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Grading the Meat; Sensitive Airport Information on Internet; Global Warming and Gore

Aired December 09, 2009 - 14:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well we're pushing forward now on the hour's top stories. Competition. Yes. Public option? Not so much. Senate Democrats negotiating health care reform among themselves. They have now settled on a plan that aims to meet the goals of government-run insurance without having government-run insurance.

Does it make sense? Well, they are waiting on the auditors to actually reassess the price tag.

They crashed the state dinner, but the Salahis apparently plan to stiff a House committee. The panel meets this hour to decide whether to subpoena the couple who showed up uninvited on the White House lawn last month.

And 15 inches of snow 16 days before Christmas. This is Wisconsin, but folks from Nebraska to New Hampshire are in the grip of a monster storm. Blizzards in some spots, ice, rain, floods, wind and others.

Jacqui Jeras is here.

Well, we're digging into a less than appetizing report in "USA Today" about the meat that your kids are eating in school. Public schools get most of their meat from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which buys it on the open market, just like McDonald's does and Costco and your corner grocery. The trouble is many of the fast-food chains and other commercial buyers have much higher standards for quality.

I spoke to last hour with "USA Today" reporters Peter Eisler and Blake Morrison. Listen to what they discovered.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETER EISLER, "USA TODAY": The government has a set of standards that they've put in place, and the problem is that the standards that they put in place are about 10 years old now. And with all of the attention that's been paid to food-borne illness and all the technological advances that have come along in the industry, that the fast-food industry really has adopted a lot more of this stuff and put a lot tougher programs in place for how often they sample the meat, how carefully they check for pathogens, for bacteria and that sort of thing. And at this point the government has fallen behind.

BLAKE MORRISON, "USA TODAY": With children, it's hard to know sometimes why they're getting sick. Sometimes you just want to dismiss it and say, oh, it's a kid. You know, he got sick on something.

We don't really know. But that's part of the reason we wanted to look at this.

You know, parents have all these choices when they go to a grocery store, but when they send their children to school, it's the government who is making the choices. They're the ones who are vetting these providers. They're the ones who are making decisions about what the kids eat.

And the parents really don't know. They have no idea what's on the menu or where it is coming from and whether the companies that are providing it have really poor track records.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: All right. Joining me now is Barry Carpenter, formerly with the USDA office that buys meat, currently head of the National Meat Association.

So, let me ask you, Barry, why isn't the government as choosy as Jack in the Box. You would think that our kids would be made a much bigger priority.

BARRY CARPENTER, CEO, NATIONAL MEAT ASSOCIATION: I think the USDA certainly considers it a high priority. I think the comprehensive system that USDA uses to buy ground beef products is very effective. When you talk about standards and you just talk about the testing, you're really not seeing the whole picture on what is being done for food safety.

PHILLIPS: So, explain to me what is being done for food safety, because when you read this story -- and I had a chance to talk to the investigative reporters -- I mean, they uncovered that old hen meat is what our kids are eating and that chicken supplied by the USDA, two schools are coming from old birds, where, otherwise, that chicken would go to compost or pet food. And also, you know, that fast food, as we just mentioned, has better quality meat than what our kids are eating.

CARPENTER: I don't think it's fair to say they have better quality meat. I think that the ground beef that USDA buys is the highest quality beef that's available from an industry that takes every precaution to make sure they are producing high quality meat.

I think if you focus just on the standards and the testing mechanism, you are seeing part of the picture, for sure, because testing is very critical. But to get the whole picture, you need to see the whole program.

I think certainly, as USDA looks at their program and looks at the comprehensive program they put in place, they need to look what the state of the art is for testing, what the state of the art is for determining the highest quality, safest product they can, and they need to look at that. Their system is a comprehensive system, and like any system like that, you need to continually look at ways to improve it.

PHILLIPS: Right. And we always -- a number of times we see loopholes in the system. Obviously, there is definitely a gap here, a loophole.

So let's say that you were in charge. Knowing what you know, because you used to deal with this meat, you used to bring this meat into cafeterias, how would you change the standards if you were able to tell me a couple of pieces of advice here? If you could change the standards and change the testing so our kids wouldn't get garbage, what would you do?

