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NYPD Evicts Occupy Movement; Black Friday Starting on Thanksgiving; Jerry Sandusky Denies Sexual Abuse Charges; Sandusky Goes Public Before Trial; Gabriella Giffords Opens Up on Struggles; Herman Cain Explains Embarrassing Moment; A Kiss Goes Viral
Aired November 15, 2011 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Live from Studio 7, I'm Suzanne Malveaux.
Want to get you up to speed for this Tuesday, November 15th.
Jerry Sandusky is fighting back against child molestation charges. Now, the former Penn State assistant coach, he spoke by phone to NBC's Bob Costas. These are Sandusky's first public remarks since his arrest 10 days ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JERRY SANDUSKY, FMR. PENN STATE ASSISTANT COACH: I say that I am innocent of those charges.
BOB COSTAS, NBC: Innocent? Completely innocent and falsely accused in every aspect?
SANDUSKY: Well, I could say that I have done some of those things. I have horsed around with kids. I have showered after workouts.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: You're going to hear more from Jerry Sandusky throughout the hour.
The heart of the Occupy movement now wiped clean. These are some shots of New York's Zuccotti Park being cleared of protesters in a police sweep early this morning.
Over 100 people were arrested. Tents were pulled up at the stakes. And now Mayor Michael Bloomberg says that the campout is over. There's not going to be any more sleeping in the park.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG (I), NEW YORK CITY: Protesters have had two months to Occupy the park with tents and sleeping bags. Now they will have to Occupy the space with the power of their arguments.
(END VIDEO CLIP) MALVEAUX: But a New York judge now says police can't legally keep people from actually setting up those tents. And now protesters are heading back to the park with legal documents in hand.
We're going to have the very latest developments.
It was a pause, right? That's what presidential candidate Herman Cain -- that's how he explains an embarrassing moment before a newspaper editorial board.
In a meeting with "The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel," Cain was asked whether he agreed with President Obama's actions in Libya. After an awkward eight-second pause, here's how he struggled to answer the question.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HERMAN CAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I do not agree with the way he handled it for the following reason.
No, that's a different one. I've got to go back and see. I've got all this stuff twirling around in my head.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Cain eventually went on to say that he would have gotten more information on who the enemy was in Libya.
Well, the NBA season now in serious jeopardy. Team reps unanimously voted yesterday to reject the latest offer from the owners and instead take their fight over splitting the revenue to federal court. The court process, that could take between 60 and 120 days, which could wipe out the season.
And a lot of Facebook users, they are now venting on Twitter over the fact that images of hard-core porn -- that's right -- and extreme violence are now taking over their news feeds. It began just a couple days ago, but it seems to have spiraled now out of control.
Users are alerted to checking on popular links that are actually viruses. Facebook says it is looking into it.
Africa's most active volcano putting on quite a show. I want you to take a look at this.
This is the lava shooting almost 1,000 feet into the air. You have to go to the Congo to see this for yourself, but scientists say this could be the biggest eruption there in 100 years. Fortunately, no one is in danger.
Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, well, she's given her first TV interview since being shot in the head 10 months ago. She told ABC's Diane Sawyer that she is sad, not mad, about the shootings that killed six people. And with her husband by her side, retired astronaut Mark Kelly, Giffords talked about the struggle to recover.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DIANE SAWYER, ABC: How do you feel?
REP. GABRIELLE GIFFORDS (D), ARIZONA: Pretty good.
MARK KELLY, GABRIELLE GIFFORDS' HUSBAND: Pretty good.
SAWYER: I can see that your arm, your right hand, you move a lot more now.
GIFFORDS: Yes.
SAWYER: Is it painful? Is it hard?
GIFFORDS: It's difficult.
SAWYER: Just difficult?
GIFFORDS: Difficult. Difficult. Strong, strong.
SAWYER: OK. That's the spirit, isn't it?
KELLY: And she's got very good posture. Much better than me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: We love that. Good for her. Giffords says that she intends to return to Congress once she is stronger.
All right. So, for some, it's the perfect day after Thanksgiving and a big, big meal to go shopping. It's so popular, the day has a name, as we all know, Black Friday. Stores open earlier, shoppers, they wait outside. Bargains everywhere come running in.
But not everybody is looking forward to the event this year.
Our Carol Costello, she is joining us from New York with the "Talk Back" question of today.
