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CNN Sunday Morning
Illinois Prison May House Gitmo Detainees; Terror Suspects Face Trial in New York; Obama Goes to China
Aired November 15, 2009 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hey there, everybody. From the CNN Center, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING for this November the 15th. It is 8:00 a.m. where we sit in Atlanta, Georgia; 7:00 a.m. in where, let's go with Dallas this morning.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, I like that. Dallas, Texas. Good morning.
HOLMES: Hello to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes.
NGUYEN: Yes. Hello, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen. Thanks so much for being us.
OK. Let's get right to it. Former presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, he is ripping into President Obama. He dished out some pretty hard comments last night in his speech to the Young America's Foundation. Just take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think the president's inattention and dereliction have reminded me of the Northwest Airline pilots who became so distracted with things of little importance that they lost their way, which is exactly what this president has done in Afghanistan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: All right. Well, we are going to hear more of Mitt Romney's comments coming up at the half hour.
HOLMES: All right. We're going to hear in just a day, or we can go with tomorrow. Sarah Palin's highly anticipated interview with Oprah Winfrey -- that airs tomorrow. We do have some preview clips for you to see what she had to say about that new book and about her former running mate, John McCain. You'll be hearing from him as well.
NGUYEN: All right. Well, this may have you talking this morning. First up today, Guantanamo Bay prisoners, they could soon be moved right here to the U.S.
HOLMES: Yes, not necessarily hypothetical anymore. The Obama administration is, in fact, looking at an empty maximum security prison in Thompson, Illinois, to possibly house about 200 detainees. Thomson is a small town, has about 500 people and out of money, desperately in need of jobs. So, having the prisoner there is could help them out in a lot of ways, to create a lot of jobs.
President Obama campaigned on closing Guantanamo. Tomorrow, administration officials will be in his home state to tour that prison in Thomson. We spoke with that community's president just a short while ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Explain, simply. Most people would scratch their heads, but explain why you think it could be beneficial for your community to have the Gitmo detainees come to your community?
JERRY HEBELER, THOMSON, ILL. VILLAGE PRES. (via telephone): Well, we've been living in limbo for eight years and we're open to all alternate, you know, suggestions to open the 1,600 max security facility, for one reason, for economy. It'd bring about 1,800 jobs to the area. It would help our town, which is almost a ghost town.
I don't like to chase for jobs, or put my neighbors and friends in jeopardy either. We want -- we've got a lot of questions to be answered.
HOLMES: So, you're trying to have to -- trying to balance, quite frankly, sounds like, the safety of your community, the comfort of your community in having these Gitmo prisoners versus, like you said, that sounds like an awful lot if you open that prison back up, 1,800 jobs. That's a heck of a balancing act you're trying to reconcile those questions: safety versus, really, the long-term stability of your community.
HEBELER: Yes. That's got to be a lot of questions, you know, for security. Because I don't want to be not sleeping at night, you know, with these people in town. But we need the jobs, and like I said, economy for the community and the surrounding areas.
HOLMES: Sir, how is that building, that facility being used now? From what I can tell, it's...
(CROSSTALK)
HEBELER: There are about a 150 to 200 minimum, just the minimum size.
HOLMES: Sir, you said your community's been in limbo. So, the facility's kind of been shut down and you've been waiting to see...
HEBELER: It's never been opened, sir.
HOLMES: Never been opened?
HEBELER: No. It's been sitting there for eight years.
HOLMES: Now, why was it never opened?
HEBELER: Because no money, the state. We get our hopes up up here, and then, like we said, bottom line, we're looking for all alternate stuff to try to get it open, for economy and, you know, build up the community again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: All right. Now, there are about 200-plus prisoners at Guantanamo Bay right now. Several of them, I mean, just a variety of charges, being held for different things. But the five you're seeing over my shoulder now, these are the ones you've been hearing about the past week, talking about them being tried in New York in connection with the 9/11 attacks.
Now, the actual transfer of these prisoners is not expected to happen necessarily anytime soon. It could be several weeks or even more away, because the formal charges against them have not yet been filed. Now, the case is being tried in a Manhattan federal court, a number of major terrorism trials have been held in recent decades.
Let's bring in now civil rights attorney, Avery Friedman.
Avery, you know what? What was your reaction or the first thing you thought of -- yes, they have hosted in New York other terrorism trials, this one is going to be the mother of all terrorism trials -- what did you first pop into your mind as an issue when you heard they were going to bring these guys to New York?
AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY (via telephone): It's about time. As far as I'm concerned, this is a matter, as soon as we were able to get them in custody by United States -- by the United States, this is a matter very much like Omar Abdel-Rahman. Remember the Blind Sheikh, T.J.
HOLMES: Yes.
FRIEDMAN: This is exactly the kind of trial -- the only difference between that trial back in the mid-1990s and this is that Rahman wasn't successful, Mohammed was. But it's essentially going to be the same thing. And the other advantage we have, of course, is that we have new laws on the books in terms of security. We have a federal court that -- as far as I'm concerned -- one of the best federal courts in America, as well as, historically, one of the best offices in the United States attorney.
