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American Morning

Gulf Residents Claim Oil Continues To Be a Problem; Chelsea Clinton Rumored to Wed In Small Town Outside Manhattan; WikiLeaks Source Investigated; Interview With WH Press Secretary Robert Gibbs; U.S. Embassy Mail Poisonings; Rangel's Ethics Charges; Chelsea Clinton's Big Secret Wedding; My Dog, My Child; Heart Dangers from Calcium Pills

Aired July 30, 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: Good morning. It's Friday. Thanks so much for joining us on the Most News in the Morning. I got a problem.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: He had some hot peppers. We'll explain a little bit later.

ROBERTS: People saw the segment.

SIDNER: Hopefully.

ROBERTS: That is the hottest curry I have ever tasted in my life.

SIDNER: I actually feel a little sympathy. I feel bad for you. You're actually sweating from eating that.

ROBERTS: More than sweating.

SIDNER: We'll show you again a little later.

ROBERTS: Can you call the New York Fire Department, please?

SIDNER: All right, we'll move forward here. We'll try. Kiran is off today. I'm Sara Sidner. Let's go ahead and get right to it, the top stories.

ROBERTS: You may be doing the show by yourself.

(LAUGHTER)

Millions of gallons of oil simply gone -- the coast guard claims it can hardly find anymore crude to clean up. But locals aren't buying it. They say they are finding plenty of oil and they have the pictures to prove it. What's really going on in the gulf?

SIDNER: Developing this morning, new fallout from the leak of 91,000 documents about the war in Afghanistan. The suspected wick WikiLeak source flown back from Kuwait is not locked up in a Marine big in Virginia. The Pentagon is now essentially accusing WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and its source in the U.S. military of murder. ROBERTS: Details of the ceremony top-secret, the party rumored to cost millions and the FAA will shut down airspace over one tiny town tomorrow where Chelsea Clinton is expected to walk down the aisle.

More on all those stories just ahead.

SIDNER: But first, if the coast guard is truly having trouble finding any oil on the surface of the Gulf of Mexico, there are plenty of people in Louisiana who say they'd be happy to point them if the right direction.

ROBERTS: Their crews keep conducting flyovers and the pilots keep coming back with the same story, that there is not much oil out there.

SIDNER: And look at the headlines. This latest development seems almost too good to be true. Millions of gallons of spilled oil, gone? Or is it?

ROBERTS: Our Jim Acosta is live for us in New Orleans this morning. And Jim, some locals say you want to find the oil, talk to us. But the coast guard's not listening.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's exactly right, John and Sara. They do not like the looks of those headlines down here. And after those assurances from the federal government the oil is clearing up quickly, local leaders down here in Louisiana went ballistic. Not only did they say they know where the oil is, they have the picture proof.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: As for those claims from the federal government that the oil is vanishing fast in the Gulf of Mexico, Count Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser a skeptic.

BILLY NUNGESSER, PLAQUEMINES PARISH PRESIDENT: I still can't tell you who's in charge.

ACOSTA: At a closed-door meeting he and a group of local leaders locked horns with the national incident commander for the oil spill Thad Allen. Some aren't buying Allen's repeated statement the oil is dissipating.

THAD ALLEN, NATIONAL INCIDENT COMMANDER: It's more dispersed and harder to find. We'll try and be as aggressive as we can with skimmers offshore, but again we're finding less and less oil as we move forward.

ACOSTA: Why would Thad Allen say we just don't see the oil like we used to anymore?

NUNGESSER: He doesn't -- I've said this from day one, and I'm sorry, Thad Allen. He doesn't have a clue. ACOSTA: Nungesser showed us these pictures that he says were taken by his staff just yesterday, photos capturing fans of oil in his parish. When he tried to share the photos with Allen, he says things got heated.

NUNGESSER: Y'all said there's no oil. I've got a bunch of pictures if you'd like to look at them. Oh, we know there's some problems. No, there's some real problems when you fly and say there's no oil and everybody stands down and we're out there busting our butts trying to save our marshland.

ACOSTA: To Louisiana boater Brian Scoresone, the talk of the incredibly shrinking oil spill sounds like a fish tale.

ACOSTA (on camera): Are things getting better out here?

BRAD SCORSONE, LOUISIANA RECREATIONAL FISHERMAN: The feds are wrong. That's all I have to say.

ACOSTA (voice-over): But he had more to say when we pulled up to these oil-covered marshes.

SCORSONE: This is the nourishment, right here.

ACOSTA (on camera): For all the life out here.

