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American Morning
Record-Breaking Storm Slams Northeast; Make-or-Break Time for Alberto Gonzales; Political Hot Topics
Aired April 16, 2007 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: There is a record-breaking storm slamming the Northeast. These are live pictures coming to us now from WPVI, a shot of Atlantic City, New Jersey. And you can see just how high and how fast those waves are crashing along the shoreline today.
Pounding rains, howling winds, street flooding and grounding of planes. A real mess. In fact, New Jersey now under a state of emergency. People were evacuated from their homes overnight, sometimes in boats and life rafts because of that flooding.
We're going to show you some new pictures just coming into us.
And we want to say good morning, once again. Welcome to AMERICAN MORNING.
I'm Kiran Chetry, here in New York.
And from Washington, I'm John Roberts. We're doing a split show today because a new focus on politics here. Lots happening in Washington over the next few days, as well as that heavy weather that we're following in New York.
And I guess New York, a day to stay inside today, Kiran. As long as your house isn't full of water.
CHETRY: Yes. Thank goodness I live on the 30th floor, but we were getting some -- just incidental reports in that some of the bridges in Central Park which got nine and a half inches of water, some of them, the water is all the way up to the tops of these bridges. So a real mess in the area.
ROBERTS: Unbelievable. Well, if you stay there long enough, you might have waterfront property.
Hey, a new challenge from Vice President Cheney to Congress. He bets the Democrats are going to pass a war spending bill that does not set a deadline for bringing the troops home.
Our Wolf Blitzer is going to be here in just a few minutes. He'll join us live with a closer look at what's going on there.
Washington also bracing for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to appear before Congress on the fired U.S. attorney scandal. That's tomorrow. He says he has got nothing to hide, but there are some senators on Capitol Hill, both Republican and Democrat, who aren't so sure -- Kiran. CHETRY: Yes. And he's going to certainly not going go out without a fight, judging from some of the words that he said yesterday.
Also, Imus, as we know, out of a job for his racist and sexist remarks. What do people who are regulars on his show think now? We're going to talk to two of them, political strategist James Carville and Paul Begala.
But we begin with the extreme weather that's hitting right now. A state of emergency just declared in New Jersey. Those are some shots from Atlantic City and also other parts.
West Virginia also declaring a state of emergency.
And in New York City, the air pressure equal to that of a Category 2 hurricane that's causing some major headaches, flight delays and cancellations up and down the Eastern Seaboard. The storm system blamed for at least one death in South Carolina.
And elsewhere, flooded streets and homes are forcing some people into boats. This monster storm 800 miles wide, with band after band of flooding rain from the Mid-Atlantic, all the way up to northern Maine. And as we said, hundreds of flights canceled, and the backlog is only expected to build as the day goes on.
We have CNN's Jim Acosta in Mamaroneck, New York. That's north of the city.
Alina Cho is watching the flight delays and cancellations for us from New York's LaGuardia airport.
And we have Reynolds Wolf on Cape Cod this morning, with Chad Myers tracking all of it from the CNN weather center.
And we're going to begin again with Jim about flooding concerns, a big concern for people living in Mamaroneck, New York, as well as other parts, as well as New Jersey.
Hi, Jim.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kiran.
Yes, this is one of the flooding concerns right here. I'm standing in the middle of it. I'm standing in a street in Mamaroneck, New York, and this town has several roads closed because of the flooding that occurred overnight. Four to eight inches of rain, depending on where you live in the New York metropolitan area.
And I have to be a little careful here walking in this street because this road now has a current, Kiran. But yes, this -- the reason why you're hearing this sound behind me is, right next door to where I'm standing, this gentleman over here has been pumping water out of his house all morning. He's got a generator hooked up, hoses running into the house, and then those hoses pumping water back out on to the street here. Officials here in Mamaroneck did anticipate these problems overnight. They did issue a voluntary evacuation order for residents in this area. But still, despite that, there were some residents who had to be assisted out of their homes overnight, rescued out of their homes because of the sudden rise of this water here in this community.
So people whoa re heading out on to the roads this morning ought to be careful. They ought to check those road reports.
We can tell you from a personal standpoint that we ran into several road closures just trying to get to this live location this morning, and we actually had to go retrieve one of our producers this morning because of all of the water out here on the roadways. And I just want to -- before I let you go, I just want to point out that I, too, am wearing my suspenders, part of the waders that I'm wearing this morning. So I just want to make sure that I'm also -- I also got the memo -- Kiran.
CHETRY: So, is that to keep your pants up because you're wearing those waders, or is it because of Larry King?
