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American Morning
President Obama Urges Notre Dame Graduates to Find Common Ground in the Abortion Debate; Republicans Demand an Apology or Proof from Pelosi; New York City Confirms Swine Flu Death of Assistant Principal; Time to Buy a New Car?; Robert Gates Discusses Feelings on Being Secretary of Defense During War; Farrah Fawcett Inspires Other Cancer Survivors
Aired May 18, 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: And welcome again to AMERICAN MORNING on this Monday May 18th, it's 7:00 a.m. here in New York. I'm Kiran Chetry.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. I'm John Roberts.
A lot to cover this morning. Here are the big stories that we'll be breaking down for you in the next 15 minutes.
President Obama squarely addressing the abortion debate while facing down hecklers at Notre Dame University. But despite all the protests, the president arrived to big cheers. We're live at the White House with reaction to the president's speech this morning.
Top Republicans are demanding an apology from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for accusing the CIA of misleading Congress about the use of waterboarding, that is unless she can provide evidence that supports her claim. Pelosi claims she was not told waterboarding had been used and only learned about its use from an aide after other lawmakers were briefed by the CIA in early 2003.
An assistant principal from New York City may be the city's first swine flu related death. Officials say he was hospitalized with the H1N1 virus. His school is now one of 11 closed in New York due to what the health commissioner is calling a rising tide of flu.
This morning, the graduation festivities are over at Notre Dame, but the battle over the abortion issue continues. Yesterday, President Obama walked right into the heart of the debate, urging graduates at the university's commencement ceremony to open their hearts and minds when it comes to the abortion debate. Outside the university's gates, hundreds of anti-abortion protesters denounced the school for inviting a president who supports abortion rights.
CNN's Suzanne Malveaux is live at the White House for us this morning.
You were with the president yesterday. What was the mood out there?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: John, there really was a sense of suspense, almost like a presidential debate, a sense of tension. You just didn't know what was going to happen next, what was going to come next.
But that tension was quickly defused as the president took on this cultural war over abortion.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX (voice-over): Outside the gates of Notre Dame, hundreds of anti-abortion protesters, objecting to the president's appearance.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Blessed art thou among women...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The president of the United States.
MALVEAUX: But inside the graduation ceremony, an enthusiastic welcome and a robust defense for the invitation.
REV. JOHN I. JENKINS, PRESIDENT, UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME: President Obama is not someone who stops talking to those who differ with him.
MALVEAUX: The president's appearance and an honorary degree from one of the nation's largest Catholic universities ignited a political firestorm. Mr. Obama tackled the abortion controversy head-on.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No matter how much we may want to fudge it, indeed, while we know that the views of most Americans on the subject are complex and even contradictory, the fact is that at some level the views of the two camps are irreconcilable.
MALVEAUX: But he also called for common ground.
OBAMA: So let us work together to reduce the number of women seeking abortions. Let's reduce unintended pregnancy. Let's make adoption more available.
MALVEAUX: Early on, several protesters disrupted the president.
OBAMA: And since -- and since this is Notre Dame, I mean...
MALVEAUX: But the sea of graduates before him drowned them out, chanting "Yes, we can" and "We are Notre Dame."
OBAMA: We're fine, everybody.
MALVEAUX: A small number wore pictures on top their caps of crosses and baby's feet to protest the president's abortion rights position. Other students donned pro-Obama signs. About a dozen people walked out during Mr. Obama's remarks, but the audience gave him a standing ovation when the president praised Notre Dame students' handling of the controversy.
OBAMA: I want to join him and Father John in saying how inspired I am by the maturity and responsibility with which this class has approached the debate surrounding today's ceremony. (END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: And John, in the weeks to come, the president is going to pick his Supreme Court nominee. Obviously, these conservative groups are going to be paying very close attention to their stand on abortion.
And why? Not because they believe they can block the nomination, but because they can raise money and awareness over this very hot topic. Obviously, it's something that we saw play out at Notre Dame over the weekend -- John.
ROBERTS: Yes. And so we were saying with David Brody last hour, we'll see how long the momentum lasts with this group.
Suzanne Malveaux for us this morning. Suzanne, thanks so much.
CHETRY: More Republicans are ratcheting up the heat on Nancy Pelosi this morning. They're demanding an apology from the House speaker or proof to back her claim that the CIA misled Congress about the use of waterboarding on suspected terrorists.
Our Jim Acosta is live in Washington this morning.
So, we had a lot of he said/she said starting last Thursday and continuing on into the weekend. Have we heard from the House speaker following all the finger pointing?
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Not really, Kiran. And there are some in Washington saying that she owes more of an explanation as to what she said last week about the CIA, she says, lying to her about these harsh interrogation methods.
