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U.S. Administration in Damage Control Mode As Diplomatic Relations with Egypt's Neighbors Need Shoring Up; Egypt's New Day; Meeting of Conservatives

Aired February 12, 2011 - 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: This hour, a new day in Egypt. Thousands celebrate the historic regime change. And in the U.S., a who's who of Republicans who want to be president. They made the rounds at a high level conservative gathering this weekend.

And the next generation of a Alvin Ailey dancers, a dance icon passes the baton.

The realization that Egypt is now so profoundly different than just 18 days ago is keeping Cairo's people on the streets and in the squares tonight. That's where CNN's Finnouala Sweeney is with a bird's eye view of all that is still gathering in the streets there. What's taking place?

FINNOUALA SWEENEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I do have a bird's eye view but I can tell you probably have sounds, audio of this because everybody has poured back out on the streets in the last few hours since the sun went down. And the atmosphere is just as electric as this time last night when Hosni Mubarak stepped down from power and the crowd learned about it. There have been fireworks, horns blaring.

I don't know whether people will be going back to work tomorrow. We thought it was business as usual today because people seemed to be not on the streets like they were yesterday, but it seems they were only resting up and the celebrations are continuing. But there are hard questions ahead, Fredricka, for this country, and the question of time, is it on the military's side to make this transition to democracy and will the protesters who have been in the streets for the last two weeks and more, will they be prepared to allow the military to do what it feels it needs to do to steer this country towards democracy.

The demonstrators have already asked for the state of emergency to be lifted. They want to see freedom of the press. And they also want to see the political prisoners, some 10,000 of them, released. So it is going to be an interesting few days. The Egyptian stock market (INAUDIBLE), will reopen after these demonstrations on Wednesday.

Obviously the new military authority is hoping that things will have settled down by then and that the markets can open on an upbeat note. But certainly the mood down below is upbeat.

WHITFIELD: All right. Finnouala Sweeney, thanks so much, in Cairo. Appreciate that. The voices of Egyptian people in Cairo are easy to hear. They are raised tonight, as you heard from Finnouala's live shot there. These people were celebrating just a short time after Hosni Mubarak announced he was resigning his long presidency. Now listen to these raw reactions, Egyptian people here in the United States getting the news about the revolution back home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NARGES IBRAHIM, EGYPTIAN-AMERICAN: Happy is not even enough to explain my feeling.

SEHAM ABDULAHAD, EGYPTIAN-AMERICAN: I screamed, I cried, start calling my family, my friends here, my co-workers. I was so happy. And it was just very emotional moments.

IBRAHIM: We need democracy. We ask for that, that's what they were asking in January 25th. That's what they asked for, democracy. That's all what they ask for. Just fair democracy and everybody will be having their - living in a good life.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They did what we were not able to do, what we were scared to do, what we were afraid to do 10 or 20 years ago.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know, I heard the news sitting at my desk. I cried immediately and my next door person on the cube came out and just gave me a strong, strong hug and she said she felt for me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Also think of this weekend as an unofficial kickoff to the 2012 presidential campaign. Conservatives are gathering in Washington right now for the annual CPAC conference. And attending a who's who of GOP presidential wannabes. CNN's senior political editor Mark Preston is there and joins us live. What is taking place now?

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Hey, Fred. As we speak right now, Anne Coulter, the conservative commentator and author is taking questions from the audience behind me. About 11,000 people organizers say have come to the Conservative Political Action Conference over the past three days. We're just a couple of hours away from the conference coming to a close and we're waiting for the results of the much touted, much anticipated straw poll.

We've heard from about a dozen potential presidential candidates, Republican presidential candidates, folks who are seriously considering running against President Obama. In fact, I'm here with our colleague, Peter Hamby, who has been here the past couple of days, Fred, who has heard all of the speeches.

Peter, who do you think were some of the winners and maybe some of the losers out of these potential presidential candidates?

PETER HAMBY, CNN POLITICAL PRODUCER: Well, as you mentioned, almost a dozen presidential candidates and it's totally wide open. And so you see here with all these candidates, with a lack of activity in the early presidential race, sort of a lot of expectations being set. Would Mitt Romney address the controversial health care plan in Massachusetts to this crowd of conservative activists.