ACOSTA: Well, I have -- well, let's see, I did get the memo about the suspenders for Larry King, but, yes, just a happy coincidence here that they also happen to be keeping me dry at this point.
CHETRY: All right. A good sport in some terrible weather out there this morning.
Jim, thanks so much.
Well, all that rain causing major problems at the airports. Five hundred flights have been canceled in the New York area alone.
AMERICAN MORNING'S Alina Cho is at LaGuardia airport right now. And we talked to some people over at Boston's Logan Airport, and they said if you don't have to fly today, stay home.
Is that similar advice out of LaGuardia?
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, similar advice. You know, but there are a lot of people here. And, of course, everyone is hoping to get out here, and we'll have to wait to see if that actually happens.
But I have to tell you, a bit of a surprise this morning. Only scattered cancellations and delays, at least here at LaGuardia. Just on the whole, it's a pretty busy Monday morning here, with the bulk of the air travel happening this afternoon when the weather clears up.
Now, yesterday quite a different story. Six hundred cancellations at New York's three major airports, and that's a conservative estimate. Among those stuck, 40 college students from Iowa.
They were scheduled to leave yesterday at 1:00 in the afternoon. That flight was canceled. Then they were scheduled to leave at 9:00 last night. That flight was canceled. As it stand now, they are schedule today leave today at 2:00 this afternoon, but not before spending the night at the airport.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's very, very bad. My back hurts, headache. And I'm really, really feeling not good right now because I have a layover, and I really want to go home.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know, we're all making the best of it and doing what we can, but I'm sure all of us are ready to go home.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm just really tired. And I'd like to go home. I'm kind of fed up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Fed up is right. You know, we also caught up with 35 high school students who were hoping to leave for Miami this morning to get on a cruise ship there. Well, their flight was so delayed that right now, as it stands, they are scheduled to catch up with the boat in Nassau in the Bahamas. Half of them will leave tonight, half of them tomorrow morning.
But one bright spot, Kiran. One couple I know of that got married over the weekend, they were scheduled to leave on their honeymoon last night. Not only did their flight get out, it got out on time. And as we speak right now, they are landing in Rome for their two-week vacation -- Kiran.
CHETRY: What a way to start off the marriage. A good luck charm for them.
CHO: That's right.
CHETRY: I feel bad for the one lady, the young lady you talked to last. She was almost in tears. I'm sure it's so frustrating to just sit there for hours on end and keep seeing your flight pushed back.
CHO: Oh, yes. I mean, they checked their luggage three times. And, you know, they're leaving at 2:00 this afternoon, but they're not going home. They're going to Atlanta first. They'll spend the night there, and then they'll get on a flight home tomorrow morning at 7:00, exactly two days late -- Kiran.
CHETRY: What a mess. Hopefully they'll hang in there.
Alina, thanks so much.
ROBERTS: Patience, people, patience.
CHETRY: Easier said than done, see, because you're in a warm studio.
ROBERTS: I'll tell you, I've been there, I know what it is like. And it's awful.
Hey, it's make-or-break time for Alberto Gonzales. That's how Senator Chuck Schumer describes tomorrow's long-awaited appearance by the U.S. attorney general before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Gonzales insists he has got nothing to hide, but some of his friends and relatives in the Senate aren't so sure about that.
His opening statement is already out. Some lawmakers are already saying that it doesn't answer the most important questions about the firing of eight U.S. attorneys.
CNN Congressional Correspondent Andrea Koppel is live on Capitol Hill.
Andrea, I think it's probably safe to say that tomorrow could be the most important day in Al Gonzales' career here in Washington.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You better believe it, John. His job is on the line, and boy does he know it.
In his prepared testimony he defends the firing of those eight prosecutors. He says that they were fired for political reasons. He also said, "I know that I did not and would not ask for a resignation of any individual in order to interfere with or influence a particular prosecution for partisan political gain. I also have no basis to believe that anyone involved in this process sought the removal of a U.S. attorney for an improper reason."
But as you know, John, Democrats are not going to be cutting Gonzales any slack whatsoever. In fact, many of them have already called for him to resign.
ROBERTS: Yes. And, of course, a lot of Republicans are saying the same thing, as well. And he doesn't seem to be getting unshakable support from the White House, his good friends over there.
You know, Dick Cheney, listen to what Dick Cheney said yesterday on "Face the Nation" on CBS.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This took place inside the Justice Department. The one who needs to answer to that and lay out on the record the specifics of what transpired is the attorney general. And he'll do so.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Boy, Dick Cheney there basically saying, you're on your own, Al. But what about the White House's allies on Capitol Hill? How are Republicans expected to greet Al Gonzales tomorrow?
