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American Morning
Wife of Florida Gunman Speaks Out; New Details on President's News Plan on the War in Afghanistan; Mother Nature's Icy Grip Stretching to the Deep South; GOP United Against Pork; Cady Coleman in Space; A Soldier's Story; Teen Sexuality on TV; Survey Results on Kids' Caffeine Consumption; CDC: One in Six Americans Sickened by Food they Eat; Aretha Franklin Home from the Hospital; The Search for a Modern Day Role Model for Women
Aired December 16, 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 to you on this Thursday, December the 17th. Thanks for joining us on this "AMERICAN MORNING." I'm John Roberts.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Kiran Chetry. There's a lot going on that we want to get you caught up. First of all, we're talking about weather, Mother Nature's icy grip stretching all the way from the deep south. Roads are frozen and the morning commute is dangerous in many places. The freezing temperatures are also threatening Florida's precious crops. We're live on the ground with the latest.
ROBERTS: The surge one year later -- new details leased about the president's new plan on the war in Afghanistan. And it says we're still on pace to start bringing troops home next year. Nic Robertson is live in Kabul for us this morning. Does the report really tell what's happening on the ground there?
CHETRY: We're also learning more about a man who opened fire on school officials in Panama City, Florida, what may have drove him to it, and why his wife believes that he intentionally missed the board members. Police are now releasing the 911 call that they received as Clay Duke started shooting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Somebody is down. Somebody is down.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You don't know who's down?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We don't know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: We'll have more of that call and also the stunning interview with Rebecca Duke, the gunman's widow, straight ahead.
ROBERTS: But first this morning, for millions of you it is bitter cold out there as you head into work this morning, a relentless wintry system stretching into the southeast. Frozen roads caused more than 1,000 accidents in and around Atlanta last night. Many streets were closed and remain closed.
Exit ramps were blocked, and in some cases drivers abandoned their cars and just walked home. Officials urging drivers to use caution because they say bridges and overpasses remain dangerous.
CHETRY: This cold weather system is pushing farther south into Florida. And produce farmers are waging battle against the freezing temperatures, some of them using irrigation systems to try to coat plants with a thin layer of ice that actually protects them. In other cases they're using helicopters to try to push warmer air on to the crops.
ROBERTS: Let's get the latest on this wintry mess. Our Rob Marciano live in Louisville, Kentucky. Rob, you are making your way from Ohio back to Atlanta yesterday. Did you get stuck there in Louisville or did you decide the weather is so bad that it's a great place to report from?
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, who wouldn't want to hang out in Louisville for one thing? But, yes, this area, it's been two years since they had a major ice storm that paralyzed the city. I wouldn't call this paralyzing, but certainly putting a scare in them.
And right now we have temperatures slightly at or below freezing. It turned over to freezing rain about 3:00, 4:00 in the morning. This railing is totally covered with ice.
But what they've done, they treated the roadways a fair amount. If you kick around to a quarter or half inch, you get down to the bare pavement, they've had salt on the roads there over the weekend. The roadways are not horrible, at least the major roadways. Certainly, secondary roadways are a little more dicey.
The airport is open. One runway is open. They're kind of alternating between the two runways, trying to keep them coated and in condition.
But let's talk about the southeast as a whole. Atlanta, no stranger to seeing temperatures kind of locked down, colder than other areas. Montgomery's almost 50. Atlanta is struggling to get out of the 30s but doing so. But last night for several hours they had a little freezing rain. It doesn't take much in Atlanta.
Here, across Nashville, temperatures are rising in the 40s and across Louisville we're looking at temperatures that are still right around freezing.
The moisture expected to end here late morning towards noon then working its way towards east. We have winter storm warnings posted for a good chunk of Appalachians as this storm rolls its way towards the mid-Atlantic.
I think it will stay south of the New York city area. The cold air will stay pretty much north of this system. It's not go to come a dramatic warm up for everyone. And icing over the next couple of hours, it will be icing again tonight. You really have to go south into Tennessee, south into South Carolina and the deep down to seat warm air. We're going to be below freezing in D.C. today, right at freezing in New York City.
So no huge warm-up with this system, guys, as can often be the case. Looks like everybody in the north will remain very, very cold and a long-term pattern keeps it that way. Back to you guys.
ROBERTS: All right, have to find different ways to stay warm. Rob, thanks so much.
