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American Morning
America Votes; A Top U.S. General Says Anbar Province Will be Handed Over to Iraqi Security Forces in March; Nation's Largest Mortgage Lender Countrywide Will be Brought by Bank of America
Aired January 11, 2008 - 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: America votes. The race for president standing out to other states and the candidates speak out to us.
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MIKE HUCKABEE, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: My tax plan would eliminate the IRS.
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MITT ROMNEY, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is the time for us to take very aggressive action.
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CHETRY: We're live from the next three key battlegrounds.
Billion dollar bailout. It's a done deal this morning. Bank of America rescues countrywide.
Plus, Dance Fever. The best-selling digital song ever. Three million ring tones sold, 28 million hits on YouTube.
The beat sweeping the nation on this AMERICAN MORNING.
CHETRY: Really like the time of the treadmill. Just seem like it just goes fast. Welcome, it's Friday, January 11th, I'm Kiran Chetry. John Roberts taking the day off today.
We begin the hour with breaking news. Confirmation of the major deal that could help the country's mortgage crisis could start to turn things around today. Bank of America agreeing to purchase countrywide financial. The deal worth $4 billion in stock and it puts the country's largest mortgage lender in the hands of the largest bank. So what does this mean for your mortgage? And the mortgage meltdown. We're going to talk with our Gerri Willis coming up in just a few minutes.
The economy was the key issue as well at last night's Republican debate, took place in South Carolina. We spoke to Governor Mitt Romney earlier on AMERICAN MORNING about one of the biggest drains on your bank account. Oil.
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MITT ROMNEY, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The first thing to do is to lay out a very comprehensive and believable plan that allows America to become energy secure and energy independent by pursuing nuclear power, liquefied coal, all renewable resources, more efficient homes and appliances and cars. You do that and show the people of the world that we can be energy independent.
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CHETRY: Romney has pulled ads from South Carolina and Florida and is focusing on Michigan to keep his campaign going. It's the states that he grew up in. His father was the governor of that state. He says though, that he's focusing on Michigan but he will also continue to advertise in South Carolina as well.
Mike Huckabee also took it on the chin in that Republican debate last night. Accused of being liberal by fellow competitors and liberal on economy and foreign policy. Earlier on AMERICAN MORNING, Huckabee responded to Fred Thompson's charge that he signed a pledge not to raise taxes only because he was pressured to do so.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE HUCKABEE, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I did make that pledge not to raise taxes (INAUDIBLE), because we don't need to raise taxes. In fact, if anything, it would be devastating to our economy to raise the marginal tax rates right now. So I took that pledge. I mean to keep it. In fact, my tax plan would eliminate the IRS. It would have us go to a consumption tax and we wouldn't be paying taxes on our productivity.
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CHETRY: Huckabee also defended his plan to replace the income taxes with the national sales tax telling me that something has to be better than the IRS. A little bit later we're going to be talking with New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson about his decision to drop out of the Democratic race, that's at 8:30 eastern time.
Meantime, Alina Cho is here with some other stories new and developing this morning, good to see you.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, good to see you, Kiran. Good morning. Lots of developments overseas and other sign of progress in Iraq. A top U.S. general says Anbar Province will be handed over to Iraqi security forces in March. The area was once considered an al Qaeda stronghold. The U.S. says it's a clear sign the so called surge is working. Anbar will be the tenth of 18 provinces to be handed back to Iraqi control.
A sentencing hearing for former Olympic track star Marion Jones will begin in just a couple of hours north of New York City. In a plea deal last year, Jones admitted to lying about her steroid use and involvement in a check front scheme. Since then she's retire and given up her five Olympic medals. Her lawyers say she's been punished enough and shouldn't face any jail time. Prosecutors aren't pushing for a prison sentence either but in the past the judge has hinted he was leaning that way.
A former American figure skating champion has been found dead of a possible drug overdose. Christopher Bowman's body was found in a motel in Los Angeles. An autopsy will be performed over the weekend. He was known as "Bowman the Showman." He won the U.S. men's figure skating titles in 1989 and 1992. Also made the U.S. Olympic team back in 1998 and 1992. Bowman admitted he had drug problems during his career. Christopher Bowman was 40 years old.
New details this morning about the government's controversial plan to change driver's licenses. The feds are revising the minimum standards today. That means drivers born after December 1964 will have until 2011 to get the secure licenses. Older drivers will have until 2018. Because the government says they're less likely to be criminals. So called real I.D.'s would have digital photos, birth certificates and a statement on penalty of perjury that the information provided is true. The critics say the real I.D.'s machine readable technology threatens privacy and amounts to defective national I.D.
And he learned less than two percent of the in New Hampshire but Congressman Dennis Kucinich wants a recount. Kucinich says there are enough credible reports online about disparities in hand-counted ballots which tend to favor Barack Obama and machine ones which went to Hillary Clinton. The state says, well, Kucinich is entitled to recount. But guess what, Kiran? Under state law, he has to pay for it himself. And to be clear he says, he doesn't think there will be any significant differences in the vote totals. He just wants to make sure that 100 percent of the votes are counted correctly.
