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Protesters Vow to Shut Down Wall Street; "End Wall Street's Reign of Terror"; Mother of Alleged Victim Speaks Out; New Questions in Penn State Scandal; Police: No Record of McQueary Report; Gingrich Defends Freddie Mac Fees; Blasts, Gunfire in Syrian Capital; Syrian President Under Pressure; Storms Pound Southeast, Five Dead; Protesters Fume Over Tuition Hike; Pilot Locked in Bathroom Mid-Air; Tear Gas Fired at Greece Protests; Water on Jupiter's Frozen Moon; House Grills Energy Secretary over Solyndra; Woody Woodpecker Movie Possible; Former Madam Gives Lindsay Lohan Career Advice; Ricky Gervais Returns as Globes Host; Super Committee Urged to "Go Big"; Perry Ad: Obama Calls Americans "Lazy"

Aired November 17, 2011 - 10:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: We begin in New York and what could be an ugly turning point in the "Occupy" movement. Protesters outside the New York Stock Exchange vowing to shut down Wall Street and unleash chaos throughout the city on this so-called day of action.

They plan to paralyze street traffic and subway routes, rush hour. The demonstrations first cropped up two months ago today. Tensions have been building ever since.

Mary Snow is surrounded by protesters and joins us live now by phone. So Mary, give us an idea what's happening around you.

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Well, Fredricka, police have cleared the intersection where we have been standing. There are protesters on each of the four corners surrounding police. We did witness arrests about an hour ago. We counted about 12.

How many arrests there might be is unclear. We were just at one of these intersections that have been blocked. To give you an idea, though, of just how tight security is around the stock exchange, I'm standing on the corner of the stock exchange.

Just to even get on the block, police are checking I.D. on Broadway to give you an idea of the police presence down here in Lower Manhattan. Also, on the other side of the stock exchange, there are police barricades.

That's where we witnessed several arrests as people having a sit-in and were carried out. We didn't witness any violence, but police told protesters to clear the streets. There have been delivery trucks that have been stuck because protesters took over the street. Traffic is now moving through.

WHITFIELD: So Mary, have you received, like, a clear objective, you know, from demonstrators today? What are they hoping to achieve? SNOW: You know, with you ask them, they'll say their main message that they want to convey is economic injustice. This protest had been planned because it is the two-month anniversary. This is where the "Occupy Wall Street" movement began here in New York.

It comes two days after they were evicted from Zuccotti Park their home base. While they're able to protest, they're not allowed to camp there. You know, many will tell you that because of that action, it's only angered them even more, and they have more resolve to show their force.

They do plan to, in their words, occupy several subway stations in New York later today. They said they don't want to stop subways from moving or interfere with commuters, but they plan to do that. Later on today, have a protest at the Brooklyn Bridge around 5:00, which of course is rush hour.

WHITFIELD: All right. Mary Snow, thanks so much outside there in Lower Manhattan. Inside the New York Stock Exchange, we find our Alison Kosik. But before you got in that building, you got a real, clear view of what police presence was and what kinds of protections have been taken?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and Mary had mentioned the fact that you need an I.D. just to get anywhere close to this building. So because I have that I.D., I got a perspective that maybe others didn't.

So, yes, even getting to the building, it was a real tough struggle just to get to the building. But once I did get toward the building, yes, they were there very close. They looked very closely at my I.D. several times.

You know, NYPD officers clearly staring me down, making sure I am where I'm supposed to be. This picture I shot, this is right along one of the entrances to the New York Stock Exchange. It's on Broad Street. You see how, you know, New York police officers are literally fortifying almost every entrance of this building.

They're on horseback. They're in large groups. They're really having a show of force surrounding the New York Stock Exchange especially because the protesters were saying they wanted to storm this area. They wanted to get close enough to try to disrupt the opening bell.

Clearly, that didn't happen. Opening bell rang as expected. Inside the building here, you'd never know what's going on outside. But I do step out from time to time during my hits and take a look at what's going on. As you see here, I took some pictures just before I walked in.

You saw how New York police officers were at the ready just in case protesters got close enough and they are pretty close. They're literally about a stone's throw away from this building at this point.

In fact, at least 20 protesters were arrested. My producer, David, here has some video we'll show to you as soon as we can get that up for you. Some video of at least 20 protesters handcuffed, sitting in a makeshift pen and they're singing happy birthday -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Alison Kosik. Keep us posted. We'll look for that video as well. Thank you so much.

