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American Morning
Afghanistan Surge: Obama Vows to Finish the Job; Dangerous Toys; Networking Connects Farmers to Consumers; President Obama Set to Announce Afghanistan War Plan; Obamas Host First State Dinner
Aired November 25, 2009 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks very much for being with us on this Wednesday, the 25th of November; one of the busiest travel days of the year. I'm John Roberts. Good morning to you.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I'm Christine Romans in for Kiran Chetry this morning. Glad to have you with us.
Here are the morning's top stories. After weeks of debate on what to do in Afghanistan, President Obama has a plan in hand. It's believed he will commit thousands of additional troops to the fight, but with the enemy growing stronger and more confident, will the surge make a difference? We're live at the Pentagon.
ROBERTS: President Obama hosting his first official state dinner, and what a night it was! Tom Foreman this morning on the pageantry and the politics of an affair to remember.
ROMANS: Plus, farmers are banning together to find customers and put more money in their pockets. It's called network farming, and even in this tough economy, it's making a difference. Find out how straight-ahead in our a.m. original series, "Success in Sour Times."
ROBERTS: First this morning, President Obama says he intends to finish the job in Afghanistan. He will seek to rally a skeptical American public next week when he lays out his new strategy, one that likely commits thousands more troops, more money, and is aimed at rooting out Taliban and al Qaeda fighters.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And I feel very confident that when the American people hear a clear rationale for what we're doing there and how we intend to achieve our goals, that they will be supportive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Elaine Quijano is live at the Pentagon for us this morning.
And Elaine, what are you learning about the president's war plan?
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, here at the Pentagon, planning is well under way, with President Obama preparing to announce his Afghanistan decision shortly.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
QUIJANO: On the heels of the president's last scheduled war council meeting to review Afghanistan strategy, Pentagon planners are now expecting orders to send about 34,000 additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan, according to a defense official.
The planning calls for Army and Marine brigades as well as support troops, but top military officials have made clear getting any additional forces into the country will take months because of a lack of road and other infrastructure.
ROBERT GATES, U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: I anticipate that as soon as the president makes his decision, we can probably begin flowing some forces pretty quickly after that. But it is a bigger challenge than certainly was the case in Iraq.
ADM. MIKE MULLEN, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIR: We had in Iraq a place -- a staging base in Kuwait. We don't have that in Afghanistan.
QUIJANO: The 34,000 additional troops would be less than the 40,000 sources say General Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, wants. But one official says NATO allies would be asked to fill in that gap.
GEOFF MORRELL, PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: If the president decides to commit additional forces to Afghanistan, there would be an expectation that our allies would also commit additional forces.
QUIJANO: For his part, the president vowed the Afghanistan war will end on his watch.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It is my intention to finish the job.
QUIJANO: But questions persist about Afghanistan's shaky government and the ability of Afghanistan forces to take over security responsibilities.
(on camera): Can one realistically put a date certain on finishing the job in Afghanistan?
MORRELL: Well, I don't know. I think it's unknowable how long it will take, but I think we all have to work with the idea that we have goals, landmarks, things to shoot for to get this done.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUIJANO: So where would additional troops for Afghanistan come from? John, there are two likely spots. One is Ft. Drum, New York, where an army brigade was held back from going to Iraq. The other is Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, which, as you know, John, also has troops that could be deployed.
ROBERTS: Elaine Quijano for us at the Pentagon this morning. Elaine, thanks so much.
And stay with us. We're going to dig deeper into the president's plan and whether it will make a difference when we talk with our national security analyst Peter Bergen, and Brett McGurk. He used to be at the National Security Council at the White House and was one of the architects of the surge strategy in Iraq. That's just ahead.
ROMANS: From talk of troop surges to champagne toast under the stars. President Obama had a lot on his plate, and we're not just talking about green curry prawns and roast potato dumplings. They first couple hosted their first state dinner at the White House last night in honor of India's prime minister. Here's our Tom Foreman.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The first couple entered with the prime minister of India and his wife, the president in a straight black tux, the first lady in a champagne gown, the creation of Indian- born designer Naim Khan. She even had traditional bracelets sparkling on her arm.
But their guest list was pretty dazzling, too. From the world of showbiz directors M. Night Shyamalan and Steven Spielberg were on hand. So were actors Blair Underwood. From the news media, Katie Couric, Brian Williams, Robin Roberts, and CNN's own Fareed Zakaria and Sanjay Gupta, too.
And from politics General Colin Powell, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and a cast of other big players at least one of whom, the energy secretary, went the wrong way.
In the tent on the south lawn, all seemed to go right. The prime minister was the guest of honor, but all the focus was on the commander in chief.
OBAMA: It's been said that the most beautiful things in the universe are the starry heavens above us and the feeling of duty within us. Mr. Prime Minister, today we work to fulfill our duty, bring our countries closer together than ever before.