CHETRY: So he's being realistic. He's not thinking he's going to turn the tide for him in anyway, shape or form? It's about Hillary, Obama.
CHO: He doesn't think that it will mean that he won New Hampshire but he wants to make sure every single vote is counted correctly.
CHETRY: It will be a heck of a voting problem there.
CHO: It will certainly would.
CHETRY: Thanks, Alina.
Well, it's the sunshine vitamin, as they say. Good for your bones, good for your heart. Vitamin D is in the news a lot recently. Should we be doing more to get more Vitamin D into our diets? CNN's chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta is at our medical update desk in Atlanta. And you soak up Vitamin D also just from being in the sun, right?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, exactly. I mean, you actually -- some of the UV lights converts something in your body and turns it into a very usable form of Vitamin D. That's why it's called the sunshine vitamin as you said. You can also obviously get it from food sources. But who would have thought that Vitamin D could be so controversial? A lot of people talking about it. "Time" magazine actually called it one of their top ten medical breakthroughs. And it's not really a breakthrough, obviously, because vitamins have been around for a long time.
But there had been a lot of studies to show the benefits of Vitamin D recently. Saying it could ward off MS. I can help you live longer. There was a study showing that deficiencies of Vitamin D were associated with higher incidences of heart attacks and strokes and in studies also about the relationship to cancer. Saying if you get adequate doses of Vitamin D, you could possibly ward off certain cancers.
Now interestingly enough, when we talked to folks from the American Cancer Society, they say, you know, be a little careful here. You don't want to, lets say, encourage mega dosing of Vitamin D. You don't want to encourage people to go out and get suntans to get their Vitamin D as well. It may have some benefits. What they also found is that people, who have normal or high levels of Vitamin D in their body, also tends to take better care of themselves overall. They tend to be thinner. They tend to be people who have better access to medical care. So whether it was the Vitamin D or whether it was their lifestyle, exactly, unclear. But Vitamin D in normal doses seems to be a good thing for everybody.
Kiran.
CHETRY: So what is the best way to get? You talk about being careful, you don't overdo?
GUPTA: Yes, you know, when it comes to sun exposure, there are people who say, look there's no such thing as a safe amount of sun, period. Others people that we've talk to say if you're out in the sun for even a few minutes a day, that's probably enough time to actually convert into Vitamin D in your body.
Interestingly enough, Kiran, you'll go through this soon with the new baby. There are new recommendations that say to actually give babies Vitamin D drops because you don't want to put babies out in the sun. But you can get Vitamin D from food. I mean, milk, for example. Everyone knows milk is fortified with Vitamin D between the ages of 19 and 50. One cup a day is enough. Your requirements go up, as you get older, so two cups. Three cups to 70 and over. That's obviously a lot of milk to drink for anybody. Fish, that's another good source of Vitamin D as well. So in your food, a little bit of your sun, both those things together probably get enough.
CHETRY: I know. When you're breast feeding babies, they make you give them those drops. The Vitamin A and D drops because they're not getting it as they would from formula. So you start young and needed it throughout your whole life. All right, Sanjay, thanks.
GUPTA: Thank you.
CHETRY: Well, the battle for the White House, now moving to multiple fronts. Nevada, Michigan, South Carolina and we're live in the key state with a look at what the candidates have to do to win. Also, a big bailout announced in the last hour for the country's biggest mortgage lender. Our Gerri Willis is here. She is going to show us what it means for your mortgage just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
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CHETRY: Welcome back to the most news in the morning. What you see here three -- well you will see it here in a second. The three big dates coming up in the battle for the White House. Michigan on Tuesday, there you see it, then Nevada and South Carolina. All of them to be decided in the next two weeks. We're live in all three states with a look at what will be the key to winning.
We have with us some political whip, if you will, of different reporters working for the local newspapers in each of these states. From Michigan, Kathleen Gray with the "Detroit Free Press," thanks for being with us. From Nevada Molly Ball with the "Las Vegas Review Journal" and from South Carolina, Leroy Chapman from the "State Newspaper" in Columbia.
Good morning to all of you and thanks for being with us. A lot of focus on the economy today, and that's obviously a big issue, Kathleen, for Michigan. What do voters there want to hear from the various candidates about helping Michigan as some candidates have referred to get out of the one-state recession?
KATHLEEN GRAY, DETROIT FREE PRESS: Well, Michigan is in a one- state recession. Our unemployment rate is the highest in the nation and we've lost more than 200,000 manufacturing jobs since 2001. So Michiganders want to hear what the candidates are saying about the economy, what they can do to help them. The Republicans are talking about retraining funds and they're also talking about investing in things like alternative energy in the state, to go along with the auto industry.
CHETRY: It's interesting. There were two different points of view it seemed yesterday at that debate in South Carolina. Kathleen, you heard John McCain saying, you know, sometimes the truth hurts and maybe manufacturing jobs aren't coming back to Michigan. Whereas Mitt Romney, who sort of a favorite son of Michigan is saying no, no. That's a pessimistic way to look at it. We can bring jobs back. It's just a matter of making the business more attractive. Which one will you think will resonate more with voters?
