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American Morning
GOP Overtaking Dems on Economy; Politics and the Economy; Storm Hermine Heads for Texas; Former Flight Attendant Steven Slater in Court; On Patrol in Afghanistan; Obama and the Elections; "Black Widow" Wings It
Aired September 07, 2010 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. Thanks so much for being with us on this Tuesday morning. It is --
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: Beautiful. A beautiful day.
CHETRY: It's still dark, though.
GRIFFIN: Nice. Really good.
CHETRY: It's September 7th. Thanks so much for being with us on this AMERICAN MORNING. I'm Kiran Chetry.
GRIFFIN: I'm Drew Griffin. John Roberts has off today. Let's get right to the news, shall we? There's a lot to talk about.
Eight weeks until the midterm elections coming up, and the president prepared to unveil billions in small business tax cuts and yet another stimulus package. While a new CNN poll shows voters may now trust Republicans more when it comes to handling the economy, the uphill struggle for Democrats. We're going to have that for you in a moment.
CHETRY: Also, we have tropical storm Hermine barreling through the gulf. Right now, we got word that, you know, overnight it crossed over from Mexico into south Texas. Up to a foot of rain expected today. And emergency officials say they are already worried about potentially deadly flash flooding. We're tracking Hermine. We'll be checking in with the weather center to see how strong and powerful this tropical storm will be.
GRIFFIN: Here's a story that's making news this morning and not the good kind. A Florida church wants to burn copies of the Koran. Before you say anything, listen to this. The U.S. commander in Afghanistan says it's a terrible idea that could put our troops in harm's way. With the end of Ramadan, it's just days away and the chance that that celebration could come the very same day as the anniversary of 9/11 that has Muslims jittery. It may change how American-Muslims celebrate. That story also later this hour.
CHETRY: Also, the amFIX blog is up and running this morning. We'd love for you to weigh in on any of the stories this morning. Join the live conversation by going to CNN.com/amFIX.
GRIFFIN: Let's begin, though, with the election. Eight weeks away, Republicans gaining. The economy sliding along with the Democrats. At this point, it's looking like a long uphill climb for the president and the Democratic Party. Fifty-six days remain until the midterm elections.
CHETRY: Yes. And it's been a rough start for Democrats. We take a look at our new CNN/Opinion Research poll released just moments ago, suggesting that Republicans may be winning the confidence of the American people when it comes to the handling of the economy. It's a pretty stunning reversal from what we've seen in other polls with 46 percent now favoring the GOP. Forty-three percent backing the Democrats. And the president is, of course, hoping to reverse that trend, ready to unveil a $350 billion plan that includes small business tax cuts as well as new infrastructure spending.
GRIFFIN: Yes. I think we can all feel it that this election will impact all of us, jobs, taxes, our family health care. And with so much at stake, we are covering at CNN like no one else. T.J. Holmes cruising to Columbus, Ohio this morning on the CNN Election Express. It's almost like a rock 'n' roll tour for him. But first, let's bring in Ed Henry live at the White House.
Ed, the president's plan to kick-start the comatose economy, I've got to ask you, I've heard this somewhere before?
ED HENRY, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, he's certainly talking a lot like last year when he was selling that first stimulus plan out on the road in Milwaukee yesterday talking about $50 billion in new infrastructure spending. That was a key element of the first stimulus plan last year. But also a president talking very tough about the Republicans.
And I can tell you that we're picking up new information this morning that the president will be back on the road tomorrow in Cleveland and going to be unveiling a brand-new business tax cut, something we had not heard before. It's going to equal about $200 billion. It's going to target small businesses by allowing them through the end of this year and into 2011, allow them to write off 100 percent of whatever they spend on new plants, new equipments. Basically trying to get these companies to pour more money into the economy, get it, perhaps, stimulated. This comes after the president yesterday in Milwaukee was pretty tough in pushing back on Republicans and special interest. He even had a kind of interesting unscripted moment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: That's been at the heart of what we've been doing over these last 20 months, building our economy on a new foundation so that our middle class doesn't just survive this crisis. I want it to thrive. I want it to be stronger than it was before. And over the last two years, that's meant taking on some powerful interests. Some powerful interests who have been dominating the agenda in Washington for a very long time and they're not always happy with me. They talk about me like a dog. That's not in my prepared remarks, it's just -- but it's true.
(END VIDEO CLIP) HENRY: Talk about me like a dog. We haven't heard the president say something like that before. Clearly fired up. White House aides say get used to it. He's going to be on the road a lot more, not just campaigning for Democrats but now selling this new economic proposal. But I've got to tell you, there's a reality check here we have to add, which is it's not even clear yet whether the president and still the Democrats on Capitol Hill are going to frankly have the time in the next few weeks before the election to get this on the agenda and get it passed. So this could be a lot of rhetoric that doesn't really go anywhere -- Drew, Kiran.
