hawaii. i think overall we've seen indications of this new government -- and we believe it will be critical in the coming months to make sure that our two governments are working closely together. you but clearly our issues that require more work and more consultation and from the u.s. government perspective, we're prepared to work with our japanese interlocketters. we've outlined what's our best way forward with the r.f.r. plan, and we expect those consultations with our senior japanese interlocketters will be continuing. i'll be leading a delegation to japan in about two weeks' time where we will continue those discussions going forward. i think the secretary and the prime minister wants to use next year as part of a process, a deep process of dialogue and discussion about the purposes and the criticality about the u.s.-japan alliance going forward. in many respects this is a day of celebration and looking back but it's not sufficient. we need to make sure that our primary focus is to work

according to hawaii's tourism department tourist spending in hawaii fell 11% in 2008.igger drop is expected for 2009. for first 11 months of 2009, the number of visitors decreased more than 5% from the same period the previous year. many hope the high-profile visit will get more vacati vacationers to set their sights on the state. steve centanni is in hawaii on the story. it must be nice to be stuck in hawaii. >> beautiful spot but there is trouble in paradise. the state's economic woes are severe and the state officials are looking to the tourist in chief, president obama to turn it around. with luxury hotels along the beaches, island of hawaii have long been vacation spot. >> [ inaudible ] united states hawaii is one of the best places on earth. >> the promise of sunshine year round has not been enough to save the state once booming tourism industry. now the state officials look to president obama's hawaiian vacation to bring in much needed revenue. >> we depend mostly on the tourism for the economy. when the tourism went down it affected everyone. >> marsha weinert

. >>> most of hawaii's economy depends on tourism. president obama and the first family grabbed shaved ice during a holiday vacation. and as steve senat -- sentani reports, hawaii hopes the president's visit will rejuvenate their tourism. >> reporter: the islands of hawaii have long been a popular vacation spot. >> this year, we went to cuba and italy. but united states, hawaii is one of the best places on earth. >> reporter: the promise of sunshine year round has not been enough to save the state's once-booming tourism industry and now state officials look to president obama's hawaiian vacation to bring in much- needed revenue. >> we depend on tourism for an economy, and when the tourism went down, it affected everyone. >> reporter: marcia winard, said tourism accounts for 25% of hawaii's overall economy and declined the last two years for a loss of nearly $3 billion. now, with an unemployment rate of 7% and a budget shortfall expected to reach 1.2 billion by the end of 2010, state officials are looking for ways to cut. one proposal

the obamas return from their hole day in hawaii tomorrow. first up on the agenda, terrorism and healthcare. >>> google gadget. the search engine giant is set to unveil nexus1 on tuesday. tech analysts say the mobile set rivals the iphone. >>> 3-d thursday. directv will officially announce plans for the nation's first 3-d channel. the satellite provider will broadcast movies and sports in hi-def quality, so get your glasses ready. the channel will reportedly launch this march. >>> a lot of people are looking to make a misseen their careers over the next year. next up, we'll break down what industries are hiring and where the jobs are in 2010. >> in your spot, given your circumstances. >> not the words would you expect to hear from one of the most influential names in rock. the lead singer of tool balloon lighting as wine maker out west. later, a look at his mission to get arizona recognized as wine country.  i know. my diet? well yesterday i had an apple turn over mmm hmm, i know it's sort of my weakness - i always keep

there has been some criticism that he remained in hawaii and continued his vacation. he is not the first president to have done that. what would you say about why he's so well suited and what do you expect him to do next week? >> i think he's well suited because he has a -- he's very steady and he shows leadership in a very thoughtful way. look at the approach he took to the troop increase in afghanistan. i think symbolism is very important. i worked in the white house for seven years. i can tell you that symbolism is very important and he's in hawaii. it's a little break. i think the mistake would have been to come back because you sort of give the terrorists a victory then by disrupting everything. what i think he's shown, he was a little flat in the beginning, but i think he's recovered nicely on this and i think that going into monday, when the focus will be on national security, i think you'll see an effort to be nonpartisan, but so long as david says, with the focus on the economy, when we get back to the economy, so long as the focus is on the economy, the demo

our cnn white house correspondent ed henry is in hawaii. ed? >> reporter: don, the obama administration is pushing the idea of all year round school as a way to make the u.s. more competitive. but ironically, here in the president's home state they're going in the other direction. they're cutting the number of days that kids are in school. that's angering the white house but also parents right here in hawaii. like many 9-year-olds, hunter gentry loves his scooter and is very creative. >> my name's hunter gentry, and i'm a chef and a baker. wha! >> reporter: this young hawaiian has already started his own cooking show on youtube, hoping to make it big on "top chef" someday. but hunter also has bilateral hearing loss, which makes it hard to hear ss and ts at the end of words. two hearing aids help, and so do special classes at school. but that's been disrupted by furlough fridays, a drastic measure by hawaii to cut 17 more class days, resulting in the shortest school year in the nation to deal with a massive budget hole. >> when he's missing frid

