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Battling Lawmakers Get Benefits; Egypt's 'March of Millions'; Snow Removal Costs Pile Up

Aired February 01, 2011 - 11:00   ET

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

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Live from Studio 7, I'm Suzanne Malveaux. Let's get you up to speed for this Tuesday, February 1st.

Protesters are sandwiched in Cairo's Tahrir Square right now demanding Egypt's president give up power. Organizers called for a million people to join today's demonstration. The military set up checkpoints, but as promised, has not moved against the protesters.

A tense moment in Tahrir Square. Soldiers, overwhelmed by protesters, drew their weapons on one crowd.

Now you can see fear frozen on this soldier's face. The crowd chanted, "The people and army are one!" which quickly calmed what could have been a deadly scene.

Well, the State Department is now telling non-emergency embassy staffers to leave Egypt. American tourists are getting out as well. The U.S. government evacuated 1,200 people on Monday. Eight planes will fly out of Cairo today.

Frightened Americans talked with CNN's Anderson Cooper.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM TRAYLOR, U.S. CITIZEN IN EGYPT: In the last few days, as I've been out and people have kind of identified me as American, they -- as an American, they have been saying that, you know, "We're pretty upset about your country's position of supporting Mubarak." And the minute that they started being hostile towards me, that was like, OK, I need to find somewhere else to go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei calls the Obama administration's strategy on Egypt a farce. The Nobel laureate and former U.N. nuclear chief says you can't ask a dictator to change his ways.

He spoke with CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOHAMED ELBARADEI, OPPOSITION LEADER: My message to President Obama -- and I have lots of respect for him. I worked with him in the last year of my tenure at IAEA, and I have a lot of admiration for him. But I tell him, you need to review your policy. You need let go of Mubarak.

You need to be -- you shouldn't be behind the curve. You need to start building confidence with the people, and not with the people who are smothering the people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Now, the ripples of revolution are now reaching Jordan. Longtime U.S. ally King Abdullah fired his prime minister and dismissed the government. Now, he told the new prime minister to implement "genuine political reform."

Well, here at home, a monster winter storm is beginning a 2,000- mile trek across the country today. Ice will shuts down cities from St. Louis to Cleveland, with heavy snow from the southern plains to New England. Officials say that travelers should find a place to hunker down for this monster storm.

Ice has already shut down Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport, and we're likely to hear the same from other airports as the day goes on. Thousands of flights have been cancelled. Almost all major airlines are allowing passengers to reschedule travel without a penalty.

And a federal judge in Florida says the entire health care reform law is unconstitutional. Two federal judges have upheld the law now, while two have ruled against it. Our senior legal analyst, Jeffrey Toobin, predicts it's going to be the Supreme Court that's going to get the last word.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SR. LEGAL ANALYST: He had to throw out the whole law, meaning every provision. Now, I think that is an extreme step. If this is upheld, if Judge Vincent's (ph) ruling is upheld, everything about pre-existing conditions, about keeping kids on their parents' insurance until they're 26, all of that goes out the window even though that's not unconstitutional.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Now you're up to speed in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Now, coincidentally, today is the first day that new members of Congress become eligible for government-subsidized health care coverage. Well, that takes us to our Carol Costello for the "Talk Back" segment.

Carol, I know there's going to be a lot of talking back about this one.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, you got that right.

Some say the best defense is a good offense. If you get KO'd in federal court by what some call an activist judge, you can strike back in the court of public opinion. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee says, "Republicans ought to forego their taxpayer-funded health care coverage before trying to repeal health insurance reform for hard- working Americans." That's a quote. In other words, if you believe taxpayers should not help those who can't afford insurance, then why should taxpayers fund your health insurance plan?

Of course, the other side of this, lawmakers are employed by the government, and let's face it, it is not unusual for employers to pay all or part of an employee's health insurance. Still, at least 15 House Republicans did announce they will not accept government- subsidized health insurance.

So, the question for all of you today: If lawmakers voted to repeal health insurance for their constituents, should they opt out of government-funded health insurance?

"Talk Back" at Facebook.com/CarolCNN.

MALVEAUX: All right. Can't wait to hear what folks have got to say. Thanks, Carol.

COSTELLO: Sure.

MALVEAUX: Here's a quick look at what is "On the Rundown."

Stay home, don't travel. That is the advice from the National Weather Service if you are in the path of that monster winter storm.

