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CNN Tonight
Questions Linger About Afghan Suicide Bomber; Obama Gets Tough on Iran; Unemployment Claims Fall in December; Hawthorne Math and Science Academy Beats California's Public School Odds; Big Bucks Behind College Bowl Games
Aired January 01, 2010 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Tonight: The CIA attacked, and now facing serious questions, seven officers killed in Afghanistan by a suicide bomber. How did this colossal security breach happen? And could it happen again?
Plus, politics 2009 -- left, right and center. We're taking a look back at the highlights, and yes, the lowlights.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The reforms -- the reforms I'm proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally.
REP. JOE WILSON (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: You lie!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Plus, a huge day for college football fans, and an even bigger payday, it turns out, for their schools. But where does all that bowl money go?
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN TONIGHT, live from New York. Here now, Erica Hill.
HILL: Good evening, everyone. Thanks for being with us, and happy new year.
Disturbing developments tonight about the deadly attack that killed seven CIA officers in Afghanistan earlier this week, the Taliban now claiming it sent an operative to carry out that suicide bombing at a military installation in eastern Khost province. Now, while a source says the CIA was actually trying to recruit the man as an informant, the big question tonight is how this bomber managed to pass through security? Chris Lawrence with more now on one of the worst days in the spy agency's history.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A U.S. intelligence official tells CNN the main purpose of a CIA base like this is to recruit potential informants and plan covert operations, like unmanned drones, and that may have made it a target for retaliation. One of the prime suspects in the suicide bombing is the Haqqani network, based across the border in Pakistan, where the U.S. has dramatically increased its drone attacks. The Haqqanis, led by Saraj Haqqani, are aligned with the Afghan Taliban and al Qaeda and have a strong presence in Khost. Some reports say the bomber was being recruited as a potential informant. That doesn't explain the security failure.
KEN ROBINSON, FMR. MILITARY INTELLIGENCE OFFICIAL: There should be multiple rings of security in multiple locations, and a separation between those who are working in the clandestine service and those who are being brought on to be interviewed.
LAWRENCE: Ken Robinson is a former special forces and CIA officer. He says a potential informant coming on the base is normally checked head to toe, and someone would supervise them the entire time.
ROBINSON: These are the questions that'll be answered in the next 24 to 48 hours as to what specifically broke down, or whether this person had already been vetted and was already trusted and was already a member of the Afghan national army.
LAWRENCE: The Afghan defense ministry says none of its forces were involved in the attack, but one Taliban group claims it convinced an Afghan army soldier to wear the vest and blow himself up. Other reports say a different Taliban group, in Pakistan, is claiming responsibility, saying it used a turncoat local CIA operative as a double agent.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
So why bring in potential contacts at all? Well, these are remote areas of Afghanistan, small villages with eyes everywhere, and an American base is often the only place to have a private meeting where officers are trying to build trust with potential informants -- Erica.
HILL: Chris, thanks.
At least 75 people, meantime, killed today in a separate deadly attack cross the border in Pakistan. A suicide bomber rammed his pickup truck into villagers who were watching a volleyball game. It happened in the northwest part of the country. At least 80 people were also wounded in the blast. The attack is believed to be retaliation against local residents who have supported efforts to beat back the Taliban there. It happened not far from where the Pakistani army is waging a major offensive against Taliban forces.
In Iraq, there is a bit of positive news, and frankly, a major milestone to report tonight. December was the first month since the war began that there were no U.S. combat deaths. The top commander in Iraq, General Ray Odierno, sounding cautiously optimistic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEN. RAY ODIERNO, CMDR., MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE IN IRAQ: December was the first month since the war started that the U.S. had zero battle casualties in the month. We had three non-battle deaths, but we had zero deaths due to combat operations inside of Iraq, and that's a fairly significant milestone for us as we continue to move forward. I think it also speaks to the level of violence and how it's decreased over time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Now, the reduction in U.S. casualties also the result of the drawdown of troops and withdrawal of U.S. forces from Baghdad.
Meantime, a highly controversial episode in the Iraq war is igniting tensions once again. Iraq announced it plans to sue five Blackwater security guards after they were cleared of killing 17 Iraqi civilians back in 2007. Yesterday, a U.S. federal judge threw out all charges against the men, saying prosecutors had actually violated their rights by wrongly using the guards' own statements against them. Iraq is meantime asking the U.S. Justice Department to appeal that ruling.
In Iran, the new year could mean new sanctions. The Obama administration appears set on getting tough after Iran missed a deadline to discuss its nuclear plans, fanning fears about the country's intentions. Jill Dougherty reporting now on just what price Iran could pay.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Even as Iran's political upheaval continues, President Obama says, the clock has run out on its nuclear ambitions, his new year's deadline for Iran to prove to the world it's not racing forward to develop a nuclear weapon.
OBAMA: We are now running out of time.
DOUGHERTY: Iran's president scoffs at that deadline. The White House says it's no joke.
ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: That is a very real deadline for the international community.
DOUGHERTY: But will the international community, especially Russia and China, support much tougher economic sanctions on Iran? That's still unclear.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With each passing day, the situation becomes more urgent.
DOUGHERTY: And Mr. Obama is under pressure himself from Congress, which is champing at the bit for the U.S. to punish Iran on its own, even without international support. Another move in this chess game, signals that Senator John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, might travel to Tehran.
The Obama deadline comes in the midst of the worst political violence in Iran since its disputed elections in June, making it harder for the Obama administration to calibrate its next step, whether punishing the Iranian government might actually strengthen hard-liners, undercut reformers, and hurt average Iranians the most.
OBAMA: We will continue to bear witness to the extraordinary events that are taking place there.
DOUGHERTY: Opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, whose own nephew was killed in demonstrations, says on his Web site he's ready to die to defend the people's right to peaceful protests. "My blood will not be any redder than the blood of the other martyrs," he says.
But Friday, deadline or no Obama deadline, pro-government supporters focused their anger on America, chanting "Down with USA."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
And that symbolizes Mr. Obama's deadline dilemma. Sanctions can be a delicate balancing act, potentially hurting not just Iran's leadership but the Iranian people, injecting the American president directly into that country's volatile domestic politics -- Erica.
HILL: We've seen in just the past few days just how volatile it is right now, as well. Jill, thanks.
President Obama enjoying the final days, meantime, of his family vacation in Hawaii, but next week, it is back to work in chilly Washington. And frankly, he may find it chilly in more ways than one. As the president prepares to enter his second year in office, Ed Henry takes a look at year one, and whether the president tried to do too much, too soon.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As the president rests up for his second year in office, one of his closest allies here in Hawaii is expressing concern about the pace of year one.
SEN. DANIEL INOUYE (D), HAWAII: I think he's done exceedingly well, although as one who has been there for 50 years now, he is pushing himself too hard.
HENRY: The charge he has too much on his plate usually comes from Republicans. This time, it's Democrat Daniel Inouye, who speaks with authority after serving in the Senate with 10 presidents now.
INOUYE: Five months ago, we were at some very informal gathering, and the president looked at me, he says, Well, Dan, how am I doing? And I had to tell him, Mr. President, the campaign is over. I've yet to find any presidential candidate who carries out every political promise.
HENRY: In some ways, the first year has resembled a campaign, the president barnstorming the country to sell the largest economic recovery and health care plans in history, all the while scoffing at the notion he's taking on too much after inheriting two wars and a financial crisis. OBAMA: I'd love if problems were coming at us one at a time instead of five or six at a time. That's more than most congresses and most presidents have to deal with in a lifetime. But we have been called to govern in extraordinary times.
HENRY: Besides, he promised major change, and after an historic victory and big Democratic majorities, there's something to be said for striking while the iron is hot.
MARK PRESTON, CNN SR. POLITICAL EDITOR: He came in with sky-high approval ratings, and if he was going to get anything done, it was going to happen this year.
HENRY: Those approval ratings have come back down to earth, and on this Hawaiian vacation, the president has been trying to get some down time. But the Christmas Day terror incident intervened, and now the president has added an overhaul of the intelligence committee to his already full agenda.
OBAMA: It's becoming clear that the system that has been in place for years now is not sufficiently up to date.
HENRY: This is why the old pro, Daniel Inouye, says 2010 will be all about resetting priorities.
INOUYE: The second year will be one where the first year will have to be clarified.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HENRY: Now, White House aides are saying that the president will zero in on jobs in 2010, perhaps a sign that he's heard some of this criticism from fellow Democrats who want him to really sort of sharpen the focus on the economy while still tackling some of these other challenges -- Erica.
HILL: Plenty on his plate, that's for sure. Hey, Ed, good luck with the re-entry to the cold, by the way.
HENRY: Yes, it's going to be tough.
(LAUGHTER)
HENRY: I have to admit that. Happy new year.
HILL: And happy new year to you, as well. Thanks.
Still ahead tonight, the new year kicking off with new concerns about the safety of the food we all eat every day. What you need to know.
Plus, the employment forecasts for 2010. Is there a chance, perhaps, of some clearing on the horizon?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HILL: The new year's first unemployment report is due one week from today. Experts expect it to hold steady at the current 10 percent rate, but as Kitty Pilgrim reports, there are some glimmers of hope for 2010.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KITTY PILGRIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Happy new year. More than 15 million people in the country are unemployed. Many of them lost their jobs in 2009. What's ahead for 2010? Elena Escalona, who spoke to us late last year about her career hopes, after sending out dozens of resumes and searching for a job, she suddenly realized what she wanted to do in life.
ELENA ESCALONA, UNEMPLOYED: Luckily, out of all of this and something that really positive that has come out of it, is that I've discovered that I want to become a teacher. And I think I would have never discovered that out of, you know, this entire year of looking for a job, that instead of having a job basically handed to me, I've really had to fight for it and kind of, you know, discover where I belong in the world.
