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American Morning
Gloves Come Off in Republican Debate; Ambushed Soldiers: Families Wait for Word
Aired May 16, 2007 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Unfriendly fire. Thousands of acres burning right now in southern New Jersey. Thousands of homes evacuated. The military now says it's our fault.
Plus, political punches.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUDY GIULIANI, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't think I've ever heard that before. And I've heard some pretty absurd explanations for September 11th.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Republicans take shots at each other.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I haven't changed my position on even numbered years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: How the latest debate is defining these 10 candidates for president on this AMERICAN MORNING.
And good morning to you. It is Wednesday, May the 16th. I'm John Roberts in Washington.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Kiran Chetry here in New York.
Good to see you, John.
And thanks for joining us this morning.
Some stories "On Our Radar."
Of course, the GOP debate. Candidates, as you just said, John, taking some shots at each other last night on some serious issues. There were some lighthearted moments too. One in particular at the expense of a Democratic candidate. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE HUCKABEE, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We've had a Congress that's spent money like John Edwards at a beauty shop and it's high time that we have a different kind of tax structure and the fairer (ph) tax would get us there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: John, what do you think of that one?
ROBERTS: You know, it was a quick quip and a little bit of a low blow. But funny none the less.
CHETRY: Referring to, of course, the news that John Edwards had gotten $400 haircuts.
ROBERTS: Yes. You know, I actually talked with somebody from his campaign. There is a bit of a back story to that, as well. They had to fly him there and pay overtime and things like that. So it wasn't the actual haircut that cost $400.
CHETRY: No supercuts for John Edwards. All right.
ROBERTS: And it was less than the one that Bill Clinton got aboard Air Force One that one time where they tied up traffic at LAX for an hour and a half.
CHETRY: These boys, huh? All right. Well, full coverage . . .
ROBERTS: Boys and their hair.
CHETRY: Right. Exactly. You know, you've got to look good.
Full coverage with the best political team. Of course, that is coming up in just a couple of minutes.
And, also, we have an update on the MySpace battle.
ROBERTS: Yes, that battle between myspace.com and the attorneys general from eight states. We told you about it yesterday. The states want the names of sex offenders who are using the websites and they also want where they live. MySpace made a decision, one that the attorneys general are not going to like. We'll tell you about that coming up.
CHETRY: Also, check out this video. An ugly commute, for sure. Riots in Argentina over delays in evening train service that has been going on. People just got fed up with it and lashed out. There you see the aftermath of that. We're going to show you more of the video and explain what is going on there with that. Coming up in just a few minutes.
First, though, we begin with wildfire season, taking a dramatic turn yesterday. A huge fire still burning this morning in southern New Jersey. An enormous wall of frames, as you see from those pictures, and thousands of people have had to leave their homes. The National Guard says that a flare from one of its fighter jets may have caused it all. CNN's Allen Chernoff is in Warren Grove, New Jersey, this morning with an update for us.
Hi, Allan. ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Kiran.
And you can see right behind me, about two miles behind me, the smoke still pouring up and this fire is not close to being contained. Last night, authorities here were saying only about 15 percent contained. Twenty-five hundred homes had to be evacuated. About 500 people spent the night in shelters.
What's particularly interesting that you've referred to is that the New Jersey Air National Guard is saying it is at fault. Apparently what happened yesterday afternoon an F-16 dropped a flare at a relatively low altitude. These flares in maneuvers are used, of course, as decoys. They would be a decoy for a heat seeking missile.
It was dropped low to the ground. It should have been dropped higher to the ground. That's at least what the New Jersey Air National Guard is saying and that set off the fire and it has been spreading rapidly. The conditions here, quite dry and the wind, better than 20 miles an hour. That, of course, is not helpful at all.
Kiran.
CHETRY: Allan Chernoff for us there in New Jersey with the latest.
Thanks so much.
Also firefighters in northern Florida say that they are making some progress fighting fires there. The big one now 50 percent contained. Lighter winds yesterday did help. Better visibility allowed firefighters to drop more water from the air. Some 700 homes still evacuated. People having to find another place to live for now. That fire burning nearly 400 square miles since it started in Georgia two weeks ago.
ROBERTS: Some breaking news to report to you this morning. We have learned in just the past hour that Yolanda King, the oldest child of the Reverend Martin Luther King, has died. King, seen her speaking at her mother's funeral last year, was just 51 years old. She died late yesterday in Santa Monica, California. Yolanda King was an actress and an inspirational speaker. No cause of death has been released yet.
