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St. Louis Tornado Warning; Deadly Storms Raking Region; Drunk Tests You Can't Refuse; Billy The Kid: The Verdict; The New Year Celebrations Begin Around The World; New Laws For 2011; St. Louis Tornado Warning; Roller Coaster Year for Stocks; Hopeful or Fearful in 2011; The White House In Pictures; Eco-Friendly Times Square New Year's Ball; Oprah On Her OWN
Aired December 31, 2010 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: All right, everyone. We're keeping a close watch on severe weather in the nation's midsection right now. Heavy storms, which could include tornadoes, are heading right for St. Louis. We know already that some winds have hit Washington County, Arkansas.
We also have a tally right now, as you look at these live pictures of St. Louis there, with the expectation of heavy winds, perhaps this tornadic activity. We know that three people -- the lives of three people have been lost and many injuries as well as this storm sweeps through Arkansas and now through Missouri. Again, live pictures of St. Louis right here.
Let's check with our Chad Myers who's keeping a close watch on this very severe nasty system.
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: This is a severe storm for St. Louis, Missouri and for all of the surrounding counting including - and including from Town and Country to St. Charles and all the way down toward Fenton - and that's Missouri. I know that there's a tornado on the ground with this storm. It was on the ground near Robbinsville, and it is probably still on the ground, now, just to the south and west of what would be Kirkwood. And, so, it has missed Kirkwood but the storm - the circulation is right there. And that would move right - it's centrally right into downtown St. Louis.
We've had reports from our west desk, and they make phone calls all over the country that there have been some reports of damage, already, in St. Louis from wind alone. There have been some building collapses in the parts of St. Louis. I don't have any details on where, when or how this happened., but we know that as the initial wind went through parts of St. Louis, that there was already damage. That was not even part of what could be a tornado on the ground.
You are probably hearing the sirens in St. Louis, right now. That's why this big pink box is here. There's a tornado warning for St. Louis proper and east St. Louis. From St. Charles all the way down here. All the way down to Festus and even down toward Desoto.
This weather is going to move through St. Louis in the next 15 or 20 minutes. I need you to stay inside. I need you to stay away from windows. Be sure the pets and the kids are inside. This is not a time to be outside looking at it. I don't want one iReport from this storm. I want you to be inside.
It is that serious for a big storm, like this, to be moving through such a large metropolitan area. Things are flying around the city. You cannot be outside and get hit by anything that is a flying piece of debris. Very dangerous situation anyway around St. Louis. If you're within 30 miles of St. Louis, stay inside.
WHITFIELD: All right, Chad, we'll check back with you momentarily on that. As you mentioned, that warning is in effect for the next 15 or 20 minutes. Very critical period. Thanks so much, Chad.
MYERS: Once it's gone, and when it's over, it's over. And it will be by. But this, right now, when it's coming right through there, especially with the circulation that I see on the radar, this could get ugly.
WHITFIELD: Yes. And people need to heed that warning and stay inside. Look for those small places in the house like the bathroom, right? Or the closet.
MYERS: Basement's always the best place. Basement - you always want to go to the lowest level. And if you live on the third floor, go find your neighbor on the first floor. You need to get away from that third floor height, because that's - the winds are higher the higher you go.
And then, down in the basement - the basement is the safest place, even though you think everything's going to fall in on you, it's still the safest place to be because the winds will blow over your head if, in case, if, in fact, the house does fall in.
WHITFIELD: New Year's, you know what that means. People go out and they party and, they have a good time. Maybe they drink a little bit too much. Well, now thousands of Americans will be starting the new year in jail because of drunk driving. Thousands more will be hurt in drunken driving accidents, and dozens will be killed.
So, every year police around the country look for new and better ways to keep the roads safe, and one idea that's, actually, catching on is the no refusal checkpoint. That's where police stop everybody for breathalyzer tests and arrest anybody who blows above .08 percent. That's the nationwide legal limit for alcohol in a driver's bloodstream. Drivers can refuse, but in many states, automatic penalties kick in.
And, now, in several states, police have a fall back. If drivers won't give their breath, police take their blood on the spot. Armed with a warrant from a judge who is on duty right there at the checkpoint. It's being done, or tried, in cities and towns from Arizona to Delaware, with a federal government's blessing.
Mothers against drunk driving called it a great deterrent. So, no rational person would deny that stopping drunken driving is a noble ambition. But no-refusal checkpoints may face a constitutional road block. For Two At The Top, we turn to Civil Rights Attorney Avery Friedman and is joining us today from Cleveland. Happy new year, Avery. OK, so we --
AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Yes, Happy new year to you, Fredericka.
WHITFIELD: We always have the right to remain silent, but when we have to give our blood, if the law says we have to do that, do we have to - have to adhere to that?
FRIEDMAN: Well, the law may say it, the question - and this is a unique part of the new program - they actually will have a - you know, maybe a guy in robes with the white bullion, I don't know, but he's going to be out there with the police entering warrants requiring that blood be given on the spot, and I think that's going to be problematic because, again, we're dealing with a body invasion.
