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American Morning

High Alert: Violence on Muslim Holy Day; New Warning to Iran: Stay out of Iraq; Barbaro's Battle: Farewell to Beloved Horse

Aired January 30, 2007 - 08:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: We're coming up at the top of the hour. Chad Myers at the weather center with a look at what's going on in the big weather story this morning.
Good morning, Chad.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You can be so at times, Miles, so rude, you know?

O'BRIEN: What, when?

MYERS: Because maybe that guy could buy himself such good medical -- he could live to be 130.

O'BRIEN: Well, just hedging your bets. I didn't mean to be rude. No, I wish him many, many years of health, happiness and wealth. I do.

MYERS: And a big house in Florida.

O'BRIEN: At my age, I'd take the lump sum, because you never know.

MYERS: Me too, exactly -- the way I've treated my body.

(WEATHER REPORT)

MYERS: The next hour of AMERICAN MORNING starts right now.

O'BRIEN: High alert. Dozens of pilgrims killed as thousands mark a Shiite holy day in Iraq.

ALINA CHO, CNN ANCHOR: War of words. President Bush telling Iran to get out of Iraq or face serious consequences.

O'BRIEN: And the end of a legendary run. America's emotional good-bye to Barbaro on this AMERICAN MORNING.

Good morning. It is Tuesday, January 30th.

I'm Miles O'Brien.

CHO: And I'm Alina Cho, in for Soledad O'Brien.

Thanks for being with us. O'BRIEN: We begin this morning in Iraq. A wave of deadly attacks there against Shiite Muslims. Dozens of people killed observing the final day of Ashura. That's the holiest day for Shiites, and it's right where the historic split began between Sunni and Shia Muslims, the source of so much violence in Iraq right now.

CNN's Arwa Damon live from Baghdad with more.

Good morning, Arwa.

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles.

And despite the security measures being put into place both by the Iraqi government and U.S. forces, who are on standby for any sort of violence, there have been a number of attacks, mainly in the capital of Baghdad and in the northern province of Diyala, targeting Shia pilgrims as they try to go forward in their commemoration of the death of Imam Hussein. We have seen dozens of pilgrims killed, over 100 wounded in the capital of Baghdad.

One of the attacks taking place when gunmen opened fire on a minibus that was carrying pilgrims from one location to one of the Shia shrines in the capital. That attack killing at least seven Iraqis. But the deadliest attack coming in the volatile province of Diyala.

It is ethnically mixed. Many people call it a microcosm of Iraq. But there at the main gate of one of the Shia mosques, a suicide bomber was waiting, and his explosives, when he detonated, he killed at least 19 Iraqis. But despite this violence, despite the potential for more violence, we are still seeing millions of Shia pilgrims marking this very holy day -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Clearly, everybody anticipated, Arwa, that this would be a tempting target for those bent on violence. I guess the question is, since everybody expected that, how much does this deepen the sectarian divide, or is it already as deep as it's going to get?

DAMON: Well, Miles, there is always the potential for the deepening of the sectarian divides here. Really, many people here fear that if a significant attack takes place against a Shia target, if we, for example, tragically would see an explosion taking place amongst the masses, the millions that are gathered in Karbala, that would most certainly spark an even greater level of sectarian violence throughout this country.

In fact, when we speak with many Iraqis, one of their main fears is a main attack against a Shia target. If you remember, the event that catapulted the sectarian violence here to entirely new levels was when the holy Shia mosque in Samarra was bombed last year. So that was one of the main concerns and that is what U.S. and Iraqi forces are on the lookout for, trying to prevent this day -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Arwa Damon in Baghdad.

Thanks -- Alina. CHO: Strong words this morning from the White House. The warning for Iran: Stay out of Iraq.

White House Correspondent Suzanne Malveaux live in Washington for us.

Hey, Suzanne. Good morning.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alina.

Well, what you're really hearing here are two messages from the White House. One, the president saying we're going to get tough on Iran, that we're going to force them to cooperate. The other message is to try to convince the American people, as well as some worried allies in the region, that, look, the Bush administration is not engaged in war mongering. This was President Bush yesterday on National Public Radio.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If Iran escalates its military action in Iraq to the detriment of our troops and/or innocent Iraqi people, we will respond firmly.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: So, Alina, what does that mean? It is all really about intimidation right now.

