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American Morning
Prince Harry Being Withdrawn from Afghanistan Immediately; Oil Surges, Breaking $103 a Barrel; Deadly Poison Found in a Las Vegas Hotel Room
Aired February 29, 2008 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Oil surge. Breaking $103 a barrel overnight. You're money.
And the race for president. Four candidates push in Texas today. The "Most Politics in the Morning."
Terror threat. Deadly poison found in a Las Vegas hotel room. Tests say its ricin.
And rescue Harry? The prince's formerly secret front-line mission and word that he could be shipped home on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Good morning to you. Thanks very much for joining us on this Friday. It's a Leap Day. It's the 29th of February. And on this Leap Day, we're taking the opportunity to do what we don't normally going to change to do, that's talk politics.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: For one whole extra day.
ROBERTS: The one whole extra day.
CHETRY: That's right. And we also have breaking news coming in as we have just talk about and getting confirmation now from London this morning. In fact, British military officials tell CNN, Prince Harry is being withdrawn from Afghanistan immediately. And this follows a leak of his secret deployment in the media.
A statement from the Defense Ministry says they decided to remove him because the worldwide coverage could threaten the safety of not only the prince, but his army unit. Media outlets were aware of the prince's presence in Afghanistan. That is why news operations like CNN have this type of video to show you this morning, but agreed not to report it for security reasons. A Defense Ministry spokesman says that leak is regrettable.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIG.PATRICK MARRAIATTY, SPOKESMAN, MINISTRY OF DEFENSE: I think it will be some disappointment that this has leak out. There was clearly a very good understanding with the U.K. (INAUDIBLE), with CNN to how this was going to run. And sadly, that's being broken by other media. So there's some disappointment.
(END VIDEO CLIP) CHETRY: Apparently, it started with a magazine in Australia and then was leaked to popular Web sites and, you know, caught fire from there as it often does. The prince has been deployed in Southern Afghanistan for 10 weeks in an area of heavy fighting with the Taliban. There are reports of Internet postings from al Qaeda supporters alerting that Harry is in Afghanistan to look for extra security around someone and to try to get that person.
ROBERTS: Breaking news on oil prices to report to you as well this morning. The price of oil topped $103 a barrel for the first time overnight. Oil, the economy, and the election.
Ali Velshi on the CNN Election Express are on all of it for us this morning. He is touring Texas ahead of the primary there on Tuesday. He joins us now from San Antonio.
Ali, President Bush yesterday insisted that we're not in a recession. Might the price of oil increase the risk that we soon will be?
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, the last 10 recessions in United States, 9 of them, have been preceded by a spike in oil prices. Now, remember, back to the last one in 2001, oil prices were oil was at $20 a barrel. Overnight -- oil settled yesterday at $102.59, almost $3 higher in one day. Overnight, it went even higher. $103.5, pulled back a little, but that's the pattern we're seeing overnight.
Now, let me tell you. I'm in Texas. Texas is the biggest exporter of anything in the United States. Why? Because of oil prices -- because of oil, likely, the biggest export from this country. It's the biggest producer of oil in this country. So you would think people would be doing well. In Houston, people are doing well because of it.
Out in West Texas, where they drill for this oil, people are doing very well. But the rest of them are suffering. There are a lot of truck drivers, owner operators who have to buy diesel fuel in the state of Texas for $3.52 a gallon. There are a lot of people who drive trucks around here. Yesterday, this is what President Bush said, when he was asked whether he thinks the United States is in a recession.
I'll tell you what President Bush said. He said, he thinks we're in an economic slowdown, but we're not in a recession. We asked some people around here in San Antonio what they thought about that. What they thought about where this economy is. We know that we were not in a recession as of the end of 2007, but here's what people told me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WAYNE BRYAN, TEXAS VOTER: What you've got to do is go to the grocery store and see that things are 50 cents, a dollar more than they were just, you know, a few months ago. And so something's got to be done about that.
SAM DUDLEY, TEXAS VOTER: We want a hell of a fix economy wise, because everything is downhill.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: And that's the kind of thing we've been hearing here in San Antonio. We're here with the CNN Election Express. We're going to talk to some more people today and then we're going to push on to the next stop and find out what people are worried about in terms of the economy and whether they think this economy is headed for a recession.
John?
ROBERTS: Ali, looking forward to it. Thanks very much. Ali Velshi for us, again outside the Alamo in San Antonio today.
Kiran?
CHETRY: Well, today's Leap Day. It's an extra day in February. That like the presidential elections comes around only once every four years. And CNN is spending that extra day giving you more of what we do best, covering politics especially as we head into this crucial primaries taking place next Tuesday. Four states up for grabs, Rhode Island, Vermont, both voting. But it's Texas and Ohio that makes the day so important, because they are delegate-rich states.
For the Democrats, 370 delegates at stake between the two and for the Republican -- well, actually for all of them combined 256 delegates. And that could be enough to lock up the nomination for John McCain who is just about 150 delegates shy of that magic number. And all four candidates hitting the trail in Texas right now.