CARPENTER: Well, first, our kids aren't getting garbage, but what I would do is I would do a very comprehensive evaluation of the system they have in place and look for areas where there is room for improvement. Certainly over six or eight years, since that program has been in place, there is likely to be a number of places where you can enhance the program. And I believe Secretary Vilsack has directed his colleagues at USDA to begin such a process, but I think it's critical to look at what they are doing and make sure that their system is in fact rendering the safest possible food for our school kids.

PHILLIPS: Now, Barry, I don't mean to put you on the spot, but, I mean, you say that they are not getting garbage. But would you want your kid eating old hen meat?

CARPENTER: I really can't speak to the hen meat issue, but I will say this across the board about USDA commodities -- before any product is bought, it has to meet the safety standards of the Food Safety and Inspection Service, and it has to meet the quality requirements. The source of the material is only part of the process that has to meet a minimum standard for quality.

Now, when it comes to the meat products and the ground beef products, I think you really have to focus on what all is being done. You'll remember USDA has an employee in every plant as ground beef is being produced to make sure the product is being produced properly. But I will say again, those systems needs to be looked at. There needs to be a comprehensive analysis of the system, and if there needs to be a higher frequency of testing, then I think we need to step up and do that.

PHILLIPS: There we go. We would sure like to see that.

Barry Carpenter, it's a tough story to tell, especially when you're thinking of our kids. And as I pointed out last hour, many of these kids, that is their only meal of the day. So you want to make sure they're getting the quality food that they deserve.

Barry, thanks so much for the time.

CARPENTER: Certainly.

PHILLIPS: Well, you may remember a school that we visited in Las Vegas where the kids are so poor and so hungry, that many of them were eating ketchup straight out of the packet, actually taking them home. Well, now the kids at Whitney Elementary are eating good food and wearing warm clothes, and you, our viewers, are a huge reason why.

Our Dan Simon pays a follow-up visit this hour, and you better have a tissue handy.

Fallout, big-time, after sensitive guidelines about airport passenger screenings were posted on the Internet. At the center of the security flap, the Transportation Security Administration. You know, the agency that's supposed to keep you safe when you're out and about.

Well, Homeland Security says that a full investigation is now under way. But will that make you feel any better or safer the next time you go to the airport?

Here is what a former top Homeland Security official had to say to CNN's Anderson Cooper.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLARK KENT ERVIN, FMR. INSPECTOR GENERAL, HOMELAND SECURITY: It really couldn't be bigger. And it comes against the backdrop, as you know, of other serious breaches on TSA's part.

You know, nearly every year, on a quarterly basis, almost, there is another report showing screeners' inability to spot concealed guns and knives and bombs. There's a recent GAO report that shows the TSA having spent almost $1 billion to deploy tent (ph) technologies, and we're not sure if those technologies were -- no cost analysis performed. And there's an IG report out in the last few days that says millions of dollars of equipment is wasted.

But this is far and away the most serious breach that has happened to date. TSA has got to change tonight -- I hope it happened earlier today -- the procedures that were put in place in that document. Where there were lax procedures identified, those procedures should be tightened. Where vulnerabilities in deployed equipment were identified, that equipment needs to be supplemented, if it's possible to supplement it with additional measures. That's the first point.

The second point is accountability. There has got to be a full investigation of this. I hope it's done not by TSA internally, but by the independent inspector-general. And then whoever, one person or people who are found to be responsible for this, have to be held accountable. They've got to be fired. And if the negligence is so gross, perhaps criminal charges should be considered, because this cannot be allowed to happen again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, as I mentioned, an investigation is now under way. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano was on Capitol Hill just a little while ago explaining to lawmakers what happened, how it happened, and how steps are being taken to make sure that it doesn't happen again.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JANET NAPOLITANO, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: We have already initiated personnel actions against the individuals involved in that. We have already instituted an internal review to see what else needs to be done so that the incident never recurs. And I have directed that not just at TSA, but that we do a review department-wide on all of our components, because as you know, we've got one of the biggest departments, to make sure that we are being rigorous and very disciplined in what is posted and what is not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Among many sensitive sections, the TSA document actually outlines who is exempt from certain screening measures, including members of the armed service, diplomats, governors and lieutenant governors, and also the D.C. mayor.

