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Pentagon Prepares to Address Issue of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"; New Study Shows Modified Abstinence Sex Education May Be Effective; Some Children in Haiti Put Up for Adoption by Parents; Should America Trust the Red Cross?; Helping Main Street: Obama to Roll Out Small Business Lending Plan; Dealing With a Nuclear Iran

Aired February 02, 2010 - 07:00   ET

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


JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: "Don't ask, don't tell." The President pledged to dismantle it, and the Pentagon appears poised to do it, but lifting the ban on openly gay soldiers serving in the military could be very costly, not to mention complicated. Good morning. Thanks for being with us on this Tuesday, the 2nd of February. Groundhog Day. I'm John Roberts.

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Kiran Chetry. Glad you're with us. Here are the big stories we'll be telling you about in the next 15 minutes.

First, the dismantling of don't ask, don't tell gets under way today. The Secretary of Defense set to appear before senators to discuss lifting the ban on openly gay soldiers in the military, but it could take a year or even more, money and morale, two topics causing a lot of concern for some members of Congress and also the pentagon.

ROBERTS: Sex-Ed classes that encourage no sex may, in fact, work. That's the verdict of a new study that will have parents, teachers, and political activists talking today. Our Elizabeth Cohen is here to answer some of the questions that you may already be asking yourself.

CHETRY: And President Obama group praise and criticism by pledging to engage America's enemies, but face-to-face talks with Iran have failed to stop its nuclear ambitions, so what is plan B, sanctions or supporting Iran's opposition? We're live with a "Memo to the President."

ROBERTS: Our top story this morning, the Pentagon preparing to lift its ban on openly gay soldiers serving in the military. Later on today, Defense Secretary Robert Gates will appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee. He is expected to begin outlining how "don't ask, don't tell," could be dismantled.

But there are some big questions to clear up first. Here they are. Should gay soldiers face restrictions when it comes to how open they can be about their lifestyle? Will the Pentagon pay for benefits for the partners of gay service members? And will straight soldiers be forced to bunk with gay soldiers or can they request separate quarters? Our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr is live outside of the hearing room on Capitol Hill this morning where the process will begin in just a few hours time. There are a lot of very pertinent questions to ask this morning, Barbara, and what do we expect the atmosphere to be there?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: You know, John, when Defense Secretary Robert Gates sits right here at the witness table at high noon to talk to the senators about lifting "don't ask, don't tell," he is going to tell them it may take a year because he's appointing a panel of experts to study the whole issue.

Gates knows that he still has to convince Congress and his own troops and commanders that it's time for change.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STARR: The president made his intentions clear.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: This year, I will work with Congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are.

(APPLAUSE)

STARR: But the stone-faced Joint Chiefs of Staff didn't react to the sensitive matter. We now know more about what they are thinking.

A senior Pentagon official tells CNN the chiefs are expected to support the president, but they will tell him to what extent they believe allowing gays to openly serve will hurt morale and readiness of the force.

The official says of the chiefs, "All they want is a little bit of time to come up with their ideas on how to implement a change in the law if it's approved by Congress."

As a first step, Defense Secretary Robert Gates is expected to call for no longer discharging people who are outed by others. Over the last 12 years, nearly 11,000 people have been discharged from the military for being gay. Defense officials privately say the appetite to enforce the law is declining.

Many say the debate now is how to live with the change.

MICHAEL O'HANLON, BROOKINGS INSTITUTE: One school of thought says just do it. It won't be that big a deal.

STARR: Existing regulations governing sexual behavior may be enough to allay concerns about living in close quarters. But that may not work for everybody.

O'HANLON: We can talk about this delicately or we can just be fairly direct. There are a lot of 18-year-old, old-fashioned, testosterone-laden men in the military who are tough guys. They are often politically old-fashioned or conservative. They are not necessarily at the vanguard in many cases of accepting alternative forms of lifestyle.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STARR: So, John, the whole effort today here in the hearing room on Capitol Hill is to avoid fireworks. But is that very realistic? What do the troops think about this? I have to tell you, many young troops say they just don't care anymore. They are more concerned with practical matters, staying alive in the warzone.

And many say it's the older officers and troops that still need to be convinced that the time for change has come. But it's going to be a very slow change. The Pentagon is determined to take its time in the year ahead. John?

ROBERTS: You know, Barbara, when you look at the number of people that have been discharged since "don't ask, don't tell" was put into effect, it's around 10,000 soldiers, marines, and other personnel. That's a couple of regiment's worth. That's a lot of manpower.

