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American Morning

U.S. Troops Launch Afghan Offensive; South's Icy Sequel Cancels Flights; McCain Faces Re-election Challenge; Get Green for Buying Green; India Terror Attack

Aired February 15, 2010 - 06:00   ET

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


JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, good Monday morning to you and thanks for joining us on the Most News in the Morning. I'm John Roberts on this February 15th. Hope you survived Valentine's Day all right.

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Kiran Chetry. Welcome back, by the way.

ROBERTS: Thank you.

CHETRY: I hope you had a nice little vacation.

ROBERTS: It was good, yes. I went to a place that was nice and warm and missed all the snow, so it's all good.

CHETRY: That's the good news. Well, here are the big stories we'll be telling you about in the next 15 minutes.

U.S. and NATO forces now advancing into Taliban territory with overwhelming force. The Afghanistan offensive is the largest attack since the start of the war, but a deadly mistake could undermine the mission to win over the Afghan people. In a moment, we'll take you live to Afghanistan.

ROBERTS: Well, you thought you had enough of the snow? Guess what? It's back.

Storm warnings and advisories in effect for large sections of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. Same for Tennessee and Kentucky. Freezing rain, sleet and snow, slamming the Deep South for the second time in five days. Hundreds of flights already canceled in several cities in anticipation of the coming storm. Our Rob Marciano has got your forecast for you coming right up.

CHETRY: And a vice presidential face-off. Joe Biden and his predecessor Dick Cheney in a war of words like you've never seen, debating everything from the likelihood of another 9/11 to the war in Iraq. And we'll show it to you this morning.

ROBERTS: We begin this morning in Afghanistan and the high stakes assault on a Taliban stronghold, the biggest offensive since the war started in 2001. The target of this offensive is the southern town of Marjah, an enemy hub for bomb-making and drug trafficking. Yesterday, a dozen Afghan civilians were killed by two stray rockets. Our Frederik Pleitgen is live in Kabul for us this morning. And, Frederik, a real setback there with that rocket, the two rockets that went astray, but U.S. Marines and coalition forces say they are making progress and moving forward.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They certainly are, John. They're saying the operation is going very well so far. They say they've actually taken back most of the territory in Marjah. However, they're also saying they believe there might still be hundreds of Taliban fighters who are hiding in that area, possibly waiting to strike back. Here's what happened.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PLEITGEN (voice-over): It started with a massive air assault. Thousands of mostly British and American troops as well as Afghan soldiers landing deep in Taliban territory. But the insurgents had prepared and riddled the area with homemade bombs and landmines.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The IED is the biggest threat to our troops and it's something which these guys have been living with, you know, minute by minute.

PLEITGEN: Still, NATO says the Taliban have been putting up less of a fight than expected. Dozens of insurgents have already been killed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It would appear we've caught the insurgents on the hop. He appears to be completely dislocated and a very impressive operation so far.

PLEITGEN: Hundreds of fighters could still be in the area, waiting to strike back. So far, the force, led by the Marines, has seized tons of explosives, weapons and ammunition.

Marjah is a swath of agricultural land in Helmand Province. Under Taliban control for years, it became a breeding ground for insurgents and poppy cultivation has flourished with drug money funding the insurgency.

Now on day three of the operation, the Marines say they are still facing scattered pockets of resistance as they expand their control over the area. The goal is to get an Afghan administration in place as fast as possible, to provide services to the people of Marjah and convince them to turn their backs on the Taliban.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: President Karzai approved the conduct of this operation. He gave us some very specific guidance, and that guidance was to continue to protect the people of Afghanistan. And so this operation has been done with that in mind.

PLEITGEN: While the fighting may be over with in a few days, the U.S. says only the coming months will show whether the Afghan government can actually hold on to the territory that was under Taliban control for so long.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PLEITGEN: And, John, so far, two coalition soldiers have been killed in the fighting, one a U.S. Marine, the other a British soldier who were both killed in the fighting over the weekend. Now, one thing that the Afghan government and NATO is saying is that even though they believe the military victory may be close at hand, they also think they're going to have to keep substantial forces in that area over months to come to prevent the Taliban from coming back -- John.

ROBERTS: Yes, a new strategy. Clear, hold and build. Frederik Pleitgen for us this morning in Kabul. Fred, thanks so much.

And coming up in less than 30 minutes time, we're going to break down what's at stake and the military's key objectives. Our Barbara Starr will be here for us this morning. You remember she was in Afghanistan and just back in December.

CHETRY: Rush hour turning deadly this morning outside of one of Europe's busiest cities. Two commuter trains collided head-on in a Brussels suburb. The local mayor says at least 20 people have been killed.

Reports say that the wounded are now being treated at a sports center near the scene of the accident. The crash happened at 8:30 a.m. local time. The trains were packed with people on their way to work.

The weather is bad there. Visibility is low, but officials at this point have not given a cause for the crash.

