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American Morning
President Obama Meets With Afghanistan, Pakistan Leaders; Radio Talk Show Host Michael Savage Banned in Britain; Pirates Attack Ship off Somalia Coast; Stress Test Results Advocate More Cushion for Banks; Pregnant British Woman Jailed in Laos; Ship Owner Calls for Arms at Sea to Fight Pirates; Illinois County Sheriff among "Time" 100; Male Birth Control Shot Might be Coming
Aired May 06, 2009 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Well, welcome once again. Thanks so much for being with us. It's 7:00 on the nose here in New York. Wednesday, May 6th. I'm Kiran Chetry.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. I'm John Roberts.
Here are the top stories on our agenda this morning, stories that we'll be breaking down for you in the next 15 minutes.
High-stake talks at the White House today. In just hours, President Obama sits down with the leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan. It's the first test for the president's ambitious strategy aimed at helping the two nations tackle the growing threat from the Taliban, al Qaeda and other militant groups.
Michael Savage banned from Britain. The outspoken conservative radio host is the most notable name on a list of banned individuals from Britain's Home secretary. Savage appears along with the Ku Klux Klan and Islamic clerics all banned for "stirring up hatred." Only 16 of 22 on the list were named.
And breaking this morning -- word of a new pirate attack off of the coast of Somalia. The U.S. Navy says the pirates seized a German- owned ship with 11 Romanian crew members on board. This comes a day after the owner of a U.S. ship attacked by pirates testified on the Hill saying it's time to give crews guns. We're going to be talking with them later on this hour.
CHETRY: All right. We begin the hour though with President Obama's crucial meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistan's president, Asif Ali Zardari.
As the situation in Pakistan gets even more dire, word around 40,000 people now fled one town in the country's Swat Valley. Also the number of refugees could now skyrocket to half a million. Pakistan's army is pounding Taliban forces with helicopters, gun ships, and heavy mortar rounds.
Suzanne Malveaux is live at the White House for us with more on what the president hopes to get out of the meeting between these two country's leaders. Hi there, Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kiran, it really is just day one of three days of summit talks. And senior administration officials tell me this is not just about peace in Afghanistan and Pakistan. It really is about the security of the United States. One senior administration official put it this way -- he says, this is a process. This is not precooked. This is about getting these guys together.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX (voice-over): They are the leaders on the front lines of the war against extremists, and they're asking for President Obama's help.
ASIF ALI ZARDARI, PRESIDENT OF PAKISTAN: I need drones (ph) to be part of my arsenal. I need that facility. I need that equipment. I need that to be my police arrangement (ph).
MALVEAUX: Pakistan's president, with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, says the Taliban is gaining ground.
ZARDARI: That cease-fire agreement is not holding, but we are going to try and hold them to it.
MALVEAUX: By all accounts, President Obama agrees. The conditions in the region are deteriorating, posing a serious security risk to the U.S.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The situation is increasingly perilous. It's been more than seven years since the Taliban was removed from power, yet war rages on and insurgents control parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
MALVEAUX: But U.S. officials are careful to say they are still confident in Pakistan's relatively new leader.
AMBASSADOR RICHARD HOLBROOKE, U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY FOR AFGHANISTAN & PAKISTAN: Our goal must be unambiguously to support and help stabilize a democratic Pakistan headed by its elected president, Asif Ali Zardari.
MALVEAUX: But the U.S. Congress is less generous.
REP. GARY ACKERMAN (D), NEW YORK: Let me be blunt -- Pakistan's pants are on fire.
MALVEAUX: Pakistan's neighbor, Afghan President Hamid Karzai, says he's grateful for the additional U.S. and NATO troops that will soon arrive in his country but it is not enough.
HAMID KARZAI, PRESIDENT OF AFGHANISTAN: The return of the Taliban is because we did not address the question of sanctuaries in time. Unfortunately, today, Pakistan is suffering for this massively in a consequence of that. We will have an occasion between us, Afghanistan, Pakistan and America to discuss this very question.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: And it's a critical question. Since President Obama has taken office, really the focus has been on Afghanistan, going after Al Qaeda and the Taliban there, at least 17,000 additional U.S. troops, 5,000 NATO troops. But since they've done the strategic review, the focus is now shifted to Pakistan. That is because the situation there has become more urgent. The Pakistani government has failed to provide basic services for its people while the Taliban, on the other hand, has really increased in power -- Kiran, John.
CHETRY: All right. Suzanne, that's one of the apparently aims of the administration to try to get more of those civilian helpers in there like the economists and the legal experts to try to help with that situation. We'll see how it goes today.
MALVEAUX: Absolutely.
CHETRY: Suzanne, thanks so much.
ROBERTS: A right-wing American talk show host is now banned from Great Britain. Michael Savage was blacklisted along with close to two dozen other people for allegedly fostering extremism or hatred. The list also includes Muslim extremists, a white supremacist, and anti- gay protesters. The host himself says it poses a serious threat to free speech.