There are already two fighter carriers in the Gulf region. Already, as well, the president giving the green light for U.S. military, authorizing them not only to capture, but to kill Iranian agents inside of Iraq that are involved -- what they believe, involved in killing U.S. soldiers -- Alina.

CHO: We'll see how it plays out in the coming days, weeks and months.

Suzanne Malveaux live at the White House for us.

Suzanne, thanks -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: About 90 minutes from now, confirmation hearings for Admiral William Fallon, the man tapped to become the top U.S. commander in the Mideast. Admiral Fallon's written statement is already out, in which he says -- and we quote him -- "Securing Iraq has been more difficult than anticipated." We'll also hear what he thinks about the U.S. military strategy in Iran.

Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr with more.

Good morning, Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles. Well, if confirmed as the head of the U.S. Central Command, Admiral Fallon, of course, will also become President Bush's top military adviser on the situation in Iran, not just Iraq. And it comes at a time, of course, when there is a lot happening about the U.S. trying to reveal evidence of Iran's involvement in the fighting in Iraq. But Admiral Fallon, in his written statement, will actually lay out much broader concerns about what Iran may be doing in the region about its own view, its own military strategy.

He is telling the committee in his written statement, "I sense that our allies in the region are more concerned about the potential threat posed by Iran now than at any time since the Iran-Iraq War."

And what that really underscores is the growing view by the U.S. military that Iran is a regional entity, has regional ambitions that the U.S. military must find a way to deal with and must find a way to deal with without going to war against Iran. Nobody's really thinking down those lines at the moment.

Again, the White House trying to lay the groundwork that it is not war mongering, in its statement. But Admiral Fallon is going to get a lot of very tough questions about Iran, and he's going to get a lot of tough questions about this growing pile of evidence that Iran is shipping weapons into Iraq, many of those directly responsible for killing U.S. troops in the war -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Let's talk about that evidence and how much specificity is in there. When they say they're shipping weapons to groups in Iraq, are we talking about the Mehdi army, the Shiite militia run by Muqtada al-Sadr, and is there evidence of that?

STARR: Yes, indeed. The evidence is pointing, according to the CIA, in public statements for the last many months now, that Iran is shipping material, weapons, into Iraq to the Shia militias, some of which, of course, are very loyal to Muqtada al-Sadr.

There is a delicate issue here, of course, because the Iranian Shia groups are largely Persian. The Iraqi Shia groups are Arabs. They do not always see eye to eye, but there does seem to be a growing intelligence view that those two groups are coming together, have very close ties, that there is money, training going on across both sides, and weapons.

And what are we talking about in weapons? Sources say that they have found weapons inside Iraq with Iranian factory markings, that they have found this type of IED called an explosively-formed projectile. It sounds very technical, but it is one of the most deadly types of explosive devices manufactured in Iran, and according to the CIA in public statements, these weapons can now penetrate through the heaviest U.S. armored vehicles, including battle tank -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon -- Alina.

CHO: Happening this morning, a new round of nuclear disarmament talks with North Korea announced overnight. Six nations will talk in Beijing on February 8th.

U.S. and North Korean treasury officials are talking about financial sanctions today in Beijing.

NASA announcing new trouble for the Hubble telescope. The main camera is out. They think they can get about a third of its capability fixed in the next couple of weeks, but it is unlikely, unlikely that astronauts will be able to fix it when they visit the space telescope for a repair mission next year.

And the Senate takes up the minimum wage bill. Democrats and Republicans arguing over a plan to raise the minimum wage from $5.15 an hour to $7.25. The bill also includes tax breaks to help some small businesses offset the minimum wage increase -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Well, you didn't have to be a horse-racing lover to fall for Barbaro. The gutsy Kentucky Derby winner who broke his leg in the Preakness touched our hearts with his fight for survival. After eight months of battling setback after setback, Barbaro lost the battle.

CNN's Jason Carroll live in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, with more.

