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CNN Sunday Morning
Senate Panel To Vote Tuesday on Health-Care Bill; Obama Reassures Gays on 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Pledge; CNN Page Offers New Ways To Evaluate Health-Care Claims
Aired October 11, 2009 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. Hello, everybody. It's October 11. Good morning. I'm Betty Nguyen.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Drew Griffin. T.J. Holmes off today. It's 6 a.m. in Atlanta; 5 in New Orleans; 3 a.m. in San Francisco. Thanks for starting your day with us.
NGUYEN: All right. Let's get right to it.
President Obama, he has made a pledge about a controversial policy. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I will end "don't ask, don't tell." That's my commitment to you.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: All right. So you heard it right there, out of the president's mouth. But no timetable was mentioned. We will have the highlights from last night's speech.
GRIFFIN: Busy morning at the Vatican. And the pope and five new saints. There's the pope there. Pope Benedict canonizing five new saints this morning. We're going to be telling about that this morning.
NGUYEN: And want you to check out this video: an early snowstorm in Colorado? Yes. That same storm that postponed baseball playoffs also caused up to a 30-car pileup. Ouch. Never a good sign. We'll get you the latest on the weather situation there.
But first, let's get to this: a quick look at the stories that we have been following for you overnight.
An 18-hour hostage situation at a Pakistani army headquarters has come to a violent end today. Two militants were killed; two others blew themselves up. Three hostages also died. But 39 others were freed. The standoff began after militants attacked a headquarters checkpoint yesterday. Four militants, six guards were killed in that initial attack. GRIFFIN: And overnight in the Philippines, more flooding, more mudslides. At least 186 people killed; searchers looking for dozens more missing. This is a tropical depression that dumped a staggering three feet of rain on some parts of the island nation. The Philippines already trying to recover from an earlier typhoon.
NGUYEN: Three people have been rescued in Florida after their small plane went down in the Gulf of Mexico about five miles southwest of Cape Sable. Here's some pictures of that.
Now, they were actually found clicking to a buoy in the water. Everyone onboard the plane was able to survive with only minor injuries.
GRIFFIN: And the Vatican honoring lifetimes of service and faith in St. Peter's Square today. The Catholic Church canonizing a number of new saints. Among them, the famed of Father Damien of Molokai in Hawaii. He was a Catholic priest who devoted his life to leprosy patients there.
NGUYEN: Well, the main focus in the nation's capital this week is, of course, on health-care reform. It's kind of been that way for awhile.
GRIFFIN: Yes, it has. For weeks and months. Our deputy political director, Paul Steinhauser, tells us about that, plus a couple of other things to watch in Washington this week.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Hey Betty, Drew. On tap this upcoming week, a major showdown on health-care reform. After weeks and weeks of debate and voting on amendments, the Senate Finance Committee has finally come up with a health-care reform bill. They vote on their final product Tuesday in what could be a very close call.
The bill, which costs $829 billion over 10 years, and it would help reduce the budget deficit, it does not include that public option. A couple of things to watch for during the vote: will any Republicans say yes to the bill, and will any of the most liberal Democrats on the committee vote "no," since the bill does not have that government option.
After the Finance Committee showdown, the action moves behind closed doors, as Senate leaders try to meld two bills together before any final vote on the floor of the Senate. Similar action is taking place next week in the House of Representatives.
Also this week, some campaign politics. We've got a showdown in the New Jersey governor's race, and a possible 2012 presidential contender is speaking out. We've got two of the top guys in the White House out west raising money for fellow Democrats.
I guess you could say it all adds up to another busy political week ahead - Betty, Drew. (END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Busy indeed.
Well, President Barack Obama is reaffirming his commitment to make good on campaign promises to the gay community.
GRIFFIN: And he spoke at Human Rights Campaign dinner in Washington last night, and the president praised the gay community for making strides in equal rights and reassured the group he was still with them in their fight for equality.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: We will see a nation that's valuing and cherishing these families as - as we build a more perfect union, a union in which gay Americans are an important part. I am committed to these goals, and my administration will continue fighting to achieve them.
Now, there's more poignant or painful reminder of how important it is that we do so than the loss experienced by Dennis and Judy Shepard, whose son Matthew was stolen in a terrible act of violence 11 years ago.
(APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: In May, I met with Judy, who's here tonight with her husband. I met her in the Oval Office. And I promised her that we were going to pass an inclusive hate-crimes bill, a bill named for her son.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: This struggle has been long. Time and again, we faced opposition. Time and again, the measure was defeated or delayed. But the Shepards never gave up.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: They turned tragedy into an unshakable commitment. Countless activists and organizers never gave up. You held vigils; you spoke out.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: Year after year, Congress after Congress, the House passed the bill again this week.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: And I can announce that after more than a decade, this bill is set to pass and that I will sign it into law.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP) GRIFFIN: But before the president's speech, about 200 gay-rights activists gathered near the Washington Monument. They were protesting the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CROWD: 2-4-6-8. We will not give in to hate!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: The president addressed those concerns as well. He's promised the nation's largest gay-advocacy group that he will end the policy, though he offered no clear timetable.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: We cannot afford - we cannot afford to cut from our ranks with the critical skills we need to fight anymore than we can afford for our military's integrity to force those willing to do so into careers encumbered and compromised by having to live a lie.
So I'm working with the Pentagon, its leadership and the members of the House and Senate on ending this policy. Legislation has been introduced in the House to make this happen. I will end "don't ask, don't tell." That's my commitment to you.
(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: OK. So you heard it right there: "I will end 'don't ask, don't tell.' That is my commitment to you."
Yet the president did not provide a timetable for exactly when that will happen. So we want to ask you this morning, what do you think about the president's comments last night about "don't ask, don't tell." Was it enough?
Send me your comments on Facebook and my Twitter pages. Just go to Facebook.com or Twitter.com. And you can reach me on my blog, CNN.com/Betty. We will be reading your responses on the air. And I know we're going to get some pretty good ones this morning on that.
But speaking of some pretty good things, not going to see it in this video that we're about to show you, because it was all bad - bad weather, and lots of thunderstorms, cleanup debris and...
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely.
NGUYEN: ...look at this. I mean, trees that were just blown down.
Well, how serious was this storm, Reynolds?
WOLF: Well, I mean, the best that we have, best knowledge that we have from this up in Huntsville and - and parts of the Rocket City - I mean, we just had some strong straight-line winds. Hard to say as to whether or not this was caused by tornadoes at this point. But I'll tell you, I mean, damage is damage, and they're going to be cleaning up, and there's some people up there without power.
It's going to be a busy day for them, no doubt. What we've been seeing is with this storm system, this is actually part of the same line of storms that actually produced all the heavy rainfall and some of the flashing flooding that we had in parts of Arkansas just yesterday that we were talking about. You know, the school bus...
NGUYEN: Right.
WOLF: ...that was flooded. That kind of thing. But this system is actually going to continue to weaken, which is some great news. But I guess the only good thing is that it did bring some beneficial rainfall. But much of that is now moving off to the east.
(WEATHER REPORT)
GRIFFIN: You know, imagine sitting at a bar.
NGUYEN: Mm-hmm.
GRIFFIN: You're having a beer.
NGUYEN: OK.
GRIFFIN: And then a shootout begins. And it's caught on tape, by the way.
