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CNN Sunday Morning

Delegate Uncertainty; Celebrities Rebuilding New Orleans; Manhattan Crane Accident; Violent Southern Storms; Next Political Battleground; Iraq Refugee Crisis

Aired March 16, 2008 - 09:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: All right, you might call this maybe a rock star event. A former president and -- who's that guy on the other side?
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: That would be Brad Pitt?

HOLMES: OK, I didn't recognize him.

NGUYEN: You didn't know? I bet you the women out there do.

HOLMES: Well, I just wanted to you have your moment, actually.

NGUYEN: Is that what it was?

HOLMES: But, these two are going to be working side-by-side. We'll tell you what this is all about.

NGUYEN: And this, a huge pile of rubble and an ongoing search for survivor. We are live in Manhattan this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEEPAK CHOPRA, MD, AUTHOR: I was always interested in the fact that people who had spiritual experience and found themselves in the face of peace had stronger healing responses.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Yes, Spirituality and healing. Can faith make you whole? A one-on-one conversation with Deepak chopra. Deepak is deep.

NGUYEN: Yeah.

HOLMES: Real deep.

NGUYEN: Did you learn something? Are you a better man?

HOLMES: I was enlightened. You haven't noticed the change in me since the conversation? No? OK.

NGUYEN: Don't have me answer that.

HOLMES: OK, folks. Good morning to you all, I'm T.J. Holmes. Glad you could be with us. NGUYEN: Yes, Good morning, thanks for joining us, everybody, I'm Betty Nguyen. Sunday, March 16. Let's get started. And we start with this. An unannounced visit to Baghdad: Senator John McCain is arriving there this morning. In fact, he's already in country, correct?

HOLMES: He is already there. We, of course, a lot of times don't find out until after the fact on a lot of these trips. He's there with the congressional delegation. Maybe more than just a business trip. CNN chief national correspondent John King, he is always about business, traveling with the presumptive Republican nominee.

And Iraq, of course, a big campaign issue. There is some business to be done, but a little politics in everything these days, isn't it?

JOHN KING, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Without a doubt, T.J. And I should make clear I'm chasing senator McCain, not traveling with him, because this is a congressional delegation, we're not allowed on the plane, but we are chasing him as here travels here to Iraq and then several other international trips.

And let's start with Iraq, because that's where he is this hour along with two of his Senate colleagues, Joseph Lieberman, the Independent senator from the state of Connecticut, and Lindsay Graham a senator from the state of South Carolina. Interesting to note, even this is an official tax-payer financed congressional delegation, both senators Graham and Lieberman support Senator McCain's presidential campaign.

Here in Iraq, they say they have every right, every reason, they say, even every responsibility to come and get a firsthand look and firsthand briefings on the situation on the ground. They will sit down with General David Petraeus, the commanding general of U.S. forces, here, with the U.S. ambassador, Ryan Crocker.

Now, both General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker will be back in Washington next month to brief Congress as it considers what next in Iraq. As you know, there's a huge debate in Congress and on the presidential campaign trail about whether the surge policy has been successful, about whether the United States should keep troops here and if so, for how long and also about whether the Iraqi government is belatedly, but finally, perhaps getting about the business of beginning to make the political decisions necessary to have some reconciliation and long-term stability in Iraq.

Now, Senator McCain says is here for his day job, if you will, as a member of the United States Senate. This is his eighth visit to Iraq since the war began. But make no mistake about it, T.J., his campaign aides hope and have said so openly, they hope the America people see him on this trip and think this is somebody who is authoritative, does have command of the issues and someone with whom they could be comfortable as commander-in-chief.

But with the Democrats and Iraq, Senator McCain has clear differences, so he may be here as a member of the United States Senate, but everything will play forward in his continuing contrast against Senator Clinton and Obama -- T.J.

HOLMES: John, real quick, and we got to -- I just want to make clear, his past trips and other trips that senators might make, sometimes do we know about them ahead of time or was there any change made because he is now the presumptive nominee? Any reason to believe that?

KING: No big change. We are told about them in advance, we are often told not to announce them publicly because of security concerns, until they are on the ground here in Iraq. No different in that regard at all between this trip and any of the past trips.

HOLMES: That works. John, appreciate you clearing that up. John King, chasing, as he said, the presumptive nominee, there in Baghdad. John, we appreciate you this morning.

NGUYEN: Well, back in the U.S., the Democrats are talking about delegates and two states wanting to be counted. Florida and Michigan, both shut out of the Democratic National Convention because they broke the rules by voting early. Michigan Democrats are now working on a plan for a new primary on June 3. Hillary Clinton won the first Michigan primary, but neither Barack Obama or John Edwards were on the ballot. Clinton also won the original Florida primary. A mail-in revote has been posed there, but even Democratic leaders say that's not likely to happen.

