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Body Scans Ordered in Amsterdam; Retaliation for the Failed Christmas day Attack; Democrats' Mid-Term Problems; Hypothermia to Treat Cardiac Arrests; Source Says CIA Did Not Share Info of Terror Suspect; Alleged Bomber's State of Mind
Aired December 30, 2009 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Here's some of the top stories that we are following right now. Michael Jackson's "thriller" is headed to the library of Congress. It's the first music video to be inducted. There were 24 films added to the vault along with "Thriller". Among them "The Muppet Movie", "The Incredible Shrinking Man" and "dog day afternoon." There are now 525 films in the national registry, which was established 20 years ago.
And also, I want to get this information out to you now as quickly as we can here at CNN.
We are learning that British hostage Peter Moore has been freed after being held captive in Iraq since May of 2007. We're getting the information from British foreign secretary David Miliband. It was just announced here. Apparently, he is in good condition. And there were no concessions made for Moore's release. Again, according to the British foreign secretary.
As you may remember, there were five British men who were actually taken into captivity in Baghdad. Three bodies have been found so far. Moore worked for a U.S.-based company called Bearing Point. And you may remember some of the videos that came out, too, there were three of them released by the kidnappers known as the Islamic Shiite Resistance of Iraq.
We'll continue to follow that story for you here.
Terror aboard flight 253. We have new details this morning on the failed bombing of an airliner on Christmas Day. CNN has learned the U.S. is looking at potential targets now in Yemen for a retaliatory strike. Authorities believe failed bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was trained by an al Qaeda group there.
And new details in the investigation now. CNN has learned the father of the bombing suspect also tried to warn the CIA about his son, but a reliable source tells us the CIA never passed along that warning to other government agencies. President Obama wants answers by tomorrow. He is demanding a preliminary report on how the explosives were smuggled onto the airliner.
And a security upgrade has been ordered in Amsterdam this morning. The Dutch government says they want to put full body scanners in place at the Schiphol Airport for flights headed into the United States. The suspect in the Christmas Day attack got through security as you know in Amsterdam.
CNN's Phil Black is joining us now live from London with more on this.
Phil, good morning to you.
PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi.
Yes, the Dutch government has announced that it will have 15 full body scanners in place within three weeks scanning all passengers on flights to the United States from Amsterdam's Schiphol airport.
This is a direct consequence of that attempted Christmas Day attack, and they say they believe it's necessary because they believe security procedures were followed perfectly on the day. They believe the suspect, Abdulmutallab, did pass through a metal detecting gate, but the weapon he's accused of carrying contained no metal parts. So they believe this highlights a new flaw in existing security procedure, and they believe these scanners will play a big part, will be a big help in combating this newly evolved terror technique.
Take a listen now to the Dutch interior minister on this point.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GUUSJE TER HORST, DUTCH INTERIOR MINISTER (through translator): All aspects of security investigated in detail, but the detection gates only detect metal, which is why we carry out samples and do body searches. This system, of course, is not watertight, which is why meanwhile we have decided to start using body scanners on flights to the states.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACK: The countries have been slow to roll out these body scanners because of concerns over privacy. The scans show images of a person's body underneath clothing so people have been worried about just how much the images show and just who gets to see them.
Dutch authorities believe they now get around that concern because the scanners will be automated. Software will screen the images, and only when there is a suspect reading will security staff then take a look - Heidi.
COLLINS: So real quickly, Phil, let me just understand, these body scanning devices were already in the airport, but they were not in use. Weren't there several that were already in the Amsterdam airport?
BLACK: Yes, that's correct. The Amsterdam Airport does already possess these scanners. Only a handful of them have that automated software in place. They are now going to expand that software across all 15 scanners so they can be in place within about three weeks. That's how long they think it's going to take to get them up and running. But the reason why they haven't been used so far, as I say, are those security concerns - Heidi?
COLLINS: All right, Phil Black following that part of the story. Thanks so much, live from London this morning.
Today is actually the expiration day for the new airline travel rules put in place in the wake of the Christmas Day attempted attack. But the TSA is now extending those directives for airlines and airports. They include pat-downs and extra carry-on bag inspections at the airport. Airlines do have the discretion to keep enforcing that one-hour rule we told you about. It means passengers must stay seated for the last hour of international flights coming into the U.S. Also blankets and pillows cannot be kept on passengers' lapse during that hour. The TSA is expected to issue a new directive by tomorrow night.