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a closer look tonight at what the first family has been up to in hawaii.he one thing about smoking - is it dominates your life, and it dominated mine. i honestly loved smoking, and i honestly didn't think i would ever quit. it was very interesting that you could smoke on the first week. (announcer) chantix is a non-nicotine pill. in studies, 44% of chantix users were quit during weeks 9 to 12 of treatment, compared to 18% on sugar pill. it is proven to reduce the urge to smoke. i did have an unopen pack of cigarettes in my purse and i said, "what the heck, i don't need these..." ...i said, you know, "bye, i don't need you anymore, you're not my crutch, i don't need a crutch." (announcer) talk to your doctor about chantix and a support plan that's right for you. some people have had changes in behavior, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice agitation, hostility, depression or changes in behavior, thinking or mood that are not typical for you, or if you develop suicidal tho

and some canceled trips to hawaii. still hopes for 2010 and beyond. >> shannon: all right, steve centanni from hawaii. are the days of tweeting fading? we'll tell you whether twitter is already yesterday's social site and why some folks hope they never hear about tweeting again. >> all right, it's over in 2010 apparently. we'll be right back. >> president obama is blaming an aal-qaeda affiliate for the attempted bombing on the flight 253 bound for detroit. >> in the weekly radio address, the president draws a clear link between al-qaeda and the bombing suspect. the senior administration suspect says the government was increasingly confident there was a link between mutallab and an al-qaeda affiliate, but the statement is the strongest connection yet between the two. >> we know that he traveled to yemen, crushing poverty and insurgencies and clear he joined the afail-- affiliate of this group and directed him to attack this plane head today america. >> afghanistan's parliament delivering a stinging blow to karzai, votin

the president's week in hawaii hasn't exactly given him a chance to relax. we'll get some interesting perspective from the islands. >>> weather warning. a record cold snap in parts of the country. the weather channel forecast ahead. >>> plus, the future is here. the high-tech innovations that will mark the year 2010. here's one hint -- 3d television. good morning, everybody. i'm david shooster in for alex witt. we'll have all of that plus is gold the way to go in the coming year? we're going to begin first with some new fallout from the failed bomb attack in a detroit-bound aircraft. the american and british embassies in yemen have now been closed down today. the united states government cites an active al qaeda threat. the suspect in the christmas day plane bomb attempt says he got his marching orders from al qaeda in yemen, an emerging front in the war on terror. we've learned general david petraeus paid a surprise visit to yemen meeting with yemeni officials and meeting with u.s. military commanders. petraeus says the united states will double counterterr

hawaii was hit hard by the economic slow down and now state officials are pinning their hopes on the tourist in chief, president obama. with luxury hotels lining white sandy beaches, the islands of hawaii have long been a popular vacation spot. >> this year we were in italy. the united states, hawaii is the best place. >> reporter: the promise of sunshine year round has not been enough to save the state's once booming tourism industry. now state officials look to president obama's hawaiian vacation to bring in much needed revenue. >> we depend mostly on tourism for our economy. and when the tourism went down, it affected everyone. >> reporter: marsha, the state tourism liaison, says it accounts for 25 of the economy and declined in the last two years for a loss of nearly $3 billion. now with an unemployment rate of 7%, and a budget shortfall expected to reach $1.2 billion by the end of 2010, state officials are looking for ways to cut. one proposal is to mandate furlough dates for teachers and cut the number of school days. but she says reviving tourism is the ultimate key to rebuild

. >>> the bahamas ma are hoping their hawaii vacation will have you planning one there soon.  it's people will stick with their old way of getting vitamins and minerals. others will try total raisin bran. with 100% of the daily value of 11 essential vitamins and minerals and the luscious taste of plump, juicy raisins and crunchy whole grain flakes. ... ... guess it's all about what kind of crunch you like. how are you getting 100%? visit totalcereal.com and get a coupon. >>> contrary perhaps to what celebrities and vaccine nay sayers say, there's no proof that digestive problems are more important with autism or special diets work. chirp with the painful digestive treatments should be doctors for it, but there was no input given from the autism society. >>> save, alson, -- steve, allison, thank you. all over the big news this morning, jim zorn fired as the redskins head coach. we have complete team coverage from redskins park, and san diego. also a new year is upon us. many of you will use this year to try to eat better. how do you do ha? we will talk to the the woman called the be