(CROSSTALK)
NGUYEN: (INAUDIBLE)
GRIFFIN: A brawl gets way out of hand. We're going to show you this tape and what happened afterwards.
NGUYEN: Also, the health-care debate is up for another hurdle this week, and Josh Levs has been tracking all of it for us. And he joins us now.
Hey, Josh.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Hey, good morning to you guys.
How health care in the United States compares to every other country on Earth. You hear a lot of claims about that. Now, we've got answers in a fun way, right here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WOLF: It's my shark. That's right, folks; it's time for "Wacky Weekend Events." And we're going to show you what's happening around the country, the things that just add a little spice to your life. Makes things kind of interesting...
NGUYEN: Yes.
WOLF: ...you know, from coast to coast.
NGUYEN: Liven it up a little bit.
WOLF: Yes, in some places. And - and they're going to liven it up with butter in Little Rock, literally. Apple butter, to be more specific.
NGUYEN: Wow.
WOLF: The Apple Butter Makin' Days.
NGUYEN: Kind of making you hungry this morning, huh?
WOLF: Yes. Way say "making" when you can say "makin."
NGUYEN: Say "makin."
WOLF: Exactly. "Makin" days.
You know, we're going to go from there also to the Arkansas State Fair. That's going to be in Little Rock.
Another big event, the World Magic Awards in Santa Monica, California. Because in the world of magic, anything's possible, you know?
(LAUGHTER)
WOLF: And it benefits Feed the Children charity, which is a great thing.
One thing a lot of people are going to be doing later on today in Chicago is eating, especially after running in a long marathon. They've got 40,000 people that are going to be going out to Chicago, braving the chilly temperatures, possibly since...
NGUYEN: How cold is it there?
WOLF: Well, temperatures right now into the 30s and 20s...
NGUYEN: Woo.
GRIFFIN: Woo, golly (ph).
WOLF: But later on tonight, we could see a touch of snowfall. So it should be really interesting along the Dan Ryan Expressway tomorrow morning. So go - go figure that.
NGUYEN: Man, they better try to run the entire time...
WOLF: Exactly.
NGUYEN: ...to stay warm.
WOLF: Exactly.
And, you know, speaking of running and speaking of trying to stay warm with the sun, we'll take a look at this: the Solar Decathlon houses ....
NGUYEN: OK.
WOLF: ...at the National Mall...
NGUYEN: Uh huh.
WOLF: ...in Washington, D.C. There are going to be 20 teams of college students. They've built these solar-powered houses. They're really neat things to see. They truly are. And they're going to be open to public viewing today. So if you happen to be up there in D.C., you go out and you see the sites, stop by the mall and take a look at these things. These may be the homes of the future.
NGUYEN: Of the future, yes.
WOLF: That's right. That's right.
And in our immediate future, we're going to be taking a look at something different. Not just solar homes, but taking a look at sharks. That's a great story that's going to be coming up in mere moments. These incredible creatures of the deep, we're going to show you why they're important, why we need to save them.
That is not a shark.
NGUYEN: And why you're in the water.
WOLF: And why I'm in the water, yes. Exactly. It does happen from time to time.
All right. That's coming up in mere moments. We're going to share that with you, and I know you guys have got tons of goodies, too.
NGUYEN: Yes, we got a few things going on...
GRIFFIN: (INAUDIBLE)
NGUYEN: ...around here.
WOLF: Yes.
NGUYEN: As always.
(LAUGHTER)
WOLF: A couple of shoutouts or something?
GRIFFIN: Check this out.
NGUYEN: I didn't know. Who knew?
GRIFFIN: BET Awards last night. I guess they were held here in Atlanta?
NGUYEN: Yes, here in Atlanta. (INAUDIBLE) in Atlanta.
GRIFFIN: An official shoutout from... . WOLF: There you go.
GRIFFIN: Who is this guy? Kid N Play.
NGUYEN: Christopher Reid ...
(CROSSTALK)
NGUYEN: You remember the high-top fade? You got to know Kid N Play.
GRIFFIN: Do we have it? Can we show it?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. (INAUDIBLE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTOPHER "KID" REID, ENTERTAINER: Betty Nguyen, (INAUDIBLE). I better not catch you on payday. Come on now! Ow! Betty Nguyen! I'm trying to win! (INAUDIBLE)
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(LAUGHTER)
NGUYEN: That is so funny. He said, "I better not catch you on payday."
GRIFFIN: Do you know this guy? So he's the guy who had this real tall hairdo?
NGUYEN: He had the huge high-top fade. You don't remember the days of Kid N Play and, you know, "House Party."
WOLF: Oh yes. I - I remember.
NGUYEN: "House Party 1" (sic), "House Party 2." I know you have "House Party 3" on a DVD somewhere at your house.
WOLF: Watch them daily, of course.
NGUYEN: Exactly.
WOLF: I mean, it's the story of my life. Sure.
NGUYEN: They made such a difference, especially, you know, when hip-hop was getting mainstream and when people were really starting to enjoy it. And so...
WOLF: Word.
NGUYEN: ...thank you, Christopher.
WOLF: Yes.
NGUYEN: Thanks, man. I better not catch you on payday, all right?
(LAUGHTER)
NGUYEN: All right, moving right along...
GRIFFIN: Keep going, guys. It's feeling older and older.
(CROSSTALK)
NGUYEN: Well, the Miami Heat's search for dancers - hey, you guys may have a little hope in this - attracted a lot of women, right? And some that a few folks did not expect. Hey, but they can shake it.
Drew...
GRIFFIN: What is this?
NGUYEN: These are the tryouts, the sexy senior strut - auditions. We'll show you how these seniors moved and grooved. And actually, you know what? They stole the show. You've got to watch this coming up/
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: We're going to take a quick look at our top stories.
A dramatic shootout caught on tape. I want to look at this - this really unbelievable surveillance video.
This started as a brawl (AUDIO GAP) before midnight Thursday. It's Toledo, Ohio. Then shots rang out and it was a mad rush for the door. That's what's going on there. And you can see one gun-wielding man ducking behind the pool table.
Look at this. Others joining in the gunfight. (INAUDIBLE). Unbelievably, really, nobody was struck with this barrage of gunfire.
NGUYEN: Wow.
GRIFFIN: Police are now trying to identify the gunman and figure out exactly what started the gunfight in the first place.
NGUYEN: That will sober you up quickly, won't it? Oh my goodness.
Well, the former president of Pakistan has a message for Washington on fighting terrorism, and that message is: Send money, not advice. Opponents and supporters of Pervez Musharraf stood on opposite street corners in Houston, Texas, yesterday. Musharraf told the World Affairs Council that the United States should not get into micromanaging the fight against extremists.
He said - quoting here - "We know how to do it better than you."
GRIFFIN: In Florida, officials say this massive fire that destroyed more than 90,000 pounds of donated food all started by cigarette. The fire engulfed much of the building Thursday, spreading chemicals across this food bank. And yesterday, community organizers held a food drive and collected about 1,000 pounds of food for that charity.
NGUYEN: OK, so we have been waiting, and now a key moment for health-care reform is going to happen on Tuesday. That is when the Senate Finance Committee finally votes on its proposal. It's the only version without a public option. But it also has the best shot at bipartisan support.
