Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Saturday Morning News

Protests in Russia; Nobel Prize Ceremony Today; Cutting Costs This Christmas

Aired December 10, 2011 - 07:00   ET

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

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, take a nice deep breath. You've made it to Saturday morning. Doesn't it feel good?

I'm Christi Paul, in for T.J. Holmes. Welcome. Thanks for keeping us company here.

I want to give you a quick look at the morning headlines. Protests are happening right now in Russia, in fact.

Here's a look at some of the demonstrations in Moscow. People have been gathering all week to protest last week's elections. There have been widespread allegations of voting fraud against Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's United Russia Party. But thousands of people there this morning.

New allegations, too, this morning that the head of the Amateur Athletic Union may have sexually abused two boys decades ago. Two men tell ESPN that Robert "Bobby" Dodd molested them back in the 1980s when they were playing on the AAU basketball team. There's been no comment, by the way, from Dodd. He's battling colon cancer right now.

A candlelight vigil last night on the Virginia Tech campus as they were remembering a campus police officer who was shot and killed on Thursday. State police say Ross Truett Ashley killed that officer, father of five, before killing himself. Ashley was a part-time student at nearby Radford University. They're still searching, though, for a motive in that attack.

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a challenge to Texas' congressional redistricting. State Republicans are unhappy with the way a federal court redrew that map last month. That court was responding to a lawsuit filed on behalf of minority groups. Now, the Supreme Court will hear the case in early January.

And let's talk about Newt Gingrich. He says Palestinians are an invented people. He made the strong statement in an interview on the Jewish channel. Here it is for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, I believe that the Jewish people have the right to have a state and I believe that the commitments that were made at a time -- remember, there was no Palestine as a state. It's part of the Ottoman Empire. And I think that we've had an invented Palestinian people who are, in fact, Arabs and were historically part of the Arab community.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: Gingrich went on to say that it's tragic that Palestinians didn't leave the area when they had the chance rather than sustaining a war against Israel. He also called the Middle East peace process, quote, "delusional."

Saeb Erakat, a top Palestinian executive committee member, called the comments, quote, "The most racist statement I've ever seen."

On Capitol Hill the focus is still on, you guessed it, the payroll tax cut. It's set to expire at the end of the year. So, both Democrats and Republicans do have plans to extend the cuts. There's not a lot of common ground between them.

For the past couple of weeks, President Obama has called on Congress to get it done and he echoed that in his weekly White House address.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Republicans in Congress should stop the games and extend the payroll tax cut for working Americans because if they don't, nearly 160 million Americans will see their taxes go up at the end of this month.

REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Next week, the House is going to do just that: to help Americans who are struggling in the current economy, we'll act on a jobs bill that extends payroll tax relief, extends and reforms unemployment benefits, and cuts government spending. There will be no tax hikes on America's job creators.

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

PAUL: Now, the bill from House Republicans includes a provision that pushes for the completion of a controversial oil pipeline that cuts across the country. So, President Obama has said he's likely veto any bill that included something like that pipeline, if it was included.

Senate Democrats say they'll have a bill of their own ready by the middle of next week.

Well, today, the Nobel Peace Prize is being given out in Oslo, Norway. The ceremony of three women who are all being honored for their commitment to peace and safety for women specifically.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is the president of Liberia. She actually won reelection last month. She's the world's first elected black woman president and the first woman elected president of an African nation. In her first term, she led a push to build clinics, schools and roads in the impoverished nation.

Then we have Leymah Gbowee. She's from Liberia, leading a peace and women's rights activists there. She also organized Christian and Muslim women to come together to demonstrate against a brutal regime of then-President Charles Taylor. Now, she's the executive director of the Women Peace and Security Network. It's based in Ghana.

And Tawakkol Karman is a journalist and an activist in her native Yemen. She's known by many there as the mother of the revolution for her role in antigovernment protest. She's 32 years old. A mom of three, and has dedicated her prize to activists across the region.

Congratulations to all three of them.

Well, 7:04 here in the East. And I don't know if you missed it or not, but Bonnie Schneider can keep you up to date on the total lunar eclipse that began about half an hour ago. Folks living all across the country were able to see it. But if you're living in the west, you by far have the best seat in the house.

The moon setting could turn orange or red. The eclipse lasts until 12:30 p.m. Eastern, just so you know.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: We still have some time. Head out there now and you'll be able to see it in just about an hour I'd say for the West Coast, because the lunar eclipse will be most visible out west.

