jerry -- and i zip it up. no, you're fired. get out. >> you actually fired a guy for wearing a green bay packers' tie? >> correct. >> were the customers complaining? >> not yet but we weren't going to give them the opportunity to do so either. >> how is that for the love of the game in bob cook has never missed a single super bowl ever. he's attended all 44 of them and next month will be extra special because he's a home-grown packers' fan. he belongs to the never miss a super bowl club. the nfl started sending tickets aside for the club. an 85-year-old just made it into the guinness book of world records for bowling the most perfect games on nintendo's wii. john bates recorded 2,850 perfect games next year. his next goal is to set a world record in wii golf.
and i'm like, "brooklyn?" and they're like, "no, no, no, where are you from?" >> so, we have this common experience in america and we just come and try to make sense of it. i view the world as a minority. before 9/11 i didn't, but now i do. if you're not arab -- this means god willing. arabs in situations -- i was in a restaurant, i'm not even joking, i'm in a restaurant in the middle east and the guy goes where's the bathroom? and the waiter goes over here. the guy goes i'll be right back. >> guys like jon stewart make it easier. we're not the first people to talk about our place in american society and the challenges of being a non-white persuasion, let's say. >> we're the new blacks, right? we're sort of, you know, whitey is scared of us. whether or not, you know, racism was cured, it sure helped when there are people out there sort of talking about it and dealing with it. there are many americans out there who are protesting the building of mosques.
>> he always has something to say, right? he opened up this store in iowa through a business connection. he intends to work at the location to help draw customers and he was there yesterday for their grand opening. he has a message for kfc's colonel sanders. >> there's a new guy in town, flavor flav. >> yeah, flavor flav. >> fried chicken, ffc. i've got the first dollar holler. >> he also said, and i quote, my chicken ain't no joke. i ain't scared to go up against the colonel taste-wise. he says he developed his own special chicken recipe over the last couple of years and his family owned a diner and he attended cooking school in the late 1970s. >> who knew?
and how about kiefer sutherland admits to briefly working for the fbi? >> i think they'd want him. >> they might. he's a sharp guy, that kiefer sutherlin. >> he is my hero. >> i would like to see gas prices drop $5. how about $1. >> we'll take that. anything is good at this point. thank you, jacqui. want to know how deep the vif valley runs between the green bay and packers? oh, too much? now get an lg quantum™ for only $99.99. only from at&t. rethink possible.
lawmakers say mingle seating with send a message of unity. russia's president blames poor security for the suicide attack that killed 35 people at moscow's biggest airport. he vows that those responsible will be eliminated. expected to plead not guilty in the death of michael jackson, dr. conrad murray is charged with involuntary manslaughter. oprah's big news. everybody is talking about it today. winfrey reveals that she had a half sister she did not know about. her mother gave up the baby in 1963 when she was living in another city and with her father. >> today oprah winfrey announced that she has found her half sister who was given up for adoption as a child. isn't that crazy? and then so that no one felt left out, oprah gave everyone in the audience their own half sister. president obama gets ready to face the nation and a divided congress to deliver his state of the union speech tonight. we know he will focus on jobs and the economy and a democratic service says he will lay out a plan for winning the future. let's bring in dan lot three lothian. do we know the specifics of this plan he will likely present to the nation? >> since yesterday that's something that we've been digging on and privately we're hearing bits and pieces what is in the plan but publicly the white house is saying, let in general the president will be talking about jobs and the economy, not only building jobs in the short term but over the long term as well. and two buzz words that we've been hearing a lot about here at the white house, it's examin competitiveness and what can can the president do to be a bigger and better player on the foreign and global stage. and one of the other issues that the president will touch on is something that republicans have been dinging this administration about, and that's the deficit. they believe that this administration has been spending too much to try to get out of the recession and that there needs to be more focus, a bigger focus, rather, on cuts. the president will address that in his state of the union address. and then finally this issue of bipartisanship. you were talking about how a couple dozen lawmakers will be mingling, going across the partisan divide. those traditional seating arrangements at the addresses and mingling tonight. that's a good start say white house officials. but what's important is what happens tomorrow. >> well, like prom night, i think it's symbolic but i think what the president is most concerned about is tomorrow and will we be able to work together tomorrow? sitting together is one thing. working together and moving our country forward on behalf of the citizens of our country is what the president's first priority is. >> and one of the things you'll hear from the president tonight is looking back to what happened at the end of last year during the lame-duck session how there was compromise that took place and how on tax cuts for the wealthy americans, something that the president was not initially backing, that was something that they did give in on something. the president will talk about that as a an example of what can happen going forward, moving forward the agenda here in washington, carol? >> so after the president speaks and democrats and republicans mingle, there's going to be the republican response. or should i say responses, including -- >> responses. that's right. typically you have the republican response but in this case you'll have not only the republican response from representative paul ryan but also you'll have the tea party response from minnesota congresswoman michele bachmann. what is interesting about this is that, you know, some are talking about possibly this being an example of a big divide within the republican party. but one top republican official is saying, listen, that is simply not the case, that both of these responses will be focused on one message but you'll have different voices. >> we'll see how that plays out and if they are right. dan lothian live from the white house, thank you. tonight's speech comes three weeks after the deadly shooting rampage in tucson. lawmakers will pay special tribute to congresswoman gabrielle giffords as she recovers from a gunshot wound. the arizona delegation will sit together, leaving an empty seat forgive fords. her brother-in-law, scott kelly, will watch it all from the international space station. >> well, it's certainly a horrible tragedy on so many levels, not just with gabby but the other victims, a 9-year-old girl christina. it's been tough but i'm able to follow the news and talk to my brother and other friends and family members via telephone we have on board and communicate with e-mail and actually watch the news actually cnn is the way i've been following the news as it unfolds. and so i'm able to keep in touch and i'm doing well with it. >> we're glad to help. scott kelly said he would prefer to be there to support his family but he has a responsibility on the space mission and, let's face it, it's a long commute back from space. the state of the union address begins at 9 followed by the republican response at 11:00, anderson cooper brings you expert analysis and reaction to the state of the union. coming up at the half hour in the cnn "newsroom," we look back at one of the president's promises from his 2010 speech and whether he delivered. but, first, we go cross country. once a first responder, always a first responder. how one man saved another from an icy fate. 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[ disco music plays ] ♪ whoa, yeah is it just me, or is it getting funky in here, huh? get your groove on, y'all! catch you on the flip side! i'd tell him the sign's not finished, but it would just break his funky little heart. more discounts, more ways to save. now, that's progressive. call or click today. congressional republicans are sending a clear message to the white house just hours before the president's state of the union address. dana bash is on capitol hill. i guess the bills are flying up there. >> reporter: that's right. this is a resolution. it's a resolution that is steeped in symbolism. it's to instruct the house budget chairman, paul ryan, who is going to be giving the republican response tonight, to take the spending levels back to 2008 levels. that, of course, is before president obama was in office. it is part of the pledge to america and republicans now say that will probably add up to about $60 billion less than what they originally promised, which was $100 billion in cuts in spending for this first year. that is something that republicans say that they want to do to make clear to the american people, to the voters, and especially the base who sent them here who say cutting spending is their top priority. but they are listening and want to send that to the president, too. that is one thing we heard from house republican leaders when they came up to the microphones earlier today. but another piece of news, carol, what i'm talking about is a resolution but they are going to go beyond that and actually have the first big real spending fight just a few weeks from now, the week of february 14th. that's when the house republicans will hold a vote on -- keeping the government running, which effectively is spending. that's warehouse republicans want to show that they are willing to cut spending in a way that -- >> on valentine's day, that's terrific. let's talk about the spending cuts. what about specifics? what are they going to cut? nobody is saying what they are going to cut. >> reporter: they are not. in this resolution that they are passing today, it's just a few lines and instructs the budget chairman to do that. one of the most frustrating thing for myself and other reporters has been to ask gop load leaders about specifics because they say they are going to