STARR: I have to tell you, that's one of the key reasons that some very senior officers say the time for change has come. It's tough to recruit, and they shouldn't be turning away anybody who is capable of serving in the military and has something to offer.

An awful lot of people feel that way, a lot of troops still feeling very sensitive about it. The real change here is for Congress to repeal the law. That's what has to happen. And the commanders, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the secretary of defense have to be the ones to urge them to publicly do it, John.

ROBERTS: Barbara Starr live for us this morning in the hearing room. Barbara, thanks so much.

The Pentagon is expected to announce today that "don't ask, don't tell" discharges were down almost 30 percent last year. In 30 minutes we're going to be joined by Alex Nicholson. He is a former army intelligence officer who was involuntarily discharged in 2002 when members of his unit found out he was gay and told his commanding officer.

CHETRY: There is a new study out this morning sure to ignite a debate among parents and politicians about the best way to stop teens from having sex.

What is the best way to teach sex education? Elizabeth Cohen joins us with more details. A lot of talk about whether abstinence- only education when it comes to sex education is the way to go. What's the verdict?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I think the conventional wisdom has been, Kiran, sure, you can tell kids not to have sex, but they just won't listen. Well, this study kind of turns that on its head a bit. What these researchers did, they took a group of sixth and seventh graders, African-Americans living in urban areas, and they gave them sort of more traditional safe-sex messages. Gave one group safe-sex messages and then gave the other group a more abstinence message. And then they followed up for two years to see who had sex.

So, take a look at the numbers. These are really pretty stunning. The group that was told here is how to have safe sex, while 52 percent of those ended up having sex in the two-year follow-up period, but only 33 percent of the abstinence only group ended up having sex.

But I want to say that the abstinence-only education was not what you might think. They didn't tell the kids don't have sex. They let the kids sort of come to that conclusion on their own. They let the kids talk about their life goals, about how pregnancy or a sexually transmitted disease would get in the way of achieving those life goals.

And then if the kids did bring up condoms or other forms of birth control, the instructors didn't tell them to be quiet. The instructors answered their questions and gave out accurate information. So it was abstinence education, but with a twist. I guess I would put it that way. Kiran?

CHETRY: It's very interesting. And it is important to say this is one study. This doesn't mean it will change everything. When you look, as you said, at those numbers, no sex-ed, 48 percent had sex. Safe sex education, 52 percent. Why would it be higher if you got schooled about having safe sex?

COHEN: Who knows? I think some people would say if you tell kids here is how to have sex and here is how to have sex safely, maybe that would encourage kids to have sex. Some would say the differences between the groups is too small to mean anything.

CHETRY: Right. And so does this mean changes on how sex-ed classes will be taught?

COHEN: I think over the past couple of years there has already been a change of thinking about how sex-ed classes should be done, that maybe it's OK to give out the, hey, you really ought to wait message, that an abstinence message is a good thing.

But on the other hand, if kids start ask questions about birth control, it's OK to answer those questions as well. So maybe what we'll see in the future is a hybrid of these two -- what used to be two very distinct schools of how to do sex education.

CHETRY: Very interesting stuff. Elizabeth Cohen for us this morning, thank you.

ROBERTS: It's eight minutes after the hour. And other stories new this morning, parts on the way to Toyota dealers nationwide to fix the problem with accelerator pedals that can stick and cause vehicles to suddenly accelerate out of control. Toyota says it's a mechanical problem and the repair work can be done in about 30 minutes' time. A company executive says they investigated a possible electronic problem but found none. Toyota faces dozens of potential class action lawsuits related to the problem.

CHETRY: A federal prosecutor has recused himself in the case involving four conservative activists arrested in Louisiana, Senator Mary Landrieu's office. The suspects charged with illegally entering Landrieu's office to commit a felony.

They include James O'Keefe, who in an unrelated incident posed as a pimp, you may remember, and used hidden cameras to target the community organizing group ACORN. The Justice Department isn't saying why U.S. attorney Jim Letton (ph) asked to be taken off the case.

ROBERTS: Gun-toting NBA star Gilbert Arenas promises to be a better role model after pleading guilty to carrying a pistol without a license. Arenas was suspended for the season for bringing guns into the Washington Wizards locker room in a dispute with teammate Javarius Crittendon, who was also suspended.

In a "Washington Post" op-ed piece, Arenas says he now understands that guns and violence are serious problems and not a joke.

CHETRY: If you wanted to get an ad on during the Super bowl, it's too late. Six days before the Colts and Saints faceoff, CBS says commercial space for the big game is sold out already. Some of the 30-second spots they say went for more than $3 million.

