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CNN Sunday Morning
Battle Inside Pakistan; Obama's Quips at the White House Correspondents Dinner
Aired May 10, 2009 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: We have a developing story out of Pakistan this morning. Some 200 Taliban militants have been killed within the past 24 hours. We're going to have the latest on that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRES. BARACK OBAMA, UNITED STATES: Dick Cheney was supposed to be here, but he is very busy working on his memoirs, tentatively titled, "How to shoot friends and interrogate people."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: The president is taking a shot at just about everybody last night -- a night of laughter, a little break from some of the harder politics last night. Also, a lot of Hollywood stars.
President Obama center stage at the correspondents' dinner. Nobody was immune on his jokes, not even Hillary Clinton or the vice president.
NGUYEN: Plus, couples, listen up, because we are talking religion and sex. Do couples who pray together have better sex? Well, we're going to find out in our Faces of Faith.
HOLMES: Yes, here we are from our CNN Center. This is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. Happy Mother's Day to you all on this May the 10th. It's 8 o'clock here at our headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia; 7:00 a.m. in St. Louis, Missouri. I'm T.J. Holmes.
NGUYEN: Good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen. Happy Mother's Day. Thanks for being with us.
Let's start with that developing story that I mentioned just a few seconds ago. The humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Pakistan. The Pakistani government, though, claims to have killed some 200 militants over the past 24 hours. But the fierce fighting has hundreds of thousands of civilians caught in the crossfire and just scrambling to find safety.
CNN international correspondent Reza Sayah is live in Islamabad with the latest on this offensive.
What do you know, Reza? REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Betty, this is day four. The operation the Pakistani army is calling a full-scale offensive against the Taliban in the Swat valley. According to the army, over the past 24 hours, they have killed another 200 militants and taken back from the Taliban some strategically important areas. But it is important to note that CNN cannot independently verify this information because the reporters are banned from that region.
We can also report more civilian casualties. We've spoken to citizens who have fled the fighting area, the battle zone. And they're telling us that many of these citizens are being killed from indiscriminate fire from the army. But we have the Pakistani army saying, no, this is militants killing civilians by planting improvised explosive devices or using civilians as human shields.
But that's where things stand on this operation, that's designed to defeat the Taliban. Betty, over the past year and a half, the Pakistani army has launched more than half a dozen offensives against the Taliban. They have yet to defeat them. This time, they say, things will be different in much of the world, including the Obama administration is keeping a close eye to see if they're right -- Betty?
NGUYEN: No doubt. But when we hear these numbers, at least the questions, for example, since journalists have been banned from the battle zone, where's the proof that these some 200 Taliban militants have been killed?
SAYAH: Well, there is no proof. What we are doing is talking to as many journalists as possible. And what we have to do is take the word of the Pakistani military. What they're telling us, every day, they're updating militant death tolls and they're saying some militant leaders have been killed, but they have yet to gain control.
The difficulty on our part is not being able to independently verify. But, we can also tell you that the humanitarian crisis is also deteriorating, because the challenge here for the army is telling the militants apart from these insurgents. These are insurgents that don't wear uniforms. They can easily set aside their weapons and blend in with the crowd.
The military strategy has been to clear out the area for nine hours today. They lifted the curfew. A lot of people left, adding to the humanitarian crisis that's already seeing close to 500,000 people leave the area -- Betty?
NGUYEN: And, so you have two very intense situations taking place at this hour. Reza Sayah joining us live from Islamabad with the latest -- thank you, Reza.
HOLMES: An historic day in Amman, Jordan. Pope Benedict delivered his first open-air mass in the Middle East.
He spoke before thousands in Amman's international stadium. The pontiff called on Middle East Christians to hold their faith despite hardships threatening their communities. He urged the faithful to oppose terrorism through their good examples. He also called for greater respect for women, saying that the God-given role of women has not always been esteemed.
The Pope now moves to Israel. He'll be there tomorrow. Preparations are being made for his visit there. The Pope is on an eight-day tour of the Holy Land, which also includes a visit to the Palestinian territories.
NGUYEN: Well, back here in the U.S., the president got a chance to lighten up a little bit last night with some of those who cover his administration. He landed some one-liners at the annual White House Correspondents dinner and he served as the opening act for comedian Wanda Sykes.
HOLMES: The crowd filled with a lot of media pros, those folks who covered him, of course. Also, a whole lot of celebrities. More celebrities this year, some are saying, than they've seen in years past.
But the president's favorite target of the evening may have been himself.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: All in all, with we're proud of the change we've brought to Washington in these first 100 days, but we've got a lot of work left to do, as all of you know. So, I would like to talk a little bit about what my administration plans to achieve in the next 100 days.
During the second 100 days, we will design, build, and open a library dedicated to my first 100 days.
(LAUGHTER)
OBAMA: It's going to be big, folks. In the next 100 days, I will learn to go off the prompter and Joe Biden will learn to stay on the prompter.
(LAUGHTER)
(APPLAUSE)
OBAMA: In the next 100 days, our bipartisan outreach will be so successful that even John Boehner will consider becoming a Democrat. After all, we have a lot in common. He is a person of color. Although not a color that appears in the natural world.
