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American Morning
Hurricane Threatens Gulf Coast; Fort Hood Pulls Together to Remember Victims; Recession vs. Christmas
Aired November 09, 2009 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ALINA CHO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody. Welcome to AMERICAN MORNING. It's Monday, November 9th. I'm Alina Cho. Kiran Chetry has the morning off.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. I'm John Roberts. Thanks for being with us. And here are the big stories we'll be telling you about in the next 15 minutes.
A late-season hurricane threatening the United States' Gulf Coast. Hurricane Ida could make landfall as early as tomorrow morning. A state of emergency already in effect in Louisiana. Storm warnings are out from Mississippi to Florida. Our Reynolds Wolf is tracking Ida for us.
CHO: The FBI looking into ties the accused Fort Hood gunman may have to the same mosque as two of the 9/11 hijackers. Did the army miss red flags? We're live in Fort Hood with the latest on the investigation.
ROBERTS: And Democrats finally passed their health care reform bill in the House. It contains a public government-run option and that, says leading Republicans, means it does not stand a chance at becoming a law.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: The House bill is dead on arrival in the Senate. Just look at how it passed. It passed 220 to 215. It passed by two votes. You had 40 Democrats -- 39 Democrats vote against the bill.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
ROBERTS: Ahead, where the fight over health care reform goes from here. Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey joins us live.
We begin, though, with a developing story this hour. Hurricane Ida closing in on the Gulf Coast. The Category 1 storm could make landfall as early as tomorrow morning. Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal is taking no chances, declaring a state of emergency well before the hurricane hits, and storm warnings are up all along the coastline from Mississippi East to Florida.
Our Reynolds Wolf is live at the weather center in Atlanta, tracking all of the extreme weather.
And what's the latest on Ida there, Reynolds?
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, the latest is that things are looking a little bit better for people along the gulf coast because the storm looks like its losing quite a little bit of its punch as it gets closer to the shore.
Here's what I'm talking about. Now, for those of you at home, if you've ever seen a hurricane on the air, you'll notice that the hurricanes usually have a great shape to them, sometimes you can see an eye fairly well-formed. This one is not formed as well at all. In fact, we see a little bit of dry air intrusion coming in the southeast quadrant of the storm. Still plenty of deep convection farther to the northeast quadrant as it makes its way up towards Pensacola and parts of the Florida/Alabama border.
Now, plain and simple, what is this going to mean to you? What it's going to mean is that we're going to be seeing this storm system just make its way a little bit farther to the north. And as it does so, we're going to see coastal flooding in some spots, some power outages are going to be likely, winds around 50 miles an hour with some stronger gust, flooding rains, we're looking anywhere from three to six inches of rainfall.
Also, it's going to be headed for the Mid-Atlantic States, which means places like, say, the Carolinas. Certainly, in Georgia and Alabama, you may deal with some flooding situations.
Now, if you look at the path of this storm, we put this into motion for you. You'll notice, the storm is expected to continue its march to the north as we get to 1:00 a.m. on Tuesday, with a possible landfall near Pensacola, maybe as a tropical storm around 6:00 a.m. tomorrow Eastern Time before it veers off to the east right along parts of the I-10 corridor.
Now, what this is going to mean for a lot of folks, as I mentioned, John, this is going to turn into a very big rain event. Already, we've got flood watches and warnings in effect all around parts of the southeast -- especially in this area, right from the Alabama/Florida Gulf Coast clear up through parts of the Tennessee Valley and then into the southern Appalachians, including the Atlanta Metropolitan Area, where just a month or so ago, we had some widespread flooding. It looks like there's a chance, a slight chance that that scenario could play out again.
That is the very latest we've got for you, John. Let's send it back to you in New York.
ROBERTS: How much is that slight chance, Reynolds? Because, obviously, people there in Atlanta are going to be worried about that? It looks like it takes a severe right turn as soon as it hits the coast. What are we talking, 10 percent, 20 percent?
WOLF: I would say, well, it's going to be a better chance, probably closer to the center of that circulation, which, to be honest, is very hard to find. I'd say your best chance of heavy rainfall is actually going to be in parts of South Georgia. But because of the higher elevation in North Georgia...
ROBERTS: Yes.
WOLF: ... in the mountains, you tend to have heavier rainfall. So, I'd say there's at least a good 30 percent to 40 percent chance of heavy rainfall, and in some places maybe even a bit more.
ROBERTS: OK. People should be prepared then.
Reynolds Wolf for us this morning -- Reynolds, thanks so much.
WOLF: You bet.
CHO: Military officials are tight-lipped this morning about the investigation into the Fort Hood shootings. The FBI is looking into whether suspect, Major Nidal Hasan, had ties to the same mosque as two of the 9/11 hijackers. Top Army brass and President Obama are now worried about a possible backlash against Muslim soldiers.
