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Attacking the Taliban; Changes in Congress; Tracking the Winter Games

Aired February 13, 2010 - 11:00   ET

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

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: There is much more to come right here in the CNN NEWSROOM. Thanks everybody, for joining us on this Saturday.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you all. We are coming to you from the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia, on this Saturday, February the 13th. We are so happy you can be here with us. But again, good morning to you all. I am T.J. Holmes.

NGUYEN: Yes, good morning, hello, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen. OK, we want to talk a lot about this major offensive that is taking place in Afghanistan. We've been telling you about it for days because there was forewarning.

HOLMES: There was, plenty of it. This was new for the coalition, new for the U.S. military, certainly, telling people that they were coming, trying to get the civilians out of there for one case but also wanting the Taliban to know that they were coming, trying to get the Taliban out of this particular area. NATO commanders say troops already have gained a foothold in this city of Marjah. It's the last Taliban stronghold in Helmand Province, which is in the southern part of that country.

NGUYEN: CNN's Atia Abawi is with the troops and she tells us at least five Taliban fighters have been killed. NATO reports two coalition troops killed. Now to give you an idea of what's going on, 5,000 marines and 2,000 Afghan troops are taking part in Operation Mushtarak, which means together.

HOLMES: It's called the largest military offensive we have seen in the Afghan war. So why Marjah? Why now? Let's bring in our Frederik Pleitgen. He is in the Afghan capital for us, been keeping an eye on things there. What are you hearing about what is happening on the battlefield?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, T.J. What we're hearing is that the NATO and NATO commanders here in Afghanistan are very pleased with the way things are going so far. This operation was launched in the middle of the night and the early morning hours with an air assault on that area.

But in Marjah at the same time there was also a ground assault, most of it using some very heavy breaching equipment. And you were just saying that for the first time really the U.S. has advertised that this offensive was going to happen. That, of course, gave the Taliban a lot of time to lay improvised explosive devices around that area really to make life very hard for the marines who are moving in.

They have been using some very heavy breaching equipment to try and get through those fields of improvised explosive devices. I know you were talking to Atia a little bit earlier. She called it the IED belt around Marjah, and that certainly appears to be what is going on there.

Nevertheless, NATO says it's very pleased with the way things are going. You were already saying five Taliban insurgents have been killed. At least eight have been captured up to this point. And the other thing that NATO is saying is that it's finding a lot of weapons. It's already found a lot of artillery shells. It's found other kinds of ammunitions, rifles, and it's also found things like drugs there in that area.

So certainly this operation right now, T.J., is ongoing. The sweeps are ongoing in that area, as the NATO forces, as the U.S. marines are trying to strengthen their grip on this strategically important part of Helmand Province, T.J.

HOLMES: Strategically important, and it's amazing to hear from the coalition commanders that they are saying it's going so well. Even in some reports, they say it's going better than they could have even imagined. Our Frederik Pleitgen for us, we appreciate you this morning.

NGUYEN: Well as we mentioned, U.S. marines are part of this offensive, so let's bring in our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr. And, Barbara, we have heard this morning about two coalition deaths, one including a U.S. -- member of the U.S. troops there. Yet at the same time we're hearing that this plan is going just according to schedule. Give us the latest on what you're learning.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, that is correct, Betty. One marine losing his life in combat to small arms fire, another soldier believed to be a British troop losing his life in an IED attack. These are the kinds of threats that the troops are facing on the ground.

But let's start to put some of this into a longer-term context and look at the longer-term goals, because while commanders say these initial hours of combat are going well, these are really just the first steps. In fact, the top British commander for the region in southern Afghanistan offered a much broader view of a day ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJ. GEN. NICK PATRICK CARTER, NATO COMMANDER, SOUTHERN AFGHANISTAN: And what we're trying to do here is to win the argument for people's minds. And what needs to happen here is that the government of Afghanistan needs to persuade its people that it would be better off being under the government than under the forces on the insurgent.

So it's actually right and proper that these sorts of operations should be announced up front and people should have it explained to them what the benefits will be of the government arriving and asserting authority in that way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: Benefits of the government arriving. Betty, that is the really critical long-term goal of these combat operations. Move in, get the combat over and done with, and then get the Afghan government to move in with aid, economic benefits, security, assistance to the farmers, and the people of this region to convince them that they have a working, functioning Afghan government that can provide security for them, look after them, and keep the Taliban away over the long term.

