and we'll keep monitoring things in rome just the same. and obama, one year from election day, why rome burns, this guy's reelection chances do, too. stick around we're on it. "well, maybe we ought to buy this hot dog cart and set it up someplace." so my parents went to bank of america. they met with the branch manager and they said, "look, we've got this little hot dog cart, and it's on a really good corner. let's see if we can buy the property." and the branch manager said, "all right, i will take a chance with the two of you." and we've been loyal to bank of america for the last 71 years. hey, it's sandra -- from accounting. peter. i can see that you're busy... but you were gonna help us crunch the numbers for accounts receivable today. i mean i know that this is important. well, both are important. let's be clear. they are but this is important too. [ man ] the receivables. [ male announcer ] michelin knows it's better for xerox to help manage their finance processing. so they can focus on keeping the world moving. with xerox, you're r

in front of the presidential pal as in rome. -- palace in rome. and mafioso. the demonstrators hope their insults would reach inside the palace as silvio berlusconi handed in his rehis resignation. when word came that deed was done and berlusconi was out they sang, danced, and toasted the end of the political career of a man many considered an embarrassment. >> reporter: berlusconi has just stepped down as italy's prime minister. and tonight thousands are saying good riddance. >> we're happy because we want a leader who is serious, who represents us. >> reporter: berlusconi was brought down by italy's economic crisis, not his many scandals or sex parties as he called them. in rome, earlier today, "hallelujah" one woman said. finally we got rid of him, agreed this man. for years berlusconi, a media tycoon worth $9 billion, seemed untouchable. he's been in court 2,500 times by his own count, accused of attempting to bribe a judge, corruption and abuse of power. there was ruby, the dancer he allegedly had sex with when she was only 17. berlusconi lau

why on athens tonight, one high on rome -- one eye on rome. basically he was saying, how will you stop messing around and sort this out? frustration tonight. looking to greece, to rome, back to greece. it might be a question of who falls first. >> focus on greece, what will happen if papandreou loses this vote of confidence? >> he has said there is no referendum. in brussels, italy says that in the midst of the turmoil, the what we favor is the one in which there is no referendum. there might be an election in january in greece. the referendum looked like a disaster and they reckon they could withstand it if papandreou doesn not s-- soedoes not survi. another 24 hours is all they can expect. they must stop this referendum push in greece. who knows what the consequences will be if mr. papandreou goes. >> president obama looking rather frowny. how embarrassing was it for the eurozone countries? >> imagine that you have a family dinner and you have varied your squabbles and the guests arrived. they start making problem again is -- problems again.

let's join allen johnson in rome. the contagion is really settling in in rome. >> the threat of contagion is lean very heavily on mines -- is weighing heavily. the prime minister has promised sweeping reforms that will counter exactly that. he talked to his ministers in rome late into the night hoping to secure a cabinet decree that would effectively fast-track some of those reforms. he failed to secure that agreement. instead, his office said there would be amendments to existing bills already going through parliament, but not a great deal of details. there are more indications of tension within the coalition and a sense of more talks rather than concrete actions or dramatic steps forward. >> he does not have a great deal of political muscle remaining, does he? that would also be a source of concern. >> absolutely. not just an economic crisis, but now very much a political crisis. he is in serious difficulty. he faces daily calls for his resignation from all kinds of forces. he is struggling to get his way in cabinet

we are joined by a correspondent in rome. is this the end of silvio berlusconi's political career? he has been quite a survivor until now. >> it does look like it, although i would not exclusive -- exclude a last-minute surprise. berlusconi is skillful politically and does not always follow tomorrow what he says he will do today. he has his back to the wall. after tonight's meeting with the italian president, there was a joint communique from the palace which is the official residence of the head of state. it will be difficult for mr. berlusconi to go back on that decision now. his resignation could come next week, when austerity measures and measures to stimulate economic growth are due to come before parliament for another vote. it could be within a relatively short time that we shall have negotiations beginning for a new government. >> berlusconi says he will stay on until the pushes the austerity package through parliament. can he do that now? >> it is doubtful. i think the pressure on italy will continue to grow over coming days. already, the latest quotations on italian bonds

