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American Morning

Teen Pirate in New York for Trial; Suspect Arrested in Craigslist Killer Case; Rep. Ron Paul Talks About Recent Texas Secession Discussion; Disney's First-Ever Black Princess, Tiana; Iran's President Sparks Walkout

Aired April 21, 2009 - 06:00   ET

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

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome. Thanks so much for being with us on this Tuesday, April 21st. I'm Kiran Chetry.

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning to you. I'm John Roberts. We've got a lot to cover this morning. And here are the big stories that we'll be breaking down for you in the next 15 minutes here on the Most News in the Morning.

Breaking news this morning, brand new pictures of the only surviving pirate who hijacked the U.S. cargo ship, the Maersk Alabama. The teenage suspect arriving in New York City overnight, and he was all smiles. He's now just hours away from facing a judge. We're live outside the courthouse.

Also developing right now, an arrest in the case of the so-called Craigslist killer. Police in Boston say a 22-year-old premed student used the popular classified site to meet the young woman that he's accused of shooting to death. This morning, new details in the high- tech investigation that cracked the case.

And this morning, President Obama under pressure from UFO believers to release America's files on extraterrestrials. Hear what they say the government is hiding and what the president himself thinks about life beyond Earth.

CHETRY: But we begin with breaking news and for the first time in more than 100 years, an American court will hear the case of a real life pirate. The teenage suspect arrived in New York City overnight. He was escorted by FBI agents and police. At times, he had a very big smile on his face.

He's the only surviving member of the pirate crew that hijacked the Maersk Alabama and later kidnapped Captain Richard Phillips. Those charges could land him in prison for life.

CNN's Jason Carroll is live outside of the courthouse in New York. The young suspect expected to face a judge today, Jason.

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. And you saw that smile on Abdul Wali Muse's face upon his arrival. We'll see if Muse has that same smile when he faces a federal judge later today.

You know, his father has already told reporters, Kiran, that this was his first voyage as a pirate. His mother also telling reporters that she wants President Obama to let him go.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL (voice-over): The Somali pirate in custody is by no means a household name, but he's already earned a place in U.S. history.

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: This will be a very unusual case for a variety of reasons. You have a piracy charge for the first time in many, many decades. You have a very young defendant. You have someone who doesn't speak any English at all. You have someone who's never been to the United States.

CARROLL: The suspect expected to appear today in federal court where the prosecution will likely outline what role he allegedly played as the four pirates commandeered the Maersk Alabama and took the captain hostage for five days.

Not much is known about the young man in custody stabbed during a struggle with the ship's crew and was being treated aboard the USS Navy rescue ship when the captain was free.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said all four pirates involved were between 17 and 19 years old. But in an interview with the "Associated Press," a woman identified as the suspect's mother, says her son is 16 and that he was coaxed into joining the pirates saying, "There is no sensible reason that makes him join pirates. I sometimes find myself weeping. The absence of my eldest son brings tears to my eyes."

Some legal experts say that his age and level of participation could end up being a key part of the defense.

PAUL CALLAN, FORMER NEW YORK CITY PROSECUTOR: His tender age could also present difficulties in another respect, because I think he's going to claim that he was acting under duress when he became involved in this act of piracy.

CARROLL: On the juvenile issue, a high-ranking federal law enforcement source told CNN, we're operating as if he is an adult.

TOOBIN: What if he says he was under duress? What if he said he would have been killed if he didn't participate? What if he said he didn't understand the circumstances? These are things that a New York jury, a year from now when passions have cooled, might well feel sympathetic towards.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL: Kiran, it has been nearly more than a century since a pirate has been convicted here in the United States. Even so, the charges could be very severe. And if this young man is convicted on all charges, he could be looking at life in prison -- Kiran.

CHETRY: Jason Carroll for us outside the courthouse, thanks so much. Also, the Somali teen is the first person to be tried in the U.S. on piracy charges, as Jason said, in more than a century. Coming at 7:10 Eastern, we're going to break down the rare case with the former defense attorney for the Navy.

ROBERTS: We're also following a developing story in Boston right now. An arrest in the case of the so-called Craigslist killer and the suspect's identity is the thing that really has people talking this morning.

He's a 22-year-old premed student at Boston University. Police say he's the same man seen in these surveillance pictures leaving a Boston hotel after killing a 26-year-old woman that he met on Craigslist. And police say she is not his only victim.