Good morning, Jason.

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Miles.

Touched the hearts of people all over the world. You can see here just outside the New Bolton Center where Barbaro was treated, all the well-wishers' cards and posters that they have left here, some from folks in Florida, from all over the country.

Here one asking for a miracle. But it was not to be. All the well-wishers in the world could not help Barbaro in his final hours.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL (voice over): It was not supposed to end this way, not for a champion. Barbaro's tale was a story of beating the odds, of success. But now also one of disappointment and sadness.

GRETCHEN JACKSON, BARBARO'S CO-OWNER: I'd like now for all of us to say a prayer for Barbaro and for all of those that have loved him so much. Certainly grief is the price we all pay for love.

CARROLL: Heartbreak from Barbaro's owners and from his doctor, who early Monday had to euthanize the 4-year-old colt after complications from surgery on his leg.

DEAN RICHARDSON, BARBARO'S DOCTOR: We stated, and we meant what we said, that if we couldn't control his discomfort, we wouldn't go on. And that's why the decision was made.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Barbaro wins by seven!

CARROLL: Barbaro captured last year's Kentucky Derby, racing in a way that left fans breathless.

STEVEN CRISTO, DAILY RACING FORM: Well, Barbara was a terrifically talented racehorse. We'll never really know how good he might have been.

CARROLL: No horse had won the coveted Triple Crown since Affirmed in 1978.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Affirmed's got a nose in front as they come down to the wire.

CARROLL: The nation, it seemed, put their hope and hearts in Barbaro. But during his second race for the title the Preakness, a devastating blow. Barbaro shattered his right hind leg, an injury so severe most horses would have been put down right away. Not Barbaro.

Doctors fused his joints, operating several times on both legs over eight months. It seemed fitting a horse that fought so hard and captured the hearts of so many would survive. His tale was to have a Hollywood ending, like "Sea Biscuit" or "The Black Stallion," but real champions don't always finish the way we want them to.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think this horse was loved because, you know, he was a great athlete. Everybody knew he was a great athlete. People loved greatness.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL: You know, Miles, I spoke to the head of the Thoroughbred Racing Association and asked why there seemed to be this type of connection to a horse like Barbaro, and the response was, the connection between horses and humans goes back for centuries, and when you come across a horse like Barbaro, that's something that just transcends horseracing -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Jason Carroll, Kennett Square.

Thank you -- Alina.

CHO: Coming up, a "Reporter's Notebook," an insider's view of the war in Iraq. Is anything good happening there? John Burns from "The New York Times" will join us.

And what you may not know about breast cancer. Did you know that most women who get it do not have a family history of it?

Information that could save your life, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

The most news in the morning right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHO: Welcome back. The most news in the morning is right here on CNN. Stories we're watching for you today...

In Iraq, violence marking the holy Shiite holiday of Ashura. At least 35 people killed in overnight attacks.

And Microsoft's highly-anticipated Vista operating system is now in stores following a midnight launch. Miles talks all about Vista with Bill Gates.

That's later this hour. Stick around.

Fifteen minutes after the hour. If you're heading out the door, let's get a quick check of the traveler's forecast. Chad Myers back with us.

(WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: It is the holy day of Ashura, and Shiites in Iraq are marking this solemn and religious holiday with high security and high tension. Dozens are already dead, tens of thousands of Shiites in the streets practicing their religion. Sadly, that is a tempting target. The latest violence comes as the U.S. ratchets up its presence in Iraq.

Joining us now to talk about all of this is John Burns, who is "The New York Times" Baghdad bureau chief. No Western correspondent has spent more time in Iraq since the invasion.

John, good to have you with us on the program.

JOHN BURNS, BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF, "NEW YORK TIMES": Good morning.

O'BRIEN: Let's talk about the troop surge, first.

The president marching forward with the plan to send in excess of 21,000 new troops to Iraq. Will it help?

BURNS: I think there's no doubt that wherever you introduce American troops in Iraq, it has a stabilizing effect. The problem from the beginning is there haven't been enough troops.

