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Romney Not Going to be Quiet by Gingrich; New Sandusky Accuser; Syria's Assad Defiant; Blagojevich Sentencing; Blagojevich Sentencing Today; AT&T Still the Worst Carrier; Downed Drone's Secrets Could Be Out; Prescription Giants want to Merge; Pujols' Price Range $200 Million Plus
Aired December 07, 2011 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, ladies. You look just lovely this morning. Have a great rest of the day.
COSTELLO: Thank you.
LEMON: I'm Don Lemon. Thank you so much for joining us. You're quite welcome, by the way.
Newt Gingrich's surge in the polls is lighting a fire under, who else, Mitt Romney, who says he will not be quiet when it comes to comparing his record with Newt's.
Gingrich is now 15 points ahead of Romney in a new Gallup poll, and our deputy political director Mr. Paul Steinhauser joins us right now from Washington.
Hello, Paul. How does Romney plan to handle what's shaping up really to be a two-man race at this point?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: It really is shaping up. And that was the national poll, Don. Take a look at this, this is a state poll. Iowa. Two brand new polls in the last 24 hours in Iowa.
Look at one of them, CBS/"New York Times" and it's the same stories as what you just showed in the national poll. There's Newt Gingrich ahead by double digits. The frontrunner. Remember, we're just less than four weeks now away from those Iowa caucuses.
So what is Mitt Romney doing about all this? Romney was speaking to reporters yesterday in Arizona on the campaign trail, he said a couple of things that you would be a little more forceful maybe in going after Newt Gingrich and pointing out the differences between him and Gingrich on the issues where they stand on certain things.
He also said, you're going to see more of me -- Mitt Romney. More interviews, more time on the campaign trail. He says after about a week from now when he finishes up some fundraising, you're going to see a lot more of Mitt Romney. Four weeks to go until those first votes -- Don. LEMON: So, you're going to be seeing a lot more of Newt Gingrich, as well because he unveiled a new strategy for attacking Romney, as a matter of fact.
STEINHAUSER: Yes, this is interesting. Newt Gingrich saying that maybe he's one of the reasons why Mitt Romney got pretty wealthy. Take a listen to what Gingrich said on CNBC last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You could make an argument that I helped Mitt Romney get to be rich. He should be thanking me because I did the macroeconomic things necessary to make his career possible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEINHAUSER: Gingrich talking about when he was a congressman back in the 1980s, speaker of the House in the '90s, maybe his policies helped Romney. I spokes to Gingrich campaign aide who said, this was Gingrich trying to make a joke. Stab at humor, I guess -- Don.
LEMON: Gingrich -- bless him -- he's responsible for a lot of things. Thank you very much, Paul Steinhauser. We appreciate it.
CNN has the best political coverage on television. Make sure you stay with us all day for these interviews. Congressman Ron Paul will be in the CNN NEWSROOM at 3:00 p.m. Eastern. 3:00 p.m. Eastern, Ron Paul. Newt Gingrich and Texas Governor Rick Perry will join Wolf Blitzer in "THE SITUATION ROOM."
And Congresswoman Michele Bachmann will join John king's -- will be John King's guest, 7:00 p.m. Eastern here on CNN, and then real estate mogul, debate moderator, that's right, debate moderator, you can add that to his resume, Donald Trump will join Piers Morgan at 9:00 p.m. Eastern on CNN.
And we'll have our next political update in just one hour. A reminder for you, for all the latest political news, go to our Web site, CNNPolitics.com.
Other news now, a 19-year-old man claims former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky gave him whiskey then sexually abused him. An attorney for the accuser says the alleged incident happened on the Penn State campus back in 2004 when the accuser was just 12 years old.
Joining us now to talk about this new development is "Patriot News" reporter and CNN contributor -- she's been covering this from the very beginning, right since it broke we had her on.
Sara Ganim doing a great job. So what do you know about this newest victim, Sarah, and what does he say happened?
SARA GANIM, PATRIOT NEWS REPORTER: Well, this victim is now 19 years old. He was 12 at the time, this 2004 incident allegedly happened, and he's now coming forward in the wake of this scandal. What he says happened is he was a Second Mile child staying in the dorms of the Second Mile campus. Was involved in a pool situation where kids were playing in a pool with Jerry Sandusky, was later separated from that group and taken on a tour by Jerry Sandusky of the football building.
Now a lot of other incidents have happened at that football building, but all of them have been alleged to have happened in a shower. This man is saying that he was taken to an office. He was given whiskey and he talked to Sandusky about his life, how he ended up at the Second Mile, and then he was assaulted before Jerry Sandusky took him back to the dorm.