the president just coming back from hawaii.said we will not rest until we make sure america is safe. he was resting in hawaii. he was on vacation. is he sure to face a political fire storm when he gets back? >> he sure is. the presidency always follows the president. no matter on vacation or otherwise. you are right. this has been one of those moments that while the president has been on the golf course that republicans have come after him hard on what the republican party believes could be a democratic party vulnerability. there used to be a tradition of s solidarity for and refraining from criticizing the president when the country is under attack. there's no such tradition right now. former vice president cheney just blasting president obama and several leaders in congress doing the same. he's going to have to take charge of the situation, especially after the performance of janet napolitano last week. he will face a political battle over national security heading into the next year. >> any indication he might change up the

in hawaii. he reacted appropriately. i don't think there was a need for a "the sky is falling" response where the president immediately comes back. >> should secretary napolitano have come back from san francisco? >> i think wherever she was, she should not have used the phrases man-caused disasters. they have been aggressive, part of what we're seeing is al qaeda trying to adapt to the increased pressure. if you count, as being damaged, this making it more difficult for him to do some of the things he wans to do, in that sense, i think he has been damaged. they will argue that the people sent back to yemen are in prison today. when you listen to jane harmon and joe lieberman say hold off on sending more people back, you can imagine how this will progress and why congress may make closing guantanamo more difficult in the month to come. >> i think that the president should not have dashed back to washington. when american planes shot down libyan planes, reagan was not woken up. he said, they wake me up when they shoot dow

the president returns to vacation in hawaii on monday and will meet with top security officials firstng tuesday morning. kathryn brown, wjz, "eyewitness news." >>> general petraeus is in yemen as they help fight al qaeda. tonight, we have an update on the heartbreaking death of a baltimore city infant. janaya wallace was found dead inside this home december 23rd. the 20-month-old girl was beat ton death and now tonight charging documents show that her father jerome wallace and his live-in girlfriend are charged in the baby's murder. >> in past years we've seen numbers of children lost in the community, but this is the first child homicide that we've had in 2009 since the very, very bad law. >> and a bail review hearing is set for monday. >>> also, new developments in a fatal n. new year's day hit and run accident. charges are pending against thomas judge. the 21-year-old has been identified as the person behind the wheel when the vehicle strk a pedestrian in annapolis. that victim has been identified as alfred. he was not walking in the crosswalk when he was struck. two people have be

this even with our chief white house correspondent chip reid who is traveling with the president in hawaii. chip, good evening. >> reporter: well, good evening, jeff. the president did not mince words. for the first time, he directly linked the attempted bombing of flight 253 to al qaeda. >> i will do everything in my power... >> reporter: in his weekly address, the president said his administration is learning more about the 23-year-old nigerian suspect umar farouk abdulmutallab and the time he spent in yemen. >> it appears that he joined an affiliate of al qaeda and that this group, al qaeda in the arabian peninsula, trained him, equipped him with those explosives and directed him to attack that plane headed for america. >> reporter: that's the first time the president has publicly pointed the finger directly at al qaeda and its faction based in yemen for the christmas day incident. u.s. officials say in recent months, the emotion has dramatically increaseits focus on yemen with with where al qaeda has bombed hotels and embassies, including the u.s. embassy in 2008. the president said u.

. >> we know the president and first family will be traveling from hawaii back to washington. how will the president implement these plans? he talked about the tools and resources needed. how will he then implement the plan? >> the biggest thing to look at is tuesday when he's got his first full day back at the white house. he'll go into the situation room for a security meeting, head of cia and other intelligence chiefs. he could be calling them on the carpet to find out what went wrong, but more importantly, what he has been stressing today and in recent days here in hawaii, the more important thing is to find out what the intelligence community is learning from this. what fixes need to be made so they can toughen things up and prevent future attacks. that is the most important part of all. >> we'll look for that tuesday night. ed henry reporting the last few days from the beautiful honolulu, hawaii. >>> tonight cnn will be bringing you a special look at what some people are calling the breeding ground of terrorism. disaffected young muslims. christiane amanpour hosts "the w

