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American Morning
Obama Vows Swift Economic Action; Property Taxes Climb Despite Sliding Home Values; Blackwater Guards Expected to Surrender; Oil Delta Warlords in Nigeria; Suspected Terrorist Mastermind Arrested?
Aired December 08, 2008 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Well, we're just coming up on 8:00 here in New York. A look at the top stories this morning.
President-elect Barack Obama predicting that the economy will get worse before it improves, but Obama says his top priority by far is having an economic recovery plan that's equal to the difficult task ahead.
Obama supports the auto industry bail out and says that Congress was correct drafting legislation that holds Detroit's feet to the fire.
Futures trading points to a higher opening on Wall Street. The Asian markets soared overnight. In Japan the Nikkei index up 5 percent. Hong Kong's Hang Seng surged more than 8.5 percent. European stocks are also trading in positive territory.
A Pakistani government official telling the Associated Press that a suspected mastermind of the deadly terror attacks in Mumbai has been arrested. He was one of a dozen people arrested when police raided a camp run by an Islamic militant group that India blames for the Mumbai massacre.
And a group of laid-off factory workers now in the fourth day of a peaceful occupation. They're calling it of their Chicago plant. The employees say they will not leave until they get severance and vacation pay they say they are owed.
CNN's Susan Roesgen is following the story for us that's drawn national attention. She's live in Chicago this morning.
What's the latest, Susan?
SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kiran, there are about 20 or so workers still in here. They are doing this in shifts now. 200 union workers taking different shifts, eight-hour shifts. They are here because they don't want the company to force them out without paying them, and they don't want the company to take the equipment that's inside and move it. They are very afraid that this company is simply going to go to some other state.
However, they are blaming, Kiran, the Bank of America, the creditor for this company -- Bank of America, for what they say is cutting off the credits of the company. So, they've got these signs like this, "Billions for Bank of America," "Bank of America got $25 Billion Out of the Recent Federal Bailout, "Billions for Bank of America, Zero for Workers." And it's this kind of thing that has gotten the attention of everybody from local politicians to the president-elect.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENT-ELECT: I think that these workers if they have earned these benefits and their pay, then these companies need to follow-through on those commitments.
REP. JAN SCHAKOWSKY (D), ILLINOIS: These are 300 jobs that we ought to save. This is a product that they make that we ought to save. And we want to work out something much better than just say bye-bye workers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROESGEN: Now, here you are looking at a shot inside the Republic Windows & Doors. It's a glass factory. These are a few of the workers that are sort of holding down the fort, one of the shifts here. This afternoon, in about 4:00 local time, some of the workers and Bank of America are going to meet along with Illinois congressman, Luis Gutierrez to try to resolve this thing.
Although, there hasn't been any company people around here at all. No public statements from the company. And again, Bank of America said it is the company's responsibility to pay these workers. It isn't the Bank of America's responsibility -- Kiran.
CHETRY: All right. So for now they are at a stalemate. Maybe they'll get something accomplished today with those meetings.
Susan Roesgen for us in Chicago, thanks.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Now to the proposed bailout of Detroit's Big Three automakers. Congressional lawmakers are trying to work out the final details of a massive rescue plan, one that would have significant strings attached to it. Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd said one such condition should be a change in leadership at General Motors.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CHRISTOPHER DODD (D), CONNECTICUT: If you are going to restructure it and have a viable manufacturing sector in our country --
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: So what you are saying about GM is that Rick Wagoner, the chairman, has to go?
DODD: I think he has to move on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Meanwhile, some in the motor city are hoping for divine intervention to help out the Big Three. One of Detroit's largest church is offering prayers with three SUVs parked at the altar.
Local car dealerships donated the SUVs for the service. One each, GM, Ford and Chrysler. The pastor said he and other Detroit ministers would pray and fast until Congress voted on a bailout. Do really want to pray for saving the SUV? I'm not sure.
This morning the growing shift of presidential power is under way as President-elect Barack Obama and his economic team craft a plan to upgrade or repair the nation's public infrastructure and created jobs and jumpstart the economy.
Obama's promise of swift action comes as he rally support for an automotive bailout. But he is demanding big changes in return from Detroit's Big Three. CNN's Elaine Quijano is live for us this morning in Chicago.
And Elaine, traditionally during the transition period, this interregnum as its called, the president-elect stays fairly quite on issues of policy, but President-elect Barack Obama really jumping out in front of this one.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely. As you said throwing his support behind the approach that Congress is taking right now when it comes to the U.S. automakers. President- elect Barack Obama said yesterday that America's automakers cannot be allowed to fail, but he said before Detroit gets any help there must be conditions including restructuring.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
QUIJANO (voice-over): As lawmakers gear up to try to save the U.S. auto industry, the incoming president says he approves of their approach.
OBAMA: I think that Congress is doing the exact right thing by asking for a conditions-based assistance package that holds the auto industry's feet to the fire, gives them some short-term assistance but also insists that assistance leads to some very difficult choices.