LEMON: We know Jerry Sandusky has a number of charges against him already. With these new claims about Sandusky, will additional charges be pressed against him, Sara?
GANIM: Don, that's hard to say. You know, there have been -- by my account, five people have come forward since the initial charges were filed and made public allegations against Jerry Sandusky. They are -- the majority of them, as far as we know, have also talked to the attorney general's office and given statements to police.
However, it's hard to know if they are -- you know, if they are actually going to lead to charges. I think that next week when we get to that preliminary hearing we're going to know a lot more because we're going to know if -- you know, Jerry Sandusky's attorneys saying they're definitely going to have that hearing.
Well, then, if more charges come, are they going to have another one down the line? I mean you know, we're going to -- those are things that I think we'll know a better idea next week.
LEMON: Sara Ganim, appreciate your reporting. Thank you so much.
We want to turn now to the sexual abuse scandal at Syracuse. The district attorney for the Onondaga County plans a news conference next hour to talk about the Bernie Fine investigation. Syracuse fired the long-time assistant basketball coach after three men accused him of sexual abuse.
Two weeks ago the district attorney William Fitzpatrick accused the Syracuse police chief of mishandling the 2002 investigation of an accuser's molestation claims.
Syrian president Bashar al-Assad is defending himself against global criticism of his government's bloody crackdown on protesters. In an interview with ABC Mr. Assad rejected reports that his troops are attacking civilians.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BASHER AL-ASSAD, PRESIDENT OF SYRIA: There was no command to kill or to be brutal. BARBARA WALTERS, ABC NEWS: People went from houses to houses. Children were arrested. I saw those pictures.
AL-ASSAD: To be frank, how did you know all this? We don't see this. So it cannot depends on what you hear in the United States.
WALTERS: But I saw reporters who brought back pictures.
Al-ASSAD: Yes, but how did you verify those pictures? That's why we're talking about false allegations and distortion of reality.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: In other words, deny, deny, deny.
Let's bring in Zain Verjee now for more on this. So he's disputing everyone else's claims and what the pictures show here, Zain.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: That's exactly right. Bashar al-Assad very defiant in that interview and sticking by what he says that he never ordered a crackdown. And in fact, it's his troops and his supporters that died. Listen to how he put it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
Al-ASSAD: We don't kill our people. Nobody kill -- no government in the world kill its people unless it's led by crazy person. For me as president -- I became president because of the public support. It's impossible for anyone -- state to give order to kill.
WALTERS: Do you feel guilty?
Al-ASSAD: I do my best to protect the people. So you cannot feel guilty when you do your best.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VERJEE: The U.S. has already reacted to this interview, Don. The State Department is saying this. The spokesman Mark Turner put it, "I find it ludicrous that he is attempting to hide behind some kind of shell game, but also some sort of claim that he doesn't exercise authority in his own country."
And the point that he was making in the interview was essentially that he's the president, he makes policy, he doesn't control his troops, he doesn't control his forces. It's not his fault, which is why, he said, I don't feel guilty.
LEMON: Zain Verjee covering that for us. Zain, thank you.
Today marks the 70th anniversary of the date that will live in infamy. In just a few hours ceremonies will be held at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, to remember more than 2400 people killed in the Japanese attack. CNN will bring you the memorial live at 12:40 Eastern.
Next hour, we're going to talk with Jimmie Kanaya. He's now 92 years old. He's a son of a Japanese immigrant. He was sent to an internment camp after the attack later serving as a U.S. Army medic.
You don't want to miss his story.
We have some travel delays to tell you about with snow and subfreezing temperatures gripping parts of the south this morning. Folks in Springfield, Missouri, are waking up to temperatures in the upper teens after the season's first snowfall yesterday. Even parts of the southwest are seeing snowflakes and brutal temperatures that bottomed out below zero. Already meteorologist Rob Marciano tracking the extreme weather for us.
Rob, not good this early.
(WEATHER REPORT)
LEMON: You said it was 20 something in El Paso?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, actually, even colder than that. In Austin this morning it was 23 degrees so -- and even Southern California, those folks are feeling the chill. So we're going to get a little piece of that before too long. The folks -- the northeast has been really mild and now winter is coming.
LEMON: Rob Marciano, thank you very much, appreciate it.
MARCIANO: All right, Don. You bet.
LEMON: Coming up, Blago's big day. Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is about to be sentenced for corruption and he could do some pretty hard time. The latest live from Chicago coming up.
