Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
When Will Arctic Blast Go Away?; Will Congress Be Productive in 2014? Super Bowl of Electronics Happening in Vegas; New York Could Make Medical Pot Legal; One Dead in Aspen Plane Crash; Packers-49ers versus the Cold; Sole Survivor's Guilt; Political New Year's Resolutions; College Football Championship Rages On; Season's Long Awaited Shows Come Back; S&P 500 Could Herald 2014 Bull Market
Aired January 05, 2014 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Martin Savidge. It's great to be with you.
This hour we are looking ahead to stories that you'll be talking about and hearing about this coming week. So let's begin with our five questions for the week ahead.
Number one, when will this arctic blast go away? By Wednesday, nearly half of the nation is going to be shuddering in temperatures subzero or below.
CNN meteorologist Tom Sater gives us the outlook -- Tom.
TOM SATER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Martin, when will it end? Everyone wants to know that obviously. Well, not soon enough. When authorities in Minneapolis say you get frostbite in five minutes. Exposed skin in five minutes for this entire area. It looks like really the brunt of this is going to be Monday into Tuesday.
Obviously it's going to vary and stick around a little bit longer for the northern tier states. But when have you dangerous levels like this, we really want to know, when will this end? When can we go on with life? When can schools open again? Businesses get back to what they have to do?
The coldest air really, as it marches towards the east and to the southeast will see the effects again, kind of hang around into Tuesday afternoon, maybe Wednesday morning in the deep south. But let's break this down because it's really critical to find out what we're going to be finding here.
Notice that temperatures in the departure from normal, when you look at a high of 11 below in Duluth and you look at minus 32, that's the departure from normal. We will get back to normal. It's going to take a while.
Minneapolis, your average high is 24. You'll see 26 on Friday, 29 this weekend. It'll be balmy again come this weekend. But as we get down into the Midwest, notice the departure from normal. Nashville, a 42-degree drop for what is average for you. And then Atlanta, 25 degrees. I think the brunt of this and really will be on Tuesday because as we look at the forecast, again, the high temperature in Atlanta goes from 25 Tuesday to 43. So Monday into Tuesday is pretty much the worst of it. Obviously some areas have had fresh snowfall.
Psychologically, Martin, it just makes it seem colder. That's going to hang around for a little bit longer as well. Hang in there, just a couple of more days.
SAVIDGE: Thanks, Tom.
Our second question, what will happen with Jahi McMath? Doctors say she is brain dead and her death certificate has already been filled out following complications from tonsil surgery. But her family refuses to accept that she is dead and wants her transferred to another facility where they hope she can be revived.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NAILAH WINKFIELD, JAHI'S MOTHER: How can she be dead and her heart beats? She has blood flowing through her system and she respond to my touch and my voice. How can she -- how can a dead person do that?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: The 13-year-old girl is currently hooked up to a ventilator and in an Oakland, California, hospital. A judge has ruled that the ventilator can be removed at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time. That'll be on Tuesday.
Question number three, can Congress get anything done when it returns to work this week?
CNN's Sunlen Serfaty takes a closer look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUNLEN SERFATY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The president's vacation is over. He faces a colder reality now -- Congress.
JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST, "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE": If you're a glass half full kind of person like I am, they're the number one most unproductive Congress in modern history.
SERFATY: Get ready for possible deja vu.
SEN. HARRY REID (D), MAJORITY LEADER: I wish I had a magic wand to say I know things will be better.
SERFATY: This year Congress has a full plate. Right off the bat a potentially easy one for the Senate. Confirming Janet Yellen as the first woman to head the Federal Reserve. But next a real battle over long-term unemployment benefits. Both sides arguing Sunday. SEN. RAND PAUL (R), KENTUCKY: With regard to unemployment insurance, I've always said that I'm not opposed to unemployment insurance. I am opposed to having it without paying for it.
REID: We have never offset emergency spending. It's foolishness. We have people that are desperate. They've been out of work for -- some as much as two years.
SERFATY: On January 15th, a major deadline to fund the government. A deal was reached last year but it needs to be finalized.
As early as February, a deadline to raise the debt ceiling again with both sides already dug in.
GENE SPERLING, DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL ECONOMICS COUNCIL: I think that it will be harmful not just for the economy, but I think it will be harmful politically. If Republicans use 2014 as a year to threaten default again on the debt limit.
SERFATY: And an even heavier lift for a deal on immigration reform, which has escaped Congress for years.
REP. ERIC CANTOR (R), MAJORITY LEADER: It can't be my way or the highway on such a big issue.
SERFATY: Not to mention continued attempts by Republicans to change Obamacare.
REP. DARRELL ISSA (R), CALIFORNIA: This has been a failed launch, a flawed law and it needs real change.
