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President Obama Calls For Overhaul of Security Infrastructure Due to Attempted Christmas Day Bombing; U.S. Forces in Afghanistan Attacked by Afghan Security Forces Switching Sides and Joining Taliban; Rush Limbaugh Out of Hospital

Aired January 02, 2010 - 10:00   ET

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

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everybody. From the CNN center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It is January 2nd. Happy New Year and thanks for joining us. I'm Betty Nguyen.

RICHARD LUI, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to those of you who are maybe getting up out of bed at this hour. I'm Richard Lui in for T.J. Holmes this weekend. Thanks for starting your Saturday with us.

NGUYEN: Great to have you around this weekend. Let's get started with this.

LUI: Yes, let's do it.

The president pointing fingers in the attempted Christmas Day terror attack on Northwest flight 253. He says Al Qaeda is responsible. We hear from the president, his web address, straight ahead for you.

NGUYEN: Plus conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh out of the hospital this morning and talking to reporters. Doctors say they found nothing wrong after he was admitted for chest pains. Limbaugh though held a news conference, and we'll hear what he had to say.

Also I want to begin this morning with President Obama. He's making the strongest statement yet connecting Al Qaeda to the attack on Northwest flight 253 Christmas Day. Now, in his weekly address, the president links the suspect, Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab, to Al Qaeda in Yemen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I've made it a priority to strengthen our partnership with the Yemeni government, training and equipping their security forces, sharing intelligence, and working with them to strike Al Qaeda terrorists.

And even before Christmas Day, we had seen the results. Training camps have been struck. Leaders eliminated. Plots disrupted. And all those involved in the attempted act of terrorism on Christmas must know you, too, will be held to account.

And as the Christmas Day attempt illustrates, and as we were reminded this week by the sacrifices of more brave Americans in Afghanistan, including those seven dedicated men and women of the CIA, the hard work of protecting your nation is never done.

So as our reviews continue, let us ask the questions that need to be asked, let us make the changes that need to be made, let us debate the best way to protect the country we all love. That's the right and responsibility of every American and every elected official.

But as we go forward, let us remember this -- our adversaries are those who would attack our country, not our fellow Americans, not each other. Let us never forget what has always carried us through times of trial, including those attacks eight Septembers ago.

Instead of giving in to fear and cynicism, let's renew that timeless American spirit of resolve and confidence and optimism. Instead of succumbing to partisanship and division, let's summon the unity that this moment demands. Let's work together with the seriousness of purpose to do what must be done to keep our country safe.

As we begin this new year, I can't imagine a more fitting resolution to guide us as a people and as a nation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: President Obama has ordered a full investigation of the Christmas Day plot, and he's calling in his homeland security team for a meeting on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, counterterrorism officials tell us that AbdulMutallab may have had direct contact with a radical Muslim cleric. Anwr Al Awlaki was also linked to the alleged Fort Hood shooter and two 9/11 hijackers. And now embassy alerts must say whether suspicious travelers have visas to get into the U.S. AbdulMutallab did have one, but that information was not passed on, so the State Department is changing the rules.

So, millions of people are traveling by air this weekend as they wrap up their new year's celebrations, and we're going to continue the conversation on airline safety issues, because coming up in ten minutes we'll talk to Mary Schiavo, a former inspector general with the U.S. Department of Transportation.

LUI: Seven CIA officers killed. There are claims now that the suicide attack in eastern Afghanistan was, one, carried out by an Afghan soldier, supposedly an ally, and two, a man that the CIA was possibly counting on as an informant.

CNN's Atia Abawi joins us live from Kabul, Afghanistan on both of these items. Atia, what's the latest?

ATIA ABAWI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right now, Richard, no one is talking officially about who this man was, how he got onto the base. Right now, the only claim that we're getting is from the Taliban who states that he was an Afghan soldier, a soldier that they were able to convince to switch allegiances, a man that used to fight on the side of the U.S. forces, they say, and then decided to fight on the side of the Taliban. And the Taliban in that same statement say it's not going to be a onetime thing, that it's happened in the past and they'll make sure it happens in the future. A day before this attack, another Afghan soldier shot and killed an American soldier in western Afghanistan, a completely different part of the country, and they say right now they're trying to infiltrate the Afghan security forces.

