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Penn State Assistant Coach Mike McQueary Says he Went to Police; NATO May Hand Off More Afghan Security; Newt Gingrich Surges in Polls; Storm Damage in Montgomery, Alabama; Occupy Protesters Back in New York City; The "Occupy Wall Street" Movement; Arab League Suspends Syria; Nightmare Scenario, Real Threat; More U.S. Troops to Australia; Best Car Resale Values; Navy Crew Reunites with Families; Woman Has Seizure While Driving

Aired November 16, 2011 - 12:00   ET

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

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Top of the hour. I'm Suzanne Malveaux.

I want to get you up to speed.

Mike McQueary is speaking out and fighting back. Now, he's the Penn State assistant coach who is cited in the grand jury report for witnessing coach Jerry Sandusky sodomizing a boy in the showers in 2002, but not going to police. McQueary, in an e-mail obtained by "The Morning Call" newspaper, writes he "did have discussions with police and with the official at the university in charge of police."

McQueary spoke briefly to CBS News.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you have any idea when you think you might be ready to talk?

MIKE MCQUEARY, PENN STATE ASSISTANT COACH: This process has to play out. I just don't have anything else to say. That's all.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. And then just one last thing. Just describe your emotions right now.

MCQUEARY: All over the place. Just kind of shaken.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Crazy?

MCQUEARY: Crazy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You said what, like a --

MCQUEARY: Snow globe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: In a moment, I'm going to talk with a reporter from "The Morning Call" about that e-mail.

So, how did the Occupy Wall Street folks do if they can't camp out? That is a question New York protesters are struggling with after police raided Zuccotti Park yesterday.

There were more than 100 people who were arrested, and the protest site got a thorough power washing, as well. But now the protesters, they're back and they're angry. A New York judge is backing up Mayor Mike Bloomberg, who says the demonstrators are free to stand their ground, but they can't set up these tents.

We're going to go live to that park for the very latest.

The U.S. now is beefing up its military presence in the Pacific region. During his visit to Australia today, President Obama announced expanded cooperation between U.S. troops and the Australia military. Concern over China's rising influence in the region is seen as a major reason for the troop expansion.

President Obama had this message for Beijing --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: With their rise comes increased responsibilities. It's important for them to play by the rules of the road.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: The drawdown of U.S. troops from Afghanistan is now entering a new phase. NATO is now preparing to transfer two of the most volatile areas in the country over to Afghan security forces.

Our Nick Paton Walsh, he's explaining why many consider it to be a very big risk.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): First, in Helmand, there's the district of Nad-e-Ali, where many British troops have died over the years. But also, in Kandahar, the Arghandab Valley, recently a hotbed of insurgent violence where many Americans have also died. Now an Afghan official in Arghandab tells us security is a lot better, but that's because the Americans are there in force. If they leave, he tells us things may get worse, and fast.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Now, the final decision about which regions are going to be handed over to Afghan forces, that rests with Afghanistan's president.

The clock ticking now for the so-called Super Committee. This is a panel of six Republicans, six Democrats. They have one week to come up with $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction.

So, the public is pretty volatile. In a new CNN/ORC international poll, 78 percent of Americans say it's unlikely that this committee is going to reach a deal.

Secret Service agents are making a disturbing discovery. There was a bullet fired at the White House.

Agents say the round was stopped by special bulletproof glass, and they're investigating whether that bullet and another found on the grounds are actually connected to shots that were fired nearby last Friday. The Secret Service says there's no specific concern for President Obama's safety.

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski has the most wins in men's college basketball. He's known as "Coach K" by fans and players. His team knocked off Michigan State last night, handing him his 903rd win. He had been tied with Bobby Knight. "TIME" magazine and CNN named Coach K as America's best coach back in 2001.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE KRZYZEWSKI, DUKE MEN'S BASKETBALL COACH: This has become bigger with time on our hands, you know. And I just -- to me, it's more relief to get on now to the next thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: More now on our lead story.

Penn State assistant coach Mike McQueary says that a grand jury got it wrong. Mike McQueary writes in an e-mail that he did go to police after he saw Jerry Sandusky raping a child in the showers in 2002.

Now, "The Morning Call" newspaper obtained that e-mail. Reporter Andrew McGill, he co-wrote today's story, and he's joining us here from Skype -- via Skype from Allentown, Pennsylvania.

So, Andrew, first of all, I mean, obviously, that's a good get on your part as a journalist. Can you share with us how this e-mail was distributed? And can you verify that it's legitimate?