(LAUGHTER)
OBAMA: What's up, John?
In the next 100 days, I will meet with a leader who rules over millions with an iron fist, who owns the airwaves and uses his power to crush all who would challenge his authority at the ballot box. It's good to see you, Mayor Bloomberg. In the next 100 days, we will house train our dog Bo, because the last thing Tim Geithner needs is someone else treating him like a fire hydrant.
(LAUGHTER)
OBAMA: In the next 100 days, I will strongly consider losing my cool.
Finally, I believe that my next 100 days will be so successful, I will be able to complete them in 72 days. And on the 73rd day, I will rest.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(LAUGHTER)
NGUYEN: That's some pretty good ones there.
HOLMES: It was pretty good. Good writers, whoever was behind that, you don't know who was.
NGUYEN: Oh, there was a portion you didn't see, though, when he was talking he's going to go off the cuff, and all of the sudden, these teleprompters rise up on both sides of him. You know, he's got a little flak for that as well.
HOLMES: For not being able -- and we saw this a couple weeks ago, he's actually giving a speech, I believe it was at the Science Institute, actually, the prompter went down and he had to stop and say, "Hey, somebody, catch up." I mean, he just couldn't go off the cuff.
NGUYEN: We have those moments every now and then.
HOLMES: Us?
NGUYEN: You more than me. No, I'm kidding. I'm kidding.
(LAUGHTER)
NGUYEN: All right. Let's get to some of the stars that were there last night, because they really shined. Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher. You know, I'm getting a lot of people who are asking, "Why so many stars at these events?"
HOLMES: Well, he has been able, I mean, since -- during the campaign, been able to attract very much a celebrity crowd. I mean, oftentimes, you hear about celebrities, Hollywood supporting Democrats anyway, but he has been able to do something a little more special. Even Alicia Keys we saw a clip with her ...
NGUYEN: Right.
HOLMES: ... saying she's been invited to these things before, but this was the year she decided to come.
NGUYEN: Yes. She felt that it was appropriate to come this year. And we're looking at some of the stars behind us. But we've been asking you what you thought about it. Were his jokes on par? Should he keep his day job?
And we got some interesting ones because you didn't see a whole lot of Wanda Sykes there, but she the comedian that was entertaining as well. And let me go to my Facebook page just real quick because -- Jason says, "Wanda was getting too serious about Rush Limbaugh. I think the president is a bit more funny because he's not a comedian."
And there were some pretty serious jokes when it came to that. And as you can see in there, where you stand is on it. But then, I guess, 68 (ph) on Twitter says, "The president was great, Wanda was good, but people will complain, although what she said was true." So, people are taking note about those Rush Limbaugh jokes.
HOLMES: People will complain. I mean, you can't make everybody happy, of course. But it was for the most part, a light evening, everybody enjoyed and enjoyed the jokes and they took them in the spirit in which they were intended.
NGUYEN: Yes, they did.
HOLMES: All right. More to come on that. Please keep your comments coming to us, though.
We want to turn now out to California, and the wildfire in Santa Barbara. It seems that cool ocean breeze can do wonders. This morning, neighborhood residents forced to evacuate have now returned home. There was a mandatory evacuation order. That has now been lifted.
The winds blowing off the Pacific helped firefighters make some major progress. The fire now about 40 percent contained. We're being told it was just 10 percent yesterday. Full containment expected by Wednesday. About 9,000 acres have burned since last Tuesday. Nearly 80 homes and businesses have been damage or destroyed.
NGUYEN: Let's get the latest on the weather outside. Reynolds Wolf has been watching it very carefully this weekend. And you've been quite busy with this, Reynolds. It seems like every week, and we've got severe weather.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, no doubt. And this morning, on Mother's Day, it's no different, because people are getting a rude awakening in parts of Arkansas and into Tennessee at this hour. We got some strong storms that are popping up, mainly south of Little Rock, north of El Dorado, right along parts of I-30 corridor. In Clarksdale, you're seeing the rainfall, heaviest rain just in the north of you. And in Tupelo and back in Columbus, give it time, you're going to have some scattered showers there too later on.
Let me show a little bit of an iReport that we had just sent just yesterday, from Tracy Brown of Kingsport, Tennessee. You're going to show you that iReport, again, a shot of a funnel cloud. Just an amazing thing to see as she was crossing the roadway. You see also here some damage.
Here's some of the widespread damage that you had in parts of Tennessee today. Many people are going to be cleaning. A lot of places are without power. Certainly, rough times to spend Mother's Day.
One of the reasons why we've seen that rough weather has actually been quite simple. You see the stationary front that's been lingering across part of the southeast. So, I would say from extreme east Texas, not far from College Station, right through parts of Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and even into South Georgia, good chance of strong storms, especially by late into the afternoon. So, keep that in mind. Mainly, the biggest threat is going to be small hail, damaging winds, heavy rainfall. And there will be the potential of some isolated tornadoes by late into the afternoon hours.
