Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

What the Week: What Do Americans Feel about Death Penalty?; What is a G-20 Summit?

Aired November 13, 2010 - 22:30   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PETE DOMINICK, CNN HOST: I'm trying to find out Americans' feelings on the death penalty.

What do you think?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm for it in the most heinous of cases.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's a deterrent.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Eye for an eye, I think.

DOMINICK: Are you familiar with the Connecticut?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I am.

DOMINICK: And you support it in the case?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I do.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would have to say against.

DOMINICK: Why?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because of grace. I mean, people change.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Life in prison.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Definitely they should be in some kind of prison.

DOMINICK: Well, thanks for going out on a limb.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've got so many people in jail, you know, like that's been falsely accused.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Think about of how many people who are actually in prison on the death penalty that are clogging up our systems.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm all for it.

DOMINICK: All for it? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Definitely.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DOMINICK: It's been five days since justice was served in the Petit murder case. Three days since students ride in London calling the government's plan to triple their tuition, it's bullocks, they say. And two days since the passengers on the luxurious splendour carnival cruise finally got to take a hot shower.

Buckle up, kids, we're about to tear through all of it.

Welcome to WHAT THE WEEK.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: The man behind one of the most horrific crimes in the past decade now heading to death row.

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Steven Hayes convicted of murdering a mother and her two daughters.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dr. Petit says even with today's sentences, there is no so thing as closure.

DR. WILLIAM PETIT, HOME INVASION VICTIM: The hole in your soul is still there.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Obama in India delivering a message of cooperation, hoping to return with something that Americans desperately need -- jobs.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He knew from India to Jakarta. The president said he is making progress.

ROBERTS: Former President Bush is back in the spotlight. He's written a book. It's called "Decision Points."

GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm going to be dead when they finally figure it out.

ROBERTS: Well, he's back, Conan O'Brien returning to the air more than nine months after he was booted from "The Tonight Show."

CONAN O'BRIEN, COMEDIAN: I don't know how much time I'm going to get here.

PHILLIPS: Everybody has been wondering what the mystery plume in the sky off the California coast is.

Well now, the Pentagon says, quote, "We have no evidence to suggest that this was anything other than a contrail."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: On Monday, we're told about 40,000 students have been demonstrating.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: The chairman of the Bipartisan Deficit Commission calling for tax increases.

ERSKINE BOWLES: This debt is like a cancer that will truly destroy this country.

HARRIS: Veterans Day ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery, Vice President Joe Biden place a wreath on the tomb of the unknowns.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Help is arriving for carnival cruise ship stranded with 3,300 people on board.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Passengers finally starting to get off this thing.

CHETRY: The president will arrive in Japan.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He left Seoul, South Korea, the G-20, the meeting of the world's economic powers with no major breakthroughs.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DOMINICK: Well, those are the biggest stories of the week. But here are the five things you need to know.

Number five, after eight months of political stalemate, Iraq has a new government. Under the deal, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki remains in power. Jalal Talabani keeps the presidency. And the latest word is the speaker of the Iraqi parliament is in a locked in, a massive power struggle with none other than Nancy Pelosi.

All right, number four, banks got hit with new rules to protect you from the over-the-top overdraft in credit card fees. So to recoup that money, some banks tacked new fees on to checking accounts for things like printing checks and for mailing out statements that say essentially, you're being charged for us mailing out this statement.

All right, that's why we made the picture fun, because the news isn't.

Number three, this week, a European drug maker says it's developing a pill with a microchip inside. It will eventually track your temperature, heart rate and body movement. There are, of course, privacy concern because the chip broadcast that info via Bluetooth or WiFi for anyone to see. And for those of you taking Levitra, there is double worry because you potentially got an antenna.

Number two, after the thwarted printer cartridge terrorist plot, now ink cartridges over 16 ounces are banned from inbound U.S. passenger flights. Most people see this is a waste of the TSA's time and other see this as a last-itch jab at printers by the powerful pen and pencil lobby.