ROBERTS: The winter weather turning dangerous and there is more snow and ice on the way for us this morning. In Kansas City, icy conditions yesterday caused several pileups, one involving about 30 vehicles.

Take a look at this one on an interstate overpass. No serious injuries reported but dozens of people were taken to the hospital. State officials say they had to shut down portions of two interstates for several hours.

In Dallas, the heavy snow caused a church roof to collapse, crushing rows of pews and leaving a huge, open hole. Thankfully, though, no one was hurt.

And another roof collapse, this one in an ice skating rink south of Pittsburgh. Emergency officials say no injuries here either, but crews did search the entire building just to make sure that there wasn't anybody trapped inside.

CHETRY: And right now there is more freezing rain, sleet, even snow in the south and it's making the morning commute treacherous.

ROBERTS: Storm advisories in effect in multiple states this morning. Hundreds of flights have already been canceled in several cities, including the main hub of Atlanta.

Let's bring in our Rob Marciano. He's live at the extreme weather center in Atlanta. Rob, just how bad is it going to be today?

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: You know, not as bad as we thought yesterday. I can tell you that. So the flights today, they're canceled in Atlanta. I'm not sure they can pull those back but they're probably regretting that call at the moment.

Let's go over the storm. It is a little bit warmer than the last couple that have rolled through, but the cold air behind it will be just as -- well, just as cold. So that trend certainly continues. It's rolling across the Ohio River valley right now. You see that classic comma shape where the rain turns to snow right around the Georgia/Tennessee border. So it's mostly rain in the Atlanta hubs and then just a sliver of snow behind this once the cold air comes in.

So I don't expect to see much of an accumulation in the Atlanta area. But just north of here, in through parts of Tennessee and Kentucky, we have winter storm advisories and winter storm warnings up for the Ohio River Valley. Could see five to 10 inches of snow in through Cincinnati, so that hub will be affected. And then winter storm watches and advisories posted for the New York City area later on tonight and tomorrow, about three to six inches expected there. But notice that Washington, D.C., for once, is out of the advisory mode right now.

We'll talk more details about this storm for the East Coast in about 30 minutes. Guys?

ROBERTS: Rob, looking forward to that. Thanks so much.

Also new this morning, we're learning more about the professor accused of shooting and killing three colleagues at the University of Alabama on Friday, and allegations of her violent past. The "Boston Globe" is reporting that Amy Bishop Anderson was questioned about pipe bombs sent to a Harvard medical school professor back in 1993. Her husband tells the paper he has proof that they were both cleared in the case.

CHETRY: Well, the luger who died in a tragic training run at the Olympics on Friday told his dad he was terrified of the track. His father spoke to reporters yesterday outside of his home in the Republic of Georgia. His son, 21-year-old Nodar Kumaritashvili, lost control of his luge on the final turn of the world's fastest course and slammed into a steel support at 90 miles per hour. They've since made some changes to that track.

ROBERTS: Mardi Gras, just one big Super Bowl after party in the Big Easy. Saints' quarterback Drew Brees reigned as the king of the baucus (ph) parade yesterday. The float was stocked with 10,000 black and gold foam footballs that were thrown out to the crowd. One crew member said it almost matched the emotion of the first parade following Hurricane Katrina.

CHETRY: The party rolls on, and then there's Mardi Gras.

ROBERTS: Oh, yes. CHETRY: Well, still to come on the Most News in the Morning, a little over a year after his presidential campaign, John McCain is now in campaign mode again. Why the fight for his own party's nomination could prove to be a tough one for the senior senator.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Ten minutes past the hour. A quick check now of the other stories new this morning.

And some trouble now for the American missionaries held in Haiti on kidnapping charges. It turns out a person who was acting as a legal adviser to them is facing his own human trafficking allegations, accused of putting women to work as prostitutes in El Salvador. An international arrest warrant is out for Jorge Torres Puello. Later today, a Haitian judge could decide to set bail for the 10 Americans while their case is investigated.

ROBERTS: Officials say that Haiti's main airport will resume international flights this week. Larger carriers including American Airlines will start flights to Port-au-Prince on Friday. The airport has been grand central for disaster relief and military flights since the 7.0 earthquake hit last month.

CHETRY: The FAA and NTSB investigators on their way now to Arizona after a deadly helicopter crash. Three people, including a child, were killed when a Eurocopter EC-135 plunged to the ground north of Phoenix Sunday. It is still unclear what caused that chopper to crash.

ROBERTS: And police believe two teens shot inside a church in Richmond, California, may have been targeted. Witnesses say three young men in hooded sweatshirts scanned the pews before one of them opened fire.

The teens are expected to survive. The gunman is still on the run. The city made headlines last fall for the brutal gang rape of a teenage girl after a high school dance while more than a dozen stood by, watched, and did nothing about it.

