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CNN Sunday Morning

Bush on Waterboarding: 'Damn Right'; Myanmar Opens First Polls in 20 Years

Aired November 07, 2010 - 06:00   ET

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

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you all, and good morning to you all in New York City. Beautiful shot of the city this morning.

A cold morning with a marathon -- the famous New York City Marathon is getting under way this morning, in a couple of hours. You've got about 45,000 competitors are going to be hitting the course. We're going to be taking you there live.

And a couple of special competitors will be competing this year.

Also, we are just two days away -- two days away from hearing the ups and downs of the Bush presidency from the former president himself. "Decision Points" is coming out, and the former president on a bit of a book tour. He was nice enough to give us an advance copy, and some of the things we're hearing -- the highs and lows especially, the thing that got his blood boiling, and also what he said was one of the lowest points of his presidency. We'll be giving you a preview of that this morning.

But from the CNN Center, this is your CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

Did you remember to do what you were supposed to do and set that clock back? You got an extra hour. So yes, it is 6 a.m. where I stand here in Atlanta, Georgia. It's 2 p.m. in Baghdad right now. Wherever you may be this morning, glad you could be right here. I'm T.J. Holmes.

As always, we want to welcome our troops who are watching us right now on the Armed Forces Network in Iraq, Afghanistan and around the world. Thank you for being with us. Thank you for what you do.

And when you do come home, a lot of friends and family are going to be waiting on you. But also may be waiting on you: a free hug. This lady might be waiting on you at the airport. She's called "the hug lady." All you have to do is be wearing a uniform, and you are going to get an embrace from this lady. One woman who was on patrol at Atlanta's airport welcoming our service members back. We'll tell you more about her mission.

Also, did you see this yesterday? It was so close. Nineteen and 1 are bad, but Zenyatta, that storybook horse that was she trying to finish her career 20 and 0, missed history by just a head. We will show this to you, just how close it was and how heartbreaking it really was to watch it. Also, you remember the miners? This was only a few weeks ago we saw them pulled out of there. Well, one of the miners -- like I say, we got some special people running in the New York City Marathon. He is one of them. Only a couple of weeks after being rescued from being months -- a half-mile below the earth, is now running in the New York City Marathon. We'll tell you more about his story this morning.

But first here, I want to turn to the president, President Obama. He is on Day 2 of his trip to Asia right now. And really, we know the main point of this trip is to -- trying to spur economic cooperation between the U.S. and India, open up those markets in many places in Asia.

Well, the president has delivered in some way, he says, by announcing some $10 billion in contracts between U.S. companies and India. He says these contracts will directly mean jobs for the U.S. This is an aggressive push here by the president.

Now, some of these contracts we're talking about include jet airplanes from Boeing, as well as engines, gas-turbine technology from GE. The president says now some 54,000 American jobs will be created by those contracts with the Indian government and private companies there.

The president also calling for a doubling of U.S. exports around the globe over the next five years. He says every $1 billion in goods we export supports more than 5,000 jobs right here at home.

Now, the president doing serious business. But the president also taking some time to get down. Look at the president there. What do you think? We see this every now and again -- presidents doing a little dance. But this president celebrating with some kids, as you see there. The Festival of Lights, the major religious festival, Diwali, was taking place. He was meeting with some schoolchildren; took the time to do a little dance with the kids there.

Now, we also saw -- now, you can compare what he's doing there to what we saw the first lady do yesterday as well. And you tell me, who's the best dancer in this family? This was at Mumbai University yesterday. The first lady took some time out with some kids there, told them she liked to dance and they certainly took her up on it, got her out to the dance floor. But that was the first lady and the president.

So there they are, side-by-side. What did you think, folks? Yes, I think it's pretty obvious. But we'll get into that later.

But again, we'll be talking much more about the president's trip, his dancing and his deals throughout the morning.

Now, Sara Sidner is following every step of the president's trip. She's going to be joining us live at the bottom of the hour. So stick around for that.

Want to turn now to Haiti, a place that can't seem to get a break. Of course, earlier this year -- beginning of this year, the deadly quake there. And then there was the cholera epidemic. Now, the impoverished nation dealing with massive flooding left in the wake of Hurricane Tomas. That storm itself has weakened. It's moved away from the island, but not before killing at least six people. Relief workers afraid that mudslides could happen over the next few days, and the floodwaters could worsen an already deplorable sanitation situation.

Nearly a million or more earthquake survivors still living in temporary shelters.

Let's move over to Indonesia now. They are still dealing with a major humanitarian crisis there. Continuing fallout from Mount Merapi, the volcano that's been spewing. More than 80 people have died from Friday's massive ash eruption. It's considered the biggest since the volcano began belching hot ash late last month.

A local doctor says more than 156 people have died since this thing started spewing. Thousands more have fled for safety. Indonesia's president has temporarily moved to a nearby city to help direct the relief efforts.

And like I mentioned at the top, we are just two days away from this highly anticipated release of the former President Bush's memoirs, called "Decision Points." We are getting a look inside that book, including why he said his lowest point of his presidency was after Katrina. In fact, it had to do with this moment that you'll remember.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KANYE WEST, ENTERTAINER: I hate the way they portray is in the media. We see a black family, it says they're looting.

George Bush doesn't care about black people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Well, the former president actually paid attention and took that to heart, he says. He was writing that Kanye West -- the rapper Kanye West's comments were -- quote -- "the all-time low of his presidency."

Let's bring in Josh Levs now. He's been going through a lot of these excerpts we're getting.

What else did he have to say that's going to be jumping out at people, Josh?

JOSH LEVS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes. Look, everyone's talking about this. And it is interesting that Kanye quote and his response to it certainly gotten a lot of people talking so far.

One thing a lot of people wanted to know after that is, what are his thoughts on Hurricane Katrina and the way the government handled Katrina, the way he handled Katrina? Well, I have a quote for you here. Let's go straight to it. What he talks about -- -basically, what the government in some way failed and did not pull through in time for the people who needed it. He says, "I should have recognized the deficiencies sooner and intervened faster." He says, "The problem was not that I made wrong decisions, it was that I took too long to decide."

He goes on to say, "My heart broke at the sight of helpless people trapped on their rooftops waiting to be rescued. I was outraged by the fact that the most powerful country in the world could not deliver water to mothers holding their dehydrated babies under the baking sun."

Now, that's one thing people are talking about. They're also talking a lot now about something he says about waterboarding, and the fact that he basically supported the decision to use it on terrorism suspects.

Let me show you one more quote here that's got a lot of people talking right now. And that's this -- he says, "I thought the 2,973 people stolen from their families by al-Qaeda 9/11 and I thought about my duty to protect the country from another act of terror. 'Damn right,' I said." And that "damn right" refers to the decision to use waterboarding.

Now, one thing a lot of people are talking about is whether this book will help turn around his reputation for history. He left quite unpopular.

We spoke with our presidential historian, Doug Brinkley, who points to Truman, who says, Truman left office very unpopular, turned it around in later years.