Tonight, under the stars, we celebrate the spirit that will sustain our partnership, the bonds of friendship between our people. To the future that beckons all of us.
FOREMAN: The guests dined on eggplant salad, roast potato dumplings, chickpeas, okra, and prawns, with a pumpkin pie tart for dessert. It was all served on China from the Eisenhower, Clinton, and George W. Bush years.
Jennifer Hudson was on the entertainment program. She told CNN's Suzanne Malveaux she practiced a lot.
JENNIFER HUDSON, ACTRESS, SINGER: I've rehearsed my songs over and over again. I think I picked the perfect gown.
FOREMAN: Even though the White House kept that part of program away from the TV cameras, it was indeed a perfect fit, like everything else on this night when politics played second fiddle to pageantry.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: In the next half hour, we're joined by "Washington Post" reporter Robin Gavan. She covers the White House and attended last night's state dinner. Her take on the high-powered event ahead.
ROBERTS: Two big recalls this morning involving Toyota motors. Toyota says it will replace gas pedals on close to, listen to this figure, 4 million vehicles, including the Camry and the Prius because they're getting stuck in the floor mat and causing a sudden acceleration.
It's also recalling 110,000 Toyota Tundras because the frames are rusting out.
Three airlines fined $175,000 for their roles from stranding passengers in a cramped and increasingly smelly regional flight for six hours back in August. It's the Department of Transportation's first ever fine for something like this.
The flight from Houston to Minneapolis was being operated by Continental's regional partner Express Jet. Bad weather forced it to land in Rochester, Minnesota after midnight. The only employees left there at the time were from another airline and refused to let them in because the airport was already closed. So they cooled their heels on the runway until morning.
ROMANS: Wow! Gosh. We hope that does not happen to anyone on the day before Thanksgiving going to grandma's house.
(WEATHER BREAK)
ROBERTS: Afghanistan and the president's upcoming plan. We're probably going to hear the details on Tuesday. But we know a little bit about what the president is going to say. Perhaps 34,000 troops going in, and some idea of an exit strategy as well. We'll run it past a couple of people who know about these things coming up next. And then you can decide whether this is the best way forward in Afghanistan.
It's nine minutes now after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: It's about 11.5 minutes past the hour. Straight ahead on the Most News in the Morning, they're cutting out the middleman -- farmers working together to find people who want to buy local. The plan, it's working. Find out how in our "A.M." original series "Success in Hard Times" -- John.
ROBERTS: The president is preparing to sell hills Afghanistan War plan, likely sending another 34,000 troops into harm's way to, as he says, "finish the job."
Here to help us break down the plan this morning, CNN national security analyst Peter Bergen, he's in Washington, and Brett McGurk, a fellow at the Harvard Institute of Politics. Brett also served on the National Security Council staff under both President Bush and Obama. Gentlemen, good to have you both here.
Peter, let's start with you -- 34,000 troops, does that sound like the right number to you? And how did they come up with that figure?
PETER BERGEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, the classic counterinsurgency doctrine would suggest you need 600,000 soldiers and police in Afghanistan given the size of the country. But given the fact that the insurgency is actually confined to the south and the east principally, you can halve that number. And there are already 100,000 American and NATO and soldiers and about a couple hundred thousand Afghan soldiers and police, some of whom don't operate vey effectively.
So when you throw in a number like 30,000 American soldiers and trainers into the mix, that actually can make a big difference in terms of securing Kandahar, the second largest city in the country, securing the Kabul to Kandahar road, the most important road in the country.
So that number was not just a number picked out of thin air. It does have some very specific tasks that will be attached to the number.
ROBERTS: Brett, you helped craft the surge strategy in Iraq that we saw go into effect a couple years back, and 30,000 troops to Afghanistan, 34,000 troops to Afghanistan, that's the same or maybe a few more troops than were sent to Iraq. Do you think that's going to work? And also the president is going to be pressing NATO for more troops. Do you think they'll pony up?
BRETT MCGURK, FELLOW, HARVARD INSTITUTE OF POLITICS: It's more force than we sent to Iraq. I think the available force is about four combat brigades and the enablers that come along with it.
I think the president is making the right decision here. I agree with Peter. But the strategy has to be of sufficient scale and duration to, as the president said, get the job done.
I think what he means there is very similar to the Iraq surge strategy. We talked internally at the White House -- it wasn't a surge. It was a bridge. It was to fill this gap in capacity to allow Iraqi security forces to take over and allow us to drawback.
It took about two years in Iraq. I think it will take longer in Afghanistan. President Karzai in his inauguration address said about five years. You might hear that from the president. I think it was a deliberate remark from Karzai. We probably worked with him on that.
So look for the president to lay out a bridge strategy in which we're going to surge, increase forces, regain the initiative, but then set the conditions for our forces to draw down over time. ROBERTS: All right, let's talk about that in just a second, but Peter Bergen, first to you. Troops alone won't do it. That has been said time and time again. What else does the administration need to do besides send more warriors, if it hopes to, as Brett McGurk just mentioned, at some point wind this thing down?
