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A Surprise From GM; From Gitmo to Illinois?; Health Care Reform Hurdles

Aired November 16, 2009 - 11:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone. It is Monday, the 16th of November. And here are the faces of the stories behind today's headlines.

Majority leader Harry Reid hoping to bring a health care reform bill to the Senate floor this week, but there are hurdles.

Illinois governor Pat Quinn trying to sell the federal government a prison to hold Gitmo detainees. Are the locals on board?

Chinese businessman Roger Lee stitching clothes for American shoppers. Chances are pretty good he made the shirt on your back.

Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris, and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

First, a surprise out of Detroit this morning. GM says it will start repaying its government bailout loan next month. First installment payment, $1 billion. Sounds good, but, and you knew that was coming, the company also reports a loss from July 10th when it emerged from bankruptcy through the end of the third quarter. The amount: $1.2 billion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRITZ HENDERSON, CEO, GENERAL MOTORS: When you come away from it, we lost money. During this period of time, $261 million was the loss, and then you had about a half a billion dollars of items, and then you had interest. So, about a billion pre-tax, and about $1.2 billion after tax during this time.

Again, these are managerial numbers. Not satisfactory. I mean, certainly much lower than what it has been, although it's not necessarily comparable, and certainly better than our plan going into bankruptcy. But nonetheless, it's a loss, and you cannot be satisfied with it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: All right. Let's drill down.

Stephanie Elam is at the New York Stock Exchange with more.

And Stephanie, GM is starting to pay us back -- that's a good sign -- but it is still losing money. So, what to make of this? Is GM out of the woods, coming out of the woods? STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: They found a path that could take them the of the woods, but they're not there yet, Tony, that's for sure. The GM financials are improving greatly, that's true.

That's the right thing we want to see. But GM lost $1.2 billion. There's no doubt about it, that's a large number, but it's not as bad as it was before. Think about this -- the loss was almost double that in the first quarter just before it filed for bankruptcy.

But there's another good sign here. GM took in $3.3 billion more than it spent. Until now, GM has been spending more than it makes. In fact, it burned through $10 billion in the first quarter.

Sales are still weak, that's true, but they are stabilizing. And GM now has lower debt payments. That's because the company was able to cut down the money it owes in the bankruptcy process. So, all of these are all the right moves, in the right direction.

GM is still nowhere near its rivals, Toyota and Ford, for example. They're making money, Tony, so obviously they have some catch-up to do here.

HARRIS: So, Stephanie, GM wants to pay us back $6.7 billion, possibly by then of next year. Is that even realistic?

ELAM: Well, perhaps at this point. But GM is being cautious.

Right now, GM plans to pay it back over a two-year period, but then the company's saying it may speed up those payments so that it can be finished by next June. Either way, that would be well ahead of schedule.

GM will pay back the money in quarterly installments, basically because it wants to be a little safe here. It doesn't want to pay it all back at once, in case economic conditions take another turn for the worst. So, just being cautious here.

Keep in mind that $6.7 billion, that's just a good start here. Take a look that the pie and you can see it's only a portion of what GM owes taxpayers.

HARRIS: That's right.

ELAM: The total amount that it's on the hook for is $50 billion, that's 5-0 billion. And some analysts say there's a good chance we won't see all of that money. But CEO Fritz Henderson, who we just heard speaking in that little bit of sound there, says he's making it his goal to prove the naysayers wrong on this one, Tony, and really trying to pay all of that taxpayer money back. But we'll see -- we'll see at this point.

HARRIS: Good. Yes, prove us wrong.

All right, Stephanie. Appreciate it. Thank you.

ELAM: Sure.

HARRIS: Let's do this -- let's check the wire now and the day's other big stories.

Afghan insurgents fire two rockets into a busy marketplace, killing at least four civilians and wounding more than 40. Authorities say it happened in a town north of Kabul while French troops are meeting with local elders. No French personnel were wounded.

Another attack across the border in Pakistan. A suicide car bomb detonated outside a police station in Peshawar, killing six and wounding 25. Taliban leaders are claiming responsibility for the recent wave of suicide bombings in that city, but the Taliban denies responsibility for some of the deadliest attacks against civilians, saying they were staged by Pakistani intelligence agencies to sap support for the militants.

President Obama meets with China's president just hours after prodding the country to stop censoring Internet access. The president sat down with the Chinese leader after an earlier town hall meeting with students in Shanghai. Mr. Obama and the Chinese president were expected to focus on the economy and trade.

