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American Morning

Frontrunners Fight; O.J. Simpson Out of Jail; Nevada Caucuses; What's Important to Latino Vote?

Aired January 17, 2008 - 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: -- this morning. We're here ahead of the big caucuses coming up on Saturday. This is the most diverse state so far, the early nominating process. Large percentage of the people who go to caucus on Saturday are Hispanic voters. And the big issues here, of course, immigration, what to do about immigration reform. The number one, the economy.
Nevada leads the nation in terms of home foreclosures, and a lot of the people who work at these big hotels and casinos up and down the strip, wondering here if they are going to have a job six months from now. So we're going to talk about all of that in the next three hours as we look ahead to what's happening on Saturday.

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: And we do have some other major economic news to tell you about as well this morning. The Fed chairman is reportedly going to back plans in Congress to boost the slumping economy. President Bush calling on Democrats to support a package of tax rebates for individuals and businesses to help stimulate the economy.

The goal is to get people to spend quickly, but with the mortgage crisis draining billions from banks and the Dow taking a big hit so far this year, it may not be enough. Critics say that Washington needs to strike fast for any plan to succeed.

And here following the latest developments, Stephanie Elam in for Ali Velshi at the business update desk. So Ben Bernanke, Fed chairman, also seems to be backing this type of stimulus plan?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is true. I mean, he's definitely saying this is something that would help out. That's policy here could help if it's enacted quickly and is the right sort of package. There's a few things he's saying a stimulus package would do.

It would first of all need to affect the economy this year. We're not looking for next year. He's saying right now, it needs to affect it. It would need to avoid boosting the federal deficit. That's another key issue here in the long term. He doesn't want to see that go any higher, and it has to support economic growth to increase consumer and business spending as well, both of those very important to what he sees.

Now, this point, the Democrats, Republicans have different plans, but the interesting thing here, he never comes out and supports either one of those plans. Don't expect him to do that today when he does go before congress. However, some in Congress are saying that they hope to have a new plan done by January 29th. That's before the president's "State of the Union" address. At the same time, remember the Fed will be meeting, coming out with their decision on interest rates on January 30th. So we'll be looking at that. Last week of January, Kiran, to see what exactly happens here.

CHETRY: So there was rumblings about maybe an emergency meeting to have a rate cutbacks. It's not happening?

ELAM: We haven't heard that since them. I think everyone is waiting now until the end of January. We are in earning season. Lots going on here. Inflation seems to be much lower than expected with some data we got yesterday, so we are keeping our eyes on that. But, really, there is room for the Fed to cut when they meet at the end of January.

CHETRY: All right. Stephanie, we'll be checking with you throughout the morning. Thank you -- John.

ROBERTS: Kiran, the big issue, a concern here in the summer state, the outcome of Saturday's Nevada caucuses could hinge on an important court ruling today. A lawsuit seeks to prevent Democratic caucus sites in casinos where workers can caucus at or near their jobs. Many belong to the Culinary Workers Union, which has endorsed Barack Obama.

The Teacher's Union has joined the suit saying it's unfair to accommodate some workers over others. The Clinton campaign denies that it's behind the lawsuit because Senator Clinton did not get the endorsement of the Culinary Workers Union, and Bill Clinton got a little bit testy when he was asked about it. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We had nothing to do with that lawsuit.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I understand.

CLINTON: I read about it in the newspaper.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But people who have supported her.

CLINTON: All right. So when you ask me that question, your position is that you think the Culinary Workers vote should count (A) They should be -- it should be easier for them to vote than for anybody else in Nevada that has to work on Saturday. That's your first position. Second, when they do vote, their vote should count five times as much as everybody else. That's what the teachers have questioned.

So if that's your position, you have it. Get on your television station and say it. I don't care about the home mortgage crisis. All I care about is making sure that some voters have it's easier than others, and that when they do vote, when it's already easier for them, their vote should count five times as much as others. That is your position.

If you want to take that position, get on the television and take it. Don't be accusatory with me. I had nothing to do with this lawsuit.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: The rules were approved by Nevada Democrats last March. The lawsuit was filed last week, just after the culinary workers endorsed Obama and overlooked Hillary Clinton.

Republicans have their primary in South Carolina on Saturday, and it is a fight to find a frontrunner. CNN's Dana Bash joins us now live from Spartanburg, South Carolina. Dana, Michigan voters sent the message that the number one issue for them was jobs. What do South Carolina's Republicans say?

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, just like around the country, the economy is growing here, too. You know, Michigan, of course, there's nothing like it. It has the highest unemployment rate. The state of South Carolina, it has a pretty high employment rate too, 5.9 percent, which is higher than the five percent national average. So this is an issue that the candidates are hitting here, just like they did in the state of Michigan, particularly the winner of Michigan's primary, Mitt Romney.

You know, in Michigan he talks about the auto jobs. Here, he is talking -- he talks all day yesterday about the ailing textile industry. So that's a big issue certainly for a South Carolina Republican. Also, this is a Southern Conservative State, and it's the first time Republicans have been competing in a state like this. So you have a lot of the social issues that these candidates are hitting hard.

