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Deal in Works for Big Three; Fired Workers Stage Sit-In; Commission Recommends More Attention to National Cyber Security; How Can U.S. Repair Relationship with Muslims?; Interview with Deepak Chopra
Aired December 08, 2008 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): The Big Three at a crossroads. Bankruptcy may be just around the corner. But around the other corner? A multibillion-dollar rescue taking shape in Congress. It won't be a free ride.
Who says the U.S. auto industry doesn't have a prayer? Many in Washington are wavering, but they're keeping the faith in Detroit.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We want to stay here as long as it's going to take to receive our money.
PHILLIPS: Standing firm by sitting in. Workers at a window factory due to shut down are refusing to budge. Now, the whole nation is looking in.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: And hello, I'm Kyra Phillips, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM. Let's get right to it this hour.
Talk about a turnaround. Just when it looked like the end of the road for one or more of the big U.S. automakers, well, the White House is saying a government rescue seems very likely fairly quickly, but it won't be the rescue that GM, Ford and Chrysler were asking for.
Last week, they begged Congress for $34 billion in low-cost loans. That deal taking shape is closer to 15 billion. Oversight would be intense, and restructuring would be required. To the head of the Senate Banking Committee, that means new people in the driver's seat, at least at GM.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CHRISTOPHER DODD (D), CONNECTICUT: I think it's clear GM is in the worst shape. Chrysler is basically gone, probably ought to be merged. Ford is fairly healthy, so we don't want to brand all these companies exactly the same way, but nonetheless, if you're going to restructure and have a viable manufacturing sector in our country...
BOB SCHIEFFER, CBS NEWS: So what you're saying about GM is that Rick Wagoner, the chairman, has to go. DODD: I think he has to move on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, union auto workers are keeping up the pressure on lawmakers with a Michigan-to-Washington caravan, actually. The UAW is agreeing to renegotiate much leaner contracts to help keep the industry afloat.
The president-elect is on board with a package of government loans and strict conditions. CNN's Elaine Quijano brings us up to speed on that, live from Chicago.
Hi, Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Kyra.
Well, that's right: President-elect Barack Obama says U.S. automakers cannot be allowed to fail, but he says before Detroit gets any help, there must be conditions, including restructuring. And the president-elect said yesterday that is something that, in his view, should have happened decades ago. Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENT-ELECT: I think that the Big Three U.S. automakers have made repeated strategic mistakes, but what I've also said is that the auto industry is the backbone of American manufacturing. It is a huge employer across many states. Millions of people directly or indirectly are reliant on that industry, and so I don't think it's an option to simply allow it to collapse.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO: Now, the president-elect was also asked in a news conference yesterday specifically about whether he agreed with Senator Dodd on the future of GM head, Rick Wagoner, whether or not he should step down.
The president-elect did not answer that question directly. Instead, Kyra, he broadened out his answer to say, look, at Detroit, there needs to be some tough business decisions that are going to have to be made. And if there are top managers in positions who do not think that they are going to be able to make those difficult decisions, then those managers do need to go, but Kyra, he was very careful. He did not name Rick Wagoner specifically in answering that question.
PHILLIPS: All right. Elaine, thanks.
And what do the nation's big cities have in common with the Big Three and the banking industry and overextended homeowners? The cities, too, are getting battered in the economic storm. And they, too, want federal help.
Today in Washington, the mayors of New York, L.A., Chicago, and Miami called for an influx of federal spending on urban infrastructure.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR MANNY DIAZ, MIAMI: We are not here for a bailout. We are here to help build out America and put Americans back to work, to support congressional efforts to stimulate our economy and to strongly endorse President-elect Obama's call for a long-term economic recovery plan that creates or saves 2.5 million jobs over the next two years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Chicago is home to an economic standoff that could have been just another story of a business gone bust and laid-off workers. Instead, the workers at Republic Windows and Doors are refusing to take fired for an answer. And they've got some pretty powerful allies.
Susan Roesgen is there.
Susan, what exactly do the workers want as they stage this sit- in?
SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, they say that -- that they were not given notice. They weren't given the 60-days notice required by law if there's going to be a layoff. And if they didn't get that notice, then they should get 60 days' pay.
Now, Kyra, as you can see, they're still having their peaceful occupation and, as you mentioned, a lot of politicians have joined them in this.