Now, in terms of your temperatures, looks like it's going to be a fairly mild day. Take a look at this. You'll notice -- well, actually, your numbers aren't out there, but I guarantee your numbers are going to be mainly into the 70s, 80s.
Let's just get that one out of there. I can tell you, your temperatures are going to be up into the 90s for parts of Florida. In Atlanta, mainly some 70s and the mix of sunshine and clouds. Fairly nice day for you up in parts of the northeast with a little bit of a breeze kicking in, especially by the late afternoon with some scattered showers coming in off the lake.
And look at this, a little bit of snowfall. The snowfall that will never end for parts of Colorado. If you're tuning in, say, from Steamboat going out to the slopes, things will be fine for you today.
And then, of course, back in California, we're seeing that moisture return. A lot of fog this morning in the L.A. Basin. And in Santa Barbara, the humidity is up. The fire about 40 percent contained. Certainly better conditions for you. And hopefully, they'll get a better handle on that fire later on today.
That is a look at your forecast. It is Mother's Day. Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. Let's send it back to you at the desk.
NGUYEN: Yes. Happy Mother's Day, mom.
WOLF: Exactly.
NGUYEN: You're calling yours later today?
(CROSSTALK)
NGUYEN: Just go ahead and say it right now.
WOLF: Oh, I think you're asking. Yes, I'm calling T.J.'s mom. Of course. (LAUGHTER)
NGUYEN: And didn't know y'all were related? OK.
HOLMES: They have an odd relationship. I'm still trying to figure that thing out.
All right. Reynolds, thank you, buddy.
WOLF: You bet, guys.
NGUYEN: Speaking of moms and children, did you know that there was a bit of a baby boom on Capitol Hill? Oh, yes, changing diapers, making laws -- it's all in a day's work for congressional mothers.
HOLMES: Also this morning, we are going to be talking about the most intimate thing you can do with your spouse.
NGUYEN: Yes. And that is?
HOLMES: It's prayer. What did you think I was talking about?
NGUYEN: You're also talking about sex, too.
HOLMES: We're talking about prayer here. But no ...
NGUYEN: And sex.
HOLMES: OK. Do you want to say it one more time, Betty?
NGUYEN: That's what it's about. Only the truth here, folks.
(CROSSTALK)
HOLMES: Oh, my goodness gracious.
NGUYEN: (INAUDIBLE)
HOLMES: We got a couple -- Betty, you should stop talking right about now. We'll be talking to a couple this morning, a couple of authors here who say that couples who pray together do have better sex lives. Also, they less likely to get divorced and they argue less.
So, tell us if you think prayer and faith can improve your sex life. Please. We've been getting some comments on Facebook and Twitter ...
NGUYEN: We're getting a lot of comments for that.
HOLMES: We're begging you to keep it clean. Some of this stuff is not going to be making on air. But we're going to be talking to them in our Faces of Faith. Send your comments in.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC) HOLMES: All right. Are you ready to go to the post office and fork out more for that stamp tomorrow? Two cents price hike happening tomorrow. It seems like we get another two-cent hike every now and again. But it's going to be up to 44 cents now. The post office has been hit -- just like everybody else in these economic times, have been operating in the red for quite some time, a couple billion dollars behind right now.
Now, there are also the forever stamps they've introduced a year or so ago. Those, if you do have them, no matter how much stamps go up to, you can always use those forever stamps, hence the name, forever. But two cents, it will cost you a little more for a letter starting tomorrow.
NGUYEN: Well, being a mother is a tough job, whether you stayed at home or you travel to work. That's not stopping a growing number of women on Capitol Hill where a baby boom is under way. Senior congressional correspondent Dana Bash has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Come on. Let's take your brother to school.
DANA BASH, CNN SR. CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: At 8:30 a.m., Kirsten Gillibrand looks like any other working mom in a minivan, dropping off her baby at day care, another at school. But one hour later -- she's gaveling the Senate into session. Senator Gillibrand is part of a different kind of change in Washington, a baby boom among female lawmakers.
John Henry is 11 months old.
SEN. KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND, (D) NEW YORK: I think it makes me and the other women who have had kids better legislators, because we really understand some of the struggles that other moms and other families face every day.
BASH: Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin says she had Zachary just five months ago. He's on the waiting list of congressional day care. So, she's usually with a nanny or family. Like Gillibrand, she juggles legislating with breast-feeding.
REP. STEPHANIE HERSETH SANDLIN, (D) SOUTH DAKOTA: We try to carve out that 20 minutes or so that I need, but all of a sudden, we will have a series of vote, I've got constituents waiting. Sometimes, I take my black bag, you know, with my breast pump over to the Capitol. There's a lady's reading room.
BASH: Herseth Sandlin was only the seventh lawmaker in history to give birth while serving, Gillibrand, the sixth.
But those numbers are now climbing faster because of a new dynamic for women in politics. Most used to take Speaker Nancy Pelosi's path, have kids, then run for office. Not anymore. GILLIBRAND: There's a lot more interest in younger women beginning to look at public service earlier. And when we look at public service earlier, it means we have children while we're serving. It's good for the Congress.
