Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
GOP Captures Governor Races in Virginia and New Jersey; Democrat Wins New York Congressional Race; Real Life House of Horror; Sick? Stay Home; "Are You a U.S. Citizen?"
Aired November 04, 2009 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: And a very good Wednesday morning to you. It is the 4th of November. Thanks for joining us on the Most News in the Morning. I'm John Roberts.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Kiran Chetry. Glad you're with us. Here are the top stories we're breaking for you in the next 15 minutes.
A rousing night for Republicans. Critical victories for the GOP in both Virginia and New Jersey's governor races and a sobering setback to the president and his party. We're going to show you the stats on the key races including one in upstate New York that Democrats can crow about.
ROBERTS: Another potential setback for the White House and something that already has people thinking about next year's election. The Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid, saying that health care may have to wait until 2010 and may not meet the president's deadline.
CHETRY: Also, a gruesome story out of Cleveland that keeps getting worse. Police now say ten bodies have been found inside of a suspected serial killer and rapist's home. Investigators say they found four more possible victims buried in his yard. So, are there more victims and was anyone keeping tabs on this registered sex offender? We're looking for answers live in Cleveland this morning.
ROBERTS: We begin though with our top story and the Republican Party has a pulse again. GOP candidates chalking up critical victories in two key states last night. Republican Chris Christie knocking off Democrat Jon Corzine to become governor of New Jersey delivering a blow to the White House following three visits by President Obama to support the fallen incumbent.
And in Virginia, Bob McDonnell with an impressive landslide win over Democrat Creigh Deeds. He becomes the first Republican governor of that state in eight years.
We've got more now on America's reshaped political landscape with Candy Crowley.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As it turns out the Republican Party is not dead. BOB MCDONNELL (R), GOVERNOR-ELECT OF VIRGINIA: Tonight, you've given me the title of governor of Virginia. But I pledge to you over the next four years action and results.
CROWLEY: With a big assist from independents, Republicans swept Virginia's three statewide races and knocked out an incumbent governor in New Jersey.
CHRISTOPHER CHRISTIE (R), GOVERNOR-ELECT OF NEW JERSEY: Starting tomorrow, we're going to pick Trenton up and we are going to turn it upside down.
CROWLEY: White House aides said the president wasn't going to watch election returns. He probably slept better for that because he was no bystander in these high-profile Democratic defeats. He took one swing through Virginia, a state he won by six points and made three trips to New Jersey, a state he won by more than 15.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We will not lose this election if all of you are as committed as you were last year.
CROWLEY: As it turns out, neither mojo nor voters are transferable. The brightest spot for Democrats was a Republican made disaster in a special election for U.S. Congress in upstate New York. A Democrat won that seat that's been held by Republicans for more than a century after a nasty struggle between a moderate Republican and a conservative paved the way. Note to the GOP, fighting can be fatal. But this all adds up to depends on who does the math. The White House began to subtract itself before the polls closed.
ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We don't look at either of these gubernatorial races or the congressional race as something that portends a lot for our legislative efforts going forward or political prospects in 2010.
CROWLEY: And history offers some shelter for the new administration. The party in the White House has lost both governor races in Virginia and New Jersey since 1989. Still, the exit polls show voters' top concern was the economy. The National Republican Senatorial Committee called the results a vote for reigning in governor spending and restoring fiscal responsibility.
In the end, the politics of the night are not all that complicated. The victors get bragging rights and energy. It's better to win. The Grand Old Party had a great old night mostly.
Candy Crowley, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: And as Candy just mentioned Democrats looking for a silver lining can find it in the election of Bill Owens to fill a House seat in New York's heavily Republican 23rd Congressional District. You may remember his moderate Republican opponent spurned by her own party dropped out over the weekend and endorsed Owens which helped him emerge victorious. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL OWENS (D), NEW YORK CONGRESSMAN-ELECT: When we began this journey, a lot of people didn't give us much of a chance to get this done. They didn't think the people of upstate New York could put away their partisanship and all the things that divide us in favor of finding common-sense solutions for the challenges that unite us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Well, Deborah Feyerick has the morning after reaction to a race that gained national attention live in Saranac Lake, New York.
And, Deb, this race underscored a deep division many say within the Republican Party. Many party leaders breaking with their party and supporting the third party conservative candidate.
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. And that's exactly what political watchers told us. And by the way, Kiran, just in case you're wondering what a ballroom looks like after everyone has gone home, well, it's pretty much this. But it did underscore that deep rift that when Newt Gingrich decided to back a moderate Republican that in fact he made a big mistake and underscored the Republican sentiment in this area.
The Republican that was initially backed was liberal. She was pro-choice, supported same-sex marriages. That was not OK and it brought out a depth of Republican anger not seen before according to somebody I spoke to who has covered this area for about 30 years. He said the anger was not only at local politicians but at national politicians as well. And here was the reaction from Doug Hoffman.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DOUG HOFFMAN, CONSERVATIVE PARTY CANDIDATE: Thank you, every single person out there that joined my team and fought back for America. We have to stand up and we have to fight against the Nancy Pelosi agenda.