We haven't yet heard anything from company management, so we still don't know why some 300 workers were laid off with just three days' notice, but the union says they smell a rat. If you can get a look at this thing over here, Kyra, it says, "Bank Robbers of America." The union says Bank of America is to blame, and others agree.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. ROD BLAGOJEVICH (D), ILLINOIS: How come it's OK for some of these banks who have messed things up in a significant, substantial way, that it's trickled down to impact the lives of ordinary, average Illinoisans and ordinary, average Americans who every day work? It's OK for big corporations like the "Chicago Tribune" to do it and then line up so they can get ahead of other creditors. But somehow, these workers always end up on the bottom.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROESGEN: The governor there mentioned the "Chicago Tribune." We just learned today, Kyra, that the "Chicago Tribune" may file for bankruptcy, as well, the "Tribune" newspaper and the Tribune company.
That was Governor Rod Blagojevich, the governor of Illinois. He said that he's going to push for a temporary restraining order here to keep the company from closing before the workers can get paid.
And even more than that, Kyra, he is so angry at Bank of America that he says the state of Illinois will no longer do business with Bank of America. And that could cause Bank of America millions of dollars.
Now, Bank of America is going to have a meeting with union officials later today. We don't know yet whether the company officials will show up at that meeting, but everybody's trying to get this thing resolved -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Susan, any idea how long you think they're going to stay, continue to sit in?
ROESGEN: Well, you know, right now, they're doing it in shifts, Kyra. It started with about 200 people, I'd say, on Friday when they all got the word that they were laid off. And then they've decided to do this in eight-hour shifts. They have about 20 to 30 people per shift. And so they're sort of rotating it that way.
And they've got a lot of national support. You see all these signs. You see the giant rats. It's the union national representatives that have come her, and they're the ones who've really put out the signs and gotten all the politicians involved. So I think they're able to stay for quite a while if it takes that long.
PHILLIPS: We'll see if it works.
Susan Roesgen, thanks so much.
Well, tough times for the Tribune company. The owner of the Chicago newspaper of the same name, not to mention the Cubs, Wrigley Field and "The Los Angeles Times," is reportedly on the brink of filing bankruptcy. The flagship paper says its parent company has hired top-dollar advisers to help plot its next move. It was only about a year ago that real-estate mogul Sam Zell took the company private in an eight-plus-billion-dollar buyout.
Cold-blooded murder or self-defense? That's the central question about Blackwater security guards involved in last year's fatal shooting of Iraqis in Baghdad. Five former Blackwater guards who face manslaughter and other charges surrendered this morning in Salt Lake City.
Kara Finnstrom was outside the courthouse with more -- Kara.
KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, right now, Kyra, the five men facing those charges are in the courthouse just behind me, awaiting the proceedings here in Utah, which are expected to get underway in just a couple of hours.
When those men arrived this morning with their defense attorneys, we were still unaware of the exact charges they were going to face, because the indictments were under seal. Just a short while ago, the Justice Department removed that seal. And we want to let you in to let you listen in to part of that press conference. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAT ROWAN, ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL: Specifically, the defendants are charged with killing 14 unarmed civilians and wounding 20 other individuals in connection with this event. In addition, we can report that a sixth Blackwater security guard has pleaded guilty to charges of voluntary manslaughter and attempt to commit manslaughter for his role in the same shooting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FINNSTROM: Now, all five of the men charged here are former military members. Defense attorneys say they had all received numerous commendations and awards for their service.
And we spoke with one of the defense attorneys as he headed in this morning with these men. He told us a little bit about what might be said in the courtroom today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FINNSTROM: Can you tell us a little bit about what your arguments will be today?
DAVID SCHERTLER, ATTORNEY FOR DUSTIN HEARD: No, we won't go into that right now. But you'll hear it in the courtroom today.
FINNSTROM: Can we hear anything from your client, any kind of reaction?
SCHERTLER: No, nothing from my client. Thank you very much. He's innocent, and we'll prove his innocence in court.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FINNSTROM: Now, all these former guards worked for Blackwater. That's an independent contractor that was hired by the U.S. government to protect diplomats. Blackwater has consistently maintained that these men were doing their jobs, that they were fired upon by armed insurgents, and they fired back.
The Iraqi government conducted its own investigation. They found, in their words, that this was premeditated murder. And then there was also this preliminary military report in which the first soldiers on the scene said they didn't find any evidence that those contractors had been fired upon.
So Kyra, this is really a very involved, complicated, emotionally-charged case. You have 14 people who were killed, some of them, you know, women and children. Those are the charges these men face.
On the other hand, you also have the defense team that says these men were doing their job in an extreme wartime situation out there.
PHILLIPS: We'll follow it. Kara, thanks. Well, these pictures show a camp in Pakistan allegedly used by the terrorists who attacked Mumbai, India. Pakistani troops raided that camp yesterday in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir. Pakistan says that more than a dozen people were arrested. It's apparently the first action by Pakistan against the Islamic militant group Lashkar-e- Toiba. India blames them for those Mumbai attacks.
