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American Morning

Fall of Baghdad: Tight Security on Anniversary; Is Iran Closer to an Atomic Bomb?; Border Battle

Aired April 09, 2007 - 08:009   ET

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

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back, everybody. It's Monday, April 9th.
I'm Soledad O'Brien.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Miles O'Brien.

Thanks for being with us.

S. O'BRIEN: Let's begin this morning in Iraq.

Four years after U.S. troops took control of Baghdad, tens of thousands of Iraqis are rallying in Najaf today. The anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr calling on the Iraqi military to join his militia and oppose American forces. Security is tight across Iraq, with no vehicles allowed in Najaf and Baghdad for the next 24 hours.

CNN's Kyra Phillips has been reporting for us for weeks in Baghdad.

Good morning to you, Kyra.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

And yes, you look at that video and you see the thousands and thousands of people there on the streets and you think, OK, this is what it's supposed to be all about. Four years later, you're supposed to see peaceful life on the streets. You're supposed to see freedom. You're supposed to see everybody united as one.

That's exactly what it looks like. You see Iraqi flags. You don't see the burning of American flags. You don't see pictures of Muqtada al-Sadr. You don't see the various factions.

You see Iraqis as one. But actually, there is a very interesting underlying message here. Political feeder at work here 100 percent on the streets.

Muqtada al-Sadr, the Shiite cleric that has so much power in this country, allegedly hiding out in Iran right now, is the one that called for this rally. He said, on the fourth anniversary, today, I want all of you to gather. I want you to fight against the occupiers, as he refers to U.S. troops. I want you to gather. I want Iraqi army, I want Iraqi police to join in fighting against U.S. troops.

So there is a message here. It's basically nose up to the prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, and nose up to U.S. troops that no matter where he is, he has the power to put something like this together. And he has the power to say, be peaceful, and they will.

S. O'BRIEN: If it follows that al-Sadr is in Iran, is there a sense with that with the world really watching, certainly as these 15 British sailors come back to their homeland, and dealing with the Iranian conflict that, in fact, Iran is in some way pulling the strings on this, too, this peaceful protest?

PHILLIPS: That's a -- that's a pretty big leap, Soledad. A lot of speculation, of course, going around when that talk comes up. But when it comes down to it, Muqtada al-Sadr has a lot of power, whether he is operating in Iran or outside of Iran.

If anything, Iran looks at Muqtada al-Sadr as a benefit to them and what they want to achieve. Yes, there is a relationship there. But Muqtada al-Sadr are is the one that that people rally around and listen to and support. And he is the one that called for this rally. He, according to those closest to him, operates on his own more so than being with someone else, specifically an Iranian influence or leader telling him what to do.

S. O'BRIEN: Kyra Phillips in Baghdad for us this morning.

Thank you very much, Kyra.

Carl Levin, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services committee, insists the Democrats will work out a funding plan for the war in Iraq. Congress, as you know, locked in a battle with President Bush tying troop withdrawal deadlines to war spending.

Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CARL LEVIN (D), MICHIGAN: The money for the troops is going to be there, it should be there, and the president knows that's not the issue. The Congress is going to vote money as we always have to support the troops.

The issue is whether or not the president means what he says when he said that we are going to hold the Iraqis to meeting the -- to meeting the benchmarks which they set for themselves to reach a political settlement. Because without a political settlement, there is not going to be a military victory.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

S. O'BRIEN: In his radio address on Saturday, President Bush held firm, saying he's going to veto any bills that set a date for troop withdrawal -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: The Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is expected to talk about his country's plans for its nuclear program next hour. This comes amid that standoff at the U.N. over those nuclear ambitions on the part of Iran. CNN Senior United Nations Correspondent Richard Roth is here to tell us about it.

Richard, what is the thinking on this speech? What does it signify this time?

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's been delayed a few hours. And a few months ago, the president promised to make a major nuclear speech, and that was delayed.

They're expecting what they promise as good news for the Iranian people today on the nuclear program. I don't know what the lessons are in schools across America today, but in Iran it's called Nuclear Technology Day. And the head master is seen ringing the bell and everyone is listening to lectures about nuclear technology.

The Iranians are headed towards establishment of thousands of centrifuges needed to make nuclear bombs. Or, as Iran says, it's for nuclear reactors, peaceful purposes.

M. O'BRIEN: Right now, what is the U.N. saying about this? What is the reaction in the hall?

ROTH: There's high concern at the U.N. The International Atomic Energy Agency does not have access to this facility which Ahmadinejad is believed to be at in Natanz.

This is where Iran is believed to be ready to build over time the number of centrifuges needed to develop possibly nuclear weapons. And the Security Council has slapped Iran twice with limited sanctions. This will not go down well, and certainly will spur on even more sanctions in months ahead.