(APPLAUSE)
HOFFMAN; We have to watch out for spending money that we don't have. That our -- that our kids and grandkids won't be able to pay back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FEYERICK: Now, there are about 75 people in the room last night when Doug Hoffman made that concession speech. That is a big difference from when he first announced his candidacy. At that time, there were only three people in the room. Fast forward, well, he was able to attract the likes of Sarah Palin, the presidential contender, Fred Thompson as well. Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, all of them conservative talk show hosts really backing Hoffman as the choice of the party -- Kiran. CHETRY: Yes. And what are some of the political watchers saying about the kind of message it sends to moderate Republicans who do want to run?
FEYERICK: That's what's really interesting. The message that was sent last night is that it's OK to be a moderate if your record is conservative. It is not OK to be a moderate if, in fact, your record is liberal. And they sent that message loud and clear.
But it also sent the Democrats kind of an interesting message because it was the Obama administration who really caused this special election to happen by tapping a moderate Republican, John McHugh, to be secretary of the Army. So they took out a moderate and they were really taking their chances in terms of what it was they were going to end up with. We spoke to the head of the conservative party last night.
CHETRY: All right.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL LONG, CHAIRMAN OF THE NEW YORK STATE CONSERVATIVE PARTY: This race is proven that people are rising up is a grassroots movement not only in this district but across the country. People are trying to get the attention of Washington. They want their country back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FEYERICK: And you know what's interesting, Kiran, just to wrap and that is that last night the moderate Republican who initially had said to the conservatives, you know, why is he running? This is going to be spoiler. This is going to be a race spoiler. She was attacked relentlessly. Ended up backing a Democrat but in the end she is the one who became the race spoiler for the Republicans because her name was on the ballot. She got just enough of the vote to make it in Owens favor, the Democrat's favor. So a lot of back and forth, a lot of lessons learned though by watching this particular race -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Interesting twist along the way for sure. Deb Feyerick for us this morning in Saranac Lake. Thanks so much.
Also, a quick reminder, in the next hour we're going to get election reaction from both national party leaders, RNC Chairman Michael Steele as well as Tim Kaine, the outgoing Virginia governor and head of the Democratic National Committee. Both will be joining us around 7:30 Eastern -- John.
ROBERTS: Hey, one other note here over at the magic wall this morning about New York's 23rd Congressional District. The fact that Bill Owens won it. That's the first time that this has gone Democratic since the days of Ulysses S. Grant back in the 1800s. So that one -- boy, in the wastebin for the Republican Party.
Let's look at some of the other races last night. Of note, Mayor Michael Bloomberg narrowly eking out a victory over the Democrat, Bill Thompson. The reason why this was so close a lot of people believe is because of this anger against Mayor Michael Bloomberg for wanting to run for a third term. He actually implored and got city council to change the rules. You had been limited to two terms in New York City, and now it's three. So that's why Bloomberg got to run again.
Here in New Jersey, just another thing to note that this is the first time that a Republican has won or Democrat -- wait a minute. These are wrong. Sorry. That should be Democrat. That should be Republican.
First time a Republican has won since 1993. But it does continue a trend where the party not occupying power in the White House wins the gubernatorial election. It's been going on since 1989. Similarly in Virginia continuing a trend that has been in place since 1977 with the off-party winning the governorship there.
Let's take a look at a couple of other things of note here. In Maine, they had on the ballot question number one. The Maine legislature passed a law that would allow same-sex marriages to be recognized. That went to voters. Fifty-three percent of voters rejected same-sex marriage approving question number one, which said do you want to reject what the legislature did. So that continues again another unbroken streak that every time these same-sex marriage questions have gone to the electorate, the voters have issued I guess what you can call a voters veto.
We got a couple runoffs that were looking at in the early part of December. The race for Atlanta mayor. Mary Norwood didn't get enough of a margin over Kasim Reed, the state senator, to win outright. So that's going to go into a December 1st runoff election. If Mary Norwood were to win that, she would be the first Caucasian elected mayor in Atlanta since 1973.
And here in Houston, we've got another runoff. This one is going to take place on December 10th.
Annise Parker who is the controller and openly gay did not get enough of a margin over Gene Locke, the former city attorney, so they'll be going against each other. She would become the very first openly gay mayor and a female at least any city in America if she wins that. So, a few interesting races that we're going to continue to watch here.
As you head off to work this morning, by the way, you can check out all of the election results and hear from the winners. Just go to CNNpolitics.com. We've got it on the web for you this morning. So we got the results of some of the races last night and some yet to be decided, Kiran. So the politics that we love will continue to play out.
CHETRY: Yes. It turned out even though, you know, in an off- year election it must be pretty interesting in a lot of races for varying reasons.