HOLMES: Avery, you talk there about some of the advantages that the federal government would have, but what are some disadvantages of getting these particular guys in federal court to give them access to our court system have -- they have rights that an American citizen in a lot of ways would be afforded? What are the disadvantages to having these five in our court system?
FRIEDMAN: Absolutely none.
HOLMES: None?
FRIEDMAN: And I know -- I know this is an area of contention, T.J., but as far as I'm concerned, when we have the most magnificent legal system on the planet earth, it's the opportunity to show how our Constitution can deal with mass murderers. And these won't be the first mass murderers to go to trial.
The fact is, that this is exactly where the case should be and it's exactly why, I think, Attorney General Eric Holder is correct in making this decision.
HOLMES: But what about, Avery, a defense attorney? What is going to be the first thing a defense attorney does if he's representing, in particular, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed -- is he going to immediately try to get some of those confessions thrown out?
FRIEDMAN: Well, you know what the first thing is. The first thing is going to be an effort to change venues.
HOLMES: Yes.
FRIEDMAN: It may -- it's a good argument. I don't think it's going anywhere. I think people in Dubuque, Iowa, are as familiar with Mohammed as people in New York City are. But the fact is that there are going to be a multitude of defense motions, as there should be in our system.
But the fact is that there is going to be sufficient independent evidence, irrespective of that evidence which was obtained, outside, for example, Miranda obligations, that I believe will be sufficient to get convictions.
HOLMES: All right. So many issues to talk about with this trial. Avery, we could talk to you all morning and we know you could talk all morning.
FRIEDMAN: You bet.
HOLMES: But we appreciate you hopping on the phone with us this morning. We'll talk to you again soon, buddy. Have a good Sunday.
FRIEDMAN: All the best.
NGUYEN: Well, President Obama is expected to land in Shanghai, China, in just a few hours. It is the third leg of his four-nation, nine-day tour through Asia and his first trip to the communist nation as president.
CNN international correspondent, Emily Chang, joins me now live from Shanghai.
All right, Emily, what was accomplished in Singapore?
EMILY CHANG, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Betty, he's coming to Shanghai after a long and busy day in Singapore.
The headline there really is that there will likely be no breakthrough on Copenhagen on climate change. The APEC leaders had an impromptu meeting. The Danish prime minister even flew in and they basically came to the consensus that Copenhagen will just be one step in a two-step process. It should be an important step, but there will be negotiations that have to go on afterwards in order to come to an actual agreement on climate change.
There was a landmark meeting between the ASEAN nations and the United States. This is part of Obama's strategy to engage more deeply in Asia. He also had bilateral talks with Russian President Medvedev, basically a status check on nuclear arms reduction.
But most analysts agree that the most important leg of the trip is yet to come here in China.
NGUYEN: All right. That being the case, what's on the agenda there in Shanghai?
CHANG: Well, he's scheduled to land here actually in about an hour. He'll probably head straight to bed in time for his meetings tomorrow. He will be meeting with the mayor of Shanghai as well as the communist party secretary of Shanghai. And then he will head to that much-anticipated town hall meeting with what they're calling China's future leaders. That's where students may get to ask the Obama questions and he may ask questions of them as well.
But the White House has really been struggling here to come to an agreement to Chinese authorities about how this meeting will be run.
President Obama has insisted that he wants to meet as wide as an audience as possible, and that he wants these meetings to be broadcast live. Well, the Chinese haven't been very happy about that. We've been told that CCTV, the national broadcaster, will not be broadcasting the event. Shanghai News Channel, a local news station, will be broadcasting the event to a much smaller audience. And the White House is attempting to stream the event live on WhiteHouse.gov, but we're not sure if Chinese authorities will make that possible
After Shanghai, he will head to Beijing where he'll have bilateral talks with President Hu Jintao and Primer Wen Jiabao. He will do some sightseeing and he will most likely be served the best Chinese food -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Without a doubt, of course. Emily Chang, joining us live -- thank you for that.
We want to get you some background now on APEC, the name is short for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation. It's a group of 21 member countries from Australia to Vietnam, who meet annually to discuss regional economic development. And together, they make more than half the world's gross domestic product. APEC is established back in 1989.
HOLMES: Well, the funeral for Michael Cahill, the only civilian killed in the Fort Hood shooting rampage is being held today in Cameron, Texas.
And West Jordan, Utah, meanwhile, families and friends said farewell to Private First Class Aaron Thomas Nemelka. Services are also held yesterday for Private First Class Michael Pearson, Staff Sergeant Justin Decrow, Staff Sergeant Amy Krueger, and Specialist Jason Dean Hunt. They were among the 13 people killed November 5th. NGUYEN: A lot of people are still looking for the H1N1 flu vaccine. And you know what? It may surprise you to learn that some of Wall Street's biggest firms already have the vaccine on hand. But hold on to your outrage, because officials from the New York City Health Department and the Centers for Disease Control tell CNN that the system is set up so that hospitals, doctor's offices, and private companies have to contact their local health departments and order the vaccine.
A New York Health Department official says the companies can't get the vaccine unless they give it only to employees who fall into high-risk categories.