And number one, Amazon.com got a barrage of complaints after listing this book, "The Pedophiles Guide to Love and Pleasure". At first, Amazon refused to remove it saying it doesn't need censor. But guess it got taken down. Why? Not lawsuits, not the FBI, not large men with cricket bats -- no, you did it. You see something you don't like, something that isn't right, obviously, take action. Don't just complain. Do something. Stand up and do something. You've got a voice. You used it this week.

All right. Well, every year, protesters flip out over the G-20 convention. What are they freaking out over and what is the G-20 anyway? I'll break it down for you next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DOMINICK: Welcome back.

Let's take a look at this picture. That's the G-20 meeting in South Korea this week. Talk about a good-looking picture. That might even be fridge-worthy. But who are these people? Why do they meet? And how on earth does it affect me and you? It's the subject of today's "You Are Here."

I mean, when I hear G-20, all I think is bingo and some old lady winning 20 bucks at the local VFW Hall. Well, let's take you through it. First, the basics. G-20 stands for Group of 20. So who are the 20?

All right. There they are. They are actually really representatives from 19 countries plus the European Union. And together they make up 90 percent of the world's Gross National Product, 80 percent of the world trade and two-thirds of the world's population. But how long has it been around?

The first G-20 meeting was 11 years ago in Berlin. Now the first summit with heads of state, that was in 2008. You probably remember. This is the group that got together at the height of the financial crisis to try to take step to prevent another one.

So what happened at this G-20 summit? I asked CNN's Ali Velshi to sum it up, and here's what he told me. He said President Obama didn't get what he wanted and the participating companies just punted on any agreement of anything substantive.

So what's an example of something the president didn't get? A trade agreement with South Korea. The White House has said it would create $10 billion in exports and 70,000 American jobs, but it didn't happen -- meaning no job, although, some critics have said it would have been a net loss of jobs. Oh, those critics.

And speaking of critics, you know, all those protesters at all these summits? What's their deal? Well, a lot of them believe, even though the G-20 includes developing nations, it's still only the rich and powerful in all these countries represented at these meetings, where it's no one's job to speak out for the poor. And that's where we are.

All right, well, Veterans Day was Thursday. But what does that mean to you? I hit the street to find out. And that is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) DOMINICK: So this week, our nation celebrated Veterans Day by taking off from work, putting around the yard and maybe catching up on the last season of "Glee." Not me, maybe you. But, seriously, do any of us really do anything anymore on Veterans Day to show our support for the troops?

Does a slapping a yellow ribbon on your car, sending a care package cut it? I crashed your lunch on Thursday, Veterans Day, to find out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DOMINICK: Ladies, can I crash your lunch real quick?

Do you guys know what the federal holiday is today?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

DOMINICK: What day is today?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today is Thursday.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Veterans Day.

DOMINICK: There, he knew. Why don't you support our troops?

Are any of you veterans?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

DOMINICK: Yes, you are.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody told me, Happy Veterans Day, and that's all we need.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I served in the Navy for 20 years.

DOMINICK: So what does this day mean to you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've been retired for 10 years, but, you know, people still come up and say, thank you for serving and it means a lot.

DOMINICK: Do you know any veterans?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I do.

DOMINICK: Who?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For one, me.

DOMINICK: Yes, you're a veteran?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sir.

DOMINICK: You're 19. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Afghanistan.

DOMINICK: You were in Afghanistan?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Six months.

DOMINICK: Really? What would you like to receive in a care package? What do you need when you're over there?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Anything from home that shows that you have folks back here that actually care about you, overseas protecting you.

DOMINICK: Do you think we do enough right now, legislatively for veterans, coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not really.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need to do more. We're not doing anything for them right now. We need to get our veterans out from under bridges.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a tough question. Not really, but can you ever do enough?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think we're doing a lot. But there might be something more.

DOMINICK: You're an 18-year-old kid. You barely know anything about life. Look at you. You just started shaving. You're not joining the military, yes or no?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I am.

DOMINICK: You are joining the military?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm joining the army.

DOMINICK: You're joining the army.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sir.

