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American Morning
Volcano Eruption Threatens Obama's Homecoming Visit to Indonesia; Bush Defends Waterboarding; A Cash or Credit Holiday; Power to Afghan Women; The Other Afghan Offensive; The Great Football Fake- Out; ADA Study: Juice Up
Aired November 09, 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 AMERICAN MORNING, on this Tuesday, it's November 9th. I'm Kiran Chetry.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. I'm John Roberts. Thanks so much for being with us. Here's what happened overnight. Let's get you caught up.
A homecoming of sorts for President Obama. He is in Indonesia this morning. A country that he lived in for four years as a boy. It's a visit aimed at boosting security and trade ties with the world's largest Muslim nation. We're live in Jakarta just ahead.
CHETRY: Girl power in Afghanistan. A U.S.-sponsored program is helping Afghan women break with the past to build a better future one paycheck at a time. It's part two of our special series "The Other Afghan Offensive."
ROBERTS: And I see a lot of football, but never seen anything like this. A trick play devised by a Texas middle school team. It's gone viral on the Internet. And just ahead, we're going to talk with the coach who came up with the penalty play as it's called and the quarterback who turned the trick into a 67-yard touchdown.
CHETRY: First, though, President Obama arriving this morning in his boyhood home of Indonesia. The second of four nations on his 10-day trip of Asia. It's also a visit that he's had to cancel twice before. Once to work on health care and then again because of the BP oil spill.
ROBERTS: Our senior White House correspondent Ed Henry is traveling with the president. He's live in Jakarta for us. And so the president had to cancel this trip in the past, and we're hearing this morning that he may have to cut this one short.
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, John. So breaking news this morning. Almost seems like this visit is cursed in some way because of those two previous cancellations. Now Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, telling us just a short time ago that the president may have to just cut the schedule short, leave a little early -- pardon me -- and get to South Korea for the G-20 summit because of this volcanic ash that is spewing out of Mount Merapi. You can see this I-report we have, really a fascinating still photo that shows just how much is coming out. And that can be dangerous, destructive to jet engines. So obviously for the safety of the president aboard Air Force One, everyone else traveling with him in other planes as part of the delegation, they're probably going to cut short either a speech he's giving tomorrow at the University of Indonesia or a visit to a local mosque. They say, White House aides do, that he's hoping really to give this speech because he's planning to give a major address here, but they may have to cut some other stuff short, John and Kiran.
CHETRY: We talked a lot about the economic ties when he was in India and the importance of establishing or bolstering that relationship. What is he hoping to accomplish on this trip to Indonesia?
HENRY: Well, what's interesting is that they are talking, White House aides are, about the fact that this is a country that is the largest Muslim majority country in the world that's a democracy. And it is basically one that is engaged with the West. It's basically working with the U.S. on trade, as you noted climate change, counterterrorism. And so what interests the president in particular is the fact that it's sort of a country that keeps its Muslim identity but at the same time is reaching out and forging ties with the West. And, by the way, as I mentioned a democracy, if you look at all the stops on this trip. India, now Indonesia, South Korea, and then Japan, all democracies here in Asia circling around China, a not so subtle message to that communist country that the U.S. has these close ties with all these democracies in the region, John and Kiran.
CHETRY: Ed Henry for us this morning, traveling with the president. A trip that may, as you said, be cut short because of Mother Nature. Thanks so much.
Well, Barry Soetoro, that is the name the president went by when he lived in Jakarta as a boy. Was he a teacher's pet? Was he a class caught up? Suzanne Malveaux talks to some people who knew the president growing up, and we're going to check in with her in the next hour of AMERICAN MORNING.
ROBERTS: His job usually involves battling reporters but yesterday, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs actually went to bat for them. It happened while the president was meeting with India's prime minister yesterday. Indian officials tried to allow only five American journalists into the meeting instead of the previously agreed upon eight. That's when Gibbs put his foot down.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: That whole group is going in because they're going in with me. That whole group is going in with me. Those guys, if there's a pool spray (ph) all of them go in. All of my guys go in. OK?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No problem.
GIBBS: That's the new agreement. (END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: And eventually all eight journalists were allowed in.
CHETRY: At one point, he put his foot in the door. They were trying to shut it.
Well, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg says he didn't say it. That he did not call President Obama the most arrogant man he'd ever met. According to Rupert Murdoch, Bloomberg made the comment after playing a round of golf with the president on Martha's Vineyard over the summer. Bloomberg says he doesn't remember the conversation that way and he doesn't think President Obama is arrogant.
ROBERTS: Well, folks in the northeast might be wondering what the heck happened to fall. The weather seemed to go right from summer to winter. The northeast picking up this morning after a nasty, windy storm. Gusts hit 65 miles an hour in Maine. More than enough to knock down trees, rip down power lines, and leave thousands of people cold and with no electricity this morning.
CHETRY: And the New York City area even got a little early sleet and snow. Long Island saw its earliest dusting in a couple of decades.