Yes, there is a court order, Fredericka, but the difficulty is that the system presumes the guilt of the suspect, of the defendant, in all of these programs, they may have a judge there on the scene, but you know what? They don't have a defense lawyer on the scene to protect the rights of the suspects. And that's what may create the legal, the constitutional, issue presented here.
WHITFIELD: So, then the suspect who says, I'm not going to take the breathalyzer, I'm not even going to adhere to the blood test, what kind of recourse does that person have even though the judge is right there, because their defense will be, I don't have an attorney present. Is that enough?
FRIEDMAN: Yes. And the fact is if there's an argument that it is - it is an unreasonable search and seizure in a normal legal proceeding, when a judge enters an order, there is a right to an immediate appeal, under certain circumstances.
Well, under the new setup where there's a no refusal policy, who protects the individual, who may very well not be guilty, and he's presumed to be not guilty, who is protecting the rights of that individual? The idea of what's going on here, Fredericka, is unassailable, the idea that we do have a problem with drunk driving.
But the bottom line is that it needs to be refined to make sure, not only are the interests of the state protected, but the individual's rights of the presumption of innocence, also, must also be protected, and the system does not build that in.
WHITFIELD: So, it continues to be a real striking of the balance, a difficult striking of the balance between those, the privilege to drive, and the safety of others who are, also, on the road.
FRIEDMAN: That's exactly right. You nailed the issue. It is a balancing test. And these experiments of no refusal really recognize the pervasive problem of the abuse of alcohol, but the system hasn't balanced in the rights of the individuals, who are entitled to be protected, hopefully, no refusal will also build in the rights of those individuals. We're not there yet, but, ultimately, I think that's what we're looking for here.
WHITFIELD: Avery Friedman, always good to see you, happy new year.
FRIEDMAN: Same to you, Fredericka. All the best.
WHITFIELD: And we look forward to seeing a lot of you in 2011. All right, thanks so much.
All right, our sound effect today is the last word on Billy The Kid, at least for now. And that word is, well, I'll let you hear it straight from the outgoing governor of New Mexico, Bill Richardson.
He spent his last week in office deciding whether to pardon the legendary wild west outlaw for the 1878 murder of a sheriff named William Brady.
The issue for Richardson wasn't guilt or innocence but a promise supposedly made by the governor, back in the day, to throw out the charges if the kid testified in another case. Well, he did but was tried and convicted anyway. Later, he broke out of jail killing two deputies in the process. Here, now, is governor Richardson's decision, delivered this morning, on network television.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL RICHARDSON, GOVERNOR, NEW MEXICO: When Billy the kid killed two deputies, two deputies, two law enforcement members escaping from the Lincoln county jails, I have to include that in my decision. Accordingly, I decided not to pardon Billy The Kid because a lack of conclusiveness, and, also, the historical ambiguity, as to why Governor Wallace remained on his part -
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: All right. Well, that's a relief to the grandson of Pat Garrett, who killed Billy The Kid, back in 1891, but not to the Albuquerque lawyer who dredged this up in the first place. New Mexico's incoming governor, by the way, says she has for pressing issues to worry about.
All right, the new year just hours away, at least for those of you on the east coast and west, too. But with the new year comes a new set of rules and laws. Josh Levs is coming up next after the break to explain the changes.
And it is already, by the way, 2011 on the other side of the world. This is the annual fireworks show in Bangkok Thailand. More photos show you from Hong Kong. These took place over Victoria Harbor. Happy new year, everyone, around the world.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: All right, an ominous live look at St. Louis. You recognize the arch there. It is, now, that city, in the bull's-eye of a dangerous, deadly storm system that has already swept through parts of Arkansas and, now, into Missouri. Our Chad Meyers keeping a close watch of this. You mentioned a warning in effect for the next 15, 20 minutes. Has that been extended? What's the situation?
MYERS: It has been pushed off to the east. And, now, it's even into parts of Illinois. The storm has really roared through St. Louis, right now, and it is just about ready to exit to the city of St. Louis, go cross the river to east St. Louis. I'm going to stop this and show you the latest and the greatest. And then this pink box goes all the way into the St. Louis and into southern Illinois.
The weather - it's hard to say what this storm has done, right now. I'm still looking at all the national weather service data coming in from St. Louis proper. We know that there was some tornadoes near Pacific and there's damage out there. Robinsville, in Missouri, there was damage there to that town.
And this weather has charged straight into downtown St. Louis and then past. So, we will continue to watch this and I will monitor to see how much damage has occurred. We knew it was going to happen, this was a big weather event.
WHITFIELD: Boy, this has really been an incredible holiday season of some treacherous weather from coast to coast.
MYERS: Sure, absolutely.
WHITFIELD: Not skipping the midsection, either. All right, thanks so much, Chad. Check back with you.
MYERS: All right.
WHITFIELD: Appreciate that. All right, let's talk about some laws that go into effect. Just after midnight, this new year, they involve vending machines and your old electronics, just to name a few. And in Illinois, the scandals surrounding former Governor Blagojevich, has even brought a change. Josh Levs is here to tell us all about it. All these changes to expect.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, we have so incredibly many laws in this country, in the first place. And then every time there's a new cycle, you get new laws. And January 1st is the beginning of one of those cycles. And, I'll tell you, it's very interesting to look around the country and see what some of these laws are. And the first thing I'm going to talk to you about is campaign finance reform in Illinois.