SCORSONE: That's it. This is your nurture and your filter.

ACOSTA: It doesn't take a scientist to figure that out.

SCORSONE: And I'm not a rocket scientist to figure that one out.

ACOSTA (voice-over): At this marina we found more signs of trouble. These oil-covered marsh hens rescued by wildlife officials. As for Allen, he denies his comments, while optimistic, give the wrong impression.

ALLEN: We've never said all the oil is gone. This is a catastrophic event, the oil in the marshes. We need to keep working on this

ACOSTA: But Billy Nungesser fears Allen and BP are simply setting the stage to pull out their resources.

NUNGESSER: It seems like they want this thing put to rest and it looks like they are the spokesperson for BP. They are the spokesperson for BP.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: Now, Thad Allen says he made a promise to local officials down here that the federal government and BP will maintain a presence in the Gulf until all the oil is gone. But local officials fired right back at Allen and said just because there are expectations that this well will be killed early next week does not mean that this crisis is over. John and Sara? ROBERTS: Jim Acosta for us this morning in New Orleans, thank you.

The governor of Arizona is asking an appeals court to step into her state's smoldering immigration debate. Governor Jan Brewer filing an expedited appeal after a federal judge blocked the most controversial parts of Arizona's new immigration law. She's asking the courts to lift a preliminary injunction and restore the measure to its original form.

SIDNER: Former agricultural department employee Shirley Sherrod says she plans to sue conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart. He's the man responsible for posting that edited video of Sherrod's remarks on race which we then found out were taken completely out of context.

Breitbart has said he wasn't actually targeting Sherrod personally but, rather, he was taking aim at the NAACP. But speaking yesterday, Sherrod says she doesn't buy that and plans to take action.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHIRLEY SHERROD, FORMER AGRICULTURE DEPARTMENT EMPLOYEE: At this point, you know, he hasn't apologized. I don't want it at this point. And he'll definitely hear from me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just to follow up on that, there are reports you are considering a lawsuit. Have you decided whether you're going to pursue that action?

SHERROD: I will definitely do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: A new wildfire exploding in the Los Angeles area just as firefighters gain ground on two others nearby that have been burning since earlier this week. The latest fire has blackened 5,000 acres and forced evacuation of nearly 2,000 people.

SIDNER: And Ellen Degeneres is leaving "American Idol" after just one season. She says the show just wasn't the right fit for her, that she wasn't really having that much fun, but she'll always and huge fan of the show. Already rumors this morning that singer Jennifer Lopez, J-Lo, may join "Idol" as one of those judges.

ROBERTS: The countdown is on to the wedding of the year. Hopefully they won't be serving that curry there. Chelsea Clinton and her husband-to-be Marc Mezvinsky are tying the knot tomorrow evening, but this morning some of the wedding details are still top-secret.

SIDNER: The ceremony is expected to happen in a French-inspired mansion on the Hudson River in the tiny town of Rhinebeck, New York. That's where we find our Alina Cho this morning, and things have really changed there, haven't they?

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They certainly have. It was a sleepy little town. Not so much anymore, guys. Good morning. You know, in some ways this is the best kept secret and the worst kept secret. At this point everyone assumes that Chelsea Clinton will tie the knot right here in Rhinebeck about a half-mile from here right up the Hudson River behind me.

But the Clintons aren't talking, so even now this is a guessing game. And speculation is running high.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHO: On the eve of the wedding of summer involving the daughter of American royalty, tiny Rhinebeck, New York, 90 miles from Manhattan, is undergoing a transformation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A sleepy little town, but it's not sleepy anymore.

CHO: Now Rhinebeck is a media Mecca. Yet nobody's talking because everyone involved in this top-secret wedding has signed a confidentiality agreement.

CHO (on camera): Prying a confirmation out of anyone around here is next to impossible. But take a walk around town and the signs are literally everywhere. "A toast to Chelsea and Marc." "Congratulations to Marc and Chelsea."

CHO (voice-over): Chelsea Clinton and investment banker Marc Mezvinsky will reportedly wed on Saturday night at Astor Courts, a 50 acre estate along the Hudson River. Many guests will reportedly stay at the oldest operating inn in America. A-listers like Oprah, Spielberg, and Streisand, are expected to attend. The current president will not attend.

JIM LANGAN, "HUDSON VALLEY" NEWS EDITOR: It is a big event for Rhinebeck.

CHO: Jim Langan, editor of "The Hudson Valley News" broke the story.

LANGAN: This town has just been electrified by the whole thing.

CHO (on camera): It's crazy.

