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Obama to Lay Wreath in Traditional Ceremony at Tomb of the Unknowns; FBI Investigates Possible Missed Warning Signs About Hasan; A Closer Look at Imam Hasan Communicated With; Ida Continues to Dump Rain on Southeast; Miss USA Invites America To Support Military Through Several Avenues

Aired November 11, 2009 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: What's left of Tropical Storm Ida is kicking up winds and spreading lots of rain across the South and Mid- Atlantic states. Some coastal flooding is expected. Those gusty winds could cause some airline delays as well.

Decision time nears for President Obama on troop levels in Afghanistan. Here's what we know: the president gathers today with his National Security team for an eighth meeting on the issue. It's been three months since his commander in Afghanistan called for reinforcements. Now, that lag has prompted criticism in some corners but the president's spokesman says there's too much at stake to rush into a decision.

The president is considering four options. White house officials are not offering details on them.

President Obama is leaving on a trip to Asia this week. And White House aides have suggested he will not announce a troop decision while overseas. So when can we expect an announcement? CNN's Barbara Starr is joining us from the Pentagon with a little bit more on this.

So Barbara, are we getting close to a decision? Is an eighth meeting with the team something that would lead you to believe that the decision is closer now than it was before?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, closer every day, Heidi. You know, as each day goes on, theoretically, he gets closer. You know, officially the White house is saying the president has not made a decision. That's the official word.

But, look, folks all over town are talking. Pentagon officials, some administration officials say that the president is looking at one option that is sort of being discussed as the Pentagon's favorite option. Does it mean he's going to go for it? No. But the favorite option out there right now in terms of the Pentagon appears to be this plan for potentially sending 34,000 additional troops to Afghanistan: three Army brigades, a Marine brigade. But what should be said is all of those brigades know they're already next in line to go as they go through the rotation.

More troops for another new headquarters, more trainers, more support troops. Officially that's still to all be decided but right now that's the favorite option of the Pentagon because what we do know, Heidi, is that General McChrystal, the top commander in theater, Admiral Mullen, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff and Defense Secretary Robert Gates have all over the last several weeks very quietly have been moving towards this notion that a significant number of additional forces are going to be needed -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes, Barbara, I definitely don't want to speculate here but we do know that at least one of the options or we expect that one of the options is this possible number of 34,000. That would be quite a bit less, I believe, if I recall what General McChrystal was requesting in the beginning in his assessment, correct?

STARR: Well, yes. Again, you know, nothing has ever been official or public about all of this. But it's really generally understood that General McChrystal asked for about 40,000 additional troops as his most realistic plan. There had been lower numbers. There had been higher numbers. But he really had by all accounts settled on the notion of about 40,000 troops.

I think what needs to be remembered is all of this no matter how many troops are announced, it's all going to be phased in over the next year. It's going to take a long time to get them there. So I think we're going to see, you know, this number move around a bit simply by virtue of the sheer logistics of getting everybody there. They're going to get a certain number there and find out they need more of this or more of that. So I think it's going to be a pretty fluid situation.

The real key to look at is how many combat troops are they going to send. Support troops, yes. Headquarters staff, yes. But how many frontline combat troops that will be walking the ground in Afghanistan, fighting the Taliban, and trying to protect the Afghan people. General McChrystal says that is going to be the central mission, Heidi.

COLLINS: OK, very good. Barbara Starr, we're continuing to watch that story. Thanks so much.

Our latest poll checks your thoughts on Afghanistan on whether President Obama is taking too long to make a decision about U.S. troops for Afghanistan. The CNN Opinion Research Poll found Americans divided. A majority of the respondents oppose sending more U.S. troops to Afghanistan. And roughly the same percentage oppose U.S. involvement in the Afghan War.

One more story on Afghanistan now. NATO military divers found the body of one of two U.S. soldiers who went missing last week. The two paratroopers were trying to recover air drop supplies that fell into a river in Western Afghanistan. NATO officials say the soldier's body was found in that same area. Afghan and international forces are still searching for the second soldier.