M. O'BRIEN: And give -- if past performance is any indication here, we're apt to hear some bluster here. It's difficult to really know where this nuclear program stands, isn't it?

ROTH: I mea, they're still tallying the winners and losers in the sailor seizure issue. Some might say this is Ahmadinejad quickly looking to seize again the hard-line ground, national prestige. Some thought he gave in too early, some say he has more power now. We're going to be watching what he promises and what he says about the centrifuges, which as of a year ago were not enough to make a nuclear bomb.

M. O'BRIEN: All right. You have a busy day ahead.

Richard Roth, thanks for coming in -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: A nurse is in jail this morning. She's charged with setting this office fire in Houston that killed three people. Remember these pictures we showed you last week?

Investigators said she hadn't finished work on a project, so she set the fire in order to buy more time. She's 34-year-old Misty Ann Weaver. She now faces three counts of felony murder, one count of arson. She's a licensed vocational nurse.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROY PAUL, HOUSTON FIRE DEPT.: She was concerned if they audited the doctor that she would lose her job. And I don't think she could even foresee the destruction here of what was going to happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

S. O'BRIEN: Investigators say Weaver was worried about her job because she set the fire because she hadn't finished an audit which was due to her boss, who's a plastic surgeon. Her boss tells "The Houston Chronicle" this morning that Weaver was a good employee. Her job would not have been in jeopardy, he said, over a late report.

Weaver's due to make her first court appearance tomorrow.

Don Imus taking a familiar mea culpa tour. He's appearing on Al Sharpton's radio show this afternoon. He's already apologized on his own show for the comments he made about the Rutgers University women's basketball team.

He apologized on Friday for remarks that he made on Wednesday. He called the players, the women, nappy-headed hos, and this morning he apologized once again.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DON IMUS, "IMUS IN THE MORNING": Why would I think it's OK to go on the radio last Wednesday and make fun of these kids, who just played for the national championship? Well, I can't answer that.

I'm sorry I did that. I'm embarrassed that I did that. I did a bad thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

S. O'BRIEN: Why did you do it? I think that is the question everybody is going to have, including Al Sharpton. He'll be talking to him this afternoon. Al Sharpton among the many calling for Imus to be fired from his nationally syndicated radio show, which is also broadcast on MSNBC -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: President Bush getting ready to once again take up the fight on immigration reform. He is traveling to Yuma, Arizona, today, where he'll speak on that topic.

Kathleen Koch joining us from the White House with more on the president's trip -- Kathleen.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles.

And the president will be meeting with National Guard troops, checking out construction of that 700-mile-long border fence, and then making a renewed pitch for his immigration reform plan. And the White House knows it's very much under fire on this. Many critics saying it's tantamount to amnesty.

So, the White House has floated a tougher, more restrictive plan. It's been running it by lawmakers. CNN has gotten a copy of the PowerPoint the White House is using.

Among the key principals, first, securing U.S. borders. Second, requiring employers to verify workers' status. Third, illegal workers coming into the U.S. would have to apply -- incoming workers could apply for temporary so-called Y-visas, but legal workers already in the U.S. would have to pay fines, and then they could apply for indefinitely renewable Z-visas.

English and civics training would be required. And all policies, the plan says, would have to be simple, workable and efficient.

And, Miles, that may be the toughest task of all.

M. O'BRIEN: Kathleen Koch at the White House.

Thank you very much.

KOCH: You bet.

M. O'BRIEN: Still to come on the program, no sign of spring in Ohio, where people are digging out from under two feet of snow. Reggie Aqui in the middle of it all -- Reggie.

REGGIE AQUI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, at least it was easy to hide those Easter eggs. What isn't so easy to explain, how two and a half feet of snow equals spring.

Miles, that story is coming up.

M. O'BRIEN: Kind of a -- kind of a mean trick for the kids, isn't it?

And four years after the fall of Saddam Hussein, why is Iraq still so unstable? We'll talk with the Iraqi ambassador to the U.S. about that.

You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning right here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Ah, a picture speaks 1,000 words there. Winter and springtime, two feet of snow falling in some part of Ohio over the weekend. It made travel difficult for holiday travelers, and the Easter bunny himself tried to make the best of it.

The snow in Cleveland even wiped out an entire weekend of Major League Baseball.

Our extreme weather expert, Chad Myers, is in Atlanta for us, taking a look at the big picture. And CNN's Reggie Aqui is in Chardon, Ohio, about 40 miles from Cleveland. Let's begin with you, Reggie. How is it there?