CHETRY: Yes, it was interesting that he said, by the way, this isn't in my prepared remarks. He also talked about the Republicans driving the economy into a ditch.
GRIFFIN: Right.
CHETRY: And then standing by drinking a slurpee saying, hey, why can't you push this thing out of here? And so he was fired up for sure. But at the same time, they've been careful not to really say this is a new stimulus because of how powerful the pushback has been on the campaign trail. A lot of Tea Party candidates using this and saying this is just more spending. It doesn't add up to new jobs. So how do they sell this differently?
HENRY: Well, you're absolutely right because first of all, you've got folks from the Tea Party saying the first stimulus was a failure, was too much money. And the bottom line is that if the president now comes out and says I've got a second stimulus plan, that would just give Republicans, give Tea Party activists more ammunition to say, look, the first one didn't work. So they've got to run around now with an emergency stimulus part two. They've been adamant inside the White House here that this is not going to be a second stimulus plan.
But I've got news for you. If you start adding this up, $50 billion in infrastructure spending, this new tax cut and this recorded $200 billion plus $100 billion for another business tax cut we recorded on a couple of days ago, that's $350 billion already. That's almost half of the first stimulus plan. So they may not call it a stimulus plan, but you remember the old saying if it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, at some point, they're going to get a lot of pushback from Republicans saying, look, this certainly sounds like a second stimulus plan and are they admitting that the first one didn't quite work, Drew, Kiran?
GRIFFIN: Ed, we got to move on but I got to ask you, you know, Republicans -- forget the Republicans, what Democrat is going to vote for this? You said they may not have time. They might not conveniently have time. Who's going to vote for this?
HENRY: Yes.
GRIFFIN: And now the president pushing this plan.
HENRY: Well, you're right. Especially some of those conservative Democrats in the south in the Midwest, like Indiana where Democrats have made some pickups in the last couple of election cycles, they're on the griddle now from voters back home saying, look, you're spending too much money in Washington. So the president is sort of cooking up this new plan. But it's not clear that he's going to have Republicans on board. They've been, let's be frank, have been just against just about everything he's come up with.
GRIFFIN: Yes.
HENRY: But you're right, there's going to be some of his fellow Democrats who are going to like, hold the line, we can't spend any more money.
GRIFFIN: All right, Ed, thanks a lot. Good stuff.
HENRY: Thank you.
CHETRY: So we've been talking about this new plan. He's going to unveil it today. The president is going to be in Ohio, and of course, we know this is a crucial battleground state in any election.
GRIFFIN: Yes, why? Because unemployment is so high there and so are the chances Democrats could lose the Senate and governor races this November. T.J. Holmes riding the CNN Election Express. This morning stop, Columbus, from Pittsburgh to Columbus overnight, T.J.?
T.J. HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it was a rough drive for us. About 3 1/2 hours to make our way here but we have made it. And the president is going to make his way back here. The president has been here ten times since he's been president, and there's a good reason for that. We know this is always a bellwether state. This is a state that in the past 12 presidential elections has voted for the winner. So there's a reason the president continues to come here.
Now, we are here in the city of Columbus. Folks here oftentimes, they lean a little liberal. They lean a little Democratic. But we are asking them, would you lean that way again?
The president, of course, coming to make that pitch again. But a lot of people here in the Columbus area, in particular, you know, they're not feeling the effects of the last stimulus. This state, much different than the state we were in yesterday. Yesterday, in Pennsylvania, in Pittsburgh, in particular, that state we've talked about, it has been able to stay below the national average in unemployment rate.
This state, Ohio, has been the exact opposite, at 10.3 percent unemployment in this state right now. A year ago, it was 10.6 percent. Hasn't come down much. Hasn't come down a tick. But all of that over the past year has been above the national average. So, could they vote for the president, once again, the next time around? Listen to what they said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just think Ohio is a state that people look at because it has a huge mix in one state. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I now hate politics.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're going to talk to different people and everyone's going to have different thoughts.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's hard for me to figure out because I grew up in a very Republican family.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's too much polarity.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Sarah Palins is not part of what I wanted to be represented by.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I live all (INAUDIBLE) like following it all together because I think it's just another crap.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm starting to see some Republican candidates come out ahead. You know, good strong candidates. And I think we're going to have a good run for it here in November.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jobs need to be brought back to America. I see that part. I don't see anything now. I've got a nice hat that says, you know, my boss is Jesus. When I look inside and I look at the label, and it says, made in China, OK? Where is made in the USA at?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: You hear some of the concerns there. It is all about jobs here in the state. It's been that way for quite some time. Like we said, the president was just here about two weeks ago. You all will remember he was having a backyard chat talking about the economy. Well, he's coming here once again. He'll be here tomorrow in Cleveland talking about some of those very things that Ed Henry was just talking about.
