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American Morning
Secretary Rice Heads to India for Mumbai Terror Probe; Obama Expected to Name His War-Time Team; Obama to Nominate Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State; Bill Clinton's Full Disclosure Clears Way for Wife's Appointment; Palin Back on the Campaign Trail
Aired December 01, 2008 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: We're coming up on 7:00 here in New York. A look at the top stories this morning. President Bush is sending Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to India. This comes in the aftermath of a 60-hour terror siege in Mumbai that killed close to 200 people including six Americans. The White House says that the President assured India's leader that the U.S. government will put its full weight behind the terror investigation.
Plans are underway for a troop surge of sorts in the U.S. The Pentagon expects to have 20,000 uniformed troops within our borders by 2011. They would be trained to work with state and local officials in case of a terrorist attack or other domestic catastrophe. Critics though say that it could strain the military and give them too much of a role in domestic law enforcement.
And Governor Sarah Palin is back on the campaign trail today speaking across Georgia trying to give Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss a boost and to save a critical Senate seat in tomorrow's run-off election. Democrats could clinch a filibuster-proof 60-seat majority if they win the Georgia race and a recount is still going on in Minnesota.
To our stop story now, President-elect Barack Obama announcing that the people who will have his ear during the time of war, he's announcing actually who they are during a time of war. Hillary Clinton headlining a mix of rivals, some advisers and some Washington insiders.
Suzanne Malveaux is live for us in Washington this morning. What can Hillary Clinton bring to this role or at least what are the hopes of that for secretary of state, Suzanne?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Kiran, this is a very big day. As the former first lady, she has traveled around the world. She has relationships with dozens of world leaders. She's a member of the Armed Services Committee and those close to Clinton tell me that she is really excited. She's excited about this opportunity that she is doing this out of a sense of duty, out of history. And initially, she felt personally ambivalent about what this means for her career, but she believes that these times are historic, things are very, very fragile in the world and that she believes that she can actually make a difference, Kiran.
CHETRY: You know, there have been some comparisons of Obama's strategy with President Lincoln's team of rivals. We've heard that phrase a lot thinking when filling out his cabinet. Can he see success with this same strategy?
MALVEAUX: They certainly hope so. They want to bring this team of rivals together. And despite the fact that Hillary Clinton voted in the Senate to authorize the Iraq war, she and Obama are not so far, not that different on foreign policy.
Clinton, like Obama, she's been critical of the war. She agrees with Obama that there's got to be a phased troop withdrawal. And Clinton also believes that there should be more diplomacy, more talking with world leaders to try to repair all of the damage, the strain that's come with this war. So what's going to be interesting, Kiran, is how she manages the State Department. Where Obama's campaign followed that very, very disciplined, hers tended to be a little bit more chaotic -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Suzanne Malveaux for us in Washington this morning. Thanks.
And now, make sure to catch the president-elect's news conference this morning. It's at 10:40 Eastern time. You can see it right here on CNN as well as CNN.com -- Joe.
JOE JOHNS, CNN CO-ANCHOR: Bill Clinton could be the one who ultimately cleared the way for his wife to get the job. He agreed to disclose what some say could be half a billion dollars in secret fund- raising.
Jim Acosta has been looking into what we can expect now that the books are open. He's live in Washington this morning.
Good morning, Jim.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Joe. Not since they left the White House have the Clintons had as much power as they are about to have, and it was the former president who closed the deal.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: All across the globe, economic empowerment efforts are making impressive gains.
ACOSTA (voice-over): The people bank rolling Bill Clinton's global dealings have stayed shrouded in secrecy for years -- the contributors who donated millions to the Clinton presidential library in Arkansas to the companies paying for his speeches around the world.
CLINTON: We'll never have that level of development we need in Africa.
ACOSTA: The backers of his efforts to combat malaria or AIDS.
CLINTON: To help ensure that people everywhere are able to access the care and treatment that can save their lives. ACOSTA: But now the former president has promised to make public the names of some 200,000 donors to his vast foundation, clearing a final hurdle for his wife, Hillary Clinton, to become secretary of state.
DAVID GERGEN, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: I've heard a lot of hammering about whether Bill Clinton would stand in the way of his wife, or would he be supportive. Barack Obama, he, too, has now signed on in a very fulsome way.
ACOSTA: As part of a deal brokered with the Obama transition team, the former president has also agreed to submit his future activities to the same state department that would be run by his wife and if necessary, the White House.
CLINTON: I feel especially honored to be here today.
ACOSTA: Big moves for a president who likes to do things his way. But their moves, he indicated, he can live with.
CLINTON: Whatever they want. This is a deal between the president-elect and Hillary.
ACOSTA: In all, Mr. Clinton's post-presidential activities with global movers and shakers have raised by some estimates a half billion dollars. Republicans say they'll examine that in Mrs. Clinton's confirmation hearing.
