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U.S. Shows Proof Iran Aiding Insurgents in Iraq; New York Digs Out from Snow, Expects More; Defense Makes Case in Scooter Libby Trial; Dixie Chicks Win Big at Grammys; The Iranian Connection?
Aired February 12, 2007 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips live at CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Don Lemon.
Big storm brewing. Old man winter is packing the punch. Who will be hit the hardest?
PHILLIPS: Iran and Iraq, we're examining the new evidence. Is Iran causing the death of more Americans?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The album of the year goes to the Dixie Chicks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: From country to controversy to capturing Grammys, is Hollywood sending a message through the Dixie Chicks? Well, we want your e-mails. You're live right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
PHILLIPS: Deadly arsenal, explosive flames. You're seeing powerful bombs that can punch through the toughest armor. They targeted coalition forces in Iraq, but the U.S. says they came from next door. Armed with these pictures, senior defense officials are accusing an elite Iranian military force of arming Iraqi Shiite groups.
CNN's Michael Ware is in Baghdad with more -- Michael.
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Kyra. What we had is the U.S. military, through three officials who could not be taped or named. A senior defense official and a defense intelligence analyst and an explosives expert paint the picture of what they say Iran is doing here in Iraq.
They say that the elite Qods force from the Revolutionary Guard's Corps is directing a sophisticated program that is funneling weapons to Shia militia and insurgent groups and is killing U.S. and British troops.
The focus of this particular briefing was the supply of those weapons. In particular, the explosively formed penetrater or EFP. This is the most lethal roadside bomb that you see here in the war in Iraq. It's the one that punches through American armor, and indeed, U.S. military intelligence says 170 British and American troops have died as a result of this Iranian-supplied weapon since it first appeared in May 2004.
They also talked about the supply of all sorts of weapons, including mortars exactly like these ones. Indeed, the analyst held these kind of mortars up at the briefing. CNN obtained these last year, and we aired them at that time.
These, U.S. military intelligence comes from Iran. The caliber, the assembly and its geometry all indicators that it comes from Tehran. Essentially they're saying that Iran is fighting a surrogate war with America here in Iraq. Ironically, precisely what the CIA did with the Mujahideen when they fought the Soviets in Afghanistan in the 1980s -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: You know, Michael, this is actually the first time we're actually seeing something for real. You've actually got a piece of the weaponry. But we've heard these accusations before. Why is the U.S. laying out this case now? And why are we actually getting visuals from reporters like you?
WARE: Well, that's an interesting question. I'm sure it's not coincidental. I mean, this evidence has been out there for two or three years. I mean, we've been coming across materials like this for at least that long. And even in the military's audio-visual display, some of the examples they showed dated back two years. So, this evidence has definitely been out there.
Now, for example, in the past, when you asked U.S. military intelligence about materials like this, which are here in the country, clearly, having been made in 2006, they're not being made here. They crossed the border. In the past, officials would say, "Well, they've come from Iran, but we can't say whether the government did it or not."
Well, now they're saying, yes, we can. They're saying that in Iran munitions like these are so well controlled you just can't ship them wholesale across the border without government complicity. And they're saying we have the evidence that it's the Qods force indeed, that's doing it.
PHILLIPS: All right. Michael Ware live from Baghdad, thank you.
Does the U.S. have proof against Iran or just pretext? Some Democratic lawmakers fear the weapons claims are an excuse to stage some kind of attack. They're urging the Bush administration to slow down, but some key Republicans want to step things up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R), TEXAS: This is, obviously, extremely serious. And evidence that Iran has been involved in supplying these kinds of weapons to Shia militants is very disconcerting. And I will tell you that we have to do everything within our power to stop it, and I'm confident we will. SEN. RON WYDEN (D), OREGON: The administration is engaged in a drum beat with Iran that is much like the drum beat that they did with Iraq. We're going to insist on accountability. They'll have to come to Congress and Congress will have to vote to approve it for their support.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Democratic Senator John Kerry is pushing for diplomacy, saying Iran's ultimate goal is a stable Iraq.