It was, actually, signed into law on the anniversary of the arrest of this man, former governor there, Rob Blagojevich. The new law says individuals are limited to giving a candidate $5,000 in one election. Groups like unions, political action committees, are limited to $10,000. Illinois did not have rules like that before. They are now in place. Here is another law that's coming along. And this one is interesting. Vending machines. They're going to have to start showing calories. This is part of the health care reform legislation that you and I have reported on so much. President Obama signed into law. Operated from the 20 or more vending machines will be required to disclose calorie content for some of the items. And the same goes with restaurants. They have 28 locations or more.
WHITFIELD: So, now, it's not an issue of do I have enough change, now you're going to be influenced, your decision will be influenced by the calorie count?
LEVS: That's right, by the calorie count. Now, I'm having a few technical issues on the final day of the year. Look at that. Oh man, let's see if I can get to one. No? All right.
WHITFIELD: It's a 2010 buzz then.
LEVS: You know what's wild? This thing has worked for me every day throughout all of 2010. I'm just going to have to talk to you about these. So, let's not worry about what's behind. But let's see if we can, at least, get back to that, so it's not confusing you.
OK. So, next, what I'm going to talk about is your FSA. You know, when you go to the pharmacy, right now, you're used to being able to use your flexible saving account to pay for those drugs. And American Americans save a lot of money, because you're not paying taxes on those drugs.
Well, that goes away. You might have heard about the FSA changes coming this year. Unless they're prescribed by a doctor, you can no longer use your flexible spending account to pay for those over the counter drugs.
Another one here is coming out of Maryland. If you get pulled over by a police officer, that instead of the officer assigning you a trial date, which is what's normal, now what they're going to do is they're going to let you pick a date basically later on --
WHITFIELD,: So I could say, let me check my schedule.
LEVS: Yes, sort of. You go home, then you get in touch with them and you pick a date for when you would have the trial. And the reason is, what they're saying is that a lot of people wait until the day before their trial to call in and pay the ticket and that means that the officers are already scheduled to be at the trial. They have to change their schedule. The thinking is, if you you're your own date, then they won't even be hearing from you until you make that call. Maybe you'll pay. That should reduce some of that problem.
And, finally, one you mentioned. It is about Indiana. If you've got old electronics, if you've got an old broken toaster, if you still have an ancient Walkman from the '80s you never got rid of, right?
WHITFIELD: Yes, you do kind of wonder, what do I do with all this stuff? LEVS: Well, it will be illegal now there to put this in the trash. They're creating these new systems to collect and dispose of them. But if you stick it in the trash, they can actually come along and tell you that you broke the law.
We've got a lot more for you and I posted them at Facebook and Twitter. I'm at JoshLevsCNN. You can take a look there and you can see which ones strike you and also you can tell us about some of the laws that are affecting you.
WHITFIELD: And I haven't heard the word Walkman in a long time but something tells me somebody out there still has one, because they didn't know what to do with it either.
LEVS: Well, you know, look, it's something we don't have to recycle. I got it working again as soon as went to that screen.
WHITFIELD: Oh, look at that.
LEVS: Look at that, my toy's working again.
WHITFIELD: Just in time. All right. Very good. Well, you did a great job without it. So, there you go.
LEVS: Thanks, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right, Josh, appreciate that.
LEVS: Yes, you've got it.
WHITFIELD: All right, we're going to check back with Chad Myers. We've been telling you about this dangerous storm system that is threatening St. Louis now in the bull's-eye. What do we have?
MYERS: We have a tornado on the ground north of Waterloo heading to Bellville, Illinois. Bellville, Swanson (ph), you need to be on the -- you need to be underground if you can be. You need to be in a basement at this point. We know the tornado's on the ground. Bellville, a very big town just to the south and east of St. Louis, in Illinois, across the river, and the tornado is now across the river into Illinois Proper. So, Bellville, please get inside the house, into the smallest room, if you don't have a basement. Get inside. Stay away from windows. A big storm headed to you right now.
Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Chad, we'll check back with you momentarily.
We're going to take a short break for now and keep you updated on this severe weather system that's taking place.
That and also the roller coaster year for stocks, and your paycheck might have a little extra something once 2011 rolls around. We know that's going to make you happy. That's straight ahead in "Your Money." (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: We're ending 2010 with a tornado on the ground in Bellville, Missouri, just outside of St. Louis. Chad Myers with more on that.
MYERS: Illinois.
WHITFIELD: Illinois, sorry.
MYERS: Illinois. Across the river into Illinois. Yes, exactly. That's OK. The people know --
WHITFIELD: All in that same vicinity.
MYERS: They know exactly where you're talking about. There's the river there. Here's -- this would be the Missouri side. This is the Illinois side. I'm changing over to what's called Doppler Radar. I talk about it all the time. No one ever shows it to you. But here it is. We look for colors that are together. Reds and greens that are together are never a good thing. That means winds are going in different directions very close to each other. That means the wind's going this way and the wind's going this way. That means that storm is circulating right there in Bellville, Illinois. That tornado has been on the ground near Waterloo. I think it probably still is.
