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Proposed Budget Cuts Hit Home; China's Economy Passes Japan's; Checking The Truth-O-Meter; Talk Back; Test Your News IQ; Pickup Artist Teaches In China
Aired February 14, 2011 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: But, Lady Gaga, well, as always, she stole the show with this extravagant entrance encased inside an egg and carried in Cleopatra style. Lady Gaga hatched to perform her new single "Born This Way."
And even though Justin Bieber lost for Best New Artist, his backup dancer, well, he took the hardest hit. As you can see, he tried to do a flip during the routine, indeed falling onto the stage.
Well, it has not been the best month for Christina Aguilera -- she slipped and almost fell at the end of her tribute to Aretha Franklin. Earlier this month, she flubbed one of the lines in the national anthem during the Super Bowl. But, you know, I've given Christina Aguilera.
And next time you have a bad day at work, I guess everybody gets a bad day, remember this guy, OK? This is amazing here. He's restocking wine in a liquor store when the entire shelf collapses -- 300 bottles of wine smashed all over the floor. The guy's roommate said he wasn't fired, wasn't required to pay for any of this, but did have to clean it up. Oh, that's a big cleanup job.
Top of hour. I'm Suzanne Malveaux.
I want to get you up to speed here. President Obama went to Baltimore today to sell his budget blueprint for 2012 and it calls for $3.7 trillion in spending. The White House says the plan would cut more than $1 trillion off the deficit in the next decade. It cuts or reduces more than 200 federal programs.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It will mean cutting things that I care deeply about. For example, community action programs in low-income neighborhoods and towns, and community development block grants that so many of our cities and states rely on. But if we're going to walk the walk when it comes to fiscal discipline, these kinds of cuts will be necessary.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Republicans say that the president's proposal is big on spending, but not on cutting. The president's big blue budget book hit Wall Street today with a thud. Dow, blue chips have been drifting most of the day. Right now, we understand that NASDAQ stocks are up or so -- just taking a look at the latest.
And Egypt's military now told the country to get back to work today. Soldiers have cleared most protesters from Tahrir Square in Cairo. But strikes by workers demanding more money and better working conditions have paralyzed many of Egypt's major industries.
Protesters in Yemen are on the streets for a fourth day today. They are demanding that Yemen's longtime leader give up power. Government supporters armed with knives, daggers, clashed with protesters, and some claim that the pro-government crowd was actually plain-clothed police.
Cell phone video from YouTube shows demonstrations against the government in Iran today. Now, this march along Tehran's Revolution Avenue was largely peaceful, but protesters and security forces fought at other sites. Iran tried to head off today's protests by rounding up activists and putting leaders, protesters, under house arrest.
Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, she's lip syncing now songs to help her regain her speech patterns. She was even able to talk briefly with her brother-in-law on the International Space Station. An aide says Giffords is able to verbalize and comprehend current events like what's taking place in Egypt.
And we've got some new wedding details from the British royals today. Prince William and Kate Middleton revealed the wedding party for the grand affair in late April. Now, William's brother, Harry, he's going to be the best man as expected. Kate's sister, Philippa will be the maid of honor. And there will be six bride maids and page boys all under the age of 10.
Well, some of the proposed cuts in President Obama's 2012 budget could hit where you live. And we're talking about possible cuts in the mortgage tax break.
Our Christine Romans of our Money team, she's joining us.
And, Christine, it's good to see you. I know this is a tough thing for a lot of people to take a look at and digest here, that this could mean that President Obama's proposing to get rid some of these home mortgage interest deductions. How is that going to impact folks?
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And this is the most beloved and cherished tax break there is. It's a loophole, if you will, for many, many, middle class and upper middle class investors and, you know, taxpayers and homeowners. And what's in this budget is limiting how much someone can deduct from their mortgage interest from their taxes for people in the top two income brackets. So, those are people, generally couples, households who make more than $200,000 a year. So, the wealthy in this country, the president saying that they should be able to only deduct 28 percent -- 28 percent tax rate, now at the 33 percent and 35 percent tax rate.
But, immediately, you got the realty -- the realtors, the home builders association, anybody involved with building or selling a house saying this is a very bad idea. The National Association of Home Builders saying it's irresponsible of President Obama to do this at a time when the housing market is struggling.