alan johnston there in rome. doctors here in the uk say no one should be allowed to smoke in a car, even when driving on their entry the british medical association argues a ban should be enforced because people in smoking cars -- in smoky cars are subject to high levels of toxins. --this is a t-- a test tobacco smoke contains 69 potentially cancer causing chemicals. even after a short drive in the single cigarette, the levels of toxins are high. secondhand smoking in a confined space like this can cause lung cancer, asthma, respiratory infections, and can increase the risk of sudden infant death. opening the window only goes some way toward lowering the harm, and there is evidence that suggests the toxins stay around long after the cigarette has been put out. smoking in cars carrying children has already been banned in south africa, most of australia, and parts of the u.s. and canada. northern ireland is considering the same thing. >> the fact is that cars are a restricted environment in the air gets very concen

our correspondent, alan johnson, is in rome. we have been saying that this is a key week for silvio perlis county, is it not? >> you can feel the political tension rising by the hour in rome. today we have been hearing that there are a serious number of defections from the coalition government. he may no longer have the majority that he needs to govern in parliament. there is speculation the firm of skilling may only have days to go, giving you an indication of how fevered the stock exchange with a couple of percentage falling down is. rumors that mr. burr mosconi may be considering his resignation. he is absolutely convinced that he does have the numbers. that he has a coalition that he can continue to govern with. that he will have support in government during crucial budget votes. >> of course, in greece we are used to seeing the public reaction. the violence, protests being put down. what is the public engagements like this in italy they'll love -- what is the public to engagement like in italy? >> serious violence in protes

our reporter is in rome with the very latest. >> hello, and welcome to central rome. just in front of the italian lower house of parliament, where in just a few hours' time, silvio berlusconi will face the test of his political life. it should be a routine vote in this house of parliament, the financial bill, but this vote has taken on huge significance. everybody is watching what the league does, whether silvio berlusconi can hang in. because within the european union and in the financial markets and there are very grave fears about whether mr. berlusconi can take italy through the reforms it needs to take it out of its crisis. this report from alan johnson. >> everywhere, silvio berlusconi's message is the same. no surrender. i go on. but in the corridors of power, all the talk is whether mr. bruce bowie -- berlusconi can survive the days ahead. out in the streets of rome, they worry about the way the country is going. more and more, berlusconi himself is seen as a big part of the problem. >> i think this time his moment has come. i have two kids and i am an employe

>> not close. >> rome before the fall, john? >> no way. we're america and can turn it around but we have to be responsible to the younger generation and we have to stop whining and we have to understand that what made this country great was entrepreneurship, if we don't get back to it we'll have real problems. >> we'll have you back and talk about solutions and keep going because this is a fascinating conversation. thank you, guys. >> thanks. >>> my number is 63. anderson cooper's is 81. justin bieber, 100. these aren't just numbers. they actually mean something about your influence in social media. we'll tell you all about it, next. the markets never stop moving. of course, neither do i. solution? td ameritrade mobile trader. i can enter trades on the run. even futures and 4x. complex options, done. [ cellphone rings ] thank you. live streaming audio. advanced charts. look at that. all right here. wherever "here" happens to be. mobile trading from td ameritrade. number one in online equity trades. plus get up to $600 when you open an acco

in front of the presidential palace in rome. and mafioso. the demonstrators hope their insults would reach inside the palace as silvio berlusconi handed in his resignation. when word came that deed was done and berlusconi was out they sang, danced, and toasted the end of the political career of a man many considered an embarrassment. >> reporter: berlusconi has just stepped down as italy's prime minister. and tonight thousands are saying good riddance. >> we're happy because we want a leader who is serious, who represents us. >> reporter: berlusconi was brought down by italy's economic crisis, not his many scandals or boonga sex parties as he called them. in rome, earlier today, "hallelujah" one woman said. finally we got rid of him, agreed this man. for years berlusconi, a media tycoon worth $9 billion, seemed untouchable. he's been in court 2,500 times by his own count, accused of attempting to bribe a judge, corruption and abuse of power. there was ruby, the dancer he allegedly had sex with when she was only 17. berlusconi la