HOLMES: Well, the delegates from both those states could be crucial in the tight Democratic race. We're going to turn to CNN's Jim Acosta, joining us now from all-important Pennsylvania.

Now, the delegates, we don't know exactly what's going to happen to them yet from Michigan and Florida, but let's see. I wonder what Hillary Clinton wants to do.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, T.J. and that is the big question is what exactly are we going to do about those two states? And as Betty mentioned, you know, Hillary Clinton technically won both Michigan and Florida, but all of the candidates agreed not to campaign in either of those states because of those primaries moving their dates up against the wishes of the Democratic Party, and in the case of Michigan, Barack Obama's name of not even on the ballot.

And so, while Hillary Clinton would like to count those delegates, the Obama campaign and the Democratic National Committee has said no way, that's not going to happen as it stands now. So, now both sides, both the Obama campaign and the Clinton campaign will have to sign off and so will the DNC on whatever they decide to do with Michigan and Florida.

But yesterday, talking to reporters here in Pennsylvania, Hillary Clinton indicated she would support the idea of a revote in Michigan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I have the same position I've always had either count the votes or revote. And it appears as though Michigan is considering revoting, and we'll see whether or not that comes to pass. And then I don't know what Florida will decide to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Now the campaign is going to be busy on both sides for Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Barack Obama was in Indiana yesterday, just an indication of how this campaign has such a marathon -- he's actually campaigning in a state that comes after the Pennsylvania primary. Hillary Clinton marched in not one, but two Saint Patrick's Day parades yesterday. She is giving a major foreign policy address on the Iraq War tomorrow in Washington, D.C. and then Obama will be back here in northeastern Pennsylvania tomorrow in nearby Scranton -- T.J.

HOLMES: You don't have to move much. Just go to Pennsylvania and the candidates will come to you. Jim Acosta for us there, we appreciate you this morning.

NGUYEN: Well, a couple of big names are getting their hands dirty, so to speak. Bill Clinton, Brad Pitt, costarring this morning in New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward. CNN's Sean Callebs joins us now from New Orleans.

So, tell us, what are these guys up to today?

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Well, what when better way -- what better backdrop, really, to bring two of these powerhouses together to talk about philanthropic efforts than New Orleans's decimated Lower Ninth Ward.

And just take a look out here what that area looks like, today -- a giant, almost antiseptic field. Now, think back 2-1/2 years. Look at these pictures of the devastation, how much this area has changed in the past 2-1/2 years. They've pretty much removed all of the debris in this area.

Now, why are Brad Pitt and Bill Clinton here together? Well, they're bringing their two charitable foundations together to try and foster some rebuilding in the area. When we last caught up with Brad Pitt, it was in December. Remember all those pink houses were everywhere, part of his plan to build about 150 low income houses with virtually low or no interest for people who live down here.

Well, today President Clinton is in town, part of his Clinton Global Initiative University. He brought hundreds of college students from across the country to New Orleans this weekend, trying to motivate them to give back to communities to do charitable work, to do public service. Yesterday the president was asked: what should the U.S., Do? How can it continue to funnel government aid to this area, an area where the aid has really come in at a glaciatially slow pace? Well, here's what the president had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL CLINTON (D), FMR U.S. PRESIDENT: I think there needs to be a federal coordinator for relief to make that this thing is driven as hard as possible and driven -- this is my opinion, now -- driven as green as possible, because, I'll say again, that is the key.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CALLEBS: Indeed, that is the key. And there are going to be about 600 college students in this area, today. What they're going to be doing, basically focusing on this small area from where the sidewalk was to the road. They're going to grate this entire area all throughout the Lower Ninth Ward and then they're going to go through, plant grass seed.

And in the background, Betty and T.J., you see these giant things. Well, these are actually giant filters that go on storm drains, because the problem is as the rain punishes this area, a lot of soil washes away and it goes down in the storm drain. Well, these will spread out and they're going to be acting as filters. So, once the sediment, the soil, begins to flow down it won't get caught up in the storm drain and the hope is once they get this grating drain done, get some grass seed down, that they can stop the erosion problem, as well -- guys.

NGUYEN: Well, my question to you, though is, you know, the president was talking about -- the former president Clinton, there, a federal coordinator is need. As these college students come in and do the groundwork there, the question a lot of people are asking, OK, that's good, but what about the homes? When are the homes going to come up? When will the families come back?

CALLEBS: Great question. It's been very difficult because there is no organized plan to rebuild a lot of decimated areas. We did talk with folks with the Make it Right Foundation, that's Brad Pitt's organization. They say they hoped to their build 150 low-cost homes by the end of the summer.

Now, of course, that's the canal right behind me there, and that's where the floodwater pouring in, devastating this area. So, what's going to keep it from happening again? Well, this time, they're going to build the houses on large stilts and they're going be very structurally sound, there are lots of architects from around the world doing pro bono work, so they say the people are going to be safe in this area once these new homes are built.

