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Party Crashers at the White House; British Looking to Exit Afghanistan; Tiger Woods Accident; Buying Homes; Russian Deadly Train Derailment; Dubai's Atlantis Hotel
Aired November 28, 2009 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CENTER: So this is certainly a bad reflection for the U.S. Secret Service but I imagine also for the Social Secretary Office. How embarrassing would this be for them?
AMY ZANTZINGER, FORMER WHITE HOUSE SOCIAL SECRETARY: Well, I can tell you now, both the Social Office and the Secret Service worked incredibly hard on this event. But there's a bigger issue here, the fact that we have parents, you know, claiming their children are in grave danger in a hot air balloon and couples crashing White House social state dinners, it says something about what our society is endorsing. I think people need to take personal responsibility. This is a publicity stunt for these people. It's really appalling.
WHITFIELD: Appalling. I heard the words embarrassing. Really, it's the breach of security that something terrible could have gone wrong when you are talking about all these heads of state and all these invited guests that were there including of course the president of the United States and the first lady. Talk to me about your initial thoughts about what really could have gone terribly wrong here?
ZANTZINGER: Well, it sounds like, from what I have heard and read that they did actually go through the magnetometers. So I don't think they were a security risk, but you have to realize, this administration like every administration is dealing with really important issues. They should not be dealing with shameless people who are out for self-promotion. It's ridiculous. This has now become the focus.
WHITFIELD: Amy Zantzinger, former social secretary for President George W. Bush. Thank you so much for your time, appreciate it from Washington.
ZANTZINGER: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: Hello, again. I'm Fredericka Whitfield. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. Coming and going as President Obama gets ready to send more troops to Afghanistan, Britain's prime minister talks about an exit strategy.
And it is a story that has every one talking, a mysterious car crash that injured Tiger Woods.
And Black Friday is over. Now get ready for cyber Monday. The NEWSROOM begins right now. As President Obama gets ready to send more troops to Afghanistan, there's talk today about an exit strategy. Britain says it will hold an international conference two months from today. It is aimed at establishing a time table for Afghan forces to replace international troops.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GORDON BROWN, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I believe that we will be able to set a clear timetable for 2010 and beyond. Within three months, our benchmark is that the Afghan government should have identified additional troops to send for training. This is part of our idea that we will build up the Afghan army by nearly 50,000 over the course of the next year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: President Barack Obama is scheduled to deliver a major speech on Afghanistan next week. And while he's expected to announce a big troop increase, aids say the U.S. commitment in Afghanistan is not open ended. CNN's Atia Abawi is live in Kabul. So Atia the Afghan's must be watching these developments very closely. What are they saying?
ATIA ABAWI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Afghan people, right now, don't know what's going on. Right now what they do know is that General Stanley McChrystal the top NATO commander handed in an assessment in August. They are waiting to see what President Barack Obama's plan will be, whether it will be the troop increases. We spoke to some Afghan's in a refuge camp here in Kabul today and they were very skeptical about it all.
They were displaced from Helman Province; this is a province where we have seen very heavy fighting this summer when an influx of U.S. marines came in the country. They say that they don't want extra troops. Because they are afraid that means that more Afghans will die. But there are other Afghans who say that they need this power, they need more troops to help them build the country and that the troops need to be used in a way to help them build the society and help them with the Afghan government, a government that they don't trust.
Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Is that the consensus among most Afghans? That they are welcoming the U.S. troops if it indeed means helping to build infrastructure, but not necessarily to fight the Taliban or any other elements in that country?
ABAWI: Well, right now, the consensus among Afghans is that they just want peace. They see that their country is falling down a bigger hole at the moment. They see that the Taliban are a problem. The criminal gangs are a problem as well. But when you talk to the average Afghan, they will tell you that their number one concern isn't necessarily security, it's really their poverty and they are hoping that the international community will come through with their promise, the promises that they have been making for the past eight years to help bring them jobs and help bring them some kind of civil society.
Because right now, all they have known is war. They are hoping yes that these troops that will be added on, possibly be added to Afghanistan from President Obama's announcement next week. That this will help with the civilian effort to improve their lives.
WHITFIELD: Atia Abawi thanks so much from Kabul, Afghanistan.
And of course President Obama will be addressing the nation on Tuesday. CNN will be covering that live as it happens. Our coverage begins at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.
Police in Florida still sorting out exactly what happened when Tiger Woods got into a single-car collision near his home. The golfing great was treated for minor injuries after his SUV hit a fire hydrant and a tree. He's said to be in good condition. Police are hoping to talk to Woods later on today.