ROBERTS: Yes. And we'll definitely fix that New Jersey graphic and we'll make sure that Corzine is the Democrat.
CHETRY: This time around.
ROBERTS: Yes.
CHETRY: All right. Well, also new this morning, what could be another blow to the White House. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid hinting that Congress may not be able to meet the president's deadline to have a health care bill by the end of the year. The longer they wait though, the closer lawmakers get to judgment day at the polls in 2010.
ROBERTS: Swine flu worries has sparked the largest ever demand for regular flu shots. The Centers for Disease Control says it expects 114 million doses of seasonal vaccine to be available by the end of the year. A million more than last year's record. That report say anywhere from 85 to 90 million doses have already been shipped and flu season has barely even started. The supply typically stretches through to May.
CHETRY: Well, how about this. More bang for your beer. "USA Today" is reporting that more states are moving to allow higher alcohol content in beer. Some as high as 16 percent. Now, that's higher than some wines or most wines actually, right?
The average beer you have in a bar a little under five percent. Brewers say it's a matter of taste with some of the restrictions forcing them to use fewer sugars. Well, Mothers Against Drunk Driving says it's important for labels to remind people that these beers will get you drunk faster.
ROBERTS: Yes. I remember in Quebec, Brador was, I think, six percent alcohol. This was back in the '80s and that was seen as a powerful beer. But some of these, you know, microbreweries and European beers are getting up there pretty high.
CHETRY: Sixteen percent?
ROBERTS: Yes.
CHETRY: I mean, doesn't wine have 13 percent alcohol or something?
ROBERTS: It's about that 12 to 13 percent. I had a beer the other day and it was 14 percent. You could taste the alcohol in it.
CHETRY: That's when I saw you asleep downstairs in your office.
ROBERTS: That's when I got my head down like that.
CHETRY: No kidding.
ROBERTS: Actually, I think the beer was called Delirium Tremens (ph), you know, DTs.
CHETRY: Delirium.
ROBERTS: Delirium Tremens. CHETRY: There you go.
All right. Well, still ahead, we're going to be talking with Matthew Hoh. You may remember he resigned from the State Department over the Afghan war. He grabbed headlines becoming the first U.S. official to resign in protest. He's a former Marine and he's going to be joining us to talk more about why he believes this is a no-win situation for American troops.
ROBERTS: And...
CHETRY: Sorry.
ROBERTS: And a real-life house of horrors. Four more bodies buried in a yard in Ohio. What is going on? We'll tell you.
It's 13 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Fifteen minutes past the hour. Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
We've been following a developing story. A crime scene discovered two days before Halloween in Ohio. Well now it's sounding more and more like a horror movie. Police say they found four more bodies at the home of a suspected serial killer and rapist. It brings the total number of victims found to 10.
Our Susan Candiotti is live for us in Cleveland with the latest on what's going on in the ground there with this investigation. It just gets worse and worse, Susan.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It does. And good morning, Kiran, from a chilly morning here in Cleveland, and in just a few hours from now the suspect in this case is going to be making his first court appearance in the courthouse you see over my shoulder as investigators continue to tear apart that house where the bodies were found, ripping apart ceilings, floors, and other parts of the house looking for more victims.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDIOTTI (voice-over): As if the scene weren't gruesome enough, it appears at least one victim was decapitated.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The skull was discovered wrapped in a paper bag in a bucket in the basement.
CANDIOTTI: And in the backyard, investigators dug up the remains of four more people, bringing the total now to 10. Six of them are described as African-American women and at least five of them appear to have been strangled. They were all found in and around the house of convicted rapist, 50-year-old Anthony Sowell.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It appears that this man had an insatiable (ph) appetite that he had to fill.
CANDIOTTI: Police went to the house last week to arrest Sowell on new rape charges. He wasn't there, but they found the first bodies. A week earlier, neighbors reported seeing a naked woman fall from the second floor, but no charges were filed. The sheriff also made at least one surprise visit to check up on Sowell who's a registered sex offender. By law, police aren't allowed to go in the house, but neighbors said you didn't have to go inside to know something was wrong.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You could smell it. I come around the corner and I smell it. You could smell the dead bodies. So you're telling me (ph) people in the neighborhood didn't smell that?
CANDIOTTI: Some thought the smell came from Ray's Sausage, which sits right next to Sowell's house. It got so bad the owner of Ray's replaced the sewer lining, grease traps, thinking they were the source of the odor.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We used to think that it was coming from out of Ray's Sausage, but you smell these smells - and I live right there. I used to be in the house, like, oh! We used to come out here and like, the smell is horrible.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I can imagine how the families feel who have reported a missing person and the anxiety that they're going through. And we want to assure them as soon as we know something, they will be the first to know.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CANDIOTTI: And besides searching that house, investigators are also looking around at other abandoned buildings in that area within a quarter mile where - from where Sowell was living. Back to you, Kiran.
