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Racist Insult From al Qaeda Directed at Barack Obama; Auto Execs on Capitol Hill; Tom Daschle: Health and Human Services Secretary?
Aired November 19, 2008 - 11:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Tony Harris in the CNN NEWSROOM.
And here are the headlines from CNN for this Wednesday, the 19th day of November.
A racist insult from al Qaeda directed at President-elect Barack Obama. The terrorist group also warns the new American leader about Afghanistan.
Auto execs on Capitol Hill again today driving for dollars, predicting catastrophe if Congress refuses a loan.
You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
A developing story this hour, a message from al Qaeda warning and insulting President-elect Barack Obama. The message is said to be from al Qaeda's number two, Ayman al-Zawahiri. It warns the president-elect that "A heavy legacy of failure and crimes awaits him," and it insults Obama, referring to him and other black leaders as "House slaves" or "House Negroes."
Justice Correspondent Kelli Arena and our Ed Henry with the Obama transition team, both on the story for us.
Let's start with you, Kelli. First of all, is this tape legit?
KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony, you know, we don't have any reason to believe that it isn't. It was put out by al Qaeda's media arm called al-Sahab in the same way that a lot of other messages have come out. And it is the first that we've heard from al Qaeda in reaction to the election of Barack Obama. Intelligence officials were expecting that.
So we believe it is real, although it is still being reviewed.
HARRIS: And Kelli, what's the goal of a tape like this?
ARENA: Well, intelligence officials believe that the goal here is to prove that al Qaeda is still relevant. Lots of intelligence officials say, look, Barack Obama is very popular. He's especially popular in countries in the Middle East. Exactly what al Qaeda does not need in terms of trying to recruit people. So this is a shot across the bow saying, OK, we are going to try to undermine this man as best we can. They're also bracing for more U.S. troops heading into Afghanistan, as Barack Obama has promised, and so they're trying to, you know, push a wedge into that effort as well, too. You know, al- Zawahiri is the operational head of al Qaeda, at least according to the intelligence officials that we spoke to. You know, this is, hey, guys, we're here.
HARRIS: Yes.
ARENA: You know, we're still around. You know, don't forget us.
GREGORY: Yes. All right.
Our Justice Correspondent Kelli Arena for us.
Appreciate that. Thanks, Kelli.
ARENA: You're welcome.
HARRIS: The big-three bailout battle round two. Executives from General Motors, Ford and Chrysler back before lawmakers this hour. They're making another plea for a $25 billion taxpayer loan to keep their companies from running out of gas. Dana Bash is following the hearing for us on Capitol Hill.
Probably time for questions and answers now, Dana. What is coming out of the hearing?
DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A lot of questions. And I'm not sure if the lawmakers are getting the kinds of answers that they want, to be honest with you. But there actually was an interesting exchange that went on between one Democratic congressman and the chairman, the CEO, of General Motors. And it was specifically on a basic question that we heard asked several times in the Senate yesterday, which is, how do we know that if we give you this money it's actually going to be enough, and do you even know what it will take in your company to be viable?
Listen to what happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. PAUL E. KANJORSKI (D), PENNSYLVANIA: Can't you just tell me in absolute terms, how much money do you need survive, General Motors, from today until March 30th?
RICHARD WAGONER, CEO, GENERAL MOTORS: Congressman, it's going to depend on what happens with suppliers and markets.
KANJORSKI: I understand that. Give me your worst case scenario.
WAGONER: The worst case scenario, the amount of money would be significant. I mean, we have...
KANJORKSI: What is significant?
WAGONER: Five billion dollars every month.
KANJORSKI: So, what you're telling us, that since you anticipate borrowing $15 billion to $18 billion under this authorization, if the market doesn't turn around, and the economy doesn't recover by that time -- and I think you have to be a wishful thinker to think it will -- by March 30th, you're out of money? Is that correct?
WAGONER: The analysis that we've done is based on an assumption that the U.S. market continues at about the current rate, which is a weak level. We don't assume a lot of recovery and we hope it won't get worse. On that basis, we would -- with the amount of funding that proportionately would presumably be allocated to us, we think we have a good shot to make it through next year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: And Congressman Gary Ackerman from New York, just moments ago, Tony, put it in a little more of a colorful way. He said, look, I don't think that we should put a tourniquet on a dead body. Obviously referring to what's going on in Detroit as potentially a dead industry.
So there definitely is -- there are exchanges going on. We are certainly watching and monitoring to see if anything new comes out of this hearing. But I think for the most part, we are hearing the same pleas that we heard yesterday, saying that this industry -- saying, look, we need help from Washington in order not to go bankrupt, and in order for there not to be millions and millions of jobs lost, and for people to lose their health care and their pensions.
Meanwhile, while that is going on in public, behind the scenes there is still discussion of whether or not there is some middle ground, some way for there to be help for this industry passed by the end of the week. The Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, went on the Senate floor this morning and not so subtly opened the door to that not happening. And that it is not a big surprise to those of us who have been following this.
