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CNN Sunday Morning
Decision: Afghanistan; Don't Get Sick While Traveling; 'Going Rogue' Comes Home
Aired November 29, 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: From the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING for this November the 29th. I'm T.J. Holmes.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Brianna Keilar, in for Betty Nguyen. Thank you so much for starting your day with us. We have a whole lot of news to cover, so let's get right to it.
HOLMES: Yes, the weather is going to be the news for a lot of folks out there. Millions of you traveling home today after that long Thanksgiving weekend. So, we are going to keep the forecast up at the bottom. We're going to be showing you travel updates for several cities around the country.
KEILAR: And also, Reynolds Wolf, we'll be visiting with him a whole lot. He has a quick look now at the travel forecast if you're heading out the door -- Reynolds.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's right, guys. We're going to show you this very quickly. What we're seeing is a pretty interesting weather scenario shaping up where we have a frontal boundary that extends over 1,000 miles from the Great Lakes clear down parts of the Southern Plains and along that boundary.
We're going to have some scattered showers, maybe a few embedded thunderstorms and with that, we could even deal with some snowfall in the northern half of the Great Lakes. So, it looks like we could have some messes there.
One of the places that could be extremely busy, where we could have a backups, right along this frontal boundary, could be right in parts of Chicago.
So, what we're going to be doing very soon during the next weather update, we're actually going to have a live report coming in from O'Hare Airport, to give us the very latest details about those holiday travelers and how things are going behind the scene there is at the airport. That's moments away.
So, sit tight. We'll bring you the goodies in just a few moments.
KEILAR: Oh, guess where I'm heading today?
WOLF: I'm guessing, to the airport? KEILAR: Chicago O'Hare.
WOLF: Oh, lucky you. Good time.
KEILAR: Looking forward to that. OK, Reynolds, we'll check back in with you later.
WOLF: You bet.
HOLMES: Thanks, Reynie.
Well, two days from now, President Obama is going to tell the world why he wants to send more U.S. forces to Afghanistan. That is part of his plan. He's going to be announcing -- it's not going to surprise a lot of people, at least some parts of it -- some of the troop numbers, expecting up to 34,000. Some of that was leaked days ago.
What we can expect from the president's speech that we haven't learned yet are details about an exit strategy. Wednesday, White House said U.S. forces would no longer be in Afghanistan by 2017 or 2018, but then backed off the statement saying it wasn't setting a time line.
In the past, General Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, has said a troop drawdown could start by 2013. NATO will decide how many additional international forces it's willing to commit at a meeting scheduled for December the 7th.
But it has become more clear that British and, possibly others, are focused on withdrawal. Gordon Brown will host an international conference in London on January 28th to discuss turning security back over to Afghan forces.
And then there is this. There's a Senate report out that says U.S. forces missed a key opportunity to capture Osama bin Laden in the Afghan mountains of Tora Bora in December of 2001. So exactly what did happen out there?
Let's bring in our guy. He's been a friend of our show here on CNN SATURDAY and SUNDAY MORNING, CNN national security analyst and expert on Osama bin Laden and all things really in the Afghan region, Peter Bergen.
Peter, always good to have you here with us. You know full well about this report that came out, almost quietly in some ways, about the opportunity that was missed to capture bin Laden. Of course, it says, no, terrorism would not have stopped, this global movement of extremists was not going to stop with his capture -- but what, Peter, would have been different today if bin Laden had been captured then?
PETER BERGEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: I think things would be different. You know, organizations need leaders. And bin Laden's been a very effective leader of al Qaeda -- 9/11 was his idea, to a large degree. He selected the targets and he's been an important symbolic figure for not only al Qaeda, but every jihadist terrorist movement that has linked (ph) to it. And so, if you capture or kill him, you know, it's a significant impediment to these groups.
HOLMES: And we're waiting to hear from President Obama coming up on Tuesday. Again, some of the numbers that have come out, 34,000, as the order, at least the Pentagon officials say they're expecting from the president. But beyond that, there's another conversation going on about a timetable.
Can you put a time stamp on when you want forces out? Can you put a timetable on when Afghan forces will be ready to secure their own country?
BERGEN: T.J., I think it's very difficult. I mean -- because the speech that the president will give on Tuesday is going to have more than one audience. Especially, of course, it's the American audience who wants to hear if there is some sort of -- it's not going to be indefinite. On the other hand, you don't want to signal to the Afghans and the Pakistanis that the American commitment is somehow short-term.
So, you have to balance these two. And certainly, you don't want to put a date certain right now. You probably want to talk about some kind of conditions-based withdrawal, which would be, you know, an Afghan army that was really able to function independently in fairly large numbers.
Right now, that isn't happening. Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, said that might take five years. That's probably an optimistic. It's going to take a while.
HOLMES: And, Peter, you mentioned the American audience he'll have. He'll have several audiences. But the American audience -- some people believe that American audience could be the thing that really dictates what we do in Afghanistan.
How important is it and how much can the American audience dictate how long we'll be in Afghanistan and exactly what we do in Afghanistan? Because, you know, might -- a lot of Americans might just get exhausted with this war, like they have in large measure to what's going on in Iraq.
BERGEN: Well, exactly, T.J. I mean, all wars are forms of political -- you know, their politics conducted by other means and the Afghan war is no different in the sense that more than half the American population is opposed to this war, is opposed to a troop increase, and those numbers may go up. And that's reflected in Congress.
