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Taliban Stronghold Under Siege; Huge Waves Hit Surfing Event

Aired February 13, 2010 - 22:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: As we go on the air tonight, a CNN exclusive from the Afghan war zone. U.S. and NATO forces begin their biggest and newest Taliban fight yet. The White House situation room standing by to update the president.

Why an investigator says women are becoming the new workplace shooters.

Using a bible to set a church on fire. He was torching houses of worship in the south tonight.

Forty-nine states with snow on the ground. Tonight, a new forecast shows where it might get worse.

And you'll hear from three of my favorite powerful women tonight -- Candy Crowley, Naomi Campbell and Sade.

And "We Are the World," the 2010 version just released. You'll see the whole thing this hour.

Good evening. We begin tonight with what may prove to be a turning point in the war on terror. 15,000 U.S. and NATO troops today dropped the hammer on the Taliban in Southern Afghanistan.

On the Taliban, this heavy metal monster is what they see or hear coming. The assault breacher vehicle, literally plows through IED's and land mines with impunity. Clearing a path for advancing U.S. troops.

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. And 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: And an interesting perspective on all of this tonight from Matthew Hoh. He saw combat duty in Iraq with the Marines. He worked for the State Department in Afghanistan but he resigned last July to protest U.S. policy which he argued was fuelling the insurgency. I asked him if this new military assault will succeed.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW HOH, FORMER MARINE CORPS CAPTAIN: 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.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: And we're being told tonight that President Obama has received multiple updates throughout the day, through the White House situation room. And the White House spokesman says Mr. Obama will get an update on the Afghanistan offensive tomorrow from general Stanley McChrystal, the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

Swept away by the very thing they came to see. We'll show you what a massive wave did to a crowd of surfing spectators, are suspecting, I should say, in California.

And an '80s fund-raising anthem returns. This time helping the people of an earthquake-ravaged Haiti. We'll show you the entire music video tonight.

Also, weigh-in. Man, your comments are coming in. I hear you. I hear you. I'm answering you back, and we're going to read some of them on the air.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Jacqui, this is really amazing every time I see this video. We saw it earlier, and we talked about it a little bit. I mean, it's supposed to be perfect waves, right, when you're out surfing?

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes.

LEMON: Yes, but not this one, right? A group of spectators. This is called the fame mavericks surf break. I don't know if you've been there or seen it before. Two massive rogue waves swept dozens of people off the seawall, tossing them into a beach and into the stage, and also several booths there.

You can see that a couple of people were injured, Jacqui. You can see them laying there on the ground. Several people -- we're told at least seven people had some broken bones, treated for bumps and bruises. One woman said she could feel the wave taking her under and kept pulling her under; luckily, she made it out. Amazing. Amazing.

JERAS: It takes your breath away just looking at that video. How scary it must have been for those people.

LEMON: And I've been in big waves before, and I'm like, oh my gosh, am I ever going to come up to surface from this? But that one just seems to be unbelievable.

JERAS: Half Moon Bay is famous for having big waves and for surfers. And we've just had these unusual large swell types. Surf warnings have been in effect all day long. And every now and then, you'll get one of these huge waves that might be twice as big as the other ones, unexpected and high-tide came in and all together has pulled a big mess.

LEMON: All right, we have new snow in some places, and then we have thawing in other places. It's not necessarily good that we're thawing.

JERAS: Yes, not necessarily. And we got another system. And you might think, well, fine, that's a good thing, right?

LEMON: Yes.

JERAS: But not so much, because that can create black ice. We'll talk about that in a second.

First thing I wanted to show you, we'll start off with a little happy, joy, joy, kind of. This is St. Louis, not New Orleans. Who knows? It's the second most famous, I guess you could say, Mardi Gras celebration.

LEMON: That is. I used to live in St. Louis, and I'd celebrated Mardi Gras there, and that is from a neighborhood called Soulard. And it's a Soulard Mardi Gras parade. It's a very big parade in St. Louis.

