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The Afghan Offensive; Professor Charged with Murder; Michelle Obama Attacks Obesity; 'We Are the World, 2010'

Aired February 13, 2010 - 19:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: A campus killer -- but this time, the accused is a woman, a professor. Tonight, Massachusetts police are saying she's killed before.

Snow paralyzes the south. Is there more trouble in the forecast? We'll check with Jacqui Jeras.

And stars come out for earthquake victims. First, my one-on-one with supermodel Naomi Campbell, helping Haiti and helping her own troubled image.

Then, "We Are the World" 2010 in its entirety. You'll see it right here.

But we begin tonight in Afghanistan, in the war on terror. Fifteen thousand U.S. and NATO troops are on the offensive tonight.

(VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Amazing video. They're in the crosshairs tonight, a major Taliban stronghold. The focus is liberating the Helmand Province from Taliban control and disrupting the opium production.

The operation already has cost the lives of a U.S. Marine and a British soldier.

This piece of heavy metal that you're looking at right now is playing a really crucial role in this. It is called an Assault Breacher vehicle and it has one hugely important job here -- that is destroying IEDs and landmines to clear a path for advancing troops. It is definitely needed there.

And CNN's Atia Abawi is embedded with the troops there. I want you to listen as she describes those first moments of combat as they launched the siege on Marjah.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ATIA ABAWI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): It all started around 2:00 local time when the first U.S. troops hit the ground in Marjah, along with Afghan soldiers. We were with the main effort, that's First Battalion 6th Marine Regiment, Alpha Company.

And I have to tell you, it was -- it was a very hard start because it was in the dark hours of the night, you cannot see, it was rough terrain. Actually, the four wounded within the company, it was minor injuries, but it had to do with terrain, not with enemy contact.

But I have to say that throughout the day, especially when the sun came up, and the Taliban can see the Marines moving around, the firefight did start. We were running through the fields, being shot at. There was -- they were firing RPGs, there's sporadic gunfire. We're hearing it throughout the city. It's not just Alpha Company, there's Bravo Company as well in the other part of the city where we hear -- we were hearing gun battle as well.

And we're hearing other companies coming in on ground by vehicles, and they have these vehicles called Assault Breachers. So, we are hearing the U.S. Marines actually detonating IEDs before they can actually injure troops themselves.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Coalition leaders say the offensive is designed to do more than score a military victory. They also hope that the mission can win over the people who live in the region and pry them away from the Taliban influence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJ. GEN. NICK PATRICK CARTER, CMDR., NATO FORCES IN S. 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 will be better off being under the government than under the forces of the insurgent. So, it's absolutely right and proper that these sorts of operations should be announced upfront 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)

LEMON: You can best believe that the White House, of course, they are keeping a very close eye on what is happening in Afghanistan. The offensive could have a big impact for better or for worse on the president's long-term policy there.

Our Kate Bolduan has more now -- Kate.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Don, as Operation Moshtarak is under way, the political stakes for President Obama are high. This is the first major offensive since President Obama announced he was committing 30,000 additional troops to the fight in Afghanistan. And this can be seen as a real test of the president's revamped, refocused strategy for the mission there.

Remember, the president himself set a deadline of July 2011 to begin withdrawing troops from the region, but before that can happen, the U.S. mission of ousting the Taliban, stabilizing the country, and beginning to turn over security to the Afghan government needs to begin showing evidence of success. Clearly, a lot on the line here and a tough job ahead at a time when public support for this war isn't there. A CNN poll conducted just a month ago suggests a majority of Americans oppose the war -- Don.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: All right. Thank you very much for that, Kate.

And as we said, about 15,000 U.S. and NATO troops are on that offensive tonight. Some of the major things that they want to do with that, of course, were the Taliban of that area, Taliban stronghold there in Helmand Province, and also, they want to get rid of the opium production there as well, and the drugs that are fueling, really supplying the money for some of the weapons there.

So, some big developments in Afghanistan and definitely a lot at stake here for the U.S. and the Afghan people.

