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American Morning
Mass With Pope Benedict XVI at Washington's New Baseball Stadium; Latest in Texas Polygamy Case
Aired April 17, 2008 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: All right. So she's got to follow through on that, promise. Candy Crowley, in front of the CNN Election Express in Philadelphia for us this morning. Candy, thank you.
And here's an updated look at where the candidates stand this morning. The current stand on delegate estimate shows Senator Barack Obama in the lead with overall delegates. He has 1644. It's very close to Senator Hillary Clinton. Has 1498 delegates, but she has 22 more superdelegates than Obama.
John?
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: That was a lot fewer than she used to have, by the way.
The faithful are arriving in Washington, D.C. for mass with Pope Benedict XVI at Washington's new baseball stadium, National Park. 46,000 people are expected to attend. And here's the plan for this morning.
In the next half hour, clergy will begin to enter the stadium. 9:30 Eastern, Pope Benedict arrives at Nationals Park. The mass then begins at 10:00 Eastern.
CNN's Jason Carroll is inside Nationals Park and joins us now this morning live.
Jason, the conversation that we've been having with viewers this morning is whether or not, Pope Benedict can go any distance to healing the wounds in the Catholic Church over the sexual abuse scandal. What has the pope been saying about that during his visit?
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well surprisingly to some, he's been saying a number of things. He has a lot of messages that he wants to get across during his visit to the United States.
Obviously, one of them is a message of hope. That's what he will be delivering here later this morning. Last night, a much different message when he was addressing some 350 U.S. Catholic bishops.
When he was talking to them last night, one of his messages was definitely about the issue of the sexual abuse by priests. It's the second time he has addressed this issue. Of course, the first time was on the papal plane on his way over here.
Last night, he told bishops that in the beginning things were done incorrectly, but that they are now moving in the right direction in trying to address the crisis.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
POPE BENEDICT XVI: Many of you have spoken to me of the enormous pain that your communities have suffered when clerics have betrayed their priestly obligations and duties by such gravely immoral behavior.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: And following the pontiff's talk last night, I had an opportunity to speak to a representative from one of the victim's group. And she basically told me that she was encouraged to hear the pope talk about the issue, but she wanted to hear more than just talk. She wants to see more action.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARBARA BLAINE, SURVIVORS NETWORK OF THOSE ABUSED BY PRIEST: Making those statements didn't bring about any change in behavior and actions. We've documented many cases right now in the United States, where bishops and cardinals are still failing to turn over information to police.
They are still failing to warn parishioners and be transparent, and they still leave innocent children at risk. And until one of them is disciplined, our concern is that this behavior will just continue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: Following up on that a little bit more, John. Basically, what she is also saying is that while there have been many priest who have been punished over the course of this crisis, many of the bishops and cardinals who protected those abusive priests, in fact, have not been punished to date.
John?
ROBERTS: And in fact, that's the text of a lot of the e-mails that we have been getting this morning. That the church cannot fully heal the wrath over sexual abuse until some of those church elders face prosecution, or at least are forced to answer for their crimes.
Jason Carroll for us this morning in Nationals Park. Jason, thanks very much.
CHO: Meanwhile, this morning, we have some breaking news to tell you about from northern Spain. A powerful bomb detonated outside a government building. It happened in the city of Bilbao. The explosion was preceded by a warning calling. Seven police officers were hurt. No immediate claims of responsibility just yet. But police suspect the Basque separatist group ETA.
And in Iraq this morning, at least 42 people were killed after a suicide bomber struck a funeral. It happened north of Baghdad. That funeral was for a Sunni tribal leader who supported a U.S.-backed political group.
Well, back in the U.S., his visit may be in some ways overshadowed by the pope, but British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is in the U.S. He's meeting this morning with all three presidential candidates. He then heads to the White House for a meeting with President Bush. Prime Minister Brown's relationship with President Bush has been a bit tense by Britain's decision to draw down troops in Iraq.
Security is tighter than it's ever been right now in New Delhi, India, for the Olympic torch relay. Thousands of police officers guarded the torch through the streets that we're closed to traffic this morning. 70 runners passed the torch from person to person, each handling it for just a couple of seconds. New Delhi is home to 15 million people. 100,000 of whom are Tibetan refugees who are protesting China's rule.
ROBERTS: Turning to the latest now in Texas polygamy case. Custody hearings begin this morning in San Angelo deciding the fate of 416 children seized from the sect's compound. The hearing will decide whether the children can go home or if they will be placed in permanent state custody. Texas authority says the children were subjected to a pattern of abuse at the YFZ ranch.
A woman from the sect gave Larry King an exclusive look inside one of the homes in the compound last evening. The sect says they want people to see that their lives are filled with family and faith. And one member showed us the kitchen, living, and dining areas even the now empty bedrooms.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MOTHER: She looked at my eyes and says, mother, don't let them take me. Come with me. I said, Mara, you ask this lady. She walked right up to the lady and said, please let me my mother come. And they would not let her. They wouldn't.