SERFATY: Don't hold your breath for all of this to be crossed off the list. According to the most recent CNN/ORC poll two-thirds of Americans called Congress the worst ever. And the midterm elections will suck up much desire this year to compromise.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These are not likely to be times of large fruitful legislative harvest.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SERFATY: And that Senate will start to work on unemployment benefits tomorrow and that will likely give us an early read on how combative this year will be.
A White House aide says if Republicans are ready to fight over these benefits, they are happy, Martin, to have that fight, too.
SAVIDGE: And we will be watching closely.
Thanks, Sunlen, very much.
Question number four, what will be the electronics gadget that you absolutely have to have? You know, that gizmo that will change your life forever.
Brett Larson is going to the gadget Super Bowl in Las Vegas this week to find out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRETT LARSON, TECHBYTES HOST: A little backstory on the Consumer Electronic Show, it is where the world said hello to the VHS player, the compact discs, DVDs, more recently Blu-Ray and of course our high definition televisions.
This year, what I'm excited to see is advancements in 4K TV. Ultra high definition. What that is, is basically four-times better resolution than your current high definition television which yes, unfortunately, does mean that your brand new HDTV is soon to be outdated and replaced.
Also with those 4K TVs, well, we're going to need new 4K cameras. Cameras that can capture those great high resolution images, both for still and for video. And I actually think what I'd like to see is an under $2,000 consumer camera that has the ability to shoot a quality 4K image. That's really going to be a game-changer for the independent filmmaker. Even for the mom and dad who just want to make movies.
Automotive, not to be left out this year. I think we'll see a lot of really cool stuff with cars. Ford and Audi both expected to make some big announcements in terms of bring that Internet right to your dashboard.
Now I don't mean we're going to be sitting there playing games on our dashboard, Angry Bird and Candy Crush, when we're stuck in traffic. But we are going to have some entertainment options on our dashboard. Streaming radio services like Pandora. We'll have more content in the Cloud Access. But we're also going to have smarter cars, in general.
A GPS that's not just going to be able to give you turn-by-turn directions, but also give you turn-by-turn directions and avoid things. Traffic accidents or just traffic backups. Maybe you need to get gas. Your GPS is actually going to be able to tell you where the nearest gas station is and give you a real-time how much gas is going to cost you when you get to that gas station.
Also with the smarter cars and those Internet connections in cars are cars going to be able to tell us things. When we bring them to the mechanic, they're going to be able to say I need an oil change, the battery is in need of replacement. The shocks are a little bit out or what have you. And also those smarter cars are going to be more plugged in. We'll be able to access them through apps on our smartphones, unlocked doors, things like that. Security settings.
I will break the rule of what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas to bring you the full recap of the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: And we look forward to that.
Moving on, medical marijuana may soon be legal in New York. Governor Andrew Cuomo is signaling that he'll skip the legislature and sign an executive order allowing limited use of medical marijuana.
And we just learned the Vice President Joe Biden will attend a special event Tuesday with Cuomo. That is the day before the governor's big address.
So let's bring in correspondent Rosa Flores in New York.
And, Rosa, will medical marijuana be legal soon in New York?
ROSA FLORES, CNN ANCHOR: You're absolutely right. Governor Cuomo is resurrecting a law back from the 1980s that allows the use of medical marijuana and advocates say, tens of thousands of New Yorkers will be able to benefit.
New York is now joining 20 other states and the District of Columbia that allow medical marijuana. Take a look at the northeast. It's already legal in most of the states surrounding New York.
Now this is a very bold move on behalf of our governor here through an executive order. Not going to the legislature, but executive order. He would allow the use of medical marijuana in the state where the Senate has, on multiple occasions, killed the comprehensive bills here.
Here is how it would work. Under the new measure the Department of Health will create guidelines. Twenty hospitals in the state would administer the drug and a panel of hospital doctors would determine who qualifies for these prescriptions.
Now while this creates a lot of questions, of course, by opposing parties, saying that where is this marijuana going to come from because cultivating marijuana in the state of New York is illegal. So when will the first prescription be written out? Optimistic advocates say in three to four months -- Martin.
SAVIDGE: All right. Rosa, we'll stay in touch to find out if that holds true. Thank you.
Coming up, he's back. Dennis Rodman. Heading back to North Korea. Again. His plan, next.
Plus, we're monitoring the crash of a private plane in Aspen, Colorado. New details, right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAVIDGE: We're looking ahead to Wednesday. That's when Dennis Rodman and his team of former pro-basketball players are scheduled to play an exhibition game in North Korea. The team including former NBA stars like Kenny Anderson and Cliff Robinson will face a North Korean team as part of a birthday celebration for Kim Jong-Un.
Our Karl Penhaul is in Seoul with a look at how some South Korean athletes feel about this game.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) KARL PENHAUL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He promised he'd be back to shoot hoops for the North Korean leader's birthday. Kim Jong-Un turns 31 Wednesday. And this weekend NBA veteran Dennis Rodman confirmed to the Associated Press that he'll be at the party with a team of his aging basketball buddies.
