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Fifty Arrested at "Occupy Portland"; Police Disperse "Occupy Oakland"; Health Care Law Going to Supreme Court; Penn State Faces Possible Lawsuit; Sandusky Home is Near a School; U.S. Worried About Olympic Security; Gloria Cain Breaks Her Silence; Justin Timberlake Attends Marine Ball; Breast Cancer Advocate Dies; Dems Target on Romney Campaign

Aired November 14, 2011 - 10:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: It's the top of the hour, 10 a.m. Eastern Time. Thank you so much for joining us.

We begin with tensions building as some "Occupy" protests enter a second month. More than 50 people are arrested in Portland, another 20 are hauled away in Denver, and this morning protesters are avoiding arrest by following police orders to break down their tents and leave.

Then you have Philadelphia. The mayor actually beefed up the police presence and says that the sit-in is becoming more disruptive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR MICHAEL NUTTER, PHILADELPHIA: "Occupy Philly" has changed. We're seeing serious health and safety issues playing out on almost a daily basis.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Our senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen is looking at those health concerns, but Christine Romans. Let's go ahead and start with you in New York. You say we're actually seeing a turning point.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It feels as though there's a turning point here for city leaders like Mayor Nutter and other who are saying, you know, look, now we have others who are using the "Occupy" movement as camouflage, if you will, for crimes.

And that's exactly what happened in Portland where the mayor there saying that criminals are using the camps as camouflage and in fact, seeing a 20 percent increase in crime surrounding the encampment.

Not for "Occupy" people or people who are with this movement, the ideological movement, but from others who have found this as a ripe target. So you had lots of arrests there this weekend, 50 arrests in Portland.

Sunday as police cleared two parks there, 300 officers taking part in a sweep there, and that Mayor Sam Adams telling us that this is a public safety and a freedom of expression story altogether.

I want on to take you to Oakland, California now, Kyra, where this is happening right now where you have police in riot gear. I would say hundreds of them, although they're not giving us an exact number, who have broken down the camp and cleared the camp there in the park there in Frank Gallop Plaza.

They have cleared the camp. They broke it down. They tell us they have cleared it out, but there are still protesters around Oakland police say. They say arrests have been made, but would not tell us what the charges are or have not told us how many quite yet.

But, again, this is all still happening as we speak. They made a big ring, a wall, if you will, around that plaza, and there have been three evictions notices for that, for those occupiers in those camps. Now the police say they have cleared that campus.

A turning point really here that you can see, just the line of protestors and you can see the line of people there, and a real face- off with a lot of tension there.

In Denver, it got pretty rough there this weekend, too. Police went in and made 20 arrests, 17 on Saturday alone. This is what a lot of people are talking about online, some of these pictures. They say it looks like the police were overreacting, although police have been saying in many towns.

They're being taunted by "Occupy" protesters who are actually coming right in and blocking out walkways and the like. In Denver, police moved furniture out, putting out a campfire, trying to clear the area there around a plaza.

And you mentioned, of course, Philadelphia where Mayor Nutter has been saying, look, basically he say, I'm the 99 percent. I represent the 99 percent. You have people who can't go to work. You got tourists who can't get around and you have a situation where we have all the police trying to protect the protesters.

There was an alleged sexual assault there in the encampment. He's very upset about that and there will be an increased police presence in Philadelphia too.

But he says this is not the "Occupy Philadelphia" that it started out as. Something new is happening here. You're seeing a lot of concern and tension, and so questions about how this movement is going to evolve from here -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Christine, thanks. Elizabeth Cohen standby for health effects that we're going to talk about from these protests in a second.

But first, President Obama's landmark health care law apparently has arrived at the Supreme Court, and the nine justices have agreed to wait until the politically charged debate over whether or not it's constitutional.

You remember at issue the requirement that nearly all Americans get health insurance, a number of states complaining that this wasn't constitutionally fair.

CNN's senior legal analyst, Jeffrey Toobin is live on the phone with us. So Jeffrey, dozens of states have argued that this law is unconstitutional.

There are several cases that are pending. It's sort of confusing, so what should we really be paying attention to now that we've got the word?

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST (via telephone): Well, it's actually a fairly straightforward legal issue. The federal government has to abide by the constitution, and the constitution says that the federal government is allowed to regulate interstate commerce.

Under the interstate commerce clause, we have Social Security. We have Medicare. We have Medicaid, and the Obama administration says the health care plan is simply a reflection of the way the federal government has been involved in health care for many, many years.

Many states have challenged that. They have said this is something different. This is requiring individuals to buy a private product that is health insurance, and that is something that the federal government simply does not have the authority to do.

