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LaGuardia Airport Evacuated for Possible Bomb Scare; Cash for Clunkers Program Requires Additional Funding; Evaluations of President Obama Second 100 Days
Aired August 01, 2009 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everybody. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING for this August the 1st. I'm T.J. Holmes.
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I'm Brooke Baldwin sitting in for Betty again this weekend. Thank you for starting your day with us. It is shaping up to be a busy, busy ...
HOLMES: Yes.
BALDWIN: ...first Saturday of August.
Want to get right to our developing story. We've been telling you about the central terminal at New York's Laguardia Airport. It was evacuated I think right around 6:30 this morning and we saw all kinds of video of people heading out. Why? All we know, according to the port authority is they had detained a gentleman inside and he had some sort of suspicious bag. What's inside the bag, we still don't know at this point.
But the good news is that all those people who were hanging out outside of LaGuardia this morning are back in the airport.
HOLMES: Once they get back inside, they're finding the bad news, which they knew would be waiting for them, and that is flight delays and also flight cancellations in some cases. Again, we're talking about a good two or even three-hour period where no plane was allowed to land or take off from LaGuardia airport, a busy hub.
People were taking off there on vacations, or taking off for just a short weekend trip. Whatever it may be, it is causing a mess and backups not just there at LaGuardia but even at several airports around the country.
No word yet on why exactly this male passenger was singled out, why his bag was suspicious. We don't have that word yet. But we do know he is in custody.
We'll continue to follow this story. We've been hearing from passengers on the ground, from iReporter, we've been hearing from our producers who just happen to be there and flying out themselves.
One of our iReporters on the scene took some video here I'm going to show you now. This captures the chaos and the confusion, really. This was at the very beginning, this was some of the very first video we got.
Everybody just wondering what in the world is going on? There was a sense of fear that happens that comes with this uncertainty about the situation. They didn't know what was happening. They were just told to get out.
But this was at the very beginning as the terminal was being evacuated.
BALDWIN: And earlier this morning we were talking to one of our producers out of New York who is still with us on the phone, Ross Levitt. And Ross just showed us some amazing pictures thanks to your cell phone camera.
But the question now that I'm asking is, we saw some of those planes that have been canceled, others listed on time. Do we know if any flights have left LaGuardia yet today?
ROSS LEVITT, CNN PRODUCER (via telephone): We don't know that quite yet. The passengers are describing the scene as chaotic, and certainly it is that, just lots of questions, people not sure.
Where I'm standing right now, I'm outside the C gate where there is a police line right here, a taped off area. So no people still are able to get into gate -- you know, about 14 gates here in the C part of the terminal.
So while things are back to normal in other parts, clearly there's one big section of the airport here that is still closed off to passengers. They are not being allowed through these security gates. We've seen some bomb-sniffing dogs coming through, a lot of police activity here. So clearly the investigation still very much underway.
In the meantime, people are starting to return to the gates that are open and trying to get on flights out. I spoke to a few people who were on 7:00 flights. They now believe those flights are going to leave around noon.
But, you know, they're taking that with a grain of salt. They're still a little skeptical their flight is actually going to get off the ground today.
BALDWIN: Ross, I was talking to one of the reporters at New York one, and she was saying not only are these travelers facing this hurdle of all these delays, but another hurdle, the fact that they've cordoned off the entire front, the entrance, if you will, to LaGuardia. And so these people are having to haul their bags from a mile away just to get to the airport.
Do you know if the front of the airport, if the entrance of the airport is still cordoned off?
LEVITT: I believe entrances are now back open again.
But you're right. there were really two groups of people. There were those who got in before those gates were -- I mean, before those streets were blocked off, and those people ended up basically standing around on an overpass baking in the sun for about two hours while this whole incident played out.
And then there was a second group of people who were driving in cars and really were just, could not even get anywhere near the airport. And those cars have just started flowing in.
And that's why you're seeing just a crush of people descending on LaGuardia airport and ticket agents that are very busy trying to figure out where all of these people are going to go, when they're going to get to their flights, and how they're going get out of here.
BALDWIN: Amazing. And we're getting a little bit more information now. I have the e-mail.
CNN is confirming with a port authority spokesman John Kelly that there is one suspects, as we've been reporting this morning, one suspect still in custody who had this bag that contained -- here's the new information -- his bag contained wires and a battery.
The wires and battery was not an explosive device, and determined to be nothing by port authority police and the NYPD bomb squad. So it was all for not.
But at least everyone at the airport exercising caution. You never know these days. But, again, this bag containing non-explosive device.
Frightening, though.