HERSETH SANDLIN: Our approach to policies that were important to us before, but become even more important -- whether it's early childhood development and how you fund it, child care, quality child care.
BASH: Both women admit it's easier for them to balance babies and work than most moms since they're the boss.
GILLIBRAND: The one difference I might have is I might have to go back for votes, or might have votes, you know, during a drop off -- a pickup time usually.
BASH: Those are unique challenges. But luckily ...
HERSETH SANDLIN: I've got a lot of, you know, support -- a great support network.
BASH: A growing network of new moms serving in Congress.
Dana Bash, CNN, Capitol Hill.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Happy Mother's Day to them as well up on Capitol Hill. And our CNN senior congressional correspondent, Dana Bash, was mingling, actually, with the Obamas last night, the Washington elites.
NGUYEN: A lot of people were.
HOLMES: A lot of celebrities at the big dinner last night.
NGUYEN: Yes. The White House Correspondents dinner, and so was our John King. And he tells us what the cameras missed and the previews of the big guests on "STATE OF THE UNION" today.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Well, tomorrow, President Obama will begin the week with a visit from the University of North Carolina men's basketball team. He picked them to win the NCAA tournament and they did not let him down.
Now, later in the week, he's going to give the commencement address at Arizona State University on Wednesday. Remember, that school is naming a scholarship for the president instead of giving him an honorary degree.
And then on Thursday, he is expected to host a town hall meeting in New Mexico.
All right. So, the serious business of government gave way to laughter at the White House last night. "STATE OF THE UNION WITH JOHN KING" is coming up at the top of the hour. In fact, he was there.
HOLMES: John was there, was looking good last night. We talked to Paul Steinhauser this morning. He was there as well. Glad you guys could make it up. I know it's a big party night.
You know, do this for us. A lot of people were watching and waiting to see what the president was going to deliver with this comedy routine, this stand-up act, if you will. But folks outside the beltway, they see these pictures, they know it was a big event last night. Put in perspective for folks just how big of a deal this night is in Washington.
JOHN KING, HOST, "STATE OF THE UNION": Well, it's like 3,500 of your closest friends, T.J. and Betty, just packed into a room. This was interesting because this was President Obama's first dinner that he came to. There are several big press dinners in Washington every year, but this was the first one he came to. So, it was interesting looking around the room.
At the end of the Bush administration, this is not a political statement. When you get in to year seven or year eight, there's less of a draw for people to come to these big dinners. So, you don't get the celebrities.
But the first Obama dinner, there was a mix of Hollywood, a mix of Wall Street, a mix of New York finance, a mix, of course, of all the political figures. So, it was a remarkably diverse and interesting room last night. And I just want to make T.J. a little jealous down there, but I had Tyra Banks at my table. Alicia Keys came over to say hello, got to meet Natalie Portman.
As for a guy, it wouldn't a bad night if you were a guy.
NGUYEN: No, not all. OK, let me ask you this. I mean, you were hobnobbing with these celebs and these politicos. Who were you impressed by the most?
KING: Who's I'm impressed by the most. You know, the president gave a pretty good speech. He's not known as a naturally funny guy, but he's a very good performer and a very good deliverer, and he was very, very funny.
And it was well-written, what the president did and he poked mostly fun at himself and his administration. Sometimes the president pokes fun at us, and there's plenty of material, of course. But he mostly poked fun at himself and the administration. It was pretty good. I was impressed with the president's performance, if you will.
Around the room, it was just an interesting group of people. I mean, Steven Spielberg was there, had a nice conversation with him. We were talking about the new Israeli government. A lot of these guys came in from Hollywood and you think, you want to talk to them about what movie project that they're working on or who's your favorite actor, or what was your favorite film. But they want to ask us a lot about policy issues. So, it's an interesting conversation.
HOLMES: All right. Let's get back to Alicia Keys for just a second, if you can here, John.
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: No, I'm teasing. Tell us -- we know there were a couple quips he made. One was about John Boehner, about the pigment, if you will, of his skin. You know, there were a few things. He was taking shot at a few people, also at Vice President Cheney. Was there ever a moment where it seemed like the room got a little, like, ooh, that was a little harsh there -- got a little uncomfortable?
KING: No, I mean, the president's jokes were pretty good. He did -- John Boehner, if you don't know, the Republican in the House always has a tan, even his own friends call him "Congressman Perm-a- tan."
(LAUGHTER)
KING: And so, President Obama is making a joke, you know, that they have something in common, they're both men of color. So, it's an interesting joke there. It was interesting having a president -- look, he's the first African-American president. He's up there saying things like wazzup to people -- I can't even come close, sorry.
HOLMES: Try that one more time though, what was it, John?
NGUYEN: Yes.
KING: No, once is enough.
(LAUGHTER)
KING: It was quite interesting. Some of the jokes by Wanda Sykes, the comedian who performed, did cause some groans and some ...
NGUYEN: Yes, I wanted to ask you about that.
KING: ... some uncomfortable moments in the room.