You know, would Mitch Daniels address this controversial claim that there should be a truce on social issues while the country works out its economic problems. But by and large, all of these candidates - really, you know, there were no big mistakes. There was no one who really blew it out of the park. Just again, reflects how wide open the early presidential race is at this point, Fred.

WHITFIELD: I wonder, Peter, no one really blew it out of the park but might there be one or two who might be among the most memorable from this CPAC conference where people will say to themselves, you know what, I think he or she's got it.

HAMBY: Right. Well, at a place like this, the people that really thrive are those long shot dark horse candidates who really appeal to the conservative base, those folks that vote in the caucuses and primaries and determine the next president, people like Michele Bachmann, the Minnesota congresswoman, Tea party favorite Herman Cane, the former talk show host. Donald Trump showed up here and caused a melee with reporters. Those people really stirred up a lot of buzz here at CPAC.

So the takeaway for some of these activists might be, you know, hey, I learned something new about somebody I didn't really know about.

WHITFIELD: All right, Mark.

(CROSSTALK)

PRESTON: Well, I was going to say here at CPAC, 11,000 people, we're all waiting on this straw poll that we're supposed to get the results at about 5:15 and we'll have them here live.

WHITFIELD: OK. And that's exactly what I was going to ask you about, when we might hear about that straw poll and who's going to come out on top on that.

All right. Mark, thanks so much. And Peter. Thank you, gentlemen.

HAMBY: Thanks, Fred.

PRESTON: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Cold and snow in Oklahoma equals happiness for this Alaskan sled dog. And as you can see in this I-report, it's getting plenty of exercise pulling this little boy around in a plastic sled. Oh, that looks like a lot of fun. In other parts of the country, some folks are getting an early taste of spring. Wow, what a juxtaposition. Very winter remix there. Then maybe a little spring in the horizon too. Jacqui.

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Oh, yes.

WHITFIELD: Both of those look rather appealing, though. One very fun and one great relief.

JERAS: I know, right? It's hard to believe. Oklahoma City has been hit so hard this winter. Storm after storm after storm. Really it was the trifecta basically in the last three weeks. Guess what the temperature is there right now?

WHITFIELD: Don't tell me.

JERAS: No, it's good. It's pretty good. Think happy.

WHITFIELD: Above freezing?

(CROSSTALK)

JERAS: It's 60 degrees. 60 degrees.

WHITFIELD: Oh, that's like summer.

JERAS: It is. And it might even be 70 say by Wednesday.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh. So they're wearing shorts?

JERAS: You know, they probably are.

WHITFIELD: You know they are. Of course they are.

JERAS: This is great news. We've got a major shift in the weather pattern. This is a much longer term pattern. This is warmer, and this really impacts almost everybody across the lower 48, so this is some great news. This is a big change. We're talking about a good week that this is going to be lasting. This is a map of what we call the jet stream and it's really that fast ribbon of air that divides the cold and warm air in the upper atmosphere and storm systems tend to track within that jet as well.

And whenever we see these big bumps or these ridges like that, that allows the air to compress and heat up a little bit and allows warmer air to move in from the south. So we are expecting this pattern throughout the weekend and we're even going to see this bump or this ridge start to push eastward as we head into the week. So warming trend. We're talking about, this isn't just a quick hit. We're talking about probably a good week.

Now the northeast is still in the deep so that means you're under the cold air and we've got some windy conditions too. We've got a ground delay right now at JFK, a ground delay that's about an hour for you to get into New York City but we got a little bit of snow showers going across parts of the Pacific northwest. And that's because those storms are coming in with that jet.

We've got winter storm warnings in effect across the Cascades. Over a foot of snow that is going to be possible before of the weekend and a wet pattern is setting up here. So Seattle, I wish you could get in on the warmth, but it's going to stay rainy and it's going to stay wet. Now, as the storm system tracks right along the U.S.-Canadian border, we're going to be seeing some really strong wind gusts. We could be approaching 80 miles per hour in some of the peaks and ridges and favored valleys here across Montana and then heading also into parts of the Dakotas. You can see the radar picture along i-5 where that wet weather is coming down and then that snow into the higher elevations. And here's that cold dip that we were talking about. And that cold air moves over the warmer lake waters and that's why we're getting a little bit of snow. But it's kind of a quick hit. It's to going to be too bad and as I mentioned, those temperatures are going to be warming up. So we'll end things on a pretty note, Fredricka. There's a picture of Atlanta, 55 degrees and sunshine after we had snow just the other morning.