Not having my children, it is terrible. For them to have done what they have done and those children are suffering because of it.
Thank you so much for coming. This is where we gather and sing. A room where three girls live with a mother. You see the beds are empty. Several older girls live in this bedroom. And they have taken them as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: The raid on the polygamous compound was sparked by an alleged phone call from a 16-year-old girl, who told police she was abused by her husband at the compound. That girl has still not been found. I asked Texas Attorney General what that means for his case.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GREG ABBOT, TEXAS ATTORNEY GENERAL: The case really doesn't hinge upon that particular 16-year-old. Once information that was credible came in to investigators in which they could, in good faith, make the determination they needed to go into the compound and determine whether or not there was any kind of wrong doing. The case is on its own after that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Sect members have maintained that no abuse of children took place.
Alina?
CHO: Well, new crackdown on illegal immigration. But this nationwide raid resulted in more than just the arrests of illegal immigrants. We will explain. And --
ROBERTS: Why high fuel costs are likely, unfortunately, here to stay. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: A nationwide crackdown to tell you about this morning, aimed at finding illegal immigrants. The biggest raid was conducted against pilgrim pride chicken plants in Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, West Virginia and Florida. Federal agents arrested hundreds of workers in charges ranging from identity theft, documentation fraud and immigration violations.
CHO: Well, if it's Thursday, oil breaks another record. Americans are paying for it at the pumps.
ROBERTS: Except if it's Monday.
ALI VELSHI, CNN SENIOR BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Or any day, really.
CHO: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. Economy is America's issue number one. It is issue number one right here at CNN. Ali Velshi watching all of that. So you know, John and I were talking about this. When is it going to stop?
VELSHI: Yes. I wish I knew. There's no --
ROBERTS: It is not going to stop until we melt down these stupid barrels.
VELSHI: Well, here's the good news. Here's the good news. It hasn't changed all morning. And you know, there are some mornings where we've seen a dollar or more of a gain just in the morning.
So $115.54 is as high as its hip this morning. It sort of an bouncing around between 115 and that right now. That's the good news. The bad news is you can't be seen the dollar change on a barrel of oil every day without knowing that it's going to affect you somehow, mainly the way you feel it as the price of gasoline.
We've got another record on the price of gasoline. $3.42 for -- that's a national average for a gallon of self-serve. But again, national average doesn't mean anything to you. It's where you live. You might be paying much more than that. But the trend is higher.
Look at the trend compared to a month ago, compared to a year ago. It hits you in jet fuel. It hits us in diesel, which brings all our food to us or are on the farms. So, we've got a bit of a problem in that.
Now, when oil goes up, it's often because the dollar is going down, the U.S. dollar is going down. We've seen that again today. We have hit a new low against the Euro -- $1.60 to buy a euro, $1.98 for a pound, $1.00 for a Canadian dollar. Again, it's -- the dollar's weak against most of the currencies that it weakens against.
So, the reason the economy is issue number one for most Americans is actually because of inflation and gas prices and food prices are the biggest part of that.
ROBERTS: Well, this is great. Our dollar is at a point where exports are very attractive. But the price of gas is so high we can't afford to truck them to the ports to get them out.
VELSHI: Right. And the way to think about that for the average person is you're not taking the trip to Europe because the flights are expensive. The dollar doesn't go very far. But you're not driving around the United States either because that's too expensive. So, the new vacation is right where you live.
ROBERTS: This is all part of our Machiavellian plot to bring down the price of oil. We're all going to go broke paying for gas.
VELSHI: Right and then eventually it will come down. Then it will be really cheap.
ROBERTS: No demand.
CHO: And in the meantime, we'll all be on our bikes. All right. Tune in to "ISSUE #1" today. Ali will be right there front and center. And Suze Orman will be taking your calls and offering solutions to your personal finance questions. Join Suze, Ali and Gerri Willis, the entire CNN money team for "ISSUE #1." That's noon Eastern on CNN and online at cnnmoney.com.
ROBERTS: Rob Marciano is at the CNN Weather Center right now tracking some extreme weather for us this morning.
Hey, Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi, John. Hi, guys. While you enjoy that spring-like weather with temperatures in the 70s, meanwhile it's snowing in parts of Colorado and severe weather will be a threat later on today. Complete forecast coming up. AMERICAN MORNING will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
CHO: Beautiful.
ROBERTS: Hey, Rob, stick around for this. You're going to love it.
Vice President Dick Cheney showing off his lighter side last night at the annual radio and television correspondents' dinner in Washington. That's not the vice president. Doesn't even look a lick like him.
CHO: That's Moe Roca (ph).