Even John McCain, you don't hear talk about issues like abortion. He talked about it non-stop yesterday, about his 24-year opposition to abortion. Just like where you are, immigration is huge here. And that is perhaps a big point of contrast that we might see in the next couple of days between Mike Huckabee and John McCain, two men who might be vying for the top spot here -- John.

ROBERTS: Dana, the last time John McCain ran there in South Carolina in the year 2000 primaries against George Bush, his campaign was submerged by what he said were dirty tricks by his opponent. He's hearing some echoes of 2000 there. There certainly not to the degree that he did back in 2000.

BASH: Not to the degree that he did in 2000. No question. I mean, this is a state that is known for its rough and tumble politics. And, you know, those dirty tricks that happened eight years ago, they actually happened pretty much between now and Election Day, so within the last 48 hours. So we might see a spike in what's going on, maybe even starting today. But so far what you're seeing from the John McCain campaign and from John McCain himself actually, is basically trying to get out the message to voters to be aware of any dirty kind of dirty tricks. They say that they have gotten some reports of phone calls.

ROBERTS: Well, sorry. We lost Dana Bash there. Apologies for that.

The economy and Iraq are among the top issues for Americans in both parties. I sat down with Democratic candidate John Edwards and asked him about these issues, beginning with how he would handle the mortgage crisis.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN EDWARDS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: On the mortgage crisis, I think we need a home rescue fund to help with some transitional financing and some counseling from people who are struggling. We need to get bankruptcy coursed, the authority to restructure these loans. We need to put pressure on lenders to make more refinancing options available. This is a huge issue right here in Nevada because they have an enormous foreclosure rate in this state.

ROBERTS: Foreign policy issue, Iraq. The Defense Minister of Iraq recently said he believes it won't be until 2018 that Iraq can effectively defend its borders.

EDWARDS: I saw that.

ROBERTS: What does that say for your plan to pull American troops out within 10 months of you taking office?

EDWARDS: It says that we don't let the Iraqi minister decide what America is going to do in Iraq. The president of the United States sets American policy, and it doesn't change anything that I believe.

ROBERTS: But if, in fact, it is the case, that Iraq cannot effectively defend its borders by pulling American forces out, would you not be leaving it vulnerable?

EDWARDS: No, because the issue -- there are two things that need to be done in conjunction with starting to pull out combat troops. Number one, we got to intensify the effort for the Sunni and Shia to reach some political reconciliation. Without that reconciliation, there cannot be stability in Iraq. And secondly, Iran, Syria, the other countries in the region, we're talking about the borders, need to be engaged in an intense diplomatic effort for them to provide stability instead of instability in this effort.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTS: We're going to have more with John Edwards coming up in our next hour, including his thoughts on tax cuts, plus a very revealing campaign prediction. And please join Kiran and me for all of the late breaking political developments on CNN's Election Center. That's tonight, 8:00 Eastern. Right now, back to Kiran in New York.

CHETRY: That's right. You got a busy day ahead of you, too, because you're leaving Nevada, flying to South Carolina, correct?

ROBERTS: We are and our flight this morning was canceled because of snow in Atlanta, so we got to try to get there another way and get there in time for the 8:00 show. It will be an interesting run. And we don't have those little private jets that the candidates are flying around in either, so a real challenge of us.

CHETRY: I hear you. And I was checking the weather for you because it's been cold in Vegas. You didn't get a break there, and now it looks like it feels like 30 degrees in Columbia, South Carolina, with some rain showers where you're going to be tonight. So you're not getting a break any time.

(CROSSTALK)

ROBERTS: Everything's going to feel like Iowa. Everything is going to feel like Iowa.

CHETRY: All right. Well, we have some breaking news overnight in Las Vegas.

O.J. Simpson out of jail this morning after violating the terms of his bail agreement. New pictures -- this is from the middle of the night of O.J. walking out the back door of the Clark County Jail. Simpson had been locked up since Friday. A judge, though, doubled his bail to $250,000 for trying to contact a co-defendant in his robbery and kidnapping case, related to that sports memorabilia. She had some tough words for the former NFL star.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUDGE JACKIE GLASS, CLARK COUNTY, NEVADA DISTRICT COURT: And I don't know if it's just arrogance. I don't know if it's ignorance, but you've been locked up at the Clark County Detention Center since Friday because of either arrogance or ignorance, or both. Let me make sure that you understand that if you violate those rules and anything like this happens in the future, it won't matter what Mr. Grasso (ph) and Mr. Galanter come in here and tell me. You'll be back, locked up, in the Clark County Detention Center.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: Wow. Hopefully he got that message. Simpson also put up his home as collateral after the judge found out he didn't pay anything toward his earlier bail. Simpson's next court date is April 7th.

A former Republican congressman from Michigan linked to a terrorist fund raising operation. Federal prosecutor say that Mark Deli Siljander contributed money to an Islamic charity that was secretly sending money to terrorists in Afghanistan. He's now been charged with money laundering, conspiracy and obstructing justice. Siljander's attorney vehemently denies the charges. He served two terms in the House and was also a U.N. delegate.