I want to talk now with Matthew Hoh. He has a very interesting perspective on this. He saw combat duty in Iraq as a Marine Corps captain. And later as a civilian, he worked for the State Department in Afghanistan. But he resigned last July to protest U.S. policy, which he argued was fueling the insurgency.

Matthew joins us from Washington.

Thank you, sir. So, listen, is this offensive that we have been talking about, this formula, is it a formula for success? Will it work?

MATTHEW HOH, FORMER MARINE CORPS CAPTAIN: Thanks for having me, Don.

You know, short-term militarily, yes, it will work. I have no doubt that our forces, combined with the Afghan forces, will take and will clear Marjah. However, my concerns are whether or not we'll have any real midterm or long-term success at the political level.

Afghanistan's been in civil war for 30, 35 years. And we have not done anything over these last eight, nine years of our involvement in Afghanistan to remedy that.

LEMON: So, Matthew, give me some solutions then? What are the solutions?

HOH: Sure. Well, you know, first, look at -- look at what we're doing in Marjah. We're, first of all, it's a Pashtun area. It's in the Pashtun heartland of Afghanistan. The name of this operation, it's got a Dari name. And the Pashtun speakers and Dari speakers have been at each other's throats for 30, 35 years now, at least. Folks who got a better historical understanding will trace that back much longer.

We're bringing in a district governor, a man to a minister, this city, who is from Germany. He's been living in Germany for last 15 years. As well as the composition of the Afghan army and the Afghan police force that we're bringing on there, I have a feeling that the majority of them are not even Pashtuns, majority of them are most likely Hazaras or Uzbeks or Tajiks, or if they're Pashtuns, they're what we describe as urban Pashtuns, not rural Pashtuns.

So, we need to make sure that we're bringing about some type of solution that involves or brings the rural Afghan population into the government. Just bring in other -- outsiders to Marjah to rule it is going to do nothing but give us a short term success.

(CROSSTALK)

HOH: -- for midterm and long term success.

LEMON: And, Matthew, I'm not sure if you've seen some of the -- we have some of the exclusive video that only CNN has of the operation there. And, you know, apparently, it started today and some people are saying this is really the big test on whether or not that the U.S. and NATO forces will be able to secure that area.

So, you know, you said that you don't know why the U.S. is fighting over there. Has anything changed since you made that statement?

HOH: No. No. For me, it hasn't. Back in early December when President Obama announced a troop increase, he said this was because al Qaeda -- to prevent al Qaeda from having a safe haven in Afghanistan.

My view and the view of a lot of others is that's very -- it's specious. Al Qaeda does not need safe havens. It doesn't need large amounts of land to operate. They've evolved since 2001 and as we see with these attacks around the world that they carry out -- they're carried out by individuals, very small groups of operatives.

And they don't -- and it's a virtually run organization. They don't need large amounts of tracts of land anymore. It would be great if they did because then we could bomb them.

But -- so, I really don't see anything that has changed. I actually -- I should correct that in the sense that I have been optimistic the last week or two or couple of weeks with the amount of attention that's been given towards high-level political negotiations.

LEMON: Yes.

HOH: I think that's the way we resolve this war is, we have to bring in all elements of Afghan society into governing the country. Right now, we have a government in Afghanistan that represents roughly 70 percent of the country. That other 30 percent of the country, outside of that government, needs to be brought back in. The only way you can do that is with high level negotiations.

LEMON: Former Marine Corps captain, Matthew Hoh -- very interesting perspective. Thank you so much. We appreciate it.

HOH: Thank you, Don.

LEMON: "We Are the World" -- it returns, and this time, it is to help Haiti. You'll hear it in its entirety this hour. So, stay tuned.

And the first lady takes on childhood obesity. We'll tell you why some people think she is sending the wrong message here. How so?

And, overwhelmed by snow in the south. I'm among them. Is the nightmare over? Is there more on the way? We will check.

