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U.S. Future in Afghanistan; President Obama Welcomes India's PM

Aired November 24, 2009 - 09:00   ET

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

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, guys. And good morning to you, everybody. Here's what we're working on today. A lot going on in the CNN NEWSROOM.

War council meets again, late into the night this time. The decisions on troop levels in Afghanistan said to be coming.

Two million cribs recalled. The detached drop sides could lead to a baby suffocating.

Plus, debit cards rewards programs. Banks could improve their bottom line, but you could bottom out.

Good morning, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

As we said, a whole lot going on this morning, Afghanistan, a White House gala, and issue number one, all on the president's plate today. In fact, Elaine Quijano is at the Pentagon for us this morning, talking a little bit more about the military strategy session that's going on regarding Afghanistan.

And Jill Dougherty is at the White House for us today, amid all the preparations for the president's first state dinner happening tonight.

And also, Christine Romans, who you see there, is talking a little bit more this morning about a snapshot of the economic recovery and what it means to you.

The war strategy in Afghanistan. Now the White House says a long-awaited decision on sending more U.S. troops is days away. Last night, the president met with his top advisers on what could be the last major discussion before the announcement.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD HOLBROOKE, U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY FOR AFGHANISTAN AND PAKISTAN: This is the most thorough, the most sustained, the most thoughtful process I have ever seen. And over the long course of it, we have seen -- we have all learned a great deal from each other in a way which I think is exactly the way decisions should be made.

I'm not going to get into public debates. I'm not going to go in that direction. I just feel that what you've seen is a very serious debate and that's really all I want to say about it. But I'm honored to have been a small part of it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: CNN's Elaine Quijano is at the Pentagon, as we've said. She's got the very latest on all of this.

So, Elaine, what have your sources been telling you about the president's timeframe now?

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, we know that the meeting itself last night lasted under two hours. It wrapped up around 10:00 local time. And afterwards, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said it was a rigorous final meeting and said that the president now has the information he wants and needs to make a decision.

He also said that the president is expected to announce that decision within days. That's the latest, Heidi, on the timeframe. Now the president, as you've mentioned, has met with his war council nine times since September. And interesting to note, Heidi, one thing on the president's schedule today, a meeting in the afternoon with the defense secretary, Robert Gates.

He's going to be sitting down in the oval office along with Vice President Joe Biden. We don't know whether the main topic there is going to be Afghanistan, but interesting to note that is a meeting that is on the president's schedule later today -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes, and curious too, I'm reading and understanding that apparently General McChrystal, as well as the Afghan ambassador, Carl Eikenberry, are going to be asked to testify.

Do we know more about that and when that will happen? Are we going to hear the announcement about troop levels first and then there'll be more hearings?

QUIJANO: That's what we're trying to sort out right now, Heidi. I can tell you all morning long we've been trying to pinpoint a timeframe on all of this. There have been, as you know, a number of reports out there basically laying out a kind of timetable for next week and how things will happen.

Specifically, there's a date being bandied about, Tuesday, December 1st. But I can tell you from a conversation that I just had a few minutes ago with an official, there is frustration, Heidi, a great deal of frustration within the administration right now, because as the president has said, as Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has said, they consider any leaking when it comes to this Afghanistan strategy review a fireable offense. Really serious stuff here.

And they will not confirm any kind of rollout of this plan, but this official in particular that I talked to basically signaling frustration here with some of the reporting that's out there. We're trying to pinpoint again exactly what the date might be for the president's announcement, but there are, you know, again a lot of reports out there, pointing to perhaps next week. But we just don't know at this point -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right. We, of course, will continue to follow it from here. Elaine Quijano at the Pentagon this morning. Thank you, Elaine.

Of course no one has more riding on the Afghanistan strategy than the United States troops themselves.

CNN's Frederik Pleitgen has been talking with some of those Americans. He's joining us now by phone from the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. Because, Fred, I know you're getting ready to get on a plane and you are surrounded by American troops at the time.

Tell us a little bit more about where you are, what's happening next, and their reactions to some of the discussion that are going on at the White House here regarding strategy here.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Hi, Heidi. Yes, I am at the Kabul airport and I'm waiting to go with American troops down to the south of Afghanistan where, obviously, we're going to be seeing a lot of that new strategy hopefully unfold very soon as we're there.

