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American Morning
Supreme Court Nominee Sonia Sotomayor Confirmation Hearings Begin; Democrats and GOP Spar Over Secret CIA Program; Goldman Sachs' Earnings Expected to Soar; Valley Swim Club Wants to Settle Racism Controversy; Republicans and Democrats Fight Via Ads; Obama Defends Economic Strategy; Possible U.S.-Taliban Talks; Parents of 16 Murdered
Aired July 13, 2009 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: And a good Monday morning to you. Thanks very much for being with us on the "Most News in the Morning." It's the 13th of July. I'm John Roberts.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back.
ROBERTS: Thank you.
CHETRY: It's good to see you.
ROBERTS: A good week off.
CHETRY: Good for you. I'm Kiran Chetry. And we have a lot going on today. We're following several developing stories this morning. We're going to be breaking them down for you in the next 15 minutes.
First up, just hours from now, history unfolds as the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor begin. Democrats have the votes to confirm her, but Republicans are planning to use some of her own words against her. We're live in Washington with what Sotomayor may expect today.
ROBERTS: Well, Democrats say they want an investigation. Republicans say they're just playing politics. A fierce backlash breaking out this morning after members of Congress announced former Vice President Dick Cheney hid a secret CIA program from them. Now there's growing pressure on the White House to act.
Plus, did the former vice president break the law? Our answers ahead from Jim Acosta coming up.
CHETRY: And she may be leaving office at the end of the month, but Alaska Governor Sarah Palin says she is not quitting politics. Along with an upcoming book, Palin says that her future plans could include supporting Democrats. We'll explain that one straight ahead.
First though, just hours from now, President Obama's Supreme Court nominee, Sonia Sotomayor, heads to Capitol Hill to begin her Senate confirmation hearings.
ROBERTS: And it should provide plenty of political drama as well. Democrats are confident that she will become the first Hispanic justice on the Supreme Court. But right now, Republicans are poised to hit hard on a number of different issues.
CNN's Brianna Keilar is in Washington following it all this morning. What can we expect today as the hearings open up, Brianna?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, John and Kiran, as you know, Sotomayor has been studying up in a small office next to the White House for weeks now, preparing quietly for these hearings, looking at every aspect of her past. This is a historic moment and one that her colleagues say she is ready to embrace.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KELIAR (voice-over): Sources close to Judge Sonia Sotomayor say she has felt overwhelmed at times by the intense scrutiny but also surprisingly upbeat about her moment in the national spotlight.
SONIA SOTOMAYOR, SUPREME COURT NOMINEE: I hope that as the Senate and American people learn more about me, they will see that I am an ordinary person who has been blessed with extraordinary opportunities and experiences.
KEILAR: The White House and Senate Democrats want to highlight that experience -- her own personal story. Growing up in a Bronx housing project where her mother raised two children alone after Sotomayor's father died when she was 9, her Ivy League education, stellar legal career, and how she would make history as the first Hispanic justice.
THOMAS GOLDSTEIN, SCOTUSBLOG.COM CO-FOUNDER: It's a step forward for the country, having someone who's in a permanent lifetime appointment at the highest levels of the government, who has this background, both economically and ethnically, is a big deal. It's a moment. It is a step forward where we have accomplished something as a nation.
KEILAR: Democrats have the votes to easily confirm Sotomayor. But Republicans promise to raise tough questions about her past statement that a wise Latina woman would reach a better conclusion than a white male. Her views on gun control, property rights, abortion, and her ruling as an appeals judge against white firefighters who claimed reverse discrimination when promotional exams were scrapped after too few minority applicants scored well. Two of those firefighters will testify against her.
Ken Duberstein has successfully advised five high court nominees as a top Reagan and Bush aide. His advice for Sotomayor...
KEN DUBERSTEIN, FORMER REAGAN CHIEF OF STAFF: Don't embellish. Don't, you know, shovel. These senators have great shovel meters because they've experienced that for years.
Tell it straight. Tell the truth always. Be prepared for the one question you don't want to be asked, because everybody doesn't want to be asked some question. (END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: Coming up at 7:00 a.m. Eastern, we've got some amazing access, John and Kiran. We will take you right on to the floor of the hearing room where Sonia Sotomayor will begin her historic confirmation process later today.
ROBERTS: Looking forward to that, Brianna. Thanks so much. We'll see you an hour from now.
Judge Sotomayor's confirmation hearings, by the way, could last all week. Here are some of the highlights that you can expect to see in this "AM Extra."
Today at 10:00 a.m. Eastern, each of the 12 Democrats and seven Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee get ten minutes to make their opening remarks. Judge Sotomayor will then be sworn in and make her own opening statement.
Tomorrow, each senator gets 30 minutes to question the judge. That's when we really begin to see some potential fireworks here.
Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions is really the one to watch here. He's likely to take on a prosecutorial role as the ranking Republican on the committee. Minnesota's newly sworn in Democratic senator Al Franken is also going to question Judge Sotomayor.
And then on Wednesday, Sotomayor supporters like New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg will testify. The committee will also hear from critics like Frank Ricci. He's one of those New Haven, Connecticut firefighters who lost a discrimination suit before Judge Sotomayor. The Supreme Court reversed her ruling last month.
And we want to hear from you on all of this. Do you support Judge Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to the Supreme Court? Head to our blog at CNN.com/amFIX and let us know.
And a reminder that CNN is the place to watch today's confirmation hearing full coverage, on-air and online at CNN.com/live. It all starts at 10:00 a.m. Eastern this morning -- Kiran.
CHETRY: All right. Well, there's a big debate going on this morning after the discovery of the CIA counterterrorism program that was kept secret from Congress since 2001. The order to keep it under wraps said to have come straight from former Vice President Dick Cheney.
Now some Democrats are calling for an investigation, and Republicans are firing back, accusing the left of playing politics.
Our Jim Acosta tracking the story live from Washington this morning. So, a lot of buzz over this one. What are the new developments this morning, Jim?
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kiran, you know, the law basically requires the CIA to brief Congress on its activities. So the question raised by this latest revelation involving former Vice President Dick Cheney is whether laws were broken. And if so, what then?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA (voice-over): In a closed door hearing late last month, CIA Director Leon Panetta told the Senate Intelligence Committee he had just terminated a secret counterterrorism program. So sensitive, the panel was told, that during the Bush administration, former vice president Dick Cheney himself had ordered the CIA to conceal it from key members of Congress who hear top secret briefings -- the so-called "gang of eight."
SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D) CHAIRWOMAN, INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: He did brief us, and in the course of the briefing, he did say, because I believe somebody asked a question as to why it was never reported to us, that the vice president had given the directive that the program not be reported to the Congress.
ACOSTA: The matter has once again put Cheney at the center of a heated debate on the limits of White House powers.
SEN. RICHARD DURBIN (D), MAJORITY WHIP: There is a requirement for disclosure. It has to be done in an appropriate way so it doesn't jeopardize our national security. But to have a massive program that is concealed from the leaders in Congress is not only inappropriate, it could be illegal.
SEN. JON KYL (R), TERRORISM AND HOMELAND SECURITY SUBCOMMITEE: To somehow suggest that it might have been improper for the president or the vice president to keep an important program secret -- I mean, that happens every day.
ACOSTA: Little is known about the secret program, only that it was initiated after the 9/11 attacks and that it may never have been fully operational. Former Cheney counselor and CNN contributor Mary Matalin accused the Obama White House of disclosing the program out of pure politics.
MARY MATALIN, FORMER CHENEY COUNSELOR: Every time they get in trouble, which the president's poll numbers are slipping, and his health care and global warming initiatives are under assault, they dredge up a Darth Vader story.
ACOSTA: But it's a story that comes as Attorney General Eric Holder just might name a prosecutor to investigate the Bush administration's harsh interrogation techniques used on terrorism suspects, something Republicans would rather avoid.
SEN. JEFF SESSIONS (R), RANKING MEMBER, JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: So the question is did they go too far in some of these areas? I hope that we don't feel -- the attorney general doesn't feel a need to go back into it.
(END VIDEOTAPE) ACOSTA: Now as for Cheney, he could not be reached for comment. But members of Congress are looking at changing the law to keep them in the loop. One proposal would expand the number of lawmakers who would be briefed on the CIA's activities from eight to 40, but so far, the White House wants none of it -- Kiran.
CHETRY: All right. Jim Acosta for us this morning. Thanks so much.
ROBERTS: And here's a quick check of some other stories that are new for you this morning. Alaska's soon to be ex-governor, Sarah Palin, says she is not leaving politics after stepping down later this month. Palin says along with plans to write a book, she's also going to campaign across the country for candidates who share her political views and those candidates could include Democrats.
CHETRY: We're also "Minding Your Business" this morning. And gas prices looking like the silver lining in these tough economic times. This morning they are down again for a 22nd straight day. Right now, the national average for a gallon of regular unleaded gas, $2.53 a gallon.
And "Bruno" scoring big at the box office. Sacha Baron Cohen's latest comedy taking in more than $30 million over the weekend. "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" held on to second place while "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" fell from first to third.
It's eight and a half minutes now after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back. It's 11 minutes after the hour this morning. A quick check of some of the new stories new this morning.
Massachusetts's Governor Deval Patrick taking a shot at Zoo New England officials, promising no animals are ever going to be euthanized due to a budget shortfall. Now last week, park officials warned the cuts could force them to close two zoos and put down more than 200 animals. Patrick yesterday accused zoo officials of creating a false and inflammatory scare.