JERAS: And notice how they're all bundled up by the way.

LEMON: Yes?

JERAS: Yes. They stayed in the 30s all day today. So we've been on the nippy side. St. Louis getting some snow showers today. They could pick up 2 to 5 inches with our latest storm that's moving through.

LEMON: I love St. Louis. Wouldn't you rather be down on Bourbon Street today?

JERAS: I don't know.

LEMON: I love St. Louis. I love it.

JERAS: If you're partying, I'm there.

LEMON: Hey, look, look at us. This is us here.

JERAS: Yes, this is Atlanta. There you can see snow on the ground. This is Centennial Olympic Park. Of course, we had the snowfall yesterday. 3.6 inches. And you talked about that melting, Don. Well, temperatures were up around 40 degrees this afternoon. And so now everything is getting slushy.

And actually, look at that taxi cab. Look at that street right in front of it. Our temperature is just below freezing right now, so everything that got wet today is going to get icy like this. And so that black ice can be really hard to see. You don't know when you're approaching it. And you can lose control very, very quickly.

So tonight and tomorrow, everybody who got snow in the deep south, melted today, so be aware of that.

LEMON: It happened to me earlier. I was doing a dance coming out the door.

JERAS: Really?

LEMON: And I was like, woah!

JERAS: Really?

LEMON: Yes.

JERAS: I like to see that.

LEMON: Anyway, travel delays still a big issue. That's something else we're going to be watching for tomorrow. St. Louis, Memphis, Nashville, because of low clouds and snow. Boston, New York metro because of clouds and some blustery conditions. Plus, you're still playing catch-up, believe it or not from our last storm.

A little bit of fog in Dallas and Atlanta after new clouds to add insult to injury. We have a thousand flights plot canceled yesterday.

LEMON: This was just pretty, right? Is that why this --

JERAS: It's gorgeous. The reason why I put this map up is if you're suffering in the snow, and you're not alone. Every state in the Continental 48 states have some kind of snow cover on the ground. Barely clipping into Florida and Louisiana from yesterday. Hawaii is the only state that does not have snow right now.

LEMON: Boy, oh, boy. OK. Well, then --

JERAS: We got our warnings and watches for tomorrow. The areas where we're expecting to see some of that problematic weather and snow fall. This system so much lighter compared to the last one. I mean, we'll get six inches may be up around Sin City or Louisville, but everybody else on the low side.

LEMON: I like hanging out with you over here.

JERAS: I like having you here, too.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: Yes, we'll talk. We'll talk.

JERAS: I like giving you a tour on my studios.

LEMON: After the break.

Hey, I think this explains it all, though, ice.

JERAS: Yes, that black ice is tomorrow morning. Be careful.

LEMON: Yes. I'll hang out with you in a little bit. But I'll tell you about a serious story. This coming up in just a little bit here on CNN. A shooting on campus. On campus. But, you know, it's not the same tragic headline that we have heard over and over before. This one has a twist to it. The accused shooter doesn't fit the usual profile. We'll tell you what makes this case so different.

And more recall troubles, Jacqui, for Toyota. This time, it is the Tacoma. We'll explain, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: We want to check some of your top stories right now. Police say a biology professor killed three of her colleagues at the University of Alabama, Huntsville. And it's not the first time she has killed someone. Amy Bishop, a Harvard-train educator is charged with capital murder. Three other people were wounded in the attack at the faculty meeting yesterday. One of them critically.

Massachusetts police say this isn't the first time Amy Bishop has been involved in a killing. She's accused of shooting her brother to death in 1986. I spoke to a criminal profiler, Pat Brown, about how rare it is that a woman is accused of such a crime.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAT BROWN, CRIMINAL PROFILER: 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.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Investigators are still piecing together a motive for yesterday's shooting.