CHETRY: Well, it was a remarkable exchange. Vice President Joe Biden and former Vice President Dick Cheney squaring off in what amounted to a national security debate over terrorism, security and the American way. The venue, the Sunday morning talk shows. And in the end, both men managed to land some punches.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DICK CHENEY, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think, in fact, the situation with respect to Al Qaeda to say that, you know, that was a big attack we had on 9/11, but it's not likely again, I just think that's dead wrong. I think the biggest strategic threat the United States faces today is the possibility of another 9/11 with a nuclear weapon or a biologic agent of some kind and I think Al Qaeda is out there, even as we meet, trying to figure out how to do that. JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't think the former vice president, Dick Cheney, listens. The president of the United States said in the State of the Union we're at war with Al Qaeda. They are, in fact, not able to do anything remotely like they were in the past. They are on the run. I don't know where Dick Cheney has been.

Look, it's one thing, again, to criticize. It's another thing to sort of rewrite history.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: The two men did agree on one thing. The former vice president praised the current surge in Afghanistan.

ROBERTS: And it's not just the vice presidents of past and present airing their differences. Senator John McCain is taking aim at a six-term congressman who is calling himself the conservative alternative to the Arizona senator. Casey Wian explains why McCain, who less than two years ago was his party's presidential nominee, is now facing his toughest re-election challenge ever.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), FMR PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Nice to meet you. Turn around here and look at that jerk right there.

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A CNN photographer takes a ribbing from Senator John McCain at a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Phoenix. McCain is spending a lot of time in his home state, preparing for what looks like a tough primary fight against conservative Republican J.D. Hayworth, a six-term former U.S. congressman.

MCCAIN: I'm tenacious. I fight and I love a good campaign.

WIAN (on camera): The primary is more than six months away, but McCain is already spending an entire week campaigning here in Arizona. He's clearly taking his challenger seriously.

MCCAIN: Actually I started campaigning on November the 4th, right after I didn't succeed in the presidential campaign.

WIAN (voice-over): Hayworth says McCain is too liberal on government spending and illegal immigration.

(on camera): Why do you see yourself as the conservative alternative to John McCain?

J.D. HAYWORTH, FMR. CONGRESSMAN: Well, in Arizona, this has come from the fact that John -- and, look, we all think the world of John. John's place in history is secured, but John no longer represents the common sense conservative philosophy that most Arizonans share.

WIAN: Hayworth has ventured into a Republican committee meeting in a Phoenix suburb that has been a big stronghold for John McCain in elections past. Its voters like these that Hayworth is going to need to capture a seat in the Senate that McCain has held for nearly a quarter of a century.

HAYWORTH: I will stand four square against amnesty of any form.

WIAN (voice-over): Hayworth and McCain both lost their last elections to Democrats. Analysts say McCain has since moved to the right on several national issues.

(on camera): Is he doing it just for political purposes?

DAN NOWICKI, POLITICAL REPORTER, ARIZONA REPUBLIC: Well, I think it's safe to say that McCain coming out of the presidential race was concerned about his possible re-election. I think he was kind of expecting a challenge from the right, so he definitely did shift to the right.

WIAN: McCain's campaign staff is already up and running full speed. They've secured endorsements from two darlings of the tea party movement, including his former presidential campaign running mate Sarah Palin, and newly-elected Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown, who's been making robo calls for McCain.

SEN. SCOTT BROWN (R), MASSACHUSETTS: I want to encourage you to continue to support John.

WIAN (on camera): So what do the polls say? Well, the Hayworth campaign took a poll last month and found that McCain had a pretty sizeable 16 percent lead among likely voters in the Republican primary. But if you look at those numbers a little closer, among voters who had an actual opinion of each candidate, McCain's lead shrunk to 4 percent, and that is a statistical dead meat.

Casey Wian, CNN, Phoenix, Arizona.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTS: It's going to be one interesting election year.

CHETRY: Oh, yes. It sure is. And we're going to talk more about that later on in this show.

But, meantime, still to come on the Most News in the Morning, you've heard about Cash for Clunkers, of course. A pretty popular program that had people trading in their vehicles and getting a tax rebate to buy others.

Well, how about cash for appliances? Gerri Willis, "Minding Your Business" this morning and she's got the details.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Nineteen minutes now after the hour. That means it's time for "Minding Your Business" this Monday morning.

Google taking steps to addressing privacy concerns just days after the launch of its new social networking site. The company says some Google Buzz users complained that their contacts were being made public without their knowledge.

Google is adjusting an auto follow feature, making it easier to block someone without a public profile from following you on their Buzz site.

CHETRY: Still reeling from the biggest recall in its history, Toyota is reportedly considering new incentives to get customers back into the showrooms. That includes adding $1,000 in addition to a current $1,000 loyalty bonus for returning Toyota customers.

The other options include a free maintenance program and extending the warranty on its vehicles to 10 years.

ROBERTS: Gerri Willis is here this morning, "Minding Your Business" for Christine Romans, who's out today.

