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American Morning
Obama's Olympic Push; David Letterman's Confession; War in Afghanistan Worth It?; 2016 Olympics Decision Imminent; Pilots Break No-Talking Rule during Critical Flight Phases; New Unemployment Report; Iran, U.S. Start Historic Talks; Father Jailed in Japan; Time for a Third Party?
Aired October 02, 2009 - 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: And good morning once again. We're top crossing the top of the hour. It's 8:00 here in New York on this Friday, October 2nd. I'm Kiran Chetry. John Roberts is off this morning. We have Christine Romans with us this morning. Good to see you.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Glad to be here. A very busy Friday news morning.
Here are the big stories we'll be breaking down for you in the next 15 minutes.
President Obama putting it on the line, making his sales pitch to Olympic officials, asking them to give his hometown the 2016 Summer Games. He's already on the way back to D.C. from Copenhagen. And the president's message: Chicago and America can handle this Olympic challenge.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I urge you to choose Chicago. I urge you to choose America. And if you do, if we walk this path together, then I promise you this: The City of Chicago and the United States of America will make the world proud.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: And we'll have live reports from Chicago and Denmark -- coming up.
CHETRY: Some late-night drama from David Letterman -- his stunning revelation that he was the victim of an extortion scheme. Letterman said the alleged blackmailer threatened to go public with the information that Letterman had had sex with women who worked on his show. This morning, a CBS employee is now being charged with that crime. Alina Cho is following this developing story.
ROMANS: And it's the rule all airline pilots are supposed to follow: No chitchat during takeoffs and landings. Only essential conversations are allowed. A longtime pilot and member of the National Transportation Safety Board says pilots are disregarding that rule and that may be putting passengers in danger.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT SUMWALT, NTSB MEMBER: It is really sad to listen to a cockpit voice recorder where the pilots are sitting there, laughing, carrying on, having a great time, not aware that they're about to run into the ground. That is a very disturbing scenario. And I've heard it all too many times.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Our homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve has more on this disturbing report and what's being done about it -- coming up.
CHETRY: We begin, though, with a decision day, four cities across the globe all waiting. And the big question: Are the Olympics going to come back to America? We're still a few hours away now from the decision by Olympic officials. The IOC is set to make that announcement around 12:30 to 1:00 Eastern Time today.
President Obama was in Copenhagen earlier this morning to make an in-person pitch. And just a little while ago, it was announced that he was wheels up, headed back to Washington. Insiders say, though, it's down to Rio and Chicago, but two other contenders, Tokyo and Madrid.
Our Ed Henry is in the Danish capital for today's announcement.
And, Ed, even though the president was there, it sounds like the first lady kind of stole the show when she was speaking.
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: You're absolutely right, Kiran. The first couple is now headed back to Washington together. This voting will go down while they're in midair on the way back to Washington in a few hours. And while the president had a strong final pitch, he may have taken the silver medal, but his wife took the gold.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HENRY (voice-over): After flying through the night for seven hours, the president arrived in Copenhagen for just four hours, immediately joining forces with first lady Michelle Obama, to help make the final pitch for Chicago and the U.S. to host the 2016 Olympics.
B. OBAMA: There is nothing I would like more than to step just a few blocks from my family's home, with Michelle and our two girls and welcome the world back into our neighborhood. At the beginning of this new century, the nation that has been shaped by people from around the world wants a chance to inspire it once more.
HENRY: But his wife stole the show with a speech that tugged at the heart strings.
MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: In my dad's early 30s, he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. And as he got sicker, it became harder for him to walk, let alone play his favorite sports.
HENRY: Mrs. Obama spoke emotionally about her father getting sicker, but still teaching her how to play sports while propping himself up on crutches.
M. OBAMA: My dad was my hero. And when I think of what these games can mean to people all over the world, I think about people like my dad, people who face seemingly insurmountable challenges but never let go. They work a little harder, but they never give up.
HENRY: It also wouldn't be Chicago without lobbying from the mayor.
MAYOR RICHARD DALEY, CHICAGO: We want to share our city with the world. We want to welcome people from all nations. You have my commitment that Chicago will work every day for the next seven years to be an Olympic city that you and the world would be proud of.
HENRY: But the final word went to the president, who was still talking about his wife's remark as he wrapped up the arm-twisting.
B. OBAMA: For Chicago! It made me -- it made me miss home, just looking at those videos.
QUESTION: Did you feel you accomplished what you set out to do?
B. OBAMA: I think Chicago could not have made a better presentation. Obviously, now, it's up to the IOC members, but we are just grateful for the incredible hospitality and I'm proud of Pat Ryan, the mayor, and my whole crew. The only thing I was upset about is they arranged for me to follow Michelle, that's always bad.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HENRY: And now comes the real drama. The voting will start among the IOC members about 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time. We should have the results sometime after 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time. You'll remember a few years ago that London only beat out Paris by four votes. Some saying here in Copenhagen, it could be just as close here today, Kiran.
CHETRY: All right. A lot of excitement, a lot of buzz, and a lot of anticipation. So, we'll have to see. We all have to wait the same amount of time. No leaks, right? No chance of any leaks?
HENRY: No. They keep that under wraps pretty well.
