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NATO on the Offensive in Afghanistan; U.S., British, Afghan Forces Launch Major Offensive to Drive Taliban From Opium Region; Fatal Luge Accident Takes Place at the Winter Olympics
Aired February 13, 2010 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And CNN's Mark McKay is actually standing by in Vancouver with more on that fatal luge accident taking place during these winter games. It's brought a somber tone to the first few days of the Olympics. We'll get back to that in a minute. But first a look at the headlines.
A major NATO offensive is happening right now in Afghanistan. One U.S. Marine and one British soldier have been killed, but a British general says the assault is making progress.
And the south, at least here in this country, digging out from yesterday's winter storm. Snow and ice are melting today in many places, but it could refreeze overnight. And now back to the Olympics, the winter games under way right now in Vancouver.
After a dazzling opening ceremony last night, during that ceremony, there was dedication to the athlete from the Republic of Georgia who died in a horrific luge accident during practice. CNN's sports reporter Mark McKay is joining us now from Vancouver. Good to see you.
We are hearing the sliding centre, the luge track, has been inspected and actually reopened. But give us an idea of some of the changes under way as a result.
MARK MCKAY, CNN SPORTS: That is the key. Fred, yes, changes have been made in light of that tragedy that occurred Friday about six hours before opening ceremony on the Whistler Sliding Centre. Authorities concluded their investigation, and they concluded there were no deficiencies in the track that caused that young man from the Republic of Georgia to lose his life.
There were a couple of changes that were made. A wall has been erected in the turn, turn 16, where he did die. The padding in which the Olympian hit has now - there was no padding there yesterday. There is padding there. And perhaps more importantly, Fred, is that they moved the starting point for the men's luge to the women's starting point. What it's produced is the desired effect on the part of organizers, the speeds have come down.
During training today, no one's gotten over 90 miles per hour. Before today and all week long, everybody was talking about how fast the track was. These luge competitors were hitting 95 and above, and it was estimated that the Republic of Georgia competitor was at about 88 when he lost his life yesterday. So it has brought the speeds down as they go through training. They are set to run the men's final tonight in Whistler, Fred.
WHITFIELD: So I wonder, by making everyone start at the women's starting point, does that change the distance of the course?
MCKAY: It does do that, and it also - you know, it compacts it as they head down the hill. So the measure of safety has been increased in a very dangerous sport. This is very, you know, touch and go, especially in this sport. And one other note, you know, the Georgian's teammates, his luge teammate is actually there at the track.
There's no official word as to whether he will compete or not. He is wearing a black armband in memory of his fallen comrade, Fred.
WHITFIELD: You can't help but wonder whether that would kind of rattle, you know, the confidence of any of the Olympians who may be taking to that track. Let's talk about another sport and another star. Apolo Ohno expected to speed skate this evening. If he were to win, it makes him one of the most decorated winter Olympians, right?
MCKAY: One of the most and certainly the most decorated male Olympian on the United States squad in U.S. history for the winter games, Fred. He is in his third Olympics. And Apolo Anton Ohno, not satisfied with winning the "Dancing with the Stars" title, he wants some more medals here in Vancouver. He'll be racing tonight in the 1,500 meter speed skate final. And we'll see if he gets either the gold, silver, or bronze, which would take him to the very top when it comes to male athletes here in the United States, when it comes to the winter Olympics.
It's a homecoming of sorts for him, Fred. He first laced up the skates right here in the Pacific northwest. I'm sure he'll feed off the home ice advantage, if you will.
WHITFIELD: Yes, I love how he said that means his career is kind of full circle if this ends up being his last Olympic games, because of his start. At the same time, I saw an interesting interview with him where he talked about the "Dancing with the Stars." That actually inspired him to continue on toward this game. So it's interesting how the dancing and the skating have kind of come together for him on that.
MCKAY: At least there's skating going on. That will be happening indoors, like the opening ceremony, Fred. Unfortunately, one of the marquee events that we always look forward to at a winter games, the men's downhill, that has been scrubbed because of a slushy course up on Whistler. So really, Alpine organizers now are facing a schedule where they might have to race seven events in seven days.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness.
MCKAY: That will be ambitious indeed.
WHITFIELD: That's going to be incredible.
MCKAY: I want to know where you are. Do I only get to see you at summer Olympics? Do you not want to deal with, what, snow?
WHITFIELD: Oh, no. I love snow. We'll see if it works out. I kind of went to Vancouver as a prelude to kind of scope things out just in time for the Olympic games. So we'll see if we connect.
MCKAY: That would be great.
WHITFIELD: Mark McKay, good to see you. Thanks so much. Appreciate that. From Vancouver.
All right. Let's talk Afghanistan now, where some of the military spokespeople are saying so far, so good. At least that's what a British military spokesperson is saying about the NATO offensive launched today in southern Afghanistan.