The mastermind of the D.C. area sniper attacks has been executed. John Allen Muhammad died in Virginia's death chamber last night. More than two dozen witnesses watched. Some of them were family members of the victims and CNN's Jeanne Meserve has more now from Jarratt, Virginia. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LARRY TAYLOR, VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTION: The execution of John Allen Muhammad has been carried out under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Death was pronounced at 9:11 p.m. There were no complications. Mr. Muhammad was asked if he wished to make a last statement. He did not acknowledge this or make any statement whatsoever.

DENA POTTER, ASSOCIATED PRESS: He was stoic. He stared straight into the ceiling. Didn't blink eyes or anything, just refused to talk.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The fact that Muhammad did not speak was disappointing to some of the victim's family members, some of whom had come here to witness this execution. They wanted to hear John Muhammad acknowledge his responsibility for these crimes. They wanted him to express remorse. He did not do that.

But Paul Ebert, the man who prosecuted the case, the particular murder for which John Muhammad was executed on Tuesday night, said he hoped the family members got what he did on Tuesday.

PAUL EBERT, MUHAMMAD PROSECUTOR, VIRGINIA: He died very peacefully, much more than most of his victims. I felt a sense of closure and I hope that they did too. I think that they looked forward to that. And I hope they have solace by virtue of his execution.

MESERVE (on camera): It took John Muhammad only five minutes to die after the lethal injection was administered. His body was then removed from this facility and taken to the medical examiner's office in Richmond, Virginia. One of his ex-wives said she will take his body to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he will have a private burial.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Muhammad's teenage accomplice, Lee Boyd Malvo is serving a life sentence.

Turning to the shooting rampage at Fort Hood. While 15 soldiers continue their recovery in the hospital this morning, we take a moment to look at the suspect's involvement with the radical Islamists. What did military investigators know and when did they know it? With the congressional investigations ahead, the finger pointing has begun. CNN's David Mattingly has more now from Fort Hood.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At a somber memorial service surrounded by family members of the fallen soldiers, the president had strong words for alleged gunman Nidal Hasan.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: For what he has done, we know that the killer will be met with justice in this world and the next.

MATTINGLY: As the families grieve, the FBI was going through the trash outside Hasan's mosque in Killeen, Texas. And in Washington growing questions about possible missed opportunities with the Pentagon saying it was never told of a terror investigation that uncovered Hasan's relationship with a radical cleric.

Senior investigative officials tell CNN Hasan communicated at least 20 times with Anwar al-Alwaki who had close relationships with two 9/11 hijackers. Investigators reviewed those communications, determined they didn't appear threatening and were consistent with Hasan's research as a psychiatrist.

Former Bush White House Homeland Security Advisor Fran Townsend says it's often difficult to put the pieces of different investigations together.

FRAN TOWNSEND, NATIONAL SECURITY CONTRIBUTOR: It's very difficult for investigators to get all of that information in one place especially when he's not the overall target of the investigation.

MATTINGLY: Hasan himself is saying nothing to investigators. He's under guard in the intensive care unit of this Army medical facility in San Antonio.

COL. JOHN GALLIGAN (RET.), MAJ. HASAN'S ATTORNEY: Let's insure that the process is followed, that the investigation is complete and that we proceed with the same kind of impartiality that we would want in any case involving anyone including ourselves.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: As you know, it is Veterans Day today, a time for Americans to honor the service and sacrifice of the nation's military personnel. This is a live picture now of the Vietnam Memorial, of course considered one of the most poignant landmarks and emotional too obviously in the nation's capital. Some rain there in D.C. today.

Also, looking now live at the tomb of the unknowns. A little bit later on today, of course, President Barack Obama will be there. We expect that to happen around 11:00 for the traditional wreath laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery as well.