AQUI: Well, Miles, you know, people in this area -- this is called the snow belt of Ohio -- they're used to getting a lot of snow. And right now we are seeing some flurries still coming down.

What they're not used to getting is this much snow, two and a half feet, in just three days this late in the season. So much snow that as you mentioned, the Easter bunny had to deal with it, too. We're told that this weekend they actually had an Easter egg hunt here and as you can probably imagine -- I borrowed this eggs from one of the shopkeepers around here -- it's pretty easy to hard to hide those eggs with all of this snow here.

Now, one really interesting thing is what you mentioned about what's going on with Major League Baseball. They're supposed to have their home opener here, the Cleveland Indians were, this weekend. They tried Friday, Saturday, Sunday, no go. They're going to try again tonight to play a double header.

Just every day they went out there, there was too much snow on the field. This isn't exactly baseball weather.

And take a look up here at the clock here in the town's square in Chardon. You can see those big icicles hanging from the clock, and the temperature saying that it's hovering just around 30 degrees.

All of this snow is lake-effect snow. It comes off of Lake Erie. And as I mentioned, they get a lot of snow throughout the year. They're just not used to getting it this late in the season.

Luckily, they are very good at getting rid of that snow, Miles. So, as you can see, the streets are clear this morning. Although, because it was so late in the season, we understand they actually had some trouble in some areas getting all the salt they needed to clear the streets.

So, that was a problem Saturday night. They actually declared an emergency because of that. But now they're back up to speed, and people are just hoping this stuff melts away and they can finally play some baseball -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Boy, it looks like a Norman Rockwell town there, especially with the snow. It's a pretty little town.

AQUI: It's very nice, but they're tired of that snow.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes, I know. I know. They want to move on. Let's move to the next season, folks.

AQUI: Yes, exactly.

M. O'BRIEN: All right. Thank you very much, Reggie Aqui.

About quarter past the hour. Chad Myers in the weather center. He has got the big picture for us there. (WEATHER REPORT)

S. O'BRIEN: Well, security is extremely tight across Iraq today. It's been four years since we watched this very scene unfold. That's Saddam's statue falling as U.S. tanks rolled into Baghdad.

It took only 20 days for U.S. forces to invade Iraq, take control of Baghdad. And now we're in to year five, still fighting to try to keep the peace.

Samir al-Sumaidaie is Iraq's ambassador to the United States. He joins us from Washington, D.C.

It's nice to see you, Mr. Ambassador, as always. Thanks for talking with us.

AMB. SAMIR AL-SUMAIDAIE, IRAQI AMB. TO U.S.: Nice to see you. Thank you.

S. O'BRIEN: In a nutshell, sir, as I'm sure you know when you look at the polls, it looks as if Americans are getting tired of the war, do not support the war, and are, to a large degree, losing the stomach for the war in Iraq.

How long do you think that this can go on before all Americans, the bulk of Americans, an overwhelming number of Americans say, no, we're done?

AL-SUMAIDAIE: Well, yes, you are right. People are understandably frustrated, impatient, and mainly because they don't see the end to this. I do sense that there is -- there is a feeling that in America that people should -- that the Americans should withdrawal, but there is even less feeling to withdraw precipitously.

People, I think, understand that to lose this fight in Iraq, to abandon Iraq to terrorists and radicals, would pose a serious threat to the interest and to the security of the United States. And that -- that is equally strong here, especially in Washington.

S. O'BRIEN: Of course, here in the United States -- and I've heard you say this, we have spoken about this before -- there need to be a political solution. A solution has to come from Iraq, it's got to be a political solution. What are Iraqis or Iraqi politicians not doing that they need to be doing right now to bring this war to a relatively quick end?

AL-SUMAIDAIE: Well, you see, Iraqi politicians are doing all they can, but there is -- there is only so much they can do within the given time. And the problem here, as I have said before and others have said, that the clock in Baghdad runs at a different speed than the clock in Washington.

People want immediate results here. In Iraq, it is difficult to produce immediate results. It takes time.

But the government is moving on national reconciliation, on reconstruction, on a whole number -- on legal and judicial issues, legislation. There's a lot being done, and I think we are making progress, but it's not fast enough for some Americans.

S. O'BRIEN: The troop withdrawal deadline, I know that you are against that and have been against that for a variety of reasons. But, you know, as you know, some Americans feel, OK, so what deadline would you give so that people will stop feeling like they're just throwing money down a hole and that there is real true, measurable progress in Iraq? Significant progress?

AL-SUMAIDAIE: It is not throwing money down a hole. We have got to win this fight, and it is winnable.

We believe -- most Iraqis believe that we've got to beat the terrorists. We cannot beat them on our own. This is an international confrontation. With the United States we can. Without the United States, we cannot.

