houndstooth snuggie pork pie hat oshkosh socks 5% cash back. right now get 5% cash back at department stores. hello everyone. i'm don lemon. thank you for joining us. we'll start with the brutal meetimee beating of protesters in cairo

fueling the fury in egypt. the violence means all bets are off for egypt's political future. we spoke yesterday, mohammed. this video and the fact that people are -- it's being caught on tape, it's really fueling what's going on there? >> well, since we spoke, don, the clashes have still been on going between the protesters and the police and the army. today the video we acquired -- the video of the woman that was beaten severely and stripped of a substantial amount of her clothes, i spoke to the man who filmed the video, and he was very devastated because when he was filming he saw how brutal the army was. they were beating elderly, children, and the girl herself was extremely beaten. just now i spoke to a friend of hers, and she told me that the girl does not want to speak to

the media. she's worried that the situation might be escalated. her parents still don't even know what happened to her. they don't know she's the one in the video, especially that the picture has been on the front page of several newspapers here in cairo and it has fueled a lot of rage, and many protesters i spoke with -- actually joined the protest only because of that video. >> we should have warned our viewers. if you have kids in the room. this is very disturbing images. can we take this down for a second please? come back on camera here. if you have kids in the room, you may want to take them out. i didn't realize how horrifying that video is.

mohammed, we'll continue. as people get their kids out of the room, we'll talk about it. this doesn't usually happen with women in that culture, right? >> i mean this is an islamic conservative country. it's a shocker for people to wake up and see that even the man in the army officer is stomping her stomach after her torso is revealed. i saw an elderly woman being beaten, a doctor being beaten. the army has clearly gone aggressive and have really gone all out, if i may say. people done understand why this is happening. egyptians in general have a say that the army and the people are one hand. this definitely has changed in the past day. as for the situation today, 11 people are killed with -- most of them are killed with live ammo. just a while ago i spoke to a lawyer for one of the people who died in police custody because of torture wounds. lawyers are urging the prosecutors to transfer the wounded detainees to hospitals. the prosecutors are refusing to do that. don? >> it's very tough to continue

to look at this video. you said her family doesn't know. you spoke to her friend. any repercussions at least, do we know for now? anything going to be done because of the video? at least now you see it on videotape? >> well, basically the situation is that when i spoke to the military and i questioned them about why they're doing that and specifically about that specific incident. the military were unapologetic. they were saying why is a woman like that in a conflict area? she must have been throwing molotov cocktails and rocks. i think the media exposed the military for what they're doing. yesterday they were beating journalists, confiscating their cameras because they knew that's the only way they're going to be exposed is through the eye of western and local journalists. don? >> the library that was burned yesterday, any update on that and any other buildings? these were historic buildings that were burned.

>> yes. the library, a 200-year-old library with manuscriptis that can't be replaced. today there was a rescue mission going on. many residents have been trying to salvage what's left of the books and manuscripts that is clearly a big loss to egypt as a nation. they are trying to save whatever they can. there are people who are -- the churches are helping, the mosques are helping. it's finger-pointing, again, the military saying the protesters caused the loss, the protesters saying the military caused the loss. the military was on the rooftop of the library building throwing chairs and glass bottles at the protesters. >> mohammed, thank you very much. we appreciate you joining us. i want to apologize to the viewer, not for showing the

video, but i should have warned you. thanks again to mohammed. in new york city tonight one of the most terrible heartless crimes we have ever reported. an elderly woman doused with a flammable liquid and set on fire in an elevator. police made an arrest in the apparent attack. apparently the woman owed the man a couple thousand dollars. i should warn you the facts you're about to hear from our affiliate, wcbs, extremely disturbing. >> a horrifying crime caught on tape. police releasing three images of a man entering the elevator at 203 underwood avenue, in his hand, a container of flammable liquid. what you can't see is a helpless victim, a beloved fifth floor tenant, burned alive as the man fled the scene. the victim's neighbor john also lives on in the building. he heard screaming. >> i smell smoke like electrical