World War I, as you know, ended. We want to give you some facts here, pardon me, about Veterans Day. Obviously, World War I ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. Exactly, one year later, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11th Armistice Day. Then in 1938, the U.S. made Armistice Day a federal holiday. And in 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower changed the name of Armistice Day to Veterans Day so it could honor all U.S. veterans.

Ida is moving on after drenching the Deep South. Rob Marciano joining us now. And it sounds like, yes, she may be moving out but everything she left behind kind of disastrous, right?

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, and kind of what's left of Ida will kind of get over towards the East Coast and do a little number over here and gather some energy and really slowly march up the East Coast. And that's going to be a problem.

By the way, if you live anywhere west of the Mississippi to about the Continental Divide, you're OK. Pacific Northwest, you're seeing a little bit of action as far as storms and high elevation snows are concerned.

All right, looking at the rainfall, most of it now moving off towards the north and east but damage done across the Atlanta metro area. Some creeks and rivers getting close to where -- getting pretty close to where they were last September. It shouldn't be historic flood but some spots will see some flooding as will folks across the Carolinas.

This is where I think a lot of the rain is going to fall not just today but for the next several days. You could see 4 to 7 inches of rainfall in this particular area because here's Ida, got a little extra energy off the Bahamas coastline or the coastlines of the Bahama islands. And then all of that wind is going to stick around the Delmarva in through parts of North Carolina and Southern Eastern parts of Virginia for the next several days, probably through Saturday as well. So this is going to pound them with waves, a lot of wind and obviously a lot of rain. So we'll see some flooding because of that.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: Yes, wow, no kidding. All right, Rob, thank you.

MARCIANO: You bet.

COLLINS: Auctioning off a swindler's goods, see what you can buy that once belonged to Bernie and Ruth Madoff.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ALYSE ZWICK, MISS NEW YORK: Hi, I'm Alyse Zwick, Miss New York. And my platform for the Miss America Organization is heroes helping give veterans their lives back. Thank you for your service and please come home soon and safe. We love you. We're thinking about you and happy Veterans Day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Senate Democrats unveil sweeping legislation that would dramatically change the way financial markets are managed. The bill would strip the Federal Reserve of its oversight. It would also create three new federal agencies to police banks, protect consumers, and dismantle financial firms if the government decides they threaten the broader economy.

Not guilty the verdict on all counts for two former hedge funds managers with Bear Stearns. Ralph Cioffi and Matthew Tannin have been accused of misleading investors knowing funds they were overseeing were at risk of collapse. The firm avoided bankruptcy in a rescue buyout by JPMorgan Chase. This was the first major criminal trial stemming from the housing and financial crisis.

Bidding on Bernie and Ruth Madoff's stuff. The gavel will be pounded Saturday at an auction of some of the convicted swindler's possessions and CNN's Christine Romans is here to show us exactly what's on that auction block. And good morning to you, Christine.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. And certainly a lot of victims of Bernie Madoff are quite interested in what their money bought for this man and they can't wait to get more money back because every single one of these items will be auctioned off to the public this weekend in New York City and the proceeds go to the people who were swindled by him.

So Heidi, let's take a look at the lifestyles of the rich and felonious, shall we? First, the most expensive item on this list, earrings. These pre-Victorian bobbles could fetch up to $21,400. These are six pair and oval cut stones, a total karat count is nearly 10. Something maybe a little more economical for you out there if you're a Mets fan or you're a Madoff fan. How about this Mets satin jacket with Madoff in orange on the back could fetch up to $720.

COLLINS: Who's going to wear that?

ROMANS: Interesting that -- well, I don't know, maybe somebody who is a Madoff buff. I'm not sure. But this one could be up to $720. And you know, one of the owners of the Mets was actually an investor and victim in this scam. Also recently on eBay, his season tickets were auctioned off at $3,800.

Here's something if you're a watch aficionado, which Bernie Madoff apparently was. This is a Rolex, Heidi, from circa 1945. This could get up to $87,500. He had scores of watches according to the U.S. marshals. This vintage here is sometimes called a prisoner watch because this was a watch that British POWs in World War II bought on credit, believe it or not, and paid off after the war.