GRAY: Well, the auto industry has been retrenching. And I don't think that they want to go back to the old days. So I'm not quite sure which messages going to resonate. Romney's message might resonate better with unions while McCain's message might resonate better with the industrial people, the corporate types who want to keep this retrenching going.
CHETRY: Let's switch to Molly right now, and talk a little bit about Nevada. They say Nevada has a large situation when it comes to the unions and that unions have a lot of sway and influence on ultimately which candidates go ahead and take those delegates. What are some of the biggest issue, though, Molly, among people living in Nevada?
MOLLY BALL, LAS VEGAS REVIEW JOURNAL: Well, that's right. The unions were a major reason that Nevada was chosen by the Democrats, originally by the Democrats, to have this, to be an early state for the first time. We've never been in this position before. The union, the large Hispanic population here which is certainly you don't see in Iowa and New Hampshire and the fact that we're out west, and this is a test of the candidates' appeal in the western states.
We've got a very different economic situation than Michigan. We've got a service economy that is growing by leaps and bounds. Tens of thousands of hotel rooms are going to be coming online. The majority of those unions -- the majority of the strip are union workers, and so this is the very powerful union. The Culinary Workers Union that claims to have 60,000 members that just recently endorsed Barack Obama. So it's going to be a very interesting race to see if they can mobilize all of their members and if those members can be decisive in this first time early state.
CHETRY: It's legendary for being able to turn out their union members, actually to come out there and vote. Why Obama and how much does health care factor into the decisions on the various unions?
BALL: Well, for the culinary, they have health care. They certainly believe in universal health care, which all the candidates are promising. Obama's also been endorsed by the Service Employees International Union in Nevada which represents nurses and health care workers. So these are union workers who probably have their own health care, but in the case of the health care workers, they're concerned about that situation.
CHETRY: Let's get to Leroy real quick before we run out of time, And Leroy, economic issues certainly playing big within the south as well. In South Carolina, what are some of the voters looking to hear from the various candidates?
LEROY CHAPMAN, STATE NEWSPAPER: Outsourcing is a really big issue here in South Carolina. Textile industry over the last couple of years has been decimated by outsourcing. So on the Democratic side; they're looking at working-class people being loyal Democratic constituency. They're looking for answers as to how you place those jobs. On the Republican side, we've heard some things last night in the debate about economics and some of the things that apply to Michigan also apply here in terms of new investment and how do you create new jobs in a global economy? So jobs are the big economic issue here.
CHETRY: Much has been made about the African American vote being key among Democratic voters, making up 50 percent of registered Democrats in that state. How are the messages of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John Edwards playing among African-American voters?
CHAPMAN: I think Barack Obama, his experience in Iowa, where he seemed to put to rest some of the questions about his electability has given him a big boost among African Americans. If you look at the race between he and Hillary Clinton, Clinton had been doing fairly well among African-Americans for a while, but Barack Obama was boosted by the Oprah visit in December and the performance in Iowa and New Hampshire made him look like someone who could actually win the nomination. So he's had a real boost among them.
Clinton on the other hand is probably going to have a difficult time attacking him because of that. He looks like a candidate who can win, and I think a lot of hopes of African Americans, of actually having a black president one day rest in Barack Obama. So she's going to have a tough time attacking him in this state.
CHETRY: Leroy Chapman, as well as Molly Ball and Kathleen Gray, journalists covering the key issues in their respective states. Thanks for talking with us this morning.
Within the last hour, we got confirmation that the nation's largest mortgage lender Countrywide will be bought out and brought out of trouble, I guess you could say, by Bank of America. So what does it mean for your mortgage? Gerri Willis is CNN's personal finance editor. She joins me this morning. Will you notice if you have a countrywide mortgage that something's going on with the company?
GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you will. Listen, this is an interesting story, Ali Velshi has been reporting this all morning about the acquisition. You know, there was a lot of conversation about whether this company would go into bankruptcy. I want you to hear what the CEO of the company said some nine months about the prospects for Countrywide.
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ANGELO MOZILO, CHAIRMAN, CEO COUNTRYWIDE FINANCIAL: What our concern is, Maria, not so much for Countrywide because we'll be fine. In fact, this will be great for Countrywide at the end of the day, because all the irrational competitors will be gone. My concern, Maria, is for the country.
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WILLIS: That didn't happen as you can tell. This company actually being acquired by Bank of America. But to your question, what happens to folks out there with these loans? What should they do? What should they think? At the end of the day, well these loans are an asset. It's a good thing for banks. What will probably happen is that Bank of America will take these on. They could also sell them. But at the end of the day, that's a good thing for you. Certainly better than bankruptcy which can really hurt people who are trying to get loans right now and close, because Countrywide could have walked away from those. And that would have been a disaster if somebody going to the closing table right now.
