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American Morning
Royal Engagement; Legal Rangel-ing; Rangel Walks Out; Beatles Heading to Apple? Are Job Reviews Worth It?; Green Options; Staff Sergeant To Receive Medal of Honor; Sullenberger Interviewed About Controversial Airport Security Techniques; Danger in the Air
Aired November 16, 2010 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Good Tuesday morning. Good to have you with us on this November the 16th. I'm John Roberts.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Kiran Chetry. Glad you're with us.
There's some big news this morning --
ROBERTS: Big news.
CHETRY: Big news out of England, where the Royal Family announces there's going to be another royal wedding. After all the rumors and the speculation, the Royal Family says that Prince William popped the question to his long-time love, Kate Middleton. We're going to get reaction and more details about when these nuptials will take place.
ROBERTS: The California man who told TSA screeners not to touch his junk and then refused to submit to a body scan and pat down is speaking to CNN. John Tyner says he's getting overwhelming support from fellow air travelers.
Later on in this hour, hero captain, Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, joins us to discuss how much is too much when it comes to airport security.
CHETRY: Well, his reputation, his career on the line and he walked out. The jury deliberating the fate of Congressman Charlie Rangel this morning after a mini-circus erupted during his corruption trial yesterday. We are live in Washington with more.
ROBERTS: Up first, she is now officially a princess in waiting. Just a little more than an hour ago, the British royal family announced that Prince Williams engaged to his girlfriend Kate Middleton.
CHETRY: The wedding will take place next year, sometime in the spring or summer.
Richard Quest is live at Buckingham Palace for us this morning with more on this.
What's been the reaction at this announcement this morning?
RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I think it's too soon necessarily for ordinary people to be sort of cheering in the streets. The British Prime Minister David Cameron has already come out and said this is a day of national celebration. And, clearly, the fact that William, who is going to be the king of England when his father passes on, now has a fiancee, a woman who will become Queen Katherine in the fullness of time.
And for countries like the U.K., this is one of those days that you remember. You remember where you were when you heard they were going to get married and most certainly, on that day next year, they'll be many people -- probably myself included -- who will sleep on the streets to see it all take place.
ROBERTS: You know what? In many ways, this will be like the wedding of Charles and Diana in 1981, and in many ways, different because when you look at their family backgrounds, where Diana came from versus where Kate Middleton came from, she comes from a much humbler background if you go past the new money that her parents have recently earned.
QUEST: Careful, John. You're heading towards snobbery there. But I know what you're saying. I know what you mean.
The fact is, yes, she is not top drawer. She is upper middle class is Kate Middleton, where, of course, Diana came from the very highest echelons of aristocracy.
But that has been interesting, the way in which Kate Middleton has been ingratiated within the royal family. She and William have been together for many years now. They lived together, de facto man and wife (INAUDIBLE). She's a modern woman. It's a modern relationship. It sends a very different tone to the sort of stuffiness that there was around Charles and Diana.
And I think -- I think that's where you're really going to notice the difference. From betrothal to wedding, how they handle this intervening six to nine months before she finally becomes the royal princess.
CHETRY: You know what's also interesting, you know, and you talked about Diana being top drawer, the hard part is none of the relationships worked out. The prince and Diana obviously did not work out. And neither did Andrew and Sarah Ferguson. Both of them divorcing.
But this is interesting because as some biographers noted, we've never heard publicly from Kate Middleton -- never actually heard her voice. Will she be talking now?
QUEST: Well, yes. There is to be an interview tonight. There will be a major pooled interview that we will see this evening. It comes out around about 2:00 Eastern Time. So, we'll have -- you and I, no doubt, will talk about that tomorrow morning.
But let me put it in context to you. Charles and Diana had met and been alone barely two dozen times -- 13, 14 times before their betrothal. William and Kate lived together. They've been together for years. They've had the bust-ups, they've had some break-ups, they've got together again. They've been on holiday with each other.
She's been to Balmoral. She's liked by the queen. It's a completely different scenario. And even her parents have been to Balmoral, the queen's Scottish estate, to meet with William.
Now, whether or not -- it's one thing to be the girlfriend, it's another to be the fiancee. But the palace learned a lot since the fiasco days of Diana, and I think that you're going to see it very, very differently handled now that she is to be heir to the throne's wife.
ROBERTS: Wife. Well, it will give us something to watch for the next four or five months, no question about that.
Richard quest for us in front of Buckingham Palace -- Richard, thanks so much.
CHETRY: Thanks, Richard. Good to see you.