But I just talked to the Senate from Michigan, Carl Levin, here just a few moments ago, who his pushing this, who is working extremely hard behind the scenes with some of his like-minded members of Michigan -- from Michigan, from Ohio, from Missouri. He insists he is not giving up. He says that maybe there is a way to get through this, we have seen miracles before here in the United States Congress with regard to legislation.
So they're not totally ruling it out, but it is still looking very grim to get this done by the end of the week -- Tony.
HARRIS: Well, Dana, give us a heads up if you get more of those sort of sharp exchanges there.
BASH: We will.
HARRIS: And particularly the ones that provide some context and some real information. After all, the representatives are asking, presumably, our questions. Appreciate that.
Our Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash for us.
What's the best way to get to grandma's House for the holidays? We compare planes, trains and automobiles for your next trip. That's coming up in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: And quickly now, let's get you to CNN's Ed Henry in Chicago with breaking news on an Obama cabinet pick -- Ed.
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Tony.
CNN has learned first that -- from three sources close to the transition -- that former senator Tom Daschle is Barack Obama's choice to be the health and human services secretary, and that Tom Daschle has indicated to the president-elect that in fact he will take the job. Most significantly, I'm told from three source, that Tom Daschle, a longtime Washington player, obviously, has negotiated this very carefully so he also will hold some other second title, something like White House Health Czar, where he'll be the point person on all White House health-related issues.
What's significant about that is sort of a behind-the-scenes bureaucratic move to make sure that White House staffers next year are not writing the health care bill that Barack Obama submits to Capitol Hill. This makes sure that Tom Daschle is not only in the cabinet, but also has his hands in the White House and is directing all health- related policy.
The sources said that the precise timing of the announcement has not been worked out yet, but Daschle is very likely in the next few weeks to step down from his Washington law firm and officially join the Obama transition team as their point person on health, even before he's actually submitted to the U.S. Senate for his confirmation hearings. He is at the Washington firm Austin Byrd (ph).
He is technically not a registered lobbyist, but his wife, Linda Daschle, is a registered lobbyist, and her firm does have some health clients. So, in the vetting process, you can bet that will be something, as we're seeing with the Clinton situation, there'll be some talk about making sure there are not conflicts of interest.
Also want to say that an Obama transition official I just spoke to heard me out on what we're reporting and said they have no immediate comment right now officially from the Obama transition. But three officials close to the transition say the president-elect has chosen Tom Daschle, and he has indicated he wants the job and will take it -- Tony.
HARRIS: And it sounds like a heightened position, in Tom Daschle's view, that all health care policy will not only run through Tom Daschle, if he's confirmed to this position, but he will have a hand in shaping it?
HENRY: Absolutely. You'll remember he was the Senate majority leader for a long time...
HARRIS: That's right.
HENRY: ... the minority leader before that. The issue he was most passionate about was health care. He talked about it all the time. He was very frustrated that during his time in the Senate he was never able to pass a universal health plan, go as far as he wanted.
He obviously sees historic opportunity here to work with Barack Obama. And now, most importantly in terms of the agenda, in enhanced majority in the U.S. Senate, now up to 58 Democratic seats because of the situation in Alaska. That gives Barack Obama and Tom Daschle now more breathing room to try and pass a very comprehensive health plan next year, a reform plan.
HARRIS: Great points.
HENRY: You saw Ted Kennedy, despite battling brain cancer, return to the U.S. Capitol this week, saying, look, we're going to be working on this full speed ahead in January. So health care is going to be one of those very big substantive issues that Barack Obama and now Tom Daschle will be working with Ted Kennedy and others on next year -- Tony.
HARRIS: And the president-elect, according to your sources, has made a pick for attorney general as well?
HENRY: That's right. Eric Holder, a very well-known Washington attorney, will be the attorney general, we're told. Same kind of situation as Tom Daschle. He's the choice by the president-elect.
We're also told that Eric Holder has indicated to the president- elect he wants this job. Significance historically, of course, the first African-American attorney general if he is confirmed by the Senate.
He is somebody who really impressed Barack Obama in the vice presidential vetting process as a Washington attorney. Eric Holder co-chaired that with Caroline Kennedy.
And it brings me back to Tom Daschle, in fact. Tom Daschle was somebody who was one of the earliest, most passionate supporters of Barack Obama several years ago. And one of the first people to urge him actually to run for president.
And I can tell you, a lot of former Daschle advisers are already being picked and brought in for various White House posts. For example, a couple days ago, Peter Rouse was announced as the deputy White House chief of staff -- or, rather, a senior adviser is what his official title is. And he's going to be a very influential guy in the White House, and he was a longtime chief of staff to Tom Daschle. So Tom Daschle is going to be one of those power players we're going to be hearing a lot from over the next few months -- Tony.
HARRIS: Boy, Ed, that is great work. You are all over it. Ed Henry in Chicago with the Obama transition team for us.
Ed, appreciate it. Thank you.
HENRY: Thanks, Tony.
