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More Problems on Qantas A380 Jets; Turning to China for Students; Death for Steven Hayes; Gas Prices Rising

Aired November 08, 2010 - 14:00   ET

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

ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Ali Velshi, here with you for the next hour. Here's what's "On the Rundown."

So far, police and courts haven't been able to keep anti-gay protesters away from military funerals, but a town in Missouri has figured out a way.

High school students halfway around the world in China being beckoned to come help a struggling community in Maine. We'll ask the man who is recruiting them what he and the town have to gain from it.

And two TV reality show stars take each other on the New York City Marathon, but the big winners will be young cancer victims. We'll meet the men behind the challenge.

Well, a new week and new trouble for Qantas, Airbus and Rolls- Royce, the three players in last Thursday's emergency landing of an A380 superjumbo jet. One of the four Rolls-Royce engines blew up in flight. It damaged one of the plane's wings and scared the heck out of a lot of passengers. You can see it in the picture there.

Qantas grounded its A380s for a couple of days to try to figure out what went wrong. Well, the very next day, Friday, a Qantas 747 flying the same route as that A380 experienced engine failure. Also a Rolls-Royce engine, but a different kind than the one that blew up.

The Qantas CEO came out today and announced some bad news, a problem that has been found on several A380s that could have caused last Thursday's scare.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALAN JOYCE, QANTAS CEO: Oil leaks have been discovered in the turbine area of three engines. We have removed these engines from the aircraft for further testing, and we are now planning that the A380 fleet will remain out of service for at least the next 72 hours. The focus of our investigation has narrowed to the possibility of an oil leakage in the relevant turbine area; however, investigations on other areas of the engine are continuing in order to rule out other potential issues.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELSHI: There's a picture of me getting on to an A380. It's not one of the Qantas ones, but I have had a chance to fly on that plane. Let me tell you, it's not overstating it to say this is a very, very big plane. It is substantially bigger than a 747. I'm going to give you a few details about this in just a moment, but it is a very, very big and long plane.

Let me tell you about how long it is -- 238 feet. If you stood on its tail, you would be higher than the height of the Golden Gate Bridge. The wing span, 261 feet, almost three NBA basketball courts laid end to end.

This thing can carry more than 550 passengers in some configurations. But with so many lives and, yes, so much money at stake on these planes, the companies involved are scrambling for answers.

I talked to CNN international's resident aviation buff Richard Quest last hour. He's wondering about one thing in particular.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The question is, why has Qantas found what's called oil puddling in their engine above the turbines, and other operators like Singapore and Lufthansa did not find it?

Now, they've all completed the checks that Airbus and Rolls-Royce have asked for, and these checks basically look at every single thing. It's, you know, imagine everything and check everything. They haven't found them.

And what no one can answer for me tonight is, what was going on with the Qantas engine that wasn't happening with the others? Is this because Qantas was running their engines faster, hotter, 72,000 pounds of thrust versus 70,000? Who knows the reasons?

VELSHI: Right.

QUEST: But we can say tonight that the Singapore and Lufthansa engines have not found that puddling. The Qantas engines have. And frankly, Rolls-Royce are just -- all they are saying is that it doesn't relate to any other engine.

It's not a completely satisfactory situation tonight in terms of the information, but then we are literally watching them do the investigation step by step.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELSHI: We'll keep you posted on this. Richard was talking about Rolls-Royce. The engine maker says it's made progress in understanding the cause of last Thursday's blowout. It did not address the newly discovered Qantas oil leak.

So, to be clear, we don't know if whatever happened on Thursday is related to these oil leaks or this oil puddling. We'll stay on top of it for you. An unusual plan to pull a town and its schools out of the recession. But do Chinese teenagers really want to move to northern Maine, where it snows more than 90 inches a year? The answer right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: The fight against protesters at military funerals heated up this weekend. We've all saw the pictures of Fred Phelps' group protesting everything from gays to military funerals.

Well, Saturday, several hundred people in Weston, Missouri, banded together to protect families who were headed to a funeral for Sergeant First Class C.J. Sadell, who was killed in Afghanistan. The people of Weston stood on the corner where Westboro Baptist Church planned to protest. They also took up all the parking spots nearby.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REBECCA ROONEY, WESTON RESIDENT: When you think about it, they have all gone and served just so we could do this and, you know, be able to even have our say. So that's what it was all about. And so, he didn't die in vain, that's for sure. We remember.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELSHI: Well, the crime was unspeakable, the consequences are still playing out. After a break, a jury in Connecticut decides on the punishment for a man who slaughtered a family.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: Today marks the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy's election as the 35th president of the United States. And in his honor, we are showing you some never-before-published photos from "LIFE" magazine.