But again, the president not just here to try to sell the economy. He's here also to try to preserve his own re-election possibly in years down the road here in Ohio because the governor here, Ted Strickland, he's in a tough re-election race as well. And it's important to have those governors in place in these states. They can be very crucial when it comes to organizing on behalf of the presidential candidates. So the president has a lot at stake here. There are a couple of freshmen and a couple of districts right now who are trying to hold on to seats. So there is a lot to talk about, not just the economy. We'll be talking about it, guys, throughout the rest of the morning and throughout the day here on CNN. You see the big bus. We got it in the backdrop. We are just getting started here in Ohio.
GRIFFIN: All right, T.J. Thanks for that report. We'll see you, like you said, just about everywhere this week.
CHETRY: Have fun, T.J. All right. Thanks.
Well, it's 10 minutes past the hour. Have you seen who's challenging, 15-term -- doesn't that sound funny? -- 15-term Democrat Barney Frank for his congressional seat? You may remember this --
GRIFFIN: Barney the thumb.
CHETRY: We certainly remember it. This was at a town hall meeting that happened over the big debate last year on health care. And the Massachusetts lawmaker and a woman by the name of Rachel Brown, she called health care reform a, quote, "Nazi policy." And Frank's response went viral. Here's a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. BARNEY FRANK (D), MASSACHUSETTS: Ma'am, trying to have a conversation with you would be like trying to argue with a dining room table. I have no interest in doing it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Well, a dining room table decided to throw in the kitchen sink. I guess you could say of Barney Frank. Rachel Brown says that exchange last year actually motivated her to run against him in next week's Democratic primary. Frank calls Brown's candidacy, quote, "the price you pay for free speech."
GRIFFIN: Thirty years ago, what were you doing? Barney Frank was being elected.
Hey, stay with AMERICAN MORNING all week as we break down the races with the best political team on television. Wednesday, we're going to be in Covington, Kentucky. Thursday, Indianapolis. We'll have more coverage from T.J. Holmes, along with that team of national correspondents. John King, senior congressional correspondent, Dana Bash, political correspondent Jessica Yellin and senior political analyst Gloria Borger. How about that lineup?
CHETRY: Yes. In the meantime, we talked a lot about Earl, the hurricane that wasn't, at least for the northeast. Of course, it did hit parts of North Carolina as we saw.
GRIFFIN: Yes.
CHETRY: But now, we have tropical storm Hermine and it has south Texas on edge this morning. Here's some new pictures. Sixty-five mile-per-hour winds slamming South Padre Island.
GRIFFIN: Parts of Texas could get hit with a foot of rain enough to create dangerous flash flooding. Rob Marciano tracking Hermine in the extreme weather center. And, Rob, I was saying, Hermine, she is mean, huh?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, yes, exactly. This thing got flared up yesterday.
Good morning, guys. You know, we are now in prime time hurricane season. And the scary part about this time of year is how quickly these storms can develop pretty much out of nowhere near the Gulf of Mexico. That means they're going to be close to landfall in the United States. And that's what happened yesterday. Tropical depression forming and a tropical storm forming and making landfall just south of Brownsville, Texas.
Right now, we've got winds of 50 miles an hour and it's well inland. So we have winds and rain and the potential for seeing tornadoes as well. Usually the northeastern or the eastern quadrant of these storms will spin the air just a little bit more. That's where we see the potential for seeing small tornadoes fire up and that's why this watch box has been issued until 1:00 this afternoon.
There is the center of it, about 90 miles just southwest of Corpus Christi. And we expect it to continue to move up towards the north. As it does so, it's going to bring not only a little bit of gusty wind that may take down some power lines but a tremendous amount of rain like you mentioned. Five inches plus, maybe up to 12 inches in some spots as this thing slowly moves towards the Oklahoma border later on tonight. We'll talk more about Hermine in the national forecast a little bit later on in the program.
CHETRY: All right, Rob. Hopefully, we'll get some new pictures in as well, and see what it's doing in Texas. Thanks.
Well, still to come on the Most News in the Morning, the man at the center of the Natalee Holloway disappearance now confessing, not to murder, but trying to extort her family. We'll show you what Joran van der Sloot is saying now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
In an interview with a Dutch newspaper, Joran van der Sloot reportedly admits extorting money from the family of Natalee Holloway. Why? He says he did it to get back at her parents for, quote, "Making my life tough for five years."
Van der Sloot remains the prime suspect in the 2005 disappearance of Holloway, who vanished in Aruba. He's also facing separate murder charges in Peru.
Van der Sloot's lawyer says his comments may have been mistranslated.