Now, what's next militarily in Iraq or possibly Iran? The new man in charge at the U.S. Central Command, Admiral William Fallon, in the CNN NEWSROOM tomorrow for his first exclusive interview. We're going to talk about what sort of marching orders he'll be given in this troubled region.
LEMON: Sleet and snow on the ground or on the way from Montana all the way to Maine. Winter storm watches and warnings all over the place. It could be the biggest storm of the season.
Chicago, Indianapolis and other parts of the Midwest are bracing for blizzard conditions in just a matter of hours.
In upstate New York, deep snow is old news, but, still, it is piling up. Nine days and counting along the shores of Lake Ontario. Unofficially, 146 inches have fallen on the village of Redfield, and people are just trying to tunnel out before the next storm hits.
And kids are back in school, at least for today. But it is far from business as usual in snowed under Mexico, New York.
And CNN's Reggie Aqui is there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REGGIE AQUI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is Mexico. Mexico, New York, where they've received more than 100 inches of snow in a week.
This is all lake effect snow. And as you can see, while I'm 6'4", and I'm buried in it up to my waist. It's not because this is what fell from the sky necessarily and piled up. It's because this is what they had to push to the side of the road in order to clear those roads.
And a lot of people are having to deal with this outside of their doorways and their businesses. And so all weekend long people have been trying to dig out from all this stuff. As soon as they dig out, more snow is on the way.
The lake effect has stopped for the moment but we understand another system is headed this way, which means we could get another eight to ten inches by mid-week.
Now people have been handling this pretty well. Folks are now going back to work. The roads are relatively clear, because they've been under a state of emergency. And New York sent all of its crews here to clean those roads basically 24 hours a day.
Finally, parents are a little relieved today because those kids, well, they're back to school after a week at home.
Reggie Aqui, CNN, Mexico, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: All right, Reggie. It is winter. The sleet and snow and bitter cold. It's a wintry week in store for a lot of folks around the country.
CNN's Jacqui Jeras is in our severe weather center tracking this monumental storm. Can we describe it that way, Jacqui?
(WEATHER REPORT)
LEMON: We'll be checking back with you throughout the day. Thank you, Jacqui.
PHILLIPS: Well, another case of who told whom when in the trial of Scooter Libby. The defense has just begun. Our Brian Todd just came out of the courtroom.
Bring us up to date, Brian.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, the defense just did begin, and we were just told by a member of Scooter Libby's defense team, in court just a short time ago, that a decision has not been made as to whether Scooter Libby will testify in this case or not. This attorney indicating to the court that a decision may not be made until the defense's case is nearly done. So if Scooter Libby testifies, he may not be until really the very end. He may be the very last witness.
Now a central claim of the defense strategy here is that, if Scooter Libby was involved in telling reporters that the wife of administration critic Joe Wilson worked at the CIA, why did he tell some reporters and not others?
To bolster that claim they brought three Pulitzer Prize winning reporters to the stand today: Bob Woodward of the "Washington Post", Walter Pincus of the "Washington Post", David Sanger of the "New York Times". They are -- the three of them just finished their testimony.
They essentially all say -- they all told the court that they had conversations with Scooter Libby in the weeks before Libby claims he heard about Valerie Plame Wilson for the first time. And that her name and her identity at the CIA never came up.
This is a quote from Bob Woodward in his testimony about a meeting -- conversation that he had with Libby on June 27 of 2003. Quote, "There is no doubt Mr. Libby did not say anything about Mr. Wilson's wife."
So the defense trying to lay out a strategy here, saying, essentially, "Look, he's not involved in this scorched earth campaign to tell reporters about the wife of an administration critic working at the CIA. Look who he didn't tell: Bob Woodward among them."
Bob Novak, the man whose column broke this whole story open, just arrived at the court a moment ago. He is set to testify in about 15 or 20 minutes -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. We'll talk then. Thanks, Brian Todd.
LEMON: A frozen pond and a fence that was no match for two young brothers. Now a mother suffers devastating loss. That story straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.
PHILLIPS: A surgeon operates on his patient from across the room. Magic fingers? No, robotic reach, an advance in heart surgeries. Straight ahead from the NEWSROOM.