BERGEN: I think what Afghans really want is security. That's true in every poll that has been taken. And what they don't necessarily want or they don't expect a very competent government, a very uncorrupt government. They haven't had that in their lives.
So the first thing that the international community has to do is provide the security, because that is declining in many parts of the country. So once that very basic thing is done, then everything else falls into place.
You know, the Afghan National Army is going to take a long time to build up. You know, an uncorrupt government appearing in Kabul is not something that's going to happen overnight. Those are very long term. They're getting the security piece is the first thing you need to do.
ROBERTS: All right. Let's talk about the getting out part of this. Brett, the president has said he wants to, quote, "finish the job in Afghanistan." He has said in interviews that he doesn't want to hand this over to the next president. Assuming that he is going to win a second term, so his maximum time left is seven years, lay out for us an exit strategy.
What's one that would work?
MCGUIRK: Well, the exit strategy is getting the Afghan national security forces in place in which we can begin to pull back, similar to Iraq again. But it means pulling back. We're still partnering with those forces. We're still working logistics.
One critical difference with Iraq and where the international community really comes in and our allies is that the sustainment for the projected Afghan security force needs, about 400,000 over the next five years, that's going to cost about $6 billion to $10 billion a year to sustain. Afghanistan's national budget is only $1 billion a year compared with Iraq in which it's about $80 billion a year depending on the price of oil. That's a key difference.
The United States is putting in troops. We should not have to pay for those costs. I think the NATO allies or other allies are going to have to step up and pay for those costs because that's going to be critical to our exit strategy. Having the Afghan forces that we're building be able to sustain themselves and international monetary contributions are going to be critical to that.
ROBERTS: Now, Peter Bergen, the president hasn't talked about a date certain, nor is he likely to. But could the Taliban be looking at this saying, hmm, the United States looks like it wants to get out of Afghanistan. Public sentiment in the United States is turning against the war. The president says he wants to do it by the end of his presidency. So, why don't we just wait him out?
BERGEN: Absolutely, John. I mean, the center of gravity for the Taliban is western public opinion. That's why they -- you know, every time there's an attack on a German base or an American base, you know, that affects western public opinion. And they understand that. And there's a cliche about the Taliban.
You know, the West has all the watchers and we have all the time. And yes, it's a running out the clock strategy for sure. But I think that, you know -- I think one of the things about having the surge is it does signal that we do have some form of long term commitment. And while the president is not going to say there is a date certain, clearly in the speech after Thanksgiving, he will say that this is not an indefinite commitment but a long term commitment. And that's the right signal to send.
ROBERTS: All right. Looking forward to what the president has to say on Tuesday. That's the expected announcement of this.
Peter Bergen, Brett McGuirk, good to talk to you. Thanks for coming in, gentlemen.
MCGUIRK: Thank you.
ROBERTS: Seventeen and a half minutes now after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: All right. Straight ahead on the Most News in the Morning on what may be the year's busiest travel day. We're taking you behind the scenes of the world's busiest airport, Hartsfield- Jackson in Atlanta. Rob Marciano is our guy for a CNN exclusive.
ROBERTS: And Stephanie Elam here "Minding Your Business" this morning. How you doing?
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I'm doing pretty good.
ROBERTS: Good.
ROMANS: Toy safety. Toy safety. Toy safety.
ELAM: That's very good.
ROMANS: Two years ago, toy safety --
ROBERTS: She only said it three times.
ROMANS: I know --
ELAM: During the commercial break you should have heard her.
ROBERTS: She gets in (INAUDIBLE) toy safety.
ROMANS: Yes, it will get you in trouble. But two years ago, toy safety was every parent, every consumer was very concerned about the safety of imported toys.
ELAM: Yes.
ROMANS: The toy industry was still pushing, pushing, pushing, buy this stuff, buy this stuff.
ELAM: Where are these toys made? All of that.
ROMANS: The financial crisis wiped toy safety off the front pages. And you're going to tell us more about toy safety.
ELAM: You know what? I didn't think about it that way but they're really, probably really thankful to AIG.
ROMANS: Yes.
ROBERTS: Things have changed so much when I was a kid. My mother used to give me a lawnmower and a gallon of gas and say go have fun.
ROMANS: Well, that's real dangerous.
ELAM: That's how they roll in Canada? That's special.
ROMANS: If she gave me a cigarette, that would be worse.
ELAM: I think those would fall in the dangerous list and that's exactly where we're looking at today is this new list of dangerous toys for 2009, according to the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, which is a public advocacy group. So this is their 24th annual report. They are calling it trouble in Toyland. And they're taking a look at 16 examples of toys in three different categories. And here's how they break down the categories.