And democrats in Washington now understand the dangers of investigating torture allegations during the Bush administration. Republicans have found a way to turn the issue against one of the most powerful Democrats in the country, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), HOUSE SPEAKER: I'm only speaking from my own experience, and we were told that it was not being used.
ACOSTA (voice-over): Ever since House Speaker Nancy Pelosi accused the CIA of lying to her about its use of harsh interrogation tactics during the Bush administration...
PELOSI: The CIA was misleading. They mislead us all the time.
ACOSTA: ... republicans have been all too eager to talk about torture.
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), SENATE MINORITY LEADER: Well, we know there's a dispute about -- between the speaker and the CIA over what she knew and when she knew it. NEWT GINGRICH, FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER: I don't see how she can serve as speaker if it turns out that she has lied about national security both to the House and to the country.
ACOSTA: Even some democrats worried the speaker misspoke.
JAMES CARVILLE, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I don't think that democrats really want to be at war with the CIA. I love the speaker. She's a great family lady and everything else. I probably wouldn't have done that.
ACOSTA: Pelosi's comments prompted the CIA to release this document showing she and other members of Congress were notified about the agency's use of extreme methods on suspected terrorists. But one democrat mentioned in the document, Bob Graham, says the CIA's records are wrong.
A leading Republican says Pelosi must prove her case.
REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), MINORITY LEADER: I think that she ought to either present the evidence or apologize, one or the other.
ACOSTA: But even as republicans are trying to turn the torture tables on democrats, liberals are reaching to turn them back.
KATRINA VANDEN HEUVEL, "THE NATION": The next big controversy is the mounting evidence showing that torture was used to extract evidence to create a link, a false link, between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda.
ACOSTA: Bush administration critics point to Lawrence Wilkerson, chief of staff of former Secretary of State Colin Powell. On the Web site "The Washington Note," Wilkerson says, "In early 2002, harsh interrogation was not aimed at preempting another terrorist attack on the U.S., but discovering a smoking gun linking Iraq and al Qaeda," a charge Dick Cheney's daughter shot down.
LIZ CHENEY, FORMER DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE FOR NEAR EASTERN AFFAIRS: I think that it's important for us to have all the facts out. This was an important program that saved American lives.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: As for Speaker Pelosi, republicans acknowledge they don't have the votes to remove her. But all of the finger pointing is renewing calls on Capitol Hill for an independent truth commission on torture, something the White House, Kiran, says it does not want at this point. They don't want that distraction right now. And even last week, we heard Robert Gibbs over at the White House say he is not RSVPing to that invitation to get involved in this.
CHETRY: All right. We'll see what happens later today on the issue.
Jim Acosta, great to see you. Thanks. ROBERTS: Also new this morning, a 55-year-old assistant principal in Queens may be New York City's first swine flu victim. City officials say the man was hospitalized with the H1N1 virus. If confirmed, he would be the sixth death linked to the H1N1 virus in the United States.
The CDC says there are more than 4,700 confirmed or suspected cases in 46 states plus Washington, D.C. The World Health Organization says the outbreak has now hit 39 countries.
Our senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joins us now live from the CNN Center.
What do know about this latest victim?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John.
What we know is that he was an assistant principal, as you said, 55 years old. And what's not entirely clear is whether he had underlying conditions.
I'll tell you what Mayor Michael Bloomberg said last week. He said that this gentleman may have had other health problems. Now if that is the case, it would not be surprising, because that's been the case with many of the people who have died from swine flu in this country.
Let's take a look. For example, there was a woman in Arizona who died from H1N1 and she had some preexisting lung disease already. A Mexican toddler died in Texas, that child also had some underlying disease. And a pregnant woman who died in Texas, she had already been on life support since April.
So it seems that in many ways, H1N1 is like the regular seasonal flu, which is that people with underlying conditions are most vulnerable to becoming extremely ill and dying -- John.
ROBERTS: So at the beginning of this outbreak, we had all of this concern that was voiced by the World Health Organization and local health officials. And then it seemed to die off when it was discovered that, well, maybe it's not anymore virulent than the typical seasonal flu. But now the concern seems to be ramping back up again here. Should we really be worried about a rapid escalation here in the U.S.?
COHEN: Well, certainly in New York City, they're seeing more and more cases. And here's what a lot of experts think is going on.
This is a bug that none of our bodies has ever seen before. It's a brand-new virus, and so it seems to be spreading more quickly than a regular seasonal flu. When the regular winter flu comes out every year, many of us have some varying degrees of immunity to it. Our bodies have seen it before. But with this one, it's brand new.
But having said that, it's also important to remember that for the vast majority of people, they don't get very sick. So they might get infected but they don't get very sick. We're seeing relatively few deaths compared to the number of people who are infected.