ROBERTS: Vice President Joe Biden's wife is having surgery in a few hours to relieve some shoulder pain. Jill Biden will have the procedure done in Philadelphia. She'd be released later on this afternoon. The vice president will spend today and tomorrow with her in Delaware before returning to Washington.
CHETRY: And seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong remains solidly in third place this morning after the ninth stage of the race. Today is a rest day for the cyclers. Armstrong is already eyeing next year's race. When a reporter asked him if this could be his last time through, he answered probably not. Maybe one more tour.
ROBERTS: He's doing well. He's only eight seconds off the lead and really playing in his favor. The Alps are coming up. They just went through the Pyrenees. The Alps are coming up, and the second last stage is Mont Ventoux, which is called the giant of Provence, this huge barren mountain. It's actually part of the southern Alps. And he's such a great mountain climber that he can put a lot of time into some people just before they wrap it up. So we're watching this very closely.
Well, less than four hours from now, Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor takes center stage on Capitol Hill. The senators examined her legal history and attempt to divide how she would rule from the highest court in the land. She is expected to be confirmed easily. So what can we expect from the upcoming week's worth of hearings?
Joining me now from Washington, Karen Finney, the former communications director for the Democratic National Committee and Ron Christie, Republican strategist and CEO of Christie Strategies.
Good morning to both of you. And, Ron, let's start with you.
KAREN FINNEY, FORMER DNC COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Good morning.
ROBERTS: There's some division in the Republican ranks over how these hearings should progress. Some people think it's an opportunity to energize the base by going after her hard. There are a lot of Republicans who say, wait a minute. We're trying to make this a bigger tent. We don't want to alienate Hispanic voters and women's groups who want to see her confirmed. So what's the best strategy here in approaching these hearings for the next few days?
RON CHRISTIE, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, good morning, John. I think the best strategy for Republicans and Democrats alike is to look at the justice, to examine her record and treat her with the dignity and the respect she deserves. I think that there will be plenty of opportunities for Republicans and looking at her judicial opinions and looking at her judicial philosophy to ask questions as to what sort of jurist she might be if she's elevated to the bench. And I think it will be a fair process.
She should be given a fair vote. She should be given the opportunity to express her views, but she should not be attacked. This should not be an opportunity for people to turn this into a partisan witch hunt on either side.
ROBERTS: OK. OK, Karen. So you heard that it's going to be a fair process, but it will be a thorough examination of her judicial philosophy. Are there any potential pitfalls? Any problematic issues here in the next few days?
FINNEY: Well, look, I hope that the Republican members of the committee were listening to what Ron was just saying and that, indeed, we do have a fair -- because I agree with Ron, it should be. You know, it's one thing to ask tough questions, but let's hope that they are thoughtful and fair questions.
Look, I think what you're going to see from the judge is a very thoughtful person. Someone who is, you know, pretty strong law-and- order judge. This is a woman who 98 percent of the time has voted with the mainstream. About 94 percent of the time, those were unanimous decisions.
So what she needs to do is really talk about her judicial philosophy. I'm sure she'll be asked questions about specific cases and a number of different issues. And she's got to give a sense of, you know, her thinking as a lawyer and as a judge. And I think she'll do great. This is a woman who's, you know, faced any number of pretty high obstacles in her life and conquered them.
ROBERTS: You know, one particular case that comes to mind, Karen, when you talk about that is the New Haven firefighters. And that one is certainly going to come up.
FINNEY: Yes.
ROBERTS: And "The Boston Globe" talked about all of this and Republican strategy. And, Ron, let me put this to you.
It said, "Republicans on the Senate Committee plan to portray her as apart from the mainstream on racial issues." I guess that's a tilt to the New Haven case. "The strategy intended to send a message to President Obama in deciding future nominations. Think twice before picking a liberal. GOP spokesmen acknowledge, some openly, they're unlikely to derail Sotomayor's nomination, so they are instead looking ahead to the appointment battles to follow."
Is that an accurate reflection, do you think, of the strategy?
CHRISTIE: I don't think so, John. I think Republicans are looking at this particular nominee and her philosophy and her opinions. And "The Boston Globe" mentioned the Ricci case. I think that is one specific area where Republican and Democratic members on the Judiciary Committee can ask her, will she interpret the law? Will she look at the constitution and uphold that evenly without looking at particular gender or racial identification? So, I think that the Ricci case will give members and the American public, most importantly, the opportunity to hear how she might rule in the future.
ROBERTS: Karen?
FINNEY: Well, you know, the thing I would just add to that is, I think, this morning what we'll get the opportunity to hear or this week we'll get the opportunity to hear, again, what was the legal thinking behind that decision? There's been a lot of hyperbole in the media and blowing this as, you know, sort of racially motivated. Well, let's hear what the law said. Let's hear what -- you know, what was the legal thinking behind that decision?
ROBERTS: Hey, let me switch gears here and pick up on the news about Dick Cheney, the former vice president, in this secret counterterrorism program that we don't know a whole lot about.