So will that accident have any impact on Woods career, huge money making endorsements? It might be a little too soon to say. What's with the big fascination of what took place? David Dusek is the editor of Golf.com. He's on the phone from Syracuse, New York. So give me an idea, David I mean this sounds on the surface like a little fender bender, right? A lot of people say wait a minute why in the world is so much attention being zeroed in on Tiger Woods? Why is it much bigger than anyone else who might get into a fender bender like this?
DAVID DUSEK, DEPUTY EDITOR, GOLF.COM: I think that arguably Fredricka this is probably the most well-known athlete and one of the most well known individuals on the planet. We are talking about a guy who has won 14 major championships, 71 PGA titles. He's rewriting every record book that there is out there in the course of his career. He's going to turn 34 on December the 30 of this year. So he still has a lot of time left to go.
If he hasn't earned $1 billion already as an athlete, he's about to hit that mark. We are talking about one of the iconic figures that we have in sports. He transcends the world of sports and goes to celebrity. On the age of twitter and such, that any news that relates to celebrities and especially the biggest named celebrities, and Tiger Woods certainly qualifies. Immediately becomes an enormous event. The fact it happened over Thanksgiving weekend doesn't matter. People have blackberries and iphones. People are still connected all over the place. The news of this event happening yesterday afternoon, when it finally broke, it just absolutely exploded all over the place.
WHITFIELD: You talked him being, he's the billion dollar man at this point. It's not just the fan-based interest, but all these companies that have been endorsing him over the years are going to be interested in this investigation and his well-being as well. We're talking about American Express, Gillette, Nike, Censure and the list goes on about all the corporate interest in this man.
DUSEK: There's no question. The American Express deal was ended mutually about a year and a half ago but then for example he also let go of the deal with Buick a little over a year ago. Then he picked up AT&T. He has three different types of Gatorade sports drink that has his picture on them. The Gillette deal is between $10 million and $15 million. He has golf course projects working right on. He gets $10 million for a golf course. The Nike deal is well over $100 million.
WHITFIELD: There's a golf tournament next week. And the expectation was that he would be at that tournament. If he's not there, we'll fall out business wise.
DUSEK: Well it is entirely possible. I think a lot of the different commitments to the Tiger Woods Foundation, which be the beneficiary from that tournament. They probably have already been made. I think that right now, a lot of facts change between now and the start of the tournament. That any corporations and any entities that have made a commitment to that event are going to stick with it. Obviously rumors are flying over the Internet now. But based on the facts that we have at this point nothing would really point to the fact that he's become vulnerable to losing any of those endorsements contracts or the brand association. He's probably the most perfect and idea person to reach men of any age from a marketing standpoint that you can imagine.
WHITFIELD: Yes. At this point, it really is a fascination, the interest, not just a fan-based one. But on a corporate level everyone is fascinated about Tiger Woods and everyone wishes him the best as well. David Dusek, thank you very much, the deputy editor of Golf.com. Thanks for you time.
It is a half a world away. But, it's actually closer than you think. We will tell you why Americans should worry about what's going on in Dubai.
Also, ahead, Josh Levs.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there Fred. What to know for cyber Monday. We have the key websites to use, critical advice. Plus watch out for certain scams. We're going to show you it all, right here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. Everybody is watching the Benjamin's right from 401(k) s to getting the best shopping deals. We have great advice from our chief business correspondent Ali Velshi is talking about making the most for the rest of the year and setting yourself up for savings in 2010. Our chief business correspondent Ali Velshi with us now to help us know how to spend our money, or how to save it, etc. People are getting ready to spend, drop a whole lot of money holiday season.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They are doing it as we speak.
WHITFIELD: They want to take advantage of these incredible deals, even if they don't have the money.
VELSHI: Right. So on one hand I appreciate the frugality. We are all new kinds of consumers now. So where you can get a deal it makes some sense to get it. But please, be careful. We were saving none of what we made. We have changed that in the last year. We have become more frugal and a little more responsible. I don't want it to be what crushes people again after suffering through the last year. Be very, very careful.
WHITFIELD: They may have recovered this year, then you see these great deals, you want to spend a lot of money. But then you are going to start getting those bills.
VELSHI: If you don't get everybody gifts. Take it easy on the spending. Be frugal. There are sales out there. It is not going to be like last year, last year retailers were caught with way too much stuff, way to much inventory.
WHITFIELD: They have cut back on their inventory.
VELSHI: They have cut back. You are not going to see the deep sales. Don't be pressured and forced into buying things and spending money that you don't have the money and certainly not on credit.