LEMON: Are they ready to make nice yet? Highlights from the Grammy awards show and your responses to our e-mail question on the Dixie Chicks, their big night. Was their winning evening politically motivated? That's our question. We'll answer that -- we'll it for you right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Well, it looks like the music industry is ready to make nice with the Dixie Chicks. The group couldn't get arrested after dissing President Bush. That was back in 2003. But last night's Grammy ceremony proved all may be forgiven.
Speaking of arrested, The Police were there, too.
CNN entertainment correspondent Brooke Anderson has the highlights.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(MUSIC: "Roxanne")
BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With that famous opening lyric, the newly reunited Police kicked off the 2007 Grammy awards. It was the first of many moments highlighting the best in music, from rock and pop to R&B and country.
The Dixie Chicks, shunned in the country music world for speaking out against President Bush in 2003, triumphed at the Grammys.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Dixie Chicks!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dixie Chicks!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Dixie Chicks.
ANDERSON: Took home all five awards they were nominated for, including Album of the Year for "Taking the Long Way", and both Song of the Year and Record of the Year for their defiant "Not Ready to Make Nice".
(on camera) Is it vindication in a way?
NATALIE MAINES, THE DIXIE CHICKS: I think if I ever felt vindication it was when we finished the album because, for us, that's sort of when it was sort of like, OK, we've said everything that, you know, has gone through our minds.
ANDERSON (voice-over): Mary J. Blige, this year's most nominated performer, was also a multiple award winner, taking home three Grammys, including Best R&B Album for "The Breakthrough" and Best R&B Song for "Be Without You".
Former "American Idol" winner, now popular country singer Carrie Underwood, took home two awards, including honors as Best New Artist.
Christina Aguilera, in a tribute to the late James Brown, brought the house to its feet as she dropped to her knees.
Other big winners were the Red Hot Chili Peppers who scored four Grammys, including Best Rock Album, and rapper Ludacris, who took home two: Best Rap Song and Best Rap Album.
LUDACRIS, RAPPER: When I recorded this album I made it a point to say to myself that I want to win a Grammy and I'm going to and it happened.
ANDERSON: Brooke Anderson, CNN, Hollywood.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Well, we want to hear from you. Do you think the Dixie Chicks' big night at the Grammys was politically motivated? Well, e- mail us at CNNNEWSROOM@CNN.com. And we'll be reading your responses throughout the day.
We also, Kyra, have a quick vote. It's on our home page. And it asks that question, and let's see the results.
PHILLIPS: Already it's saying that their politics 58 percent, versus their music, 42 percent.
LEMON: Almost 15,000 people. Yes.
PHILLIPS: That's interesting. So I don't know if the Dixie Chicks are going to want to hear that. I think they want people to love their music, not necessarily their politics.
LEMON: Consider their politics?
PHILLIPS: I don't know. Who knows?
LEMON: I would take the Grammys, though. What about you?
PHILLIPS: Yes. There you go. We tried to get them on the show. We haven't heard back from them yet. So if the Dixie Chicks want to call in, we'll take you live.
LEMON: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Now, if you missed The Police last night, here's an arresting development. They're expected to announce a 30th anniversary reunion tour at 2 p.m. Eastern. We're going to be there live when it happens at the top of the hour. I know we'll be buying tickets.
LEMON: That should be very interesting. Can't wait for that.
Over the counter or over the edge? A British drugstore chain raises some hackles over a plan to sell Viagra without a prescription. That's ahead in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: A reunion performance by The Police last night at the Grammys is setting the stage for more news from the British rockers this afternoon. Their announcement is welcome news for fans and for the music industry, which loves the idea of a reunion tour.
Susan Lisovicz ready to rock at the New York Stock Exchange.
Susan, I saw them on tour way back when. How about you?
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I've seen Sting a couple times in his solo act.
PHILLIPS: You never saw The Police?
LISOVICZ: Never did.
PHILLIPS: Susan, you and I should have been hanging out as kids.
LISOVICZ: I think we can still go together, can't we, Kyra?
PHILLIPS: That's true. Now here we go, all these years later.