The White House says there are no backup tapes of its e-mail records before October 2003 because those tapes were recycled. The messages centered around some of the biggest controversies of the Bush presidency, including the Iraq war and the leaking of former CIA officer Valerie Plame's identity, as well as the destruction of CIA interrogation tapes. The White House says the recycling was done routinely and not to hide evidence.

Well, save the date. Jenna Bush will reportedly marry her long time boyfriend Henry Hager on May 10th. According to "People Magazine," they're going to be tying the knot in a private ceremony at the president's ranch in Crawford, Texas. The couple met during her father's 2004 presidential campaign. First Lady Laura Bush told the magazine back in November that she liked the idea of a White House wedding, but said that ultimately it's Jenna's choice. The White House is not confirming the report -- John.

ROBERTS: Who wouldn't want a White House wedding?

Hey, mid 30s is here this morning. Snow, sleet and freezing rain across much of the southeast. What this wintry weather means for your morning commute. We'll have the details and your forecast ahead.

And courting Hispanic voters in Nevada. Unions take sides, but not all of their members are going along. We'll take a look at the issues that concern them most. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: We have storm warnings now from Georgia to the Carolinas. These pictures are coming from Greenville, South Carolina. Forecasters say several inches of snow may accumulate before turning into sleet and freezing rain later this morning.

Our Rob Marciano is at or weather update desk tracking extreme weather. So you leave New York, you're back down at Atlanta and that's where you get the snow, sleet and freezing rain. How about it?

ROB MARCIANO, METEOROLOGIST: Hey, the snow has been - - the winter weather has been following me since I was in Colorado. Colorado, Hartford to New York and now to Atlanta and up to the Carolinas is where it's at right now, and especially in the mountainous areas is where we're going to see the snow begin to accumulate.

But it was pandemonium here in Atlanta for a couple of hours yesterday as snow fell in the ATL (ph). Here's a radar shot for you. Most of the moisture is beginning to head northward, but we're still looking at pretty chilly air. Obviously, the white, that's all snow in through the Appalachians.

But in the foothills, that's where this forecast becomes a little bit tricky because there are pockets. You can still at Atlanta some pockets near freezing, Charlotte right around freezing. I bet near Ashville, temperatures at or below freezing. So that's where we're seeing mostly snow, sleet and some freezing rain. It's not a significant ice maker. We're not going to see like an inch of ice, but we could see a coating of maybe a quarter inch of ice in some of these spots.

Snowfall, accumulation in the mountains are one to five inches across part of the western slopes of the Piedmont there and in through the foothills of the Appalachians. Just to the west of D.C., you'll see a couple inches of pop-up.

Actually D.C. proper could see some wet, slushy snow, two to six inches, well west in towards the mountains and we're still watching the backside of this system where anywhere from four to eight inches could fall from Des Moines up through Green Bay, Wisconsin. Lots of winter weather to talk about in the south getting into the action the last 12 hours. Kiran, back up to you.

CHETRY: Rob, I was on the phone with Sanjay last night. He said he was driving very slowly because those folks in Atlanta aren't necessarily used to getting that type of weather.

MARCIANO: No. But the kids were out. That's for sure. All the kids very happy yesterday afternoon just to see some flakes fly in the south. It's a rare event. That's for sure.

CHETRY: Hey, enjoy it while you can. Rob, thanks.

MARCIANO: OK.

CHETRY: John?

ROBERTS: Seventeen minutes after the hour now, Kiran. Hospital hell -- an experience that put our own Glenn Beck on the brink of suicide. Beck says he was lost in a cloud of painkillers and chemicals, after something that was supposed to be routine outpatient surgery. He posted some of his thoughts online. More than half a million people clicked on it. He says the thing that hurt the most was the way he was treated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GLENN BECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is so weird to go from so much success, so much going on in your life, two and three days being convinced that there was absolutely no reason to live. I have some stories that will melt your brain, and hopefully will melt the brain of the CEO of this hospital, to wake him up, to find out what's going on. And it should be a wake-up call to all of us because this is one of the hospitals where the president of G.E. is going. If they don't care about the president of G.E., the only thing they care about, you know, slobs that are just average-working stiffs?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: Now, Glenn Beck is back and he is on a mission to put the care back in health care and then run-up to the 2008 election. He'll be on this morning. We'll ask him what he thinks needs to be done about this major campaign issue, and he joins us live coming up in the next hour of AMERICAN MORNING.

And it brings us to this morning's "Quick Vote" question. Have you or anyone in your family ever had a nightmarish ER or hospital experience? Yes or No. Cast your vote at CNN.com/AMERICAN MORNING. We'll have the first tally of votes later on this hour, and we want to hear your stories both positive and negative. You can send those in to am@CNN.com and we'll read some of those on the air this morning -- Kiran.

CHETRY: That's right. Well, we'd love to hear some of those stories as well, and as you said, we're going to hear from Glenn Beck coming up in about an hour.