And you know the TV show "Myth Busters," it's taping close by. When you come home to find gaping cannonball holes in your home, let's hope it's "Myth Busters." Apparently one of the stunts misfired. More on that, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Quick look at the news now from across the country.
Indiana's attorney general is offering money to victims of this stage collapse at the state fair. Families of the seven people killed will get at least $300,000. The 61 survivors will get 65 percent of their medical expenses paid. The stage collapsed after a storm hit during a Sugarland concert.
I want you to take a look at the holes in this house near Oakland. You see them? They're from a cannonball. How random is that? Well, the reality show "Myth Busters" was taking a stunt nearby. It apparently involved a canon and it obviously didn't go as planned. Luckily, though, no one was hurt. And someone in Spokane, well, dropped a big surprise in a red kettle. Salvation Army workers found a diamond ring wrapped up in a dollar bill. The ring is worth 5,000 bucks.
Moving on now. A tense morning for Rod Blagojevich. The former Illinois governor is due in a federal court shortly to be sentenced on corruption charges. One of the crimes he was convicted of, trying to sell or trade the Senate seat vacated by President Obama.
So joining us now is Natasha Korecki of the "Chicago Sun-Times."
He could technically get up to 30 years. Is that likely?
NATASHA KORECKI, FEDERAL COURTS REPORTER, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES: It's not likely. The judge said yesterday that, yes, technically, his crimes are so severe, he could face 30 years to life. But he also quickly said that he believed that that was inappropriate in the context of this case.
Prosecutors are asking for 15 to 20 years. At one point, defense lawyers had asked for probation. They did not utter that word yesterday. They simply said, "We just want the lowest sentence possible." I think everyone sort of sobered up here and realizing that this could be, you know, upward of 10 years.
LEMON: So, he is going to get some time. He is going to go to prison?
KORECKI: He is definitely going to prison. There's no question about it. Tony Rezko got 10 1/2 years and I think that sort of shook his world when that happened.
Today, he will be able to, the governor, will finally be able to address the court and everyone still waiting to see how much, you know, mercy he asks for and how sincere of an apology he offers to the judge.
LEMON: His appeal yesterday, we were told, very emotional. It involved his daughter.
KORECKI: Well, his daughters did not appear in court, but they wrote letters. The eldest daughter who is 15 wrote a letter just begging the judge to please show mercy. She said she will not be able to not handle her father not being around. I need him for my high school graduation, she said. I need him when my heart gets broken.
His lawyer described him as an extraordinary father who was extraordinarily close to both of his daughters, especially since he was ousted from his position. He hasn't been able to have a job. He's been spending a lot of time at home with them in the last couple of years.
LEMON: It's interesting because he's going to speak today and he's not really known as a humble figure, he sort of says what's on his mind. Much like Donald Trump, really, much like Donald Trump. He says what's on his mind. His demeanor in the courtroom, does it give a sense of how he is going to be today? Is he going to be much more humble that he usually is?
KORECKI: I think we are going to see him more humbled Blagojevich. You know, he is a fighter, but there has to be some part of him today that realizes that he has to show that side of him.
It was just a very ominous day yesterday. He lost every single legal battle. He's got to be some part of his mind that knows, you know, I have to apologize. I have to be humble now.
He testified in front of this judge and the judge already said that he believes that he lied. He perjured himself. He really has an uphill battle here. If he wants to spend less than 20 years in prison, less than 15 years in prison, he's really got to step up to the plate today.
LEMON: Natasha Korecki, excuse me, from "Chicago Sun-Times," we appreciate it.
Bad customer support, poor sound quality -- these are just some of the complaints about the worst mobile phone carrier. We'll tell you who it is in just a few minutes.
Plus, a simple night out at a concert becomes an international event. That's because it is Prince William and Kate, and we're headed live to London, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: When Prince William and Kate decide to spend a night out on the town, cameras from around the world follow. That was the case last night as the duchess of Cambridge had a chance to hear one of her favorite singers.
CNN royal correspondent -- I love that title -- royal correspondent Max Foster joins us now from London with more.
So, they're in the tabloids al the time. They're like -- I guess they're like Hollywood celebrities, like we would call here in the States. What was this occasion?
MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely. What is the occasion? It was to raise money for young people affected by the U.K. riots earlier this year, you may remember, Don. And it was a big event, out with the in-laws for the duchess of Cambridge. As she arrived, actually, a lot of talk about her dress because this was a budget dress, $99 from Zara and it sold out within hours. A real sign of her selling power, really, Don.
