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American Morning
Earthquake Hits Sumatra; Nader's Fourth Race for President; New York Philharmonic in North Korea; Oscar Winners; Clinton Campaign Lashes at Obama; South Korean Leadership Change
Aired February 25, 2008 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANNOUNCER: Inside North Korea: The most Americans in North Korea in a half century. Christianne Amanpour and our Alina Cho witness history.
Break point:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON DEM. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: So shame on you, Barack Obama.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Hillary Clinton comes out fighting, and Obama returns serve.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA, DEM. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: She has essentially presented herself as co-president during the Clinton years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Plus, Nader strikes again.
The most politics in the morning.
'Country' gold: the Coen brothers score at the Oscars, on this AMERICAN MORNING.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: And welcome. It is Monday, the day after Oscars, February 25th. Welcome to AMERICAN MORNING.
Did you stay up and watch last night?
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: No, I didn't. I didn't even make an attempt. How about you?
CHETRY: I just saw all the behind the scenes. You know, the Costume Design Award, and I was falling asleep.
ROBERTS: Everybody had told me what was going to win and lo and behold, that's exactly the way it came out. So --
CHETRY: "No Country for Old Men" ROBERTS: Yes. What was the reason to watch it? Big night.
Hey, we begin with breaking news out of Indonesia this morning. A 7.0 earthquake struck off of the west coast of Sumatra. It happened about 2 1/2 hours ago. It's almost in exactly the same place that one that measured even stronger than that hit last week. Witnesses say the shaking caused some panic but no reports of damage. Agencies immediately issued a tsunami warning but canceled it a short time ago saying that no large waves were generated. We'll keep watching this, and we'll bring you updates as they come in this morning.
CHETRY: And turning to politics this morning, Hillary Clinton coming out fighting against Barack Obama, as the two candidates head into must-win battleground states, Ohio and Texas. Clinton accusing Obama of using Republican smear tactics by distorting her record on NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement during the Clinton White House. And in a speech yesterday in Providence, Rhode Island, she took a swipe at Obama's campaign style when she delivered her message promising to fight for working class voters.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I could stand up here and say let's just get everybody together. Let's get unified. The sky will open. The light will come down. Celestial choirs will be singing, and everyone will know we should do the right thing and the world will be perfect.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Clinton also said she recently made it clear she's ambivalent about NAFTA blasting companies for "turning their backs on Americans by shipping jobs overseas."
And Barack Obama for his part, firing back, standing by his NAFTA attack. Obama says Clinton has presented herself as co-president during the Clinton years but takes credit only for "everything good that happens."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The Clinton administration championed NAFTA, passed NAFTA, signed NAFTA. She's saying the part of the experience that makes her the best qualified to be president is all the work that she was doing in the Clinton administration. You can't take credit for everything that's good in the Clinton administration, and then suddenly say you don't want to take credit for what folks don't like about the Clinton administration.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Obama says NAFTA is to blame for the loss of one million jobs since 1994.
Well, consumer advocate Ralph Nader says he is running for president as an independent. He made the announcement yesterday criticizing the top contenders calling them too close to big business. Barack Obama played down Nader's announcement saying he'll have little impact in the race. But Hillary Clinton said the move "wasn't good for anybody, especially our country." Many Democrats have accused Nader of handing the 2000 election to President George Bush.
We're going to be speaking with Ralph Nader live at 8:15 Eastern, about his fourth run for the White House. Also, we're talking to Republican candidate Mike Huckabee. He's going to be joining us live in the next hour, 7:40 Eastern time.
He's certainly making TV appearances, including his big turn on "Saturday Night Live" this weekend.
ROBERTS: Hey, you know, when you don't have a whole lot of campaign money, you get on TV any way you can.
Americans will be making history in North Korea this week for what's being called a remarkable display of cultural diplomacy. The New York Philharmonic Orchestra is in Pyongyang for an unprecedented concert there tomorrow. The concert will be broadcast live on North Korea's state-run television and radio, something unheard of previous to this in this isolated nation. The performance comes at a time when the international community is pressuring North Korea to stick to its promise to drop its nuclear weapons program.
Our Alina Cho is traveling with the musicians. She joins us now live from Pyongyang, and I should say to you, Alina, good evening.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And good evening, John, to you, from Pyongyang. It is snowing here. It is bitterly cold. About 80 journalists from around the world are right here in Pyongyang. Tomorrow night, in fact, in less than 24 hours, the New York Philharmonic will perform right here in Pyongyang. That will be historic.
A little less to report on the diplomatic front. Talks aimed at ending the nuclear standoff have progressed, but there have been no real breakthroughs. North Korea still has not given a complete and correct declaration of its nuclear programs, and Pyongyang says the U.S. has not provided the fuel aid it promised. So with that as the backdrop, the New York Philharmonic is hoping music can be used as a tool. They call it the international language of diplomacy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHO (voice-over): Violinist Michelle Kim is a symbol of Korea's painful history. She was born in South Korea. Her parents were born in the North and fled to the South during the Korean War. The 34- year-old is one of the most prominent members of the New York Philharmonic. She's nervous not only about playing well, but also about what this means for diplomacy with the west.