CNN's Randi Kaye is working the story for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the man police say has been stalking women on the popular Internet bulletin board Craigslist. And now detectives say they know his name. He's 22-year-old Philip Markoff from Quincy, Massachusetts.

DAN CONLEY, DISTRICT ATTORNEY, SUFFOLK COUNTY: I talked priorities (ph) holding Philip Markoff accountable. He's a predator.

KAYE: A predator because they say he attacked at least two women, killing one of them. All of them had advertised erotic services on Craigslist.

Markoff is a premed student at Boston University. Police say he's been under surveillance and was picked up on Route 95 just south of Boston. He's charged with murder, armed robbery and kidnapping. He'll be in court Tuesday and has not yet entered a plea.

Police say Markoff fatally shot 26-year-old who Julissa Brisman who had advertised massages on Craigslist. She was found dead last Tuesday at a Boston Marriott. Police suspect it was an attempted robbery and that she struggled with Markoff.

CONLEY: In the hours to come, they will execute a search warrant to develop more evidence in this case. They have not rested and they will not rest until Julissa Brisman's killer has been held to answer for his crimes.

KAYE: Four days before Brisman's death, another woman was robbed at gunpoint at a Westin hotel in Boston. Investigators say that was Markoff too. Police say both women had offered erotic massages.

(on camera): Boston police are working with investigators in Rhode Island to determine if these photos just released are also Philip Markoff. The suspect here is making his way through the Holiday Inn Express in Warwick, Rhode Island. That's where police say he tied up a woman who had advertised lap dances on Craigslist. Detectives say he had a gun, but fled before he could rob his victim. (voice-over): Boston authorities say they received more than 150 tips. Investigators consulted computer crime experts and connected computer IP addresses to physical locations. Police fear there could be more victims out there. They're asking anyone who is robbed or hurt after advertising on Craigslist to come forward.

ED DAVIS, POLICE COMMISSIONER, BOSTON: Someone that clearly is preying on people who are in a vulnerable position and someone that is committing a very, very serious crime that clearly has led to violent acts in our estimation. So we're very, very happy to have this man off the street in such a timely way.

KAYE: Off of the street, but investigators still have few answers. They still don't know why a 22-year-old college student without any criminal record would suddenly stalk and kill.

Randi Kaye, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTS: And we're getting reaction this morning from people who knew Philip Markoff, the Boston University premed student lives in Quincy, Massachusetts, a city just south of Boston. He's classmates and neighbors spoke out last evening saying they were stunned by his arrest.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's definitely a creepy factor to it, you know. It's like I lived with another guy and we're still like -- this is a little uncomfortable to say the least.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I didn't know him personally, but a couple of my friends were in his class and he seemed normal. But I guess they always do.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's weird, especially someone who's in medical school and has a lot of things going for them. You know, a lot on their minds to be preoccupied doing something crazy like that, it's very bizarre.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: This story raising a lot of security questions concerning the popular ads site Craigslist. We'll be talking with Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster. You'll see that interview tomorrow right here on AMERICAN MORNING.

CHETRY: And President Obama coming under strong criticism from some in the CIA for releasing memos that detailed the agency's harshest interrogation tactics that some call torture. Yesterday, the president went to the heart of the spy business to explain his decision. He received a rousing welcome.

This is the first time that the president visited the CIA. He told the agency that it must follow the rule of law while conceding it will make their jobs harder.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What makes the United States special and what makes you special is precisely the fact that we are willing to uphold our values and our ideals, even when it's hard. Not just when it's easy. Even when we are afraid and under threat, not just when it's expedient to do so, that's what makes us different. So, yes, you've got a harder job.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: Last night, former Vice President Dick Cheney defended the CIA's interrogation tactics.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DICK CHENEY, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: One of the things that I find a little bit disturbing about this recent disclosure is they put out the legal memos, the memos that the CIA got from the Office of the Legal Counsel, that they didn't put out the memos that showed the success of the effort. And there are reports that show specifically what we gained as a result of this activity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: Meantime, Senator Dianne Feinstein who heads the Senate Intelligence Committee is urging the president to reserve judgment on any potential prosecutions related to torture or alleged torture until after the Senate conducts its own investigation.

ROBERTS: Right now, a push to make America's "X Files" public. UFO believers, even former astronauts, want the government to release documents on possible UFO sightings. What does President Obama think about of all of this?

And the governor of Texas threatening the ultimate tax protest cessation and he's not the only one. We'll hear from Congressman Ron Paul on why the idea should be taken seriously.

