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American Morning
Obama Continues Adding to Cabinet; Senate Working to Pass Stimulus Bill; First Lady Talks Education; Venezuala President Reaches Out to Washington; Is Afghanistan Obama's Vietnam?; Autism Linked to Premature Births; Earthquake Hits New Jersey; Macy's Cuts Jobs as Mattel Announces Major Drop in Profits; A Museum Dedicated to Outtakes
Aired February 03, 2009 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Hard sell.
ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: You've got a piece of legislation that creates jobs.
CHETRY: Barack Obama spending political capital on a plan that's getting closer to a trillion dollars.
Plus, Hill rips on Bill.
HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE OF THE UNITED STATES: I am so grateful to him for a lifetime of all kinds of experiences.
CHETRY: The new secretary of state cracking jokes and getting down to business. Today, her first high-level talks on this AMERICAN MORNING.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Good morning. Welcome, it's Tuesday, February 3rd.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. It's an interesting way to put it, isn't it?
CHETRY: Yes.
ROBERTS: Thanking him for a whole range of experiences not mentioning any of them.
Thanks for being with us this morning.
President Barack Obama reaching across the aisle today to name New Hampshire Senator Judd Gregg as the secretary of commerce. The president is going to announce the nomination in just a few hours.
Gregg is known as a fiscal conservative. He would be the third Republican in Obama's cabinet. A deal struck with New Hampshire's governor, John Lynch, will keep Gregg's seat out of Democratic hands and not affect the balance of power in the Senate. Sources say Gregg's former chief of staff, Bonnie Newman, will be named to replace him.
This morning, Eric Holder will be sworn in as the new attorney general. He'll be the country's first African-American to hold that post. The Senate confirmed Holder yesterday by a vote of 75-21. The vote came after some Republicans tried but failed to get Holder to pledge that he would not prosecute intelligence agents who used harsh interrogation tactics.
And a soldier in South Carolina was in the middle of his first- ever skydive when the instructor strapped to his back died of an apparent heart attack. Daniel Pharr said that he went into survival mode and used his army training to steer the chute and land safely.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PVT. DANIEL PHARR, SURVIVED SKYDIVING SCARE: I was asking him what his longest glide was before, you know, just general skydiving questions and he was unresponsive. So I just grabbed the right toggle, tried for the left toggle, and in doing so lost the right now. So I regained the right one and just held on to it. And my path was such that I was going toward a house, so I just pulled on the toggle and turned right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Pharr attempted CPR but it was too late. Officials are waiting for autopsy results. The young man was fortunate that the parachute was already open when his instructor died.
CHETRY: Well, right now the clock is ticking for President Obama's stimulus package. He wants to sign it by President's Day. It's less than two weeks from today. But can the differences be worked out by then?
Today, the Senate is going to be voting on a number of amendments to the bill after the House passed an $819 billion package last week with no Republican support and the president will reset the focus on his economic plan today when he sits down with more number of interviews with major networks. He's going to be speaking to our Anderson Cooper as well. His message, no doubt, will be minor differences should not slow down the bill.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Every day it seems there's another round of layoffs, another round of jobs lost and family's lives turned upside down. We lost 2.6 million jobs last year and another 2.8 million people who need and want full-time work had to settle for part-time employment. So this is a difficult moment. But I believe if we act boldly and swiftly, it can be an American moment when we work through our differences together and overcome our divisions to face the crisis.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: And this morning we're going to be on the headlines breaking down this stimulus bill, what it means politically and also what it means for your paycheck. We have Christine Romans for us.
We start, though, with Suzanne Malveaux. She joins us in New York this morning.
The Democrats are already making some concessions. They've taken some things out of the bill that the GOP identified as pork. Will that be enough?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I don't think it's going to be enough. I mean, you have President Obama. He's behind the scenes. He's meeting with Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi yesterday and obviously they're looking at this millions of dollars. And this package is $900 billion so far and the problem is they're still dealing with the millions here.
You have the smoking, the antismoking programs. It's like $675 million.
You've got 400 million for HIV and AIDS prevention, that type of thing. They have got to cut out a huge portion of this in order to win Republican support and they're not even close yet.
You've got House Republicans who are talking about millions to the Smithsonian Museum. You've got furniture for Homeland security, those type of things. They say this is waste, but they also have like 125 million for D.C. sewage and for someone who lives and works in the D.C. area, that to me that's not pork.
CHETRY: That's not pork.
MALVEAUX: That's necessary. I want to see that kind of spending, but they're saying that doesn't create jobs so you've got to take it out.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: They're all distractions, though. I mean that's -- they're big distractions and a lot of people tell me that those millions are distracting from the credibility of the billions that you're trying to spend. And so it's an interesting point. You've got these little projects that seem to be the thing that are getting all the headlines but this is $900 billion package. It's huge. It's so big it's almost impossible to understand how much money that is.
So I think that the distraction and the credibility issue is what comes from these little projects that seem great to, you know, Suzanne who lives in Washington, D.C. who wants to see the sewage updated.