When it comes to global warming, well, Al Gore definitely knows his stuff. So what does he think about the global climate summit and the global ripples caused by those hacked e-mails? We talked to him exclusively and you will hear from him.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, if there is a "Mr. Global Warming," Al Gore is definitely it. And he's got a lot to say about the climate conference in Copenhagen and about those leaked e-mails that gave skeptics of global warming a whole lot of ammo.

On CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING," the former vice president actually sat down for an exclusive chat with CNN's John Roberts, who is with me now.

And I found this interesting. I mean, were there in Britain. You went back to the university where Phil Jones, the scientist who was involved with these e-mails, has gone underground now, and there has been all of this criticism out there, but Al Gore had his back.

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, absolutely, 100 percent, and that's because they are both coming from exactly the same position. They believe that the current climate change, the increase in temperatures the world over, is a result of the greenhouse gases that are being pumped into the air.

I asked the former vice president about these e-mails. And while he was staunchly defending Phil Jones, he did seem to have his facts just not quite correct. He said that these e-mails were all 10 years old. In fact, he told "Slate" magazine that the recent one was 10 years old, which is not the case at all.

One of the more most recent ones which is being seen by even scientists as being sort of uncomfortable in its language, it's the e- mail where he e-mails his other colleagues and says delete any information you have regarding a particular topic. That was last year. It was May of last year, so very recently, far more recent than 10 years ago, as the vice president contended.

But he did say, as other scientists have told me over the last few days, that even if you took Phil Jones' research and you set it aside, there are so many other pieces of evidence out there to point to the fact that the globe is warming, that you just can't deny the science. Here is what he told me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GORE: That's a great question. There are natural cycles related to the sun, related to the planet's orbit around the sun, and so forth. But those natural cycles are now overwhelmed by the fact that we are putting 90 million tons every day of global warming pollution into this thin shell of atmosphere surrounding the planet.

The magnitude of the manmade changes has now overtaken and far surpassed the natural cycles. And many of the natural cycles actually are pointing in the opposite direction. The manmade global warming is now so pronounced, that it is not only overwhelming in magnitude, but it is reversing what would otherwise be the effect from the natural cycles.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: So what he was talking about there is there is an argument among skeptics that the warming cycle that the Earth is going through right now -- and even many skeptics agree that it is there -- it's just part of the natural cycle of the warming and cooling that the planet goes through. We've had tropical periods, we've had ice ages. Back in the middle ages, there was a warming period which is very similar to the one that we're in now, and they claim it's all just a natural phenomenon.

PHILLIPS: OK. Well, trick or truth, leaked e-mails or not, he's saying, look, the proof is in the pudding. Look at how we're living our lives and look at what's happening to our environment. And you asked him about that.

OK, let's go deeper into what can you tie global warming to more. Is it natural or is it a manmade problem?

Here is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GORE: The north polar ice cap is melting before our very eyes. It has been the size of the continental United States for most of the last three million years, and now, suddenly, 40 percent of it's gone and the rest of it is expected to disappear within 5, 10, 15 years.

The mountain glaciers all over the world are melting. Many of them at a greatly accelerated rate, threatening drinking water supplies.

We have had these record storms, record droughts, floods, giant fires, unprecedented, all over the world. The evergreen trees of the American West are dying by the millions because the warming trend is making them vulnerable to pests that they could resist in the colder weather in which they evolved.

Climate refugee flows are beginning and could reach the hundreds of millions, destabilizing political systems around the world. Sea levels are rising. These changes are now beginning to unfold right in front of our eyes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: He's got a big investment in this though. I mean, whether we're a big part of the problem or not, he's a big advocate because he could make a lot of money for being an expert at this.

ROBERTS: Well, I don't know that he's a big advocate because he stands to make a lot of money, but he is a big advocate and he does stand to make a lot of money.

He is heavily vested as a venture capitalist in a lot of these new technologies, these green technologies. Stories have been written about the fact that he could be the world's first carbon billionaire.