But talking to FOX News, Senator Joe Lieberman stressed there should be an investigation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOE LIEBERMAN (I), CONNECTICUT: The U.S. Army, the Department of Defense has a real obligation to convene an independent investigation to go back and look at whether warning signs were missed, both of his -- the stress he was under, but also the statements that he was making, which really could lead people to believe that Dr. Hasan had become an Islamist extremist.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Meanwhile, Fort Hood is still in mourning. The president will be there for a memorial service tomorrow, but talking to soldiers over and over you hear, the Army is one big family. And now, more than ever, that big family is pulling together.
Our Jim Acosta is live at Fort Hood this morning.
Jim, good morning to you.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alina. You're right. You know, we got an up close look at something called the Family Readiness Group. It's an organization made up of soldiers' families and it answers the call whenever a soldier is killed or injured on the battlefield, and in some cases, as we found out here at Fort Hood, that group also answers the call when a soldier is harmed on American soil.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA (voice-over): To call this comfort food would be an understatement.
AMANDA GAULT, WIFE OF FORT HOOD SOLDIER: The Army is a family. It's one big family. And so, you know, it's what we do for one another.
ACOSTA: One by one, cars filled with military wives and their children unloaded enough food to feed an Army, specifically, the 20th Engineer Battalion, which lost four soldiers in the Fort Hood massacre.
Then, they made house calls, stopping at the homes of some of the survivors.
Private First Class Joseph Foster was shot in the hip and hobbled out of his home with his wife and his 6-week-old daughter.
(on camera): Did you ever think anything like this would happen on American soil?
PVT. JOSEPH FOSTER, 20TH ENGINEER BATTALION, FORT HOOD: You know, not here at home, but as we've seen, anything's possible. We are at war.
ACOSTA (voice-over): His wife, Mandy, has seen enough to know that she doesn't want him to leave for his scheduled deployment to Afghanistan in January.
(on camera): Mandy, do you want him to go?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not at all.
ACOSTA (voice-over): Other wives are also coming to grips with just how fortunate they are to have their husbands counted among the survivors.
KANEESHA HOWARD, WIFE OF FORT HOOD SHOOTING SURVIVOR: Thank you all. My prayers goes out to the families that lost their loved ones.
ACOSTA: Mixed with that grief, there is also anger. The commanding officer of engineer battalion says his soldiers will deploy as scheduled with a renewed sense of mission.
LT. COL. PETE ANDRYSIAK, 20TH ENGINEER BATTALION, FORT HOOD: (INAUDIBLE). Do I feel let down by anybody? Did anybody predict this? Absolutely not.
ACOSTA: Now that the people of Fort Hood are doing their part to get this community back on its feet...
(on camera): Is that cane military issue?
FOSTER: No. This is -- this is something I had for show, but it's actually kind of come in handy.
ACOSTA (voice-over): Private First Class Foster is eager to lose the cane.
FOSTER: It's like a giant family. When we did -- when anything like this happens, we just get stronger. We've become better united.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: And they're not just delivering food to families out here in Fort Hood, the commander of that engineer battalion says, offers are pouring in to raise money for a scholarship fund for those soldiers' families -- Alina.
CHO: A lot of unity and a lot of bravery on display there, Jim. Jim Acosta live for us in Fort Hood, Texas -- Jim, thank you.
ROBERTS: Six minutes now after the hour.
And new this morning, Afghan authorities right now are checking up on reports of a hunger strike at a prison in Kandahar. There are reports that about 350 Taliban prisoners are refusing to eat because of poor food, water, and health care.
CHO: A new warning system is in the works to alert Israelis on their cell phone of an incoming rocket. The technology would calculate the precise location of impact and warn residents in that area. Incredible! The government says the goal is to improve upon the air raid systems and communities near the border with Lebanon and Gaza.
ROBERTS: A new push to make sure your kids' school lunches are safe. A California lawmaker worried about a recent E. Coli outbreak linked to ground beef is calling for an investigation. Two people died and dozens were sickened in 11 states.
Now, no schools were involved in the outbreak, but Representative George Miller is concerned that tainted food may have been bought for school lunch programs.
CHO: And check this out.
(VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Remember the movie "Big"?
ROBERTS: Yes.
CHO: It's a little bit like that, right? Tom Hanks on the keyboard in FAO Schwartz. Well, this is Sweden. The folks over there are turning the stairway at a subway station into a keyboard. The idea is to get commuters to improve their health by taking the stairs instead of the escalator.
And guess what? It's working. I bet it is. When people realized they could make music, 66 percent decided to step it up. That's pretty cool stuff.
ROBERTS: You can imagine the poor person who's working in the ticket window down there, just going out of their mind.
CHO: Nine hours a day.
ROBERTS: Former House majority leader, Dick Armey, is coming up next to talk about the future of the Republican Party after last Tuesday's big wins in New Jersey and Virginia. And what about the health care overhaul? Now that a bill has passed the House, where does it go from here?
Stay tuned. Eight minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
ROBERTS: Good morning, Washington -- where right now, we've got fair skies, beautiful blue skies behind the Capitol dome there, and a high of 49. Later on today, partly cloudy -- and this is not a typo -- the high for the day will be 71 beautiful degrees there in Washington.
Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
A look now at the future of the Republican Party a week after big gains for the GOP in New Jersey and Virginia. And what about health care reform? Where does the debate go now that a bill has narrowly passed the House?
Dick Armey is the former House majority leader and now heads FreedomWorks, a grassroots organization behind many of this summer's tea parties and those testy town halls. He's working to reshape the party and also kill the Democrats' plan for health care reform. He's in Dallas this morning.
Congressman, good to see you. Thanks for taking the time. We really appreciate it.
DICK ARMEY (R), FORMER HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER: Well, thank you for having me.
ROBERTS: On your FreedomWorks Web site, you've railed against what you call socialized medicine, the Democrats' plan. Opponents say this a lot, they use the word "socialized medicine" a lot. And I'm wondering if you could clarify for us, Mr. Congressman, what in any of the plans currently before Congress would constitute socialized medicine?
ARMEY: Well, government mandates. You begin with the idea the government orders you to buy health care they approve. If they don't approve, you're subject to fines and even prison penalties. The government's going to control -- they're going to provide a public option.
Now, you know, if you take a look at the history of Medicare and the kind of coercions that you build into the process, they say it's voluntary, but it's not voluntary. Right now, if you're over 65, you either sign up for Medicare or you suffer severe reprisals from the government. That's the government in control of a major sector of your life, and I might say, a very heartfelt sector of your life. And that's what's called socialism -- when the government controls people's activities rather than allowing them to be free to do for themselves.
ROBERTS: Back on this idea of mandates that you talk about. Those mandates really are to guarantee certain levels of coverage, are they not? Like, you can't be denied if you've got a pre-existing condition or if you're pregnant. It also requires minimum standards for such things as mental health care. And there are a lot of mandates across the government on many industries, but that's never called socialism.
ARMEY: OK. Well, let me just say, if the government said to the insurance company, no matter how many accidents, wrecks, drunken driving convictions they've had in the past and whatever is the condition of their record of driving habits, you must insure them, you would say that's unreasonable.
But now, they come along and they say, irrespective of the fact they've gone 20, 30, 40 years of their adult life without ever having bought insurance prior to getting a liver inflammation due to their excessive drinking habits or diabetes because they eat like a pig, you must now insure them.
But at what point do we allow the government to order people that you must sell your product to this person or that person, irrespective of any good judgment? We saw what happened in housing when they ordered banks to make loans to people who weren't qualified. Are we now going to have the same destructive influences in health care because we're going to order doctors to provide services and so forth?
And the fact of the matter is, the government running somebody else's business can very quickly become the diminution of the whole industry. And I promise this, about what the House passed the other night goes through, you will destroy medical innovation in America, you'll destroy the incentive for it.
We are the nation of discovery, creation, and innovation in health care. The rest of the world copies us. If we don't do it, it won't be done, and it won't be done under this plan.
ROBERTS: How, exactly, would it -- would it do what you say, which is to destroy innovation in America's health care and medical provision services?
ARMEY: You know, you go right back to Shakespeare, who first said, if can't be sold for a profit, it's not worth writing, or take Thomas Alva Edison's reiteration of a -- if it can't be sold for a profit, it's not worth inventing.
If the government is going to control what it is, whether it can be distributed or can be used, at what price it will be sold, you will disincentivize the whole business of scientific research. We've seen it before, we'll see it again.
ROBERTS: All right. And let me -- let me switch to politics and what went on in New York's 23rd congressional district where we had Dede Scozzafava against Doug Hoffman. Dede was the official candidate for the Republican Party. Dough was the conservative party candidate.
You backed him. There was a split there among conservatives and moderate Republicans. Bill Owens, the Democrat, won. Did the infighting in the party give away that seat, which hasn't gone to a Democrat for 137 years?
ARMEY: Well, I don't know if there was infighting in the party. The Republicans basically nominated a Democrat. That was verified by her own actions. The Conservative party nominated the small government conservative, he got in the race late, and he caught and passed her. She dropped out, endorsed the Democrat. If the Republican Party or if the conservative candidate had a little more time, he might have won that.
But the Republican Party's got to decide whether or not they're going to be the "me too" party, somewhat schizophrenic, half the party acting like us, the other half acting like them. Or are they going to be the big tent party that builds themselves around a national concept of small governance, fiscal conservatism, and has a broad appeal, as it did with Goldwater, as it did with Reagan, as it did with the contra.
If the Republican Party has a vision that is antithetical to the frightening vision of Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi, it will win elections. If it says, look, half of us are just going to go along with Pelosi and Barack Obama, the other half will resist it, the public's going to say, what's the point? You'll be fighting against yourself. There has to be a unified party vision, and it has to be the vision of small governance and individual liberty. If it is that, they will prosper as they've done in the past.
ROBERTS: On that point, you have said, quote, "You don't attract people with pragmatism, but with commitment to principles and purpose." But you need independents. A lot of them are pragmatic. And former Ohio Congresswoman Deborah Price, who chaired the House Republican Conference from 2003 to 2007, suggests with an approach like that, you might risk alienating women. She says, quote, "Women tend to have a more practical, less ideological way of approaching life and therefore approaching politics and our party doesn't always take kindly to that."