MICHELLE KIM, NY PHILHARMONIC VIOLINIST: Well, there's an old Korean saying. I'll translate it in English. But you can't spit on a face that's smiling at you. And I hope that music will open their hearts as well.
CHO: Even music in North Korea is tightly controlled. It's a crime to listen to anything not sanctioned by the government. So when the New York Philharmonic performs in Pyongyang Tuesday, the first American orchestra to play there, there will be symbolism everywhere, including "The Star-Spangled Banner" and Gershwin's "An American in Paris."
LORIN MAAZEL, NY PHILHARMONIC CONDUCTOR: It's a kind of tongue in cheek way of saying Americans do travel abroad to Paris some time ago and now to Pyongyang.
CHO (on camera): Some have criticized the New York Philharmonic's trip to Pyongyang as a propaganda coup for North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il. What do you say to blunt that criticism?
MAAZEL: It's the only weapon we have, so to speak, but a very important one. I've conducted orchestras in countries where I don't speak the language. But I speak the language of music and so do they. We get along instantly.
CHO: What do you hope that this one concert might be able to accomplish?
KIM: This might not solve the nuclear weapons. This might not solve the problems with the U.S. politically, but this will certainly be in their hearts as something to remember that's very positive.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: Tomorrow night's concert will be shown live around the world, including right here in Pyongyang, which is unprecedented. But it is unclear exactly how many average North Koreans will actually be able to watch it because a lot of people here do not own TVs. What is also unclear is whether the man known as the dear leader himself, Kim Jong- Il, will be in attendance at tomorrow night's concert. Representatives from the New York Philharmonic say they have no confirmation, and they won't know until the curtain goes up, but it's safe to say, John, there is not a journalist here, myself included, who does not want to see him.
ROBERTS: It's a pretty interesting event, Alina, but what about this idea that it could be seen by some people in North Korea as a PR coup that the New York Philharmonic is there when they still have not completely come clean on their nuclear program and their pledge to dismantle it?
CHO: Listen, there have been a lot of questions about that as you well know, John. The conductor, the legendary conductor of the New York Philharmonic, Lorin Maazel, said to me, listen. Propaganda coup. We're here to play music, and we're hoping that that will help crack open the door of diplomacy. And as Christopher Hill, the top U.S. diplomat in six-party talks has said, listen. You can't do all of the negotiating just at the negotiating table. There has to be cultural exchanges, too. And in his words if they don't like our words, maybe they'll like our music -- John. ROBERTS: At any rate, a historic event coming up there tomorrow in North Korea. Alina Cho for us in Pyongyang this morning. Alina, thanks very much.
And coming up at our next hour, CNN's Christiane Amanpour tours a nuclear facility in North Korea. She joins us at 7:00 a.m. Eastern live to talk more about that.
Meantime, our Veronica De La Cruz is here with other stories new this morning. Good morning.
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning to both of you. How are you guys doing?
ROBERTS: Good. And you?
DE LA CRUZ: Good. Wonderful. Wonderful. Didn't make it for the Oscars, fell asleep before.
But, you know -- but Lola's on the red carpet. So we'll find out what happened.
CHETRY: Yes.
DE LA CRUZ: Good morning to all of you. Here's what is new this morning. Gas prices up again over the past two weeks. That's according to the latest Lundberg survey, costing an average 16 cents more a gallon to fill your tank. The national average, $3.10 a gallon. It's 12 cents higher than last month and 75 cents more than a year ago at this time.
Well, Cuba has a new leader for the first time in nearly a half century. The nation's parliament elected Raul Castro president yesterday. Fidel Castro remains leader of the country's communist party, and the new president stressed that he would consult his brother on all major decisions. The move is not expected to change the country's communist system.
A disturbing incident on board an American Airlines flight. Carine Desir complained of breathing problems and later died on a flight from Haiti. The woman's cousin says they asked for oxygen twice and were refused. And when the flight attendant finally did try to administer the oxygen from a portable tank, it was empty. The airline is standing by their flight attendant saying they are professionals and trained in assisting passengers in medical emergencies. The medical examiner's office says the woman had heart disease and died of natural causes.
A passenger jet preparing for takeoff clipped wings with another jet at Dulles International Airport outside Washington. It happened last night as the two planes were taxiing towards the runway. No passengers or crew members were hurt. The accident comes one week after a similar incident at nearby Reagan National Airport.
And while most eyes were on the Oscars, a few went to the movies. "Vantage Point" came in at number one, taking in 24 million. The thriller examines the shooting of an American president from different witness angles. It stars Dennis Quaid and Matthew Fox.
Last week's number one flick, "Jumper," fell to number two, and Disney's "The Spiderwick Chronicles" came in third. And you know, "Juno" was still on that list. It fell to number seven, but it brought in $4 million, which isn't bad for a film that only cost $7.5 million to make.
CHETRY: That's right. It got a lot of buzz, of course.
DE LA CRUZ: Yes.
CHETRY: And the young star Ellen Paige also nominated for an Oscar last night.
DE LA CRUZ: Yes. And it was a shocker that she didn't win. And I know Lola is going to talk more about that, so I'm not going to steal her thunder.