LISOVICZ: Yes, well, that's -- that's the thought. I mean, there's a lot of money to be made in these reunion tours. David Lee Roth tried it. So did Ringo Starr. Don't forget about each Spice Girl. For most bands they're better off staying together than going it solo.
So, this year, get ready for the reunion tour. The Police, of course, opened the Grammys last night, sparking rumors of a world tour. The group expected to make it official this afternoon, and The Police will have plenty of company.
Van Halen will be reuniting for a 40-city tour. It marks the first time in more than 20 years that the original front man, David Lee Roth, will perform with Eddie and Alex Van Halen. And Rage Against the Machine will kick off the start of the touring season with one performance in California. So far the band isn't planning any other concerts, so ticket sales are sky rocketing.
Supply and demand, Kyra. Works on Wall Street. It works in Madison Square Garden, as well.
PHILLIPS: All right. Everyone is making fun of me because I saw them with Oingo Bongo. Now, that's really taking you back. Exactly.
LISOVICZ: I assume that Oingo Boingo was the warm-up act.
PHILLIPS: Yes, they were.
All right. Well, let's talk about how much money are we talking about here?
LISOVICZ: A lot of money. I mean, you know, and that's why the music industry is so enthusiastic. The average Rolling Stone ticket was $136 last year. And you know, they do go tour every few years.
Barbra Streisand, who did play in Atlanta, as well, 300 bucks apiece. A lot of Baby Boomers willing to pay top dollar to see their old faves.
Remember The Eagles, their Hell Freezes Over Tour? That was really expensive, too.
All in all, "Pollster", a trade publication, says concert ticket revenue hit a record of more than $3 billion last year. Some of the most popular concerts headlined by bands that haven't been together for decades.
Madison Square Garden says that in '05, a three-night concert -- three nights -- by Cream, Eric Clapton's old band, brought in more than $10.5 million. Not bad for some old rockers.
(STOCK REPORT)
LISOVICZ: That's the latest from Wall Street. Back to you, Kyra and Don.
PHILLIPS: Thanks, Susan.
LEMON: All right. Thank you so much, Susan.
He says his homosexuality was an open secret among some players when he played in the NBA, but now that he's officially come out, he's the first NBA player to do that. How are his former teammates taking that news?
Up next, John Amaechi joins us live right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Hello, again. I'm Kyra Phillips, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
LEMON: And I'm Don Lemon.
Gay in the NBA. Former player John Amaechi comes out, the first NBA player to go public with his sexuality. Well, he'll be here live. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
A frozen pond, cracks in the ice. One brother tries to save another. Reporter Lisa Bryant of our affiliate WBOC has a heartbreaking story from Cambridge, Maryland.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LISA BRYANT, WBOC CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jenise Robinson is living out every mother's worst nightmare.
JENICE ROBINSON, MOTHER: I just kept crying hoping to see my babies. They kept telling me, "No, you have to calm down, you can't see them."
BRYANT: Her two sons, 8-year-old Jarris and 12-year-old Aaron, drowned in this pond Sunday afternoon.
Robinson says Jarris climbed this fence and was playing on the ice when it broke beneath him. His 12-year-old brother went into the water to try to save him.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can say that my 12-year-old lost his life trying to save his eight-year-old brother.
BRYANT: When neighborhood kids ran to Jenice to tell her what had happened, she called 911, and ran to a neighbor for help.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was crying and said the boys are in the water.
BRYANT: Schaefer says it took rescue workers several minutes to get the boys out of the water. They were taken to Dorchester General Hospital where they were pronounced dead just before 6:00. A tragedy friends like nine-year-old Ava McPhaul will never forget.
AVA MCPHAUL, NEIGHBOR: If I prayed really hard, but they're still with us in our heart. That's all I could say.
BRYANT: Lisa Bryant, WBOC News, Cambridge.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Tight security at a Miami courthouse where jury selection is underway in the kidnapping and murder trial of John Evander Couey. The judge denied a defense request for more time to prepare.
Couey's alleged victim is Jessica Lunsford, a nine-year-old girl that was snatched from her bed in the middle of the night, two years ago. Her body was found four days later in a shallow grave within sight of her home.