If you liked the Cash for Clunkers program, you'll love this.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: That's right. Absolutely.

Cash for Appliances. Let's say your refrigerator, your dishwasher, your drier maybe is falling apart, well, you could get some money or rebate from the federal government under terms of the stimulus program. There's some $300 million out there that you could get a piece of, maybe $50 to $250 if you make application.

It's a rebate that you can get in the mail from the federal government. You don't need to trade in that old appliance. And, guys, this is going to be an interesting program because there's only $300 million, which isn't really a lot of money, so people need to get on it soon to get this dough.

Now, if you want details on how you do this, go to dsireusa.org. Some states have already started this program. So, if you want to know what you can actually get money for, that's the website to go to.

Guys, you know, you're familiar with the Energy Star logo, right?

ROBERTS: Yes.

WILLIS: Well, that's the things you want to look for because you can't just trade in for anything. You have to have an energy- efficient appliance.

CHETRY: That's -- and so is it basically a first come, first serve situation when you talk about --

WILLIS: Absolutely.

CHETRY: -- that $300 million pot?

WILLIS: That's right. So you want to get in there, you want to get in fast. Get the money you can for whatever you're upgrading. ROBERTS: All right, so in the Cash for Clunkers program, you drove your car to -- to the car dealer and said here's my clunker. I want to trade it in, get a new car. How do you do that with an appliance?

WILLIS: You don't have to.

ROBERTS: You -- you don't drive your washing machine to the appliance store today (ph).

WILLIS: No. That would be terrible.

What -- no, you don't have to do that. You don't have to trade it in. You just buy a new one and then you give all of your details to the federal government. They send you a check -- a refund, really.

CHETRY: Nice.

ROBERTS: And what -- and what do you do with the old one?

WILLIS: Well, it -- it would be nice if you disposed of it in a way that's, you know, green and socially acceptable rather than just, you know, throwing it out the back door. That would be better.

But I think most people -- you know, the beauty of this is you can really load up on money, because sometimes there are manufacturer rebates. Some states will give you rebates for upgrading. Even some utility companies will give you money for upgrading some of your utilities as well.

CHETRY: So, if you do your homework, you could really cash in here.

WILLIS: Save a lot of dough. Yes.

CHETRY: And -- and Gerri is this sort of the offshoot of the Cash for Caulkers that people talked about? It never got off the ground, where you would actually get money back for weatherizing, winterizing (INAUDIBLE) your home?

WILLIS: Yes. Very similar program. Again, we're talking about making your home more energy efficient, and this is really an easy way to do it and an easy way to prove (ph), because we all know what that Energy Star -- what those Energy Star appliances are.

ROBERTS: Yes. In -- in terms, too, of getting rid of your old appliance, there are a lot of appliance dealerships who say we'll take the old one off your hands and, you know, try to work that into the deal as well.

WILLIS: Yes. That's always a great idea.

ROBERTS: Gerri, great to see you this morning.

WILLIS: Thank you.

CHETRY: Thanks, Gerri.

All right, well, still ahead on the Most News in the Morning, a deadly terror attack in India, and this morning there are new concerns that this bombing may be connected to another high-profile attack. A live report, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. Twenty- five minutes past the hour now.

Terrifying memories of Mumbai's terror attack were brought to light again over the weekend after a bombing killed at least nine people and injured dozens more in Western India.

ROBERTS: A restaurant that was popular with foreigners in the city of Pune was ripped apart by the blast. It comes just as the Indo-Pakistan peace talks were set to resume this week, and many believe the bombing has all the markings of those in Mumbai in 2008.

Our Sara Sidner is live in New Delhi for us this morning. What are we finding out there, Sara?

SARA SIDNER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Indian government says this is the first significant terrorist attack in 14 months, and you do remember the last attack was in 2008 in Mumbai.

Now, investigators are trying to figure out exactly who's behind this attack, which happened just a few hours from Mumbai.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SIDNER (voice-over): Police carry out a body after the weekend bombing in India's eighth largest city, the incident raising many questions about who was responsible for the terror attack. Among the dead at the popular German bakery, foreign nationals.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was some kind of bomb or something. I'm sure about that. It was under one of the tables.

SIDNER: It happened in Pune, a three-hour drive from Mumbai. This is India's first major terror strike since the attack on Mumbai in November, 2008.

P. CHIDAMBARAM, INDIA HOME MINISTER: This area is on the radar of terrorists. There is no intelligence failure. Police cannot give 24 by 7 protection to every shop or every restaurant.

SIDNER: Indian authorities said they're investigating all angles and did not want to speculate. But a senior Indian official noted a possible link to the Lashkar-e-Taiba, the militant Pakistani group accused in the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

The official said information shows David Headley, the American terror suspect accused of aiding that group, surveyed the internationally known Osho ashram, which is very close to the restaurant, before he was arrested by the FBI in Chicago last year. Headley's alleged job for Lashkar was to survey sites the group wanted to attack, including Jewish centers and places that's frequented by foreigners.