Carol, I don't know, are you one of those folks that goes running in for those bargains?
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Are you kidding? No. I want to stay cozy in my bed and avoid the crowds, right?
MALVEAUX: Absolutely.
COSTELLO: But this is coming from an employee of a department store. You know, we hear it all the time. With unemployment at 9 percent, you should be grateful for your job.
Anthony Hardwick (ph) may be thankful, but he's not afraid to complain publicly to save Thanksgiving and the family. Hardwick (ph) works at Target. He planned to spend Thanksgiving proposing to his girlfriend at his family's house. Instead, he'll have to sleep in that day to be ready for work at Target at 11:00 p.m. Good-bye, holiday. Good-bye, family.
Hardwick (ph) has started a petition called "Tell Target to Save Thanksgiving." It certainly has struck a chord. More than 84,000 signatures since Monday.
It's easy to understand why Target wants to interrupt its employees' Thanksgiving holiday. More people than ever are shopping on Black Friday, a whopping 22.3 million last year. We've all seen them out at night, sacrificing sleep and shelter, anything for a good deal. Anything.
In 2008, a Wal-Mart employee was trampled to death by shoppers at a Long Island Wal-Mart. This year, big retailers are opening earlier than ever. Target, Best Buy, Macy's and Kohl's will open at midnight Thanksgiving Eve.
For some employees, enough is enough.
So the "Talk Back" question for you: Is it necessary for retailers to open their doors on Thanksgiving night?
Facebook.com/CarolCNN. I'll read your responses later this hour.
MALVEAUX: Carol, I'm with you. After that big meal, I don't feel like going anywhere. You know?
COSTELLO: I don't either.
MALVEAUX: I just stay on my couch.
COSTELLO: Some people look upon it as part of their family tradition though, when they all go shopping together.
MALVEAUX: Sure. OK.
COSTELLO: So just throw that into the mix. I'll be interested to hear what people have to say.
MALVEAUX: All right. We'll see. All right. Thanks, Carol.
Here's a rundown of some of the stories that we're covering.
First, New York police in riot gear now evict Occupy protesters. So what is going to happen to this 99 percent movement?
And Jerry Sandusky now admitting taking showers with boys and what he calls horsing around. But why did he go public with these comments even before he went to trial?
Then, how someone like Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in the head, can actually make such an amazing recovery just months later.
Also, a very unusual kiss going viral on the Internet. We're going to show that to you.
And later, more on a spectacular display of force from Mother Nature.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Protesters in New York's Zuccotti Park are now fighting for the right to occupy. That is after their protest site was shut down by New York City police in this early morning raid.
Now, more than 100 demonstrators were handcuffed. They were arrested. The tents were pulled down. And this two-month-old revolution site essentially cleared out.
Here's how Mayor Mike Bloomberg justified the move.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BLOOMBERG: We have an obligation to enforce the laws today to make sure that everybody has access to the park so everybody can protest. That's the First Amendment, and it's number one on our minds. We also have a similar, just as important obligation to protect the health and safety of the people in the park.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Poppy Harlow, she's live in New York with the latest.
So, Poppy, you are there at the site. Take us to it. Describe what is taking place there. Give us a sense of the lay of the land right now.
POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Suzanne, the latest development just in the latest hour, these protesters, you hear them singing "We shall not be moved." They returned to the park.
They were gone for a few hours this morning. This is a sign that a number of them are carrying. It says, "The 99 percent or under attack, NYPD raid."
They're talking about the police officers coming in the middle of the night here and evicting entirely all of the Occupy Wall Street protesters. We were here throughout the night reporting live from 2:00 a.m. on.
This is very peaceful, what is going on here. About a half an hour ago, there were confrontations on the other side of the park there, Suzanne. If you can see these police barriers right here, the protesters were pushing through them trying to break into the park, Suzanne.
So it's really minute by minute right now.
MALVEAUX: Wow. And I understand that a New York judge issued a restraining order which actually allows the protesters to come back and set up camp in the park despite the mayor's decision here.
Does this look like this is going to be a standoff that's going to play out for hours and perhaps days there? HARLOW: I think it absolutely could.
So, this is a copy of what we believe is that court order. This did, I should say, though, come from one of the protesters that was marching. But a lot of them were carrying them, waving them in the air.
