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American Morning
President Witnesses Remains of U.S. Soldiers Returning to U.S.; Taliban Launching Attacks in Afghanistan Ahead of Runoff Election; Teen Gang-Raped While Bystanders Watch; Clinton Visits Pakistan, Applauds Pakistan's Fight Against the Taliban; Swine Flu Spreading Fast Forcing Shut Downs in Schools; Consumers Pulling Back on Spending This Holiday Season
Aired October 29, 2009 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ALINA CHO, CNN ANCHOR: Coming up at the top of the hour now, 7:00 a.m. in the east. Good morning everybody. Welcome to AMERICAN MORNING. I'm Alina Cho. John Roberts has the morning off. It is Thursday, October 29th.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Kiran Chetry, glad you're with us. We have a lot of stories we are going to be telling you about the next 15 minutes. First of, the U.N. has its workers on lockdown now in the Afghan capital after that deadly attack by the Taliban. With nine days before the country's presidential run-up election, situation on the ground is critical. Security forces are patrolling the streets. There is still a looming threat of more violence. We're live in Kabul just ahead.
CHO: In the midst of hashing out a new strategy for Afghanistan, President Obama witnessing firsthand the gut-wrenching images of the ultimate sacrifice made by America's service members. Over night, the President flew to Dover Air Force Base to witness the return of 18 Americans killed in Afghanistan. In a moment we'll take you live to the White House.
CHETRY: Also, hundreds of schools around the country forced to shut down because of swine flu, the number of kids staying home with symptoms virtually doubling each day this week. Just ahead our Dr. Sanjay Gupta on the tools doctors are using in one northeast hospital to treat the youngest victims.
First this morning, President Obama getting a firsthand look at the cost of war and one that will likely define his presidency. Overnight he embarked on a solemn mission to Dover Air Force Base. There he honored 18 Americans killed in Afghanistan as the bodies returned home.
Our Dan Lothian is live at the White House. And Dan, it was quite a solemn scene to see the president there early this morning.
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It really was a solemn scene. And you know President Obama has always talked about the human cost of war.
And in fact just yesterday White House spokesman Robert Gibbs says one of hardest things President Obama has to do is when he has to sign the condolence letters of a loved one who lost a son or daughter overseas, whether it's in Afghanistan or Iraq or somewhere else.
But last night, as you pointed out, this was not a condolence letter the president was signing but rather meeting those 18 bodies of Americans returning, and also the loved ones of those 18 Americans who returned last night at Dover Air Force Base.
And most of the dignified transfers that the military calls a solemn event happened off camera. That's per the request of the family members with the exception of Army Sergeant Dale Griffin of Terre Haute, Indiana.
Fifteen of the dead Americans who returned -- their bodies returned last night, were U.S. troops. Three others though were DEA agents. They were killed in a helicopter crash on Monday in Afghanistan. They were returning from a fire fight with insurgents who were believed to be involved drug trafficking.
Again, they were returned last night at Dover Air Force Base. This is the first time a president has gone out there to meet these bodies since President Clinton went out there in 1996. That was for the return of the remains of his Commerce Secretary Ron Brown and the other victims who died in the airplane crash -- Kiran?
CHETRY: Dan Lothian for us at the White House. Thank you.
CHO: Also new this morning, the city of Kabul is trying to regroup after a deadly attack by the Taliban -- 12 people, including one American, were killed in the attack against U.N. workers.
The peace keeping agency has put its people there on lockdown and they're even now telling nonessential staff to leave the country immediately. Our Pentagon Correspondent Chris Lawrence is live from Kabul right now. The country's runoff election for president just days away, Chris.
Is there a sense this was an isolated attack or part of something bigger perhaps?
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Alina, if you look at the situation just a few days ago when the Taliban threatened to everyone that they should boycott this election, they did promise to commit violence to anyone who participated.
And when they claimed responsibility yesterday, they did promise this was just the first of many. But the Taliban also claimed that they killed 50 people in that attack. It's not true.
And I was speaking with a senior U.S. military official here in Kabul who says the Taliban don't have the same amount of time to plan attacks this time as they did for the first election. In that time they had a lot of money and support from outside foreign sources, also foreign fighters coming over.
That may not be the case this time, especially with so many Taliban engaged and fighting and bogged down in Pakistan -- Alina?
CHO: Chris Lawrence live from Kabul. Chris, thank you.
Stay with us, coming up at 7:30 a.m. -- with Afghanistan at such a critical point right now, can the president afford to wait much longer on the new strategy? We'll talk about it with retired General George Joulwan, a former NATO supreme allied commander, and Doyle McMamnus, a Washington columnist for the "Los Angeles Time," -- Kiran?
CHETRY: In a case that's outraged many people, five teens now arrested, four of them charged with gang raping a 15-year-old California girl on the night of her high school homecoming dance.