So it looks as though it will have an effect. How much of an effect? The American commanders are very concerned, of course, about the time -- the clock running in Washington and whether in fact they may make gains, which subsequently will have to be given back because the political clock will run out in Washington.

O'BRIEN: So would you suggest then that a surge be bigger?

BURNS: I think everybody has recognized from the beginning that that simply wasn't a political possibility and that there simply aren't the troops available.

O'BRIEN: So sending in excess of 21,000 troops, what will that do on the ground...

BURNS: I think in the short term, there's no doubt. And as the American commanders have said, that it will have an effect. Baghdad -- every Baghdad security plan in the last three and a half, four years -- and there have been several of them, all of which have failed -- have failed principally because of the lack of troops. I mean, Saddam Hussein had 250,000 soldiers and police to control Baghdad. He had problems different than the ones -- he was running a highly repressive tyranny.

If you total up all the men that will be available, Iraqi and American police and soldiers under this new plan, you're going to get 70,000, 80,000.

O'BRIEN: We've seen something in the past couple of weeks that has a haunting parallel to the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, choppers going down, three of them now.

BURNS: Indeed.

O'BRIEN: Is there a significant change in tactics or, perhaps, are there different armaments in the hands of some of these insurgents that is leading to this? And how concerned are you about it?

BURNS: I don't think any of us know that. Maybe the American military command does, but it's certainly a very disturbing trend. And anybody who's been to Afghanistan knows that it is a land littered with the wreckage of Soviet helicopters, and that, more than anything else, brought the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan to an end. So it's a very disturbing trend.

O'BRIEN: Let's talk about Iran for a moment, the president talking about that yesterday. How -- is it difficult to overstate the influence of Iran right now inside Iraq? What have you seen there on the ground?

BURNS: I think there's no doubt that there is a good deal of interference, but I think there are limits to that interference, and you have to remember that Shiites in Iraq are overwhelmingly Arabs. Shiites in Iran are Persians. And that's been as much of a historic divide in the Islamic world as has the Shiite-Sunni divide.

So my impression is that most Iraqi Shiites feel uncomfortable with incremental Iranian influence. Indeed, most of the Iraqi soldiers under Saddam Hussein who fought in that eight-year war in the 1980s were Shiites. So I think that the Iranians will have to be careful about this. They could push their luck.

O'BRIEN: All right.

Finally, is there anything good happening there that we're not reading or hearing much about that we should hear more about?

BURNS: There always is in these wars. Let's speak just about American troops.

They do an enormous amount, which is, I think, fair to say, underreported, because we have to report the main trends in the war. This has been a losing war. But American troops do an enormous amount under the cover of what they call civil affairs -- rebuilding schools, clinics, and tending to the concerns of people in neighborhoods. And that does, sadly, go underreported relative to everything else. But I think if you're looking for good news, that's where it lies.

O'BRIEN: Why is it underreported?

BURNS: A matter of resources and a matter of, what is the main story? What truly at the moment -- if we have to give our resources to tracking the main trends in the war or tracking the -- if you will, the undertones of the war, appealing as they may be, obviously we give our resources to covering what in the end is going to determine the outcome of this war.

O'BRIEN: John Burns, Baghdad bureau chief for "The New York Times."

Thanks for dropping by.

BURNS: Thanks, Miles.

O'BRIEN: And safe journey back.

BURNS: Thank you.

O'BRIEN: Alina.

CHO: Thanks, Miles.

Coming up, you've got extreme makeovers and extreme sports, but what about extreme "Sesame Street?" Ali Velshi explains in "Minding Your Business."

Plus, Microsoft's new Windows Vista is finally in stores, but is it worth the hype? Bill Gates drops by the studio and talks with Miles.

That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: UFO-ho! An unidentified flying object, actually two of them, caught on tape over Hawaii.

I love this music, by the way. That's "X-Files" music, in case you don't watch the program.

This comes from our affiliate KHON. One eyewitness said they looked like fireballs or shooting stars.

CHO: Where?

O'BRIEN: There we go. There we go.

They changed directions several times. Nothing showed up on the radars for either the weather service or the FAA. There was a missile test off of Kauai, but not until an hour later. One astronomer suggests it might be ice contrail or something from an airliner.