Her death prompted her father, Mark Lunsford, to champion tougher laws for sex offenders. Not only in Florida, but nationwide. Yesterday he took his fund-raising campaign to a biker rally in Brookville. Mindful that what happens to his daughter's accused killer is in the hands of others.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK LUNSFORD, FATHER OF MURDER VICTIM: It's hard for me to speak about the trial. What can I say? It's not my ball game. This is the state attorney's job. All we can do is just wait, and watch and see. But, you know, you can bet that the system will work, and justice will prevail.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Once the jury is selected, John Couey's trial is expected to take as long as a month. If convicted, he faces the possibility of the death penalty.
LEMON: Another day, another development in the Anna Nicole Smith case. This morning the Nassau edition of "The Miami Herald" ran photos of the late model on her bed with a Bahamas' immigration minister. The same immigration minister who approved Smith's permanent resident application last year. Shane Gibson is fully clothed in the pictures. Anna Nicole appears to be wearing a bikini.
"The Herald" won't reveal the source of the photos, which have tongues wagging in the Bahamanian capital. Opposition lawmakers accuse Gibson of preferential treatment.
Now, take a look at these photographs. The web site TMZ.com has acquired them and it says it is verified as authentic of Anna Nicole Smith's refrigerator in the Bahamas, along with the everyday items visible in the fridge is a white bottle labeled methadone and vials of undetermined inject able medicines. Couple cans of Slimfast was found above the Methadone.
You'll recall methadone was noted in the death of Smith's son, Daniel, some five months ago. According to TMZ, Bahamian enforcement is aware of the refrigerator contents. We want to reiterate these photographs are from Smith's home in the Bahamas and not the Florida hotel room where Smith was found unresponsive and not breathing.
Tonight, CNN's Larry King follows developments in the Anna Nicole Smith tragedy. He will speak to the godmother of Anna Nicole's baby daughter. That's at 9 Eastern, only on CNN.
PHILLIPS: Broad siding Obama from Down Under. Yes, the Australian prime minister weekend attack on the Barack Obama's Iraq war stance has sparked a counterattack, and a day or two of controversy. Here's CNN White House Correspondent Ed Henry.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Just one day after Democrat Barack Obama launched his bid for president of the United States, a blast from Down Under.
JOHN HOWARD, PRIME MINISTER OF AUSTRALIA: If I were running Al Qaeda in Iraq, I would put a circle around March 2008, and pray as many times as possible for a victory not only for Obama, but also for the Democrats.
HENRY: A fierce ally of President Bush, conservative Australian Prime Minister John Howard was firing away at Obama's call for pulling all U.S. combat troops out of Iraq by the end of March of 2008, the senator quickly fired back.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: So if he's ginned up to fight the good fight in Iraq, I suggest that he calls up another 20,000 Australians, and sends them to Iraq.
HENRY: A two-fer. A shot at the fact that about 1,000 Australian troops are in Iraq and a poke at the plan to send more U.S. troops being pushed by the president, who is tight with Howard.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Somebody said don't you -- you and John Howard appear to be so close, don't have you any differences. I said, yeah, he doesn't have any hair.
(LAUGHTER)
HENRY: White House aides express surprise over Howard's criticism of Obama. But one official weighed in with support for the Australian. Saying "Prime Minister Howard knows that setting a timeline for a withdrawal sends the wrong signal to our enemies."
Democrats, however, told the Aussie to butt out of the U.S. debate.
SEN. RON WYDEN (D-OR): The most charitable thing you can say about Mr. Howard's comment is, bizarre. You know, we will make our own judgments in this country with respect to elections.
HENRY: But a Republican presidential candidate declared that given their own sacrifice in Iraq, the Australians have a right to speak out.
REP. DUNCAN HUNTER (R-NB), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think that John Howard, while it was not a very complimentary statement, he's basically stating the truth. And that is that what we say on the Senate floor, or on the House floor, goes to our world audience. And it has an impact not only on our allies, but also our adversaries.