All right. So, is your Sunday at risk of being not so great of a day? Let's check in on the weather with Karen Maginnis. She's been following it for us this morning.
How are you doing?
KAREN MAGINNIS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I'm doing just great.
NGUYEN: Good.
MAGINNIS: And we've got a lot of weather to tell you about. It's starting to really wind up, especially across the interior west.
Just to tell you a little bit. We've got this area of low pressure situated just over the Four Corners, but there's also a ridge of high pressure a little bit further across the Great Basin region. And as a result, we've got essentially some of the winds coming out of the northeast.
So, a little bit of a Santa Ana setting up here. Winds could gust between 40 and 50 miles an hour across the high desert regions and some of the valleys. We're looking at 40 to 50 miles per hour, San Bernardino, Los Angeles County, San Diego, over the next 24 to 48 hours.
So, watch out for that, especially if you're in some high-profile vehicles. And we're looking at the high fire danger, perhaps, developing across that region as well.
I want to show you what's happening as far as the snowfall is concerned. We're looking at high snowfall amounts perhaps developing as we go across the Rockies, especially if you're headed up Interstate 25 or maybe across 70. That's where it's going to be most dangerous.
We've got a couple of pictures to show you, one out of Central Park. Look at this. A lot of visitors this time of year. Look at some of those fall colors. This is Central Park. It is just absolutely gorgeous and beautiful and maybe we've just got a few seconds we can show you the beautiful Statue of Liberty. A little bit hazy here.
Temperatures are running in New York City just about 10 to 15 degrees above normal. Have a great time there. It should be quite enjoyable today -- Betty, T.J.
NGUYEN: It sounds wonderful. All right, thank you.
HOLMES: Well, he has been disgraced, disowned, imprisoned for taking other people's stuff.
NGUYEN: Yes. So, how much did Bernie Madoff's prized possessions fair at an auction? We are going to show you and you might really be surprised at how much people were paying for that.
HOLMES: Paying for his stuff.
And also, take a look at this beast, an expensive beast. We'll tell you why someone...
NGUYEN: Jeez.
HOLMES: ... paid more than $1 million for a cow.
Betty, you know I like a filet, but that's ridiculous.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: OK. So items belonging to convicted Ponzi-schemer Bernie Madoff and his wife hit the auction block, and actually, on Tuesday, several of his boats, plural, go on sale.
HOLMES: Yes, those are the big-ticket items. Some of the smaller-ticket items still brought in big money this weekend. You can imagine that a lot of those would because some of them are expensive; some of them just want their hands on some Madoff stuff for whatever reason.
NGUYEN: Well, you know, and someone also said that, "Look, it's all going to the victims' fund. So...
HOLMES: Yes, you can't feel bad.
NGUYEN: Yes. So, a lot of people may have just, you know, upped the ante just so that they can get more for the victims.
HOLMES: You can't feel bad. So, this was for a good cause, but some of the stuff might surprise you how much it went for.
NGUYEN: Yes.
HOLMES: Our Susan Candiotti was at the auction for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Fast and furious bidding to buy a piece of Bernie Madoff, anyone could watch online.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) 10,000, now 20,000, now 30,000. CANDIOTTI: But inside the auction, no cameras allowed. Here's part of Madoff's spread at a preview. More than 51 watches, lots of gold-studded Rolex is among them. This one, a rare prisoner watch from World War II sold for 65,000 grand. Ruth Madoff's triple diamond drop earrings estimated at around $21,000 went for...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Seventy thousand (ph) last call, 70,000, sold.
CANDIOTTI: Seventy thousand dollars, more than tripled their projected worth.
Madoff's house sign valued at 20 bucks sold for $2,000. His decorative buoy labeled Bullship took in $7,500. Madoff's custom silk Mets jacket worth about $500 went for more than 14,000 grand.
A retired St. Louis businessman flew in for the auction, ready to spend big.
(on camera): You snagged a number of items. Do you have any idea how much you spent?
LESTER MILLER, BIDDER: No, but it was -- I'm sure it was in the six figures, the high of the six figures.
CANDIOTTI (voice-over): He's taking home a bundle of glamorous jewelry, including these pearls for $1,200, four times their estimated price, surprise gifts for his six grandchildren on an upcoming cruise.
MILLER: We're going to make them all take numbers and go one at a time and we'll buy -- take a piece of jewelry.
CANDIOTTI: Yet Madoff's belongings from golf clubs to boogie boards to everyday china failed to impress professional collectors.
LARK MASON, ANTIQUES ROADSHOW: What I saw, instead, was a garish display of gold and diamonds and things that are expensive but not tasteful. And the art and antiques were mostly reproductions and the lower quality things that you'd find in any suburban garage sale.
CANDIOTTI: It didn't seem to matter to some. Wooden duck decoys valued at about 50 bucks each went for more than 11,000.
VIVIAN GIANGOLA, BIDDER: It's like getting a plate of china from the "Titanic" and Bernie Madoff may have been an even bigger shipwreck.
CANDIOTTI: The proceeds, more than $900,000 will benefit victims of the convicted swindler.
Lester Miller will make sure his grandchildren know it.