There are two jokes in there. Some, there's an irony about doing time -- a joke about doing time and irony I think about the fact that this was called a prisoner watch.

But Heidi, it's everything from boogie boards to duck decoys to even a little number that was on his beach house. All kinds of different things here. There's even something -- I think the cheapest thing is a $90 pen and paper stationary set.

The question is how much money does the Madoff allure bring in? Are people going to bid things up a little bit because they want a little bit of this history. Maybe if you're a Wall Street buff.

COLLINS: Well you know what? I hope they get a whole lot of money and they're able to disperse those monies off to the victims. I mean, everybody would be rooting for them.

ROMANS: And Heidi, if you want to bid on his Palm Beach mansion, the Palm Beach mansion is still available. That will be auctioned off November 17th along with those boats. So if you've got some free time on your hands and $7 or $8 million, there's more property that will be coming up.

COLLINS: I like the boats a lot better. I didn't like that place very much. Anyway, Romans' numeral today quickly.

ROMANS: Yes, it's $534 million. And this, Heidi, this is how much money has so far already been paid out to victims. So they'll get a little bit more after this weekend. And then a little bit more after November 17th when they auction off the house and the boats but it is nothing compared with what is missing.

COLLINS: No, not even close. All right, well Christine Romans, we appreciate it, thank you.

The nation's largest doctors organization calls for new rules when it comes to medical marijuana. Find out all of the details in our "Daily Dose" coming up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.R. MARTINEZ, ACTOR: Hi, I'm J.R. Martinez. I'm an actor on "All My Children." I also served over in Iraq and I was injured in 2003.

My message to all the troops and their family members as well is we love you, we support you. We don't care about any of the politics. We love you, who you are and all your sacrifice that you made for 365, not just on November 11th, but to that day is your day and God bless you. We wish you nothing but the best and get home safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Top stories we're watching for you this hour. In Utah, the Mormon Church takes a stand for gay rights. It is endorsing laws making it illegal to discriminate against gays, lesbians and transsexuals. But the church says it will not support the same sex marriage.

The King of Pop was larger than life and was buried in style. Michael Jackson's private family funeral totaled nearly $1 million, and that does not include the massive public tribute at the Staples Center.

And the United Airlines pilot is arrested for being too drunk to fly. Police in London say Erwin Washington was pulled from the cockpit on Monday just minutes before takeoff.

Medical marijuana -- the American Medical Association wants the federal government to reconsider its stance on marijuana. It's encouraging more studies of the use of the drug for medical purposes. Senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen has been following this story and has details for us. Now good morning to you, Elizabeth. Exactly what do they want to change here?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: What they want to change, Heidi, is some of the rules about marijuana. The federal government says that marijuana is so dangerous that it needs to be a Schedule 1 drug. Let's look at what it means to be a Schedule 1 drug. The feds have lumped marijuana in with heroin, cocaine, ecstasy, a drug called Trip and LSD as drugs that are so unsafe that they are not -- shouldn't even be used under a doctor's supervision.

And what the American Medical Association is saying, look, marijuana can have medical uses. We think it possibly could be safe under a doctor's supervision and so they want the federal government to consider moving it out of that category. That would make it more easier to access the marijuana so it could be studied more.

COLLINS: OK. So what does the government have to say about all of this?

COHEN: The government has really been quite clear about this. They have said, look, we think marijuana is highly addictable. We think that it can cause terrible problems like cancer and other issues and also they say the federal government has said even if it does have medical benefits, there are alternatives. You don't have to use marijuana to get these benefits. So I think they're going to have a hard time convincing the feds of this.

COLLINS: What about studies that show some of these medical benefits are medical marijuana that have been verified, not verified, what are we really talking about?

COHEN: I think it depends who you ask. I think some people will say, oh, these studies don't really show what they say they show and others say that they really do. The studies have pointed to several different things. Two of the big ones are increasing appetite. There are for example cancer patients who lose weight because of the cancer or because of the drugs and they say that the marijuana helps increase their appetite.