It's 10 minutes now after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. It's 12 and a half minutes after the hour and let's fast forward through the stories that will be making news later on today.

This morning at 10:00 Eastern, President Obama will meet with King Abdullah of Jordan at the White House. Officials say the talks will focus primarily on achieving peace in the Middle East.

Also at 10:00 a.m. Eastern, the Supreme Court takes up a landmark case that could affect your children. The case centers around a girl who was strip searched at school. She was suspected of carrying prescription strength Ibuprofen. That's the active ingredient in Advil and Motrin which the school district had banned. The girl's family claims the search violated her constitutional rights. No pills were found, by the way.

And some major U.S. companies will reveal their quarterly earnings today. We're expecting first quarter reports from construction equipment maker Caterpillar, pharmaceutical giant Merck, Coca-Cola, Delta, "The New York Times," and later on in the day, Yahoo. It will be interesting to see what happens with Caterpillar because they went through all those layoffs recently.

CHETRY: Right.

ROBERTS: All right.

CHETRY: Exactly.

ROBERTS: They were such a huge company. It was doing so well.

CHETRY: Also, there's this government watchdog panel that's going to be grilling Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner topping later this morning over his handling of the bailout program. And Gerri Willis is here "Minding Your Business." She joins us now with more.

And you sat down and said, wow, there's going to be some fireworks today.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Let me tell you, if you want some good TV, you want to tune in to this. Here's what's going on.

Congressional oversight panel will meet. And Neil Barofsky, who is the top cop on the TARP money, he is going to be there. He released a report saying that he has launched 20 criminal investigations, six audits. He is concerned that these tax dollars we put into these banks and other institutions are being stolen, maybe wasted. He's saying there could be big problems here.

Remember, some of this could lead to criminal charges, guys. He wants stronger safeguards of the $334 billion that has been spent already.

Also on hand will be Elizabeth Warren. She's obviously been an outspoken critic of the way this money has been spent. She's called for CEOs and banks to resign out there. So this is going to be very interesting today to see how Congress responds. It's going to be pretty hot, I think.

CHETRY: But doesn't Geithner have at least some cover and say hey, look, some of these banks are actually starting to pay back? Wells Fargo, you know, there's some good news in all of this.

WILLIS: There is good news in all of this. It's cold comfort for a lot of taxpayers out there who are angry over this TARP money. The fact that their tax dollars are being spent. You know, it's really sparked controversy across the country. CHETRY: Sure.

WILLIS: People protesting in the streets over this money now.

ROBERTS: Yes. They certainly are. That's creating its own controversy as well.

WILLIS: That's right.

ROBERTS: Now they claim that the truth is out there. And now a growing number of UFO enthusiasts want President Obama to crack open the vault on alien abductions and sightings? But do the so-called X- files even exist?

And the most talked about handshake out there. The reaction still pouring in this morning over President Obama shaking hands with Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez, even though we're looking at Ron Paul there.

Here's some of what you're saying on our show hotline at 877-MY- AMFIX.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CALLER: I voted for President Obama and I'm getting very concerned that he's allowing these other presidents to talk really bad about our country and these people don't even allow their people to even have the freedom to say anything about their situation in their country.

CALLER: If the Republican was my party, would come out with some ideas and give us something to hope for and quit continually attacking the president for everything, maybe I and many others would come back to the party.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.

You know, this morning, there's a group of space enthusiasts, even astronauts, that are pushing President Obama to release government documents that they claim contain information on close encounters with aliens and UFOs.

CNN's Jim Acosta is following the story live in Washington.

Of course, we know there are a lot of people that think that the government has secrets to hide. But why now asking for the release?

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kiran, I've got a bad feeling about this. We're about to boldly go where few morning shows have gone before.

Yes, you heard about the scores of special interest groups appealing to President Obama in his first 100 days in office? Now you can add believers in UFOs to the list.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA (voice-over): To believers in UFOs, the truth isn't out there, it's in there. So they're calling on President Obama to end what they insist is a government cover-up of the existence of extraterrestrials.

STEPHEN BARRETT, UFO BELIEVER: Will you release these records? Will you release all documents?

ACOSTA: Documents they claim exists and prove there is life in outer space.

(on camera): President Obama is awfully busy these days?

EDGAR MITCHELL, FORMER NASA ASTRONAUT: I know he is.

ACOSTA: Do you think he has time for this?

