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U.S. Troops Future in Afghanistan; Holloway's Mom Confronts Van Der Sloot; General Motors' Turnaround; News from the Political Ticker; Nobel Peace Winner's Dream for Future
Aired November 19, 2010 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, guys. Well, it's 9:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 6:00 a.m. out west. Here's some of the stories that got us talking this morning.
A crack in any windshield is bad. It's even worse when it's on an airliner traveling at several hundred miles an hour. Pilots on this Delta flight declare an emergency.
Twenty minutes from now President Obama will speak at the NATO summit in Portugal. The focus? Afghanistan and the future pull-out of troops. But here's the problem. Afghanistan's president demands the withdrawal sooner rather than later.
And the royal wedding. And burning questions. Where will Britain's Prince William marry and when? Fiancee Kate Middleton on a scouting mission at Westminster Abbey.
Another day, another country, another big challenge for President Obama. He's at the NATO summit in Portugal and confronting one of the thorniest issues facing our troops. Their future in Afghanistan and the troubling demands from Afghanistan's leader.
CNN White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux traveling with the president.
In fact, Suzanne, you actually flew with him on Air Force One, right?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I did, Kyra. You can't -- you can't snore on Air Force One. You don't want to wake up the president but --
(LAUGHTER)
MALVEAUX: Honestly, it was a seven-hour trip or so. And we landed a couple of hours ago.
In all seriousness, Kyra, you have a series on your show, the "Home and Away" series recognizing American soldiers. What happens here in the next 48 hours is going to impact their lives as well as their families. It's going to make a difference here because this is a critical test for President Obama.
He's meeting with the NATO allies, the leaders, and these are folks, countries who contributed troops and they're tired. They're tired of those troops. They want to pull out those troops. There is a deadline that they're trying to work on. That is 2014 for pull out the troops and let the Afghan forces take over.
Can they manage that? Can that happen? A couple of things are working against him. About 16 of these NATO countries, they're declining, they're decreasing their military budgets. The economies are crumbling and President Obama himself, Kyra, has told the American people, look, I want to start withdrawing troops July of next year, so you've got a lot of thing that are working against him.
He has got to work with these allies to try to meet some sort of deadline. The deadline that they're looking at is 2014. Very likely, Kyra, that that is going to slip. That we're going to see some sort of presence inside of Afghanistan from U.S. military as well as others around the world.
One thing that we should all pay attention to is the president's meeting with Afghan president Hamid Karzai. That is going to make a huge difference. What has Hamid Karzai say to President Obama and some of the others in terms of reassurances to govern his country, provide services for the people?
Because when you talk about the American military clearing, you need somebody to hold those areas, clear the Taliban but hold those areas. That is where Hamid Karzai is going to come into play. There's not a lot of --
PHILLIPS: Suzanne, you --
MALVEAUX: Not a lot of confidence in Hamid Karzai right now.
PHILLIPS: Right. But then you bring up a good, and that's -- with regard to Karzai, and there's been a lack of confidence on the -- from the military perspective to the administrative perspective, you know, he's been playing everybody against each other. Most recently the U.S. and Iran.
He came out and said, yes, I accept funds from Iran. Meanwhile we know that Iran is funneling weapons into the war zones. So can the U.S. finally get an upper hand here?
MALVEAUX: That's really difficult, Kyra, to say because one of the things -- I actually had an opportunity to ask Hamid Karzai when he was at the White House that May press conference with President Obama about whether or not it was helpful, his role with Iran because he had met, he visited.
They have a close relationship with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. And essentially, White House officials are saying, look, we understand that Iran is also trying to influence what is happening in Afghanistan. They have got to make sure that that relationship does not challenge the relationship the United States has with Hamid Karzai.
But as we heard Vice President Biden say just within the last 12, 24 hours, he says, look, it is time for Hamid Karzai to take the training wheels off. That's what he said. And start riding on your own. There's a sense of frustration here that the Afghan government has to step up and to do its part and there is a timetable here. We're talking 2014.
Kyra, very likely that is going to be extended so it's a big job that they have ahead of them.
PHILLIPS: Got it. Suzanne, thanks so much.
Well, it will likely be a pretty uneasy Thanksgiving weekend for legendary Congressman Charlie Rangel. You know the fate of the New York Democrat is now in the hands of his fellow representatives. They're going to decide whether to accept or reject the punishment that was recommended by the House Ethics Committee.
