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American Morning

"I Can't Close the Book"; Rangel Faces Censure; Scare In The Sky; Ditch The Tsa?; China's Spoiled "One Child" Kids; "Fingerprinting" the Brain; Biggest Star You've Never Heard Of

Aired November 19, 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 Friday morning to you. Thanks for joining on "AMERICAN MORNING" on this 19th day of November. I'm John Roberts.

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Kiran Chetry.

We have some developing news this morning about the Natalee Holloway case. It involves exclusive tape of her mother face to face with the person she believes killed her daughter, Joran Van Der Sloot, pleading with him once and for all for the truth, saying "I can't close the book."

Also, possible new forensic evidence found on an Aruba beach. We are live there with the very latest.

ROBERTS: Rejected -- a bill that would have extended the deadline for unemployment benefits shot down in the House. And 4 million jobless Americans are not facing the prospect of falling off the rolls for good. More on that from "STATE OF THE UNION" host, Candy Crowley, coming up in just a moment.

CHETRY: Protesting the pat downs and the intimate and often uncomfortable body scans. You worry about who's seeing your image. In fact, one lawmaker now is suggesting that we actually toss the TSA from our nation's busiest airports.

But would that really change how these procedures are conducted? And can we really trust private security guards to do the job?

ROBERTS: Up first this Friday morning, though, new information in the case of Natalee Holloway, after all these years, what could be a huge break in the case. Right now, we are waiting for the results of forensic testing to see if a jawbone that was found on a beach in Aruba could belong to the Alabama teen who disappeared five years ago.

CHETRY: At the same time, we are getting a surreal look at a meeting that took place between Holloway's mother and Joran Van Der Sloot, the prime suspect in the case. Videotape of their conversation was released recently exclusively to Nancy Grace on our sister network, HLN. Here's a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BETH HOLLOWAY, NATALEE HOLLOWAY'S MOTHER: You can sit here for the rest of your life and I can sit here for the rest of my life. It's -- you can make some choices here, Joran. And you can make the right decision. You have your whole life ahead of you. I want to know what happened and I want to move on, Joran. I want to move on.

You know? I want to -- you know, move on and in my life and I cannot close the book and I feel as if we've lost your father. We've lost another young girl. Joran, you don't need to lose your life in prison and be sitting here at 60 years of age and insisting to me that you don't know what happened.

If it was an accident, tell me. You know, I don't know. I don't know. But I am -- I'm here.

JORAN VAN DER SLOOT, NATALEE HOLLOWAY CASE'S SUSPECT: I hope you can understand, also, it's very hard for me to talk to you. It's really not easy. I'm really doing my best to -- I know you have a very good heart. I know that -- I know that for a fact.

I don't know if you would mind just giving me some -- I really have been thinking a lot. Just giving me sometime to think and I promise you, even if you give me your address, I will write you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: Well, truTV's Jean Casarez is on the phone for us from Aruba.

So, we talk about this meeting, we called it surreal. She went to the jail where he is being held right now. And what was she hoping to achieve by this conversation?

JEAN CASAREZ, TRUTV CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): I think she wanted answers. And I think she wanted them caught on camera but it's interesting because she says to him, I know you want to make a plea deal in Peru and in Aruba and the U.S. had met with prosecutors. I'm not going to do anything yet until I talk to her. So, that's a subtle threat I think right there that she can have -- make action happen against him if he doesn't give her answers.

But in the end, she didn't get what she wants -- wanted. There's a lot of promises and said the he will write her, but no confessions at all.

ROBERTS: Yes, the big question people might have is how did she get ever herself into that position, how did she get into that prison and might any of this be admissible in a court of law?

CASAREZ: Yes. First of all, a question of fact how they got in because the Dutch -- Netherland's journalist she was with said that it was very much above board, that everyone knew they were coming in and they were told they couldn't discuss the current case of Stephany Flores in Lima.

But Joran Van Der Sloot's attorney said, no, there were bribes, that there was money under the table to get the cameras. That he was coerced to come into the room. We do know an investigation is going on right now.

But in regard to -- what was your second question?

ROBERTS: Whether or not --

CASAREZ: Whether it could be used on a court of law.

ROBERTS: Yes.

CASAREZ: Yes, it could. It could. And if you really look at this, there are some -- he admits -- he admits extortion in this conversation. And he admits other wrongs that he did. So, yes, it shows a state of mind.

CHETRY: Hmm. This all comes at a time when there is perhaps a break in the Natalee Holloway case. A jawbone discovered in Aruba now, sent for testing to Hague.

What is the latest?