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: Obviously, you'd want to make sure that the spouse's business dealings did not present a conflict when it came to our relationship with a particular country or region.
ACOSTA: Others in Washington wonder if this ex-president's ease with world leaders could be put to official use.
SEN. RICHARD LUGAR (R), INDIANA: As a roving ambassador, as someone who will take special appointments, someone who still has ties with leaders all over the world, and who's conversations are important. It's a historically unprecedented situation.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: We shall see, but Bill Clinton has avoided revealing his donors, noting correctly that such disclosures are not required by law. The former president's reversal on the subject is a sign just how much his wife wants this job -- Joe.
JOHNS: Jim Acosta in Washington. Thanks.
ACOSTA: You bet.
CHETRY: We're about five minutes after the hour. A look at the news across the nation.
New York Giants star receiver, Plaxico Burress, is expected to turn himself into police today and to plead not guilty after somehow managing to shoot himself in the thigh at a New York City night club Friday night. Burress faces a handgun possession charge which could mean jail time.
The Giants, meanwhile, didn't let his absence affect their game. They beat the Skins, yesterday. Sorry, Joe.
JOHNS: Oh, no.
CHETRY: 23-7.
JOHNS: Outburst (ph).
CHETRY: Yes. There you go.
Well, it was a working weekend for Detroit's big three automakers. They'll take proposals to Congress Tuesday. They're going to be trying to lay out exactly how they would spend a possible taxpayer bailout to turn their struggling companies around. On Sunday, the head of the Auto Workers Union implored Congress not to let the companies tank. Appearing on CNN's "LATE EDITION," he said "that the nation cannot afford to see these companies fail."
JOHNS: Police are scouring footage from the security cameras of a Long Island Wal-Mart trying to identify shoppers who trampled a security guard to death during Friday's shopping rush. But authorities admit out of 2,000 people at the store early Friday, it's going to be difficult to know who to charge.
A winter weather mess across the Midwest. There you're looking at a live picture of Michigan Avenue in Chicago. It's certainly beautiful, but it's also causing some traffic problems.
The Windy City might see several inches leading to more airport delays after the holiday weekend. Up to eight inches could fall in parts of northern Illinois.
Reynolds Wolf will have the full forecast in our next half hour.
It is seven minutes past the hour.
CHETRY: Sarah Palin's new campaign.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. SARAH PALIN (R), ALASKA: I'm not going to close any doors of opportunity that perhaps are open out there in the future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Why the former candidate left Alaska to pump up the base in the south. You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "FOUR CHRISTMASES" COURTESY NEW LINE CINEMA) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean, we're named after the cities in which we were conceived. That's Denver, that's Dallas and this is Orlando.
REESE WITHERSPOON, ACTRESS: Orlando?
VINCE VAUGHN, ACTOR: Well, my given name is Orlando, but I changed it to Brad. So, I'm Brad.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Well, all it took was a little holiday cheer to get rid of those pesky vampires at the box office. The Yuletide comedy "Four Christmases" hauled in an estimated $31.4 million, bouncing "Twilight" all the way down to third place with just over $26 million. Disney's "Bolt" came in at number two, and "Australia" went down under as Nicole Kidman's big budget epic came in fifth with just under $15 million.
All right. Christine Romans joins us now. So if people were spending their money at the theaters, will they also be spending them at the stores this thanksgiving weekend?
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: They were, and I've been doing a lot of important research. Just wondering guys if I can expense any of the important work I've been doing this morning about cyber shopping.
CHETRY: Yes.
ROMANS: Just wondering. I'm trying to find out what kind of bargains are out there today. Cyber shopping, of course, is this -- you know, it's this moniker for the Monday after thanksgiving, after Black Friday, cyber Monday. This is the industry wants us to think it's kind of a hallmark holiday, if you will. They want us to think that this is a big day to spend money.
You know, maybe ten years ago or five years ago when we didn't all have computers in our house, we would come to work and hunker down and start shopping at work.
JOHNS: It will be a holiday before you know it.
ROMANS: Right. Exactly, exactly. But this is what we're looking for in terms of cyber shopping over the holidays, doing your Christmas shopping at work. Twenty-nine percent plan to shop online, according to careerbuilder.com. This is a survey that they recently did.
Forty-three percent of people are going to spend an hour or more. Twenty-three percent will spend two hours or more. These 13 percent who can spend three hours or more shopping online between now and Christmas, I think it's pretty impressive. But, yes, I personally wouldn't have that much time to do it. But this is some deals we found already this morning.
So today, some big deals. Lots of free shipping. Don't pay for any shipping online. They get so mad when I say this, but don't pay for shipping online because there are a lot of free deals.