NGUYEN: And that is so key. Sean Callebs joining us live from New Orleans. Sean, we do thank you.

And you can watch Sean's one-on-one interview with the former president this afternoon. The best political team on television brings you uncensored coverage of all of the presidential candidates events, it's CNN BALLOT BOWL, today, 2:00 p.m. Eastern.

HOLMES: We'll turn to New York now where rescuers are sifting through piles of debris, looking for survivors of a deadly crane accident that killed at least four people. Our Stephanie Elam at the scene on Manhattan's east side.

Good morning, there, Stephanie.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning T.J. It's a delicate search process that continues this morning. No new developments from overnight. After this accident happened yesterday afternoon, we are right now on 51st between First and Second Avenue, to give you some perspective, here. But, four people dead, they are all construction workers, and we know that 17 people were injured, three critically and this happened when a crane fell off of the 19th story of a high rise that's being built and hit two other buildings.

I'm going to step out of the shot so you can see what we're talking about, here. If you take a look, you can see that on the right there is a building that is going up. You see the orange where the floors were going to be. That crane fell off the top of there, hit the next building, knocked the apartment off the top and part of the crane went into the next block and smashed a four-story townhouse. We have heard that a man was pulled from that rubble 3-1/2 hours later, in the hospital, now. But, obviously, to get a better idea how this happened, we have a little bit from Michael Bloomberg, yesterday, the mayor of New York City, explaining how it happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, NEW YORK CITY: The whole crane fell across the street, stopped that way, it was against the building across the street and the top half kept going over into the next block, that's correct. So, the crane was on the north side of 51st Street and actually the building most south damaged was on the south side of 50th Street. It went right through the block and something went even over the street into a building over there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ELAM: There were actually five buildings that we now know of that were damaged. We spoke to one resident, here, of this block, and she says neighbors there had been worried about that crane because it looked wobbly -- T.J.

HOLMES: Wobbly. My goodness. And I guess she might have been right, there. Stephanie Elam, for us on the scene, a dramatic scene on the streets of New York. Stephanie, we appreciate it this morning.

NGUYEN: Well, speaking of drama, of violent Southern storms, they tore across Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, just a day after a tornado struck downtown Atlanta. The storms killed two people in north Georgia, yesterday, in Floyd and Polk counties.

HOLMES: Also, we'll take you to the town of Prosperity, South Carolina. Residents there reported seeing a tornado touchdown last night. Prosperity is about 40 miles northwest of Columbia. And also lights out for Saint Patrick's day celebrations in Savannah, Georgia. Party folks roamed the streets in darkness. Storm knocked out electricity to 150,000 customers, more than 50,000 still without power this morning. NGUYEN: Well, a state of emergency has been declared for Atlanta following Friday night's tornado and CNN's Rusty Dornin has the latest on the clean up and recovery efforts.

And Rusty, looking at the damage that you've been showing us this morning, it's going to take some time.

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: This is all -- all this debris is in the middle of the street, Betty, and I think this is what you'd call ultimate bad parking karma. This poor soul, the building obviously falling on top of the car. We've go two of them, here. And when we came in this morning, a police was arresting a man for stealing a radio out of this car. They've had a lot of police in the area to try to stop any kind of looting, that kind of thing.

But, you can just see the rubble. This is obviously one of the worst areas in downtown Atlanta. It looks almost like an earthquake or something. It just took all of the bricks out of this three-story building. There was an office in here, but part of it was abandoned, as well. And we are seeing some cleanup crews come in just a few minutes ago. There was a big crane pulling a giant billboard off one of the cars that was parked on the street. We've also seen people coming in, unofficial people, scavengeing (ph) in the debris, trying to find pieces of metal that sort of thing.

So, the cleanup efforts, official and unofficial are underway. They estimate it will be $150, $200 million just to clean up downtown Atlanta, here. Now, of course, CNN Center was damaged, as well. That's been closed all weekend and it's also, obviously, a big tourist attraction. Also, the Omni Hotel had -- guest has to leave there, so cleanup underway, here, but it's going to take a while -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Hey, let me ask you this, Rusty. As we look at the damage today and the cleanup effort, I know, coming into work, a lot of the streets were blocked. Will they be open for people who work downtown to get into work tomorrow morning?

DORNIN: Well, obviously this street is not going to be open. So, it depends on how much debris is in certain areas. But, CNN Center was closed over the weekend, it's going to be open tomorrow. But there are some streets that will remain closed simply because they haven't cleaned up all of the debris.

NGUYEN: All right, so I guess, check with your employer to make sure you will, in fact, be able to get to work. Rusty Dornin joining live. Thank you, Rusty.

