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Representatives Move Toward Compromise on Deal to Keep Federal Government Operational; Violence Continues in Libya Amid U.N. Vote For Sanctions; Governors Meet This Weekend in DC; Battle Over Collective Bargaining Rights Rages on Across the Nation; Tea Party Turns Two; In the Fast Lane With NASCAR
Aired February 26, 2011 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN Center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It's February 26th. Good morning, I'm Randi Kaye.
Ahead, as violence continues in Libya, the U.N. General Assembly considers possible sanctions.
The Wisconsin state assembly votes to reduce collective bargaining rights for state workers, but the fight is still far from over.
And it is Oscar weekend in Hollywood. The speculation is hot and heavy. Who's going home with an Academy Award?
We begin with the developing story from Washington. There may be some progress in negotiations to delay a government shutdown. That seems like good news, right?
CNN Radio Lisa Desjardins is standing by with the latest. Lisa, where do things stand?
LISA DESJARDINS, CNN RADIO CAPITOL HILL CORRESPONDENT: Randi, a big, giant, scary shutdown it doesn't look like it will happen this week. You're right. There are moves toward a compromise. Just yesterday House Republicans put a deal on the table. It would be a two-week extension of government spending with some cuts, $4 billion in cuts.
Now, what's interesting about those cuts is they're cuts the Democrats have already signaled they could get on board, cuts that President Obama has proposed for next year, and also cuts to earmarks.
So bottom line, it looks like we should see a deal this week for a two-week extension of government spending -- Randi.
KAYE: Well, that's good because there's only like four days right, by the time the -- the Senate comes back to figure this all out.
(CROSS TALK)
DESJARDINS: Right.
KAYE: So it needs to get figured out.
DESJARDINS: That's right. The Senate gets back Monday, Tuesday. They have to get this done by Friday night. Government spending runs out midnight Friday into Saturday.
But here's the thing about this, so let's say that they come up with a deal this week. We get two weeks more time. But then, of course, we have to deal with this issue again in two weeks. And maybe they'll do another extension for two weeks or a month.
This is an issue Randi, that could be with us for the rest of the year but we know for now it looks like we won't have a shutdown this weekend, at least that's how it looks right now -- Randi.
KAYE: All right, that big, scary shutdown, like you said, hopefully it won't happen, Lisa. Thank you.
What do Americans think about a possible shutdown? Paul Steinhauser joins us in just about 15 minutes with the results and his thoughts on that.
And now to Libya, here is the latest. Protesters by the thousands refused to end their uprising against Moammar Gadhafi and he's defying calls from the world to end his bloody crackdown and step down. The United Nations estimates more than 1,000 people have died there in the past week. And members of the U.N. Security Council have arrived to consider harsh sanctions aimed at Colonel Gadhafi's regime.
The U.S. already is imposing sanctions, and it has closed its embassy in Libya for now.
The push to evacuate Americans and other foreigners by air and by sea is in full force. A U.S. chartered ferry with more than 300 people arrived safely in Malta Friday evening. Thousands more are fleeing Libya.
Let's go to CNN's Diana Magnay who joins us live now from Malta.
Diana what is the latest on the evacuees there and the Americans?
DIANA MAGNAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Randi.
Well, Malta is a key evacuation point, as you said. That ferry continuing, many Americans, 300 people in total arriving last night. And since then there have been two other major arrivals, a British ship with about 200 people onboard and a Chinese cruise line, a Chinese chartered cruise with 2,200 Chinese workers coming from Benghazi.
And all of these people are -- are trying to make that travel arrangements home. The Chinese government has chartered four jumbo jets and half of those Chinese workers will have flown home to Beijing by the end of the day. A lot of the Americans are already at the airports, some of them are already -- some of them still in hotels. All of that organized by the embassy. We're also hearing that Air Malta, which has been flying in and out of Tripoli for the last five days bringing a lot of people back that way has decided to cancel its flights in and out because of the deteriorating situation there. And we're expecting two more catamarans to come from Tripoli tonight with another 1,000 people -- Randi.
KAYE: And -- and, Diana, these people were there. They lived this. They witnessed this uprising in Libya firsthand. So I imagine the stories they've told you and they've shared with you after getting off that ferry are quite dramatic.
MAGNAY: They really are amazing stories, terrifying stories. They told -- told us that really they were surprised how quickly the situation escalated, that they hadn't -- hadn't expected it to happen so fast and to find their evacuation options diminished so quickly.
A lot of them said you know, we were based in Tripoli, we just didn't expect it ever to reach us in Tripoli. We felt safe. We saw what was going on in Benghazi. And then all of a sudden five days ago we realized that we had to try and keep ourselves safe. A lot of them stayed locked down in their compound deciding not to venture out at night and then someone said to me, you know, Gadhafi's speech was a turning point.
I realized it was either going to be the people or him, and we had to -- we had to get out because it was going to be bloody. A lot of them saying you know, they were extremely sad to leave. They left their lives there. A lot of them also leaving loved ones, you know. There were a lot of people of dual nationality who've established their lives in Libya, leaving husbands and family over there and not at all sure when they're going to be coming back, just with one suitcase that they were allowed to bring to the ferry -- Randi.