WHITFIELD: Something there is a lot of and that is real estate. If you have the money and you want to take advantage of the $8,000 credit that this administration is offering, how good of a deal are we talking right now about buying a home?
VELSHI: It's a combination. I don't think the $8,000 credit in and of itself is enough. But the $8,000 combined with the fact that there's a lot of inventory, a lot of houses. The deals are excellent combined with the fact that you got mortgage rates under 5 percent if you got good credit.
WHITFIELD: Can you get a loan?
VELSHI: You can. You do have to have a good credit, you have to have 700 plus on your credit score. You do have to be able to put at least 20 percent down. But if you are that person, if you have good credit and you have the ability to put some money down, you are not looking at this as a quick investment, but you are looking at it as a roof over your head, this might be the time to have that conversation. Because house prices might go down or they might go up. Over time, they might go up. Interest rates are not going down.
WHITFIELD: If you are the first time home buyer, isn't it still 10 percent down or did they change that?
VELSHI: In most places, you're not getting a loan without 20 percent down. There are always exceptions to the rules. But in some places, they actually want 30 percent down, if you are in a high risk area. Where property values, banks are not going to go through this, again. If you are in the right position to think about buying a home, this might be great. If you are not, if you are going to overextend yourself by doing it, it's not worth the risk. Keep renting.
WHITFIELD: A lot of us got hit hard in our 401(k) s. But now maybe we can celebrate this holiday season with a bounce? What do we do with this kind of bounce?
VELSHI: If you look at the change, if you had a well-balanced portfolio from the beginning of the year to now, you are up 20 percent. Which is almost double what the average year historically would give you so it's a good bounce. You are still about 25 percent from where we were at the top of the market. But you do have to rebalance; you can't keep having the same stuff in your portfolio.
If it's gain, sell some of the things that have won, invest in some other things. Make sure you are diversified. The rules didn't help you in 2008 and early 2009. Now go back to the rules, diversify your investments, there are industries that will do well. But it doesn't mean the entire stock market is going to continue to go ahead. Since the low of the market, in March, this market is up 60 percent. That is too much. You have to be careful and protect yourself. So if you made some gains this year, give yourself a big hug, congratulate yourself and do a few things so you don't get sucker punched.
WHITFIELD: But you still want to max out, don't you?
VELSHI: Absolutely you to. I still think it's a great investment market out there. Keep in mind, they are not quick turns. They are things that you do for five years or more, preferably ten years or fifteen years. Make an investment plan that's about retirement and about your kid's education. Don't make an investment plan that is about what happens.
WHITFIELD: Try not to borrow and dip into that 401 (k). I know it's very tempting.
VELSHI: It's very tempting; it's an absolute last resort. There are penalties associated with it and your money stops growing. Just protect yourself, pay down credit. Be about -- have 2009, the rest of it, and 2010 about rebuilding your own self so that when this happens again, because recessions do happen, you are in a way better place.
WHITFIELD: Chief business correspondent Ali Velshi thanks so much, good to see you, have a great holiday weekend.
VELSHI: Thank you. Great to be back with you.
WHITFIELD: Thanks so much.
Great advice from Ali. Of course Ali is going to be back with us to look at manufacturing jobs. We know they have been disappearing in the U.S. But one company found a way to stop that trend. It's straight ahead, about 40 minutes from now.
Take a look at this little baby here. Big old bundle of joy born three weeks premature, but still considered a plus-size bundle of joy.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. A Minnesota couple is celebrating the arrival of their Thanksgiving Butter Ball. We're not talking turkey. Butter Ball as in the nickname of their baby boy, who weighed 15' 6" three weeks early. Wendy says that she didn't understand what the doctor was talking about when he said 15 6 after the C-section delivery.
In fact here is how part of the conversation went this is her dictation of what transpired. She says the doctor said weight and I said wait for what? And he goes no the weight. I said are you kidding me? That was her transcription of the conversation between she and the doctor. The hospital staff was also astounded saying they never seen a newborn that big. For the record, Butter Ball's real name is Axel Laverne.
Jacqui Jeras in the Weather Center. I mean if someone said 15' 6" maybe I would think that is the length of the baby right?
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROGIST: Hopefully it was a c-section.
WHITFIELD: It was. All are happy and fine and thankful.
JERAS: I like that name, Axel. That is a good, strong name for a baby.
WHITFIELD: It ought to be for a 15' 6" baby.