So, do you risk with that approach potentially alienating two powerful voting blocs you need if you want to win both Congress and the White House in 2012?
ARMEY: Not at all. Again, the independent voter is independent by definition. They're not -- they have no allegiance to either party. Their interest is in serious policy initiatives. And the fact of the matter is, when the Republican Party speaks to the independent voter about a policy vision for America, they win. When they speak among themselves on a very narrow basis about a political vision for ourselves, they lose. And I appreciate Deborah's point of view, but the fact, again, remains, men, women, independents, liberal -- or, I'm sorry, Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, evangelicals, believe in something called individual liberty and my right to control my own life and my own destiny and not to be dictated to by an overbearing government. And that is a very broad, big tent. And that is the tent the Republican Party has prospered in in the past and will prosper in in the future.
And I might mention, during the 80s, during the Reagan revolution, the most exciting activist we had in the Republican Party were the Republican women's clubs. They were excited, they were involved, and they were motivated because they had a vision for their grandchildren's future that they could relate to.
ROBERTS: And Congressman, one final point here, if I could. All this week, we're taking a look at the next generation in the Republican Party. Who could potentially be the leaders for 2012, who might become president, who might at least run for president? We're looking at Mitt Romney today, Sarah Palin tomorrow. Who would you think is the one person who could lead the Republican Party in 2012 to recapture the White House?
ARMEY: Well, I don't know for sure who that could be. There are a lot of people who are -- seem to be emerging -- Pawlenty, for example, from Minnesota is another name that I would throw out there. But the fact of the matter is, unless that person could rally this party as Reagan did, as we did in the contra years, around a national policy vision for America and unify the vision of the party rather than this kind of simple-minded schizophrenic vision that they're talking about today, half of us acting like Republicans, the other half acting like Democrats, he will be the leader.
I think there are many people who can emerge as that leader. Whether or not you can find another Ronald Reagan, I don't know. But you can certainly find somebody who grasps the essential notion that we have a national policy vision of devotion to the liberty and small governance in America that is antithetical to the overbearing emphasis on big government control coming out of the democrats today. That is the candidate and the vision that will win the White House and the majority back for the Republican.
ROBERTS: Well, one thing's for sure. There has only ever been and will always only ever be one Dick Armey. Thanks for joining us this morning, Congressman. Appreciate it.
ARMEY: Thank you for having me.
ROBERTS: Alina.
CHO: That's for sure. Army leaders are now expressing concern about backlash against Muslim soldiers in the military. That's in the wake of the shootings at Fort Hood, texas. Coming up, I'm going to be talking to a devout muslim who served in the navy himself. You will hear his thoughts after the break. It's 21 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: A little Bon Jovi for you on a Monday morning.
ROBERTS: Yes, why not? It gets the blood going. Time for holiday shopping approaching, but how will the economic crisis affect your shopping habits. Our Christine Romans here "Minding Your Business". She joins us this morning.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: We are crazy if we think we're trying to go back to 2004, '5, '6. You know, you hear a lot of people are talking about, you know, "When are we going to get back to normal? I want to get back to normal. How are we going to get back to normal? Are the malls going to be full? How are we going to get the spending going?"
And I say, we don't. That was the normal wasn't good. And we don't want that normal. We don't want the instant gratification paid for by credit. I mean, you look at how much debts Americans had over the past 20 years, a debt extravaganza, the amount of debt we took on to pay for our instant gratification for consumer goods, it turned out not to be a good thing.
And, of course, it was pushed with the enthusiastic approval of all our credit card companies. But, we're not going to go back to that. And when you look at the holiday shopping scene, like even "the journal" catering to the recession mentality. All these business are trying to figure out how to get your money. And I'm here to tell you, you need to be repairing your balance sheets first.
So, look, the National Foundation for Credit Counseling just asked people this question. How are you going to pay for your purchases this Christmas? Sixty-eight percent said they're going to pay with cash. Can you imagine? Sixty-eight percent said they're going to pay with cash. Ten are going to charge and then pay it off over time. So, they're going to put it on their card and then they are going to pay it off. But 12% are going to charge it on a credit card but pay in full right away. And 10% are going back to layaway. That's from my mom, you know, my mom putting things on layaway.
ROBERTS: You were talking to us off camera last hour about this. So, what happens when people buy with cash?
ROMANS: They spend less. Because you can't overspend if you only have the money in your pocket. You spend less. It will be --
CHO: Thirty percent less or something like that.
ROMANS: They spend a lot less. And now, the question is if people have access to the credit, will the season overwhelm them, and they end up, you know, buying more stuff? But, we've seen from other surveys, people are going to pay for their kids, for their pets, for their grandparents but they are cutting back on other things. So, it's going to be very different. And that's a good thing. It's a good thing to be different. We don't want that crazy bubble. 20 years of building up debt. It went -- we went crazy. We can't do that anymore.