fire. i see smoke pouring out of the elevator. myself and someone on the sixth floor, we were knocking on doors telling people there's a fire, get out, get out. >> reporter: neighbor carmen martinez says she knew the victim. >> translator: she was real nice, noou her for 30 years. used to give toys and gifts to the kids. >> reporter: police say the victim was returning to a shopping trip. the elevator doors opened and the man douses her with a flammable liquid using a lighter to set her on fire. she lives with one of her two adult sons. police believe she knew the man who killed her. >> wcbs's dave car len reporting. the suspect is 47-year-old jerome isaac. police say he claims he was owed $2,000 for work he did. we'll speak with deputy commissioner paul brown. we want to go to the

philippineless. the death toll rising rapidly from a devastating tropical storm that engulfed the islands this weekend. more than 650 people are now confirmed dead, at least 125,000 people have been displaced or otherwise impacted. maria resa joins us by telephone. maria, the images really so disturbing, the destruction just mind-boggling there. are people getting any help? >> they are, but it is difficult to deal with this devastation. this third day since wall of thick muddy water erased coastal villages. it's just an hour after sunrise. people are still struggling to cope. more than 800 people are still missing. they're looking for their loved ones. but with each passing day, the chances of finding them are slimmer. 35,000 people are in evacuation centers. in one city an evac stigs is

functioning as the funeral home. people are talking about the stench of death. there's no electricity in the most affected areas. everything is covered with mud. water is a major problem. the government and aid agencies are appealing for water, food and dry clothes. don? >> maria ressa, thank you so much. in the states, a tug of war over your paycheck may go back to square one. house republicans aren't happy with the plan the senate passed yesterday to extend the payroll tax cut for two months instead of a full year. as our athena jones reports, the house may end up starting from scratch tomorrow. >> reporter: house republicans are balking at an effort to push through the two-month extension of payroll tax cuts passed by the senate. >> two months is just kicking the can down the road. the american people are tired of that. frankly, i'm tired of it. >> reporter: fearing more wrangling over tax cuts next year could benefit the president, house republicans

want to pass a year-long extension now. >> it's time to just stop, do our work, resolve the differences and extend this for one year. >> reporter: republican saids say leadership will try to change the bill which could lead to another showdown with the senate and more disagreement over how to pay for the extension. the white house thinks house republican also pay a political price if 160 workers see their taxes go up after the new year. >> the compromise to extend the payroll tax cut unemployment for 60 days into next year had 90% support. the only things that get 90% support in the united states senate these days are mom, apple pie and chocolate ice cream. so i really think it is very unlikely that the house would disrupt this compromise, overwhelming compromise. >> if lawmakers don't figure this out, your paycheck will probably be lighter. that's starting january 1st, as we look at a live picture of the capitol tonight. he's not just a quarterback, he is a cultural phenomenon,

talking about tim tebow. basketball superstar kobe bryant is headed to divorce court without a prenup. what? we'll talk to a family law attorney about his fate. that's straight ahead. [ indistinct conversations ] nice, huh? yeah. you know what else is nice is all the savings you can get on cruze and traverse over there. oh! that's my beard. [ chuckles ] it's amazing. ♪ [ male announcer ] this holiday, chevy's giving more. now very well qualified lessees can sign and drive a 2012 cruze ls for around $199 a month. ♪

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[♪...] >> male announcer: book now, save up to 65%. call 1-800-sandals. the war in iraq finally over. we brought it to you live here on cnn last night as the last u.s. combat troops crossed into kuwait less than 24 hours ago. certainly a sight to behold. like the war itself, a decision to bring the troops home is being criticized. john mccain is among the critics calling it political expediency.

others question what if government forces can't keep the country secure. will cain, elsie grander, l.z contributes to cnn.com and a senior writer at epsn. l.z, off camera we'll talk about kobe. what? no prenup? we'll talk about that. we've got to stick to politics. was it time to bring the troops home, l.z? >> you know what? first of all i'm going to tell you i don't think anyone really knows when is the right time to pull out of a situation like iraq, right? we've been in there eight, nine years. we've seen what the numbers are in terms of people lost on both sides, in terms of money spent. we're still trying to figure out exactly what the mission is i think at this point. >> was it a political decision though as john mccain says? >> you know what? here is the thing with john mccain. here is a guy who was one of the earlier sponsors of the dream