CHETRY: All right. Ed Henry for us...
HENRY: But we're trying.
(LAUGHTER)
CHETRY: I know you'll try. Ed Henry for us in Copenhagen -- thanks so much. Well, there is the deadline and time line now for the rest of the morning. At 8:45, the at last city, Madrid will start its presentation to Olympic officials. Chicago went first earlier this morning. Then Tokyo, then Rio. At 11:00 a.m. Eastern, they shut the doors, and that's when the voting starts. At 12:55 eastern, that's when we're expected to hear the official announcement.
So, of course, you can watch it right here on CNN, all morning long. We have continuing coverage of the Olympic decision from Copenhagen. You can follow every step on air and also online right here on CNN.
ROMANS: A real shocker on stage at the Ed Sullivan Theater: David Letterman making a late-night confession. The talk show host revealing on his show last night that he was the victim of an alleged $2 million extortion plot and that he had sex with female staff members. This morning, a CBS employee who works on the show "48 Hours" is charged with attempted grand larceny in the case.
Alina Cho is following the story. She's live outside the Ed Sullivan Theater in Manhattan where Letterman tapes his show.
That was quite a nine minutes of television, wasn't it, Alina?
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It most certainly was, Christine. Good morning to you.
In a word, it was stunning. Now, if you are a David Letterman fan, you are well aware that over the years, letterman has often used his show as a vehicle, really, to make major announcements about his life, his marriage, emergency heart bypass surgery, even a kidnapping plot against his own son -- but never anything like this, never anything so seemingly personally damaging, until now.
It started out like it has for nearly three decades
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHO (voice-over): It started out like it has for nearly three decades.
ANNOUNCER: It's the "Late Show with David Letterman."
CHO: Late night laughs...
DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST, "THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN": It's so bright and sunny, the skunks were coming out of the subway squinting.
(LAUGHTER)
CHO: But after the monologue, it quickly turned serious. The audience stunned.
LETTERMAN: This whole thing has been quite scary.
CHO: When David Letterman revealed he is the victim of an alleged extortion attempt.
LETTERMAN: This morning, I did something I've never done in my life. I had to go downtown to testify before the grand jury.
CHO: Letterman said he received a package three weeks ago from a person who claimed to have information about his sex life. And he wanted $2 million. Pay up or he goes public.
LETTERMAN: I get to looking through it, and there's a letter in the package. And it says that "I know that you do some terrible, terrible things."
(LAUGHTER)
LETTERMAN: "And I can prove that you do these terrible things." And sure enough contained in the package was stuff to prove that I do terrible things.
(LAUGHTER)
CHO: The 62-year-old host went to the Manhattan district attorney's office, which began an investigation. Letterman said he set up several meetings with the man who he said wanted to turn his life off stage into a screenplay, possibly a book, and gave him a fake check for $2 million. On Thursday, an arrest. Then, another bombshell...
LETTERMAN: And I had to tell them all of the creepy things that I have done that were going to be...
(LAUGHTER)
LETTERMAN: Well, now, why is that funny? That's, I mean...
(LAUGHTER)
CHO: The admission, right from the host, right from his desk...
LETTERMAN: The creepy stuff was that I have had sex with women who work for me on this show.
CHO: He tried to break the tension by taking shots at his favorite target, himself.
LETTERMAN: And would it be embarrassing if it were made public? Perhaps, it would. Perhaps, it would.
(LAUGHTER)
LETTERMAN: Especially for the women.
CHO: It is not known when the sexual encounters when staffers took place. Letterman married long time partner Regina Lasko in March. The couple has been together since 1986 and they have a 6- year-old son, Harry.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: CBS News is now reporting that the suspect has been identified as 51-year-old Joe Halderman, a longtime producer at CBS News. Now, Halderman will presumably be arraigned today in Manhattan.
As for Letterman, it is interesting to note that this news comes really at a time of great success in his career, after lagging behind Jay Leno for many, many years, he now consistently beats Conan O'Brien in the ratings.
Now, as for the future of his job, Letterman said last night, Christine, that he hopes to protect it. CBS News, so far, is not commenting on that.
ROMANS: All right. Alina Cho this morning -- thank you, Alina.
CHO: You bet.
CHETRY: Also new this morning, just a prank? The Secret Service says it was a teenager behind that Facebook poll asking if President Obama should be killed. Agents say the teen will not be prosecuted. That poll was put up on Saturday and then later removed by Facebook.
ROMANS: Brand-new details about Michael Jackson's autopsy. A report obtained by the "Associated Press" says the singer was in good health when he died and his heart was strong. But the report also said Jackson's arms were covered with punctures and his neck and face were scarred.
CHETRY: And scientists discovering what may be our earliest human ancestor, Ardi, as its nicknamed. The skeleton's remains are about 1 million years older than the famous Lucy, who until now is believed to be the oldest link in the human development chain. Scientists say that the species stood about four feet tall, lived about 4.4 million years ago. The skeleton was discovered in Ethiopia. The scientists who have studied this say it proves that we were not descended from chimpanzees.
ROMANS: And "The New York Times'" lead said it best, "Lucy Meet Ardi."