After Tuesday's vote, the debate can move into both the full chambers. Now, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says any bill the House passes will have the public option.
GRIFFIN: And the push for health care has reignited the debate over government involvement in health care.
NGUYEN: Yes, just how does the United States compare to other countries? That's a good question.
Our Josh Levs is here to show us.
So how do we stack up, Josh?
LEVS: Yes, I'll show you. You know, it depends which way you're looking at it.
It's interesting, because we have been hearing some lawmakers now say they really want to have something to the president by the end of the year. So we can expect a couple more months ahead of serious debate, which means there's going to be a lot of claims. And CNN.com/healthcare has a bunch of new ways to check those claims anytime you want.
Let's zoom in. I want to show you this, just because it looks really looks cool, and it is really helpful. We hear a lot of claims about Canada, about Europe. Well now, we have a map of the world. You can click on literally any country and get basic facts about its health care. The folks at .com spent a lot of time on this. Even the tiniest countries in the world.
And what it does is, it tells you how much is spent per capita in that country, how much government control there is over health care. And then basic facts like infant mortality. And you can zoom into any part of the world. I mean, this is just a good map to show you where the countries are, let alone basic health-care facts at any time, and you get some basics about America as well. So this does help.
Now, let me show you also this, because you hear a lot of terms thrown around. And what we've set up is this: a way to piece through all the lingo, wading through the lingo, dozens of terms that get thrown around. Blue Dog Coalition, co-op. You can see it keeps coming. The "recision." There's tons of - of terms you're going to hear anytime you want, CNN.com/healthcare.
And this is a lot of fun, too. If you think you've followed it really closely, think you're pretty up on the issues, try testing yourself over here. They've set up this quiz right here, test your health-care debate knowledge. And they're going to continue to update this anytime you hear about major developments, it'll give you some questions you can see if you know as much as you think you do.
All of it one place, CNN.com/healthcare. And while you're there, don't forget, we're updating the "Truth Squad" as well. And every time we do, we post them right here, CNN.com/Josh and Facebook and Twitter, joslevsccnn.
So you hear the claims, guys. You want to know what the facts are. We have one place on the Internet to go, CNN.com/healthcare. And we'll continue to update you through all the social media, too, because we certainly don't want people out there falling for the claims and not getting the facts. (INAUDIBLE)
NGUYEN: Exactly. And it's so great to have it all in one place, because so many times, you don't know where to get all of that information, piece it together and make sure that what you're reading is actually correct...
LEVS: Yes.
NGUYEN: ...and factual. So...
LEVS: Yes.
(CROSSTALK)
LEVS: It's just amazing how many claims there about health care.
(CROSSTALK)
LEVS: It's amazing. Every day we're hearing another one.
GRIFFIN: Speaking of reading, you know, they don't want to put this bill up - the Democrats don't want to put this bill up online, right, Josh?
LEVS: Well, that - the version...
GRIFFIN: They say it's too confusing.
LEVS: Well, the - the version that you're talking about is not, apparently, available. The version of that bill.
GRIFFIN: But my point is, you know, if CNN - if CNN.com got online, you guys would figure it out. You guys would tell us how to read this bill. LEVS: We've been doing a pretty good job of breaking down on the bills. And I always like to see as much as possible. So my stance is, give us everything. That's - that's what I think (ph).
(CROSSTALK)
GRIFFIN: So I'm doing a little shoutout right here.
NGUYEN: Yes.
GRIFFIN: Let's put the bill online.
NGUYEN: Put it up online. And don't underestimate the public, because, I mean - yes, it may be complicated, but health care is something that's important to so many people. So...
LEVS: That's right.
NGUYEN: ...you know, it's - it's worthy of them to - to read through it and see if it's something you want to vote on.
LEVS: Even if you look at what happened with the Baucus proposal, which was not even a bill, it was a proposal with lots of ideas in it - we broke that down for you. So yes, I think we can pretty much handle it. I - I hear your shoutout. I'm ready (ph).
NGUYEN: Yes, I think we that covered (INAUDIBLE)
LEVS: Yes.
NGUYEN: All right. Thank you, Josh.
LEVS: Thanks, guys.
NGUYEN: All right. More politics now, because President Obama staying in the public eye a lot this week. Let's give you a list of what he's going to be doing.
Tuesday, he meets with Spain's prime minister at the White House. And later, he's hosting a concert to celebrate Hispanic musical heritage.
Then on Wednesday, talking about Afghanistan and Pakistan with his national-security team.
On Thursday, he is going to New Orleans, where he will be holding a town-hall meeting.
And then on Friday, it is off to College Station, Texas, for a presidential forum on community service.
GRIFFIN: The president last night sent a strong message to gay- rights activists. But how does it compare to what he said during the campaign? Has he held his end of the bargain?
NGUYEN: We're keeping them honest. Stay with us. GRIFFIN: We sure are.
(LAUGHTER)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Hello, everybody. Good morning on this Sunday. Welcome back. I'm Betty Nguyen.
GRIFFIN: I'm Drew Griffin. T.J. Holmes is off this Sunday morning.
NGUYEN: Yes, he is. Taking a little time off. But we are not. In fact, we've been following stories overnight for you. So let's get right to them.
Thirty-nine hostages freed today at a Pakistani army headquarters after a long standoff. Two militants were killed, one captured, two others blew themselves up. Three hostages also died.
The standoff began after militants attacked a headquarters checkpoint yesterday. Four militants and six guards were killed in that initial attack.
GRIFFIN: After months of arguing, it all comes down to Tuesday for the Senate Finance Committee. That is when that panel is going to vote on health-care reform. It's not the only version in Congress, but it's the one that doesn't have the public option, so it probably has the best chance of winning bipartisan support.
NGUYEN: A new-age spiritual ceremony turns into a deadly one at an Arizona resort. Listen to this, folks: Police say two people died after nearly two hours inside a sweatbox. Several others were packed into the setup, which was like a sauna.
Best-selling author and self-help guru James Arthur Ray led this event, and police say he is not cooperating with the investigation. So we'll continue to follow that for you.
Also, speaking to a standing-ovation crowd of about 3,000 people, President Obama reassured the nation's largest gay-advocacy group last night that he will end the military's contentious "don't ask, don't tell" policy.
GRIFFIN: He was the key speaker, of course, at the Human Rights Campaign dinner in Washington, where he promised to make good on campaign pledges to the gay community.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are moving ahead on don't ask, don't tell.
(APPLAUSE)
We should not -- we should not be punishing patriotic Americans who have stepped forward to serve this country. We should be celebrating their willingness to show such courage and selflessness on behalf of their fellow citizens, especially when we're fighting two wars.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: And CNN Headline News Randi Kaye looks at President Obama's promises to the gay community and what has, or has not, been delivered.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): As a candidate Barack Obama promised to fight for gay rights. So why, nearly a year since the election, are so many gays and lesbians growing impatient with the president they overwhelmingly supported and helped elect?
(On camera): Barack Obama has called himself a consistent and fierce advocate of the gay community. Has his presidency lived up to that?
RICHARD SOCARIDES, FMR. CLINTON ADVISER, SAME SEX ISSUES: Not in these last 11 months, not yet, at least.
KAYE (voice over): Keeping them honest. Here are just some of the promises the president made. Promise No. 1, to end "don't ask, don't tell," which bans anyone openly gay from serving in the military.