act. when he was challenged in 2010 in the primary, he was against it. here is a guy who said that when the general said they come to me on don't ask don't tell, i'll do what they say. then in 22010 in the primary he's against it. he has no right to talk about people using politics in terms of flip-flopping and changing their position. >> will, i'll ask you, was it time to bring the troops home and is it political expediency like john mccain said. >> second one first, it is a political decision. we know it's an unpopular war, unpopular to leave troops in iraq. the president himself has been against it from the very beginning. just because it's political doesn't mean it's right or wrong. to know whether it's right or wrong, don, i don't know the answer to that like l.z. when you think of iraq, think of iran. if iraq within the sphere of influence of iran is unacceptable, if that's a threat to the united states, then you

say this probably isn't the right move. we should have negotiated harder to have troops like we have in japan, germany, korea in iraq. >> we still have troops there. there's still a lot of people there, just not combat troops. let's talk about the president race now. it's getting started for real now. iowa caucuses are january 3rd. a u.s.a. today gallup poll finds that people are already tired of it. you don't need a poll for this. 70% of americans say they can't wait for it to be over, and it hasn't even started. what does this poll say to you, will? >> it says to me two things, and this isn't going to make me popular. it says to me for one thing, i think americans are kind of lazy. at the same time, we're tired of this. we're also ill-informed. this is a bunch of people who think newt gingrich is conservative and the way you balance the budget is to never touch entitlements but just tax

rich people. i also think the media has a responsibility here as well. we should be informing then. i think all three of us would go, well, we're putting information out. then we need to sugarcoat it more, make the information more accessible so people are better informed and we wouldn't worry about who is ready for it to be behind us. >> do you remember the last time someone said lazy in public, they got scolded. i'm talking about the president. you are taking a risk there. >> good thing i'm not a politician. >> the polls break down evenly. people in both parties are ready for it to end. what does that tell you? >> it tells me that, one, i think everyone basically has their minds made up. liberals and democrats have taken a look at the other side of the field. they've already given their analysis and they've made their decision already. and i don't think there's anything that can happen over the next 365 days or 200 days, if you l that's really going to change their mind. i think the same is also true for republicans. they've already made up their decision.

they're not trying to dee de side whether to vote for president obama. they're waiting to see who comes out of the primary. i don't think there's a lot happening in the general election that will change people's hearts and minds at this point. i think that's what the numbers reflect. >> do you think it's over already? >> i think it was over back in 2008. i think people -- there are a lot of people who already made up their minds they weren't going to reelect or vote for president obama. and the fact that he's made some victories and had some defeats, that doesn't factor into their logic. this is a country that -- january donald trump was leading the gop primary. they're looking for anybody to unseat obama. in this case, it is essentially over. >> let's get to this. here is tim tebow, become a phenomenon now in the most recent debate, rick perry. >> there are people who stood up and said, well, he doesn't have the right throwing mechanisms or he's not playing the game light. you know, he won two national

championships, and that looked pretty good. we're the national champions in job creation back in texas. am i read difficult for the next level? let me tell you, i hope i am the tim tebow of the iowa caucuses. >> okay, "snl" just last night. roll it. >> you're welcome, all right? yes, i, jesus christ, indeed the reason you've won your past six football games. >> i knew it! >> tim, easy, easy. buddy, leave a little room for the holy ghost, okay? >> he's factoring in the process. will, what do you make of that? >> you know, it's hard not to get into this tebow phenomenon. here is a guy who basically has less talent than every other quarterback out there. this morning i saw they were playing a kipp ling poems interlaced with the critics saying he'll never make it. yet he keeps winning. not total lack of talent, but less talent.

for that to be invoked in politics, that's great. >> l.z, was that a gasp? >> dude, the thing with athletes is so many times people focus in so much of what they can't do, they overlook what they can do. there's a lot of things that tim dee tee bow does that no other quarterback in the nfl can do. you can't have tom brady running the football for 20 yards out for the game running touchdown, but you can't have tim tebow do that. i think the guy is getting a raw deal because he wears his religion his his sleeve, not because of the way he plays. >> that's it. thank you, sirs. it wasn't fighting this time. >> we're all friends here. >> peace, brothers. >> all good in the hood. >> thank you, guys. this is my last weekend before the holidays, merry christmas to you, happy new year. >> merry christmas and kwanzaa to you, too. >> happy kwanzaa, happy hanukkah, all of that. the last combat troops cross the border from iraq into

