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Rep. Gabrielle Giffords Stepping Down; Joe Paterno Dead at 85; Secret War Against Iran Escalates Tensions; Celebrations Begin to Mark Chinese New Year; Human Rights Watch Releases Yearly Report; 16-Year- Old Completed Around-the-World Voyage; Economic Forecast Going Forward; Will Drew Brees, Peyton Manning Return to Their Teams Next Season?
Aired January 22, 2012 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon. Thank you so much for joining us here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
A major development in a story that's captured the nation's attention for the last year. We were talking about Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. We were gripped in horror when an assassin shot her in the head and killed six others around her. And we watched in hope as she made remarkable steps towards recovery in the past 12 months.
And today, in order to stay on that pathway to healing, Gabby Giffords announced she is resigning from her seat in Congress.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. GABRIELLE GIFFORDS (D), ARIZONA: I have more work to do on my recovery. So, to do what is best for Arizona, I will step down this week.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: I want to bring in now our Athena Jones. She's been monitoring the reaction from Giffords' colleagues.
Athena, in just the past hour, we heard from the president, right?
ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right.
So, over the course of the afternoon, we've heard from members of Congress like Speaker John Boehner and Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, all praising Gabby Giffords.
But I want to give you a little bit of what President Obama said in his statement. "Gabby's cheerful presence will be missed in Washington. But she will remain an inspiration to all whose lives she touched, myself included. And I'm confident that we haven't seen the last of this extraordinary American."
So, those are just sort of a few of the words from the president who actually called and spoke with Giffords a few weeks ago on the anniversary of that horrible shooting in Tucson last year. In Tucson this year, this was a series of event to mark that shooting. And so, a lot of heartfelt thanks and love pouring towards Gabby Giffords.
One thing that her office said in the statement they released going along with the video that they posted on her Web site. They said among the last events she will hold is she'll go back and she'll finish up that Congress on your Corner meet and greet with constituents that that gunman interrupted last January. She'll be having a private gathering in Tucson with some of the folks who came to that event to speak with her.
She'll also be attending the president's State of the Union Address on Tuesday evening here -- Don.
LEMON: Athena Jones, thank you very much. Stand by. We'll get back to you.
JONES: Thanks.
LEMON: I want to tell you about some of the major milestones in the life and career of Gabrielle Giffords.
November 7th, 2006, Giffords was first elected to Congress, serving Arizona's eighth district. January 8th, 2011, Giffords was meeting with constituents at a Tucson supermarket when she was allegedly shot pointblank by Jared Lee Loughner. Six people died in that attack, but Giffords survived and eventually began a recovery.
Seven months later, on August 1st, 2011, she made her first appearance on the House floor since the shooting to vote on the debt ceiling. You can see it was made to thunderous applause and the standing ovation.
And then just two weeks ago, on January 8th, Giffords appeared at vigil marking the one-year anniversary of the Tucson shooting rampage.
And then today, Giffords announced she is stepping down to focus on her recovery.
Well, many of Congresswoman Giffords' colleagues are offering their best wishes today. We're going to talk with one of her best friends, Florida congresswoman, and Democratic national chairwoman, Debbie Wasserman Schultz tonight at 10:00 p.m. Eastern. She will join us live here on CNN.
I want to get to our other top story today, the death of former Penn State head coach, football coach Joe Paterno. He died this morning of complications for lung cancer. His storied career is one of the greatest in football.
But it all came to a crashing end a few months ago when a former assistant coach was accused of sexual assaulting 10 young boys over a 15-year period. The scandal would cost Paterno his job and it permanently scarred a coaching career that spanned more than four decades.
Joe Paterno, dead at the age of 85. Paterno's death has sparked an outpouring of sorrow among Penn State fans and alumni, many of whom are still reeling from the events of the last three months.
CNN's Susan Candiotti on the Penn State campus where students have been gathering all day at the Paterno statue outside Beaver Stadium.
And, Susan, what are people telling you now?
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Don.
You know, both students and nonstudents and despite bitterly cold temperatures, there has been a steady stream of people stopping here at this site to exchange stories, share memories, and leave behind mementos of coach Joe Paterno. In fact, a lot of people stop by even to touch the hand of the statue. That is something that is traditionally done here. But today, it takes on special meaning.