ROBERTS: All right. Elizabeth Cohen for us this morning with an update on that. Elizabeth, thanks so much.
COHEN: Thanks.
CHETRY: Well, quite a scare for folks in Southern California yesterday. Los Angeles area shaken by a magnitude 4.7 earthquake, the largest to hit the area since last year. The rumbling lasted about 10 to 15 seconds. It was felt as far away as San Diego, shattered some windows, shook lampposts. But the Los Angeles Fire Department says there are no reports of major damage or any injuries.
Well, gas prices in this country have gone up 26 cents in just three weeks and analysts say they're heading even higher. The national average for unleaded regular now $2.30 a gallon. It's still well below where the prices were a year ago, and our Christine Romans has been reporting this morning that it's very unlikely that it's going to get significantly higher over the summer.
And the president asked for understanding, taking on the polarizing issue of abortion during his speech at Notre Dame's graduation. We'll get reaction from both sides of the aisle next.
It's ten minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: It's 12 minutes past the hour. Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
Plenty of reaction on the left and the right after President Obama took on the issue of abortion during his commencement speech at Notre Dame University. And the president asked both sides to try to find common ground.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: When we open up our hearts and our minds to those who may not think precisely like we do or believe precisely what we believe, that's when we discover at least the possibility of common ground. That's when we begin to say, maybe we won't agree on abortion, but we can still agree that this heart-wrenching decision for any woman is not made casually. It has both moral and spiritual dimensions.
So let us work together to reduce the number of women seeking abortions. Let's reduce unintended pregnancies.
(APPLAUSE)
Let's -- let's make adoption more available.
(APPLAUSE)
Let's -- let's provide care and support for women who do carry their children to term.
(APPLAUSE)
Let's honor the conscience of those who disagree with abortion and draft a sensible conscience clause and make sure that all of our health care policies are grounded not only in sound science but also in clear ethics, as well as respect for the equality of women. Those are things we can do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: So joining me now to talk more about this is democratic strategist Lisa Caputo, along with republican strategist and CNN contributor Ed Rollins.
Happy Monday to both of you. Thanks for being with us.
LISA CAPUTO, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Good to see you.
CHETRY: Your initial thoughts, Lisa, on how he did handling this issue, which he acknowledged himself, for the most part the two camps are irreconcilable on many levels.
CAPUTO: I thought he did a brilliant job because he acknowledged that the two camps are irreconcilable. He knows he's got this debate front and center because of the Supreme Court nomination that's pending. And I thought he did a fantastic job saying let's find a way to work together. Basically, I understand where you're coming from. My views may be differently, but let's try and find some common ground by reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies, by making adoption more available.
So I thought that he really tried to -- he's a consensus builder. And that's what he was trying to do, I think in many ways, was acknowledge the differences but also say I have my views, maybe we can find some common ground.
CHETRY: Notre Dame, one of the most famed Catholic universities, Ed, and one of the things that Republican National Committee Chair Michael Steele said is that it was inappropriate not for him to speak but for Notre Dame to give him an honorary degree. What's your take?
ED ROLLINS, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: My take is, once you've invited him, you have to honor him as you would any other commencement speaker.
I thought the speech was thoughtful. You're not going to bring the sides together. People who believe deeply that abortion is wrong as most Catholics and many Catholics do, you're not going to change their minds and those on the other side aren't going to change either.
But I did think it was a thoughtful speech. I think at the end of the day, once you invited him, you give him the honorary degree. It doesn't mean a whole lot.
CAPUTO: You know, just as what Ed said, as the valedictorian at Notre Dame, I was reading last night, you know, had wonderful things to say about Obama's presence there. So I think there is a recognition that he's trying to do the right thing but recognizing that there are differences of views.
CHETRY: Right. And as many of the people that were at Notre Dame said it was actually an issue that ended up really dividing the campus on how people felt about it. I mean, there was not necessarily a consensus while the majority...
ROLLINS: You can't -- you can't have casual thoughts on this.
CHETRY: Right.
ROLLINS: It's a deep belief one way or the other. And at the end of the day, as the father of an adopted daughter, I mean, I feel very passionately on the issue, too.
CHETRY: And that's the interesting thing that you're bringing up that you said it's impossible to sort of have a lukewarm feeling on it. Is it also possible to sort of take it out of the realm as one of the big litmus tests in terms of politics?
ROLLINS: No, it's not.
CAPUTO: No.
ROLLINS: Sorry. I mean, it's not. It's a polarizing issue people feel very passionately about.
There's three issues that are matters of conscience. One is death penalty, one is abortion, one is euthanasia. And those are really hard lines, this one being the most prevalent.
CHETRY: All right. Well, I want to turn your attention to something else that's boiling right now, and this is the continuing controversy over what Speaker Pelosi said that she knew or didn't know about the interrogation memos about whether or not Congress was briefed about the interrogation tactics like waterboarding.