And she went into the concert and there's a band here in the U.K. called Take That. She was a big fan and singing along to the music and a lot of the stars on stage were "X-Factor" stars here from the U.K. and, apparently, we learned little later on that she watches it every Saturday night. A little bit of insight into the private lives of the royals.
LEMON: OK. There's a question, so, did they stick around after the show? You know, there's like some socializing that happens usually.
FOSTER: That's it. They were there, back stage. And this is when they were talking to those, the big stars of the U.K. circuit. I think you'll recognize many of them. You can see they're mingling away and Charles and Camilla, and this is where they're talking about how they love singing and the duchess is talking about how she's a big fan of "X-Factor" and Take That.
And so, everyone was quite surprise by that, and by the dress that she chose, Don. But, you know, these are modern-day royals in times of austerity and looking out for signs of pregnancy and no confirmation from that last night. Although, a lot of people suggesting that she was covering her stomach up with a clutch bag.
LEMON: Oh, boy. Baby bump, as they call it, right? Is that what's up?
FOSTER: Yes, that's it.
LEMON: Is she or isn't she?
FOSTER: I don't know. No one knows.
LEMON: Come on, you're the royal correspondent, Max Foster. You have to know these things.
FOSTER: I know. When she goes quiet and we don't see her for a while, I think that will be the first indication.
LEMON: All right, Max, all in good fun. Appreciate it.
(MUSIC)
LEMON: All right, so, what do you hate most about mobile phones? Dropped calls or lousy customer service -- actually, both, right?
Well, "Consumer Reports" is out with its latest ranking of the nation's biggest cell phone carriers.
Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange.
So, Alison, any surprises here? I think I have an idea maybe.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you know, I was surprised to hear that, you know, it's not the fancy phones or these cool features, you know like Siri where the phone talks to you. No, no, no, none of that is important.
You know what people want. People want customer service. Go figure. They want good customer service, and that's what kept Verizon in the number one spot.
If you look in the list, though -- Sprint, T-Mobile, they come in right around the middle.
But guess what? AT&T ranked dead last out of the major carriers for the second year in a row. Why is this? Well, AT&T got the worst rating for value, voice quality, customer support, yikes!
LEMON: And dropped calls.
KOSIK: AT&T says its learned from this consumer -- and dropped calls. I could vouch for that.
LEMON: Yes.
KOSIK: You know, but AT&T, Don, says, you know, it's learning from this "Consumer Reports" survey. AT&T claiming it's doing better on those dropped calls that you mentioned, but, gosh, you know, it's been a real tough year for AT&T. You know, it's in the middle of trying to buy T-Mobile but the government has blocked that. AT&T just not catching a break lately, Don.
LEMON: Oh, boy.
All right. Let's turn to the market now. Wall Street has been doing pretty well over the past week or so because of the optimism about the meetings going on in Europe, Alison, is that carrying through in the markets today? They haven't opened yet. They'll open in the few minutes.
But is it carrying through?
KOSIK: Yes. It's funny how things can change on a dime just like that. So, yes, things were upbeat until about 25 minutes ago. A report came out saying that Germany is saying no to a proposal that would, in effect, double the size of the bailout fund. So, sure, now we're expecting a weak open.
Still, even with the past creeping in, investors have still some hopes that the eurozone leaders are going to be coming up with a comprehensive plan this week to tackle the debt issues there. Long- term and short-term solutions are expected. But critics say, you know what we need? We need a big, concrete comprehensive plan this week and that's what investors are looking for -- Don.
LEMON: All right. So, hey, I got to ask you this because we're going to do it soon. You have a cell phone, I'm sure. Do you do "Words with Friends"?
KOSIK: Yes.
LEMON: You do. So --
KOSIK: I do "Words with Friends" -- I love it. I heard that Alec Baldwin got kicked off a flight for doing just that yesterday. It is on my Twitter feed.
LEMON: I was going to ask you if it was you. You're playing words with friends with Alec Baldwin and got him kicked off the plane. But, oh, well.
KOSIK: No, no. Wasn't me, wasn't I? Is that crazy, though?
LEMON: That is crazy. We're going to be -- you were talking about customer service and just reminded me on your PDA because, you know, you want phone calls, but you want to be able to play your games like "Angry Birds" and also "Words with Friends".
KOSIK: How loud did that game get that you get kicked off a flight? Do you have any details on that?
LEMON: It's not loud. It's not loud. It's just like playing scrabble on your phone?
KOSIK: How do you get kicked off your flight for playing that? I just don't get that.
LEMON: We're going to tell you that. You just have to tune in because we're going to be covering that in entertainment in just a few minutes.
