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Airport Security Measures, Iran's New Year's Deadline, X-Ray Security
Aired January 02, 2010 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: A fabulous Saturday to you.
Let's start first, today, President Barack Obama pledges to hold accountable every single person here involved in that botched terror plot. We remember that on Christmas Day, and in fact in his weekly radio address to the nation the president reiterated his promise to "disrupt, dismantle and defeat al Qaeda."
Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The investigation into the Christmas Day incident continues. And we're learning more about the suspect. We know that he traveled to Yemen, a country grappling with crushing poverty and deadly insurgencies.
It appears he joined that he joined an affiliate of al Qaeda and that this group, al Qaeda and in the Arabian Peninsula trained him, equipped him with those explosives and directed him to attack that plane headed to America.
This is not the first time this group has targeted us. In recent years they bombed Yemeni government facilities and Western hotels, restaurants and embassies including our embassy in 2008, killing one American.
So, as president, 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.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: That was the president in his weekly address. But, we have to talk about the bravery, here, onboard that flight. You think about the bravery of the passengers, specifically that young Danish filmmaker you heard from last Saturday and also the crew. You know, this story could have ended much differently for Northwest flight 253.
And CNN's Sandra Endo, she found some travelers who realized that even with these added security measures that we're all going through at airports these days, they still need to stay alert while flying.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Flying these days shouldn't be a gamble like in the movie "Passenger 57" with Wesley Snipes.
NARRATOR (voice-over): The flight is in the air. Hijackers are on board. One passenger is fighting back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE, "PASSENGER 57": You want to play roulette?
WESLEY SNIPES, ACTOR, "PASSENGER 57": Always bet on black.
ENDO: But with the threat of terror in the skies, passengers may need to become real-life action heroes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm pretty sure I would spring into action.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now people have a little bit more of a proactive attitude. If they even think you're doing something that's unsatisfactory, they're going to 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, you know, 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 onboard in the next two months, but still, not enough for every flight, leaving passengers and crew to fend for their own safety.
Sandra Endo, CNN at Reagan National Airport.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Now, right after the unsuccessful bombing attempt, Republicans throwing jabs as well here criticizing really the president for being soft on terror, but today the Senate Republican leader struck a more optimistic tone during the GOP weekly radio address.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN MITCH MCCONNELL (R), KENTUCKY: Two long and difficult wars, a prolonged recession, double digit unemployment, these are difficult days for our nation, and in this New Year we're grateful for the courageous men and women of our own day who keep a lonely watch to defend the cause of liberty. We're also painfully aware of how many Americans were out of work this Christmas, but these challenges don't define us as people. What's always defined America is its ability to overcome even the most daunting difficulties.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: McConnell added, "when the challenges are greatest, Americans always join ranks."
All right, checking some other stories for you now. The death toll standing at 93 now in that suicide bomb attack on a volleyball game in northwest Pakistan. Police believe this bomber apparently used his pickup truck loaded down with more than 600 pounds of explosives, eight houses in the area collapsed because of the blast which could be felt as far as 11 miles away. We're told only six children are among the dead, 34 people injured in the blast, still in the hospital, today.
And a Somali man with an ax who allegedly tried to break into the home of a controversial Danish cartoonist has been charged with attempted assassination. Remember the story from a couple years ago? Well, the home belongs to Kurt Westergaard, the man who initially drew that Prophet Mohammed wearing a bomb as a turban, that cartoon. You know that cartoon really sparked a lot of uproar among the Muslim community. And over the years, there have been several suspects arrested for allegedly plotting to kill the cartoonist.
What to do about Iran? President Obama set this New Year's deadline for making progress on the nuclear problem, but Iran doesn't seem to be taking it very seriously. In fact, that is putting the president in a pretty tough spot, could you say. Our CNN foreign affairs correspondent, Jill Dougherty has more on that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Even as Iran's political upheaval continues, President Obama says the clock has run out on its nuclear ambitions -- his New Year's deadline for Iran to prove to the world it's not racing forward to develop a nuclear weapon.
OBAMA: We are now running out of time.
DOUGHERTY: Iran's president scoffs at that deadline. The White House says it's no joke.
ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: That is a very real deadline for the international community.
DOUGHERTY: But will the international community, especially Russia and China, support much tougher economic sanctions on Iran? That's still unclear.
REP HOWARD BERMAN (D-CA), FOREIGN AFFAIRS CHAIRMAN: With each passing day, the situation becomes more urgent.
DOUGHERTY: And Mr. Obama is under pressure himself from Congress, which is champing at the bit for the U.S. to punish Iran on its own, even without international support.
Another move in this chess game, signals that Senator John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, might travel to Tehran.
The Obama deadline comes in the midst of the worst political violence in Iran since its disputed elections in June, making it harder for the Obama administration to calibrate its next step -- whether punishing the Iranian government might actually strengthen hard-liners, undercut reformers and hurt average Iranians the most.