from athens to rome, the past few days have been full of economic and political uncertainty. now, some major changes are under way. in italy, the senate has approved an economic reform package paving the way for the departure of prime minister silvio berlusconi. in greece, the new prime minister, lucas papademos was officially sworn in. >> from rome, a glimmer of hope. italy's senate passed a series of emergency economic measures. silvio berlusconi said he will resign making way it is assumed for this man european commissioner who will head a technocrat government. he will be tasked with balancing italy's budget by 2014 to help contain europe's debt crisis. public-sector salaries will be frozen for three years, there will be a crackdown on tax evasion. europe's leaders welcomed the news. >> i am very hopeful that italy will sort out the situation soon. there is the news that we have been receiving but i cannot respond for italy. >> in europe's other problem the capital of athens, there was more and die -- there was more anti austerity measures. a new government is being impos

in rome, the upper house of the parliament is expected to approve a sweeping set of austerity measures designed to convince international markets that italy is serious about giving with its mountain of sovereign debt. in athens, too, the effort to bring the eurozone back from the brink continues. and new government formed by the lucas papademos is about to be sworn in. last died, a swift action to end the eurozone crisis could -- last night, a swift action to end the eurozone crisis could mark a turning point. >> the era of flamboyant -- flamboyant showmanship is trying to a close. he could be prime minister as soon as tomorrow. a former european commissioner seeing as effective, low profile, and scandal-free. he was given a hero's welcome to inside the chamber. then came speeches underlined the pressure on italy to change direction. >> we do hope this act can pave a way for the government that will unable -- a way for the government to enable italy to come out of this crisis altogether. >> the austerity package hopes to save almost 60 billion euros and aims to bounce the budget by 201

this week, pat toomey, a club of rome republican, proposed an increase in tax revenues. if you or a republican and conservative, a cloud of -- club of rome conservative, even proposed raising revenues as long as marginal rates go down. the way he square that is closing loopholes, which is what he proposed. this is not history, it is not hypothetical, israel. > -- it is real. >> club for growth is what pat toomey -- >> i retract that and i want to amend and extend my remarks -- >> rome was people who argue for scarcity. grover norquist argues that this was a play by the republicans. we are now paying 15% of gross domestic product in taxes. that is the lowest percentage in 60 years. 60 years ago, there was no medicare, 60 years ago there was no medicaid, 60 years ago there were no cost-of-living increases under social security. 60 years ago we did not have a $700 billion defense budget. the reality is that anybody -- no rational person believes that we can do anything about this debt without tax increases -- >> but i just said to you -- >> of a substantial nature. >> >> th

we already see trouble on the horizon in rome. the powerful league has decided not to participate in early talks. we already see that there is a problem. >> can democratically elected governments and politicians is possible to their electorate implement the kind of austerity measures being demanded? >> we are seeing a repricing of the social compact between government and europeans. there will be extraordinary pain and sacrifice involved. european political leaders have to give a reason for the sacrifice. so far, that narrative has not emerged. if the euro fails, that is not an inspiring narrative poor people to take dramatic cuts to their wages and way of life. our european friends have to put a much more compelling narrative to the sacrifice. >> if you keep with the austerity program, you face years of stagnant growth. >> i thought i saw a statistic that said italian economic growth over the last 15 years has been 0.75%. this is a lost decade of economic growth. now the austerity measures are going to place that in even greater

there have been austerity measures there as well. >> it was not just in athens and rome. portugal has confirmed its commitment to the fiscal austerity required by its rescue. portugal's parliament approved a package of measures that include a tax hikes and wage cuts to the government pledged to introduce the tough budget as part of the deal allowing it to receive 70 billion euros in imf and eu bailout fund earlier this year. the austerity will trim the deficit, but critics believe the measures could also plunge portugal into its worst fresh session in decades. spain has provided a reminder that the road to recovery will be long and difficult, according to data unveiled friday. spain's economy recorded zero growth in the third quarter. domestic spending has fallen as confidence in the future continues to wane. spain's unemployment rates are the highest in europe at 22%, meaning a lower income tax revenue for the government in more benefit payout key factors as the government in madrid speaks to a chip away at the country's massive deficit. but investors are good news frida