South Korean basketball star turned commentator Cho Sung-Won believes it's a PR stunt, not sports diplomacy.
"I don't know Dennis Rodman personally but he is quite peculiar and does unexpected things. I think he went to North Korea as a publicity stunt. On the other hand North Korea plays some high quality basketball so they could learn from his experiences."
Rodman met and coached the North Korean side on his last trip in December. Since then his Irish book maker sponsors pulled out.
Cho played against club sides in North Korea in 1999. If this week's game goes ahead as planned, he warns Rodman's old timers to expect a few hard knocks from the Kim Jong-Un's all-stars.
"The North Koreans were quite strong, well-built and tall as well. They were very determined not to lose against South Korea. It was a friendly match but I was still intimated a bit," he says.
South Korean table tennis star Hyun Jung-Wha did not play against North Korea. She was on the same side. Part of a joint Korea team in the 1991 world championships. She praises Rodman's bid to break the ice with Pyongyang.
HYUN JUNG-WHA, KOREAN TABLE TENNIS STAR (Through Translator): What Dennis Rodman is doing now is personal, but I think he's brave for doing it. I believe sports definitely can help diplomacy. Sportsmanship is pure. I think diplomatic results can come out through sports.
PENHAUL: But Rodman has talked down suggestions he would use basketball to persuade Kim Jong-Un to free Korean American missionary Kenneth Bae from a North Korean labor camp.
DENNIS RODMAN, FORMER NBA BASKETBALL PLAYER: I always want to do a basketball game in the national front.
PENHAUL: If team Rodman and North Korea do play ball, Hyun believes that Jim Jong-Un selection will not abuse home advantage.
HYUN (Through Translator): North Koreans try their hardest in training and in competitions. The actual winning or losing didn't seem to matter as much as they've given their all. Of course they say they compete for Kim Jong-Un. But they are satisfied as long as they've done their best.
PENHAUL (on camera): Of course even the brashest competitor might consider the wisdom of trying to beat one of the world's great dictators on his special day.
Karl Penhaul, CNN, Seoul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SAVIDGE: We are continuing to watch for new developments out of Aspen, Colorado. That's where a small private jet crashed while trying to land a short time ago at the Aspen airport. One person is dead. We'll have more details, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAVIDGE: A small jet crashed today trying to land at the airport in Aspen, Colorado. This is that plane, it is a Bombardier Challenger, that is, 600.
CNN has heard or has heard air traffic control recordings between the tower and the pilot who reported very high winds had forced him to abort apparently his first attempt to land. The sheriff's office says that one person is dead and two others were taken to a hospital.
I want to talk now to Mary Schiavo, she was the inspector general of U.S. Department of Transportation under President George H.W. Bush and also Tom Sater from the CNN Severe Weather System.
Mary, to you first. We heard these tower recordings and the pilot of this plane reported 33 knots of tailwind.
MARY SCHIAVO, FORMER INSPECTOR GENERAL, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION: Right.
SAVIDGE: Tell us, you know, what does that really say and how much of an impact would that be to a plane of that size.
SCHIAVO: Well, it's a huge impact not just on the plane of this size but in Aspen. On a good day Aspen's tricky. I've been in there and with the tailwind you have to plant that plane right at the threshold of the runway, right in the touchdown zone. And an eyewitness reported the plane come further down the runway and may have bounced or even tried to take off again.
And Aspen, particularly in bad weather, is really unforgiving. So the air traffic control tapes and these two eyewitnesses do give a tremendous amount of information.
SAVIDGE: And I know, Mary, we're pretty familiar with how an investigation would move forward if it were a commercial airliner. What will be happening now on the ground for an investigation since it's a private jet?
SCHIAVO: Well, in this case, probably very similar to a commercial airline. The NTSB will dispatch a team to investigate. I worked a previous accident in Aspen. I think it was a Gulf Stream and the NTSB did send a team out to investigate.
Aspen is very tricky to fly and here there was no mayday call, there was no mechanical reports. So they will be looking at flying and wind sheer undoubtedly so they will be looking to see how the pilot performed and whether wind sheer will be -- also a factor in this accident. But they will send a team.
SAVIDGE: All right, Mary, hold on a second. I want to bring in Tom Sater because he can talk to us about the weather in Aspen today.
We've already been talking, Tom, that they had what appeared to be the strong tailwinds. What about, you know, clarity? Was it snowing? Anything else like that that might have been an impact?
SATER: Well, obviously everyone wants to know, did weather play a role? It's the first thing we think of typically when we hear of an accident like this.