Landsend.com has free shipping. JCPenny has free shipping if you buy $25 and more of stuff. Go down the list, just about everybody does. So free shipping, lots of deals, 33 percent off. And then coupons around 20 percent off every hour today. Different retailers are having different deals depending on what hour it is. So I guess, you know, if you're safe in your job, you can sit down and do some shopping at work.
JOHNS: Three hours online shopping? You can go to the mall in that amount of time.
CHETRY: The only place I went was the grocery store and I lost my credit card. I dropped it out of my pocket in the aisle. So now I have no credit card and it's cyber Monday.
JOHNS: Oh, no,
CHETRY: You need your credit card to shop.
ROMANS: This is absolutely --
CHETRY: Maybe it's a blessing in disguise.
JOHNS: There's always on my checks.
ROMANS: You need more commercial breaks so you can go shopping here, too.
JOHNS: Thanks, Christine.
ROMANS: You're welcome.
JOHNS: It is 11 minutes past the hour.
Memo to the president. What not do when it comes to securing the borders and fixing the immigration system.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was a stupid idea. It would be a stupid idea if they tried it again, and it'll probably fail if they tried it again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: Why this could be Barack Obama's toughest fight.
You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Mourning after a massacre, the people of Mumbai taking some time out to remember the victims of that 60-hour terror siege. These images were sent to us by i-reporter Aaron Qadry (ph) who lives in Mumbai. Hundreds of people came out last night to pay their respects. Most of them gathered on Mumbai's boardwalk which overlooks the Arabian Sea.
This morning we're learning more about who may be responsible for killing close to 200 people in India from the only gunman taken alive. CNN's senior international correspondent Nic Robertson has been tracking the investigation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Could this gunman hold the balance of regional peace in his hands? He is the only attacker to be captured alive. Indian police say he is Pakistani. And what he tells investigators could shape the rising tensions between these two nuclear neighbors.
(on camera): Government officials here were quick to blame Pakistan. Pakistan's ministers deny their country's involvement, have offered to help with the investigation, but are now considering bolstering their troops along the border. The two countries have fought three wars in the past 60 years. Getting this investigation right could not be more critical.
(voice-over): It is indeed a tough time for the city. But India's maze of new, independent media outlets have a steady stream of leaks from investigators. They vary widely. Few can agree on the captured gunman's name.
Our sister network CNN-IBN has sources inside India's intelligence community. They're being told the gunman was trained and helped by Lashkar-e-Taiba (ph), a Pakistan-based al-Qaeda terror group. CNN-IBN has also been told the captured gunman says he and his fellow attackers were told to memorize Google earth maps of Mumbai's streets so they could find their targets.
(on camera): As a measure of how seriously the attack in rising tensions are being taken in western capitals, the FBI is sending a team to help. British investigators also expected and Interpol, the international policing group, are also in negotiations with Indian authorities to send in their teams.
(voice-over): While the country mourns its fallen heroes, an undercurrent of anti-Pakistan sentiment is growing. Managing that while conducting a thorough and open investigation may be this country's biggest challenge in the coming weeks.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTSON: For the latest piece of information in the puzzle, the investigation here that's been leaked to our sister network CNN- IBN, investigators say that they traced the e-mail claiming responsibility, they traced that back, they believe to Pakistan -- Kiran.
CHETRY: You know, they're -- it just seems incredible that possibly it was just ten gunmen, which is what the reporting has been, that could end up causing so much destruction killing some 200 people. Any chance that there were other gunmen that may be blended into the crowd and were able to get away?
ROBERTSON: Well, we've talked with Indian security experts, people who have been involved for years with the intelligence community here. And they say an attack of this scale from their experience, if there were just ten attackers, there had to be more people providing a support network, local knowledge more than here. They say there could have been up to 30 people involved.
And there's also the belief amongst investigators here that the two men from the same terror group who came from Pakistan, according to the investigators, that they came here two months ago to reconnoiter to set up, decide on the target, that they are also still at large. So definitely investigators here believe that more people could be involved and some of them, perhaps not attackers but a support network, Kiran.
CHETRY: The investigation continues for sure. Nic Robertson for us in Mumbai today. Thank you.
JOHNS: Gunshots heard at the airport in Thailand where 100,000 travelers are still stranded. Protestors showed reporters bullet holes from the alleged attack but no one was hurt. Mobs of demonstrators occupied Bangkok's two major airports last week out of growing impatience with the government which they say is corrupt.
Only a few empty planes were allowed to leave over the weekend. The situation has strangled Thailand's tourism industry and travel around the world.
Major political breaking news today. Senator Hillary Clinton expected to join team Obama, a team of rivals. We'll ask the best political team whether the picks could blow up in his face.