Ron, do you think he's in trouble? Dick Durbi,n who's going to be on our program later on today, suggests that it could have been illegal what the vice president did. There are calls for an investigation. Do you think he's in some hot water here?
CHRISTIE: No. John, I think the notion that the president or the vice president of the United States had classified information should come as no surprise to anyone. I think every time the Obama administration seems to get in trouble on intelligence matters, they say, oh, well, Dick Cheney did something secret or something.
FINNEY: Ron...
CHRISTIE: I think -- Karen, I think it's true. I think it comes as no surprise.
FINNEY: Come on.
CHRISTIE: Director Panetta went to Congress on June 24 and disclosed a program that had not been taken off the ground, had not been initiated. I think when the facts come out, the American people have the opportunity to hear what the heart of the matter is. The vice president, as usual, will come out just fine.
FINNEY: Well, I don't think the vice president, as usual, has come out so fine. In fact, part of the problem here is that time and again over the last several months and years, things that we were told by the Bush administration turn out not to be true. And unfortunately, the vice president seems to be at the center of a lot of so many of these things.
Clearly, a decision was made by Vice President Cheney that -- and he gave the order not to have Congress briefed. I think that there are some serious implications to a lack of trust between, you know, the administration and Congress. If he felt that they couldn't be briefed, I think that's an important question.
So he unilaterally makes that decision, and now we're hearing that potentially laws may have been broken. Obviously, when Leon Panetta learned about this program he had a different point of view, and he believed that Congress should have been briefed.
ROBERTS: Quick last word, Ron.
CHRISTIE: The only thing I can say at 6:17, John, is that when you hear statements like, "Clearly the vice president knew, clearly the vice president acted in a unilateral matter," I think the facts are clear. We don't know what the facts are, Karen. And rather than make this a political issue, we should just wait to see how this comes out.
FINNEY: Ron, we already learned -- we already learned that the vice president was the one who ordered the CIA. He made that decision. Are you disputing that?
CHRISTIE: And again -- Karen, again, I would say at 6:18, the American people don't want to hear yelling.
FINNEY: Are you now the timekeeper? What is this? CHRISTIE: I think the American people want to hear obviously that the president or vice president take steps to keep information secret to protect the American people. That's the important issue.
FINNEY: But we should follow the law and keep America safe.
CHRISTIE: And I think that we have followed the law.
FINNEY: Well, we'll find out.
CHRISTIE: And there's not one specific case...
ROBERTS: Folks, I'm sorry, I've got to get in the middle here. That's going to have to be the last word.
It's 18 and a half minutes now after the hour. It's good to talk to both of you. Karen Finney and Ron Christie, thanks so much.
We'll be back right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: It's almost 22 minutes after the hour now. Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
Who says size doesn't matter? Tall people apparently make more money than shorter people. Studies in Australia and here in the United States suggest that, on average, tall people make almost $800 more per inch.
So if you do the calculation, someone who's six feet tall earns nearly six grand more per year than someone measuring 5'5". The studies say being tall boosts self-confidence and that builds leadership qualities, two keys to workplace success.
CHETRY: I'm just left.
ROBERTS: If that's true, though, why are all the really rich Hollywood actors, like, 5'5"?
CHETRY: I know. George Clooney is not that tall. Neither is Tom Cruise.
ROBERTS: Well, Tom Cruise is a lot shorter than George Clooney. I think George is about 5'10 1/2".
CHETRY: I'm taller than George Clooney. When I met him...
ROBERTS: You are not. Come on.
CHETRY: ... I was wearing heels.
ROBERTS: And how tall were the heels?
CHETRY: Like nine (ph) to five inches. But, you know -- no.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: I think that's the way it should be, right? Tall people should be paid more money.
CHETRY: What?
WILLIS: Yes.
CHETRY: Is it?
WILLIS: I'm 5'8 1/2" and I think that's the way it should work.
CHETRY: Gerri Willis here. I felt bad I was looking at Petey over here. You know, (INAUDIBLE) in his face was falling during that.
This is all averages. You, of course, can -- you are the master of your own destiny.
WILLIS: You can fight back.
CHETRY: Exactly.
WILLIS: You can fight back against the hedge of money of tall people.
CHETRY: Well, Christine Romans is off today, and we have Gerri Willis in. A 5'8" Gerri Willis.
WILLIS: And a half.
CHETRY: Although Christine Romans is 5'10" -- I'm teasing you.
What's up? What's up with Goldman Sachs this morning?
WILLIS: All right. There's a report, a blowout second quarter. Their profits, $2 billion. That's $3.48 per share compared to $3.39 a share last quarter.
What's going on here? Well, you're probably surprised because you think the banks are having such a hard time. But Goldman Sachs does a lot of trading. Risk taking is back, and they are benefiting from it.