And what this ostensibly says is, until 11:30 a.m. Eastern, about 20 minutes from now, when we'll have the next hearing on this issue, that indeed the protesters are allowed in the park. And also, it says that until the next hearing or any legal decision is made, the rules can't be enforced.
So, what are those rules? Those rules came down from the city of New York, and also the private company that owns this park, and they said there's a 10:00 curfew. You can't bring in any sleeping bags or tents. You basically can't camp out here.
I spoke with a protester who was arrested last night, Suzanne. He was let go, he told me this morning. His name is John Murdock. And I asked him, "Where do you take the movement from here, not being able to Occupy the park now? What does that mean for you?"
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN MURDOCK, OCCUPY WALL STREET PROTESTER: It means that it's not about a physical space, per se. It is now worldwide.
The terms of the debate have changed around, and the deal is now we have to evolve. This means it might get harder, but now it's more important than ever. I don't think anybody's going to like Bloomberg's tactics.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: And that's the sentiment here.
You're seeing some very silent protests, if you will. This man right here holding an American flag, facing off right here with this police officer. You also see those in yellow vests. I'm told that those are private security for the park.
And also, let's not forget, Suzanne, that overnight, the mayor's office said that the protesters would be allowed in, in the morning, and they have not been allowed in yet.
MALVEAUX: And Poppy, real quick, before I let you go, you have been covering this for quite some time. I just had a chance to visit very briefly that place where you are. What is your sense about the people who are actually there?
Are these the folks who are talking about income inequality, or are these other folks, whether they are homeless, or other people who have different issues, who come to congregate at this park? HARLOW: It's a good question.
So, the sense that I've gotten is that it's a mix. A lot of the protesters that I've talked with at 2:00, 3:00, 4:00 in the morning were those that had been spending time down here, some that had lived here for a month or two months, from the beginning, and others that were supporters of the movement who had come down from their apartments, for instance.
So, it was a lot of young people, 20, 30-year-olds that were congregating. I really heard a message reiterated from a number of them, which is, like we've heard for so long, "We are the 99 percent. We are pushing for economic equality here."
That's what I heard reiterated through the night. But there was also a lot of anger, to be frank, Suzanne. There were physical clashes between police and protesters in the middle of the night. So there has been anger here. We know 100 protesters have been arrested so far.
MALVEAUX: OK. Poppy, thanks you very much. Appreciate it.
We want you to check out the stories from our affiliates now.
A 9-year-old North Carolina girl is found alive after two days trapped under a wrecked car. Her father was killed in this crash, and rescuers say the little girl survived by chewing on Pop Tarts and sipping Gatorade.
Three American hikers once jailed in Iran are saying thank you to Shakopee, Minnesota. That is where Shane Bauer -- he's one of those American hikers -- that's where he's from. The people there organized the "Free the Hikers" campaign and helped push for their release.
And a pilot whale rescued by Sea World Orlando now getting around with a custom-made back brace. This is pretty cool. The once stranded whale has scoliosis or curvature of the spine. Getting some help there.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MALVEAUX: Going on a shopping spree on Thanksgiving? Well, there's some major stores that are planning on opening now on Thursday instead of Black Friday. We're going to tell you which ones and why.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: The holiday shopping season getting off to a very early start this year. There's some major retail stores that are throwing the doors open wide on Thanksgiving. That's on Thursday, instead of a day after, or Black Friday, as we've all been accustomed to.
So, what's going on?
Alison Kosik, she's at the New York Stock Exchange. Alison, don't you want to have more time with your family, precious family time on this holiday? Or are you one of those folks that's going to run out and start buying?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Oh, no, no, no. I'm definitely not going to run out and start buying, but you can bet a lot of other people will.
It's all about, I guess, shopping these days and not necessarily giving thanks. And here's what the interesting thing is about all this. Retailers are really trying to one-up each other.
Macy's, Target, Best Buy, and Kohl's, they all say they're going to open at midnight on Thanksgiving. But to not be outdone, Wal-Mart came out and said, you know what? We're going to open even earlier, at 10:00 p.m. And then Toys "R" Us said, we're going to open at 9:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving. That's not even enough time to let that turkey digest, right?
But this is a serious business for retailers. We're sitting here laughing, but this is serious business.