Take a look.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

VOICE OF DOUGLAS BRINKLEY, PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: He's trying to be very Harry Truman-like. Truman left office in 1952(sic) with about a 27 percent approval rating, ranked very low. And today, on most polls, he's ranked No. 5 as president -- very high.

So there's also that Truman hope.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

LEVS: Now, that book will be hitting shelves on Tuesday. We're certainly expecting a lot of reaction from that. Reaction's already starting to pour in as more and more and more of these quotes come forward.

And we have all the details for you at CNN.com -- T.J.

HOLMES: All right. Josh, we appreciate you. Thank you so much. We'll be chatting with Josh again throughout the morning. Well, just because you have an election, it doesn't necessarily mean you have a democracy. We will take you to where they are having elections right now, but nobody at all believes they are free and fair.

It's nine minutes past the hour. Stay with us on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: All right. Twelve minutes past the hour now.

This we have for you now -- one of those cautionary tales for parents, and a reason why every parent out there should learn CPR.

We're going to tell you about a 3-year-old. He's in critical condition today after nearly drowning in San Diego. Might have died at the scene if a woman and her husband hadn't been in the right place at the right time, some Good Samaritans passing by. They were biking in Mission Bay Park.

They heard screams. They got to the scene of where those screams were coming from; they saw a father trying to save his 3-year-old from drowning after the canoe had capsized.

Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It just didn't work. And so I feel like a total failure, I have to tell you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, not at all. I think -- I think you're a hero.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I tried and tried and tried.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nope.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And the -- and I thought the little boy was, you know, opening his eyes and everything. But maybe I saw what I wanted to see.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Now, the paramedics -- the woman you saw there did arrive on the scene. She was able to administer CPR to the child.

Paramedics quickly arrived as well, also administered CPR. Took the child to the hospital.

The father though did not perform -- did not know CPR. Again, nobody is getting onto the father, blaming him for something. Accidents do happen. But again, a warning kind of -- a cautionary tale for parents why sometimes it can be so important to know this.

Hopefully, the child will be OK. But again, like I mentioned, the child right now still listed in critical condition.

Want to take a look at some other stories that are making headlines this morning.

Start in Connecticut, where jurors in the Stephen Hayes murder trial will begin a third day of deliberations this morning. This, of course, the man convicted in the brutal deaths of two sisters and their moth. Forty-seven-year-old Stephen Hayes was found guilty of killing Jennifer Hawke-Petit during a heinous home invasion back in 2007.

His attorney told jurors Hayes would suffer more for his crimes if given life in prison without parole.

Also, got a food recall to tell you about this morning. It has to do with Trader Joe's. It's recalling a couple of food products containing cilantro. They have concerns that cilantro in it could be contaminated. The recall includes spicy Thai pasta salad, cilantro dressing, spicy peanut vinaigrette dressing and cilantro pecan dip.

The company advises customers to either throw out the above- mentioned products or return them and you'll get a full refund.

Also, it is a quarter after 6 right now on the East Coast, not a quarter after 7. Did you remember? You're supposed to set the clock back an hour before you went to bed last night. We're getting off daylight-saving time, going back to regular, to standard time here. So that's what we're on now -- it's 6:15 on the East Coast, 3:15 out on the West Coast. You need to make you get that right.

But even so, even if you missed it, it would just make you early for something this morning, and not late. So that's the good thing. But again, you're falling back one hour.

So again, it's quarter after the hour -- 6:15 being the hour on the East Coast. We got more for you after a quick break.

Stay here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, at 17 past the hour now, Myanmar voting right now. The country, also known as Burma, holding its first elections in some 20 years. Critics, however, saying these elections are neither fair nor free. Most people who live in rural areas don't have a clue about how to vote.

Election workers for the ruling military junta are in charge of this process. Opposition parties also say they lack the money to effectively mount campaigns. And this morning, the president chimed in -- President Obama, that is, criticizing the election process. Also called for the release of the democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi.

Now, she's been the face of the fight against the military dictatorship for the past 20 years. She has been under strict military house arrest by the junta since 1989. This morning, we're hearing the junta could be planning to release her.

Of course, let me bring in Nadia Bilchik. And this Aung San Suu Kyi -- people know this name. Won the Nobel Peace Prize.

(CROSSTALK)

NADIA BILCHIK, CNN EDITORIAL PRODUCER: She did, in 1991. Won the Nobel Peace Prize.

But interestingly enough, her father is said to be the father of the freedom of Burma from Britain. He is a combination of John F. Kennedy and George Washington. He himself was assassinated in his 30s, much like John F. Kennedy (ph). So that was around 1947.

Now, Aung San Suu Kyi in 1988, goes back from England to visit her ailing mother. And it's then that there's an uprising of a second military junta, and she gives this incredible speech. And people understand the power of Aung San Suu Kyi. One doesn't know whether she really intended to be a politician at that point.

Then in 1989, she actually forms the National League for Democracy. She's then arrested, and in 1990, that party wins by 82 percent.

HOLMES: Won big. Yes.

BILCHIK: Yes. And then, she remains imprisoned. And of course, the military junta does not recognize the win.

HOLMES: Now, what is this we have been hearing for some time, the possibility of her finally being released? Is that really going to happen? Do people believe that's really going to happen?

BILCHIK: Well, the Burma Project, based here in the U.S., doesn't really believe that it is going to happen. And remember, that's going to be next week. And today is the election. So they would never release her today or anywhere too close.

But the belief is that they may release her but with many, many conditions. She still has so much power. And it's remarkable when you think of the power she's gleaned and garnered in that time.

And it's such a wealthy country, Burma -- now Myanmar. Something like $1 billion a year in natural gases. They have something like $6 billion in reserve and only 1 percent of that goes to education and health.

That's what she's fighting for.

HOLMES: That's amazing. People are suffering. You talk about resources that they do have; they have what they would probably need to sustain themselves, and to flourish, quite frankly, some would say.

But Aung San Suu Kyi -- I mean, that's fascinating to see whether or not she would possibly get out. We're seeing video.

And there have been so many stories out about her over the years. And I know former first lady Laura Bush has been a big advocate for -- for her release as well.

But again, these elections we're seeing today, people are saying that's just a facade.

(CROSSTALK)

BILCHIK: They say it's a total facade. There was huge pre- election rigging. People have been bribed to vote.

But, you know, again, looking back at Aung San Suu Kyi, she never even made it to her husband's funeral. Her husband was very ill with prostate cancer. She couldn't go, and he couldn't get into the country. He couldn't get a visa to get into Myanmar.

She does not want to leave, because she knows -- they say to her, 'Leave. With pleasure, leave. You'll never be allowed to be back.'

And that's what's so extraordinary, when you look at the sacrifice. When she came to Myanmar to look after her mother, her children were 11 and 6. She's hardly seen them in those years.

So you look at people like her, like Nelson Mandela, who have sacrificed their lives for a bigger cause. And that is the woman that -- who knows, on Saturday, if there will be a release.