ROBERTS: Rob Marciano is tracking it all for us today. He's in the weather center in Atlanta.
Good morning, Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: How about that, guys? A little bit of snow in the Big Apple yesterday just to put a little scare in you. Remind you that winter is almost here.
No more snow expected in New York or across parts of eastern mass. As a matter of fact, it should be sunny in D.C., but it will be breezy. And we do have some storms that are rolling into the Pacific Northwest and also in through the inner mountain west.
Still dealing with this low that gave you the wet snow mixing in with the rainfall yesterday. And it's slow to move out. So still some eastern New England rain today. And everyone will see breezy conditions, especially across parts of the eastern mass where winds are still sustained at about 20 miles or so and gusting higher than that along the cape. A little bit lesser amounts across parts of New York. But it probably will be enough to slow down air travel.
Twelve to 20 inches of snow across the Wasatch of Utah. Six to eight to 12 inches of snow expected across parts of the Colorado Rockies where a number of ski resorts are beginning to open. So we'll break that news to you as we get it. Even some of the ski resorts down south opening already. So let's turn -- there you go.
In North Carolina, that's right. In North Carolina, they're strapping in to shred. Banner Elk, that's one of their earliest openings on record, up there on Sugar Mountain. Of course, a lot of that's manmade, but it's been cold enough the past week and a half to make a lot of that snow. So it's been chilly and 'tis the season, so get out there and enjoy. It's close, guys. Come on down to North Carolina.
CHETRY: You did put a scare in us yesterday. We walked outside. Wait a minute? Is this rain? Is this snow? Is this sleet? What's going on? It's only November.
MARCIANO: Seems like just yesterday it was 95 degrees and everybody was sweating.
CHETRY: Right.
ROBERTS: Yes, I kind of like it back then.
CHETRY: Yes. And in L.A., it was just yesterday, actually.
MARCIANO: Exactly.
ROBERTS: But 20 inches of powder in the Wasatch, that's great, Rob.
MARCIANO: It is. They're not all open just yet out there, but some of them are starting to slowly. I think Solitude may have opened. Get back to me in half an hour and I'll let you know.
ROBERTS: What about the bird (ph)? Is it open yet?
MARCIANO: I don't think it's open yet, but they're working on it.
ROBERTS: All right. Thanks, Rob.
CHETRY: Thanks.
MARCIANO: All right.
CHETRY: Still ahead, former President George W. Bush sitting down for a candid interview as his book is released. We'll tell you why he supported waterboarding then and whether or not he says he would do it the same today.
ROBERTS: Plus, Conan O'Brien returns to late night, talked down off the ledge by an angelic Larry King. What's that all about? We'll show you.
CHETRY: Also a bit later is the football play that has everyone talking. We're going to speak with the middle school assistant coach who thought this one up, and the quarterback who was able to pull it off.
Seven minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Ten minutes now after the hour. George Bush's new book is coming out today. It's called "Decision Points." And in it the former president opens up about the war in Iraq and his battle with alcohol. Last night, he sat down with NBC's Matt Lauer and defended his administration's controversial use of waterboarding.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, 43RD PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: On September 11th, and I vowed that I would do my duty to protect the American people.
MATT LAUER, HOST, NBC: Why is waterboarding legal in your opinion?
BUSH: Because the lawyer said it was legal. Said it did not fall within the anti-torture act. I'm not a lawyer. But you've got to trust the judgment of people around you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Yes. He went on to say that he felt it prevented future attacks and then he also said we only used it on three people. So he wouldn't change anything today.
ROBERTS: Yes. Well, that was the line of his administration in hindsight. Wouldn't expect him to go back and say, yes, if we had the opportunity, we would have done things differently. Not that kind of guy.
CHETRY: No.
Well, our chief political correspondent Candy Crowley is also going to be sitting down with the former president. You can watch her special "STATE OF THE UNION." It's Sunday night, 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
Also new this morning, Rolls Royce says they may have identified what caused an engine to explode during a Qantas flight from Singapore to Sydney last week. Exactly what that is, they're not saying. But investigations continue. Oil leaks were also discovered in the engines of three Qantas A380 jumbo jets and the fleet remains grounded this morning.
ROBERTS: New airline security measures are in effect today. Passengers can no longer travel with toner or ink cartridges weighing more than a pound. And high-risk cargo is banned from passenger planes and will undergo additional screening. The new restrictions come after two explosive devices mailed from Yemen were found onboard cargo planes.
CHETRY: There's another twist in the case of a young Asian man who allegedly boarded a flight from Hong Kong to Vancouver disguised as the man on the right, an elderly Caucasian. A passenger on that flight tells CNN that she warned three flight attendants that the man was wearing a mask shortly before takeoff but was ignored. An Air Canada spokesperson claims the crew did not drop the ball and that they alerted authorities to meet the aircraft upon landing.
ROBERTS: Well, this was just a terrible case to see play out in court. A jury saying a man must die for a brutal Connecticut home invasion. The case drew national attention for just how shocking it was.