Where people get uncomfortable with all of that is, because he is advocating policy and stands to benefit from it, is it really altruistic, all of his intentions? But, as I said, I don't know that it's because he stands to make money, but certainly, he does stand to make a lot of money.

PHILLIPS: Well, and you also asked him about the fact that we should -- or he made the point that we need more green jobs, and that will make an impact on what's happening. Even though we're in a bad economy and we're struggling for money, he actually said, OK, but that's even more reason to go green.

We're going to save that, of course, for Gerri Willis, because she's going to be the one that's going to talk jobs, but let's go ahead and listen to what he said at that point.

Thanks, John.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GORE: One of the best ways to create millions of good, new jobs and stimulate the economy is by investing in green infrastructure. When the world went into this global synchronized recession from which we are now thankfully beginning to emerge, the interest rates were so low, that economic policymakers couldn't use that tool. So stimulus spending was the instrument of choice all around the world.

And infrastructure spending was the favorite option. Many countries devoted even larger percentages of that stimulus to building green infrastructure in China, South Korea, et cetera. They see these industries as the key industries of the 21st century.

(END VIDEO CLIP) PHILLIPS: All right. Green jobs, green jobs. You have heard that term over and over again from the former vice president to current presidents, but what the heck does it really mean and what kind of jobs are we talking about? Can you or I get one?

As promised, ,Personal Finance Editor Gerri Willis has those answers.

Because he actually made the point, and it was interesting how he tied it into global warming, look, we can all do something about it. Despite the controversy, despite everything that's out there, we do need to do something about it, and we can right now.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Well, I think there is kind of a misunderstanding of how many jobs are out there right now. There are only 770,000 green jobs right now. That's less than one-half of a percent of the entire workforce, so now you're starting to get the picture of just how many jobs are out there, not that many. But they are growing at a very fast clip -- 9.1 percent versus 3.7 percent for total jobs, so that is the good news.

Now, the biggest sector fueling 65 percent of green jobs is conservation and pollution mitigation. What is that? Well, it means recycling, conserving water. People who remove hazardous materials from industrial sites are in this sector, as are scientists who develop solutions to pollution. Environmentally-friendly production jobs, that's another sector typically in transportation and manufacturing, say, providing hybrid diesel buses.

Energy efficiency and clean energy another sector. Jobs help find new sources of energy or better use existing sources. Jobs include electricians and engineers. Experts expect that, Kyra, to be the fastest growing sector.

PHILLIPS: OK. So how much money could we make? Give me an example of one of these jobs and how much I could make.

WILLIS: All right. Well, you can make some pretty good dough. Let's take a look at smart grid engineers.

This is somebody who develops a faster network for electricity. They make $50,000 to $100,000 a year, depending on your background. But you've got to have an engineering degree to get that job.

Or you might become a green architect or builder, designing and constructing buildings that use sustainable materials. Again, you could make $50,000 to $105,000 a year. If you're the builder, you make $10 an hour to $30 an hour, but you need accreditation. It takes some skill sets. You've got to get some training.

Now, energy auditors very common. We see a lot of them in the marketplace right now. They conduct room-by-room examinations of homes, of commercial buildings. They decide where the air leaks are and how they need to be fixed. They make about $12 to $14 an hour.

So you see there are some examples of the kind of money you'd make. Pretty good money, especially for the white collar professions.

PHILLIPS: And you pointed out, though, you might need some extra training, some extra school.

WILLIS: You might need some extra school, but there is good news here. Of the 1.7 million new jobs that will be created, it's estimated that 870,000 will not require anything more than a high school diploma. So you might get some extra training, but you may not have to pay big bucks for it.

PHILLIPS: All right. Gerri Willis, thanks so much.

WILLIS: My pleasure.

PHILLIPS: Well, heavy snow and brutal cold. The season's first big storm packs a punch as it moves east. Are you next in line? Jacqui Jeras is here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: It looks like we've got an update on that breaking news that we've been following out of Pakistan.

Let's get straight to our homeland security correspondent, Jeanne Meserve, in Washington.

Jeanne, what did you find out?