And other patients who were in pain say marijuana helps decrease the pain. Again, in the high of the beholder. I know some people would say even if it does that, there are alternatives. You don't have to smoke pot to increase your appetite.

COLLINS: Yes, absolutely. All right, still a discussion being had obviously. Elizabeth Cohen, our senior medical correspondent, thanks Elizabeth.

COHEN: Thanks.

COLLINS: The massacre at Ft. Hood and the most heart wrenching question of all. Could investigators possibly have prevented the bloodshed?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIE TILLMAN, PAT TILLMAN'S WIFE: Hi, I'm Marie Tillman with the Pat Tillman Foundation and I just want to say thank you to all of the men and women serving overseas and the families back home supporting them. Happy Veterans Day. (END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: On this Veterans Day, Americans are honoring the service and sacrifice of the nation's military personnel. I want to give you these live pictures now coming into us from the Vietnam Memorial where people are passing by all of the names in a rainy, Washington D.C. If you have ever been there, I'm certain that you know it is considered one of the most poignant landmarks in the nation's capital.

Also want to show you beautiful shot this morning of the Tomb of the Unknowns. Of course, this is at Arlington National Cemetery where the president will come a little bit later today. About 30 minutes or so, we expect him to participate in the wreath laying ceremony that happens there. Of course, inside the tomb contains the remains of all of the unknown American soldiers. World War I, World War II, the Korean conflict, Vietnam War. Obviously, quite a tradition to spend time there on this Veterans Day.

As we said at the top of the hour, President Obama will attend a wreath laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery following yesterday's emotional visit to Fort Hood and the memorial service that honored the 13 people killed in Thursday's attack. He met with the families of those killed and some of the 42 people wounded in the rampage. This morning, 15 people are still in the hospital. Three of them are in intensive care, and thousands are still in disbelief. The post commander says this is an especially somber Veterans Day. This is what he had to say when I talked to him last hour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. GEN. ROBERT CONE, FORT HOOD COMMANDER: It's a very large community of veterans that we have in the local area here. In about 175 counties surrounding Fort Hood, there are nearly 200,000 veterans that are here.

And so my focus today is really reaching out to them and linking them because of their sacrifice and their service and making sure they're aware of what's gone on here at Fort Hood and going out and honoring them for their sacrifices. It's a pretty extensive effort. I'll be headed down toward Austin later today and a number of different events that we'll have in the central Texas area.

But I think in some ways that can help us with healing. These are people who have walked in our shoes, who know what it's like to be a soldier and in many cases know what it's like to experience this kind of grief, and I think there's a value in reaching out to them at this point in time and sharing with them what we're going through.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: General Cone says the president's visit and the community support have really rallied spirits on the post and in the community, and the sense of loss is shared by the nation. As Fort Hood held its memorial yesterday, the FBI sifted through trash outside Hasan's mosque in nearby Killeen, Texas. The search comes amid growing questions about Hasan's relationship with a radical cleric, specifically whether investigators who looked at the exchange of e-mails may have missed some warning signs.

The military now says it did not hear about that investigation until after last week's deadly shooting. This morning, we heard from Hasan's civilian attorney. He says he is still awaiting formal charges in the case but vows to defend his client wholeheartedly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COL. JOHN GALLIGAN (RET.), CIVILIAN ATTORNEY FOR HASAN: First and foremost, I share and extend my sympathies to all of the victims that were involved in this case.

But I would also caution and remind everyone how important it is that we ensure as we go through a pretrial and trial process, whether its within the military or outside the military, that we remember why we all wear the uniforms and the important rights that we seek to protect. And that's the right to a fair trial.

And my biggest concern right now is to ensure that this military defendant, still cloaked with the presumption of innocence, and entitled as all Americans are, to a fair and impartial trial, actually receives that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: It's pretty interesting, too. He's both a retired Army colonel and former military judge. He says he will seek full psychiatric examinations of Hasan when he is out of intensive care.

