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CNN Saturday Morning News

Gingrich Stirs Palestinian Controversy; Payroll Tax Cut Fight; Holiday Honors for Military Dead; Newt Gingrich Makes Controversial Statement About Palestinian People; Anti-Government Protests Continue In Russia; Tech Expert Discusses Holiday Gifts; Financial Advice For Your Holiday Shopping

Aired December 10, 2011 - 11:00   ET

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

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: From CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING, December 10th. Good morning, everyone. I'm Christi Paul in for T.J. Holmes.

I hope the morning has been good to you so far. Sit back relax let's talk about what's happening in the world.

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich facing a firestorm of criticism after he calls Palestinians an invented people. A Palestinian leader says the GOP front-runner's comments are racist.

Thousands of White House visitors have done it. Now President Obama has, too. He sets off a metal detector at a White House security checkpoint.

And across Russia, angry protesters take to the streets. They say parliamentary elections were rigged. The target of their anger, the Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and his party.

Controversial words from Newt Gingrich today. He says Palestinians are -- and I'm quoting here -- "an invented people". Gingrich made the remark in an interview on the Jewish channel. Here it is.

(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 were -- 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 in fact are Arabs and who were historically part of the Arab community.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: Then Gingrich went on to say it's tragic that Palestinians didn't leave the area when they had the chance, rather, sustaining a war against Israel. And he also called the Middle East peace process, quote, "delusional". Well Saeb Erekat a top Palestinian executive committee member shot back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SAEB EREKAT, PALESTINIAN EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE: I believe this is a very, very low statement. This is a racist statement. And we condemn it with the strongest possible terms. And such statement is really inciting for bloodshed of Muslims, Christians and Jews in the region and we don't need such low level of particular statement.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: Newt Gingrich is likely to face more heat for his comments tonight, of course, when he faces off with five of his Republican rivals in a debate in Iowa. Mitt Romney's campaign is already responding.

I want to bring in CNN political producer Rachel Streitfeld she's following the Romney campaign and she is in Des Moines.

Rachel, thanks for being with us. Tell us, what is the Romney campaign saying at this point?

RACHEL STREITFELD, CNN POLITICAL PRODUCER: Well, we have yet to hear directly from Governor Romney. So we'll look to see if that comes up in the debate tonight. In the meantime, we have heard from one of his supporters, former ambassador Mary Kranger (ph) yesterday. She said that these comments make her nervous and she said that they -- they get -- they will not help accomplish a solution in the Middle East.

And then she tied that into a larger attack that the Romney campaign has been pushing against Gingrich. They say that he is an undisciplined campaigner. They say he makes off-the-cuff comments that can then be turned around and used against him by his opponents. And what they're trying to say there, of course, is their argument that Mitt Romney would be a better opponent against Barack Obama than Newt Gingrich this fall.

That's what we're hearing from the Romney team.

PAUL: All right, well Rachel, tell us what we're going to expect tonight in this debate. Are we getting any sneak peeks here at what's going to be tops on the agenda?

STREITFELD: So well, we'll see all of the -- the six GOP contenders meet up. And I think the things to look out for here is will they even let Newt Gingrich finish his introduction before they start going after him? We've seen Gingrich solidifying his support in some of these early voting states. And he is crediting that success to his debate performances.

So we'll watch certainly Mitt Romney whose status as a front-runner has been threatened by Gingrich's rise. So far, Romney has been content to let his campaign do the attacks. We'll see if that changes tonight.

And also we'll look to Congressman Ron Paul. Paul served with Gingrich when they were in the House and he has not been shy about going after Gingrich who called him a flip flopper, that he's not a true conservative. I expect we'll hear more of that tonight at the debate -- Christi.

PAUL: All right, Rachel Streitfeld -- excuse me -- thank you so much for being with us and getting us that perspective again at the debate tonight.

A program note for you, too, join Fredricka Whitfield every Sunday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. Eastern for a special hour dedicated to the presidential contenders in the 2012 election.

