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American Morning
Taliban Official Captured and Critically Injured by Pakistani Security Forces; A Likely End to Writers Strike; Senator Barack Obama Expected to Meet with a Former Opponent Today
Aired February 11, 2008 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Under the military proceedings at Guantanamo Bay, what will happen, John, is they will announce here that they have sent the charges to a convening authority, a judge, essentially, and that included in that package of charges will be a request for the death penalty. That's what's expected and that death penalty request, of course, expected to set off a storm of controversy around the world.
John?
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Now one of the things that we'll be focused in on, when they're considering not only their guilt or innocence in this, but also the death penalty and the confessions that were extracted from these detainees particularly Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.
Up on the Hill last week, before the House Intelligence Committee, Michael Hayden, talked about this idea of waterboarding suggesting that perhaps it might not be legal now, but he believes it was legal then. Let's listen to what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEN. MICHAEL HAYDEN, CIA DIRECTOR: We used it against these three high-value detainees, because of the circumstances of the time. Very critical to those circumstances was the belief that additional, catastrophic attacks against the homeland were imminent.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: So Hayden also confirmed that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was one of those three detainees that was subjected to waterboarding. So how big a part in the upcoming tribunals and no telling when those are actually going to start, will this idea of waterboarding and their confessions play?
STARR: Well, as you say, it's very early in this unfolding situation. But an awful lot of people do believe that this issue of waterboarding will be very significant that their defense -- their military defense counsels will say extractions, confessions were gotten under duress of this waterboarding technique.
Now, what you see there is the CIA director saying it was legal at the time. It was very limited at the time. But you know, it's very interesting that it was just a few days ago -- that suddenly the administration there, in public, came out with the confession, if you will, of waterboarding.
A lot of people now this morning think certainly they knew that these charges were about to be released, made public. Waterboarding, again, would come front and center as a result of that. So get that out of the way early. Confess it in front of the TV cameras and try and make it a non-issue. It remains to be seen if that will really happen.
John?
ROBERTS: And an interesting argument. It was legal then because of the circumstances but may not be legal now. In terms of how long this is all going to take, Barbara, what's your best estimate?
STARR: Well -- you know, when you cover the military, you find out things take a lot longer than you really expect them to at the time. I think that what you will see, of course, is the defense counsels for these six people making every motion they certainly can. Going back probably through the Civil Court system here in the United States, and of course, that may wind up being one of the key issues.
Because Defense Secretary Gates, even the president, has said they really would like to close Guantanamo Bay. They think it's outlived its usefulness in terms of world public opinion. But so far, it's the only place they can really keep these people, as they want to, out of the Civil Court system have them in this very specialized legal system that is very complex and very lengthy.
John.
ROBERTS: Barbara Starr for us this morning from the Pentagon. Barbara, thanks.
Alina?
ALINA CHO, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news this morning out of Pakistan. Another Taliban official has been captured and critically injured by Pakistani security forces. That is according to Pakistan's military.
Mullah Mansoor Dadullah and five other militants were caught after a shoot-out near the Afghan border. They were crossing into Pakistan but refused to stop for security officials.
And important new information coming out of Iraq overnight. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has just left Iraq, where he talked about putting troop withdrawals on hold briefly. Senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre is traveling with Secretary Gates.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Secretary Gates' visit here to Baghdad was a short one. In fact, he's already on his way back to Washington. At the top of his agenda was a meeting with his top commander, General David Petraeus to discuss the prospect for further U.S. troop drawdown once the surge ends in July. Secretary Gates had said publicly he hopes there can be further troop reductions by the end of the year, but he left Baghdad without giving any indication of whether that would be possible. Up to now, whenever he was asked, Secretary Gates has said he hasn't had a chance to talk to his top commander, General Petraeus, about the prospect for a troop drawdown. Once he gets back to Washington, he won't be able to say that anymore.
Jamie McIntyre, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: To the presidential race now. Mike Huckabee adding to his delegate totals with wins in Louisiana and Kansas over the weekend. John McCain is leading in the delegate race with 723 to Huckabee's 217. 1,191 delegates are needed to secure the GOP nomination. Only 819 delegates still up for grabs.
This morning, Mike Huckabee is looking for a recount in the Washington State caucus. He lost by about 240 votes, but his campaign says there are still about 1500 not counted.
Earlier on AMERICAN MORNING, Governor Huckabee told us Washington's Party chairman made the early call after seeing how the voting was turning out and then Huckabee says was the wrong decision.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE HUCKABEE, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: That is not what we do in American elections. It may be how they used to conduct it in the old Soviet Union, but you don't just throw people's votes out and say, we're not going to bother counting them because we kind of think we know where this is going.
I mean, I was just stunned. And it's the kind of thing that Republicans across America, not just in Washington State, ought to be outraged over.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: 18 delegates were tied to the Washington caucuses.
President Bush is talking more about the race to replace him. He calls John McCain a quote, "true conservative" but says McCain may have more work to do to convince other conservatives -- that he is one of them if he gets the nomination. President Bush is still not offering a formal endorsement saying we still have another conservative candidate in Mike Huckabee.