The courts are split on the issue. More courts have upheld it. Some Republicans -- very influential Republican judges have upheld it recently. But I think it's likely to be a close question in the Supreme Court, and it is certainly the most important case that the court has had since Bush v. Gore 11 years ago.

PHILLIPS: Wow, so kind of give us as idea of the time line, how quickly or slowly this could all play out?

TOOBIN: Well, it's not going to be that slowly. The case will be argued either in February or in March, and it will certainly be decided in the last week in June. The Supreme Court term always ends right before the July 4th weekend, and the big cases are always decided then.

So just at the heart of the presidential campaign, the health care case is going to be right at the center. People are going to really have an opportunity to make up their minds what they think about the plan, what they think about the Supreme Court, and it will be a great public education about what the constitution really means.

PHILLIPS: Well, I think we can figure on out there will be legal and financial implications. But you just hit the political implications of this. How could this impact the 2012 elections?

TOOBIN: Well, you know, there's been a lot of speculation about that. I think no one knows for sure what the impact will be. Certainly, it will call attention to the health care law.

At the moment the health care law is more unpopular than popular, so that's probably something that is not good for the Obama administration. With my view about politics is winning is always better than losing.

If the law is struck down, it's the central achievement of President Obama's domestic policy. I think that will be very, very bad for him, the idea that he devoted all that time and energy to something unconstitutional.

If he wins, I think it's a benefit. I think ratification by a basically conservative Supreme Court, I think, will be seen as a big victory for him and will likely give him some momentum heading into the conventions. But, you know, I think we really have to see. It's hard to predict.

PHILLIPS: All right. Jeffrey, if you don't mind, stay with me. Jessica Yellin I'm told now who covers the White House for us joining us live out of the D.C. Bureau.

I don't know if you were locked in and were able to hear what Jeff Toobin just said, Jessica. But we're talking about the impact this could have now on the 2012 elections.

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all to tell you, Kyra, that administration officials insist that they're fairly confident at this point, because three of four circuit courts have -- they've had success in three of four circuit courts, as Jeff has noted.

And they feel that that gives them some success, especially because in the most recent decision it was a very conservative jurist who upheld the individual mandate that was the D.C. circuit court. Beyond that, you know, you never know with the Supreme Court.

If it's -- if you play out the politics of this, if the candidate is Mitt Romney that they're running against, there's no doubt if this is overturned it is bad news for the president's re- election chances. It's bad news for the White House.

But on the other hand, if it's Mitt Romney that they're running against, he also supported an individual mandate in his health care law, so it's a bit of a wash. So they have a game to play there still, and it doesn't do as much damage as if it were another candidate.

PHILLIPS: Well, it just so happens that -- go ahead. Finish your thought, Jessica.

YELLIN: But it's, look, it's never a good thing. This was the signal achievement of his term in office. This was the -- you know, the greatest, you know -- his -- what he lobbied for more than anything else.

And if it's overturned by the Supreme Court, it is not a happy day for the campaign or for the president. That said, they don't expect it to be -- they just don't expect it to be.

PHILLIPS: Jeffrey Toobin talking about the legal implications and Jessica Yellin the political. We just so happen to have Elizabeth Cohen here.

We are going to talk about the "Occupy" movement and health risks that are taking place around the country, but since I have you and you have covered this as well from a medical perspective, what's your take now of this news coming forward?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, what's interesting is what will happen if the Supreme Court strikes this down. So I want to back up for a minute and explain what the individual mandate is and why it's there.

So health care reform, one of the things it does that made a lot of people happy, is it says that people with pre-existing conditions should be able to get insurance. That is huge, Kyra, because previously they couldn't.

If you had heart disease or diabetes or anything, you could be told no. We're often told no or charged a ridiculously high price. But under health care reform, you have to get insurance companies have to say yes to you. Well, how can insurance companies afford to do that?

They can afford to do that by forcing everybody to get insurance, even young, healthy people. So if the court says, no, you can't force everyone to get insurance, how do you insure people with pre-existing conditions?

The whole thing falls apart. The health care reform bill basically falls apart. That's why this decision is so important, by requiring everyone to get insurance you help out the people with pre- existing conditions who can't get insurance basically.

PHILLIPS: We'll keep our eyes on it. Thanks for weighing in. Appreciate it.

All right, let's talk about another major development that we've talking about and how it may take shape. We're talking about the alleged child rape scandal at Penn State.

A local attorney now says that he represents one of the alleged victims and is now exploring a possible civil suit against the university.