And the challenges ahead for the new war-time cabinet. Two wars, the hunt for bin Laden, and a fresh terror attack on top of a sinking economy. We'll talk about all the tests waiting on the office of the president.
You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JOHNS: Welcome back to the "Most Politics in the Morning." Sarah Palin is back on the campaign trail today trying to seal the deal for the GOP in a crucial Georgia Senate run-off.
Sarah (sic) Endo is live in Augusta, Georgia for us this morning -- Sarah.
Sandra, I'm sorry, I'm calling you Sarah.
SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Sarah Palin will be here, Joe. In fact, this area is high stakes in this contest between the Republican Saxby Chambliss and Democratic challenger Jim Martin. Now both candidates are making a final push for support today with Chambliss calling in Governor Sarah Palin to rev up the Republican base.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GOV. SARAH PALIN (R), ALASKA: Governed with strong executive experiences.
ENDO (voice-over): If there was any doubt that Alaska Governor Sarah Palin remains popular with conservatives, just look where's she's been and where she's headed. Palin was called in as the closer for Georgia's incumbent senator, Saxby Chambliss, who's facing a tough run-off against Democrat Jim Martin. It's a race that has potentially huge implications for the balance of power in the Senate. If Chambliss loses and the Democrats win the still to be decided Minnesota Senate race, the Democrats would have a filibuster-proof majority. If Palin is successful helping her colleague in a red state like Georgia it could help pave the way for a future presidential run in 2012.
PALIN: I'm not going to close any doors of opportunity that perhaps are open out there in the future.
ENDO: She has already revved up the conservative base.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, OUR COUNTRY DESERVES BETTER COMMITTEE POLITICAL AD)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now we just wanted to say --
ALL: Thank you, Sarah Palin.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ENDO: And is generating an early buzz.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I think she has a very bright future in leadership position in the Republican Party.
GOV. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (R), CALIFORNIA: As fast as she has learned to become a great governor, that's as fast she would have learned how to become a great vice president and also if there's an emergency to become president. I think she's a fast learner.
ENDO: But is it much too soon to be talking about Palin, the future Republican nominee?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's got to get more experience, and she's got to get some more things under her belt if she's going to be the leader of this party.
ENDO: Palin's popularity could help Chambliss defeat Martin here in Georgia. She attended a private fund-raiser for Chambliss in Atlanta and has several campaign stops with him today before voters head to the polls tomorrow.
(END VIDEOTAPE) ENDO: This could be mutually beneficial for both Palin and Chambliss if Republicans keep the seat. Now 52 percent of Georgians backed McCain/Palin in the general election, and this will be a test to see if Palin still has the clout to turn out the vote -- Joe.
JOHNS: Sandra Endo in Augusta, thanks.
CHETRY: Well, it's one of the most contentious issues in the country and a real challenge for the incoming president. Immigration, we'll prioritize the problem.
Look at some of the potential solutions for the Obama administration.
Also, she is our hero. Devoting her life to helping Hurricane Katrina victims rebuild theirs. We're going to talk with the newly minted CNN Hero of the Year, at 24 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the "Most Politics in the Morning." You know, we're waiting for the president-elect to break some major political news today. Barack Obama is expected to formally name Hillary Clinton as his secretary of state, and Defense Secretary Robert Gates is also expected to stay on in his post. And sources also say that Obama will name retired marine general, James Jones, as his national security adviser.
So right now, we're taking a closer look at this transition of power. I'm joined by Democrat strategist Lisa Caputo, as well as Republican strategist Ed Rollins. Great to see both of you.
ED ROLLINS, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Thanks. Good morning.
CHETRY: Welcome back. So, Lisa, we've been talking a lot about these concessions that the Clintons are making. The former president opening up the books really about all of his fund-raising and donations and future speaking engagements, et cetera. Why do you think that they're going through all of this? What benefit is it to Hillary Clinton in the long run to be secretary of state?
LISA CAPUTO, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I think the benefit is that there are no questions asked that the Clintons are being very transparent. This is something that Senator Clinton feels is very important to do. You know, the president asks and you follow through, and it's a historic time for the country. And the former president wants to be as helpful as possible to make sure that there are no questions around his foundation, his dealings globally and to make sure there's a spirit of transparency.
CHETRY: We've heard some Republicans weighing in, Ed. We've heard from -- this is very interesting. Dick Lugar, who's the ranking Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee. He'll be confirming her, at least one of the votes. He's on board. Lindsey Graham as well. Why do so many Republicans seem pleased with this choice for Hillary Clinton for secretary of state? ROLLINS: Well, I think, obviously, they respect her. I think when she went to the Senate, a lot of people had some apprehension on the Republican side. They discovered very quickly that she work well with them. They respect her intellectual abilities, and they think that she will basically be a very stable part of this administration. And I think we're on a dual track here.
