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How the 'Change' is Going in Iraq; Taliban Threat Growing; 5.5 Magnitude Aftershock in Italy; Stolen Plane Chase; Former Alaska Sen. Stevens Conviction Dismissed; The Fiscally Happiest States; Chia Obama Sparks Controversy
Aired April 07, 2009 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Pushing forward, President Obama's surprise visit to Iraq. He did a lot more than just pop in to say hello. The commander in chief assuring troops face to face that they'll get the support they need, thanking them for their service, success and sacrifice and assuring them that their accomplishments are not forgotten.
He also stressed it's time for the Iraqis to take over, and whatever issues they still have politically need on be resolved. Meetings with Iraqi leaders also part of the quick itinerary. Our Chris Lawrence is at the Pentagon to talk more about the president's troop policy in Iraq and, of course, he campaigned hard to end that war. And our Fred Pleitgen is in Baghdad, where the president felt it was important to get his briefings right from the source. Fred, let's start with you.
FRED PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra. And we've actually just received word a couple minutes ago that Air Force One has taken off from Baghdad, that the president is no longer here in Iraq. The visit lasted only about four hours.
And as you said, he did have a pretty jam-packed schedule here inside the country. At first meeting with about 1,500 U.S. soldiers who cheered him as he held that speech where, as you said, he said it's time for a transition here in Iraq. It's time for the Iraqi security forces to take over security and take on responsibility for their own country.
After that, the president met both with Prime Minister Nouri al- Maliki and with the Iraqi president, stressing that he believes the U.S. troop withdrawal will happen on schedule and that he also reiterated his support for the Iraqi government and for them trying to come to terms with the political issues they still face -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Fred Pleitgen there live in Baghdad.
Thanks so much, Fred.
Well, plenty of hoo-has and handshaking and flashing cameras with U.S. troops, but what about the Iraqi troops, the ones that we're training, the ones who will fight and die long after our service members are gone? Well, President Barack Obama in their country today, the president that many of them wanted to take that position. This time last year, long before Obama won, I asked Iraqi soldiers who they wanted to lead the U.S. effort in their country and what changes were needed to make Iraq a success. No one else got a chance to these guys, so take a listen to what they told me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The hardest thing for us is what we see. Look at what's happening. Our people are getting hurt.
We don't have electricity. Our young people don't have simple things like a job, electricity. We have oil and we are poor and jobless.
We want new companies to trust Iraq and invest in Iraq. We want jobs for our young people so they don't join these terrorists. That is the hardest part.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: All right.
Chris Lawrence, let's get to you at the Pentagon. Your turn.
Are they getting the changes that they wanted?
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, they're certainly going to get some -- they're going to get some change, because the president has articulated his policy. But, you know, what's interesting is that Barack Obama visited Iraq, you know, just 24 hours after an extremely violent day in Baghdad, six to seven separate attacks, roadside bombs, car bombs, well over two dozen people killed, many more wounded. It just shows how quickly the situation there in Iraq can change from day to day.
Now, defense planners and senior defense officials try now to look at things through that prism. They try not to make judgments on any one particular day, and they're still committed to implementing the president's strategy.
Now, that includes, by the end of June, pulling U.S. troops out of some of the major urban areas and cities, pulling back to some of the larger bases around them. And then you're going to see a couple brigades leave before the end of the year, but most U.S. troops will stay through the end of the year to secure the elections. And then next year, you'll start to see more and more troops start rotating home, with the goal of having most combat troops out by the end of next summer, with a residual force of 35,000 to 50,000 soldiers who will remain probably through 2011 at the latest -- at the least.
PHILLIPS: All right. Chris Lawrence at the Pentagon.
Chris, thanks so much.
Iraq now is the second mostly Muslim country that President Obama has visited since taking office. The first, of course, was Turkey, where Mr. Obama reached out to the Muslim world before leaving today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK H. OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The United States is not and will never be at war with Islam.
(APPLAUSE)
In fact, our partnership with the Muslim world is critical not just in rolling back the violent ideologies that people of all faiths reject, but also to strengthen opportunity for all people. I also want to be clear that America's relationship with the Muslim community, the Muslim world, cannot and will not just be based upon opposition to terrorism.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, a new poll shows that Americans almost evenly split over how much the U.S. should trust Muslim allies like Turkey. Relations with Turkey have been strained since 2003, when officials there refused to let U.S. troops invade Iraq from their territory.
U.S. ties have been strained far beyond Turkey, though. In about 20 minutes, the analysis from Senior Political Correspondent Candy Crowley on President Obama's message to the Muslim world.
In Pakistan, talks between that country's leaders and two key players in the Obama administration's war on terror, Joint Chiefs Chair Admiral Mike Mullen, and Richard Holbrooke, the special U.S. envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, met with Pakistan's president in Islamabad. And it's the first top-level visit by a U.S. delegation since President Obama put Pakistan front and center in the battle against al Qaeda. Both sides, along with representatives from Afghanistan, will hold more talks next month in Washington.