KOPPEL: You expect it from Democrats, but you're absolutely right, John, when you have got people like Arlen Specter, Republican of Pennsylvania, saying so far nothing Gonzales has said has convinced him that those eight prosecutors were fired for a good reason, you know you've got a problem.
ROBERTS: Yes. When you've got somebody like Arlen Specter, who is saying, you know, I'm not sure that you're giving me all the facts, that is a bit of trouble. And, of course, Senator Schumer saying, I'm not going to take "I don't recall" for an answer.
Andrea, thanks very much. We know you're going to keep following this important story. Appreciate it -- Kiran.
CHETRY: John, thanks.
Well, Vice President Cheney is once again predicting victory in Iraq, but how many are still listening and agreeing with that assessment? We're going to take a look.
Also up next, Wolf Blitzer talks about that, plus other political hot topics straight from "THE SITUATION ROOM". He's sharing that set with John Roberts today.
Also, in depth in the war in Afghanistan in the hunt for Osama bin Laden. We're going to talk with CNN's chief international correspondent, Christiane Amanpour.
You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning is on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Vice President Dick Cheney says that victory is still possible in the four-year-old war in Iraq and he predicts that Congress will drop demands for a U.S. withdrawal from an emergency war spending bill.
What's the likelihood that Congress is going to see eye to eye with the president?
Joining me to discuss this and other hot political topics is Wolf Blitzer, the host of CNN's "SITUATION ROOM".
Thanks for the loan this morning, by the way.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, love having you here. Welcome.
ROBERTS: You made it in past the sandbags and everything we had blocking the door?
BLITZER: I got through the traffic early this morning. Good to be on the air.
ROBERTS: Excellent.
Hey, so who's going to blink in this? Cheney predicts that the Democrats are going to back off, the Democrats are saying, you've got another thing coming.
BLITZER: I suspect when the dust settles, when all is said and done, the president will veto some sort of reconciled version between the House and the Senate. They'll come up with some new language which won't be totally mandatory.
The Democrats will make their point that there has to be some benchmarks, maybe even a little bit of a timeline. Probably not much of a timeline. In the end they'll get the funding for the troops.
ROBERTS: So you're basically saying the president has got the upper hand on this.
BLITZER: Right now he does, because the Democrats simply don't have the two-thirds majority in the House and Senate that are necessary to override the veto. And they want to make sure the troops get the funds.
ROBERTS: Do you think he's got public opinion with him, as well?
BLITZER: No. Public opinion...
ROBERTS: Because cutting funding for the troops is a really dodgy issue.
BLITZER: No. The Democrats don't want to cut the -- cut the funds for the troops.
ROBERTS: Well, but Harry Reid said...
BLITZER: Harry Reid doesn't necessarily have the public opinion with him on this. People want to make sure the troops get the armor, they get the equipment, the training, everything that they need.
They also don't like this war. They'd like to see the start of the U.S. withdrawal, and trying to finesse that is not going to be easy. But right now the president seems to have a little bit of the upper hand because of the votes.
ROBERTS: Speaking of public opinion, a new CNN-Opinion Research Corporation poll this morning on the Republican side finds that John McCain is within three points of Rudy Giuliani. Giuliani has got 27 percent, McCain 24. A Gallup poll last week had McCain basically in free fall.
What do these horse race polls this far out ahead -- ahead of the primaries really mean?
BLITZER: I think they show a certain snapshot of what is going on. Remember, our poll was taken after McCain's speech on Iraq, which was a very eloquent, passionate speech he made describing the consequences of failure, if the U.S. were to withdraw, including everything up to genocide breaking out, not only in Iraq, but horrible things in the region.
Within the Republican base, remember, these are registered Republicans or voters leaning Republican, likely to vote Republican. I think that line does still resonate. I'm not sure it resonates with Independents or with a lot of Democrats, but with Republicans it does have some impact.
ROBERTS: So, has McCain repaired the damage that he did to himself on your program when he said things are terrific in Baghdad?
BLITZER: Well, it wasn't just my program. He was on a radio show with Bill Bennett and he said you can walk through certain parts of Baghdad relatively easily. And, of course, as we now know, that is by no means the truth.
I think he's repaired some of that damage with the Republican base. He's still got a ways to go. But remember, he's got enormous name recognition, as does Giuliani. And at this early, very early stage, name recognition is really significant.
ROBERTS: And we learned a lot today also about the money front. Barack Obama for the primaries out-raised Hillary Clinton, even though she has got more money in the bank. And a lot of Clinton donors are moving to Obama. He is a player here.