That's as likely a scenario as I can come up with.

CHO: Or maybe they're smoking something a little funny in Hawaii.

O'BRIEN: I hear they have that there. So I hear. Anyway...

Well, thanks to the success of Elmo, other "Sesame Street" characters are going extreme.

Twenty-five minutes past the hour. Ali Velshi is here with that.

ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Did you ever have any interaction with that T.M.X. Elmo?

O'BRIEN: We had it here on the set and it did -- it just made you laugh.

VELSHI: Yes, it's out of control.

O'BRIEN: But then after about two minutes, you wanted to shoot it.

VELSHI: Well, this is it. I mean, you take a look three times and it does offer some fancy stuff.

This was -- they brought this out sort of 10 years after Elmo first came out, Tickle Me Elmo. And after Tickle Me Elmo, the first version came out, they came out with Cookie Monster and an Ernie that was very successful. And because of the success of T.M.X. Elmo, they're now going to come out -- this is Mattel -- is going to come out with T.M.X. versions of Cookie Monster and Ernie this year.

They're going to come out in October. Those are the photos, because we don't really have working prototypes. But they will be a little cheaper.

T.M.X. was about $40. These will be about $30. They'll also need three tickles to get working.

Ernie is going to giggle and laugh and kick his legs in laughter, spin in a complete circle and then get back up. Cookie Monster is going to giggle and laugh and roll from side to side and then get up.

And then they're going to have like a Pizza Elmo coming out later this year as well, for just $20. I guess we just can't get enough of these.

O'BRIEN: What, do you feed it a pizza and it laughs?

VELSHI: No, it has like a pizza in its hands.

O'BRIEN: Oh, OK. VELSHI: And then it sings along with Elmo.

O'BRIEN: Got you.

VELSHI: Look, people are buying this stuff. Who knows?

O'BRIEN: There's no end.

VELSHI: It's remarkable. I mean, this is...

O'BRIEN: It's a phenomenon.

VELSHI: ... this is a big issue, because what do you do in the toy world to get better and fancier without going sort of all extreme to the video games? Well, there you go, Tickle Me Ernie and -- T.M.X. Ernie and Cookie Monster.

I can't wait.

O'BRIEN: All right. Thank you. Thank you, Uncle Tickle. We appreciate you stopping by.

Top stories of the morning are coming up. We'll check on the campaigns for president -- Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Rush Limbaugh -- although he's not campaigning for president -- all weighing in.

Plus, a one-on-one with Bill Gates. He drops by the studio to show us the new features on Microsoft's new Vista operating system. He fixed all our computers. That was nice of him.

And the skinny on a tabloid fight. Tyra Banks fires back about some unflattering headlines and photos.

We've got the skinny, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHO: Shiite Muslims around the world observing Ashura, a holy day of mourning, and a day in history that ignited the split between Sunni and Shia Muslims. AMERICAN MORNING's faith and values correspondent Delia Gallagher here to help us understand Ashura.

Five attacks in Iraq today, 35 people killed, all connected to Ashura. So what is this all about, this religious holy day?

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN FAITH AND VALUES CORRESPONDENT: Well, Ashura is the Shia religious commemoration of the killing of Mohammed's grandson. And you remember that the traditional split between Sunnis and Shias is over the question of who's going to succeed Mohammed. Should it be somebody, one of his descendants, or could it be somebody from his inner circle, as the Sunnis believe? So you can imagine that the martyrdom, the killing of the grandson of Mohammed, somebody from one of his descendants, has a huge affect on the Shia populations, and they celebrated it as a day of mourning. As you say, kind of wearing black. They beat themselves with metal chains on their backs, on their heads, and they do these pilgrimages to the burial site of Hussein, the grandson of Mohammed.

CHO: Yes, the live pictures of the crowds were just incredible that we saw this morning. You know, this big attack and this plot that was foiled on Sunday, there were claims of responsibility from this group called "Soldiers of Heaven." Have you heard of this group?