CHETRY: Thanks, Veronica.
That's right. It was a good night for "Old Men" at the Oscars. The chilling thriller "No Country for Old Men" taking home four awards last night, including Best Picture and Best Director, shared by brothers Joel and Ethan Coen. There they are. The acting awards also went international. All of the winners are from outside the U.S., including Daniel Day-Lewis who lives in Ireland. There you see Marion Cotillard who's from France, and the evening's host Jon Stewart had plenty to work with from politics to the recently resolved writers strike.
Lola Ogunnaike is live outside of the Kodak Theatre this morning in Los Angeles the morning after. Good morning, Lola, great to see you.
LOLA OGUNNAIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning Kiran. How are you doing? It's been a long night, but we're having a good time out here.
CHETRY: What do you think of the show last night?
OGUNNAIKE: Oh, I thought it was pretty good, actually. You know, Jon Stewart was really strong. It was a huge night for the Europeans, as you said. You know, we had Javier Bardem who won for Best Supporting Actor. You had Tilda Swinton who won for Best Supporting Actress. Daniel Day-Lewis, of course, won for Best Actor, and Marion Cotillard, the Frenchwoman, who won playing Edith Piaf for "La Vie En Rose." She won for Best Actress.
CHETRY: It's also, as you said, a big night for the Coen brothers. The last time, I mean, they took four pretty big awards, including Best Director and Best Picture. The interesting thing is they did this before with "Fargo" but only winning two awards.
OGUNNAIKE: Yes, this is a huge night for the Coen brothers. They won for Best Director. They won for Best Adapted Screenplay, and they won for Best Film. So it was a huge, huge night for them. And, you know, the two brothers, no one -- a duo has not won since the 1960s actually. So this is also a huge feat for them. Javier Bardem, again, won for Best Supporting Actor for the same role for his role in "No Country for Old Men," so this is a huge night for that movie.
CHETRY: It's also fun to get a chance to check out Oscar fashion, of course. What did you think of the dresses last night? A lot of red out on the red carpet.
OGUNNAIKE: You know, Kiran, red is the new black. Every woman was in red. Helen Mirren, Katherine Heigl, Ann Hathaway. Miley Cyrus, Heidi Klum. Everyone was in red. Also, big color was really big. Also, you saw greens. You saw purples. You saw orange. So people really shied away from the black and really decided to go bold with the colors.
CHETRY: Also, it seemed like Jon Stewart, he came rearing out of the gates happy that the Oscars were actually happening and that he had some good material to work with. Oh, you know, giving a looming writers strike that finally was resolved. What did you think of his performance last night?
OGUNNAIKE: I actually think he pulled it off. Clearly, he was happy to have the writers there to work with and he seemed to be having a good time. He hit up the elections. He talked about that. He talked about Javier Bardem being a cross between Hannibal Lecter and Dorothy Hamill, which I thought was hysterical. He had a few good one-liners there. And, you know, he seemed to be really having a good time and enjoying it.
CHETRY: And how about you? You had a blast?
OGUNNAIKE: I did have a blast. A bit tired but still having fun. Still got on my diamonds. So I had a good time.
CHETRY: Well, you didn't look like you missed a beat at all. All right. Lola Ogunnaike, out in front of the Kodak Theatre for us this morning. Thanks.
Also coming up, Lola takes us behind the scenes of the exclusive Governors Ball. She had a chance to talk with a bunch of the winners, so you want to stick around for that.
ROBERTS: Looking forward to that. Fourteen minutes after the hour. You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
Six lucky numbers, a $270 million jackpot and one couple whose lives are about to change dramatically. Find out who's picking up a giant check today.
And Ralph Nader gets in the race. Democrats say he cost them the White House in 2000. How are they planning to handle him this time? That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
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CHETRY: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. It is 6:16 Eastern time. And, boy, it's easy street for one Georgia couple. They won some mega money. Robert and Tonya Harris. They matched all five numbers. There you see Robert holding up his winning ticket. It was Friday night's mega millions jackpot. It was worth $270 million. It means Robert and Tonya will take home $164 million before taxes. They opted for the lump sum payment. And to think they almost didn't play the numbers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT HARRIS, LOTTO WINNER: By the time I filled out my ticket and went up to the thing, the power one (ph) I couldn't play it. I came home and asked my wife, I said, you go play these two numbers for me. Two $1 tickets. Woke up this morning and we hit it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Wow. We're going to be talking to them live in our next hour. You know, how lucky can you get? Lottery officials say that you have a better chance of being hit by lightning at the same place in time every day for a week than actually hitting the big jackpot. They picked their grandchildren's birthdays as their numbers and play the same ones.
ROBERTS: You hear a lot of lottery winners say, well, I'm not sure what I'm going to do if I'm going to keep working or -- he called his employer on Saturday morning and said...
CHETRY: That's right.
ROBERTS: ... sorry, I quit. I'm retired.
CHETRY: See. You said 21 years of hard work and doesn't have to show up anymore.
ROBERTS: Yes, there you go. Well, good for them.