MALVEAUX: And the other problem too is that Barack Obama, he campaigned on changing the world, you know, on promising the world here and so the expectations are so high. He's talking about your kids are going to be able to afford to go to college. They're going to be able to afford their health care. They're going to be staying in their homes. All of these things, he has to deliver on this.
And so you're not going to have this as part of an economic stimulus package. There has to be some sort of other plan beyond this where he is going to be able to deliver. At least say I'm trying to deliver on all of these things that I said I would do during the campaign, and that's a real challenge for him.
ROBERTS: So the Democrats want spending. The Republicans are saying too much spending. We want more tax cuts. So - but in terms of, you know, breaking it down and what the numbers mean for people's paychecks at home, what are these tax cuts going to bring to the average American?
ROMANS: Well, the tax cuts are about the third of the House package, and the Senate package is a little bit more because they put on this AMT release. So that's the millionaire tax, the middle-class Americans get that they shouldn't get - this big AMT tax. So Chuck Grassley wants that out.
But basically the tax cuts as they stand right now in your paycheck would be about $20 a paycheck for this year and $10 a paycheck for next year, up to $500 if you make $75,000 or less or $150,000 or less for couples. So for middle-class workers, even upper middle-class workers, there is going to be some relief in there. There are some other tax cuts as well.
Now the case for these tax cuts is a big, big fight. It helps low and middle class families. It's an immediate boost to the economy. These are likely to be spent. But the case against them, a lot of Republicans say these cuts don't go far enough, that some people might actually save them, not spend them.
And in fact in some cases it gives money to people who don't pay income tax. That's something that political conservatives are very concerned about, people who do pay Medicare and Social Security taxes but not income tax. So that's what...
(CROSSTALK)
ROBERTS: And President Obama says they are in effect tax breaks because they're being...
ROMANS: Right. And he says that's -- you know, that's not nonnegotiable. He's not going to work on that one.
ROBERTS: Right.
ROMANS: So, you know, that's where the tax fight comes from. But I wanted to, real quickly, I have to move down (ph) from Mark Zandi. This is what he says about how important tax cuts are to this package.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK ZANDI, CHIEF ECONOMIST, MOODY'S ECONOMY.COM: Tax cuts are a good way to get money into the economy quickly. The tax cuts we're talking about in this plan would get into the economy this summer and fall when the economy desperately needs it. So it's a fast, quick boost to the economy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: So as soon as the government and your company can start to change these withholdings, it would be about 20 bucks in your paycheck, 10 bucks in your paycheck. Maybe next year up to 500 bucks. So...
CHETRY: You were talking about all these billions. It's interesting the Republicans are putting forth in the Senate, their own proposal. It's only about 100 million less than the Democratic proposal. I mean, it's like $718 billion.
ROMANS: That's right.
CHETRY: Billions, sorry. I keep saying million instead because it's just the numbers are so huge.
Also, very interesting with so much of the president's attention focused on the economy, we're also talking about First Lady Michelle Obama. She stepped up to address other domestic priorities. One, education. Mrs. Obama talked to staffers at the Department of Ed on Monday, her first stop on a listening tour of government agencies.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: I am a product of your work. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for the public schools that nurtured me and helped me along. And I am committed as well as my husband to ensuring that more kids like us and kids around this country, regardless of their race, their income, their status, the property values in their neighborhoods get an access to an outstanding education.
The children of this country are counting on all of us. They're looking to us for direction. They're looking to us for that ray of hope. They're looking to us to help them figure out how to make it through. And we have everything we need right here and now to make that happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: We're talking more with Suzanne about this.
As you said, a lot of promises made, you know, through this administration and when Barack Obama was campaigning. And his wife also talked about that, Michelle Obama saying every child deserves a great education.
MALVEAUX: And she talked about being the "Mother in Chief," especially when they were campaigning, that that was going to be her role, and obviously looking out after Sasha and Malia. But I think she's also going to become kind of the neighborhood mom as well. I mean, we've seen both of them reach out to people in Washington, D.C. We see them with the mayor, Adrian Fenty.
And it's funny because my dad works at NBC and actually he was trying to decide which place he was going to go to lunch and it was either Georgia Brown's or D.C. Coast. They chose D.C. coast. He's like, oh, I just missed Michelle Obama. She was at Georgia Brown's. He looked so excited he just wanted to bump into her and to see her. And I think you have that kind of that sense of excitement of people in the nation's capital. For the first time, they really feel that they're a part of the White House and what's going on at 1600 Pennsylvania.
And so you see her doing this kind of community outreach things. I think you're going to see more of that type of thing. It's going to be informal settings. I mean, she'll go out to the department agencies obviously but she's also just the kind of person who's going to, you know, pop up at, you know, Georgetown or at a local school or Georgia Brown's and I think that really is creating a sense of community.
ROBERTS: We'll see how long they can keep it up because that bubble tends to envelop you and draw you in.
CHETRY: And the other interesting thing she was speaking at the Department of Education. Meanwhile, Sasha and Malia go to a private school. They go to a Friends school. They're not a product of a D.C. school system. She made a point of saying that she was.