KOSIK: I will.
LEMON: Thank you, Alison Kosik. We'll check back.
Also coming up, more about the missing U.S. spy drone. Iran claims it shot the drone down. The U.S. claims it went down because of technical failure. Either way, this drone could be spilling its secrets.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Let's check your headlines.
We now know one American was among the dead in the bombing of a Shiite shrine in Kabul. It was one of two suicide attacks in Afghanistan that killed 60 people yesterday.
A 19-year-old man accuses former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky of giving him whiskey and then sexually abusing him. An attorney for the accuser says the alleged incident happened on the Penn State campus in 2004 when the accuser was 12 years old.
And there is a Medicare open enrollment deadline today. Medicare beneficiaries have until the end of the day to make changes to their prescription, drug or private health plans. Do it today, if you can.
Iran claims it shot down a U.S. spy drone. Officials in Washington say it went down because its guidance system failed. Either way, the drone's secrets might be out now. Analysts say the technology could be in Russian or Chinese hands.
Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence has this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When the U.S.'s newest stealth drone crashed on the wrong side of the Afghanistan-Iran border, it may have sparked a shopping spree for America's potential adversaries.
PETER SINGER, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: I'm guessing there were several people that tried to buy airline tickets to Tehran from Moscow and Beijing over the last couple days.
LAWRENCE: Analyst Peter Singer says if the RQ-170 is relatively intact, the Iranians will likely give the drone to China, who could unlock its secrets, and sell the completed technology back to Iran.
COL. CEDRIC LEIGHTON, AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE OFFICER (RET.): The Chinese probably have one of the best technology gathering espionage services in the world, if not the best.
LAWRENCE: Retired Air Force intelligence officer, Colonel Cedric Leighton says the missing drone is faster, smarter and stealthier than commonly used drones like the Predator. On radar, the Sentinel comes across as being something other than what it actually is.
LEIGHTON: They show up very briefly, if at all. They show up, perhaps in something that could be disguised in let's say a flock of birds or something like that or another type of aircraft.
LAWRENCE: The sentinel flew surveillance over Osama bin Laden's compound in Pakistan. Military officials say if the drone's technology is compromised, other nations will likely device better defenses against it.
LEIGHTON: And if they emulate us, we will find it much more difficult to go after them and to go after their defenses, as well as the assets that they're trying to protect. In the case of Iran, that would perhaps be their nuclear weapons systems.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: All right. There he is, Chris Lawrence joins us now live.
So, Chris, we're now hearing the U.S. believes a drone was badly damaged. If so, how much can Iran really do with it?
LAWRENCE: Yes, Don, I mean, it all sounds farfetched if there's nothing left there, but a few small fragments, right? But, remember this. One of the U.S.'s first stealth planes crashed and was shot down over Serbia back in 1999. Balkan military officials say Chinese agents came in and bought some of the pieces from the local farmers.
And when China unveiled its own stealth plane earlier this year, a lot of experts saw some elements of American technology in that plane -- Don.
LEMON: What sort of mission was this drone on when it went down, Chris?
LAWRENCE: Yes, U.S. officials telling us that this was a CIA- controlled mission and it was strictly to look for insurgents on the Afghanistan side of the border. They said there was no mission to spy into Iran from the drone.
But some experts question that. They have some doubts because they say this particular drone is designed to fly where Reapers and Predator drones can't, where there's enemy air defenses that could detect them. So, some of the experts I've spoken with have said, well, why would you need a drone like this in Afghanistan where there are no enemy air defenses?
LEMON: Well, Chris Lawrence, thank you very much. Appreciate your reporting.
The Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently got back from a visit to Myanmar and offered its government money to encourage reforms. It was the first time that U.S. secretary of state had been to that nation in 50 years when it was called Burma.
The U.S. and other countries have imposed sanctions against Myanmar and its military government for years because of human rights abuses. And it's considered one of the secretive and corrupt nations on the planet.
But this visit could signal a change.
CNN's foreign affairs correspondent Jill Dougherty made that trip, too.
And, Jill, the question is, is Myanmar about to open up?
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, many people believe that. And this administration, obviously, having Hillary Clinton, the secretary of state going there, is a symbol that they really do believe that things are changing. Now, there are a lot of caveats.
You know, we think this is happening. It looks that way and there have been signs. You know, the president, Thein Sein, is a person who actually has been taking some steps.
Now, the most recent right after Hillary Clinton was leaving allowing protests, things like that, reaching out to some of the rebel groups from the ethnic groups for the first time.