HARRIS: A call for peace. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas received a call from President-elect Barack Obama. According to a Palestinian negotiator, the pair talked Middle East peace yesterday, with Obama saying he will do everything he can to help Palestine and Israel come together on peace agreement.
Let's see here -- planes, trains, automobiles, and even buses. So many options for holiday travel. Let's figure out which ones are best with those gas prices dropping. How about that?
CNNMoney.com's Poppy Harlow has our "Energy Fix" from New York.
Poppy, good to see you. Help us out here.
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Hey there, Tony.
Well, to help us figure this out, we're going to use a real-life example today. My producer Ross and his fiancee Tracy, they are heading from here in New York -- they're so cute -- take a look at that picture -- down to Baltimore for Thanksgiving. And to get there, they sure had a lot of options.
Their first one was a new type of bus line. You buy the tickets online, you pick it up curbside. Lots of companies like this.
The one that goes from New York to Baltimore, that's called Megabus. Prices start at $1 a ticket for their price. So it was $72 round trip for both of them. The cheapest option by far. Best of all, they don't need to pay for gas or for tolls.
Their next option, of course, was flying. It is fast. It's just an hour on Continental out of Newark, but it is expensive, $660 for two round-trip tickets, not including transfers to and from the airport. Of course, there's the hassle of those security checks and, of course, delays.
There are no security checks on trains, and they are fast. Not as fast as air travel, but still a quick and pretty comfortable trip. But the price, again, it's high -- $368 for two round-trip tickets on Amtrak. That's for a 5:00 a.m. departure. Ouch! If they leave midday, the price was much higher, topping $500.
And finally, there is the car rental option. The first place he checked out, that was Avis. It was sold out of cars over Thanksgiving in New York. Then he found a cool Web site. Write this down: easycar.com.
HARRIS: OK.
HARLOW: He got a four-day rental for $171 all in. He'll need to pay for gas, but gas is a lot cheaper than it was a few months ago, and he'll have to pay for tolls.
So I want to bring Ross in here.
Thank you for being here, Ross. Talk to us about what you chose and why.
ROSS LEVITT, PRODUCER, "ENERGY FIX": Well, I went with the rental car. I mean, normally I would want to save a lot of money and go with the Megabus, and plus I wouldn't have to drive. And that's really easy option. But really, the best for me was to go with the rental car, because I could go and make a lot of stops along the way, and I could go door to door.
HARLOW: Right.
LEVITT: No one needed to pick me up at the station, so that's what I went with.
HARLOW: And you can park for free at the in-laws, right?
LEVITT: Exactly. They'll let me do that.
HARLOW: All right.
So that's what Ross chose.
And you know, Tony, when money is tight, it makes sense to do some research. He saved a lot of money.
His choice might not be the best for you, so do your research. And we're so glad Ross could be here. He is behind these energy fixes every single day.
HARRIS: Oh, good.
HARLOW: Doing a ton of the legwork. So he deserves the credit.
HARRIS: So who's from Baltimore? Is it Ross or Tracy?
LEVITT: It's Tracy.
HARRIS: It's Tracy?
LEVITT: And we know you're from there, too, as well.
HARRIS: There you go. Both of you, have crab cakes on me. All right?
LEVITT: Sounds great.
HARLOW: Thanks, Tony.
HARRIS: Baltimore is the best.
All right. Take care, guys. So you've decided how you're going to travel, and maybe even how much you're going to spend. Now, how do you protect that investment when things go wrong?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: The transition to power -- not just political, it is also personal.
Our Alina Cho reports on how life will change for Barack Obama when he becomes president 62 days from now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Barack Obama is about to trade this house for this one. Part palace, part prison.
JAMES CARVILLE, POLITICAL ANALYST: I call it the crown jewel of the federal penal system. I mean it. You know, you don't think about it but you're really going to jail.
CHO: 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms and 412 doors.
CARVILLE: Literally, you can hear the door locked. I mean, you're in there now. The tick and clink.
CHO: Obama will be the most powerful man in world. Yet, he'll have little control over his day-to-day life. He'll never be alone. When he heads to the bathroom, Secret Service will follow him. He can't drive his car, can't take a walk, can't even take a trip to the barber.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENT-ELECT: I've got to have my barber come to some undisclosed location to cut my hair. You know, the small routines of life that keep you connected, I think, some of those are being lost.
CHO: His biographer says the President-elect hates living in a cocoon.
DAVID MENDELL, OBAMA BIOGRAPHER: Obama is a guy who likes his freedom and likes his -- you know, likes to do what he wants. His -- you know, his Secret Service team calls him renegade for a reason.
CHO: Once he moves to Washington, he'll have decoys in his motorcade. But likely have to ditch his BlackBerry, too.
Policy may take priority but exercise is not far behind.
MENDELL: He loves to get his workouts. I mean, he could be a cranky guy. If events overtake him, if events overtake the White House, that could be problematic.
CHO: Most agree a small price to pay to hold the highest office in the land.