Still ahead, under fire in Kenya.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They won't stop firing back. Ah!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: Police taking aim at our own Zain Verjee. She was shot by a tear gas canister. She's OK, but we're going to see how it happened and what she's saying about it this morning.

Also, what are the issues that Hispanic voters care about in Nevada. Chris Lawrence takes a look ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Twenty-one minutes now after the hour. Voters in Nevada will caucus on Saturday, and it's a good bet that Latino voters are going to have more influence in this race than all the previous contest put together. Latinos could make up more than a quarter of caucus-goers on Saturday. AMERICAN MORNING's Chris Lawrence has been talking with those voters, the issues that matter to them. He joins us now. What did you find out?

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They're like a lot of other voters, John. Latino voters here with all the foreclosures. They're concerned about the economy. They're concerned about health care. They're concerned about immigration. So they have very similar concerns but are deeply divided over which candidate can best deliver some results.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAWRENCE (voice-over): Dana Ramos is a child of immigration reform.

DANA RAMOS, FIRST TIME VOTER: I was undocumented until Ronald Reagan passed his amnesty program.

LAWRENCE: Now, she's a U.S. citizen and college grad. But immigration is still her priority.

LAWRENCE (on camera): You were leaning towards Obama before you went to the debate. Are you firmly in his corner now? RAMOS: I am. I am definitely ready to caucus for him on Saturday. I think he has prioritized immigration more than Senator Clinton at this point.

LAWRENCE (on camera): There are more Latino voters in Nevada than the national average, and the Democratic rivals are fighting for every one. The owner of this restaurant is caucusing for Clinton because her health care plan mandates coverage for everyone.

JAVIER BARAJAS, RESTAURANT OWNER: I'm worried everyday that one of my kids is going to get sick or I go to the hospital and how I'm going to pay.

LAWRENCE: Obama won the official endorsement of the culinary workers, Nevada's most powerful union. But Clinton has been encouraging individual members to vote their conscience.

MIGUEL BARRIENTOS, KRLV RADIO HOST: And this is where you're going to see the split among the culinary workers.

LAWRENCE: Radio host Miguel Barrientos and others told us a lot of Latino workers were never consulted by union leadership.

EDDIE ESCOBEDO, PUBLISHER, EL MUNDO: And seven out of 10, that's what they say, they never asked me. I don't know why they choose Obama.

LAWRENCE: Barrientos says the choice comes down to immigration.

BARRIENTOS: And we don't think Senator Obama will be able to handle this the way we expect Hillary Clinton with her experience to be able to deal with it.

LAWRENCE: Dana remains committed to Obama but won't give him a pass on his promises.

RAMOS: You know, just a resident program or obtaining a pass to citizenship, I expect him to deliver on that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAWRENCE: Now, a lot of the culinary members are ship members who do work on the weekends. So the plan was to have them caucus right here on the casinos on the strip. That was the plan. The campaigns all agreed to these rules nearly a year ago. A late filed lawsuit now threatens to kind of throw that into chaos. The judge is going to decide on it later today.

ROBERTS: Yes, we'll be hearing about that. About 12:00 noon Eastern time, is when that hearing takes place. And it's interesting to see that these voters in the culinary workers may not vote as a block. They vote their own minds. We'll see how that plays.

LAWRENCE: But the thing to really keep in mind is a caucus is not private, like a vote. You have to stand up on the side of the room with your candidate so your union leadership and your co-workers are all going to know who you voted for.

ROBERTS: All right. It will be interesting to watch this weekend. Chris Lawrence, thanks very much. Back to New York and here's Kiran.

CHETRY: All right. Thanks, guys.

Well, more people are shopping online but apparently some say they feel less safe doing so? So what's going on? Our Internet correspondent Veronica De La Cruz joins us now with the scoop. Good morning.

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you. Yes, those numbers are definitely going up, too. You know, a new study finds that privacy concerns due to online shopping have risen to unprecedented levels. Sixty-one percent of adults surveyed now say that they are extremely concerned about their information being compromised. That number is up from 47 percent. And before this year, those concerns had been a steadily decreasing.

The study comes as the ID Theft Resource Center reports - Kiran, get this - there were 125 million records compromised in the U.S. alone last year, and that figure is up from only 20 million in 2006.

CHETRY: So what do they mean by that?

DE LA CRUZ: A big jump there.

CHETRY: You said that people found out things they shouldn't have found out about?

DE LA CRUZ: Yes, when it comes to ID theft. So, you know, probably a lot more of those cases being reported.

Something else really interesting I'm going to tell you about. Parents are more likely than ever to withhold Internet use as punishment. This is another part of the study. Sixty-two percent of parents ban their children from using the net, and for the first time, this practice of denying Internet use finally on par with banning television for bad behavior. So you remember that, right? No TV for you. Well, now --

(CROSSTALK)

CHETRY: But no phone was torture as a teenager.

DE LA CRUZ: Right?

So now, it's no computer.

CHETRY: I get it.

DE LA CRUZ: Yes.

CHETRY: I mean, kids are on it constantly.