Police say that a dozen or more witnesses just watched the attack Saturday night and did nothing. A friend of the victim spoke out last night claiming police and security officers at Richmond high school failed to keep the area safe.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMI BAKER, FRIEND OF RAPE VICTIM: At the dance there are four officers, none of them patrolling the area. I looked outside of the gym and saw 12 to 15 guys sitting there with no IDs.
The officers not only did not check IDs of those students or men sitting outside of our campus, but the security officers who were employed here did no job checking either. The assistant principal looked outside and saw those men and did nothing about it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: There are no lights or surveillance cameras where the rape took place. School board officials confirm they have been ordered.
Also developing this morning, the feds say that a radical Islamic leader is dead after a shootout with authorities at a Detroit, Michigan warehouse. The man allegedly was on a mission to set up an Islamic state within the U.S.
Our Susan Candiotti has the latest for from Detroit this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: FBI agents hit two locations trying to round up about a dozen men said to be heavily armed. Prosecutors say the ring leader, an Imam, directed a local wing of a radial fundamentalist Islamic group bent on setting up a separatist state here in the U.S.
Inside this warehouse, authorities say the alleged ringleader refused to surrender, fired his weapon. There was an exchange of gunfire, and 53-year-old Luqman Abdullah, also known as Christopher Thomas, was killed. So was an FBI dog.
Authorities say Abdullah was the Imam at a Detroit mosque where he preached an offensive jihad, including the violence against the government and law enforcement.
A criminal complaint says he repeatedly told three confidential informants he would never be taken alive, saying "If they are coming to get me, I'll just strap a bomb up and blow up everybody."
The criminal complaint says the group had target practice in a mosque basement blowing holes in cement walls. But they are not arrested for any of that. They are charged for conspiracy to fence stolen goods including laptops and TVs, illegal firearm sales, and tampering with motor vehicle ID numbers.
And FBI complaint says they belong to a nationwide group called Ummah, mostly African-Americans, some of whom converted to Islam while in prison.
Ummah is led by this man, Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, a '60s radical and former member of the Black Panthers, who once said violence is for blacks as American as cherry pie. He's currently serving a life sentence in Colorado's super max prison for killing two Georgia police officers.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CANDIOTTI: And Kiran, at this hour we are outside the federal courthouse in downtown Detroit where there are court appearances scheduled for later today.
The FBI affidavit says that the leader of this group once told some of their undercover informants in recorded conversations that he would never be taken alive by the FBI. He wasn't. Back to you, Kiran.
CHETRY: More details on this probably coming out today. We'll check back in with you. Susan Candiotti, thank you.
CHO: Other stories new this morning. In just a couple of hours House Democratic leaders will unveil their version of a health care reform bill. It contains many of the things President Obama wanted, including a government-run public insurance option.
As many as 36 million uninsured Americans would be covered under the House plan. Speaker Nancy Pelosi wants to get the measure to the House floor next week with a final vote by Veterans Day.
Officials in the California Bay Area say they still do not know when the Bay Bridge which connects Oakland and San Francisco and has hundreds of thousands of commuters go across it every day, no idea when it's going to reopen.
It was closed because part of a steel bridge fell on commuters Tuesday. No one was seriously injured. It actually caused a minor accident. But again, until they can get a handle on how much structural damage has happened, it is closed.
CHETRY: That's what you call a close call.
The Philadelphia Phillies take game one in the World Series. Cliff Lee pitching a complete game masterpiece, we're told.
CHO: We're told.
CHETRY: Two homeruns -- I'm a Yankee fan. They knocked off the Yankees 6-1 last night. That hurts. The Phils are now three wins away from becoming the first National League team in more than 30 years to win back to back championships. Game two is tonight in the Bronx.
I love how they say three games away...
CHO: Exactly.
CHETRY: The Yankees are four games away from winning.
CHO: It's going to be a good one. Jay-Z is performing with Alicia Keyes and the weather should be better. So hopefully a good time will be had by all.
CHETRY: We hope so. Let's hope for a better outcome.
(LAUGHTER)
CHO: We'll be joined by Dr. Sanjay Gupta in just a few moments. We've been hearing every single day about more schools being forced to close and thousands of students out because of swine flu. And there's still not a lot of answers about when the vaccine is coming to many people's neighborhoods. Sanjay will join us with the latest.
It's 10 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: It's 13 minutes after the hour. Straight ahead on the most news in the morning, who has their hands in your 401(k)? Dipping into your retirement and you don't know about it until you retire.
Coming up our Gerri Willis will show you house we're being nickeled and dimed with hidden 401(k) fees - Kiran.
CHETRY: Well, right now Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is meeting with leaders in Lahore, Pakistan. She's trying to chip away at anti-American sentiment in the Muslim nation, but her three-day trip is being overshadowed by bloody violence taking place there. Ten militant attacks this month have killed nearly 400 people.