ANDREW MCGILL, REPORTER, "THE MORNING CALL": Sure. We received that e-mail from a friend of Mike McQueary. We subsequently reached out to Mr. McQueary through the same e-mail address, and he got back to us with the same e-mail address and acknowledged that he knew we had it.

MALVEAUX: How widespread is this e-mail? This was sent out to, what, McQueary's friends, or former folks that he used to work with? Or do you know?

MCGILL: By my understanding, it was to a single friend of McQueary.

MALVEAUX: Just to a single friend. OK.

The grand jury report says that -- it leaves out the fact that McQueary says he went to police. This seems like a critically important distinction here, information for this case, because it would contradict the grand jury's report. McQueary says that he did go to police.

MCGILL: That's a good question. Essentially, in the e-mail, McQueary says, "I had discussions with police and spoke the person in charge of police," and that, presumably, would be Gary Schultz. So, the way it reads, it looks like he had discussions with police that we don't know about and that weren't reflected in the grand jury report.

MALVEAUX: Can you explain? It's a little confusing. He says he didn't physically stop this alleged assault, but it was stopped, that somehow he went to the authorities and this thing ended.

Do you understand that part of the e-mail, actually, how he explains that?

MCGILL: Well, what I think he's saying is that he saw what he saw. And while he didn't physically go and separate whatever was supposedly happening, he did make sure it stopped before he left and then contacted his father and Coach Paterno.

Again, the grand jury presentment isn't the full story. It's just the beginning of the investigation. And I'm expecting that more details about that will come out soon.

MALVEAUX: And this e-mail that he sent to his friend, do you have a sense of what was behind this? Is he trying to build a case in the court of public opinion? Is he trying to, little by little, make his case?

MCGILL: Well, I can tell you that Mike McQueary did tell the friend that it was OK to put that e-mail in touch with other people that could get it out. I think that from what you heard from the footage from CBS, he's definitely in turmoil right now.

MALVEAUX: And do we have a sense that there are more e-mails to come?

MCGILL: From my end, I couldn't tell you. I believe the e-mail that was reported by NBC was a different e-mail. There may be other ones out there we don't know about.

MALVEAUX: All right. Andrew, keep digging for us. We really appreciate that. Obviously, a lot of people want to hear McQueary's side of the story.

Thanks again, Andrew.

MCGILL: Thank you.

MALVEAUX: We're hearing again from the mother of one of the eight boys Sandusky is charged with molesting. Now, she says that Sandusky's denials on national television this week made her furious.

She spoke to ABC's "Good Morning America" with her identity hidden and her voice altered.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It makes me really mad that my son can't go out and have a normal life, he can't hang out at hang out at the mall, because he might run into Jerry. He gets to go to the mall, shop, and do whatever he wants to do. That aggravates me. He should be in jail.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: The mother says that Sandusky should not be out on bail, free to go and do as he pleases, while she and her son must remain in seclusion to protect their anonymity.

Here's your chance "Talk Back" on one of the big stories of the day. Everyone's talking about Gabrielle Giffords' incredible recovery, but some say it's not enough.

Our Carol Costello, she is joining us from New York with today's "Talk Back" question -- Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Suzanne, this is a tough one, but it's an issue that's been hanging in the air for months. Is Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords effectively serving her constituents?

Questions like that have popped up again because of Giffords' appearance on ABC's "20/20." When asked if she was going to go back to Congress, this was her response --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK KELLY, GABRIELLE GIFFORDS: She wants to get better.

REP. GABRIELLE GIFFORDS (D), ARIZONA: Better.

DIANE SAWYER, ABC: You want to get better.

GIFFORDS: Better.

SAWYER: And so, you think to yourself, I'll go back to Congress if I get better.

GIFFORDS: Yes, yes, yes. Yes.

SAWYER: And that's where you are right now.

GIFFORDS: Yes, yes, yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Earl de Berge of the Behavior Research Center, a nonpartisan polling company in Phoenix, says in "The Christian Science Monitor," "While voters are rooting for Giffords, I think people have an interest in this very competitive and hostile Congress that they have representation they can depend on."

After Giffords' "20/20" interview aired, the congresswoman seemed to want to reassure voters via Facebook.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

GIFFORDS: I want to get back to work. Representing Arizona is my honor. My staff is there to help you. They keep me informed on your behalf.