JERAS: Congratulations to them. Well over all, medium. We're giving it a medium today on the scale of good to bad. We have moderate weather concerns. When you look at the radar picture, it really doesn't look too shabby out there now does it? However when you take -- come on wind. I'm trying to get the wind. Let's try again. Ah, it didn't work, again. Nope, not going to work. We're going to move on.
The big story here as I was saying, the gusty winds. We have had some gusts, 40 to 50 miles per hour. It's causing tree branches to come down and causing people to drive around it as you know, and a couple power outages to go along with that. So that is certainly a concern for you travelers. We also have a system in the pacific. It's affecting the southwestern part of the country. Now if you are trying to travel, those winds are causing some problems in New York City. JFK looking at departure delays right now of 45 minutes. This is the first delay we have had all day long. That's really not too shabby when you are talking about one airport. Speaking of New York City, 50 degrees there right now, there's a nice picture in Central Park where the skaters are out there, look at them going around the cones. You have to love ice skating this time of year.
WHITFIELD: It's lovely.
JERAS: Gets you into the holiday spirit.
WHITFIELD: Yes, it does.
JERAS: And lastly tomorrow of course, the other huge travel day, everybody trying to make it back home. We will be focusing really on the lower Mississippi River Valley, southern plains states. Heavy rain, thunderstorms as well. We're going to see rain up here across the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley, but it will be lesser. Other than that, it looks really good there on the map.
All right, our I-reporters, I asked you for them last weekend. Well today, we deliver. This is from James Stumer. He's actually from Brantford, Ontario, but he drove to Buffalo with his sisters. Stopped by Niagara Falls and saw this rainbow. Do you like that?
WHITFIELD: Yes, that is beautiful.
JERAS: So happy travels from James. That's his sister who drove him.
Getting a little wet there, today. Our other I-reporter, this one not too happy. Took the train on Wednesday into New York City, reports the crowded station was bigger than they had ever seen in their life. People were cranky and in a rush. Hopefully everybody is happy today and you won't be cranky like that.
WHITFIELD: They should be glad that they got a chance to spend time with the loved ones.
JERAS: That is right be thankful. Find peace.
WHITFIELD: Thanks so much, Jacqui.
Out of work, but not out of hope. We check back with an unemployed Los Angeles man. His life is actually turning around thanks to a CNN viewer.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. An update now on a story that we brought you earlier this month. It's about Tony Briones who is recently homeless in Los Angeles and has not been able to find work. Now, thanks to a CNN viewer, he has new hope of turning his life around. Here is Casey Wyan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CASEY WYAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): When we first met Tony Briones nearly two weeks ago, he was living in his van spending mornings unsuccessfully looking for odd jobs at this Los Angeles Day Labor Center.
TONY BRIONES, JOB SEEKER: I drive here every morning, I hope and pray I can get some kind of work, something going on so I can make some extra money.
WYAN: The 54-year-old father of two, grandfather of five spent 30 years as a warehouse worker and in construction.
BRIONES: I was on a ten-foot ladder, bringing hoses for the gas line, and the ladder went one way, I went the other way and messed up my shoulder.
WYAN: Briones says he's filled out hundreds of job applications without success. He's married with a severely disabled adult child at his former home, yet he no longer feels right living there.
BRIONES: It's hard for your kids and your grand kids to ask you for money and you don't got it. If your wife got it, I mean, she's trying to do what she can but -- excuse me. It's not right, you know. I was born a man, born to help support my family. I can't. You know, that sucks. Excuse me. Sorry about that. WYAN: Today, Briones has new hope thanks to Melissa Wolf, a CNN viewer who volunteers at Chrysalis a nonprofit organization helping the homeless and people recently released from prison find jobs.
MELISSA WOLF, ATTORNEY & VOLUNTEER: He's a perfect example by somebody who can be assisted by Chrysalis, he's homeless, and he has motivation. He really just wants to be given a chance at employment and when I saw that piece, I really wanted to introduce him to this program.
WYAN: Wolf helped Briones update his resume. Monday he arrived for his first day of job training classes.
BRIONES: I feel like a baby just took his first step or a little kid just fell off the bike and you put him back up. That's how I feel. I just fell off the bike and they picked me up.
WYAN: Briones says the recession has boosted the number of people using its job placement services by 40 percent since last year.
MARK LORANGER, CEO, CHRYSALIS: The types of clients have changed as well. We're seeing more clients that have -- what we call underemployed, where they may be holding multiple jobs to make ends meet. Or maybe that they are not getting a full 40 hours a week so they are looking for something better.
WYAN: For Briones any job would be better than what he's endured. Last year Chrysalis says more than 1,500 people or 80 percent of its clients found work at an average wage of nearly $10 an hour. One man who had nearly lost hope now believes he will be working again soon.