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, you know, we've been talking about these five people arrested by police in Pakistan. The Pakistani authority saying three of them American, and trying to establish whether there is any link with three a group of missing young people from northern Virginia.

At least one person believes that there is a link. I just talked to Ibrahim Hooper. He's executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations here in Washington. He says there are five young people who went missing from northern Virginia, one of them, he says, is a student at Howard University.

These five young people all knew one another. And it's his understanding that four of the five of them were among those arrested in Pakistan. He knows nothing of what happened to the fifth individual missing from northern Virginia.

And he tells me that one of these five individuals missing from northern Virginia left behind some kind of video. He wouldn't characterize what that video was.

The story he tells is this -- that at the end of November, these five young people told their parents that they were going to attend a conference, but when the parents started calling their cell phones, they got an unusual ring, a ring that sounded like it was an overseas' ring tone.

They became suspicious. They went to CARE with their worries, and CARE realized they had to loop in the FBI, and they did so.

In the words of Ibrahim Hooper, the main concern was to get them back and figure out what was going on, and protect any national security and everybody's rights. Hooper would not tell me whether or not these young people had ever discussed going to the Middle East to get any sort of training or to wage jihad, but he did acknowledge that everybody has their worst fears in this case.

Now, as for official American sources, they are not yet drawing any connection between the arrests in Pakistan and this group of missing young people from northern Virginia. But clearly, that is something they are looking at right now -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. We'll keep following it with you.

(WEATHER REPORT)

PHILLIPS: All right. It's hard to focus on reading, writing and arithmetic when your stomach is growling and you don't have a home. But one school principal is actually teaching her students a very valuable lesson. Not just science or English. This is about the golden rule.

We first brought you this story, and boy did you step up to the plate.

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PHILLIPS: We first brought you this story, and boy, did you step up to the plate.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Getting a job is hard enough, but so is getting food. More families are struggling with hunger right now, and a report from the U.S. Conference of Mayors actually shows a 26 percent jump in people needing help just to stay fed. Three-fourths of the 27 major cities surveyed say more families are losing their homes and facing the uncertainty of life on the streets. That figure could climb next year as cities face even more budget cuts.

Ten cities reported a rise of tent cities, but 16 other cities also report that homeless levels dropped due to the projects aimed at ending chronic homelessness and helping the disabled, which brings us to our story.

Back on Thanksgiving we told you about a school in Las Vegas that need help, badly. Too many kids were showing up for class hungry wearing old worn-out clothes and even eating ketchup packets and taking them home for dinner. Well that story had a huge impact on many of you, the viewers, our viewers, and boy, were you generous.

We're going to update you in just a moment, but first, here is the original report that touched you and us brought to us by our Dan Simon.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They are chefs from some of the fanciest hotels in Las Vegas. But today, they are serving breakfast at Whitney Elementary, part of a nonprofit initiative to eliminate malnutrition and hunger.

SHERRIE GAHN, PRINCIPAL, WHITNEY ELEMENTARY: So what do we say when we are very grateful and very fortunate?

CHILDREN: Thank you.

SIMON: School principal Sherrie Gahn says it is a healthy and memorable meal for students who don't have much. That is because the school estimates that as many as 85 percent of the 600 or so students are homeless, living in cheap motels, with friends, or in shelters.

GAHN: Literally, my every waking moment, I think about what else do I need to do.

SIMON: When she arrived here seven years ago, she said that children were devouring ketchup packets to fill empty stomachs. Clearly they weren't getting enough food, so Gahn set out to have a mission brought from personal pain.

GAHN: And I was raised in poverty. My mother went to an organization at one point. My mother actually asked for food and clothes and they turned us down, and I saw how devastated she was.

SIMON: Gahn vowed her families at Whitney would never be turned down. She twisted arms and begged for donation opening a one of a kind school supply closet, part food bank and part clothing supply.

JAMES ICENOGLE, 4TH GRADE STUDENT: I got some pants, some shirts, some new shoes and some new socks.

SIMON (on camera): A lot of the kids come from such challenging circumstances that there is no money at home to celebrate birthdays. So once a month the school throws a giant birthday party for all the kids who had birthdays that month. There's pizza, there's cake and even some presents to take home.

