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Bracing for Impact on Jetliner; Southwest to Buy AirTran; Eating Health on the Run
Aired September 27, 2010 - 10:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: Live from Studio 7 at CNN world headquarters, the big stories for Monday, this September 27th, including a risky landing. Sparks -- take a look at them -- flying off the wing of a Delta jet, during an emergency landing. Cell phone video giving us a front row seat to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have 64 souls on board, and we have -- our fuel is an hour and a half of fuel.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: In another part of the world, heavy machinery grinding into disputed soil. Israel restarting settlement construction today. Peace talks with the Palestinians is now in jeopardy.
And if it's fried and fast, it's usually fattening. CNN begins a weeklong focus on American's killer diet. We call the series "Eatocracy."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are foods within fast-food restaurants that are good for you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: How about that?
Good morning, everybody. I'm Drew Griffin, in for Tony Harris this morning.
Those stories and your comments right here, right now in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Boy, extreme fear of an impending crash followed by relief after the pilot brings the plane down safely. It was all caught on video by the passengers themselves aboard Delta Air Lines Flight 4951 this weekend.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Brace for impact.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Heads down! Stay down! Stay down! Heads down! Stay down!
Heads down! Stay down!
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: They kept their heads down and then got their heads up and clapping. The pilot made an emergency landing at New York's JFK Airport because the plane's right rear landing gear was stuck.
Josh Levs has been following the details on this.
What a landing. What a story, Josh.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is. This is an amazing story, and you've got two sides to it, right?
You've got the relief that it landed. And then you've got the investigation about why did that go wrong in the first place?
Let's start off with what happened. You had 64 people on this plane. It took off from Atlanta. It was supposed to go to White Plains and ending up making that emergency landing at JFK.
Sixty passengers on board, along with four crew. Two of the passengers spoke to us this morning on "AMERICAN MORNING."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHASE BENZENBERG, SHOT VIDEO OF EMERGENCY LANDING: He said, "We're going to be making an emergency landing." They didn't have really many details, except that there was no landing gear. So we're envisioning, you know, belly slide the whole way with sparks, but they actually came out later and said it's only the right rear landing gear that would not come down, so it would be hitting the wing, which is what actually happened.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: And what did it feel like to land?
ALESSANDRO ALBERO, SHOT VIDEO OF EMERGENCY LANDING: Landing was actually quite smooth. The pilot did a wonderful job.
We came down and the plane tipped slightly and the sparks came out. You guys saw the video. It was pretty intense, but they did a wonderful job.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: That is impressive. Think about what they just said, you don't have the landing gear fully on one side. So, basically, you've got a wing scraping against the ground, sparks were flying, but you've still got the passenger telling us that it was smooth and that he did a wonderful job. That's impressive.
Now, we actually have sound from the pilot, some of the conversation with Air Traffic Control. Let's listen to this piece right here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have not been able to get the landing gear down. Our preference would be to proceed over to JFK and execute an emergency landing over there. And if it's not completely obvious, just want to confirm we are declaring an emergency.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: That is from LiveATC.net, which is a Web site that provides sound, basically, between pilots and Air Traffic Control.
Now, you can imagine that not everyone was as relaxed as the two guys we saw earlier. And they did tell us a story about one woman. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENZENBERG: I saw the lady in front of me that just had tears coming down. And she was holding her husband's hand right behind her.
And also, once the flight attendants were reading out instructions about emergency landing with a life preserver, another lady behind me was reaching for her life jacket saying, "I can't get it. It's stuck." And I was just saying, you know, "We don't need that right now. We're not going into water. Just listen to instructions and try to remain calm."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: Let's take another look at this piece of video that was taken from on the plane.
What you're able to see when you look at it -- let's go to that -- is you can actually see some of the sparks. You hear a flight attendant saying, "Heads down! Heads down!" And we're told that part lasted more than 30 seconds.
And when you take a close look, those sparks you are seeing are the sparks that were just being described, right, when that wing is rubbing against the ground with that kind of speed, that velocity, that force. Boom, sparks flying.