We'll...

HOLMES: All right. We will watch -- we will watch closely. Again, the voting going on. We say voting, but the election day happening right now.

Nadia, we appreciate you. We're going to talk to you again later today.

BILCHIK: About another icon.

HOLMES: Another icon.

BILCHIK: Another woman, another powerful woman in politics, Helen Suzman.

HOLMES: All right. We will see you again shortly. Nadia Bilchik, always a pleasure to talk to you.

Well, we talked about this yesterday: We were watching and waiting to see if history could been made -- could be made by Zenyatta. Well, 19 and 1 -- that career ain't bad either.

We'll get you caught up on what happened to this storybook racehorse.

Twenty-two past the hour. Stay here. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: And good morning, everybody. Good morning also, New York. We're taking a live picture of there. We'll be going back there live.

The race getting under way -- of course, the New York City Marathon.

You done a marathon before, Reynolds?

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: A half-marathon.

HOLMES: Half-marathon.

WOLF: Half-marathon.

HOLMES: All right. Well, 26.2 miles they're doing today. Some special people running in that race of the -- OK, it's 44,000. A lot of special people. But a couple of people we're going to highlight this morning.

But we were talking about Zenyatta. A big sports story. We don't get a chance to talk about horseracing that often. People pay attention when we're talking Triple Crown, when we're talking Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs.

But everybody was talking about Zenyatta yesterday. This was the female who was 19 and 0 going into the race.

Now, the look at the end of the Breeders Cup race. That's her on the right.

WOLF: Unbelievable.

HOLMES: Is that not something? Lost the chance to end a career at 20 and 0 literally by a -- they call it a head, but you could almost say just by a nose.

But Zenyatta now going to be at 19 and 1.

WOLF: And she was last out of the gate. She was 20 lengths back at one point.

HOLMES: Unbelievable.

WOLF: Not even in the screen (INAUDIBLE).

HOLMES: At all.

WOLF: Unbelievable.

HOLMES: At all. There -- there she was right before. And the people we're talking about, this -- and the commentator actually said that she came in like Muhammad Ali would come in for a fight. I mean, comparing it to that type of athlete, the way she made her entrance. But we don't have the beginning of the race to show you. This is part of it, and you see how far back here. But literally, like Reynolds said here, that race started -- kind of got squeezed in between two horses, and just got pushed back so far out of the race. Made a run at the end.

That close.

WOLF: Unbelievable.

HOLMES: That close. But it was heartbreaking to see it go down like that.

Also yesterday -- you know, Reynolds and I, no secret, we're big college-football fans here. But this whole BCS mess, we won't get into all of that. But we had two undefeated top 10 teams going at it yesterday. You thought this one was going to be competitive and close. It was not.

WOLF: Hard to believe. Amazing how this thing turned out.

HOLMES: OK, this is cool though. Look at -- look at the screen here. Some of the players, to honor the military, they wore "Honor," "Courage," on -- on the back of their jersey instead of their name.

But to the game, TCU beat up on Utah, 47 to 7. So now the Horned Frogs are sitting kind of pretty right now, Reynolds. They could sneak up, if somebody in the top 2 were to slip.

WOLF: That's right. I mean, they have to have Oregon -- they have to have Auburn slip up. I don't think it's likely at all for Oregon. Very possible for Auburn to slip up.

They've got Georgia, a rivalry game next week. In two weeks, they play Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Alabama's always a tough team. Probably should have won yesterday.

HOLMES: You don't sound too confident about your home team.

WOLF: I'm never confident.

HOLMES: Come on.

WOLF: Oh come on. Not -- not -- my heart has been broken too many times by Auburn University. I'm hoping that they're going to do well. But you never know.

HOLMES: OK. Well, Alabama, as he said, he's mentioning there -- Alabama went down again yesterday. LSU-Auburn game -- excuse me, LSU- Alabama game. Very close game.

WOLF: Look -- look at this. Look at this. Do you see what happened right there?

HOLMES: What was he doing there? WOLF: Les Miles on a fourth-and-goal call, actually reached down in the ground and actually picked up some grass off the turf at Tiger Stadium -- ate the grass. I'm not kidding you. And then when questioned after the game, he said that the grass taste very good at Death Valley. Les Miles, don't ever leave LSU. You're one of the most fascinating coaches of all time.

Look at that.

HOLMES: OK. I saw that during the game. I thought he dropped his gum or something and picked it back up.

WOLF: No. That makes it better?

HOLMES: Well, not really, but...

WOLF: Do you see what I mean?

HOLMES: But he's eating -- he's grazing out there during the game. That's not good either.

Can we -- were you sure that was grass?

WOLF: It's grass. They asked him that -- that specifically after the game, during the press conference. And he said that -- you know, and one of the players even that Les Miles does it all the time.

HOLMES: You know what? Whatever works. LSU's rocking and rolling right now. Good game yesterday.

For our military viewers out there -- again, watching us on the Armed Forces Network -- let you know how the service academies went yesterday. It wasn't -- wasn't the prettiest out there. Bad Saturday for the Army at West Point. Good one for the Air Force though. Air Force beat the Black Knights, 42-22.

Navy's Midshipmen rolled yesterday -- actually, steam-rolled, beat East Carolina 76 to 35.

Just an update on some of the big things -- big headlines in sports from last night.

Also, we'll go back to the president's big trip to India. He has another day of scheduled events. We'll be live in New Delhi, which is the second stop on the president's trip.

Not everybody happy about the president's trip, however. We'll tell you why protesters are already lining up in Indonesia, where the president is going to be headed next.

It's 28 minutes past the hour. Stay with us.

WOLF: So if you're eating grass, do you eat bluegrass...

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Bottom of the hour here on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING. Welcome back. I'm T.J. Holmes.

I say bottom of the hour, that hour being 6:00 on the East Coast, 3:00 on the West Coast. Remember, you're supposed to set those clocks back. So correct time, it's 6:30 Eastern time right now.

I want to tell you about the president's historic 10-day trip to Asia. He is in New Delhi now, got there just a short time ago, about an hour ago. He's going to be meeting with the Indian prime minister, also address parliament there.

The focus of this trip -- jobs. The economy here in the U.S. He's trying to tap in to India's growing economy to try to boost our own right here. But you can't -- can't talk about India without addressing the situation as well in Pakistan.

Let's turn now to CNN's Sara Sidner. She's live for us in New Delhi.

Sara, we don't even know where to start, really. There's so much on the president's plate. Where will the president kind of start with his message today?

SARA SIDNER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, first, he's going to start by meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, which he did, because the prime minister ended up breaking protocol a bit and going to the airport to receive Mr. Obama.

It gives you an idea of the relationship that these two leaders have, a lot of respect and admiration between the two leaders. So you saw some of that there as Mr. Obama and Michelle came off the plane and met with Mr. Manmohan Singh and his wife and some other dignitaries there.

Then the president ending up going to the embassy and then heading off to Humayun's Tomb. It's a 16th century tomb built for the then Emperor Humayun who ruled parts of India.