Also, the wicked weather is blowing through the snow budgets in many states and cities.

And for extreme skiers, well, hey, the more snow the better. There are some unbelievable pictures of mountain skiing.

And finally, a man with the moves -- the dance video that's an Internet sensation.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Shoulder to shoulder, Egyptians answer the call for a "March of Millions." They have packed Cairo's main square. It is the largest demonstration in a week of unrelenting calls for President Hosni Mubarak to step down.

Our Ivan Watson, he is on the ground there. He's been there for days, monitoring all these developments.

Ivan, tell us, what is it like to be a part of that crowd?

IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Suzanne, people here are calling this a revolution, and it's hard not to get caught up in the fervor and the excitement here of what we're witnessing, which is truly unprecedented, at least in recent Egyptian history.

We're going to pan out to let you see the masses of humanity that are here, hours after curfew, tens of thousands, if not more than 100,000 people, that have been surging through here. Really, truly a wall of sound coming as they chant for the downfall of Hosni Mubarak.

You can see this banner down there calling for him -- calling for the removal of the regime and chanting -- you know, Suzanne, one man, he came up to me, and he was holding a sign that said, "Get out, Mubarak." And then he said, "Mubarak has been in power since Ronald Reagan," since the first term of the American president Ronald Reagan.

People here saying after 30 years, they want a choice in who the next president will be. They want their president to hear what they're saying and to see some changes in this system -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: And Ivan, we are seeing these extraordinary pictures here, just really people packed in, the chanting, the noise, the sound. You're there. Give us a sense of what it's like.

Are people getting along? Are they peaceful? Are they smiling? Is there a sense of tension in that crowd?

WATSON: You know, Suzanne, in my short time in Cairo, when you travel around the city people are very cautious and suspicious normally about people filming them and photographs taken of them. Here, everybody wants to talk to you. Everybody wants their picture taken.

Everybody is holding up a sign that they want us to film that says, in some cases, very clever insults at the man who has been president for the past 30 years. Everybody comes up to me, grabs my arm, and says, "I have something very important to tell you," and they complain about unemployment, they complain about corruption and nepotism, the fact that they have education and they can't find jobs.

They complain that they have not been able to have a say in their government for many years. A significant portion of the Egyptian population is under the age of 25. Many of these people are young, and this has been described by even opposition party leaders who have run for president in the past as really something driven by a youth movement here.

As far as safety goes, I have never at any time felt threatened here. We had to go through a cordon of security checkpoints, one by the Egyptian military, by plainclothes police, and then volunteers who stand and do a kind of ad hoc search, a pat-down. They ask to see your ID.

Some of these people have little makeshift badges that call themselves members of the organizational committee here. But, otherwise, within this movement here, it really is the people themselves, and a cross-section of Egyptian society. We're talking about unemployed people from the slums, we're talking about wealthy people who lived and studied overseas, side by side, packed to the gills, demanding the resignation of the Egyptian president -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Unbelievable scene there. Thank you so much, Ivan. If Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak listens to the protesters and steps down, the question is, what government would replace him? There has been a lot of talk about the Muslim Brotherhood.

Now, you can see some of its members praying during the Cairo protests. It is the oldest and largest opposition group in Egypt. It is banned by the government.

The Muslim Brotherhood was created in 1928 to oust the British from control in Egypt and what it considered corrupting Western influence. It advocates a move away from sexualism and return to the rules of the Koran.

Now, the group has widespread support among Egypt's middle class. It has some offshoots outside of Egypt which are far more conservative in their views.

But CNN terrorism analyst Paul Cruickshank says the Egyptian army is anti-violence and anti-al Qaeda.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL CRUICKSHANK, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: Clearly, the Muslim Brotherhood does want to sort of govern Egypt along Islamic guidelines, but that's in no way similar to what, say, the Taliban are doing or al Qaeda. They are much, much more moderate than that.

And if civil society flourishes in Egypt, then they're going to have to work with all sorts of other parties. And if they indeed do stand for elections in Egypt, they'll only get a maximum 30 percent of a vote. So they are not going to dominate Egyptian politics in the future.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Well, right now, the Muslim Brotherhood says it's not running a candidate specifically for president. Right now it is backing former U.N. nuclear watchdog Mohamed ElBaradei.

And I want to take you to Jacqui Jeras.