MITCHELL: Well, let's say I would say the fact that we are not alone in the universe is one of the more important aspects of our time.

ACOSTA (voice-over): Former Apollo astronaut Edgar Mitchell, the sixth man to walk on the moon, told the National Press Club he's convinced.

(on camera): But there isn't convincing proof that's going to convince the entire world at this point.

MITCHELL: That is correct. That is what we're trying to open up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're about to go out and you want to know a hoax.

ACOSTA (voice-over): Equally committed are UFO skeptics. Earlier this year, two skeptics set off weather balloons that people in New Jersey mistook for alien spacecraft. The pranksters showed up on the local news pretending to be eyewitnesses.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And all of a sudden we see these lights literally zip over our car.

ACOSTA: They later admitted it was all a hoax and paid a $250 fine for creating a disturbance.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Again, we're not trying to prove or disprove anything. But it's OK to be skeptical.

ACOSTA: The open-minded, counter UFO believers pointing to former White House Chief of Staff and former Obama transition team head John Podesta.

JOHN PODESTA, FORMER OBAMA TRANSITION CHIEF: It's time to find out what the truth really is that's out there.

ACOSTA: It's a question President Obama has fielded before.

TIM RUSSERT, NBC NEWS: The three astronauts of Apollo 11 who went to the moon back in 1969 all said that they believe there is life beyond Earth. Do you agree?

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You know, I don't know. And I don't presume to know. What I know is there is life here on Earth, and that we're not attending to life here on Earth.

It depends on what these aliens were like and whether they were democrats or republicans.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: Yes. The CNN poll of outer space coming to a neighborhood near you.

Now, as for John Podesta, he's still sticking to his belief that the government knows more than it's telling about UFOs. He's released a statement to CNN saying the government should open the files. The American people can handle the truth.

Kiran, can you handle the truth?

CHETRY: Yes, I'd love to know.

ACOSTA: We would all love to know.

CHETRY: It's interesting though the guys from New Jersey proving the point as well, you know, that sometimes we want to believe something so bad as well.

ACOSTA: That's right.

CHETRY: But Interesting stuff. We'll see what happens.

ACOSTA: You bet.

CHETRY: Jim Acosta, thanks.

ACOSTA: You got it.

ROBERTS: Pakistan may be on the verge of collapse. What could that mean for U.S. strategy in Afghanistan? We're talking to Middle East analyst Reza Aslan about that coming right up.

And what would happen if Texas filed for a divorce from the United States? Congressman Ron Paul thinks the idea of Texas leaving the union should be taken seriously. He'll tell us why when we talk to him live coming up.

It's 23 minutes now after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) ROBERTS: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.

While the Obama administration is committing more U.S. troops to the fight in Afghanistan, there is growing concern about the instability in neighboring Pakistan and what a potential collapse could mean for the coalition effort in the entire region.

Reza Aslan is a Middle East analyst. He's also the author of a new book, "How to Win a Cosmic War." He's on a book tour supporting that new tone, and he's here with us this morning.

It's good to see you, Reza, in person.

REZA ASLAN, AUTHOR, "HOW TO WIN A COSMIC WAR": Hi. It's nice see you.

ROBERTS: It's not 3:00 in the morning for you in the west coast too.

ASLAN: Yes. I used to do this from L.A. That's true.

ROBERTS: This is great.

David Kilcullen, who was an adviser to the Bush administration, now a consultant to the Obama administration, said in a recent article that he believes that Pakistan is in danger of collapse. Do you agree with him?

ASLAN: Well, nobody knows more about this region than Kilcullen and so obviously his opinion is very important. I do think that there is a real threat, further instability in Pakistan particularly now that we're seeing these elements of the Taliban getting more and more bold in the attacks that they're committing.

I will say this one thing, though, that it is true that it is a weak government and that it's unstable and that it could very well collapse, but I don't think that means it's going to be taken over by any kind of fundamentalist, Islamist elements.

The truth about Pakistan is that no matter who's in charge, the military is in charge. So, I think worst case scenario, what we're looking at Pakistan is the possibility of returning to some kind of military dictatorship emergency law. But I don't think we're looking at a situation in which the Taliban could actually take over that country.

ROBERTS: At the same time, the rest of these Taliban militants, Islamist elements as you say certainly are getting more and more power particularly in these border regions. Pakistan can't defeat them militarily, not trying to negotiate their way out of it.

Opposition leader, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said the other day they are now threatening to get out of Swat. That's the Swat Valley.