So, while the initial hours of combat may be going very well according to commanders, there is this much longer-term challenge out there. And General McChrystal will tell you that's what he is focusing on in the weeks and months ahead, getting the Afghan government to take charge. Betty?

NGUYEN: Yeah, but, Barbara, that sounds great on paper, but when you put it into reality, the civilians there have worked side by side with the Taliban, which has set up a shadow government in that area, providing schools, providing jobs, helping them with the poppy growing, which leads to opium and then onto heroin. It's very lucrative. So why would they want to give that up for a government that many of them distrust?

STARR: Well, that is why when the commanders say it's going well, it's going as expected in these initial hours, one needs to look at that very carefully because, while the combat may be going well, it is this longer-term challenge that is really going to determine whether the policy and the strategy that the Obama administration has laid down is going to be successful.

Because it is only making this strategy work of Afghans taking over that is going to lead to the ability for U.S. troops to come home. You're absolutely right. The farmers, the people in this region, some embrace the Taliban, some have been intimidated and coerced into planting poppy crops, into working with the Taliban. The -- one of the keys here is whether they can offer the farmers an alternative crop. They hope they can. They hope it will be wheat.

But is this really going to work over the long term? Is the Afghan government really going to step up? I think everyone will tell you that is very problematic right now, Betty.

NGUYEN: No doubt. All right. CNN's Barbara Starr joining us live. Barbara, we always appreciate your insight, thank you.

HOLMES: Well an assistant biology professor facing murder charges after a deadly shooting at the University of Alabama at Huntsville. Local television reports that suspect is Amy Bishop, who says she was angry after being denied tenure. Three faculty members shot and killed in that shooting yesterday. Two other faculty members and a staff assistant were wounded. The university has canceled next week's classes and athletic events. It's also offering counseling.

Turn to Florida now where a shooting rampage and carjacking overnight in Tampa left a 19-year-old woman dead. Sheriff's officials there say the suspect is in jail and facing an array of charges including first-degree murder. According to officials, the rampage began just after 6:30 last night when a woman was shot and killed while sitting in her car. Before all the shooting was done, two other people had been shot and a vehicle was carjacked. The other two victims both in critical condition.

NGUYEN: Saturday morning, people are shoveling out. They're trying to get as much snow off of that driveway, while others want to keep it there for a little while, because they are slipping and sliding, some sledding through it. You know, we haven't seen this much snow in a long time, especially down here in the Deep South.

Bonnie Schneider joins us now. She's filling in for Reynolds Wolf today. And Bonnie, we are hearing there's some snow on the ground in just about every state.

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: So, why are today's attacks by U.S. troops in Afghanistan so critical to the mission there? We are digging deep right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: We've been telling you about that military offensive that's underway right now in Afghanistan. The target is a city of up to 100,000 people there in southern Afghanistan.

NGUYEN: Yeah. CNN's Tom Foreman tells us why Marjah is so important to NATO and the Afghan government.

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Betty, T.J., this is really ground zero for this, Helmand Province in Afghanistan. Why does that matter so much? Well, first, look at where the U.S. troops have been in this country. Up here along the Pakistan border near Kabul, the capital, and obviously down in the south. They've been there because that is where the Taliban is strong as you can see in the red sections here.

And now they're going after a real stronghold of the Taliban, Marjah. About 125,000 people live here. This is an opium-producing area, so it's been a source of funding for the Taliban, also for weapons running here. So what is the plan for attacking it while keeping the civilian casualties to a minimum?

Well the idea is that they're going to circle the city first and then they'll strike in with helicopters from different sites outside and with specialized strike forces increasing pressure on the inside, trying to keep down civilian casualties and yet put pressure on the Taliban. Maybe the pressure makes them flee. Maybe they stand and fight. We'll find out.

We do know already that there are targets here that really matter a great deal. For example, they're going to pay a lot of attention to potential choke points and transportation points like bridges, like this one right over here. They're also going to pay a lot of attention to things like roads that become critical for people moving out.

For example, this one right here runs from Marjah up to Lascarga (ph) and many of the refugees have been fleeing this area, have already been going out this way. So these are critical things that they're going to have to watch as they strike this area. What will they find? That's the big question. As these days go on and this attack continues, there's always a big question mark about the degree to which people will stand and fight and the degree to which they will flee.

And one of the best ways to know that is to look back at history. If we fly over Iran here, over to Iraq, you can see the town of Fallujah, where there was also a similar strategy in the past where they surrounded the town some years ago in a major, major battle, trying to get the insurgents there. They also came collapsing in from the outside. They thought at the time that many of the insurgents would flee. Many of them did not and a battle that was supposed to last only 90 hours in fact went on for many weeks -- Betty, T.J.?