What's interesting are reports of the tailwind because there's really two major -- factors that we look at. Visibility and ceiling. Now it was overcast at the time. It wasn't a low ceiling so that's good. And visibility by looking at the pictures there which is just after the accident occurred were quite well. In fact, even the photographs taken or those that were tweeted and sent out.
I mean, you can see there was going to be poor visibility, it probably was just a brief incident. But most likely, this is the conditions that occurred at the time. Let's take a look at what tempt tour showed. This isn't a big concern but just to give you an overall view of Colorado.
Now I'm not a pilot. I've never landed an aircraft at a mountain airfield. But you can see -- we're looking at the time of the crash at 10 degrees. OK. That's fine, they can handle that.
Now let's look at visibility. Visibility, this is in miles. Aspen is at nine miles. Grand Junction is at 10, Colorado Springs at a 10. This is fine as well. However, you've got to keep in mind that this is an area of the country that has what we call -- has its own micro climates. I mean each mountain pass is different than a mountain pass. Every mountain top is different than a mountain top.
Winds were not that bad. Sustained winds were around 10 miles per hour. Doesn't mean there aren't sometimes gusts. And even though we have a gas here of 32 it can be briefed.
Now when we talk about that micro climate, if you're skiing, let's say -- on one side of a mountain on slope, it can be sunny. On the other side of the mount, you can have a wind gust on upslope or a down slope, kick off any snow that's on the ground, and sure, visibility can be reduced like that.
So we're really going to see the NTSB really break this down. I mean, right now we currently have a wind of about 17. Now when you go high into the atmosphere, this is where the jet stream is. But this really isn't a great concern down to the ground unless there was some mechanism that caused the high elevation winds to be pushed down in the mountain top.
Now Aspen's elevation at this airport is 7,820 feet. So it does not going to take much to get something to push down. But we're talking 60,000 feet. This really isn't a big concern. Our concern really is they will look at this, the NTSB, is more about the reports of that wind gust and that tail gusts. What was it, 33 knots, Martin?
SAVIDGE: Yes.
SATER: I mean, for the most part, it's visibility, which was fine, and its ceiling, which was not bad, even though it was overcast. But again it's that the micro climate.
SAVIDGE: All right, Tom. Thanks for the breakdown.
I've flown into that airport. It's a small airport but surrounded by big mountains.
Mary, flightaware.com apparently has what appears to be the flight path. And you've looked this over. Does this say anything to you?
SCHIAVO: Well, it says that the pilot was having trouble getting in there, either because of the weather or because of unfamiliarity with the airport or both. Aspen is one of the airports where, you know, local knowledge helps a lot. You really to have to have flown it. And many times they fly pilots in there and out of there.
If they aren't familiar with it, they will get a skilled pilot for aspen to take planes in and out of there. And when you come in, if you don't put the plane right on the threshold, the runway has a little bit of a slope, too. And an eyewitness said it looked like the pilot bounce. He may even tried to take off again and then flipped. And of course once that happens, there is just no recovering from a flip.
SAVIDGE: Yes, that's almost --
SCHIAVO: On the runway.
SAVIDGE: You mentioned the way that landing goes. It's almost like landing on an aircraft carrier, you've really got to nail it.
SCHIAVO: Exactly. Exactly.
SAVIDGE: Mary Schiavo, thank you very much for your expertise.
Tom Sater, yours as well. We will continue to follow this. Thanks.
Snow, ice and of course bone chilling cold. It is all on the way. How low will the temperatures go where you live.
Well, we may have an answer just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAVIDGE: As the so-called polar vortex creates the deep freeze for nearly half of this country, we thought it might be nice to show you a few places where there is no snow, no ice and no need for a coat.
How about St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Island? It's sunny and 85 today out on the water.
Here's Los Angeles, the city of angels is a comfortable 75 degrees under blue skies.
Well, how about San Francisco? Live pictures of the Golden Gate show a sunny day. On this very day in 1933, by the way, construction began on that bridge.
And our very own associate producer Dennis Lovello says aloha from the north shore of Oahu. Jealous? Don't worry, the arctic blast is expected to head out later this week.
I being the good reporter have decided I volunteer to go to every one of those cities and report to you in the sake of good balance.
Back to the chilly Green Bay, Wisconsin, area where it felt like nine below zero at the start of that Green Bay Packers-San Francisco Giants (sic) playoff game later tonight. Northwest of Wisconsin could see wind chills as cold as 60 degrees below zero, which is we sent CNN's George Howell out into the cold and outside of the iconic Lambeau Field in Green Bay where it is halftime right about now.
And, George, Lambeau is known, of course, for hardcore fans and the frozen tundra. But this is pretty extreme. How are they coping?
GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's known for hardcore cold as well, Martin. We're talking about wind chill right around negative 10. The temperature, four degrees right now and dropping.