The bakery was a popular spot for foreigners and Indians alike. It is also located close to a Chabad (ph) house, the same kind of Jewish center attacked in Mumbai.

SIDNER (on camera): India's home minister sternly warned everyone, including the media, not to jump to conclusions. The blast come less than 24 hours after India and Pakistan announced the two countries would hold talks later this month, the first time since the 2008 attacks.

One political party said the government should cancel the talks.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Terror and talks cannot coexist. When terror threatens India, then not talking is also a legitimate diplomatic option.

SIDNER (voice-over): Investigators haven't ruled out involvement of Indian militant groups.

In the meantime, doctors, investigators and victims' families are trying to deal with the aftermath of the sudden blast that has rattled the nerves of more than one nation. The blast prompted the United States and Britain to warn its citizens about the potential dangers of traveling in India.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIDNER: India's home minister has said just this hour that there is no doubt that all of the activity is being mastermind across the border, indicating that the government may believe that Pakistan is involved in this, and what that means for the talks? At this point, they have not been canceled, but no one knows what will happen next -- John, Kiran.

ROBERTS: And as one official said, not talking is also an option, too.

Sara Sidner for us this morning. Sara, thanks so much.

CHETRY: Twenty-nine minutes past the hour now. Time to check our other top stories.

A new storm bringing more freezing rain, sleet and snow to the South. Storm warnings and advisories are in effect for large sections of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. Same for Tennessee and Kentucky. Morning commutes could be extremely dangerous.

Meantime, in the skies, hundreds of flights have been canceled in several cities, including the busy hub of Atlanta.

Well, it's been nearly 200 days now since three American hikers were captured in Iran. In a half hour, their families will release a new letter to Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, appealing to him for compassion.

Relatives say that Josh Fattal, Shane Bauer and Sarah Shourd were just simply hiking in Iraq's Northern Kurdistan region in July when they accidentally crossed the border. Iran says they're spies and that they'll stand trial. According to Iranian law, the charges could result in the death penalty.

And U.S. coalition forces tightening their grip on a Taliban stronghold in Southern Afghanistan. Officials there says -- say that most of Marjah is now under government control, but the 15,000 Afghan and NATO forces are said to be facing, quote, "scattered resistance", and a major concern this morning, mines as well as IEDs left by Taliban fighters -- John.

ROBERTS: And with us now to discuss this largest offensive since the war began, our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr. This is also a big test of the new clear/hold/build strategy -- this new surge strategy the United States has implemented.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: You know, John, it really is. This is the test of President Obama's strategy. The key, of course, is putting more U.S. troops in to be able to throw the Taliban out and then bring the Afghans in and make them do the "hold" phase of this, make them insert their own government. This is the big test if that will really work. A lot of people say the Afghans just aren't ready and it's going to be very tough going in the weeks ahead.

ROBERTS: A lot of troops involved in this, U.S., NATO forces as well, troops from Canada, other countries. A large contingent of Afghan forces as well, and the U.S. military really making a point of the number of Afghan forces that are involved here. Why?

STARR: Well, again, because they want to show to the American people that there is, first and foremost, a way home for U.S. troops. And the way home for U.S. troops is for Afghan troops to be able to handle their own security situation. And also, to demonstrate to the Afghan people that it is their own government and their own security forces that are really in the lead here.

Nobody wants to see it look like a U.S. occupation.

ROBERTS: So, there's really a trust issue here as well as a military operation going on.

STARR: Oh, absolutely. The first and foremost, if you want to toss out the Taliban, you have to make the Afghan citizens believe that their own government is going to look after them and, right now, many Afghan citizens simply just don't have the confidence in their government. They believe it's corrupt. They believe it is riddled with drug-influenced corruption, and even with Taliban sympathizers.

ROBERTS: You mentioned this idea that this could be a way out for U.S. forces. Is that the way that the military is looking at this, that if they can have success in Marjah, this may be the first step out the door?

STARR: This may be. You know, it is a big maybe. This is the idea. This is the strategy. This is what the commanders say they want.

But is Marjah really a turning point? Probably not just yet. Maybe a nice little bend in the road. But around that bend lies the city of Kandahar to the east -- and that is really the heartland of the Taliban, the heartland of the drug trade. And until they do something about Kandahar, it's not over.

ROBERTS: Yes. This idea of Marjah being a potential turning point -- you know, Taliban, thus far, has kind of thrown its lot in with who they think is winning and they think that the Taliban commanders are winning because they certainly had U.S. and NATO forces back on their heels, I guess you could say, particularly in that part of Afghanistan.

If this turns things around in Marjah, could it have a ripple effect across the country that Taliban fighters might say -- whoa, wow, I'm not on the winning side, maybe I'll take the U.S. and NATO up on this offer of switching sides, getting paid not to fight against American and coalition forces?