NGUYEN: All right. Thanks, Tom. Now we know NATO troops are already in Marjah. I want to get more on what they're up against in this offensive, and to do that, let me bring in Retired General George Joulwan. He is a former NATO supreme allied commander.

And General, we got the idea of the plan of attack there with Tom Foreman, but give us a sense of what these troops face on the ground because there are land mines, there are canals, there is possibly going to be house-to-house combat. We've already heard about a little bit of that. Give us an idea of the difficulties that they face.

RET. GEN. GEORGE JOULWAN, U.S. ARMY: You mentioned many of them. I think one of the key problems they're going to face is a different side -- support from the people. Will the people in the town rally to their side when they see Afghan troops in front and with NATO troops? I think that's going to be the challenge, because it's that actionable intelligence you get from the people that will not only limit casualties but demonstrate a sense of cooperation from the people.

NGUYEN: Well, general, we've heard that only about 100 families have left, and they're totaling that to maybe 1,000 people. So the remainder, this is a town of about 80,000 people, the remainder are still there, so if they were indeed wanting to assist in this offensive with the coalition forces, don't you think they might have left and let them go and do the job of it? The ones that have remained behind, is it safe to assume that many of them are on the side of the Taliban?

JOULWAN: I would not assume that.

NGUYEN: No, OK.

JOULWAN: I think it's going to be extremely important because for the first time now, we have Afghan forces, security forces, with coalition forces, and this is a NATO operation, the NATO British general in charge of what's happening there. And there are other allies involved. But it's the Afghan forces that are going to make a difference, and time will tell. It's extremely important that the Afghans see their own security forces with American forces in Marjah.

NGUYEN: Do you truly think that's going to be a difference, them seeing their own forces there, coming in, and this talk of the Afghan government coming in and setting up shop and making this something that is tried-and-true? Because this is a town that has pretty much operated under a Taliban shadow government. The Taliban has provided them with food, they provide them with job, with schools. They've also helped them with their poppy crops.

JOULWAN: I've been listening to this commentary for some time, and I understand what you're saying. However, if the planning was done, and in this case every -- I have every assurance that in the planning for this operation, not just the military were included but all those other civilian agencies to include the Afghan agencies but also NGOs and international agencies were involved in the planning.

That's the first time this has been done. We normally go in, the military duds its thing, and then weeks or months later or longer, in comes civilian aid. That is not happening in this case. And we'll see what happens. We're only in day one. But if that linkage is there, I think we're going to see a different outcome in Marjah.

NGUYEN: And if they do become successful, this being coalition forces, at rooting out the Taliban in that particular city, what is the fear about them going into other cities and setting up shop there? Obviously that's something that has to cross their mind.

JOULWAN: I would think the fear is gone. I would think they would welcome an Afghan assertiveness here where they are going to really demonstrate in this particular Helmand Province that they can establish in time the rule of law, some sort of basic services. All that is in the plan.

But first you need to have a secure environment. And then rapidly, these other agencies have to come in. I think if they're successful this can have a profound effect on all of Helmand Province and later in Kandahar and elsewhere within the region. It is -- you have to look at the more strategic picture of what is trying to get done.

NGUYEN: Gotcha, all right, General Joulwan, thank you for your time today. We do appreciate it.

JOULWAN: My pleasure.

HOLMES: Well, who is in, who is out in some big congressional races? We have some developments this week that could change the future of things like health care and the economy. We're looking into it, just ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM. Stay here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Check the top stories for you right now. A U.S. marine and British soldier have died in a major NATO offensive in southern Afghanistan. Afghan and NATO forces, including nearly 5,000 U.S. troops, launched the operation early today in Marjah, a Taliban stronghold that is so dominated by drug money, its nicknamed the heroin breadbasket of Afghanistan.

HOLMES: Well, Toyota. Another recall from Toyota to tell you about. The automaker has announced a voluntary safety recall of about 8,000 four-wheel drive Tacoma trucks for potential problems in the front drive shaft. The recall affects select 2010 models. Toyota says all inspections and repairs will be made free of charge. It's the latest in a series of recalls for Toyota totaling more than 8 million recalls worldwide.