work on that in the future. however, interestingly, there is a very large group of conservatives, conservative republican study committee who released their own proposal last week, trying to pressure their own republican leadership to make steeper cuts, even steeper cuts, and they were specific. they listed a whole host of things that add up to that, billions of cutting spending from amtrack, education and other things. there we do have some specifics. we'll see what the leadership eventually comes up with but we don't have a lot right now. >> all right. dana bash, i'm sure you will be there. live from capitol hill. let's go cross country and check stories that our affiliates are covering. a former paramedic is the first to reach a man who police say hopped a fence behind the joe lewis arena and straight into the detroit river. the former paramedic threw him his jacket, told him to grab on to his sleeve and held on until others helped pull the man ashore. vice president joe biden was out of pocket. he was sitting for what other calls jury duty in delaware. he was not picked for the case. >> the judge addressed us all and said, look, everyone, doctors, lawyers, she never mentioned vice presidents, but -- and, you know, she said, homeless people, everyone is required to serve. look, it's part of citizenship. >> and they will be talking about this one for a while in missouri. a truck filled with pigs flipped over on a highway ramp and pigs were everywhere. drivers couldn't go anywhere until, of course, the pigs were finally rounded up. flavor flav takes on the colonel. the public enemy rapper opened flavs fried chicken. he said, watch out. jacqui jeras is all over this story. >> hey, carol, say it again, will you? come on. >> please don't make me. >> he always has something to say, right? he opened up this store in iowa through a business connection. he intends to work at the location to help draw customers and he was there yesterday for their grand opening. he has a message for kfc's colonel sanders. >> there's a new guy in town, flavor flav. >> yeah, flavor flav. >> fried chicken, ffc. i've got the first dollar holler. >> he also said, and i quote, my chicken ain't no joke. i ain't scared to go up against the colonel taste-wise. he says he developed his own special chicken recipe over the last couple of years and his family owned a diner and he attended cooking school in the late 1970s. >> who knew? i can't figure out why he's in iowa. >> i know. i think his business partner, his brother, owns a restaurant in clinton and that's why. there's 26,000 people in clinton, just so you know. >> i get it now. it's all clear to me now. >> they must all love chicken. >> there's something kind of cool trending on twitter. >> yeah, it's kind of fun. if you're bored and have nothing to do, answer this one, under the hash tag unlikely headlines. so some people really have come up with a creative things. it's kind of fun. how about this one? economy fully recovered. tax rebates for everyone. >> we'd love to put that in. >> isn't that great? we can always dream, right? >> yeah. >> how about this one from lord g. al mighty. god hires j.k. rowling to rewrite the bible. and how about kiefer sutherland admits to briefly working for the fbi? >> i think they'd want him. >> they might. he's a sharp guy, that kiefer sutherlin. >> he is my hero. >> i would like to see gas prices drop $5. how about $1. >> we'll take that. anything is good at this point. thank you, jacqui. want to know how deep the vif valley runs between the green bay and packers? oh, too much? now get an lg quantum™ for only $99.99. only from at&t. rethink possible. going out to eat is about to get more expensive. alison is on the floor of the new york stock exchange with details. let's start with mcdonald's. how much are we talking about? >> reporter: well right now mcdonald's is not saying when it's going to raise prices on its menu items. we'll see price increases on the menu this year. now, keep in mind that this is going to be an across the menu hike in prices. mcdonalds is going to go in there and raise prices on only select items. it's kind of a balancing act because if you think about it, people go there to get a low-price meal and rule number one in the fast food biz, you don't want to scare away the consumers with high prices at your restaurant, carol. >> i know. but what is behind the increase, then? it's not like the economy is getting increasely better? >> it is getting better but mcdonald's is raise blaming it on the rise in meat and grain. the higher commodity prices are affecting restaurants all over the place. don't be surprised when you sit down at a local restaurant where you go to and see that the menu items are more costly because this is par for the course. corn and wheat prices are up more than 65%. cattle and hog prices are up by the double digits. part of the problem is we've had really extreme weather conditions. in canada, we've had a lot of rain and floods in australia. russia has been dealing with droughts. this has really become a global problem, not so much a mcdonald's problem. >> okay. i'm ready to pay the increased costs. the dow got very close to the 12,000 mark yesterday. will it make it today? >> oh, yes. so close yet so far. not today. it doesn't look that way. the dow is down 53 and nasdaq off 13. analysts tell us, you know, the market doesn't always move in a straight line and a retreat is not really such a bad thing. it becomes a buying opportunity for a lot of investors. what is really weighing on the markets today, earnings from johnson & johnson and 3 m, they are down 2%. we also got a downbeat housing report. monthly home prices fell 1%, which is also weighing on sentiment. investors here on the floor are definitely awaiting the state of the union address today and are hoping to see some business-friendly policies coming out of that. carol? >> all right. alison, many thanks. chicago is bears town but is the office is place to send a message to green bay fans? john was fired for wearing his packer's tie to work on monday. it was just one day after a bitter playoff lost to the most hated rivals. who here's how it played out. >> he says, take your tie off or you're fired. i'm like, oh, i'm sorry. jerry -- and i zip it up. no, you're fired. get out. >> you actually fired a guy for wearing a green bay packers' tie? >> correct. >> were the customers complaining? >> not yet but we weren't going to give them the opportunity to do so either. >> how is that for the love of the game in bob cook has never missed a single super bowl ever. he's attended all 44 of them and next month will be extra special because he's a home-grown packers' fan. he belongs to the never miss a super bowl club. the nfl started sending tickets aside for the club. an 85-year-old just made it into the guinness book of world records for bowling the most perfect games on nintendo's wii. john bates recorded 2,850 perfect games next year. his next goal is to set a world record in wii golf. hundreds of people were forced out into the brutal cold overnight in boston. a water pipe burst inside the high rise apartment building and that set off the sprinklers. a fire spokesman said that there is water everywhere, even in the elevators. residents are waiting for the all clear so they can go back home. what a mess. not only did they have to deal with bitter temperatures but all of that. >> right. and i would think that the electricity was on so it didn't freeze up inside the building. that would be a big problem. >> yeah. water mains have been breaking, sprinkler systems going off. the bitter cold is out tlf. it was a quick hit. it's still cold but we're talking a good 20-plus degrees above where you were yesterday and i can see what the temperature feels like to your body. you're still kind of there in the teens, though, for boston, 20s for new york city. look at that. 30s down there for baltimore and philly. a weak system has been moving through the area. not a lot of snow accumulation and a couple of inches. it's enough to cause some air travel delays. laguardia reporting arrival delays. call ahead if you have some of those flights. we could have a couple of flights in the southeast. this is the big storm for the week ahead. we're concerned about severe weather making its way to florida. there could be nighttime tornadoes in florida. make sure you have your noaa radio on for tonight. many in this area see rain change over to snow and could see some accumulation. let's talk about what we expect that storm track to be doing for you. boy, let me tell you. this has been a really tricky forecast. the trickiest that we've seen so far. in terms of who is going to get that rain and snow. we think that the tennessee valley has the greatest chance for getting that snowfall. the storm is going to ride up the coast and intensify a little. watch out for the wicked winds and then we'll likely see the snow and rain mix into the coastal areas. that's where we see the accumulating snow. a good four to eight inches is expected for some of you, up from hartford to boston where we expect the worst of the snow. the model is not consistent for new york city. i'm thinking snow. i'm thinking all snow. we'll wait and see until tomorrow rolls around. just to kind of add to your pleasure, carol, a little bit of rain. it's coming down there in the atlanta area. we'll see a little bit of mix but look at that. i love the windshield wipers. do you love that? whoever did that for me today. i think we'll see big flakes mixed in tomorrow morning but i'm not real concerned about icy conditions. >> so it will all go away quickly? >> yes, that would be the plan and the goal as well. >> thank you, jacqui. >> sure. what the president said about the budget in last year's state of the union and whether he came through. this is my band from the 80's, looker. hair and mascara, a lethal combo. i'm jon haber of alto music. my business is all about getting music into people's hands. and the plum card from american express open helps me do that. you name it, i can buy it. and the savings that we get from the early pay discount has given us money to reinvest back into our business and help quadruple our floor space. how can the plum card's trade terms get your business booming? booming is putting more music in more people's hands. nope. see, hotels.com has over 20,000 last minute deals every week. so i get a great deal, no matter how long i wait. yeah... i'm not very good at waiting... then we must train you to wait. 