Steven Hayes was convicted of murdering a mother and her two daughters and setting the house on fire before attempting to flee. He's also forced Jennifer Hawke-Petit to go to a bank to withdraw money before she was killed.
Well, this weekend, CNN looks back at the ambitious crime, those charged and how it might have been prevented. Don't miss "Pure Evil: Nightmare in Connecticut," Saturday 10:00 p.m. and Sunday 10:30 p.m. Eastern.
CHETRY: Really upsetting story.
Well, 12 1/2 minutes past the hour right now. Coming up next, Michael Jackson's mother. She sat down and talked with Oprah about her late son. But it was what his kid said during the interview that had everyone talking.
ROBERTS: Plus, how one woman was able to solve this puzzle on "Wheel of Fortune" with just one letter showing. How did she do it?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Sixteen minutes past the hour right now. Time for our "Morning Talkers", some of the most interesting stories that had us chatting in the newsroom this morning.
We all remember her emotional speech during Michael Jackson's memorial. Well yesterday, Paris Jackson, his daughter opened up to Oprah Winfrey about her dad. It was a rare appearance by all three of Michael Jackson's kids. Prince Michael, Paris, and Blanket talking about what a good dad Michael was.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PARIS JACKSON, MICHAEL JACKSON'S DAUGHTER: I kind of felt like no one understand what a good father he was. Like, he was like, I would say he was the best cook ever.
OPRAH WINFREY, HOST, "OPRAH WINFREY SHOW": A cook? Really?
JACKSON: Yes. Everyone's all, a cook? Like they're surprised to hear it.
WINFREY: Yes, I am.
JACKSON: He was just a normal dad, except he was actually the best dad ever.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: Catherine Jackson, his mom, also said that she gets teary still thinking about his son's death and admitted that he was addicted to plastic surgery and painkillers, but she said she only spoke to her son about drugs once.
ROBERTS: Wow. Hey, owners of Android phones beware because an app called the SMS Replicator allows someone to secretly forward your incoming texts to their phone. Yes. It's so sneaky that Google has banned it from their Android app marketplace. No word on how many people downloaded the app before the ban. So watch what you text if you downloaded that.
CHETRY: Right. The point of it is to catch somebody you suspect cheating on you. So if you think your spouse or maybe your girlfriend or boyfriend is cheating, you get all of their texts both incoming and the ones they send out. That's why it's so popular. It doesn't work on the iPhone, though.
ROBERTS: What was that line from "Mr. Deeds"? I fear you've underestimated the sneakiness.
CHETRY: Well, an unusual experiment especially for a nutrition professor, Mark Haub, spent two months on, I guess, you could call it the convenience store diet or the Twinkie diet. He basically eats Twinkies, brownies, Doritos, limited himself, though, to less than 1,800 calories a day and he lost 27 pounds and his body fat went down eight percent. He says it proves his theory that weight loss is all about calorie counting.
ROBERTS: You can eat Twinkies and lose weight.
CHETRY: As long as you stay within 1,800 calories. I'm sure it's not the most recommended diet for all of us (ph).
ROBERTS: I wouldn't think so. I wouldn't think there was a lot of nutrition in that. But he did take vitamins, right? And some other things to make sure that he got his daily requirement. All right. I don't know about that, though.
Pat Sajak himself called it the most amazing solve in the history of "Wheel of Fortune." One letter is all Caitlin Burke needed to solve the puzzle. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAITLIN BURKE, SOLVED "WHEEL OF FORTUNE" PUZZLE WITH ONE LETTER: "L."
PAT SAJAK, HOST, "WHEEL OF FORTUNE": One "L."
BURKE: I would like to solve.
SAJAK: What's that?
BURKE: Can I solve?
SAJAK: OK.
BURKE: It is a prize puzzle.
SAJAK: Yes.
BURKE: "I've got a good feeling about this."
SAJAK: That's right!
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: Wow.
ROBERTS: All right. Well, you heard the crowd chuckle at her when she said can I solve this? Like, why, are you crazy? Now, she's laughing all the way to the Caribbean. She talks about how she decided to roll the dice last night on "360."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, "AC360": Did you think that all about holding out to maybe win more money?
BURKE: Well, well, no, because the last - I - I kind of decided after the last round before that I knew the puzzle and I had spun and I went bankrupt. And I knew - and I was really mad. And so the next one I was like, you know what, I want to go home with something.
COOPER: Right.
BURKE: So I'm taking this trip. It was a prize puzzle and I just decided to go for it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: Wow.
ROBERTS: I think Caitlin's missing her calling there.
CHETRY: Yes, I guess so. There were some people who said, wait a minute, it had to be rigged. It had to be. It had to be rigged. How could she find it? But -
ROBERTS: Maybe she's just - maybe she's just really intuitive.
CHETRY: Yes. Well, she got it.