And I can tell you that this has obviously been the top topic on the minds of most of them.

COLLINS: Sure.

PLEITGEN: And really, the gist that I'm getting is that many of these Americans soldiers out here feel that they really need more combat troops in the south of Afghanistan, not only to combat the Taliban and also to come to terms with things like the threat of roadside bombs there.

They feel that that's been expanding. They really think that they need more soldiers in a lot of places down there to really get to grips with the insurgency that is happening there. Now there are some other soldiers also, and I found this very interesting, who say that they believe that one of the really important things, of course, is also training the Afghan forces.

They say, in the end, having a good sustained Afghan army is going to be their ticket to going home. So certainly you really have a mixed bag of opinions, but I can tell you this topic is really on the mind, that is one that people are talking about a lot here in Afghanistan right now if you talk to these American troops here.

COLLINS: I'm sure they are, Fred. A couple of quick questions. Are any of them talking about their concerns as to where these troops would come from, if indeed, we hear that there are going to be more sent in, where they would get the bodies from? And also, about the length it's taken. The length of time it's taken for this decision to come?

PLEITGEN: Yes, you know, I think a lot of them really are concerned about the length of time that all this has taken. I think a lot of people here on the ground, a lot of the soldiers here wish this could have happened a little bit quicker.

However, there are, of course, many who say, of course, this is a decision that needs to be very-well thought through. I think many of them really expected this decision to come down a lot sooner. I mean, we've been hearing about this possibly going on for several weeks now.

And it's certainly something where the soldiers felt that a decision should have been made a little bit quicker. On the other hand, of course, they didn't feel that all of this should have been rushed in any way, shape, or form.

And the other question that you asked is a good one, where all these new bodies are going to be coming from. And that's certainly something where a lot of guys say they fear that they might have to do additional rotations, that things might go longer here in Afghanistan.

But certainly, right now in these early stages, most of the discussions that I'm hearing here, right now, are what can we do to improve the situation. And certainly, there are a lot of opinions on that down here -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes, and Fred, as we talk to you, we're looking at one of the pictures that we were able to get ahold of from last night's late-night strategy session there. The president and his team.

So Frederik Pleitgen, sure do appreciate that. Reporting to us from the Kabul Airport right now. And we'll stay in touch with you throughout all of this decision-making process.

Right now the red carpet is rolled out at the White House. Just a few minutes from now, President Obama and the first lady will welcome India's prime minister, Manmohan Singh. It's the Obama administration's first state visit.

CNN foreign affairs correspondent Jill Dougherty is joining us now live from the White House with more on this.

Good morning to you, Jill. Tell us a little bit about the events today and why they're so significant.

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, the events, number one, you know, it's -- there's a lot of pomp and circumstance with this. It is the president's first state visit, and so symbolically, but also in a very substantive way, you're going to have a lot of things happening today.

Beginning with the arrival ceremony very shortly about to take place. Normally, that would be on the south lawn. There would be military guard and all of that. But since it's been raining for a couple of days and brightening a little bit, but it's going to be inside.

And -- nonetheless, pretty formal event. Then you're going to have meetings, bilateral meeting, the two leaders sitting down one on one. And then, of course, an expanded bilat, as they call them, where their aides will be taking part. Then you're going to have a -- you know, it's not really fair to call it a news conference, because they're just going to take one or two questions from each side.

And then there'll be a lunch. Vice President Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at that lunch. And then later on, of course, the main event, which is that dinner, very elaborate, out on the south lawn, gigantic tent set up there. And there'll be about 320 guests -- Heidi.

COLLINS: A couple of things, Jill, quickly. Any idea why India and why the Indian prime minister will be coming for the first state dinner? I mean, obviously, we have to remember what was happening last year at this time with regard to counterinsurgency and counterterrorism, if you will, with the attacks in Mumbai.

DOUGHERTY: Yes. Well, that's one of the things, Mumbai. But really, what it is is for a couple of presidencies, certainly under President Bush, India has become more and more important to the United States. Worldwide, its influence economically, politically, is growing.

And yet, there's a certain perception in India that they are not getting the attention that they really should be getting. That the United States is right now focused on China, a lot of attention on the neighbor, Pakistan, because of Afghanistan. So this is a way of reassuring them that it's really, really important.