KAYE: And -- and -- in a speech just yesterday Gadhafi seemed really almost in denial about this whole uprising. He vowed to die a martyr and to crackdown even harder with, quote, "armed people".
So what are people saying about Gadhafi? What do they think of him?
MAGNAY: Well, what's quite surprising is that they're quite reluctant to talk about him, and that is because of the contacts that they still have. There are many of these business people. They have business interests still in country, or they may have friends and family still in country.
So they are prepared to talk about the escalating situation, how terrifying it was, who they felt was shooting or what they heard at night. Many people hearing gunshots but they wouldn't really be drawn on what exactly they thought of Colonel Gadhafi himself, obviously a sort of context of a repressive regime they would talk about, but nothing particularly specific to him and I think that was because of this atmosphere of fear and concern for the people that are left in Libya -- Randi.
KAYE: Diana Magnay for us live in Malta this morning. Diana, thank you.
And as we mentioned, the United Nations Security Council is getting ready to meet this hour behind closed doors.
Our senior state department producer, Elise Labott is keeping an eye on all of that from Washington. Elise, good morning to you. What are the diplomats trying to accomplish today?
ELISE LABOTT, CNN SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT PRODUCER: Well, really, it's a lot of things, Randi. They're obviously trying to stop the violence in Libya right now, a very tough resolution that diplomats at the U.N. Security Council are going to be discussing today.
Not only talking about calling for an end to the violence, but talking about an assets freeze for members of the regime, travel bans, very similar to what we saw from the United States and other countries yesterday.
But also considering in the arms embargo and even possibly sending the Libya files to the International Criminal Courts to investigate crimes against humanity. So a very tough message for the Libyan regime. And I think it's also a message to members of Gadhafi's inner circle, trying to peel him off -- peel them off a little bit from Gadhafi.
KAYE: And strong remarks coming from Washington yesterday at the beginning of this unrest. We didn't really hear a whole lot from U.S. officials. So why the change?
LABOTT: Well, they wanted to get the United States officials, the American officials, and nationals out of the country. You saw that with a lot of other countries. They were really concerned about a hostage situation that Gadhafi and his regime could take their anger that the international community has been tough on them out on those citizens.
So you saw, as soon as that last charter of Americans left Libya yesterday, as soon as that other ferry left the -- left the port in Tripoli, right on a dime the United States imposed sanctions, started talking real tough. So it was really just an issue of trying to get those nationals out.
KAYE: And looking ahead to the coming week, any moves that we might be able to expect from Secretary Clinton?
LABOTT: Well, Secretary Clinton is going to Geneva Monday, she's going to be meeting with the members, ministers from the United Nations Human Rights Council. The U.S. is a member ironically Libya is a member and the council has recommended that they suspend the leadership, its membership.
Secretary Clinton is going to be meeting with a lot of those ministers talking about a real tough resolution again on Libya, trying to possibly investigate crimes against humanity, a lot of discussions about what the next steps are for diplomacy at -- in Geneva on Monday. KAYE: And Elise, it's always interesting talking to you about Libya because you're actually there, just a few years ago.
LABOTT: Right, yes.
KAYE: And you interviewed actually one of Gadhafi's sons.
LABOTT: That's right. We interviewed Seif al-Islam who you've seen making a lot of speeches on behalf of his father the -- the last couple of days. It's really sad, Randi. I mean, you know, these last few years Seif al-Islam is really seen as a reformer of Libya, he was credited largely in -- in convincing his father to give up his weapons of mass destruction and also to settle the Pan Am Lockerbie case, get those sanctions lifted. He was really seen in -- in the international community as a reformer.
He was very -- western educated, speaks perfect English. And it's really kind of interesting and sad in a way to see him revert back to the old tactics of the regime, talking about dying in Libya, living and dying in Libya, talking about fighting to the last bullet.
So it's really been interesting. Totally not the person that we saw when we visited him in Tripoli -- Randi.
KAYE: That is a very interesting change. All right, Elise Labott, thank you so much.
LABOTT: Sure.
KAYE: In Wisconsin, the political stand-off reaches a boiling point. We're live from inside the state capitol when we come right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Welcome back.
The nation's governors are gathering in Washington for their winter meeting this weekend. Some of the Democratic governors were at the White House, though, yesterday. And you can expect Wisconsin's battle over the budget and union rights to be front and center in their talks today, as the governors compare notes on how states are dealing with budget shortfalls.
But Wisconsin's Governor Scott Walker is not expected to attend.
Tens of thousands are expected to rally in Wisconsin today, including some Hollywood actors.
CNN's Ted Rowlands joins us live from inside the state capitol in Madison to explain. Good morning, Ted.
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi Randi, very loud inside the capitol here. As you can see, they basically have taken over the capitol rotunda here. It's been this way for the last week. There are people downstairs, upstairs, and all around, literally thousands of people have come and gone throughout the last week. A lot of people actually spending the night here, trying to put pressure on Governor Walker to bend a little bit, to give in on this collective bargaining part of his budget reform proposal.