Riot police in Greece beat protesters in Athens, the third day of violence since police shot and killed a teenager on Saturday. Two police officers are under arrest, one charged with murder. And that hasn't stopped rampaging protests throughout the country. Many of those rioters are young people, taking out their frustrations on shops, banks and police stations.
About 30 civilians and more than a dozen police officers have been hurt.
Well, as if Barack Obama needed something else to worry about. A new report may require a lot of attention from the next president. Says the U.S. is losing a key race in cyber space, and the time to act is now. We'll have a live report.
And time for some wheeling and dealing at the altar. A Detroit mega church turns to prayer to get America's Big Three automakers back in the black.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: A new novel imagines the journey of Jesus and re- imagines what it means to know God. Author Deepak Chopra joins us live in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, some sobering news about the nation's cyber security or lack thereof. A panel of experts says that it's such a big deal the Obama administration should appoint a cyber security czar.
Let's get more from our homeland security correspondent, Jeanne Meserve.
Jeanne, do you think he'd do that?
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, he's certainly going to listen to what this high-powered bipartisan panel had to say. Amongst its points, the U.S. is losing the war in cyber space, and it is threatening the country's economic prosperity and military strength. The report says cyber security is a national security threat on a par with weapons of mass destruction and global jihad, and the U.S. must use every tool in its arsenal to reduce the threat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JAMES LANGEVIN (D), RHODE ISLAND: We're talking about diplomatic intelligence, military, economic assets of national power, including law enforcement. And there will have to be a strong, international component to working with our allies and other nations around the world so that everyone is doing a better job of securing cyberspace. It's not just a U.S. problem. This is an international problem. And it affects everyone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MESERVE: Currently, the government's cyber security efforts are headed up by the Department of Homeland Security, but the commission says the situation is beyond that department's scope and competencies. It recommends a new position be created, a cyber czar who reports directly to the president and coordinates across all governmental agencies.
It also says there should be a new national office on cyberspace and a cyber security directorate within the National Security Council. If we do not do these things, the panel says, foreign militaries and intelligence agencies, as well as cyber thieves, will continue to undercut U.S. strength and put the nation at risk -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Well, Jeanne, do we even have the legal tools to better secure cyber space?
MESERVE: Well, the commission says a lot of laws on the books were written at a time when it was easier to establish geography and jurisdiction. Those things are much more muddied in an interconnected world. And it says the law badly needs to be updated, but with a very close eye on privacy and civil liberties.
PHILLIPS: What about the military? Does it have a role?
MESERVE: Yes, it says a robust president -- presence in cyber space is an absolute necessity.
But, you know, there's a problem here with attribution in cyber space. If somebody attacks you, you can't always be sure exactly where that attack is coming from. So it makes retribution difficult. So this report says that it may turn out that defense is more important than offense in cyber space.
PHILLIPS: Jeanne Meserve, thanks.
MESERVE: You bet.
PHILLIPS: The U.S. and the world's second biggest religion are often at odds, so does Barack Obama repair the rocky relationship between America and the Muslim world? We'll examine that issue in a memo to the president.
And coping strategies for holiday stress. The recession about as fun as an old and stale fruitcake that we always get this season.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Huge crowd has gathered as Muslims from around the world make the annual pilgrimage known as the Hajj. On tap today, a ritual that involves the stoning of the devil.
The five-day pilgrimage ends Wednesday. It's supposed to cleanse Muslims of their sins. It begins and ends in the city of Mecca, the birthplace of the prophet Mohammed and the site of Islam's holiest shrine.
This year, extra security is in place to prevent stampedes that have killed thousands of pilgrims in the past.
Well, America and the Muslim world, the relationship is a rocky one, at best, and so are changes ahead when Barack Obama is sworn in. And what do both sides need to do to overcome those obstacles?
Our State Department correspondent, Zain Verjee, now with a memo to the president.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Mr. President, 1.3 billion people in the Muslim world are watching.
IMAM FEISAL ABDUL RAUF, FOUNDER, CORDOBA INITIATIVE: The son of a Muslim, all -- the whole narrative of Obama, put together, is what gives us hope.
VERJEE: But experts say fulfilling hope in the Muslim world boils down to one issue: peace in the Midwest. Other presidents have teed-up agreement between Palestinians and Israelis but have failed to close the deal.
EDWARD DJEREJIAN, DIRECTOR, BAKER INSTITUTE, RICE UNIVERSITY: The Palestinian issue remains the core political issue in the Arab world and the larger Muslim world.
VERJEE: And the Mumbai terror attacks were just the latest reminder of the threat of extremists.
RAUF: The political problems have been the ones that have fueled the cause of radicalism within -- within the Muslim world.
VERJEE: A new president must keep up his guard and dare to reach out.