ASLAN: That's right. ROBERTS: And take other areas into their custody. But Pakistan is a nuclear armed country. If they were to begin to march out of the Swat Valley and take over other areas of the country, potentially gain control of the nuclear arsenal, what would that mean?

ASLAN: Well, it would obviously a disaster. But I don't think it's a very likely scenario. It's very true. These elements of the Taliban, especially those who are aligning themselves with Al Qaeda are increasingly becoming more dangerous. I mean, we're seeing threats to the major urban centers now, things that we've never seen before in Pakistan.

However, I do think that we can rest assured that at the very least, the nuclear issue is not something that's going to be too much of a problem. That's very tightly under lock and key by the Pakistani military. And I do believe that we will see long before we see any kind of Taliban takeover of that country, we would see the military take over once again.

ROBERTS: Your new book is titled "How to Win a Cosmic War." You say that a war on terror is a cosmic war, and that you can't win a cosmic war.

ASLAN: That's right.

ROBERTS: The Obama administration is getting away from using this catch phrase of the war on terror and is addressing terrorism globally in a different way than the Bush administration did. Are they approaching it the right way?

ASLAN: Well, you know what they're doing is they're taking the fundamental lesson that Kilcullen has taught us and that is that we cannot fight an undifferentiated enemy. That we can't just sort of lump together all of these disparate groups and movements and ideologies and state actors and non-state actors into a single category enemy, and then sort of respond to them with a single tactic war. That we have to understand that these are very different groups, they have different ideologies and they have to be treated separately.

I think that that's really the proper response to these various militant movements in the Muslim world. And the really sort of spectacular thing about the Obama administration is that not just when it comes to Iraq and Afghanistan but to the larger war on terror, they're recognizing not only do our words matter, not only if this is, you know, an ideological conflict and words become very important tools, but also we have to recognize that we can't treat all of these groups as the same. Some of them we can talk to, some of them we can't.

ROBERTS: Right. Reza, it's always to great to see you and get your perspective on things.

ASLAN: Thanks, John.

ROBERTS: Congratulations, by the way, on the new book.

ASLAN: Appreciate it.

ROBERTS: Good luck on the tour. I know it's going to be a long one.

All right, thanks - Kiran.

CHETRY: We're coming up on 30 minutes past the hour now. We'll look at the top stories.

The lone surviving Somali pirate accused of taking an American ship captain hostage is here in the U.S., and we're getting our first look at him. The suspect arrived in New York City last night smiling for the cameras during his perp walk. He's expected to appear in federal court today. His mother has asked President Obama to release him.

Former Republican Senator Norm Coleman is refusing to throw in the towel against Al Franken in the Minnesota Senate race. Coleman's appealing the defeat of his election lawsuit to the state Supreme Court. He's seeking to overturn a decision by a three-judge panel that ruled Franken beat Coleman by 312 votes in their November Senate race.

And the former head of the FDA offering a new way to look at the obesity epidemic. In a new book based on a number of brain studies, Dr. David Kessler writes that for some people, foods high in fat, sugar, and salt actually hijack their brain, drive them to eat even when they're not hungry.

Well, for ten years, Texas was a sovereign territory before joining the United States in 1845. It's the stuff of legend that the Lone Star State could end its ties with the U.S. if its constituents want it that way.

Well, recently, Texas Governor Rick Perry, who's been highly critical of President Obama's stimulus package, raised that possibility that his state may one day secede from the union.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. RICK PERRY (R), TEXAS: We got a great union. There's absolutely no reason to dissolve it. But if Washington continues to thumb their nose at the American people, you know, who knows what might come out of that?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: Well, the governor isn't the only one suggesting cessation isn't out of the realm. Joining me now is Texas Congressman Ron Paul, who's live this morning in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Thanks for being with us, Congressman Paul.

REP. RON PAUL (R), TEXAS: Thank you.

CHETRY: So how serious is this secession talk? PAUL: I don't think it's very serious. I don't think anybody called for cessation. And I don't think the governor called for it. But he brings up an important issue.

And I think the biggest surprise to me was the outrage expressed by an individual who even thinks about along these lines. Because I heard people say, well, this was treason, they say, and this was un- American. But don't they remember how we came in to our being? We used secession. We seceded from England. So it's a very good principle. It's a principle of a free society. It's a shame we don't have it anymore.

I argue that if you have the principle of secession, our federal government wouldn't be as intrusive into state affairs. And to me, that would be very good.