The panel agreed on censuring Rangel for violating 11 House ethics rule. That penalty is more severe than many people expected actually and calls for Rangel to face the embarrassment of standing before his colleagues and being publicly rebuked.
Vice President Joe Biden says that the White House wants to hammer out a compromise on extending the Bush era tax cuts and he spoke with CNN's Larry King last night. As you know, the issue of tax cuts has been deadlocked for months.
And the White House has insisted only the middle class should get permanent relief. Republicans demanded the wealthiest t Americans also be included but the GOP taking control of the House in January, well, Biden says that bipartisan talks later this month will be searching for middle ground.
And here are the new faces of Congress. Just last hour, the incoming class of freshman lawmakers gathered on the steps of the Capitol for that traditional photo. That image, as you know, represents big change. The midterm elections have tilted the balance of power and Republicans will control the House beginning in January.
Well, say you're on a plane from Atlanta to the L.A. area, flying at cruising altitude, when this announcement comes from the cockpit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You guys come in here and take a look at what we're dealing with. But no air is leaking into the airplane. No glasses break or anything like that. It's just that we cannot continue on to Santa Ana as you can imagine.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Now take a look at why they couldn't continue to Santa Ana. This huge, giant crack in the windshield. No gaping holes or anything but not something that you really want to chance at 34,000 feet.
The pilots made an emergency landing in Dallas. Everyone is OK. The crack, well, still don't know how it happened. About 10 minutes from now we're actually going to talk with the passenger who shot this video.
And we've been talking a lot about the TSA and its new security measures. Way too touchy feely for some folks and too much for a GOP congressman from Florida. John Mica is telling the 100 busiest airports to lose the TSA and hire private screeners.
TSA's chief says that the full-body scans and pat-downs are about safety.
So would you like to see the TSA just go away? Or are those folks just doing what it takes to keep us safe? Hit me up on twitter. Twitter.com/kyracnn.
And right now, we're waiting on the results of forensic testing to see if a jawbone found on a beach in Aruba belongs to Natalee Holloway. It's been five years since the Alabama teen vanished. She was last seen in May 2005 leaving a nightclub with a group of men including prime suspect Joran Van Der Sloot.
He's been detained twice in her disappearance but still not charged. Now his mom actually met with Van Der Sloot face to face and videotape of that meeting was released exclusively to "NANCY GRACE" on our sister network HLN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BETH HOLLOWAY TWITTY, NATALEE HOLLOWAY'S MOTHER: If it was an accident, tell me. You know, I don't know. I don't know. But I am -- I'm here.
JORAN VAN DER SLOOT, SUSPECT IN THE DISAPPEARANCE OF NATALEE HOLLOWAY CASE: I hope you can understand also, it's very hard for me to talk to you. This is really not easy. I'm really doing my best to -- I know you have a very good heart. I know that for a fact.
I don't know if you would mind just giving me some -- I really have been thinking a lot. Just giving me sometime to think and I promise you even if you give me your address I will write you.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Jean Casarez is a correspondent for "In Session" on truTV. She's in Aruba joining us now live from phone.
So, Jean, what was Beth Holloway hoping to achieve by doing this?
JEAN CASAREZ, TRUtv CORRESPONDENT, IN SESSION: Hi, Kyra.
You know, I think she wanted answers. I think that this obviously is not settled yet. She doesn't know what happened to her daughter. And at the very least, she wanted answers. She wanted then more realized on videotape because obviously there were cameras in the room.
Remember this is Castro-Castro. This is a maximum security prison where Joran Van Der Sloot is being held on murder charges in the death of Stephany Flores. PHILLIPS: And so -- I mean, did she get anything from this conversation? Did she -- do we know if she felt better in any way? Because it seemed like he was just playing her saying, you know, let me get your address or something. This is difficult for me.
CASAREZ: Yes, you're right, Kyra. I don't think she got anything. Here's what she did get, though. He does admit to the extortion in a conversation. He talked about that, you know, I took the money because of my gambling addiction. But he had already admitted the extortion but obviously some of these statements could come into a court of law because they're statements against his interest.
And he also goes on to say, I've made wrong choices along the way. Many, many wrong choices. Well, what's he talking about? What are the wrong choices he's referring to? He gives no answer.
PHILLIPS: Got it. Now what's the latest on this jawbone that was recovered on the beach?
CASAREZ: Kyra, I'm here at the prosecutor's office in Aruba, and they just came out and told me that they have just called the Netherlands Forensic Institute at The Hague, that they are continually calling for updates and gotten word they're not ready -- and I'm talking about The Hague. They are not ready to release any information at this point.