She basically was briefed, she says. And then in 2007, Porter Goss, the former chairman of the Intel Committee who later served, of course, as President Bush's CIA director, said that Congress was told. This is his quote. "The reaction in the room was not just approval but encouragement."
An "L.A. Times" editorial went on to say it's important because, "if it's true, it suggests hypocrisy on the part of Democrats such as Pelosi who have been highly critical of waterboarding and other torture."
What's your take, Lisa?
CAPUTO: Well, I think two things. Number one, it's important for everybody to remember that the president has said torture is not going to be part of foreign policy anymore. That's key. Second, I think you've got varying recollections here. You have Senator Bob Graham saying, well, it wasn't exactly the way the CIA told it. Then you have Leon Panetta coming up with a memo saying the facts are the facts, and disregard the noise out there.
Look, I think that Pelosi is in a difficult situation right now. This is something the White House absolutely doesn't want. They want to go forward with their own agenda. They don't want to revisit the old agenda. And I think...
CHETRY: But there are democrats that are calling for revisiting it in terms of a truth commission.
CAPUTO: I know and I don't think the White House at all wants a truth commission. They want to move forward with their own agenda. So actually, it's putting the Democrats I think in a difficult position.
ROLLINS: This is a self-inflicted wound. She brought the subject up. The more telling issue to me is that she said the CIA lies to us all the time.
The whole oversight, the four members of the Congress who sit, the ranking and the chairman of the two intelligence committees, the idea is that they won't lie. They will come in there and tell you the truth and you have an opportunity to basically keep the secrecy, do all the kinds of things.
She started this. I think it was the worst week she's had. I'm not accusing her of lying or interested (ph), but I think she certainly doesn't have her facts correct.
CAPUTO: You know after the Panetta memo, she came out and amended her remarks and said it was the CIA under the Bush administration, under the Bush leadership. So she, I think, revamped her remarks to say not the CIA in general but the CIA during the Bush years.
ROLLINS: This will be hard to repair though.
CAPUTO: Yes.
ROLLINS: These are very important lawyers on the front line of the fight on terrorism. And to have this...
CHETRY: All right.
ROLLINS: OK.
CHETRY: No, I'm just going to ask you this quickly before we go. Yes or no if she keeps her speakership?
ROLLINS: Oh, sure.
CHETRY: Does she keep her speakership?
ROLLINS: Sure, democrats aren't going to throw her out.
CAPUTO: Absolutely.
CHETRY: All right. Thanks to both of you. Always great to get your take.
ROLLINS: It's great.
CHETRY: Ed Rollins and Lisa Caputo, thanks.
CAPUTO: Thanks. Good seeing you.
ROLLINS: Thank you.
CHETRY: John.
ROBERTS: Detroit's big three are trying to cut their losses and that means if you're ready to buy a new car, they might just cut you a real break. Christine Romans has got some bargains for us just ahead. She's been out hunting for them.
It's a job that he agreed to keep but says he does not enjoy. Robert Gates opening up about being secretary of defense during two wars.
It's coming up on 20 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
Life might not be a highway, but it certainly is at Columbus Circle. Fifty degrees right now outside of the Time Warner Center, going up to a high of 61. It will be mostly sunny though, after what was a weekend of pretty ppftt (ph) weather.
Christine Romans...
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: That's a technical term in meteorology.
ROBERTS: Well, it's the word that I couldn't say.
(LAUGHTER)
Christine Romans here "Minding Your Business" this morning. If you're looking for a deal in buying a new car, you just might be able to find out. She's been out bargain hunting this morning.
ROMANS: Well, trying to figure out what happens to all those cars in the lots of Chrysler and GM. We're going to focus on Chrysler because we know which dealerships are specifically that will be closing, losing their -- not necessarily closing but losing their affiliation and their authorization from Chrysler.
When that dealership closes, what does it mean for you? Well, first of all, if you own a Jeep or Chrysler or Dodge, your factory- backed warranty is still good. You will just go to another Chrysler authorized dealer. And your neighborhood dealer might not actually be axed by June 9th. They might stay open to sell used cars or to even become a service center. So some of these dealers are saying they will stay open, so if you own a car and that's where you got your car from us.
Now if you want to buy a car, you can expect some incentives because Chrysler - very plain vanilla incentives - they're offering up $4,000 cash rebate on 2009 models. And also, current owners could get in the mail $1,000 voucher for a new Chrysler purchase with a note from Bob Nardelli, the CEO of that company, thanking Chrysler for their customer loyalty.