HENRY (on camera): The subtext is John Howard is facing a tough re-election because of the war. And Vice President Cheney is heading to Australian later this month. The White House can hardly afford for another of the president's friends to go the way of British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who is stepping down early. Ed Henry, CNN, the White House. (END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: A surgeon operates on his patient from across the room, magic fingers? Not really. Robotic reach, an advance in heart surgery next in the NEWSROOM.
PHILLIPS: And your responses to our e-mail question. Do you think the Dixie Chicks big night at the Grammies was politically motivated? E-mail us at cnnnewsroom@cnn.com. We'll read your responses. Right now, the quick vote says, according to you, pure politics.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Valentine's Day, what do you think of? Flowers, right? Chocolates and roses, and hearts, but in Britain, Kyra, something new. V-day may stand for Viagra. That's right. That's what a pharmacy chain will begin to offer the impotence treatment without a prescription in three of its stores. It's part of a trial program that may be expanded.
Men interested in buying Viagra will have to see a pharmacist, and provide a medical history. They will also have to have their blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose checked. Those who want to refill, will have to see a doctor.
PHILLIPS: Usually tired is just tired, but for sometimes, for some people it is something worse. For a middle-aged mom in California fatigue was the by-product of a heart defect, and a robot was the product doctors turned to for help. CNN's Chris Lawrence got an up close look at the high-tech operation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Tiny robotic fingers are moving precisely around this woman's heart.
DR. DANIEL BETHENCOURT, LONG BEACH MEMORIAL, MEDICAL CENTER: There it is. I'll get it.
LAWRENCE: Metal hands manipulated by the actual surgeon who sits several yards away. If all goes well, this mother of three will be back to work in a couple weeks.
BETHENCOURT: We don't crack the chest, we don't cut the bone, we don't have to rewire back together.
LAWRENCE: For the last six months Renee Lapage has been exhausted.
RENEE LAPAGE, HEART SURGERY PATIENT: I would come home, make dinner, sit down, I'd would be asleep.
LAWRENCE: But she's a working mom with three teenagers, and chalked it up to that. LAPAGE: I think women tend to rationalize and say, you know, I'm a little tired. But I guess, I have reason to be tired. So, I never really thought it was a problem.
LAWRENCE: A doctor's visit detected the cause, Renee's heart valve was damaged and could possibly fail.
She opted for surgery, using a relatively new, but minimally invasive system called De Vinci. It was initially developed to allow military doctors to remain in their city and operate on wounded soldiers miles away.
(On camera): Even the steadiest surgeon has minor vibrations in his hands. The De Vinci corrects for that shaking, allowing more precision than is humanly possible.
BETHANCOURT: It is as if our hands and wrists are inside the chest wall of the patient. So, the combination of 3-D vision, plus better flexibility of the instruments, gives us a dramatically better control.
LAWRENCE: Renee looks forward to having the energy of a 48-year- old, instead of someone 20 years older.
LAPAGE: So many people depend on you, especially if you're a mom, you're running around, but you're really not good to anyone if you're not in good health.
LAWRENCE: Thanks to the surgery, she should be just fine. Chris Lawrence, CNN, Long Beach, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Turning now to weather. CNN's Jacqui Jeras is in our Weather Center tracking a severe week ahead. You're going to rain or maybe snow on our Valentine's Day, Jacqui?
(WEATHER REPORT)
LEMON: He says his homosexuality was a open secret among some players when he played in the NBA, but now that he has officially come out, how are former teammates taking the news? Up next, John Amaechi joins us live right here, in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: John Amaechi has a secret to tell, at least he did. The former NBA center played five seasons for three different teams and owns the distinction of scoring the first basket of the year 2000. Here's what Amaechi never told anyone, at least not in public, he's gay.
Just recently out of the closet, he's the first player from the NBA, either current or former to acknowledge his homosexuality.
John Amaechi joins us live now from New York. His book is titled "Man in the Middle." The big question everyone wants to know, why did you come out? What's the reason?
JOHN AMAECHI, FORMER NBA PLAYER: I think it's something that's important. I recognized that while I was an average NBA player, there is something I can add to the debate. I can create discourse. I can allow people to talk about issues that perhaps they otherwise wouldn't be forced to talk about.