bbc news, rome. >> skepticism and uncertainty. that's also reflected in some of the newspapers when they heard the news that he would step down after passing this bill. this is just a taste of some of the headlines. silvio berlusconi on the front of the newspaper "falling apart slowly" as this paper sees it. what does it mean that he will resign after this bill is passed? it reflects a lesser faith in what exactly might happen and whether he will indeed do as he says he will and what the future holds for italy after he goes. george? >> thank you very much. now to some of the other stories making headlines around the world. the president of iran has declared that the country will not budge an iota from its nuclear path, which he says is entirely peaceful. he was responding to a report by the iaea, which accuses iran of trying to build a nuclear weapon. it has prompted calls for unprecedented sanctions against iran. ehranis our to ir correspondent, james reynolds. >> he has called the iaea an american puppet. he insisted his country

from athens to rome, the past few days have been full of economic and political uncertainty. now, some major changes are under way. in italy, the senate has approved an economic reform package paving the way for the departure of prime minister silvio berlusconi. in greece, the new prime minister, lucas papademos was officially sworn in. >> from rome, a glimmer of hope. italy's senate passed a series of emergency economic measures. silvio berlusconi said he will resign making way it is assumed for this man, the former european commissioner who will head a technocrat government. he will be tasked with balancing italy's budget by 2014 to help contain europe's debt crisis. public-sector salaries will be frozen for three years, there will be a crackdown on tax evasion. europe's leaders welcomed the news. >> i am very hopeful that italy will sort out the situation soon. there is the news that we have been receiving but i cannot respond for italy. >> in europe's other problem the capital of athens, there was more and die -- there was more anti austerity measures. a new government is

we've got art laffer, bernie marcus and ralph nader and italians protesting in rome. what started as a concert has known grown to include a huge indictment against silvio berlusconi administration. this one, not over any sex scandal, but a financial one. the can't can't make any more cuts. silvio, you have to go. and they're even singing about and they're even singing about it. captioned by closed captioning services, inc. [husband:] getting cold out here. [wife:] in here too. we need more affordable energy in this country. we need to protect the environment. what about the economy? what about our planet? [announcer:] at conocophillips, we're helping power america's economy with cleaner, affordable natural gas. more jobs. less emissions. a good answer for everyone. so with affordable energy that we can get to safely... we could afford to eat out more often. our daughter likes my cooking. don't you lori... lori? [announcer:] conocophillips.

happens on wall street to the point where they're willing to take the districts of london and india of rome because the message is the same we pay taxes and people all over the world agree with this so-called ninety nine percent movement that ninety nine percent of the population pay taxes and have a right to have their voices heard which they haven't been heard in the past year isn't the same thing in europe the same thing we're seeing on the streets of london of athens italy people demanding that the government work for them that they're voted into power to to create and to pursue kind of what the people want them to do and that's not been happening another thing of course this movement of why should we have to pay for bankers in the states that's something that the whole world

matthew chance is in rome right now. he is on the phone. we are going to hope we can get a clearer listen to him. matthew, tell us what's taking place. >> reporter: there are thousands of people in the italian capital. pouring on to the streets of rome celebrating the departure of berlusconi from the office of prime minister. he has given his resignation within the last hour or so to the italian president. it is an enormous relief for many italians who had seen berlusconi as corrupted, chanting abuses, arrived at president's office earlier tonigh tonight. shouting he should go to prison. calling him a joker. he got aggressive and police were struggling to hold back the hundreds if not thousands, of people that gathered outside the presidential palace in rome to witness him going in to hand his resignation. it got so bad no one actually saw him come out. he must have been sneaked out of a side entrance. it was just too hostile for him to walk out of that presidential office no longer the prime minister of the country. but once the news came

