[Kiran Chetry, Cnn Anchor:] The next hour of AMERICAN MORNING starts right now. And good morning to you. Once again, it's Tuesday, November 9th. Glad you're with us. I'm Kiran Chetry.
[John Roberts, Cnn Anchor:] Good morning. I'm John Roberts. Here are this morning's top stories. The man behind one of the most horrific crimes in the past decade now heading to death row. More on one family's night at terror in their Connecticut home and the end of a long nightmare for the sole survivor.
[Chetry:] Former President George W. Bush in his own words. Nearly two years after leaving the White House, the former president is speaking out, giving a series of interviews. Yesterday, he spoke with Matt Lauer. This morning, we're going to hear what he calls the worst moment of his presidency.
[Roberts:] And a man who added three years to the life of people in one city is sharing his tips for healthy living. Tips that he got from the oldest people in the world. And you may be on the list for his next wellness makeover. It's a segment that literally could add years to your life later on this hour.
[Chetry:] First, though, we start with the third time a charm this morning. After canceling two previous trips, President Obama is now in Indonesia. We just heard him speak live a moment ago with that country's president. It's the place where he spent four years of his childhood, and it's the second stop on the president's ten-day trip to Asia. He arrived in Jakarta earlier this morning. He just wrapped up his news conference and his brief two-day visit may be cut short because of that ash cloud from Mt. Merapi, which has been erupting over the past week or more. Our senior White House correspondent, Ed Henry, joins us now on the phone from Jakarta. We had a chance to listen to the president's speech. What was notable to you, Ed?
[Ed Henry, Cnn Senior White House Correspondent:] Well, I think, you know, what's interesting right now, the president is getting questioned about his own personal connection to Indonesia. He spent four years here as a boy starting at the age of six, and he was commenting on how the landscape has completely changed. There were dirt roads, et cetera, when he was here in the early '70s. And he's reflecting a little bit on the personal, something he doesn't do very often, because obviously this is the most populous majority Muslim country in the world. And his time here as a boy has helped fuel some of this skepticism about whether he was really born in the United States and raised questions about whether he's Muslim or not. And the president, you know, has obviously struggled with dealing with those questions, which he's called silly, because he's not Muslim, he's Christian. And so he doesn't always talk about that personal side. So I think he's balancing that with the heavy substance of, look, the U.S. trying to expand trade ties with Indonesia, also trying to work together on counterterrorism. There have been terror attacks here and Bali and elsewhere. Obviously it's something the two countries are working on closely. And I think more broadly when you talk to senior White House officials, they say what the president wants to do here on this visit is really highlight the fact that this is a country that's protecting its Muslim identity while also engaging with the west, not pulling back and actually engaging on issues like the economy and climate change. And that's far different of course than the other countries here in Asia and the Mideast. And it's a contrast to China since this is a democracy. And if you notice, all the big countries the president's visiting from India to Indonesia, South Korea next and then ending it in Japan, all democracies around China, a not so subtle hint that we've got other allies in this region, Kiran.
[Chetry:] And also, just practically speaking about the president's trip, I know they were looking forward to in Indonesia. He's supposed to give a big speech at the university in Jakarta. This volcano about 375 miles away, it's been erupting. It could cut the president's trip short. What is the latest on that?
[Henry:] Yes, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told us a short time ago, it looks like we're going to be leaving a few hours early. The president was going to be here in less than 24 hours anyway, but he'll maybe have to cancel a couple of events here. The bottom line is you have experts saying this volcanic ash can be destructive to jet engines. And the last thing they want to do is put Air Force One in an unsafe situation as well as the press plane here that we're going to be on. And there are other planes that are part of the official U.S. delegation. And so we're going to probably leave here a little bit early. And it's sort of a strange circumstance because you'll remember this is now the third time the president has tried to come to Indonesia just this year. The first time was canceled because of the health care debate in Washington, then the Gulf oil spill was overshadowing things. Now the third one, he finally got here, but cutting it short, Kiran.
[Chetry:] Ed Henry traveling with the president in Indonesia today. Thanks so much, Ed. John?
[John Roberts, Cnn Anchor:] As we watch the president in Southeast Asia, former President Bush is back in the spotlight nearly two years after leaving office. He's written a book. It's called "Decision Points." It comes out today. And in it he writes about everything from waterboarding to the war on terror to Kanye West. Last night the former president sat down with NBC's Matt Lauer, and he spoke about the now infamous photo of him taken aboard Air Force One as he surveyed the damage from hurricane Katrina.