BRIONES: Bless you guys for what you're doing to make my life more shiny again. Take the downside, downside is over.
WYAN: Casey Wyan, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Good luck to Mr. Briones. So many people are in the same situation he is in.
Take a look at that. The jewel of the Middle East. But a financial crisis in Dubai has tarnished some of the luster, investors are wondering if global financial markets are at risk.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Russian investigators say a deadly train derailment between Moscow and St. Petersburg was a terrorist attack. Live from Moscow with the new information on this investigation, CNN senior international correspondent Matthew Chance -- Matthew.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, thanks very much. That's right, a terrorist attack, that's what the authorities are calling this catastrophe that took place on a train track between Moscow and the second Russian city of St. Petersburg. Casualties figures have been climbing since that took place at 9:30 on Friday evening, Local Time.
Now, 26 people confirmed as dead. Another 100 people or more said to be injured, some of them in critical condition, so there's a possibility the death toll on that could rise.
The authorities think it's a bomb explosion, they're saying it is a bomb explosion because first of all they found a small crater under the tracks where the train, which as we say, was running from Moscow to St. Petersburg, but was derailed. And secondly, they say they found elements of an explosive device, some kind of a homemade explosive device with about seven kilos of high explosive contained inside it, which they say was responsible.
And then there's a third element, as well. A second explosive device was detonated when the rescue teams were actually at the scene. It wasn't close by to them, it was on a piece of track running in the opposite direction. So, it was obviously an attack which was meant to cause the maximum casualties possible. And indeed, Fredricka, this is the deadliest attack by terrorists in this country for more than five years. And so, that's something very significant, indeed. Back to you.
WHITFIELD: And what about claim of responsibility?
CHANCE: Well, there's been no confirmation, no confirmed claim by any group that said they carried out this attack, but the finger of suspicion is pointing into two areas, first of all, the possibility Islamism militants from Chechnya that want a breakaway state. But, there's another possibility as well, that an ultra nationalist group, a group of extremist skin heads that may have been responsible for this. The authorities have launched a nationwide investigation to get to the bottom of it -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Matthew Chance, in Moscow, thank you.
All right, three Americans died today in a firy plane crash in China. They were crew members on board Zimbabwe registered cargo plane. Officials say the aircraft's tail hit the ground during takeoff at Shanghai's main airport. The plane then veered off the runway and then burst into flames. Four other crew members were hurt, including one American.
Finally, clashes between police and protesters erupted in Geneva, Switzerland, today. It was supposed to be a peaceful demonstration ahead of a World Trade Organization conference, but protestors began attacking banks, hotels and shops and cars were actually set on fire, as you see there, and windows smashed. Police used tear gas and rubber bullets to control the crowd. There were at least 20 arrests.
A financial crisis in Dubai is fueling global fears about economic recovery. Economists are keeping a nervous eye on the Middle Eastern country and world markets, for that matter. CNN's Morgan Neill has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MORGAN NEILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The party to open Dubai's Atlantis Hotel just over a year ago now seems like a mirage. At an estimated cost of $20 million it boasted a guest list of the world's rich and famous. Just two months after the Lehman shock, the dazzling extravagance seemed to say Dubai is immune, but it never was.
Dubai World, which owns Nakheel, the developer of the manmade tree- shaped Palm Jumeirah Island, has now requested a suspension of debt payments. The move threatens to undermine confidence in a recent property recovery, and celebrities who bought homes there may find their property is suddenly worth a lot less.
Author Jim Crane says that while established developments should be fine, Dubai's other artificial island projects, The World and Palm Deirah (ph), could be in trouble.
JIM KRANE, AUTHOR, "DUBAI CITY OF GOLD": It will take a special kind of investor and probably you know more robust economy for anybody to really build on one of those places. I mean there is a lot more practical places to build than on one of these little islands in the world, so that could be a white elephant for a long time.
NEILL: One of the firms, which has bought into the World has confidence in Dubai's long-term story.
GILES BESWICK, SELECT PROPERTY: I would disagree that it would be a white elephant. I think it will be part of the continuing development of Dubai as a city, and a tourism center, and an investment center for many years to come.
NEILL: But in the short term, DubaiWorld announcement has brought uncertainty and the prospect of a fire sale of assets to raise cash.
(on camera): But just how far could the fallout spread? At this point analysts simply don't know how the news from DubaiWorld will affect the rest of the Dubai portfolio, which includes among other things Madam Tussaud's, a stake in the London Exchange and the London Eye.