And we want your comments. We're getting a lot of comments about the first lady and her, you know, what she's going to do about obesity, what she says she wants to do. Join us in our conversation tonight.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Well, beautiful in some areas. You can say that. Yet very dangerous, that's how you can describe the southern snowstorm. Columbia, South Carolina, got one of the heaviest snowfalls in its history, six to eight inches and the entire region got at least a taste of wintry white of snow and ice. Don't forget the ice.

The snow scenes weren't so severe in -- or serene, I should say, in Dallas, where the heavy snow downed trees and also power lines, toppling on to a car. Crews worked into the night to clear the debris. The weight of the snow was so much, too much for some roofs causing them to collapse.

Boy, oh, boy, it has been a very odd winter. Lots of snow in the south, D.C. got pummeled.

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes.

LEMON: I left here yesterday from work and I was driving around Atlanta going, "Wait, am I in Chicago, am I back in New York, or Philadelphia, where am I?"

JERAS: They just wanted you to feel comfortable here in the south, Don.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: And, you know -- you know, the roads here, not so much when it snows, people aren't used to it.

JERAS: Yes, they're really not. And yes, you really have to be careful. If you doubt yourself as a driver, if you're scared to drive in it, stay home, right? I mean, nothing's worth it. It's just really -- nothing is worth it.

So, the snow was over with. Temperatures this afternoon have been heating up. So, we got quite a bit of melting and there you can see our next system waiting in the wings. We still have a little snow here across the Appalachians. And basically, that's just some cold air which is being forced up the mountains and creating a couple of those snow showers across the area.

There you can see those temperatures are starting to drop on down, we're 35 now in Atlanta, 42 degrees in Birmingham. And so, as the temperatures continue to drop tonight, that's going to start to become a concern, because we will get below the freezing mark. And everything got wet today.

You know, some of it evaporated a little bit. But there's still going to be plenty of icy spots. And it's what we call "black ice." It's the ice that develops on the roadway, and it becomes transparent. You just absolutely can't see it. So, really, use a lot of caution.

A little clipper-type system making its way to the south tomorrow, so many of the areas that had snow will have rain this go around. But there could be a wintry mix overnight Sunday and early Monday, heaviest accumulations up here toward St. Louis and over towards Cincinnati. You could see a good two to six inches of snowfall tomorrow -- Don.

LEMON: More snow.

JERAS: More snow.

LEMON: Boy, all right. Thank --

JERAS: A little farther north though.

LEMON: Thank you, Jacqui. Thank you very much.

Police say a biology professor killed three of her colleagues at the University of Alabama, Huntsville, and it's not the first time that she has killed someone. That's according to police. Amy Bishop is a Harvard-trained professor. She is charged with capital murder. Three other people were wounded in the attack at the faculty meeting yesterday, one of them critically.

And now, we're learning from Massachusetts police -- here is the new information -- that this is the first time Amy Bishop has been involved in a killing.

Take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL FRAZIER, BRAINTREE, MASS. POLICE CHIEF: Amy Bishop fired a shotgun round in her bedroom, subsequently had a fight with her brother and she shot her brother in the chest, fled the home. Prior to fleeing the home, she fired one more round from the shotgun. She fled down the street, pointed the weapon at a vehicle, tried to get that person to stop, the person drove by, and subsequently, our officers found her and arrested her at that time by gunpoint. They removed the shotgun from her and she was brought into the police station, and as I stated earlier, she was released without any charges being filed against her.

(END VIDEO CLIP) LEMON: That is courtesy of our affiliate WHDH.

Here's what investigators are doing, they're still piecing together a motive in this case, in this campus shooting.

Pat Brown, though, is a nationally-known criminal profiler, a television commentator and author, and she joins us tonight.

Pat, thank you so much. Lots to talk about here when you hear that new information. We're going to get into that. Let's get into that in just a little bit, unless you want to talk about it first.

I want to talk about that you rarely see -- we hardly ever hear about a female mass murderer. And I know it's early in the investigation. So, how surprised were you about this in this case?