And Secretary Clinton says that Pakistan is not alone in the fight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: These attacks may be happening on your territory, but this is not your fight alone. These extremists are committed to destroying that which is dear to us as much as they are committed to destroying that which is dear to you and to all people. And you are standing on the front lines of this battle, but we are standing with you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Our foreign affairs correspondent Jill Dougherty is with Secretary Clinton and joins us now on the phone from Lahore, Pakistan. And how has this violence that we've seen even just in the past couple of days changed how Hillary Clinton's trip is going?
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Kiran, the secretary is really trying to get across a message that the relationship between Pakistan and the United States goes way beyond just the fighting terrorism, although that's a key part, of course, about the relationship.
But you would have to say that that attack in Peshawar, especially because it was a market where women and children were the main victims, really is having an effect. And so at almost every stop since that happened yesterday, she has been mentioning it, saying that we are with you. And so at the same time that she talks about this relationship going beyond terrorism, she has to return to it.
It is a scene and many Pakistanis are worried that in working with and cooperating with the United States in this war and fighting against terror, that it's actually making their lives less secure. And that's what the secretary is trying to chip away at.
CHETRY: Jill Dougherty for us reporting from Lahore, Pakistan, traveling with the secretary. Thanks, Jill.
CHO: Swine flu seems to be spreading very quickly in our nation's schools. The number of students forced to stay home virtually doubling each day this week. Listen to this. The numbers are pretty alarming.
The virus is sickening so many students that 208 schools in 11 states had to shut down yesterday. And look at these figures. On Monday this week, a little more than 26,000 kids had to stay home with H1N1 symptoms. By yesterday, that number more than doubled to more than 67,000.
We're digging a little deeper now to see which state the swine flu virus is hitting our kids the hardest. Guess what. It's Massachusetts. That state is reporting widespread activity this morning, and a staggering 1,436 cases of H1N1 in the state just since April.
And listen to this. Twenty-eight percent of those cases are in kids aged 5 to 12. Hospitals across the state are scrambling and our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes us inside Children's Hospital in Boston.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: We've got to put on the gown, the mask. There's still obviously a lot of concern here. We don't know exactly for sure that this is H1N1.
(voice-over): Children's Hospital, Boston, because of the H1N1 virus, this hospital is as busy as it's ever been. And many of the kids look like Nate.
(voice-over): So we meet the child. The child has symptoms that seems like all kids get.
DR. ANNE STACK, CHILDREN"S HOSPITAL, BOSTON: That's right, all kids get. And the reason specifically that this child came to the emergency department is because he was dehydrated.
GUPTA: OK.
STACK: Significantly dehydrated. And his name is Nate.
GUPTA: Nate. All right.
STACK: Hi.
GUPTA (on camera): Hey, Nate. How are you feeling? So when someone like Nate comes here, what do you do and what are you thinking as a doctor?
STACK: So, our first thoughts are to make him feel better, obviously make him comfortable. Give him something to control his fever if he has high fever. And in his case he wasn't able to take anything orally, so we were able to give him some rectal Tylenol to make him feel better.
GUPTA (voice-over): Nate has been diagnosed with H1N1, but is sent home just a few hours later. There's little the hospital can do for him than advice rest and to stay hydrated.
(on camera): Make no mistake, there is a worst-case scenario in all of this. Patients, kids can get very sick and even die, which is why we're here in the intensive care unit.
Take a look at this X-ray over here. This is really where it gets bad. I mean, this area in here is the lungs. They should be black, representing normal air. But instead they're all white, sort of filled with inflammatory fluid that makes it hard for a child to breathe, makes it hard for a child to get enough oxygen to ventilate well. That is a real problem and that's when they might end up with a machine like this, sort of state of the art ventilator, giving 900 breaths per minute.
You can see it's been done on a mannequin here, but this is the kind of technology that's happening in Boston Children's Hospital preparing for the sickest patients of all.
(voice-over): So ICUs are ramping up technology but back in the emergency room, what they need simply more beds.
(on camera): This is sort of interesting. What we're looking at here is what might happen if there's an overload situation. The hospitals over here, the patients might actually be shuffled across to this office building to go into a conference room, an alternate care site if the hospital starts to get overloaded.
It's fascinating. But they would actually flip this room over within a day or two to make room for extra kids. They simply get overloaded.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA: What I can tell you is what's happening here at Boston Children's Hospital is happening at hospitals all around the country. They are bracing for large numbers of patients and sick ones at that. And as far as all that technology you just saw in the intensive care unit, the good news is that it exists and most kids will never need it.
Back to you.
CHO: OK, thank you.
CHETRY: Yes. We're going to have to wait and see about this. It's a real...
CHO: Yes. Part of the problem we were talking about this earlier is that a lot of parents are now -- and front page of "The New York Times" today, a lot of parents are concerned that the swine flu virus -- sorry, vaccine hasn't been tested enough.
CHETRY: Right.
CHO: And so they don't want to give it to their kids and so...
CHETRY: It's really interesting. So half of the people are saying, I need it, I need it. Why can't I get it?
CHO: Like in California.