OBAMA: We will continue to bear witness to the extraordinary events that are taking place there.
DOUGHERTY: Opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, whose own nephew was killed in demonstrations, says on his Web site, he's ready to die to defend the people's right to peaceful protest. "My blood will not be any redder than the blood of the other martyrs," he says.
But Friday, deadline or no Obama deadline, pro-government supporters focused their anger on America, chanting "Down with USA!"
(on camera): And that symbolizes Mr. Obama's deadline dilemma. Sanctions can be a delicate balances act, potentially hurting not just Iran's leadership, but the Iranian people, injecting the American president directly into that country's volatile domestic politics. Jill Dougherty, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
BALDWIN: Here at home, many of you are finding ways to give back to our troops, or U.S. troops who are coming home, and coming up we'll show you how some clever seamstresses are stitching up their version of a warm hug.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: All right, sir. It's probably pretty safe to say, right, Reynolds Wolf, that no matter where you live, almost no matter where you live in the country, stick your big toe outside, it's cold. I feel like kind of a wuss complaining of cold in Atlanta when, what, some people are seeing minus double digits?
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yeah, but everything is relative, Brooke, it really is. I mean, here we're expecting highs right around the freezing point for a good part of the day, but to neighbors of ours way up in parts of the northern plains...
BALDWIN: It's cold.
WOLF: Yeah, like 32 degrees below zero at this time. You know, there is a segment of our population that does seem weird, it's not unlike some like to stay inside, some journey outwards. Other people, during winter, put on minimal clothing and they jump into freezing water. Or at least water that is pretty close to it. Let's go to the video.
BALDWIN: Oh, my lord.
WOLF: I know it's crazy. This is in Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota, where people don very little clothing, jump in and they do the polar bear (INAUDIBLE). Sometimes alone, sometimes with friends. Some of them convinced by others and wonder how the friendship goes once they get out of the water. But still, the look a little bit, I guess, not too worse for wear when they get out of the water, but still a crazy thing.
BALDWIN: They're in, they're out. I'd be like, get me back home, please.
WOLF: Exactly, some of those faces not so happy when they get out of the water and understandably so.
(WEATHER REPORT)
BALDWIN: I know, can we go back to the ice diving, that has to involve some kind of beverages of the adult nature.
WOLF: Maybe so. I'm not thinking hot cocoa.
BALDWIN: Yeah, I'm not thinking hot cocoa, either. I mean, look at that. How cold would that water be, Reynolds?
WOLF: It is -- obviously is above the freezing point, I'm thinking maybe in the 40s or 50s.
BALDWIN: Barely.
WOLF: But, cold enough.
BALDWIN: Barely above. Good lord. All right, we go with that.
WOLF: Is it over?
BALDWIN: It's over. It's over. Bye, Reynolds. Talk to you in a bit.
Today we are highlighting some of our favorite stories from CNN's "In Focus" series. And one group has found a way to give back to injured troops by making them quilts. CNN photojournalist John Benna follows a quilt from the sewing machine to the hands of the troops.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTINA POWELL, QUILTS MEMBER: This is my stash. I have a lot of pinks, purples. These are neutrals. This is my sewing machine. These are all threads. I caught the bug. It's been love at first sight and I have been quilting for probably about 25 years.
For me, it's a mental restoration place. I'll just walk into my sewing room and pick up something. I'd rather be quilting.
In the soldier quilts, in particular, there is a lot of gratefulness and thankfulness that somebody actually is protecting my freedom. Where these quilts are going, they were injured somehow.
OK, there we go. I don't like seeing so many young people go away and come back wounded.
And you put the loop here and go underneath it there.
Unfortunately right now it's just a fact of life and I try to do what I can.
You're going to do that corner. We've already done these three and we're going to do these two.
This is the finished quilt. We're going to fold it so we can pack it in the box. Are the afghans going this time?
PAT TERRY, QUILTS FOR INJURED SOLDIERS: Yeah.
This particular quilt for soldiers' project has distributed over 9,000 quilts. That's a lot of injured soldiers. I collect the quilts and pack them up and send them down to the person in Maryland who distributes them to either Bethesda or Andrews Air Force Base.
PFC JONATHAN WINKER, WISCONSIN NATIONAL GUARD: My name is Jonathan Winker. I'm coming from Iraq. I have been in the National Guard for three years. This is my first deployment. My father served in the Marine Corps as well as my uncle. Makes me feel pretty good that I can do something that I enjoy doing and I can help other people at the same time. I think it's a great way to say thank you to the wounded soldiers.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This was made especially for you. WINKER: It looks like a lot of time went into that. It's amazing. Thank you for your service to our country. This is a small token of appreciation for all you have been through. My prayers for you are contained in this quilt. This will probably go into my bedroom so it's close to me all the time.