And you can see the times, 6:06. It's about 6:57. So, we're almost there. Of course, we're early on the West Coast. If you're having an eye on the sky, you might see the big orange moon. It will look really, really cool.

And, unfortunately, we won't see it as well here on the eastern U.S. because the sun is already coming out. Oh, well, next time.

All right. Let's go ahead and show you what's going on weather-wise. Current temperatures look good. It's really mild.

What an unusual December it's been in cities like Boston. It's starting off really warm there, into the low 40s. Much colder in Upstate New York, where we have lake effect snow advisory still posted for today.

Down South, starting out colder in Memphis than it is in New York City. It's 31. But even more chilly in Little Rock, 29 degrees. Colder air is filtering in. And cold enough for some freezing fog out to the west. We're looking for that and into Amarillo and Lubbock this morning.

But high pressure bringing about brisk temperatures. In Chicago today, lots of sunshine. But highs today will be much colder yesterday. It's been a little wet in south Texas. All rain in Texas is beneficial, that's for sure.

So, high temperatures are also looking good, into the 20s. We're monitoring that in the areas of the Great Lakes. And once again, if you haven't stepped outside, can you still see the lunar eclipse out west at 6:06 Pacific Standard Time for about 51 minutes -- Christi.

PAUL: All righty. Good to know. Hey, Bonnie, thank you so much. Thousands of Russians are taking to the streets in protest this morning. We're going to tell you why they're angry about last week's parliamentary elections. Live report for you coming up.

You're watching CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Let's get you to Russia now. Allegations of voter fraud in last week's parliamentary elections have Russians riled up. They're demonstrating in the streets.

CNN's Phil Black is our guy on the ground with the very latest.

So, Phil, we've witnessed this Arab Spring this year. Could we be on the brink of a Russian winter?

PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Christi, a lot of the people we've been speaking to here today came to make the point that this is not a revolution. They are not trying to overthrow the government. They are here because they just want to know that their vote counts.

That is the overwhelming feeling, that in the wake of the parliamentary elections last weekend and the allegations that those elections were fixed or slanted toward the governing United Russia Party, these people, many of whom say, we're not normally politically active, we come here because we believe we were lied to or we just don't feel that our democratic process or democratic input is being respected.

It's not a revolutionary crowd but it is a boisterous, loud crowd -- one that is certainly very passionate. They've been chanting here in the snow through the afternoon. But they insist they're not looking to overturn the Kremlin or those inside of it -- Christi.

PAUL: So, boy, we can hear them over your ear.

A, what are they chanting, and, B, is Vladimir Putin listening?

BLACK: Well, I can tell you they're chanting that they want change. Largely, they're chanting in favor of the results from that election, holding a new vote. That's their primary goal in holding this rally. They want new elections to be held. They want to feel that their vote counts.

One of the other popular chants here is Russia without Putin. So, there is something of an anti-Putin feeling here among the crowd.

Whether or not Vladimir Putin is listening, well, we're some distance from the Kremlin. We can see some of the buildings in the distance. So, I'm sure the crowd is or the noise reaching quite that far.

But the people here certainly believe that they are successfully in sending a message because this sort of scene hasn't been seen in Russia's capitol for a long time. People are talking decades since tens of thousands of people have gathered together for political protests. They all believe they're sending a powerful message to Vladimir Putin -- Christi.

PAUL: All right. Phil Black live for us there in Russia -- Phil, thank you so much for the update. We appreciate it.

Are you looking for something really different, really special for that certain someone? How about letting them play G.I. Joe?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I felt like a real life size G.I. Joe. Perfect thing for the mid-life crisis.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What do you give a man that has everything but a tank?

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: We're rolling on that story. Play G.I. Joe, not just with G.I. Joe. Back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: It's that time of year, isn't it, where you're just racking your brain for gifts. What am I going to get the adventurous man or woman that has everything and I don't know what to get them?

Well, you might be able to find it in Minnesota. All it requires is let's say a bit of destructive streak?

CNN's Poppy Harlow found it at drive a tank near her hometown.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Hey there, Christi. Take a look. What you see is me in a tank driving over a car. That is right. We found a small business in Minnesota where you can do just that. Take a look.

(voice-over): Meet Larry. A 120,000-pound Chieftain battle tank.

That's destroyed.

Here you can drive it and crush almost anything you want.

I found Larry about an hour south of my hometown.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are in the drive a tank world headquarters in Kasota, Minnesota.

HARLOW (on camera): Don't you know.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sure, you betcha! HARLOW (voice-over): Marie Borglum and her son, Tony, own seven tanks. And for 500 bucks a pop, people get the ride of their life.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We imported them in pairs. So, we got two, and then, we got two more and two more.