Yesterday, we told you about management problems at The Transportation Security Administration. The agency is being run by an interim boss, while Congress considers the nomination of President Obama's choice to run the TSA. South Carolina Republican Senator Jim DeMint is holding things up because he's afraid TSA screeners will be allowed to join a union. He defended his decision.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JIM DEMINT (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: Well, I think the American people should be aware that the priority of the administration is to submit our airport security to collective bargaining with the unions. Even though that's been prohibited since the agency was formed. The reason it's prohibited is the same reason for the CIA, the Secret Service, the FBI, the Coast Guard, is there's a constant need to adjust and to be flexible, to use imagination, to change things. We cannot ask a third party union boss whether or not we can move a screener from one station to another.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says he will force a vote on the nomination when the Senate reconvenes next month.
Now, we have new information we want to get to you on the bombing suspect's alleged ties to terror. CNN has learned investigators have uncovered communications that go back at least several months. CNN Homeland Security correspondent Jeanne Meserve has been looking into this. She's joining us now live from Washington.
So, Jeanne, what's the latest that you're hearing now? Something about August? That far back?
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: U.S. officials say that last August, the U.S. was aware of communications between extremists in Yemen and the person called the Nigerian. There was no name attached. But could that information have been merged with other intelligence to pre-empt the attempted attack on Christmas Day.
CNN has learned from a reliable source that the CIA sat on a report about Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab for five weeks and did not distribute it to the wider intelligence community until after the Christmas Day attempted bombing.
A source familiar with communications between the suspect's family and the U.S. embassy in Nigeria says there were two face-to- face meetings, several phone calls and written communications. Some of the information generated was passed on to the National Counterterrorism Center, which placed Abdulmutallab's name in a government database. But our source says another report written by CIA employees in Nigeria was not disseminated beyond the CIA. And if it had been, it might have been put together with other pieces of information, like this intelligence about a Nigerian communicating with extremists in Yemen.
Some are faulting the National Counterterrorism Center, which was created after 9/11 to pull together all the information and intelligence gathered all across the U.S. government. One U.S. Intelligence official says the NCTC was created to connect the dots on terrorism. If somebody thinks that could have been better in this case, they know where to go for answers.
The president, of course, wants a report on his desk tomorrow that details who knew what, when and how it was shared. It looks like, Heidi, it could be a thick report.
Back to you.
COLLINS: Yes, very thick report.
Just wondering, Jeanne, is there any reason -- I mean, what typically happens with the CIA for them determining not to pass along information? It usually has to do with credibility of that information, right?
MESERVE: Well, you know, there's this big huge bureaucracy that was established after 9/11 that was supposed to merge everything. It's my understanding that this report at least fell into the category of something that should have been disseminated outside of the CIA. It wasn't done according to my source.
COLLINS: All right, understood. Jeanne Meserve, thank you.
Taking aim at al Qaeda. The U.S. is working with Yemen's government to pick possible targets. It's part of a plan to fight back in the wake of the Christmas Day attempted terror attack.
CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr has more on that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): What did President Obama mean when he said this about the failed Christmas Day attack?
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We will not rest until we find all who were involved and hold them accountable. STARR: A senior U.S. official tells CNN that military and intelligence experts -- as part of an already-existing effort against al Qaeda -- are looking at possible targets to strike in Yemen if the president orders retaliation for the attempted bombing of Northwest Airlines Flight 253, an attack that al Qaeda in Yemen says it organized.
The U.S. official says, quote, "We'd do it if we could tie it back to the right people."
Easier said than done. The first problem: finding who is responsible. The U.S. believes al Qaeda members in Yemen scattered after recent air strikes may have killed several members. Those air strikes were aimed at hitting al Qaeda, even before the Northwest Airlines attack.
If there is retaliation now, would the U.S. or Yemen conduct the strikes?
The whole U.S.-Yemeni relationship is now under wraps. Officially, the U.S. won't say who carried out the recent strikes. There is a secret agreement with Yemen to keep it quiet, one American official says.
But a growing number of U.S. military officials privately say the Yemeni military doesn't have the ability to do it on its own. So, it may be that U.S. ship-launched cruise missiles, fighter jets or armed drones would be used in a retaliation strike, but it won't be made public. All of this underscores U.S. military is urgently to help Yemeni troops train to fight al Qaeda.
In 2006, the Pentagon spent less than $5 million on Yemeni counterterrorism units. This year, $67 million, more than a 1,300 percent increase.
The head of U.S. intelligence earlier this year made clear why it's so important.
ADM. DENNIS BLAIR (RET.), NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE DIRECTOR: Yemen is re-emerging as a Jihadist battleground. The capabilities of terrorist groups in East Africa will increase in the next year.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: And Barbara Starr is joining us now live from the Pentagon with more on this.
So, Barbara, listen with me for just a minute, because I spoke last hour with the Yemen foreign minister about what the reaction would be from the Yemenis if there were possible air strikes from the U.S.