POWELL: Our servicemen need to know it is not just their family and friends supporting them. There is a whole country rooting for them and I'm one of them.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Amazing. Quilts. It's the little things, isn't it? Who's behind this? This lovely lady. CNN photojournalist Bethany Swain what, she is what, a PJ by day, somehow has found time to create this "In Focus" series.
Bethany, I love that you've done these pieces for people that don't understand, we call then Nat sound pieces, what that basically means, you get us reporter types out of the pieces and make it be about these men and women. What prompted you to focus on giving?
BETHANY SWAIN, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: So we did five different stories this year, we looked at health care, the environment, jobs, and we thought it was important to look at giving at the holidays, because it's the season of giving, but it happens all year round. So, our stories like the piece that John Benna did, were stuff that happened -- it's not just at the holidays, but where people are giving at both in traditional and non-traditional ways of themselves to people in their backyards and all around the world.
BALDWIN: So you touched on some of the other subjects, the economy and whatnot. But what are -- get more specific, I mean, what are the other stories from the series that made it into I guess the favorite special that we'll see later this afternoon?
SWAIN: There are 14 pieces from the 80 that we did this year that made into the hour of airing at 3:00 Eastern. One of the others that we're going to see, we have -- this afternoon give a sneak peek of before the hour at 3:00 is about Mr. Jalopy who's in Los Angeles and he's part of the maker movement. The piece is by photojournalist John Torgoey (ph). And Mr. Jalopy, he's the maker movement. It says, you can't open it, if you can't fix it, then don't buy it and actually says the he has the world's biggest iPod in this shop.
BALDWIN: What? Really?
SWAIN: Yes.
BALDWIN: And what other stories, and what other stories -- do you have a favorite? A personal favorite?
SWAIN: So, I definitely enjoyed John Benna's piece about the injured...
BALDWIN: The quilts. SWAIN: The quilts. And that was -- I was really excited when we opened up the voting for favorites and that was one my personal favorites. I was really happy that it made into the hour special.
BALDWIN: And talk a little bit just about how difficult. We have a lot of photojournalists hear at CNN and you're putting this whole thing together, you're communicating with these men and women. What was that process like for you?
SWAIN: It's been great. Over 120 photojournalists, domestically, at CNN and we've had over 40 participate this year in this project. And it's been wonderful to give an opportunity to do these pieces. Because as you mentioned, we call them natural sound packages, people telling their own stories. And the photojournalists, they shoot, they write, they produce and they edit the story themselves, and it's so great to be able to be involved in a story from start to finish.
BALDWIN: And real quick, Bethany, how can people learn more about the series?
SWAIN: So, we have a Facebook fan page. If you go to facebook.com/CNNinfocus and you can learn what we've done so far and what we plan to do in 2010. We're always looking for story ideas and impact from our viewers.
BALDWIN: Your picture are gorgeous. You are gorgeous. It's nice to see you in front of the camera talking about this. Bethany Swain, thank you so, so much.
SWAIN: Thank you.
BALDWIN: I want remind our viewers, this full hour of "Favorites in Focus" is coming your way, as Bethany mentioned, today 3:00 p.m., Eastern Time.
And the Christmas day would-be bomber suspect in a high-powered lawyer U.S. taxpayers are paying for. You can bet our legal guys, they have plenty to say on that one. Stay here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: All right, I want to get a quick check here of our top stories. First the president is linking this botched Christmas day terror attack on a Northwest flight to al Qaeda. He spoken in his weekly radio address, basically saying that the suspect had established ties with the terrorist network in Yemen, and he says the group gave the 23-year-old Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab his marching orders. The president has ordered a complete investigation into that attack.
And you heard about this attack in Pakistan. The death toll here from this suicide car bombing at this volleyball game in Pakistan that number continues to rise. We're hearing 93 now, 93 people killed in yesterday's attack at the game near the Afghan border. The blast apparently could be felt some 11 miles away. Thirty-four people remain hospitalized. The bombing, one of the deadliest we've seen there in years. No group has yet to claim responsibility, there.
And in Iran, taking a hard line over its nuclear program. It is giving the (INAUDIBLE) until the end of this month to accept this counterproposal to a U.N. plan to swap nuclear fuel for Tehran's enriched uranium. The U.N. proposes an all at one exchange, but Iran wants to trade its uranium for fuel in several smaller batches. We'll have another check of the day's top stories coming up in about 20 minutes' time.
And Iran taking a harder line in negotiations over its nuclear program. Just told you about that, so I'm going to move on to -- when it comes to keeping dangerous chemicals off of some of our airplanes, one high-tech machine may offer some answers, at least, but here's the sticking point. it's pretty controversial. The reason, this thing can basically, well, see just about everything, through our clothes. CNN's Brian Todd actually tried it out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At the Phoenix's Sky Harbor Airport the newest weapon on war on terror that can see through clothes carrying explosives. Already used on millions of passengers, these special X-Rays can catch all kinds of contraband.