All of this as you indicated amid a scandal, a child sex abuse scandal, that has touched Penn State University that involved Paterno's assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky. He is criminally charged, but all of this prompted the firing of Joe Paterno as head coach of the football team here, and this has left many fans still bitter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was more than a coach. His family is more than a family. Aside from all that's happened, this is -- this is different. It's -- all the people that have come to pay respects to him, and it's Joe was Penn State. He made Penn State.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're still going to love him no matter what anybody else said. It wasn't Joe's fault and we're still going to love Joe Paterno for ever and ever, period, because we are Penn State.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: And the Paterno family also released a statement today that reads in part, quote, "He died as he lived. He fought hard until the end, stayed positive, thought only of others, and constantly reminded everyone of how blessed his life had been."
He has been described, Don, as the life and soul of Penn State.
LEMON: He worked for him and many believe that he is responsible for Joe Paterno's downfall. I have to ask you, Susan, what's the reaction, if any, from Jerry Sandusky?
CANDIOTTI: You know, we got a lot of different reactions today from a lot of well-known people, including Jerry Sandusky, who is criminally charged. He released a statement that reads this way in part, quote, "This is a sad day. Our family, Dottie and I, would like to convey our deepest sympathy to Sue, Joe Paterno's wife, and her family. Nobody did more for the academic reputation of Penn State than Joe Paterno." So, Don, we're hearing from a lot of people. There is a vigil planned for the main -- on the main campus tonight at 8:00 Eastern Time, and a memorial service is also planned but we don't have any details of that just yet.
LEMON: All right, Susan Candiotti, appreciate it. Thank you very much for that.
Joe Paterno's football career will forever be linked to the way it ended. He started at Penn State as an assistant coach back in 1950. He was named head coach in 1966. He would go on to win two national titles with five undefeated seasons.
He became college football's all-time winningest coach last fall when he won his 409th game. He was fired less than a month later amid revelations that he did not go to police when told that his assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky, you just heard from there, had been seen assaulting a boy in a Penn State football facility.
Another body has been found on the partly sunken cruise ship off the coast of Italy. The woman is a 13th victim of the Costa Concordia accident. Divers say she was wearing a life jacket. Nineteen people are still missing.
Search efforts will continue, but attention also is turning to removing 2,400 tons of fuel from the ship. Environmentalists say the risk is becoming urgent.
We are monitoring a severe weather threat across a large part of the country right now. Many of you that is in line for possible tornadoes. So stay tuned.
Our meteorologist Jacqui Jeras tracking the storms that are already popping up. She has the very latest on that threat for you. Just two minutes away. So, stay tuned.
And then, you know, you hear about the violence in Mexico all the time, about you we're going to take you somewhere else, to a place where you can literally get away with murder.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. We're watching severe weather across the U.S. tonight.
Jacqui Jeras is in the CNN Center for us, in the severe weather center.
Jacqui, what do you have?
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, we think thunderstorms are gong to begin really anytime here, Don. And we're watching the severe threat, including tornadoes, which could be large and destructive. And this is going to be an ongoing event through the overnight hours and to early tomorrow morning. So, your NOAA weather radio is going to be your best friend to help wake you up in the middle of the night, if necessary.
Now, we're watching thunderstorms right in this area. They're just southwest of Little Rock, Arkansas, at this time, and this is where we're expecting to see initiation. And we do think that the storm prediction center is going to be issuing a watch on it, a tornado watch, at least within the next hour.
This is a very strong vigorous storm, unusually strong for this time of year when we've got so much warmth and moisture coming up ahead of it. On the back side, we have some very dry, gusty conditions because this low is so tightly packed, and we've had an incredible go of it with dust storms across parts of Texas and into Oklahoma.
In fact, take a look at this satellite picture. This is what we call the visible satellite, and do you see all of this brown stuff here from Lubbock, stretching all the way up in Oklahoma City -- all of that is dust. Incredible.
So, this is kind of dust you can just taste. And it's caused visibility issues.
There also have been a number of fires which have occurred into parts of Oklahoma just south of the Norman area, which is just outside of Oklahoma City.
Now, on the north side of this system, another element, that's some freezing rain, and as that moisture rides up over the cold air into parts of the north, we're getting -- that's liquid rain that comes down, but it freezes on contact. So, that's on the bridges and overpasses. That's on the railings, that's on your car, and that makes for very difficult travel.
And that's also going to be happening into the Northeast overnight, and that includes some of the big cities like New York City. So, we're expecting to have some big travel trouble across those areas today as well.
Now, with our storm in the nation's midsection a huge focus, we also have a lot of action going on across the West. This has been the week of storms, and you can see, here we go, they're still lined up. And it's going to be storm after storm after storm, and it doesn't look like we're going to quiet down probably not until Friday or Saturday next week. So, that's adding insult to injury when we're already looking at more than 100,000 people without power in Washington state.