A troubling new challenge for American troops in Afghanistan. They're facing a threat from the Taliban that's grown dramatically over the last year.
Here's CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As Marines step up combat operations across southern Afghanistan, U.S. commanders are reviewing significant new intelligence about the insurgent threat.
ADM. MICHAEL MULLEN, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: The insurgency has grown dramatically over the last year, and the weather is starting to get a lot warmer. So we expect the fighting to pick up considerably.
STARR: Mullen spoke exclusively to CNN on his way to Pakistan. The Pakistanis are telling the U.S. they're worried the thousands of additional U.S. troops headed to southern Afghanistan will push insurgents into southern Pakistan and create a new safe haven in the region that the Pakistanis cannot control.
(on camera): One man in particular U.S. troops are looking for goes by the battlefield name "Zakir" (ph). He was released from Guantanamo Bay. U.S. troops think he's now operating in southern Afghanistan.
(voice-over): CNN has also learned the U.S. has new intelligence that Mullah Omar, the spiritual leader of the Taliban, has ordered insurgent factions to coordinate and step up attacks against U.S. troops.
There's particular concern about this man, Baitullah Mehsud, the leader of a Pakistani Taliban faction. U.S. intelligence believes he controls thousands of fighters. One U.S. official bluntly says Mehsud specializes in suicide bombers.
U.S. commanders are now up against a shadowy Taliban force that is increasingly targeting Afghan civilians.
BRIG. GEN. JOHN NICHOLSON, REGIONAL COMMAND SOUTH, STABILIZATION: Their form of justice is replacing elders with mullahs or other Taliban representatives, and then enforcing justice at the barrel of a gun.
STARR: The U.S. believes the Taliban goal remains unchanged: attacks and intimidation against the people, and to kill as many U.S. troops as they can.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Our Barbara Starr joining us live from Bahrain.
Barbara, isn't there a new insurgent leader in southern Afghanistan, that U.S. troops are going after a man apparently released from Gitmo?
STARR: Well, it is indeed, Kyra, this man Mullah Mohammed Zakir (ph). We heard a lot about him on this trip from through southern Afghanistan that we just left a day ago. He is just one of several new emerging, if you will, insurgent leaders that the U.S. wants to catch, and wants to catch badly.
Zakir (ph) released from Guantanamo Bay in 2007. One U.S. commander describing him now as a rock star because of that Gitmo incarceration. They're looking for him, and they hope to catch him. They believe he has been involved in many of these attacks against U.S. troops -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: We'll have to talk more about that when the alleged closing of Gitmo takes place, something that President Barack Obama has proposed.
Thanks, Barbara.
Coming up at 6:00 p.m. Eastern, a CNN exclusive. Vice President Joe Biden in "THE SITUATION ROOM." He sits down with CNN's Wolf Blitzer and Senior Political Analyst Gloria Borger.
We're going to speak live with Borger a bit later in the NEWSROOM.
A slice of Italy's past and its present devastated by yesterday's earthquake. Centuries-old landmarks definitely coming tumbling down. Two hundred and seven people now dead, and now a strong aftershock.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, even as the searches continue and survivors mourn, the earth is still moving in central Italy. Live pictures right now. The L'Aquila area just feeling a very strong aftershock within the last 20 minutes or so. We're being told 5.6.
The death toll has risen to at least 207 in and around that city. Search crews still hoping to find survivors in that rubble. More than 36 hours it's been since that initial quake.
Chad, what can you tell us about the aftershock?
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It appears now, Kyra, that this aftershock may be right under the city there of L'Aquila. Now, this whole area has been shaking for the past couple of days. First, a 6.3, then a 4.9, then a 4.6 and then a 4.3.
But here, this one was a 5.6. And if it's right under the city, this is the epicenter. And this is that bloom. That eight feet or eight miles' worth of dirt that's up against the crust is going to start to shake.
Let me show you this, and I'm going to go ahead and take this Google Earth map. And I'm going to take you to the first quake and then I'll take you to the new quake.
Now, sometimes these quakes move around a little bit as the seismologists look at the shake. But there, that one right there, that's the 6.3. That was the original quake. This one here in red, it's red because it's the latest quake, a 5.6.
And look where it is in the town. Literally, Kyra -- I'm going to zoom right in -- it is right under the city itself, which means above that epicenter is where the most shaking went on. So, even though this was only a 5.6, it may have been shaking more like a 6.0 that was a little farther away, like the 6.3 we had. So this is probably going to cause some shaken nerves for sure.
PHILLIPS: And we could have more aftershocks as well, right?