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[ high male ] fizz, fizz. could it be a surge of optimism with a country overwhelmed by years of economic bad news? a sampling of americans were asked how is the state of our union? and look at this. 43% say things are going welcome paired to just 29% who thought so last month. that's the most optimistic that we've been since 2007. the majority, 56%, say that things are still going badly but that's down from a whopping 71% in december. we may have reason to be optimistic. we want to take a look at what is right with the economy and there are encouraging signs, especially in the job market. christine romans is here with some examples. take it away. >> well, it could be that people are feeling better because they know somebody that was looking for a job and got one or because they themselves have found that they are able to maneuver better at the office and actually got a raise or a promotion. and these things are slowly, slowly starting to happen. let me tell you what is going right with the jobs market. private sector growth is starting to come back. 11 months in a row now of companies, private sector adding jobs. 1.3 million private sector jobs created in 2010 and a report found that layoffs in technology were the lowest last year in ten years, since they have been tracking these things. down dramatically, showing you that there is activity happening in technology. i've been telling you science technology, engineering, and math, that's where the head hunters, the recruiting managers are actually bidding wars for those types of workers. one thing to remember on technology in particular, though, you want to make sure that you have specific skills in technology, but you also want to make sure that you're flexible. because occasionally -- well, more than just occasionally, there can be outsourcinging of technology and work overseas and find yourself quickly out of a job. it's a very dynamic kind of a market. you can retrain in technology because that's where we're seeinging a lot of growth. now, one thing i wanted to show you, network systems and data analysts, that job sector growth by 2018 is expected to be 53%. computer software engineers demand for those sorts of workers up 34% between now and 2018. so this shows you where some things are going right in the economy. if you can get jobs market to recover a little bit, carol, it might help the housing market. there was a housing market report today that is really not good and shows in housing at least a real deep concern about a double dip, meaning home prices going back down again. if the job market starts to improve, then maybe that can help the housing market as well as people can sell a house, get you out from under a house. >> and employed people can better buy a house than those that are not employed. thank you, christine. >> you're welcome. the president makes promises during the state of the union speeches. the president's pledge on the budget. >> voter concern about government spending has risen right along with the deficit itself and the president saluted that in his last state of the union. >> starting in 2011, we are prepared to freeze government spending for three years. spending related to our national security, medicare, medicaid, and social security will not be affected. but all other discretionary programs will. and if i have to enforce this by veto, i will. we have to go line by line, page by page, to eliminate programs that we can't afford and don't work. we've already identified $20 billion in savings for next year. >> the president submitted a budget last year that would have frozen federal spending and saved $23 billion but congress, which was in the hands of it is own party all last year never finalized the deal. instead, the government has been operating and spending through temporary funding measures. that leaves us with no other choice but to call this one stalled. >> tom foreman. still ahead, will you see the exact moment lives were changed forever in moscow. that deadly airport bombing next. president obama delivers his state of the union tonight. it's an occasion full of pomp and pageantry in history. what is the longest state of the union speech and the shortest? we'll have the answer when we come back. to give 10 years back to the look of skin, diminishing the look of even deep wrinkles. roc® was over 4 times more effective on wrinkles , and even 7 timesmore effective on crow's feet. 10 years? i'll take that! [ female announcer ] roc® we keep our promises. and try roc deep wrinkle filler with hyaluronic acid to instantly smooth your deep wrinkles. ♪ which president had the first and shortest speech? george washington. just 1,089 words and bill clinton holds the record for the longest speech, 9,190 words. demonstrations are growing right now in egypt. as you can see, thousands of people are pouring into the streets to protest economic falling and organizers say they hope to capture the momentum that brought down the government in tunisia. a lot of finger pointing because of the bombing in moscow's largest airport. you can see people walking around and then that flash of light. at least 35 people were killed, 152 others hurt. russia's president says there was a clear lack of security and airport management should be held accountable. hospital officials say 41 of the injured remain in critical condition. others are beginning to talk about what happened. >> translator: i am in shock right now. the general feeling boils down to, thank god i am alive. a young man was deafened by the blast. for now he still hasn't recovered his hearing. he was just standing two to three meters from the explosion but luckily he survived and will live. so far, those are only impressions. there was an explosion and they survived. >> they are still trying to figure out who might be behind the bomb. they may be calling on u.s. scientists whose job it is to find ways to outwit terrorists. deborah takes us inside their laboratory. >> we have voltage firing at three, two, one. >> reporter: all i saw was black. but it's there. captured by high-speed camera, an explosion in 30 millionths of a second. john blows up bombs for a living. they are testing a bomb. >> reporter: since 9/11, are you testing things you never thought you would be testing? >> they are frankly mixtures that i didn't expect to work. and so it's been eye opening to us what actually will explode when you put it together. >> reporter: the 2010 bomb blast chamber is at lawrence livermore national lab near san francisco. here scientists of all kind study everything that there is to know about explosives, assessinging the overall threat. >> their job is to think about what could happen? what could be done. you know, how could -- how do you red team, we call it, the terrorists, beat them at their own game. >> reporter: bruce good win heads up defense and national defense here. this national lab tests explosives similar to those used by the underwear bomber. >> it was patn, which was relatively -- >> it's a good explosive in that it's used by the military. it would be interesting to see where that fellow got that material. >> reporter: okay. >> and leave it at that. >> reporter: by fingerprinting explosives, scientists can understand how they were made. the blast potential, even who may have put them together. >> making high explosives in your kitchen, we think about that. we've been thinking about that for a very long time and as a result we can provided a advice on certain things that people shouldn't be able to bring on to airplanes, even though it looks like you're getting ready for mama to make cockies. >> reporter: understanding bombs. cnn, livermore, california. taking a look at top stories now, the jared loughner case. the federal judge entered not guilty pleas on his behalf to three counts of attempted murder. our ted rowlands was in the courtroom. >> reporter: jared lee loughner came in with a version of that familiar smirk that was on his face in that police-released photo. he had that smile when he entered the courtroom. then he sat down and settled in for most of the proceedings he stared straight ahead as he did the first time he was in court. but a couple times he did smile at something that happened. at one point he looked up into the gallery, the courtroom that he was in had a second floor, sort of balcony. he looked up and it looked to me as though he actually chuckled but he definitely smiled when he looked up and saw that so many people were looking down at him. >> also scheduled to appear in court, the alleged underwear bomber. the nigerian national is accused of blowing up a plane headed for detroit on christmas day 2009. he has pleaded not guilty of the charges. rahm emanuel is requesting a stay in an attempt to get his name back on the ballot to run for the city's mayor. he no longer meets the residency requirements. >> one punch line at a time. >> let me tell you something, nobody wants that. staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion. because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief for many with arthritis pain and inflammation. plus, in clinical studies, celebrex is proven to improve daily physical function so moving is easier. and celebrex is not a narcotic. when it comes to relieving your arthritis pain, you and your doctor need to balance the benefits with the risks. all prescription nsaids, including celebrex, may increase the chance of heart attack or stroke, which can lead to death. this chance increases if you have heart disease or risk factors such as high blood pressure or when nsaids are taken for long periods. nsaids, including celebrex, increase the chance of serious skin or allergic reactions or stomach and intestine problems, such as bleeding and ulcers, which can occur without warning and may cause death. patients also taking aspirin and the elderly are at increased risk for stomach bleeding and ulcers. do not take celebrex if you've had an asthma attack, hives, or other allergies to aspirin, nsaids or sulfonamides. get help right away if you have swelling of the face or throat, or trouble breathing. tell your doctor about your medical history and find an arthritis treatment that works for you. ask your doctor about celebrex. and, go to celebrex.com to learn more about how you can move toward relief. celebrex. for a body in motion. ♪ ahh-ah-ah-ahh ]ou can move toward relief. ♪ ahh-ah-ah-ahh ♪ ahh [ announcer ] just because you'll never want to let it go, doesn't mean it won't reward you if you do. only one car has the highest resale value in its class. ♪ here i am presenting the one. the 34-mile-per-gallon accord. from honda. 