CASAREZ: Well, let me give you the latest. I'm standing right outside of the solicitor ministerio publico's office here in Aruba and Solicitor General Taco Stein just said that they don't have any results yet. And the public information officer just came out to me and said she just got off the phone with the Netherlands forensic institute at the Hague and they say that they are not ready at this point to release any results. They're still working on it.

But the prosecutor's office here in Aruba will be making constant phone calls updates to them throughout the day today.

CHETRY: Jean Casarez for us. We will, of course, continue to follow this case throughout the day -- thank you.

And, by the way, you can catch Jean every weekday on "In Session." It's on our sister network, sister station, truTV, 9:00 a.m. to 3 p.m. Eastern.

ROBERTS: And we're learning more about the mine rescue drama that's unfolding now on New Zealand's west coast on the south island. Twenty-seven coal members are missing after an underground explosion at the Pike River Mine near Atarau.

We have aerial video now of the scene. It is a tunnel mine running horizontally for nearly a mile and a half as opposed to a shaft mine that runs down. Two survivors emerged on their own. They say they lost communication with the others, but one of them managed to call for help.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Being treated for various minor injuries and I'm not sure what the extent of those are. One of the men is being interviewed and he was the one that has confirmed that we've had an explosion underground. He was -- he rang them on from -- he rang the surface from underground at about 10 past 4:00, and then made his way to the surface with one of his work mates.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We haven't given up hope at all. We haven't given up hope. But it's a serious situation.

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

ROBERTS: Concerns about a gas build-up has so far kept rescuers from entering the mines. Like the Upper Big Branch Mine in West Virginia.

CHETRY: Right. But I don't know if -- the fact that -- as you said, it was horizontal not completely underground. If indeed there are survivors, if it will be easier to get them out than what we saw in Chile.

ROBERTS: Yes, it's similar construction to that Big Branch Mine where everything just kind of goes in like this under the mountain and we saw the results there -- took long, long, long time for them to be able to get in.

CHETRY: Well, meanwhile, a mining -- trapped mining story with a happy ending, of course, are the 33 Chilean that were miners underground for 69 days and freed and everyone OK.

Well, now, they're enjoying a whirlwind trip to Los Angeles this morning. They're with their family as well as five of the rescuers. They arrived yesterday afternoon with our own Gary Tuchman.

They've also had a chance to meet L.A.'s mayor. There you see it -- touring southern California.

They also will be attending the taping of "CNN Heroes." It's an all-star tribute. It's going to be airing on Thanksgiving night.

Well, 4 million unemployed Americans in jeopardy of losing their jobless benefits now that the House has rejected a bill that would have extended the deadline for filing by three months.

ROBERTS: The House also expected to take up the matter of censuring New York Congressman Charlie Rangel after the Thanksgiving holiday.

Our chief political correspondent Candy Crowley, host of "STATE OF THE UNION," is with us from Washington this morning.

Good to see you, Candy.

So, the panel voted 9-1 to censure Charlie Rangel. If he is censured, it's going to be the first time it's happened since the early 1980s. I mean, these are really some tough times for him.

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: They really are. And it -- tough to watch, I have to tell you. It was -- he was at times defiant, going into this saying, you know, the process is flawed.

In the end, he talked about the things that he had done both in his military service which was heroic, as well as for his constituents. He's 80 years old. I mean, this is tough to watch.

Nonetheless, it was pretty overwhelming from his Democratic and his Republican colleagues who found these ethics violations.

And now, the next step is really even more painful because the House of Representatives itself will vote on whether to have this censure. He stands on the House floor. People could or might come out and talk about what he's done. Certainly, he will have to listen to the speaker talk about what the ethics committee has found.

So this is -- this is a rough one, but certainly one that has had, if you will, bipartisan support on something that's difficult, clearly, for the congressman to deal with.

CHETRY: Yes. And it doesn't bode well in general for the Congress to have -- to have all that. And would it be Speaker Pelosi doing that? Because it's not the new Congress yet?

CROWLEY: Yes. If it happened -- yes, it's not the new Congress yet. So, it would be Speaker Pelosi. And it's -- you know, it's very sort of solemn sight. And as you say, I think they've done -- the ethics committee has been around for about 40-plus years. I think they've done it four times.

This is -- this is a big deal. I mean, the next step would have been expulsion. So, censure is huge.

ROBERTS: You know, Candy, David Gergen was on with me last night on "360" talking about this. And he pointed to Joe McCarthy's censure and said that really, really broke him.

Charlie Rangel's 80 years old. What will censuring potentially do to him?

CROWLEY: Well, he was just elected by the constituents obviously. And but I think it's -- you know, when you are looking back at a career, the kind of career that Charlie Rangel's had, both in the House and in the military, this is in -- this is in the history books now, and that's something that, as you know, always shows up in that first graph of history. It's not -- clearly from his remarks he made yesterday, this was not something -- he does know that this is something that does put a taint on his record.