HOLMES: Again, it's great that that's the news, but it's just a shame that something that turned out to be not necessarily innocent but still not harmful could cause this whole mess for a lot of people today. Who knows when that thing will get up and running and really back on track? It's going to take all day and maybe even tomorrow.
BALDWIN: Kudos, though, to the airport personnel for getting everyone out safely and back in.
All right, moving along, guys -- attention, all car shoppers. I kind of sound like a car commercial there, but for those of you thinking about spending your Saturday looking at cars, listen up.
The government's popular clash -- clash? -- cash for clunkers -- we can't say it this morning -- cash for clunkers program is running out of money. The White House says it is safe to buy, but dealers may be a little gun shy.
CNN's Kate Bolduan joins us now live from one of those dealerships in Gaithersburg, Maryland. And Kate, what are the dealers there saying? Do we have Kate?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Dealers sought of the deal they couldn't and wouldn't pass up.
BOLDUAN (on camera): What was reaction amongst you and your employees when the program really started moving?
ALEX PERDIKIS, VICE PRESIDENT, KOONS AUTOMOTIVE: When we saw the influx of business, the people coming in that were actually ready to buy, it was very exciting. I mean, we had a huge weekend.
BOLDUAN (voice-over): Alex Perdikis of Koons Automotive says they have sold 290 cars at their 16 locations thanks to the cash for clunkers program. And they've seen a 40 percent jump in sales compared to the same time last year.
But then reports the $1 billion program was already running out of cash, leaving dealers as well as members of Congress scrambling.
REP. NANCY PELOSI, (D-CA) HOUSE SPEAKER: To help our auto industry, to help consumers, to grow our economy, to do it in an environmentally sound way, I think it's a perfect message for us to take home for August.
REP. DAN MAFFEI, (D) NEW YORK: This is a godsend for the auto dealers in my district. Don't stall what's working. Give it a fill up, and let's get cash for clunkers back on the road.
BOLDUAN: The House quickly passed a $2 billion extension of the clunkers' program. Happy with its success, the White House is also piling on the pressure.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So we're now working with Congress on a bipartisan solution to ensure that the program can continue for everyone out there who's still looking to make a trade.
BOLDUAN: But the back and forth, the threats of stop and go, have some dealers nervous and searching for direction.
BILL ASCHENBACH, KLING PONTIAC BUICK GMC: It affects us right now, because you're still so scared. You're not sure what exactly to do or what's going to happen.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BOLDUAN: Now, the bill to extend more cash to this program, it still needs to make it through the Senate, and it's not a slam dunk. On the right, fiscal conservatives don't want to give up more taxpayer -- don't want to spend more taxpayer money.
On the left, some liberals don't think the program goes far enough to increase fuel efficiency.
Senate aides very honestly say that they're just not sure. They say it's too early to tell if the Senate will take action on this next week or if it'll have to wait until September.
We are here talking to customers, and customers are coming out, they're looking for deals, all very nervous about what will happen after this weekend, or at least for this weekend, they're assured these deals will go through, will be allowed, will be accepted -- Brooke, T.J.?
BALDWIN: Kate Bolduan live in Gaithersburg. Kate, thank you.
Kate mentioned talking to some folks who might be in the market for a car. We will be talking again to Kate at the half hour talking to a car owner who is trying to take advantage of the cash for clunkers program -- T.J.?
HOLMES: One to health care now. Millions of people, of course, without it. Reform legislation hanging in the balance now, and maybe not the best time for Congress, you would think, to take a month off. But they have, they are.
The House did accomplish something before they got out of there last night. The third and final negotiating committee approved a version of the bill. Now it has to be merged with the versions passed by other panel there's in the house.
The full chamber is expected to get the final version sometime in September. The Senate probably won't reach a deal before it goes on recess next Friday.
President Obama sees health care reform as key to fixing the economy. Yesterday second quarter report on the gross domestic product seems to show the recession easing up a bit. And while that's encouraging, the president says there's still a long way to go.
He said that in his weekly address.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: As far as I'm concerned, we will not have a recovery as long as we keep losing jobs. And I won't rest until every American who wants a job can find one.
But history shows that you need to have economic growth before you have job growth, and the report yesterday on our economy is an important sign that we're headed in the right direction.
Business investment, which had been plummeting in the past few months, is showing signs of stabilizing. This means that eventually businesses will start growing and hiring again. And that's when it will really feel like a recovery to the American people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BALDWIN: Now, conservative Democrats had been doing the Republicans' work for them by holding up the health care reform plan in the House. But now that the blue dog Dems have won major concessions, leading the fight will probably fall back on the Republicans.