CHETRY: Well, America's most famous ex-flight attendant has a court appearance in New York today. Remember Steven Slater? Well, he now faces felony charges of reckless endangerment, criminal mischief. He says he quit at JetBlue last month, a month after cursing out passengers, grabbing some beer and using the emergency chute.
Well, here's what he had to say when he was released from jail last month.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tell me about what you think about all the support you've gotten. You know, (INAUDIBLE) -
STEVEN SLATER, EX-JETBLUE FLIGHT ATTENDANT: It's been very, very appreciated, and it seems like something here has resonated with a few people, and that's - that's kind of neat.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you going to lose your job?
SLATER: More than likely. My ride (ph)?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you care about that anymore? Tell me about -
SLATER: No comment at this time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, how about -
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: Well, he didn't seem too concerned about it back then, and maybe not now. The only problem is that all of those charges against him, the felony charges, carry a maximum of seven years in prison.
GRIFFIN: Yes. Well, we'll see what happens. But I bet he cares about it now.
CHETRY: We'll see.
GRIFFIN: Speaking of not caring, an unusual guy, an unusual cause, using a set of gigantic suction cups. This guy made a three-hour trek up the side of a San Francisco high-rise. He says he scaled the 60- story Millennium Tower to - get this - raise cancer awareness and show the vulnerability of terror attacks on U.S. skyscrapers. Multi- tasking.
Their police waiting for him at the top of the building.
CHETRY: If he had a scaffolding, he might even look like a window washer, you know what I mean?
GRIFFIN: Yes. Yes, yes.
CHETRY: No scaffolding, though.
GRIFFIN: Dangerous.
CHETRY: Yes.
Well, coming up in the Most News in the Morning, the fashion police are out in force. We're going to show you what they want to make sure you're wearing - a belt. You find yourself in one - (INAUDIBLE). They don't' look at that.
GRIFFIN: Well, look at them (ph).
CHETRY: They don't like pants on the ground.
GRIFFIN: Neither does dad. It's 18 after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: Hey, the president of ABC News is stepping down. His name is David Westin. He sent an e-mail to the staff saying the decision was a personal one. He led the network for more than a decade. Plans to stay on through the end of the year.
In February, ABC News announced it would lay off about 400 employees to cut costs.
CHETRY: Well, that Sunday shopping extravaganza may not be good for you or your wallet. There's a new study at DePaul University finding that there's actually a domino effect from the so-called blue law that allows stores to open on Sunday. The people who spent more time in stores than in church were actually less happy.
The research mostly focused on Catholics and Protestants.
You could do both. I mean, there's 24 hours in a day.
GRIFFIN: It's always better for a man not to go shopping. The health is much better. And the health of the marriage is better, too.
CHETRY: You guys just sit in - you just sit in the chairs, right? In those plush chairs in department stores and look at your watch.
GRIFFIN: No comment.
If you enjoy wearing your pants - now this - this one does - this one does interest me. If you wear those pants a little on the low side, like that clown there, a Georgia town has decided to fine people up to $200 if the pants are more than three inches below their hips, on the ground looking like a fool. Officials say it qualifies as indecent exposure.
I wonder - I wonder if they're going to be able to enforce that.
CHETRY: Police are going to walk around with rulers.
GRIFFIN: Because that's the (ph) three-inch one.
CHETRY: Yes. I need to measure the -
GRIFFIN: Let me check your hips there, (INAUDIBLE).
CHETRY: -- your boxer shorts there and your pants.
All right. Well, coming up next on the Most News in the Morning, our ongoing series, "A Soldier's Story" continues next. Jason Carroll is live in Afghanistan. He's following Sergeant Shorter as he undertakes his new tour of duty, a very dangerous one, on a forward-operating base in one of the most deadliest parts of Afghanistan.
It's 44 minutes past the hour - 24 minutes past the hour. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: All right. Now, Muslims around the world have been observing Ramadan, the holy month ends with a celebration. And this year, the holiday falls almost nine years to the day on the worst terror attacks on American soil.
CHETRY: Yes. Tensions are especially high this year with the growing controversy of the plans to build an Islamic center two blocks north of the Ground Zero site in New York City.
Now, Mary Snow tells us that Muslims are trying to avoid any more backlash with 9/11 just days away.
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kiran and Drew, there's a concern among many Muslims that any celebrations to mark the end of Ramadan will be misconstrued, so in some cases events have been canceled or moved so they wouldn't coincide with the anniversary of September 11th.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW (voice-over): Afternoon prayers at the Islamic Center of Long Island, as Ramadan draws to a close later this week, these worshipers are being advised to tone down what is usually a celebratory occasion.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, after 30 days of fasting, you know, this is the month that's ending (ph) for our celebration.
SNOW (on camera): How will it be different this year?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This year, it's a little different, you know? We are not celebrating like we're supposed to do what we normally will do.