Well, on Capitol Hill now, the focus is still on the payroll tax cuts. It's set to expire at the end of the year so both Democrats and Republicans do have plans to extend those cuts. There's not a lot of common ground between them. President Obama has called on Congress to get it done. In an interview with CBS News, in fact he acknowledged that there's no quick fix for this economy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you overpromise? Did you underestimate how difficult this was going to be?

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I didn't overpromise and I didn't underestimate how -- how tough this was going to be. I always believed that this was a long-term project, not a short-term project. And for individual Americans who are struggling right now, they have every reason to be impatient. Reversing structural problems in our economy that have been building up for two decades; that's going to take time. It's going to take more than a year, it's going to take more than two years, it's going to take more than one term. It probably takes more than one president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: Both parties are being pressured to cut a deal or millions of voters will face a tax hike in an election year.

You know three champions for women's rights in the developing world equally share this year's highest award for non-violent struggles, the Nobel Peace Prize.

Two Liberian women, one of whom is the country's president received their prizes in Oslo today. Look at her there, the other recipient is the first Arab woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize recognized for her role in this year's popular uprising in Yemen. Congratulations to all of them.

A death penalty decision in a home invasion murder case. But the attorneys for the convicted murders say the jury's decision was wrong and they've got a reason.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Well I have to tell you, there are new allegations 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 his AAU basketball team. There has been no comment by the way from Dodd, he's actually battling colon cancer now.

The scandals in Penn State, Syracuse and now the AAU are bringing sexual abuse out of the shadows. At noon, we're going to hear from the ex-wife of an abuser and the impact it has on the families. So hopefully we can better understand there are some people who are sensitive about.

A Connecticut jury meanwhile has recommended the death penalty in the case of a brutal home invasion. The 2007 attack left a mother and her two daughters dead.

Well, Deborah Feyerick has the details from New Haven.

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christi, the Petit family came to this courthouse ever day of the trial and every day of the penalty phase as witnesses testified for the defense as to why the jury should spare the life of Joshua Komisarjevsky. But in the end, it was not enough. The jury did not buy the argument that Komisarjevsky was mentally impaired during the commission of this horrible home invasion, nor did they believe that he played a minor role.

Death on all six counts for the murders of the mom, Jennifer Hawke- Petit and her two daughters, 17-year-old Hayley and 11-year-old Michaela.

The sole survivor, Dr. William Petit said this was never about blood lust nor was it about vengeance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. WILLIAM PETIT, WIFE, DAUGHTERS MURDERED: We certainly have been criticized over the years that this is vengeance and blood lust, but this is really about justice. There was a number of people on that jury who really -- weren't really sure whether he should have the death penalty. But after they looked at the facts of the case, they could only see their way to find one appropriate punishment that would serve justice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FEYERICK: Komisarjevsky stood at attention his hands behind his back for almost two hours as each juror was polled. One juror told us that a lot of tears were shed during the deliberations, but in fact they believed that while there were mitigating circumstances as to the upbringing of this boy, in fact, they were not enough to lessen the penalty. The defense lawyer for Komisarjevsky spoke after.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEREMIAH DONOVAN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, we continue to believe that the appropriate punishment in this case is to confine Joshua in a state prison for the rest of his life, but it's just wrong to give their authorization to functionaries of the state of Connecticut to kill this deeply disturbed young man.

(END VIDEO CLIP) FEYERICK (on camera): Joshua Komisarjevsky was led away in handcuffs he will be sentenced on January 27th and will likely join his accomplice on death row -- Christi.

PAUL: All right Deborah, thank you so much.

Meanwhile, I want to show you the candlelight vigil that took place on the campus of Virginia Tech. They gathered last night to remember a campus police officer who was shot and killed on Thursday. A father of five.

Well, state police say Ross Pruitt Ashley (ph) killed that officer before killing himself. Ashley was apparently a part-time student at nearby Radford University. They're still searching for a motive, though, in that attack.

