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American Morning

Trial Vaccine Could Be a Major Breakthrough in the Search for HIV Vaccine; President Obama to Address the United Nations Security Council; Why President Obama Chose Pittsburgh for the G-20 Summit; John Travolta Testifies on Son's Death; New Breast Cancer PSA Shocks Some; Afghanistan War Strategy in Conflict

Aired September 24, 2009 - 06:00   ET

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


KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome. Just a minute before 6:00 here in New York on this Thursday, September 24th. Welcome to AMERICAN MORNING. I'm Kiran Chetry.

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. I'm John Roberts. Thanks for being with us.

Here are the big stories that we'll be breaking down for you in the next 15 minutes. Could be a major breakthrough in the search for an AIDS vaccine. A trial vaccine cut the risk of HIV infection by more than 31 percent. AIDS researchers are cautiously optimistic. We're digging deeper on the study of the HIV vaccine with our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, coming right up.

CHETRY: Uniting Nations. President Obama challenging world leaders to begin a new era of global engagement and to contain the spread of nuclear weapons. We'll be taking a look at the president's debut on the U.N. world stage and also his mission as he heads to the G-20 summit that's taking place in Pittsburgh today.

ROBERTS: And the alleged extortion plot against actor John Travolta. His emotional testimony against at the trial of two men accused of trying to exploit his son's tragic death to the tune of $25 million.

CHETRY: We begin with breaking news this morning. A potential breakthrough in the search for an HIV vaccine. It's something that researchers thought might never be possible. But a major testing program in Thailand found an experimental drug cut the risk of HIV infection by more than 31 percent. One of the site's (ph) authors is calling it the first trial in more than 20 years that showed a vaccine may work against the sexually transmitted disease.

Chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta is live in Philadelphia to break that down for us.

And, Sanjay, before this trial, vaccine trials are pretty disappointing when it came to HIV. What makes this one different?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. They completely were disappointing, Kiran. No question about it. In fact, there were two vaccine trials in the past, one that showed actually no benefit and another one that actually showed that it might increase the risk for somebody developing HIV. So, this is a big deal. I mean, scientists for a long time have been looking for some sort of proof of concept. Could this work in some way to try and reduce someone's likelihood of developing HIV.

So keep that in mind as I outline for you what the study has specifically showed. This was, first of all, a large vaccine trial, 16,000 people in Thailand primarily. These are people who are higher risk for developing HIV. They may have been sex workers. They may have been people who work, live near the poverty line.

They gave them a series of vaccine shots. So over a period of six months, they received six different shots. There's the four shots first that was sort of the primary shot, and then two shots that sort of acted as a booster. And that was over a period again of six months, and then they were tested three years later.

Take a look at some of the data here. Again, as you look at the numbers, you may think for yourself, look, this doesn't look that impressive. But again, this was a retrovirus that was taught to be too tricky, too evasive. It was thought to hide too well.

Seventy-four people in the placebo group got HIV as compared to 51 in the group that received the vaccine. That's a decrease of about 31 percent. So, again, a modest level of protection overall but again, no one thought that this was possible at all. In fact, before today, Kiran, people thought, you know, a vaccine may just not be in the cards for HIV. Incidentally, Kiran, we have some audio problems as you may have noticed here which is why I'm on the phone here talking to you, Kiran.

CHETRY: Yes. We understand, no problem. Certainly, sometimes you got to work the gremlin (ph).

What do researchers think that this trial was more successful? Is it because of that combo vaccine that they were giving?

GUPTA: They think so, you know. And some of the final data and some of the final analysis is still to come. I know we're literally getting this information just over the last couple of hours.

But I think you're absolutely right. You know, if you think about a vaccine, a lot of times you get an initial shot and you may get a booster. So you may get two shots. You've heard about that for your kids.

What these vaccines are doing, they're trying to train your body's immune system to fight off the particular retrovirus in this case if the body should see it. A series of six shots seems to make a difference. I don't know if each one was building on the other or how it works exactly, but that probably is the key here.

CHETRY: Good thing no one obviously wants to take their chances of cutting risk by 31 percent. But how do they then try to get that number higher? You know, is this a launching point to maybe adding another vaccine to this combo or what are they trying to do to get that percentage up higher? GUPTA: Right. You know, so in some ways it's one of two directions. And now they've proven that there is a principle here that works, that you can actually create a vaccine. You -- I'm sorry, I got a beeper here. Sorry about that.

You -- once you create this vaccine that can work, you might be able to build on that specifically or you might say, you know, it just required a more lengthy series of shots to make a difference in the long run.

One thing that I thought was really interesting was that the vaccine did not seem to lower the overall viral load. You know, this idea that you can lower the viral load if someone is not as infectious. That didn't seem to happen. So people who got HIV, they got it. They still had the high viral loads. So, that's going to be another area where they work on as well.