SNOW: Because?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because of 9/11.
SNOW (voice-over): The end of Ramadan or Eid, depending on the moon Thursday night, falls on either Friday or Saturday, which is September 11th. But many Muslims have decided to mark it on Friday.
Imam Al-Amin Abdul-Latif is the head of the Islamic Leadership Council in New York, an umbrella group of Muslim organizations.
IMAM AL-AMIN ABDUL-LATIF, HEAD OF ISLAMIC LEADERSHIP COUNCIL, NEW YORK: I guess people may think that with the Eid that it's a protest, you know, against - you know, against people who may be celebrating.
SNOW: One Muslim group, for example, celebrates Eid at Six Flags Park. This year, organizers have been careful not to schedule their events for September 11th.
It comes against the backdrop over anger about the proposed Islamic center near Ground Zero and protests at other mosques around the country. Muslims are trying to send out their own message like this public service announcement created for grassroots efforts.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't want to take over this country.
SNOW: One Muslim leader who works with an Interfaith Youth group in Chicago says he feels the attitude toward Muslims this year is unlike any other.
EBOO (ph), LEADER, INTERFAITH YOUTH GROUP, CHICAGO: Frankly, I have not felt this fearful. A mother came up to me at my Muslim house of worship earlier this week and said to me, Eboo (ph), when will my 8- and 10-year-old sons stop being bullied on the playground because of their names, Ahmed (ph) and Ahberg (ph).
And what I said to her is very soon, very soon, because the forces of inclusion in America have always defeated the forces of intolerance, and they will defeat the forces of intolerance again.
SNOW: This 9/11, this mosque in Westbury, New York would dedicate a peace garden with other clergy. But it's also asked local police for protection, following a suspicious incident of broken windows at the mosque.
Imam Latif says his group has also decided not to hold a counter protest Saturday supporting the Islamic Center near Ground Zero after the families of 9/11 victims requested they not hold the rally.
ABDUL-LATIF: We're encouraging our people to be calm, to be patient, but be firm and be strong. And to reach out, you know?
SNOW: And this Islamic Center for one is opening its doors to hold open houses with the aim of promoting understanding.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW: And mosques like the Islamic Center of Long Island are opening their doors to hold open houses. And a National Coalition of Muslim Groups has announced a national day of service for Muslims on September 11th, Kiran and Drew.
CHETRY: Mary Snow for us this morning. Thanks so much.
And it's now half past the hour. We're going to check our top stories.
The White House is preparing to unveil a new plan that would cut business taxes by nearly $200 billion over the next two years. This comes as a new CNN poll just released 30 minutes ago shows that voters may now trust Republicans more when it comes to the handling of the economy. This is a big reversal from what we saw in the polling a few years ago. Now, the president hopes to turn those numbers around.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: Take a look at what's happening out in Boulder, Colorado. This is going on right now. An out-of-control wildfire, burned dozens of homes to the ground, at least 1,000 people forced out of their homes. The wind-driven canyon fire has burned 3,500 acres. No injuries reported. Officials expected it's going to take several days before that fire can be contained.
CHETRY: Top military commander in Afghanistan is blasting a Florida church's plan to burn copies of the Quran on 9/11 this year. General Petraeus warns that it could put troops deployed overseas in danger. He also says, quote, "It is precisely the kind of action the Taliban uses."
Coming up at 7:40, we're speaking with the pastor of that church and ask him why he plans to burn the Quran on 9/11, and does he think it's such a good idea, especially in light our top general coming out and saying, "Don't do it."
GRIFFIN: Absolutely.
CHETRY: We have an ongoing series right now, "A Soldier's Story." We've been following Army Sergeant Randy Shorter. This is his third tour of duty overseas.
GRIFFIN: Yes, his unit, at a forward-operating base in Afghanistan. Sound dangerous? It is.
Our Jason Carroll went out on patrol to see how Sergeant Shorter is doing with the locals, in particular, with the children. And Jason joins us live in the Paktika province in Afghanistan.
Jason, hi.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Drew and Kiran.
You know, securing the region is a major part of the mission of coalition forces here. No question about that, but it's not the only mission. There's also a very concerted effort to engage the Afghan people. And we saw an example of that just a few hours ago when we headed out with Sergeant Shorter and the rest of the men in his unit to a small village just south of here.
It was really a fascinating experience to witness how they interact with the people and what was going on there, because as soon as we arrived, I know the soldiers have seen this many, many times in the past, Drew. But it was a first for us to see the children just sort of swarm them, asking them a lot of questions. They were very curious about them, and very curious about what they had to offer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SGT. RANDY SHORTER, U.S. ARMY: Take off the gloves, shake hands, you know? Smile at the kids, you know?
CARROLL: OK.
