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Pakistan Questions 5 Americans; President Obama Accepts the Nobel Peace Prize; Young People Force at Climate Summit

Aired December 10, 2009 - 11:00   ET

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

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Wow, that's some serious animation, isn't it?

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. Welcome back. Heidi has been gone for a little bit, but we've got this video to show you.

COLLINS: Yes, we want to show you the alligator we were telling you about, because -- yes, Palm Harbor, Florida, near Tampa. I don't know. How big?

MARCIANO: The gator?

COLLINS: Yes.

MARCIANO: Probably size 12, 12 1/2, pretty decent-size bag. I don't know -- 10-footer, 10-foot gator found at a home. They took care of it.

COLLINS: They took pictures, too. Nobody hurt. The gator was caught, but not sure of its fate now because they deal with this a lot in Florida.

Sometimes they have to trap the alligators and then release them. At other times, unfortunately, they have to put them out.

MARCIANO: Right. He or she does not look scared. And very proud, as a matter of fact. A handsome reptile.

COLLINS: Yes.

That was excellent. This was good.

All right. I'm Heidi Collins. Also, for Rob Marciano, CNN NEWSROOM continues now with Brooke Baldwin.

Hi, Brooke.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Heidi.

Yes, it is Thursday, the 10th of December. We are watching a number of stories here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

First up here, five Americans from northern Virginia, Washington, D.C., area turning up in Pakistan. Now authorities want to know if they're tourists or possibly terrorists.

And the president receiving a pretty big prize this morning, the Nobel Peace Prize. He defends his duties as a wartime president.

And children who have lost a parent to war get a big boost for the holiday season. We follow their trip on the so-called Snowball Express.

Good morning, everyone. I'm Brooke Baldwin, in today for Tony Harris.

And you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

I want to begin this morning with Pakistan and the FBI. They are both questioning, they are interrogating these five young American men from the Washington, D.C., area today.

And here's really the big question. Are these young men another case of homegrown terrorist wannabes?

These young men left the U.S. two weeks ago without even telling their families. But one left behind this video. It's this 11-minute video that's described by some of these sources here as a farewell video with what's described as a jihadist tone. And to be clear, the men -- these men are under arrest, but no charges have been filed.

CNN's Arwa Damon joins me from Islamabad there.

And Arwa, I know you just returned from this journey, this three- and-a-half hour journey where you spoke with one of the mothers of the men who's now traveled to Pakistan. This is an interview, it's a CNN exclusive.

And really, my first question to you is did this mother give you any kind of explanation of why her son was even in Pakistan to begin with?

ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brooke, it's really quite a convoluted story, to be honest. What this young man's mother -- and her name is Sabera Farduk (ph) -- her son is Omar (ph), one of those who were detained -- is telling us was that her son's visit to Pakistan came as a complete surprise.

According to her, she came to Pakistan a few months ago, actually looking for a wife for her son. She spoke with him in the United States towards the end of November, where he said he was going to a convention with some friends. That was the last she heard of him. When she didn't hear from him again, she grew concerned.

At this point, all of the families of the young men realized that their sons were missing, and they alerted the authorities. This one young man's mother in Pakistan tells us that then she received a phone call from a relative saying that her son was in Pakistan as well.

Her initial reaction was that he had come to surprise her. And then, of course, he and his friends were detained. She swears that he is innocent, that he was simply coming here to visit his mother and get married -- Brooke. BALDWIN: Now, Arwa, she swears he's innocent, but have you spoken to Pakistani police or FBI, anyone to give you a different perspective here?

DAMON: Yes, Brooke, we spoke with the chief of police in the city of Sargodha who is overseeing this investigation on the Pakistani side, and he very much, as do the entire police unit and the government here, believe that these men were plotting some sort of terrorist attack. They say that they have compiled a fair amount of evidence against them.

To begin with, when they were detained they said that they had maps on them, in their person, hidden inside their clothes that had certain areas in Pakistan that were highlighted. They believe that was their destination. These areas are known to be terror safe havens.

He also said that they managed to break into an e-mail account that these young men were using to communicate with a Pakistani military group. The last draft of an e-mail that they found there had very specific orders about how the group's movements should be conducted. In fact, it contained marching orders. The police are saying that if they hadn't raided the house at the very moment when they did, if they had been just 20 minutes late, the boys -- the young men would have already been gone.