And not just in the scheme of 300 people within the NBA, and not even in the scheme of 1,000 or so people within professional in sports, but the global issue of GLBT people, and diversity as a whole, I think it's something that needs to be opened up and reexamined.
LEMON: I didn't intend to ask you this question this early on, but do you think that the NBA now is ready for a player who may be out, while they're playing? Do you think the league is mature enough to handle that?
AMAECHI: I think that David Stern is mature enough to handle that. I think he wants an organization that is pristine, and part of that, if you want, cleanliness will be to have a league that accepts all types, as long as they do have the ability.
The problem is that that message has to translate down through coaches and through locker rooms, and then it has to translate out to the fans who watch the game. It's not an isolated environment where a player once accepted within his locker room, he has to then worry about going home to his partner perhaps, and the street that he lives on, and what happens when he goes on the road, and how he's treated when he walks down the street.
LEMON: And, John, you mentioned David Stern, so I'm going to go to David Stern's quote now. He's the NBA commissioner for those of you who don't know. He says, "We have a very diverse league. The question at the NBA is always, have you got game? That's it, end of inquiry."
Now you also mention coaches and whether or not coaches can handle it. And the coach of the Utah Jazz, during your time at the Utah Jazz, Jerry Sloan, has said -- you said that he, I don't know, referred to you with homosexual epitaphs and called you gay names, and there were a number of reasons.
Now here's what he said. He says, I've always been -- "It's always been my philosophy that my job is to make sure Jazz players perform to their maximum ability on the floor." And then he goes on and says, "I wish John the best for his future and I have nothing further to add than that."
You -- it was not a rosy time playing with him, you say.
AMAECHI: No, it certainly wasn't. I think it's worth noting that his first quote that he mentioned on being asked these questions was not that. The first quote was that it probably would have made a difference to him.
LEMON: Yes. AMAECHI: And, you know, it was just one of many things. He also thought I was anti-American. He also thought that I hated white people, even though my mother is white. So there were a lot of things at play in Utah, but it certainly didn't help.
LEMON: Since it's -- since you made this announcement or everyone got wind that you were going to make this announcement, a lot of the players have had comments about it. What do you have to say about some of the players? Players like LeBron James who say it's a trust issue. What do you make of what -- how the players are reacting to this?
AMAECHI: I think many of the players have shown you that the NBA is not a league of Neanderthals. It's a league where there are some very well-considered, well-thought-out individuals. And they've made comments that have reflected that.
But, yes, there have been some disappointing comments. LeBron James' comments are the classic double bind. It simply puts you in a position where if you don't tell anybody, then you can't be trusted, so you're not a good teammate. But if you do tell somebody, you've no idea what will happen. You still haven't addressed that question, will he be fine with it, would it be OK.
LEMON: You are a number of firsts. We said you're the first NBA player, obviously, to come out to -- the player active, or retired to come out. And also the first one to be -- you're the first undrafted rookie to start in the NBA. Did you ever think that this was going it be a first for you, coming out as gay?
AMAECHI: I felt it inevitable because I am reasonably -- that's not fair, I'm very outspoken on a number of different issues, when it comes to various advocacy issues with minorities and young people. I've been a bit of an activist.
LEMON: Yes.
AMAECHI: This just adds a string to that bow. It's not changing me. This is just another area.
LEMON: Yes, you said -- you quoted, saying that "Political conservatives tend to define gay people as immoral, perverted and promiscuous, yet they deny them the one institution, that to them, represents the opposite. It's a handy catch-22 with which you bind a whole group of people to second-class citizenship."
But I want to talk to you also, that -- you have become a political activist when it comes to an issue like that. But you're also talking about the locker room, and that's where everyone wants to know about this whole thing. It seems that's where the controversy is, that you're going to be in the locker room with other men, who may think that you want them as a gay man, which is sort of presumptuous. You say that to think that every -- that a gay man would want every man.
But here's what you say -- in the book. You said, "The pro locker room was the flamboyant place I've ever been this side of a swanky club full of martini-drinking gay men... They guys flaunted their perfect bodies. They bragged about their sexual exploits. They checked out each other --"
You said they checked out each others' body parts and they primped in the mirror, applying cologne and hair gel by the bucketful.