QUIJANO: That approach comes on the heels of more bad economic news last week that the U.S. economy shed 533,000 jobs last month alone. Amid rising unemployment and increased pressure for another economic stimulus plan, the president-elect again avoided putting a dollar figure on a possible package.
OBAMA: The thing that we have to do right now is to have a bold economic recovery plan.
QUIJANO: President-elect Obama says his plan to create 2.5 million new jobs will include launching the biggest public works program since the federal highway system was built in the 1950s. He says modernizing schools and government buildings will be part of the plan as well. And on the troubled housing front, Obama reiterated, he believes more needs to be done.
OBAMA: We have not seen the kind of aggressive steps in the housing market to stem foreclosures that I would like to see. And my team is preparing plans to address that foreclosure situation.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUIJANO: Now, in addition to talking about the economic picture this weekend, Obama also announced his pick for Veteran Affairs secretary, retired General Eric Shinseki -- John.
ROBERTS: All right. Elaine Quijano for us from Chicago this morning.
Elaine, thank so much.
CHETRY: And speaking of Shinseki, he was one of Donald Rumsfeld's biggest critics. He's now on track to be on Barack Obama's cabinet. The president-elect nominated former Army Chief of Staff Eric Shinseki to be his Veterans Affairs secretary. Obama said he made the choice because Shinseki was right about Iraq. Pentagon correspondent Barbara Star joins us now with more on who he is.
Hi, Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Kiran.
Well, General Shinseki, well-known here at the Pentagon. He is very highly respected by the troops, a decorated Vietnam veteran. He was wounded twice in that war.
But he now faces massive challenges at the VA. Of course, providing lifetime care for the tens of thousands of veterans wounded in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Job number one, tens of thousands. There are amputees, brain injuries, burn victims, those suffering from post traumatic stress. Veterans still waiting six months or more to get their disability benefits from their injuries suffered in the war.
There has been massive criticism over the last several months of the slow bureaucracy at the V.A. General Shinseki will have to deal with that. He is known to be on who can ran a large bureaucracy. Of course, he ran the army, but he is very quiet man. He does not take his fights public. And, of course, that may be one of the big challenges many observers say. Will he have the political chops to go public to press the V.A. and Congress to come up with the billions of dollars needed to take care of veterans in these tough economic times?
And of course that big dust up that he had with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld about the number of troops needed for the war in Iraq, many say Eric Shinseki, at the end of the day, proved to be the one that was right -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Barbara Starr for us at the Pentagon. Thank you.
ROBERTS: Eight minutes after the hour.
Breaking news this morning. Outrage over the fatal shooting of a teenager in Athens, filling new and violent protest in Greece. The riots now spreading to at least three separate cities. Over the weekend, police clashed with angry crowds and smash shop windows in a busy shopping district. So far, two police officers have been arrested in connection with the teen's death.
New dramatic video to show you today from inside the Taj Mahal Hotel, as last month's terror attacks unfolded. Police and security staff can be seen running through the corridors with guns drawn, some of them checking rooms. This morning Pakistan's military says it has arrested a man believed to be one of the masterminds behind the Mumbai attacks. A senior leader in the Lashkar-E-Toiba organization.
Senator John McCain is warning U.S. troops in Afghanistan that the crackdown on Taliban militants will get more difficult before it gets easier. He made his first post-election visit to that country over the weekend. In Kabul, he met with Afghan president Hamid Karzai and coalition leaders. They will report back to President-elect Barack Obama when he returns.
And another return of sorts, though on far more friendly territory. Amy Poehler reprised her role as Senator Hillary Clinton on "Saturday Night Live." It was her first appearance since giving birth on October the 25th, and during the sketch, she joked about the unflappable staying power of the Clintons.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just want to say how happy we are to be back in your lives America. You voted for change, but you ain't never going to change this.
AMY POEHLER, HILLARY CLINTON IMPRESSIONIST, "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE": We Clintons are here to stay. You may think we are down, but like the South, vampires and Britney Spears, we will rise again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: And she is back as well, reprising her role.
ROBERTS: Yes. And Britney is back again, too.
CHETRY: Britney is back, and I'm sure it's --
ROBERTS: My daughter shocked me. She told me she was going to the Britney Spears concert coming up in Washington.
CHETRY: Supposed to be a good one.
ROBERTS: Who knew?
CHETRY: How about it? It's supposed to be a circus. How about it?
CHETRY: Well, you may have noticed something different on the bottom of your screen this morning. The CNN logo is green. It's because the second installment of CNN's award-winning series "Planet in Peril" is going to be debuting on Thursday, 9:00 p.m. Eastern time. "Planet in Peril: Battle Lines." Lot of great stories that have not been told before. So, we certainly look forward to that.
ROBERTS: Be sure it's not an early St. Patrick's Day.
CHETRY: No, it's (OFF-MIKE)
ROBERTS: Excuse for a minute.