MYERS: No question about it. Back in 1997, they had three months of 5.0 and 6.0s for a three-month stretch. And it's just kind of that series.
This is the Apennines Mountain range. They're at about 2,3000 feet. The mountains are still groaning and moving and stretching, and there's even a subduction zone there. So many forces right there in central Italy. There have been 2,000 earthquakes last year. Not all of them, obviously, this big. But this is an earthquake-prone area for sure.
PHILLIPS: Well, and so you've got that initial quake, then you see this aftershock at 5.6. Now, an aftershock can be considered another little mini earthquake, right, or a tremor? Is the that the same thing or is there a difference between the two?
MYERS: Even though this a little farther away, maybe four miles from the original quake, I would absolutely think that this is an aftershock of the same quake that we had a couple of days ago.
PHILLIPS: Got it.
MYERS: But, you know, if you can get -- if you get a 3.0, then all of a sudden it can be a foreshock, which means not an aftershock. It can portend something else to come. Now, because we've already had the 6.3, this wouldn't be the foreshock, this would be an aftershock because this is smaller than the original quake.
PHILLIPS: Got it, Chad. Thanks.
And for the very latest, let's get to CNN's Fionnuala Sweeney. She's right there on the ground in L'Aquila. Fionnuala was talking to workers last time we talked to try to find survivors in that rubble.
Any more luck, Fionnuala?
FIONNUALA SWEENEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, there hasn't been. Actually, let me -- I've just contradicted myself, Kyra.
Within the last hour, a woman was reported to have been taken alive. But I have to say that right now, there's a lot of, let's say, enthusiasm in the atmosphere, because people are really energized following that tremor that we experienced about half an hour ago.
Where we're standing here is at the piazza, one of many tent cities that have been established in the last 24 hours. This particular one, Kyra, was established just early this morning by volunteers. And the response of the Italian civil authorities has been really quite astonishing. And a few moments ago I was talking to the head of the Red Cross, who told me that two years ago, all the different civil protection agencies in this country got together to decide how they could best coordinate their response to something like this.
The death toll, 209 now, as we know. We're just hearing, as I speak to you, that this tremor caused damage at the railroad nearby, but everybody is still obviously gathering information, as it only happened in the last few moments. But I think the thing to point out here is what is upsetting people is that 209 people died, and people believe that had the buildings been in better condition, that this death toll could have been much, much lower.
PHILLIPS: Fionnuala Sweeney, we'll continue to talk. Thank you. Now, remember, there are many relief organizations on the ground actively helping victims of the earthquake in Italy. You'll find links to many of them on our "Impact Your World" page. That's at cnn.com/impact.
Even as aftershocks rattle Italy, another big earthquake has hit in the Pacific. The epicenter of the 6.9 quake just east of Kuril Islands, which are claimed by both Russia and Japan. Fewer than 20,000 people live there. They're no strangers to seismic activity. It's part of the so-called Ring of Fire, as you know, a region that sees about 90 percent of the world's earthquakes.
Hurricane season 2009, what does it hold? Well, the experts made their predictions and now they've changed their minds. We're going to find out what's going on from Chad Myers.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Filing for bankruptcy and facing foreclosure? So what happens now? Just one of the money questions you want answered.
For that, we turn to Personal Finance Editor Gerri and her team of experts at the help desk.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: We want to get you answers to your financial questions. Let's get straight to the help desk.
Dani Babb is the author of "The Accidental Landlord" and Gary Schatsky is a financial planner and president of Objective Advice.
All right, guys. Let's get to the first one. It's from Heilena in Maryland.
"If you filed Chapter 13 bankruptcy and fell behind on your mortgage due to a job loss, how long does it take for your mortgage company to foreclose on your property if they are not willing to work out a plan?"
Dani, this is one of those myriad details that people are having in this market where they can't pay the mortgage, don't know anything about foreclosure.
What can you really expect?
DANI BABB, AUTHOR, ACCIDENTAL LANDLORD: Well, and Heilena, in Maryland, it's about seven months on average. But it varies greatly for everyone by state, anywhere between three months and a little over a year. But here's one thing you should consider, and that is the new order to be able to allow bankruptcy judges to cram down the mortgage. So rather than losing the house, maybe drop the principal balance is something that you can afford and not have the foreclose on top of the bankruptcy on your record.
WILLIS: Yes, that's a great idea.
GARY SCHATSKY, FINANCIAL PLANNER: You know, what's interesting, in some cases they are not even foreclosing. You know, they've filed the papers and the house is still there. I have one client who is going on a year and a half, and they have not taken the home.
WILLIS: Right.
BABB: In some cases, the banks don't know who owns it.
WILLIS: Yes, this can be bad news for you if you're still paying property taxes and the city or town is going after you for upkeep.