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONAN O'BRIEN, TALK SHOW HOST: The last couple of days many just incredible protests have just riveted the world. Hundreds of thousands of protesters in Egypt, and the Egyptian government has responded to all the thousands of protesters in the streets by shutting down most of the country's Internet.

Did you hear that? They shut down the Internet, yes.

Now, just a word of advice. If you want people to stay at home and do nothing, you should turn the Internet back on.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Well, on a serious tip, we are following developments in Egypt. Millions are marching under way in the main square there, Tahrir Square. They are demanding an end to President Hosni Mubarak's nearly 30-year rule.

There are many protesters who have been praying together. It has been largely peaceful. They have been demonstrating for days, and now this looks like it could be one of the largest demonstrations that we have seen so far.

And the military is keeping a close eye on all of this. They have vowed not to move against the crowd. So far, they have kept their promise, they've kept their word that there will be in fact a peaceful exchange between these two groups.

Now, the State Department is looking out for Americans, clearly watching what is happening there. They're saying non-emergency American government personnel and their families should get out of the country. They should leave, as well as tourists. And so they have been transporting American tourists and trying to get those workers and their families out of the country, because they do believe that it is not a safe situation, despite the fact that we've seen, for the most part, peaceful protests, millions of people who have gathered there in Tahrir Square.

It is a very significant and historical development. No one really knows where it is going to go when it comes to the leadership of Egypt. But we do know that it is having some implications, some impact, perhaps even on the stock market here. But good news for many, it is up about 91 points there.

We want to go and take a look at the stock and talk a little bit more about that. Obviously, another one of our big stories we're covering, not just Egypt and how the stock market is impacting that, but this wicked winter storm. It's blasting much of the country, and the cost of snow removal is huge, and it's piling up. And of course that means trouble for a lot of cities, states already out of money, short on cash.

Our CNN's Alison Kosik, she's joining us with the bottom line.

And Alison, I know -- I have spoken to former D.C. mayor Adrian Fenty who says it's a lose-lose situation when it comes to trying to clear snow in some of these major cities.

How are they going to do it?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Oh, and you said it. I mean, D.C. is just one area of the country. You're talking about states and cities all across the country. They've burned through their snow budgets. I'm talking about millions of dollars for snow removal gone already. Even the smaller towns are feeling it, not just the big cities.

And Suzanne, the problem isn't just plowing the snow. You know, they also have to haul the snow away because it's not melting. And it pretty much seems like it snows every day in the Northeast.

So, with the snow piling up, all of this snow has to be moved. That costs money, too.

You know, some places are moving the snow to parking lots by the beach. Here in New York City, we're kind of special. They moved the snow to these special dumpsters that melt the snow. I need one of those -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: And we know that it happens. States, cities, they run out of money. They go over budget. So, the snow still has to be plowed it's got to be taken away.

How do they do that? How do they manage it?

KOSIK: And you're right, Suzanne, it really does have to be plowed, because it becomes a huge safety issue. As you know, emergency vehicles need to get through streets. So what winds up happening is these cities and states get their extra money from a general budget, and that means, of course, they have to cut back in other areas.

So, in places like Virginia, they cut back on what they call non- priority maintenance. So they don't plow the interstate, they don't keep the medians up as nicely, or they don't prune trees frequently. You know, they have to do what they can to cut back in one area and move the money to another -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: All right. Alison, thanks for keeping an eye on all of that. Obviously, we'll be getting back to you with more updates as the snow starts to fall.

Well, now we are going to another segment where we're giving you a chance -- that's right -- to "Choose the News." And here's how it all works.

We're going to tell you about three stories, and you get a chance to vote via text message on which one you want to see on CNN in the next hour. So these are the choices.

First up, in a country that's as poor as Afghanistan, there are some mothers who are feeding their children the only thing that's available -- opium.

Option two, a man in Florida is making a statement about conservation by literally sleeping in the lion's den.

And option three, these ladies in the Ukraine, they have another very -- it's a unique way to get attention for causes they believe in -- taking to the streets topless.

All right. We'll see how that goes.

Vote by texting 22360. Vote 1 for babies; vote 2 for a night in the lion's den; vote 3 for these protesters, shall we say -- scantily- clad protesters. We're going to take your texts now.

And again, back to our top story, getting out of Egypt. Stranded travelers playing a waiting game at the airport. We're going to go beyond the headlines and talk with a woman who finally made it out.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: A reminder to cast your vote in our "Choose the News" segment. Vote by texting your pick to 22360. Now, here are your choices.