South Dakota Senator John Thune explains his party's objections in the weekly party GOP address.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN THUNE, (R) SOUTH DAKOTA: Republicans think there's a better way. We've put forth proposals that will cut costs and improve care, and we can accomplish health care reform while keeping patients and their doctors in charge, not bureaucrats and politicians.
Real reform should allow small businesses to pool together to buy affordable insurance for their employees.
Real insurance should protect doctors and hospitals from frivolous lawsuits so they can stop practicing defensive medicine and instead focus on practicing patient-focused medicine.
Real reform should encourage wellness and prevention programs that have been proven to cut costs.
And real reform should give people who buy their own insurance the same tax breaks as those who get insurance through their employers.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BALDWIN: Also want to let you know our health care reform coverage continues in our next half hour with a live update from the White House with our own Elaine Quijano.
HOLMES: The White House has been a busy place lately. Health care battles, financial bailouts, and beer. Those are just some of the highlights from the president's first 200 days in office. We'll look at key turning points for his administration and the moments he might want to forget.
BALDWIN: Also comedian Steve Harvey has been selling a ton of books, his for advice for single ladies, and now he has life lessons for teenagers.
HOLMES: Also, our Reynolds Wolf, he returns with an alternative energy source, fueled by cow stuff. Stick around.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, President Obama entered the White House on a platform of change. The jury's still out on whether that was change for the better, however.
His administration reaches now the 200 day mark, that's coming up next week. And CNN is asking to you grade his presidency with a special report cord. We'll have more on that in just a few minutes.
But first we want some insight from two people who have been watching the White House for quite a while. Doris Kearns Goodwin, Pulitzer Prize winning author and presidential historian. Good morning. There she is, smiling as always. And Frank Sesno -- it's tough to get a smile out of him sometimes. But there he is, CNN special correspondent and professor of media and public affairs at George Washington University.
Good morning to you both. It will start, ladies first, as always. So Doris, I will ask you, is this the most graded president of all-time? It seems like there's such a microscope on him, we're talking about the first 100 day, second 100. So is he getting any closer scrutiny than other presidents?
DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN, PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: I do think part of the way the cable television network works these days and the media works, we do take a closer inspection every week as to what's happening. Our public opinion polls are much more complicated than before.
The interesting thing is that JFK said after six months, you know, we said the problems were bad. That's how we ran against the Republican. But, my god, they're worse than we said. And I suspect that's what the Obama people are feeling as well.
HOLMES: Feeling as well.
And Frank, I'll bring you in here. And she mentioned Kennedy there, and always want to be some kind of comparisons.
And the president, some say he might have some of that Kennedy mystique, he might have some of the problems like Reagan, and then, of course, he always likes to invoke the name of Abraham Lincoln. So what president do you see him being so much like?
FRANK SESNO, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: You got it right. I mean, certainly those presidents.
In modern times I would make two comparisons. I would say, one, to Ronald Reagan because at the point that he came into office they were pressing, huge international challenges, an economy in meltdown, a dispirited public, and in the sense, a political revolution promised.
But also, Kennedy, because of the youth and the vigor and enthusiasm and the almost cult of personality that's developed around him. Seeing his picture show up in huts when he went to Africa is a little bit like seeing Kennedy. And you can still see him on the walls in some place in Latin America as the first Catholic president and someone young and talking about a lot of change.
So Roosevelt, Lincoln, that's history. Headlines, more recently, I would say, JFK and Reagan.
HOLMES: And I want to let our viewers know, Frank is coming to us on Skype. You might see some of that screen get a little mixed up there. But that's all right. We can hear you just fine.
Doris, I'll come back to you. Is this president from what we've seen so far, is he going to be one who defines the times we're in, or is he going to allow the times to define him?
GOODWIN: Well, that's the great question for leadership. And I think he's going to have to figure out a way to define the times.
So far he does seem to be showing a command of the office. I mean, think about it. Even 18 months or so ago, people worried what will happen from the 3:00 a.m. call? Is this rookie president going to take control?
And even if people don't agree with what he's done so far, he seems to have an aura of self-confidence about it, he seems to be enjoying the job. I mean, FDR was once asked in the middle of the war, how would you ever want to be president? He said, why not? Wouldn't anyone want to be president? It's the greatest job in the world.
This guy seems to feel like his talents are being exercised to the fullest. He seems more at home in the presidency even than he did on the campaign trail in those earlier days. So that will allow him to define it.
But, obviously, there's huge problems that he's facing.
HOLMES: Huge problem here, Frank. And she just mentioned, maybe this president is enjoying it and he's allowing his talents -- I mean, he's being stimulated in a lot of ways now. He's not bored like someone suggested in the Senate at times.