the commander in chief and his family left hawaii early this morning.owever, when he talked to the press, it didn't seem that the family was excited about returning to the nation's capital. >> hey, guys. are you ready? >> no. no! >> i'm with you. >>> okay. are we all in? i'm trying to mount a coup here. >> president obama scheduled to meet with his security advisers tomorrow. they will discuss what additional steps need to be taken following the attempted christmas day bombing of an american airline. >>> the world's tallest building opened today in dubai. the structure is about 2,684 feet high. and it has 164 stories. the most in the world. and it -- its observation deck is on theton 24th floor. -- is on the 124th floor. thousands gathered for a spectacular celebration. the price tag $1.5 billion. only in dubai. >>> after more than a month on the run, a florida man wanted for killing four relatives on thanksgiving day is behind bars. mark strassman reports. >>> it was the ending so many people had hoped for. i am glad the monster is in his cage. for thi

he was released from a hospital in hawaii.imbaugh went in wednesday because he was having chest pains. doctors say he didn't have a heart attack and more importantly, he does not have heart disease. as evidence he was feeling better, he couldn't resist taking a political jab at a hospital news conference. >> based upon what happened to me here, i don't think there's one thing wrong with the american health care system. it is working just fine, just dandy and i've got nothing special. no special treatment. >> in his news conference, he also said he wasn't taking painkillers. you might remember that in 2003, he admitted he was addicted to them and went to rehab. >>> authorities in new york city want to know why police ignored an illegally parked van in times square for days before someone called authority. it had blacked out windows and no license plate. police evacuated times square wednesday and called in a bomb squad after it was reported. police say it may have been reported because it had an i.d. card from a law enforcement

i'll see ya. >> ed henry in hawaii. thank you very much. we appreciate it. >>> another cause for u.s. concern in yemen lies nearby in somalia. that's where a group of al qaeda back fighters say they're preparing to head for yemen to join the insurgents there. this video is from somalia. it shows al shbob fighters are wrapping up their military training near mogadishu. their leaders say the fighters are prepared to battle government forces in both somalia and yemen. yemen is reportedly tightening security along its coast and searching suspicious votes and other vessels. >>> meantime we're getting word between a possible link between the cress day terror attack and november massacre at ft. hood, texas. a u.s. counterterrorism official tells cnn that would-be bomber umar farouk abdulmutallab had contact with terrorist anwr al walky, the american-born imam that has been linked to internet contacts with the accused hasan. where does the u.s. go from here? let's bring in military analyst ken robinson. he's joining us live from los angeles. we app

after a the hospital in hawaii after a health scare.your new year's. eye warrant to bring back ed lenry who has done double duty, covering not just the president but also rush limbaugh, vacationing in hawaii. he was taken to the hospital earlier this week. he remains in the hospital. ed, listen with me for a moment while we play walter e. williams who filled in for rush today, as guest host on limbaugh's nationally cindy indicated radio show. here what happens he told listeners about limbaugh's condition. >> first of all, folks i should say that rush continues to rest the very comfortable in the hospital in honolulu. he had a comfortable night and he's getting good medical attention. yesterday -- let me go back a little bit. yesterday, wednesday, he was taken to the hospital in honolulu after complaining of chest pains. those pains were the kind of pains that makes one feel like he has a heart attack coming on but it has not been confirmed that its a heart attack. today, thursday, he'll have a complete examination and will know more. an

he returns from his vacation in hawaii. what will he be looking for then? john brennan, the homeland security advisor that you just saw there on "meet the press," had this to say about that meeting on tuesday. >> clearly the system didn't work on that day because abdulmutallab should never have gotten on to that plane with those explosives. every other day the system has work so far this year. we've been able to thwart attempts by najdy bulla zazi. clearly what the president wants to do is make sure we strengthen the system. system is not broken but there are clearly ways to improve and strengthen the system to put together various bits of information that allows us to stop every single terrorist out there. >> human and systemic failures were to blame according to the president himself. incidentally, we know that the president's been in hawaii since christmas eve. he returns tomorrow morning leaving late hawaii time this evening on sunday evening, david. >> nbc's mike viqueira at the white house, thanks, as always. >>> for more on all of this we are joined

while the first family enjoyed some downtown the president in hawaii never gets a day off. lee cohen has our story. all right. we'll bring you that sorry later in our newscast. right now we'll take a quick break and chuck will be back with your forecast.  >>> two elephants in thailand are walking with a new stride. they were fitted with new legs for the new year thanks to donations. the 48-year-old and a 4-year-old lost legs after stepping on land mines. both elephants look happy as they took cautious steps on their new legs. the foundation plans to replace telegraphs as the animals age. >>> man's best friend has some new best friends in fredericksburg. a rescuer fell a dog who fell into the water. angel escaped and decided to walk across a partially frozen lake and fellhrough ties. angel's owner called 911 and fredericksburg police and firefighters came to the rescue. this is video of her being lifted from the water. angel is in the middle of the screen. her body half submerged treading water. >> looked out the window and saw angel right there, just treading water, tryin