Work is still being done. So my question was, you call throughout the day to The Hague? The answer was yes. And so we're just standing by. We're waiting.
PHILLIPS: Got it. Jean Casarez, thanks so much. We'll follow the case right there with you.
Twenty-seven men missing under ground after an explosion in a coal mine on New Zealand's west coast. Two miners emerged on their own from the Pike River Mine near Greymouth
Well, they say that they lost communications with the others and it's not clear yet what caused that blast. And at the moment, concerns about that possibility of a gas build-up are actually keeping rescue crews from heading into that mine.
Meanwhile, nothing but smiles and cheers from the 33 Chilean miners rescued last month. They're actually in Hollywood snapping pictures, waving at crowds, dancing on a double-decker bus.
Just ahead of "CNN's HEROES" the miners, the rescuers and their families travel for 13 hours to get to California all the way from Santiago to Atlanta, and then Atlanta to L.A. And they're making the most of it as you can see. The majority of them have never even left Chile before.
You can watch "CNN HEROES" Thanksgiving night 8:00 Eastern, 5:00 Pacific right here on CNN. The star-studded tribute hosted by our Anderson Cooper.
Well, still rain and snow west and -- or in the west rather and then we've got winds in the Midwest and it sounds like a pretty typical start, though, to a mid-fall weekend.
Rob's been following all that for us.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MARCIANO: But a lake-effect snow showers potentially for thanksgiving so for folks in the hearty areas of upstate New York and northern Michigan, maybe a little snow on the turkey. You just add to the holiday flavor.
PHILLIPS: Yes. It's perfect for Thanksgiving.
MARCIANO: I know. I'm just trying to sell it.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Sell it, Rob. Make everybody just think positively.
No, it's one thing you miss about Atlanta. We don't normally have snow. We can't --
MARCIANO: That's true.
PHILLIPS: Yes, it kind of adds to the holidays.
MARCIANO: I'll work on that for next year. Every couple of years we get some snow.
PHILLIPS: Yes. You had a little Oregon in your career. I had a little Wisconsin. Yes. It's kind of cool having a snowy holiday.
MARCIANO: We'll bring it down.
(LAUGHTER)
MARCIANO: We'll bring it down.
PHILLIPS: That's good. Speaking of flying, any close calls for you ever? Scary moments?
MARCIANO: No. But my brother and father are pilots and they have some items that -- they don't speak about at dinner table.
PHILLIPS: Really?
MARCIANO: Something scary, yes.
PHILLIPS: OK. How about a crack in the windshield?
MARCIANO: I don't know. I have to ask Dad.
SPITZER: OK. Get back to me, would you please?
Well, that's right. That's what happened on this airplane. A crack in the windshield. We'll tell you what happened.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: All right. Let's travel "Cross Country." First stop, Tempe, Arizona, where there's an outpouring of giving following a story that we brought you yesterday. People have opened their hearts and wallets to help this Good Samaritan, a homeless man, who returned a student's backpack an $3300. Dave Talley, who is a recovering addict, says he's pretty overwhelmed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVE TALLEY, RETURNED STUDENT'S BACKPACK: Happy crying, but it was just really phenomenal. Just brought tears to my eyes that people want to reach out and help somebody out.
JASON YOUNG, DONATED TO HOMELESS MAN: It really kind of touches your heart, and I think when people see something good and inspiring, they like to get behind it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Talley has even received calls at his shelter for part-time jobs.
In Seattle, a veteran police officer on administrative leave after this surveillance tape surfaced. The detective is seen kicking a 17-year-old suspect several times in the groin and then in the head. It happened during an undercover drug bust at a convenience store last month.
And finally, Atlanta, Georgia. It's a boy. The giant panda born at Georgia Zoo Atlanta on November 3rd is a male and weighs more than 11 ounces. It's the only giant panda born in the US in 2010.
All right. Here's that picture again. The cracked windshield on a Delta plane. It actually happened Thursday during a flight from Atlanta to John Wayne Airport in California. The pilots couldn't chance the glass blowing out, so they landed in Dallas. Well, we're talking to the passenger that took the picture and the video. Mike Fleming joining us from Orange County. So, Mike, tell us what you and the other passengers were thinking when the pilot made this announcement.