Look, it's a lot of money potentially in the mortgage interest deduction -- $131 billion a year in revenue the government doesn't get because it's given back to home owners. So, the White House as recently as Friday has said this big interest deduction and the housing finance the way it is, Suzanne, really distorts the housing market. It gives people incentives to take on big debt, to take on big houses, and second houses.
And let me be very clear: what the Obama administration is doing here is just for wealthiest Americans, limiting how much of that interest they can deduct, not for people making less than $200,000 a year. But many of the people who watch this say if he were successful managing to limit that mortgage interest deduction, it would just be the first step in an inevitable path toward pulling that deduction for everyone.
MALVEAUX: So, Christine --
ROMANS: So, a lot of people watching this one. There's a lot of fights ahead on this one, as you know well.
MALVEAUX: What's interesting, too, is that from government -- from administration to administration, you got a different idea of how the government should be involved in the housing market. Under Bush, it was very active. Under President Obama, they're now talking about phasing out Freddie and Fannie and the government role in regulating all of that.
Do you think that these big changes here are too big, that it's going to upset this fragile housing market and things are going to fall apart as a result?
ROMANS: Well, the National Association of Home Builders would say, yes, that this is going to -- in their words -- it's going to be, it's asking for a double-dip recession in housing. Others would say, you already have a double-dip recession in housing and you still have the mortgage interest deduction, you still have this huge part of the economy that the government is so involved in. That you got to start stepping back and phasing out in a responsible and slow way so the housing market isn't hurt further.
But I think, fundamentally and philosophically, Suzanne, you are having a big discussion about what the role of government in this country is going to be in the housing market and what is the proper role to play. And, clearly, the president, keeping good or trying to keep good on this campaign promise, which is, of course, to raise taxes on the very rich. This would be -- this would be one way to do that.
MALVEAUX: OK. Christine Romans, thank you so much. Obviously, a very important question is going to impact a lot of people.
ROMANS: Sure.
MALVEAUX: Well, here's your chance to talk back on the budget. Our Carol Costello, she joins us from New York.
And, Carol, I know a lot of people weighing in on this.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A lot of people weighing in. And I'm keeping in mind everything that Christine said, so here goes.
OK. So, President Obama's proposing cutting the deficit by more than $ 3 trillion over the next decade including cutting some programs that help the poor. Republicans say that is not enough. They proposed their own cuts. The thing is: nobody is dealing with the 800-pound gorillas in the room, Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.
Most economists say if politicians really serious about cutting the deficit, they got to think bigger. Economist Peter Morici says those entitlements make up about 60 percent of the budget and over the next decade, that figure will rise to about 68 percent. If you do not cut there, he says, there is simply no way out of Washington's fiscal mess.
The problem is, most voters are not hip to cutting entitlements like Social Security. In a CNN/Opinion Research poll, more than half wanted Congress and the president to deal with the deficit, but some 80 percent said, "Do not touch my Social Security and Medicare." So, where do voters want spending cuts? Some defense, welfare, government pensions, and by far and away, foreign aid. Yet except for defense, none of these cuts will put a dent in our long-term debt.
So, talk back today: What would it take to convince Americans to cut Social Security and Medicare? Go to Facebook.com/CarolCNN with your two cents. I'll be back later in the hour with your responses Facebook.com/CarolCNN -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: All right. Thank you, carol.
Here's a look at what's ahead on the rundown:
A bystander springs into action to help a mother trying to save her baby from an apartment fire. It is a story of heroism but also heartbreak.
Japan's economy slips to number three behind China. We're going to talk about what that means.
And also, Mitt Romney, Michelle Obama, Joe Biden -- we put their comments to the test with the truth-o-meter.
And, finally, a Valentine's Day edition of CNN challenge. See how your score on the romance quiz, how that works.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: All right. We're going to remind you here, choose the news. Text us the story you want to see at the end of the hour.
The Valentine's Day choices are: looking for love in China where there's a lot more men than women. A young pickup artist sells hi pickup skills to those in need. Or we go behind the scenes to see how this chocolate is made at a high-end Brooklyn chocolate factory. Yummy.
And the cost of roses for one you love -- well, it all depends on where you live. Your around the world look at the price of romance.
So, here to do -- here's what you have to do. Text us 22360, vote 1 for China pickup artist, 2 for $9 chocolate bar, yummy, or 3 for cost of roses.