(voice-over): Hairstylists donate haircuts and dentists donate dental care. When a family is short for something like a utility bill, the school, through donations, can help with that, too.

SHIRLEY HERNANDEZ, GRANDMOTHER: Last year, we didn't have Christmas, they gave us Christmas. This year we're hardly going to have Christmas, but they are going to give us Christmas. They have helped us a lot, and so I have to donate my time here to show how much I appreciate the people here.

SIMON: And that is what Gahn expects, that parents give something back by volunteering.

(on camera): At the end of the day, what is it that you wish for the children?

GAHN: I want them to have the sense of norm that a lot of families grow up in America having, that they don't get.

SIMON (voice-over): On this morning they do get attention from the city's best chefs. For many, it will be the best meal they have had in a while, for Sherrie Gahn, it is another small victory for her students.

Dan Simon, CNN, Las Vegas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, it is impossible not to be touched by that story. What do you think? Now that I am going to bring you the update that I am promised.

I am pleased to tell you that since the story aired donations to the school and to the students' parents have topped $74,000. That is right, $74,000. Thanks to all of you who chipped in.

After hours of talk often behind closed doors, Senate democrats have a tentative agreement on the public option in health care reform. Congressional correspondent Brianna Keilar has the nuts and bolts for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MAJORITY LEADER: We can't disclose to details of what we've done, but believe me, we've got something that's good.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If it is specifics that you are looking for, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and the so-called "Gang of Ten" senators who negotiated the deal are not prepared to offer any. Not until the Congressional Budget Office puts a price tag on the plan.

REID: We want to know the score before we start giving all the details, even to our own members.

KEILAR: Two democratic sources tell CNN the agreement replaces a public government-run insurance option with a private not-for-profit option. It would be overseen by the Federal Office of Personnel Management, the same group that manages the current health plan for federal health employees.

But the compromise could be a deal breaker for Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold. He said last night he would not support replacing a public option with a purely private approach because it would not provide enough competition for insurance companies to keep their rates down.

Sources also tell CNN the deal would allow Americans 55 and older to buy in to Medicare. But when reporters pressed for details late last night, the majority leader was less than subtle about keeping his colleagues silent.

UNIDENTIFIED SENATOR: The end in sight.

REID: The answer is yes.

KEILAR (on camera): The question now is will this compromise worked out among ten democrats be enough to satisfy the entire Senate democratic caucus delivering those 60 votes that are needed to pass this bill?

And another unanswered question, will liberal democrats in the House of Representatives, some of whom are insisting on a strong government-run insurance plan, refuse to support it?

Brianna Keilar, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Bank bailouts, your money, stimulus spending, your money. Well, now, Uncle Sam may come a knocking and he might want -- guess what -- more of your money. Come on, this war won't pay for itself.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: The stage is set for next year's special election and history could be in the making as Massachusetts tries to fill the late Ted Kennedy's Senate seat. Martha Coakley, the state's attorney general, will be the democrat on the ticket and State Senator Scott Brown took the GOP nomination. Coakely is vying to be the first woman elected to U.S. Senate from Massachusetts.

And Atlanta has a new mayor-elect, former State Senator Kaseem Reed. He received 714 more votes than opponent Mary Norwood when the ballots were recounted today. Reed's victory was hard-won. November's general election was followed by a run-off vote earlier this month. More bailouts were cast in the run-off, some 84,000 than in November.

And getting out of work Americans back on the payrolls. President Obama outlined new steps to stimulate jobs today and he pushed Congress to let him spend the leftover bailout money on building roads and bridges which could boost jobs.

With the new war strategy on Afghanistan front and center on Capitol Hill, the cost of the troop surge is one of the key questions. Why is the price tag so high and could it go higher? CNNMoney.com's Poppy Harlow has some answers for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Thirty thousand more troops headed for Afghanistan. The White House's estimated price tag, $1 million per soldier per year. The overall Pentagon budget for fiscal 2010 is some $660 billion, many though estimate the intensified war in Afghanistan will drive costs even higher. Former Assistant Defense Secretary Lawrence Korb notes that thousands of extra troops were deployed to Afghan earlier in the year.