And, so, the other thing I think you'd have to say, Don, if it didn't get the blessing of Aung San Suu Kyi, who remember, she's a democracy icon of that country. She got the Nobel Peace Prize and she basically said, she was under house arrest, as we remember, for almost two decades. She said that she believes it's legitimate, that the president does want to open up.
And so, she said, let's do this. And the U.S. listened to what she was saying.
LEMON: So, you saw democratic activist Aung San Suu Kyi -- and what was it like to see her in person at the house where she was seeing house arrest?
DOUGHERTY: Yes. You're seeing some of the pictures that I took right there. It was really pretty amazing because she's a very interesting person just to watch. She has a certain gentleness about her.
But she also has this, you know, spine of steel because after all, when she was under house arrest and, you know, really condemned by the military junta that ruled that country from 1962 until just last year, it was pretty tough. But she managed to get through that and she's really revered. I'd have to say, almost like a saint in a way, but she's tough and she bonded with Hillary Clinton.
It was a lot of fun and very interesting to watch them together.
LEMON: And those are your pictures, the pictures that you took on this trip.
I got to ask you, this country is so isolated -- what did you see there in the capital? Did you see nice new buildings, the roads, infrastructure, that sort of thing, schools? What did you see?
DOUGHERTY: Well, you know, it's kind of a mind-warping experience because the capital, Naypyitaw, which is a little hard to find sometimes on a map, but it's a new capital that was built. And the closest thing is it reminds me kind of Pyongyang, North Korea, because it is remote and it was built kind of as a new city with big, long roads and nobody around.
The picture, by the way, that you're looking at now is the much more beautiful side of Burma or Myanmar. And that is Yangon, a wonderful, old city.
And as we went to the Shwedagon Pagoda, just look at that picture. I mean, it's spectacular. That is the potential.
The potential is, this used to be the jewel of that part of the world. And it could be, again, that they have enormous problems. It's just the beginning of perhaps some major, major changes in that country.
LEMON: You know how it is here, we are out of time. But I have to ask you this question. What does this mean for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, her abilities as secretary of state if Myanmar does open up -- and this would be quite a feather in her cap, wouldn't it?
DOUGHERTY: It would. It would really be an important move because ultimately that is an important country, although it is cut off. It has to do with China and a lot of things. You could say that we might be witnessing the birth of a new policy, a new relationship with Burma.
But, also, I think, Don, really fast. It is interesting to see Hillary Clinton not only as secretary of state, but as a former politician dealing with Aung San Suu Kyi, because she's participating in the elections. And that side of Hillary Clinton is also interesting to watch how she can talk and talk turkey sometimes with other politicians.
LEMON: Fascinating stuff, Jill Dougherty. And the pictures are great. Thank you so much. We appreciate it.
Two huge companies that manage your prescription drug benefits could become one giant firm. Coming up, we'll find out if that merger could be good for you.
And the new list of rock 'n' roll hall of fame inductees out now. Guns N' Roses makes the final cut. Find out who makes the cut next in your "Showbiz Headlines."
Plus, more.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRISTAN EATON, THUNDER DOG STUDIO: I'm Tristan Eaton. I'm the president and creative director of Thunder Dog Studios.
There's a few projects that Thunder Dog has done that are basically the perfect example of what I love about doing commercial art and collaborating with brands. I was contacted by the Obama campaign and I ended up creating three posters for the vote for change campaign to be able to be involved formally, to do something official, was so cool because it feels like you're making a piece of history.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Alec Baldwin is certainly no stranger to off-screen controversies and now we have yet another. This time he is kicked off an airplane for apparently refusing to stop playing a game on his cell phone.
We get the rest of the story now from entertainment correspondent Kareen Wynter.
Kareen, I kind of know what happened and I'm trying to reset my "Angry Bird" password, my "Word with Friends" password right now so I can't even challenge Alec a game until I get this done.
What the heck happened?
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Oh, gosh, it's going to be a good one when you do. But this is a guy -- this is a guy, Don, that obviously takes his game-playing seriously. So, what if he holds up an entire flight?
Alec Baldwin, he wasn't ready to stop playing "Words with Friends," which is similar to scrabble while he was on an American Airlines flight that was set to leave LAX. A flight attendant told Baldwin to turn off his electronic devices which would have, of course, ended his game and he refused and was forced to get off the plane, which I'm sure thrilled everyone else on the flight.
Baldwin, a man of many words, we all know that. He fired off a tweet, Don. Ready for this? He tweeted, "Flight attendant on American reamed me out for playing 'Words with Friends' while we sat at the gate, not moving. #nowonderAmericanisbankrupt."