CHETRY: So are we starting to see a glimmer of hope, light at the end of the tunnel, if you will, about turning around the mortgage crisis because of this? WILLIS: Well you know, more deals could follow on the back end. That's what somebody told me yesterday as I was reporting this story. But also you should know, there are rights out there for consumers who have these loans. As a matter of fact, you should get a letter in the mail within 15 days about who's going to take over those loans. You have 60 days, a 60-day grace period, to get your money to the right folks. Keep paying that loan.
Just because a loan changes hands doesn't mean you can stop paying the loan, because somebody's going to pick up that asset, and they'll want your stream of payments coming in. So at the end of the day, this is probably good news for people out there who were worried about their Countrywide loan. I got questions all the time about this from people all over the place. Don't worry. You should hear from somebody soon about where your payments should go. Just make the change. Look you know, this happens every day in the mortgage industry. Loans are bought and sold and change hands all the time.
CHETRY: Countrywide is huge -- you know, almost anybody, they have a Countrywide loan. You got to keep in mind, if you have those auto payments or those direct withdrawals, you got to make sure you change it over, you could end up in trouble.
WILLIS: Very good point.
CHETRY: All right. Gerri, thanks for talking to us about this, this morning. I appreciate it.
And Gerri, by the way, is going to be having "OPEN HOUSE," again tomorrow morning, its 9:30 eastern right here on CNN. It also re-airs on Saturday and Sunday, 3:30 p.m. eastern time. Thanks, Gerri.
Well, was Bill Richardson's presidential swan song or was it? Well the now former candidate still be a big player down the road? Governor Richardson joins us just ahead.
Also, bizarre behavior, all of that documented in front of the eyes of the paparazzi. Some say it's a cry for help. But can anyone really force Britney Spears or others deemed to be perhaps mentally unstable by their friends and family. Can they be forced into treatment? Well, Sunny Hostin is here with a look at what the law says. That's coming up on AMERICAN MORNING.
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CHETRY: Take a look now at the hot shot of the morning. It's a tow truck driver scratching his head and saying, we certainly don't see this every day. Damage done to the car that was simply park, but then lifted up off the ground, and uprooted by an uprooted tree. This was in Vancouver, Washington. This tree was one of many uprooted by a tornado that swept through the area yesterday. It's our hot shot. And if you have one, send it to us. The address is amhotshot@cnn.com. Please be sure to include your name, where you're from, a little about the picture or video and, one more thing, make sure the image is yours and not someone else's. Thanks so much. Well, can the law step in to save Britney Spears? Her family reportedly wants her to get some mental help. Can they really force her to do so if she doesn't want to? AMERICAN MORNING legal analyst Sunny Hostin is here now with our "Legal Brief." We were showing some of those brief pictures, after I guess some sort of custody fight. The paramedics as well as the police were all called to her home and she was eventually taken for a medical evaluation at Cedars-Sinai and released. So what happens then?
SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well you know it's interesting, the process is very well delineated. The bottom line, its 5150 Statute in California which is sort of the involuntary commitment process and the police did the right thing in order for anyone to be committed against their will, against their will. Either the police or mental health professional has to recommend that and the next step after that is sort of this 72-hour evaluation.
That's a time for treatment evaluation and at the end of it, what basically happens is either the person is released, Kiran, or they're, they decide, yes, I need treatment, I'm going to voluntarily put myself in or they get this 40-day intensive treatment because there's a problem that has found, or which is the sort of the most difficult thing to do, they're found to be gravely disabled, meaning they can't take care of themselves and then they are committed.
CHETRY: But wait, for Britney's situation, she wasn't even held for 72 hours. She was at Cedars-Sinai and she was back home again, I think within a day and a half?
HOSTIN: My understanding was this, she was held for 72 hours, but perhaps you're right. But the bottom line is, in this kind of scenario with the family wanting her to be placed in, it's still going to be very difficult. I get calls all the time. E-mails, why can't a family member put someone in against their will? Well, there's a really good reason for that. You don't want someone with direct interests in a person's assets, and their estate, to be able to put them in a mental health hospital, and with Britney, that really would be a problem, because she's sort of the bread winner of the family.
And so if they can say, she's crazy. Let's put her in the hospital. Let's take over all of her assets. We don't want that sort of thing to happen. So it really has to be a mental health professional or has to be the police, someone that doesn't have a direct interest in any of her finances.
CHETRY: But even that is difficult, right, to prove?
HOSTIN: It's very difficult to prove. She has to be found to be a danger to herself, a danger to others, like her children, or a gravely disabled, unable to take care of herself, meaning unable to provide care and food, water, shelter for herself. She's wealthy. That really isn't going to happen unless she is just so mentally disturbed that she, you know, can't take care of herself. Really, the law in all states is pretty much the same. It's very difficult to have someone put in a mental institution against their will. CHETRY: It is interesting. They say that this was done in the past to protect people. I mean years ago, you could be thrown into a mental institution for any length of time. If somebody saw you walking down the street talking to yourself, so they wanted to protect people from that.
