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American Morning
Clinton Seeks Troop Commitments From NATO Allies; Obama to Focus on Job; One-on-One Interview With Secretary of State Hillary Clinton; A Soldier's Story: From Playing Ball to Basic Training
Aired December 04, 2009 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to a special edition of AMERICAN MORNING on this Friday, December 4th. I'm Kiran Chetry in New York. Hi, John.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, good morning, Kiran. I'm John Roberts outside of NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium where just a little while ago we conducted an exclusive one-on-one interview with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
She is here at NATO to try to cajole the other 27 member nations to pony up more support for the war in Afghanistan to go along with the U.S. surge that President Obama announced earlier this week. We're going to talk with the Secretary of State about troop levels, about this idea of whether or not transitioning to Afghan control represents an exit strategy, and we'll also talk about the secret war across the border in Pakistan, and what the violence there might mean for the future of Afghanistan.
All that ahead in just a couple of minutes, but right now, here's Kiran in New York.
CHETRY: All right. Time now to break down some of the big stories that we're going to bring you in the next 15 minutes.
The focus back on jobs at the White House right now. Today, President Obama hits the road hoping to ease the double-digit unemployment headache. We're going to talk about where he's heading on this tour of main street and why some of his critics say it's nothing more than a publicity stunt
And the so-called White House party crashers no shows at a Capitol Hill hearing. The secret service taking the bullet for the security breach, but some in Congress claim that the Obama administration is stonewalling their investigation. We're going to get details on this developing story ahead.
Plus, any minute now, she could know her fate right now. Now an Italian jury is deciding whether or not American student Amanda Knox is a killer. The case has been in court for nearly a year. Prosecutors say in 2007 Knox slit her housemate's throat in a bloody, sadistic sex game involving her boyfriend and another man.
The case has been grabbing international headlines. We're live from Italy with the very latest ahead.
And we'll get more on all of those the stories in just a minute. But first, we head back to Brussels and John.
ROBERTS: Kiran, thanks very much. The secretary of state, as we said, came here looking for a greater commitment from the NATO member countries to the war in Afghanistan. And it looks like the secretary of state will get everything she came for, everything she asked for, and maybe a little bit more.
Not too long ago the Secretary General Ander Fogh Rasmussen held a press conference in which he said they have about 7,000 troops now. That was the upper limit of what the United States asked for, and they may even get a few thousand more than that.
The ultimate number may go as high as 10,000, which would, combined with American forces announced earlier this week at a level 30,000 give General Stanley McChrystal the 40,000 troops that he wanted for a surge strategy to get into the next phase of the war in Afghanistan.
In an interview that you'll see only here on CNN one on one with the secretary of state we talked about those troop levels.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Well, as of right now, we have more than 5,000 committed. These include decisions by governments to keep troops that they were about to remove that they sent only for the elections, plus new additional commitments.
For example, today, we heard from the Italians and the Poles and the Slovakians. And I'm probably forgetting some others, but we had some really positive, new commitments.
ROBERTS: You wanted to get 7,000 troops. Do you think that you'll get to that number, and might you get beyond?
CLINTON: Well, what we've always said is between 5,000 and 7,000 because that's what we assessed. But we're obviously looking for more commitments, we think more we'll be coming in in the weeks ahead.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: At present they do have commitments, though not all of them publicly announced, for about 7,000 troops and expecting that there could be a few thousand more than that.
Let's bring in our State Department Correspondent Jill Dougherty who's with us here at NATO headquarters. And one of the big words that we're hearing in these last couple of days here as it relates to Afghanistan is "transition." What's that all about?
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, the president has set this date of July, 2011 for this transition. So some people have said, well, it's an exit strategy, it's the time people begin to pull out. Not exactly.
And you have to really, I think, have a law degree to understand it, which helps, because the president does and so does Hillary Clinton. But seriously, what they are talking about is that 2011 date will be the beginning of the transition over to the security forces of Afghanistan. They believe that by that date, they will be able to begin this process.
But in the interview that the secretary had with you, she made it clear they will be analyzing all the provinces, looking at 34 of them, figuring out, can they really do it at that point? If they can, they will go ahead. If they can't, she said they won't.
ROBERTS: American officials have gone to great lengths and great pains over the past few days to say, wait a second, this is not an exit strategy. This is a transition. Even the secretary general of NATO had an opinion piece today in which he said this is a transition, not an exit strategy. Why are they so focused on the language here?
DOUGHERTY: It's very controversial, because you have different audiences in the United States and in Europe. Nobody wants to stick around for very long. There is not an appetite for a war right now.
So they have to tell people, we are not going to have troops in this forever. It's not open-ended.