Ralph Nader is entering the presidential race as an independent. It's his fourth attempt at the White House. Nader addressed the belief that he was the reason Al Gore lost the presidency to George Bush while making his announcement on "Meet the Press" yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RALPH NADER (I), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: So let's get over it and try to have a diverse multiple choice, multiple party democracy. The Republicans steal the votes, and the Democrats knock third party candidates off the ballot. That's their specialty these days.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: So how will Nader impact this election? John Dickerson is CNN's political analyst and chief political correspondent for slate.com. John, good to see you. Back in 2000, Nader got almost 3 million votes. He got enough votes in Florida, 96,000, that it could have made a difference there for the Democrats. In 2004, he only got 500,000. How do you think he's going to do this time around?
JOHN DICKERSON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, you wouldn't think he would do so well. You know, Democrats are very excited about their likely candidate, Barack Obama, and maybe equally excited about Hillary Clinton. Barack Obama's reaction to Nader's comments was quite swift, and I think that has more to do with Democratic politics than it does Nader's actual threat. I think there are a lot of Democrats who have very fierce feelings about Ralph Nader, and you don't lose any votes by beating up on him in the Democratic primary.
ROBERTS: And Hillary Clinton was one of those people who had some interesting things to say about Ralph Nader. She also had some interesting things to say about Barack Obama over the weekend, specifically some mailers that the Obama campaign sent out talking about her position on NAFTA and health care. Let's listen to how she responded. It was pretty strong.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Shame on you, Barack Obama. It is time you ran a campaign consistent with your messages in public. That's what I expect from you. Meet me in Ohio. Let's have a debate about your tactics and your behavior in this campaign.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: That was almost Hillary Clinton, John, saying, you want to go outside, buddy? You know, she says, shame on you, Barack Obama. But one of those mailers has been out for at least a month. Why the sudden outrage?
DICKERSON: Well, the sudden outrage comes after 11 straight losses and also after the last debate. There were a lot of stories about how she at the end of that debate seemed to be sort of waving good-bye to the contest. That was what some people said anyway. And so, this clearly sends a message she's in it and she's fighting.
And also, I think, you know, last week they brought up this plagiarism charge which was kind of thin. This charge, though, does potentially have some purchase. She's arguing basically...
ROBERTS: Yes.
DICKERSON: ... his core message that he wants to change politics doesn't match with the kinds of things he's sending out in the mail.
ROBERTS: And now, for his part, he suggests that and he insists at least, that these mailers are accurate. It says for years she supported the North American Free Trade Agreement. Let's listen to what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: She's saying the part of the experience that makes her the best qualified to be president is all the work that she was doing in the Clinton administration. You can't take credit for everything that's good in the Clinton administration, and then suddenly say you don't want to take credit for what folks don't like about the Clinton administration.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Now, the folks from FactCheck.org, John, suggested he mischaracterized her position on NAFTA in those mailers when they say that she said it was a boon to the economy. Apparently, she never said that. And a biographer also says that she was privately opposed to NAFTA while in the White House and that his health care mailer strains the fact. So what kind of foundation is he standing on in making those attacks?
DICKERSON: Well, it's quite wobbly. And let's be clear. Hillary Clinton is sending out the same kinds of mailers with the same kinds of stretches. But she's not basing her entire campaign on the notion that she's going to run a different kind of politics, which is why this has a little bit more sting for him or should anyway than it does for her. So they're both engaging the same kind of distortions and bending and third party groups that looked at what Obama has sent out and said it doesn't pass the test. And so, that provides a little bit of a problem for him since he has based his entire campaign on this new listening, hopeful politics.
ROBERTS: Certainly, a dramatic difference in the tone of the campaigns from where it was at that debate on Thursday night. John Dickerson for us this morning. John, good to see you. Thanks.
DICKERSON: Thanks, John.
ROBERTS: Kiran?
CHETRY: Housing prices going down. Gas and food prices heading way up. What are voters most worried about when it comes to economic issues? Our Ali Velshi is on the road. He's talking with them in Texas about their fears about the economy.
Also, you're not the only one waiting for a tax rebate check from Uncle Sam.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He just said that we were owed $400. And we were to receive it back and that's the only way we could get it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: What you need to watch out for so you don't get scammed. Keeping your financial information secure. We'll have some tips for you ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
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ROBERTS: Twenty-five minutes after the hour now, and "Hot Shot" time for you.
The bun alone weighs 50 pounds. Look at this. It's a 134-pound cheeseburger. That would almost fill you up, wouldn't it? Check out the normal size burger that's stacked on top of it. It took three guys with two steel sheets to flip the thing over. A Michigan sports bar is selling it for $350, but you need to order it in advance. The owner is hoping that "Guinness" recognizes it as the biggest burger in the world.
CHETRY: They're really selling it for someone to eat or share?
ROBERTS: Yes. What you would do is you would get a table of 12 people, I guess, and you will order the biggest burger in the world and you split it up. I don't know how you would cut it, though. I don't think there's a knife big enough to do that.
If you got a "Hot Shot", send it to us. Head to our Web site, CNN.com/am, and follow the "Hot Shot" link. I was in a sports bar once and a guy ordered a $100 bottle of beer. So why not this burger?
CHETRY: A $100 of beer?
ROBERTS: Yes.
