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American Morning

Outrage over Radical Islam Hearing; New Charges of Sex Abuse in Catholic Church; Walker Rejects Border Meeting; Fennville High's Tribute

Aired March 08, 2011 - 07:00   ET

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

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Is Moammar Gadhafi ready to quit? Libyan rebels claim he's trying to strike a deal, but those loyal to Gadhafi say he is not going anywhere on this AMERICAN MORNING.

And hello to you all on this Tuesday, March 8th. Welcome to this AMERICAN MORNING. I'm T.J. Holmes.

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Kiran Chetry. Glad you're with us.

We are following this new development this morning out of Libya. Members of the opposition are now saying that the Libyan dictator, Moammar Gadhafi is trying to strike a deal to leave the country with some conditions, immunity being one, but he's telling a different story, at least, according to those loyal to him. His words and actions, as well, fighter jets still under his control saying something different.

Nic Robertson is live for us in Tripoli. So, two different stories playing out here. The rebels saying, yes, he does want to talk and those close to him saying that's not the case. What have you been able to decipher this morning?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kiran, when I talked to the government spokesman about this, and he said that this is just rebel propaganda. This is built and based upon lies. And so much lies, he says, that the government isn't even putting out an official response to it.

In his capacity as government spokesman, he's not authorized to have an official government line, but he said this is -- essentially, this is just absolute rubbish at this moment. So, the government spokesman is knocking this down. I think there's no doubt in Tripoli there are a number of people here, intellectuals who would like to see this sort of scenario come to pass. That they see a scenario of Moammar Gadhafi stepping down or offering to step down at some point in the future and move out of the way as being perhaps one of the ways they can negotiate and head off what could be a bloody conflict.

But they would see it as sort of this coming from a position of strength from the government. And also who's going to tell Gadhafi he has to do this? No one's even sure who could do that, perhaps one of his sons. But it seems distance from this kind of thing, even if you're speculating in an optimistic level. But Gadhafi's government completely knocking this downright now, Kiran.

CHETRY: And is there any way to verify? I mean, when might we know if this is indeed the case? I mean, as we say actions speak louder than words. And many say that the strikes are continuing.

ROBERTSON: They are. And that's the government position that they'll continue with these. They'll retake many of the towns and cities in the east before they in their terms force some kind of talks on the rebels. They'll do it from a position of strength when they feel the country's close to being unified. That's the official government position. And I think that's what we're going to continue to hear.

There's no doubt that these sort of trial balloons perhaps optimistically one could call them, or if you want to go with what the government says, propaganda from the rebels, this is going to be a rollercoaster. We're going to hear these sorts of things come up and be knocked down. If in essence there is going to be a negotiated solution, this would have to be one of the sort of principal corner stones. We do seem far, far from that right now.

CHETRY: Nic Robertson for us this morning in Tripoli, thanks so much.

HOLMES: Well, let's turn now to what may be the biggest about face of his presidency. President Obama says the U.S. will resume military trials for terror detainees at Guantanamo Bay. This move comes after months-long standoff with Congress over transferring prisoners, including accused terrorists to U.S. criminal courts.

You may remember the president on his second full day in office signed an executive order to shut down the military prison within one year. As we know, that did not happen.

Let's turn now to our Barbara Starr live for us at the Pentagon. Good morning to you. Good to see you as always. People have been trying to and the president was trying to make a distinction between this and George W. Bush's policy at Guantanamo Bay. Are they much different?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: T.J., it was a hallmark of the presidential campaign, the promise to shut down Guantanamo Bay. Taking over reality, that is not going to happen. And the president is now issuing an executive order on a way ahead in Guantanamo Bay for the nearly 200 detainees, alleged Al Qaeda and Taliban terrorists, that are being held there, some of it different than the Bush administration, some not so different.

Here's three key things in the president's executive order, his roadmap ahead for Guantanamo Bay. He opens the way now for those military commissions, military trials to resume that were being held under the Bush administration. There will be some different rules of the road, but they will resume. New charges can be brought against detainees. So it's back essentially to square one on that with some protections for the detainees.

Indefinite detention -- there are many people there who have been held for years. They can't be charged because there's some evidentiary problems in the -- how evidence was brought against them, still considered a threat. The president now says he will review those cases. His administration will review periodically those held indefinitely and see if their cases can be resolved.