STARR: Right. You know, that, again, is the U.S. goal here. But will the Taliban really, you know, go for that? Because as you say -- and as General McChrystal has said, the perception is that the Taliban have the momentum. And as long as that perception holds, there -- nobody is about to switch sides.

Again, it's the Afghan people. They're looking at who has the momentum. And if they believe the Taliban has, it's going to be very hard for them to say: OK, now, I support my own government. They need to see that the Afghan government and Afghan forces have the clear momentum.

ROBERTS: If this continues to go well -- and by most accounts, the battle is going well so far.

STARR: Sure. Sure.

ROBERTS: How long will American forces be tied up in this area?

STARR: Well, you know, they went into Helmand originally -- this overall southern Afghanistan -- a year ago, and they're still there.

ROBERTS: All right. Barbara Starr for us this morning with some analysis and perspective on that -- good to see you this morning, Barbara.

STARR: Great to see you.

ROBERTS: Thanks -- Kiran.

CHETRY: Well, coming up next on the Most News in the Morning, his domestic agenda is stalled. Could President Obama's headaches at home be hurting him overseas? Jill Dougherty with an A.M. original -- next.

Thirty-four minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. Thirty- seven minutes past the hour.

She's the undisputed queen of dolls, and Mattel is unveiling new line of Barbies for 2010. And the new ones include computer- engineered Barbie. She has pink framed glasses, a pink laptop and a Bluetooth headpiece. There you go.

And there's been news anchor Barbie. She's wearing a pink suit and carrying a news folder, how perfect (ph) that is, a camera and a microphone. Both hit stores in the fall.

I forgot my news folder today. Darn it.

ROBERTS: I always have mine at the ready.

CHETRY: There's your news folder. All right.

ROBERTS: My folder full of news.

NBA Commissioner David Stern issuing a league-wide red alert during the NBA's all star weekend. He expects the league to lose $400 million this season, double its annual losses over the last four years. Stern says NBA players should be prepared to take major pay cuts in the next collective bargaining agreement.

Well, Joe Biden's verbal sparring with his predecessor, Dick Cheney, made headlines on Sunday. But the vice president was also touting the Obama administration's success in getting the economy back on track. He says there's tangible evidence that the economic stimulus program has worked.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSEPH BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There is no reasonable economist that I know of, no econometric model to suggest that we have not created a minimum of 1.6 million to 2.4 million jobs. Even the "Wall Street Journal," last quarter, acknowledged that the significant reason for the growth in the third quarter was because of the investments in the recovery package.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: The economy, health care, resurgent Republicans -- they've managed to stall the president's domestic agenda at just about every turn, it seems.

CHETRY: Yes. But will problems here at home spell trouble for President Obama as he's reaching out to allies and adversaries abroad?

Our Jill Dougherty is following that for us. She's live in Washington with an A.M. original.

Good morning, Jill.

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, John and Kiran.

When the going gets tough, domestically, presidents often get going internationally, they go on big trips, or they try to find some big good picture news to point to. But President Obama's foreign policy is just as ambitious as his domestic policy, and he's running into almost as many problems.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DOUGHERTY (voice-over): Two costly wars, an economy still reeling. No health care reform yet.

And a political upset in Massachusetts torpedoes his Senate supermajority.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're trying to, you know, bring some change that you can believe in.

DOUGHERTY: With his change agenda bogged down at home, what hope is there for President Obama's change agenda abroad?

DOUG PAAL, CARNEGIE FOUNDATION FOR INTL. PEACE: When American presidents get weak at home, it really does affect their ability to act abroad.

DOUGHERTY: In his first year, Mr. Obama visited 21 countries. His mantra: engagement, even with your enemies.

HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE: It's almost hard to remember how poorly much of the world viewed the United States when President Obama came into office.

DOUGHERTY: The secretary of state says she sees a lot of positive trends. But the score card, so far, is mixed.

Iran still hounds its opponents and defends its nuclear program, now boasting it's enriching its own uranium.

North Korea still won't return to nuclear talks.

The Mideast peace process is stalled. Even the president's friends say America's credibility is on the line.

KING ABDULLAH II, JORDAN: I personally believe that the president is extremely committed to it, but we also know that America is dealing with many other issues, internally, health plan, other issues. Massachusetts was, I think, something that hit the news.

DOUGHERTY: But after the reset button was pressed with Russia, relations did improve. Moscow is helping the U.S. to pressure Iran and it's close to a new arms control agreement with Washington.

But in Beijing, cyber attacks against U.S. companies like Google, disputes over arm sales to Taiwan, and a controversial visit to the White House this week by the Dalai Lama have relations with China at a boil.

Surprisingly, the administration does claim one success -- in a war Barack Obama opposed.

BIDEN: I am very optimistic about Iraq and think it's going to be one of the great achievements of this administration.

DOUGHERTY: Come again?

ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Putting what was broken back together and getting our troops home, which we intend to do in August of this year.