(WEATHER BREAK)

ROBERTS: It's 10 minutes now after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. We have a lot of new developments this morning in the case of ten American missionaries arrested in Haiti. They say they went there to save children, to do god's work, and ended up in jail.

The group is expected to finally get a hearing today at about 10:00 eastern. The Haitian prime minister has called them kidnappers who knew that they had no business removing 33 children from the country. He says the Americans could be prosecuted in the United States since the Haitian court system was crippled by the earthquake.

But this morning some parents are admitting to us that they gave their young children away, hoping a brighter future was waiting for them. Here's our Karl Penhaul in Haiti.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KARL PENHAUL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: "I put them on the bus with the Americans with my own hands. I played with them up until the last minute, and I kissed them both goodbye and told them don't forget daddy."

"I told her to call me once in awhile just so I know how she was doing so I would know if she was fine."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: For every orphan leaving the chaos in Haiti, thousands are left behind. So who will be there to help them? Join us as we look for answers on an "AC 360" special series "Children of Haiti" tonight at 10:00 p.m. Eastern.

CHETRY: In the meantime, Americans have opened their hearts and their wallets for Haiti. The biggest recipient, the Red Cross. In fact, texting the word "Haiti" has raised $31 million. America clearly trusts the Red Cross, but should we? Our Allan Chernoff investigated the Red Cross relief effort, and he joins us now. Good morning, Allan.

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

CHETRY: So what is happening to the donations?

CHERNOFF: The donations are going for food, shelter, water, all the important things. But they are being watched extremely, extremely careful, because in the past the Red Cross has had some very big missteps during major crises.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHERNOFF: During 9/11 donations came pouring into the Red Cross Liberty Disaster Fund. When the public learned that the Red Cross planned to divert victim funds for other purposes, there was outrage, forcing a change of plans.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Regrettably, it took us some time, somewhat longer than I think it probably should have, to address that credibility gap.

CHERNOFF: Hurricane Katrina -- the American Red Cross was blamed for poor coordination of relief efforts.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Red Cross is not coming through like they are supposed to.

CHERNOFF (voice-over): At local Red Cross chapters, there have been cases of embezzlement. Two years ago, the Red Cross had to turn to Congress for a $100 million infusion after its emergency fund was depleted.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: American philanthropy is built on trust and if you undermine that trust, you don't just jeopardize the Red Cross, you jeopardize the whole infrastructure of philanthropy and charity in the United States.

CHERNOFF: So far the Red Cross has raised more than $203 million for Haiti and spent or committed $67 million. $53 million for food and water. $12 million for shelter, $2 million for health and family services. These figures include the cost of coordination, transportation and distribution.

(on camera): So you can assure us right now...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

CHERNOFF: ... that every dollar raised for Haiti will go to Haiti.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ninety-one cents of every dollar that we raise. We have a bit of overhead, but 91 cents of every dollar that we raise for Haiti will go to Haiti.

CHERNOFF: That nine cents, that's for what?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's for general operations, overhead. It pays the salaries, keeps the lights on, et cetera.

CHERNOFF (voice-over): That efficiency measure does rank with other top relief groups. To get there, the Red Cross has been cutting expenses. The government has imposed a salary freeze, and employees no longer get a 401(k) match from the Red Cross. No matter how efficient the operation, getting aid to Haiti is expensive. As we saw from some of the nonprofits' accounting.

CHERNOFF (on camera): In Gibraltar, you purchased 10 Toyota Land Cruisers at a cost of $415,000. OK. So pretty price. They're 41,000 bucks each.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well...

CHERNOFF: But that's what you've got to pay, right?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: An SUV, that's what they cost. I don't know if you've been to Haiti, but it's a very tough countryside.

CHERNOFF: And it got to be loaded.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You've got to be loaded. You've got to have very heavy extra tires.

CHERNOFF: You bet.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, I actually think that's not so bad.

CHERNOFF (voice-over): Not expensive as the operation may be, the Red Cross says it's making sure the money goes exactly where it should, placing auditors on the ground in Haiti.

(on camera): There are desperate people there. Isn't there a great opportunity for fraud?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fraud is certainly at the top of our minds. It's not just the obligation I have to my donors. It's the obligation I have to the people of Haiti. I don't want our dollars of assistance ending up in sticky fingers, if you will. I want it to get to the people who need it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHERNOFF: The Red Cross is filled with very hard-working, committed people, who are doing their best to make sure that your donations indeed, go to the people of Haiti. But for all its efforts, the Red Cross is still not rated four stars by Charity Navigator. It's a three star charity. And Charity Navigator says that's because the Red Cross doesn't have a very big financial cushion. Red Cross has a debt of $600 million, $100 million of that is due this year.