And right now the security forces of Afghanistan with a push from President Barack Obama, a push from President Hamid Karzai and all the NATO-led countries for that matter is to increase their security forces so eventually they can take over the burden of protecting Afghanistan.

But the fear here is right now is the Taliban will take advantage of that and actually try to infiltrate. I was out with the ANA recruiters just a couple weeks ago, and I'll tell you right now, Richard, it really looked to be more about quantity than it was about quality.

LUI: That would be a problem there, certainly, Atia, as you know. We understand the Taliban, and meanwhile, has come out with a year-end statement. And what are you hearing they're saying there?

ABAWI: This is quite surprising. The Taliban on their Web site also came out with a year-end 2009 statement, saying that they're very happy and calling 2009 a very successful year when it comes to their politics, when it comes to their fighting on the front lines and their propaganda, well, they say their public relations with the media.

And they also have a look ahead for 2010, and they say that they're going to start launching major military operations in April. That's no real big surprise because that is considered the beginning of the fighting season here in Afghanistan as the snow melts and the spring begins. Richard?

LUI: They seem very organized, and Atia, based on the statement that you're saying they released at the end of the year despite the fact that that may not be the case, I guess. Is that right?

ABAWI: I'm sorry. I didn't hear that.

LUI: I was saying that they released that statement indicating that they may be somewhat organized, the Taliban, that is, despite the fact that perhaps across the different parts of that geography that may not be actually one organization.

ABAWI: Absolutely, Richard. The Taliban right now, they're definitely not the Taliban of ten years ago. The Taliban of ten years ago was particularly under one leader, Mullah Omar.

If you look at different parts of Afghanistan, you have different leaders basically in charge of different Taliban organizations. In the west of the country, you have criminal gangs. In the south, you still have Mullah Omar, who is the basic leader.

And then towards the east you have a person named Jalaluddin Haqqani and Sirajuddin Haqqani, the ones who many believe are behind this bombing in that American base that killed those seven CIA agents.

But what's also interested about this is Jalaluddin Haqqani, the father, was actually a Mujahideen fighter against the Soviets in the 1980s, and, get this, he was actually funded by the CIA through the Pakistani intelligence, the ISI. Richard?

LUI: All right, Atia Abawi there, 7:37 there in Kabul, Afghanistan, with the very latest on an attack that completely shocked the CIA. Thank you for the very latest information on that.

NGUYEN: When President Obama gets back to Washington next week, it is back to the grind on health care.

LUI: That's right. It's just one of many big issues that's shaped his first year in office, certainly, but senior White House correspondent Ed Henry tells us some are wondering if President Obama is doing too much, too quickly.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Betty and Richard, this working vacation has been more work and less vacation, a reminder of the 24/7 nature of the presidency. But one of Mr. Obama's good friends is urging him to slow down in 2010.

(voice-over): As the president rests up for his second year in office, one of his closest allies here in Hawaii is expressing concern about the pace of year one.

SEN. DANIEL INOUYE, (D) APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: I think he's done exceedingly well, although, as one who ah been there 50 years now, he is pushing himself too hard.

HENRY: The charge he has too much on his plate usually comes from Republicans. This time it's Democrat Daniel Inouye, who speaks with authority after serving in the Senate with ten presidents now.

INOUYE: Five months ago we had some very informal gathering, and the president looked at me and said, well, Dan, how am I doing? And I had to tell him, Mr. President, the campaign was over. I've yet to find any presidential candidate who carries out every political promise.

HENRY: In some ways, the first year has resembled the campaign. The president barnstorming the country to sell the largest economic recovery and health care plans in history, all the while scoffing at the notion he's taking on too much after inheriting two wars and the financial crisis.

OBAMA: I'd love if these problems were coming at us one at a time instead of five or six at a time. It's more than most Congresses and most presidents have to deal with in a lifetime. But we have been called to govern in extraordinary times.

HENRY: Besides, he promised major change, and after an historic victory and big Democratic majorities, there's something to be said for striking while the iron is hot.

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: He came in with sky- high approval ratings, and if he was going to get anything done, it was going to happen this year.

HENRY: Those approval ratings have come back down to earth, and on this Hawaiian vacation, the president has been trying to get some down time. But the Christmas Day terror incident intervened, and now the president has added an overhaul of the intelligence community to his already full agenda.