CHETRY: And, you know, it's just shocking, though, to hear so many neighbors and people living in the neighborhood saying they smelled the stench. I mean, it's not pleasant to talk about, but it seems unbelievable that it took this long.
CANDIOTTI: Can you imagine? That's true. And that's one of the things that a lot of neighbors around there, a lot of city officials want to know, did the police do everything within their power to know that something was going on? Could they have seen signs of this earlier? That's what they want to know.
CHETRY: Yes. A lot of questions this morning. Susan Candiotti following all of this for us. Thank you.
ROBERTS: So the 2010 Census is just about under way. All of those census forms are going to be mailed out. There will be people knocking on doors from coast to coast trying to make sure that every person in America is counted. But there's controversy with next year's Census and the reason is because some southern lawmakers say that they want to put a question on the Census form, a very simple question, you would think, but one that a lot of people say they don't want to answer.
What's is the question and will they get their way? We'll find out coming right up.
It's 19 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: It's 21 minutes now after the hour, and Christine Romans here on this Wednesday morning "Minding Your Business." Good morning to you.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
We all know somebody who's been sick recently, right? And we've got the swine - all three of use, and they still come to work.
CHETRY: You're patient zero (ph).
ROMANS: As you told me. Look - and we've been talking about this, like, most private sector workers don't have paid time off, and this is an issue here in this country and a lot of people who have direct facing customer jobs where they're work with people in a restaurant or, you know, even at a hospital don't have paid sick leave.
So Democrats are working on an emergency bill, a temporary emergency bill to make sure that people can be told by their employer, you got to go home. You can't come to work and infect anybody else and they'll still be paid for it. It will be five days, if you're sent home by your employer. It will cover full-time and part-time workers - that's key. It applies to businesses with staff of 15 or more, and here's the important part: it's temporary. It will expire in a couple years. Our Democratic House Leader and George Miller are really pushing this here.
Look, these are the numbers, and we've talked about this several times. You know, you hear from people, look, if you're sick, stay home. It's not that easy. It's a recession. A lot of people are living paycheck to paycheck. They need the money and if they're not sure exactly how sick they are, they're likely to come to work. Thirty-nine percent of all private sector workers have no paid sick leave, 74 percent of part-time workers - 74 percent of part-time workers have no paid sick leave, and of the lowest 25 percent of wage earners, 67 percent do not have paid -
Now if you have to feed your family and have gone to (ph) the last two years and you have a sniffle or you don't feel so great, are you going stay home and not get paid or you going to go to work? I think a lot of people are going to go to work no matter what. So this is an emergency and, you know, businesses don't like - it's going to cost somebody something, right? It's going to cost business at a very tough time for business, too, but at least Democrats think that it's got to - it's something that's important.
CHETRY: You have a "Romans' Numeral" for us this morning? ROMANS: Ten. Ten. And this is number for the CDC, and it's 10 people. It has to do with...
CHETRY: (INAUDIBLE) patient zero. Every time - if you come to work sick, that's how many people you infect?
ROMANS: That's right.
ROBERTS: You infect 10 others.
ROMANS: Every sick person who comes to work...
CHETRY: Where are the other seven that Christine made sick?
ROBERTS: And other (ph) eight. Yes.
ROMANS: There you go. I mean, that's - that's a big number. So from the side - from the point of view of businesses also, maybe you're protecting yourself, too, if you don't have 10 more people getting sick if your sick worker comes to work. So if you're sick-if you're sick, stay home. It's easier to say that than to really do it when...
ROBERTS: It was so nice of you to come in and infect 10 people, though.
ROMANS: I'm feeling much better now, thank you.
ROBERTS: Sure you are.
CHETRY: Christine, thanks. Sneeze in your elbow.
ROBERTS: No, sneeze on her and make her sick again. She deserves it.
CHETRY: Yes. You had this - well he's had this whatever for a good month and a half now.
ROBERTS: No! It hasn't been that long.
ROMANS: I think I got it from John. I think I got it from John.
CHETRY: She's going start turning it around to John.
Well, still ahead, Matthew Hoh grabbed headlines. He became the first US official to resign in protest over the Afghan war. He's a former marine and a State Department employee who said that American troops may be fighting a losing battle in Afghanistan. He's going to join us to talk more about what the reaction is going to be and has been to what he's been saying.
Twenty-five minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. It happens once a decade. The federal government spending billions of dollars to get a nationwide head count.
CHETRY: That's right. The 2010 Census should be arriving in your mailbox by March and it's pretty straightforward, but a group of lawmakers would like to add one more question to the form. That would be are you a US citizen?
Carol Costello has our "AM Original" report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO (voice-over): In a few months, the 2010 Census form will arrive by mail at every US household. It will ask how many people are living in this house? And what is the person's sex, age? What it won't ask is this: Are you a US citizen?