HOLMES: Well, police going door-to-door searching for protesters. We got some new images from the crackdown on demonstrators in Tibet. That story, minutes away.

We've also got this straight ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I believe if Jesus is walking the earth in 2008 that he would be helping meet needs gasoline.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: The church that helps you fill your spirit and your gas tank, promoting God with gasoline and goodwill.

HOLMES: Also, medicine and the mind/body connection. Does the spirit help in healing? My one-on-one conversation with Deepak Chopra.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Taking a quick look now at some other stories making headlines. Take a look and listen to this. And massive explosions killed seven people and injured nearly 250 in Albania, workers trying to dismantle old ammunition at an army depot. The initial blast set off a series of explosions.

NGUYEN: We also have new video out of Tibet. Check it out. Chinese police launched door-to-door searches. They are look for people who too part in protests against Chinese rule. Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dali Lama, is calling for an international investigation of the crackdown. His exiled government says at least 80 people are dead, but China says the number is about 10.

HOLMES: The vice president Cheney hits to the Middle East today. He has some challenging topics on his 10 day trip, among them, high gas prices, also the Israeli-Palestinian peace deal. Also, Washington's growing concerns over Iran. The vice president's chip trip comes on the fifth anniversary of U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

NGUYEN: Well, back here at home, and gassing up, it's almost guaranteed to give you a headache when you pull out that credit card.

HOLMES: Yes, but some people in Ohio, they got a little relief, thanks to the church. Yesterday, for two hours, the church paid a portion of the tab, paid 25 cents toward every gallon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REV WESLEY MILLER, KENIA CHRISTIAN CTR: This is something that we can buy and give it away. The gasoline is making a big difference with the people around this community and what I'm hearing really it's making a difference all across this country, because the big issue right now is gas prices and the gas crunch.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: It's something, though.

NGUYEN: It's a little bit.

HOLMES: If gas is $3.25, and you only pay $3. That's still something.

NGUYEN: That's a little bit. That's true. Every bit counts. HOLMES: Pastor Wesley, though, says he hopes those who showed up for the gas buy down yesterday will come to his Easter services next week.

NGUYEN: A little payoff, I guess. Huh? If you help me, I'll come over to your service.

HOLMES: OK.

NGUYEN: Although, you should want to go on your own, but, hey, that's a whole another story.

HOLMES: Well, some of the government's plans to help your pocketbook. Treasury secretary, Henry Paulson, joins Wolf Blitzer today on LATE EDITION at 11:00 Eastern. See if maybe the government is going to possibly give us a few cents per gallon.

NGUYEN: For the gas. Well, you know, speaking of the economy, your house, your job, your savings, you debt -- learn the No. 1 issue that this country is facing. Of course it's the economy, affects each and every one of us. It is issue No. 1 and all next week at 12:00 p.m. Eastern, we are going to be talking about it right here on CNN.

HOLMES: And as always, you all came through for us. Your pictures helping us tell the story.

NGUYEN: Yeah, CNN iReporters really documenting this damage from the Atlanta tornado. We're going to show you some incredible images in just minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Alright, we get long pause here before the next battleground of Pennsylvania. That's next on the primary calendar for the Democrats, but still more than five weeks away that leaves a lot of room to do a lot of campaigning. CNN political producer, Sasha Johnson, joins us live from Washington this morning.

Good morning to you, ma'am. Good to see you.

SASHA JOHNSON, CNN POLITICAL PRODUCER: How are you?

HOLMES: I am well. How is Hillary Clinton? Is Pennsylvania going to be it? We wanting to say momentum, somebody is going to pick it up, make or break. But you know, Barack Obama is campaigning ahead in Indiana. This thing is going to go on no matter what.

JOHNSON: Yes it is, absolutely. I mean, whether or not Pennsylvania is a make or break state is sort of up in the air because, as you said, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are starting Wednesday, I think, and actually go on to states that are voting after Pennsylvania.

She was in Tuesday two Saint Patrick's Day parades, yesterday, I was up there with her. Pennsylvania really is her kind of state. The demographics are right. She has roots in northeastern Pennsylvania which the campaign is definitely playing up and saying her ability to win Pennsylvania on April 22 shows she could win the state in the general election. They sort of left open this idea that what if she doesn't win? Does that mean she couldn't win Pennsylvania in the general election? We'll sort of have to say.

HOLMES: OK, and I know Barack Obama doesn't like that we are talking about the controversy with his pastor, Pastor Jeremiah Wright. Now, is this going to be an issue for him? Because the problem here is that this pastor has said some inflammatory things that people think that most reasonable people, if you know your pastor is saying this you're not going to be a member of that church and he's all about judgment -- judgment, "my judgment," so is this going to continue to stick and bite Barack Obama?