At this point, though, both sides are staying firm, those 14 Democratic senators remained in the state of Illinois, and the Governor remains entrenched in his position that he is not going to budge. Here is a little bit of the Governor from last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. SCOTT WALKER (R), WISCONSIN: Overwhelmingly, people across this state, no matter what their opinion, for, against, or somewhere in between on the budget repair bill, I think overwhelmingly, the sentiment out there is the place that you have that debate is right here in the Capitol.
So again, I'm calling on, I'm asking, I'm pleading with people all across this state, to call their state senators and ask them to come back to the Capitol and vote on this bill.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROWLANDS: And to that end, yesterday the Governor went around the state of Wisconsin to the districts of all of those 14 senators and asked voters to call and put pressure on those senators to come back. Of course, if they don't come back, there's no quorum set and they can't push this legislation through.
At this point the 14 are staying in Illinois, and as you can see the thousands are staying here at the Capitol trying to apply pressure to the Governor. You mentioned that rally we are expecting in excess of 70,000 people here around the state Capitol. It's a little cold today. So I don't know if all of those people will show up.
But a lot of folks are coming down here to -- to -- to again, try to put pressure on the Governor. He's holding firm, though and the stalemate really -- it shows no signs of ending, at least in the next few days.
KAYE: And Ted, do we know if the two sides, just quickly do we know if they're even talking to each other somehow, even if they're not working on a compromise or they don't have a compromise yet? But are they even communicating?
ROWLANDS: Yes, there doesn't seem to be any dialogue at all. Even though the folks are in Illinois, they can obviously make a phone call, if the governor would accept it, but at this point, it's really turned into a partisan battle and the divide becomes wider and wider each day. You've got labor, of course, which is tight with the Democratic Party. And then you have the Republicans, who would love to get rid of the unions, for a lot of different reasons.
And it's turning into, although it's a budget backdrop, this is a pure political fight. Make no mistake about it. And it is really not only capturing the attention of the country, but it is starting to divide the people here in Wisconsin.
It's going to be interesting to see who flinches over the next few days because when we get into next week we're talking about real economic loss for the taxpayers here in Wisconsin. Something's got to give probably by Tuesday or Wednesday.
KAYE: Right. All right. Ted Rowlands for us in Madison. Thank you.
And it's not just Wisconsin with the budget struggles. New Jersey faces a similar fight over collective bargaining and workers' benefits. Thousands of union workers rallied in Trenton yesterday in support of the Wisconsin protests.
In Ohio Republican lawmakers say that they'll amend their collective bargaining measure. It would allow public workers to negotiate salaries but not benefits, such as health care.
And Florida, in Miami a big union meeting yesterday; Organizers called it a rally for, quote, "jobs, fair unemployment insurance and a good budget for the state".
Charlie Sheen might have pushed his luck just a little too far this time. We'll talk to a psychiatrist about his odd behavior.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Charlie Sheen's most recent rant has caused the sitcom "Two and a Half Men" to shut down production for the rest of the season. Sheen went on a radio show this week and made some unflattering remarks about his executive producer and his critics in general.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
SHEEN: They lay down with their ugly wives in front of their ugly children and just look at their loser lives and then they look at me and say, "I can't process it". Well, no, and you never will. Stop trying. Just sit back and enjoy the show.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Earlier I talked to psychiatrist Mark Goulston about Sheen's behavior.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARK GOULSTON, PSYCHIATRIST: When I think of addiction with people like Charlie Sheen, I think of too much too soon, dopamine and feeling exploited. Too much too soon is often these celebrities when they're young they get all of these things that they shouldn't have and then suddenly they have to go off it.
I actually heard that when people feel like somebody and they go back to being anybody they feel like nobody. And it's like a real crash. And that's all regulated by something in your brain called dopamine. So they live on a dopamine high. And any time they lose that, they will do anything to get that back.
So sometimes they do drugs not to get high, they do it to avoid the crash. But I think what we're seeing is the reaction of someone who has felt exploited.
Something that I've heard from a lot of celebrities is -- is they often grow up thinking that they're being loved by the people who are exploiting their talents. And then they end up feeling used but they don't want to give up that talent because that's all they know.
KAYE: Yes.
GOULSTON: They're actually incompetent outside that talent. And so they often feel that without that they'll show the world that they know nothing.
But it's a little bit like trusting someone all your life and then realizing they were using you and you feel violated.
GOULSTON: Often unleashed rage is something called impotent rage, the rage of powerlessness. And often these people when they were young, they were actually being used but they didn't realize they were being used and they were kind of powerless to do anything about it. And they believed all these people telling them that we love you, we like you, we'll do anything for you.
But then when it turns out that you feel that you're being used and exploited, it develops into a rage. And then when you get the power -- when you're in a position of power and you have enough money, you're able to get mad as hell and not take it anymore.
KAYE: So, how would you treat him if he was your patient? What would you do for him?