Vote 1 for the story of mothers in Afghanistan feeding their babies the only thing they have. That is opium.

Vote 2 for the story of a man spending a month sleeping beside lions.

Or vote 3 for the Ukrainian women who found -- well, it's an eye- popping way, I guess, to draw attention to the causes they support. Yes, we're talking topless protesting.

Back to the Middle East now.

The push for political change in Egypt, it's spilling over now to Jordan. Now, just hours ago, King Abdullah fired his government and appointed a new prime minister with orders to start political reform.

Well, Foreign Affairs Correspondent Jill Dougherty, she's joining us from the State Department.

Jill, this is an extraordinary situation, as you know, because this is a domino effect here. We are seeing the pieces fall one by one.

What do we see? I mean, it almost looks like a preemptive move to prevent something like what we're seeing on the streets in Egypt.

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Certainly in Jordan you'd have to say that. In fact, they did have demonstrations. Not obviously as big as they had had in Egypt, but they have had demonstrations in Jordan. And the target of the demonstrations, Suzanne, was, in fact, was the prime minister, who has been dismissed.

And the U.S., behind the scenes, has been urging political change for some time. But this is really, you would have to say, a preemptive move by King Abdullah II to bring in some possibility of reform. The people wanted -- you just have to look around the neighborhood, and he can see what is going on in other countries.

Now, to be fair, the king is a much more popular person in his country than Mubarak, President Mubarak, is in Egypt. But that said, there is this Zeitgeist, this movement and feeling and atmosphere in the Mideast that's rapidly swirling.

MALVEAUX: And Jill, tell us about the region as a whole. We have traveled there and we've seen much of the Middle East region and the areas, those countries. They are different in many ways, but they are also very similar.

Do we expect that there will be other countries that will follow suit?

DOUGHERTY: Well, we've had the demonstrations. You know, just go back, looking at Tunisia, which was really kind of the spark for the whole movement. That was the first. Now you have Egypt, which is huge. You have Jordan. Then you also have other countries. You had some demonstrations in Algeria, in Yemen. And all of these countries are very different. But there are some certain things that are in common to all of them.

Number one, you have to say large numbers of very young people, very young populations, people who in some cases are educated. For instance, in Egypt, according to one U.S. official, there is the largest number of unemployed college graduates in the world in Egypt. So think of the pent-up frustration among them.

So young people, economies that don't let them in. There are no jobs. It's very hard for them to succeed. And also, great disparities in wealth. These countries have a lot of rich people and a lot of poor people. So those are some of the general factors that are leading to these demonstrations.

MALVEAUX: All right. Thank you so much, Jill. We will pay close attention to see how all of this unfolds. And clearly, this could be a very big movement that takes place across the region.

Thank you, Jill.

The State Department today ordered that all non-emergency American government workers and their families leave Egypt. And the evacuation of tourists and other U.S. citizens, well, that continues, as well.

And I want to go beyond the headlines. Laura Murphy, she was traveling in Egypt. She finally managed to get a flight out, she is the Washington director of the ACLU. She is also -- full disclosure -- a friend of mine and she's joining us from London.

Laura, if you could, explain how this happened. I mean, how did you finally get out? You and I spoke yesterday, and it seemed like it was a frustrating experience.

LAURA MURPHY, WASHINGTON DIRECTOR, ACLU: It was, it was. Thankfully, we had cell phone access. But we -- I called my husband in Washington and he searched the internet for flights out of this smaller city of Luxor, for my sister and I (sic) and we were able to get out yesterday after waiting nine hours in the airport. And it was just hairy. People were nervous. People were clamoring to get out. And we were just lucky. But we had to leave our tour group behind on a boat docked on the Nile. So it was really, really hairy.

MALVEAUX: And when you say it was hairy, describe the scene. What it was it like? I mean, what are your fellow passengers, the people you left behind, what are they dealing with?

MURPHY: Well, we started in Cairo, the day that there was the police holiday that was used to organize the protests. There was just exhilaration. It felt like the march on Washington in 1964 on steroids. There were thousands upon thousands of men, women, and children.

And then as the week progressed in Cairo, things got violent. We saw a truck explode off of our balcony. We saw a truck run over someone. The streets were blocked. The air was filled with smoke. So we got out of Cairo, and then we flew down to Luxor, hoping to take a cruise from Luxor to Aswan (ph). But we were forced out of port.