And no matter what issue you look at right now in the world, Heidi, India is really important. Climate change, energy, relations with China, you name it. They are very important.

COLLINS: All right, Jill Dougherty for us this morning, thank you, Jill.

This morning, big news on the economy and where it is headed. Just minutes ago, the Commerce Department lowered its figure on the Gross Domestic Product. Of course, the GDP, a big deal, because it measures all the goods and services within the country, and therefore is considered one of the broadcast -- broadest, that is, measures of the economy.

So, what does the GDP mean to you and your wallet? The impact may be much greater than you think. At the bottom of the hour, an economic expert is going to be telling us a little bit more about how it works and why it affects you.

In the meantime, Jacqui Jeras standing by on the weather and how it affects us and why. Hey there, Jacqui, we're already talking about travel delays, right?

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I know. Well, you know what? Knock on wood, as we speak, no air travel delays, but we expect they could get pretty hefty, even before the end of today. Of course, tomorrow is the big one. We'll let you know where you can expect some problems coming up in your forecast.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COLLINS: President Obama is and the first lady welcoming India's prime minister to the White House any moment now. We are going to bring it to you live when it happens.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Just a quick reminder now. We are awaiting President Obama to speak with the prime minister of India at any moment. That White House event is moving indoors now, as we just heard from our Jill Dougherty, because of the rainy weather. So it sounds like a perfect time, as we continue to watch these live pictures, to check in with meteorologist Jacqui Jeras at the Severe Weather Center.

Hey, good morning, Jacqui.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: OK. Very good. Hey, Jacqui, you know Paula Deen?

JERAS: I know of Paula Deen.

COLLINS: Yes, well, she knows obviously how to handle just about anything in the kitchen, but just in case you haven't seen this. The celebrity chef was a bit stunned yesterday by a ham. Yes, a flying ham. Deen was at an Atlanta charity -- I'm just dreading this, because I've seen it a little bit. Passing out hams on a relay line. She playfully sort of threw one down the line like a football, but another one was thrown back and she didn't really expect it and she got clobbered there in the nose.

JERAS: Ouch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAULA DEEN, CELEBRITY CHEF: I just got hit with a hog, so what can I expect?

(LAUGHTER)

Ran head on into a hog.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: An ice pack stopped the swelling. Thankfully, Deen's nose was not broken. Danger in the kitchen.

JERAS: I know.

COLLINS: Or in the warehouse.

JERAS: At least she had good humor about it.

COLLINS: Yes. Very...

JERAS: I just got hit with a hog.

COLLINS: Definitely. All right, Jacqui. We'll check back later on. Thank you.

Here's another story that you're going to want to know about. More than two million cribs recalled. Parents told to take their children out before they get hurt or even killed. And it's not the first time for the company that put them on the market.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Time to check some of the top stories that we're watching this morning now. Debate begins today on the possible impeachment of South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford. A House measure was introduced in the wake of Sanford's disappearance to visit his mistress in Argentina. The debate comes just one day after a state ethics commission accused Sanford of 37 ethics violations, mostly for misuse of state funds and state-owned aircraft. He could also face criminal charges.

The doctor under investigation in Michael Jackson's death has returned to work now. Dr. Conrad Murray saw patients at his Houston clinic for the first time since Jackson's death in late June. The Los Angeles County coroner ruled Jackson's death a homicide. No charges have been filed against Murray or anyone else in the case.

The shuttle astronauts are packing up to leave the International Space Station today. They are also bringing back astronaut Nicole Stott who spent three months on the space station. This morning, she talked about what she's looking forward to back on earth.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RANDOLF BRESNIK, U.S. ASTRONAUT: We've been training long and hard for this mission. We know that the baby's been coming, so it was easy to go ahead and do our tasks. And then you'll time come, we had some free time and I was able to see the pictures and call down. It was just wonderful to find out the news and to be able to see her for the first time, two days ago.

And hopefully, as soon as we land, you know, it's a lot less on us shuttle crew, you know, who are coming home after 11 days. We've got, you know, people here who have been up here for three months and our ISS crew that just went over the 180-day mark.