DJEREJIAN: The ones that have to be reached before they become radicalized because of unresolved conflicts in the region, no jobs, social injustice, corruption, bad education systems. So it's a huge task.
VERJEE: Not a Muslim by faith, but Muslim roots, even the Barack Hussein Obama was a mixed blessing in the campaign.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's an Arab.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: No, ma'am; no, ma'am.
OBAMA: And I got my middle name from somebody who obviously didn't think I'd ever run for president.
VERJEE: Analysts say the Muslim world will be looking for reassurance, in your inaugural address, in your choice of where to travel as a new president.
Victory already has sent a message.
DJEREJIAN: The photo of President Bush and President Obama at the White House did volumes in the broader Middle East and throughout the world, to show what America is.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Our Zain Verjee with us now from Washington.
Zain, what fine line does Obama need to walk in the Muslim world?
VERJEE: Well, Kyra, it's a really fine line. It's so delicate. The real challenge is how to conduct foreign policy amid what's going on, which is the struggle of ideas within the Muslim world, between the forces of moderation and extremism. So he's going to have to navigate that cause very, very carefully. And almost harness the moderates of the Muslim world to crack down themselves and take a deep and serious look within the entire Muslim community and deal with the extremists that they may see in their mosques or communities.
PHILLIPS: And so what else can the U.S. do with the Muslim world?
VERJEE: Well, reaching out, really, to the vast majority of -- who are moderates. Experts say reach out to them. Do public diplomacy programs. Listen and engage the majority of the Muslims in the world and then focus on fighting the extremists in places like Pakistan, like Afghanistan and Kashmir and so forth.
PHILLIPS: Side question for you. It's pre-Obama time, but you actually covered the Hajj. Didn't you?
VERJEE: I did. Yes, I did.
PHILLIPS: What was that like for you?
VERJEE: Well, it was a pretty amazing experience. I mean, you've got something like three million people in this tiny space, all performing these rituals. They're so emotional about it. Most of them have saved up heir entire lives to be here. It's really an incredible visual moment. It's an incredibly religious experience for the majority of -- for all the people here, in fact.
The Saudi government does an incredible job just organizing the logistics for all of this. You're out in the desert, and you have to be doing a specific ritual at a specific time and a specific -- according to a specific calendar. And it's pretty amazing, Kyra.
It's incredibly hot and difficult, too. That's the toughest part of doing this. PHILLIPS: I can imagine.
VERJEE: Just the physical -- you have to be physically able to do it. And you've got 80-year-old women. And, you know, it's quite emotional for a lot of people.
PHILLIPS: Wow. Hopefully, one day I can experience it, as well.
Zain, thanks.
VERJEE: You can't. No Muslims [SIC] allowed.
PHILLIPS: You know what? You don't know my whole story. Stand by for the rest of the story.
Stand by for hard news.
Thank you, Zain.
Well, can you give me an amen? SUVs sharing the sanctuary in Detroit's Greater Grace Temple. The bishop joins us with his thoughts and tactics, which you'll find very interesting, for saving the auto industry.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta, and you're live in the CNN NEWSROOM. Right now, it is about 1:27 Eastern Time. These are some of the other stories that we're working on for you.
Five former Blackwater security guards charged with manslaughter in a fatal shooting last year in Baghdad. They surrendered today. Federal prosecutors say the men used machine guns and grenade launchers to attack unarmed Iraqi civilians. Blackwater says the men acted in self-defense.
Three straight days now of rioting across Greece, sparked by the fatal police shooting of a teenager Saturday. Buildings and cars have been burned and dozens of people injured. Two police officers are under arrest, one charged with murder.
Laid-off workers staging a sit-in at their closed factory in Chicago say they are going strong and have no plans to stop their protests. They're demanding severance and vacation pay. The plant suddenly closed when a bank canceled the company's financing.
Well, the fate of the nation's automakers has kept investors on edge for weeks. But signs of an agreement have Wall Street shifting into high gear today. Susan Lisovicz on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange with more on a possible deal to save the Big Three, along with what it's doing for the market.
Hey, Susan.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kyra. That's right. And we're getting details of a Democratic draft from our Dana Bash. Now, this is just a draft. It could change. It still has to go through the White House.
But some of the details that we're hearing is that the companies, the Big Three, would get this money by December 15. And yes, it would be $15 billion. That there would be a car czar, if you will, to oversee the terms of this and that there would be a deadline, that if the companies did not over see themselves by February 15 to his or her satisfaction, that money could be recalled. There's also a possibility of a cabinet-level oversight board. So a lot of details.