CHETRY: How about that?
ROBERTS: So why not the burger?
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: Hopefully he nursed it for a while. Taste or the flavor.
ROBERTS: Split it with his buddies. They each had a little bit.
CHETRY: Hey, 26 minutes past the hour now. Ali Velshi "Minding Your Business" on the road with the CNN Express. He's in Bandera, Texas, this morning. Interesting that we just showed the world's biggest hamburger. Now, we're getting a look at where it probably came from.
ALI VELSHI, CNN SENIOR BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Kiran, good morning. I don't know if you've ever been to Bandera. I had. It's about 50 miles out of San Antonio, and it is the self-proclaimed cowboy capital of the world. So because I was enjoying the hat so much and people are sort of saying, why are you wearing a hat? I came to a place where hats are dura gear (ph) as it were.
We have been around here talking to people. As you can see, we've got a chuckwagon breakfast going on behind us. We've actually got some horses around here. And later on in the show, Kiran, I'm going to tell you, I was actually with a steer. I was actually on the steer and I've got that for you.
Anyway, we're in Bandera. We got on to a dude ranch because there's a lot of ranches around here. Yesterday, I was riding a horse at the Dixie Dude Ranch. They quite treated me quite honorable and said that I was a cowboy, so that was good. But, you know, there are a lot of horses around here. There are still a lot of people who have to drive their vehicles. So this news about gas prices that we're getting this morning is a little bit disconcerting. Let me tell you what's going on. We've seen a rise of 16 cents in the last couple of weeks in the price of gas, more than 70 cents in the last year. Around here, gas averages over $3 a gallon. That's a mixed blessing for folks in Texas because there are many people who do very well over the high price of oil and gasoline, given that that's one of the major industries for this state. There are a lot of people, though, who have to drive who earn low wages and who are really, really affected by the price of gas.
We've been talking to people about the economy and politics and their concerns, and there's a full range. There are a lot of people worried about health insurance. That seems to be a big concern. Wages are a big concern around here. Over the course of the morning and through this breakfast and the folks that we're talking to, we'll bring you more about what the people of Bandera, Texas, are saying about politics and the economy. But right now, I'm going to go get some biscuits, Kiran.
CHETRY: Oh, you fit right in. That's the unbelievable part. You know, you take off the pinstripes, you pop out the cufflinks, you put on a cowboy hat -- you fit right in.
VELSHI: And, by the way, just so you know, I got a turkey feather in my hat now.
CHETRY: Oh, all right.
VELSHI: A turkey for a turkey.
CHETRY: There's nothing more authentic. I love -- there's two guys right behind you with cowboy hats on too. It's a big discussion. They couldn't care less about what you are talking about.
All right. Ali, but we do. And so, we're going to check in with you again throughout the show.
VELSHI: Thank you.
CHETRY: Thanks, Ali.
ROBERTS: Who do you think he looks more like, Kenny Chesney or Dwight Yoakam?
CHETRY: I would say maybe a pretty good cross in between, actually.
ROBERTS: Yes.
CHETRY: It's not bad. It's not a bad morph.
ROBERTS: There you go.
CHETRY: But can he sing?
ROBERTS: Can he sing? Can he play? Maybe, we'll find out later this morning. Ali, thanks.
You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
North Korea opens its doors to the New York Philharmonic overnight.
Plus, a consumer alert about your tax rebate check and a new way that scammers could try to cheat you.
And a first at the 80th Academy Awards. We'll tell you what the four Best Actors and Actresses all had in common just ahead.
You're watching AMERICAN MORNING, the "Most News in the Morning" here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: And welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING on this Monday.
ROBERTS: It's good to be here. Yes. Always great to start off a brand new week at 2:00 in the morning. Good to jump on the week. Way to go.
New this morning. History being made in North Korea right now. The New York Philharmonic Orchestra arrived in Pyongyang overnight for an unprecedented live performance that will take place tomorrow.
The orchestra is the most prominent American cultural institution to visit North Korea. The visit comes at a time when progress on nuclear disarmament is stalled. New pictures coming in this morning give us a rare look inside a North Korean nuclear facility.
CNN's Christiane Amanpour is just back from a tour of that plant. She's going to be reporting for us live at the top of our next hour. So make sure that you stay around for that.
Meanwhile, South Korea has a new president this morning. Lee Myung- bak was sworn in today and then got right to work. He had meetings with officials from several countries including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Lee comes from a business background and was elected on hopes that he can improve the country's economy. He's also expected to take a harder line toward North Korea than his predecessor.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates is in Indonesia this morning, trying to strengthen a key relationship in the war on terror. Gates will meet with Indonesia's president and defense minister to address their equipment and military training needs.
And Congress is considering some new measures to ease the home foreclosure crisis. Proposals include easing bankruptcy rules and providing government assistance to homeowners facing foreclosures. Lawmakers are also going to keep questioning mortgage and banking executives about the industry's trouble and some of its lavish executive compensation packages.
Kiran?
CHETRY: Well, to politics now and some renewed fighting between Democratic presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Comes more than a week before the next contest, big ones, in Texas and Ohio as well as Rhode Island and Vermont. All of that taking place on March 4th.