The 10 Republican candidates for president went at it in their second debate last night in Columbia, South Carolina, and the gloves came off. Here's CNN's chief national correspondent John King.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): It was far more feisty and pointed than the first go-around. The tone, set by lesser known candidates, looking to chip away at the front runners.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If I trust those conversions when they happen on the road to Damascus and not on the road to Des Moines. KING: Rudy Giuliani was a frequent target. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee mocked the former mayor's statement that he morally opposes abortion, yet supports a woman's right to terminate a pregnancy.
MIKE HUCKABEE, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If something is morally wrong, let's oppose it.
RUDY GIULIANI, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: : I think that we can respond to all that and discuss all that but . . .
KING: But he didn't. Instead, Giuliani suggested Republicans should worry less about infighting and more about who is the strongest opponent for, say, Senator Hillary Clinton.
GIULIANI: There's something, I think, really big at stake here.
KING: Another flash point came when former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney criticized John McCain's work with Senate liberals.
MITT ROMNEY, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: My fear is that McCain- Kennedy would do to immigration what McCain-Feingold has done to campaign finance and money and politics, and that's bad.
KING: McCain was quick to return fire, suggesting Romney waffled on issues like abortion, depending on whether he was courting a liberal electorate in Massachusetts or the conservatives who settle GOP presidential fights.
JOHN MCCAIN, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I have kept a consistent position on right to life and I haven't changed my position on even numbered years or have changed because of the different offices that I may be running for.
KING: There was little new on Iraq.
MCCAIN: We cannot fail and I will be the last man standing, if necessary.
KING: What was new, was more humor.
HUCKABEE: We've had a Congress that's spent money like John Edwards at a beauty shop.
KING: And anger.
RON PAUL, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Listen to the people who attacked us and the reason they did it.
KING: Near the end, libertarian Ron Paul suggested 9/11 would not have happened if the United States had not fought the first Persian Gulf War. An indigent Giuliani interrupted.
GIULIANI: That's an extraordinary statement. As someone who lived through the attack of September 11th, I don't think I've ever hear that before and I've heard some pretty absurd explanations for September 11th.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: That's chief national correspondent John King reporting.
And a reminder that CNN is going to host both Democrats and Republicans for debates June 3rd and June 5th live from New Hampshire.
Kiran, did you get a chance to see much of the debate last night?
CHETRY: Yes, I mean, some of the highlights were great. It's going to be interesting. We're going to talk a little bit more about that. Because there's also some who say if Giuliani is a front runner, will he split the economic conservatives with the social conservatives and how will that turn out in '08. So we're going to be talking about that a little later.
ROBERTS: You know, there was one moment last night when Giuliani jumped in to rebut Paul and Giuliani wanted to jump in again and everybody said, hey, we want 30 seconds, too. I would have liked to have seen that go, just to see what they had to say.
CHETRY: Yes, and they were -- this format was actually a little bit looser than their first debate and they actually challenged each other a little more, which did made it fun to watch.
ROBERTS: Yes.
CHETRY: Meanwhile, we are with CNN's Arwa Damon on the phone. She is embedded with members of the division going door-to-door right now in search of the three missing soldiers and she joins us now to tell us more about what's going on.
Hi, Arwa.
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kiran.
Well, that's right, door-to-door is really what these soldiers are doing. They're combing through these hills and farmlands in the so-called triangle of death, trying to really come up with any sort of tidbits of information about their whereabouts of their missing soldiers. This unit that we are out with right now has been patrolling for the last seven and a half to eight hours. And they're stopping through, they're speaking with families that they're coming across. They're speaking with pretty much anyone who they can find.
But what they really are looking for are these nuggets of information. They do say that they have come across some pretty significant ones. The nature of them, we cannot disclose because of operational security. But that is part of the motivation that keeps them going.
But, really, Kiran, I have to tell you, these men out here are exhausted, both physically and mentally. It is now day five into this search. But they are still holding out hope that they will be able to find those three kidnapped comrades alive. And they are at least driven by that determination and really by that motivation.
And also by the knowledge that the U.S. military really is really pulling out all means at its disposal to try to find its missing men. And they know that if it was one of them who was kidnapped, the same measures would be taken to try to bring them back home alive.