PILGRIM: As the unemployed site-surf and soul search, there is some glimmer of hope. The last report in December found that new claims for unemployment benefits fell sharply, down by 22,000. That was the lowest level since July 2008. And the four-week average of people who filed for benefits has been declining for 17 weeks straight.
OBAMA: We are in a very different place today than we were one year ago. We may forget, but we're in a very different place. We can safely say that we are no longer facing the potential collapse of our financial system and we've avoided the depression many feared. Our economy is growing for the first time in a year.
PILGRIM: Next week will also provide a good snapshot of how manufacturing and service sectors held up in December. As the economy gradually recovers from the worst recession since the Great Depression, going from cutting jobs to creating them is a slow adjustment. Businesses are likely to be cautious, fully convinced in recovery, before adding any new hires.
MARTIN REGALIA, CHIEF ECONOMIST, U.S. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: We're out of the recession everywhere, but we're not growing enough on Main Street to put people back to work. When the average person thinks of a recession, they don't think of it like economists do, you know, zero GDP growth or whatever. They think of it, you know, as, Am I losing my job? Am I getting a raise?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PILGRIM: A survey by the employment company Career Builders found 20 percent of employers plan on increasing the number of full- time permanent workers in 2010. That's up from 14 percent last year. The consumer confidence survey by the Conference Board is cited as an indicator of improving business climate. That found a growing number of people do expect jobs to increase in the coming year -- Erica.
HILL: That alone is just nice to hear for a change, isn't it?
PILGRIM: You know, it is really -- you can really feel the difference when you talk to economists, that they're starting to see a difference in the economic climate, maybe not positive growth quite yet.
HILL: Right.
PILGRIM: But...
(CROSSTALK)
HILL: At least not negative growth.
PILGRIM: We definitely need more of a boost, though, for job creation. It's -- you know, it's a tale of caution, also.
HILL: It is. Because, as we've talked about a number of times, there is that fear that so many of the jobs that were eliminated won't come back as people have learned to do less with more. So nice to hear some of those positive predictions. We'll take it. Happy new year. Thanks, Kitty.
PILGRIM: Happy new year.
HILL: Just ahead, the year in politics, from the inauguration of the nation's first black president to the battle over health care reform. And a bright spot for the future of this country, how some California educators are keeping kids in school. That story is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: The state of education in this country is a key issue as we head into the new year. And frankly, it's of particular concern in California, where more than a third of students fail to graduate from high school. As Casey Wian reports, though, there are some schools, even in violence-plagued urban areas, that are beating those odds.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Joaquin Hernandez is principal of the Hawthorne Math and Science Academy. The lofty sounding name is the first thing you notice that's different about this California urban public school. The next is Principal Hernandez's personal involvement with his students.
JOAQUIN HERNANDEZ, PRINCIPAL, HAWTHORNE MATH & SCIENCE ACADEMY: ID above the waist, Jesse (ph).
WIAN: In a neighborhood surrounded by gangs and in a state riddled with failing schools, Hawthorne Math and Science is graduating 97 percent of its students.
(on camera): Is there any kind of a stigma for these kids in their community from going to such a high-achieving school?
HERNANDEZ: There is that stigma that, Oh, you're one of the smart kids. And it takes away from the fact that a lot of our kids are really hard workers. A majority of our population is just those grinders, those kids who come in every day, they do their thing, they work, they ask questions, they produce and they move on.
WIAN (voice-over): Charter schools like the Hawthorne Academy sets their own academic standards.
HERNANDEZ: Our expectations is everyone's going to take four years of math, no excuses. Everyone's going to take four years of science, no excuses. Everyone's going to take college preparatory English for four years, no excuses, three years of a foreign language, no excuses. And so I don't care what your excuse is. I don't care what the reason is. I don't care that you woke up late or you're not very good at math or traditionally in your family, we don't like English. I don't care. This is our program. This is what we do. And this is what we're going to do every single year.
WIAN: Everyone here -- students, teachers, parents -- are held accountable for their actions.
HERNANDEZ: A kid's world is two halves, a school and a home. And any time that the two halves become separated, it becomes a crack. Kids fall in the crack, and then we have our problem. So we have to maintain that connection between the two.
WIAN: Admission is based on an application process that is not academically rigorous but requires students and parents to meet deadlines. There are now 600 students and a long waiting list.
TANNER GRAY-SPENCER, SENIOR: The reason why I chose this school is because, well, like, where I come from, there's not a really -- there's not a lot of great schools around my neighborhood.
WIAN (on camera): Where do you come from?
GRAY-SPENCER: South Central. So basically, like, coming here, it was, like, a haven because it was, like, a place where I was actually challenged. It was hard. It was -- it was a shock to my system. Some days, like, I would, like, sit -- I would cry. Like, first, like, ninth grade year, I would just cry just doing my homework, like, 3:00 o'clock in the morning just trying to hurry up and do it because, like, I knew, like, my teacher is going to expect my homework to be done.