We'll have more on that in a moment, but first, new outrage and now questions over the suspect Jerry Sandusky being freed on bond. Mary snow has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When he was charged with 40 counts of sexually abusing children, Jerry Sandusky was released on $100,000 bail. One condition, the former Penn State defensive coordinator was told not to go near children, but take a look where his house is located.

(on camera): This is the playground from Lamont Elementary School. Right over here is Jerry Sandusky's house and from his back porch, he has a clear view of it.

(voice-over): The administrators at the elementary school say local police reached out to them following Sandusky's arrest. The district superintendent is quoted saying the school, which runs through the second grade has taken additional administrative action to ensure our children are safe.

To be clear, Sandusky's never been accused of harming random children, rather, he is alleged to have molested young boys after developing close relationships with them through Second Mile, the charity he founded.

Sandusky's maintained his innocence. The road to his home is blocked off, and private property sign on his lawn went up this weekend after police say a cinder block was thrown through a window. Nearby neighbors question, why he's out on bail?

MELISSA ANDERSON, CONCERNED PARENT: It baffled my mind.

CARL ANDERSON, CONCERNED PARENT: I think presumption of innocence, we all like to believe in that, and we do in this country, but I think there's a level of protection that a neighborhood and a community is entitled to.

SNOW: Melissa and Carl Anderson have two little boys. Carl was such a fan of Sandusky's at one time. He had an autographed limited edition copy of Sandusky's book "Touched."

CARL ANDERSON: Immediately alternates between anger and sadness, really. I mean, it really is a loss of kind of community, wholesale community innocence.

SNOW (on camera): Have you seen more police here in the last week?

MELISSA ANDERSON: Yes.

SNOW (voice-over): The Andersons for one want to see a stiffer bail, and now a new revelation about the judge who set the bail. The judge's law firm listed her as a volunteer for Second Mile, CNN's legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin.

TOOBIN: The judge certainly should have raised the issue, disclosed her connections to the Second Mile so that the parties in the case could decide whether they wanted to ask her to recuse herself.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Mary joining us now from University Park. So Mary, what more can you tell us about the possibility of this civil lawsuit? SNOW: Yes, it seems all, but certain there will be a civil lawsuit, Kyra. A Pennsylvania attorney was on some of the morning talk shows today saying that one of the alleged victims of Jerry Sandusky has hired him to explore a civil lawsuit.

And it had been widely anticipated there would be these kinds of lawsuits and he would reportedly not only focus on a lawsuit against former coach Jerry Sandusky, but against anyone who may have known about alleged sex abuse and didn't report.

Kyra, I just also want to mention. You know, the judge in the Sandusky case, we have reached out to her for comment about those ties to Second Mile. It's not clear whether she still has an affiliation with Second Mile. Still haven't gotten a response from her.

PHILLIPS: Got it. Mary Snow, appreciate it.

Well, the London Olympics aren't until next summer, but things are already heating up between American and British security officials. We'll tell you about the tensions.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: The U.S. is ready to send a big contingent to London for the 2012 Summer Olympics, not athletes though, but security. Zain Verjee has all the details.

So there's these reports of, I guess, some tension shall we say between American and British officials on this?

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. There's a little bit of friction there, darling, between the Olympic committee here and U.S. officials. Basically, it surrounds the issue of security.

The U.S. is just worried that the U.K. isn't going to be ready enough. There aren't going to be enough security officials out there to protect U.S. contestants and U.S. diplomats. So what they've said is we're going to send 1,000 American security officials over to London in order to protect all of our guys, and 500 of them may be FBI officials.

The U.K., Kyra, has some pretty limited stop and search powers when is it comes to anti-terrorism. So that's one of the issues that they're raising. But the bottom line is the committee here underestimated the amount of security they would actually need.

They're going to be 32 Olympic sites around the country, and they thought maybe they need about 10,000 security guards. It turns out they need 21,000, so the question is, where do they get the money?

Where do they get all these people from? They may draw in on the British Ministry of Defense, but they're going to have to act quickly. The U.S. is worried and they're saying we're going to take care of our athletes and our diplomats.

We don't want anything to happen because the Olympics would be a pretty significant target for any al Qaeda or al Qaeda-related group to attack - Kyra, coming?

PHILLIPS: Can't put a price on that. I'm thinking about it. If your pad is open, I may join you for a little Olympics rendezvous.

VERJEE: Anytime, darling. The door is open. You just have to cook a little, that's all.

PHILLIPS: That's not a problem, and we won't need security. Thank you so much, Zain.

Well, Gloria Cain breaks her silence and defends her husband, Herman. We're going to talk about it next.