CHETRY: All right. Well, we'll let you answer your other call this morning. I know you're a busy guy. But this is really potentially incredible if they can move forward with this and use this as a starting point to figure out how to get it to cover more people.

GUPTA: It really is.

CHETRY: Sanjay for us this morning. Thanks.

GUPTA: Thank you.

ROBERTS: The lineup at the United Nations General Assembly promised fireworks and it did not disappoint. This morning, many delegates are still shaking their heads after Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, railed against the United States and Israel. A parade of nations actually chose to get up and leave rather than listen to his 35 minute rant.

Meantime, outside U.N. headquarters, hundreds of Iranian ex- patriots protested Ahmadinejad's controversial election victory, shouting "liar and death to the dictator."

President Obama made his United Nations debut by addressing Iran's disputed nuclear program. He said the pursuit of nuclear weapons by Tehran and North Korea will not be tolerated. Nuclear issues will likely top the agenda today when President Obama chairs the United Nations Security Council meeting a little more than three hours from now. And he is the first U.S. president, by the way, to ever chair the group.

Joining us now is our White House correspondent, Suzanne Malveaux.

ROBERTS: So why is he taking this unusual step?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: This is a very big deal, and obviously he's going to be making history today. He is the first American president to chair a U.N. Security Council meeting. But more importantly, the world body is going to be voting on a resolution and signing on to an agreement which calls on nations to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, to reduce the risk of nuclear terrorism, promote disarming.

And this is very significant because it very much mirrors President Obama's own vision and commitment to creating a world without nuclear weapons. That is a goal that he laid out in Prague in April and President Obama has called for deeply cutting U.S., Russia's arsenals, adopting a treaty banning all nuclear tests and tracking down loose nukes. And it's an agreement that is important because it puts more pressure on Iran to give up its own nuclear ambitions by having other countries lead by example. I want you to take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think we also both agree that if Iran does not respond to serious negotiations and resolve this issue in a way that assures the international community that is meeting its commitments and is not developing nuclear weapons then we will have to take additional actions and that sanctions, serious additional sanctions remain a possibility.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: So, what you have is political pressure that they're putting on Iran and you also potentially could have economic pressure as well in October. That's when a lot of these leaders, a small group of these leaders are going to meet with a delegation from Iran to put perhaps additional economic sanctions if they don't comply.

ROBERTS: Significant too at that meeting yesterday. And Medvedev also that may be sanctions are inevitable. But in addition to chairing the U.N. Security Council meeting today, the president has also got a lot on his plate. He's getting on a plane flying to Pittsburgh today.

MALVEAUX: He's headed to Pittsburgh this afternoon. And obviously one of the thing that he's going to be doing, he's meeting with leaders of 20 industrialized nations and they represent 85 percent of the world's economy. So topping the agenda, obviously, to determine how to keep this recession from turning into a depression.

There are many economies including the United States, they're starting to recover but the president wants to make sure they continue tough regulations of these financial institutions and to keep the stimulus money flowing. So, it's a very big agenda. A big deal.

ROBERTS: Are you going to Pittsburgh?

MALVEAUX: I'm not going to Pittsburgh. I'm going to stay here for a while, then I got to go back to D.C.

ROBERTS: All right. Thanks, Suzanne. Great to see you this morning.

MALVEAUX: Thanks. CHETRY: All right. Well, as you heard from Suzanne, it is now on to the G-20 summit for President Obama as well as world leaders. And our Christine Romans is live in Pittsburgh. She's there. And, you know, Pittsburgh an interesting choice for the G-20. I mean, this is, you know, of course, the steel city that just saw so many manufacturing jobs go by the wayside over the past several decades.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: And now, Kiran, it's so much more than Steel City. I mean, when you look at the last G-20, it was in London in April, and that's a big international city. It's used to playing host to world leaders.

But this -- this is Pittsburgh. This is a town that's basically shut down right now, even closing some schools as the whole world comes here. And so, we ask, why Pittsburgh?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DENNY PIRRING, PITTSBURGH CAB DRIVER: This is it. This is our ground zero. This is original steel mill.

ROMANS (voice-over): Denny Pirring knows and loves Pittsburgh. Twenty-six years behind the wheel of his taxi, he's watched his hometown fall and rebound. And now his city will host 20 presidents and prime ministers.

PIRRING: All these leaders of the world are coming here to my city. You know, makes you feel -- it makes me feel strong. It makes me feel like we did something right.

ROMANS: When Pirring was younger, this would have seemed an unlikely chapter in the Pittsburgh story. Driving these streets, he recalls hard times in his steel town working for $20 a day in warehouses and the Ven Diesel (ph) at strip district.

PIRRING: That $20, I might have kept about $2 on that. I have to give the rest to my family.

You see the stores now. I mean, back in the days there was nothing here. You drive down here, there's nobody even down here. I mean, it was deserted. It's amazing. But, yes, the whole city gives me goose bumps.

ROMANS: Steel left in the '70s and '80s and unemployment hit 18.5 percent. People left town. The city was written off as dead. To survive, Pittsburgh had to act boldly.