PAT BROWN, CRIMINAL PROFILER: Well, I'm just glad they didn't ask me before they found out whether it was male or female, and I said, "Yes, it's probably a guy," and I'd have to go, "Oh, well, I was wrong about that one."

It is pretty much an anomaly. We don't have too many women who commit this kind of a violent crime -- mass murderers, just very few of them. But I do think we're going to see a change as our society changes and women are taking on different roles than they used to take. So, they used to get power and control in the homes, but now, they're taking it out to the workplace. So, that's where they may express that and do it in maybe a more male way in the future.

LEMON: Yes. We see things differently, like we saw, you know, the D.C. area snipers. That was a profile, thought it was a white male of a certain age, and all of a sudden, it's not.

BROWN: I didn't say that. I did talk about that but I was --

LEMON: Yes, but you know --

BROWN: -- I wasn't one of the profilers that said that.

LEMON: I covered that story and I remember we were, like, wow, this is opposite of what we thought. So, listen then, if you talk about, it's usually a male, but that's changing as women take on more roles outside of the home.

BROWN: Yes.

LEMON: You know, there's speculation that Bishop could have been upset about the school's decision to deny her tenure. So, how do life events push people over the edge like this? It is just -- is it in combination with what's happening with the economy and other things? What happens here?

BROWN: Well, what happens with most of us who are not having this kind of behavioral problem, and this kind of personality disorder, we would just be upset about and maybe drink a little bit too much and yell at a lot of people and get depressed and then we come fighting back because we have to, because we care about other people, our families and our future life.

But some people with personality disorders, there's two times in life that are so dangerous, one is when they're teenagers and they don't see a life ahead of them, and then we get the school shooters that run around and kill everybody. But then, mid-life crisis is another time, where you say, well, gee, my life isn't going where I want it to and this is it for me? And then that's where another rage comes out.

And apparently, this woman had it on both ends, as she was younger when she did in her brother --

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: Yes, Pat, let's talk about that real quickly, because, again, they're saying that she was never charged in her brother's death, and that's according to police in Massachusetts here. And again --

BROWN: I wonder why. Yes.

LEMON: -- they're saying that she was involved in that. So, talk to me about this new information real quickly.

BROWN: Well, that is really scary. I mean, you have somebody who picked up a shotgun and blew her brother away and what bothers me more, she ran down the street and tried to use that weapon to commit another crime. So, I'm not going to buy that this was a self-defense thing alone.

So, obviously, when she gets crossed, she does -- she takes to, you know, firearms. And she's obviously been crossed again, she didn't get her tenure, and she's mad and she takes it out on those people who she thinks have done her wrong.

LEMON: Yes. And again, this is all according to police and she hasn't gone to trial yet. So, again, accused -- and we should say accused and alleged.

BROWN: Right.

LEMON: We're not exactly sure how this is going to turn out. But we know that your information is pretty good, that's why we have you on here. Pat Brown, thank you so much. We really appreciate it.

BROWN: Thanks, Don.

LEMON: All right.

The Vancouver Winter Games got off to a very sad start with the death of a luge athlete and the luge track has now reopened. And we'll tell you why officials say it's safer now.

And spectators at a surfing contest nearly get swept out to sea by a powerful rogue wave. You have to see this video to believe it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: I want to check your top stories right now on CNN.

The Winter Olympics luge track, which was the scene of a tragic death yesterday, has now been modified and has been reopened. Officials have built a retaining wall where the crash occurred. And they insist the luge track is safe. A 21-year-old from the former Soviet Republic of Georgia was killed when he was thrown from his sled into his an unpadded steel pole.

Eight people are dead, another 33 wounded in a terror attack in India. It happened today in the western city of Pune, near New Delhi. Witnesses say explosives were packed in a bag and left at a busy eatery. This is the most significant terrorist incident in the area in more than a year. India blames the attack on a Pakistani militant group.

Two massive rogue waves swept dozens of people off a California sea wall today.