At the town hall, the president touched on some of the more delicate issues like human rights and censorship.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In the United States, information is free. And I have a lot of critics in the United States who can say all kinds of things about me. I actually think that that makes our democracy stronger and it makes me a better leader, because it forces me to hear opinions that I don't want to hear. It forces me to examine what I'm doing on a day-to-day basis to see, am I really doing the very best that I could be doing for the people of the United States?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: I believe we have some live picture here that we can roll in. OK.

Space Shuttle Atlantis set for liftoff. It's going to happen in about three and a half hours.

Take a look at this. Talk about final preps. Let's suit up here.

The shuttle and its astronauts are heading to the International Space Station, of course, to drop off about 15 tons in spare parts and supplies. They're also carrying some Canadian trees for a gravity experiment.

Washington is dispatching a group of house hunters on a scouting trip to Illinois today. The potential buyers are from the Pentagon, Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

The government may buy or lease a maximum security prison in Thomson, Illinois. It is practically empty. The facility would house perhaps 100 terror detainees from Guantanamo Bay.

CNN's Gary Tuchman in Thomson last month.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's a tiny farming community known for healthy crops of melons and corn and soybeans, but it soon may be known as the Guantanamo of the north. This is the facility, the Thomson Correctional Center, a huge maximum security prison built eight years ago, but there's almost nobody in it. It's considered a white elephant, but it might soon begin filling up. The proposal in place, to bring roughly half of the Guantanamo prisoners to this facility in this small town in Illinois.

Now, there are about 600 people who live in the town. Literally, the population would increase almost 20 percent if 100 -- and that's the number that's being talked about -- 100 inmates come here.

Tomorrow, federal officials from the Department of Justice, from the Department of Defense and Homeland Security will be coming on a tour to see if this is a suitable facility. My guess, they will find it's very suitable.

It's huge. It's modern. It's big. And this is a very barren area and it has the enthusiastic support of the Democratic governor of Illinois.

GOV. PAT QUINN (D), ILLINOIS: This is something that is very good for our state. It's good for our economy. It's good for our public safety.

We believe in America and making sure that safety comes first. And in our state of Illinois, when we have a prison, we make sure that it has the kind of security that protects the civilian population. At the same time, we understand that when there is wrongdoing, there must be punishment, there must be incarceration. And that's why we have built this prison.

Almost a decade ago it was completed. And it is there for the use by our federal government.

TUCHMAN: Now, my guess is, if I talk to all of you in a room at once, most of you would say that you would not want Guantanamo prisoners living near you. But here it's very counterintuitive.

Here in Thomson, almost everybody is for it. It's very difficult to find anyone who is against it. The main reason, this has been here for all of these years. No jobs have been created by it because they haven't put any prisoners in there.

The estimate is about 3,000 jobs that will be created. So, for economic reasons, most people are very much in support of it. And even people who have some problems with it see some good with it.

ROSIE ROJAS, WAITRESS, SUNRISE RESTAURANT: This is a small town. You know, it's not like the terrorists want to do something to Thomson. You know? I mean, Thomson is a great community and, you know, farm town. So I think it should help.

JUDY AURAND, RESIDENT OF NEARBY CLINTON, IOWA: I think the positives with jobs and bringing more people into the community and using that facility to its fullest, because it has been have a can and not used to its high potential. Then again, I think of the high security people coming in that is also scary, thinking terrorists coming to our area, and we have a nuclear facility not too far away from here, just south in the quad cities. And that concerns me also. So I see both positives and negatives about that.

TUCHMAN: Now, there certainly are many national politicians, primarily Republicans, who don't want Guantanamo prisoners brought to the mainland United States. As a matter of fact, one congressman here in Illinois reminds everybody that 150 miles to the east of us is the tallest building in the United States, the Willis Tower, known by us purists, us old-fashioned people, as the Sears Tower. It had its named changed. But that's what he says.

Nevertheless, the Obama administration made it clear, it wants to close Guantanamo. It set a deadline of January 2010. It's unlikely that will be met, but this will be the first concrete steps to closing down Guantanamo, bringing the Guantanamo prisoners here to this tiny little town in Illinois.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Gary Tuchman for us.

Gary, thank you.

Moving Gitmo detainees to U.S. soil would require an act of Congress. Current federal law bars them from American territory.

Your health care, your money -- U.S. senators trying to decide what to keep in the bill, what to kick out.

