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Big Money Riding on Euro Talks; Newt Gingrich Leading in Iowa; Update on Youssif, Burned Iraqi Boy Brought to U.S.; Occupy Movements Clash with Police; British Intelligence Searches for Recruits Online; Obama Pushes Tax Cut Extension
Aired December 06, 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: Happy Tuesday. We're going to keep it going.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: All right.
MALVEAUX: Thanks, Kyra.
Live from Studio 7, I'm Suzanne Malveaux. I want to get you up to speed for this Tuesday, December 6th.
The future of Europe's economy is now in jeopardy. Today, a stern warning that something has to happen fast to actually save it. The credit rating agency Standard & Poor's says it may downgrade 15 European countries unless there is strong action to fix the debt crisis there.
Well, right now on Wall Street, what are we watching here? Traders closely watching how European leaders are taking on this challenge. The Dow is currently up by 38 points.
We're going to take a hard look at what this means for your finances, as well as your retirement.
What are we watching here? Suicide bombers struck two cities in Afghanistan today, killing at least 58 people. The deadliest attack happened in Kabul as worshippers marked a Shiite holy day. The Taliban suggests that NATO was behind these attacks to stir distrust between the Sunni majority in Afghanistan and the Shiites.
Well, U.S. officials are now confirming a drone that crashed in Iran last week was on a reconnaissance mission involving both the CIA and the military. Now, Iran says it shot down the drone, but American officials say that the crew lost control of the aircraft as it drifted into Iranian airspace. The Sentinel drone, what does this mean? It has got some of the most advanced stealth and surveillance technology in the U.S. arsenal, now in Iranian hands.
A sentencing hearing is getting under way in Chicago right now for Rod Blagojevich. It's expected to last two days. Prosecutors want the judge to give the impeached Illinois governor at least 15 years in prison.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NATASHA KORECKI, "CHICAGO SUN-TIMES": I think the people of Illinois really do want to hear an apology from him, and lots of experts are saying that's what he needs to do. He needs to step up to the plate today. And actually, one of his chief lawyers told the "Sun-Times" today that he will step up to the plate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: You may recall a jury convicted Blagojevich on corruption charges, including trying to sell the Senate seat held by President Obama.
Well, there is an unusual blast of early winter weather. That is in New Mexico. It's making the commute there to work pretty tough. Parts of the state got hit with up to a foot -- we're talking about a foot of snow. Officials are now working to reopen the interstates and other major roads, and a winter storm warning is now in effect.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not used to this out here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Really slippery. I mean, as long as you go slow, it's OK.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: BP claims that Halliburton destroyed evidence related to last year's oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. So BP is making an allegation in a court filing. The company is now suing Halliburton, a contractor on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig.
Now, BP contends that the cement seal Halliburton put on the rig was defective and actually led to the disaster. A Halliburton spokeswoman says that BP's allegation that it destroyed evidence is without merit.
Well, at this hour, more than 100,000 porn sites are going live with the .xxx domain name. What does that mean? Well, Internet regulators came up with this .xxx to make porn sites identified easier, and for those not interested to avoid altogether.
He's a millionaire, entrepreneur, and, of course, reality TV star. Well, now Donald Trump, having a direct impact on the presidential race even though he's not even a candidate.
Carol Costello, she joins us from New York with today's "Talk Back" question.
And Carol, we've been talking about Trump throughout this whole campaign, all year now. I mean, he's not even a candidate.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I don't know. We're exploring that very question. Why is Mr. Trump so relevant during this presidential campaign? Mr. Trump, "The Donald," reality show star, rich real estate guy, Republican king maker, or so it seems? Newt Gingrich, seemingly in an effort to cement his lead, had a powwow with Trump just like Bachmann and Perry and Romney and Cain before him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Donald Trump is a great showman. He's also a great businessman. If we're trying to figure out how to create jobs, I think one of the differences between my party and the other party is we actually go to people who know how to create jobs to figure out how to create jobs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Oh, but Mr. Trump creates buzz, too. Back when he was testing the presidential waters himself, Trump turned birther, intimated President Obama was not American-born and wasn't so smart either.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT & CHAIRMAN, THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION: The word is, according to what I've read, that he was a terrible student when he went to Occidental. He then gets to Columbia. He then gets to Harvard.