DOMINICK: Well, good luck to you, man. Thank you for your future service. You've already got the haircut. Do five push-ups right now?

He is joining the military. He is joining -- 2, 3, 4, 5. You've got to keep doing them, man. All right, good luck. Thank you. Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DOMINICK: The truth is, our best intentions and deepest thanks, no matter how sincere, do little to really support our veterans. Any veterans group will tell you it requires legislation to protect our returning servicemen and women.

I'm joined now by one such former service member, Matthew Hoe. A former Foreign Service officer and Marine Corp captain. He's now the director of the Afghanistan study group who's also the first U.S. official to resign from his position in the State Department in protest over the war in Afghanistan.

Matt, you were out there. You served as a military member. You served as a civilian member. You got out. A lot of men and women are still there. And as you said, a lot of them will never come back. What can we do for the lucky ones, the ones that don't come home in body bags, the ones that carry this war with them mentally and physically long after they leave the battlefield?

Are we doing enough, Matthew Hoe?

MATTHEW HOE, FORMER FOREIGN SERVICE OFFICER: I don't think so. If you look at the numbers of vets that are unemployed, the number of vets seeking treatment for PTSD, if you look at the fairly shameful voting record of many members of Congress on veterans issues and the fact that veterans issues did not come up in the recent midterm election, I think we have a long way to go to help our vets and to ensure that they're given the care, treatment and the respect that they deserve.

DOMINICK: Matthew, this week we learned that, news has leak that the president and his administration and the Pentagon, they are backing off the July 2011 date announced last December. And we could be in Afghanistan until 2014.

You're the director of the Afghanistan Study Group. I've read the study that you've come out with. What do you think about this latest news that we could be there a total of 14, 15 years? What's your assessment of that?

HOE: Well, the first thing I think everyone needs to ask is, what does that get us? If we are successful four years from now in subjugating southern east Afghanistan, how does that make us safer? How does that affect al Qaeda?

Look at the evidence of how al Qaeda has operated over the last 10 years, and you'll see that there are organizations that operates through individuals in small cells that are found around the world, that won't be affected by the presence of our, you know, large numbers of our combat troops occupying southern and eastern Afghanistan.

Also, too, we need to consider the cost. If we can continue at this tempo, if we continue at this pace, we will be looking at a cost of about 2,500 American and coalition lives. Thousands more Afghan lives and roughly half a trillion dollars if we continue at this pace up until 2014.

DOMINICK: Why not give this plan, this new leader, General Petraeus, some time to let it work?

HOE: Because the plan is really not that different than what we've been doing for the last five years or so in Afghanistan. Since 2004, 2005, we've been doing counterinsurgency in Afghanistan. If your viewers have not seen the film, "Restrepo," I urge them to watch that film. It's a great film. It shows what life is like for an American infantry man in Afghanistan. A hard, difficult danger as it is. But also, they'll see that they are doing counterinsurgency and the film was done 3-1/2 years ago, because the idea that we weren't doing counterinsurgency up until now is false.

And if you look at it, we have increased -- and when I say we, it's NATO and U.S., have increased troops by a factor of five-fold since 2005. And every year, as we increase troops, literally doubling troops every year in Afghanistan for the last five years, all we see is an increase in violence and increase in support for the Taliban and a decrease of support for the Karzai government.

So the strategy we have has not been effective. We've not seen results that have been of benefit or that have lessened the conflict. And so it is time to readjust our strategy, and I'm not saying abandon Afghanistan or cut and run. What we're advocating for is for a strategy that will actually bring about stability in Afghanistan.

DOMINICK: All right, Matthew Hoe, director of the Afghanistan Study Group. Find them online, read their study.

Matthew, thanks for your service. Happy belated Veterans Day. Always great to talk to you.

HOE: Thanks, Pete.

DOMINICK: This Wednesday, President Obama's federal deficit commission also offered up a wide range of ideas to draw down the national deficit. One of the proposed reductions is to cut the military spending by 10 percent. That's a lot when you think about how much we spend. These cuts will affect our fighting men and women and their mission.