CNN's Paula Newton joins us live from London this morning. And Savage not taking this sitting down. He's coming out swinging today, Paula?
PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely not. He says he'll take action against the British government. But, John, he's learning the hard way. Those First Amendment rights don't mean much here in Britain.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON (voice-over): When Britain decided to formally name and shame those it believes stir up hate, Americans Fred Phelps and daughter Shirley could have fallen under the category of "the usual suspects." They had already been banned from Britain a few months ago after picketing the funerals of U.S. soldiers claiming their deaths are punishment from God because the U.S. tolerates homosexuality.
But Michael Savage, one of the country's top-rated radio personalities, just didn't see it coming. He, too, has been banned from Britain by the country's home secretary, Jacqui Smith, for, in her words, "Seeking to provoke others to serious criminal acts and fostering hatred which might lead to intercommunity violence." She adds, "To individuals who abuse our standards and values to undermine our way of life, they are not welcome here."
Michael Savage made it known on his radio show he's just not going to take it. MICHAEL SAVAGE, CONSERVATIVE RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: I will sue her until the last day on Earth to prove that she, in fact, is the individual who the English should be afraid of, not me.
NEWTON: Savage says he will sue for defamation and accuses the British government of gagging free speech. He has stirred up controversy even recently suggesting illegal Mexican immigrants were engaged in germ warfare by spreading swine flu. He has been criticized for his conservative views on everything from homosexuality to autism, but he says he is no hate monger and does not promote violence.
But in Britain, this is not a First Amendment issue. It is what they call a hate issue. And along with 21 others including anti-gay preachers, radical Muslim clerics, and the Ku Klux Klan, Michael Savage says the British government is not free to speak on the queen's soil.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Now, John, they won't say exactly why they don't want him in this country, you know, what it is that was so offensive. But they take certainly what he says on his radio show as a whole and say, look, we just don't want him spreading that kind of opinion here in Britain -- John.
ROBERTS: Paula Newton for us this morning from London. Paula, thanks so much for that.
Last night, stars flooded the Time-Warner Center here in New York City to honor "Time" magazine's "100 Most Influential People."
First Lady Michelle Obama was one of the honorees. She spoke of the impact that public service has had on her life while also announcing the president's proposal for $50 million to promote national service.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: Tonight, I am pleased to announce that as part of the New Serve America Act, the Barack Obama administration -- still love saying that -- is creating a social innovation fund. The idea of the fund is simple -- find the most effective programs out there and then provide them with the capital needed to replicate their success in communities around the country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: The president was also honored by "Time" magazine as well as Oprah Winfrey, who saluted the people who serve her as role models.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OPRAH WINFREY, HOST, "THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW": I wouldn't be here tonight without the teachers who were the foundation for my success and my influence in the world. And for me it was my -- first began with my fourth-grade teacher, Mrs. Duncan (ph), and my sixth- grade teacher, Mr. Graham (ph), and Mr. Abrams, who saw me in the seventh-grade class and said, there's something about you, girl.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: And there certainly was.
CHETRY: No, and it's those teachers that just, you know, let you know when you're really young that they believed in you that really make a difference for all of us.
ROBERTS: Yes. You know, we've all got, you know, two or three of those I think.
CHETRY: I don't remember. Even getting back to first and third grades, I still remember their names. Wow.
Well, new this morning, flu or no flu, it is time for school. The number of schools reopening today after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are releasing new guidance saying there's no need for schools to close even if they do have students ill with swine flu. There are more than 700 schools in 24 states and the District of Columbia that had closed. It affected nearly 500,000 students.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger says he welcomes a public debate to legalize and tax marijuana. Some suggest it could provide big money for the cash-strapped state. Recent statewide field poll found that 56 percent of California voters support the idea of legalizing marijuana for recreational use and then taxing its proceeds.
Bank of America's stress test results come in. What they need to pass and also what it means if you have an account there or any bank on the list. Christine Romans will be by to explain.
It's 10 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Well, from New England all the way down south, it's just one of those foggy, kind of drizzly days. You're looking at downtown Atlanta this morning where it's cloudy, 68. Later on today, thunderstorms and a high of 77.
Twelve minutes now after the hour. Let's fast forward to stories that will be making news later on today.
At 9:00 a.m. on Capitol Hill, the House Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health holds a hearing on the swine flu outbreak. The H1N1 virus has caused 30 deaths worldwide so far.
At 11:15, Ford Motors will announce plans to convert one of its truck manufacturing plants to a compact car plant. The Wayne, Michigan plant will build a Ford Focus, including a battery-powered model, which would be Ford's first all-electric passenger car.
And at 1:00 p.m. right here in New York City, Bristol Palin, the Alaska governor's daughter, speaks out on stopping teen pregnancy at a town hall event. The unwed teen mom is a teen ambassador for The Candie's Foundation and their national campaign to help raise awareness for teen pregnancy prevention.