Right now, too big of terrorist threat to even be returned to the countries where they came from, and he will adhere to the Geneva Conventions. No torture, no inhumane treatment. T.J.?

HOLMES: All right, important story. And you probably said it best at the top, there's the reality of the situation that has to be acknowledged now. Barbara Starr, good to see you as always.

STARR: Sure.

CHETRY: The prime suspect in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway is admitting to another killing in Peru. Joran Van Der Sloot is accused of murdering a woman in a hotel room in Lima last year. Lawyers now say he will claim temporary insanity, using a violent emotion defense. That is equivalent to manslaughter in the United States.

And in Peru, it carries a five-year prison sentence instead of the 15 years minimum for first-degree murder. They say, though, that given all the circumstances, Joran Van Der Sloot could be out of prison in as little as 20 some months. He's never been charged in the Natalee Holloway case.

HOLMES: Take a look at what's happening right now in New Mexico. A wildfire there is burning out of control. They've been using aircraft even to battle this thing. One of the biggest problems they're having, those 50-mile-an-hour winds are fanning these flames and getting them to spread.

And yes, you just saw in that previous picture that homes have been on fire. At least five have been destroyed. Now, 1,000 acres we're talking about right now that have been burned. Evacuations have been put in place in Silver City, New Mexico, about 200 miles outside of Albuquerque.

Now, what was the cause here? Not exactly sure. Officials believe this was started by some human activity, if you will, but that doesn't necessarily mean it was intentional or arson here, but they do believe someone apparently was doing something that caused this thing to start in the first place.

CHETRY: All right, six minutes past the hour.

(WEATHER BREAK)

HOLMES: Let's turn to our Charlie Sheen update. The update this time is he just lost a pretty good job. This was the highest-paying gig on television. He was fired now yesterday officially from "Two and a Half Men" on CBS.

CHETRY: And could that be the beginning of some of his troubles? Christine Romans is "Minding your Business" this morning. Certainly a costly decision not only for Charlie Sheen, but also for CBS and the creators of the show. CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: And how is Charlie Sheen like the rest of us. He joins the 25 million unemployed or underemployed in this country.

Look, this is a branding story, as well, a business and branding story. And that's why I'm sort of interested in this. This is a $250 million hit that you're going to see in revenue, the cost of canceling the full season of -- for CBS and Warner Brothers. That's lost revenue, ending one of the most successful TV shows of all time, a show that's been credited with bringing back the sitcom, you know, completely with the last tracks even.

CHETRY: Is it over without him? Or is there any chance that "Two and a Half Men" could survive without Charlie Sheen?

ROMANS: I think a lot of people think it's over. And whatever goes in its place will cost less. So that's kind of offset some of the financial hit that you'll see for CBS and Warner Brothers.

But let's talk about the brand of Charlie Sheen. This is a guy known for "Young Guns," remember, and for "Wall Street." His brand before was he's funny, a comedian, a bad boy. He made $2 million an episode, for seven years sort of played himself.

CHETRY: He was part of the brat pack?

ROMANS: Right. But now, look, the new brand of Charlie Sheen might be untouchable. It certainly might be uninsurable many people in the industry are saying. You know, now you've got the over the top rants, self-destructive lifestyle, the goddesses and all this stuff. Five children who we still don't quite understand what they all think of watching the public destruction of their father.

So when you talk about branding and the brand he used to be was the brand that made $1.8 million an episode, right? The brand he is now is completely different and completely changed. What role will that be for him -- pun intended, I guess -- in whatever he does after?

CHETRY: He is talking about suing them, CBS. Could they recoup money from him in some way, form, or fashion?

ROMANS: They say he didn't have a morality clause, because his public -- he was so important -- he was so important -- he had the leverage in that whole franchise so that he didn't have the morality clause. Many insiders are saying he didn't have the morality clause.

CHETRY: Wasn't he, I mean, part of it is -- can they recoup what they lost because of his decision making? No? There's no morality clause, no?

ROMANS: Look, this is just a bad business situation all the way around. You know, the only way they're going to be able to get some money back is on the reruns, the repeats, right? Also by whatever's going to go in its place will likely cost a heck of a lot less to make than was in its place before.

But the brand of Charlie Sheen I find so fascinating. Would he be able to change the brand he is now? I doubt it.

HOLMES: We need to have your brand week. Christine Romans, thank you so much.