DENNIS YABLOWSKI, ALLEGHENY CONFERENCE ON COMMUNITY: We had no choice. I mean, we had to do something. We created whole new industries that didn't exist 30 years ago.

ROMANS: By investing in education, health care, technology and financial services.

YABLOWSKI: There's now 1,500 technology companies in the region. There's 400-500 biotech companies and over a couple of hundred research centers here.

ROMANS: It's why President Obama chose the reborn steel city to host the world.

MAYOR LUKE RAVENSAHL (D), PITTSBURGH: The president himself continuing to talk positively about Pittsburgh speaks volumes, I think, to our turn around.

ROMANS: A model for new jobs and the environment. This was once a sooty, grimy polluted town.

ANDY MASICH, HEINZ HISTORY CENTER: Anywhere you go in the country, people still think of Pittsburgh as that hell with the lid off kind of industrial town. But we know today it's one of the greenest cities in America.

ROMANS: Ranked the 10th greenest in the world, in fact. Street by street, Denny Pirring has watched the renaissance.

PIRRING: I pick up people every day. They say to me, you know, where's the pollution? Where's the dirt? That's why, you know, having the summit here, it's going to show the world what we are. I mean, it's going to show people what Pittsburgh really is about.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROMANS: A remarkable recovery for Pittsburgh. Now, it has not escaped the recession unscathed. Of course, its unemployment rate has risen to about 7.8 percent. That's up pretty dramatically from where it was before the recession began.

But, Kiran, that's still better than the national average here. And this is -- this is a city that really prides itself on its environmental buildings and the fact that it has been able to recover from this big industrial downturn and invest in health care, technology, financial services and come out on top in the end -- Kiran.

CHETRY: That's right. You're right. They're very proud of the fact that even though as you said unemployment is higher, it's lower than the state average as well.

ROMANS: That's right.

CHETRY: We're going to be talking to the mayor. He said that they learned their lesson from the tough times after big steel went away and diversification really the key for them.

Great stuff, Christine. Hope you have fun there. We hope you get to (INAUDIBLE) sandwich and get to enjoy yourself a little bit.

Meanwhile, coming up at 7:30, we're going to be talking to Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl. We're going to get his thoughts. Because, I mean, it's not only the fact that they're hosting the city. I mean, we sat here and covered the protests at the G-20 last year in London. And this is a police department that has 900 people and they might have to call in the National Guard for some help. But, you know, G-20 protesters are pretty infamous or be able to stroke trouble.

ROBERTS: They certainly can be. You know, G-8 protesters in Genoa, back in 2001, literally burned the town down. We saw what they did as well at the WTO meetings in Seattle. So, but as Christine said, they pretty much got the town locked down. So, so far so good.

So with all of the competing interest, trying to get a small pot of money for charities and research, particularly in this economy, how do you draw attention to your cause?

Well, Alina Cho is going to be looking at a rather interesting new public service campaign that, shall we say, is getting its fair share of attention.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: We're back with the Most News in the Morning. ACORN is suing the undercover filmmakers who taped ACORN employees in Baltimore, giving tax advice to a couple posing as a prostitute and a pimp. In the video, ACORN employees advised the woman to list her occupation on financial documents as a performance artist. ACORN is suing because Maryland state law requires consent of both parties when making a recording.

CHETRY: Also this morning, shifting wind direction, helping firefighters in California gain some ground on a wildfire burning dangerously close to some homes in Ventura County. As we told you yesterday, a state of emergency declared in that county by the governor.

The fire now 40 percent contained. It's burned 16,000 acres since it started two days ago. More than 500 homeowners are being told to get out of the area. Crews also hope to have it entirely contained sometime Saturday.

ROBERTS: The FBI is investigating the death of a U.S. census worker. He was found hanging from a tree earlier this month near a Kentucky cemetery. "The Associated Press" reports the word "fed" was scrolled across the 51-year-old's chest. Census has suspended door- to-door interviews in the area until they figure out exactly what happened.

CHETRY: For the first time, we're hearing John Travolta talk about the death of his son, Jett. You remember he died back in January in the Bahamas, and now John Travolta is opening up on a witness stand in that country where two defendants are now on trial for allegedly trying to extort $25 million from the actor and his wife. Prosecutors say that Travolta's account of how he tried to save his son's life could be crucial to their case. Our Randi Kaye has the latest.

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, Kiran, John Travolta is expected to testify again today in a Bahamian court. Yesterday, he spent four hours explaining to the jury why he wanted to take his dying son to Florida for treatment.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE (voice-over): It's called a refusal to transport. A piece of paper that family members must sign to refuse transport for medical services. Paramedic Tarino Lightbourne says John Travolta signed that form and tried to stop the ambulance from taking his dying son, Jett, to the hospital in the Bahamas so he could be flown to Florida.