JOHNSON: Well, I think there are sort of two schools of thought. One is the sermons are out on the Internet, they're available for purchase on the Internet, they're certainly not going to go away. You would imagine that John McCain, if Barack Obama were the Democratic nominee, might bring this up or some 527 groups might bring this up. But another way to look at is, this is coming out now, five weeks before Pennsylvania. The campaign came out, took it head on on Friday, and perhaps they've sort of diffused the issue and they're moving on. We'll sort of have to see.

HOLMES: Is that going to fly to say: I didn't know he had -- even if you're not sitting in the pew when he says these statements, this is his personal adviser, his personal pastor, known for 20 years, and he wasn't aware at all that his pastor had said these things?

JOHNSON: It's a tough spot. And my understanding is some members of the congregation are disappointed in Obama for actually going out and sort of dismissing his relationship or distancing himself from the pastor. But, I mean, I don't really know what else he could do at this point except to say those things, and I think it's up to the voters to decide whether they actually believe him and whether they can sort of put distance behind it.

HOLMES: All right, and let's wrap up here with John McCain. He's the only man in the game now for the Republicans, so that means all the money is coming his way, right? How is he doing with the fundraising?

JOHNSON: I think he's doing OK, you know, we saw John King in Baghdad, obviously John McCain is there too on this trip, he's going to be working in sort of a high dollar fundraiser in London on his overseas trip. And by some reports, he's raised several million dollars this week and he has to, whether it's Clinton or Obama, the Democratic nominee knows how to raise money on the Internet, they've proven it, and John McCain will probably be at a financial disadvantage for a long time, so he's got to get moving.

HOLMES: Well, he is he moving, and I know you will continue to be moving around, like you said, you were with Hillary Clinton, with the green on for the Saint Patrick's Day parade.

JOHNSON: You don't know how many things come in green I learned yesterday, sort of frightening.

HOLMES: We'll ask you about it later. Sasha Johnson, always good to see you, ma'am. You have a good one.

JOHNSON: You too.

HOLMES: And folks, get caught up on all your political news. You can join Tom Foreman for THIS WEEK IN POLITICS, today at 1:00 Eastern Time -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Well, can you guess how many people have been displaced by the Iraq War? Try millions. When those refugees end up in neighboring countries, the challenges, well, they're staggering. A U.N. official, who recently visited the region, will join me to talk about this hidden crisis.

HOLMES: Also, we got this coming up. You may best know Deepak Chopra as a prominent leader of the holistic health movement. But, there is another side to this man you may not know at all. My one-on- one interview with him, just ahead. Do not miss this stuff. I learned some stuff, here. I was enlightened by Deepak. Deepak is deep, Reynolds, deep.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, good morning to you, welcome back on this Sunday. I'm Betty Nguyen.

HOLMES: And I'm T.J. Holmes. We got a quick look at our top stories, this morning. Rescuers searching for a possible survivor of a deadly collapse in New York. Four people killed when the crane crashed into a cluster of apartment buildings, there.

NGUYEN: Also, the cleanup after the storms, recovery efforts resuming this morning from the tornado in downtown Atlanta. Another round of storms killed two people in north Georgia, yesterday.

And our iReporters hit the streets after Friday night's tornado in downtown Atlanta, taking some really remarkable photos of destruction. Here is CNN's Rick Sanchez.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Take a look at these pictures taken by iReporter, John LaBelle. They really tell the story about the power of this storm, so strong it uprooted dozens of giant, old trees, pulling their roots straight out of the ground and pulling up the sidewalk with them. And as you can see, when they fell, it crushed the homes beneath them.

At least 20 homes were destroyed or seriously damaged in this historic Atlanta neighborhood alone. IReporter, Christina Kennerly took these remarkable photos in downtown Atlanta where the tornado first struck. Buildings, reduced to rubble. Cars crushed a block from the CNN Center. IReporter Patrick Taylor took these shots of another building close by in downtown, now a pile of bricks and lumber. He also got this shot of twisted metal and glass in the streets outside the Georgia Dome, where the SEC basketball tournament was taking place.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Yes, the SEC basketball tournament which Reynolds is wrapping up today at the University of Arkansas Razorbacks.

NGUYEN: Oh, you just had to say it, Reynolds.

HOLMES: Was that that semifinal...

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Who are they playing in the final? They're playing...

HOLMES: They had Georgia, who pulled off a big win, yesterday. But, the Arkansas beat the No. 4 volunteers, yesterday.

NGUYEN: Never mind the destruction, folks. Let's get to basketball.

HOLMES: But, there are some positive things still going on in Atlanta, Betty.

NGUYEN: Like Reynolds' birthday, right.

HOLMES: That as well.

WOLF: There you go. To love sports is to Reynolds' birthday...

NGUYEN: Everybody celebrate it, it's a national holiday.

WOLF: That's what I'm talking about.

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: Hey, you know what? We'll take a day like today.

WOLF: We need it.