NGUYEN: Especially when she was speaking of Rush Limbaugh, I know we've gotten a lot of traffic on our Twitter and Facebook pages about that. How did that go over?
KING: Some people were laughing because most of the jokes leading up to it were very funny, and people were laughing, and then you could sort of sense a little bit of the oxygen come out of the room, people start to cringe a little bit.
You know, I don't give personal opinions that often, but I give you one here. I think that one was probably a tad over the taste line and you could sense that around the room. Even Democrats who are no fan of Rush Limbaugh, a lot of them had a little bit of a cringe at that moment.
HOLMES: All right. Well, we know you're not just going to be talking about this White House Correspondents dinner on your show coming up at 9 o'clock Eastern Time. So, tell us, what do we have on "STATE OF THE UNION"?
KING: Well, we'll talk to General David Petraeus. He is, of course, the head of the U.S. Central Command and he is in charge of the U.S. military efforts in Afghanistan and overseeing U.S. efforts to help Pakistan deal with the Taliban right now, that insurgency threatening the government of Pakistan, the military offense now against the Taliban insurgents. So, we'll ask General Petraeus to rate how Pakistan is doing in that effort, to discuss the situation in Afghanistan, also, in Iraq.
And we'll have two Democrats -- two senators, I'm sorry, Democrat Bob Casey and Republican Bob Corker. They were in the room when the presidents of Pakistan and Afghanistan went to Capitol Hill and said, "We need your support, we need more money from the people of the United States." So, we'll ask them to take us inside the room to see if the leaders of Pakistan and Afghanistan made the case that they should get billions and billions of dollars more in taxpayer dollars.
NGUYEN: All right. Thank you so much for that.
KING: Thank you, guys.
NGUYEN: We are looking forward to "STATE OF THE UNION" coming up at the top of the hour, John King.
HOLMES: Thanks, John.
KING: Thank you, guys.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Hello, everybody. We do begin with the exodus from Pakistan's Swat Valley. Intense fighting between government troops and Taliban militants has forced thousands to flee. The United Nations says more than 300,000 civilians may be caught in the cross fire. The Pakistani government lifted a curfew imposed on the region for a few hours to allow civilians to leave.
HOLMES: Pope Benedict celebrating a historic mass this morning in Amman, Jordan. He urged increased respect for women in the Middle East. This is the Pope's first trip to the Holy Land. Christian/Islamic ties were strained a bit three years ago, after the Pope quoted a critic of the prophet Mohammed.
NGUYEN: The head of the Transportation Authority in Boston says he will ban bus and train employees from carrying cell phones on the job. His announcement comes in the wake of Friday's trolley crash that injured 20 people. Police say the trolley driver was texting just seconds before he slammed into another trolley.
HOLMES: A nationwide manhunt for a suspected killer ends in the Georgia woods. Police confirm a University of Georgia professor wanted for killing his estranged wife and two men is dead. George Zinkhan's body was found about ten miles from the school's campus in Athens, Georgia. And while the discovery offers at least one answer, it prompts a whole lot more questions. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Holy Jesus, he's a professor at University of Georgia.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: The mystery surrounding University of Georgia marketing professor, George Zinkhan, likely ended about a mile from where police found his wrecked Jeep Liberty last week. We're told police found his body with two guns nearby, about 10 miles from campus.
CHIEF JOSEPH LUMPKIN, ATHENS-CLARKE CO. POLICE: The body has been there for a period of time.
HOLMES: Zinkhan is suspected of killing his wife and two acquaintances in broad daylight outside the community theater where she worked.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think he shot the people that he meant to shoot.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Eight gunshots, six gunshots, no one really knew exactly how many. But a woman even told us that she has been -- just talked inside the theater and saw a little girl running out with her doll in her hand.
HOLMES: That was April 25th. Police began searching for the professor on land and by air. There were no signs of Zinkhan. A nationwide alert offered the same result. Then, this weekend, all that changed when a team of determined volunteers and two cadaver dogs went back to where Zinkhan's jeep was found.
After ten hours, they found what is believed to be his body.
LUMPKIN: But in general, the body fits the description of the individual that we are looking for.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: The detectives aren't saying how Zinkhan died, just that he apparently buried himself in the woods and that the guns they found by his side are likely the same weapons used to kill his estranged wife and those two others.
NGUYEN: U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is making a surprise visit to Baghdad today.
Pelosi met with Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to discuss U.S. and Iraqi economic relations. The U.S. embassy says Pelosi also plans to meet with senior U.S. officials and American troops.
President Obama got a chance to enlighten things up a little bit last night with some of those who cover his administration. He landed some one-liners at the annual White House correspondents' dinner and he served as the opening act for comedienne Wanda Sykes, who was not shy about going after the administration.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WANDA SYKES, COMEDIENNE: God forbid if Joe Biden falls in the hands of terrorists. God forbid if there's ever a hostage situation. We're done. Oh, they won't even have to torture him. All they have to do is go, how's it going, Joe?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Well, this year's crowd had the usual media pros and a whole lot of celebrities on hand.