This picture here is one of JFK seemingly alone in a crowd in West Virginia campaigning from a kitchen chair. And you'll notice the little boy on the bottom right of the picture playing absently with a toy gun that looks incredibly realistic.

Coming up a little later, we'll show you a picture of the charismatic president signing autographs.

You know well the troubled state of American schools. We talk about it every day. This is especially true for a school superintendent in northern Maine.

His town of Millinocket has been hard hit by the recession. High school enrollment has dropped from 800 to 200 students.

Well, 50-year veteran Kenneth Smith thinks he has an idea that will not only help his town, but also the schools. His solution is to convince Chinese teenagers to spend $27,000 to attend his high school for one year. But consider this -- the town only has a population of 5,000 people, and it gets an average of 93 inches of snow a year. It's an hour's drive to the nearest mall or movie theater, and one of its two paper mills has closed down.

Kenneth Smith joins us now live via Skype to tell us about his plan.

Kenneth, it sounds like you are trying to take a place that has some infrastructure and some population and goose it economically. Is it likely to work?

KENNETH SMITH, SUPERINTENDENT, MILLINOCKET SCHOOLS: Oh, yes. Of course it's going to work. We have all of the elements to make it work.

VELSHI: You've gone to China already to try and recruit kids. How did that go?

SMITH: It went very well. They were very cordial. I learned a lot, and that's part of the process.

VELSHI: You're charging -- or they're going to pay, and this includes, I guess, their tuition, their room and board -- private school fees, the equivalent of private school fees to attend public schools in this town.

What's the draw for the Chinese kids?

SMITH: Well, first, private schools are generally a lot more expensive than public schools. But the draw is that we have a perfect town, perfect setting, and it's safe. We have a very strong school system. We have excellent facilities and grounds. And we're only an hour from an international airport. There's a great hospital and everything else.

VELSHI: Now, tell me about what success you're having. Have you got people signing up? Who are these kids? And are they signing up?

SMITH: They -- we have some commitments already, but we have to go through the homeland security process of being -- I guess you'd call it anointed. And we're going through that process now. Just as soon as that's signed, then we can formally accept students.

VELSHI: Now, they can't stay for too long, I assume, unless they go through some visa process. Can these kids only stay for a year and then they have to go back?

SMITH: In public schools in the United States through the INS rules they can only stay one year in a public school, for four years in a private school.

VELSHI: And in this case, would this be designated public school?

SMITH: It would be. However, we have a number of private schools that would love to have the students for the three years that we don't have them.

VELSHI: So, is the thinking that they will come here, along with their families, and that they'll stay and contribute to the economic growth of the town?

SMITH: Well, some of the parents will come, and will come periodically, but the students -- Chinese families invest heavily in education. And those children are sent here so they can learn English and interact with our kids and our society. So, they will come, but the students will bring money which they will spend, and parents will replenish that supply periodically.

VELSHI: And you feel that that is going to be a shot in the arm to this town. I mean, is that what happens, you're going to start to see economic growth because of the money that these kids spend and that their families bring in?

SMITH: Two parts. One is it helps to offset our share of the town budget, but perhaps of equal importance is that our students are going to learn from students in another country, which could be a major player in the future.

VELSHI: Well, we tend to think that here on this show. How does that go over in the town? Is there some concern that, wait a second, we're going to have all of these Chinese kids here, or is everybody kind of welcoming this idea as a resurgent -- you know, a way that you can get this economy growing?

SMITH: What we're doing is taking our time for this year and meeting with every element within the community. And I think tonight I meet with the town council, tomorrow with the school board. I think -- I've met with the Chamber Commerce. People are very supportive and I think on board with this idea.

VELSHI: Well, it's definitely thinking outside the box. We will watch this very closely.

Kenneth Smith, thanks for joining us.

Kenneth Smith is the Millinocket, Maine, school superintendent joining us via Skype.

Thanks, Kenneth.