And I think the common theme you'll hear from all of us is we just want to see -- you know, looking forward to seeing our families again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Obviously, the new father there. Stat is actually the last space station member that will travel by shuttle. The last will come and go on Russian rockets. The current shuttle crew has been in space for more than seven days.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: All right. Quickly we want to continue to look at these pictures. We are awaiting President Barack Obama and also India prime minister to come to the east room now. I think we're getting a look at them getting closer and closer to the podium here.

We do expect them to make some remarks. Originally, this was all going to take place on the south lawn, but we've got some bad weather there in Washington, so everything has moved inside.

We are preparing tonight for the president's first state dinner, honoring the Indian prime minister and his wife. We have already seen the first lady come into the room, Michelle Obama, and also the first lady, if you will, of India.

Let's go ahead and take a moment to listen in now to some of these remarks, which I believe are pending.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... Republic of India followed by the national anthem of the United States of America.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Prime Minister Singh, Mrs. Gursharan Kaur, members of the Indian delegation, on behalf of Michelle and myself, it is a great pleasure to welcome you to the White House.

On behalf of the American people, it is my great honor you -- to welcome you to the United States.

Mr. Prime Minister, yours is the first official state visit of my presidency, and it is fitting that you and India be so recognized.

(APPLAUSE)

This visit reflects the high esteem in which I and the American people hold your wise leadership. It reflects the abiding bonds of respect and friendship between our people, including our friends in the Indian-American community who join us here today.

But above all, your visit at this pivotal moment in history speaks to the opportunity before us to build the relationship between our nations, born in the last century, into one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century.

For a while our two nations have taken different paths to reach this moment, ours is a common story.

It's the story of two proud people who struggled to break free from an empire and declare their independence; two bold experiments with -- in democracy with constitutions that begin with the same simple words, "We the people"; to great republics dedicated to the ideals of liberty, justice, equality, and the never-ending work of perfecting their union.

It's the story of two economic marvels fueled by an ethic of hard work and innovation. And today our nations are two global leaders, driven, not to dominate other nations, but to build a future of security and prosperity for all nations.

Mr. Prime Minister, as we work to build that future, India is indispensable.

As leading economies, the United States and India can strengthen the global economic recovery, promote trade that creates jobs for both our people, and pursue growth that is balanced and sustained.

As nuclear powers, we can be full partners in preventing the spread of the world's most deadly weapons, securing loose nuclear materials from terrorists, and pursuing our shared vision of a world without nuclear weapons.

As people who've known the pain and anguish of terrorism, we can stand together, cooperating to prevent future attacks and promote the development and prosperity that undermines violent extremism.

As India becomes an increasingly influential global power, we can partner to meet other transnational challenges: developing clean energy partnerships, confronting climate change, stopping infectious disease, reducing hunger, and working to end extreme poverty in our time.

And as the world's largest democracies, we can keep faith with our common values: speaking out and standing up for the rights and dignity to which all human beings are entitled, and showing that nations that respect the rights and aspirations of their people are ultimately more stable, more secure and more successful.

This is the India that America welcomes today, a leader in Asia and around the world.

(APPLAUSE)

These are the challenges we are summoned to meet in partnership. This is the progress that is possible, today and in the days and years ahead.

And, Mr. Prime Minister, as we build our common future, we can draw strength from our shared past. For it was exactly 60 years ago, in a ceremony not unlike this, that an American president welcomed to the White House the first prime minister of an independent India.

And while the decades that followed were not without their challenges, the spirit of that first visit is with us today: the same sense of possibility, the same hope for the future.

So as President Truman said of President Nehru, it is my privilege to welcome the respected leader of a great nation of free people. And as Prime Minister Nehru said of the work before them, may our two great nations find many ways of working together in friendly and fruitful cooperation to our mutual advantage, and for the good of humanity.

Mr. Prime Minister, Mrs. Kaur, in that spirit, I welcome you to the United States of America. (APPLAUSE)

DR. MANMOHAN SINGH, PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA: Mr. President, First Lady Mrs. Obama, thank you very much for your warm words of welcome, Mr. President. My wife and I are deeply honored to be in your great country on the first state visit of your presidency.

(APPLAUSE)

Mr. President, I bring to you and the people of the United States of America the friendly greetings of our 1 billion people of India.

(APPLAUSE)

India and America are separated by distance, but bound together by the values of democracy, humanism, rule of law, and respect of fundamental human freedoms.