(LAUGHTER)
CHETRY: Very fascinating and we actually are going to talk more about that next week.
But meanwhile, still ahead, we've been talking about this meeting, the president's meeting with General Stanley McChrystal, who is the commander of the war effort in Afghanistan. Will the White House OK more troops? Is there another strategy they think could work better? We're going to talk more about all of that with one retired general and also a senior fellow who is an expert in this field.
Twelve minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) (MUSIC)
CHETRY: Well, there's the White House. The president's not there yet. As you know, he was in Copenhagen this morning, making his big pitch for the 2016 Olympics to go to Chi-Town. He's on his way back right now. It is cloudy, 57 in D.C. Mostly cloudy, for a high of 75 a little bit later for your Friday.
And welcome back to Most News in the Morning.
You know, the White House still divided over what to do about the future mission in Afghanistan. General Stanley McChrystal, the top military commander, is speaking publicly for the first time about the need for more troops, but the president still hasn't decided whether or not that's the best option.
But in just the last hour, we learned that President Obama met with Afghan's war commander on board Air Force One. The meeting taking place there in Copenhagen, lasting about 25 minutes. Joining me from D.C. right now, Michael O'Hanlon, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.
And also with us, we have retired Marine Corps General Anthony Zinni. He's the leading author, he's the author of "Leading the Charge: leadership lessons from the battlefield to the board room." Thanks for the both of you for being with us this morning.
General Zinni, let me start with you because I know you'd like the President to follow general McChrystal's recommendations to Get more troops in there as soon As possible, but it was interesting because McChrystal himself yesterday said, "the more debate we Have, the healthier this is Going to be. I don't think we have the luxury Of going so fast we make the wrong decision. So what are the concerns about the White House taking more time to decide whether or not more troops are right thing?
GENERAL ANTHONY ZINNI, U.S. MARINE CORPS: Well, I think there's Probably a difference of views In the administration and They're weighing each option and What the consequences are. And I think that's healthy. But I agree with General McChrystal, you can't do this forever. We can't look indecisive. We have allies and troops on the ground that are fighting, that are waiting for this and we don't want to send the wrong signals.
CHETRY: And Michael, it's interesting. There's been a lot of reporting about sort of two camps, if you will, advising the President. Some like secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton, as well, as Richard Holbrooke to lean towards supporting the troop increase. But you have others. Joe Biden, the Vice President, some say General Jones favoring focusing on tracking down Al Qaeda, not necessarily fighting the Taliban. And then using missiles from remotely piloted aircraft. What do you make of the -- the influence of these two different camps, especially in light of this meeting that the President had today, just with Stanley McChrystal?
MICHAEL O'HANLON, SENIOR FELLOW, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: Well you know I think there's actually a third camp. I'm not sure that the Clinton/Holbrooke access you mention is quite as completely behind McChrystal. I don't know. I wasn't at the meeting. But I think we have to ask at this moment, when the Afghan government is seen as not presiding over a fair election when they're seen as bringing in more corrupt warlords into their own government, if perhaps we need to pause a little bit and try to use the prospect of our increased effort to get the Afghans to do a little more and do a little better themselves.
And I think that dynamic, which Is partly an issue of timing to Get the Afghans improve their Performance a bit is a third Option, which is not really Totally distinct from the other Two, but it's a blend in some Ways. And I think that's actually a Much more important option to Consider than the so-called Counterterrorism option, which Frankly already has been tried And failed for many years. I just don't see that as being a viable alternative.
CHETRY: And when you say counter terrorism you mean helping - hunting out the Al Qaeda and using a remote and piloted drones and things like that?
O'HANLON: Exactly. Basically, what some say the Vice President Biden favors and what secretary Rumsfeld tried to Emphasize for the time he was in office. The smaller American footprint that doesn't really try to protect the Afghans or build up their army and police so much but focuses primarily on going after the terrorists. We already tried that, that doesn't work. That to me is not the most interesting alternative to General Chrystal's idea.
CHETRY: And General Zinni I want to ask you about a "Washington Post" article that sort of suggesting there's Debate over some of in the White House about general McChrystal's Contention that the Taliban and Al Qaeda share the same goals, if you will, The same strategic interests that the return to Power for the Taliban would Automatically mean that Afghan's A new sanction for al Qaeda. What's your opinion on that?
ZINNI: Well, I think it will be. Especially if they view this as a victory. And remember, the Taliban stretched Their influence into Pakistan And now we're seeing increasing Movement into central Asia, into Potentially Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and so they Haven't confined their sort of Horrific way of life, what they Do to women and their own Population to just Afghanistan. And an unstable Afghanistan controlled by the Taliban will continue to be a sanctuary, a threat to the region. And remember, this is not just about Al Qaeda. We have two nations there with nuclear weapons. One that could be destabilized and we've seen the bad guys try to provoke them to engage each other. So the interests here go beyond this. And the other point...
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: Right, so you're talking India and Pakistan...
ZINNI: It's America's war. It's not just America's war. And we have to ensure that this is an international and a NATO Issue too.