OBAMA: It's becoming clear that the system that has been in place for years now is not sufficiently up to date.

HENRY: This is why the old pro Daniel Inouye says 2010 will be all about resetting priorities.

INOUYE: The second year will be one where the first year will have to be clarified.

HENRY: White House aides have said the president will zero in on jobs in 2010, perhaps a sign that he's heard the concerns of some Democrats who want him to sharpen the focus on the economy while still tackling other challenges -- Betty, Richard?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: All right, so if you're about to head out, be glad that you're not in North Dakota this morning. And if you are in North Dakota, you might not want to head out today. Reynolds Wolf joins us with that.

You got that right.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LUI: Along with all that cold weather, you have cold water. But dive on in, the water is fine. And many is it chilly, but you couldn't tell by looking at these people. We have highlights from one of the stranger New Year's Day traditions.

NGUYEN: And look who's talking. Rush Limbaugh has a message for his fans worried about his holiday health care.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Hello, everybody. Welcome back on this second day of the new year, and boy, it is cold in many parts of the nation.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LUI: Up next, the woman who has been warning the public about airport security for more than one decade.

NGUYEN: Yes, there she is, and what she has to say about the response to the current terror threat when we come back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LUI: President Obama has ordered a review of intelligence operations in the wake of the Christmas Day terror attack attempt, plus Air Force and airlines are rethinking their own security procedures and strategies right now.

Well, Mary Schiavo is a former inspector general with the U.S. Department of Transportation and an expert of airline safety issues. She's also the author of the bestseller "Flying Blind, Flying afe." Mary Schiavo joins us this morning from Detroit on this story.

Mary, thank you for joining us. Let's start certainly with the top of the mind subject, and that is AbdulMutallab. How was he able to get so far?

MARY SCHIAVO, FORMER INSPECTOR GENERAL, U.S. DOT: He was able to get so far because we have lots of people involved in security and a lot of watch lists. Unfortunately, because we have four different watch lists and they're progressively more alarming, he did not make it onto the most alarming one, which is the one that is the do not fly list.

Before that, there's a secondary screen list, and there are about 14,000 names on that, and beyond that there's a 400,000 name list and a 500,000 name list. And he just simply did not make it onto the no fly list, although he should have been, and that's an executive department function. That's a law enforcement function, and they simply did not coordinate.

LUI: Mary, people at home, critics will say, wait, his father went to a U.S. embassy to warn them, number one. Number two, there was a report that resulted because of that warning. Why did he not make it onto this list?

SCHIAVO: Well, that's very disturbing because that's the same question a lot of people had about September 11th, and I'm one of those people that's been litigating it for passengers since September 11th, 2001, and there were warnings about several of those hijackers, as well -- 19 for 19 of them got through, and there it was a simple issue of coordination along with aviation security. The airlines were performing the security and it was abominable.

So even though he didn't get on the list, the hijacker before 9/11 didn't get on the list either, that didn't excuse the security lapses as well. So it's two parts -- one, they should have been on the warning list and they should have been on the no fly list, but, two, you have to perform the airport security.

LUI: You may be intimating here about a breakdown in the way systems work together. And I go back to the book that you wrote back in 1997 which I read, "Flying Blind, Flying Safe," and you say here ...

"The FAA can rightfully argue that it's just doing its job, except that contrary to public belief, it does not work for the traveling public, it works for the aviation industry."

Now, before you react to what you've written back in '97, I also have a statement coming from Janet Napolitano, who is the secretary of homeland security. She said this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JANET NAPOLITANO, HOMELAND SECRETARY SECRETARY: One thing I'd like to point out is that the system worked. Everybody played an important role here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LUI: OK. But she also couched that statement, saying that later on there could have been a breakdown based on what happened with AbdulMutallab. Are we still having trouble based on your criticism in 1997 today with organizations across the country that work in different spaces, working together to combat situations like this?

SCHIAVO: Yes, we still are having trouble, and the system is still breaking down. And that's very disturbing because I based a lot of my criticisms from December 1988 when Pan Am 103 was bombed out of the sky over Lockerbie.

And we had so many presidential commissions since then, each one making recommendations, but we go two forward and one step back. And as far as explosives detection, we scrambled -- I was in the Department of Transportation, and we scrambled in 1996 to get four explosive detection machines down to the Atlanta airport and still were scrambling to get explosive detection machines.