Well, now to the growing national outrage over airport security and these enhanced pat downs. A lot of air travelers fired up. We're hearing from the 31-year-old software engineer from California who's fanning the flames. John Tyner got everything last week when he refused to submit to a body scan and an enhanced pat down at San Diego's airport. He also secretly recorded his conversation with the TSA agent on his phone.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN TYNER, SOFTWARE ENGINEER: If you touch my junk, I'm going to have you arrested. I don't understand how a sexual assault can be made a condition of my flying.
TSA OFFICER: This is not considered a sexual assault.
TYNER: It would be if you weren't the government. I'd like my wife and maybe my doctor to touch me there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Well, because he refused the pat down, Tyner has been told that he faces an $11,000 fine and a possible civil suit for failing to complete the security check. He spoke to CNN yesterday and said that he's heartened by the public support he's been getting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TYNER: Since my story has gotten out, I've gotten plenty of comments from people that they probably got worse than what you just got. I had people say that they were handled so roughly by TSA that they ended up with a -- you know, sick to their stomach feeling for the rest of the day. The thing that upset me so much about the search was the guy intended to touch my groin. I wasn't going the stand for that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Meanwhile, protesters are organizing a national opt- out day for November 24th. Thousands of people signed up on Facebook pledging to make a very busy travel day a lot more difficult by refusing to submit to what they're calling the, quote, "federal government's virtual strip search, porno scanners and enhanced pat down groping techniques."
ROBERTS: And coming up at 8:40 Eastern, in just about 30 minutes, hero pilot Sully Sullenberger is going to join us. He made headlines this week when he said that flight crews should not be required to submit to body scans. We'll ask him if airport security has gone too far.
CHETRY: No regrets. That's how former Secretary of State Colin Powell sums up his decision to back Barack Obama for president back in 2008. Powell appeared on CNN's "LARRY KING LIVE" last night. The 73-year-old former general says that President Obama deserves credit for stabilizing the economy and for his handling of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But he also said he believes the president has overreached and lost focus in his first term in office, and that the next 12 months will be critical.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": You endorsed the president -- Mr. Obama for president. Two years in. Any second thoughts?
COLIN POWELL, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: None whatsoever. When I endorsed then-Senator Obama in 2008, I thought he was the right choice for the country. The country was in deep economic despair. I think the country needed a significant and transformational change and I thought President Obama would provide that for us.
But the American people are losing some focus on President Obama, what he's trying to do. And when we look at the election results, as he said, I mean, he got shellacked. But and I think it was more than a shellacking. I think it was a real body blow that he has now to reflect on and figure out how to come back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Powell says that the president's biggest problem has been a failure to prioritize and to effectively communicate his ideas to the American people.
ROBERTS: A former JetBlue attendant, Steven Slater, has a new job this morning. He just signed a deal with a company that makes mobile communications applications. He's going to be judging the contest for them. The air travelers are being asked to submit their craziest travel experiences on an aircraft and Slater will pick the best one.
CHETRY: Icy, wet roads causing quite a mess in Colorado. This was the result of a 34-car pile-up. There you see it on I-25, between Denver and Colorado Springs.
Amazing when you look at the damage to the vehicles that they say people only went to hospital with minor injuries, about 12 people. And also shut down the highway for four hours. And they're expecting more wet snow in Denver tonight.
ROBERTS: Also, wannabe speedsters are probably wishing they had saved their live feed for the race track. More than 100 exotic cars were pulled over on their way to a track in Upstate New York. Thirty of them were ticketed, some for topping speeds of 100 miles an hour. The news got worse for the drivers once they actually got to the track because they weren't allowed to race.
CHETRY: Well, the famed Opryland Hotel is open again. It's been closed since it was ravaged by floodwaters back in May. The owners pumped in $270 million for repairs and upgrades. Nashville landmark will be hosting performances by Trace Adkins as well as Keith Urban, Sheryl Crow and Craig Morgan later this week.
ROBERTS: We've got some rain from the South, up into the Northeast today. Our Rob Marciano in the extreme weather center is tracking the forecast for us.
Good morning, Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, guys.
Everybody getting a little peace, at least the eastern half of the country it seems. Big storm system not terribly strong but certainly large and it has a lot of moisture with it. So, a lot of people are getting some of this cool November rain and this wave and low pressure will be rolling up the Appalachians and coming into the Northeast later on today and tonight.
Well, some localized flooding just because you guys have seen a fair share of rain the past couple of months. But, right now, the rain is not too shabby across the Southeast.
Not across the South, we got some issues as far as potentially some severe weather. The Florida Panhandle, Tallahassee, Panama City -- tornado watch for the next couple of hours. But right now, the cells look fairly safe.