A force of 15,000 troops is pushing into an area of Helmand province that's dominated by the Taliban. CNN's Frederik Pleitgen reports now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Under the cover of darkness, NATO and Afghan forces launched a massive air assault on the town of Marjah.
At the same time, ground forces moved in, trying to establish a foothold in what the U.S. calls the last Taliban stronghold in the volatile Helmand province. NATO says its forces are meeting scattered resistance, but the operation is going as planned.
MAJ. GEN. NICK CARTER, NATO COMMANDER, SOUTHERN AFGHANISTAN: It would appear that we caught the insurgents on the hop. He appears to be completely dislocated. A very impressive operation so far. I'm much encouraged how things are going. I would stress this is only the end of the beginning.
PLEITGEN: NATO says several Taliban fighters have been killed, others detained. In one of the largest offensives the coalition has launched since the beginning of the Afghanistan campaign. "Operation Moshtarak," the Dari word for together combined thousands of mostly British and American troops with more than 2,000 Afghan soldiers.
So far, NATO says large numbers of explosives and weapons caches have been seized. The question is will the Taliban retaliate? Prior to the operation, the U.S. Marines said they were ready.
1ST LT. MARK GREENLIEF, U.S. MARINE CORPS: I think we're ready for it. The guys are ready. The morale is high. We'll see what happens in the next few hours.
PLEITGEN: The Afghan government says the key to success is minimizing civilian casualties, that the prize, in fact, is to improve life for civilians as fast as possible. MOHAMMAD GULAB MANGAL, GOVERNOR OF HELMAND PROVINCE (through translator): Our purpose, of course, is to get aid to the civilians, to start the development work as soon as possible and also to reach the area, reach the civilian people, to have good governments in place.
PLEITGEN: NATO says combat operations could end in the coming days.
(on camera): But only the coming months will determine the true success of "Operation Moshtarak." The question is will the Afghan government maintain control, or will the Taliban come back?
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Kabul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right. Arturo Munoz is a political scientist with the RAND Corporation. He spent 29 years with the CIA and recently advised U.S. Marines in Afghanistan's Helmand province. He joins us now from Washington. Good to see you.
ARTURO MUNOZ, SR. POLITICAL SCIENTIST, RAND CORP.: Good to see you.
WHITFIELD: Are you able to share exactly what was advised to the Marines just prior to this operation getting under way?
MUNOZ: Well, certainly. I think the Marines, you know, have stated publicly that the ultimate objective of the Marjah operation is to establish governance in that area, to have a functioning Afghan government, to replace the Taliban government, to replace the Taliban control.
So it's not about the fight. I think they all realize that. I mean, certainly you do have to, you know, engage in military operations in order to, you know, drive out the Taliban physically. But I think everybody understands that that is not going to be the determinant of success. The determinant of success is once the guerrillas are driven out, will Afghan governance take hold?
WHITFIELD: So that means that, if the Taliban is driven out, that means that there has to be some cooperation among the Afghan people who remain in Helmand province. They have to acquiesce, so to speak, to Afghan governance, not Taliban governance. So how does this military operation help secure that?
MUNOZ: Well, the interesting thing is that this military operation has not just been military, that there's also been a political and psychological dimension to this. The Marines and the U.S. military have announced before hand that they're going to move against Marjah. And one reason they did that is they wanted to give time for the local people to take sides.
And we have some very significant declarations by the tribal elders in the Marjah area welcoming the Marines. Before the offensive started. So I think this is very significant that you have tribal elders publicly saying they don't want the Taliban and they do want the U.S. Marines to come in before the Marines come in.
WHITFIELD: But isn't trust big on that, trusting whether the tribal elders mean what they say? Because hasn't intimidation been in part - been why the Taliban has been so successful, particularly in villages, intimidating people to remain in control?
MUNOZ: That's absolutely correct. I mean, the Taliban have established a lot of control through intimidation and what we have to demonstrate now is first of all that there's a benefit to being on the side of the government, that public services will be provided. For example, health clinics, which the people want. They want these things. Development projects. You know, the Taliban doesn't provide that.
WHITFIELD: And is it the coalition forces that is making that promise, or is it the Afghan government behind this offensive being able to make that promise and people actually believe that it will happen?
MUNOZ: Both. This is a joint project. I mean, the military operation is a joint operation with the Afghan Army. I think you have greater Afghan Army participation in this operation than ever before. And on the political side, you also have the Afghan government, as well as U.S. and military officials pretty much on the same theme of we are bringing better governance and better benefits to your area.
WHITFIELD: Arturo Munoz, a political scientist with the RAND Corporation. Appreciate your time and insight. Thanks so much.
MUNOZ: Thank you very much for having me.