So the system is broken, but we're very slow to put it in place. We lose our resolve.

LUI: Mary, on that note, then, we have had some progress -- 150 machines of those body scanners, those back scanner x-rays, those are going to be in place. Are those going to help was this problem?

SCHIAVO: Tremendously so. We've had a lot of equipment that's been available that we haven't purchased. But the problem is going to be is they're going to put those in the category x airports first. Those are the big, international airports. Europe is ordering them as well.

It's a tremendous improvement for our security, but we cannot overlook the smaller airports. On September 11, two of the hijackers went to Portland, Maine, to come through security, specifically looking for a smaller airport where they thought the security might not be as vigilant.

LUI: So are you saying that we are as weak as our weakest link here?

SCHIAVO: We are as weak as our weakest link, and we have to have those machines. The profiling did not work on 9/11 and it clearly did not work here. We have to back it up with the hardware. LUI: Now, as a former inspector general of the U.S. DOT as well as now being a consultant on these very issues, you've heard some of the plans are that the president is looking into. What would you suggest to him right now if you had the opportunity to get his voice?

SCHIAVO: Right now he has to send a budget to Congress. When he does the state of the union, he has to mention this on January 20th, and he has to put it in the budget to get the equipment needed.

But the most important thing is not to backslide. After every tragedy like this in the past, we've been vigilant for a few months and then we started backsliding. It's almost impossible to believe we're in this situation after we suffered September 11th attacks, but we are.

And so the most important thing is for him to keep that steely resolve and make sure we are not left vulnerable. The budget has to match his words.

LUI: One letter answer here, Mary -- how have we done so far?

SCHIAVO: Well, not well enough. Mediocre.

LUI: D, C, B?

SCHIAVO: I'm going -- since 9/11, we've improved a little, but for this response we have to have a D.

LUI: Mary Schiavo, thank you very much, the former inspector general of the US DOT. Betty?

SCHIAVO: I like getting a straight answer. She gave it a D.

The battle between FOX and Time Warner Cable threatened to keep the network off millions of TV sets, but one side blinked and a deal has been made. We have those details next in our top stories.

Also Rush Limbaugh's first comments since being released from an Hawaii hospital.

And we'll tell you about the sixth state to allow same-sex marriages. Couples didn't waste any time saying "I do."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, test showed nothing is wrong with Rush Limbaugh's heart. The 58-year-old conservative radio host is out of a hospital in Honolulu. He checked in on Wednesday complaining of chest pains. But an angiogram showed no trace of heart problems. He had nothing but praise for the care that he received.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUSH LIMBAUGH, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Based on what happened here, I don't think there's one thing wrong with the American health care system. It is working just fine, just dandy, and I got nothing special. I got no special treatment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Doctors haven't found whatever caused Limbaugh's pain.

LUI: So, Time Warner Cable's 13 million subscribers, a sigh of relief today. They'll be able to keep watching FOX network shows. FOX and Time Warner have reached an agreement ending a battle over how much the providers should pay for FOX programming.

NGUYEN: D.C. police are investigating an incident in which Washington Wizards' guard Gilbert Arenas allegedly had a gun in a locker room. According to the "New York Post" Arena's and teammate Javaris Crittenton drew guns on each other during an argument over a gambling debt.

Arenas denies pulling a gun. The Wizards say they are cooperating with police and monitoring the situation.

LUI: New Hampshire is where we go. It is now the fifth state to marry same-sex couples. Fifteen couples tied the knot on the steps of the statehouse in Concord yesterday when the new state law took effect just after midnight. The new law replaces the civil union status.

Connecticut, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Iowa also allow same-sex marriages.

NGUYEN: Quick, name the secretary of transportation security administration. Yes, you can't. You know why? Because there's no official leader, and that has a lot of people upset. We'll look at the nominee and the holdup next.

LUI: And put that iPhone you got for Christmas to work. We'll show you how it can make those long waits at the airport bearable, somehow.

NGUYEN: Yes, somehow.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LUI: Michigan can insert teeth-chattering sound here, right?

NGUYEN: This is a look at Minneapolis. Man, in there is ever a shot that just describes cold, that is it right there. That's the definition of cold, my friend, just a look outside in Minneapolis.

Many places, I should say, across the nation this morning waking up to temperatures below zero.