MALVEAUX: And I think she needs to. I mean, I think she needs to make that point because obviously she went to public schools but then she went to Ivy League schools. Both of her daughters have been pretty much, you know, sheltered in that sense from the public school system. They need to show that yes, they are reaching out to those who are going to D.C. public schools. That they understand some of the challenges that D.C. faces.
CHETRY: Suzanne, great to have you with us here on the set. Thanks so much.
MALVEAUX: It's nice to be here.
CHETRY: Christine, thanks as well.
ROMANS: Thanks.
CHETRY: And a quick reminder, CNN's Anderson Cooper sits down for a one-on-one interview with President Obama. It's today. It's at the White House. You can see it on "AC 360" tonight, 10:00 Eastern time right here on CNN.
ROBERTS: Venezuela's president, Hugo Chavez, has long been a thorn in Washington side. But is the man who called former President Bush the devil ready to make nice now? Hear what he has to say in an exclusive interview. That's straight ahead.
And Senator Hillary Clinton paying tribute to her husband during a ceremonial swearing in. Hear what she said that had the crowd laughing. And the former president, as he is known to do on occasion, turning bright red.
It's 10 minutes now after the hour. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: It's coming up now on 13 minutes after the hour. Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
Venezuela's president, Hugo Chavez, celebrating ten years in power. And right now, he presents a huge challenge for the Obama administration. Since his election, the Latin American strongman has adopted anti-American policies and forge relations with many of America's adversaries like Hamas and Iran. But this morning in an exclusive interview that you will see only on CNN, one of Washington's loudest critics says efforts to mend fences depends on Obama's administration.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRES. HUGO CHAVEZ, VENEZUELA (through translator): I'm ready to talk with the U.S. president. Let's hope, and I have said, this perhaps we can restore the relations to the same level that we had with the Clinton administration.
I talked to Mr. Clinton a number of times with his secretary of state, even on the phone. We talked to President Clinton several times. Perhaps we can start a new period of respect and relations that would be constructive.
I have the faith that that is maybe possible, but it would depend on the U.S. and the president's attitude, attitude of the secretary of state and the administration. We will not accept a lack of respect from anybody. We demand respect. We want honor for not only us but for all of Latin America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: So how does the new administration deal with Hugo Chavez? Let's go straight to the State Department. CNN's Jill Dougherty is there.
So some people believe that Hugo Chavez is waging a war on America. Other people believe it was more a war against the Bush administration. So how will the Obama administration approach the Venezuelan leader?
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: You know, John, anxious. They haven't been talking very much about Chavez because they've been taken up with issues that are really very important, the Mideast, Afghanistan, Iran, et cetera. But you know, this could be more of an indication of the problems that Chavez has right now, after all falling oil prices in Venezuela as a huge oil exporter. Also, rising food prices, so what he is saying right now could be more of an indication of his problems than some type of real outreach.
ROBERTS: Is he finding himself in a little bit of trouble with those revenues decreased? Yesterday during her swearing in, Hillary Clinton got a real laugh out of the crowd when she talked about her husband, former President Bill Clinton.
Let's listen to what she said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: I am so grateful to him for a lifetime of all kinds of experiences, which have given me a - which have given me an extraordinary richness that I am absolutely beholden to and grateful for.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Some perhaps less grateful for than others. But, I mean, all kidding aside, she's busy. She's planning her first trip. What's involved? Where is she going? What is she going to be doing?
DOUGHERTY: John, you know, her diplomatic skills coming to the floor there. She has her first international trip coming up. We expect that's supposed to be to Asia, and interestingly, China, South Korea and Japan.
China, the secretary already has been talking about. What the administration and Hillary Clinton are saying is that previously they were focusing this relationship mainly on the economic side of it and now they're going to broaden it into more of a strategic type of relationship in which China could get involved in all sorts of issues. So you're going to be some interesting things coming out of that.
ROBERTS: It's interesting, a difference from the Bush administration which called China a strategic competitor.
Jill Dougherty for us this morning at the State Department.
Jill, it's great to see you. Thanks so much.
CHETRY: And a government report says billions of taxpayer dollars have been misspent in the rebuilding of Iraq. Could history be repeating itself in Afghanistan?
Also, most Americans take their library privileges seriously including America's hero pilot, Captain Chesley Sullenberger. Why librarians are giving him a break on his overdue book.
It's 16 and a half minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Coming up now on 20 minutes past the hour. Time to fast forward to our stories of what's going on later today.
At noon Eastern, the city of Pittsburgh is going to be holding a victory parade, of course, for the Superbowl champion Steelers. Six local marching bands will be joining the team in the parade. Six, of course, to mark the number of Superbowl championships the Steelers have won.
"Joe the Plumber" still working on his 15 minutes of fame. He's fresh off of his stint as a war correspondent in Gaza last month. Now, Joe Wurzelbacher will be talking political strategy later today at a meeting of Republican congressional staffers in Washington. The group promoting his appearance in an effort to get staffers to attend that meeting. He's expected to speak about the economic stimulus package. He's apparently not a fan.