Also new this morning, released just about an hour ago, details of the latest progress report on the war in Afghanistan. And this is the big one, the one we've been waiting for since President Obama announced the surge in troops a little more than a year ago.
CHETRY: It says that despite all of the violence, there has been progress, enough progress that some troops can come home starting in July as promised last year. Nic Robertson joins us live from Kabul. And Nic, what was the biggest take-away from this report?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I think that, while there -- is some progress in the south, it's still a patchy review that these games so far are potentially reversible and a lot of the problem so far the border in Pakistan with Al Qaeda and Taliban sanctuaries, and a hint of frustration that the Afghan government is not yet up to meeting the challenge to sort of consolidate, as the review puts, consolidate the gains that security forces, NATO and Afghan security forces are able to bring here.
So I think the big picture take-away is what's happened is fragile and the only success -- strong success is only in a couple of small parts in the south.
ROBERTS: At the same time, Nic, that we're getting this report, we're also getting some intelligence of possible terror threats from Al Qaeda around the Christmas holiday in Europe and here in the United States. What are you hearing from your sources?
ROBERTSON: Well, I think that it's no surprise, if you will, that Al Qaeda wants to target around Christmastime. They know that's when they can cause maximum disruption. We've already seen in Sweden a recent attack in the run-up to Christmas when there are more people out on the streets. We know that out over the summer and in Germany in particular a big concern about Mumbai terror, terror-gunman type threat in Europe and in Germany, particularly towards the end of the year, particularly towards Christmas.
And of course, the attack over Christmas last year by the so-called underpants bomber on the flight to Detroit, Al Qaeda would like to target that time of year. And right now, it appears at least from intelligence sources in Iraq, that Al Qaeda does have that intention. It shouldn't be any surprise for intelligence authorities at this time, John.
ROBERTS: Keep law enforcement on their toes this holiday season. Nic Robertson in Kabul. Nic, thanks. CHETRY: When clay duke stood up and started shooting at officials in Panama City, Florida, police say it wasn't a spur of the moment act. According to investigators they found a calendar in the mobile home of the gunman with December 14th circled. They also say he had more than two dozen extra rounds of ammunition in his pocket.
Meanwhile, police have now released that 911 call that they received from an unidentified female in the school at the time of the shooting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my gosh, he's firing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's firing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's firing. I don't know --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you secure?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We don't believe we need an ambulance. It looks like everybody is up walking.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, so the person that was shot --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know. Somebody is down. Somebody is down.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You don't know who's down?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We don't know.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you have visual of him?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everybody's OK? Everybody's OK. Who was shot? The gunman was shot.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The gunman was shot.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The gunman was shot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: And Clay Duke's widow says take a look at the video. It's clear that her husband never intended to hurt anybody but himself. Rebecca Duke, a former teacher in the Bay County school district said the economy and the world simply got the best of her husband. She called him a gentle giant and told reporters he was upset at the district for firing her last year.
But she believes he intentionally missed school officials when he opened fire.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REBECCA DUKE, SUSPECT'S WIFE: If you totally look at the video, when he starts actually shooting -- he's a military man. He's been trained in guns. He knows how to use them. OK. He knows about them. Now, as close as he was, seriously, people, he was that close. If he really wanted to shoot somebody, they would have already been dead.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Rebecca Duke insists her husband knew the SWAT team was about to rush in and he feared they would rush in and hit school board officials in attempt to get him. So he fired first knowing that the officials would be behind the desk and be out of harm's way if the officers started shooting at him.
CHETRY: It's a tragic ending and obviously for her as well. But yesterday when we talked to Ginger, when she tried to hit the gun out of his hand, he could have shot her then and there.
ROBERTS: Even just out of anger he could have pulled the trigger, and he didn't.
CHETRY: This morning, also new, at least 28 people seeking asylum in Australia died when their boat crashed into cliffs as it was approaching Christmas Island. Australian officials say more than 40 others were rescued. This video is astounding. Reports say most of the people on the boat were from Iran and Iraq and they were trying to start a new life on the island.
ROBERTS: Is there a serial killer on the loose on Long Island? The FBI is joining police after receipt mains of four women were recently discovered on a Long Island beach. All of the bodies were found in Bushes about 500 feet apart. Police think they were dumped there by the same person or persons.
CHETRY: Well, by June of next year, the production and sale of drop- side cribs will be banned in the United States. They're on old style design, the bars that slide up and down. Consumer Product Safety Commission voted unanimously to outlaw them yesterday. Drop-side cribs have been blamed for 36 baby deaths in the country since 2007.