SHORTER: If you got like little treats, you know, you can pass them out. You know, they had this thing where they do this. They're wanting pencils --
CARROLL: Oh, they're wanting pencils.
SHORTER: -- you know, because they're excited about going to school. You know, if you got pens, they really love that. Kind of a good icebreaker, especially, you know, with the kids. Because, you know, kids see the vehicles coming in. They see the guns. They're a little nervous at first, you know, scared. They don't know how to take you.
And once you start taking off the gloves, take off the sunglasses, let them see your eyes because, you know, you want to be able to break the ice with the population here. Let them know, you know, we want to help.
CARROLL: OK.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: And that's what it's really all about, Kiran and John, taking off the gloves, taking off the glasses, interacting as much as you can.
And, in fact, at one point during this particular patrol, one of the lieutenants from the unit was able to go and speak to the village elders who was there. The village elders are basically like -- basically like the unofficial leader of the village. They were able to hear what their concerns are, what their needs are.
The problem is, in order to get some of these remote places, you have to pass through paved and in some cases, unpaved roads. And you can never be sure if an IED has been planted there. And quite frankly, that's how the Taliban is fighting U.S. forces at this point. The main way that they do that is through the use of IEDs -- Kiran, Drew.
CHETRY: And it brings up the point. I mean, the importance of being able to earn the trust of those tribal leaders that you're referring to is that, oftentimes, our military relies on them for intelligence to let them know when an IED has potentially implanted in a certain area.
CARROLL: Without question. You hit the nail right on the head. That is absolutely right.
Some of these village elders can provide not only information about security. But the main point in doing that is, if you can get the village elder to come to U.S. forces for whatever their needs may be, perhaps then they won't turn to the Taliban for their needs. And so, that is really the thrust of what we're seeing here, in terms of some of the diplomacy that's happening on the ground -- Kiran.
GRIFFIN: Jason, are you seeing any Afghan forces there? I mean, they're the ones supposed to be taking over. I'm just wondering real quick -- are there any Afghan soldiers or police present in the village you're at?
CARROLL: Let me tell you something, Drew, that's a very good question.
Every time that we go out, we are out also with Afghan police -- in some cases, Afghan army. Just depends on where we actually end up heading to go out, because ultimately what you want to see here or what coalition forces are hoping is that Afghan police and Afghan army will eventually take the lead in terms of securing this region. A lot of training is going on. In fact, some of training happening right here at Bob Rushmore. That's a Forward Operating Base Rushmore. Some of that training happening right here.
But in terms of where they are, in terms of being able to do that, in terms of being able to take over the region and take the lead, still some ways to go in terms of their training for that to happen -- Drew.
CHETRY: All right. Jason Carroll for us this morning in Afghanistan, in one of the former -- sorry -- forward-operating bases where they have a lot going on for sure. Thanks so much, Jason.
GRIFFIN: Yes. Good stuff.
Next on the Most News in the Morning: the business of politics. Democrats and Republicans are sharpening their messages to you as we close in on Election Day. We're going to talk to Evan Tracey of the Campaign Media Analysis Group. That's next.
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CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
It's exactly eight weeks to go, voters heading to the polls in the midterm elections. A lot of people keeping their eyes and ears open right now. A lot of people are very interested in what they see happening.
And we want to let you know that CNN, of course, is the place for politics 24/7. We have our political ticker. Here it is right now. You can find it at CNN.com/ticker.
It shows you the trending topics, the president giving a speech yesterday on the economy. New polling out, in fact, we have new polls this morning. And we're going to show you a few other stories that are on the ticker.
They're calling it a grudge match of sorts in Pennsylvania. It's the eight congressional district, suburban Philly. And it's a race between Democratic incumbent Patrick Murphy and Republican Mike Fitzpatrick, a former congressman.
And the reason they're calling it a grudge match is they went head to head in 2006 and Murphy won by just over 1,500 votes. Well, now, the challenger is looking to make a comeback. And experts say that the race could be a telltale sign of whether there will be a big Republican wave on Election Day.
President Obama's Labor Day message, a $50 billion investment in infrastructure. The president talked about the plan at a Harley plant in Milwaukee.
One worker says he's seen cutbacks, he's seen layoffs. He worries just how much more the company will ask the union to sacrifice.
The president talking about immediate jobs being created on the form of new construction of miles of roads around the country.
And, again, the most political news, CNN.com/ticker.
We're going to head over to Drew right now.
It's interesting. We've been talking all morning about whether or not the Republicans will regain control of the House. We have a new prediction out by Stu Rothenberg of the "Rothenberg Political Report" saying upping the games, Republican, 37, now he's saying, they could take 42 seats.
GRIFFIN: Yes, it just keeps getting higher and higher. That's why there's a lot of panic on the Democratic side. We're eight weeks until midterm elections.