OBAMA: I think we should end "don't ask, don't tell".
I have stated repeatedly that "don't ask, don't tell" makes no sense.
I believe "don't ask, don't tell" doesn't contribute to our national security.
SOCARIDES: The government is actively discriminating against us just because of who we are and this is happening on his watch.
KAYE: Promise No. 2, the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, a federal law that defines marriage as exclusively between a man and a woman. The president says he supports civil unions, not same-sex marriage.
SOCARIDES: President Obama has said that he wants the law changed, but he's taken no action towards doing that.
KAYE: Promise No. 3, a hate crimes bill that will make attacks on the members of the gay community, because of their sexuality, a federal crime. The House approved the measure, but the Senate has yet to.
(On camera): In June the president did celebrate gay pride at the White House. He just appointed an openly gay U.S. ambassador to New Zealand. But critics call these, quote, "peripheral" moves. As a candidate, the president promised them fierce action.
Still, the White House says the president is intent on making progress on the issues. But even the supporters in the gay community say the president has made a lot of promises, and still, no action. Randi Kaye, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: So we want to know what you think about the president's comments last night, about "don't ask, don't tell". Send me your comments, you can go to my Facebook page my Twitter page, or you can just go to my blog a cnn.com/betty. We are going to be reading those responses on the air. So, again, let us know what you think about the president's comments last night about the "don't ask, don't tell" policy and how he has promised to end it.
GRIFFIN: Betty, remember we were talking about that baseball game. What do they do at a baseball game when it snows? Do they delay? Well, apparently they did delay!
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Exactly. Apparently so.
GRIFFIN: They did delay. The Rockies were supposed to play last night in Denver. And we have a scene. Look, is that today or yesterday?
WOLF: I believe that was yesterday. That was yesterday afternoon.
GRIFFIN: Is it going to be any better today?
WOLF: It will be a little bit better in terms of the snowfall. However, the cold air is going to remain locked in place. I don't think really the cold was really the issue, but it was the snowfall. And that's going to be something -- a lot of the fans will be going out there and drinking a little bit of the antifreeze, also known as, you know, the suds. And trying to stay warm, no question about it. But you can deal with that snow in football season. You've seen all the old video of Green Bay and the Ice Bowl, that kind of thing. But snow in baseball?
GRIFFIN: You know, they used to brag in California, you could ski and surf in the same day. Well, you can go to a baseball game and ski in the same day in Denver -today.
WOLF: It's crazy when that happens.
(WEATHER REPORT)
NGUYEN: Want to show you this, too. A rare inside look at the battle that killed eight American soldiers in Afghanistan last week. Four survivors tell their story.
GRIFFIN: And why has the recession been good for this small business owner? He's in Massachusetts? We're taking a look at jobs that last, ahead in the CNN newsroom.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Hot Chocolate, and "Sexy Thing."
GRIFFIN: I remember that one. I don't know who this Kid In Play is, but --
NGUYEN: That one, you don't the Kid in Play? We're going to have to get you some old Kid In Play DVDs and CDs, or maybe tapes because it probably went back to those days.
All right. Talk about sexy, shall we, just for a minute. Because if you live in Florida, perhaps you've seen the Golden Oldies. It's a dance group at some of the Miami Heat basketball home games.
GRIFFIN: This group is made up of people over 60. Tryouts held this week. Jorge Estevez, of affiliate WFOR, was there for all the magic.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JORGE ESTEVEZ, REPORTER, WFOR NEWS (voice over): You want fame? Well, fame costs, and right here is where these seniors start paying with sweat.
(On camera): What is it like to watch your mom?
SANDRA ST. AMAND, SUPPORTING MOM: Oh, I think this is very, very exciting.
ESTEVEZ (voice over): A daughter coming out to cheer on mom, number 181.
S. AMAND: You know, when we were little, our parents would come out to support us, and now -
ESTEVEZ: Here you are?
S. AMAND: Here I am supporting my mom.
ESTEVEZ: What do you remember, auditions for her, or stuff she did as a kid?
LAURA ST. AMAND, PARTICIPANT: She did ballet.
ESTEVEZ: And you were always there.
L. AMAND: And I was always there.
ESTEVEZ: And now this is your ballet.
L. AMAND: Yes.
ESTEVEZ: And she's here for you.
L. AMAND: She's here for me.
ESTEVEZ (voice over): The Golden Oldies dance team tryouts brought out more than two dozen people over the age of 60.
(On camera): I couldn't help but notice you were shaking your booty out there.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, yes, yes.. If you look at it, you know it needs to be shaken.
ESTEVEZ: Really, is that so!?
(voice over): There was plenty of bumping and grinding.
(On camera): You're sweating out there?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I are!
(LAUGHTER)
(voice over): And the moves were tough.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Definitely learning the sequence of the dance.
ESTEVEZ (On camera): And once you've got it down?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You got it, baby. Roll with it, roll with it.
ESTEVEZ: But all the fun did make way for a message.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want them to know that no matter what your age is, you can get up and do something.
ESTEVEZ: So after the performance, the judges deliberated, while the dancers waited.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 178.
(CHEERS, APPLAUSE)
Carolyn, Angela, Rosanne, Geraline, all made it. But not her mom, Laura.
S. AMAND: I think she did a great, great, great, great job. But next year, we'll try a little harder.
ESTEVEZ: You'll get them next year, Mom.
L. AMAND: All right. I'll go get'em!
ESTEVEZ: That's right.
All right. So these are the winners. They can pretty much shake off their nerves. But there will still be added pressure. They're going to continue to perform for you at select home games of the Miami Heat. Jorge Estevez, CBS 4 News.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: I think they were actually pretty good. What do you think? Can you shake it like that?
GRIFFIN: It's not whether you can shake it like that. It's whether you want to pay 90 bucks, go to a basketball game and see that.
NGUYEN: You're not there to see that. You're there to see the game. This is just extra.
GRIFFIN: Right. That's my point. This is extra all right. There's some extra there, baby.
NGUYEN: Oh, Drew, you are a mean man.
All right. Well, there's much more to come right here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING, you sexy thing.
GRIFFIN: All right, transition here, awkward.
Let's take a look at some of the top stories this morning. A dramatic shoot-out, it was caught on tape. Really unbelievable surveillance video from a bar. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(CROWD NOISE, SHOUTING, SCREAMING)
GRIFFIN: It started out as a brawl, two guys fighting, right? Just before midnight, Toledo, Ohio. Then shots ring out and everybody runs for the door. You can see one man with a gun, he's ducking behind the pool table. Then others join in, in this gun bout. Watch this.
NGUYEN: Oh, my!
GRIFFIN: Craziness.
(GUNSHOTS)
NGUYEN: Whew!
GRIFFIN: These are no expert marksman, because despite all this, nobody got shot. Now the cops are trying to figure out what started it. Who did it and round up some of these clowns.
NGUYEN: Wow, they were not holding back, either. Did you see all this gunfire take place? Luckily no one was injured in that.
Well, the former president of Pakistan, he has a message for Washington on fighting terrorism. That message is, send money, not advice.
(PROTESTORS CHANTING)
NGUYEN: Opponents and supporters of Pervez Musharraf stood on opposite street corners in Houston, Texas yesterday. Musharraf told the World Affairs Council that the United States should not get into micromanaging the fight against extremists.