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[ male announcer ] stop the uh-oh fast with kao. a bit of developing news out of egypt. thousands of protesters have taken to the street in cairo, egypt. there is alleged corruption in the government and also a lack of jobs. could this be shades of tunisia. ben is in egypt. what are you seeing? >> reporter: something i've never seen before, an entire nearly 15, 16 years i've covered egypt, which was tens and thousands of people in the main square chanting for the regime. the police, even though everybody knew there would be protests today in cairo and around egypt, i don't think the police were prepared with how many people would show up. the police started firing tear gas and exchanges of rocks between the protestors and the police. earlier, just a few hours before that, i had been driving along the road that goes by the nile and i looked up and the bridge above me was filled with thousands of people crossing the nile, going to the center of the town so it seems that all of these little demonstrations around cairo have gathered in the center of the city and at this point it seems like there's a stand off there between the protesters and the police. the police, for once, i've never seen this before, are outnumbered by protesters. >> interesting. you know, protesterses in tunisia were able to overthrow the government there. how serious do you think this is? >> reporter: that's hard to say because it's been planned now for about a week and a half in response to events in tunisia. the situation got out of control when police started to open fire and kill demonstrators. as far as i know, that has not happened here. there has been rising opposition to the government for many years now but until you see real bloodshed in the street, the situation may not even though the conditions are similar. you have a long ruling head of state, barely democratically elected. you have deteriorating economic conditions, rising prices. you have growing discontent with what many people feel is the heavy hand of the state. so the situation is similar but until there's bloodshed it may not go too much further. >> i was just wondering how the united states might react since egypt is its ally. >> reporter: well, certainly in the united states it's already been burned with tunisia with the ally of the old regime there and certainly the situation hasn't gotten to the point where the united states government is going to intervene and somehow criticize the egypt government directly but there's always been sort of a steady stream of -- you could call it soft criticism of the heavy handed methods of the government. we had parliamentary elections late november and early december of last year which was very fraudulent. the united states criticized it. but the u.s. is very hesitant to really come down hard on the government given that it's a key supporter of the u.s., at least peace efforts and it's also cooperated extensively in the u.s. war on terror. so there are many things to keep in mind here in addition to the domestic situation. >> ben wedeman, thank you so much. reporting live from kir ree, cairo, egypt today. rahm emanuel's [ female announcer ] enjoy a complete seafood dinner for two for just $29.99 at red lobster. with fresh salads and biscuits. your choice of entrees. and an appetizer or a dessert to share. for a limited time at red lobster. we removed the alcohol and made it less intense. ♪ it still kills bad breath germs for a whole-mouth clean. and it's never felt so good. new less intense listerine® zero™. rahm emanuel tries to keep his campaign for mayor of chicago alive. paul steinhauser, part of the best political team on television, live from the political desk in washington. so, what's rahm emanuel's strategy? >> well, carol, just in the last couple hours he's filed an appeal to the state supreme court, the highest court in illinois, because yesterday the appeals court there, by a 2-1 decision, kicked him off the ballot! they said, you know what, rahm, you were not a resident, a legal resident of chicago over the last year as the law out there dictates. why? because as you know, rahm emanuel's right here in washington, d.c., serving for two years as the president's chief of staff before he went back last october to chicago to run for mayor. so, we will see where that goes, but there's some urgency here, carol, because starting on monday, early voting in chicago. and as of now, rahm will not be on the ballot. the overall election is february 22nd. i'll ask our camera to zoom in to the cnn political ticker. brand new on the ticker this morning, haley barbour, governor of mississippi, will be in south carolina tomorrow, an important state in the road to the white house. he will be meeting with influential republicans down there, barbour thinking about maybe running for the white house. carol, today is the state of the union address for the president, and some other republicans who may be running for the white house are in politically important states like newt gingrich in iowa, sarah palin in alaska. important states. >> there could be a lot of republican candidates vying for the presidency. >> oh, yeah. >> let's talk about polls because you guys have been on a poll-taking frenzy. >> well, how about the president? okay, he gives the speech tonight. what do americans think? check this out. do they approve of the job he's doing in office right now in the white house? according to our latest cnn opinion research corporation records, yes, 55% give him a thumbs up, up big time from late last year. but go to the next graphic, carol. this is interesting. that's the good news, i guess, for the president, but what about the issues that matter most to americans, like the economy, like jobs, the deficit, health care? well, look at the president's numbers on all those key issues, under 50%. so, kind of a mixed bag here, carol, for the president as he goes up and gives that big speech tonight in front of congress and the nation. carol? >> i think i'd be more depressed if i were a lawmaker because congress' approval rating was what, 26%? >> not so good. >> ouch. >> ouch, you got it. >> paul steinhauser, thanks. your next political update in an hour. for the latest political news, go to cnnpolitics.com. and the. fortunately there's enbrel, the #1 most doctor-prescribed biologic medicine for ra. enbrel can help relieve pain, stiffness, fatigue, and stop joint damage. because enbrel suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal, events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, and other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis. ask your doctor if you live or have lived in an area where certain fungal infections are common. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if, while on enbrel, you experience persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. ask your rheumatologist if enbrel is right for you. and help bridge the gap between the life you live... and the life you want to live. 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[ male announcer ] what happened to luxury? ♪ where did all the personality go? ♪ the gusto? the glamour? we believe you can have it all. luxury with lightning in its veins. ♪ charismatic. daring. derivative of nothing. ♪ this is what fuels us. the reason we're not satisfied with blue-blooded ordinary... and demand red-blooded extraordinary. this is why we don't just make luxury cars. we make cadillacs. ♪ we're online checking all the top stories so you don't have to. jacqui jeras is watching what's trending right now. hello, jacqui. >> hey, hello, carol. everybody wants to know who the big nominees are, right? >> whoo! i know i do. i'm on the edge of my seat here. >> oh, good. i'm so glad. well, 83rd annual academy awards, they made their announcement this morning for all of the categories. we thought we'd give you a little sneak peek at some of them. for the best picture, "the social network," which, by the way, of course, one of the golden globes. "the king's speech," "the fighter," "true grit," "black swan," which natalie portman won a golden globe for. "the kids are all right," "inception," toy story 3," "137 hours" and "winter's bone." >> that's a lot of nominations, don't you think? >> i thought the same thing. we need to limit this to five, right? >> it's like every movie ever made is up for a nomination. >> so many people try and see all of those movies, right, if they haven't seen them yet? that's a lot of movies you're going to have to go see. >> yeah, geez. >> complete list on cnn.com. >> i thought you were going to give us more, but no, you're going to force people to go there. >> go to the web. >> we will. thank you, jacqui. >> sure. racial profiling is no laughing matter, but asif manvi still finds humor in a tough topic. he featured a stand-up in new york with a lot of laughter coming at the intersection point between comedy and race relations in our country a decade after 9/11. >> hey, hey, hey, stuart, stuart! >> yeah. asif, asif manvi. >> thank you. >> asif manvi is brown. >> this color doesn't run from a story. my name is asif manvi, and i'm here to host "the big brown comedy hour." what is brown? islamaphobia. i'll tell you, me, a huge fan. i think there's a tendency to make america about black and white, and brown sort of like lives in that space in between. look, i know that there are many americans out there who are now burning korans, but at least they're buying korans. >> well to me, being brown means getting my hair straightened, being called "exotic," which means kind of like a mango. >> in the house? persia? one? won't even know. >> half iranian, pakistani, bangladeshi, it could be afghani. >> i know when i'm brown because every time i meet someone, the first question out of their mouth is "where are you from?" and they're like, "where are you from?" and i'm like, "brooklyn?" and they're like, "no, no, no, where are you from?" >> so, we have this common experience in america and we just come and try to make sense of it. i view the world as a minority. before 9/11 i didn't, but now i do. if you're not arab -- this means god willing. arabs in situations -- i was in a restaurant, i'm not even joking, i'm in a restaurant in the middle east and the guy goes where's the bathroom? and the waiter goes over here. the guy goes i'll be right back. >> guys like jon stewart make it easier. we're not the first people to talk about our place in american society and the challenges of being a non-white persuasion, let's say. >> we're the new blacks, right? we're sort of, you know, whitey is scared of us. whether or not, you know, racism was cured, it sure helped when there are people out there sort of talking