Let's get a question in from Gayle. She asks, "One of my daughters is 24 years old and a full-time student in a doctoral program. Can she still be claimed as a dependent? She is on our health insurance policy until she turns 26."
Gary, this is an interesting question because it happens at both ends of the -- it happens with young people, and if you're supporting parents. The question of, what is dependency?
SCHATSKY: Well, first of all, she's 24 or over. Twenty-four actually is one of the deadlines, one of the hard numbers.
If you're under 24 and you're a full-time student, you can be taken as a dependent. If you're 24 and over, you can be taken as a dependent if someone is providing more than half of their support and if their income is less than $3,500. So, I don't know if she calls this good news or bad news, but her daughter could be a dependent forever.
(LAUGHTER)
WILLIS: That was a great answer, Gary.
Great answers from both of you today.
Thanks, Dani, to you, too.
The help desk is all about getting you answers. Send me an e- mail to gerri@cnn.com or log on to cnn.com/helpdesk to see more of our financial solutions. And the help desk is everywhere. Make sure to check out the latest issue of "Money" magazine on newsstands now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: All right. A Canadian man is in big trouble after a trip to Missouri. The trouble is, he's accused of stealing a plane and attracting some serious company on his way there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, getting word now that President Obama has now left Baghdad and should be headed back home to D.C. Earlier today, as you know, he paid a surprise visit to Iraq, shaking hands with troops, thanking them for their work, and helping award medals of valor.
He's also talked face to face with commanders about the mission and Iraqi leaders about the progress on their end. Mr. Obama tells the troops that he hasn't forgotten what they've done and is grateful for what they will do, and he's promised them that the support they need will get to them.
President Obama has been working to win support on this trip not just from key allies, but their constituents as well, particularly in Turkey.
Here's Senior Political Correspondent Candy Crowley.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Before the Turkish parliament, the president of the United States looked to begin a new era with the Muslim world. To Turkey, he stressed the ties that bind, the battle against al Qaeda in Afghanistan, NATO membership, and the personal touch.
OBAMA: The United States has been enriched by Muslim-Americans. Many other Americans have Muslims in their families or have lived in a Muslim majority country. I know, because I am one of them.
CROWLEY: U.S. ties with Turkey, always complicated, got more so in the Bush era, when Turkey refused to allow U.S. troops to use Turkish soil to enter Iraq.
OBAMA: I know that the trust that binds the United States and Turkey has been strained. And I know that strain is shared in many places where the Muslim faith is practiced.
So let me say this as clearly as I can. The United States is not and will never be at war with Islam.
CROWLEY: Former President George Bush made the same point many times, but both Europe and the Muslim world had stopped listening.
It is the advantage of a new face dealing with old problems -- showing up can help. Showing up can be a beginning.
OBAMA: We're going to be able to, I think, shape a set of strategies that can bridge the divide between the Muslim world and the West, that can make us more prosperous and more secure.
CROWLEY: It will take more than the Obama era to fully bridge the kind of gap that exists between the U.S. and much of the Muslim world. On one side, there is resentment that the U.S. is too close to Israel at political and human cost to Palestinians. On the other, there is mistrust. A new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll asked Americans if they think the U.S. should trust Muslim allies as much as other allies. The country's split -- 51 percent said yes, 48 percent said no. Making amends with the Muslim world is not just about a single war, it's about attitudes, here and overseas.
Candy Crowley, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: A stolen plane triggers big fears and a seven-hour drama. It began with the student pilot taking off from his flight school in Ontario.
U.S. fighter jets scrambled to intercept the Cessna and then followed as the pilot ignored their orders. Authorities say he flew erratically over three states, prompted the evacuation of the Wisconsin State Capitol, and eventually landed on a road in southern Missouri.
He's identified as 31-year-old Adam Leon. Witnesses say that he casually strolled into a convenience store, sipped a Gatorade until police arrived.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A planes landed, someone stole it and, you know, just be careful. And, you know, we kind of got suspicious of the guy, you know? And probably 10, 15 minutes later, cops come in and kind of surrounded him at the table. And he was just sitting there calm and talked to him and ended up arresting him and took him out of here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: One of the troopers who arrested him said Leon told him he wanted to be shot down.
Former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens breathing a sigh of relief today. A federal judge dismissed his corruption conviction, then opened a criminal investigation into prosecutors accused of mishandling the case. U.S. District Judge Emmitt Sullivan said in his 25 years on the bench, he's never seen anything like the mishandling of the Stevens' case.
Stevens was accused of lying about gifts that he allegedly received from wealthy friends, but the Justice Department says prosecutors withheld important evidence that might have helped Stevens' defense.