The storm has exited St. Louis for the most part and we do know now that there has been damage in St. Louis, into some of the suburbs of St. Louis. I mean we have Town and Country and Kirkwood and so many other towns around St. Louis. I'm focusing on the city of St. Louis. But when I mention it, I'm also mentioning the entire metro area. We'll keep you advised as we know how much damage actually occurred -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much. Hopefully minimal, but we know this has been a very dangerous, nasty --
MYERS: Yes.
WHITFIELD: Deadly storm system already with three dead as far as we know.
MYERS: That's right.
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Chad. Appreciate that.
MYERS: You're welcome.
WHITFIELD: All right, up and down, then back up again. U.S. stocks have been all over the place this year. So just how will things end up on this final day of 2010? Let's go straight to the New York Stock Exchange with Alison Kosik. She's there to help sort through all of it for us -- Alison.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Fredricka. Call it a see saw, call it a roller coaster ride, it's been a crazy year for investors. But the good news is, we're going to finish close to the highs for the year. Just how crazy of a ride has it been for the Dow? Take a look at this. We got off to a good start. Then, during the year, the flash crash happened.
Of course that was May 6th when the Dow was down almost 1,000 points for a brief time, followed by a really tough summer where stocks got crushed. But then, by the end of August, Fed Chief Ben Bernanke, he spoke in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, he was hinting at new stimulus measures that were going to be taken to boost the economy. The markets took off from there, Fredricka, and we're finishing with a strong December.
Just to give you an idea of how strong, the S&P 500, it's been up 17 of the last 21 sessions just this month. A really nice run. And if you look at the market overall for the year, we're looking at an 11 percent gain for the Dow. More than 17 percent gain for the Nasdaq. And the S&P 500 is up 12 percent for the year.
But, you know, we've got a long way to go. We had huge losses in the previous two years when the Dow tumbled 34 percent in 2009 and 31 percent in 2008. So, keep that in mind. But we are ending up in the plus column this year -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Oh, very good. So now what are the prospects for next year? What are trader's thoughts?
KOSIK: Trader are positive. You know, I talk to them every day and they're feeling good about next year. They see investors coming back to stocks, which is something that we didn't see happen over the summer. Also, they're saying what's really going to power this market is the fact that those Bush era tax cuts are being extended. And it's going to help -- it's going to help out a lot of people putting more money in their pockets. Same with those payroll tax cuts. It's going to go ahead and put more money in people's pockets.
But, you know, the fact of the matter is, there are concerns out there, too, oil prices are going higher. There are those European debt concerns that continue lingering. And cities across this country have serious debt problems. That's going to be a big weight on the economy.
But most of the pros, Fredricka, expect another good year for stocks. In fact, one portfolio manager, he thinks the Dow could go as high as 14,300. If it does, that would be a new all-time high. Keep in mind, we're only at 11,582 right now -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Alison Kosik, thanks so much. Appreciate that.
And be sure to tune in to "Your Bottom Line" with Christine Romans each Saturday morning at 9:30 Eastern time, and "Your Money" with Ali Velshi, Saturdays, 1:00 p.m. Eastern, Sundays at 3:00.
All right, New Year's Eve. Americans gearing up to welcome in 2011. Are they feeling more upbeat about the new year? Results of our new poll next in the stakeout with Ed Henry.
Aloha. I'm rubbing it in.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Oh, what a memory that Ed Henry had while hanging ten there in Hawaii and all this while we're just hours away from the start of 2011. So, here's a general question for everybody. Are you feeling more hopeful about the coming new year than the one that is almost gone? Our senior White House correspondent, Ed Henry, now with his feet dry after getting them a little wet while surfing there in Hawaii, back from that very tough assignment.
I say aloha, but really it's more like aloha not now that you're back in Washington.
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I know. I feel like this is payback time now because I was teasing you and everyone else about being in Hawaii. So now you play that "Hawaii Five-O" music because I'm in -- I'm in civilian clothes.
WHITFIELD: I like it.
HENRY: I'm actually going to be anchoring "JKUSA" tonight at 7:00 Eastern and I was toying with the idea of showing up for work today in a Hawaiian shirt -- they really call them aloha shirts.
WHITFIELD: Yes, why not, in shorts.
HENRY: And just kind of freak out all the producers and they'd be like, Ed's lost it. He think he's going to (INAUDIBLE).
WHITFIELD: He's still there.
HENRY: But -- and then have a suit in the car or something like that. But, you know, I just came by -- I got off a red eye and came straight to work.
WHITFIELD: Oh, well, yes, blame it on the time zone change. You know, it is tough.
All right, so give me an idea. This new year, 2011, do people have reason to feel fairly hopeful about this White House as it ended 2010 with quite a few victories under its belt?
HENRY: They did. And, you know, the president's news conference, before he left Washington here about a week or so ago, you know, he was certainly very upbeat in saying that because of that tax deal that he sealed with Republicans that, you know, a lot of economists were upbeat about 2011. So you would think maybe there would be a bit more confidence.