Coming up next, an inside look at a medical miracle that is celebrating a big birthday today. You're going to want to think about this. It's more obvious than you think.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: Just a few hours ago we got a verdict in the case against Steven Hayes for the 2007 brutal home invasion murders of three members of the Petit family in Connecticut.

Sunny Hostin of "In Session" on truTV joins us now. Sunny, this was quite a horrific, horrific crime. Mrs. Petit and her two daughters brutally killed. Dr. William Petit would have been killed, but that he escaped on his own.

Tell us what's going on there.

SUNNY HOSTIN, CONTRIBUTOR, "IN SESSION," TRUTV: Well, I will tell you, Ali, that the feeling in the courtroom was really tense today when the judge came out and said, "We have a verdict." I looked immediately over at Dr. Petit and his family, who he has been here every single day of not only the guilt phase, but also the penalty phase. And they just let out a sigh of relief.

I think that they were just ready to have this part of this trial be done. And after the verdict was read, they hugged each other, there were tears. It was certainly a happy moment in a sense for them, but certainly just a moment of relief. They were happy that this part was over.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. WILLIAM PETIT, HOME INVASION SURVIVOR: There's never closure. I was very much insulted when people asked me last year that if the death penalty were rendered, would that somehow give me closure. Absolutely not.

You know, this is not about revenge. You know, vengeance belongs to the lord. This is about justice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELSHI: Sunny, this is a remarkable story. And you've covered so many cases. In this case, his wife, who was murdered, before she was murdered was forced to go to the bank and withdraw money. She then gave them this money, and then they murdered them, they burned the house down.

There are two people on trial. One of the trial is going to come later. But this just seemed to be a gruesome, horrible, horrible murder.

HOSTIN: It really was. And I will say, I have covered so many trials. I've been a federal prosecutor, I've tried child sex crimes. This, by far, is one of the worst cases, Ali, that I have ever seen.

Listening to this testimony come in day in and day out, I was not surprised that Steven Hayes got the death penalty in this case. Many people have said if ever there was a case that qualified for the death penalty, this was the case.

VELSHI: Sunny, there's another trial to come, his alleged accomplice, who has made statements that sort of allege that -- he talks about how he's a criminal with a criminal mind. How's that trial going to go? Because this one was very long and drawn out.

HOSTIN: This one was long and drawn out. I suspect that one will be, as well.

Joshua Komisarjevsky, at the time of these crimes, was 26 years old. And he, by all accounts, was the more evil one. He was the mastermind, Ali, behind these crimes. And so he will be going to trial. Jury selection starts January, 2011. And by all accounts, his trial will be very similar to that of Steven Hayes.

VELSHI: All right, Sunny. Good to see you. Thanks very much.

Sunny Hostin, legal contributor of "In Session" on truTV, in New Haven, Connecticut.

(WEATHER REPORT)

VELSHI: Now, are these X-rays?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Do we have X-rays?

VELSHI: No, are these -- it has nothing to do with X-ray technology, is it, the way --

MYERS: No, no, no. Well, there are different wavelengths that we use for satellites and for clouds and for hurricanes, sure. But not the smallest wavelength.

This is the visible wavelength that we see. This would be an X- ray. You shrink it down by about 120 (ph) times.

VELSHI: Because it's the 75th -- it's the 75th? What anniversary is it? It's an X-ray --

MYERS: One hundred and fifteen.

VELSHI: It's 115. Who celebrates 115?

MYERS: The people who make X-rays.

VELSHI: Apparently.

Let's go "Off the Radar."

MYERS: Because there is nothing else to celebrate.

Go on to Google today. Just go on to Google.com.

VELSHI: Yes. I know. That's what I was looking at. I said, "What is Google showing me?" And they said it's the 115th anniversary.

MYERS: Do you know what those are called up on top?

VELSHI: No. What are they?

MYERS: They're called Google Doodles.

VELSHI: Google Doodles. OK. I hadn't heard that. Yes. MYERS: Google Doodles today show this X-ray. One is like a duck, and one's a key. You know, the people who swallow forks and spoons. It's a cute little thing.

VELSHI: Right. All right.

MYERS: But it's all about the X-ray and how it was made, and how it was literally made by accident. This is one of the first medical X-rays, although not for any purpose. This look like -- wow, look at the size of the knuckle.

VELSHI: Yes.

MYERS: No. That was the wife's ring.