WHITFIELD: All right. Many people in the south have a rather uneasy feeling today. Why? They're dealing with something rather rare, snow.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: South Carolina residents have a few new past times today, trying to figure out how long it takes snow to melt or perhaps even how to dig that stuff up. The storm that blanketed much of the south in a rare coat of white dumped up to eight inches in parts of Columbia, South Carolina, in that area. That's pretty extraordinary. That's pretty big.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Oh, yes.
WHITFIELD: That's not a place that generally keeps snow shovels in their garages or even -
JERAS: Right.
WHITFIELD: I don't know, or even snow removers in their cars.
JERAS: Yes. WHITFIELD: This is a big inconvenience for them.
JERAS: A credit card works really well.
WHITFIELD: Yes. Not really, though. Your hands get so cold. I've gone that route before.
JERAS: But you know, speaking of which though, that reminds me of safety. As I'm driving into work this morning, right. I see, you know, maybe a third of the cars that still are covered with snow that people didn't do a good job. So they're driving down the interstate, and all that snow that collected on their cars.
WHITFIELD: You've got to sweep that stuff off.
JERAS: Yes. It flies off behind you.
WHITFIELD: Exactly.
JERAS: Then you freak out because something hit the windshield.
WHITFIELD: Dangerous. We know. We advise.
JERAS: Clear it off or stay home.
WHITFIELD: That's right.
JERAS: Look at some of these numbers, Fredricka. Atlanta, Georgia, 3.5 inches. Macon, two inches. Four inches in Birmingham, Alabama. Jackson, Mississippi, four inches. And five inches in Columbia, South Carolina. So a lot of snow out there. We could see more moisture moving in by tomorrow, but we think for the most part it's going to be of the liquid variety, at least into the deep south. You can see that we've got a nice day today that we've had to dry up and clear out just a little bit.
Temperatures well above freezing. Look at Jackson, Birmingham, and Atlanta, for example, well above the freezing mark. A lot of melting today. Roadways are wet. Hopefully, they're evaporating a little bit as well because tonight those temperatures are going to be dropping down below that freezing mark. And so a big, big warning that black ice is going to be very likely.
If you had snow and you live in and you live in the deep south and some of that melted off today, you're going to have patches of ice that you're not going to be able to see after the sun goes down tonight. And that's going to last through tomorrow morning, especially those shady spots, you know, that don't get quite as much sun. Use a lot and lot of caution continued throughout the weekend.
Want to show you our next weather maker. It's tomorrow's map. It's a little clipper type system. We got high pressure digging down from Canada. As the low moves across from the east, we're going to see heavier snow accumulations maybe up towards St. Louis, Paducah, Kentucky, Cincinnati, Ohio. We could see two to six inches of snowfall in there. Now, the west has their share of seeing some nasty conditions too. We had a lot of storms across the Pacific northwest, bringing very wet weather into the valley, snow into the higher elevations. Now these storms that we've had here, especially up in the Gulf of Alaska, are bringing down these long waves to the shore, and we've had some high surf warnings that are in effect along the coast of California.
Big surf contest is taking place there today, Fredricka. We got some breaking news -
WHITFIELD: Really?
JERAS: Out of California, yes, the Maverick Surf Contest. Really scary video. Here's what happened. There were two massive waves. OK. So we have these big waves already. This combined with high tide, and this pushed all these people onto the beach, into the stage, and into the booths that were set up in this area.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my.
JERAS: Dozens of people were injured. Seven people had broken bones, and at least three people were taken to the hospital for their injuries.
WHITFIELD: Broken bones. That really pushed people.
JERAS: Yes. So thankfully, you know, nobody was killed in this situation because, you know, there's rocky areas in these beaches as well. So people could, you know, hit their heads. When you have so many people trying to get out of one place at one time, very dangerous.
So stay back from the coast when you get these warnings. They're there for a reason.
WHITFIELD: Yes, except they probably were a bit oblivious. They were probably focusing on that event.
JERAS: Yes, they were watching the surfers. It was an incredible show if you saw some of the other video of the surfers out there.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my.
JERAS: They do amazing stuff.
WHITFIELD: Scary stuff. All right. Jacqui Jeras, thanks so much.
JERAS: Sure.
WHITFIELD: Well, particularly on the east coast, snow might be on the ground, but love is in the air this weekend, everywhere.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you're ever with a girl that's too good for you, marry her. So -
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wow.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: So perhaps you're not sure of your Valentine's day plans just yet. How about a flick?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: A quick look at the top stories now. Coalition forces have launched a major offensive against a Taliban strong hold in Afghanistan. A British general says Taliban troops are putting up minimal resistance. But two coalition deaths are reported so far, a U.S. Marine and a British soldier.