CHETRY: Still ahead, outrage over planned hearings on radical Islam in the United States congress. One congressman not backing down. Critics say he's putting Islam on trial. We're going to take a look at some Muslim communities who say they're taking care of the problem themselves.

HOLMES: Also, McDonald's has been the king of fast food for so long. No longer this morning. We'll tell you what fast food chain has now toppled McDonald's. It's 11 minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, at about a quarter past the hour on this "American Morning." You may have heard about outrage over planned hearings on radical Islam and home-grown terror. These have been called by Congressman Peter King of New York. He shares the Homeland Security committee in the house. Some have called him a new McCarthy and also calling this simply putting Islam on trial.

CHETRY: That's right. King says that the problem, though, is a growing threat and he is not going to give in to political correctness. You know, at the same time, some heavily populated Muslim communities say they don't need his help, that they're discussing solutions and policing themselves.

Deb Feyerick joins us now. It's a very -- you know, it's a hot issue and it's a difficult one to discuss because you don't want to broad brush a community because of the actions of a few.

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's exactly right. And political correctness may have nothing to do with this. No law enforcement personnel are going to be testifying at this hearing. Many of them say they just don't want to come.

Now, the people I spoke with yesterday in national security and the American-Muslim community say maybe five years ago these hearings would have been relevant, but not now. They say so much progress has been made. American-Muslims are cooperating with local law enforcement like police and the FBI. There's a much higher degree of trust than ever before.

Does that mean it's 100 percent? No. But White House officials say American-Muslims and Arab-Americans have been essential in identifying and preventing terrorist threats and countering what's called violent extremism. Now a Muslim group that tracks disrupted terror plots finds that within the last year, really since December of 2009, eight out of 12 plots were disrupted because of a Muslim family member or neighbor reached out to law enforcement.

Now late last summer, we visited the Somali community, you may remember in Columbus, Ohio. We saw Muslim leaders working with the FBI. Some of them going door-to-door, talking to neighbors, taking the pulse of the community to see if a family member may have changed, may seemed more withdrawn or become more extreme in their views. Listen to what the top FBI guy in Ohio had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEITH BENNETT, FBI SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE: We have seen many instances where parents have indicated that they would have concerns about their child and they'll come to us. And we work together with that parent to hopefully minimize or mitigate any potential threat.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FEYERICK: Now is trust 100 percent? No, but there's a reason. Some of these guys are lone wolves. They're always going to be under the radar. You know, people like the Times Square bomber. But in larger Muslim communities, parents are fearful that if they go directly to law enforcement rather than intervention, the FBI may set up a sting and send their child away for life. Muslim communities want to be able to disrupt plots through intervention, not incarceration.

As for the Peter King hearings, Alejandro Beutel of the Muslim Public Affairs Council told me there has been a large attempt at trust for many years. Representative King's misguided approach doesn't focus on the criminal threat but demonizes the very community that needs to be treated as a partner, not a suspect.

But these hearings are really engendering that feeling that Muslims are under fire once again. That American-Muslims should be brought into the process, treated like partners. They really feel that these hearings are going to turn them into suspects and that's not the case. There's a greater degree of cooperation than ever before.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Hearings on Thursday. Everybody will be watching.

Deb Feyerick, we appreciate you this morning. Thanks so much.

CHETRY: Thanks, Deb.

Well, joining us now is someone who has seen firsthand the things that Deb is talking about. Jack O'Reilly Jr. is the mayor of Dearborn, Michigan. It's a city that has one of the largest Muslim populations in the U.S.

Mr. Mayor, thanks for joining us this morning.

MAYOR JACK O'REILLY, JR., DEARBORN, MICHIGAN: Good morning, Kiran.

CHETRY: So Congressman Peter King, he's making this case that this is really a life and death issue. Too important to ignore, he says, in the name of political correctness. Is he exaggerating this threat?

O'REILLY: Yes, I'm very concerned now. You've heard from some good experts, so I'm going to focus on our local community.

You know, when someone goes into what is supposed to be fact-finding, but they've already determined the outcome, then that fact-finding process is flawed. And, you know, for us, we've lived for 80 years with Muslims as an active part of our community. We have direct experience. Many of our young people are fourth and fifth generation, you know, Americans. Therefore, we have a pretty good perspective on what it is that Islam represents because we see it through the actions and behaviors of our neighbors. And the thing it represents is they want to be fully American, they believe in America, they want to be part of our community. And I think that that's something that's been misrepresented and misunderstood all throughout the country by certain groups.