released yesterday from a hospital in hawaii. limbaugh went in wednesday because he was having chest pains. doctors say tests showed he didn't have a heart attack. more importantly, he doesn't have heart disease. as evidence he was feeling better, limbaugh couldn't resist taking a political jab at a hospital news conference. >> based on what happened to me here, i don't think there's one thing wrong with the american health care system. it is working just fine, just dandy, and i got nothing special. i got no special treatment. >> at that news conference, limbaugh also said he wasn't taking painkillers. you may remember back in 2003 he admitted he was addicted to painkillers and went to rehab. >>> a california school board official was killed during a trip to mexico. his family says a group of gunmen kidnapped augustine salcedo and five other people from a restaurant wednesday. local media say their bodies were later found shot in the dead. salcedo, also known as bobby, was a member of a school board in a district in los angeles.

there has to be a better way. >> reporter: but last week, hawaii's republican governor rejected a move by the teachers union and state education officials to restore seven days to the public schools' calendar. >> i got the day off. >> so not so bad for you. >> no but -- >> he is honest. >> come on, i need a day off. >> reporter: mom wore there is while the politicians slug it out, the testing scores of her son and others will suffer come spring. >> the biggest person that's, you know, being hurt are the students. and i think, you know, when it comes to education it should never be touched and never be cut back. >> reporter: with so many states cash-strapped across the country, i can tell you federal officials are watching very closely to see if other states follow this model. lela gentry told us that she hopes other states avoid the furloughing friday model at all costs, don. >> thank you very much. safe travels. sorry are you have to come back to the mainland. >> yeah i do happy new year. >> happy new year to you, too. >>> sports are big business, but an event with a prize, get this t

thank you. >>> and let's turn now to nbc's chuck todd, who is traveling with the president in hawaii, and our chief foern correspondent richard engel here in new york. richard, let me begin with you if i can. how and why is the nature of the al qaeda threat in yemen suddenly changing? >> the al qaeda threat in yemen is getting bigger and the militants in that country are also on the forefront of developing a new kind of strategy for al qaeda, a more do-it-yourself model. al qaeda for years has been trying to outdo 9/11, organize another massive attack that al qaeda could be proud of, if you could call it that. al qaeda in yemen has a different philosophy. they're encouraging people all over the world to go onto the internet, to download explosives, and to carry out many, many smaller kinds of attacks. so it's a different approach and one that seems to be coming out of yemen. >> the last eight years we've been accustomed when we hear a place referred to as a front in the war on terror, we think u.s. combat boots on the ground. why won't that likely happen here? >> oh, i don't think you

he's been reviewing those while he continues on vacation in hawaii. he returns monday morning here to the white house and then the following day he has a meeting in the situation room with the heads of many of the agencies involved that have come under criticism. the department of homeland security. the national counterterrorism center. the director of national intelligence. the transportation security administration. all entities that were formed in the wake of 9/11, the 9/11 commission, and their recommendations. they were supposed to streamline information, promote the sharing of information that evidently did not happen this time. going to be a lot of tough questions, and some tough answers when the president meets with those agency heads on tuesday, chris. >> not to mention the five upcoming congressional hearings. mike, thank you. >> yes, all right. >> for some perspective i'm joined by nbc terrorism analyst evan coleman. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> so one of the things we hear from the president, he's going to make it a priority to

. >> in hawaii, president barak obama is winding down an island vacation interrupted by the cold reality of terrorism. promising to work with palestinians in washington to keep them safe. >> i can't imagine a more fit ing guide. >> at the beginning of the new year, it's important to remember we are all united by love of country and a common faith that no change is too great for the american people to overcome. >> in a fight to the finish on healthcare. the battle on the war on terror is certain to flair after the a texted christmas day bombing. let us make changes we need to make. >> this past week's suicide bombing in afghanistan causes a rememberance of the struggle ahead. the president can't escape the old challenges that face him in this new year. the president is blaming al qaeda for the christmas day bombing attempt. in washington, bal tv 11 news. now to where all of this leads travelers. one, two or no carry on bags. can you use the bathroom before landing? pat downs or body scans? we have a lot to choose from. second dairy screenings to pat downs. facing a whole new set of challe

he is coming back from hawaii, and there will be a meeting asking what they did, what went wrong, and what should be done better the next time. the lot of folks are talking about folks who will lose their jobs. >> there have already been some changes in airport security. >> there is a major change, you might call it was i-profiling. -- quasi-profiling. passengers from the 14 countries coming in on international flights will be subjected to some heightened level of security in the airports, an interesting move from the obama administration. i think you'll find a lot of people, regular air travelers who view a lot of these measures as an unnecessary and unhelpful. you find people who do not travel as often want to feel very secure when they apply and are interested in having these measures carried out. the approach of the white house is that they would rather appear to be doing something rather than nothing. they are going to try to put out a message every day that they are taking action in some respect to try to combat this threat. >> the close the embassy in yemen and britain followed