And that is what we're following this morning.
CHETRY: All right. Thanks, John.
Well, stocks are pointing slightly lower this morning. There's continuing speculation that's continuing about concerns as the leaks come out about just how much money banks have to raise as a result of the stress tests they're undergoing.
Christine Romans is here with more now "Minding Your Business" this morning. It's to the tune of billions.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Right.
CHETRY: But explain for us, does this mean they need it now or is this just a safeguard?
ROMANS: It's a safeguard. It's buffering. It's putting more money to buffer themselves against any potential losses and the worst case scenarios in the economy, Kiran and John. And frankly, the news reports out there are showing that Bank of America might have to raise a whole lot more money than we thought.
"New York Times" and Bloomberg reporting that federal regulators have told Bank of America that they need to raise another $33.9 billion. That's a lot of money.
How would you raise that money? Well, there have been leaks and speculation all week that these stress tests which will be announced officially tomorrow have found that maybe ten of 19 firms will have to raise additional capital.
How do they do that? They sell can assets. That's selling divisions and stakes they have in foreign banks and lenders. They can raise money from investors. Some have already begun to do that and successfully, I will point out. And they can, as a last resort, turn to the government.
At this point, it doesn't look as though your money is going to be needed to shore up these banks. But, again, they're going to be given I think six months to come up with ways to raise money from investors and find other ways to do that. They can also include taking preferred shares that the Treasury Department has preferred shares, preferred stocks in some of these banks. They can convert it into common equity.
Quick final note about your money. Chrysler, we have put $7 billion into Chrysler of our money. Just a quick note, we're not going to get that money paid back to this bankruptcy process. In the bankruptcy filings for Chrysler, it revealed that that money that you and I and taxpayers put in, they will not be paid pack. That includes -- exactly. In return, we'll get an eight percent stake in this new company that comes out. But as some have thought, no, those loans will not be repaid.
CHETRY: All right. Thanks, Christine.
ROMANS: Sure.
CHETRY: Well, she stole the headlines and now she could lose her crown. It's Miss California's controversial answer at the Miss USA pageant, defending traditional marriage that caused a major flap. Now, she's defending some seminude photos.
She says the photos were taken when she was 17 and she was aspiring to be a Victoria's Secret model. A state pageant spokesman says that Carrie Prejean's breached -- that she breached her contract by keeping the risque photos a secret and that she could be stripped of her beauty crown title.
CHETRY: And another career -- what the heck...
ROMANS: That was a risque photo.
CHETRY: Right. I mean, there's barely a top on. I mean, one false dance move and everyone is, you know, seminude.
Goodness sake. I mean, it's just...
ROMANS: What could be more risque than that tiny little white bikini?
CHETRY: All right, let's get in the pool, folks. These are photos -- or this is video taken.
ROBERTS: Of course, you read the script -- in other career- taking photo news.
(LAUGHTER)
CHETRY: In other career-taking photo news, Olympic gold superstar Michael Phelps just finished his three-month swimming suspension after a picture surfaced in a British tabloid showing him inhaling from a bong pipe. So, this is what he said about heading back to the pool to compete.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL PHELPS, OLYMPIC SWIMMING CHAMPION: What am I doing, you know, thinking about, you know, quitting or retiring? Like, I'm 23. Like, I'm not retiring at 23. I have four more years left on my career, and there are still things that I want to accomplish.
And every since then, it's, you know, we still have had a day or so here and there where I haven't been perfectly on, but for the most part, I mean, you know, when I come in it's the old me, you know. It's the normal me. Come in, work hard, take steps towards my goals.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: All right. Well, Phelps's first race since his suspension will be in North Carolina. That will be on May 14th.
ROBERTS: All right.
Well, women had the pill, now men could have the shot. A breakthrough in birth control. Is it as effective and safe as the pill? We're paging our Dr. Gupta this morning.
And fire hoses versus RPGs and automatic rifles. Doesn't exactly sound like a fair fight, does it?
Well, now the owner of a ship attacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia says it's time to level the playing field. He's going to join us live.
Seventeen minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. The future of a pregnant British woman jailed in Laos is still in limbo this morning. Samantha Orobator, she's accused of trafficking at least a pound of heroin, and it's a crime that usually means death by firing squad in Laos.
Our Jason Carroll joins us now with more on her story. And this has really gained international attention.
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Without question. And we do have a bit of an update for you.
British officials say a top diplomat has met with Orobator in prison and brought a doctor there to examine her. Still no word on her condition. But UK authorities Laotian government says that their prisoner will be provided with a local lawyer. The whole ordeal has left her family in total disbelief.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL (voice-over): Samantha Orobator has been silenced in a Laotian prison. She is pregnant and her mother is pleading for her freedom.
JANE OROBATOR, MOTHER OF SAMANTHA OROBATOR: Just bring her back to me, please, please.