Check out some of this video. This is from one of our iReporters, Melissa Commodore (ph). And she took pictures of downed trees and branches and icy roads. We've also seen some incredible amounts of snow into the higher elevations of the mountains, the sierras, which have been so dry, finally getting snow today. In the next 24 to 48 hours, we're going to be talking about one to two feet of snow.
That's good news for skiers anyway.
LEMON: For skiers anyway. And, yes, if there's anything that you need to know regarding the weather, especially those tornadoes, we'll get right back to Jacqui Jeras.
JERAS: Absolutely.
LEMON: Jacqui, thank you. We appreciate it. Stand by.
You know, the bloody drug war in Mexico has gripped the world's attention. But the most violent region is actually just south of Mexico. Drug trafficking and the extremely high homicide rate in Honduras have left residents living in fear.
Kaj Larsen takes us a place where you can literally get away with murder. We have to warn you, this video contains some very graphic images.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAJ LARSEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Honduras, over 90 percent of crimes like murder are never solved. They call it the impunity rate.
I asked the chief of police in San Pedro Sula, the second biggest city here, if they would take us along when a call came in on a crime. A minute later, we got our wish.
(on camera): So we jumped in the trucks and we're headed there right now to see what's going on.
It's completely real. We're not making up how violent this place is. We've been here four hours and our first body has turned up.
It appears that he's been shot. The impact wound appears to be right here on the right side of his head. And the police commissioner told us that, you know, as is very typical in these situations, nobody saw anything, nobody heard anything and nobody knows this guy.
(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
LARSEN: Nobody wants to talk, which suggests that people are definitely afraid in this neighborhood -- as they should be.
(voice-over): For years, the region has been plagued with violent gangs started by gang members deported from California. But in the last few years, it's also become the main corridor for narcotics coming up from South America. As the big Mexican cartels have looked for staging areas here, murder rates have skyrocketed.
(on camera): So this is the entrance to the morgue in Tegucigalpa. There must be 15 bodies here.
(voice-over): Yesterday, they received seven bodies. And this morning, five more.
(on camera): They get new bodies every day. Eighty percent of them are from violence. They're usually shot either with a pistol or a rifle. There's not much to say. I mean, this woman and her mother, who just lost two sons, who are two of the bodies I just saw inside the morgue, the son and the brothers of these two women. There's a human cost to the drug war, and the Hondurans are paying it in blood.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: You can see Kaj Larsen in depth -- his in depth report and meet the people who are trying to make a difference there. Watch "CNN Presents" tonight at 8:00, and then again at 11:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.
Mitt Romney, well, he fell flat in South Carolina getting crushed by Newt Gingrich. So, today, he made a big decision. He's releasing some tax records. Will it save him or sink him? We're discussing, two minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Time to talk politics here on CNN.
After a double digit loss in South Carolina, Mitt Romney has to pick himself up off the ground, start all over again.
Just hours after his defeat, he made plans to rebut growing criticism over his tax returns. He told FOX News this, this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I will release my tax returns for 2010, which is the last returns that were completed. I'll do that on Tuesday of this week. I'll also release at the same time an estimate for 2011 tax returns, so you'll have two years. People can take a good look, we'll put them on the Web site. And you can go through the pages.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right. So mentioning Romney's taxes is becoming the easiest way to make him look uncomfortable. Remember this moment from Thursday's CNN debate when John King asked Romney if he'd release 12 years of tax returns like his dad once did?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: When you release yours, will you follow your father's example?
ROMNEY: Maybe. You know, I don't know how many years I'll release. I'll take a look at what -- what our documents are -- and I'll release multiple years. I don't know how many years and -- but I'll be happy to do that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: That wasn't awkward. Yes, it was. And it seems like Romney has no choice but to acknowledge that.
I want to bring in L.Z. Granderson. L.Z. is a contributor to CNN.com and a senior writer at ESPN, and then our CNN contributor Will Cain as well.
L.Z., can we show the folks where you are before I get to will and you. You are in --
L.Z. GRANDERSON, CNN.COM CONTRIBUTOR: Miami.
LEMON: Oh, my gosh. It is beautiful. Look at that sunset courtesy of our affiliate WSVN.
Yes, I'm mad at you.
WILL CAIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: I have on snow boats.
LEMON: You have on snow boats?
GRANDERSON: I'm here for the primary. I'm here for the primary.
CAIN: Right now, right now, I'm wearing snow boots.
LEMON: Oh you really?
All right. So, we're going to start with Will because I'm even going to be calling on L.Z. because we're very jealous.