He said, quoting here, "We know how to do it better than you."
GRIFFIN: After months of arguing, it comes down to Tuesday, for the Senate Finance Committee. That is when this panel is going to vote on its health care reform proposal. It's not the only version, of course, but it is the only one that does not have the public option, which the Republicans don't want. So it probably has the best chance of winning bipartisan support.
NGUYEN: So, you know, a lot of us, probably a lot of you, have not been up close and personal with a shark, right? That's not something we do on a daily basis, for obvious reasons, but our own Reynolds Wolf has.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WOLF: We're going swimming at the Georgia Aquarium right here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING. See you in a few.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
That's right. The music by itself will give you the heebie- jeebies. But so will sharks. To many people sharks are the most feared predators of the ocean, but at the same time, they may also be the most misunderstood. I know it sounds odd, but there is a new exhibit that wants to change how we all perceive sharks. Instead of seeing them as ferocious predators, they want us to see them as, well, as a species that is in danger of extinction, these incredible sharks.
And to make a point, they brought me face-to-face with more than 70 of these incredible animals. It was pretty amazing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF (voice over): The majestic whale shark, the endangered saw- toothed shark, great hammer heads. The Georgia Aquarium is home to more than 14 species of shark; more than 70 of the animals, in all. They are untouched by time, the same now as millions of years ago. Marine biologist Greg Thorburn has studied them for a lifetime. He is eager to share what he's learned.
(On camera): It is essentially like seeing a dinosaur, swimming in the ocean.
CRAIG THORBURN, MARINE BIOLOGIST: The sharks have been around over 400 million years and there's nothing swimming in the ocean today that is not there, or has not survived, predation from the shark. They really are responsible for what we see in the ocean today.
WOLF (voice over): But the ocean has changed and so has the shark population. Many species are now said to be near extinction, millions killed each year. Some hunted for their fins but others scooped up as a prize. Just this week, in Florida, anglers drew sharp criticism for an attack and accused in killing this 750 pound mako shark.
(On camera): What is the biggest threat for these sharks?
THORBURN: The biggest threat for sharks today is overfishing. They are slow to reproduce. They have relatively few young, and we're taking more than 60 or 70 million animals a year out of the environment. And it is not sustainable and will see the demise of the shark at that rate.
WOLF: Thorburn wanted me to experience the other side, the grace and majesty of the shark without glass or boundary. And most of the sharks are not dangerous. We went snorkeling in the world's largest fish tank, home of the Georgia Aquarium.
(On camera): That - that was cool. Wow!
(Voice over): Thorburn just opened a new exhibit there called Planet Shark. His goal is for the world to see sharks as something other than the man eater portrayed in the movie "Jaws".
THORBURN: There are story that's we cannot tell in aquaria, but as a compliment to a live exhibit, Planet Shark brings you stories of the sea that cannot be told in any other way.
WOLF: The exhibit includes Rodney Fox's story. Fox survived a great white attack in 1963 and that is the jacket he was wearing. It took 465 stitches to sew up his left side. Yet Fox is now one of the shark's biggest advocates.
RODNEY FOX, SURVIVED SHARK ATTACK: After I learned about the sharks at little bit. I found out that people have far more fear and gave them credibility of far more aggressiveness than they should.
WOLF: Fox invented the first underwater shark observation cage. He hopes that the Planet Shark exhibit will teach people what he's come to learn. That sharks can be amazing.
JUSTIN HALL, STUDENT: I learned that some sharks - mostly attack on their senses and not on sight.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF: OK, here are some important numbers for you to remember. There are about 400 species of shark that we know of.
NGUYEN: Right?
WOLF: Mostly, all of them, have some kind of issue in terms of facing extinction. These sharks are in danger.
NGUYEN: Absolutely.
WOLF: They are being captured, being caught.
NGUYEN: The great whites have been on the endangered list for a little while.
WOLF: Absolutely. And their role in nature is so important. These are the apex predators of the sea. You know, as we were talking yesterday --
NGUYEN: Yet they're in danger. Isn't that kind of ironic?
WOLF: It is a little bit weird. And their biggest foe happens to be man.
NGUYEN: Us.
WOLF: Yes, I know. There's no right or wrong with these creatures. I know the media, we've heard all these stories about how these big monsters - their not monsters. I mean, it's their domain. They're in the ocean. The only time they ever really hurt us is when we happen to be there, in their environment. But they are so crucial to the environment of the ocean, to weeding out the sick and the diseased.
NGUYEN: It will take it off balance if they're not around.
WOLF: Absolutely. They're just like having a lion or a tiger in the jungle in the Serengeti. They form -they have a purpose and they're needed and we've got to protect them.
NGUYEN: How cool was that, though, I mean, really? That's got to be one of the neatest experiences.
WOLF: It was an out of body experience. It's one of those things, though, it's almost like you're -- you know what you're doing but you really can't grasp it. It's really sensory overload. But it was certainly a lot of fun.
NGUYEN: A little nervous?
GRIFFIN: Speaking of which, when you're in that tank, do they pipe in that cool music?
(LAUGHTER)
WOLF: It seems like everywhere I go hear that --
NGUYEN: No, you hear the "Jaws" music once you're in the tank, right?
WOLF: Absolutely. I was just an amazing thing. Just pure serenity is the best way to describe it. But when you see one of the big sharks swimming towards you.
NGUYEN: You've got to get a little nervous, right?
WOLF: It overwhelms the senses. It is an amazing thing to really see.
NGUYEN: That is really neat. Well, I'm glad that you did it. I'm glad you came back with all your limbs intact.
WOLF: Thank you.
NGUYEN: Thanks, Reynolds.
WOLF: You bet.
GRIFFIN: A lengthy hostage crisis in Pakistan is over.
NGUYEN: Yes, heavily armed Islamic insurgents stormed the army headquarters, and ahead, how they were taken down.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: All right, so speaking of boots, shoes, footwear, shall we? A year ago you were probably more likely to toss out your old shoes than have them repaired. Well, things have changed since then, haven't they?
GRIFFIN: Yep. As part of our series about jobs that last, photojournalist Bob Crowley introduces us to a cobbler in North Attleboro, Massachusetts.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RON HASSELL, COBBLER: I'm a cobbler.
People don't know what that is.
A shoe repair technician, I tell them. I used to be the youngest that I knew of. When I started when I was 20, there was all old guys doing it.
I'm closed to 50 now and I still probably am one of the youngest around. I worked with my grandfather. He did this -- I don't want to say 100 years, but not quite.
This is a shoe I don't want to tackle. I tried to talk the guy out of fixing it, believe it or not. It will look brand new when I'm done.
I had this machine take my shirt off one time. I got too close, grabbed my shirt, pulled the shirt right off me.
Some guys, they get a favorite pair of shoes. As you can tell, this guy wore this one to death. They want to keep them at all costs.
It's a niche business. People who use cobblers, use cobblers. People who don't, don't. It's definitely picked up since last year. Maybe there's more and more people now using cobblers that didn't before, because of the economy.
There we go. Better than I thought they were going to come out. The shoes run about $125, maybe a little more. For $12.50, you can have new heels put on. You can't throw that shoe away. It makes economic sense to me.