And just when you thought you heard the last of him, impeached Illinois governor, Rod Blagojevich, hits the airwaves for another media blitz. At 9:00 Eastern tonight, he'll be appearing with our own Larry King. His national TV appearances today are his first interview since the Illinois State Senate ousted him as governor.
ROBERTS: A new government report details the problems that have plagued U.S. efforts to rebuild Iraq. It says the reconstruction program has wasted billions of dollars in taxpayer money.
Now, as Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence tells us, there is concern that the United States is making the same mistakes this time in Afghanistan.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A new report sums it up. The U.S. has wasted billions reconstructing Iraq.
SEN. CLAIRE MCCASKILL (D), MISSOURI: This has been a massive failure.
LAWRENCE: That report is called "Hard Lessons," but has anyone learned? $32 billion American dollars are devoted to rebuild Afghanistan. The inspector general there just audited six major products the U.S. has paid for, everything from agriculture to schools and small business. Only one out of the six projects was working like it's supposed to.
MCCASKILL: If we do not find accountability, then, really, we have added to the problem of wasting taxpayers' money.
LAWRENCE: Here's an example of how hard it can be to rebuild Afghanistan. The U.S. help construct a major road connecting Kabul to the rest of the country.
Now the Taliban are using that pave road to rob travelers and launch attacks. The team that audited Iraq's reconstruction is recommending ways President Obama can avoid the same mistakes in Afghanistan. Don't attempt massive rebuilding projects in the middle of Taliban violence, reduce the reliance of contractors and give some jobs back to the military, and make sure contracts are an extension of the president's political strategy.
STUART BOWEN, IRAQ RECONSTRUCTION AUDITOR: What it means is don't build projects for building projects' sake. Build projects to advance U.S. interests. LAWRENCE: Stuart Bowen says planners must avoid mistakes like the ones he found in Iraq, where the U.S. wasted $40 million building this never finished prison.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LAWRENCE: The United States has helped improve areas like communication and health care in Afghanistan but unless there's more oversight, its reconstruction will end up a lot like Iraq. Too few eyes looking at too much money - John, Kiran.
ROBERTS: Chris Lawrence reporting from the Pentagon for us this morning.
And at about 15 minutes times, we'll be speaking with "Newsweek" editor at large, Evan Thomas, about the president's challenges in Afghanistan, which in an article on "Newsweek" Thomas calls Obama's Vietnam.
CHETRY: Well, Captain Chesley Sullenberger saved 155 lives when he splash landed in the Hudson River. But what did the hero pilot leave on board and will he have to pay for it?
It's 23 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: It certainly was amazing when hero pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger landed that huge jet beautifully in the Hudson River. All 155 people onboard survived when it splash landed last month.
What didn't survive though was Sullenberger's library book. He had left the book that he checked out from his local library in Danville, California in the plane's cargo hold. Sullenberger contacted the library telling them what happened asking for an extension. The library official say they were struck by a sense of responsibility and will waive all overdue fees and dedicate the replaced book to him. It turns out the subject of the lost book was professional ethics.
This guy is so perfect. Not only did he land the plane perfectly. When he lost the book, he called them and the book he was reading was professional ethics.
ROBERTS: I mean, this guy is going to be - he should run for office or something.
CHETRY: He should.
ROBERTS: I'm sure he could get elected in a heartbeat and probably he's one of those guys who's really good for the country.
CHETRY: Exactly. Now he asked for an extension. Did he think he was going - he was going to be able to salvage it after the NTSB is done with their investigation? ROBERTS: You never know. Maybe they might just find it somewhere and be able to dry it out and give it back. Wouldn't that be something? Now that - that one could go in the Smithsonian.
CHETRY: That's true. That's true.
Well, coming up on half past the hour, about 27 minutes after the hour right now. We check our top stories and the Associated Press saying that federal health officials are investigating a Texas peanut plant also run by the Peanut Corporation of America. This company's Georgia-based plant is blamed for a nationwide salmonella outbreak.
Health records say that the Texas plant has been unlicensed for nearly four years, hadn't been inspected at all until about two weeks ago. So far, though, no traces of salmonella or other contaminants have turned up there.
Detroit's former mayor is free this morning. Kwame Kilpatrick released from jail overnight. He served a 99-day sentence for perjury and obstruction of justice. Kilpatrick and his then chief of staff admitted to lying during a whistleblower's trial about an affair they had and their role in the firing of a police official. Their testimony was contradicted by sexually explicit text messages.
Tough times for Barbie, unable to save the world's biggest toymaker from recession. Mattel reporting its fourth quarter profits fell 46 percent. The company says it was hit hard by the strong dollar and the weakest holiday shopping season in decades. Sales for Barbie were down 21 percent. By the way, Mattel's leading lady does turn 50 this year.