There's word tonight of a train fire that disrupted Amtrak service in the northeast for several hours. New Jersey Transit Train Locomotive using the Amtrak right-of-way, I should say, caught fire near Morristown, Pennsylvania. Amtrak had to suspend service from Wilmington to Trenton, and the route was closed for about two hours. At last report, two of the lines remain closed.

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

More recall troubles for Toyota. This time, it is voluntarily recalling about 8,000 2010 Toyota Tacoma pick-up trucks in North America. The Japanese automaker says the four-wheel drive vehicles have a production defect in the front drive shaft.

More than 30 letters and cards written by the late Princess Diana were sold at a London auction house today. They went for nearly $26,000. Her letters revealed personal details such as how she liked to open presents early, and that she had trouble coping with media attention. Most of the correspondence was to her beautician.

A stolen plane, a burglaries business, bare feet drawn on the floor, and an 18-year-old suspect who seems to vanished like the fog.

And the Haiti earthquake inspires the world's leading musicians to revisit one of the most legendary moments in entertainment history. The brand new "We Are the World," in its entirety, coming up on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: You know, every Saturday here, we want to catch you up on some of the most interesting stories this week that you have may have missed. Let's start with this new sketch of a suspected church arsonist in east Texas. Take a good look.

The latest two fires were Monday in Tyler about three miles apart. This detail really is terrible. Bibles, apparently, were used at one church to start the blaze. The arson was bad enough, but church members were outraged by the sacrilege.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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

WILBUR CALLAWAY, CHURCH MEMBER: We have been really happy here, my wife and I. We're just shocked. I can't believe it. The person who did it, I hope they got enjoyment out of it. They're going to pay for it somewhere down the line. God's not going to let them get away with this. I'm sorry, I'm a little emotional.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, federal agents have confirmed ten cases of church arsons this year in Texas. All of them in small towns. There's been no clear pattern to 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 bandit has struck again. As soon as residents on Orca's Island heard of a stolen plane and a burglary, one suspect came to mind.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: She's referring to 18-year-old fugitive cults in Harris Moore a.k.a. 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 $1200 was taken, plus lots of food. Video surveillance system was destroyed. And the burglar drew chalk outlines of bare feet. Harris Moore's ability to elude police for so long has earned him a reputation as something of a folk hero among his peers.

Remember this voice?

(VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: That silky, smooth voice can only belong to one person, and that is Sade. This is "Soldier of Love." Her first single in ten years, and already it is burning up all the music charts. And her new album is released next week. Sales are expected to top 400,000. A gold record is 500,000. Already 51 years old.

Congratulations, Sade. I bought it today.

Supermodel Naomi Campbell and friends rock the runway. It's just what they do, right? But this time they did it for Haiti relief.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Congress will soon be without anyone named Kennedy for the first time in 64 years. That's just one of the big political stories in Washington. And one of the things I'm talking about with CNN's Candy Crowley.

I started by asking her about Sarah Palin's headline-grabbing appearance at the tea party convention.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CANDY CROWLEY, HOST, "STATE OF THE UNION": Well, first the speech. I mean, those are -- the people of the tea party, which are arch conservatives, most of them, although they kept saying there were moderates and Democrats there, but the bulk of that convention was conservative. Those are her folks. Those are her people. That's why they came to the convention. So not a mistake for her to show up there because that's her core.

Giving up the job as governor is something else entirely because when you look at, what was Sarah Palin's weakness as a vice presidential candidate, people said, what experience does she have? So to give up the only job you have, governor of Alaska, that could give you that experience is, in fact, does not help sort of fill that void for you. So, yes, I think that hurt her, and I think it continues to hurt her.

LEMON: Do you think that, when people saw that speech last week, there were some people, you know, if you were a Sarah Palin fan, you would say, man, she really hit the administration and the president hard? But if you weren't, you were saying, man, she's being snarky and just complaining. And what are the solutions?