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DOUGHERTY: Now, the president's defenders admit his engagement strategy hasn't changed Iran or North Korea's behavior yet but they claim it has helped to unite the international community by proving the U.S. was willing to go the extra mile before resorting to tougher measures -- John, Kiran.

CHETRY: All right. Jill Dougherty for us this morning -- thanks so much.

Meanwhile, it's 42 minutes past the hour. We have more snow headed into the south today. Rob will have the travel forecast right after the break.

ROBERTS: And in 10 minutes time, the things that people will eat. It's one of the seven deadly sins. Our Jeanne Moos with new ways gluttony is being taken to extremes.

Stay with us.

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CHETRY: Forty-five minutes past the hour.

There's a look at Atlanta right now, where it is 41 degrees at 6:45 in Atlanta this morning. Check ahead if you're going to be flying in or out -- possibility of some airport delays due to weather today.

And welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. Time now for your AM House Call, stories about your health. There's a new study showing that taking migraine drugs called triptans during pregnancy does not increase the risk of birth defect, but researchers did find a slight increase of excessive bleeding during labor. The authors of the study also went on to say that not treating a migraine could pose a risk for mothers as well as their unborn children.

Swine flu cases are down, but the CDC says about 57 million Americans have been infected with the H1N1 virus since the outbreak started last April. The CDC also saying nearly 12,000 people in the U.S. have died from swine flu. They're still recommending that you and your family get vaccinated.

Plus, new strict guidelines from the Department of Agriculture on what qualifies as organic milk. These nationwide standards now require cows to get plenty of fresh grass and spend at least four months a year grazing in pastures. Under the old rules, they were only required to market milk organic if it came from cows whose feed was grown without chemical, fertilizers, pesticides, or organically modified seed. The new rules, by the way, going to effect few (INAUDIBLE) you know what you pay for a gallon of organic milk. Those cows should be at the spa once a week.

ROBERTS: I was thinking, yes, a little fresh grass, a little fresh air, you know. Some time outside, little massage once in a while, whisper sweet nothings in their ear.

CHETRY: Exactly.

ROBERTS: And gives you some great milk.

It's called the Super Bowl of surfing, and the waves at this year's Maverick surf contest that happen to be in California were not only dangerous for the surfers, but the spectators as well. Check this out.

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ROBERTS (voice-over): Hundreds of people watching the contest were knocked off of their feet by two waves, estimated to be five to six feet high. Thirteen people were injured, some of them suffered broken legs and arms. The waves also knocked barricades. The spectators down and scaffold and that was holding loud speakers.

CHETRY (voice-over): Wow.

ROBERTS: Look at that, one woman hopping to an ambulance, had her leg in a brace and a splint. She was hopping on the other foot trying to get to the ambulance. Poor thing.

CHETRY: Unbelievable.

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CHETRY (on-camera): It's 47 minutes past the hour right now. We get a check of this morning's weather headlines. Our Rob Marciano is in the Extreme Weather Center, talking snow yet again. Are you sick of it yet? ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: No, never. You know, maybe if it was April I would be sick of it, but we're still into the middle of February, so it's still wintertime, and that pattern where we got this cold air locked into place in the Eastern half of the country, it's locked in for at least the next five, maybe ten days, so that pattern is not changing, and of course, when we get a cold pattern, we'll typically get some disturbances that will dump a little bit of snow.

We got another one that's moving across the Ohio River Valley. Here it is with rain now across the south. This will be turning to snow, but not nearly as bad as what was forecast, so Delta and AirTran did cancel a handful of flights as a preemptive measure last night. They may be regretting that move now because I don't expect to see much in the way of accumulating snow down across parts of Atlanta, but if you are doing some travel today, there will be delays out of Atlanta because of low clouds and rain and because of wind.

D.C., Metros, and Charlotte also seeing some low clouds and low visibility, and Chicago and Minneapolis, expect to see some low clouds and low clouds as well in San Francisco, and by the way, heavy surf or high surf advisories continue for parts of the West Coast.

Here's your curly Q classic comma shape for maturing cyclone here, rolling across the Ohio River Valley, and that's where I think the most heavy snow is going to be. Probably anywhere from five to ten inches here in places like Cincinnati up through Columbus, so winter storm warnings are posted for these folks. We rolled this thing up the eastern seaboard. It does do a little bit of a nor'easter, but it's going to intensify as much as the last one.

It's going to have the cold air in transmit, so looks like the rain/snow line will be north of Washington, D.C. That will be good, but snow getting into New York maybe three to six inches there and then the big story, really, continues to be, guys, Arctic cold air driving all the way down to the deep south, so, that's part of the pattern will continue by around through the end of February.

John and Kiran, back up to you.

CHETRY: All right. Keep out the snow boots. You're going to need them this week, too. All right. Thanks, Rob.

MARCIANO: See you guys.