Republican Senator Vitter says it should. He's pushing an amendment to force the Census Bureau to add that question to the 2010 Census.
SEN. DAVID VITTER (R), LOUISIANA: It simply says, sure, count everybody but ask if this person is a citizen or a non-citizen. So we simply know what we're dealing with.
COSTELLO: The Constitution says the government must count the whole number of persons in each state. It's important the census get an accurate count because it determines how many lawmakers represent each state. Vitter, who represents Louisiana, says his state is projected to lose one of its seven seats in the House of Representatives after the 2010 Census. He says it's because Louisiana has few illegal immigrants and states like California have a lot. He says that's not fair.
VITTER: We don't put the population of France into the count or the population of Brazil, so why would we factor in non-citizens in determining how many U.S. House members every state gets?
COSTELLO: Some Democratic lawmakers say Vitter's effort is unconstitutional and immoral.
REP. BARBARA LEE (D), CALIFORNIA: But we cannot allow lawmakers to use divisive tactics to scare people into not participating in the 2010 Census.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's 1920, and Census time in the United States.
COSTELLO: Counting all people has long been a struggle for the U.S. Census Bureau. Many minorities, legal and illegal, mistrust the government. This urging minorities to participate came out in the old news reel days.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) citizens of Japanese extraction, and somewhere else, (INAUDIBLE) Chinese population is added to totals. Looks like this little fellow would be a bit happier in Hong Kong. ROBERT GROVES, DIRECTOR, U.S. CENSUS BUREAU: A lot of the forms are already...
COSTELLO: Dr. Robert Groves heads up the U.S. Census Bureau.
COSTELLO (on camera): But would you object to that question on the 2010 Census form?
GROVES: We can't do a census with that question.
COSTELLO (voice-over): Not because he necessarily objects to it but because 425 million 2010 Census forms have already been printed up. Groves says Senator Vitter's request comes too late.
GROVES: My problem is we have an April 1, 2010 Census date. We can't meet that deadline with a change in the questionnaire.
COSTELLO: Still, the senator is not giving up, even if it will cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars to add that simple question: Are you a U.S. citizen?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Senator Vitter has talked with constitutional scholars about this issue because, as I told you, the constitution says the government is to count the whole number of persons in each state. It doesn't say anything about them being a U.S. citizen.
But Senator Vitter says the Founding Fathers' intent was to count citizens, and he's willing to make a move to change the constitution to make that clear - John, Kiran.
ROBERTS: Carol Costello for us this morning. Carol, thanks so much.
We're crossing the half hour. And here are this morning's top stories.
A Republican revival on election night. Bob McDonnell winning the Virginia governor's race by a land slide, becoming the first Republican to hold the job since 2002. And incumbent Democratic Governor Jon Corzine defeated in New Jersey. Chris Christie with a four-point win to become the state's first GOP leader in 12 years.
CHETRY: Also the Louisiana Justice of the Peace who refused to marry a white woman and a black man has resigned. Keith Bardwell telling CNN affiliate WBRC, he would probably do the same thing over again. Bardwell says his concern was the impact an interracial marriage has on children. The couple we talked to here on AMERICAN MORNING got married by someone else. And they now filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Bardwell and his wife. Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal called the resignation, quote, "long overdue."
ROBERTS: And tensions are high in Iran right now. Thousands of people turning out for anti-American rallies marking the U.S. embassy takeover in Tehran. Thirty years ago, Islamic students stormed the embassy and held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days. Witnesses telling CNN they are clashing with police and pro-government militia forces.
ROBERTS: Well, Matthew Hoh made headlines when he became the first U.S. official to resign in protest of the war in Afghanistan. A former Marine and State Department employee says that American troops are basically fighting in the middle of another nation's 35-year-old civil war. And in his resignation letter he wrote, quote, "I have lost understanding and confidence in the strategic purposes of the United States presence in Afghanistan."
And Matthew joins us live from D.C. for the A.M. breakdown.
Thanks so much for being with us this morning.
MATTHEW HOH, RESIGNED FROM U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT: Good morning. Thank you for having me.
CHETRY: So you did become the first U.S. State Department official to resign over the war. It's been more than a week now since the story has been out, since you come forward with that letter. What's the reaction been like?
HOH: It's been overwhelming. I didn't expect it to be this big of an issue. I did expect, of course, within D.C. for it to be a big deal, but not nearly to have this level of attention. I've received a lot of support from the general public. But most importantly I received a tremendous amount of support from Afghan Americans who are saying, Matt, you get it, this is a civil war. You understand societal structures. You understand this concept of valueism.
And equally important, I've got a lot of support from active duty military. Some of them are friends of mine, but a lot of them are men and women I don't know. And a lot of them are in Afghanistan, who say, Matt, keep this up. We're not sure what we're doing here. We're not sure why we're here. This doesn't make sense. What we're doing is not going to defeat al Qaeda, it's not going to stabilize Pakistan and we're being committed to a war that really doesn't make sense to us.