And get ready for the ads. You talk about panic -- they could be nastier than ever. Republicans attacking the president. Democrats, they don't even know the guy.
Take a look at this ad, from Missouri Republican State Committee. It's taking aim at Robin Carnahan, the Democrat running for U.S. Senate who supported the president on health care reform.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It is time to pass health care reform for America --
ROBIN CARNAHAN (D), MISSOURI SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: I'm unhappy about it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to get there. Just to be crystal clear: you would have voted for the health care reform bill?
CARNAHAN: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: With so many Democrats in trouble this election season, Evan Tracey, president and founder of Campaign Media Analysis Group is joining us to discuss trends in the midterm campaign ads.
Evan, thanks for joining us. I said the Democrats don't even know the president in some of these ads, but the Republicans certainly do.
EVAN TRACEY, CAMPAIGN MEDIA ANALYSIS GROUP: Yes, that's for sure. The Republicans have used Obama in probably close to 300 ads this year and close to $40 million has been spent on these ads, basically trying to attach Democrats to this president.
GRIFFIN: Yes. So, I want to show you what happens if you're a Democrat and you're trying to get re-elected. Here's an ad from Joe Donnelly, who's trying to tough-talk his way through this thing and try to avoid being linked with President Obama.
Let's take a listen.
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REP. JOE DONNELLY (D), INDIANA: I went down to the border and saw for myself just how bad the situation really is. That's why I voted to hire 5,300 more border agents, penalize any business that hires illegals, deport illegals who commit felonies and eliminate amnesty, because no one should be rewarded for breaking the law. That may not be what the Washington crowd wants, but I don't work for them. I work for you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: Evan, that's got to be a tough sale because the Obama administration is actually suing Arizona for doing what this Democratic congressman apparently says he would like to do.
TRACEY: Yes, you've seen this in a number of ads so far from these Democrats that are in tough districts, is they're really going out of their way to stress their independence and they're really trying to put themselves in a place that's kind of outside of party politics which is -- you know, it's a heavy lift right now because, obviously, they have opponents and campaigns don't happen in a vacuum.
GRIFFIN: Can it work? Does it work? Has it worked?
TRACEY: Yes, it's going to be a race by race district. What -- there's an old sort of political belief even when voters hate Congress, they still like their own congressperson. And that's really what the hope is here is that people will say, well, yes, I'm certainly unhappy with Congress. But I am very happy that I have my particular member.
GRIFFIN: Yes.
Let's take another listen to one more ad, Congressman Frank Kratovil of Maryland. He is trying to also point out he's not really a politics, he is a prosecutor. Let me let you listen to this and see what you say about this ad.
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REP. FRANK KRATOVIL (D), MARYLAND: As a career prosecutor, I made decisions on facts, not politics. In Washington, I've tried to do the same. That's why I voted to crack down on Wall Street, that's today. And why I voted against the $3 trillion budget, the big bank bailout and against the health care bill. You see, for me, it's not about Democrats and Republicans, it's about common sense.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: It's hard to believe that anything Obama passed actually passed. All of these Democrats have voted against it apparently.
TRACEY: Yes. And this is -- this is the irony of this election, too, is that the Democrats used the health care bill, for example, for probably the last five elections very successfully, in fact, to take control. Here, they've passed the bill. And the only Democrats that are actually talking about the bill are the ones that voted against it.
So, they've lost really one of their signature issues. They're sort of trying to find the message out there that will connect. And you have a number of these Democrats in the House that voted against the bill that are really touting this fact that they voted against this bill.
GRIFFIN: Yes. When all else fails in politics, I think the rule is to go nasty. Are you expecting that to come?
TRACEY: Absolutely. The political survival instincts are going to be kicking in here. This is an election where Democrats have about three options. And one of those options is to disqualify their opponents.
Republicans, the same thing. They're going to hammer away at the economy. They're going to hammer away at these incumbents. They're really going to sort of attack Washington. They're going to attack this administration.
So, expect the ads to be very negative for these last eight weeks. And it's going to be one of those kind of elections, unfortunately.
GRIFFIN: All right. Evan Tracey, president and founder of Campaign Media Analysis. Thanks joining us this morning.
Kiran?
TRACEY: Thanks, Drew.
CHETRY: Drew, thanks.
It's 45 minutes past the hour right now. Still to come on the Most News in the Morning, Rob is in the Extreme Weather Center tracking tropical storm Hermine coming ashore in South Texas. They're warning of the possibility of flash flooding and the dangers of it. He'll also have the morning's travel forecast for us after the break.
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CHETRY: And you got a double shot this morning. Two beautiful shots of New York. See, you don't get to see this very often down in Atlanta (ph). It's a beautiful shot of the Hudson Rover this morning on the west side. And then, we also have the gorgeous shot of the top, of our skyscrapers here at Columbus Circle. You love it?