CHETRY: Have their finances been improving, though?

CHERNOFF: They have. We mentioned a few of these steps where the Red Cross has been cutting expenses. They have laid off people, no 401(k) match. So all those steps certainly have been improving their finances.

ROBERTS: When you think of the Red Cross, you always think of disaster relief. But there's a huge need for reconstruction there in Haiti. Is there any plan for the Red Cross to assist in reconstruction?

CHERNOFF: Yes, they say that they will be there, in fact, for the long term. And they are setting aside much of these donations for longer-term reconstruction, assuming that the donations continue to flow in at the current rate. But they are planning to work with organizations on the ground to get people out of the tents and into permanent shelters. So that certainly is top of mind for them.

CHETRY: Yes, a lot of hard work for them to do on the ground.

CHERNOFF: It is. It is. It is just overwhelming. No doubt about it.

CHETRY: Allan Chernoff, thanks so much.

Well, yesterday, more than 70 mega stars gathered in Hollywood. They gathered at a studio to re-record the song "We are the World" this time for Haiti relief.

ROBERTS: There's Quincy Jones, Lionel Richie, both of whom were there for the original, Celine Dion, The Jonas Brothers, Wyclef Jean, Barbra Streisand, Tony Bennett just to name a few. Take a listen. And we'll be back right after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Twenty-two minutes after the hour. That means it's time for "Minding Your Business." Our Stephanie Elam here with us this morning for Christine Romans.

OK. So you've got $30 billion burning a hole in your pocket, what do you do with it?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know what, if you are the Obama administration, you say hey, Congress, why don't we use that $30 billion. Let's see if we can help some community banks get some small business lending again. That's what they're planning on doing anyway.

So today, President Obama is heading up to New Hampshire where he's going to have a town hall to talk a bit about what he'd like to see happen here with the small business lending fund (ph). But basically, banks have repaid a lot of the TARP money as we've heard, so they want to take that $30 billion of it and then put it into this new program. And it would really target community banks. And when we say community banks, we mean banks with less than $10 billion in assets.

The White House pointing out here that small businesses do more than half of the small business lending in this country. So, therefore, if they don't have the resources to do the lending, they're hurting small businesses and in turn small businesses cannot hire. And that is also really important as well because small businesses actually employ half of Americans.

Small business, not the big, huge behemoths. It's really about the small businesses. So they want to make sure that this is the number one priority. We heard that in the State of the Union address with President Obama saying that in 2010, the plan will be all about jobs here.

So what the banks will be able to do is borrow money at very low rates from treasury. But part of the problem was, this plan was mentioned in October, but the banks were not really feeling it simply because of the idea that it has this TARP tape on it. So treasury has been working to remove some of the tape, some of the restrictions, and so this would go through. But still they have to work out with Congress and figure out some of the deals on how to make this happen.

ROBERTS: All right, Stephanie Elam this morning "Minding Your Business." Steph, thanks so much.

ELAM: Sure.

CHETRY: Thanks, Stephanie.

All right. Well, still ahead, we are going to be featuring another memo to the president. This time our Reza Sayah weighing in on exactly what the president should or should not do when it comes to engaging Iran and getting the country to give up its nuclear ambitions.

Twenty-four minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Twenty-six and a half minutes after the hour. Your top stories just about 3 1/2 minutes away. But first, an "A.M. Original," something that you'll see only on AMERICAN MORNING.

The United States and Iran, sworn enemies for decades. When President Obama was elect, he said he was all for trying to solve the two nation's differences. But with tensions on the rise in the Middle East, can the president still deliver? Here Reza Sayah with today's "Memo to the President."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REZA SAYAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Mr. President, you said Iran's nuclear program poses a threat to the world.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Iran is breaking rules that all nations must follow. Threatening the stability and security of the region and the world.

SAYAH: You said years of saber-rattling never worked. You pledged to rein in Iran's nuclear program by reaching out and talking to its hard-line leaders.

OBAMA: There will be many issues to discuss between our two countries, and we are willing to move forward without preconditions on the basis of mutual respect.

SAYAH: But critics say have you little to show for your policy of engagement. Washington's first face-to-face talks with Iran in three decades failed to reach an agreement. Instead, Iran announced plans to expand what it calls its peaceful nuclear program. Iran expert Karim Sadjadpour says it's clear, Iran is not interested in a deal.

KARIM SADJADPOUR, CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT ASSOCIATE: The administration is increasingly realizing that Iran hasn't shown any willingness to curtail its nuclear ambitions.