HOSTIN: That's right. They wanted to protect people. There was a Supreme Court case many, many years ago. A man was held against his will for 15 years, 15 years without any sort of checks and balances. And so we don't want that to happen. So all the folks through e- mailing and saying, why you know, Britney Spears should be put in against her will. We really don't want that. We want to make sure that she's treated, yes, if she's ill, but all the processes and procedures need to be followed.
CHETRY: Sunny Hostin, as always, great to see you. Thanks.
HOSTIN: Thank you.
CHETRY: Well time now to check in with T.J. Holmes and Betty Nguyen for a look at what's ahead on "CNN's SATURDAY AND SUNDAY." Hello.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, good morning.
Gearing for what is being billed as a high-profile weekend of campaign stumping. You don't want to miss this. Iowa and New Hampshire, those were in the background.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENTS: That was so last week. So its time for the rest of the nation to get involved in this thing. Republicans buying between Michigan and South Carolina. While the Democrats, they're chilling in South Carolina and Florida. We're going to bring you all their events live.
NGUYEN: Also the young voters are getting a whole lot of attention. Candidates visiting high schools, college campuses and making sure that they are on the web, but is this an effective strategy? We'll look into that.
HOLMES: Also, some of us are just crushed. There's no red carpet, no glamorous gowns. Ah, no Jennifer Lopez. No celebrity parties. Ah, killing us here. Writers' strike hurting other businesses as well.
NGUYEN: "CNN SATURDAY AND SUNDAY MORNING" beginning tomorrow at 7:00 eastern.
Kiran?
CHETRY: Just not quite the same when they hold the press conference and read off the winners, right?
NGUYEN: Not at all.
CHETRY: All right, we look forward to it. Thanks so much, both of you.
Well coming up on AMERICAN MORNING, campaign staffers call her the closer. Alina Cho is going to be back to tell us why Barack Obama secret weapon isn't Oprah, it's his wife Michelle.
And he's out of the race for president but he still could be a pretty big player. What's next for Bill Richardson? Will he endorse someone? Will he be a running mate? We're going to ask him live, next on AMERICAN MORNING.
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KIRAN CHETRY, HOST: Welcome back, 8:30 here on the east coast on this Friday January 11th. I'm Kiran Chetry. John Roberts is off today.
The field of Democratic candidates for president down to one man this morning. Governor Bill Richardson dropping out after finishing fourth again. So, what's next? Is he really out of the game or could we see him come back as a running mate this time? Governor Bill Richardson joins us right now from Santa Fe, New Mexico. Thanks for joining us, thanks for getting up early with us this morning. Great to see you.
GOV. BILL RICHARDSON, (D) NEW MEXICO: Thanks for having me.
CHETRY: Well, now's your chance. Is there any candidate that you're endorsing, any campaign that you're getting behind this morning?
RICHARDSON: No. I'm going to stay loose for a while. You know, first of all, I don't think endorsements by other politicians mean much. I've always felt that. And secondly, I want to concentrate on being governor of New Mexico. I've got my legislature coming up, but I'll be active on the national stage. I'll work hard for the Democratic nominee. I'm going to keep my international peacekeeping missions going. I'm going to ride my horse. So I'm not going to disappear. I'll be around.
CHETRY: You know, were you with so many of them. You guys appeared in many, many states together. You appeared at many of the debates together, had a chance to talk to one another. If had you to sort of help us break it down a little bit, let's talk about where some of the candidates stand on some of the issues. The big front- runners, and whether or not you think that they would be effective presidents specifically, let's talk first about Hillary Clinton. When it comes to foreign policy, is she up for the task?
RICHARDSON: She is up for the task. She's had experience. She's on the Armed Services Committee. You know, one of the good things that I believe my role had in the campaign was I move both Hillary, Obama and Edwards towards a stronger position on us getting out of Iraq and getting all of our troops out. But to answer your question, she does have good foreign policy judgment.
CHETRY: That's one area where Barack Obama took some hits early on saying that he was too green, perhaps. That he needed a little more time on the national stage to learn more and to be more involved in foreign policy. How do you view him in terms of what he would be able to do and how effective a leader he would be for foreign policy?
RICHARDSON: She has very good judgment. Very good instincts. He's very street smart in foreign policy. Obviously, he's on the Foreign Relations Committee. So, his time on foreign policy is not, not been at extensive as some of the rest of us, but still, what you want in foreign policy is good judgment. You got to know who to turn to for the best advice. He's surrounded by good people, again, he's a very bright guy. I think he could handle very well a foreign policy crisis the same with Senator Clinton. So, in that area, obviously, the voters sent a message that they wanted change rather than experience. I think that Obama has the sense that he can develop more foreign policy expertise. But what you need more than anything is good judgment; turn to the right people, good instincts, a sense of values, principled foreign policy with realism, and I think Obama has that, as does Senator Clinton.
CHETRY: As we understand it, you got a lot of calls after you announced that you would be pulling out of the race from people on both sides of the aisle actually other candidates running including Mike Huckabee. Is there anyone on the GOP side that you would be extremely concerned about if they were to get the nominee? Some of the concerned that you think may have some challenges leading the country effectively?