So, Will, what do you expect to see in Romney's tax returns and why does it make him so nervous? Shouldn't he have had an answer for this months ago?
CAIN: I don't know. I guess we'll see that he's a rich guy, which we all know that.
LEMON: Right.
CAIN: And he probably pays about 15 percent in effective tax rate, which he said he does. Because most of his income comes from capital gains. I imagine that's what we'll see. Why is he so the uncomfortable and unprepared to talk about this, Don -- that's really kind of a great mystery.
I don't think he should be ashamed of his success. He should be prepared to defend his success.
LEMON: Exactly.
CAIN: I don't know. Maybe he's an extremely modest man.
LEMON: OK, OK.
CAIN: I really do not know the answer.
LEMON: All right. Let's talk about this. This takes me on to something else, just put top of mind here. Newt Gingrich, whether you agree with him or not agree with him, he is a perfect example of sticking to your gut, going with your gut, believing in who you are.
Again, this is nothing to do with ideology. All the consultants, all the focus groups -- this is who I am, I'm going to be true to who him.
So, L.Z., what if Mitt Romney finally said, I'm not going to release my tax returns, stop asking me about it. I'm not going to apologize for my success. I haven't done anything that's illegal.
What if he did that and grew some, instead of just going well and flip-flopping about it. Do you think that would change anything?
GRANDERSON: Not at this point because we've already figured out who Mitt is, right? He's kind of wishy-washy in this way.
And, you know, I'm with Will. You know, he's not running for president for the first time. He didn't just become rich yesterday. He's been rich for a long time.
He's been running for president for the last five to six years, and you don't have an answer to this question? You haven't figured this part out and you're supposed to stand on the stage across from President Obama and debate him for hours on end and convince the American people that you're sharp enough to beat him and you don't have this question figured out? I mean --
CAIN: You know, Don --
LEMON: Go ahead, Will.
GRANDERSON: Go ahead, Will.
CAIN: I just wanted to say I think that's a really interesting suggestion. Had he just stuck to his guns and picked a position and been belligerent about it, it might have been more appealing.
Look, that's the whole appeal of Newt Gingrich. He's not conservative. You have had people from me, Tom Coburn, Joe Scarborough, saying, you know, over and over, this is not a conservative man.
But, you know what? Voters, Tea Partiers, they don't care. They say they don't want somebody establishment. You tell them Gingrich has been in Washington since the '80s. They don't care.
What they see is somebody --
GRANDERSON: Since the '70s.
CAIN: -- that can go out there, stick to a position and perceive that he can give it to Obama. That's not Mitt Romney.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: I think it's more about Mitt Romney knowing who he is and just believing in himself and sticking to his gut. That's what I really think it -- more than anything, more than what the voters say, because they can go back and forth. I think this is more about Newt Gingrich than the voter.
So, Will, let's talk about Newt Gingrich. Exit polls in South Carolina show that Gingrich trounced Mitt Romney on electability. A sharp turn from Iowa, New Hampshire. But a lot of these voters are evangelicals.
So, why don't they see past his infidelities? Why don't they see that as a risk to his electability? Is there some -- I've heard many people say it's hypocrisy here because he ran on family values but no one is looking at his family values on his platform and voting that way.
CAIN: So what's behind them saying he's the most electable candidate? What's behind them saying he can go up against Barack Obama and win? Nothing.
It's irrational. It's just like I just said about his actual substantive positions or whether or not he's establishment. All they see is a man they think can go win a debate and they cannot see -- look, they're not looking past the debate to the election because there is just no rational expectations that Newt Gingrich is more electable than Mitt Romney against Barack Obama.
They want to win debates. They want to give it to Barack Obama verbally.
LEMON: All right. L.Z., I know you want to get in on this, but let's listen to this and then you can respond. "Meet the Press" this morning talking about electability. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, the establishment is right to be worried about a Gingrich nomination because a Gingrich nomination means that we're going to change things, we're going to make the establishment very uncomfortable.
If you look at a lot of these guys, they have really good reason to worry about an honest, open candidate who has no commitment to them, who has no investment in them, and I think they should be worried because we intend to change the establishment, not get along with them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right. So, L.Z., GOP establishment going to have to revise its view of Mitt Romney as a candidate who is most likely to beat Barack Obama?
GRANDERSON: That dude is absolutely amazing, to even refer to himself as an honest person. It's like really hilarious to me. How can you say you're honest when you're like the House speaker who had to resign for ethical charges? How can you say that you're honest when you're the dude that everyone knows cheated on not one, but two wives? You're going to call yourself honest and a rebel?