And checking our stories from our affiliates across the country:
A burning apartment, a frantic mother trying to save her three young children. Well, that is what Jeff Bryant saw when he headed to work early Saturday in Oak Grove, Oregon. Just listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFF BRYANT, NEIGHBOR WHO CAUGHT BABY: There was smoke coming out. And I saw a lady hanging her child out the window. So, I immediately dropped what I had in my hands, ran over beneath here, and was like, drop your baby to me. She shouted out, are you sure you're going to catch him? I said, of course, I'll catch him.
At that point, she dropped him, I caught him, wrapped him up in my jacket. And we went away from the burning building.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: So, the mother jumped out just as firefighters arrived. They were not able to save the other two boys. Now, the mother and baby remain in critical condition.
Well, outside Atlanta, a pilot and a passenger actually walked away from an emergency landing and this happened on a highway. An FAA spokeswoman says that the pilot reported losing power, managed to land without hitting any cars, and then slid on to the median.
And this -- just keep on trying and trying. Now, that's 10- year-old Andrew McLeod's motto. That's what he believes. And he was born legally blind. He has made the swim team at the northwest YWC -- YMCA, rather, in Wichita, Kansas. And his dad says that Andrew's keeping up now with the other swimmers, even beating some of them.
So, keep trying and trying. You got to love that.
And one of the world's economies is outpacing all the rest and now ranks as the second biggest behind the United States.
And now, it's top five best cities to love. According to the blog, "The Daily Beast," San Diego, number five. Virginia Beach comes in fourth. And well, you know, the state's motto is "Virginia is for lovers." Number three is Austin, Texas. Two, Milwaukee. Guess they have to snuggle up there to keep warm.
And number one, best city for love -- can you guess? Take a guess. The answer and why, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: OK. Here they are. Top five best cities for love. And the number one city is San Antonio. "The Daily Beast" gave the city its top rankings when it comes to the high rate of marriage there, the opportunities to meet other singles in the city and a not so bad divorce rate.
I don't know what not so bad is. But, San Antonio, nice, I have relatives in San Antonio. I think they're all pretty happy there.
Well, the sleeping giant is waking up. China now has passed Japan as the world's second largest economy. And Britain's upcoming royal wedding, that, too, is back in the news.
Our Michael Holmes is here to share his thoughts about all this.
You know, it's got to be in way stunning when you think about Japan in the news.
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
MALVEAUX: But, in some ways, I think we've heard this story before. It's almost like a deja vu.
HOLMES: It is in many ways. You know, it wasn't that long ago when you think about it that Japan was the economic miracle rising from the ashes of World War II to take over Germany in the late '60s. Well, since then, it held the title of the second largest economy behind the United States.
But guess what? Now, it's China. Many economic experts say Japan might not recover from this, but then, you know, look at the raw numbers. China's economy grew at 10 percent last year. Japan is forecast to only grow about 3 percent this year.
The American economy projected to grow about 3.5 percent in 2011. That's according to "Market Watch."
Now, at that pace, it's possible, assuming nothing changes, that China would be the number one economy in 10 to 20 -- some people say more like 25 years. It could match the U.S. in about 10 years. Yes.
MALVEAUX: You know, we've heard President Obama talking about this morning that this could be the future here. But what does it mean for Americans?
HOLMES: Yes. Right. That's a good question.
One thing, prestige -- I mean, the U.S. has always been proud of being the number one economy. And the world's biggest economy, let's face it, tends to have greater influence on the world stage. And that can translate into all sorts of things, military power, that sort of stuff.
Now, China, it's already suggesting, actually, that the world drop the U.S. dollar as the standard currency. Not the only ones who suggested that. But they are also suggesting they replace it with their own. That's not going to happen now.
Now, there's also the trade imbalance we talk about. A lot of America already buys vastly more Chinese products -- toys, steel, chemicals, anything you can think of, than it sells there. Opening up the Chinese market, a major gulf for the administration and any administration really that follows.
The trade disparity is likely to grow as China's economy expands. Don't forget that the U.S. already owes billions to China.
One thing that's interesting about this, though -- by most measures, Japanese and Americans have far better quality of life. I mean, the average wealth, if you like, of the average Chinese is 10 times less than a Japanese person.
MALVEAUX: But --
HOLMES: They have the money, but it's spread out to a whole lot more people.
MALVEAUX: The Obama administration has been so frustrated though. I mean, it sounds like a dire situation when you look at the trade imbalance. No matter what you do from administration to the next.
HOLMES: Yes.
MALVEAUX: -- Obama.