Kiran.
CHETRY: Of course. And what about the cooperation? I understand that they have made many arrests and they're also acting on many tips.
DAMON: They have. They've detained several hundred individuals. Most of them are really just being detained for further questioning. But they do say that most people that they come across do seem to be relatively cooperating. In fact, what we've seen moving through with them is that a lot of the families are coming forward. Everyone pretty much that we've seen saying that they don't know anything, but should they find out any information, they would bring it forward right away.
And this is also helping sort of build that bond that needs to exist between the U.S. military and the Iraqi people. In fact, many of the families are asking the U.S. soldiers for help, mainly for medical aid for their sick children. That is being given out to them.
And it's very interesting to see these men moving through here, knowing how tired they are, knowing that on the back of their minds is the worst case scenario. Remember, we're in the same area where that kidnap and then brutal murdering of two U.S. soldiers took place last year. In fact, not far from the location where I'm at. And this latest attack that happened on Saturday, happened in that very same location. Everyone is very aware of the consequences and aware of the fact that time is ticking.
CHETRY: You're right. All right. Well, we wish them the best. And I know, as you said, they are exhausted, but not giving up.
Arwa Damon traveling with the soldiers that are going door-to- door on the hunt for their missing comrades.
Now one of those missing soldiers, Joseph Amezak (ph) Junior, had been wrongly reported dead on myspace.com nearly a month ago. He then called his family to dispel the rumor saying, I'm safe. Amezak's family learned that he is now one of the missing. We're going to be talking to his father coming up in our 8:00 hour.
John.
ROBERTS: A night of high drama in Washington. Intrigue came out in a Senate hearing yesterday. Former Deputy Attorney General James Comey testified that back in 2004, he raced to the sick bed of Attorney General John Ashcroft before two senior White House officials, Chief of Staff Andrew Card and White House Council Alberto Gonzales, could get to the hospital ahead of him. Although Comey wouldn't publicly confirm it, they were apparently having a disagreement over the president's warrantless wire tapping program.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES COMEY, FORMER DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL: I was concerned that, given how ill I knew the attorney general was, that there might be an effort to ask him to overrule me when he was in no condition to do that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Comey, who was serving as the acting attorney general while Ashcroft was in the hospital, was refusing to re-certify that wire tapping program. Comey and Ashcroft threatened to resign over the matter until President Bush stepped in, telling his staff to go ahead with the surveillance but to bring it in line with the law.
CHETRY: The Reverend Jerry Falwell is being remembered this morning as a preacher and political force who became the face of the religious right. Reverend Falwell collapsed and died yesterday unexpectedly at his office at Liberty University. He was 73 years old. CNN's Brianna Keilar is live in Lynchburg, Virginia, for more now.
Hi, Brianna.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Kiran.
And if you look at the front page this morning of the Lynchburg "News & Advance," this really tells the story of how people here are feeling about this. This is a portrait of Jerry Falwell here inside of Thomas Road Baptist Church with two people who are hugging and crying in front of it. A little bit windy, obviously.
But that really tells the story. People here are teary eyed. They're grieving for the loss of Reverend Jerry Falwell. But I did speak with one follower of Falwell's and he said that the people here know that Falwell's in a better place and that in death at least his message will be able to go forward even more.
Falwell died of heart failure yesterday. He was discovered late in the morning in his office unconscious, without a heartbeat, and paramedics tried to revive him in his office and en route to Lynchburg General Hospital but were unable to do so. And he was declared dead at 12:40 p.m. We understand that a funeral, Falwell's funeral, has been scheduled for Tuesday at 1:00 p.m. We're told by a family friend, Kiran, that there will be a viewing between now and then.
CHETRY: Brianna Keilar live for us in Lynchburg today. Thanks.
ROBERTS: MySpace says that it will not turn over the names of sex offenders to authorities. The social networking site is collecting names and other information about register sex offenders who use the site. Eight states have asked for that information, but MySpace says to do that would be against state and federal laws. MySpace did not specify which laws would be broken by handing over the information. MySpace says it is removing registered sex offenders from its site.
Some amazing video to show you this morning. Commuters rioting in the giant Buenos Aires train station last night. Argentineans, fed up with delays, broke windows, set fires, trashed the station. It was set off by a breakdown that crippled service. Riot police came in and arrested people.
Can you imagine something like that, Kiran, breaking out at Grand Central Station?