And take a look at a nice Monday rally on Wall Street. The Dow, as you can see, up 129 points.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: You know, debate could begin this week on the Senate version of health care reform, but several hurdles remain -- you're not surprised to hear that -- like getting the price tag from the congressional numbers crunchers and getting the votes needed to start the debate. Really?

Senior Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash joining us live from Capitol Hill.

And Dana, it seem like such a long time ago that we were talking about the Baucus bill. So, where do things stand now on health care in the Senate?

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is the longest holding pattern anyone could imagine. And that really, really, genuinely what's going on now, because what's happening behind the scenes is that the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, he has been going back and forth with that very, very important Congressional Budget Office that you just mentioned pretty much daily, at least his aides have, for several weeks now, trying to effectively get to yes, trying to get to the point where he knows that a proposal is the right proposal in terms of the cost, the overall cost, in terms of deficit reduction, and in terms of what it could do to reducing health care costs. Because he knows that he's going to have the right formula, if you will, before he even tries to get this on the Senate floor.

So that's what's been going on behind the scenes. It certainly is not the way many senators want it to be. You've heard some complaints from some Democrats and Republicans that they haven't seen anything yet, but I was just told by a Democratic leadership aide that they do hope that they are going to have a bill for senators to see later this week and that, perhaps, perhaps, there would be a vote to begin debate on this bill on Friday, or even Saturday, or even this coming weekend. It just depends on how things go -- Tony.

HARRIS: Yes. Hey, Dana, one more here.

Federal money, health care subsidy dollars going to abortion. Still very much an issue for the Senate in this debate. And the administration now is weighing in.

BASH: That's right. It is very, very controversial. And still one of several items, regardless of the cost of health care, that threatens to stop this from going to the president's desk because of divisions within the Democratic Party.

As our viewers probably know by now, what the House passed was strict restrictions on abortion coverage for federal funding for abortion. And some supporters of abortion rights say that it goes beyond current law in terms of those restrictions.

Well, it is going to be up to the administration to weigh in. And for the first time, I believe, one of the president's top advisers did so, and basically said that the way that the House passed bill looks goes too far.

Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID AXELROD, SENIOR WHITE HOUSE ADVISER: This shouldn't be a debate about abortion. And he's going to work with the Senate and the House to try and ensure that. At the end of the day, the status quo is not changed. JOHN KING, HOST, CNN'S "STATE OF THE UNION": Does the Stupak amendment change the status quo?

AXELROD: Well, I think it's fair to say that the bill Congress passed does change the status quo and -- but I believe that there are discussions ongoing to how to adjust it accordingly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Now, there are discussions ongoing. It is going to be one of the question marks when we do see the Senate bill, because that is going to be the next arena for battle over this abortion language, because you still, just like in the House, you have two very, very different points of view in how far the language should go. But it is going to be -- there's really no other way to cut it -- it is going to be up to the president to try to broker this disagreement and difference among Democrats, people in his own party.

HARRIS: Yes, you're right.

All right. Our Senior congressional correspondent, Dana Bash, for us.

Dana, thank you.

BASH: Thanks, Tony.

HARRIS: Getting the most from your health care plan -- thanks, Dana -- and not losing any money. Personal Finance Editor Gerri Willis has her "Top Tips" next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Let's get you caught up on our top stories now.

Local media in Chicago reporting that the city's school board president has been found dead. Michael Scott (ph) was reported missing earlier by his family. Police are not confirming other than to say that a man's body was found floating in the river.

Cleveland's rape crisis center has opened a special hotline for any women who survived encounters with Anthony Sowell. Police found the bodies of 11 women at Sowell's home in the last three weeks. Sowell faces five counts of murder so far.

In Westwood, California, "Twilight "fans have swarmed a movie theater ahead of tonight's premier of "New Moon," the latest in the vampire series. The movie opens nationwide on Friday.

The year's almost up. Be sure you don't leave a dime of health insurance money on the table.

Personal Finance Editor Gerri Willis is here.

And Gerri, just 45 days left in 2009. How do we cash in? GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: OK. Well, chances are, Tony, most folks are going to find their health care insurance this year is more generous than next year's plan. So, check to see if you paid your deductible and then take advantage of the remaining weeks to get your doctors' appointments in.

Think ahead. What are your health needs? Do you need an extra set of glasses? Now is the time to maximize that health care policy. And while you're at it, think about extras you can ask for, like refills on medicine or maybe even some samples to take home.

HARRIS: To get your head start into next year.

OK. So, Gerri, how about flexible spending plans?

