President Obama's Economic CPR; Billions Needed to Upgrade U.S. Chopper Fleet; Secretary Clinton in Asia
ROBERTS: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. The fleet of presidential helicopters is about to get a very expensive makeover, and this morning it's creating a pricey dilemma for President Obama. That's because the new fleet consists of 28 helicopters at a cost -- you're ready for this -- of $400 million each. CNN's Chris Lawrence is looking into this for us this morning.</s>LAWRENCE: John, Kiran, the decision could cut down to safety versus spending.</s>LAWRENCE (voice-over): President Obama may have to put a price tag on his own safety. The current fleet of presidential helicopters is old. The replacements will be safer, fly farther, faster but the new fleet is years behind schedule and the cost is nearly double to $11 billion.</s>RICHARD ABOULAFIA, TEAL GROUP: This helicopter assumes that money is no object in ensuring the safety of the president.</s>LAWRENCE: It has to be more up-to-date than this current equipment shot inside the cockpit by "National Geographic." It has the jam tracking devices and deflect missiles. It's got to have Internet, phones and faxes, the kinds that still work despite low-level radiation or after an electromagnetic pulse from a nuclear blast. Sixty-four feet of armored technology for relatively short flights.</s>ABOULAFIA: This is basically a niche machine, 15 minutes here, 30 minutes there.</s>LAWRENCE: The new helicopters cost $400 million each. That makes Marine One one of the most expensive aircraft in the world, and President Obama must decide if the high price is worth the political cost.</s>ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Concerns that, in terms of what that means for the taxpayers, as well as what that means for the military and I think those are many questions that have to be addressed.</s>LAWRENCE: Critics say during the Bush administration the Pentagon rushed to give the contract to Lockheed Martin. The company had never built helicopters before and having to add all those features sent the price soaring. (on camera): It's possible these helicopters could save his life. But after President Obama criticized corporate executives for flying such high-priced jets, buying such a pricey fleet of his own may not fly. (voice-over): The contract's been frozen while the Pentagon reviews it. Some Connecticut Democrats see a chance to move the project to a company in their state.</s>REP. ROSA L. DELAURIO (D), CONNECTICUT: What are the alternatives? What's more cost effective and still maintaining national security?</s>LAWRENCE: During the campaign, candidate Obama said, "We should be spending a lot more money trying to figure out how to get our energy policy right than we should on helicopters for the president." Well, now they're his helicopters. Better watch the overhead.</s>LAWRENCE: The White House says it's going to look at this program and the bigger issue of how the Pentagon buys its equipment -- John, Kiran.</s>CHETRY: Chris Lawrence for us, thanks. Well, it's just about 28 minutes after the hour right now. We take a check of the top stories. The White House says President Obama will decide shortly on sending more U.S. troops to Afghanistan. Press Secretary Robert Gibbs telling reporters the president is consulting with military leaders as well as his foreign policy team as the administration continues to review its Afghanistan policy. Now Gibbs would not put a definitive timetable on any decision but says it shouldn't involve weeks. Defense Secretary Gates last week said that the president was just days away from announcing a decision. Well, a woman in Stamford, Connecticut, is fighting for her life this morning after she was mauled by her friend's pet chimpanzee. Police say the attack on 55-year-old Charla Nash was unprovoked. They say the owner stabbed the 200-pound chimp named Travis trying desperately to stop the attack on her friend. Police who responded to the scene shot the chimp dead when he tried to get them. Back in 2003, Travis's escaped from his owner's home. He ran free for a couple of hours before he was captured but beside that, he's been a loving family pet for the past 15, 16 years. Also this morning, a Facebook face-off after the popular social Web site quietly changed their terms of service agreement. Under the new terms, many users became concerned that Facebook owned anything you posted, and could use if they see fit, as they see fit, whenever, even if you cancel your account. Now the Web site's chief executive officer says that is not true and that Facebook does not own their information. This morning we want to know what you think about it. Send us an e-mail or an iReport, CNN.com/am. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is meeting with Japanese leaders in Tokyo this morning, and she's offering a word to the wise in North Korea, amid rumblings that Pyongyang is planning a nuclear missile test.</s>CLINTON: I would underscore that the North Koreans should in no way be mistaken. President Obama on his inauguration during his address made it clear that the United States will reach out a hand to those with whom we have differences, so long as they unclench their fists. But the decision as to whether North Korea will cooperate in the six-party talks and provocative language and action is up to them, and we are watching very closely.</s>CHETRY: CNN's Jill Dougherty is traveling with Secretary Clinton, she joins us live from Tokyo. Thanks for being with us this morning, Jill. So, is the North Korea situation right now overshadowing some of the other highlights of this trip?</s>JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: You know, in a way it is, Kiran, because although the secretary was totally prepared to talk about this, it was on the agenda. She was going to be speaking with the leaders of all of the countries that she's visiting on this trip. But it's the unpredictability of what North Korea might do. After all, there have been indications that they might launch a missile and that it could happen even while she is here in Asia. So it's that note of unpredictability and what it would mean that's really causing her to focus even more so far on that subject. She had to warn them today not to do it. And then also she met interestingly with families of these abductees. Those are the Japanese here who were abducted by the North Koreans. Several of them are still missing. Nobody knows where they went. It's a very emotional issue, and Hillary Clinton met with some of the families today -- Kiran.</s>CHETRY: And also, Jill, as we say, you're traveling with Secretary Clinton. Take us behind the scenes, what are people saying, how are people weighing in on her overseas trip --- her first overseas trip as secretary of state?</s>DOUGHERTY: Well, you know, we're on the plane with her, and relatively small plane, you could say. She has a bed and an easy chair, but it doesn't look as if she's using it very much, because she continues to get briefed. There are a lot of very sensitive issues, and you know, I traveled with the secretary when she was Mrs. Clinton back in the Clinton White House back in the early '90s. And she used to go on these trips that we're called the Hillary trips, went to many of the countries that we're going to now, and it was a different story at that point. Now, everything that she says is parsed for exactly the right words, exactly what has to be said, so it's very complex. But people are saying that she's doing very well. She really does. Everyone, I think would agree, she knows the brief.</s>CHETRY: Yes, absolutely. You could see her speaking very slowly and deliberately, and of course diplomatically, because that's -- she's a top diplomat now. Jill Dougherty for us traveling with Secretary Clinton, thanks.</s>ROBERTS: The White House warning the economy that it might get worse before it gets better. But one investment banker is a bit more optimistic. He'll tell us why. And it's fashion week in New York City. And we're taking you inside to see how the recession is forcing designers to re-think the runway. It's 33-1/2 minutes after the hour.