CHETRY: Well, another big issue, the unemployment benefits shot down. Now, politically, who's going to take the most heat for the failure of the Congress to act, not extending those benefits? And for all of those people who are probably going to be having a tough time this holiday and potentially paying their mortgages and rents next year because of this?

CROWLEY: Sure. First of all, I think it's not over yet. I mean, time is a wasting here. They expect to leave next week -- Congress is expected to leave next week. They've twice let these unemployment benefit extensions lapse.

These are not for those newly-applying or those that are within the norms of how long unemployment benefits have gone. This is extensions for hard times.

So, you know, the question is, listen -- you are listening to Republicans who have come back to Congress saying the American people want things paid for. They're upset about this deficit. So, they say the question isn't should we extend the unemployment benefits, the question is, should we pay for them.

So, they still have time to work this out. In answer to who's to blame, we're as far away from the next election as they're going to get. So, if you're going to do this sort of thing, you do it now.

But it never looks good to walk away from the Christmas holidays saying, no, we're not going to do unemployment benefits extensions. There are reasons that they're not doing it. But in general, it's a very hard argument to make and have be politically popular.

ROBERTS: Candy Crowley this morning -- hey, Candy, we can see the Capitol building behind you.

We've got an interesting picture to show the folks at home -- the freshman class on the steps of the Capitol building lining up for the photograph. They do this with each incoming freshman and we'll see how they perform over the next couple of years.

Candy, great to see you this morning. Thanks so much.

CHETRY: "STATE OF THE UNION," by the way, 9:00 a.m. Sunday morning, noon Eastern as well, right here on CNN.

Thanks, Candy.

ROBERTS: Well, new this morning: the NATO summit about to get underway in Lisbon, Portugal. President Obama arrived there a couple of hours ago.

The combat mission in Afghanistan is going to dominate the summit's agenda. American and European allies are expected to formalize a plan to hand over security responsibilities to the Afghans by 2014. American and NATO troops will remain in Afghanistan beyond the handover day.

CHETRY: Rob Marciano in the extreme weather center for us, at 12 minutes past the hour, with a look at what we can expect weather- wise for the weekend.

Hey, Rob.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hey, guys.

Stormy weather out west again and that will be the case for weekend, including Washington, Oregon, California. And moving right into the Intermountain West, we have winter storm warnings that are posted. Some of the Cascades getting almost two feet of snow over the past two days, another two to three feet potentially for the Sierra Nevadas. So, winter storm warnings are up there, if you're driving east toward Reno or Tahoe from San Francisco.

Meanwhile, a weaker storm heading across the upper Great Lakes, not a lot of moisture with this, but there'll be some winds. Kind of chilly in Chicago today. Temps will get into the 50s, but it will breezy. And a quiet start to your day across the Northeast and it should be relatively quiet today and almost through the weekend I think for the Northeast.

Windy in Chicago as mentioned, sunny down in Miami, it will be 81 degrees in Phoenix. So, a good chunk of the country will be fairly pleasant this weekend. But the stuff that you see out west will eventually be making an effort to get east as we get towards the holiday travel Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. We'll discuss that more in detail in about 30 minutes -- John and Kiran.

ROBERTS: Looking to it. We'll see you then, Rob. Thanks.

MARCIANO: OK.

ROBERTS: It might be the last thing that you want to see in the cockpit of a 737, a huge crack in the windshield. Coming up, we're going to talk to the passenger who took this photograph and what happened at 34,000 feet.

CHETRY: Also, toss the TSA from our nation's busiest airports? One congressman is demanding that that happen. But would private security be any different? And would the procedures that you have to undergo, these enhanced pat downs be even changed?

ROBERTS: Yes.

And hang on to your faces because you might just leave them behind. Zero to 150 in under five seconds -- a ride of the fastest roller coaster in the world. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Sixteen minutes past the hour right now. It's high drama high in the sky above Oklahoma. A Delta flight out of Atlanta bound for Orange County and California had to be diverted immediately to Dallas for an emergency landing and passengers found out why. Here's a look. A crack in the 737's windshield. The co-pilot could only sit and watch as it slowly spread throughout the glass.

Joining us via sky passenger, Mike Fleming, who snapped that dramatic photo of the damage. So, how did you get the picture?

MIKE FLEMING, PASSENGER: Well, I got the picture as I was walking off the plane. As I walked toward the cabin, I looked in there and I could see the spider web out there. And I had a cell phone, so I grabbed a couple of pictures. Actually, the pilot indicated that anyone who wanted to come up and take a look at what they were having to deal with could do it. So, it was -- it was pretty sobering to see the amount of damage that the crack did. I mean, the thing was spider webbed all over.