ROBERTS: President Barack Obama getting his first briefing from Defense Secretary Robert Gates about plans to send an additional 15,000 troops to Afghanistan, but it appears that the problems President Obama is inheriting with the war will not easily be solved by deploying more troops. "Newsweek"'s cover story describes Afghanistan as Obama's Vietnam. Editor-at-large Evan Thomas co-wrote the lead article and he joins us now from Washington.
Evan, it's good to see you this morning. In terms of extra troops, almost everyone who's involved agrees, and this includes people at the Pentagon, that more troops are not the answer there. You can throw as many troops as you like at the problem but unless you make some significant structural changes, you're not going to really get out of that terrible boat that we're in there. What's the situation there, and what do you think needs to be done to solve it?
EVAN THOMAS, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, "NEWSWEEK": Well, the situation is getting worse and worse. Every report says that. We keep making recruits to the Taliban by killing civilians. I mean, we try not to, but we do.
There is no easy solution here. Fareed Zakaria, our international editor, has a piece in the magazine that talks about the steps we need to take. We got to get better in counterinsurgency. We probably have to talk to the Taliban. That's something we really want to do, but maybe we have to negotiate with them. We have to keep a real eye on Pakistan, which may be in the long run the bigger problem.
You know, there is no easy solution. That's the problem. We're in a sort of a sinkhole here. There's no easy way out, but there's no easy way to stay in.
ROBERTS: As we mentioned a second ago, Evan, you have co-written a title article in "Newsweek" magazine called "Obama's Vietnam." In it you say, "The parallels are disturbing. The president eager to show his toughness, vows to do what it takes to win. The enemy is well accustomed to resisting foreign invaders and can escape into convenient refuges across the border. Meanwhile, neighboring countries may see a chance to bog America down in a costly war. Last, there is no easy way out."
That prompted a response from chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, who says, wait minute, you can't make easy comparisons to Vietnam though many people would like to. He says that the situation in Afghanistan is wholly different, particularly on issues of terrorism and non-occupation.
Now you do say in the article that the parallels aren't exact, but what about this idea that it's a Vietnam?
THOMAS: Well, you know, obviously it's not an exact parallel. But I'm not quite sure Admiral Mullen is talking about. We weren't trying to occupy Vietnam. We're not trying to occupy Afghanistan. We're trying to prop up a thoroughly corrupt regime which doesn't have any legitimacy among its own people. That is the same.
There are sanctuaries that our enemy can flee to. That is the same. So far the answer of the Pentagon has been more troops. That is the same.
We have a president who's talking about we've got to win there. That is the same. There are some parallels. History never repeats itself exactly, but you've got to pay attention to history. And there are some uneasy comparisons.
ROBERTS: Admiral Mullen also says that Afghanistan is far more complex than Vietnam was. If we couldn't win Vietnam with a half a million troops and 68,000 Americans dead, what does that say about Afghanistan?
THOMAS: Well, you know, they're feeling their way. Richard Holbrooke is coming in. He's a very able diplomat. General Petraeus was a genius in Iraq. Maybe he can perform the same kind of miracle in Afghanistan.
But there has been a kind of drift here. No clear strategy. The idea that we're going to pacify Afghanistan and do a counterinsurgency that gets rid of the Taliban, I think that's an incredibly tall order. It's a very big country. It's hard to re-supply our little, various outposts. We have a divided command structure there. There's just an awful lot to be done, and I don't think the Obama administration has yet faced really hard choices here. But so far what they're doing is just sending more troops. ROBERTS: All right. Evan Thomas, Newsweek's editor at large, thanks for being with us this morning. It's good to get your perspective on this. Appreciate it.
THOMAS: Thanks.
CHETRY: Autism 911.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How many?
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: Two.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two. Got you.
CHETRY (voice-over): Help for a family in chaos.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's going to be an adult soon. She cannot be behaving this way.
CHETRY: The latest services to help children and adults with the disorder.
You're watching the Most News in the Morning.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
There's new evidence this morning of a link between extreme premature birth and an increased risk for autism. Researchers in Boston studied nearly 1000 children who are born at least three months early and they found that those children were two to three more times likely to screen positive for autism by the age of two.
Now this morning we're continuing our exclusive series "Autism 911." CNN senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joins us live in Atlanta.
You introduced us yesterday, Elizabeth, to the Bilson Family. They've been having a really tough time with their daughter, Marissa, she's 13, and she has autism.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And they were having such a tough time, Kiran, that they called in a counselor who spends every day with the family in their home for a week to try to make things better.
Let's take a look and see how they're doing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over): By their own account, the Bilson family needs help.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are not bringing that in the house and definitely go in the house. No.
COHEN: This is Marissa, their 13-year-old daughter with autism. Marissa's behavior is debilitating to the entire family, and getting her to change has been a daunting task. While they've had their daughter in various programs since she was a toddler, Marissa's behavior has recently gotten worse and her parents have come to realize they need more help.
RICK SCHROEDER, THERAPIST, AUTISM PARTNERSHIP: How many?
MARISSA, GIRL WITH AUTISM: Two.
SCHROEDER: Two. Got you.