A biology professor at the University of Alabama at Huntsville is charged with murder, and authorities probably will file more charges. Police say 45-year-old Amy Bishop Anderson shot and killed three colleagues yesterday and wounded three others. A Huntsville television station reports the suspect was upset because she was denied tenure.
And a new problem for Toyota, this one with four wheel drive pickups. There's now a voluntary recall of about 8,000 Tacoma trucks in North America. Toyota says there's a potential problem in the front drive shaft of some 2010 models. If you have one, the repairs will not cost you anything.
The unlikely offspring of Greek gods are in theaters this weekend along with a new wolfman and some celebrity couples celebrating, of course, Valentine's day this Valentine's weekend. Ben Mankiewicz, host of "Turner Classic Movies," is in Los Angeles with a look at what's playing at the theaters. Good to see you. Happy Valentine's day. We're going to save the romantic comedy toward the end because I know you can't wait.
So let's begin, in the Olympic spirit, with "Percy Jackson and the Olympians, the Lightning Thief."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. This is bad. Come on!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Guys, watch out. The middle one is breathing fire!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get back!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Clearly, I did not know enough about this movie because this is really not the Olympic spirit, not the kind that I had in mind, Ben. What did you think?
BEN MANKIEWICZ, HOST OF "TURNER MOVIE CLASSICS": No, it's not the Olympic spirit in any way. Those were new comers Logan Luhrman, Alexandra Didario, and Brandon Jackson. This is directed by Chris Columbus, who directed the first two "Harry Potter" movies. And I read an interview with him, and he said he was very careful that he didn't want these compared to the Harry Potter movies.
Well, it's the story of mainly Logan Luhrman there, and he learns he's the son of Poseidon, and he has magical powers, as do his two friends, one girl, one guy. And they go on adventures to other worlds with again, his friends also have magical powers, and they fight evil.
I've got news for you, good luck not comparing this to Harry Potter. Here's the thing. It lacks the sort of fantastical spirit of Harry Potter and the sense of adventure of Harry Potter. This movie is certainly not terrible, but I really honestly can't remember wanting a movie to end more.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness.
MANKIEWICZ: I really - plus, you know, it's interesting because the special effects, while I guess they were OK, they seemed sort of pedestrian, and it's almost as if they were announcing, hey, look at these cool special effects. There were also things that seemed to me to be a little too scary for young kids but sort of silly for older kids.
I'm no movie marketer, but I don't quite know what the audience here is because I thought it was a little too scary for eight or nine- year-olds.
WHITFIELD: Yes, that's a little bit mature and scary for a kid.
MANKIEWICZ: Yes and I thought a little - like the scene you saw with those monsters. That scene is too much for eight or nine-year- olds but too silly for 12 and 13-year-olds. I really didn't like this. I thought a lot of really sort of some good actors were wasted. I felt sort of bad for -
WHITFIELD: How much do you not like this? You want to give me a letter grade?
MANKIEWICZ: I didn't like it a lot. I gave it a D-plus.
WHITFIELD: Oww.
MANKIEWICZ: I didn't like it a lot. Catherine Keener is in it. I thought she was wasted. Pierce Brosnan shows up as a half man, half horse.
WHITFIELD: I thought that's who I saw. OK.
MANKIEWICZ: Apparently, I gave it a "D," not even a D-plus. So, I didn't like this at all. I couldn't wait for it to end. WHITFIELD: OK. Let's talk scary, but surely scary for adults, "The Wolfman." Just seeing the trailers, this looks scary. Let's look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hunter, you've got a pistol?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Follow me. Get weapons now!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right away, sir.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: OK. Please tell me you like this because I'm looking forward to this one. I like Benicio del Toro. I like saying his name too.
MANKIEWICZ: Yes, I like Benicio del Toro too. And you saw that scene there with Hugo Weaving. I like Hugo Weaving and I like Anthony Hopkins and I love Emily Blunt. These are four really terrific actors.
WHITFIELD: And so you like the movie?
MANKIEWICZ: You know, look, you're going to think I'm a bit of a curmudgeon. This is a bad time for movies, and I think these are four actors who give uninspired performances in this movie. This has been a troubled production from the start. This movie got under way in sort of 2006. That's when it was commissioned and switched directors ending with Joe Johnson. And there are moments in this movie that will scare you. But they sort of jolt out of nowhere. It really doesn't build any suspense throughout the movie at all.
There are moments that sort of like, oh, ha, you and you get scared. Again, it doesn't build at all in the movie. Sort of when you see "The Wolfman," when the wolf is sort of mysteriously killing people and you see this sort of peculiar figure running through the woods, that's a bit intriguing. When we actually see man changing into the wolf, that all seems sort of silly in many ways.
WHITFIELD: Am I hearing better than a "D"?
MANKIEWICZ: You're definitely hearing better than a "D."