I miss you. I miss home.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Perhaps the real problem lies in the Constitution. There simply is no provision that allows lawmakers to step aside, recover, and then return to the job. It's either recover while on the job or resign. In May, Giffords must declare whether she will run for another term.

So, the "Talk Back" question today: Should Congresswoman Giffords run again in 2012?

Facebook.com/CarolCNN. I'll read your comments later this hour.

MALVEAUX: It's just great to see her progress when you think about all that she's been through. It's really quite miraculous that she's gotten so far. So we wish her all the best.

COSTELLO: I know, but it's also sadly obvious that she has a long way to go.

MALVEAUX: Yes.

Thank you, Carol.

Here's a rundown of some of the stories we're covering over the next hour.

First, who said this quote about the fight in Afghanistan: "We are lions here. Lions have the habit of not liking strangers"?

And the bloody crackdown against protesters in Syria is now getting worse, but the activists are getting some help.

Then, what would happen if Iran attacked us with a nuclear bomb? Well, that is the question former secretary of defense William Cohen answers in his new book. We're going to talk to him live.

Also, how a Georgia teen ended up stuck in a chimney.

And later, Newt Gingrich may have been down in the beginning, but now he is surging in the polls. We're going to take a look at the rise.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: In Afghanistan, NATO says it may soon hand over two of the country's most violent regions to Afghan security forces.

Our Nick Paton Walsh, he tells us that decision could come soon.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WALSH (voice-over): Slowly, NATO is transferring the security of Afghanistan over to Afghans. The next regions to be handed over will soon be announced by President Hamid Karzai. It may, NATO and Afghan officials have told CNN, include two of what have been historically the most violent parts of the country's south.

First, in Helmand, there's the district of Nad-e-Ali, where many British troops have died over the years. But also, in Kandahar, the Arghandab Valley, recently a hotbed of insurgent violence where many Americans have also died.

Now, an Afghan official in Arghandab tells us security is a lot better, but that's because the Americans are there in force. If they leave, he tells us things may get worse, and fast. But the logic of this, some say, is to have Afghans face their toughest work, while NATO still has enough troops to help.

HAROUN MIR, POLITICAL ANALYST: It is good while we have a significant NATO presence in Afghanistan to start with (INAUDIBLE) spots in Afghanistan. And that will provide the opportunity for the Afghan security forces to defend themselves and, in the meantime, have the support of NATO.

WALSH: Transition and America's long-term role in Afghan security are to be discussed here in Kabul at a loya jirga, a meeting of tribal elders called by President Hamid Karzai. But, still, the hills around, lined with police. The security of the meeting itself is the real story. The Taliban claiming on Sunday they had a leaked security plan for the event.

(on camera): As you can see, they've sealed off the roads all around leading up to the Inter-Continental Hotel and the loya jirga, met by that extra ring of security. Just slightly further up this road, only yesterday, a suicide bomber was shot dead as he tried to get into the compound.

(voice-over): The topics for debate, how long American troops stay, if peace with the Taliban is possible, and whether night raids by U.S. Special Forces should continue. Analysts say Karzai wants the meeting to legitimize his long-term pact with the U.S., but it may instead give voice to opponents and critics of American policy that leaves him yet weaker.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Nick's joining us live from Kabul.

First of all, this comment from President Karzai as he addresses the grand assembly in Kabul today. He says, "America is powerful, has more money, but we are lions here. And lions have the habit of not liking strangers getting into their House."

So, Nick, that sounds like typical Karzai, right? A little bit of bluster there. What do we make of what he's trying to do?

WALSH: Well, he's in a difficult spot with this particular loya jirga tribal elder meeting where he effectively does need to have some kind of consensus to build a pact with the United States so they can have a long-term military presence here. He said that, but at the same time, talking about lions in their own home not wanting foreigners around, he's trying to build up this kind of nationalistic sentiment amongst Afghans, seem a kind of nationalist leader himself and impose these conditions upon the Americans for having a presence here -- no power of arrest, no night raids, no searching of Afghan homes, things the government has always complained about, but are now trying to formalize, perhaps letting Karzai feel perhaps that he's maybe the strongman trying to lay down tough terms for the Americans -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Sure. And Nick, in actually following some of the training of the Afghan troops there in Afghanistan in my trip months ago, in September, big concern about whether or not they would really be able to take over their own security. Now you've got these two regions, very volatile regions.

Is NATO worried they're not going to be able to do a good job?