ROBERTS: And is it the Big Macs, the French fries? McDonald's getting sued for selling happy meals. A group of consumers and nutrition advocates trying to get the fast food giant to stop using toys to sell what they call unhealthy food to kids. McDonald's insists it will vigorously fight the suit to defend the brand, their food, and their reputation.
CHETRY: Still ahead, Congress on the clock, trillions of dollars, and a nuclear treaty on the line. So can they do in two days what they haven't been able to do with the other 363?
ROBERTS: And astronaut Katie Coleman now on her way to the International Space Station. We've been following Katie, some pictures from inside of her Soyuz space station. CHETRY: And a year of real ups and downs for actress Sandra Bullock. Ending on a high note, she's been voted "People" magazine's "Woman of the Year."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Well, it seems like we've been down this road before. But it looks like this morning we are one step closer to ending the ban on gays serving openly in the armed forces. The House passed a bill repealing "don't ask, don't tell" yesterday, and it could come to the Senate floor as early as today. And it looks like it may have the votes to break a filibuster.
ROBERTS: Lawmakers are racing to do that and a whole lot more, an imposing stack of bills to get to by the end of the year before the power shifts and before your paycheck shrinks. Along with "don't ask, don't tell," there's the $858 billion tax cut package getting through the Senate and into the House right now.
There is also a $1.1 trillion spending bill and the START nuclear arms agreement with Russia, all of this, unless they skip the Christmas break, and they're even fighting about that.
CHETRY: We told you there say divide in the Republican over the tax cut compromise. But they did find something to unite.
ROBERTS: Yes, the $1.1 trillion spending bill that we mentioned a moment ago, almost 2,000 pages long, packed with more than 6,000 projects, pork by both Democratic and Republican lawmakers.
Jim Acosta is live for us in Washington this morning. And you know, a lot of people are saying we don't need the study on maple syrup, but those of us who love maple syrup are thinking maybe differently. I'm just kidding, Jim.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, I thought it was delicious. What's more the study, you know?
ROBERTS: Exactly.
ACOSTA: But John and Kiran, you know, what's interesting and you mentioned that to-do list there in that $1.1 trillion spending bill, that's the spending bill that keeps the lights on here in Washington, pays for all the various departments of the federal government. And there are some cries of hy-pork-crisy (ph) going on here in Washington this morning. We have members of Congress, you heard a lot about this during the election just a few weeks ago, saying that we're not going to have any more of these earmarks. We're done with these earmarks. No more pork barrel projects being larded up in these spending bills.
Well, guess what? This new omnibus $1.1 trillion spending bill larded up with earmarks. Let's put them up on the screen to show them to you. Just a few examples here that maple research earmark of $465,000 requested by Pat Leahy. Mitch McConnell has a boatload of earmarks in this spending bill. $650,000 for a genetic technologies project. And then John Cornyn, the reason why we mention John Cornyn, is because we want to set up sound here from the senator from Texas, Republican. He's got $4.5 million from a river project in Texas, one of many earmarks that he's got with his name attached to it. And John Cornyn went up on Capitol Hill yesterday holding the press conference to denounce all of these earmarks in the spending bill calling the omnibus spending bill the ominous spending bill. And then some reporters said, wait a minute, you have some earmarks of your own and what about that. Here's what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R), TEXAS: I intend to vote against those earmarks because I think the American people sent a message on November the 2nd saying they want a new way of operating in Washington.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: So there you go, guys. They're going to vote against their own earmarks on the Republican side. Sounds like hy-pork--crisy (ph) to a lot of people here in Washington.
CHETRY: But how would they do that, though? I mean, is that just talk or could you really vote for the bill against the earmarks?
ACOSTA: No. I mean, they're just going to vote against -- they're vowing to vote against the entire spending bill and that is setting up essentially what is a pretty dramatic situation here. If they can't get this bill passed by December 18th, essentially, the government has run out of money to find its various departments. There are some continuing resolution measures that they could pass to keep the government going --
CHETRY: Right.
ACOSTA: -- for another couple of months, but that's not a done deal. Nobody's saying that's got to happen.
CHETRY: Right. And you have more startling numbers, right?
ACOSTA: Yes.
CHETRY: You have more pork.