So Chrysler officials say that their studies show that people just want money off the top. They don't want some complicated kind of, you know, incentive. They just want money off the top. So you could be looking at $5,000 or $6,000, maybe $6,000 or more, even off the price of a Chrysler vehicle.
There are 44,000 Chryslers sitting in the lots of these dealerships that are going to be going out of business -- 65,000 GM cars on some of those GM lots that will be ending their affiliation with GM. So there will be a lot of cars that will be available in the next few weeks that dealers are going to try to get rid of.
ROBERTS: You've got a numeral for us, Ms. Romans?
ROMANS: I do. I do. And it's $4.9 million. Excuse me, I'm speechless, $4.9 million.
ROBERTS: It took a cough (ph) saying that.
ROMANS: I know. Exactly.
CHETRY: What is the context?
ROMANS: It is the -- the context is Chrysler cars. The dealers.
Oh, the suspense is killing me. It's the average...
ROBERTS: It's the average inventory that a Chrysler dealership has.
ROMANS: Yes. The average is 4.9 -- it's 4.9...
CHETRY: Are you cheating?
ROBERTS: No, I'm not cheating. I just figured that...
CHETRY: Oh, my gosh, you're so much closer to the paper that says average dealer's new car inventory.
ROBERTS: I swear to God I didn't...
ROMANS: But think of it, that's an awful lot of money, $4.9 million. So you've got some of these people seeing...
ROBERTS: They're all stuck with the cars, right?
ROMANS: And they're stuck with these cars. They're going to try to -- they can auction them to the other dealers. There's going to be GM -- there's going to be GMAC financing for the dealers who will continue being authorized by Chrysler. But otherwise, they've got until June 9th to try to figure out what to do with all these cars.
CHETRY: And if you're looking for a bargain, the closer you wait until June 9th, the better or is this, as you're saying, the $4,000 cash is just now until then?
ROMANS: I think the closer -- most of the people who we've been talking to said, everything's changing by the minute, quite frankly, but the longer you wait probably the better until June 9th. I mean, obviously, there's desperation out there or they're going to be able to auction this off to other dealers.
ROBERTS: Thanks, Christine.
ROMANS: You're welcome.
CHETRY: Jordan's king says it's a meeting that could decide the future of the Middle East. President Obama welcoming Israeli's new prime minister to the White House today. The two are split over a two-state solution. An adviser to six secretaries of state tells us how today could set the tone for the next four years.
And the man in charge of reshaping two wars, changing the culture in the Pentagon, Defense Chief Robert Gates opens up about the awesome responsibility of sending more troops into battle.
It's 26 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Twenty-eight minutes past the hour this morning. A live look at Washington, D.C. this morning where it's cloudy. Fifty-two, a little bit later, it's going to be partly cloudy, going up to 64. Not that warm here along the east coast this morning.
Well, when President Obama talked about change, a holdover from the Bush administration may not be the first thing that comes to mind. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has helped reshape two wars under the new commander in chief. He just fired the top commander in Afghanistan. And last night on "60 Minutes," he talked about the likelihood of victory there.
CNN's Barbara Starr joins us live now from the Pentagon.
Barbara, did you find Secretary Gates forthcoming in what he was talking about and what he hopes the future of Afghanistan will be?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Kiran, this is a war that is not going very well as we know and the secretary is increasingly expressing his candor about how he views it and on "60 Minutes" last night, he pulled no punches.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT GATES, U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: War is inherently unpredictable, OK? And the enemy always has a vote. But I think that would be our anticipation.
KATIE COURIC, CBS ANCHOR: Then U.S. troops will definitely be here at least through the end of President Obama's current term? Is that accurate?
GATES: We'll see. This is a war.
COURIC: At the same time, don't you think that people in the United States deserve some kind of idea of how long this commitment will be?
GATES: I think what the people in the United States want to see is the momentum shifting to see that the strategies that we're following are working. And that's why I've said in nine months to a year, we need to evaluate how we're doing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR: You know, if you thought you saw maybe a little bit of irritation in his voice there, I think there was. What we're noticing in his second term, if you will, under President Obama the secretary is just saying what he thinks going out there, not really pulling his punches and surprising a few people with his level of candor, Kiran.
CHETRY: And he was also pretty candid speaking up about his actual job, whether or not he enjoys his job.
STARR: Yes, that was the one that also surprised a few people. Beyond a level of candor, he seemed emotionally distressed about the weight that he feels he carries here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GATES: The truth of the matter is being secretary of war in a time of war is a very painful thing and it's not a job anybody should like. How can you like a job when you go to Walter Reed or Bethesda and you know you sent those young men and women in harm's way? Every single person in combat today, I sent there and I never forget that for a second.
But no, I don't enjoy my job.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR: Let me sort of offer a bit of context here.