CROWLEY: Yes. Yes. And I'll tell you another way that it does hurt her -- but I think the divisions over Sarah Palin are pretty much -- at least the harsh ones, the people who so support her and the people who so dislike her. Those are pretty set in stone. And then you have the people in the middle who sometimes go back and forth.

But the fact of the matter is, when people look at a speech like that, and if you're an Independent and you might think that, you know, she's an attractive candidate, she really tells it like it is, if you're not hearing substance, which is, again, what people think she is lacking, if you're not hearing substance, then you're thinking, well, talk to me about issues. Not just the red knee, which, of course, that was a red-knee crowd. But I think the people who might be prone to take a look at her are looking for something more substantive.

LEMON: Let's move on and talk about this health care summit that's supposed to happen on the 25th. Are you surprised that Republicans agreed to attend? Because I've been hearing, oh, it's a trap. We don't know. Should we go? Should we not? Are you surprised?

CROWLEY: No. They had no choice. You can't say, yes, we want bipartisanship but, by the way, we're not going to go to that meeting. You have to do it. And that's why they sort of sense a trap, because they just feel that this is something that's being done for the cameras.

And let's face it, if there were cameras on editorial meetings at CNN in the morning, probably not a lot of work would get done, because you mostly don't want that stuff to be on camera. So the Republicans look at this and say, it's a big show.

On the other hand, they can't not go because then they're labeled, look, they didn't even want to come meet the president. So, of course, they have to go. But it is not a forum that's going to help them, and I think they found that out when the president last came and spoke to them.

LEMON: You know what, Candy, it's been a bad year for incumbents, right? I think it's 15 House members so far who are retiring. Now Patrick Kennedy. Is this a surprise to you?

CROWLEY: It is a little bit. It is. And I think that the reasons are going to sort of remain with Patrick Kennedy, who's, of course, the youngest son of the late Senator Ted Kennedy. He has been -- and this surprised me, because I was talking to some of his people last night. They said, listen, he has been in office -- Patrick, who's 42 years old -- he has been in office since he was 21, when he was elected to the Rhode Island legislature. It's a long time. He's just gone through one of the more horrific things that happens in life, the death of a parent. That does tend to kind of make you step back and look at your life.

I will say that the people around him say that he'd been talking for about a year about leaving Congress. We also know that Patrick has had some substance abuse problems over the time. He's been in and out of rehab. So they say that does not play a part in this. He just simply wanted to go and do something new.

LEMON: Listen, Candy, you made news last week with the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. What do you have this week? By the way, her husband, we wish him well. What do you have this week on "State of the Union"? CROWLEY: Yes. We are having retired General Jim Jones, who is head of the president's national security team. And he's just back from Pakistan. So there are lots of problems, as we know, lots of dangerous places in the world. It is the general's job to keep the president up to date and to try to help formulate policy. So lots of questions for him.

LEMON: All right, Candy Crowley from "STATE OF THE UNION."

Thank you, Candy.

CROWLEY: Sure. Thanks.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: And, you know, Candy, is the best in the business. Make sure you check her show out tomorrow morning. As she mentioned, General Jim Jones is among her guest. CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION" airs at 9:00 a.m. Eastern every Sunday right here on CNN and again at noon Eastern as well.

A man whose sacrifice is making a difference. He's lighting up the night for thousands of rural households across Kenya. And you'll meet the CNN hero of the week coming up.

And it's a song that you should know by heart, with a completely new set of voices. A new version of "We are the World." All of it coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: When night falls across rural Kenya, more than 27 million people who live without electricity are plunged into total darkness. Children trying to escape generations of poverty strain to see their school books. But our CNN hero of the week, his name is Evans Wadongo, is transforming the sun into rays of hope for thousands, for free.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EVANS WADONGO: I have problems with my eyesight, due to prolonged exposure to smoke. I had to use firewood to study as a child.