However, they have another message in the area, which is for the Afghans and the Pakistanis, that the United States and its allies are not going to cut and run. And we have heard this so many times. As happened in 1989 after they helped to kick out the Soviets from Afghanistan, the United States left, too, left them to their own devices. You had the Taliban and then you had 9/11.
ROBERTS: Secretary Robert Gates said yesterday in terms of transition, there are some areas in Afghanistan that are probably in the condition in the Afghan army and police are in the sort of shape where they could probably hand over control to them now. But that's a small part of the country, isn't it?
DOUGHERTY: Totally, because the real action that is happening right now is in the southeast. And that is where the real fighting is happening.
So maybe you can start in the north, but down in the south and southeast, that's where the pressure really is. and that's on the border with Pakistan. That's the most dangerous part.
ROBERTS: Our foreign affairs correspondent Jill Dougherty with us this morning. Jill, thanks so much.
Again, we've got that interview with the secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, an interview that you will see only here on CNN, an exclusive one on one coming up in just a few minutes. But right now let's hand it back to Kiran in New York. Hi, Kiran.
CHETRY: Hey, John, thanks.
Well, the White House is putting its focused today on jobs. This morning's unemployment report from the Labor Department will be released in less than 90 minutes. And it is expected to show unemployment remaining steady at 10.2 percent, but that the total number of jobs cut last month would be down from October.
That jobs report coming just a day after President Obama held a jobs summit in Washington. He says he's looking for new ideas on how to get nearly 60 million unemployed back to work.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We cannot hang back and hope for the best when we have seen the kinds of job losses we have seen over the last year. I am not interested in taking a wait-and-see approach when it comes to creating jobs.
What I'm interested in is taking action right now to help businesses create jobs right now in the near term.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: And in just a couple of hours President Obama is heading to Allentown, Pennsylvania, the first what's expected to be several trips across the country over the next few months to see firsthand the economic challenges Americans are facing.
Our Kate Bolduan is live at the White House and says some are wondering why Allentown.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kiran.
The White House says that Allentown really represents cities across the country. I was actually just there recently, and you can see it. With unemployment hovering just under the national average, Allentown is struggling with the same economic challenges that so many cities across the country are faced with right now.
The city's mayor, mayor of Allentown, was actually just here at the White House. He was attending President Obama's job summit yesterday, a summit where the president talked to many business leaders, asking for creative ideas to spur job growth.
It was part of a listening tour that you could say they're taking on the road today, taking that message on the road heading to Allentown. The White House says the president really wants to hear directly from the American public about many of the challenges that they are facing.
But another reality here, Kiran, is that with record high unemployment, it's continuing to be more and more of a political problem, you could say, even with many of the efforts that this administration has taken, the stimulus package included.
This is becoming a bit of a political headache for the White House, and the White House is really trying not only to show that they feel the pain of the American public but also that they are doing something about it, and this is part of it. CHETRY: And back to the jobs summit yesterday. The president certainly has a lot on his plate as we're talking about Afghanistan and health care, trying to make jobs and the economy issue number one again, having a bit of a hard time. Let's listen to what minority leader John Boehner said about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JOHN BOEHNER, (R) HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: President Obama, Speaker Pelosi, and Majority Leader Reid have never run a business, much less ever had a real job in the private sector. So how do they know what it takes to create real jobs? And so the American people continue to ask, where are the jobs?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: There you have a little bit of a hit at both Speaker Pelosi and the president. But how does the president turn his words into action and make sure this trip doesn't risk looking a little bit like political theater?
BOLDUAN: It's a very good question, and that's not entirely clear. The president yesterday did say to these business leaders that he thought that the private sector, private business would be key in part of really kick-starting hiring once again.
Talk at the summit included some discussion of increased spending on infrastructure, roads and highways, green technologies, weatherizing of homes as well as tax credits and tax incentives for business. But more government spending, Kiran, as you can very well guess, is not going to be an easy sell right now.
CHETRY: It's a tough thing. They don't want to call it a second stimulus if it's going to be anything, and any action out of Congress, certainly they will rename it something else.
But all right, we'll keep following the story. Kate Bolduan live at the White House for us this morning. Thanks so much.
Also new this morning, the Senate keeping $400 billion in Medicare cuts in the new health care bill. Lawmakers rejecting a plan that came from Senator John McCain to strip the health care reform bill of them. The vote pushes the plan forward instead of sending it back to the finance committee.
Minority leader Mitch McConnell says the cuts will raid Medicare to create a new government program. Democrats though are promising seniors they will not lose any guaranteed benefits.
Some new fallout this morning from the White House party crashing. Three Secret Service agents have been placed on administrative leave because of the security breach that allowed Tareq and Michaele Salahi to get into the state dinner without an invitation.
The couple was called to appear at a Congressional hearing Thursday. They declined that invite. Secret Service director Mark Sullivan did testify and said his agency was solely to blame for the party crashing incident.