Obviously, after that people were really relieved. And we know that they had a sense that maybe something was up, because we're told they had been circling for a while and weren't sure why, and then ultimately found out what was going on with the plane.
Everyone's doing OK. Everyone's fine. So, in this sense, everyone's breathing a sigh of relief.
And we want to hear from you, your stories about scary flights that you may have experienced in the past. What came of them? What happened? Get in touch with us. We've got questions up at the blog, CNN.com/Tony. You can also use any of my pages here at CNN.com/Josh. I'm at Facebook and Twitter, JoshLevsCNN.
Let us know what you've been through on flights, and we will share some of those stories in the NEWSROOM.
And Drew, the investigation right now is ongoing into -- I mean, hey, it's a big piece of machinery, mechanical failures happen. But anytime this does happen, you want to know why it happened. So that's what we're looking for now, why this went wrong in the first place.
GRIFFIN: Yes. A couple of heroes there to still hear from. The pilot, right? And the guy who designed that plane. It didn't tear apart. Great landing.
LEVS: Yes, impressive stuff.
GRIFFIN: Terrific. We're going to stay with air travel here, Josh.
Confirmation coming this morning that Southwest Airlines is going to buy AirTran. And it could impact what you pay to fly.
Our Christine Romans following this big story in New York.
Why the merger now, Christine?
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know there was another merger. We had the merger of Continental and United. This is the arena we are living in right now. You have an economy that's starting to come back a little bit, and you have the airlines that are trying to figure out how they can take advantage of that and start to make money again.
Southwest Airlines will by AirTran. The deal is about $1.4 billion. When you put all of it together, it's about $3 billion, including debt in some of the other parts of this agreement.
What it gives Southwest, Drew, it gives them access to AirTran's Atlanta, Boston, New York City markets, and that allows Southwest to grow. Southwest, in a call this morning with reporters, said that the Southwest logo, the Southwest name will be what this new carrier will be. It will absorb AirTran.
And what that means for those of you out there in the traveling public who pay fees on AirTran for baggage, for example, it means you will not pay those fees. Southwest Airlines has the least burdensome of all the airlines' fees. They do not charge a fee for bags, for example. And AirTran, when it is absorbed, you will no longer pay those fees as well.
So, until that deal is done -- each company will keep its policies right now, but when that deal is done, it will be Southwest, the Southwest logo and the Southwest operating policies -- Drew.
GRIFFIN: Two money issues to talk about here. Usually consumer advocates fight mergers because they reduce competition and increase fares. Don't answer it, but, number one, is that likely to happen with Southwest? And number two, is the other thing likely to happen, that places like here in Atlanta, are we going to see increased competition and maybe the fares will go down?
ROMANS: Well, that's the big question, right? And when you have the public starting to fly again and there's more demand for these airlines, that's what they're really trying to grab a hold of here, some more demand for these airlines.
In the very near term, what you're going to see is you're going to probably see fewer fees, because as I said, Southwest is the least of the fee-charging airlines. And I want to show you flying costly skies, for example.
We talk about airfares, and many people say airfares are probably going to be going up over the next year. But it's not just airfares, it's these other fees -- $23 million a day we paid in fees in the second quarter.
Here's how you stack up. American, Drew, has the top fees to change a coach ticket, 300 bucks just to change a ticket on American.
US Airways, it has the top fee for talking to a human being on the phone to make a reservation. That's $35.
United, if you want to cut line, they have the highest fee there, 39 bucks. That means you can get in front of everybody else to get on the plane. United also holds the record for the preferred seat fee. For an extra five inches, Drew, five inches will cost you $159.
GRIFFIN: That has always amazed me.
Christine, good to have you back. Thanks.
ROMANS: Yes.
GRIFFIN: We're going to bring you more on Southwest and AirTran's merger in the next hour. I'm going to talk to Tom Parson. He's the CEO of BestFares.com. He's going to have important money-saving information to pass along to you.
(NEWSBREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: Well, CNN taking a cross-country food journey all this week. We've sent reporting teams to every corner of America. Even beyond.
Our mission: to get fresh answers about how our food is grown, how the choices we make impact our health, our state of mind, our budgets, and the pure joy of eating. We've teamed up with the new CNN.com food destination, Eatocracy.com, to bring you "Eatocracy: Mind, Body and Wallet."