CHETRY: The frustration of a long commute sometimes gets the best of you.
Well, we're staying on top of breaking news in New Jersey. Live pictures coming to us right now. This is from Ocean County, New Jersey, where thousands of acres still burning this morning, possibly sparked by a dropped military flare. We're going to bring you that scene coming up.
Plus, charges of baby hiding at a daycare center. Why caretakers stuffed babies in closets when they got an unexpected visit.
Plus, it's the shot of the day. A lightning strike comes so close to a couple of lucky children. You're watching -- look at that. Just a few feet away.
The most news in the morning here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: You're looking at live pictures this morning of a wildfire burning near Atlantic City, New Jersey. Thousands of people have been forced from their homes. The fire is believed to have been sparked by an F-16 fighter jet that was running a training mission dropping flares at a nearby bombing range. For the very latest on the fire, we're joined now on the telephone by William Cirone. He's with the New Jersey Forest Fire Service.
Mr. Cirone, what can you tell us about this fire? We're not used to seeing forest fires in New Jersey.
WILLIAM CIRONE, NEW JERSEY FOREST FIRE SERVICE: No. Conditions were just right. The wind was blowing extremely hard. Our humidity was very low yesterday. And the fuels were -- have not been burnt in years. It just -- just the right conditions made this fire grow so rapidly.
ROBERTS: So when you say growing rapidly, how many acres are involved at this point? How many acres are in danger?
CIRONE: Right now we have 10 percent containment on this fire. We have 18,000 acres burnt. At one point yesterday, the fire was actually moving at two to three miles per hour with a one-mile front. That would be a flaming wall.
ROBERTS: That's a huge fire. Now, the Garden State Parkway was at risk at some point. We've seen this happen over and over again down in Florida. Is it still at risk? And what might it do to traffic that's heading down there toward Cape May?
CIRONE: At this time, we don't feel that the Parkway's at risk. Last night we did a very good burnout operation on the Parkway and hopefully that will stop it from jumping the Parkway.
ROBERTS: So the military is suggesting that it might have been a training mission with fighter jets that set this fire. What have you heard about that?
CIRONE: We've heard some rumors at this time. But once this fire is contained and under control, then an investigation will be conducted.
ROBERTS: Would that jet have been operating out of -- what's the Air Force base there? It slipped my mind now. It's not . . .
CIRONE: I believe that's -- I'm sorry, the bombing range.
ROBERTS: Right.
And how many firefighters are working on the line right now?
CIRONE: We have about 100 firefighters from New Jersey State Forest Fire Service, along with the local fire companies also.
ROBERTS: Right. Well, William Cirone from the New Jersey Department of Forestry, thanks very much for being with us, updating us. Can we get back to you a little later on this morning? We'd appreciate it.
CIRONE: Absolutely, John. Once the sun gets up over here and we get out a little bit, we'll have some more information for you.
ROBERTS: All right. Thanks very much. Good to talk with you.
Nineteen minutes now after the hour. Chad Myers is back after a week off. Did some fishing up in Idaho, I understand. But still tracking the extreme weather for us.
(WEATHER REPORT)
ROBERTS: Remember all those times when your parents told you not to be outside during a thunderstorm? Here's why. Check out this video from the Dallas area. You saw that lightning bolt right in front of those kids. Let's take a look at it again. What's that, about 12 feet away from them? The lightning bolt comes down, hits -- looks like either the sidewalk or the street right in front of them. Can you imagine? You know, if it had been another half a second, they would have been right under it. A neighbor happened to be there, had his camera rolling to catch that amazing mere miss. Wow. Incredible.
Kiran.
CHETRY: It's amazing that it was captured like that, as well. ROBERTS: Yes.
CHETRY: All right. Well, how will Jerry Falwell be remembered and who possibly could replace him, fill his shoes? The preacher, moralist and believer in the literal truth of the Bible let his faith lead his politics. So what is next for his school, his church and the evangelical movement? Well, joining us, AMERICAN MORNING's faith and values correspondent Delia Gallagher.
Good to see you.
The timing of this is unbelievable. You were at a religious conference down in Key West. A lot of other reporters down there when this news broke.
DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Yes. We all had to kind of rush and get the bylines out there and get the news on the air.