We as a nation have endorsed secession all along. I mean, think of all the secession of the countries and the Republicans from the soviet system. We were delighted. We love it. And yet we get hysterical over this.

Just because people want to debate and defend the principles of cessation, that doesn't mean that they are calling for secession. I think it's that restraining element of secession that would keep the federal government, you know, from doing some life.

(CROSSTALK)

CHETRY: Pardon, let me ask you this.

(CROSSTALK)

PAUL: They accept it.

CHETRY: Right.

PAUL: They accepted the principles of secession all along.

CHETRY: Right. And you said it's very American to talk about secessions. How we came to being 13 colonies seceded from the British, and establishing to country.

PAUL: Right.

CHETRY: But are you likening the current situation to life under King George?

PAUL: I think a lot of people are thinking that way, and I think that is what is important. People are angry. And if we don't sense that, we don't know it's actually what's going on there. The people are angry.

What I'm anticipating, though, is it's going to get a lot worse. When the dollar collapses and the federal government can't fulfill any of its promises, what if they send you dollars and they don't work. People are just going to -- they're not going to have a violent cessation. They're just going to ignore the federal government because they will be inept. We'll be bringing our troops home. And our empire will end, and that's a different story. So I think it's something that we should talk about, but we should institutionalize this principle. New England wanted to secede. And nobody challenged New England that it was unconstitutional in our early history.

CHETRY: All right. Well...

PAUL: And what if people applied this...

CHETRY: I just wanted...

PAUL: Pardon me.

CHETRY: You guys said that you guys were talking about it more as a principle, and saying that it will be a counterweight to what you guys are calling federal government intrusiveness. And I get that, but you're not really saying that Texas is going to secede.

So I want to move on to the bank bailouts, because this has been a source of a lot of contention. You've been oppose to them. It looks lately, though, there have been some signs that perhaps it's working. We're talking about Bank of America turning a profit. Wells Fargo now saying they're able to pay back the federal government and return some of that bailout money. In the end, could this have turned out to be the right move?

PAUL: Well, if a gangster steals money and he's successful, you don't celebrate. Yes, they may be. This is going to make the people angrier. They ripped us off, they took all this money, and now they're making bundles? It's just an unfair system to penalize average people and inflate the currency, and bring on another crisis and undermine the whole system.

So I would say a bank's success here and there is not necessarily something to celebrate. But, you know, it's still pretty early. I don't think -- I don't think we're out of the woods yet to celebrate banks successes right now and something else.

What you have to realize is a lot of people stashed away a lot of money and they took care of their bonuses and what not. And you're not going to erase the anger of that that has come from that just because the bank made a profit. As a matter of fact, like I say, I think it might make things worse.

CHETRY: All right. Congressman Ron Paul, always great to get your take. Thanks for joining us this morning.

PAUL: Thank you.

ROBERTS: It's a sensational headline raising eyebrows around the world. The father of one of the kids who starred in the movie "Slumdog Millionaire" trying to sell his own child. This morning, new developments in the case. We'll go live to India coming up on our next hour. And first, she's not your grandmother's Disney heroin. Meet Tiana, now making history as the studio's first black princess. It's coming up now on 36 minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: We're back with the Most News in the Morning. Disney has come a long way, baby. From Cinderella to the studio's new animated fairy tale, which features its first ever African-American princess.

Is it a case of art imitating life? Our Alina Cho has more on Disney breaking new ground now with the "Princess and the Frog."

Good morning to you.

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Or just fortuitous timing, perhaps. You know, Disney will say, guys, that it takes four years to develop a character like Tiana.

Good morning, everybody.

You know, think about it. Snow White debuted back in 1937, and since then, Disney has only unveiled a handful of princesses. They have broken the color barrier before -- remember Pocahontas? But Tiana is a first, and Disney is banking on the hope that her debut is timed just right.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW WHITE: We'll clean the house and surprise them.

CHO (voice-over): Move over, Snow White. There's a new princess in town, Tiana. She's the new "fairest of them all," and she's making history as Disney's first black princess.

CORI MURRAY, ESSENCE MAGAZINE: Finally, here is something that all little girls, especially young black girls, can embrace. And that is huge.

CHO: Tiana's timing couldn't be better, the fairytale princess falling on the heels of what some call a real life fairytale, the Obamas.

MURRAY: This is a message that, you know what, no matter what you look like, you are beautiful. That one day you can be a princess. One day, you're going to be first lady.