BLITZER: He's an enormous player. He has really done incredibly well. And I know that the Hillary Clinton campaign is very, very worried about him because they see he has got an enormous amount of potential. They're confident, though, that she's still number one right now in all of the polls, including our own. So they're going forward.
ROBERTS: Yes, she's still out there.
Good to see you, Wolf. Thanks for the loan of "THE SITUATION ROOM".
BLITZER: I love the suspenders.
ROBERTS: By the way, we've got to get a close-up of Wolf's suspenders. Can we catch that real quick? You've got to see it.
These are not just suspenders to honor Larry King, these are actually "LARRY KING LIVE' suspenders.
BLITZER: Larry gave them to me personally. And I want to wish Larry King another 50 years of excellence in broadcasting. This is a great day.
We love Larry and we're celebrating together with Larry -- Larry, the suspenders.
ROBERTS: You always go the extra mile.
BLITZER: I never wear them, but today I'm wearing them.
ROBERTS: And, of course, Wolf Blitzer is going to be back in "THE SITUATION ROOM" every week day, as he is, starting at 4:00 p.m. Eastern.
CHETRY: All right, John. Thanks so much.
It's 18 past the hour right now, and Chad Myers is at the CNN weather center watching the vicious nor'easter.
(WEATHER REPORT)
CHETRY: Also ahead on AMERICAN MORNING, a West Point family. Dad serving a second tour in Iraq and mom taking care of their seven sons. That's right, seven, all by herself.
It's a story of patience and sacrifice. We're going to meet this incredible family coming up.
Also, avoid an audit. Find out which taxpayers the IRS tends to zero in on. Do you fit the bill? You're probably paying a bill, too.
Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: The violence in Iraq certainly taking its toll on the troops there, but what of the toll on families left behind? Who can forget this father and son? The pictures made most of us cry. Sailor Bill Hawes (ph) surprising his son John in kindergarten after being away in Iraq for seven months, and the boy just burying himself in his dad's shoulder and crying.
And it made us wonder, how many other kids are coping with their parents' deployments? What do they miss most and what do they fear most?
Recently, I paid a visit to West Point and met the Snel family. Here's their story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Time to put your -- everyone, line up to kick.
CHETRY (voice over): Not every family can instantly organize a pickup game in their yard, but the seven Snel brothers are in a league of their own. While they play kickball, their mom Teki runs interference.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn't mean to hit him in the head.
TEKI SNEL, HUSBAND IS SERVING IN IRAQ: You need to understand...
CHETRY: The only family member missing from the game, their dad, Major Joe Snel, who is serving his second tour of duty in Iraq.
(on camera): When he first told you he was going to Iraq again, how did he tell you guys?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was crying.
CHETRY: Were you guys crying, too?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. CHETRY: Your dad's been gone, it will be nine months. What is the hardest part?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Helping my mom take care of all the brothers.
CHETRY (voice over): No small task. After putting Andrew down for a nap, Teki plays with Jonathan. Then it's off to the doctor and back in time to greet the older kids home from school.
There's Christopher's tears to tend to, and Jeremiah in a tree.
(on camera): How have the deployments been in terms of trying to deal with raising all those boys by yourself?
SNEL: They've been getting harder with the boys getting older and them understanding a whole lot more. The oldest, especially because of his age, he's just at that age group where it would be great to have a daddy there with him.
CHETRY (voice over): Besides the occasional phone call, 12-year- old Jacob's only contact with his father is through e-mails.
(on camera): What is it that you miss the most about your dad?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Taking us bowling, to the pool, to movies.
CHETRY (voice over): The younger boys have a tougher time rembering their dad.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Daddy.
SNEL: Yes?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
SNEL: It looks like daddy, huh?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's not daddy.
SNEL: No, that's not daddy.
CHETRY: Jonathan wasn't quite 2 when he last saw daddy in person.
(on camera): Do you worry about him getting hurt?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not really.
CHETRY: Why do you say yes?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because I've heard a lot in news stories that many people have gotten killed.
CHETRY: And you said you don't worry. Why not? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because I know he'll be safe.
CHETRY: You just know that in your heart?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
CHETRY (voice over): Confident words for a boy who must now face the worries of a man.
(on camera): If you guys had a genie in a bottle and you could wish for three things, and they would happen immediately, what would you pick?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: After dad to come home, there's -- I can't think of anything else.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: So the earliest the Snel brothers and their mom, of course, can expect to see their dad is this September.
ROBERTS: That's tough. It's tough for all these families.
You know what strikes me most about that story, though? Is, first of all, raising seven kids on a military salary. And then, secondly, you have that much responsibility and you're going off to war. What are they left with if something happens to you?