Alina?
CHO: Well, over on the Democratic side. A clean sweep for Barack Obama. He won the main caucuses on Sunday to complete the sweep of five Democratic contests over the weekend. Senator Obama also won Nebraska, Washington State, Louisiana, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Let's not forget that. He closed the delegate gap with Hillary Clinton. She has 1,148 delegates. Obama has 1121. So close. 2025 delegates are needed to clinch the nomination. Obama says he can beat Clinton and win the big one, too.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: One of the things you can tell your friends is, there is a reason why the last six polls, including this week's "Time" magazine show that I beat John McCain by six, seven points and she doesn't. That's why it matters.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: You hear him saying a lot about that on the stump. The Clinton campaign, meanwhile, has replaced her campaign manager, Patti Solis Doyle with her former chief-of-staff, Maggie Williams. With plenty of Federal employees watching closely inside the beltway, Former President Clinton hit the campaign trail to say experience still matters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL CLINTON, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: This has been an interesting election. And we don't have to be against anybody, but we do have to pick the person who will be the best president.
And I think the way you decide that depends in no small measure on what you believe America needs. And whether you believe America needs a president that can not only inspire us, but can handle whatever incoming fire occurs, whatever emergencies come up and can make positive changes in the lives of all Americans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: The retooled Clinton campaign now faces an uphill battle in the next primaries tomorrow in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C.
And on the heels of a huge weekend, Senator Barack Obama is expected to meet with a former opponent today. He wants John Edwards to back his surge for the nomination. Of course, he's going to have to fight Hillary Clinton for that key endorsement. She met with Edwards in North Carolina on Thursday.
John?
ROBERTS: Extreme weather, Alina, making news this morning. A state of emergency is now in effect in Virginia. 60 mile-an-hour winds fueled wildfires last night that forced hundreds of people from their homes and knocked out power to tens of thousands of customers. Thankfully, a lot of that electricity, back on this morning.
In Northeastern Pennsylvania, blinding snowstorm led to a 68-car pileup on Interstate 81 near Hazleton. One person was killed and at least 35 others were injured. Our Rob Marciano is tracking the extreme weather from the weather update desk. And Rob, across a lot of the country, the story this morning is extreme cold.
(WEATHER REPORT)
CHO: All right. New this morning -- a likely end to the writers strike. The Writers Guild of America reached a deal with the studios that would end the three-month old strike. The union will get a piece of revenue from new media, which was one of the main sticking points in the strike.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PATRIC VERRONE, WGA WEST PRESIDENT: It was arguably the most successful strike of the American Labor Movement in a decade. Certainly, the most important of this young century. It is not all that we hoped for and it is not all we deserve. But as I told our members, this strike was about the future and this deal assures for us and for future generations of writers a share in the future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Writers will vote tomorrow on whether to end the strike formally, and if they do that, they could be back to work as early as Wednesday. By the way, your favorite shows could return a month or so after that.
According to an Associated Press poll, 61 percent of Americans say they think the country is in a recession right now. That may not be much of a surprise once consumers start worrying about a recession. They spend less and that hurts the economy even more.
Coming up. Breaking free from the cubicle. Some innovative, new office space designs that could change the way you work. That's coming up.
And how can John McCain get conservatives to back him in the general election? We're going to talk with one of his senior campaign advisers, that's next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Welcome back to the "Most Politics in the Morning". They are signs about the work that John McCain still needs to do before securing the Republican nomination. He lost to Mike Huckabee in Kansas and Louisiana over the weekend and barely pulled out Washington State.
Mark McKinnon is a McCain campaign senior adviser. He also served as the media adviser to President George Bush during the 2000 and 2004 campaign. He's in Austin, Texas.
Mark, good morning. Good to see you.
MARK MCKINNON, MCCAIN CAMPAIGN SENIOR ADVISER: Good morning. Great to be here.
ROBERTS: So John McCain lost two out of three contests this morning. Over the weekend, he is the self-proclaimed front-runner. Why did he lose?
MCKINNON: Well, Mike Huckabee is a great candidate and we look forward to a big night, tomorrow night. The reality is that John McCain by historical standards is really pulling together the Republican coalition more quickly than we have seen over the years.
And in fact, he has more Republican support among Republicans than the Democrats do among Democrats. So, again, we think Mike Huckabee is a great candidate. He did a good job this weekend and we look forward to a spirited contest tomorrow where we think we'll do very well in the Potomac primary.
ROBERTS: John McCain gave a very important speech last week to the Conservative Political Action Conference. On Friday evening on our Election Center program, I had a panel of conservatives on talking about what John McCain needs to do to win over the conservative vote. Here's what Richard Viguerie told me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD VIGUERIE, AUTHOR, "CONSERVATIVE BETRAYED": John McCain is going to have to come through with some specifics. When they're addressing of having popular conservatives in back of him and making conservative speeches is nice, but I think we've gone beyond that now, if he wants to stop this open rebellion.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: He's talking about open rebellion among conservatives. McCain needs to come up with specifics. What specifics, Mark, do you think he needs to come up with to win over those conservatives?