CHO: And Tiana is a modern princess, shapely with her own career. Far different from cartoons of years past.

CARTOON CHARACTER: Listen, mommy.

CHO: Racial stereotypes used to be everywhere, even in some Disney productions. There are reels on YouTube. But times have changed, says marketing guru Linda Kaplan Thaler. LINDA KAPLAN THALER, CEO, KAPLAN THALER GROUP: It used to be that we would see people in black face. We would see minstrel shows. We would see black people portrayed in subservient positions. And it is so wonderful that we have finally moved past these stereotypes.

CHO: Pocahontas, Mulan and now Tiana. Disney's marketing machine is in high gear. The doll was unveiled last month and her movie will be out soon, too, "The Princess and the Frog." Set in New Orleans, Tiana is a waitress, a budding chef. She kisses a frog who, no surprise, turns out to be a prince.

Kaplan Thaler says that's where the story still needs some work.

KAPLAN THALER: There's a lot of girls, even 5 or 6 years old, who might scratch their head and go, I don't know, I don't know if it's going to be solved by a prince, I don't know if a frog is going to do it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHO: Isn't that the truth?

A little bit more about the prince now. Listen to this, guys. The blogs have been on fire lately asking, if the princess is black, why isn't the prince? Now his name is Prince Naveen. He's said to be olive-skinned and he's played by a Brazilian actor, the voice that is. Some point out he's not black, but he's not white either.

And guys, listen, a multicultural relationship may not be such a bad thing. Naveen is a sign of the times.

(CROSSTALK)

CHETRY: Naveen's a popular Indian name -- a Hindu name.

CHO: It is. Right, right. I mean, and it's a little nebulous right now. You know, as Linda Kaplan Thaler pointed out, maybe Disney is going to do a little color correction. But maybe not. Maybe they'll keep him just the way he is.

ROBERTS: We'll see.

CHO: We'll do that in December.

ROBERTS: All right. Thanks.

CHETRY: Thanks, Alina.

CHO: You bet.

CHETRY: Well, sparks fly at the U.N. racism conference - representatives walked out, hecklers were in clown wigs. We'll show you that wild scene that upstaged the talks.

Also, a break in the case of the so-called Craigslist killer. A Boston University student now under arrest, studying to be a doctor and he's about to get married. A look at the high-tech investigation that led to his capture.

It's 42 minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.

Forty-five minutes past the hour now. A live look at Cincinnati, thanks to our friends at WLWT. It's 41 degrees there right now, going up to 51. Rain is in the forecast. It seems like rain is in the forecast in a lot of places. Our Rob Marciano is in the Weather Center in Atlanta.

(WEATHER REPORT)

ROBERTS: The lone surviving Somali pirate accused of hijacking the Maersk Alabama, right now, he's here in New York City and expected to go before a judge today. We're live outside the courthouse with new developments for you this morning.

And a close encounter with Bill Murray on the golf course sends a woman to the hospital. We'll tell you why she wasn't teed off after getting beamed by the "Caddyshack" legend.

It's 47 1/2 minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Come on in. Join us. Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.

She was hoping for an autographed copy of "Caddyshack," but a woman in Florida got a lot more in her close encounter with funny man Bill Murray at a celebrity golf tournament.

Here's Jeanne Moos with that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Why is comedian Bill Murray on the ground next to this woman?

BILL MURRAY, COMEDIAN: It's fun.

MOOS: Because he just conked her with a golf ball while teeing off.

GAIL DIMAGGIO: I felt this explosion in my head. I thought I was having a stroke.

MOOS: Gail DiMaggio was out in her backyard watching the Outback Pro-Am Tournament, hoping for a close-up view.

DIMAGGIO: Gee, I hope Bill Murray's ball comes on this side.

MOOS: Next thing you know, Bill Murray himself was at her side -- apologizing profusely.

DIMAGGIO: How many fingers?

I mean then he just started comedy routines. He lifted my shirt. He gave me belly tickles.

MURRAY: You put your head on your belly like that. And then a person puts their head on my belly like this.

DIMAGGIO: (INAUDIBLE).

MOOS: Before they sent her off to the hospital for a CAT scan and six stitches, Bill helped her up and worked the crowd. And he never stopped cracking jokes, even about going to the hospital.

MURRAY: She's going to take this opportunity to have cosmetic surgery done, get her eyes and her ears pinned back and just her highlights done.