The first one being toys that are considered too loud for children, based on if they're too close to it, how loud it would be, like a fake cell phone. That kind of thing that is ringing in their ear. Also small parts that could choke a child. That's an issue there. And also toxic chemicals or lead being present in the toys.
So we have a list, just some examples. These are not all of these toys that they're talking about, but we're going to go ahead and show you a couple of ones that they're talking about starting off with potential choking hazard.
The real wood shape sorter barn. That could be a problem if you say it too fast made by P&C Enterprise. You can see the little toy there on the side. That could be a choking hazard.
The next one excessively loud. Kota and Pals Stompers triceratops. It's made by Playskool, which is owned by Hasbro. And Hasbro has told CNNmoney.com that the toy complies with all sound requirements, so it's not a problem there. So they've actually answered back on that one. Also, potentially toxic. The Elmo lunch bag made by Fast Forward New York. ROMANS: Is it vinyl? Vinyl sometimes can be a problem because they use lead in the manufacture of vinyl. Looks like it might be vinyl.
ELAM: Yes. I'm not sure about that one.
ROBERTS: Easy, mom.
ROMANS: I know.
ELAM: Who is the mother here on the desk?
ROMANS: Can you tell I did 100 reports on toy safety two years ago.
ELAM: That's true. And the last one take a look at it also.
ROBERTS: She's doing this one.
ROMANS: Sorry. Sorry.
ROBERTS: Continue.
ELAM: Thank you. Start a little coup here.
Another potential toxic one that we have is the touch and feel cloth book manufactured by Priddy Books. Now here's the thing. The Toy Industry Association told CNNmoney.com that consumers, this is quote, "Consumers have every reason to trust three billion toys sold a year in the United States. So that's one thing that you can look at. Of course, if you're not sure of the toy, take it back to the store or toss it. Don't give it to another child obviously. But just keep in mind if it doesn't look right, if you see your kid put it in the mouth and looks dangerous, get rid of it.
ROBERTS: Stephanie, thanks so much. It's OK. You can do toy safety tomorrow.
ROMANS: OK, I will.
ELAM: When are you back? Are you back to --
ROMANS: No.
ELAM: Tomorrow?
ROBERTS: Tomorrow. I'm probably doing flaming -- you know, those flaming turkey things.
ELAM: Oh, the smoked turkey.
ROMANS: Yes, that's dangerous. That's not a toy. Don't play with that.
ROMANS: John is all choked up about toy safety. All right. When we come back, Jason Carroll, his series about network farming. Farmers trying to go out there and hook up consumers who want to buy local with farmers who are selling in their community. So far, win-win for a lot of these folks we talked to. He's doing that report, coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: It's 26 minutes after the hour. Jason Carroll is erupting over here. Sorry if you caught it.
ROBERTS: Well, it's because we learned despite your obsession about toy safety, you were driving a riding lawnmower at the age of 6.
ROMANS: How do you learn how to drive? On a tractor, right?
ROBERTS: Growing up in Iowa.
ROMANS: That's right. OK. Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. Jason Carroll is here. Even before the recession, you know, plenty of farmers were struggling. Slips in demand and dips in the market leaving less cash in hand after harvest.
ROBERTS: But a new network called, a new idea at least called "Network Farming" is connecting farmers with their customers, boosting profits all at the same time. Jason Carroll is here with the final report in our A.M. original series "Success in Sour Times."
Good morning.
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This one is another one that really seems to be working. And you guys, both of you guys, these farmers were having a rough go even when the economy was doing well. So a group of farmers in the Pacific Northwest have been taking matters into their own hands.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRED FLEMING, SHEPHERD'S GRAIN CO-FOUNDER: Hard red spring wheat.
CARROLL (voice-over): Fred Fleming's family has been working this land here in Lincoln County, Washington, for so long, President Grover Cleveland deeded the property to his great-grandfather more than a century ago. Fleming jokes how he used to be addicted to traditional farming like his forbearers, but not anymore.
FLEMING: I'm a recovering conventional farmer. I'm ten years into my program. My name is Fred.
CARROLL: He smiles now, but for years, Fleming worried and wondered why there wasn't a better way to sell his wheat other than the conventional way, selling it through the commodities market, where prices fluctuate so much it drives some farmers to bankruptcy. So Fleming stopped doing things the old way. CARROLL (on camera): You are doing something different, right, Fred, and that you are marketing directly to those who want your product?
FLEMING: Right, right. We actually develop a relationship with our customers.
CARROLL (voice-over): Fleming formed Shepherd's Grain, a network of 33 farmers who bypass the commodities market, selling directly to customers.
FLEMING: It's sort of like what Starbucks did with coffee. They put pizzazz to it. What we're doing is we're putting pizzazz to wheat.
CARROLL: Fleming got his friend and fellow farmer Karl Kupers to help, together deciding they would set their own prices based on production cost, allowing for more stability especially in troubled times.