And it is doable. We have -- we have total conviction of that. So, all the resources that need to be done should be put in place in order to win this, because riding on this is the future of the region and probably the security of the United States for decades to come.

S. O'BRIEN: Iraq's ambassador to the United States is Samir al- Sumaidaie.

Nice to see you, sir, as always. Thanks for talking with us.

AL-SUMAIDAIE: Thank you very much, Soledad. Thank you.

S. O'BRIEN: Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Coming up on the program, is the war in Iraq justified in the eyes of God? We hear from the pope and from others on that.

And a scandal is brewing with those 15 British marines and sailors who were held in Iran for almost two weeks. Should they be allowed to sell their stories?

Stay with CNN for more.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: So what does God think about the war in Iraq? Well, it depends on which reridges leader you ask.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POPE BENEDICT XVI (through translator): Nothing positive comes from Iraq, torn apart by continual slaughter as the civil population flees.

REV. JERRY FALWELL, CHANCELLOR, LIBERTY UNIVERSITY: What Mr. Bush is doing in Iraq and Afghanistan is a just war against terror. God hates war, but there are biblically established just wars. (END VIDEO CLIP)

M. O'BRIEN: AMERICAN MORNING'S faith and values correspondent, Delia Gallagher, joining us now with more on this.

Delia, good morning.

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN FAITH AND VALUES CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

M. O'BRIEN: Take those two statements. They're sort of talking about different aspects. It's not a direct opposition to each other and, yet, it's a different spin on the same war, isn't it?

GALLAGHER: Yes. I mean, it's kind of typical of what has been happening in the Christian discussion about the war since the very beginning. They've been divided on whether or not this particular war was a just war.

I mean, I think you heard Reverend Falwell make a reference to there are justifiable wars. And certainly the pope would agree with that, although the Vatican's tendency has been towards leaning towards the fact that there may not be so many justifications for war. But certainly in Catholic tradition and teaching, there are justifiable wars. But the question was, was this one justifiable?

And from the beginning, the Vatican went towards the no answer on that. But the pope then was referring to the aftermath of it, what has come out of it. And I think you can hold the position that it was just to go into it, but what has come out of it has not been so just in terms of the people that are there.

M. O'BRIEN: For the pope, strong comments to say nothing good is coming out of it. Is this just a continuation of what he's been saying all along, or is he ratcheting up his rhetoric here?

GALLAGHER: No, I think it's certainly a position that has been held at the Vatican from the very beginning under John Paul II, when they were talking about going in to Iraq. They raised a series of questions about whether or not this was the right course of action. Because again, according to this idea of what is -- what makes a just war, you have to have gone through -- exhausted all diplomatic means, for example.

That was one of the major sticking points. And some people said that has already been done, there's no more talk to do. And the Vatican questioned whether that was the case.

So, I think from the beginning you have seen that the Vatican has not necessarily been 100 percent on board, and certainly now the pope in this context was speaking about a lot of different regions in the world yesterday in his what they call Urbi et Orbi speech. You know, he kind of gives a yearly speech about the situations around the world.

So this as one aspect in that context. M. O'BRIEN: When you hear the remarks of Reverend Falwell in particular saying it's a just war, it certainly gives people who think this is really a holy war at its root some reason to believe that further, right?

GALLAGHER: Well, I think this is what the Christian communities, all of them, are trying to avoid, is the impression that this is some kind of clash of civilizations and some sort of holy war. And with particular concern, of course, for Christians who live in those regions, because they're fast dwindling, mass exodus in many cases, in Middle Eastern countries. So, I think, certainly, that's what they want to emphasize, that it's not a holy war.

M. O'BRIEN: Delia Gallagher, our faith and values correspondent.

Thank you for being with us -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Well, Yahoo! joins the fray with a new MP3 player to compete with Apple's iPod. But this device comes with a twist.

Twenty-five minutes past the hour. Time for Andrew Ross Sorkin of "The New York Times". He's in for Ali Velshi, he's "Minding Your Business".

Good morning.

ANDREW ROSS SORKIN, "NEW YORK TIMES": Good morning.

S. O'BRIEN: What's the twist?

SORKIN: Well, if you were waiting for the iPod to go wireless so you could actually finally download the music in the air, as opposed to connecting it, these guys have got it before Apple does. So it's call the Sansa Connect. It costs $250.

Reasonable in the context. You can see it there. It looks a little thicker than most iPods at the moment. But it uses...

S. O'BRIEN: It looks more like a Blackberry, actually.

SORKIN: Yes. It uses wi-fi, so you can actually get the songs, you know, if you're at Starbucks or at home, and you're not -- or wherever you are. You can actually download them directly. That is -- that is the big thing.