joining us from roam rome is matthew chance. matthew, how do you see the day unfolding in terms of italian politics? >> reporter: well, it's difficult call. obviously, silvio ber lus cone i is going into a crunch vote for him. it's a question mark whether he has the vote to see it through. if he can't, it starts in two hours from now. there are reports in the newspaper saying between 20 and 40 members of his ruling coalition have, excuse me, defected to the opposition side. if that's the case,then that's plenty of people to bring down the italian government. put a new leader in power. but silvio berlusconi is making it clear publicly that he doesn't intend to go easily. i'll show you a couple of newspapers. one of the pro berlusconi newspapers, a picture of him rolling up his shirt sleeves, wearing a combat helmet saying come and get me. indicating that he's going to resist this idea that he's going to be stepping aside. another newspaper here, a paper owned by berlusconi, obviously, reflects his views saying this headline here,

from rome, our correspondent. >> he had blustered for days. he dismissed reports of a series of defections from his coalition. he said that his parliamentary majority was solid. and when the voting began, it became clear that his coalition no longer had an overall majority. immediately the opposition called for his resignation. soon afterwards, mr. berlusconi made a short, grim journey through the rainy streets of rome. he was heading for the residence of italy's head of state, the president. they discussed the implications of what had happened in parliament, and soon mr. berlusconi emerged to tell italy what he planned to do. >> i went to see the president after today's vote, and i explained to him why i did, which is what the opposition said with these measures. and after the approval of this finance law, i will resign to allow the head of state to open consultation. >> but silvio berlusconi has a way of springing political surprises. and when he says that he will go soon, some here in rome will only really believe it when they see it. >> we

cnn's matthew chance has been monitoring all the latest developments in rome. matthew, what's going to happen? there berlusconi is nothing if not a political survivor. but can he survive this 52nd confidence vote? >> reporter: every day when you read the up ins here, there are more people from his coalition who say they've defected to the other side. nips in ita s newspapers in italy saying 20 to 40 could have defected to the opposition. that could be more than enough to bring down his government. as you mentioned, silvio berlusconi is a veteran horse trader. he said that he's confident he can bring many of them back on side. he will reward them with top jobs, if they come back on side. he's done this in the past. it's worked for him 51 times over the past several years. he believes it will work for him again. he's not bowing out at this stage. i just want to say a reflegs of that with his confidence coming out in the interviews he's giving and the speeches he's giving on television, the bond markets as you mentioned, the yields increasing to 6.6%, that's the i

but someone else says of rome that rome is a wilderness of tigers. and in betraying their own best images of themselveshey' become exactly like the people they would revenge themselves themselves against. >> rose: we're going to see more revenge in just a moment but i want to come... so where are we in afghanistan today with the approaching withdrawal of american troops? >> i think the violence is getting worse in afghanistan. i think a lot of people could tell you that. i think the security around kabul is decreasing. i think most afghans don't feel safe leaving kabul and i certainly don't feel safe driving out of kabul. there have been certainly some improvements in the south. u.s.as spe a lot of time and money... >> rose: kandahar. >> kandahar. helmand. those places are getting better. but the east, along the pakistani bord, has gotten more violent. >> there's more cross-border attacks and in general the perception of security and the u.s. military will argue strongly against my arguments and say, look, the number of attacks are down. but the pcep

we'll be going live to rome for an update shortly. it is a big day in italy in terms of politics and financials. the country will also auction 3 billion euros in five-year bonds monday. in rough numbers that's about $4 billion. last year, of course, as you remember, the ten-year italian yield, the premium that italy pays relative to germany for its sovereign debt, that surged to a record high. sorry, the overall debt interest rate that is surged to a record high, about 7%. but now it is at 6.3%, which i shows is more manageable than 7 plus but still uncomfortable. >> still very uncomfortable, isn't it but it's out of that bailout zone we've been talking about. still a long way to go until that gets down to acceptable levels. >>> here in asia, if you look to see what happened here in asia, a fairly positive day and a positive reaction to those latest developments in italy. all the major indices you see finishing higher this monday. the nikkei up by 1%, third quarter gdp coming out of japan today. japan is up by more than 1%. so we'll h