GALLAGHER: We don't know a lot about them. They seem to be a faction made up both of Sunnis and Shias, following the Sunni line of belief that there is going to be a return of someone they called the 12th Imam, and this is kind of an apocalyptic vision of the last descendant of Mohammed, who is this 12th Imam, who will come back and usher in a period of peace. And this faction -- that's a general Shia belief, but this faction believes that they can help usher in that period of peace by killing off the Shia clerics that are now in power. So that seems to be at least part of their motivation.

CHO: So what follows the violence is peace and redemption is the thinking, I guess.

GALLAGHER: This is the belief. This is a general Shia belief, but of course, this faction thinks if they start killing off the clerics, they'll help usher in that period.

CHO: All right, faith and values correspondent Delia Gallagher. Delia, thanks -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Coming up, we'll dispel some big myths about breast cancer. It could be life-saving information. Stay tuned for that.

Plus, come to his window. Bill Gates stops by to show us why he's so excited about Vista. You're watching AMERICAN MORNING, the most news in the morning is right here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

O'BRIEN: It is the most expensive piece of software ever created. Microsoft is rolling out its new operating system today, Vista, it's called. It cost the company $6 billion to develop it, and it took them five years to write all 50 million lines of computer code. An upgrade will cost you anywhere from $100 to $260. Question is, is it worth it? We put the question to Microsoft founder and chairman Bill Gates.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Windows Vista, first big operating system in five years -- what sets it apart from windows XP?

BILL GATES, CHAIRMAN, MICROSOFT: Well, people are using Windows PCs actually more than watching TV now, and they're doing a wide range of things -- photos, movies, communicating. And so in order to allow the hardware breakthroughs to show through and let people build new kinds of applications, a big release of Windows was needed.

O'BRIEN: Six billion dollars I read -- Is that really the amount that was spent on this?

GATES: That's right. Most used piece of software ever, and everything we get right in here makes a difference to literally hundreds and hundreds of millions of people.

O'BRIEN: One of the things I like about this is I'm one of these people that always has a lot of windows open, and it's really easy to see what you've got running. As you can see, as you toggle over here, it gives you -- what do you call these boxes that pop up here?

GATES: Well, that's a preview, so you can recognize exactly what's there.

O'BRIEN: And there's a 3-D version of this, too.

GATES: Right. So there you're flipping through. You can see the whole window, and then you kind of look down and see about six at once. And whichever one you want to select, boom, that comes up full screen.

O'BRIEN: Frankly, a lot of what I see here seems to mimic a little bit OS-10. Were you going after a specific look there, the Mac look or...

GATES: No, no, no. Actually, we're ahead on a lot. There's whole areas where we've innovated, like Media Center and Tablet, that no one else is doing, and the parental control, that's the first time that's been done. Even in this photo area, you know, we'd love to have you compare how we make it easy to make a DVD, edit high- definition movies.

O'BRIEN: Let's talk about integrating video, because that, as you started this off talking about how so much of what we're talking about here is -- I've heard the term the last ten feet of your living room, you know, getting all this media that's on your computer onto your television and how you're going to make that possible. How is this designed to make it easier to play videos and make movies and all the things people want to do?

GATES: You can have your computer display directly to the TV, and then you use a remote control. We call that media center. And with one remote control, you can control the tuner, you can go to your photos, your music, your movies, you can record different shows. So you finally get down to that single remote control.

O'BRIEN: The critics have said this -- they've looked at it and said this is an evolutionary change in the operating system. And the thing to do is not go rush out and buy it and upgrade your current machine, but wait and buy a new system. What do you say to that?

GATES: Well, a lot of people get Windows Vista when they get a new computer. Several hundred million PCs are sold every year and virtually all of those this next year will have Vista as their standard operating system. We've also made it easier to upgrade.

O'BRIEN: Should people run out and get it, though, right away? GATES: We recommend that. You know, after all, if you're not going to buy another machine for a few years, why should you not get the benefits of the productivity and the richness here?

O'BRIEN: Let's talk about the business in general, final question here. This is still the biggest part of your business, but it's a declining portion of the business. Things are moving online. Is Microsoft moving in that direction?