WALSH: On the surface, NATO always talk about how they're pleased that the military is doing better than they thought. They accept that there's a kind of difficult (INAUDIBLE) they had to work with, great illiteracy in Afghanistan. But they think the army's doing very well.

Out there, really, though, in reality, there's a huge amount of concern the army aren't ready. And I think this plan, if it happens, to put some of the more volatile regions in Afghan hands early on, is simply because NATO want to be sure that they have enough troops and assets left in the country to clear up any mess that may reoccur, if the Taliban suddenly resurge in those areas. So that's really the logic behind that -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: All right.

Nick Paton Walsh.

Thanks, Nick. Appreciate it.

Newt Gingrich is rising now in the presidential polls. It's surprising a lot of folks, including Newt Gingrich. He talks with CNN, next.

But first, it is that time of year when "TIME" magazine's editors choose who they think should be "Person of the Year." Before they do that, they actually poll readers to see who they think should get the honor.

So, coming in at number five, the late Steve Jobs. He got about 10,000 votes so far.

Number four, the Arab Spring youth protesters.

Number three, the online hacking group Anonymous.

Number two, Barcelona star soccer player Lionel Messi, who led the team to win the World Cup.

Can you guess who got the number one votes? That, after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Before the break, we showed you who "TIME" magazine's readers think who should be Person of the Year. You see them here, everyone from the late Steve Jobs, to the hacking group Anonymous.

Who got the most votes? The so-called 99 percent. That's a term Occupy Wall Street protesters have used to describe everyone besides the top one percent of earners in the country.

"TIME" magazine's actual choice for Person of the Year, it's going to hit newsstands on December 16th.

GOP presidential candidates are all over the map today. And if you're a political junkie like I am, you want to know where everybody's campaigning. Check out the map.

Ron Paul, he is in Washington. Herman Cain, campaigning in Miami. Then he heads to Palm Beach County for a rally there.

Rick Perry looking for votes in New Hampshire. And we've got Rick Santorum and Michele Bachmann. They've got events lined up in Iowa.

But Newt Gingrich, he is rising in the polls, got a new confidence now. New polls out this week show Gingrich running neck-and-neck now with Mitt Romney. The former House Speaker, he's at 22 percent. That is compared to 8 percent in October.

Our Jim Acosta talked one-on-one with Gingrich about the steady surge.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Meet the GOP's latest fresh face: Newt Gingrich.

NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And yesterday afternoon in Jefferson, Iowa, somebody introduced me as the front-runner.

ACOSTA: Yes, the same Gingrich who was once a dead candidate walking now has a shot at the GOP nomination. Drawing big crowds in Iowa, he is candid about his near-death political experience when his entire senior staff abandoned him all at once last summer.

(on camera): Did you feel dead?

GINGRICH: No, I felt desperate, but I didn't feel dead. I've done this for 53 years, and the two hardest months of my career were June and July.

I am the only candidate running who has actually led at the national level.

ACOSTA (voice-over): But with Gingrich, humility has its limits. In assessing what initially went wrong with his campaign, he compared himself to two conservative giants.

(on camera): And where did you go wrong? GINGRICH: Oh, I think that it was a big mistake in my part to try to bring in conventional consultants, because I am much like Reagan and Margaret Thatcher. I'm such an unconventional political figure, that you really need to design a very unique campaign that fits the way I operate and what I'm trying to do.

ACOSTA (voice-over): Gingrich has climbed in the polls by outshining many of his rivals at the GOP debates and by selling ideas that sometimes veer from Tea Party doctrine. For example, Gingrich would spend billions on a new federal brain science project to find cures for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

GINGRICH: The best way to control the cost of Medicare is to defeat the diseases so people stay healthy.

ACOSTA: But in nearly the same breath, Gingrich rails against the Washington establishment.

GINGRICH: The Washington establishment model is pain and austerity.

ACOSTA: Despite being a creature of the Capitol for nearly three decades.

(on camera): You're not a creature of Washington?

GINGRICH: No.

ACOSTA: How long have you lived outside of Washington since your days as a speaker?

GINGRICH: I haven't. I mean, I've lived in McLean, Virginia, for practical reasons. I did work at the Central Intelligence Agency. I did work at the Pentagon.

ACOSTA: But critics might say you are a creator of Washington. Have you spent all of these years --

GINGRICH: You can call me anything you want to, all right? None of my policy proposals represent the Washington establishment.