CHETRY: Right. And as I told you when we talked about this before, they really have a deep faith. And Teki really relies on that faith, and she draws strength from it.
And she says she just truly believes in her heart that her husband will come home safe. And I think that a lot of that comfort and that knowing has sort of spilled on to the boys, because a lot of them do have that same feeling.
And then, of course, there are the younger ones who sadly don't even know their dad, or don't know him as much as they would if they were a little bit older. So -- but they're certainly brave, all of them.
ROBERTS: Unbelievable. And some of these, you know, parents who have very, very young children as well, they're going to go through some very formative parts of their life by the time they get back. And all that will be missed.
CHETRY: It's very true. And, in fact, we are going to keep following families as they cope with loved ones being away at war.
And later this week, the war comes to Broadway. We're going to meet an actress, and she is coping with a 1-year-old daughter. Well, she's taking care of her. But she's also taking over the lead in a hit musical, and her husband serves in Iraq.
We're going to talk to her and see some of the things that she's doing, John, to make sure that at least her husband can see on videotape some of those things he will miss, like the first steps and the first words of her little daughter, Mia (ph).
So we'll check back with John in a couple minutes.
Meantime, 27 past the hour, and Ali Velshi "Minding Your Business".
And we should all pay attention to this one, I guess.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
CHETRY: Because you actually break down our chances of being audited by the IRS.
VELSHI: Yes. In fact, it's not just me "Minding Your Business". The IRS apparently is minding more of your business than they used to.
In fact, the number of audits of tax returns is way up since the year 2000. Take a look at these numbers.
The chances of the middle class filer being audited are now one in 140. Back in 2000 it was one in 377. Your chances if you are earning between $25,000 and $100,000 are still lower than other categories.
If you look at it as you go up the scale, if you earn more than $100,0001 you've got a one in 59 chance. After that, a one in 16 chance. But, you know, these chances, I don't know. You kind of have to make them relevant. They've got to mean something.
CHETRY: But why is it, though? Is it just that they don't want to bother with auditing someone where they're not going to get enough -- a lot of money?
VELSHI: Well, most wage earners in that $25,000 to $100,000 category, most of the tax is captured from work deductions. One source of income, and it's all captured in the same place.
So the IRS says they're very effective at actually doing that.
Quickly take a look at how these chances compare with other things, though.
Your chances of being audited if you're middle class is one in 140. See what these other chances are.
Chances of getting struck by lightning 5,000 to one. Chances of dating a supermodel, 88,000 to one. And chance of winning the Powerball jackpot, about 147 million to one.
So it's not so bad.
CHETRY: And chances if you win the Powerball jackpot that the IRS is going to come to you...
VELSHI: Is very high. All of a sudden, your audit is going to be a lot higher.
CHETRY: Two to one.
Ali, thanks so much.
VELSHI: OK.
CHETRY: Well, coming up, Larry King returns. And we're going to be talking with Christiane Amanpour.
Also, we're following Don Imus's fallout. What is next for Don Imus? We're going to ask two of his favorite guests when they stop by our studio for interviews.
And also, we are continuing to track the top story of the morning, and that is this terrible nor'easter. It's a story that's been developing all morning long. States of emergency declared in two states so far, and it could be more as the rain, flooding and evacuations continue.
AMERICAN MORNING is coming right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK)
ROBERTS: Radio host Don Imus is gone from the airwaves, but what he said about the Rutgers women's basketball team weren't the first and ugly controversial comments in his long career. Did the media play a role in allowing Imus to go along unchecked.
Democratic strategist James Carville and Paul Begala were regular guests on Imus' show. They're both CNN political contributors, and they're there with us this morning.
I want to talk about that, but first of all, let's play something that Gwen Ifill said to Russert yesterday on "Meet the Press." Take a quick listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GWEN IFILL: This has been an interesting. The people who have spoken, the people who have issued statements, the people who haven't. There has been radio silence from a lot of people who've done this program, who could of spoken up and said, I find this offensive, or I didn't know.
Tim, we didn't hear that much from you.
David, we didn't hear from you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: The reason, of course, why Gwen Ifill is so stoked about this whole thing is that Imus, once upon a time, called her a "cleaning woman." But is it a fair charge what she says, James, that a lot of the Imus regulars, folks like you and Paul, kind of just hid in the shadows while this whole thing went on?
JAMES CARVILLE, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Our boss, Mr. Lehrer, went on there, all the time. He was a very frequent guest, Jim Lehrer, PBS. I've always said after this was said that these remarks -- I couldn't defend the speech; I could defend the speaker.