GOULSTON: What I try to do is -- I wouldn't try and put him in a category. I think there's a part of him that says, you know, when people try to put me in a category like in AA or people are telling me that they're right and I'm wrong, he's going to rebel against that.
So I think what I would try and do is connect with him as him and then if I could develop a rapport, I would push and I'd say, "What's the rage about?" And then he'd give me several answers and I'd keep pushing and I'd say what are you really enraged about?
And often if you're persistent and you're doing that to get to the bottom of it, it's like draining an abscess, sometimes what they'll tell you is I feel like a piece of meat. I feel like I'm used. What the public doesn't know is that when you're out at a restaurant and everybody leers at you, you know, they think that's OK because you're a celebrity. I feel invaded by everyone. Everyone's taking from me, and I'm not allowed to complain because I make so much money.
KAYE: Yes. And really the bottom line is if you think about it. This guy he did show up on set, did his lines, he didn't seem to be having any temper tantrums or trouble on the set. He's just doing his job and he's bringing in the money, he's bringing in the ratings. So is it possible that he thinks what he's saying has merit since he was a functioning addict, apparently, and was making the show happen and bringing in all that money to CBS?
GOULSTON: Well, I think it has merit to him. I think to the outside world, of course, we see it has no merit. And so I think there's a part of him that's trying to have someone agree with anything that he's doing. But everyone is disagreeing with him. And the only time they agree with him is when he's being their nice little boy acting the way that he should be. And I think that could make someone like him want to vomit.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Charlie Sheen's rant has many people talking. Leading addiction expert, Dr. Drew told Piers Morgan last night that he is worried about Sheen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. DREW PINSKY, HLN HOST, "NIGHTLY SHOW": He's clearly in an acute psychiatrically unstable state. That's just the fact. I mean there's simply no denying it, look at the data there. The question is, is that really the underlying disorder or is this addiction causing hypomania?
At this point it really doesn't matter because hypomanics kill themselves, hurt other people, become gravely disabled and he's just inches off --
PIERS MORGAN, CNN HOST, "PIERS MORGAN TONIGHT": Are you worried about Charlie Sheen?
PINSKY: Oh, my goodness, he's inches off needing a 72-hour hold, a 5150, where people are held against their will because this states that clearly he's in -- go to very bad place. I know, you know, people toss around whether or not we should be approving or disapproving of his behavior. That's not the issue. I hope he lives his life as he pleases.
The problem he's gotten himself, his brain into an normal state, that manifested behavior that will be for sure terribly, terribly dangerous.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: And you can soon get expert opinion like that every day. That's because, America's favorite doctor is getting his own nightly TV show on HLN. Catch Dr. Drew premiering April 4th, on HLN.
Snowflakes in San Francisco? That hasn't happened in decades. Reynolds Wolf will have more on that and your weekend forecast.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Reynolds Wolf is here now to tell us about a little surprise that folks in San Francisco got.
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: You know what? I got the sneaking suspicion that no one's going to believe us unless we show them the video.
KAYE: Then, let's do it.
WOLF: Let's just go right to it. Take a look, this is San Francisco, we've got the video for you, showing you the proof. Snow flurries, hard to believe, snow flurries in the city by the bay. But that was certainly in the situation. Nothing too heavy. No significant accumulation. No ice scrapers needed but still in that area, that beautiful spot that great city, that gem of a place, you had a touch of snowfall.
` Not so pretty over in Philadelphia though; we're going to take you there now, in the Delaware Valley, we had some strong wind gusts. And we've got plenty of damage that people are waking up to this morning. Still, many people without power. The clean ups are going to take some while. But they're going to be possibly hampered with those cleanup efforts because they do anticipate rainfall in that area -- some possibly heavy rain, as we fast forward into tomorrow's forecast.
Let's talk about what's going to happen today, though, in parts of the Delaware Valley over to New York, it's going to be a mix of sunshine and clouds. Back over to Erie, a touch of snowfall but there very light precipitation, not expecting too much.
Out west, it is going to be very different, though. We've been telling you, of course, about San Francisco. Very light. That event is pretty much over but things are going to start ramping up in parts of the, well the Sierra Nevadas, The Wasatch Range and even back over to the Central Rockies. It's been snowing like crazy, and through winter tale with no exception possibly. Two to three feet in the Wasatch Range before the weekend is out.
Very quickly, in terms of the rest of your national forecast, it is going to be pure bliss across parts of the southern plains. Beautiful conditions with a mix of sun and clouds throughout much of Texas. Cool for the Ohio Valley; as you wrap it up, plenty of sunshine in the southeast.
And in the Pacific Northwest, we've got another storm system coming through which will result in some rain along the coast and into the Cascades; a nice touch of snow to round out the weekend. Randi, back to you.
KAYE: All right. I'll take it. Thank you.
WOLF: OK. There you go.
KAYE: Trying to avert a government shutdown. Next, what the public thinks about all this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KAYE: Welcome back. About half past the hour.
Unless a spending deal is reached, the government could shutdown next Friday.
What do Americans think about that prospect? Let's check in with CNN's deputy political director, Paul Steinhauser, who is live in Washington for us this morning.