RICHARDSON: Well, you know, foreign policy is a big area, and I don't see any of the candidates having foreign policy experience. Maybe, Senator McCain. You know, Huckabee is a great guy. We've known each other for a long time. They're all good people. You know, I really respect everyone that gets into the arena and tries to be president, because it's very grueling. There's a lot of pressure. So, I want to just commend all of them, on both sides. And I think the American people are going to eventually make the judgment on who they want as president. I believe that the Democratic candidates are far superior, but I am obviously biased here.
CHETRY: Right. But you know -- let me ask you this one question because you said maybe McCain. And McCain at this point you know, took a lot of heat for coming out in favor of the surge, saying that we need more troops in there. It's really, seems to be consensus now that the surge has drastically helped cut down the number of troop deaths and is perhaps paving the way for political reconciliation. And so, is McCain on the right side of this issue when it comes to involvement in Iraq and perhaps your position and some of the other Democrats not on the correct (ph) side of that issue?
RICHARDSON: No. I think McCain is totally on the wrong side on this issue, but he's on the right side on the immigration issue, on wanting a sense of illegal immigration program and I commend him for it. You know, all of us have positions that can be challenged, but in the end, it's going to be who can bring change to this country with experience? I think that's going to be the formula that wins the presidency for anybody and I believe that the Democratic candidates, obviously, are superior, but, again, the public will make those judgments, but I've just been honored to be in this race. This is a good country, and I feel that the American people are wonderful people. In the end, we'll make the right choice. But I want to thank you and your network for covering the race and having me on and allowing us all to have our point of views expressed.
CHETRY: Well, we love having you on. You're a straight shooter, you answer a lot of questions for us and we appreciate it. That being said, answer this one for me now. Would you consider being a vice presidential candidate and getting on the ticket with the Democratic nominee?
RICHARDSON: You know, right now I just want to about good governor of New Mexico. I'm going to keep my international missions, I'm going ride my horse, spend time with my wife Barbara. That's all I want to think about now.
CHETRY: All right. You said right now. So, you're not ruling it out in the future, perhaps.
RICHARDSON: Well -- you know, right now I got my legislature here in New Mexico pounding on me start next week. So, that's what I'll be concentrating on now and I'll be active nationally in the campaign. I'm not fading away.
CHETRY: Certainly not. You're welcome on the show any time. Great to you have, Governor Bill Richardson. Thanks for being with us.
RICHARDSON: Thank you.
CHETRY: Well, the economy, a key issue in last night's Republican presidential debate in South Carolina. For Mitt Romney, the focus is now on Michigan, a state with the highest unemployment rate in the nation. Earlier on the AMERICAN MORNING, he said that the problems suffered in that state could be contagious.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We've watched Michigan be in a one-state recession for 10 years, not recognizing that they were like the canary in the mine shaft, that the whole country was going to follow Michigan's lead, unless we got serious about protecting our jobs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Well, whether you measure it by job loss, home foreclosures or factory closings, Michigan's economy was among the worst last year. Romney has promised lower taxes and an open door to financial help for the state's struggling carmakers.
And Governor Mike Huckabee also took some hit from his fellow Republicans in a debate last night, accused of being liberal in economics and foreign policy. Early earn on AMERICAN MORNING, Huckabee told me that his plan for national sales tax to replace the current income tax that appeals to more than just his conservative base.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE HUCKABEE, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The reason that my campaign is catching fire is not because of evangelicals it's because of small business owners who make up 80 percent of our jobs in this country. Ask them what's tough for them. And they'll tell you, its government paperwork, the fact that their toughest competitor isn't the guy across town. It's their own government. The tax system, the complications of it, the cost of compliance. $250 billion to $500 billion a year just to comply with 66,000 pages of the Tax Code. Small business would benefit greatly if they didn't have that incredible burden of the paperwork.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Huckabee claims that when he calls the fair tax would help lower income people the most and be a lot better than the current tax system, critics said that it opens the door to people cheating not on income taxes but on sales taxes as well as some other problems.
Well, Barack Obama calms his wife Michelle his quote, "secret weapon." His campaign staffers actually call her the closer. He referred to her as the closer in one of his speeches recently. But the million dollar question is, can Michelle Obama help him win South Carolina and ultimately the White House? AMERICAN MORNING's Alina Cho has been talking with the campaign and with Michelle's close friends as well some of the voters to get a sense of exactly who Michelle Obama is. Hi, Alina.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there Kiran. She's a fascinating woman you know. Good morning, everybody. There is no denying, the Obama campaign is taking advantage of what it calls Michelle Obama's personal appeal. After all, she's a working woman, who's also a mom. And that could play very well with undecided female African-American voters, especially key in South Carolina. The first critical test of the south and a place where nearly 50 percent of all Democrats are African-Americans.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHO (voice over): A month ago the most important woman in Barack Obama's political life may have been Oprah. Today, it's Michelle.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The rock of the Obama family, the closer on the campaign trail, give it up for Michelle Obama!
CHO: Those who know her best say Michelle Obama is funny, fiery and blunt.
MICHELLE OBAMA, CANDIDATE'S WIFE: He's running to the president of the United States to help fix up those corridors of shame.