And light to moderate rainfall right now across parts of the Northeast, but that will be on the increase throughout the day today, and another winter storm coming into the Pacific Northwest and Intermountain West where there was some wind damage yesterday. Talk more about that in about 30 minutes.
John and Kiran, back up to you.
CHETRY: Sounds good. Rob, thanks so much.
Well, he's fighting now for his reputation and his 40-year career. Congressman Charlie Rangel, who walked out of his ethics trial yesterday, and now waiting for the jury's decision today.
We're live in Washington with more on what's become quite a spectacle.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: The jury is still out this morning in the case against New York Democratic Congressman Charlie Rangel, who walked out of his own trial yesterday.
CHETRY: Yes. He's the man who helped write the U.S. Tax Code and is accused of not paying his taxes and now facing more than a dozen ethics violations.
Brianna Keilar is live in Washington.
So, this stunt that some are calling it in the hearing room where he made a claim about not having representation -- however, the law firm telling a totally different story. So, what's the reaction this morning?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. We are hearing a different story.
And this was really Charles Rangel -- as you know, he has a flair for the dramatic and it was in full form yesterday. He walked into the hearing room. He was smiling and he was by himself -- no lawyer by his side. He was representing himself.
And he told this ethics subcommittee basically he wasn't sticking around. Here's what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. CHARLES RANGEL (D), NEW YORK: I object to the proceeding and I, with all due respect, since I don't have counsel to advise me, I'm going to have to excuse myself from these proceedings because I have no idea what this man has put together over two years that was given to me last week.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: So, Rangel says the lawyers that he's been working with for two years now, he's paid $2 million in legal fees to them. He discussed with them the proceedings that were going to continue. It was looking like it could cost as much as $1 million more. When he told them, he said that he couldn't guarantee payment on that, they withdrew. That's Rangel's story.
But a spokesperson for this law firm, Zuckerman Spaeder here in D.C., telling a different story, with the statement saying the law firm -- "This law firm did not seek to terminate the relationship and explored every alternative to remain as his counsel consistent with House ethics rules prohibiting members from accepting pro bono legal services."
And what happened yesterday, this whole thing wrapped up very quickly. We thought it might take a week. It ended yesterday. And the ethics committee continues to deliberate. They're going to pick that up again here in really just minutes 9:00 a.m. Eastern, guys.
ROBERTS: Brianna, a lot of charges against Congressman Rangel. What are the most serious ones that he faces? And what could the potential consequences be?
KEILAR: There are13 alleged violations of House rules and they center around Rangel -- and he's admitted this -- not paying taxes on income on a rental property that he owns in the Dominican Republic. Keep in mind: at the time, he was the head of the House Ways and Means Committee, the tax-writing committee in the House. Also failing to disclose hundreds of thousands of dollars of assets on the congressional disclosure form and then misusing a rent-controlled apartment in New York City as a campaign office and finally using congressional letterhead as well as staff time so congressional resources to solicit donations for a college center in his name.
Some of those companies did have business before his committee. The possible sanctions here, they range from expulsion, which would be very serious. It's normally reserved for people convicted of a criminal matter, which Rangel obviously has not and then there would be different levels of rebukes, from center to reprimand, maybe he would get a fine.
That is something that the committee will decide on if they decide that he's violated any of these 13 counts, John.
CHETRY: All right. Brianna Keilar for us this morning. Thank you.
ROBERTS: Well, still to come this morning, Apple has got a big announcement ahead and it might have something to do with the Beatles. We'll explain coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Apple promising an exciting announcement that you will never forget. Rumors are swirling this morning that iTunes is going to start selling music by the Beatles. Apple had pursued this music catalog for years.
Also, "The Journal" is reporting the deal is a result of talks that took place just recently as last week.
ROBERTS: And it's 20 minutes after the hour. Christine Romans joining us now "Minding Your Business." You got one of those performance reviews at work lately, maybe you weren't too happy about it?
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I'm not doing the story because my performance evaluation is tomorrow. Actually, it's Thursday, sorry, but that's not why I'm doing the story. But performance evaluations, a recent survey of Human Resources managers found 58 percent of HR execs think these things aren't worthwhile. They give them a report card of a "C." Wait a minute, if the HR execs say that the review process gets a "C" that validates everything the rest of us have been thinking for a very long time.
What's the problem here? I talked to David -- who's one of the consultants from a consulting, the world at work, the survey that was published about all of this. This is the problem. If there's a surprise in your performance evaluation, good or bad that's very bad.
If you're not having enough conversations throughout the year in most part -- look, if they give you a compliment that you didn't understand or think was coming in your performance evaluation, that is problematic, they say.