DE LA CRUZ: Yes.

Other news from the web today. There's been so much talk as of late when it comes to recycling your cell phone, maybe your electronics. A new company out there called Tech Ford (ph) will be offering gadget buybacks. For example, let's say you buy an iPod, maybe there's some right here. You pay nine bucks for the buyback service, you get $40 back if you keep this iPod for a year, 20 if you keep it for two years. The company then recycles your product free so it doesn't turn into e-waste.

And here is the upside, Kiran, you can go ahead and get a new one. So you stay on top of the latest and greatest in technology and you do something good for the environment.

(CROSSTALK)

CHETRY: So you pay nine bucks for it, and then they will buy it back?

(CROSSTALK)

DE LA CRUZ: They'll buy it back, with a guaranteed buyback.

CHETRY: Guaranteed for two years.

DE LA CRUZ: Yes.

CHETRY: Not bad.

DE LA CRUZ: Yes, right?

CHETRY: Not bad at all.

DE LA CRUZ: And then you get the latest thing.

CHETRY: They come out with a new one every three weeks so you can just keep up. Thanks, Veronica -- John.

ROBERTS: Sounds like a good deal.

Hey, the Golden Gate Bridge in the palm of your hand. Small enough actually for the tip of your finger. It's your "Hot Shot" now coming to us from I-Reporter Steven Backman (ph). He says he created the world's smallest span out of a single toothpick. It's less than an inch on and less than an inch wide. A creation of the Golden Gate Bridge there.

If you got a "Hot Shot," send it to us. Head to CNN.com/am. Scroll down the page and click on the "Hot Shot" link. Look forward to what you send us.

You're watching the most news in the morning.

Under attack. One of our correspondents in the middle of the violence in Kenya. Zain Verjee's scare as she covers the chaos in her home country. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Mid-morning on the Las Vegas Strip, to the big hotels and casinos there. The Bellagio on the left, Caesars Palace on the right. I walked through the area yesterday and it feels like you can walk a mile just inside that hotel. It is so big. So right now, 31 degrees in Las Vegas. Wind chill factor makes it feel more like 26. And we're outside this morning. How smart are we? I'm John Roberts in Las Vegas, Nevada, good morning to you.

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Smart enough to bring your leather gloves this morning, I see. So at least you got yourself covered there.

ROBERTS: Yes, we are.

CHETRY: Good morning. Good to see you again, John. I'm Kiran Chetry here in New York. We start of with some puzzling news coming out of Washington this morning. And this is the news of a former Michigan congressman accused of helping a Muslim charity that was allegedly funneling money to terrorists. Mark Deli Siljander, who served two terms in the House in the '80s, is now charged with money laundering, conspiracy and obstructing justice.

CNN justice correspondent Kelli Arena is live in Washington for us with more on this story. What exactly was this former congressman's involvement?

KELLI ARENA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kiran, he allegedly took $50,000 in dirty money from a charity that's called the Islamic American Relief Agency. Now, he was supposed to lobby to get that charity off a government list of charities that support terrorists. Now the indictment says that he took the cash, he laundered it and then he lied to federal agents and prosecutors about it, saying that the money was a donation for a book that he was writing about, bridging the gap between Christians and Muslims.

CHETRY: And where does the terror connection come in?

ARENA: Well, this agency that he was lobbying for allegedly sent about $130,000 to an Afghan terrorist with ties to both the Taliban and al Qaeda. So, you know, it's one step removed when you come to the congressman, Kiran.

CHETRY: And what is he saying about all of this?

ARENA: Well, his lawyers says look he vehemently denies these charges. That he is going at his first opportunity to plead not guilty.

CHETRY: All right. Kelli arena, following this case for us out of Washington this morning. Thank you.

John?

ROBERTS: Coming up to 33 minutes after the hour now, Kiran. President Bush called him the architect, the man behind his two successful presidential bids. Now, Karl Rove is weighing in on the 2008 race. According to the hill.com, Rove told the group of GOP officials that any, any of their candidates can beat the top two democrats, Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

The Democrats vulnerability Rove says Clinton's inability to give a straight answer and Obama's experience or lack of it, saying that he passed only one piece of legislation while he was in the Senate. Rove, also repeated that he thinks neither Obama nor Clinton is prepared to protect the country from terrorists.

Nevada this weekend, South Carolina next weekend. It seems like the Democratic candidates are on a rock star road tour and some of them are even hoping real stars will help bring in the votes. Can celebrities really make a difference or will South Carolina voters make up their own minds? Our Suzanne Malveaux was live this morning in Charleston.

Good morning, Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, John. Well, as you know, those stars bring out their fans and their fans deliver that critical information to the campaign. Those e-mails, those telephone numbers, the contact information and follow-up and make sure on primary day they actually come out and vote. But we know it is up to the candidates to deliver the closers to win over the critical young vote.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX (voice-over): Cue the campaign theme songs, because look out South Carolina. In days, Hollywood biggest stars will be descending on you.