Here to explain how is Michael O'Hanlon. The senior fellow in foreign policy at the Brookings Institution, where he specializes in the U.S. defense strategy, the use of military force, homeland security and American foreign policy.

Mr. O'Hanlon, when we talk about defense spending and budget cuts, we're throwing around a lot of big numbers that can muddle our understanding of the situation. We're a nation at war. Humanize these budget cuts for us? How will they be felt by our fighting men and women and what about the people that work in the military and industrial complex here at home, there's a lot of jobs.

MICHAEL O'HANLON, SENIOR FELLOW, FOREIGN POLICY AT THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: Right. Well, great question and credit to you for getting this debate going so promptly before this full report is even all the way out.

I think to answer your question, to try to specify a little bit of where the money goes right now, there are two big chunks of money as you're probably aware. There's about $550 billion a year, which is essentially the core defense budget, the peace time budget, just to raise the military, to buy the weapons, to pay the salaries of people who would be in the uniforms of the United States government anyway, whether we were in Afghanistan, in Iraq or not.

Then there's another almost $200 billion that we're spending on the wars, including Iraq, but mostly now Afghanistan. So $550 billion plus $175 billion. Let's separate those two pieces because the commission that you referred to is really thinking primarily about the first bigger number, the $550 billion. The war debate is a separate debate about how fast to downsize. Obviously, it's related but it's really separate. The 10 percent cut is from that core or peacetime budget that's going to be there whether or not we're in Afghanistan.

And as you say, 10 percent is a fair chunk. But if we do it carefully, I think that's more or less doable without hurting the people in uniform. If we have to wait though for a couple of more years to really get it going, because we got to start downsizing in Afghanistan before we can make these cuts in good conscience.

DOMINICK: If you put aside the wars, and that's hard to do, but you hear the right and the left, Dennis Kucinich, Ron Paul, they both talk about and you're talking about peace time, we have military bases in over 100 countries. What about taking some of them, bringing them home? How much would that cut? Is it at all a reasonable reality in any way?

O'HANLON: It's a great question, but the answer is you don't save a lot of money unless when they come home, they are demobilized and no longer part of the military. In other words, I'm not talking about kicking individual people out because there's a natural attrition rate in the military.

A couple of hundred thousand people leave per year. We recruit a couple hundred thousand more members per year. All you have to do is reduce the recruiting and you downsize the military without requiring any individual to leave. So I'm not talking about that.

But if you disband their unit when they come home, you save a lot of money. If you just bring them back from a base that's already been well-established and sometimes partially paid for by the foreign government, for example, in Japan or Germany, where we have our two largest non-war time military presence operations abroad, you don't say that much. So you really have to either reduce the military operations themselves, Iraq, Afghanistan, or you have to reduce the size of the military or you have to change the way we modernize them through new weaponry. Bringing them home from bases that are well- established in peacetime environments is not really going to save you much money.

DOMINICK: Michael O'Hanlon of the Brookings Institute, not enough time. We'd love to keep talking to you, but listen, this is an issue that's so tough to take a look at for liberal and conservatives, but it's one we need to take a realistic look ate which you do and we really appreciate you joining us.

O'HANLON: Well, thank you. DOMINICK: Now what does an Iron Man suit and a football coach have in common? I'll tell you next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. I'm Don Lemon. Here are your headlines this is hour.

An icon of the democracy movement in Myanmar has been freed from house arrest. Aung San Suu Kyi walked out of her home a free woman on Saturday. The Nobel Peace Price laureate has been imprisoned or confined to her home by Myanmar's ruling military regime for 15 of the past 21 years. She's expected to speak to her supporters on Sunday.

Medical workers in Haiti are appalled at the number of patients dying and being hospitalized in the ongoing cholera outbreak. The U.N. says the death toll is at least 800 with more than 12,000 hospitalized. The leader of Doctors Without Borders says his staff is now seeing seven times the number of patients they did just three days ago.

Those are your headlines this hour. I'm Don Lemon keeping you informed. CNN, the most trusted name in news.