WIAN (voice-over): Crystal Davis is in her first year teaching at Hawthorne Math and Science Academy. She left a failing Los Angeles public high school that will soon be closed because of poor performance.
CRYSTAL DAVIS, TEACHER: The school I was at before had over 5,000 students. There's just no accountability. The students just get lost in the system. And there's no one to spend time with them if they're having issues or having problems. But the kids who do come here do try. And again, just the expectation is that they will do well. And they live up to that.
WIAN: Christina Espinoza is a 16-year-old senior.
CHRISTINA ESPINOZA, SENIOR: They helped me become a better person, and they really do prepare you for life.
HERNANDEZ: This is not an education. This is how we look at it. This is a place of business. And like in any other place of business, there's things that you can't do. I mean, you can't walk down the hallway and punch someone in the face because, hey, they sent you the wrong memo. You can't walk down the hallway, and you know, start kissing with someone else because, you know, you're -- you know, you're infatuated with them. You know, those things you can't do in the workplace, so then why can you do them in school? Why not prepare them for real life by treating them like the way real life is going to be?
WIAN (on camera): Overall, California schools rank near the bottom of most national rankings, but there are plenty of exceptions. Hawthorne Math and Science Academy is one of 20 California high schools ranked among the top 100 in the nation by "U.S. News & World Report." Casey Wian, CNN, Hawthorne, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: Just ahead, we say good-bye to one of the most explosive and divisive years in American politics. Will 2010 be any better?
Plus, bowling for dollars, the big bucks behind this season's high-stakes college bowl games.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: If you are a football fan, chances are you're catching us on a commercial break right now, and frankly, we appreciate the time you're spending with us. Don't go anywhere. This is going to be good. You don't have to be a college football fan, though, to know that these 30-plus bowl games are huge business. And frankly, there's a lot more to them than school pride. There is big money at stake here.
Bill Tucker with us to tell us just how much. All right, how many zeros are we talking about, Bill?
BILL TUCKER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, a whole lot of zeros in so many of these games, as a matter of fact. Money's not the only reason, of course, that they play. There are a lot of reasons -- school spirit, raises...
HILL: Sure.
TUCKER: ... the profile of the school, the team programs. But oh, yes, there is...
HILL: Raises some money? TUCKER: ... definitely brings in some money, as a matter of fact. And just how much money? Well, not all these games are equally compelling. There are 34 bowl games, after all, in total, and the payouts are not all the same. The New Orleans Bowl, which is at the low end of the payout scale, pays out about $325,000 per team. The middle-tier payouts, as you'll be able to see from this graphic, range anywhere from about $1 million -- that's per team -- to more than $4 million.
HILL: And that's the middle tier!
TUCKER: That's the middle tier.
HILL: Wow!
TUCKER: Now you want to see the real money?
HILL: Yes.
TUCKER: Here's the real money.
HILL: Show me the money, Bill.
TUCKER: Here's the money, baby, the BCS bowls. There are five of them...
HILL: There they are.
TUCKER: ... five of them paying out $18.5 million each to each team.
HILL: That's insane!
TUCKER: Thirty-seven million to the teams involved in the bowls. Now, how that money's handled depends on the various conferences. Some of the conferences do allow the money be distributed to the schools within the conference. Some give the big share of the money to the winners and divvy up the winnings. And then some conferences, believe it or not, let the winners take all.
So with all this money at stake, it's little wonder that a division of football that's now known as the Football Bowl Series finds it very hard to give up the football bowl series and do something that every other division of college football does, which is have a play-off system.
HILL: Right, or pretty much every other college sport...
TUCKER: Exactly.
HILL: ... which seems to make a little bit more sense.
TUCKER: It would. It would, but...
HILL: But what do I know? I'm not really all that well schooled in football. And any restrictions on that $18.5 million for the schools who get to keep it all?
TUCKER: No.
HILL: No?
TUCKER: No, they can do whatever they want with it. In fact, that's the other side of the story is that there are people who are questioning the accountability of this money. There's schools -- "The Pittsburgh Tribune Review" just did a nice story a couple of weeks ago talking about how West Virginia went to a bowl game last year, the Fiesta Bowl. They got paid $2.5 million to be in this bowl, but they lost a million dollars because their expenses were $3.5 million.
HILL: That's amazing, to think of the expenses, as well. And that, of course -- Fiesta Bowl coming up on the 5th (INAUDIBLE) for Texas Christian University, the Horned Frogs, right?
TUCKER: The Horned Frogs, yes.
HILL: That was your prediction?
TUCKER: That is my prediction, and that will be true.
HILL: We'll talk on the 6th, my friend.
TUCKER: OK.
HILL: Bill, thanks.