CHETRY: Right. And then half of the people are saying, I don't know if I want it. So we'll see how it goes. But we'll be talking about that a little bit later in a really interesting interview.
Meanwhile, Christine Romans is going to be joining us because even though Halloween hasn't even happened, people are already worried about holiday shopping.
CHO: Christmas is just around the corner.
CHETRY: You just asked me if I've done any holiday shopping yet? Are you crazy?
She has a look at whether or not consumers are going to be opening up their wallets this year because a lot of concerns because of the economy.
Twenty minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Twenty-three minutes after the hour. Christine Romans minding all of our business.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I just said there is -- I said money can't buy you happiness. And Alina said, "But we can try."
CHO: We can try.
CHETRY: And also, I say to you this morning -- now, I've always thought money can't buy happiness, but both this pair of Uggs I'm wearing and the iPhone have made me very happy.
CHO: Made you happy.
ROMANS: This is the new consumer. I'm telling you, you are the new consumer because the new consumer wants value for their money. They might pull back less.
CHO: That's right.
ROMANS: It's the things that are going to make them happy that they're spending money on and they're not like going crazy with consumerism. And that's what these most recent Consumer Reports survey found that 65 percent of us are going to cut back on holiday spending.
No surprise. I would actually think it's bigger than that. Half of us are going to plan to make a budget. I think more of you should, half is too low. Everybody make a budget please. It's not 2007 for crying out loud. And 13.5 million of us are going to carry debt from last year. So this is one of reasons why we're pulling back. We still haven't paid for that Barbie doll...
CHO: Yes. I read somewhere...
ROMANS: ... since we had last year.
CHO: I read somewhere that it takes a year for the average American to pay off their Christmas debt.
ROMANS: That's right.
CHO: That's incredible.
CHETRY: You know what they spent, the months leading up to December.
ROMANS: So look, if you are a pet or a kid, you're going to be OK, though, because the survey found that people are going to cut back on themselves, their friends...
CHETRY: Their spouses...
ROMANS: Their spouses, the delivery person, their fitness trainer. The piano teacher might not get a little tip this year, but the pet will still get something and the kids will still get toys. Grandma and grandpa will still get something.
CHO: Like the same toys.
ROMANS: Grandkids. I mean, we're going to be more strategic with how we spend our money and I think that's a good thing and I think it's coming. And you know -- I mean, cutting back on yourself?
CHO: Overall, I think we are, right?
ROMANS: Are you cutting back on yourself?
CHO: I am. I have.
CHETRY: But that's a big window. She has a lot of wiggle room.
(LAUGHTER)
Cutting back on herself is...
CHO: It's exactly an hour later, 7:24.
ROMANS: And the other thing is the number one gift is still apparel. People get a lot of apparel. It's also the number one complained about gift. So think about it before you buy your father- in-law a sweater.
CHETRY: You know what Petey (ph) said. Petey (ph) always gives pearls of wisdom. Our stage manager, he said, you know what? Give cash. One size fits all. It fits everyone.
ROMANS: Forty-four -- Petey (ph) could be our financial planner.
Forty-four percent of people are going to get cash. A lot of people are going to get gift cards. But I want to give a little warning. We do this every year, warning about the gift cards. A 25 percent of people, adults who got gift cards last year still haven't even used them yet.
CHO: Yes.
ROMANS: And so, you...
CHO: Forget about them.
CHETRY: My favorite quote in his column. He said don't give me a gift card. You know what that's like? That's like you sending me on another unwanted errand.
(LAUGHTER)
ROMANS: OK. So "Romans' Numeral."
CHO: OK. "Romans' Numeral."
ROMANS: Eighty-seven percent, my hint is maybe money can't buy you happiness.
CHETRY: Can or cannot?
CHO: Cannot.
ROMANS: Maybe you don't need money to be happy.
CHETRY: Eighty-seven percent of people say they don't want a present.
ROMANS: Eighty-seven percent of people -- well, I'm not -- I do want a present, honey. Eighty-seven percent of people said they will be happier or just as happy this year even though they're spending less.
See, you don't need to spend money to be happy.
CHETRY: There you go.
ROMANS: Eighty-seven percent of people are going to be happy.
CHETRY: The retailers don't want to hear you say that but --
ROMANS: Well, that's the other thing. The people that work for the retailers.
CHO: Oh, that's a...
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: We'll talk about that later, Christine.
ROMANS: OK. Good.
CHO: Thanks, Christine.
Listen to this, guys. Did California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger slip a hidden and obscene message into his letter to state lawmakers? Take a look at this one.
He's explaining why he won't sign a bill dealing with financing for the port of San Francisco. We're going to zoom in on that a little bit.
OK. There are seven lines in this note. And if you're good at those word finder puzzles you're going to notice that the first letter in each line spells out F dash dash dash you. You can fill it in.
ROMANS: I see it.
CHO: You see it?
ROMANS: Yes.