But I was fascinated by this new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll that basically asking people about your own personal life, are you hopeful heading into 2011? Well, now, at this time, people are saying -- 64 percent are saying they're hopeful, whereas at this time in 2009, 69 percent said they were hopeful. So it's actually down 5 points. Are you fearful? Thirty-three percent now saying that, whereas a year ago, 30 percent were saying that they were fearful. So it's increased ever so slightly.
So you have to, you know, this is why the White House is nervous going into this new year because they've got a whole new power dynamic on Capitol Hill with Republicans taking over the House in the middle of this week. John Boehner will be sworn in as speaker, number one. And, number two, we're not far away from the 2012 campaign. As you know, Fred, that's starting in a few months. They're not going to wait until 2012.
WHITFIELD: Right.
HENRY: Some of these Republicans are going to jump in. And when a big chunk of the country is not feeling that hopeful and it is less hopeful than they were a year ago, that's worrisome for this White House.
WHITFIELD: OK. Well, let's talk about reflecting a little bit on 2010. I understand that to reflect, you have some great White House photos to share with us.
HENRY: Yes. Well, you know, so -- we've got so many great producers here at CNN, all throughout the network, but particularly in our White House unit. They don't get a lot of the credit that Suzanne and Dan Lothian and I get throughout the year. So they put together this great photo spread of some of the wonderful photos they've taken, along with our photojournalists that also don't get a lot of the credit but do wonderful work. And it's right now at cnn.com/1600report. You can check it out.
And I'll show you a few here. You can see the one of First Lady Michelle Obama working out with some D.C. school kids. That was taken by Shawn Shepherd (ph), one of our White House producers. That's pretty cool. She also took one when the first family went on vacation, not Hawaii, but Bar Harbor, Maine. And that was just kind of an off- beat moment. You know, the kind of moments you don't always see when it's --
WHITFIELD: Looking like a teenager there hanging with the kids.
HENRY: Yes. Yes, exactly. Looking, you know, a little bit different than you see here in Washington when it's all work. And then at the NATO Summit, Kalil Abdula (ph), one of our great photojournalists, captured a good moment with President Obama, President Sarkozy, kind of joking around a little bit at that NATO Summit in Lisbon.
So we're going to do a little bit more of that on "JKUSA" tonight. We're going to actually have some of our White House producers on "JKUSA" tonight talking about some other photos they took. Some big moments from 2010, reflect on the meaning of them. And then we're going to take a look also. Our Pete Souza, the official White House photographer, he's just posted his favorite photos of the year. So we're going to take a little bit of a look back, but also a look forward at 2011. A big year for this president.
WHITFIELD: You are a busy man as we say goodbye, sayonara to 2010, and ring in the new year, because even after "JKUSA," on Sunday, we'll see you again, filling in for Candy Crowley on "STATE OF THE UNION."
HENRY: That's right.
WHITFIELD: So what's on tap?
HENRY: Well, I think, obviously, everybody wants to be on vacation because they're having me anchor a couple of shows.
(LAUGHTER)
HENRY: So there's nobody left, Fred. And that's why they turn to me. No, seriously, Candy, well deserved Sunday off. We got some good guests. We got Darrell Issa. He's going to be the Republican leading all the investigations once the House -- the Republicans take over the House. He's going to be our guest on Sunday morning, 9:00 AM Eastern. He -- you know, we may get some hint from him about what kind of hearings he may be launching, what he might be doing to investigate the Obama administration moving forward. That's a whole new bit of oversight they have not had with Democrats on the Hill.
And then we've got an exclusive guest, Tim Kaine, the Democratic party chairman. He's going to come on, talk about the president's agenda. President's been promising to make the economy, jobs is singular focus the next two years. Big State of the Union address coming up at the end of January. What's he going to say? We're going to get a preview from Tim Kaine.
WHITFIELD: Fantastic. Look forward to all that.
HENRY: Happy new year.
WHITFIELD: Thanks so much, Ed. Appreciate it. Sorry I'm not able to say inimhalo (ph) and mean it because you're there.
HENRY: I know. I wish. Happy new year.
WHITFIELD: You got used to that, didn't you.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: Back to reality. All right, happy new year. Enjoy.
All right, let's talk about this nasty weather that's sweeping through Illinois, Arkansas, Missouri. Chad, what's the latest?
MYERS: Right. Yes, some fatalities from overnight. About 6:00 o'clock in the morning, in the dark, tornadoes hit parts of Arkansas. Right now, I'm going to focus in on St. Louis because I'm just getting some information here. Here's St. Louis proper and then all the freeways around St. Louis, I-70, 64. But I'm going to go all the way out here near a town of Fenton (ph). That's Kirkwood right there. Fenton would be right here.
We know, at least from the weather service print-out that I'm getting here from the National Weather Service monitor here, it sounds like they're going to be sending a heavy rescue task force to Fenton and to Melville. Melville's a little bit farther off to the east, right, Fred, about there.
But I know that a storm did roll right across there, south of Kirkwood. And it was -- it was spinning. It certainly was doing everything that a tornado would be doing, and also, it was wrapped in rain so you couldn't even see it. So we will get more information on how much damage is there. Crews are on their ways, obviously, and as soon as helicopters can get in the sky, all of our affiliates will be watching it for you.
WHITFIELD: Oh! Very volatile situation. Thanks so much, Chad.