KARL KUPERS, SHEPHERD'S GRAIN CO-FOUNDER: And if you're going to be sustainable, you at least have to cover your cost production. Agriculture doesn't play in that game, hasn't played in that game. And that's --
CARROLL: You're playing a different game.
KUPERS: This is the uniqueness of Shepherd's Grain.
CARROLL: It appealed to Mike Kunz. When the recession hit, his farm felt the impact. He joined Shepherd's Grain two years ago.
MIKE KUNZ, SHEPHERD'S GRAIN FARMER: It's a long-term plan that I think has, you know, shown more popularity and is going to increase in the future.
CARROLL: And that approach has attracted customers across the Pacific Northwest. Art Brent (ph) says stable prices and a local connection equals more sales. Their customers like seeing a Shepherd's Grain label and tracing products back to their farmers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As we started marketing that around the area, sales have just exploded.
CARROLL: Higher sales and consumers knowing their farmers like they did years ago? Fred Fleming's great-grandfather would be proud.
FLEMING: We've excited my customer base. And they truly are what have our future in their hands. When they buy products from us, then they can truly impact the world.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL: He gets a little emotional there. You can understand the reasons why. The Shepherd's Grain model is so popular there's actually a waiting list right now for other farmers to join. And one of the other positive benefits about this is they can turn their profits, take those profits and reinvest in their farms, do things like direct seeding, no tool farming. Things like this help them make their farms better environmentally, making a lot of money while they're doing it.
ROBERTS: Family farms having such a tough time these days.
CARROLL: Right.
ROBERTS: Anything they can do to help themselves is great.
ROMANS: And there are consumers who want to support that. I mean, for 25 years there was this big trend to globalization. Now you're hearing that localization will be the next, you know, 20 or 30 years.
CARROLL: And they're also hoping this model, that others will see this model in other places, perhaps in Iowa, where Christine is from, and follow suit and do this as well.
ROBERTS: All right. Great story this morning, Jason. Thanks so much. Great series, by the way, too.
We're crossing the half hour. Here are this morning's top stories. The mothers of the three American hikers jailed in Iran are sending a new video message to their children. And the leaders of Iran after four months they are still pleading for their kids' release. Earlier on "AM," I spoke with one of the moms and asked her what they're hoping the video will do.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAURA FATTAL, MOTHER OF JAILED JOSH FATTAL: We want Josh, Shane and Sarah to know that we are working our very, very hardest to get them released. We're trying every possible way to have them released. And we thought at this time of year, to hear our voices, to see our faces, it will give them great comfort.
We are hoping that the Iranian authorities will show compassion and release our children as soon as possible. This has gone on way too long.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: In just a couple of hours we'll get the Commerce Department's report on new home sales for October. Economists are expecting a modest increase of two percent, which would be more evidence the housing market is regaining its footing after a dramatic collapse.
ROBERTS: Parts of Brazil plunging back into darkness just two weeks after that country's largest power outage. A new blackout hit parts around Rio de Janeiro yesterday. 250,000 people were affected. Crews cut off power to fix a problem with an underground cable. Officials say electricity has been restored to most areas. ROMANS: It was more than just a meal at the White House last night. Hollywood heavyweights, movers and shakers all turning out for an evening to remember. First lady Michelle Obama said the trick to pulling off a state dinner was to act like a swan, stay calm and serene above the water but paddle like mad below it. It was the first couple's first crack at hosting such an elaborate event. So how did it go? Robin Givhan covers the White House for "The Washington Post" and she attended last night's dinner.
Good morning and welcome to the program. I didn't see any major gaffes. Maybe a few charming missteps but no major gaffes. How did they pull off this very big first state event for the White House?
ROBIN GIVHAN, "THE WASHINGTON POST": Well, I think you're absolutely right. I mean, there were no major gaffes. At least nothing that we saw above the surface. To go back to that image of a swan pedaling madly. And I think they set the bar really high for themselves, because they took on a much bigger event than traditionally they really had to.
And I think a lot of it was that they kept a lot of the information very close to the vest until the last minute. So if there were any things that we might have seen that sort of didn't work out, we didn't know about them.
ROMANS: Like a big wedding, sort of.
GIVHAN: Exactly.
ROMANS: Let's talk about the departure from the traditional venue of the state dining room. There were 400 people invited, a much bigger than normal state dinner. And they built this pavilion. They're calling it a tent but to me it looks like they built this pavilion on the south lawn. They wanted to put more guests than normal, you know, indoor state dining room allowed. Was the outdoor gathering a success?
GIVHAN: Yes. The indoor gathering would have held about 130 or so people. They did keep referring to this as a tent. Again, I think, a little bit of understatements. We'd be more impressed with what we saw. And I think they really did pull it off.
I mean, they had a lot to contend with yesterday. The weather here was awful. It was raining for most of the day and it was cold. But the tent was warm. There were no sort of hot and cold spots. There were no mud puddles. Nothing leaked. And the space itself was gorgeous.