It means that you're not every day talking enough to your employee. If they tell you something that's wrong in your performance evaluation and you didn't know about it, another -- they should be telling you this day by day.
A lot of people have simply been hiding behind the process of the performance evaluation and not really talking and communicating, and companies that do this well tend to be better companies -- they make more money.
Your employees are more efficient, but most of us are not doing it properly. We are not getting enough out of it and it's not helping us.
CHETRY: They're offering solutions?
ROMANS: Talking, talking, talking. Don't just think because you've done the rote work of a performance evaluation -- actually evaluated or anything. We've gotten kind of numb to this.
Now another sort of workplace related thing I want to bring to your attention this morning. The perks are making a slow and steady come back on the -- at the office. We've been telling you --
CHETRY: Free turkeys for everyone.
ROMANS: What perks are you talking about?
ROBERTS: Sort of track the airline industry pretty much.
CHETRY: We had 160 pizzas here on election night.
ROBERTS: Peanuts and pretzels are coming back.
CHETRY: Right, the 160 pizza boxes, we got to see them the morning after. Not so pleasant. Maybe delicious at 7:00 p.m.
ROMANS: Though people were eating them 12 hours later, but let me tell you about some of the perks making a comeback. First of all, the 401k freeze that I've been telling you about the matches starting to come back again.
Next summer you should see most of the companies that froze their 401k match coming back. Salaries, look like they're going to be increased about 3 percent. Most companies are starting to increase salaries even though they aren't hiring, but trying to pay you more to keep you happy.
And according to one survey, 12 percent plan to give something a little extra like maybe a turkey for Thanksgiving.
ROBERTS: So the turkeys are coming back.
CHETRY: We're not getting a turkey, are we?
ROMANS: I don't know.
ROBERTS: I'll check.
ROMANS: I'll talk about it in my performance evaluation on Thursday.
CHETRY: Request them.
ROBERTS: On this performance evaluation thing, you said companies that do it well make more money. Is that -- is it the performance review that does it well or is it the communication between supervisor and employee?
ROMANS: It's all communication. If you just hide behind performance evaluation, you're not talking and giving feedback and constructive criticism all the time and rewarding good behavior, then what's the point of doing it? It's just not -- human resources to line managers to employees, most people think it's not working.
ROBERTS: All right. Christine Romans this morning, thanks.
CHETRY: Thanks, Christine.
Coming up next, are disposable diapers better for the environment than the reusable ones? Well, you may be surprised at the answer. We have a living green segment still ahead. It's 23 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: It's 26 minutes now after the hour. Now to our Living Green series, small steps can make a big difference when it comes to your environmental impact.
CHETRY: So helping you go green this morning. Some of the changes that may not hurt a bit. Jason Carroll is here with more. Hey, Jason.
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Actually may not hurt and will actually save you some money, as well so two good things there. You know, there are many green choices out there, so many that it can be a little bit overwhelming. So we found some easy tips that just about anyone can do to go green.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL (voice-over): The Bensons are on a mission.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And this little piggy --
CARROLL: To turn their 1-year-old Gabe into a green baby.
ERIN BERNARD-BENSON, ECO-FRIENDLY PARENT: The earth is going to be his someday and I felt like I was responsible for the shape it was going to be in when he got it into his hands.
CARROLL: Erin and her husband, David have become more eco- friendly by giving up grocery bags, paper towels and packaged foods like Doritos.
ERIN BERNARD-BENSON: I love Doritos. I don't really eat them anymore. I think my husband actually misses them more than I do.
CARROLL: One of the toughest adjustments they choose, switching from disposable to cloth diapers.
DAVID BENSON, ECO-FRIENDLY PARENT: I was totally resistant to it. Not into the idea of cloth diapers any way, shape or form.
CARROLL: But they did it anyway and they're looking to do more.
ERIN BERNARD-BENSON: All right, where do we go next? What do we do next?
CARROLL: It's a question facing many consumers. Environmental branding experts say it can all be very confusing.
HANK STEWART, THE GREEN TEAM: There is a lot of green messages out there, and it's not -- they're not always genuine.
CARROLL: So how can consumers like the Bensons be sure choices like changing diapers will make a real impact? Lori Bongiorno went green after becoming a mother herself. She offers this advice.
LORI BONGIORNO, YAHOO! GREEN: No worries. Both cloth diapers and disposable diapers have impacts. In that case, choose what's most convenient for you.
CARROLL: Now, she's managing editor of Yahoo! Green and author of a book on going green.
(on camera): I see we've got a whole foods market over there so people have an option to do that or if there's a farmer's market like we have right here, they can buy local produce here. Which is better?