After 44 years, Florida State head football coach Bobby Bowden calling it quits. He is the second winningest coaching in college football history. Bowden led the Seminoles onto the field for the final time in tonight's Gator Bowl, the 80-year-old honored by the local Seminole tribe with the honor of planting the traditional flaming spear at midfield. Now, normally, this is done only by the Seminole chief (INAUDIBLE) of just how big a deal this is and how big a deal Bobby Bowden is, as well. The game a fitting end to his career, Florida State defeated one of his former teams, actually, the West Virginia Mountaineers, the score, 33-to-21. Bowden coached the Mountaineers from 1970 to '75 before moving on to Florida State.
Up next, an explosive year in politics.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: The reforms -- the reforms I'm proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally.
REP. JOE WILSON (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: You lie!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HILL: Tough to forget that moment, but the bitter battle over health care not the only one. Taking a look back, the stirring rhetoric of a new president and the most outrageous, most inspiring moments of 2009 are just ahead. Plus, there is yet another E. coli scare, sparking a massive beef recall. Is Congress doing enough to protect your food supply? Details are just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: Not even 24 hours in to the New Year, and already plenty of controversy in these United States. The essential question, is it 2010 now or 20-10? Turns out if you say the former, you're the majority, for now, anyway. Three years ago just seven percent referred to the year as 20-07, the same goes with last year, seven percent said they'd go with 20-09, now, though, a whopping 29 percent of Americans say they'll call this year 20-10. Still a minority, but as you can see, gaining a little ground, there. There you go, change some folks are waiting for. Personally I'm going with 2010, no "and" because if my fifth grade teacher was right, that would be grammatically incorrect.
Before we rush into the new decade, though, time to bid farewell to pretty much an unforgettable year in politics. It started, of course, with the historic rise of a new president, and not too long after, plenty of scandals, plenty of infighting and tragically the loss of a man hailed as the greatest legislator of our time. A look back now at the political flash points that defined 2009.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OBAMA: On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit, to choose our better history to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation, the god-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.
(APPLAUSE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His focus on "Issue No. 1," the economy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: CNN's Ali Velshi's back on the CNN Express, and taking the people's pulse on "Issue No. 1."
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: "Issue No. 1" remains the economy, specifically jobs.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: With record-high unemployment it's continuing to be more and more of -- of a political problem.
OBAMA: And that's the core of my plan, putting people to work, doing the work that America needs done.
SEN RICHARD SHELBY (R), ALABAMA: When TARP was under consideration, by Congress, the Bush administration and the Fed told us that the best way to fix the financial crisis was to use TARP Funds to buy illiquid assets from banks.
SEN JOHN KERRY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: We are going to create more toxic assets.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'd like to see some people go to jail! REP DAVID SCOTT (D), GEORGIA: What has happened in the past -- $18 billion of this money, of taxpayers' money, going out to you, is an aberration.
TIMOTHY GEITHNER, TREASURY SECY: People have lost faith in the quality of judgments of the leaders in many of our major financial institutions.
SEN JOHN ENSIGN (R), NEVADA: Last year, I had an affair. I violated the vows of my marriage. It's absolutely the worst thing that I've ever done in my life.
GOV MARK SANFORD (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: I've been unfaithful to my wife. I developed a relationship with a -- what started as a dear, dear friend from Argentina.
SARAH PALIN (R), FMR ALASKA GOV: I think a problem in our country today is apathy. It would be apathetic to kind of hunker down and go with the flow. We're fishermen, we know that only dead fish go with the flow.
NEWT GINGRICH (R), FMR HOUSE SPEAKER: Actually, a very significant factor in 2012, and I think that anybody who underestimates her runs the same risk they did with Ronald Reagan.
PALIN: Hey, but my dad's quote, I think, it -- it sums it up better, perhaps, than I'm summing up. He says she's not retreating, she's reloading.
OPRAH WINFREY, TALK SHOW HOST: Yes, she's able to get out there and fight for what is right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just say no! Just say no!
OBAMA: The reforms -- the reforms I'm proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally.
WILSON: You lie!
(BOOING)
OBAMA: Not true.
REP ALAN GRAYSON (D), FLORIDA: The Republican health care plan is this -- die quickly. That's right. The Republicans want you to die quickly if you get sick.
TED KENNEDY, JR., SON OF SEN TED KENNEDY: The last months of my dad's life were not sad or terrifying, but full -- fulfilled with profound experiences, a series of moments more precious than I could have imagined.
DAVID GERGEN, FRM PRESIDENTIAL ADVISER: Teddy Kennedy will now enter the public memory, and I think the history books, as not only the greatest legislator of our time, as Barack Obama said, but also as a very fine human being, and a father and a friend to so many. DANA BASH, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Looking ahead at somebody who watched Senator Kennedy shuffle around the capitol for several years, it is going to be very difficult this afternoon when that procession goes by the Senate.