WILLIS: Right. A lot of people have these. Make sure you check to see that you've got a balance first.

A flexible spending plan allows you to set aside pretax dollars to use on health-related expenses, and it usually has to be used by the end of the year, otherwise the money goes away. Advantages, a lot of employers will give you a grace period so the money stays into the account a little later, maybe as late as March 15th.

HARRIS: I see.

WILLIS: Just make sure you use that money in the account before it disappears.

Here are some things you can buy: over-the-counter medicine, massage therapy for a medical condition, first aid kits, Tony. Sunscreen, but it has to be over 30 SPF -- isn't that funny? And dancing sessions if it's used as a treatment. OK, you've got to do it legitimately. All right?

If you want a more complete list of eligible expenses, go to wageworks.com, click on "participants and employees" and look for eligible expenses.

HARRIS: Massage therapy, dancing, but you've got to make a case for this.

WILLIS: I'm just saying, you know, there are some surprising things in there.

HARRIS: That's surprising.

All right. One more here for you, Gerri.

How else can we sort of make sure here that we're squeezing everything out of these plans?

WILLIS: Well, OK, here's an example. Cigna recently did a sample of 10 large employers and, on average, only half of employees took advantage of free preventive checkups and low-cost screenings. What's wrong with this picture? You've got to do the free stuff. Many times, you can get free services like cholesterol screening, prostate cancer screening, mammograms. You may also be entitled to one or two free dental cleanings a year through your dental plan. So make sure you take advantage of this stuff.

What's free this year, Tony, may not be free next year.

And, of course, if you have questions, send them to me at Gerri@CNN.com. We love to hear from you.

HARRIS: Great tips, as always, Gerri. Appreciate it. Thank you.

WILLIS: My pleasure.

HARRIS: You know, it is make-or-break season for retailers, and they are dropping prices. Believe me when I tell you, on just about everything to get you to buy. There's a real opportunity here.

Check out our special report, "AMERICA'S MONEY CRISIS." That's at CNNMoney.com.

President Obama continues his trip to Asia to bolster trade and the economy. As this happens, meet the man who makes sure you have a shirt to wear. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: Just look how far we have come.

In 1979, trade between the United States and China stood at roughly $5 billion. Today, it tops over $400 billion each year.

The commerce affects our people's lives in so many ways. America imports from China many of the computer parts we use, the clothes we wear, and we export to China machinery that helps power your industry.

This trade could create even more jobs on both sides of the Pacific, while allowing our people to enjoy a better quality of life. And as demand becomes more balanced, it can lead to even broader prosperity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: President Obama talks trade on his visit to China. After a town hall meeting with students in Shanghai, the president traveled to Beijing for a meeting with China's president.

China is on its way to becoming the world's second large effort economy, and it is the largest foreign holder of U.S. debt. President Obama's meetings today were really a warm-up for talks tomorrow with China's leaders on global issues.

Details now from Senior International Correspondent John Vause. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN VAUSE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Next comes the hard part -- U.S. President Barack Obama face to face with the three most powerful communists in China: President Hu, Parliamentary Leader Wu, and Premier Wen.

Most analysts believe U.S.-China relations are good, but have shifted in the last 12 months with global issues taking center stage -- the economic crisis, climate change, nuclear proliferation.

KENNETH LIEBERTHAL, BROOKING INSTITUTION: So it isn't a matter of there being a lot of friction over them at this point. The issue is we're figuring out whether we can work together on that. And there's a lot riding on that.

VAUSE: With the U.S. government continuing to run huge budget deficits, mostly financed by China, in a way President Obama will be meeting with his bankers and will need to convince the Chinese government that their huge holdings of U.S. dollars and debt are both safe, while the U.S. wants China to allow its currency to gain in value, believing right now it's deliberately undervalued to give Chinese exporters an unfair competitive edge. But there was no support for that at a weekend economic summit of 21 Asian leaders in Singapore.

And then there is the issue of human rights.

OBAMA: And the United States will never waver in speaking up for the fundamental values that we hold dear.

VAUSE: U.S. officials say it will be raised even though Mr. Obama did not meet with the Dalai Lama in Washington last month to avoid a backlash while visiting Beijing.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: ...the dalai lama in Washington last month, to avoid a backlash while visiting Beijing.

MIKE CHINDY, CHINA ANALYST: Obama has sought to put to the side a number of issues that were major irritants over the years, particularly human rights, Tibet and so on. The calculation, I think in Washington, is that the previous approaches to these issues have been counterproductive.