LANGAN: Insane. The only person I haven't interviewed here is the wooden Indian out in front of the cigar store.

CHO: Can you tell me who is officiating?

CHO (voice-over): Word on the street is Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer will preside. Makes sense -- he's a Clinton nominee. But again, we're just not sure.

CHO (on camera): It is kind of fun speculating.

LANGAN: It's great. This is the greatest game since monopoly. CHO (voice-over): CNN has confirmed the FAA will close the airspace within 1.5 miles around Rhinebeck from Saturday afternoon until Sunday morning for what it calls "VIP movements."

CHO (on camera): Can you give me the inside track on anything about this wedding?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're not catering it. That much I can tell you.

CHO (voice-over): John Regan owns Rhinebeck Deli where this week they're serving up "Chelsea's choice wrap," "Bill's all-American sandwich, and "Hillary's "the secretary of steak."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The most popular is the "secretary of steak."

CHO: Really. Why do you think that is?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Really don't know.

CHO: You got sirloin in there.

CHO (voice-over): Rhinebeck has seen celebrities before.

LANGAN: Christie Brinkley. She was here.

CHO: But nearly everyone will tell you this not-so-sleepy little town anymore has never seen anything quite like this.

LANGAN: I think it is the biggest thing to happen since Washington's army drove the British out down the street in the 1700s. I mean, it doesn't get any bigger than this, and never will, I don't think.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHO: Some other little tidbits we're hearing -- all guests will reportedly have to leave back blackberries and cell phones at the door so that no unauthorized photos get out. The couple is apparently registered under fake names. And we hear the reception play list will include "Dancing Queen," "Billy Jean" and U2's "A Beautiful Day."

Now, CNN is not usually in the business of reporting rumors, guys, but in this case, I simply have no choice.

ROBERTS: In a case like this, reporting rumors is fun, right?

CHO: Of course. We're not hurting anybody.

ROBERTS: We'll forgive you this time.

SIDNER: Still ahead, speaking of rumors, we'll be talking about a reporter from "The Washington Post" Reliable Sources column. She tracks all the political gossip inside the beltway. That's coming up at 7:40 eastern. ROBERTS: Just in to CNN this morning, three employees at the U.S. embassy in Paris are being treated for poisoning after opening mail. The Reuters report says French police did not immediately identify the exact nature of the poisons or seriousness of the employees' condition.

The U.S. embassy has yet to comment. We'll get more information to you as soon as it becomes available.

SIDNER: Its' 11 minutes after the hour.

(WEATHER BREAK)

ROBERTS: It's coming up now 13 minutes after the hour. Private first class Bradley Manning is being investigated for possibly leaking thousands of secret Afghan war documents. And this morning, he's in the military brig at Quantico, Virginia. More on that story just ahead. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SIDNER: Fifteen minutes after the hour. Back to a developing story for you now.

The Pentagon now zeroing in on one of their own, jailed Army intelligence analyst Bradley Manning, as the source of the leak of Afghan war secrets. He's now in a Marine brig in Virginia.

Barbara Starr is live for us at the Pentagon. Strong words, Barbara, from the Pentagon saying the Web site WikiLeaks may have blood on its hands?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Indeed, Sara. The Pentagon now very openly and publicly reacting to all of this. But first, indeed, Private First Class Bradley Manning, 22-year-old intelligence analyst, overnight moved from where he'd been in a military jail in Kuwait, a U.S. military jail, to Quantico, Virginia, the Marine Corps brig at Quantico where he's now being held pending further military investigation and facing the possibility of a full court-martial proceeding.

Here at the Pentagon, Secretary Gates, very angry about all of this publicly saying there are severe consequences potentially to U.S. troops that the Taliban could now have a road map in front of them with these documents to how U.S. troops operate in the field. But it was Admiral Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, his remarks that got a lot of attention.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADM. MIKE MULLEN, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: I think we always need to be mindful of the unknown potential for damage in any particular document that we handle. Mr. Assange can say whatever he likes about the greater good he thinks he and his source are doing, but the truth is, they might already have on their hands the blood of some young soldier or that of an Afghan family. (END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: Referencing there, Julian Assange, the editor of the WikiLeaks Web site that published these tens of thousands of Afghan war documents. This investigation now moving beyond the U.S. military. The FBI is involved. They are tracing all of Private First Class Bradley Manning's movements on trips back to the United States, who he knew, who he talked to, and who else might be out there who had helped him or is an accomplice in this matter -- Sara.