You know what's pretty cool is when customers, actually, they get pretty happy.
The same heels that were on there.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're beautiful. As usual, you're beautiful.
HASSELL: You get that all the time and that makes you feel good.
We just did the corners for you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right.
HASSELL: Would you like a bag?
You're doing something and you're appreciated.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Don't go out of business now.
HASSELL: Bye, thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Take care. Have a good day.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Hey, I don't think it's a bad idea. Every one of us has that pair of shoes that you can't buy any more, you love them, but they're wearing out. You might as well and go get them fixed. What, you don't go to cobblers?
GRIFFIN: No. My shoes are so stinky by the time I'm done with them that we have different issues than replacing the sole.
NGUYEN: Yeah, it's kind of hard for me to sit next you this morning, by the way.
(LAUGHTER)
NGUYEN: We've been asking you about this: President Obama's comments last night to a gay Human Rights Campaign group, about "don't ask, don't tell" and gay rights. He says he's going to end it, but did not provide a timeline.
Here is what you are saying this morning and you have a lot of comments. Let me go to my Twitter page first.
And Marvelos Otize (ph) says, "I respect Obama for taking this issue on. It would be great if he said I'll end it tomorrow, but that is not realistic."
But then you can to JKS4USC, who says, "His comments sounded more like campaign promises than a president's plan for action, which should include a target date."
And let me try to get one quick from my Facebook page. This person says, and I think sarcastically, "Trust that he will do it. Just don't ask, and he won't tell another lie."
That's a little harsh this morning. People are definitely speaking out. And before this speech even took place, Drew, a lot of gay rights activists were out in full force saying, look, we need some answers. There were campaign promises, you need to make good on them. And last night he did speak specifically about ending the "don't ask, don't tell", although there was no time line.
But you know, a lot of people say, how can you have a timeline? Because it has to get through Congress.
GRIFFIN: That was one of my questions this morning I was trying to research. This is a policy instituted by President Clinton. Now we've got -- can't the policy just be rescinded? I'm not quite sure. Democrat House, Democrat Senate, Democrat president, everybody wants to do the same thing. Still not done?
NGUYEN: Interesting, right?
OK, well keep sending your thoughts to us this morning. Because we will be reading them on the air. You can reach me at Facebook, Twitter, also my blog, CNN.com/betty and weekends@cnn.com. There's no excuse. Several way to reach out to me. Yes, these are my pages. Yes, I do read them. And when I get your comments, we'll be reading some of them on the air this morning.
(MUSIC)
NGUYEN: From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. It is October 11th, feeling more like, I don't know, December 11th in some places with all that snow.
GRIFFIN: Yes, especially if you're going to a baseball game.
NGUYEN: Yes, in governor.
Good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen.
GRIFFIN: I'm Drew Griffin, in this morning for T.J. Holmes. It's 7:00 a.m., 6:00 a.m. in Chicago -- where they got a marathon going on there in Chicago -- 4:00 a.m. in Los Angeles. Thanks for starting your day with us.
NGUYEN: All right. Let's get back to this subject that we've been talking about a lot this morning, that being President Obama. He is making a pledge about a controversial policy. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: I will end "don't ask, don't tell." That's my commitment to you.
(CHEERING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: He was silent about the specifics, though, specifically, the timeframe. Well, we're going to have highlights from last night's speech and you can weigh in on it.
GRIFFIN: U.S. soldiers caught in the crosshairs in Afghanistan. The battle that killed eight Americans, remember that? Well, now, the survivors are telling how they got out of that mess.
But first, our top stories. The search for survivors from deadly flooding and mudslides is going on right now in the Philippines. Authorities there say at least 186 people have been killed, dozens more are still missing. A tropical depression dumped three feet of rain on some parts of the island. The Philippines already was trying to recover from an earlier typhoon.
NGUYEN: Three people have been rescued in Florida after their small plane went down in the Gulf of Mexico, about five miles southwest of Cape Sable. Just look at these pictures. They were found actually clinging to a buoy in the water. Now, everyone on board the plane survived with only minor injuries.
GRIFFIN: And after months of arguing, it all comes down to Tuesday for the Senate Finance Committee. That is when the panel votes on its health care reform proposal, not the only one out there, but it's the only one that does not have the public option. So, it has the best one of winning some Republican support.
NGUYEN: Militants have been able to strike at the heart of Pakistan's security. A violent hostage standoff came to an early earlier this morning at the nation's army headquarters.
GRIFFIN: Something we're following yesterday during the program. Now, we know 39 civilian and military hostages have been freed after a long -- and it turns -- out bloody day.
Our Reza Sayah has details from Islamabad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A tense and deadly standoff. It lasted nearly 24 hours inside the Pakistani army's headquarters, finally came to an end Sunday when commandos and security forces stormed the army headquarters, capturing one of the militant hostage-takers alive, killing four remaining militants and rescuing dozens of hostages. Army officials say three hostages were killed during the rescue operations.
Let's recap for you this dramatic standoff that began at 12:00 noon local time on Saturday. That's when military officials tell CNN a minivan packed with armed men, all of them wearing camouflage uniforms, attacked a check post outside the main gate of the army headquarters in Rawalpindi, just outside the federal capital of Islamabad. There was a fierce gun fight. Several military personnel were killed. At least five militants were killed, as well.
But army officials say five remaining militants managed to penetrate the army compound and take dozens of hostages. These militants, according to officials, are carrying explosives and grenades; several of them wearing suicide vests. Obviously, a horrifying situation for these hostages who were face-to-face with militants wearing explosives.
During portions of the standoff, officials say they were in contact with the militants who did make several demands. One of the demands: the release of fellow militants who had been captured over the past few months by security forces. The army said they rejected that command. Their priority was to get these hostages out safely.
Early Sunday morning, around 6:00 a.m. local time, they finally launched a rescue operation. Again, four of the militants were killed, two of them, according to officials, blew themselves up. One of them captured alive.
Again, the standoff is over, and now, the fallout, the aftermath. It certainly doesn't look good for the Pakistani government -- militants targeting and penetrating the heart of Pakistan's security apparatus.
But the Pakistani government says they are not backing down. They say another military operation is coming soon, this time targeting South Waziristan. South Waziristan, of course, is a Taliban stronghold, and according to Washington, a safe haven for al Qaeda.
Reza Sayah, CNN, Islamabad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Back here in the U.S., President Obama is staying in the public eye a lot this week. Tuesday, he meets the Spain prime minister at the White House. And later, he's hosting a concert to celebrate Hispanic musical heritage. Then on Wednesday, he's talking about Afghanistan and Pakistan with his national security team. Thursday, he's going to New Orleans where he is holding a town hall meeting. And on Friday, it is off to College Station, Texas, for a presidential forum on community service.
GRIFFIN: And the president reaffirms his commitment to make good on a campaign promise to the gay community.
NGUYEN: And he spokes at the Human Rights Campaign dinner in Washington last night. And the president praised the gay community for making strides in equal rights and reassured the group that he was still with them in their fight for equality.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: I support ensuring the committed gay couples have the same rights and responsibilities afforded to any married couple in this country. I believe strongly in stopping laws designed to take rights away and passing laws that extend equal rights to gay couples. (END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: Before the president spoke, about 200 gay rights activists gathered near the Washington monument protesting the "don't ask, don't tell" policy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(CROWD CHANTING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: Many of these protesters remained disappointed with what they saw as the president's lack of action on gay rights.