The imam Hasan communicated with recently was under federal investigation himself at one time, and is now said to be living in Yemen. CNN's Carol Costello takes a closer look at who he is and what he preaches.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO (voice-over): Experts say Anwar Al-Awlaki is a low-key extremist. They say fiery rhetoric is out, under stated is in. Listen to one of Al-Awlaki's Youtube lectures.

ANWAR AL-AWLAKI, MUSLIM CLERIC: We sometimes neglect our duties toward our fellow Muslims until we fall into their trials and realize the importance of standing in support of the oppressed.

COSTELLO: That's right, under stated terrorist talk on Youtube and Facebook. Al-Awlaki has more than 5,000 friends. Jarrett Brockman wrote "Global Jihadism." He is also a U.S. government consultant on counter terrorism.

JARRET BRACHMAN, AUTHOR "GLOBAL JIHADISM": A lot of guys in the United States read Al-Awlaki's work. They watch his videos. They listen to his sermons.

COSTELLO: It's easy.

Al-Awlaki speaks perfect English. He's American-born. Before leaving the U.S. in 2002, he was an imam at mosques in Colorado, California, and then Virginia where he had contact with two of the 9/11 hijackers. Imam Johari Abdul-Malik knew Al-Awlaki. At first he was moderate in his views and popular.

IMAM JOHARI ABDUL-MALIK, DAR AL-HIJRAH ISLAMIC CENTER: Young, handsome, Californian, has the benefit of English without an accent.

COSTELLO: Then 9/11 happened. Imam Johari told us Al-Awlaki grew angry at the way Muslim Americans were treated by authorities. He left for Yemen in 2002 telling his friends --

ABDUL-MALIK: This is not an environment for teaching Islam or preaching Islam. I'd rather go back to Yemen. And he told us, I can teach or maybe I can do a television program.

COSTELLO: But in Yemen, he was jailed. Imam Johari says it was after that that Al-Awlaki became radicalized with a growing following. His views unrecognizable to those who knew him in the United States.

ABDUL-MALIK: What he is saying from wherever he is in Yemen to his minions that it is not only legitimate to kill Americans. That's the message people got -- but that it is also permissible to kill American Muslims.

COSTELLO: Something Imam Johari says is against both Islam and the United States. It may be, he says, that Al-Awlaki has lost his mind.

(on camera): Al-Awlaki has written on his Web site that Major Hasan, the alleged Fort Hood shooter, was a hero. Today, that Web site is not accessible. It's not clear why, although some experts say Al-Awlaki is afraid he's getting too much attention and shut his own Web site down.

Carol Costello, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Torrential rains, more flooding. Rob Marciano still tracking a storm called Ida. She just won't go away, will she?

MARCIANO: She won't. Even as the storm exits places like Georgia and Florida, it's now spreading rain shield across parts of the Carolinas. We're still looking at areas in the northern Georgia area that had historic flooding a month and a half, two months ago. It's beginning to see similar scenes.

We come and go, getting pictures here in the CNN NEWSROOM. Some of the major rivers and even smaller creeks that saw the torrential flooding a month and a half ago are seeing similar action now. Those rivers have not crested yet. Until they do, obviously, the residents that live along those rivers are having a deja vu nightmare for sure.

As the rain spreads to the north and east, it actually will in some cases dump more rain, like Wilmington will see over 5 inches of rainfall. Norfolk, 8.4 inches. That's a computer model that we're running here that shows rainfall over the next 48 hours because what's left of Ida is actually going to tap other pieces of that atmospheric energy and develop into something that will likely be more strong with an area of low pressure sitting here and just pounding this area, not only with rain, but wind and waves that will do a tremendous amount of damage as far as beach erosion and may even overwash some of the areas prone to those things.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: That's a pretty shot. I'm glad we have that.

MARCIANO: We try to end on a good note.

COLLINS: Yes, we do. I like that. Thanks so much. Appreciate it.