We've got a gigantic financial crisis and obviously we've got a foreign policy crisis, and she may have to be the one who's focusing on the foreign policy crisis for a period of time and the president has to be on the financial side.
CHETRY: For left-leaning Democrats who voted for Obama because of his opposition to the war, how about the fact that he's bringing on Hillary Clinton who voted to authorize the war as a secretary of state and as the same time keeping Defense chief Gates, you know, who's really running the war right now on as well.
CAPUTO: Well, I think it's quite brilliant on President-elect Obama's part. In today's "New York Times," Senator John Warner has a great quote at the end of a story, you know, talking about bringing the best and brightest to your foreign policy team. And I think when you take a step back, Senator Clinton and President-elect Obama are very, very close on foreign policy issues with the exception of her vote on the war. They both favor a phased withdrawal from Iraq of our troops.
And I think what the president-elect is doing is putting the best in the job and not just forming a team of rivals but putting people who know what the lay of the land is and who can bring great skill and great diplomacy into these roles.
CHETRY: I want to ask you about Sarah Palin before we go. She's on the stump today for Saxby Chambliss down in Georgia.
There's a recent Gallup poll that I find fascinating. Full two- thirds of Republican that were asked want her to run in 2012. Double the number of people that think it's Bobby Jindal or Mitt Romney, or somebody like that. Yet at the same time for independents and for Democrats, she is very polarizing. Almost an equal number say they would not vote for her for president. Where does that leave her prospects in 2012 and the GOP?
ROLLINS: Well, she has two -- she has two steps. One, she has to get re-elected in 2010 as a Republican. So she's got to go back to Alaska and do a very effective job. And I think she begins as a very strong candidate in 2012 if she chooses to run.
I was a long way from Alaska though and New Hampshire is a long ways and you got to go win those people one on one. Dan Quayle was in a very similar position after he had been vice president but he didn't do very well when he ran for president by himself. My sense is she'll be a credible candidate but she's got to basically do the job she's doing now more effectively.
CHETRY: You're smiling. You're hoping they run her in 2012, right? As a lot of democrats are?
LISA CAPUTO, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I'm just laughing that we're talking about Sarah Palin on the day where the President-elect is announcing what is an unprecedented foreign policy team and I just can't even believe we're having this conversation.
CHETRY: (inaudible) Sarah Palin and it's still shocking the amount of intrigue, I think it was Lycos or one of these web engines - she is still the most searched person. From September until now she is more searched than Barack Obama. So there is a fascination there.
CAPUTO: There may be but boy does she have a long way did go from to get from here to there if she wants to even consider running for president in a couple of years.
ROLLINS: The critical thing here and to her point. I think we're not going to wage war, we're going to exit from a war. And I think this team, particularly with Secretary Gates and Jim Jones, who I think is a superb choice for national security, former NATO commander, Marine Corps commander is a perfect choice to get us out of this mess that we're in.
CHETRY: All right. Well thanks for both of you for your input today. Lisa Caputo and Ed Rollins, it's always great to have you with us. Joe.
JOE JOHNS, CNN ANCHOR: Kiran, it's 31 minutes after the hour. Today is the day to wear your red ribbon. It's the 20th anniversary of World AIDS day. People all over the world are holding events to raise awareness about the deadly virus which remains incurable. The United Nations says over 33 million people were living with HIV or AIDS last year. One million are Americans.
After six years of digging and debate, the Capitol visitors Center opens tomorrow. The sprawling complex of theaters, restaurants and work space comes with a hefty price tag, $621 million. That's $550 million more than projected. It was supposed to be ready for President Bush's 2005 inauguration. In other words, under budget and on time by Washington standards. The finished center is about two- thirds the size of the entire United States Capitol.
Broken borders, illegal immigrants, complex problems with no easy answer. Most Americans agree that something needs to be done, but ask what that something is and you'll get a different answer almost every time. In our ongoing series looking at the issues facing the Obama administration Homeland Security correspondent Jeanne Meserve has today's "Memo to the President."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Mr. President, this is the public face of immigration today.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Congratulations, you're now a citizens of the United States of America. MESERVE: More than one million people took the oath of allegiance last year legally becoming U.S. citizen, the most in history, but the raw nerve of immigration isn't those here legally it is the estimated 12 million who are here illegally. There is consensus that something must be done.
JAMES ZIGLAR, FORMER HEAD OF INS: It's critically important. Our system is dysfunctional. There's is a reason that we have so many people who are in this country illegally and it has to do with the dysfunction of the system itself.
MESERVE: But what to do. During the campaign, you supported comprehensive immigration reform including a path to citizenship for those here illegally. But the last effort to pass such a measure faced stiff opposition in Congress and failed. Some experts say if you try the same approach early in your administration, it would be a train wreck.