MENDELL: He's walked with a swagger for a very long time, but this may be, you know, this may humble him a little bit.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: When president-elect Barack Obama is on the move his travel is, of course, taken care of. Yours, not so much.
If you're traveling for the holidays or maybe the inauguration, anything can happen -- cancellations, bad weather. And in this economy, you want to make sure your trip investment is protected.
Ron Burley writes for AARP. He is also the author of "Unscrewed: he Consumer's Guide to Getting What You Paid For." And he joins us from Eugene, Oregon.
Ron, good to see you. Thanks for your time this morning.
RON BURLEY, COLUMNIST, AARP: Thanks, Tony.
HARRIS: Love the title, by the way, clearly.
BURLEY: Thank you.
HARRIS: So how do you protect your vacation investment if, for example, there's not just bad weather but horrible weather?
BURLEY: Well, the first thing you want to do is shop for vacation, travel plans, the way you'd shop for anything else. I mean, most of us don't give as much attention to shopping for travel as we do to buying a new flat screen TV. You want to look for the warranties and guarantees, and make sure that if there is the outside chance that weather or a medical condition or a family emergency might affect your travel, you want to make sure that you can get a refund, that it's cancelable.
HARRIS: Hey, Ron, any protection -- did you want to add on to that?
BURLEY: Well, one of the things I wanted to say is that you want to avoid these bundlers. I mean, if you think your travel plans might change, you want to avoid going with the online travel agents that will package these deals together, because what happens is that those packages themselves become non-refundable.
If you don't have those packages, if you buy a la carte, then the airline ticket can be changed for $100 change fee. Most rental car agencies, you can cancel the rental car on a day notice. And the same thing with a hotel. So if bad weather might become a problem, or if a family emergency might intervene, what you want to do is buy these things separately.
HARRIS: Well, that's interesting. I'm wondering, the bundlers you're talking about, can they offer you an protection if you, for example, paid for a trip and now your circumstances have changed and you just can't afford to go anymore?
BURLEY: You really have to read the fine print. If you buy from one of these online travel agencies and they're bundling them together, very often you cannot change the terms of the deal at all, or only at a very high price. So if your plans are going to change, you really need to look at that fine print. And it may cost you a little more to buy them independently, but it's going to give you a lot more security as far as being able to cancel your plans and reschedule them.
HARRIS: Got you.
What about travel insurance? Do you recommend travel insurance? And what protection does it offer?
BURLEY: Well, if you're just doing a single flight you don't need travel insurance. It can be kind of spendy (ph) --- 15 to 30 percent, 20 percent, 40 percent, as high as 40 percent.
But if you're doing a complex trip with many flights, or maybe going on a cruise or a tour, where there's a fixed start time, and it can't be moved -- and you can spend $10,000 on a cruise these days easily -- it may cost you $2,000 to $3,000 to insure that. But it you're just an hour late for the boat, the boat's going to leave without you.
HARRIS: Got you.
And what about other sort of pitfalls and scams that holiday travelers should be aware of?
BURLEY: Well, this time of the year is a big one (ph) for tickets. I mean, if anybody thinks they're going to get a ticket to the inauguration, those are free. There are people out there on the Web right now, as we know, selling them for tens of thousands of dollars. The tickets are free.
The same thing with the Super Bowl. You've got to be very careful. Or college bowl games, things like this.
HARRIS: Yes.
BURLEY: And the big one that affects people year round are these discount clubs. You sign up on the promise -- or membership fee between hundreds or thousands of dollars, and they promise to get you deep discounts on your hotel and airfare. Very often people find there are no discounts. They've paid a lot of money just to pay the same rate as they might if they bought it themselves.
HARRIS: That's good stuff.
Ron, thanks for the advice.
Ron Burley is the author of the book "Unscrewed: The Consumer's Guide to Getting What You Paid For."
Ron, thanks for your time. Appreciate it.
BURLEY: My pleasure, Tony. See you again. HARRIS: OK.
The CEOs of America's car companies are pleading poverty, yet they fly to Washington to make their case aboard private corporate jets. What's going on here?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Let's get you to the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE right now, for a look at -- boy, another -- well, yesterday was a good day. Stocks rallying late in the day, but so far we're in negative territory. The Dow, as you can see, down 238 points about three hours into the trading day.
Joe, at last check, where's the Nasdaq, down 50?
Fifty-one points. So we will keep an eye on the markets. Susan Lisovicz coming up in just a couple of minutes here.
Our Ed Henry broke some news about President-elect Barack Obama's cabinet a short while ago. We want to check back in with Ed in Chicago on how the transition is going.
And, Ed, a former Senate leader tapped now for a really tough job, and maybe that's an understatement. Maybe all of these jobs are tough.
HENRY: You're right, Tony. Tom Daschle, the former Senate majority leader, CNN told by three officials close to the transition, has been selected basically as the choice of President-elect Barack Obama to be secretary of health and human services.