ROMANS: We're looking at inside the pavilion right now. You can see the flowers. I know the first lady herself gets to put the final approval on the flowers. I know they said it would not be stately, but it would be romantic. Did it fit that bill, you think?
GIVHAN: Yes, absolutely. I think part of what made it less stately and you know, by that a bit less stodgy, was in fact that it was outside in this pavilion, which had a very modern sensibility to it instead of in the state dining room. And also, the floral arrangements were quite loose. And they had a feeling of, you know, sort of a garden bouquet, which I think added to it.
ROMANS: The president wore a straight black tux. The first lady wore a champagne gown made by an Indian-born designer Naim (ph) Khan. And then there was a parade of notable who came through. You had Steven Spielberg, some high profile actors, Deepak Chopra, our own Sanjay Gupta, and Fareed Zakaria from CNN, Colin Powell.
GIVHAN: Looking very dashing, I would say.
ROMANS: The list goes on and on. What about who was invited, the guest list? How does it compare with previous state dinners? And it's also interesting to me that this is supposed to be the people's house. I didn't see Joe Q. and Jane Q. Public there, did we?
GIVHAN: Yes. You know, I have to say I was scanning the guest list for someone named Joe average, and he did not appear. But - and honestly, I thought that the guest list pretty much looked like the typical state dinner guest list. I mean, it was loaded with people who have some connection to the country that's being honored.
It was - it had a Hollywood contingent. It had the usual Washington movers and shakers, some high profile journalists and people who are sort of, I guess the best description would be power players. People who have been involved in the political world as either supporters or advisers for a very long time. So I didn't think that they really went out on a limb in terms of the guest list.
ROMANS: All right. Robin Givhan, reporter from the "Washington Post." Thank you so much for joining us. And how was the food?
GIVHAN: My pleasure. It looked very good.
ROMANS: All right. Thanks.
ROBERTS: She didn't taste. Come on.
ROMANS: I knew she was there but she didn't get to eat.
ROBERTS: Well, for millions of you, the holiday season doesn't really begin until the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade makes its annual appearance in the streets of New York. And with the parade, a little more than 24 hours away now, this afternoon crews will begin inflating the big balloons that have helped make the parade world famous.
New balloons this year include the Pillsbury dough boy. Oh, my goodness, that's going to look like "Ghostbusters." Ronald McDonald, Sailor Mickey and Spiderman.
ROMANS: All right. Now, Rob Marciano exclusive access on the busiest travel day of the year to the busiest airport in the country. Behind the scenes at Hartsfield-Jackson. He's going to pull the curtain back and show us how it really works. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) ROBERTS: Coming up now on 20 minutes to the top of the hour. Welcome back to the most news in the morning.
The country has had 100 years to fix health care. They've been trying to do it since Teddy Roosevelt was president. One hotel mogul, who has thousands of people on his payroll just got tired of waiting for them to fix it. So when his insurance company wanted a 15 percent increase, he said, get lost, hired his own doctors and claims that he cut his health care costs by more than half.
Our Jim Acosta live in D.C. this morning with more about this health care success story in an "A.M. Original." Good morning, Jim.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John.
You're right, this is a little bit DIY, do it yourself health care but it appears to be working and he's got not only politicians paying attention but other big companies. And as members of Congress close in on a final health care reform bill, they may want to check into a hotel we found down in Florida. In addition to the restaurant, swimming pool and gift shop, there's a health care clinic. Only it's not for the guests. It's for the workers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA (voice-over): At this health care clinic in Orlando, Florida, there's no such thing as no vacancy. It's located inside a hotel.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How are you? OK.
ACOSTA: And run by the hotel's owner, Harris Rosen, who started the hotel 18 years ago to see if he could cover all of his employees and save money.
HARRIS ROSEN, ROSEN HOTELS HEALTH CLINIC FOUNDER: There is an apprehension, a fear, an anxiety on the part of most employers to step into an area they know very little about. But we did it and at a cost that is a fraction what the national averages are. Why? We emphasize wellness.
ACOSTA: Rosen dumped his insurance company, hired his own doctors, nurses and support staff, all of it at little cost to his employees. But there's a catch.
ROSEN: If you smoke, Jim, you can't work for me.
ACOSTA: The employees have to follow Rosen's rules or risk losing their coverage. Smokers have to quit. Heavyset workers have to go on weight loss programs and so on.
ROSEN: So there is a bit of big brother looking over to make sure you're following the regimen.
ACOSTA (on camera): But you're big brother?
ROSEN: Yes, and I don't like that very much because I'm not very much a fan of big brother, any big brother but I am.
ACOSTA (voice-over): Chris Teague, the assistant manager at one of Rosen's hotels lost 100 pounds with the clinic's help.
(on camera) You're glad they nudged you?
CHRIS TEAGUE (ph), ASST. MANAGER: Yes. It has changed my life dramatically.