But we talk about, you know, what's next for everything that Falwell has instituted. And I think, you know, in terms of his school and his church, those are institutions which can and will, obviously, go on without him. And, I mean, they're huge institutions. His son -- he has two sons. They're both in charge of -- one of the church, one of the school. The church has some other ministers there that will be in charge.
But, clearly, they're institutions that can, you know, kind of go on. Also with this image of their founding father that will carry them far. I mean, the university has something like 10,000 students. And, by the way, that starts at kindergarten and goes through university. That was his idea of establishing this school that you could start from three years old and go all the way through to finish college at the same place.
CHETRY: And something he was really proud of. In fact, at one point didn't he is, I'm really turning away from politics and being the voice in politics.
GALLAGHER: Well, he always considered himself first a pastor. And I think that that was part of his appeal to some evangelicals, that he was the small-time pastor that was concerned first about pastoral things and about your kids and educating your kids in a Christian way and in a Christian classroom. Then, yes, he got involved in politics in the sense of being a voice for evangelical issues in politics. You know, he never actually ran for office and wasn't involved in politics in that way.
But I think that many evangelicals felt that he represented them on some issues. And that has changed slightly. You know, now, evangelicals have sort of -- he kind of spawned a million movements, as it were, because he was the first to do it, but the evangelical movement today has a different face, you know. He's really the old guard.
So his issues were abortion and prayer in school primarily in the beginning. That was the moral majority. That's what started him in politics. And today those are still the backbone issues for most evangelicals. However, if you think of somebody like Rick Warren today, you know, he is somebody that we think of who has the face of the evangelical movement today, and his issues, they are still those of Jerry Falwell, but they are also poverty, AIDS, the environment.
So there is a change now. There's a generational change and there is a small shift in what the evangelical movement is embracing. But the movement itself isn't defined by just one person as maybe it was in 1979.
CHETRY: Even though, yes, even though he was so larger than life, it's kind of . . .
GALLAGHER: He was. He was. But he was the old guard. So he's the one that I think when you speak to most evangelicals will say, yes, you know, he's somebody that we recognize as a very important figure in the movement because he started it. But today there are many other leaders that are taking that mantle.
CHETRY: Faith and values correspondent Delia Gallagher, thanks.
GALLAGHER: You're welcome.
ROBERTS: Coming up, it may sound like a broken record, but the Dow broke another record. Ali Velshi is here "Minding Your Business" coming up.
And we'll tell you who won't be shaking it anymore on "Dancing with the Stars." Here is a hint. The king is dead.
You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning is on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: He did a near perfect jive while dressed as Elvis, but that wasn't enough to keep Ian Ziering on "Dancing with the Stars." Ziering also did a terrific tango but he and his partner, two-time winner Cheryl Burke, got the lowest score. Now just three stars left -- Laila Ali, Apolo Anton Ohno and Joey Fatone.
CHETRY: You know, the competition is pretty stiff this year in that competition, John, because he was great, but the other ones that are still left are even better.
ROBERTS: Well, that's good that the better ones were still there, you know?
CHETRY: Yes. I mean, they were all really good, but it was the end of the road for the 90210 alum.
ROBERTS: It's got to be the end of the road sometime.
CHETRY: You're right.
Twenty-seven past the hour now. Ali Velshi is "Minding Your Business."
And you were just showing me this little flow chart for a second . . .
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Yes.
CHETRY: About Limited Brands.
VELSHI: Well, let me tell you, Limited Brands is selling off its majority stake in Express, and it said it wants to sell its Limited stores. It's looking at selling its Limited stores. It's kind of getting out of that clothing business.
Now, I'm trying to think of those other companies that Limited Brands owns. Oh, yes, Victoria Secret and Bath & Body Works. Those companies . . .
CHETRY: Slipped your mind for a second.
VELSHI: Those are working out for them. So they're going to be a business that sells pretty things, lingerie and candles and soap and things like that. Now this is a company that used to have Lane Bryant, sold it off. Lerner New York, sold it off in 2002. Abercrombie & Fitch, sold that company off. It also sold a girls retailer Tween Brands. So we're going to see what happens about that. They bought a Canadian lingerie business called La Senza, last year. So pretty things, candles, soap.
The markets. The Dow hit another record yesterday by about 37 points, getting to 13, 383. But it was a mixed market. The Nasdaq, way down there, 21 points to 2,525. The S&P just down two points to 1,501. The reason we're looking at the S&P is, symbolically, it's about 15 points away from its all-time high, which was hit back in 2000.