You know, I don't know of a single senior commander in uniform either that would say they enjoy sending young people off to war. It's a very serious business. But Secretary Gates, making it pretty clear that he increasingly feels the weight of it. It will be interesting to see how this plays with the young troops out on the line. I don't think they enjoy being at war, but they're doing the job that they were sent to do and the secretary, I think, would probably say, so is he - Kiran.
CHETRY: Wow. All right. Barbara Starr for us this morning, thank you.
ROBERTS: Thirty-two minutes after the hour, and checking our top stories now.
Pakistan is stepping up efforts to drive the Taliban out of the country right now. The "Associated Press" reports Pakistani force have entered two towns held by militants. The Taliban has vowed to resist until the last breath. Pakistan says it has killed more than 1,000 militants since fighting began in full force earlier this month.
President Obama's budget director says it looks like we have turned a corner in the economy.
Here's Peter Orszag on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION WITH JOHN KING" yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: As Americans look at these numbers, I assume the impression is we have not hit bottom yet.
PETER ORSZAG, WHITE HOUSE BUDGET DIRECTOR: I think what's happened is the freefall in the economy seems to have stop and we're - I guess the analogy is there are glimmers of sun shining through the trees. But we're not out of the woods yet, we do have more work ahead.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Orszag said the work ahead includes passing the president's health care plan despite the economic crisis.
And if your teenage kids don't seem to be listening to you, they may have an excuse, the excuse is they can't hear you. New research from Children's Hospital in Boston says having iPods ear buds shoot music directly into your eardrums can eventually make them wilt and die. The author of the study recommends that iPod users of any age listen to no more than 90 minutes a day at 80 percent volume.
And developing news this morning that could have a big impact in the future of the Middle East in just a few hours. President Obama sits down with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the stakes could not be higher as the two men try to work through major road blocks on the path to Middle East peace.
Aaron David Miller is a former Middle East negotiator and adviser to six secretaries of state. He is also the author of "The Much Too Promised Land," and he is live in our Washington bureau for us this morning.
Aaron, good to see you this morning. Thanks for being with us.
AARON DAVID MILLER, FORMER MIDDLE EAST NEGOTIATOR AND WHITE HOUSE ADMINISTRATION ADVISER: Pleasure to be here.
ROBERTS: His first visit to the White House back in 1996, Benjamin Netanyahu put in what veteran Middle East negotiator Dennis Ross called nearly inseparable performance, prompting President Clinton to say, "He thinks he is the superpower and we are here to do whatever he requires."
How do you think it's going to go this time around?
MILLER: He actually expressed himself in much more colorful language.
ROBERTS: Well, you know, this is family TV in the morning, so...
MILLER: Right.
ROBERTS: We left the "F word" out.
MILLER: And I'm not the guy to make that argument anyway.
But look, I think there's a lot of media hype. Some of it is on the mark. This is being billed, essentially, as a meeting between "President Yes We Can" and "Prime Minister No You Won't." And some of that is being driven by substantive differences which are quite legitimate. The prime minister has a much different timetable on Iran, much quicker in order to resolve it in a much slower timetable, perhaps on the Arab-Israeli peace process.
So the real issue is whether or not these two, this morning in the first hour or so of their meeting, can establish some measure of trust and confidence. And the prime minister has a lot of baggage that's preceding him, as evidenced by your reference to his initial encounter with President Clinton.
I think on balance, though, there's no reason for a fight right now. Neither man is looking for one. And in the end, since neither President Obama nor Benjamin Netanyahu have solutions, immediate solution to either Iran or the Arab-Israeli issue, they're going to have to find a way and it will be a bumpy road to work together on in the months to come.
ROBERTS: Let's break down, Aaron, those two issues that you talked about.
Let's tackle, first of all, the Middle East peace part of it. Israel, Palestinians, the White House is insisting that Israel has to accept the two-state solution. Prime Minister Netanyahu has so far resisted that. He's got a lot of resistance within his own party to doing that. But some people say maybe he'll just cave and agree to it.
What do you think?
MILLER: I think in the end he'll come around to the notion that, in fact, the overall framework has to be two states for two people. But in the end, the Israelis have so many needs and requirements, as do the Palestinians, that the prime minister may well be safe here in banking on the fact that the Palestinian National Movement is so dysfunctional, given the splits between Fatah and Hamas, that he can come out and endorse the two-state solution in the weeks to come, perhaps without any fear, frankly, that it's that going to be implemented.
I think he's fairly safe on that one.
ROBERTS: And about Iran. As you said, they're moving at two different speeds. At the APAC conference, Benjamin Netanyahu sent a note of alarm, saying that time is running out to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Iran will not be allowed to have nuclear weapons. And, of course, the Obama administration is sort of cautiously trying to engage Tehran.
Do you think that that is going to create tension in the room today?