You know, people ask that question, though, will this be like the Ice Bowl? Back in 1967. That game against the Dallas Cowboys where the wind chill was negative 48 degrees. Not looking like that will be the case this time but I can tell you it is certainly cold out here and the temperature is dropping, Martin.
Overnight, we know it could get down to negative 20s, negative 30s. As far as wind chill is concerned, I even saw one estimate of possibly negative 40. So we'll just have to watch and wait to see what happens but it is absolutely cold. People here are doing their best to watch this game. Halftime right now. And I can tell you, people in the stands are bundled up like me.
You've got the hat on. You've got scarf, gloves. Things to keep, you know, skin from being exposed to these frigid temperatures. And even with our live reporting, I come right out, do the live reporting, get right back in because you have it stay, you know, clear of that direct wind.
It's not as much about the temperature, Martin, as it is the wind. And as wind picks up, it will get substantially worse out here.
SAVIDGE: We're talking about frostbite that could appear in just a matter of minutes. So what are they doing anything at all to help keep fans warm?
HOWELL: Absolutely. You know, they are also passing out coffee, passing out hot chocolate. That helped back in 2007, Martin, at another very cold game here at iconic Lambeau Field. They're hoping that that strategy will work again this time. And it's helping. But it's getting that word out. Just making sure that people know to come prepared.
But not necessary the guys who live here, the Packers fans, they get it. This is their reality when it comes to the cold football games. But for people that are coming in out of town, just to make sure that they're prepared because the temperatures are dropping.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK BROWN, GREEN BAY PACKERS FAN: They're really nice and warm. It's just about warmth out here. You know, can't be too cold in this game. We're not nuts enough to go shirtless. But there will be people like that today.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Man, that's crazy. For sure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOWELL: Those guys, in the bright orange, wearing hunting gear. You know. And that's the best way to stay warm as well. You see all kinds of different strategies and formulas that people are using to brave the temperatures and watch a really cool football game out here.
But, Martin, it's cold. I mean, I don't know how to tell you, express it, you know, in words well, but it is cold. It's getting colder. We'll just see what happens.
SAVIDGE: We're also hearing that the schools in Chicago, of course where you live, are going to be closed tomorrow. So you're living there and how unusual is it?
HOWELL: Martin, that is very unusual. And in fact, our producer Katherine Wojtecki just told me about that information, just crossed. It's a big deal. A big deal because schools rarely close in Chicago. We get a lot of snow in Chicago. It's something that we're used to. We clear the streets quickly when the snow comes down. Children go to school in snow that, you know, in Atlanta, there would be no thought of school. Schools would close pretty quickly.
That's not the case in Chicago. So when you consider what's happening there right now -- I just saw a picture just outside of our Chicago bureau with snow -- five or six inches of snow and more to come.
It is a big deal. So that is certainly a big story that we're following as well. But yes, schools closing in Chicago, fans here at Lambeau Field watching game in negative 20-degree possibly wind chills before the day is done.
And, Martin, it will get worse. We expect the wind chills to get down to negative 30 or 40.
SAVIDGE: Well, bundle up, stay warm, be careful and I can hear the kids cheering from Chicago, already down here in Atlanta.
Thanks very much, George.
(LAUGHTER) HOWELL: I think that they probably are, yes.
SAVIDGE: We'll talk to you soon.
Another great film premier on CNN this week. It examines the lives of those who have survived air disasters. In fact, the film focuses solely on people who were the only survivor of the crash.
George Lamson Jr. is the sole survivor of the 1985 crash in Nevada that killed 71 people. In the film "Sole Survivor" Lamson talks through an interpreter to a French school girl. Her flight crashed into the Indian Ocean killing 152 people. She survived by clinging to a piece of floating wreckage for nine hours.
Here's a clip.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE LAMSON JR., SURVIVOR: I was burned on my right hand. Yes. And this here is later on. This is from sunburn. But here, this is the burn here. My face was burned. I had a cut on my forehead.
What was it like being by yourself out there for nine hours? And can you explain that?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: That is such a striking conversation, because you realize that those two people are the only ones who can talk to one another about what they've been through. They're both sole survivors.
Ky Dickens is the film maker behind "Sole Survivor", she is joined also by American psychologist Dr. Jeff Gardere.
And Ky, I watched the screen of this film last night. It was a personal journey for you. I thought I knew where the movie was going, but then you went in a whole different way. I was just so amazed.
What compelled to you make "Sole Survivor"?
KY DICKENS, DIRECTOR, "SOLE SURVIVOR": Well, in my late 20s, I realized that I was suffering from some of my own survivor's guilt. In high school I switched places with a good friend of mine before he got into a car. And about two minutes later, he was dead in a car accident. And at the time, I didn't tell anyone that we had switched places.