So at the same time, what does this tell us about him, that he's trying to do it all at one time? These are huge problems that he seems to wants to take on right now.
SESNO: Well, he clearly does, and that is both his asset and it's his big hurdle. Whether it's remaking energy, rebuilding the infrastructure, fixing the crumbling economy, dealing with the Middle East, resetting relations with Russia, or getting people back to work in the midst of the worst recession since the Great Depression, never mind health care and throw in a few other things, education system.
I mean, it's sweeping change he's talking about. Never mind, as I mentioned a moment ago, sort of the political revolution that he tries to bring.
As Reagan came to Washington and said conservatism, cut government, cut taxes. Obama's come to Washington, and he's not using the L word, "liberal" very much, but his policies very much on the liberal left side.
So the change is breathtaking, really. I don't know how Doris feels about this, but certainly the presidencies that I've observed and been inside covering as White House correspondent and otherwise, this is an unbelievably breathtaking agenda.
HOLMES: He was asking, do you agree with that, Doris?
GOODWIN: I absolutely agree with it. I think some people wonder, is he doing too much too soon? But the problems require an interconnected approach in a certain way. I'm sure he would have preferred it if he could have done jobs first, then health care, financial reform. But it all is somehow all connected. So we'll see.
HOLMES: And I'll ask you both this question, Frank, to you first. And we hear it all the time, the complaint that, my goodness, I can't turn on the TV without seeing this president. He is handling policy and talking health care, or whether on "The Tonight Show" or wherever he may be, or getting a burger, are we seeing this president too much?
SESNO: Or having a beer, right?
HOLMES: Or having a beer.
SESNO: He is by the standards of our modern presidential, television-aged presidencies, very exposed, maybe even overexposed.
But he has to be out there playing and competing, because he lives in this media echo chamber that Doris was talking about a moment ago, and he's got to -- nobody makes the case for him as well as he does.
And right he's in a very perilous time. He's in an economic and political no-man's-land because he's been in the office long enough to start to be having this economy become his economy, but not their long enough for the effects of his stimulus package, if they're going to take place, to really be felt.
Reagan was in this place, his numbers went way down. People urged him to abandon Reaganomics. We remember that. The motto was, "Let Reagan be Reagan." He endured, and it turned around. But it took a while.
Like I say, kind of a no-man's-land. That's one of the reasons he's out there making the case that he is.
HOLMES: He's making those cases, Doris, but some people say he's playing on his popularity as well. People like the guy even if they don't like his policies on some cases.
So is there -- does he run any risk of being such a popular guy and being out there so much? Will, quite frankly, the public get tired of seeing him?
GOODWIN: There's no question. I remember FDR -- not that I knew him -- but I remember knowing about FDR, that he worried that if his speeches became routine they would lose their effectiveness. And that's why he only delivered 30 fireside chats in 12 years, because he knew he needed to be out there at a dramatic moment.
But I agree with what was just said, if you're command the airwaves today with so many others people having access to so much, and especially the television loves to put the opposition on who say the strongest things about you, you've got to take command.
HOLMES: Last thing here, and I'll ask you both for a quick answer -- just the biggest mistake he has made so far, and the biggest thing he has done right, I guess the biggest check in the thumbs up column, if you will.
So I'll start with you, Doris, just a quick, what has he done? The biggest mistake he's made, and also the thing he should be most proud of.
GOODWIN: I think the biggest mistake may be that he has to take greater control of congress. He allowed them to have a lot of leeway at the beginning in the stimulus and health control package. I think he's going to have to figure in the future how to make sure that he is their leader, and especially maybe the leader of the Democrats.
HOLMES: And the big success would you say, Doris?
GOODWIN: I think the biggest success is that he's made people feel confident in him. If you feel confident in your leader, that gives you a lot of leeway in the future.
HOLMES: And Frank, quickly for me as well, what has he done right and what the thing he got wrong?
SESNO: The biggest mistake, I agree, with the Congress, especially with his own Democrats. He's got his liberal Democrat wing, he's got to control it.
Also, he's got to watch his words. "The police acted stupidly" becomes something that feeds that echo chamber. You've got to be cautious.
Biggest success, tying all these issues together and making the American people feel like somebody is doing just that and maybe gets it.
HOLMES: Doris Kerns Goodwin, Frank Sesno, so good to you have both with us here this morning. Thank you so much, and I will see you guys in 100 days, all right?
GOODWIN: OK.
SESNO: Thanks.
HOLMES: Enjoy your Saturday, guys.
Have these second 100 day of the Obama administration been days of change or day of frustration? Let your voice be heard starting Sunday. Cast your vote at CNN.com/reportcard. Then get the results from CNN's national report card Thursday night at 8:00 eastern -- Brooke?