Well, anyway, Conan O'Brien is finally back. We've been talking about this a lot. Well, he returned to late night TV on our sister network, TBS. And the show opened with a familiar face - at least for us, offering some words of wisdom, to a distraught O'Brien who was apparently on the verge of ending it all after getting booted from the "Tonight Show."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Don't do it, Conan!
CONAN O'BRIEN, TBS LATE NIGHT SHOW HOST: Larry King?
KING: I'm your guardian angel.
O'BRIEN: But you're not dead.
KING: Never mind that. I have two words for you -- basic cable.
O'BRIEN: Basic cable.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Conan, I think you'll find our terms very attractive.
O'BRIEN: I think we have a deal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Well, Conan's first guest was Arlene Wagner. She runs the Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum in Washington State, and she was chosen in an online poll that Conan said was rigged. But, hey, she brought the nutcracker out with her. Congratulations to everyone. All's well that ends well.
"Conan" now airs weeknights, 11:00 on basic cable.
ROBERTS: There was another great segment too where he got up and he played and sang with - with Jack White. I thought - thinking to myself, wow, Conan can play. And he can sing, too. Not bad.
All right. We're looking forward to a good future for Conan here on TBS.
Cash or credit? What should you be using this holiday season? If you're not one of the millions of Americans still paying off Christmas months later.
Our Christine Romans with some expert advice, just ahead for you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: One a day, whether you need it or not, up until December 25th.
ROBERTS: Yes. We - we had the comedian Lewis Black on. He's written a new book called "I'm Dreaming of a Black Christmas," in which he likens the run-up and the momentum created by all this Christmas stuff to the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona. But it's just -
CHETRY: Come on!
ROBERTS: -- nuts.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: And in the end you get gored, right?
CHETRY: No!
ROBERTS: It's - it's crazy enough that the Christmas season begins at Thanksgiving, and Thanksgiving comes a week earlier this year. So, it's like, please, can we just back off a little bit? Christine Romans -
CHETRY: Well, you know, you've got to plan ahead, though -
ROMANS: I disagree (ph). CHETRY: -- especially if you're shopping, right?
ROMANS: I think you -
CHETRY: That's what - that's what leads to stress.
ROMANS: Absolutely. If you were planning ahead and you know what you're doing and you're setting a budget -
ROBERTS: Hey, start in April, why not?
ROMANS: Well, look, there are 13 million Americans, according to one survey, who still have debt right now from last Christmas.
Think about it. If you put $650 in Christmas spending on your - on your card last year, you're spending all year paying it off, you're spending more, like $750, for Christmas last year. I mean, that's a real problem.
So, paper or plastic? Are you going to pay for your gifts and your preparations this year with a credit card, a debit card, or cash? So I'm going to take you to the Wall and tell you what you should do, according to the experts.
If you use cash and you've got a problem, you are not going to really overspend. The money in your pocket is what you're going to pay for Christmas decorations, food, and gifts. So, if you're talking about $650 to $700, which is about the average, cash might be the way to go if you're having trouble sticking to your budget and you literally cannot be digging yourself deeper in debt.
Debit card - 70 percent of Americans surveyed by the National Conference of - or Council of - Credit Counseling say they're going to use cash or a debit card.
A debit card gives you some more protections too. You can - you can track your spending. It's hard to go over. If you do not sign up for overdraft protection, your card will just be simply rejected at the mall, so you can't overspend that way. Again, 70 percent of people surveyed plan to use cash or a debit card this year to pay for the holidays.
And a credit card. Look, a lot of people want to say just banish the plastic. Forget it. This is what got us in so much trouble. And, in fact, new numbers from the Fed show people are paying off all kinds of debt, including credit card debt, at pretty record numbers.
But if you pay the bill in full, if you - it can help you build a positive credit history, and it can actually help you raise your credit score, if you pay it off. If you can afford it and you pay it off. If you don't, if you have existing balances, this is simply not for you for the holidays. Why? Because it's a really easy way to continue to get into a lot of trouble.
Gail Cunningham over at the National - the NFCC. She says, look, a credit card is not for you if you've got a lot of balances already. Be - it's early, but if you plan now, you're going to - you're going to help yourself by the beginning of the year, not be having that hangover in January and February.
CHETRY: You - you also mentioned this last year, the return of layaway -
ROMANS: It's back.
CHETRY: -- and I've seen a few commercials now where I think - for Target or Wal-Mart, one of the store - one of the big superstores, and - and the woman's telling her husband, honey, but this is all paid off. I started putting this on layaway, and now it's done.
ROMANS: Yes. And some - and some experts say they don't like layaway because you're giving your money to someone else to use. You know, maybe you should just not buy it right now. You should just wait because you can't take it home with you when you put it in layaway right away. It's - it's a good - but others say, you know, if you can't afford it any other way, that might be the only way to do it.
But you'll see it on Sears. You'll see it -
I mean, if you look, you can see layaway doing a comeback. It's a real - I don't know, it's a sign of the times. This is the second year we've seen a lot of - a lot of layaway.