[George W. Bush, Former President Of The United States Of America:] Yes. Huge mistake.
[Matt Lauer, Nbc News:] And it made you look so out of touch.
[Bush:] Detached. And uncaring. No question about it.
[Lauer:] Whose fault was it?
[Bush:] It's always my fault. I should have touched down in Baton Rouge, met with the governor, walked out and said I hear you. We know, we understand, and we're going to help the state and help the local governments with as much resources as need, and then got back on up to Washington. And I did not do that and paid a price for it.
[Roberts:] The president also touched on what he called the worst moment of his presidency when Kanye West said he didn't care about black people.
[Lauer:] You say you told Laura at the time it was the worst moment of your presidency.
[Bush:] Yes.
[Lauer:] I wonder if some people are going to read that and they might give you some heat for that. And the reason is this
[Bush:] Don't care.
[Lauer:] Here's the reason. You're not saying the worst moment in your presidency was watching the misery in Louisiana, you're saying when someone insulted you because of it.
[Bush:] And I also make it clear that the misery in Louisiana affected me deeply, as well. There's a lot of tough moments in the book. And it was a disgusting moment pure and simple.
[Roberts:] Chief political correspondent Candy Crowley is also sitting down with the former president. You can see her special edition of "STATE OF THE UNION " Sunday night at 8:00 p.m. eastern.
[Chetry:] Also new this morning, a jury saying the man must die for the brutal Connecticut home invasion and murder, a case that drew national attention for how shocking and disgusting it was. Steven Hayes convicted of murdering a mother and her two daughters and setting the house on fire before attempting to flee. Hayes also forced Jennifer Hawk Petit to go to a bank to withdraw money before she was killed.
[Roberts:] Some new restrictions on air travel are in effect in the wake of the Yemen bomb plot. Passengers can no longer travel with toner cartridges weighing more than a pound. And high-risk cargo is banned from passenger planes and will be subject to additional screening. In Michigan, a state attorney general is out of a job this morning. In his blog Andrew Cheval called University of Michigan student president Chris Armstrong racist and a liar who threatened a radical homosexual agenda. Cheval's attorney claims his client was exercising free speech. Fears of inflation sent the price of gold and other precious metals soaring yesterday. Gold hit an all-time high closing at $1,403 an ounce. Investors worrying that the Fed's $600 billion monetary stimulus will devalue the dollar.
[Chetry:] Here's a stat that should wake you up. According to AAA, two out of five drivers admit to falling asleep behind the wheel. More than a quarter say they've had trouble staying awake while driving in the last month.
[Roberts:] And passengers who are flying on Air Tran, Delta, and Virgin America will have Wi-Fi in the sky this holiday season for, listen to this, free. Google is partnering with the airlines to offer wireless Internet free of charge on all domestic flights between November 20th and January 2nd. And isn't that a nice holiday treat?
[Chetry:] Yes, get a lot more done.
[Roberts:] Well, he's back, Conan O'Brien returning to the air more than nine months after being booted from "The Tonight Show." His new late night show kicked off on our sister network TBS. O'Brien started the show by revisiting the months after he lost his job at NBC. And as you'll see, he was visited by a familiar face.
[Larry King, Cnn:] Don't do it, Conan!
[Conan O'brien, Late Night Talk Show:] Larry King?
[King:] I'm your guardian angel.
[O'brien:] But you're not dead.
[King:] Never mind that. I have two words for you, basic cable.
[O'brien:] Basic cable?
[Unidentified Male:] Conan, I think you'll find our terms very attractive.
[O'brien:] I think we have a deal.
[Chetry:] Well, Conan's new show is a lot like his last. He kind of monologued. There you see Seth Rogen. And also he jammed a little bit there is Andy Richter, too and he jammed a little bit with White Stripes front man Jack White. They were rocking it. One new feature, an oversized moon. Conan or his side kick can move across the sky with the remote control. See that? And who said there wasn't cool tricks in basic cable? By the way, you can watch Conan's new show tonight on TBS at 11:00 eastern. Tonight's guests include Tom Hanks, Jack McBrayer, and musical guest Soundgarden.
[Roberts:] It can now be said that Conan O'Brien hangs the moon. It's Clinton versus Kardashian, why the secretary of state says the Kardashians aren't exactly the best ambassadors for the United States.
[Chetry:] And in what could be Sarah Palin's first move toward 2012, taking on a major policy issue, the Fed's move to quote "print money out of thin air." It's ten minutes past the hour.