CHETRY: You bring up some good points there. And bouncing off that, Michael, When general Zinni brought up The fact that the Taliban's Influence is spreading, the Interesting thing though is that, in a lot of The polling and a lot of the -- our Reporters that come back from Afghanistan, they say by and Large, the Taliban doesn't Necessarily enjoy wide support Among the Afghan people, where as the united states forces are not Necessarily viewed with as much Derision as some people say they Are. So how does that dynamic move into play in terms of trying to get the Afghan troops ready, the Afghan government and the Afghan military strong enough That we can eventually find a way out?
O'HANLON: Yes it's a great question, you know in July we actually scored 60% favorability, positive favorability for the United States in a poll that was done in Afghanistan, which was a big improvement frankly from what had happen. I think people like Obama's commitment. They like the excitement about the presidential campaign.
I'm afraid some of that is frittering away right now, but we do have a chance to win over the Afghan people. They actually do not resent us the way they resented previous Occupiers, who were not part of A big coalition as general Zinni Pointed out, and who were there For their own purposes, not to Help the Afghan. So things are much better now, but you know there is a worry here. The Taliban are not popular, but they have created a psychology where people think that they're winning. That people think that they are frankly are to be feared; and therefore, should be opposed only Very, very carefully.
And we have to get away from that broader psychological effect because the Taliban do have some momentum. And we are going to have to arrest that which is one reason why general Zinni and General McChrystal are right. We've got to have this debate fairly quickly. I want to leverage it to get the Afghans to do better but we got to have it fairly quickly.
CHETRY: And general Zinni, as a former commander, what's your sense? I know you can't see into the future, but do you think we're going to end up after this discussion is over getting more American Troops to Afghanistan?
ZINNI: Well, I hope so. And I hope that the President takes general McChrystal's advice on the numbers and what he requires. I don't believe he's inflating it. It's an honest assessment. We need to ensure we have the security, space and time to do the non-military things that will stabilize that society and to rebuild the Afghan security forces.
CHETRY: General Anthony Zinni, always Great to talk to you, Michael O'Hanlon as well, thanks to both of you for being with us this morning. Rio Madrid maybe Tokyo Chicago perhaps, everyone wants to know who will get the 2016 summer games. You thought that was a star studded power patrol in Copenhagen. Ali Velshi is in Chicago
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) CHETRY: Alright live (INAUDIBLE) Daly Plaza this morning in Chicago. Good morning, Chicago. It's cloudy, 51 degrees. We could get some afternoon showers, but they're not talking about the weather this morning in Chicago. They're talking about whether they're going to get the games for 2016 -- what is it 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, just about four hours and fifteen minutes and we'll know, we'll know whether or not the Olympic games in 2016 is going to be U.S.
Alright a little shout out to my hometown. Welcome back to the most news in the morning. There you know a lot of people on edge in Chicago waiting to find out if the 2016 Olympic summer games are coming, they're coming stateside. Four cities in contention, but Insiders say it's all really coming Down to just two of them, Rio de Janeiro in brazil and Chicago, Illinois.
So here's what a 2016 Chicago Olympics would look like. The games would be staged along the shores of Lake Michigan and also under the city's skyline, right in the heart of Chicago. Organizers say that by integrating the venues into the parks and the lakefront that spectators and athletes could carry the energy and excitement of the games into the city for celebrations, as well as, sightseeing. Organizers also say the layout would help create a natural Olympic Park that would generate dramatic Television imagery. So Chicago's made its pitch, now comes of course the agonizing wait to find out. Our Ali Velshi is there, he's right in the middle of all of it.
In Daly plaza, the city is holding a big watch party. Ali, I got the show us around this, the sun's come up in Chicago, a little chilly on an October morning. What are you seeing?
ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Ali you know the weather doesn't bother Chicagoans. In fact there are hundreds of people now, you can see them, and they're lined up to get flags and T- shirts from a number of tents that have been set out. These are all people who are here; they're supporters of the Olympic bid in Chicago. I just got an earful from a Woman who saw my earlier report Where I'd shown someone who was Not a supporter, who felt that The money could be better spent On other things and that the Olympics might be a cause to Move people out of low-income Housing and some woman came up To me and said that was biased And unfair and it was negative. The fact is here's the positive.
They've got a fountain here in Daly Plaza. Check it out. The color of the Olympic bid in Chicago is orange. The fountain is orange, the water is orange. Just beyond that, you see a podium. There are, that's where all the media International media here, we're full of satellite trucks around here. There are big screens in Daly Plaza are people will be watching the results come in about four hours.
There's a bandstand and people around here are very, very excited. I was told by organizers that after This is over, after the results Are announced, then they, of Course, are hoping that it's Going to be Chicago, the party Will move to block parties and Bars around the city. But, as you know, Christiane, Chicago knows how to celebrate one way or the other. No matter what the result is, Chicagoans will be out having a party later on today. But this crowd really hoping the Olympics comes here. There is a split in this city. I hope that woman who yelled at me isn't anywhere around. There is a split in the city. There are people who don't think the money that's being spent on this bid or on these Olympics should be spent on it. But the majority of people in Chicago are supporting this Olympic bid.