Over the years, we have built upon these values and created a partnership that is based upon both principle and pragmatism.

Our relations have been transformed, and today they encompass cooperation in all areas of human activity.

Mr. President, I've come today to build upon these successes and to strengthen our multi-faceted relationship. We seek to broaden and deepen our strategic partnership and to work with the United States to meet the challenges of a fast-changing world in this 21st century.

(APPLAUSE)

This is a moment of great opportunity in our relationship. India and the United States can and must work together to harness the immense potential of our talented and enterprising people, and support each other's growth and prosperity.

We should cooperate in addressing global challenges of combating terrorism, making our environment cleaner, and moving towards a world free of nuclear weapons.

Mr. President...

(APPLAUSE)

Mr. President, we deeply appreciate your strong personal commitments to our bilateral relationship. My wife and I are deeply grateful to you and the first lady for receiving us during this Thanksgiving week.

With these words, I once again thank you, Mr. President.

God bless America. God bless India.

(APPLAUSE)

COLLINS: All right. So there you have India's prime minister, officially welcomed to the United States, by the president, and also officially welcomed to the White House, obviously. Later on tonight, we are going to be watching the state dinner that will be held at the White House. About 320 people have been invited to that dinner. The first state dinner, as you heard the Indian prime minister talked about, for President Obama.

Right now, however, behind closed doors, President Obama and the prime minister of India, Singh, will be talking about several different issues, counterterrorism, climate change, and the economy. That is what we are being told they will discuss. That, a meeting, of course, closed to the press. And then right after that meeting around 11:35, we're told, there will be a press conference that they'll be holding and we will bring that all to you live when it happens.

For now, a quick break right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Checking our top stories now. Terror-related indictments have been unsealed in federal court in Minnesota. Eight Somali American men from that state face charges. The men are accused of providing financial support to those who traveled to fights to Somalia, to fight for Al-Shabaab. That group is believed to have ties to al Qaeda. None of the eight men charged are believed to be in the U.S. now and just one is in custody.

We've been reporting about complaints that veterans have had with delayed service through the Department of Veterans Affairs. Both in getting claims processed and in college payments through the new G.I. bill. Well, today, we want to tell you that the agency's benefit administration will be getting a new leader. Undersecretary Patrick Dunne will resign early next year. Veterans advocate tell the "New York Times," vets wait an average of six months for an initial answer on a disability claim, and another four to five years on appeals.

"The Times" reports secretary of Veterans Affair, Eric Shinseki, is aiming to reduce the load of unprocessed claims and update computer technology. Shinseki already ordered VA employees to work extra hours to get those college payments out and approve emergency funding for it. A spokeswoman for Shinseki tells the "Times" despite suggestions from Veterans advocates, Dunne was not forced out.

I want to take a quick look at the opening bell now, rang just a few minutes ago. And we are following all of those numbers today. A lot of people have questions about the GDP, which we'll get to in a moment. You see right there, a little bit of a lower open. Certainly a lot lower than yesterday. So the DOW down about ten points or so, resting at 10,442.

When third quarter GDP came out, the end of last month, it was the first sign of economic growth the U.S. had seen in a long time. The number then, 3.5 percent. But this morning, that number was revised downward to 2.8 percent. Here to help us understand what that means, Peter Morici, an economist at the University of Maryland.

Peter, nice to see you, as always. So, yes, what does it mean? Sort of projected things a little too high?

PETER MORICI, ECONOMIST, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND: Well, yes. The initial estimate was too high. The consumer did not come out as strongly from the gate as Commerce thought. Also, the trade deficit continued to drag, even more so. And finally, other than software and new computers, businesses are not investing. Not surprising, if consumers aren't buying, why build capacity to service them.

COLLINS: Yes. So, wait, is that the number or not the number? Are we going to see another revision? I mean, when is it actually the number?

MORICI: Oh, we get three GDP estimates. We get a flash report, which we saw last month. We get a preliminary estimate, which was this month. And then next month we'll have a final report. And that will stay fixed until day do a general revision every couple of years.

COLLINS: Yes. OK, so when that number first came out, as we have mentioned here, it was 3.5 percent, and there were a lot of people saying, all right, you know, kind of clapping their hands saying, things are looking good now. But then when you look at unemployment, as always, and a couple of other indicators, it seems like being a little bit reserved about how you feel by way of getting out of a recession is maybe a better way to go.