MIKE FLEMING, PASSENGER ON PLANE WITH CRACKED WINDSHIELD: Well, he was very good about talking to us several different times. The first time he came on, he told us that he was going to need to divert the plane to Dallas/Ft. Worth, and that it was going to be a rapid descent.
He described it -- he came on first and said that there was a problem in the cockpit and that there was a crack in the windshield that was starting to spread, and that he need to divert the plane. And then he described the fact that he was going to be descending the plane very rapidly and we would experience ear popping and this kind of thing.
There was a little bit of a gasp in the cabin. You could hear people kind of murmuring, but everyone was staying quiet because they wanted to hear what the captain had to say.
PHILLIPS: All right, let's go ahead and take a listen to the actual part that you were able to record on.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You guys can come in here and take a look at what we're dealing with. But no air's leaking into the airplane, no glass is breaking or anything like that. It's just a -- we cannot continue on to Santa Ana, as you can imagine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: OK. And it seemed like everybody remained calm during that point.
FLEMING: Yes. Yes, they did. And I think because of the fact that the pilot had told us when we were taking off the fact that he was a former navy pilot, as well as the co-pilot. Kind of joking around a little bit. Everybody kind of went, "Wow, that's pretty good. We've got some experienced people up in front," And it turned out we needed them.
PHILLIPS: Yes. It does give you quite a relief when you find out your pilot has been trained by the military. They're the best fliers in the country.
FLEMING: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Well, Mike, we're glad that you landed safely. It definitely was a Talker this morning. And so, are you ready for your next flight? Are you flying over Thanksgiving?
FLEMING: Yes, I'm going to fly. Yes. It's the greatest way to go. I mean, you know? Stuff happens, but I tell you, we don't give the government, sometimes, some of the credit. I mean, they do a good job, I believe, in trying to keep the passengers safe and you can look at the safety record the US has, so it speaks for itself.
PHILLIPS: Keeping a good attitude. Mike Fleming, appreciate you coming to us via Skype this morning.
FLEMING: Thanks, Kyra. Thank you.
PHILLIPS: You bet.
President Obama is in Lisbon, Portugal, this hour. He's there for this weekend's NATO summit, and we're waiting to hear from him any minute. We will bring it to you live as soon as he steps up to the mic.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: President Obama in Lisbon, Portugal, this hour for the NATO summit. The war in Afghanistan topping the agenda. You're watching live pictures right now, where the president is expected to make remarks very soon. As soon as it happens, as soon as he steps up to the mic, we will take it live.
Meanwhile, back in the US, Vice President Joe Biden sat down with CNN's Larry King for a wide-ranging interview. He says controversy over the delay of President Obama's bipartisan meeting is, quote, "much ado about much at all."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": What's behind the postponement of the Slurpee summit?
JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Oh, well, look. There's a whole lot there. Look. The truth of the matter is, I met with Mitch McConnell. I've talked with John Boehner when I called to congratulate him. These guys want to meet. And --
KING: So?
BIDEN: And so, we -- now the 30th. It was never nailed down, finally, for last -- this Thursday. And I think it's a much ado being made about not much at all. We're going to be meeting on the 30th, the president and I and the leadership.
KING: Formally in.
BIDEN: The Republican leadership is going to be the House and Senate Republican leadership. I assume that will include the number two and number three in the House and the Senate. But mainly, it's John Boehner and it is Mitch McConnell.
And look. I know both these guys. I work with them. I get on well with them. I think there ought to be places where we can agree. And the most important thing we can agree on is how to grow the economy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: And live pictures to Lisbon. Real quickly here, the president of the United States side by side with the president of Portugal, President Silva. We're waiting on the translation. And as soon as that kicks in, we will take this live. But we can tell you NATO members are gathering in Lisbon for a summit discussing a wide range of issues. On the top of the agenda, Afghanistan and troop involvement there. And of course, the economy. As soon as we've got that linked into translation, we'll take it for you live.
General Motors makes a big-time U-turn. Bankruptcy to Wall Street darling in just about a year. So, how the company did it, and who's in line to get paid. We'll tell you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: All right, straight to Lisbon. President Obama speaking now. We've got the translation as he stands side-by-side for the summit with the president of Portugal. BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Gathering here in Lisbon. It was from here that the great explorers set out to discover new worlds. It was here, a gateway of Europe, through which generations of immigrants and travelers have passed and bound our countries together. And it was here that Europeans came together to sign the landmark treaty that strengthened their union.
Now, we've come to Lisbon again to revitalize the NATO alliance for the 21st century, and to strengthen the partnership between the United States and the European Union. Mr. President, I thank you and all the people of Portugal for everything you've done to make these summits a success.