That sheet of paper is now at the center of a celebrity drama playing out on an island paradise. Lightbourne is one of the prime suspects accused of trying to extort $25 million from Travolta and his wife, actress Kelly Preston, in the days following their son's death. If they did not pay up, he allegedly threatened to make the private medical form public. Celebrity watcher Harvey Levin.

HARVEY LEVIN, TMZ: If it's true, it's absolutely beyond despicable.

KAYE: Lightbourne and the other prime suspect, former Bahamian Senator Pleasant Bridgewater have been charged with conspiracy to extort. Both have pleaded not guilty.

Bridgewater's lawyer told us there's been no evidence of her involvement to commit an offense against Mr. John Travolta. Lightbourne's lawyer did not return our call.

Travolta, first to testify in the Bahamian court, told the jury, "I received a liability of release document. I signed it. I did not read it. Time was of the essence." And Travolta had his own plane waiting.

LEVIN: John initially felt he could fly him to Miami faster than he could drive him there by ambulance.

KAYE (on camera): Bahamian authorities say Lightbourne was at Travolta's side as he watched the massive seizure take his son's life. In the days following that tragedy, Lightbourne publicized Travolta's most personal moments, telling tabloids how the actor cried and prayed as he fought to save his son.

VOICE OF LEVIN: Somebody who was with John Travolta, trying to save Jett and then tried to extort money from a grieving father, it is almost beyond belief.

KAYE (voice-over): Was the alleged plan hatched during a dying boy's final hours? If so, Levin called that the ultimate betrayal.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: This actually is the most we've seen of John Travolta and Kelly Preston. Since their son, Jett, died, they have cancelled appearances and remain for the most part in seclusion -- John, Kiran.

ROBERTS: Wow, what a shame.

CHETRY: Awful for them what they're going through right now.

Well, still ahead, as you said, it's hard to sort of, you know, get a lot of people interested in your cause. There are so many different charities to donate to, and sometimes shock value or getting people's attention is really the way to go.

ROBERTS: Exactly, yes.

CHETRY: This next public service announcement really did that one.

Alina Cho is now following it for us. And does this give new meaning to the boob tube? I'm sorry I have to say that.

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's good. That's good, Kiran.

You know, shock value is right, you know. And how to get men to care about breast cancer.

Well, you might want to watch this ad. It isn't your average public service announcement. It's eye-popping. Some might say it's offensive, in bad taste.

We're going to play you the entire ad. Judge for yourself. That's when AMERICAN MORNING returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Welcome back. Twenty-three minutes past the hour right now.

You know, some video that's raising some eyebrows, a public service announcement that some say may be going a little too far to get the point across.

ROBERTS: It's called and these are not my words, "Save the Boobs" and you have to see it to believe it.

Our Alina Cho has been looking into this for us. And believe me you're going to see it and you won't believe it.

CHO: Well, you know, I mean, part of the goal is to get men to care about breast cancer. This certainly will be effective in that realm, guys.

Good morning. You know, October, by the way, is Breast Cancer Awareness month. So no surprise, there is a new public service announcement. But this one, well, some say it looks more like a beer commercial than it does a PSA for breast cancer awareness. But that's exactly what it is, a PSA.

Now the group behind the ad is rethink breast cancer. That's a Canadian charity. The founder says they were looking for ways to reach a younger audience. That certainly it will do, but the ad is not for everyone. Some might call it offensive. So here it is in its entirety. Take a look and judge for yourself. (VIDEO CLIP)

CHO: Well, well. The reaction so far has been mixed. You know, and this charity isn't the only one borrowing from Madison Avenue and using sex to sell. Take a look at this.

We found this PSA put out by the National Lung Cancer Partnership. And take a look at this.

Yes, this is about lung cancer. A bit racy but also a memorable. And hey, isn't that the goal. So, back to the breast cancer ad.

The founder of the group that made it says the spot are definitely not for everyone. Young people, she says, are picking up pamphlets with a 65-year-old woman on the cover probably tossing them out. She says this is a bold and fun way to communicate the message that will "stop" them in their tracks.

Now I mentioned at the top, you know, they want men to care about breast cancer. Why?

Well, this charity says -- this woman says that time and time again they hear from women who say, you know, listen, I found a lump in my breast, I'm afraid to check. They ask their husband or their boyfriend to get involved, and so that's why men need to be aware about breast cancer. And so, that's -- hence, the ad.

CHETRY: Pretty interesting. As we know, the ads that create shock value, some of the health ads about quitting smoking --

CHO: That's right. They are effective. They are effective. And we're talking about it this morning and certainly hopefully there will be more people aware about breast cancer. And certainly as I mentioned before, October is Breast Cancer Awareness month.

CHETRY: That's right.

CHO: There will be tons of these floating around the air waves.

ROBERTS: Those Canadians, they are a creative and a reverent society.

CHO: Yes, they are John Roberts.