Of course, the iPhone, though, however, is coming out. The infamous Apple -- it's a very beautiful thing in June.

That, however, will not have wi-fi in it immediately. So, it's unclear whether you'll be able to download the songs that way.

S. O'BRIEN: What are the chances that this new MP3 player can really make a dent in a market that is absolutely flooded, wireless or not, with Apple?

SORKIN: Right. I think it's going to be tough. The one thing that's important about this device is that Yahoo! is behind it and also allow subscriptions. So, you can actually subscribe to music, not download music in a one-off (ph). And that may actually tie people into the device.

So, I think there -- it does have -- it does have some things going for it, but, you know, taking the wind out of the sails of the iPhone is going to be a tough one.

S. O'BRIEN: That is very tough.

Andrew Ross Sorkin, thank you. Appreciate it.

SORKIN: Thank you so much.

S. O'BRIEN: Held captive for two weeks. Now those British sailors are selling their stories. And because of that, they're facing criticism at home, too.

We'll hear from them and see some videotape that's been released by Iran straight ahead.

And is sorry ever enough? A new apology from radio host Don Imus this morning, and ongoing calls that he should be fired for his racist remarks.

You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning is right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Good morning to you. Monday April 9th. I'm Miles O'Brien.

S. O'BRIEN: And I'm Soledad O'Brien. Thanks for being with us.

M. O'BRIEN: Developing stories we are following for you right now. Anger rising in the U.K. today over sailors held captive in Iran selling their stories. Plus, there is new video from Iran which seems to dispute their accounts about how they were treated.

S. O'BRIEN: Radio host Don Imus is apologizing again this morning for comments that he made about the Rutgers University women's basketball team. You might remember Imus called the players "nappy- headed hos." Well, the Reverend Al Sharpton is among those now demanding that Imus resign. Also have some questions about the guests who call into his show. Should they be supporting him? We'll get into that this morning straight ahead.

M. O'BRIEN: Plus, good luck finding the Easter eggs in that, or, for that matter, baseballs. At least two feet of snow buries parts of Cleveland. Games canceled for three days in a row. They may just do it all in L.A.

S. O'BRIEN: Quite a mess, quite a mess. We begin this morning in Great Britain where there is some growing criticism of those 15 sailors and marines who were held captive in Iran. They're planning, some of them, to sell their stories. Iran is offering new videotape to counter, many people think, their accounts of their time in captivity. CNN's Matthew Chance is live for us in London this morning.

Matthew, good morning to you.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you as well, Soledad. In fact, the checks have been signed and there is this mounting storm of controversy around the fact that the British Ministry of Defense has permitted these individuals, released from Iran last week, for selling their stories -- to sell their stories.

Here's the front page of one of the biggest selling tabloids in this country. You can see, Faye Turney, the only female captive amongst the group with her story splashed over the front pages.

This, as you mentioned, as new video has come out on Iranian state television showing the captives in Iran apparently enjoying themselves.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHANCE (voice-over): These latest images of the British sailors and marines are only fueling controversy. Broadcast on Iranian television, they show the captured Britons together and relaxed, playing Ping-Pong, even laughing. It's clearly meant to contrast with their own accounts of rough treatment at Iranian hands.

And now, revelations they're being allowed by the British Defense Ministry to profit from their experience by giving media interviews, usually strictly banned.

BOB STEWART, FMR. BRITISH ARMY COMMANDER: It really does compare very badly against the six people that have died in the last week, against the Royal Marines who are currently fighting a very serious battle in Helmand province in Afghanistan, and because, quite frankly, vast sections of the armed forces feel it's not fair.

CHANCE: There has been a strong reaction, too, from families of British service personnel who have died in combat. Fathers like Mike Aston, whose son Russell was killed in Iraq nearly four years ago.

MIKE ASTON, FATHER OF CORPORAL RUSSELL ASTON: I know how I felt three years, 10 months after the even watching the rejoicing. I couldn't watch it for a second time. Very upsetting. And now to find out that they can sell their story, it's tacky and it's sordid.

CHANCE: And it may be lucrative. Faye Turney, the only woman captive, singled out by the Iranians, is reported to have agreed a six-figure sum for her story.

FAYE TURNEY, BRITISH ROYAL NAVY: I was offered a hell of a lot of money for this kind of -- my story. I've not taken the biggest offer. I've gone down, because I wanted to speak to yourself, The Sun, because I knew my point would be put across.

I want everyone out there to know my story from my side, see what I went through.

CHANCE: Given what Faye Turney and her comrades went through, there are those who believe a little cash is justified.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's going to suffer for years to come, I suspect, because they were talking about -- you know, one time they thought they were going to be shot. They're going to have to live through those nightmares. And I think if it means it buys them a holiday for her and her family, I have no problem with it.