There are plenty of ways you can help our troops and veterans. Miss USA will join us today to talk more about that and to make a very special announcement herself. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Checking top stories now. President Obama heads out tomorrow on a nine-day trip to Asia. He'll visit Japan, Singapore, China and South Korea. Officials say President Obama will emphasize the importance of Asian nations as partners on major issues like economic growth, the Afghanistan war and climate change.

New York's governor David Paterson could force a vote to legalize same-sex marriages. Paterson says he wants the state Senate to vote on it even if the bill fails. It could come up during a special session planned for early next week.

The mastermind of the D.C. area sniper attacks has been executed. Forty-eight-year-old John Allen Muhammad died of a lethal injection last night in Virginia's death chamber. Authorities say Muhammad was behind the shooting spree that left ten people dead and terrorized the nation back in 2002. He was executed for shooting and killing a Virginia man at a gas station. Muhammad's teenage accomplice, Lee Boyd Malvo, is now serving a life sentence.

Spending the holidays away from loved ones is one of the hardest things for troops and their families. But every year volunteers do what they can to make things a little bit easier. Here to talk about some of the volunteer opportunities out there, and to make a special announcement of her own, is Kristen Dalton. She is Miss USA for 2009.

Kristen, thanks for being here. We appreciate it so much.

KRISTEN DALTON, 2009 MISS USA: Hi. Thanks. I'm happy to be here. COLLINS: Yes. So, you have been doing a lot of work with the troops. You have been with USO for a long time, back in North Carolina, in fact. Why is that important to you?

DALTON: It's always been a passion for me. For some reason. There's no one in my family that's ever served in the military. But I always felt a strong calling to give back to our military members because just picturing them overseas, leaving their families, sacrificing their lives to protect values for our country, is so meaningful. And to me, it's the ultimate service that you can do for our nation. So, anything that I can do to give back to them and to make a difference, I will always say yes to the USO.

COLLINS: So, on a day like today, Veterans Day what does it mean to you, this day?

DALTON: You know, this is such a special day. It's really cool to see the veterans out in New York City wearing their uniforms and just going up to them and saying "Thank you for your service." It means so much to them. And I'm going to be on the Intrepid today, making a special announcement and saying thank you to the veterans and...

COLLINS: Yes, and as we talk about that and what's going on today in New York City for Veterans Day, we're looking at live pictures right now coming in from Arlington National Cemetery at the Tomb of the Unknowns, where we expect the president to come shortly.

All of this, right up your alley as we remember the service and, of course, honor the service of our veterans today. I also know that you are going to be making a very big announcement when you are on things the Intrepid later today. What's that about?

DALTON: Like I was telling you before, I think that serving in the military, protecting our country, is the epitome of service in what you can do for our country.

But not everyone is going to serve in the military. There are so many different ways you can serve. I just became an ambassador for Service Nation, which is an initiative that Barack Obama has put into place that allows people and inspires Americans to serve and to volunteer in all different ways, to give back to your community, to give back to your nation and our world, just to make this a better place to live.

One of the things that I'm going to do to kind -- of in light of being an ambassador for Service Nation is to go to Fort Drum on Thanksgiving. I'll spend my Thanksgiving there...

COLLINS: Great.

DALTON: ... serving dinner to the service members and their families and also to some of the children that are there that are without their parents this holiday season because they're deployed.

COLLINS: Yes. Absolutely. Well, good for you. It's terrific. I do not think there will be many soldiers who are going to miss dinner that night when you are there. No question about that. I know you're also planning next year to go overseas in theater with the USO. So, really appreciate what you're doing very much.

Kristen Dalton, we'll be watching. Thank you so much.

DALTON: Thank you.

COLLINS: All right. Very good.

Once again, giving you a look as best that we can. Have forgive the cameras here. We're kind of taking raw video just as we get it in live from Arlington National Cemetery. Very large group has gathered as they usually do on this Veterans Day to honor America's service men and women. Getting ready for the president who will be coming shortly. We'll keep our eyes trained here. We're back in a moment.