PETER KANT, RAPISCAN SYSTEMS: Regular weapons, guns, knives, box cutters and the like but also unusual types of weapons -- explosives, liquid explosives, gels.
TODD: Officials at Rapiscan, the manufacturer say the machines can detect pentaerythritol tetra nitrate, an explosive known as PETN, which the suspect in the Christmas Day incident was allegedly carrying.
The machine's images will look like this -- outlines of the body, not in detail, but weapons and other items do show up. This technology has been very controversial, because previously it was much less invasive.
I went through a so-called back scanner machine. I was advised that if I didn't want my private areas shown, I should put a metal plate in my pants. I stepped just in front of the machine, turned around. In just a few seconds the monitor displays my humble contours.
Now in this test, I'm playing the role of a would-be terrorist. I try to hide a plastic lipstick container in my vest pocket. Busted. I sneak a sports drink bottle, busted again. How about wires in a sealed sandwich bag hidden in my sock? On the monitor, they show up on my ankle.
But the machines have limitations. When I pour water in a sealed sandwich bag place it inside my beltline and in a sock you can barely see it. But one company behind this technology says trained screeners would detect it. And the Transportation Security Administration says they have other methods to detect liquids.
When this came out, privacy advocates called it a virtual strip search and they're not much more satisfied with the newer technology.
MARC ROTENBERG, ELECTRONIC PRIVACY INFORMATION CNR: Essentially they're putting a digital fig leaf on the image. This protects the image from what the operator will see. But the machine itself can still record all of the detail and store that information for use at a later point.
TODD: A TSA official tells CNN there won't be any hard drives to store the images, and says no one will have access to pictures without the so-called fig leaf on them. From one passenger tested on the older machines.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've been through it over in Europe and I didn't mind. TODD: Officials with Rapiscan and the Transportation Security Administration tell us the machines are only used if more than a metal detector is required. And passengers then get a choice between machines and pat-downs.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Well, that attempted terror plot onboard that northwest jet has major ramifications not only of course for the 23-year-old suspect, but for us every time we go to the airport. We'll talk about that and this ongoing custody battle that's been five years in the making. Is it over for Mr. Goldman here in the United States versus a maternal family in Brazil.
And also, we all do it. Right? Sometimes we're tweeting. We grab our cell phones when we're board, but can you tweet from the jury box? We're going to talk about all of that now with our legal guys. Here they are. Avery Friedman is a civil rights attorney and law professor out of Cleveland, Ohio and Richard Herman a New York criminal defense attorney and law professor, but he's in Vegas today.
Nice. Like that. Gentlemen, good morning to you.
AVERY FREIDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTY: Good morning.
RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTY: Hey, Brooke, I know you're addicted, Brooke, I know it.
BALDWIN: Yeah, I can be kind of bad sometimes. But anyway, let's first talk about Abdulmutallab and first, you know, this is -- the news tag today is the fact that the President Obama is coming out and he's saying absolutely this thwarted terror attack is in fact linked to al Qaeda and Richard, my first question to you is, some people are putting two major mistakes with U.S. intelligence, here.
HERMAN: Major mistakes? That's putting it mildly, Brooke. I mean, just some quick highlights, and there are so many highlights. But, the guy is in Yemen, based on a U.S. visa, he joins this terrorism organization. He has, while in Yemen, his father goes to the embassy in Nigeria and complains that his son is involved with terrorists. The son probably told the father I'm going to blow the plane up.
Then the kid goes from Yemen to the Netherlands on a one-way ticket, cash purchase, no luggage. Then from the Netherlands to the United States, one-way ticket, cash, no luggage. I mean, hello! Is anybody awake? That's all I want to know. Is anybody awake? The president has to fire everybody and put in competent people.
BALDWIN: So, as we're going forward, and as people are trying to figure what happened and what didn't happen, Avery, one of the issues as we look, we're trying to dig into the background of Abdulmutallub. It's clear that he came from an affluent family, yet is using this court-appointed attorney for this trial in Detroit. Why?
FRIEDMAN: Yeah. A big time lawyer. The chief of the public defender's office in the U.S. district court, Brooke, will be handling the defense. Why? Because the family has a lot of money, but that doesn't mean he does, and the fact is, that Merriam Seaford (ph), who's the chief public defender and all federal courts have them, Richard will tell that, too. He's one into that also in New York. The same thing. He will have competent legal representation. I think, however, the defense realistically, Brooke, is going to be very difficult. What's he going to do? Say he was flying in for a Pistons game? There is nothing.
BALDWIN: Avery, what is his argument? What's the best defense argument?