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it was quite amazing to watch it happen live last night. nearly nine years, almost 4500 u.s. troops killed, another 30,000 wounded, the toll of the iraq war, a conflict now officially over after the last remaining u.s. troops left the country overnight. cnn's michael holmes was at the iraqi-kuwaiti border when the

last convoy rolled through. >> reporter: they began crossing a little after 3:00 a.m. local time, the first solve four separate groups that made up this last convoy of u.s. troops leaving iraq, leaving the way they went in right across the kuwaiti border. four groups of about 25 vehicles in each group make up this last convoy, nearly 500 men, many of them weren't even in the army, probably most of them weren't even in the army when this war began. nine years nearly and a trillion dollars, 4,500 troops dead, more than 30,000 wounded. and the iraq they leave behind, what is that now? well, its foundations politically are shallow. the divisions run deep. what's going to happen to the iraqis that these men are leaving behind as they head home? what happens to these men now? they head down the road about a kilometer, they're going to

unload their heavy weapons. there's a bit of a check, a bit of a torque and they head to camp virginia where they'll spend the next four or five days sorting out the details, the bureaucracy, and then they get on the planes and they fly home. >> so you may have missed it overnight when it happened live here on cnn. many of your did watch the final drawdown live on our air last night. we'll replay some of that for you next hour. you won't miss it. make sure you tune into that. it's quite something to see. florida a&m's alumni association delivers a message. politics shouldn't get involved in the hazing scandal. does it think the president should stay on? we'll answer that question for you.

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oh, my! >> oh, my is right. this is the first story in the headlines. seven people were injured when this runaway cart plowed into them in cowboys stadium. it happened after a high school play-off game. all seven people were treated for minor injuries at the stadium. espn reports one man was taken to the hospital as a precaution. florida a&m's alumni association says the university president should not be suspended over the hazing scandal while the investigation wears on. drum major robert champion died

last month. an autopsy ruled he died from blunt force trauma during a hazing incident. his death was ruled a homicide. today the alumni group says hazing needs to stop at historically black colleges. >> we are 70,000 graduates strong and we call for an end to senseless hazing rituals. we anticipate prosecution and pen nens. since hazing is a nationwide problem, we stand red i do take the lead with famu administration, other institutions other institutions in the florida and the united states as well as middle and high schools around the state and the country to solve this age-old problem across the country. >> we should tell you that no one has been charged in robert champion's death. during a military hearing, prosecutors called bradley manning a calculating traitor known for his commuter expertise and emotional outbursts. they say his computer in iraq

had an unusual amount of problems. he's accused of providing secret government documents to wikileaks. the hearing will determine whether he'll face a full military trial. a man considered a cold war hero has died. former czech president vaclav havel died last night at the age of 75. the play wright turned dissident led the velvet revolution. he prevented what could have been a bloody revolution. as many as 5,000 protesters showed up for what's being called the fight for christmas. this was the scene in athens, texas, yesterday. people rallied to keep this nativity up after an eethist group asked the county to remove it. supporters of the group say their request is based on first amendment doctrine separating church and state. a major winter storm moving in just in time for the holidays. jacqui jeras is here to tell us

how bad it will be, who will be affected. maybe it's good. maybe white christmases all over the u.s. >> it will be good for some people who will get that certainly. it will be bad for travelers for the early part of the week. if you're traveling later in the week, things will be looking better. hopefully this will sweep through and not impact your travel plans. this is a crippling storm impacting quite a few people. this is the area we're most concerned for travelers tomorrow. blizzard watches have upgraded to warnings interstate 25, i-40 and basically south of i-70. this is the area that will have the most accumulating snow. over a foot possible. with winds gusting from 35 to 45 miles per hour, that will make travel nearism possible at times. later in the day you get, the worse the conditions will be. this storm really doesn't get started for you until tomorrow in the morning hours. in fact, as we take a look at it here on radar and satellite, it hardly looks like anything at this time. as it heads eastward, it is

going to be picking up in intensity and forward speed. those of you living out east saying what do i need to pay attention in the southwest? guess where it's going. heading your way. tomorrow is when we'll see the heavy accumulating snow through tuesday morning. also a threat of severe thunderstorms across southeastern texas. that includes you into the houston area. rain then spreads into the ohio valley and tennessee river valleys and pushing towards the east on wednesday. by thursday the storm is in new england and heads out of here. the good news is for you travelers here, we're looking at a rain event, not a snow event for you folks there. that's a little good news. the bad news is accumulating snow, there's the big bull's eye for the 10 to 16 inches just north of the amarillo area. cold air sinking in behind it. the big cooldown is coming in. the 60s and 50s we've been seeing across the east will go bye-bye for the weekend. get you in more of the wintery