CHETRY: You know, essentially your argument is that we're basically in the middle of the civil war that the insurgents that we're fighting are only fighting because we're there. Tell us more about what you experienced when you were there about who were fighting and why.
HOH: Sure. I was in both the east of country and the south of the country, in both places, border on Pakistan, in both places, our troops are heavily engaged in combat, but for the most part they are engaged in combat against local groups. Groups that really just operate in their valleys or villages or local communities, and that's all they're concerned about. They're not concerned about the Taliban's ideology. They don't have a hatred for the West. They're not ideologically opposed to us or in favor of some type of Islamist Jihad. They just want to live in their communities, live in their valleys and be left alone not just by foreign powers but by the central government as well, which they see as an internal occupier and then that gets back into this whole concept of the civil war going on. CHETRY: All right. So when you hear that General McChrystal who is in charge of this fight says he wants to send 40,000 more troops, it's something you say would make matters worse.
Why do you think he's making that recommendation?
HOH: First of all, I want to make sure people are clear about that I'm not questioning the how. I don't want to get bogged down to the mechanics, or the details or tactics of this, but the why. Why into what end are we in Afghanistan?
But to get back to your question, Kiran. There are parts of General McChrystal's assessment I believe him. And if I believe this mission was right, if I believe that sending more troops or keeping the same amount of troops there would defeat al Qaeda, then I would be all in favor of it.
However, my view is that with the way the situation is there, sending more troops is only going to fuel the insurgency. If we say there are 25,000 insurgents, I really believe this time next year if we send more troops that we'll have 35,000 insurgents or 40,000 insurgents.
CHETRY: Yes. And so that really cuts to the heart of the argument whether or not a surge strategy counterinsurgency that proved to be successful in Iraq. I mean, you were there, proved to be successful in addition to being able to work with some of the Sunni tribal leaders in some of these areas.
Why does that not translate to Afghanistan in your opinion?
HOH: Iraq is a different country. It is simply is a different country. There are some similarities, but there are also a lot of differences, chief among them is terrain, the people, the culture, the enemy we're fighting. There's just such a host of differences that you really can't just take a cookie cutter approach to this and apply one theory that was used in Iraq to Afghanistan and expect it to work. You have to assess Afghanistan on its own merits and apply unique solution to it.
CHETRY: Right. I hear what you're saying. And there are people who agree with you. There are people that wholeheartedly disagree and feel that, you know, an addition of troops in the tens of thousands is vital to the Afghanistan mission there.
But let's say that they do decide to go with what you're talking about, which is winding this down and bringing our troops back.
How do we go about doing that in a way that doesn't leave us more vulnerable, and also that doesn't dishonor the hundreds who gave their lives fighting our mission there?
HOH: Sure. You know, part of my belief is this, is that al Qaeda evolved out of 2001, and they're not tied to a geographical or political boundary. My first priority would be defeat or destroy al Qaeda, and that means to kill Bin Laden and Zawahiri, as well as go after them in the safe havens that they already have.
People are concerned that Afghanistan will turn into a safe haven. Al Qaeda already has, at least half a dozen safe havens, including Pakistan. So we have to revisit how we're attacking al Qaeda and how we're going to destroy al Qaeda, and do it smarter and realize the organization they are.
We have to support Pakistan more fully. I'm not a Pakistan expert. I'm not sure, you know, whether to go hard on Pakistan or really go soft on them, and give them all support they need or lean on them real heavy. I'm not sure what the answer is. But we have to redouble efforts in Pakistan. And in Afghanistan, we need to seek political reconciliation to end that civil war there.
CHETRY: And I just want to ask you one quick question before you go. What's next for you? Because as I understand, that there are many that wanted to keep you in the administration and said perhaps you can do more good by, you know, talking about these policies and strategies from the inside.
So what do you want to do next?
HOH: I would like to be a member of debate as long as it makes sense. As long as it's appropriate to do so. And I would like to continue to encourage people to contact their members of Congress, and I would like people to ask members of Congress why there's not a national debate on this. Why is there not a scheduled floor debate in Congress about whether or not we're going to commit to four or five more years of warfare, where we may lose 50 or 60 good Americans a month over.
CHETRY: Matthew Hoh, great to talk to you this morning. Thanks for being with us.
HOH: Thank you.
ROBERTS: Well, for 50 years the United States has leaned heavily on Cuba but things are changing. In fact, one day soon you may be able to drink a Cuba Libre in Havana made with Bacardi Rum and real American Coca-Cola. Is the trade embargo just about over? We'll report for you this morning from Havana.
It's 38 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
It has been a year now since Barack Obama was elected president on a campaign of change. And since then one change we have seen is a slight thaw in relations between the United States and Cuba.
Now, American businesses have their sights set on the island.