Hillary Clinton's campaign talking about how it had its best fundraising months to date. $35 million in the coffers. Senator Clinton explained how they did it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When people found out that, you know, we didn't have the resources to compete and I did put my own money in, it just set off a chain reaction across the country of hundreds of thousands of people saying -- wait a minute, we want this campaign to go on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Still no official word, but there has been some reports that Barack Obama's campaign took in as much as $50 million. So what does it all mean? Candy Crowley, CNN senior political correspondent joins us now live from Columbus, Ohio.
Well, it certainly means a lot of advertising, especially in those big states like Texas and Ohio, doesn't it?
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It absolutely does. And it also means that Hillary Clinton is saying, this campaign is not dead, despite all these obits being written. There are people out there who are willing to contribute to this campaign. So it marches on. So it's a good hit to have, as she moves into these all-important Texas and Ohio primaries.
CHETRY: And you know, the other thing is, it seems every time she is able to say something like $35 million for the month of February is nothing to sneeze out a large amount of money. And then, you know, it's almost like the Obama campaign can then top that?
CROWLEY: Absolutely. And look, if you're going to look at momentum, you have to think somebody like Barack Obama, who has won 11 straight, who has topped her out consistently pretty much on campaign finances. The momentum is for him. But I'll tell you something, one of the things we saw in New Hampshire, after Hillary Clinton came out, she got beaten by a much larger margin in Iowa than anyone thought she would. She went into New Hampshire and there was this sort of second look at her.
And what happened was her core vote in New Hampshire really came out in droves. And that is, middle-aged women. And there is a sense here and certainly a hope in the Clinton campaign that as people have been watching, that the voting equivalent of that money coming in will be that those supporters will go to the front lines here in Ohio, because there has been so much talk about whether this is do or die for her.
CHETRY: We'll talk about Barack Obama for a minute. He's under fire, not only from, you know, his Democratic rival but also, actually, from President Bush at least yesterday. Here's what the president said about Obama's pledge to meet world leaders if the U.S. could possibly characterize as rogue leaders. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The decisions of the U.S. president to have discussions with certain international figures can be extremely counterproductive. I believe Senator Obama better stay focused on his campaign with Senator Clinton.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Good thing or bad thing to have the attention of the president, if you're running for it?
CROWLEY: Oh, it's a great thing if you're a Democrat. I mean, a lot of applause lines whether you're Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama, or the anti-Bush lines. Listen, the one thing we know is come January, George Bush will be gone. So if Democrats -- a couple of messages here, they look at that and obviously, it puts Barack Obama on a whole new scale.
If the president of the United States is looking at him, and you know, it also sort of, when they look at that, does this make Barack Obama look more competitive? Does it make him as his campaign is trying to say, the one who can beat the Republicans?
CHETRY: All right. Doesn't it make him look like the nominee already before we head into Tuesday? All right. Candy, great to see you. And we'll be checking in with the best political team all day. Thanks, Candy, on this Leap Day, once every four years.
ROBERTS: John McCain's status among conservatives was called into question last night on CNN's Election Center. I spoke with conservative talk show host Lars Larson and Michael Reagan, the son of the late president. They disagreed on whether their party's base should support McCain. Reagan insisted that his father would have backed McCain out of an obligation to get behind his party's nominee. Larson disagreed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL REAGAN, RONALD REAGAN'S SON: I don't think if David Duke had been the -- you know, the nominee of the Republican Party that we would just blindly accept whatever the party does. John McCain...
LARS LARSON, CONSERVATIVE TALK SHOW HOST: To put John McCain, to put John McCain...
(CROSSTALK)
REAGAN: No, I'm just saying that there is...
(CROSSTALK)
LARSON: That's what's wrong with conservatives today.
REAGAN: No, no. Here's what...
LARSON: You people are taking the party into the gutter.
REAGAN: It's not you people.
LARSON: That's where you're going.
REAGAN: No. What I'm saying is there's a point where a Republican nominee can be wrong on so many issues.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: There you go. Larson says he thinks that if McCain is the party's nominee, most conservatives will simply stay home on Election Day.
Congress and the White House are agreeing to ramp up spending on programs to combat AIDS in Africa. The deal provides nearly $50 billion for prevention and treatment. CNN's chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us now to spell it out for us.
Go ahead, Sanjay.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, John, it's called PEPFAR, P-E-P-F-A-R and it stands for the President's Emergency Plan For Aids Relief. You know, they doubt this is one of the more monumental achievements of the Bush administration. ` And to be fair, you know, $15 billion when it was originally proposed was the largest foreign aid ever given towards a single disease in U.S. history. And there's been a lot of achievements when regards to PEPFAR thus far. Now, what we're talking about, John, is actually tripling that to $48 billion and changing some of the language of exactly what this money for AIDS relief will do.
Most specifically, one of the criticisms of PEPFAR in the past was too much of the money was going towards abstinence only programs and that a lot of people thought that just wasn't practical, especially in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The House, as part of this bill, has loosened some of that language. But if you take a look at some of the achievements of PEPFAR thus far as part of the $15 billion, you can see that there's been life-saving drugs for about 1.3 million people. This is according to the State Department.