spirit. >> still warm and sunny here? >> we'll cool down here weekend. >> jacqui, come on already. can't you talk to mother nature. >> it's december. the winter solstice comes thursday. >> i like it when we have christmas and you can have the windows and doors open and walk out in your barefoot. the fake snow is good for me. >> i'm going with the real. we had that last year. >> make it happen, jacqui. everybody wants a payroll tax cut. what happens if there isn't one? can the economy take a hit? the managing editor of cnnmoney.com knows everything, gives his take straight ahead. nyquil: you know i relieve coughs, sneezing, fevers?

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if you make less than $106,000 a year, you had on average $1,000 more to spend in 2011 because of the payroll fax cut. but 2012 may not have the same benefit since congress has yet to officially extend the tax break. if it does -- if it does not happen, i should say, how will this impact the economy. lex harris from cnnmoney.com is here to explain it. first of all, in order to have the payroll tax cut affect you, you have b to be on somebody's payroll. a lot of people aren't. >> true. there are 160 million workers

that will be affected by this. it was $1,000 last year and another $1,000 in 2012. there's no question that the economy would start to feel this if it didn't go away. right now it's right up in the air on how this is going to go. >> we report earlier, lex, the senate approved the extension. but now the house has to weigh in on it. will they pass it and how important is this to the economy? >> right. well, right now it's a complete mess. if you had to bet, it seems you would think they would come through with a deal. congress has a long history of when they're giving stuff away like tax cuts. they usually come through. it's usually when they're taking things away, like cuts to popular programs, that it gets a little more difficult. so if you had to bet, i'd bet on a deal. but with this congress, you know, who knows. as far as what it's going to do

to the economy, if you have that many people with $1,000 less to spend, there's no question it would be a drag on the economy. just that much more difficult to bring the unemployment rate down in 2012. >> okay. we've been hearing a lot about, oh, we need another stimulus. the stimulus wasn't big enough. do we need more stimulus? there have been signs of strength. >> absolutely. i spoke to two ceos in the past few weeks. one is a small business owner with maybe 15 or 20 employees. the other is actually ceo of a pretty big global company. both -- this is surprising. they both said they're having great years, closing out the year and stunned by how good business is. at the same time both are very worried about 2012. the small business owner is worried about tax hikes. he's saying, believe me, if his taxes go up, he's saying i'm going to invest less and hire less. the ceo of the bigger company, he says the u.s. is really

strong. he's worried about europe right now. a concern you're hearing from a lot of economists and policymakers. >> lex, i'll change your name to lex luther, i like that better. can you take us forward to next week, lex? >> absolutely. some fun stuff. i use fun loosely, of course. there's an existing home sales report coming out on wednesday. it's not -- it comes out every month. it's not one i usually pay a whole lot of attention to. it tells you how many homes were sold in the prior 30 days. what's interesting about this one is it comes out from the national association of realtors, and the chief economist for the realtors group came out last week and said this would have a huge revision. basically they had been miss counting home sales for the past four years. he said it's going to be a meaningful decline and show us that housing was worse than we thought if that's at all possible. >> all right, lex. >> also looking at gdp.

>> lex, we've got to move on. sorry. i know there's a lot happening next week. >> that's all right, don. >> lex luther harris. thank you, sir, we appreciate it. >> all right. the wife of basketball star kobe bryant files for divorce after 10 1/2 years of marriage and there is no prenup. what does that mean for his financial future? you can probably guess next. first drfrnlths drchlt sanjay group that this week talks to heather knight who is, a word i've never heard of, a social robotisist. >> a social roboticiss the is one who makes robots to interact with people in a human way. when i tell people i make robots, they're like, that's really cool. when i tell people i make social robots, they're usually a little confused at first. i found the best way to talk

about what i actually do is by example. >> so now you know, a social roboticist. tune in sundays to watch your next list or set your dvr, 2:00 p.m. eastern. ♪ [ male announcer ] sometimes, a hint is all the wrapping a gift needs. is that what i think it is? ♪ [ male announcer ] the lexus december to remember sales event is here, but only for a limited time. see your lexus dealer for exclusive lease offers on the 2012 is 250 and, as a gift from lexus, we'll make your first month's payment.