CHETRY: Yes. That's the last thing you want to see when you're flying, for sure. As I understand it, the captain came on the loudspeaker and he said to you, guys, we're having a problem in the cockpit. The windshield's cracked, and you, guys, might be facing a quick descent because I got to get below 10,000. How worried were people when that announcement came on?

FLEMING: There was a little gasp. You know, you could hear the murmur, but everybody was very intent on hearing what the captain had to say. Especially, you know, when he said that we were going to need to divert Dallas/Ft. Worth. That we were going to be doing a rapid descent. Our ears would start popping, and they were trying to get us below 10,000 feet.

CHETRY: And they also came on a second time and said, you know, the cracks are getting bigger, and we're not below 10,000 feet yet. It sounds like they were, at least, trying to keep you, guys, in the loop. Was that helpful or would you rather have just landed and then found out how bad it was?

FLEMING: No, no, no, no. This is what was so great about this captain. His name is Ben Fink. And he's a navy veteran pilot in the navy, actually, the co-pilot, also. And they had mentioned this when we were getting ready to take off and even joked about the fact they had so many years of flying experience. So, he had a very calming voice and to hear him -- I mean, he was updating us every few minutes and that was -- that was incredibly calming for the passengers.

CHETRY: And did you guys find out what happened? I mean, he says, you know, there's no birds at 34,000 feet. What could have caused that crack?

FLEMING: Right. Well, I asked him as when I got off the plane, we had a like a little reception line as everybody was, you know, shaking his hand and I said, how does something like that happen? You know, at that altitude. He said, you know, he said sometimes, you know, things just happen. And, you know, we're dealing with man-made materials and, you know, I think that they do the best they can but, you know, that's what it is.

CHETRY: Yes.

FLEMING: You know, it's s sometimes -- you know, I think unexplained at this point, but maybe the FAA will have a different answer.

CHETRY: Yes. We'll probably find out more details about it, but thank goodness, all's well that ends well. You, guys, landed safely. A bit of inconvenience, but as you said, you were in experienced hands. Mike Fleming, thanks so much for joining us this morning.

FLEMING: Yes, well, thank you very much. I'm glad to be here. CHETRY: Well, we're glad you're here, as well. The other interesting part is that Michael was on Facebook at the time on the plane's Wi-Fi so, he's updating his status instantaneously and getting instant updates from friends about the fact that he's, you know, needing to land. They're needing to make an emergency landing because of this crack.

ROBERTS: You can have a conversation anywhere.

CHETRY: Surreal.

ROBERTS: Amazing.

We're six days away from Thanksgiving. One of the busiest travel holidays of the year, and the outrage is growing over this new airport security measures. Florida's Republican congressman, John Mica, wrote a letter to the nation's 100 busiest airports urging them to ditch the TSA and use private screeners instead. He says it's the only way to make travelers feel more comfortable.

The TSA chief, John Pistole, insists the revealing full body scans and the pat downs are all in the name of safety. So, what can airports do about the outrage? Our Christine Romans joins us now. Good morning.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. Has it come to this where we seriously talk about a call to ditch the TSA after --

ROBERTS: Go back to the way it was before the TSA?

ROMANS: When we were all complaining about people --

ROBERTS: Which wasn't so good, right?

ROMANS: We were all complaining about private screeners where it was a race to the bottom. The lowest bidder won. Where you had people getting on planes with, you know, knives in their shoes and stuff. This is where we are, frankly. Of course, the complaints growing over the full body scanners, the pat downs. What can be done? Do you fire the TSA? Do you improve the technology? In Boston, this is what they're doing.

They're trying to improve the full-body scan situation so that, in fact, you have a G-rated system rather than the, you know, borderline pornographic images that you see now of people's body. The new screeners will produce a stick figure with blocks around the questionable area on you, for example, a cell phone, a belt or a watch. The scanners should be up and running by late winter, and officials there hoping this going to speed up the whole process at Boston Logan International Airport.

Other airports are considering private screeners. Quite frankly, Orlando's second largest airport, Orlando-Sanford International Airport, could soon begin the process of switching to private screeners, but those screeners still have to follow TSA guidelines. And guess what, the TSA has to hire -- approve and train the contractors.

ROBERTS: We should say we're going to talk with the airport manager from Sanford coming up in just a few minutes.

ROMANS: Oh, excellent. Also, they would have to be pat downs, but it would be private screeners than doing pat downs. And executives from -- let's say, Sanford, they -- they explored Rochester, New York, also Jackson Hole, Wyoming, two of the 16 airports that do not have TSA. They have private screeners there. And those 16 airports and those executives say they're doing just fine. That the private screeners are actually more responsive than the TSA had been, and because if they can't do the job right, there's plenty of competition --

ROBERTS: What about this whole idea, the race to the bottom and this is what got us into the problem in the first place and this is how the hijackers got through?