I grew up in a small village in the western part of Kenya. These families are so poor, they don't have electricity. It's only kerosene and firewood that they use for lighting, cooking. It's very, very frustrating. I couldn't compete effectively with other kids who have access to lighting. A lot of other kids just drop out of school. So, they remain poor for the rest of their life.

My name is Evans Wadongo.

When I made the first lantern, I thought I must find a way of using sunlight to light up the rural rooms. I was so overwhelmed. I knew the impact that the lantern would have in the rural communities. The amount of money that every household uses to buy kerosene every day, if they can just save that money, they can be able to buy food.

(INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (speaking foreign language)

WADONGO: All along I've been skipping at least two meals a day so that I can construct the lamps, but I want to do more. It gives me satisfaction that I'm lifting people out of poverty. I just feel like it's right.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Evans Wadongo's work has brought light into an estimated 10,000 rural Kenyan homes for free. To help him build his solar- powered lanterns, or to nominate someone who you think is changing the world, go to CNN.com/heroes.

You know, these numbers may surprise you. New figures from the Centers for Disease Control on swine flu deaths in the U.S. And the winter Olympics rebound from a tragic accident that claimed the life of a luger competition -- competitor, I should say. We'll tell you what they did to make the luge track safe for other athletes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: We have a story that is just in to CNN tonight. Maryland state police have issued an Amber Alert for an 11-year-old girl named Karinna Elizabeth Garcia (ph). She's 4'10 and about 110 pounds. Police say she was last seen wearing a red shirt and jeans, in the company of a man identified as Elmer Valleja (ph). They were last seen in Prince George's County in Valleja's 18-wheeler which has Virginia plates. Anyone with information should call 911.

A Taliban stronghold is under siege tonight. It could be a turning point in the Afghan war. 15,000 U.S., NATO and Afghan troops today took the fight to the southern province of Helmand. About 1,000 Taliban fighters are believed to be surrounded. A U.S. Marine and a British soldier were killed in the fighting.

Two massive rogue waves swept dozens of people off the California seawall today, tossing them into the beach, into a stage and into several booths. At least seven people received broken bones. Others were being treated for bumps and bruises. Witnesses say the huge wave pushed all the way from the beach to the stage.

The luge track which claimed a life in a horrifying accident at the winter Olympics has now been modified and it's been reopened. Officials have built a retaining wall where the crash occurred, and they insist it is safe now. A 21-year-old from the former Soviet Republic of Georgia was killed when he was thrown from his sled into an unpadded steel pole yesterday.

As many as 7,000 Americans may have died from the H1N1 virus. As of January 30th, the Centers for Disease Control reports nearly 2,500 confirmed swine flu deaths and had been officially reported. But it estimates between 8,000 and 17,000 have actually died from H1N1. The CDC says the majority of swine flu deaths were in people under the age of 65. That's marked a difference from seasonal flu deaths, in which 90 percent usually occur in people 65 and older.

Supermodel Naomi Campbell and her friends are strutting, prancing and twirling for Haiti.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: What do you say we talk what matters? 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, and I asked her about her humanitarian efforts and who did what for the show.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NAOMI CAMPBELL, FASHION MODEL: The fashion world coming together, all 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. And what's fantastic is, the public get to come into the shows, which normally it's not the public. So that makes it even more of a show. And everything gets sold on Pret-a-Porter (ph) on March 15th. And all proceeds go to Careorg, women and children and babies.

LEMON: So what about the models and designers? Was it -- 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've been amazing, everyone, especially designers, because they're in the middle of their fall/winter 2010 collections to present them. So they're extremely busy, and they've 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's your connection to the Haitian people? To people in Haiti? Why did you want to get involved in this, Naomi?

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

LEMON: Do you think there are 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 -- you know, let's put it this way. We can go buy two pairs of shoes. That could train someone for a month how 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's amazing that you're saying this. We know, you know, we hear things, like oh, this, you know, Naomi happened this, and you hear the gossip columns and all this, you hear about, you know, you getting into fights--

CAMPBELL: I'm a controversial girl.