VAUSE: And with both leaders dealing with such a long and complicated agenda, analysts say don't expect any hard outcomes from these few days. Instead, they say, this more of an ongoing conversation. John Vause, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR, NEWSROOM: Here's a question for you. How do the Chinese know when Americans are having financial troubles? When they buy white shirts. Our Eunice Yoon explains this economic ripple effect.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EUNICE YOON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You've probably never heard of Roger Lee, but chances are, you've worn one of his shirts.

ROGER LEE, TAL APPAREL: Brooks Brothers, LL Bean, Nordstroms, Dillard's, JCPenney, J. Crew, Banana Republic.

YOON: Lee's company TAL Apparel makes clothes for a dizzying number of brands. In fact one out of every six dress shirts sold to Americans comes off one of these assembly lines. So when Americans change their buying habits, this Hong Kong businessman feels the pain. How did you know that U.S. consumers were starting to tighten their belts?

LEE: Americans are buying more basic shirts. We find that typically during a downturn, basic items like plain white shirts, people continue to buy that, because it's what they need to wear to interviews in looking for new jobs.

YOON: And it's not just shirts. This past year has been unprecedented. The slump in demand for everything from shoes to toys to DVD players forced thousands of factories here in southern China to shut down. Millions lost their jobs. Lee says his workers went from making over 200 shirts a minute to 160, but few people were laid off. Close to 5,000 people work in this factory alone. They sit on these assembly lines for about 10 hours a day to stitch together shirts for American shoppers. Lee fears recent trade disputes between Washington and Beijing could escalate and possibly lead to higher prices at U.S. stores.

But with Christmas coming, Lee is encouraged by the increase in orders. Manufacturers here are hiring rather than firing, a sign Lee hopes that the U.S. consumer can make a comeback in 2010.

LEE: We'll see a good Christmas season. And if we see that, then I think it will be good for everyone, for us as manufacturers, for the retailers, the whole economy.

YOON: After all, U.S. shoppers may not be as invincible as they once were but they still make the global economy go round. Eunice Yoon, CNN, (INAUDIBLE) China.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And in our next hour, Stephanie Elam joins us with an in-depth look at China's economy and how it helps, in some cases hurts, our business. Once again, live pictures of NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Space shuttle "Atlantis" set for lift-off, scheduled to happen in about three hours. Look at this. Look at this. You're right inside the shuttle now. Let's bring in Reynolds Wolf. Reynolds, is this going to happen today?

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I think it's going to happen.

HARRIS: You think so?

WOLF: You know what else I think is going to happen, I always thing that when you have one of those big helmets on, these (INAUDIBLE) helmets, what do you do if you have to scratch your nose? I mean think about it.

HARRIS: You don't.

WOLF: You could be locked up there for hours. If you want to itch your nose, you got some serious problems. I don't know how they deal with that kind of stuff.

HARRIS: I didn't see that coming from you at that moment, but thank you.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: A hometown send-off for U.S. troops heading to Afghanistan. And we are still taking your calls and i-reports just ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Let's get you caught up on our top stories now. Federal officials are in western Illinois today checking out a largely vacant maximum security prison. Administration officials want to see if the Thomson Correctional Center can house suspected terrorist detainees from Guantanamo Bay. We are counting down this afternoon's launch of the space shuttle "Atlantis." "Atlantis" is delivering equipment to the international space station. The mission will include three space walks.

Connecticut is sending 700 national guard soldiers to Iraq and Afghanistan. This send-off ceremony held yesterday in Hartford. Here's one of the soldiers scheduled to deploy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SGT. NATHAN TURNER, 250TH ENGINEER COMPANY: On your day-to-day, you don't necessarily realize how much people support you and appreciate you. But when you come to something like this, you see, you know, everybody in support, it really helps you out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: The troops will train Afghanistan's army and police and help clear roads in Iraq. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stresses the U.S. mission in Afghanistan is to defeat al Qaeda, not a long-term commitment to rebuild the country. In an interview on ABC, Clinton explained how the administration plans to ensure a crackdown on corruption in Afghanistan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: I have made it clear that we're not going to be providing any civilian aid to Afghanistan unless we have a certification that, if it goes into the Afghan government in any form, that we're going to have ministries that we can hold accountable. We are expecting there to be a major crimes tribunal, anti-corruption commission, established and functioning because there does have to be actions by the government of Afghanistan against those who have taken advantage of the money that has poured into Afghanistan in the last eight years so that we can better track it and we can have actions taken that demonstrate there's no impunity for those who are corrupt.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: You, our CNN i-reporters are sharing your opinion about whether the U.S. should send more troops to Afghanistan. Here's a sampling.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS, HENDERSON, KENTUCKY: We should bring our boys home. We wasted our time enough over there. There's nothing to be accomplished. There's nothing you can do for those people. They don't want to help themselves out of this. I don't see sending any more troops being any help. Only thing it will do is put more of our troops in harm's way.