TONY BORGLUM, DRIVE A TANK: We had an investment banker from Saudi Arabia stop by. I've had a group of engineers come there from all around the world. There's one from India, China.

HARLOW: These puppies are all Brits, 60 grand to 80 grand a pop. Turns out you can't buy American tanks.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You got to be a thinker to have these. I mean, it's not like just anybody can go out and buy them and make them run and keep them running.

HARLOW: And you've got to take a safety class before getting behind the wheel.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're here to drive tanks and shoot some guns. Do we have any questions, so far?

HARLOW (on-camera): OK. So, this is where we're going to drive them. Take a look. We're in the middle of the woods.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Drive a tank army. We can get it together. Ooyah!

HARLOW: Meet Rick. Driving instructor -- of sorts.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Boo-yah!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Boo-yah!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I felt like a real life-sized G.I. Joe. Perfect thing for the mid-life crisis.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What do you give a man that has everything, but a tank.

(LAUGHTER)

HARLOW: But don't even think of trying to shoot it. These guns won't fire.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Spectacular.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Disneyland for an Army retiree.

HARLOW: Now my turn.

(on camera): Down in hatch. Watch your feet. How do you brake? Here we go! UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Slow down just a little bit. Pull right. Pull right. Pull right. Good job. Perfect. OK.

HARLOW: I only hit one tree.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go down. There you go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You nicked a couple but got one pretty good.

HARLOW (voice-over): It turns out half the folks that drive them are women.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Women love to be in charge, have power. A tank is about as cool as it gets.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We had one gal that came in a camel skirt and flip-flops.

HARLOW: And at the end of the day, you get to do this.

(GUNFIRE)

HARLOW (on camera): It was quite a unique experience, both the most exciting and terrifying assignment that I have certainly ever been on. And it was really interesting how tight it was once you get into the tank. But once you get the hang of driving it, it's not all that difficult, although as you saw, I did hit a tree or two.

In terms of who was there, there were people there for bachelor parties, milestone birthdays. A real range of customers coming to drive a tank in Kasota, Minnesota. You can see our full story. We've also got it on CNNMoney.com -- Christi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL: I like saying it, Kasota, Minnesota. And my questions were the same as hers, how do I brake? How do I brake?

Five hundred dollars might be more than you want to spend, though, right? Well, we might have your answer here. We can tell you how to save while you're spending with Clyde Anderson. He's up next. He's got advice on how to get the most out of your holiday shopping dollar.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Well, is that a beautiful picture there or what? Just in time for the holiday. That's right next door to us here in Atlanta, the ice rink. It's the Centennial Olympic Park. And you can see right behind it, the Coca-Cola Center or the Coca-Cola Museum I should say. And the aquarium is there too.

So, if you happen to be in our area, go ahead and stop by. We'd love to see you.

Good morning to all of you in Atlanta and everywhere, wherever you happen to be today.

Wherever you happen to be might be in front of the computer trying to save money. I just had one of my Facebook friends e-mail and said, I'm in front of the computer right now shopping for Christmas. And guess how much you would probably spend.

Do you want me to tell you? Seven hundred and four dollars exactly. That's according to the National Retail Federation. That's how much the average holiday shopper will spend this year.

Our Clyde Anderson is here with some simple tips that are going to kind of help you save money on gifts without having to feel like a Scrooge.

CLYDE ANDERSON, FINANCIAL EXPERT: Exactly. Exactly. We don't want to feel like a Scrooge.

PAUL: And it's important because so many people are really trying to be cognizant of what they're spending. It's a tough time in the economy.

So, first and foremost I guess we have to take that advice that we are supposed to take to the grocery store too. Make a list.

ANDERSON: A list. A list is a perfect thing to do. A lot of us don't do that. So simple. Make a list.

Determine how much do you want to spend on these gifts. That's where you really kind of make your budget or spending plan. Know what I'm looking to spend and who I'm buying gifts for.

PAUL: How beneficial is it to spend online?

ANDERSON: I think it's amazing how much you can save by spending online. There are several companies that if you spend online, they'll do free shipping for you. Different things like that. Amazon, Google shopping.

It's amazing. I bought a book on Amazon for a penny last week. And so --

PAUL: Wait. Did you get free shipping with that?

ANDERSON: No, I didn't get free shipping. The shipping cost more than the book.

PAUL: Yes.