Now, they do believe they have also managed to thwart a fairly significant attack since these young men do carry American passports -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: All right. Arwa Damon just out of the car, back from an interview joining us live from Islamabad, Pakistan.

Arwa, excellent job grabbing that interview. Arwa, thank you.

Checking the wire now and the other big stories today here that we're watching.

President Obama formally accepting his Nobel Peace Prize, rousing applause there in Oslo, speaking just a couple of hours ago in Norway at the ceremony. The commander-in-chief, presiding over two wars, spoke of his aspirations to bend history toward justice and lasting peace. The president also spoke of the new challenges facing the world.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The world may no longer shudder at the prospect of war between two nuclear superpowers, but proliferation may increase the risk of catastrophe. Terrorism has long been a tactic, but modern technology allows a few small men with outsized rage to murder innocents on a horrific scale.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Nuclear disarmament talks with North Korea still up in the air. That is despite a visit to Pyongyang by top U.S. envoy Stephen Bosworth. He says officials in the communist nation agree on this need to resume six-party talks, but did not say when they would return to the negotiating table.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHEN BOSWORTH, U.S. ENVOY TO NORTH KOREA: It remains to be seen when and how the DPRK will return to the six-party talks. This is something that will require further consultations among all six of us.

Nevertheless, as I said, there is common understanding between -- with the DPRK on the need to implement the 2005 joint statement and to resume the six-party process. It is important to point out that these were exploratory talks, not negotiations. It is certainly our hope based on these discussions in Pyongyang that the six-party talks can resume expeditiously and that we can get back to the important work of denuclearization.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: And all week long we've really been keeping our eye on these different hearings on Capitol Hill.

Today, General Stanley McChrystal and U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry, they're back. They're testifying about the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan. And this is the second time they have been testifying together on the Hill this week, defending essentially Obama's plan sending in these 30,000 additional troops and the drawdown for July of 2011.

We'll keep an eye on those hearings for you. As soon as we hear anything that they may be saying, we will bring that to you live here on CNN.

Also checking the economy for you this morning.

A surprise increase in the number of people seeking jobless benefits last week. Taking a look at some of the numbers here, the Labor Department says 474,000 people applied for benefits. That is a jump of about 17,000 from the week before. Now, economists, they had expected a total of about 455,000 new claims.

A lot going on student-wise in San Francisco. Take a look at this video here.

Police moved in overnight and arrested more than 20 people for trespassing. San Francisco State students took over basically this office, this business building on campus yesterday, and they're angry. Why? Well, there are all these statewide university budget cuts and fee hikes that they're protesting.

And there has been this rash of cases lately of homegrown terror. Americans under investigation in Pakistan today. We just spoke with Arwa Damon about that. This week, charges against a Chicago man accused of those Mumbai, India, attacks that was Thanksgiving of last year. Now some 15 young men from Minneapolis linked to terrorism in Somalia. And the Fort Hood shooting suspect.

So, this radicalization of young American Muslims definitely the topic this morning on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING.".

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT GRENIER, FMR. DIRECTOR, CIA COUNTERTERRORISM CENTER: The turn to radicalism really isn't tied so much to economic circumstances. It may very well be tied to alienation. It is typically tied to a sense of Muslims under attack in a very strong personal Muslim identity. And then very importantly, the individuals who make this turn typically have very strong ties with other like- minded people who give them a sense of community, a sense of belonging and a sense of mission.

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: So, Clark, how do you attack this, then? You know, President Bush, in the war on terror, talked about draining the swamp of extremism. It is not exactly a swamp here in the United States.

CLARK KENT ERVIN, FMR. HOMELAND SECURITY INSPECTOR GENERAL: Well, I'm glad you asked that, John, because that gives us an opportunity to focus on the positive here. The positive is that we found out about this. The law enforcement authorities found out about it because the parents, the families, of these young men reported their disappearance to the local mosque and to the Council on American-Islamic Relations. And they, in turn, those organizations, the mosques and CAIR, reported it to the authorities and then they worked very closely with Pakistani authorities.

That's exactly what should happen. You know, we American citizens and particularly those in the Muslim community need to be the eyes and ears of law enforcement authorities and intelligence personnel, because they can't do it by themselves.

ROBERTS: Right.

And Bob, in terms of the extremism itself, the radicalization itself, does it -- does it occur here? Is it homegrown? Is it outside influences? You know, Clark mentioned al Qaeda trying to recruit people.

In fact, Michael Chertoff, the former DHS secretary said, quote, "You're beginning to see the fruits of the pipeline that al Qaeda built to train Westerners and send them back to their homelands."