To tell you the truth, I had no idea that (INAUDIBLE) Eric Nelson's (ph) column in 1998 was reported that she says Imus said it. Imus said that he said it in a parody thing, I have no idea, but reprehensible.
But you know, did I know that they said that? No. And do I completely distance myself from Don's remarks about the Rutgers basketball team? Of course, I do.
But do I say that this man has done good things, he's a good friend of mine, and do I think he has the capacity to change in his heart? I do.
ROBERTS: We all went on willingly, and I did, too. A few times that I went on, usually to defend to myself against what he was saying. I mean, he ripped me up one side and down the other. But you know, you go back on and you face that head on.
But you were a regular, you weren't there just to defend yourself; you were out there to chat up Imus, to talk about what was going on in politics. When you appeared on that program, did you have a sense in your mind at all, Paul, some of what he says is pretty harsh, but I'm going to live with it?
PAUL BEGALA, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Sure, yes. I mean, it was really a fascinating blend of sometimes outrageously funny, and sometimes just outrageous humor, but then a really serious and really interesting national affairs discussion. And you could go on and talk for 25 or 30 minutes.
He was one of the few people in the mainstream media before the war who was opposed to the war, and he let people like me, people like James, who opposed the war have a platform to talk to the country about that. He was a leader in trying to shame our Congress into raising the death benefits for these men who have been killed in combat. He was a leader before "The Washington Post" reported on Walter Reed in talking about how our wounded warriors were mistreated in the system. He did an awful lot of good, and that ought not to be washed away.
(CROSSTALK)
CARVILLE: I know a specific thing he said about Gwen, I can't recall, but I noted some stuff. I don't want to act like I was in the front room and shocked that there was gambling going on in the back room, all right. But, you know, he obviously went way over the line. But I'm not going it be some kind of Washington worm, where a friend of mine gets in trouble and I say, that's it, I'm done with you. And I like Don. I feel for he and Deidre. I know what they're going through, and to people that are friendly with him, we hope that he's able to reconstruct his career.
ROBERTS: What about politicians like Senator John McCain and Rudy Giuliani? Both of them say that they support Imus and they would go back on his program. This was before he was terminated.
BEGALA: Easier for a Republican to say, because, frankly, President Bush only got 11 percent of the African-American vote, and he lost the women vote.
Now, everybody was offended by Don said, but, principally, it was directed at a group of mostly African-American women on that team, so it was a little bit easier for a Republican to say that. Harder for Democrats who've gone on that show, like Senator Edwards, who's running for president, Senator Obama, who's running for president, Governor Richardson, who's running for president, harder for people in my party to negotiate that. But let's put them on the hot seat.
CARVILLE: And I think we've got to acknowledge, too, that people like Gwen, and Michael Wilbon and Clarence Page have a very good point. These are very, very thoughtful people, and I think in the end what Don's undoing was the fact that the African-American community was almost united in its opposition to him.
ROBERTS: One word -- do you think he'll be back?
CARVILLE: Yes.
BEGALA: In some form...
ROBERTS: In one word. That's all we have time for. We'll see you again soon. I'm going to bring you back lots.
BEGALA: How about some of these right-wingers who are sexist and racist to get fired as well. Let's have an Imus standard for Limbaugh, Ann Coulter and the rest of the...
ROBERTS: Paul Begala and James Carville, always good to see you. Thanks for joining us -- Kiran.
CHETRY: That was definitely more than one word, but he did get a point across.
ROBERTS: You come on, you can get one word from these guys? Impossible.
CARVILLE: We're from Washington. We don't do that.
ROBERTS: One word is this long.
CHETRY: That's the D.C. way.
All right, well, coming up, our chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour on the war in Afghanistan, the hunt for Bin laden. You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning is here on CNN.
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CHETRY: Well, there are some new numbers out this morning about America's first front in the war on terror -- Afghanistan. Insurgents killed 669 Afghan civilians last year. It's the highest number since the fall of the Taliban in 2001.
Our chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour has reported extensively from Afghanistan, and she joins us live now from Las Vegas to talk about that report.
Good to see you, Christiane.
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTL. CORRESPONDENT: Good to talk to you, Kiran.
CHETRY: Well, is the U.S. losing ground in Afghanistan?
AMANPOUR: Well, the tragedy according to many in the intelligence world is that after such a successful war to rid Afghanistan of the Taliban and al Qaeda back in 2001, ground has been lost over the last several years. And some are saying that as much as almost half the country is under now the influence, or the threat, of a combination of the Taliban, al Qaeda-type organizations, other local Afghan, Islamic militant organizations, and so it's a real fight now to establish privacy by the U.S. forces there, and the other European and other forces, British forces, Canadian, Dutch, and there's a lot of talk by NATO about increasing the number of forces there, because they expect some kind of spring offensive from the Taliban.