But, look, the bottom line is, I mean, it's like - if you can't afford it, don't buy it.
ROBERTS: Don't buy it. Exactly.
ROMANS: Just don't buy it. I mean, this - you've got to -
ROBERTS: Yes. Don't - don't buy it now, thinking maybe I'll be able to afford it at some point in the future.
ROMANS: If you use a credit card and you can't afford it this minute, if you can't pay for it in three months, you should not be buying it at all.
CHETRY: There you go.
ROBERTS: Good advice.
CHETRY: Good advice. Thanks, Christine.
ROMANS: All right.
ROBERTS: From the woman who knows that "Smart is the New Rich."
Christine Romans, thanks.
ROMANS: (INAUDIBLE). Thanks.
ROBERTS: Coming up at the half hour. Time for this morning's top stories.
President Obama in Indonesia this morning, a country where he spent a part of his childhood. During his two-day long visit, the president will continue to push for opening markets to U.S. goods. He'll also give a major speech on relations with the Muslim world.
CHETRY: A GOP lawmaker says Sarah Palin cost his party the Senate. Alabama Congressman Spencer Bachus told a local chamber of commerce group last week that the Senate would be Republican if not for Tea Party candidates like Christine O'Donnell in Delaware, candidates who Sarah Palin endorsed.
A spokesman for Congressman Bachus backtracked a little on that, saying that he did credit Palin with the turnout that led to the huge wins in the House.
ROBERTS: A radical Muslim cleric born in the United States wanted dead or alive and hiding out on Yemen is calling for Americans to be killed in a new video that's posted on Jihadist websites. Anwar al- Awlaki has been connected to the Ft. Hood shooting suspect and the man who tried to bring down a plane on Christmas with a bomb in his underwear.
CHETRY: Well, this weekend, a special series. We've been looking beyond the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan to what we're calling "The Other Afghan Offensive", helping the Afghan people build better lives.
ROBERTS: This morning, in part two of her series, CNN's Jill Dougherty looks at a U.S.-sponsored program that's given some Afghans the power to break with the past.
And Jill's here now. What's this all about?
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, glad to be here.
It's women, and, you know, the stereotype we often have of Afghan women is that they're oppressed, invisible, unable to contribute to society. And it is true , you do see many women on the streets, even the big cities in Afghanistan wearing burqas -- you know, the cloaks that cover them from head to foot.
But on our trip, we met several women who broke that mold even under the most difficult circumstances.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DOUGHERTY (voice-over): A shocking sight for Afghans: women renovating a building. For women, like Salma, working outside the home is almost impossible.
SALMA, PAINTING APPRENTICE (through translator): I need to work. My husband cannot work. I was taking in laundry for students, washing it at home, and then I heard about this program.
DOUGHERTY: It's called Cash for Work, an American-sponsored program to help these women, most of them widows, survive.
RODNEY STUBINA, USAID: Their family members are desperate. But if we can give them a job, get food on their tables, their kids wouldn't join insurgencies.
DOUGHERTY: At this hospital in Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan, women learn the basics of construction work.
(on camera): The women start out as unskilled workers may earn $5 a day, and then they can become skilled workers and they actually earn $9 a day. That is as much as men earn for the same job, which is very rare here in Afghanistan.
(voice-over): Eighteen -year-old Shakila uses the pay to support her family.
(on camera): Was it difficult for you to think about doing a man's job?
SHAKILA, PAINTING APPRENTICE (through translator): It's not a problem for me. If a man can do it, why can't a woman?
DOUGHERTY: This is men's work in Afghanistan for the most part. And so, when they started this program, there actually was a bit of nervousness about women doing a man's job.
STUBINA: This is a woman's hostel. The women -- it's OK for them to do that kind of work here. We couldn't have them this in the construction outside.
DOUGHERTY (voice-over): Across Afghanistan, women are in the background, hidden behind burqas they wear on the street. But empowerment projects are being replicated across the country by the U.S.
Getting women into the workforce is a major initiative as it seeks to build up Afghanistan. Like this program for female journalists in Herat.
Lida Ahmady says that's her dream, but first, she has to convince her husband.
LIDA AHMADY, JOURNALISM STUDENT: Things in my life, for example, I will be a good mother for my child. I will be a good wife for you, and also maybe a good journalist. Now he says, OK, I will see.
DOUGHERTY: Back in Jalalabad, Salma sees a glimmer of hope for her future. She's already found some new painting jobs, which she does when men aren't present.
SALMA (through translator): I'm proud about me, and I'm doing something for my family. I'm very happy I can work like man and go outside of my home, that I can work and get money for my family.
DOUGHERTY: And she's training her 14-year-old daughter to work with her. (END VIDEOTAPE)
DOUGHERTY: Yes, really great.
You know, one big concern many women have, though, is what will happen if the Taliban are brought back into the government through the process of reconciliation? The government says they'd have to first accept the constitution and the women's rights it contains. But some women fear that peace could come at the price of women's freedom, even the limited freedom they now have -- John and Kiran.