So we're going to keep an eye on that. We're going to talk about gas prices later on today and lots of fun stuff like that.
CHETRY: Ali, thanks.
VELSHI: OK.
CHETRY: John.
ROBERTS: Top stories of the morning are come up next. Wildfire now in New Jersey.
Plus, you once thought that it was cool, but what will it cost to get rid of that tattoo? It's a booming market. Greg Hunter's on the case, looking at a new laser that takes them right off.
And later, how far did a daycare allegedly go to cover up overcrowded conditions?
You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning is on CNN. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Face-off. The Republican presidential candidates mix it up in their second debate. The questions, their answers, and some of the shots they took at one another. We get analysis from the best political team on television on this AMERICAN MORNING.
And welcome. It's great to have you with us on this Wednesday, May 16th.
I'm Kiran Chetry.
ROBERTS: And I'm John Roberts, in Washington.
Stories on our radar this morning.
(NEWSBREAK)
ROBERTS: A southern debate with a little hospitality. After taking the stage last night for their second debate, the Republican presidential candidates took aim at one another.
John Dickinson is the chief political correspondent for slate.com, and he joins us now live from Columbia, South Carolina.
John, what do you think the big story was from last night?
JOHN DICKERSON, POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, SLATE.COM: Well, I think the big story was probably that Rudy Giuliani got back on his feet. You know, he had some trouble in the first Republican debate, and then he got wrapped around himself on the question of abortion. That's what everybody was kind of looking to see, if he could fix that in this debate.
He did as well as he can, considering he's a pro-choice candidate in a pro-life party. But his big moment, of course, was when he had this conflict with Ron Paul over 9/11 and the causes of it. And it was a little moment of drama, and that's something all the candidates want to seize.
ROBERTS: In fact, let's take a quick look at how Giuliani responded to what Congressman Paul said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. RON PAUL (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They attack us because we've been over there. We've been bombing Iraq for 10 years.
RUDY GIULIANI (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: That's an extraordinary statement, as someone who lived through the attack of September 11th, that we invited the attack because we were attacking Iraq. I don't think I've ever heard that before, and I've heard some pretty absurd explanations for September 11th.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: So, Giuliani got some applause from the crowd in South Carolina last night, which is something that you want to get. You want to feel like you're connecting with those southern conservatives.
On the issue of abortion, John, did he win anybody over, or just limit the damage?
DICKERSON: Who knows, really. We'll have to see the fallout from this.
I mean, the Giuliani argument is essentially, yes, I'm pro- choice, but I want to limit abortions, and there are these other bigger threats out there, both in the world, national security threats. And he mentioned Hillary Clinton essentially as a threat, arguing that basically the lead Democrat has these views that we should be afraid of, and I'm the candidate who can -- who can beat her. So he made a kind of political argument there, as well.
ROBERTS: That was just a little bit of a moment, the one between Giuliani and Paul. But the moderators were trying to force a little bit of conflict. They got both Romney and McCain to take the bate on that.
Romney criticized McCain for campaign finance reform, McCain- Feingold. Here is what McCain said in response to that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I have kept a consistent position on right to life, and I haven't changed my position on even numbered years or have changed because of the different offices that I may be running for.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: McCain hitting Romney there on his biggest weakness, which is, what does Romney really believe? Is he just trying to triangulate his positions politically, or does he really believe all of this?
How do you think that McCain did last night?
DICKERSON: I think McCain did pretty really well. You know, he stood by some of his positions that have caused him some trouble in Republican circles. You know, that works for him because of his reputation of kind of speaking his mind. He's gotten into some trouble where people have wondered whether he's kind of moved around on the issues.
He stuck with his initial positions. And he had some pretty solid performance last night. That clip you played will get played over and over again. And that benefits McCain as well.
ROBERTS: Who showed that they weren't ready for prime time last night, John? DICKERSON: Well, Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore seemed a little not ready for prime time. He tried to make some attacks on his opponents, but he wouldn't name them. Then the moderators kind of had to force him to name them. He was kind of reluctant.
And so, you know, he's a second or third-tier candidate, and he'll probably stay there.
ROBERTS: Yes. All right.
Well, John Dickinson, chief political correspondent for slate.com.
Thanks for joining us from Columbia, South Carolina, this morning.
And of course, Kiran, we're going to have more on this debate coming up as the morning progresses.