An army of volunteers, men and women giving their time today to the military who are buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Who these folks are, why they're doing what they do, we are live with you from Arlington next.

And you know winter officially begins December 22nd. I know it's close. For those of you thinking about escaping the cold, "Travel & Leisure" magazine just named the best cities for winter travels. We have those top picks for you in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: So with the winter travel season approaching, "Travel & Leisure" magazine named the best places to travel for the winter. And coming in third -- oh, that is a beauty, isn't it -- Phoenix in Scottsdale, Arizona. Visitors, you spend some time golfing, shopping, relaxing at the spa in this metro area. I lived there for five years. I can tell you, it is a little slight slice of heaven. It's true.

Second, Honolulu, Hawaii. Now, who really would dispute that? It's great for couples and families, obviously because of the weather and all the outdoor activities.

But, you know claiming the top spot was San Juan, Puerto Rico. Stellar deals, apparently, and a big dose of sunshine boosted it to the top spot.

Meanwhile today, volunteers across the country are spending this Saturday morning at military and veteran cemeteries helping lay holiday wreaths on the headstones of fallen service members. This is the arrival this morning of donated wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery outside Washington, D.C. About 100,000 wreaths will adorn headstones just at Arlington alone.

I want to go there live now with CNN's Athena Jones. She's with these volunteers. And Athena, I can bet you've probably heard a lot of moving stories today. Tell us about it.

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well certainly. As you can see, all of the headstones behind us here in Section 60, this is where those who are fallen in Iraq and Afghanistan are laid to rest. You can see it that all the tombstones here had the wreaths at them. And so the crowd has thinned out a little bit but Earlier on, there were hundreds and hundreds of people here.

There were a lot of people in uniform, marines, people from the army. There were people in wheelchairs, soldiers who had been injured, very young people in strollers, boy scouts.

So we talked to several people. I talked to one woman who was here to support a friend who lost her son in Iraq in 2007. She drove all the way from Tennessee. Listen to what she had to say followed by what another person had to say here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's important for everybody to be recognized, personally.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a nice time for everyone to come together and remember why we're here and what we're fighting for and some of these tombstones and graves, they haven't been visited in years. I think it's really amazing that we can come here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: So there's been a lot of emotion today. You have people who are praying that their loved ones who are deployed overseas will come home safely. You have others who are mourning the loss of their loved ones.

There was another woman who came up from Florida. She lost her son at the beginning of 2007. And while she was here to see him laid to rest at his funeral, she hadn't been able to come back and see his headstone. So she came here to see his headstone for the first time.

So you have a lot of stories like that, people who wanted to come out and just to pay their respects and honor the sacrifices the troops have made, even though they didn't personally know anyone who's serving or who they've lost. And you have others who are here mourning a loved one, all here to honor this day.

This is, of course, an event that began 50 years ago with this group, Wreaths Across America. They've now expanded. It began with only 5,000 wreaths donated here to Arlington National Cemetery. Now, it's expanded to more than 500 cemeteries across the country in all 50 states. And of course, this number, 100,000 marks the biggest number of holiday wreaths being laid here on this 20th anniversary -- Christi.

PAUL: All right. Boy, I can imagine, especially for that woman in Florida who had never seen her son's burial place. It has to be really comforting on some level to see that many people there remembering these men and women. It's got to be really comforting for these families, I think.

Athena Jones, thank you so much for bringing us the story. We always, of course, remember the men and women who have fought for us and their families, as well. Thanks, Athena.

You've probably heard a lot of times this year, didn't you, did you hear what they said? We're going to run down the year's most memorable quotes from some pretty memorable newsmakers, yes, like that guy, Charlie Sheen.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: What was the top quote of 2011, you wonder? We're talking about the most powerful, most meaningful, maybe just most memorable words spoken by people in the news this year, words that in a lot of ways shape what the year was about, right?

So our Josh Levs is here with the countdown. I say meaningful and I know one that you're going to quote. And there was nothing meaningful about it, but it was comical.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was comical and it got a lot of attention.