MYERS: You're welcome.
WHITFIELD: All right, let's talk about new year's, ringing in 2011. And guess what? The famous ball is to drop in New York's Times Square. You know, thousands, millions descend upon that. But what's it take to get all that to happen? We'll update you after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, this breaking story we want to tell you about, coming out of Pearland, Texas. We understand a reported bank robbery is under way in that city, according to our affiliate reporting, KTRK. Two armed men apparently held up a Chase bank right there in Pearland earlier today. Investigators are saying that the robbers actually beat up the bank's manager. An unknown number of people are being held against their will, held hostage there inside the bank.
Of course, when we get any more information about how police are responding to this, how the people are doing, of those, how many might be held hostage, we'll be able to bring that to you. So again, this bank robbery reportedly under way there in Pearland, Texas, at a Chase bank. And we understand two armed men are holding a number of people hostage -- we don't know how many, but a number of people hostage at that Chase bank, which if you know the Pearland area, it happens to be right in the Main Street section there in Pearland, Texas.
And of course, we're also going to bring you more on the weather that's taking place, some severe weather that's already sweeping through parts of Arkansas, Missouri, as well as Illinois. You've been hearing from Chad Myers with reported tornadoes on the ground. And he was mentioning that in certain cities, already people are being urged to go to their basements or to small closed-in areas, the most protected, safest places of their homes or businesses because of this tornadic activity. Already, three people -- the lives of three people have been claimed and a number of injuries reported there in that region.
And meantime, all this as we close out 2010 and get ready to ring in 2011. And of course, one of the central places in the world where people like to do that would be Times Square. You're looking at live pictures right now of New York City, still with a whole lot of snow mounds along the way there in Times Square. Millions of people will be descending upon Times Square, the Big Apple, to get ready for ringing in 2011.
And of course, one more reason why they come, besides just being with everybody, is to watch the ball drop. CNet contributor and tech expert Katie Linendoll joins me now live from New York. Katie, you're going to be out there in the cold, braving the elements to take advantage of the great sights that this promises to bring?
KATIE LINENDOLL, TECH EXPERT: I will not be out there because there are no public bathrooms, and that is enough for me right there.
WHITFIELD: I know what you mean.
LINENDOLL: But Fredricka, I have to tell you, it's pretty incredible, the process that goes behind --
WHITFIELD: Yes!
LINENDOLL: -- the actual ball drop.
WHITFIELD: Tell me --
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: -- technology involved here.
LINENDOLL: -- Times Square -- yes. A million people expected in Times Square, and a billion will actually watch the video of the ball dropping. But I want to take you through a timeline because it started in 1907. And the first ball drop actually was made of iron and wood and it was about 700 pounds.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh!
LINENDOLL: Now through the years, we've become a lot more tech- savvy, and now here in 2010, we have a 12-foot in diameter ball, one that weighs 11,875 pounds and uses over 32,000 Philips LED lights. Now, what's remarkable is it's using this LED technology, which is 88 percent more eco-friendly. It actually costs as much to power two ovens as it does to power the ball every single hour.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness!
LINENDOLL: And when you have all these different LED lights, you can actually generate up to a billion different patterns and up to 16 billion different colors. And what's so cool is, you can actually put photographs and images right on the ball. You can put the Mona Lisa on the ball, Fredricka --
WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness!
LINENDOLL: -- if you wanted. WHITFIELD: That's beautiful. And so when we talk about the ball and the crystals involved, we know that for the past couple years, it has involved Waterford crystals. Same goes for this year?
LINENDOLL: Yes, over 3,000 Waterford crystals. And I have to tell you, I had the opportunity to talk to Philips North America, who's actually in charge of the ball drop. And something I found so interesting. We're talking about how this started in 1907, and they actually used a pulley to bring that ball down the flagpole.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
LINENDOLL: Now there are six electricians that stand by.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness!
LINENDOLL: Everybody's kind of on guard to make this thing drop in 60 seconds because they use hydraulics and a number of different (SIC) electricity. But really, we talk about 11,000 pounds on the ball.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
LINENDOLL: What causes that, to your point, is those Waterford crystals. Crystals are very heavy, and when you have over 3,000 of them, you can imagine why this ball is so incredibly large in size.
WHITFIELD: Boy. But bottom line, they say it's eco-friendly, and that is something to be excited about, too. So --
LINENDOLL: Yes.
WHITFIELD: Again, you're a CNet contributor, CNet providing information, tools, advice that can help everybody decide what to buy, how to get right (ph) the most out of the tech. The Web address is CNet.com. Oh, that is so cute! I love that!
(LAUGHTER)
LINENDOLL: Yes. Got to mix it up around here!
WHITFIELD: Every year, very fun. Oh, yes, 2011, bring it on, right? All the best to you. Happy new year.
LINENDOLL: Happy new year.
WHITFIELD: All right, have a good time. Katie Linendoll, thanks so much. Appreciate that.