CNN is the only network with a permanent presence in Cuba, and this morning, our Shasta Darlington has that story from Havana. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD WALTER, BUSINESSMAN: First, we're going to start with Haagen Dazs ice cream, one of the major world brands.
SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Richard Walter has a pitch for Cuba.
WALTER: Miller beer is one of the staples of America.
DARLINGTON: If he has his way, they'll soon be available at supermarkets and beach resorts on the communist island.
WALTER: We have a lot of the American brands. Hunts tomato products, Chef Boyardee.
DARLINGTON: This week dozens of Americans are in Havana pedalling their wears at the International Trade Fair.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Apples, pears, grapes, raisins, nuts out of California.
DARLINGTON: U.S.-Cuba relations appear to be thawing. In Havana, billboards depicting the U.S. president as Hitler have disappeared. While President Obama has lifted restrictions on Cuban- American travel and money transfers.
(on camera): The new political climate has even prompted companies like Chicago Foods to come to Havana's Trade Fair for the first time ever. They're hoping to break in to a little-known market and go home with a contract.
(voice-over): The United States is the number one supplier of food to Cuba and has been for over five years. Thanks to a law passed in 2000 that allows the U.S. to export food and medicine. That despite a decade's old trade embargo aimed at toppling Fidel Castro. But this year, the global economic crisis is taking its toll.
RODRIGO MALMIERCA, FOREIGN TRADE AND INVESTMENT MINISTER (through translator): Cuba has not been an exception. At the end of the third quarter in 2009, our trade fell by 36 percent.
DARLINGTON: The country is slashing imports of U.S. food by a third. Some vendors will go home empty handed.
WALTER: It won't be me, I hope.
DARLINGTON: But they're betting U.S.-Cuba relations will only get better, and hoping the next step could be a bill in the U.S. Congress that would eliminate restrictions on all Americans traveling to Cuba.
PAUL JOHNSON, CHICAGO FOODS: We're in this for the long haul as well. Like I said before, we're thinking about today, as well as tomorrow.
DARLINGTON: A tomorrow that would have U.S. tourists sipping American beer on Cuban beaches.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DARLINGTON (on camera): But with fewer resources, competition is growing. This year we found some American producers of rice and chicken who said they'd already lost some Cuban contracts to Vietnam and Brazil -- John? Kiran?
ROBERTS: Shasta Darlington for us this morning. Thanks so much.
Shasta, thanks so much.
CHETRY: And speaking of some action in the Caribbean, we're actually tracking some tropical storm action with Rob Marciano. He has a look at extreme weather for us coming up.
Forty-three minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. Forty-six minutes past the hour right now. It's time to fast forward through the stories that we'll be tracking today on CNN and cnn.com. At 2:30 Eastern, President Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan will be at a middle school in Madison, Wisconsin. The president will talk to students, parents, and teachers about the progress being made on education reform.
And at 2:15 p.m. Eastern, federal reserve policy makers will announce their decision on interest rates. The fed is expected to leave rates unchanged, but investors will be looking for signs that the fed may signal whether or not it's starting to get ready to raise rates possibly early next year.
And then tonight, 7:57 Eastern, the World Series resumes. Goes back to the Bronx. The Yankees are just one win away from the 27th title in their franchise history. The Yankees lead the Philadelphia Phillies three games to two. If the Phillies win tonight, the series will be decided in the seventh game tomorrow night at Yankee Stadium. So, we'll see. You know, everyone wants the game to go to game seven.
ROBERTS: Not everybody. I'm sure the Yankees would like it to end tonight.
CHETRY: Almost everybody.
ROBERTS: So 7:57 tonight is when...
CHETRY: When I'm not allowed to speak. Right. Exactly. There you go. I'm sure we're having Philly cheesesteaks again at home.
ROBERTS: So, are you ready for the Yankees or do you have to because of your spousal contract for the Phillies?
CHETRY: In the interest of peace on the home front, I hope the Phillies win. ROBERTS: There you go. Rob Marciano might have something to say about that.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I certainly don't want any marital problems for Kiran and C.K. So, for their sake, I'm glad that they're rooting for the Phillies. And I'll be there for you tomorrow for the morning. Actually, I'll be home because I'm taking the day off so I can watch the entire game. (INAUDIBLE)
ROBERTS: So, will you give her a consolation phone call tomorrow morning when the Yankees pull it off tonight?
MARCIANO: Maybe we'll do that.
CHETRY: I'll call you. We'll wake you up the normal time.
MARCIANO: OK. Now, I remember to turn my phone off. Hey guys, the weather looks pretty good for the game, by the way. It looks really nice. I want to talk about what's going on down here in the tropics. This thing, we mentioned that yesterday, National Hurricane Center is a little bit concerned about it giving at about a 50 percent chance of becoming a little something.