He commented on it. Go ahead and listen with me, and I want to hear your comments on the back side of this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ABU BAKR AL-QIRBI, YEMENI FOREIGN MINISTER (via telephone): Well, as I told you, any attacks against al Qaeda in Yemen will take place by the Yemeni Armed Forces. We will need the technical and the intelligence information to undertake these attacks.
COLLINS: So you're saying you do not need support from the United States in that regard by way of U.S. air strikes?
AL-QIRBI: No, we don't need that.
COLLINS: You do not need that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Barbara, as we just heard, the foreign minister of Yemen saying -- his name Abu Bakr Al-Qirbi -- that type of support by way of what was in your piece, you know, missiles, fighters or drones is not needed by the Yemenis. They can handle it themselves.
STARR: Well, that is -- make no mistake, that is the public view right now because both countries have agreed not to publicly discuss the level of U.S. assistance. There is U.S. -- I think he indicated U.S. technical assistance, U.S. intelligence, U.S. targeting information.
The Yemenis have done a considerable number of missions in recent weeks on their own. They have flown their troops in by helicopter, by vehicles and they have gone after some of these al Qaeda targets. But that's the hope, is that they can continue to do that. But I think most military experts will tell you that so far they simply lack the advanced capability to really target and go after these al Qaeda targets fully on their own in real time.
In other words, if the U.S. gets targeting information about someone they believe is directly responsible for the Northwest attack, the military, the U.S. military wants to be able to present that targeting information to President Obama. It will certainly be up to him to decide on the next step. But make no mistake, the U.S. military, the U.S. Intelligence community and their Yemeni counterparts assembling that targeting information so they're ready to go -- Heidi?
COLLINS: Got it. All right. Our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr.
Thanks, Barbara.
And that brings us to today's blog question. What do you think the U.S. response to last Friday's failed plane bombing should be? Air strikes on al Qaeda operatives in Yemen is one option. There are plenty of others, of course. Just go to CNN.Com/Heidi, and post your comments there. I'll read some of them on the air next hour.
We are getting a better picture of the alleged bomber's state of mind now, too. A little bit later this hour, we'll look at some online postings from Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. Voters went for change in 2008. Will they go back for a change in 2010?
A new video on the Internet showing the brutal measures Iranian police are taking against protesters.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Behind closed doors. Talk of prosecuting Iran's opposition leaders. Members of parliament have been meeting in closed session to decide what to do.
Also today thousands of people turned out to show support for the regime. The rallies were called by clerics and military leaders in response to recent protests by the opposition.
Video posted on the Internet is said to be of Sunday's bloody anti-government protests. Iranian authorities say more than 500 people were arrested, and at least seven were killed but not by their security forces. A quiet funeral was held today for one victim, the nephew of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi.
Democrats rode a wave of change into power in 2009. But after a year of tough political choices and battles, the outlook may not be so bright for the midterms.
National political correspondent Jessica Yellin has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): The West, with its strong independent streak and growing population, is open to reign in politics. President Obama gave Democrats here new hope by sweeping several Western states.
OBAMA: Colorado, the time for change has come.
YELLIN: But has that change come and gone?
WILLIAM CHALOUPKA, COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY: It's not as though people are lining up at the Republican Party headquarters. It's just that the bloom is off.
YELLIN: According to CNN polling, the West now gives President Obama his lowest approval rating, and it's only the region the Democratic Party scores below 50 percent.
(on camera): In the West, the game is all about independents. Here in Colorado, there are more unaffiliated voters than there are Democrats or Republicans, and many of those independents have been put off by the president's deficit spending and by the political brawling in Washington.
(voice-over): At a Democratic gathering in Colorado, they're anticipating fierce midterm fights. SEN. MARK UDALL (D), COLORADO: The West is an independent-minded place. It was never going to be easy. Colorado has, I believe, always been a purple state.
YELLIN: Newly appointed Senator Michael Bennett faces a primary challenge from the left and a brutal contest if he makes it to the general.
Is it your sense that the president helps or hurts out here right now?
SEN. MICHAEL BENNETT (D), COLORADO: I think people are still very willing to give the president the benefit of the doubt. What we have to do is be able to prove that we're taking a pragmatic, independent, you know, relatively nonpartisan approach to the work that we're trying to deal with in Washington.
YELLIN: A sentiment echoed by this small-business owner at a campaign house party.
HOLLY BIGGERS, RESIDENT OF COLORADO: I think the majority of us are kind of middle-of-the-road people. And we decide what's best for us at the time, and then we vote that way.
YELLIN: Which means the fight to win the West is on.
CHALOUPKA: The Republicans are mobilized, too. They have been stung. And so they -- they -- they want to get -- they want this -- this blue period to be as short as possible.