LUI: That's right. Another city of lakes there, right?

NGUYEN: Where is that?

LUI: Chicago, I believe. Is that right?

NGUYEN: There you go. That's not white sand, either. LUI: No, ma'am. The two words we all hate to hear, there is a lake effect. So Minneapolis, the city of many lakes, and Chicago, the city of one big lake.

NGUYEN: Reynolds Wolf will be up very shortly to talk about how cold it really is in many parts of the nation and what you can expect throughout the week.

But in the meantime, though, we want to talk about this. If it hadn't been for the bravery of one passenger, things may have ended very differently for Northwest flight 253.

LUI: Yes, what a story this is. CNN's Sandra Endo found some travelers who realized that even with added security measures at airports, they still need to stay alert while flying.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANDRA ENDO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Betty, Richard, there's a whole different attitude when it comes to flying. Passengers are dealing with extra security measures, but there's also a heightened awareness about the behavior around them on board flights.

Flying these days shouldn't be a gamble, like in the movie "Passenger 57" with Wesley Snipes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The flight is in the air. Hijackers are on board. One passenger is fighting back.

ENDO: With the threat of terror in the skies, passengers may need to become real-life action heroes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm pretty sure I'd spring into action.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now people have a more proactive attitude, if they think you're doing something unsatisfactory, they'll pretty much take you down themselves and not wait for air marshals to show up.

ENDO: The Department of Homeland Security is taking added precaution at airports this holiday weekend to prevent that from happening.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a special security announcement.

ENDO: Expect more bomb-sniffing dogs, air marshals on flights, and 100 percent screening of passengers traveling into the United States. Still even the president admits security measures can't catch everything.

OBAMA: An alert and courageous citizenry are far more resilient than an isolated extremist.

ENDO: Which leaves the flying public on the front line, just as on Christmas day when a passenger confronted the alleged terrorist on that Northwest flight. One traveler we spoke with says he wants airlines to give passengers better guidance on how to react. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There should be advice given, and if that advice is taken, well, that's a different matter.

ENDO: Security experts say being on the lookout is key, not profiling someone based on ethnicity, but checking for out-of-place behavior. And many travelers we spoke with recognize it's important to be vigilant.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I try to keep a lookout for something weird.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All of us need to be in it to help because it's our lives and our country that we're trying to protect.

ENDO: The transportation Security Administration says more air marshals in training now will be on board in the next two months, but still not enough for every flight, leaving passengers and crew to fend for their own safety. Betty, Richard?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: All right. So, you know, despite all the talk about the urgency of airport security, there is still one high-profile federal security job that is empty.

LUI: And a lot of people are watching it, too. A member of the Senate is holding up the confirmation of the man nominated to take the helm at the Transportation Security Administration, the TSA, because of a heated debate over union, security, and politics.

We go now to CNN Homeland Security Correspondent Jeanne Meserve.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Fifty- thousand transportation security officers screen, inspect, question, and observe at the nation's airports to keep dangerous people and items off planes. Senator Jim DeMint believes giving them collective bargaining rights would hurt security.

SEN. JIM DEMINT, (R) SOUTH CAROLINA: Collective bargaining would standardize things across the country, make it much less flexible, much harder for the agency to adapt to changing threats around the world.

MESERVE: Harder, for instance, to react to something like the Christmas Day bombing attempt or the 2006 plot to blow up airplanes with liquid explosives. Within hours of learning of that, the TSA ramped up security and temporarily banned carry-on liquids.

The union representing 12,000 TSOs says DeMint's argument is rubbish, pointing out that employees of the border patrol, immigration and customs enforcement, the federal protective service, and others all have full union representation.

JOHN GAGE, AMERICAN FEDERATION OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES: No one talked about union membership when the cops and the firefighters went up the stairs at 9/11 at the World Trade Towers. No one talks about our two officers, two union members, who took down the shooter at Fort Hood. There was nothing in their union membership that stopped them from doing their duties.

MESERVE: During the presidential campaign, Barack Obama wrote the union that giving TSOs collective bargaining rights would be a priority. Unions gave him valuable support in the election.

DEMINT: It's all about politics. It's payback to the unions.

MESERVE: DeMint pushed the issue at a recent hearing.

DEMINT: How can unionization and collective bargaining enhance security in our airports?