We were chased out of a side streets. We had to circle around the city in order to get back to our cruise ship because we saw the Temple of Carnac on our first day. But one day we tried -- when we were in Cairo to go to Alexandria, two and a half hours. And then we were forced out of the city by police.

And so it's just been hairy. It's been wonderful talking to the fabulous Egyptian people. It's been saddening that criminals and hooligans have taken over this massive, massive peaceful protest.

MALVEAUX: And, Laura, what is the State Department doing about this? Because I know you were able, unlike many other people, to get in touch with the U.S. ambassador on the ground there in Egypt. Many people don't have that kind of access.

But even then, though, do you think the government is doing a good job here?

MURPHY: Well, I just found out from one of the people still stranded in Luxor, that the State Department today has been down to see them and is planning a plane to gather people from Aswan and to Luxor to fly out. But -- and the State Department -- I have to Valerie Jarrett and Mike Posner and Catherine Powell and people at the State Department and the White House who have been returning our phone calls from Egypt. But not everybody has, as you said, that kind of access.

MALVEAUX: Sure.

MURPHY: And we've been using it day and might to try to get people rescued.

We have a lady on our cruise ship who didn't come with a cell phone and paid all cash or a credit card. So even if she's evacuated, she will have to sign a statement agreeing to reimburse the government in 90 days. And then if she's evacuated to Cyprus, or Athens, or Dubai, she's going to have to spend like $3,500 to get home. MALVEAUX: It's a tough --

MURPHY: So, I do think the State Department is doing a great job but I'm very worried about people who can't afford to get home.

MALVEAUX: OK. Laura, thank you so much. I know this was a --

MURPHY: Thank you, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: was a birthday trip to your sister Madeline (ph). I wish her the very best. Happy birthday to her and I'm glad you're safe. I certainly hope the rest of the group gets out, as well.

Thank you, Laura.

MURPHY: Thank you, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Sure.

There is extreme skiing with very little margin for error. High in the Swiss Alps, they've taken to the sport and they've taken it to a whole new level.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Right now, a monster snowstorm is blasting the plains. By the time it is over, more than 100 million people in 30 states could be affected. The National Weather Service is calling it a life- threatening storm and urging people to stay off the roads.

Air travel's already taking a hit. More than 4,000 flights cancelled so far. In some places, they're going to be measuring the snow not by the foot, well, perhaps by the foot, not inches.

Our Ed Lavandera is watching it pile up in Oklahoma City. And our Rob Marciano, he is bracing for the same whiteout conditions that in Chicago. But, I want to go to Ed first.

We just saw, Ed, some extraordinary pictures from Oklahoma. I mean, the snow was blowing sideways.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the wind here is blowing so fiercely. That's really what could cause a lot of problems here, knocking over power lines and trees, could leave lots of people without power.

So far we've been told there are a minimal amount of power outages. But the snow, as you mentioned, coming down quickly. You're walking down the curb here, it's easy just to take a quick step down, see how quickly you get caught up in the deep snow here. And this is piled up throughout most of the streets here in downtown Oklahoma City. They haven't had a chance to clean out the streets yet. State officials say, look, it's coming down so quickly that their trucks just can't keep up.

And believe it or not, despite all the warnings, there are still lots of people -- and lots of stranded people out on roadways across Oklahoma. We're told in some cases, the National Guard, Suzanne, has been called out to help stranded motorists. As you know, in these conditions, in these sub-zero temperatures, an extremely dangerous situation.

MALVEAUX: Ed, I want to take a quick look. And we want to head on over to Rob. That's where he's in Chicago where it could be even worse Rob, what does the situation look like where you are?

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, the winds have picked up, I can tell you that. Temperatures have remained steady, right around the 20-degree mark. Wind chills are certainly in the single ditches.

We've been getting on and off snow showers, kind of a precursor of the main event. But the actual blizzard and the heaviest snow is not expected to start for another few hours, by the time 3:00, 4:00 -- by the time the evening rush comes around, it's going to be on it.

All right, we're right along the Chicago River. Check it out. This is green on St. Patrick's Day. Obviously, not now. But unless my geography is off, this river normally flows toward the lakes and the east winds are pushing at least at the surface, that water the other way. So those winds are going to be increasing as we go through time because this low isn't close to us. And that means right over there, across Michigan Avenue is Lake Michigan. And that's going to only feed this storm even more. And that's why they could get maybe up to two feet, potentially, in Chicago.