(on camera): What is the lesson that you're going to tell your grandchildren?
MILLER: That greed is no good and this man had a lot of greed and he lived on greed and lived a lie.
CANDIOTTI (voice-over): More Madoff auctions to come. It ain't no lie.
Susan Candiotti, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, students out there know -- oh, yes, you're still on the Madoff stuff, right?
(CROSSTALK)
NGUYEN: Just the amount that some of that stuff got. I mean, over and above what it was estimated at.
HOLMES: Which made a very good point, everybody knew it was going for a good cause, the victim.
NGUYEN: Right.
HOLMES: So, you know, that's OK. If you got the money, go ahead.
NGUYEN: And I think it's the novelty, too. Some people, you know, have the Madoff jacket. You know, I would be a little bit nervous about walking around in New York with that jacket on.
(CROSSTALK)
HOLMES: Oh, the Madoff, I thought you were talking about the Mets part of it.
NGUYEN: Oh, there you go again with the Mets! That's T.J., not me.
HOLMES: Just kidding, folks.
All right. We'll turn to some students now. Talking about students -- students, of course, know, you never know when a pop quiz is going to be popping up.
(CROSSTALK)
NGUYEN: I remember those days. It's like, no!
All right. Well, CNN Student News will get you caught up on current events before tomorrow morning's school bell. So, stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Let's take a look apt the top stories right now.
President Obama is on his way to Shanghai, China, right now after a brief stay in Singapore. The president was there for the APEC Summit which wrapped up today. He attended a meeting of 10 Southeast Asian leaders, I should say. The president, though, is set to meet with the mayor of Shanghai and the communist party secretary.
And the next stop after that: Beijing, where the president will dine with President Hu.
HOLMES: Former Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, is blasting President Obama's handling of Afghanistan. Romney spoke to the Young America's Foundation in California. The former Massachusetts governor says he considered it, quote, "incomprehensible and inexcusable that the president doesn't have a strategy for Afghanistan."
Romney has been sending signals of his intent to run for president again in 20 -- excuse me -- in 2012, Betty.
NGUYEN: Dealing with that asthma. Between your asthma and my lingering cough.
All right. We'll make it through this next one, shall we?
The space shuttle Atlantis on the launch pad in Florida this morning -- that's not a picture of it. But NASA does hope that it blasts off from Kennedy Space Center tomorrow. There it is.
The crew will drop off supplies to the International Space Station and NASA has scheduled three space walks. It has scheduled them for this particular mission.
HOLMES: All right. Help me understand this cow. The cow worth $1 million, I'm told.
NGUYEN: And -- yes. And I'm not even sure -- is this a dairy cow? Is this, you know, something that we're going to see on the dining table? Let me tell you what we know.
HOLMES: Please, thank you.
NGUYEN: It's a perfect cow according to the experts, sold at auction. And the name of the cow, Missy. Missy the million dollar cow. How much -- $1.2 million, to be exact. This was at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto.
So why is it considered the perfect cow?
HOLMES: Yes.
NGUYEN: Well, they are saying that it is almost genetically flawless, except for that little bit of snot coming off of its nose there for a second. The owner is changing, but Missy will stay with the same farmers who raised her. So -- which begs the question: what are you going to do with her now that you paid $1.2 million for her?
HOLMES: What do you use the cow for?
NGUYEN: Yes. HOLMES: I mean, I guess it would serve some purpose, that the investment will pay off in some way with the cow, but that's got to be some good beef, boy.
NGUYEN: Oh, man.
HOLMES: A genetically perfect steak. Oh, that sounds crazy.
NGUYEN: Can you imagine the price tag on that?
HOLMES: Well, divide it up...
NGUYEN: Right.
HOLMES: ... to 1.2 million.
NGUYEN: Divide the cow up by 1.2...
HOLMES: Well -- sorry.
NGUYEN: All right. We'll be right along.
HOLMES: Yes.
NGUYEN: Four part-time jobs, not one, not two, but four part- time jobs, no insurance from any of them. The extreme measures one woman is taking just to stay afloat.
And the hot African sun can be very unforgiving, but it is providing a generous solution to power problems in Uganda.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Hello, there. Welcome back to this CNN SUNDAY MORNING. I'm T.J. Holmes.
NGUYEN: Boy, it's been a morning, hasn't it?
HOLMES: It has. A good morning, a good morning.
NGUYEN: It has, a wonderful one.
Good morning, everybody. Thanks for joining us. I'm Betty Nguyen.
HOLMES: Some harsh, harsh criticism of President Obama and his policies, and it's coming from one of the Republicans who may try to take his job in 2012. Mitt Romney, we're talking about here. He spoke to the Young America's Foundation in California. The former Massachusetts governor slammed the president's foreign policy, especially on Afghanistan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I find it incomprehensible and inexcusable that this president has been in office for ten months and he does not yet have a strategy. What has he been doing that's so much more important than developing -- though, he has some ideas -- than developing a strategy to protect the lives of our soldiers who are in harm's way. He is the commander-in-chief.
What has he been doing? Do you realize he carried out more than 30 campaign visits in this last season for various Democrats while he can't make up his mind on Afghanistan or have enough time to meet with generals, he's out there campaigning.