And the return of layaway. Restrained household budgets, well, it makes the holidays a bit easier to manage, but one lawmaker is warning of a hidden cost. Alison Kosik has it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Now we're talking about political wives defending their husbands. First, Hillary Clinton, 1992.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, WIFE OF U.S. FORMER PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON: You know, I'm not sitting here some little woman standing by my man like Tammy Wynette. I'm sitting here because I love him, I respect him, and I honor what he's been through and what we've been through together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Then Silda Spitzer standing by her man who was caught with a prostitute, New York Governor Eliot Spitzer. And Elizabeth Edwards struggling with cancer by her man's side as he was accused of cheating. Now Gloria Cain is breaking her silence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GLORIA CAIN, WIFE OF HERMAN CAIN: And I know that's not the person he is. He totally respects women.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Joining me now is Patricia Murphy, founder and editor of Citizen Jane Politics. You actually saw part of this interview. How did they come across? How will this play out?

PATRICIA MURPHY, FOUNDER AND EDITOR, CITIZEN JANE POLITICS: Well, we don't know how this is going to play out. I mean, this is the wildcard, the big question for Herman Cain.

But at in the point in his campaign, he needs to have somebody coming forward and saying, I know Herman Cain better than you do, and this is what I know about this man and that's what this interview is all about.

Gloria Cain in this interview comes across as really as friends have described her to me, very composed and very self-assured. Obviously, this has rattled her a great deal and that comes across too. She doesn't seem scripted.

It doesn't seem like the campaign gave her talking points and said, here say this about him. You know, this seems like this is what she knows the Herman Cain.

The most important piece that she says to viewers and I think this is crucial and this is why they're doing it. She says, this is not the person I know, and that is the message they're trying to get across with this interview.

PHILLIPS: So how does this play out, if another accuser comes forward or another accuser comes forward?

MURPHY: Well, obviously, we don't know how it's going to play out. But what the Cain campaign is trying to do in this case, when it's a he said, she said -- that's not easy to say -- they want to say, this is a man of good character.

They want to build up the case for he said. He is a family man. We see his two adult children in the interview as well. He cares about his wife and his wife cares about him. That's the piece they're working on.

At the same time, they are also raising questions about the women who were accusing him so building up his character, tearing down the women's character.

PHILLIPS: Here's what's interesting though, you interviewed Elizabeth Edwards years ago.

MURPHY: I did.

PHILLIPS: When all the secrets or the allegations were coming forward about her husband. Well, we saw how that turned out.

MURPHY: That's right. I think the American public has gotten burned many times by listening to women who have come forward to defend their husbands, only to find out later that in some cases that wasn't true and the women may have known it wasn't true.

When I interviewed Elizabeth Edwards, she's a staunch defender of her husband and it was after she learned about the allegations. We didn't know what was going on with John Edwards.

So the American public, I think, is going to take all of this with a grain of salt. Gloria Cain is somebody. She's not of the public stage. She's not a rehearsed media-trained woman.

PHILLIPS: She's always wanted to stay private and protect her family as well.

MURPHY: That's right. This is an instance where she and her family now -- it may be her worst nightmare. They have to come forward in the public spotlight to defend Herman Cain.

They wanted to roll her out what kind of first lady will you be? You know, that was the introduction they wanted to have for Gloria Cain.

Now it's I don't believe these allegations against my husband. So we'll see it tonight. It's going to be on at 10:00 tonight. I think it will be a fascinating interview. I look forward to seeing the whole piece.

PHILLIPS: All right, we'll recap then.

MURPHY: OK.

PHILLIPS: Thanks so much, Patricia.

OK, well, mark your calendars now for next Tuesday as well. Not just tonight's interview with Gloria Cain, but on November 22nd, CNN's is going to bring you a debate focusing exclusively on national security and foreign policy with the GOP candidates. That's next Tuesday, 8:00 p.m. Eastern only on CNN.

As we just mentioned Gloria Cain defending her husband against sexual harassment allegations. Will it even put the matter to rest? We'll talk about it again, but this time with our "Political Buzz" panel right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Checking top stories now. The alleged child rape scandal rocking Penn State appears to be moving towards civil court now. There are reports that one of the Jerry Sandusky's alleged victims may be preparing a lawsuit against the university.

Meanwhile, a school next to Sandusky's home has taken steps to ensure the safety of its students.

President Obama wrapping up the Asia-Pacific economic summit in Honolulu. He stressed job creation during the two-day meeting.

Police move in on "Occupy" demonstrators in Oakland this hour. They've been tearing down tents at the site of those protests. There are also reports of a number of arrests.