Vast power over all health policy in the United States, including the Medicare program. Obviously that carries a lot of sway. But the Health and Human Services has long been considered sort of a bureaucratic backwater in terms of kind of being behind the scenes, but not really a very big public job.
So Tom Daschle has done something very interesting according to the sources I've been talking to, which is that he's negotiated with the president-elect to also be the White House point person on all health related matters. What's significant about that is oftentimes the so- called HHS secretary works behind the scenes, as I said, but it's White House staffers who are actually writing the health care legislation.
In this case, Tom Daschle has gotten a guarantee that he will be reporting directly to the president on all health related matters. He'll be the one that's basically writing the health bill that will be submitted to the United States Congress in January or February, at the beginning part of next year.
Health care has been mentioned many times by Barack Obama himself as a top priority in the new year. Democrats have now bolstered their majorities in both the House and the Senate. So it's expected to be one of the big domestic priorities right behind the economy and energy as well.
Now my sources are saying the exact timing of this announcement has not been worked out. But interesting, right after our first report at the top of the hour, the Obama transition team put out a press release saying that Tom Daschle has now been selected, in fact, as the head of transition issues related to health. So he has already been added this afternoon as the point person on health issues for the president- elect during this transition period. But I'm told, a very short order, he will also be the president-elect's selection to be secretary of Health and Human Services.
Tony.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: So, Ed, health care, and certainly health care costs, a major component when we're talking about issue number one, the economy. No job is more important than Treasury secretary. I'm wondering if you're getting any inklings as to who might be President-elect Obama's pick for the Treasury?
HENRY: They have been keeping this one very close to the vest. We were expecting that it would be one of the early picks because of the financial crisis. In fact, Obama transition officials have been now for weeks working directly with the current Treasury secretary to sort of work this out. I mean, in terms of the transition.
Names that we've been hearing, like Laurence Summers, who was Treasury secretary in the first Clinton administration. He had his stocks pretty high at the beginning. But then it sort of came down a little bit because there were a lot of senior Democrats saying, look, since he already served in that job in the Clinton administration, when as you and I have been talking about, maybe Hillary Clinton will wind up in the cabinet. We're already hearing that Eric Holder, a top Clinton official, is in the cabinet, will now be the attorney general, that bringing Larry Summers back may look too much like it's not really changed, like it's not a new direction. So we're still digging out those names, trying to find out who it's going to be. We're expecting Treasury, State, some of the big ones, to come by the end of the month.
Tony.
HARRIS: OK. Ed Henry with the Obama transition team in Chicago.
Ed, appreciate it. Thank you, sir.
Candidate Barack Obama was all over your TV screen for two years, but President-elect Obama is stepping back from the cameras a bit. Here's CNN's Jim Acosta.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): The next president is mostly keeping a low profile on his way to the highest office in the land. Whether it's his brief encounter with John McCain . . .
SEN. BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENT-ELECT: Hey, guys. ACOSTA: Or discussing the faces of his coming administration.
OBAMA: Beyond that, you're not getting anything out of me, Steve.
ACOSTA: Mum's the word. The president-elect and his transition team are back to the tight-lipped message disciple that was one of the hallmarks of his campaign.
DANA MILBANK, "THE WASHINGTON POST": Through the campaign he's not been a terribly open and accessible in terms of taking questions and explaining himself in a transparent way. So this has really been a continuation of that.
ACOSTA: At his last news conference 11 days ago, Obama tried to explain change was coming, just not until January.
OBAMA: The United States has only one government and one president at a time. And until January 20th of next year, that government is the current administration.
ACOSTA: Instead, what the nation has seen of Obama is a series of photo ops, a pat on the back at the White House, a kiss on the cheek of the future first daughters. Even the verbose vice president-elect seems to have found what could almost be described as a secure, undisclosed location.
MILBANK: It's true that Joe Biden has been given a tour of the Naval observatory, where the vice president lives. It's possible that he got locked in one of those bunkers down there.
OBAMA: This is Barack Obama. How are you, sir?
ACOSTA: Instead of the crush of cameras that followed Obama's every move, the future president now posts videos on his change.gov web site, as he just did on the issue of global warming.
OBAMA: Now is the time to confront this challenge once and for all. Delay is no longer an option.
ACOSTA: But it's all a far cry from the adoring crowds and the ads mocking those adoring crowds.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE, POLITICAL AD: He's the biggest celebrity in the world.
ACOSTA: President-elect knows how to cut things short.
OBAMA: We're not going to do it long. Thanks, guys.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: An Obama spokesman points out campaigning and governing are two different things. Critical matters such as planning a national security transition cannot be done in front of the cameras.
Jim Acosta, CNN, Washington. (END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: You know, it looks like 40 years Senate veteran Ted Stevens of Alaska has lost his job. His Democratic challenger, Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich is declaring victory with 2500 overseas ballots to be counted. Begich leads by 3,700 votes. Stevens was convicted of several felonies just days before Election Day.