Now, we should mention that in that very neighborhood that Mr. Obama is going to, it is a Muslim neighborhood, mostly, and we were able to talk with some of the people that were there. And you can really get an idea of what India is expecting from Mr. Obama by talking to those who live and work in this country, some of them saying things such as, look, you know, there are a lot of issues that the United States has to share with India, including, of course, jobs. They're really, though, asking Obama what he's doing about Pakistan.

And so, that has been a big news item here, what is the president doing about Pakistan? Because, as you know, you cannot come to India, especially as a leader of the United States, and not talk about the issues with Pakistan. Obviously, India and Pakistan have long been rivals here in this region -- T.J.

HOLMES: All right. Our Sara Sidner. We appreciate you. We're going to be following on, as we know you are, following the president's every move there. We'll continue to check in with you this morning. Meanwhile, Muslims have staged rallies and protests in Indonesia, and the president's not made it there just yet. Of course, he's going to be heading there next. But they are protesting the president's planned visit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES (voice-over): Now, this protest here, organized by major a Muslim group, President Obama scheduled to arrive in Jakarta on Tuesday, part of the, of course, 10-day trip. A spokesman for the Muslim group says protesters see no difference between President Obama and former President Bush, adding that Muslims there believe both presidents oppress Muslims.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Well, we'll turn back here to the U.S. now. The midterm elections, they are over, of course. You don't think there's no political news to talk about, though, did you? Not at all.

Our deputy political director, Paul Steinhauser didn't have to dig too hard to come up with something.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Hey, good morning, T.J.

I know, the election is over, so what am I doing, talking about a busy political week ahead? But, really, there is one. And let's talk former presidents or people who may want to be president.

Former President George W. Bush, his book, "Decision Points", comes out on Tuesday. We've already seen some excerpts. There's a lot of interest in this book. And he's already talking about it as well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm through with politics. It's hard for people to believe. I'd already said that. I am through. I (INAUDIBLE) it.

OPRAH WINFREY, HOST, THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW: Is that why you haven't commented on what Obama is doing or how he's doing it?

BUSH: No, because I want to treat my successor the way I'd like to have been treated. I don't think it's good for a former president to be out there, oh, pining on every darn issue.

He's got a plenty tough job, trust me, and there's going to be plenty of critics, and he doesn't need me criticizing him. And I don't think it's good for the presidency.

WINFREY: Yes, but --

BUSH: Other people have a different point of view.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEINHAUSER: That was the former president, of course, with Oprah Winfrey.

He also sits down with our Candy Crowley one week from today. That should be a fascinating interview.

A person who may want to be president is also coming out with a book this week. I'm talking about former House speaker Newt Gingrich. His book, "Valley Forge" comes out on Tuesday, and, you know, this is right around the time where people who may want to run for the next Republican presidential nomination are starting to get in the limelight and make some announcements. Writing a book is one way to get in the limelight.

And, finally, you know what? Congress doesn't come back until a week from tomorrow. But, I'll tell you, behind the scenes, there's going to be a lot of maneuvering in the House, both from the Democratic and Republican side in some of those battles for leadership, so we'll keep an eye on all this stuff and more.

T.J., back to you.

HOLMES: All right. Thanks to our Paul Steinhauser, as always.

Well, I'd like to say, a lot of our U.S. men and women, soldiers around the world, watch us here on the Armed Forces Network during the 6:00 A.M. Eastern hour, and a lot of them can't wait to get home. We can't wait for them to get back home.

They're going to have family, friends waiting for them at the airport, a lot of hugs, kisses, and tears. But there may be one hug waiting on them from a total stranger, and they'll get it before they ever even leave the airport.

We're going to introduce you to a patriot in a red apron, and she is known as the Hug Lady.

It's 36 minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: OK, somebody tell me, what is this song? We usually have the name of it up.

We've been using a little country this -- this weekend. I'm getting a country education. I'm told now it's Keith Urban. I know that guy. "Days Go By." Of course it is. Got a little Keith Urban for you all.

Good morning to you all here in Atlanta, a beautiful shot of midtown this time here in Atlanta.

Well, a heads up to some of you who are going to be stepping off of a plane when you get to Atlanta's airport. If you're wearing a military service uniform, you need to be ready. You're going to get a hug.

This lady is known to airport regulars as the Hug Lady. She patrols the hall, wearing a USO apron, dispensing hugs and a warm welcome. And our photojournalist William Walker introduces us now to Bette Rose Bowers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BETTE ROSE BOWERS, THE HUG LADY: Welcome home, soldier.

My name is Bette Rose Bowers, and I'm at the Atlanta Airport.

Welcome home. God bless you. Where y'all heading?

Well, we welcome the troops as they are coming in for their two weeks of R&R.

Where are you coming from?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Afghanistan.

BOWERS: They're coming in from Afghanistan, Kuwait, Iraq.

Welcome home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

BOWERS: Where's home?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Huntsville, Alabama.

BOWERS: I've been told that I've been affectionately called the Hug Lady.

God bless you. Thank you.

I'm a sucker for a man in uniform, and I hug them. Because I want them all to know that they're appreciated.

Seeing a service person see his child, his baby, for the first time, probably just a matter of weeks old, a little baby, and he got to see her for the first time. If that doesn't bring tears to your eyes, then you're pretty heartless.

That's worth all of the pictures in the world, isn't it?

Having that father see his baby. That was great.

It's unbelievable, the feeling that it gives you. And -- or seeing a little girl --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I love you.

BOWERS: See their mother or daddy and just run -- I mean, just run into their arms. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm waiting on my son. He's coming home from Kabul.

Welcome home, Slade (ph). Love you. Love you, love you.

BOWERS: Parents seeing their sons or daughters that they haven't seen for several months.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. Here we go.

BOWERS: I can't tell you how many times I have shed tears.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you. Thank you.

BOWERS: But good tears, happy tears.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm happy he's here in one piece and safe and sound.

BOWERS: I have a grandson who's in -- in the army. I can't help but want to put my arms around these young people, and -- and I want them to know that they're cared about and that we're proud of them and what they're doing.

They're putting their lives out for us, and you're welcoming them home. They deserve a hug.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Deserve a hug, and much, much more, of course.

That story is part of our special presentation about veterans. "Veterans in Focus" is the name of it, honors the approximately 30 million people who've dedicated their life to serving the country.

You can see more of these stories and you can watch a full hour special next Saturday. You can tune in right here to CNN, 3:00 Eastern time. You can also go online to CNN.com/veterans.

Well, it was just about a month ago -- I mean, less than a month ago. You remember the Chilean miners? They were trapped about a half mile under the earth for three plus months? Well, after doing that, running the New York City marathon sounds pretty easy, doesn't it?

A live report from New York coming your way.

It's 42 minutes past the hour. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST, THE DAVID LETTERMAN SHOW: Oh, my.