He's also carrying out these bogus, phony town meetings, but I call them that, because, of course, the audiences are very carefully selected to include only those that are friends.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: He sound like a candidate to you?
NGUYEN: It's kind of.
HOLMES: Maybe. Romney dropped out of the presidential primaries last year, but he's been staying in the public eye, of course.
NGUYEN: Yes.
HOLMES: Many believe he in fact will make another run for the White House in 2012.
NGUYEN: Well, right now we want to turn to John King with "STATE OF THE UNION" coming up at the top of the hour. And John, you just heard it from Mitt Romney yourself. I mean, is this a man who's setting the stage to run yet again?
JOHN KING, HOST, "STATE OF THE UNION": There is no question he is setting the stage to be ready to run yet again. He of course says, he'll make that decision down the road, but Mitt Romney is one of three or four Republicans who have been most active.
And Governor Romney might be the most active. He's raising money; he's going around helping Republican candidates. He's speaking to young Republicans, older Republicans, conservative organizations all around the country.
California, that's a pretty big state, it's a good state to raise money. It's a state Republicans would love to find a way to get back in their column in the presidential election. So he's keeping a very high profile and he's getting increasingly critical of the president, especially on the foreign policy issue.
And that criticism you just play is a question we're going to put to David Axelrod, the president's top adviser when we talk to him in just a little on "State of the Union."
HOLMES: All right, of course, the president right now is out of town, but making a lot of news back here, in particular about moving those five terror suspects to New York to face trial. Now, how is this possibly going to work? And also on that same story, possibly moving the rest of those 200 plus detainees down in Gitmo possibly to his own home state of Illinois. And how are people are going to be -- there's going to be some kind of a political backlash in bringing those folks to American soil?
KING: There are huge political and legal questions here. And the question of potentially that new Super Max moving them into a Super Max prison in Illinois and if you go to that town, they say, maybe that's a good thing, because it creates job. But there will be a huge debate about that in the country is whether you want to bring suspected terrorist right here on U.S. soil.
Number one, what if they ever escape, God forbid. And number two, if you put them here, do you increase the likelihood that we could become a target again here in the United States because of their sympathizers around the world. So it a big debate for the president in that front, having this trial in the federal courts and not in the military commission system is another huge debate.
And again, we're going to talk at the top of the hour with the man who is in charge of New York City the day the twin towers fell, Rudy Giuliani...
HOLMES: Yes.
KING: ... the former mayor will be with us. He thinks this is a very bad call the president is making and we're going to talk about both the legal ramifications and the political debate about that.
NGUYEN: All right, I've got to ask you, what you -- you've got in your hand there, John? Does it have to do -- I don't know, with maybe Sarah Palin? There is a book coming out...
KING: There's a new book coming out and I was recently in Alaska. First, I want to show you the cover of "Newsweek," the Sarah Palin book. This was a picture taken for "Runners World"...
NGUYEN: Oh wow.
KING: ...now on the cover of "Newsweek" and it's a pretty glamorous pose there for a jogger and the "Newsweek" makes the conclusion...
HOLMES: Glamorous, that's what you want to go with?
KING: I want to go with glamorous this morning.
NGUYEN: Ok.
KING: So they say she's bad for the Republican Party. But I was in Alaska recently and I want to tell you, I was doing my holiday shopping for Betty and T.J.
HOLMES: Yes.
KING: The 2010 Sarah Palin calendar. The book will be out on Tuesday, but the calendar is already a big hit up there...
NGUYEN: You spared no expense for us.
KING: It's got some great shots of Governor Palin. This is why she stands out. This are all the former governors of Alaska, look, there's one woman in the middle, Sarah Palin there. And great pictures of Sarah Palin here in some native Alaskan garb there as she travels the state. And so I brought a few of these back, a few holiday gifts.
NGUYEN: Yes and so let me ask you about the book, though, I mean, is this her way of setting herself up? I mean, we asked you about Romney but has Sarah Palin set herself up for 2012?
KING: She says again, she'll make that decision down the road. But she is trying to clear up -- a lot of people said, you know what happened in the Katie Couric and other big interviews and was she over managed? Was she ready, is the big question facing the United States?
This is her new chapter, trying to rewrite that if you will and some say she's in this back and forth with all these McCain aides, saying you know, they over managed me, they wouldn't let me do this, I didn't like them about that.
Some say it seems kind of small and petty. But if you talk to her supporters, they say that the first thing she needs to do is set the record straight and try to say where she thinks she made mistakes in the campaign and where she thinks others made mistakes for her. This is going to be a fascinating debate over the next few weeks and then we'll see what's down the road for Sarah Palin.
NGUYEN: Well, you know what's also fascinating? And we just got to set the records straight on this because we've got a call earlier this week from our producer, Andrew, who said, John King sent you some wonderful gifts. And so we got them today, these lovely "STATE OF THE UNION" mugs.
HOLMES: Yes.
NGUYEN: I mean, really, again, sparing no expense, once again for us. We're feeling the love here. And then, this wonderful note that we received. And as I was reading it; it was...