(voice-over): Whatever the fate of investments abroad, hopes that Dubai's inflated portfolio of luxury property was beginning to recover have been dashed.
Morgan Neill, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: How to say thanks half a million times. We'll take you behind the scenes of Operation Gratitude.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Carolyn Blashek has found a way to thank U.S. troops serving overseas, it's called Operation Gratitude. And almost half a million packages have been delivered to service men and women since she started the organization. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over): Carolyn Blashek is a one-woman USO. She's on a mission to bring smiles to the men and women serving our country.
CAROLYN BLASHEK, OPERATION GRATITUDE: Operation Gratitude is a volunteer, nonprofit organization that sends care packages to service members who are deployed overseas in combat zones.
WHITFIELD: Blashek was inspired by a soldier she met in 2003.
BLASHEK: He had no one in his life. And I thought to myself, I need to let him and every service member know that people at home care about them.
WHITFIELD: She started sending care packages to the troops out of her home.
BLASHEK: Within a few weeks, my house was covered literally covered from floor to ceiling with items that people donated.
WHITFIELD: Blashek recruited volunteers and now holds package drives in an armory outside of Los Angeles.
JUDY IHRIG, VOLUNTEER: It's absolutely unbelievable what one woman can do. Once they come down here and see what she started in her living room and the impact she made for the military men and women who serve, it's infectious.
WHITFIELD: Now, thousands of volunteers want to help, including celebrities.
MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY, ACTOR: The thing everyone can get from her personal story is if you have a great idea and your heart is in the right place, you find that a whole lot of people would love to help.
WHITFIELD: In six years, Blashek shipped close to 500,000 packages. She even traveled to Iraq to hand deliver the 300,000th one. Inside were keys to a new Jeep and handwritten letters from home.
BLASHEK: It was time for me to get back to my country and this is my way of doing it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: In a very big way. If you want to get involved, go to operationgratitude.com, learn a lot more about the organization, how you can help.
All right, you've heard about Black Friday. Well, now, we're going to tell you about Cyber Monday, everything you need to get those best deals online.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: A look at the top stories, right now. Police in Florida have arrived at Tiger Woods home. They are planning to talk to him to get his account of the accident that left him with minor injuries. The golfing greats' SUV He hit a fire hydrant and tree near his home. He is said to be in good condition.
The couple who crashed the White House dinner Tuesday night, managed to not only get passed secret agents, but Michaele and Tareq Salahi, right there, also met President Obama in a receiving line. The Secret Service says the couple slipped in when its agents did not follow protocol at a checkpoint. A statement from the agency says it is deeply concerned and embarrassed.
Optimism. Retailers are using that word as they tally up sales from the start of the holiday shopping season. Most of the major retailers say that they had more shoppers yesterday than on last year's black Friday.
So, many of you, do you prefer to shop online and there's a big day for that, as well, it's Cyber Monday, the Monday immediately following Black Friday and CNN's Josh Levs is here to tell us how to find those great deals. How to take advantage of this.
JOSH LEVS, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, here is my goal here, Fred. What I want to do is help people strategize for Cyber Monday, if that's what they're going to be -- if you're going to be taking part in it, trying to find those deals. So, what I'm going to do now is show you a series of tips and a series of sights. You don't have to write down anything because at the very end, I'm going to show you one place where I've linked everything you should need that I'm going to be showing you here.
There are a few sites that have a lot of information, but let's do this, let's go straight to these first graphics, because I want to show you some of the best advice that we've hulled from some of the sites out there including DigitalTrends.com.
First thing they say, start early, as in today, even though it's obviously not Monday yet, some companies out there are making cyber Monday deals available now. Now, it's a little bit of a gamble because you can hope that they won't get the traction they want on the weekend and it'll go down even further on Monday, but there are some really good deals now in advance of Cyber Monday.
The next two things are important. Know the aggregate sites. There are all these sites out there. I'll show you in a second. What they're doing is they're going around the Internet and they're calling all these great deals for Cyber Monday and one of them is even run by the National Retail Federation, so companies send to those sites. But even if you use those sites, what Digital Trends is saying, and they're right, is still check the actual Web sites for retailers themselves, because once in awhile, you'll find that the Web sites of the actual retailers have even gone below the sites.
All right, let's go to the screen behind me. I want to show you exactly what I'm talking about and make it really simple. So, this is one of the articles we're talking a look at here. We were just talking about aggregate sites. Let me show you how many there are. Here's one example, this is Cyber Monday.com. It lists a lot of the deals. Now, check this out, this one is CyberMonday.net which also lists a whole bunch of deals. This one is...