They are responsible for something like a quarter of all program trading. Trading in bonds, trading in currencies, you name it. And interesting to see this company will have such a dramatic turnaround.
As you know, they had $10 billion in TARP money. They paid that back, and they're back with a vengeance. "We're going to share it with employees as well. We're going to put aside some $18 billion for compensation and benefits of their 28,000 employees."
If you do the math, that's $600,000 per person. And, of course, top producers make far more than that. So you can see people are going to get a lot of money this year. And I know people out there are thinking, "We gave you this TARP money, and now you're making billions and billions and billions of dollars."
CHETRY: What do they do with all the toxic assets? How do they get rid of them?
WILLIS: I don't think they've gotten rid of them necessarily. I mean, I think they're still hanging on to them.
ROBERTS: That's what rugs and brooms are for, right?
WILLIS: The reality is -- what's that?
ROBERTS: It's what rugs and brooms are for.
WILLIS: Put it under the rugs. Put it under the rug. That's right.
CHETRY: That's the problem in the first place, wasn't it?
WILLIS: Yes, hiding your problems. Yes.
Well, if you remember, Goldman Sachs is sort of a legendary firm. Hank Paulson, Robert Rubin, two Treasury secretaries that came from Goldman Sachs. Lots of leadership in the financial world coming out of Goldman Sachs. And now they are back with a vengeance.
In fact, some of the analysts expecting that even the $3.48 number could be beaten. They could come in with earnings of $3.90 a share. Just crazy numbers, and I know a lot of Americans are thinking, "Why can't you share some of that money since we shared with you?".
ROBERTS: Exactly.
CHETRY: Gerri Willis, thanks so much.
ROBERTS: "Minding Your Business" this morning. Gerri, thanks so much.
A quick reminder, by the way, you're going to want to stick around. Coming up in 15 minutes time, Anderson Cooper's exclusive interview with President Obama. He talked to him in Ghana the other day. One of the big topics, the economy, and whether the White House will get behind the idea of a second massive stimulus package.
Goldman Sachs doesn't need it, though.
Twenty-five minutes now after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. Pennsylvania senator Arlen Specter has now asked the Justice Department to look into that Philadelphia swim club that turned away dozens of black and Hispanic kids from a day camp.
ROBERTS: Was it a simple case of overcrowding or was it something more sinister? We're now hearing from some of the club's members and its leadership.
Susan Candiotti now with a follow-up to a story that you saw first on AMERICAN MORNING on Friday.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, Kiran, good morning. After a hastily called meeting Sunday, The Valley Swim Club voted nearly unanimously that it was time to try to work things out with the day care center. This after a deluge of media attention, racism allegations, even moving a scheduled swim meet.
We've also obtained e-mails that indicate a war of words among club members. Some defending their leadership. Others saying they mishandled the situation. In the end, the swim club spokesperson told CNN it wants to settle the controversy.
In her words, "As long as we can work out safety issues, we'd like to have them back."
But the day care center's director is skeptical. As she put it, "They should have done that before. Those children are scarred. How can I take those children back there?"
Some of the center's kids said when they showed up to use the pool for the first time, some club members made racist comments. The director apologized. He said he cancelled the group's contract because of overcrowding and nothing more.
Earlier, he said it was because the youngsters changed the atmosphere and complexion of the club, but later explained it was a poor choice of words. The club said after being served with a subpoena for its records, like Pennsylvania's Human Relations Commission and getting legal advice, it was time to extend an olive branch.
The day care center's lawyer says they'll look over the offer when they get it and then consider it -- John and Kiran.
ROBERTS: Susan Candiotti reporting for us this morning. Susan, thanks so much.
Checking our top stories now. Democrats on the Hill leaning on the White House this morning. They want the president to launch new investigations into the Bush administration's counterterrorism policies.
And the head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Senator Dianne Feinstein, says former vice president Dick Cheney could be a criminal. There are allegations that the former VP ordered a CIA anti-terror program to be kept secret from Congress.
CHETRY: We also have a miraculous rescue to tell you about this morning. Chinese officials say three minors have been found alive after they were trapped for nearly a month. Twenty-five days these men reportedly licked moisture from the tunnel walls to survive.
Their mine flooded last month killing at least one person. Twelve other men are still missing. China's coal mines are among the deadliest in the world. Three thousand people killed last year. ROBERTS: And state lawmakers in California say they might finally be close to a deal with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to close the $26 billion gap in the state's budget. Both Republicans and Democrats say they hope to reach an agreement by the end of the week. Right now, state contractors and suppliers are getting paid with IOUs.
CHETRY: Well, Republicans and Democrats taking aim at each other in a new round of ads online and on TV. And under attack, the president's stimulus plan and also the record of Senate Minority Leader, Republican Mitch McConnell. So who is telling the truth here?