MCKINNON: Well, I think he's laid out a number of specifics and he will in the coming months. But when we talk about his economic plan and making the tax cuts permanent. Corporate tax rates being cut. They're all proposals that conservatives feel strongly about and again, I think that, you know, there some voices out there.
They're making themselves heard, but when they look at John McCain's long record, conservative record, core principles they all agree on -- we think we'll all be together very soon for the fall election.
ROBERTS: In the Republican primaries, Mark, the tradition is you run to the right. And then, in the general election, you run to the center. These conservatives that he can't win over, as he's running to the right in the primaries, how are they going to feel when he reaches out to the center in the general election? Should he become the nominee?
MCKINNON: Well, again, in every election going back -- you know, since we began, there are nominating contests and there's always a period during which you bring the party together. And that's happening just as it has every four year, every eight years.
And the remarkable thing, actually, if you look at history is how quickly John McCain is actually bringing the party together. So again, we feel very comfortable about where we are. We feel good about the contest tomorrow. We feel good about the contest with Mike Huckabee, who is throwing a spirited race at us, but we think we're in a good position. Not only to bring the Republican coalition together, but it's clear that John McCain is the best candidate to win in November. And that message is resonating across the country.
ROBERTS: Is Mike Huckabee's continued presence, Mark, in this primary campaign, inhibiting John McCain's ability to reach out to conservatives?
MCKINNON: Not at all. I think -- I think it's helpful, actually. As we compare and contrast our records out there, it gives John McCain a good opportunity to talk about the fact that he is the true conservative in this race. When you look at his economic policies as compared to Mike Huckabee's as governor, it's quite clear that John McCain has the consistent and clear conservative record in the race.
ROBERTS: We talked to Mike Huckabee earlier today. He was talking about the results of Washington State, which they are contesting, because he says that they stopped counting with only 87 percent of the vote counted. Some 1500 votes did not get counted. What's your response to that?
MCKINNON: Well, listen. We want all the votes to be counted and so we're offer transparency in getting that cleared up as soon as possible. We want to make sure that every vote counts. And so we're with Mike Huckabee on that, but we're looking ahead to tomorrow where we've got a big race in your neck of the woods.
ROBERTS: Yes. Do you think if all of the votes were counted in Washington, that it would change the outcome?
MCKINNON: I don't know. But the fact is that Mike Huckabee himself said it would take a miracle for him to win the nomination. No matter what happens in Washington, the delegates' math simply won't work no matter how it goes.
ROBERTS: All right. Mark McKinnon for us this morning from Austin, Texas. Mark, good to see you. Thanks for joining us today.
MCKINNON: Thanks much. Glad to be here.
ROBERTS: On the Democratic side, many analysts are predicting that it's going to come down to 796 super delegates. They are the ones who will ultimately decide a Democratic nominee. Those super delegates include members of Congress, governors, former presidents, and unelected officials. They can vote however they want.
And we want to know what you think. What should influence those super delegates' votes? Right now, 62 percent of you say they should follow state results. 23 percent say they should follow what happens in the national level and 16 percent say they should do their own thing.
Cast your vote at cnn.com/am. We will tally your votes and come up with a final tally for you, just before we go off the air at 9:00 a.m. Eastern.
Alina?
CHO: We still have about 40 minutes to vote.
Breaking down the walls of your cubicle. Some innovative, new office layouts designed to increase productivity and creativity. That's coming up.
And Amy Winehouse wins big at the Grammy's. All the results plus the surprise pick for Album of the Year. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Twenty-two minutes after the hour. And time for your "HotShots" now. And this is nothing, if not a hot shot. A fireball flying down the racetrack in Pomona, California.
Two-time Defending Funny Car Champion, Tony Pedregon, suffered second-degree burns yesterday after his engine exploded during his first-round race. The car hit a retaining wall that close to 300 miles an hour after the blast. But Tony managed to get out on his own power. He says the fire burned through six layers of fire suit on his legs and also zinged his eyebrows. Wouldn't think anybody could come out of that alive.
And if you've got a hot shot, send it to us. Head to our website at cnn.com/am and follow the "HotShots" link. Be sure to include your name, where you're from, a little bit about the picture or video, and please make sure the image is yours and not someone else's.
Alina?
CHO: Well, some of America's most innovative company are smashing the office cube and it could influence the way you work. Polly Labarre is here with another workplace revolution.
So we're talking about Intel, the birth of the cube farm, if you will. They smash down the walls, as I just said. Is this the beginning of a trend?
POLLY LABARRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think this idea that work only happens when you're plumped behind your desk with your cup of coffee is a relic of another era. And telecommunicating, wireless networking, the demand for increase collaboration is really untethered people from their desk.