CARROLL: Orobator's mother cannot understand how her 20-year-old daughter ended up in prison accused of trying to smuggle about a pound of heroin. To her, she is still the good student who got high marks in school. The daughter who delayed going to college to take care of her when she got sick. The young woman who live in London, whose love of travel brought her to Laos. STEVE POUND, BRITISH PARLIAMENT MEMBER: She's a prisoner in a country which has the mandatory death penalty for smuggling above a certain level of drugs. And the thought that a pregnant, 20-year-old woman could be taken out in front of a firing squad in the 21st century I find repulsive and sickening. And I just weep for some answer.
CARROLL: A spokesman for the Laotian foreign ministry says Orobator will not face execution because the country's law prohibits executing pregnant women. Human rights workers question how she got pregnant, concerned she was the victim of a sexual assault.
Clare Algar of the rights group Reprieve says Orobator's future is uncertain and is angry she has been denied counsel.
CLARE ALGAR, REPRIEVE: We were sure that our lawyer would be able to meet with Samantha, which is one of the reasons that we flew her over there. It is worrying because Samantha is apparently facing a trial.
CARROLL: A Facebook page titled "Save Samantha" was created by Orobator's friends. It includes a growing number of supporters worried about her condition.
Human rights workers say conditions at Phong Phong (ph) prison where Orobator has been held for the past nine months are deplorable. One former prisoner held for political reasons says incarceration there was unbearable.
KAY DANES, FORMER PRISONER, ACTIVIST: I've stayed in that prison. I've seen the way that people are really suffering, really suffering.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL: Well, the human rights group Reprieve says it's normal in Laos for defendants to get a lawyer only one day before their trial. The Laotian foreign ministry says Orobator's trial hasn't been scheduled yet, but it is likely to happen sometime next week. The minister also says they're investigating how she became pregnant in prison.
CHETRY: Disturbing story. Keep us updated on whether or not there's any headway made by the British government.
CARROLL: Absolutely.
CHETRY: All right. Jason Carroll, thanks so much -- John.
ROBERTS: Elizabeth Edwards opens up to Oprah about her husband's painful affair. But why do women stay with husbands who aren't faithful.
And since 1960, women have bore the brunt of medical birth control? But now it may be men's turn. An injection for protection? Can the shot replace the pill? We're paging our Dr. Gupta coming up. It's 23 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: The owner of an American ship that was attacked by pirates is telling Congress it is time to fight fire with fire. The crew of a ship, the Liberty Sun, had a close call off of the coast of Somalia, a real close one. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They hit my rope, man. Blew up the fence (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're firing in the steering gear room. They're firing into the steering gear room. Everybody's OK.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: This time the pirates took off, many times it's not the case. And joining us now from Washington is Philip Shapiro. He is the president and chief executive of Liberty Maritime. He testified yesterday before a Senate committee hearing on the impact of piracy in the maritime industry.
Mr. Shapiro, your case is, get some sort of weapons onboard those ships. Make the case for that. Why arm these ships?
PHILIP SHAPIRO, PRESIDENT AND CEO, LIBERTY MARITIME CORP.: John, it's really important that we protect the safety of crewmen's lives on our ship. There is no authority for us to arm our ships in order to give that protection. And so we went to Congress asking them to remove the impediments, the statutory impediments and regulatory impediments that prevent us from doing so.
ROBERTS: Why do you want to fight fire with fire? You know, so far, many of these hijackings, you know, most of these hijackings, I guess the crew members have not been injured or killed. By putting weapons onboard ships, might you just sort of increase the odds that something terrible will happen?
SHAPIRO: Well, indeed, the conventional wisdom has been that if you put arms on ships, you'll escalate the violence and delay the vessels because there are restrictions on vessels going into ports with weapons in various parts of the world.
But, essentially, it was a game changer with the Maersk Alabama. We have direct threats being made against the lives of American seamen. And I, as the president of a company who puts people onboard ships, has to be sure that I'm doing everything to protect the safety of those crewmen as well as the vessel and its cargo.
ROBERTS: So how would you do it? Would you arm all the crew members? Would you arm the captain and a couple of mates? Would you hire private security to come onboard? What would you do? SHAPIRO: What we would like to do is to have military embark security teams from the U.S. military on our ships to protect them. After all, we are carrying government cargo. In the case of the Liberty Sun, we were carrying 40,000 some tons of food to Somalia and that entire region. That's enough food to have fed 250,000 people over the course of a year. So this is a humanitarian mission of mercy.
What we would like to do first is to have, you know, military armed security. If we can't, we want the right to hire private armed security to protect our crew.
ROBERTS: OK.
SHAPIRO: It's a last resort to give those weapons to our crewmen themselves.
ROBERTS: All right. Let's go to this idea of military security. First of all, that's not the military's job. Secondly, the military is already stretched thin. Where would you get the manpower to do that? And who would you pay for it? Would you pay for it, or would the government pay for it?
SHAPIRO: Well, I would disagree that it's not the military's job. We have a history in this country for over 200 years of protecting U.S.-flagged assets and U.S. lives overseas.