HOLMES: It's been building up for years.
MALVEAUX: Absolutely, it's a growing problem.
HOLMES: Yes. and also, the debt as well. You know, in spite of the size and growing power of China, it's still a developing nation. So, you know, we got to bear that in mind as well.
MALVEAUX: All right. Well, Michael Holmes, thank you so much.
HOLMES: You're welcome. Good to see you.
MALVEAUX: Well, it is fashion week in New York, and the spring looks -- they're hitting the cat walk. It turns out that Asian designers are on top this year. CNN's Alina Cho looks at why.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Suzanne. Back in the day, it used to be French designers were all the rage, Christian Dior, Yves St. Laurent, Pierre Cardan. Then the Americans burst on to the scene, Donna Karan and Calvin Klein.
Now, some of the hottest designers are of Asian descent. So, what's going on? Coincidence or not?
(voice-over): Call it the Asian invasion. Jason Wu, Phillip Lim, Alexander Wang, Thakoon, Richard Chai -- today's darlings of the fashion world.
ANNA SUI, FASHION DESIGNER: I think that this is a phenomena. It's not something that anybody planned.
CHO: Prabal Gurung, one of the hottest right now is from Nepal.
PRABAL GURUNG, FASHION DESIGNER: Back home in Nepal, arts or fashion design for a guy was unheard of.
CHO: That was then. This is now.
(MUSIC)
CHO: Gurung's dresses now line the red carpet. They're on Oprah and the first lady. Not bad for a designer who only launched his label two years ago.
GURUNG: It's a second generation Asians, you know? Their parents when they came here first, they either went to become a doctor or engineer or in finance. They did so well that I think they allowed the children to do what they felt like doing.
CHO: And if you need more convincing, take a look at who the industry's most prestigious group, the CFDA, honored last year as its best new designers, all Asian-Americans.
ERIC WILSON, FASHION REPORTER, THE NEW YORK TIMES: It used to be that it was like you had the idea of the fashion designer as this flamboyant white male working behind the scenes and dictating to women what they should wear. No woman is going to accept that image today.
CHO: Prabal Gurung's hope is that his success will inspire others.
GURUNG: The one thing that I'm happy about is I am not an exception to the rule.
CHO (on camera): And if you think it's a fad, think again. At the top New York fashion schools like Parsons, for example, roughly 70 percent of its international students enrolled at the school are from Asia. Over at the Fashion Institute of Technology, or FIT as it's called, nearly a quarter of the 1,200 international students, Suzanne, are either Asian or Asian-American. Pretty incredible -- Suzanne.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Thanks, Alina.
And don't forget, can't forget this, today's Valentine's Day. We're having a little fun with this. So, some ideas on how you can show the love without breaking the bank.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Here's a look at what's ahead on the rundown:
Mitt Romney, Michelle Obama, Joe Biden, we put their comments to the test with the truth-o-meter.
Also, a Valentine's Day edition of the CNN challenge. See how you score on your romance quiz.
And, finally, just a little time left for you to choose the news. The winning story airs later this hour. So, you go want to vote.
Well, President Obama and his economic team are trying to sell his 2012 budget proposal. And it calls for $3.7 trillion in spending. And the White House says the plan would cut more than $1 trillion off the deficit in the next decade.
Well, it cuts or reduces more than 200 federal programs. The president has called for a five-year freeze on domestic spending.
Now, one of these proposed cuts affects people who are struggling. They're struggling to heat their homes during the winter.
And our Poppy Harlow of CNN Money joins us with the details about this.
Poppy, the president said today they're walking the walk, talking the talk.
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Yes.
MALVEAUX: And we've heard from folks, from OMB, who are saying, look, this is going to be a painful process here. And now, we know how this impacts at least one group of people who really need some help.
HARLOW: Millions of people this is going to impact if the budget is passed. And, you know, this isn't something we expected from a Democrat. We're already hearing outrage from some members of the president's own party.
But here's what's happening -- this budget is proposing cutting $2.5 billion from low-income heating assistance. What it's going to do is basically, Suzanne, cut the program in half. This winter, that program helps people that can't afford their heating bills pay them. That program got $5 billion, a little more than that, actually, and it helped out 8 million households across the country.
Now, the program officials say that this will cut off aid for more than 3 million households that need it. The administration says, look, this brings the funding levels back to where they were in 2008 -- so, not that long ago. And that was right before energy prices spiked.