And that is of big concern, not only on Capitol Hill but on Wall Street, because the U.S. auto industry employs about 2 million people. We know what's been happening in terms of job losses. So hugely important to Wall Street. And we're starting to get more details from this very long, extensive period of negotiations, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Well, this money also, it comes with strings attached.
LISOVICZ: No question about it, Kyra. President-elect Obama, for instance, says he wants these companies to be more economically efficient, more environmentally friendly, more globally competitive. Certainly, executive compensation would be watched, that -- that, in fact, the government would reap some of the profits, if in fact there were profits, and that limits would be placed on some of the things that they would be able to do. And that in fact, investors would not be repaid first.
But investors are being rewarded today, that's for sure. Because G.M. shares, right now, on this promise, are up 16 percent. Ford's shares are up 19 percent. G.M. is a Dow 30 stock.
Check it out. The blue chips with some nice, positive momentum from Friday, up 208 points. The Nasdaq is up 46 points -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, Susan, we'll keep talking.
Well you can call it a bailout loan revival in Detroit. Auto workers appealed to a higher power yesterday to keep their industry rolling. Three white SUVs parked by the pulpit of the Greater Grace Temple, one from each of the troubled carmakers.
Bishop Charles Ellis heads the Detroit mega church.
Good to see you, Bishop.
BISHOP CHARLES ELLIS, GREATER GRACE TEMPLE: Thanks for having me on.
OK. I have to admit, you know, we were talking about this in our morning meeting, you usually -- we see flowers and crosses up there at the altar, but this time we saw, let's see, a Chrysler Aspen, a Ford Escape and a Chevy Tahoe.
What gave you the idea? ELLIS: Well, we at Greater Grace Temple are always trying to minister in an innovative way in this 21st century. I say sometimes that we try to minister to a 21st century in an iPod generation with an 8-track cassette tape mentality and ministry. And I think that we got the message across yesterday.
PHILLIPS: I think you did.
And they were all white. I thought that was very apropos. That's very spiritual, yes?
ELLIS: And that white did not mean we were surrendering. That white meant that we are looking to be victorious.
PHILLIPS: OK. There you go. That's a good -- I'm going to have to remember that. No waving the white flag, that's for sure.
All right. Apparently, hundreds of your worshipers work in the automotive industry. There are union assemblers, executives, car salesmen, car saleswomen even, and they gathered six-deep around the altar there. And I'm told that you -- that their foreheads were anointed with consecrated oil.
Tell me about that. Tell me why went -- took that approach and the response was.
ELLIS: Well, even on a cold and snowy day here in Detroit, I think there were about -- probably a little over 3,000 people at Greater Grace. And when I made the appeal for those who work in the automobile industry to come to the altar, there probably were about 250 individuals that came.
And we anointed them with oil because it is symbolic of the anointing of God being placed upon individuals' lives. And we certainly know that in this time, we need God to move on our behalf.
PHILLIPS: And just put it in perspective, Bishop: How crucial is this for members of your congregation? My guess is, with all those employed in the industry, it's going to effect your church too, and how folks tithe.
ELLIS: Well not just at Greater Grace, I'm talking to pastors all over the country, from Los Angeles to Connecticut to Atlanta to Houston. Everyone's revenue seems to be down from 15, even as much as 25 percent. And certainly those of us that are in the non-profit religious business and spiritual worship -- houses of worship -- we depend solely on the generosity and the benevolence of tithe and free- will offerings.
So when people are not doing well, we're not doing well.
PHILLIPS: Finally, your sermon: A hybrid of hope, is that right?
ELLIS: Hope in and of itself, a naked hope alone, is worth nothing. But when you couple hope with faith and you add them together, and you cross breed them, or that's a hybrid, now you have a recipe that can move God on your behalf. And we were praying that God will get in the midst of the deliberations and the vote that will go down this week.
PHILLIPS: Well, I'll tell you what, Sunny Purdue (ph) here in Georgia prayed for rain. I don't know if you ever saw that, but he had people gather on the courthouse steps. Hundreds of people showed up. And, Bishop, we got rain.
ELLIS: Well we believe that we're going to get a favorable vote on this and the automobile industries are going to really rebound out of this and do well.
PHILLIPS: Well we'll follow up.
Bishop Charles Ellis -- so who drove home in the SUVs?
ELLIS: We very carefully got -- drove them out of the church. And we made sure that we returned them back to the dealerships unscratched and unscathed.
PHILLIPS: Well I'm sure you blessed them, so whoever gets those cars will be in good shape.
Thanks, Bishop.
ELLIS: They need to up the price on them.
Thank you.
PHILLIPS: There you go.
You can't put a price on that, that's for sure.
Well, snow and lots of it. Parts of the nation's heartland are getting ready for a big blast of wintry weather. Jacqui Jeras is watching the storm unfold.