Good morning, Paul.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Hey. Good morning, Randi.
You know, at the top of the hour I was listening to you talk to our Lisa Desjardins about this possibility of a compromise between Democrats and Republicans in Congress to at least for two weeks to put off any kind of possible shutdown. And you know what, Randi? That's kind of what Americans want, compromise.
Look at these numbers. This is from Gallup and "USA Today," conducted a few days ago. It's the most recent polling we have on a budget shutdown.
At the top right here, six out of 10 Americans say they want their lawmakers in Congress to compromise to avert a budget shutdown, to get a budget deal. At the bottom, 32 percent say they want their lawmakers to stick to their guns, stick to their plans, even if that means a possible shutdown -- Randi.
KAYE: And there's also the National Governors Association meeting this weekend.
STEINHAUSER: There sure is. And, you know, the possibility of a government shutdown is one of the things on their mind.
They're meeting. The Democrats -- or governors -- were in town yesterday. They met with President Obama at the White House.
Also today, you've got the Republicans joining in. They've got meetings today, all day. We sent our Peter Hamby there. He'll have reports coming up next hour. And then tomorrow they go to the White House again.
And you know what? They're talking about what's go on with the budget crisis, but they're also talking about what's going on, Randi, in Wisconsin, with what Governor Walker is doing there. Because you know what? All these governors, just about all of them, face budget deficits. And by law, most of these governors have to balance their books.
So the idea of whether working with unions or going after unions is a top concern to the governors -- Randi.
KAYE: Paul Steinhauser, watching it all.
Thank you, Paul.
STEINHAUSER: Thank you.
KAYE: Well, just two years ago, if I said the words "Tea Party," you probably thought of your grandmother sipping from a cup with her pinky extended. Right? Yes, those are the days we were all so young.
Well, the Tea Party, the political movement, was born two years ago this month.
CNN's Shannon Travis is in Phoenix for a summit there.
And Shannon, you actually met the woman credited with putting a name on this political game-changer.
SHANNON TRAVIS, CNN POLITICAL PRODUCER: That's right, Randi. And you and our viewers about to meet her as well. But I just want to set up where we are right now and why we're here.
Right behind me is the Phoenix Convention Center. It's where a group called the Tea Party Patriots are holding a summit, basically, with some of the potential presidential candidates.
They will be talking about that word that you and Paul were just mentioning, the "budget," and other things, ways to cut government spending. But as you just mentioned, this is the two-year anniversary of the Tea Party movement.
About two years ago this weekend, there were massive protests. But would we even be here if it weren't for this woman that you're about to meet?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TRAVIS (voice-over): Meet the woman who is considered, by many activists, to be the godmother of the Tea Party movement.
MARY RAKOVICH, TEA PARTY ACTIVIST: You should know what you believe in and stand up for it.
TRAVIS: She's an anti-abortion rights, pro-environment vegetarian, with two bad hips, cared for Medicare. She may have been the first to publicly protest the stimulus in early February, 2009. It was outside an event in Fort Myers, Florida, where President Barack Obama was promoting his plan.
(on camera): Critics might actually blame you, say, hey, this woman, Mary Rakovich, is responsible for the Tea Party movement.
RAKOVICH: Well, I think they should look at Rick Santelli instead.
TRAVIS (voice-over): He's the CNBC host who, days after Rakovich, ranted on the president's plan to help struggling homeowners. RICK SANTELLI, CNBC: How many of you people want to pay for your neighbor's mortgage that has an extra bathroom and can't pay their bills? Raise their hand. We're thinking of having a Chicago Tea Party in July.
TRAVIS: That went viral. Then Tea Party groups formed and the protests spread. The movement has seen political success, like helping Republicans take back the House, and setbacks, like being accused of tolerating racism and losing key elections.
As we look toward the presidential election and the Tea Party's impact, Sarah Palin may greatly benefit from her Tea Party ties if she runs. She's even warned Republicans.
(on camera): Governor, what if the Tea Party movement winds up splitting the Republican Party in two? Who will you stand with?
SARAH PALIN (R), FMR. ALASKA GOVERNOR: You know, I don't think that it will, because I think more of the machine within the GOP is going to understand that this "We, the people" message is rising because it's just so full of common sense and time-tested truths that can put the economy on the right track, that heaven forbid that the GOP machine strays from this message. If so, the GOP is through.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TRAVIS: Now, Randi, that was just a few months ago. But take note of what governor -- former Governor Palin said. If the GOP doesn't get on board with Tea Party ideals, they may be through.
KAYE: Shannon Travis, thank you so much.
Turning back now to international news, sanctions shuttered embassies, frozen assets. Libya's president, Moammar Gadhafi, faces extreme pressure from the U.S. and the international community.
Security forces continued their bloody crackdown on protesters yesterday. Witnesses report pro-Gadhafi mercenaries shooting peaceful protesters and even hunting them down at homes and inside the hospitals in Tripoli. The U.N. estimates the death toll at more than 1,000 people already.