Fast food, cheap, convenient, and in this economy very tempting. But each bite may be loaded with calories, sugar and fat. So are there healthy options?
Jennifer Westhoven asked a cardiologist.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JENNIFER WESTHOVEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We lead busy lives in America. Chances are that once in a while you have to eat on the run. In America, that means fast food.
(on camera): Well, we brought in Dr. Allen Dollar from Emory University.
I mean, this is a place where millions of Americans eat every day because we have to. So, how do you do it? Can you do it and be healthy?
DR. ALLEN DOLLAR, CHIEF OF CARDIOLOGY, GRADY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL: Absolutely, Jennifer. You know, you can make informed choices. There are foods within fast-food restaurants that are good for you. You can look for things such as fresh fruit, salads.
WESTHOVEN: When you talk about salads, what about all that fried chicken they put all over it?
DOLLAR: Well, the fried chicken is a little bit of a problem. To be honest with you, the bigger problem is the dressing. So, when you ask for dressing, you want to ask for the low-calorie version.
WESTHOVEN: Is there really any difference between them getting a hamburger or going for grilled chicken? Is one healthier, or does it matter?
DOLLAR: Probably the amount of fat and the type of fat in poultry is a little bit healthier. But again, a lot of these choices have to do with the number of calories. So if you're going to get a hamburger, you may want to leave off half of the bun.
WESTHOVEN: And French fries?
DOLLAR: Well, French fries are one of those foods that have a lot of calories and not a lot of nutritional value. So I'd recommend either not getting them or sharing them with your friends.
WESTHOVEN: So we're talking a lot about food, but what about what you drink?
DOLLAR: You know, my rule of thumb is, is that in general, most of your beverages should not have calories. You can make choices for a diet soda, but regular sodas are loaded with sugar, as are fruit juices, actually. Look for things that are less processed -- vegetables, maybe a baked potato, things that aren't necessarily fried.
WESTHOVEN: This may all seem like comfort food, but it's going to feel uncomfortable if you end up with extra pounds and health problems. Jennifer Westhoven, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN: And on our menu next hour, organic foods. The best way to eat healthy? Well, you already know it doesn't come cheap.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're getting a crop that is grown naturally, without the use of chemicals, chemical fertilizers, or chemical spray inputs. And that's it in a nutshell.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: John Zarrella breaking down what's fact and what's fiction.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: Israel's restarted settlement construction in the West Bank today. That's important, because Palestinians have said any chance of peace talks would end if that building began. But the Palestinians haven't bolted from the negotiating table just yet.
CNN's Paula Hancocks live in Jerusalem.
Paula, good morning.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Drew.
Well, what the Palestinians have done through their president, Mahmoud Abbas, is deferred this decision for another week. Now, as you say, they had said if the settlement construction continues, we'll walk away. The settlement construction is continuing. CNN has seen it with its own eyes this Monday.
The bulldozers are out. They're breaking ground for new houses. But now the Palestinian president is saying let's defer this decision. He doesn't want to make a rash decision.
Now, we know that the Arab League is meeting next week, so on the 4th of October he'll meet. And he really is doing this so he can have the support of the Arab countries behind him, so it's not just him if he does decide to walk away.
Neither the Palestinians nor the Israelis want to be the ones blamed if these talks don't even manage to last months. They started on September 2nd. It hasn't even been a month yet.
Now, we heard from the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, as well on Sunday evening just after this didn't extend, 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time. He didn't even mention the word "settlement" though. He just said he hopes the talks can go on.
So, certainly, it is going to be a tense few days. We are seeing building continuing. It is also the Sukkot Jewish holiday though, so a little less building at this point. Later in the week, beginning of next week, we could see some intensive building, which would make it pretty difficult for the Palestinian president to stay at these talks without losing faith -- Drew.
GRIFFIN: Paula, if I could ask you just a little analysis here, because you've been covering this story from both sides for so long, is this being set up for another disaster, another stalemate where both sides are just going to walk away? Or do you see any difference this time around in trying to actually not only start the talks, but keep them going?