Today may finally bring the marathon Senate race in Minnesota at least closer to a conclusion. Democrat Al Franken, on the left, is expanding his lead over republican Norm Coleman, on the right. A three-judge panel allowed hundreds of previously rejected absentee ballots to be added to the race. Franken's 225-vote lead has grown to more than 300 votes now. Both sides have been fighting over the results since November. Coleman says that he'll appeal to the State Supreme Court if he loses.
Any day now, Cuba will be back on the map for American tourists. The Obama administration is set to announce new rules for travel for American families visiting the island nation. The announcement could come before April 17th when the president goes to the summit of the Americas. According to the Cuban media, the U.S. Congressional Black Caucus met with Cuban President Raul Castro on Sunday.
Going to your happy place? Well, for some folks that means not leaving their own backyard. A look at the states of happiness. Is your state one of them?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Taking a look at the Big Board right now, Wall Street Dow Industrials down 199 points. But don't let that make you have a bad day.
If you are having a bad day, we've got some advice for you: Move to Nebraska. Apparently it's the happiest state in the country. Personal finance website mainstreet.com ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from fiscally happiest to saddest. The survey was base on foreclosure numbers, unemployment rates and the ratio of average debt to average annual income.
But it doesn't matter where Susan Lisovicz lives, because she's always happy. Always on the happy trail. What is it about Nebraska, Susan?
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, who knew that watching corn grow could be so much fun?
PHILLIPS: Hey, you can't get into any trouble. Life is not stressful.
LISOVICZ: And you make money. You make money. Because corn has been a subsidized crop.
But in addition to that, check out the handy-dandy map. Warren Buffett lives in Nebraska. He's done all right, the world's richest man. Kool-Aid was invented there. The world's biggest porch swing, seats 35 people, Kyra. Think about all the fun. And Cliff Notes/.
PHILLIPS: Cliff Notes created in Nebraska?
LISOVICZ: Created in Nebraska and sold worldwide undoubtedly in many different languages.
PHILLIPS: Fess it up, did you ever steal anything out of Cliff Notes and put it in a book report?
LISOVICZ: No. I didn't put it in a book report. I think that there were a few times that I substituted the book for the Cliff Notes or vice versa, if you know what I mean. PHILLIPS: I know exactly what I mean. I'm right there with you, sister.
All right, the most unhappy state -- or state. I guess I should say, what state is at the bottom of the list? The saddest state?
LISOVICZ: The fiscally saddest state would be Oregon, believe it or not.
PHILLIPS: Really?
LISOVICZ: Now, I'm not sure whether that's because of the weather. We do see that, of course, it has many attributes of its own, like Nebraska. It's a great bicycling state. It has its own nut. It's the only state in the U.S. to have an official nut. That is the hazelnut. So famous in coffee that wakes us up every day. And...
PHILLIPS: You know, I don't get it. There's wineries in Oregon and then my adorable godson is in Oregon, how could this not be a happy place? People are drinking lots of pinot noir in Oregon!
LISOVICZ: You don't have to pump gas in Oregon, one of only two states.
PHILLIPS: That's right.
LISOVICZ: Well, you know, It has been plagued by unemployment, a higher national unemployment rate than the nationwide average for a long time, Kyra. And, of course, you know, it's been hurt by -- it's been hurt by manufacturing, construction, and this is something that you see in the fiscally unhappiest states like Florida, California, Nevada. They've all had housing booms and that has also -- that has also hurt Oregon.
PHILLIPS: All right. What about Georgia? Where we live and work, here in Atlanta?
LISOVICZ: The Peach State didn't do so well. I mean, despite the fact that it has the 38th -- 39th president Jimmy Carter, the Okefenokee swamp, the Vidalia onion, peaches, peanuts, pecans.
There's been a huge housing boom there, I think you know that. Anybody who owns a home in Georgia knows there was a huge housing boom there. And that's something that has hurt it, because the debt to income has not been bad in Georgia at all. And that's something that's really hurt it right now, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Well, you know, Susan, you mentioned the Okefenokee swamp and you know what's really big out there are those airboats. And I understand that would make you really happy to be able to experience an airboat ride.
LISOVICZ: Kyra -- Kyra, oh, no.
(LAUGHTER) PHILLIPS: You look pretty good up there on the top of the airboat, Susan Lisovicz.
LISOVICZ: That's an awful lot of hairspray.
PHILLIPS: The girls of American airboats, ladies and gentlemen. Susan Lisovicz taking us through happy with the American flag right through the state of Georgia. We love you, Susan.
LISOVICZ: That's a Thelma and Louise trip, Kyra. You're my copilot.
PHILLIPS: I'll be right there with you, sister. Good to see you.
LISOVICZ: Likewise.
PHILLIPS: Struggling automaker General Motors unveiling a new model. It's on two wheels and looks nothing like a Hummer. CNNMoney.com's Poppy Harlow - or an airboat for that matter. She's got our "Energy Fix" from New York.