HILL HARPER, ACTOR/OBAMA SUPPORTER: We're going to go to churches, we're going to go to beauty shops and barber shops. And that's going to be great. But it's not just me. There are many people from Los Angeles.

MALVEAUX: Actor on CSI New York and best-selling author and youth activist, Hill Harper, will be just one of many campaigning is South Carolina. Going after that hot commodity, young folks who could tip the balance of power and determine who gets the Democratic nod.

OPRAH WINFREY, HOST/OBAMA SUPPORTER: Thank you, South Carolina.

MALVEAUX: There's fierce competition for their attention. On Barack Obama's side, Oprah Winfrey, Scarlett Johansson, Will Smith, Halle Berry and Harper, who was one of Obama's secret weapons in Iowa, where he was a big hit recruiting college students.

HARPER: And we want to find out if they're registered. Are they going to vote? Who are they going to vote for? What are the issues they care about and educate them about the senator if they're not already committed to voting for him. 15 million people watching a week, it creates a platform. We know that young people in particular pay attention to celebrity.

MALVEAUX: Actors Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins have been frequent traveling companions for trailing John Edwards. Hillary Clinton's big name backers tend to be older reflecting the Democratic establishment with deep pockets and President Bill Clinton's close ties to Hollywood like Barbara Streisand, Ted Danson, Quincy Jones and Magic Johnson.

While Hollywood stars can raise lots of money, the question is who will be more successful in the fight over fresh voters. Clinton supporter Anthony Singleton is not that much impressed with the star power.

ANTHONY SINGLETON, CLINTON SUPPORTER: I think, for me, it's gimmick.

SAMUEL ROBINSON, OBAMA SUPPORTER: It's a hodgepodge. It's a hodgepodge.

MALVEAUX: Obama supporters, Samuel Robinson also downplayed the celebrity influence.

ROBINSON: I am a free thinker. I think for myself.

MALVEAUX: Predictably older voters are more dismissive. Sheryl Mack is a grandmother and Clinton supporter.

SHERYL MACK, CLINTON SUPPORTER: I think the bottom line is that people will make decisions based upon what they think Hillary brings to the table.

MALVEAUX: But getting young voters to the table in South Carolina is key. Many who are still on the fence.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I guess Hillary or Obama mostly.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is important, the election. But I haven't been following it that closely.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: And John, I've been talking to a lot of those young voters, what are they interested in? They're talking about money for college education. They're talking about jobs, those types of things. What makes South Carolina unique is nearly 50 percent of the Democratic voters likely to vote in the primary coming up are African- American. So it's going to be critical to reach that group, that young group within that subset.

John?

ROBERTS: And all the candidates are trying very hard. Suzanne Malveaux for us this morning in Charleston. Suzanne, thanks, good to see you.

Hillary Clinton played flight attendant on her campaign plane. Can you tell that she's been flying a lot? Let's listen in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Once we've reached cruising altitude, we'll be offering in-flight entertainment: my stump speech in its many variations. Once again, thank you for joining us on Hill Force One. We know you have choices when you fly and so we are grateful you chose a plane with the most experienced candidate. Thank you all. Have a great flight.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: Hillary also said that the flying rules prevented blackberries and cell phones from being used to file negative stories about her. At least you can see that her writers aren't on strike. By the way, the name of the plane, as she dubbed it, Hill Force One.

Kiran?

CHETRY: How about it? Hill Force One, sounds good. Well, some other stories new this morning.

As we were telling you, O.J. Simpson now on his way home to Miami. He posted a double bail, up to $250,000 and an angry scolding from the judge in the case. Here's some new video this morning of Simpson leaving jail. He had been there since Friday for violating the terms of his release. He is accused of trying to contact a co- defendant. A judge doubled his bail saying that she didn't know if he was quote "ignorant or arrogant or both." She also warned him that if anything like this happened again, he would be right back in the jail, no questions asked. He is due back in court April 7th.

Well, you may have heard it before but the message is going official today. Do not give cough and cold medicine to children under the age of 2. The FDA is so concerned about whether or not parents are still doing it that they're releasing a recommendation today, an advisory they call it, to make sure parents get the message. That over-the-counter medicine does not work for young children and can have dangerous side effects.

Drug companies voluntarily pulled from the shelves more than a dozen versions last fall that were marketed for infants. The FDA is also looking at whether they work for children over the age of 2. And we're going to be talking with Dr. Sanjay Gupta coming up at the top of the hour.

Also, a potential break through of preventing prostate cancer. Doctors have discovered that a combination of genes that can -- together can raise a man's risk and they have a new blood test that's on the horizon. It would cost about $300 but it can warn men at a very early stage and age if they should be checked more often for prostate cancer. It is the most common cancer for men.

And Congress is looking into ads for the cholesterol-fighting drug, Vytorin. The study showing Vytorin maybe no better than a cheaper generic cholesterol drug. A subcommittee will investigate whether data from clinical trial was withheld and whether the Vytorin ads were misleading.

Well, we're almost 40 minutes after 6:00 here on the east coast. Rob Marciano watching extreme weather. Really from outside your window if you wanted to today, right? Because Atlanta, boy, one of the places getting a rain, snow, sleet mix, at least yesterday.