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i think we should see other people. in fact, i'm already seeing your best friend, justin. ♪ i would have appreciated a proactive update on the status of our relationship. who do you think i am, tim? quicken loans? at quicken loans, we provide you with proactive updates on the status of your home loan. and our innovative online tools ensure that you're always in the loop. one more way quicken loans is engineered to amaze. wow, let this be a lesson kids. no prenup. kobe bryant is about to join the long list of athletes that learn

that happy ever after isn't a guarantee. bryant's wife filed for divorce after ten years of marriage. the couple doesn't have a prenuptial agreement which means kobe could have to cough up an amount that would make most men cry. as a matter of fact, most men don't really have that much money. also this weekend football hall of famer deion sanders announcing he and his wife pillar are calling it quits after 11 years together. family law attorney jennifer brant who handled more than her share of divorces. in the case of the bryants there's reportdly no prenup. what does that mean under california, not good for kobe? >> not good for kobe. it might not be as bad as you think. apparently they've been negotiating some settlement agreement. at least that's what's being reported. if so, kobe has a little control over what will happen in the outcome of his divorce. it doesn't mean he won't have to

pay. but it will keep it out of the hands of the court which could be possibly a worse result for him if it ends up in a judge's hands as opposed to his own. >> jennifer, his wife is asking for half of everything kobe made in the last ten years. by some estimates that's $40 million. could she actually get that much? >> absolutely. california is a community property state where the property acquired during the course of the marriage becomes open to division upon a divorce. so anything that he earned during that time, of course, expenses are detected out, it's estimated that number is around $80 million, half of which would be 40. it's very likely she might get a sum around that amount. she might even get more if they negotiate some kind of settlement to get this over with quickly. >> jennifer, you remember 2003 he admitted to adultery with his wife and accused of rape charges that later were dismissed. tm stvrnlths reporting recently his wife caught him cheating again. that's tmz reporting.

so could it be worse for him because of that if that turns out to be true? >> probably not. i mean most states in the country are no-fault states. meaning you don't have to prove someone did something wrong in order to get a divorce. people don't get punished for the acts that went on during the course of the marriage. if he used marital funds to support a girlfriend or support another lifestyle and vanessa could prove that, it's possible some of that money would come back into the marital estate and divide that up. >> she's asking for reportedly spousal support, joint custody of the two kids. if he ends up paying $40 million or whatever, 40, 20, 30, whatever the millions are, why would a court say he still needs to pay the support? >> well, he may or may not. the court looks at the overall lifestyle. this may be a lavish lifestyle for the average person. don't forget she was married to

kobe bryant. she's not the basketball star. she doesn't have another income as far as we know. she hasn't had a lot of work experience. she's been dependent on him. >> you said she's not the basketball star, she doesn't have the income. so why should she get so much money. >> she was married to him. >> shees not the one on the court, not earning that much money. why should she get half? >> you sound like a lot of clients. >> it's true though. >> well, it's true and it's not true. she was married to him. she supported to him. she was at home making their home and making appearances with him and supporting him in his career and standing by him when he had the accusations against him. she stood by herman this whole time. there were two children born of this marriage. she helped raise those children presumably. so from that time together in building this empire together, she deserves some money. >> i see the kids. you have to take care of your kids. even if the situation was reversed. let's say she was wealthy and he wasn't as wealthy, i don't see half. that's just me.

i just don't see it as half. you don't have half the talent. you're not on the basketball court. why should you get half? that's how i feel. >> he'll go on with his career and make more money and she's not going to be able to -- >> and she'll marry is somebody else. life goes on. >> don't send me the e-mails or the tweets. even if it was reversed, i would feel the same way. it was a pleasure. thank you, jennifer. i enjoyed it. >> thank you. a football player picked up in a drug sting. here is the amazing part. police say he wasn't just a user. he was a dealer. john wert him, "sports illustrated," next.