NGUYEN: Revealing letters from the late Princess Diana will hit the auction block in London in just a few minutes, in fact. The notes were written to her personal beautician and chauffeur. In the correspondence, the princess reveals she can't resist opening presents early and has trouble coping with media attention. The bids, expected to range from $300 to $2,300. We'll get another check of the top stories in 20 minutes.

HOLMES: Guess what we're going to talk about now? Yes, politics. The list of Democrats not running for re-election got a little longer this week. Rhode Island's Patrick Kennedy announced he's finished with his current term when it ends and his term expires. He's had what, Paul, this is eight terms he's had? Do I have that right?

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: You are correct, my friend.

HOLMES: Well, my goodness. What are we supposed to do now? A lot of these guys make a career out of it, but that's a pretty long run he's had. So what are we supposed to make of this decision?

STEINHAUSER: You know what, let's do the math here. He's 42- years-old, T.J. He spent six years as a state lawmaker up there in Rhode Island. Now 16 years in Congress. Basically you add it all up, he's been basically in politics his whole adult life, half of his life.

So he said in his statement that he wants to have a chance at a personal life, at a private life. He told that to a CNN affiliate WJAR in an interview he did yesterday after he announced he was resigning. He also said that his decision has nothing to do with worries about politics or polls.

Listen, we know it's a tough year for incumbents. He's had pretty easy re-elections up there in Rhode Island. This one probably was going to be a little bit tougher, but he said that wasn't anything to do with the decision. But as a true politician, T.J., he did not rule out a return to public life in the future.

HOLMES: Can't ever rule it out because the media will pull that out and throw it in your face as soon as you change your name.

STEINHAUSER: Yep.

HOLMES: Well how does Congress, how are they faring right now with the American people? Like you said, some of the incumbents might have a tough time come November. So I assume that means that Americans don't feel too good about what's going on in Congress.

STEINHAUSER: Yes, with the economy the way it's been in a rough way these last years, there is a really bad, tough anti-incumbent mood. Take a look at this poll from CNN/Opinion Research Corporation. We did it about two or three weeks ago. Forty-eight percent, nearly half the people we questioned, said they're angry at both parties.

Another 11 percent at only the Republicans and another 9 percent at the Democrats. That's seven out of 10 Americans say you know what, we're angry. So you can see right there, that is proof, evidence that there is a tough climate here for any incumbent who wants to run for reelection, T.J.

HOLMES: How about John McCain, Senator McCain out there in Arizona? His constituents upset with him?

STEINHAUSER: This is interesting. John McCain, it was just two years ago he was running for the president and he was his party's nominee for the presidency. He's up for re-election this November. Come Monday, John McCain is going to get a challenge from the right. Former congressman out there, a guy called J.D. Hayworth, who has been a conservative radio talk show host the last couple of years.

He's going to announce officially he's going to challenge McCain in the primaries. McCain is already facing a challenge on the right from another guy called Chris Simcox, who was one of the cofounders of the Minutemen Organization. They are those people who patrol the border to keep out illegal immigrants. So John McCain finding that he's going to have some challenges on the right as he seeks re- election, T.J.

HOLMES: All right. Paul Steinhauser, again, always good to see you, our deputy political director. We'll talk to you again soon, buddy.

STEINHAUSER: Thanks.

NGUYEN: All right. That what's at stake for the future of President Obama's Afghanistan strategy today? Well, we are live from the White House with answers to that, right here on the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: And of course this morning, we have been following closely that major offensive that is under way right now in southern Afghanistan.

NGUYEN: Yes, U.S. troops playing a big role there. And our Kate Bolduan is at the White House. Kate, we've been talking all morning long about what is politically at stake. This now is President Obama's war. KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You're absolutely right, Betty, and although he reluctantly accepted it and took it, this is President Obama's war, bottom line, and there is a lot on the line here. If you'll remember, President Obama set a deadline of next summer to begin pulling troops out of Afghanistan. And this operation is the first major offensive since President Obama announced he was committing 30,000 additional troops to the area.

So it really can be seen as a test of the president's revamped, reworked, and larger strategy in the region. So when you look at this operation, this -- you know, this specific operation, this initial move as well as the broader mission, it really has to do with ousting the Taliban, bringing security to the country of Afghanistan, and handing over the security to the Afghan people and especially the Afghan government.

All of that needs to happen and is essential in seeing progress and success in doing so before President Obama can reach that ultimate goal of starting to withdraw troops come July 2011, and so that is a lot at stake in this deadline that President Obama himself has set.

NGUYEN: Yeah. The deadline is fast approaching. But also the president's been talking about a number of thins. We've got the economy. We've got the health care bill. How does he win support for this now?