(END VIDEO CLIP) HOLMES: Would you believe that guy was trapped a half mile below the earth's surface for three months not too long ago? That's Edison Pena, living out his dream now.

He was one of the miners. He was one, of course, as you noticed there, who loved Elvis. Here he is, on the couch, with David Letterman. He's kind of doing a tour in the U.S., if you will. He was singing one of his favorite tunes there.

But, later this morning, he's going to fulfill another dream. He is going to run the 20 point -- 26.2 miles of the New York City marathon. Again, the man just got out of the mine a few weeks ago. Just a few weeks ago. He spent 69 days down there.

He trained -- training for the marathon now. This was the guy you heard about that was running down there through the tunnels of the mine every single day, approximately six miles, by some estimates. Pena said, I wanted God to see that I really wanted to live.

Now, he's not only -- not the only famous face going to be in the crowd this morning for this race, this famous race. We've got some -- what, 45,000, roughly, people who are going to be participating.

Our national correspondent Susan Candiotti joining me now live from New York. Susan, good morning to you.

Always a big day for the marathon. How's the weather feeling right now? I don't even know what's good marathon running weather.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they probably like it on the cool side, don't they? But I don't know about the rest of us. As you can see, T.J., I'm bundled up, got the scarf on. It's in the upper 30s. It's enough to make your eyes water out here. Not that bad. I mean, it's fall, after all.

But there's somewhat of an activity out here at the finish line. You see the photographers, the cameramen are already setting up their shots as those runners will be coming down the street here.

But, as you mentioned, there are thousands and thousands of runners, professional and amateur runners, as well as all kinds of celebrities, so stargazers will be out. But, as you indicated, the man they'll really have their binoculars out for is probably going to be Edison Pena.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): The celebrity king of this year's New York City marathon is Edison Pena. (INAUDIBLE) a huge fan of the king of rock 'n' roll, Elvis.

The rescued Chilean miner shined on David Letterman, and appears to be getting a kick out of all of the attention.

EDISON PENA, RESCUED MINER (through translator): I have to take advantage of it in case (ph) I can, and I would be an idiot if I didn't do it.

SUZANNE ZUCKERMAN, PEOPLE MAGAZINE: It does actually seem like the Chilean miner is going to upstage any of the other stars who are running the New York City marathon on Sunday. Yes.

CANDIOTTI: Star gazing is half the fun of watching about 45,000 runners over 26 miles. Actors Anthony Edwards and Mrs. Tom, Cruise Katie Holmes; rapper/entrepreneur P. Diddy; rockers Alanis Morissette and David Lee Roth; former governor Mike Huckabee; and TV chef Bobby Flay have all crossed the finish line.

This year, Howard Stern's sidekick and new jogger Robin Quivers is challenging herself.

ROBIN QUIVERS, 15 FOUNDATION.ORG: My runners' high always hits me after I stop.

CANDIOTTI: For stars, running a marathon is hardly for laughs.

ZUCKERMAN: When celebrities are doing this, they're not just sort of running for their own glory, it's often to shine their spotlight on a cause that's close to their heart.

CANDIOTTI: Quivers, who heads her own foundation, is running for two children's charities. Last year, actor Edward Norton raised more than 1.2 million for charity.

JARED FOGLE, SUBWAY SPOKESMAN: Come on. How good is that?

CANDIOTTI (on camera): They're good stuff.

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Subway spokesman Jared Fogle, famous for dropping 245 pounds on an all sub diet, put the marathon on his bucket list.

CANDIOTTI (on camera): When you go over the finish line, what do you think you're going to say?

FOGLE: I'm going to say, it's done. It's over.

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Quivers' boss, Howard Stern, told her don't expect a day off Monday.

QUIVERS: I was like, come on, I'm running 26 miles. He said, don't die, but make you sure you get to work.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CANDIOTTI: And as for Edison Pena, you know, in (ph) one of his many interviews, he said, you know, guys, I've got a sore knee, so I hope you give me a break if I don't make it the whole way through. But we know he's certainly going to try -- T.J.

HOLMES: All right. It's -- you know, it was -- it's been a great time for him, a great -- but I can't believe, after going through what he went through, that he is, after three weeks now from getting out of that mine, is physically even capable. Are we getting anything about his physical condition right now?

CANDIOTTI: Well, I don't know. He did some practice runs. (INAUDIBLE) how far he went. I don't know, but he's been awfully busy, as you know, going on all kinds of tours around the city. So I don't know how much time he really had to get some practice in.

But, look, if he shows up, that's half the battle, right?

HOLMES: That's a good point.

All right. We appreciate you showing up in that cold for us this morning. Our Susan Candiotti.

Let me turn to Reynolds over here.

She said it's cold now. Is it going to stay cold and clear?

REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It's going to warm up a little bit.

HOLMES: A little bit.

WOLF: It's going to warm up a little bit.

HOLMES: I little bit from (INAUDIBLE).

WOLF: It's going to -- maybe a few degrees before the race is over.

HOLMES: All right.

WOLF: But, I mean, it's certainly -- it's going -- it's going to feel like fall out there.

HOLMES: OK.

WOLF: What's amazing about this race, this race first started back in 1970. It's only been around for just -- just 40 years or so, with just a few hundred runners. Now it's the biggest race on the planet.

And these are the current conditions. You have skies mostly clear, 39 degrees in midtown Manhattan. Moving farther to the north, up towards New Rochelle, 37; 37 also in Hackensack; 39 across the river.

Now, we've got all kinds of things happening out towards the west. If you're racing, trying to get to point A to point B, say from Seattle, maybe, to Portland, right along the I-5 corridor, it doesn't look bad. But high into the Cascades, you've got some scattered snow showers. That may pile up, get very heavy in a few spots, perhaps even into the Sierra Nevada before all is said and done,

Not too much in terms of -- of heavy precipitation rain wise in parts of the San Joaquin Valley, with the exception of a few bands now moving near the bay area and just north of that region. But when it gets to the high elevations, again, interacting with that cold air, it could spell Addison (ph) snow.

Take a look at this as we wrap things up, 52, your high in Portland; 62 in Minneapolis; plenty of sunshine in Dallas; 73 in Miami; and New York City, the high for the day, 52 degrees.

That is a quick snapshot on the forecast. T.J., let's take it back to you.

HOLMES: Kind sir, do appreciate you.

Reynolds, as you know, a lot of people know we have a new co- worker here among us. The big guy, Coco. He is coming to TBS starting tomorrow.

We'll have more on his long-awaited return to television. That's next.

It's 10 minutes to the top of the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Oh, Conan. We are happy to have him.

All of you out there who are so loco for Coco, he is coming back. The long-awaited return of Conan O'Brien to late-night television, in its final hours now to countdown. His show is debuting Monday night on our sister network, TBS, and as CNN's Kareen Wynter now reports, the comedian is banking on ratings and redemption after that whole programming fiasco at NBC.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CONAN O'BRIEN, LATE NIGHT SHOW HOST: Hey, is it November 8?