Congress controls the money. There's even been some discussion in Congress of putting in some kind of extra tax on the wealthy to pay for this war. So, there are ways that Congress reacting to its own constituents can put the brakes on the war, particularly when it comes to money.
HOLMES: And the last thing I'll ask about here -- we talked about the audience he'll have, the American audience. But how is this war still being viewed around the world in terms of other people's -- other people's -- other public's stomach for it? How difficult that makes it for leaders of those other countries to possibly help out? And what is the likelihood that we will see more engagement from and more troops from other members of NATO?
BERGEN: I think we're going to see small numbers of extra troops from NATO, particularly with their, you know, basically, just show symbolically they're part of this. But I don't anticipate them being very large. The British, for instance, have promised 500.
This war is not popular in Europe. It's even less popular in Europe than it is in the United States. So that, T.J., as you pointed out, is a problem.
HOLMES: It's a problem.
Peter Bergen, we always appreciate having you and your expertise here with us. Thank you, as always, and enjoy the rest of your Sunday.
BERGEN: Thank you, T.J.
HOLMES: All right. And a reminder for you all, that Tuesday night, President Obama announcing his decision on U.S. troops heading to Afghanistan. Our special coverage begins right here on CNN, 7:00 Eastern.
KEILAR: The 911 call reporting Tiger Woods' car accident to police could possibly be released today. But right now, Woods and his wife -- well, they just aren't talking. Police have tried twice now to get their story, and each time, they've been sent away from his home. They're going to try again a third time today.
And our Susan Candiotti is in Florida following the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: T.J. and Brianna, good morning.
Florida Highway Patrol troopers say they're as surprised as anyone else why they haven't been able to hook up yet with Tiger Woods and his wife to take a statement after that traffic accident. They called it very unusual.
(voice-over): A cracked up front end of what's believed to be Tiger Woods' Cadillac SUV. Accident photos provided anonymously to CNN affiliate WFTV. The shots taken after the golfing phenom crashed into a fire hydrant at the end of his driveway and slammed into a neighbor's tree.
CHIEF DANIEL SAYLOR, WINDERMERE, FLORIDA POLICE: He was on the ground, semi-unconscious, and had lacerations with his upper and lower lips.
CANDIOTTI: Florida Highway Patrol investigators, in two separate cars, entered the gated upscale community on Saturday to hear firsthand from Woods about what caused him to apparently lose control of his car at 2:30 in the morning Thanksgiving night. But on their way there, Woods' agent called and said, "Come back tomorrow." Police say it wasn't the first time they were turned away.
Just after the accident, the mother of two was described as frantic, standing over her husband when police arrived. They said she bashed out a rear window with a golf club.
SAYLOR: From what I understand, she explained to my officers that the doors were locked and she could not gain entry.
CANDIOTTI: Florida troopers released an initial report that said the accident was not alcohol-related.
Woods has a squeaky clean image and is known for keeping his private life private, even his boat is called Privacy. Woods is not only golf's biggest draw and record-setting titleholder, he's an endorsement power house -- everything from Nike Golf, Gatorade, and video game titan, EA Sports.
His wife and two children are only occasionally seen at tournaments. When his son was born last February, Woods released this rare, but heartwarming family portrait.
(voice-over): Under Florida law, Tiger Woods is not required to make a statement to police, all he really has to do is show that he has a valid driver's license, proof of registration, and insurance. And perhaps today he'll do that -- T.J. and Brianna.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: All right. Well, millions of travelers are headed home this morning, or heading somewhere, some to Chicago.
KEILAR: Which isn't home, but yes, that's where I'm going. And it's going to be a tricky day, I think. So, once everyone is in the air, are they at risk for Catching H1N1? What you need to look out for -- coming up.
HOLMES: Also, here's something you don't see every day, an image of Jesus with a Nazi. Yes, more on this provocative work of art, coming up in our "Faces of Faith."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: Oh, Reynolds Wolf, we just can't get enough of you today, and neither can all of the folks who are heading out on the road, waiting at the airport. What's going on?
WOLF: Those poor people, my goodness. And it really is -- it really is going to be a poor time for many people, especially if they happen to be traveling on the roadways. And, of course, the airport, you're going to have some headaches there, quite often, just because of the sheer volume of people that are going to be traveling not only today, but also tomorrow. Now, the way things that are stacking up right now, the biggest issue we're going to see, is due to this big, blue, squiggly line, or what we actually refer to as a frontal boundary. This frontal boundary is not going to remain in place, it's actually going to drift to the east. As it does so, it's going to interact with moisture that's been streaming in from the Gulf of Mexico and it's going to be that boundary combined with that moisture interacting with cooler air aloft that's going to bring scattered showers and thunderstorms and with that, some delays.
Now, the top half of that system is going to be possibly a snowmaker for the Upper Peninsula, for parts of, say, maybe Upper Peninsula of Michigan and back into Wisconsin. Even the Four Corners in parts of the desert southwest could deal with some snowfall, some very heavy snow in the Crystal Mountain and the southern end of the Rocky Mountains.
And then, as we get back towards southern California, in the mountains, we've actually had a touch of snow in a few places and some scattered showers in places like, San Diego.
Now, for Los Angeles, we have a live image for you out of LAX and people heading out there. You've got the dark skies, a few scattered clouds here and there, but it should be a fairly nice day for you overall. And if you take a look at the high temperatures that you can anticipate there in Los Angeles, upper 60s can be expected.