CHETRY: So is it a power vacuum, and how does the economy sort of factor in as well in terms of people being able to make a living?
AMANPOUR: Well, the economy is something that, obviously, in any post-war situation you want to get up and running quite fast, because what people want when they see their situation change, they want the ordinary things that you and I want, that our families want -- they want security and they want to be able to make a living to support themselves and their families. So this is obviously something that's huge, and it hasn't happened to the extent that perhaps people wanted. '
On the other hand, it is much improved in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban, but things really need to be consolidated, otherwise the fear is that this vital part of the area, this vital previous incubator of terrorism, this natural Western ally, might be lost, and you know, that's a risk that really needs to be stopped.
CHETRY: Well, you're in Vegas today, because you're being honored with a prestigious journalism award for your reporting, including your "CNN PRESENTS" special, "In the Footsteps of Bin Laden." So Let me ask you, where do you think bin Laden is right now? AMANPOUR: Well, you know, we just don't know. The best estimates are that perhaps he's still somewhere around the Afghan/Pakistan border, and much is made of the lawlessness around that area. He obviously escaped back in 2001, when there was around- the-clock bombing of Tora Bora, if you remember. He was able to escape. And the subject of where he is, is the big question.
But the thing is, he keeps active. And we've seen that through audio recordings, through video recordings, whether from him or his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri. We also see it through al Qaeda-inspired, if not directly organized, but al Qaeda-inspired spinoff groups and bombings that have been going on around the world over the last several years.
CHETRY: All right, fascinating.
And by the way, congratulations to you, and thanks so much for joining us today, Christiane -- John.
AMANPOUR: Thank you.
ROBERTS: Big congratulations from me as well, Christiane.
ROBERTS: "CNN NEWSROOM" just minutes away. Tony Harris at the CNN Center now with a look at what's ahead.
Hey, Tony.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, John, good morning to you.
We have got these stories on the NEWSROOM rundown for you this morning.
Nor'easter, a heavy-duty storm, batters the east, pounding surf, flooding rains, heavy snow, and of course airport delays that reach far beyond the east.
Once labelled a dirty bomb suspect and enemy combatant, Jose Padilla goes on trial this morning as an ordinary defendant in a civilian courtroom.
And we will talk live to the son of the legendary Jackie Robinson. It has been 60 years his dad broke Major League Baseball's color barrier.
Heidi Collins joins me in the NEWSROOM. We get started at the top of the hour, right here on CNN.
Kiran, back to you.
CHETRY: Tony, thanks so much.
And we want to show you right now a picture -- we're going to show you in one second -- of Larry King. There he is. We don't need a picture. We just need to zoom out. There he is. He's back for more. LARRY KING, CNN HOST: I'm taking over the show.
CHETRY: Well, we're glad to have you. You can come every day if you want to.
KING: Thank you. But my role here-- is there a break coming?
CHETRY: Yes, go ahead, tell us what your role is.
KING: I'll do the break.
CHETRY: All right, go ahead.
KING: When we come back on this historic morning, not only a big week for me, but a great morning for Kiran and John as they take over AMERICAN MORNING. I'll ask them a few queries -- I like that word, query -- following these words.
Don't go away.
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KING: Hello. I'm in the middle of them. AMERICAN MORNING has two great new co-hosts, John and Kiran. And John is in Washington.
Are you two ever going to be together, John?
ROBERTS: No, this is going to be a long-distance relationship as long as we both shall live, Larry. We figure a lot of people do it. We're going to try really hard to make it work.
KING: I'm honored that you're wearing the suspenders, and so is Kiran.
Did you want AMERICAN MORNING?
CHETRY: Well, I was thrilled when they said they were going to give me the opportunity. I was just thrilled to be here, and then I'm used to waking up early, so I think it's great.
KING: I mean, when you came over and you were looking that landscape of CNN, was there something you earmarked?
CHETRY: Yes, i just said what's going on in that 9:00 p.m. time slot, because I feel I would be great in an interview format, and they'd bring famous people on, and they told me that was taken.
KING: You'll never be back.
John, what did you think of this switch for you?
ROBERTS: It's going back to where I was about 12 years ago, Larry. I did morning television from about 1990 until December of 1994, both in Canada, which is where I was born, though I'm American now, and in New York for CBS Television. So it's back it my roots. My alarm clock is very glad to be paid attention to again. KING: Now, you worked with Kiran a couple times before, right?