CHETRY: Yes. CHO: A lawmaker who recently heckled the governor sponsored the bill in question. So that may explain that coincidence as a spokesman for Schwarzenegger calls it. Go to CNN.com/ticker for a closer look at what the letter says, but it's interesting. I don't know if I believe it.
There's a probability it is.
CHETRY: It's a creative margin making, you know what I mean?
CHO: Yes, that's right.
CHETRY: And formatting of that page. All right.
Well, still ahead, a pirate-proof ship. We talked about all of the problems with pirates especially off the Somali coast being able to hijack ships, even huge ones, even ones that has armed guards on the ship.
Well, now there is a pirate-proof ship that is being put to the test.
Twenty-seven minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. Thirty minutes past the hour right now. We're checking the top stories.
It was a solemn visit by President Obama overnight to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. That's where he honored the return of fallen U.S. soldiers from Afghanistan. The president was on hand to greet the flag-draped coffins of 18 Americans killed this week in the war zone. October is now the deadliest month for U.S. forces in the entire eight-year war.
CHO: The president may soon decide on troop increases for Afghanistan. Sources tell the Associated Press he's considering a large number of additional troops, but not as many as his war commander, General Stanley McChrystal wants. The plan is already being dubbed McChrystal Light, because it is reportedly lower than the 40,000 troops the general is recommending - Kiran.
CHETRY: The British navy just found the empty yacht belonging to the couple feared to be kidnapped by pirates. No sign of the couple, but according to the European Union navy, pirates hijacked another ship today, this time a Thai fishing vessel. It means that pirates are now in control of a total of eight ships.
CHO: These violent episodes at sea show how dangerous pirates can be and how vulnerable the waters are in that region. But ships may have a new defense, a pirate-proof ship. In this exclusive report, Brian Todd takes you on board the ship that's designed to keep a pirate attack from ever happening in the first place. And CNN has exclusive access as the ship gets put to the test.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Using the crudest tactics they've hijacked the shipping industry. With grappling hooks, AK-47s and rocket propelled grenades they brazenly clamber on board massive tankers and cargo ships, taking crews hostage. Pirates off the eastern coast of Africa have cost the industry billions of dollars in recent years.
Military officials tell CNN they don't have the resources to cover the vast areas of those hot zones. And with monsoon season ending in that region the pirates are back at it.
(GUNFIRE)
But this is what they could now encounter, a security team helps the crew get into a blast-proof bridge. A sniper takes position on deck, scans the perimeter. It's a drill onboard the SS Horizon Producer, a cargo ship making a run into San Juan Harbor. The vessel is equipped with a new multilayered security system called Triton Shield. It starts with long-range surveillance cameras to detect pirates further out. If they do get close, loud speaker alarms.
A few feet away, trained guards patrol the deck under simulated fire. At sea and in port with the help of the San Juan Bay boat pilots, CNN has exclusive access as the captain and crew are trained how to scramble into their secure bridges and engine rooms. It is not always smooth.
CAPT. STEVE PROCIDA, SS.HORIZON PRODUCER: I need the guys to name the mission! (ph).
TODD: But the captain says his crew needs this.
PROCIDA: Well, you saw the drill. Guns going off and that kind of stuff, and there was a realism about it and it -- I think it woke up a lot of guys.
TODD: This is the brainchild a company called International Maritime Security Network, IMSN.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why don't you give us...
TODD: The firm provides everything, security teams, fortification of bridges, sniper nests, training the crew how to react if pirates breach the vessel. I spoke to an IMSN instructor who asked that his name and face not be identified because he conducts training in high-risk regions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We show them how to detain that individual. We show them how to use handcuffs. We also, in the course, train the crew on how to be a hostage.
TODD: But there's another part of the system aimed at never letting it get that far.
(on camera): This is a crucial part of the deterrent. A wall of water that blasts out from the gunnal (ph) to know the pirates off as they try to scale the ship. It can also flood the pirates boat. They can mix in bleach, pepper oil, even soap to try to distract them even more.
(voice over): I'm repeatedly blasted. And when I try to look up alongside the hull, I can't see a thing. Back on deck I press the instructor about the effectiveness of all this.
(on camera): How confident are you that this wall of water, the blast-proof bridge, the loud speakers, are going to really keep pirates from coming on this ship.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, Brian, we're 99.99 percent sure that we've got the answer here.
TODD: That really, that certain, because the pirates and the criminals always stay one step ahead of the law; 99.9 percent?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's true.
TODD: Why?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, back in our factory we're already making the next version of the next step up. We're going to one step them; every time they make a move, we'll be ready for them.
TODD (voice-over): What these security consultants are really aiming for is a true deterrent.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The whole point is they see this from the water and they say these guys are ready for something, it's not worth hitting this ship. Let's go somewhere else.
TODD: This is the only vessel IMSN has outfitted so far, but we're told more are in line. In the coming months, this system will be deployed on another merchant vessel off the coast of Africa for a trial by fire. Brian Todd, CNN, San Juan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: It's 35 minutes after the hour, right now.