ACOSTA (voice-over): Ultimately, Gingrich wants voters to judge him not on his past, such as his previous marital difficulties, but on what his campaign Web site calls the "New Newt."

(on camera): Because this is the new Newt that we're seeing here? The new Gingrich?

GINGRICH: Go back and get the "TIME" magazine cover in 1994, where they had me as Scrooge, holding Tiny Tim's broken crutch. And the title was "How Mean Will Gingrich's America Be to the Poor?"

I mean, one of the things the elite media did was it created a caricature of me, so that when people finally saw me in debates, they said, that can't be Newt Gingrich because, in fact, I'm very different from the media imagery. ACOSTA: Another telling side of Gingrich's sudden surge, he plans to open up his first campaign office in Iowa next week. And he has an infusion of campaign cash to work with after raising nearly $3 million in just the last month.

Jim Acosta, CNN, Sheffield, Iowa.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: But even in the middle of his surge, Gingrich is coming under fire. Bloomberg News is reporting that the former House Speaker made between $1.6 million and $1.8 million in consulting fees from two contracts with Freddie Mac. Now, Gingrich says he was, indeed, paid as a consultant, but did not lobby for the mortgage giant.

Our Jim Acosta, he did catch up with a candidate again in Iowa to ask him about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GINGRICH: What I tried to do over and over again with folks was offer strategic advice to whatever they were dealing with. And we did that very successfully at the Center for Health Transformation.

A lot of it was aimed at health care. How do you lower the costs of health care for your employees, et cetera? They're a very big employee (ph).

Now, some of it was aimed at, how do you explain what you're doing and how are you doing it? But I did no lobbying of any kind. That's all I've got to say about it.

ACOSTA: Did you accurately characterize it --

GINGRICH: That's all I've got to say about it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Be sure to tune in to CNN Tuesday night, 8:00 Eastern. CNN's Wolf Blitzer, he is set to host the GOP candidates in Washington for a fresh new debate. One of the main topics, national security.

The U.S. Postal Service is now in deep financial trouble, and it is actually getting worse. The latest report shows an annual loss now of more than $5 billion.

Alison Kosik is with us from the New York Stock Exchange.

So, Alison, what actually happened here?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, one of the big reasons, Suzanne, why the Postal Service is losing money is because we're sending less snail mail. You look at last year, we sent three billion fewer pieces of mail. Also, the Postal Service, it has huge retiree health care costs weighing on it, and that is causing the Postal Service to go even deeper in debt. Now, what the Postal Service has done, it has cut costs, it's laid people off, but clearly it's really not enough. What it really wants to do is close some locations and cut retiree health care benefits, and lay off another 100,000 workers.

But the thing is, the USPS doesn't run itself. It's Congress which calls the shots here, and Congress actually has to approve any structural changes at the Postal Service. But as you can imagine, Suzanne, making any dramatic changes to benefits or to laying off workers is getting a lot of pushback -- Suzanne.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

MALVEAUX: OK. Thank you, Alison.

Occupy Wall Street protesters can no longer camp out in a park in New York's financial district. So, how are they keeping their message alive? And what should be their next move?

We're going to hear what a supporter of the movement has to say.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: We have some confirmed reports of damage out of Montgomery, Alabama, after that tornado struck. Chad, what do we know?

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: About 40 minutes ago, we broke in and said there's a possible tornado on the ground headed to Montgomery. Now we know there is damage reported with the storm.

And the storm is still rotating. It moved right over from the western sections over to Cloverdale and to Eastdale Mall. And we can easily see it where you look at the red and green and how they are different.

The red and the green, green, green, green, red, red, red that means the storm has been rotating right over Montgomery itself. And so don't know the extent of the damage, but I do know there's q uite a bit of it here in Montgomery. And the storm continues to rotate right along the interstate.

And north of the interstate that's I-65 right up toward the north and northwest and then as we take you back to the maps here, the storm warnings are still going on that big pink box right there means that the tornado warning continues here.

And that would be Auburn, Alabama, right there, where the university is. It appears at this point, unless the storm turns to the right, Auburn would be missed, but there are more storms down to the south.

This is going to be a significant day for tornadoes across parts of Alabama, possibly parts of southern Mississippi, even into Georgia in the next few hours. Watches are posted. Warnings are posted and obviously now we have some damage. So keep alert if you're in the southeast. MALVEAUX: All right, thank you, Chad.