NGUYEN: Do we. Thank you, Reynolds.

WOLF: You bet.

HOLMES: Reynolds, we appreciate you.

Well folks, I recently sat down with spiritual guru, Deepak Chopra, author of a new book, this one's called "The Third Jesus." Now, Dr. Chopra is known as one of the world's leaders in the field of mind-body medicine. But, I was kind of surprised to learn, and you may be as well, what his first calling was.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CHOPRA: I wanted to be a journalist and I wanted to write, so I wanted to be what you are. My father on my 12th birthday gave me fiction books which were all about doctors, so I ended up going to medical school, because I liked the stories so much.

HOLMES: What was your first job?

CHOPRA: My first job actually, at the age of 17 years, when I had just entered medical school, I use to go to (INAUDIBLE) there in India, and I use to read the news and I had a following in East Africa and in Asia, et cetera, et cetera.

HOLMES (voice over): Chopra finished medical school, but learned there's more to healing than what's found in textbooks.

CHOPRA: When I started to see patients, I realized that you could have two patients who had exactly the same disease, they saw the same doctor gave out the same treatment and they had completely different outcomes.

I was always interested in the fact that people who had spiritual experience and found themselves in a place of peace and harmony and love and laughter, that they had stronger healing responses and we were not looking at this, you know, at that time.

HOLMES (on camera): People were resistant at first. Why is that?

CHOPRA: Anything that's new, anything that breaks the old paradigm, there's a lot of resistance to that.

HOLMES (voice over): Chopra was able to combine his medical knowledge with his passion for writing, but it took a little business sense to reach his audience.

CHOPRA: I didn't know where I would end up. I started to write the stories of my parents. I sent them to medical journals and nobody would print them or publish them, so I actually wrote them myself, brought in money to publish about maybe 100 books myself and somebody placed that boo, the first, called "The Mind-Body Connection," in the window at the Harvard Coup, which is the Harvard bookstore, and suddenly an agent called me and the next thing I know, it's become a national best seller.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Well, of course, Chopra has published more than 50 books, but he still remains modest about his success. And next Sunday, we'll bring you more on my interview with Dr. Copra and his advice for you.

NGUYEN: You know, every time we see Dr. Deepak Chopra, it's just a calming effect. I mean, the man really knows how to relax, folks. And make you realize the foundations of life, don't get too, you know, stressed out about the other stuff.

HOLMES: And I assure you, he has a more stressful schedule than most of us. All over the place, it's calm and it's...

NGUYEN: You couldn't tell by talking to him. Good stuff.

Well, you know, from that to all wired up and ready to go. Dexter, the robot, gets ready to join the International Space Station after astronauts check out his vital functions. We're going to show you what's up overhead.

HOLMES: And the Iraq War, about to be five years old. Protesters make clear they don't want it to go into a sixth year. That story, ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Time now to take a look at some of the other stories that we're watching for you this morning; a pair of shuttle astronauts are getting some much-deserved down time, now. They finished their lengthy seven hour spacewalk just a few hours ago. The "Endeavour" astronauts were attaching the arms to a 12-foot robot that will help maintain the International Space Station.

HOLMES: An appeal for peace as the Iraq War nears it's fifth anniversary. Pope Benedict XVI ended Palm Sunday mass today by condemning the Iraq War and calling for peace. This appeal comes just days after the body of kidnapped Chaldean Catholic archbishop was found.

NGUYEN: New York's Lieutenant governor, beginning the last day as second in command. Take a look, David Paterson will be sworn in as governor tomorrow afternoon. He is replacing Eliot Spitzer who resigned last week amid a sex scandal.

And some while you're enjoying your Sunday morning, some CNN staffers, they are already preparing for tomorrow.

HOLMES: They are working. Let's check in now with CNN's Kiran Chetry up in New York.

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Betty and T.J., coming up next week on AMERICAN MORNING, it's all about the economy. Voters keep saying that it's the number one issue and we're listening. We have the CNN "Money Team" on the road looking for solutions and the first stop, the gas station. They keep breaking records, so what is a commuter to do? Well, Ed Lavandera looks for secrets from people who have mastered the morning rush.

Then, it's on to the truck stop, they're paying more too, for diesel fuel and you can better believe they're passing it on to you. Is buying local the answer? Ed hitches a ride with a trucker to find out.

And help for homeowners, what can you do if you get behind on your payments? It's trickier than you might think to figure out just who owns your mortgage.

Also, who's actually profiting from the tough times. We found some people and you'll meet them. The economy, the No. 1 issue, it all begins on AMERICAN MORNING, 6:00 a.m. Eastern.

Betty and T.J., have a great weekend, back to you.

HOLMES: Well, it's almost over for us, but thank you, Kiran.