I heard at Columbia, he wasn't a very good student. He then gets to Harvard. How do you get into Harvard if you're not a good student?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Well, thanks to Mr. Trump, Mr. Obama did become the first president in American history to show the nation his birth certificate.
Later this month, Trump is set to moderate a Newsmax/ION TV-sponsored Republican debate, and that has some Republicans irate.
Ari Fleischer, a former Bush administration official, says it's a joke.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARI FLEISCHER, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Presidential politics should be about things that are serious. They should not gravitate to the most entertainment level. And that's what it will be if you put a third- party showman like Donald Trump as a moderator.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: So, the "Talk Back" question for you today: Why do some Republicans feel the need to kiss Donald trump's ring?
Facebook.com/CarolCNN. I'll read your comments later this hour. MALVEAUX: It's interesting, Carol, because he was really discredited when the White House Correspondents Association, the president, slammed him for all this misinformation. You and I both interviewed him. He doesn't have a lot of credibility on some of these issues that he's presented. It's fascinating that he is still such a viable, important part of the Republican campaign.
COSTELLO: Well, I think the thing is he appeals to a very small segment of the Republican Party. That would be the conservative Tea Party people, and that's who Newt Gingrich really needs in order to win the primary.
MALVEAUX: All right. Thank you, Carol. We'll see how it goes.
Here's a rundown of some of the stories ahead.
First, saving the euro, why the currency crisis in Europe could throw a wrench into our fragile economic recovery.
And then, can anybody stop Newt Gingrich? He is way ahead of the pack in Iowa. Very important, but now everybody is taking aim at him.
And say hello now to our planet's twin sister. This is so cool. Intriguing details about this new planet that is just like ours.
Plus, a "CNN In-Depth," a combination of modern medicine and American living working wonders now on a 5-year-old Iraqi boy who was set on fire.
And, listen to this --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Here is your challenge: 160 combinations of numbers and letters and a countdown clock. You have got just a few days until your deadline.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: All right. That can make you the new 007 if you've got a head for math.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Well, it's an ocean away, but what's going on in Europe today could have a dramatic effect on the American economy and on your own personal finances.
Leaders of the European Union, they are meeting right now to take on a massive challenge here. We are talking about saving the euro, the joint currency used by 17 countries.
So, while the stakes are already sky high, the rating agency Standard & Poor's just upped the ante by threatening to downgrade several EU nations in the next 90 days. So, if Europe doesn't start coming up with some answers, and good answers fast for the debt crisis, this could all go very bad.
Ali Velshi, Christine Romans are joining us here in the studio.
We love you guys.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: So great to be here.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: We always love to be introduced, "Things could go very bad. Here's Ali and Christine."
VELSHI: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
MALVEAUX: Fix this for us.
So, first of all, I mean, you look at what's happening overseas, and a lot of people think, well, how does this impact me directly? But this could undermine our recovery here in the United States. How so?
VELSHI: Yes. So, people often say, how does it affect my credit card, how does it affect my mortgage? More importantly than your credit card or mortgage, if Europe were to fail, we could go back to stone ages. I mean, this is the biggest client in the world for us. They're the same size as America. The eurozone's economy is the same size as the U.S. economy.
ROMANS: It means if the eurozone goes into a recession or worse -- some say the worst-case scenario is even worse for the region -- that means American factories close. That means American -- look at the headwind. Imagine the headwind right now of the American economy. We're just starting to have a hiring pickup, we're just starting to see unemployment go down, we're just starting to see markets showing a little bit more stability.
VELSHI: Just starting to see people go shopping.
MALVEAUX: Right. So how much time do we have before it all goes bad?
VELSHI: Well, this S&P downgrade thing doesn't matter all that much, largely because we already know Europe's a problem. It's kind of like the U.S. downgrade. It wasn't that big a surprise and didn't actually end up having our interest rates spike.
If you're Greece, it already costs you more than 10 percent to borrow, or Italy, close to 10 percent, or Portugal, higher than that. So I'm not too concerned about the deadlines as I am with respect to -- they're running out of options and they need to fix it.