GRENIER: Well, I think the original radicalization does take place here in the United States. It is encouraged by the sort of propaganda that young people hear as young people elsewhere have available to them on Internet. But usually it arises as a result of close personal relationships that grow up here in the country of origin. What we then see is that they go back, in this case to a country of ethnic origin, say, Pakistan. We've seen the same with Somali- Americans going back to Somalia. And it's often there that they receive the assistance and the training that they require. And then the threat, as Mr. Chertoff has pointed out, is that they would then be sent back to the United States to actually engage in terrorist acts here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: If you feel like you've been hearing a little more about homegrown terror, you probably have, because terror experts, they've recently told the "Los Angeles Times" that this year, 2009, has been the most ominous time for domestic terrorism since 2001.

And we are back on the weather beat, talking snow, wind, cold, oh my. Causing major problems really all across the country. I know Rob Marciano has been talking about this thing really the last couple of days. He is sitting there for you in the Severe Weather Center tracking the huge storm.

He will have your forecast coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

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BALDWIN: Did you watch this? Just a couple hours ago, President Obama accepted the Nobel Peace Prize while defending his role as a wartime commander-in-chief. And during his speech in Oslo, Norway, this morning, the president said war is sometimes necessary. He also acknowledged there were others more deserving of the honor.

Details now from White House Correspondent Suzanne Malveaux -- Suzanne.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Barack Obama accepted the Nobel Peace Prize here in Oslo, Norway, with a great deal of excitement, fanfare and some controversy. Covering President Bush for eight years, it was really war that defined his legacy.

It was the September 11th attacks that set his agenda, but it was very clear that for President Barack Obama, he is a reluctant wartime president. He used much of his speech to accept the prize, explaining that there are times that war is justified, that it's necessary, ultimately, to bring about peace.

Here's how he explained it to the committee and those who attended the ceremony.

OBAMA: Perhaps the most profound issue surrounding my receipt of this prize is the fact that I am the commander-in-chief of a military, of a nation, in the midst of two wars. One of these wars is winding down. The other is a conflict that America did not seek, one in which we are joined by 42 other countries, including Norway, in an effort to defend ourselves and all nations from further attacks.

MALVEAUX: President Obama also addressed the criticism head on from some who say that he does not deserve this award early on in his presidency. Early in his speech, he said that, "I'm at the beginning and not the end of my labors on the world stage compared to some of the giants of history who have received this prize -- Schweitzer and King, Marshall and Mandela. My accomplishments are slight." He goes on to say that, "I cannot argue with those who find these men and women, some known, some obscure, to be far more deserving of this honor than I."

Clearly, the president striking a tone of humility as he accepts this prize. He was asked about it earlier in the day with the prime minister of Norway, and he went on to say this is not a popularity contest, that there is work to be done, and that his goal is to serve the interests of the United States while at the same time trying to bring some sort of force of good to the rest of the world.

He also said when he was signing the book there for Nobel Prize winners, he said he had hoped that Dr. Martin Luther King -- he actually gained some legitimacy, some credibility after he won the Nobel Peace Prize. It is Obama's hope that that also helps him as well, that it does the same for him. He acknowledged he has a lot of work to do.

Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, Oslo, Norway.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Now, President Obama's Nobel peace prize definitely generated a lot of Internet buzz when it was first announced in October. Do you remember all that?

So what is reaction like today, really, all around the world following the president's acceptance speech there in Oslo?

CNN's Errol Barnett tracking the online conversation for us.

Errol, what are people saying?

ERROL BARNETT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brooke, there's impassioned comments online, and people are really divided, they're split. But I can say, based on what I've seen on Twitter and Facebook, people overwhelmingly, or about 60 percent, anyway, do not think the U.S. president deserves a Nobel Peace Prize for accomplishments so far. Those who think he does deserve it admit there's no real tangible results.

I've reached out to the Twitterverse at ErrolCNN. Let me show you some of the comments I received that really characterize what people are saying.

Dan Arbien (ph) says, "This is ridiculous. Just after becoming another war president, he gets his Nobel. That's wrong."

Dennis (ph) here, he's in Germany. He says, "Take the troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan, close Guantanamo, and then he get the Nobel Peace Prize."

But there are some other views as well. If I tab over to this page, one individual saying, "If the Nobel Committee thinks that he deserves it, who are we to question it? We should be proud they picked our president to receive this award."