WHITFIELD: All right. It was a nice little half-inch dusting that we got?

JERAS: Yes. A good weather report for a change.

WHITFIELD: Oh, good. Very good.

JERAS: Oh good.

WHITFIELD: Yes, lots of smiles all the way around. All right. Jacqui, thank you.

All right. Fixing the nation's mortgage mess. The Obama administration has a plan, but is it good for you, the homeowner?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The Obama administration would like to see the private market step in and take up the slack if Fanny and Freddie go away. Earlier I talked to nationally syndicated columnist Ilyce Glink. I asked her if she found it alarming that the private sector would need to pick up the $10 trillion that Freddie and Fanny would leave if they disappeared.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ILYCE GLINK, REAL ESTATE EXPERT: This is a very significant amount of money. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, I was amazed to hear Tim Geithner talk about all of these mistakes that went all along in a line that caused the implosion of the housing market. He's right on all of those counts and it's not like people weren't saying that.

So when you start to unwind that, it's a long process and it is going to be very alarming to anybody who is a realtor, a mortgage lender, a new home builder. These are people who have a big stake in the housing industry. They're going to be scared.

WHITFIELD: Oh, boy. How about those who want to own a home or those who have a home. Let's split it up on how it affects the current homeowner.

GLINK: I think if you own a home now, I just refinanced to a 15-year mortgage back in November. I'm not going to worry about my mortgage for the next 15 years. It's going to be fine. People who are going into the housing market though who are going to be buying a home, not this year, maybe next year, but once this whole process starts to kick in, they're going to see higher rates of insurance. They're going to be required to put 10, 15, 20 percent down. I don't think we're going to see the three percent down loans any more or zero percent down loans.

WHITFIELD: I thought those went away a long time ago. I thought the 10 percent went away a long time ago as well.

GLINK: No, no, they're back. It's very interesting that, you know, the mortgage market is getting in there. The real concern I think just as somebody who watches this market and has done so for a couple of decades is that the idea that you're going to have maybe the four big banks, Bank of America, Chase, Wells Fargo, Citi who actually have the capitalization and the muscle to really do something here, you're going to have them go sort of end to end in the process and you really have to watch what kind of regulation is going to be on those banks. What kind of insurance people are going to have to pay and how it's all going to work out. There are about a million details and all of them could be very scary for people.

WHITFIELD: Well, those banks that you mentioned, Bank of America, Chase, Citibank, haven't they been the supplemental lenders, if Freddie and Fannie were taking care of the majority of the stake. So why should anyone feel like they have the capacity to handle the majority now of home loans if Freddie and Fannie were to go away?

GLINK: Well, it's a great question but they perform very different functions. You know, right now Fanny, Freddie and FHA account for 97 percent of all the loans that are done out there. 97 percent. I mean that's it. It's just government-backed so it is very terrifying. These big banks though they have a lot of money, some of which the government put into them, but they also seem to have some processes down. But you have to be very careful that they don't just become so enormous and so all encompassing that they're impossible to regulate. We already watched how, you know, the too big to fail thing worked during this last great recession. AIG was deemed too big to fail and it cost the government a whole lot of money to bail them out.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Ilyce Glink, get financial advice from our experts every weekend right here in the CNN NEWSROOM on Saturdays, 2:00 and 4:00 p.m. Eastern and then again Sunday at 4:00 p.m.

All right. A romantic comedy, an animated love story and a medieval legend. They are all hitting the movie screens this weekend. We'll separate the good, the bad and the ugly, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler are teaming up for the latest romantic comedy in the theaters this weekend.

But first, where we get to that, today's top stories. A jubilant crowd. This was also a crowd in mourning the day after Egypt's president bowed to public demand to leave office. A memorial to the people who died in the process. More than 300 people were killed over 18 days of protests and sometimes violence.

Thousands of people turned out for an NAACP march in Raleigh, North Carolina, today. They say a plan to return to neighborhood schools will lead to re-segregation. They also fear that an upcoming revision of North Carolina's congressional districts will weaken minority voting power.

