American Morning
Muslim-American says she's victim of religious profiling
Editor's Note: Anyone who took to the skies over the holidays will tell you that security has been tighter since a Nigerian man was arrested for allegedly trying to blow up a commercial airliner. But Muslims in the United States and Canada say they are being targeted. Is it racial profiling? American Morning's Alina Cho has the story of two women who say it happened to them.
By Alina Cho, CNN
Nadia Hassan is a frequent flier. Imagine her surprise when she arrived at the security checkpoint at Washington's Dulles International Airport Tuesday and encountered what she calls, "racial, religious profiling."
The 40-year-old Michigan-born Muslim-American, headed to Los Angeles, says she was singled out for what she calls a "humiliating" full-body search.
When she asked why this was happening "the gentleman who was working there specifically told me that the reason I'm being put through this type of search is because I'm wearing a head scarf. … He actually came out and told me that that's the reason why you are being targeted."
She's not alone.
On Monday, a Muslim-Canadian woman says she was made to feel like a terrorist because she was wearing a headscarf. She says she was berated and banned from boarding a flight to the United States – all because of her faith.
Are airport body scanners a health hazard?
300 full-body scanners will soon be inside airports around the country, but should passengers be concerned about dangerous radiation exposure?
Our Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta joined us on Friday's American Morning to answer your questions about the new security measures affecting your health.
How animals are coping with the cold
The extreme weather much of the country is dealing with isn't just affecting people and crops, but animals too.
For example, when iguanas get cold they go into hibernation mode and drop out of trees. Our John Zarrella tells us how some exotic animals are staying warm.
Skilled labor in high demand, short supply
By Carol Costello
In the 80’s movie, "Flashdance," Alexandra Owens couldn’t wait to leave blue collar work behind. It wasn’t long before she said “goodbye blowtorch,” hello “fame.” Yes, it’s old fiction, but it neatly sums up where we are today.
Kim Barbano graduated from the University of Miami in 2008 with a degree in public relations. She has yet to find a job, yet the thought of taking this time to learn a trade is incomprehensible. “I think there is a lot of pressure to go to college and get a typical day job. And that isn’t working with your hands,” she said.
Let’s face it, there is little real passion for becoming electricians, manufacturing engineers, high-tech welders, plumbers or custom construction workers.
“There are still hundreds of thousands of jobs in manufacturing, but unfortunately people who are looking for jobs don’t necessarily have the skills to get into this field now,” says Chris Kuehl, with the Fabricators and Manufacturing Association.
According to a June, 2009 study by Deloitte LLP and The Manufacturing Institute, manufacturing topped the list of seven key industries as most important to the US economy, but only 17 percent of young Americans desire a job in manufacturing and only 30 percent of parents said they would encourage their children to learn a trade.
Avlon: Partisan politics ought to end at the water’s edge
Editor’s note: John P. Avlon is the author of "Independent Nation: How Centrists Can Change American Politics" and writes a weekly column for The Daily Beast. Previously, he served as chief speechwriter for New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and was a columnist and associate editor for The New York Sun.
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/01/07/wingnuts.malloy.quist.art.jpg caption="On the left, radio host Mike Malloy and on the right, Minnesota congressional candidate Allen Quist."]
By John Avlon, Special to CNN
In the wake of the thwarted Christmas bombing we’re seeing an unwelcome return to hyper-partisans treating terror threats as a political football.
But wingnuts have their unique take on this ugly game and this week we’ve got two outer-limits analysis from the far-right and far-left.
On the right, conservative Minnesota congressional candidate Allen Quist announced that terrorism wasn’t in fact the biggest challenge facing freedom-loving Americans today. No, to him, the biggest challenge to freedom is coming from Democrats like President Obama and Nancy Pelosi, who are “destroying our country.” Here’s the full quote from a campaign stop.
“Our country is being destroyed. I mean, this is – every generation has had to fight the fight for freedom. This is our fight. And this is our time. This is it. Terrorism, yes – but that's not the big battle. The big battle is in D.C., with the radicals. They aren't liberals, they're radicals. Obama, Pelosi, Walz – they're not liberals, they're radicals. They are destroying our country.”
Quist is no political newcomer and this is no slip of the tongue. He’s served in the statehouse and been the GOP convention’s nominee for governor in the 1990s – and now he’s challenging incumbent Democratic congressmen Tim Walz for his seat. We should take Quist at his word: even while Americans are reminded of the non-optional war we are in against radical Islamic terrorism, he genuinely believes that Democrats in general and the president of the United States in particular represent a more clear and present danger to our freedom than terrorists.
Rise in childhood vaccinations
When it comes to childhood vaccines controversy and confusion have been a big part of the equation for many parents. Now a study by the Centers for Disease Control reveals from 2000 to 2008 the number of kids vaccinated against illnesses like measles, mumps and polio has increased.
Our Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta joined us on Thursday's American Morning to discuss the findings.
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