ACOSTA (voice-over): The clinic's approach does have its critics, who say it's an invasion of privacy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The idea of providing wellness care is wonderful, but if I choose not to go back to a follow-up care with the doctor, that's my decision.
ACOSTA: But it's not the critics who worry Rosen, it's Congress.
(on camera): You would think with the health care system Harris Rosen has put in place here he'd be a big fan of Democratic plans for health care reform. But the message at this health care hotel is quite the opposite. It's do not disturb.
(voice-over): Under the Democratic proposals in Congress, Rosen said he'd save money by shutting down his clinic, forcing his employees into a public pan and paying a government-imposed penalty.
ROSEN: I hate to close this facility down. It means so much to all of us.
ACOSTA: (INAUDIBLE) including Harris Rosen, who seems to enjoy providing health care, whether it's in Spanish or French more than he likes running the fanciest of his seven hotels.
ROSEN: Some of my friends will probably not be happy with what I'm about to say, but I do believe that it's a right.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: And get this. Harris Rosen pays just $2,400 per employee every year in health care costs. That's about a third less than the national average. He has an umbrella insurance policy and contracts with specialists and hospitals to provide catastrophic medical care that the clinic can't handle. John, he has definitely put the hospital in hospitality.
ROBERTS: To tell you, it's a really intriguing and interesting scenario that he set up there. Do we know how what he's doing would jibe with either the House bill or the Senate health care bill?
ACOSTA: Well, he's hoping for some kind of waiver. Obviously, at this point, there really is no waiver on an individual basis, case- by-case basis for a program such as this because it's so unique. But he hopes to go to his legislators down there in Florida and plead for some kind of help. He has had some visits from his local congressman, who has taken a tour of that facility. So he is already like a very clever and shrewd businessman, laying the groundwork for that to happen, if health care reform passes.
ROBERTS: All right. Jim Acosta for us this morning with an "A.M. Original." Jim, thanks so much. Christine.
ROMANS: John, Thanksgiving, you know, is about food. It's about family. It's about celebrating what we have and being thankful for what this country has given us. John Zarrella and our Miami crew took their cameras to focus on people who this holiday are going to be helping other people, giving back. It's a twist on Thanksgiving. It's pretty heartwarming. Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: All right. We're looking at a live picture of looks like the Delta counter at Atlanta Hartsfield. No big lines. The kiosks are free and available. They have people in those orange and yellow vests there directing passengers.
Still early of course. A lot of connections will be going through there today. The weather 46 degrees, partly cloudy right now. This afternoon it will be sunny with 65 on the temperature gauge.
Get out of town. That's the plan for lots of people today. AAA estimates more than 38 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home over the Thanksgiving weekend. That's up nearly 1.5 percent from last year. Most people get in the car and drive, but 2.3 million Americans will be up in the air this weekend.
Rob Marciano has an "AM Original," an exclusive behind the scenes look at what makes the world's busiest airport tick.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: We're here at the world's busiest airport, thousands of people and planes coming and going every day.
You ever wonder how in the world do they make it work?
Let's go take a look.
MARCIANO (voice-over): A quarter million passengers travel through Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport every day. So, first up, getting the people to the planes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At peak times of the day we move about 10,500 passengers an hour.
MARCIANO: Computer controlled trams tunnel under the tarmac connecting the six concourses, and we were allowed beyond that into what felt like a secret train station.
MARCIANO (on camera): So this is pretty much the Wizard of Oz behind the curtain here? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is - this is the man behind the curtain here at the automated people mover (ph). And we always have people standing by to respond any time there's a problem.
MARCIANO (voice-over): Above ground, the runways are inspected three times a day for bad lights, wildlife or any debris that could get into an engine and bring down an aircraft.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good morning, sir. I'd like to start the airfield inspection on foxtrot and echo. (INAUDIBLE) aircraft holding short (ph) of all runways.
MARCIANO: While on patrol this day, a plane is in trouble.
MARCIANO (on camera): So we're just sitting here out in the tarmac, doing our - our inspection and this plane declared an emergency, smoke in the lavatory. So the fire department has been activated. They got to check it out and make sure there's no visible fire before they let it go back to the gate.
MARCIANO (voice-over): The airport has five stations equipped with some impressive gear.
MARCIANO (on camera): This is not your typical fire truck. It holds 3,000 gallons of water, over 400 gallons of foam. This is specifically made for airplane crashes and/or emergencies.
Captain Cuprowski, why is this truck built the way it is? It looks like a tank.
CAPT. PAUL CUPROWSKI, ATLANTA FIRE RESCUE: As you can imagine, if you had one of the planes come down and dismantle on the ground, we're basically in a war zone. But they're - they're designed exactly for that. They're designed to go off road. You don't even have to get out of the vehicle to extinguish a fire.
MARCIANO: What you're looking at is what's called a - a piercing nozzle. It actually can puncture the skin of the aircraft because you can't cut through it by hand, and it sprays the fire inside the aircraft from outside it.