HOLMES: Touching.
NGUYEN: ... it was really a touching, how excited that you've been about our show and how it's been lovely to work with us. And I'm reading it and then I realize, hmm, at the top of this, it doesn't say John King...
HOLMES: Yes.
NGUYEN: It's Michelle Daconi (ph).
HOLMES: It didn't come from you John.
NGUYEN: Your executive producer. So none of this was from you John?
KING: She went rogue on me. She went rogue on me.
NGUYEN: Oh guys. Right.
KING: Just keep watching. The box from me will come, don't worry.
NGUYEN: All right.
HOLMES: Yes, we'll be looking for those calendars, right?
NGUYEN: All right.
KING: It's coming your way.
HOLMES: John, it's always a pleasure, man and good to see you.
KING: All right.
HOLMES: And thanks for the mug.
NGUYEN: Yes, and hey, congratulations on the new show that's going to be on prime-time here on CNN.
KING: Keep those mugs, they're collector's items.
NGUYEN: All right. Thanks, John.
HOLMES: Well, of course, "STATE OF THE UNION," as always, top of the hour, 9:00. You can catch John King, our guy, of course, of course he said Mayor Giuliani among his guests including David Axelrod as well among his guests today.
Well, we'll going to be talking next about keeping the lights on in Uganda.
NGUYEN: Yes.
HOLMES: That's a country -- excuse me.
NGUYEN: Asthma, I'll take it from here.
HOLMES: No, thank you for you.
NGUYEN: A country where blackouts happen every other day. You might want to get an inhaler there, T.J. But now a U.S. Charity base there in Uganda trying to change that by looking to the sun for inspiration.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: One of many things lacking in Africa is access to reliable sources of power. Very little of the economy gets electricity from a central grid, but there is plenty of sunshine. And a U.S. charity is taking advantage of that. It's called Solar Light for Africa and it has provided electricity to more than 2,400 homes and schools in Uganda.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALDEN HATHAWAY, SOLAR LIGHT FOR AFRICA: Let there be light.
HOLMES: In 1997, retired Episcopal Bishop Alden Hathaway started turning on light in East Africa...
HATHAWAY: It's ok to bring light...
And since has passed the torch to his son. Using solar panels constructed in the region Hathaway's family-run charity Solar Light for Africa makes lives brighter for people in communities without electricity.
HATHAWAY: It's not going and just giving out food and clothing, but it's working collaborative, it's working in a co-habitative way with Africans side by side, helping them improve their country and learning from each other both deepening our faith as we go.
HOLMES: Solar Light for Africa has an impressive record in providing light to more than 2,400 facilities and clean water to three hospitals and an orphanage while bringing dozens of young Americans from schools and churches around the U.S. to work in east Africa.
ELIZABETH TURNER, MISSION PARTICIPANT: I went with my mom the first year and then my dad and my brother joined us the next year in 2000 and we've been going as a family ever since.
ALLEN "TRIPP" HATHAWAY, MISSION PARTICIPANT: It really puts the whole world in perspective rather than just keeping it in a bubble and not really seeing what's out there. And a lot of what there is to see in Africa is a need.
HOLMES: Uganda is an example of the need only a small percentage of the country's population has access to electricity.
HATHAWAY: Once you venture out into the world, areas of the country of Uganda, virtually everybody has no electricity.
TURNER: I've done some of the roof working, some of the route wiring works, some of the mounting of switch boxes and you know connections up in the ceilings. Done a little bit of everything.
HOLMES: And it's making a world of difference.
LAURA NAMARA, MISSION PARTICIPANT: It's one thing to say oh, Africa, look at those kids on TV who are starving; it's another thing to actually get on a plane and go and see them and actually carry them and help them and climb up on a roof and put solar to help a child be able to study at night or to help a mother be able to stay up and nurse a child and look after their family.
HOLMES: And the benefits flow both ways.
NAMARA: What Solar Light for Africa has brought to my country, to Uganda is not just a handout.
HATHAWAY: Turn on the lights.
NAMARA: They've given us resources, they've given us ladders, a place where we can step to move to a higher place. They've empowered us and that's what we need.
TURNER: It inspires my faith. It's something that I can't get here in America. In Uganda, because of their faith, they see everything as a gift from God. They helped me to become the person that I am today. They've strengthened my faith in God so much I don't even know where I would be if it wasn't for me going to Africa.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Well, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is put on the spot in the Philippines.
HOLMES: Yes.
NGUYEN: Someone in the crowd asked her if she ever had a crush on anyone.
HOLMES: Yes. And actually, she did. She reveals who might have had a shot at getting with Hillary before Bill came into the picture. We'll give you a hint. He's actually a former teen idol.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Well, it is a topic that is near and dear to my heart. On Thanksgiving night, CNN Heroes honors America's heroes.
HOLMES: I know it's near and dear to you. She was one, if you all don't remember, Betty was one of our -- within the network...
NGUYEN: The internal...
HOLMES: ... internal CNN heroes; only three of you guys. So it is near and dear to her heart.
NGUYEN: Thank you.