PAUL: Yes.

LEVS: Look, some people think these end of the year lists are kind of hokey. Here is why I like them. They help us stop and take stock. We look back at some of the big stories of the year, right?

PAUL: Right.

LEVS: So the folks at time.com had put together their top five quotes of the year.

The first one is really hard to guess. Here is the quote. "It has been a really tough weekend." And the person who said it is Harold Camping, whom "Time" describes as doomsday preacher. They're at Number 5 quote of the year. Broadcaster who predicted the world would end. That quote came two days after the rapture failed to occur as he said it would.

PAUL: Yes. Not so much.

LEVS: Yes. And then he actually predicted the world would end again in October, unless it did and we've all been suck into a vortex to some other world, we just don't realize it.

PAUL: And we don't realize where we are.

LEVS: It could have happened.

PAUL: But maybe he doesn't realize where he is and that might be part of the issue. I hope he's ok.

LEVS: I think it's a little more like that.

OK. Number 4, you're all set for, right? I'm going to tell you this quote, then you tell me who said it. Quote, "I'm on a drug. It's called -- PAUL: This is what is so sad about this. I do not remember this quote. I do not hear this quote. But when he said, "I'm on a drug" I went, "It's got to be Charlie Sheen."

LEVS: It's Charlie Sheen. That was Number 4 quote of the year. Here it is. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHARLIE SHEEN, ACTOR: Yes, I am on a drug. It's called Charlie Sheen. It's not available because if you try it once, you will die.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEVS: Oh, my goodness. He was insisting he was not on drugs or alcohol and that's what "Time" is calling the Number 4 quote of the year.

PAUL: That was Number 4?

LEVS: That was Number 4 of the whole year.

All right. Let's go Number 3 now. And this actually is a lot more serious. This is -- it's kind of chilling to hear in retrospect. The quote here is, "They love me. They will die to protect me, my people." And here is that --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOAMMAR GADHAFI, FORMER LEADER OF LIBYA: They love me all.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But if they do --

GADHAFI: They will die to protect me and my people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEVS: That was former Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi back in March, seven months before he was captured and then killed in his hometown of Sirte.

All right Number 2 is a really interesting one, totally not guessable again. But I'm going to tell you what it is. It's "They had to know." And this quote comes from Bernie Madoff. "Time" is calling this the Number 2 quote of the year in this convicted Ponzi schemer, now in prison.

This was when he was speaking to the "New York Times". He was trying to argue that banks and hedge funds were complicit in his fraud. A lot of people look back on this case and think it's no larger than just him as a sign of corruption elsewhere.

So "Time" is calling that Number 2.

And finally, this one is a giveaway. I'm just going to tell you three words. The Number 1 quote of the year, quote, "We got him." What's that?

PAUL: Is it Obama? President Obama?

LEVS: It is. And in fact, that's what President Obama said about Osama bin Laden. He actually did not say this when he came out later and spoke. But when he was announcing, this is actually what happened in the White House situation room after learning that SEAL Team 6 had located and killed Osama bin Laden. The President said the words, "We got him".

You can get the full list -- I put it up for you. And you can weigh in on what you think the top quotes and stories of the year were. You're going to find links to all of that at my pages at cnn.com/josh and on Twitter and Facebook @JoshLevsCNN.

This is totally subjective. So whatever you think the top quotes of the year are, tell us.

PAUL: And, you know, I ask you to go to my Facebook page. I'll start something here in a minute. I want your best quotes of the year. Think about this list. You've got President Obama, Moammar Gadhafi and Charlie Sheen on the same list.

LEVS: So Charlie Sheen can be on it. And any of us can be on it.

PAUL: I want to know what you think is the best quote. I'll put it on there in a minute. I have to do it during the break.

LEVS: And later we're going to share some of your best quotes of the year right here on the show.

PAUL: Yes. I love it. OK. Thank you very much.