ROBERTS: As we know, the Taliban doesn't tolerate that sort of thing.
DOUGHERTY: Absolutely.
ROBERTS: The last woman you talked about who's training her 14- year-old daughter, is she thinking of starting a business? Any business?
DOUGHERTY: Yes. You know, a little mini business. In fact, when we talked to her, she was amazing because she said, hey, you know, you want to invest in our business? You know, she's already kind of like a little capitalist in the making. But really, the guts and determination that they have is very impressive, because these widows have nothing in that society.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Yes.
DOUGHERTY: No opportunity whatsoever.
ROBERTS: Well, what a great story. Jill, thanks for bringing it to us.
CHETRY: Thanks, Jill.
ROBERTS: Tomorrow, by the way, in part three of her series, Jill takes us inside the heavily fortified embassy complex in Kabul, "A day in the Life of U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, Carl Eikenberry. Don't miss that.
CHETRY: Still ahead: how long before you see this play in the NFL? We were wondering the same thing. And we're going to talk the quarterback and the middle school assistant coach pulled off this trick penalty play and took it all the way for a touchdown and a win.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Thirty-seven minutes after the hour.
I love this one. How does a Texas middle school football team make it on sports center? Practice what might be the best trick play ever and then pull it off in a championship game.
CHETRY: Yes, check it out. We showed you the video yesterday, but now, we're going to get a little more background on this. The quarterback for the Driscoll Middle School pretends to be asking for help from the sidelines. It's actually more complicated than that, but we'll get to that. The center hands him the ball and the quarterback runs through the confused defense before taking off for a 67-yard touchdown. It ended up being the difference in the game. The video's gone viral.
And joining us now from Corpus Christi, Texas: the coach who devised the play, John De Los Santos, and quarterback who ran it to perfection, 14-year-old Jason Garza.
First of all, congrats, and thanks for joining us this morning, both of you.
JOHN DELOS SANTOS, ASST. COACH, DRISCOLL MIDDLE SCHOOL: Thank you. Good morning.
JASON GARZA, QUARTERBACK, DRISCOLL MIDDLE SCHOOL: Good morning.
CHETRY: OK. Coach De Los Santos, first of all, you're the brain child of this so-called penalty play. So, set it up for us, how does it work?
DE LOS SANTOS: Initially, we set up the opposing team by drawing them off sides with a hard count. The referees mark off the five yards, then we line up. We go to the huddle and say penalty play. The offense then comes to the line and I yell from the sideline, Jason, Jason, move it up five more yards, it should have been a 10 yard penalty. So Jason asks the center for the ball and then he marks off five yards and in the process the whole team is like, Jason, what are you doing?
And then as soon as he clears the line backers, he sprints towards the end zone and breaks the tackle to score.
CHETRY: And, Jason, you'd practiced this before. What did you think when the Coach De Los Santos called that play?
GARZA: I thought it was nonsense. I didn't think it was going to work at all.
CHETRY: Well, there you see it did. It certainly did. So, you thought you were just going to get a couple of yards and you ended up running it for a touchdown?
GARZA: Yes, ma'am.
ROBERTS: So, your fellow -- I mean, this whole charade is set up and involves the entire team, the linemen are supposed to be part of it as well.
Coach, we couldn't hear them on the videotape, but how did the lines men get involved as well?
DE LOS SANTOS: As Jason's walking, the linemen somewhat say, Jason, what are you doing? As if they're confused, as well. And that causes the defensive linemen to somewhat be, you know, confused and then basically just walked right through them. As a matter of fact, I think Jason had a few words with the middle linebacker for the opposing team. He asked Jason what are you doing and Jason said --
GARZA: Walking five more yards.
DE LOS SANTOS: Walking five more yards.
(LAUGHTER)
CHETRY: So, Jason, what was the other team's reaction? Did they think it was sort of a cheap, you know, shot? Did they think that, you know, you guys sort of cheated a little?
GARZA: I think it was. I thought -- I think they were in shock that it was legal.
CHETRY: Coach, what did they say to you? What did the other coach say to you?
DE LOS SANTOS: They haven't really said much. We haven't had a chance to talk to them much after the game. It was a good game. The opposing team ended up winning due to rules about penetration and such. That was just a great to be played, the defensive battle, and trick play was just an intricate part of it, that's to tie the game up and put us into a position to win.
And, you know, I don't think there were any hard feelings from the other coach. We haven't spoken yet, but I'm sure we will. And I don't know, it was just a unique experience.
ROBERTS: So, Jason, this play is really only designed to get a first down as we see there marking off the five yards and then, boom, going. When you saw that open field in front of you and said, wow, I can convert 10 yards into a 67-yard touchdown, what went through your mind?
GARZA: I don't know. It was just a rush of adrenaline. I think I said that right. And it was fun. I had a blast doing it. I didn't think I was going to get very far, but it turned out to be a touchdown.