SIDNER: Barbara, I just have a quick question for you. And I'm wondering if there is any more addition to what Admiral Mullen was saying as to how they came to the conclusion that this may endanger troops. They haven't said anymore on that, haven't given details as to why they used this phrase "blood on their hands."

STARR: Right. You know, I think that's really at the core of all of this for folks to understand. These war documents, as you point out, they are -- they're fairly old. They're past years. They're relatively low-level classified material so that it could be dispersed to the largest number of forces who can actually make use of it in the field. But there are nuggets in there. There are things about how U.S. troops operate when they set up ambushes to try and catch the Taliban. Things about roadside bombs, the effectiveness of a Taliban roadside bomb. How it might have impacted U.S. troops. It's these nuggets in there that make the possibility of a virtual map to what works and what doesn't work for U.S. troops in the battle and that's the concern. The Taliban can logon to the Internet and go mind these documents just like everybody else.

SIDNER: All right. Thank you so much, Barbara Starr there for us this morning.

ROBERTS: President Obama is headed to Hamtramck, Michigan today to pay a visit to a GM plant to see how the auto recovery is doing. So what's it all about? We talk to spokesman Robert Gibbs coming up right after the break.

Nineteen minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Twenty-two minutes after the hour. The heartbeat of America has a pulse again. There have been some small, but very promising signs of life in the American auto industry. Plants have canceled summer shutdowns and added shifts. And for the very first time since 2004, GM, Chrysler and Ford also posted first quarter profits. And today, President Obama is going to visit the motor city to say we had the bailout to thank for all of that.

Joining us now from the North Lawn of the White House is the press secretary -- or actually inside the Briefing Room -- sorry -- is Press Secretary Robert Gibbs.

Robert, great to see you this morning. Thanks for joining us.

ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Good morning, how are you?

ROBERTS: Good. Let me just push Michigan back just a little bit here, because I want to ask you first all about Congressman Rangel. Thirteen ethics charges against him yesterday. Some Democrats are calling for him to step down and avoid the party potential embarrassment as you're heading into the mid-term elections here. And I'm wondering on this issue of him stepping aside, where does the White House come down on that?

GIBBS: Well, look. I think we believe, John, that the best thing is that a bipartisan committee that is looking into this should investigate these serious charges and that the process should run its course.

ROBERTS: Do you think though that Congressman Rangel should step aside to take the focus off of him during the upcoming mid-terms?

GIBBS: John, I think that is a -- that's a decision that I would leave to Congressman Rangel. Again, I think they're serious charges that are being looked into and we think that's the right thing to do.

ROBERTS: You know, another issue that's popped up obviously this week and took on a new tone in just the last 24 hours is the leak of all of these reports from the Afghanistan war and the wikileaks.org Web site. The Pentagon has come down very hard. Admiral Mike Mullen suggesting that the Web site, the man who allegedly leaked this information and others, may have blood on their hands. But we spoke with recently retired CIA analyst Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Shaffer who told our Kyra Phillips that when you take this in the overall, there's not a whole lot there. Let's listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. COL. ANTHONY SHAFFER, ARMY INTELLIGENCE OFFICER: Most of it, 90 percent of it is essentially historic information which has already been out there. The abuses of the ISI working with the Taliban, the Taliban resurgence. The loss of human life by civilians is tragic but it's already been out there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: Robert, what I'm wondering this morning is, does the president share Admiral Mullen's assessment that these people may indeed have blood on their hands.

GIBBS: Look, I think we would share both assessments. The one you just heard -- the content of what we know about what is happening in Afghanistan, we knew in those documents we knew much of that information before. Quite frankly, it's been reported here and other places. I will say that we were, and still are, concerned about names, operations, tactics, that are outlined in these documents that could put our soldiers at risk.

And also put those that are helping the United States military and our international coalition forces in Afghanistan, Afghans that are helping, put them in danger. The Taliban spokesman saying just this morning that they're going through those documents and they know how to punish people that do appear there. So that definitely puts our soldiers and those that are helping bring peace to Afghanistan at great risk.

ROBERTS: On today's Michigan visit, chief adviser David Axelrod was up on the hill yesterday, part of a strategy session reportedly to put Democrats on the offensive for the mid-term elections. The president going to the GM plant in Hamtramck today, is that part of that narrative? Is he there to say, look, you might have been skeptical about the bailout of the auto industry but you are getting your money's worth?

GIBBS: Well, absolutely. I think you touched on this in the introduction here which is for the first time since 2004, all three of these companies reported a profit. For the first time in more than a decade, we're not shedding jobs in the auto industry, we're adding jobs. They're adding shifts. They seek greater consumer demand for the products that they're making.