ACOSTA: Absolutely. Let's bring out more pork. The folks over at the Taxpayers for Common Sense, a pretty trusted watchdog group here in Washington.
Look at these earmarks that they found in the omnibus spending bill. Senator Cochran, a Republican, 263 earmarks worth $522 million. And the list goes on and on. Mitch McConnell has earmarks totaling somewhere near $86 million. John Cornyn with earmarks totaling $93 million. And we talked to the Tea Party Express chairman about this, Amy Kremer. We've had her on the show before.
CHETRY: Right.
ACOSTA: She told me she's got fire coming out of her ears over all of these earmarks. Here's what she had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: If a Republican votes for this spending bill, watch out?
AMY KREMER, TEA PARTY EXPRESS: Oh, we will go after them. Yes. I mean, we're not going to accept it. We are absolutely not going to accept it. There's all kinds of pork in there. Bovine waste from I can't even remember where. I think they need to focus on bovine waste coming out of Washington, D.C.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: So there you go, bovine waste coming out of Washington, D.C. Feels like the holiday, doesn't it, guys?
ROBERTS: The bovine waste issue is a big one though --
CHETRY: Yes, the methane.
ROBERTS: -- in places like Iowa. Yes, it really is. It's a very big issue.
CHETRY: Because we learned a lesson by joking about that last year and we got --
ACOSTA: Exactly. And one politician's pet project is another politician's worthy endeavor.
ROBERTS: Exactly.
CHETRY: Yes, there you go. Don't knock the maple syrup. You're going to be sad when it's gone.
ROBERTS: Yes.
CHETRY: Thanks, Jim.
ROBERTS: You don't want those Vermonters on your back. No question about that.
ACOSTA: No.
ROBERTS: Thanks, Jim.
ACOSTA: Please don't.
ROBERTS: After losing his own reality show, David Hasselhoff, don't worry about him because he lands another gig. Find out where he's headed coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Well, it's time for the stories that got us talking in the newsroom this morning. A&E may have pulled the plug on David Hasselhoff's reality show, but across the pond, folks just can't get enough of the Hoff. The actor's publicist tells "Entertainment Weekly" the former "Baywatch" star will join the judging panel on "Britain's Got Talent." Hasselhoff replaces Piers Morgan who, as you know, debuts his new 9:00 p.m. show here on CNN next month.
CHETRY: Well, it's been the best of times and the worst of times for actress Sandra Bullock this year. First, she won an Oscar for her role in "The Blind Side." She publicly thanked her husband as she was accepting her award. Then not long after that, she divorced Jesse James after he admitted to cheating on her. Numerous allegations made by many women and Bullock became a tabloid target because of it.
Well, now, "People" magazine has named Sandra Bullock its "Woman of the Year and she graces the cover of the special issue on the 25 most intriguing people of 2010.
ROBERTS: What a thriller at Madison Square Garden last night. The Knicks serving notice that they're back taking the mighty Boston Celtics right to the wire. Boston's Paul Pierce breaking a 116-116 tie with this fade-away jumper with just four-tenths of a second remaining. You can see it there. And there you go, boom. Nice to take that full screen (ph). But the Knicks weren't dead yet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Stoudemire for the win. And it counts. It counts!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Oh, yes, the old at the buzzer shot. Stoudemire's game- winning three pointer was waived off. The refs went to the replay rule but he released the shot one-tenth of a second too late.
CHETRY: That's got to kill you.
ROBERTS: Oh, my gosh.
CHETRY: I mean, and especially because they were celebrating, everybody thought they won. It happened at the last second and then --
ROBERTS: It ain't over until it's over.
Well, coming up, we followed astronaut Cady Coleman as she prepared for her journey to the International Space Station. Now, she's on her way. We've got a first look from inside the Soyuz spacecraft.
CHETRY: Also, "A.M. Original." Jason Carroll with unprecedented access to U.S. troops as they hold secret meetings with tribal elders in Afghanistan and risk their life each and every day. "A Soldier's Story" next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Where did they dig that up?
CHETRY: I don't know. I don't even know what song it is. This morning for the first time, NASA astronaut Cady Coleman is waking up in space.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Transition going.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Engine is at maximum thrust and liftoff. The Soyuz TMA-20 as Cady Coleman, Paolo Nespoli and Dmitry Kondratyev head toward the International Space Station.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Programming note, that was Steve Miller Band. "Space Cowboy."