JANET NAPOLITANO, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: Well, senator, the answer is collective bargaining and security are not mutually exclusive concepts.

MESERVE: DeMint is holding up the confirmation of Errol Southers to head the TSA to make his point, though Southers has been noncommittal on the union issue, telling DeMint he wouldn't recommend anything that would potentially compromise the safety and security of the flying public.

JAMES SHERK, HERITAGE FOUNDATION: I think that the nominee is -- understands the confirmation process and that he doesn't want to say anything controversial.

But ultimately, once he's confirmed, it's not going to be his choice. It's going to be the choice of the secretary and ultimately the choice of the president. And the president has made it clear where he stands.

MESERVE: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid now says that is Senator DeMint hasn't changed his mind by the time the Senate comes back in mid-January, he will take steps to hold an up-or-down vote on the Souther's nomination.

Jeanne Meserve, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: We take you to Denmark now because a Somali man accused of trying to break into the home of a political cartoonist has been charged with attempted murder. Danish police shot and wounded the 28- year-old suspect last night as he tried to enter the home of Kurt Westergaard.

Westergaard, as you recall, is the artist known for his contentious depictions of the Muslim prophet Mohammed.

LUI: Coming up, a check of the morning's top stories.

NGUYEN: And Reynolds returns with some temperatures that will have you saying, "How low can they go?" LUI: Low.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Time now to check some of the top stories this morning.

A four -year-old boy hit by a stray bullet while he was in church has died. The incident happened around midnight during a New Year's Eve watch service in Decatur, Georgia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to say to those people who did this to my son, please come forward and say something. We need justice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: The bullet came through the roof of the church and struck the child in the head.

LUI: And we're getting compelling pictures from inside a hospital where the victims of a deadly suicide blast were treated. At least 93 people are dead, 34 others hospitalized after a car bomb exploded at a crowded volleyball game in northwest Pakistan.

Most of the victims are teenagers. Officials say the blast was felt up to 11 miles away, several homes nearby collapsing from the force.

NGUYEN: Well, at least 45 people are dead in Brazil after mudslides triggered three days of rain. Look at this video. About half of the victims were killed when part of a mountain collapsed onto a vacation resort. Hundreds had been left homeless in Rio de Janeiro's suburbs.

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: This happened in Rhode Island, dozens jumping into icy waters for a very good cause. There you go. I was just about to say, why do people do this?

Well, the money here raised will go towards sending a teenage cancer patient on her dream vacation to the Caribbean. But in Scotland, about 200 people took a similar leap, taking part in the Loonydook challenge. What is that all about?

LUI: It's all about getting in the water when it's totally cold. Some of the jumpers cam as far as from Australia, where the waters are much warmer this time of year. It's the summer down that part of the world. Right, Reynolds?

WOLF: Southern hemisphere tends to get a little warmer this time of year, northern hemisphere not so much. But, you know, again it's what you wear I think that makes any difference. Leave the Speedo at home and go for maybe a different model.

NGUYEN: A wet suit.

WOLF: Not revealing, the opposite of revealing. More I guess concealing as opposed to revealing.

(LAUGHTER)

LUI: Protecting, shall we say.

WOLF: Shrinkage, not good.

NGUYEN: Oh, my goodness. Moving right along, shall we?

We'll fire things up, especially those laptops. We have some websites that you'll want to bookmark if you plan to travel soon.

LUI: Yes, because you want to get away from that cold weather. We'll talk to one of the top gadget bloggers about sites and apps and gadgets that will come in handy when you're planning your next trip.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: All right, so it's the new reality for air travelers, especially those taking international flight, getting to the airport earlier and facing longer lines. Then once you're at your gate, the real wait begins.

Well, the tech savvy flyer can combat boredom, access to the latest flight and security changes, and make the smartest use of their travel time if they have the right tools.

And Peter Rojas is cofounder of GDGT.com. which is a social networking website. Happy new year to you. Thanks for being with us today.

PETER ROJAS, COFOUNDER, GDGT.COM: Thanks for having me on.

NGUYEN: All right. Let's start with the basics. You know, a lot of people can sign up for different things when it comes to making sure you get to the airport on time, making sure that flight is on time. But what is the best source when it comes to trying to figure out if your plane is there or delayed?