Back in Thomas Jefferson's time, he sent the Army to clear out the pirates on the Barbary Coast. I understand that there are limitations to what the government can do, and that's why we're asking for the right to do our part. If we can't get military security teams, then we need to have the right to hire private security teams to protect the lives of our crew members.
ROBERTS: Right. And if you hire private security teams, in terms of the weapons, would you have small arms? Would you have assault weapons? Would you have (INAUDIBLE) 50-caliber guns?
Would you give them RPGs, fight fire with fire? I mean, would you bring enough firepower onboard those ships just to fend off the pirates or blow them out of the water? How would you do it?
SHAPIRO: We would bring sophisticated weaponry on the ships. I mean, in the case of Liberty Sun, we were hit by four rocket-propelled grenades and a lot of automatic weapon fire. We would put, you know -- we would put large guns and well-trained people who have been vetted properly on the ship to protect the crew and the cargo.
ROBERTS: All right. Well, it's an idea that certainly is getting a lot of discussion, controversial though it might be.
Philip Shapiro, the CEO of Liberty Maritime, good to talk to you this morning. Thanks for coming on.
SHAPIRO: Thank you, John.
ROBERTS: Appreciate it -- Kiran.
CHETRY: All right. Well, we're 29 minutes past the hour now. A look at the top stories this morning.
Bush administration lawyers who ruled that interrogation methods like waterboarding were legal may not have to face criminal charges. Sources say that Justice Department investigators are recommending against prosecution in a draft report. It does raise the possibility, though, of sanctions by state bar association.
The front line in the same-sex marriage battle right now outside of Capitol Hill. The D.C. City Council voted 12-1 to recognize same- sex marriages from states that approve them. Congress has final say over the city's laws, but it doesn't -- if it doesn't take action, the bill then automatically becomes law.
America's first face transplant patient steps out of the shadows and she speaks before the press. This is Connie Culp. There's what she looked like five years ago. Her husband shot her in the face. She was horribly disfigured from the picture you see there on the left. And then because of the surgery, she really has a new lease on life.
She said she's grateful to the family who donated. She's also happy she says that she's able to eat pizza and burgers again. She's the fourth person in a world to have a face transplant.
Well, some of the biggest stars on the planet were here at the Time-Warner Center late last night. The first lady was honored as one of "Time" magazine's "Most Influential People." Oprah, as well as Barbara Walters, also on the guest list. And then there was this man.
Our next guest, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart. He was picked by "Time" for being a "leader and revolutionary." He sounded the alarm on the erotic services being offered on Craigslist, which turned out to be quite a timely warning, and he also put a moratorium on evictions in his country after just seeing how many people were being booted from their homes without even knowing that their landlords were unable to make their mortgage payments.
Sheriff Dart is here with us now. Thanks for being with us this morning.
SHERIFF TOM DART, COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS: Thanks for having me.
CHETRY: First of all, what an honor, I imagine, you found out about two weeks ago that you were chosen as "TIME's" 100 Most Influential People in the world. How big of an honor was that and what was it like last night?
DART: You know, it was an amazing honor. And I've been really humbled by it. And the event last night was really enjoyable. I really thoroughly enjoyed it. Told people that I probably wouldn't otherwise not run into.
CHETRY: Did you see Oprah, Barbara Walters, the first lady? DART: Yes. There's people I normally wouldn't come across in my daily day. But it was really nice. I really enjoyed it.
CHETRY: It's interesting because you did make headlines for two different reasons. And first of all, talk about Craigslist. You filed a lawsuit back in March saying you've got to remove this erotic services part from the site, it's dangerous and it's difficult to police.
So we now we have this so-called Craigslist killer, Philip Markoff, who's charged with murdering a masseuse that he met on this very site. So what needs to happen now in your opinion?
DART: It's been so simple and straightforward from the beginning. They need to either shut that one aspect of their Web site down or they need to monitor it. What -- they try to keep selling to people that there's some monitoring device going on. And there's absolutely nothing.
And as a result of that, we arrest children who are being prostituted out on the list. We have come across human trafficking cases. Horrific cases going on over and over again where, if they would just do minor things, minor monitoring, we could remove that. But they showed no interest.
CHETRY: Let me ask you about -- let me ask you this. Because the CEO of Craigslist, Jim Buckmaster, said what they've done is you have to pay in the post in the erotic services section with a credit card, $5 to $10. They say that what -- and you have to have a working phone and they're saying that that makes it easier to track if these people are suspicious. That's not helping?
DART: We never had problems tracking them before. I mean I -- this wasn't -- I wasn't clairvoyant when I was making these arrests. We had no problem coming across the people to arrest. So when they make this case that they're -- actually assisting us, it's complete fallacy. It's not true.
CHETRY: So what do you think should happen? They need to police the site or they need to shut it down?