Well, your house, your job, your savings, your debt, your problems. Learn how the No. 1 issue this country is facing, the economy, affects you. And as we can imagine, you already have a pretty good idea how it's effecting you these days. It's issue No. 1, all this week, noon Eastern, right here on CNN.

NGUYEN: Well, imagine the entire population of Los Angeles, all right, suddenly forced to live somewhere else. That's how many Iraqis are now refugees in their own country.

HOLMES: A U.N. official will join us next to talk about the enormous challenges facing these camps.

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HOLMES: It is now the time to check in with Howard Kurtz in Washington to see what's ahead on CNN RELIABLE SOURCES. Good morning, Howard.

HOWARD KURTZ, RELIABLE SOURCES: Good morning, T.J. Coming up, the Eliot Spitzer scandal seems to have lurched from the resignation of a governor to media fixation on a high-priced hooker. Novelist Erica Jong joins our discussion of whether the press has now gotten down in the gutter.

New video surfaces of inflammatory comments by Barack Obama's pastor. Why did the media take so long to scrutinize the Reverend Jeremiah Wright?

Plus two titans of talk go head-to-head as I risk my reputation on the "Colbert Report." We've got the tape. That and the shrinking coverage of the Iraq War, ahead on RELIABLE SOURCES.

HOLMES: Oh, Howard, I'm kind of worried about you. That show can make or break a man.

KURTZ: It was a tough act.

HOLMES: All right, we will tune in. All right. Thank you, Howard. We'll see you soon.

NGUYEN: And you can also see it on YouTube, I'm sure.

Well, in Tacoma, Washington, battle lines over the Iraq War. Anti-war protesters had scheduled there rally to mark this week's fifth anniversary of the war, but before it even began counter- protesters showed up to rally support for the troops. Police, some in riot gear, kept the ground separated. Now, no one was arrested.

Look at this. This is the scene in Oregon, a peace march through downtown Portland, it tied up traffic for 15 minutes, forcing some buses to be rerouted.

Let's take a look back now at the Iraq refugee crisis. An estimated four million Iraqis have fled their homes in 2003 and some of them are living in Syria and Jordan, as well as other countries, but the other half are internally displaced. Michel Gabaudan is with the United Nations Refugee Agency and he joins us now.

If you will, talk to us about the status, today, of these refugees, because we're coming up on the five-year anniversary of the war. Has it changed at all? Is it getting any better?

MICHEL GABAUDAN, UNHCR REP FOR THE U.S.: I don't think it's getting any better right now. I mean, of the four million you mentioned, about two million are displaced within their country and two million are displaced in neighboring countries, mostly in Syria and Jordan. Of these four million, it's important to remember that maybe 40 percent were displaced at the time of Sadam Hussein and there was little displacement between 2003 and 2006. But after the ignition of the sectarian violence in February 2006, after the Samarra bombing, another wave of movement took place and this affected all (INAUDIBLE) of population.

The situation now is that people have exhausted the resources they took with them when they moved, and therefore, the conditions for their survival in some of the countries, or wherever they've been displaced in Iraq, is becoming more and more fragile.

NGUYEN: So, what are the most pressing issues, are we talking about basic necessities like food, water and shelter?

GABAUDAN: We are we are talking, for some families, about basic necessities, food and shelter, certainly, and we are trying to identify these through our registration program, and we've now registered about 250,000 people outside Iraq who -- and we tried to direct the assistance the require, whether it's food, shelter, or sometimes cash assistance for the most vulnerable.

The second issue they have, of course, is that access to service. Don't forget that this is an urban population, that it was used to certain standards of living, and we are very shocked when we look at the requests we have from these populations, first, a very high proportion of people have suffer directly from the violence. They receive their stress, have been witnesses to bombings, some of their relatives have been abducted, some of them have been tortured. A very high proportion have suffered directly from the violence, have not fled just because of generalized violence in the country, they have suffered directly.

NGUYEN: Let me ask you about the children. As we look at video of the people living -- internally displaced living in these tent camps, are they getting access to schools and education? Because, after all, these children will be the future of Iraq.

GABAUDAN: Well, inside Iraq, it's very difficult. The people who have displaced in the northern governorate have reasonable access to international aid. Those who are displaced in the center and the south of Iraq, depend from governorate support mechanism and from what -- the ministry of migration, displacement, Iraq is not capable to provide them with.

In neighboring countries, both Jordan and Syria have granted access to schools to the children. But the sheer number means that we need to help these countries to boost up their system. And it's not just a question of throwing money at the system, I mean, you need to build classes, you need to find more teachers. So, that takes time. We've managed so far to enroll about 75,000 of these children in neighboring countries. It's a good sign, but it's still not enough, and we have to keep on working on that.

NGUYEN: Are you also seeing a large number of professionals, skilled professionals flee Iraq? I mean, these are the people that can really help in the rebuilding of this country, but yet are they going elsewhere?