What are your thoughts?

MORICI: Well, certainly, coming out of a recession, we expect much bigger bounce than 2.8 or even 3.5.

COLLINS: Yes.

MORICI: We should expect something like six percent. And that's the kind of number we need to start pulling down unemployment. We're still getting 500,000 new unemployment claims each week. Until we resolve the trade deficit, stimulus spending won't be enough to get us out. We simply are importing too much, which means there's not enough demand for what we make here.

COLLINS: All right. Let's listen for just a minute, if you would with me, Peter, to something that the president said yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: One of the ironies that we have right now is that businesses across sectors are making profits again, but their primary way of making profit has been to cut costs as opposed to seeing an increase in demand. And unfortunately, the huge rise in productivity, which is normally a good thing, in this circumstance, means that they have learned to produce the same amount of goods with fewer people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: So, Peter, do you agree with that explanation as to why the economy is growing, but unemployment not really improving?

MORICI: Absolutely. Businesses don't have enough customers and as always is the case, they continue to find new ways to make things more cheaply. That is with less labor and less of everything. As a consequence, if the economy doesn't grow at more than three percent a year, it's very hard to add enough new jobs to bring unemployment down. Until we find a new source of demand for American products, until we start exporting as much as we import or import less, it's going to be hard to power up this economy.

During the boom, we managed that by basically spending more than we earn and buying too much of everything. Now that consumers are getting back to a more normal pace of behavior, a more prudent pace of behavior, we have to balance the trade deficit. But the president makes no prescriptions for that. And that is what is so troubling.

COLLINS: Well, quickly, before I let you go, when are we going to see that six percent that you mentioned for GDP? Any idea?

MORICI: Well, not any time soon, I'm afraid. And a lot of us are quite concerned that in 2011 once the stimulus spending is gone, that we'll go into a second dip.

We have to address the trade imbalance with China and learn to consume less gasoline so we can get more money spent here, or we're just not going to get out of this funk.

COLLINS: All right. We're watching all of it very closely. Peter Morici of University of Maryland thank you.

Well, you don't have to spend the day after Thanksgiving with the crowds at the mall if you don't want to. Find out how you can score the best Black Friday deals right from the comfort of your own home.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Get up at the crack of dawn, arm yourself for battle against other bargain-thirsty shoppers. If that's not exactly how you want to spend the day after Thanksgiving, then turn off your TV for just a second.

Personal finance editor, Gerri Willis is here to help. Good morning to you Gerri.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Good morning.

COLLINS: You can actually score some really good deals while you're wearing those funky bunny slippers that many of us wear the day after Thanksgiving, right; right in front of your computer.

WILLIS: That's right, that's right Heidi. You have to check out the comparison shopping sites. Go to Dealio.com and you'll be able to compare prices on millions of products. Just type in what you're looking for and you'll get a price listing.

At PriceGrabber.com, you can compare prices and set price alerts for yourself.

And finally, check out PriceSpider.com, you can compare prices and you'll be able to see what the product cost six months ago; get some real comparisons out there.

COLLINS: Oh, I like that. What are some of the other ways that people can get some of these good deals?

WILLIS: Well, you know plenty of sites offer coupon codes and printable coupons for online and brick and mortar retailers. At RetailMeNot.com, you can find 400,000 coupon codes and printable coupons.

Browse coupons by retailers at CouponSherpa.com.

Don't forget to look for free shipping at FreeShipping.org. Now, this site offers free coupons for store like Bed Bath and Beyond, Target and eBay.

And of course, we're all trying to keep our holiday spending in check, right? Well, EDIVVY lets a group of people contribute online toward a gift you choose.

And just a few words of caution here, if you are buying online, don't go to the local coffee shop to use the Wi-Fi and don't use a public computer. You'll be vulnerable to hackers. And make sure you don't click on pop-up ads, they may be bogus. And use a credit card, not a debit card for your purchases. You'll have more protection that way.

And if you have any suggestions or tips, send them to me at gerri@cnn.com. We love hearing from you.

COLLINS: Hey, Gerri, really quickly before I let you go, I love what you said yesterday about not only this retailer coupons that we're hearing about today but the promotional codes. Can you remind us how we get those?