10 million plus mother to child HIV transmissions averted and care for 2.5 million orphans as well. John, I've traveled, as you know, throughout sub-Saharan Africa actually looking at some of these monies that actually put into place. One of the things that was interesting, if you look, for example, these are some of the slums in Nairobi or prostitution, frankly, is a way of life for so many people over there. They talk about the fact that countries that have not made a pledge, a specific pledge against human trafficking will not benefit from some of these monies.
So for example, in this particular slum, they wouldn't actually benefit from PEPFAR money. And that's been one of the criticisms as well.
John?
ROBERTS: Sanjay, another criticism is that this focuses on too much on treating people who already have the disease and not enough on prevention. What do they say about that?
GUPTA: Yes, it's true. And you know, as we sort of dissected the numbers a bit, you'll find that about a quarter to a third of the money only goes towards prevention. And most of it goes towards treatment. There's a lot of different people weighing in on different opinions with regards to how much should go towards prevention versus treatment. But in order to create a sustainable program and to try and attack HIV at its core, people say more money needs to go towards prevention so that generations from now. We have actually made a dent in this disease. So that's been a criticism as well.
John?
ROBERTS: All right. Sanjay Gupta for us this morning. Sanjay, thanks very much.
GUPTA: Thank you.
ROBERTS: 12 minutes after the hour.
Kiran?
CHETRY: Well, new details on the breaking news we've been following for you this morning out of Las Vegas. We've just learned that the FBI is now aiding in the investigation into a deadly poison that was possibly found in a motel room yesterday.
The early testing is showing the substance was ricin. We're expecting confirmation from police and homeland security in just a few hours. Kim Tere with our affiliate KTNV in Las Vegas is live outside of the hotel and joins us now.
First of all, explain to all of our viewers this morning exactly how they discovered this? What were the circumstances?
KIM TERE, KTNV REPORTER: Well, according to police, the ricin was found by a man who found the substance inside of a motel room here at the Extended Stay America. He brought that substance down to the front desk. Right now, police don't know much about this person. Was he staying here? Was he a guest or did he work here? Right now, this morning, they're getting conflicting reports. So they're trying to find a little bit more out about this man. Police immediately cordoned off the area here at the motel.
Yesterday afternoon, an isolated room, where the ricin was found. Right now, they do not believe this is related to terrorism. Three motel employees and the man who found the ricin were quarantine and decontaminated right here on site, then of course taken to the hospital. This morning, police say all four people appear to be in good condition.
We're also hearing three police officers were taken to the hospital as a precaution. Those three officers, of course, exposed to the ricin. Now ricin is made from the waste left over from processing castor beans and can be lethal. As little as 500 grams, the size of the head of a pin, can kill a person. That's of course why investigators are working so hard to find out who may have left the ricin in the room. The investigation, of course, is ongoing and so far no arrests have been made.
CHETRY: All right. Kim Tere for us in Las Vegas this morning. Thank you.
ROBERTS: It's a plan to help people facing foreclosure cut down on their debt and hopefully save their homes. But what's holding it up? Our personal finance editor, Gerri Willis, shows us just ahead.
And we're following breaking news this morning. Prince Harry taken out of the war zone, where he has been secretly serving the front lines of Afghanistan. Talking about his tour of duty.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRINCE HARRY, BLUES AND ROYALS REGIMENT: I need to keep my face slightly covered, just only of chance I do get recognized, which will put other guys in danger. I'm called the bullet magnet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: The bullet magnet. His cover was blown and now there are plans to bring Prince Harry home. Details ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: 17 minutes after the hour. Breaking news this morning. The British Military is immediately pulling Prince Harry from the front lines in Afghanistan after news of his deployment was leaked in the media.
He will be flown back to England that made concerns for his safety. The prince has been deployed in Southern Afghanistan since December in an area of heavy fighting with the Taliban. Britain's prime minister had his reaction just a shot time ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GORDON BROWN, BRITAIN'S PRIME MINISTER: We are all incredibly proud of what Prince Harry has done in serving in Afghanistan, serving in a place of great danger and risk. As we are proud of every one of the 7,800 troops that we have in Afghanistan, who everyday are putting their lives at risk in the service of our country and to make for a freer and more secure world. And I've got nothing but praise for both Prince Harry and all our troops, all our Armed Force which is very much are part of and serve with great distinction.
And I believe the whole country will understand both that he's done a great job. Also, but in the interests of security, decisions are going to be taken by the chief the defense now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Now, we want to point out again that several news organizations including CNN were well aware of this deployment, but at the request of the British Military, kept a lid on that information. And in fact, we were given access to the prince if we agreed to keep a lid on the information until after he was redeployed back home.
But the news got out in news organization in news magazine in Australia. Got a hold of the information, broke it, and then made its way around the world via the Internet.
CNN's Nic Robertson now takes a closer look at Prince Harry on the front line in Afghanistan.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Fighting on the front line in Afghanistan. British royalty, 23-year-old Prince Harry.
UNIDENTIFIED SOLDIER: Fire!