You're making a drive northward on 101 to San Francisco, a little bit cooler there, with high temperatures going up to 65 degrees. You may have some fog out by Alcatraz and along the Embarcadero. Pier 39 could have some issues there, too. Fifty-two in Seattle with scattered showers, 47 degrees in Kansas City, and 66 here in Atlanta, a busy time possible for Atlanta later on in the evening and into the tomorrow.
Very quickly, here you go. New York metros, Boston, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Detroit, Memphis, Dallas and Houston -- what do these places have in common? They're all going to be seeing some delays anywhere from 15 minutes to 30 minutes, possibly longer into the afternoon.
And speaking of airports, coming up, we're going to have a live report from O'Hare in Chicago, give you an idea of how things are going to be there for all you travelers.
Let's send it back to you at the news desk.
KEILAR: All right, Reynolds. We'll be checking back with you quite a lot here shortly.
HOLMES: All right. Thanks, Reynie. Well, Tiger Woods' private life has suddenly become very public, and now, people out there are asking, just who is Mrs. Woods?
KEILAR: The woman with the golf club, right? A closer look at his wife -- still ahead on CNN SUNDAY MORNING. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: It's one of the biggest decisions that President Obama is making so far in his presidency, and it's also one of the most contentious.
HOLMES: Yes. That decision whether to send more troops to Afghanistan and if so, exactly how many? While we wait the president's big announcement Tuesday night, our iReporters are weighing in with their views.
Josh Levs has those for us.
Good morning, again, Josh.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you guys.
It's a good morning they are, because I think I'm starting to lose my voice here. What's going on today?
All right. We're hearing big-time from all of you. Let's take a look at this first one.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, IREPORT)
HAO LI, IREPORTER: We do have to win the hearts and minds of the Afghani people, which is going to be extremely hard, which cannot just be accomplished through just military power, through military might, which we have enough. I mean, looking back at Vietnam, looking back at, you know, all the other wars we've fought in the 21st -- you know, recently, not 21st century, but just recently, winning the military aspect is no problem for us. It's winning the political.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: But there are a lot of people on the other side who say we need more troops, take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ADRIANA MAXWELL, IREPORTER: Send more troops, but send the type of troops that will make a difference. You want troops that can help train the Afghan people to defend themselves. I think that the state militias that are starting to form now are probably a good way to go. However, if you do send more troops, you need to make sure that they have a mission and they know what it is and they know when it will be completed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: So, there you go, the two sides to the debate. A lot of people are having that debate on iReport.com.
I've got to toss it back to you, guys. All of a sudden, my voice has just completely disappeared. We definitely encourage you to weigh in on that debate. I'll tell you -- I've seen more on this topic over the past week than I've seen on most topics over the last several months. A lot of people, a lot of strong opinions -- keep them coming.
KEILAR: Yes, we love hearing from our viewers. Definitely.
LEVS: Yes.
KEILAR: All right. Thanks, josh.
LEVS: Thanks, guys.
KEILAR: Give you a break.
And a lot of people, of course, they're on the roads, they're at the airports, this is a huge, huge travel day.
HOLMES: A lot of people are trying to get back home. It looks like -- and thank goodness we have a fairly good day in the city of Atlanta. Live picture there. We have the busiest airport, really, in the world right here at Hartsfield-Jackson. We'll be checking in at airports and checking weather conditions around the country.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. The leftovers are finally dwindling, Thanksgiving weekend wrapping up -- which means millions of folks are going to be heading the roads and up in the air.
KEILAR: The question, of course, is: will the weather cooperate on your journey home today?
So, let's check in now with Reynolds Wolf. He's in the CNN weather center.
Reynolds, good news -- tell us good news.
WOLF: OK. Good news is that for much of the eastern seaboard and for much of the west coast, conditions should be OK for many people.
However, the problems that we're going to have are going to stem from the Great Lakes clear down to the mid-Mississippi Valley and then back along the gulf coast. It could have some serious issues in many of those spots, which means that for thousands or -- let's be honest -- millions of Americans, they're going to be delayed on many of their flights.
So, let's give you the rundown of what we have for the time being. We can expect some delays later on today for all your New York metros, Boston, Philadelphia, not just some wind this morning, but also the sheer volume of all the people headed off to the airport, getting on those planes and taking off.
Also, we could see backups in St. Louis, Detroit, Memphis due to low clouds and also the rain. And then in Dallas and Houston, we are going to see not only the chance of some rain, but possibly, some thunderstorms, especially by the late afternoon hours. So, again, that's the big stack up that we could be dealing with.
And, you know, when it comes to a travel story, or when it comes to any story, there are often different levels, different ways you can cover it. This is one version that we have of it, but the best way to get is maybe getting to the ground itself, maybe going to one of these spots, like say, for example, O'Hare Airport where we have a lot of people that are going to be waiting today. It's early out there.
We've got Erin Mendez from O'Hare. She's at the WGN, CNN affiliate.
Erin, what's the latest that we have at the airport?
ERIN MENDEZ, WGN CORRESPONDENT: Well, god morning, Reynolds. You know, we had quite a hefty line just a couple of minutes ago. Luckily, the deal is not weather here. We were expecting a little bit of rain this morning throughout Chicagoland. Looks like that's tapered off and right now, this flight board is looking pretty good at this point.