GABAUDAN: Well, they have been, in the past couple of years, specific targeting against some of the professionals and a there have been high proportion of them who have fled the country. We find (INAUDIBLE) in the interior Jordan, in Lebanon and Egypt, or further away in Europe. It is important and there are a couple of programs now trying to look at how we can maintain their skills and give them some hope that one day they can help with the reconstruction of the country.

NGUYEN: So, what is the answer? What is the answer to all of this? How are you going to get these millions of people back into their homes, back into their communities and helping this country progress?

GABAUDAN: Well, I think the answer is, first, the countries who are hosting the refugees need to be helped for the time being, and that help has to increase, because we're still touching the tip of the iceberg. I think that we have to be very conscience of that.

Regarding returns, I mean, there have been a bit of talk about that last year, it's true that there was a small movement in December. That has now stopped. We do recognize that there are improvements in the security situation, but this is certainly not sufficient as of yet for to us be able to promote returns. There are still too many things happening that will not allow us to say that.

The second thing is that for returns to take place, you need a process of reconsignation (ph) to begin and that has hardly begun. And the third point is that, again, reminding ourselves that most of these people do come from Baghdad or from other big cities, the whole question of access to their former properties or restitution of property, or compensation, will have to be established. This is a fairly complex program that will have to be worked out with the Iraqi government. So, that will take place...

NGUYEN: Yeah, a lot to be done and we are walking up on the anniversary of the fifth year that this war has been taking there place in Iraq. Michel Gabaudan with the UNHCR, we do appreciate your time, today. Thank you. GABAUDAN: Thank you very much.

NGUYEN: And you can see more of how Iraq is today through the eyes of Iraqis. CNN's Arwa Damon hosts this "Special Investigations Unit" ON DEADLY GROUND. A doctor, divorcee, prostitute, prisoner, these women risk their lives to tell you the reality of terror and hope in Iraq, today. Don't miss it. It's tonight at 8:00 Eastern on CNN.

HOLMES: And a long awaited homecoming for about 170 soldiers from Fort Knox. It's also a long, long journey from Afghanistan to Kentucky and their families could hardly wait.

The 76th Engineer Company have been employed in "Operation Enduring Freedom" for 15 months, most will stay on base for a few days for medical checks, then they'll have 30 days of leave before training starts again.

NGUYEN: Always so great to see when they come home. The families just waiting there, and they've waited so long to see their loved ones.

HOLMES: So long, that's. A year and some change. Well folks, be sure to catch AC-360 this Wednesday night. Anderson Cooper is going to have special coverage of the of five-year anniversary of the war in Iraq. That's AC-360, Wednesday night, 10:00 Eastern.

NGUYEN: The windup and the pitch. Yes, it's selling major league baseball overseas. You may be surprised at just how far some big leaguers traveled for this game.

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NGUYEN: All right. It is a big step for major league baseball, going all the way to China.

HOLMES: Yes, the San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers just completed a two-game series in Beijing. Of course, that's for the site of the summer games coming this up summer. These were the first- ever major league baseball games played there. They tied, actually, game one. The Padres won game two 6-3.

These were just exhibition games, didn't count, but still, a lot of people in the crowd say they were actually confused, didn't know what was going on, and, of course, the seventh inning stretch, singing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," they were like, what in the world is going on?

NGUYEN: And the wave? That probably caused a problem, too.

Well, you know, you a lot of folks may brag about the golf game, you know, don't because...

HOLMES: No, no reason to.

NGUYEN: Yeah, exactly. But, this 98-year-old golfer in Arizona has something to really brag about. Get this, Don LeGate has not one, not two, not even three, but 17 holes-in-one.

HOLMES: OK, that's wild enough. There's something else, Betty. They say he's legally blind. Now, at this point, I mean, I don't want just throw out my doubts and whatnot about the story, but come on now.

NGUYEN: You don't think he can do it?

HOLMES: Seventeen?

NGUYEN: Yeah, but you know what? He knows this course. I think that's part of the trick.

HOLMES: OK, that's what it is.

NGUYEN: He's played the course many times. His son knows the course, so he's kind of helping direct him, but still, a hole in one, I mean, what are the chances of that once?

HOLMES: That's hard enough.

NGUYEN: But, 17 times? Hey, you know what, the man is already working on No. 18, so good luck to him.

Well, the fall from grace that has New York and the nation gossiping. Eliot Spitzer, you know the name, resigned as New York's governor after being linked to a prostitute. Howard Kurtz focuses on the media frenzy, next on RELIABLE SOURCES.

HOLMES: Then coming up on LATE EDITION, the former U.S. administrator in Iraq, Paul Bremer joins Wolf Blitzer. They'll discuss the fifth anniversary of the war. That's LATE EDITION at 11:00 Eastern. But first, we got a check of the morning headlines for you.

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