And then over on Facebook, I tried to generate more of a discussion on the Facebook.com/ErrolB, and one individual here, David Gillespie (ph), says, "No, he hasn't necessarily done anything. However, the fact that he's the first African-American president gives him enough reason to get it."

Almost immediately, Simone Rabaron (ph) responds, saying she disagrees. "Just because you're of a specific race and the first to set a bar doesn't mean you deserve a Nobel Peace Prize."

Other comments, though, these individuals kind of claiming why they think this actually was a good decision. Leah Cuwell (ph), who says, "To be able to inspire so many all over the world is an accomplishment in and of itself." Maxine Garcia (ph) here saying, "I don't understand why President Obama wouldn't deserve it. He only has good intentions."

This is, of course, the top story on CNN.com as well. More than 200 comments as people debate that same issue.

One individual who says he served in Iraq says he supported the U.S. president previously, but doesn't think he deserves this award. So people really are divided, and they really are centered on that one thing, which the president acknowledged in his speech, that there were no tangible results just yet, that this award really is for the way he communicates to the international community and the hope of what is possible, Brooke.

So people really posting a lot of comments online.

BALDWIN: Yes. It sounds like they're really divided, not just here in the states, but really globally, mixed reaction about the president receiving this award.

Errol Barnett, thank you for keeping our eye on the Twitter, Facebook pages.

I want to check some of the other top stories this hour.

We just mentioned President Obama accepting the Nobel Peace Prize. Speaking in Oslo, Norway, this morning, the president conceded his accomplishments are slight compared to some of the giants of history who have received the prize in the past.

And police have ended a protest at San Francisco State University. They arrested 33 students overnight, many of whom had barricaded themselves inside this campus building. Look at them there, even on the roof. Students are protesting budget cuts and fee hikes.

Scientists, they are monitoring this giant iceberg. Look at it, there it is. I guess that's the view from space, drifting toward western Australia.

It measures 12 miles wide -- 12 miles long, 5 miles wide. And glaciologists -- folks who study glaciers -- say it's extremely rare to see one that size so far north. It's expected to break into smaller icebergs and then melt.

So, question for you -- what are your plans for the year, oh, 2050? Young people all around the world have plenty, and that is exactly why they are protesting in Copenhagen.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: We are in day four of the climate conference, and there's definitely no shortage of VIPs there. The conference under way now in Copenhagen, Denmark, where talks continue today on this new agreement to combat the threat of global warming.

Now, President Obama will be there next week, the 18th, along with more than 100 other world leaders.

But as our own Phil Black reports, the summit debate now is being shaped by this group you wouldn't often expect at gatherings like this one.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Saving the world's climate is a serious business, so Copenhagen has attracted lots of serious people -- politicians, diplomats, lobbyists, businessmen, journalists. But despite having all those dull suits in one place, at one time, this conference center has a lot of energy.

(voice-over): It's not the number of people, it's the number of their years. Young people from all over the world are giving the summit a buzz you don't feel at most international talkfests. They're loud...

UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: There ain't no power like the power of the people!

BLACK: ... passionate.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If any of you can find somebody from the Swedish, Finnish or Austrian delegation, we need to have some words with them.

BLACK: They're not afraid to get in the face of policymakers.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm here to tell the (INAUDIBLE) countries not to sit on their comfy couches, not to be ignorant to the issues out there, and not to deny the signs.

BLACK: And they're not afraid to dress up and get theatrical.

(on camera): And you want to save the moment?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, I want to save everybody. I want to save the Earth.

BLACK (voice-over): There's a lot of creative attention-seeking here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are here searching for climate leaders. Our planet was destroyed by climate change.

BLACK (on camera): Is there an irony that an issue as serious as this, as serious as climate change, is often being dealt with in colorful, creative, almost silly ways?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In a way, but at the same time, I think people need this entertainment value because sometimes it's very hard to get into the nitty-gritty of all the lingo that they use.

BLACK (voice-over): Older activists say it's obvious why the young care about what happens in Copenhagen.

KUMI NAIDOO, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, GREENPEACE INTERNATIONAL: Young people have the greatest stake in this issue. They are going to be around in 2050 and beyond.

BLACK: And that's why so many young people have traveled to this conference, to ensure no one forgets it's their future that's being decided.

Phil Black, CNN, Copenhagen.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: How about that?