SAYAH: In your State of the Union address, you suggested plan B, pressuring Iran with economic sanctions.

OBAMA: And as Iran's leaders continue to ignore their obligations, there should be no doubt, they, too, will face growing consequences.

SAYAH: But Mr. President, experts say three rounds of prior sanctions have only hurt Iran's people, not its leaders. A fourth round could do the same, says Columbia university professor of Iranian studies, Hamid Dabashi.

HAMID DABASHI, COLUMBIA UNIV., PROFESSOR IRANIAN STUDIES: Sanctions don't work particularly crippling sanctions. We know it from the experience in Iraq that sanctions will, in fact, hurt precisely the wrong people.

SAYAH: Further complicating matters in Iran, the post-election unrest.

(on camera): The tens of thousands of people who showed by today --

(voice-over): Last June, CNN was in Tehran when hundreds of thousands protested what they called President Ahmadinejad's sham re- election. Nearly eight months later, Iran's opposition movement hasn't backed down, posing the biggest challenge to Iran's regime in its 30-year history. Analysts say the answer to the Iran puzzle could be supporting its people's call for political change.

DABASHI: The only thing that he has not done so far is precisely the question of engaging Iran. You engage with Iranian people. You engage with Iranian civil, civil society.

SAYAH: But, Mr. President, supporting an opposition movement risks further isolating a hostile regime. It also takes time. And with Iran moving forward with its nuclear program, time is precious.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAYAH: February 11th is another big day in Iran/U.S. relations. That's the anniversary, the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Two things to watch for there. One, the opposition movement is once again called for widespread protests and also Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with another one of his menacing messages, saying on February 11th, Iran will deliver a harsh blow to the global arrogance.

Now, the global arrogance is a reference to the U.S., but it's not clear what the harsh blow is. Oftentimes in the past, Iran has used this anniversary to talk about its nuclear advancements. We're not sure if that is going to happen again, but you can be sure President Obama will be watching closely on February 11th. John.

ROBERTS: Reza Sayah for us this morning. Reza, thanks so much. And tomorrow's memo to the president focusing on the fight against terror. From finishing the job in Afghanistan to stopping places like Yemen and Somalia from becoming the next Afghanistan, our report from Barbara Starr, only on AMERICAN MORNING.

And that brings us to the half hour. It's time for this morning's top stories.

Ten American missionaries charged with child trafficking in Haiti are expected to get a hearing this morning at 10:00 a.m.. The Haitian government claims they were trying to ferry 33 children out of the country without permission. The missionaries maintained that they were trying to give the children a new life.

CHETRY: Toyota denying any underlying electronic problems with the millions of cars recalled, claiming an investigation revealed no issues. Meanwhile, the fix for the sticky gas pedals may arrive at dealerships as early as today. Toyota IS shipping a metal shim the size of a postage stamp, it says will solve the faulty acceleration problem.

ROBERTS: Defense Secretary Robert Gates to unveil before a Senate committee the Pentagon's plan for dismantling the don't ask, don't tell policy. The first expected step in rolling back the ban on openly gay soldiers the halted discharge of military outed by others. Over the past 12 years, nearly 11,000 people have been discharged from military service for being gay. CHETRY: Well, according to Pentagon sources, Defense Secretary Robert Gates is prepared to ask for up to a year to study the best way to repeal don't ask, don't tell. And today's hearing on Capitol Hill comes on the heels of a key sentence in the president's "State of the Union" address last week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This year, I will work with Congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are. It's the right thing to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: Joining us live from Washington now is Alex Nicholson. He is the executive director of Service Members United. It's an advocacy group that opposes the don't ask, don't tell policy.

Alex, thanks for being here this morning.

ALEX NICHOLSON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SERVICE MEMBERS UNITED: Thanks for having me.

CHETRY: Just for people out there to know, your history, you are a former Army intelligence officer. You were honorably discharged, but involuntarily. You were basically dismissed for being gay. What was your reaction when the president called finally for an end to don't ask, don't tell in a speech last week?

NICHOLSON: Well, you know, we were very pleased with what the president said. It was brief but I thought it was very dramatic. It sent a clear message that he intends to proactively work for this year and he intends more importantly to do it this year. That was very important. And you know, he didn't have to do it in the "State of the Union." He didn't have to do it that forcefully, but he did. And we're pleased it was included.

CHETRY: How did the don't ask, don't tell policy affect you personally when you were in the military?