ROBERTS: Yes, Moe Roca (ph). He was the entertainment. But Vice President Cheney, seen there, also got up and did a little bit of stand-up. Check this out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VICE PRESIDENT DICK CHENEY: You in the press need to go easy on Senator Clinton on the whole business about running and ducking from gunfire in Bosnia. She made an honest mistake. She confused the Bosnia trip with the time I took her hunting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: There we go. You see Cheney and the hat and glasses. Of course, this is a reference to -- remember that photo that was put on the White House Web site where people thought that the reflection in his glasses was of a naked woman. And here's what gets me.
And Rob, bring you into this, too. We had some fun with that last night.
CHO: Oh, yes. We sure did.
ROBERTS: The White House called and beat the stuffing out of us for doing it and then he goes and he does it with stand-up comedy (INAUDIBLE) last night.
CHO: It's OK when he makes fun of himself, I guess.
MARCIANO: I watched the whole thing. He was cutting it up. Seems like a fun dinner, John. Yes. Alina and I will continue to lobby to get invited to that.
ROBERTS: Out of the two big dinners, the radio and television correspondents in the White House there, I like that one more. It's just a little folksier.
CHO: I mean, I wouldn't know. Rob, I wouldn't know. Let's go together. Next year.
MARCIANO: Free drink and food too.
CHO: OK, good. ROBERTS: Thanks, Rob.
CHO: All right, Rob, thank you.
Stick around. Coming up, hidden fees may be taking a huge chunk out of your 401k. Did you know that? But help may be on the way. Our Personal Finance Editor Gerri Willis will explain, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Well, you learn something every day. Hidden fees could be eating into your retirement savings. Who knew? But a bill before Congress could help you stop it. CNN's Personal Finance Editor Gerri Willis is here with more on that. I had no idea.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: It's ugly. Let me tell you that there are hidden fees. And what's more, they cost you a ton of dough. For every one percent you pay in fees, you lose 28 percent of your returns at retirement. Let's think about that for just a second.
If you had had $227,000 in savings, it means $163,000. This is big money we're talking about here. And let's talk just a little bit about the kinds of fees we're talking about and what we mean when we talk about these fees.
The discussion in Congress about requiring disclosure of these fees. They want these fees to be disclosed so you know exactly what you're saying. It's a big problem. Involves some low costs funds. Index funds can be far cheaper than actively managed funds. Of course, as you probably already know.
And the Department of Labor needs to get involved, monitor compliance and make sure that everybody is doing everything they should. And what's more, if they're not, they get fined for it.
CHO: Well, I mean disclosure is one thing, Gerri. But you know, I get my 401k statement. I'll be honest, I don't read it, you know. And so, there are a lot of people who don't know about it. So, what can you do about it?
WILLIS: Let's talk about the plan --
CHO: They're not going away, right?
WILLIS: No, they're not going away. Well, you can negotiate. Let's me -- let's talk about first how to figure out what you're paying, because most folks don't even know what they're paying.
Ask your plan administrator to tell you exactly what the fees are on your 401k. That's going to get you started to figuring out if you're paying too much. There are two kinds of fees -- administrative fees and investment fees. Administrative fees are the operating costs day-to-day of running the 401k, includes accounting, record keeping.
Investment fees exactly what it sounds like. These are the biggest fees. And they pay for operating the mutual funds, choosing the investments. Now, you can always complain to your administrator if you think your fees are too high. But there are other things you can do to make sure you're paying less.
One, buy index funds because nobody is managing that money. They're just buying an entire index fun. It's much cheaper to run. And also, think about net returns. This is your returns after you pay your fees. That's what you're really looking at. Are my net returns good? Because you may have a high fee for your fund but the returns on that fund may be very, very high.
Finally, if you really think you're being hosed, call the Department of Labor. 866-4-USA-DOL. That's their Web site and their phone number. DOL.GOV. I'm a big fan of -- if it's not working for you, you know, you tell the government.
CHO: Squeaky wheel gets the grease.
WILLIS: That's exactly right.
CHO: And after you get a hold for calling that line and stand hold (ph) and you get somebody on the phone, then you can complain, right?
WILLIS: Yes, you've got to be diligent. And you really got to work at it. Absolutely.
CHO: All right, Gerri Willis, thanks.
ROBERTS: Don't forget Gerri is back for "ISSUE #1" along with Ali and Suze Orman today.
WILLIS: Suze Orman, you're going to want to call in. You're going to want to talk with us. She's going to be answering your questions live with us. It's going to be a great hour.
ROBERTS: Fabulous. Looking forward to it. Thanks, Gerri.
You're watching the most news in the morning. The candidates mix politics and policy at last night's Democratic debate in Philadelphia. We'll ask the campaigns where they think they scored of the issues, coming up.
And the price of food triggering a crisis around the world. We'll ask what the U.S. can do to help. Ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: 25 minutes after the hour. Five days now until the crucial Pennsylvania primary. The candidates return to the campaign trail today. Here's a look at what's on top. Hillary Clinton will be in Washington and Pennsylvania, also expected to appear on the "COLBERT REPORT" today.