Meanwhile, thousands, including hundreds of Americans, scrambled to flee Libya by air and sea, evacuating to nearby countries.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUDITH DROTAR, FLED LIBYA: I've never felt, you know, totally threatened. It's just that I didn't know what was going to happen. None of us did, because, as I told you, things deteriorated so rapidly, that we didn't know what to expect. So the uncertainty was just horrific.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: That was an American teacher who was on a ferry to Malta to escape Libya.
Meanwhile, the U.N. Security Council is considering sanctions against Libya.
Senior United Nations Correspondent Richard Roth is standing by live.
And Richard, has the Security Council started its meeting yet?
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. UNITED NATIONS CORRESPONDENT: It's about to. Some slight delays for technical issues. But basically, here at the United Nations Security Council, ambassadors have come into the building and they're talking positively about getting a vote today on a sanctions package aimed at the regime of Moammar Gadhafi, his family, and friends and others in high places there.
The Security Council doesn't expect that this resolution is going to turn power over immediately. It's just part of that diplomatic arsenal to design to ebb away Gadhafi's power.
Some of the Security Council ambassadors walking in telling us that there's still some technical legal aspects to be worked on. But Brazil and Portugal council ambassadors said they expect a vote today. Germany saying it's important to hold Libya and other authorities there accountable for violence against civilians, and that means the referral inside the Security Council resolution to the International Criminal Court of those who might be later accused and prosecuted for attacks on civilians.
Now, will sanctions have any effectiveness? One major expert doesn't think -- don't count on them, he says.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PROF. FOUAD AJAMI, JOHNS HOPKINS SCHOOL OF ADVANCED INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: The sanctions never work. Anyone with money, anyone with huge amounts of money, as Gadhafi does, can break these sanctions, combust them with great ease.
And one thing we know about the sanctions, to pass sanctions, and if you bring the sanctions, particularly if you come to the Security Council and do a round of sanctions in the Security Council, well, there you meet the Russians and the Chinese. And the only kinds of resolutions and provisions that would pass in the United Nations are really mild.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROTH: The Security Council resolution does not include, Randi, a no-fly zone provision in the skies over Libya, something that would perhaps curb some of the aerial attacks. But you need an army -- the United Nations doesn't have an army -- and then you have countries willing to go in and get further involved in what turns into a civil war -- Randi.
KAYE: So, in terms of specifics, what kind of sanctions are even possible?
ROTH: The sanctions will sound familiar to people who are around and aware of what happened after the bombing of Pan Am 103 in the skies of Lockerbie, Scotland -- an arms embargo, travel ban on Libyan leaders, and asset freezes. Some think that Gadhafi and his cohorts have enough money to certainly survive. These similar sanctions did not change the Libyan government position on turning over suspects in the Lockerbie bombing for 10 years, despite the sanctions.
KAYE: All right. Richard Roth, thank you.
A NASCAR experience you'll have to see to believe. Our Reynolds Wolf was in the driver's seat for this one, going well over 150 miles per hour. Yes, he is so brave, and he will tell us all about it right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Do you want to drive really fast like NASCAR greats Trevor Bayne, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and Richard Petty? Well, our Reynolds Wolf took the driver's seat for a NASCAR experience.
You might as well just add your name to that list. Right? You drove really fast. Like, what, 165?
WOLF: Let's not add my name to that list.
KAYE: How fast did you go?
WOLF: How fast did I go personally? About 115 miles an hour. But I went in with a professional driver afterward, and we got up to 165.
KAYE: Oh. But it wasn't your foot on the pedal on that one.
WOLF: No, but I was just as terrified.
KAYE: Pretty cool though that you did this.
WOLF: It was an amazing thing. You know, it's one of those things that anyone can really experience if you're lucky enough to have the opportunity. By all means, I say go do it, because not everyone has the opportunity to go and play baseball at Wrigley Field, or go to the Staples Arena and play where the Lakers play. But this is an opportunity to do as the pros do, and it was not pretty.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF: This is awesome. This is what it's all about. You've got the great car. You've got beautiful weather. You've got the track.
DONNIE WETMORE, JR., PETTY DRIVING INSTRUCTOR: Are you getting nervous at all?
WOLF: Dude, absolutely. Yes, big time. It's like before a hurricane or something. WETMORE: Well, 165 miles an hour.
WOLF: It's definitely Category 5. It's a Category 5 hurricane.
WETMORE: There is nothing like sitting behind the wheel of 600 horsepower and just having open road.
WOLF: I can imagine.
WETMORE: Smelling the fuel, the noise.
WOLF: It must be nice. We're going to find out, aren't we?
WETMORE: We are going to find out.
WOLF: I like it.
WETMORE: Slide all the way down in the car and push yourself back into the seat.
WOLF: All right. I'm snug as a bug in a rug.
Nice. That was awesome, guys.
WETMORE: How was that?
WOLF: Unbelievable. Unbelievable.
You kind of forget about a lot of other things except the steering wheel and what's in front of you.
I've got to feel ground. That's what I've got to do. Right here.
Oh! Thank you. Goodness gracious.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: Nicely done.
WOLF: Wow. You don't realize how snug you happen to be inside those cars. It's all about safety.