ROBERTS: All right. So Moammar Gadhafi's tent was pitched on Donald Trump's property at Bedford, New York. Where's the tent now? We'll tell you.

It's 26 minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. When it comes to the mission in Afghanistan, the White House and Pentagon do not seem to be on the same page. The top U.S. commander says he needs more troops and soon or the mission will fail. But the Obama administration wants a new strategy first before deciding on troop levels.

Our Chris Lawrence is digging deeper on the disconnect. He is live at the Pentagon for us this morning.

So, again, we see the military leadership and the administration somewhat at odds with each other.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Yes, John. And a senior official tells us that President Obama's national security team is intensively looking for other strategies and hope to present some of those new option within just a matter of weeks.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAWRENCE (voice-over): The U.S. commander's assessment of what's really happening on the ground in Afghanistan and the need for up to 40,000 more American troops has set the Obama administration scrambling to come up with more options. The current strategy was a counter insurgency against al Qaeda and the Taliban. To do it right, General Stan McChrystal says he'll need more troops. And to protect Afghan civilians, those troops will have to assume more risk and spend as little time as possible in armored vehicles or behind the walls of forward operating bases.

GEOFF MORRELL, PENTAGON SPOKESMAN: There is a discussion taking place about whether to continue with the strategy or whether adjustments should be made.

LAWRENCE: Several sources tell CNN the administration was taken aback by the assessment. That its troop requirements put the president in a box. Some key officials would rather narrow the mission.

JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The objective is Al Qaeda. That is the objective.

LAWRENCE: Another alternative. Put a large military intelligence force into Afghanistan to stop militants from planning attacks on the U.S. and give money and weapons to tribal warlords who can fight the Taliban with their own militias.

MALOU INNOCENT, CATO INSTITUTE: It has to be dealt with through not only just outright bribery but also trying to co-op certain militias and the warlords.

LAWRENCE: How can the administration change strategy at this point? Well, the Afghan election is still being disputed with allegations of voter fraud. Officials have started to drop hints that counter insurgency won't work if Afghans don't believe in their government.

ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Obviously, we have to have a strong partner.

(END VIDEOTAPE) LAWRENCE: Now, General McChrystal's official troop request is on its way here to the Pentagon, but the defense secretary has indicated, he won't show it to anyone until they make these big decisions on the overall strategy - John.

ROBERTS: All right. Chris Lawrence for us at the Pentagon this morning. Chris, thanks.

We're going to have more, by the way, on the military strategy in Afghanistan coming your way at 8:30 Eastern this morning. We're going to be talking with retired Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt and Stephen Biddle from the Council on Foreign Relations. He was involved in the group that wrote the assessment that General McChrystal is presenting to the administration.

And it's half past the hour. Here are this morning's top stories.

Could be a major breakthrough in the fight against AIDS. Researchers say an experimental vaccine cut the risk of HIV infection by almost a third. One of the study's authors calling it the first trial in more than 20 years that showed a vaccine may indeed work against the sexually transmitted disease.

CHETRY: Remember the prisoner that we told you about yesterday who managed to escape? I think this was his third escape. Well, he's now back behind bars this morning. The long arm of the law catching up with 21-year-old Joshua Barnes. He escaped near Dallas. He escaped last weekend from a Galveston prison hospital. He's serving more than 30 years for a series of burglaries. And again, that was his third escape attempt.

ROBERTS: He has a knack for it.

Roll up your sleeves and listen to this. A study of some 2,000 healthy adults suggest that flu shots are twice as effective against the regular virus as those nasal sprays are. But researchers say that may not be true for swine flu vaccines which, by the way, may be available first in a spray. They say that both kinds might be equally effective against the H1NI virus in both children and adults.

CHETRY: And there were certainly no welcome mat for Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi at a New York property in Westchester County, just outside of New York. It was owned by Donald Trump, it still is. And the tent that he hoped to visit after that interesting speech at the United Nations was actually taken down yesterday.

Mary Snow joins us.

And there were so much anger and outrage over where the Libyan leader was going to stay. So what finally became of his tent?

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, Kiran.

Well, that plan totally nixed and the anger following Moammar Gadhafi is tied to that hero's welcome held last month in Libya for the Lockerbie bomber when he was released from Scotland because he's dying of cancer.

People are going out of their way in New York to let Gadhafi know he's not welcome. And until late yesterday, Donald Trump found himself caught up in the controversy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW (voice-over): Protesters outside the United Nations demonstrated not just against Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, they also took aim at Donald Trump. This after a tent for Gadhafi went up on property belonging to Trump about 40 miles north of New York City in Bedford.

RABBI SHMULEY BOTEACH, COMMUNITY LEADER: What message do you send, Mr. Trump, by housing Gadhafi's tent on your property?

SNOW: Trump's office said Tuesday he was unaware that his property was being used for Gadhafi, that Middle Eastern partners had acquired a short-term lease. Officials in the town and county were furious and moved to block Gadhafi.