I mean, he's absolutely hilarious to me. But he puts on a really good face, and he's amazing on the debate stage against the GOP primaries. And so he looks better than what he really is.
But I just think it's hilarious. If you're sitting at home and you listen to Newt Gingrich refer to himself as an honest man and you know his past and you don't question that, there's something really wrong with you.
LEMON: Go ahead, Will.
CAIN: I think -- I just want to say, you know what might be really enlightening at this point, it certainly would be enlightening to me is if we went so far as to define establishment. What does that mean? Because if Newt Gingrich is not establishment, I don't know what establishment is.
When I say to people Newt Gingrich is not electable, do you know what I'm told? I'm establishment, me. I'm from a small town in Texas and most people around here wonder who I am. How am I establishment and Newt Gingrich is not?
LEMON: I got to say this to both of you, and someone who was out there, I was out there with you, Will, I think Newt Gingrich inspires passion on the part of the GOP and Mitt Romney doesn't.
CAIN: You're right.
LEMON: And whether that may be the electability part of it. So, maybe he is the better candidate, at least according to the GOP than Mitt Romney who inspires very little passion among voters. So, there you go. Take it for what it's worth.
CAIN: That's all true.
LEMON: Thank you very much. We've got to move on now.
Your top stories are next.
Congresswoman Gabby Giffords has made a decision about her future.
And then, is the U.S. on the brink of war Iran? Following mysterious murders and fires, some say if we aren't, someone else, maybe. We're discussing that in two minutes here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: It is time to check some of your headlines. It's half past the hour now. Top stories here on CNN.
First up, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords says she is stepping down from Congress this week. Giffords posted a video on YouTube announcing she's leaving her seat to focus on her recovery. A little more than a year ago, Giffords was shot in the head by a would-be assassin. She survived but six others died. Penn State alumni and fans mourning the death of long-time football coach, Joe Paterno. He died today of complications from lung cancer. Paterno was the winningest coach in the history of college football, but he was fired this past season following a sex abuse scandal involving a former assistant coach. Joe Paterno was 85 years old.
Italian search teams have found another body on the partly sunken cruise ship "Costa Concordia." The 13th victim is a woman who was wearing a life jacket. 19 people are still missing. Search efforts continuing now, but attention will soon turn to removing 2400 tons of fuel from the ship. That's a serious environmental risk.
Yemen's embattled president is headed to the U.S. for medical treatment. The State Department conformed today that it approved President Saleh's request to visit. Saleh was wounded in a bomb attack on the presidential palace. The announcement comes the day after the parliament gave the president complete immunity from prosecution. In exchange, he agreed to give up power next month after ruling Yemen for more than 33 years.
The Arab League is demanding Syria's president step aside. They say Bashar al Assad should start talking with the opposition in the next two weeks so a national unity government can be formed within two months. The league also wants more time for its monitoring mission in Syria and an increase in the number of observers. There is no sign the Syrian regime will accept such a deal.
Iran is being squeezed from all sides. Sanctions are taking a toll, and its currency is losing its value by the day. At the same time, a campaign seems to be under way using assassination and cyber war to destabilize the regime. Now, this secret war is dangerously escalating tensions in the region.
With more on this, we're joined now by Triti Parsi, the president of the National Iranian-American Council and author of a new book. It's called "The Single Roll of the Dice: Obama's Diplomacy with Iran." He joins us from our Washington bureau.
Good to see you. I haven't seen you in a while. Happy New Year to you.
TRITA PARSI, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL IRANIAN-AMERICAN COUNCIL & AUTHOR: Good to see you, Don.
LEMON: So who is behind this campaign to destabilize the regime?
PARSI: Well, first of all, we don't know if the intent is to destabilize the regime, whether it is to set back the nuclear program, or whether it is actually to escalate things uncontrollably into an actual war. But it seems to have emerged a consensus now that the most likely candidate being behind at least assassinations is Israel. We don't have any evidence. There's not been any evidence out in the public. But most analysts that you speak to right now view Israel as being the prime candidate for this because it's the only country that seems to have the motive, has the capability, and also has the history of having successfully done assassinations of this kind. LEMON: Trita, what are they willing to do? How far are they willing to go to bring down Iran's government?