YELLIN (on camera): Democrats here concede they'll likely lose some seats in next year's mid-term elections, but insist they're looking ahead to the big game in 2012. They say success there largely hinges on something out of their control, whether Republicans field a candidate who appeals to the West's independent streak.
Jessica Yellin, CNN, Denver, Colorado.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Treating cardiac arrest with hypothermia. Sounds like a science fiction movie. But turns out, it really works.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Time now for a look at some of the top stories we're watching today.
Sean Goldman's maternal grandmother plans to keep fighting for custody in Brazil now that the boy's father has been given custody. The nine-year-old was reunited with his father last week on orders from the Brazilian chief justice. They are both in the U.S. now, which means the Brazilian courts no longer have jurisdiction.
Full body scans are going to become standard for travelers heading to the U.S. from Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport. The Dutch government ordered the airport to begin using the scanners in response to the attempted attack on Christmas Day. The scanners should be in place in about three weeks. Dutch investigators say the plan to bomb Northwest Airlines Flight 253 was professional, but the execution was, quote, "amateurish."
Yemeni forces have launched an attack on an al Qaeda stronghold in the western part of the country now. Security sources say at least one al Qaeda operative is in custody. The area is home to al Qaeda members blamed in the attack on the U.S. embassy in Yemen's capital last year. An al Qaeda group in Yemen claimed responsibility for the Christmas Day attempted attack in Detroit as well.
They say it's like throwing water on a fire. More and more doctors using extreme cold to treat cardiac arrest.
Chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay guitar shows us how it works.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA (voice-over): Zeyad Barazanji is back from the dead. Nearly five minutes without a heartbeat after a sudden cardiac arrest. But three years later, he's alive and well.
ZEYAD BARAZANJI, CARDIAC ARREST SURVIVOR: I feel stronger. I feel better.
GUPTA: Part of his treatment at New York Presbyterian Hospital was therapeutic hypothermia. I met with Barazanji's doctor, neurologist Stephan Mayer.
DR. STEPHAN MAYER, NY PRESBYTERIAN/COLUMBIA HOSPITAL: Imagine a chemical burn injury in the brain triggered by 20 minutes of not enough oxygen. Hypothermia is like throwing water on the fire. It just puts out the fire.
GUPTA: The method is simple. You run chilled saline through an I.V. and wrap the torso and limbs in pads filled with cold solutions. Think of it like the opposite of a hot water bottle.
As far back as 2002 studies in Europe showed it sharply improved the outcome from cardiac arrest. And a new study says it's just as cost-effective as many standard therapies.
But here's the thing. It's never quite caught on here. A University of Chicago survey found that only 230 hospitals out of some 6,000 in the country actually have this equipment.
MAYER: There's a treatment that was shown to be effective in two clinical trials in the "New England Journal of Medicine," the premier medical journal in the world. Yet, today, you could easily be taken to a hospital and not be given that treatment.
GUPTA: For Zeyad Barazanji, it meant a chance to cheat death, another chance to smell the summer air.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: One passenger spreading from one passenger to another, and what might the alleged bomber have been thinking before he got on the plane. We're going to get a look at some of the alleged bomber's Internet postings in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: The economic downturn is causing major stresses for state and local governments. Tax collections are way down. One expert calls the situation catastrophic. The problem is not likely to get better any time soon.
Alison Kosik joining us now from New York with more on this.
Hi, there, Alison.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Heidi.
You know, with people earning less and buying less, there are fewer dollars that are circulating through the system, and as a result, state and local governments are taking a huge hit. The Census Bureau says revenues tumbled by almost seven percent in the third quarter from a year ago.
Now, that may not sound like a huge number, but together income and sales taxes account for about half of state and local revenues. Experts are warning that the trend will continue well into next year, and possibly even beyond. And unlike the federal government, as we know it, most states are required to actually balance their budgets and this is going to leave them with gaping holes -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes, obviously, it's a big problem. But can you put this personal level -- I mean, what does it mean for most of us other than the political battles, of course, over those state budgets?
KOSIK: Oh, sure. Why do we care, right? Well, I mean, if you think about it, so many of the services that we depend on come from state and local governments -- everything from public schools to snow removal. And snow removal is actually making the budget problems even worse in many areas. The "Wall Street Journal" is reporting that the storms that have hit the Midwest and east coast in the last couple of weeks resulted in huge snow removal bills, leaving officials scrambling to figure out how they're going to afford to clear the roads later in the season.
Maryland's State Highway Administration, it's already spent more than $27 million this year on snow removal. But the agency's annual budget for that is just $26 million.