What have they done to anticipate that? Almost 400 trucks to get out here and start plowing. They've already pretreating these roadways. They've already activated 500 National Guardsmen, not only here in Illinois, but another 500 or 600 in Missouri in anticipation of this storm. So we're just getting the very, very beginning stages. Come this time tomorrow, Suzanne, it's going to be a whole other ball game.

MALVEAUX: All right. Well, obviously we'll be following those developments and what happens tomorrow is going to be an unbelievable storm.

Thank you so much. Take care of yourself, Rob.

Well, even on a busy news day like this one, we do like to take time for guilty pleasures or video that's just irresistible. I want you to take a look. This is a congregation at a church in Fletcher, North Carolina, that may want to ask what would Jesus do? Because church members took the dispute over the pastor outside.

(VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Well, it took 20 police officers and sheriff's deputies to break up the worshipers. Yes, that's right.

Now, another one. Don't take your eyes off of these skiers. Unbelievable. This is the Free Ride World Tour in the Swiss Alps, St. Maurice (ph). Its competitors are judged on speed, control and cliff drops -- whoa -- just like that one. Wow.

(VIDEO CLIP)

And, another one. He's got rhythm and even though he's a dog, lend an ear for his paw. When the tempo changes, so does the dog. The beat goes on.

(VIDEO CLIP)

Senate Republicans vowing to force a vote on repealing health care reform and they say the fight could happen soon.

And every day we designate who we think is the most important person of the year or "MIP" for short. Today it is a young woman who spent a lot of time in the White House. We're going to show you a video she appears in that's at odds with her father's political views.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Well, a young woman whose had a lot of White House access growing up is our "Most Important Person of The Day." She is the eldest daughter of former President George W. Bush, Barbara Bush, and she is taking a controversial stance at odds with her family's political views, her father specifically. She announced her support for a same-sex marriage in a video released last night by the Human Rights Campaign.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARBARA BUSH, DAUGHTER OF GEORGE W. BUSH: New York is about fairness and equality, and everyone should have the right to marry the person that they love. Join us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: A Senate fight over health care may be happening very soon. Our Shannon Travis, part of "The Best Political Team on Television" -- good to see you, Shannon -- live from the Political Desk in Washington. Tell us what's crossing now.

SHANNON TRAVIS, CNN POLITICAL PRODUCER: Yes, Suzanna, you know that Republicans have been threatening to try and repeal the health care law. Seems like they're trying to make good on that threat right now.

We are just getting this from Senator John Cornyn's Facebook page, you know he's the chairman of the group that helps elect Republicans to the Senate. He says on his Facebook page, quote, "A vote on health care repeal could come as early as this week in the Senate."

We hadn't heard anything about scheduling of a vote to repeal that. I found out yesterday, I confirmed that Republicans actually are all standing together in joining Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina. His bill -- he has a bill sponsoring the repeal of health care. So they're all united and it seems like from what John Cornyn is saying, that we could possibly have a vote on the repeal of health care in the Senate this week, according to John Cornyn.

MALVEAUX: Shannon, and good scoop on that yesterday.

Obviously one shore way to look presidential, as we know, is to travel overseas, meet with foreign leaders. Who are we watching?

TRAVIS: That's right. Well, if you want to be president, it helps to look the part, Suzanne. Right now, we are seeing that current Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, he is going to be traveling to Israel next week for four days.

There's a group called the Republican Jewish Coalition, they're telling us -- or they said in a statement that Barbour will meet with the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and tour some energy sites next week while he's there.

That's -- we're watching this because, if you remember, Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee both traveled to Israel recently also. So we don't know if they are going to be presidential candidates yet. They certainly are contenders, so these trips are obviously creating a lot of buzz.

MALVEAUX: Well, it certainly looks like they're getting ready for it. All right, well, Shannon, you need to break that one as well, huh?

TRAVIS: That's right.

MALVEAUX: You give us the scoop when that happens.

TRAVIS: I'll have it right here for you, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: OK, thanks, Shannon.

For the latest political news, you know where to go, CNNPolitics.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Here's what we are working on for our next hour.

Preserving history and heritage in Egypt. Antiquities from a civilization dating back thousands of years now in jeopardy. A world- renowned archaeologist tells us what is being done to protect the cultural center of the Arab world.

And foiling the online blackout in Egypt. The Internet may be down, but Google is finding ways to help people stay connected.