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM CORRESPONDENT: Put my head on one of these little cars.
We're going to show you right here, good-bye, Hummer. It could be for GM, hello scooter mobile, I'm not kidding. In New York today, just a few hours ago General Motors unveiling this thing. Check it out, Kyra.
It's teaming up with a company called Segway to create - this is a prototype, but it's a two-wheel electric vehicle that apparently you can drive in the middle of Times Square if you're daring enough. The prototype unveiled this morning.
Essentially, this can go up to 35 miles per hour. It's called the PUMA. It can go 35 miles between charges. It runs on a lithium ion battery, Kyra. It's emission free.
But I don't know. What do you think the public is going to say?
PHILLIPS: I don't - they're kind of cool. I mean, I wouldn't take it out into the middle of the highway or anything, but, you know.
I think it could be dangerous. You already see what those the Segways do. People are already getting in trouble and getting tickets for those.
HARLOW: That's a big question. And we also want to mention here, we're going to pull this up for you, Chrysler already has something pretty similar. It has four wheels, but pretty similar. It's an electric vehicle on the market right now.
And the timing of this, GM's unveiling of its vehicle here -- we'll switch it up for you here - is a coincidence. They say they've been working on it for 18 months. So Kyra, this is not exactly their path to viability. We know they have less than two months to present one or they'll be forced into bankruptcy.
This isn't their path to viability, but they want to test it out, see what the public thinks. They haven't given us a price tag, yet, Kyra, on how much it might cost. We don't know when it will be on the market. All we know is that they're working on it and that they unveiled it this morning. I mean, it's electric, no gas included. We'll see what it means for GM. But it's certainly interesting to them to pumping this out and not focusing on the Hummer as much, right, Kyra?
PHILLIPS: You got it right. Exactly. That car's too big, too expensive, way too much gas. Yes, I hear you. Not practical.
Thanks, Poppy.
HARLOW: Sure.
Well, a harmless prank or a dangerous new trend? Some kids are getting busted for sending pictures over their cell phones. What until you hear what the charges are that they're facing.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, some teenagers may not think twice about snapping a photo, even a naked one, with their cell phones. "Sexting" is a new way to flirt or worse, get revenge.
As Deborah Feyerick explains, a dark side could haunt kids for the rest of their lives.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FEYERICK (voice-over): With Vanessa Hudgens naked photos hit the Internet, the "High School Musical" star was quick to apologize. But sending nude or semi-nude pictures, a phenomenon known as "sexting", is a fast-growing trend among teens, one in five say they've done it. Even though it could be a crime.
PHILLIP ALPERT, CONVICTED AFTER SENDING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY: You will find me on the registered sex offenders list next to people who have raped children, molested kids, things like that because I sent child pornography.
FEYERICK: For 18-year-old Phillip Alpert, the pornography was a naked photo of his 16-year-old girlfriend which she sent to him and which he sent to friends and family after an argument.
ALPERT: It was a stupid thing as I was upset and tired. It was in the middle of the night and I was an immature kid.
FEYERICK: Police didn't see it that way. Alpert was charged with a felony sending child pornography.
GEORGE SKUMANICK JR., DISTRICT ATTORNEY, WYOMING COUNTY, PA.: An adult would go to prison for this.
FEYERICK: George Skumanick is the district attorney in Scranton, Pennsylvania. After 20 high school students were caught allegedly "sexting" he gave them a choice -- take classes or be charged with sexual abuse of a minor.
Critics says these are just kids, they have no criminal intent. They're just doing stupid things. What is your response?
SKUMANICK: You can't call committing a crime a prank.
FEYERICK: But that's exactly what Marissa Miller thought when she and a friend snapped pictures of themselves at age 12 wearing training bras.
MARISSA MILLER, TEEN CAUGHT IN SEXTING INCIDENT: I wasn't trying to be sexual, I was having fun with my friends at a sleepover.
FEYERICK: Marissa's mom saw the picture and said the prosecutor crossed the line.
(on camera): "Possession and/or dissemination of child pornography." What goes through your mind at that moment as a parent?
MARY JO MILLER, MARISSA'S MOTHER: I was floored. She would have been the victim in this case.
FEYERICK (voice-over): Miller is suing the D.A. to stop him filing charges against her daughter.
As for Philip Alpert who e-blasted his ex-girlfriend's nude photo, he was kicked out of school and is now a registered sex offender.
ALPERT: I've been punished for the rest of my life for something that probably took probably two minutes or less to do.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Deborah Feyerick joins us now live from New York.
Deb, you know, girls are the ones sending the photos, why?
FEYERICK: Well, that's the most interesting thing is that, in the district attorney's case, what has seen is that the majority are girls who are sending these photos both to each other, but also to boys. It's a way to flirt, it's a way to engage. But then what happens is, these boys, they either send them to friends or they hold on to them and then when the relationship ends or sours, as in the case of Phillip Albert, you send them out to a lot of people and that's when the trouble happens.