NICHOLSON: Well, you know, don't ask, don't tell to many people, including myself, seemed so reasonable. I knew I was gay when I was going in. And I knew about don't ask, don't tell but you know, don't ask, don't tell as a sound bite sounds very reasonable. It sounds like nobody will inquire as to your sexual orientation as long as you don't throw it in anyone's face, you won't have a problem.

But after I got in, I realized that don't ask, don't tell was much more all inclusive and encompassing. It was more like don't ask, don't tell, don't happen to be found out any time, any place, in any way. And so after about a year, I was outed within my unit. A couple of people started finding out. The information spread and the command was forced into a corner in which they had to discharge me, because the information that I was gay had leaked out to the rest of the unit. CHETRY: And this is interesting because you said it's more than just don't ask, don't tell there are all types of other situations you have to deal with and live in fear in many cases of somebody outing you. I want to get your reaction to this. The Pentagon leaders expected to announce something separate today that is separate from any congressional action on repealing don't ask, don't tell. These are their own steps to sort of relax the enforcement.

They say that no third party can out someone and also only an admiral or general can decide who should be discharged. So, in a way, a unit commander cannot. What do you think of that? Is that going to go at least some measure toward making things better for gays serving in the military?

NICHOLSON: You know, I think it will. This sort of solution falls within a category of interim steps. It's definitely going to work to stop a lot of the abuses and a lot of the arbitrary and capricious application and enforcement of this policy that we've seen over the past 16 years. But I think the word interim is a key word there. There's going to be an interim step and it's not going to point in any replace a complete abolition of the law, which will have to be done through an act of Congress.

CHETRY: Right. What are your thoughts that Defense Secretary, as we said, according to our Pentagon sources are saying that we need up to a year to sort of study the best way to actually implement the repeal. What are some of the challenges that people, you know, are pointing to? Just practically on the ground for repealing don't ask, don't tell, and the way that it would affect members in the military?

NICHOLSON: You know, I think there are really two categories of opposition that come out with respect to this. I think there are some honest and legitimate concerns about implementation management and I think another category would be sort of a set of facade that are put up to help delay the issue.

And you know, some of the challenges, I think would include, you know, looking at some more technical things. Like what do you do about the people who have been kicked out? Are they allowed to come back in if they are otherwise eligible which I think, of course, they would be.

But some of the other things that we need talked about like whether or not they have to be separated showers and living arrangements and you know, essentially segregation, I think these fall into a category of things that are really facade, that are really delaying tactics and that are really covers for, you know, other reasons that people really don't want to see this happen and they want to see it delayed.

CHETRY: So you don't think that there really is going to be a practical problem to some of the living arrangements if people are allowed to be openly gay?

NICHOLSON: You know, Kiran, there are hundreds if not thousands of people currently serving on active duty right now who are openly gay, believe it or not. They are serving with the full knowledge and acknowledgment of their peers and sometimes their commands, and it's not a problem.

We know because, you know, many of the people we work with, many of the people, we know, are on active duty right now and they are gay and they are serving openly and no one cares. So we know that there's not going to be all these problems, but I think the longer that the chairman and the secretary say they want to draw this out, I think that really the worse off it's going to be for them in sort of managing the implementation of the repeal and getting this over quickly. Because we really know it's going to be a non-issue already.

CHETRY: If it's repealed, would you go back to the military?

NICHOLSON: Oh, absolutely. It's something that I have wanted to do since 2002 when I was discharged. You know I was a human intelligence collector. I speak five languages including Arabic and there is nothing more I would love than to go back right now.

CHETRY: And we know how vital that certainly is as we're fighting two wars.

NICHOLSON: Absolutely.

CHETRY: Alex Nicholson, thanks so much for joining us this morning.

NICHOLSON: You're very welcome. Thank you.

ROBERTS: Ten days now until the Olympics. Just 10 days. Massive security operation being undertaken in Vancouver and up at Whistler, where the Alpine events will take place but also across the border here in the United States.

Our Jeanne Meserve is looking at what is being done to keep the Olympics safe. She's got a full report, coming up. It's 37 minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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CHETRY: Forty minutes past the hour. Welcome back to the most news in the morning. If you are planning to head to the Olympic Games in Vancouver, security officials are warning that you should expect the same type of security that you would see at international airports. Simple things will make it smoother, though.

They say you should arrive several hours early, be 100 percent sure that you have your tickets on you and also to travel as light as you can. No big bags. They actually will not be allowed.

There is still one thing missing in Vancouver and that is snow. Olympic officials are trucking it in. Using straw and wood chips as a base in some cases. We found one local shop with a sense of humor about it. A sign reading "Olympic athletes, welcome. Bring your own snow." How ironic?