JAMES CARAFANO, THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION: It was a stupid idea. It would be a stupid idea if they tried it again and it would probably fail if they tried it again.
MESERVE: James Carafano for one favors a gradual piecemeal approach. Some immigration matters to consider do you continue the Bush administration's controversial get tough workplace enforcement actions? Do you continue to pressure businesses to verify the legal status of their workers? Do you continue the construction of the border fence? There is certainly political pressure to do something. Two-thirds of Hispanic voters support you and many want action. The current secretary of Homeland Security says something must be done.
MICHAEL CHERTOFF, SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY: Do I believe that in the next few years, we're going have to address this? Absolutely. This is not a situation which is sustainable over a long period of time.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MESERVE: One sign that immigration will be a priority the expected announcement today that Janet Napolitano will be Homeland Security secretary. As governor of Arizona, immigration was her signature issue. Joe, back to you.
JOHNS: Now we want to hear from you. Send us your own "Memo to the President," just go to CNN.com/am and slick on the i-report link to give the president-elect a piece of your mind.
CHETRY: Well, the search for black Friday bargains turns to tragedy. Police in Long Island looking for the people who trampled a Wal-Mart security worker when a mob mentality takes over, how do you know who's to blame? 35 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the most news in the morning. Police are still studying security tapes from a Wal-Mart store in Long Island. On them, images of hundreds of people, many responsible for a man's death. Our Susan Candiotti is looking at the search to find those to blame. Susan?
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kiran and Joe, good morning. How could it happen? A discount store worker trampled to death by shoppers intent on getting a big bargain the day after Thanksgiving? Will anyone be held responsible? Today we could learn more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LT. MICHAEL FLEMING, NASSAU COUNTY POLICE: This was utter chaos.
CANDIOTTI (voice-over): These newspaper photos send chills, capturing a 5:00 a.m. stampede as Wal-Mart shoppers smashed through the front doors and trampled to death a 34-year-old temporary security worker. Investigators are deciding whether anyone should or can be charged.
FLEMING: We are examining videotape footage that was shot by Wal-Mart and by some of these surrounding stores.
CANDIOTTI: Authorities also wanted to know whether Wal-Mart had enough security.
FLEMING: It was several minutes before they were able to get the crowd pushed back enough to be able to render some aid.
CANDIOTTI: CNN's legal analyst and former prosecutor Sunny Hostin says it's not intentional homicide but shoppers could be criminally negligent.
SYNNY HOSTIN, AMERICAN MORNING'S LEGAL ANALYST: Isn't that what we're talking about here? Wanting to get such a bargain and such a deal on black Friday that you would run over another human being. His life didn't matter to whoever did this.
CANDIOTTI: Even if shoppers can be identified, Hostin says with 2,000 people pushing to get inside the store, the case could be tough to prosecute.
HOSTIN: It's going to be difficult to prove to a jury that this person in their heads failed to perceive the risk and is now legally responsible for it.
CANDIOTTI: That same afternoon, the store reopened, in a statement, Wal-Mart defended itself saying it worked with police, put up barricades and added more security. "Despite all of our precautions, this unfortunate event occurred." New York's largest grocery union calls the death avoidable and Wal-Mart irresponsible. Lawyer Sunny Hostin says a civil lawsuit against Wal-Mart is all but inevitable but she thinks Wal-Mart may have done all it could to prepare.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CANDIOTTI: Today police expect to have more to say about the case. They're interviewing witnesses and trying to see whether they can identify any shoppers on the tape that could be tough. Then prosecutors will make the final call. Kiran and Joe.
CHETRY: Susan, thanks. When this brutal incident happened, witnesses say other workers were trampled trying to rescue the fallen employee and customers simply stepped over his body and tried to keep shopping. Joe.
JOHNS: Putting together a team of rivals to face some historic challenges? Could all the talk about teamwork turn into a fight for power?
And in just a few hours, President-elect Barack Obama plans to nominate Hillary Clinton as secretary of state. But is the New York senator barred by the constitution from accepting the job? It's 40 minutes past the hour.
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JOHNS: Major buzz inside the beltway this morning about Barack Obama's big announcement today. Democratic sources say the president- elect plans to name senator Hillary Clinton to be secretary of state and keep defense secretary Robert Gates. So how will this team of rivals get along? CNN special correspondent Frank Sesno joins us now. Good morning, Frank. You've been looking at this idea of a team of rivals, which is really a throwback to the days of Lincoln. But a lot of people say it could still create dysfunction in the White House family as it were. Are these simply too many big egos for one White House?
FRANK SESNO, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: It may be. It sort of depends on how they balance themselves and how the president and his national security adviser work it all out. It's a powerful team, huge name ID here across the board as you mentioned. In Washington, all this talk and enthusiasm about teamwork and name ID can quickly devolve into sort of a dysfunctional over power and influence and access and influence to the president.