And a sign of the season in the nation's capital, the first family's lighting of the national Christmas tree.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CROWD: Five, four, three, two, one.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: The ceremony featured performances by Sheryl Crowe and also former "American Idol" winner Jordan Sparks. First lady Michelle Obama also read "The Night before Christmas" to the kids that were gathered there.
And we head back to Brussels and John. Hey, John.
ROBERTS: Hey, Kiran.
Here at NATO headquarters, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived earlier today. Her goal is to try to convince NATO countries to send thousands more troops into Afghanistan. And it looks at this point as though the secretary of state is going to get everything she wanted and perhaps a little bit more.
But one of the points of controversy over the last few days, in fact, ever since President Obama's speech Tuesday night, is about this timeline. An exclusive one on one with Secretary of State Clinton, we talked about that timeline and what it means for the war in Afghanistan and American forces coming up right after the break.
You're watching the Most News in the Morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: We're back live outside of NATO headquarters in Belgium where for the last couple of days the foreign ministers of the NATO countries have been meeting on a number of issues, but first among them Afghanistan and the way forward there following President Obama's speech earlier this week that he was going to surge troops in Afghanistan -- American troops -- by 30,000 and looking for another commitment from NATO forces to see how many they might commit to the battle.
And it looks like the president is doing pretty well in getting those NATO countries to step up to the plate.
Just about an hour and a half ago I had the opportunity to sit down with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who is here trying to cajole those NATO members into giving those troops.
We talked about troop levels and particularly about this timeline of July, 2011, and exactly what that means for an exit strategy and a continued presence in Afghanistan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: Well, as of right now, we have more than 5,000 committed. These include decisions by governments to keep troops that they were about to remove that they had sent only for the elections, plus new additional commitments.
For example, today, we heard from the Italians and the Poles and the Slovakians, and I'm probably forgetting some others. But we had some really positive, new commitments.
ROBERTS: You wanted to get 7,000 troops. Do you think that you'll get to that number, and might you get beyond?
CLINTON: Well, what we've always said is between 5,000 and 7,000 because that's what we assessed. But we're obviously looking for more commitments, we think more we'll be coming in in the weeks ahead.
ROBERTS: In terms of this timeline that has been talked about quite a bit this week, the president mentioned July of 2011 as a time when perhaps you could begin to transition to Afghan control in certain regions and begin to draw down forces.
The point was made at the Senate Armed Services Committee which you sat in front of for a number of hours, well, wait a second here. You said it will be predicated on conditions on the ground. Now there is a date certain when it will begin. Which is it?
CLINTON: Well, it's both. And I think that it is not all contradictory to say that we're showing the resolve by putting in significant new troops as President Obama explained. But we want to send some urgency at the same time.
Today, I heard from a number of foreign ministers at the NATO meeting here in Brussels about how they think it's exactly the right approach. That we want, on the one hand, to reverse the momentum of the Taliban. We do not want there to be any misunderstanding that we're working toward the Afghan people themselves defending themselves in the future. And we're looking at this July 2011 date is exactly as you described it. It is the beginning of a transition that will be responsibly done based on conditions. So in some parts of the country by then, we will be able to remove combat troops and give total control to the Afghan security force. In other parts not yet. But you know, that's the kind of evaluation that will go on.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: And as Secretary Robert Gates said yesterday when he was testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, there are a couple of areas in Pakistan where they could probably transition to Afghan forces now. So by July 2011, they may be able to transition even more of those provinces.
The big question is, though, that if it's in areas where NATO troops are now where there's very little violence, what will the transition to Afghan control mean for U.S. forces and how many U.S. forces will be able to come home? That's something I talked to the secretary about. We'll play that for you coming right after the break. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. In a moment, we'll be following a high school football star in California from the gridiron to basic training as he decides to enlist. Our Jason Carroll was given unprecedented access by the Pentagon to bring you a soldier's story. It's an A.M. original and it's coming your way straight ahead.
First, though, we send it back to Brussels and John.
ROBERTS: Hey, Kiran. Outside of NATO headquarters where all the action going on inside is to see how many NATO forces will be joining the 30,000 American troops over the next six months in Afghanistan.
Back in Washington, two big points of contention after the president's announcement on Tuesday. There are a lot of Democrats who are upset with the very fact that we're sending any more troops. If at all, they want to see those troops come home. Republicans, on the other hand, have been upset about this announcement of some sort of a timeline to begin transitioning over to Afghan control and start to bring U.S. forces and other NATO forces home.