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two former penn state officials are heading to trial on charges related to the school's child sex abuse scandal and an nfl player is accused of being a big-time drug dealer. a senior investigative reporter for "sports illustrated" always educates me about sports, and here is the "si" cover, of course, featuring none other than tim tebow. okay, john. we're going to put your law degree at work. let's start with penn state. you were there early in the week for jerry sandusky's brief court appearance. mike mcqueary took the stand and described in graphic detail what he saw back in 2002. was mcqueary an effective witness, in your opinion? >> he had this tremendous irony. yesterday police were called to the penn state prak it tis facility, teammates got in a

fight, the quarterback ended up in the hospital. it was the absence of police nine years ago that got us where we are today. mcqueary took the stand friday. i thought his testimony was forceful, unambiguous and this wasn't the trial, it was a preliminary hearing but clearly he was credible enough we're going on with the trial. the charges could have been dropped, they weren't. as we go forward mcqueary is the pivotal figure for all three defendants. we'll see how it plays out. >> so he is, you're saying, the key to this entire case pretty much because he is the eyewitness so to speak or alleged eyewitness. >> yeah. granted there are nine other cases now against jerry sandusky but if mcqueary can be impeached this goes in a totally different direction. again, he was very forceful in his testimony on friday. >> let's talk about sandusky. you mentioned his name. where do things stand? >> he's home for the holidays which displeases a lot of people. he's out on bail. he's home and he's been very adamant that he's not interested in a plea be a so we're on to the discovery phases in the

trial. but this is going to be a big story in 2012. but right now jerry sandusky's home. >> this chicago bears story, the receiver sam hurd free on bond following his arrest on charges that he trade to set up a major drug ring. i mean, john, we're used to hearing about pro athletes using drugs, occasionally hear about it, but an nfl player. why would someone get involved in dealing drugs? what was he thinking? >> the possession of marijuana or possession of 1,000 pounds of marijuana is a new one. if money is a motivator, this guy they say from the complaint stood to gain $700,000 a week. this is just an unbelievable story. here is a guy in the nfl making a million dollars plus and to be involved in this i've never seen anything like it, not to this scale. >> his attorneys say he's, of course, not guilty. they're denying it. was he trading his celebrity stat to us make these alleged deals? >> that's what's so interesting. if you read the complaint, it

seems this is a double life that he's a football player. it seems like he's a drug dealer full time who just happens to play football. it's not like he was trading one for the other. his teammates have expressed surprise as you would expect. the flip side if you read this complaint it's not as if he was using his football playing status. it sounds like it's two separate entities and he got caught obviously with one of them. >> and let's get through this one quick because there's something else i want to ask you talking about barry bonds, that whole saga, two years' probation and a month of house arrest for obstruction of justice, a trial related to the balco steroid scandal. it seems like much ado about nothing when you look at what he got sentenced to. a waste of time. the second question, is he baseball's home run king? do people consider him that? >> the records do but i think most people if you ask them would give the nod to hank aaron. he lied to a grand jury. you can't let him he escape for

that. we talked about penn state and a huge drug ring. clearly there are offenses out there more worthy of multimillion-dollar investments by government investigators. maybe we can close the chapter on barry bonds as you said now. >> let's you and i talk here. all the ladies in the studio when i spoke to the attorney about kobe bryant, are what are you talking about? that clearly is when you hear about the kobe bryant case and when it came across the wires and i got the alert and it said no prenup, people involved in sports probably knew that. i mean, that is what everyone is talking about. and i think most -- i think most guys kind of feel that way and, i hate to say it, that's the truth. half, really? >> my wife is a divorce mediator. i have to watch what i say here. the real question is why does he not have a prenup? obviously kobe bryant is an exceptional case, too, if you recall what happened around 2003. but, no, i think there's a spirited debate we could have

here. he has clearly an exceptional skill and on the other hand, look, i supported the family. i was there supporting him and the law is the law. no question. not unlike tiger woods, a big check will be cut here. >> absolutely. >> how is that for a duck? >> that was pretty good. that was pretty good. john, thank you. appreciate it. happy holidays to you. i won't see you until the next year. thank you very much. coming up next, tis the season for giving and some people are giving in a very big way. find out what gifts layaway customers are receiving this holiday season.

i'm don lemon. thank you for joining us in the cnn newsroom. we'll get you caught up on all the day's headlines. and i have to warn you, you might not want small children in the room for this next story. it is that bad. an alleged $2,000 debt is believed to be the motive behind the brutal killing of an elderly woman in new york city. a 47 year year suspect is in custody right now in the fatal attack. surveillance video appears to show a man dressed as an exterminator spring his victim with flammable liquid as she stood inside an elevator. he then sets her on fire. residents quickly called 911 but not in time to save her. >> i smelled