Well, Bill Adair is the founder and editor of the Pulitzer Prize- winning Web site PolitiFact.com. That's where we go to get the truth about a lot of this. And he's checking the facts, breaking out his Truth-O-Meter from our Washington bureau.
Good to see you this morning, Bill.
BILL ADAIR, EDITOR, POLITIFACT.COM: Good morning, Kiran.
CHETRY: Let's start with this ad. And it was sort of a tongue- in-cheek ad from top Republican in the House, John Boehner, where he was releasing the proverbial bloodhounds to search and sniff out the stimulus money. Let's take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R), HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: In North Carolina, they used stimulus money to hire one new state worker. His job? Apply for more stimulus fund from the taxpayers by the way of the federal government.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: All right. There you have it. So they used the money to hire one new state worker, and his job was to apply for more stimulus money. You ran that through the Truth-O-Meter. What did you find out?
ADAIR: We did. We gave this one a "False" on the Truth-O-Meter. It's not true. It's a great, catchy phrase, but it's just not backed up by the facts.
There is, indeed, a city worker who was funded by stimulus money, but that worker is not applying for more stimulus money. That worker is overseeing the grant applications for a new police station and doing some other tasks.
But it's not the way it's portrayed in the ad. So that one gets a "False" on our Truth-O-Meter.
CHETRY: And Boehner has really been hitting this where's the stimulus money message pretty hard. He also said last Sunday that there hadn't even been one contract that was signed on a stimulus project in his home state of Ohio. And that turned out to not really be true either? ADAIR: Yes. Apparently, "The Cleveland Plain Dealer" looked into this and found that it's not true that there was some $50 million, $52 million in contracts under way. And this is why it's really important to check these things out. There's just a lot of claims that are being made without a lot of attention to the facts.
CHETRY: All right. Well, next up we have another ad. And this is the one that came from the DNC, the Democratic National Committee, and it took aim at Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. We're going to take a look at part of that ad now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When it came to supporting legislation to create and protect Kentucky jobs, he said...
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R), MINORITY LEADER: No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Help for the unemployed...
MCCONNELL: Nope.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Health care for Kentucky's children...
MCCONNELL: No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Fair pay for women...
MCCONNELL: Nope.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: There you had some pretty bold claims made in that ad. What does the Truth-O-Meter say about this one?
ADAIR: Truth-O-Meter gave this one a "Barely True." This one -- this is sort of a classic attack ad. It has a grain of truth in it. Indeed, Senator McConnell did vote against the stimulus, as did most Republicans in the -- in the Senate and voted against SCHIP, the Children's Health Insurance Program. And that's what the ad is based on.
But there are many other votes that McConnell has taken where he supports helping people, helping the unemployed, helping children for health care.
So, this one gets a barely true. It's sort of a deja vu for us. It's like we're back in the campaign again.
CHETRY: All right. And lastly, we want to check up on a campaign promise. This is from President Obama. This is your Obameter talking about health care reform. He said that he would get everybody around a big table, doctors, nurses, hospital administrators, insurance and drug companies. And he said he wanted people to see who's on the side of, you know, your everyday patient and who is on the side of some of the political interest. Let's listen to what else he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What we will do is we'll have the negotiations televised on C-SPAN. That people can see who is making arguments on behalf of their constituents and who is making -- who are making arguments on behalf of the drug companies or the insurance companies.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: So this is a big issue. And as we speak, the president is trying to make a deal on health care legislation. Are we going to see this on C-SPAN, Bill?
ADAIR: Not so far. We rated this a "Promise Broken" on our Obameter, which tracks the president's promises. There's a -- there's just no sign of these big C-SPAN sessions that he talked about.
Instead, what we've seen is, you know, the same old, same old. A lot of things happening behind closed doors. And this is a reminder, I think, that as a candidate, then-Senator Obama talked a lot about changing the ways of Washington, and he's discovered as president that's not so easy.
CHETRY: Yes, that's very true. All right. Well, thanks for keeping all of them honest. And you can read more about today's Truth-O-Meter, check out the entire political scorecard. Head to our blog, cnn.com/amfix.
Bill Adair, we'll see you next week. Thanks.
Thirty-five minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. Thirty- eight minutes past the hour.
Here's a quick check of the "AM Rundown." These are the stories that are coming up in the next couple of minutes.
We're tracking extreme weather right now. At 6:45 Eastern, we're going to be checking in with Reynolds Wolf to find out how your morning commute may be affected.
Then at 6:50 Eastern, a potential deal to end the attacks on U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Pakistan is in the mix here, but there is a catch. We're going to have more with Michael Ware.
And also at the top of the hour, Senate confirmation hearings start today for President Obama's Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. We're going to look back at her childhood in New York's housing projects and how it helped prepare her for the big day.
Meantime, President Obama is back home in Washington this morning. And before he left Ghana over the weekend, he sat down for an exclusive interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper.