So Intel hung on to their cubes probably because they see them as a sign of the egalitarian culture. Now, they just did a study and they said that at any one point during the day, 60 percent of the cubes in their offices were empty. And everybody was down at the cafeteria or at Starbucks.
So they did this redesign. We say launch last week which is about bringing Starbucks in. So their community spaces, communal table, kitchen, cafes and an open flexible workspace where people aren't at their cubes but working together in flexible arrangement.
CHO: Yes. I spent some time with the Googleplex outside San Francisco and they have a similar type of thing and free food, too.
LABARRE: Sure.
CHO: Anyway, let's talk about IKEA. Because they've got, sort of a very simple, but radical idea about their work space and it's all about the home, right?
LABARRE: Sure. And this is a shift. This is being who you are in the marketplace -- the same people in the work place. So IKEA has this incredible theme of fitness between the experience they create for their customers and the experience they create for their workers. I spent a day at their new U.S. headquarters and talked to the president. Let's see what she had to say about that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PERNILLE SPIERS-LOPEZ, PRESIDENT, IKEA NORTH AMERICA: We have tried very hard to make this a home away from home. We believe home is the most important place in the world, but when you are at work, we can bring in a lot of great things from the home that make people feel comfortable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: So we're talking about beds and pillows, too?
LABARRE: It's a pretty radical idea. Make the office more home- like. Well, that's what they're trying to do for their customers. They have, for instance, a great room, which is where we hang out in the home. The kitchen meets the dining room meets the living room. Great communal table, fully equipped kitchen. It sort of the hub of the office.
CHO: So what's the idea here? I mean, is it that, if you're more comfortable and you feel more at home, if you will, you'll work better?
LABARRE: And that you're more open and flexible. So if you want to pick up the phone and have a phone call, you don't need to be sitting at your desk. You can be lounging on the sofa. If you want to have a meeting, it's more sort of cozy and collaborative to do it on a sofa or around a kitchen table.
CHO: Put your feet up. LABARRE: Than in a conference room. And I think it's this notion that we work best according to our own style. Different tasks are suited to different kinds of environments and not everything is suited to a conference room or a cube.
CHO: Interesting stuff. Polly Labarre with another workplace revolution. Polly, thanks.
LABARRE: Thank you.
CHO: John?
ROBERTS: Paul McCartney cross-examined by his ex. Heather Mills throws out the lawyers and decide she'll ask the questions in their divorce trial.
And sometimes just a simple nudge, sometimes you got shake them. Other times, mom asked to pour ice water over his head. Why is it so hard to get your teenager up in the morning? A surprising answer and today's headlines when AMERICAN MORNING returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Well, that's a beautiful shot. And it would be a beautiful place to be if it were July, but unfortunately, it's not.
CHO: Very cold.
ROBERTS: 18 degrees with a 9 degree wind chill factor there in Annapolis, Maryland, going up to Ohio, 33 degrees today. It is cold over so much of country today.
CHO: And it's even cold here in the studio. You know, I'm shivering.
ROBERTS: Nobody's going sailing in Annapolis today. It were safe to say that.
CHO: That's right.
ROBERTS: It's Monday, February the 11th. Thanks very much for being with us. Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. I'm John Roberts.
CHO: So glad you're with us, everybody. I'm Alina Cho. Kiran Chetry has the morning off.
We are following breaking news in the war on terror. Charges could be announced as early as today for six suspects linked to the 9/11 attacks. CNN has confirmed that military prosecutors plan to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and five others on terrorism charges and they may seek the death penalty. The suspects are currently being held in the U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo Bay.
Also some breaking news this morning out of Pakistan. Taliban official has been captured and critically injured by Pakistani security forces. That's according to Pakistan's military. Mullah Mansoor Dadullah and five other militants were caught after a shot out near the Afghan border. They were crossing into Pakistan, but apparently refused to stop for security officials.
ROBERTS: On the heels of a huge weekend. Senator Barack Obama is expected to meet with a former opponent today. He wants John Edwards to back his surge for the nomination. Of course, he'll have to fight Hillary Clinton for the key endorsement. She met with Edwards on North Carolina on Thursday.
Obama won all five Democratic contests over the weekend in Maine, Nebraska, Washington State, Louisiana, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. As is stands right now, Clinton has a slight edge over Obama in the delegate count. She's got 1,148 delegates. He's got 1121. But you can see how tight they are there. 2,025 are needed to clinch the Democratic nomination. Obama says he can beat Clinton and win the big one.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: One of the things you can tell your friends is, there is a reason why the last six polls including this week's "Time" magazine showed that I beat John McCain by six, seven points and she doesn't. That's why it matters.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: And over in the Clinton campaign, a major shake-up. She has replaced her campaign manager, Patti Solis Doyle with her former chief of staff Maggie Williams. Plenty of federal employees watching closely inside the Beltway. Former President Clinton hit the campaign trail to say, experience matters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: This has been an interesting election. And we don't have to be against anybody, but we do have to pick the person who will be the best president. And I think the way you decide that depend in no small measure on what you believe America needs. And whether you believe America needs a president that can not only inspire us, but can handle whatever incoming fire occurs, whatever emergencies come up and can make positive changes in the lives of all Americans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: The Clinton campaign now faces an uphill battle in the next primaries, tomorrow in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C., and expect heavy campaigning by the republicans today in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C.. All for the wealth of delegates in tomorrow's high-stake primary. Mike Huckabee has momentum after winning Kansas and Louisiana this weekend but his campaign is contesting Washington state saying that race was called before all the votes were counted.