VELSHI: Really? That's pretty good if that's one of the earliest X-rays, because it kind of looks like today's X-rays.

MYERS: Better than a picture.

VELSHI: Yes.

MYERS: And 115 years old. This is the man who discovered the X- ray technology by using nanotubes, by using tubes up here to make radio waves.

He went, wow, what is that radiation? And he put something down and he said, I can see through it. And it made -- literally, it made the invisible visible. Immediately, within a couple of years, they were using this technology to look for bullets in soldiers because it goes through flesh, but it bounces off the hard things.

Now, that's different than CTs and MRIs. But you have to understand, what else was made in 1895?

VELSHI: What else?

MYERS: Benz made a car. You know, Ford was making cars.

Are we using that technology anymore? Maybe the internal combustible engine, yes.

VELSHI: Right.

MYERS: But think about how far we've come.

VELSHI: Right. The car of today is so different from that car. But this is interesting, because this technology is still used day in and day out, hundreds of thousands of times.

MYERS: It still works.

VELSHI: I've always wondered, with everything we've got, with ultrasounds and with MRIs, does the plain old vanilla X-ray still matter? But apparently it does. MYERS: Break a bone and have a CAT scan, or CT, or whatever, and then have them do the X-ray. The X-ray still works until this day. It works fantastic.

VELSHI: That was a very -- and there's Google Doodle you were talking about. Because I looked at it this morning. I looked at it and said, "What is this?"

MYERS: There's a little key. There's a duck in there. It is really cute.

The big thing about today's X-rays is that they're digital and they're not so much film, and they're quite a bit safer than back then.

VELSHI: And you can move them back and forth between doctors and places. You can see them instantly.

MYERS: Instantly.

VELSHI: I had to have an X-ray recently, and I said to the doctor, "I don't have time to do this." He said, "I can have it for you in eight minutes." I'm thinking, what has this world come to?

MYERS: And faster.

VELSHI: It used to be an X-ray was a three-hour episode.

Very good. I still do not understand why anybody celebrates a 115th birthday, but a good opportunity for us to talk.

All right. Thanks, Chad.

Suicide car bombs target religious pilgrims in Iraq, and that's been raising fears of renewed sectarian violence. I'll have the story for you next in "Globe Trekking."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: It's time now for "Globe Trekking." Our first stop is Iraq.

Two car bombs aimed at religious pilgrims exploded near the holiest shrines for Shiite Muslims today. At least 12 people were killed.

The attacks happened in the cities of Najaf and Karbala. They're the latest in a wave of deadly attacks in Baghdad that also targeted Iraqi Christians. The attacks are intensifying concern that Sunni insurgent groups are trying to trigger widespread sectarian violence.

These pictures show the aftermath of the bombing in Karbala. Karbala is home to the Shrine of Imam Husayn, the grandson of the prophet Muhammad.

Since the fall of Saddam Hussein, this shrine has become a major destination for millions of both Iraqi and Iranian pilgrims. About three hours after this attack, the second explosion ripped through the city of Najaf, near the Gold Dome Shrine of Imam Ali, the son-in-law of the prophet Muhammad. He's a major figure in the centuries-old split between Sunnis and Shiite Muslims.

Now to Myanmar, formerly called Burma. Some 10,000 people have fled across the border in Thailand in an attempt to escape heavy fighting between government troops and ethnic rebels.

Reports from Thailand say this is one of the biggest one-day floods of Myanmar refugees into Thailand in recent years. Some observers say the number is closer to 20,000.

This comes on the heels of a rare and widely criticized election in Myanmar. Vote-counting is now under way from the weekend election. Anti-government parties have expressed anger over what they say was gross cheating by the military's chosen candidates.

President Obama, speaking in New Delhi, India, today lashed out at the Myanmar government. He said the attempt by Myanmar's military leaders to steal an election was unacceptable.

And our final stop is Indonesia and its deadly volcanic eruption. Mt. Merapi exploded again today, shooting volcanic gas and debris 3,000 feet into the air. At least 156 people have been killed since the volcano started erupting last month. Some 200,000 people have been displaced. Entire villages and towns are covered in volcanic ash, and the large clouds of dust and gas have forced flight cancellations at nearby airports.