CHETRY: Ali, I love the orange fountain, you know. The city that can die its river green for St. Patrick's Day can dye its fountains orange for the Olympics. And I got an e-mail this morning from a Chicago future CEO who's been talking about what it's like in Copenhagen. He's inside the bid. He says there's a lot of good buzz, feeling really good. So they think that they hope that they're going to get it, Ali.
VELSHI: Yes I'll be here all day.
CHETRY: What are odds makers saying you guys? You were buzzing about this morning?
VELSHI: Odds makers are favoring Chicago by a little bit right now. Rio and Chicago seem to be the front runners in this deal. If you're an odds maker.
CHETRY: Well I feel bad for Madrid; they haven't even given their presentation. They've got 15 minutes Madrid could pull something out; we don't even know what their secret weapon is. And don't forget Tokyo, they have the green venue and that's real popular right now. So...
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: There was some, remember, there was some criticism that Tokyo didn't Seem to be showing the enthusiasm. So part of their bid has been showing that, in fact, they can be very enthusiastic about it. I think everybody whose bidding and wants it is enthusiastic about it, but that's something Tokyo had to overcome.
CHETRY: But do they have an orange fountain?
VELSHI: No.
CHETRY: It looks like a wall of flames Ali. It's pretty cool actually or Kool-Aid.
Have a good one, Ali. Good luck.
Well meanwhile, there is a rule That when you're below 10,000 Feet, taxing or on takeoff, You're not to talk in the Cockpit unless it's directly Related to flight, the flight. That is not been happening -- judging from some very disturbing recordings that are out there now. And now the FAA wants to crack down on cockpit chatter. We're going to talk more about it, 29 minutes, that's after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: It's 31 minutes past the hour. Checking our top stories.
The president is saying thanks to the Senate Finance Committee. The group of 23 senators made some last-minute changes to the health care reform bill, saying that it will ease the impact on working-class families.
Now the bill is essentially all set to be passed by the committee early next week and to head for a full debate in the Senate. The key committee worked until well after midnight, finally shutting down their talks and discussions and their erasers and rewrites until 2:18 this morning.
ROMANS: And CBS says one of its employees has been arrested and charged with attempted grand larceny in the alleged blackmail of David Letterman. In a bombshell TV moment on last night's show, Letterman gave his version of the attempted extortion, admitting that he had had sex with members of his staff.
CHETRY: And don't ask for a beer on a U.S. Airways flight over New Mexico, no wine either. A federal judge has ruled that officials can keep the airline from serving alcohol on its New Mexico flight. This is in the wake of an accident that happened. A passenger got off the plane and caused a deadly drunk driving crash back in 2006.
The airline had been arguing that it was not subject to state liquor laws.
ROMANS: You may not know this, but there is a rule that airline pilots are supposed to follow -- no chitchat on takeoff and landing, only essential conversations are allowed. But there's startling information this morning about pilots that disregard that rule routinely and may be putting passengers in danger.
Our Jeanne Meserve is live in Washington now with the details - Jeanne.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Christine, in the cockpit, nonessential conversation is banned during taxiing and during while flying under 10,000 feet. It's a federal rule, but accident investigations indicate it's a rule that's sometimes broken and with disastrous results.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MESERVE: Minutes before a 2004 plane crash in Kirksville, Missouri that killed 13 people, a joking pilot says, "Love to poke my head back around and say that, you know, ladies and gentlemen, we've thought about it." A laughing co-pilot chimes in, "It was unanimous up here." The pilot continues, "We've come to the conclusion that you people should all shut the blank up."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's really sad to listen to a cockpit voice recorder where the pilots are sitting there, laughing, carrying on, having a great time, not aware they're about to run into the ground.
MESERVE: After 24 years as a commercial pilot, Robert Sumwalt is now a member of the National Transportation Safety board. He believes the sterile cockpit rule, which bans nonessential talk during taxiing, takeoff, and landing, is frequently violated. And for safety's sake, he says that must change.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think people need to draw a line in the sand and says, this is a regulation, we will adhere to it.
MESERVE: The NTSB has cited violations of the sterile cockpit rule in six crashes since 2004, according to a survey by "USA Today."
In Lexington, Kentucky, in 2006, chatting cockpit crew took off on the wrong runway -- 49 were killed. In Jefferson City, Missouri in 2004, the pilot and copilot were laughing about alcohol minutes before impact. They both died. Investigators are also looking at whether cockpit small talk contributed to the 2009 Colgan Air crash in buffalo, New York.
The Airline Pilots' Association believes pilots usually do adhere to the sterile cockpit rule, but says to improve compliance, there should be more training and more observation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But a properly trained airline pilot sits in the jump seat and observes his or her fellow airline pilots and has the ability to comment, to question.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MESERVE: In that situation, however, the pilot that's flying might be careful not to break the rules. A more realistic way to get a sense of the problem might be to pull the cockpit voice recorders and listen to conversations. But people on all sides of this debate say that is a nonstarter.
Christine, back to you.
ROMANS: All right Jeanne, thanks so much. Anybody who flies is real troubled when they see stories like this. Jeanne Meserve, thank you, Jeanne.
CHETRY: Still ahead, we'll be getting the latest details on that international custody battle. The ex-wife who was from Japan took the two kids, took off for Japan. Her ex-husband tries to go get them back and now he's in a Japanese jail.