PHILLIPS: Well, what else are prosecutors doing now?
FEYERICK: They're look at a number of ways to get around it. Right now, child pornography is a felony. In some states they are looking to make it a misdemeanor. In other cases what they're trying to do is offer classes, education classes.
Again, charges of child pornography laws were really never meant to apply for teens and sexting. And so that's why this is such a dicey area as people try to find their way around it.
PHILLIPS: All right, Deb, we've come a long way from holding hands back at the roller rink when we were kids. Would do you say?
FEYERICK: What do I say? I say, I'm really glad that I didn't have a cell phones when I was a kid in high school. You know, there's a lot of pressure on teens these days just to have these gimmicks and it's a way to be popular. And that's really what the trouble is. There's a lot of ways for the kids to get in trouble, so parents really have to at least know what their child is doing.
PHILLIPS: And you know, once they're on the Internet, they're on the Internet. You know, they don't go away.
FEYERICK: Never.
PHILLIPS: All right, Deb, appreciate it.
As always, "Team Sanchez" working on the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM.
Rick, what do you have for us?
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: We're getting some comments in from the president of the United States any moment now. He's in Baghdad, as we have been reporting. And there is some brand new tape that we're going to be monitoring in just a little bit. He met with Prime Minister Maliki, and he also met with President Talabani. Had some tough times getting to him because of the weather conditions out there, which is kind of another story. We're looking into some of the security issues as well.
His reception -- and I think you may have seen some of that. But his reception with some of the troops there in Baghdad has been stunning to watch, if nothing else. Perhaps in part because this is the guy seen by many of these troops as the fella whose going to give them their walking papers when they finally are able to get out of Iraq. Or, perhaps, he's just genuinely popular, as we've seen throughout most of the world. But what we're really keying in on right now is expecting that the video that will come in any moment now.
And the other story we'll have is a coach who coaches women's basketball is telling her players they are not allowed to be lesbians. Not allowed to be lesbians. Think about that. You'll see the story filed by Kara Finnstrom during our hour.
PHILLIPS: Sounds good. Thanks, Rick.
SANCHEZ: All right.
PHILLIPS: Friday Iowa became number three and today, Vermont's the fourth state to legalize same-sex marriage. The lawmakers are overriding the governor's veto of the same-sex marriage bill. Hundreds of people packed into the statehouse, clapped, cheered as the official announcement came down. Iowa, Massachusetts and Connecticut are the only other states where gays and lesbians can wed. But courts implemented their laws, Vermont is the only place where the legislature's done it.
You probably won't find one of these in the Oval Office, nor anyplace else. Unless you already have one. Why the Chia Obamas are disappearing.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, in our "What the..." file today, presidential pottery sprouting an uproar. A Chia pet of the commander in chief has been yanked from some stores after customers complained.
Our Jeanne Moos gets to the root of the Chia Obama smack-down.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's the Chia pet that got shoved out the door of Walgreens...
COMMERCIAL ANNOUNCER: Introducing...
COMMERCIAL ACTOR (singing): Chi - chi - chia.
COMMERCIAL ANNOUNCER: Chia Obama.
MOOS: ... a mere week or so after its introduction at certain Walgreens in Chicago and Florida.
COMMERCIAL ANNOUNCER: Just spread the seeds and water and watch grow.
MOOS: ... what's growing is controversy. Do
(on camera): Do you see a racial angle to this?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, not at all.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, I don't.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What do you mean, "what's the problem"? This is the president of the United States. He's not a damn Chia pet.
MOOS (voice-over): Now he is.
COMMERCIAL ANNOUNCER: Display it on your desk.
MOOS: Most folks just laugh, but some worry about others, splitting hairs.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It would grow and it would look like an afro. MOOS (on camera): Do you see anything offensive about it?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. A little.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I mean, with the whole Jeri curl looking thing.
MOOS: Are you guys offended by this?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. Not at first glance.
MOOS: But you understand how someone else could be?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
MOOS (voice-over): Walgreens got a few complaints and decided Chia Obama wasn't appropriate for its corporate image. And that has left Chia Obama's make pulling out his hair.
JOSEPH PEDOTT, OWNER, JOSEPH ENTERPRISES: I just don't understand. I wish I knew. I'm just hurt.
MOOS: Joseph Pedott said Chia Obama was flying off the shelves, especially at the Walgreens near Barack Obama's Chicago home.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I put one in my classroom.
MOOS: This teacher already has a Chia hippo for her fourth graders.
(on camera): It would make a great Chia pet. Can't you just imagine him as a Chia?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think Chia pet should be left to animals.
MOOS (voice-over): Online they said it looked more like Chia Billy Crystal. Posted another, "Would it be racist if it were Richard Simmons?"