Let me bring you up to speed on some of the stories we're covering here. Starting with new precautions for air cargo. Printer ink and toner cartridges weighing more than a pound will not be allowed on passenger flights to or within the United States. Not in checked bags and not in carry-ons. The ban on all air cargo from Yemen is being continued and broadened to include Somalia.

U.S. defense secretary Robert Gates said today that sanctions aimed at stopping Iran from developing nuclear weapons are working. He told workers in Australia that he disagreed with the Israeli prime minister who said that a military threat was the only way to influence Iran's nuclear policies.

Elizabeth Smart took the stand today in the trial of Brian David Mitchell, the man accused of kidnapping her in 2002. Mitchell is accused of kidnapping Smart from her Utah home when she was 14 years old and holding her for nine months. Mitchell's lawyer says his client is mentally ill and has extreme religious beliefs that affected his actions. The judge in the case has also requested - had rejected a request to move the case out of Utah.

Well, it's grueling but admirable way to draw our attention to your cause. We'll talk to two reality stars turned marathoners. That's coming up next in "Mission Possible."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) VELSHI: OK. Today marks the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy's election as the 35th president of the United States. In his honor, we're showing you some never-before published photos from "Life" magazine. This is a picture of JFK on the campaign trail in Illinois, sitting in a convertible surrounded by throngs of people. And coming up a little later, a picture of JFK, Jackie and young Caroline just three days after the election.

All right, "Mission Possible." This weekend was the New York City marathon. 26.2 miles long through five boroughs. Saw a lot of great runners cross the finish line, even one of the Chilean miner, Edison Pena, who was known as a runner underground in the mine.

We also saw two reality stars go head-to-head in the race. Ryan Sutter from "The Bachelorette" and Ethan Zohn from "Survivor: Africa." They were racing each other for a cause. Whoever finished first got donations given to their charity.

So, what are they supporting? Ryan is part of an organization called First Descents that fights cancer. How? Well, they provide outdoor activities to empower young cancer patients in remission. He finished the race in three hours and two minutes.

Ethan Zohn is the co-founder of Grassroots Soccer. They fight HIV/AIDS through soccer to educate, inspire and mobilize communities to stop the spread of HIV. He finished in four hours and 16 minutes. Ethan contemplated treatment for cancer less than a year ago.

Ryan Sutter and Ethan Zohn join me from New York. Ryan, good to see you, again. Congratulations to both of you on a job well done. I am an admirer of anyone who participates in the New York City Marathon.

Ryan, tell us about First Descents. Because I was so fascinated the first time we talked about this. Tell us how this group works.

RYAN SUTTER, FORMER CONTESTANT, "THE BACHELORETTE": They provide free adventure therapy with cancer. So, they'll take you out, put you in a kayak, teach you how to kayak and basically the premise is that that river is not going to slow down for you because you have cancer. Or that mountain is not going to get shorter because you have cancer.

So, you have to overcome those obstacles. And like you said, it empowers them. It prepares them for their upcoming battle against cancer, and it's been proven very successful. Before we go on, I have to say, you gave me too much credit for the race. It was actually three hours and 20 minutes.

VELSHI: Oh, really? I cut about an hour off of the whole thing!

(LAUGHTER)

SUTTER: You gave me an 18 minute lead -

VELSHI: Guys, guys, I am impressed that people run it and they finish it in whatever time they do. Ethan, you finished treatment for Hodgkin's lymphoma about a year ago. So, fascinating that you're in the shape to run a marathon. But Ryan was just talking about, what were you calling the therapy? Adventure therapy. Is that what you said?

SUTTER: Adventure therapy, yes. Exactly.

VELSHI: I mean, Ethan, do these things help? Is that therapeutic to train for a marathon after what you've gone through?

ETHAN ZOHN, FORMER CONTESTANT, "SURVIVOR: AFRICA": Yes. I mean, when I was going through my treatment, I really -- the one thing that kept me going was knowing that I'd get out there one day and be physically fit again and run the New York City Marathon. So, it was quite an inspiration, and I was really excited to be able to get out there and run the New York City Marathon.

VELSHI: Tell me about Grassroots Soccer.

ZOHN: You know, Grassroots Soccer is an organization where we use the power of soccer in the fight against HIV and AIDS. And the way we do that is we train professional soccer players, coaches and peer leaders about HIV and AIDS and send them into classrooms to teach to youth about AIDS prevention and giving these kids the skills and knowledge and support to make the right choices in life.