BONGIORNO: I say you do a little bit of both.
CARROLL (voice-over): Other easy eco tips, go easy on the meat. If every American cut out eating meat just one day a week for the year, the U.S. could save 12 billion gallons of gas annually.
Tune up your car. Yearly tune-ups could keep more than 1 ton of carbon dioxide out of the air. Use less hot water. If you skip the hot water on two loads of laundry per week, you could save the planet up to 500 pounds of carbon dioxide pollution each year.
Simple changes the Bensons can make for their green baby and the next one. They're expecting number two in about six months.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL: I'm sure that baby will be even greener than the first one. Here's another tip. A lot of people get hung up on paper versus plastic bags at the supermarket.
Well, the eco experts that we spoke to say both have an environmental impact so choose the one that you're most likely to reuse. So I use plastic bags, for example, right?
So when you get home, they say, try to use that plastic bag as a trash bag. That way you're not buying more plastic bags and easy way to, like, do some things to help the environment there.
ROBERTS: You know, when you're eating for one, that's all the trash bag you need.
CARROLL: You're going to be eating for a lot more than one very soon.
CHETRY: It also helpful for the dogs. I'll leave it there. All right. Jason, thanks.
It's 29 minutes past the hour. Time for a look at the top stories and the wait is over. Prince William and long time girlfriend Kate Middleton have announced they're engaged. According to Buckingham Palace, Prince William popped the question last month during a vacation in Kenya and they're expected to tie the knot next spring or summer in London.
ROBERTS: We're keeping a close eye on Capitol Hill this morning where the jury is out on Charlie Rangel, the defiant Democrat walked out of his own ethics trial yesterday complaining that he didn't have the time to put together a legal team. Rangel is accused of 13 ethics violations.
CHETRY: And a new children's book by President Obama is now on bookstore shelves. Publishers say that his girls Sasha and Malia inspired the president to write "Of Thee I Sing, a Letter to my Daughters." And the book is described as a tribute to 13 groundbreaking Americans. Among them baseball great Jackie Robinson and founding father George Washington.
ROBERTS: Well, it is a historic day for the U.S. military. Later on at the White House, a young man from Iowa will become the first living soldier to earn the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War. CHETRY: Barbara Starr will be there for the ceremony and she joins us live from the Pentagon. Last week you brought us a nice, up close look at Staff Sergeant Giunta, who's just a really amazing person.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Indeed, John, Kiran. Sal Giunta I sone of the most modest soldiers you will ever meet. Today he'll step into history for a moment of honor and heartbreak in Afghanistan.
In October, 2007, when his unit was ambushed, he ran into a hail of gun fire to save another soldier, Sergeant Joshua Brennan. Sal Giunta says he didn't do anything special. Have a listen to what this young man had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STAFF SGT. SAL GIUNTA, MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT: It's very bittersweet. I mean, it's such a huge honor. It's a great thing, but it is a great thing that has come at a personal loss to myself and so many other families.
STARR: And that is what you want people to know?
GIUNTA: Absolutely.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR: That is what he wants all of America to know standing next to President Obama today. He says he is accepting the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military honor, on behalf of Sergeant Joshua Brennan, specialist Hugo Mendoza, two men that didn't make it that night in the ambush, and to all of those who have served. John, Kiran?
ROBERTS: He is just an amazing fellow. And it seems to be, Barbara, a sense of history being made at the highest levels of the military.
STARR: Oh, absolutely. This is a moment when everyone is pausing and reflecting. In Afghanistan several days ago I asked General David Petraeus about Sergeant Giunta. Dave Petraeus, as you guys know, is a man that picks and chooses the words very carefully. This time, listen to what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEN. DAVID PETRAEUS, COMMANDER, U.S. FORCES IN AFGHANISTAN: He is going to say it was not his actions. It was what anyone would have done. It was the team. Well, let me tell you, it was his actions. They were incredible. And he is so very deserving of it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR: Very deserving, according to General Petraeus. Again, a young man who ran into a hail of gunfire to try and rescue another soldier who was desperately wounded and being dragged off by the Taliban. He did get Josh Brennan back. Josh Brennan, sadly, passed away a couple of hours later from his injuries.
We will be at the White House live today at 2:00 p.m. as Sal Giunta steps into American history. John, Kiran?
CHETRY: We'll be watching. Thanks so much, Barbara.
Coming up next, has the federal government gone too far with airport security? There's a lot of people weighing in and people upset by these enhanced interrogations. We'll get the take from Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger. He's joining us live in just a moment. It's 33 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: It's 36 minutes past the hour right now.