The big issue, like you said, is volume, sheer numbers of passengers. O'Hare is going to hit its speak today with 72,000 passengers coming through. And what you see here at O'Hare -- this is just a warm-up. O'Hare is looking at 200,000 people squeezing through here by tomorrow.
So, hopefully, that weather will hold for us, Reynolds.
WOLF: What's the mood you have there? I mean, have you seen any tempers so far? Anyone arguing with gate agents, or is it -- is it pretty good for the time being?
MENDEZ: So far, so good. We've seen a little bit of hecticness, you know, people running with their bags, pushing a couple of elbows. But overall, not bad. But again, it's early in the morning. Let's see what happens by this afternoon.
WOLF: Absolutely.
MENDEZ: It could be a different story.
WOLF: Yes, it often is, especially by the late afternoon, the storms start popping up, and you have delays. Then temperatures do change a little bit, to say the least.
MENDEZ: You know how that goes.
WOLF: Absolutely. Great job. Thanks so much for giving us that great contribution this morning.
And, folks, something else to remember is, when you go to the airport and you wait in line, you just do small things, like you just take off your watch, maybe take off your shoes, get your belt, you put it in the tub, and you have that in mind, it makes the line go a lot faster for a lot of people and people aren't quite as grouchy. It's all about speed.
Let's send it back to you guys.
HOLMES: It is. And it's, you know, it's -- people who are frequent travelers, as you know, a lot of us are, you got a system down. You know not to get behind the folks with the two kids and the stroller. They're going to take a minute. You've got to have a strategy perhaps.
WOLF: And help out. I mean, come on, it's not neighbor -- well, we're not neighbors, but say, we are, especially in a place like that.
HOLMES: Yes.
WOLF: It's going to be basically moving, thriving communities, all these airports, sort of pinpoint. So, it always helps to be kind to your friends and neighbors.
HOLMES: Absolutely.
KEILAR: Very, very good point.
HOLMES: Great advice.
KEILAR: Thanks, Reynolds.
HOLMES: Thanks, Reynolds.
WOLF: I'm all about the love.
HOLMES: Thanks, Reynie.
KEILAR: He is.
HOLMES: More love now for our John King. Let's give him some love. This is -- this is your Washington buddy. This is one of your partners in crime up there in D.C.
KEILAR: That's right. And he's getting ready for "STATE OF THE UNION" coming up next hour.
So, John, tell us what do you have on tap? Obviously, Afghanistan is going to be a huge topic today.
JOHN KING, HOST, "STATE OF THE UNION": I was listening to Reynolds. I was going to take off my watch and my shoes and go through "STATE OF THE UNION" security to move things along.
I hope -- Bri, I hope that he's taking care of you down there.
T.J., you're being good?
HOLMES: I am a good host.
KEILAR: He is.
HOLMES: Southern hospitality always on display here in Atlanta, John. You should come on down.
KING: I will come down some time.
We are going to spend a lot of time on Afghanistan. We're having some fun joking this morning. But the president has a huge speech to the American people Tuesday night. The country is divided on whether to send more troops.
We're told by sources across the administration, he will announce he's going to send upwards of 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan. He's also going to say he expects the NATO allies to pitch in. This is a very tough one for the president. He's going to try to convince the American people that sending more troops is the best way to get out of Afghanistan as soon as possible.
And so, there's a policy challenge for the president. It's a huge political challenge for the president. We're going to have two of the sharpest minds in the United States Senate on foreign policy and military affairs with us.
Richard Lugar from Indiana, he's the ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
And Jack Reed of Rhode Island, he's a Democratic senator on the armed services committee. And the president will give his speech at West Point Tuesday night, Jack Reed happens to be a West Point graduate who was a member of the 82nd Airborne back in the day.
HOLMES: And, John, all the criticism was about, up to this point, the president hasn't made a decision, what's taking him so long to make a decision. As soon as he makes the decision and we hear it, then the criticism is going to be of the actual decision he makes.
What can we expect to come from the other side, from the critics, as soon as he -- as soon as he starts talking really on Tuesday night?
KING: Well, I would expect some conservatives to say, what took you so long? Why did it take more than three months from getting General McChrystal's recommendation to make the decision?
But the president's biggest problem, the biggest criticism will come from within his own Democratic Party, on the left. People will say, look, President Karzai ran an election that was not clean. President Karzai has a history of corruption. President Karzai has not committed and done enough to fight the opium, the heroin trade in Afghanistan. So why should we send tens of thousands more U.S. troops? Why should we spend billions of more U.S. dollars in Afghanistan?
The president's biggest challenge is going to be quieting the anti-war left of his own Democratic Party.
And another thing we'll discuss today on the show, T.J. and Brianna, is a member of Congress Brianna covers all the time, Chairman David Obey of the House Appropriations Committee, he opposes sending more troops. But the other thing he says is, if the president is going to send more troops, they should be transparent to the American people what this is costing them every single day. He wants a separate war tax so that you could look out separately and say, "Here's the price of war, here's the price of everything else in the United States government."
He says that would help make the case that this better be an efficient policy and you better get the troops out as soon as possible.
KEILAR: And, obviously, that would put the president in a politically tough situation. So we know, John, you'll press him on that.
But we have to ask you while we have you about this party crashers story. This couple that ended up going to the state dinner on Tuesday night. Any way -- and, you know, you go to the White House a lot, so you can tell us sort of your thoughts on this.