All right. "Political Buzz". Your rapid fire look at the best political topics of the day. Three questions and 30 seconds on the clock. And playing today: CNN contributor, Dana Loesch, Sirius XM political talk show host and comedian, Pete Dominick and CNN contributor Will Cain.

First question, guys. Gloria Cain is breaking her silence in an interview airing tonight. Here's a clip.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GLORIA CAIN, HERMAN CAIN'S WIFE: To hear such graphic allegations and know that that would have been something that was totally disrespectful of her as a woman, and I know that's not the person he is. He totally respects women.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: All right, guys. Could this backfire and revive the issue? Will?

WILL CAIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I don't think so. You know, Herman Cain, there's a plethora of polls now Kyra that show he's bleeding support not just among Republicans but particularly with women.

A couple of months ago when Anthony Weiner had his troubles, there was an article that came out. And I want to distinguish Herman Cain's allegations from essentially Anthony Weiner and other politician's admissions press conferences. But the article suggested that when wives come out, it plays well in the polling. It shows they're not victims and gives credibility to their husbands.

So I think Gloria Cain supporting her husband should have nothing but a positive impact on Herman Cain's current situation.

PHILLIPS: Dana.

DANA LOESCH, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, I actually would agree with that. I think Gloria Cain coming out just shows him to be more likeable, and it helps his image more. But I don't think that the issue has really ever gone away. I mean, it's been in the headlines every single day for the past week and a half. It's already -- it hasn't gone away to be revived yet, but I think it's going to play out well for him. Whether it's going to stops the hemorrhaging of support he's down like I think amongst women in Iowa; that remains to be seen.

So we'll see how this interview with his wife plays out.

PHILLIPS: Pete.

PTETE DOMINICK, SIRIUS XM TALK SHOW HOST/COMEDIAN: I think she'll probably just come on tonight and say, I have a bold plan for America. It's 9-9-9. She's probably just going to plug Herman Cain's economic policies.

I mean, listen, the truth is, of all of these male politicians who get in trouble from Bill Clinton to John Edwards to David Vitter to Eliot Spitzer, to everybody, and the woman when they stand by them, they're always, always wrong. I can't think of one off the top of my head and I've been thinking all morning where for the accusations were false and the wife didn't look wrong or bad. And so I don't think anything's going to change here.

PHILLIPS: All right, second question.

DOMINICK: It's bad. It's bad.

PHILLIPS: We're going to have some fun on this. In an interview with GQ, Herman Cain the man who describes himself as black walnut ice cream actually names his competition's flavor. Michele Bachmann, tutti-frutti; Mitt Romney, vanilla and Rick Perry, rocky road.

Now it's you turn guys, with Newt Gingrich rising in the polls, what's his flavor this week? Dana.

LOESCH: Well this is really difficult for me. Because I don't like ice cream. So I'm thinking what would Newt Gingrich is -- I'm going to get so much hate mail for that. I'm trying to think what Newt Gingrich's flavor would be. And I -- aside from better rhetorical skills, which I know isn't an ice cream flavor, the closest thing that I could come up with was -- was cotton candy. I don't know. I'm going with that. I'm going with that.

PHILLIPS: I didn't even know that was an ice cream flavor. Will.

CAIN: This is difficult for me, too, because I have limited creative bandwidth, but I guess something like a mystery flavor of the week. Because I still don't think we know how this Newt Gingrich thing is going to play out. It's a short term boomlet, voters still don't know him shockingly because he's been around so long but he has a dossier of opposition research that's going to be downloaded on the public.

Accusations of crony capitalism came up two debates ago. This Newt Gingrich thing remains to be seen. We'll see how it plays out; so mystery flavor.

PHILLIPS: Pete, they're being so serious. Come on , come on give us something Pete.

DOMINICK: Well, I'm so surprised that Dana would on national TV admit that she hates America. You don't like ice cream? I mean --

LOESCH: I said I just didn't like ice cream.

PHILLIPS: She doesn't watch baseball, either.

DOMINICK: I don't love it much, either, but I wouldn't admit it.

LOESCH: I love bacon, though.

DOMINICK: Listen, Newt Gingrich, if you were a flavor. I'd have call him vanilla too, because he's got to be the whitest guy up there. Or maybe a lemon sorbet. He always looks like he has a sour expression on his face, disdain for the person asking questions and disdain for the person who disagrees with him. He's so transparent and at least disingenuous.

(CROSSTALK)

LOESCH: Kyra --

DOMINICK: I think it's either lemon sorbet or vanilla.