BOLDUAN: Right, especially with all that is on the president's plate and his agenda. When you're looking at support for this operation and a larger view of the war in Afghanistan, it's tough right now.

The American people in the most recent CNN poll that was conducted about a month ago, the majority of American people are opposed to the war in Afghanistan. And when you see these types of things, the casualties that have already been suffered early on in this operation, that does not help to bolster support for such a war and such an operation.

The American people, bottom line, will need to see some success, some progress in this operation to start beginning to support -- or try to get their support back. It really has to do with getting the American people to understand why we're in this fight and why it's worth it, and that is a tough go for the president. And of course the White House you know will continue to work at that as this operation and others continue.

NGUYEN: All right, Kate Bolduan joining us live from Washington. Kate, thanks.

BOLDUAN: Thanks, Betty.

HOLMES: A historic mission. That's exactly what the NATO commander says about this new major operation that's under way right now.

NGUYEN: Yes, our Josh Levs joins us now with that and how you can actually follow this war online. How do you do that, Josh?

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, you know, I'll tell you, there's one site at CNN.com that has a lot about it. And it's such a complicated war and this mission itself is so complicated. What I want to do now is kind of recap some of the major points about it and then show you how you can get all these things yourself.

First let's go to this map because I want to remind everyone where we're talking about. It's been a lot of years. You've been hearing a lot about activities inside Afghanistan. We're zooming way in right now to the mission that you've been hearing about down in Helmand Province and you're familiar with Marjah, you've been hearing us talk about this. This is where this is focusing right now.

And we've gotten a lot of photos that you're going to see now from the U.S. military that is providing these and showing us some of what's been going on, some of the activities in advance of this, and also some of the activities that are going under way since the operation began. The military has been making a lot of photos, particularly yesterday in advance of the official beginning of this.

A lot of these photos available and really doing a lot to get out the word including online. One of the thing we saw released by the military is a British commander inside NATO talking to his troops in advance of this mission and laying out for them the pretty big -- the big significance of this mission.

Let's listen to what he says.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. COL. NICK LOCK, COMMANDER, ROYAL WELSH BATTLE GORUP: We are really at a point, at a tipping point in the future of the campaign, and I'm absolutely convinced of the necessity for this mission because by doing this and clearing this particular area, we will ensure that we have the government of Afghanistan influence right the way through central Helmand.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEVS: There you go, laying out in pretty simple terms exactly what everyone is looking for. And he says it's a historic mission. He says he knows the troops can do this and that effectively is what this is all about there on the ground.

Now, how can you see all this yourself and also follow every development? Well that's all right here at one easy Web site, CNN.com/Afghanistan. Let's zoom in for a second. I just want you to see a few of the features that we have here.

First of all, this main section is being updated all the time with the latest blogs from the region and the latest information from all sorts of places including this operation and elsewhere. We also have a photo spotlight that takes you to some of the most interesting images and some reminders that life still goes on inside the whole country of Afghanistan. I really like this photo a lot. We talked about one shattered palace in Afghanistan and how it mirrors efforts to rebuild Kabul. And finally something I'll tell you guys more about next hour. We have a site in which we point to every single coalition troop who has given his or her life in the Afghanistan war, let you guys know more about that at the top of the hour -- Betty, T.J.?

NGUYEN: All right, very good stuff there, Josh, thank you.

HOLMES: Want to turn back to some weather now. As we know, the South is getting hit right now with a lot of weather. We want to share some of the pictures we are getting into us this morning. This is coming from across the South.

NGUYEN: Oh, that is beautiful.

HOLMES: That is gorgeous. Fayetteville, North Carolina, a lovely look downtown there. Been hit are with a lot of snow and ice. This morning, one lane of the nearby highway, that is Interstate 95 had to be shut down because of an accident.

NGUYEN: And it is a record breaker folks in Dallas, looking a little more like Denver this time of year. This storm get this, dumped more than 12 inches, making this the snowiest winter in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area since the late 1970s.

HOLMES: And then we'll turn to Alabama now. Snow prompted officials in several counties to ask drivers to stay off the roads. That guy didn't get the memo, clearly. In Mobile County, 60 miles north of the Gulf of Mexico, the system also dumped six inches of snow. All these pictures are gorgeous, though.

NGUYEN: Yes, it's terrific to look at, not so good to drive on. And I hear, Bonnie, there's more of it coming to certain areas.