And as President Obama considers how many more troops to send to Afghanistan, the Associated Press now reporting this morning that no decision has been made on an exact number, but that it will probably be less than the 40,000 that General Stanley McChrystal requested.
To help break it down is former NATO Supreme Allied Commander General George Joulwan. We want to point out, he's also a board member of General Dynamics, which is a Defense contracting firm.
Welcome, good to see you this morning, General.
GEN. GEORGE JOULWAN, FORMER NATO COMMANDER, (RET), : Good to be back.
CHETRY: Also from our D.C. Bureau, Doyle McManus is a Washington columnist for the "Los Angeles Times." He has covered foreign affairs for more than three decades.
Doyle, thanks for being with us as well.
DOYLE MCMANUS, FOREIGN AFFAIRS COLUMNIST, "THE LOS ANGELES TIMES": Good to be with you.
CHETRY: So, General Joulwan, let me start with you here. Your take on the reporting this morning that the administration is leaning toward what some are calling McChrystal Light, but it would involve, still, sending thousands and thousands of additional troops to Afghanistan.
JOULWAN: Well, I think what we're seeing is the process, going through with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the others, secretaries of Defense and State. What needs to be measured here, is your commander says here's my assessment, which is done. This is where I think we are. I need clarity on what the mission is. If you agree with this assessment, this is what I need to do it.
If he gets less than that, then he has to -- in my view -what I used to do, talk about risk. What are the risks to the plan if you give me not 40,000, but 20,000? And that debate needs to take place between the commander in chief and his commander in the field.
CHETRY: So, you know, Doyle, the general is sort of outlining what happens in terms of, from the military perspective, and a winning strategy. At the same time, of course, you have to factor in politics. Right now, Afghanistan is not a popular war. And the president knows all too well, he was at Dover Air Force Base, as we just showed, with some of the Americans that were killed there. How much risk is he willing to take in terms of this war not going well?
MCMANUS: That's absolutely right. President Obama has been accused of dithering by former Vice President Cheney, but the pressure on him, politically, is much greater to justify sending additional troops. Because his own supporters, in the Democratic Party, are not comfortable at all with this policy.
A lot of what we're seeing now, including reports coming out of the White House, this morning, that the president went back to General McChrystal and said, I want a justification of your troop request, province by province, across the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. All is going in the direction of - yes, there will be a substantial troop increase. But the president wants to make it clear to the public and Congress that he has scrubbed this request, very, very hard.
CHETRY: That's the other thing, General, about this province-by- province assessment. He is trying to figure out, or the administration, is trying to figure out which ones can be managed effectively by local leaders. Would that include people that in the past we may have been fighting, meaning some warlords?
JOULWAN: It could be. I was in Zubal (ph) Province, and I met the governor, and how the interface was going between U.S. and NATO troops, and Afghan troops. I understand what they are trying to do in the White House, but you've got to be very careful that the analysis does not lead into micromanagement. There's a tendency to do that when you start trying to do it from the White House. You've got to be very careful of that.
I think what needs to happen, McChrystal needs to get clarity. Clarity in what do you want me to do? That's what the assessment asks for. I would hope if they want province by province analysis, fine. But they need to be able to then make a decision, and give him clear mission that is political in nature, diplomatic in nature, but also military strategically sound.
CHETRY: What's the other question, Doyle, about what exactly is our outcome? What do we view as success? It seems the administration is conceding things aren't going to be perfect. We're still waiting for the re-election, a new election that has to take place because the charges of corruption the first time around. What exactly are we viewing as success in Afghanistan going forward?
MCMANUS: That's exactly right. One of things that the Obama White House realized belatedly this year was the way President Obama framed the mission earlier this year, in the spring, when he announced an initial increase in troops, was too broad. It sounded like nation building across all of Afghanistan. And as they focused on it, they -- and increasingly people on General McChrystal's staff as well - concluded that was beyond our capability. That we are going to have to aim at stabilizing Afghanistan cities, stabilizing and bolstering provinces, where that's possible.
But there are going to be parts of Afghanistan where the American footprint is going to be very small and where the Taliban may have some free range. What you are going to see here, I think, is a clarification of the mission. It's very importantly going to be limiting of the goals.
CHETRY: Quickly, last word?
JOULWAN: I think it's important that this election that's coming up, this run-off election, that we do all we can. Not just by the United States, this is also a NATO mission, that the observers at command, that election, as much security as can be provided by the international community. We just had a very serious attack on U.N. folks in Afghanistan.
CHETRY: Right.
JOULWAN: All of that lends to, to me, the momentum by the Taliban, which you have to take into consideration here. We may have a timetable but they have their own timetable. They have the momentum right now and I think we need to understand that.
CHETRY: General George Joulwan, always great to see you. Thank you so much. And Doyle McManus, as well. Thank you for your insight this morning.
Alina.