(WEATHER REPORT)

ROBERTS: Thanks, Kiran. Caught in the crossfire in Kenya. Our Zain Verjee was right in the middle of the political chaos in between protesters and police when cops fired tear gas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They start firing back. Ah, they hit me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: The tear gas canister hit Zain Verjee right in the shoulder blades. She was bruised but she's OK. But she was more angry about the unprovoked attack than anything. Zain is a native of Kenya, as you might know. She told Wolf Blitzer it's an unfortunate example of the brutality there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VERJEE: This is happening all over the country. There is excessive police brutality. I mean, they even fire tear gas on old ladies selling tomatoes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: Violence in Kenya has killed 600 people and forced a quarter-million from their homes since a disputed presidential elections last month.

Well here's a question for you. Are you entitled to privacy when in a public space? It's a new move that could help Senator Larry Craig, coming from an unusual ally. And a CNN exclusive, (INAUDIBLE) the marine on the run and the marine is accused of killing. Did the military do enough to protect her? Ahead on AMERICAN MORNING, live from New York and Las Vegas on this Thursday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: We have some new video to show you that just came in to AMERICAN MORNING right now. It's a five alarm fire in Manchester, New Hampshire. You can see the flames tearing through at least four apartment buildings. Two of them said to be destroyed. This fire broke out about 3 and 3 1/2 hours ago. Firefighters did have it under control about an hour ago. Those firefighters say they think that everyone made it out safely. There are two firefighters though, that are being treated for injuries and many of them still on the scene, trying to get the last of that fire out. Well, it's case of strange bedfellows and your right to private behavior in a public place. The Minneapolis Airport men's room to be exact is the public place in question. You may remember what happened there.

Senator Larry Craig arrested for allegedly soliciting sex. The ACLU is now backing Senator Craig saying that, it says an invitation to have private sex is constitutionally protected. AMERICAN MORNING's legal analyst, Sunny Hostin, joins us now. So they're making the case that a person has a reasonable expectation of privacy in a public bathroom stall. They cite some sort of -- almost four decades old Minnesota law.

SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They do and they actually hang there. The ACLU hangs its hat on this case, state vs. Bryant, where two men who engage in sexual activity -- consensual sexual activity in department store restroom with a stall door closed had a reasonable expectation of privacy. And certainly, when you go to the bathroom and you close the door, you don't want people peering in. But this is a case by the ACLU, a very creative lawyer, and you know, I have been guilty of my career of creative lawyering, and I think that's a wonderful thing because that's how you do make new laws. You interpret the law.

But that is not what this case is about, Kiran. We all know that this case is about the fact that he pled guilty. He pled guilty to disorderly conduct. He really got a pass here because he was charged with solicitation of sex. This was not a sort of consensual hook-up type of case. He was soliciting sex allegedly from an undercover officer. And the fact that he pled guilty to disorderly conduct really is the issue. Can he withdraw his plea? Was it entered into voluntarily? Was it entered into knowingly?

This is a sophisticated lawmaker and so with the ACLU, sort of trying to hang its hat on a completely different premise which is the law was overly broad that he pled guilty to this disorderly conduct. That is really a case of hyperbole. That is not the issue here. The issue is can he withdraw his plea?

CHETRY: They are trying to say so, is the rub on -- OK, public versus private, meaning can you -- can you solicit sex in the privacy of your own home? With an undercover officer, could you also be on the same amount of trouble?

HOSTIN: You could be in the same amount of trouble. I mean, the bottom line is can you be in a car, driving and solicit a prostitute? No, that's something that's illegal, of course.

CHETRY: Even if your car is your private property?

HOSTIN: Of course. And so that's what this case is about. This is not the case again of consensual sex between two adults that may want to hook up in a public bathroom. And again, my interpretation of the law is a public bathroom. Do you really have the expectation of privacy walking around in a public bathroom, maybe in the close stall but that is not this case. CHETRY: And do you think...

HOSTIN: Creative lawyering at its very best.

CHETRY: Do you think Senator Larry Craig is appreciative of this move by the ACLU? Do you think he wants this back in the spotlight again?

HOSTIN: I don't think so. But hey, you know, I mean -- the amicus brief is just that. It's a brief that's filed by an interested party to sort of, you know, as a friend of the court, trying to ask the judges to look at different legal issues. Is he going to be welcoming of this? It's creative but I don't really think it's going to help him out very much.

CHETRY: Well, we'll follow and see whether or not it gets anywhere. Sunny, great to see you as always. Thanks.

HOSTIN: Thank you.

CHETRY: John?

ROBERTS: NBC Universal is sued over the movie "American Gangster" by a group of retired drug agents. The suit claims -- or says that the films claim that three-quarters of the New York City's Drug Enforcement Agency was convicted of crimes, as a result of tips by Frank Lucas is just untrue. NBC universal says the corrupt officers depicted in the film were supposed to be New York police officers and not VEA agents.