. >> host: he grew up and a large part in hawaii and has embraced the notion and the possibilities of-cultural the some. you write in your book he sees racial power as the anachronism. >> absolutely. it really subscribes to the popular vision. and his memoir he describes the older gentleman who serves as a mentor to him in hawaii who would always talk about black power and and he listens to them very carefully but at the same time he feels the view of the world is too narrow and static and it is the unchanging view of racial discrimination. at one point he describes listening to a speech from the former stokely carmichael in the early '80s at columbia had one woman asked a question and he said the way in which it was responded his eyes glowed from a mad man or a saint. the obama's view is something that is anachronistic that is suitable for the politics of the '60s and '70s but not flexible enough to take into the changing demographics. >> host: yet he has opened the white house and made it available to people of different ideological and a wide range and al sharpton is somebody who i

there was already political talk in hawaii about this. rush limbaugh went to the hospital. he said this after he left. >> the treatment i received here was the best that the world has to offer. i -- based on what happened to me here. i don't think there's one thing wrong with the american health care system. it's working just fine, just dandy. >> the delightful irony about that is that hawaii man dates that employers provide health care to their employees. is there going to be deal done by the state of the union? >> i believe there will be. i believe the 60 people will stay in place, tlo though there's increasing pressure on people like ben nelson. he was one of the last people to come to the table for the democrats. he's felt the need to put up an ad defending his decision. he's getting pressure in nebraska. he cut a last minute deal. there's a little pork barrel in the senate bill for nebraska. they don't have to play the increased medicaid costs. a lot of nebraskans are saying, we don't want that. it mikes us look greedy. >> what rush limbaugh was say g i ing was great,

. >> in a white, president obama is winding down -- in hawaii heat he is winding down and a vacation. >> we begin this new year, and i cannot imagine a more fitting resolution to guide us as a people and as a nation. >> a sentiment echoed by the senate's top republican. >> at the beginning of a new year, it is important to remember that we are all united by a our love of country and by a common faith that no challenge is too great for the american people to overcome. >> in a few weeks, lawmakers picked up right where they left off in the contentious fight to the finish on healthcare. now the battle of the war on terror will play a role after the attempted christmas day bombing. this past week's suicide bombing in afghanistan serves as a reminder of the struggle ahead as that war ramps up. even on an island paradise, the president faces the challenges of the new year. he is now blaming al qaeda for the christmas day bombing attempt and bows those held responsible -- those responsible will be held accountable. >> a second airline may be coming to the cells vary ocean city regional airpo

hawaii and vermont.ery democratic states and they have governors in places like wyoming and a number of conservative and for senate seats we don't see it often and increasingly we don't see that at all when we live in the polarized washington politics i think we're all watching because we remember there was a house special election in massachusetts not long ago where now congressman won but it was a surprising raise. we're all looking here to see is there going to be some message of dissatisfaction even in a democratic state but it's difficult to imagine republicans winning. if they do that will send chills. host: snapshot on january 19th? guest: i would be astonished if republicans didn't win but it's astonishing how many republicans we've had in new england and i think it's voters own way to have a check and balance. if you have on other when he will ming democratic legislation then they like a republican to balance it out. caller: good morning. steve, good morning gentleman, speaking from the people's

the president was in hawaii and had to shift his focus. he is headed back to town. he has to push health care aside so he with deal with it. >> it seems he all comes down to politics. national security was another reason for not closing guantanamo bay and not sending some back to where this plot was hatched. >> yes. this last year the president wanted to focus on the health care, climate change. this has pushed into the front burner. everyone wants to win. national security has been one of the top issues. it has proven favorable. they will try to capitalize on that. there is always a political opportunity here. >> and what is interesting is during the campaign the democrats as a party seem to answer everything the republicans threw at them. now that the obama administration is in office the white house don't seem to have strong answers for everything that is at them. >> and as they have been so focused on health care reform i don't want to say they have lost focus, but i wouldn't say they have been talking a lot about it. it hasn't been on their top priority list in