CHO: Kiran, you think of your 401(k) as your nest egg. The money you are going to have in retirement. You may be surprised to learn there are actually hidden 401(k) fees. Our Gerri Willis will have more in her "Nickel & Dimed" series coming up. It's 40 minutes after the hour.
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CHO: It's 43 minutes after the hour. Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
Well, you put a little away every week or two. You are hoping it will be there, and then some, when it's time to retire. But do you know how much of your 401(k) is going to fees?
CHETRY: Hopefully not too much. But if you are like most people, you really don't have a clue how much you may be losing. That's why Gerri Willis is here with part two of our series, "Nickel & Dimed". We were talking about bank fees and credit card fees yesterday. Today it is your nest egg.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: That's right. Kiran, Alina, good to see you guys.
With the average 401(k) losing more than 30 percent last year, you may have a hard time persuading yourself to look at your statements. But there is a good reason to take a long look now. A factor you may not know about, as important as the health of the stock market, that could make the difference between early retirement and not retiring at all.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have a big hole to dig out of from where we are.
WILLIS (voice over): Duane Lutzow (ph) is an architect who designs school buildings in Hinsdale, Illinois. He employs 42 people. People he likes to think of as family. But the hole he is talking about is a financial one. The result of years of paying sky-high fees for his, and his employees, retirement plan.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're talking tens of thousands of dollars in that program. And if you multiply it times the entire staff. The conceivably it could be $100,000, $200,000. That's significant dollars to everybody.
WILLIS: It was a cost that Duane never saw on his statements, and a number his investment adviser repeatedly refused to provide.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There were several times where I just said, point blank, what are your fees? Oh, don't worry about it. It's rolled into the plan.
WILLIS: And Duane is not the only one who is in the dark. In a government accountability office study, 83 percent of respondents didn't know how much 401(k) fees they were paying. More telling, 65 percent of respondents didn't think they were paying anything at all. In this case, ignorance is not bliss.
David Loper (ph) is a financial adviser and author.
DAVID LOPER (ph), FINANCIAL ADVISER, AUTHOR: I'd estimate that probably 90 percent of all 401(k) participants are probably getting ripped off in their 401(k) plan to the tune of massive, excessive fees.
WILLIS: The fees sound small. Lutzao (ph) eventually determined that he and his employees were paying 3 percent, but those small charges add up.
WILLIS (on camera): So imagine you're a 45 -year-old worker with $20,000 on your 401(k). If you're paying half a percent in fees, by the time you retire, your nest egg will be $70,555. But double those fees to 1 percent, here's what you'll have in your 401(k), at 65, just $58,400.
BJORN HANSON, PROFESSOR, NYU TISCH CENTER: Picture that the stock market itself since 1926 has earned on average about 10 percent a year. If the fee is 3 percent, you're paying a 3 percent, 30 percent of your profits go to fees. When's the last time you tipped the waiter 30 percent?
WILLIS (voice-over): Lutzao (ph) fired his manager and got a whole new 401(k) program. His fees this time? Just under 1 percent.
LUTZAO (ph): I think everybody's been pretty happy for the last, you know, six, seven months because their 401(k) is coming back.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: And, you know, the interesting thing about this as we look at this is most of us have no clue, as you pointed out there, and we could very easily be taken for a ride. We don't even really know what is considered normal in terms of fees.
WILLIS: All right, so here's what you're going to look for if you're looking at your 401(k) today. Use these rules of thumb. According to the fellow we talked to, Loper (ph), in the package, you should pay no more than $30 to $35 a year in administrative fees. That's the going rate. S&P 500 funds are the plain vanilla picks (ph) of the investing world. Don't pay more than one tenth of 1 percent of that because you know what? All the S&P 500 funds in the world, they're all the same thing.
CHO: But how do you figure it out? I mean, it's - how would you know?
WILLIS: It's in your materials. The fees for the funds are easy to find. The administrative fees are far harder to find. So you're really going to have to scrap for those.
CHO: Are they there, though? I mean, if you really look closely?
WILLIS: Write a letter to your human resources. They'll give you a special document that will help you find all these fees. Let me tell you, though, some of those fees will still be hidden. This is a big problem. A lot of Americans are losing money each and every year that they shouldn't be, well, because the fees are out of sight.
CHO: That's part of the reason why the story is only coming to light now, right? I asked you, why are we just hearing about this now? You said, well because they are hidden. They're really hidden well.
WILLIS: Right. That's absolutely correct.
CHETRY: You know what they should do is you come up with a Web site where you can just type it in and see which ones are (INAUDIBLE) fees, right?
WILLIS: That is a great idea, Kiran.
CHETRY: I should have thought about that (ph).
WILLIS: We should make some money on that.
CHETRY: We should. See, that's the problem, everybody is looking to make money.
WILLIS: We're (INAUDIBLE) money in their 401(k), we'll make money on the Web site.
CHETRY: Gerri Willis, thank you so much.
WILLIS: My pleasure.