about it and dealing with it. there are many americans out there who are protesting the building of mosques. but it is the first time that many americans now know that that building in their town is not a mexican restaurant! racism has never been ended by silence. thank you guys for coming out and supporting the show. top of the hour now. i'm carol costello. here are cnn's big stories right now. president obama's polishing and practicing for tonight's state of the union address. the white house says mr. obama's speech will lay out broad ideas for the economy and fiscal discipline during the second half of his presidency. thousands of people hit the streets in egypt today to protest corruption and failing economic policies. protests were mostly peaceful, but at one point, cairo police did fire tear gas. organizers say they hope to capture the momentum of protests that brought down the government in tunisia. dr. conrad murray was scheduled to be arraigned in los angeles a short time ago. he's expected to plead not guilty in the death of pop star michael jackson. murray is charged with involuntary manslaughter. bitter cold will moderate over the northeast this week, just as another gulf storm zips up the coast as a nor'easter. rain and freezing rain are forecast to begin in virginia tomorrow before spreading up the i-95 corridor. i'm sorry. eventually, though, the storm turns to snow. >> brutal, brutal, brutal, really cold, really cold. >> five years ago, i used to live in key west. why the hell i did this, i don't know. >> you just have to expect it, although the minus 35 was more than i thought we needed, but -- president obama goes before the nation tonight to deliver his state of the union address. so what do americans want the president and congress to focus on in the coming year? a new cnn opinion research corporation poll just released this hour -- 63% say it's the economy, stupid, 54% say unemployment, followed by health care, the deficit and social security. so, we know the president plans to focus on jobs and the economy. we do know that. and a democratic source says the president will lay out a plan for winning the future. let's bring in our correspondent dan lothian. dan, how does the president plan to win america's future? >> reporter: well, he wants to do that through many different ways. first of all, creating jobs. as you pointed out, that will be the very focus, the main focus of the president during the address tonight, not only in the short term but long term. and then moving from that, you'll hear the buzz words competitiveness and innovation, how to get the u.s. to win on the global stage. and one way is by, he says, investing in education. so, the president will be laying out that plan. he'll have a specific plan, i'm told by senior administration officials. some of the things in there we've heard before. others will be new components. the president also expected to talk about tackling the federal deficit. that's something that republicans will be paying very close attention to. they have been concerned that this has been an administration spending a lot of money in order to get out of the recession. and so, the president will address that, how you need to continue to have some investments but also look for ways to streamline the government as well, some cuts. and then finally, we'll hear the president talk about bipartisanship, how compromise can lead to results, pointing back to the end of last year during the lame duck session, how republicans and democrats were able to work together and get some things done. and right there in front of the president will be sort of one visual aspect of compromise tonight, where republicans, a couple dozen or so, republicans and democrats will be mingling, not sitting in their usual, segregated seating, but instead mingling. and one senior aide here at the white house saying that that's a good start, but what's important is what happens tomorrow. >> listen, i think it's symbolic, but i think also what the president is most concerned about is tomorrow and will we be able to work together tomorrow. sitting together is one thing, working together and moving our country forward on behalf of the citizens of our country is what the president's first priority is. >> reporter: and while the president will be focused on what's happening here domestically, he will also focus a bit on foreign policy. i'm told by a senior aide that the president will talk about what has been happening in afghanistan, the progress that has been made, but also some of the challenges that still remain. the president trying to convince some of those skeptical americans that fighting that war in afghanistan is still critical. carol. >> so, there will be two responses, the republican response after the state of the union, and of course, a response from the tea party, which will be broadcast online. so, what do you suppose they'll say? will there be a spirit of bipartisanship in their speeches as well? >> reporter: you know, that is such a good question. you know, paul, representative paul ryan will be delivering the traditional republican response, i'm told by a senior republican aide that he will focus on that issue of how democrats have been spending when they should be looking for ways to cut. he believes that -- they believe that this spending has further hurt the employment picture for america. so, again, the call from republican, the traditional call will be for spending cuts and spending reforms. but also, you will have, as you pointed out, another address as well from michele bachmann, from the tea party express. she will be delivering this online, and cnn will also be carrying those remarks. what's interesting is that there are those who believe this shows a clear division within the republican party, but one top republican aide saying that that's simply not the case. they do speak with one message, although there are different voices. >> yeah, well, we'll be listening tonight. dan lothian, many thanks. tonight's speech comes less than three weeks after that deadly shooting rampage in tucson. lawmakers will pay a special tribute to congresswoman gabrielle giffords as she continues to recover. giffords' friend, representative debbie wasserman schultz, is urging lawmakers to wear black and white ribbons on their lapels and the arizona delegation will sit together, leaving an empty seat for giffords. cnn's prime time coverage of the state of the union begins at 7:00 p.m. eastern with "john king usa" and the best political team on television. the president speaks at 9:00, followed by the republican response. at 11:00, cnn's "anderson cooper" brings you expert analysis and reaction to the state of the union. coming up in a half hour in the "cnn newsroom," we'll look back at one of the president's promises from his 2010 speech and whether he ever delivered. this hour, the issue of equal pay for women. as gabrielle giffords continues on her road to recovery, her husband is constantly by her side. and watching from high above the earth, her husband's brother, astronaut scott kelly. he's on board the international space station. on cnn's "american morning," he talked about his brother's upcoming decision about the april shuttle mission. >> you know, certainly consider what gabby would want in this situation. and you know, whichever way -- whatever he chooses, you know, i'll certainly support him. you know, with gabby being in houston, he could still be with her, you know, while he trains during, you know, in the mornings and in the evenings. so, if he does choose to fly, it's not like -- you know, it'd be different if she was being treated somewhere else, but she is in houston, so he could still be there to support her. certainly not, you know, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week like he's been doing, but as she continues to progress, you know, a different level of support on his part might be acceptable. >> scott kelly said he'd prefer to be there in person to support his family but he has responsibilities on the space station and it is a long way back. he wore an orange prison jumpsuit, and as one reporter put it, that "creepy smile." accused shooter jared loughner remains jailed in phoenix following his arraignment. the judge entered a not guilty plea for him and said he'd consider moving the case to tucson. loughner is charged with three counts of attempted murder so far. once a first responder, always a first responder. how one man saved another from an icy fate. first, though, our random moment is moments away. [ male announcer ] introducing listerine® zero™. we removed the alcohol and made it less intense. ♪ it still kills bad breath germs for a whole-mouth clean. and it's never felt so good. new less intense listerine® zero™. t adththod it's dif - alcium crhea idaho in wintertime. fresh snow, skiing, mountain sunsets and all that crap. seriously, it's the "random moment of the day." take a look. a glowing, red, neon sign that spells out that "crap" word is lighting up a small idaho town. it's on the roof of a secondhand appliance store called "andy's place." andy explains what this is all about. >> my "crap" sign on the roof, it stands for can't resist andy's place. you need something that's going to get people's attention to draw them in. >> well, andy, you certainly got the attention of the "random moment of the day." something getting our attention, of course, is the weather. >> yes. >> i guess all across the eastern half of the country, it's still kind of bitterly cold in many places. >> it is, carol, and we're ramping up for a vigorous winter storm that will impact southern cities like memphis, nashville, tupelo, mississippi. you're under a winter storm warning. how often does that happen? well, the cold air is also the big news, and you can see how cold it's been in the northeast, how cold it currently is. temperatures are holding steady in the teens and 20s. it feels even colder than that. we have light snow in the forecast in the northeast, including cities like new york, where it's snowing lightly at this hour. just a couple inches expected, but anticipate a lot more as we go into wednesday. first i want to talk a little bit about the cold and what happens when you take a mug of hot water, throw it up into the air and temperatures like what canada has been experiencing? ooh, look at that. ken bodnar of canada discovered a new way to create his own cloud, because that's what clouds are, frozen water droplets in the air. so it almost looks like a cloud, but it evaporates quickly. so yes, the temperatures are below zero there and it's getting colder across much of the country. but