FRIEDMAN: You know what? The question that precedes that, Brooke, is will he even cooperate with his defense lawyers? And there's a question about that. But, there are so many witnesses. There is so much evidence involved in this case, that the best the defense can do probably is to say, look, give up information. That's going to impact on your sentence.
BALDWIN: OK, let me move on to the next story. Let me talk about this next story which is the Brazil custody case. You know, a lot of us thought it was over. I'm sure this father, David Goldman. He won this battle, this thing has been going on for what, like five years. His son, Sean, in nine years old. Comes to the states, yet, Avery, the maternal grandmother back in Brazil says she will keep fighting for her grandson.
FRIEDAN: Yes, Silvana Bianchi, who's the grandmother, who basically is calling her grandson making him feel guilty. She is making a pitch to Lula, that's President da Silva, basically making a political pitch. There's a legal team in Brazil still saying they're going to make some effort. The truth is, Brooke, they case based on 1980 international treaty, is over.
BALDWIN: Richard, do you agree?
HERMAN: Yes.
BALDWIN: I mean, do you think that there's any hope for this child to be returned to Brazil?
HERMAN: No.
BALDWIN: No.
HERMAN: You know, Yogi Berra said it's not over until it's over. This one's over. There's no way he's going back to Brazil. But on a human element, this maternal grandmother, she lost her daughter. This was the child from her daughter. You can see where she's coming from.
FRIEDMAN: Yes, sure.
HERMAN: You know, my dad always told me with bees you make honey. If she had olive branches to Mr. Goldman, they probably could have worked something out. Now, I don't think there's any hope of salvaging that relationship.
BALDWIN: OK. What about -- I've been most interested in this. I read the article in "Time" magazine. Richard, my first question directed to you, talking about tweeting while on jury duty. Some of us would think yes, it's a no-brainer. You can't sit there and tweet about what's going on in the case. But it would surprise some people that I guess in some places you can?
HERMAN: Well, no, federal court, you cannot bring a phone or a BlackBerry or anything into a federal court.
BALDWIN: Or a camera or anything.
HERMAN: Right. State courts, you can bring them in and what's happening here is the jurors, you know, most cases are settled, Brooke. Avery will tell you, most cases are settled, they don't go to trial. But the ones that go to trial have been in the making for years and people's lives are on the line. The future of their families are on the line here.
And you have to -- you need a jury to concentrate on the evidence that comes in and if someone's sitting there tweeting, you know the judge admonishes them, do not discuss this case anywhere outside the courtroom with anybody.
FRIEDMAN: Well ...
BALDWIN: And Avery -- but Avery, there's proof that this has resulted in mistrial after mistrial, has it not?
FRIEDMAN: Exactly right.
BALDWIN: Yes.
FRIEDMAN: Let me make it real simple. 2010, you are going to see American jurors being fined and maybe even going to jail. When you take that oath, Brooke, it means what you say. You will not look at other evidence, only the evidence presented at the trial. No more tweeting, cutting out tweeting, in the jury box in court.
BALDWIN: Amazing, amazing. I had no idea.
HERMAN: I see you tweeting, Brooke. I see you tweeting right now.
BALDWIN: I'm trying to get tweet hip. I'm trying, I'm trying.
HERMAN: Yes, exactly.
BALDWIN: All right. Avery Friedman, Richard Herman. Guys, stick around. About 20 minutes, we'll talk to you on a couple other legal cases. Love talking to you. Thank you. Hang out just for a second here.
Let me move on briefly. Airport security receiving massive upgrades after the 9/11 attacks. So, why was a passenger jet targeted by a would-be bomber? A look at the lessons learned, and the gaps that are not yet plugged.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: More now on our top story here, the failed terror plot against that Detroit-bound plane. Now, security experts say some of the lessons of September 11th have been, well, forgotten and gaps in airport security remain.
More on that from CNN's Jim Acosta.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): More than eight years after the attacks on September 11th, the attempted bombing of flight 253 proved terrorists are still exploiting gaps in aviation security. One hole that worry security experts is right at the top of the TSA.
CLARK KENT ERVIN, FMR. HOMELAND SECURITY INSPECTOR GENERAL: It's really shocking that there isn't a permanent TSA administrator in place.
ACOSTA: It took President Obama eight months to pick somebody to lead the TSA, but Erroll Southers, the current head of intelligence at Los Angeles International Airport has been in limbo since September. Republican Senator Jim DeMint is blocking the appointment in protest of White House plans to fully unionize the TSA.
SEN. JIM DEMINT (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: 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. That's what collective bargaining does.
ACOSTA: Just two weeks ago, the acting administrator of the TSA was hauled before a Congressional hearing to explain how one of the agency's passenger screening manuals got leaked on to the internet. At the time, Gale Rossides, a hold-over from the Bush administration, insisted the flying public was safe.
REP. SHEILA JACKSON-LEE (D), TEXAS: Where are we with respect to security as relates to the traveling public? GALE ROSSIDES, TSA ACTING ADMINISTRATOR: Madam chairwoman, the system is very strong, and I am very confident in saying that.