So, they will launch a recon (ph) aircraft and check it out. It's pretty far away. I mean, we're really far from, you know, the Gulf of Mexico, but some of our computer models are saying, you know, if this thing continues to drift to the North toward the Gulf of Mexico, we may have some issues for Texas and Louisiana. I mean, really late in the season, but obviously anything is possible.
All right. What's going on around the U.S.? Northeast looks pretty good. We do have a little bit of rainfall heading toward Chicago and in through Detroit. A little bit of snow mixed in as well, but this is not a big storm by any stretch of the imagination. A 69 degrees expected in Memphis, 60 degrees in Kansas City, 75 in Dallas.
As far as the weather for tonight, temperatures will be in the lower 50s. Cool for game six. Westerly winds at 5 to 10 miles an hour. Should be perfect conditions for a fall classic event this evening.
ROBERTS: Good luck to your Phillies there, Kiran.
MARCIANO: Perfect conditions for a Yankee win tonight in game six.
CHETRY: Good luck to the Yankees as well, Rob. Because, you know what, I know how much you absolutely love them.
MARCIANO: It's been a long time coming. It's been since 2000 since we had one of these.
(CROSSTALK)
ROBERTS: And what a way to Christen the new stadium, too. MARCIANO: It's a Cinderella story.
CHETRY: It will go to game seven. Mark my words. See you, Rob.
Easy access to the internet is something that many of us take for granted but in some quarters of the globe, the world wide web is more like a pipe dream.
ROBERTS: Until now that is. CNN's Kyra Phillips tells us about the satellite Internet projects that is bringing millions of people in Africa to the "Edge of Discovery."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Africa, a continent of nearly 1 billion people, but many of them have no internet access. So, for those people in Africa and other parts of the world, O3b Networks has a plan.
GREG WYLER, O3B NETWORKS LIMITED: O3b stands for the other 3 billion. We're not on the Internet today.
PHILLIPS: Fiber-optic cables that connect most of the world to the Internet are pretty much nonexistent in Africa. O3b is taking its technology to the sky.
The company plans to launch 16 strategically placed satellites into orbit. As the satellites circle the earth, they will pass along Internet signals wirelessly. O3b says by mid 2011, it hopes to provide inexpensive Internet access to billions of people in remote parts of the world.
WYLER: With O3b, it's designed to bridge the gap between the world, the remote, the regional, the metropolitan, and urban areas. They level the playing field so they all have equal access.
PHILLIPS: And it's not just about adding Facebook friends or watching YouTube. Wyler says the technology can connect businesses, hospitals, and schools.
WYLER: Children in these markets can develop applications and tools just as if they were in the U.S. or in Europe.
Kyra Phillips, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: Amazing stuff in a village out in the middle of nowhere. You can set up a little business and then soon be trading with the rest of the world.
CHETRY: Amazing.
ROBERTS: Incredible stuff.
President Barack Obama's half brother is speaking out these days. Hear what he has to say about a childhood of abuse. We've got that coming up for you.
CHETRY: Also, we continue our series about the presidential brain trust. Taking look at the people closest to President Obama. Today, we feature Defense Secretary Robert Gates. 52 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. Fifty- five minutes past the hour. It's not enough that he's the commander in chief, the leader of the free world, Nobel prize winner. Now, President Obama is predicting the weather. Here's Jeanne Moos.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We've seen him in rain, in sun, in cold, in heat. Now, meet the forecaster in chief. Who needs meteorologists?
Are you tired of moving around your closet trying to figure out how to dress, whether or not you need to bring an umbrella? Don't stick your hand out of window. Go to obama-weather.com and type in your location, watch the five-day forecast pop up with the President demonstrating what to wear based on actual weather data from weather.com.
Yes. He's Barack Obama forecasting temperatures in the 80s in Miami wearing flip-flops, shorts and tank tops. Dressed in a parka in Antarctica. Stripped down in India. Carrying an umbrella when rain is predicted. Wearing an Obama T-shirt in L.A.
What did you do? Did you do anything here? What did you do?
NATALLIA TOLMACHEV, WEB SITE CREATOR: I picked some clothes and...
MOOS: You picked some of the outfits.
TOLMACHEV: Yes.
MOOS: Natallia Tolmachev lives in New York. Her brother and a friend living in the former Soviet Republic of Belarus created the Web site because they thought having a charismatic world leader give the weather would be fun. They're computer programmers.
TOLMACHEV: Absolutely genius.
MOOS: If you don't like getting your weather from the President, you can choose to have it delivered by Angelina Jolie or the character bender from "Futurama." But why have a weather man tell you how to dress?
When you can have the president show you. Most politicians are braving the elements.
He's predicting them. It's the next best thing to accuweather. Obama weather. Even if he is a little foggy at times.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: What will they think of next?
ROBERTS: They can do it all. Except in New Jersey and Virginia apparently he can't. Oops. We have Republicans register big wins in off-year elections, and the big governors races in Virginia and New Jersey. We're live at all the top stories for you coming up in 90 seconds. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