DART: Either one, I'm fine with, but I prefer if they find there's some value then police it. But I suggest that there's no value to it. Be no different frankly than if someone ran a site that was selling narcotics. And we would say, no one would tell you. We'll just police it better. They'd say no, it's hijacked by people for criminal purposes. Get rid of it. And that would be the appropriate thing.
CHETRY: And we know that they're still in talks with three attorneys general about the situation.
DART: And I believe -- yesterday I believe the attorney general from South Carolina said that if there's some movement soon he's going to criminally charge them, which I think will take things a little bit further. CHETRY: And we're keeping tabs on that situation. Also you became known as the sheriff at the heart because you decided to cut all evictions relations to foreclosures. That was back in October.
You said that your deputies are showing up at these properties, and these were renters who had no idea that their landlord was in foreclosure. Has there been progress made?
DART: There's been some minor progress in our state. The difficulty, though, our numbers have exploded. And they continue to go up. So there's really no end in sight, at least in our state as far as the escalation of the foreclosures.
There's been some change in the behavior of the people seeking the foreclosure where they're now actually complying with what we'd request with the notification and letting people know what's going on. But I'm still walking in the house where there are complete consternation and people have no idea why I'm there. So we still have quite a ways to go and it's still a mess.
CHETRY: All right. Well, hopefully there will be movement that. I know that they've been trying that but look at the federal level and with some of these banks but it is a big problem still.
DART: Yes, definitely. Senator Durbin had a bill that we're really hopeful about. And unfortunately, that did not pass. But that was going to give some relief to some people.
CHETRY: All right. Well, it great to have you with us, Sheriff Tom Dart.
DART: Thanks so much for having me.
CHETRY: Hope you enjoy New York a little bit before you head home?
DART: I sure will.
CHETRY: To your four kids and one more on the way.
(LAUGHTER)
DART: Yes.
CHETRY: And your lovely wife, I'm sure. Nice to see you.
DART: Thank you so much.
CHETRY: Thank you so much.
ROBERTS: Nice to see you this morning.
Time now to take a look at stories that are new this morning. The government says Bank of America needs to find another $33.9 billion in capital in case the economy gets worse. That from "The New York Times" and Bloomberg News. Even though the results from stress tests on the nation's 19 biggest banks are not due out until tomorrow.
Speaking of "The New York Times," it's raising its prices for the second time in less than a year because of a steep drop in revenue. Starting June 1st, you'll be paying 2 bucks, Monday through Saturday, up from $1.50, and $6 up from $5 on Sunday.
Don't leave it in the driveway.
Plus, Elizabeth Edwards opens up to Oprah about her husband's painful affair. But why do women stay with husbands who aren't faithful? We're talking to clinical psychologist Dr. Jeff Gardere coming up next. 35 minutes now after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. Thirty- eight minutes past the hour.
Elizabeth Edwards, wife of former presidential candidate John Edwards, is breaking her silence on her husband's affair. She sat down for an exclusive interview with Oprah ahead of her new book that's coming out, and talked in depth about her husband's infidelity. And she also talked about the one gift that she asked for before her wedding 31 years ago.
Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELIZABETH EDWARDS, WIFE OF FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE JOHN EDWARDS: I want him to be faithful to me. It was enormously important to me.
WINFREY: You said no rings, no flowers.
EDWARDS: Yes. And I'm -- no, this is a necklace of my mother's, but I'm not much of a jewelry person. I actually jammed my finger, so I can't even wear my wedding ring right now. But, you know, I don't care about those kinds of things.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: So we heard from Elizabeth Edwards and a lot of people are wondering why so many women seem to stay when their husbands stray. Joining me now is clinical psychologist Dr. Jeff Gardere.
Thanks for being with us this morning.
DR. JEFF GARDERE, CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST: Good morning.
CHETRY: A large percentage of people stay simply because they can't afford not to. I don't know if that's the situation with the Edwards'...
GARDERE: I don't think so.
CHETRY: Right.
GARDERE: Yes.
CHETRY: Because they do have a lot of money. But what is -- what do you think when you hear her, when you hear her talking so candidly about Oprah and also writing about it in the book about this, you know, very public shame for the family.
GARDERE: Well, I think -- of course, they've been married for 31 years.
CHETRY: Right.
GARDERE: So, there's a lot of history there. Three children. That you'd lost a child in an accident. So, because they have that history, there is a dedication on both their parts. But what I'm hearing is a woman who is very, very strong, who is dealt with illness, her own illness, her own mortality.
And studies tend to show that people who have terminal illnesses tend to be a lot more forgiving to their spouses with infidelities or other sorts of issues than people who have not had these sorts of illnesses.
CHETRY: But let's be honest, everybody I talked to, everybody who here this just says, he is such a jerk, you know, how could he do that to her. How could she stay with him?
GARDERE: Well, studies have shown that at least 25 percent of men have had affairs versus 17 percent of women. And some psychologists say those numbers are as high as 50 percent for some men and women. So she stayed with them because most people tend to stay in their marriages after an extra-marital affair.