In terms of what that's going to mean for American forces, how many will be able to come home and how quickly they'll be able to come home, that's a question that I put to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton just a while ago. Let's listen to what she said.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: Secretary Gates said yesterday before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that there are areas in Afghanistan where you might be able to transition control to Afghan forces at present. Extrapolating from that, it would seem that the first areas of transition will be the ones where there's the least amount of conflict. And those are areas predominantly where NATO troops are in control. So when you begin this transition, will it actually allow American forces to come home?
CLINTON: Well, of course. You know, but, again, we are going to be looking at all 34 provinces. Some are, as you say, ready to be transitioned in our opinion now. Others, there is heavy combat going on. Americans, our NATO allies, other parts of the ISAF troop contributing countries are actually in the fight. But what we want to see is a gradual transition which may require the redeployment of troops within Afghanistan, but we're confident that there's also going to be room if we do this right to start bringing home our troops, too.
ROBERTS: This is being described as a transition, not an exit strategy. Ambassador Holbrooke made that point when I mentioned the words exit strategy to him yesterday. Today, in an op-ed piece, Secretary General Rasmussen of NATO said it's a transition, not an exit strategy.
CLINTON: Right. Right.
ROBERTS: How is it not an exit strategy? How is this not the beginning of a plan to leave Afghanistan?
CLINTON: Well, because there are really three different elements of our approach. There are combat troops, people who are there, you know, fighting the Taliban, reversing their momentum. There are trainers of both the security forces including the army and the police. We imagine that their mission will continue. And then there are all the civilian efforts which we intend to make a long-term commitment to continuing.
You know, we've left Afghanistan and Pakistan before much to our detriment. I think during the last two days of testimony, Secretary Gates, who was in the administration in the 1980s was one of the people pushing to arm and train the Mujahideen to defeat the Soviet Union, made it very clear that we then left and we left at our peril. So we want to underscore our commitment to the people of Afghanistan and of Pakistan. Our civilian assistance, our support in, you know, training and logistical support manner for their security forces will continue if they so request, but our combat troops we will be bringing them out and transitioning to greater Afghanistan security presence.
ROBERTS: So this will not be, as some people have suggested, the U.S. cutting and running from Afghanistan again.
CLINTON: Absolutely not. And, you know, John, I want to really stress that because our analysis of what happened in Afghanistan and Pakistan very clearly demonstrates that not only the United States but the international community just sort of said, OK, the job is done. Soviet Union is gone and we walked away, leaving a very difficult and increasingly dangerous presence in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. A drug trade that flourished during that time period.
You know, there were many problems that, you know, we had to take some responsibility for, but we did not. So I want to make clear to the people of both Afghanistan and Pakistan that we're looking for a long-term partnership.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: Another big part of this equation though, if the secretary of state hopes to transition control to Afghan forces, it's going to need to degrade the Taliban. So what does that mean for what's happening across the border in Pakistan because there's huge support from Pakistani Taliban of what's going on in Afghanistan?
That was a big topic of discussion yesterday at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The United States is using, although it won't talk about it because it's classified program, predator drones to try to take out Taliban and Al Qaeda leaders over there and stop the flow of arms and personnel across the boarder. But will that really work, and is that part of the overall strategy that the president announced Tuesday night? We'll put those questions to the secretary of state later on this morning. But right now, let's send it back to New York and Kiran.
Hi, Kiran.
CHETRY: Hi. Very interesting the secretary of state's comments on how it's not cutting and running and how they analyzed the situation and seen how this is very different than it was in the '90s with the Soviet Union.
ROBERTS: Yes. That's a point that they really want to drive home. And they have gone to great pains in the last few days to try to make the point. I don't know if it was clumsy language in the president's address on Tuesday night, but that point where he said, we'll begin to bring our troops home July 2011 really has set off a firestorm of debate here.
And so the officials from the administration are trying to do everything they can to say, no, we're not leaving. We're trying to create a program where we can transition control to the Afghan government. There will be a residual force likely if American soldiers that will stay in Afghanistan for some time, and as well the civilian infrastructure is what then will replace any military that's leaving.
CHETRY: Right. And, of course, you know full well if he hadn't said that, he would have gotten a lot of criticism on the other side. On the more liberal side, people who were hoping that this was not an open-ended commitment, something that the former President Bush got criticized so soundly for us as well. So, very interesting stuff and great interview, John.
We're going to have much more with the secretary of state in a few minutes. We're also going to be following the latest on the White House gate crashers. Why didn't the White House's social secretary testify before Congress? They wanted to hear their side of the story.
Jeanne Meserve digging deeper after the break.
Twenty-six minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. We have part two now of an A.M. original series, a soldier's story. We're tracking three military recruits from their final days as civilians through deployment.
And our Jason Carroll has been given unprecedented access by the Pentagon to tell their stories. And this morning, we're meeting once again with Will McLain, a high school football star in California who felt that he had a higher calling. And we showed you his emotional farewell to his family yesterday, particularly his mother.