CHETRY: But it's really for "Planet in Peril."
ROBERTS: A 10-year old who interviewed Joe Biden and Caroline Kennedy has another big get on his list -- President-elect Obama. And now he has a star lobbying for his case. The kid on a quest to interview Obama is live with us.
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: Yes, we're going to speak to him.
Also, the property values falling in an epidemic of foreclosures out there. Why are property taxes on the rise? Personal finance editor Gerri Willis is here to make a sense of it all for us at 10 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: 14 minutes after the hour. Gerri Willis in "Minding Your Business" this morning. We're talking about mortgages, home values and property taxes.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: That's right. You know how I love to bring you guys outraged stories. Well, I'm doing it again today.
Listen to this. Let's look at what's happening to the value of your home and the taxes you're paying on it -- property taxes. Well, as you probably already know, in the third quarter of this year, home values fell 17 percent, and yet property tax collections rose 3.1 percent.
In fact, property tax collections are on track to be the highest ever. At $400 billion this year, property tax collections have not fallen since 1934, if you can believe that. No matter what happens to property values, those tax collections keep going up.
ROBERTS: So, when home values go up, we see the assessor going around, I'm going to take a look at the house.
WILLIS: Right.
ROBERTS: But when the house prices come down, you don't necessarily see the assessors out there saying, oh, yes, you can pay less taxes.
WILLIS: No, no, no. It does not happen that way. That's actually how many politicians do you know who actually say, hey, let's bring those property taxes down just a little bit. We'll collect less. Sales taxes have gone down. Income taxes have gone down. But property taxes continue to go up and that's because there's no mechanism typically in local law to bring those down. There are only caps on the top.
Let me give you an example quickly. Jay Leno, for example, is going to pay $1,500 more a year. He's assessed $54,000 on his house...
ROBERTS: Somehow, I think, he can afford it.
WILLIS: He can afford it. But, you know, tax collections there are based on your original purchase price. And there's usually like an additional will go up each and every year. But I know folks out there aren't happy about their property taxes when the value of their asset is going down the drain.
CHETRY: Yes.
ROBERTS: And we still have not been able to account for this budget short falls yet, too. Right?
WILLIS: That's right.
CHETRY: I guess they keep (INAUDIBLE).
Gerri, thank you.
WILLIS: My pleasure.
CHETRY: Well, the new dangerous path of pirates. We're going to take you aboard a warship tracking pirates on the high seas. We'll tell you why oil tankers are more vulnerable than ever. It's 15-and-a half minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: 18 minutes now after the hour. Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
A CNN exclusive now -- in the front lines of a war against pirates. CNN's senior international correspondent Nic Robinson boarded a NATO warship patrolling some of the most dangerous waters in the world.
He joins us this morning live from the beach in Salalah, Oman, which is right in that area, Nic, I guess, where the Arabian Sea transitions to the Gulf of Aden.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, John. If you look out over my shoulder, imagine you could see over the horizon there, you'd be looking down towards Somalia. What you can see out there are some of the merchant ships that the pirates from Somalia are preying on.
NATO commanders say that the pirates are getting more and more sophisticated in the way that they track some of these big and valuable shipping vessels. And the commanders say that their role, their job here is to protect those ships.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Security, security, security. This is NATO warship Delta 560.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Aboard a NATO warship, all eyes are on the horizon. Out of sight but not far away, pirates are searching for prey. We've been invited aboard an Italian destroyer-class warship. They've been patrolling these waters off the Somali coast for almost two months. And what the admiral of the five-ship NATO task force sees is worrying him.
ADM. GIOVANNI GUMIERO, CMDR., STANDING NATO MARITIME GROUP TWO: This threat of piracy has announced a lot in the past months.
ROBERTSON: A threat in sea lanes that carry one fifth of the world's oil supplies.
ROBERTSON (on camera): The coast of Somalia is about 150 miles, 240 kilometers that way. You swing back around, the coast of Yemen in that direction, that is the Gulf of Aden. And that is the route in and out of the Middle East with all these oil supplies. And that's what makes these shipping lanes so important and so valuable.
(voice-over): In the darkened combat control room, they wait for the next pirate sighting.
(on camera): How many pirates?
LT. ENRICO VIGNOLA, ITALIAN NAVY: Hundreds. Thousands.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): In their charts, I'm shown how merchant ships are told to stay away from the Somali coast.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We recommend to merchant vessels and then it's up to the masters to follow our indication. We recommend to follow this corridor.
ROBERTSON: But even this is no longer enough to keep the ships safe. The men and women of this ship are due home for Christmas. They are telling their replacements to bring more helicopters. And expect they may well be back here soon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTSON: And the reason they want more helicopters is because the helicopters can travel up to 100 miles from the ship. They can scout out where the pirates are. The radar on board the ship can only go about 20 miles. And yet again, NATO commanders, and we've seen this in Iraq and Afghanistan, NATO commanders here say they want more helicopters -- John.