CHO: Sometimes you hear that music though, and you get in the spirit, you can't help yourself.
(CROSSTALK)
ROBERTS: And you're hearing it earlier and earlier.
CHO: That's right. "Romans' Numeral." You got one?
ROMANS: Forty-five days. This one is so easy. This one is so easy!
ROBERTS: Forty-five days until Christmas.
ROMANS: Forty-five days until Christmas. Think about it, everyone. Think about it long and hard before you put your hand in your pocket to pull out your money. Do you really need it? Is it going to make your family smarter, better, does it fit in your budget, or are you just going crazy like we have for 20 years?
ROBERTS: Christine Romans "Minding Your Business" this morning. Christine, thanks.
Soccer doesn't usually get that much attention in the United States unless, of course, you're the executive producer of this program. Particularly not women's college soccer, but there's a video that has gone viral in a game between Brigham Young and the University of New Mexico.
Take a look at this. Elizabeth Lambert is the star. The New Mexico fullback there playing dirty. A little elbow in the back and then a nasty ponytail grab. Watch this. It's coming up here in a second. The game is pretty chippy, but watch this. Here's the ponytail grab. Wow, yanks her head, slams her to the ground. Remarkably, she only got a yellow card during the game. That's a warning, but she has since been suspended.
CHO: I know enough about soccer to know that should have been a red card. That should have been an automatic...
ROBERTS: I know enough about human physiology to know that that is a very dangerous thing to do. You know. It's not only unsportsman like, but you know, you can break a person's neck doing that.
Twenty-six-and-a-half minutes after the hour. The future of the Republican Party, will it revolve around Mitt Romney? We'll ask that question, coming up next. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. With a couple of off year election wins under their belt, things are looking up for the Republican Party and GOP 2012 candidates are stepping it up early.
CHO: That is right. Last week we looked at President Obama's inner circle, this week we're checking up on the other side of the aisle in part 1 of our AM original series, "GOP the Next Chapter". Our Jessica Yellin is here with us, telling us about Mitt Romney and buzz about 2012 already. And what I thought was interesting, you said you found him very relaxed, very funny.
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He's great to talk to, lots of repertoire, much more casual in person than he is when he's formally on the trail. And now Mitt Romney, he is taking it easy sometimes, but he's also traveling the country, raising money for other Republicans and defining his brand of Republicanism, which is traditional values mixed in with some business know-how.
Right now Mitt Romney is extremely well-positioned to run for president in 2012.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
YELLIN: These days, former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is spending his time fundraising, campaigning, and generally building alliances with party leaders.
ROMNEY: Seeing friends and leaders of the conservative movement from across the country is something that warms my heart.
YELLIN: For someone who won't say if he's running for president again, he's acting an awful lot like a candidate in waiting.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So you'll campaign going to 2010?
MITT ROMNEY, (R) FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I pretty much plan that from now until November of 2010, I'll be working to help elect conservatives across the country.
YELLIN: Once labeled "inauthentic" by critics for governing Massachusetts as a centrist and then moving to the right, these days Romney says he believes conservatives are the heart of his party.
YELLIN (on camera): You didn't say electing Republicans. You said conservatives. It is important to you that you find people on the conservative edge of the Republican Party?
ROMNEY: I want to elect Republicans, and Republicans are conservative. I will by and large being supporting those that are conservative Republicans.
YELLIN (voice-over): And he's staking out ground as a fierce critic of President Obama on foreign policy...
ROMNEY: I think he's made America less safe in that our friends are more concerned about the reliability of the United States.
YELLIN: ... on governing philosophy.
ROMNEY: I think he fundamentally believes that America is in a slow decline, that other parts in the world are becoming stronger, and we should manage ourselves through this decline.
YELLIN: ... and on economic solutions.
ROMNEY: His stimulus plan was crafted by Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. He abdicated his leadership on the most critical piece of economic legislation of his administration.
YELLIN: Romney has been put on the defensive by fellow Republicans over Massachusetts' universal health care plan which he helped establish as governor. It's expanded coverage but has also cost the state more than projected.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now 75 percent of the people in Massachusetts have said they don't think it's a success.
YELLIN: Romney's response?
ROMNEY: We found a way to get everybody insured in the state, and we did that without a public option, no government insurance, and without the need for raising taxes.
YELLIN: Big picture, Romney is optimistic about the future of the Republican Party, and guess who he credits.
ROMNEY: Well, I think the Republican party has been rejuvenated by the missteps taken by President Obama.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
YELLIN: Now, Romney insists that he will not even decide whether he'll run for president until after next year's midterm elections.
But one sign that he's already considered the likely standard bearer by others in the party, the other likely candidates, including Mike Huckabee and Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, they keep criticizing him. And you know when the likely candidates are going after someone, they think he's the one to beat.
CHO: He's pretty forthright in his criticism against the president as well.
But Jessica, we talked about in the break how he's a former CEO. He has lots of insight on how he thinks we should fix the economy. What did he say?
YELLIN: He thinks the way that the stimulus was designed was a total mistake. He thinks the remaining money should be set aside and repurposed and used for tax credits to small businesses so they can do more jobs and more hiring.