GATES: We've been moving in that direction. Ray Ozzie joining the company, was a big milestone there. That's his big focus. And we can make the PC even better as it connects up to those services. We already have Office Live and some Windows Live things. We'll let you move files through the Internet or, you know, a lot of expansion coming there. And it just makes the PC more valuable.

O'BRIEN: Bill Gates, thanks for your time.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(WEATHER REPORT)

CHO: Tyra Banks, the host of "America's Top Model" is speaking out about her weight. If you pick up a copy of "People" magazine this morning you'll see here, Banks on the cover there, in a swim suit. That's in response to some not-so-flattering photos showing Banks with headlines like "America's Next Top Waddle."

Banks spoke out about it to Larry King last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TYRA BANKS, TALK SHOW HOST: It wasn't that it was embarrassing, because I don't think it's a reflection of what my body is right now, although I do think one day it will be a reflection of my body, because I like to eat. I'm not obsessed with working out. So it wasn't so much of an embarrassment. It was just like, what is that? And it saddened me, because I felt there was such a rejoicing, but I think I understand it. For so many years, I was this high-fashion model and putting this image out there that's so difficult to live up to. And so then these pictures come out and it's like oh, wow, you know, look at her...

PHILLIPS: Got ya.

BANKS: And it's like no, that's not a reflection of my body, but if it was, I'd come out and say yes, you guys, that's me. But for it not to be is the thing that's so crazy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHO: Like to eat. We like that. Banks has a message for girls. She says the photo of her is not ugly, and she'll have much more to say on her own show later this week.

And this reminder, you can catch "LARRY KING LIVE" every night at 9:00 Eastern Time.

Something else you want to catch "CNN NEWSROOM" minutes away. Betty Nguyen at the CNN Center with a look at what's ahead.

Hey, Betty. Good morning.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey there. Good morning.

We do have a lot coming up here on the NEWSROOM. Here's a look at the rundown -- bullets and bombs in Iraq. Attacks during a Shiite holy festival. Some three dozen Iraqis dead.

Also this -- President Bush warning Iran against new meddling in Iraq. He's promising a firm response.

And a small Texas town tries to make the 'n' word a crime, but the citizens of Brazoria just would not hear of it. We're going to tell you about that.

And a new view from windows. Microsoft launching Vista today. Should you rush to upgrade? I don't know. Tony Harris is with me in the NEWSROOM. We get started at The top of the hour right here on CNN.

CHO: All right, thank you.

Coming up, the myths surrounding breast cancer. What you need to know about the disease that strikes hundreds of thousands of women every year.

Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING. We'll be right back.

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CHO: Welcome back. In our House Call this morning, on Monday, we spoke with Kelly Tuthill, a mother of two and a reporter at our affiliate WCBB in Boston. Just before Christmas, she learned she had stage two breast cancer. Kelly has no family history of breast cancer. In fact, she hadn't even had a mammogram yet. She's just 36 years old.

Medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joins us now with more on the surprising myths and facts about breast cancer.

Hey, Elizabeth, good morning.

So a lot of people believe that you have to be older in order to get breast cancer, but that's not true, is it?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: That's not true, Alina. Many people are under the impression that it's women mostly in their 50s or 60s who gets breast cancer, and while it is mostly those women, there are unfortunately, plenty of women, like Kelly Tuthill, who get it much younger.

So let's look at our first myth about breast cancer, myth that it's usual for young women to get breast cancer. The fact is that one out of every 231 women under the age of 40 will get breast cancer. So unusual, yes, but not really all that unusual.

Another myth that exists out there for breast cancer is that most women who get breast cancer have a family history of the disease. The fact -- 80 percent of women who get breast cancer have no family history.

Now, these myths are so powerful that I actually know an oncologist who said -- who got breast cancer, and she said, I couldn't understand it. How could this happen to me? I was a young woman. I had no family history. So even oncologists sometimes think this couldn't possibly happen to me. But unfortunately, it does -- Alina.

CHO: Let's talk a little bit about preventative measures. I remember interviewing a young woman in her early 20s who had a double mastectomy, a preventive measure, because he had a family history of it and she had a gene that said she would get it. But you don't have to take such drastic measures. There are things you can do, right, Elizabeth?