TODD, ATLANTA, GEORGIA: There's no real war there. War is the wrong word. It more of a struggle against insurgents. Now, these insurgents are good because we trained them. The United States helped train them when they were fighting the Soviet Union and we used to refer to them as freedom fighters. Now that they won and kicked the Soviet Union out, the Soviet Union collapsed, now we call them terrorists.

ADRIANA MAXWELL, ATLANTA, GEORGIA: You have to have Afghan people on board in order for them to get rid of the insurgents and in order for them to get rid of the Taliban, in order to make sure al Qaeda cannot set up a base there to continue their operations. Also the fact is that more troops, our troops, on the ground do very little in order to help prepare Afghanistan to defend themselves. We need more Afghan troops on the ground.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Adriana Maxwell there, one of our i-report superstars. Good to ehar from you. We have two ways for you to share your thoughts on Afghanistan and U.S. troop levels. Get on camera, tell us your thoughts and send it to us at cnn.com/ireport. Much like the i- reporters you just saw. For our viewers who aren't near a computer, give us a call. There's the phone number, 1-877-742-5760.

Sarah Palin's new book hits shelves tomorrow and stores in Alaska are ready.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: A fallout from the Ft. Hood massacre reaching Capitol Hill today. The White House asked Congress not to look into it until Federal and military authorities wrap up their own investigations. The Senate Armed Services Committee has delayed a closed door briefing today and the Senate Homeland Security Committee has a hearing this Thursday. Meanwhile, a radical imam who had contact with the alleged shooter is speaking out to the "The Washington Post." He says his never encouraged Major Nidal Hasan to hurt Americans.

Have you heard about the light bulb that could be worth $10 million? It is one of "Time" magazine's picks for best invention of the year. Our Josh Levs reviews the list for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The best inventions of 2009 from a light bulb that might be worth $10 million to an electric eye that sees for you. The list is out. This is it right here. It's from "Time" magazine, time.com, which is a partner of cnn.com. They say the best invention of the year is this, NASA's Aries rocket. We have some video for you.

NASA: Three, two, one. Ignition and lift-off of Aries 1X testing concepts for the future of new rocket design.

LEVS: Time calls this the best and smartest and coolest thing built in 2009. It's designed to usher in the next generation of space travel, returning astronauts to the moon and one day bringing people to Mars.

Let's check out more of the top inventions. We're going to zoom in on the screen behind me. We're starting off with this, this electric eye. MIT researchers are developing a microchip that could help blind people regain partial sight. The chip would be implanted into a patient's eye and it contains a tiny camera that transmits signals to the brain.

Check out this one, tweeting by thinking. A doctoral student at the University of Wisconsin found a way to hook something up basically that monitors brain activity and he was able to concentrate on a letter and it read them ultimately. He was able to use that to effectively type out a short tweet.

Over here, this is the $10 million light bulb. This could win a prize being run by the Department of Energy that is ultimately worth $10 million. It uses less than 10 watts. It has as much light as a normal 60-watt bulb and it lasts 25,000 hours.

Let's bang through a couple more over here. This is called the smart thermostat. This is a thermostat that would tell you how much energy all your appliances are using and is would be able to control them, turn them on and off (INAUDIBLE) Take a look here, controller- free gaming. You wouldn't need to hold anything in your hand to play these video games. You can use body movements and sound. Now all these are some of the best inventions of the year.

"Time" also points to some of the worst inventions of the year. And we're going to zoom back in so I can show you two of what it's declaring the worst inventions of the year. You've got to see this. Take a look here. Snuggies for dogs, come on. They're basically saying what are people thinking? And this you really have to see to believe, there it is, the gas-mask bra, a bra that would break apart into two different gas masks. Officially named by "Time" one of the worst inventions of the year. This is kind of an awkward shot. Let's get to that graphic so you can see how you can see the entire list of the top 50 best inventions of the year according to "Time." It's at the blog, cnn.com/josh, also facebook and twitter, joshlevscnn. Let us know what you think. And hey, some these might be on the market in not too long.