MILLER: I think that the prime minister is likely to give the president the leeway and the latitude that he wants in order to try diplomacy plus sanctions before any sort of military option is considered.
But the reality is this is not a tactic on the part of the prime minister. The fact is he believes that he is leading the State of Israel at a critical time in its history that Iran represents an existential threat and he has to find way to deal with it. The question is whether or not it can be dealt with diplomatically and with sanctions or whether or not the default position on this one is heading to some sort of military confrontation.
So, decent meeting today, I would predict bumpy times ahead.
ROBERTS: All right. It would be great to be a fly on the wall on that meeting.
Aaron David Miller, it's always great to catch up with you. Thanks for your expertise on this.
MILLER: Thanks, John.
CHETRY: The era of shuttle missions to space nearing its end. We're going to meet the veteran astronaut President Obama will likely pick to take the ageing space organization into the future.
And Farrah Fawcett going public with her private hell. What's the benefit of allowing cameras to chronicle intimate details of a cancer battle this intense.
It's 38 minutes past the hour.
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CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
Three hundred and fifty miles above Earth, NASA astronauts on Atlantis are getting ready to start their fifth and final spacewalk to fix the Hubble telescope. We're still waiting this morning for the spacewalk to begin. Today, astronauts are replacing batteries, a sensor and some insulation, and the shuttle will release Hubble tomorrow.
Meanwhile, down here on Earth, the talk is all about who will lead NASA into the future. And as John Zarrella reports, there's a lot of speculation about who the president will pick.
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, Kiran, retired shuttle commander and former Marine Corps General Charlie Bolden expected to meet today with President Obama. It is believed Bolden is Obama's choice to head NASA at a time the U.S. space agency is at a crossroads.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIG. GEN. CHARLES BOLDEN (RET.), U.S. MARINE CORPS, FORMER SHUTTLE COMMANDER: Hi, I'm Charles Bolden.
ZARRELLA (voice-over): Charlie Bolden, former astronaut, retired Marine Corps General is the right man at the right time, says U.S. Senator Bill Nelson.
SEN. BILL NELSON (D), FLORIDA: Everybody in NASA would say that's right if Charlie is selected.
ZARRELLA: Bolden is viewed as a no-nonsense leader who puts a high priority on people. As NASA administrator, he would be coming to a space agency at a crossroads where people are a major concern.
Within the next year and a half, the shuttle program will end. Thousands of space workers are likely to lose their jobs. The next generation vehicle won't be ready to fly humans for at least five years. President Obama has already ordered a review of that program to make sure NASA is going in the right direction and money is tight.
HOMER HICKLUM, FORMER NASA SCIENTIST: NASA is a can-do agency. You've got to give it a job to do and also the tools to do it, which means money. They need the money.
ZARRELLA: Bolden believes deeply that NASA must inspire young people toward careers in the sciences. Bolden took time to chat with kids when he helped launched a new shuttle exhibit at the Kennedy Space Center.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thought it was cool when the doors on top of the space shuttle opened up.
BOLDEN: The payload bay doors.
ZARRELLA: To Bolden, even this exhibit needed to be inspirational.
BOLDEN: And if we don't have a handful of kids every week that change their mind and start raising their hands when somebody says how many of you want to be astronauts, then we have failed miserably.
ZARRELLA: Bolden piloted two shuttles and commanded two others. As an observer, Senator Nelson, then a congressman, flew with Bolden on Columbia in 1996. Bolden also piloted the mission that deployed the Hubble Space Telescope. When NASA developed a new launch pad escape system for astronauts, Bolden tested it. He's the only astronaut who ever took the ride, a ride likely a lot easier than the one he would face at NASA.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZARRELLA: If he gets the job, Bolden will have plenty of support from current and former astronauts. I've spoken with dozens of them, they all say Bolden is a leader. And right now, that, they say, is what NASA needs most -- John, Kiran.
ROBERTS: John Zarrella this morning. John, thanks so much.
Developing right now, New York City may have its very first swine flu-related death. The health commissioner says America's biggest city is dealing with "a rising tide of the virus."
Is the worst still ahead of us? We'll ask that question.
Forty-four minutes after the hour.
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ROBERTS: Who's picking the music this morning?
CHETRY: I don't know. But who stole a donkey is a bigger question?
ROBERTS: My goodness. Forty-seven minutes after the hour, let's fast forward to stories that will be making news later on today.
President Obama's Supreme Court shortlist gets shorter and the White House is prepping for a nomination fight. The president has pulled democratic power player Stephanie Cutter, who is John Kerry's campaign press secretary in 2004, from the Treasury Department to manage the process.