Look at that video. It's tossing them into the beach and into a stage and several booths there. Unbelievable.

At least seven people received broken bones. Others were being treated for bumps and bruises, and witnesses say the huge wave pushed all the way from the beach to the stage. One woman was swept away by the water. She says she could feel herself hitting rocks as a wave pulled her under.

Wow. Amazing no one was killed in that.

You know, every Saturday, we want to take a few minutes to catch up on some of the most interesting stories that came out this week that you might have missed. So, let's pay attention to this and let's start with this new sketch. This is a suspected church arsonist in east Texas. Latest two fires were Monday in Tyler, about three miles apart.

Now, this detail is terrible because Bibles apparently were used at one church to start the blaze. The arson was bad enough, but church members were outraged by what they call the sacrilege.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHIRLEY VALADEZ, CHURCH MEMBER: Why? This is the Lord's house. And it's such a shame that somebody can be such an unbeliever.

WILBUR CALLAWAY, DEACON: We have been real happy here, my wife and I, and we just -- we're just shocked. You know, you just can't believe it.

The person that did it, you know, I hope they got enjoyment out of it, because they're going to pay for it somewhere down the line. God's not going to let him get away with this. I'm sorry. I'm a little emotional.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Federal agents have confirmed 10 cases of church arson this year in Texas, all of them in small towns. There's been no clear pattern in the crimes. The fires have started at different times, on different days of the week, and targeted different denominations.

In the Pacific Northwest, it looks like the "Barefoot Burglar" has struck again. As soon as residents on Orcas Island heard of a stolen plane and burglary, one suspect -- well, it leapt to mind first.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANDY BRANDT, BAREFOOT BANDIT VICTIM: Immediately, he thought it was that Colton guy or whatever his name is, that barefoot jerk.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, she's referring to 18-year-old fugitive Colton Harris-Moore, aka, the "Barefoot Bandit." He's believed to be behind a crime wave that often involves stolen airplanes and break-ins of businesses.

This week, it was a grocery store, about $1,200 was taken, plus lots of food. The video surveillance system was destroyed and the burglar drew chalk outline on the floor of the bare -- on the floor of bare feet. The calling card of the barefoot bandit -- drawing chalk on the floor like that.

Harris-Moore's ability to elude police for so long has earned him a reputation of something of a folk hero among his peers. Let's see if they catch him.

It has been a month since a massive earthquake rocked Haiti. New super -- now, supermodel Naomi Campbell and friends are hitting the runway for Haiti relief.

First Lady Michelle Obama is taking action to keep her kids healthy -- well, and our kids as well. She's dishing out some advice about what kids should and should not eat right now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: The First Lady Michelle Obama is fighting mad. She says American children are facing an epidemic of obesity and she wants it to stop. This week, she launched an initiative called Let's Move and took specific aim at fat-filled school lunches. Well, the president followed her lead by creating a federal task force to come up with a course of action.

The first lady spoke with CNN's Larry King about how the issue hits home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, FROM CNN'S LARRY KING LIVE)

MICHELLE OBAMA, U.S. FIRST LADY: 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, HOST, "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 little uptick in the kids' BMI and he kind of pulled me aside.

KING: BMI means --

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: 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 had not 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 and we made some changes, even with busy schedules. And they were minor changes, but I thought, well, we have to do something.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: OK. So, let's go. A lot of people have been weighing in on the social networking sites. We're going to talk about that.

And not everyone appreciates what the first lady is trying to do. Some believe that focusing on fat sends the wrong message to children and risks stigmatizing them even more.

My guest tonight is Paul Campos of the University of Colorado law school. He is the author of the provocative and controversial book "The Obesity Myth: Why America's Obsession with Weight is Hazardous to your Life." Good to see you, sir. He's in Denver tonight. So listen, it's hard to imagine why anyone would object to encouraging children to eat right and get plenty of exercise.

Why do you disapprove of the First Lady's efforts in this regard?