Our meeting was also an opportunity to reaffirm the strong partnership between the United States and Portugal. President Cavaco Silva is commander of Portugal's armed forces and will be representing Portugal at the NATO summit.
We pledged to continue the excellent cooperation between our militaries, especially the largest field in the Azores which provides critical support to American and NATO forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.
I expressed my gratitude to the Portuguese armed forces who are serving alongside us in Afghanistan. And here in Lisbon I look forward to working with our NATO and our ISAF partners as we move towards a new phase, a transition to Afghan responsibility that begins in 2011 with Afghan forces taking the lead for security across Afghanistan by 2014.
So this summit is an important opportunity for us to align an approach to transition in Afghanistan.
Finally, we discussed ways to expand our bilateral cooperation. On the economic front, we're looking to deepen our partnership in trade and investment, in science and technology.
I am very impressed with the outstanding work that Portugal has done in areas like clean energy and we think that we can collaborate more.
On the security front, Portugal's upcoming seat at the U.N. Security Council will be an opportunity to advance peace and security that both our nations seek around the world.
So, Mr. President, I want to thank you and the Portuguese people for your hospitality. I'm confident that we're going to have two successful summits and that we will continue to deepen an extraordinarily strong partnership between the United States and Portugal.
One that's based not just on relations between heads of states, not just on the basis of treaties, but based on an enormous warmth between our two peoples. One that in part is forged by the wonderful contributions that are made by Portuguese Americans each and every day.
So thank you so much, Mr. President. PRESIDENT CAVACO SILVA, PORTUGAL: Thank you.
OBAMA: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: All right. The president there in Portugal meeting with the EU and NATO partners. Top of the agenda talking about troops staying in Afghanistan beyond that 2014 handover.
Also, topics of discussion, of course, the economy, trade, clean energy and counterterrorism. We'll follow it for you.
It's 9:30 now in the East. About 24 minutes before sun rise in San Francisco, California. Some of the stories that we're talking about right now, a Florida congressman is telling airports to kick the TSA to the curb.
John Mica actually wrote a letter to the nation's 100 busiest airports and urged them to let private screeners handle security. Complaints over full-body scans and pat-downs inspired the letter.
MySpace has signed a deal with its old Foe. If you have a MySpace page, you're going to be able to use it to log on to Facebook. You can also get content through MySpace based on your likes and interests on Facebook. The two sites were big rivals at one time but Facebook seems to be the dominant social network nowadays.
And as for the royal wedding, well, we know who and we have an idea about when. We just don't know where. Where will Prince William and Kate Middleton get married? She's on a scouting mission at -- or she went on a scouting mission, rather, at Westminster Abbey. So we're following it.
General Motors is back. GM stock trading on Wall Street allowing the iconic American company to repay some of that 50 billion bucks from taxpayers when it bailed them out. But there's a divide growing between Wall Street, Washington and also Main Street in Detroit over who should get paid first.
Carol Costello joining us live from Washington.
Of course, everybody wants their money.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Everybody does want their money. Green seems to be the only thing that matters but maybe not in this case. So try to think about this story with an open mind.
If you ask the United Auto Workers' union how GM failed so spectacularly, it accepts some of the blame.
I talked with UAW president Bob King who told me both GM and the union lost sight of providing for the consumer. It was all about how much money each side could make. Now they say that has changed and GM may be on its way to profitability. But there's a looming question.
As GM continues to prosper, should workers who gave up salary and benefits profit, too? (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO (voice-over): Management and union standing together at the New York Stock Exchange as the new General Motors goes public.
It truly is a new day, not only for GM but for -- now don't laugh -- bipartisanship.
United Auto Workers president Bob King.
BOB KING, PRESIDENT, UNITED AUTO WORKERS: We understand to be globally competitive, we have to work together and what's exciting about this, there's so much division and partisanship in America. Here's labor and business and government all working together to keep jobs in America.
COSTELLO: To accomplish that, thousands of UAW workers retired early, wages for senior workers are frozen at about $28 an hour while new hires now make 50 percent less, $14 an hour, or about $30,000 a year. Fat pension plans are gone for new employees. They now contribute to 401(k)s.
For union workers, the cuts have been painful. Some feel betrayed by union leaders.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're breaking us apart.
COSTELLO: Still, the UAW accepted the cuts and GM CEO credited them and increased worker creativity for his company's resurgence.