ROBERTS: Incredible how brazen these pirates are. Nic Robertson this morning utilizing the global resources of CNN from the beach in Oman. Nic, it's good to see you. Thanks.
CHETRY: Well, today five Blackwater security guards are expected to turn themselves in to face charges in the shooting deaths of 17 Iraqi civilians last year.
CNN's Kelli Arena is following the story for us. She's live for us in Washington this morning.
What do we know right now about this, Kelli?
KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kiran, those men are either going to turn themselves in this morning or be arrested. It's all supposed to happen in Utah. The charges are still under seal, but sources say that all five men will be charged. And there is a sixth guard, Kiran, that's still involved in some plea negotiations -- Kiran.
CHETRY: And Kelli, why Utah?
ARENA: Well, one of the guards is from Utah. Sources say that defense attorneys decided to have all of the men surrender in one location, rather than in their various home states, or even here in Washington, D.C. That is where the federal grand jury indicted them last week.
Now, our sources say that the surrender in Utah -- you know, they're calling it a matter of convenience, but there is no doubt that this is part of a very aggressive defense strategy. Legal experts say that a jury in Utah would definitely be more sympathetic than a jury, say here in Washington, D.C. -- Kiran.
CHETRY: That's true. And also, do you know what the charges -- do we know what the charges are going to be?
ARENA: Well, they are still under seal. But sources have previously said that the charges under consideration included manslaughter, assault and weapons charges. So, the minute, you know, the court unseals those documents, we'll get back to you.
CHETRY: So, this incident took place in Iraq. Wasn't there some question as to whether or not U.S. law applied? I mean this was something that had Iraqis infuriated.
ARENA: Yes, absolutely, Kiran. You know, the law, under which the charges are expected to be brought, covers contractors who were working for the U.S. military. But remember, the Blackwater guards were contracted by the State Department. Some legal experts argue that, you know, as a result, the U.S. courts may not have the necessary jurisdiction. This is why these charges have taken so long.
And there's another issue. The men were promised at least partial immunity, according to our sources from the State Department. Now, that's when it was initially investigating and before the FBI got involved. Those men cooperated under that agreement. So, you'll be sure to hear from defense attorneys on that issue as well -- Kiran. CHETRY: What are they saying, if anything, the defense at this point?
ARENA: Well, basically, that their clients have not committed any crime. What we would expect them to say. And most of all, the prosecution is politically motivated, that it's meant to appease the Iraqi government, you know. As you know, the Blackwater guards say they came under fire first and were just responding.
But sources say that the first U.S. soldiers that arrived on the scene there in Iraq told investigators they did not find any evidence of that. And the FBI also conducted its own investigation and it also determined, according to our sources, that the shootings were unprovoked and that the Blackwater guards acted with unnecessary force.
CHETRY: And what about the company itself, Blackwater? I mean, there was a big argument to be made because Iraqis wanted to boot them out of the country initially, and many said, listen, we rely on Blackwater for our safety and security. So, are they culpable?
ARENA: Well, you know, our sources say no, that the company itself will not be charged. And you may recall, the State Department did renew Blackwater' contract earlier this year. That's despite, you know, objections in Iraq and some elsewhere. So, it looks like the company, at this point, is as going to be fine -- Kiran.
CHETRY: All right. Kelli Arena for us. Thank you.
ARENA: You're welcome.
ROBERTS: To rescue the troubled economy, Barack Obama says the U.S. needs to act now. But with America losing roughly half a million jobs last month, what's really being done right now? A tough look at the timeline.
And warlords guarding oil with guns. Lisa Ling's dangerous journey into the jungle, ahead in a special preview of "Planet in Peril: Battlelines."
It's 25 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Well, the second installment of CNN's award winning series, "Planet in Peril" debuts this Thursday. It's at 9:00 p.m. Eastern time. And this time, it's taking a look at how the world is becoming more dangerous as natural resources get more and more scarce.
ROBERTS: Lisa Ling took a risky journey into the jungle to see how one of the world's most valuable resources has crippled the country and turn it extremely vital. We're talking about oil. She joins us now.
Good morning to you. It's good to see you. LISA LING, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: Nice to see you. Thank you for having me. Yes, this was a pretty eye-opening experience. I visited Nigeria, which is considered to be one of the world's biggest suppliers of oil. And hundreds of billions of dollars have been pumped into the country as a result of oil profits.
But the majority of the country has seen very little of that oil wealth. And so this culture of militancy has risen up in Nigeria. And we spent some time with the -- the biggest, most powerful militant group called MEND, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta. So, we brought a clip for you to check that up.
CHETRY: Wow. Let's take a look at it.
ROBERTS: Look at that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LING (voice-over): It is dawn in Nigeria. We've been driving for hours with armed escorts headed to a secret location to meet up with one of the world's most notorious militant groups. They're called MEND, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta. They're waging a violent battle that has killed hundreds of people.