Well, this morning, it is the beginning of basic training. Jason Carroll is here with his story. So 13 weeks of just the grind. JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The grind, the grunt and the grind. And that's exactly what it is.
This is the very, very beginning. Again, we're going to be following three. Will is number one. Once registration is done and the oath has been taken, within hours, new soldiers head off to military facilities where they will be trained. In Will McLain's case, that happens in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL MCLAIN, U.S. ARMY RECRUIT: It's all right.
CARROLL (voice-over): Tearful goodbyes as Will McLain's parents see their 18-year-old son leave home in Rosamond, California for the first time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She wasn't looking forward to this moment.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody understand that?
MCLAIN: Yes, sir.
CARROLL (voice-over): As McLain takes his first steps toward joining the Army, questions about his future begin to weigh on him.
MCLAIN: The major unknown I guess is, I want to know where I will be stationed at, you know? You know you got a have a four-year contract, but it's like, you know, are these four years are going to be, you know, fun, enjoyable or like, I hate my job?
CARROLL: For now, those answers will have to wait.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good luck.
MCLAIN: Thank you.
CARROLL: First, there is registration...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Any tattoos?
CARROLL: ... at a nearby processing station in Los Angeles.
MCLAIN: I'm anxious. But, you know, I'm kind of glad it's starting finally. Like one of those days you don't think it would come and, then, bam, it's here.
CARROLL: This is where McLain finally becomes...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shoulders back, chest up.
CARROLL: ... Private McLain.
CROWD: I will obey the orders of the president of the United States.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So help me God.
CROWD: So help me God.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When I tell you so you can exit the bus quickly but safely. Is that understood?
CROWD: Yes, drill sergeant.
CARROLL: Twelve hours later, McLain is now 1,600 miles from home...
CROWD: Yes, drill sergeant.
CARROLL: ... at an Army base in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Row by row. Let's go. Let's go.
CARROLL: ... for several days of orientation.
(on camera): You look a little different. You shaved the goatee. How does that feel?
MCLAIN: It feels weird. It's a first time in a while. You know, I expected them to yell on the bus. They did. You know, I mean, I'm surprised I haven't had to do push-ups or anything yet. So, that's also a plus.
(LAUGHTER)
CARROLL: Well, it's coming.
MCLAIN: I know.
CARROLL: Sure, it's coming.
MCLAIN: I'm sure it is.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you do not have an electronic device, do not take an envelope.
CARROLL (voice-over): After turning in personal items for safe keeping, Will and the other privates are issued gear.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Step in front of me. Open your bag.
CARROLL: Will finds his bunk and turns in for a short night. Four hours later...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get up!
CARROLL: ... his morning begins on unfamiliar territory.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are you doing? What is going on?
CARROLL (on camera): I'm thinking of all these movies that I've seen with the drill sergeant. You pretty much fit that role.
SGT. JOSHUA SMITH, U.S. ARMY: I guess you just have to say it's a Type-A personality.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hurry up. Hurry up. Right over there.
CARROLL: Will couldn't eat much in the three minutes it took him to finish.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hurry up.
CARROLL: Not a problem for sergeants eyeing his weight. He's 5'9", 228 pounds.
(on camera): You look at him and your assessment is, he's got a little weight to lose.
SGT. CRYSTAL SCOTT, U.S. ARMY: Yes, sir.
CARROLL: You think you can get that off him?
SCOTT: Oh, yes, sir. There's plenty of ways to get off of him.
CARROLL (voice-over): There are just a few more tests.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nice tight fist.
CARROLL: And then the regulation cut.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you think?
MCLAIN: It's short. And I'm white.
CARROLL: But he still sees the same Will.
(on camera): Do you feel like a soldier yet?
MCLAIN: Not yet. I haven't been through brute. I won't claim to be a soldier until I'm done with that.
CARROLL (voice-over): And that basic training comes next.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL: And the basic training lasts for just about 13 weeks. And here are some numbers for you just to put this perspective -- 200 others got off the bus and joined Will that particular day. About 30,000 new recruits go through basic training at Fort Leonard Wood every single year. So, Will is one of thousands out there going through this process right now as we speak.
CHETRY: So fascinating to see already -- I mean, just the changes. You know, you have to really give up a lot of your personal comforts. I mean, you know, we hear about it, but just to see it -- hand over your BlackBerry, hand over your cell phone, scarf down your breakfast in two minutes.
CARROLL: Get it done. And more changes to come. You see there that some of the drill sergeants thought his weight may be an issue. But as you see there, they plan to get that weight off him quickly.
CHETRY: And those are the 13 weeks that we're talking about, a basic training which we're going to be checking out with Jason soon.
CARROLL: Yes.