GRIFFIN: It's great.
CHETRY: I still get so excited. It's 69 degrees. It's clear. 87 and sunny for a high. You're going to like hanging out in the Central Park today for sure.
GRIFFIN: Yes. I'm not going to be there today, unfortunately. Rob, I had a good day yesterday in Central Park. A beautiful day. No hurricane, no flooding. just a lot of people.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good.
CHETRY: And one violinist who serenaded him. See that?
MARCIANO: That's kind of how my Labor Day goes, you know, when --
GRIFFIN: Yes.
MARCIANO: When Drew Griffin comes to town, the serenading violinist get out in the Central Park. I'm glad you enjoyed that. It costs me 50 bucks. 50-mile hour winds right now with tropical storm Hermine. It's made landfall last night right the south of Brownsville, Texas, about 30 or 40 miles. We still have 50-mile-an- hour winds. The big story with it right now is going to be flooding.
We just got into the CNN Severe Weather Center, a flash flood warning out for Aransas County and South Texas until 07:30 local time, OK? So, we got some heavy rains that are happening here. So, let's look at the radar. Not only are the rains going to roll in here, but we're also going to see some winds. We still have some gusty winds. You see the eye of the tropical storm right there, almost due west of Corpus Christi.
So, Brownsville to Corpus Christi over the past several hours have seen winds gusting over 50 and 60 miles an hour or so. I wouldn't be surprised if you see some spotty power outages. And look at that flocks of moisture coming into the Gulf of Mexico. This tornado watch in effect until at least 1:00 this afternoon. That's the deal when these things come to shore. The right side of them, a little more twist, a little more spin, and the threat for tornadoes, usually small one, but nonetheless, tornadoes, a distinct possibility with these types of systems.
It's going to roll up into this front that will get into Oklahoma. It will also get into parts of Arkansas. These are the areas where we thing we're going to see potentially some flooding rains over the next 24 to 48 hours as this front passes just a little bit farther to the east. Still a threat foreseeing some wildfires out west. We're still watching that situation just northwest of boulder. Temperatures in Denver will be 80. 82 degrees in Dallas and 89 degrees for serenading violinist this afternoon in Central Park -- Drew. GRIFFIN: Rob, I really appreciate that. I wouldn't have tipped him had I known you paid him already.
MARCIANO: Well, he gave me a Labor Day discount. Usually, it's $100. So, I'm a sucker for a deal.
CHETRY: Today, it's a petty cab ride you're getting, right? You're so sweet, Rob.
MARCIANO: Exactly.
CHETRY: Thanks, Rob.
By the way, this morning's top story just minutes away including new polling out showing that Americans may be shifting into trusting the GOP more than the Democrats when it comes to big issues on the economy, terrorism and immigration. It's leaving many to wonder if dark days lie ahead for Democrats. And we're going to be checking in with the democratic congressional campaign committee chair coming up to ask what his plan is to try to turn his around for his party.
GRIFFIN: Yes. Speaking of plans. A warning to the leader of a Florida church from America's (ph) top general in Afghanistan, that guy there wants to burn the Quran on 9/11. American lives apparently will be put at risk, if he does. The man behind the plan is going to respond to us just ahead.
CHETRY: We're also tracking latest on this massive recall. It could impact your pet. Thousands of bags of a popular dog treat were called because of a salmonella risk. We're going to have more on that. Those stories and much more coming up just a couple of minutes. Fifty-two minutes past the hour.
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GRIFFIN: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. Unicyclists take Manhattan. Check out these pictures. New York City's first unicycle festival. I can't believe this is a first, right? People playing basketball --
CHETRY: That was more like basketball.
GRIFFIN: Yes, where's the unicycle? There they are. Juggling, all right. Balance and coordination, something like that requires is simply amazing. There they are.
CHETRY: They'll be able to play a game of basketball on a unicycle is pretty impressive, actually.
GRIFFIN: Now, to keep you on your diet. Let's have this story. How many chicken wings can a black widow eat? 181 in 12 minutes. Sonya Thomas, she's known as the black widow on the competitive eating circuit. She wins the Annual Buffaloing Festival over the weekend, beating out the favorite, Joey Chestnut. And the 43-year-old has previously set records eating cheesecakes, oysters, hard-boiled eggs, and jalapeno peppers. CHETRY: You know, she's really good at eating things that are hard for other people to get down. Like, can you imagine trying to eat that many hard-boiled eggs in a row? I mean, it's very tough to swallow hard-boiled eggs. Chicken wings as well.
GRIFFIN: You know, it's tough for me to swallow that people do that?
CHETRY: The competitive eating?
GRIFFIN: Yes.
CHETRY: No joke.
GRIFFIN: Top stories coming your way right after this break.
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