I really withdrew from my friends, my senior year of high school. I was embarrassed. I felt like a fraud because I had lived. I was worried what they'd think if they knew. So it's nothing I really talked about much. But in my late 20s, I was realizing that I always felt this drive to have to accomplish something great and heal people and make a difference with my life that was a bit more, you know, aggressive than other people in my age group.
And that's when a I realized that I was feeling guilty. Like I needed to do something because I felt as though my life had been spared.
SAVIDGE: It's like this miracle burden that's placed upon these survivors.
Jeff, in the film Ky talked with Jim, he was a sole survivor. He was also one of the pilots, a copilot, I believe, who was recovering. And he has told that there have been threats against his life. Then we hear a victim's family member who says, apologetically it seems, maybe it would have been better if Jim would had died as well.
Does that surprise you to hear that coming from these victims' families?
JEFF GARDERE, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: It didn't surprise me at all because Ky will tell you that the NTSB, for some reason, blamed Jim, blamed him for pilot error. When we actually found out there were so many other factors that were going on. So not only did Jim have to deal with being a sole survivor, survivor's guilt, PTSD, depression, but he also had to deal with the guilt of possibly contributing to the death of all those people. And then incredibly he survives this?
So it didn't surprise me at all. But knowing from what I've seen of Jim and reading about him and what's in the film, I think there were times where Jim just wanted to die himself because he couldn't deal with the burden of being this sole survivor. So much expected of him as was expected of Ky.
SAVIDGE: Yes, it's this -- it's this kind of blessing and of course curse.
Ky, George Lamson Jr., who is of course a big part of this film, we want to listen to this clip of George and about what's expected of him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE LAMSON JR., SOLE SURVIVOR: You think really about what you're doing with your life and all the people that were involved with this accident. That may have done more with their life and you feel guilty that you're not using your life to do something better.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: We see his daughter there and she's upset by what he says in the clip. But it's as if there is some burden as we talked about, a responsibility of the sole survivor to somehow make up for all those who didn't live.
How does that weigh on someone like that? Ky?
DICKENS: Well, you know, I think what people have to remember is that a survivor is actually a victim. And often they're treated like you're lucky, you're so fortunate this has happened to you. And just because someone didn't lose their life, like as in their breath and that they're dead, you can still lose your life by the fact that you might have lost someone you loved greatly or in the case of a natural disaster, you lost your house or your entire community, or like Jim, you lose your ability, you lose your ability to walk and some people lose their ability to see.
So you could lose your entire life as you know it even if you survived something. And you feel -- you need that time to grieve and to be in pain and to mourn. But because I think so often there is misunderstandings about what survivors go through and people respond to them as though they should feel fortunate, there's even a more compounded guilt like, I guess, I should and they don't have permission to grieve and so reflect on what they've lost.
And you know -- and in the case of a plane crash, it's even a greater burden because like you said, how you live out your life for 79 other people or the 256 other people who perished and all the hopes and dreams of their families and friends. So it's a very compounded situation.
SAVIDGE: Sure.
DICKENS: That's very difficult.
SAVIDGE: Jeff, and is that really it in a nutshell? I mean is that survivor's guilt that we hear about like, you know, I've got all these other lives that I must live for, I have to be some kind of super human?
GARDERE: Well, that's exactly what it is and we know a major portion of being a sole survivor, having the survivor's guilt is the PTSD. The nightmare, the anxiety, the depression that goes along with that, and a lot of these people feel that they don't have the permission to go ahead and get help. And this is what Ky has done in her film.
She's actually brought all these people together so that they can put words, the feelings that they've been suppressing for so long and now can actually be a support group for one another. And they all talk about the fact that they really needed to get therapy and if they're unable to do it they were able to do it through the mechanism that Ky has set up through her film "Sole Survivor."
SAVIDGE: Yes, wonderfully put, Jeff. An thank you for that.
Ky, it is a fabulous film. Thank you so much for the effort.
If you haven't seen it, you've got to watch it. And you can. You can catch it this Thursday, the CNN premier of "Sole Survivor," it will be shown 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time on CNN.
I can't say enough.
All right. Congress puts in its day of work in 2014 tomorrow. With most of the country saying they don't like what the people in that building are doing, maybe Congress should have some new year's resolutions. Well, if they don't, we'll give them some. Coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) SAVIDGE: You're looking at the nation's capital. The Senate returns to work tomorrow after the winter break. The House will return on Tuesday.
And this comes at a time when approval ratings for Congress are at historic lows following the unproductive session.
Our political panel has some new year's resolutions for the Washington politicians.
So let us bring in Princeton University historian Julian Zelizer and Amy Holmes, conservative anchor of the "Hot List" on blaze.com.
JULIAN ZELIZER, HISTORIAN, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY: And, Julian, you wrote for CNN.com I think five new year's resolutions you would suggest for the president. Why don't you start us off and tell us what they are?