Well, comment, as you can imagine, on the summit in Copenhagen, they are streaming in now to CNN.com's iReport Desk. In fact, two of our viewers, they are speaking out on this debate over the obligations of the world's economic powers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NINO LA ROCCA, IREPORTER: And between all you governments with your nuclear testing out there, and every corporation cutting down the rain forests, and also all you manufacturers and chemical factories that are dumping toxic waste into the ocean and pumping toxic waste into the air, how much is enough for you? When are you going to realize that the damage you are causing is destroying this planet?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) EGBERTO WILLIES, IREPORTER: We must start leading by example. We cannot ask the rest of the world to sacrifice while we don't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: And thank you to our iReporters.

By the way, what is the truth about global warming? Coming up tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, we will have a special edition of "CAMPBELL BROWN." She will be looking at the science, the skepticism and the secrets surrounding climate change. "Trick or truth?"

Bank of America has paid the government a pretty penny here, $45 billion in TARP bail-out money. That said, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner -- there he is back on Capitol Hill today, saying he wants to extend the program beyond Wall Street.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: All right, home owners, listen up here. Could be new signs, positive signs of life in the housing market. Yes, there are a lot of foreclosures still out there, but the number apparently is getting smaller and smaller.

Felicia Taylor is live at the New York Stock Exchange with the details. And Felicia, before we get all excited here, how many foreclosures are we talking about, just a teeny, tiny amount or a little bit larger than that?

FELICIA TAYLOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it doesn't sound so teeny-tiny, especially for those that have actually had a foreclosure in their midst. More than 300,000 home owners received a foreclosure notice in November. Like you said, though, it is down 8 percent from October, according to Realtytrac, so there is some good news.

And that's not the first time that we've seen that. The number of foreclosures have declined for the past four months in a row. But however, the states still getting hit the hardest, as you might expect, Nevada, Florida, California and Arizona. They top the list of the highest foreclosures in the country, so it's still a pretty pervasive problem.

BALDWIN: Well, at least we have seen what, declines in foreclosures for the past four months, but is it still too early really to call it a trend?

TAYLOR: It is a trend, but Realtytrac says it's not necessarily because the housing market is actually improving. Instead, they say that much of the drop was artificially induced. Think about it. There are a lot of foreclosure prevention plans out there right now, including the TARP program that's put in place by the government. Many analysts are worried because some of the loan modification programs are only temporary, so foreclosures could increase again down the road. We may not be out of the woods at all. Don't forget, a 10 percent unemployment rate certainly adds a lot of pressure for this idea that we're coming out of the housing market.

As for Wall Street, though, investors are focusing on the positive today, specifically a narrowing trade deficit. That's thanks to a weaker dollar and growing exports. We are green across the board, up about three quarters of 1 percent both on the Dow and the S&P, up about two thirds of 1 percent for the NASDAQ. So so far, pretty good going.

BALDWIN: Good going. We will take the declining trend. We'll take what we can get, I guess. Felicia Taylor, thank you.

The Obama administration will be extending the federal bail-out program -- you know it as TARP -- through next October. It was set to expire I believe the end of this month. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner on Capitol Hill today saying this is a "just in case move," really.

CNN's Christine Romans keeping her eye on Geithner's visit to Capitol Hill. We saw him just a couple of minutes ago, Christine. And really, what is the motivation beyond extending TARP?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's interesting because this is pretty much a skeptical panel that he's facing and they're really pushing back to him -- pushing back on him on this decision by the Obama administration to extend TARP through next year. But he says, basically, you need to continue TARP to successfully wind it down and kill it sometime next year.

He also points out that there are other programs at the FDIC and elsewhere that have been wound down, and that means it's incredibly important to keep this one alive in case there were some sort of shock we couldn't foresee sometime next year. So he's saying, Don't declare total victory yet on the financial system, although it has substantially improved, and that the actions taken last fall, including TARP, have been incredibly helpful. He's just not ready to wind it down yet.

There are also some components of TARP, you may recall, that are focused on getting consumer lending going and getting commercial mortgage lending going and some other things there. He's not ready to wind down on those just yet.

One of the panelists, a former SEC commissioner, actually said that extending the TARP program, Brooke, borders on irresponsibility and is a drain on American taxpayers. So Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner is getting some pushback there from folks who are saying this is not a popular program. Tim Geithner says it may not be popular, but we need it for a little while longer at least.

BALDWIN: Right. And I know some people are saying, Hey, what are we doing? We need to be paying down our deficit. But I guess this is for those future financial curveballs that we cannot yet foresee.