Any word on the mood from the Secret Service, just how much trouble these agents are in?
KING: Well, they're embarrassed. And the director of the Secret Service, Mark Sullivan, put it that way in his own statement. He said, look, we are terribly embarrassed by this and we're trying to get to the bottom of it.
When you go to these big social events at the White House, normally, there's Secret Service there, you go through the magnetometers. You have to run your -- you know, take your BlackBerry often, put that all through the machine. The Secret Service officers there, uniformed Secret Service, and there's always somebody from the White House staff as well with a clipboard. And you walk up, and you say, "I'm John King," they check you on the list. You show a photo I.D.; the staffer sends you through then to the security and go through.
Somewhere, there was a breakdown in the system. Either this couple did not stop with the staffer and got straight through the security and are waived through. Or there was a breakdown in communication between the staff and the Secret Service.
We need to wait for all the details, but without a doubt, the Secret Service is highly embarrassed, and the White House has to issue a statement saying the president has full confidence in the Secret Service. If you're the Secret Service, you're cringing at that.
So, it will be very interesting to see how they connect the dots and tell us exactly what happened here.
KEILAR: Full confidence.
HOLMES: Come on, John, you don't have to show your I.D. anymore at the White House. KING: Absolutely, bud. Every time.
HOLMES: Everybody knows John King.
KEILAR: Every time.
HOLMES: All right, John, always good to see you, my man.
KING: All right, guys.
HOLMES: We're going to see you here in about half an hour. Again, as always, John King, "STATE OF THE UNION," coming up right at the top of the hour, 9:00, right here on CNN.
Still ahead, coming up: "Faces of Faith." The faces of Jesus in the most unexpected of places.
KEILAR: We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Good morning, again and welcome back to this CNN SUNDAY MORNING, everybody. I'm T.J. Holmes.
KEILAR: I'm Brianna Keilar in for Betty Nguyen. It is 8:30 Eastern, 7:30 in the Midland, 5:30 on the West Coast and millions of people of course hitting the roads this morning, heading to the airport as well. So keep an eye on the bottom of your screen there for the travel forecast.
Also, Reynolds Wolf is going to will be joining us in ten minutes for a full weather update.
HOLMES: And another story we are certainly keeping an eye on and a lot of people curious about, police wanting another chance to talk to Tiger Woods about his SUV crash. His wife already told them she smashed a window of that vehicle to get him out after his little accident.
KEILAR: This has become of course a very public moment for a very private woman. And our Don Lemon tells us she's tried her very best to stay out of the spotlight.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Former Swedish model Elin Nordegren met Tiger Woods during the British Open in 2001. She had been working as an au pair for a Swedish Jasper Parnevik. In 2003, the couple surprised Woods' fans by announcing their engagement and they were married in Barbados one year later.
Then, controversy: nude photos of a woman resembling Nordegren showed up on the Internet. She denied it was her and Woods defended her.
TIGER WOODS, GOLFER: It's hard to be diplomatic about this when you got so much emotion involved. When my wife was involved...
LEMON: The photos were not of Nordegren and one of the magazines involved apologized.
WOODS: It's just that sometimes you just don't let the facts get in the way of a good story. You know that's sometimes what happens. And I think this was a clear incident of that.
My wife is an extension of me and we're in it together. We are a team. And we do things as a team and I care about her with all my heart.
LEMON: In June of 2007, the couple announced the birth of their first child, a little girl named Sam Alexis Woods, born just one day after daddy Woods finished second in the 2007 U.S. Open. And earlier this year, Elin gave birth to a little boy named Charlie Axle.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: Investigators were supposed to talk to Woods and his wife yesterday, but his agent postponed the interview until today.
HOLMES: So you've heard people ask that question, "What would Jesus do?" A veteran fashion photographer, Michael Belk is attempting to answer that question. He's come up with some provocative images. Jesus talking with the Nazi soldier, Jesus with a rifle, these images do indeed for you to ask the question, "What would Jesus do?"
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL BELK, FASHION PHOTOGRAPHER: Well, I think we're a little hot on...
Throughout my career, I've felt this calling.
HOLMES (voice-over): Michael Belk always knew he could do more with his talent. With a successful 30-year career as a photographer and his work appearing in magazines such as "Vogue", "GQ" and "Vanity Fair," Belk grew accustomed to the jet-set lifestyle.
BELK: You're in Hawaii one day, you're in New York in a meeting the next day and I didn't know how to come down from that, living at that place. And that's when the burnout came.
HOLMES: His burnout gave way to soul searching and reaffirming his Christian faith.
BELK: And as my faith grew over the years, that message started coming home a lot more. What are you doing with all that I gave you?
HOLMES: Belk sought the advice of several Bible scholars about the teachings of Christ and had a revelation. He could use his gift to encourage more dialogue about faith.
BELK: The whole idea was to tie the 21st century relevance of the first century message. Jesus did not come to start a religion. Ok? Jesus came to share messages about life.
HOLMES: He traveled to Madera, Italy, in 2008, taking some time for a different kind of photo shoot. This area was the setting for the film "The Passion of the Christ". Belk thought it was the perfect setting for his own newfound passion. And this time, Italian actor Sergio Munez (ph) would depict Jesus Christ.
BELK: Every one of the images started as a message first and was a message that I felt like I was supposed to share in a unique way.