PAUL CAMPOS, UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO LAW SCHOOL: Oh, I absolutely agree that it is a good idea to encourage kids to get physical activity and good nutrition. And I'm all for initiatives that would actually achieve that goal. What I very strongly object to is the notion that we should pursue that goal by stigmatizing the bodies of one third of America's kids with a bunch of junk science that says that we're having some kind of a huge health crisis because kids are getting too fat.

That's a terrible idea and the only thing that that's going to produce is a wave of eating disorders because focusing on kids' weight does not make them healthier, does not make them tend to become more active or to eat better. Instead what it does is it gets them to engage in eating disorder behavior. So I'm totally against that.

LEMON: All right. You heard the first lady mention BMI, body mass index on "LARRY KING LIVE," the interview. But I'm going to play a little bit more of the Larry King interview earlier this week and I want you to listen and we're going to discuss it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: One thing that I try to emphasize is that this isn't about weight and it is not about looks. It is not - it is not a physical issue. It is really about the quality of life of our kids, because, you know, teachers are seeing, you know, the challenges that kids with weight issues are having. Not being able to participate in gym, feeling a little more sluggish. This is a quality of life issue.

And it is not about weight and diet. It is about fitness, and it is about overall nutrition that we really have to be emphasizing here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: OK. So is there something there that you object to? It sounds like she's trying to focus on overall health rather than something narrow like weight.

Do you object to that part of it?

CAMPOS: She's talking out of both sides of her mouth. On the one hand she's saying this isn't about weight. But the problem is all these kids are too fat to be able to be participating in gym supposedly and they're too sluggish and after all the explicit goal of her program, as made quite clear by the White House, this week by Michelle Obama herself, is to have no so-called childhood obesity in America within a generation.

So the goal is the elimination of fat kids. How that is a program that is not focused on weight is just bizarre to me. Given than there is absolutely no reason to believe that that goal could actually be achieved.

LEMON: I want to go to some of the viewer comments here, Mr. Campos. You know, we have talked about this before. And I know people disagree with you and you know that. Someone says if obesity is a myth, then so is anorexia, bulimia and any other life threatening weight issue. That author needs to get a clue.

What do you say to that?

CAMPOS: Anorexia is a very serious disease. In fact, it has a higher mortality rate than any other mental illness. Of course it is a very real thing as is bulimia. It is not that there isn't such a thing as disordered eating. Of course there is, at all levels of the weight scale. The really bad thing is the notion that if everybody would have a healthy lifestyle, everybody would be thin.

That is an utterly unscientific notion and it's a notion that is based on social prejudice, it's not based on science.

LEMON: OK.

CAMPOS: The idea that all kids in America are going to be thin, if they have a healthy lifestyle, is, again, junk science. There is absolutely no basis for believing that that is true.

LEMON: OK. So, listen, another viewer comment says, it says, no, these children are getting too big. I have a 13-year-old daughter and I watch her diet very closely. So here is my question. This is the first thing that popped into my head and the reason, you know, why kids are a big responsibility, probably why I don't have any, what about parental responsibility here?

Shouldn't parents be responsible for this, not the school, not the federal government? When I was a kid, my mom said don't eat that, and I didn't eat it.

CAMPOS: I think it is important that parents encourage their kids to have healthy nutrition habits. Healthy nutrition habits do not include dieting. I was horrified that the first lady actually put her eight-year-old daughter on a diet last year because some pediatrician told her that she was a little too heavy on these basically bogus BMI scales. That's just a recipe for creating an eating disorder in a young woman a few years down the line. What we ought to be doing is helping parents as well as -

LEMON: And let me stop you here, I'll let you finish your thought but dieting doesn't necessarily mean, you know, starving people or keeping people from eating. It may be having people eat better foods, eat vegetables and, you know, and things and hydration and those sorts of things, not restricting someone from the amount of calories and things that they're taking in. So we're not exactly sure what she means by that.