The adjustments it and other states will have to make will likely result in, you guessed it, less plowing and that's just one example of the service cut backs we can expect to see more of. Not much happening on Wall Street this morning. Let's take a look at the numbers. The Dow right now is down about four, the NASDAQ off 1. It looks like everybody is on vacation -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes, all right. Allison, thank you.
KOSIK: Sure.
COLLINS: President Obama says both human and systemic failures allowed the explosives to be smuggled aboard the Detroit-bound airliner we've been talking about. But there may be no report that raises more concern than what a reliable source has told us, that the suspect's own father had warned the CIA, but the agency didn't pass along the warning to other government groups.
So what happened?
CNN homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve filled in some blanks on CNN's "LARRY KING LIVE."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: It was sent to CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, but according to a source it sat there five weeks and was not shared with the wider intelligence community until after the failed attack on Christmas Day. According to this source, the information in that report could have been pieced together with other intelligence the U.S. government had collected to thwart Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab.
A CIA spokesman tells us the agency didn't learn about him until his father came to the embassy in November to express concern about his son's radicalization. Quote, "We did not have his name before then. Also in November, we worked with the embassy to ensure he was in the government's terrorist database, including mention of his possible extremist connections in Yemen. We also forwarded key by graphical information about him to the National Counterterrorism Center."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: An al Qaeda group in Yemen has claimed responsibility for the bombing attempt.
Well, we've been hearing an awful lot individually from passengers aboard that flight on Christmas Day, what they saw, and how some of them, including Jasper Schuringa, helped subdue a terror suspect.
And last night, CNN's Candy Crowley had a chance to bring two of them together via satellite.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Let me ask you first, Richelle, your feelings now about what Jasper and others did now that you've had a little time to reflect on what happened.
RICHELLE KEEPMAN, PASSENGER ON NWA FLIGHT 253: Well, first and foremost, I just want to say thank you to Jasper because you're a hero and we just -- from my family, I'm -- I also -- we're just so thankful that you did what you did and the other passengers who helped because your bravery saved us, so thank you. I'm just so grateful right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: And we are also getting a clearer picture of what the alleged bomber was thinking in the days, even years leading up to that Christmas Day flight.
CNN's Randi Kaye has been digging into the hundreds of his Internet postings.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One of his first online postings to the Islamic forum appeared in February of 2005. It reads, "My name is Umar, but you can call me Farouk." The more than 300 postings paint the alleged Christmas Day bomber as a lonely teen, someone who felt isolated and lost between his Muslim faith and sinful temptations of the secular world.
Farouk1986 writes, "I have no friends. Not because I do not socialize. I feel depressed and lonely."
Dr. Jerrold Post studies terror suspects in the online world.
DR. JERROLD POST, AUTHOR, "MIND OF THE TERRORIST": This was a man who was struggling between the temptations of the West and the strict precepts of the Quran and finding himself failing.
KAYE: Authorities have yet to verify the postings were written by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. But the information matches what we already know about his personal history. The user name is Farouk1986 -- a combination of the accused bomber's middle name and birth year.
Qasim Rafiq knew Abdulmutallab in college in London and describes him as humble.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
QASIM RAFIQ, FRIEND OF UMAR FAROUK MUTALLAB: He never came across as anyone who was of concerned. I mean, our conversations generally centered around, you know, football.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
KAYE (on camera): But the posts show he had more than football on his mind. Loneliness gave way to sexual desire leading to, quote, "minor sinful activities" like not lowering the gaze, which he saw as his religious duty. He tried fasting to avoid what he called evil thoughts. (voice-over): The poster also wrote about life at an elite boarding school in Togo, Africa. That's where this man first met Abdulmutallab. He remembers him as devoutly religious.
EFEMENA MOKEDI, FMR. CLASSMATE OF SUSPECT: He was a peaceful person. You know, he was a friendly person, sociable.
KAYE: The happiest posts are from June 2005 when Farouk1986 writes from Yemen where he was learning Arabic. "The Yemenis are so friendly and welcoming."
(on camera): None of the postings reveal extremist views or any hint of radicalization. One posting, March 2005, includes his strongest words related to the Iraq war and former President George Bush. It reads, "Why not forgive Bush for invading Muslim lands and killing my Muslim brothers and sisters, all the people who oppress the Muslims and all people who do me wrong, for surely, Allah's torment is enough for them?"
(voice-over): But are those the writings of a man who four years later would sew enough explosives into his underwear to bring down a U.S. airliner?
POST: There's something very seductive about the path of jihad when you're coming from that psychological state of meaninglessness.
KAYE: Loneliness, confusion, and a desire to belong may have preyed on Umar Abdulmutallab.
Randi Kaye, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: And that brings us to today's blog question. We actually asked you what you think the U.S. response should be. We talked about the idea of air strikes, some of the things that are being talked about right now in Washington. Whether you think they're a good idea or if the U.S. should respond in some other way.