as we move things forward, we're going to focus on the south, because a very big storm system is taking shape. low pressure will be working its way to the north and east. and behind it we are anticipating a big build-up of much colder air. and when the cold air forms with that heavy precipitation, watch out for a lot of snow. notice this area right here in northern mississippi, jackson, tennessee, under winter storm warnings currently and straight through wednesday. that's because the cold air will catch up to the most intense rain bands, and all that rain will change over to snow. you'll see that in memphis as we go through the day today. heavy, heavy amounts of precip expected. and as the low travels to the north and east, we'll be seeing the chance for tornadoes possibly in florida overnight because it's not cold enough for snow there, but it's a dynamic system that could bring very intense thunderstorms. all of this will be working its way to the northeast, carol, and we're going to watch it closely. depending on the track of the system, we could see more snow for the northeast or a mix with sleet. this is going to be a tricky call, but we're monitoring it here at the cnn weather center and we'll keep you posted. >> somewhere, i heard it was supposed to be a mild winter, but i guess i heard wrong. >> no, a cold one. >> thank you, bonnie. >> sure. let's go across country and check stories our affiliates are covering. talk about being in the right place at the right time. a former paramedic is the first to reach a man who police say hopped a fence behind joe lewis arena and straight into the detroit river. the former paramedic threw the man his jacket, told him to grab on to the sleeve and held on until others arrived to help pull the man to shore. vice president joe biden was back at home in delaware yesterday. he had to answer a call for jury duty. he left without being picked for the case. >> the judge addressed us all and said, look, everyone, doctors, lawyers -- she never mentioned vice presidents, but -- and you know, he said ho homeless people, everyone is required to serve. and look, it's a part of citizenship. >> he'll be going back to washington, though. and they'll be talking about this one for quite a while in missouri. a truck full of pigs flipped over on a highway ramp. pigs were just everywhere. drivers could not go anywhere until, of course, the pigs were finally rounded up. oprah's family secret that shook her to the core, the half-sister the talk show host knew nothing about until a few months ago. the plot of this real-life family drama is like a soap opera on steroids. time now for "the help desk," answers to your financial questions. joining me is ryan back, president of optimum capital management, and gary schafsky. glad you guys are here. first question from thomas in massachusetts who writes, "i have completed a conversion of an i.r.a. account to a roth i.r.a. account. when must i pay withholding to the irs in anticipation of paying taxes on the conversion? i have heard 2011 and 2012." gary, what's the answer? >> well, you know, when you switch from an i.r.a. to a roth i.r.a., you have to pay tax on it, and in 2010, you were allowed to expand it over only paying tax in 2011 and 2012. you're going to have to pay it during those two years. you can dee doo it either by making estimated tax payments, or if you have a job, you just increase the amount they take from your payroll throughout the year, which many people will find a lot more convenient. so, it's over both of those two years, because that's when the money has to be paid in. >> a little less painful that way. our next one is from michael in illinois, who writes, "my wife and i bought a house in october of 2010. i understand this was not in the time frame for the $8,000 tax credit. is there still a refundable tax credit that we can take when filing our taxes that we just pay back each year over time?" ryan? >> there's still tax deductions available for purchasing a home. you might not have gotten the energy efficiency tax credit or the one she was referring to, for instance, the mortgage interest is deductible. the property taxes that you pay, not from the escrow account, but you pay, are tax-deductible. go to irs.com and check out the publication 17. they give you a list of things and items that you can use to maximize the tax deductions in your home and purchases. >> you can get that from home. thanks, ryan and gary, for being here. if you have a question for us to look at, send us an e-mail to cnnhelpdesk@cnn.com. ♪ i hate suburbia and the bourgeoi-sie ♪ ♪ but i really love my bank ♪ i hate-- didn't quite catch that last bit. i said i really love my bank. right... is there a problem ? 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( woman ) you have better things to join than always a line for the bathroom. so, pipe up and ask your doctor today about taking care with vesicare. oprah winfrey, did you hear this? she announced that she has found her half-sister, who was given up for adoption as a child. isn't that crazy? yeah. and then, so that no one felt left out, oprah gave everyone in the audience their own half-sister. did you see that part? that was exciting. look under your seats! there's a -- [ laughter ] >> hey, you look kind of like my dad! >> yeah. >> i love that joke. conan o'brien joking about it, bloggers are burning up the web about it, but for oprah winfrey, the revelation that she had a secret half-sister shook her to the core. the news stunned oprah's talk show audience, too. >> my sister, patricia, is here. come on out, patricia. [ cheers and applause ] >> one reason why i didn't give up is because i know that i needed to get it out or get in touch with you so that no one else would put it out there. and then another reason is for my children. >> cnn's elena cho has more on it. it's unbelievable how much they look alike. >> oh, it's extraordinary, and how much she also looks like oprah's other sister, the late pat. and incredibly, they also have the same name. carol, you know, oprah winfrey says she's seen a lot. in fact, she thought she had seen everything in her 25 years on her show, but this is something different, certainly. it is a secret that's been hidden in oprah winfrey's family, in fact, for more than four decades, and it's something she revealed in a way only she can, on her show. >> just before thanksgiving, i was given some news that literally shook me to my core, a bombshell family secret that left me speechless. >> that secret, a sister she never knew she had. oprah's half sister, patricia, was adopted at birth. she always wanted to be reunited with her birth mother. there she is as a child. she searched and searched, and when she finally found out who her mother was, she got heartbreaking news. the adoption agency told her her mother was not ready to meet her. but incredibly, the very same day that she was rejected, patricia actually saw a local news story about oprah's mother. and as she watched and listened, she began to notice that much of oprah's story matched her own, and it was right there in the birth documents that she had. patricia soon realized that oprah's mom was her mom, which meant, of course, that oprah was her half sister. imagine getting that news. it is something that she has known since 2007, but she wanted to protect her new, famous relative from the tabloids. so, outside of her immediate family, patricia didn't tell a soul. >> what is so extraordinary about patricia and andre and aquarius is that they have known this secret since 2007. she never once thought to go to the press. she never once thought to sell this story. she never once. >> it's family business, and family business needs to be handled by family. >> you know, oprah only found out about patricia a couple of months ago. the two met face to face for the first time at thanksgiving dinner at oprah's mom's house in milwaukee. incredibly, just ten minutes away from where patricia lives. and there is the reunion there. this is actually, carol, oprah's own home video of that first meeting. just extraordinary. i mean, just when you thought you knew everything about oprah, she gives us this bombshell. but you know, what's interesting is that oprah actually said on her show yesterday that when she found out that patricia could have sold her story to the tabloids and didn't do that, she said, you know what, this is a woman of character, and i've got to meet her. >> aww, what a beautiful gift. i guess her other sister kind of sold some information to the media, and that's why she's so sour on that topic. >> she did, and in fact, carol, what's interesting about that is that oprah's mother, vernita, has yet to, according to oprah, yet to really embrace patricia, and she said that she believes it's because she's stuck back in 1963 when she gave patricia up, and she can't get past the shame. what she said about her other sister, pat, selling the story about oprah's lost child at age 14 was that, ultimately, she had an epiphany and found out that that was a gift, because it was because it was publicized that she was able to get past her own shame. so, but you know, as we said before, they've got a lot of catching up to do. what an extraordinary story. >> they do. and oprah -- >> in oprah style. >> yes, she did. >> she did it in oprah style on her own show. >> thanks, alina. >> you bet. court documents filed in new york indicate ann pettway admitted stealing a baby from a harlem hospital 23 years ago. she appeared briefly before a federal judge late yesterday but did not speak. no word yet who was behind yesterday's suicide bombing atmos cow's busiest airport. this is surveillance video of the exact moment the bomb was detonated. 35 people were killed. 