I think it is a genuine success story. It is at a place in which we didn't think it would be just a year-and-a-half ago and companies that had to make some really tough decisions, workers and management all had to sacrifice but now we're adding jobs and it's a good news story.

ROBERTS: You know, the president also, Robert, in the last couple of days has spoken at length about the Shirley Sherrod incident, saying yesterday that he puts part of the blame on the administration for what happened to her and that there needs to be some sort of national dialogue about race. Here's what the president said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We should all make more of an effort to discuss with one another in a truthful and mature and responsible way the divides that still exist. The discrimination that's still out there. The prejudices that still hold us back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: So that was yesterday at the National Urban League. Should the president be the one to lead that discussion? Or is the White House, you know, a little cautious about getting drawn deeply into racial issues? Is the president worried that he may become sort of the president of black issues here?

GIBBS: No. This is the president of the United States of America for everyone that lives in this country. John, I think what the president talked about, what we've all talked about for quite some time now is that there is a teachable moment out of this. The president doesn't have to be that teacher. I think parents can talk to their children. Parents can talk to other parents about this. I think what the president has talked about is a dialogue in the places that we're at and in the places that we're in, discussing how to listen fully to one another and not jump to quick judgments as happened, as the president said, in this administration in the news media, and in a lot of places around the Shirley Sherrod incident.

ROBERTS: But is the president not a good person to lead that discussion?

GIBBS: Well, again, I don't think that discussion is -- he doesn't have to lead it and it's not dependent upon him. John, we struggled with these issues for decades before President Obama came here. Unfortunately, we'll likely struggle with this for decades after he leaves here. I think the best thing that can happen is this -- the president said, we have these discussions in the places that we live. Take a minute to walk a mile in somebody else's shoes and talk through what is a teachable moment.

ROBERTS: Robert Gibbs for us this morning from the White House. Robert, thanks so much. Good to see you today.

GIBBS: Thanks, John.

SIDNER: Coming up, common questions in a divorce. Who gets the kids, who gets the house, the car? But who gets the dog? How one divorce case in Maryland may change the way pets are viewed when a marriage splits up. Carol Costello's got a "Gut Check" for us ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Checking our top stories this morning. As we cross the half-hour, three employees at the U.S. embassy in Paris are being treated for poisoning after opening their mail citing a French police source. Reuters says the exact nature of the poisonings is not yet known. The source also did not know the seriousness of the employees' condition. No comment yet from the U.S. embassy.

SIDNER: It turns out the number of graves mislabeled or unmarked at Arlington National Cemetery is way more than originally thought. Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill says many as 6,600 graves at Arlington may have been affected in this. The Army's previous estimate is much smaller. Around 211 plots at the military burial ground.

ROBERTS: Well, this is now the deadliest month for U.S. troops in Afghanistan since the war began nine years ago. In the past 24 hours, NATO says three American soldiers were killed in two different blasts in southern Afghanistan. That brings July's death toll to 63.

A New York congressman, Charlie Rangel, a fixture for decades on Capitol Hill is now fighting for his political life. Rangel is charged with 13 ethics violations, the charges include repeatedly submitting incomplete and inaccurate financial statements and failing to pay taxes on rental income from a vacation home.

Let's bring in our congressional correspondent Brianna Keilar. At the heart of the 13 counts here, Brianna, some of what have been called Rangel's monument to me. Tell us all about that.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right. He was raising money for the Rangel Center. It is a public policy center at the City College of New York. He was, John, soliciting donations from companies that had business before his committee. Remember at the time he was the head of the House Ways and Means Committee, the tax writing committee, very powerful post there in the House of Representatives.

And he was having both personal meetings with donors and he was also using official congressional letterhead to solicit some of these donations. Well, it is not official business so he's not permitted to do that. But back to the personal meetings, a couple of really detailed examples here in this report that was released yesterday by the Ethics Committee.

Apparently Rangel met with the CEO of one company and this CEO gave $500,000. The company also gave $500,000 to the Rangel Center. And then a few months later, this company was lobbying the committee for a tax loophole. And then also, John and Sara, he met with an AIG lobbyist and according to a memo that was put together by the City College, the whole objective of this meeting was to get a $10 million donation.

And this report here says that Rangel himself said at least twice "what do we need to do to get this done?" I mean these are pretty eye-popping details, guys.

ROBERTS: Any chance that he can still settle this thing?