DAN AKERSON, CEO, GENERAL MOTORS: It's inspirational how good the company has come out of this. And it's largely because of the employee base.
COSTELLO: If GM continues to prosper, it's projected to make $5 to $6 billion in profits this year. Should employees prosper, too?
It's a valid question. Negotiations on a new union contract start next year.
AKERSON: We're paying competitive rates, vis-a-vis our competition, so it's going to be a success-based pay structure is what we strive like you do in most businesses.
COSTELLO: For the union that sounds promising. Its goal is to share in the company's upside while helping the auto industry remain viable.
KING: It is a different world we're in and top management, General Motors recognizes you've got to work together every day and when there's an upside workers have to share in that upside and we will.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Oh, but that does mean no more union concessions. The immediate goal, though, Kyra, for both sides is repaying taxpayers in full and of course keeping General Motors in business because if this goes out of business nobody has a job, right?
PHILLIPS: That is true. And how many worker have we interviewed over the past couple of years waiting for this moment? And they never really expected it actually.
COSTELLO: Well, you know, economists are really looking at this scenario because it's sort of affects all of us what happens. Because we all -- well, many of us work at companies who maybe have made massive layoffs and have cut back on hours and cut back on pay, but are profitable now and the question for them, too, is once the company becomes profitable, should you get stuff back?
And economists tell me it's sort of tied to the unemployment rate. As long as that remains high, nobody is going to get a raise. Nobody is going to work fewer hours because so many people are standing in line to get your job.
PHILLIPS: Yes. Point well made. Thanks so much, Carol.
Perfect storm for Democratic losses during this the election cycling. No doubt about it. They took a beating but now one top Democrat said that it could have been even worse.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY LENO, HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO": In an upcoming interview with Barbara Walters, Sarah Palin says she believes she can beat Obama in 2012.
The way things are going right now, Bristol Palin could beat Obama.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Changing places. Vice President Biden talks about the old rumor of a switch between him and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. That tops our "Political Ticker."
Let's go ahead and check in with our senior political editor Mark Preston.
Hey, Mark.
MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Hey, Kyra. How are you? Happy Friday. It's almost the weekend.
Well, last night, Vice President Biden, Kyra, was here in this building doing an interview with Larry King. Larry King asked him that question straight out. Look. There's been a lot of talk, Mr. Vice President, that in fact you would switch places with Hillary Clinton. You would become secretary of state. She would become vice president.
And he shot those rumors down. In fact what he said was there was never any serious talk that anyone ever heard about me not being on the ticket and her not staying at State.
So Vice President Biden himself shooting down those rumors that came up about a month or two ago. Bob Woodward, "The Washington Post" reporter, had mentioned that there was some talk about that but Mr. Biden shooting that down.
Talking about 2012, Joe Biden being on the ticket, we have a new CNN Poll of Polls on President Obama's approval rating, Kyra. It's not very good. Right now 47 percent of the nation believes that he is doing a good job. Meanwhile 48 percent disapprove.
These are similar numbers, Kyra, to what we saw during the midterm elections where Democrats got slaughtered as we all know.
Now he has plenty of time to turn those numbers around and he's going to have to turn those numbers around, especially if someone like Sarah Palin or someone else, Mitt Romney, or someone else gets that Republican nomination -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: And, you know, Mark, we know that the election night was bad for Democrats, but a Democratic Party leader is saying it could have been even worse?
PRESTON: Yes. I mean, how could it get worse than 61 seats? But Chris Van Hollen, he is a Democrat of Maryland and in fact in the last election cycle he was in charge of all the campaign efforts for House Democrats. He put a memo out to his colleagues yesterday, a five-page memo detailing what happened on Election Day, what led up to Election Day.
He is estimating that had the DCCC, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Kyra, had not pulled money out of some House races and put them in to bolster some other endangered incumbents they could have lost an additional 15 to 20 more Democrats.
Put those numbers together, you could potentially had an 80-Democratic loss in the House. In fact, Chris Van Hollen calls it a political hurricane. This past election cycle.
And, Kyra, let me just leave you with this. This is from about somebody on Capitol Hill who's leaving after 20 years. Somebody that our viewers might not know from being on television but he was quoted very often over the past 20 years.
Jim Manly, he was the spokesman for the Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, is leaving. He was a fierce partisan, Kyra. Somebody, though, that was well respected by Republicans, well respected by those in the media. And really one of those really good guys in politics and nowadays there doesn't really seem to be that many good guys -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Yes. It's true. It is hard to find those real, true, genuine individuals, Mark. That's politics, though, right?