All right, trying to disrupt the New York Stock Exchange is just one of the items on today's calendar for this so-called day of action. Here's a rundown of what's on tap for the "Occupy Wall Street" protesters.

At 3:00 Eastern Time, they plan to occupy the subways. They'll take their stories to the trains in all five boroughs. At 5:00, they'll take the Square, they're talking about Foley Square just across from the street from city hall.

After that, right during rush hour, it's a march to the Brooklyn Bridge.

This morning, there are new questions and contradictions in the Penn State child molestation scandal. Also, we hear from the mother of one of Jerry Sandusky's alleged victims. We've disguised her voice to protect her son's identity.

Here she describes his reaction to the interview Sandusky gave to NBC News.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was upset. He was very upset about it. He said, I didn't -- didn't watch it at, I watched it when it was on and he watched it after that. He said that he cried. I said, well, why did you cry? He said because I'm afraid he might go free.

ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, CNN'S "AC 360": He's afraid that Sandusky might go free.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: More now on other disturbing new developments in the case. The "New York Times" is reporting that three years of records are missing from Second Mile, the charity that Sandusky founded and where he met his alleged victims.

The paper says those alleged victims were reluctant to cooperate. They told investigators that both the public and the prosecutors wouldn't believe them when pitted against the beloved Penn State football program.

In fact, the prominence of that program prompted investigators to meet a key witness, Assistant Coach Mike McQueary, in a secluded parking lot.

Today, new questions about McQueary and an e-mail that he recently sent a classmate, McQueary claimed in that e-mail that after he witnessed Sandusky allegedly raping a boy in 2002, he went to police.

But this morning, there is no record of that. CNN's Sarah Hoye is at the Penn State campus. So Sarah, any further explanation about this discrepancy?

SARAH HOYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, like you had stated. Both the local officials as well as Penn State officials are saying that there's no record of a police report filed.

However, according to "In Session's" Sunny Hostin, she explains this, even though somebody could go to authorities or speak, let's say, to a sex crimes unit, that doesn't necessarily mean a report was filed.

So the fact that there's something not on file does not necessarily mean McQueary is incorrect -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: And what more is being said, perhaps, even on campus? Whether it be about these alleged contradictions or whether be about new audio from a mother of an alleged victim talking about the fear to come forward and afraid that nobody would believe him.

HOYE: Well, Fred, as you can imagine, everybody is hanging on to every single new story that comes out about this case. Here in State College as well as on the campus.

So you have different student groups and different organizations all kind of contemplating going over all this new information. Yesterday, there were two events on campus focusing on victims of sexual abuse.

So you do have people here fired up. Emotions are still high. They're debating on whether who did what to whom, what's correct, what's not correct.

They're debating it amongst themselves and then you also have a number of groups coming forward doing different events to put the focus on victims -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Sarah Hoye. Thanks so much at the Penn State campus.

Mike McQueary's e-mail raises all sorts of questions, but don't expect a lot of answers from Penn State. That's because the taxpayer-funded school isn't held to the same laws as other institutions.

Later this hour, CNN's Drew Griffin tries to crack Penn State's wall of silence.

Newt Gingrich is enjoying a surge in the polls, but he's also defending his relationship with Freddie Mac, the government- backed mortgage giant paid his firm nearly $2 million. Gingrich says he never lobbied anyone.

CNN deputy political director, Paul Steinhauser joining us now. So Paul, Gingrich has slammed Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae and Democrats for having ties to them. Now he's at the center of this new fire storm.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Trouble definitely for the former House speaker. Fred, listen. We've seen this before, seen this just in the last couple weeks. A presidential candidate rises in the polls and increased scrutiny comes on them.

Think of Herman Cain just in the last couple of weeks. Now as you mentioned, Newt Gingrich, yes, just a couple weeks ago at a debate in New Hampshire, he basically said that Barney Frank and Chris Dodd, two top Democrats who worked closely with the troubled mortgage giant should go to jail.

He didn't mention anything about his connections. But since the story has broken in the last couple days, he's changed his story a little bit. First, he said he offered Freddie Mac advice as a historian then he said he offered them strategic advice.

But as you mentioned, denied doing any lobbying. Yesterday, he was on the campaign trail in Iowa. He was peppered with questions. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I gave strategic advice over a long period of time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How much did you spend?

