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December 14, 2009
Morning Buzz: The Pres and the bankers
Posted: 11:04 AM ET
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Eliza Browning
AC360° Associate Producer

President Obama meets with bank leaders today to encourage them to do more for the economy, such as boosting small-business lending. The CEOs of 12 banks are expected to attend, including the heads of American Express, Bank of America and Citigroup (the latter, by the way, became the last big Wall Street bank to return bailout funds to the government today). Why aren’t banks making small loans? Will Obama’s pressure make a difference?

During his meeting with the Wall Street types, the President is expected to remind them of the intentions of the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) - to buttress the economy and – essentially – save their shirts. The high bonuses and the lack of lending have led to what Obama has called a “frustrated” American public.

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December 11, 2009
Morning Buzz: Who built the border tunnels?
Posted: 10:45 AM ET
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A jackhammer discovered inside the tunnel.
A jackhammer discovered inside the tunnel.

Eliza Browning
AC360° Associate Producer

If you saw AC360° last night, you saw Anderson’s live report from an underground tunnel that was discovered under the border between Tijuana, Mexico and San Diego, Calif.

The tunnel – complete with an elevator shaft, electricity and pipes – is approximately 900 feet long and nearly 100 feet deep. Tonight, Anderson explains exactly how this tunnel was built. Law enforcement agents estimate that it had been under construction for almost three years and thirteen people were arrested when it was uncovered.

Who else was behind the construction of this illegal route? Investigation into potential involvement by drug cartels is ongoing. Jackhammers, cigarette lighters and pages torn from magazines still litter the ground in the most elaborate tunnel authorities say they’ve found in the ongoing attempt to curb drug smuggling and violence along the U.S. border with Mexico.

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December 10, 2009
Morning Buzz: Inside a border tunnel
Posted: 10:55 AM ET
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Eliza Browning
AC360° Associate Producer

Authorities have uncovered an unfinished tunnel under the border between the United States and Mexico. The tunnel, complete with an elevator, electricity and a ventilation system, extends from Tijuana, Mexico to Otay Mesa, Calif., in San Diego.

The tunnel was discovered by Mexican law enforcement working with the San Diego Tunnel Task Force, which includes agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Drug Enforcement Agency and the U.S. Border Patrol.
The tunnel is approximately 900 feet long and reaches a depth of up to 100 feet. Anderson will report live from inside the tunnel tonight, where authorities believe Mexican drug cartels would have smuggled drugs under the border in the U.S.

Michael Ware is in Juarez, Mexico – a city still plagued by drug violence. Yesterday, Michael Ware went out on patrol with Mexican law enforcement agents. Seventeen people were killed in the city that day – including two children. Tonight he’ll report on the drug rehabilitation centers where cartels are trying to recruit drug addicts.

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December 9, 2009
Morning Buzz: The Toronto 18
Posted: 10:30 AM ET
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Sen. Harry Reid called the health care debate one of the most important in the nation's history.
Sen. Harry Reid called the health care debate one of the most important in the nation's history.

Eliza Browning
AC360° Associate Producer

They are called the Toronto 18 – a group of homegrown terrorists that were planning to create their own, Canadian version, of 9/11. The plot, frightening, the date: September 11th, 2006. It would have been a five year "celebration" of the attack on the World Trade Towers and it would have most likely killed thousands. Only now are we learning the full details of plot, how close it came to happening, and the surprising turn of events that has placed many of these would-be terrorists right back on the streets. Drew Griffin investigates tonight.

Liberal and moderate Democrats have reached a “broad agreement” on a health care bill that will be sent to the Congressional Budget Office today. Two Democratic sources said that the deal includes proposals to replace the public option by creating a not-for-profit private insurance option – much like the current health care plan for federal workers. Another part of the bill is that the plan would allow people 55 and older to buy into Medicare coverage – right now it’s only available to people who are 65 and older. So what does this Senate plan mean for you? We’ll take a look at how this plan affects a variety of people – what will the impact be on people who are single in their 30s, married in their 40s and beyond.

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December 8, 2009
Morning Buzz: Self-help gone wrong?
Posted: 10:01 AM ET
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Eliza Browning
AC360° Associate Producer

In October, three people died in a sweat lodge run by self-help guru James Arthur Ray. It turns out that 12 weeks before the tragic incident, another woman’s life came to an end during another one of Ray’s workshops. But this one received little attention – in part because Ray’s company maintained a low-profile about it. The woman was participating in one of Ray’s scenarios in which she wandered around San Diego as a homeless person, without any identification or possessions. But this woman ended up jumping off a building and killing herself in the process. And if you think that’s bad, the story only gets worse. Gary Tuchman has the details for us tonight.

Earlier today, at least 112 people were killed in central Baghdad and more than 400 were wounded when suicide bombers exploded their cars in a series of five terrorist attacks. The attacks shattered a two-month period of relative calm in the capital that had existed since twin car bombings in late October. The passage of Iraq’s election law has led to intense controversy in the Iraqi parliament and a vote which was planned for January has been pushed back. Is Iraq facing an increased risk of danger? Are we leaving too early?

Robert Gates, the U.S. Defense Secretary, arrived in Afghanistan and spoke with President Karzai today. Karzai told Gates that his country would need international help for 15-20 years. Gates promised the US would not abandon Afghanistan as they had done in the past.

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December 7, 2009
Morning Buzz: Will “Climate-gate” overshadow the Climate Summit?
Posted: 11:10 AM ET
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Delegates arrive at the summit building in Copenhagen as talks get under way.
Delegates arrive at the summit building in Copenhagen as talks get under way.