CHETRY: Meanwhile, still ahead, we'll be joined by Rob Marciano. He is tracking Extreme Weather for us. School canceled in some Colorado colleges and universities because of all the snow they're getting out there. He's tracking all of that for us still ahead.
It's 48 minutes after the hour.
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CHETRY: Fifty minutes past the hour right now. Our Rob Marciano is tracking extreme weather for us this morning. Colorado's a big story today, huh? They're getting a lot of snow.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: They're just absolutely destroyed with snow, three feet in some spots, the higher terrain, and in others 6 to 12 inches of snow likely today. Still winter storm warnings now extending into parts of the western high plains.
And this is the scene yesterday across much of Colorado. Interstate's just a mess. At one point, I-70 was closed down. Denver proper saw about 10 inches, 12 inches in some spots. And again, more expected on the way. I should mention that right now, as this thing moves a little bit farther to the north, I-80 from Laramie to Cheyenne is shut down also.
All right, this is a pretty big storm. The front side of it is also going to give us some - some problems with heavy rain and the potential for seeing some severe weather as this thing slowly marches to the - to the east. Already, we've got a couple of tornado watches that are in effect and just issued by the storm prediction center north of Dallas, a severe thunderstorm watch, but the tornado watch in effect for Dallas for the next several hours and we'll watch this line carefully of thunderstorms as it marches down the Red River Valley.
The other issue out ahead of that severe weather, anywhere from 4 to 6 inches of rainfall expected over an already saturated area, so a flood watch is in effect for parts of Eastern Texas, really all the way up into Illinois will (ph) be warm, in the 60s and 70s, obviously chilly on the backside. The desert southwest, by the way, is going to be in the 60s. So that's where some of that colder air is.
All right, the New York metro airports wouldn't be as bad as yesterday, but 30-minute to 60-minute delays possible. Dallas and Houston will certainly see some delays and Denver at least in the morning until they get things cleared out will see some delays as well. Kudos to the Denver airport, once again not shutting down. There were some delays yesterday, Kiran and Alina, but they do a heck of a job getting that snow out of the way, and this is the worst October snowstorm they have seen in over 10 years.
Amazing stuff. Back to you guys.
CHO: And it came pretty early.
CHETRY: Yes. Exactly.
CHO: Rob, thank you.
MARCIANO: All right.
CHO: You know, when you're talking about the challenges for combat pilots in Afghanistan, you may think enemy gunfire may be the biggest and the only threat, but think again. Our Elaine Quijano has an eye-opening report, next.
It's 52 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
It's been a brutal week for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, two tragic helicopter crashes claiming 14 lives on Monday. And more sobering numbers prior to this week, of the 866 Americans who've been killed in the war in Afghanistan, 101 of them died in chopper crashes.
Our Elaine Quijano now on why helicopters - flying helicopters in the mountains of Afghanistan is such a dangerous ordeal.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kiran and Alina, the U.S. military depends on helicopters to move troops and equipment around Afghanistan, but flying helicopters in that country can be tricky and extremely risky.
QUIJANO (voice-over): For US helicopter pilots, this thick dust is just one of many punishing elements working against them in Afghanistan. Mountainous terrain, unpredictable weather, night missions and enemy fire can all prove treacherous.
LT. COL. BRAD NINNESS, COMMANDER, ARMY HELICOPTER PILOT: I have been shot at...
QUIJANO: Army Lieutenant Colonel Brad Ninness served two combat tours in Afghanistan and knows firsthand the unforgiving conditions there.
NINNESS: Flying in the mountains is very difficult primarily because of the thin air. It requires more aircraft power. Your engines have to work a little bit harder to fly at altitudes that are normally higher than you see here in the United States.
QUIJANO: But defense officials say the threat of improvised explosive devices along Afghanistan's few paved roads, combined with the need to transport troops and cargo to remote outposts means relying heavily on the 245 military choppers the US now has in Afghanistan. Yet that comes with a significant cost. An analysis by the Brookings Institution found that helicopter crashes, both accidental and due to enemy fire, account for 12 percent of all US troop deaths in Afghanistan versus 5 percent in Iraq.
CAPT. BRIAN BLAKE, ARMY HELICOPTER PILOT: As a company commander, I felt confident every single one of my aviators and crew chiefs...
QUIJANO: Army chopper pilot Captain Brian Blake remembers a white knuckle moment in Afghanistan, the mission captured in this extraordinary photo as he gingerly balanced his Chinook's back two wheels against the side of a mountain.
BLAKE: As the (ph) 2,000 feet down, nothing, and completely trusting the guy on the back of the aircraft to keep me on the spot to get troops on or off the aircraft.
QUIJANO: Now, you think enemy fire would be the biggest concern when being ferried around by helicopter, but that's just not the case. The Brookings Institution found that a majority of death and helicopter crashes was caused by non-hostile factors - again, those treacherous conditions chopper pilots talked to us about, including weather and rough terrain. Kiran, Alina.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: Elaine Quijano, thank you very much.