ROMANS: And thing about it this way. Ken Rogoff, a famous economist who has studied crises, Suzanne, he told me, think of it this way: you've got 17 extended family members all sharing the same checkbook, and your cousin's wife's brother doesn't necessarily have the same kind of personal financial outlook that you do, and that's what they're fighting over.
VELSHI: That's exactly it.
ROMANS: That's exactly what it is.
VELSHI: Slightly related, but not entirely related. People who all spend save and deal with credit differently.
MALVEAUX: So, Angela Merkel, what does she need to do in Germany? How does that relate to -- I mean, we've got our own Tim Geithner who is there, the treasury secretary. We clearly have a dog in this fight.
VELSHI: Sure we do.
MALVEAUX: How do they work together?
VELSHI: So the Germans are the strongest economy in Europe. They're efficient. They don't have these problems of low retirement ages and things that are inefficient. So the Germans would like all of Europe to come along and do what they do with their economy.
They've wanted that for decades and it hasn't happened. Now they're being called upon to bail out the rest of Europe. So here is the tension.
She knows what she has to do, but Germans will find that very unsettling. In the same way Americans don't want our government bailing out what we call fat cats who are irresponsible, the Germans sort of see the rest of Europe like that. Like, why should we bail you out?
ROMANS: At the same token, though, you've got Germany, which is this big, dynamic economy. But think, some of those cousins' wives, or cousins' brothers who are in that group of 17 sharing the same checkbook, they'll never be a Germany. They don't have the infrastructure, the natural resources, the ability to be like Germany. They don't have the infrastructure, they don't have the natural resources, they don't have the ability to be like a Germany. So that will always be a friction.
MALVEAUX: So could it happen that we actually end up bailing out some of these economies in Europe?
VELSHI: Not financially, no.
ROMANS: We won't.
VELSHI: Not financially. We'll have to do everything we can --
ROMANS: They're too big to bail out.
VELSHI: Yes. We need to solve our problems here in the U.S., but it's very important to us that Europe does well. So, anybody sitting here watching this who doesn't think this is of concern, it's of major concern to you that Europe gets its house in order so that our nascent, slow economy gets better.
ROMANS: There are things we can do in the banking system that aren't bailouts, but things we can do in the banking system, like the fed and the European Central Bank -- we saw this recently. Right? They all came together and said we're going to make the cost of borrowing dollars a little bit cheaper so we don't have a banking crisis, because that's the last thing we need in the world, too. So there are things that we can do to show confidence -- the Fed can do, not our politicians, but they have done that.
But this is a Europe story that they have to fix, that if they don't, it will mean something for every American family.
MALVEAUX: And real quick, you guys are here. We talked about your book before. Give me the bottom line to what your book is, Ali.
VELSHI: Forty-five minutes from now, we are going to be here at CNN Center. So if you're in New York or in Atlanta, and you know people in Atlanta, tell him they can come and talk to us. We'll take pictures with them, we will talk about the economy. But most importantly, why we love meeting people about this is because they give us neat ideas.
We fight about money. We have been fighting about it for 10 years.
ROMANS: We're the --
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: People fight about these things all the time, so we wrote a book about it.
ROMANS: Right.
VELSHI: So we want to hear about what people are fighting about, and we want them to read the book. And we want them to tell us what they thought about it so the next time we'll do it better.
ROMANS: And it's called "How to Speak Money."
MALVEAUX: "How to Speak Money." I've been reading the book. It's a great read.
ROMANS: Thanks.
MALVEAUX: So thanks, guys. You've got to sign my copy.
VELSHI: Absolutely.
ROMANS: We will. Don't worry. Don't worry.
MALVEAUX: Thanks again.
ROMANS: Thanks, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: President Obama says it's make-or-break time for the middle class. He is in Kansas today to -- for a speech on the economy. It is the same place where more than 100 years ago, President Teddy Roosevelt gave his famous speech calling for a new nationalism where every American gets a fair chance at success. So, President Obama is expected to echo that idea today. We're going to bring that speech to you live, 2:00 p.m. Eastern, CNN NEWSROOM.