CNN's Dana Bash is live in Annapolis, Maryland with the McCain campaign. Dana, he lost two our of three Saturday. What's the front- runner saying about that today?
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We'll, we're going to hear from him in a few minutes here, John. But, you know, what his campaign is saying, they're trying to downplay, as you can imagine, the fact that he lost in Kansas and Louisiana, saying he didn't really campaign there, didn't expect to win, but the reality is, it makes the Potomac primaries that you just talked about, D.C., Maryland and Virginia, all the more important for John McCain, because as one adviser said to me, you know, if we lose those, then we got a problem. They have to really to change the narrative we have after this weekend.
The narrative is, of course, wait a minute, John McCain says he is the front-runner, the presumptive nominee and is acting like the presumptive nominee, and acting like the presumptive nominee and yet you have these states in the heartland of the country where conservatives aren't voting for him. So you know what gives with that? And It really plays into the problem, of course that John McCain is consistently having with the fact that conservatives simply aren't satisfied with him, despite the fact that he is trying very hard working the phones all weekend, more than likely will do it here again in Annapolis to reach out to those conservatives.
ROBERTS: You know, we had Mike Huckabee on a little bit earlier on today and we asked him what gives with that. Here's what he said in response.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE HUCKABEE (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Here's what I do know, the states that I've won are the states that a republican has to win if we have any chance of winning in November, and the states that have given Senator McCain his primary delegate lead are states that aren't going to be factors in a republican winning in November.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Dana, Mike Huckabee is saying he still got a shot at this. Mathematically we look at it and think we'll it's probably impossible, but he's staying in.
BASH: He is staying in and mathematically you're right. It is probably impossible. Mike Huckabee over the weekend said that you know he majored a miracle. So maybe that's what he's hoping for here. Well, one thing that I thought was really interesting is that answer he had for you there, John, the fact that he really honed in on the fact that he is doing well in so-called republican states.
Really playing into the fact that, wait a minute, you know, if we have a republican nominee who can't even win in states where republicans have to win, like southern states, for example, then how are we going to possibly win the White House? That actually speaks directly to part of the McCain strategy. John McCain himself told me and a few other people on his bus a few days ago that they really hope to expand the map for the republican party. They hope to compete in states that just like Mike Huckabee was talking about. Republicans haven't done well in, like New Jersey, like New York, like Connecticut. So that in a way plays into the McCain strategy, that he might not be doing as well with the base of the republican party, those conservatives, but he's looking beyond that to play into the fact he does well with independents and could do well in some of the blue states that republicans haven't been doing well in lately.
ROBERTS: Yes, it doesn't get much more republican than Kansas. And Huckabee stumped McCain there. Dana Bash for us this morning in chilly Annapolis. Dana, thanks. Alina.
CHO: Well, more on the weather now. 35 minutes after the hour. A combination of bone-dry terrain and strong winds creating a perfect storm, if will you, for fires to spread across the southeast. There's a state of emergency in Virginia. Hundreds of people forced to evacuate their homes. Tens of thousands lost power. A different story, however, from the plains states to the northeast where there's bitter cold and blinding snow. But we can attest to that, the bitter cold part, at least. Rob Marciano tracking the extreme weather for us. Hey, Rob, good morning.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN, METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Alina. You're not the only ones with cold. Cold really taking place across a good third of the country, really. It's 12 in Kansas, 14 in St. Louis. So problems there for sure when you start to add in some moisture. We have winter storm warnings that are posted and we could see some severe weather as well as it taps a little bit of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico. Dallas, northeast towards Little Rock, you could see a slight risk of severe thunderstorms according to the storm's prediction center out of Norman.
Meanwhile, with that cold air just north of the boundary, the pinks are showing up on the map this morning. Southeast Kansas has seen significant icing already, reports of power outages and cars sliding off the roads there and you're going through Springfield, Missouri also some reports of icing and popping up in between there just to the south. We're getting some thunderstorms, popping up with hail. So pretty significant weather there.
A sliver of lake-effect snow just north of Syracuse. You could see blinding snowstorms there with the squalls coming off Lake Ontario. One to two feet of snow possible with winter storm warnings posted and the heavy lake-effect snow warnings also for the usual spots. 11 in New York. That is not usual. It's 12 currently in Philadelphia and then you couple in the winds and it feels like it's minus 6 New York, minus 7 degrees in Philadelphia, and minus 6 in Boston. Winter is here. Try and enjoy it. Alina.