ROMANS: First, we were worried because it was too slack. Now, we're worried that it's so thorough you can see your birthday suit, and you would feel like it's an invasion of our privacy. And we've really swung all the way to the other level. The question is, who can do this properly and diligently but not enrage the flying --

CHETRY: I think a lot of people say use -- you know, the one element that is missing a lot of the time is common sense. You know, when you see the little kids sitting on the sidelines, you know, getting -- having to take off the little sneakers. I mean, people say, is this the best use --

ROMANS: That happens every day over and over and over again. A screaming 2-year-old whose shoes and socks have been taken of and dragged through the - I mean, it's ridiculous, but this is -- this is -- this is the way it is.

CHETRY: For now. We'll see what happens. I mean, because some people are saying it could change.

ROBERTS: And the debate will continue.

ROMANS: It certainly will.

CHETRY: Thanks, Christine.

Well, Oprah's final favorite things. Talk of a surprise so big that they may need to have the paramedics on stand by. What could the queen of daytime talk have up her sleeve this time?

ROBERTS: Everybody's getting a cruise ship.

CHETRY: Twenty-three minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Twenty-six minutes after the hour and here are some of the stories that got us talking this morning in the "CNN NEWSROOM." You can't start shopping until Oprah tells you what to buy, right? And today, she's going to reveal her favorite things for the holiday season. One of Oprah's biggest shows of the year. This is a clip from a few years ago, people just going crazy. This one expected to have a huge surprise since it's going to be her last favorite things special in the 25-year history of the show. We're told that some audience members were in tears, and Oprah says they even had to have paramedics on stand by in case somebody totally lost it.

CHETRY: I think that was one of the years they gave away the flight to Australia, but John Travolta was flying the plane.

ROBERTS: Aha.

CHETRY: I'd cry.

ROBERTS: That will do it.

CHETRY: Well, the so-called "Me" generation apparently having some trouble staying married in China. This is a story from NPR showing the divorce rate has doubled over the past decade. It's now up to 39 percent in Beijing and a lot are blaming China's one-child policy for creating kids that are too spoiled and then they don't know how to make a marriage work.

ROBERTS: Because they're not used to sharing anything.

CHETRY: Yes.

ROBERTS: All the focus is on them.

CHETRY: Yes.

ROBERTS: And when it comes time to forge a partnership --

CHETRY: That's what I hear.

ROBERTS: They just weren't (ph) working.

CHETRY: That's what I hear.

ROBERTS: You're an only child.

CHETRY: But because I was only child, I always want to share things. You know? Dress like my friends.

ROBERTS: That's unusual.

CHETRY: Because I never had to -- I don't know if you feel this way, but because I'm the only child, I also didn't have to split everything. You know, with my two kids, you have to give half to your brother. You have to give half to your brother. Let your brother pick a movie. And so --

ROBERTS: I was the baby of the family with eight years to my next sibling, so it was like being an only child. That's perfect. The baby and the only child.

It's cheaper than space tourism and what a thrill it is. Check this out. The world's fastest roller coaster, Formula Rossa, opening at Ferrari world in Abu Dhabi. It's designed to look like the famous Ferrari Formula 1 car. It's built from the same technology that propels fiber planes from air craft carriers, steam catapult that launches you from 0 to 150 in 4.8 seconds, pulling an incredible 4.8 Gs. Off the start.

CHETRY: And you know the coolest part, it ends at your man cave.

(LAUGHTER)

CHETRY: You just walk right in.

ROBERTS: By the way, eight years between me and my nearest sibling, they almost named me oops.

(LAUGHTER)

ROBERTS: Lot of air travelers fed up with the TSA and those pat downs and body scans, and now they had one Florida airport wants the TSA out and private security in. We'll ask him why coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Well, crossing the half hour, and it's time for this morning's top stories. And 27 coal miners missing after an underground explosion at a mine on the New Zealand's west coast. Two minters were able to get out, but rescuers have been unable to enter the mine because of concerns about a gas build-up.

CHETRY: Also Natalee Holloway's family waiting the results of DNA tests and forensics testing to see if a jawbone found on the beach in Aruba belonged to their daughter. Holloway, as you know, disappeared in Aruba five years ago and initial tests indicates the bone belonged to a young woman.

ROBERTS: Another sign of the economic times -- more states permitting the sale of alcohol on Sundays as a way of generating revenue. Since 2002, 14 states have done away with so-called blue laws. In all 36 states now allow liquor sales on Sunday.