Newt Gingrich keeps rising to the top of the presidential pack. He calls himself the new Newt. But will the new Newt be enough to keep the same old critics at bay?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich seems to have Iowa in the bag, at least for now, if you believe those polls. The Iowa caucus is only four weeks away now. Thirty-three percent of likely voters in the Iowa Republican caucus have chosen Gingrich as their party's nominee. Now, that is according to an ABC/"Washington Post" poll.
Meanwhile, Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, tied at 18 percent. Rick Perry, 11 percent.
Jim Acosta has more on the former House Speaker's rise from what started as a very slow campaign.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At a news conference in New York, Newt Gingrich insisted he can go toe-to-toe with his chief rival, Mitt Romney, in a 50-state battle for the nomination, even with a much smaller operation.
NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have all these articles about how businesses are getting leaner, how they are flattening their hierarchies, how they're doing all sorts of things. You have people now who work from home, you have virtual organizations, all these cutting-edge ideas. And then you have a group of consultants who believe you have to be slow, cumbersome and expensive.
"The Donald" has had the number one show in the country. OK? He is a genuine American icon in his own right. Why wouldn't you want to come and hang out with him?
ACOSTA: Part of the Gingrich plan also included a visit with Donald Trump, who has had enough meetings with White House hopefuls to host a presidential "Apprentice" reality show.
But Gingrich is tailoring a more serious image in Iowa with a new ad that is drawing comparisons to Reagan's iconic morning in America spot. But the message is also eerily similar to, Yes We Can.
GINGRICH: Yes, working together, we can and will rebuild the America we love.
ACOSTA: Team Obama is sitting up and taking notice with Gingrich surging to the top of the latest "Des Moines Register" poll.
ROBERT GIBBS, FMR. WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I think a lot of people inside the beltway and outside the beltway woke up today to a very different political environment and one in which Newt Gingrich is very much for real.
ACOSTA: Democrats seem all too eager to face Gingrich. In an interview with the blog "Talking Points Memo," House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi hinted she may dredge up the congressional investigations into the former speaker's leadership during the 1990s.
"I know a lot of about him," Pelosi said. "I served on the investigative committee that investigated him, four of us locked in a room in an undisclosed location for a year, 1,000 pages of this stuff."
GINGRICH: I want to thank Speaker Pelosi for what I regard as an early Christmas gift.
ACOSTA: Gingrich responded that the House should act to repudiate Pelosi's comments, accusing her of using her office to damage his candidacy.
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: We don't always see eye to eye, do we, Newt?
GINGRICH: No.
ACOSTA: It's a sign the two former Speakers aren't as chummy as their days battling climate change in this 2008 ad.
(on camera): Are you concerned about that information reemerging?
GINGRICH: We turned over a million pages of material. We had a huge report. The total -- 83 charges were repudiated as false. The one mistake we made was a letter written by a lawyer that I didn't read carefully.
ACOSTA (voice-over): Liberal Occupy Wall Street protesters are also champing at the bit after Gingrich told them to take a bath.
BEN CAMPBELL, OCCUPY WALL STREET PROTESTER: We're just pointing out that it's Newt Gingrich who has gotten filthy rich by rolling around in dirty corporate money and selling our government to the highest corporate bidder.
ACOSTA: But even some Republicans have their doubts.
SEN. TOM COBURN (R), OKLAHOMA: He did a wonderful job in organizing that. He's brilliant. He has lots of positives. But I still -- I will have difficulty supporting him as president of the United States.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: So, Jim Acosta, he's joining us from Washington.
So, Jim, you've got this back-and-forth, right --
ACOSTA: That's right.
MALVEAUX: -- between the former Speakers, if you will. So how is Pelosi responding to Gingrich's reaction? He says, hey, this is an early Christmas gift.
ACOSTA: Well, late yesterday, Suzanne, after Gingrich made those comments at that news conference, her office put out a statement basically saying that the former Speaker was only -- and we're talking about Nancy Pelosi here -- was only talking about the stuff that's already out there. Let me show you this statement.
It is from a spokesman saying, "Leader Pelosi was clearly referring to the extensive amount of information that is in the public record, including the comprehensive committee report with which the public may not be fully aware."
And just for a little bit of perspective on that committee report, Suzanne, I went and read it last night, went and looked at it last night. It's 128 pages. If you look at Speaker Pelosi's -- or former Speaker Pelosi's -- original comment about going back to the Gingrich vault, she talks about 1,000 pages. So, she's clearly talking about opening up the vault, going back to those golden oldies of Newt Gingrich's time as leader, and seeing what can be unearthed.