A look out the window shows you what they're fighting about. Oil. It is everywhere here. Gas flares from refineries dot the landscape. Oil generates billions of dollars here. But the average Nigerians get almost none of that. That's what MEND is violently trying to change.
We arrive at the rendezvous point, and I'm told to follow this man. We walk through back alleys and then come to the water.
(on camera): So, we've just been brought to this dock and we're being asked to get into these boats. We can't tell you where we are. We're not sure where we're going, but let's go.
We drive for hours by boat, passing small villages, winding through creeks. Then suddenly, they appear. A checkpoint and a boat full of men fighters armed to the teeth. They circle around us. Chanting and they say their spokesman is ready to talk. After a two- hour boat ride and we arrive, and these are the men. Movement of the emancipation of the (INAUDIBLE) and we just arrived at the shooting range apparently.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: Fascinating stuff. This is a rebel organization, men, they are responsible for kidnapping attacks in the oil infrastructure there in the Niger delta.
How much danger were you in being out with them?
LING: Well, certainly they had a lot of firepower, but they say that their objectives are solely political, that when they do kidnap oil workers and when attacks occur, it is just to achieve their political goals. There are a lot of other militant groups that have risen up because there is just - there are no resources. Despite the fact this is such an oil-rich country, it has not filtered down to the average Nigerian.
So it has become a very violent and dangerous country but the men again says that they just want the oil money distributed to the average Nigerian.
CHETRY: Were you scared though?
LING: There were certainly moments. I mean you know I have to say that the M.E.N.D. was not as impressive with their use of firepower. I mean, in some ways, they're sort of a rag tag group, but by the same token, they have succeeded in raising the oil prices every time they attack a pipeline. So they have a big impact globally.
ROBERTS: A gun in anybody's hand can be very dangerous.
LING: That's right. Absolutely.
CHETRY: Lisa Ling, we look forward to seeing it. Can't wait.
ROBERTS: Fascinating stuff. Thank you.
CHETRY: Thanks for coming in. Again the second installment of CNN's award winning series "Planet in Peril." It debuts this Thursday. It's at 9:00 p.m. Eastern time.
ROBERTS: Coming up now at 32 minutes after the hour. And here are this morning's top stories.
Union leaders get their meeting today after angry laid off workers took over a Chicago factory on Friday. They say that they were unceremoniously and illegally dumped and they have Barack Obama's support now. The 200 workers say they just received three days notice that they were losing their jobs. Federal law requires 60 day notification. They're vowing to stay put until they get severance and vacation pay.
Gasoline prices now close to a five-year low. According to AAA, the national average for a gallon of regular now $1.72. That's down more than a penny overnight. Prices have not been this low since March of 2004.
And planned parenthood offering gift certificates for the holidays. Clinics in Indiana are selling $25 gift cards, good for any of their services. And some engaged critics say the cards are helping to buy abortions. But the organization says the promotion is about providing access to healthcare.
Barack Obama says the U.S. needs to act now to rescue the country's troubled economy. It is a warning that there are more hard times ahead before things get better. But with America losing a half a million jobs in November alone, is enough being done right now? A lot of people say no.
And our Jason Carroll joins us now. We look deeper into that.
Good morning to you.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, John.
You know his critics say that Barack Obama needs to step it up. He has proposed a stimulus package, and put together his economic team, but some of his critics say, in these troubled times he needs to do even more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL (voice-over): When it comes to dealing with the housing crisis, the president-elect says the current administration isn't doing enough.
OBAMA: My team has had some conversations with the administration about that, if it's not done during the transition, it will be done by me.
CARROLL: Some are questioning why he isn't doing more now-
SEN. BARNEY FRANK (D), MASSACHUSETTS: He's going to have to be more assertive than he is.
CARROLL: Especially since Obama says the country has not yet seen the depths of the economic crisis.
OBAMA: Things are going to get worse before they get better.
CARROLL: Some financial analysts argue more immediate action is needed but action from the current president, the incoming one or both? Obama has said there can only be one president at a time.
ROSS DOUTHAT, ATLANTIC.COM: Barack Obama does not want to be responsible for anything that goes wrong between now and the moment that he takes office.
CARROLL: Obama has assembled an economic team and says he will jumpstart the economy by creating jobs through an ambitious infrastructure program.
FRANK: My problem is, in a time of great crisis, he says we only have one president at a time, and I am afraid that over states the number of presidents we have.
CARROLL: Ed Rollins is a long time Republican strategist.
ED ROLLINS, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: In fairness to Barack Obama, he is off to a very, very fast start picking his team. And I think what it really tells you though is he may end up having more trouble with Democrats in the Congress than he's going to have with Republicans.
CARROLL: Some Democrats say Obama has already taken more of a lead on dealing with the crisis than the president. DONNA BRAZILE, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: He is providing leadership at a time when some of the other people are missing in action. So I think it's important that President-elect Obama continue to focus on the transition, and to really make sure that he has all of the right solutions and the right answers.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL: And Obama's critics say he could use his bully pulpit to push his economic agenda even more or push Congress to do what he thinks is best for the country.