ROBERTSON: Five Taliban fighters were attacking his outpost. Rockets are fired, bombs dropping. This place is exactly where he wants to be, fighting for his country.
PRINCE HARRY: It's good fun to be with just, you know, normal bunch of guys.
ROBERTSON: But warrior Prince Harry, third in line to the British throne has been far from normal. His tour of duty are carefully kept secret until now. Few knew that for the last ten weeks he's been in combat. His main mission, a sort of ground traffic controller for air traffic, talking to pilots, calling in air strikes to protect British troops from enemy fighters.
PRINCE HARRY: I've got the OC next to me so if I need, if I -- you know, worse case scenario, if I have to drop a bomb to get these guys out of contact, or other guys on the ground on contact, I just turn around, this on my shoulder, and said can I drop them? They say, yes, you have to drop them.
ROBERTSON: Using a monitor link to high-flying and silent spy plane, he tracks unsuspecting Taliban forces.
PRINCE HARRY: (INAUDIBLE) Taliban and its mates. As soon as they hit air, they get a ground, so, which makes life a little bit tricky. So having something that gives us a visual feedback from way up means that they can carry on their normal, sort of pattern of life and we can follow them.
ROBERTSON: It's been a struggle for Harry to get here. Last year, he threatened to quit the army when Britain's top general told him he couldn't go to Iraq. As for the extreme secrecy surrounding his combat tour, there is a fear that his royalty would mark him out as the Taliban's most wanted. Imagine the prize for taking him. Imagine the danger it would mean to his comrades.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Prince Harry is and was a target of the insurgents. They specifically said that he would be targeted in kidnap or assassination.
PRINCE HARRY: I need to keep my face slightly covered just of the chance I do get recognized, which will put other guys in danger. I'm called the bullet magnet.
ROBERTSON: Warrior Harry is a quite a leap from the "Playboy Harry" that people thought they knew. In recent years, Harry's image took a fall. He was seen drunk and sometimes aggressive leaving London nightclubs. But in Afghanistan, he's regained respect. Out here, none of the comforts of Buckingham Palace.
PRINCE HARRY: I haven't really had a shower for four days or washed my clothes for a week, and never had they seemed completely normal. So -- I don't honestly know what I miss at all. You know, music, we've got music. We've got light and we've got food. We've got drink. And, no, I don't miss boos, if that's your next question.
ROBERTSON: Nic Robertson, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE) ROBERTS: And we're going to have the latest reaction on Prince Harry's pullout in a live report from London, just ahead.
Kiran?
CHETRY: Well, it's a bill that Senate Democrats say will save homeowners from foreclosure. Republicans, though, and President Bush beg to differ. Our Gerri Willis is going to be sorting things out for us. She is on the "Financial Security Watch" when we come back.
And what do Muslim Americans think of Barack Obama and a whisper campaign that he's Muslim and whether or not that's interpreted negatively. We're talking with Muslim voters ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: President Bush had some harsh words for Senate Democrats about a plan they say will help homeowners facing foreclosure.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And the Congress needs to act to help homeowners avoid foreclosure. Fortunately, the Senate is considering legislation that would do more to bail out lenders and speculators than to help American families keep their homes. The Senate bill would actually prolong the time it takes for the housing market to adjust and recover.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Senate Republicans blocked that bill late yesterday. CNN personal finance editor Gerri Willis has been following the back and forth on your "Financial Security Watch."
So, what now, Gerri?
GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning there, Kiran. Yes, it's been highly controversial. Here's what's at issue. Basically, this bill would allow bankruptcy judges to write down mortgage debt. That means they could say that folks owe less on their mortgage than they actually agreed to pay. That's highly controversial.
Senate Republicans say it sets us up for real problems with lenders. We'd actually end up raising mortgage rates for everybody. Senate Democrats say that's just not the case. Plus, they say it's one of the few things that could provide widespread relief for people in trouble.
Kiran?
CHETRY: All right. So we're talking about that and we're talking about some other major problems that are going on right now. But there are things that have already happened to try to help stem the tide a little bit. WILLIS: Let me go through a list of some of the things that have gone through. It sort of a patchwork of ideas that have been put through. First of all, FHA Secure was a program for the president that would allow people to refinance who are in the fall because of great recess.
Also in the stimulus package, you might not have noticed, there was relief for people with jumbo loans that would effectively lower their rates for a period of time and help them out if they wanted to refinance.
The Hope Now Alliance offered loan modification and counseling to folks out there. And FHA reform is a package that the president definitely wants to get in front of Congress and get passed and moved on. Because he believes, that will help people going forward and for months and months and years even to come.
Kiran?
CHETRY: So we have some of these measures in place that you're talking about. Why haven't we seen a turnaround yet?
WILLIS: Well, I think everybody's underestimated what's going on out there, and how severe, and how widespread it is. You know, one in ten Americans right now, are upside down in their mortgage.
Most of these programs are targeted very narrow constituencies, very small groups of people. And it's not just -- it's not just been thorough going enough to really help a lot of folks yet. In fact, the only hope now is only hope about 10,000 callers in the first few months that it was in place. So, there's some disappointment out there that these programs aren't reaching out to enough people.