WHITFIELD: OK.
MANKIEWICZ: Because there are moments where it sort of can be fun. It's really a remake of Universal's 1941 "Wolfman" with Lon Chaney Jr.. It's an average movie. It's OK. It is good campy at points.
WHITFIELD: You know what's coming.
MANKIEWICZ: I give it a "C."
WHITFIELD: OK. All right.
MANKIEWICZ: It's an average -
WHITFIELD: You kind of know what's coming. "Wolfman" has been done a gazillion times. You know, it's the thrill of the screen.
MANKIEWICZ: I mean, look, Anthony Hopkins adds - he adds credibility to everything, but again it's sort of we go from full moon to full moon to full moon with no sort of building of suspense or intrigue in between.
WHITFIELD: OK. "Valentine's Day."
MANKIEWICZ: OK.
WHITFIELD: I know how you feel about romantic comedies.
MANKIEWICZ: I don't -
WHITFIELD: My goodness, can you get any bigger about romantic comedies than this, "Valentine's Day" with all these huge stars? You were about to say you don't?
MANKIEWICZ: I like some. I like many romantic comedies.
WHITFIELD: Do we have time for a little sneak peek? Here we go
MANKIEWICZ: Do we? OK.
WHITFIELD: "Valentine's Day."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good evening, sir, ma'am, welcome to the Boulevard. Would you like the four course sweethearts menu or the eight course eternal love?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whoa, slow down. Is there like a one course?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: OK. I like some too. Am I going to like this one?
MANKIEWICZ: There is major star power in this movie. Topher Grace and Anne Hathaway there, and Bradley Cooper, Julia Roberts. I'm going to leave people out. Ashton Kutcher sort of the main star in here. Jennifer Gardner, Shirley MacLaine, Hector Elizondo, I can go on and on.
WHITFIELD: Big names.
MANKIEWICZ: Big stars in this movie.
WHITFIELD: Big payoff? MANKIEWICZ: You know, if the studio was going to ask me for a blurb on this movie, I've sort of summed up what I would say about it. About "Valentine's Day," I would say it's terrible, but I liked it.
WHITFIELD: A good bad.
MANKIEWICZ: It's very, very, very silly. It is incredibly predictable, but I guess maybe I'm a sucker for that star power. I mean, you see every relationship coming. You know exactly what is going to happen, but it's OK.
And there's a moment in this movie with Julia Roberts and Bradley Cooper on an airplane where, you know, you get a moment from Julia Roberts where she tells a joke and she smiles, and you think, my god, she's a movie star. I mean, I know everybody knows that, but I said to my friend. I was sitting next to my friend Michael, and I was like, she is unbelievable. This girl is unbelievable.
WHITFIELD: You can't help thinking about that whole "Pretty Woman."
MANKIEWICZ: She should get an agent. She could be a big star.
WHITFIELD: Call you and get some advice on that, Julia Roberts.
MANKIEWICZ: Exactly.
WHITFIELD: Well, you know, some other big names are going to be in another interesting romantic comedy. We're going to talk about DVD release and talk Vince Vaughn.
MANKIEWICZ: Yes, definitely.
WHITFIELD: For one, we'll talk to you again in a few minutes on that one. Wait, did you give me a letter grade on this one real quick?
MANKIEWICZ: It's C plus. It's better than average.
WHITFIELD: Oh, yes. A C plus.
MANKIEWICZ: It's a fine date movie. Guys can tolerate it. Girls will probably will.
WHITFIELD: All right. DVDs soon.
MANKIEWICZ: OK.
WHITFIELD: Thank you, Ben.
MANKIEWICZ: Sure.
WHITFIELD: Let's switch gears now. To some pretty serious news we're following across the seas. The largest offensive so far in the war on Afghanistan now under way. We'll go live to the Pentagon.
And jobless numbers improve last month for everyone but African- Americans. I'll ask the president of the NAACP if President Obama is doing enough.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: We have new developments now on the offensive taking place involving coalition forces in Afghanistan. Let's check in with our Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr who is in Washington.
What's the latest?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, we now have a much greater understanding over the last several hours of exactly how this battle has unfolded for the U.S. Marines, the British force, the Afghan forces, on the ground, at risk.
If we can go right to the map on the Marjah region of Afghanistan, in southern Afghanistan, where the fighting is taking place. What we can now explain to people is the U.S. Marines moved into Marjah from both the north and the south, helicopter-borne operations, air assault into this region, plus ground operations. So, the U.S. troops coming in from the north and the south. The British troops coming in from the northeast.