CHO: I know you're from Greenwich, but I'm sure you're glad to be in Atlanta today. Rob Marciano. Thanks.
MARCIANO: You got it.
ROBERTS: Music's biggest stars celebrating big Grammy wins this morning. The 50th Annual Grammy Awards were handed out last night and troubled singer Amy Winehouse scored big. She didn't quite sweep it all, though. Our Lola Ogunnaike here with the look at the winners.
What was the biggest surprise for you last night?
LOLA OGUNNAIKE, CNN, CORRESPONDENT: The biggest surprise for me was Herbie Hancock winning best album. I don't think anyone expected him to win for "River and the Joni Mitchell CD." But he actually pulled it off. I think everyone thought that Amy Winehouse would have a clean sweep. She won for best new artist, best pop album, best song, best record. She was nominated for six, won five. I think most people thought she'd go six for six, but she didn't.
ROBERTS: Herbie Hancock is a tried and true legendary musician, but wow, I didn't even know he was still in the music business.
OGUNNAIKE: I didn't either. He was almost 70 years old. He's got 10 Grammys already. This makes number 11. He was so surprised he dropped his speech, but he got it together and seemed to really be enjoying himself.
ROBERTS: Yes. So in terms of giving the majority of the awards out, they went for the role model, Amy Winehouse, who couldn't get into the country because of her problems. So, she had to perform live from England. How did she do?
OGUNNAIKE: You know, I think most people were shocked that she did surprisingly well. Her voice sounded strong. She looked to be sober. Her dance moves are a bit questionable but her voice did sound good. She did her "Rehab." She is fresh from rehab, maybe going back right after this performance.
ROBERTS: Amazing, too as well.
OGUNNAIKE: It's an amazing do, very amazing do. Very iconic in a weird sort of way and she know she won for best record. We're watching her give her acceptance speech. I think she was genuinely moved that she won and maybe this is the beginning of a good thing for Amy Winehouse. Maybe that she did thank her husband Blake, who is currently incarcerated, which she pointed out during her acceptance speech. So, that's very interesting.
ROBERTS: Well, let's see if this is the road back for her, if they even wants to be on that road, who really know. What about Chaka Khan? We had something with her last week.
OGUNNAIKE: Yes. You know, I interviewed Chaka Khan last week. And Chaka Khan won two Grammys. She won for best R&B for "Punk," it's the best R&B album and she won for her collaboration with Mary J. Blige.
ROBERTS: And Kanye West did a good show as well?
OGUNNAIKE: He did. You know, Amy probably had the most impressive performance of the evening. And Kanye definitely had the most emotional performance of the evening. He did his hit "Stronger" and then he did his other hit "Hey Mama," which is, you know, dedicated to his mother who died from complications of plastic surgery last November. And you know, he left many in the audience in tears and he actually was very moved, like he wouldn't make it through. He has the word Mama etched into his hair, which is an interesting dedication to his mother. She was on, definitely on his mind, and she spoke to him, he mentioned her also during his acceptance speech as well. And Barack won a Grammy for his...
ROBERTS: That's right, beating Bill Clinton for books on tape.
OGUNNAIKE: Exactly. Beat Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter.
ROBERTS: Maybe a harbinger of things to come. Lola, thanks very much.
OGUNNAIKE: Thank you.
CHO: Coming up, getting them up and getting them out is not always easy to give the wake-up call for your teenager. But don't blame them, new medical evidence they're not being lazy. That's coming up.
And it could be the most expensive divorce ever and Heather Mills decides she's going to be her own attorney when she faces off with Paul McCartney in court today. All of that, just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
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CHO: Welcome back. It's not always easy to get your teen out of bed in the morning. But it turns out sleeping late may just be in their nature. How about that? A National Sleep Foundation study says waking a teen before 7:00 a.m. is like trying to wake up an adult before 4:00 a.m. And we hear how hard that is. Medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joins us now. So, Elizabeth, what are we learning about why teens are sleeping so late? It's not that they're lazy, right?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN, MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. That's what a lot of parents would tell you, I think, Alina. My kid's so lazy. But actually, it may just be their natural body clock. This is such a fascinating study, and it all centers on melatonin. That's that hormone that regulates your body clock. When the melatonin kicks in, that's when you're sleepiest. You got to take a look at this animation that we have.
It really explains what happens to a teenager's body. Melatonin makes you sleepy. Let's look at the adults on the left. Melatonin reaches its peak for adults at 4:00 in the morning. So, you're tired at 4:00 in the morning. So, you folks on this show know better than anyone. But the teenager on the right, the melatonin peaks at 7:00 a.m.. So waking up a teen at 7:00, which of course is around when many of them get up, it's like waking up an adult at 4:00.
So, when their alarm clock goes off at 7:00, that's when they're at their sleepiest. So a couple of schools in various parts of the country have tried to experiment with starting school a little bit later. So let's take a look at some of the results that they've had instead of starting at, say, 7:45, they started at around 8:30. When they've done this, grades have gone up. Absenteeism has gone down, and signs of depression have also gone down. So, now other school districts are thinking about doing the same thing.