KEILAR: He could. And it is a little muddy. It is a little unclear but there are certain indications. One of his colleagues, a New York Democrat told CNN yesterday that he was close to a settlement with the Ethics Committee. Now, we also know that the committee was meeting last night. Of course it is so secretive they weren't telling us what it was all about. But listen to what Rangel told our camera shortly after the hearing yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are your lawyers still negotiating any sort of a deal?

REP. CHARLIE RANGEL (D), NEW YORK: No, it's my understanding that it's the Ethics Committee itself that's working without my lawyer's involvement.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: So now what you may read into that is that if his lawyers come to a settlement with the lawyers for the Ethics Committee, it would still be up to the Ethics Committee to approve some sort of settlement. We understand they're going to meet again today and we're waiting to see if he can reach this deal, you guys, and still avoid that protracted trial that could come so uncomfortably close to the mid-term election for Democrats.

ROBERTS: Yes, certainly wouldn't fit in with the narrative that the Democrats are trying to establish going into the mid-terms.

Brianna Keilar for us this morning. Brianna, thanks.

SIDNER: 35 after the hour. Still ahead, the inside scoop on Chelsea Clinton's wedding from "Washington Post" columnist Amy Argetsinger. And why she thinks it is not your typical celebrity affair.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

ROBERTS: 38 and a half minutes after the hour. With just hours to go now until Chelsea Clinton walks down the aisle. Camp Clinton is still guarding the wedding details like they're state secrets. The ceremony is expected to happen at a French-inspired mansion in Rhinebeck, New York. That's about 100 miles north of New York City.

SIDNER: There are a lot of unknowns but the big ones, the guest list, the menu, the music, the ceremony's full price tag and who made her gown. For more, let's go ahead and bring in Amy Argetsinger with the "Washington Post" "Reliable Source" column.

Amy, there are all these rumors about how much this wedding will cost, between $3 million and $5 million. Are we really to believe that much is going to be spent on this wedding?

AMY ARGETSINGER, COLUMNIST, "THE WASHINGTON POST'S RELIABLE SOURCE": Listen, who knows. But honestly these numbers are coming from nowhere really. There is a vacuum of information, and so into that a lot of journalists are putting a lot of guesswork. They've asked a lot of high-end wedding planners, well, how much do you think it could cost to do a wedding this big for people this important? That's where those numbers come from.

I mean, I think you have to be wary of these. People in this profession, wedding planning, they have a lot of incentive to let the general public think that if you want to do a nice wedding, you need to spend $250,000 on flowers. Beware of these numbers.

ROBERTS: Yes. Well, one thing that we have to say though is that people have kept remarkably quiet about all of this, Amy. There's some rumored to be some 500 guests and they all -- well, apparently they may not know yet exactly where to go. I think they've got a pretty good idea but none of them are really dishing at this point. How are the Clintons keeping a lid on all this information?

ARGETSINGER: I think mostly they're doing it by keeping this to an inner circle. That seems ridiculous to say when you're talking about 400, 500 people whatever it's going to be and we don't really know but they've made it clear, they put the word out to their friends that this is Chelsea's event.

That the invited guests have to be people who are friends with Chelsea and Chelsea's world is a group of people who are very protective of her. Beyond that, part of the secrecy has been maintained by really not telling the guests much of anything. You know, your guests are your biggest enemies when it comes to keeping secrets about your V.I.P. wedding.

ROBERTS: Sure.

ARGETSINGER: And in this case, the guests were not told exactly where this was going to be. They only just found out about a week ago where their hotels are. Someone had to book their hotel rooms for them. They're going to be bussed from one place to another. And that's how you maintain this incredible secrecy.

SIDNER: Amy, want to show a picture -- no, it is not a slow news day but apparently this is pretty big news. "Hudson Valley News." Congratulations, Chelsea and Marc. Front page stuff here. Why are we so interested in what's happening with someone else's wedding that most of us won't ever be able to attend or even see for that matter?

ARGETSINGER: Good question. All I can say is that it is two things. One is that we do in our culture these days have a fascination with weddings. I don't know whether it is some Disney princess mentality out there or what, but over the past decade you have seen a lot of media attention paid to celebrity weddings. Pictures of brides. Things like that.

On top of that, this is Chelsea Clinton and the American public feels like they watched her grow up. She was only about 12 years old when she came into the White House. She was living in the White House during some pretty crucial years. People are fascinated with her as the only child who was living in that fish bowl existence. People feel, I don't know, a sense of kinship for her or protectiveness of her.