After there in a very good spot, I had this idea, this vision of what would be more difficult than for a Jewish person to forgive the Nazis for the Holocaust? And my wife tried to talk me out of that image and so did some of my friends, but I just felt like it was a very important image to show.
RABBI SCOTT SEKULOW, BETH ADONAI SYNAGOGUE: I stepped back to say, how am I supposed to forgive these people for what they did? I remember...
HOLMES: For Rabbi Sekulow, the picture titled "The Second Mile" immediately stirred memories and challenged his faith.
SEKULOW: The hurt is there, but sometimes we need it to be -- come to light, come to the surface and pictures like this will help us think about, what would our God want us to do? Would he want us to continue to hate?
REV. MARVIN A. MOSS, CASCADE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH: Some made me challenge with Jesus carrying a rifle, a weapon, but what I saw was Jesus had disarmed the soldier, had disarmed a group that caused harm to so many.
HOLMES: Pastor Moss says he recognizes the conflict the photo may arouse in so many minds, but he hopes they don't miss the bigger picture.
MOSS: If they are able to stretch, if they are able to push beyond what has happened to them and understand what God is trying to do through them, then they will see it through a different lens.
BELK: I hope that people will come and look at these images and look past religion, look past you know different faiths and look into the images and hear the messages just for what they are.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Right now, always good to welcome on Sundays Carl Azuz.
CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS: Thank you sir.
HOLMES: One of our stars here at CNN, who has a very important job really of taking so much of this information and trying to bring it to the students across this country and pretty much every classroom.
Well, good morning. Good to see you.
AZUZ: Good morning and thank you both for having me.
KEILAR: And I think you know, one of the things we're talking about today is geography.
AZUZ: Oh yes.
KEILAR: Because there's a lot of us who know we're probably not as good as we should be at geography...
AZUZ: Sure.
KEILAR: ... but this is really an issue that students need to learn it as they move through that age range. That's I think where you retain a lot of it.
AZUZ: Absolutely they need to and there was a study a few years back in 2006. After a few years of the war in Iraq, many Americans, ages 18 to 24, two thirds of them in fact couldn't pinpoint that country on a map. We're very aware of stuff like these on "CNN Student News."
So we make extensive use of maps like this one to help students get it. There you see us moving from the United States to China. This was last week. We had stories in China, Northern Ireland -- where we're going right now -- and then the Palestinian-controlled territory of Gaza is coming up after that.
And we used all of these maps on our program to kind of help students see where these countries are in relation to each other. Now, we understand they go pretty fast, so coming up right here is another map that anyone can download at CNNStudentNews.com. There you see a curious map of China, the surrounding nations and we hope that teachers, parents at home will use this to help students, to help America's young people get a sense of where these countries are and the countries around them as well.
HOLMES: And it's a shame, really like Brianna said a lot of us now it's good as we probably should be but still to hear some of those numbers about something that's been in the news every day...
AZUZ: Yes.
HOLMES: ... everyday for the past 8 years plus, people still don't know where Iraq is sometimes.
We were talking about this week, we were talking about the party crashers up in D.C., we were talking about Afghanistan a lot. What were students, though, talking about? Were they talking about the same things? What was on their brains this week?
AZUZ: We had a story last week about Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. They have a course controversy up there. It basically requires students who have a BMI -- they're tested when they're freshman, what their Body Mass Index is -- students with a BMI of 30 or higher are then required to take a course before they graduate a walking, sort of running fitness course, so general, do this and you'll be able to graduate.
Now, they don't actually have to lower their BMI, but of course, it has generated some controversy with some students on our Facebook page, that's Facebook.com/CNNStudentNews. They're saying, hey look, this is discriminatory. You can't require just some students to take a class based on their BMI.
Another student saying, you know, the intention is good. Maybe this will help students be more aware of their health and things they need to do to stay healthy. And we have a comment I want to put up the screen here from a student named Hassan. This student said, "Are we going to school to become educated or to become fit?"
Now, know, obviously, he's opposed to this, but if you ask the school, they're saying, look, they're one and the same.
HOLMES: Yes.
AZUZ: We're helping your education but helping you be educated about things that keep you in shape. So it's -- I don't know if there's a right answer in it, but it definitely got a lot of response at Facebook.com.
KEILAR: And helping you lead I guess, a long life so that you can enjoy your education.
AZUZ: Here's hoping.
HOLMES: Yes.
KEILAR: All right, Carl Azuz, thank you so much for joining us.
AZUZ: Thank you both, I appreciate it.
HOLMES: Always good stuff to get us thinking.
Thanks so much Carl and good to see you this morning.
KEILAR: And next, another check of the morning's top stories.
HOLMES: Yes and fear of flying with H1N1 germs all around; what passengers need to know before boarding that next flight.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: It is what is standing between us and cyber Monday and a lot of people and cyber Monday.
HOLMES: Yes.
KEILAR: It's travel Sunday, I think we'll call it.
HOLMES: You've got to get that. KEILAR: And Reynolds Wolf, yes, you're going to be on the road today, a lot of people flying. Reynolds Wolf, what is in store for them?
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, what's going to be in store for a lot of people what's really deceiving is on parts of the East Coast and parts of the West Coast, conditions are going to look fine. But if you have any connections there going to get through say, parts of the center of the U.S., maybe through I would say, Chicago, maybe through -- maybe St. Louis, you're going to have some issues there, making those connecting flights.