MALVEAUX: All right. Jim, thank you.
ACOSTA: You bet.
MALVEAUX: Jim Acosta, out of Washington.
(NEWSBREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
MALVEAUX: We're going to go in-depth on Iraq and reintroduce you to a very special little boy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YOUSSIF, IRAQI BOY DOUSED WITH GASOLINE: I'm doing, like, soccer games and practice. I never used to do that in my country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Good for him. Youssif came to the United States for burn treatment. We're going to have his latest on the progress he is making up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Here's a rundown of some of the stories we're working on.
Up next, "CNN In-Depth." We're going to check in on the remarkable progress of a 5-year-old boy who was doused with gasoline, set on fire in Iraq. Then, as we approach the deadline for Congress to extend the payroll tax cuts, the president is reminding Republicans, stick to their word.
And later, an unusual job requirement to become a British spy. Crack a code that's posted on line. Now, I want to turn to the closing days of the Iraq war. About 170 soldiers returned to McCord Field (ph) in Washington State. That will happen early this evening.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SHOUTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: American troops, they are leaving Iraq by plane-load every day now. Now this group came home to family at Ft. Hood, Texas, on Sunday. 25 days from now, all U.S. troops are supposed to be home, except for the Marines who will guard the U.S. embassy.
In 2007, we brought you this unforgettable story about a 5-year-old whose name is Youssif and he's an Iraqi boy. Masked men poured gasoline over him and set him on fire. Youssif came to the U.S. for help.
Arwa Damon, she brought us that story. She caught up with Youssif at home in Los Angeles. Very much an American kid. His story on CNN "In Depth."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(SHOUTING)
(LAUGHTER)
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Now 9, it's hard to believe that this is the same Youssif we met in Baghdad four years ago. There's no trace of the sullen, withdrawn and angry boy he once was. No trace of the boy who could only speak a few words of English.
YOUSSIF, IRAQI ATTACK VICTIM: I'm still making it.
I'm doing like soccer and practice. I never used to do that in my country.
DAMON (on camera): Why didn't you do it in your country?
YOUSSIF: Because it was kind of dangerous there.
DAMON: Do you remember that day when those guys attacked you?
YOUSSIF: No.
DAMON (voice-over): He used to. This was Youssif, just 5 years old at the time. He was attacked by masked men right in front of his home in early January 2007.
YOUSSIF: They poured gasoline, burnt me and ran.
DAMON: His family begged for help, desperate to see their boy smile again, a plea heard around the world. CNN viewers donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Children's Burn Foundation based in Los Angeles that took on his case.
Today, Youssif's mental recovery has outpaced his physical one. He will be needing more surgeries, we don't know for how many years, but says his looks no longer bother him.
YOUSSIF: I kind of don't really known, because none of my friends make fun of me.
DAMON: He even received a citizenship award at school, given to students who are nice to others.
YOUSSIF: Once a kid got hurt and I helped him. He got hurt here, like he started bleeding. I took him to the office and they helped him put ice -- an ice pack on it.
DAMON (on camera): And when you saw that this kid was hurt, what made you want to help him?
YOUSSIF: Because he was, like, my friend and I cared about him.
DAMON: Do you think it's because you got hurt once?
YOUSSIF: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: My turn again.
DAMON (voice-over): But life in the U.S. has not been easy for this Iraqi family, soon to become American citizens. Along with a younger sister, Youssif also now has a 2-year-old brother.
His surgeries are covered by the California State Children's Services as they would be for other children who live in California. But the family has to make ends meet on their father's security guard salary of $9 an hour, plus welfare and food stamps.
(on camera): Where do you guys sleep?
YOUSSIF: We sleep over there.
DAMON: Will you show me?
YOUSSIF: Yes.
DAMON: You sleep here on the ground?
YOUSSIF: Yes.
DAMON: And, Ayia (ph), you sleep here?
YOUSSIF: Yes.
DAMON: And, Youssif, you sleep here?
YOUSSIF: Yes.