WILLIS: Right, yes, well, let's talk about that for a second. So you see promotional codes when you buy something online as you're checking out...

COLLINS: Yes.

WILLIS: They ask you if you have one, right? Well, if you don't, Google the name of the retailer and the phrase "promotional code" and that way you can get those coupons. So that's a nice little shortcut if you haven't been getting all the promotions...

COLLINS: Yes.

WILLIS: ... you want to get some money off; so more ways to save. COLLINS: Very good, I was like that's a secret I don't know when I get to that thing at the bottom. All right Gerri, thank you.

Another important story for you today. Two million cribs recalled. Detached drop sides could lead to a baby suffocating.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Let's take a moment to check in with our correspondents now beginning with Elaine Quijano at the Pentagon; a lot going on. Good morning, Elaine.

QUIJANO: Good morning to you, Heidi. President Obama met last night with his national security team on Afghanistan. When might he announce that decision on more troops? I'll have that story coming up.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange where a new report shows the economy grew last quarter but not quite as sharply as originally thought. Heidi, we'll look at what changed at the top of the hour.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: And I'm Rob Marciano in the nerve center of the world's largest airline. The operations control center here at Delta Air Lines as the big travel day gets here tomorrow. We're going to give you a behind the scenes look at the people that run this airline. That's live coming up in the next hour -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right, very good. Thanks so much, guys. We'll look forward to all of that.

And Rob, I know you would have particular interest in this story. We're going to talking to NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson, a man on the fast track to history. We'll tell you what he did this weekend to earn a place in the record books.

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COLLINS: Parents, listen up. We have a major recall to tell you about involving baby cribs. More than 2 million of the drop side cribs are being recalled because they could potentially kill children and you are being told to stop using them immediately.

We get more now from Rob Brown of CTV.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIKKI JOHNS, VICTIM'S MOTHER: Children are supposed to be safe in their beds and ours wasn't.

ROB BROWN, CTV REPORTER (voice-over): it's what every parent dreads. Chad and Nikki Johns lived through it. Their 9-month-old son got stuck between the rails of his crib and suffocated.

JOHNS: My brother and I did CPR on him until the ambulance got there.

BROWN: Liam's death four years ago led to a recall for certain models of drop side cribs. Now, a new warning about the same design issue is leading to calls to ban drop sides all together.

ANN BROWN, CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION: The hardware can crack, a depression is made in the bed, the baby's head gets caught in that depression and the baby can strangle and die.

BROWN: Drop sides allow a crib side rail to be lowered and baby lifted out easily but some are built with plastic brackets that can break. They're also frequently installed upside down. The results can cause a gap that a child can get trapped in.

The latest recall is voluntary and covers Stork Craft models made between 1993 and 2009, also sold under the Fisher Price brand. It involves 1.2 million cribs in the U.S., almost a million in Canada.

There have been 110 recorded incidents with the Stork Craft cribs including 15 entrapments, 12 in the U.S., 3 in Canada; 4 resulting in suffocation and 20 falls resulting in concussions and bumps and bruises.

Stork Craft is a company from Richmond, D.C. Nobody there would talk to us on camera today.

This isn't the first time the company has recalled crib parts. Earlier this year, Stork Craft pulled half a million cribs because of another issue, weak metal mattress brackets.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Stork Craft's president seen at the end of the piece there says new metal replacement parts will be sent out parents who own the newly recalled cribs. In the United States, those cribs were sold at Sears, Wal-Mart and online at Target.com.

Here're some of the other stories that we're watching right now. In a special ceremony, President Obama and the first lady welcomed India's Prime Minister to the White House this morning. The president and prime minister meet on a host of issues today before tonight's state dinner. It will be the first state dinner hosted by the Obamas.

South Carolina House members begin debate on Governor Mark Sanford's possible impeachment today. That stems from Sanford's surprise trip to Argentina to see his mistress. Now the debate comes just one day after an ethics commission accused Sanford of 37 violations. They say he used state resources for personal travel.

The man accused in the Fort Hood shooting may choose the insanity defense. Major Nidal Hasan's civil attorney says Hasan will likely plead not guilty. He says he hasn't set a defense strategy but an insanity plea is possible. Hasan is accused of killing 13 people at Fort Hood. He remains in intensive care at a San Antonio hospital.