And Barack Obama in Washington, then heads off to North Carolina. John McCain is also going to be in the nation's capital. All three will meet with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown today to discuss how U.S. policy may change when one of them takes office in January.
The Democrats came face-to-face in Philadelphia last night for one last debate before Tuesday's primary. Perhaps their last debate ever. So, how did the Clinton and Obama campaigns think that their candidate did?
Well, joining us live this morning from Columbus, Ohio is David Wilhelm. He was Bill Clinton's campaign manager back in 1992, but this year is supporting Barack Obama.
And from Philadelphia this morning, Ann Lewis, who is a senior adviser to the Clinton campaign.
Folks, thanks for being with us.
David, let's begin with you. Hillary Clinton last night was attacking Barack Obama just about every turn, strategy aim not just at Pennsylvania voters but superdelegates such as yourself. She is making the argument that she is the more electable of the two. Let's take a listen to some of the case that she was making last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I have no doubt and I know Senator Obama is a good man and I respect him greatly. But I think that this is an issue that certainly the Republicans will be raising. And it goes to this larger set of concerns about, you know, how we are going to run against John McCain.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: David, you ran Bill Clinton's campaign in 1992, as we said. You know something about electability. Did she hurt him last night?
DAVID WILHELM, OBAMA SUPPORTER: I don't think so. And I don't think there's been any evidence throughout this entire primary process that the politics of negativity and personal attack work at all.
And in fact, you see that playing out during the Pennsylvania primary, where during the course of this, where Senator Clinton has picked up the intensity of her negative attacks, her -- the negative impression that the American people have of her is growing.
Her numbers related to trust are dropping. Democrats seem to be moving more and more into Senator Obama's camp because I think this year people don't want the politics of negativity. This year they want a candidate who can build a new American coalition that can actually get things done. And I think you have that choice very starkly portrayed last night.
ROBERTS: Ann, what do you have to say about David's charge here that she's gone too negative and that the negativity is hurting her?
ANN LEWIS, SENIOR ADVISER, CLINTON CAMPAIGN: Well, let's be clear, John. First, everyone who saw that debate saw those topics were chosen by the moderator, not by Hillary. But they are, in fact, the kind of issues that will get raised in the general election.
Look, Republicans are not going to let go of the presidency lightly. This is a very important election for all of us. And when Hillary talked about the issues last night, she handled every question that was thrown at her. She was clear. She was confident. She had command of the fact. She was presidential.
And in contrast, I thought Senator Obama was unsure. He was on the defensive. He contradicted himself several times.
So, I think as people look at this here in Pennsylvania when they say, which of these candidates is ready for fight for me, which of them is going to stand up for me and for my family, turn this economy around, get the things done that I need, which of them is more likely to go toe-to-toe with John McCain in the fall election when the Republicans are going to come after us with everything they've got, I think Hillary was the clear winner.
ROBERTS: Ann, as we said, she spent a lot of time last night trying to paint a picture of Barack Obama as being unelectable, but when asked directly whether or not she thought he was electable, she said this. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The question is do you think Senator Obama can do that? Can he win?
CLINTON: Yes, yes, yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Yes, yes, he is electable. And did she undercut her own argument?
LEWIS: No, because what she said is yes, he is electable. Democrats have strong issues going for us. But she then went on to say, but I would be the stronger candidate. And that is our argument. That she is much stronger in the general election. And again, that's why it's so important. That's what's going to matter.
WILHELM: There's absolutely no evidence that Democrats believe that Senator Clinton is more electable in the general election. In fact, quite to the contrary. There's a growing consensus that it is Barack Obama that is more electable.
And I guarantee you this, I really think it's time to put the -- give a rest to the kitchen sink. I think the American people are tired of it. The Democratic voters are tired of it. And I think the reason Barack Obama is going to win is that while Hillary -- Senator Clinton is focused on these issues that are essentially negative, he is saying, look, we can put this country together, the issues that really matter are the ones that deserve to be focused on.
And unfortunately in last night's debate, there was precious little discussion of the mortgage crisis, of the health care needs of the American people, of the impact of trade.
If Senator Obama focuses on those issues over the next four or five days, while Senator Clinton continues the politics of negativity, Senator Obama is going to do just fine.
ROBERTS: Ann, you want to get a final last word in here. On the talk, on the idea of this kitchen sink strategy, she brought up last night Bill Airs who is a member of the 60s radical group, the Weather Underground, and the fact the he knew Barack Obama. Bill Clinton pardoned two members of the Weather Underground while he was president. What does somebody who Barack Obama knew in passing 40 years ago have to do with who is going to be president in 2008?
ANN LEWIS, SR. ADVISER, CLINTON CAMPAIGN: Well, let's be clear, no member of Weather Underground has contributed to any of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. Look, I'm happy to say let's get back to the kitchen table issues, join Hillary Clinton as she goes on the campaign trail in Pennsylvania. Hear her talk about how we've got to turn the economy around and we've got to strengthen the middle class once again and build jobs here in the United States and here in Pennsylvania.