DAMON: The family has had a pretty tough time despite the fact they're very grateful to everyone, for everything that has transpired since they came to America, since being in Iraq. But it hasn't been entirely easy for them. And there's, of course, financial difficulties as well, and so, as Youssif was showing us, the kids sleep on the floor. There's two levels of carpeting here but that's all they have, and then these flimsy blankets.
(voice-over): And the family is desperately home sick, despite all of Youssif's friends.
(on camera): So do you want to go back to Iraq?
YOUSSIF: Kind of, yes.
DAMON: Why?
YOUSSIF: I miss everyone that I knew there.
DAMON: But aren't you scared the same thing could happen to you?
YOUSSIF: Yes.
DAMON (voice-over): And it very easily could.
(on camera): When you talk to your family, what do they tell you about the situation there? Obviously, we're still not showing your face on camera.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's still not safe. It's not safe. Sometimes I tell them I wish I could visit, they say, no. You cannot come.
DAMON: With U.S. troops leaving, they do worry that Iraq may never be safe enough for them to go back home.
YOUSSIF: Oh, man. My leg is all I've got and I have to go higher (ph).
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Arwa Damon joins us live from Baghdad.
Arwa, first of all, just an amazing story, an amazing job that you've done. And Youssif and his family, it seems it was yesterday since you introduced us to that little boy? What can we do? I understand his family is struggling. They're in southern California. What do they need? Are there things people can help them out with?
DAMON: There most certainly are, Suzanne. They need just about all the help they can get. They're facing the various challenges any immigrant family would be facing trying to just navigate the American system.
Every single item of furniture in their house has been donated to them by various members of the community. There was an Iraqi man who even went so far as to donate a car. It's hard for them to meet on a day- to-day basis. You saw them there living in a one-bedroom apartment.
Their father, their parents, would love to be able to at least upgrade to a two-bedroom. The kids talk about how they just want their own room to be able to put stuff up on the walls. So it's been tough for them in that sense, especially financially challenging.
As you can imagine, difficult for Youssif's father, who doesn't have much of an education to get the kind of job, especially during these economic tough times, that would allow him to give his family the kind of life he so desperately wishes he could.
MALVEAUX: Is there something CNN viewers can do? A way to actually help them?
DAMON: Well, one can reach out to them. They are on Twitter right now and they've been getting a lot of support from the community they're in. At this point, if people can reach out to them on Twitter, @youssifiraqi, if they want to directly donate and try to help out the family in that way.
MALVEAUX: Arwa, thank you. And all the best to Youssif and his family. It's a remarkable story of recovery and resilience.
Thanks again, Arwa. Good job.
There are some protesters who are taking part in the Occupy Wall Street movement and they're giving new meaning, right, to the old adage, "If you can't beat them, join them." But in their case, if you can't pitch a tent, wear it. Confused? We're going to explain.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Occupy clashes over camping gear have gotten intense. Some protesters have even resorted to wearing these tents now. In at least one funny moment, they chased the police away.
Jeanne Moos has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Remember when tents used to be something you used to camp out in the wilderness?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Occupy the police car.
MOOS: Now they're being pitched on police cars.
They've become a symbol of the Occupy movement.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Floating tents.
MOOS: But instead of floating, these days, they're being dismantled by police. And that's what everyone thought was going to happen.
(MUSIC)
MOOS: In Melbourne, Australia, police marched forward but then what seemed like an oddly random verbal signal rang out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Space monkeys.
(LAUGHTER)
MOOS: Protesters, it turned out, were wearing their tents.
(LAUGHTER)
They were dubbed the tent monsters. The Occupy Melbourne put their antics to music and uploaded them to YouTube.
(MUSIC)
MOOS: Police seemed befuddled. One tent even dropped its pants.
(MUSIC)
One of the officers asked, how did they do it, to which a protester replied --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gaffer (ph) tape.
MOOS: -- "Gaffer (ph) tape."
And then, lo and behold, the police turned around and left with the tents in hot pursuit.
(MUSIC)
MOOS: One web site labeled it "Mock and Awe."
(on camera): Arguments between police and protesters over tents have, at times, been intense.
(voice-over): For instance, at Occupy Toronto.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you going to touch my stuff, sir? Do you have a warrant, sir? Excuse me, officer. I want a warrant.