VELSHI: Did that get a nice boost from the World Cup this summer, with a whole bunch more people interested in soccer?

ZOHN: Yes, one of our biggest programs is in South Africa. Huge boost from the World Cup and all the activity going on there. We run program in 14 different countries. We graduate over 350,000 kids from the program. In this marathon, we had 50 runners running for Grassroots Soccer. Raised over about $150,000 for all our programs in Africa.

VELSHI: That is excellent! Ryan, how did you do in terms of fundraising?

SUTTER: I'm not sure. We're sort of a couple years behind Grassroots, but we had about ten cancer survivors in the race that finished anywhere from four hours to seven hours. So, they were out there and they were doing it. And they've really have been inspired by these organizations and they have this power of numbers now. They have the support network, and they're doing amazing things for the cancer world and sort of inspiring people like me to try to go out and do more with my life, as well.

VELSHI: Yes. That's why I was so fascinated the last time I talked to you because this idea that --Ethan, you have every reason or excuse not to go out and run a marathon. A lot of things you have to do in life.

What's the message here? Both of you are involved in something where you went and ran to send the message out there. Ethan, what message are you trying to give to people? ZOHN: You know, even in the worst of circumstances, you know, there is hope. And, you know, the body and the mind and the spirit is an incredible thing. And you can get through those times if you just set yourself a goal. And it's easy to achieve those goals and, obviously, having the support of Ryan and First Descents was unbelievable. Ryan ran for Grassroots Soccer last year, and now this year running for cancer. So, good buddy of mine.

VELSHI: Good for you guys. Thanks so much. I'm glad a little playful competition ends up raising some money and gaining awareness for great causes. Great to see you again, Ryan. Ethan, thanks very much for joining us on the show. Ryan Sutter of First Descents and Ethan Zohn raising money for Grassroots Soccer. Thanks to both of you, congratulations.

SUTTER: Thank you.

ZOHN: Thank you very much.

VELSHI: And one of our producers, Walter Miller, also took part in the marathon this weekend amongst a lot of other people. My congratulations to him, as well.

For more information, by the way, about these two organizations, go to my blog, CNN.com/ali. I'll link you to Ryan and Ethan's charities. Both of them quite fascinating.

All right. If President Obama is in Asia, could Ed Henry be far behind? Actually, Ed is ahead of the president, as he often is. We're going "Globe Trekking with "The Stakeout." Or maybe we're staking out "Globe Trekking." We're doing one of those things when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: Fifty years ago today, John F. Kennedy was elected 35th president of the United States. In his honor, we are showing you some never-before published photos from "Life" magazine. This is a picture of the president-elect with Jackie and young Caroline in his arms, just three days before the election. To check out all these previously unpublished pictures of JFK, head to Life.com.

Well, President Obama found a lot to like in his three-day visit to India. And as we showed you last hour, Indians found a lot to like in him. Especially his endorsement in a speech to the Indian parliament of their long and fervent bid for a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council. The president also sewed up deals worth almost $10 billion to American exporters and 53,000 jobs, they say, to American workers.

I'd love to talk to my pal Ed Henry about all this, but he is on the move, taying one step ahead of Air Force One in Asia. So, today we get an almost live edition of "The Stakeout."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Ali, I'm sorry I can't be live on "The Stakeout." I have to fly to Indonesia for the president's next stop on this ten-day Asian tour, and I know you're jealous that I got to your homeland before you did. And so, I wanted to before leaving India do something a little special for you.

So, as you noted on Friday, you wanted to know what your people thought, you know. And I decided, let's see whether your people really know Ali Velshi. Is he even a player here in his homeland?

And I got some mixed news for you. I went to a town hall the president had over the weekend with some university students. How do I put this diplomatically? The kids here in India didn't know you that well, but once I sort of coaxed them along, they thought -- they gave you high marks for style.

I got a picture here of my good friend Ali Velshi. Have you guys ever seen Ali Velshi?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have. I have.

HENRY: What do you know about him?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not much, honestly, because my mom is in the share (ph) market. So, I kind of get to see CNN. But I have seen him.

HENRY: Have you ever seen him?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No idea.

HENRY: OK. Do you think he's a good dresser?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have to say, yes. I do, I do like his style.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He looks nice.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

HENRY: Yes. He wears vests a lot -- do you think that's a good look for him? Like a three-piece suit, like a vest and a jacket. He wears a vest and a jacket a lot.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes why not?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, it goes well. It looks classy.