ROJAS: Well, there are a handful of different applications out there. There's one called "flight delays," which is a website actually formatted for mobile phones so that if you're on your way to the airport or already there and want to see if you have delays, you can log in and actually search for your airport, and it will tell you whether flights are delays by 20 minutes or an hour or whatever.

NGUYEN: And is there a way -- because a lot of us are carrying laptops, MP3 players, all kinds of different technology, is there a way to get those through security without having to take them out of the bag every time, our luggage and what not?

ROJAS: Yes. So, one of the things that's really a hassle about traveling is you have to take your laptop out of your bag, right? So a couple of years ago the TSA instituted a policy where they have what are called TSA-approved laptops so you don't have to take your laptop completely out of your bag. You can just open it up, unfold it, and see what's there, and you don't have to do the whole process of taking it out, putting it into the bin, and put it through security.

NGUYEN: Right.

ROJAS: It not going to make a huge difference, but when you travel a lot, little things makes a big difference.

NGUYEN: Every little minute counts sometimes when you are late for that flight.

ROJAS: Exactly.

NGUYEN: One thing you want to know too, especially If there are delays, if it's Wi-Fi friendly, the airport that is, and where do they go for those charging stations if your Blackberry or iPhone is almost out of battery? How do you find out about that ahead of time before you get there and then you're out of luck?

ROJAS: Yes, there's actually an app for the iPhone called airport Wi-Fi. It tells you which airports have Wi-Fi and almost as important, whether or not the Wi-Fi is free or paid. And that actually is something you really want to know if you're stuck. If you're just going to be logging on for 15 or 20 minutes you might not want to spend that $10 or $15 for access.

NGUYEN: It is really amazing how technology can just give you all this information at your fingertips, whether it be cell phone, Blackberry, iPhone or anything like that.

This is most important to me. I'm going to ask this because I fly a lot, and many times I'm running late. And I want to know is it better the eat before you get through security or after? What are your restaurant choices? Sometimes you think, OK, maybe I'll find something better after I get through security, and then you're stuck with nothing but fast food?

ROJAS: There's another one, an app for the iPhone called "gate guru."

ROJAS: Gate guru, OK.

ROJAS: Yes, and this will tell you what your options are. It just tells you is there going to be a Starbucks before security or after security. It also will tell you depending on what time of day you're going through security what's open before you go through the gate and before you go through security and what's open afterwards.

And that's one of the things that -- I travel a lot, and one of things I find really frustrating is sometimes your food options are better you go through security than after.

NGUYEN: Yes, exactly. And then, like I said, you're kind of stuck because you really don't want to go back out and go through security once again.

Other folks, especially families traveling and delays and all that, want to know where is the closest restroom. There's actually an app that finds the closest bathroom?

ROJAS: Yes. Airport maps, which has maps of all the different airplanes of the terminals, and this one is really useful because sometimes you don't have a lot of time, right, before you have to get on your plane. Maybe you have just a couple minutes. And you can't be running around try to find out where that bathroom is, or maybe you want to buy a bottle of water before you get on the plane. So this tells you exactly where you need to go.

NGUYEN: I love it.

And for international travelers, jetlag is the worst. And I hear there's an app that will help with that. How so?

ROJAS: Yes, there's one called Jetlag RX. And if you're traveling, you actually enter where you're going, where you're coming from, and then your arrival and departure times, and it will calculate when you need to eat and sleep to minimize jetlag.

NGUYEN: The key is following it.

ROJAS: Obviously -- yes. I mean sometimes you can't control exactly when you sleep or when you eat on your plane, but if you do follow this, it will help minimize the impact just a little bit.

NGUYEN: Love it. All right, Peter, thank you so much. There's great information out there, like I said, at your fingertips. It's just a matter of knowing where to go. Thank you for your time.

ROJAS: Thanks for having me on.

NGUYEN: Sure. And if you're interested in websites or the latest gadget in general, check out our blog at CNN.com/newsroom. We have many of them listed and other information as well. It's a great site for the latest info.

LUI: I'm going to use those.

NGUYEN: The bathroom finder.

LUI: Jetlag, another good one.

NGUYEN: There's all kinds of good stuff.

LUI: All things we care about.

All right, from high tech we're going to go a little low tech now for you air travelers while we talk about the flu.

There are easy ways to avoid getting sick while in that enclosed capsule we call the airplane. Here are some tips in this week's "On The Go." (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Traveling during cold and flu season can put you at risk.