All right, one more time, as we get ready for ringing in 2011, sadly, 2010, the end of 2010 being marked by tragedy now, the remnants of the tornado coming through there -- this is out in -- give me that city one more time? This is Sunset Hills, Missouri, not far outside of St. Louis, where we believe this tornado touched down. You see the remnants there, the damage. You saw debris there in that field. Chad Myers has been giving you an idea all afternoon long about the warnings in effect, the dangers as a result of the tornadoes already touching down in parts of Illinois, Missouri, and we know also in Arkansas earlier. Our Chad Myers is getting ready here at the weather wall.
We're going to take a short break. We'll get back to our coverage of this severe, deadly storm with our Chad Myers right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, deadly tornadoes taking place. Look at these pictures right here --
MYERS: Wow!
WHITFIELD: -- outside St. Louis, Missouri. Chad Myers in the Weather Center, this is serious.
MYERS: This is Sunset Hills, Missouri. This is not that far from downtown. This is a 15-minute ride from downtown, to the southwest of the city of St. Louis. We know that Fenton was hit. I believe this is probably the same tornado because this is just right up from Fenton. Multiple damages to businesses, homes destroyed in Sunset Hills. I don't know how long this video's going to last. This is literally right off the truck, right from St. Louis, right to us, right to you. It doesn't get any more fresh than this.
And the damage there -- obviously, the tornado was spinning at this time. I can show you where it was on radar here in a little bit, but these pictures are just -- are so -- so incredible. This would be -- here's St. Charles. Here's downtown St. Louis. And the river goes all the way like that. If I zoom in, I'm going to get you right in here, you're going to see the town of Fenton show up. There's Kirkwood right there. There's Fenton. And if you would just go right on up from here, right where that storm was -- there's Fenton. Right on -- right -- as it goes, watch the red come in, right there, right through there. That's where Sunset Hills would be, and that's where the damage occurred.
Most of this weather now is east of Missouri into Illinois. But this is what a tornado can do. We knew it was going to be like this. We knew pictures were going to be here, didn't know what town was going to get hit. But clearly, that was a tornado on the ground. We'll get more video, more pictures, more information as the day wears on.
WHITFIELD: What an extraordinary season. We've had ice, snow, flooding and now this tornadic activity to end our 2010.
MYERS: And because there's such a big cold front to the west of this, and how muggy and warm it is right here where these people are standing, this is not going to be over. This is going to go on most of the night, too. There are tornado watches all through the evening.
WHITFIELD: And this continues to have the momentum as it moves eastward?
MYERS: Yes.
WHITFIELD: Oh, boy.
MYERS: Up toward Peoria, maybe even into Chicago. Not like this, but certainly, Chicago is under the gun for something tonight.
WHITFIELD: All right, Chad Myers, thanks so much. Check back with you. Appreciate that.
All right, meantime, as we wrap up the year, we'll take a look at the woman you chose as the 2010 "CNN Hero of the Year," and that's coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Today is the last day of 2010, and we want to look back at the hero who you the viewers chose as the 2010 "CNN Hero of the Year." Anuradha Koirala has made it her life's mission to stand against the sexual exploitation of young girls in Nepal. She patrols the border between India and Nepal, where girls are trafficked every day to India's brothels. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANURADHA KOIRALA, PROTECTING THE POWERLESS: In the West, America, Europe, if someone comes and says I want to make your child a prostitute, you would give them one slap or shoot them. But here, families, they are tricked all the time.
Girls are brought from the villages by people who can lure them and tell them that they're getting a nice job.
The border between India and Nepal is the conduit point of trafficking. Once they're here, there is no way to escape.
I am Anuradha Koirala and it is my strong hope to stop every Nepali girl from being trafficked.
When we go to the border, exit points, we are intercepting four girls to five girls per day.
(translated text): Let me see your papers again.
(speaking): After the rescue, the girl is taken to Maiti, Nepal. We started this to help rape survivors, trafficking survivors, we take everybody.
The girl who is come back from brothels, they are totally psychologically broken. We give them whatever work they want to do, whatever training they want to do.
One day we will really stop it. The trafficking will end.
These are all convicted. There is always a small scar, that yes, one day I was trafficked, but today I am something new in my life. They are my strength.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Anuradha Koirala's work has rescued and rehabilitated more than 12,000 Nepali girls. To watch her patrol the border between India and Nepal, or to nominate someone you think is a hero, go to CNNHeroes.com.
Meantime, these other top stories, breaking stories we continue to follow for you. First, out of Pearland, Texas, where a reported robbery, bank robbery is under way at a Chase bank there on Main Street. We understand, according to our affiliate, KTRK, that two armed men went into that bank, and they are now holding people hostage. We don't know how many, and we don't know what negotiations are like at this point, as well.
But right now, an ongoing reported case of an armed robbery taking place there at that Chase bank at Pearland, Texas.
And then, of course, we continue to follow the deadly storms that have moved through Arkansas and are now hitting Illinois and the St. Louis area of Missouri. There are reports of tornadoes touching down, and we're just getting these reports and these new images in right now of multiple collapsed buildings, lots of strewn debris, homes that are damaged, as well. These images right here coming out of Sunset Hills, Missouri, which our Chad Myers says is only about 15 miles outside of St. Louis.
A tornado is already being blamed for the deaths now of at least three people in northwestern Arkansas, and more could be trapped. Authorities say at least five people are now in critical condition. We'll continue to update you on that severe and deadly weather system.