LAWRENCE KORB, SENIOR FELLOW, CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS: So this is another 30,000, neither of those were anticipated. Your defense spending for fiscal year 2010 will be closer to $750 billion, which is about the same size as the stimulus package.

HARLOW: But will all of that stimulate the economy? Korb doesn't think so.

KORB: Most of the money won't have an impact on the United States, because you are using equipment you've already bought.

Defense spending is the least efficient way to stimulate the economy among all other government spendings.

HARLOW: Much of the increased price tag on the war in Afghanistan boils down to geography.

DOV ZAKHEIM, FORMER DEFENSE DEPARTMENT COMPTROLLER: Well, if you've been to Afghanistan or if you've seen films, you'll know that this is a very mountainous country with roads that, when they actually do work, are often blown up by the Taliban and their allies, and so you can't move around the country very well. And so you are dependent on the aircraft, and that drives the costs up. The cost of fuel has skyrocketed in the last few years, that drives the cost up. And, of course, the intensity of the operations has increased dramatically.

HARLOW: Dov Zakheim is the Defense Department's former comptroller. He estimates that in 2004, before the troop surges in Iraq or Afghanistan, the DOD was spending 1/7th what it is now on those wars.

ZAKHEIM: There is no way you can do it on the cheap. But if we want to surge the troops and we want to train the Afghans and we want to develop the country, we have to pay the money for it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, Poppy Harlow joins us now live.

You know, you think of that $30 billion and that's just an estimate.

HARLOW: And per year. It's just an estimate.

And what happens now is that the Obama administration has said, listen, the Pentagon is working on the formal numbers, they'll bring it to White House, the White House will bring those numbers to Congress and decide the best way to ask lawmakers for this money, Kyra. And then remember, it could also be part a supplemental budget tacked on to the already very high DOD budget. But President Obama has said, listen, I don't want to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with a supplemental budget, because it is not as transparent.

So there is a lot of money going out here, and we're going to continue to watch and breakdown exactly what the money is going for. Obviously important to support the troops.

But we're also asking people posting the question on Twitter, do you think that the money for troop surge in Afghanistan is money well spent? I want to read you a few answers here on our CNNMoney page.

Aaronhorton wrote this, "Of course it is money well spent. How could it not be? Our generals asked for it, our troops are dying; they need the support."

Another answer, though, came from Egberto Willies and he wrote, "Money spent in Afghanistan is infrastructure denied -- No high speed rail, crumbling roads and bridges, no education grants -- it's sad."

So let us know what you think, Twitter.com/CNNMoney. Kyra, this is a contentious topic. You got to support the troops, but we also need money here too. So a lot of people weighing in on this.

PHILLIPS: Yes, I know. Tough economy, but we also don't want to lose the war, that's for sure.

HARLOW: Absolutely not. You're right.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Poppy.

Well, one man's scraps are another man's souvenirs, especially when the first man is the president. Pennsylvania restaurant is thrilled that President Obama didn't clean his plate. Hey, are you going to eat that?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Team Sanchez, what are you working on for the next hour?

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: I have a lot of stuff coming your way.

You know, I got an interesting -- let me close out of this page, there. We were contacted recently by someone who has a person who lost two loved ones in the Mumbai attack. And you know that video we have been showing lately, Kyra, right? Of all of the attacks that took place in Mumbai? This woman is going to join me on the show today just as there is other news of another person, an American in this case, is being accused of potentially plotting in the Mumbai attack. This woman who lost her husband and her daughter is going to be on my show, and people are going to be shocked by what she has to say about this. So, we are going to have that interview.

And then, Rowan Martin is here. He is fired up. I mean, fired up about this TSA scandal or situation I guess you might want to call it. He has a lot to say. I have a feeling that he and I are going to argue about it. There would be nothing new about that, but it is always fun to watch.

There you go, Kyra, that is what we have got.

PHILLIPS: And you and Roland definitely never at a loss for words, Rick Sanchez.

SANCHEZ: No, we always disagree, so that is OK.

PHILLIPS: All right. We will be watching.