CAMPOS: Well, if we're talking about eating fruits and vegetables, and having good hydration and a good balance of foods, I'm absolutely all for that. And we ought to encourage that and make that possible especially in low income communities where there are difficulties having access to those things. But unfortunately, dieting has a very clear meaning. It means caloric restriction for the purposes of producing lower weight.

That's what the first lady is advocating in regard to our children and, by the way, I think it is extremely important to emphasize that the kind of programs that she is advocating have been tried at a very intensive and well funded level and well designed studies that have included thousands of children, and those programs have not produced lower weight in children. We do not know how to make either children or adults weigh less at a population-based level and the biggest problem with all of this is that there is this myth that somehow we know how to make people thinner. We do not. If we did, there would not be fat people in America.

LEMON: Paul, that's going to have to be the last word. Again, Paul's book is called "The Obesity Myth, Why America's Obsession with Weight is Hazardous to your Health." He is also at the University of Colorado at the law school there. Thank you so much. Appreciate you for being so candid and sharing those answers for the viewers, those questions that you answered. Thank you.

CAMPOS: Thanks, Don.

LEMON: You know, the revamped "We Are the World" debuted last night during the opening ceremony of the Vancouver Winter Games and we'll play it for you in its entirety, just in case you missed it. You want to see this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Some charity and other aid groups are worried the rush to help people in Haiti could have dire consequences for needy people in other parts of the world. The U.S. has spent hundreds of millions of dollars since the Haiti earthquake, sometimes dipping into accounts set aside to help other countries.

A State Department spokesperson says no need to worry. He expects the Obama administration will ask Congress for extra money in the next few days to replenish the cash borrowed from other accounts.

Supermodel Naomi Campbell and a few of her super friends got together at the start of Fashion Week to strut their stuff for Haiti relief. I asked her about her humanitarian efforts and who did what for the fashion show for relief.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NAOMI CAMPBELL, SUPERMODEL: The fashion world coming together, all of the designers in the world, have donated clothes and we have many different people from walks of life, people that you will recognize that you're not used to seeing on the runway.

What's fantastic is the public get to come into the shows, which normally it is not the public. So that makes it even more of a show. And everything gets sold on (INAUDIBLE) Porte on March 15th and all proceeds go to care org, women and children and babies.

LEMON: So what about the models and designers? Are they just like absolutely we want to do this?

CAMPBELL: I don't accept no for an answer. And so, I mean, you know, they have been amazing, everyone. Especially the designers because they're in the middle of their fall winter 2010 collection to present them. So they're extremely busy. And they have taken the time out to choose and pick the outfits themselves. So for that we are extremely grateful to them for doing that in this busy time.

LEMON: What is your connection to the Haitian people, to people in Haiti? Why did you want to get involved in this, Naomi?

CAMPBELL: Well, I'm a Jamaican heritage, and for me, it is the same, I may not be from Haiti, but I feel like it is my people that I'm looking there and seeing there who are desolate with no place to live. And I am a global ambassador for White Ribbon Alliance which is in partnership with care org. And so for me, women and babies is my concern, it is something - and children that I've always focused on and that's what I continue to do.

LEMON: Do you think that people in the fashion industry, people in the music business, entertainment in general, celebrities, that they have a responsibility for when things happen like this in the world?

CAMPBELL: I think we have to all - put it this way, we can go buy two pairs of shoes that could train someone for a month to have - to deliver a baby. We lose a mother and a child a minute a day. So I think, you know, we can do without those two pairs of shoes and we can definitely put that money to good use.

LEMON: Listen, you know, I think it is amazing that you're saying this. We know, you know, we hear things, like, oh, this, you know, Naomi happened and you hear the gossip columns and all this. You hear about this, you know, you getting into fights -

CAMPBELL: I'm a controversial girl.

LEMON: You are. So, you know, the whole thing about being arrested, whatever, everybody has a temper. Look, everybody has their thing.

CAMPBELL: I've never denied any of my scrapes.

LEMON: Is this a new Naomi then that we're seeing?