HANCOCKS: Well, the difference this time around is that we are seeing some incredible U.S. support very early on in a presidency. And the fact is, U.S. diplomats have told CNN that they are working around the clock and behind the scenes to try and keep both sides at the negotiating table.
The U.S. president, Barack Obama, has put in a lot of foreign policy credibility into this into these talks. And a lot is riding on these talks.
It would be hugely embarrassing for the U.S. and also for both sides in this conflict if the talks collapse even before one month has gone. There was huge skepticism, huge cynicism here on the ground, and many will be saying, "I told you so." Even more worrying than that, when talks fail, we often see an uptick in violence.
So, certainly the U.S. is doing everything it can and keep both sides at the negotiating table, and we are hearing at this point nothing definitive from the Israeli prime minister. He's obviously hoping things will blow over and they will be able to keep talking.
GRIFFIN: Paula Hancocks, live from our CNN bureau in Jerusalem.
Thanks, Paula.
(NEWSBREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: Ten thousand copies of a war memoir written by a decorated Army Reserve officer paid for by the Pentagon and then destroyed. Just how explosive is the book "Operation Dark Heart"?
Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr has this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: This is the book in question, "Operation Dark Heart," written by Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Shaffer. The Pentagon destroyed 10,000 copies of the first run of this book. This is now a second edition. You can buy it, but if you do, there will be this -- blacked-out passages page after page in the book. The Pentagon saying that it had to black all of this out in the second run because the book contained classified information.
Now, Lieutenant Colonel Shaffer says he did submit the manuscript, and it was approved, but apparently, by all accounts, once it got to higher-level military intelligence authorities, they believed that much of the information in the book could potentially be problematic and had to be blacked out. Certain passages, certain facts, some of it very sensitive, some of it fairly innocuous, such as the name of the CIA training facility in Virginia.
Here's a little bit more of what lieutenant colonel Shaffer had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LT. COL. ANTHONY SHAFFER, U.S. ARMY: There are some things the Army felt, they did not want in and I just took them out. That was no argument. If they felt it was sensitive or something couldn't be referenced properly, it's out. Then that process was completed by January of this year. And from there, after I received written permission, the written documents went to the publisher and we moved forward.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR: But of course, there still may be copies of the first run out there. In today's cyber world, it's hard to destroy and stop the flow of information permanently.
Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN: American soldiers sent to Afghanistan to secure the country, now accused of killing for sport on the front lines. 12 U.S. Army infantry men are accused, three Afghan civilians are dead. And the Military itself is now trying to explain how a rogue band of American soldiers smoked hash at night and are accused of killing by sport for day. CNN has obtained tapes, in some cases, confessions, of the soldiers involved. You'll hear these chilling conversations at the top of the hour.
Also, recruiting black missionaries to serve in their own communities. A special report from CNN's Soledad O'Brien.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: When you think missionaries, you may think of people working in third world countries. But in midst of a recession, the need for domestic missionaries is growing.
Soledad O'Brien introduces us to a man whose mission is to rally African-Americans to serve their own community.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEROY BARBER, MISSION YEAR PRESIDENT: I'm the Jackie Robinson of missions, you know.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Leroy Barber is a man with a calling and he's the president of Mission Year.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We do not see through our eyes or hear through our hears.
O'BRIEN: It's a year-long ministry and volunteer program for Christian young adults in the United States.
BARBER: There is a goal for people to come to know Jesus. There is probably another strong goal of things are not right in the world. And I want to be a part of making them right.
O'BRIEN (on camera): How many African-Americans are involved in Mission Year's missionary work?
BARBER: Generally about five percent a year or less sometimes.
O'BRIEN: Why does that matter?
BARBER: I don't think it's good for a kid growing up in an urban neighborhood only to see white faces coming to serve.
HAROLD BOYD, MISSION YEAR PARTICIPANT: This is where I'm staying right now.
O'BRIEN: Twenty-two year-old Harold Boyd left his Chicago home to spend the year in Atlanta. He lives on $12,000 that he has to raise himself.