SEN PATRICK KENNEDY (D), RHODE ISLAND: There's no doubt in my mind that my dad came out a winner.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're in the middle, I think, of a political rebellion going on in America.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In New York State, Dede Scozzafava was the Republican candidate. Douglass Hoffman was running for the conservative party, and literally, with the support people like Tim Pawlenty and Sarah Palin, this whole race got turned upside down.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's rather telling when the Republican Party forces out a moderate Republican, I think it's becoming more and more extreme and more and more marginalized.
RUSH LIMBAUGH, CONSERVATIVE TALKS SHOW HOST: The Republican Party needs to learn something. If it goes country-club, blue-blood moderate, it's going to lose. If it goes Reagan conservative and commits to it, it will win landslides.
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Some conservative members of the Republican National Committee want to actually test candidates to see how much they modeled themselves after Reagan, and they proposed a list of principles Reagan supported, we call them commandments. Now, the idea, unless Republican candidates adhere to at least eight of these 10 commandments or principles, well, then, they won't get funded by the Republican Party.
GOV-ELECT BOB MCDONNELL (R), VIRGINIA: Tonight, you've given me the title of governor of Virginia. But, I pledge to you over the next four years, action and results.
GOV-ELECT CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: Starting tomorrow, we are going to pick Trenton up, and we are going to turn it upside-down.
(APPLAUSE)
TIM KAINE, DEMOCRATIC NATL CMTE CHAIRMAN: While a loss isn't easy the march of change in this commonwealth isn't over. It can be slowed but it can't be deterred by one election setback.
OBAMA: As commander in chief, I have determined that it is in our vital national interests to send an additional 30,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan. After 18 months, our troops will begin to come home. I do not make this decision lightly. I make this decision because I am convinced that our security is at stake in Afghanistan and Pakistan. This is the epicenter of violence extremism practiced by al Qaeda.
(END VIDEOTAPE) HILL: Just ahead -- how safe is your food? Another recall, this one involving beef and raising new questions about federal safety regulations.
Plus, we continue our look, not only at the year that just passed, but our look at the year ahead, a new president, old problems. You just heard him talking about some of them. So, what is in store for 2010? That's just eight head.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: As you celebrate the dawn of 2010, food safety, probably the last thing our mind today. But as the New Year kicks off, another big meat recall is actually underway. And as Louise Schiavone reports, politicians in Washington still haven't figured out that whole safe food agenda for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LOUISE SCHIAVONE, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As the year ended, 248,000 pounds of beef were recalled in the west, a voluntary move by Oklahoma-based National Steak and Poultry. That after a cluster of E. coli cases potentially linked to the product were detected in several states. Food safety lawyer, Bill Marler, who began his career by representing E. coli victims sickened in the 1993 Jack in the Box outbreak, says food regulators across government agencies could benefit from a more intense sense of urgency.
BILL MARLER, FOOD SAFETY ATTY: One of the things that the head of FDA and USDA should do, you know, is sit down at a table in a kitchen table with a family of a child who, you know -- a family of a child who has died from E. coli.
SCHIAVONE: Marler and others say the coming year could be a good year for food safety if Congress and the Obama administration undertake a renewed commitment to tightening regulations. The White House could start off with an appointment to the Agriculture Department's Food Safety and Inspection Service. The service has been without a chief for more than a year, but needs someone to regulate the meat industry, including meat, chicken, lamb, and pork.
Also high on the agenda, passage of food safety legislation designed to enhance the operation of the food and drug administration, it's been approved in the House with a version of it pending action in the Senate. The bill would give the FDA more resources for inspection, for better monitoring of food borne illnesses by the CDC and for enhancements to antiquated high-tech information systems. In the view of former FDA imports director, Carl Nielsen, that is key.
CARL NIELSEN, FMR FDA OFFICIAL: You have to remember that there's maybe close to 300,000 foreign firms that are supplying food products to the United States. FDA, historically, physically inspects maybe 100 of those. So, there's very, very spotty information.
SCHIAVONE: The CDC estimates that overall food borne illnesses kill 5,000 people, annually. (END VIDEOTAPE)
And Erica, to a great extent, consumers can protect themselves from the food industry to food safety advocates the advice is to cook meats to an end temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit, keep food and food services and preparation tools clean, hands clean, of course, and be aware of food safety alerts -- Erica.
HILL: All right, Louise, thanks. Kind of a scary way to start the New Year, but good tips, happy end, there.
As the new decades begins, Americans may have reason to feel less hopeful than they did at the turn of the century, and not just because of a food scare. We want to take a look back at the last 10 years, look forward to what is next. The issues likely to dominate in 2010. Here to help us do all that, all CNN contributors: Errol Louis, "New York Daily News" columnist, Miguel Perez, syndicated columnist and professor at Lehman College, and Robert Zimmerman, Democratic strategist.