COHEN: Right. If you have a strong family history of breast cancer, like your friend, you may want to do that. However, that's really not what most women should do.

Now most women think that a monthly self breast examination is the most important thing that they can do to prevent breast cancer. And while those exams are very important, it's not the best way to diagnose breast cancer. The best way is to get a mammogram to detect breast cancer, and the reason for that is that it detects it much earlier. You really can't feel many of the lumps that a mammogram can find. So that's very important to combine those two, plus get your doctor, of course, to do a breast exam every year.

CHO: And just another quick question about the outlook for people who are diagnosed -- the outlook is pretty good, isn't it?

COHEN: It is. Many people think breast cancer is a death sentence, and that really was more or less true decades and decades ago. However, that is s not so true anymore. And some of these statistics come as a surprise to many people.

So let's take a look at this next myth. The next myth is that breast cancer is a death sentence. The reality is that in 80 percent of women, breast cancer doesn't spread, it stays right there, either in the breast or in the lymph nodes right next to the breast. And because of much better treatment, Alina, even women where there are metastates, where it has spread, even they can live very long lives -- Alina.

CHO: That really is encouraging news. All right, Elizabeth Cohen, thank you for being with us this morning -- Miles.

COHEN: Thanks.

O'BRIEN: Here's a quick look at what "CNN NEWSROOM" is working on for the top of the hour.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: See these stories in the "CNN NEWSROOM" -- bombs mar a holy festival in Iraq. More than two dozen people killed today.

Former New York times reporter Judith Miller center stage at the Scooter Libby perjury trial in Washington.

An elderly woman's car plowing into an elementary school cafeteria.

And Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. Should she win, what does she do with her husband?

You're in the "NEWSROOM," 9:00 a.m. Eastern, 6:00 Pacific.

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O'BRIEN: There's a new place this morning for America's wounded warriors to start rebuilding their lives. More than 3,200 people there, including hundreds of wounded warriors, as the multimillion dollar state-of-the-art Center for the Intrepid opened at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: You remind us that the values that unite us far outweigh any differences that temporarily divide us, that indeed there is common ground on higher ground.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: The war in which you have fought has divided the American people, but it has divided no American in their admiration for you and from our obligation to you. We all honor you.

(APPLAUSE)

SGT. TY ZIEGEL, MARINE WOUNDED IN IRAQ: What this center will provide for us you will never fully know. Words are not enough to express what we feel. It shows that you care for us and we'll always remember that. Thank you for this gift and for honoring the sacrifices of those who served in harm's way for America. Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: That was Sergeant Ziegel there, who's gone through more than 50 surgeries. He was wounded in 2004 when a suicide bomber attacked his patrol in Iraq's Anbar province.

And finally, a little note we'll leave you with here. This is a story that caught our eye this morning, we can't stop talking about it. Juneau, Alaska is our dateline. The headline from "The Juneau Empire" -- we know you subscribe -- Eagle Causes Power Outage. Yes, you read it right, folks. An ambitious eagle spotted the head of a deer in a landfill.

CHO: Oh, food!

O'BRIEN: Lunch, dinner, breakfast, for a week, probably. Picked it up. Now we looked it up. An eagle can carry typically about half its own weight. An average eagle weighs 20 pounds, so something north of 10 pounds that deer head was, tries to make his way back to the nest or wherever eagles eat their food, and couldn't quite get past some power lines.

CHO: Hence, the power outage.

O'BRIEN: Ten-thousand people in the dark as a result.

CHO: Oh, boy.

O'BRIEN: And we don't have a Juneau Bureau, but we did find an artist rendering of what it might have looked like...

CHO: Did you do that yourself this morning, in your spare time?

O'BRIEN: It's amazing what you can find with Google images, and that was our crack team doing that for us.

CHO: Well, nice work.

O'BRIEN: Of course the eagle didn't make it, a little footnote.

CHO: That's all from here on this AMERICAN MORNING. "CNN NEWSROOM" with Tony Harris and Betty Nguyen begins right now.

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