Now, what did you mean by that?
AMAECHI: Well, I think it's pretty self-explanatory. There is -- I don't think anybody can claim that within sports -- male sports there isn't an undercurrent of -- there's certainly -- it's not homosexual, but there is a vibe there is homoerotic, and you have to accept that.
And I just want to go back to the point about being checked out in the locker room by gay men. There isn't anybody in the NBA probably who hasn't played with a gay man. They just don't know about it. But the fact is it's so narcissistic, and it's so arrogant to think that you would be checked out.
When I entered a locker room, for me, it was me and my teammates going into battle. We were going to try and kick some tail on the other team and that was it. It was a work environment.
LEMON: Yes, and just by you saying that there is some homoeroticism to it might make people uncomfortable, and they might understand what some of the other players are saying.
AMAECHI: Yes, but it is homoerotic. But it's not homoerotic because there are gay people in the locker room. It's homoerotic because it is homoerotic. Sport has been homoerotic since the Greeks starting doing it.
LEMON: Hey, John, do you know -- real quick, here's what I want to ask you. A lot of female athletes have come out. Martina Navratilova, Billie Jean King, Swoopes, who -- Sheryl Swoopes came out. Why do you think it's different when it comes to men?
AMAECHI: It is different for men on a number of levels. I think within sports there's an erroneous thought that all women who take part in sports are lesbian, or lesbianic in some way. And so that kind of prepares people in their mind.
There's also the fact that it's more acceptable to some people. Gay men is unacceptable and gay females are somehow acceptable or even exciting.
LEMON: Hey, we've got to run. But, listen, the past week or so for you, how's it been?
AMAECHI: Hectic, absolutely crazy. But I am ready.
LEMON: Stressful?
AMAECHI: Very stressful. LEMON: Think you'll make a difference?
AMAECHI: I'm absolutely going to make a difference.
LEMON: John Amaechi, thank you for joining us.
AMAECHI: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, first he surrendered to a sweet tooth and then surrendered to police. A suspect caught on the candy trail. We'll have the latest from the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Confidential to under 40 pop stars, this is how you do it. Grammies for grown ups, and a rocking reunion ahead in the NEWSROOM. We'll bring it to you live at the top of the hour.
LEMON: Whatever Sting is taking to make him look that young I want a whole bucket full of it.
As we mentioned, a few minutes ago, the Dixie Chicks won big at last night's Grammies turning each of their five nominations into a win. Now quite a comeback for a group that was shunned and worse after singer Natalie Maines criticized President Bush on the Iraq war.
The Chicks awards include record of the year for "Not Ready to Make Nice", in which they refuse to apologize for their remarks. Our Brooke Anderson caught up with the trio after the Grammies.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN HOLLYWOOD CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Do you think the recording academy was sending a message in a sense that, hey, it's OK, it's OK.
NATALIE MAINES, LEAD SINGER, DIXIE CHICKS: I think it wasn't political, like I don't think it was -- we don't like the war either, and we're Democrats or liberal. I think it was, you know musicians are very -- our whole industry is based on emotion, and songwriting is supposed to be about, you know, everyone said we shouldn't have written the songs that we wrote.
Well, that's what songwriting is. That's our outlet. That's what we do as therapy. And what we do to get our thoughts out there.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Well, we want to hear from you now. Do you think the Dixie Chicks big night at the Grammy's was politically motivated? You can e-mail us at CNNnewsroom@cnn.com. We'll be reading some of your responses throughout the day.
And if you're looking at the screen right there, that's our quick vote. LEMON: Whew! It's still 58 percent, but a lot of people have voted, Kyra. Almost 26,000 people; 58 percent say their politics, and not their music. So, you say it's -- I don't know -- what do you call it? Catch-22, blessing and a curse, who knows?
Well, we'll see. OK. Thank you for taking part in our unscientific survey. The next part, next half hour, or the top of the 2 o'clock our starts right now in the NEWSROOM.
All right. Hello, everyone. Welcome to the CNN NEWSROOM. Lots of news to cover for you. First we're going to take you to Los Angeles...
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