CHETRY: How about this, if you buy a Hyundai, you get an iPad? A new luxury car by Hyundai comes fully loaded with an interactive owner's manual on an iPad. It goes on sale next month equipped with 16 gigabyte enabled iPad. The car itself is $69,000.

ROBERTS: It's an expensive Hyundai. Don't text and drive if you get one.

Less than a week to go before one of the busiest travel days of the year, and there's a growing cry across the country to ditch the TSA.

CHETRY: A lot of people have has with those enhanced pat downs, having to go through the body scanners. And now the head of the Orlando-Sanford international airport in Florida is taking that deep satisfaction to another level. Larry Dale joins us this morning by phone from Sanford, Florida. Thanks so much for joining us this morning, Larry.

SANFORD: Good morning. You're welcome. Thank you for having me.

CHETRY: You said you were impressed after the private screeners at airports you encountered across the country. What do you think? Would this be a change you guys would be willing to take on, switching the TSA out?

SANFORD: Yes. Me and my board and staff have been doing due diligence on this since February and visited several airports part of the pilot screening program back in '02.

Security and transportation -- the Aviation Administration Security Act created a pilot program and then that was so successful Congress rolled that into a screening partnership partner. So any airport is capable of what they call opting out and requesting to participate in a screening partnering program.

ROBERTS: Here's, Larry, what the TSA told us. "All commercial airports regulated by TSA whether the actual screening is performed by TSA officers or private companies. TSA sets the security standards that must be followed and includes the use of enhanced pat downs and imaging technology if installed at the airport."

So how would hiring private security to do what the TSA is doing make any kind of difference?

SANFORD: Well, because airports are unique unto themselves. One size doesn't fit all. There's a lot of idiosyncrasies with the airports and managing that one size fits all doesn't work and the ones with private screening really like the fact that they are specific to their airport and if they manage it with a business-like hand that they're cost accounting is good, their efficiency is good, accountability to the airport and TSA is good, their customer satisfaction is good.

These people have to earn the right to keep the contract. They don't just get the contract and have it forever. By the TSA, by the way, they're right. It is under their standard operating procedures.

CHETRY: Give us practically speaking a scenario here where it might feel differently. I mean, do the private contractors get to decide whether they pull out a passenger for enhanced screening or the pat down, deciding whether or not to go through those screeners? Is this something that I guess there's just more leeway in deciding who has to be pulled out for additional security?

SANFORD: There are ways to do it and I think we have all had bad experiences with government officials in our lifetime. I certainly have at other airports. Not particularly here. Federal security director but it's this management of a specific airport done by private companies can be much more efficient, much more enjoyable to the public because they want to earn the right --

CHETRY: I know. I understand that. Does that mean they have greater -- they can decide who they pull out and who they don't and so perhaps it may be different than the way that the TSA does it?

SANFORD: Well, certain matters security sensitive and confidential and certainly ways to do that but they have to be working with the TSA management through the federal security director on the operating procedure.

So the private companies that we have looked at, the airport that is are using them seem to be much more satisfied than the one that is are done in the all encompassing 68,000 personnel agency. It was originally intended to be 20,000 and Congress kept it at 44,000, and now 68,000. So it's just burgeoning and, of course, we know, you know, what happens when an agency gets too big. There's the postal service saying we're going bankrupt.

So it's just a much more manageable situation with the private company at a specific airport. Even though it's you should the auspices of the TSA for regulatory management, scheduling and personnel, everything that goes with the operation is done by private business.

And by the way, John Mica recently wrote that act to be private screening. The Senate shot that down and came up with this screening partnership program to allow private companies.

ROBERTS: Larry, we'll keep in touch and we'll see what you decide to do there at the Sanford international airport. Larry, thank you for joining us this morning.

Robotic arms giving a peek of how our brain is working or not working. The man who created the breakthrough technology will join us. How it could change the lives of anyone who has suffered a brain injury. It's 37 minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: It's coming up on 19 minutes to the top of the hour.

When someone suffers a brain injury, not all of the effects are necessarily obvious, even to some of the best trained doctors. That's where this next amazing machine comes in. The kid arm uses virtual reality and robotic arms to give doctor's a look at brain function like never seen before.

Joining us this morning from Kingston, Ontario is developer Dr. Steven Scott. He presented this machine at a neurological conference in San Diego earlier this week. Steven, great to see you this morning.

We should point out for folks at home each year in the United States 1.7 million people suffer some sort of traumatic brain injury. They hit their heads or, as we've seen with the military, explosives cause damage. How accurate and how effective are the current evaluation techniques to determine whether or not somebody's got a serious brain injury?

SCOTT: It's a real problem. I've certainly talked to some doctors in emergency rooms and talk about having football players come in, have a head injury, and they're not sure what they need to do and there are very few tools available to get a good handle of the function.