ROBERTS: The president talked about his tour of the Cape Coast Castle where Africans were held before being sold into slavery in America. He also touched on the economy. Here's a preview from Anderson.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John and Kiran, the president and his family arrived in Ghana on Friday. On Saturday, they came here, Cape Coast Castle, which is a place where enslaved Africans were once held before being shipped off to the New World and shipped off to America. I had a chance to tour the castle with the president. But first, we sat down and talked about the news of the day.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Vice President Biden said that you misread the economy. You said, no, no, no, we had incomplete information. And nevertheless you said that you would not have done anything differently. How? That seems contradictory. How can you say that if you had known that unemployment was going to go to 9.5 percent? Wouldn't you have asked for more money in the stimulus?
OBAMA: It's not contradictory. Keep in mind that we got an $800 billion stimulus package. By far, the largest stimulus package ever approved by a United States Congress.
And the stimulus package is working exactly as we had anticipated. We gave out tax cuts early so that consumers could start spending or at least pay down debts so they could at a later date start spending. We put in $144 billion to states so that they wouldn't have to cut teachers and police officers and other social services that are vital, particularly at a time of recession.
And we always anticipated that a big chunk of that money then would be spent not only in the second of the year, but also next year. This was designed to be a two-year plan and not a six-month plan.
Now, it may turn out that the enormous loss of wealth, the depth of the recession that's occurred, requires us to re-evaluate and see what else we can do in combination with the state...
COOPER: Possibly a second stimulus?
OBAMA: You know, there are a whole range of things, Anderson, that we've done. The banks have stabilized much more quickly than we have anticipated. They're not all the way to where we'd like them to be, but we've seen significant progress.
COOPER: You still see glimmers of hope?
OBAMA: If you look at both the financial sectors, the ability of the businesses to get loans, the drop-off of volatility that's taken place, the general trajectory is in the right direction.
(END VIDEOTAPE) COOPER: After our sit-down interview, the president and I had a chance to tour the castle together.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER (on camera): Do you think what happened here still has resonance in America? That the slave experience still is something that should be talked about and should be remembered and should be present in everyday life?
OBAMA: Well, you know, I think that the experience of slavery is like the experience of the Holocaust. I think it's one of those things you don't forget about. I think it's important that the way we think about it and the way it's thought is not one in which there's simply a victim and a victimizer and that's the end of the story.
I think the way it has to be thought about, the reason it's relevant is because whether it's what's happening in Darfur or what's happening in the Congo or what's happening in too many places around the world, you know, the capacity for cruelty still exists.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: I also talked to the president about the personal impact of being in Africa with his wife and kids. We'll have that tonight on "360."
ROBERTS: And you can see Anderson's entire exclusive interview with President Obama in Africa. That's tonight at 10:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.
Now 43 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: There you go. A live look this morning at the space shuttle Endeavour still trying to take off. Tonight at 6:51 Eastern, NASA is going to be trying once again to launch the shuttle. Bad weather forced them to scrub two launches over the weekend.
Endeavour's 16-day mission includes five space walks. They're also installing a space porch. How about that? For Japan's Kibo science lab.
ROBERTS: I've had flights like that, delayed, delayed.
CHETRY: Delay and delay.
ROBERTS: Reynolds Wolf at the weather center at Atlanta this morning. He's tracking the weather there at the Kennedy Space Center.
Some pretty spectacular lightning strikes to get the shuttle grounded over the weekend. What's it looking like tonight for the launch?
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You know, believe it or not, we're looking at again a chance for another coin toss. A 50/50 proposition.
ROBERTS: Wow.
WOLF: You can understand why they're so careful. I mean, you've got the space shuttle strapped to this giant rocket full of rocket fuels, with lightning strikes that are eight times hotter than the surface of the sun. Not a combination you want to be dealing with, with that high octane fuel.
But later on today, we're going to see something else fuel up, and that will be a chance of some showers and storms.
(WEATHER REPORT)
ROBERTS: Sounds very nice. Reynolds, thanks so much for that.
So, could the United States soon be talking with Mullah Mohammed Omar, the Taliban leader? Michael Ware joins us from Baghdad, coming up next, to tell us that it's a distinct possibility.
Stay with us. Forty-eight minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Coming up at nine minutes now to the top of the hour. Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
A story that you'll see only on CNN. Pakistan's military says it is in touch with the top Taliban leader in Afghanistan, and that they can bring him to the negotiating table to talk with American officials. The White House? Said to be considering the plan.
Our Michael Ware broke this exclusive story. He joins us now live from Baghdad with the very latest.
The White House's special envoy to the South Asia region, Holbrooke -- Richard Holbrooke, said that he sees this as being a step forward. The Pakistani officials are in touch with elements of the Taliban. And we remember during the election campaign that then candidate Obama said America has to talk to its enemies, Michael.
MICHAEL WARE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, John. And this is quite potentially the first major development in what's going to necessarily have to be part of a political process that will eventually end this conflict in Afghanistan, because this conflict is not going to be won with bombs and bullets alone.