HENRY: Now, it's classy. You think it makes him look smart?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think men look good suited up.

HENRY: What is it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Men look good suited up.

HENRY: Men look good suited. Now, what do you think about the hair?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wait, just let me --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think the absence of it.

HENRY: Well, the absence of hair.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: Leave it to that university student to put it so diplomatically that you have, how shall we say, an absence of hair is how I think she said it. I would have been a little blunter about it. I might have said that I haven't noticed bald people in here in India, I wasn't really sure if you're from here. Maybe follicly challenged would be a better way to put.

But here's the bottom line, before you get too excited Ali about the young people in India thinking that you've got really wonderful style, I decided to ask them about another person at CNN with some Indian roots and let's just say you might not be the most popular here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: Not Ali Velshi but Sanjay. Do you know him or not?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I do. I would give him an eight out of 10.

HENRY: Eight out of 10?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

HENRY: For Sanjay?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Seven, 7 1/2.

HENRY: So, where is Ali if Sanjay is 7 1/2?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Seven and a half.

HENRY: So, Ali is below Sanjay is what you're saying?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, it's the same.

HENRY: Because you said 7 1/2 for Sanjay.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, seven, 7 1/2.

HENRY: You said eight for Sanjay. Where is Ali?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Seven and a half.

HENRY: So, Sanjay is above him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: Now, in fairness, I should point out that Sanjay Gupta -- he trumps me, as well, Ali. You know this. The three of us were out at a basketball game in Atlanta some months ago and they put all three of us, our faces there, mugs up on the big screen, and people started clapping and the P.A. -- you and I were getting really excited about the recognition being in the limelight and then the P.A. announcer said, everyone, I just want to let you know, from CNN, Sanjay Gupta is in the house tonight -- even though all three of our faces were up there.

So, I think you and I got trumped by Sanjay before. But you know? I'll be live back on "The Stakeout" tomorrow, I hope, depending on the schedule. But one way or another, I'll be here for you, Ali.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VELSHI: And the only friend I've got at this point. I guess Ed and I have some work to do on the popularity front. But that's Sanjay, he's hot.

The elections might be over, but the stories keep coming and so we turn to CNN's Paul Steinhauser, he's the deputy political director, and for the latest from the Political Ticker.

Take it over, Paul. I'm wounded. Nobody in India really, you know, recognized me all that much.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Don't take it personally, Ali. Listen, I can't top that. I'm sitting here in Washington. I'm not hopping around the world.

But let's talk about the elections and let's talk about all that spending against Nancy Pelosi. Remember, Republicans were really targeting the House speaker in the midterm elections trying to tie just every Democratic in the House to the House speaker who our poll suggests is pretty unpopular with many Americans.

Well, check this out, brand-new numbers from the Campaign Media Analysis Group. More than $65 million was spent on 161,000 commercial spots against Nancy Pelosi. Those are records. Those are some -- that's some big money, Ali. Brand-new on the CNN Political Ticker.

Talking about the election, well, in Connecticut, the election is finally over. Just within the last hour there in the gubernatorial contest, Tom Foley, the Republican nominee, a former ambassador, he just conceded and said he's not going to ask for a recount. Foley losing by around 7,500000 votes to Stanford mayor Dan Malloy out of over 1 million cast in Connecticut.

Live with the latest, it's been six days since the election, there was a lot of dispute about some of the votes that were counted (ph) in Bridgeport, Connecticut. That's why it went on until today.

We got one more gubernatorial contest out there in Minnesota that is yet to be declared. That's probably going to go to a recount.

One other thing I want to share the Ticker on (INAUDIBLE) to zoom right in here to the CNN Political Ticker -- looking ahead to 2012. Remember the Tea Party Express?

VELSHI: Yes, remember well.

STEINHAUSER: They were very influential in the primaries -- yes, they targeted and ousted two Republican senators, two incumbents in the primary process. Well, now, they've got a warning to some of the Republicans who are going to be up in 2012. Some Republicans who may want to try to work with Democrats and may not be conservative enough, they're saying, watch out, guys. We may be coming after you.

So, 2012 is a long way away, but the Tea Party Express is already looking ahead, Ali.