MARCIANO (voice-over): Luckily, that has never been used here, and the plane that reported smoke in the cabin, it was given the all- clear.
Just another day at the world's busiest airport.
Rob Marciano, CNN, Atlanta
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARCIANO: And some of the things you - you didn't see there was what's going on, you know, on the taxiways, what's going on around the gates, and you've got caterers (ph), you've got mechanics, you've got bag - luggage handlers. It is organized chaos at best - at best and it's truly remarkable to see how they run that operation on the ground there. And luckily they've never had to use those big fire trucks and they hope to never have to in the future - John and Christine.
ROMANS: Well, we're glad they're there. Rob Marciano. Thanks, Rob.
ROBERTS: I love those behind the scenes looks.
This morning's top stories just minutes away, including at 8:04 Eastern the guy next to you blowing his nose. Oh. No, sorry. That's hypothetical.
The kid across from you hacking it up. You can almost see the germs floating around in the cabin. Health experts are worried that jammed flights could be a breeding ground for H1N1. What the feds are trying to do to make it a happy and healthy holiday for you.
ROMANS: At 8:08 Eastern, President Obama expected to make a decision on a surge by this Tuesday. We'll tell you how many it could be and how the cost of the war could be coming out of your paycheck.
ROBERTS: And at 8:25 Eastern, where are all the jobs? We will ask one key Democratic lawmaker if there is another stimulus on the way and what happened to the first $800 billion?
Those stories and more coming your way at the top of the hour.
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ROMANS: That's the turkey that's going to get pardoned today.
Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
In the spirit of the holiday season, we're profiling people going the extra mile to help those who are struggling to get by.
ROBERTS: Last year we introduced you to Paul Snow, a man who for 20 years has been serving those less fortunate. And as our John Zarrella and photojournalist Dominic Swann found out, there is still no quit in him.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAUL SNOW, FOOD PANTRY DIRECTOR: I was waiting for a disability check...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Some of the ladies brought pancakes. (INAUDIBLE).
SNOW: ... and it didn't come.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have pasta. We have...
SNOW: A friend of mine said, gee, there's a place down there at the United Methodist Church that gives out packages of food. I came down and I said to the director at the time, I said, if you ever need anybody, call me.
She called me that afternoon, and 20 years later, I'm still here.
They come in from St. Mary's (ph) Catholic Church, and they're bringing food, about 100 cases of food or more. Most of our people are over 55 and hurting because of the economy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Take off that pallet (ph) and stack of (INAUDIBLE).
SNOW: I'm seeing people now that 10 years ago were donating to the pantry, and now they're coming for help.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of people come here really deserve our help. Truthfully, they do.
SNOW: It pulls your heart apart, but we help them. And we never turn anybody away. Never. Not one day have we ever turned anyone away.
God bless you. I wouldn't make it without you. Thank God you're here. I hear this every week. I mean, that's enough to take home with you to make it a great, great day. I mean, I've had my problems, but my problems can't even compare with somebody only having water in their refrigerator.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel good when I (INAUDIBLE). I'm going with a smile on my face, I can sleep good, I'm happy, because I know I've done something to help somebody.
SNOW: Sometimes it's real sad. You go home almost heartbroken to think that this is happening. But you think maybe I made a dent.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, Christine, still an hour to go before they start handing out the turkeys and meals here in Hallandale, but you can see the line has already formed. It has been here a while.
Johnny McBride (ph) here. Johnny, how long have you been standing here?
JOHNNY MCBRIDE, LINING FOR FOOD: About - I don't know - two hours.
ZARRELLA: Two hours already. And good thing these people do here, isn't it?
MCBRIDE: Yes. Well, my concern about...
ZARRELLA: (INAUDIBLE) the elderly people are...
MCBRIDE: Yes. Yes.
ZARRELLA: But everybody's been good here, standing in line, and...
MCBRIDE: Been good.
ZARRELLA: ... and you can see the line stretching already all the way down the block here, and it's only expected to get longer as the morning goes on.
The piece we just saw, of course we profiled Paul Snow again. He's been 20 years here. And Paul, how many turkeys you figure you're going to have to give out today?
SNOW : I think we're up to 1,500.
ZARRELLA: And - and this is really a sign of the economic times, right?
SNOW: Oh, yes. As I said before, people who used to donate to us are now coming for help. That's a very good indicator that people are really hurting economically.
ZARRELLA: Paul, thanks so much for taking time and for all that you do here. And John, Christine, we're going to be here throughout the morning and again about an hour from now they're going to start handing out these turkeys. And again, about 1,500 people here in Hallandale expected to get them - John, Christine.
ROBERTS: Great story of giving back. But, boy, so great the need.
John Zarrella for us this morning. John, thanks so much.
Top stories coming your way in 90 seconds. We're just a minute now before the top of the hour.
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