NGUYEN: And the president addressed those concerns and he promised the group that he will end the policy, though he offered no clear timetable.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: We cannot afford -- we cannot afford to cut from our ranks, people with the critical skills we need to fight any more than we can afford for our military's integrity to force those willing to do so into careers encumbered and compromised by having to live a lie. So, I'm working with the Pentagon, its leadership and the members of the House and Senate on ending this policy. Legislation has been introduced in the House to make this happen. I will end "don't ask, don't tell." That's my commitment to you.
(CHEERING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: All right. So, you heard it right there on the president's mouth. What do you think about his comments last night about the "don't ask, don't tell" policy and his promise to end it? Send me your comments. You can go to my Facebook page, my Twitter page or you can reach me on my blog, CNN.com/Betty. I'll be reading your replies throughout the show.
GRIFFIN: We're going to bring in Reynolds Wolf for your forecast in just a minute. But first, it was bad enough to postpone the Rockies versus Phillies division series...
NGUYEN: Because of -- snow. Look at that, of all things. Who knew in October that there will be so much snow on the ground there?
Reynolds, what is going on?
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, I'll tell you, what we're seeing is some scattered snow showers that popped up across much of the area, of course, right there on Coors Field. Now, we're expecting the snow to actually move out later on today, but still, those cool temperatures are going to remain. I'm going to let you know how low it's going to go coming up in just a few moments. Let's send it back to you guys.
NGUYEN: Yes. Well, we're going to get the latest on the snowfall there. And so, take a look at this report that was filed from Denver.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): We weren't expecting this much snow.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Expected or not, what residents of Wellington got out of this storm measured just under a foot of snow.
ROBERT EIFERT, COLORADO RESIDENT: You blink, and no other changes, so...
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Robert Eifert wasn't planning on shoveling snow this soon.
EIFERT: Yes. I had to go buy this one, actually.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Like his neighbors, he woke up to something he wasn't planning on.
EIFERT: I was expecting a skiff, but it's all good.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That looked nice. I like the snow. Except that now it's getting heavy.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: And there's a difference between this and this.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I like snow. I don't like driving in it.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: And neither did people in the metro area.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Spin-outs and accidents, and I don't have my snow tires on yet, so I'm a nervous wreck.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: The snow that started around 4:00 a.m. left highways slick and the results were predictable. Along I-25 in Colorado Springs, the ice led to this -- a pileup involving between 20 and 30 vehicles.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was really bad driving.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just came down to hit a couple golf balls.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE), being all alone here on the driving range doesn't mean he's the only golfer who thought about doing this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Probably not. Now, most Coloradoans are used to playing in this kind of weather.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Sure, there are other things he could be doing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I should be up skiing.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: But on October 10th in Colorado, you have choices.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Both right now, I want to go get my skis out, but I think I'll wait a couple more weeks. It's not time to put the clubs away, though.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN: You know, if you have to play golf with a park, it is time to put the clubs away. I'm sorry. That's from KUSA.
NGUYEN: There are some diehards out there that will go out in any weather.
WOLF: It just doesn't work, does it, Drew?
GRIFFIN: No, it doesn't, Reynolds.
WOLF: It's just weird.
(CROSSTALK)
WOLF: Well, I'll tell you what, today, though, the snow is going to be gone for the Giants game. It's going to be just after 8:00 when they get the first pitch scheduled. However, although the cold -- the snow is gone -- these cold temperatures right around 30 degrees in time for the first pitch. So, yes, enjoy that at the game.
And speaking of other sports, we got the Chicago marathon that's going to be taking place this morning. Over 40,000 people heading out. Temperatures right now are mainly right around the freezing point in Chicago. But with that same breeze coming off the lake, it's going to feel like it's well into the 20s. So, enjoy that.
We have a live image out of Chicago right now. You're looking right at parts of Michigan Avenue where everything is all lit up and pretty and nice and cool for you. And I'll tell you, it should be a good race. There always is a great time to go and see the marathon. You see these runners go by.
And if you happen to head out there, go and get some coffee, and watch them run by and offer your support. I'm sure they'll certainly appreciate your support. I'm sure you will appreciate me giving you the rest of the forecast around the country.
Let's show you what we can expect in many other spots. We talked about Denver, we talked about Chicago, and parts of the Ohio Valley, nice and cool and relatively dry for you. You could see some scattered showers along the outer banks of North Carolina, maybe as far to the west as Charlotte. Parts of central and south Florida, maybe shower, parts of Texas, same deal along the I-35 corridor, even along parts of I-10 and I-20. You may see a few popped up showers. Heavy snowfall is going to be a possibility. Some places could see up to a foot of snow, especially back into the Tetons and near Yellowstone.
And in terms of your temperatures, we've wrapped things up, 44 degrees the high in Minneapolis. It's going to be 19 for Billings, 59 in San Francisco, 70 in Dallas, 75 in Atlanta, and 90 degrees in Miami, 64 in New York.
All right. You're up to speed. Let's send it back to you guys.
NGUYEN: All right, Reynolds. We do appreciate it.
WOLF: You bet.
NGUYEN: Well, some U.S. soldiers were involved in a deadly insurgent attack last week tell their story of what went down. We're going to hear from this after this break.
GRIFFIN: That's right. And which jobs seem to be recession- proof? Josh Levs, please tell me.
NGUYEN: Yes. We would like to know.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wouldn't that be nice? I got a brand new list for you guys today -- the best jobs in America. It's a list that's out from CNNMoney.com. The fields that are growing and pay well and have low stress -- we're going to show you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC)
NGUYEN: Kanye West, product of shy city, song "Homecoming." A lot of people are coming home today for the Chicago marathon. Boy, it's going to be chilly there, but that doesn't matter. These folks are diehards. In fact, people from all 50 states will be participating in the race; 100 countries, in fact. People have come from all over to participate. And we will be watching it as well and bring you the latest of the Chicago marathon which kicks off today at 8:00 a.m. Eastern.
GRIFFIN: It's a looming issue for President Obama, Afghanistan, and what it takes to fight terrorism there. Should he send at least 40,000 extra troops into that war zone? That's one plan suggested by his top military demander. President Obama is mulling it over after spending three hours in the Situation Room with his national security team on Friday. He's planning another session with advisers on Wednesday.
Well, CNN's Fareed Zakaria takes a closer look at the war on Afghanistan and President Obama's options. "GPS" today at 1:00 Eastern on CNN. Then at 2:00, Christiane Amanpour and George Washington University's Frank Sesno host a roundtable discussion with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. That's "AMANPOUR," today at 5:00 Eastern, only on CNN: The worldwide leader in news.
Well, the shape of the battle plans in Afghanistan could be changing, but the futures of two U.S. base camps in the rugged Nuristan region are sealed. They are shut down after a brutal Taliban attack that left eight American soldiers dead last weekend. The surviving troops say they were surrounded on all sides, clobbered by hundreds of heavily-armed insurgents, and now, they are opening up about what happened there.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
1ST LT. CASON SHRODE, U.S. ARMY: Probably 90 seconds into the fight, they ended up hitting one of our generators, so we lost all power. At that point, I made a call up to FOB Bostic and basically just said, "You know, we're taking heavy, heavy contact." At that point, I knew that this was something bigger than normal.