ACOSTA: Tell that to the 9/11 Commission, which warned five years ago "The TSA and Congress must give priority attention to improving the ability of screening checkpoints to detect explosives on passengers."
To this day, most air travelers pass through magnetometers which won't pick up bomb materials hidden in clothing. A GAO report issued in October found TSA has an array of "10 passenger screening technologies" but the agency "has not deployed any of these technologies to airports nationwide."
The TSA spent $30 million on bomb detecting puffer machines, only to find they have frequent maintenance issues, new body imaging scanners which could have made the difference in Detroit are years away from widespread use.
ERVIN: Hair (ph) technology, called whole body imaging, back scatter machines, millimeter wave machines been in place at these airports. At a minimum, it would have noticed that something anomalous was taped to this suspect's leg.
ACOSTA: Add to that, the 9/11 Commission's plea to improve the terrorist no-fly list, a list that did not include the suspected bomber on flight 253 and a top security expert says you have a big problem.
ERVIN: I think the flying public has reason for concern.
ACOSTA (on camera): With new cockpit doors and armed pilots, experts note aviation has seen more security upgrades than the ports and borders, which is why an attack on an airliner would send a disturbing message of failure.
Jim Acosta, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: A custody battle over Sarah Palin's grandson. Our legal guys, they're still standing by. They cannot wait to take on this one.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: And now, checking some of our top stories. A new pledge in the wake of that failed bombing attack on a Northwest Airlines jet Christmas Day. President Obama is officially linking the Nigerian national accused in the plot to an al Qaeda group in Yemen. The president is pledging to intensify efforts with Yemeni security officials to stamp out this terror threat.
A Somali man accused of trying to kill a Danish political cartoonist made a court appearance today. The 28-year-old suspect is charged with the attempted assassination of Kurt Westergaard. Police say he was armed with an ax. The cartoonist is known for his controversial depiction of the Muslim prophet Mohammed wearing a turban shaped like a bomb.
And "Simpsons" fans wait no longer. You don't have to scramble to find your favorite Fox TV show. News Corp -- that's Fox's parent company, they have finally reached a deal here with Time Warner Cable ending a bitter public battle over fees. They are keeping mum about some of the details, but the deal basically prevents an interruption of service for millions of Time Warner subscribers.
In one story that has certainly made news recently, this U.S. district judge has tossed out those charges against those five Blackwater worldwide -- basically, security guards after they're accused of killing about 17 unarmed Iraqis in a very busy Iraqi square back in 2007. That's one of the stories we want to talk.
Let's bring our legal guys back in. Again, we have Avery Friedman, a civil rights attorney and a law professor from Cleveland and Richard Herman, a New York criminal defense attorney and law professor joining us from Vegas today.
Gentlemen, let's begin with Blackwater, and Avery, I want to begin with you. In this judge's 90-page opinion, he basically says that the government mishandled this case.
FRIEDMAN: Yes. Let me make it real simple. Ninety pages, thoughtful, carefully written by the federal district judge in Washington, Ricardo Urbina. What he said was, look, you got to play fair. If you promise these guards that you would not use their testimony in a legal proceeding, in other words, immunize them and then turned around and tried to use it, that's not fair and it has to be dismissed.
The good news, though, in the opinion, the federal judge says it's not over. There are other ways to charge these people. After all, there are 17 Iraqis dead, 20 injured. Something has to be done. The case is far from over.
BALDWIN: It's not over, and Richard, not only that, but the Iraqis say hey, our system in the U.S., this is rigged.
HERMAN: Well, you can't imagine why they're saying that when 17 people are dead, and ...
BALDWIN: Sure.
HERMAN: ...we didn't even get to the issue of any of the other defenses raised by the five Blackwater people, but Avery's right. The government abused their power here. They gave immunity deals to these five because they didn't know the facts and they needed to know the facts early on.
So, they gave them immunity for their information about what happened. And then, the government wrongfully and illegally used that information to build a case. They were told not to do it. They did it, and now they've been sanctioned and the case has been dismissed. BALDWIN: And Avery, just briefly before we move on, you know, both of you all said this thing isn't over. Prosecutors can appeal. They have, what? Like 90 days to do so?
FRIEDMAN: More than that.
BALDWIN: Yes.
FRIEDMAN: The federal judge said there are other crimes that the U.S. attorney can charge them with. That's why I say it's not over.
BALDWIN: OK, OK.
HERMAN: And Brooke, these guys were facing 30 years in prison, all of them.
BALDWIN: Thirty years?
HERMAN: Yes.
FRIEDMAN: Right.
BALDWIN: And now, charges dismissed.
HERMAN: Yes.
BALDWIN: Amazing.