ROBERTS: Absolutely.
KING: How did that match work to you?
ROBERTS: She's somebody I clicked with immediately. I worked with Meredith Viera back in 1992, and I worked with a lot of people, and Kiran is so much like Meredith in terms of her ability to just be able to communicate with people, and a lot of fun to be around as well.
One of the problems I had working with Meredith was I was laughing so hard most of the time I could barely read the news. Kiran and I clicked immediately, and it's a great relationship, and we're going to try to make it last by never actually being at the same place at the same time.
KING: But you secretly despise each other, and that'll make it work.
CHETRY: No, he's great. We had a really fun time. We went to a lunch together a week ago, and I ordered the steak and fries, and he was eating the cob salad, and he said, what's wrong with this picture? And I said, I guess you're just healthier than I am.
ROBERTS: Can I tell you something, Larry, you've got to love a woman in New York who sits down at lunch and orders a hanger steak with fries, cream spinach with huge bacon bits on the top.
CHETRY: He was paying.
KING: And looks this trim.
Did you -- one of the toughest parts about morning television is that you don't get 20-minute interviews, so you have to know your stuff and get in and out quickly. Is that hard for you?
CHETRY: No, I think it's great, because the beauty of morning television is that we have three hours to touch on so many different topics.
KING: But you don't get a 20-minute interviews.
CHETRY: No, you're right. It is a live format, and usually you go a little faster than you would, let's say, for you. I mean, you have an hour with Oprah tonight, so you're going to find out a lot more about her than we would. But I think that in the morning people don't have an hour necessarily to sit around either, so hopefully they can get everything that they need to know about the day and be on their way.
KING: A lot of famous news men have worked mornings, John. What comes to mind is John Chancellor, Tom Brokaw. Is this stepping toward someone else, or something else, or are you looking at this forever? ROBERTS: What I'm really looking at, Larry, to do this long enough so when that 9:00 p.m. slot does -- no, Larry, this is -- I love morning television. I love being up when the sun comes up, starting a brand-new day. So if I'm here for the rest of my life, if that 9:00 p.m. slot never opens up, I'll be very happy.
KING: Do you expect to really move to New York?
ROBERTS: I don't know. I think we'll see how things go. I think that there's a lot of room for politics in the morning, and being here in Washington, the center of gravity of everything political in this nation and with the presidential campaign coming up, what better place to be.
I'd like to see us in the studio together if we can tolerate each other for longer than 30 seconds at a time, but we'll see how things go.
CHETRY: We need him up there.
KING: You want that, right?
CHETRY: Absolutely.
KING: What does John Klein say? Has anyone said...
ROBERTS: Hey. we're out of time, aren't we? We're out of time, I think, here.
CHETRY: No, I mean, this is why Larry has been around as long as he has. He's going to cut right to the chase.
KING: Do you think you should be paired in the same place?
CHETRY: I think we're going to see how it goes, but I would love to actually have John up here, at least a couple times a week. Maybe we'll split it like that.
KING This studio -- John, you've been in the New York studio, have you not?
CHETRY: I have many times, Larry.
KING: This could be converted into a major bowling alley.
ROBERTS: Couldn't it, though? It's huge.
KING: This is the world's largest studio.
ROBERTS: And that's always an idea. But hopefully for now it will stay as the "AMERICAN MORNING" studio.
KING: Oh, no, it always will be. But what I'm saying is having this much space, does that give you any feeling of informality?
CHETRY: You know, I'm still figuring things out. All I know we brought these chairs just for you, because I've never seen them before.
KING: These chairs are new?
CHETRY: Yes. And I've got to tell you, that forget everything else i've ever done in my career, I can now finally say I was interviewed by Larry King.
KING: Oh, stop it.
CHETRY: It could all end today.
KING: John, what's going to happen at that hearing today?
ROBERTS: The hearing is actually tomorrow, Larry, with Gonzales, and he's going to have a tough time, there's no question about that. Senator Schumer is gunning for him, and Senator Arlen Specter, on the Republican side, wants some answers and he's going to ask some very pointed questions to get those answers.
If Gonzales performs reasonably well, he'll probably keep his job. But if he puts another sort of "dear in the headlights" performance like he did at that press conference several weeks ago, then it could be pretty dicey for him.
KING: I'm proud to be with both of you on this historic morning for you, and the beginning of this historic week for me. Thanks so much for giving me the time.
ROBERTS: Larry, happy 50th.
KING: Thank you, man.
ROBERTS: Just an incredible accomplishment.
KING: Those suspenders look great, John. You, too, Kiran.
CHETRY: Thank you. Come back anytime.
We're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back.
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