GINGRICH: We'd have to go back and look. First of all, it wasn't paid to me. Gingrich Group was a consulting firm that had lots of people doing things. We offered strategic advice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEINHAUSER: Now, CNN spoke to a source who worked at Freddie Mac during the time when Gingrich was on the payroll. They say that Gingrich offered them political advice. It sounds a little bit like (inaudible).

As you can imagine, some of the other Republican presidential candidates are starting to get into this story. Take a listen to Michele Bachmann.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHELE BACHMANN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Whether former Speaker Gingrich made $300,000 or whether he made $2 million, the point is that he took money to also influence senior Republicans to be favorable toward Fannie and Freddie. While he was taking that money, I was fighting against Fannie and Freddie.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEINHAUSER: Newt Gingrich on the campaign trail today in Florida. We'll have our cameras there. We'll see what he says today when asked more about this -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Paul Steinhauser. Thanks so much. We look forward to that.

Tuesday night, meantime, mark your calendar. Right here on CNN, the Republicans running for president will gather near the White House for a debate on national security and the economy.

The debate is co-sponsored by the Heritage Foundation and the American Enterprise Institute. It begins at 8:00 Eastern Time, Tuesday evening.

Overseas, reports of explosions and gunfire today in the Syrian capital. Details are scarce, but along with these new clashes, there is new pressure from the international community on President Assad.

Zain Verjee with us now with more details and other world news headlines -- Zain.

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hi, Fred. Let's look at what the international papers are saying about Syria today. These are comment or opinion pieces.

Let's start with "Gulf News." This is the headline that they have. Al Assad has run out of options. It says, what's regrettable and surprising is the Syrian president not cooperating with the Arab league. What lies ahead is difficult to ascertain at the moment.

The "Jerusalem Post," Syria on the brink. It says, the latest threat to the Assad regime is multi-faceted, which is precisely why it should be taken seriously. What should be clear though is that a chaotic, violent transition of power would not be in Syria's interest or Israel's.

Finally, the "Wall Street Journal," the Europe edition headline is, Syria game change. It says, it may not be this or next week, but Bashar Al-Assad is heading for a fall in Syria. The puzzle for the Syrians, other Arab states, and not least the U.S. is how to get the butcher out of Damascus quickly and with as little bloodshed as possible.

Just remember though, Fred, Syria and Assad still has friends. You've got Iran, top of their list, as buddies there. The Chinese, who aren't calling for him to step down, they're calling for Assad to dialogue with the opposition. Crucially, the Russians that have been big advocates and supporters of Bashar Al-Assaid and their relationship goes back a long way to his father.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much for keeping us abreast of all those developments. Thanks so much, Zain. Up next, find out why a pilot's bathroom break almost triggered a terror scare. And we'll also tell you about storms and possible tornadoes that pounded the southeast when we come right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Let's take a quick look at news across the country. A search and rescue operation is underway in South Carolina after severe weather pounded the state. At least five people died in the region.

And check out this protest. In California, college students along with "Occupy Long Beach" demonstrators were furious after the California State University Board of Trustees approved a 9 percent tuition hike.

That means students will have to pay an extra $500 next fall. Police in riot gear used pepper spray and batons to control the crowd.

And in Minnesota, a woman could easily have died in her car on her birthday. She had a seizure and her car went flying into a cold lake. A state trooper was driving behind her. He and another trooper pulled her out seconds before the car sank.

Here's a call you'd never expect in an air traffic control tower. A Delta pilot in mid-flight from North Carolina to New York calls to say the captain is stuck in the bathroom. But that's not all.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're at 180 knots, 10,000. Can we leave the frequency for a minute? We're going to try to contact dispatch. The captain has disappeared in the back. I have someone with a thick foreign accent trying to access the cockpit right now. I got to deal with the situation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So the co-pilot wouldn't open the cockpit door because the passenger trying to help had a thick foreign accent. You heard him say that.

Well, the crew was moments away from calling in fighter jets for help, thinking it might be a terrorist attack. But fortunately, the captain of the plane managed to break his way out in time.

No one was hurt in the incident. Apparently that passenger happened to be someone who was trying to help the pilot get out of the bathroom, big misunderstanding.

All right, cracking into the crust of Jupiter's frozen moon. We'll tell you why scientists think the building blocks for life could be below the surface, next in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: We've been mentioning to you all morning long there have been demonstrations taking place, "Occupy Wall Street," demonstrations in Lower Manhattan.

Well, now you're looking at pictures out of Athens, Greece, where demonstrations are taking place in another vein here apparently on this anniversary of a 1973 student uprising that was in protest of a military dictatorship back in the last '60s and '70s.