BALDWIN: And now we are talking a little bit more about the last 100 days. The battles, the bailouts, the beers -- from the economy to health care, Josh, to all the other major issues the president is up against, we are asking, how's he doing so far?
You've been watching and we want some grades.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Want some grades. T.J. was just talking about it. There is no person in America that doesn't want to grade the president. I've never met one.
BALDWIN: We want to hear your opinions, good, bad, and indifferent.
LEVS: And then this is what we just hearing about, CNN.com/reportcard. But what I'm showing you on your screen is actually going to be from CNNpolitics.com. What I encourage people to do maybe before you grade is take a look at the major issues, what we're tracing through on CNNpolitics.com.
Zoom in to the board here, you'll be able some of the key issues. One thing I really like in this breakdown, as we break down the first year, is this right here. Check it out. You've got economy, energy, health care, education, military complex, this whole list of issues.
And in every case we trace what the president said he would accomplish, where things stand now, some of the latest polling, and some of latest changes along the way. It's a really strong breakdown, all through CNN.com.
Also we have this, a little bit of inside the White House. Plus it looks good on TV. I'm showing it to you over here.
You can click on any of the major players inside this president's White House, learn what their role is, what they've done since arriving there, and their background, what they had done before they came here.
And I'm going to quickly scroll through some of this, because I want you to see how incredibly many features there are in this whole section and looks at the second 100 days.
Every time you see blue line, that's a separate story that we're giving you about some of President Obama's latest activities.
Then you pay attention tomorrow during "State of the Union" with John King. This is when this officially opens, your chance to grade the president.
In the meantime, let me show the graphic where you can weigh in right here. We've got discussions already going this morning on Facebook and twitter, plus the CNN NEWSROOM blog. You'll see all those opportunities.
Brooke and T.J. will be following that throughout the day and tomorrow as those grades start pouring in.
BALDWIN: We'll look for them. Thanks, josh.
LEVS: How did you get over there, Brooke? BALDWIN: I'm fast like that. Magic.
HOLMES: Welcome back. We missed you up here.
BALDWIN: And I missed you.
HOLMES: Still ahead, we've got a guy coming up who I'm told now puts the roller in the coaster. There's a little preview of what you'll see. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right, the developing story we have been following this morning. It has ban mess, a headache, for a lot of travelers in New York, specifically at LaGuardia International Airport where the terminal, the main terminal was shut down for a number of hours because of a suspicious package.
BALDWIN: Right. We know that somebody, a man, was detained. We don't exactly know why. We just know that -- well, basically because of his bag. It had, according to port authority, it had wires and batteries inside. So it was deemed suspicious.
They took him in custody because they were worried what might be inside of that bag, and as a result, it was quite a mess.
But the good news is everyone's back inside and hopefully getting on their flights, albeit delayed, out of LaGuardia this morning.
HOLMES: And all those people had to be screened again when they went back into the airport. And from one of our reporters that we talked on the air, Elise, she said at the gates now, as people try to get on their planes, there are more security officials doing some random screening of people even as they try to get on their planes now.
BALDWIN: Very thorough.
HOLMES: Very thorough. You have to do this. But again, it's great. It turned out to be nothing. But it was, certainly seemed like something at the time.
Friday night's health care vote keep the president's reforms alive. Those details coming up.
BALDWIN: Also coming up, a CNN hero who chose to stay in Iraq to help some of the smallest victims of the war get the health care they need.
HOLMES: Don't try this at home, as they say, but don't this at six flag, don't try this anywhere. The story behind a skating stunt. Stay here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: The halls of Congress will be pretty quiet for the month of August. It's recess time.
And yesterday the House made progress on health care reform, but the debate is not going away, even if lawmakers are. Elaine Quijano live at the White House for us today. And Elaine, let's talk about this timetable here. Explain to me, where does health care reform stand right now?
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As you noted, Brooke, over on the House side, you've got members who have adjourned now.
But before they did that, members of the House Energy and Commerce committee passed their own version of a health care bill. That, though, still has to be reconciled and merged with two other versions on the House side. And that's looking like it will be September before the full House then actually takes a look at health care legislation.
Now, over on the Senate side, the Finance Committee actually put off its own much-anticipated vote. This was on a bipartisan compromise plan for health care legislation. That vote is looking like it will happen after the August recess.
So why is all of that significant? As you know, Brooke, August is the month when these lawmakers are going back to their home districts. It will be a chance for their constituents to weigh in.
And this is, obviously, as we know, such a huge and complicated issue, health care reform, we'll see the how the views that lawmakers hear back in their home districts, how those views are going to affect not only the debate but the timeline as well -- Brooke?