PRESTON: That's politics.
PHILLIPS: Thanks, Mark. PRESTON: Thanks, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: After 15 years under house arrest, Aung San Suu Kyi, the woman who has become the face of Myanmar's pro-democracy movement talks one on one to CNN; her political convictions as strong as ever.
But first, "Flashback": November 19th, 1990, a day that live in music infamy.
(MUSIC)
PHILLIPS: Oh yes. Milli Vanilli, "Girl You Know It's True" turned out to be not so true. Twenty years ago today they became the first musical act ever to be stripped of a Grammy award. The announcement came just days after a producer admitted that Milli Vanilli never even sang a note on its albums and lip synched that whole performance live.
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PHILLIPS: "Morning Passport". Well, we're scanning it and it's taking us first to Bangkok, Thailand.
CNN correspondent Fred Pleitgen just spent 16 days in Myanmar following the events there although the country's military regime didn't allow CNN to report officially on the recent elections. Fred is now out of the country and CNN is releasing the interview that he actually did with the pro-democracy activist who was just released.
Fred joins us live from Bangkok. So Fred, tell us about your experience. It was basically a covert operation, wasn't it?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, yes, it was. I mean and -- and one of the things, Kyra that you of course know from our time that we spent together in Baghdad is that seeing I'm a 6'6" German guy, it's not really that easy to pretend that I'm Burmese so we -- we had to sort of stay covert most of the time. Also one of the other things you do is you try to stay out of the big cities most of the time and -- and you know just keep in the countryside because there the intelligence services don't really have as much of a presence.
One of the great things, of course, as you said that we did manage to do is we did manage to speak to Aung San Suu Kyi, the democracy leader who was just released from spending 15 of the past 21 years in detention. Of course, one of the things that I asked her is what she expects President Obama and the U.S. administration to do in regards to Myanmar and its militaristic junta, and here is what she had to say.
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AUNG SAN SUU KYI, NOBEL PEACE LAUREATE: I believe in engagements. I'm not against that. There are a lot of people who say that, of course, now that the U.S. has decided to engage with the military regime, they have turned their back on us. I don't -- I don't think of it like that. I think engagement is a good thing. But I don't want them to go into engagement which -- wearing rosy colored glasses. I think I would want them to be practical about it. Not engagement wearing rose colored glasses, but engagement but keeping your eyes open and alert and seeing what is really going on, and where engagement is leading to and what changes really need to be brought about.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN: So, it was really interesting to see, Kyra. And we have to keep in mind that she was really cut off from almost all sources of information. She had a couple of radios, she didn't have Internet, she did have TV, her mail was heavily censored. But she still really did know what was going in the world.
And one of the things that she was saying is that she wants to use new technology to start a grass roots movement in Myanmar to try and bring democracy to that place -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right and -- and Fred, you're actually right. We'll always have Baghdad, and yes, you are a rather large individual.
PLEITGEN: We always will. Yes.
PHILLIPS: Yes, we will.
Go into detail, if you don't mind, about how you actually did this, because you're right you would stand out like a sore thumb, and you were able to get -- to be with her side-by-side and conduct this interview.
PLEITGEN: Yes. That was actually -- that was actually quite a risky thing because one of the things that happened after she was released is that obviously her every move was being watched by the -- by the spy agency in that country.
So everywhere you went, people were there, people were taking pictures, and really the thing that you have to do is you just have to act as though it's completely natural to you as if you have nothing to do with the situation.
One of the things about these repressive intelligence agencies, not just in Myanmar but also in other countries, they usually make one key mistake, is they have a lot of guys taking a lot of pictures gather information but they have very few people to actually evaluate that information.
So one of the things that we sort of counted on is that they might have something like an information overkill, and once -- by the time they would have gotten onto us with all the photos they have and guys maybe following us around, it will have been too late and we would have been out of the country and that's exactly what happened.
So certainly that was one of the things we were banking on, but also you have to do a lot of things that just regular people, tourists would do in that country -- Kyra. PHILLIPS: Well, Fred, as usual, great job. Thanks for joining us live.
We're following a lot of other developments coming up next hour, in the CNN NEWSROOM. Let's go ahead and check in with our Elizabeth Cohen first. Hey Elizabeth.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kyra.