I know when she was on her mother's campaign two years ago, a lot of people I talk to were surprised when I pointed out, well listen, she's 28, she's close to 30 now. People still think of her as being a little girl. So I guess in that way they feel this is some part, you know, a high point in this saga they followed all these years.

ROBERTS: When you look at the overall scope of this, Amy, it's ironic to think of how different this is from when Bill and Hillary Clinton got married so many years ago. They did it in the living room of the home that they owned in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Hillary Clinton, according to reports, ran out and quickly bought a wedding dress from Dillard's. You know, here we're talking about $3 million to $5 million, we're talking about Vera Wang, quarter of a million dollars for flowers. Just the contrast couldn't be any starker.

SIDNER: Inflation, man.

ARGETSINGER: Well, you know, that was the '70s. This is a different era. You have to realize, too, is that the Clintons then were -- didn't have a lot of money. The Clintons now do have a lot of money. Chelsea and her groom, Marc Mezvinsky -- let's not forget there is a groom here. They're both quite well to do. They've been working in finance in New York. They've been out of school for a while. They have lots of friends from high school and college and graduate school and their working years. Yes, this is the kind of the way weddings are done now if you've got the means to do it.

ROBERTS: Well --

SIDNER: All right. Thank you so much for being here this morning, Amy Argetsinger from "The Washington Post." Appreciate it.

ROBERTS: You know, I remember in the waning months of the Clinton administration when he bought the house in Chappaqua I think for $1.8 million, everybody in the White House Press Corps is saying how was he ever going to be able to pay for this. And people were asking all these questions. I said are you kidding? You watch how much money this guy makes.

SIDNER: Yes. His appearances. He gets paid a ton just to speak.

ROBERTS: $200,000, $300,000 per appearance, depending on who is footing the bill.

Still ahead, Carol Costello got our Friday morning "Gut Check." So what happens to a dog in a divorce? A Maryland judge may be changing the rules for everyone. We'll explain just ahead.

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SIDNER: Forty-six minutes after the hour. Welcome back to the Most News in the morning.

If you have a pet at home, then you know they're really like a member of the family, right?

ROBERTS: So what happens to a pet in a divorce? You can divide money and property and decide what happens with the kids, but who gets the dog?

Carol Costello takes a look at a creative solution to that problem in this morning's "gut Check." Well, this one is a little far off field for you, Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's far off field, but I found the story so fascinating because it just made divorce that much more difficult.

A judge in Maryland has ordered a divorcing couple to share custody of their dog. She gets the little Shitzu mix for six months, then he gets the dog for the next six months. What makes this case unusual is that a judge would bother to take any time at all to hear a custody dispute over a dog.

It's a case that's got the legal community talking, and us, too. Should a dog be treated like a child when couples divorce? Your "Gut Check" for a Friday. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO (voice-over): For Gayle Myers, Lucky is way more than a cute, loyal dog.

COSTELLO (on camera): Do you view your dog as your child?

GAYLE MYERS, SHARES DOG CUSTODY: I don't have any kid so she's the closest that I'm going to have to a child. I have another dog as well and they -- they're both like my kids.

COSTELLO (voice-over): So when she decided to leave her husband, money and property didn't enter her mind. She left with --

MYERS: My clothes, a few personal items and the dog.

COSTELLO (on camera): And that's all you wanted.

MYERS: That's all I wanted.

COSTELLO (voice-over): Problem is, her ex wanted Lucky, too, and that made a no-contest divorce a rather testy battle.

In Maryland, a pet is considered property, like a car or a house. Certainly not like a -- child.

MYERS: Lucky, tell me.

COSTELLO: But Maryland Judge Graydon McKee told me he didn't think it was fair to force the Myers to sell the dog and split the proceeds, so he ordered joint custody. She gets Lucky six months. He gets Lucky the other six months -- a ruling that could shake up divorce court for good.

JAMES MAXWELL, MYERS' ATTORNEY: It recognizes the emotional -- the reciprocal attachment between a pet and the other members of the family, and in some sense elevates the role of the pet to a quasi- family member.

COSTELLO: It brings us back to our question -- should a pet be considered like a child in divorce court?

MARLENE ESKIND MOSES, AMERICAN ACADEMY OF MATRIMONIAL LAWYERS: It would certainly complicate divorce litigation, clearly. It -- it would be a time-consuming proposition.

COSTELLO: As it could become in the Myers' case. Despite the custody ruling, there are still questions.

COSTELLO (on camera): What if the dog gets sick and there are a lot of veterinary bills accrued?

MYERS: We're supposed to split the bills.