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: So you may have never heard of them, but within a week they might just become household names all over the world.

HOLMES: We're talking about these Olympians. And always somebody stands out, somebody jumps out, somebody is the breakout star. We'll show you some of them, stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Taking a look at some of the top stories this morning, an assistant college professor at the University of Alabama in Huntsville facing murder charges in the shooting deaths of three fellow faculty members. Police say Amy Bishop also wounded three other university employees. The local TV station reporting that Bishop was angry about being denied tenure. The university has canceled classes and athletic events for the next week.

In the Republican Party's weekly address, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham says suspected terrorists should not be tried in civilian courts, citing cost concerns and possible intelligence compromises. Graham says military commissions should be used instead. Graham says it is a mistake to try the 9/11 alleged mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in New York court as the government plans to do.

And also the 2010 winter games off to a horrible, horrible start, overshadowed really by the death of an athlete there. You're seeing the accident here. But that is a 21-year-old luger from the Republic of Georgia.

And what you are seeing there was his practice run. He was in the last turn of that track, that luge track, and he lost control, went flying, actually his body flew into a metal pole and they were not able to revive him. The International Olympic Committee says the luge track will reopen later today, saying no deficiencies were found with that track.

NGUYEN: Well, you know, the games have begun and the world is watching as the Vancouver Olympics get under way. And our Josh Levs watching, as well, because all of us want to see who's going to become the darling, if you will, of these games.

LEVS: I love what happens at the Olympics, it's so interesting because people have never heard of these people, right, and then they're household names within, what, a week.

NGUYEN: After a gold medal two.

LEVS: Exactly. It takes a gold medal or some shining moment with a big smile and it becomes iconic. And you know, the Olympics is the coolest thing, the world gets together and does.

Let me show you how you can follow all the specifics in one place at CNN.com. I love this spread we have for you at CNN.com/olympics. Let's zoom into the screen here. As soon as you get there, you're going to see all sorts of information about the winter games and we hook you up to a lot of individual stories.

Let me take you first to this area right here, that talks about Olympians to watch. What I like about this is it starts off with a couple you've probably heard of, Apolo Anton Ohno, you know about him. You know about Lindsey Vonn. But when you move on a little bit, you may not know about some of these people. Kim Yu-Na is a figure skater -- speed skater, rather -- figure skater, out of South Korea.

And let's jump over here. Sidney Crosby, if you follow "Sports Illustrated," you might know about him. Canada posting a lot of their hopes for ice hockey on his shoulders. And speaking of "Sports Illustrated," a lot of you might not realize, "Sports Illustrated's" Web site is part of ours, CNN.com.

So when you're at CNN.com/Olympics on your screen, you're actually going to get over to the stories from "Sports Illustrated" with a lot of specifics here, including some pretty amazing shots of the U.S. Olympic snowboarding team. I'm loving this just because the pictures are so cool. Look at that. And before we go, let me jump over here. They have a huge spread on figure skaters because it is often the single most watched sport in the entire world. This is Jeremy Abbott leading the U.S. in there. And also, one more thing I want to show you here before we go to some video. You might not be able to see it because it's so tiny, but we have this medal tracker here that tracks the medals.

Oh, you can see it. Check it out. Last time around, 2006, Germany was the winner when it comes to the medals. U.S. was all the way down there at second. And if you zoom over, you'll see we break down for you, gold, silver and bronze. And throughout the games, it's going to be done continuously. If you ever want to know how that medal count is going, it's all going to be right there for you guys.

Betty, T.J., it's all going to be up there, CNN.com/Olympics. I know I'll be checking it all the time.

NGUYEN: I love technology. Stay on top of everything, OK, thank you, Josh.

LEVS: Thanks, guys.

HOLMES: Well coming up here next, Harlem. We all know it's the cultural heart of black America, but the face of Harlem is changing. We'll show you why.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: All right. It's that time for Mrs. Fredricka Whitfield.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: That's right.

NGUYEN: It's that time.

WHITFIELD: The noon Eastern hour begins, the 11:00 Eastern hour ends, the transition begins.

NGUYEN: Here we go.

WHITFIELD: Good to see you guys.

HOLMES: Good to see you too.

WHITFIELD: We've got a lot coming up in the noon Eastern hour as the offensive in Afghanistan starts to heat up, a victory of sorts for a U.S. military mom. She was facing a court-martial because she was unable, she said, to deploy to Afghanistan because of her child care needs. She didn't have anybody to take care of her little son there.