CHETRY: Great stuff and it's really fascinating to follow this from the beginning.
CARROLL: And again -- and again, Will is one of three recruits that we'll be following, each heading into different disciplines within the Army.
CHETRY: Fascinating stuff.
CARROLL: All right.
CHETRY: Jason Carroll, thanks.
Time now, 33 minutes after the hour -- a look at the top stories.
With nearly 16 million people out of work, President Obama certainly feeling the heat when it comes to the jobs front. So, today, he kicks off his jobs tour in Allentown, Pennsylvania -- a region with high unemployment hovering just below 10 percent right now. It's a first of several trips to cities in the next few months. The president plans to hold a town hall as well and meet with business leaders and workers.
Roman Polanski removed from a Zurich cell and is now under house arrest at a chalet in the Swiss Alps today. The 76-year-old Oscar-winning director will not be able to leave his home until the Switzerland government decides whether or not to extradite him to the U.S. He's facing sentencing for having sex with a 13-year-old girl 32 years ago.
Well, a 30-year study of virtually every Scandinavian citizen shows no link between cellphone use and brain tumors. Researchers from the Danish Cancer Society tracked human brain tumors in their citizens from 1974 to 2003 in four different countries, in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. Cellphone usage increased dramatically during those three decades. The numbers of those diagnosed with brain tumors did not increase.
Well now to the fallout and growing controversy over the White House party crashers. A congressional committee wants to know how a couple got in into the White House state dinner uninvited and who is ultimately to blame for that security breach?
Homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve has more now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: John and Kiran, the hearing was the first public appearance by Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan since the state dinner security screw-up, but a big part of the story was who didn't appear.
(voice-over): This time, Tareq and Michaele Salahi were on the guest list but didn't show up.
REP. BENNIE THOMPSON (D-MASS.), CHMN, HOMELAND SECURITY CMTE.: I'm directing staff to prepare subpoenas for the Salahis if the Salahis continue to rebuff this committee's oversight requests they could be subject to contempts of Congress.
MESERVE: Republican Peter King also wants to subpoena White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers. The White House said she didn't appear to preserve separation of powers between the executive branch and Congress.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's wrong. I think it's stonewalling.
MESERVE: Secret Service director, Mark Sullivan, the sole and star witness, revealed that three of his employees are on administrative leave while the investigation at of the security breach continues.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Violations and potential threat.
MESERVE: Members were alarmed that the security bubble around the president was so easily puncture. Sullivan said, to his knowledge, it was the only time it has happened.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Was there a threat to the president or not a threat to the president?
MARK SULLIVAN, SECRET SERVICE DIRECTOR: Sir, we have counter measures in place. And I am confident in telling you there was no threat to the president.
MESERVE: Sullivan testified, before the state dinner, the Secret Service and White House agreed that the social secretary would not have personnel at security checkpoints as usual, but nearby for consultation, and the Secret Service failed to follow protocol and call them when the Salahis' names did not appear on the guest list. Sullivan called that unacceptable and indefensible.
SULLIVAN: This is our fault and our fault alone. There's no other people to blame here.
MESERVE: But many members clearly felt the White House shared that blame.
REP. CHARLES DENT (R), PENNSYLVANIA: We always expect the Secret Service to take a bullet for the president. We don't expect the Secret Service to take a bullet for the president's staff.
MESERVE: One reporter at the dinner says she told White House staff the Salahis were not on the guest list. Sullivan wouldn't comment but made it clear that information did not make it to the Secret Service that night.
SULLIVAN: We were advised of it the following day.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And advised by whom, sir?
SULLIVAN: Facebook.
MESERVE (on camera): Some members also expressed concern about an e-mail in which Tareq Salahi said who declined invitations to the dinner and why. Members of Congress wanted to know how he got his hands on this potentially sensitive information. Sullivan said, at this point, he doesn't know.
Kiran, John, back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: Jeanne Meserve, thank you.
So, what do you think? Who do you think is to blame for the White House state dinner debacle? We want to know what you think. Sound off on our blog, CNN.com/amFIX.
Right now, we send it back to Brussels and John.
Hey, John.
ROBERTS: Kiran, thanks very much.
As of July 2011, President Obama wants to start bringing American forces home from Afghanistan. Some critics believe the timetable is just too tight, but some military leaders believe that we could bring American forces home a lot sooner than that. A problem though, if American forces start leaving Afghanistan, who do we hand the war over to?
Here's our Pentagon correspondent, Chris Lawrence, with a look at that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: John and Kiran, military officials now say there are certain provinces in Afghanistan that could be turned over to the Afghans not in 2011, but today.
(voice-over) : The Taliban control or influence huge areas of Afghanistan's south and east. Those are areas in darker red on this map. But U.S. military officials now say some of the northwest areas, in lighter shades, have good security and no al Qaeda and could be turned over today.