CHANCE: The British Defense Ministry says it's allowing the interviews because of the exceptional media interest in the events, but the fact those embroiled in a less than glorious episode for the British military should get special treatment has riled the many whose tales of heroism and combat may never be told.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHANCE: Well, Soledad, what defense officials in Britain say is the reason they allowed this is they thought that details of this ordeal were going to come out in the media anyway, at least now they say they have got some control over what's said -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Matthew Chance for us this morning. Matthew, thank you -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Also making news this morning, rallies in the Iraqi city of Najaf on this, the fourth anniversary of the fall of Baghdad. The rallies called for by the anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al- Sadr.

President Bush about to leave his ranch in Texas for Yuma, Arizona, where he'll tour border control headquarters. These are pictures from his visit there last year. CNN will have live coverage of the president's speech on immigration reform 1:00 p.m. Eastern time.

Parts of Ohio waking up to almost three feet of snow this morning. The cold is not limited to the Great Lake states, though, 150 record lows were set as far south as Florida.

And it will cost you more to fill up today. The latest Lundberg survey says gas prices are up 18 cents over the past couple weeks. The average now $2.78.

S. O'BRIEN: Well, Don Imus is taking a familiar mea culpa tour. He is appearing on Al Sharpton's radio show this afternoon. He has already apologized on his own show now a couple of times for the comments that he made about the Rutgers University women's basketball team.

Imus called the players "nappy-headed hos" and again he apologized this morning saying this. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DON IMUS, HOST, "IMUS IN THE MORNING": Why would I think that it's OK to go on the radio last Wednesday and make fun of these kids who just played for the national championship? Well, I can't, I can't answer that. I'm sorry I did that. I'm embarrassed I did that. I did a bad thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

S. O'BRIEN: CNN contributor Roland Martin joins us from his studio. He is the host on WVON-AM in Chicago. We're simulcasting with his show.

Good morning to you, Roland. Nice to see you, as always. Realistically, can this make a difference? I mean, do you really think that there is going to be enough groundswell against these comments and against Don Imus that, in fact, anybody will take any action against him or his show?

ROLAND MARTIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I do so because it's heating up. Of course, yesterday, Buster Soaries, the pastor at Vivian Stringer's church in New Jersey, they plan on launching protests. I talked to Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr. this morning on my show on WVON, they're launching protests nationwide at NBC studios. Also I talked with Susan Scanlan, chair of the National Council of Women's Organizations, they have launched a dump Imus boycott, as well.

And so you're seeing a groundswell of support. It has grown since Friday and I think people clearly understand that we're in a time where simply saying I'm sorry is not enough. You know, Imus says, well, I don't know why I said it, but he has a history of making sexist comments, of making racist comments, and folks simply tired of it.

S. O'BRIEN: It was kind of odd. I thought his question, now why would I say -- he asked rhetorically, why would I say that, to make fun of these kids, because that's kind of the question everybody else is asking. It certainly was mean-spirited to a bunch of young women who were, you know, champions, really.

I was surprised to see how many women's groups did not sign on early on. You listed some now, but that's like late, right?

MARTIN: Absolutely. Now, I posted something on my blog on Saturday. I was outraged. I went on Google and typed in "Martha Burk" and came up with nothing. I said, wait a minute, this is the week of the Masters, several years ago she was protesting in Augusta National, nothing.

I typed in "NOW and Don Imus," nothing. And so I put something on the blog and I sent it out to 5,000 people on my e-mail blast and I said, this is ridiculous. How can this man insult young women, college-educated women, many of them carrying 4.0s, one has a triple major, and they say nothing. Now, Susan Scanlan said, well, Easter weekend. I said, Susan, I don't buy that. He made the comments on Wednesday, NABJ came out on Friday. NABJ released two statements in one day. And so these women's organizations were asleep at the wheel, so it's about time they stepped up. But again, they're absolutely late to this ball game.

S. O'BRIEN: NABJ being the National Association of Black Journalists. Here's the statement from MSNBC. "While simulcast by MSNBC," they say, "'Imus in the Morning' is now a production of the cable network, it is produced by WFAN radio. Imus makes clear every day that his views are not the views of MSNBC. We regret his remarks were aired on MSNBC. We apologize for these offensive comments."

What do you make of that statement which basically says, it wasn't us, we didn't do it?

MARTIN: Let me tell you something -- Soledad, let me tell you something, my radio station, Melody Spann-Cooper, my owner, has a disclaimer that airs at the beginning of my show every single hour. But guess what, when they sell spots on my show, it goes right to the company. MSNBC has a show, Don Imus, that is competing against every other morning news channel.