CHETRY: Well, what Peter King said -- said in his statement is that we will hear from Muslim Americans, including those firsthand with devastating experiences about the effect of Al Qaeda's radicalization effort. So he's claiming that American-Muslims are pretty concerned about this issue, as well. Do you disagree with that?

O'REILLY: I saw your guest yesterday who was taking that position. They're concerned in the way that the last speaker had talked about that. If they see it, they want to be sure that if it's something where their child has gotten caught up in something like anybody's concerned, if their child gets caught up or becomes attracted to something that could be dangerous, they want to make sure that they can try and mitigate that harm without doing long lasting harm to their child. But you can find people who will point out extreme conditions. But if we base decisions, if we base policy on extreme decisions, we're going to make the same mistakes we've made over in the past where we've infringed on people's constitutional rights because we've presupposed that they're disposed to doing something wrong. Our experience and our community says that's just not true.

CHETRY: How do you deal with the Internet radicalization, though? This is something that's quite perplexing because it's so easy to do, so difficult to track, so easy to do in the privacy of your own bedroom. Your parents may not know, your community may not know this slow withdrawing that's sort of happening in some of these cases. What's the best way to handle that?

O'REILLY: Well, and that's the problem. That's why he should be talking to our law enforcement community because they've been working on this for over a decade. They have been active in getting involved in the community. The relationship between both the federal and local law enforcement in Dearborn is extraordinary. They began a process that's been replicated all over the country called "Bridges" where they come together regularly and meet and they bring all the parties to the table. They have open and frank discussions.

The CIA and FBI are active in the community. They come to events in the community. They have created an opportunity to have those discussions and look at them. But as you point out, someone who is withdrawing, someone who has emotional or psychological issues is a danger whether they're Muslim or any -- belong to any other group.

CHETRY: Right.

O'REILLY: They are the danger and ferreting them out is difficult. So he's limiting this to only people who are Muslim. I'm saying the danger resides with people who have serious psychological problems and they act out on them based on often the chatter that's out there on the Internet.

CHETRY: Right. You know, and it's interesting. I still remember in the years after 9/11 discussing this threat of homegrown terror. A lot of terror analysts said, you know, this is a European problem primarily. That, you know, because of the notion of an American dream, this whole talk of homegrown terror is less likely to happen here. However, there is a study out from the University of North Carolina showing that there have been more than 160 suspects and perpetrators involved in homegrown terror plots here in the United States since 9/11. Is it a growing problem? Or are we just hearing about it more?

O'REILLY: I think it's a growing problem only in the sense of the frustration that people have with their lives. We're in a poor economy. You know, we've gone through a recession. We know that those cycles also can exacerbate crime and other issues. So we're in a difficult time, there's no question. But we have to have perspective. And that's what I ask Representative King to have is perspective.

The law enforcement community -- I mean, our community, I have so much faith in them, and they do such an extraordinary job and they work so well with the community. And talk to them. Get their input. Because they've been in the field, they've been doing the heavy labor. And our community, I welcome anyone to come to our community. We have a great community where we're all part of one. And that's what I say.

Muslims, yesterday morning I was at a funeral at a Catholic mass and there were Muslims and I know who were there to mourn with the family for their neighbor. And they have no problem being part of our whole society, and yet the characterization when I look at what some people are purporting represents the faith of Islam is just so false and so misrepresentative. And we have the direct experience.

CHETRY: Are you going to be listening to these hearings?

O'REILLY: Oh, yes. You know, because again, you know, if things go awry, it's going to affect our community. It's going to affect our neighbors. And, you know, we -- we -- we're doing all right. We're getting a little onslaughts from outside that want to come in. But, you know, we're tight. We have a Dearborn area ministerial alliance. You know, we have about 65 different churches. Seven of them mosques, the rest are different denominations. But many of those people come together on a regular basis. They formally organize to have dialogue and discussion and talk about our faith community. And that's an important part of who we are, and Muslims are part of that.

CHETRY: Well, good to get your perspective this morning. Jack O'Reilly Jr., mayor of Dearborn, Michigan, thanks for joining us.

O'REILLY: Thanks, Kiran. I'm happy to be here.