But Budget Director Jacob Lew, he himself admits this is going to be painful for a lot of folks. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JACOB LEW, OMB DIRECTOR: I think it will be wrong to say that nobody will be affected. One could -- the program was never designed to meet al; needs. So, whatever funding level it's at, there will be people who you could help more.
The question is: what is the goal of the program? What is the normal size of the program? And can we afford to remain at a level that was doubled when energy prices spiked?
We're looking at investing in things that help poor people in many ways.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: So, as he said, look, walking the walk, talking the talk, no question, as you heard Jacob Lew say there. We did see energy prices spike a few years ago. They have come down but not across the board.
I want you to take a look at these numbers because right now, most Americans heat their homes with natural gas. Those prices are gown more than 2 percent from where we were last winter.
That said, folks here in the Northeast that heat their own with home heating oil, those prices are up, Suzanne, more than 17 percent. So, this is going to hurt some people. And as you heard the head of the administration that runs this program says 3 million households are going to be affected.
MALVEAUX: Poppy, we know that the budget really is just a blueprint. It's a draft.
HARLOW: Right.
MALVEAUX: That there's a process that has to take place before this is passed.
What do you think is the likelihood that we're going to see these kinds of cuts actually happen?
HARLOW: These cuts, particularly talking about this program and slashing it by more than $2 billion, likely we're going it see this pass. And that is because you also have Republicans onboard with this. They like these kind of cuts. They says it's tough decisions what we need to make the cuts. Some Republicans want even deeper cuts. So, that increases the chances of this passing.
But several Democrats have already come out over the weekend and this morning against this. Mainly from the cold weather states. Ed Markey of Massachusetts coming out against this, and Suzanne, Olympia Snowe, the Republican from Maine, also coming out against it. So, there will be a debate ahead, but look, this is exactly the type of tough cuts the president has been talking about. Something needs to be done. It looks like it's coming here.
MALVEAUX: A lot of debate, a lot of folks obviously are looking at making sacrifices. And this is going to be a group that looks like they're going to be making those sacrifices. Thank you, Poppy. Appreciate it.
So, of course, we're asking about your budget as well. How much are you spending? And we're going to ask the question on Valentine's Day.
Our Christine Romans says you don't have to break the bank. It's okay. After all, "Smart Is the New Rich."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Love it or hate it, Valentine's Day is here! According to the American Express Spending and Saving Tracker, Americans plan to spend an average of $181 on the day this year. That's a lot of money at a time when cash is tight in many households.
And guilted into it or not, it's men who seem to be doing the bulk of the spending. Almost 70 percent of men in relationships plan on spending money on their spouse or significant other. Just a little more than half of women in relationships plan on buying gifts or dinner or something special for their other half.
If you do the math, that adds up to some awkward moments. We asked Lizzie Post, the great-great granddaughter of Emily Post, the woman who literally wrote the book on manners and etiquette, what to do if you get an unexpected gift or an unexpectedly expensive gift.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LIZZIE POST, EMILY POST INSTITUTE: Just thank them for the gift, focus on the gift and that gesture. Because the moment you start feeling why you have to explain why you don't have something or why you don't have something more, the focus goes to that and not to what this person has taken the time and sometimes the money to do for you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Post says don't run out and buy something to try to even the score. Gift giving shouldn't be quid pro quo on Valentine's Day or any other day of the year. She says a Valentine's gift doesn't have to break the bank. An experience like a romantic dinner out makes for a great gift. And if you're tight on cash, Post recommends an inexpensive dinner in. And she says a handwritten, old-fashioned valentine will probably mean more than a box of chocolate or a bottle of perfume. If you want to go out and make a gift for your spouse, a stunner, go for it. But don't spend yourself into the poor house. Especially if you're still paying off holiday purchases from late last year. Your honey does not want you to go into debt.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(LAUGHTER)
MALVEAUX: All right. Good advice. Thank you, Christine.
Be glad you don't have to -- if you live in Bangkok, there one rose -- just one rose we're talking about -- can set you back by $45. Tough, tough stuff.
Now time for another challenge question here. Girl Scout cookies. They're on sale again throughout the United States. We know everybody comes around and sells the cookies. I used to do it myself.