COHEN: There were a variety of approaches out there for children with autism. One organization Autism Partnership comes in the home and gives one-on-one intensive interventions. It's not cheap. It costs $2,500 a day and most interventions last about a week.
The Bilsons can't afford that so Autism Partnership is doing it for free so we could capture just how this type of intervention works.
(on camera): Why did you need it so much?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, she's getting older. 13, you know, her tantrums are louder, longer. She's going to be an adult soon. She cannot be behaving this way.
SCHROEDER: Marissa, what do you call these?
MARISSA: Markers.
SCHROEDER: Markers. Don't touch. You can't touch until we're ready to go. Do you want to look? I'll show you. But no touching, OK? Can you touch?
MARISSA: No.
SCHROEDER: OK. Hands back. You've got to follow the rules, though.
COHEN (voice-over): It's all about rules. Marissa has always had free rein at home, because her parents try to avoid her fits. So on day two, therapist Rick Schroeder lays down the law. If she behaves, Marissa gets rewards. If she doesn't, she gets nothing.
SCHROEDER: These are for working, OK?
MARISSA: OK.
SCHROEDER: So no grabbing, OK?
COHEN: They start slow. The first task, stay out of her big sister Brittany's room for 20 minutes. Rick even sets a timer. This isn't as easy as it sounds. Marissa loves to go into Brittany's room and take her stuff.
SCHROEDER: Almost time, Marissa. You've got to relax, Marissa.
COHEN: In the end, success.
SCHROEDER: There's the bell. Go turn it off.
COHEN: Marissa gets her reward.
SCHROEDER: Marissa, nice job. All 12 dolls. What do you get?
MARISSA: Banana.
SCHROEDER: Banana Laffy Taffy. Fantastic.
COHEN: But changing Marissa won't happen fast.
SCHROEDER: Marissa's behavior is like a big chunk of granite, right? Hard rock, right? You can't just smash it with one swing. You take a chisel and you just chip away each day, a little bit.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COHEN: Watching this therapist at work and seeing the slow changes that he inspired in Marissa was just fascinating. Now, I want to note this is just one program out there to help children with autism, and it's an expensive program.
If you want to learn more about what you can do for a child with autism, that's less expensive, go to cnn.com/americanmorning, and you'll see a blog all about other kinds of programs to help children with autism -- Kiran.
CHETRY: So while this is not a cure, obviously, it's these behavior modifications as well as other things. Does he train her parents how to then carry on what he's done with Marissa?
COHEN: Oh, absolutely, because he's only there for five days. So he trains them how to do the kinds of things that he's doing, which is basically a reward system if she does what she's supposed to do. She gets the candy or she gets the doll. And if she doesn't, she gets nothing. So he definitely trains the parents for how to carry on.
CHETRY: Boy, they have a huge challenge at their house.
COHEN: They certainly do.
CHETRY: All right. Elizabeth Cohen, thanks so much.
COHEN: Thanks.
CHETRY: And again, cnn.com/am if you want more information on this. And tomorrow "Autism 911" continues. Elizabeth Cohen is going to be looking at whether the Bilson Family's efforts to get their daughter help worked. That's tomorrow, right here on AMERICAN MORNING.
ROBERTS: Fascinating. Fascinating series.
Today the Senate starts voting on amendments to the president's stimulus package. And Mr. Obama is looking across the aisle and outside Washington for support. We'll talk with Minnesota's Republican Governor Tim Pawlenty in the next hour and ask why he is supporting the plan.
And a rare earthquake rattling nerves in homes just miles from New York City. Rob Marciano has got the details coming up. A little bada bing there in Jersey.
It's 40 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONAN O'BRIEN, HOST, "LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O'BRIEN": New Jersey is in the news. New Jersey is trying pass a bill that would give the state an official state song. New Jersey could get an official state song. Yes. The top contender for the New Jersey state song is "We've Got to Get Out of This Place."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: New Jersey making the monologue on "Conan" last night. But it's in the headlines for a completely different reason this morning. This is a really unusual one. An earthquake. Rob Marciano at the weather center at Atlanta following this one.
I was on the U.S. Geological Survey Web site this morning, Rob, and there's like one single little square over New Jersey. This is not something that normally happens there.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: No, it's not. It wasn't a big one. It was a 3.0. And it was about three miles deep. So, it wasn't very - it wasn't very deep. So, that's why folks felt it. There was a little aftershock, 1.8 to 1.9 aftershock. So, about 30 miles west from New York City.
And, you know, the earth - the crust of the earth is always moving. Obviously, there's major faults, especially out west and in certain spots of the world. But when you've got these plates moving around, you never know when you got a little weakness and it will wake you up in the morning.
(WEATHER REPORT)
ROBERTS: It is. You know, the dance clubs sometimes will shake the building, but I'm not used to an earthquake. Was that along the Ramapo Fault there?
MARCIANO: Yes, it's right up there. It's just about 20 miles west of Paterson, New Jersey. So, there's faults all over the place. That one not a very active one, but it certainly was this morning.
ROBERTS: Exciting time today, Rob. Thanks so much.
MARCIANO: All right, man.