Cady and crew lifted off yesterday from Kazakhstan onboard the Soyuz spacecraft headed for the International Space Station. They're expected to dock at the station tomorrow afternoon.
ROBERTS: Our John Zarrella has been following Cady's progress over the past year she prepared for her mission. And he is live in Miami this morning. And I know, John, you're having separation anxiety.
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, I feel somehow that we are all, the three of us and all at AMERICAN MORNING somehow partly responsible for finally getting her off the ground on that flight. You know, it was a real smooth ride up into space. And as you just mentioned, they're on their way. They'll be docking tomorrow with the International Space Station.
You mentioned she woke up in space maybe for the first time today. I'm not sure she -- I wouldn't have slept, I know that. But how cool was she, yesterday, as they were ascending and that rocket powering them up into orbit? She's sitting there and we have some video of her actually waving from her seat in the Soyuz as they were ascending up into space there. So that, to me, is amazing. And this is a woman who I have to tell you has told me many times she gets seasick. But while she gets seasick, she can fly into space like that. So I think that's pretty amazing.
Before they got on the vehicle, as the countdown was proceeding and they headed out to the launch pad, one of the signature moments in any of these liftoffs is that moment when they're all standing on the steps, walking up towards the rocket, towards the Soyuz. And the three of them, Cady and Paolo Nespoli and Dmitry Kondratyev. You have the Russian commander waving there to the crowd of people assembled. Of course, her husband, Josh, who we met during our series was there. And her son, her 10-year-old son, Jamie, there in Kazakhstan to see them. And if you think that they had a lot to do in those last couple of days leading up to launch, well, guess what, they actually found a little bit of time to send a little message to the AMERICAN MORNING crew.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CADY COLEMAN, ASTRONAUT: Hey, John, I wanted to say hello to you and the team at AMERICAN MORNING from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
PAOLO NESPOLI, ASTRONAUT: John, thank you for having followed us for the whole year. It's cold here in Baikonur and it's time for us to leave this planet. But don't worry, we'll be following you from up there. Ciao.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZARRELLA: I'm sure they will, as a matter of fact. And we're going to be, of course, following them throughout their journey. I'll be checking in periodically with Cady and Paolo and Dmitry. But I guess they were bored they had time to send that to us -- John, Kiran.
CHETRY: And very few people get the chance to say I'm leaving the planet.
ZARRELLA: Yes.
CHETRY: And then coming back, of course.
ZARRELLA: Yes.
CHETRY: John Zarrella for us. Thanks so much.
Well, we're crossing the half hour right now. Time for a look at our top stories. Five days before the official start of winter and it is so cold out there. Roads iced over. Temperatures for much of the East Coast right around freezing and it is causing a mess on the roadways, in and around Atlanta, the icy conditions caused more than 1,000 accidents. And as the storm continues to head east, there are winter storm warnings posted for parts of the mid-Atlantic as well.
ROBERTS: Last Christmas, we had the accused underwear bomber and this year, new intelligence coming out of Iraq that Al Qaeda is planning suicide attacks in the United States and Europe over the holiday season. Iraq's interior minister tells the "Associated Press" that insurgents captured in the country gave up the information. American officials say they're looking at it very closely but they do not know of a specific threat.
CHETRY: And it's out. Details of the latest progress report on the war in Afghanistan. The one that many have been waiting for since the president announced a surge in troops a little over a year ago. And it says that despite the violence, there has been enough progress, at least in some areas, that troops, at least some of them, can come home starting in July as promised last year. They also mentioned some gains that the U.S. has made against Al Qaeda.
ROBERTS: Well, time now for an "A.M. Original." A story you'll only see on "American Morning." For the past year, we have been bringing you "A Soldier's Story," a series of reports documenting the lives of military recruits all the way from basic training to the battlefield.
CHETRY: And this morning, we have an unprecedented look at Sergeant Randy Shorter and his unit, using words instead of weapons to try to win the trust of tribal elders in one of the most dangerous regions of Afghanistan.
Our Jason Carroll actually went to the region with them out on patrol and you join us now with more. Hi, Jason.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I feel like you guys were on that journey as well, as we've been following Randy Shorter for the past year. You know, just to give this some more perspective, as you mentioned the Pentagon is releasing that year-end review of the war in Afghanistan. Part of the U.S. strategy is to engage the Afghan people. Soldiers like Randy Shorter know firsthand, in order to gain the trust of the Afghan people, Shorter and his soldiers have to go outside the protective perimeter of base.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On the move again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On the move again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. Enemy situation, last 24, a lot of IEDs, you anticipate the worse. Everybody tracking?