CHETRY: Forty-four minutes -- 24 minutes past the hour. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Twenty-seven minutes past the hour. This morning, new charges of sex abuse in the Catholic church. A man who says he was molested as a child is now suing leaders of the archdiocese of Philadelphia.

HOLMES: Our Jason Carroll following this story. He's here with us.

Good morning once again. Does this story have the potential to turn into one of those larger issues like we saw in Boston and other places?

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, I think there are a lot of people out there who think that it just might. You remember when the U.S. Conference of Bishops got together, passed that zero tolerance policy in the charter. Now, a lot of people wondering what's going on here.

You know, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia was already reeling from allegations church leaders covered up sexual abuse by priests. Now lawyers have filed a new civil lawsuit once again accusing the archdiocese of failing to protect a minor who said he was abused by a priest.

The alleged victim, Phil Gaughan, now 31, says the abuse happened when he was 15 years old. He accuses Father John E. Gillespie of molesting him between 1994 and 1997. The lawsuit also says church leaders including Cardinal Justin Regali and Monsignor William Lynn allowed Gillespie to keep his post even after he allegedly admitted to abusing children. Gillespie died in 2008. Gaughan says he could not bear to keep his secret any longer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHIL GAUGHAN: I mean, the kids need to be protected. Nobody should have -- no other kid should have to go through this. No other person should have to live even for two minutes let alone 15 years, 20 years, 30 years with this secret inside them because it is so hard to come out.

PHILIP J. GAUGHAN, FATHER: It's a shock for a parent. It's a shock for -- because it challenges our faith and you actually quite wonder if there are some things that can explain behaviors that we can never really understand for a lot of years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: Well, the civil lawsuit comes just three weeks after Monsignor Lynn became the highest ranking Catholic church official in the United States to face criminal charges. The grand jury report claims the archdiocese protected as many as 37 priests accused of sexual abuse or inappropriate behavior toward minors. Many of those priests are still serving. The archdiocese did not respond to our calls for comment about this. Cardinal Justin Regali did place Monsignor Lynn and three of the accused priests on administrative leave. He also hired a former assistant district attorney who specialized in sexual assault cases to re-examine all of the allegations and also come up with recommendations. And speaking to a source who told me that it's a possibility that some of those recommendations could come down as soon as today and that the cardinal is expected to listen to those and put those recommendations into action.

HOLMES: Wow. Could get a follow up really soon. Jason Carroll following the story. We appreciate you this morning.

CARROLL: Right.

CHETRY: Well, we're crossing the half hour right now. We want to bring you the latest out of Libya. Breaking news this morning and some conflicting reports.

Moammar Gadhafi, the dictator, perhaps looking for a deal. An official with the opposition tells CNN that they are in talks with Gadhafi, that he wants safe passage out of the country for himself and his family and a guarantee that he will not face charges. No signs yet that he's willing to give up power, though. New air strikes launched again this morning in Libya near the city of Ras Lanuf. The area now controlled by the opposition. And the regime is denying that Gadhafi wants a deal.

Well, a wildfire burning out of control in New Mexico. Several homes already destroyed. And flames are threatening hundreds more. People living in the town of Silver City are being told to get out. Wind gusts of 50 miles an hour have prevented crews from being able to get a handle on the fire from the air. Officials say the spreading fire is "obviously manmade."

HOLMES: And chances of resolving Wisconsin's budget standoff might have gone right out the window. Governor Scott Walker is rejecting an offer from Senate Democrats for a meeting. That meeting would have taken place at the Illinois border. Not back in the state capital. The governor calling that ridiculous. You may know, 14 state Democrats have fled the state trying to block a vote on the governor's plan that would curtail union bargaining rights. Jon Erpenbach is one of those Wisconsin 14 state senators. He's still hold up in Chicago. He joins us now.

Senator Erpenbach, good to have you on once again. How many days is this for you? Are you ready to go home?

CHETRY: Can you give me a minute?

JON ERPENBACH (D), WISCONSIN STATE SENATE: Boy, I'm not certain. I know we're coming up on three weeks and we've been ready to go home since day one. We're just waiting for an agreement that most of us can live so that we can move forward.

HOLMES: Well, how close did you and your fellow Democrats get to going back to the states? Some reports out there that there was a deal in the works.

ERPENBACH: I thought Thursday afternoon things were moving ahead in a very positive way and then the Senate Republicans passed a resolution saying we could be arrested if we crossed back into the border of Wisconsin, which was kind of interesting. So that was a big step back and obviously there was a lot of frustration.