Fighting has been sporadic by all accounts. There are two fatalities. They have run into IEDs. They have run into some opposition. But a number of commanders are now saying that the forces have achieved their initial objectives of taking control of roads, town areas, key bridges, key areas in this region that they wanted to get control over very quickly. So within the next several days, the Afghan government can enter this area, begin to take hold, and provide security for people. The British commander in the region spoke about the overall strategy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAJ. GEN. NICK PATRIC CARTER, NATO CMDR., SO. AFGANISTAN: What we're trying to do here is 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 will be better off being under the government than under the forces of the insurgents.
So it's absolutely 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: General Carter there, the British commander in the south, explaining why the coalition, why NATO was so up front, Fred, so public over the last several days about saying that this operation would unfold. They didn't just want the Taliban to know they were coming. They wanted the Afghan people in the region to know there would be fighting in their neighborhoods and why this all was happening.
Now the challenge, will the Afghan government really step in and take over, Fred?
WHITFIELD: Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr in Washington . Thanks so much for that update.
Of course, we'll continue to keep you abreast at home on the developments out of Afghanistan and even from Washington as we watch the developments on this offensive taking place.
It wasn't billed as a jobs summit, so to speak, but jobs certainly was high on the agenda when President Obama met with African-American leaders this week in the Oval Office, despite the big old snowstorm.
These leaders urged him to redirect bank bailout funds to state and local governments so that they can hire workers for critical services. The president of the NAACP, Ben Jealous, was at that meeting. I spoke with him right afterwards.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD (On camera): While the national employment rate dropped slightly, unemployment among African-Americans have increased, and is still almost double that of whites. In your meeting with the president, was it asked whether the president can do something very specific about changing those numbers?
BEN JEALOUS, PRESIDENT, NAACP: We talked about the places that have been hardest hit, the places like the rural South, places like -- cities like Detroit. You know, poor people are concentrated in areas and black people are concentrated within the poor. So if we help those places, then we will help people of all races, but we will also make sure that people who have been disproportionately impacted are disproportionately helped.
WHITFIELD: So how will the president do that? I heard that going into the meeting an idea was going to be pitched by your group that perhaps some of the money that would go to bailing out banks be redirected to some of these communities you just mentioned? Was that one of the suggestions, or was there something else that you all entertained alongside the president?
JEALOUS: We think that TARP funds can be redirected to help small banks and get -- who are frankly in these areas. They're close to the ground. They will get the funds out the front door to the small businesses that need them.
But we also, you know, frankly realize it's the Senate Republicans holding up the jobs bill right now. They're talking about it's too much, too fast. Where were those comments when TARP was being pushed through under Bush and Paulson, just sort of handing money fist over fist to the big banks. Now it's about Main Street and back street, and just plain old regular folks, and they're saying it's too fast? We've got to slow down? It's crazy. They've held up 200 bills, and now they're holding up the jobs bill. And they've got to stop.
WHITFIELD: I understand that is next. That you, Mark Moria (ph), Rev. Al Sharpton and maybe Doctor Dorothy Hite will also try to meet with members of Congress to push for the same kind of dialogue you had with the president.
Meantime, yesterday, Reverend Sharpton said he was happy to hear the president underscored that he wants to make sure all Americans have an opportunity and doesn't want anyone excluded. But at the same time, it doesn't sound like the objective. You all were going into this meeting talking specifically about how this is impacting the African-American community, and the president reiterated he's not looking for a program to address just African-Americans, but one that would address everyone.
JEALOUS: Nor are we. This is a time when the country, quite frankly, is coming together because people of all races keep seeing each other in the jobs line. This is a time when we all have to be focused on getting as many jobs out there for everybody as possible. We were there to talk about the poorest places, places like Detroit, places like Dayton, Ohio, places like rural South Carolina and Mississippi. Places like Raleigh, North Carolina, where we'll have 12,000 people this Saturday.
And so, it was about cities, it was about rural places. It was about getting jobs out. This is a president who started off in his 20s going door to door in one of the poorest places in the country, the South Side of Chicago, talking to jobless people, getting them focused on getting jobs.
You can't sit across from him and get the sense that he doesn't get it. Our focus is getting Republicans in the Senate to get out of the way, get this jobs bill through. We were there yesterday to be heard by the president, to hear him. And we left reassured that he gets it and he's pushing as hard as he can.
WHITFIELD: Quickly, when's that meeting going to be with members of Congress that you're pushing for? Do you have it on the books yet?
JEALOUS: No, no, no. As soon as we get out of the snow and people get back to work. We are pretty much in the frozen tundra in D.C. right now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right. Ben Jealous with the NAACP. And to the rally in North Carolina that Mr. Jealous was talking about, it was scheduled for today, but it's been postponed, guess why? All that snow? We'll let you know how that is rescheduled.
Some couples take a trip to an island paradise. We're talking fiction now. But it's no trip to the beach. A look at what's new on DVDs on this romantic weekend.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: No surprise here, we've got a couples thing going on this Valentine's Day weekend. Let's talk about some DVD releases this week.