Kiran?
CHETRY: You've been on the "Financial Security Watch" all week actually at 12:00 noon. What's coming up today?
WILLIS: Well, we'll be talking about the issues that matter to you with your wallet. We'll be talking about your debt, your 401k, your jobs. And of course, we're going to be talking more about your mortgage. What you need to do if you're having problems paying it.
We're up 12 noon today. We're going to have live coverage and take your phone calls during the show. So, if you have questions, tune in, watch us. We're going to be answering them with a panel of experts.
Kiran?
CHETRY: All right. We'll be watching. Gerri, thanks.
WILLIS: Thank you.
ROBERTS: Barack Hussein Obama. That's how one conservative talk show host referred to the Democratic frontrunner using his middle name. How do Muslim voters feel about the insinuations associated with calling Barack Obama by his full name? We're talking with some, coming up.
And what a difference 180 pounds make. Dr. Sanjay Gupta continues his "Fit Nation" series with incredible story of change for one woman.
Good morning, Sanjay
GUPTA: John, there are no quick fixes here on AMERICAN MORNING. Yes, we don't talk about the home runs, touchdowns, knockouts, but it doesn't mean that you still can't lose a lot of weight. Her transformation is remarkable. She's going to be your on-air partner to help you at home as well. Stay with us, on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN, ANCHOR: It is a lovely picture. The sun's shining over Baltimore Harbor this morning, 23 degrees right now and going up to a high of 42. Spring's still a long way away, but it's a lovely picture.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN, ANCHOR: One of my favorite field trips is a school travel as well.
ROBERTS: That whole harbor area is just terrific. I love it. They got a great ballpark, and a great football park there as well. So, a good place to visit, if not live.
CHETRY: That's right. You know, where else, London, and we've been following breaking news out of London as well. And that is the news that Prince Harry is now on his way back. They immediately pulled from Afghanistan after media leaks disclosed his secret combat deployment. The British defense ministry calling those leaks "regrettable: saying the prince is being removed because of potential threats to him as well as fellow soldiers. Prince Harry spent ten weeks on the front line fighting the Taliban in southern Afghanistan. Just a short time ago, Prime Minister Gordon Brown says the prince demonstrated he was an exemplary officer and that all of Britain is proud of his service. We go to CNN's Phil Black right now. He's live at Buckingham Palace for us. What are you hearing this morning?
PHIL BLACK, CNN, CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Kiran. Well, you're right. The British military went to extraordinary lengths to help Prince Harry get to Afghanistan, and recruiting media organizations including CNN into an agreement where it was agreed that his presence in Afghanistan would not be reported. But now that that deal has collapsed, the British military blaming certain overseas media elements they say, the situation has changed. They say it's simply too dangerous for him to remain, for him and to his colleagues. The British Prime Minister Gordon Brown spoke on this a short time ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GORDON BROWN, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: This is a decision has been made by the chief of the defense, the army itself and it's been made for security reasons, and I think we've got to respect the decisions that have been made by our Armed Forces on the ground because what matters is the safety of Prince Harry. What matters also is the safety and security of all our armed forces as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACK: Now, as well as praising Prince Harry, the Prime Minister also had some very kind words for the other soldiers serving in Afghanistan. That reflects the difficult balance the government and military has had to deal with in helping Prince Harry go to war. How much special treatment should one soldier receive when so many others are risking their lives there as well? Kiran.
CHETRY: Yes. All very true. Tell us a little bit more about the media outlet. How it led to this leak?
BLACK: Well, the agreement initially took in all the mainstream British broadcasters and some foreign ones as well. As I say CNN among them, and it was fairly comprehensive, but obviously it was not simply able to take in the global media. Every single media outlet in the world was not consulted and did not agree on this. So, there was always a very good chance that this would be reported. A couple of publications, one in Australia, one in Germany, have reported it in recent weeks. But then it hit a major U.S. website yesterday and from there Prince Harry's cover was blown. So essentially, the deal collapsed and it means that we're in a situation where we are, where Prince Harry must come home ending his dream a little prematurely. Kiran.
CHETRY: Phil Black for us. Live at Buckingham Palace this morning. Thank you. John.
ROBERTS: Coming up now, 34 minutes after the hour. This morning, we are uncovering America, revealing people and issues in our changing nation. Pictures of Senator Barack Obama in traditional Somali dress cause a firestorm this week as did a conservative talk show host calling him by his full name Barack Hussein Obama. What do Muslim Americans think of it all and who is getting their vote?
We're asking two American-Muslin, two Muslim-Americans this morning. Zawsan Zaky is a law student and Aakif Ahmad is in sales and business development. Welcome to you this morning. This whole thing about Barack Hussein Obama really caught fire earlier this week. When on Tuesday, opening for John McCain, Bill Cunningham, a conservative radio talk show host in Cincinnati used his full name, Barack Hussein Obama. On the "Election Center" that evening, I asked him what the purpose was behind it. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL CUNNINGHAM, TALK RADIO HOST: I have nothing but respect for my Muslim brothers and sisters. His name is proudly Barack Hussein Obama and people that object to that, they're the racists, they're the ones objecting to the name Hussein. I revel in it. I worship it. The ones who oppose that particular utterance of that name, they're the ones with the problem, not me. (END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: So Hussein is legitimately his middle name. It's a -- as he said, it's a proud Arab name. It means handsome one. It's a royal name, King Hussein of Jordan. But used in a connotation like that, what's the implication?