LEVS: You've got it. Thanks Christi.

PAUL: The clocks are ticking down to tomorrow night's live broadcast of "CNN HEROES". It's an all-star tribute. Our annual show saluting the top 10 heroes of the year. It's recognition that can help our honorees do even more to help others, which sounds impossible when you see what they've already accomplished.

Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, one of last year's top ten is an example here. His global food program feeds more than 580,000 people children worldwide every day. But this year, Magnus successfully took on a daunting new challenge. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: It's the most severe drought to hit East Africa in 60 years. The U.N. Refugee agency has called it the worst humanitarian disaster in the world.

MAGNUS MACFARLANE, 2010 CNN HERO: It's overwhelming coming here and just seeing the scale of the need here. Most people, when they see children on the brink of starvation, the first desire of all of us is to give those children something to eat. COOPER: That's exactly what Magnus has been doing since September when he brought 20 tons of food to Mogadishu, Somalia's capital. Delivering the aid was a daunting challenge as a terrorist group has blocked many Western humanitarian organizations from entering the country. Mary's Meals used its regional partner to do what others couldn't.

MACFARLANE: So often you hear, it's not possible to get the food to the people. They need it in Somalia. Well, we've just seen today that it certainly is possible.

The meal that we provide is a porridge mixture called (INAUDIBLE), very, very cheap, but very nutritious.

COOPER: Mary's Meals plans to ship a total of 200 tons of food by the end of the year. That's more than 2 million meals. It's been a life- changing journey for this one-time salmon farmer who feels more at home helping others than he does in the spotlight.

Macfarlane: The CNN Heroes thing was a bit weird for me but at the same time it was most wonderful opportunity to tell people about Mary's Meals and it's allowed us to meet many more people as a result.

Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL: Pretty awesome guy there. Don't forget to tune in this Sunday night, 8:00 p.m. Eastern, yes tomorrow night to "CNN HEROES, AN ALL- STAR TRIBUTE". It's hosted by Anderson Cooper, live from the legendary Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. It will inspire you, I promise you that.

Thousands of people, meanwhile, are packing the streets of Moscow today, furious. They say last weekend's election was rigged and they're not taking it sitting down. We're live from the Russian capital, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: I want to get you your top stories right now. A human rights group says at least 16 people were killed today in clashes throughout Syria. The United Nations says more than 4,000 people have died in Syria's nine-month anti-government protest movement. On Friday, anguish. Furious Syrians carried the body of a 10-year-old boy to his burial. They say he was killed by anti-government aligned gunmen who fired on his home.

This year has been a record setter for U.S. drivers. You probably know this. You've spent a lot of money on gas. Totally, it's been $448 billion on gasoline so far this year. But I want to put that into perspective for you, because that's already $100 billion more than last year. The oil price information service points to consistently high oil prices as the main reason for that there.

President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden taking in some football action today. They're both attending the Army-Navy game this afternoon in Landover, Maryland. It's the 112th meeting between the two big rivals.

Tens of thousands of Russians filed into a central Moscow square today to protest last weekend's parliamentary elections. The protests come after they believe there was favoritism to Vladimir Putin's united Russia Party. They believe there was fraud. Well, our Phil Black is at the protests. He joins us live now. I know it's over, but they were expecting about 20,000 people and upwards of they were hoping for. Phil, do you think they made it?

PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They got something pretty close to that. Even the police estimate, Christi, was around 25,000. The protest organizers themselves, they claim it was somewhere up around of 80,000. That is probably a little optimistic. The truth is somewhere in between.

But it is still an impressive crowd. Tens of thousands of people coming together in a political protest in the streets of Moscow is not something that has been seen in two decades from around the time of the fall of communism here. So it is a significant political statement in and of itself and it all seems to have gone of quite successfully.