CHO: Yes. I mean they've had success in Minneapolis. They've done it in Connecticut as well. You know, being tired obviously does not bode well for kids paying attention in school. But are there other consequences as well?
COHEN: There are other consequences. Because when you sleep, that's when you process all the information you've learned during the day. So, not only are they tired when they learn it, they're having problems processing. In fact, Alina, some doctors have linked all the ADD that seems to be so rampant in this country, some of that to actually just sleep deprivation.
CHO: Oh, interesting. Wow. All right. Elizabeth Cohen, thanks so much.
COHEN: Thanks.
CHO: We'll see you later. John.
ROBERTS: Just now touching 15 minutes to the top of the hour.
Paul McCartney and Heather Mills are in court this morning. Their divorce battle is taking yet another strange turn. Mills fired her attorneys and is representing herself. That means that she will ask the questions if McCartney takes the stand. This could be the most expensive divorce case in British history and our AMERICAN MORNING legal analyst Sunny Hostin joins us now.
Some people have said that her representing herself bordered on reckless if not crosses that line. What do you think?
SUNNY HOSTIN, AMERICAN MORNING, LEGAL ANALYST: It really is. There's this old adage lawyers use all the time. It says that person has that represents himself has a fool for a lawyer. And that's absolutely right. I mean, you wouldn't operate on yourself. A lot of people don't do their own taxes. And you should have a professional representing yourself. It's really interesting because apparently she fired her attorney. She owes them already I think, you know, 2 million euros -- $4 million. And those were Princess Diana's lawyers that represented her divorce from Prince Charles. So, certainly they were qualified. I'm not sure what happened there, but she's made a huge mistake.
ROBERTS: So how do you think this will impact the case in the court?
HOSTIN: You know, it's going to make the job for the judge much more difficult. It's going to make the job for Paul's lawyers much more difficult, because everyone now is going to be very, very careful to make sure there is no appeal in this case. Because while there are private proceedings right now if there's an appeal, it goes public. And as we're hearing, it's being reported she hasn't accepted any settlements because she doesn't want to sign a confidentiality clause. She wants to be able to talk about her marriage, her divorce and she wants to be able to write about it. That's where the problem is. A little of money down the road is what she's looking for.
HOSTIN: It appears to be which is really unusual. Because apparently it's reported he offered 55 million euros, which is $110 million. That is a lot of money by anyone's standards for a four-year marriage.
ROBERTS: So, if you were her attorney what would you suggest she do?
HOSTIN: Take the money and run. Take the money. Go away. You know, that the public hates her right now, especially in Britain. Everyone's talking about her. She's received death threats. I think the best thing for her to do, do her charity work, do whatever she wants to do with her life, but take the $110 million and walk away.
ROBERTS: You can run a long way on $110 million.
HOSTIN: That's right.
ROBERTS: Sunny Hostin, thanks.
HOSTIN: Thank you.
ROBERTS: Alina.
CHO: All right. John, we want to return to our breaking story on the war on terror. As we've been reporting all morning long, charges could be announced as early as today for six suspects linked to the 9/11 attacks including the mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. Barbara Starr is at the Pentagon with more developments. I know you have some new information, Barbara. What have you learned?
STARR: Well, Alina. It is now official. At 11:00 this morning East coast time in the briefing room here at the Pentagon, charges will be announced against Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and five other detainees at Guantanamo Bay for their role in the 9/11 attacks and other terrorist activities. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed will be charged with murder, conspiracy and attacking civilians according to officials here in this building.
It should be a very emotional moment. Frankly, when the head attorney steps to the podium and announces this. We are told that there will be a 90-page document and Alina, the last 30 to 40 pages of the document to be released, will list the names of everyone onboard, all of the airliners that crashed and were attacked that morning of September 11th. In total, there will be charges involving the deaths of 2,973 American citizens on that day, and from here in the Pentagon, which was, of course, one of the sites attacked on that morning, again a pretty amazing moment when they step to the podium and announce the charges against the men they say conspired to make those attacks happen. Alina.
CHO: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon watching it all for us. Barbara, thank you. John.
ROBERTS: A new breed on Broadway. A 4-year-old who's ready for the bright lights at the Westminster dog show. Loka is here live. Next on AMERICAN MORNING.
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ROBERTS: Coming up on eight minutes now to the top of the hour. Four breeds will make their debut at the Westminster dog show in New York which begins today. That's the most new breeds in the show since 1991.
CHO: And we're about to show you one of them. Her name is Loka. She's a Tibetan mastiff. Look how cute she is. She is four years old. And she joins us now with her owner and handler, Laurel Cain Denk. Good morning to both of you. What's interesting is you said that she has to be on the side of you, because that's the way she shows, right?
LAUREL CAIN DENK, OWNER/HANDLER, "LOKA": Yes. Typically, always on the left side so they can be presented to the judge.
ROBERTS: Such a beautiful dog.
CHO: Isn't she?
DENK: Thank you.