WHITFIELD: Oh my gosh, it's overwhelming.
LEVS: It's a huge business and retailers are all over this. This is CyberMonday.FM. so, you -- and these are just three that we've pulled up just as an example of how incredibly many there are. So, what you want to is you want to check these out, but also, if you find something you like, keep that open, but also go to the Web site of the company itself, in case you get a deal that's even better.
WHITFIELD: So wait minute, so you go there, you go to those sites, you know, the .net, .com or the FM, you said?
LEVS: Yeah, .fm.
WHITFIELD: OK, you go to those and then what, it tells you what stores or what products can be found on sale, and then you go back to the store and you compare?
LEVS: Well, a lot of the aggregate sites let you buy there. So, what you do there when you're on those sites, is you can say I want this, you click on it, you buy it. What Digital Trends is pointing out, and they're right, is that there's a possibility that while that's what the aggregate site knows about, the actual company itself might have gone into its Web site in the meantime, and says, you know what, we're not moving enough of these product, right, we're not moving enough iPods, we're not moving enough of those, what are those gerbil things? Zhu Zhu Pets? However, that one's going to move.
WHITFIELD: I've heard of it too.
LEVS: Yeah, that thing I was playing with in the eBay truck before. So, what they're saying is there's a possibility that the Web site of the company itself might actually have suddenly gone down below what's on these aggregate sites.
WHITFIELD: Oh, wow.
LEVS: So, you want to check out both as part of your strategy to make sure you're getting yourself the best deal.
WHITFIELD: This is a work out.
LEVS: Yeah, I know. But, you can save some cash in this economy.
WHITFIELD: That's the bottom line. That's what you want to do.
LEVS: Everywhere you can.
WHITFIELD: Great advice, thank you so much.
LEVS: You've got it.
WHITFIELD: Oh is there more? LEVS: Yeah, can we do more? Because no one's wrapping me. Good, let's go to the next screen, because I want everyone to see this. Check this out, OK< this is the next thing. Get -- what? OK. I'm saying, this is the last one, fine. All right, let's do this. I like this one. This is call your credit card company.
This is Forbes, they're saying you know what, you're going to be using your credit cards because you have to with this. Everyone is careful with their credit cards, so you know what they're saying? What you should do is call your company, say look, I'm about to do a lot of spending. I want to maximize my rewards, what can I do to get a lot of points, to get a lot of miles, whatever it is? and you know, I know you said this is the last one, but I got to show the fourth one. This is important. The last screen here is about protecting yourself in case there's s, because we have to show this, this is important. Last screen here, the fourth one, which is about protecting yourself in case there's scams. You need to be careful about this, because so many people shop on Cyber Monday, you might start getting e-mails that seem to be from companies saying hey, we lost some of your information. Be very, very careful if you get any of these.
And here's where I posted everything, you can show my screen now, it's all up at the blog, CNN.com/Josh. I've also posted it at FaceBook, FaceBook.com/JoshLevsCNN. All the links with all the information, Fred, you and I are discussing.
WHITFIELD: Oh, that is good. Bottom line, save some money. All right, thanks so much, Josh. Appreciate it.
LEVS: You got it.
WHITFIELD: OK, you have probably heard of Cesar Millan, right, the dog whisperer. Well, now, some parents are trying his techniques, that's right, Josh, listen up, you've got kids. They are trying these techniques on their children. Does it work? We'll try to find out.
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WHITFIELD: Cesar Millan, you know the name, he's a dog training guru whose techniques are showcased on his popular television show "The Dog Whisperer." Well, Millan transformed the worst behaved pets into obedient animals. So how does he do that? He uses strategies based on pack rules. In other words, showing your dog you're the boss, the alpha, and he stresses the importance of consistency when disciplining and remaining calm. So, now many of Millan's followers are trying his techniques on their children, and they say it really works.
Brenna Hicks a child therapist, licensed mental health counselor and writer of an advice blog called "The Kid Counselor." Dog whispering techniques for your kids.
Good to see you, Brenna.
BRENNA HICKS, THE KID COUNSELOR: Good to see you.
WHITFIELD: So, this is really interesting. At what point are people kind of borrowing certain information from Cesar Millan to use it on their own kids and what are you advocating?
HICKS: Well, I think that obviously the principles can be modified to be more appropriate for children, but he definitely uses principles that can be applied. He really advocates for a calm assertive energy when working with dogs, and often times I think parents forget the importance of their nonverbal communication toward their children. So, when they're conveying a nervous energy or an angry energy their children are absorbing those things and so keeping that type of principal in mind, where if you remain calm and in control you're teaching your children to be calm and in control of their emotions, as well.