Many have converged in downtown Athens there. Many of those demonstrators are also being met with police there who have been firing tear gas. We understand that there are students as well as teachers and workers and pensioners who have been marching.

In large part, they're also protesting the austerity measures being taken place there. We're seeing levels of protests and demonstrations taking place worldwide on this day. We're going to keep a close eye on what's taking place in Athens as we are in Lower Manhattan as well.

Meantime, life on Jupiter's frozen moon might be possible. You just need to get below the surface. CNN's Zain Verjee back with us from London with the science surrounding this icy satellite called "Ueropa." Do tell.

VERJEE: This is very exciting, Fred. Many people around the world, scientists, space watchers, enthusiasts are all over the moon of Jupiter. "Ueropa" is causing the big deal today because there may be life on Ueropa, which is the moon most likely believed to be very similar to some of the qualities that earth actually has.

So what's happened is there's a sense that there could be water below the ice crust of Ueropa. Now scientists have long thought there might be a big ocean swirling under this particular ice crust. Water is an essential element for life. There's still a long way to go before proving something like this, but it is something quite significant.

Ueropa's about 350 million miles away from us, by the way. Just think about it like this, Fred. Think of Greenland or the Antarctic. They have the ice shelf. You have warm water underneath the ice.

If you think of what's happening and what we're learning about Ueropa right now, it's kind of similar to that. What has to happen over the next 20 years, somebody's got to drill down to the very rocky core of Ueropa just to see if there is that ocean swirling.

WHITFIELD: Got to get there in order to make that happen. That's going to be one heck of a trip.

VERJEE: NASA's budget cuts, it's going to be a problem.

WHITFIELD: Yes, maybe they're not the ones that do it. We'll see. We know you'll keep us posted on that. Thanks so much, Zain. VERJEE: I will. I will.

WHITFIELD: All right, we've got some hot topics for our "Political Buzz" panel, including the House speaker's latest bout with his tear ducts. What's going on?

The "Political Buzz," straight ahead. And, the secretary of energy is in the hot seat today. A House panel wants to know more about a solar panel firm that got millions in federal loan guarantees before it went belly up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, checking our top stories right now. The "Occupy" movement wants to shut down Wall Street. Protesters are staging a mass day of action right now. They're taking their fight against economic inequality to the New York Stock Exchange.

Overseas, President Barack Obama arrived on the Indonesian Island of Bali this morning. He is taking part in economic talks with Asian leaders.

Back in this country, the man police believe fired a shot that hit a White House window will be in a Pittsburgh courtroom later on today. The 21-year-old Oscar Ortega-Hernandez was arrested yesterday at a hotel in Pennsylvania.

All right, "Political Buzz" is your rapid fire look at the best political topics of the day. Three questions, 30 seconds on the clock.

Playing today, Democratic National Committee member, Robert Zimmerman. Good to see you. Patricia Murphy, she's founder and editor of Citizen Jane Politics and a contributor for "The Daily Beast." Good to see you as well. And CNN Contributor, Will Cain joining us.

All right, first question to the three of you, "Occupy Wall Street," it's two months old today and marking it with a day of action. So organizers say tens of thousands of people will be involved and tens of thousands of potential voters as well. Have candidates failed to capitalize on this moment or are they? Robert.

ROBERT ZIMMERMAN, DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE MEMBER: The bigger problem, Fredricka, is that both parties have tried to play to this movement with empty political rhetoric to a movement that, quite frankly, doesn't stands for anything.

It's worth noting that when Wall Street was doing well, you didn't see people "Occupying Wall Street" to protest social inequality and economic inequities. This movement don't have any meaning.

Today, don't have any meaning to address the economic divide in our country. We should be rallying to pass the American Jobs Act, for an infrastructure bank, payroll taxes for employers and employees to put America back to work. That's the challenge before us.

WHITFIELD: OK, Patricia.

PATRICIA MURPHY, FOUNDER, CITIZEN JANE POLITICS: I haven't seen a whole lot of politicians rushing to embrace this. We don't see, for example, politicians on the streets marching with the "Occupy Wall Street" protesters.

That's because this is a double-edged sword. It's also so new we don't know exactly how this is going to come out. I think Americans overwhelmingly believe these people have the right to protest and that as long as there's no violence, as long as they're not breaking any laws.

But they're a little bit split on the message. They don't know exactly what the message is. So for a politician to embrace this right now really could be very dangerous for their own political careers. We all know that's what they care about the most.