ANDREW SPANO, WESTCHESTER COUNTY EXECUTIVE: This guy's a terrorist. He's maimed and killed innocent people. He really doesn't belong here, let alone in Westchester and the United States.

SNOW: An attorney for the town threatened to take action against the Trump organization, saying the required building permits were not obtained. The lawyer told CNN he spoke with Trump on the phone to get him to dismantle the tent.

Then the Trump organization issued a statement saying, quote, "We have requested that the tenant occupying the property in Bedford, New York remove the tent that was erected. They have complied with this request."

It was just the latest snub to Gadhafi, who was shun from other places in and around New York including Englewood, New Jersey, where town officials a few weeks ago successfully fought to prevent Gadhafi from setting up shop in their town. And the town's mayor joined protesters outside the UN as Gadhafi spoke.

MAYOR MICHAEL WILDES, ENGLEWOOD, NEW JERSEY: I did my job as mayor. If I were a member of Congress, I would ask whether or not the intelligence threat and the vulnerabilities that we have when we admit visitors like this to our country actually yields any significant gain or puts us in greater jeopardy.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW: And as for Gadhafi, the only doors open to him as far as the place to stay are the doors leading to the Libyan mission right near the UN.

CHETRY: How about his speech yesterday on top of everything else?

SNOW: One hour, 36 minutes.

CHETRY: Yes, and he had a lot of interesting thoughts.

SNOW: One thing he did say is that he didn't want to have the General Assembly in New York because of all the security.

CHETRY: That's right.

SNOW: Poor thing.

ROBERTS: Let him be closer to Libya where he can pitch his tent.

CHETRY: Exactly.

ROBERTS: There you go.

CHETRY: Thanks, Mary.

SNOW: All right.

CHETRY: Well, still ahead, we're talking about Sarah Palin. She's giving a big, big speech. It's going to be in China. And our Jessica Yellin has more on what people think she may say.

Thirty-five minutes after the hour.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICHOLAS SPARKS, AUTHOR: Hi, I'm Nicholas Sparks. I'm the author of "The "Notebook," "Message in a Bottle" and most recently, "The Last Song."

Usually on average, I'm out of town 90 days a year. I really have found that whenever I go some place, I learn a little bit something new. I've a very simple packing strategy, picking a color scheme based on my shoes. I grab a shirt, grab a pant, everything matches.

I only have so many clothes and if I start getting tied, I'm doomed. So, I know I have to eat well.

My secret is when I get into the hotel at night, I order grilled chicken sandwich with fruit on the side. Every hotel has a grilled chicken sandwich.

I like to work out and do really short, intense stuff that puts your heart rate up and exercise all the muscles.

I have a lot of basic routines that I go through many times a week. I talk to my wife.

You set a time aside during the day to do (INAUDIBLE), so I think it makes traveling just a little bit easier.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here we go.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONAN O'BRIEN, HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH CONAN O'BRIEN": Today, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin gave a speech in China. That's right. And the topic of her speech was, are you sure you're not Japan?

(LAUGHTER)

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ROBERTS: We're back with the Most News in the Morning

It's her first major speech since resigning as Alaska's governor and Sarah Palin went about as far away from her conservative Republican base as she could to deliver it, speaking to business leaders in Hong Kong.

Jessica Yellin is following that story for us this morning.

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JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): On the streets of Hong Kong, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is no celebrity.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This woman?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You have never seen her before?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, never.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have you ever seen her before?

YELLIN: She might be better known there today. Palin just headlined a Hong Kong investment conference whose past speakers have included Bill Clinton, Alan Greenspan, Al Gore, and Bishop Desmond Tutu.

This year?

SARAH PALIN (R), FORMER ALASKA GOVERNOR: ... diversity of ideas.

YELLIN: There were no cameras inside, but someone snuck out this cell phone video. Now "The Wall Street Journal" reports, Palin had governments from East to West in her sights, telling the audience of business leaders that China "rightfully makes a lot of people nervous."

But Palin saved her most pointed attacks for -- quote -- "liberalism" and the philosophy that, quote, "there is no human problem that government can't fix."

Her charge? That the U.S. government caused last year's financial collapse. "The Journal" quotes Palin saying, "We got into this mess because of government interference in the first place."

DOUGLAS HOLTZ-EAKIN, FORMER CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE DIRECTOR: She gets a chance to try out her ideas and see what the response is.

YELLIN: Doug Holtz-Eakin was a top economic adviser in the McCain-Palin campaign. He says the government did make mistakes, but disagrees that government was solely to blame for the collapse, and says of Palin's theory:

HOLTZ-EAKIN: Well, you don't want to take it to its logical conclusion, which says, we don't need a government.

YELLIN: He believes the former governor has great gifts, but the question is:

HOLTZ-EAKIN: How will she combine those skills with a set of ideas that will be more appealing to a broader demographic in America? We know the Republican Party has become too narrow.

