Obama to Visit Storm-Damaged Staten Island
BERMAN: In just a few hours, President Obama will get a firsthand look at the recovery from superstorm Sandy here in New York City. The President will visit storm-ravaged Staten Island, viewing the devastation from the air before meeting with storm victims and local officials on the ground. Many people there saying they feel simply abandoned by FEMA. CNN's Victor Blackwell is live on Staten Island this morning. Victor, you spoke with some residents there. How are they reacting to this visit today?</s>VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's mixed, John. There's not one person I spoke with who said they did not want the President to come. But they are saying, Mr. President, if you come, bring some tools, bring some people ready to work, bring some heavy equipment so we can start to rebuild Staten Island. There is a lot of what you're seeing behind me. This was a tech store that was just devastated by the storm. And not just the items, not just the homes, but more than half of the people who died as a result of Sandy in New York died on Staten Island. The President, we heard from the White House, will walk along the Cedar Grove Avenue, in the section of Neudorf here on Staten and I met a man who moved here in 1959. His name is Dominick Traina, he was 13 years old, he moved in with his parents there. And then when he turned 18, he got married and bought a house up the street. He told us how he felt, what he did when he came back and saw that both his childhood home and the home where he raised his children were both destroyed.</s>BLACKWELL: When you came back and saw this, what did you feel? What did you think?</s>DOMINIC TRAINA, STATEN ISLAND RESIDENT: Cried. You know, I don't know what I thought. I'm still in shock. You know, right now, we're living in the basement. We have nothing. We have nothing.</s>BLACKWELL: How do you start over?</s>TRAINA: At 66 years old, I don't know. I really don't. We're just going to stick together with the kids and try to make the best of it.</s>BLACKWELL: Fifty-three years on Cedar Grove Avenue in Neudorf, and I asked him, are you going to rebuild, are you going to stay? And he said, I don't think I want to live here anymore. He's 66 years old. This is all he's known in his adult life. But he's hoping to speak with the President when he walks down that block today and ask for support for his neighbors, although they will not be his neighbors for much longer -- John.</s>BERMAN: All right. Thanks -- Victor Blackwell on Staten Island. A tough situation there, still. Thanks, Victor.</s>SAMBOLIN: It is 16 minutes past the hour. Jon Bon Jovi's 19-year-old daughter is recovering this morning after a heroin overdose. Authorities say Stephanie Bongiovi overdosed in her dorm at Hamilton College in Upstate New York. She and a fellow student were charged with drug possession.</s>BERMAN: It's the beginning of the end for the "Twilight" film franchise. "Breaking Dawn Part 2" debuts tonight in midnight shows from coast to coast. Critics say the fifth and final chapter may be the best of all the "Twilight" films. It's been described as a love letter to all those twi-hards who I'm told by reliable sources are, in fact, everywhere.</s>SAMBOLIN: We have some on our staff, actually.</s>BERMAN: Vampires or?</s>SAMBOLIN: No, not vampires.</s>BERMAN: Oh, Twi-hards.</s>SAMBOLIN: Yes, Twi-hards.</s>BERMAN: Speaking of vampires, later on "STARTING POINT," Elizabeth Reaser joins Soledad. She plays Esme Cullen who is the matriarch of "Twilight" vampire clan.</s>SAMBOLIN: Seventeen minutes past the hour. One of the most frustrated things about flying is getting through airport security, right?</s>BERMAN: Yes, I'd say that. In today's "Road Warriors," Christine Roman tells us how some technology may help travelers zip through that line.</s>CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: And we have all been on the plane a lot lately, haven't we? And hope we won't be for sometime. But, right, security lines, you guys, can add hours to your trip, can add an awful lot of frustration. There are a few programs out there, though, that cut your wait time. The TSA's pre-check program allows travelers to jump to the front of the line, move through security without removing their shoes, belts, or laptops. You can -- John Berman apparently is in this program. These are the people I kind of like scowl when I see in the plane because they're moving so much more quickly. Passengers become a member by becoming part of a frequent flyer and then invited by the airline. Or you can apply to the U.S. Customs trusted traveler program like Global Entry -- Global Entry -- to be eligible. You're not guaranteed to enjoy the benefits every trip. Members are randomly picked to go through the designated pre-check line. Others are sent through regular security but are able to skip the line. Pre- check not available at all U.S. airports, but TSA plans to roll out more, you guys , by the end of the year. So, keep a lookout in your city. And the Clear Card is back. After shutting down in 2009, Clear has returned and is now in four airports, Orlando, Denver, San Francisco, and Dallas-Ft. Worth with more to come. Clear allows travelers to bypass regular security lines. The process is simple. You swipe your clear card in a kiosk. You verify your identity with a fingerprint or iScan and you move through security. A few things to note: Clear costs 200 bucks a year almost. While members do not have to pay to be part of pre-check. There's a cost of about $100 to apply to a U.S. Customs trusted traveler program to become eligible. So how long you've been doing this?</s>BERMAN: Just -- six months ago, all of a sudden, they said, you're pre-check, get in the pre-check. For a long time, I traveled a lot, like a wicked lot. And so if your a frequent traveler, they put you in that program.</s>ROMANS: Wow.</s>BERMAN: And so, it is about a tenth, I get through a tenth of the time that I use to.</s>SAMBOLIN: But I thought with pre-check, you have to actually sign up for it.</s>BERMAN: Nope.</s>SAMBOLIN: And go through a background check?</s>BERMAN: They may have done a background check on me, I'm clean. But it wasn't at my request. The airline, my frequent flyer programs may have put me up for it.</s>ROMANS: That's so interesting. But you don't always know if you can do it, so you still have to plan for the time in the line. That's a big surprise.</s>BERMAN: I'm surprised every time when they put me in this magical line that passes like instantly. Sorry, everyone. It's kind of awesome, though. Nineteen minutes after the hour right now. And there is a troubling trend on Wall Street. It began really as soon as the election ended. We'll have more, coming up.