That is what is going on. They're making a killing off of the show and in fact it's costing them less money because they're not to pay for the talent. And so, I don't buy that nonsense. They're benefiting financially and to sit here and say that all of a sudden now we're going to monitor the content as if he has not made the comment before.

And in fact, NABJ is saying to every journalist and every politician, do not go on this show. It is insulting. This is different, Soledad, if Don Imus made a comment and he had no history. He has a long history, people are simply living by the statement from Fannie Lou Hamer, they are sick and tired of being sick and tired.

S. O'BRIEN: Well, you know, they are of plenty of people who will go on a show, and he is going to have an opportunity to talk to the Reverend Sharpton today and say -- you know, even he has said it now twice, I'm really sorry. I don't know where it came from, blah- da, blah-da, blah-da, blah-da.

Don't you think we are a forgiving nation and people say, wow, he really looks like he's contrite and he didn't mean it, he was trying to be funny. And should he lose his 40-year career because of those remarks?

MARTIN: Well, let's see, Sid Rosenburg, who made the racist comment -- I think his last name was Rosenburg, hope I didn't get it wrong, he previously made a racist comment, he's still on the show. His executive producer was the one who made the original "ho" comment, he's still on the show.

And so, you accept people who made comments in the past and they still work for you and then to say, well, you know, this really isn't me. How would Imus feel if someone called his wife that, called his daughters that? And that's what it boils down to.

And so again, he made the comment, the people around him made the comment and he has to pay for it and he has to be -- our forgiving. But when you have a track record, years and years and years, people are saying, you know what, enough, it's time for you to go.

S. O'BRIEN: We'll see what happens today. CNN contributor Roland Martin, who is simulcasting with us today. Nice to see you, Roland, as always, thanks.

MARTIN: Likewise, take care.

S. O'BRIEN: Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: He is so bashful about his views, isn't he? Roland, always good to have him drop by.

Coming up on the program, President Bush is talking immigration reform today so we head to Mexico to show you what impact immigration has on that side of the border. You're watching American Morning, the most news in the morning right here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: This just in to CNN, we're expecting the president of Iran to speak in about 15 minute. But the head of the atomic program in Iran has spoken in advance and offered some rather ominous words. He is saying this, that Iran has entered the industrial stage of producing nuclear fuel. That from the head of Iran's atomic organization.

Quoting him now: "Today we celebrate the entry of the nuclear program into the industrial stage." Of course, Iran has made no bones about the fact that it has been coming up with ways of processing fuel, making the fuel possible to run nuclear reactors, the same fuel which also can be used for nuclear weapons.

Iran denies this program has anything to do with weaponry. That it is simply about civilian production of electricity. But that said, an ominous statement for the rest of the world, the United Nations watching this one very closely and Richard Roth watching it, as well. In about 15 minutes we'll hear from the president of Iran himself.

(WEATHER REPORT)

S. O'BRIEN: President Bush is talking immigration reform in Yuma, Arizona, this morning. He is returning there after he announced Operation Jump Start last year, a move to add National Guard troops to bolster the Border Patrol. Not long ago we took a look at the immigration crisis from the other side of the border. We went to Hidalgo, Mexico, to see what happens when so many people leave for America.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

S. O'BRIEN (voice-over): Along the way to Hidalgo from Mexico City, you see majestic mountains, picturesque Mexican villages, roadside pottery stands. And you see lots and lots of new construction.

PRIMITIVO RODRIGUEZ, MEXICAN IMMIGRATION EXPERT: That church is new. The school is new. The square is new. This construction is new. That is new. That construction is new. I mean, you see everywhere new houses.

O'BRIEN: In the tiny village of Julio Villagran, the streets are mostly empty.

"Only women remain," she says. "The men are gone." Delphina's son is one of them. He's 18 years old. He has been living in Florida for two years.

I asked Fabiola Ramirez how many of her family members have crossed the border to the States.

She says four of her siblings and 20 cousins have gone. All to America, all sending back money. And that money is literally helping build this village. But it's also destroying Julio Villagran.

She says residents leave because they can only earn enough to eat. "You can't eat," she says, "and have a home." Senor Epiphanio Pentoja ran a small grocery store, but it closed. I asked him why, and he said, no customers. Where are the people?

"The young people are all working in America."

Socks were once made at this factory by 200 employees. Now it's empty. Further down the road in Iksmicilcan (ph), the town center is abuzz with people selling goods and children playing.

I meet the local historian, Jose Ramirez. He tells me the area has been decimated.

(on camera): What percentage of the people? (speaking Spanish)?

Twenty percent.