It was peaceful. The crowd there was in a very good mood generally. I would describe them as defiant but passionate. There were lots of happy faces. The general attitude among the crowd was -- and many of them told me this -- this isn't a revolution. We're not trying to overthrow the government. We want the government to know that our vote should count. There was the overwhelming feeling that their votes had been taken away from them and were ultimately worthless as a result. They want to reverse that. They want those parliamentary elections to be declared null and void and to have a fresh new election.

PAUL: What's the plausibility that that would happen, that there would be a new election? And is there any early indication at this hour that the government has heard them?

BLACK: There's no sign that Vladimir Putin, the prime minister is ready to give in just yet. He has maintained from the time that the results started coming through that it was fair and democratic. And regardless of the anger we've seen on the streets, he doesn't appear ready to exchange that view.

The protesters themselves weren't necessarily expecting this one event to change the political landscape or to achieve that specific political goal. But what do believe is that this in itself was an achievement to simply make this happen, as I say, unprecedented on these streets for such a long time. They've shown it can be done and they hope to hold similar events like this and in the end achieve their goal.

PAUL: And it seems like they may have benefited in some way because Moscow wasn't the only place that saw these protests, was it? BLACK: No. We understand not. It's an indication that perhaps that the anger about these elections is more than just what exists here in Moscow. There was another big demonstration in St. Petersburg. That was the next biggest one, thousands of people there. We understand that went off peacefully as well.

And there are reports of other smaller protests across this vast country also. So it is a movement as such. There is real feeling behind it, and it exists across a great geographic area. So there are a great many across this country that feel this way and ultimately want these elections to be redone. As I said, Vladimir Putin is not about to make that happen or to allow that to happen just yet. But in the eyes of all of these protester webs they believe they've seen a fairly powerful message to the Kremlin today.

PAUL: Thank you so much, Phil, live in Moscow. We appreciate it.

High tech gifts, you know how popular those are. I bet you have them on your list, too, for Christmas. Come up, we're going to show you some things that is going to make your gift stand out on Christmas.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: You see that there, a total lunar eclipse. Sky watchers were thrilled by this in part of the U.S. earlier today. I had people on my Facebook page saying I'm out, I'm looking for it. Folks on the west coast, you had the best seat in the house. This is how it looked from Seattle.

(WEATHER BREAK)

PAUL: It is estimated as many as two out of every three gifts this holiday season, they're going to be those electronic devices everyone knows and loves. So many choices, though. We're going to help you wade through that information to pick the right gift. Earlier today, I talked with digital expert Mario Armstrong about some on the hot high tech gifts out there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARIO ARMSTRONG, DIGITAL LIFESTYLE EXPERT: First thing is first. It's cold now. I have on what seems to be a regular pair of gloves. But these are made by a company called free hand. Basically reveals a little bit of your fingers so you can touch screen on all of your devices. There are different gloves that have the conducive tips on them, as well. But these are inexpensive and a great gift for those that still want to text while it's cold outside.

PAUL: With technology, you don't have to go up out of your seat very much, so what about the coach potatoes? What will make them happy?

ARMSTRONG: The couch potatoes, if you do not have an internet connected TV, you want to get a box called Roku. Basically it connects to your internet connection at home and context to your television to you can get content from Netflix right to your TV. So it basically brings the internet on to your television and it has an easy to use remote. We're talking like $79 for this and no monthly fees for it.

PAUL: Nice. The kids might like that, one too, but there has to be something geared towards kids, right?

ARMSTRONG: Yes, of course. Tablets are absolutely big. A lot of people say, Mario, do we do iPad, the Kindle Fire? I think for kids, the Kindle Fire, it's $200, less expensive than buying a $500 tablet, but I think for kids to do educational things, to read books, do homework, have music, videos, apps, all types of things from education to entertainment, I think for $200 and getting a kid a tablet, there is a solid one. Although this is also for parents and those adults out there, as well. They would want a kindle fire, as well.

PAUL: My mom, I think they fought technology for a long time, but they love the iPad. What's out there for grandparents?