As a matter of fact, they can even use that as a catalyst to look at what was wrong in the marriage to begin with and what they can do to repair the marriage and go on and have a stronger marriage.
People don't just walk away from marriages because of extra- marital affairs.
CHETRY: All right, well...
GARDERE: It just doesn't happen in that way.
CHETRY: All right. Well, then, let's throw in another very, very complicating and probably painful situation. That is, apparently, the allegation that perhaps the baby from Rielle Hunter may be John Edwards'.
GARDERE: Yes.
CHETRY: Let's listen to what Elizabeth said about that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WINFREY: The other woman has a baby.
EDWARDS: That's what I understand.
WINFREY: And there is great speculation that your husband, John Edwards, is the father of that baby.
EDWARDS: That's what I understand. I have seen the picture of the baby. I have no idea. Doesn't look like my children but I don't have any idea.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GARDERE: Well, that's a very, very tough situation. Because now we're talking about if it is his baby, and by the way, Miss Hunter says that she doesn't want any paternity tests taken even though he offered to do one, if that's his child, then he will have to have the relationship with the mother of this child.
So that complicates the marriage between John and Elizabeth Edwards. That is always a tough thing.
CHETRY: Which she also -- right.
And she also said to Oprah when she said do you still love him? And she said that's a complicated question. Is there a time when you realized, you know what, I'm just not going to be able to forgive. It's healthier for both of us to -- if we walk away.
GARDERE: Well, I think if you're in situation of where they're been, a number of extramarital affairs or that extramarital affairs hurt so much that you can't seem to recover. But at the end of the day, even if you walk away from that marriage, you have to forgive, not so much for the partner who cheated but for yourself so that you can move on to a healthier relationship or that next person who comes in to your life will suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous misfortune because of what you've gone through.
So, it's for your own healing if nothing else. But, really, the bottom line is here that people can recover from extra-marital affairs and their marriages can become stronger. That being said, they shouldn't have an extra-marital affair in order to have a stronger marriage so or use that as an excuse.
CHETRY: All right. All right, Jeff Gardere, always great to talk to you. Thanks so much for being with us.
GARDERE: My pleasure. Thank you.
CHETRY: John?
ROBERTS: Right now if you look her up on Wikipedia, you can get her measurement. Soon, party affiliation may be there, too. Meet the porn star who's considering a run for the Senate. Live at 8:30 this morning. How serious is she about it?
And just when you thought you'd heard of the last botched photo- op of a low-flying plane to terrified New Yorkers, a new twist -- the White House makes a controversial decision. See what they plan to do with the publicity photos that were shot that day.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Wake up, Fort Lauderdale. Going to be a beautiful day. It's partly cloudy, 80 degrees right now. Later on, sunny and a high of 85. At least there's one part of the east coast that's got some nice weather today.
Extreme weather happening right now in North . Our Rob Marciano is tracking the latest conditions. He's got that for us.
(WEATHER REPORT)
CHETRY: All right. Well, the push for peace in the Middle East. The Obama administration wants the Palestinian state. Israel's new prime minister seems to be against it. So how does the process go forward?
We have the very first interview with Israel's ambassador- designate to the United States, Michael Oren.
Also right-wing radio host, Michael Savage, banned from Britain. Is he as threatening as Muslim extremists? He's threatening to sue now. The story heating up the free speech debate. It's 48 minutes past the hour.
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ROBERTS: Well, women have the pill and men may soon have the shots. A new study shows that testosterone injections may be an effective form of male birth control.
We're "Paging our Dr. Sanjay Gupta" this morning. CNN's chief medical correspondent is joining us here.
So, thus far, long term contraception has really been, I guess, more than anything else, a responsibility for women unless, of course, you're a guy.
(LAUGHTER)
CHETRY: Come on.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You had planned that all morning, weren't you?
ROBERTS: Is this going to change, though, the equation?
GUPTA: Well, we're not there yet. I'm changed as a result of this segment.
CHETRY: He was cutting his hair earlier.
GUPTA: No, but you know, it's interesting because people have been talking about this for some time. It's been in development, this idea that testosterone can inhibit sperm production. And then they've known that for sometime. The question was, how well would it work exactly?
And that's finally what, I think, researchers have put to the test, this institute. Interestingly enough, out of Beijing. The National Institute of Family Planning out of Beijing, studied this injection, testosterone injection in men and about 1,000 men and what they found in men 20 to 45, it was very effective. About 99 percent effective.
So as effective as a lot of the other contraceptions that are out there, John. Also reversible, within four to six -- not as effective as (INAUDIBLE) necessarily. Reversal within four to six months. So you stop taking the testosterone injections and you'll actually have a reversal as well. So your sperm production would come back up.
Safety studies haven't been done yet. That's something a lot of people are going to ask for. And look at the bottom line there. And I'm not sure why this is. We tried to figure this out but not as effective in Caucasian men versus Chinese men.