CHETRY: Well, not many things are immune to the recession we're going through. Barbie, one of them. Barbie taking a big hit. Parent company Mattel reporting its fourth quarter profit fell nearly 50 percent - 46 percent drop in profits. Christine Romans is back with us now.
And so, as we're talking about, no companies are immune, but why Mattel? Why are they facing such a big drop?
ROMANS: Well, it's interesting because usually toy companies are a little bit - are a little bit more immune because parents, frankly, pull back everywhere else except toys. They don't want their kids to feel the recession.
But we know that Barbie brand sales were down 21 percent in the quarter. We know that the Hot Wheels category, which includes a bunch of different brands, but Hot Wheels, Matchbox and Tyco RC, that fell 19 percent. There was a foreign currency translation issues. The strong dollar hit the profit for the company a little bit. So, sales overall down. The profit, rather, down 46 percent in the fourth quarter.
And it's been tough. I mean, a year ago, they were talking about recall costs because of the tainted toy scandal. They roll right from tainted toy scandal right into a global recession that's hitting demand for Barbie.
So, Barbie, Matchbox, the Hot Wheels category - Hot Wheels. Fisher-Price sales down another 10 percent as well. So, obviously, obviously a tough economy - a tough global economy, the company pointing it out, the tough global economy hitting demand.
CHETRY: Also in the news, I think late yesterday afternoon about Macy's cutting some 7,000 jobs.
ROMANS: Seven thousand jobs at Macy's. We've seen so many jobs lost in retail. And now, when you see earnings reports like Mattel's and you see a Macy's report showing 7,000 job loss, it shows - it shows real stress in the retail environment.
And that's because people are saving a little bit more money. They're spending a little bit less. And they're trying to sort of get back to equilibrium on their own, you know, personal finances, and trying to weather this economy. And that means they're not going to spend as much on toys.
CHETRY: All right. And the people that are losing their jobs, of course, aren't either.
ROMANS: Absolutely.
CHETRY: So, it really speaks for itself.
Christine Romans, thanks so much.
Forty-six minutes after the hour.
It's the video you're not supposed to see.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What do you think? Open?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you can chop it up so I can snort it.
CHETRY (voice-over): From president to TV personality...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What are you doing?
CHETRY: No one is safe. Off-air out takes housed inside a museum. You're watching the Most News in the Morning.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
Here in our control room, we see them all the time. These are the moments when politicians, celebrities, and even those broadcasting the news are waiting for us to be taken live on TV. Now, though, there's a new art exhibit that's captured these talking heads in the moments before they appear on your television screen.
CNN's Jeanne Moos has her eye on all of this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They sit down and get miked up. They get ready for their close-up. But something seems off.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's quiet.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've just never seen him in such repose. He looks almost meditative.
MOOS: Carville, quiet? An oxymoron.
(on camera): You know all those talking heads on TV going blah, blah, blah? Not here in what's called the Silence Echo Chamber.
(voice-over): There's John McCain, military bearing, eyes boring into you. And Chris Matthews who seems to forget to blink.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Complete statue.
MOOS: The statue would be Henry Kissinger. Like portraits they hang on the walls of The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Connecticut.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Somehow you feel that you're seeing into their soul.
MOOS: From Larry King grimacing to Wolf Blitzer sinking his teeth into a script, to Joe Biden sinking his teeth into a pastry, washing it down, then coming back for more.
JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It could have been like an eclair.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It looked like an eclair, isn't it?
MOOS: Who collects this stuff?
HARRY SHEARER, COMEDIAN AND ACTOR: Well, I call it a hobby or a sickness.
MOOS: Comedian and actor Harry Shearer is mum on the how part.
(on camera): I just assume he's stealing satellite signals.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think he won't admit to any technique.
SHEARER: I'm like Dick Cheney, sources and methods.
MOOS: Shearer got hooked more than three decades ago when he saw footage of Richard Nixon right before his resignation speech, where Nixon even sat down.
RICHARD NIXON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Hey, you're better looking than I am. Why don't you stay here? All secret service - are there any secret service in the room? Out. Just kidding.
MOOS: It was Shearer who collected this famous John Edwards clip, someone else put it to music. Other Harry Shearer found objects include annoyed hosts...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What are you doing?
MOOS: Ann Coulter joking around about chewing Nicorette.
ANN COULTER, ACTRESS: If you can chop it up so I can snort it.
MOOS: Dan Rather debating how to wear the collar of his trench coat.
DAN RATHER, JOURNALIST: My concern about is the coat. It would be distracting to see. If you put it down -
MOOS: And Katie Couric mimicking Dan Rather.
KATIE COURIC, JOURNALIST: What do you think? Open?
MOOS: The Aldrich Museum exhibit doesn't show embarrassing moments but rather who the person is.
SHEARER: In those moments before they put their TV personality on.
MOOS: For instance, Dr. Phil not giving advice. Sean Hannity sanitizing or moisturizing. Before our interview with Shearer, we nabbed him making noises and tucking his shirt into his pants. But at least when a talking head is silent, he doesn't have to eat his words.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE).