We'll get an update from his current wife and his attorney. We heard Kyung Lah speak to him exclusively yesterday. Have they made any progress in trying to get him out of jail? We're going to find out.
It's 35 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) ROMANS: Just into CNN, a new jobs report came out just minutes ago, and it looks like it was worse than people were expecting, a lot more jobs lost. Stephanie Elam, you've got the details for us.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Much worse than we were expecting. Obviously Christine, we talk about this a lot. Apparently the business division thinks we should wear purple as well to talk about these things, but it is true.
Take a look at these numbers that were way worse than expected. 263,000 jobs were lost in September. We were expecting a loss of 175,000. That is a much bigger number.
Also, August and July, those numbers were also revised to have a bigger loss of jobs throughout those sectors. Just to give you an idea, August -- I'm sorry, August was revised downward to 201,000 jobs that were lost and 216,000 is what the number used to be. But if you look at July, the number was revised larger to a loss of 304,000.
As far as the unemployment rate was concerned, it was up to 9.8 percent -- for August, it was 9.7 percent. So we did see this number growing. Some people think we can top 10 percent early next year.
But when you take a look at this unemployment rate is it highest that we've seen since 1983 when it was above 10 percent. So this is obviously a really big deal, and it also means that since the recession began, we've seen a loss of 7.2 million jobs in this economy. That's from December, 2007.
ROMANS: There's just no way to look at a 9.8 percent unemployment rate and not say that that is something that is frightening for the American working public.
And when you look beyond that number to the number of people who work a part time job but they want to work full time, you're looking at the underemployment situation as well.
ELAM: There is 16 or 17 percent underemployment.
And I've been looking into working moms who are trying to get back in the workforce, they're not counted in any of these numbers. People who have already retired who are trying to get back in, they're not counted. So some accounts say there are 24 million, 25 million people in this country who want to work and who aren't.
ROMANS: And those real numbers saying that they unemployment rate could be closer to 20 percent for the people who would like to find jobs but can't right now. But obviously things not getting much better in this economy than people would like to say, that we're on our way to recovery that's faster.
This is a lagging indicator, but it shows just how much pain is still out there.
And the DOW fell 200 points yesterday. I think one of the reasons were people were worried how much the DOW had been up and were worried about this number.
All right, Stephanie Elam, thanks Stephanie.
ELAM: Sure.
CHETRY: Well, historic talks involving the United States and Iran may have produced a breakthrough concerning Tehran's nuclear secrets. Iran is now agreeing to let international inspectors visit a suspect uranium enrichment plant. This is the one all of us learned about a few weeks back.
Jill Dougherty is following developments for us from Washington. When you read this, it looks hopeful. Very promising words, but the big question when it comes to Iran is will it translate into action and when?
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: That's always the question, isn't it, Kiran? So many people will say, you know, we've seen this before. Let's see if it pans out. So I guess you could say, so far, so good.
There were apparent achievements, you mentioned them, at that meeting, and the top U.S. and the top Iranian diplomat held a what they called direct and candid 45-minute discussion during a lunch break in Geneva. They talked about nuclear issues, but they also talked about human rights.
It's the start, U.S. officials say, of an intense diplomatic phase, but it won't be open ended.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DOUGHERTY: At crucial talks in Geneva between Iran and the U.S. and its big power allies, the Obama administration's pledge to engage with its enemies swings into action. A pledge to meet again, and a one-on-one meeting out of camera range during a lunch break between a top U.S. diplomat and Iran's chief negotiator.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Today's meeting was a constructive beginning, but it must be followed with constructive action by the Iranian government.
DOUGHERTY: It's a dramatic detour from the path George W. Bush traveled on Iran.
GEORGE BUSH, THEN-PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: States like these and their terrorist allies constitute an axis of evil.
DOUGHERTY: But is it a breakthrough? Secretary of State Hillary Clinton calls the talks productive, but she's treading carefully.
HILLARY CLINTON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We've always said we would engage, but we're not talking for the sake of talking. We're not involved in a process just to say that we can check a box on process. We want to see concrete action and positive results, and I think today's meetings opened the door, but let's see what happens. DOUGHERTY: Critics of engagement warn Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad may be trying to simply run out the clock. One Iran expert cautions the longer talks with Iran continue, the more pressure there may be on President Obama.
KARIM SADJADPOUR, CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE: If after weeks and months of meeting with the Iranians there's no headway, we've not seen any signs of compromise by the Iranian government, I think there's going to be a lot of pressure on the Obama administration to justify these conversations if they're simply an exercise in futility.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DOUGHERTY: And for President Obama's administration, engagement always has had two tracks -- reach out, try to talk, but if that doesn't work, ratchet up the pressure. And President Obama says he doesn't intend to negotiate indefinitely - Kiran.
CHETRY: That's what he said. And he said this has to lead to action, not just talk, as we know. We'll see if that works. Jill Dougherty for us this morning, thanks.
Still ahead, we'll be speaking again with Amy Savoie. Her husband, Chris, is sitting right now in a Japanese jail because of his international custody battle. It's just been heartbreaking for everyone involved.
ROMANS: He wants his kids back, but the Japanese authorities don't see it that way. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: More on our developing story this morning.