CHO: Valerie Jarrett is a close family friend VALERIE JARRETT, FAMILY FRIEND: I think what's good about Michelle is that when we get to know her; there really aren't surprises because what you see is what you get. She's so authentic.
CHO: The product of blue collar roots, Michelle grew up on Chicago's south side, graduating from Princeton and Harvard Law. She met Barack at her law firm. Though three years younger, she was assigned to mentor him. They married in 1992. The Obama campaign hopes their story will resonate with and inspire black women in South Carolina, a place where many have strong ties to the Clintons. Black women could be the key swing vote, enter Michelle Obama.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's a very good strategy. Smart on his point to send a woman ahead.
ROLAND MARTIN, CNN ANALYST: She's going to tell them point blank. Look, I'm you. My daughters are you. And so, my husband is going to be thinking about you every single day because he's looking at you every single day.
CHO: A strong message sprinkled with strong words.
M. OBAMA: If you can't run your own house you certainly can't run the White House.
CHO: Some interpreted that as a swipe at the Clintons. What is clear, if unlike the Clintons, the Obamas are not promising a two for one White House.
JARRETT: She's not interested in attending cabinet meetings and being you know, into being involved. I think she sees herself very differently. She's really his partner. She's a sounding board but she's not interested in being a co-president.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: People call them kindred spirits. Now, Michelle Obama limits her time on the campaign trail to about two to four days a week. That allows her to get home to Chicago to be with her two young girls. Friends say she often leaves early in the morning just to be back home to Chicago to be with their two young girls, Maliya (ph) and Sasha (ph). Friends say she often leaves early in the morning, just so she can be back home at night to put her kids to sleep, and that way, Kiran, the kids don't know anything different. They think she just went off to work for the day.
CHETRY: That's very nice. Did the women you talked to shed a little light on what she sort of visualizes as the role of first lady? What type of first lady she would be?
CHO: Well, it's interesting. Because her friend of 16 years, Valerie Jarrett, this woman we spoke to, said she gets asked a lot what kind of first lady would Michelle Obama be? And she says Michelle Obama doesn't talk about that. What she talks about, am I going to be able to get my kids to ballet rehearsals on time? Am I going to be able to get home in time to put them to bed? But what's interesting about Michelle Obama is that in the words of one, she can go there. While Barack Obama has to be all inclusive, play down the line, when voters ask, is the country ready for a black president? Michelle Obama can say, yes. She can address it head-on and not only is the country ready, she'll say, my husband is the best man for the job.
CHETRY: Really need to look at Michelle Obama behind the scenes. Thanks, Alina.
CHO: You bet.
CHETRY: Well, a dramatic story of one man turning his entire life around one step at a time dropping 120 pounds, and he's not done yet. His goal for a fit nation. Coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Well, the numbers are shocking and they're growing. Sixty-six percent of U.S. adults are considered overweight or obese and one in three kids has a weight problem as well. Our Fit Nation initiative wants to try to turn that around. We're kicking off the third year of Fit Nation. Dr. Sanjay Gupta heading it up, he's our Fit Nation ambassador. You doing something brand new this year. Tell us about it, Sanjay.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kiran, I am passionate about this issue because, as much as we talk about obesity in this country, it seems a very hard message to get through to people. And something that we learn as we've gone around the nation talking to people, as much as we talk about the bad things in terms of numbers, like you just mentioned, there are some good stories. There are people who are actually having significant success. What we want to do this year, is hopefully partner you up, the viewer, with people who have actually made it work, people who actually been able to take on a goal and have success with it. We want you to see their stories in their own words that you might actually get some inspiration yourself. We're going to kick it off today with Tim Lenczowski. As a mentioned, he's a remarkable success story. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TIM LENCZOWSKI, LOST 120 POUNDS: My name is Tim, and I've lost about 120 pounds. It was about two years ago. Actually, my 40th birthday is when I started thinking I need to do something. I was weighing in about 335 pounds, and high blood pressure.
GUPTA (voice over): Tim tried everything to lose weight. Bad diets, medications, group exercise. But the weight always came back.
LENCZOWSKI: When I see the before pictures of me, I think I look very sad, but that person's still here. I couldn't run a mile. I didn't even run. And so I wanted to be able to do that, I set that goal, and I started to run that whole mile. Then you see that bar (INAUDIBLE) and, hmm, if I can run the mile, can I run a half marathon? Can I run a marathon? Today, I've run five full marathons and 12 half marathons. You know, five years ago who would have thought that I would ever do that? Now it's exciting to me if I meet new people. They don't -- they don't look at Tim who's lost all the weight. They look at the person in front of me now. And that's what I want to be remembered for.
GUPTA: Tim reached his goal weight and is now working to build muscle mass. His new goal, is to pass his experiences on to others.
LENCZOWSKI: Is to encourage people to take that first step. I know it's hard. Find that program that is comfortable for you. They're out there.
GUPTA: But the biggest key to Tim's success, he says, was a good support network.