WHITFIELD: Right, because a lot of parents might kind of blow their stack when their kid is not doing what they want them to do, but little do they know that their kid, some of that behavior is kind of rubbing off on them, making matters worse. And the same applies for your pet.
HICKS: Absolutely. And, of course, even tone of voice and the way that you hold your body and your nonverbal communication with your facial expressions, all of that can be absorbed with kids and then of course they're modeling that behavior.
WHITFIELD: So, you want to become the alpha, just as you would with your pet, but how do you really do that? I hear those things, you know, you talk about the things that Cesar Millan adheres to, calm, assertive energy, but how do you get that started if you're a parent and your kid is out of control and so are you?
HICKS: Well, to encourage a lot of parents out there, it is never too late. You know, you look at the worst case scenario of the dogs that he trains and he always says that he rehabilitates dogs and trains owners. And so, I often advocate to parents that you are just going to rehabilitate the child, but we're going to train you to respond differently.
And so, being the alpha, that's more of a dog term, but what we want to communicate is that we are in charge and that we do expect children to behave and be obedient when asked to do things, but so much of it is in the way we approach our children and so when we can retrain the words that we use and the language that we use with our kids, it often is much more effective than when we blow up and we have our moments where we're not in control.
WHITFIELD: So what do you think Cesar thinks of all this? I mean, little did he think that maybe these applications for canines would be used on our kids.
HICKS: Absolutely, I think it's probably a shock to him, but he does have children. He has his kids on the show sometimes, and I think that, you know, universally we as humans want to be nurturing and loving and compassionate and so the same principles of taking the time and investing the time and making sure that we are behaving in the best way that we can benefit our pets and our kids.
WHITFIELD: So everybody is on a tight leash, including Cesar Millan's own kids.
HICKS: Sure.
WHITFIELD: Brenna Hicks, thanks so much, The Kids Counselor. And folks can read what you're blogging about. I know you recently wrote "Raising Kids, Wisdom from the Dog Whisperer," so people are really hot to trot on this Cesar Millan and you as well. Thanks so much. Appreciate it.
HICKS: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: All right, made in the USA. You don't see that much these days, especially with this recession. Ali Velshi tells us who is bucking that trend.
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WHITFIELD: So, when we talk about job loss in this recession, few sectors have been as hard hit as manufacturing. But manufacturing jobs have been vanishing for decades now. Between 1995 and 2002 alone, they declined by 11 percent. But some companies are finding ways to save manufacturing jobs and keep them in the U.S. of A. CNN chief business correspondent, Ali Velshi has this story.
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ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For someone who runs a guitar string manufacturing business, Jim D'Addario is also a bit of a tinkerer. Over the past two years, he's cut inventory, stream lined factory floor operations, updated technology, and saved jobs at his Long Island-based company.
JIM D'ADDARIO, CEO, D'ADDARIO: We made a commitment in the '70s that we were going to make our products, our D'Addario Strings in America. And we're still committed to that. We've never sold one string that we didn't make here in New York.
VELSHI: D'Addario is one of a growing number of U.S. manufacturers that has adopted the Toyota waste reduction strategy popularly known as LEAN that relies heavily on automation.
More than half of U.S. manufacturers surveyed have implemented LEAN or plan to do so. Critics say the automation eliminates jobs. D'Addario says the replaced workers can be cross trained to do other jobs.
D'ADDARIO: We do not want to lay people off because LEAN has been effective. That's not going to help people embracing LEAN and it's not going to really help our company or our community. What we're trying to do then is we take those people and we train them to do something else.
VELSHI: Like work in the guitar strap division, part of a company D'Addario acquired several years ago. Those jobs were previously in China, today, Long Island. Economists say other companies can also position themselves to bring jobs home. PETER MORICI, LABOR ECONOMIST: LEAN manufacturing makes it possible to create products in the United States efficiently, cost effectively and so forth. Some manufacturing should be done in China. But too much manufacturing is being done in China that could be done more effectively in the United States.
VELSHI: Jim D'Addario agrees and hopes that other manufacturers will follow his lead.
D'ADDARIO: I think people are afraid to make the commitment to LEAN, to automation, to reinvesting in their factories because they have this stigma in their mind, they have this belief that you can't make it effectively and profitably in America and that's not true. I think people give up on manufacturing in America prematurely. It can be done.
VELSHI: Ali Velshi, CNN, New York.
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