Senator Clinton mocked Obama's speeches, saying it takes more than words to fix problems. Senator Obama attacked Clinton, saying that she changed her stance on the NAFTA trade deal. And both candidates took aim at each other's plans over health care.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Senator Obama says one thing in speeches but his campaign does something else. In his speech, he says he's for universal health care, but his plan is not. His plan cannot cover everyone because there is no requirement that people be covered.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We will have a debate about health care once again. She's in favor of mandates. I'm not. She believes that's what's needed for universal health care. I don't. It's my belief that the problem is not that people don't want health care. It is that they can't afford it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Well, the two will face off tomorrow night. There's a debate taking place in Cleveland.
Meantime, add one more hat to the ring. Ralph Nader is in the race. He declared he will run for president as an independent yesterday. He says both the Democrat and Republican presidential candidates are just too close to big business. Many Democrats feel that Nader cost them the election in 2000, taking just enough votes from Al Gore for George Bush to win the White House.
Well, it brings us to our "Quick Vote" question today. Should Ralph Nader be running for president? Cast your vote cnn.com/am and we'll have a tally of the votes coming up a little later in the hour.
Meantime, it's 35 minutes past the hour. Now, Rob Marciano tracking extreme weather in the Midwest for us this morning.
Let me just say, Rob, I know you didn't have anything to do with the snow this weekend. But we finally got the kid out on the sled. So, it was a very successful weekend. Winter can now be over.
(WEATHER REPORT)
CHETRY: All right. We'll have some good pictures tomorrow hopefully. Hopefully, it won't be too bad for the people out there. Thanks a lot, Rob.
ROBERTS: Millions of Americans will be getting rebate checks in the mail from the government in the next couple of months. And there's a new warning out this morning about scammers trying to cheat you out of it. CNN's Kelli Arena shows us how it's done.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
KELLI ARENA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Edna Lawrence may be 69 years old but she's no pushover.
EDNA LAWRENCE, RECEIVED SOLICITATION: Once he asked me for my checking account number, I knew that my social number would be the next thing he'd ask for. But he wasn't about to get either one.
ARENA: She says she got about eight calls from a man claiming that he was from the IRS and had a rebate check for her. He wanted her bank information so he could direct deposit the check.
LAWRENCE: He just said that we were owed $400. And we were to receive it back and that's the only way we could get it.
ARENA: Lawrence called the Texas Attorney General to complain. The office got so many complaints that it put out a consumer alert. The AG is worried that hard economic times will lead people to act before they think.
GREG ABBOT, TEXAS ATTORNEY GENERAL: Here's my concern. And that is people may think, gosh, this may or may not be true but what can it hurt for me to go ahead and give out my bank account number.
ARENA: Everyone is a target. As many as 128 million households across the country will get rebate checks as part of the stimulus package. Kevin Kolbye is with the FBI.
KEVIN KOLBYE, FBI: I think if they can call 200 people in one day and they can get five to 10 individuals that will provide them with their personal identification numbers and social securities and dates of birth and banking information, that they've had a successful day.
ARENA (on camera): So, here's the deal. The IRS says that most people don't have to do anything to get their tax rebates this year besides file taxes. And what's more, officials say that they won't be soliciting personal information over the phone or through e-mail ever.
Kelli Arena, CNN, Austin, Texas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: All right. Good advice from Kelli Arena this morning.
Still ahead, Hollywood honored the best in the movie business last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And the Oscars goes to "No Country for Old Men."
(END VIDEO CLIP) CHETRY: That was announced four times last night, "No Country for Old Men" winning best picture. Brothers Joel and Ethan Coen also winning as best directors and for best adapted screenplay. And Javier Bardem of Spain picked up best supporting actor for his role in "No Country."
In fact, all of the acting awards went to Europeans. Daniel Day-Lewis of the U.K. won best actor for "There Will Be Blood". French actress Marion Cotillard won best actress in "La Vie En Rose." And Scotland's Tilda Swinton won best supporting actress for "Michael Clayton."
Our Lola Ogunnaike caught up with some of the winners last night. She is going to be giving us a live report from the Kodak Theater coming up at the top of the hour.
ROBERTS: Well, the stars were decked out at last night's Oscars. Probably no knock-offs on the red carpet, but they're not hard to find at the streets. So are labels losing their luster? None of them looked like that.
And Raul Castro named president of Cuba, taking over from his brother Fidel. Is there hope for a new relationship with America? Fidel Castro's daughter was speaking out. She joins us, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: A Valentino, Calvin Klein, Galliano, the stars decked out on the red carpet at the Oscars. But do the designers matter anymore when the knockoffs look so damn good? Our Polly Labarre joins us now to talk about whether luxury is losing its luster. So, is there a crisis in the designer market here?
(CROSSTALK)
POLLY LABARRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You look great. I think from all the glamour and the bling last night at the red carpet we can't quite on the death now of luxury but there are signs that there is a tipping point in the world of luxury.
When you look at what's going on, there are a couple of factors. You've got all these knockoffs. You've got big name designers doing collections for target. You can buy a Prada bag on the street and Guccitizer (ph) made in China. And I think luxury loses its cache when it's available to every single person at every single price point.