So, when did the Girl Scouts begin selling cookies commercially? Was it in the 1930s, the '40s, the '50s or the '60s? We're going to have the answer.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: All right. Can't resist those Girl Scout cookies. They are delicious! And they're on sale again. So we wanted to know, when did the Girl Scouts begin selling their cookies commercially? The answer? In the 1930s. And they were just, if you can believe it, 23 cents a box back then.
Well, stick around. We've got some Valentine's questions to quiz you on our own CNN Challenge.
The Grammy awards were packed with show stopping moments, some bizarre costumes, big upsets. Pretty amazing when you look at it.
"Showbiz Tonight" host Brooke Anderson joins us live from L.A. And Brooke, it was amazing. Justin Bieber, he didn't win. Lady Gaga, she showed up in an egg. I remember, I was watching when you first saw her emerge in this egg and how shocked you were for all of this. It was a pretty wild night.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CO-HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Everybody was shocked! I didn't know what to say, Suzanne. Everybody just stood there. What in the heck is she doing? It was really wild.
The red carpet was unpredictable as always. I was actually in the audience for the show, and it really rocked. The Grammys kicked off the whole thing with a little r-e-s-p-e-c-t as an all-star group of divas opened the show, paid tribute to the maybe the greatest diva of all, the queen of soul, Aretha Franklin. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(WOMEN SINGING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
They really brought down the house. And "Showbiz Tonight" just spoke with Aretha Franklin. She told us she was really touched by the tribute, that she loved it. We're going to get Aretha's feisty take on the Grammy fashion hits and misses on "Showbiz Tonight", HLN, 5:00 Eastern.
For now, though, let's talk about country trio Lady Antebellum. They had a tremendous night. Winning five trophies, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year for "Need You Now." They were stunned and so very happy. So grateful.
Another lady, Gaga, who we were just talking about, picked up a trio of trophies after arriving on that red carpet inside the egg. She was setting the stage for her Grammy performance for "Born This Way," her newest single.
Now the song has set the blogosphere ablaze with claims that it sounds like Madonna's "Express Yourself" from 1989. Take a listen to Gaga's song. Judge for yourself.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LADY GAGA, SINGER: (singing)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: OK. I just spoke with Gaga's creative director and choreographer, Lori Ann Gibson. She is behind the egg concept and stage performance. She says, Suzanne, the Madonna comparisons are ridiculous, that Gaga is a true original and to say anything else is ignorant.
MALVEAUX: Wow. Well, we saw that she hatched. She was incubating. I know they explained that whole process of getting ready for the song. Quite an amazing evening all around. Huh?
ANDERSON: It certainly was. And you mentioned Justin Bieber a little bit earlier, Suzanne, because yes, 16-year-olds Justin, it was amazing. Because a lot of people thought he was going to win Best New Artist. But he left the Grammys empty handed. It was shocking to a lot of people. Jazz bassist and singer, Esperonda Spalding bested Bieber for that Best New Artist trophy.
But Suzanne, I really think the Bieb should be proud of himself. Proud of his performance with Usher and Jayden Smith. They had the crowds smiling and dancing in their seats. It was really fun. And yes, there's Esperonsa right there.
MALVEAUX: All right. What a great night. What a great night! Thanks, Brooke. Really appreciate it. ANDERSON: Well, get ready. We're going to test what some of you, some people in politics, rather, are saying with our Truth-O- Meter.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: All right. So you've heard of a stretched limo. Check this out. Boeing unveils the stretch jumbo jet. It's the "Random Moment of the Day."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Ladies and gentlemen, your new 747-8 Intercontinental.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Boeing tacked 18 feet onto the latest version of the 747, making the plane the world's longest. Notice Boeing's traditional blue and white have been replaced now with reddish-orange hues, which symbolize good fortune in other cultures. The plane can carry close to 500 people. Best of all -- I like this part. Those overhead bins, they've now been reconfigured and can hold a lot more stuff. Check it out.
So Mitt Romney, Michelle Obama, Joe Biden. A lot of people listen to when they speak. But what is true and what is false?
Well, Bill Adair is editor of PolitiFact.com and Washington bureau chief for "The St. Petersburg Times." He joins us to tackle a few of the comments. Bill, glad to have you with us here. Set them straight. What's truth, what's fiction here? W
We heard on Friday at the CPAC rally, former governor Mitt Romney saying there are more men and women out of work in the United States than there are people working in Canada. What do we think?