(voice-over): Of the 75,000 people who lived in Iksmicilcan and surrounding villages, he says 15,000 have gone north; 8,000 in the last three years alone.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

S. O'BRIEN: President Bush is going to talk about immigration reform in Arizona. CNN is going to carry that for you live at 1:25 Eastern time -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: "CNN NEWSROOM" is just moments away. Heidi Collins at the CNN Center, she has a look at what's ahead. Hello, Heidi.

HEIDI COLLIN, CNN ANCHOR: Hi there, Miles. That's right. We have these stories coming up on the "NEWSROOM" rundown this morning. An anniversary, a liberation marked by a protest of occupation. Iraqi demonstrators demand U.S. forces leave their country.

And "Chasing Life," our Dr. Sanjay Gupta with a new book and series on ways to add years to your life. Who doesn't want that? Today, do supplements actually work? We'll be talking about that.

Plus, streakers caught on tape. One woman says, not in my neighborhood. And uses her security camera to capture the naked truth.

Join Tony Harris and me in the "NEWSROOM." We get started at the top of the hour right here on CNN -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: All right. A revealing show ahead undoubtedly. All right. Thank you, Heidi, we'll be watching.

Coming up, where does your money need to be as you get older? Gerri Willis is going to tell us advice for people in their 30s, 40s and 50s. Stay with us for more AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: So, what to do with your nest egg? Stocks, bonds, lottery tickets or how about deep inside your Posturepedic? Gerri Willis is here with her latest installment of the "30, 40, 50" series.

Gerri, what am I going to do with my nest egg?

GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Not the mattress, Miles. That's a bad choice.

M. O'BRIEN: No, not the mattress, not good, lottery tickets, not good.

WILLIS: No, no, no. Look, you're never too young to start thinking about your retirement, and of course, the stock market has typically been the place for the highest returns, but how much you want to put into the stock market, well, that depends on your age and your ability to handle risk.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIS (voice-over): In your 30s, you're young enough to be able to withstand the ups and the downs of the stock market. So, some financial planners advise to put 90 percent of your assets in stocks with the other 10 percent in bonds.

Experts say, make sure your stock and bond funds are diversified and that some are invested in international companies, that way a drop in one sector won't affect your entire portfolio.

In your 40s, if you consider yourself fairly risk-tolerant, you may want to keep 90 percent in stocks. If you're not such a risk- taker, you could take a more conservative approach by investing 75 percent in stocks and 25 percent in bonds, but, remember, lower risk may mean lower returns. When making adjustments to your portfolio, think of your 401(k) and taxable investments as one. It might make more sense it rebalance your tax-free 401(k) account to avoid the capital gains taxes you could pay by selling off stock in taxable accounts.

In your 50s, a safer approach is often recommended. The closer you get to retirement, the more a market dip could hurt. Aggressive investors can start the decade with 80 percent in stocks, but should gradually lower their stock holdings to 60 percent by the time they reach age 60. The rest should be in bonds and ultra-safe money market funds.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIS: OK, the asset allocation, that's the easy part. The hard part, finding the right stock and bond funds. You are best off consulting a qualified financial planner when you do that -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: How do you know if he or she is qualified?

WILLIS: Well, you know, there is alphabet soup of designations out there. You can choose about any kind you want, from a stockbroker to a financial planner with very little experience. Look for the designation CFP, certified financial planner. That's a good thing to choose. Ask them if they are fee-based planners or no fee-based planners, go with the no-fee.

M. O'BRIEN: All right. Gerri Willis, good advice. Thank you.

WILLIS: Thank you.

M. O'BRIEN: Soledad.

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): See these stories in the "CNN NEWSROOM." President Bush heading for the border today. The president making a new push for immigration reform, but Democrats and Republicans in Congress may push back.

Spring shivering. Cold temperatures and snow in the East are making April look a lot like Christmas.

And falsely accused but cleared by DNA. He is tasting freedom for the first time in two decades. You're in the "NEWSROOM," 9:00 a.m. Eastern, 6:00 Pacific.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: That's all from here on this AMERICAN MORNING.

S. O'BRIEN: "CNN NEWSROOM" with Tony Harris and Heidi Collins begins right now.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM, I'm Tony Harris.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, I'm Heidi Collins. Watch events come into the NEWSROOM live. It is Monday, April 9th. Here is what is on the rundown.

Four years after Baghdad's fall, Iraqis rise up in Najaf. A firebrand cleric is absent but pulling the strings on an anti-U.S. protest.

HARRIS: Radio talk outrage. More calls for Don Imus to step down after racially insensitive comments. Hear what Imus has to say today.

COLLINS: Plus, gas prices climbing higher and higher. What is sparking the spike and how can you get the most mileage? In the NEWSROOM.

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