The California man who warned screeners not to touch his "junk," as he put it, may have gotten a few laughs on YouTube, but he also focused attention on the growing outrage against airport security.
ROBERTS: National opt-out day is planned for the day before Thanksgiving, one of the busiest travel times of the year, of course. Passengers are being urged to refuse body scans and pat-downs. That could slow down security screenings at airports across the country, bring them to a crawl and how bad would that be?
Captain Chesley Sullenberger, the pilot that pulled off the landing in the Hudson River of U.S. Airays 1549, joins us this morning from Danville, California. He's got his own thoughts about these body scanners.
Sully, great to see you this morning. Let's start off with your concerns about these body scanners. Why are you speaking out against them?
CHESLEY "SULLY" SULLENBERGER, CAPTAIN OF U.S. AIRWAYS FLIGHT 1549: Well, good morning, John. It's great to be with you.
As an airline pilot for 30 years, I know that airline pilots are the last line of defense against someone who would use an airplane for ill. And we need to be a trusted partner in our security efforts. You know, many pilots are armed, deputized, and trained flight deck officers to defend the cockpit. And so it's a waste of our limited resources to put airline lots through this screening.
We also have concerns of the affects of cumulative radiation exposure. Compared to someone whose office is on the ground, airline pilot's office is above much of the earth's atmosphere and protects us from radiation, and the fact exposed to so much more radiation than the average person to begin with, even small additional doses are of concern to us.
CHETRY: You bring up a lot of good points and certainly the common sense issue is one that a lot of people question. These are the people you're trusting to fly the plane, the biggest weapon that you would have.
But I wanted to get your take on this. The Associated Press this morning reporting the head of the Airline Pilots' Association said there's been discussions between TSA officials today, and he is optimistic that the agency will soon be allowing flight attendants and pilots to undergo less stringent screenings. Does it seem the TSA is coming around when it comes to pilots and crew?
SULLENBERGER: Well, I certainly welcome any hint of good news. But really, we have the technology now to avoid much of this waste of time and delay. We have the means now to through biometric means identify pilots and flight attendants as working crew members, and through a database verify the current employment status. And so really there is no need for us to go through these things.
ROBERTS: Sully, so your argument isn't just with the body scanners. Are you suggesting why do flight crews go through screening at all?
SULLENBERGER: Well, there's certainly needs to be an acknowledgment that we're trusted partners. You know, many of us are former military officers who had top-secret clearances and have been thoroughly screened and vetted throughout our careers and we continue to be. We are among the most scrutinized professional groups in the country, even more than doctors.
So, it's really not an efficient use of our resources to put us through this. There are much better ways if we choose to use them to solve these issues.
CHETRY: And on the issue of these enhanced screenings and new body scanners they're using in airports across the country now, what about as it relates to every day passengers?
We talked about the guy who on his cell phone camera captured the exchange between TSA agents and himself saying "I don't want you to touch my junk," basically saying "I don't want anybody but my wife and maybe my doctor touching me where you guys will touch me." Is there a solution in your opinion?
SULLENBERGER: Well, I certainly do understand. As a matter of fact, my wife and I traveled just recently and she underwent such a screening where she was touched in sensitive places.
But I can tell you again from my perspective as an airline pilot over three decades that this just isn't an efficient use of our resources and what many airline pilots have been advised to do in the interim until we get improved measures for us is to opt out of the scanner and to take a private screening with another airline crew member there as a witness.
ROBERTS: Sully, one of the other things we want to bring up, because we know this is a big concern of yours, these new FAA rules regarding pilot fatigue that stipulate there has to be nine hours for a pilot to get rest between flights overnight or during the day if the come in early in the morning. You have problems with those. What are your problems?
SULLENBERGER: Well, while some of the issues in this new proposed rule would be an improvement, many represent a giant step backwards. And one of the ones that bothers me the most is a proposal almost unbelievable to me, and that would be to increase by up to 25 percent the number of hours pilots fly in a day from domestically from eight hours a day to as much as ten hours a day.
And let me be clear, not only does that fly in the face of common sense. There's no data, no science that proves flying more creates less fatigue. We know it would create more.
And as to the rest issue, the current status quo in many areas is very deficient, and the proposed rule goes partway in solving that but not far enough.
Our mothers tell us we need eight hours of sleep every night. Pilots are human, too. We have the same needs as everyone else. What we have discerned is you need a pilot or flight attendant have ten hours in the hotel room, especially if there are many time zones involved, to have a chance to even get eight hours of sleep when you take into account the time you need to try to get to sleep, get something to eat, perhaps call home, get up in the morning early enough to take a shower, get dressed, get something to eat and leave for work.