So you've watched her for years, for an hour every day. But starting tomorrow, you can get all the Oprah time that you want. We take a look at the OWN network, as the queen of daytime prepares to kick off her new network.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, Oprah is looking to make good on a new year's resolution and start the year off with a big bang. Well, the queen of talk launches OWN, the new Oprah Winfrey Network tomorrow. There will be plenty of series and shows picked and created by, who else, Oprah. CNN entertainment correspondent Kareen Wynter give us a peek into what's to come.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OPRAH WINFREY, TALK SHOW HOST: It all begins here!
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's arguably the most ambitious endeavor of her career, a 24-hour television channel dedicated entirely to the vision of Oprah Winfrey. WINFREY: I could take every hero who inspired me.
MATTHEW BELLONI, "HOLLYWOOD REPORTER": The launch of OWN is a huge deal in the television business.
WINTER: TV expert Matthew Belloni says he knows what OWN's greatest strength and challenge will be.
BELLONI: Oprah -- she has a huge advantage in launching a network because she is a brand. The danger is that the programming may not live up to the brand. I mean, that's the big question mark.
WINTER: Here's how Oprah plans to answer that question.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a time for new beginnings.
WINTER: In "Ask Oprah's All-Stars," a live audience goes one on one with Dr. Phil, Suze Orman and Dr. Oz.
WINFREY: Everybody has a story.
WINTER: "Master Class" profiles eight world icons. "Season 25" takes fans behind the scenes of Oprah's hit talk show, while "Big Bowl of Love" invites viewers into the kitchen of Christina Ferrare.
CHRISTINA FERRARE, "BIG BOWL OF LOVE": This is my dream come true chapter, and this is what I love to do.
WINTER: And for those who love clutter, Peter Walsh has "Enough Already."
PETER WALSH, "ENOUGH ALREADY": This is a show that looks at people's stuff, but gives them a road map out of this overwhelming amount of clutter in their house.
WYNTER (on camera): And by (ph) Peter (ph), so many new networks fail. Why do you think this one is different?
WALSH: People want -- want to -- to be the best they can be. People want heroes. People want inspiration. Here at last is a level of programming that brings people that.
FERRARE: There are a lot of critics out there. And I personally don't understand. Why wouldn't you want to have this kind of programming, when today, all you see now are those shows about, you know, housewives pulling each other's hair.
WALSH: I know it's easy to be cynical or skeptical, but I, for one, am so excited about what's going to happen when that switch is flipped.
WINTER (voice-over): The switch gets flipped New Year's Day, when viewers will decide whether they will shine a light on OWN.
(END VIDEOTAPE) WYNTER: OK, Fred, the first official program on OWN airs at noon on New Year's Day, a two-hour special hosted by Oprah will be called "Oprah's Guide to OWN." As for all those the Discovery Health (ph) shows, only two are going to remain on the network, "Deliver Me," as well as "Mystery Diagnosis." But this is a huge endeavor --
WHITFIELD: Huge!
WINTER: -- for the queen of all things media.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh!
WINTER: It's a huge test.
WHITFIELD: It is gigantic. And something tells me she's not going to sleep a wink tonight, knowing that tomorrow is the big, you know, curtain-raising. Kareen Wynter, thank you so much. Appreciate that. Happy new year.
All right, coming up, the studies in 2010 that made you say, Duh! Some of the less ground-breaking discoveries of the year straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, in today's "Odds & Ends," the studies that perhaps we could have done without in 2010 because they seem to have an obvious conclusion. These were compiled by Livescience.com. How about this one published in "The Journal of Neuroscience," meth can harm an unborn child. This seems like a no duh. But to be fair, there was new research from the study. It identified particular learning problems meth-exposed children could have.
Another child-related study that seems pretty obvious, bullies pick on the unpopular kids. This study came from "The Journal of Child Development" and found bullies target kids less likely to be defended by their peers.
All righty, then. And how about this one? Smoking a lot of weed is bad for you. These according to studies now, marijuana use can mess up your head, according to the Society of Neuroscience. That was their scientific way of putting it. Results show the more weed a person used, the greater difficulty they had focusing. And I'm willing to bet they were a little bit hungrier, as well, say those who know about the product.
So could this be the biggest waste of a study in 2010? Early in 2010, Australian researchers said they discovered the most reliable way to lose weight was to eat less, exercise, or do both. No kidding here. This is a study. But you know, there are so many weight loss magic pill promises out there, maybe sometimes we just need a little reminder of the basics. But an entire study? Rhetorical question.
All right, checking now the hour's top stories. Severe weather in Illinois and the St. Louis, Missouri, area. Right now, tornadoes reported on the ground, and reports of serious damage coming in, as well. A tornado hit northwestern Arkansas earlier today, killing at least three people and critically injuring five others.
And then on to Texas, where two armed men are holding people hostage in a bank in the town of Pearland. That according to our affiliate KTRK. They're reporting we don't know at this time how many people were taken hostage. We'll keep you posted on those developments.
And security, of course, is tight this hour at Times Square. Live pictures right now, site of tonight's New Year's Eve celebrations in the Big Apple.