Well, one was to treat his Democrats well and to form better relations with members of the Hill. A second was to sweat the small stuff and focus more on the detail and the implementation of his programs.
I also talked about both focusing on a certain set of issues during the coming year rather than moving from one to the other. And doing more to try to shape the conversation rather than be reactive and defensive.
And my final recommendation was to try to reenergize all the younger voters and the activists who have been a bit disillusioned with him so that they're ready for the next presidential campaign but can also help him through the legislative season.
SAVIDGE: Yes. Get the youth fired up.
Amy, what would be your recommendation for the president and his list?
AMY HOLMES, ANCHOR, THE HOT LIST, THEBLAZE.COM: well, along many of the same lines, I would tell the president to stop campaigning and start governing. I think that's where he's sort of been falling down on the job.
I would also suggest that he should meet with his cabinet as least as often as he golfs, maybe at the same time he could, you know, be able to get both of those tasks done. I would also say to the president, please stop using the word "folks" and "bunch of." Especially when you're talking about Iran, Syria or North Korea. We do need a little bit more precision from the president.
And let me look at my list, oh yes, and finally if he could keep that State of the Union down to at least under an hour, he usually does, I saw that Richard Nixon was able to deliver State of the Union in just 28 minutes, which I think we'd all be grateful for.
SAVIDGE: Language matters. I like to hear that. Yes, I agree with that. OK. Thanks very much.
Julian, let's go and move now to the speaker of the House, John Boehner. What would you suggest?
ZELIZER: Well, his biggest challenge, his biggest resolution is to try to contain the Tea Party Caucus. I think he has spent a year frustrated, feeling that his party is being dragged down by about 30 or 40 members who essentially control what the rest of the caucus does and I think he needs to try to bring more balance to the GOP and to try to reestablish some control rather than having this part of the caucus control him.
I think that's his biggest goal. And in terms of legislation, it has to be immigration. To try to bring this great question, this big issue facing the nation to some kind of a resolution.
SAVIDGE: Amy, dealing with the Republican Party, you think that's John's biggest role ahead?
HOLMES: I'm sure he has made that resolution to himself to try to keep his coalition together. I don't think, however, that immigration would be the way to do it. I think the way to do it is to keep the eye on Obamacare and its implementation and also to start to offer some solutions, not just repeal of Obamacare, but solutions to the -- health care crisis in this country.
But I want to move to the Senate because I worked in the Senate for the former Senate majority leader, Bill Frist. And I love the institution and I would ask Harry Reid to please resolve to stop destroying the Senate and turning it into the House.
SAVIDGE: All right. Well, I'm glad you brought up the Senate because Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell is facing a pretty tough reelection campaign this year.
Julian, new year's resolution for him?
ZELIZER: End the obstruction. I think now that filibuster has been reformed, move fast and move forward with nominations. Judicial nominations and executive nominations.
SAVIDGE: Amy?
HOLMES: For Mitch McConnell, I think he, you know, needs to get in that primary and he's got a lot of money, I think about $7 million in the war chest, and to, you know, fight it out to keep his job. But again on the Democratic side, I'd like to see Harry Reid also stop attacking his colleagues by name from the Senate floor.
SAVIDGE: It's amazing what good free advice we're giving out here.
All right. House minority leader Nancy Pelosi -- Amy, you first. What would your suggestions be for her list?
HOLMES: I would suggest that she read legislation before she pass it and that there was supposed to be a resolution among our Congress people that they would. Hopefully in 2014, they will.
SAVIDGE: Julian? ZELIZER: I think she moves forward with this theme of inequality, the minimum wage. Stick to the economic issues and push them. That's the best strategy for Democrats.
SAVIDGE: All right. Let's go now to House majority leader Eric Cantor.
Julian, I'll just start you off there.
ZELIZER: I think he needs to start governing at some of the same challenge that President Obama faces and he needs to think of himself not just as opposition figure but as part of a governing coalition and he has to work with Boehner to get bills moving forward.
SAVIDGE: Amy, you get the last word on this kumbaya chance.
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: Absolutely. I think the American people want to see Congress working together, constructively and productively. Not just obstruction. But hey, we also want to put the brakes on bad legislation if need be.
SAVIDGE: Yes. I think you're right. Of course Americans want to see a Congress first and foremost at work.
Thank you both very much. We'll see how your predictions work out. Maybe someone is actually listening to that advice. Thanks.
Well, the biggest game in college football is tomorrow night. Will it be Auburn or Florida State leaving Pasadena with the national championship trophy?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAVIDGE: If you're stuck inside this week, and judging by the forecast, there's a pretty good chance you will be, there is plenty of entertainment coming your way from love to horror to comedy. Some of the season's long-awaited shows are back. Other shows are making their debut.
Pop culture expert Samantha Schacher has the highlights.