BALDWIN: So, Elaine, this vote last night, the House Energy and Commerce Committee, this is, as you explained the third version of this reform bill within the House. Now all the House members are on recess. What is the president's reaction to the moves just with the house?
QUIJANO: As you can imagine, Brooke, the president is pleased by this. That's according to a written statement released today. And that statement went on to say, "This historic step by the House Energy and Commerce Committee moves us closer to health insurance reform than we have ever been before."
In that statement, though, the president also obviously notes that there have been, or acknowledges that there have been divisions here, specifically among some of the conservative so-called blue dog Democrats and some of the progressives as well.
President Obama, though, saying ultimately he thinks that the bill that came out of the committee has been strengthened by all of the debate.
BALDWIN: All right, Elaine Quijano. Great job explaining some of this. It's quite complicated. Elaine Quijano for us at the White House. Thank you.
QUIJANO: Sure.
HOLMES: We've been talking about this cash for clunkers program this morning. It's been popular. It's been so popular, though, with car shoppers and dealers, that it's just about run out of money.
The House approved though $2 billion more, but the Senate needs to follow suit. So how is the uncertainty affecting those of you heading out to shop this weekend?
CNN's Kate Bolduan, not shopping but she's out there where people are shopping in Gaithersburg, Maryland. So are they starting to turn out just yet, Kate?
BOLDUAN: Yes. Actually, T.J., we have met some very wonderful people out here looking, trying to look for a deal. Many people, the dealership as well, getting at least some comfort, some reassurance that the Obama administration said that deals will go through, at least through the end of this weekend.
Which is why I've met this wonderful couple, Talia and Amalia, who are out here looking for a car. As you can see behind us, this is their clunker. Affectionately we'll call it a clunker, though.
They've had the car since 1990. It's travelled with them through South America and back. So, Talia, why come out here then today? I know you're very emotionally attached to this car.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a win-win for everybody. The car doesn't meet emissions -- or takes a lot of work, it's expensive. Moving on into a more gas efficient vehicle makes a lot of sense. And that's what we're doing.
BOLDUAN: And what do you think about this program and the opportunity this weekend, Amalia?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's great. I think this is what we needed. This is the incentive he needed to actually get rid of our clunker.
BOLDUAN: Now, you have heard the concerns that this program was just a few short days of being in effect, was running out of cash, itself. Did you have concerns about that, as well?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, we still have concerns until we close the deal. I know the ownership has some concerns. So we're holding everything off until Monday.
If it doesn't go through, I keep my clunker.
BOLDUAN: And you'll welcome her back, of course.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely.
BOLDUAN: I guess the big question, Amalia, have you found a car? Are you going to make a deal? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think we're going to make a deal. We started out wanting a new pickup, but I think we had a last-minute decision this morning to go for Corolla. And I think we're happier with that at this point.
BOLDUAN: Thank you guys so much.
I must tell you, I saw them test driving a car. And although they're trying to be good consumers and not get too excited, they were definitely smiling when they were test driving the car, T.J.
HOLMES: You can't help it. Everybody loves a new car and the smell.
But it's sad to hear they might drive off in that clunker again if things don't go through. So you'll have to keep us posted there.
Kate, we appreciate it this morning.
BOLDUAN: Absolutely.
BALDWIN: Made it all wait down to South America in that thing.
HOLMES: In that thing. So apparently it's going to keep on running. It sounds like he's emotionally attached.
BALDWIN: I know. He doesn't want to let it go. she's like, right, honey? We're trading it in, right?
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: Good luck to them.
And up next here, a trip, we're going to take a trip, not in a clunker, but we're taking a trip to Harveytown, where comedian Steve Harvey making sure promising teenagers don't fall through the cracks.
BALDWIN: And then later on, Reynolds has the scoop on cow power -- how manure is being turned into energy. Stay tuned.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: Quick update in case you're just joining us, we have been following a difficult, frustrating situation out LaGuardia, out of New York this morning.
We can tell you now that people are getting back on their flights, but that was not the case for all of these people this morning, because the central terminal at New York's LaGuardia was evacuated all because of a man in custody now and a bag.
That bag contained, according to CNN now -- we've confirmed the bag contained wires and a battery, but the bag, the wires and battery, was not an explosive device. Certainly cause for concern this morning, and a lot of people hanging out outside, missing flights, very much so delayed. HOLMES: Going to take them a while to get back on track and back on time. So check those schedules, folks.
BALDWIN: Yes.
HOLMES: It's an all too common African-American story, children growing up without a father, a father figure, or even a positive male role model in their lives.
BALDWIN: And without the proper support structure, many of them seem to fall through the crack.