MOOS: But the only warrant at Occupy Melbourne should have been from the fashion police.
(MUSIC)
MOOS: True, tents may not make the most flattering outfits. As one person posted, "Honey, does this tent make my butt look big"?
Jeanne Moos, CNN --
(MUSIC)
MOOS: -- New York.
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MALVEAUX: All right. So Melbourne police did not back down against the so-called tent monsters the next day, however. In fact, turned into a rather intense confrontation. Police actually ripped off the tent off of one woman. Video was posted on YouTube. She was not really wearing much underneath. According to the "Melbourne Herald Sun," Police warned the protesters that the tents were structures and would be seized. Several of them reportedly took off their tent outfits. This woman refused and ended up being stripped.
The Occupy Wall Street movement has a new target today and that is Congress.
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MALVEAUX: All right. So it's no longer Herman Cain, the presidential candidate. He is Citizen Cain, swept out of the race by scandal, hardly forgotten. Today's "Punch Line" shows us why.
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DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST, LATE NIGHT WITH DAVID LETTERMAN: Herman Cain was on the show. You suspended his campaign.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
LETTERMAN: Yes. But he --
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LETTERMAN: He has asked the Secret Service if they could continue to provide him protection at least until his wife cools off.
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JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST, JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE: Now that he's back home, Mrs. Cain has a huge to-do list for him, like clean out the garage and live in it.
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MALVEAUX: Occupy Wall Street protesters are converging on Capitol Hill right now for the Occupy Congress protests, so the president is hitting the road to sell his payroll tax cut.
I want to bring in Briana Keilar, live from the political desk, to talk about all of this stuff.
Brianna, good to see you. Let's start off with President Obama. He is heading to Kansas right now. He's going to talk a little more about the payroll tax cut. What do we expect is going to be the main theme today?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. He's heading, Suzanne, to Osawatomie, Kansas, and this is being billed by the White House as a major economy speech. He is, as you mentioned, going to be pushing Congress, the Republicans to pass that extension of the payroll tax cut, which about 160 million Americans have had for the lad year, pushing them to do that so that taxes don't increase in the New Year. But I think the bigger thing here is we're expecting him also to frame his argument that we're going to be hearing throughout the coming year as he battles for re-election, and that is basically that he is fighting for the middle class. And he will also say, as we've been hearing him say, that Republicans are not doing that. That instead they are protecting the wealthy. And he thinks Americans should have a fair shot, I guess.
That's one of the reasons why the White House has chosen Kansas. It's no coincidence that this is where President Teddy Roosevelt went to in 1910, so many years ago, to push for what he called New Nationalism, this idea of giving people a fair shot, when he was trying to urge Republicans to get onboard as the president is. And so that's really what they're expecting in his address today -- Suzanne?
MALVEAUX: Brianna, tell us a little bit about the Occupy Congress movement now. They're taking their aim at Congress. How is that working?
KEILAR: Yes, that's right. It's under way right now, Suzanne. We have a number of producers up on Capitol Hill. This is the Take Back the People's House event.
I have to tell you, from where I stand at the White House normally where you see Occupy D.C. protesters, is just a couple blocks away in an area called McPherson Square. And that's where are we saw a confrontation with police over the weekend where about 31 protesters were arrested.
Today, some of them, heading up to Capitol Hill. And according to some of the producers up there, they think some of these people aren't the normal Occupy D.C. crowd, that some of them are older. We know that they've been heading to some congressional offices. We know they stopped by Congressman Chris van Holland's office and actually talked to him. So far, there don't appear to be any problems. We understand some are going to try to stage a sit-in, Senator Jon Kyl's office. We'll be watching that story as it develops throughout the day -- Suzanne?
MALVEAUX: So far, it looks very peaceful.
Thank you, Brianna.
For the latest political news you know where to go, cnnpolitics.com
Today's "Talk Back" question, why do some Republicans feel the need to kiss Donald Trump's ring?
Andrew says, "These candidates think, by standing next to someone interesting, they will themselves become interesting. And that's just simply not the case."
Carol Costello, she is back with are more of your responses.