ROBERTS: Of course, when you buy a Prada bag on the street, it's not necessarily a Prada bag.
LABARRE: Well, counter fitting.
ROBERTS: It might sort of be a Proba (ph) bags.
LABARRE: Exactly. And that's a big part of it, sort of -- that taking luxury down. And the other powerful factor is somewhere along the line between Al Gore's Oscar and Nobel Peace Prize, sustainability became the new status symbol. Even in fashion week, just a few weeks ago. In New York, green really is the new black. 30 top name designers have an eco-couture show.
And again, celebrities driving puissance to premieres. You've got issuing blood diamonds on the red carpet. So it's becoming more and more important that you have the values behind your luxury and not just the logo.
ROBERTS: What about the idea too of just appearing too decadent.
LABARRE: Well, I think this is something people are thinking about. Over consumption is a concern both because of our environmental values, increasing environment consciousness and also what's going on with the economy.
ROBERTS: But anyway, in anyway if people can afford these luxury items, they're getting round up by renting them?
LABARRE: Well, celebrities have done this for a long time. They actually get to borrow all the jewels and dresses and not pay for them.
ROBERTS: Sure. Walking billboard.
LABARRE: But there are bunch of services out there that are all about -- OK, you can rent it if you can't afford it. We've got a couple of examples here from service called "Bag Borrow or Steal," which has 450,000 members who use it as sort of a Netflix for designer handbags and jewelry.
And we've got something that marks a new trend which is a trend in vintage, which is the ultimate in recycling of course, because it's not using any new materials. So this is a vintage Moschino bag. It retails for about $5,000. But you can rent it for $200 a month -- $200 a week or $600 a month. So you can do 12 different bags a year for $200 a week or for $600 a month and the account (INAUDIBLE).
ROBERTS: It's still a pretty hefty rental price but I guess when you compare it to the original purchase price of the bag and you don't have it just sitting around in your closet.
LABARRE: It's really for people who are swapping out 12 bags a year. If you're the kind of person who gets one bag a year.
ROBERTS: Guilty as charged.
LABARRE: (INAUDIBLE), this is not for you.
ROBERTS: What else do they have?
LABARRE: Well, we've got a Judith Leiber clutch which retails for 3,000 bucks. But weekly rental about $95.
ROBERTS: $3,000 for that?
LABARRE: I know. Ellen Paige was carrying a vintage Leiber bag last night if you are interested in that. And then we've got some Vera Wang bling here. These retails for $7,000. But you can rent them for $128 a week or $375 a month.
ROBERTS: Well, that's not that bad.
LABARRE: Yes. And say you've got a big date or something and you want to go out and you want to look good. You can wear these for a week and then return them. You can have your princess moment and then go back to the closet.
ROBERTS: This stuff to me just seems nuts, but as you say, there are a whole lot of people doing it.
LABARRE: 450,000 women are members of this service and this is just one of many services out there.
ROBERTS: Wow. They truly are from Venus and I truly am from Mars. Polly, thanks very much.
LABARRE: Thanks, John.
ROBERTS: You're not searching for your princess moment. Are you, John? I feel like you're not.
ROBERTS: No, I'm not. Definitely not.
CHETRY: We'll still have the U.S. keeping a close watch on Cuba's new president Raul Castro, younger brother of Fidel. Looking for changes that could perhaps signal a new beginning for America and Cuba. Is this realistic? We're going to be speaking with Fidel Castro's daughter still ahead.
Also, waiting for wheels. Why there are fewer teens hitting the road and how it could have a strange link to the obesity epidemic. We'll explain, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: New this morning. Teens are now waiting until they are a little bit older to get driver's licenses, a new study says. There you go. According to the Federal Highway Administration, less than one-third of 16 year olds now have licenses.
A decade ago it was about half. Analysts say rising insurance costs and tougher laws are forcing a shift. Some experts say things like the web are also keeping kids indoors and sitting around.
Kiran?
CHETRY: All right. So there's a good and bad side for that.
Well, Raul Castro is now officially Cuba's first new president in nearly half a century. There's a picture of him. The Cuban parliament elected him Sunday to the take reigns of the communist nation. But his older brother Fidel Castro is still very much involved, at least according to Raul, in the country's decision making.
With us from Miami to give us her unique perspective and inside look at what changes we may see is Fidel Castro's own daughter and CNN contributor, Alina Fernandez.
Good morning. Good to see you this morning. Thanks for being with us.
ALINA FERNANDEZ, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Good morning. From the Oscars to the licenses to the dictatorship.
CHETRY: That's right. You know, we cover it all here on AMERICAN MORNING. Let me ask you because some of the first words that Raul said is that he will consult Fidel on important issues. How much of a role do you think that your father still has behind the scenes?
FERNANDEZ: Not much more. I've seen some contradictions between what Fidel dictates through his reflections he publishes now in the newspapers and Raul, the way he acts actually.
CHETRY: So do you think that he's still highly influential behind the scenes?
FERNANDEZ: He's still behind the scenes but Raul is making the decisions. No doubt about it.
CHETRY: Any why do you think that your father, Fidel, chose to hand over power now. Do you think he's close to death?