And if the afro angle worries you?
PEDOTT: It's a Chia. And you can trim it to any hairline. Give it a haircut. What has that got to do with racism?
MOOS: The other day Chia Obama was spotted on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange sneaking up behind a CNBC reporter.
(on camera): Do you know who they're doing next? Chia Hillary
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wow.
MOOS (voice-over): That's the protype. The hair will be just like Chia Obama's. Also coming soon, the Statue of Liberty.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I wouldn't want my face to be somebody's plant.
MOOS: Dumping Chia Obama sort of takes the green out of Walgreens. When it comes to getting a few complaints, companies tend to be chi-chi-chi-chicken.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Chi-chi-chi-chia.
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: All right, so what do you think about the Chia pet. A lot of you e-mailed us to let us know.
James writes, "Why is it racist? Because Chia pet has a fro? Black people have fros! Seems to me that the people pointing out racism have a few stereotypes they need to get past."
Then Christina writes, "The plant grows as an afro on top of President Obama's head? As a 25-year-old African-American I find this to be extremely racist."
Gerry writes, "I feel the 'Chia Pet' is very disrespectful of President Obama. He is our president, not a 'pet.'"
Melody writes, "I'm a 42 year old African-American and I have experienced many incidents of racism in my lifetime; an Obama Chia Pet is not one of them. As Americans we should be able to laugh at ourselves."
And Jenny just kept it to the point, she says, "The Chia Obama bust isn't racist. It's STUPID!"
Thanks to all of you for your e-mails. We sure appreciate it.
Well, coming up at 6:00 p.m. Eastern, a CNN exclusively, Joe Biden in "THE SITUATION ROOM." He sits down with CNN's Wolf Blitzer and senior political analyst Gloria Borger. She's going to be with us in just a second to give us a little of their talk.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, the vice president doesn't usually hold back and that's why it's going to be interesting to hear what he has to say in "THE SITUATION ROOM," at 6:00 Eastern. Our Wolf Blitzer and senior political analyst Gloria Borger scoring an exclusive interview with Mr. Biden.
Gloria's here with a quick preview.
Sounds like you touched on a lot of topics, Gloria. Give us a tease.
GLORIA BORGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, we touched on a lot.
What was most interesting to me was the pushback when we asked him about what Vice President Dick Cheney had said about the Obama administration, making us less safe. And he made it very clear that he thought that that was wrong. And, in fact, he told us, Kyra, that we are safer now than we were under the Bush administration.
He was very, very strong on that, very strong on foreign policy. Also, however, could not say that unemployment numbers would -- would start going in a different direction for the next year.
PHILLIPS: I know he also talked to you about Israel's new government and this relationship with Iran.
Let's go ahead and take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": How worried are you that the new government of Israel under Prime Minister Netanyahu, will launch a strike to take out Iran's nuclear facilities?
JOSEPH BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I - I don't believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu would do that. I think it would be ill-advised to do that. And so my level of concern is no different than it was a year ago.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Any surprises to what he said or what you talked about?
BORGER: Well, I think that was very strong. I think it was a clear message to Netanyahu, don't try anything. We wouldn't be on board with that. So, you know, I think that the message was probably received today in the Middle East.
PHILLIPS: Well, is there one specific question where you got a response that you didn't expect?
BORGER: Well, it was kind of interesting. I asked him what surprised him the most about his -- his new job, thinking that it would be something about the job itself. And what he said was the Secret Service. He said, you know, I've always been around secret service, it's always been -- you know, I understand the way that operates, but you never quite understood the bubble until you live in it.
PHILLIPS: Interesting. Great get, Gloria. Appreciate you coming on, talking about it.
BORGER: Sure.
PHILLIPS: All right, that does it for us. We'll be back here tomorrow.
Rick Sanchez picks it up from here.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: President Obama lands in Baghdad, following a day marked by six bombings. Did extremists know the president would be making the unannounced visit? President's security, a key concern, as the weather forces him to travel by motorcade.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Some people might say, wait, I thought you were close to the war.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Did you hear him compare himself to President Bush? You will.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He fires it up, takes off, and he's flying.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Look at this guy. Who is he? Really? And why did he steal a plane from Canada and fly it into the U.S.? Was it a test of our security?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's been many hours since students have been pulled out of here alive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: In Italy, hundreds dead because a scientist's warning was ignored. He said the earthquake was coming, but they called him an imbecile.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If we were a lesbian, she specifically said, I will take your scholarship away and you will never play basketball again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Did this coach really tell her players they're not allowed to be lesbians? An important conversation with you.
And Farrah Fawcett, our generation's pinup, battles on.
The newscast, that includes you, starts right now.
And hello again, everybody. I'm Rick Sanchez, coming to you