We want to share some of those with you now.
This one from Anton: "Air strikes should be done immediately before the terrorists have a chance to scatter and hide. But in order not to turn this into an endless war, we should not put any boots on the ground."
And from Charlotte: "I think we should be looking at a global response, not just a U.S. attack. It's time the E.U. joins the U.S. by increasing their efforts in security and aiding us in our fight against terrorists."
A different strategy from Dr. Sambi: "Heads should roll in the U.S. intelligence ranks. And the father of the terrorist boy should be rewarded so that all fathers around the world start paying more attention to what their sons are up to."
Remember, we always like to hear from you. Just go ahead and log on to CNN.com/Heidi and share your comments there.
Going green for 2010. The Times Square ball drop will be a little more eco-friendly this year. Poppy Harlow has that.
Hey there, Poppy.
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Hi there, Heidi. We are freezing, but it's a beautiful, sunny day here in the middle of Times Square. Behind me: the greenest New Year's ball ever. We're going to see the first test this afternoon. We're going to have all the details, plus, more than 32,000 energy efficient light bulbs -- coming up when CNN NEWSROOM returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Checking our top stories now.
At least 23 people are dead in a series of blasts in Iraq. The governor of Anbar province is critically wounded.
First, two car bombs went off in Ramadi City. When the governor went to the scene to check on the victims, he was hurt in a separate suicide blast. Reportedly, the bomber was one of his own body guards.
Working to free an American from North Korean hands. The family of missionary Robert Park says they're cooperating with U.S. officials to bring him back home. Park told his family he was going to try and sneak into North Korea to spread his Christian message. Officials there did announce they're holding an American who crossed over illegally on Christmas Eve.
The head coach for Texas Tech is actually fighting his suspension in court today. Mike Leach wants to be reinstated in time for Saturday's Alamo Bowl. Leach is accused of making a player with a concussion stand in a small, dark place while the team practiced. Leach's lawyer tells CNN proper steps were taken and the player was always supervised by a licensed trainer.
Deadly and damaging winds in western Connecticut uprooted trees, landed on houses, and in one case, on a post office truck. Police in Bethlehem say the postal worker was killed. The fierce winds also left nearly 24,000 homes and businesses without power, including much of the town of Plainville.
And Jacqui Jeras has been watching all of this and joins us now with more.
Hey there, Jacqui.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hey there, Heidi. Yes, those winds really brutal yesterday.
We had some gusts in the northeast, easily, 50-plus miles per hour. So that's what caused that damage. Not thunderstorm-type winds but just your regular old strong winds due to a low pressure system that blew on through. In its wake, we've got very cold air in place and you can see we're still feeling like temperatures in the single digits and even below zero for some of you. Feels like 17 below in Caribou. Check that out in Montreal, minus 14; 16 in Buffalo; 15 in Detroit; 11 degrees in the Pittsburgh area. That's the temperature that your body feels.
But we've got an approaching storm system, and with it, we're going to get more of a southerly flow. So, watch for those temperatures to be feeling a little bit better in the next 24 hours or so.
You know, our nation's midsection has the biggest storm really across the country. But overall, it's a weak one, but it's enough that it's been causing some problems with snow and icy roads in the north and heavy wet weather across parts of the south. In fact, even some rumbles of thunder can be expected right along I-10 here and northward toward the Shreveport area, also into Lake Charles. That's where we're expecting to see that.
And then, on the northern tier is where we're seeing some of that snow as well as snow across parts of the west.
We've got a picture to show you out of the Chicago area.
Mostly, you've been seeing a flake here or there. I'm not talking about the crazy people on the streets. I'm talking about some light snow flurries. We do expect the snow to pick up a little bit this afternoon: one to two inches at the absolute most. I think most of you will see numbers a little bit lower than that.
Of course, the big holiday is coming up. Right around this corner, tomorrow night, if you're planning some celebrations, if you're going to be outdoors, be aware of rain and snow mixing across the northeast. Nice across the nation's midsection and then some wet weather across the Pacific Northwest.
And, of course, that blue moon tomorrow night. That's the second full moon in the calendar month. It doesn't happen very often...
COLLINS: Oh.
JERAS: ... especially not on New Year's Eve.
COLLINS: Yes, I was going to say, hey, I know what that is.
(LAUGHTER)
JERAS: Now you know.
COLLINS: Yes. All right, Jacqui, thank you.
There's always a downpour of confetti on New Years, of course, but this was more of a shower in Times Square yesterday. Planners did their usual air worthiness test on their confetti. It looks like they just got the right amount of float on it. Yes. This year, some of these little slips of paper will include personal messages from people around the world.