Hey, Jacqui.
(WEATHER REPORT)
PHILLIPS: All right, Jacqui, thanks.
Well if the economy has you feeling like, well, bah, humbug, this season, you're not alone. But we do have some tips for beating the holiday stress.
And when January 20th rolls around, President and Mrs. Bush are heading back to Texas, but not to their ranch in Crawford. In the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM we're going to take a look at the first family's new digs in Dallas.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well you may have noticed something different on the bottom of your screen this morning. The CNN logo has turned green. It's not your TV, it is us. And that's because the second installment of CNN's award-winning series, "Planet in Peril," debuts this Thursday at 9:00 p.m. Eastern. Continue to go green.
Well Ireland's government is scrambling to limit fall out from a pork scare. Experts of pork from Ireland and Northern Ireland have been halted after high dioxin levels were found.
Is it dioxin?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Dioxin.
PHILLIPS: Dioxin -- gosh, I'm having problems speaking today.
The problem was traced to animal feet tainted with oil. No specific pork product names were named, but they all came from Ireland. We are told that food safety officials believe the contamination likely started in September. People are being told to stay away from Irish pork in bacon products for the time being.
Well, a new CNN Opinion Research Poll tells us that the recession is making this a stressful holiday season. Yes, we know that.
CNN medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, joins me with some of the details, helping me pronounce all my technical words.
Let's talk about what the poll suggests.
COHEN: Right, as you said, it suggests sort of what we already know. So let's start with sort of what we already know and then move on from there.
The poll asks the question: Will economic conditions make Christmas more stressful this year? Four out of 10 people said, yes. Not surprising. In fact, some of us thought that number would be higher.
What is surprising, and very interesting, is how people are changing their ways because of the recession. We've got the descending order here. The fifth most common thing that people are doing is not buying food or medicine, which is obviously terrible; also, heat or electricity, sometimes those have to go by the wayside; also, driving less. Spending less money on leisure activities is the second most common reaction to the recession, talking about like eating out and movies.
The most common thing that people are doing during the holiday season because of the recession, they are changing the way that they buy holiday gifts. Not -- it's -- you got to do it. For some people, it is just not a choice. That's just what they have to do.
PHILLIPS: And -- stress, it seems so simple, and it is in many ways, but a lot of people deny it. Stress totally affects the body. Our stomach, our jaws, our eyes.
COHEN: You just named everything I was about to name.
PHILLIPS: OK, I'm sorry.
COHEN: That's OK.
PHILLIPS: (INAUDIBLE) ... experienced all of it.
(CROSSTALK)
COHEN: But I have a picture of a body to go with it, so that'll make it much more interesting.
PHILLIPS: OK.
COHEN: Let's take a look at what stress does to your body. It affects your jaw in the form of TMJ. Anyone who has had that knows how painful it is. Stress affects how your heart functions, and I don't just mean like liking and loving and stuff, I mean your actual heart. It affects your digestive system.
And here is something a lot of people don't know. It affects your immune system. Stress makes you more vulnerable to getting all the bugs that are out there.
PHILLIPS: Well you know, Deepak Chopra is here. We're interviewing him next. We should talk about medication and all the ways --
COHEN: Oh absolutely.
PHILLIPS: -- to decrease that stress.
COHEN: That's right, because that is one of them.
And different things work for different people. Saying ohm is not going to work for everyone, but it is going to work for some people. Other people turn to yoga, other people take a walk. Other people go --
PHILLIPS: Jack Daniels.
COHEN: -- seek help with a counselor.
Jack Daniels is not one we're recommending. But you said it, I didn't.
Here's another thing which --
PHILLIPS: On a serious note.
COHEN: That's right, on a serious note.
People forget this, is think about what is stressing you out in particular and attack it head on. For example, if you're afraid that your kids are not going to react well to the fact that they're going to get fewer Christmas gifts this year, sit down and have a talk with your kids about that. PHILLIPS: Yes, and let's just lay it out there. I've had great counciling over the years and they just talk about what identifying what triggers that anxiety.
COHEN: Exactly.
PHILLIPS: As soon as you figure out what it is, you get rid of that.
COHEN: Your life is so much better.
PHILLIPS: You don't think about it, you don't do it. You say no, you don't feel pressured to give in to certain things.
COHEN: Right, exactly.
PHILLIPS: And we take on a lot of that in our business.
COHEN: Exactly, that's right. That's right.
PHILLIPS: Thanks for the tips.
COHEN: Can I tell you about a great Christmas gift that friends of mine are doing? They said, you know what? Because of the economic circumstances that we have now, we're going to interview people in the family and we're going to write a biography, basically, of our family. We're going to bind it up nicely, and we're going to give it to people in our family.