CARROLL (on camera): OK, right now, Sergeant Shorter and the rest of the men in his unit, you can see that's Frank Worten right there, are about to head outside the wire for the first time on foot patrol. So we're going along with them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, if you haven't done so, lock and load it. It's game time now.
CARROLL: Our first stop outside the wire on this particular day is a meeting with the village elders. But security is such that you really have to have troops surrounding you, in order just to get to this location.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I need shooters on this side. You need to have eyes on every direction possible.
CARROLL (voice-over): Inside, Shorter's superior officers are trying to build bridges with Afghan elders. Some are Taliban sympathizers. They're demanding the release of Afghan prisoners.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have six prisoners. There with you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know you guys are all vouching that they are innocent.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And we have more up there.
LT. CHIP EVANS, U.S. ARMY: We just don't randomly go and take them. Usually, there's a reason. Now, that doesn't mean that we're right all the time.
CARROLL (on camera): Did anything happen while we were inside? While you were outside?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, nothing significant, just a lot of traffic coming in. A lot of motorcycles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL: You know, areas just steps from Shorter's base was actually later attacked by insurgents. It just gives you a sense of how dangerous things are there. The clips that you saw are from a one- hour documentary that we put together for you, spanning the series that we've been running right here on AMERICAN MORNING.
And as both of you very well know, it's not just Randy Shorter that we're profiling here, but two other soldiers as well, from very different walks of life.
ROBERTS: It really is a terrific experience, isn't it, and an honor to spend so much time in the field with these fabulous -
CARROLL: For me, it was. And as both of you guys know, I don't come from a military family. And so this was my way of sort of learning more about what the process is like, and exposing more of the American people, more of our viewers, who don't come from a military family.
ROBERTS: It's not too late for you to start a military family.
CHETRY: You look very comfortable.
ROBERTS: You have the physique for it.
CARROLL: I don't know about that. Maybe a few years ago, now, I don't know.
CHETRY: They wouldn't have you.
CARROLL: A little long in the tooth.
CHETRY: But it also is just really telling you've kept in touch with them. And they have brushes with death almost, you know, on a weekly basis.
CARROLL: You and I were talking about this earlier, one of the people that you see in our piece. You know, when we got back from Afghanistan, heard about a sniper's bullet just barely missing his nose just right after we left.
ROBERTS: And I know lots of folks in the military that would be happy to have you. I can arrange it.
CARROLL: We'll talk about this later. Later.
ROBERTS: All right. Thanks, Jason.
CNN is going to air the one-hour documentary, tracking military recruits every step of the way. "A Soldier's Story" airs Saturday December 18, at 8:00 p.m. that's this Saturday, just two days from now and again Sunday at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.
CHETRY: TV shows using sex for laughs. But at least one media watchdog group isn't amused. They call it the sexualization of young girls. And it has a very dangerous effect on teens watching.
ROBERTS: But there's another growing trend this morning, more and more young women rejecting the so-called hookup culture and embracing a more feminist attitude. Yes to that. Carol Costello talks to members of the Jane Austen Society of America. Coming up next.
(MUSIC)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC)
CHETRY: 38 minutes past the hour right now. Some parents are fighting against a force that seems impossible to stop these days. Teens, especially teen girls or even tweens, girls that aren't yet considered teenagers seem to be growing up too fast. They have their cell phone, cameras, worries about what they're saying on Facebook and Twitter, sexting in some cases, on top of their list of worries.
And now the Parents' Television Council is going after some of the favorite shows that kids watch for promoting teen sexuality. It's nothing like the young love of years past either. Joining us is Nicole Clark. She was a top model for years, and now she's speaking out about the message that the industry sends to young girls. She actually made a documentary exposing the harmful effects of what she calls the "Cover girl culture."
Nicole, thanks for getting up early with us. I know you're in L.A. this morning.
NICOLE CLARK, DIRECTOR, DOCUMENTARY, "COVER GIRL CULTURE": You're welcome. Happy to be here.
CHETRY: The study, overall, what did it find about how teen girls and young women are being portrayed in some the most popular primetime shows out there?