Hear her talk about what we've got to do to confront the energy crisis and developing alternative energy. Hear her talk about universal health care because she is the only candidate whose health care plan will cover every single American. Those are the issues she is talking about. She has taken a strong lead on those issues. She will continue talking about the issues that people care about. But again she's also going to say, when asked, yes, I would be a stronger candidate in the general election, and the reasons were clear last night.
ROBERTS: Five more days to go, still plenty of times to talk about the issues. Ann Lewis, David Wilhelm, good to see you both this morning. Thanks for being with us.
LEWIS: Our pleasure, thank you.
WILHELM: Thanks for having me.
ROBERTS: Alina.
CHO: And we're going to talk about "Issue number one" now. Walk into any grocery store and you know the price of food is going up at a record pace. It's hitting not just around here but around the world and it's hurting the most vulnerable people on the planet. Now the hungry are getting angry. And that's a threat to security everywhere. CNN state department correspondent Zain Verjee joins us now from Washington. So, Zain, I understand the U.S. is hosting an aid conference in the heartland today. Are they going to be able to come up with some solutions? ZAIN VERJEE, CNN, STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, they're focusing on the global wheat prices. That's at an all time high. They're also hoping to help fight the general food aide crisis and put a lot more money in the food aide basket. Alina, the U.S. government though still has some pretty hard choices about where and how it's going to send the aide.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VERJEE (voice-over): Hungry and angry in Haiti. Deadly riots over rising food prices.
JOSETTE SHEERAN, U.N. WORLD FOOD PROGRAM: We're seeing riots breaking out now in up to a couple dozen nations.
VERJEE: In the Ivory Coast, Egypt and Pakistan, police even guarding food rations from looters. It's becoming a matter of life and death as aide groups warn of even more shortages.
ROGER YATES, ACTIONAID: People go hungry, they get sick and some people will lose their lives.
VERJEE: In the past year, food prices have skyrocketed by 40 percent. Experts blame record high oil prices jacking up transportation costs, floods destroying crops and rapidly rising demand in China and India. The production of ethanol, the conversion of farmland from food crops to biofuel pushes up prices further.
A global emergency, the U.N. warns, is a major setback in fighting poverty.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VERJEE: One-half of global food donations come from the United States. This loaf of bread represents U.S. food aid worth $1.5 billion a year. 40 percent higher food prices means there's less food to give. So, with the smaller loaf, the U.S. now has to make some pretty tough choices, give some needy countries less and some none at all.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HENRIETTA FORE, U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT: It means that less food is going to almost every recipient because the prices are so much higher, so our U.S. dollar purchasing power cannot stretch as far.
VERJEE: With aid from the U.S. and others, the U.N.'s World Food Program feeds one cup of porridge to 20 million school children. The director Josette Sheeran says it's the only food most of them see all day.
SHEERAN: Today I can fill this 40 percent less than I could last June. So, it has a direct effect on us.
VERJEE: In order to afford more food, the U.S. is looking for ways to cut costs, like transport. The U.S. grows all of its food aid at home. Food grown in the Midwest is loaded on ships and then sent to places like Africa and trucked across the continent, a long, expensive trip. President Bush wants Congress to approve a plan already used by the U.N. and others.
PRES. GEORGE W. BUSH, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I ask Congress to support an innovative proposal to provide food assistance by purchasing crops directly from farmers in the developing world so we can build up local agriculture and help break the cycle of famine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VERJEE: That program is tied up in a debate in Congress over the farm bill. It could take a pretty long time to implement. But if the hungry don't get food and they continue to riot, Alina, this urgent food crisis could quickly turn into a global security nightmare.
CHO: State department correspondent Zain Verjee. Always great to see you, Zain. Thank you so much. And Veronica de la Cruz is here with other stories new this morning. Hey, good morning.
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ: Hey, good morning to you. Good morning to you, John. And good morning to all of you out there. Pope Benedict XVI getting ready to celebrate mass this morning in Washington. We've got some live pictures to share with you. This is happening right now. The procession of the clergy into Nationals Park. Take a look, 47,000 people expected today when the mass begins about 90 minutes from now. Tonight, the Pope will meet with Catholic educators before heading to New York tomorrow. The Pope spent Wednesday meeting with bishops and addressing the church sex abuse scandal. That's going to bring us to this morning's "Quick Vote" question.
Can Pope Benedict XVI heal the wounds of the Catholic Church's sex abuse scandals? We're asking you. Right now, 23 percent of you are saying yes, 77 percent are saying no. Go ahead and cast your vote, head online to CNN.com/am. We're going to have a final tally of your votes. That's coming up at the end of the hour. We're also asking you for your thoughts on this. Go ahead and send us an e-mail. You can again head to the Web site, CNN.com/am. Just follow the link. It says contact us and we're going to be reading some of your thoughts coming up a little later this hour. We are getting an overwhelming amount of e-mails. So.