CHETRY: What do you think the solution is?
SULLENBERGER: We need to make sure that we make the public's safety our first priority and not let other agendas get in the way of doing the right thing here. We owe it to the passengers to keep our promise to them that we will do for them the very best that we know how to do and to have the integrity and the courage quite frankly to reject the expedient and the barely adequate as being not good enough.
ROBERTS: A man that proved in a very big way he knows what's best to do. Sully, thanks for joining us, great to see you this morning.
SULLENBERGER: Thank you for having me. Good morning.
CHETRY: Any time. Thanks, Captain.
Still to come, a soggy start to the day in much of the south this morning. Rob Marciano will be along with the full forecast right after the break. It's 43 minutes past the hour.
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CHETRY: Forty-six minutes past the hour right now.
Time for us to get a check of this morning's weather headlines and our Rob Marciano is in the Extreme Weather Center. We're getting rain up here. I know the south was dealing with that yesterday. What's going on? MARCIANO: Well, the same thing as yesterday except it's spreading a little bit farther to the north. This is a pretty big system, guys. Not real, real strong, it's not going to create damaging winds unless you get a random severe thunderstorm. But it's certainly large and it expands from the Canadian board all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico.
Little stalled frontal boundary has been sitting around here for a couple of days, a wave developing along that. It will scoot up the Appalachians and will cause some raining and some cases some localized flooding. But for the most part, it should be a light to moderate in some cases heavy rainfall but it will be a soaking rain that's for sure.
And the folks across the south, the mid south, the Ohio River Valley will take the rain because they are under a pretty good drought.
Some severe weather potentially over the couple of hours as this watch box continues to shrink for a tornado watch until 11:00 this morning.
Boston, New York, Philly, have a delay now in Philly, it's almost an hour but as of right now the rain is relatively light.
Out to the west we go, another storm system heading into the Pacific Northwest. Here's what happened yesterday in western parts of Seattle including Tacoma and then along the coastline. They had winds over 50 miles an hour inland, over 60 miles an hour along the coastline and that did some damage to some -- some awnings and some trees and some power outages, as well.
So getting a bit of a rough taste of November weather as it typically happens in November is when those folks in the Pacific Northwest will get their wind storms and this one most of the damage across northwestern corner of Washington.
Winter storm warnings are posted for the Inner Mountain West, from Montana, Wyoming, parts of Utah and Colorado, for more base building powder; 52 degrees expected in Denver. It might get a little bit of snow mixing in to the Mile High City tonight. It'll be 64 in Dallas. And again, wet in Atlanta, 68 degrees. And yes, wet and increasing rainfall today across New York City with a high of about 58 degrees.
John and Kiran, try to stay dry.
ROBERTS: All right. Not exactly a nice day Rob, but thanks anyways.
Still to come this morning, what you may not know about the air you breathe. Coming up our Dr. Sanjay Gupta helps us protect our lungs, especially if you live near a city.
It's coming up on 48 minutes after the hour.
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ROBERTS: Ten minutes now to the top of the hour.
It may not surprise you that the air in and around cities is dirty but what may surprise you is how much damage it can do your lungs.
CHETRY: Yes, a lot of cities are trying to make changes to clean up the air but there are some steps that you can take to protect yourself, as well.
Chief medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta is in Kobe, Japan right now, with more. Hey Sanjay.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kiran and John.
You know, I tell you. It's amazing how fast pollution can affect your body, as well. People think of chronic diseases but some of the health problems that we're talking about actually occur very quickly. And right now about a billion people around the world are breathing in air that is simply too dirty to breathe, according to environmental organizations. So a big question that's trying to be answered here in Kobe is what can we do about it. And here's what we found.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA (on camera): What you're looking at is urbanization or at least the consequences of it, big factories as your neighbors. Here in Kobe, it's a beautiful city but they suffer from pollution problems like so many cities do. They've got 15 factories in this small area and you add to that the exhaust from cars, trucks and buses and you get that smog that hangs over so many cities.
The problem is the air is just too dirty to breathe. And here's the most frightening part. You're likely to not even notice it. Your body becomes accustomed to this after just four days of breathing it in.
These tiny particles are smaller than a strand of hair and inhaled almost like a gas, it constricts the muscles around the airways. Think of it like breathing through a straw. All of it can impair your airway and cause increases in blood pressure, heart attack risk and the chance of heart disease.
You may think health impacts of breathing in toxic air would take years to develop. Well, that's just not the case. On days when you have particularly bad pollution in cities they say emergency room visits spike over the next 24 hours. And it's not just adults that are at risk, either. There are studies that show that babies are being born pre-polluted with more than 230 chemicals in their system at the time of their birth.