Good to have you all with us. I know you are all excited about your dinner after this, as we were talking about when I walked in. As we looked ahead though, to 2010, we took a little bit of a look back earlier in the show at the year in politics. Some of the big issues have really come up in the past week, the big issues for the president: the war on terror, terrorism going to be huge in 2010, we saw that, of course, with the Christmas-day bombing. Looking back, now the incomplete implementation of all these recommendations from the 911 Commission, Afpak, as we call Afghanistan and Pakistan. And even today, as we're learning about the dropping of the charges from 2007 for some of the Blackwater contractors, there, and the fallout that that's going to have.
I'm going to start with you, Miguel, what is what is the fallout from all of these issues as it relates to the U.S. security concerns?
MIGUEL PEREZ, SYNDICATED COLUMNIST: Well, you know, we, I guess, most of us, the American people, tend to want to forget, we want this whole thing to go away. We want terrorism to go away, we want the wars to go away, and we want to put it all behind us, but we're in denial, because we are a nation at war, and national security is a problem, it's going to be a huge problem for us in the future. And -- and this is a war in which civilians are the target, so obviously, we all have to be aware of this and, you know, we have a new administration in Washington, and we want to leave that whole threat of terrorism behind with the Bush administration. Hello! We're realizing now that it's here to stay. And in the last few weeks, as you said, all these new reminders.
HILL: And interesting, Robert, you were shaking your head in agreement with Blackwater, at these revelations that have come out today that we talked about earlier in the show. How does that affect the U.S. overseas, not just in Iraq, but Afghanistan, Pakistan, now Yemen, where clearly the U.S. is not liked, but we've learned we're actually working pretty closely with the government there. How does that affect efforts, there? ROBERT ZIMMERMAN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, I think it's important if you look at the decision handed down by the federal judge, a 90-page decision, his ruling was to throw the case out, because the civil rights and civil liberties, of the Blackwater, the Blackwater defendants, were not protected. So, that's really a lesson about the rule of law in America. Obviously the Iraqi people feel a great sense of frustration, feel that justice wasn't done, but it's an important lesson to the world about the American system of justice and it's particularly...
HILL: The local population isn't going to read a 90-page finding.
ZIMMERMAN: No, there's no question about that, but the governments of the world have to understand we are a government of laws, not of individuals, not of dictators. And that's a very important juxtaposition towards the seven heroic, patriotic CIA officials who died in that terrorist attack, yesterday. And it's an important reminder that while we're facing enemies who don't follow, don't have -- don't follow the rule of law, don't follow rules, we are still a nation that rises above that.
HILL: Errol, when you look down the line at 2010, obviously terrorism is going to continue to be a big issue, as we've been reminded about, but there are jobs at stake, there's the health care debate, there are midterm elections. What's the headline that you see jumping out at you as we launch into this New Year?
ERROL LOUIS, NEW YORK DAILY NEWS: A distrustful nation tries to restore accountability, that to me would be the headline. Because, what I see happening is, this last decade was an age of deception and distrust, where people found one leader and institution after another had lied to them, whether you're talking with faked intelligence that led to the Iraq war or you're talking about the enormous hyping that led to the housing bubble or the stock swindlers, of major proportions, or the corporations that betrayed their shareholders.
ZIMMERMAN: Or the election stolen in 2000, let's not forget that either in terms of undercutting our confidence in our system.
LOUIS: And you even have the pop culture figures, like a Tiger Woods, you know, I mean, it continues and it continues. And what I see out there is a lot of unfocused anger and anxiety. And the election is where you start to focus it. And some people in Congress are going to take hits for things that they kind of had nothing to do with.
ZIMMERMAN: You know, that's a very important point Errol's brining up, because this same anger towards incumbents, the same anger towards the establishment that brought Democrats to power in 2006 in Congress and the president since in 2008, still exists now. And the real challenge for the Democratic president, if the Democratic Congress with the Obama administration, is to try to move from hope into pragmatic achievement.
HILL: Well, there's also -- it's interesting you bring that up because we talked about this poll right off the top, before we came to our segment. The CNN/ Opinion Research Corporation poll out today, what the New Year holds for the world: 51 percent of respondents say they're hopeful for the world, 69 percent hopeful for themselves, 48 percent are fearful.
And when you look at those numbers, we're really talking it's split, here. And a decade ago, 68 percent of the respondents, on the cusp of the year 2000 said they were hopeful for the world. When you look at this, part of that, I would imagine, stems from not just the economy, but how bitter and partisan this country has become. How do you overcome that?
PEREZ: Well, you know, like the world is very scary as it is right now, and has become scarier in the last decade. You know, when the Cold War was over, or we thought was over, except for us Cuban Americans, but, when the Cold War was over -- right, that's another segment -- but when the Cold War was over we thought we were going to enjoy this period of peace that was going to be everlasting. Hello, again, it's not there. And now we're in a -- I think we're in World War III, except we refuse to call it that. We're in an international war against Islamic terrorists.
HILL: But, we're also in a domestic war against ourselves, it seems. I mean, in this country it has become so bitter, so partisan, and not just when it comes to politics. I mean, on a daily level among people, is that something that we can overcome?