Here's a warning that came from someone who's been here. Former Secretary of State herself Madeleine Albright, she wrote in her book, "Memo to the President-elect," the following - "the jostling begins during the early days of the campaign and it doesn't end even when the foreign policy team is named because the question remains who other than the president will be captain. Aggressive appointees maneuver behind the scenes offering plans for how the national security decision making process should work." One prize is who gets to convene the meetings? In the puzzled palace of Washington, which is what it really is. You know when it comes to making foreign policy this is all about access and convening the teams, why that's a long and storied history.
JOHNS: Well it is healthy to have a certain amount of debate, a certain amount of disagreement, even discord, if you will. But the question is where do you draw the line?
SESNO: Where you draw the line is where it gets the in way. And we've seen this repeatedly in past administration. And Albright points that out in her book as well, and we've seen it. I've covered it in fact in some cases, not all the way back but the Ford administration had a deep, deep rivalry going between Henry Kissinger, who was the national security adviser and the secretary of state the, the young Donald Rumsfeld that's when he was Secretary of Defense the first time in the Carter administration. Zbigniew Brzezinski was the national adviser and he and Cyrus Vance who was the secretary of state didn't see eye to eye and ultimately Cyrus Vance resigned in protest over certain policies, especially dealing with an Iran rescue mission that he didn't know about.
In the Reagan days, Secretary of State George Schultz and the Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger were at odds. And of course, in the current administration earlier on when Donald Rumsfeld was back for an encore appearance as Secretary of Defense, he and Colin Powell, the Secretary of State were constantly at one another. So these kinds of rivalries get in the way, Joe, when they bubble to the surface, result in leaks or really intrude on policy making.
JOHNS: Obama is expected to name Jim Jones as his national security adviser. What do you see when he does that?
SESNO: I see that this is key. We've had other military men who sat in that position, national security adviser, namely Brent Scowcroft and Colin Powell. They did very well because the job of the national security adviser, he's at the White House, OK, by the president's side, sees the president several times a day in many ways is the gate keeper and has to arbitrate among the foreign policy team, sometimes knock heads together. People from the military have a strong sense of discipline and chain of command, strong respect for the chain of command. So they have a formal and disciplined decision- making process. And that's going to be key. The other big key is does Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State get the access she needs to the president because that's also one of the most important relationships in the administration.
JOHNS: So if you take the 30,000 foot view, what would you say is the biggest challenge here?
SESNO: The biggest challenge is to get one page of music to everybody and have them sing in harmony. That's always hard here in Washington. I think the biggest challenge is this one that you see right here. This relationship between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Remember, Hillary Clinton tore him apart during the campaign. And the famous commercial, you know who's going to answer the phone at 3:00 a.m.? Well, we'll see who answer the phone. Is it going to be Barack Obama? Is it going to be Hillary Clinton? Or is it going to be a conference call and they're both going to be on the line? That's really the key.
JOHNS: You know, you would kind of think that Hillary Clinton would be making the 3:00 a.m. call to the White House but -
SESNO: National security, somebody is not going to get much sleep.
JOHNS: Great. All right. Thanks so much. Good to see you again, frank Sesno.
Senator Clinton and the constitution, could President-elect Barack Obama be violating the highest law of the land by tapping Clinton to lead the state department?
And he led a crusade to expose Mickey Mouse as the anti-Christ and he thinks there are a lot of other rodents in corporate America, too. This Christmas, he wants to you ask what would Jesus buy? Reverend Billy from the Church of Stop Shopping joins us live. It is 48 minutes past the hour.
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CHETRY: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. Here's a live picture right now of Detroit. You can see the clouds in the sky. 35 degrees. Flurries. They're expecting snow later on, 35 degrees as well, for a high today in Detroit. Our Reynolds Wolf is tracking all of it, in for Rob Marciano at the Weather Center in Atlanta. Not the best day for the middle part of the country, right? In fact we could be facing some more travel delays as the day wears on?
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Oh, absolutely. I mean as the snow starts coming down, these delays are going to mount out right now. We have some ground stoppages in New York and Philadelphia but we do expect even more as you make your way through the midmorning hours and into the afternoon. You start in Detroit and I tell you in Michigan that's where we're having some of the heavy snowfall. Some places especially near, let's see, Boyne, back towards Sleeping Bear, you could see anywhere from six to eight inches of snowfall, but the snow is only one part of the story.
The second part is going to be that strong wind with gusts topping 20 to 30 miles per hour and that's going to give you whiteout conditions along parts of I-75, into the midland and Saginaw and even into Muskegon in Grand Rapids it's going to be pretty nasty for you. Chicago, a few bands of snowfall moving through from Evanson southward into Chicago and into Oak Lawn. That's going to be the thing you're going to deal with. And then back into St. Louis, pretty much the same story with the heavy snowfall now moving through St. Charles back into St. Louis proper southward to Oakville.