PARSI: Well, from the Israeli side, we have to remember there is a significant fear that if the Iranians gain either nuclear weapons or nuclear weapons capability that's accepted by the United States, it will shift the balance of power in the region significantly. And that can be of tremendous danger to the Israelis from the Israeli perspective. There's been a lot of warnings from the Israeli side that they're willing to take military action, and these warnings have been coming with regular frequency for the last 10 years or so. But no actual overt military action has been taken. Instead, there seems to be a desire on the Israeli side to push the United States towards taking military action because the United States' military capabilities are far greater than those of Israel's. But the U.S. military is not keen on another war.
LEMON: Let's talk end game, Trita? What's the end game? Are they confident that regime change will bring a kinder, gentler government to the region?
PARSI: I spent a lot of time talking to a lot of Israeli officials and I wrote about it in my previous book. I was left with the impression that, from the Israeli side, while there would be a tremendous desire to see the current regime in Iran fall, it's not sufficient. Any following regime could pursue a nuclear program. The Israeli program and policy is more focused on the capacity, the capabilities of the Iranian state than necessarily the regime that governs it.
LEMON: But this campaign could always -- there's always a possibility it could backfire.
PARSI: Absolutely. And I think, right now, in the Obama administration, there is a significant fear that things are starting to get out of control. I think the Obama administration is seeking some sort of a de-escalatory measure in the next couple weeks. There may be some talks between the P5-Plus One and Iran. Things are getting tense right now. And I think the Obama administration knows very well another war in the region would be the last things you should wish for.
LEMON: And on this subject, is there anything that Iran can do to fight back? What might they do?
PARSI: Well, the Iranians do have capabilities. Obviously, it's not a particularly mighty military power. It doesn't have a lot of offensive capabilities, ability to project power in the region militarily. But it does have a lot of asymmetric capabilities. If there were to be a military confrontation, it is likely that it will use those capabilities both in Lebanon and Iraq and Afghanistan, and most likely also try to shut down the Strait of Hormuz, which would completely destabilize the energy markets, which would have a significant impact on the global economic recovery.
Triti Parsi, always appreciate your insight. Thank you, sir. PARSI: Thank you for having me.
LEMON: Each week, CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta profiles innovators from all walks of life and all fields of endeavor. The program is called "The Next List." And next Sunday, he talks to a fourth-generation master silversmith, Bubaldo Patali (ph), who is teaching the world to rediscover the world of art.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUBALDO PATALI (ph), MASTER SILVERSMITH: I do believe that the biggest gift we have is to converse with a work of art. In recent years, in the great computer age, we are losing in a certain way interaction with the real objects. The computer doesn't feel anything. It doesn't feel any joy. It can not soften. Those things can only be learned through human contact.
Art can communicate all of those things in a very quick and easy way. Just look at them, look at the work of art, communicate with it. They're talking to you, just listen and answer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Make sure you tune in to watch "The Next List" or set your DVR for 2:00 p.m. eastern next Sunday.
Around the world, not in 80 days. It took a lot longer for a 16-year- old girl. You heard that right, 16-year-old girl. And it was a trip that almost didn't leave port. We're going "Globe Trekking" next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Look at that beautiful shot there. Paying attention to Florida because we know there's a big primary coming up and a debate there as well next week. Look at that. Great sunset. I'm told it's 73 degrees, winds out of the west at 5 miles per hour. Mostly cloudy and 65 is the low, and tomorrow partly sunny with a high of 81. Now four your five-day forecast. Kidding. There is it.
(LAUGHTER)
Beautiful skies in Miami.
(LAUGHTER)
Good-bye Year of the Rat, hello Year of the Dragon. Celebrations have begun to mark the Chinese New Year. It's part of this week's "Globe Trekking" with CNN international editor, Azadeh Ansari.
I'm sorry. How did I do?
AZADEH ANSARI, CNN INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL DESK EDITOR: You did really well.
LEMON: Did I do great? And now for your five-day forecast.
(LAUGHTER)
Let's start with the Human Rights Watch. the group released its annual report today in Cairo.
ANSARI: They did. They look at trends across 90 different countries. One of the big things that came out is they're urging the West to support the pro-democracy movements happening across the Middle East and North Africa.
They also look at violence against women. And this crazy story that happened out of Malawi. Have you heard about that, Don?
LEMON: No.
ANSARI: About women being attacked --
LEMON: Yes. Yes.
ANSARI: -- because they're wearing pants, mini skirts and leggings. Look at this. This is the president of Malawi. She came out and said, women have the right to wear whatever they want. And she demanded a stop to this. Now, these are women protesting on Friday. We're looking at pictures from the protest that took place. And, again, women under the constitution of Malawi do have the right to gender equality, but the problem is that, within society, there's a lot of disparities that still exist.