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

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

(LAUGHTER)

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

CAMPBELL: It's not -- it's not -- I can't say it's 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's just something that I care to do for me. It wasn't something that I care to do for public adulation. And in terms of fashion (inaudible), 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 the 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 I thought, oh my gosh, that is the most beautiful suit I've ever seen. I've had it for 10 years now, and it's still in fashion. It's--

(CROSSTALK)

CAMPBELL: Keep it, keep it, it's now going to be a collector's item.

LEMON: Yeah. Your good friend. How are you doing?

CAMPBELL: I do miss him like everybody does. And we've 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: You know, someone earlier on Twitter said, Don, Naomi Campbell's been doing things to help children for years and you never hear about it. All you hear about is gossip and when she gets in trouble. So that was a tweet that someone sent me earlier.

Hey, listen, you know, we're talking about this new all-star tribute to the people of Haiti, the "We Are the World" 2010. You guys have been tweeting. They've done a great job, you said it, on remaking "We Are the World" here. Someone else said, hey, I think it should be a total remake, not a redo. Someone says, I think "We Are the World 2010" was nice, but did we really need to auto-tune it, though? Did we really need to auto-tune it? Could have done without T-Pain and Li'l Wayne. They said it, I didn't.

Let's see, one more on "We are the World." Just watched "We are the World," 25, it made me tear up, I can't lie. It made a grown Haitian man cry. And glad to see the full version of "We Are the World." The shortened version that aired before the Olympics, they didn't like it so much.

Thank you for all of your tweets. We're going to be reading a little bit more. You guys are really weighing in on the first lady story as well, and you know, about childhood obesity. So listen, "We Are the World" in its entirety, coming up. Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: "We Are the World." It is back, this time raising money for Haiti. Lionel Richie, Quincy Jones partnered with Haiti native Wyclef Jean for the production this time. The 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, brand new, this weekend. Sit back, take a look, enjoy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMIE FOXX, ACTOR/MUSICIAN: 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 Richie. I'm so proud to be able to share a new version of that song with a video by Academy Award-winning director Paul Haggis.

Two weeks ago, we found ourselves surrounded by a dazzling array of artists of all ages, backgrounds and genres. But all of whom share a common commitment to take action to help Haiti rise from the rubble and rebuild. As artists, we hope that you enjoy the video and join us in this 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. (SPEAKING FRENCH).

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

(MUSIC)

LIONEL RICHIE, MUSICIAN: 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 fellow man. 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 VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Very interesting. I'm still trying to figure out who everyone is there. But let's see, you guys are weighing in, so I'm going to read some of them.

And transparency here. Someone says, "Thanks, Don. I didn't see it the first time. I'm smiling and crying at the same time. Wow. I thank you for playing it again and reminding everyone what really matters in this world. It's not cars, clothes, but love for each other."

So listen, what's this whole thing about auto-tune? Was there an auto-tune controversy? Some people are saying it should not have been auto-tuned, that "We Are the World" should not have been auto-tuned. Someone says, "Well, for Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus, that is true." Some people say, "People need to stop whining, though. I hate auto- tune, but it is a part of the current music. Besides, this is about Haiti." We are the ones to make a brighter day, we're in a recession, we're unemployed, they're saying. And then one person says, "Hello, Don. Describe what it's like anchoring the news for CNN each night. Which journalist do you most admire?" It's amazing. It's a privilege to be able to talk to you guys and to have a platform like this. And I'll have to say, right now, the first person that comes to mind is Candy Crowley. And then I'll have to say Bernie Shaw, and there are others, others as well.

So anyway, thank you guys for watching. I'm Don Lemon. See you back here tomorrow night, 6:00, 7:00 and 10:00 p.m. Eastern. "Black in America 2" begins right now. Good night.