WHITFIELD: All right, Will.

WILL CAIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, ditto. Do I think that politicians have failed to capitalize on an unfocused, volatile movement? A movement on whose day of action, today, whose purpose is to occupy bridges and subways, to keep middle-class workers from commuting in the streets. Not guys commuting in limos, but people riding in from Brooklyn and Queens to their jobs. Do I think it's been a failure for politicians to attach themselves to a movement like that? No.

WHITFIELD: OK, that was quick. All right, so when it comes to being commander-in-chief, Michele Bachmann says she's the man for the job. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MICHELE BACHMANN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When people think of the president, they think of who is that individual, and I'm willing to man up, so to speak, for the job and do what needs to be done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: OK. So will manning up help her sagging poll numbers? Patricia, you first.

MURPHY: Well, any female politician actually has a much higher bar to clear with voters when it comes to a woman being the commander- in-chief. So Michele Bachmann, like every woman who has run for president before her, literally has to say I will man up, I'm the man for the job.

And her policy positions are extremely tough. Sometimes the toughest in the field; very hard line on Iran; very hard line on water boarding. She says it's not torture and it's fine to use. So we see her positioning herself there. The problem for her, she's on the opposite side of President Obama on issues related to this. That is where he is most popular more than 60 percent of Americans like the way he's handling foreign policy. It's not working for her so far.

WHITFIELD: All right, Will.

CAIN: You know Michele Bachmann's problem isn't a lack of masculinity. Her problem is a lack of discipline, suggesting that HPV vaccinations cause retardation. It's a lack of understanding, suggesting as president she might be able to promise $2 gasoline. These are Michele Bachmann's problems, not any kind of lack of testosterones.

WHITFIELD: Robert.

ZIMMERMAN: You know, Patricia, I've never seen a credible or respected woman in government ever say they've got to man up or use that type of -- use that terminology.

MURPHY: Oh, I've definitely have.

ZIMMERMAN: I've never heard Hillary Clinton for example ever say that. The point simply is, Michele Bachmann doesn't have the character to man up, even if she was being advised by Chaz Bono. And she could probably use some lessons in character from Chaz. She's -- this type of rhetoric she is using just demonstrates why she's just not a credible figure in the public discourse today and not a credible candidate for public office.

WHITFIELD: OK. All right. Let's talk about that "Buzzer Beater" now, 20 seconds each.

Speaker Boehner got a little choked up presenting a gold medal to Astronaut Neil Armstrong. In the past, he's gotten a little dewy eyed while introducing the member of Congress talking about security and talking about the economy.

So what's the next issue on the horizon worthy of such tears? Robert?

ZIMMERMAN: You know, I've got to give Speaker Boehner credit for his honest emotion in referring to Neil Armstrong and presenting him that medal. Because I remember as a child watching that moon landing and what it meant for our country, how it united our country. I would hope as we approach the Thanksgiving -- Thanksgiving holiday all of us will reflect and be a bit teary-eyed as we think about our servicemen and women in battle and also as we think about so many Americans who are facing difficulties this time of the year.

WHITFIELD: All right. Patricia, how do you see it?

MURPHY: Well, I want to go on record as saying I love it every time John Boehner cries. I feel like it actually is real emotion. He's not usually crying because he's not getting his way. It's because he's really emotionally moved to tears. And I have -- I have no problem with it. I kind of love it every time it happens.

I think, though, he will be crying and all of America will be crying if Congress does not get its act together on the super committee, if they don't get a deal by a week from Wednesday. We're going to have a credit downgrade, and no one's going to have anything to smile about.

WHITFIELD: And Will?

CAIN: All right, Fred, this is my big issue of the week right here. I know I got 20 seconds but it's crony capitalism. We have three stories circulating this week. Number one, it's Newt Gingrich taking money from Fannie and Freddie. It's the Obama administration asking Solyndra to put off e-mails until -- put off firings until after the mid-term elections and a "60 Minutes" piece on insider trading.

John Boehner wants to focus on something grow emotional about it, reduce the areas where capitalism and government have an excess. It's always ugly.

WHITFIELD: All right. Will Cain, Patricia Murphy, Robert Zimmerman, thanks so much, to all of you.

ZIMMERMAN: Thank you.

MURPY: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: We appreciate it.

Tuesday night on CNN, the Republicans running for president will gather near the White House for a debate on national security and the economy. The debate is co-sponsored by the Heritage Foundation and American Enterprise Institute. It begins 8:00 Eastern on Tuesday.