the radio talk show host suffered chest pains a couple of days ago at his hotel in hawaii.e says doctors just don't know what caused it but he did not have a heart attack and tests show he has no coronary or artery disease. limbaugh thanking the hospital for taking such very good care of him and he got in a little political commentary as well. >> the treatment i received here was the best that the world has to offer and based on what happened to me here, i don't think there's one thing wrong with the american health care system. it is working just fine, just dandy and i got nothing special. i got no special treatment other than what anybody else that would have called 911 and had brought in, been brought in with the same kind of symptoms. >> gregg: limbaugh also thanks his fans for the cards, flowers and prayers they've been sending and he's telling americans, especially those of his age, if you have any chest pains, don't mess with it, get to the hospital right away. ships loaded with explosive gas, homes just feet away. it doesn't take a whole lot of imagination to think

house correspondent ed henry who was in vegas today on his way home from covering the president in hawaii. what were you doing in vegas? >> reporter: well, i can't give you all the details, larry. it stays in vegas, i guess. in all seriousness, i was coming to get a little rest and relaxation, obviously, and bottom line is that it was anything but. there was such a dramatic scene. i was driving near this federal building right behind me, and all of a sudden i heard a man in plain clothes who i saw had a 9 millimeter gun shouting everybody get down. i didn't know who he was. i stopped the car and i realized he was a plain clothed police officer who had something on his radio saying there was a shooter loose in this federal building, and there was a shoot-out going on. right after he said that, there were helicopters descending and police cruisers and new information we had at this hour how it played out. cnn has confirmed with a law enforcement official that the suspect was johnny wicks. he's an older man, and he had a social security claim before the government. he was angry, and they bel

and as it became more clear, the white house, the president from hawaii started to escalate his statements. >> took a couple days for the pieces to fall into place. there's a legitimate question about whether president obama should have waited 72 hours to personally address the situation. here is the "new york daily news" cover, mr. president, it's time to get a grip. we sort of personal lies these things. >> tom kaine earlier on this network was saying obama was distracted by health care. if he was supporting obama, that was not a good thing to say. that is certainly going to be seized upon. >> president obama likes to think things through which i think you can make a case for. but he gets hit for it. >> in the world of 24 hour news and blogs we want a reaction in ten seconds. we don't want to wait two days. i mentioned that nbc was involved in spending money for the interview. this got the attention, david goldman who was able to bring his son back from brazil after his late wife had taken the boy there. nbc sent a private jet to brazil to pick up mr. goldman and his son, and then the in

and ed henry for us in hawaii. gentlemen, we thank you both. >>> british prime minister gordon brown wants to stem the seemingly growing tide of terror being exported out of yemen. brown is calling an international meeting later this month to coincide with a similar security conference regarding afghanistan. both meetings are now set for the 28th of january. >>> so ohio do you spot a terrorist? a piece of machinery may actually be the wave of the future. >>> and the news equivalent of a twinkie? viral videos you just got to see them. s amazing. let me take this. wait, there's no such thing as a projector phone. no, it's the lg phone and projector. there's no such thing as an lg phone and projector. ta-da. what ? the man said "ta-da" ! introducing the lg expo smartphone and lg projector. only at at&t. doesn't mean they're protected. oh, ladies. let's say you have osteoporosis. i do. you could be losing bone strength. can i get it back? (announcer) ask your doctor how to help treat osteoporosis with once-a-month acto

the president returns from vacation in hawaii on monday and will meet with top security officials first thing tuesday morning. kathryn brown, wjz eyewitness news. >> and general david petraeus is reportedly in yemen tonight, as the u.s. steps up aid to help yemen fight those al qaeda extremists. >>> meanwhile, in iraq, delays in the country's election will not keep american troops from pulling out by the end of august. the general expects to keep about 100,000 troops in iraq during the march 11th elections, then assess whether that country is on stable footing before moving u.s. forces out. >>> a million people gathered in times square this yew near -- new year's eve. and when it lit up, we could say it wouldn't have happened without two maryland women. andrea fujii explains. >> reporter: it's the moment millions of people around the world waited for. the illumination of the year 2010 in times square. >> it's a once in a lifetime experience. . >> reporter: and a magnificent sign was powered by green energy, with the help of two marylanders. pasadena resident dawn winterbottoms and megan