CHO: A lot of e-mails. Too many to read. But a lot of them very good. All right. Veronica, thank you.
South Korea's newly elected President Lee Myung Bak is in the U.S. right now for what is being billed as his first U.S.-Korea summit. Now, I was among the lucky few invited to a private reception earlier this week here in New York. I asked President Lee about the recent flare-ups between the north and the south. He reiterated his position of linking humanitarian food aid to North Korea's dismantling of weapons program. And he said he is in favor of those six-party talks that we've been hearing a lot about. Of course, those talks are at a standstill right now. And how often does this happen? We actually had tea and cookies before the meeting. The President served his guests including me cookies. Can you imagine that being served by a head of state? That was quite something to see. And today, he's in Washington we should mention. He's going to be meeting with President Bush at Camp David before heading home. But there were only 11 guests. It was such a high honor really to meet the President and the First Lady. Of course, I'm Korean-American. He is really the first CEO president to be elected to South Korea as head of state. You know, as former CEO of Hyundai Corporation, largely elected on the promise of growing the South Korean economy. So, hopefully he can do that.
ROBERTS: So, Tuesday you had tea with the new South Korean president. And yesterday you spent the afternoon with me buying a bicycle. Your week is just going rapidly downhill.
CHO: That's not true. It's a great day because I'm going to go bike-riding today as a result after spending a little cash.
ROBERTS: Well, divorce can be messy enough, but imagine millions of strangers knowing the intimate details of just one side of the relationship.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm in New York, and I'm fighting. And I don't know what's going to happen.
ROBERTS: YouTube is the new weapon in the divorce wars, next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Well, the fury of a woman's scorn has a new outlet in this Internet age, it's called YouTube. Right, it was only a matter of time.
ROBERTS: You got to see this. Well, two million people have. A wife is lashing out at her estranged Broadway executive husband Philip Smith in a six-minute clip that has already netted, as we said, more than two million hits on YouTube. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRICIA WALSH SMITH, ACTRESS-PLAYWRIGHT: So, he has no grounds for divorce but he is still trying to throw me out of our apartment in 30 days for no reason. I don't know why.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Patricia Walsh Smith goes on to detail her sex life, even slams her stepdaughter. Her husband's attorney says his client is "disappointed, considers this a private matter." Sunny Hostin, AMERICAN MORNING's legal analyst is here.
We've actually obtained the full statement as you probably read this. The attorney says that Smith "is obviously disappointed that she chose to do this and considers this to be the most unfortunate that she did. However, Mr. Smith is a private person and considers this to be a private matter and he is not going to engage with her in the press or respond to what she has said about him in a public forum." David Aronson, Mr. Phil Smith's attorney. But she plans on doing more of this. She says during the clip, hey, I'm recording this for YouTube, many more to come. She is also thinking of doing some live television appearances. What kind of impact can this have on the case?
SUNNY HOSTIN, AMERICAN MORNING, LEGAL ANALYST: A terrible impact. I have to tell you this is a divorce lawyer's or any lawyer's worst nightmare, John. I spend so much of my career advising people please don't say anything. And don't certainly don't make a video and broadcast it to over 2 million people. I mean judges frown upon these and lawyers frown upon this. I can't see how...
ROBERTS: You are saying this could be negative for her?
HOSTIN: It could be very negative. I smell a defamation case. She's saying a lot of personal things about him. She really looks unstable. She looks a little wild-eyed. At least, that is what people are reporting. That's their opinion of her. I can't imagine that this is going to help her. In fact, I think the only way that this could help, well, you know, she signed a prenup agreement here. In New York that is very favored, people entering into these contracts, especially wealthy people. Perhaps if she says she is a little crazy and a little bit insane to sort of try to negate this prenup. That is really the only way that I think this video could help her.
CHO: Yes, practically speaking, I mean, going forward. So, she doesn't have a case?
HOSTIN: I don't think. I mean, prenups are pretty, pretty solid again unless -- ironclad unless it is unconscionable because you have a mental defect. So, let's see what happens.
ROBERTS: So what are you suggesting that maybe she is demonstrating that she got one of those? You mean, and it was not confident to sign the prenup.
HOSTIN: I'm not saying that. I'm not suggesting that. She hired a very good attorney. I understand Raul Felder is representing her now. And so, she's going to be getting great legal advise. Her husband or soon to be ex-husband got great advice.
ROBERTS: Maybe that is the last video she'll do.
HOSTIN: I think so.
CHO: Well, Raul Felder handled Giuliani's divorce. One of them, at least.
HOSTIN: That's right. That's right.
CHO: Anyway, thank you, Sunny Hostin, our legal analyst. Thanks for that interesting stuff.