ROBERTS: It's a fine line though for the president-elect to walk. I remember in the year 2000, the incoming Bush administration is making a lot of noise about the economy and the Clinton administration was saying wait a minute, talk down the economy too much. You are likely to push it into recession, and I don't know if that was the cause and effect but we did go into a recession.
CARROLL: Right, say the wrong thing, it could be detrimental, but on the flipside, say the right thing could help turn things around perhaps.
ROBERTS: Upset the current administration though.
All right. Jason, thanks so much for it.
CHETRY: Well you know, every reporter loves the chance to ask powerful people tough questions, but this one is only 10 years old, and he is already after the next leader of the free world. Young reporter Damian Weaver is going to be joining us next. He's going to talk about landing an interview with Barack Obama. Love the suit, by the way.
And wait until you hear the bizarre questions they asked some college applicants of prestigious universities, questions that you really have to hear to believe. And see how you would answer. It's 36 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DWAYNE WADE, GUARD, MIAMI HEAT: Mr. President, I am Dwayne Wade. I'm here with my man, Damon. And this is my new friend. If you can give him an interview, I will play you one-on-one, and I cannot guarantee you I would let you store, but I can guarantee you it would be a competitive game.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
That's NBA superstar Dwayne Wade, trying to get 10-year-old cub reporter Damon Weaver get what any reporter would want and that's the chance to interview President-elect Barack Obama. In fact, he has taken his questions to the Internet, and we wanted to help out too. So, Damon Weaver joins us right now, live.
Hey, we would love to talk to Barack Obama here on the show as well. So I know how you are feeling. How did you get Dwayne to give you that little shout-out?
DAMON WEAVER, INTERVIEWED V.P. ELECT BIDEN: I went to the game the day before yesterday, and we always talk to him, and I had him do a little commercial for me.
CHETRY: It was great. Of course, because Barack Obama loves to play basketball, and perhaps that could push him a little bit closer to agreeing to be interviewed by you. First of all tell us how you got involved and interested in journalism in the first place?
WEAVER: The first day of school, I want to be on TV at my school, the coach has a new study, and I thought I looked good on TV.
CHETRY: Well, you do look good on TV. So that's step one. And number two, you have to get some of these people to talk to you, right? And you did get a chance to talk to the incoming vice president, right? Joe Biden? How was that interview?
WEAVER: It was fun. It was a good interview, and I liked it.
CHETRY: All right. Let's take a look a little bit about that interview when you talked to Joe Biden.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WEAVER: Hi, I'm Damon Weaver and I am here with Senator Joe Biden. Thanks for being with me.
SEN. JOE BIDEN (D), VICE PRESIDENT ELECT: Well, thank you, man.
WEAVER: Since you are trying to be the vice president of our country, can you please tell the students at my school what a vice president does?
BIDEN: Well the vice president helps the president do two things -
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: Well, the best part about this is he has quite a long answer, and there you are holding up the microphone, and as you know sometimes when you interview somebody and they talk for a while, it gets tiring holding that mic.
What was going through your mind when you were doing that?
WEAVER: Good things were going through my mind, but when my arm was sagging, I thought my arm was broken.
CHETRY: All right. If we stayed with the video for a couple more seconds, you would have seen you actually change position and then you used your other hand to old up the arm that was holding mic. It was a very cute moment. Now, as I understand you actually did get to ask Barack Obama a question at a job summit that happened back in October? What happened?
WEAVER: My camera forgot to record the question what I asked him.
CHETRY: Oh, so you guys were dealing with some technical difficulties. It happens to all of us. Don't worry. Now, I want to ask you about what you want to do when you grow up because you talk about wanting to be a journalist, but you have other aspirations, too. So tell us what else you want to do.
WEAVER: I want to be a football player and astronaut, and maybe a president.
CHETRY: Maybe the president. So the order goes journalist first. If that doesn't work out, then football player, and then if that does not work out, astronaut, and then if that does not work out, president.
WEAVER: Yes.
CHETRY: I love it. The boy has got priorities already and he is only 10. All right. What else are you doing besides enlisting the help of superstar athletes to try to get Barack Obama to agree to sit down with you? Have you made any other progress?
WEAVER: We went to all the storage to try and help them get donations for the children.
CHETRY: That's pretty good. So you guys are working on it every day. If you did get a sit down with him and the president-elect finally agreed to talk to you, what would be one of the first questions you would ask him?
WEAVER: In my town of (INAUDIBLE) a lot of shootings and fights, what are you going to do about violence to keep me safe?
CHETRY: Great. And what kind of answer would you like to hear from him about that?
WEAVER: Well, I would do something about it. And I have a funny question.
CHETRY: Go ahead and tell us that one.
WEAVER: President Obama, will you let Joe the plumber fix the toilets in the White House bathrooms?