COSTELLO: Split the bills. So that's also in what the judge ordered? MYERS: Not sure exactly --

MAXWELL: Technically, the -- that's not been fleshed out in the -- in the order.

COSTELLO: But even if it becomes an issue, Gayle Myers doesn't regret any of it.

MYERS: I just couldn't bail on her. She's been there for me and -- and has faith in me that I'm going to come home every night and feed her and take care of her.

What are you doing, furry (ph)?

COSTELLO: After all, they're family.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And consider this. If either Gayle or her ex decides they don't want to share custody of the dog and one of them refuses to turn the dog over to the other, they could go to jail for disobeying a court order.

So what do you think this morning? Should a dog be elevated to a family member in a divorce case? Oh, please write to me on my blog at cnn.com/amfix.

Tough, isn't it? Because a dog is not like property to most people, it is like a member of the family.

ROBERTS: Yes.

SIDNER: Exactly. And I think you're going to get a lot of people commenting on this, because I've heard of similar things happening where people talk about like what's going to happen to the dog? Like, what are we going do with it like if this doesn't work out?

COSTELLO: Next thing you'll hear, all of these stories about one party using the dog, you know, just to hurt the other.

SIDNER: Yes.

COSTELLO: But in this case, the judge kind of realized that. Both parties were emotionally -- genuinely emotionally attached to the dog, so he decided maybe I should treat this like a quasi child and award them joint custody.

ROBERTS: Wow. Yet -- yet another complicating factor.

We look forward to seeing what people have to say this morning. Carol, thanks so much.

COSTELLO: Sure.

ROBERTS: This morning's top stories just minutes away now, including breaking news overnight. The suspected source of the Afghan war leak back in the U.S. Army brig -- a Military brig, rather than Marine big, superstar hacker and convicted criminal may have helped the Army to get one of their own. We'll talk to our CNN.com reporter who got him to tell his fascinating story.

SIDNER: They burned his jerseys after he bolted. LeBron James still a sensitive topic in Cleveland, as you might imagine. And wait until you see what happened to the guy who wore a new LeBron James jersey into the Indians bleachers.

ROBERTS: And Sara versus the hottest curry in the world. Believe me it's still hurting. So hot that the chef when he prepares it has to wear a gas mask. Will I dare try it again? Not on your life. But we've got plenty of other people willing to.

Those stories and more coming your way at the top of the hour.

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SIDNER: Fifty-five minutes past the hour and time for your "A.M. House Call."

Forty-three percent of Americans take calcium supplements to keep their bones strong. But a new study found those who take these pills regularly are at an increased risk for heart attacks.

CNN senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joins us now. Elizabeth, this is dangerous new development. What is the problem here?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it certainly I think surprising to many people. Many of us take calcium supplements. They're -- it's standard to recommend them for women to prevent on osteoporosis and many men take them, too.

The study in the British Medical Journal looked at other studies that collectively looked at 12,000 people taking calcium supplements. And they found that those who were taking calcium supplements had a 30 percent increased risk of having a heart attack.

Now, when you look at the raw numbers, they're not huge. But when you see that percentage there, it certainly does give one pause about whether or not you should be taking calcium supplements.

SIDNER: Elizabeth, does that mean for those of us who take calcium pills that we should just stop taking them?

COHEN: You know, you -- this is one of the decisions that an individual is going to have to make with his or her physician, because you could -- you could make a variety of choices. It's a difficult thing to decide.

We talked to one doctor who said, goodness, I'm going to take my patients off supplements. I'm going to tell them to get their calcium through food. And another doctor said, oh, it's just one study. I'm going to keep my patients on supplements. It's an individual decision you have to make with your doctor.

SIDNER: So what is the -- the best way to get calcium in your system?

COHEN: Well, if you decide after reading the study and talking to your doctor that you don't want to talk supplements anymore, you can get calcium through food. It's not that difficult to do. And in the study people who got a lot of calcium through food, they didn't have that increased risk of having a heart attack.

So I have right here what would be about 1,200 milligrams of calcium. That's pretty much what folks take, around in that neighborhood. So if you have a bowl of yogurt, a grilled cheese sandwich, a glass of milk, and a glass of calcium-fortified orange juice, that's about the calcium that you should get in a day. So it's really not all that much food. And you can also get calcium through things like sardines and also through certain greens.

SIDNER: All right. Senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, giving us some good information this morning for our health. Thank you.

ROBERTS: Top stories coming your way in two minutes' time. Stay with us here in the Most News in the Morning.

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