ROMANS: I think the way you said it, that it's a "just in case" is a great way to look at it. BALDWIN: All right.

ROMANS: You know, he's saying the view from the Treasury Department, it's a "just in case."

BALDWIN: Just in case. Christine Romans, thanks for watching that for us.

ROMANS: Sure.

BALDWIN: All right, General Electric getting in on the green act. The company gets a billion-dollar contract for the world's largest wind farm. You can get those details at CNNMoney.com.

Well, President Obama -- we told you this -- accepting the Nobel Peace Prize while the U.S. is involved in not just one here but two different wars. What some soldiers in Afghanistan want to know when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: President Obama's acceptance of his Nobel Peace Prize comes just nine days after he escalated the war in Afghanistan. CNN's Barbara Starr reports from inside the war zone.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): While President Obama is accepting the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, here in Afghanistan, of course, President Obama's war goes on. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has been visiting here and assuring the Afghans that the U.S. remains committed to this war. Even though the White House hopes to begin withdrawing troops in 2011, Secretary Gates is telling the Afghans that the U.S. will stay, if that's what it takes.

So what about the morale for the U.S. troops here on the ground? Well, not surprisingly, as one young soldier told me, the number one issue, When can they go home? That's what the troops want to know. And he said they support the surge, if that's going to get them home faster.

(on camera): Here on Kandahar Air Base, another reminder last night, however, this is still very much a war zone. The base was rocketed, no reported injuries, another evening when the soldiers had to spend a little time in the bunkers taking it all in stride.

Barbara Starr, CNN, Kandahar Air Base, Afghanistan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: Let's get a check now on some of our other top stories we're watching for you this hour. First up, the FBI in Pakistan questioning these five young American men accused of links to terrorism. Pakistani authorities say they believe these men tried to connect with militant groups. One suspect's mother says, hey, her son was in Pakistan just to get married, not at all to plot terror attacks.

And embattled South Carolina governor Mark Sanford has dodged impeachment. Instead, a senate -- or rather state panel voted for a measure to formally rebuke the governor. Sanford's problems grew out of revelations he used government funds to visit his mistress down in Argentina.

And as we told you a bit earlier, the top U.S. general in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal -- he is on Capitol Hill today sitting alongside Karl Eikenberry. He is the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan. We're watching their testimony and then some questions from some of these lawmakers. But in the meantime, I want to show you what General Stanley McChrystal actually told our own Christiane Amanpour when she asked him about the importance of capturing Osama bin Laden.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, HOST, "AMANPOUR": What happens if Osama bin Laden is not captured or killed? What happens? What is the effect on this insurgency and on extremism worldwide?

GEN. STANLEY MCCHRYSTAL, COMMANDER, U.S. FORCES IN AFGHANISTAN: I think that al Qaeda will continue to be made less and less relevant around the world. Their ideology is bankrupt. It takes a while for that to be proven, but I think it is being proven. Their organization is being weakened. I do think it's important that Osama bin Laden be brought to justice in some way, not as complete closure but as a step toward closure.

AMANPOUR: Do you think you can defeat the insurgency, the Taliban, the al Qaeda-ism unless he is brought to justice or killed or captured?

MCCHRYSTAL: I believe, over time, it's important that around the world but particularly inside Pakistan and inside Afghanistan, the counterinsurgent effort to go against extremism be maintained consistently. I think that we will find Osama bin Laden brought to justice at some point, but I think it will be defeated en route (ph) regardless of when he is.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: That was just a snippet of the interview. He also spoke about how he knows how to gain success in our mission in Afghanistan. You can watch that entire interview. I tell you, it is worth watching, sitting down with Christiane Amanpour. You can watch that Sunday, 2:00 PM Eastern on "AMANPOUR."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Senate Democrats are trying to build some support here for a tentative deal on health care reform. It is now an alternative to the public option. But the deal -- it's coming under some fire here from the American Medical Association, the AMA, and the American Hospital Association. Congressional correspondent Brianna Keilar joins us live there from Capitol Hill. And Brianna, really, just how much of a curveball, a roadblock, whatever you want to call it, is this opposition from these interest groups? I mean, how big of a deal is this here?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I've talked with sources who -- Democratic sources who tell me they don't think it's enough to scuttle the whole agreement here. But certainly, this just goes to show you, Brooke, how difficult it is to keep everyone happy. And these organizations, these industry groups like the AMA, like the AHA, have been tentative allies of the Democrats when it comes to health care reform. And Democrats have been trying to keep them on board, keep them happy and allow them to have really -- I guess, give them some carrots in this game here.