BILL ADAIR, EDITOR, POLITIFACT.COM: We rated that one false on our Truth-o-Meter on Politifact.com. The reason is the math just doesn't work. If you look at the number of people who are working in Canada, it's about 17.2 million. The number of unemployed in the United States is about 14 million. You can do some different math to try to include some people who are sort of on the fringe of the workforce, but it just doesn't add up. So we rated that one false.
MALVEAUX: OK. The second claim comes from first lady Michelle Obama. While visiting Atlanta last week she said, "Nearly 27 percent of young people are too overweight to serve in the military." Is that true? False? Close?
ADAIR: That one is true. She based that on a study that was done recently by some retired generals who raised some concerns about young people and the problem of obesity. And indeed that number comes from their report. It's called Too Fit to Fight. And it's a big concern. That one earned a true on our Truth-o-Meter. MALVEAUX: Finally, this claim - this came Vice President Joe Biden. He says, "If you shut down Amtrak's Northeast corridor, it's estimated you would have to add seven new lanes to I-95" -- the interstate there - to accommodate the increased traffic. We know that he's back and forth on Amtrak all the time with his commute. Does he -- is he right?
ADAIR: Not really. We rated that one barely true on the Truth-O- Meter. The true part comes from a Department of Transportation study that came up with that calculation. But as we dug into that study, we found it made a lot of assumptions that we believe are a big stretch in terms of including commuter rail, including future growth on the highway and in rail. So we thought that was a bit of an exaggeration and deserved a barely true on our Truth-O-Meter.
MALVEAUX: All right. Well, what's absolutely true is we thank you on this Valentine's Day. Bill Adair, you're a sweetheart. We appreciate you being here. Thanks, Bill.
ADAIR: Thanks, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: All right.
With Valentine's Day upon us, our thoughts, of course, returning to romance, Internet style, Internet age, and we thought we'd come up with this survey. OK, take a listen here. Of the singles, 21 and over, what do you think? What percent would you say check out a potential sweetheart by googling them? Not ogling but googling them or going over their FaceBook page for the first date? Is it 24 percent, 65 percent or is it a whopping 81 percent? What do you think?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: All right. We asked you, what percentage of singles 21 and over admit to googling or reading the FaceBook page of a potential soul mate before the first date? Is it 24 percent, 65 percent, or 81 percent? Well, that's right, a whopping 81 percent admit to cyber snooping a suitor, 47 percent admit changing their FaceBook profile to seem more mysterious to a potential date.
Well, President Obama is proposing cutting the deficit by more than $1 trillion over the next decade, including cutting some programs that help the poor. Republicans are saying it's not enough. So here's your chance to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. Our Carol Costello is joining us with your responses.
Carol, what are folks saying?
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: People are very emotional about this question, Suzanne. Many economists say the president's proposed cuts do not go far enough. That politicians need to take aim at Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid to actually make a significant dent in the deficit. But an overwhelming number of viewers told us they want none of that. "Talk Back," what would it take to convince Americans to cut Social Security and Medicare? This from Ruby. She says, "I can't believe after me and my husband worked all our lives and are now on Social Security and Medicare that anyone in government would be so stupid as to think that would be a good idea. Get real in Washington you're taking from the poor and giving to the rich. Absurd!"
This from Skip. He says, "first let's repeal the tax cuts for the top 2 percent of wealthy Americans and close the tax loopholes for corporations."
This from David. He says, "suspend the two wars and bring the troops home, but you're right, Carol, nobody really wants to deal with the truth."
And this from Cornelius. He says, "the gap between the richest and the poorest is wider than ever before, but the poor should shoulder the burden. What a great idea." And I hope I read that with an appropriate amount of sarcasm, Cornelius.
Please continue the conversation, facebook.com/carolcnn.
MALVEAUX: All right, Carol, thank you. Happy Valentine's Day.
COSTELLO: Thank you. I appreciate that.
MALVEAUX: All right.
Love is in the air. Yes, that's what we're feel over here. We're feeling the love. You know, candy, flowers everywhere. So we thought we would quiz our CNN's Alison Kosik on her Valentine's Day knowledge.
Alison, are you ready for us?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: You know what, I'm ready as I'll ever be. Don't know if I'm an expert on the subject, though, but I'll give it a try.
MALVEAUX: All right, let's give it a try. Let's give it a try. Our first question here. What do we have? How much will the average consumer spend on Valentine's gifts? You've got, OK, a, $58, b, $116, c, $205. What do you think?
KOSIK: I'll go for the $116. And I know that it's only going to be the men paying that because the women are cheapskates.