The father jailed in Japan on charges of kidnapping his own children; it's a heartbreaking international custody battle. Chris Savoie traveled to Japan in a desperate attempt to get his two children back.
He says his ex-wife is the real kidnapper, but now he faces up to five years in prison. Will Chris ever be reunited with his children and when will he be freed?
Joining me now to discuss the latest in the case is his wife, Amy Savoie and his attorney, Jeremy Morley.
Welcome to the program. I know this is incredibly difficult for you, Amy, because you haven't been able to talk to him since his arrest and he's halfway around the world.
A desperate attempt to get his children back has somehow all gone wrong. Do you have any hope of being able to talk to him in the near- term here, in the future?
AMY SAVOIE, HUSBAND IMPRISONED IN JAPAN: I hope so. I hope so. I can't imagine not speaking to him. He's not -- he has got to be so worried about his children right now and I know he needs to see me.
ROMANS: We know that he spoke to our own Kyung Lah. She was able to go there, our correspondent and sit down in Japanese and speak with him and talk to him, just for 15 minutes. It was off camera and only in Japanese.
And he had this to say. He said, "I love you, Isaac, Rebecca, your daddy loves you forever. I'll be patient and strong until the day comes that I can see you both again. I'm very sorry that I can't be with you."
You know, talking about his two children, the reason why he went there. And then toward the end of that interview, he blurted out in English, "I love you," obviously directed toward you. How did that make you feel, him trying to get that message out there to you?
SAVOIE: Oh, fantastic. Of course and from what I heard he actually said that first and they almost shut down the interview.
ROMANS: Right.
SAVOIE: Because he blurted that out but of course he loves those children. Look at these pictures, I mean I've never seen him on the big screen like this before.
I took these pictures and you cannot mistake that kind of affection. They're nestled in his arms. He's just grabbing those kids, the smiles are huge, their eyes are smiling. These children love their father, they love their father.
ROMANS: I can't imagine how traumatic it must have been for them to be with their father on the street, going toward the embassy and then suddenly all of this chaos is happening. We don't even know exactly how it happened, but it must be quite traumatic for the children as well.
If you had a chance to talk to him, what would you say? What would the message you would give to him?
SAVOIE: He's my hero. I'm proud of him. I love him.
ROMANS: What happens next? You haven't been able to talk to him. You're hoping the State Department is working behind the scenes diplomatically to try to have some solution, but there's really a lot you don't know here.
JEREMY MORLEY, ATTORNEY FOR CHRISTOPHER SAVOIE: No.
ROMANS: You just know that he's in jail in Japan.
MORLEY: We have two lawyers. We found a family lawyer and we found a criminal lawyer that we organized. They can go to this remote town and they've been able to see him, briefly, under very strict controls.
But we're waiting. The prosecutor has eight more days to make a decision and then can ask for another ten-day extension. And we hope that he will exercise the discretion appropriately. This is a family matter; this is not a criminal case in Japan.
ROMANS: But clearly when you look at the custody differences and the legal differences between this country and Japan. We're all learning a little bit more about that.
I mean, in a divorce situation, one parent in Japan typically has all of the rights. Even though, in your case, you feel as though the ex-wife, the mother of the children, took these children.
In Japan, they're just looking at it from the point of view of Japanese law on Japanese soil.
MORLEY: And they don't understand that, actually, the ex-wife came over here with the children to divorce, knew that she was going to go through a divorce case, knew that she would get a much better financial settlement here. Promised the father that she would never take these children and in return he paid her $800,000 in cash, up front, in return for that promise that she would never abduct the kids. And she promised...
ROMANS: Let me get that straight. He thought he could settle this and there was a large cash money settlement.
MORLEY: Huge.
ROMANS: And so you're saying that maybe she was planning this all along? What do you think?
MORLEY: Absolutely. Absolutely. Of course she planned it. She knew she was going through a divorce case. She knew she would get small money in Japan, big money in America. She took the cash and then she took the children.
And now the father is in jail. It's outrageous.
ROMANS: Amy, do you think you're ever going to see these kids again? I mean, if -- if, God willing, you can diplomatically solve this and he can come home. Then there's still this issue of his relationship with the children and obviously this great animosity between these two parents.
SAVOIE: Well, we -- Isaac -- we didn't speak to Rebecca so much about these -- these laws in Japan, she's younger.
ROMANS: How old is she?
SAVOIE: She's six.
ROMANS: Six.
SAVOIE: Isaac is eight years old and he's really sharp for his age.
ROMANS: So he knows there's this -- the complicated with his separated parents?
SAVOIE: He knows. And in fact, I was reminded yesterday. I was in the kitchen and Christopher had said to Isaac that, you know, you know that they don't let kids see their daddy. And Isaac said, no, I thought they don't let daddies see their kids.
ROMANS: Oh wow, so he's a sharp little guy.
SAVOIE: He's sharp. We had made plans for there to be a secret meeting place in years from now if everybody's still alive. If no one dies in a car accident in the meantime that if she ever took them to Japan that we would meet them at this certain place years from now.
ROMANS: So this is your worst fear?
And now you have to hope that he comes home and that you can wait and be reunited with these children when they're no longer children, maybe?