A new voice has heard in the controversy over Hillary Clinton's remark about Martin Luther King Junior. We'll tell you what King's son is saying about Clinton's comment just ahead.

CHETRY: Coming up on AMERICAN MORNING, a CNN exclusive, inside the mind of the marine murder suspects.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Do you think that Corporal Cesar Laurean is capable of murder?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I guess everyone is capable of anything depending on how far they're push.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: Randi Kaye sits down with the accused marine's friend. Do the marines know more than they're letting on?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She said that she just did not want to be around him. She was scared of him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: The exclusive report is ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Look down the Las Vegas Strip this morning from our advantage point at the outdoor patio at Trader Vic's. You can see Mandalay Bay and New York New York, one of those nine at large caucus sites so that casino workers can participate in the political process on Saturday and of course the lawsuit challenging those at large caucuses will be heard a little bit later on this morning.

Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. It's just about eight minutes to the top of the hour.

The son of Martin Luther King Jr. says Hillary Clinton made a mistake with her comments about the Civil Right leader but he adds he think that the whole controversy was blown out of proportion. Speaking in Boston, Martin Luther King III said, he did not think Clinton was trying to diminish his father. Clinton had said King fought hard for Civil Rights but then it took a president to get those dreams into law when Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act in 1964.

Kiran?

CHETRY: Well, we have a CNN exclusive now, John. A friend of a marine wanted for murder is speaking out this morning, providing new personal insight into the relationship between Corporal Cesar Laurean and the pregnant woman, he's charged with killing, fellow marine, Maria Lauterbach. Laurean is now believed to be on the run in Mexico and the friend says the survival skills he learned in the military army could make him tough to track. Randi Kaye has the exclusive interview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): She doesn't want people to know who she is for fear of reprisal.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's an incredibly surreal experience for me to see someone that I was personally acquainted with and was friends with on a wanted poster.

KAYE: Laurean's friend, we will call Lisa, remembers Lauterbach telling her they had consensual sex at least once before she accused him of raping her.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She said that she just did not want to be around him. She was scared of him.

KAYE: Why then just yesterday did the marines tell us Lauterbach told them she didn't feel threatened.

Was she attempting to cut off a relationship with him?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She wanted to be nowhere near him.

KAYE: In fact, Lisa says Lauterbach was so afraid, she requested another protective order against Laurean, when the first one expired.

So she did have a second military protective order in place when she disappeared?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, she did.

KAYE: You had written it yourself?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. I personally did it.

KAYE: The sheriff had told me the protective order found in Lauterbach's car was expired. Why didn't he tell us that Lauterbach had obtained that second order, still in effect when she was murdered? Because the marines wouldn't confirm that until yesterday, so how could investigators say the two were on friendly terms?

Is there any doubt in your mind that she was afraid of him?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.

KAYE: Lisa said Laurean is a friendly guy and a good father. They talked often about their toddlers.

Hard to believe that somebody is talking about sippy cups and whether or not your daughter is crawling is capable of this.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Exactly. And that's how I look at it, I'm going like, you know, we had conversations about, you know, what size diapers to buy, you know, not how to kill someone.

KAYE (on-camera): She says he has the skills to survive on the run, like the TV star MacGyver she says. He can rig anything. He can shoot an M-16 and he's a fast runner. The military teaches skills to adapt and overcome. No doubt, she says, he's banking on doing just that. Randi Kaye, CNN, Pittsburgh.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHETRY: Police in the U.S. also say they are working with their colleagues in Mexico to try to track down Laurean. He was born in Mexico and still has family there.

John?

ROBERTS: Kiran, thanks. The makers of scrabble are trying to shut down an online version of the game. Hasbro and Mattel, which own the rights of the board game says scrabulous is an illegal version of the game. Scrabulous is one of the most popular applications on the social networking Facebook, with more than 600,000 daily active users.

A new government health alert to tell you about. Over-the- counter cold medicines are too risky for babies and toddlers. What parents need to know, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Emergency rescue. A new plan to jump-start the economy. What the fed and White House have in mind today for your money?

Back from the dead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's absolutely no reason to live.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: Glenn Beck's Hospital horror and his message for America's healthcare crisis.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it really opened my eyes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: Plus, no front-runner, a fight over caucus site, chaos in the primaries. The "Most Politics in the Morning," live from Las Vegas and New York, on this AMERICAN MORNING.

And welcome. Thanks for being with us. It is Thursday, January 17th. I'm Kiran Chetry here in New York.

Hey, John.

ROBERTS: Hey, good morning to you, Kiran. I'm John Roberts live in Las Vegas, Nevada. We're broadcasting again this morning from the outdoor patio at Trader Vic's here on the Las Vegas Strip as we look forward to the caucuses coming up on Saturday.

Of course, Nevada was moved up under the early caucus process by the Democratic National Committee to give an ethnically diverse state, like the Silver State a chance to ring in and also bring in some of the riches out west here. And let people in the west play a little bit in the early part of the process. We'll be talking about the issues facing voters in Nevada and how they translate across the nation coming up over the course of the next couple of hours.

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