Happening now, a House panel is questioning Energy Secretary Stephen Chu. Lawmakers want to know more about Solyndra. That's the solar energy company you just heard Will talking about that got $535 million in federal loan guarantees. It went bankrupt. Jessica Yellin is in Washington D.C. So Jessica, what's this panel trying to resolve?

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka. Well, today is a big day for this investigation because the Secretary of Energy, Stephen Chu, is testifying. You saw him there. He's just begun. And he, in his testimony, is taking full responsibility for approving the Solyndra loan, being the -- sort of the buck stops here guy.

And the purpose of this is essentially it began when Republicans said they wanted to know if political influence drove the decision to give Solyndra $535 million in loans. What the purpose of this particular hearing is, to find out whether the Department of Energy did enough due diligence in finding out if Solyndra was up to the job of accepting the money and doing the proper, you know, investing it correctly. They make solar panels, and the problem they said, was that the solar panel industry in the time it took, over two years, the solar panel business sort of collapsed because we've seen the economy go the way it went.

Already there have been partisan fireworks. Here is some sounds I'm going to play for you, first from a Republican who leads the committee and then a Democrat on the committee arguing about how they led the investigation. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. CLIFF STEARNS (R), FLORIDA: It is readily apparent that senior officials in the administration put politics before the stewardship of taxpayer's dollars.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Unfortunately, instead of conducting a serious inquiry into the facts relating to Solyndra and the lessons we can learn from this case, the majority to date as evidenced by my colleague's opening statement, has focused on firing partisan broadsides at the Obama administration.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YELLIN: Now, in his testimony already, Steven Chu -- Secretary Chu has said that political considerations played no role in their decisions, and he made taxpayer values -- the taxpayers were foremost in his mind when he was considering Solyndra -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Jessica Yellin, thanks so much from Washington.

All right. Coming up, the Golden Globes want comedian Ricky Gervais back for a third time. But not everyone is happy about that. That story next in "Showbiz Headlines."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A 61-year-old one-time superstar with a trademark laugh could be making a comeback. A.J. Hammer joins us now to tell us about the possible return of Woody Woodpecker. And I will not laugh again. A little out of practice.

A.J. HAMMER, HLN HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": OK. All right. We got it that one time. And it's going to go right up on YouTube after the show here. Woody reportedly bringing his iconic laugh back to the big screen. The "Hollywood Reporter" is saying that Universal's animation house Illumination Entertainment is working on a feature project for the classic animated character.

Woody Woodpecker's film career, it's hard to imagine, but it started over 70 years ago. He was a huge hit in theaters throughout the 1940s. He became a TV staple in the '50s. Those reruns, that's how most of us know Woody. Although a lot of us know him also as a balloon at the Thanksgiving parade.

The "Hollywood Reporter" is saying that Universal bought the rights to Woody all the way back in 1985. They're just now trying to use this movie to launch a whole film franchise. So Fred, the good news for Woody Woodpecker fans, he may not only be back, but he may be sticking around for an entire new generation.

WHITFIELD: That's fun. I think they'll get a big kick out of that.

So the next story has former Hollywood Madam Heidi Fleiss, people haven't heard that name in quite a while, but she's back with some career advice for a troubled actress. Do tell.

HAMMER: Let's call it a very special kind of career advice. Heidi thinks that Lindsay's decision to pose for "Playboy" is brilliant. Heidi offered her a somewhat back-handed compliment. Watch what she just told "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HEIDI FLEISS, FORMER HOLLYWOOD MADAM: She's beautiful. I think it's brilliant. Who knows, when you need money, you need money. Maybe she needs this money to get on the right track. She's hot. She would have made a great hooker. I could have made millions off her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Yes, there you go. Listen, Fleiss knows a thing or two about career changes. She's now starring, Fred, in an Animal Planet special with perhaps what I find to be the most unique show name of the year. It is called "Heidi Fleiss' Prostitutes to Parrots." Let that sink in for a moment.

WHITFIELD: Yes. I know. It will take a while. A very interesting love story between she and these birds.

Also news about next year's Golden Globes. Kind of deja vu, right?

HAMMER: Yes, a lot of people probably found this to be a bit surprising based on what happened last year. Ricky Gervais is slated to come back as the host of the Golden Globes. This is going to be his third time doing it.