You can barely move your head. You can barely move your arms. It's basically, like I said, the steering wheel and you're rear end on the seat. And all you to remember is basically hit the accelerator and turn left.
KAYE: It's a cage, really in there, right?
WOLF: It's a cage. You would be stunned. It's stunning just how overwhelming these things are. But I've got all the respect in the world for the professional drivers and what those guys deal with out on those hot tracks, lap after lap. It's amazing.
KAYE: It felt pretty good though, racing down the track? WOLF: I was terrified, yes. But fun.
KAYE: Shouldn't tell that to people.
WOLF: Good stuff.
KAYE: Well, it was good. We're glad you did it. Thanks, Reynolds.
WOLF: Thanks.
KAYE: So what do you do when your 401(k) and your other funds are not panning out and you don't want to work into your golden years? Financial advice for all ages, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: For many baby boomers, retirement saving plans are falling far short these days. This has forced many to continue working longer than they had ever planned.
So, earlier, I talked to certified financial planner Karen Lee, and I asked her what steps people should take to avoid looking for a job in their golden years.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAREN LEE, FINANCIAL PLANNER: Let's talk about these people that are already in retirement or approaching retirement. You're going to need to reevaluate your situation. And if you have come up short on your savings, you can either keep working if you're still in a job, get some part-time work, or reduce your lifestyle. So, that's what we do for those people.
But for those that are, you know, like us, we're still working and we got years and years, take a look at how much you're really going to need in retirement. Figure out a budget, subtract from that Social Security if you're lucky to have any pensions. Take that off. And with what's left, you're going to need to make that up out of your investments.
So, a good rule of thumb is between 3.5 percent to 5 percent. The sustainable withdrawal rate, let's just use 4 percent.
KAYE: OK.
LEE: So, if you come up $40,000 of income you need from your investments, 4 percent, you need $1 million.
KAYE: So, that's the formula.
LEE: Four percent. If you want to be aggressive, go 5 percent. But, yes, for every 40 grand of income, you need from your investments, $1 million.
KAYE: And so, say for people who aren't looking to retire right now, younger folks, can they be more aggressive in their investing? Will that get them there faster?
(CROSSTALK)
LEE: Let's talk with some percentages. I've always had a golden rule, which is you should save 10 percent of every paycheck you ever earn for the rest of your life, no matter what. Make no excuses, OK?
So, if you are 20, 10 percent. If you're just starting to save in your 30s, let's up that to 15 percent. If you're just starting to save in your 40s, 20 percent. If you are in your 50s, say a little prayer and you're probably going to be working for a while.
KAYE: Yes.
LEE: But in your question, yes, you can be more aggressive with your investments. You can have higher in stocks than in bonds when you're younger. It's a time horizon to retirement that would tell you how much you can have. And the key, Randi, though, is you must rebalance those investments.
KAYE: Keep an eye on them for sure.
LEE: Keep an eye on them, you can't just leave them run.
KAYE: Right, because nobody cares about them as much as you do.
LEE: That's right.
KAYE: What about the company match and contribution, do you suggest going --
(CROSSTALK)
LEE: At a minimum -- at a minimum, you should be investing up to the company match. It's free money.
But I think the mistake that many of the boomers made is only investing to the company match because -- well, that's the only amount they are matching. You've got to do your 10 percent or 15 percent that's required. But, of course, at a minimum of the match.
KAYE: So, you can't go beyond.
LEE: Of course. Of course.
KAYE: And there's all those supplemental plans and all that. If you can afford to do it, then if that's a good idea.
LEE: And that's always the key and I think what happens is people make the excuses that they can't afford to. And all these boomers that are coming short are looking back and saying, I should have made that my priority.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: NEWSROOM continues at the top of the hour with Fredricka Whitfield, and she's here now.
To tell us what you have for us.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Good to see you. And I love that Karen Lee. Always great advice.
KAYE: Yes, she is.
WHITFIELD: So, I also love our legal guys, Richard and Avery. And they'll be along to talk about this idea -- would you hand over the password for your Facebook if your employer says it we have to have it in order for you to maintain employment?
KAYE: That's a tough predicament.
WHITFIELD: I know. We're going to tackle that case out of Maryland.
And then, of course, I also love the Dolans, Ken and Daria Dolan. They are here, financial gurus.
They're going to be here to talk about whether you can identify ahead of time whether your state is in financial trouble. And then they're going to have some advice on audit-free tax preparations.
KAYE: That's good stuff.
WHITFIELD: It's possible.
KAYE: Perfect time of year.
WHITFIELD: And then "Face to Face" with Iman, supermodel, before there was the word "supermodel" --
KAYE: Stunning.
WHITFIELD: Stunning, exactly. There's so many descriptions of Iman. She's a multimillion-dollar business executive as well. I talked to her "Face to Face," and she says, you know what? Everyone should consider the notion of taking big chances.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
IMAN, SUPERMODEL: Try it. You never know what will happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: She says you never know what would happen. She took a big chance when she decided to leave Kenya. She's Somali-born, but she and her family were living in Kenya, she was going to the University of Nairobi there.