MOOS (on camera): And what did Gail DiMaggio want for getting hit on the head by Bill Murray's golf ball? Just an autographed copy of the movie "Caddyshack."

(voice-over): At least the only things he injured in "Caddyshack" are gophers...

(VIDEO CLIP)

MOOS: ...and flowers.

(VIDEO CLIP)

MOOS (on camera): The day after he conked the lady on the head, Bill Murray was back on the course continuing the tournament.

(voice-over): And this time, all of the course marshals were decked out in hard hats.

Almost two years ago, Murray was stopped for allegedly drinking while driving a golf cart in Sweden. But there's not the slightest suggestion of drinking this time -- just a bad drive.

DIMAGGIO: He introduced me as the lady that walked in front of his shot.

MOOS: Gail had the ball that hit her already autographed by Bill.

DIMAGGIO: Do you want to see the bruise, is that what you're...

MOOS (on camera): Yes. Oh, that's a great idea.

(voice-over): She calls it a happy accident. And look at that nice deputy taking Bill's hat to clean off a mud splatter. Better mud than blood, which is what happened when goof ball meets golf ball.

(VIDEO CLIP)

MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHETRY: How about it? I mean, if you've got to get beamed by a golf ball.

(CROSSTALK)

ROBERTS: Might as well be with somebody who's going to give me an autographed copy of "Caddyshack." What the heck.

CHETRY: And hang out with you.

ROBERTS: Yes, exactly.

CHETRY: He's hilarious.

Well, as we speak, the only surviving pirate -- a pirate who hijacked the U.S. cargo ship the Maersk Alabama is awaiting trial right now in New York. He arrived late last night. We're standing by outside the courthouse with more details.

Also, it was billed as a conference to stamp out intolerance. Then Iran's president gets a forum, lashes out. We're going to show you the major fireworks that followed.

It's 53 minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.

He's called the Holocaust a myth, has said that Israel should be wiped off the map. Yet, Iran's president had a forum at a U.N.'s conference on racism and sparks definitely flew. There were jeering protesters, hecklers in clown wigs, and representatives from many countries ended up walking out infuriated by what he had to say.

Here's Carol Costello.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The United Nation's goal here was to stamp out intolerance around the world. But some critics called it a festival of hate and anti-Semitism instead. That's because President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian leader, who once said he doubts the Holocaust happened, called Israel racist and the United States an enabler.

MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD, PRESIDENT OF IRAN through translator): Is it all the more regrettable that the number of Western governments and the United States have committed themselves to defend those racist perpetrators of genocide.

COSTELLO: Protesters, some dressed as clowns shouted shame and racist. Ahmadinejad just smiled.

AHMADINEJAD: I call upon all distinguished guests to forgive these ignorant people.

COSTELLO: Delegates from Britain, France, Spain, Denmark, and Finland left in protest. But according to the CBC, some Middle Eastern and African delegates applauded. You can clearly hear them.

The United Nations secretary general who urged Ahmadinejad to tone down the rhetoric before his speech was not happy.

BAN KI-MOON, U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL: It is deplorable that the very august chamber of the Assembly of the United Nations has been misused to divide and accused and even to incite.

COSTELLO: And incite, it did. Israel, which boycotted the event along with the United States, is fighting back with words of its own.

GABRIELA SHALEY, ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: There's a lot of racism in Iran itself. Iran is stoning women. Iran is hanging gays. There's a lot of discrimination.

COSTELLO: Ahmadinejad also attacked the United States directly for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and blamed the United States for the world's economic crisis. This kind of talk coming at a curious time. Just this weekend, in a surprising gesture, Ahmadinejad intervened on behalf of an American reporter jailed in Iran for spying telling Tehran she has a right to legally defend herself.

LAURIE DUNDON, BERTELSMANN FOUNDATION: With this speech for his domestic audience, I'm sure in part it was. There's zigzagging. Last week, he gave a conciliatory speech that seemed to indicate he was leaning towards outreach with the U.S. He may have gotten too much pressure at home and it's back lashing a little bit to go the other way.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Yes, because, keep in mind, he's running for re- election back at home in Iran. But because of Ahmadinejad's performance in Geneva, the war of words between Iran and Israel has now escalated. Israel's deputy prime minister saying this morning, "Iran today is like Hitler's Germany," - Kiran.

CHETRY: All right. Very curious, as you said, coming on the heels of some more conciliatory talks that we've heard out of the president of late.

Carol Costello, thanks so much.

COSTELLO: Sure.