Couple in need of therapy and one couple in which the husband keeps disappearing. What's going on with that? Ben Mankiewicz, host of Turner Classic Movies, is back with us from Los Angeles.
OK, let's talk about "Couples' Retreat." What do you like about it?
MANKEIWICZ: I like that it has Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau, liked them ever since "Swingers" These guys are good together. They're fun together. They're even good together in "Four Christmases" together. A movie that I actually liked more than I realized I did.
By the way, "Couples Retreat" directed by Peter Billingsley, speaking of Christmas, plays Ralphie in "A Christmas Story."
WHITFIELD: OK?
MANKEIWICZ: So, that all by itself is a nice little piece of trivia.
"Couples Retreat" is about four couples who go away on what they imagine will be, at least there of the three of the couples imagine is going to be a tropical vacation, but it turns out it's sort of a group therapy session. One of the couples knows this. The other three don't. Hi-jinx ensue.
WHITFIELD: They feel hoodwinked.
MANKEIWICZ: Right. Exactly. As we all know, it's going to bring these couples closer together. It's a little gross at times. It's a little stupid at times. It's occasionally funny. Vince Vaughn sometimes can't help but be very funny.
WHITFIELD: What's your letter grade on that one?
MANKEIWICZ: Jon Favreau and Kristen Davis are occasionally funny together. Again a little better than average. I like Vince Vaughn. I can't help it.
WHITFIELD: I like him, too.
MANKEIWICZ: I gave it a C-plus. It's OK.
WHITFIELD: He's very funny to me.
"The Time Traveler's Wife," this one, perhaps, not as funny. This is more of a tear jerker kind of thing?
MANKEIWICZ: No. I'm pretty sure I never laughed on "Time Traveler's Wife." This is a story, Eric Bana plays a Chicago librarian with a condition that causes him to involuntarily travel through time. And that condition, the pressure that that puts on the love affair that he has with Rachel McAdams, as he travels through time, occasionally he goes back in time to before their love affair starts. And, of course, he knows that they're having this love affair. And so sometimes he goes -- look, the book was wonderful to a lot of people. The movie clearly never made the emotional connection that the book did. So the movie left you sort of --
WHITFIELD: So, this did not make you verklempt?
MANKEIWICZ: No, there was no verklemptness, Fred. Not at all. I was confused. Mainly, like I said, there was just never an emotional connection to either character. They kept saying they were deeply in love. I never got it. I never cared about either of them.
WHITFIELD: I'm not hearing a good grade here.
MANKEIWICZ: I like Rachel McAdams and I like Eric Bana, but there was nothing there. I gave it a D-plus. It is not worth anybody's time. The book mattered to people. The movie didn't matter to anybody. D-plus, and I'm being generous.
WHITFIELD: OK. This has been a tough weekend for love at the movies.
MANKEIWICZ: January and February, bad for movies. Very bad for movies.
WHITFIELD: OK. We're going to have to look forward to next weekend. Maybe, maybe, maybe, there will be something better than a C-plus.
MANKEIWICZ: "Shutter Island," I'm looking forward to that.
WHITFIELD: Oh, yes, I am looking forward to that. That is kind of creepy and scary, but-
MANKEIWICZ: And "Ghostwriter", I'm looking forward to "Ghostwriter", too.
WHITFIELD: OK, I didn't know about that one. I'm looking forward to your reviews next week. Thanks so much, Ben Mankeiwicz, enjoy Los Angeles. Good to see you.
MANKEIWICZ: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: Well, soon we're going to be talking about texting and how texting can actually help expectant moms stay healthy. But not when they're driving. No one text while you are driving, OK?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Getting American kids healthy, that's the first lady's new goal. Michelle Obama launched a campaign this weekend called, "Let's Move". She explained to our Larry King that she came up with the idea after her own experiences as a mom.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHELLE OBAMA, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: I come to this issue as a mother. You know, before coming to the White House, especially when my husband was on the campaign trail, we were living the lives of average families, way too busy, rushing.
LARRY KING, CNN ANCHOR, LARRY KING LIVE: Fast food.
OBAMA: Fast food, you know, desserts too much, probably not monitoring TV. I was fortunate enough to have a pediatrician who worked in an urban environment in the African-American community, and he was tracking BMI. And he saw a little uptick in the kids' BMI, and he kind of pulled me aside.
KING: BMI meaning?
OBAMA: Body mass index, which is, you know, a measure of sort of where people fall on the weight scale. It's one of the first indicators.
KING: And it was getting alarming?
OBAMA: It was getting to the point where he raised a red flag, and he probably was more cautious than most people because of what he had been seeing in his own practice.
KING: How did you react?