Well, he later tweeted out a photo of "Word with friends" board, let Alec play, with a #there'salwaysunited.
There doesn't seem to be any really fallout from this. American Airlines, they re-booked him on another flight a short time later. Although Baldwin has tweeted out a few less than nice things about American Airlines employees.
And get this -- our own Brooke Baldwin, no relation to Alec, she tweeted Alec later about "Words with Friends," and he responding saying it's addicting. So, I guess he couldn't help himself here.
But could you just imagine holding up an entire flight because you wanted to have a little fun with your "Words with Friends."
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: I'm not even going to go there. Oh, gosh. Moving on.
The final --
WYNTER: You're speechless, that never happens, Don.
LEMON: That never, ever happens. I always turn it off exactly when they say turn it off.
WYNTER: You have to.
LEMON: So, the final rock 'n' roll hall of fame list is out this morning. Any surprises there, Kareen?
WYNTER: A bunch of great act, no real surprises. The newest inductees to the rock & roll hall of fame includes some of your favorites, Don, I know that because we recently attended a party together and, guess what, they played some of these tunes. The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Guns N' Roses, the Beastie Boys, pop songstress Laura Nyro, '60s singer/writer Donovan, and the British invasion group the Small Faces, which at one point, included Rod Stewart.
Now, the final decisions here on this class into the rock 'n' roll had to be really tough. Among the acts left out this year were the Cure, Heart, and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. The induction ceremony, Don, will take place on April 14th, in Cleveland, Ohio.
Joan Jett and Heart, those are my two favorites. I wonder why they didn't make the list.
LEMON: Come on, there's always next year. Thank you.
WYNTER: Of course. Of course.
LEMON: Appreciate it, Kareen.
WYNTER: Thanks, Don.
LEMON: Coming up next hour, we all knew Dr. Sanjay Gupta's life as a surgeon reads like a novel. We know that. Now, Hollywood thinks that book should be a TV drama. Kareen has that story next hour in your "Showbiz Headlines."
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LEMON: We're taking you cross country now.
Wintry weather made it tough for some getting around parts of Missouri yesterday. In the Ozarks the first snow fall of the season made roads treacherous, to say the least. Creating fender benders, wrecks, sending them -- some vehicles sliding off highways.
No freezing temperatures are needed for Seattle's newest outdoor skating rink. Get this, it's not made of ice. It's made of polyurethane. It is open through Christmas Eve.
All right, so, engineering students at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln have an assignment that they can really sink their teeth into. Design a car that is edible. The ingredients range from cookie dough to whole sweet potatoes. Now, that sounds like a yummy assignment.
Two of the biggest companies that handle prescription drug benefits would like to merge. The firms are Medco and Express Scripts. The question that we're asking is, will the $26 billion merger be good for you?
CNN's senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is here. So $26 billion. Good for consumers? What did you find out?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it depends on who you ask.
LEMON: Ok.
COHEN: It's an important question because if you're not on one of these two programs, you probably know someone who is. I mean, that's how big these programs are. So the folks at let's say Consumer Reports think this is going to be bad for consumers because what happens when you have a merger and you have one company with that much business, you cut down on competition and it's economics 101.
LEMON: Right, right, right, right.
COHEN: You know, prices will go up.
Now, these two companies say it's going to be terrific because you'll create all sorts of efficiencies and prices will go down.
LEMON: All right.
COHEN: So, it depends who you ask.
LEMON: Ok so you know, you're all about empowering patients, right. So whatever happens with this merger? How can -- how can patients become empowered when it comes to prescriptions and saving money?
COHEN: Right, whether you go through Medco or Express Scripts, or maybe you're out there on your own there are specific things that you need to do to save money on prescription drugs. And I'll give you one tip right now. When -- when the doctor hands you a prescription, he has no idea how much it costs. He doesn't know, right?
LEMON: Yes.
COHEN: He's just writing it. So you go to the pharmacy and you get the sticker shock. Oh my goodness I have no idea it would be this much. Ask the pharmacist to call the doctor's office and see if there is another drug that will work for you but is less expensive.
And I've done it. It works, it won't always works but it often works. And if you go to CNN.com/empoweredpatients, you can see tips.
LEMON: Been there, done that. What? How much?
COHEN: I know --
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: For a couple of pills.
COHEN: Exactly.
LEMON: All right, thank you Elizabeth.
COHEN: Thanks.
LEMON: I appreciate it.
A high school quarterback runs for a winning touchdown in a championship game. But a hand gesture not only costs him the score but costs his team a perfect season. Sports in just a few minutes.