And this morning at 9:00 a.m. Eastern, Vice President Biden will speak to the graduating class of Wake Forest University in Winston- Salem, North Carolina. After that, the vice president departs for southeastern Europe. Over the next several days, he will meet with political leaders in Bosnia, Herzegovina, Serbia and Kosovo.
And at 6:30 Eastern this evening, first lady Michelle Obama will be here in New York City. She is attending the American Ballet 69th Annual Spring Gala at the Metropolitan Opera House, just a few blocks from our studio. Are you going?
CHETRY: No, I'm still trying to figure out who stole a donkey, but that's in the next block. Somebody stole someone's pet donkey in Jacksonville, Florida, how do you hide that?
ROBERTS: Keep it in the garage, I guess.
Northeast in for a big cool down today. Wait a minute, it was pretty cool all weekend. Wasn't?
CHETRY: How much cooler is it going to get? What does that mean? We need to start bringing out the gloves.
ROBERTS: The ice age is approaching. Rob Marciano tracking it all from the Extreme Weather Center in Atlanta.
(WEATHER REPORT)
ROBERTS: Well still ahead, making your private pain public. Cameras followed Farrah Fawcett, chronicled her every step in her battle with cancer. What's the benefit of doing this? We're going to take a look.
Forty-nine minutes past the hour.
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ROBERTS: Top videos right now on CNN.com. Most popular: He's a rare pet, a nine-month-old miniature donkey and he is missing! Joe Deloach says his family pet, Seymor, was stolen last week in Jacksonville, Florida. Donkeys like Seymor are very valuable and police are currently investigating it as a case of grand theft.
Fighting the Taliban in pink underwear? This is one of my favorite shots from recently. Specialist Zachary Boyd was asleep when a gun fight broke out. He grabbed his weapon and rushed to the battlefield without his pants. That picture made the front page of "The New York Times" last week. He was also wearing flip flops.
And check out Howard Kurtz's interview with actress Mariel Hemmingway on her latest past time, Twitter. The actress is a self- proclaimed Twitter addict and has posted over 2,000 tweets since joining Twitter just a few months ago.
Those are the top videos on CNN.com.
CHETRY: Well, Farrah Fawcett's documentary, "Farrah's Story," which chronicles in graphic detail her battle with cancer, drew strong ratings Friday night. But what is the benefit of having cameras follow your every move and making your private pain so public?
Kara Finnstrom shows us what else can happen when six stars show all.
KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, Kiran, other celebrities have shined the spotlight on their personal challenges. What is unusual here is for a major star to document the intimate details of her fight for life on film.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FARRAH FAWCETT, ACTRESS: September 22nd, 2006, such a shockingly sad day.
FINNSTROM (voice-over): "Farrah's Story," which shares the former "Charlie's Angels" star struggle with anal cancer, drew in nearly nine million viewers Friday.
FAWCETT: A miracle.
FINNSTROM: We asked cancer survivors with the Wellness Community, an education and support group, to watch with us.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, my cancer was 16 years ago, but going through this, it just brings the pain and the emotions back.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think she's an extremely brave woman.
FINNSTROM: The video diary captures more than two years of grueling treatment. The loss of Fawcett's famous golden locks...
FAWCETT: Back here was like just dark, dark spot.
FINNSTROM: ... and the reoccurrence and spread of cancer. Producers say it was originally intended only for Fawcett, but grew into a project to inspire others.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She looks up at me through this vomiting and says, "Why aren't you filming this? This is what cancer is!"
FINNSTROM: Many celebrities have gone public with private health challenges. Michael J. Fox with Parkinson's disease, Lance Armstrong with testicular cancer and Melissa Etheridge with breast cancer and boldly singing "A Piece of My Heart" with her head bare during the 2005 Grammys. It's advocacy that not only helps raise awareness and funds, but also personally affects survivors.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Her tumor, which is exactly the same kind I have, for some reason, hers didn't respond. This disease just rocks you to your core.
FINNSTROM: One potential pitfall? Associating too closely with the star's medical outcome or assuming treatments will work the same way. But Wellness Community program director Litsa Mitchell says, at their best, stories-of-celebrities empower.
LITSA MITCHELL, PROGRAM DIRECTOR, THE WELLNESS COMMUNITY: Very valuable in expanding your own understanding.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a realization, again, that we're not alone.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FINNSTROM: We did speak with Columbia University professor Barron Lerner who has written a book about the impact celebrities have on health issues. He says the reach is greater now more than ever because of the internet and the huge number of media outlets -- John, Kiran.
ROBERTS: Kara Finnstrom for us this morning. Kara, thanks so much.
Health officials warning of new severe cases of swine flu after it apparently led to the death of a New York City assistant principal. Doctors say it shut down his body in just six days. We'll look at whether canceling classes and shutting schools is enough to contain it.
It's 56 minutes after the hour.
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