LOESCH: I'm shock Pete didn't say the Ben and Jerry's flavor, I'm shocked. PHILLIPS: Which one?

DOMINICK: You're right he could be-- I'm sorry -- chunky monkey. You got it, I forgot it.

LOESCH: Well, no. I was going to say, there were a couple of other one's there we could have got.

DOMINICK: I forgot that, thank you Dana.

PHILLIPS: Oh my gosh. All right.

CAIN: You can make me seem unanimous I don't like ice cream either.

PHILLIPS: Oh my -- ok, guys take your ice cream wars off air.

Here's your "Buzzer Beater" 20 seconds each on this. We're done with ice creams.

Our friends at PollPosition.com they're having a little fun. They asked this. If the GOP primary were a reality TV show, who would you kick off first?

Well, Michele Bachmann was the winner on the Poll Position poll. What would guys -- what would be your first choice, Will?

CAIN: Obviously for me is got to be Herman Cain, because every time I appear on TV, the banner underneath my face says, "Will Cain survive sex scandal?" Not really a positive move for my career here I appreciate this mass media and Herman Cain.

PHILLIPS: Dana.

LOESCH: Well, mine is completely obvious. I'm -- well, I'm just going to shock everybody by saying mine would be Mitt Romney. I would vote Mitt Romney off. I'm sure he's a likeable guy. I'm sure he's a nice guy.

PHILLIPS: Look at her, she has to follow-up on everything. OK, cotton candy ice cream. OK, I don't eat ice cream. OK, wait a minute. All right, Pete, give us an answer.

DOMINICK: Well, I wouldn't -- I would not get rid of Michele Bachmann, although I do agree that she's tutti-frutti. I'm -- I'm so pro-woman. The father of two daughters, I need a woman out there. I'd probably let go of Herman Cain, but I think even though I'm an Independent, Romney is the only guy who can beat President Obama up there because no one is supporting Huntsman.

So I would -- I would vote Mitt Romney off the island.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, guys. I appreciate it.

LOESCH: Thank you Kyra.

PHILLIPS: I'm sending you all ice cream after the show.

And here's a program note. Coming up next Tuesday, November 22nd, CNN bringing you a presidential debate focusing exclusively on national security and foreign policy. That's next Tuesday, 8:00 p.m. Eastern only on CNN.

Well, so much for the weak economy. A new study says Americans are ready to spend some of their hard-earned cash this holiday season, and that's good news, Alison Kosik.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: And they can't wait. Yes, Americans, Kyra, are expected to spend almost $60 billion during the holiday season, this coming from Forester Research saying that's up 15 percent from last year.

Still though Americans are pretty worried about money. Almost 60 percent of people are more price conscious than they were last year. So what we're going to do is let our fingers do the work. We're going to go shopping online using our Smartphones, our tablets, and not such a big surprise. The job market is much weaker this year. Everybody is still trying to find those deals.

So they're going online to comparison shopping and find those deals. Of course many people think that shopping online is much easier, it's faster, you're in control and you don't have to drive from one store to another and waste all that gas, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. And a quick market check.

KOSIK: One of those slow days today. We are a bit in the red right now. No major economic news to drive the market, so Europe is really driving this bus today. Investors are keeping their eye on how Greece and Italy are getting their new governments in place.

Now they really want to see these austerity measures implemented. And overall and let's say although we're not seeing not seeing volatility today, they say expect to see more volatility until Europe really gets its debt problems in order -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Alison thanks.

Well is actor Brad Pitt really ready to retire? Well, if he is, it may have something to do with expanding his family with Angelina Jolie. The details next in "Showbiz".

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, the invitation was informal, but the date was anything but. Singer-actor Justin Timberlake made good on his promise to escort a servicewoman to the Marine Corps Ball, and he didn't disappoint. Kareen Wynter joining me from Los Angeles with all the details. Do tell.

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: You know, Kyra, it sounds like it was a night to remember. Justin Timberlake, he's saying his experience at the ball changed his life. You may remember when Timberlake was promoting his recent film, "Friends with Benefits", he was invited to this ball via YouTube by Marine Corporal Kelsey de Santis. He blogged about the experience, Kyra and he said going to the ball changed his life adding, "I knew I would have an evening that I wouldn't forget, something I can tell my friends about. What I didn't know was how moved I would be about the whole experience."

Timberlake says his experience with the Marines was like meeting Michael Jackson and Michael Jordan and he wanted to express his deepest gratitude to just everyone that he met.