HOLMES: Well, in our "Faces of Faith" this morning, a book coming out and inspiring couples all over the country to pray together. What message did they find on these pages, that -- maybe not heard of really in Church? Not used to hearing in Church anyway.
Praying together and keep you together, and yes, improves your sex life.
Let me introduce you to these two happy people this morning. The book is called "Couples Who Pray" and there is the couple, Squire Rushnell and his wife, Louise Duart, the authors. They're joining us now from New York.
Those one of the first things I noticed when I saw that picture of guys. Holding hands, you look happy this morning.
SQUIRE RUSHNELL, AUTHOR "COUPLES WHO PRAY": We always do.
HOLMES: So something's working. So tell us, first of all, just the -- when did you discover that this was maybe a key, to actually pray together?
LOUISE DUART, AUTHOR "COUPLES WHO PRAY": Well, here's how it started. Squire actually was married twice before. I'm Mrs. Rushnell, the third.
HOLMES: Oh goodness -- all right.
RUSHNELL: We were failures.
DUART: Yes, and I was a failure -- I was married 20 years before.
HOLMES: When we came together and we started praying, something incredible happened that was supernatural. No matter what problem we had, there was a solution to it. We had some clarity of thought as we went and thought about things that we needed to do in our lives, that whether it would be a career decision or a health issue or finances.
We found that there were answers and that our relationship became so close and so happy.
HOLMES: OK and some of these things you recommend. I'm going to go through a least a few things you tell people in your book. This is a 40-day challenge you give folks.
RUSHNELL: Yes.
HOLMES: And the key here and Rushnell, you help me here. It says five minutes a day that you should pray together.
RUSHNELL: That's all it is. Five minutes a day for 40 days.
HOLMES: And they should also make sure they pray out loud. This is just not sitting in a room together and silently praying individually.
DUART: Right.
RUSHNELL: Yes, exactly right. And sometimes that seems like the Golden Gate Bridge we're asking you to cross on your hands and knees.
But when one member of the couple takes the other by the hand and says, honey, you don't have to say a word, I'm just going to pray out loud, if you just want to sit there, that's fine. When you step on to that bridge, you'll soon find it's nothing more than a footpath and pretty soon both partners are praying together. And then remarkable things happen.
HOLMES: OK, then we'll get to the remarkable things here in a second. But something else you all mentioned was ten tips that you were giving folks to get started.
I'm not going to go through them all, but one of them -- number seven that I have here on my list is, at least, it says use everyday language. Why is that key?
DUART: Yes, well, what happens is sometimes people think prayer is something that has to be so sacred we have to pick the right words. We say it's as if you're sitting in your living room with your heavenly father with a bagel and a cup of coffee and just pouring your heart out.
RUSHNELL: As Pauletta Washington, Denzel's wife said...
HOLMES: Yes.
RUSHNELL: ...you don't need to have any thees and thous, you can just have an ordinary conversation.
HOLMES: And I know you all -- you mentioned Denzel Washington and his wife there -- I know you all kind of reached out to several couples -- celebrity couples including Kathleen and Frank Gifford, Donna Summer as well. But everyone seems to say this is working.
Now, we've been talking about this morning and a lot of our people responding to us online and just how it translates into a better sex life as well.
So you all -- either one of you, putting into as stark the terms that you can write here, how does it translate, if you will? DUART: Well, one of the things women say is that when my husband prays, I see the heart of my husband. And the husband will say, I find that I appreciate my wife more and I want to show her how much I appreciate her.
But here's the thing. When a woman hears her husband pray out loud, that's very attractive to her and that intimacy is so incredible, when they get together, because not only is your sex life better, but the intimacy and everything, arguments go down, respect is just incredible.
RUSHNELL: There's a 20 percent to 30 percent increase in lovemaking, romance, and conversation and arguments plummet and the fear of divorce...
DUART: The fear of divorce -- goes to zero.
RUSHNELL: It's incredible.
HOLMES: What is the into-me-see, Rushnell I think that intimacy is the word but into-me-see. Explain that to me.
DUART: Yes.
RUSHNELL: Well, that's -- that's another way to look at the word intimacy. Because into-me-see, because you really are seeing into the heart...
HOLMES: Wow.
RUSHNELL: ...of your partner.
HOLMES: Well, and the last thing I want to hit on here -- an excerpt from the book. Why is forgiving so hard to do? And the quote here from you guys says, "Forgiveness is not about the other person."
RUSHNELL: That's right.
HOLMES: "It's about you and your relationship with God."
DUART: That's right. And forgiveness truly is a gift that you give yourself.
RUSHNELL: You bet.
DUART: And that is, when you can forgive, and so many of our couples say, that is one of the most difficult things to do, but when you pray, it is so much easier to forgive.
And by the way, when you pray, it's pretty difficult to argue.
RUSHNELL: Yes.
DUART: So prayer is just an incredible close relationship form.
RUSHNELL: It seems like such a hard thing, but it is so easy. It's the best Mother's Day gift a guy can give is to begin praying with his wife. Go to coupleswhopray.com and all the tools are right there for you. We take you by the hand.