YELLIN (on camera): According to some of those at the speech, Palin got a mixed reaction. Some people left early, calling the speech boring. Others said they were very impressed with her remarks.

Jessica Yellin, CNN, Washington.

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CHETRY: Jessica Yellin for us. Thanks so much.

Meanwhile, let's check in with Rob Marciano. He's, of course, been covering the really, really devastating flooding that took place in Atlanta, other parts of Georgia, as well as parts of Tennessee.

What's going on?

We're talking about day three after the water receded, and still a lot of problems.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, still a lot of problems. I mean, not every river or stream is below its flood banks. But the good news is another dry day expected today. That rain has begun to shift to the north and west causing problems for those folks. We also have cold air in the Rockies, some snow there and the wildfires continue to burn in southern California. Lots to talk about. Weather is coming up when AMERICAN MORNING comes right back.

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ROBERTS: You know, one thing you can say about Miami is they have magnificent clouds. Look at that one over Biscayne Bay this morning. 79 degrees, and as you can see partly cloudy. Later on today, typical summer pattern, chance -- no it's fall -- chance of storms and 88 degrees.

CHETRY: I love it. Partly cloudy. It takes up the whole screen. Mostly cloudy.

ROBERTS: Amazing cloud.

CHETRY: Of course, just this morning.

Well, welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.

We're following a lot for you this hour. First, a possible threat to passenger safety at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. The "Chicago Tribune" is reporting that federal inspectors found numerous violations that could endanger planes during takeoffs and landings. The violations include rocks and construction debris on the runway, overgrown weed that could attract birds and city officials say that they are taking those warnings very seriously.

ROBERTS: The man at the center of the alleged bombing plot possibly targeting a major U.S. transportation hub is being evicted from his apartment in Denver. The "Denver Post" reports the apartment complex is ordering Mohammad Zazi and his father -- that would be Najibullah Zazi, rather -- and his father to be out of the place by October 3rd. Zazi will appear in court this morning for a detention hearing.

CHETRY: And a startling discovery on the moon -- water. Scientists in the "Journal of Science" report a thin film of water across the surface of the moon, and they say this discovery could act as a potential source of drinking water and fuel for possible lunar bases, and we could soon learn how much water is up there because in just a few weeks NASA plans to crash a rocket into the moon and a satellite will then measure what it kicks up.

Pretty interesting.

ROBERTS: Yes. That's an interesting little scientific experiment.

Hearing U2 in the background through all of that, they played one in the show at Giant Stadium last night. They've got another one there tonight. I hope it's good weather because I'm going.

Rob Marciano is at the weather center in Atlanta, and he's tracking all of the extreme weather.

Good weather tonight in New York or New Jersey, actually, at the Meadow Lands for the U2 show?

MARCIANO: I knew there was an ulterior motive for you mentioning U2, and then transition into me, John.

ROBERTS: It will be interesting tomorrow because I might get maybe an hour's sleep before the show so we'll see.

(WEATHER REPORT) ROBERTS: Yes. Got to be a beautiful, beautiful day.

Thanks so much, Rob.

Here's what's on the A.M. rundown this morning from Muammar Gadhafi's never ending rant to one of the longest hand shakes in United Nation's history. Jeanne Moos on the strange happenings at the U.N. General Assembly. That's coming right up.

Then at the top of the hour, a potential break through in the battle against AIDS. Dr. Sanjay Gupta on an experimental vaccine that could help stop the spread of HIV. This one showing a remarkable effectiveness.

And at 7:25 using dogs to get conviction. Their sense of smells convincing jurors to send suspects to prison. And now there's growing evidence that the science is shaky and innocent people are being put behind bars.

Forty-eight minutes now after the hour.

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JIMMY FALLON, HOST, "LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON": President Obama, he met with Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, or as President Bush called him Mr. Miyagi.

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DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST, "THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN": It's funny because when these guys are here they find activities, they are all very busy. For example, from France, Sarkozy is jogging. He likes to jog. President Obama is playing a lot of basketball. Berlusconi is getting phone numbers at Hooters.

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JAY LENO, HOST, "THE JAY LENO SHOW": And Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, dock, this moron was at the U.N. today. He talked forever. He talked on Israel and the swine flu and the JFK assassinations. Where was Kanye West to grab the microphone away?

(LAUGHTER)

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ROBERTS: Welcome back to Most News in the Morning.

Hard to think that you can top Hugo Chavez's performance, but from Libyan Leader Moammar Gadhafi letting the world know what he thinks about pretty much everything to bad entrances.

CHETRY: Yes. There were a lot of zaniness, I guess you could say at the United Nations General Assembly yesterday. So Jeannie Moos, of course, with the most unusual of the bunch.

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JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's the U.N. version of the red carpet. Instead of Brad and Angelina, it's Barack and Michelle.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Michelle.

How you are?

Good morning.

MOOS: Entering separately and biggest commotion...

(CROSSTALK)

MOOS: Comes when a rogue leader makes an entrance.