ROBERTS: Yes, because you were thinking when you executed this play -- oh, my gosh, I'm going to walk right through the line with no protection, they're going to kill me.
GARZA: That's what I was thinking at first. That's what was running through my mind the whole time.
DE LOS SANTOS: In practicing the play, we even said there's going to be two results of the play. Either Jason's going to get really hard by a linebacker or safety, or he's going to get a first down or touchdown. And for us, thank goodness it was the latter.
CHETRY: Yes, absolutely. Thank goodness it's funny. A lot of people have weighed in because this has gone viral. Most people support you guys and say this is great. Some people say, wait a minute, you know, that was kind of a low blow there. That it maybe isn't legal.
How did it end up being ruled by the referees?
DE LOS SANTOS: Prior to the start of the game, we always have a discussion with the referees to discuss any possible trick plays that we might run. And it was a legal snap, there was nobody else in motion. It was a side snap. In football, you can have a side snap with one motion or you can have a snap in between your legs to the quarterback.
And Jason's position was left to the center and the center (INAUDIBLE) straight to him and it was essentially just a quarterback sneak, but a really slow quarterback sneak until he got off to about five yards and took off running.
CHETRY: It looked really like a quarterback cake walk. He just walked right by the line.
Well, anyway, congratulations to both of you, John De Los Santos, the assistant coach and the offensive coordinator, and Jason Garza, the quarterback, Driscoll Middle School. Thanks for joining us this morning and congrats on that.
DE LOS SANTOS: Thank you. You have a good day.
GARZA: Thank you.
ROBERTS: All right. We'll see you guys later.
Coming up at 43 minutes after the hour: In just a few minutes, we're going to go live to Jakarta, Indonesia, where President Obama is holding a live news conference with Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who is the president of Indonesia. And we're just looking at opening remarks now. We'll take a quick break and we'll be back with that when the president begins to talk.
Still to come this morning: Rob is going to have this morning's travel forecast right after the break.
CHETRY: And also in 10 minutes, they know him as Barry Soetoro. Coming up -- Suzanne Malveaux talks to some of President Obama's childhood friends from the time he lived in Indonesia.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Time now for your "A.M. House Call," stories about your health. There's new research out today from the American Dietetic Association. People who drink 100 percent fruit juice are more likely to meet the recommended levels of certain key nutrients than those who don't. Nutrients like vitamins A and C, magnesium, calcium, and potassium important for bone health and also in regulating blood pressure.
CHETRY: All right. Right now, we're going to check in with President Obama. He is in Indonesia, and he is speaking right now.
Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN COVERAGE)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Friendship and your partnership. After more than one attempt, it is wonderful to finally be back in Indonesia. And I'm very pleased that my wife, Michelle, is joining me for her first visit to the country. I assure you it won't be her last. And I want to thank the people of Jakarta for the wonderful reception when we arrived, even in the rain, people were there to greet us, and we're very appreciative of that.
Of course, we're mindful that this is a difficult time for Indonesia. First, the recent earthquake and tsunami, and now, the volcanic eruptions. And our thoughts and prayers are with those who have lost their loved ones or their homes. And I know that President Yudhoyono has been tireless in his efforts to make sure that people are safe and that this difficulty is dealt with in as effective way as possible. And, so, we are fully supportive of him. The United States will continue to support the relief efforts in any way that we can.
And I hope that my presence here today is a reminder that in good times and in bad times, the United States stands as a friend with Indonesia. Now, obviously, much has been made of the fact that this marks my return to where I lived as a young boy. I will tell you, though, that I barely recognized it as I was driving down the streets, the only building that was there when I first moved to Jakarta was Serena. Now, it's one of the shorter buildings on the road.
But today as president, I'm here to focus not on the past, but on the future, the comprehensive partnership that we're building between the United States and Indonesia. As one of the world's largest democracies, as the largest economy in Southeast Asia, and as a member of the G-20, as a regional leader, as a vast archipelago on the front lines of climate change, and as a society or extraordinary diversity, Indonesia is where many of the challenges and the opportunities of the 21st century come together.
At the same time, the United States is leading again in Asia. We are strengthening our alliances. We're deepening relationships as we're doing with China. We're reengaging with ASEAN and joining the East Asia summit. And we're forging new partnerships with emerging powers like Indonesia. So, our comprehensive partnership is bringing our countries closer together, and I want to focus just on three key areas, and we discussed a wide range of issues during our meeting.
First, as President Yudhoyono mentioned, we are looking to expand our trade and investment and commercial relationships, because it can create prosperity in both our countries. Trade between us is growing fast, and that includes American exports to Indonesia. And that's why Indonesia's one of the growing markets that we're going to be focused on as part of my initiative to double the U.S. exports.
President Yudhoyono and I discussed ways to create the conditions that would encourage additional trade and investment. He mentioned that we're number three right now in terms of trade volume and investment, and I informed him we don't like being number three, we want to be number one. And so, we're going to be doing everything we can to expand this trading relationship. And I'm pleased to announce that the Overseas Private Investment Corporation or OPIC will host its annual conference this spring in Indonesia to highlight new opportunities for partnership here and across the region.