CLARK: What the study found and the Parents Television Council did was nothing that I'm surprised to discover. I'm sure most parents out there are aware of what the media is doing with the young girls. But they're finding that girls as young as seven, right are being exposed to sexualization.
Images of girls being sexualized and that girls have shared in the study that their source of sexuality information, information about sex, is from entertainment media. It's no longer from their parents, from their peers. It's now directly from all the entertainment that they're exposed to. Girls are seeing as much as 75 hours of media. They're consuming that much media a week. The messages that they're learning now is primarily from entertainment media about sexuality and what is acceptable sexual behavior.
CHETRY: Right. I mean, this isn't overt making out on TV, these are more subtle things, right? In the way they dress, in some of the hidden innuendo in the conversations. I mean, what impact does that have on young girls watching? Do they get it? Do they pick up on this?
CLARK: Oh, of course. From what the CDC releases that America has the highest teen pregnancy rate in any of the industrialized world as well as the highest STD rate in teens. So that alone shows that it's definitely - it's having an effect. But things also like low self- esteem, because girls are believing that their value is based on their exterior, being thin, being pretty, being sexy.
And so girls are definitely being affected emotionally, mentally and also physically. Because they're not thinking that there's risks involved because they're seeing this fun sort of sexy activities happening on the shows of the characters that they adore.
CHETRY: Well, if people at home are wondering and I mean, if you're a parent of a tween, you might know what we're talking about. But for those that might not. Let's look at examples cited in the study. This is a clip from "Glee," which you know, has taken a lot of hits. People have been criticizing "Glee." It's widely popular. But it also has, you know, a hidden sexuality or an inert sexuality, some would say.
But let's take a look at this clip. It's one of the highest rated shows of the season when Britney Spears made an appearance.
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CHETRY: So you take a look at that, what, I guess to these scenes - what type of impact do they have? How do they affect behavior and attitudes towards teenage girls?
CLARK: Well, girls are learning from something like this that their seeing that they're inundated from all aspect of media, not just television that this is acceptable behavior for girls. This is what will make boys - you'll get attention from boys because teen girls are at a volatile stage where they're looking for acceptance and fitting in. So they're being told that these behaviors are acceptable.
And that's the perfect example of content that's created by men. That song about video was produced by men. So we're watching content created by men for children and for young girls, without taking into consideration that the harm that it's doing to our young people's abilities to understand what's real and what's appropriate.
Because young people do not have the faculties, the cognitive development to understand what is being shown to them.
CHETRY: What about the effect on young males watching that same show?
CLARK: Yes. Young males, they're as learning that this is what you expect from girls. This is how girls are supposed to treat you. And this is just what's standard. Unless, of course, you have great parents who are out there and they're combating the messages. And they're helping instill media literacy and critical thinking skills. But if not, then the messages are just going straight in when you're being bombarded 400, 500 times a day, it goes in.
CHETRY: Right and you know, "Glee" we checked it's rated TV-14. And some of the other shows are PG but one of the things that caught my eye in the study is that 75 percent of the shows that they studies were not even rated "S" for sexual content.
So if you did try to actually block them with your parental controls they wouldn't get caught up in that net. So what should parents do short of trying to monitor everything a kid watches or taking the remote control and shutting the TV off?
CLARK: Right. I think the most important thing is that parents start having a dialogue with children about media and start developing media literacy and critical thinking with children. So they understand that it's not OK to take everything at face value with media. But there is definitely a lot of media out there. And it would be impossible to sort of control it all. Or tag it all with what is appropriate and what is inappropriate. I think parents have to get more involved with what their kids are watching. Again, like I said, have the media literacy skills and really talk to children about what the agenda is of the shows and of the advertisements.
CHETRY: Nicole Clark, spokesperson for the Parents Television Council. Thanks for joining us this morning.
CLARK: You're welcome. Thank you.
ROBERTS: Well, not every young woman is influenced by what they see on television or on the big screen or even by what their friends are doing.
CHETRY: Carol Costello shows us how they're saying no to the random hook up.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John and Kiran, I bet you didn't realize this but today is Jane Austen's birthday, she's 235 years old. She has a lot of friends. On Facebook she has 246,000 fans. It's incredible. The question we're trying to answer this morning is why so much love is being directed at Jane Austen.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Their eyes instantly met.
COSTELLO (voice-over): They call themselves "Janites," and happily admit to an obsession with pre-Victorian author Jane Austen who was born 235 years ago. Their obsession, along with thousands across the country has prompted Hollywood to make Austen's books into movies again and again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The focus feature presents the story of the modern woman.