FERNANDEZ: That's unexpected, you know. We all thought that he was going to die with his boots on. We are assistance of something we can call a succession between brothers, which is a bizarre situation also.
CHETRY: Yes. You know, in Cuba, most private businesses, as you know, are illegal. More than 97 percent of adults work for the state as it is in Cuba. Some of them have to feed themselves on state salaries as low as $11 a month. And that is why there are these high hopes, glimmers of hopes that there would be some economic changes. Do you think that Raul will be implementing changes that will eventually help the average Cuban?
FERNANDEZ: As long as he won't lose any political power, he's not a liberal Democrat. He's a life-long communist. But I think he's going to encourage some foreign investment that small business are also going to be allowed, that there is going to be more decentralization. So I see some changes.
CHETRY: You know, there was that brief time back in the mid-90s when he did encourage his brother Fidel to do more of that. And that since has been repealed. They allowed for a number of small businesses. I mean, a small part, but then that was then repealed. These licenses stopped being granted. Do you think that we're going to see that open up again?
FERNANDEZ: That is going to open up again. And remember, at that time you had to be either Raul man or Fidel man. Now everybody belongs to Raul.
CHETRY: I got you. Now, why do you think that -- well, there has been a lot of talk right now about whether or not, any of this will signal a new beginning for U.S./Cuban relations. What do you think the first steps should be by the United States government?
FERNANDEZ: Well, it's very confusing, you know. Under this administration, the trade between Cuba and the United States had amount to $15,000 million. So, you don't know what's going on behind the scenes. But publicly, Raul already blinked his eye to the United States.
CHETRY: What do you mean by that?
FERNANDEZ: He's been sending messages publicly right away.
CHETRY: Tell us more about that.
FERNANDEZ: He's -- of course, he wants more commerce with America and that's what he's going to try to get.
CHETRY: All right. Alina Fernandez, a unique perspective for us this morning. Thanks for being with us.
ROBERTS: Six minutes now to the top of the hour. Our Ali Velshi is "Minding Your Business" this morning. He is touring Texas on CNN's Election Express.
This morning finds him in Bandera, Texas, which likes to call itself the cowboy capital of the world. He's out there asking voters what they feel about the economy and he joins us now.
Good morning, Ali. Looking good today. Looking like you fit right in there.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thank you, John. Bandera, Texas, the call the cowboy capital of the world as you said. It's home to a lot of ranches, real ranches and guest ranches. And we spent some time on one of them.
And you remember on Friday, John, Kiran said it makes you mad in the nicest way, but she wanted to make sure that I was not just all hat and no cattle. So I looked for somebody with a steer and he -- I actually got to ride the steer. But I ask him -- I sort of wanted proof that I was a cowboy and that everything would be OK. So we did this yesterday. Here's what he had to say. This is addressed to Kiran.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: I know. I am just more than all hat.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is more than hat.
VELSHI: I've got some cattle.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's got some cattle.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: So he was doing the whole thing, showing me how to ride the cattle. I actually did that. I'm here talking to people about the things that go on here. This has a population of about $1250 people. We're about 50 miles out of San Antonio. It's a range of people. There are a lot of people who live in RVs here who come down to enjoy the weather over the winter.
There are ranchers -- there are guest ranches that are affected by tourism. The price of gas. You know, this is a big issue in the state of Texas, because there are some people who really benefit from the high price of a barrel of oil. There are others like everybody else in America who really gets affected by it in a negative way.
So, we've got that story going on. Right here in Bandera this morning, we've got a chuck wagon breakfast cookout going on that we're all enjoying. Across the road there, next to the green truck, there's actually a horse. And in the next time I'm up, I'm going to show you -- you might think it looks like a dog.
Lynn (ph), pass me that bottle, will you. This isn't a dog. This is Lacoda (ph), a baby buffalo and his feed. We'll be talking to Lacoda (ph) the next time I'm up to see you, John. So, stay with us.
CHETRY: Go ahead. Feed him. Let's see how you do.
VELSHI: All right. Lacoda (ph), here. Lacoda, come on. Come on, Lacoda. Here we go.
ROBERTS: We go from Ali Velshi who we wonder if he's all hat and no cattle. Now we find out he's hat, he's cattle, he's horse and buffalo and pickup truck and chuck wagon.
CHETRY: He absolutely is.
VELSHI: That's exactly right.
ROBERTS: Is that out in the streets of Bandera every day or is this a special event for you.
VELSHI: They've come out for us. I mean, I must say this is all very real. All these people actually do live here and do this, but they're out especially for us a little early this morning.
CHETRY: Well, you look quite comfortable. I'd say you fit right in. Ali, thanks for giving us a little slice of Texas this morning.
ROBERTS: He gets right into his job.
CHETRY: He sure does.
Well, we have some new pictures coming in overnight from a secret North Korean nuclear lab. CNN's Christiane Amanpour is just back from a rare tour of the plan. She's going to be joining us at the top of the hour.
Also, safety in the air. A passenger dies on a flight. What kind of medical care can you expect in the skies? In this situation, apparently the oxygen tanks on board were empty? We're going to have more on that story, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
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