The generals and the diplomats all agree on that. Now the Afghan president Hamid Karzai has been reaching out to the Taliban. But the Taliban are in their sanctuaries in Pakistan. So the true hope for any kind of dialogue still lays or lies with the Pakistani military. And their acknowledgment that they are in touch with the top Taliban leadership has been welcomed by the U.S.
And let's have a listen to what Ambassador Holbrooke told me just the other day. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD HOLBROOKE, SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR AFGHANISTAN & PAKISTAN: The United States supports any effort at reconciliation as long as the efforts at reconciliation include laying down your arms, accepting the constitution and, Michael, I want to stress this, breaking with al-Qaeda.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WARE: Now, according to the man known as the Godfather of the Taliban, the former head of Pakistan's equivalent of the CIA, Hamid Gall, a man who has possibly a decades-long personal relationship with Osama Bin Laden, also told us in a separate interview that such a break between the Taliban and al Qaeda may indeed be possible.
John?
ROBERTS: What are the chances, do you think, Michael, that American officials might ever sit down with Mullah Muhammad Omar? He was one of America's most wanted.
WARE: Indeed, John. There's still a $10 million U.S. bounty on his head. But I can tell you that diplomats are telling me a list of at least four senior Afghan commanders that they are willing to talk with. And it just so happens that not only are they the most powerful commanders, but they are the same four commanders that the Pakistanis say that they are prepared to bring to the table.
And, indeed, as to the White House, the Obama administration's willingness to talk to this Taliban leadership. Again, the president's personal envoy said that the door is open.
Let's listen once more to Ambassador Holbrooke.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOLBROOKE: Let me be very clear. I'm neither going to rule out or rule in anything on such a hypothetical basis. And I'm not going to get drawn into speculation on an issue this complicated. But I want to underscore existing policy that has been addressed by everybody in the U.S. government from the president on down.
There is room in Afghanistan for Taliban people who have fought with the Taliban, who are willing to participate in the political structure, who are willing to disassociate and renounce al Qaeda, and who are willing to lay down their arms.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WARE: Baby steps on what most likely will be a long road, John. But is this perhaps the first we've seen of a potential end to the conflict that has rapidly become President Obama's war?
John?
ROBERTS: Fascinating developments. Great job breaking that story. Michael Ware for us in Baghdad.
Michael, thanks so much.
Kiran?
CHETRY: And again this morning all eyes will be on Capitol Hill as Sonia Sotomayor, President Obama's first Supreme Court nominee, gets ready for her confirmation hearings. We're going to take a look from someone who has helped both the last two Supreme Court nominees make their way through the Senate confirmation hearings. Both Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito.
Ed Gillespie joins us in just a few minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: This is a live look right now inside the hearing room where those confirmation hearings are set to get under way in just a couple of hours for President Obama's first Supreme Court nominee pick -- Sonia Sotomayor. We're going to get a look inside the hearing room where she's going to sit and where the senators who will be questioning her from the Judiciary Committee are going to sit as well.
Brianna Keilar is going to be joining us live in just a couple of minutes.
And, meanwhile, it is 57 minutes past the hour. Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
Here are new developments now in the brutal murders of a married couple known for their giving nature known for adopting special needs children. Well, authorities in Florida now say the investigation is turning out to be, quote, "something bigger than anyone first thought."
Here's CNN's David Mattingly.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two men, Leonard Gonzalez Jr. and Wayne Coldiron are the first to be arrest and accused in the brutal double murders of Byrd and Melanie Billings. Authorities say expect more.
SHERIFF DAVID MORGAN, ESCAMBIA COUNTY, FLORIDA: We are looking for multiple suspects.
MATTINGLY: Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan will not discuss a possible motive. Why anyone would want to kill the Billings. Known for their adoption of a dozen children, many with special needs, the couple was shot to death in what authorities still call a home invasion. But now it appears to be much more.
MORGAN: We are very anxious to share this story with the citizens of Escambia County and with the nation if you will. It's going to be a humdinger. MATTINGLY (on camera): From there the details being made public are few, but authorities are talking about a case that is now far more complex than it first appeared. Involving more people than just the three men spotted on surveillance video invading the Billings home.
(voice-over): Leonard Patrick Gonzalez Sr. was also arrested, but he is not accused of being a killer. He's accused of tampering with evidence. Allegedly attempting to conceal damage and paint this old red van, identified as the vehicle used in the Billings' break-in. More suspects and arrests are promised in a case that has become filled with unexpected twists.
MORGAN: This is like a movie script, all right? And the more we delved into this and work this case, the different avenues that it would go down.
MATTINGLY: But no matter where this case turns, it remains a senseless tragedy. A large family brought together by love and kindness now thrown into pain and turmoil.
David Mattingly, CNN, Pensacola.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