Here's what we have right now. In New York metros, Boston, Philadelphia, you're going to have some issues, just during the morning hours with the wind, but into the afternoon, that situation is going to improve. The problem is, although the weather is going to be better by that point, that's when the sheer volume of the people really going to pick up, because most of your flights are going to be later in the morning and the afternoon.
For St. Louis, Detroit and Memphis, you've got some issues with low clouds and also some rain and Dallas and Houston, showers and maybe some thunderstorms into the afternoon.
But if you're just driving, probably the most treacherous driving spot we're going to be seeing is the drive going from Denver all the way down to Albuquerque. Because you're going to run into the chance of some heavy snowfall, some places up to a foot of snow in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the southern end of the Rocky Mountains. That coupled with some strong wind gusts could really give you some whiteout conditions.
Already in this corner of the world, we do have quite a few winter storm warnings that are in effect at this moment. We could also have some rough conditions through parts of the Sierra Nevada and not due to snow, but rather just the strong winds through the Sierra Nevada, especially through parts of I-80.
So those are the two big trouble spots travel-wise in terms of the road ways, but the airlines, airways that's going to be a big headache for people today and tomorrow. Let's send it back to you guys.
Actually that's the latest we've got. We're going to keep you to the commercial break and we're going to have more coming up right here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
See you in a few, really.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Millions of Americans traveling this holiday weekend. And some are bringing extra carry-ons, like germs, viruses, and other nasty stuff.
KEILAR: Yes. Something to worry about when you fly, of course. And this year, the H1N1 flu has a lot of passengers pretty freaked out, but our Jeanne Meserve has tips for traveling without getting sick.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: As if anyone needs another reason to stress about holiday travel, now H1N1 anxiety is part of the mix.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There was this lady that was sitting like across the aisle from me, blowing her nose. And I was like, all right, I'm glad we have that kind of distance, you know. Because I don't want to get sick and there's no way to get away from it while you're on a plane.
MESERVE: This animation from Purdue University shows how a sneeze propels around airplanes. Government health officials have a few simple words of advice for travelers: wash your hands often, don't touch your eyes or nose, cover your cough, and for Pete's sake, don't travel if you're sick.
JANET NAPOLITANO, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: Don't get on a crowded plane and spread the wealth. It's time to stay home.
MESERVE: Airlines have briefed crews about H1N1. Airtran even enlisted a former head of the centers for disease control to answer employee questions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can I contract swine flu from loading bags?
DR. JULIE GERBERDING, FORMER HEAD, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL: Maurice, the bags will not transmit the flu.
MESERVE: But flight crew vigilance has inconvenienced a small number of passengers. This woman had an upset stomach and was taken off a United flight.
MITRA MOSTOUFI, UNITED AIRLINES PASSENGER: The crew does not feel good about you flying, because you might be sick. I didn't know they were all physicians.
MESERVE: It turned out Mostoufi did not have H1N1, but United says it removed her as a precaution, to protect the health of other passengers. Despite the specter of H1N1 infection, many Thanksgiving travelers are undeterred and unconcerned.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Something you've got to live with and you just have got to make some adjustments and yes, you can't let it stop your life.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If it's going to happen, it's going to happen and there's no reason to get, you know, so uptight about it.
MESERVE (on camera): if you get on an airplane and the person next to you is obviously sick, you can ask to have your seat reassigned, but flights are so jammed this holiday period, there might not another seat on your flight or the next flight or even the flight after that, so you may end up in a very different kind of predicament.
Jeanne Meserve, CNN, Reagan National Airport.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, H1N1, that's not the only thing travelers out there are worried about these days.
KEILAR: Certainly not. Reynolds Wolf returning with another check of the forecast when we come right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: Reynolds wolf is in the CNN Weather Center with our latest travel, as well as weather forecast. Reynolds, what's up?
WOLF: Well, the latest we've got, this is our flight tracker, and it is part of the United States, we're seeing parts of the Eastern Seaboard and into the Great Lakes. Every single blue airplane you see here is a plane that's either taking off, in mid-flight, or landing. So it's a busy time out there. This is really kind of busy.
Right now it looks like penicillin growing in a petri dish; it's getting really nuts.
Scott is our photojournalist. Scott, I don't know if you can get a better shot in her but folks if you at home can see this area, up here towards Chicago, we're seeing a little bit of green mixed in with the bluish airplanes. That green is actually some scattered showers.
Those showers are going to be moving through and I will not be surprised if we eventually see some delays in places like Chicago. Chicago is not going to be the only spot. We're going to see them in places like Detroit, back into Dallas, even Houston, and then for drivers, it's going to be parts of the four corners, especially New Mexico, Colorado, and Arizona where you might have some backups in a few places on the roadways.
So certainly be careful out there. And again, I can't say this enough, be kind to your neighbors because there's going to be a lot of them stacked up in those airports.
You're going to be seeing the delays I mentioned not only in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, we mentioned Chicago, St. Louis, Detroit and Memphis, and Dallas and Houston, primarily for a chance of thunderstorms into the afternoon hours.
That's a wrap on your forecast. Good luck out there on the roadways and flying. Keeping our fingers crossed and better you guys than me. Let's send it back to you guys.
KEILAR: Better me than all of you guys.
WOLF: It's a crazy travel day. It really is.
KEILAR: Have been to Chicago. But yes, you know what, you bring a book, get to the airport early, and you know that you're probably going to have to wait longer than normal. Just the way it goes.
HOLMES: Absolutely.