But what these groups really are opposed to in this tentative framework that Senate Democrats are looking at right now as a possible way forward with health care reform is in particular this spot that says people who are 55 and older, between the ages of 55 and 64, would be able to buy into Medicare. You know, right now, only people who are 65 and older get Medicare, so these younger Americans would be able to buy in.

Well, these groups are saying Medicare reimbursement rates are lower than what, say, a private insurance company would pay for a patient, and so you're going to add a lot more people to the Medicare rolls and we're going to take it in the pocketbook. This is significant, though, because, you know, a group like the AMA, they were instrumental in really helping to defeat health care reform under the Clinton administration, and that's why we pay so much attention to what they say and whether they back certain parts of the health care reform bill, Brooke.

BALDWIN: So that's obviously a big deal that we're hearing from them a little bit of pushback. Also something else lawmakers are tackling -- you know, we all know prescription drugs -- they don't come cheap here in the United States, so some of these lawmakers are working on this measure that would basically allow us to import lower- costing prescription drugs from places like Canada and other countries where they're a bit cheaper. Where does that stand right now?

KEILAR: Well, because, you know, a lot of people actually do this now. If they can't afford their prescription drugs, maybe they will actually go to Canada and get prescription drugs or do it over the Internet. So this is a provision that would be basically a change that is being proposed by a Democrat, in fact, to allow the importation of these drugs so that prescription drugs are less costly to Americans.

Right now, it's not exactly on the schedule, but we are expecting that this might come up. And this again just shows you how it's so hard to keep everyone happy because President Obama is actually against this provision. He was for it as a candidate, while he was campaigning, but the pharmaceutical companies are against this. And they are a big player that Democrats are trying to keep happy, that the Obama administration is trying to keep on board that can really be instrumental if it throws its opposition at this bill.

So right now, we don't exactly know how this is going to shake out, but for a lot of people who have complaints about how much they are paying and they might like to get their prescription drugs from Canada, from other countries, this is certainly an amendment to watch, Brooke.

BALDWIN: A lot of pieces to this health care puzzle, Brianna Keilar...

KEILAR: A lot.

BALDWIN: ... staying up late reading, I know you are, reading everything about health care. Brianna, thank you for that.

Another flash point in this whole bill, abortion, funding for abortion when it comes to health care reform. Democratic senator Ben Nelson says he will only support a bill with tighter restrictions on federal money for abortions, and he reiterated his position on CNN's "ANDERSON COOPER 360."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, "360": Senator, your abortion amendment failed. So to be clear, as this bill stands right now that you've been working on, do you support it?

SEN. BEN NELSON (D), NEBRASKA: Well, I certainly can't support it. My position hasn't changed, but what I am hoping that we'll do is that the principle of the House version of the language can be achieved by other language. That...

(CROSSTALK)

COOPER: The House version is the Stupak amendment, just for those who haven't been following it.

NELSON: Exactly. Exactly. The principle is there. This language was turned down by the Senate on a vote to table. The question is, is there another way to word the language that will be successful? So many people are trying to explore that. I don't know whether that's possible, but my position hasn't changed.

COOPER: So unless there's some sort of new compromise with new language which meets your requirements on the abortion issue and funding for it, this is a deal-breaker still for you. You will not support this legislation.

NELSON: My position hasn't changed. I stated it early on and that's still my position.

COOPER: There are a lot of Democrats who say, Well, look, the Hyde amendment makes sure that no federal money will be used to fund abortion, and that even without the language that you wanted, that will stay, that if there is a plan that does offer to cover abortion, that the way it will be structured is that only the private money that an individual puts into that plan would be used to fund that procedure, not any of the federal amendment -- not any of the federal money. You don't buy that?

NELSON: Well, the devil's in the details in how the money is accounted for. Right now under the current bill, the language would give it to the secretary of HHS to determine whether the money is being accounted for separately and could make certain decisions that I think would really exceed what any of us would expect.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: So much snow. What do you do? A good old-fashioned snowball fight.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Oh, yes, lots of fun. Look at this, frigid Arctic air stretching from Oregon to Ohio. This is, I think, some of my favorite video of the day, folks. Brutal cold not stopping these students. And oh, no, they're not playing hooky. These is University of Wisconsin, Madison, students trying to set the Guinness book world records record, which, by the way, they didn't. They were 200 people shy. But from what I understand, some of these guys were out there -- wow, they are way into this -- no shirts, flip-flops, having a good old time.