CHO: you know, in order for a breed to be recognized by the American Kennel Club, there has to be 300 dogs in the U.S. with a three-generation pedigree. I know you've shown dogs before in the Westminster dog show, but how big of a deal is it that you can show Loka?
DENK: This is momentous. This is a history in the making. This being a brand new breed. This is the first time they can show at the Westminster Kennel Club and we're very proud to be going.
ROBERTS: It's a brand new breed for the Westminster dog show but hard a brand new breed. What's the lineage of this dog?
DENK: This is a very, very primitive breed, digging way back beyond a lot of the other large mastiff-type breeds that are well- known in the United States. However it wasn't until recently that it's been enough numbers in the United States for them to actually be accepted by AKC.
CHO: Right. What are you doing to prepare because she shows tomorrow around 10:30, 10:50 or something like that. So what are you doing in these final hours?
DENK: Well, she's getting a lot of beauty sleep, and lots of hugs from my 2-year-old and this evening she's going to get a special doggie massage. And then she's going to get groomed. As my husband does most of the grooming and she'll get a bath a blow dry and her toes are done. ROBERTS: She is so fluffy. Such a beautiful dog. Let me see your face, sweetheart. Are you confident that they'll be able to accurately judge her at the Westminster show being it's such a new breed for them?
DENK: Our judges are an esteemed judge. I'm certain that she will be able to identify the good dogs. All the dogs that we're showing, there are 13 Tibetan mastiffs which is a huge number for a brand new breed and all the dogs that are showing now are going to be winners, just simply by being there, being champions and out there the first year at Westminster.
CHO: So, I guess this would make sense, but she really likes the cold, right? So, you take her outside a lot, right?
DENK: Well, actually, at the Hotel Pennsylvania, we're lucky to have a release station down in the bottom, but she does like the cold weather. She loves it at home when we have cold weather and she's out in that, but since she's such a, well I call her a snuggle bunny. She loves to be hanging out with us and get lots of hugs in the house, too.
CHO: She has such a great disposition.
DENK: She's wonderful.
ROBERTS: Well, a lot of people look at the Westminster Dog Show and they might think, hey would that dog make a good pet for me? What about these Tibetan mastiffs? In terms of, I understand that they're very protective of their owners, they were used as guard dogs?
DENK: Yes. This is a very, very primitive breed, and instinctively very, very protective, with the same concerns -- not a dog for everybody. Certainly someone who's familiar with dogs. They're able to shape the temperaments and work with them, should be able to make a nice family member, just like Loka's very special with us.
ROBERTS: Training is very important.
DENK: Very, very important. But at the same time, someone who doesn't have a lot of time, this is probably not the right breed for them. There can be behaviors that get a little out of hand.
CHO: We're talking about a show dog. How nervous are you? I mean to take care of Loka. You must be so nervous in these final hours, right now or you've done it before?
DENK: I've done it before. I'm not going to say I don't get nervous. It's interesting. Once you're actually out there, you're so involved with actually showing the dog that you really don't have time to be nervous. Once we get to Westminster, all the dogs are champions. And you really pretty much just follow back into the mechanisms of what you always do.
ROBERTS: So, for people who might be watching the show, what are you showing?
DENK: We show at 10:15 tomorrow. We show at 10:15 tomorrow. A streaming video online.
CHO: Oh, cool.
DENK: And then what you'll be able to see at night is the dog that wins best of breed. Tomorrow, we'll go on to the working group.
CHO: Even if she's not best in show, she's a winner here to all of us here at AMERICAN MORNING. Four-year-old Loka and Laurel Cain Denk, we thank you for coming here to the studio. Good luck tomorrow.
DENK: Thank you.
ROBERTS: She didn't pee on our green rug either. Perfect. Thanks very much and good luck tomorrow.
DENK: Thank you.
ROBERTS: A quick look now at what's CNN NEWSROOM is working on for the top of the hour.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: See these stories in the CNN NEWSROOM. The government will announce it wants the death penalty for 9/11 architect Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and five others.
The presidential candidates look for votes, ahead of tomorrow's primaries In Virginia, Maryland and D.C..
Chain reaction pileups kill two people in Pennsylvania and New York.
TV and movie writers vote tomorrow on a strike-ending deal.
And can no calorie artificial sweeteners make you fat?
NEWSROOM, top of the hour on CNN.
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ROBERTS: Well, just before go, a final check of this morning's "Quick Vote" question. We asked what should influence the democratic super delegates, 62 percent say they should follow the results in their particular state. 20 percent say they should follow the national results and 17 percent say, hey, let them do their own thing. To all of you who voted, thanks very much.
And thanks so much for joining us on this AMERICAN MORNING. Kiran will be back again tomorrow. Thanks for filling in.
CHO: Thank you. It's been a pleasure, as always. CNN NEWSROOM with Heidi Collins begins right now.
COLLINS: You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. Hi, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins. Watch events come into the NEWSROOM live on Monday morning, February 11th. Here's what's on the rundown.
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