WOLF: Got to be patient. Got to.
KEILAR: Got to be. All right Reynolds. Thank you very much.
HOLMES: Thanks Reynolds.
WOLF: See you guys.
KEILAR: Now we head to Alaska where Sarah Palin's breaking book sales records and reopening old political wounds.
HOLMES: We'll have that story.
Also, another check of your top stories.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: Well, the temperatures may be cold in Alaska, but Sarah Palin's book, it still is pretty hot, especially in certain pockets of the former governor's state.
HOLMES: Yes. We're talking about Fairbanks there. Palin's only competition really out there is maybe "Harry Potter", or something like that.
KEILAR: "Twilight".
HOLMES: Yes maybe that. CNN's John King explains to us why this thing is catching fire.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Wasilla's famous resident lives across this shimmering lake. Her image, still a smiling life-sized calling card at the local Chamber of Commerce.
It's mostly back to normal a year after the big election, but to visit Pandemonium book sellers is to be reminded that Wasilla, like the rest of America, is preparing for the next installment of the Sarah Palin debate.
SHANNON CULLIP, OWNER, PANDEMONIUM BOOKSELLERS & CAFE: I think it will stir it up a little bit.
KING: Owner Shannon Cullip says presales of Palin's "Going Rogue" are shattering records and reigniting the Palin political divide.
CULLIP: It's either one extreme or the other, I would say. People either completely have her on a pedestal or don't like her. It's not too much in the middle. You'll have just some people, "Oh, she's just such an amazing woman; I can't believe what she's accomplished," and that sort of thing.
KING (on camera): And the flip side those who...
CULLIP: The flip side, "I can't stand her."
KING (voice-over): Palin's fast political rise has been good for business here. Books on her tenure as governor are in the Alaska section and other political titles sell more now too.
CULLIP: I have a little bit of everything, you know. I have "The Audacity of Hope". We have -- and during the election, you'd find that people bought both, you know? They were comparing.
KING: Palin calendars are a big seller at the moment and post- election political sales tend to reflect Wasilla's more conservative leanings.
(on camera): Glenn Beck outsells President Obama's?
CULLIP: Oh yes. Big time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The governor's office is down that end of the hall.
KING (voice-over): This was Governor Palin's Anchorage office until she abruptly resigned in July. New Governor Sean Parnell tries to make his own mark, he like everyone else in Alaska is waiting for the next Palin chapter.
GOV. SEAN PARNELL (R), ALASKA: I can really say nothing except that I wish her the best because she treated me and her fellow Alaskans so well and looked out for us well.
KING (on camera): Do you as governor pick up the phone and say, hmm, this is a tough one, let me seek her advice, or have you both sort of moved on?
PARNELL: We keep in touch, just on a personal basis. We haven't had policy consults or anything but we do keep in touch.
KING: Are you going to read the book?
PARNELL: Of course, I'm going to read the book.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I come back here...
KING (voice-over): Not everyone here is a Palin fan, of course; Democratic Senator Mark Begich among those who choose their words carefully.
SEN. MARK BEGICH (D), ALASKA: I don't know what her future's going to be. I'll let the public make that decision.
KING (on camera): Are you going to read the book?
BEGICH: I don't know. You know, I've got so many other -- I've got a health care bill to read.
KING (voice-over): Fireside Books is in Palmer, a short drive from Wasilla. Owner David Cheezem is a Democrat and thought he had a chance at winning a race for the state house last year.
DAVID CHEEZEM, OWNER FIRESIDE BOOKS: The thought was, you know, Republicans aren't that excited about John McCain, I might be able to get some votes here where otherwise I wouldn't. And then she came in and ran for vice president and at that point, there's just no way. And I lost dramatically.
KING (on camera): you don't seem to hold it against her too much.
CHEEZEM: No, no. Not if she sells a bunch of books here.
KING (voice-over): Proof that all politics is local, even as the debate about Sarah Palin's national ambitions opens its next chapter.
John King, CNN, Palmer, Alaska.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: All right. Well, it's time for us now to thank Miss Brianna Keilar for hanging out this weekend. We appreciate your being here.
KEILAR: I had a lot of fun being here, T.J.
HOLMES: Putting in these hours. And good luck getting to Chicago where you have some more work to do.
But thank you so much. Good to have you.
KEILAR: Good to be here.
HOLMES: All right.
Of course, "STATE OF THE UNION" coming up at the top of the hour; but first, we have a quick check of the morning's headlines for you.
First, President Obama unveiling his Afghan strategy Tuesday night during a prime time speech for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. President expected to announce plans to send roughly 34,000 more troops to Afghanistan.
CNN, of course, will bring you live coverage of the speech at 8:00 Eastern time. Our special coverage, however, will begin at 7:00 Eastern time.
Also, investigators will return today to Tiger Woods' home near Orlando. They want to question him about that single-car accident he was involved in near his home early Friday morning. Police intend to interview him and his wife. They planned to do it yesterday, but Woods' agents told him he was unavailable. Woods suffered cuts to his face in the incident. Also a solid start for the shopping season; retailers raked in almost $10.7 billion on Friday, Black Friday. That's according to shoppertrack, which keeps an eye on sales. We're seeing a half percent increase over last year. If you missed the deals, keep in mind, of course, tomorrow, CyberMonday. You can find all those deals online.
Thanks for being with us this morning.
"STATE OF THE UNION WITH JOHN KING" right now.