To strengthen cooperation in science and technology that fuels growth, we are going to be pursuing joint research in areas like energy and biodiversity conservation. And we are expanding educational partnerships between our young scientists, engineers, and doctors and building on the entrepreneurship summit that I hosted in Washington, which was attended by some very talented young Indonesians. I'm pleased that Indonesia will be hosting a regional entrepreneurship conference next year.
As we prepare for the G-20 and APEC summits, President Yudhoyono and I discussed the need to ensure that the global economic recovery is strong and balanced, and is creating jobs in all of our countries. So, that's focus number one. Trade, investment, and the economy. Second, we're forging new ties between our people to address common challenges. We're expanding partnerships between our students and our universities.
We aim to double the number of educational exchanges between our two countries within five years. And I thank President Yudhoyono's offer for additional scholarships for young Americans to study in Indonesia. I think that's a wonderful thing that needs to happen. We're proud to support Indonesia's leadership under President Yudhoyono in confronting climate change. I understand there's been a lot of rain this year.
And obviously, we can't look at one year as indicative of the future, but, I think, there's no doubt that as an archipelago, Indonesia will be on the front lines when it comes to the potential impacts of climate change. So, we're glad to work with President Yudhoyono on this issue. And we welcome and will support the new partnership between Indonesia and Norway. The slow (ph) emissions from deep forestation and degradation of heat (ph).
We're bringing on -- we're building on Indonesia's inspiring transition from dictatorship to Democracy by launching a new effort to help Indonesian civil society groups who tackle corruption and promote human rights at home to share their experience with civil society groups across this region because I think people can learn from the experiences of Indonesia. And I would note that many of the partnerships I've mentioned are a direct result of my call in Cairo for a new beginning between the United States and Muslim communities around the world.
And it involves the private sector, as well, thanks to efforts like partners for a new beginning, which is forging partnerships around science, education, and entrepreneurship. The third element of our comprehensive partnership is to deepen our political and security cooperation. As President Yudhoyono mentioned, we're already enjoying strong cooperation in preventing terrorism, preventing piracy. We look forward to Indonesia's leadership as the chair of ASEAN next year, and I look forward to returning to Jakarta next year for the East Asia summit.
One of the challenges, ASEAN and the world will continue to face is Burma. I commend Indonesia for standing up for the people of Burma and their rights. Last week's election in Burma was neither free nor fair, and we will continue our efforts to move Burma toward Democratic reform and protection of human rights. As a first step, the Burmese authority should immediately and unconditionally release all political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi.
So, promoting prosperity, expanding partnerships between our people, and deepening political and security cooperation, these are the pillars of our new partnership with so much to the leadership of my good friend, President Yudhoyono. I believe that our two nations have only begun to forward (ph) the cooperation as possible. And I say that not simply as someone who knows firsthand what Indonesia can offer the world.
I say it as president. A president who knows what Indonesia and the United States can offer the world together. We work together in the spirit of mutual interests and mutual respect. So, (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
(END OF COVERAGE)
ROBERTS: So, President Obama with Indonesian President Yudhoyono saying that he's looking forward to a long and fruitful relationship with Indonesia expanding trade, educational opportunities, other issues like biodiversity, preservation, climate change, and then, of course, they're all getting together to head to Yudhoyono's now, but President Obama and the other leaders of the G-20 nations will be now joining together in South Korea for the next couple of days for the big summit there.
CHETRY: It's also interesting, this is the second time that we've heard the president deliver a speech in India and here in Jakarta, Indonesia, mentioned human and free and fair elections in Myanmar, Burma. It's something that he's talked about on two different occasion, so far, in his trip to Asia.
We're going to take a quick break. We'll be back in just a moment. It's 55 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Three till the top of the hour right now. Let's check in with Rob Marciano. If you were out yesterday, you felt like winter came a little early, at least up and down the East Coast.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, a little bit of snow flying through the air. In many cases, tying records as far as earliest trace of snow that you, guys, are seeing. No more snows expected today, but definitely, some wind and some leftover rain showers from this very slow moving and pretty strong low pressure system that's trying to get out to sea, but Eastern Massachusetts will continue to see some rain. And everybody from New York up to Boston will see the wind.
And that's going to slow down air travel. Both in Boston and New York Metros, we had some delays yesterday. Also, little storms rolling through the Colorado Rockies. And Denver, we're going to see some rain mixing with light snow later on today. Seattle, some low clouds and rain slowing down air travel down there in the 30 to 60- minute range in between, though. It's pretty nice stuff.
New Orleans, 76 degrees. It will be above average temperatures in places like Minneapolis, Chicago, and Detroit, and then a couple of storms continue to roll into the pacific northwest and making the western half of the country fairly active. But the Midwest, looking nice. Back to you guys up in New York.
CHETRY: All right, Rob. Thanks so much.
MARCIANO: You bet.