And health care battle gets personal today for members of Congress. They have got a tough decision to make when it comes to their own health care insurance. It's today's "Talk Back" topic. And Carol Costello, a lot of people, you know, are joining this conversation about this one. I know people have very strong opinions about health care.

COSTELLO: Oh, you'd better believe it, Suzanne.

Today is the first day new members of Congress become eligible for government-funded health care coverage, as in they are eligible for their federal employee health care plan, unless of course, they opt out.

So the question today: "I lawmakers voted to repeal health insurance for their constituents, should they opt out of government- funded health insurance?" As you said, Suzanne, we have many responses to this question.

This one from Eric. He says, "How dare these right-wing politicians proclaim how bad government health care would be when they are accepting it themselves."

And this from Trudy, "Yes, these government workers are not like other federal employees. They make decisions about lives every other person in the United States, so they should opt out."

And this from Jerry, "Won't they just vote themselves a pay raise to make up the difference?"

(LAUGHTER)

COSTELLO: It's a good point.

MALVEAUX: That's true. That's true. Well, Carol, we've got a follow-up obviously. We're working on something here. You like to dance?

COSTELLO: I love to dance.

MALVEAUX: Why does that not surprise me? I'm sure you love to dance. I want you to stick around, because we've got one of the hottest videos online. There's a couple that tear up the dance floor. It gets my vote for most creative interpretation of an '80s classic. So I want you to see this. I want you to see it. You've got to believe it to see it. That up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Well, there is still time to cast your vote in our "Choose the News" segment. Vote by texting for your pick, 22360.

Vote 1 for the story of mothers in Afghanistan that are resorting to feeding their babies the highly addictive drug, opium. Vote 2 for the story of a man who's risking death to raise awareness about wildlife conservation. Or vote 3 for the Ukrainian women who are showing their bodies to get their voices heard.

Well, you're online right now, we are too. We are tracking down some of the hottest stories right now.

Jacqui Jeras, the giant snow and ice storm, I guess, is one of them. I mean, this is unbelievable what we're going to watch and see here.

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: You hate to call it hot, right?

MALVEAUX: It's going to be freezing. How are people using CNN.com to track the storm?

JERAS: Well, there's a lot of information on there. One of the great things people are checking out right now, this has been the top three trending all day long, is an interactive map that we have on here. And you can actually check -- this is the current radar -- you can check what the temperatures are doing or even the wind chills as you can see how brutal they are across the Midwest. You can click on the forecast for snowfall totals in your city and we'll also show you the latest of the warnings, so people are really getting on here, checking out this site.

Also, if you scroll down on this as well, you'll see that there's a lot of video. We're getting new video that's been coming in all day showing you the conditions. This is of a pileup in parts of Wisconsin. You might have to go through a little ad before you see that, but this is a good sight, it's been trending all day. It's weather information when you can't watch CNN.

MALVEAUX: And I hear Facebook and a few other sites are on fire with this interpretive dance. It had some folks laughing out loud. A band called The Time Machine and some folks who decided to really whoop it up.

What do we know?

JERAS: Well this was at a casino in Oklahoma. A couple, apparently they might have been big winners. They were in a great mood. Take a listen to this.

(VIDEO CLIP)

JERAS: So we all know that song, a little Whitney Houston, "Dance With Somebody," it went platinum in '87. And check out, first this guy is there by himself dancing and then his wife, I think, I'm going to guess it's his wife maybe.

MALVEAUX: I hope it's his wife. If it's not, he's busted.

JERAS: He's got killer moves but what's so funny is he's mouthing the words the whole time and they're doing like little time cues. Like they talk about the time and he hits his watch. There she comes into the picture.

MALVEAUX: She's just as good. She's just as talented.

JERAS: She is. They look like a very well-suited couple, wouldn't you say? MALVEAUX: I think they coordinated it. Looks like they practiced a little bit, what do you think?

JERAS: I'm going to say so. Look at that. He's got it all going on. We've all done moves like this, right?

MALVEAUX: Yes, but they're not always captured, videotaped and broadcast, thank god.

JERAS: I've seen you do the sprinkler. Come on, Suzanne, admit it, you did.

MALVEAUX: You're giving away my secrets.

JERAS: The band is based out of Dallas, called The Time Machine. If you ever want to book them, there you go.

MALVEAUX: Very cool. We could book that couple too for entertainment value if you had a party.

JERAS: Thanks, Jacqui. That's what's trending.