And this photographer came around and said, "You know what? You're beautiful. Can I take your picture?"
She said, "Oh, but for a price." And that led to a round-trip ticket to New York. That was the big chance she took.
And the rest, you know, is history, as they say.
KAYE: Is history.
WHITFIELD: And she divulges on all of those things, and kind of the philosophy behind how she's been able to be so successful so many times over. Iman, "Face to Face."
KAYE: And she's still so stunning.
WHITFIELD: Yes, she is.
KAYE: I mean, look at her, even after all these years.
WHITFIELD: She divulges a little bit on how she maintains that beauty.
KAYE: Oh. See, now you gave me. Now I'm in.
WHITFIELD: Yes, me too. I was like, "How do you do that?" She's 55.
KAYE: Wow.
WHITFIELD: She's amazing.
KAYE: Good for her.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
KAYE: All right, Fred. We'll look forward to all that. We'll see you in just a few minutes.
WHITFIELD: All right.
KAYE: Well, tomorrow is Hollywood's big night. Next, predictions on who will be going home with the Oscar.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Hollywood's getting ready for its biggest night of the year, as A-listers turn out tomorrow for the 83rd Annual Academy Awards.
And earlier, I talked with Tom O'Neil. He's the creator of Goldderby.com, a Web site devoted to predicting the top showbiz awards. And he told me who he thinks will take home an Oscar.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM O'NEIL, GOLDDERBY.COM: And the minute we got into these Guild Awards, and Oscar voters are in those guilds, it all switched to "The King's Speech" this year. It was fascinating.
KAYE: So that's your pick now? O'NEIL: Yes. It looks as if we're going to see a "King's Speech" coronation. The question is, how extensive will its rule be? It will certainly win best picture and best actor and best screenplay. The question is, will it win director in some of these crafts categories like art direction and costumes as well?
KAYE: So you do think that Colin Firth then, for "The King's Speech," will take home best actor?
O'NEIL: Yes. He cannot possibly lose, Randi.
He's got the Oscar trifecta. Think about this. He portrays a real-life person, he plays a real-life person with a handicap, and he lost last year. So he's got an Oscar IOU.
KAYE: He sure does.
So wouldn't it be really cool if James Franco won best actor for "127 Hours" since he is actually hosting this year? That would be kind of cool, right? How would they handle that?
But speaking of the co-host, how do you think that he's going to do with Anne Hathaway?
O'NEIL: Well, I think this is the greatest choice for hosts in recent years, because the mistake that the Oscars have been making lately is they've been bringing in these rent-a-clowns from New York like Jon Stewart and Chris Rock and David Letterman. They all bombed.
And while they're all great talents, they're not Oscar hosts. Come on.
This is Hollywood's family reunion. Somebody should preside over it from the family. And while we normally get the senior statesmen like the Steve Martins and so forth, it's great that we have the young, hip, sexy stars this year.
KAYE: Right.
What about best actress? Who is your pick there? I know that Annette Bening is getting a lot of talk from "The Kids Are All Right." I actually saw that one. I didn't see "Black Swan," but Natalie Portman is a front-runner, no doubt, right?
O'NEIL: Yes, Natalie Portman's won all the early awards, and she has done the physical transformation. She actually learned to become a ballet dancer here.
But watch out for Annette Bening, because while normally the young lovely wins this award -- voters have actually been treating this category like a beauty pageant in recent years -- Annette Bening has a lot of things going for her. She plays gay, and you win an Oscar if you do that. That's how Sean Penn and Tom Hanks won Oscars. But also, she's the ultimate Oscar insider, because she's a member of the academy's Board of Governors.
KAYE: She was really good in that movie.
But what about best supporting actress? Who's your pick there?
O'NEIL: Well, this is where the upsets happen all the time. You know, when you look back, if you're doing your Oscar pool every year and you say, I want to go out on a limb somewhere, this is where you go, because just in the last 10 years, Juliette Binoche, Tilda Swinton, you know, Marcia Gay Harden pulled off upsets here.
So, this year, everyone is saying Melissa Leo is going to win, and I think she's the odds-on favorite. You've got to watch out for --
KAYE: From "The Fighter."
O'NEIL: From "The Fighter." But you have to watch out for Hailee Steinfeld from "True Grit." She's only 14 years old, and Oscar winners love the kids, especially if they're female. And then you also have to watch out for Helena Bonham Carter, because if there's this big "King's Speech" sweep, she goes along for the ride.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAYE: And that's going to do it for me.
CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Fredricka Whitfield.
WHITFIELD: I look forward to all that, Oscar night.
KAYE: Me too.
WHITFIELD: I only saw one of the pictures that's up for best picture though.
KAYE: The one I didn't see.
WHITFIELD: "The King's Speech." Oh, OK. Well, yes, so I can't really, you know, weigh in on the others.
KAYE: Yes. I don't know. We'll have to watch and see.
WHITFIELD: We will. All right, Randi.
KAYE: Meanwhile, we'll watch you now.
WHITFIELD: OK. Thanks so much.