COSTELLO: Wait, the story of a modern feminist woman? Created in the 1800s? In a "Janite's" mind, Austen's female characters are more in tune with today's 20-somethings than Sarah Palin, Hillary Clinton or Tina Fey combined.
(on camera): Is there no other example out there for young women to look up to?
JACYLN GREEN-STOCK, JANE AUSTEN FAN: I think it's so difficult to find that especially with today's movies and today's books and the idea that we need to constantly be getting the new thing. Sometimes, we have to go back and look at what's happened in the past.
COSTELLO (voice-over): In part, the Austen obsession is a rejection for what passes for modern romance. Like in the upcoming, "Friends with Benefits," about friendship, sex and then whatever.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why does it always got to come with complications?
COSTELLO: And emotion.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a physical act.
COSTELLO: In Austen's world nothing is sexier than intellectual sparring between a men and woman.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why do you ask such a question?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To make up your character, Mr. Darcy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And what have you discovered?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Very little.
GREEN-STOCK: There needs to be more communication between partners. I think that's something Jane Austen talks a lot about, a feeling that isn't really talked about at all now. It's the idea that women are completely different from men.
COSTELLO: That sentiment that women are different than men resonates now, not only among some young feminists, but among more traditional women, too, although for different reasons.
Karen Agness writes a conservative blog called EnlightenedWomen.org.
KAREN AGNESS, ENLIGHTENEDWOMEN.ORG: We should embrace our femininity as women and men should embrace their masculine side and recognize the value of that and don't try to fight against it or be something that you're not.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I did not assume the character of needless precipitance merely to show off before the ladies.
COSTELLO: For, as Austen wrote, "Every impulsive feeling should be guided by reason."
(END VIDEOTAPE) COSTELLO: Perhaps the saddest thing about this if you ask these modern young women who a modern role model might be, they can't even come with a name.
If you'd like to comment on our story, it's on our blog, CNN.com/amfix.
Back to you, John and Kiran.
ROBERTS: Looking forward to what people have to say about that.
Carol Costello for us, this morning. Carol, thanks.
A travel alert out this morning. Icy roads coating the southern states and wintry mess not done yet. Our Rob Marciano's got all of the travel details coming up for you in your forecast.
Thirteen minutes now, until the top of the hour.
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CHETRY: This morning's top stories just a couple of minutes away, including an AM Original, big stars, big giving. Julianne Moore, from Army brat to Hollywood. How she's inspiring the world to give back to the kids who need it most.
ROBERTS: He was so sure that Cliff Lee wasn't returning to the old team that he bet his pants on it, literally. Will one sports reporter made good on his vow to wear a Speedo when he covers spring training? He's here and we'll ask him about that.
CHETRY: And hanging up the suspenders after 25 years. We're going to wrap up the best of "LARRY KING LIVE" in three minutes.
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CHETRY: I think accepting donations just for being Phil. Oh, he's handing out coffee cups. He's handing out coffee cups because Phil reads this rundown with a fine-toothed comb every day.
It's time for your AM House Call, stories about your health. And there is some staggering statistics on just how much caffeine kids are ingesting. Researchers surveyed parents of more than 200 children found that more than 75 percent of kids consume caffeine on a daily basis. And, the more they drank, shockingly, the less they slept. Kids as young as five drinking an equivalent of a can of soda a day. Eight to 12 year-olds, the equivalent of three cans a day.
So, what would that add up to? One 12-ounce can of soda, by the way, has about 35 to 55 milligrams of caffeine, about 110 to 160 calories, and 9 to 10 teaspoons of sugar.
ROBERTS: And according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in six Americans is sickened by the food they eat, and some 3,000 people die from foodborne illnesses each year. It's the first new estimate from the CDC since 1999. Salmonella is the leading food contaminant responsible for 28 percent of deaths and 35 percent of hospitalizations.
CHETRY: The queen of soul Aretha Franklin is now home from the hospital after having surgery. Franklin's publicist says the singer is recuperating after undergoing surgery for an undisclosed illness. Doctors say that the surgery was successful and Aretha is looking forward to spending the holidays with her family.
ROBERTS: And we wish her all the best.
It's coming up now to two minutes to the top of the hour. Your top stories coming your way right after a break. Stay with us.
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