And 1.7 million baby video monitors are being recalled after reports of two infants being strangled by the electrical cords. The monitors were made in China and marketed by a Rhode Island company called Summer Infant. They were sold between January of 2003 and early this month and all of them carry the name Summer.

And a little something for everyone at the movies this weekend. Matt Atchity is the editor in chief of Rottentomatoes.com and he's joining us now from Los Angeles. Good to see you. We're going to begin with the romantic comedy starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston. Let's take a quick peek at what people are going to check out at the movies this weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. Can you act professional?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, sir.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For at least two more days until I kill you of in a boarding school train accident?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thought it was a car accident.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know. Either that or a science exposure. Just something. You're going to be dead soon. That's the good news, OK? So can you just focus for a few more days?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: OK. So, Matt, is this kind of Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, as usual or they bring something different to this romantic comedy?

MATT ATCHITY, ROTTENTOMATOES.COM EDITOR: Well, sadly it is pretty much what you would expect. There's nothing new here. What's unfortunate, as much as this movie is supposed to be a romantic comedy, they forgot the comedy part. It's just not funny. The theater I was in, when we watched it, nobody was laughing.

WHITFIELD: No one. That's kind of embarrassing. ATCHITY: No one. Yes.

WHITFIELD: so what kind of grade are you willing to give it, then?

ATCHITY: You know, Jennifer Aniston is not unwatchable but it's disappointing to see Adam Sandler here. I gave it a D.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh. And he's supposed to be the really funny one.

ATCHITY: Yes. He's just not funny here.

WHITFIELD: Oh, no.

ATCHITY: Yes, he used to be.

WHITFIELD: But not anymore. Not in this one.

ATCHITY: Right.

WHITFIELD: And you say don't go with it at all.

ATCHITY: Just don't go. Yes, just don't go to it.

WHITFIELD: OK. How about "Gnomio and Juliet"? What's the premise behind this one?

ATCHITY: So "Gnomio and Juliet," as the title would indicate it's about garden gnomes who are re-enacting the story of "Romeo and Juliet," star-crossed or gnome-crossed lovers.

WHITFIELD: James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Maggie Smith, all of their voices are in this. Let's take a quick peek at this.

(VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: That's the extent of it. So where in the world would this idea come from, these little garden gnomes, give them life and make them funny maybe? Is this 3-D, by the way?

ATCHITY: It is in 3-D. The 3-D is not bad. You know, it comes from actually - it's an idea of Elton John's.

WHITFIELD: Really?

ATCHITY: He's been working on this movie for 10 or 11 years and it's finally made it to theaters. You know, it's OK. It's got a lot of his music in it. It's a decent movie. It's, you know, if you're taking the kids to it, the kids will enjoy it, you'll have a good time but it's not something that you're going to look at 10 years later and say, "oh, that's one of Disney's best movies."

WHITFIELD: Classic.

ATCHITY: It's OK, but you know, it's not great. I give it a "C." WHITFIELD: Oh, a C. Oh boy. Some tough grades here. All right. Maybe "The Eagle" will get a better grade. This one, tell me what the premise behind this one is? What is it all about?

ATCHITY: So the premise of this is it's based on a true story of the Ninth Roman legion which disappeared in Britain in the second century A.D.. The mystery was nobody knew what happened to it. It's Channing Tatum plays the son of the slain or disappeared leader and he's on the quest to bring back the standard of the Ninth Legion and reclaim his family's honor. He plays a slave along the way played by Jamie Bell, who some people might remember from "Billy Elliot" from a few years back. They have to go north of Adrian's Wall and find this golden eagle or bronze eagle, I should say, and bring it back to civilized Britain.

WHITFIELD: And he's a cutie pie. Does he make this movie worth watching?

ATCHITY: You know, he does actually. I will say I enjoyed this movie. Now it's not trying to be an epic like, say, "Gladiator," whereas that has a cast of thousands, this one has a cast of dozens. But you know, with the lower they make it work. I actually really enjoyed this movie.

WHITFIELD: Oh, yes. Donald Sutherland -

ATCHITY: It's (INAUDIBLE) action picture.

WHITFIELD: OK.

ATCHITY: Donald Sutherland is in this. You know, Mark Strong, a British actor who I think this year's British William H. Macy. He's showing up in all kinds of stuff. You know, this is a fun movie. I enjoyed it. It's not brilliant, but it's decent.