Well, Times Square is getting ready to ring in the New Year with the greenest ball ever. The crowds have not gathered quite yet, of course, but CNNMoney.com's Poppy Harlow is live in Times Square with today's energy fix.
Boy, speaking of energy, I bet you wish you had a heater out there today, Poppy.
HARLOW: That would be nice, but, Heidi, our Minnesota roots, two Minnesota girls, we're prepared for weather like this. This is nothing like being...
COLLINS: Absolutely. Bunch of wimps.
HARLOW: Exactly -- at home in Minnesota. But it's pretty chilly up here.
But I'm standing in front of what's being unveiled for the first time today, folks, the New Year's Eve ball. It's the greenest ball ever.
I'll give you some facts here, pretty impressive: 75 percent more energy efficient than 2007. Not only are all of those lights on there, more than 32,000 of them, LED lights. So, they're energy efficient. But this year, that 2010 number that you're going to see lit up at midnight, that's also full of these energy-efficient LED lights.
Now, when you talk about how much energy does it take, per hour this entire ball, it's pretty big, as you can see, it's going to take the same amount of energy as just two conventional ovens that you might have in your home -- so, really reducing the energy use. But the fact is, it's honestly not just here in Times Square. At home, you have access to these LED lights as well. You can get them at any hardware store really.
I want you to take a quick listen to the CEO of Philips North American Lighting and see what he had to say about what this means for you at home when it comes to being energy efficient. Take a quick listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ED CRAWFORD, CEO, PHILIPS LIGHTING NORTH AMERICA: Well, for the average consumer, they hate changing light bulbs. And the beautiful thing about this product is it lasts 20 times longer than what they're using now. So, that's 20 less trips down to the store. It's 20 less times they have to get out the ladder. It saves a tremendous amount of energy, but also, it saves because you don't have to replace the light bulb very often.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: All right. And, Heidi, these are those light bulbs. They look different than your traditional light bulb. You can get these now -- they're Philips -- at Home Depot. Right now, you can get those.
But I also want to tell you that a lot of this power is also coming from people here in Times Square pedaling. Take a look at this video. It's the Duracell pedal power lab. Right now, folks are pedaling away, creating energy. They're storing them up in all of these big, big battery boxes. They're going to also help power the ball tomorrow night -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes, it's another way to keep warm, too. Of course, it looks like they're doing it...
HARLOW: Right.
COLLINS: ... inside anyway.
HARLOW: Exactly.
COLLINS: But I'm curious, are you going to go tomorrow night?
HARLOW: I'm going to go. I am working tomorrow night, no party plans for me. I'm working tomorrow night. I'm going to be on the street as part of our coverage starting at 11:00 p.m. Eastern, talking to folks.
And there's supposed to be, Heidi, 1 million people here in Times Square for the celebration tomorrow night, I guess rain or snow, because that's what we're expecting. And also, Mayor Michael Bloomberg along with some New York City high school kids, they will flip the switch to make the ball fall on New Year's Eve -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Awesome. All right. Well, 1 million people, maybe that will warm things up a bit, too.
HARLOW: Yes, it should.
COLLINS: All right. Poppy, thank you.
And a quick reminder here...
HARLOW: You got it.
COLLINS: ... as Poppy was mentioning, -- ring in the New Year with CNN, Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin live from Times Square on New Year's Eve. That countdown begins 11:00 p.m. Eastern.
You know that stuff you've been holding onto just in case you need it again? Well, listen closely, you don't need it -- right, Josh?
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Very much, Heidi. We have a list for you. It's a list of what has gone obsolete and what hasn't. But, there's some controversy even right here in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC) COLLINS: That funky music gets me every time. With tomorrow being New Year's Eve, many people are thinking about New Year's resolutions today. And for some people, it's all about throwing out the things that are taking up room all over the house, stuff that you just haven't wanted to part with but maybe are ready to do so now.
What should you get rid of? In today's "Tech Trends," our Josh Levs is here with a list that might help.
LEVS: It's kind of funky.
COLLINS: Yes.
LEVS: I'm going to carry that spirit on.
It's interesting. It's getting a lot of people talking online. Let me tell everyone what we're talking about here.
First of all, this is CNN's technology Web site, CNN.com/Tech. But what we're talking right now is this list from Huffington Post that's got a lot of people talking, "12 Things That Became Obsolete This Decade." And they put up photos.
One of them, they're declaring obsolete: phone calls. They're taking a look at the numbers and they're saying it is true from the Census, that more and more people, massive numbers are texting these days instead of making phone calls.
So, what I'm going to do now is I'm going to talk you through some of the examples of what this list is declaring to be obsolete and then I'm going to tell you how you can vote and weigh in on what's really obsolete.