CHO: What did he say about Wall Street bonuses?
YELLIN: He's very conflicted on that. On the one hand, he understands the populist outrage. On the other hand, he is in the camp that letting government dictate bonuses would drive the most talented people away. And since they weren't warned on the front end that there could be control over their pay maybe the government shouldn't be interfering now.
ROBERTS: The one thing that is interesting is he was the lone voice in the wilderness advocating letting General Motors and Chrysler go into bankruptcy.
YELLIN: That's right. Well, he has a history with the car companies. He's not very happy with the way the bailout happened.
ROBERTS: Jessica Yellin this morning, thanks. So great to see you.
YELLIN: It's good to see you guys.
CHO: And tomorrow in part two of our series "GOP, The Next Chapter," her book, "Going Rogue," hits the shelves in about a week. Already she could be another name in the ballot in 2012. Our senior political correspondent Candy Crowley will look at Sarah Palin.
ROBERTS: Checking our top stories this morning -- this just in to CNN -- a truck driver is dead after he lost control and plunged off the Bay Bridge.
The crash happened around 6:30 in the morning Eastern, 3:30 local time. It happened in the so-called S-curve and is one of 42 crashes that have happened since the detour was installed back in September.
That bridge, as you know, has also been shut down recently for major repairs.
CHO: Philadelphia's subways, buses, and trolleys are up and running again this morning now that a transit strike is history. The transit authority and its largest union reached a tentative deal overnight to end the six-day walkout. Some 5,000 union workers returned to work in time for this morning's rush.
ROBERTS: A state of emergency now in effect in Louisiana in preparation for hurricane Ida. The storm is responsible for more than 120 deaths in El Salvador. Ida weakened overnight to a hurricane one category with 80-mile-per-hour winds.
It's expected to make landfall along the Gulf Coast as early as tomorrow morning.
The massacre at Fort Hood last week has many people fearing a backlash against America's Muslim soldiers. Thirteen people were killed, dozens more injured last week when army psychiatrist Major Nidal Hasan allegedly opened fire on his comrades.
Hasan is a Muslim. His motive remains unknown, though.
Carol Costello is live in Washington this morning with an "A.M. original report. Carol, army leaders and even the president are now worried about the possible mistreatment of Muslims in our military as a result of this.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They sure are, John. The army's chief of staff is worried about backlash against Muslim soldiers, General Casey saying, "As great a tragedy as this was, it would be a shame if our diversity became a casualty as well. It's something that deeply worries many Americans who are Muslim and have made the ultimate sacrifice."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Elsheba Khan visits Arlington National Cemetery every Sunday without fail. Her son, Army Corporal Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan, killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq, is buried here.
ELSHEBA KHAN, SON KILLED IN IRAQ: He is a Muslim and he would stand by his country. It doesn't matter what.
COSTELLO: Khan is worried there will be a backlash against American Muslim soldiers. She knows some are already reaching conclusions as to why Major Nidal Malik Hasan allegedly opened fire on his fellow soldiers.
The rightwing website "Pajamas Media" is an example, Phyllis Chesler writing "I knew in my bones that the shooter or shooters were Muslims. We must connect the dots before it's too late."
The suspicion about Muslims, even those born in the United States, intensified after 9/11. It's the reason Khan's American-born son joined the army as soon as he turned 18, telling his parents...
KHAN: I'm a citizen, I protect my country, whoever is there in the country, doesn't matter race, whatever.
COSTELLO: And Kareem Khan did that, awarded a bronze star, a purple heart, and an honored place at Arlington National Cemetery.
A picture of Khan's tombstone with symbols of his religion and patriotism so touched General Colin Powell he used the image to open minds about Islam when he endorsed Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential run.
COLIN POWELL, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer is, no, that's not America.
COSTELLO: Powell's acknowledgement of her son's service profoundly touched Khan.
KHAN: When he mentioned my son and he mentioned his full name and he pronounced it correctly, I was, like, the proudest mom that day.
BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Elsheba khan's son, Kareem.
COSTELLO: President Obama also honored Karrem Khan's, and Khan's fellow soldiers have written her glowing accounts of Khan's outstanding service to country.
KHAN: I don't like anybody touching anything.
COSTELLO: Of course, the public outpouring has quieted now.
Still, Khan keeps her son's medals and his pictures on display in her home, and every Sunday she visits him, now praying her fellow Americans will not pass judgment on all Muslims because of the actions of one man.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Earlier, I asked our viewers to write to my blog at CNN.com/amfix to see what they thought about backlash against Muslims who were serving the United States.
This one from Alex. He says, "I served with the U.S. army and the U.S. Marine Corps in Iraq and East Africa as a linguist for over four years. As an American and Muslim, I was treated with respect and appreciation at all times.
Major Hasan should be responsible for his action. He should be treated as a criminal and be punished according to the uniform's code. He was a coward and a selfish man."