MALVEAUX: Oh. I'm like, whoa, really? You were right. B, $116. All right.
KOSIK: Yes. I know that because I've done this story before.
MALVEAUX: OK. Are you cheating. Wait a minute. Let's see -- let's try the next one. All right.
KOSIK: OK.
MALVEAUX: In Roman mythology, cupid is the son of, a, Venus, b, Juno, c, Minerva?
KOSIK: Oh, that's a giveaway. That's Venus, Suzanne. Everybody knows that.
MALVEAUX: Yes, we were kind of easy on you on this one.
KOSIK: Thank you. I appreciate that.
MALVEAUX: OK. The third one -- the third one's a little bit harder. You can't get a perfect score here. You'd be the only one to get a perfect score. Nice try. Let's try. How many conversation heart candies are made each year by Necco? You know those little candies.
KOSIK: Oh, love them. Yes.
MALVEAUX: Let's see, we've got, a, 8,000, b, 8 million or, c, 8 billion?
KOSIK: I'll go for the 8 million.
MALVEAUX: All right. It was, c, 8 billion.
KOSIK: No.
MALVEAUX: There are a ton of those things around.
KOSIK: Almost.
MALVEAUX: You probably get them, right? I mean probably get like, you know, boxes of these things.
KOSIK: I do.
MALVEAUX: Yes, they're good for our (INAUDIBLE) colleagues and stuff.
KOSIK: Well I don't -- yes, I get them for others.
MALVEAUX: I'm sure you get much nicer gifts for Valentine's Day, huh?
KOSIK: I'm still waiting, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: OK. We'll make sure we send the flowers.
Alison, thanks for being a sport. We appreciate it.
KOSIK: Thanks.
MALVEAUX: Now if you want to take the CNN Challenge, go to cnnchallenge.com. You can play on your own as well.
Well, you text it, we're airing it, your "Choose The News" winner. That's up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) MALVEAUX: Madison Square Garden, the Westminister Dog Show, gets underway tonight with more than 2,500 canines all competing for the coveted best in show title. Sadie, here she is, the petite black Scottish terrier who won it all last year. Well, she's not going to be back to defend her title, so that means there will be a new winner this year.
Well, you text it, we are going to air it now. Your "Choose The News" winning story. Our CNN's Stan Grant, he gets a firsthand look at a guy selling some smooth skills in a country without enough women for the men. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STAN GRANT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Meet Tango and the Juggler. Well, that's what they call themselves. And between them, they say they have the secrets of picking up women.
CHRIS "TANGO" WU, PROFESSIONAL PICK UP ARTIST: If you come through from your heart to your face and to your body language and everything and you come in and it's just like --
GRANT (on camera): But don't look desperate, right?
WU: Yes.
GRANT (voice-over): In this crowded Beijing bar on a Saturday night, Tango, real name Chris Wu, is letting us in on his well-honed strategies. First, have a good opening line.
WU: What about this? If you don't mind, and give me your number. One day let's get together and let's get together for a coffee.
GRANT (on camera): And that works? Give me your number works?
WU: Well, it's the first step. Why not?
GRANT (voice-over): Tango learned his craft in the United States where he studied the art of the game. A bestselling book about successful pickup artists. He was taught by the juggler, famed for his power of seduction. What works in the U.S., he says, will work in China.
WAYNE "JUGGLER" ELISE, AUTHOR, "THE GAME": Ultimately people want the same thing. They want sex, love and excitement and those things.
GRANT: What Tango learned in America he now teaches here in China. In a country where men outnumber women, there is no shortage of students. Men desperate to learn the art of seduction, paying up to $150 for a one-day seminar and up to $1,500 for a full-on three-day course. Today there are 40 lonely men here. Among them, Chang Jiangyu. He already has his role model. And our Brad Pitt has traveled 14 hours on a train to be here today, all to try to mend his broken heart.
GRANT (on camera): So you come here with a broken heart.
CHANG JIANGYU, SINGLE GUY: Because I come here, I must learn why she (ph) leave (ph) me (ph).
GRANT: You just can't turn up in a bar and find someone. You have to really work at it.
GRANT (voice-over): Well, it seems he's come to the right place. Tango and the Juggler back at the bar always win the girl.
Stan Grant, CNN, Beijing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Martin Savidge, who's in for Ali Velshi today.
Hey, Marty.