. >> host: he grew up in large part in hawaii and embraced the whole notion that this is a multicultural nation and the possibilities of multiculturalism. you write in your book that he sees a black power as a kind of racial anachronism. >> guest: absolutely. the president's vision of black power really subscribes to the popular vision. in his memoir he describes an older gentleman who serves as a mentor in hawaii who would always be talking about this black power stuff as obama puts it. he also describes meeting black nationalists in chicago and that he listens to them very carefully at the same time feels their view of the world is too narrow and static and it is an on changing view of racial discrimination and segregation and the one point he describes listening to a speech by the former stokely carmichael by the early 80's and he says that a woman is speaking and asks a question and he says the way in which he responds his eyes glowed with the guise of a mad man or st.. so obama's view of black power is something that is anachronistic, something that was suitable for the politics of

realistically, is there something he could do in washington that he couldn't do from hawaii?> you know, i think technically, no. they pretty much move the white house wherever the president goes. so from a technical standpoint, he can order up whatever he wants to order up from hawaii or for wherever else he happens to be. politically, though, we're in 2010 officially now. it's a campaign year, and, you know, what this president has to balance as his predecessors have in the past is, you know, the symbolism versus the reality. the symbolism is what the republicans are seizing on. >> and "the washington post" note there's have been no pictures of the president in, quote, extreme states of tropical relaxation. is this kind of an acknowledgment that the white house is feeling the sensitivity here. >> yeah, i think so. we all remember the shots of president bush on the golf course or president bush's father on his speed boat up in kennebunkport. those images are actually helpful in certain moments when you're trying to convey a sense that the president is able to have a kind of b

. >>> president obama and his family return to washington today after an 11 day vacation in hawaii. he spent part of i had final day there reading intelligence assessments and talking to advisers about threats to the united states. the first family also paid a visit to the honolulu zoo. >> the tsa has a new policy that went into effect at midnight. international air travellers will face tougher security screenings. passengers flying in from 14 nations mostly in the middle east and africa will be patted down and have their luggage searched. all international travellers will see an increase in random screenings. >>> wizards star, gilbert arenas says he'll meet today with police about his decision to bring guns into the team's locker room at the verizon center. he said he used bad judgment. he still will not discuss reports that he and his teammate drew guns on each other during an argument last month. >>> a man died when he flipped his car at rock creek park pap driver on the parkway noticed a car tire sticking out of the frozen creek yesterday. >> derrick ward tells us rescuers were

. >>> the first family leaves behind the tropical warmth of hawaii for the frigid temperatures of washington, d.c. they bordered air force one just a few hours ago for the overnight flight. on the last day of vacation, the president and first lady and two first daughters spent some time at the honolulu zoo. they visited the limas, the monkeys, among other exhibits. >>> coming up, a new movie hits the $1 billion mark at the box office. >>> plus, behind fares, a popular tv show helps to capture a fugitive. >>> and the world's new tallest building. it is the pride of a city but is have you gotten your seasonal flu vaccination? great - but your work's not done yet. we still need to get the h1n1 flu vaccination. you, me -- we should all get one. the vaccine is safe and proven effective against this highly contagious new strain of flu virus. we can help prevent the spread of this virus if we all just roll up our sleeves. to learn more about the h1n1 flu vaccination visit h1n1get1.com or call your local health department it's up to you to fight the flu. >>> welcome back. federal reserve chairman be

in his book he describes an older gentleman who serves as a mentor to him in hawaii who would always be talking about this black power stuff, as obama puts it. he also describes meeting black nationalists in chicago, and that, you know, he listens to them very y carefully, but at the same time he feels that their view of the world is narrow and too static. and it is an unchanging a few of racial discrimination and segregation. at one point he describes listening to a speech by the former stokely carmichael by the early '80's at columbia university and says that he is speaking. a woman asks the question. the way in which he responds is a madman or a saint. so obama's view of black power is really something that is anachronistic to something so that was suitable to the politics and 1960's and '70's, but is not flexible enough to take into account the changing racial and political demographics of our multi-cultural present. >> host: and yet he has opened the white house, made it available to people of different, you know, ideological and the wide range of the spectrum. al sharpton who i

hawaii is a state. where did the word immigrant come from?is upright, his father wasn't an immigrant. he was an exchange student that he wasn't an immigrant, so it's the words that are used to perform to be the sole. is not in your face like fox news objet d'art and assault. that's it in your face barack obama is this, this and this. that casual subtle stuff like maybe showing a republican ad that shows obama with a photo of children behind him, about a sex ed, some concept of a sex ed that went on in the election. and in cnn ran an actual ad. the republican party had a right to put out, i don't believe cnn or any of the other networks had a right. it's not responsible journalism. that add -- that bad to me showed obama looking like a pedophile. he stand there like this, there's children behind them and its barack obama, wants to teach children about sex education. well, fine. show that. if you're the republican party. by cnn, msnbc, fox, no, don't show that. and i think that was very damaging. >> you self published this book what was that pr