ANDERSON: It's amazing, give the gift of knowledge. Maybe you can get all of your shopping done on that one site. But I think it's too easy for some people.

They're used to the hustle and bustle. And just push a couple of buttons to do the Christmas shopping. It seems a little too easy.

PAUL: You know, whoever gets a book will wonder if you got it for a penny now.

Let's talk about layaway. That's just making a comeback.

ANDERSON: A lot of people don't even know about layaway because it's been gone for so long.

PAUL: So long, yes.

ANDERSON: Now, it's back. And Wal-Mart has introduced layaway again. Layaway is a great way to go ahead and secure those items that you want to get, but you're looking to save up a little bit more money or you just want to kind of put it aside until you're actually ready to make the purchase. It's great because it's better than using a credit card because you're not paying interest.

PAUL: Interest, yes.

ANDERSON: You may pay a little bit of a fee to go ahead and have the service, but you're not paying interest. And you don't get caught up in those holiday -- the cards, save 20 percent. Interest rates are so high on those cards, you really need to stay away from them.

And the rebate deals, most people don't even -- never do the rebates. You always say the rebate looks so good. I'm going to send that in and get my rebate. Most people don't do that.

PAUL: Why are we so lazy we don't do that?

ANDERSON: They don't do it.

PAUL: I don't know.

What about -- you say cut down on accessories. What accessories? What are you talking about?

ANDERSON: Well, really, when you're talking about shopping, I mean, for the holiday, everybody spends a lot of money on gift wrap and all of these other things.

PAUL: Oh, yes.

ANDERSON: Go to the dollar store. Get some gift bags, get some name tags, put a little bit of tissue paper, make it pretty and presentable but don't go and break the bank and getting all these fancy gift- wrapping done.

PAUL: I guess you're saying that focus should be the kids. They don't care about gift wrap anyway.

ANDERSON: Exactly. The focus would be the kids. I mean, think about it, call some of your friends, your family members and say, listen, this year, we're really focusing on the kids and that's what Christmas is about. And they're excited about it.

And some of the other people may be relieved. I don't have to buy you a gift either. Everybody is trying to save money right now. PAUL: What do you mean when you say use your junk mail? Who uses the junk mail?

ANDERSON: People kind of don't -- they overlook the junk mail. A lot of times there's great coupons or great deals to get things online. But a lot of times, people don't want that junk mail so they don't sign up for it.

Sign up for all of these things but set up a different e-mail account. Set up a different email account that's for coupons. Go to Gmail, set up a new account, and get all those coupons and set some time aside to go through and look in it and you'll find great savings.

PAUL: People might say I cannot squeeze anymore money out of my wallet. It's just not there. I guess giving time is the next best thing.

ANDERSON: I think you really ought to look at that from the standpoint of what the season, the true reason for the season is and go back to give back. I mean, if we got time, time is one of our most valuable assets anyway. So, if I can give some time to help a homeless shelter, help feed the hungry, help some children reading stories, doing something that's different and really kind of stepping outside the box to realize, OK, this is what it's all about.

PAUL: And what an example it is to your kids to see you doing that.

ANDERSON: Exactly.

PAUL: You're starting a trend that really matters.

ANDERSON: Exactly.

PAUL: OK, thank you so much.

ANDERSON: My pleasure.

PAUL: So good to have you here.

ANDERSON: Great to be here.

PAUL: Hey, speaking of gifts, did you know that the iPhone 4 is number four on the list of the top most shoplifted items? Next, we're going to tell you what three items beat it. Listen, you can eat the winner and wash it down with the runner up, after you stuff them under your shirt.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Do you know what the most shoplifted items are? I'm thinking you're going to be really surprised here. We were.

The iPhone four comes in at number four.

Men apparently tend to reach, though, for electronic toothbrushes and power tools. That's number three on the list. And number two, Jameson Whiskey.

And the number one most shoplifted item -- fillet mignon. Apparently, they're at the grocery store shoplifting.

I'm just betting you didn't see that one coming.

All right. Let's check our top stories right now. The Nobel Peace Prize ceremony happening in Norway. Here's a live picture.

I want to introduce you to the winners. Leymah Gbowee is a leading peace and women's rights activist. She's Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is next as well. Tawakkol Karman, she's known as the mother of the revolution in Yemen. Look at that standing ovation they're getting.

They're being honored for their commitment to women and their safety in that region. Congratulations to these women. Beautiful strong women there.

All right. More top stories at the top of the hour when CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues.

But let's talk to one of our favorite doctors now. "SANJAY GUPTA, M.D." is right here.