And think about --
PHILLIPS: What a great idea.
COHEN: It takes the stress off. And you know what? They are going to remember that gift. People are going to have that in their family for years. And stuff that you just buy and wrap up, that goes away.
PHILLIPS: No, it's true. It's the thoughtful things that people always remember. And it can be very small, yet so meaningful.
COHEN: Right, absolutely.
PHILLIPS: Thanks, Elizabeth. It's like I just had therapy.
COHEN: Oh, good.
PHILLIPS: I hope everybody else did.
COHEN: I won't charge you.
PHILLIPS: And it was free.
Well missing years in the life of Jesus. A new novel lays out what he might have been up to. The path to enlightenment with author Deepak Chopra. Maybe we'll talk about decreasing stress, too. Live in the NEWSROOM.
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PHILLIPS: Well, Deepak Chopra is very well-known for trying to bridge East and West in areas like medicine and philosophy. And his latest book takes a similar tact with a bit of a twist. It's a novel, what he describes as religious fiction, titled, "Jesus, A Story of Enlightenment."
It traces Jesus' path to a new consciousness and suggests maybe we need to redefine divine. Deepak Chopra is here with me live in the NEWSROOM.
Good to see you again.
DEEPAK CHOPRA, AUTHOR, "JESUS: A STORY OF ENLIGHTENMENT": Nice to see you, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: I think there's probably one saying that we should definitely make clear, is that this Jesus is not the Bible Jesus.
CHOPRA: It's not the Bible Jesus. And yet, when I wrote the novel, I looked at what I called the Apocryphal gospels, the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Peter, the Gospel of Mary, the Gospel of Mary Magdalene. There's a lot of literature that the West is not aware of.
The West is also not aware of the fact that Thomas, one of the apostles, came to India in 52 A.D., before the other gospels of the Bible were written. In fact, there is a church of Saint Thomas in (INAUDIBLE). It's the only place other than little pockets in Syria where they still speak Aramaic, the language that Jesus spoke.
In fact, I attended mass in Aramaic before I started to write this book.
PHILLIPS: Is this why you are so -- you've always been fascinated with the New Testament, since a very young age. Is it because of the connection to India?
CHOPRA: Yes. I've read the New Testament over 1,000 times, at least.
PHILLIPS: And you don't have it memorized?
CHOPRA: I have most of it memorized.
PHILLIPS: OK.
CHOPRA: I went to a Catholic/Irish missionary school. But I was also familiar with the legends and the stories of his last years, the 18 years, and the fact that there are other scholars, actually, historical scholars, including a German scholar, who have written books and testimonials about the fact that he travelled along the Silk Route, which was already there 200 years before his time.
The Silk Route extended all the way from China through Tibet, the (INAUDIBLE) mountains, into Syria, Lebanon and into Egypt through Jerusalem. And there are lots of stories of his trips to India, to his arguments and debates with Buddhist monks in the monasteries of Lay (ph) and Lhasa in Tibet, how he argued, learned, exchanged views with them.
PHILLIPS: And I have to admit that I was reading it, I felt like I was reading about Buddha, not about Jesus Christ. And maybe that's because I've studied the Bible in college, so this was an interesting interpretation for me.
CHOPRA: But see, Kyra, if you go to the writings of the (INAUDIBLE), which were discovered in the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1927, in the desert, you know, which is now well-known this literature. There are certain scrolls over there that sound Buddhist, but they're not. They're (INAUDIBLE), OK?
And they talk about covenant of eternal love, for example. They talk about a special manuscript that they call the Manuscript of Mark. So there's some very interesting literature that most people aren't aware of because Christianity when it came to the west, came through St. Paul. And it was Hellenic, in that it was influenced by Greeks and Romans, of course.
The Christianity that went east, the (INAUDIBLE), the (INAUDIBLE), these people have different views. And you know, the church in St. Thomas, for example, of India. They are related to the (INAUDIBLE) who look at Jesus as having a human nature which grew into a divine nature. The man who became the messiah. So, even in Mark, you know, there's a paragraph where he says, what kind of man is this? And in Luke, there's a passage when he's 12 years old and he disappears and after that he's not --
PHILLIPS: Yes. Because there's no records between 12 years old and 30 years old. So you said you had to make that part fictional. But then later in life, you talk about the crucifixion, that it was a dream. But that's not what Christians believe. I mean, the crucifixion -- that's like saying Buddha was never enlightened. I mean, Jesus was crucified and that's how Christians --
CHOPRA: How do we interpret resurrection? Death and resurrection. Is death a paradigm and the resurrection of a new one. Like now, we're seeing the death of an economic paradigm and we'll hopefully resurrect something completely different. A completely new way of looking at economics.