BOYD: I do believe that with every relationship that I build, that I'll be showing people that I'm in the same struggle as you are.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't have all the answers.
O'BRIEN: He's the only minority on his team. It's not surprising when you consider the vast majority of missionaries are white.
JIM SUTHERLAND, RECONCILIATION MINISTRIES NETWORK, INC.: In terms of the missionary percentage of African-Americans, it's far less than one percent.
O'BRIEN: Jim Sutherland studies missionary work and the black church.
SUTHERLAND: Many black churches do a fairly good job of taking care of their own local communities, but the vocation of missionary in the African-American church is essentially off the radar. It's basically not there.
O'BRIEN: So why are there so few African-Americans who involved in missionary work?
BARBER: I think the way missions is traditional done, you raise support to do it and --
O'BRIEN: Money.
BARBER: Money. How you work out taking a year off, which means not working, not earning an income. It's a hard deal.
O'BRIEN (voice-over): For many African-American, it's difficult to make this financial sacrifice, especially during a recession.
For Harold Boyd, it's worth the sacrifice.
BOYD: What really inspired me with the work of missions of being able to see what's out there and see what people need. I don't think I could stab anybody with the Gospel. Here, here, have it. But I'm called to serve here. I'm going to serve.
O'BRIEN: Reporting for In America, Soledad O'Brien, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN: Don't miss Soledad O'Brien's special report, fighting a financial crisis from the pulpit. The black church has fought for civil and human rights and now it is waging a war on debt. "Almighty Debt," a Black in America special coming Thursday, October 21th, 9:00 p.m. Eastern, only on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: Our top stories now. A merger between Southwest Airlines and AirTran is in the works. The deal could bring southwest to major hubs like Atlanta, Washington, Boston, New York. Pending approval by regulators and the stockholders.
A 120-year-old sand levee along the Wisconsin River is failing. Water began leaking out Sunday, into a nearby neighborhood. About 100 families have been warned to evacuate.
And drive-through flu shots being offered at New York's Orchard Park. About 200 people taking full advantage of this weekend.
(WEATHER REPORT)
GRIFFIN: CNN Equals Politics. You know that. It's time for our update and today, we're happy to have Ed Henry. He's live at the White House from his perch, watching what's going on in the administration and everything that's crossing your wires.
Right, Ed?
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Drew.
Huge week here at the White House for Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. A lot of people wondering whether he'll stay or go. Go run for mayor of Chicago. The smart money is that he will announce, and I'm hearing from top Democrats who may hear that announcement as soon as the end of this week or next week. It all depends on when Congress finishes up for the year. He's knee deep in that right now.
But hot on the political ticker right now is that if Rahm Emanuel runs for mayor, he's going to do it without the backing of Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, the number two Democrat in the Senate, basically telling CNN's Candy Crowley yesterday on "STATE OF THE UNION" that he is not planning to endorse in that battle.
Interesting though, that this morning on NBC's "Today Show," President Obama had an interview where he all but endorsed Rahm Emanuel, saying he would make a great mayor. And on that same program, the president decided to take a shot at House Republicans and their new Pledge to America, this 21-page document. The president calling it a continuation of quote, "irresponsible policies." You can bet we're going to be hearing a lot more of that rhetoric from the president this week. He's going to be hitting four campaign states starting in New Mexico tonight.
Finally, some bad news for Charlie Crist. The governor of Florida running as Independent for Senate down there in the Sunshine State. New poll out has him trailing Republican Marco Rubio, 40 to 28 percent. A huge margin right now. The Democrat Kendrick Meek, he actually is up a little bit from where he was recently, up five points to 23 percent. Still a distant third.
This is bad news for the White House because they have been hoping that if Kendrick Meek did not win, the Democrat in that Florida Senate battle, that maybe the Independent Charlie Crist would win and then align himself with Democrats after the election, vote for some of the president's programs et cetera. But right now, it's looking bleak for Charlie Crist -- Drew.
GRIFFIN: Wow, and Rahm Emanuel jumping in early. Everybody thought he'd wait until after the November elections but I guess so many people are trying to be the mayor of Chicago, he's got to get his name in.