And it's still just the first week of December, so what can you guess, what percentage of people are already done, done, done with the holiday shopping? "A," 18 percent, "B," 28 percent, "C," 38 percent, "D", 48 percent. We'll give you the answer and what it means in just a few minutes.
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MALVEAUX: I asked you before the break if you could guess the percentage of folks who have already finished, finished holiday shopping. So, if you guessed 38 percent, you nailed it. 32 percent were done by November. What happened? People took advantage of the Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals. Now experts are saying stores have to offer more deals now, now that they have a smaller group of folks are going to be doing more shopping. Amazing. I have not done my shopping.
We're getting a lot of responses to today's "Talk Back" question. Everybody has an opinion on the Donald.
So, Carol Costello is back with what you're saying.
Hi, Carol.
COSTELLO: You're right, a lot of people do have an opinion on the Donald. Today's question, why do some Republican candidates feel the need to kiss Donald Trump's ring?
This from Mark. "Because he has money. It's as simple as that."
This from Randall. "I'm sure there's some reason for it, like I'm sure there's some reason President Obama bows to foreign leaders."
This from Louise. "Because if they don't, they format ridiculous lies about them."
And this from Keith. "Republicans must respond to the Donald because he's a popular businessman that draws great attention with his remarks that, more often than not, are already on the minds of many American people."
Keep the comments coming. Facebook.com/carolCNN. I'll be back in 15 minutes.
MALVEAUX: All right, we'll see you then, Carol.
I want you to take a quick look at this code. We'll give you a second or two. Think you can you break this? All right, try. If so, there could be a job waiting for you.
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MALVEAUX: So if you've got a good head for math and you would consider being a British spy, British intelligence has thrown down the gauntlet. You could have a job if you can crack a coded puzzle on the Internet.
Brian Todd has the details.
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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Here's your challenge, 160 combinations of numbers and letters, and a countdown clock. You've got just a few days until your deadline. If you crack this code, could you be the next real life James Bond?
SEAN CONNERY, ACTOR: Bond, James Bond.
TODD: Maybe not. But if you're a British citizen and you solve this cryptographic puzzle, you could be recruited for Britain's next generation of high-tech spies. Posted online, publicized on Facebook and Twitter, put out by the government communications headquarters, Britain's version of America's National Security Agency, a kind of eavesdropping post whose mission is to help catch terrorists. This agency once posted job ads inside video games.
An official there tells us this puzzle has gotten thousands of hits and at least 50 people have solved it. If you do that, you're congratulated and offered a chance to apply.
(on camera): What do you think of this as a recruiting tool?
MARK STOUT, FORMER CIA ANALYST & INTERNATIONAL SPY MUSEUM: I think it's a great idea. One of the things it does is it brings awareness of the need for crypto analysts, cryptographers.
TODD (voice-over): Former CIA analyst, Mark Stout, is an expert on code cracking at the International Spy Museum in Washington and says, for people with reasonable math and computer science, this code probably isn't too hard.
(on camera): What kind of crucial intelligence can you gather by code breaking?
STOUT: Code breaking signals intelligence, as we call it, can be tremendously valuable because it's one of the rare forms of intelligence that, if done properly, if you get access to the right things, will give you the enemy's intention, what are they really thinking.
TODD (voice-over): Stout and other experts say governments like Britain's need cyber warriors more than ever. Officials at the government's communications headquarters want people with an interest in so-called ethical hacking. The illegal hackers need not apply. How will that play?
Marc Maiffret is a former hacker who co-founded a firm called I.E. Digital Security. He said sophisticated hackers may find this puzzle gimmicky.
MARC MAIFFRET, I.E. DIGITAL SECURITY & FORMER HACKER: The thing I would have found funny or interesting as a teenager hack would have been to actually hack the server hosting this challenge and actually change the challenge to have some funny message or some other thing.
TODD: Other cyber experts say the code is too easy.
(on camera): An official at the British communications head quarter says it's not designed to be difficult, more to promote awareness of what the agency does. Maiffret and others say, if that's the goal, it's worth it to get teenagers and young people excited about potential careers in legitimate cyber espionage.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
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MALVEAUX: Top of the hour, I'm Suzanne Malveaux. I want to get you up to speed.
A holy day for Shiite Muslims turns deadly in Afghanistan.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jesus.
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