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LEMON: A look at some of the stories that are going to be making headlines later today.
At 12:55 Eastern a moment of silence will be observed on the 70th anniversary on the attack on Pearl Harbor. A service will be conducted at the USS Arizona Memorial for all the people who died that day. At 2:30 Eastern in Washington, author John Grisham testifies before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce Science and Transportation.
And later that hour President Barack Obama welcomes Canadian Prime Minister Steven Harper to the White House.
We're following lots of developments in the next hour on CNN. Let's check in first with Paul Steinhauser. He is live in Washington.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Hey, Don, as Newt Gingrich soars in the polls in the race for the G.O.P. presidential nomination, what does former front runner Mitt Romney do? Details on his strategy at the top of the hour.
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Ted Rowlands in downtown Chicago. In just a few hours former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich finds out how long he'll have to spend in prison. That's coming up next hour.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: And I'm Rob Marciano in the CNN Severe Weather Center. Out west a record breaking cold. It snowed in Little Rock, it snowed in Memphis this morning. Meanwhile, 60 degrees and raining in New York but that snow is heading to the northeast. The detailed forecast in the next hour.
LEMON: All right. Thank you, guys.
Also next hour, remembering Pearl Harbor. We're going to talk with Jimmie Kanaya, the World War II veteran and the son of Japanese immigrants. He was treated as an enemy after the attack but went on to serve with distinction.
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LEMON: All right. 2011 is almost over and we want you to help us pick the top ten stories of the year. Just go to this Web site at CNN.com/topstories and take part in our online poll between now and November 15th. The top ten stories of the year will be unveiled on air and online on December 30th.
"Big Play" time. Basketball's hot stove league is really heating up over a superstar's future. Jeff Fischel is here with sports. Ok. I don't -- hot stove?
JEFF FISCHEL, HLN SPORTS: It just means guys who are thinking about switching to another team. There could be trades. Right now we're talking baseball's biggest slugger, the man everyone would love to have on their team. Will he stay with the St. Louis cardinals?
Albert Pujols suddenly considering taking the free agent cash from the Florida Marlins -- not the Miami Marlins. The Cardinals reportedly have sweetened their deal for the slugging first baseman. Whoever gets him will have to pay over $200 million. Pujols' agent says his client needs some time to consider the offers. And the Cubs appear to have jumped into the sweepstakes as well. Negotiations resume today.
The once budget conscience Marlins have been active this free agent period, reaching deals with all stars, closer Heath bell and short stop Jose Reyes.
The Orlando Magic wants to keep its superstar, big man Dwight Howard, so bad the team's CEO apparently drunk-dialed him. Bob Vander Wide admits he called Howard a few days ago at 1:00 a.m. after having a few and told Howard how much the organization loves him. We love you. Vander Wide says he's stepping down but it's not necessarily related to the incident. Howard will be a free agent after this season and there's talk the Magic are so afraid he'll leave, they could trade him just to make sure they don't end up empty-handed.
College hoops the Jimmy B. classic at Madison Square Garden. Washington and Marquette, check out the alley-oop, 360. Terrance Ross, look at this. That is fantastic. This game was great. Went down to the final seconds in the second half, Marquette's Jae Crowder from the corner for three, gets it. Washington could not come back with an answer and Marquette holds on 79-77. They're 8-0.
High school football, this is just crazy. Massachusetts 4A super bowl -- it's the state championship. Cathedral High School quarterback, Matthew -- did you see this?
LEMON: Yes.
FISCHEL: He ran for what's looking like the game-winning touchdown. Now watch as he gets to about the 20 yard line. He knows it. This is huge. He raises his arm celebrating. He gets penalized for celebrating, unsportsmanlike conduct. No touchdown. Cathedral never got near the end zone again. Lost a big game, lost out on a perfect season.
It's a new rule for high school football in Massachusetts banning any celebration or taunting with the touchdown. So the play got taken back, another 15 yards. Cathedral couldn't score after that. His dad told the Boston Herald, hey, he goes to a Catholic school. He was just celebrating, God, reaching up to the sky. It's hard to take.
LEMON: It's about emotion. They have emotion. Cheerleaders, that's why they have cheerleaders in the stands.
FISCHEL: This could not have been a bigger moment for this guy.
LEMON: Come on, guys. Rethink that.
FISCHEL: The player feels bad. He's invited them on.
LEMON: Yes. He shouldn't feel bad. They should change that.
FISCHEL: You heard it right here on CNN. There you go.
LEMON: See you in a bit.