HENRY: A lot of hats potentially in that ring, you're right. And a lot of people, maybe pundits, thought early on, you're right, he could wait until after the election. Problem is he's staring at a lot of deadlines. First of all, November the 22nd. He's got the get the right number of signatures in there to get on the ballot. Then, February 22, primary. All of this is moving so rapidly that you should expect an announcement from Rahm Emanuel probably in days now, Drew.
GRIFFIN: Ed, thanks.
Your next political update in an hour. For the latest political news, you know where to go, right? CNNPolitics.com, 24/7.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: Fix our schools. Those three words driving much of what you see on CNN every Monday during this hour. Because America's children return to school, CNN has a mission to document the nation's education crisis. Most importantly, shining a light on success stories that can empower us to our children to get so much more than what they're getting now.
And President Obama is also focuses on the nation's students. He hosts a conference call today with college and university student journalists. The president will discuss steps his administration is taking to address issues important to young Americans. One of his top priorities is supporting teachers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There is nothing more important than teaching. I genuinely believe this. And I don't know a teacher who can't look back and say, you know what, here are so many lives that I've touched, so many people who I've had influence over. And each of us have memories of some great teacher who steered us in the right direction.
What I want to also do though is make sure that if they go into teaching, they can stay into teaching, they can afford it, which means that we've got to raise teacher pay generally. We want to professionalize it, so that if you get to be a master teacher, a better teacher, you can make more money. That's true of any profession. We've got to make sure they've got a structure around them in which they can succeed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: In a country torn apart by war, poverty, Afghani children are being encouraged to learn and perform their way to a brighter future through an educational circus.
Atia Abawi visited them under their big top.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ATIA ABAWI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): 14-year-old Fazila Amarkhiel is competing in Kabul, a prelude to a future that will have her juggling challenges, not balls.
FAZILA AMARKHIEL, STUDENT (through translator): I was scared. I was so scared, she says. I kept thinking, I'm going to drop them, but I have to win.
ABAWI: And she did.
Many parents credit the Afghan Educational Children's Circus with helping their kids gain confidence while having some fun. But this is no ordinary circus. Kids also learn practical lessons in life here, like hygiene and identifying land mines.
(on camera): Something very rare to see in Afghanistan are children who are happy. Children smiling. But here at the circus you see those smiles, you see those cheers, you see that happiness. And you see children just being children.
(voice-over): Hundreds of kids have trained here and the founder says nearly a million have enjoyed watching them perform. Fazila started coming here at the age of six, and now hopes to teach the younger kids the tricks to the circus and to life.
AMARKHEIL: They have to know that when they see something that will make them happy and they wish they could do it, too, she says, they have to just do it.
ABAWI: This is a moment of recreation for kids who have little else to look forward to in a country ravaged by war and poverty.
The founder is a Danish man who came to Afghanistan in 2002. There are reports that he once lived with the Mujahedeen. But he won't talk about that. He'd rather focus on the kids.
DAVID MASON, FOUNDER: The very first thing to work on is the circus. First circus, how on earth could they think about anything else?
ABAWI: In the winter, children can come and start to practice. But it's in the summer they start to perform.
MASON: Children come the very first days. They're very conservative, they have a very bad attitude. It takes them like couple of weeks, three weeks and then you see how much self-confidence that the (INAUDIBLE) classes, singing classes, all this has made.
ABAWI: Mason says the key to Afghanistan's future is putting opportunities like this in the children's hands.
MASON: Adults have been ignorant. Adults think that they know everything and they want to teach the kids. But if you're open to the music, it's all there. Just ask them. They have all the resources. They can do it all.
ABAWI: It's here where kids don't worry about war, poverty and politics. Instead, they are jumping, juggling, and swinging their way to what they hope is a brighter future.
Atia Abawi, CNN, Kabul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN: There's another airline merger in the works. What the marriage of Southwest and AirTran could mean for your flying future. A travel expert will break it down in the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM. Plus, shocking news from the front lines. U.S. soldiers accused now of killing unarmed Afghan civilians for sport. You'll hear soldier's describe what happened. It's a CNN exclusive.
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(BUSINESS REPORT)