HOLMES: If you didn't know that Carl, she'll (INAUDIBLE) with you as well. Before that all-star tribute happens though, Carl, our guy is here with some "Extra Credit", asking students what exactly makes a hero. I bet you got some interesting answers.
CARL AZUZ, CNNSTUDENTNEWS.COM: Besides Betty Nguyen.
HOLMES: Besides.
AZUZ: We had a theme this past week on CNN Student News was heroes. And I would like to start off with a clip from our Veterans Day program where we incorporated history of that day with some student comments on tributes to those who have serves in the nation's Armed Forces. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: Though its roots are in Armistice Day, named for November 11th in 1918 when World War I ended, the name was changed to Veterans Day in 1954 to include veterans of World War II, the Korean War, and all those who have served in the U.S. Military.
People like Nicky's great uncle, who's currently overseas. "I hope you are safe," Nicky writes. "I love and miss you."
And both of Aaron's grandfathers, August, who served in the Army and Glen who served in the Navy: "They are my heroes," she says, "as are all others who serve every day, putting their lives on the line."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: There are different types of heroes we covered on CNN Student News, certainly our nation's Veterans, the students' tribute to them.
We also have the story of a Pakistani custodian who gave his life to protect students at his school from a suicide bomber. And a CNN hero; a young man who after losing his legs in a boating accident was able to find a cause and help other young people find prosthetic limbs and realize life is still just beginning.
So we've had this sort of recurring theme on CNN Student News and that led us to ask this sort of question to students. What makes a hero? What are some of the characteristics?
NGUYEN: Yes. I am interested to hear what they say.
AZUZ: I was surprised -- pleasantly surprised. Because you think a hero might be some big thing, somebody who's accomplished something so amazing and it's out of rich for us.
NGUYEN: Yes.
AZUZ: But in students' words, that wasn't it at all. A couple of comments for you right now. Sydney wrote to us, "Heroes can fear something, but still be brave enough to save something and stand up for it." Sounds kind of like something from John Wayne.
And we had another comment from Renee saying, "Anyone can be a hero. I think that a hero is someone who is willing to give a helping hand without having to be asked."
And the reason why I like these comments is because they're accessible -- they're accessible to all of us. In students' eyes, middle and high school students we're all talking about, we can all be heroes. I think that's kind of cool.
HOLMES: What are the students going to be talking about this week? What's going to be the big topic? AZUZ: We're going to be following -- you know, we're following health care. We've been covering the legislative process from beginning to end. And CNN Student News spelling it out a little like what has to happen if this bill is to become law. When would the president sign it? And is it going to happen by the end of the year.
This is one of the things that we're continuing to cover on our show.
And as prepares for its "HEROES TRIBUTE" on Thanksgiving, Betty, unfortunately, not one of the nominees this time around but CNN...
NGUYEN: Can only get it once, right?
AZUZ: Well, you're always a hero to me, Betty.
NGUYEN: You're always a hero to me too.
AZUZ: But CNN Student News has free heroes materials...
HOLMES: The crew is cracking up.
NGUYEN: We've got to move on from this hero thing.
AZUZ: Yes. Sorry. But if you go to the Heroes page, you'll find some great educator materials for -- to help students in -- kids at the dinner table discuss people like our own Betty Nguyen.
NGUYEN: Stop it, already.
Thank you, though.
AZUZ: You're very welcome. My pleasure.
HOLMES: We'll see you Carl. Thanks so much.
We have a quick break and we're going to discuss more with our hero. We're right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLME: All right. Our Josh Levs standing by. We're talking about Hillary Clinton here. It wasn't -- Bill might not have been her first choice.
NGUYEN: Yes, who was her crush?
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Maybe, ultimately, but this is interesting because you guys know, on weekends we look out for some of the more fun stories for you especially those that are getting a lot of traffic online.
You're going to enjoy this. Take a look here. Let's zoom in; this is from the CNN Political Ticker.
Hillary Clinton had a crush. And she was speaking to the students in Manila in the Philippines. She was asked if she had a crush on anyone when she was young. Here's part of her answer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Many, many, many, many years ago when I was young, there was a singer in the United States whose name was Fabian -- some of you who are my age remember -- and I was president of the Fabian fan club.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: Apparently there's one chapter of it. Now that comment's getting all this buzz online. People were talking about Fabian.
I didn't know who that is. But we raced into the video archive and check this out here. He was, apparently, all the rage back in the day. Fabian Forte, the son of a Philadelphia policeman who became a big star and we have video of him. This is him singing a song called "This Friendly World" on "The Red Skelton Show."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(FABIAN FORTE PERFORMING "THIS FRIENDLY WORLD") LEVS: There he is. And Hillary had a thing back in the day. It's always interesting to me to look back at icons. They do say something about the time, about where the country was.
And by the way, if you're wondering, Fabian is, quote, "still rocking", according to his official home page. Guys can you zoom in way here? "Fabian still rocking." This is a picture of him today. This is Fabianforte.net.
There's also this MySpace page for him right here. Myspace.com/Fabianforte.