LEMON: Yes. I spent some time in Malawi in 2005. Just wonderful people. They showed lots of love. Beautiful people. Wow. That's too bad.
Let's move on now. I want to talk about a Dutch teenager and her trek around the world. It was historic, but controversial.
ANSARI: Very controversial before she started her journey. Why is that? She was 14 years old. And she said, I want to take on this journey. She was born on a boat at a port in New Zealand. What are the odds of her being quite possibly one of the youngest sailors to travel the world? The Dutch government said, you know what, we just don't think you're experienced enough to take on this journey. And then she had to prove herself. Then finally, they granted her the right to go forward with it. And she completed her voyage yesterday.
LEMON: Cool.
ANSARI: These are pictures of Laura Decker, 16 years old.
LEMON: If you're born on a boat -- there you go.
(LAUGHTER)
It's in her DNA.
Let's talk about the Chinese New Year. Is it the Year of the Dragon?
ANSARI: The Year of the Dragon. It's actually the mightiest of the Chinese astrological signs. It's a great year to get married, a great year to have kids, according to the Chinese, of course. And lots of wealth and growth coming in the New Year.
LEMON: Let's hope so.
(LAUGHTER)
We really hope so.
Who was the head of the dragon that lived under the stairs? Was it the Muensters? I forgot the name of the dragon.
(LAUGHTER)
Anyway, really cool.
ANSARI: Here is the Lantern Aquarium in Toronto. You can see these beautiful lanterns that they have on display. And it's one of the many festivities going on. And, of course, the highlight is the fireworks display that you see in China and Beijing and Hong Kong each year.
LEMON: Yes. That's right. Eddie's pet dragon lived under the stairs. You're too young for that. I'm old. I was born in the Year of the Rat, which is -- I don't know.
ANSARI: I was the Year of the Monkey.
LEMON: I don't know what it is.
ANSARI: You don't know?
LEMON: No, I'm just thinking, rats have been here forever and I'm old.
(LAUGHTER)
Azadeh, appreciate it.
ANSARI: You're welcome.
Legendary Journalist Dan Rather is not on "CBS Evening News" anymore, but he set a precedent at there." He's covering the stories that matter to you. Next hour, Dan Rather joins us live right here on CNN. You don't want to miss that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: This weekend, at the Sundance Film Festival in Colorado, a first look at the movie "Ethel." It's a documentary about the famous widow of U.S. Senator Robert Kennedy, produced by her daughter, filmmaker, Rory Kennedy.
I spoke with both of them and, in true family style, Ethel Kennedy did some politicking right there in the middle of the interview for her daughter. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Mrs. Kennedy?
ETHEL KENNEDY, WIFE OF ROBERT KENNEDY: Don?
LEMON: Yes, ma'am?
(LAUGHTER)
RORY KENNEDY, FILMMAKER & DAUGHTER OF ROBERT KENNEDY: That's the right answer.
ETHEL KENNEDY: You know, if Rory wanted to be president, she could.
(LAUGHTER)
RORY KENNEDY: Thank you.
LEMON: Why do you say that?
ETHEL KENNEDY: Well, just because she's so great and qualified, like several of her sisters, Cathleen (ph) and Terry (ph). They'll love to hear that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(LAUGHTER0
LEMON: You have to set your DVR and watch the entire interview with Ethel and Rory Kennedy at 10:20 p.m. eastern tonight. 10:20 p.m. eastern tonight, my interview with Ethel Kennedy. You don't want to miss it.
Overall, it was a good week for the U.S. economy last week, but what will this week bring?
Lex Harris is the managing editor of CNNmoney.com. He has your look at the week ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEX HARRIS, CNNMONEY.COM CORRESPONDENT: We enter this week with a little bit of wind at our backs. We had good news on jobs. We had good news from the bank CEOs. Even as they were announcing lousy results, on street, they said they were beginning to see a pick up.
That should give President Obama a little swagger as he takes the stage. We'll be listening for what he has to say about jobs and debt. And really we're going to be listening for any sense of tone in terms of stepped-up rhetoric on class warfare and taxing the rich.
We'll be at Davos, Switzerland. Poppy Harlow will be there talking to top CEOs from every sector, economists, former government officials. We want to hear about the European debt crisis and whatever they have to say about business conditions, not just overseas but here in the United States.
Also in the U.S., we're going to be hearing from the Federal Reserve this week. This is a big meeting. We haven't heard from Ben Bernanke, the Fed chief, in a while. If your 401K has recovered at all in the past three years, if you're paying low mortgage rates, that's probably the Fed. If you're living on savings and dealing with low interest rates, that where you have a right to be a little angry right now.