Let's go to the first graphic. I'm going to show some pictures here along the way.
Dial-up Internet. Now, I think most people are going to agree with that one because very few people are still holding on to that system but it does exist. When you think about what obsolete means, it probably applies.
Let's go to the next one here: newspaper classifieds. I like looking at this one because we keep hearing about how newspapers are struggling. A lot of us think about people getting their news from news Web sites. A lot of people don't stop to realize, one of the major reasons newspapers have struggled in America is that ads have moved to online. Those classifieds used to really help newspapers exist.
Let's go to a few more here. Encyclopedias -- you know, most people just aren't using them anymore, especially younger people. If you want to know something, you get online. I always say search CNN first instead of Wikipedia. But, you know, I can't control where you search.
Couple more here. The yellow pages -- they're saying with is one of the things that's going obsolete these days.
And, finally, one more picture you: letters. And you know there have been studies about this. So many ewer people are sitting down and writing these whole letters.
Let's do this. We got a little bit of time. I'm going to show you all 12. Let's go straight to the list that we got for you. We're going to bang through all 12, and then I'll show you how to weigh in.
Calling, classifieds, dial-up Internet, encyclopedias, C.D.s, landline phones, film, yellow pages, catalogs, fax machines, the wires -- now, I still got a lot of wires but they're saying steadily becoming obsolete -- and letters, that you are looking at there.
So, what do you think? Is it really -- are these things really going obsolete or are they not? You can weigh in all these places. It's up at the blogs, CNN.com/Josh. Also, Facebook and Twitter, JoshLevsCNN. Also at Huffington Post, which we link you to, you can actually vote on whether or not these are obsolete.
And I'll tell you, Heidi, what I like about this is at the end of this decade, it's an opportunity for us to stop and look back at how quickly technology has changed every year...
COLLINS: Yes.
LEVS: ... and how it's changed our lives really.
COLLINS: Yes. It is -- it is truly unbelievable. And I think about a lot of these things and don't remember not having them.
LEVS: Yes.
COLLINS: So, it's interesting. All right, Josh, thank you.
LEVS: Thanks, Heidi.
COLLINS: Reaching out to people in need. One group is delivering meals in the nation's capital to people with serious health problems, but they're not just bringing hot food.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Delivering more than just a meal. A program in Washington shows what it really means to give. CNN photojournalist David Ruff makes the rounds with one volunteer in today's "Giving in Focus" report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CRAIG SHNIDERMAN, EXEC. DIRECTOR, FOOD AND FRIENDS: Food and Friends provides the service that's unique in the area. We provide home delivered meals to people living with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other illnesses.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How are you doing, darling? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good to see you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What's up?
SHNIDERMAN: And we do this without charge.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you feeling good?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good.
DAVID PEIFFER, FOOD AND FRIENDS: I'm David Peiffer. I live in Washington, D.C. I've been delivering for Food and Friends for eight years. That would be five meals for two days.
SHNIDERMAN: Washington, D.C. has the highest rate per capita of AIDS in the United States.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can use this (INAUDIBLE).
SHNIDERMAN: They have very specific nutritional needs. And our 13,000 volunteers and 50 staff meet those needs.
PEIFFER: Next up is Ammie Berenson.
SHNIDERMAN: David is a remarkable individual.
PEIFFER: Hello, Sunshine. How are you?
SHNIDERMAN: He makes relationships with those clients.
AIMME BERENSON, FOOD AND FRIENDS CLIENT: My best friend, come on in.
PEIFFER: How are you feeling?
BERENSON: OK.
PEIFFER: When I first met Ammie about five years ago, there was an immediate spark between the two of us.
BERENSON: It's hard to be alone all day. We know each other. He's someone to talk to. He's interesting, he cares. David is more than just some guy that comes to deliver food.
PEIFFER: Oh, it was so great to see you, Reynaldo (ph).
It was 1990 when I got tested for HIV, and unfortunately it came back positive. Once I received the news, I wanted to give back a little bit before I was -- before I was gone. What you put out there comes back.
SNIDERMAN: To have David standing at the door as a compassionate person, as a person who really understands their circumstances.
PEIFFER: See you next week. Bye-bye now.
I know probably in my future, there will be a time when I need food and friends. Another Thursday down.
In the beginning, you kind of do it to help somebody else out, and then all of a sudden, these blessings keep coming back showering you. More and more -- the more you give, the more you get back.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: "Giving in Focus" was one of five different series that CNN's photojournalists brought to you this year.
Tune in this weekend to see the very best of the "In Focus" stories. That's Saturday afternoon at 3:00 Eastern.
I'm Heidi Collins. CNN NEWSROOM continues with Tony Harris.