CHETRY: All right.
Coming up, four soldiers killed in an ambush in Iraq, and loved ones of other troops are waiting for news. Alina Cho will join us with more on the soldiers and families.
Also, children hidden in a store room at a day care center. We'll have more on this outrageous story.
You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning is here on CNN.
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CHETRY: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING.
It's an anguished wait right now for families of American soldiers in Iraq. Seven soldiers were ambushed over the weekend. Four of them were killed, three of them are captured. The Pentagon releasing their names as their fellow soldiers continue to look for them door to door today.
AMERICAN MORNING'S Alina Cho has a look at the faces behind those names.
Hi, Alina.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Kiran. Good morning.
You know, it's a bit confusing, so we're going to try to sort it out for you. All of the soldiers are based in Fort Drum, New York. We only know for sure three names of the four soldiers killed.
One of the bodies was so severely burned that the military is now conducting a DNA test to find out that soldier's identity. And we could hear something later today on that. But they did release the four soldiers listed as missing. And let's take a look at the faces behind those names.
Private Byron W. Fouty, he's 19-year-old old and from Waterford, Michigan. Still looking for a picture of him. The title of his MySpace page, "Be Home Soon".
Sergeant Anthony Schober, he's 23 years old and from Reno, Nevada.
Specialist Alex Jimenez, 25 years old. He's from Lawrence, Massachusetts. We were able to get a photo of him.
And Private First Class Joseph Anzack, Jr., 20 years old, from Torrance, California. And listen to this story. Oddly enough, in a weird twist of fate, just three weeks ago, a report on MySpace said that Anzack had been killed in action.
He was pulled from the front lines to call his folks to say I'm OK. Now his parents are worried all over again.
But imagine. You know, these four names came out, Kiran, and three are missing. One is dead. But imagine being one of those four families this morning, not knowing whether your son was killed or missing. It just must be gut-wrenching to not know that this morning.
CHETRY: It absolutely is. We're going to be actually talking a little later in our 8:00 hour with Anzack's father to find out how the family is holding up.
I mean, as we know, there's a door-to-door search going on with others in that same brigade. We talked with Arwa Damon, because she's actually with them in that very dangerous area known as the Triangle of Death.
You do know a little bit more about those killed, as well.
CHO: That's right. Those names were released. Four killed total. Remember, one is still being identified. But three names of the killed were released.
They are Sergeant First Class James Connell. He was 40 years old from Lake City, Tennessee. A father of four who spent 19 years in the Army. One of his children said he loved the Army. Connell will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
The second soldier confirmed dead, Private First Class Christopher Murphy. There you see him, just 21 years old, from Lynchburg, Virginia. We were not able to get much more information on him just yet.
And the third soldier confirmed killed, Private First Class Daniel Courneya. Courneya was just 19 years old, born in Fresno, California, and moved to Michigan when he was 10 years old. Interestingly enough, Kiran, his stepfather is also serving in Iraq.
So we're beginning to learn a little bit more about these soldiers, and we'll bring you much more in the next couple of hours. CHETRY: It just breaks your heart when you hear...
CHO: It does.
CHETRY: ... they have kids left behind, and you see someone like him, who's 19 years old, just looks so young.
CHO: That's right. The spectrum from 19 to 40 years old. And we're beginning to learn a lot more about these people just now this morning.
CHETRY: Alina, thank you -- John.
ROBERTS: It's 45 minutes after the hour now. Chad Myers at the weather center down in Atlanta, back from vacation, tracking the extreme weather.
(WEATHER REPORT) .
ROBERTS: A school scandal is ahead. It involves a stolen cell phone and photos of a topless teacher.
And it isn't cheap to make all that ink disappear. Up next, how the big demand for tattoo removal is leading to a big market.
Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
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CHETRY: Well, a few things in life are permanent: death, taxes, tattoos. Well, apparently you can now make them disappear, too, but it will cost you.
AMERICAN MORNING'S Greg Hunter is here to tell us all about it.
Now, I thought you could always get tattoos removed with, you know, varying degrees of success.
GREG HUNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, if they know what they're doing, you can get them removed completely.
Do you have a tattoo? I mean, that's...
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CHETRY: No. In full disclosure, I never got inked.
HUNTER: Hey, I don't have one, either. You know, the needles go in your skin.