Comedian and radio host Steve Harvey is determined to make a difference, and he has taken 100 such kids under his wing, and he is now teaching them to become men.
CNN Special Correspondent Soledad O'Brien talked with him at a place called Harveytown.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you. Good morning. Time to get up.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: Bertha Harris has her hands full every morning.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have to go.
O'BRIEN: A single mother of four, she works full time and goes to college. So she relies heavily on her 14-year-old son Xavier to help with his younger brother and sister, to help with the chores.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I vacuum and I clean off the counters, and stove and microwave.
O'BRIEN: Xavier often has to bear the responsibilities of manhood, but he does so without a guide. His last adult male influence, his stepfather, left in 2006. And his absence weighs heavily on Xavier.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wish he was here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In four, and three, and two, and one. We up, guys. We up.
STEVE HARVEY, COMEDIAN: I want to talk to you about the big weekend coming up on Father's Day weekend.
O'BRIEN: Steve Harvey is famous for being funny. But he couldn't be more serious when it comes to the mentoring weekend at his north Dallas ranch, Harveytown.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We going to fish.
O'BRIEN: One hundred young African-American men have been chosen to participate in this first-time event, and Xavier is one of them. All are being raised by single mothers, or other single women. All are looking for positive male role models.
And each one is in for Harvey's tough takes on what it means to be a real man.
HARVEY: I want these boys to walk out of here and go, you know what? Real men go to work every day. Real men respect women. Real men talk to god. Real men are responsibility for their families. Real men have jobs. That's what manhood is.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the barrel stock in the gun when not playing or ref tells you, just keep your barrel stock on for your safety.
O'BRIEN: Over four days there's a lot of fun, but also plenty of plain talk.
HARVEY: "Millionaire" and "thug" does not go in the same sentence.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Soak up everything you can get.
O'BRIEN: There are seminars are getting into college.
HARVEY: People respect you when you use your mind.
O'BRIEN: On the importance, even on learning how to tie a tie.
HARVEY: You want to get a job, you've got to look like you're hirable. So let's teach a guy how to tie a tie. You can lose a job just on your appearance. It happens all the time.
So come on, man. Let's get in there and let's teach these boys the things that men have to do.
O'BRIEN: Someone to show him what to do and how to do it -- that's what Xavier wanted. And after a little patience and guidance, that's exactly what Xavier got.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's how you tie a tie. Excellent, man.
O'BRIEN: At Harveytown.
HARVEY: The majority of you in here will become businessmen, CEOs, entrepreneurs.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wanted to be able to meet a successful man, let them tell us about their lives and what they did and how they came from somewhere small. I learned that, do what you want to do, follow your dreams.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And "Reclaiming the Dream" hosted by Soledad O'Brien and Roland Martin. That will air tonight at 8:00 eastern time.
BALDWIN: Coming up next, packing tips that could help you avoid those dreaded baggage fees.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: A lot of people looking to get out of town. Maybe some of the folks in LaGuardia hoping to get out of town, and they're still hoping right now.
But if you're planning to fly, we've got some helpful hints for you here.
BALDWIN: Take a second and look how you pack. That is the focus for Richelle Carey in today's "On the Go."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHELLE CAREY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Excess baggage fees are the airlines latest ploy to stay in the black.
GENEVIEVE BROWN, TRAVELOCITY: Airlines estimate this will add millions to their bottom line in a time that they're really struggling to turn profit.
Policy varies slightly from airline to airline, but for the most part, this is for domestic flights.
CAREY: Airlines like Delta and Continental have recently added another $5 surcharge for bags checked at the airport.
You can bypass these fees if you check in online or find ways around them.
BROWN: You can avoid checking bags altogether. It's going to be a really good thing if you travel with someone who's a light packer. You can think about splitting up the luggage so that each of you are carrying a normal-sized bag.
You can also avoid paying if you're an elite member of any of the carriers' frequent flier programs.
CAREY: Or just pick one of the few airlines that hasn't added any baggage fees, yet.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, coming up next here, the CNN hero who's bringing American medical equipment to sick children in Iraq.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: We are getting more information, and we actually have a name now, excuse me, on the person in custody who caused all this ruckus essentially at LaGuardia airport today. A terminal had to be shut down, had to be evacuated.
The man's name we've confirmed is 32-year-old Scott McGann, a 32- year-old who is from Manhattan, at least lives in Manhattan. Again, don't exactly know what first alerted the TSA that there was something suspicious was in his bag. But according to the TSA, they did release a statement this morning that says this all went down. It started around 5:20 this morning.