Well, there has been a decision made. Our legal guys are going to weigh in on that one. It really is a tough story. But this is one that also could have, you know, far-reaching implications because there are certainly a lot of other U.S. military people who are in the same situation.

And what's it like for Olympians in Vancouver right now especially after that luge fatality just as the Olympic games were to begin?

NGUYEN: Yes, it's devastating.

WHITFIELD: We're going to be joined -- it is devastating. And there are ripple effects too because it's difficult to try and concentrate on your game when you're an Olympian and you've heard about this kind of tragedy.

NGUYEN: Or if you're even in that particular competition and you're going to be competing tonight on that same track. Second guesses, right?

WHITFIELD: So silver medalist Canadian Elvis Stojko, if you remember him as a skater, he's going to be joining us to talk about those kind of early game jitters and how an athlete upon hearing news like what took place just the day before the opening ceremonies, how an Olympian kind of stays on track.

And then we're going to take you into the 2 p.m. Eastern hour. You want to set your remote control, your DVR, all that good stuff. "We are the World," you may have seen a portion of it during the opening ceremonies last night, 2:00 Eastern Time, simulcast of the entire eight-minute or so piece of artistry here. Miley Cyrus, Jennifer Hudson so, many names. Wyclef Jean, the list goes on, Celine Dion, you're going to see more of that, 2:00 Eastern Time right here on CNN.

NGUYEN: How long has it been, 25 years since the original one?

WHITFIELD: Yes, 25 years, and you saw, if you were watching the opening ceremonies last night, you still see a little bit of Michael Jackson in there. I mean, he is part of the original, right, well he was the writer of "We Are the World." So you see some of him, paying homage to him, and Janet Jackson. So you're going to see more of it, 2:00 Eastern Time. So don't go home and nap because I know that's what you traditionally do about this time.

NGUYEN: Well, there are things such as DVR, right?

WHITFIELD: DVR.

NGUYEN: But I will be watching you, how can I not?

WHITFIELD: Oh, yeah. OK good, I like that.

HOLMES: All right, we'll see you in just a second.

WHITFIELD: Have a good one.

HOLMES: Well, Harlem of course has long been the hub of African- American culture, but the face of Harlem is changing a bit here.

NGUYEN: Yes, Stephanie Elam heads uptown to take a look at a community in transition.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Harlem. It's the birthplace of jazz and home to the Cotton Club. It's where Malcolm X led his flock and it's also the backdrop of movies like "Mo' Better Blues"...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was rich but wasn't white-man rich.

ELAM: And "American Gangster." Since the '20s, Harlem has been the cultural heart of black America, but now it seems its blackness is getting diluted.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I live here because the rent is great for the amount of space I get.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't think Harlem will ever be completely taken away from black folks.

ELAM: But according to "The New York Times," the number of blacks living in Harlem peaked as the majority of the population in 1970. By 2008, only four in 10 Harlemites were black.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Harlem is only going to change. It's becoming whiter and more multicultural for sure.

REVEREND CALVIN BUTTS, ABYSINNIAN BAPTIST CHURCH: It will be Harlem.

ELAM: Reverend Calvin Butts of Abyssinian Baptist Church said while Manhattan's tight housing market has led to the changing of Harlem, gentrification isn't always understood.

BUTTS: You've got to realize that gentrification is not just white people. The gentry is made up of those who can afford. The people of African descent who are concerned about white gentry. You must also remember that black people never owned Harlem. And if you want to control it, you got to own it.

ELAM: But race aside, Harlem business owners want to see residents spend their money at local shops in the community and not at the big box chain store.

JAI JAI RAMSEY GREENFIELD, BUSINESS OWNER: As a business owner, I want wine drinkers. Regardless of what color, shape or form that they are, but I do think, and I'm saying this not only as a business owner of Harlem, but also a resident of Harlem, I want to see people who are moving into Harlem who appreciate and respect Harlem's history.

ABAGAIL FRANKLIN, LONG-TIME HARLEM RESIDENT: It wasn't fancy at all.

ELAM: Abagail Franklin has lived in Harlem for 25 years. She and her husband raised their two sons here, and she says they enjoy a multicultural view of the world.

FRANKLIN: I was relatively fearless about wanting to be part of a mix of different cultures and races. I felt much more of a pioneer when I was doing it.

ELAM: Harlem's importance to the American fabric also attracts people from other countries. Ethiopian-born and Swedish-raised, world renowned chef Marcus Samuelsson now calls Harlem home.