We've been hearing buzz for a while that this might happen. But if you remember, after last year's show, it was almost unimaginable that Ricky would be asked back. He got a lot of grief for last year's performance. That's not lost on the people behind the Golden Globes, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

Here's what they said in their announcement that Ricky was coming back. "While many may welcome Gervais' return, not everyone is happy with the decision because last year his blunt one-liners caused anger and resentment in some quarters."

Remember, Ricky was going after everybody. Angelina Jolie, all kinds of Hollywood royalty. Johnny Depp, Scientology, Robert Downey Jr.

One of my favorite moments was when Robert Downey Jr. got on the stage and he said, "The vibe of the night was mean-spirited with mildly sinister overtones." But Ricky is back and it will get an awful lot of buzz -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Yes, I just remember all those nervous laughs, you know, nervous smiles. They were kind of like, "Ok." And then the cameras on me, I should just smile. But I don't believe what he just said." Yes, remember that? We'll see that again.

All right, A.J. Appreciate that.

All right. You want more information? Of course you do on everything breaking in the entertainment world. A.J.'s got it this evening on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT", 11:00 p.m. on HLN.

A heated debate on Capitol Hill pits Congress against President Obama. This time over school lunches. Currently, schools can serve pizza as long as each slice has at least two tablespoons of tomato sauce on it. That some say makes it a vegetable. The President wanted to change that and other standards he called unhealthy. Obama wants more fresh fruits, fresh milk, and other items, but the new standards could cost billions of dollars.

Coming up, with just days until their deadline, members of the super committee still can't reach a deal. And a bipartisan group of lawmakers is taking them to task. We'll talk to one of them next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: They call themselves the Go Big Coalition. A bipartisan group of lawmakers spurred to action by their colleague's lack of it. They're asking the Congressional super committee to keep all options on the table to reach a deficit reduction deal by next week's deadline. Some 150 senators and members of Congress have signed on to the coalition.

Representative Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska is one of them. Congressman, so give us a preview from the Hill right now. Where do things stand?

REP. JEFF FORTENBERRY (R), NEBRASKA: Well, there's a pretty significant impasse at the moment. The patient is in the emergency room, but we're hopeful for a resuscitation here. As you mentioned, a nonpartisan group of Senators and Representatives have come forward and urged this committee to actually go bigger, to be bolder, to do something substantial that will get our nation's fiscal house in order.

So we're hopeful this very strong bipartisan push actually creates some momentum for a bigger deal than was initially proposed.

WHITFIELD: Among those big, bold things, what would you be most proud of in terms of a real common ground being found?

FORTENBERRY: Well, we've ask that everything be put on the table. This has to be about substantially reducing spending though. In the last ten years, the size of the federal government has basically doubled in size. It's twice as big as it was basically ten years ago.

The revenues have also gone up, but they have not kept pace with the spending. I think this overspending is actually undermining our ability to turn the economy around. So any deal has to be substantially focussed in that area.

WHITFIELD: Can you have one without the other? You know, a reduction in spending and an increase in revenue meaning increase in taxes?

(CROSSTALK)

FORTENBERRY: Well, I think There might be some common ground -- well, there might be some common ground for the right types of tax reform. If you look at a company like GE, for instance, who paid nothing in taxes this year because they can hire an army of accountants and lawyers, it really speaks to the disequilibrium in the tax code. And the problem with that, it pushes the tax burden down to the small business and entrepreneurs. And that's fundamentally unfair.

The tax code is skewed to the ultra-wealth corporations and an offshore aristocracy that can move capital around and take advantage of this disequilibrium. So if you had the right types of tax reform that actually expanded the base of institutions paying by removing some of these loopholes and deductions and tax expenditures as we call them, you may actually be able to lower rates, stimulate the economy, and improve the revenue outlook. So I think the right --

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: What are the chances of that happening? What are the chances of that happening, though?

FORTENBERRY: Well, we all have an individual vote here. We're pushing as best we can. This is a pretty strong group of members, over 100 now. Including the U.S. Senate, who has come along and said, let's be bolder. Let's get out of our political lanes here, take some risk, and actually do something that will get our nation's fiscal house in order.

I'm convinced if a reasonable agreement were attained, you would see the power of the economy unleashed. Entrepreneurial confidence would increase. And the United States could stop standing at the footstep of the door, begging and borrowing for money to pay our excesses or excesses in spending.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: But isn't it an obstacle -- isn't it an obstacle still the Republicans who signed a contract saying there will be no increase in taxes? FORTENBERRY: Well, again, if you think about the right kinds of tax reform that you could potentially increase the tax paying base, even potentially lower the rates, if it's good for the economy -- that ought to be the question we're asking ourselves.