DR. FRED PESCATORE: Flu spreads during the winter primarily because we're more indoors, we're closer to each other so we're toughing each other.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When you're in those tight situations, like on a plane, make sure you keep your hands away from your face.

PESCATORE: Places on your body that are specifically susceptible to viruses is your eyes, your mouth, and your nose. So when you're traveling, I keep lots of hand wipes with me, and I'll wash down the armrests on the airplane seat, I'll wash down a tray table.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But the best tip for a healthy holiday season is to keep your immune system in shape.

PESCATORE: Get enough sleep, get enough water. Make sure you're extra clean during this time of year. Prevention is always better than trying to deal with the aftermath.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, this morning at 6:00 a.m., we had a special treat for you. As we begin the year, we wanted to reflect on some of the best interviews and memories of 2009. And our morning team got a chance to report on some really remarkable stories last year, and we took a look back.

Here's a clip.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: We'll look back at the year in review, some of the biggest stories of the year, and also some of the stories we enjoyed covering.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: The biggest, no doubt about it, President Obama, the first black president of the U.S. inaugurated in January. A lot of coverage dedicated to that. But we covered the big stories, and there were a lot of stories big and small that we just enjoyed. We'll share those during this hour.

NGUYEN: We went across the nation and different nations.

HOLMES: Like Mexico.

NGUYEN: Weather-related stories.

WOLF: It was a really quiet hurricane season, but you had the opportunity to go to Mexico and cover a hurricane. While you were on assignment there I was actually in southern California covering the station fires, one of the most damaging fires in southern California history, widespread damage. And we're going to take you back to that scene.

NGUYEN: Another big story that we cannot forget about this year of course was Michael Jackson, the death of Michael Jackson.

HOLMES: Certainly another one of the biggest stories in the country on this network. All of us in some way, form, or fashion were a part of that coverage.

But I got an opportunity to go to Harlem, New York, the Apollo Theater, this historic place actually where Michael Jackson got his start. The Jackson 5, the wee little guy was up there singing on stage when the world first got to see Michael Jackson's talent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: That's just a little clip of our special that aired this morning from 6:00 to 7:00. And if you didn't get a chance to see it, you had one other chance, that is tomorrow morning, again, 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. eastern time. If you're not up that early, you definitely want to make sure that you record it because it's something worth watching.

Stay with us. You're watching CNN on Saturday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: All right. So whether it is to spend more time with the family or learn a new language, even lose a little weight, a lot of us have New Year's resolutions. But how many of us keep them? I've already broken mine.

LUI: I often do that. CNN's Fredricka Whitfield introduces us to one woman who does all year long.

NGUYEN: Good for her.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Almost every day, Betty Chinn heads out to feed the homeless in Eureka, California. She's done the same thing for 24 years.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good morning.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good morning.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's here without fail rain or shine. She's like a second mom to us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's given me hope. In the mornings when it's freezing, she's given us blankets and hot coffee. She really keeps us going. WHITFIELD: She knows what it's like to live in despair. During China's Cultural Revolution in the '60s, she was separated from her family and forced to live on the streets when she was just seven.

BETTY CHINN, HELPS FEED HOMELESS: I still cannot understand how I alive today.

WHITFIELD: Chinn eventually escaped China, came to the United States, and started her American dream.

CHINN: I have so much. I want to do something.

WHITFIELD: With money from her part-time job, she started taking care of people she truly understood -- the homeless.

CHIEF GARR NIELSON, EUREKA, CALIFORNIA POLICE: Like many communities, we have a significant homeless problem, and, unfortunately, the problem outstrips the resources of the community.

Betty is in many ways an angel of mercy to these people. She provides them with meals. She provides them with bus tickets, clothing. Plus she's inspired other members of the community to get involved.

WHITFIELD: Volunteers also help her prepare meals at a church.

NEILSON: There's something about doing something practical and tangible for the poor. She brings out the best of us.

WHITFIELD: In 2008, Chinn was honored with a $25,000 reward which recognizes women who have made extraordinary contributions in California. She's using the money to build a shower facility for the homeless in Eureka, proving one person truly can make a difference.

CHINN: Look at me. I can do it. Anybody can do it. And you find so much joy.

WHITFIELD: Fredricka Whitfield, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)