This is billions of dollars for these retailers. You look at last year's Black Friday sales, they totaled almost $11 billion. So what retailers are trying to do is get an early jump on the most important shopping season of the year -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: So, Alison, obviously, not everybody is happy about this. The employees, they have got to go to work, right? You've got this corporate push for a competitive advantage, but you've got a lot of folks who are, like, wait a minute, what happened to my holiday? Right?
KOSIK: Exactly. The holiday goes away, doesn't it? And that's why you're seeing a backlash right now, especially online.
There are actually online petitions against having shopping on Thanksgiving. There are protests and boycotts there, too, if you go on Facebook or you go to Change.org.
In fact, there's one worker who works at Target. He says, hey, I'm not even going to be able to enjoy my Thanksgiving turkey because I have to sleep all day to get to work at 11:00.
You know, the interesting thing about Thanksgiving is it's not a religious holiday, but everyone wants off. Still, the other side of it is, those Black Friday shoppers who had to get up at 4:00 a.m., now they won't have to. They can actually get a little extra sleep -- Suzanne.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
MALVEAUX: All right. Thank you, Alison.
Well, it's pretty unusual, right, for a criminal defendant to speak out even before the trial? But that is exactly what former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky is doing. He talks about the child molestation charges against him. That, up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Want to dip into a live event that is taking place now. This is Dubuque, Iowa.
This is Herman Cain before a group of supporters. He is stumping in Iowa, that all-critical state, the first contest to be held in Iowa. And it looks like he's speaking. This is at the Manna Java coffee house.
Let's get a flavor. Let's listen in.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
CAIN: We can't tickle this economy to prosperity. We need a bold plan, starting with, throw out the current tax code, which has been an albatross on this economy for decades. For decades, it's been an albatross.
We are less competitive today than we were 10, 15, or 20 years ago. We've got to get our mojo back by getting rid of the tax code and put in my 9-9-9 plan.
(APPLAUSE)
MALVEAUX: Herman Cain there emphasizing his economic plan, saying "mojo." I guess a little play off the word at the coffee shop there, but trying to get the focus back on to his 9-9-9 plan, stumping that very important state of Iowa.
We're going to bring more of that to you if he makes any news from that coffee shop.
Here's a rundown of some of the stories ahead.
Up next, Jerry Sandusky is defending himself publicly now before the sex abuse scandal case even goes to trial. We're going to look into this very unusual move.
And then, with her doting husband by her side, you're taking a look at a radiant Gabrielle Giffords. She's giving her first TV interview. We're going to look into her remarkable recovery.
And later, a funny story. How does a kiss without even locking lips go viral? Well, it has something to do with making beautiful music together. We're going to have that for you.
Jerry Sandusky says his behavior around children was nothing more than horseplay. The former Penn State assistant coach says any other interpretation is just wrong.
He's telling NBC's Bob Costas by phone that he never molested these eight boys.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SANDUSKY: I say that I am innocent of those charges.
COSTAS: Innocent? Completely innocent and falsely accused in every aspect?
SANDUSKY: Well, I could say that, you know, I have done some of those things. I have horsed around with kids. I have showered after workouts. I have hugged them, and I have touched their leg without intent of sexual contact.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Sandusky's attorney says that community showers are simply part of the jock culture of the locker room. Well, he spoke with CNN's Jason Carroll.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Do you believe in his innocence?
JOE AMENDOLA, SANDUSKY'S DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Oh, I do. I do. Jerry Sandusky is a big, overgrown kid. He's a jock.
And for anybody who has ever played sports, you get showers after you work out. I mean, when people hear he got showers with kids, oh, my goodness, you know, he got showers with kids. That makes him guilty, right? I mean, obviously, anybody who gets a shower with a kid who's an adult has to be guilty of something.
But the bottom line is, jocks do that. I mean, they kid around. They horse around.
And, in fact, what Jerry says in regard to the one allegation involving what the assistant coach or the grad student said he saw, he said, "We were horsing around." He said, "We weren't engaged in sexual activity."
CARROLL: Well, I want to wait before we go to that, because that's different. But even just in talking about the showering, I think a lot of people have trouble with the idea --
AMENDOLA: I agree.
CARROLL: -- of a man showering with a young boy. What are your thoughts on that?
AMENDOLA: I mean, I wouldn't do it. I'm sure you wouldn't do it. I would feel uncomfortable doing it, but Jerry did that.