152 others hurt. hospital officials say 41 of them are still in critical condition. and protesters take to the streets of beirut after a hezbollah-backed politician is named the new prime minister. supporters of the outgoing prime minister accused hezbollah of attempting a takeover. presidents make grand promises in their state of the union speeches. do they deliver? cnn's tom foreman looks back at 2010 and the president's pledge on equal pay for women. >> a lot of women voted for barack obama. they continue to support him, more than men do, and he showed his gratitude one year ago. >> we're going to crack down on violations of equal pay laws so that women get equal pay for an equal day's work. >> to make that happen, he established the national equal pay enforcement task force. then he joined that group in pushing congress to pass the paycheck fairness act. made it past the house, died in the senate. so, even if we spot him the best intentions, the best we can call this is a work in progress. >> there you have it. following the arizona shooting tragedy, the fight over gun control has heated up on the hill. coming up, we talk to two family members who lost loved ones in horrific shootings, but they feel very differently about gun control. to keep in balance after 50, i switched to a complete multivitamin with more. only one a day women's 50+ advantage has gingko for memory and concentration plus support for bone and breast health. a great addition to my routine. [ female announcer ] one a day women's. gun control advocates are putting a lot of pressure on president obama to talk about one of his campaign promises during his state of the union address, restricting assault weapons. but since the president took office, he has actually signed bills loosening gun control, including allowing guns to be carried in national parks and in luggage on amtrak trains. still, gun control advocates are trying. new york city mayor michael bloomberg and the group mayors against illegal guns are calling on the new congress to pass a bill that tightens the nation's background checks on gun-buyers. the mayor has invited family members who lost loved ones in mass shootings, like virginia tech and columbine. >> these are the shoes he was wearing on april 20th, 1999. i became an advocate for reasonable gun laws immediately after that shooting. >> joining me now is tom mauser, who you just heard from. his son, daniel, was killed in the columbine school tragedy and he became a gun control advocate. susanna huff is a former state legislator who saw her parents gunned down 20 years ago during a mass shooting at a cafeteria. since then, she's taken the opposite road. she's fighting to protect the right to own guns. thanks to both of you for joining me today. >> thanks for having us, carol. >> thanks, carol. >> we have an interesting discussion of this from a different perspective. i'm intrigued by what will be said. tom, it seems like the president might mention gun control tonight. after all, the parents of christina green, the little girl killed in tucson, has been invited to sit with the first lady. what do you want the president to say? >> i hope, first, that he acknowledges what i think a lot of americans are thinking right now, that the shooter in tucson never should have been able to buy a gun in this country. and i hope that he informs us that part of the reason that he got it is because we don't have a good enough system for catching people like him and preventing them from getting a gun in the first place. and then i hope he then also challenges america to question, if we really can have these kinds of assault weapons, these military-type weapons, in the hands of civilians and if that really makes us safer. >> and susanna, you fear more gun control laws. tell us why you think the president should stay away from the gun control issue? >> well, particularly when you're talking about the mental health issue, my husband is a psychologist and he can tell you that approximately 10% of the population will seek mental health care at some point in their lives. you know, unfortunately, it's not illegal to be weird. we cannot predict when those individuals will snap. so i don't want to see people's rights stripped from them before a crime has actually been committed. you just simply can't do that. >> so, is there any gun control measures that should be put into place, suzanne? >> well, i think we already currently have quite a few measures that are pretty good measures. we do have background checks. those background checks are enforceable even at gun shows, which you're always hearing about gun shows being a problem, but the fact is, the dealer has to abide by the background checks there as well. >> well, there is a -- let's talk about the gun show issue because i know tom is big on this issue. tom, you say this loophole allowed the shooters at columbine to get guns. >> absolutely. carol, in most states, you can go in to a gun show and buy a gun from the table of a private seller, not a dealer, but a private seller, without a background check. you can be a criminal, you could be mentally deranged, you can be someone who's not allowed to have a gun, and you simply buy from a private seller. now, in colorado, we changed that law after columbine. we took it to a vote of the people. 70% of the people in colorado, a pro-gun state, voted for that, and we closed that gun show loophole in colorado. now, that's a loophole in federal law, and for that reason, we should close it at the federal level. there's no reason to allow someone to buy a gun like that. >> tom, i can understand where suzanne is coming from, too, because you know, there are a lot of mentally unstable people out there underneath the radar, who have never been to a mental health facility that can still buy a gun, even with a background check. >> that's right. no one is suggesting that just because someone goes to a mental health center that they should not be able to purchase a gun, but the bar is right now raised so high that only the very most serious mentally deranged people are denied a purchase. it's those who are adjudicated mentally ill. we certainly saw in the case of the tucson shooter that he was very seriously ill, and yet, he was able to purchase a gun. people knew that he was a problem, but the system did not have him tagged as someone who could not purchase a gun. >> suzanne, go ahead. >> that's wrong. >> wow. well, you know, unfortunately, though -- and lord knows i'd love to be able to predict who is going to snap and be able to take those people off the street, but the fact of the matter is, we can't. and what you're talking about is stripping people's rights away before they have done anything illegal. you know, at the point that they have done something illegal, then by all means, let's go after them. and if they have shown to be a danger to themselves or others, those laws are already currently in place. >> so, suzanne, is the answer just to allow everyone to own a gun? everyone to be armed? >> no, of course not. we already have -- i'm sorry? >> go ahead. >> everybody to be armed, is that what you said? >> mm-hmm. >> well, we -- i believe in the second amendment. i believe that the purpose of that amendment was allowing people who do not have a felony offense on their head or who have not been adjudicated mentally incompetent should be able to carry weapons to protect themselves and their loved ones. you know, you mentioned the assault weapons, and i'd like to interject something here. i hear that term frequently and i know what perhaps you, and at least many of your listeners, when they hear that word, assault weapon, they're picturing a tommy gun, they're picturing a machine gun that when you pull the trigger, it goes, you know, eh, eh, eh, eh, for lack of a better way of putting it, and that's simply not what a semiautomatic gun is. i carry a semiautomatic gun. most people who have concealed carry or open carry permits carry semiautomatic guns. all it means is that each time you pull the trigger, a bullet comes out. that's all it means. >> tom, you want to respond? >> yeah. you know, i find it interesting that on fox news the day of the shooting, one of the anchors said i cannot believe that this would have been anything other than an automatic weapon to have shot this many people in this short a period of time. he was wrong. with a 31-bullet clip, he was able to shoot a lot of people. he did it in less than 15 seconds. there was somebody who was armed there that day. how could he react that quickly? >> no, he was actually in the building next door. >> he did, but he came out -- >> he was actually in the walgreens next door. >> he thought he would shoot -- >> yeah, and he did stop it. >> can i finish? >> go ahead, tom. >> sure. >> he did it by tackling. he joined those who tackled him. but the point is that he admitted that at one point, he was ready to fire. he would have shot the man who was holding the gun who had taken it from the shooter, and that's the very point, that many people who are armed are not trained the way our police are to know how to react to situations in that spur of the moment, and they could shoot the wrong person, they can worsen the situation. it's not the answer. it's not the answer. there are many things we can do to keep guns out of the hands of people that shouldn't have them. that's where our focus should be, not in the pipe dream that we can stop all these shootings from happening by having the right fortune of the right person being at the right place at the right time. >> so, if we can find any common ground at all between you two, it would to be tighten the laws that we already have on the books. it's a start, right? >> when you say tighten the laws, again, i have to ask specifically what you're referring to. i can tell you this -- i thoroughly believe in the right of the people to keep and bear arms, and i filed when i was in the legislature, i filed bills several times that would allowed for university carry, carry on campuses, because i knew, i could predict that virginia tech was going to happen. unfortunately, after columbi columbine -- i mean what a dreadful scenario, and the police officers didn't even go in the building for, what, 45 minutes? how wonderful it would have been if, like here in texas, we actually have a couple of independent school districts that allow their teachers, if they're trained, to carry weapons. somebody that's looking for a high body bag count isn't going to go into those places. they're going to go someplace where guns aren't allowed. >> all right, we're going to have to leave it there. >> i think it's an atrocious -- >> we're going to have to leave it there. we could continue this discussion all day. we'll have to listen to hear what the president may or may not have to say about gun control, but thank you both for bringing your perspective to this. >> thanks for having us. >> to this controversial issue. thank you. we have new video -- actually, we have breaking news right now. new video of president obama. he's at the white house, as you can see. he took a couple of questions. did we do a tape turn? let's listen. we're going to try to turn that tape around as soon as possible. it's just hard for me coming off that discussion to go into the president. let's listen. >> how's the speech? >> you know it. >> i think it will be okay. i hope so, anyway. >> you got a copy? >> you know, maybe we can arrange that. >> okay, got it together now, the president saying his speech will be okay tonight, and i'm sure