CAMPBELL: It's not - I can't say it is a new Naomi. I'm definitely a more mature Naomi and I feel a calm in my life. But I have been working with children since 1993. I started with Nelson Mandela in South Africa. So it is just something that I care to do for me. It wasn't something that I cared to do for public adulation.

And in terms of Fashion for Relief, because we are the fashion world and this only works tonight, because of everyone's collaboration, effort and time. Otherwise it wouldn't work. It could be an idea, but it wouldn't take action. And action is because we're all coming together, because we want to.

LEMON: Listen, I have to tell you when I was living in New York, a while back, and sort of poor and struggling and I saw this Alexander McQueen suit and said, oh my gosh, that is most beautiful suit I've ever seen. I had it for 10 years now and it is still in fashion, it -

CAMPBELL: Keep it. Keep it. It is now going to be a collector's item.

LEMON: Yes. You're a good friend. How are you doing?

CAMPBELL: I do miss him, like everybody does and we have lost a really genius and great designer in our world. And more than anything I've lost a very close friend.

LEMON: Naomi Campbell, thank you so much. We really appreciate it. And we know he was your good friend and it was tough for you. Hey, thank you so much. This is the Naomi Campbell that they don't talk about in the gossip columns. So and we like this. Thank you, Naomi.

CAMPBELL: You're welcome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: She's actually very kind. Again, thank you, Naomi Campbell.

An all-star tribute to the people of Haiti, we are talking about "We Are The World 2010." The entire people is coming up. You're going to see who is in it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Has it been that long "We Are The World," 1985? God, I wasn't even born yet. You know, "We Are the World" is back this time raising money for Haiti. Lionel Ritchie and Quincy Jones partnered with Haiti native Wyclef Jean for this production. Proceeds from the sale of the song will go to Haiti Relief. And we want to give you a very special look now at the entire video.

This brand new video this weekend. Take a look at it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMIE FOXX, ACTOR: Hi. I'm Jamie Foxx. 25 years ago, Quincy Jones gathered an amazing group of artists and musicians to create "We Are The World," written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Ritchie. I'm so proud to be able to share a new version of that song, with a video by Academy award-winning director Paul Higis.

Two weeks ago, we found ourselves surrounded by a dazzling array of artists of all ages, backgrounds and genres, but all of them share a common commitment to action to help Haiti rise from the rubble and rebuild. As artists, we hope that you enjoy the video and join us in the rare simulcast to millions around the world as we ask you to please do more than just watch. Reach deep into your hearts, and give anything you can as we have for Haiti.

Whatever you have, no matter how big or how small, it all counts. Thank you so much. And enjoy the video.

(MUSIC AND SINGING) LIONEL RITCHIE, SINGER: Wow. Thank you so much for watching, everybody. You know, "We are the World 25" is an opportunity for us to see what we can do to help our fellowmen. Haiti right now is in desperate need of our help. And only you can help them. Do what you can. Haiti needs your help. Now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: OK. Time for your feedback. Man, you guys really, that first lady segment with Paul Campos, the author, you guys are hot about that. Someone says, we have a child with type 1 diabetes in kindergarten forcing school food distribution. Companies to label facts can help. Just watched "We Are the World" and it made be tear up. I can't lie. It made a grown Haitian man cry.

Glad to see the full version of "We Are the World." The shortened version that aired before the Olympics was awful. Healthy diet for your child can be expensive. With so many people out of work, they cannot afford to buy healthy foods. Kids in our school system are healthier than before. Better behaved, awake in class, and better grades.

So, thank you so much. Really appreciate you guys. That really got to you guys. So we like opposing views around here. There's enough time for everyone. And we appreciate Mr. Campos coming on.

So listen, Valentine's day, of course, is tomorrow. So don't be silly. Call on cupid. We'll talk to him at 10:00 p.m. Call on cupid, I'm serious. 10:00 p.m. tonight. We're going to tell you what that means.

I'm Don Lemon at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta.

Soledad O'Brien's report "BLACK IN AMERICA 2" begins right now. See you at 10:00 p.m. Eastern.