If it's stimulative to the economy, that will help with the revenue situation. So we're hopeful that we can work around some of these constraints, creatively and actually have a deal that's substantially focused on spending because that's the major problem here. But also includes the right types of reforms that will get our nation's fiscal house in order.

WHITFIELD: Wednesday is the deadline. Do you see that happening, being met?

FORTENBERRY: Pretty tough. Pretty tough. Like I said, patient's in the emergency room right now. But we all have an obligation to keep pushing. And even if that deadline is not met, I'm hopeful that this initiative creates momentum for the right type of change going forward.

WHITFIELD: Congressman Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska. Thanks so much for your time.

FORTENBERRY: Pleasure to be with you. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Coming up, a secret drug tunnel is discovered. We'll take you inside and pinpoint where it was found.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. We're getting pictures of storm damage in South Carolina. The National Weather Service is there right now to see if a tornado caused this damage in York County. Three people were killed. Storms across the southeast yesterday left at least six people dead across several states.

Checking stories cross country now.

Federal agents say they've discovered a drug-smuggling tunnel along the U.S.-Mexican border. It links warehouses in Tijuana, Mexico, with warehouses 400 yards away in California. Mexican and U.S. Authorities seized about 14 tons of marijuana Tuesday.

In Illinois, parts of the Des Plaines River were dyed red. It's part of a study to track the movement of Asian carp and other species migrating to Lake Michigan.

And in Texas the animal rights group PETA is asking the town of Turkey to change its name to Tofurkey (ph). Could that be right? Did I get that right? Tofurkey -- yes, in time for thanksgiving. The group says Thanksgiving is murder on the birds. So what do the residents think?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do I think about changing the name of turkey to tofu? I think it's about the stupidest thing I've ever heard.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We love turkey. We're not about to change our name.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Ok. Tofu, Tofurkey. PETA says it will treat the entire city to a vegan holiday feast if the name is changed.

Coming up, new in the next hour of the NEWSROOM with Suzanne Malveaux, millionaires head to Capitol Hill with a message for Congress. Increase my taxes, say the millionaires. Hear business owners explain why they're willing to pay more.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A new political ad from Rick Perry quotes President Obama saying Americans are lazy. Time for Truth Watch from CNN deputy political director, Paul Steinhauser -- Paul.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Yes. This is really buzzing right now on the campaign trail. It's Perry and Mitt Romney. Comments the President made earlier this week.

Here's what Mitt Romney said on the campaign trail about these comments about the president saying Americans are lazy. Mitt Romney said, "He said Americans are lazy. I don't think that describes America." That's Mitt Romney on the campaign trail yesterday.

Rick Perry, as you mentioned, also up with a new ad in Iowa and on national cable television. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We've been a little bit lazy, I think, over the last couple of decades.

GOV. RICK PERRY (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Can you believe that? That's what our president thinks is wrong with America, that Americans are lazy. That's pathetic.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEINHAUSER: So what did the president actually say? Let's take a listen. This was earlier in this week at the APEC summit in Hawaii. Take a listen, Fred.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: A lot of things that make foreign investors see the U.S. as a great opportunity; our stability, our openness, innovative free market culture. But, you know, we've been a little bit lazy, I think over the last couple decades. We've kind of taken for granted, well, people will want to come here. And we aren't out there hungry, selling America and trying to attract new businesses into network.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEINHAUSER: Well, this morning, the Democratic National Committee out with a web video basically saying that Perry and Romney took the President's comments way out of context. That's what the Democratic party is saying this morning.

Perry, on TV last night in a television interview, went a step further. He kind of doubled down, Perry, on those comments saying, "It reveals to me that the President grew up in a privileged way. Adding that he never really had to work for anything.

Fred, I think it's safe to say the President grew up much more modestly, not in a privileged way when he was a child.

WHITFIELD: Oh, boy. It's going to be difficult in this war of words now trying for people to kind of decipher. What do I make of this? All right. Thanks so much.

STEINHAUSER: Exactly.

WHITFIELD: Paul, appreciate that.

All right. We'll have our next political update in one hour. And a reminder for all the latest political news, you now exactly where to go, politics.com

We've got much more straight ahead of the NEWSROOM with Suzanne Malveaux. Good to see you.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Great to see you, Fred.