HOLMES: Well, Squire Rushnell, Louise Duart, the book is called "Couples Who Pray." I'm so glad we were able to get you all on this morning. Well, what are you going to do with the rest of your day?
RUSHNELL: I'm going to talk with Joan Rivers.
DUART: Yes, I should have gone to that wonderful dinner last night. Can we talk, T.J.?
HOLMES: We didn't mention that, she is also an impressionist and done the...
But we got that one in there at least this morning. Guys, thank you so much. Enjoy the rest of your day praying and what not. We'll see you guys.
NGUYEN: All right, then.
Well, speaking of prayer and your thoughts about how it can really...
HOLMES: Yes.
NGUYEN: ...relate to your love life, let's go to our Facebook page because we've got some really good ones.
HOLMES: Yes.
NGUYEN: Danny Lopez agrees. He says, "I believe that couples that share faith -- not necessarily who pray together -- are much more likely to share intimacy at a higher level."
And then Christopher says, "In that case, let us pray."
HOLMES: Yes and almost Canadian, again taking a little shot here but saying, "Obviously the separation of Church and state concept never stuck, I guess separation of Church and sex didn't stick either."
But you know, people are kind of having some fun with this but also got one from the wife of a pastor she says, and said it absolutely is. It's about -- we have fun there with the segment but it's about that deeper connection.
NGUYEN: Yes. That intimacy they were talking about.
HOLMES: It is yes.
NGUYEN: All right. Well, you know the recipient of a groundbreaking face transplant is getting some emotional support. We have those details in this week's "Extra Credit."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) NGUYEN: All right. That time of the morning, a little "Extra Credit" with Carl Azuz here today. You're talking about a lot of things, because students really got their hands on a lot of issues.
CARL AZUZ, CNNSTUDENTNEWS.COM: They did and we covered on -- this past week, we covered the first face transplant in the United States.
NGUYEN: That was pretty remarkable.
AZUZ: And it really was and, you know, when you're dealing with middle and high school students, you're dealing with a very image- conscious audience.
And so there are parts of the story, we showed them the procedure that you're seeing right now. And there were parts of the story that said, before the face transplant, people, young children were running away from the woman by the way she looked.
And we had a blog comment from Michael that really, I think, shows how the story resonated with students. He said, "I saw the look on her face after the graft and just knew that she was as happy as she has ever been. I also think it's bad for people to look away from people like that -- victims like Connie Culp. It's not their fault that what happened, happened, and yet everyone looks at them like it's something they did."
So, really insightful comments and it showed that the story really reached our student audience.
NGUYEN: Yes. And the beauty of it is, too, -- you didn't see the picture there -- we saw her new face, and there's going to be other surgeries as well. So she is going to continue to change as well.
AZUZ: And improve.
NGUYEN: Yes, absolutely.
AZUZ: Doctors expect her too.
NGUYEN: It's really remarkable.
HOLMES: Do the students often -- do you let them sometimes drive which direction you go with the news? Do some things just catch on with the students and you say, maybe we need to be talking about that a little bit more.
AZUZ: On the blog, you know, a lot of times we'll gauge their response. We'll see what stories they're really reacting to. And then sometimes on our show as well as on "Extra Credit," we'll ask students, what can you tell us, what do you think should be a focus, and we'll highlight some of their comments on CNN Student News as we do over here.
NGUYEN: Speaking of asking questions, we've got a little trivia. HOLMES: Yes, what do you have for us?
AZUZ: Last week was a trick question. This week, I'm playing it a little cleaner. We've got a true or false question, the Great Barrier Reef is located off the Australian state of Victoria.
HOLMES: I'm going to go false.
NGUYEN: I'll say true.
AZUZ: T.J.'s right. It's the Australian state of Queensland.
NGUYEN: Oh, Queensland.
AZUZ: And also off the Australian state of Queensland is the island on which a 34-year-old British man is going to be spending the next few months as island caretaker, winning what's called the best job in the world, whereas we're here with the second best job in the world.
HOLMES: You said that with a straight face. That's pretty good.
NGUYEN: Almost believed it there for a second.
AZUZ: I mean it. I meant it.
NGUYEN: Got a few shouts out?
AZUZ: We've got -- actually we have a couple of unique shout- outs this morning. I have one to Olivia's mother who's a homeschooler. She wanted to give a shout out to mom. And Aaron and Samantha's mom, another homeschooler. And the reason you know, we're looking at teachers and we're looking at mothers for Mother's Day.
And while I'm on the subject, my own mom is watching us this morning so I would like to wish her a very happy mother's day.
HOLMES: Very nice. Happy Mother's Day to Carl's ma; we'll say it as well -- look at that face.
All right, Carl.
NGUYEN: You get extra credit for that, Carl.
AZUZ: You know I'm sincere.
HOLMES: Always good to see you. And, of course, you can get a hold of all of us -- you can get us all on Facebook as always. Our fearless leader there, Carl Azuz, leading us on the Facebook challenge.
Carl, we appreciate as always. Buddy, good to see you.
AZUZ: Thanks so much for having me here.