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Conan O'Brien makes his return to late night TV Monday, with his new show on TBS, the sister network of CNN. He warmed up by making a surprise appearance on "Lopez Tonight," which is moving to midnight to make room for Conan.

GEORGE LOPEZ, HOST, LOPEZ TONIGHT: Welcome to TBS, and -- and, really, welcome to basic cable.

O'BRIEN: It's thrilling. Basic cable --

WYNTER: "The Hollywood Reporter's" Matthew Belloni has written about Conan's return to late night.

MATTHEW BELLONI, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: For the cable universe, the expectations are high. He's a big star. He's coming over from network TV.

WYNTER (on camera): Coming over from NBC, to be specific, and his departure from the "Tonight Show" in an awkward game of musical chairs with Jay Leno is the stuff Hollywood nightmares are made of.

WYNTER (voice-over): The TBS show represents the chance to prove once again he's one of comedy's best.

WYNTER (on camera): So, for Conan, what do you think here? Is this is a shot at redemption?

BELLONI: It's absolutely a shot at redemption for Conan O'Brien. I mean, he -- the way that he was sort of cast out of NBC, he took it very personal.

Conan is starting from scratch. If it succeeds, it's a huge personal redemption for him.

WYNTER (voice-over): And O'Brien has given few hints about the look of the new show beyond saying it'll have a more intimate feel than his "Tonight Show" did. He will be joined by long-time sidekick Andy Richter.

ANDY RICHTER, ANNOUNCER FOR CONAN O'BRIEN: Back to you, Conan.

WYNTER: They posted a faux preview online, complete with mini band.

As he gets ready to return, Conan's feeling the love from Hollywood.

MILLA JOVOVICH, ACTRESS: We're always happy to see him, because he's rad.

WYNTER: From Milla Jovovich, to "Dancing with the Star's" Jennifer Grey.

JENNIFER GREY: Conan's smart. Conan's tough. Conan's special.

WYNTER: Conan's return sets off an unprecedented battle in late night between some giant talent.

BELLONI: Now you have three heavy weights overlapping. Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert are also players in this, in addition to Jay Leno and David Letterman.

WYNTER: But, in the crowded late night landscape, Conan's always had an edge.

O'BRIEN: I stand out. I'm 6'9" with orange hair.

WYNTER: Kareen Wynter, CNN, Hollywood.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Late night television history. Tomorrow, we're ready to get this thing started, Conan O'Brien making his debut Monday night, 11:00 Eastern, again, on our sister station, TBS.

We're getting close to the top of the hour. Stick around.

And, coming up, we're going to be talking two of our guests who are regulars here on CNN SATURDAY and SUNDAY MORNING that, for some reason, I just can't seem to get rid of. Stick around.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Good Sunday morning. New York City -- people there are waking up -- a lot of people there waking up and getting ready to put on their tennis shoes, their running shoes, because about 45,000 folks are expected for the 26.2-mile New York City marathon which gets under way in an hour and a half.

We will take you there live. Show you about some of the big names -- the special people as well who are running in this particular race.

Also, you're watching us. And you have not set your clock back an hour. You need to do it right now. Did you remember to do so? You're supposed to set it back. So, that's a public service.

Let me do a time check for you here now. It is 7:00 a.m. on the East Coast. So, that's 7:00 a.m. in New York City as we take a beautiful shot of Central Park.

It is 6:00 a.m. Central for you folks in Memphis, Tennessee, and in Central Time as we take a look there, courtesy of our affiliate, WMC.

It is 5:00 a.m. for you folks in the Mountain Time Zones as we take a look there. Is there that much light in Denver this early in the morning? What's going on out there, people? It's Mountain Time.

But 4:00 a.m. as well for you folks out in the Los Angeles right now. A lot of folks out there still out partying. We couldn't get a live picture because we couldn't find the camera operator, they're still out partying somewhere. But it's 4:00 a.m. for you folks on the West Coast.

Wherever you may be, glad you are right here.

From the CNN Center here in Atlanta, Georgia, this is your CNN SUNDAY MORNING. I am T.J. Holmes.

We need to start first by telling you about a big announcement we got from the president.

He is on now day two of his Asian tour, a 10-day trip, on day two right now. But already, he has announced that he's kind of starting to deliver on what this trip was supposed to be about.

It was supposed to be about getting more jobs for the U.S., supposed to be about spurring more economic cooperation between the two countries, between India and between the U.S. -- well, he has announced that billions of dollars in exports and contracts to India could now lead to thousands of jobs right here in the U.S. He announced $10 billion in new contracts. U.S. contracts from exports to India.

Now, it's an aggressive push here to show that his trip to Asia is starting to deliver back home. Now, the $10 million in contracts, that includes jet airplanes from Boeing, as well as engines and gas turbine technology from G.E.

The president says some 54,000 jobs will be created by those contracts with the Indian government and private companies there.

President is also calling for a doubling of U.S. exports around the globe over the next five years. He says every billion dollars in goods we export supports more than 5,000 jobs at home.

Now, it's mostly -- mostly business on this presidential trip. But he and the first lady also have to take some time out to have a little fun and get the groove on.

Take a look at this. Just a picture we wanted to share with you. The president here is dancing with a group of school children. This was at the religious festival yesterday, a major religious festival that was taking place there at Diwali.

Students there are celebrating -- excited to get the president involved in this, the room erupted in cheer. You see the first lady on the right there, kind of in the crowd as well. But the kids really got a kick out of this.

So, this got us to thinking about, you know, presidents who like to get down. We have seen this in the past -- and always fun to bring this video back of President Bush dancing a bit back in 2007. This was at a malaria awareness event in Washington, D.C.

Who could forget the signature move by the former president? Oh, this -- this is just -- this is just great stuff. He was having a good time, clearly. There you go side-by-side.

Presidents are supposed to govern, not supposed to dance. So, give him a break as you grade them. But still, we just want to share that video with you.

I want to get back to some serious politics here at home. Midterm elections now not even a week old. People are already talking about the divided government that we're going to see. That is what we're going see for the most part come January. The Republicans are going to be controlling the House of Representatives as we know. The Senate is going to be staying in Democratic hands.

GOP leaders laying out some pretty ambitious goals. But will they be able to get things done?

Here to help me figure all of this out: Lenny McAllister and Maria Cardona, two of our dear, dear friend. Maria being a Democratic strategist; Lenny, of course, takes a look at the Republican side of thing, if you will.

Guys, good to see you as always.

I want to start here with a couple of questions and I want strict one word answers from you both to these questions. I will start with you, Maria, and then you, Lenny -- but one-word answer.

How would you describe what we saw happen in the midterms? Describe it in one word, Maria?

MARIA CARDONA, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Predictable, I would say.

HOLMES: Lenny?

LENNY MCALLISTER, REPUBLICAN ANALYST: Defining.

HOLMES: One word as well. The first things they should get done. The first thing they should tackle come January when the new Congress gets in place -- one-word answer. What's the first thing they should tackle?.