(CROSSTALK)

MOOS: Libya's Moammar Gadhafi had the press foaming at the mouth.

(on camera): But our number one entrance is really a lesson in how not to enter.

(voice-over): We can all learn from a gentleman who faced the wrong way on the escalator as he arrives with his delegation. At least at the U.N., they're diplomatic enough to pick him up.

(on camera): Now, we think we've detected a retro trend -- flashing the peace sign.

(voice-over): Iran's president did it and so did Libya's leader. But the kind of peace Gadhafi offered in his speech was a piece of his mind -- banging on the podium.

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MOOS: Though some managed to snooze through the harangue. In the hour-and-a-half speech, the Libyan leader took five drinks of water, went through two different interpreters and tugged at his robe countless times. At one point, someone from his delegation passed up a note that people may have hoped said, "Hurry up," but which Gadhafi ignored.

He symbolically ripped a copy of the U.N. charter then dumped it. He seemed fond of tossing things around. You can bet that President Obama was thrilled to learn that Gadhafi called Obama "our son."

MOAMMAR GADHAFI, LIBYAN PRESIDENT (through translator): From relations to our son, Obama.

MOOS: And we offer congratulations to the U.N. secretary-general and Argentina's female president for the longest handshake -- 15 vigorous seconds. As diplomats streamed into the world leader's luncheon, U.N. security had its hands full.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Back up means back up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wait on this side.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get these people out of here.

MOOS: But if anything got manhandled at the U.N....

(VIDEO CLIP)

MOOS: ...it was Libyan leader Gadhafi's notes. They took an hour-and-a-half of abuse -- shuffled, reshuffled, fumbled and finally used to gavel his own speech to a close.

(VIDEO CLIP)

MOOS: Note to aide -- don't forget to pick up his notes.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

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ROBERTS: That's quite a performance yesterday.

CHETRY: No one to stills it down quite like Jeanne.

Well, it's 53 minutes after the hour.

When we come back, it wasn't all a laughing matter at all. In fact, there were a lot of people that were quite upset with the appearance of Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Protesters out there. Our Allan Chernoff is going to be bringing us that set of story in just a moment.

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CHETRY: Coming up on three minutes to the top of the hour.

Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad put some familiar rhetoric in his speech to U.N. General Assembly. He said uncontrolled capitalism is what caused the global economic crisis, also took a few direct shots at the United States. But he saved some of his harshest words not surprisingly for Israel. And there were plenty of protesters outside of the U.N. Thousands lining up with signs, many claiming that Ahmadinejad stole the June presidential election in Iran. But in his speech, Ahmadinejad defended legitimacy of his election. Our Allan Chernoff has been following the story of one of those protesters. He's an Iranian student studying here in New York at NYU. Had a chance to meet her yesterday, and today, Allan takes us along as she marched at the U.N., one voice speaking for so many other people who she says can't speak for themselves.

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ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For Saharnaz Samaeinejad, the march from the Iranian mission to the United Nations was about much more than one politician. The president named Ahmadinejad whose election victory is in dispute. It's about a society and the government the protesters say that has turned brutally repressive in the face of dissent. Saharnaz friends, Mehdi (ph), Ali (ph) and Fatima (ph) were all arrested last week she has heard. They did what she's doing, except they dared to speak out in Iran.

SAHARNAZ SAMAEINEJAD, IRANIAN PROTESTOR: I'm sad about my friends. I'm thinking of them. I'm just marching here to condemn the violation of human rights. And I think their demand is very clear.

CHERNOFF: Many others in the crowd have very personal stakes in the Iranian crackdown. Anna Amiri of Dallas says state security forces recently attacked her sister in Tehran.

ANNA AMIRI, IRANIAN-AMERICAN PROTESTOR: They are criminal. I want human rights in Iran.

CHERNOFF: You think it will happen?

AMIRI: I'm optimistic. Yes.

CHERNOFF: Turaj Zaim, said his father, Karush (ph), was recently imprisoned for 90 days. This protest and others he believes had been brewing for years.

TURAJ ZAIM, FATHER DETAINED IN IRAN: Protests are just going to grow not just here but also within Iran.

CHERNOFF: Do you think something is going change?

ZAIM: I do believe something is going to change because Iran is unstable now.

CHERNOFF: Many in the crowd believe Mir Hossein Mousavi should have won the presidential election. Yet what they see for their homeland is more than a recount or a new president.

PROTESTORS: What do we want?

PROTESTORS: Freedom.

SAMAEINEJAD: We are trying to do our best for political prisoners, for their families to just make sure that their voice is being heard. CHERNOFF: These Iranians say they seek a homeland for human rights are respected, and free speech including dissent is tolerated peacefully.

Allan Chernoff, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHETRY: And stay with us because ahead we're going to be talking more about President Ahmadinejad's speech with former secretary -- assistant secretary of state Jamie Rubin and also author Robin Wright, that's ahead right here on the Most News in the Morning.