But that's a far different thing than saying he got showers with kids, than saying that he committed these other acts which the prosecution has alleged he did. I mean, what's going to come out in this case is that Jerry did get showers with kids.
(END VIDEOTAPE) MALVEAUX: It's a highly unusual practice, unheard of, for a criminal defendant, right -- Sandusky, in this case -- to go public before his own trial?
Criminal defense attorney, Richard Herman, is joining us from Vegas.
Richard, first of all, explain to us why is it that Sandusky's attorney would even allow him to make statements explaining himself and defending himself?
RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Suzanne, the case is absolutely out of control against Sandusky now. I mean, the world has adjudicated him guilty, and this is actually just damage control to try to stop the momentum. There's reports there's 10 more alleged incidents with other people. So the attorneys had to put a stand up and say, listen, there is another version here. There's another series of events. There's another story here. There's another side to the coin. They did it for damage control.
MALVEAUX: So the idea is that he's trying to have this tried in the court of public opinion now?
HERMAN: Well, the court of public opinion has already found him guilty. Anybody you talk to, any talk show, any news broadcast, everybody has convicted him based on the grand jury testimony, those 23 pages, which are devastating.
But Suzanne, look, we need to step back for a moment. He is still innocent until proven guilty. That's our system here. And I've read that grand jury report. It is devastating. But if they don't have the victim that McQueary says he observed being raped, if they don't have that victim, or if they do have that victim, and that victim steps forward and says, listen, I was not raped, there's big trouble for the prosecution's case.
MALVEAUX: Richard, what do you make of Sandusky's defense? What he's actually saying here? Because if you listen to him, his language is very careful. He parses his statements. He admits to horseplay in the showers and leg touching but not sodomy. Does this sound suspicious? Does this argument -- could this argument hold up in court before any jury?
HERMAN: You know, it's like Yogi Berra said, deja vu all over again. This is the Michael Jackson molestation defense. Yes, I slept with the kids, but I had no evil intent. I didn't violate any laws. I didn't violate any of these kids.
His lawyer says, he's a young guy at heart. He takes showers because he's a jock. And he horses around with kids. Listen, I was a jock a long time ago. I took a lot of showers. I never saw any adults in showers with children ever. And had we seen that, we would have taken that into my own hands, and it never would have occurred again, trust me. But that's his position. It's incredible. But if people want to hang on to try to protect the image of Penn State, this might give them ammunition to do it. He's joking around. He's horsing around with them.
MALVEAUX: Right.
HERMAN: Listen, again, I read the grand jury testimony, hugging these children, touching them, soaping them up -- that's not horsing around. That's criminal. And if this is what the testimony comes in at trial, and it's credible --
MALVEAUX: Right.
HERMAN: - Sandusky's going to have a major, major problem here overcoming that.
MALVEAUX: And, Richard, very quickly here, what happens next here?
HERMAN: What happens next is the prosecutor has sent out an alert to anybody who believes they were molested by Sandusky. And apparently, more people are stepping up. They must locate the victim from the 2002 incident. They must locate him. And the other victims have to get their stories straight. This is after years and years and years. They must get their stories straight.
But this McQueary, who provided the devastating testimony, where he says he observed, he personally observed Sandusky raping this approximate 10-year-old child, Suzanne, this can be cross-examined. What were the lighting conditions? How far away from you? Did you actually see it?
MALVEAUX: Right.
HERMAN: Are you speculating? Are you sure? Are you 100 percent sure? They're going to beat him up on that testimony. So -- and he never went to the police. So they're going to argue, it couldn't have been that bad because you didn't go to the police.
MALVEAUX: All right.
HERMAN: I mean, there are problems with the prosecution's case. It's not a slam dunk at this point in time. When you deal with victims and actions that have taken place in their childhood, and now they try to recall it after so many years, there's potentially problems with the testimony. That's all I'm saying. And all I'm saying right now is, as horrific as this story is -- and it is nauseating. It is disgusting. But this man -- this is the United States. He's entitled to be presumed innocent at this time. And let them do the investigation.
MALVEAUX: Richard Herman, thank you very much. We'll be following all of this, of course, this trial and the next moves very closely.
Thank you, Richard.