Kyra, the last time we checked in with you last hour you wanted to know if de Santis, if she got a kiss at the end of the night. And being the reporter I am, I did a little digging, a little investigating. Don't get too happy just yet though. I haven't been able to find out all the details. Justin is too much of a gentleman to kiss and tell. But you know, maybe de Santis will tweet about it and spill the beans in some capacity.

PHILLIPS: Ok.

WYNTER: We will see.

PHILLIPS: The mystery continues.

All right. Well, Brad Pitt, what's going on there? Calling it quits? Retiring from acting?

WYNTER: Well, don't worry. All you Brad Pitt fans out there, this isn't an eminent change, so we can all breathe. But Pitt, he just told an Australian interviewer he wants to walk away from acting in three years and concentrate on directing, maybe do a little producing.

And yes, he also says he needs time to concentrate on being a dad. Because he says he and Angelina Jolie, they may decide to have more kids in the future, if you can believe that. They already have six kids, Kyra, but Pitt says he loves the chaos that comes with his big family. I can't believe they're thinking about more kids, though. Mind-blowing.

PHILLIPS: I know. It's pretty remarkable.

All right. Ozzy Osbourne, wow, reuniting with his band mates. This ought to be interesting.

WYNTER: It's going to be very interesting. He's going to be hitting the stage again, the original members of Black Sabbath, they're getting together for a new album and a world tour. The ground-breaking heavy metal band was inducted into the rock 'n roll hall of fame in 2006, and they had huge hits like Ironman and War Pigs. The original four members, they started the band in the 1960s.

And we're talking about Ozzy Osborne, Tommy Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward but of Ward's drug and alcohol use that led him to leaving the band in 1979. And Kyra, over time various musicians have come and gone as a part of Sabbath. The only original member who stayed the entire time is Iommi. They've announced today that in June of 2012 in England but other tour dates, they haven't been announced yesterday.

Also, they haven't really started recording, but according to Osbourne, the band has written about eight songs, so far, so that's definitely a start and it's great to see that Ozzy still has it, Kyra, after all these years.

PHILLIPS: Listen to you. Kareen Wynter, are you a black Sabbath fan? Is there an inner rocker in little Kareen Wynter?

WYNTER: I love a little bit of Ozzy. I love him. Remember when he had his reality show with his wife, Sharon? I've been a long-time Ozzy fan, and I can't wait to see them do magic again.

PHILLIPS: All right. We'll watch it.

Thanks Kareen.

And If you want information on everything breaking in the entertainment world, A.J. Hammer has it. So does Kareen. "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" 11:00 p.m. on HLN.

Well, the owner of a T-shirt store puts on more than 200 tees to break the Guinness book of world records. If you think that sounds crazy, wait until you see them. And you might get a little claustrophobic, that's coming up after the break.

Chelsea Clinton tries on a new job. She's going to be a reporter. We'll tell you about it next.

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PHILLIPS: Well, first Jenna Bush, then Meghan McCain, now Chelsea Clinton working for NBC News. The former first daughter has just been hired as a full-time special correspondent. Howie Kurtz is joining us now, he's the host of CNN's "Reliable Sources". Howie, yet again, big name and little experience. What do you think about this one?

HOWARD KURTZ, CNN HOST, "RELIABLE SOURCES": Well, you know, I can't accuse the "Today" show folks, Kyra, of being partisan because the "Today" show also --- they hired Jenna Bush, but it strikes me as a cheap gimmick. What is it this with hiring presidential daughters? They're fame from their time living in the White House. Neither one of these young women have journalistic experience. It's a way to put viewers in the seats by trotting out another big name.

PHILLIPS: Imagine the rolodex, though, come on, Howie? They have serious sources I'm sure.

KURTZ: Well, yes. But look, I also think that when Bill Clinton has his next book come out or he's going to make exclusive appearances during the 2012 campaign. Do you think NBC might have the inside track on that sort of thing? We're talking about the secretary of state's daughter, and Chelsea Clinton, you know -- no offense to her, very poised and talented young woman, who by the way, has recently joined the board of IAC, which is the co-owner of "Newsweek" and "The Daily Beast," but I'm sure a lot of journalists would like to have that job.

Just tells you something, Kyra, about the whole direction in which the media business is moving, which is it's more important to be famous than to have any particular talent when it comes to this thing we used to call journalism.

PHILLIPS: Stay tuned. All right. Another network, CBS, being accused of bias by Michele Bachmann's campaign. And it all started with that e-mail fall.

CBS's political director John Dickerson accidentally replying all to a colleague's suggestion that Bachmann take part in a post-debate webcast this weekend. His response which the campaign also received. Quote, ok, let's keep it loose, though, because she won't get many questions and she's nearly off the chart in the hopes that we can get someone else, end quote. Oops.