NGUYEN: Up next, why one man's last place finish is more inspirational than a win.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
LUPE FIASCO, SINGER: (Singing "Superstar.")
(END AUDIO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Good morning, Atlanta. Listening to "Superstar" by Lupe Fiasco.
You know, speaking of superstars, a 36-year-old disabled army British major has completed a difficult feat.
Major Phil Packer crossed the finish line of the London marathon yesterday, almost two weeks after the race started. Packer lost control of both his legs after being wounded in Iraq last year. And he entered the race to raise money to help injured vets.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAJOR PHIL PACKER, DISABLED MARATHONER: It's been a very different journey, one where I didn't expect to have any kind of support like this. And I'm just very grateful to the sincerity and kindness of people that have donated and encouraged me along the way. It's made this much easier for me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Well, in addition to having finished the London marathon, he's also rode across the English Channel in an effort to raise money also for wounded veterans. That's a hero.
HOLMES: That is wonderful. As difficult as it is, no matter what, to run a marathon, to do a marathon and to be committed to doing it and knowing it's going to take -- you see how fast he's going.
NGUYEN: Two weeks -- it took him two weeks to do it.
HOLMES: That is just remarkable. Congratulations to him and the work he is doing.
We're going to leave you this morning, not just yet. But want to see some more highlights of course, of the White House correspondents' dinner last night. The Queen, Joe Biden, date nights -- pretty much everything was on the table and could be made fun of last night.
NGUYEN: Absolutely. More highlights now from the comedian-in- chief, that's the role he played last night. The star who actually got the jokes and paid to tell them, that was Wanda Sykes. Take a listen.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP) NATASHA BEDINGFIELD, SINGER: (Singing "Pocketful of Sunshine")
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HOLMES: I think she was at the dinner last night, right? Natasha Bedingfield -- she was at the dinner last night.
NGUYEN: The White House correspondents' dinner.
HOLMES: The big dinner last night. The big -- we know who the biggest star was of the evening.
NGUYEN: President Obama, of course. Take a listen to some of the jokes that both he and Wanda Sykes had for the crowd.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I would like to welcome you all to the ten-day anniversary of my first 100 days.
WANDA SYKES, COMEDIENNE: Who's idea was it to give the queen an iPod. What an awful gift. Your idea? What is she going to do? Download Lady Gaga? What are you going to give the Pope, a blue tooth?
OBAMA: Michelle Obama is here, first lady of the United States. Hasn't she been an outstanding first lady? She's even begun to bridge the differences that have divided us for so long because, because no matter which party you belong to, we can all agree that Michelle has the right to bare arms.
SYKES: It's hard to poke fun at the president, because he's so likable. Everybody likes -- T-shirts and bumper stickers -- even the media. You guys have been very favorable towards the president. It's funny to me that they've never caught you smoking, but they somehow always catch you with your shirt off.
OBAMA: All this change hasn't been easy. Change never is. So I've cut the tension by bringing a new friend to the white house. He's warm, he's cuddly, loyal, enthusiastic, you just have to keep him on a tight leash. Every once in a while he goes charging off in the wrong direction and gets himself into trouble. But enough about Joe Biden.
SYKES: You're taking the first lady out on dates. I mean, I wouldn't be surprised if I walked past the White House and see you out there mowing the lawn.
OBAMA: I believe that my next 100 days will be so successful, I will be able to complete them in 72 days. And on the 73rd day, I will rest.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: You better be careful on that, we might have a countdown clock up. HOLMES: You know we've got one.
NGUYEN: Counting down to the next 72 days.
HOLMES: Let's see what he gets done. But that's a big night -- always a big night there. And John King was telling us and others as well that this was a bigger celebrity night. You know, there are celebrity types in the news media, of course, but folks from Hollywood made the trek, the music industry, more so this time than any other.
NGUYEN: And you heard Alicia Keys saying earlier on this show that she's been invited before, but this was the first time that she really felt she needed to be there.
HOLMES: Excited to see the new president. They said he did well.
NGUYEN: We're going to have much more on the White House dinner as well as the latest on the turmoil in Pakistan coming up on "STATE OF THE UNION" with John King.
But first, let's take a look at the headlines this morning.
Intense fighting between Pakistani troops and Taliban militants have forced thousands to flee the Swat Valley. The United Nations says more than 300,000 civilians may be caught in the cross fire. The Pakistani government lifted a curfew imposed on the region for a few hours to allow civilians to leave.
Pope Benedict celebrating a historic mass today in Amman, Jordan; He urged increased respect for women in the Middle East. It's the Pontiff's first trip to the region. Christian/Islamic ties, they were strained three years ago after the Pope quoted a critic of the prophet, Mohammed.
Police in Athens, Georgia, have identified a university of Georgia professor suspected of murder. They found George Zinkhan's body yesterday in the woods near where he had abandoned his car. As you remember, Zinkhan disappeared last month after police say he shot and killed his wife as well as two others outside of a community theater.
There is much more to come right here on CNN. Of course, John King up at the top of the hour with "STATE OF THE UNION." That starts right now.