SAVOIE: Maybe.
ROMANS: What's the best hope here for -- what is the outcome that you want in your heart and the outcome you think you're going to get?
MORLEY: There has to be sharing. This idea in Japan -- excuse me -- that only one parent is entitled to be with the children is just so outdated and unfair to the children. We want him out of jail, first. And then let's deal with getting some justice here with respect to the children and let's get Japan to change its ways.
ROMANS: All right. And hopefully -- hopefully you don't know -- but hopefully that the State Department is working on this, hopefully there's diplomacy happening behind the scene that we don't know about.
MORLEY: We hope so, we can't find out, but we're hoping so. And we're asking for pressure, we're asking for calls and we're asking there will be a demonstration outside the Japanese Embassy tomorrow at 2:00 p.m.
We're asking for a support on this and we think that eventually the message will really get through over there.
ROMANS: All right, Amy Savoie, the wife of Christopher Savoie, thank you so much.
SAVOIE: OK.
ROMANS: I know it's incredibly emotional but thank you and Jeremy Morley, attorney for the family. Thank you so much.
MORLEY: Thank you.
SAVOIE: Thank you.
ROMANS: It's 53 minutes past the hour. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
For all of its flaws, our nation's two-party system has brought us a long way since the 1800s.
CHETRY: That's right, but now there's the health care impasse. Of course, we've seen the ugly partisan divide growing over some political issues. And a lot of people are wondering, wait, isn't there room for a third party that can have enough influence as well?
Our Carol Costello is live in Washington this morning. And Carol you're profiling this very interesting race that's playing out in Cleveland.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a fascinating local election. It's about to happen in Cleveland. A member of the Communist Party is running for city council and he just may win. He says it's not because he's a Communist, but because voters don't care about party affiliation anymore. They just want someone in office who can help them. Just saying.
Well, some might view this as a sign of the apocalypse; others might say it's a sign Americans are finally fed up with the two-party system
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICK NAGIN, CANDIDATE, CLEVELAND CITY COUNCIL: Anything that's on your mind.
COSTELLO: Rick Nagin, candidate for Cleveland city council, registered Democrat, and member of the Communist Party.
NAGIN: I believe in socialism. I believe that corporate greed is the source of the problems in this country and that we'd all be a lot better off if working people and their organizations were running things instead of big business.
COSTELLO: Nagin, long considered a fringe candidate in Ohio is hot this year. He survived the primary and may win the November election.
And while much of the country may be aghast that voters are seriously considering someone who espouses Communist beliefs, some say it's the sign of the times.
JOHN AVLON, AUTHOR, "INDEPENDENT NATION': Voters are getting more and more frustrated with politics as usual. They want some alternatives.
COSTELLO: Just saying -- are Americans ready to elect a third party? BOB BARR, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think the time is really right for that.
COSTELLO: Bob Barr ran for president on the Libertarian ticket in 2008. He lost but says today, interest in the Libertarian Party is at an all-time high.
BARR: There is a sense of uneasy among people in this country that the two major parties simply are no longer listening to them and responding to the people of the country.
COSTELLO: According to politico.com, independent candidate are poised to run serious campaign for governors in half a dozen states, among them, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. And some analysts say they have strong support.
AVLON: A vast majority of Americans are independent and centrist. So that's where the sweet spot is for an independent candidate.
NAGIN: It goes down for all here.
COSTELLO: Back in Cleveland's Ward 14, council hopeful and self- described Democrat Communist Rick Nagin says he's offering voters who are suffering economically something different and something very much the same.
NAGIN: I consider myself to be a very patriotic American, I love this country. I'm proud to pledge allegiance to our flag. And if I'm elected, I will be very proud to swear to uphold our Constitution.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Nagin has long worked for organized labor in the Cleveland area. He is backed by the union. He's done a lot of work within Cleveland's Hispanic neighborhood where he gets great support.
His opponent, by the way, is a Democrat and he's also a member of the Green Party.
And Christine and Kiran, I've been asking people what they think of this? Are voters ready to vote for a third-party candidate, because, you know, there are other parties out there, but voters don't vote for them for a lot of different reasons, money being the number one, because the Democrat and Republican parties have the money.
But here're some of the comments our viewers have been blogging.
Garnett says, regarding our readiness for a third party, "Absolutely yes. Our current two-party system is too polarizing. It represents no one but big business or unions. They represent the fringes of our society rather than the bulk.
And this one from Matt who says, "The way things have been going for the past ten years, I would vote for a Federalist or a Whig, if they have the best interest of Americans in mind. We'll see what happens in 2010 with those governors races. That will be the test.
CHETRY: Yes, and you always hear from John Avlon. It's the independents, you know. They're the ones that are sort of really, really the people who ultimately make the decisions.
ROMANS: Time for a viable third party maybe.
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: We have to go. Thanks so much, Carol Costello.
Have a great weekend, Carol.
And thanks for joining us, everyone. Glad you're with us. We'll all be back here on Monday.
We'd love for you to continue the conversation on today's stories. Go to our blog, cnn.com/amfix.
ROMANS: And here's CNN NEWSROOM with Heidi Collins.