CHETRY: This morning's top stories are minutes away, including a major offensive, maybe the biggest since 9/11 going on right now in Southern Afghanistan. It's a major test for troops. The Afghan troops as well, as well as the Afghan government, and President Obama's war strategy. We're going to talk about what's at stake live from Kabul.

ROBERTS: At 25 minutes after, battling lethal Mexican drug cartels on America's streets. Atlanta there is rotting shotgun with the ATF today.

CHETRY: Also, 12 minutes past the hour, the battle of the VPs. Dick Cheney blasting the White House over the way it handled the so- called Christmas bomber and why Joe Biden says he's dead wrong. Those stories and more coming up to the top of the hour.

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ROBERTS: Seven minutes now to the top of the hour. An Ohio man who calls himself Teddy McHuggin sold out enough love it in Vegas to set a new record

CHETRY: Yes, that guy gave out 7,777 hugs in just 24 hours Saturday night. The event also raised money for the American Heart Association. Teddy now wants to break a record for the world's longest single hug, that's currently 24 hours and one second.

ROBERTS: Going to have somebody you really like involved in that.

CHETRY: Exactly. Maybe you should try to figure that one out.

ROBERTS: Time now for the Moost News in the Morning. It's a website that embraces the model we live by here in our CNN newsroom. Everything is better wrapped in bacon, including bacon.

CHETRY: Exactly, and if that doesn't work, how about the cheese whiz or just deep fry it? Jeanne Moos shows us the latest viral hit that takes gluttony to a whole new level.

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JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If you're eating, stop. Instead, feast your eyes. A sloppy Joe on a glazed Krispy Kreme, gravy pizza.

JESSICA AMISON (ph): My personal favorite, I think, is the hot dog encased in French fries. I fantasize about that one.

RICHARD BLAKELY (ph): This one is brilliant. It's a pizza and the crust is made out of hamburger meat. Is that not genius?

MOOS: These are the two geniuses who dreamed up the new website "This is why you're fat."

AMISON: Where dreams become heart attacks.

MOOS: Chocolate covered bacon, anyone?

Or maybe you'd prefer a pink sandwich.

AMISON: It's four packages of cream cheese, strawberry cream cheese around a loaf of bread.

MOOS: Manhattan couple, Jessica Amison (ph) and Richard Blakely (ph) are looking for your deliciously gross submissions.

AMISON: If it doesn't make us go ew in the first five seconds, there's some cheese on it. BLAKELY: The eponymy of this Web site, I think, to be some doubt in the pizza burger.

MOOS: It's a bacon cheeseburger slapped between two pizzas. Kind of source even put it to music. Fried stuff on a stick is popular from deep fried tootsie rolls to deep fried white castle cheeseburgers, and bacon is big.

UNKNOWN FEMALE: Bacon, meatloaf, Mac and cheese.

MOOS: Bacon doughnuts, bacon ice cream, bacon chocolate chip cookies, or bacon-flavored spread called baconnaise that Jon Stewart recently used as a dip for pancake and sausage on a stick.

JON STEWART, HOST: That's what I like to do. I like to --

MOOS: When "Saturday Night Live" did a bit making fun of ever more layered tacos wrapped in pizza.

UNKNOWN MALE: It's not a taco town talko until we roll it up in a blueberry pancake, deep it in butter, and fry it until it's golden brown.

MOOS: Someone took as (INAUDIBLE) recipe and actually made it, and then there was a delicacy copied from Weird Al Yankovic.

MOOS (on-camera): Even we are capable, so we'll put this...

MOOS (voice-over): Of using a twinkie as a bun for a winner and drizzling it with cheese whiz. Cheers.

AMISON: All right. Cheers.

BLAKELY: I can't eat this.

MOOS: He's a vegetarian. The Twinkie winner sandwich wasn't so bad. Is this story making you hungry?

AMISON: Yes.

BLAKELY: That's a fair favorite.

AMISON: There it is!

MOOS: I hear your stomach growl. I heard that. One man's grown is another man's growl.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

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ROBERTS: Some of that stuff was just wrong.

CHETRY: right. Which one looked the best to you?

ROBERTS: The twinkie winner actually looked pretty good. CHETRY: Didn't look bad.

ROBERTS: My daughter is going to favorite program in the food now where man versus food. Have you seen that?

CHETRY: I love it. Yes.

ROBERTS: Which is this big.

But nothing beats Poutine which has always been like...

CHETRY: Of course.

ROBERTS: You know, which I introduce you to it.

CHETRY: That was fun. That was -- and I happened to be pregnant so it was even more delicious. It was the French fries with everything in it.

ROBERTS: Everything covered in gravy.

CHETRY: Yes.

a ROBERTS: And you could throw in some sausage meat if you like to. The various kind.

CHETRY: We did.

ROBERTS: Topped with cheese curls.

CHETRY: It was very good.

ROBERTS: Heart attack on a plate for sure.

Coming up now on three minutes to the top of the hour. We got our top stories coming your way in 90 seconds. Stay with us.

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