KURTZ: A dumb move to send that to everybody by John Dickerson, but who is regarded as a very fair journalist. And, you know, what did he do? He committed the classic Washington gaffe of telling the truth?

Michele Bachmann is going nowhere in the polls; she's down around 4 percent to 5 percent. As it turns out, she got seven questions I think at the CBS debate, almost as many as the front-runners. The Bachmann campaign understandably seizing on this and jumping on this horrible media bias by CBS. In fact, one of her top aides called Dickerson a piece of excrement. And I'm cleaning it up for your viewers. Why, because it's worked for Newt Gingrich, bashing the media is a good technique, is a very effective technique.

And Dickerson, by giving the wrong button on his laptop, you know, he gave Bachmann's people the opening.

PHILLIPS: Well, we all know we've hit the wrong button from time to time. Howie, appreciate you weighing in. Thanks, Howie.

KURTZ: Thanks, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Checking headlines making news today. The funeral for former world heavyweight boxing champ Joe Frazier is at 11:00 eastern in Philly.

And then at 3:00 Eastern, first lady Michelle Obama meets with military families and speak to the jobs fair for service members in Hawaii at Joint Base and Pearly Harbor, Hickam.

Then at 7:15 Eastern, vampire love, the premiere of the twilight saga BREAKBREAKING DAWN, Part 1; that's in Los Angeles.

Mitt Romney's campaign says that Democrats are obsessed with him. We're going to tell you why coming up in our political ticker.

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PHILLIPS: Checking news cross country now.

Evelyn Lauder, part of the renowned Estee Lauder cosmetics company and the woman who helped create the pink ribbon symbol for breast cancer has died. She passed away on Saturday from complications of ovarian cancer. She was in her home and 75 years old.

A near white-out in parts of Denver after powerful winds raked through the mountains and the metro area. Some of the strongest wind gusts registered at more than 100 miles per hour. The high winds and heavy snow were blamed for several accidents in the area.

And in Dubuque, Iowa the owner of a T-shirt store broke the Guinness Book of World Records for wearing the most T-shirts. Tom Rauen and friends layered on T-shirt after T-shirt until he was wearing 247 of them. How did he do that? All the helpers say that Tom was wearing just about every T-shirt size possible.

Coming up in the CNN NEWSROOM with Suzanne Malveaux, we're releasing our brand new CNN/ORC poll on the race for the GOP presidential nomination. See how this weekend's debate impacted the candidates and what effect allegations of sexual harassment are having on Herman Cain's campaign.

Plus, a major bank decided not to charge you for using your debit cards, but they're quietly increasing costs to other services you may use. Find out what other fees you could be paying -- straight ahead.

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PHILLIPS: Well, Mitt Romney's presidential campaign says that the President is obsessed with him. Senior political editor Mark Preston, who we're all obsessed with. Can you please explain this to us?

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, you know, Kyra, there's something to be said about perhaps the Romney campaign the wants to get a restraining order against the Obama campaign and the Democratic National Committee. In fact they put out a memo this morning just highlighting the fact that they say that the Obama Administration is targeting them and targeting them solely.

What's interesting about this, Kyra, is that they're trying to make the case that they're the most electable right now out of the whole presidential field, but at the same time the Romney campaign is acknowledging that they are, in fact, the front-runner.

I've got to tell you when you're running for president and you're running for any elected office, you never want to acknowledge that you're the front-runner because it just puts you at the top and everyone, of course, is gunning for you. But the Romney campaign obviously thinks, Kyra, that if they can say that they're the ones that the Obama Administration is targeting then, in fact, Republicans will vote for them when it comes time to vote in January in Iowa.

PHILLIPS: I want to know if we're obsessed that we spend a lot of time talking about the national polls and at least one candidate is saying that we need to be focusing elsewhere.

PRESTON: And we do and of course, let's just stay on the whole topic of Iowa. Rick Santorum who has polled in the low single digit -- 1 percent, 2 percent, 3 percent -- for the entire race, Kyra, is in fact saying don't talk about the national polls anymore. It's really about Iowa.

Now Rick Santorum, who is a social conservative, feels like that is where he is going to really jump start his campaign. Iowa voters, of course, will be voting on January 3rd in the caucus, and social conservatives play a huge role in helping whoever is going to win that caucus get to the finish line -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Mark. Thanks. We'll have your next political update in just about an hour. And a reminder for all the latest political news, you can just go to our Web site, 24/7, cnnpolitics.com.

We'll see you back here tomorrow morning.

Suzanne Malveaux, taking it from here.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Thanks Kyra.