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COLLINS: We'll take a moment to show you opening bell today. New York Stock Exchange. We're looking at the Marine Corps, who were there to ring the bell on Veterans Day. And actually right in the center is the lieutenant general George Flynn, who is a deputy commandant for combat development and integration.

So, a very appropriate as they ring the bell and celebrate the 234th birthday of the United States Marine Corps. Also checking numbers for you. Up at least double digits right now, about 25 points or so. Resting at 10,274. Dow Jones Industrial Averages. We'll continue to watch those numbers as always here.

Procrastinators, don't say we didn't warn you. This year, it may pay to get holiday shopping done early. Stephanie Elam is in the CNNmoney.com newsroom in New York. So, Stephanie, why the rush?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Heidi, it's really come down to if you want your choice of the lot, you have to get out there. Retail experts say grab what you want when you see it or you may be out of luck. Stores got burned last year when they were left with a lot of unsold merchandise after Christmas. This year, they don't plan on making the same mistakes, so they are stocking less inventory.

That could mean a run on some very hot items. And with clothing, you could run into trouble with sizes if you wait too long and your size will be long gone, Heidi. And everyone hates it when that happens.

COLLINS: One reason, Stephanie, many of us wait until the last minute is the deals are so good right before Christmas. Are we going to see that again this year?

ELAM: That's true. A lot of people do wait for deals. But retail experts say there will still be sales this year. They're just not going to be as good. After Black Friday last year, there were signs screaming 60, 70, even 80 percent off. This year, maybe we'll see just 40 percent or 50 percent.

But we're already seeing promotions. After all, retailers know they have to work to get consumers to open their wallets this season. Wal-Mart is sending the message it will not be beat, dropping prices on books and DVDs. And that sparked a price war with Amazon and Target.

Experts also say to look for deals on store-brand clothing rather than designer duds. Production costs have fallen, and stores can pass those savings to you. With Black Friday approaching -- obviously, that's the Friday after Thanksgiving -- you can also expect to see more promotions. One analyst told us Black Friday will still be Black Friday and there will still be good prices on a lot of products.

Of course, if you have more information on the story and check out holiday shopping tips, go ahead and check out CNN.com. There's the Web site there. You can get more info. I'm happy to say I'm at least already done with my husband for Christmas shopping. So, I feel good.

COLLINS: Oh, that's a good place to start. Stephanie Elam, sure do appreciate it. CNNmoney.com this morning.

Just a few minutes from now at the top of the hour in fact we will be seeing President Obama taking part in the traditional wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns. We're looking at live pictures now of Arlington National Cemetery. Obviously, people are gathered and in place to get ready for the ceremony.

We are going to be bringing you live coverage of it and the president's remarks that will follow later in the hour as we continue our focus on this Veterans Day.

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COLLINS: We're looking now at live pictures at Arlington National Cemetery, the Tomb of Unknowns. You see first lady Michelle Obama there. We also see quite a few umbrellas. A rainy day in the Washington, D.C. area.

We're awaiting the traditional wreath laying ceremony that will be happening any minute now. So, we're going to continue to try to keep these live pictures up for you on this Veterans Day. President Barack Obama is expected any moment, of course, to soon take part in that ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns. Once again, live pictures for you as we continue to watch those.

A couple interesting facts that you may not know about the Tomb of the Unknowns. Inside the tomb, there are the remains from World War I, World War II, the Korean conflict, and also the Vietnam War. Each one of the people were given the Medal of Honor at the time of internment. Also, other medals and flags which cover their caskets on display, of course, at the amphitheater, the Memorial Amphitheater, which is very near where we're looking right now.

So, beautiful pictures coming from there even though the rain is complicating things just a little bit. But once again, those live pictures for you coming in from Arlington National Cemetery where the president will come any moment to lay the wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns.

For now, that will do it for us on this Veterans Day. I'm Heidi Collins. CNN NEWSROOM continues now with Tony Harris.