We're seeing the death of a paradigm that says we're not connected to each other. We're seeing the death of the idea that ecology is regional. We are one ecology. We are one economy. And Jesus says, is it not written in your law, I said, that you are gods. If it can be said of those to whom the word of God, the knowledge of God, the logos of God, the consciousness of God came that you're gods, why do you say a blaspheme?
So, we are one breath, we are one body field, we are one energy field, we are one information field. The sooner we recognize we are one humanity, we'll see some resolution of these problems. PHILLIPS: But, do you believe that Jesus Christ was the man that walked the earth?
CHOPRA: I do. I do believe. And I think he's one of the most romantic archetypal figures of all time. It's the greatest story. It's the story of adventure, mystery, magic, miracles, redemption, salvation. It's the most romantic story ever told. He was the greatest teacher, one of the greatest teachers. But, you know, when a teacher is pointing somewhere, if somebody is pointing at the moon, you look at the moon. You don't worship the finger.
PHILLIPS: Interesting. I'm going to remember that. Well, as you know, we have a very diverse group within my team. And we started looking at all the various images of Jesus Christ. We put together this collage.
You've got the black Jesus, you have the -- actually we'll see them as we roll into all the various images. You know, more of a conservative, more of a renaissance. You know, who is the real Jesus? what Is the real Jesus? Everybody has an interpretation of what he looked like, what color he was, what his -- some even say that Jesus was a female.
CHOPRA: Well, everybody looks through their lens of their own perception. What you don't have there, I think -- or maybe you have there is an image of Jesus that is in south India, that was brought to south India by Saint Thomas where Jesus is none of these postures. He's sitting in lotus with a beatific smile in deep meditation.
PHILLIPS: Maybe that Jesus was the one that bonded with Buddha.
CHOPRA: Buddha was 500 years before Jesus.
PHILLIPS: Anything's possible.
CHOPRA: Anything's possible.
PHILLIPS: The book is fabulous. Deepak Chopra, always great to see you.
Thank you so much.
CHOPRA: Thanks, Kyra, for having me. Thank you.
PHILLIPS: Well, it's the Vegas vacation that's the talk of the town. And I mean the whole town. And you're learn about it straight ahead.
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PHILLIPS: Well, what happens in Vegas, stays in Cranfills Gap. The tiny Texas town outside of Ft. Worth, is being treated to a free Las Vegas vacation. It's part of a marketing campaign sponsored by Vegas tourism officials. And Shannon Franklin with CNN affiliate, KDAF reports folks in the gap are pretty geared up.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHANNON FRANKLIN, KDAF REPORTER (voice-over): Cranfills Gap, Texas. Population, 358.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a great town.
FRANKLIN: Located two hours southwest of Dallas, the Gap, as it's called, has two stop signs, no stop lights.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's you know, kind of in the middle of nowhere.
FRANKLIN: There is one bank, one gas station, one restaurant.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're 50 miles from the nearest Wal-Mart or McDonald's -- any direction.
FRANKLIN: Dusty Glass and nearly half the town will disappear temporarily, whisked away to Las Vegas for an all expenses paid, five- day fun-filled vacation.
JAMIE EDWARDS, GOING TO VEGAS: At first we thought it was just total bogus and we thought someone was trying to pull a scam over us. But, now it's getting pretty exciting. And I'm ready to go.
FRANKLIN: It is the next phase of that wildly successful marketing campaign. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitor's Authority is spending $2.5 million to send, put up, and entertain the town.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Staying at great hotels, having amazing dinners, going to shows.
FRANKLIN: It wants to highlight Vegas as the perfect stress reliever and stress the need for leisure even in these tough economic times.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hope it puts the Gap on the mat.
FRANKLIN: Mayor David Witte hopes being featured on TV and radio in print and online, will bring some much-needed business to Cranfills Gap. Last year it struggled to find enough students to keep its one school open.
MAYOR DAVID WITTE, CRANFILLS GAP, TEXAS: There's not a lot of business in town. Most of the people that work here have to drive out of town. So it would be great to have some kind of industry come in to hire some people to get -- even higher the mayor so he can stay in town.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Well, Cranfills Gap resident Tonya Davidson has big plans for the Vegas getaway. She and her finance want to go to a drive through wedding chapel and get married.
Well, hopefully their wedding cake is a bit more appetizing than this. If you think regular fruit cake is bad, this will make you definitely turn a holiday hurl.
This piece of fruit cake has been around for 96 Christmases, soon to be 97. Older than dirt and probably not as tasty. The current owner inherited it from friends who clearly couldn't have liked him very much. He says that he loves the franky cake, though, moldy mints and all. Not to self -- decline invitation to that guy's Christmas party.
The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.