Doctors are calling her recovery miraculous. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is opening up now about her long journey back. We're going to take a closer look at her struggles as well as her triumphs.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: So many folks say it's absolutely remarkable how far Gabrielle Giffords has come. Just think about it, right? She was shot in the head, point blank range, survives that. 10 months later, gives her first TV interview.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DIANE SAWYER, ANCHOR, 20/20: And when Mark told you what happened?
REP. GABRIELLE GIFFORDS, (D), ARIZONA: I cried. Died.
MARK KELLY, ASTRONAUT & HUSBAND OF GABRIELLE GIFFORDS: Sad.
GIFFORDS: Sad. Oh, sad. A lot of people died.
SAWYER: Hurts your heart?
SAWYER: Yes. Yes, yes, yes. Tough, tough, tough.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: She is remarkable.
Our senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, is here.
When you just watch her and you see her, and you think, what a miracle. How amazing is that? What did she have to do? What has she been doing to get to that point?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: First of all, nearly three-quarters of the people with an injury like hers don't live at all. The fact that she lived --
MALVEAUX: Unbelievable.
COHEN: Right -- statistically is an amazing thing. The fact she has done so well is incredible.
But I will tell you that neurosurgeons are so good these days, rehab doctors are so good these days, there are other Gabby Giffords out there. There are people -- she is definitely on the -- if you look at the spectrum, she is doing really fabulously. Other people do well also. It's really incredible --
(CROSSTALK)
MALVEAUX: How does that come about? When you take a look at all the folks that have that injury.
COHEN: Part of that is sheer luck. If the trajectory of that bullet had been slightly different, this would have been a different story. I know that because I was on the phone with Dr. Don Kim, who is her neurosurgeon. And he talked about that. So some of it is just luck. But some of it is just her ability to work through this. You have to be a very strong person to deal with that kind of frustration. Dr. Kim was telling me her thought process is normal.
MALVEAUX: Wow.
COHEN: Her thinking is normal. She just can't express herself the way that she would like to. But she's made incredible leaps and bounds. So you have to be strong enough to deal with that frustration and to work through it every day.
MALVEAUX: She said she wants to go back to Congress. She wants to go back to her jobs. Does she need to be stronger? Can they actually get there? Is that realistic?
COHEN: Her big challenge right now, according to Dr. Kim, is her speech. That's what she really needs to work on. Now will she ever -- she used to be an incredible, dynamic speaker. Will she ever be able to do that again in exactly that same way? It's impossible to tell. But Dr. Kim says he expects her over the next couple of years to really get -- to really make incredible strides and to be able to make a speech and to be able to have a meeting. Will she be exactly the same as she was before? That's a different question.
MALVEAUX: Sure. And our production team, we're a little sentimental.
(LAUGHTER0
COHEN: Right. Right.
MALVEAUX: We looked and watched and saw her husband, Mark Kelly, by her side. Just wondering, how important is that to have someone, a loved one, whether it's a spouse or a sibling, right there, every step of the way to help you in that kind of recovery?
COHEN: You're not just sentimental. You're right.
(LAUGHTER)
MALVEAUX: Really?
COHEN: It actually does make a difference. I've talked to so many neurosurgeons, and they have said that the support somebody has makes a difference. Again, you need a lot of fortitude to get through this. Imagine if I just said to you, Suzanne, you can't -- you can only say one word sentences for the next day. That would be so hard to get through that.
MALVEAUX: Very hard for me.
(LAUGHTER)
COHEN: Yes. You need someone to help you out. Also, she's obviously getting fabulous care in Houston. You also need -- we know this from our empowered patient work -- you need someone to be watching and making are sure you're getting the right care.
But, Suzanne, I wanted to share with you a sentence that Gabby Giffords said to her neurosurgeon lately.
MALVEAUX: Yes, please.
COHEN: He walked into an appointment, and he was wearing a suit. He usually wears scrubs. She said to him, "wow, you have a suit on today. What's with the tie"?
(LAUGHTER)
She made it very clear she didn't like his tie. So he said he was stunned. Those two complete sentences just sort of came out of her. And he said it was just really just a wonderful moment.
MALVEAUX: Nice to see her sense of humor come out too.
COHEN: And her taste in ties, apparently.
(LAUGHTER)
MALVEAUX: Thank you, Elizabeth.
COHEN: Thanks.
MALVEAUX: That's a great story. We wish her all the best.
COHEN: Of course.