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: Hugo Chavez, one-on-one. The man who called President Bush el diablo, now talking about America's new president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The world has been (INAUDIBLE)
HETRY: Plus, the voice of Bart Simpson now making cold calls for scientology.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, what's happening, man? This is Bart Simpson.
CHETRY (voice-over): Why Springfield isn't happy about that.
You're watching the Most News in the Morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
The Senate is expected to start voting on amendments to President Obama's stimulus package later this morning. The president is also looking for support beyond Capitol Hill. He's hoping that GOP governors will sign on and support it because of the money that it would give cash-strapped states.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
B. OBAMA: We are putting in place the infrastructure, rebuilding roads, bridges, waterways, other projects at the state levels that allow us to put people back to work. And we want to create or save three million jobs, and we want to put investments in place that are going to ensure long-term economic growth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Joining me now for more is Minnesota's Republican Governor Tim Pawlenty.
Thanks so much for being with us this morning, Governor. So you're in a unique situation like many other GOP governors. You're not necessarily for this stimulus package. You think it's too much spending. At the same time you want to make sure your state, if it's approved, gets their fair share. So what's going on?
GOV. TIM PAWLENTY (R), MINNESOTA: Well, I think like many other governors I support a stimulus package, but I'm very concerned about the one that the House passed. It spends too much money that they don't have. It doesn't emphasize homeowners and taxpayers enough in the form of tax relief and direct aid to the housing and mortgage crisis.
And also it deemphasized the infrastructure piece. A lot of people support money for roads and bridges and other infrastructure, but that became shrunk in the overall spending spree that became the House bill. So I do support a stimulus package, but I'm very concerned about the one the House put together, and I hope the Senate can fix it and make it bet.
CHETRY: It's interesting, because fellow senators lead by Mel Martinez out of Florida are putting together a plan. It's only about a billion dollars less. Their spending plan, $713 billion. This alternative plan that they may try to put forward in the Senate. So is it the amount of money or where the money is going that you're most concerned?
PAWLENTY: Well, the amount is significant. And of course, this is money that the federal government doesn't have. They're broke. So they're just creating the money or borrowing it, including from the Chinese.
But if you take the House amount, $813 billion, Kiran, and you divide that by the four million jobs that President Obama hopes to create or save, that's about $205,000 a job. That's a pretty expensive bill. And I think when you put it in those terms, people realize my goodness, are they spending too much?
But as importantly, what they're spending it on. And it's gone into areas that I don't think ours - what many people would consider the most immediate direct and timely stimulus. But if they're going to go down this path, states like Minnesota, I think we're going to accept our share of it because we're net payers to the federal system. We pay way more than we get out.
CHETRY: Right. And you know it's interesting because President Obama is trying to get GOP governor support. He did get Vermont's Republican Governor Jim Douglas, whose head of the National Governors Association to say that he's for it and that he will be supporting it. Why is he trying to woo the various state governors? You guys don't have a vote in this. Is it because he wants you to help talk to your other senators, your fellow compatriots and say, look, get behind this bill?
PAWLENTY: Yes. And I'm not at that point yet, personally. But in the case of Governor Douglas or perhaps others, what I think President Obama is trying to do is show that it's a bipartisan effort or to indirectly pressure the Congress in that regard. But to credit the Republicans in the House, they stood up to that and made a principled stand and said, you know, we think this bill is flawed. It needs to be fixed. So I hope that the Senate Republicans are successful in getting it adjusted notwithstanding some pressure from some of the Republican governors.
CHETRY: "The New York Times" Bob Herbert says in an op-ed today that infrastructure spending the Democrats proposed stimulus while admirable is far too meager to have much of an impact. He actually cites the I-35W tragedy that happened in Minneapolis where 13 people were killed. About the fact that you might end up saving money by investing in infrastructure now. Where do you stand on that?
PAWLENTY: Well, I think most people agree that one reasonable aspect of the stimulus bill should be infrastructure like roads and bridges. But as I said it shrunk so miserably in the House bill compared to the other things they had into it. It was somewhat disappointing.
In the case of the I-35W bridge, I always try to remind people that fell as a result of the design flaw from the 1960s so it wasn't so much of a maintenance issue -- it wasn't a maintenance according to the NTSB. So we try to correct the record in that regard as well.
CHETRY: Yes. It's interesting, though, because when the GOP was putting together a list of things that they wanted out of it, some of it included infrastructure $850 million going to Amtrak, as well as other things. So one person's pork is somebody else's project that is in dire need.
PAWLENTY: Well, I think some people try to extend the definition of infrastructure into all kinds of other things. Most people agree roads and bridges is money well-spent in most regards.
But when you get into things like some cities requesting tennis courts or some cities requesting, you know, art facilities or the like, I think most people would say, hey, that's going too far and it's not a priority as much as these other things that we're talking about.
CHETRY: Governor Tim Pawlenty out of Minnesota. Thanks for being with us this morning. Good to talk to you.
PAWLENTY: You're welcome. Thanks.