The truth is progress is starting to be made. In fact, there are places in China that I visited where they're starting to move the coal-fired power plants outside the big urban areas that the more rural areas, where fewer people are around. And also in New York, there are new laws on idling of buses and trucks.
The personal things we can all do to try and make our lives a little bit better; for example, driving less, using public transportation such as this. That can really help. Also, keeping in mind when pollution is at its worst; hot days are going to be worse, also, during the midday. If you're exercising at this these times, you're taking in seven to ten times as much air and seven to ten times as much pollution, as well.
And here's something else that may surprise you. Indoor air quality can often be worse than outdoor air quality, sometimes 50 percent worse. So open a window or at least make sure you have good ventilation.
Look, urbanization is here to stay, no question about it but these are tips for individuals and for society to try and make the beautiful city that you live in a safe and healthy one, as well.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA: You know, one question always comes up and when watching a piece like that is what is the most polluted city on the planet? And the dubious honor really goes to Linfen, China. They say spending one day there is like smoking three packs of cigarettes. In United States, Los Angeles and Phoenix are among the most polluted.
But you know, there has been some progress made as I said, Pittsburgh, for example, used to be one of the most polluted cities in the states and they've gotten much better in terms of their numbers. And they say that on average people can expect to live ten months longer there as a result so some good news and progress there, John and Kiran.
ROBERTS: You know, when you look at the effects, Sanjay, it's easy to see how pollution could do damage to the lungs but how does it directly hurt our hearts?
GUPTA: Yes, it's interesting. You know, when you're -- when you're taking these particles in, several things are happening including this cascade that actually causes inflammation in your body and causes your blood to become a little thicker and a little stickier. And that is really problematic for people who have any underlying heart disease or at risk of stroke. You can increase the likelihood of developing both those things again as a -- as a result of breathing that in.
But a good point, it's a little bit non-intuitive but that's -- that's how it happens.
CHETRY: Wow. Three packs of cigarettes just by being in that town for a day in China. That's unbelievable. Hopefully where you are in Kobe, it's a little cleaner than that. Thanks so much, Sanjay.
We're going to take a quick break. Fifty-five minutes past the hour.
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ROBERTS: We've got just about two minutes to the top of the hour.
And here are some of the stories that got us talking in the NEWSROOM this morning. Donovan McNabb, no Washington lame duck like all those members of Congress. The quarterback who turns 34 next week just signed a five-year, $78 million extension with the Redskins with $40 million of that guaranteed.
CHETRY: There are a lot of people questioning that move this morning.
ROBERTS: Well, I just can't even conceive of that much money. It all comes just two weeks after he was benched in the final minutes of a loss in Detroit because the coach didn't think he had the stamina.
CHETRY: And then they lost to the Eagles.
ROBERTS: We're going to bench you, here's $40 million.
CHETRY: Oh, man. It just gets crazier.
One of the most random "Family Feud" answers ever. I just -- I started cracking up thinking about this one. This contestant just -- he was so convinced that this was the right answer and he just blurted it out. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Something a burglar would not want to see when he breaks into a house. Rob?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Naked grandma.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Naked huh?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: You know what? They must have liked his enthusiasm. Host Steve Harvey was actually speechless for a few seconds, but believe it or not they gave it to him. It was a question -- it was number two on the survey.
ROBERTS: Can you imagine? How did that end up in the survey?
CHETRY: It fell under Gun/occupant. So that was a wide berth for naked grandma to --
ROBERTS: I see, I see. So the occupant and the naked grandma would be an occupant?
CHETRY: Would be an occupant.
ROBERTS: Finally put that together. It only took three hours. A house cat locked in a standoff with an alligator. The video's all over the Internet. You can see the paws come out here. The alligator rather than snapping at the kitty cat in its jaws retreats. But then it says, "I'm going to go get my buddy Phil." And he comes back with some had backup. The fearless feline not about to back off takes on the other gator and they both slide back into the pond. What an ignominious end for the alligators there.
CHETRY: Yes. Meanwhile, the guy at the boat just any other day a -- couple of alligators; see you later, nothing to worry about. They must be nice and tame, domesticated alligators. Not hungry.
ROBERTS: They are wild animals though.
CHETRY: Yes.
ROBERTS: The kitty cat better be careful. The next encounter might turn out quite differently.
CHETRY: That's going to do it for us today. Thanks so much for being with us. We'll see you back here bright and early tomorrow.
ROBERTS: The news continues on CNN with Kyra Phillips in the "CNN NEWSROOM". Good morning, Kyra.