ROBERT GATES, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: The transition to Afghan security responsibility will start presumably in the least contested areas, some of which perhaps could happen now.
LAWRENCE: But Defense Secretary Robert Gates says they will wait up until at least July 2011. But when American troops start turning over some areas to Afghan forces, they'll hand over to whom exactly?
GATES: It may not be the Afghan national army or the Afghan national police that we -- to whom we turn for providing local security.
LAWRENCE: U.S. military leaders now say the most essential partners could be local groups, not national security forces. They're turning to these community security groups. Think of it like an armed neighborhood watch in places like Wardak province.
GATES: Tribal elders tell me that the roads that have been closed by the Taliban for years have been re-opened by these local groups but they are within the framework of the provincial governor and the district leadership so that they're not operating independently working for a warlord.
LAWRENCE: But that could be the biggest challenge: to keep these groups from simply becoming militias loyal to warlords.
There are nearly 100,000 Afghan national army soldiers, but U.S. military officials say, right now, only about 10 percent can stand on their own.
(on camera): If and when those secure provinces are turned back over to the Afghans, it won't have an immediate impact on American or British troops. They're down in the most violent areas. No, the initial hand-over will relieve nations like Norway, Sweden, Germany and Lithuania -- John, Kiran.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: Our Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence for us this morning -- Chris, thanks so much.
Another big question in all of this, what to do about Pakistan? We'll put the question to the secretary of state in our exclusive interview from here at NATO headquarters in Belgium.
Right now, back to New York and Kiran.
CHETRY: John, thanks.
We're also following another big story today and that is the verdict that could come down any moment in the Amanda Knox trial that's taking place in Italy -- an American student accused of murdering her roommate in cold blood. Our Paula Newton is live with an update for us after the break.
Forty-one minutes past the hour.
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CHETRY: Forty-four minutes past the hour. Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
A developing story for you right now -- deliberations are underway as we speak in Italy where an American student is facing jail time accused of murder. She says she's not a killer. Amanda Knox has been portrayed as a devil with an angel's face by the Italian media. She's accused of killing her roommate with a kitchen knife as part of a sadistic sex game.
Our international security correspondent, Paula Newton, has been following this trial. She is live for us in Perugia, Italy, this morning.
Good morning, Paula.
PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: And good morning, Kiran. You know, it's been incredible in this courtroom. Amanda Knox knows her future stays with her.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON (voice-over): Amanda Knox abandoned the poise and calm the jury is used to seeing to make one last impassioned plea. In Italian, her voice trembling, she told the jury she was frightened, terrified of losing her way.
"I'm afraid of having the mask of an assassin forced on me," she said.
The year-long trial of Amanda Knox is supposed to answer the question who killed promising British student Meredith Kercher. She was found dead in November 2007, sexually assaulted, her throat savagely slashed. The 21-year-old left to bleed to death in the home she shared with Amanda Knox.
EDDA MELLAS, AMANDA KNOX'S MOTHER: We have to continue to hope that -- that, you know, this -- that she is going to get a -- a fair trial. You know, it looks like the judge and the jury are really paying attention, and -- and so, we have to hope.
NEWTON (on camera): For more than two years here in Perugia, investigators have been picking apart this case, bringing in forensic experts, criminologists, psychologists, and yet, those close to this investigation tell CNN they still are no closer to knowing the truth.
NEWTON (voice-over): That doesn't stop anyone from having their own opinion as to how these four young lives converged. Kercher, allegedly murdered in her bed during a sex-fuelled, sadistic attack. Rudy Guede has already been convicted of the murder and sentenced to 30 years, but the prosecution accuses Knox of masterminding the crime, exacting revenge on a housemate she hated, so much so, the prosecution claims, Knox slit Kercher's throat as her former boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, held her down and Guede sexually assaulted her.
Journalist Barbie Nadeau has been covering every development in the case.
BARBIE NADEAU, JOURNALIST, "NEWSWEEK": Especially at the very beginning, before the trial starter, the portrayal of Amanda Knox was that of -- of an angel-faced killer, this blue eyed girl, this American assassin.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: What's really eating at Amanda Knox's family is that the jury was privy to all that and more, in a certain sense.
The other thing that's worrying them, Kiran, is the fact that the issue of reasonable doubt is not the same in the Italian justice system. The jury can still convict Amanda Knox if they have some doubts, and all of those doubts can be raised in a very long appeals process -- Kiran.
CHETRY: All right. Paula Newton for us this morning in Italy. Thank you.
It's now 47 minutes past the hour.
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CHETRY: Good morning, Baltimore. Fifty minutes past the hour right now. It's 39 degrees and partly cloudy right now, but a little bit later it's going to be sunny, 52 for a high.