SGT. JAYSON SOUTER, U.S. ARMY: We found out that our mortar systems were unable to fire at that time. So, me, I started working on the fire assets with nearby O.P.s and COPs to see exactly what fire support assets we can use.
SHRODE: I think the numbers were so much more significant than 25 to 30 that we got -- they got 25 to 30 with that initial push. But because we were basically surrounded 360 degrees, I think there were significant numbers that allowed them to continue to fight throughout the day.
ROSS LEWALLEN, APACHE PILOT, U.S. ARMY: My initial impressions were, unfortunately, as we came over the hill and first tried to call them and we got no response, is that everybody was gone. We could tell everything around them was going to hell. We could hear it right in their microphones. We could hear the guns going off. So, we knew that it was a -- it was a pretty intense situation that they were facing.
SOUTER: After the aftermath, Camp Keating was completely changed. Like you said, almost all of the buildings had burned down. There were trees that were cut down, trying to save other buildings from catching fire and then just remnants of a mass attack afterwards.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: It was a heroic fight at those two Afghan posts, but eight U.S. soldiers didn't live to tell their stories. So, we are going to remember them now. Sergeant Justin Gallegos, Specialist Christopher Griffin, Private First Class Kevin Thomson, Specialist Michael Scusa, Staff Sergeant Vernon Martin, Specialist Stephan Mace, Sergeant Joshua Kirk and Sergeant Joshua Hardt.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: A new age spiritual ceremony turns deadly at an Arizona resort.
All right. We don't have that sound for you, but police say two people died after nearly two hours inside a sweat box. Several others were packed into the setup, which is like a sauna. Someone at the scene did manage to call 911.
All right. Here is that sound.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: Not breathing. There's no pulse.
911 OPERATOR: Not breathing?
UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: Yes.
911 OPERATOR: OK. Is this a result of a shooting (ph) or something?
UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: No. It's a sweat box.
911 OPERATOR: Are you there by yourself?
UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: No, there's a lot of people here.
911 OPERATOR: OK. Well, get them out of the sweat lodge, for one thing.
UNIDENTIFIED CALLER: Yes, we are.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Best selling author and self help guru, James Arthur Ray led the event and police say he is not cooperating with the investigation.
GRIFFIN: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in Europe meeting with foreign officials. She arrived in London today after spending Saturday in Zurich where she helped broker a deal normalizing relations between Turkey and Armenia. Clinton is expected to meet British Prime Minister Gordon Brown before traveling to Ireland later today.
NGUYEN: A deadly crash involving a busload of high school band members. That bus veered and crashed off at Interstate 15 in Utah. Police say that an adult on board did die. Affiliate KIFI is reporting that the victim was a chaperone. More than a dozen students on the bus were hurt. Investigators say the driver had a medical condition that caused the crash.
(MUSIC)
LEVS: I'll read you the responses you're sending us just about that cartoon alone. But I have a new list for you this morning -- the best jobs in America. As you see behind me, you can see number one right there. It's put together by "Money" magazine and Payscale.com. It's up at CNNMoney.com.
And the winner of this list, the number one job in America, systems engineer. You can see what they did here. They took a look at the highest pay, job growth even amid the recession, quality of life and then they broke it down into different sectors.
You can see number two over here, physician assistants.
I got a list for you. Let's go to the graphic which will give you the top 10 best jobs according to this list. So, systems engineer, physician assistant, then you got college professor, nurse practitioner and I.T. project manager towards the top. Next is CPA at number six; seven is physical therapist; eight, computer security consultant; then, intelligence analyst at nine; and finally, number 10, sales director.
So it's interesting, and we know there's going to be a lot of different views on that. Let me show you some more of the breakdowns, too, because they also show you who has the lowest stress among the different jobs. Let's zoom back in.
Check out -- check out the various lists over here. They put together this one right here, which shows you the salaries, the median salaries. And if you're going to look just at who gets the most money, they're putting anesthesiologist at the top. If you look at benefit to society, this list has decided, doctors go at the top and you can see where it keeps going.
Unfortunately, I don't see broadcast journalist on here. I'll call them about that.
And then low stress, who has the lowest stress of any job in America? They're saying education and training consultants. That's what they're putting in.
Now, we know a lot of you are going to have a lot of views on this. Let me show you where we weigh in right now. I got a graphic on that. It's CNN.com/Josh, also Facebook and Twitter, JoshLevsCNN.
All right, Betty, Drew, talk to me.
NGUYEN: Yes.
LEVS: Crazy, right?
NGUYEN: Well, I'm not surprised that we're not on the list of low stress jobs because there's plenty of that around here. But, hey, it's a pretty good gig, wouldn't you say? It should be on some list somewhere.
LEVS: Yes.
(CROSSTALK)
GRIFFIN: I had to look through that list a little more in detail.
NGUYEN: Exactly. We're going to have to do that with a fine- tooth comb, to make sure that thing is all right. LEVS: Break it down a little bit more and you got to let me know what you think.
NGUYEN: Exactly. All right. Thank you, Josh.
LEVS: Thanks, guys.
NGUYEN: So, five priests will be canonized today, one of them with ties to Hawaii.
GRIFFIN: And also, in our "Faces of Faith" segment, an Atlanta bishop is making history. We're going to tell you why he's a groundbreaker for the Latino community. That's in our next hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: The BET Awards last night at the Civic Center in midtown Atlanta.
NGUYEN: Right in Atlanta.
GRIFFIN: Official shoutout for this Drew gallery (ph) right here, from Christopher "Kid" Reid.
NGUYEN: Of all people, who knew?
GRIFFIN: Kid 'n Play.
NGUYEN: Remember Kid 'n Play of hi-top fade?
(CROSSTALK)
GRIFFIN: You can't focus in on that. I drew his...
NGUYEN: That's his hair.
GRIFFIN: I drew what his head looked like back in the day. Oh, it's too cruddy. Anyway, he had this big cone head, right? And here's what he said about Betty last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTOPHER "KID" REID, RAPPER: Betty Nguyen, man, man, I better not catch you on payday. Come on now! Aww! Betty Nguyen, I'm trying to win. Aww!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: What exactly does that mean?
NGUYEN: I don't know what he's trying to win.
GRIFFIN: Better catch you on his payday or yours?
NGUYEN: I guess that means -- hey, it was his payday, I got the money, I'll take you out. I don't know what that means. GRIFFIN: Or it means you got the money.
NGUYEN: He got enough to cut down that hair, right? The hi-top fade is gone. He totally looks different. But, hey, thanks for the shoutout, Christopher. I appreciate that. I better not catch you on payday.
When is payday, by the way, around here?
GRIFFIN: Every other Thursday.
NGUYEN: He's coming on.
All right. But BET Awards, you know, a lot of people in town for that. Boy, I was busy over. I barely could sleep with all the noise that was going on last night. But you're outside the city.
GRIFFIN: Yes. It was quiet where I was.
NGUYEN: Out in the boonies.
All right. Well, you know, CNN SUNDAY MORNING does continue in 30 minutes. But first, "HOUSE CALL WITH DR. SANJAY GUPTA" starts right now.