ARMSTRONG: Well, you know, I think the iPad is great for grandparents because you can do everything for scrabble and word games that they love. But one way to go old school with it is something I'm holding right here. It's called the iCade. The iCade comes to us from a really cool website. Check it out. It's called ThinkGeek.com. You put your iPad in the iCade. You can see I have a regular joy stick and buttons, like a 25 cent slot here. Basically, you download an app on to your iPad for 14 bucks and then you can play with the joy stick all the old school classics that you grew up on.

PAUL: I love it.

ARMSTRONG: So this is loads of fun. So Pac-man, Tank, Missile Command --

PAUL: Asteroids. I challenge you to Asteroids, Mario.

ARMSTRONG: You're on. Done deal. You're going down.

PAUL: Let's do it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL: Yes, you remember those days, Asteroids, all the good ones.

OK, the holiday shopping season may get you into the Christmas spirit. Your wallet may have some other ideas. We'll show you how you can save a few bucks and still celebrate the season.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: The national retail federation says the average holiday shopper will spend $704. They're very specific in those $4. Earlier financial expert Clyde Anderson told me about ways to save money on gifts without feeling like a scrooge. He says, just like when you go to the grocery store, you have to start with a list.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLYDE ANDERSON, FINANCIAL ANALYST: A list is a perfect thing to do and a lot of us don't do that. It's so simple. Make a list and determine how much you want to spend on these gifts. Know exactly what I'm looking to spend and who I'm buying gifts for.

PAUL: How beneficial is it to spend online?

ANDERSON: It's amazing how much you can save by spending online. There's several companies that if you spend online, they'll do free shipping for you. I bought a book on Amazon for a penny last week. And so --

PAUL: But wait, did you get free shipping with that?

ANDERSON: No. But it's amazing, give the gift of knowledge. But I think it's too easy for some people. They're used to the hustle and bustle. And so just push a couple of buttons and do all your Christmas shopping seems a little too easy.

PAUL: You know, whoever gets a book from you this year will be wondering if they can get it for a penny now.

Let's talk about the 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. Now it's back and Wal-Mart has introduced layaway again. Layaway is a great way to security those items that you want to get but maybe you're looking to save up more money or you want to put it aside until you are ready to make the purchase. It's better than using a credit card because you don't pay any interest. You may pay a fee, but you don't pay interests and you don't get caught up in those holiday cards, save 20 percent. And interest rates are so high on those cards, you really need to stay away from them. And the repeat deals, most people never do the rebate.

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

ANDERSON: I don't know.

PAUL: I don't know. I don't know. You say cut down on accessories. What are you talking about?

ANDERSON: When you're talking about shopping for the holiday, everyone spends a lot of money on giftwrap and all these other things. Go to the Dollar Store, get some gift bags, nametags, a little tissue paper. Make it look presentable, but don't go and break the bank on fancy gift wrapping.

PAUL: And you're saying the focus should be the kids and they don't care about giftwrap, anyway.

ANDERSON: Exactly. Think about it. Call some of your friends, your family members and say, listen, this year we're focusing on the kids and that's what Christmas is about. They're excited about it and some other people may be relieved. Everybody is trying to save money right now.

PAUL: What do you mean when you say use your junk mail? Who uses their junk mail?

ANDERSON: People don't -- they overlook the junk mail. A lot of times there are great coupons and deals. Set up a different e-mail just for coupons. Set time aside to go through and look in and you will find great savings.

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

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

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL: The Newsroom continues at the top of the hour with Fredricka Whitfield.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: We have a lot straight ahead beginning with our legal guys. They are with us every weekend. They're so dedicated. We have an interesting topic, including that of ESPN's Erin Andrews. You know a few years back she was a victim of a peeping tom and the gentleman was convicted. Possibly another case involving her and that peeping tom back in court. She's now suing the Marriott hotel as well as the convicted peeping tom for invasion of privacy and negligence. She's suing for millions. Our legal guys will be along with us to see.

PAUL: You could have seen that coming, don't you think? When it all happened, you thought there's a lawsuit in here somewhere.

