are people that would argue that if more people had guns, this may not have happened because somebody might have been able to take action immediately and stop -- stop him before he inflicted either damage or as much damage as he did. We've got a very strong debate on guns.
GOV. ED RENDELL, (D) PENNSYLVANIA: I also think we need a rational discussion on guns where we put aside the pressure from interest groups and we take a look and say does any citizen protecting themselves or their home are using a handgun to hunt, do they need a clip that has 33 bullets in it? And the answer is, of course not.
REP. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, (D) FLORIDA: My lasting impression is that out of an evil act we have had an opportunity to see the overwhelming goodness that exists in this country, and as horrific as this act and tragedy has been, the opportunity that we have had this week to see how many incredible people there are in our country and having been here a number of times to campaign for Gabby and having talked to Gabby about the pride that she has in representing Tucson and the Eighth Congressional District, every ounce of that pride was evident and warranted this week.
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WHITFIELD: All right. Let's talk weather now because that was something that people talked about a lot of this week, particularly snow and ice in so many parts of the country that aren't ordinarily expected. Bonnie Schneider in the Weather Center.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: That's right Fredricka just one week ago here in the south we were bracing ourselves for one of the worst storms we have seen in a long time. We still have snow and ice on the ground even here in Atlanta. It's still going to take a while. The sun has been shining most of the day but there are shady spots that have not been seeing any melting yet. So hang in there. Things will improve.
What about lake-effect snow? A lot of that is on the way for areas across upstate New York. Lake-effect snow warnings continue for Rochester, Syracuse, that is that part of upstate New York. We could see one to two inches of snow per hour with these snow bands as they come in off the Great Lakes and create isolated amounts of heavy snow. So we'll be monitoring that as well.
Down in the Gulf of Mexico it is definitely stormy out there. We're seeing a lot of rain working its way through Houston into those southwestern parishes of Louisiana into Lake Charles. You can see a lot of this rain is sliding up to the north. Let's open up the picture now and I will show you that this rain is all working its way toward areas into Alabama and into Georgia, eventually over the next day or so. Maybe that will also help do some melting where we get some more of the rain in the forecast. But unfortunately one place that's seeing rain that really doesn't need a lot more of it is the northwest. It's coming down from Seattle to Portland, all the way into Eugene.
The problem is this area has been ripe for mud slides. We saw two mud slides on Thursday in western Washington State and the problem remains that the systems are coming in one after the other. They're kind of following a training effect, working their way up from the Pacific and all that tropical moisture is just coming in and really socking it hard across much of western Washington. So we are going to keep those advisers posted for this region and notice the computer modules as we go into Monday still show heavy amounts of rain. This is will be very treacherous anywhere where we have a steep mountain inclines.
Be careful traveling if you live in an area that is prone for a mud slide. The weather now unfortunately is ripe for it. There are no airport delays to tell you about for tonight which is some good news but we'll be watching this week. We still have more wet weather coming in but so far things are looking fairly quiet as we start out this week. Like I said what a difference from one week ago. WHITFIELD: What an extreme different. Thanks so much, Bonnie.
The voting is over now. Ballots are being counted in what could become the world's newest nation.
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WHITFIELD: Turmoil in the northern African country of Tunisia. We have report of its army clashing with armed gangs in the capital city. There has also been rioting and looting since the popular uprising forced Tunisia's president from power on Friday and now there's a dusk-to-dawn curfew is in effect. CNN's Ben Wedeman reports a unity government has been formed but the details won't be announced until tomorrow about that unity government.
After a week of voting ballot counting is now under way in southern Sudan. At stake is whether the nation is to be divided into two countries. David McKenzie has the latest from the southern city of Sudan.
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Dividing has finally finished here in southern Sudan on the seventh day throughout this massive. Here in Juba (ph) this polling station they've had a band, a church band cajoling people to go vote. They've been singing songs like bye-bye cartoon. Telling people they have to go down this line and cast their ballot. Even an hour before the closing time at 6:00 still people were coming in and casting their ballot saying they traveled miles and days to get here because this isn't just a referendum. It's a crucial moment in Sudan's history. Now they're counting the ballots here. They'll be counting them all night. But most people believe that this vote and this independence which should come for southern Sudan is only the first step.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's huge. I thinking certainly they're going to have to turn their attention back again to service delivers, security, and learning how to build an economy from the ground up. It's certainly going the take some time and it is going to take a lot of international support.
MCKENZIE: They needed a 60 percent turnout to make this a valid vote but referendum commission said they might be approaching 80 percent or more because this was such a meaningful vote for southern city Sudan. They have been streaming down by boat, by bus, by any means necessary to get their chance in history.
David McKenzie, CNN, Juba, southern Sudan.
WHITFIELD: and next hour, I'll actually talk with two men with a personal stake in this referendum. They are part of a so-called lost boys of Sudan a group of nearly 4,000 boys and young men who were forced to flee during Sudan's long Civil War and then making the U.S. home.
And there are in new questions about one of the most notorious murder cases in Arkansas's history. The convicted killers may be innocent. We'll take a closer look at the West Memphis murders. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Three teens suspected of worshiping Satan and convicted of murdering three eight year old boys in West Memphis, Arkansas in 1993, well two of them got life in prison and the third was sentenced to die. But today there are serious new questions, CNN's David Mattingly takes a closer look as part of his new documentary, "Presumed Guilty: Murder in West Memphis."
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DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Between the rain and the overcast skies it looks really bleak out here. Nothing around but farmland and small towns probably for the last 20 miles. The penitentiary area, beware of hitchhikers. That suggests that people might actually escape from this place, but this prison is the super max of Arkansas. The worst of the worst go to this prison. And at the time of his conviction no one was considered worse than Damien Echols. Judged as the leader of a grotesque and senseless ritualistic murder spree, a jury of his peers sent him here to be executed. But that was 17 years ago. The once cocky and defiant teenager who horrified and enraged thousands of people is now pushing 40. Escorted to our interview handcuffed and shackled, the Damian Echols I see appears frail, lonely and eager to tell his story.
You know, people are going to be watching you throughout this interview and they're going to be judging you. How do you think they're going to judge you?
DAMIEN ECHOLS: I don't know.
MATTINGLY: You're either innocent and a terrible victim of a justice system gone wrong or you're a terrible cold-blooded killer of children.
ECHOLS: I think you'll probably have people who think both.
MATTINGLY: With prison officials listening to our every word I'm allowed to talk to Damian for almost two hours. Through a thick glass window I listen as this obviously intelligent and articulate man describes why he believes the justice system failed him and why there's still one question he never gets used to hearing.
(on camera): I'll just ask you the question. Did you kill those boys?
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WHITFIELD: CNN Presents: Presumed Guilty, Murder in West Memphis, tonight, 8:00 Eastern Time.