ROBERTS: Meanwhile, a huge point of focus for security and intelligence officials here in the United States during the Olympics will be at the border. More planes in the air, more boats on the water, plenty of extra eyes in border crossings. Our Homeland Security correspondent is breaking down the security plan in this "A.M. Original."

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: John and Kiran, Vancouver 30 miles north of here which means there will be Olympic security on both sides of this border.

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MESERVE (voice-over): During the Olympic Games, as many as 90,000 people a day may cross into the U.S., returning from events. There is one overarching worry.

SHERIFF BILL ELFO, WASHINGTON: There is no secret as we're always concerned about terrorism, and terrorist threats.

MESERVE: In 1999, Ahmed Ressam, the so-called millennium bomber was arrested crossing into Washington state with a car full of explosives to blow up Los Angeles International Airport. Since then, there has been a big boost in intelligence sharing, technology, and staffing on the border. But for the Olympics, even more.

Customs and border protection has increased personnel 20 percent over the past 18 months and is building new travel lanes.

GREG ALVAREZ, U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION: We have contingency plans to adjust to a natural or man-made disaster, up to and including a mass migration of persons.

MESERVE (on camera): Any car coming to the border goes through a gauntlet of technology. First, these radiation detection portals and then cameras that captures still pictures and videos of the car's license plates.

(voice-over): Audio and video border activity is recorded and stored for 90 days. This group of Canadian teenagers tested the system in a memorable way by mooning the cameras.

Olympic athletes are helping alert travelers to new document requirements.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Out here is ALL about having the right partner.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Especially when you're crossing the border back home.

MESERVE: Cameras and motion sensors along open stretches of the border are being monitored by additional personnel.

(on camera): Do you think, in fact, you might see a decrease in certain kinds of illegal traffic while the Olympics are going on?

JOHN BATES, U.S. BORDER PATROL: I believe so. I think we'll probably see an increase shortly afterward.

MESERVE (voice-over): The waters along the border will see a ramped up Coast Guard and military presence.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Smaller boats like this one right here and then larger vessels like this high-endurance cutter behind me.

MESERVE: The restricted fly zone for the games dipped into U.S. territory. NORAD will monitor. 42 other agencies will move into a new $4.5 million command center to coordinate with Canadian security.

MARK BEATY, DEPT. OF HOMELAND SECURITY: They are our neighbors. They are right next door. So if it happens to one it's going to affect the other immediately.

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MESERVE: Officials on this side the border hope that a lot of their plans and preparations never get used, that the games go off without any major security glitch. John and Kiran, back to you.

ROBERTS: Jeanne Meserve for us this morning. Jeanne, thanks.

Coming up on 44 minutes after the hour. Rob has got this morning's travel forecast, right after the break. Stay with us.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye. On Gobblers Knob on this glorious Groundhog Day, February 2nd, 2010...

CHETRY: Well, there we go. Welcome back to the "Most News in the Morning." The proclamation right now. There he is, Punxsutawney Phil. He is saying that spring is, unfortunately, not right around the corner.

Punxsutawney Phil, the world's most famous rodent forecaster, I guess you could say, rousted from his burrow this morning and saw his shadow. That translates to six more weeks of grim winter.

Thanks, Phil.

ROBERTS: You know, the handler on the right there, I mean, spitting image of Bill Murray. My goodness. Six more weeks of winter. And (INAUDIBLE) was cloudy there, and yet Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow. I'm not quite sure how that happened.

CHETRY: He said it's all the cameras and all the lights coming up...

ROBERTS: Here's good news, though. New York Staten Island Chuck is seeing things a little bit differently. Didn't see his shadow this morning, so according -- I guess the lights aren't as bright. So according to Chuck spring is coming in six weeks' time. Six more weeks of winter, spring -- yes, it'll get -- it'll start to get mild fairly soon. Spring still comes at the same time every year, right? March 21st or thereabouts.

We should also say New York City's mayor, Michael Bloomberg, escaped without injury this Groundhogs Day. You might remember last year Chuck bit the mayor on the finger.

CHETRY: He's just saying hi in rodent speak.

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CHETRY: Well, it's 47 minutes past the hour right now. Let's get a check of this morning's weather headlines. Rob Marciano in the extreme weather center.

Good morning, Rob.

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ROBERTS: Appreciate it. Thanks, Rob.

CHETRY: Well, coming up in just a few hours, New York's Empire State Building will be transformed into a vertical track for runners.

ROBERTS: Hundreds of athletes from around the world will run up the stairs to the skyscraper. Last year, it took the winner just over -- get this -- 10 minutes to dash up 86 flights of stairs, 1,576 steps.