So again, we will be reaching out to the governor today and to the Senate Republicans to see if we can pick up where we left off Thursday afternoon and kind of move forward. We need to be able to focus on the issues at hand. The issues are taking away our parking spaces or having us arrested, the issue is to try to come to a resolution over collective bargaining.

HOLMES: So, sir, was that really the thing that derailed it? They passed a measure that said you could possibly be arrested? Was that really the thing what derailed the negotiation?

ERPENBACH: Well, we were talking with Governor Walker, and Governor Walker is saying one thing and the Senate Republicans lawmakers were saying no, let's just arrest them. So a little bit of confusion back in Madison but again we remain positive and try to keep our eye on the ball and the fact that we need to come to a resolution over this issue of collective bargaining in the budget repair bill in order to move forward.

HOLMES: OK. Another thing here, Governor Walker said that his administration was getting close, at least with five Senate Democrats to working out a deal but that the Senate minority leader, your leader, actually stopped that and put the kibosh on it. So is there some sort of a rift between you Democrats? Some wanting to go back, some wanting to give more, or are you all still in one united front?

ERPENBACH: It's a good question. I'm glad that you asked it. There actually isn't a rift. We've all wanted to go home since day one, which means we would have an agreement. But what the governor's trying to do is he's trying to question the leadership ability of Senator Miller, who is doing a great job as our leader in the Senate caucus. We all have our roles in the Senate caucus and we're all doing our roles as best as we possibly can. Senator Miller's doing a great job of keeping us all together.

HOLMES: OK. This might be the most important question I can ask you now this morning, sir. Is all trust lost between you, personally, and your fellow Democrats out of the state, and the governor? Do you not believe a thing that comes out of his mouth now?

ERPENBACH: Well, I'm going to quote former President Reagan when he talked about trust but verify. Obviously, we have to have some sort of level of trust in order to reach out to the other side. But needless to say when they offer something up and they want to make a change and something we're going to verify what they have to say. We have to. I mean, they've put us in that position based on the phone call, based on the resolutions to have us arrested and so and so. Obviously, we want to trust them, but we'll have to verify what they're saying.

HOLMES: All right. As we sit here this morning, what are the chances? How soon? How close are you to going back?

ERPENBACH: Man, I wish we could be home right now. But again, we remain pretty strong in the fact that we're trying to get resolution on a couple of pretty sticky issues back in Madison. It's not just the 14 of us, it's actually the hundreds of thousands of people who have huge concerns with this back in Madison.

HOLMES: Well, State Senator Jon Erpenbach, a Wisconsin state senator, that I have yet to actually talk to from his home state of Wisconsin. Sir, we'll see if we get to at some point down the road. But thanks so much, we always appreciate your time.

ERPENBACH: All right. Thank you.

CHETRY: Well, Nevada's Republican Senator John Ensign says he will not run for re-election next year. The one-time rising GOP star admitted last June to having an extramarital affair with his campaign treasurer. Republicans say that they're optimistic that they will keep the seat in party hands.

And he hasn't cracked a smile since the cold war. No matter, the Russian people love their Putin. And they threw a wild party in Moscow this weekend to honor the prime minister complete with some scantily clad exotic dancers. Partygoers said that Putin was the coolest, most respected man in Russia. One had a sign that said "Without Vlad, life sucks." Again, Putin didn't sanction this party and he wasn't there. The party line is the prime minister's office (INAUDIBLE).

HOLMES: Well, coming up here next on this "American Morning," a story that literally gave me chills yesterday to watch this basketball game. Emotions high last night. Fennville High School, the Michigan team took to the court for the first time days and it was just days after the sudden death of its star player. We're going to be talking to a former player - former NBA player who knows exactly what these young people are going through.

CHETRY: And she's just six years old and she listened when her father, a firefighter, told her what to do in an emergency. And because of that, the adorable little girl may have saved two lives.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: 38 minutes past the hour now on this "American Morning."

Listen to the past few days that the Fennville High School basketball team has had. On Friday, they lost their star player just moments after he scored their winning bucket. Yesterday, they played their first game, a playoff game without him.