SAWSAN ZAKY, MUSLIM-AMERICAN, UNDECIDED VOTER: Well, I mean, I think it's deserving. To be honest, I don't understand the implication of that is. So, I mea, if it's a Muslim name, what does that mean? What does that imply? It doesn't link him any way to anything, what we would say, "shady" or questionable just because it's a Muslim name doesn't mean there's anything to be ashamed of.
ROBERTS: But the way it was used is the key, do you think it's an intentional smear?
AAKIF AHMAD, MUSLIM-AMERICAN: It might have implied that. I think it was an attempt to smear that exists out there. I know, being a Muslin in this country, with all that's going on it's not likely that you're going to come home and be on the short list for the homecoming queen. At the same time, I think that we have an issue where this prejudice is on the table for people to look at and think about and make a choice on. And I think what Bill Cunningham and others are seeing, is that it's a distraction, not the real issue and Americans are rejecting it.
ROBERTS: Right. We should point out you are a Hillary Clinton supporter but not an active one. Were you thinking of voting for her? You're undecided at this point but you're sort of torn between who?
ZAKY: Well, I'm leaning towards Senator Obama but I'm torn between Obama and Ralph Nader.
ROBERTS: Yes. A lot of people commenting on that.
ZAKY: Absolutely.
ROBERTS: But, let's play the flip side of that. Having a middle name of Hussein. As president, should it turn out that he be the Democratic nominee and become president, might that actually have some advantages in dealing with the Arab world? I could see if he were to make a trip to Jordan, local newspapers might carry his full name. Barack Hussein Obama, which may sort of suggest some sort of, I don't want to say connection, but some sort of idea that he may fully understand issues in that part of the world? What do you think about that idea?
AHAMD: I think that's right. I think that affinity towards his name and towards the fact that somewhat of a minority community, he is aspiring to take the greatest job in the country and be effective in leading this world is a statement of pride for the Muslim community. And I think that's why there's so much support.
ROBERTS: We also pointed out this photograph that was distributed earlier this week of him in traditional Somali garb in a 2006 visit to Kenya. Let's put that up on the screen. We saw immediately there were accusations and counter accusations going back and forth between the two campaigns. But what do you think is the actual impact of that photo is here in America?
ZAKY: What do I think the impact is? I mean, I think, the intention of really saying this image was to, as I said before, it was sort of an attempt for a smear campaign, but my -- my understanding or my interpretation of this is that it should be nothing but, you know, a photo-op, really, or just an understanding or, you know, an opportunity to see that as Senator Obama was visiting his home country, where his father is from.
ROBERTS: When leaders go to these APEC conferences, traditionally on the last day they all dress in the funny shirts and they go up and take the class photo. So.
ZAKY: So, I mean, this was - it really has no link to - it's not even traditional Muslim dress. It's a cultural or national dress. So what - what really, again, is so shameful about that? Why the defensiveness? Why the reaction? I'm disturbed by that.
ROBERTS: Let me just ask you very, very quickly if I could, because we're running out of time here. Will your religion in any way influence who you vote for?
AHMAD: It will influence it in the sense that I have a core value system and I think there's a candidate who reflects that value system very positively.
ROBERTS: And Sawsan.
ZAKY: Absolutely. I think that there, I mean, I think that Senator Obama, despite, you know, this incident, I think that he has supported or has a tendency to support civil rights with respect to the Muslim-American community, the values that I hold dear and also with respect to the Muslim world, I think he is appealing because of his diverse background. So...
ROBERTS: We'll see how this all plays out. Aakif Ahmad and Sawsan Zaky, thanks very much for being with us this morning.
AHMAD: Thank you.
ROBERTS: Kiran.
CHETRY: We're asking our morning "Quick Vote" question today about the presidential candidate as well. Do you think that we will know who the nominees are after Tuesday's big primary? That's March 4th, when big states like Texas and Ohio go to the polls? Right now 56 percent of you say yes. This has dropped throughout the morning. 44 percent of you say you don't think we're going to know by then. It's still going to be up in the air. So a lot of fighting left. Cast your vote, cnn.com/am. We'll continue to tally your votes throughout the morning.
Well, she wasn't allowed on roller coasters because she was simply too big. Now she's a woman of steel dropping 180 pounds, and how she's helping others in the fight for fitness. We're going to talk to Sanjay Gupta, coming up.
Also, a festival of light in the sky. It's one of Rob Marciano's favorite things to see, the northern lights but with a new twist. Our hot shot, you can't miss it. Coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Painting in the sky. It's your "hot shot" this morning. The aurora borealis of northern lights dancing in the night sky over Norway. The mysterious green glow happened when solar particles hit the earth's electromagnetic field. Look at that. Look at how beautiful that is. If you've seen it in person, it's really a sight. And if you got a "hot shot" send it to us, send to our website at cnn.com/am and just follow the "hot shot" link.