LENCZOWSKI: When you don't feel bad about asking for help.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA: When deciding to make changes in your life, partnering up with somebody, if you will, who's already had success is a good strategy. That's part of what we want to do here at CNN as part of this Fit Nation enterprise. The other thing I mentioned as well, if you look at some of the videos we just mentioned, obviously, was early in the morning boot camp. That's when he got up, 5:45 in the morning. It's not -- everyone's not able to do that. Obviously, find the right time of day for you, find out if you need a trainer. If there's cost involved, figure out how realistic this is for you. But you know, really finding somebody who you can partner with. And we'll try do that for you here on AMERICAN MORNING.
CHETRY: It sounds great, Sanjay. And certainly as, you're right, you're passionate about it, and with good reason.
A reminder by the way, you can see Sanjay on his show HOUSE CALL this weekend. It airs Saturday and Sunday at 8:30 eastern right here on CNN.
Meanwhile, CNN NEWSROOM is just minutes away and Tony Harris is at the CNN Center with the look at what's ahead. Good morning, Tony. Long time no see.
TONY HARRIS, CNN NEWSROOM, ANCHOR: Yes, long time no see, my friend! Good Friday to you. This morning in the NEWSROOM: Bank of America says it will buy mortgage giant, Countrywide. That troubled lenders squeeze by the subprime crisis. What does it mean for you if Countrywide holds your mortgage? Startling new details about a missing marine. Did the pregnant woman willingly leave Camp Lejune, North Carolina? Investigators are talking with her roommate today. And the band played on, even during wartime. The Iraqi National Orchestra tries to sue that anxious story. This is a great story. A must-see. You're in the NEWSROOM, just a minutes away at the top of the hour right here on CNN. Have a great weekend. Kiran, back to you.
CHETRY: You too. We'll be watching, Tony. Thanks. And still ahead, maybe this will help you get on the treadmill, it's behind the music of Soulja Boy the tune and dance. And ft you don't know about it, I'm sure your kids do. But if you don't, Lola Ogunnaike is on the beat and she's going to tell us about the sensation sweeping the nation right now coming up on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: There it is. This is highest selling digital song of all-time. Crank that. Your kids know about it I'm sure. Soulja Boy has sold more than 3 million ring tones, 28 million people watching the video on Youtube. But who is this new artist named Soulja Boy tell me and why is the song and dance craze becomes such a phenomenon? Lola Ogunnaike is here to explain and demonstrate for us this morning.
LOLA OGUNNAIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I don't know about that. I will explain definitely. The song is such a huge hit because, one, it has really infectious beat, it has such a catchy melody and it comes with its own dance, Kiran, and this dance has caught on and it becomes such a huge phenomenon. You got ballerina's doing it, you got football players, and even some of the celebrities is doing it. You've got pets doing it. Let's take a look.
CHETRY: Apparently it's an instructional video as well.
OGUNNAIKE: Exactly. And that was really smart of Soulja Boy, tell him actually. He put an instructional video up online and people could watch and really figure out how to do the step. There he is. So, and he walks it through you slowly, so you can practice and work out all the kinks in the privacy of your own home before you busted it at a wedding, right? It's become the hip-hop Macarena.
CHETRY: How about it? Well, I'm sure someone is better doing it than others some? But who exactly is Soulja boy?
OGUNNAIKE: He is a 17-year-old kid from Atlanta. He started posting his music on Myspace a few years ago, got discovered last February. He signed a record deal with Interscope. His album came out last October and this song refuses to die. His album has sold over 600,000 copies on the strength of this one song and this song is nominated for a Grammy. It just sold 127,000 digital downloads last week alone.
CHETRY: So, when they do sell the digital downloads they get a cut of that as well, the artist?
OGUNNAIKE: Yes, and he's a producer as well. He also gets a cut. Soulja boy is doing just fine. He's smart entrepreneurial 17- year-old with - it has a good beat and can you dance to it. You can dance to it! That's all you'll get out of me today.
CHETRY: Well, great to see, as always. Thank you
Well, here's a quick look at what CNN newsroom is working on at the top of the hour. HARRIS (voice over): See these stories in the CNN newsroom. New information this morning about the pregnant marine missing from Camp Lejune.
Powerful thunderstorms rattle parts of the south.
Republicans focus on the economy in a South Carolina debate.
President Bush in the Mid East urging Arab governments to back the peace agreement.
A Missouri town pledged to ban cussing in bars.
And a cross-dressing bank robber strikes outside Boston.
NEWSROOM just minutes away at the top of the hour on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: And before we say goodbye on this Friday morning, a final check of the quick vote question of the day. A lot of focus on the economy, especially at the debate last night. What issue will affect your vote the most this election year? Forty-eight percent of you saying it was the economy, 16 percent Iraq, 8 percent on terrorism and security and health care coming in second, almost a third of you saying the would be the most important issue at 28 percent. To all of you who voted, thank you and we want to say thanks for watching AMERICAN MORNING. CNN NEWSROOM with Tony Harris and Heidi Collins getting under way as we practice our dance "Crank That" for the weekend. Thank for being with us.
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