VELSHI: Paul, when we were together looking at those exit polls on election night, those numbers. The popularity or the favorability numbers for Nancy Pelosi were very telling. They had plummeted in the last several months. Is that tied to that advertising campaign? The Republicans some months ago said we're targeting Nancy Pelosi, did it work?

STEINHAUSER: It seemed to work. Remember, the Republicans picked up right now at least 60 seats in the House. They reclaimed control of the chamber. And one of the things they did, they were trying to tie a lot of these Democrats up for reelection and Democratic candidates to the House speaker. Yes, all that polling indicated that Pelosi is very unpopular, only about 25 percent favorability in our last poll, Ali.

VELSHI: But as often the case, you don't know -- most people don't know the speaker until they become speaker. So, John Boehner at this point is going to be subject to a lot more evaluation, a lot more scrutiny than he has been in the past. I wonder if that naturally affects your credibility ratings.

STEINHAUSER: Yes, and we could see a lot of ads maybe against Boehner in the next election. Remember, Ali, what comes around, goes around.

VELSHI: Yes, right. Paul, good to see you. As always, thanks very much -- our next political editor, Paul Steinhauser.

Our next political update comes an hour from now.

I can't sugarcoat this for you. It's going to cost a lot more to fill up your car. Higher oil prices are just one of the reasons why. I'll explain and tell you just how painful this is going to be -- just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: On today's "Taking the Lead," I can't spin this into good news for you. Gas prices are about to go up pretty much across the country. The cynical among you might say it's no coincidence that this is happening just before the Thanksgiving holiday. It is a coincidence.

But, first things first -- what are we paying for gas? If you live in the Southeast, gas seems like a relative bargain. Average prices around Atlanta are $2.72 a gallon and hold steady up the coast. But once you start to move west, the price jumps. It's already over $3 in Chicago and stays there all the way out to Seattle.

If the economy is still sputtering along and demand isn't driving this, well, what's pushing it higher?

Believe it or not, the coming spike in gas prices can be sourced back to the Federal Reserve and its decision to drop up to $600 billion into the U.S. economy. That news sent the U.S. dollar lower against major currencies. Because the U.S. dollar is the standard currency for oil trades around the world, that in turn sent crude oil prices higher about 5 bucks a barrel in the past couple weeks. Now, crude is the biggest component of gasoline for cars. So, just like that, prices at the pump are about to follow.

The big question: how much more will we be paying? Analysts say we'll see a rise to 10 cents to 15 cents a gallon. You'll see that increase starting any day now.

Well, forget joining hands in solidarity. The G-20 meeting this week will be more like herding cats. I'll explain what it is and why it matters in my "XYZ" -- straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VELSHI: Time now for the "XYZ" of it.

This week, leading officials from 19 countries and the European Union meet in South Korea to try to tackle the financial crisis that has consumed much of the world over the past two years. The G-20 was first established in 1999 in the wake of an earlier Asian crisis, bringing together advanced economies like the U.S. and Japan and emerging ones like India and China to promote financial stability and economic growth around the world.

Well, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner is urging his counterparts this time around to work together to recover from an even bigger crisis, warning all who will listen that unilateral action by individual countries could actually destabilize the world's economies. That makes sense because now more than ever we live in an interconnected world that's connected through trade, commerce and services that knows no boundaries because of big advances in information technology.

But for countries to really work together, they need consensus and right now, they just can't agree on how to address this crisis because they're not really in agreement on what the problems are. For example, European countries say they need to embark on drastic budget cuts to get their fiscal houses in order and bring runaway deficits under control. China says it needs to put the brakes on consumer spending and get them to save a little more.

On the other hand, the U.S. wants to throw money at its problems. Last week, the Federal Reserve announced plans to inject $600 billion into the U.S. financial system, hoping that that will jump start the economy. And that has some G-20 countries fuming.

Big exporters like China and Germany fear that the Fed's action basically printing money will bring down the value of the U.S. dollar and make their product more expensive to us, hurting their economies. What's more, they accuse the U.S. of engaging in the same unilateral action that Secretary Tim Geithner is warning other countries to avoid.

Despite all that grumbling, Geithner believes that consensus on another burning issue, huge trade imbalances, can be reached with China and other countries.

We'll watch for that and more starting on Thursday. That's my "XYZ."

Brooke Baldwin takes it from here.

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