but someone else says of rome that rome is a wilderness of tigers. and in betraying their own best images of themselveshey' become exactly like the people they would revenge themselves themselves against. >> rose: we're going to see more revenge in just a moment but i want to come... so where are we in afghanistan today with the approaching withdrawal of american troops? >> i think the violence is getting worse in afghanistan. i think a lot of people could tell you that. i think the security around kabul is decreasing. i think most afghans don't feel safe leaving kabul and i certainly don't feel safe driving out of kabul. there have been certainly some improvements in the south. u.s.as spe a lot of time and money... >> rose: kandahar. >> kandahar. helmand. those places are getting better. but the east, along the kistani bord, has gotten more violent. >> there's more cross-border attacks and in general the perception of security and the u.s. military will argue strongly against my arguments and say, look, the number of attacks are down. but the pcepti

rahm had to pay a yield of 7.2% -- rome i did a yield of 7.2% on bonds. portugal has had to offer similar rates to drum up fresh capital. >> this is touching approximately at the core and the core itself. it shows this is an increasingly systemic phenomena and. >> the increasing nervousness in markets is unsettling for european governments. so much so that italy and france have met up for additional changes to the european stability fund. >> rating agencies are at it again. standard and poor's has downgraded belgium's credit one notch. the reason? the country's record-breaking political impasse. it has been going on for a record-breaking 19 months now. slowing growth as well. massive economic problems for government to tackle that does not even exist. well, european shares did manage to climb on the last day of the trading week. eu policymakers at been discussing a proposal to drop private-sector involvement from their bailout mechanism. we have this from the frankfurt stock exchange. >> the german market, we have seen almost 10 days of losses. it was app

." >> hello from rome, where the italian prime minister's fate lies in the balance. silvio berlusconi faces a vote in parliament. loan rates at record levels. michael jackson's former doctor faces up to and four years in jail after being found guilty of involuntary manslaughter. scandal-ridden to engulf the campaign of u.s. presidential hopeful herman cain. -- scandal threatens to engulf a campaign. and a carbon tax gets the green light. the italian prime minister is today facing a crucial vote on the country's finances. there are fears italy could be the next victim of the debt crisis. the cost of government borrowing has risen to a new high in the last hour. interest rates on bonds, 6.70%, almost unsustainable. he is refusing to stand down despite opposition in this government. kids go to our correspondent. -- let's go to our correspondent. >> we are at the lower house of parliament. the cost of borrowing and has gone high sky. itors in to look tra the i had this afternoon, he says. today there is a crunch vote in parliament. there's mounting speculation he will be

what a week, from athens to rome, the days have been full of economic uncertainty. some major changes are under way. in italy, the senators approved an economic reform package. in greece, the new prime minister, lucas papademos, was officially sworn in. >> a new prime minister is sworn in. lucas papademos is an economist formerly with the european central bank. the country is opting for a technocratic safe pair of hands. italy seems to be choosing the same assuring a course through the era of flamboyant leadership. the technocratic heads into the building. he could be prime minister as soon as tomorrow. a former low key european commissioners seen as effective, low-profile, and scandal-free. he was given a hero's welcome inside of the chamber and then came the speeches underlining the pressure for italy to change direction. >> we hope that this can pave the way for a government for italy to come out of this situation and avoid a default. >> the argument one the day, 164 votes 4, 12 against, one abstention. it now goes to the lower house tomorrow. the austerity packa

others date to the fall of rome. when rome fell, europe was engulfed in chaos. people naturally grabbed for the high ground to escape the marauding barbarians that characterized those dark ages. over time, these towns were fortified and eventually functioned as independent city-states. in their glory days, they proudly charted their own course, generally free from the dictates of popes or emperors. then, the bubonic plague swept through tuscany in 1348. that, combined with the increasing dominance by the regional bully, florence, turned many bustling cities into docile backwaters. ironically, the bad news of the 14th century mothballed these towns, leaving them with a unique charm and a tourism-based affluence today. siena maintains much of its medieval character. its sprawling main square and towering city hall recall the days when it rivaled even florence. assisi -- with its walls, gates, and castle -- was home to st. francis. its massive basilica remains a favorite destination for countless pilgrims today. volterra was an etruscan capital centuries before chr