SANCHEZ: All right.

PHILLIPS: Well, leave a lot of food on your plate and most restaurant owners would worry, these guys are pretty overjoyed. Check out the leader of the free world's leftovers, spicy fries and water to wash them down -- all that remains after President Obama popped by this Pennsylvania grill last week. Guess he'd worked up an appetite giving that big jobs speech. Anyway, the owners are going to frame the presidential place setting for posterity. Talk about a blue plate special. All right, I know he is the leader of the free world and all, but come on. It is a little bit gross.

What is going in California lately? The other week we told you about a guy who mugged a nun. The cops, by the way, still looking for that guy. Now another perp who needs to do some penitence. Oh, yes, whoever robbed a priest and parishioner mid-funeral. Well, you know where they're going straight to. Their cars were broken into, looted. The priest's crucifix, scriptures and other sacred items -- gone. This is one thief who really forgot the reasons for the season.

Their country has the been at war for years, so why in the world would any Afghan in his right mind sign up for the army? Well, if you are poor and hungry and hate the Taliban, it might seem like the perfect job.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Harder before it gets better -- that is the blunt take by General David Petraeus on the way in Afghanistan. The top commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan and Iraq was on Capitol Hill today. He minced no words to lawmakers about the fight against the Taliban and their al Qaeda buddies, but he does see some progress.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. DAVID PETRAEUS, CENTCOM COMMANDER: Achieving our objectives in Afghanistan thus will not be easy. The Taliban has in recent years been gaining strength and expanding the extent of its control of parts of Afghanistan. It is important to remember nevertheless that the Taliban command significantly less support among Pashtuns (ph) than either Sunni or Shia extremist groups in Iraq had in their communities 2007, and it commands virtually no support among Afghanistan's other ethnic groups.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: As for President Obama's decision to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan, Petraeus says it will enable the U.S. to make important progress in the war.

Of course in the end, the war in Afghanistan depends on the Afghans themselves. They must sign up and fight, and some are doing just that. U.S. commanders report a sudden surge in Afghan Army recruits this month. The apparent reason? The promise of higher pay, a crucial incentive in a country where most people live is unbelievably pour.

Here's what some potential recruits told CNN's Atia Abawi.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATIA ABAWI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Cold, desperate, and hungry -- the perfect recruits. Recruits that the Taliban want, but these men are being drafted by another group. Every morning the Afghan National Army, known as the ANA, heads to the streets of Kabul looking for potential soldiers.

Some are willing.

"We want to be of service, spend our time serving Afghanistan," says (INAUDIBLE), "so we don't have to wander around in other countries like Iran or Pakistan looking for work."

But others are not so interested.

"They would not give me a good enough salary to join the army," Nakib (ph) says. "My job is better than being a soldier, at least I won't be harassed here."

The government recently increased the pay of soldiers and police by 40 percent, enticing men who are struggling to provide for their families. Soldiers can make as much as $250 a month if they are in the heat of battle in the hot spots of the Afghan war. It is not going to make them rich, but at least it is steady money, although less than what some Taliban groups will pay.

The ANA is doing everything it can to enlist, going to the streets and the airwaves. But it is a long way to this -- from this.

(on camera): Despite the disheveled and unkempt appearance, doctors say that these men are fit to fight. Out of the 1,500 who have come through this processing center in the last couple of days, only 25 were rejected on medical grounds.

(voice-over): These men are going through a life-changing experience. Most of them can't read or write, let alone understand what they are doing today with the physicals, biometrics and paperwork.

The question remains, is this more about quantity rather than quality? President Obama has stated that he expects the ANA numbers to grow up to 134,000 by the fall of 2010. Taking some of the burden off of the international forces in the country. And Afghan commanders say they will do just that, not because the Americans want them to, but because eventually they want to take charge of their own land.

"This was something that was started by our forefathers," Colonel Hakim (ph) says. "We have to protect our own country." These faces are faces of desperation, desperate to make a few dollars and desperate for peace. A peace most of them have never known.

Atia Abawi, CNN, Kabul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Thanks for joining us. I will see you back here tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. Eastern time. Rick Sanchez picks it up from here.