CHETRY: Yes, you have to have a lot of stamina for that. One flight will wind you.

Well, this morning's top stories are just minutes away, including at the top of the hour Americans in jail in Haiti accused of kidnapping. They may get their hearing today. They say they were there trying to help. We're going to hear what parents who also gave their kids to them have to say.

ROBERTS: And at 8:38 Eastern, Oscar nominations live from Hollywood this morning. There will be twice as many Best Picture contenders this morning. "Avatar," likely one of the 10.

CHETRY: Also at 8:50 Eastern, how thin can still bad? What your size and your weight may actually be hiding on the inside.

Those stories and much more coming up at the top of the hour.

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CHETRY: Fifty-two minutes past the hour right now. Welcome back to the "Most News in the Morning."

Amid the death and the destruction in the earthquake zone in Haiti, there have been some reports of people surviving -- we've actually seen it -- against all odds.

Our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta is just back from Haiti and he tells us what it was like to witness some of these rescues up close.

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DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We've seen story after impossible story of survivors beating the odds. This 5-year-old boy was pulled out after eight days. He was severely dehydrated.

This clerk at a hotel store was found after 11 days. He survived on food and drinks left in the store's wreckage. That's according to his brother. This man says he was entombed in the rubble for 14 days with a fractured hip. He says he had no food and survived by rationing water from a two-gallon jug.

And then there's this seemingly impossible image of this girl, rescued after 15 days. Rescuers think she had access to water from the bathroom where she was trapped.

In all more than 130 were rescued since Haiti's earthquake three weeks ago.

(On camera): So what really dictates someone's ability to survive these types of situations? You might guess the first requirement to survive is air. Imagine being trapped in a situation like this in a closed space with not enough oxygen, you're probably just going to have hours.

In fact, a lot of rescue workers when they show up in a situation like this, they'll actually bring this carbon dioxide monitors. You make carbon dioxide when you exhale. And they'll look for carbon dioxide pockets. If they find a carbon dioxide pocket, it's possible that someone is alive in there and quietly breathing.

(Voice-over): Water is the next critical element. Now there's no consensus on just how long a person can survive without it.

In fact, the study to find out would be unethical. Seventy-two to 96 hours, that seems to be the window. So anybody found after three to four days most likely had some access to water, even if only licking the dew off surrounding services.

Food comes next. People have gone up to two months as part of a hunger strike or a fast. And they survived. Accounts by earthquake survivors talk about eating rotten apples and other food that had been next to them.

This woman may be the longest survivor ever trapped after a disaster. Naqsha Bibi. She reportedly lived for more than 60 days buried in the rubble of her home after an earthquake in Pakistan 2005. I met her myself.

(On camera): Can I see her legs? How much weight did she lose here in her legs? Wow. There is no muscle mass or fat, just skin and bones.

(Voice-over): There is no large study of all of these survivors, and maybe there shouldn't be. Because they're all extraordinary, each and every one of them, all by themselves.

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GUPTA: And I can tell you, Kiran, some of these survivors have already left the hospital. This is the first day coming there where they were treated as well. That's good news and bad news. The good news, obviously, doctors and nurses felt that they could leave.

But the bad news, as you know, Kiran, we've been talking about for a few weeks now, care after they leave the hospital, still very hard to come by. So they're going to need care chronically. There's hopefully some plan for them to get it.

CHETRY: And is that really the biggest medical challenge that they're going to be facing in Haiti over the next few months? And looking out further from that, as you talked about, with some people who aren't in prosthetics years of care.

GUPTA: Yes, there's no question. You know, people talk about what's known as a heroic period after a natural disaster. Rescue workers still trying to help out, a lot of media coverage.

But over time, as you know, that starts to fade away. And with it goes a lot of the medical care that these survivors are going to continue to need. That's going to be a big problem. What otherwise be harmless infections can turn into big deals.

Also with regards to prosthetics, you know, there are estimates all over the map in terms of how many amputees are going to be in Haiti. Over 100,000 new amputees, I imagine, and I can tell you it is an impossible country to get around and even harder, certainly, if they have a wheelchair or prosthetic leg or something.

So are they going to make a new infrastructure? Are they going to be able to fit these prosthetics long term? These are some big challenge going forward as well.

CHETRY: Absolutely. Sanjay Gupta for us, glad you're back. Thanks so much.

GUPTA: Good to be home. Tough to leave, but good to be home.

CHETRY: I know. I understand.

ROBERTS: Three minutes down to the top of the hour. Top stories coming your way in just about 90 seconds. Stay with us.

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