Today, they have to go to his funeral. 16-year-old Wes Leonard died of cardiac arrest after he collapsed, after scoring that winning bucket for Fennville High School. They won last night, very emotional game. And on hand last night was Bo Kimble. You may remember that name. He was a teammate of Hank Gathers at Loyola Marymount back in 1990. Gathers died of cardiac arrest during a game back in 1990. Bo Kimble now is with me this morning. He started a foundation to educate athletes about public risk of heart - those heart risk.

Bo, it's good to have you with us this morning. You spoke to those young people yesterday, the Fenville High School team, what did you want to say to them?

BO KIMBLE, FMR. NBA PLAYER: Well, I just wanted them to know that they have my support and I've been through this. And I wanted to do it in person. I literally drove 13 hours through two storms to be there. But it was important for me to just show that what they're going through, there's others that understand exactly, you know, how difficult it can be. And yesterday I think it was amazing that the team showed amazing character to play the game. And it was very hard at the end of the game. I saw the guys really couldn't hold it in anymore. They started to let out their emotions. That was very difficult to witness.

HOLMES: And Bo, you said what you wanted to convey to them. But what kind of questions did they have for you?

KIMBLE: Well, basically, they didn't ask me any questions. I just wanted them to know that Hank Gathers and Wes Leonard story was very similar. That they scored a game-winning basket or they did a great play and their life was cut way too short. And I wanted them to know that every time I mention Hank Gathers' name, I'm going to mention Wes Leonard's name to make sure that the public knows that every 38 seconds, someone dies of a cardiac related death and it's very important now to have these athletes screened in all sports, echocardiogram and electrocardiogram, very important to test this condition.

HOLMES: And I want to get back to that certainly in just a minute, in some of that advocacy you're doing out there. But what was the (INAUDIBLE), the energy and the emotion like in there last night for that game?

KIMBLE: Oh, the energy was amazing. They had definitely the support of the community. They had to move it to a different venue to Hope University because it was so many people, it was a sold out crowd. And they were really behind the team. And in the first half, they really struggled, but they really came together and I'm very - you can see why they're 21-0. They really came together under very tough circumstances and they played well.

HOLMES: Bo, you were in your 20s. I mean, back in 1990 when you and Hank Gathers were playing. A guy who had been on your team - you'd all been friends since high school. All right. And to have that loss, it's going to hit anyone hard. But again you were a little older. What do you think now about how these young people going through the same thing but they're doing it at the age of 15, 16, and 17. Is it a little different for them? And possibly even a little more difficult? KIMBLE: Oh, I think it is a lot more difficult for those guys because they're younger. Even at age 22, it's hard to accept. But even as an adult, I mean, to lose a great person like Wes and Hank Gathers, you pretty much you never really get over it. What I wanted to also offer words of encouragement of how to cope with the situation like this. So that was more of what my message was that, you know, it's going to be difficult, but along with the emotional thoughts of losing Wes, you should always want to think of the most amazing things about Wes to keep yourself balanced. And I think they're going to do that.

HOLMES: Now to some of the things that you advocate for now. There were some signs, at least with Hank Gathers, with your teammate. He had had some issues before. He had actually, I believe, had fallen out in a game prior to the one where he actually fell out and later died. I mean, is it possible that sometimes there won't be signs? Is it possible to screen every single athlete in this country? Or are we in a place where just sometimes these unfortunate and tragic things are just going to just happen?

KIMBLE: Well, it's very important to - I think it's a must that we get to a point that all athletes need to be tested. And give the athlete and the athlete's family a choice. It's better to end a career than to end a life. And some people who may not want to get tested, fine, but for everyone that want to get tested, it's better to be proactive instead of reactive. And this situation could have been avoided if the testing was -

HOLMES: And you hit on something there just a moment ago. How difficult would it be for a young person - even a great athlete, possibly even a college athlete that's got a good possible career ahead of them to give up the game because of a possibility of a heart issue. That's a tough sell.

KIMBLE: Oh, that is. That's a very tough choice. And in the Hank Gathers' situation - with Hank's passion for the game, you know, Hank took a risk. But that was a risk that, you know, when you have an opportunity to make millions in basketball, change the lives of your entire family, it's a very tough decision. I think that I would err on the side of caution and not take that risk, but I think it's up to the individual athlete. But it's always safer to protect your life than to lose a life like Wes and Hank.

HOLMES: Bo Kimble, really, it's good to see you this morning. Pleasure to get to talk to you. Sorry it's under these circumstances. But thank you and I'm sure the young people appreciate you being there for them last night. Thanks so much.