Minnesota started recounting votes today and it's to close to call the Senate race. Republican Norm Coleman running a couple of hundred votes ahead of Democratic challenger Al Franken. The recount, required by law because the race was so close. The review expected to last well into December.
The Georgia Senate race now. Former President Bill Clinton campaigning for Democrat Jim Martin this afternoon. Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss didn't quite get 50 percent of the vote Election Day, so state law forces the contest into a runoff in early December. Democrats must win Alaska, Minnesota and Georgia to get a 60-vote filibuster-proof majority in the Senate.
When the heads of the big three automakers went to Washington to ask for taxpayer money, they flew in private jets. That cost thousands of dollars more than a regular old commercial flight. Our Josh Levs joins us from the outraged center with more on this.
Good to see you, Josh
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is that some days, isn't it, Tony?
HARRIS: Yes, it is.
LEVS: It's that today. In fact, that's the actual word, the Citizens Against Government Waste is using. I'm going to tell you about that in a second. The auto companies say, look, this is much ado about nothing. I want to talk you through all of this.
So let's zoom in on the board here. This is a "Wall Street Journal" online story and here's the headline, "Detroit's auto executives fly to bailout hearings on corporate jets." And this, what I've highlighted here, is an important point you should know. They say, there are good reasons for flying the company plane to Washington. It's corporate policy, ensures their security, saves executive time, which is a legitimate and limited resource. But it also says this is probably not going to help when they make this controversial request.
Now here is what Citizens Against Government Waste told me. Take a look at this. They say, look, it's "outrageous. They're coming to Washington to beg the taxpayers to help them. It's unseemly to be running around on a $20,000 flight versus a $500 round trip."
Now I spoke with an airline analyst who said, yes, it could be $20,000. It's a fair ballpark figure for that round trip. We don't know exactly how much each of those was. Let's go to this video here. I'll tell you something. No matter how much it was, Tony, take a look at this. HARRIS: Yes.
LEVS: I mean, they paid a lot more than you or I ever would for a regular flight.
HARRIS: Sure.
LEVS: We contacted all three major automakers today. They point to their requirements. This is Interesting. They require this of CEO travel. They say it's safer for them to travel in private aircraft. And GM added something I want to show you here. They say, "making a big to-do about this when issues vital to the jobs of millions of Americans are being discussed in Washington is diverting attention away from a critical debate that will determine the future health of the auto industry and the American economy."
And Chrysler said that, "while always being mindful of company costs, all business travel requires the highest standard of safety for all employees."
So, Tony, really, I mean what they're saying is, this is where they stand. Nothing is going to change for now. They don't think it's a big problem. They don't think there should be a lot of attention placed and it. And no elaboration beyond that.
Tony.
HARRIS: You know, you can -- you win some arguments and you lose some arguments and this one, public opinion probably says, you lose this one big three.
LEVS: Yes. I mean, from a PR perspective, definitely. You know, that's some that they're looking at right now.
HARRIS: All right. OK. Appreciate it, Josh. Thank you.
LEVS: Thanks a lot.
HARRIS: All right. Coming back in just a moment. Holiday travel. And the crush. Five web sites you probably never heard of to make your trip a bit of a breeze.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: You know, we've been talking travel in the CNN NEWSROOM today and our Veronica De La Cruz has been watching the web for us. She joins us now with five travel web sites you probably have never heard of.
All right, Veronica, I'm interested.
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: OK, Tony, well here they are. You know, I've been scouring the web this morning in search of those new sites. I've also been checking in with our FaceBook group. And, Tony, as usual, they are chock full of great ideas. Henock Paulison (ph) sent us this web site. He says he uses yapta.com, which basically acts like your personal travel assistant. Yapta finds the best flight deals, e-mails you when there's a price drop. And get this, Tony. Are you ready?
HARRIS: Yes.
DE LA CRUZ: This is the best part. Yapta helps you get a refund if there is a price drop.
HARRIS: OK.
DE LA CRUZ: Helps you get a refund. You can pay Yapta $15. They will call for you or they will e-mail you explicit introductions on how you can do it yourself.
Now if you're traveling internationally, Tony, a good web site to hit up might be airlinequality.com. The web site gives you reviews on everything from you seat, the airline, even the airport. And there are user reviews. You can join in on the discussion of global forums.
Now if talking is your thing, you want to discuss travel issues with other, you want to check out this web site. It's called flyertalk.com. This is a forum for frequent fliers who normally will offer up some good advice. They've been discussing Spirit Airlines. They've also been discussing lost luggage.
Now these days, you know, lots of airlines will let you choose your seat when you're booking online. If you want to find the best seat, have you heard of this one, Tony, seatguru.com.
HARRIS: No. I like the name.
DE LA CRUZ: Yes, this is a great one. They're going to help you figure it all out. All you do is select the airline, the model of the plane. The web site tells you which seats recline, which don't, which offer the most leg room. It will also tell you if the seat has as a power port in case you're traveling with a laptop, because I know you're always wired, right? Always connected.