it will. it may be the end of credit cards. you heard right. credit cards may soon be as outdated as vinyl records. we'll have details ahead. ocid most calcium supplemts... t adththod it's dif - alcium crhea rely on e-trade. find investments with e-trade's top 5 lists. use pre-defined screeners. work smarter. not harder. depend on yourself to take charge of your financial future. e-trade. investing unleashed. developing news to tell you about right now. dr. conrad murray invoked his right to a speedy trial on an involuntary manslaughter charge in the death of michael jackson. the case will begin on march 28th. that's according to the judge. the doctor told the judge he's an innocent man and he went on to plead not guilty. that just wrapping up in los angeles. a car completely encased in ice is trending online, and jacqui jeras has details. >> hey, carol. yeah, what's hot has to do with what's cold today, that's for sure. people are checking out this video. it's really amazing. you know, at first glance, you think, whoa, what happened, was there a storm? but actually, a water main broke in new york city yesterday morning, and the temperatures, you know, were way down there, in the single digits. so, it iced up on these cars. you can see a couple of inches thick. and you know, the car's owner said he tried to chisel it away -- there you can see it -- with a hammer and screwdriver. didn't work so well, actually. he had to call in the city crews and use, actually, like a power steamer to get into his car. >> it's better than that hammer, because you never know when you're going to hit it too much and hit your -- >> scary. >> it is. credit cards, what's this about? >> interesting. who needs a credit card when you have a smartphone, right? yeah, things are going to be changing a little bit here with technology, and it could happen before the end of the year, believe it or not. they're saying that companies like mastercard, visa, citibank are testing these mobile type of payments. so, you just kind of scan it at the cash register instead of carrying around your credit card. >> i just did that at starbucks the other day and i felt very technologically advanced. >> well, good for you. some people think that's a little scary, though. >> oh, it's easy! it was great. >> good for you. look at you. >> thanks, jacqui. movie immortality and recognition by their peers. nominees for the 2011 oscars were announced this morning. we'll tell you who made it this year. whatcha doing? 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[ squawking ] ♪ the nominees for hollywood's most prestigious awards were announced this morning. entertainment correspondent kareen wynter joining me live from los angeles with a rundown of the actors and the many, many movies making the oscar cut. >> hi there, carol. i had so many favorites on that list. i bet you had a couple favorites, too, and we'll be telling you all about them, but what an exciting morning it was here in hollywood. the stars, they were up bright and early this morning to find out this year's list of oscar nominees. and academy award winner mo'nique looking great there announced the list along with the academy president bright and early this morning, 5:38 a.m. california time. and the top prize, of course, in this category is best picture. and for the second year in a row, they have opened up this category to ten films, and boy, do we have a wide range here, carol. as expected, "the social network," "the king's speech," "the fighter," also "black swan," they were among the nominees, but there were some surprises as well. "toy story 3," for example, received a nod for both best picture as well as best animated film. and also surprising, this morning with four nominations is the little film "winter's bone," actually one of my favorites. the film has only earned about $6 million at the box office so far, but it basically focuses on a 17-year-old girl. she's trying to save her family as she searches for her meth-making dad. a riveting plot. it stars a newcomer, 20-year-old jennifer lawrence, who received a best actress nomination this morning for her strong performance in "winter's bone," but she has some fierce competition. fresh off a golden globe win, ms. natalie portman. she's really considered, carol, the front-runner in the best actress category for her dark portrayal as a ballerina in the film "black swan." also nominated for best actress and also a golden globe winner, annette bening for her portrayal as a lesbian mom in the film "the kids are all right." all right, so, we touched on the women. let's focus now on the guys. younger actors jesse eisenberg and "the social network," as well as james franco in "127 hours," they're up against some veterans here, actors jeff bridges as well as javier bardem, a past oscar winner. this is in the best actor category. but carol, pretty much everyone, they really have their eyes on colin firth for his amazing performance in "the king's speech." so, it will be a tight race. we can't wait for the big night. that's february 27th. carol? >> there just seems to be so many movies that were nominated. every movie that was out has been nominated. >> i'm checking here. every one that ever came out, you know, in the last couple months. no, but just some of the favorites, "the king's speech," "the social network," which we loved. and they opened it up to ten categories, so variety for everyone there. love the animated one, too. >> and all the stars will be there on oscar night, just in time for the broadcast on television. kareen wynter, many thanks. >> absolutely. the tea party is giving its own response to the state of the union speech, but one top tea party lawmaker says it's not a sign of a rift within the gop. details in our "political update." catch chicago acts... orlando-style fun... even moscow nightlife. that's the freedom of freestyle cruising -- only on norwegian cruise line. 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[ female announcer ] so book today. freestyle cruising. only on norwegian cruise line. many of the traditions surrounding tonight's state of the union address are exactly that, traditions. some of them are not required by the constitution. to separate what is required by the constitution and what is not, cnn's karl asuse joins us for the breakdown. >> a lot is not required. i'll start today by telling you exactly what the constitution says. we're going to go to article 2, section 3, where the constitution says the president "shall from time to time give to the congress information of the state of the union and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient." here's what it does not say about the state of the union address. it does not need to be annual, though that tradition goes back to george washington. he gave an annual address. it doesn't need to be in person, though our third president, thomas jefferson, he had that delivered by hand, kind of mailed it in, if you will, carol. and it doesn't need -- >> he wasn't a good speaker, though, was he, thomas jefferson? he didn't like -- >> well, i'm not going to comment on that, but he did have it sent in by courier. also, doesn't need to happen in a joint congressional session, though that's what we see every year and what we'll see tonight. >> is there a reason why it occurs in late january or early february? >> yes. in fact, you know, it used to be given in late december, and what changed all of that was the ratification of the 20th amendment. that was back in 1933. the 20th amendment set the congressional term beginning on january 3rd, the presidential terms beginning on january 20th. so, once everyone's seated, once everyone's in place, that's usually when the speech is given, late january, early february. >> how long has the state of the union been featured on tv? >> it's time for your broadcasting history lesson of the day. it actually started with president calvin coolidge on the radio. silent cal wasn't very silent in 1923. flash forward to 1947, president trum truman, first time state of the union was on tv, and it also started to be called the state of the union at that time. it used to be the president's annual message. in 2002, president bush, president george w. bush, gave it on the internet and that is the breakdown of the state of the union, carol. >> now i know for the next trivial pursuit game. another piece of knowledge, who was the first president to call it state of the union? the answer when we come back. trouble, trouble ♪ ♪ trouble been doggin' my soul ♪ since the day i was born ♪ worry ♪ oh, worry, worry worry, worry ♪ [ announcer ] when it comes to things you care about, leave nothing to chance. travelers. take the scary out of life. before the break, we asked who was the first president to call it the state of the union? the answer is franklin delano roosevelt. kudos to you if you got it. and the race is on for a virginia senate seat. mark preston, part of the best political team on television, joins us from the political desk in washington. what's crossing right now, mark? >> hey, carol. just a short time ago, our own john king was on capitol hill and he interviewed jim webb, the democratic centrist senator from virginia. he won that seat in 2006 by a little more than 9,300 votes. his opponent back in 2006, george allen, he was a senator at the time, announced yesterday he is going to run again in 2012. question is, what will jim webb do? well, jim webb told john that, look, i am not going to allow people to dictate my schedule about when i am going to announce whether to run or not. he also said some other things that are really interesting about that 2012 race, but i'm going to leave it there and have our viewers tune in at 7:00 tonight and hear what webb tells john. you can see that on "john king usa." >> i'm dying to know. >> there's the tease. there's the tease. >> there's the tease. it's a good one, mark. i guess new polls are out that show americans are a little more optimistic? >> they are. great news for president obama and bad news. look, at this point in december, only 29% of americans thought that things were going well in the country. that number has climbed to 43%. that is a 14-point jump. that is a huge number. however, it is still under 50%, carol. so, president obama's still under 50% on this very important issue, but at least we are seeing a rise. and of course, we see his approval rating is now over 50%. so, heading into the state of the union, not bad numbers for president obama. carol? >> mark preston, many thanks. for the latest political news, you know where to go, cnnpolitics.com. "cnn newsroom" continues right now with ali