Let me show you where we posted this story including the video of Hillary Clinton talking about her crush back in the day. We have it at the blog, also Facebook and Twitter; JoshLevsCNN. Feel free to tell us about your crushes back in the day or today. And of course, at all times, a lot more serious, newsy news, CNNpolitics.com.
There you go. The answer to this morning's mystery, who did the secretary of state once have a crush on? Fabian.
NGUYEN: You asked me that earlier in the Newsroom but I had no idea who it is.
(CROSSTALK)
NGUYEN: And T.J.'s got him on his iPod.
HOLMES: Good stuff. That old stuff is still good. It really is.
LEVS: Actually, it still is. There he is, Fabian Forte.
NGUYEN: Check out the hair. That's nice. HOLMES: That's a good job as well.
LEVS: Everything comes back, you know.
NGUYEN: Thanks, Josh.
LEVS: Thanks, guys.
HOLMES: All right, we shared this story, kind of a shocking one to hear, but you would think somebody with four jobs would be covered by at least one of them by health insurance.
At least one of those jobs. Well, you may want to guess again. We'll have those details right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: What a beautiful shot of downtown Atlanta. You saw the Heroes billboard there. That is coming Thanksgiving Day right here on CNN. But in the meantime, a lot of people considered heroes out there, especially if you're working several jobs.
Imagine this, working four jobs, but you still don't have health care and you can't afford to get it. Or what if you're an employer and the rising cost is just eating into your bottom line?
HOLMES: CNN's Elaine Quijano examining now for us the real-life challenges of health care.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Betty and T.J., with lawmakers tackling health care, we wanted to get some perspective. And we didn't have to look very far.
Here at Frager's Hardware, just down the road from the capitol, we met an employee and her boss who are each wrestling with health care issues in different ways.
CARRIE CALDWELL, EMPLOYEE, FRAGER'S HARDWARE: You're thinking about 8 x 10, that kind of thing.
QUIJANO (voice-over): 58-year-old Carrie Caldwell never imagined struggling like this.
CALDWELL: I'm working all the time, not making a whole lot of money, and don't have any health insurance.
QUIJANO: For 39 years, she worked and paid into an employer- sponsored health insurance plan. But the economic downturn suddenly left Caldwell without a job and without health insurance. At first, she tried paying for health care herself, but without her employer picking up half the cost, she found insurance out of reach.
CALDWELL: That's a lot to me. $343 a month when you don't have steady income is like saying $3,000 a month. I just plain didn't have that kind of money.
QUIJANO: So Caldwell, who suffers from diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, is doing without three of the four medications she needs.
CALDWELL: I don't know what my blood pressure is and I don't want to know.
QUIJANO: she works four part-time jobs, duh doesn't have health insurance from any of them. One of her bosses, John Weintraub, a co- owner of Frager's Hardware wants to change that.
JOHN WEINTRAUB, CO-OWNER, FRAGER'S HARDWARE: We don't know if we can afford to put her on the plan.
QUIJANO: As a small business owner, Weintraub says politicians hasn't done a good job explaining how health care legislation might benefit him, and in turn, his staff of 50 employees.
WEINTRAUB: We can't understand it, is the big thing. Don't understand what is truly going on.
QUIJANO: Weintraub says the health care plan he offers employees went up this year, costing 30 percent more than last year. That's affected his bottom line and his ability to help his staff, including Carrie Caldwell.
CALDWELL: I'm doing everything I can do. How can the system help me live like a normal person and have the health care I need?
QUIJANO: For now, she's taking a major gamble, foregoing that expensive medicine for her diabetes; a disease she knows full well can lead to blindness, kidney disease, amputation, or stroke.
CALDWELL: So I'm living on borrowed time now. And this situation isn't helping that. You know? I feel good, but I don't know -- I don't know what the future holds, you know?
QUIJANO (on camera): President Obama wants a health care bill on his desk by the end of the year. But with that deadline looming less than seven weeks away and lawmakers deeply divided over cost and the public option; it's not at all clear whether the president will get his wish -- Betty, T.J.?
HOLMES: All right.
We're just a couple minutes away from John King and "STATE OF THE UNION" which of course comes up the top of the hour. But first, a quick check of your headlines.
NGUYEN: Taking a look at top stories right now.
President Obama is on his way to Shanghai, China, after a brief stay in Singapore. The president was there for the APEC summit, which wrapped up today. He also attended a meeting of ten Southeast Asian leaders. The president is set to meet with the mayor of Shanghai and the Communist Party secretary.
And from there, his next stop, Beijing, where the president will dine with President Hu.
So could prisoners from Guantanamo Bay end up in Illinois? The Obama administration is looking at a prison west of Chicago to house some 200 detainees and federal inmates from Gitmo. Administration officials will visit that maximum security site tomorrow.
The funeral for Michael Cahill, the only civilian killed in the Fort Hood shooting rampage is today in Cameron, Texas. Services were held yesterday across the country for seven soldiers killed on November 5th.
And very quickly, the space shuttle "Atlantis" is on the launch pad in Florida this morning. NASA hopes to blast off from the Kennedy Space Center tomorrow. The crew will drop off supplies to the International Space Station.
Right now, though, "STATE OF THE UNION WITH JOHN KING" starts right here on CNN.