ROBERTS: Rob has a look of the weather coming up just as soon as we've come back.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN, METEOROLOGIST: Yes, checking this out. Snow in the mountains, rain in the prairies, rain heading towards Mississippi. We'll talk about the complete weather forecast right after the break. Stay there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARCIANO: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. I'm Rob Marciano tracking this storm coming out of the Rockies. It's what brought heavy winds to California, Nevada and Colorado with that, those three fires that burned out of control for a while. Carson fire still burning today, but they've got snow to help the cause there. Slight risk of seeing severe weather ahead of this system. Potentially some damaging winds, isolated tornadoes and possibly some large hail in through parts of Oklahoma. Here is your snow at the backside across the southeast high prairie of Colorado.
Well, the rain on front side, some of these could be heavy at times, rolling into places like Lincoln, Nebraska, and Omaha, Nebraska. Heavy rain and lower 40s for daytime temperatures right now. We have flash flood watches that are posted for parts of Iowa. The Iowa River, the Des Moines River all flowing eventually into the Mississippi which is still swollen from all the rainfall that we've seen in the past several weeks.
So, here's the rainfall potential over the next 24 hours, east of Des Moines back to Kansas City, looking at two or three, maybe in some cases as much as four inches of rainfall. And if this storm continues to be impressive on the satellite picture but it won't do a whole lot but bring on short winds and keep the coastline cool and maybe some big waves for the surfers on the outer banks. John and Alina, back up to you.
ROBERTS: Rob, thanks very much. Dr. Sanjay Gupta dipping into this mailbag this morning to answer your questions.
CHO: We always look forward to that and that's coming up on AMERICAN MORNING. Stick around.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO:: Welcome back. It's time now to get the answers to your medical questions.
ROBERTS: As we do every Thursday, we pick a few questions that viewers e-mailed to us and then we get Dr. Sanjay Gupta in here to answer them. Good morning to you.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN, CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: My favorite segment. We get to read all these questions.
ROBERTS: My favorite segment of the week too. I'm a little bit frustrated. I wanted to be a doctor, should have gone to medical school. This is my chance to play here. First question comes out of Ottawa, Canada - Diane writes, "I've noticed that many yogurts have pro and prebiotics in the recently pro and prebiotics are showing up in more and more foods. Can you add to much bacteria to your diet?"
GUPTA: That is a great question. So, probiotics are these foods that have additional bacteria. They are sort of called superstar bacteria because they really are very effective. A lot of foods have bacteria in them, yogurt, sauerkraut, tofu have bacteria. They are often live bacteria. Prebiotics often times bacteria but not live or attenuated.
ROBERTS: This is bacteria that lives in your gut, that helps you digest food?
GUPTA: Yes, it helps you digest food and it helps move things along.
ROBERTS: Pleasant flora in your intestines.
GUPTA: That's right. The thing about it is if you eat a lot of it, it's probably not going to harm you. You might feel a little bloated in the beginning but yes exactly, you'll eventually get through that. Adding a little bacteria not a bad thing.
ROBERTS: So, not harmful.
GUPTA: Not harmful. People with weakened immune system, pregnant women possibly but for the vast majority of people, not a problem.
CHO: That's good. Because I like that Greek yogurt. You know, put a little honey on it. It's pretty good.
GUPTA: Oh yes.
CHO: Our next question comes from Jim in Austin, Texas. He asks, "I've heard many bad things about the long term side effects of statins. How can they be sure that long term use of these drugs isn't responsible for symptoms such as joint pain or anxiety?" Good question.
GUPTA: It is Jim, and you're actually just targeted two of the most common symptoms that are associated with statins. In fact, they can be associated with joint pain and muscle pain in the short term. They can also be associated with nausea and vomiting. One of the biggest concerns I think is the possibility of some sort of liver problem. Now, a lot of doctors say look, that's so rare, we just watch for it, but don't worry about it. Some doctors will recommend getting blood tests if you are on statins.
ROBERTS: We also learned this week that statins can help lower blood pressure too, right? GUPTA: Yes. You know, people sort of assigned it this wonder drug quality. You know, obviously buyer beware a little bit but there are a lot of things that statins seem to offer especially people with a history of heart disease.
ROBERTS: Last question come is from Oakton, Virginia. A couple of towns over from where I live. Peg wants to know concerning alcohol and breast cancer. I know it raises estrogen levels but does this apply to women who have gone through menopause and have very low levels. I have one glass of wine a day."
GUPTA: It does. It does seem to apply still, Peg. To your question. What we know is that there seems to be some sort of, you know, estrogen is thought of as a fuel for breast cancer and alcohol because of or various reasons, the metabolism may increase some of that fuel. It does seem to affect women both premenopausal and postmenopausal. We also give a lot of advice, as you know, John that drinking a little bit is OK. So, one glass of red wine is probably not a problem.
ROBERTS: Good for your heart, too?
GUPTA: Good for your heart. Right. Which we talk about a lot.
ROBERTS: All things in moderation.
GUPTA: But two or three glasses that might be a little too much.