ZIMMERMAN: Is it we're bitter -- is it more partisan than during the Great Depression, which, of course, spread enormous panic throughout our nation and destroyed our credibility and our institutions. Is the world scarier than it was during World War II when we faced the threat of Nazi imperialism, Nazi dictatorships and Japanese imperialism?
I think what really is important thing to remember, as we begin the New Year, is we are the most transparent society in government -- in the world, we are a nation that has faced even greater obstacles, as difficult as the time is right now, and our greatest resource is our people, and our system of governance. And we shouldn't lose sight of that.
LOUIS: The difference between now and then was that people trusted the government. They trusted the courts. You didn't have this kind of core assumption among a lot of people that all of the institutions are legitimate.
ZIMMERMAN: The communist movement, though, in the '30s, you had a major movement towards socialism during that time period. There was a panic in the streets in many respects. But we rallied as a nation.
PEREZ: But listen, those were conventional wars, this is a different kind of war, now. And again, the target are citizens, all over the world. It makes a hell of a difference.
ZIMMERMAN: You know something? Every war in retrospect is a conventional war. At the time, it was an unprecedented war for us to face. And I just think...
HILL: But this one, I'm going to have to cut you off, only because we're in the middle of it right now. Good to have all you with us. And you know, the upside to all of this is that there's plenty to talk about as the year moves forward, with all of you.
ZIMMERMAN: We look forward to it, as well.
PEREZ: Happy New Year.
(CROSSTALK)
HILL: Happy New Year to all of you. Great to have you with us, tonight, thanks for coming in on New Year's Day.
Still ahead, a Navy corpsman bravery leaves his body riddled with battle scares, but his Olympic dreams still intact. His story is just ahead in tonight's "Heroes."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: On this New Year's Day, a hero's tale to inspire us all. Under attack by the Taliban, Hospital Corpsman Anthony Ameen, rushed into enemy fire to save a wounded Marine. An unconscious moment of absolute bravery, a life forever changed, but by no means diminished. Philippa Holland has his remarkable story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANTHONY AMEEN, NAVY HOSPITAL CORPSMAN: In the last two weeks I've noticed a big change in my abilities of what I can and can't do, as far as ability and agility.
PHILIPPA HOLLAND, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After 17 months and 23 surgeries, Hospital Corpsman Third Class Anthony Ameen hopes to run again one day.
AMEEN: The morning of July 21st, 2008, we set up for an ambush on the Taliban. It was a very busy morning, very hectic, and as we approached the enemy, our ambush was successful. And shortly thereafter, they did a counterattack. And we heard mortar fire and machine gunfire, we had had air support helping us out.
HOLLAND: Ameen received a call over the radio from his platoon sergeant to help a wounded Marine.
AMEEN: About 10, 15 feet from getting to him, all I remember is just hearing the loudest explosion I've ever heard. It seemed like dirt just pushed me off the ground about three to five feet, kind of doing like a backwards cartwheel.
HOLLAND: He had stepped on an improvised explosive device and now both Ameen and the wounded Marine needed medical attention.
AMEEN: As a corpsman, I knew that I lost my left foot. And then I heard my doctor, and I just remember he said, hey, hold on, hold on, we're going to get you in a minute, we got to work on him. And remember grabbing my buddy's hand, in a sense, just cheering him on, but in a -- and I was also telling myself to kind of hang in there.
I remember after about two, three minutes, my medicine was kicking in pretty hard, but I remember he let go of my hand. At that point I kind of realized he wasn't with us anymore. That was a hard moment for me.
HOLLAND: Today Ameen is in therapy at the San Diego Naval Hospital, training with Brazilian Olympian Joaquin Cruz who recruits for the Paralympics.
JOAQUIN CRUZ, PARALYMPICS RECRUITER: That looks good.
AMEEN: The hardest thing coming back home for me would be knowing that my life is completely changed forever. I also am reminded of the Marine that I was running to save that day and the reason I say this is because I think his spirit is kind of living inside of me, because I'm reminded of him constantly and it's kind of my motivation to get through the day knowing that I did a good deed for somebody who, unfortunately is no longer with us, but my prayers go out his family.
HOLLAND: Ameen hopes this training will help him to once again represent the United States, this time as a member of the U.S. Paralympic Team.
Philippa Holland, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: In addition to his Olympic dreams, Corpsman Ameen plans to finish his bachelor's degree in biology. His hope, to become a physician's assistant working with prosthetics and possibly return to emergency medicine.
Ameen, meantime, has been honored for his bravery with the Navy Achievement Medal with Valor and the Combat Action Ribbon. We wish him will, as well to all of our troops serving around the world.
And to all of you, thanks so much for spending part of your evening with us here at CNN TONIGHT. I'm Erica Hill. I hope you have a great start to your New Year. Up next, CAMPBELL BROWN.