OBAMA: You know, I was shocked at first because I didn't -- I thought I was doing what I was supposed to do. And I hadn't noticed any changes in my kids. So it was a little bit shocking and a little disorienting because I wasn't sure what to do. But I went home, and it was kind of a wakeup call. We made some changes, even with busy schedules. They were minor changes, but I thought, well, we have to do something.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: So "Let's Move" has an ambitious goal to solve the problem of childhood obesity in a generation.
Uncle Sam has a plan to help babies make a healthy debut. The White House launched a new campaign this week to send text messages to expectant mothers and moms of newborns. Tech Guru Mario Armstrong joins us from a snowy Washington.
MARIO ARMSTRONG, CO-OWNER, MARIO ARMSTRONG MEDIA: Yes, it is.
WHITFIELD: I know it was a little tough getting in and around the area. We're glad you made it. What can you tell us about this mobile health care?
ARMSTRONG: Fredricka, this is huge. This is an opportunity for all expecting moms and those mothers who have already maybe had childbirth wanting to get tips for free over your mobile device. So what they've launched is a campaign called text4baby.org. You can go right to the website, or text the word "baby" to the number 511411 and start receiving prenatal tips to your handheld device.
WHITFIELD: What are some of the tips do you get?
ARMSTRONG: All kinds of things. You get about three tips a week, everything from immunization, how to have safe sleep, proper nutrition, things to think about so you can avoid possibly having a premature birth. All these different tips that you may not think about. I also think it's targeted to moms, but I think, as a recent dad myself, I think having this in the dad's mobile device is just as powerful as the woman that's carrying the baby.
WHITFIELD: So you think that's going to be equally accessible to new dads?
ARMSTRONG: Yes, they're talking about creating a daddy module is what they're calling it. That's going to be interesting how it plays out. Right now it's available on 90 percent of all mobile phones that are out there. Not everyone, but a good majority of people.
There are coalitions happening all across the country now starting to promote this. The Virginia Department of Health is promoting it. I just got off a conference call Friday with the New York Department of Health that's promoting it. So a lot of people are really seeing this as a solid campaign that could really have some impact to really reduce premature births and maybe even some child deaths.
WHITFIELD: We'll talk about another health related item. This would be an area where you can kind of store your health information.
ARMSTRONG: That's right.
WHITFIELD: For example, you get a checkup. This information that you can put into an area separate from where it would be stored at your doctor's office.
ARMSTRONG: Right.
WHITFIELD: Explain to me how this works.
ARMSTRONG: This is called Microsoft Health Vault. So, it is a nice name for it, by the way, Health Vault. What it is, is exactly what you just mentioned, one location online where you can store all your health-related information. This is helpful because maybe you want to have access to other family members.
Maybe I have a long distance family member that I'm concerned about their medical care. This is giving me an opportunity to be more aware of what their needs are and have that information on the ready. Here's a screen shot of my family being set up so I could look at my son's records or my wife's. Here's my health scenario set up. I actually had my information move on over to the Heart 360 web site, where I'm tracking myself for fitness, which really, Fredricka, is all about snow shoveling. There was really no fitness going on.
WHITFIELD: That is a workout, though. ARMSTRONG: It is a workout. But I can chart my progress, and have all of my data in one spot. I think that's great.
WHITFIELD: How do you get it there, though? Because a lot of times your doctor's offices will keep your information, and they're not going to hand it over until you're transferring to another doctor, or another health facility makes the request. How do you get it?
ARMSTRONG: There are a number of ways. Great question. One, you can kind of photocopy it and scan it into the system. Or, two, you have to just do the data entry yourself, which is what I did. I just looked at my family's records and started inputting the data. It's really kind of easy to do. It wasn't hard to do.
WHITFIELD: You're not worried about access? Someone you don't want to get access to your health information? You're not worried about them getting it?
ARMSTRONG: You know, privacy is a big issue.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
ARMSTRONG: That's going to be the thing that may hold people back on wanting to do this. I really think we have to get across that hurdle. I think Microsoft and Google and all these other health initiatives really have to step forward and show us why this is secure and why we can feel safe. I'm giving it a shot right now. I'm being your experiment, so we can find out.
WHITFIELD: You are being the guinea pig.
ARMSTRONG: Yes, unfortunately.
WHITFIELD: Mario Armstrong, thank you so much. Good to see you.
ARMSTRONG: Good to see you. Thank you.
WHITFIELD: Glad you made it safely, and for trying to navigate through the snow. You can catch more of Mario Armstrong's tech segments Saturday mornings right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Thanks for hanging out with me for the day. Don Lemon is coming up next with the latest offensive going on right now in Afghanistan.
And then later, if you missed our airing of the new "We Are The World" video for Haiti, you can see it again in the 7:00 p.m. Eastern hour. Have a good night.
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