MARCUS SAMUELSSON, CHEF: Now I'm living here and I'm part of this community where people are moving up here, and it's exciting and I feel like it's a new era.

ELAM: So, will Harlem ever lose its place as the black Mecca?

BUTTS: It could. But no time soon. No time soon.

ELAM: All kinds of people are hoping he's right. Stephanie Elam, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Well, you know, sometimes love is sweeter the second time around.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I mean, do you still have sex?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: You should have given me a head heads up to what was coming.

NGUYEN: Did she say what I think she just said? All righty then, well, a couple gets a second chance at a whole lot of romance.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: All right. So it is the eve of Valentine's Day and we have a touching story for you, a love story. A couple who loved, then lost, and then found love again.

HOLMES: Jaye Watson of the affiliate WXIA introduces us to a 90- year-old couple blissfully in the prime of their love lives.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAYE WATSON, WXIA-TV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The first Friday of the month, dance night at the Roswell Recreation Center for the 50- and-over crowd. One might assume many of these couples have spent a lifetime dancing together. But it took Elise and Peter Eaves 71 years to get here.

ELISE EAVES, FOUND LONG-LOST LOVE: I was leaning over the piano watching somebody play when he walked up.

WATSON: It was 1938 when Elise and Peter first met. E. EAVES: I thought he was cute.

PETER EAVES, FOUND LONG-LOST LOVE: She's a beauty, and we just fit together when we danced so well.

E. EAVES: He was very persistent, and he asked me out, and then he just put the pressure on.

WATSON: They fell in love and got engaged, then Peter was drafted in 1941. While he was gone, Elise's mother pressured her.

E. EAVES: My mother did not like him. She kept telling me that he would not make me happy, he would not be a good husband.

WATSON: She broke the engagement.

E. EAVES: Back then, you thought your mother knew best.

P. EAVES: Well, it felt like a knife had been stuck in my heart, of course.

WATSON: Peter returned from the war. He and Elise lived separate, yet parallel, lives, finding love with other people, marrying and having children. The years flew by but their love for each other remained.

P. EAVES: Elise was always in the back of my mind.

E. EAVES: I still carried the love for him. I think you can love more than one man.

WATSON: Peter's wife died.

E. EAVES: So, I called him to offer my condolences. And nine months later, my husband died.

WATSON (off camera): How long did you wait after her husband died before you contacted her?

P. EAVES: About 15 minutes after I heard the news.

WATSON (voice-over): Fifty-seven years later, a second chance.

E. EAVES: Picked up where we left off. It was like we hadn't been apart.

P. EAVES: Yes.

E. EAVES: All those years.

P. EAVES: We felt like teenagers again really.

E. EAVES: Really.

WATSON: Peter proposed again with the same ring. He'd kept it all those years. P. EAVES: Well, it's very important. It makes a story complete, doesn't it?

WATSON: They married at 75. At 90, they are celebrating their 15th anniversary this month.

(off camera): And how's your health?

P. EAVES: Good.

E. EAVES: Good.

P. EAVES: We have good health. We're very fortunate that way.

E. EAVES: Don't have a walker yet.

(LAUGHTER)

WATSON: As for romance...

(off camera): ... Do you still have sex?

E. EAVES: Yes. At the advice of our doctor, every time we get a physical.

WATSON (voice-over): But the rhythm of daily life, often taken for granted, isn't when you've had to wait a lifetime to get it. Theirs is a love affair delayed more than half a century, but that love prevailed, allowing Peter and Elise to save the last dance for each other.

P. EAVES: The best years of our life have been the ones we've spent together, I think.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: I am in awe. That is the sweetest story.

HOLMES: Take it, I can't.

NGUYEN: I know, Fred, even Fred, you were yelling out, ow.

WHITFIELD: I have a toothache, I mean a cavity. That was so sweet.

NGUYEN: So sweet.

WHITFIELD: That was sweet. That's like everlasting love.

NGUYEN: Yes, and it shows you can't find love. It was just meant to be, apparently.

WHITFIELD: I love that story. I could see that again. We're going to make room for that again throughout the day.

NGUYEN: Definitely. WHITFIELD: I'm going to play it over, and over, and over again. And I want to make sure, T.J., that you watch it over and over and over again. Because I can tell, you're speechless.

HOLMES: It was a very good, very sweet story.

WHITFIELD: That was sweet, I love it. All right, guys, have a great day.

NGUYEN: You too.

WHITFIELD: Happy Valentine's weekend.