Here's a rundown of some of the stories we're working on first. Former White House adviser, Van Jones, tells me why he's sticking up for the "Occupy" movement.

Next, more bloodshed as the Arab league suspends Syria. Then a U.S. city gets -- we're going to talk to former defense secretary William Cohen about his new fictitious book.

In New York, where the "Occupy" movement started two months ago, protesters are now back at Zuccotti park, but they can't stay in tents or bring sleeping bags. Police in riot gear cleared the park yesterday after a judge's order. More than 100 demonstrators were arrested in that raid.

Van Jones, he joins us from Washington. He is president and co-founder of Rebuild the Dream, it's a group working to restore good jobs, economic opportunities across the country. He endorses the" Occupy Wall Street" movement.

He worked at the Obama White House two years ago as a green jobs adviser and "Time" magazine named him one of 100 most influential people that year. It goes on and on, the list here.

Van, I want to first of all, thank you for being with us. The mayor, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg yesterday said this when he evicted the "Occupy" demonstrators.

He said 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. So what do they do now to keep the message alive?

VAN JONES, PRESIDENT, "REBUILD THE DREAM": Well, first of all, you can't put toothpaste back in the tube and you can't evict an idea. This movement is about much more than just one park or one tactic and one city.

It has become a massive expression of real concern that the economy is just not working for the majority of people. Tomorrow, people think, well, they can't sleep there, the movement's over. Tomorrow's the second month anniversary.

You're going to have 200 cities with major protests, non- violent major demonstrations. November 17th.org I think shows you this big map. We are in a situation now where this movement is growing.

It's not getting smaller and just having one tactic off the table doesn't mean the concerns have gone away. In fact, the concerns are getting bigger.

MALVEAUX: So how do you focus the group here though? I mean, you talk about it's big, it's expansive, but how do you bring focus to this so that there is some sort of movement and people know how to react to this? I mean, what do people need to do to actually address this "Occupy" movement concern?

JONES: Well, we're now entering, I think, phase two. Phase two, you move from anger to answers. You move from pointing out the problem to pointing out the solutions, and just like with the Tea Party Movement when they first came out, you know, people were concerned, they didn't know what it was about.

They pivoted over to politics, which you have the "Occupy" movement at the center, that's the beating heart. There's a broader phenomenon around it that is the 99 percent movement. You just heard the SCIU come out today talk about the 99 percent.

We are going to be recruiting 2,000 candidates to run for office now under this 99 percent banner. You're going to see an evolution now as you go from protests, keep the protests, but now expand into politics.

If you thought there was an earthquake in 2002 when the Tea Party moved into politics, wait until this 99 percent movement moves over into politics, you didn't see anything yet.

MALVEAUX: Van, let me ask you this because I know you're working to bring liberal progressive organizations to the table to support the "Occupy" movement and they've been quite slow, actually, at really supporting this movement.

When you see these pictures and when you look at the violence that's happening, whether or not you believe it's the police fault or the protesters' fault. How do you make sure this kind of activity isn't -- doesn't take over your movement?

JONES: Well, first of all, it's not my movement. The movement belongs to the people who are in it --

MALVEAUX: The "Occupy" movement obviously.

JONES: Exactly, but let me say a couple of things. First of all, any kind of violence whether it's street violence or police violence needs to be called out and has been called out and denounced. There's nobody more concerned about that than the people who are down there running the occupations, supporting the occupations.

I've talked to them, they're very concerned, but I also want to give them a little bit of credit. We're talking about urban America. There's much more violence outside those occupations than inside. They have been working hard to keep them peaceful.

And now you're seeing groups step up, the society, the NAACP, Dr. King's organization, the SCLC, our group stepping in to bolster that nonviolent spirit, bringing in trainings, bolstering the trainings that exist there.

This movement has been committed to peace. Again, we're talking about urban centres. There's a lot more violence outside than inside, I think we should give them some credit for having been overwhelmingly peaceful.

And most of the people who have been hurt, unfortunately, whether you're talking about the veteran put in a coma or the reporters that were hurt yesterday were hurt by our law enforcement. So we've all got to take a bigger stand for a nonviolent resolution to these problems.

MALVEAUX: Van Jones, a lot of people think they need a leader. Do you think you might be that guy?

JONES: Listen, we've learned that leader-centered movements don't work. This is about a leaderful movement. It's not leaderless. It's leader centric. It's leaderful. You're seeing so many now new voices, young people, veterans, clergy coming out and speaking from their heart.