SAMANTHA SCHACHER, POP CULTURE EXPERT: Hi, Martin, thanks for having me. So next week is going to be all about what's on your TV. So get comfortable on your couch and enjoy.
The festivities will kick off with the two-night premier on ABC of this season's "Bachelor." And the bachelor is none other than Juan Pablo. You guys remember him, the former pro-soccer player, the dad that was rejected from last season's "Bachelorette" but he came on on top because now he has a bevy of single ladies in his own show. So hopefully he finds love.
Also check your local listings because there are so many great season premieres, series premieres, everything from "American Horror Stories" is back, "Revenge", "Justified", "Psych", "Parks and Recreation", "New Girl". Finally "Shark Tank" is back on Friday. And also one show that everybody I recommend watching.
It's called "The Spoils of Babylon" and it is a miniseries, a spoof comedic miniseries. And guess who is part of the cast? We have Will Farrell, we have Kristin Wiig, we have Tobey Maguire, Jessica Alba, Val Kilmer, Tim Robins, the list goes on and on. And that is on the Independent Film Channel on Thursday.
And then also on Friday, theatrically, we have the "Legend of Hercules" starring Kellan Lutz. You guys know him from "Twilight." Also he's rumored to be dating Miley Cyrus, a side note.
And then finally what's buzzing all over social media and talking over Vine by storm is "Tutting."
So what is "Tutting," Martin? You may wonder. It is hand dancing. And of course hand dancing was popular in the '50s. They called it the hand jive. In the '70s it was prominent in the punk era, in the '80s with break dancing, in the '90s with rave dancing but now kids are going crazy with tutting. And I think we're going to see more tutting next week.
Will it be the Harlem shake of 2014? Will it be twerking of 2014? Only time will tell.
SAVIDGE: Thank you for that.
The Auburn Tigers are going to take on Florida State Seminoles tomorrow night, if you didn't know, in the BCS college football championship game.
Will Auburn pull out another amazing last-second victory?
Here is CNN.com sports contributor Terence Moore.
TERENCE MOORE, CNN.COM SPORTS CONTRIBUTOR: When you think about the Auburn Tigers, you think of pixy dust, you think of Santa Claus, you think of Cinderella. They should win it all. You know, remember what they did against Georgia last seconds, that was incredible. What they did against Alabama. They weren't supposed to win that game and then the field goal comes out of nowhere, from the sky, and the guy runs it back. Touchdown, Auburns wins it.
They are a team of destiny. Let's see, we heard that last year with a team called Notre Dame, the Fighting Irish. They were winning all these miraculous games in the last second that nobody thought that they were supposed to go anywhere, they got all the way to the championship game against Alabama and they lose because Alabama was a better team.
Florida State in this situation is the better team. So Florida State should win. But Florida State won't win. That's because the team of destiny, the team of the Auburn Tigers, they're cast, they got seven lives, so look for them to win it again. This has got to be the second time in four years. SAVIDGE: OK, it's nine lives. But we got that. OK. From Terrence, Auburn to win the national championship.
Thanks very much for that.
It's 2014, and some people want more of your money. Imagine that. Actually a lot of people want more of your money. We'll look at what you will be paying more for in the new year in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAVIDGE: This may come as a shock -- or maybe not. But 2014 is going to be more expensive. And the people at CNN Money have compiled a list of just some of the popular items you will be paying more for.
Here we go. They include, nuts, mail, a house, rent, and honey. Also on that list, chocolate, satellite TV, public transportation, health care and of course taxes.
If these are things that you plan on buying or having to pay, you may want it look into cutting costs elsewhere.
Tomorrow morning at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time, Wall Street kicks off the first full trading week of the New Year. The Dow rose more than 26 percent last year. Well beyond what many expected. Investors would like to see a repeat performance in 2014.
Predicting how the markets will behave, well, it's always risky. But CNN business correspondent Zain Asher says that one key indicator there is one to watch.
ZAIN ASHER, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Martin. It's the first full trading week of 2014. Investors will be watching stocks closely because it could give us a clue on how the markets will do for the rest of the year.
If the S&P 500 post a gain on the first five days of January, it'll be up at least this time of year. It's more than just a belief. According to the Stock Trader's Almanac, it's correct nearly 85 percent of the time.
Most analysts do expect the bulls to keep running this year just with a little bit less gusto than in 2013. But a few things could actually move the market this week. The monthly jobs report comes out on Friday. Analysts are expecting a gain of 190,000 jobs in December, certainly a decent number but not enough to bring down the unemployment rate that currently stands at 7 percent and it's expected to stay there.
And finally, new mortgage rules kick in on Friday. Banks have to make sure that monthly mortgage payments are affordable and low documentation loans won't be allowed any more. The change in requirements is due to the Dodd-Frank (inaudible) reform passed in 2010. Martin, that's what's coming up this week on Wall Street.