Lenny?

MCALLISTER: Jobs.

HOLMES: Maria?

CARDONA: Absolutely, jobs.

HOLMES: All right, see that's the one thing they should tackle. But what do you think the one thing they will tackle, Maria? Will it be jobs? Or will they move on to something else that will be much more contentious?

CARDONA: I think that the president and the Democrats in Congress will certainly work to focus on jobs in the economy. They understand and voters were very clear that that's what they want their elected leaders, both Democrats and Republicans, to focus on. The president has opened the door for that kind of cooperation, for that kind of bipartisanship, and I hope that the Republicans won't continue to shut that door in his face the way that they've done in the last few years.

American voters have spoken. We need to work together.

I hope the Republicans can say more than just their agenda being trying to keep President Obama to one term. That's not a governing agenda. That's not a vision for the American people.

We need to work together to get the economy continuing to grow.

HOLMES: Now, Lenny, what do you think? What will it be -- we all agree that job should be the first thing on the agenda -- will it be? Because you have a lot of Republicans talking about repealing and replacing the health care reform act. Will that be the priority for Republicans?

MCALLISTER: I hope it's not. It sounds so far like it's going to be. But if they choose that as a strategy, it's going to seem like it's back to the politics of personal destruction -- this point being directed at President Obama. If they go in that direction, not much is going to get done. It's actually going to backfire on Republicans because like I said, Tuesday was defining -- basically saying, listen, we told the Republican this is in 2006, we're telling the Democrats this now in 2010. We don't care who you're affiliated with, Tea Party, Republican Party, Democratic Party -- if you're not getting stuff done for us, we'll vote you out with the very next term.

I hope the Republicans got the message.

HOLMES: OK, Lenny, we seem to see this all the time. Everybody is talking about change. Everybody is talking about, you got to get them out, got us back in and things are going be different. And nothing is ever different.

For both of you now -- Lenny, I'll start with you -- what sign have you seen that should give any viewer right now, any American out there, that there's hope that something is about to be different?

MCALLISTER: I think that when you see that the Republican voting public has been able to get their base out in 2010. Democrats did it in 2008. You see some Tea Party candidates in there. You see Tea Party candidates out there. You see a mix of young candidates, now elected officials. You see a mix of some tenured folks.

Perhaps we're finally turning the tide where people will start listening to the electorate again because there's fear, look -- they're holding us accountable. They will vote us out. Arlen Specter had to switch parties. You've had some incumbents like Mike Castle that lost to Christine O'Donnell because he wasn't as responsive as the Tea Party folks would have liked.

There's so much going on where people have to stay involved and connected with the electorate, or else, they face it in 2012. Maybe that's a very positive thing.

HOLMES: Maria, do you see that as a sign of hope? Do you see some sign of hope, seriously, that something is about to be different?

CARDONA: I think so. And I completely agree with Lenny and, hopefully, the Republicans will listen to him because he's absolutely right.

I think the worst thing they can do -- that Republicans can do is try to look at this election and think that it's a mandate. It was not a mandate. The voters wanted change. And because Democrats were in power, they clearly voted against Democrats and for Republicans.

But we saw from exit polls that the Republican Party is actually viewed less favorably than the Democrats. They're just are frustrated with the pace of change that hasn't come fast enough for everybody's pocketbooks.

So, that's what our elected officials both the president and Democrats and Republicans need to focus on, pocketbook issues, pocketbook, issues, pocketbook issues. Jobs, jobs, jobs. HOLMES: And forgive me, guys, I got to got run, I got to get something in here on the Tea Party, certainly had an impact on the campaign season. Will there be an impact as well from the Tea Party now that it's time to govern. Will the Tea Party have an impact as we move forward with making policy in this country? Maria?

CARDONA: Well, I think that they will. And right now, it's a huge challenge for the Republican Party because the Tea Partiers who were coming in to Washington from everything that we've heard have no interest in negotiating, don't seem to know the meaning of the word compromise, don't really have any experience in governing.

So, I hope again that Lenny is right in that the Republican leaders that are there will understand that this is not a mandate that everybody has got to work together. Everybody has got to compromise to work to make sure that this change comes for the American people and Washington is working for them.

HOLMES: And, Lenny, wrap it up for me -- does she have a point there? Do you agree with that? That the Tea Party is not really interested in any kind of compromise? And will they able to have an impact on governing now?

MCALLISTER: The Tea Party started out as a humble movement that talked about grassroots service. If they stay with that message and stay with that mantra, they will be able to listen to their electorate and negotiate and be influential without being a dominant force that takes things too much in one direction. If they stay humble, they would be a positive influence in governance, as well as they have been in the electing of new officials.

HOLMES: Well, we have you all back because we appreciate your humility every time that you guys are on, Maria and Lenny. Guys, always good to see you all. We appreciate you all during the campaign season. But we'll continue to have you back as long as you'll keep coming.

CARDONA: Sure.

HOLMES: See you all. Good to see you.

CARDONA: Thank you, T.J.

MCALLISTER: T.J., thank you.

HOLMES: All right, 10 minutes past the hour here now. We are keeping an eye -- we know the New York City marathon is going to be getting under way in just a couple of hours.

A live picture here -- this is a viewing area for spectators more so at the finish line. The winner is going to be taking home a pretty good sized check. But did you know, the first winner took home a bowling trophy? More fun facts about this race coming your way.

It's 11 minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: How awesome is that? That guy you're seeing right there on "David Letterman" was just a few weeks ago trapped a half mile below the earth's surface in Chile. Yes. And now, he's sitting there performing Elvis Presley song on David Letterman. That's Edison Pena. He's the one you heard so much about who was a big Elvis Presley fan.

And here is coming out, again just few a few weeks ago, October 13th it was, coming out after 69 days being trapped there had with 33 fellow miners. Told his friends and family he amused himself down there by playing Elvis songs. Also, he did a lot of running. This is a guy you heard about that ran about six miles a day through the tunnels, the dark tunnels down there underground.

He said, and I'm quoting here, "I wanted God to see that I really wanted to live."

His story played out for the world on live television. His story, though, continues, and will play out this morning in New York City.

And that is where our national correspondent Susan Candiotti is, of the New York City marathon.

Edison Pena -- his story continues now.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Oh, it sure does. What a remarkable man he is going from that mine, the trapped mine, and then coming out here. What a whirlwind it's been. You know, T.J., how many things -- since he arrived here in the city, people have taken him around to see the Empire State Building. He went by the Statue of Liberty, and was actually quoted as saying, you know, I thought it was a lot bigger and wider. So, he thought it was nice but he wasn't overly impressed.

In any way case, he's seen and done (AUDIO BREAK) a lot of people and he did (AUDIO BREAK) everyone was (AUDIO BREAK) to him in the United States and he loves New York City, getting a big charge out of it. Also tried a hot dog -- said they were a lot better in Chile.

HOLMES: Well, that's nice to hear. Hot dogs -- (INAUDIBLE) hot dogs in New York City actually, and to hear that, those hot dogs in Chile must be great. A lot of people are going to have their eyes on him, of course.