About saying we don't want the American dream of economic opportunity to be thrown in the garbage can just so the richest people in the world don't have to pay their taxes, we want to have an economy that works.

MALVEAUX: All right. OK.

JONES: For everybody.

MALVEAUX: All right, Van Jones, you might at least be a spokesperson, you know, maybe not a leader, but certainly a good spokesperson.

JONES: There are a lot of us.

MALVEAUX: All right, thanks again. Appreciate it.

A frustrated Arab league suspends Syria's membership with reports now coming in that army reserves are turning their weapons back on the Syrian government. That's up next.

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MALVEAUX: Some of the worst bloodshed yet in Syria. Activists there say almost 100 people have been killed by security forces since Monday.

The Arab league is suspended Syria's membership over the violence. The Syrian government is restricting access. A foreign journalist, our Ben Wedeman, he is in Cairo.

Ben, first of all, what does this new move mean by the Arab league for the president of Syria?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It certainly means in a sense he's been thrown under the bus by the Arab league. They're ejecting Syria, at least temporarily from the Arab league unless it implements this action plan.

The Arab league came up with on the 2nd of November, which involves releasing prisoners, getting Syrian troops off the streets of towns and cities and opening up a dialogue with the opposition. The Syrian TV last night did say they released 1,180 prisoners. The opposition says it's a drop in the bucket.

And the Arab league is indicating it's simply not enough. The level of bloodshed has reached a level they must act and they must act now. Of course, it's somewhat ironic given that in February of 1982, the father of Bashar Al-Assad, his troops killed well over 1,000 people in an uprising.

But back then the Arab league didn't say anything. So this shows you how much the Arab spring, so to speak, has shaken all of these regimes finally into action.

MALVEAUX: Ben, why are we seeing so much violence now over the last couple of days?

WEDEMAN: Well, on the one hand it's widely believed this is the Arab -- it is rather the Syrian response to the Arab league initiative that they really don't want to carry out all those conditions that were put in this action plan.

And this may be an indication of the gap that exists between the political leadership of Assad and his diplomats, and the soldiers and the security heads who are actually carrying out this crackdown.

MALVEAUX: Ben Wedeman out of Cairo. Thank you, Ben.

Former defense secretary spells out nuclear Armageddon for America, but don't worry, it's just a novel, but the premise all to real. We'll be talking with William Cohen.

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MALVEAUX: So it's a political thriller with the premise that is almost all too real. We're talking about a new book "Blink of An Eye" by former Defense Secretary William Cohen. I want you to take a listen to this excerpt.

It's America's worst nightmare, a nuclear bomb destroys a major city. Thousands of Americans are dead, and many more will die from radiation poisoning. Threats promising more attacks spread. Panic has broken out.

William Cohen, the author joins us from New York. So Secretary Cohen, in this fictitious scenario, you squarely pin this on Iran.

And it seems frighteningly realistic this scenario today after you consider the International Atomic Energy Agency recently determining that Iran is much closer to developing a nuclear we than anyone imagined. Where do you think we stand now in terms of a nuclearized Iran?

WILLIAM COHEN, FORMER DEFENSE SECRETARY: Well, I think we're many steps closer to where we ought to be with nuclear Iran. The Iranians for years have claimed they only want nuclear power for civilian purposes. Electricity, pharmaceutical manufacturing, et cetera, if that were the case, they would have adopted the Russian proposal of letting the Russians enrich the uranium and transfer it to Iran for civilian purposes and they rejected that out of hand.

I want to come back to the book because the fingers point to Iran. Some in our country want to make Iran the originator of this particular catastrophic result, but it may not be that situation.

And what I tried to capture is the sense that it's everyone's worst nightmare, and if a bomb were to ever go off, the question becomes for a president, what does he do or she do? How do we provide relief?

Who did it? Why did they do it? How did they do it? And what do we do in return? That's all contained in a four-day period in which the president is under pressure to react and to retaliate.

MALVEAUX: It's really a fascinating read. What do you suppose President Obama is doing today that he's doing right or perhaps doing wrong in looking at Iran as a possible nuclear power?

COHEN: Well, I think he's trying to pursue the right policy, and that is to intensify the economic sanctions against Iran. Unfortunately, the Russians and the Chinese are not joining in with the kind of severity that's going to be necessary.

I think the message has to go to Iran, change the policy or there should be a change of regime. And the only way to bring about a change of regime peacefully would be if China and Russia join in with a security council and say this is unacceptable, we don't want another country to have nuclear weapons.