MALVEAUX: Herman Cain explaining his embarrassing moment. He was trying to answer a question about Libya. He says he was just taking a moment to gather his thoughts.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HERMAN CAIN, (R), FORMER GODFATHER'S PIZZA CEO & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It was a pause. That's all it was. Good grief.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: We're going to show you the pause and that answer straight up ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Presidential candidate, Herman Cain, he is trying to recover from his latest misstep. Cain stumbled over a question with Libya during a meeting with a newspaper editorial board. He says he was just pausing to gather his thoughts. But even after that, he struggled to answer the question from the "Milwaukee Journal Sentinel."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAN BEIS (ph), REPORTER: So you agreed with President Obama on Libya or not?
CAIN: OK. Libya. President Obama supported the uprising, correct? President Obama called for the removal of Gadhafi. I just want to make sure we're talking about the same thing, before I say, yes, I did agree or no, I didn't agree. I do not agree with the way he handled it for the following reason. No, that's a different one. I've got to go back and see -- got all this stuff twirling around in my head. Specifically, what are you asking me, what I did and did not agree with President Obama?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: OK, so Cain's campaign said he had been asking questions back and forth, a lot of topics. He only had four hours of sleep. But an editor, who was not in the room said, this was not a case of gotcha journalism.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARTIN KAISER, EDITOR, MILWAUKEE JOURNAL: When he went into the discussion, it didn't come across as a candidate who was under a grueling schedule. We were having a pleasant conversation. This is not a "Meet the Press" grill a candidate session. We're asking questions. He had just answered a question about the Bush foreign policy when he said he agreed with how that had been handled. And then a reporter, Dan Beis (ph), asked him about Libya and how Obama handled that. All of a sudden, what occurred is what you saw.
I think this is a very simple question. It had been discussed for months how President Obama had handled the situation in it Libya. You know, people can go and watch the question themselves. Watch the interview and see -- and make up their own mind show this was handled. Truing to spin it and say it was edited or handled some other way is just not accurate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Herman Cain, several other of his Republican rivals are out in Iowa today. The state is holding the nation's first big test of the 2012 election.
Jim Acosta is in Sheffield, Iowa.
Jim, let's first start off with Cain here. Have we heard any more from him out of Iowa regarding how he explains this moment, the struggle that he's having in answering that question?
JIM ACOSTA, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Suzanne, he has some events this morning in the eastern part of the state. He is expected to make some comments to reporters at one of those events. Our political reporter, Shannon Travis, is out there. And he's waiting to see what Herman Cain says at one of these events.
It's not really clear how much more he can say, Suzanne. I mean, he said last night that he really thinks it's kind of neat that not only are his words being put under the microscope by the press, so are his pauses, is the way he put it last night, coming off a bus at one of his campaign events last night. So obviously, these brain freezes are becoming contagious for some of these candidates.
But the polls show that Herman Cain is still right there in the top tier. He's still in the thick of it. He's not done just yet. And, in fact, there's a new Iowa poll that just came out from Bloomberg that shows he's in the lead in this state, which is pretty important. If you look at the numbers, they're quite impressive. Cain at 20 percent. Ron Paul right there at 19 percent. Then Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich. So Herman Cain is not done just yet. That obviously is not going to help his cause.
MALVEAUX: Jim, you talked to people on the road. Do they buy this case that he's making here? Do they believe that he's ready for primetime?
ACOSTA: You know, you hear mixed things from different voters. It depends on who you talk to. Our latest CNN/ORC poll finds that women in particular are becoming very concerned about the Herman Cain campaign. That has more to do with those allegations of sexual harassment than it does about how he answered some of these questions on foreign policy.
And one candidate that you might not hear a whole lot of pregnant pauses from is Newt Gingrich. He is really on the rise out here in Iowa. We've been spending the last 24 hours with the former speaker. He is drawing some big crowds. He's going to be at this event inside a manufacturing facility in Sheffield, Iowa. And he has come back from the political dead. It's quite something to see his campaign make this turnaround. We had an interview and sat down with him last night, Suzanne, and talked with him one on one. He was very candid about his near-death political experience. And he said the months of June and July were the worst months of his political career. We'll have more from that interview later today on "The Situation Room" -- Suzanne?
MALVEAUX: Great. We're looking forward to seeing that.