Next story, a lot of my friends have been talking about this, the Texas Tech coach. What is it? The Alamo Bowl they're playing in tonight. Days before this bowl, the coach, Mike Leach fired because his sophomore wide receiver says his coach locked him in a closet twice after he had a concussion.
There's a couple issues at play here. Richard, let's first start with the fact that, what, this wide receiver's father is an analyst with ESPN and there's some favoritism issues going on? Allegedly.
HERMAN: Well, the coach -- yes. The coach is saying the reason why his father Craig James, who is a great college player and professional football player, wants his son to get more playing time. So, that's why he's against Leach.
Look, oh, how the mighty have fallen. Last year, Texas Tech beat Texas, an undefeated Texas team and Mike Leach was the king of the world. And in one year, he's been now terminated from Texas Tech. The school has integrity, there are serious allegations here. You know, when you get a concussion, this is very serious. It's serious in pro ball, it's serious in college ball and high school ball.
FRIEDMAN: Yes.
HERMAN: You have to treat it properly. And this is not right and they just had enough of this guy Leach.
FRIEDMAN: Wow. BALDWIN: And Avery, the fact is, you know, this coach had what, four more years on his contract. What does that mean?
FRIEDMAN: Yes, yes. He's about $10 million left on the contract, but let me tell you something. It's not quite that simple. Richard described one side of the story. The other side of the story is that IMG, which is like five minutes from where I am right now representing Leach was very aggressive in pursuing additional money. The university didn't like it. Leach is saying it's retaliation. It's dueling cases in a courtroom. The way it gets resolved, Brooke, somebody's going to have to pay some money.
BALDWIN: Uh-oh. Money there.
FRIEDMAN: Yes.
HERMAN: Oh I don't know. There'll be a trial, and hopefully the jurors won't be tweeting in that trial.
BALDWIN: Hopefully, they won't be tweeting.
Well, here's one where the doors are going to be slung wide open in this case.
FRIEDMAN: Wide open.
BALDWIN: A custody battle in Alaska. We're talking about Sarah Palin's daughter Bristol and the father of this one-year-old, of course, Levi Johnston. There they were during the election, of course they're no longer together at all and now, they're fighting for sole custody and they were fighting to have the doors closed on this courtroom during the custody battle, but the judge, Avery ...
FRIEDMAN: Yes.
BALDWIN: ...and you agree, said, hey, no. This is happening open in front of the public.
FRIEDMAN: Yes. Judge Kerry Christianson (ph), who's the judge up there basically says, here's the standard. You have to show that Tripp, who's one-year-old, will be detrimentally affected. There's no evidence. This is an effort to keep I think Levi out of the picture.
The fact is that neither side is acting responsibly. A court basically say if you've got two parents to care for a child, that's the best way to go. One party having custody, not the way to go. Ultimately, the court's going to do the right thing and I don't think either of these two young people are going to be particularly happy.
BALDWIN: But gentlemen -- Richard, I'm going to leave you with the final word here. This battle, yes, it's a custody battle, but it's so much more than that, is it not?
FRIEDMAN: Yes.
HERMAN: It's much more than that. I want to know what happened to family values? That's what I want to know here. But in any event, he's petrified, Levi, that Sarah Palin's going to exert all her political power and rig these proceedings, and that's why he wants them publicized. He wants to be protected because he says she's vindictive and malicious. Not Bristol, but Bristol's mom.
BALDWIN: Yes.
HERMAN: He's afraid of that. So, he wants this publicized for his protection.
FRIEDMAN: Well, he won. He won. Right.
BALDWIN: Yes, yes. Well, that's one story we will all get to watch, I am sure. Richard Herman, Avery Friedman, gentlemen, always a pleasure. Happy New Year.
FRIEDMAN: Happy New Year, Brooke. Take care.
HERMAN: Happy New Year, Brooke. Happy New Year, Avery.
FRIEDMAN: Take care, Richard.
BALDWIN: Thank you.
Many of you making some New Year's resolutions to spend more wisely in the year 2010 and well, one family can really serve as a guide here. They celebrated a debt-free Christmas this year after digging out of a $123,000 hole.
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BALDWIN: Well, you might consider it more of an oxymoron, the idea of smart spending. But it's easier for some of us than others and one family just had to look back, just a couple of months, and remember how bad things can get. It helped them get through this past holiday season with a minimum of debt-free under the tree.
CNN personal finance editor Gerri Willis takes a look.
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GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR (voice-over): Lights, presents, debt. For some, it's inevitable after the holiday season, but not for the Hildebrandts, the family we first met last October after they climbed out of a whopping $123,000 of debt.
KANDY HILDEBRANDT, STAYING DEBT-FREE: This beautiful little Victorian I got at a craft store, but on an after-Christmas sale. I probably got a 65, 70 percent off for her.