Eliza Browning
AC360° Associate Producer

In Copenhagen today, 15,000 people from 192 countries are hashing out a successor to the Kyoto Treaty, the global agreement regulating greenhouse gases. The current agreement expires in 2012. So what are the key issues that will be tackled by members of the summit? What impact will emission limits have on industries, the economy and jobs? And do most Americans care? Enough to do something about it? Already today, a European official claimed that the U.S. and China have not offered to go far enough to combat climate change.

But the climate change summit is at risk of being overshadowed by what some are calling “Climate-Gate.” At the University of East Anglia, thousands of pieces of correspondence between some of the world’s leading climate scientists were stolen and leaked on the internet. Apparently, hacked emails from some of the scientists have ignited allegations that scientists “cooked the books” on some of the impact of global warming. Will this email leak lead to more debate about the truth behind global warming? What do you think? We’re looking into the the emails and following the money trail – who benefits from making the argument that global warming is man-made? We’re keeping them honest tonight.

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December 4, 2009
Morning Buzz: Buying health care votes?
Posted: 10:45 AM ET
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Eliza Browning
AC360° Associate Producer

The cost of just getting the health care bill passed is raising eyebrows on Capitol Hill. Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu eventually voted yes to debate the bill, but only after the Senate apparently added $300 million dollars in federal spending for her state. And she is a Democrat. It turns out getting support from Republicans may cost billions of dollars. Could one particular tax loophole benefiting one state have anything to do with a potential “yes” vote? Drew Griffin is keeping them honest tonight.

An Italian jury has begun deliberations in the murder trial of American student Amanda Knox and her former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito. Yesterday, Knox took the stand for a third time, telling jurors that she is not an "assassin" who killed her former roommate. Knox and Sollecito are charged with murder and sexual violence in the November 2007 stabbing death of Meredith Kercher. Knox and Kercher, a British exchange student, were roommates. The verdict may come down as early as this afternoon. We’ll have the latest developments tonight.

We’re learning this morning that the U.S. jobs market improved significantly in November, as employers trimmed the fewest jobs of any month since the start of the recession. Approximately 11,000 jobs were lost in November – a striking contrast from the 125,000 jobs that economists forecasted for the month. The unemployment rate, now at 10 percent, posted the biggest one-month decline in more than three years. So where are the jobs and who is most affected? We’ll break it down for you tonight.

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December 1, 2009
Morning Buzz: A new strategy for Afghanistan
Posted: 09:58 AM ET
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Eliza Browning
AC360° Associate Producer

President Obama will travel to the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York, today where he is expected to announce his second escalation of U.S. forces in Afghanistan since he came into office. According to reports, he will send more than 30,000 U.S. troops to the region and will seek further troop commitments from NATO allies to defeat al Qaeda and the Taliban in the country.

Tonight we’ll be digging deeper on Obama’s speech. How did he do? Was his mission and strategy clearly defined? Tom Foreman will be fact-checking his speech. Do you think his message succeeded in swaying those opposed to the plan? It took him nearly three months to come up with the strategy. How did he make the decision to proceed with this particular plan? We’ll be breaking down his points with our panel of experts and we’ll talk about how Afghan leaders are responding to the plan.

Will the deployment of more troops improve the situation in Afghanistan? When will they arrive? Earlier this fall, Anderson, Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Michael Ware visited the region where the spoke to troops in Helmand Province. They’ll talk about how the new deployments affect troops on the ground. When the new troops get to the region, the total U.S. commitment in Afghanistan will be close to 100,000 troops in Afghanistan, bolstered by about 45,000 NATO forces.

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November 30, 2009
Morning Buzz: Women breaking the combat barrier
Posted: 10:17 AM ET
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Eliza Browning
AC360° Associate Producer

During the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, American women in the military have quietly been proving themselves as never before. These are the first wars in which women in the American military have lived and fought alongside men for long periods of time – and some say they could not fight these wars without them. Recently, it was announced that the nation’s top drill sergeant is now a woman.

Even in the field many women have taken on roles that were often seen as taboo in the past, as the necessity of manpower means they are called upon for duties previously set aside for male colleagues. But has their pioneering work come at a price? Do they receive the same support as their male counterparts? We'll talk to women in the military about how they are breaking barriers tonight at 10 p.m. ET.

Tomorrow evening, President Obama will deliver an address at West Point Military Academy to announce his plans to send thousands of additional U.S. military troops to Afghanistan. More than 900 American soldiers have lost their lives in Afghanistan, and October was the deadliest month since the start of the war in 2001, with 74 U.S. soldiers killed. According to numerous reports, the wars in both Afghanistan and Iraq have cost $768.8 billion dollars. Will Obama face resistance from lawmakers on Capitol Hill?

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November 27, 2009
Morning Buzz: A priest’s secret son?
Posted: 10:17 AM ET
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Father Henry Willenborg holding his son on a family vacation.
Father Henry Willenborg holding his son on a family vacation.

Eliza Browning
AC360° Associate Producer

Happy Friday everyone. We hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving celebrations.

Markets are down today as worries over losses from Dubai's debt problems unnerved investors worldwide. The problems stem from Dubai World, the finance arm of Dubai, which is considering a postponement of payments on nearly $60 billion in debt.

In the U.S. today, retailers are doing whatever it takes to lure shoppers to the malls. It is Black Friday, after all, the day that retailers typically begin to turn a profit for the year. November and December are crucial sales months because often times the combined period can account for half, if not more, of sales and profits for the entire year.

Despite some signs of growth, the U.S. economy is not out of the woods yet. But can Washington do something about it? Twenty-nine states reported rising unemployment rates in October and 1 million people are at risk of losing their unemployment benefits by January.  President Obama will hold a jobs summit next week to discuss various ideas and House leaders say they’re aiming to vote on a jobs bill by Dec. 18. Is this possible? So can lawmakers create job growth?

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