CHETRY: Yes. That's a good one, and shows you have been paying attention to the whole campaign as well as in the race to the White House, since you know all about that as well. Well, it's great to talk to you, Damon Weaver, 10-year-old reporter, and you want to interview Barack Obama, you have our endorsement here on the show, and he should definitely sit down with you because you're a smart cookie.
WEAVER: Can I get some plugs?
CHETRY: Sure, go ahead.
WEAVER: Everyone to see my YouTube (INAUDIBLE), please go to my www.youtube.com/kanolipointkctv, and if you want Senator Barack Obama to give me a one-on-one live interview, go to www.change.com and write to him -- change.gov.
CHETRY: I love it. Change.gov. There you go.
All right. You got your shout out in. I think you've accomplished a lot today, and the suit looks fantastic. And notice this, John Roberts, he is wearing a tie. He is wearing a tie and you are not.
ROBERTS: He is young. He is young yet. He'll learn the better one.
CHETRY: Damon, good luck to you, and thanks for talking to us this morning. What a cutie.
WEAVER: You're welcome.
ROBERTS: It's not so bad that they forgot to record the interview, and I went to a interview, the cameraman forgot the camera.
CHETRY: Just draw some pictures.
ROBERTS: There you are. And way before there was O.J. Simpson there was another sensational murder trial where the husband defendant walked free. Now 28 years later, the victim dies. The case of the comatose socialite.
You are watching the Most News in the Morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: A little inspiration as we look at a picture of Boston this morning. And you know why it's so clear? It's so clear because it's so cold that the water will not hold any moisture. 15 degrees right there right now. That's colder than it was by about seven degrees earlier this morning when we checked in, going up to a high of 27 degrees and sunny today.
Our Rob Marciano, the sexiest weather man alive joins us from Atlanta this morning. Looking good, what is up?
ROB MARCIANO, CNN, METEOROLOGIST: All right. Settle down there. Stop showing so much for the ladies there, pal. Hey, east of the Mississippi, we're looking at a cool weather. John mentioned that 15 degrees in Boston. It is slowly starting to warm up there but a big old mess across parts of the upper Midwest and maybe some severe weather across the (INAUDIBLE) valley of Texas. 70, though, ahead of it, and Dallas, 57 degrees and Kansas City.
It will be 31 in New York. So there is that cold air. It will be in place today but it will warm up tomorrow. Definitely a chilly start on the way up, lower temps in the teens and 20s. A little bit of moisture heading into the cold air, but we will likely evaporate for the most part. Some slick though from Cincinnati back just north of St. Louis towards Pyoria (ph) this morning, weather advisories are out.
Winter storm watches and warnings posted for a good chunk of the western great lakes, and Mason City, Iowa, through parts of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, you could see five to ten inches of snow. Beginning later on today and tonight and in through tomorrow. But look how temperatures warm up ahead of these things.]
So if you were in Chicago, if you are going to get a lot of snow, 37 degrees. It will be a mixture of rain and snow. 49 degrees in New York City so not quite cold enough for snow there. It was cold enough for snow over the weekend, a quick check at this, a peek at this from Brooklyn. Some snow to get everybody fired up for the spirit of the season.
I-Reporter Jane Kratochvil sent this in. Thanks for that, Jane. Get everybody fired up for Christmas, and things look nice in New York, when it's white especially when the first couple of snowfalls of the season. And we will have many more to come, I'm sure.
ROBERTS: Oh, I'm sure we will. Lovely shot of the Brooklyn Bridge though. Thanks very much for that.
Rob, good to see you, thanks.
MARCIANO: All right, John.
ROBERTS: 49 minutes after the hour.
CHETRY: And CNN NEWSROOM just minutes away. Heidi Collins at the CNN Center with a look at what's ahead.
Good morning, Heidi.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you, Kiran.
That's right. Here's a check of what we're working on for the NEWSROOM today.
World markets rally on great expectations in the U.S. What is behind the surge? And will Wall Street jump onboard? We hope so.
Five former Blackwater security guards turning themselves in today. They're going to be facing charges in a Baghdad shooting case back in 2007. We will have that story.
And troops home for the holidays. Families welcome back their heroes. Love to see that video. We'll show it all to you. We get started at the top of the hour right here on CNN. Kiran.
CHETRY: All right. Heidi, thanks.
It was the other sensational murder trial where the husband- defendant walked free.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The jury finds that the defendant Claus van Bulow --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: And 28 years later --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nobody really knows what happened. Still.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: What you probably don't know about the case of the comatose socialite.
You're watching the Most News in the Morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: This morning, private memorial arrangements are being made for Sunny von Bulow, the beautiful heiress died over the weekend after nearly three decades in a coma, ending a saga that spawned two sensational murder trials and an Oscar-winning film.
Here's CNN Susan Candiotti.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, Kiran, good morning.