We check in now with our Rob Marciano. A little Rolling Stones for you this morning, Rob, as you let us know what we can expect heading into the weekend.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Warm enough for you yesterday? How'd you like that temperature of, like, 60-something?
CHETRY: Very confusing. You know, I liked it, but it's also confusing because the day before that it was 32, you know?
MARCIANO: Yes. And -- and you might -- it might -- it will be cold enough and you might see a little bit of snow over the weekend. We've got certainly some interesting weather shaping up.
We'll just run down these high temperatures, record yesterday in Boston, 69, Portland, Maine, 68, Albany, New York seeing 63, Bangor, 63. I think JFK got something close to that as well. So certainly impressive stuff across the Northeast.
Now, cooler air (ph) to replace it and all of our attention focuses to what's going on down across part of Texas. Quick video out of Lubbock. They saw a little bit of snow -- snow in Midland. That's a record for yesterday's date. Not a whole lot as far as sticking, but just enough to be measurable, at least on the grassier surfaces.
All right, on the radar scope this morning, we've got a little pulse of that snow coming out of West Texas and Central Texas, some moisture coming up the Texas coastline. Is it cold enough to snow in places like Houston? Certainly cold enough in Austin, temperatures there in the 30s, Houston right around 40, but dry air so those temps will come down and I think it will probably be cold enough to snow in the Houston area.
How much it sticks on the roadways, probably not a lot, but on the grassier surfaces, a sliver of 1 to 3 inches across parts of Central Eastern Texas, Central Louisiana and up and through the Carolinas, and you may see a couple of flakes of snow Saturday night in the New York City area as well. I'm not sure it will be enough for -- for you to get the toboggan out, with a big, red sled, Kiran, in Central Park. That will have to come later in the season.
CHETRY: All right. Well, it's going to be nice just to see a couple of little snowflakes. What the hay?
MARCIANO: Yes, and try get you in the mood for the season.
CHETRY: Exactly. All right, have a good weekend, Rob. Thanks.
MARCIANO: See you.
CHETRY: Fifty-one minutes past the hour. We'll be right back.
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CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
An AM follow-up to a story that made national headlines earlier this year. A convenience store owner not only stopped a robbery, but helped the would-be crook find religion. Well, now that would-be robber is repaying the store owner for helping him turn his life around.
Here's Mary Snow.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We first you brought you Mohammad Sohail's story in June, when he showed mercy to a would- be robber who came into his store, demanding money, the ordeal all captured by surveillance cameras. Sohail grabbed a rifle and said the man began crying, saying he needed to feed his family. Sohail gave him $40, a loaf of bread and made him promise never to rob again.
Six months later, the 47-year-old Sohail says that promise was returned in a way he never imagined. He recently received a letter with $50 inside and no return address.
MOHAMMAD SOHAIL, CONVENIENCE STORE OWNER: (INAUDIBLE) what is that? And when I read the letter, that's the same person, you know, the guy who tried to rob my store.
SNOW: He read it for us.
SOHAIL: Now I have a good job, make good money, staying out of trouble and taking care of my family. You give me $40 and a loaf of bread. Here is the $50. Thank you for sparing my life. Because of that, you changed my life.
SNOW (on camera): Did you cry when you got that letter?
SOHAIL: Absolutely, because I -- I think -- all the time I'm thinking, my mom. My mom say, help anybody if anybody need help.
SNOW (voice-over): The letter is signed, "Your Muslim Brother," and the writer states he's now a true Muslim.
During the aborted robbery, the man told Sohail he wanted to be a Muslim just like him, and Sohail recited an Islamic prayer and told him he was converted.
While the man's life may have changed, things are also different for this Pakistani immigrant. At a store in Shirley, New York, he displays letters he's received from across the country.
SNOW (on camera): "Dear Mr. Sohail," what is this? "I want to say that no person's ever moved my spirit the way you did." Wow! From an admirer. "Your biggest admirer," do you know who he is?
SOHAIL: I have no idea. People sending me the letters.
SNOW (voice-over): And some have sent checks. Sohail says he's received a couple hundred dollar and now offers free bagels, rolls and coffee for several hours during the day, and he vows to help others.
SNOW (on camera): Would you one day like to meet with this anonymous mystery man?
SOHAIL: Of course. I'd like to see him. I want to see him. If he hear me, if he listening me, this person, come to my store.
SNOW (voice-over): While Sohail says all is forgiven in his eyes, the Suffolk County Police say this is still an open investigation as they have yet to find the mystery man.
Mary Snow, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: That certainly is an ending you don't see every day when you talk about robberies in convenience stores. Pretty amazing.
Still ahead, our top stories, just 90 seconds away. It's 58 minutes past the hour.
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