ROBERTS: Sanjay, thanks buddy.
GUPTA; Frustrated doctor, huh? We can talk about that.
ROBERTS: Absolutely. You know that.
CHO: I used to want to be a pediatrician. So, I am too. All right.
Sanjay, congratulations and thank you.
Coming up, tens of thousands gathering this morning for Pope Benedict's mass in Washington coming up in just about an hour. But no one watches him quite like our very own Jeanne Moos. We're going to have her take on the Pope's historic visit next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: History in the making. We're about an hour from the Pope's mass in National's Park in Washington. Tens of thousands of people already starting to file in there. The gates opened at about 6:00 this morning. 47,000 people expected.
ROBERTS: It all starts in a little more than an hour from now. But in this morning's edition of the most news in the morning, CNN's Jeanne Moos caught up with some of the faithful already fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of the Pope.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN, CORRESPONDENT: It was a day of screaming crowds, then outstretched arms and caressing heads and kissing the Pope's ring. That is how Speaker Nancy Pelosi at the White House, the Pope got an earful of music from the Lord's Prayer to Yankee Doodle. What the Pope was riding was no pony but the Pope mobile. It's a Mercedes that can go from zero to 60 in eight seconds but wasn't doing 60 in this trip, just turning heads.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought his car was really. How it's like see-through.
MOOS: See through that bulletproof glass. Everywhere the Pope went --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Happy birthday, Pope.
MOOS: He was reminded of his 81st birthday. They baked him a cake at the White House and he was serenaded on the balcony.
The Pope addressed the crowd and the President complimented him in typical Bush fashion. Though that is probably not why several girl scouts got faint on the south lawn and one had to be carried off.
Of course, the Pope got differential treatment from the media until he got some advice from a gang on "The View."
JOY BEHAR, CO-HOST: Maybe celibacy has to be thrown out the window a little bit and maybe they have to be married.
SHERRI SHEPHERD, CO-HOST: You think celibacy would take celibacy away there might be some holes around here.
MOOS: Welcome to America, Holy Father. Notice when the Pope first stepped on to American soil. His red shoes matched the red carpet perfectly. In fact, "Esquire" magazine named the pope accessorizer for the year for carrying his papal habit with signature red leather loafers. When the pope whizzes by in a limo, he's a blur.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I saw him. Had a little white hat.
MOOS: Just listen to the impression he makes in his Pope mobile.
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: It was kind heavenly. It looked like he was on a white cloud and just carried him by.
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: It was like seeing Jesus on earth.
MOOS: So is the Pope mobile. Jeannie Moos, CNN, New York.
ROBERTS: The ceremony yesterday at the White House and again at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception just extraordinary. A live picture inside Nationals Park right now. In about an hour from now, the Pope will conduct mass. Members of the clergy arriving. The Pope will be here in about half an hour. CHO: Look at that crowd. It's incredible. 47,000 people are expected. This is the first papal visit to the U.S. since the 9/11 attacks. The six-day visit will include trips to Washington, of course, where he is now, and also he is heading to New York tomorrow. He will go to the U.N to address the U.N. General Assembly. He will also celebrate mass this Sunday at Yankee Stadium. So, jest a beautiful shot there. They couldn't ask for better weather.
Now, final check of this morning's "Quick Vote" question. We've been asking this morning, all morning long can Pope Benedict XVI heal the wounds of the Catholic Church in the sex abuse scandals. That's the final tally there. 23 percent say yes, 77 percent say now.
ROBERTS: All morning. We've also been asking for your e-mails on this. We got quite a few of them. Here's a sampling Lillian from St. George's, Bermuda says "this is a flimsy PR tour without any real action.
CHO: Yes. A lot of emotion. Mary Ann from Hingham, Massachusetts, "only when the Pope meets with victims, survivors, we'll remove the bishops who have covered it up and the priest who have abused. Will the church begin to heal."
ROBERTS: And here's an email that we got from Antoine in Orangeburg, South Carolina, who writes "no matter how much the Pope address the scandal, it will never go away. The way they are handling the scandal makes me reconsider being a Catholic."
CHO: And we also heard from Terry from Rockford, Illinois. He writes "if you want resolution to the sex abuse scandal. Then you must look within yourself. Interesting, I do not believe any one person, not even the Pope can change a person's perception of a situation if they do not really want that conception changed."
ROBERTS: And finally Bill form San Jose, California writes us to say that the "the Pope coming to the U.S.A. is going to bring as much change as Beckham did coming here, none."
To everyone who voted or wrote in this morning. Thanks very much and we'll do it all again tomorrow.
CHO: And thanks so much for joining us on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ROBERTS: CNN NEWSROOM with Tony Harris and Fredricka Whitfield begins right now.
TONY HARRIS, CNN, ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, ANCHOR: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
HARRIS: And you will see events coming to the NEWSROOM live on this Thursday, April 17. Here is what's on the rundown.
