American Morning
Mayor: Put American workers first
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/05/19/intv.bernero.art.jpg caption="Mayor Virg Bernero says the U.S. needs to do more to save the domestic auto industry."]
With GM and Chrysler closing dealerships across the country, thousands of autoworkers face an uncertain future. Virg Bernero, the mayor of Lansing, Michigan is in Washington speaking out about the personal impact of the auto industry's troubles.
This comes as the Obama administration unveils today the first-ever national fuel efficiency standards for cars and trucks. Mayor Bernero spoke to Kiran Chetry on CNN’s “American Morning” Tuesday.
Kiran Chetry: You're in Washington trying to spread awareness about the impact that this failed U.S. auto industry situation is having on Americans and towns across America. General Motors has until the end of this month to decide whether it will file for bankruptcy. Some experts say it's inevitable. What type of impact will we see in cities and towns across the country if another automaker is forced to file for bankruptcy?
Virg Bernero: We're here with mayors and workers and dealers from around the country not just to whine and complain but to talk about the impact of this industry across the country. It is major. It’s millions of jobs across the country. It’s more than Detroit. It’s more than Lansing. It’s more than Michigan. But it is millions of jobs. The supply chain across the country, and of course the suppliers are already teetering on the edge. And a bankruptcy for GM could threaten the supply chain for the entire domestic auto industry. Look, we're calling it a teach-in. But the reality is the American people already know what we're here to teach Congress and the administration, which is the importance of this administration and the fact is the best stimulus is a stimulating job.
We need to have American production stimulated. We need a “cash for clunkers” bill that stimulates people to buy American vehicles. It doesn’t make any sense to stimulate people to give them money to buy foreign cars. We need American workers to be put first. We need the American industry to be put first. So we call it a teach-in, but as I say the American public knows the score. We need to put American workers first. And so far what we've seen… when we look at other countries, we see other countries like France, when they helped their auto industry… Renault had to bring jobs back to France. And here we are subsidizing our industry, which we're for, we’re all for supporting our industry, but the industry needs to support American jobs…
Banned from Harvard
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/05/19/costello.harvard.rotc.art.jpg caption="Some students want the Reserve Officers Training Corps to be recognized at Harvard, forty years after it was banished from campus."]
From CNN's Carol Costello and Ronni Berke
A small group of dedicated Harvard undergraduates could be America's future leaders; not in its boardrooms or briefing rooms, but on the battlefields of Iraq or Afghanistan.
For the moment, these young military cadets are fighting a different kind of battle. They want the Reserve Officers Training Corps, or ROTC, to be recognized at Harvard, forty years after it was banished from campus. One thing standing in their way: the U.S. military's policy of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" on homosexuals.
In April, 1969, student demonstrators set fire to an ROTC classroom and campus sentiment against the Vietnam War led to the Harvard faculty's banning the organization. Forty years later, the ROTC is still banished from Harvard.
Today, neither Vietnam nor the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan keep the ROTC off limits at Harvard. According to the University's student handbook, the military's policy on gays "...is inconsistent with Harvard's values as stated in its policy on discrimination."
The 29 Harvard students enrolled in the ROTC must take their training courses at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Their ROTC courses do not give them academic credit and they are not given financial aid to cover them.
Joe Kristol, a graduating senior and marine cadet, says it's time for Harvard to change.
"I think that what we're looking for is the college to separate the issues and be able to recognize and support ROTC on the one hand; on the other hand do whatever they want to protest policies they may not agree with, but not to punish the students and use them as their tool to make that political statement."
Kristol and three other cadets - Roxanne Bras, Shawna Sinnott and Christi Morrissey - say the policy is not in line with how most Harvard students feel about the ROTC.
Sinnott says most students actually do favor bringing ROTC back to campus. "I think a lot of that does have to do with the presence we've had on campus even though there's less than 30 of us, we're still able to provide that bridge between military and academia."
"For a lot of people you're sort of a novelty," she adds.
But not all students want the ROTC to return without a change in the military's policy on gays. Marco Chan, one of the co-chairs of the Harvard College Queer Students and Allies, acknowledges that the cadets are inconvenienced by the university's ban.
At least, he says, they have the choice to serve in the military. "What's not often covered is the fact that queer students don’t have that choice at all. There’s not a choice of oh, I guess I'll be inconvenienced and participate in this program. They simply can't."
What’s on Tap – Tuesday May 19, 2009
Here are the big stories on the agenda today:
- Breaking news. A New York City hospital says a 16 month-old-boy died there late last night with flu-like symptoms. The CDC is coming in to determine if the baby had swine flu. People in masks were packing the waiting room there yesterday. We're live outside the hospital.
- President Obama today announcing a national standard for car emissions – a tough new assault on greenhouse gasses. The administration is expected to require new cars or trucks be 30% "cleaner" and more fuel efficient by 2016. The CNN Money Team is breaking down what that means for your next buy and for the struggling auto industry's bottom line.
- CIA Director Leon Panetta says he's confident Pakistan has a "pretty secure" nuclear arsenal, even though the U.S. doesn't know the exact location of all its warheads. It's something U.S. Intel is watching closely with Pakistan at war with the Taliban.
- Donald Rumsfeld revealed. Accusations that he botched everything from the battle for hearts and minds – to the response to Katrina. GQ Magazine says it’s obtained top-secret Iraq war documents that contain biblical passages on the cover sheets. How much damage did the former defense chief really do to his boss's legacy? We'll talk to the reporter who broke this story.
- Saying goodbye to the Hubble telescope – for good. Astronauts on Space Shuttle Atlantis will gently toss it back into earth’s orbit this morning, after five successful spacewalks to repair it. Human hands will never touch it again. NASA hopes the repairs will allow Hubble to keep exploring the universe until it's replaced in 2014.
- Hoping for another strong sign that the economy has "bottomed out." Monthly data on new home construction is due out before the start of trading today. The CNN Money Team will be here to break down the numbers at 8:30 eastern.
We Listen!
American Morning’s Monday audience believed the Pelosi/CIA issue was nothing more than a divergence created by the Republicans to veer attention away from the real story – torture under the Bush administration.
- Jerry: The CIA's existence is built around misleading and lying to people to gain what they want and if the Republicans think that they are all going to tell them the truth then they are as dumb and Bush and Chaney and need to go home and stick their head in the sand.
- Bob B.: Everyone seems to have selective amnesia over the faulty intelligence flowing from the mouths of most congressional members (mostly Republican), the entire Bush Administration and most of the analysts associated with every news agency. The same ones are apparently now trying to drum up ratings by attacking Speaker Pelosi for what was obvious. Even the head of the FBI in testimony said faulty intelligence, or better yet manipulated or misinformation. Remember the Agent whose correct intelligence was discounted as bazaar.
- Julian: Why is the media going after Nancy Pelosi? Because she may have or may not have known about what the Bush/Cheney Administration was doing; ordering illegal torture? Why is she being singled out? Why isn't the fact that torture was committed the issue? And the fact that it was illegal? Why is the media doing once again what they did during the run up to war; the Republican's bidding? Please stop it. You are making yourselves look transparent.
Was this, as the viewers above contend, an attempt by the Republicans to transfer blame for torture to the Democrats? Do you believe the government should continue to investigate the former Bush Administration for its part in approving such techniques to gather intelligence?
Astronaut may head NASA
Retired Shuttle commander and Marine Corps General Charlie Bolden is expected to meet today with President Obama. It is believed Bolden is Obama's choice to head NASA at a time the space agency is at crossroads.
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