HARRIS: Not the gas mask bra, I can tell you that. Let's get to Reynolds Wolf now. Hey Reynolds, are you watching these pictures from NASA TV?

WOLF: I am seeing pictures, yes. It's a pretty amazing thing to see.

HARRIS: Really is.

WOLF: Yeah, they're loading up, going on a trip. This not just like one of those cross-country trips you've got take with your kids in the minivan. This is serious stuff, where they're going to be going up with the speed of a speeding bullet and the weather conditions there Tony, take a look at what we can expect. The launch expected to be around 2:28 to put this into motion, 2:28 Eastern time. We're going to zoom in right on Florida. Here's the Banana River that we have right here and of course we've got the launch site, the launch pad 39a. We're expecting 39 percent probability prohibiting the launch which means as of right now, the forecast shows a 70 percent chance that it will be OK in terms of weather. One of the big worries that we have in parts of central Florida is when you have the converging sea breeze. The daytime heating gives you thunderstorms. Not expected today at all so it looks like things should be thumbs up and should be a heck of a ride, certainly for everyone on the ground and us here at CNN. It's always a great show.

HARRIS: Let's make it happen. So the astronauts are delivering 15 tons of supplies to the international space station?

WOLF: It's a lot of stuff.

HARRIS: And three space walks a part of the mission. Let get them off today. Reynolds, appreciate it. Here's what we're working on for the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM, a small Midwestern community is thrown into the national spotlight. Is Thomson, Illinois a suitable substitute for holding suspected terrorists? We will ask the locals.

Plus the White House wants Congress to back off of investigating the Ft. Hood mass shooting. Why? We will ask our Pentagon correspondent. All that and more coming up in the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Iran appears to be testing international resolve on its nuclear program. The UN nuclear agency believes Iran plans to begin enriching uranium at a previously undisclosed nuclear facility. A senior official says that work near the city of Koom (ph) is expected to start next year. The U.S. and international agency have been trying to get Iran is have that work done outside the country to assure Iran is not working to build a nuclear weapon.

Sarah Palin's autobiography hits books stores tomorrow. Those who have seen advanced copies call it payback and revenge aimed at the McCain campaign. The book has the former Alaska governor back on the trail and in the media spotlight across 413 pages. Palin reportedly never mentions the father of her grandson. She and the 19- year old Levi Johnston have taken their feud public. Palin appears on today's Oprah Winfrey show.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OPRAH WINFREY: So, one final question about Levi, will he be invited to Thanksgiving dinner?

SARAH PALIN: You know, that's a great question and it's lovely to think that he would ever even consider such a thing because of course, he is a part of the family and you want to bring him in the fold and kind of under your wing and he needs that too, Oprah. I think he needs to know that he is loved and he has the most beautiful child and this can all work out for good. It really can. You don't have to keep going down this road of controversy and drama all the time. We are not really into the drama. We don't really like that. We're more productive. We have other things to concentrate on and do.

WINFREY: So yes he is coming or no he's not?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Most Alaskans appear eager to get their hands on the Palin book. Chief national correspondent John King traveled to Wasilla, Palin's home town for reaction.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Wasilla's famous resident lives across this shimmering lake, her image still a smiling, life-sized calling card at the local Chamber of Commerce. It's mostly back to normal a year after the big election but to visit Pandemonium booksellers is to be reminded that Wasilla, like the rest of America, is preparing for the next installment of the Sarah Palin debate.

SHANNON CULLIP, PADEMONIUM BOOKSELLERS & CAFE: I think it will stir it up a little bit.

KING: Owner Shannon Cullip says pre-sales of Palin's "Going Rogue" are shattering store records and reigniting the Palin political divide.

CULLIP: It's either one extreme or the other I would say. People either completely have their own pedestal or don't like her. It's not too much in the middle. You'll have just some people, oh, she's just such an amazing woman. I can't believe what she's accomplished and that sort of thing.

KING: And the flip side?

CULLIP: The flip side, I can't remember.

KING: Palin's fast political rise has been good for business here. (INAUDIBLE) tenure as governor are in the Alaska section and other political titles sell more now too.

CULLIP: I have a little bit of everything. I have the audacity of hope and during the election you find that people bought hope. They were comparing.

KING: Palin calendars are a big seller at the moment. Post- election political sales tend to reflect Wasilla's more conservative leanings. Glenn Beck outsells President Obama at the moment.

CULLIP: Yeah.