I spoke with two men with intimate recollections of this case, a writer and a lawyer who says to this day people still ask him whether his client really did try to kill his wife.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDIOTTI (voice-over): She was blond, beautiful and incredibly wealthy. And sad to say remembered most of how she spent the last 28 years of her life.
DOMINICK DUNNE, WRITER: What they are going to remember is the coma, because nobody really knows what happened, still.
CANDIOTTI: What happened to Martha "Sunny" von Bulow, captured the international spotlight that her husband Claus was twice tried for trying to kill her by injecting her with insulin. Prosecutors claimed he was after her insurance policy. In the 80s, the trials had everyone taking sides.
DUNNE: The people were so rich.
CANDIOTTI: That simple?
DUNNE: I think it's that simple. CANDIOTTI: Writer Dominique Dunne sided with prosecutors. Her children allowed him into the bedroom where she collapsed.
DUNNE: To see the Christmas gifts that had never been opened. I remember sitting in there and thinking, what happened? hat happened? hat happened here?
CANDIOTTI: In the first trial, Claus von Bulow was convicted.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The jury finds the defendant Claus von Bulow, guilty.
CANDIOTTI: He asked famed Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz to lead an appeal. Von Bulow was tried again and acquitted. To this day, Dershowitz convinced the second verdict was just.
ALAN DERSHOWTIZ, ATTORNEY: It's a sad ending to a sad tragedy. Unfortunately it was a self-inflicted medical tragedy that two of her children tried to turn into a crime.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're a very strange man.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have no idea.
CANDIOTTI: Jeremy Irons starred as von Bulow with the Hollywood movie "Reversal of Fortune." It was based on Dershowitz book, but he claims the film left a different impression.
DERSHOWITZ: There is no question that Jeremy Irons played him kind of guilty, if not of the crime, at least of life. And she, of course, in the movie comes off in a extremely sympathetic sense of being a victim.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CANDIOTTI: Dominique Dunne says Sunny's children and grandchildren regularly visited her bed side over the years. As for Claus von Bulow, he lives in London and according to Dershowitz is very sad about his ex-wife's death. He is said to live modestly, writing theatre, and book reviews -- John, Kiran.
CHETRY: Susan Candiotti for us.
Well, we got a question for you. The bizarre things that they ask applicants at top universities. Some quirky questions that they supposedly test your intelligence, so how would you answer? We will tell you.
It's 55 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
Oxford and Cambridge, the two world class universities, so you may be surprised by some of the quirky if not bizarre questions that they are putting to student applicants.
CNN's Atika Shubert has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Always dreamed of going to Britain's prestigious Oxford or Cambridge Universities? Well then try answering these in teasers that we took to the street.
Would you rather be a novel or a poem?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A poem.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How many monkeys would you use in an experiment?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Seven.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think you're clever?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can be.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Should we have (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If I were a grapefruit, would I have seedless or non-seedless.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With seeds. Seedless.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Decent light bulbs.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's my birthday today, I can't think.
SHUBET: All strange but actual questions asked at admission interviews to Oxbridge as the two universities are collectively know. But what is the logic behind the questions?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pretty much they're trying to profile you. To say which side of your brain works, the left or the right side?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean are they on drugs? These people in Cambridge? I don't know, maybe.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But obviously they just are academic questions and everyone can just be robots.
SHUBERT: University admissions say that last answer is exactly right.
MIKE NICHOLSON, OXFORD UNIVERSITY: What we are trying to do is move students out of the comfort zones, and most students will have a body of knowledge and expected to be tested on that at interview, and we want to take them beyond that point and get them to actually start thinking for themselves. SHUBERT: Questions that stretch your thinking, but not everybody is so adept at answering.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SHUBERT: More than 90 percent of the students here in the U.K. are educated at state schools but here at Oxford University, only 53 percent come from state funded schools. Now critics say those numbers show that wealthier students that come from private schools have an unfair advantage.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHUBERT (voice-over): Tutoring Oxbridge applications founded by Oxford graduates says more than 60 percent of its clients are state- funded students, and it costs $300 for a day of mock interviews, or $1,500 for a full weekend course. But it's cheaper than a private school, and Oxford says 47 percent of their clients get into one of the elite colleges.
JAMES UFFINDELL, C.E.O., OXBRIDGE APPLICATIONS: Oxbridge applications, we have a network of 500 former admissions, and we take the people that have been there and done it and help supply that information back to people who want to go there.
SHUBERT: Maybe they should have asked this question.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How do you organize a successful revolution?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: By making me the president of the United States
(LAUGHTER)
SHUBERT: Some questions it seems are easier to answer than others.
Atika Shubert, CNN, Oxford.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: There you go. Wow. Not in the average SAT's?
CHETRY: No. Certainly not.
ROBERTS: That's going to wrap it up for us. Thanks so much for joining us on this AMERICAN MORNING. We'll see you again here, tomorrow.
CHETRY: Thanks for watching.
Right now, here's CNN NEWSROOM with Heidi Collins.