ROBERTS: There's a real challenge there. You have a machine that uses computer programs and virtual reality to try to tell if somebody's had -- has a lack of brain function because of an injury. Let's roll video of current techniques. Neurologist in front of a patient, hold their finger up, ask the patient to put the finger on the doctor's finger and then touch their nose.

Now let's take a look at your technology that sits people inside this machine. They've got the right arm held in place and then they're asked to match the position with the left hand. And they get it accurately, as you can see there on the screen.

Now let's see a stroke patient and what happens when them. The right hand in place, the left arm is moving all over. And you get a real sense that something's not right here. Why is this test better than the current tests?

SCOTT: Well, if you look at the traditional test where they're touching their nose and touching the clinician's finger, what they have is a subjective decision by the clinician that they have to do. And because it's subjective and they require the numbers to be the same, they end up having very course scales and score, say, zero, one or two for how well they did. Zero not at all, one, they had some problems, and two they did it well.

The problem is two things. One, it is an extremely coarse scale. One is a broad range and you can have a subject improve a lot through rehab but they still aren't able to make it up to the next step. As well, the problem is if you get a one, it's not clear why they couldn't do the task. They couldn't correct or there was weakness? So the idea with our technology -- go ahead.

ROBERTS: I was going to say, we can see here on the comparison the person who is normal gets the left hand within a very defined range, but the people with the stroke is all over the place. What are conditions that it might be applicable to diagnosing?

ROBERTS: It is for all possible brain injuries. We started with stroke as a model system where it's very complex, the types of individual problems they have. And in this task, you can see that this stroke subject had severe problems taking the information from their limb, sensory information, to say where their arm is in space. And so this is an actual problem that there's very few good tools to measure this function.

ROBERTS: Right. SCOTT: And so, it can be applicable to any possible disease or injury that affects the brain. And there is an enormous number, not just stroke. Traumatic brain injury is a very hot topic right now with the military situations in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as concussions in sports.

And it's very important to get fast, rapid information and it's important that it is objective. It doesn't matter where you have the test done. That's the nice thing with the robotic technology is doesn't matter in L.A. or New York. You get the same number.

And as well instead of coarse scales as I talked about for the traditional measures, you get this fine grained ability to take a measure, parameterize it or take the information we get and identify the range of value that is are possible in a very fine detail. So you get much better precision.

ROBERTS: Yes it's repetitive -- it's repeatable which is really terrific. And I know that this is moving from the laboratory now into some test hospitals so we'll be watching closely. And I know our Dr. Sanjay Gupta will have a particular interest in this as he's a neurologist.

Stephen Scott of Queens University, it's great to talk to you this morning. Thanks for coming in.

SCOTT: Thank you very much.

ROBERTS: All right.

We've got -- what -- 45 minutes after the hour. We'll be right back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: It's now 48 minutes past the hour. We got a quick check of this morning's weather headlines. People are getting ready for the weekend and wondering what it's going to be like. Hey, Rob.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hey guys, good morning. Not too shabby actually for a much of the country, especially eastern half. We've got -- well, one, two, three suns on the forecast map for today. The West Coast, that's where the problem is; Pacific Northwest, into Northern California, rain in the valleys and snows up in the mountains.

We've seen already two feet in the Cascades and the Sierras will get pummeled over the next 48 hours. Two to three feet potentially especially above the 7,000 foot mark so they are building a base out there in Tahoe, for sure.

I'll get back to this in a second. I want to show you what's going on as far as the build-up of heat across the east beginning Sunday, Monday into Tuesday, and then we're looking at the potential for seeing storm develop along this storm track that would bring a wintry mix to places like Chicago, Minneapolis and then lake-effect snow is potentially on Thanksgiving probably won't get into the bigger cities here in the northeast but any sort of travel through the Great Lakes may very well be an issue on turkey day and the day before.

We'll be following that story. In the meantime, you guys have a great weekend. Back to you in New York.

CHETRY: You, too, Rob. All right.

You're going to like this next one. Are you a big surfing fan?

MARCIANO: I'm a fan. I'm not very good.

CHETRY: You can just appreciate how hard it is?

MARCIANO: Yes, very, very much so.

ROBERTS: It's tough. There's a lot of face plants as you'll learn in the sport. Almost two decades of sports dominance yet most Americans wouldn't know this guy if he ran over them with his surfboard. Why you should be totally stoked about pro-surfer Kelly Slater coming right up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: If looks or success alone were the key to sport super stardom, he would be a hero to millions.

ROBERTS: Yes, pro-surfer Kelly Slater can walk down most any street in America without once getting recognized.

Our Jason Carroll with the best athlete that you have probably never heard of. Good morning.