Now in Nashville, you're seeing a little bit of a mix of everything, rain, sleet and snow. Same story for you in the north mountains of Georgia, Chattanooga, up by Lookout mountain, same story. Indeed, it's going to be certainly a nasty day for travelers. Just be prepared and be patient. Let's send it back to you Kiran.
CHETRY: All right. Reynolds, thanks.
WOLF: You bet.
CHETRY: It is 51 minutes after the hour.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY (voice-over): Asking what would Jesus buy? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Past the cash registers, down the aisle, deeper, deeper, deeper into the evil.
CHETRY: The man who performed an exorcism at Wal-Mart, is here to deliver us from holiday retail hell.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Amen, hallelujah. Hallelujah.
CHETRY: Plus, long distance dedication.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: we're listening for something that looks artificial, something that's obviously engineered.
CHETRY: A woman listening for a sign, setting up an 800 number for E.T.. Why she thinks making contact isn't crazy?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That will probably be the first key that something is out there.
CHETRY: You're watching the most news in the morning.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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JOHNS: Top videos right now on CNN.com. Shuttle "Endeavour" lands safely on earth but it took a little detour. The weather was too bad to land in Florida so "Endeavour" touched down in sunny California instead. The astronauts and their families are expected to reunite this afternoon in Houston.
And check out the biggest floating Christmas tree in the world. The people of Rio de Janeiro have been ringing in the holiday spirit around that tree for the past 13 years. To find out what's most popular, go to CNN.com/most popular.
CHETRY: Well, everyone has a hero, right? This year, more than a million people voted on-line to determine CNN's hero of the year and the winner is Liz McCartney. Through her St. Bernard project in Louisiana she has helped victims of Hurricane Katrina rebuild their homes as well as their lives and Liz will now receive $125,000 to continue her work. She joins us this morning from St. Bernard Parish.
Liz, thanks for being with us and congratulations. You were one of the 10 finalists of the "Hero's" contest. How did it feel when you were chosen as hero of the year?
LIZ MCCARTNEY, CNN HERO OF THE YEAR: I was totally surprised. You know, the other nominees were just incredible people. They're doing phenomenal work around the globe, so I was really surprised and very honored.
CHETRY: Well let's explain to people a little bit about your history. Back in the winter of 2006, you basically quit your job, you packed up your life along with your boyfriend in D.C. and you moved to New Orleans to rebuild the city. It was a drastic move that you made. Why did you feel the need to do it? What did you see when you went there to volunteer?
MCCARTNEY: You know, I think the thing that was most shocking to me when we came down here to volunteer in 2006, is people who reminded me of my parents and grandparents. Good, hard working tax paying Americans who didn't have a plan to get back into their houses and for the first time in their lives had to wait in line for food. So we felt we could either go home and be part of the problem or we could move down here and do something and try and be part of the solution.
CHETRY: You're standing right now in front of the - one of the homes that you're currently trying to rebuild and you're - you, as part of this project, have been doing this for many homes. Tell us how you do it. Walk us through the project. How do you decide and how do you get it done?
MCCARTNEY: Well, we go out into the community and find residents like Mr. Berkhart whose house I'm standing in front of, who don't have enough money or resources to re-build on their own. We try to focus on senior citizens, individuals with disabilities and families with younger kids. And our formula is pretty simple. We raise about $12,000 to buy all the building supplies, we recruit volunteers, we put them together and we can get a family back home in about 12 weeks.
CHETRY: That's unbelievable. How many families have you been able to help so far?
MCCARTNEY: To date we've been able to get 155 families back in their homes and we're working on about 34 families' homes.
CHETRY: You're using the money, your reward money as well to go toward your project?
MCCARTNEY: Absolutely. Absolutely. We're going to get 12 more families in with the $125,000 that we won.
CHETRY: All right. You're also expanding your operations as I understand it to help people with emotional needs. You say that the further we get away from the disaster that was Katrina the more people need emotional and mental help. Explain that.
MCCARTNEY: That's right. You know what we've found time and time again is that when we get people back into their homes, many of our clients have had mental health and emotional problems so we're partnering with LSU's psychiatry department to open a clinic at our office here and then additionally we're looking to expand our services and start helping families in neighborhoods in New Orleans that need help rebuilding and that need access to mental health services. We have a lot of work ahead.
CHETRY: You do, but you have accomplished so much which what is amazing as well and you're doing great work. Liz McCartney, the CNN Hero of the Year, and again, congratulations. Liz, thanks for joining us this morning.
MCCARTNEY: Well, thanks very much. Appreciate it.
CHETRY: Joe.