I'm also curious -- we got about 45,000, I believe it is, people that are actually going to be competing in the race. But how are the crowds -- how is the city today? I mean, how do people line the streets? How many spectators do they expect as well to be out -- to get a look at all of these runners?

CANDIOTTI: Oh, tens and tens of thousands of spectators (AUDIO BREAK), more than certainly more than 100,000. And they're going to see quite a show because (AUDIO BREAK) the amateur and the professional runners out there.

You also have a lot of celebrities that they'll be looking for. A number of them have participated in the past. Oh, the likes of like David Lee Roth and P. Diddy Colmes was out here. Tom Cruise's wife, actress Katie Holmes was out as well. (AUDIO BREAK) cross the finish line.

And you always each year have a new crop of people that will be showing up. Sometimes they tell you ahead of times, sometimes they don't. But it's always fun to watch.

We've also lost a degree. It's a little bit cooler than it was the last time I joined you. But it will warm up. It will be in the low 50s, perfect weather for sure, T.J.

HOLMES: All right. We appreciate you bringing it for us, Susan Candiotti. And we're going to check in with you throughout the morning as the race gets underway here and a little over an hour or so.

We're going to turn to Josh Levs here now.

Josh, a lot of people out there run for their own causes, run for their own mission, a personal mission sometimes and accomplishment. Some people out there are running for cash.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, everybody technically if they make it to the top. I won't be able to get some of that cash. And it's a lot of money.

Let me you the path and then we'll talk about the money here. So, this is the Web site that they talk about it, NYCMarathon.org. And when you go in -- let's zoom way in. This is the path right here. It starts with that star down there.

So, you got 43,000 runners this year. Beginning with the Verrazano Narrows Bridge and it's going to be taking runners to several boroughs. You got Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, ending way here where you see the next dot, right there that little star, finishing in that area of Central Park.

And what's great about this Web site as well, if you're in New York, if you want to go, it shows you good places to be a spectator. It shows places to be getting water. It shows where the runners can be stopping for nutrition, aid stations, all sorts of things right there.

All right. Now, let's talk about that money. We've got some good video we can go to as well from the previous years. So, the winner this year in the open division gets $130,000. And if the winner is a previous champion, a person gets $200,000 and must have come through the top 10 also gets some of that first.

Now, T.J., you're asking about spectators -- official organizers are saying 2 million cheering spectators. Of course, that includes you know -- it's taking place in New York, people can look out their window. So, yes, you can add those to the tens of thousands on the street that Susan was talking about.

The whole thing started in 1970. And that time, it was looping around Central Park. It just had 127 runners at the time. Only 55 of them actually crossed the finish line.

And as we mentioned once earlier in the show, the first winner received a bowling trophy.

One more note here: in 2000, they introduced the official wheelchair division.

Now, there's a little story you're going to like. Let me open up here, the cover of "Sports Illustrated." Our partners at "Sports Illustrated" have this shot of a guy. This is from 1979, of Bill Rogers. They said, "New York, New York. It's a hell of a town for marathoners Bill Rogers," four in a row.

Well, this guy back in 1976 when he was running and he parked his car in Manhattan and took the taxi to the start. There he goes. He wins the marathon. Best day of his life. It turns out, his car was towed. So, no one is safe when comes to parking in the wrong spots in New York.

You got all of the details for you at CNN.com today. We'll be following it throughout and we'll let you who wins.

And, T.J., again, it's the previous champion, 200,000 bucks. Not too shabby.

HOLMES: You're not supposed to drive in New York.

LEVS: I would just take a taxi from where I am.

HOLMES: Yes.

LEVS: That was the '70s.

HOLMES: All right.

LEVS: All right.

HOLMES: Josh, we appreciate you as always.

Twenty minutes past the hour. A quick break here, we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: All right. Time now for a new segment with an old face here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING, "Sunday Sports Tracker."

A lot of big things happening on the weekend with Saturday and Sunday morning when it comes to sports and certainly on Sunday, some of the most intriguing things happening in the world of sports today. We're going to get the update from, but, of course, our buddy, our sports business analyst, Rick Horrow. We're going to start the clock. We got 30 seconds here per topic.

Rick, we're going to start with Tiger Woods. A lot was made about him losing his number one ranking, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have the chance to get it back pretty soon.

RICK HORROW, CNN SPORT BUSINESS ANALYST: Well, yes. First of all, thanks a lot for the comment about the old page.

But here's the bottom line, the HSBC Championship in Shanghai talking about a major event in the end of the year. It doesn't count for money standings, but it counts because all the big guys are there, after basically hanging it up for golf season, for eight weeks before they start again in January -- Phil Mickelson there.

Lee Westwood, the first time a European is number one since Nick Faldo in 1994. And the first European at that point, Tiger Woods loses the ranking for the first time since June, 2005. That doesn't get it back this week.

But the more they play in tournaments like this, the more he has a chance to regain number one in rankings, but he may not be the number one in endorsements at the end of the year. We have to check that.

HOLMES: All right. Next topic is here -- the Vikings, as a lot of people know, the Minnesota Vikings and their quarterback Brett Favre having a very tough year right now. They were hoping to get back to the Super Bowl with the quarterback. But that doesn't look to be the case. But there's more at stake for the Vikings than just wins and losses.

HORROW: Yes, sir, my not-so-old friend. The Vikings host the Cardinals. But the bottom line there is that the Republicans took control of the Minnesota legislature. The funds were public money for stadium may not be there. You may look for the Vikings to be in Los Angeles within five years.

On the field, Brett Favre may play 300 straight games as a starting quarterback, unprecedented in this era. But he's got to start seven more games. And with his bad ankle and frustrated performance -- plus, remember, the commissioners investigating him because of those texting episodes. He's got a lot on his mind not just beating the Cardinals today.

Also, yes, we had to add the buzzer this time because you went over last time. See how you do this one. A lot of people may not realize but the NASCAR season is wrapping up. Are people paying attention is one question, certainly. But also, what's left and what's at stake for NASCAR?

HORROW: Yes, sir. From now, if I got to get in under 30 seconds, ask the question little quickly, how is that?

HOLMES: We don't start the clock until you start talking. HORROW: Got it. All right, we're working this one out.

AAA Texas 500, the eighth race in NASCAR's 10-race series at that track, the Texas Motor Speedway, there's a no-limit garage, a bar, a food court, swimming pool to keep season ticket holders back.

On the track, Jimmie Johnson, if he wins a fifth consecutive title, number 21 in the power 100. That's great. But fans who need competition today stay away because this guy is dominating. We'll just have to see.

How's that?

HOLMES: All right. Save us some time there. Again, Rick Horrow, new segment, same old face, unfortunately. Good to see you as always, buddy.

More top stories coming your way at the top of the hour when CNN SUNDAY MORNING continues. "SANJAY GUPTA, M.D.," though, begins right after a quick break.