WHITFIELD: I guess, you know, I'm surprised because I thought perhaps she was moving on. But you know, it is unresolved. That's exactly what she is saying.

And then a financial fix. I know you talked earlier about someone -- you know, meaning behind your spending this holiday season. OK. Karen Lee, financial expert, will be along and will talk about making extra money, because you are likely to spend a little bit. People are always extending their budgets, exactly. She says, you know, there are a few things you can do. A virtual garage sale might be one way. Really tap into your skills. Maybe you are great at gift wrapping. Maybe that's a side business.

PAUL: I bet there are people that would pay for that.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

PAUL: Good thinking.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

PAUL: Considering, you know.

WHITFIELD: There's a lot of things I probably don't want to do that if somebody does it better than me I will pay them for it.

Then reclaiming your career. Valerie Burton joins us every weekend to talk about things you can do to improve your, you know, professional outlook. A lot of folks are out of work or perhaps you have a job and it is time to think about how to maximize what you -- what you have. So negotiating, the art and skill of negotiating, whether it is for a pay raise for better position. She will tackle some of the steps that you need to take, because there really is an art to kind of -- you know, asking for something, sometimes you have to give up something as well. Negotiate when at the table with your boss

PAUL: How do you pose it and the verbiage you use.

WHITFIELD: Exactly, the right words to use and ones to stay away from. So we've got a lot straight ahead beginning at noon eastern.

PAUL: Thank you, Fred, so much.

WHITFIELD: Good to see.

PAUL: You, too.

Of course, a lot of White House visitors know what it is like setting off a metal detector.

WHITFIELD: Hopefully not.

PAUL: President Obama knows now too.

WHITFIELD: He had to try it on for size.

PAUL: He was walking back to the White House from the Blair House and stopped -- stopped at security guard apparently and stopped at a gate, walked through it, and it beeped. Apparently it was his cell phone and joked he wanted to see what it was like going through, just going through the checkpoint.

WHITFIELD: He enjoyed being like everybody else and then you get into the White House and he's like, you know, I need a reminder of what it is like to be like everyone else.

PAUL: Like everybody else.

(LAUGHTER)

Food and water shortages, we know, are two crucial global concerns. But a simple idea may go a long way in solving a complicated idea. We will introduce you to Aqua-Ponics. Go make some great memories today. Stick around. Red has so many good things to talk about.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PAUL: Checking stories across-country today. We start with a big move for Coca-Cola in Atlanta.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

The world's largest soft drink maker moved its secret formula to the soft drink to a new home, the company's World of Coca-Cola Museum. The formula, developed in 1886, had been kept in a safety deposit box in a vault in a downtown Atlanta bank since 1925. The closely guarded secret remains in a safety deposit box, but it is now housed in a new exhibit entitled, quote, "The Vault of the Secret Formula." Sounds a little like an "Indiana Jones" flick doesn't it.

Also, in the Portland, Oregon, suburb, of Gresham, proof you have got to watch those little ones every minute. Four-year-old Jesus Atello (ph) ran out of his house while babysitter was changing his little sister's diaper. And what a trip he took. Surveillance video showed him get on a rapid transit train for a two-mile ride. Apparently he headed for the building where his mother had an appointment. Smart four-year-old, right, though? Fortunately police did find him and took him home.

And Santa delivers an early Christmas gift for two sisters in Harden County, Kentucky.

SERGEANT WESLEY "TOMMY" NEEL, U.S. ARMY: Is that what you want for Christmas? Are you sure?

PAUL: Army sergeant first class Tommy Neil surprises his daughters Bailey and Katie at school. He had just returned from his fifth deployment overseas.

NEEL: It is tough on grownups. You can't hide from that. As far as them, it is really tough on them.

PAUL: Welcome home, Tommy. We are betting this family has a lot of catching up to do.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL: Those stories never get old. CNN Newsroom continues with the one and only Fredricka Whitfield.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: Thanks, Christi. You have a great day. See you tomorrow morning.