KIMBLE: Oh, you're welcome. They're amazing kids and I'm rooting for them tomorrow.

HOLMES: All right. We all are. All right. Bo Kimble for us this morning. We're getting close to quarter of the top of the hour on this "American Morning." Quick break. We'll be right back.

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CHETRY: Forty-eight minutes past the hour. McDonald's no longer the fast food king.

HOLMES: No way.

CHETRY: Well, they'll probably put out a press release arguing this one. Subway, now though, has surpassed McDonald's when it comes to number of restaurants across the globe. More than 33,000, it makes it the largest restaurant chain. But when it comes down to the numbers, you know, when you get down and dirty, McDonald's is still the king taking in $24 billion last year. What was Subway? About $15 billion.

HOLMES: Fifteen or so. So, hey keep your restaurant, we're still making the money.

All right. Let's turn to shuttle Discovery now. The crew waking up to a live concert this morning. Check this out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(MUSIC)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: As we say, that's my jam. "Blue Sky" by Big Head Todd.

CHETRY: Big Head Todd and the monsters. They won a contest.

HOLMES: Yes. They asked people out there, what would you like to have? What's the best wake-up music? They won. This is the last full day in space for Discovery, ever. Going to touch down tomorrow before noon, or that's the anticipated time and they will not take another trip until it's time to go to the Smithsonian. They are done. They're going to the museum now.

CHETRY: Well, we can go see it in person. That'll be interesting.

HOLMES: Yes.

CHETRY: But I can't believe they didn't want something like "Champagne Supernova." Something that had to do with the sky.

HOLMES: Well, it was big blue, what was it called, "Big Sky (sic)?" Wasn't that the name of --

CHETRY: OK. I wanted something more, you know, galactic.

HOLMES: OK, well, sorry shuttle Discovery.

CHETRY: Plus, that wasn't quite a wake-up. That was kind of a go to sleep song, huh?

HOLMES: It's their last concert. That last wake-up call and you're dogging it?

CHETRY: Actually, there's two more launches. Rob Marciano went to this one. He says traffic's going to be bad, though, if you're trying to go see, what is it? The Endeavour and Atlantis. (WEATHER REPORT)

HOLMES: Stay with us on this AMERICAN MORNING. Your top stories coming up in just a second, including a breaking story we're getting out of Libya, where there is talk that Gadhafi is ready to make a deal. But is this real or is this a trick of some kind? We're about eight minutes to the top of the hour.

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CHETRY: We're talking about this story, trying to figure it out. Trying to figure it out, though. Time now for A.M. House Call. It's about kids and sugared cereals. When you have no cartoon character on the box, would your kid choose a healthy cereal over sugary cereal with no cartoon character on the box. They say that -- a new study says that the characters not only attract kids, but also influence their perception of taste. So researchers found that in taste tests with no character on the box, children chose the healthy cereal?

HOLMES: That's awesome.

CHETRY: Over the sugary one?

HOLMES: That's awesome. That is fascinating.

CHETRY: Even though they tasted the same cereal. Well, when a character was on the box they chose that cereal whether it was healthy or not.

HOLMES: So that's why we know that companies use all of those cartoon characters. I'm sure they've had this research for a long time and they know kids are attracted to the tiger or the bunny, some Trix.

CHETRY: I know. And now the new one, the Cocoa Pebbles. She's always asking for the Cocoa Pebbles because she sees the Flintstones. HOLMES: They're on the box, that stuff works.

Well, if you ever get into trouble, you want this six-year-old girl as your neighbor. She called 911 when she saw smoke coming from the house across the street. This happened outside Boston.

Listen to her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RACHYL BEICHEL, CALLED 911: I went outside and I looked at Charlie's house and I called mom and I said, the house is on fire.

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HOLMES: Now, you might be thinking, wow, that's amazing, that little girl knew exactly what to do. She dialed 911. Her mom ran over to check on the woman who lives. The woman is in a wheelchair, actually. Boston firefighters were able to get there and save the couple that was inside. But, of course, this little girl knows exactly what to do. Why? her dad is a Boston firefighter and has been showing her, I'm sure her whole life, exactly what to do in an emergency.

CHETRY: All right. We're going to take a quick break. Amazing little girl, by the way. Our top stories are coming up in just a minute.

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