BEN BERNANKE, CHAIRMAN, FEDERAL RESERVE: The Fed was created to try to address those problems.
HARRIS: We'll be hearing what they have to say, whether they're going to step on the gas or begin to really let up.
Also next week, lots of tech earnings, from Netflix, which was just getting killed at the end of last year. We'll be listening to see if they continue to lose customers in the last quarter. And also Apple, which is just the juggernaut. It keeps growing. Last week, it passed $400 billion in market cap. That's bigger than the size of Greece.
(SHOUTING)
It's a big week coming up. We're going to be covering all those stories and more at "CNN Money."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Lex Harris, thank you very much.
They are the two best quarterbacks, or two of the best quarterbacks in NFL history, but will Drew Brees and Peyton Manning be back next season wearing the uniforms of the teams where they had their greatest successes? We're discussing what might be ahead for them in 2012. That is next here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Joe Paterno's legacy will be debated for years, but in many ways his professional career will never be duplicated.
Let's bring in Pablo Torre at "Sports Illustrated" and talk about Joe Paterno, the man and the legend.
You see the cover of the new "Sports Illustrated." NFL, it is on the cover now.
We'll talk pro football in a second. First, let's talk about Joe Paterno.
It's good to see you, Pablo.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: He had an amazing career. The winningest coach in college football history, five undefeated seasons, on and on. His legacy would end there were it not be for the past three months. Can we say at this point how he'll be remembered? Is there always going to be an asterisk by his name because of the scandal?
PABLO TORRE, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: That's a dominant question of the day. Judging by the obituaries, for example, "Sports Illustrated," "The News York Times," this scandal with Jerry Sandusky is first paragraph-level stuff. This is the thing, the one thing you could do in sports that could outweigh or taint 70 years of good will, academics, and all that for your football team. In terms of Joe Paterno and how he's going to be remembered, I think the metaphor here to use is he's the cleanest glass of water before this giant drop of ink fell in.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Is that fair? Is that fair though?
TORRE: You know, it's fair because of the magnitude of the scandal. It's unfortunate, because he did have decades upon decades in the administration. His family will speak on his behalf in that regard, but this scandal outstrips anything we have seen before in sports. And in terms of the human costs, that's as bad as we have seen.
LEMON: More than any other coach, he had a reputation of running his program the right way with complete integrity. Yet, he ends up being embroiled in the worst scandal ever to hit college sports. I think many people would agree. Is that why so many Penn State faithful haven't been able to accept his firing?
TORRE: I think that's part of it. Joe Paterno, to somebody who is from Penn State, he is the father of that campus. He's the grandfather. He's the guy that drew a lot of people to that town. And Joe Paterno himself used to say, before he got there really, before they had a football team, Penn State was a cow college. That's what he referred to it as. Nobody went to Penn State and didn't know and didn't like Joe Paterno, it would often seem.
LEMON: Let's talk about pro football. We're down to four teams. As we saw on the new S.I. cover, looking ahead, two of the biggest names in the game are in limbo. We're talking about Peyton Manning, 35. He's missed the season with his third next surgery. He's due a huge $27 million payout this spring if he stays with the Colts. Then Drew Brees will soon be a free agent and will get a huge contract, possibly the biggest one in history. I want to start with Manning. Is he going to stay with the Colts?
TORRE: Yes. I would lean towards him staying, but it's going to be with a clear understanding that they are going to draft this new quarterback probably with a top pick in the draft. They are going to have potentially the next Peyton Manning. It's going to be an awkward student/teacher relationship. They are going to expect Peyton Manning to groom him for another year while he plays his way out of there.
LEMON: It's hard to believe that New Orleans Saints fans may be screaming -- may not be screaming --
(LAUGHTER)
-- "Breezy Breezy," at the television. So the Saints, are they going to cough up the money so Drew Brees can stay?
TORRE: Oh, yes. Drew Brees is in a good place. He's the opposite end of the spectrum. I know you're a big Saints fan, Don. I think that team is going to open up the checkbook, say this is what you want, this is what you'll get. Drew Brees, more cooperatively, will be cooperative. He wants to build that team. He's going to be in a position of strength and belong with the Saints for years to come.
LEMON: Pablo Torre, thank you, sir. Always a pleasure. Good to see you.
TORRE: Thanks, Don.
LEMON: After a quick break here on CNN, a piece of history from one of the worst days in U.S. history. It's sold. We'll tell you the amount paid for this hearse that carried President Kennedy after his assassination.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