HARRIS: Yes, I am. I didn't know the camera was going to be on. Yes, I am.
DE LA CRUZ: OK. Well, moving on. Tony, do you pack lightly? Do you have trouble packing lightly?
HARRIS: No. I do pack lightly. I don't take much with me.
DE LA CRUZ: OK. Well I have trouble packing lightly. Because, you know, I have lots of shoes so . . .
HARRIS: Breaking news there.
DE LA CRUZ: Yes. So onebag.com. This is another web site. It's going to teach you how to bundle wrap.
HARRIS: Nice.
DE LA CRUZ: Bundle wrap instead of folding each item and then stacking it one on top of the other. So, there you go. You learn something new every day. We are discussing this, travel issues, on our FaceBook group. Send us your favorite travel web site. Log on to FaceBook. Search for Veronica De La Cruz in the CNN NEWSROOM with Tony Harris. You can also follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/veronicadlcruz.
Tony.
HARRIS: Awesome. We will see you tomorrow. Thank you, Veronica.
And to our CNN heroes now. Mexico's amputees are reduced to crawling on the ground to get by. I want you to meet one of our CNN heroes who made their plight his life's work.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN heros.
DAVID PUCKETT: Here in southeastern Mexico, where medical care is poor, it's almost impossible to overcome an amputation. They don't have the opportunity to get out, much less get accepted.
The very first time I came to Mexico, it was stamped on my heart. Some day you're going to make a difference here. And when I finally got into the field of orthotics and prosthetics I said, uh-huh, now I know what I can do. I'm David Puckett and I bring artificial limbs and orthopedic braces for those in need to Mexico.
There's always a plethora of donations of artificial limbs and orthopedic braces. We take casts in southeastern Mexico and make new limbs and braces from the components that we've recycled.
Delivering the limb or brace is still the beginning because we have to come back to make sure that they have what they need.
It's nice to see you, especially walking.
When we help one person, it actually effects that entire community.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE, (through translator): My life was (INAUDIBLE) before because I had to crawl on the ground. He lifted me up to where I am today.
PUCKETT: I didn't really realize how much sacrifice it was going to be. But you know what? Where there's more sacrifice, there's more blessing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Vote now at CNN.com/heroes.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: This reminder. Today is the last day left to vote for your favorite CNN hero. Just go to CNN.com/heroes to see their stories and vote. Then join Anderson Cooper Thanksgiving night to find out who will be CNN's "hero of the year." Vote now at CNN.com/heroes.
Scarfing down the holiday feast. How many pounds will you gain? And what will it take to get the weight off?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: You're going love this. You are absolutely going to love this. Turkey with all the trimmings, eggnog and sweet potato -- it's sweet potata pie where I'm from, not sweet potato pie.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Potata. Potata, right?
HARRIS: It's sweet potata pie. Yummy. Good eats.
OK. Over the course of the holidays, it is definitely not hard to make the bathroom scale jump a bit. It is -- is it? Typically five to 10 pounds, like most people think. Or are we looking at a little more? Elizabeth Cohen is here to help us through.
COHEN: Oh, I've got great news for you.
HARRIS: You do?
COHEN: Yes, we're looking at less.
HARRIS: Less?
COHEN: Yes. This is a happy segment.
HARRIS: Well, I could eat a little more the because I've got some room in here.
COHEN: That's right. Exactly. Yes, you need to take that in.
HARRIS: Synch this up a little bit. I love that.
COHEN: Yes, exactly. Exactly.
People think -- right, people think that you gain like five pounds or 10 pounds over the holidays.
HARRIS: Yes.
COHEN: Actually studies show that you gain less than a pound. That is less than a pound. Slightly less than a pound.
HARRIS: Do you have any idea what good news that is? That is awesome.
COHEN: I know. Isn't that terrific.
HARRIS: Yes.
COHEN: OK. But here's the bad news. Here's the bad news. All right. If you at age 20 -- not that this you. Let's say it's me. Let's say at age 20 I weighed 130 pounds, OK, 130 pounds.
HARRIS: Can you see that? OK, good.
COHEN: That means that in 20 years -- so this is me at 20. This is me at 40. At 40 I'm going to weigh 150 just from holiday weight gain. Just from holiday weight gain because people don't lose it. They pack on a pound a year from the holidays and they don't lose it.
HARRIS: Well, here's the thing. We're going to gain a little bit. I love that stat, though. I thought it would be a lot more.
COHEN: Right. Exactly. That is good, yes.
HARRIS: We still get to the end of the holidays and we wonder, what do we need to do now to take all of this off. Whatever it is.
COHEN: OK. You have to eat less and move more.
HARRIS: And exercise more.
COHEN: Or one of the other. Or one of the others. So let's go over exactly what you have to do. Let's say you want to take it off just with activity.
HARRIS: Oh, isn't that nice of you? That's my sport. OK.
COHEN: There you go. Seven hours of tennis. Seven hours of tennis is going to get you to lose a pound. Because the going to burn 3,500 calories.