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you would think by now he would be a household name in some ways, right? He's been at the top of his game for 20 years and yet most people outside of surfing still have never heard of Kelly Slater.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL (voice-over): In the world of sport icons there's Ali, Jordan, Navratilova, Federer, and Slater?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is he somebody on CNN?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Slater? What sport?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I never heard of the guy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know exactly who that is.

CARROLL: Who is Kelly Slater?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He is a surfer.

CARROLL: He is the one pulling into this monster barrel. He's Kelly Slater.

KELLY SLATER, TEN-TIME SURFING WORLD CHAMPION: I love surfing more than anything. You know? I just love to ride waves. I -- since I was a little kid. It's just been my passion.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kelly Slater, oh yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kelly Slater.

CARROLL: Slater's talent lies not just in his versatility. Dropping into Hawaii's biggest waves or ripping the smallest but also, his longevity. He's still at the top of his game at 38 years old.

(on camera): How do you do it?

SLATER: Keep your mind open to new and fresh ideas. I think when you get too set in your ways no matter what it is that you -- you seem to grow old pretty fast.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ten unprecedented.

(voice-over): Slater just won his tenth world championship. Some perspective -- the guy that trailed him was 3 years old when Slater won his first world title at age 20 in 1992.

(on camera): As a 20-year-old, did you ever think you would be surfing at 38?

SLATER: I didn't think I would be competing at 38 but I've always said that I -- I want to be -- I want to be surfing when I'm 90 or -- I actually want to try and surf pipeline when I'm 90 it's kind of my like -- lifelong goal.

BRUCE JENKINS, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE: He is forever youthful. He's forever stoked. He's got incredible desire.

CARROLL: Sports columnist Bruce Jenkins says it's time Slater became more of a household name.

JENKINS: The fact that he's done all of these things at the highest level, I -- to me he has to be regarded among the greatest athletes of all time and as well as the greatest surfer.

CARROLL: We met Slater at the Mollusk Surf Shop.

(on camera): This board, I just want everyone to know is really, -- really, really light.

SLATER: Well, thanks a lot.

CARROLL: I dig it.

(voice-over): He designed this board and won his tenth world title on it. The question, will he go for 11?

SLATER: I don't know. It's a question, obviously, a lot of people put to me in the last week. I don't know.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL: Well, Slater actually says that his age gives him a mental edge. He says that he's learned over the years to focus more when he's out there on the water. That's extremely hard. I mean, when I was much younger we used to boogie board.

CHETRY: Yes.

CARROLL: Southern California. You remember, out at Zuma-6 and I just can't imagine what these guys do. Those are monster waves that they're competing on.

CHETRY: At least when you boogie, you get to lay on your belly and hold on for dear life. Has he ever encountered a shark?

CARROLL: He has. In fact, that's one of the things that I asked him about. It's very common for these guys to see sharks all the time, big ones, great whites.

CHETRY: But he's never been bitten?

CARROLL: Never been bitten -- fingers crossed.

CHETRY: He's too fast.

CARROLL: Too fast.

ROBERTS: How's he going to go for 11, now that you dinged up his board?

CARROLL: You know, you couldn't just let that go, right? I was just -- you know, I'm like holding it up like this. Flipping it over -- I just sort of dinged it just a little bit. Just a little bit. You know, he designs boards all the time. Goes through them --

ROBERTS: That was certainly no big deal. You ding one, he can make another one.

CARROLL: I don't know if it's no big deal. He gave me a pass. He gave me a pass.

ROBERTS: All right. Great story, Jason.

CARROLL: Thank you.

CHETRY: What a heart throb. All right. Talking about Kelly, sorry.

CARROLL: What?

CHETRY: Four minutes until the top of the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Quick programming note for you before we leave. Who's going to be the next CNN hero? Be sure to watch next Thursday night when Anderson Cooper hosts "CNN HEROES: AN ALL-STAR TRIBUTE". That's at 8:00 Eastern on Thanksgiving night.

CHETRY: And special guests at the taping, of course, the 33 Chilean miners, five of their rescuers and a lot of their family members making the trip all the way from Copiapo to be able to be in Los Angeles for the taping. They should have a blast.

ROBERTS: Yes. They're in the city of angels now, having a great time. We saw them on the double-decker bus with our Gary Tuchman, taking them for a tour, hooting and hollering.

CHETRY: They love it so much, they may not want to go back.

ROBERTS: Exactly. They have proven that they have star quality, so we'll see what Hollywood could do with them.

That's going to wrap it up for us. Thanks so much for joining us. Have yourself a great weekend and we'll see you back here again bright and early on Monday morning.

CHETRY: Meantime, the news continues, "CNN NEWSROOM" with Kyra Phillips starts right now. Hey, Kyra.