Kyra, there are seven large airports in the United States that still allow smoking, which are they and what is it doing to your lungs? All of that at the top of the hour.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: And if you're traveling by airport next week for the holidays, we may have some information that will be useful for you. The travel forecast at the top of the hour -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Thanks guys.
And if you have absolutely no idea what Quidditch is, well, I can pretty much guarantee that your kids do. It's the big hot word sports from "Harry Potter", you know, wizard jocks on broom sticks. Well, they take it very seriously, and, guess what, so do real people who play a bit closer to the ground.
CNN's Josh Levs with some of them right now at the University of Georgia. And we're going to take you there next hour.
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PHILLIPS: T.J. Holmes, that is your cue. You don't like it? It's too old school for you? Is that what you're saying? You want something a little more hip?
T.J. HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, that's a good call because people hear that and you can't help but start dancing. You want to do a little something? We have to keep it together here.
PHILLIPS: That's ok. You can have -- we're talking sports.
HOLMES: If this was tony, that would have been ugly?
PHILLIPS: Yes. That would have been. His old lanky self would have been coming across we'd have been in big trouble. Anyway.
HOLMES: Well, I'm here in place of Tony today. We have a good one for you about sportsmanship.
PHILLIPS: Did you ever fake it on the field -- be honest -- any sport you played did you ever fake an injury ever?
HOLMES: You know what? You fake an injury if you get embarrassed. Maybe a guy blows by you, like oh, my ankle. Maybe you do that. But this was different. And we bring this up because I know if a lot of folks are familiar with Oregon, the number one team in the country. PHILLIPS: Right.
HOLMES: They play a very upbeat, fast pace between plays literally there's about ten seconds. Now look at this Kyra. There is a guy in the middle here -- we highlight him, there he is -- he looks over at his side lines. This is from the Cal Bears, and he just falls down.
PHILLIPS: Oh, all of a sudden, I'm hurt. So, somebody -- ok, come on, that is so lame. What a wimp.
HOLMES: Ok. Now, this is the controversy. The controversy is you can't keep up with Oregon, they go too fast. So to slow them down in their momentum, some players on opposing teams being accused of just falling out, faking an injury, the ref has to stop the game. That guy who fell out, he was back in the game the next play.
PHILLIPS: Yes, imagine -- ok, so now, in the sports world, do guys sit back and go, oh, you are such a wuss? Or the guys go, nice job, way to slow it down?
HOLMES: No, no. It depends on which side you come down on this. Because some say -- well, you're proving by doing this, that you can't keep up with Oregon. So you have to cheat or fake or something. It is not against the rules.
PHILLIPS: Ok, so it's not illegal.
HOLMES: It's frowned upon, unethical, but not necessarily a rule against it. But that's the controversy with Oregon. They're off this weekend, we'll see what happens.
Another story here.
PHILLIPS: Nancy Lieberman.
HOLMES: Isn't this a great story.
PHILLIPS: I love it from so many perspectives, of course.
HOLMES: Ok. Made her debut -- this is the first woman to coach professional men's basketball in this country. She's not the NBA but still the NBDL, it's the Velvet League. There she is making her debut for the development league team out of Texas. Texas Legends -- they're affiliate with the Dallas Mavericks down there.
Now, they lost the game 123-115. But still, this is a big deal, and as you know, she's a hall of famer.
PHILLIPS: She's a great athlete.
HOLMES: Oh, my goodness, yes.
PHILLIPS: She is an incredible athlete and has a lot of respect among men and women. Do we know how the guys have reacted to this?
HOLMES: As soon as she starts talking basketball, she knows her stuff.
PHILLIPS: Right. Yes.
HOLMES: But everybody is a little worried, how is -- and you know guys, quite frankly are used to taking orders from women, just not on the basketball court. Your grandmamma, your mama, your wife, you're used to people telling you what to do --
PHILLIPS: Your daughter, granddaughter.
HOLMES: All that, just not on the basketball court, but they have reacted well to her. So far so good. This could be a big deal. Maybe lead to an NBA job for a woman down the road.
PHILLIPS: Times are changing. I think it's great. Hey, if you can prove your ability, all for it.
HOLMES: She's going to be OK. This is fun. I like this.
PHILLIPS: You like this? Come back any time.
HOLMES: I'm going to dance on out.
PHILLIPS: Give me a little move.
HOLMES: Probably not.
PHILLIPS: Come on, T.J. Holmes, I know you can dance. I have seen you do the doggie. (INAUDIBLE) Not as good as Wolf Blitzer but see you later. Happy Friday.