43 minutes after the hour. Rob Marciano tracking extreme weather for us from the weather center in Atlanta.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN, METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, John. You're right about that. The aurora borealis is something to see. Lay down in the snow, watch that light show. It's better than any fireworks show you've ever seen for sure. Put it on the list of things to do, if you haven't seen it my friends. We got some snow across Michigan, northern Ohio and then turning to rain across the Ohio River and Louisville. And Louisville as I should say and some of the snow is beginning to pile up. We've seen a couple inches in Chicago. Moving now towards Detroit. You can see a couple of inches here.
We got a winter storm, a snow advisory up for a good chunk of Michigan. And down across parts of northern Ohio. So, look for that to begin to pile up. We've seen a couple of inches at Chicago. Delays at O'Hare. Now we've got them up over an hour. An hour and a half at O'Hare and a little bit at Midway as well. So, traveling through those busy airports certainly, be prepared.
Here's a swathe of moisture that's going ahead eastward with the south border clipper. Typically, it will not have a whole lot of moisture. They're coming out of Alberta and they're moving quickly. But this thing taps the moisture from the Atlantic. By the time tomorrow morning rolls along, might get some throwback snow across parts of northern New England, five to ten inches possible there. Computer models show that along the immediate coastline the atmosphere may warm just enough where it doesn't pile up all that much. But I think it's cold enough that we'll see a couple of inches of snow, probably in New York City metropolitan area all through Boston as well. Philly may see a couple of inches by tomorrow.
I mean, it's 18 degrees right now in New York City. It's 14 in Boston. Even with a weak east wind, it probably shouldn't warm up all that much. Bundle up if you're heading out the door this morning. That's for sure. Also, this windchill advisory, just took out in effect the freeze and warning across northern and central Florida. It has been cold across the sunshine state with a the grapefruit league and spring training games getting under way there, they've had to bundle up. And a quick check on the cold and flu. A lot of red on the map, that's not political John and Kiran but it certainly means that a lot of people are not feeling all that well today. Right back you.
ROBERTS: Well, Democrats better hope that's not the political map.
MARCIANO: All right. Good point.
ROBERTS: Rob, thanks very much.
MARCIANO: See you, John.
CHETRY: No blue on it.
ROBERTS: Well, a little in Florida,
CHETRY: Really.
ROBERTS: I guess that would make them happy.
CHETRY: How about it? This week another "Fit Nation" success story through diet and exercise Jennifer Marnell was able to lose an incredible amount of weight. Our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us from Atlanta. I know you love to highlight these stories where people saw the lifestyle they were living and said you know what I got to make a change and do it the old-fashioned way.
GUPTA: Yes. I do like these stories. There are a couple of reasons that you mentioned, and also because as we've talked about these "Fit Nation" stories and we've been doing so for a couple of years now. People say, I hear all this, I get all the basic supplies, eat right, exercise, but does it really work? Is it that simple? And our goal here is to show it can be. If you apply some hard work to it, here's her story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JENNIFER MARNELL, LOST 180 POUNDS: In most of the pictures I didn't have a smile on my face.
GUPTA: Jen Marnell was 27 years old, 300 pounds, and very unhappy.
MARNELL: I didn't realize how depressed I was, because my family loved me regardless, no matter what. It was the struggle with being overweight all my life. I was overweight from the time I was about 8 years old.
GUPTA: One day at an amusement park, Jen was kicked off of a roller coaster ride because of her size. And that moment, she began undoing 27 years' worth of bad habits.
MARNELL: I just broke down in tears and that was really the final straw. GUPTA: Jen started her weight loss doing exercising on her own at the gym and quickly moved up to group classes. When she reached her goal weight of 120 pounds, almost a 200-pound weight-loss, she started a new career, as a personal trainer.
MARNELL: Good job.
It's just made life a whole lot more exciting, more adventurous. I'm able to take more risks and I can do, you know, do more things. Really took the weight off my shoulders, literally.
GUPTA: Jen says her experience adds authenticity to her can-do message. After all, she's been there.
MARNELL: It can be done, you know through hard work and dedication. It's not going to be easy. You know. But it can be done. My name is Jennifer Marnell and I lost 180 pounds.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA: Pretty incredible story, as can you see there. She did all the work herself. Again, as I said earlier, we're not trying to show the effects of any quick fixes here on AMERICAN MORNING but rather some hard work and the effects that it can have. She would have surgery in the end, that would remove all the excess skin after losing nearly 200 pounds, sort of treated herself after she hit goal weight of 120 pounds.
CHETRY: And is that very common, Sanjay? When people do lose that large amount of weight and for the most part, that skin does not just shrink back?
GUPTA: That's something that we've heard quite a bit in that sense that it's hard to tone that skin back up when you lose such a dramatic amount of weight. In her case, despite her exercise, despite all of her hard work, she didn't the surgery to remove some of that excess skin. A harder issue, I think and a lot of people told us is maintaining the self-control even after you hit your goal weight. People tend to relapse and hopefully stories like Jen will be an inspiration so people can stick with it.