WILLIS: This year, the Hildebrandts survived holiday shopping debt-free. The kids still got stocking stuffers, but Kandy didn't spend more than $30 on each. One tip, thrift store shopping.
(on camera): How much would you pay for one of these turtlenecks? K: HILDEBRANDT: The low price going now, it's about $2.99 to $3.99.
WILLIS (voice-over): Another way to keep costs down, focusing on family traditions like baking cookies or singing Christmas carols at a local nursing home instead of expensive holiday entertainment.
Just one year ago, Russell Hildebrandt was working a second job as a night janitor, sleeping in his car to save on gas money. Kandy stretched their dollar with cheap meals. Today, they're finishing the last of the hash browns that got them through the worst of it.
(on camera): The hash browns were part of your strategy for when you were desperate, really saving money?
K. HILDEBRANDT: Absolutely. This was pretty much a mainstay when, you know, there wasn't any extra money for groceries. And we'd make hash browns -- we had it for breakfast, I'd make as a side dish for dinner. As you see, soup, and yes.
WILLIS: Any way you could?
K. HILDEBRANDT: Any way we could.
WILLIs (voice-over): It's a new age of thrift for the Hildebrandts, a strategy that will be front and center in the new year.
RUSSELL HILDEBRANDT, STAYING DEBT-FREE: And we're going to go over our year the things that we want to get, and set up -- putting money away for certain things and staying debt-free. That's our No. 1 goal.
K. HILDEBRANDT: There you go. Here.
WILLIS: It took five years for the Hildebrandts to come out of their six-figure debt. But to hear them tell it, the real savings is more than dollars and cents.
K. HILDEBRANDT: You know, we found out you really could do without things. Our quality of life did not decrease because life became more simple. You know, we thought all the clutter of the things that we get trapped with.
WILLIS: Gerri Willis, CNN, New Richmond, Wisconsin.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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BALDWIN: You could call it a decade of innovation. Want to take just a moment here today to look back at the last 10 years to see some of the technology that changed the way we do things every day.
Our own Fredricka Whitfield has that.
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FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Has it really been a full decade since we were counting down the minutes to the new millennium and hoping the lights would stay on when the clock struck midnight? We were afraid the Y2K bug was going to shut down our computers. remember?
Not only did our computers stay on, year by year during the first decade of the 21st century, they gradually changed our everyday lives. No more waiting for the paperboy. We went online to get more and more of our news and information.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My children do not read the newspaper. My children get all of their news online.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't even subscribe anymore.
WHITFIELD: We used computers to buy things, and not just on Craigslist. The term Cyber Monday was coined in 2005, referring to online shopping the Monday after Thanksgiving. We also used computers to connect and reconnect with friends. MySpace was founded in 2003, Facebook started in 2004, and Twitter began tweeting in 2006. Even our telephones began to look and act like computers. They weren't just for making calls anymore.
DIETER BOHN, WWW.SMARTPHONEEXPERTS.COM: It's really become a window for us into the world and anything that's not directly in front of you, there's a good chance you can get at it through a Smartphone.
WHITFIELD: Not only were our new phones versatile, we could take them anywhere. Only 28 percent of all Americans had cell phones in 2000. By 2009, that percentage had climbed to 85 percent. And public phones -- disappearing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ever use it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I don't.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why not?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have a cell phone.
WHITFIELD: Cell phones became so popular, some of us even gave up our land lines.
CLARK HOWARD, HLN MONEY EXPERT: One-third of Americans now, according to the most recent survey, either have only cell phone, or have a home phone they scratch their heads about, why am I still using it?
WHITFIELD: Even in homes that still had land lines, the phone books that used to sit next to them were getting hard to find. After all, when we needed a phone number, many of us were much more likely to Google it on the internet.
And since when did the name Google become a verb, you ask? Well, since it went into the Merriam-Webster Dictionary in 2006. How do we know that? We Googled it.
Fredricka Whitfield, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: A beloved California educator gunned down, execution style, in Mexico. What happened, in our top stories.
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BALDWIN: And now, a check of some of the top stories here. The Federal Aviation Administration now taking a closer look at American airlines after three rough landings last month. The review will mean increased oversight by federal inspectors. No one was killed in these different incidents, but dozens were injured. Airline spokesman calls the investigation routine.
Friends and family mourning the death of a California school official who was murdered, execution style in Mexico. Thirty-three- year-old Roberto Salcedo, known as Bobby, was one of six men kidnapped and killed Wednesday night in Durango, an area plagued with drug violence. From El Monte City, California, Salcedo was in Mexico with his wife just visiting family and friends.
And year after year, so many of us find that despite our very best efforts, we spend too much over the holidays. So, what is the best way to dig yourself out of the whole? We will ask the Dolans, the first family of finance during the two o'clock hour Eastern time. Hope you stick around for that.
And stay here with CNN throughout the day for all the latest breaking news. "YOUR MONEY" starts right now.