HARRIS: Whoa, OK.
COHEN: OK. So that's one option. Here's another one.
HARRIS: That's a lot of hitting the ball, but OK.
COHEN: That's right. You could. And not all at once, obviously. But seven hours spread out over time.
HARRIS: Sure. Sure. No.
COHEN: You could also walk for 15 hours. And that would get you to lose that one pound. Fifteen hours of walking.
HARRIS: Nice.
COHEN: Again, not all at one time.
HARRIS: Well, I love this next question. I want to get it right. So we do the exercises, 15 hours, seven hours of tennis. All right. How much less would you have to eat in order to lose a pound? I love this question.
COHEN: OK. Here we go. I brought ice cream to illustrate. You have to eat 3500 . . .
HARRIS: Oh, thanks. Thanks. Oops, sorry.
COHEN: No, you can't have this.
HARRIS: OK.
COHEN: You'd have to eat 3,500 fewer calories. So take a look at this. Let's say that you ate this once a week.
HARRIS: Right.
COHEN: Once a week you ate this bowl of ice cream. If you cut it out, after a month you would lose that pound. So cut this weekly ice cream out. After a month, you would lose that pound.
HARRIS: So, OK, now I know what I need to do to have this. And I'd like to have this.
COHEN: Absolutely. It's yours.
HARRIS: Elizabeth, I appreciate it. Thank you.
COHEN: You're welcome.
HARRIS: That's what I love -- bearing gifts.
Still to come in the NEWSROOM, a big success in stem cell engineering. Europeans perform a transplant made up of the patient's own cells. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: So have you heard this story? The big three automakers flew to Washington for hearings this week in private jets to ask for taxpayer money. We wondered if the travel arrangements might come up in this morning's hearing in the House. It did. Here is Representative Bard Sherman. He is a Democrat from California. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. BRAD SHERMAN, (D) CALIFORNIA: We're going to asked the three executives here to raise their hand if they flew here commercial. Let the record show, no hands went up.
Second, going to ask you to raise your hand if you're planning to sell your jet in place now and fly back commercial. Let the record show, no hands went up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Snarky, and we love it.
Doctors would have had to remove her lung. Instead, an amazing story here. She is on the cutting edge of medicine. A stem cell breakthrough. Our Atika Shubert has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Claudio Castilla is the proud owner of a brand new windpipe that's helping her breathe easier. Organ transplants are nothing new. But this one was tailor made from Castilla's own stem cell. An historic first that eliminates the risk of her body rejecting the new organ.
CLAUDIO CASTILLA, TRANSPLANT PATIENT, (through translator): I'm much better now after the operation. It's a long process. But four months after they operated on me, it's much better. I'm fine now.
SHUBERT: Here's how it works. Tuberculosis had ravaged Castilla's trachea or windpipe. Doctors decided to replace the damaged section with another donated trachea. But to ensure that Castilla's body did not reject the new organ, doctors stripped away all the living cell. That allowed the donor trachea to become a scaffolding for Castilla's own stem cells harvested from her bone marrow and respiratory cells taken from her lungs and nose. Professor Paolo Macchiarini was the lead surgeon.
PROF. PAOLO MACCHIARINI, SURGEON: Given that we have transplanted a very complex from an immunological point of view organ for the first time with this tissue engineer procedure, I am quite confident this will open the door to other types of transplantation.
SHUBERT: The landmark achievement was an international effort. Doctors successfully performed the surgery in Barcelona this June. But the stem cells were grown in the U.K. And the tissue engineering onto the new trachea was done in Italy. The organ was flown into Spain just a day before the surgery.
Incredibly, there are no signs of Castilla's immune system rejecting the new organ. Her new windpipe is working perfectly. That seamless transition could change the way transplant surgery is done in the future.
MACCHIARINI: She doesn't need to take immunosuppressant drugs. Drugs against the rejection. So the potential complication of this treatment is avoided. And this altogether makes a very, very big difference. She doesn't need to come in to the hospital every two days. We succeed to offer her something that was without long-term complexity or morbidity. And she's enjoying her life.
SHUBERT: Castilla can now play with her children without losing her breath and even goes dancing on the weekends, thanks to a medical first that doctors hope will not be the last.
Atika Shubert, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Time for me to go. Time to get to the main event. CNN NEWSROOM continues with this lady right here, Kyra Phillips.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: What (INAUDIBLE) al Qaeda quoting Malcolm X?
HARRIS: You know what? It is not . . .
PHILLIPS: Did I silence you?
HARRIS: No, no, no. It's probably not a bad thing that al Qaeda has real problems with Barack Obama, you know? Let's get to work. Let's get to work.
PHILLIPS: Ooh. And younger Muslims saying hey, this is the change we need. It's going to change the whole mind-set and al Qaeda. Guess what? They're polarizing mentality, it's going to go down the tube.
HARRIS: Absolutely.
PHILLIPS: Here we go. And life's going to be great.
HARRIS: You rock.
PHILLIPS: No more 9/11s.