Well, the question is, are you still going to love that tattoo you're getting today years from now? Well, already a lot of people with tattoos are saying, I made a mistake. I want it gone.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) HUNTER (voice over): Angelina Jolie, Tommy Lee, Dennis Rodman, just a few of the celebrities who have glamorized skin art. While love sometimes fades, it takes a lot more than that to make a tattoo disappear.
Giustina Rossi had two cherubs tattooed on her lower back when she was 21.
GIUSTINA ROSSI, TATTOO REMOVAL PATIENT: It was an impulse. Got it done, and realized it's just not -- it doesn't look good on me. It just wasn't what I'm about.
HUNTER: Today, after shots to kill the pain, Giustina got her 11th and final laser treatment to remove those cherubs. Total cost? About $4,400.
It's a growing market. Tattoo removal lasers are now big business.
DR. BRUCE KATZ, JUVA SKIN & LASER CENTER: Those two cherubs...
HUNTER: Dr. Bruce Katz, a board-certified dermatologist, has been removing tattoos for more than a decade.
KATZ: We have not seen so many tattoos in the last few years ever.
HUNTER: Dr. Katz says 80 percent of his clients are women who have changed their minds.
KATZ: A lot of women today particularly -- and some men -- have had tattoos placed when they're in college or in high school, and they get out into the real world, into business, and they're on Wall Street or investment banking, and they realize, this is not professional. And that's when they decide to have them removed.
HUNTER: Tattoos where the ink is very deep in the skin, or with many colors, are hard to take off.
KATZ: They're aqua, yellow, orange, turquoise. They become a lot more difficult and they also require a lot more sessions to remove them.
HUNTER: Giustina wishes she had known that before she got her tattoo in the first place.
KATZ: Are you all right, Giustina?
ROSSI: Yes.
I should have listened to my parents when they said that I'd be paying for it later on. They were right.
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HUNTER: OK. You want a tattoo removed. What should you look for?
Make sure you're going to a qualified doctor. That usually means that you should ask for a board-certified doctor. There are all of these clinics that have popped up over the years, and all the doctors and all the people I talked to say, hey, look out, those people may not have very much experience, which brings me to my next tip.
That is, ask the doctor or the technician or the nurse, really, who's going to be doing your tattoo removal, how many have you done? How much experience do you have? What part of your -- what percentage of your practice is this?
Also, ask to see pictures of before and after procedures. You should be doing this.
And just to show you the awesome power of a laser, take a look at this video. Dr. Katz fired up one of his 39 lasers in his office, one that removes wrinkles. He's got it right here.
Look at this. That's a tongue depressor. It's about a sixteenth of an inch thick.
That's right, it's burning through a tongue depressor. Now, imagine your skin on this laser and somebody who doesn't know what they're doing.
That's my face there. You see that.
But imagine your skin. You know, that tongue depressor is tougher than your skin.
CHETRY: Right.
HUNTER: And with the wrong hands -- all the experts I've talked to -- I talked to Dr. Jeffrey Rand (ph), who has done 11,000 of these tattoo removals. That's all he does.
And he says, "Hey, I hear stories of scarring. I hear stories of people getting burned. I hear sloppy tattoo removal." You don't get it all off. You really have to have the right person.
CHETRY: And she had 11 treatments, the girl that you talked to. So it takes a while.
HUNTER: That's right.
CHETRY: You have to do it in layers.
HUNTER: It's not magic.
CHETRY: So, the best advice, don't do it in the first place. Don't get your boyfriend or girlfriend's name tattooed like Angelina did.
HUNTER: Yes, that's right. Billy Bob.
CHETRY: That's -- you know. And I think it was Johnny Depp. He had "Winona Forever". And he just changed it to "Wino Forever".
Greg, interesting story. Thank you.
HUNTER: OK.
ROBERTS: Or as Giustina said, listen to your parents in the first place.
CHETRY: That's right.
ROBERTS: That's very good advice.
Coming up, we're paying record prices for gasoline. But what are we paying for? Ali breaks down just where your $3.10 a gallon is going.
And an embarrassing picture of a teacher has been passed around a high school. We'll tell you how the kids got a hold of it.
A warning for you.
And a couple of lucky kids nearly got struck by lightning. Take a look at that. Wow.
We'll show you the amazing video.
You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning is on CNN.
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ROBERTS: Fifty-seven minutes now after the hour.
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CHETRY: The next hour of AMERICAN MORNING starts right now.
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