And this comes from Eric, "Should we not pay special attention to self-proclaimed devout Muslims in our military? My question is, why should we not? Obviously, this attack was Muslim-related. Anyone who says otherwise is an ignorant individual.
God bless the soldiers and their families at Fort Hood."
Keep your comments coming -- CNN.com/amfix. I'm very interested to see what you have to say.
CHO: People pretty outspoken about it.
ROBERTS: They certainly are.
CHO: Yes. Thank you, Carol.
You know, lots of people, as we've been saying, including the chief of staff of the army, expressing lots of concern about that possible backlash against Muslim soldiers in the wake of the Fort Hood shootings.
I'm going to be talking to a leading member of the Muslim community. He served in the Navy himself 11 years. We're going to have his thoughts after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. Major Nidal Hasan is in stable condition this morning, off a ventilator in a heavily guarded intensive care unit in San Antonio, Texas. Many are wondering this morning what drove him to allegedly open fire on a crowded room in Fort Hood, killing 13 men and women, most of them fellow soldiers. What, if anything, could have been done to stop him?
Joining me now that talk about this is Dr. Zuhdi Jasser. He's a founding member and president of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy and a former doctor for the Navy.
I know that you are a devout Muslim yourself, so you've got to be concerned in the wake of the shootings about a possible backlash. Just yesterday General Casey, chief of staff of the army, said he was concerned about a possible backlash against Muslims in the military.
So are you concerned about that? And if so, what worries you the most?
DR. ZUDHI JASSER, PRESIDENT AMERICAN ISLAMIC FORUM FOR DEMOCRACY: Well, I'll tell you, I served for 11 years proudly, left as a lieutenant commander, and I never felt at any moment that I was discriminated against or harassed. And I know things have changed now post-9/11.
But we have to realize that the greatest asset in this conflict is American-Muslims that can start to treat this ideological virus that's spreading, and certainly it is a problem. But I'll tell you, many of us Muslims are now becoming more and more outraged, and we're going to move and mobilize and act against this ideological threat.
And I hope people realize -- I can tell you, there's no more pluralistic, tolerant environment than the military. It's an organization that I was proud to serve in and I never once felt -- and I do think that they will realize the COs out there will make sure the unit cohesion continues and there won't be any type of backlash.
CHO: And yet, Dr. Jasser, there are widespread reports that Major Hasan was deeply concerned about being deployed overseas.
You know, as a Muslim member of the military yourself, a former member, I'm just concerned. You know, there's an article in "The Times" today that says that one Muslim soldier was haunted by the possibility that he might end up killing a fellow Muslim.
Is that something that you at all struggled with and do you sense that that's something that Muslim members of the military struggle with right now?
JASSER: I'll tell you, I personally never struggled with that because I was blessed with having parents that taught me that I could practice my faith more freely in America than in the country of Syria, where they had absolutely no rights and the military was corrupt there.
And that's why it was instilled in me to join the U.S. military and give back to this country and the constitution that gave me the ability to practice my faith of Islam more freely here than anywhere in the world.
But one of the aspects of reform that has to happen among Muslims is to separate mosque and state, to take the identity of adolescents and young Muslims and teach them that it doesn't have to be bonded to an Ummah or the Muslim community, but it can be bonded to America, and to start to teach our Muslim kids that we are Americans that happen to be Muslims and not Muslims that demand to be American.
And I think that victimology concept has to start changing. Because the slippery slope of that is basically -- they end up in radicalism and the extreme form of political Islam.
CHO: So you're saying the Muslim community needs to stand up and take action themselves. Dr. Zudhi Jasser, President of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy and a former member of the Navy, we thank you for joining us.
JASSER: Thank you for having me.
ROBERTS: Fatigue in the cockpit. It's been blamed for at least one bad crash and some other sort of chilling incidents, but could the solution to letting -- but could the solution to tired pilots be letting them have a nap while they're in the cockpit?
Our Allan Chernoff is looking into this concept and he'll report on it coming up.
It's 46 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: This just in to CNN, and this is definitely not good news for the families of Josh Fattal and Sarah Shourd and Shane Bauer, the three Americans who have been detained in Iran, after the allegedly cross over the border between Kurdistan and Iran back in the summer.
According to the state news agency IRNA in Iran, the government of Iran has charged the three detained hikers with espionage. We have talked to family members of the three hikers and they absolutely deny that they were doing anything in the region other than sightseeing.
So, this is a troubling development. Again, the government of Iran has decided, according to the Iranian news agency, to charge Josh Fattal, Sarah Shourd, and Shane Bauer with espionage. We'll continue to follow this story here on The Most News in the Morning and throughout the day on CNN.
CHO: Meanwhile, investigators say pilot fatigue played a role when a continental commuter flight crashed earlier this year, killing all 49 people on board. Since then, the FAA has been trying to find ways to keep you safer in the air.
ROBERTS: One idea that is gaining ground, letting pilots grab quick naps mid-flight while their partner takes the controls.
Our senior correspondent Allan Chernoff has got more in this "AM Original Report."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): NASA studied the idea of pilot naps here at its Silicon Valley Research Center 20 years ago and found naps to be effective and safe in reducing pilot fatigue.