This study was primarily done in men in China. So may need to add some other sort of hormone. Maybe progesterone or something.
ROBERTS: So I have a question here. You know because a lot of men as they get into advancing age are beginning to take testosterone supplements to try to stay more vigorous later in life. And they're always cautioned by the doctor to get their prostate checked...
GUPTA: That's right.
ROBERTS: ... because adding testosterone can sometimes lead to prostate cancer. So, might this open up a whole new round for developing prostate cancer.
GUPTA: No question. And that's part of the safety studies, I think, they need do. The doses are going to be lower here, overall. And they might mix something like progesterone. So it may not have as much as the anabolic sort of effect.
I mean I get bulky as a result of taking these sorts of doses for birth control. It's an injection about every eight to ten weeks. You have to remember that. You know that's one thing men just seem to forget or everybody seems to forget taking those sorts of pills and again, just waiting for the longer term studies that is to come out.
You didn't realize that they'll actually inject you on the way in, so we're going to find out about eight to ten weeks...
(LAUGHTER)
CHETRY: The other thing, though, is OK. Are women going to trust the guys --oh, honey, I'm on the shot. Don't worry.
GUPTA: Well, you know, I mean they actually asked the question, how much of this should be the responsibility of the men versus the woman?
CHETRY: Right.
GUPTA: And you know, obviously, much of the onus is on women now. But there's -- there are other forms of birth control that men are responsible for now. So this may be no different, although this is an injection, so different than a pill.
CHETRY: All right. Well.
ROBERTS: All right, Sanjay. Fascinating stuff.
GUPTA: This is going to go in a lot of different directions.
ROBERTS: Yes, it doesn't work, is that what you...
(LAUGHTER)
CHETRY: The last that you guys need is more testosterone this morning. All right, thanks, Sanjay.
ROBERTS: Thanks.
CHETRY: Well, here's what we're working on for you today.
Iran could be the biggest roadblock to Middle East peace. Israel says it will do whatever it takes to keep Tehran from developing nuclear weapons. We're talking exclusively with Israel's ambassador designate to the U.S., Michael Oren.
Also at 8:30 the porn star who may try her hand at politics joins us live. Stormy Daniels on whether she's seriously considering a run for the Senate. It's 54 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Michelle Obama walking New York sidewalks for the first time as first lady, and during yesterday's visit she wowed the international crowd at the United Nations and then took center stage right here at the Time Warner Center.
CNN's Carol Costello is live in Washington for us this morning. And, Carol, did she steal the show at Times' annual gala?
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I would say yes, John. You know she conquered Britain, she conquered France, and it was her turn to conquer New York. It was a star-studded event celebrating "TIME" magazine's 100 Most Influential People.
Happened last night at the Time Warner Center in New York. The night was actually dedicated to the movers and shakers of the political business and entertainment world, but it was Michelle Obama who stole the show.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) M. OBAMA: Events like this want to show how truly connected our world is. How one person's invention can create an entirely new economy. How one person can change how we see the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: OK, she looked good. As an honoree, the first lady spoke of how public service changed her life and then she announced the president's $50 million plan to promote national service.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
M. OBAMA: Tonight I am pleased to announce that as part of the New Serve America Act the Obama administration -- still love saying that -- is creating a social innovation fund. The idea of the fund is simple. Find the most effective programs out there and then provide them with the capital needed to replicate their success in communities around the country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Now although he wasn't at the gala, the president was named as one of "TIME's" 100 along with a wide range of people including Treasury secretary Timothy Geithner, Rush Limbaugh, the guys who created Twitter, and even "High School Musical" star Zac Efron.
ROBERTS: You know the first lady, while she was in New York, Carol, also visited the United States Mission to the United Nations. Was that just part of her meet and greet that she's been doing throughout Washington and other areas as well?
COSTELLO: Yes, actually it was. She was there to simply say thank you to federal employees. You know, the first lady, as you said, John, visited many federal agencies here in Washington. So on her first trip as first lady to the big apple she wanted to do the same thing.
She wanted to thank federal workers in New York. And actually during that visit, she talked about her "Sesame Street" debut because she did that, too, when she was in New York and she said how thrilled she was to be on the show and appeared next to Elmo there.
(LAUGHTER)
But probably the most interesting thing about her visit is the fact that she wore the same dress that she wore during the president's first day and I say interestingly facetiously.
(LAUGHTER)
She went shopping in her closet and she brought back a dress designed by Tracy Feith. So she was repurposing.
ROBERTS: Yes.
COSTELLO: And that's economical and good in these times. ROBERTS: So she wore it on January 21st. And then May 5th. That's a pretty staggered rotation, I would say, wouldn't you?
COSTELLO: Yes, but for a first lady people notice those things so I think she was kind of brave.
(LAUGHTER)
ROBERTS: Well, I certainly rotate my clothes a lot more than she does.
Carol Costello for us this morning. Carol, thanks so much.