And Rob Marciano, now, I'm no expert in throwing a snowball, though I've been pretty good a few times in the past.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, I can see you tossing one.

BALDWIN: But it was so cold -- I mean, those snowballs there -- that's going to leave a bruise. Am I wrong?

MARCIANO: Yes, it is. But you know, you give some college kids a day off and a foot-and-a-half of snow, and they're going to improvise...

BALDWIN: Right.

MARCIANO: ... and do that kind of thing. It was good packable snow, actually, not terribly cold, right around 30 degrees. That's what you want for moisture content. Two hundred people short -- I guess that's too bad. Great meteorology program there, by the way. Maybe the weather geeks among us were tracking it, as I was.

Fascinating storm, and now the tail end of it is up across parts of Canada. Strong snow bands forming around parts of the Great Lakes just to cap off. They had a foot-and-a-half in Wisconsin. Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, even the Northeast saw snow from this. And now the lake effect snow machine is cranking, and we could see anywhere from 1 to 3 feet of snow. And that doesn't take into consideration the blowing snow, the bad visibility, the drifting of snow that we've seen across the Midwest. You'll see it across parts of Buffalo, Syracuse, the Tughill (ph) plateau, the usual spots. It is cold all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico, although the warmer spots across parts of Florida where that cold front is going to stall and will create some rain tomorrow, but cool across much of the lower 48, well below average temperatures. In some cases, 20 to 30 degrees below average. So stay warm out there...

BALDWIN: I'll do that.

MARCIANO: ... no matter how big your snowballs are that you're throwing around.

BALDWIN: Hey, thanks for sharing a little bit of your inner weather geek. I think it flashed there, talking about snowballs.

MARCIANO: We are all one and the same.

BALDWIN: Like that, Rob.

All right, here's what we're working on for the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM. Five Americans in custody in Pakistan. Authorities are investigating whether they were there, in fact, plotting terror attacks. We'll hear from an imam and a former campus chaplain who says he doesn't believe this.

And spinning a lot of green to promote going green? Climate change is lucrative for the lobbyists. We will look at the big money being spent right now to draw attention to global warming.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Defense Secretary Robert Gates getting a firsthand look at the situation in Iraq. He arrived there today for planned meetings with U.S. troops and talked with the Iraqi president and prime minister. Gates flew into Iraq following a two-day visit to Afghanistan.

And the holidays -- you know, it's a tough time for families who have lost loved ones in the wars. But Snowball Express, is what this is called, tries to help those families, and this year the non-profit is bringing 1,300 people to Texas, all expenses paid. Here is reporter Shelly Slater with CNN Dallas affiliate WFAA.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHELLY SLATER, WFAA CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): "America the Beautiful" this was fallen Staff Sergeant Brian (ph) Mintzlaff's favorite song. And now this snow globe is his daughter's most prized possession.

BREAYLN MINTZLAFF, LOST FATHER IN IRAQ: He used to love this and that he's always with us and that he's in heaven right now and that we'll see him again one day.

SLATER: Breayln Mintzlaff is only 10 and yet wise beyond her years. She grew up fast after her died three years ago in Iraq. It happened the week before Christmas. For Breayln's mom, Monica, it hurts that she can't take away her daughter's pain.

MONICA SCARBOROUGH, BREAYLN'S MOTHER: I can't do anything. My hands are 100 percent tied behind my back.

MINTZLAFF: On the day that my dad passed away last year, I was sitting on a bench, staring at fireworks down in Disneyland.

SLATER: That moment is thanks to Snowball Express, the non- profit helping children whose parents have died in war. Breayln helped welcome 1,300 military family members in town for a Snowball Express weekend of fun and understanding.

MINTZLAFF: No matter what, they've always -- they'll always have someone who knows what they're going through. And if they ever want to talk to me, I am arms are wide open.

SLATER: Having lost her dad in December, Snowball Express gives hope in what could be a dark time.

SCARBOROUGH: She has December to look forward to, versus December to dread.

SLATER (on camera): Does that make you feel pretty awesome to know that your dad's a hero?

MINTZLAFF: Uh-huh. But see, when I think of hero, most kids wouldn't -- when most kids think of hero, they would think Superman or Batman or something. But I just think of people who are out there dying right now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)