KING: This was Governor Palin's Anchorage office until she abruptly resigned in July. New Governor Sean Parnell tries to make his own mark. He, like everyone else in Alaska, is waiting for the next Palin chapter.

GOV. SEAN PARNELL, (R) ALASKA: I can only say nothing except that I wish her the best because she treated me and her fellow Alaskans so well and looked out for as well.

KING: Do you as governor pick up the phone at all and say, (INAUDIBLE)

PARNELL: We keep in touch just on a personal basis. We haven't had the policies councils or anything, but we do keep in touch.

KING: Are you going to read the book?

PARNELL: Of course, I'm going to read the book.

KING: Not everyone here is a Palin fan of course. Democratic Senator Mark Begich among those who choose their words carefully.

SEN. MARK BEGICH (D) ALASKA: I don't know what her future's going to be. I'll let the public make that decision.

KING: Are you going to read the book?

BEGICH: I don't know. I've got a health care bill to read.

KING: Fireside books is in Palmer, a short drive from Wasilla. It will be open three hours early on Tuesday.

DAVID CHEEZEM, FIRESIDE BOOKS: I'd expect people will be lining up and knocking on the door. Sarah Palin fans are not the most patient people in the world. They want it now.

KING: Owner David Cheezem is a Democrat and thought he had a chance at winning a race for the state house last year.

CHEEZEM: The thought was, you know, the Republicans aren't that excited about John McCain. I might be able to get some votes here where otherwise I wouldn't and then she came in and ran for vice president and at that point there was just no way. And I lost dramatically.

KING: You don't seem to hold it against her too much.

CHEEZEM: No, no. Not if she sells a bunch of books here.

KING: Proof that all politics is local, even as the debate about Sarah Palin's national ambitions opens its next chapter. John King, CNN, Palmer, Alaska.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Sarah Palin's tell all interview with Oprah on Levi Johnston, President Obama and her political future, will it help or hurt her public image? Larry King Live, CNN tonight, 9:00 p.m. Eastern time.

Time for your top of the hour (INAUDIBLE) I'm Tony Harris in the CNN NEWSROOM. It is 11:00 a.m. in Thompson, Illinois, where Federal officials will tour a state prison this afternoon. The facility may be the future home for dozens of Gitmo detainees. It is noon on Capitol Hill where Congress gets surprising news from Detroit. GM plans to start repaying its bailout loans and it is 1:00 a.m. Tuesday morning in Beijing where President Obama meets China's Hu (ph) to talk trade, debt and a stronger Chinese currency.

Let's get started. Hoping to cash in on terror suspects, many in the town of Thompson, Illinois, want their maximum security prison to become the new home for Guantanamo Bay detainees. Officials from Homeland Security, Defense, the Justice Department and the Bureau of Prisons are checking out. So our Elaine Quijano takes us there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): About 150 miles west of Chicago sits the farming community of Thompson, Illinois, population 600 where the biggest building in town, a $145 million state prison, sits mostly empty and just down the road at Sunrise restaurant, the talk is all about how to fill it.

ARDEN WEAVER, THOMPSON RESIDENT: I myself, I have no objections.

QUIJANO: Like others in Thompson, Arden Weaver has heard the concerns about security and bringing terror suspects from Guantanamo to U.S. soil. But he's not worried.

WEAVER: I don't feel with the modern technology in this prison. I can't picture anybody escaping.

QUIJANO (voice-over): Neither can restaurant owner Zendel Zendeli. His take? That it doesn't matter who is being held at the prison.

ZENDEL ZENDELI, RESTAURANT OWNER: All the prisoners are in there for a reason. It won't make a serial killer any less dangerous than anybody else. You know? They will be bringing all kinds of prisoners there.

QUIJANO: The Thomson Correctional Center reportedly houses only 144 minimum security inmates, but the state of Illinois is jumping at the chance to fill more of the prison's 1,600 cells.

SEN. DICK DURBIN (D), ILLINOIS: Make no mistake about it, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. We have a chance to bring more than 2,000 good-paying jobs with benefits to this region.

QUIJANO: Back in Thomson, the shuttered businesses on Main Street tell the story of the toll that the recession has taken on the town and its people.

(on camera): Federal officials are touring the prison today and meeting with local officials as well. In the meantime, Illinois Republican congressmen are voicing their opposition to the idea, saying they understand full well the economic picture here in Illinois, but believe national security concerns trump everything else.

Elaine Quijano, CNN, Thompson, Illinois.

(END VIDEOTAPE)