CHETRY: That's very true as well, it's easy to fall back into old habits. But she looked fabulous and, boy, she has a lot to be proud. Thanks a lot, Sanjay.
GUPTA: Thank you.
CHETRY: You can hear about this and more "Fit Nation" all this week. Health news on Sanjay's show "House Call." It's a great program, every Saturday and Sunday, at 8:30 Eastern. Also, re-airs at 5:30 p.m.
ROBERTS: You know, we are mentioning that, that cold and flu map that Rob had, saying good thing it's not a political map. Quick search. Here's another cold and flu map. Take a look at this one. Right? Almost identical to Rob's. Rob has a little speck of blue on Florida. This is the 1984 election, where Mondale lost 49 states to Ronald Reagan.
CHETRY: I hope he's not watching this morning. I'm sure it's a memory he does not want to be reminded of.
ROBERTS: Cold and flu absolutely not that far off on history.
CNN NEWSROOM just minutes away. Heidi Collins at the CNN Center now way with a look at what's ahead. Good morning, Heidi.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN, ANCHOR: Good morning to you, John. That's right. It's leap day, and we are talking politics in the NEWSROOM. Obama and Clinton, hunting for votes in Texas today. Primaries in Texas and Ohio Tuesday, could very well settle the Democratic nomination.
The deadly poison ricin found inside a Vegas hotel room. Whose is it? And what were they going to do with it? We're tracking this one for you. And homeward bound for Prince Harry. He will leave Afghanistan now that his deployment is public. And single sex classrooms, pros and cons with our guests in the NEWSROOM, something people are talking about, right here on CNN. John.
ROBERTS: Heidi, will see you then in 10 minutes from now. It may be impossible to pay back a soldier for his or her service to the country but this comes close. A real life hero hits the jackpot. Ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Time now to meet one of our CNN "Heroes." They're ordinary people making an extraordinary impact on the lives of others, and this week's CNN hero is an innovator who's not only helping individuals he's helping communities around the world. Jock Brandis is today's CNN Hero.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOCK BRANDIS, COMMUNITY CRUSADER: In Africa alone, women spend four billion hours a year peeling peanuts by hand. I saw women lose fingers literally bleeding, shelling peanuts for even for just a few hours. The women in the village, said can you get a machine that would help us do it faster. That's it. No problem. I went back to America. It didn't exist.
My name a Jock Brandis. I built a nut sheller that goes 50 tons faster than by doing it by hand. When I first realized that I couldn't buy this machine, someone attempted kind of a stretch and tried to duplicate that. And a friend of mine who make a mold and pour some concrete in there.
Yes, when we started making our machine part out of concrete. All of a sudden, you know, it opened up. And turn the hand briskly -- and they're all done. Every little welding shop in the world can cut and fabricate.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Start doing that. BRANDIS: People transform their lives and transformed a whole village with a very, very simple part. $28 worth of material.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And they sell this food also. And they get some money for themselves. We're happy. It may help them for a long time.
BRANDIS: They helped me, do it out of the goodness of their hearts and I felt that I should pass it on. It's everyone in the family. It's a "Full Belly Project," gift to the world. I get up in the morning have a cup of tea, and there's an e-mail from a total stranger and a picture. It's a happy person standing beside the machine with a big grin. That's the best moment of all. That's the one I live for.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: After completing two tours of duty in Iraq as a member of the Washington National Guard, one lucky soldier hit the jackpot. Sergeant Wayne Leyde won $1 million on a scratch-off lotto ticket on Tuesday. The 16-year-old from Meade, Washington was shocked when he realized that he had actually had won the prize.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WAYNE LEYDE, LOTTERY WINNER: When I first started scratching off the prize, and then I was like, no way. I looked that for a minute, and there was three second moment of silence then I just exploded out of bed, and woke everybody up in the house.
ROBERTS: So, what is this lucky soldier, Wayne Leyde from Meade, going to do with his winnings? Nothing. He's volunteering to go back to Iraq for a third tour and said he won't spend a dime in the meantime. Final check of our morning "Quick Vote" next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Before, we say good-bye, a final check on the "Quick Vote" this morning. And we talked about whether or not we think it's going to be the end of the road after March 4th, after the Tuesday primaries. Will we know who the presidential nominees are for each party? 57 percent of you say yes. 43 percent don't think so. You think it's going to keep going and going and going. If it does, we'll be here to cover it.
ROBERTS: The energizer bunny of primary seasons, isn't.
CHETRY: That's right. To everyone who voted, thanks so much and thanks for being with us this week on AMERICAN MORNING.
ROBERTS: Have yourself a great weekend. We'll see you back here again on Monday. CNN NEWSROOM with Heidi Collins starts right now. HEIDI COLLINS, CNN, ANCHOR: You are in the CNN NEWSROOM, I am Heidi Collins. Nice to see everybody. Watch events come into the NEWSROOM live on Friday, February 29th. Here's what's on the rundown on lead day.
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