Terminal B, Concourse C, the main terminal. A suspicious device was discovered as the person approached the travel document checker. And then the transportation officials said that an intervention of law enforcement was warranted. It does not go into further detail about why it was warranted, but they determined that it was. Things had to be evacuated.
It also says here that Terminal C is expected to be open around 11:00 eastern time. So people are being allowed to go back into the main, that central, that grand terminal. But a particular concourse there, Concourse C, it appears, is not going to reopen until about the next ten minutes or so, according to this.
But again, Scott McGann is this individual's name, a battery and wires were found in the bag. No explosive device, they say, so all of this was caused over that. We would love to get details about what he was thinking and why they found this suspicious in the first place and why intervention, like they said, was warranted.
BALDWIN: Those poor folks trying to get out of LaGuardia. All right, we'll stay on that story.
But for now, when civilian contractor Brad Blauser went to Iraq to boost morale among American troops, he knew nothing of the one in seven Iraqi children living with a disability.
And now as American troops are withdrawing from the region, he is staying to offer hope to hundreds of desperate children and their families.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRAD BLAUSER: Disabled children, they're really the forgotten ones in this war. They're in the back rooms, often not seen in society.
I came to Iraq as a civilian contractor. There were a lot of children that either dragged themselves on the ground or they have to be carried.
There were so many kids out there with a need, and so many people willing to reach out and touch the lives of these kids.
In 30 days we had 31 pediatrics wheelchairs that had hit ground.
My name is Brad Blauser. I bring pediatric wheelchairs to Iraqi children in need.
People donate on my Web site. The wheelchairs are brought over, and I distribute them to the different military units and help fit these children into the wheelchairs. The experience for me in my first distribution was awesome. To see the smile come across their face and look over at the mothers and fathers, they've definitely been changed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's all about humanity. He wanted Iraqis to feel that there's humanity in America. It makes us happy to see such a thing.
BLAUSER: There's no paycheck. It's not really safe here, but this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, knowing that you have done something for someone that no one else has done before, and made a difference in the life of families. Definitely the sacrifice has been worth it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BALDWIN: All right. We know and we love him as Reynolds Wolf, the meteorologist. But Reynolds is getting personal --
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I love you guys, too.
BALDWIN: Thanks Reynolds -- of getting up close and personal with some cows.
WOLF: Absolutely.
I'm talking about the Hillcrest Sayler dairy farm in parts of southwestern, Pennsylvania. It has been there for over a century.
And they've seen their farm grow, starting from three houses to well over 600. They've also seen the way they've powered the farm chains considerably, especially over the last couple years, going from just using oil lamps to now using cow waste. Check it out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF: Milking a profit from a dairy farm is not easy. The price of milk is dropping, but the cost of running a farm isn't getting any cheaper.
WOLF (on camera): How about one of these, like 3095. What is her day going to be like?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's going to need to eat about 100 to 110 pounds of food.
WOLF (voice-over): Sean Sayler owns this fourth generation farm in Pennsylvania, and he's finding creative ways to make ends meet.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's one of the scrapers.
WOLF (on camera): It's not scraping dirt. It's scraping something else. What's it scraping there?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Large cow manure.
WOLF: All for power?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
WOLF (voice-over): That's right. Sayler's 600 milking cows help power the farm. Their waste is flushed into a bit digester and stored for about 16 days to create methane gas.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The digestive system is another high efficient stomach.
WOLF: And the gas created inside of it generates enough electricity to power Hillcrest Sayler Dairy farm and a dozen neighboring homes.
Converting waste to power saves Sayler almost $200,000 a year.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're talking system, project costs, over $1 million to use the system, but a payback in five years or less.
WOLF (on camera): If your great-grandfather, who started this operation, if he were alive today, and you were to say "Grandpa Sayler, we are powering or farm with cow waste --"
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Probably disbelief. It'd be more like science fiction to him.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF: Yes, it smelled bad, but you have to remember, the great side of it is it's providing clean power.
BALDWIN: You're kidding?
WOLF: Yes. And not only for the farm itself but for several homes in the area.
BALDWIN: I'm sure your wife appreciated how you smelled when you came home.
WOLF: Beyond belief. You have no idea. It was crazy.
BALDWIN: Nice story.
WOLF: Wonderful people and good ideas.
Ho. We appreciate you bringing that to us.
BALDWIN: Thank you.
HOLMES: Go hop in the shower, man.
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: Well, hello there, everybody, from the CNN center in Atlanta, Georgia. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM for this Saturday, August 1st. I'm T.J. Holmes.
BALDWIN: Good morning, I'm Brooke Baldwin, sitting in for Betty. It is 11:00 a.m. on the east coast, 8:00 a.m. on the west coast.