CURT GRAEBER, FORMER NASA SCIENTIST: The FAA paid for that research and we found very clearly that the nap really improved performance and alertness of the flight crews.
CHERNOFF: Now an airline industry advisory committee has told the Federal Aviation Administration, "We recommend that the FAA endorse controlled-cockpit napping.
MELISSA MALLIS, FLIGHT RESEARCH ASSOCIATES: Power napping which we often refer to it as can help increase physiological alertness and sleepiness. And, so it is a strategy that can be used to help mitigate and manage fatigue during any 24/7 environment.
CHERNOFF: Foreign carriers including British Airways and Air Canada for years have permitted naps on longer flights, allowing one pilot to rest in the cockpit while the other pilot mans the controls. Aviation scientists say that helps ensure both pilots are fresh for their biggest challenge, approach and landing.
GRAEBER: We want crews to be well rested and alert on the approach and landing. The idea of a controlled rest in the flight deck helps that happen. It's a safeguard.
CHERNOFF: But some pilots fear their managers could force them to work even harder if naps were permitted.
JAMES RAY, CAPTAIN, US AIRWAYS: I believe that airline management would certainly push pilots if napping were allowed in the cockpit. They would tell pilots, you know, I don't care if you're fatigued or not, just go ahead and jump in a cockpit and go fly and you know, what, now you can take a nap, so you'll be fine.
CHERNOFF: In fact, the airline advisory committee is recommending the FAA allow pilots to fly more consecutive hours during daytime to increase the current eight-hour limit. In return, airlines would reduce the hours pilots have to be on duty so they can get a good night's sleep.
The National Transportation Safety Board says pilot fatigue has caused numerous accidents and mishaps. For 19 years, fatigue has been on the safety board's most wanted list of urgent safety issues that need to be addressed.
DEBORAH HERSMAN, NTSB CHAIRMAN: It is beyond overdue. It is needed, right now. We can't wait another year.
CHERNOFF (on camera): Indeed, FAA regulations on pilot flight and duty time are decades old and do not consider the scientific studies on napping that were done 20 years ago.
FAA's new administrator, Randy Babbitt, a former pilot, has put the issue of pilot fatigue on the fast track. He and his staff are evaluating the advisory committee recommendations. He says he plan plans to issue new proposed rules by the end of the year.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: It sounds wild -- I mean, crazy to some people...
ROBERTS: Yes.
CHO: ... but you know, some others say it makes sense. So, what do you think...
ROBERTS: Yes, the danger is if the one pilot is napping, that's fine, but what happens if the other one...
CHO: Yes, one OK, two, not so good.
ROBERTS: Not so good.
CHO: We want to know what you think about this, should pilots be able to grab a quick nap in the cockpit? Sound off on our blog, CNN.com/amfix.
ROBERTS: Germany celebrating the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and they're doing it in a very unique fashion. We'll show you how coming right up.
Seven minutes now to the top of the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Welcome back to The Most News in the Morning.
Twenty years ago today, the Berlin Wall came down. Symbolically freeing Eastern Europe from Communist rule; marking the beginning of the end of the Cold War. And Germans were so happy, tearing down the wall piece by piece.
Several new crossing points were open and thousands of families were reunited after spending decades apart.
CHO: Well, how's this for symbolism? Today there's a new wall dividing Berlin. Except this one is made of dominos. And at tonight's celebration, they will be toppled, symbolizing how the wall's collapse created a domino effect on Communism in Eastern Europe.
There are about 1,000 of them painted by kids and artists from Germany and around the world. Thirty of them were done by artists in countries where there are still barriers like South Korea and Israel.
It's four minutes to the top of the hour. Back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Look at those leaves turning fall-like.
ROBERTS: They are beautiful.
CHO: Except the weather will be anything like fall-like. Sunny and 56 degrees in New York City right now; going up to mostly sunny and 66 and coming off just a gorgeous weekend.
ROBERTS: I was in Atlanta over the weekend, and there are just as many leaves on the trees in New York as there are in Atlanta or just as many have fallen in Atlanta as have fallen here in New York.
CHO: I saw a man raking his leaves with his shirt off yesterday, if that gives you any idea what is Atlanta-like weather.
ROBERTS: I think the Central Park Conservancy goes around and glues the leaves on the trees in Central Park just so that they stay on the trees longer.
CHO: Soon they'll be down.
We've had a busy news day and a lot of people sounding off on a lot of our stories. We want to ask you to continue the conversation on today's stories. And for that you can go to our blog at cnn.com/amfix. We never have any shortage of that.
ROBERTS: A lot of people this morning arguing with former Congressman Dick Armey's definition of socialism, saying not exactly accurate.
CHO: He's one of a kind.
We want to thank you for joining us on this AMERICAN MORNING. I'm Alina Cho. Kiran will be back tomorrow.
ROBERTS: Meanwhile, the news continues here on CNN with Heidi Collins in the "CNN NEWSROOM" in New York today. Hi, Heidi.