There goes the proliferation containment regime we fought so hard to preserve. And suddenly more people will have their hands on nuclear material. That means a greater chance that this type of event I described could happen in either our country or an allied country or any country.

MALVEAUX: You talk about the role of China here. President Obama is in Australia. He announced that they're adding 2,500 U.S. troops there over the next couple of years.

American officials publicly saying it's, you know, responding to natural disasters, but privately, they're saying that this is in response to China's military expansion. How serious a threat is China?

COHEN: Well, China's going to grow militarily. They're an economic power already. They're going to become a military power, as well. Those in the region of -- the Asia/Pacific region want to have some security that China will not dominate them just by being an unchallenged military power.

So they want to make sure that China uses its military power for peaceful purposes. And one way to insure that or hedge against that is to make sure that each country has a strong security program of its own linked to the United States.

So us strengthening our relationship with Australia, with India, with Japan, with South Korea, with others, and hopefully with China that we want to make sure that China doesn't see this as an attempt to encircle them or contain them, but rather as a hedge against anybody in the region using military power for war-like purposes or aggressive purposes.

MALVEAUX: All right. Secretary Cohen, "Blink of An Eye," recommended read, good read, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate it.

COHEN: Thank you, Suzanne.

Her recovery has been nothing short of a miracle. People are asking, should Congresswoman Giffords run again in 2012? We're going to have responses to that sensitive talkback question next.

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MALVEAUX: You've been sounding off on our talkback question. Carol Costello is live with some of your responses. Hi, Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Suzanne. The "Talkback" question today. Should Congresswoman Giffords run again in 2012?

This from Judith, "While people empathize with Gaby Giffords, she would better serve her constituents by stepping aside, recuperating, and concentrating on getting well. Working in Congress is too stressful and would be unlikely be able to fulfill her obligations for the people."

This from Gloria, "Considering how many senile and do-nothing people are there, what's to mind about Giffords' possible limitations? She understands a great more than she can yet speak, but she can still vote."

This from David, "Obviously she's made a remarkable recovery although I do question her mental health and decision making. But then again, just look at the mental health and decision making of the other political leaders we have."

And this from Morgan, "It's obvious she has command and understanding of what's being said to her. The difficulty comes in trying to communicate back what she intends to. Her intent to represent her constituents far overcomes any difficulties she has encountered."

Keep the conversation going, facebook.com/carolcnn, and thanks as always for your comments.

MALVEAUX: All right. Thank you, Carol.

A Georgia teen pulls a Santa Claus move, but it's not in the spirit of giving. We're going to show you how he got stuck in the chimney next. But first, the market for new vehicle, wondering if the car, truck, SUV is going to hold its value. So here's a list of vehicles with the best resale value.

Coming in fifth place is Audi Q7, fourth is the Hyundai Tucson. Then in third place Toyota Tacoma. In second place, Toyota FJ Cruiser, on top of the list, that answer in a minute.

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MALVEAUX: Before the break, we showed you the top four cars with the best resale value. Did you guess what vehicle best at holding its value? Answer, Jeep Wrangler, Blue Book says even after owning it for five years, it's still worth more than half of its original value.

Now, some of the stories our affiliates are covering across the country, a teenager in Norcross, Georgia, got stuck in a chimney for 12 hours before the fire department finally rescued him. How did he get stuck? Police say he was trying to break into this house Santa Claus style.

Some happy reunions in Norfolk, Virginia, the Navy's USS Car returned to port with its 200-member crew after five months at sea. The crew went on a mission to intercept drug deals overseas. They were able to take down a $22 million cocaine deal.

And in Alexandria, Minnesota, this young woman is lucky to be alive after having a seizure while driving. She lost control of her car. It plunged into a freezing lake, a police sergeant in the right place at the right time dove into the water. Another trooper broke the window, pulled her out just seconds before the car sank to the bottom.

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SGT. JESSE GRABOW, MINNESOTA STATE POLICE: It's got a severe drop, you can see another 15 feet down here into the water.

SOPHIA EVERSVIK, SAVED AFTER CAR PLUNGED INTO LAKE: How lucky for me, I just can't even imagine -- I wouldn't be here today if he wasn't there.

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MALVEAUX: Pretty amazing story. CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Fredricka Whitfield who is in for Randi Kaye. Hi, Fred.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello to you. Have a great day. We've got a lot straight ahead.