Thanks again, Jim. Appreciate it.
ACOSTA: You got it.
MALVEAUX: CNN's Wolf Blitzer is hosting a Republican debate. That's two nights before Thanksgiving. That's happening November 22nd. And that's going to focus exclusively on national security and foreign policy. You're not going to want to miss this one. It's the CNN National Security Debate. It's happening November 22nd at 8:00 p.m. eastern.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: You've been sounding off on our "Talk Back" question.
Carol Costello is live with your responses.
Hey, Carol. CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Suzanne.
Today's "Talk Back," is it necessary for retailers to open their doors on Thanksgiving night?
This from Kyle, he says, "I think its sick how commercialized the holiday season has become. I would say no, can't you wait for two days."
This from Tommy, "Why not open? At the end of the day, most families want to get away from each other. Eat, nap, eat some more, shop, movie."
This from Sam, "I have a friend who has to work at Best Buy, 11:00 to 7:30 a.m. Then come back in at 3:30 p.m. and work until 10:00 p.m. Then has to be at work Saturday morning at 9:00. That's absolutely ridiculous. I've encouraged him to quit but he doesn't want to be jobless."
This from Edna, "Should retailers open at midnight? No. But I think he should suck it up and be happy he even has a job. There are people who wish they could work Black Friday so they will at least make enough money to buy their children Christmas gifts."
And this from Gary, "If sleep is more important than his girlfriend, then he should reconsider the whole proposal idea."
(LAUGHTER)
Keep the conversation going. Facebook.com/carolcnn.
I'll see you again in 20 minutes.
(LAUGHTER)
MALVEAUX: That was a good one.
Thank you, Carol.
COSTELLO: Sure.
MALVEAUX: A most unusual kiss going viral now. It's one of those things you have to see to believe.
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MALVEAUX: A kiss that goes viral. Not exactly passionate, but as Jeanne Moos reports, it has some folks puckering up.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the movies, you've seen accidental --
(SINGING)
MOOS: -- shy kisses and passionate kisses --
(MUSIC)
MOOS: -- and even Spiderman's upside-down kiss.
(MUSIC)
MOOS: But if you think a kiss is just a kiss, pucker up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is the harmonic kiss. Oooh.
MOOS: We're not talking about transmitting germs when we say that the 2-year-old harmonic kiss has just now gone viral.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oooh.
MOOS: Typical reaction, "What the hell did I just watch"?
TWAN QUI HI (ph), OVERTONES EXPERT: 1 percent to say, "Ooh."
MOOS: Twan Qui Hi (ph) is well known in the field of overtones, even if his harmonic kiss --
HI (ph): Oooh.
MOOS: -- sounds a little dirty.
ROLLIN RACHELE, PROFESSIONAL OVERTONE SINGER: Take another person's mouth cavity and put it next to your resonator.
MOOS: The founder of Overtonesinging.com explains that a person can sing more than one note at the same time by changing the shape of their mouth.
RACHELE: Aaah.
MOOS: Becomes --
RACHELE: Oooh.
MOOS: But the harmonic kiss got the kiss off from many. "Gross, you guys, get a room." "They are like fish."
HI (ph): Oooh.
MOOS: Not quite the mermaid/man kiss in "Splash." Twan Qui Hi (ph) moves his wife around as he comes in for the kill, like Patrick Swayze in "Ghost."
(SINGING)
MOOS: Though, it is mostly for fun.
HI (ph): I have used it for the music therapy.
MOOS: Therapy to solve marital problems, though some might consider it grounds for divorce.
Twan Qui Hi (ph) definitely has a sense of whimsy --
(INAUDIBLE)
MOOS: -- playing his musical talents, using his fingers, a credit card -- and spoons.
When it comes to the Harmonic kiss --
(on camera): -- this is one of those things, that once you see it --
(voice-over): -- cannot be unseen, sort of like the Al Gore- Tipper kiss.
HI (ph): Oooh.
MOOS: At least women can say to the harmonic kisser, whatever Kerr said to Burt Lancaster.
DEBORAH KERR, ACTRESS: Nobody ever kissed me the way you kiss me.
BURT LANCASTER, ACTOR: Nobody?
MOOS: Nope, nobody.
HI (ph): Oooh.
(LAUGHTER)
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN --
HI (ph): Oooh.
MOOS: New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