WHITFIELD: So you gave it better than a "C" maybe?

ATCHITY: I did. I gave this a "B."

WHITFIELD: All right.

ATCHITY: I think that if you like action movies, definitely check this one out.

WHITFIELD: OK. And so I don't think I want to hold you to a grade on Bieber fever but he's got something coming out, "Never Say Never." That's coming so close to James Bond flick. You better watch out Justin Bieber, what did you think about this documentary about the singer's rise to fame?

ATCHITY: You know, as someone who's not a Justin Bieber fan, I went into this trying to have an open mind. This movie is far better than I thought it was going to be.

WHITFIELD: Really.

ATCHITY: I'll be honest, I will give it a grade. I gave it a "B."

WHITFIELD: Oh, you did grade it.

ATCHITY: This is a decent film.

WHITFIELD: Get out.

ATCHITY: This is a decent movie. I will admit I actually enjoyed it. Now, what I will say is if you go to this, you need to be prepared that you're going to be in a audience, a theater filled with wild 12, 13, 14-year-old girls, so bring ear plugs because they scream the whole time.

WHITFIELD: That's right. Ear plugs, that's cute. OK. Go Justin Bieber. He's big and he's getting even bigger now that he's going to reveal even more about his life and his rise to fame.

Matt Atchity, thanks so much. Good to see you.

ATCHITY: Oh, thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. A new direction in Egypt. What does that mean for countries that do business there or have military or diplomatic relations with Egypt? Lots ahead. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. There's jubilation, euphoria and sadness. In Cairo, young people who triggered a revolution prayed over a monument to the hundreds of people believe killed in demonstrations and riots. Look at these pictures. This is Algeria, west of Egypt. Thousands of protesters there clashing with riot police and demanding change in their government.

Then take a look at London. Egyptian ex-pats and supporters of the movement that ended the presidency of Hosni Mubarak gathered to show their solidarity. Here's President Obama after he heard the news yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: By stepping down, President Mubarak responded to the Egyptian people's hunger for change, but this is not the end of Egypt's transition. It's a beginning. I'm sure there will be difficult days ahead, and many questions remain unanswered.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So here is the new reality. President Mubarak is out. The Egyptian military is running things for now. Mubarak's hand- picked vice president not sure of his role yet. Free elections? It's a good question. And the United States diplomatic approach to Egypt that too has a big question mark. We'll try to look forward to all of these things. Elise Labott is watching that part of this story today from Washington. So Elise, what about the U.S.? Who it will talk to, or where does it get the direction about where this country goes next?

ELISE LABOTT, CNN SR. STATE DEPT. PRODUCER: Well, that's the $65,000 question right now, Fred. I mean basically the U.S. doesn't know. They know the players, they know who's in the supreme military council, but they really don't know the pecking order, who's running the show. As you said, a lot of unanswered questions about Vice President Suleiman, who they do know, and also there are a lot of contacts with the military, the head of the military, Muhammad Hussein Tantawi is very close to Admiral Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Defense Secretary Gates, who have been reaching out to him. But they really don't know. The State Department doesn't know who they're going to be talking to.

WHITFIELD: What about the dialogue the U.S. would have with any other allies in that region? What kind of concerns might be expressed? What kind of promises made? What kind of assurances might be sought?

LABOTT: Well, in the dearth of information about the Egyptian government, the U.S. is trying to reach out to allies to get information about what's going on in Egypt. How they're seeing this. Everyone has been on the phone. Basically, I've been told, at the State Department they're calling every single foreign minister. President Obama has been on the phone today to the U.K. Prime Minister, David Cameron and also Jordan's King Abdullah and the Prime Minister Erdogan of Turkey.

Obviously in the region there's a lot of apprehension and a lot of concern about whether the U.S. is going to stand by other countries, if there is protests in those countries. That's why there is a lot of outreach to Jordan right now, Fred. Bill Burns, the top three official at the State Department is headed out there. Admiral Mullen is out there. Secretary Clinton, President Obama, all on the phone to King Abdullah saying we are standing by you, we are your ally.

WHITFIELD: So the countries you just mentioned, Turkey, Great Britain, do they like the way this administration has handled things thus far?

LABOTT: Well, I think the U.K. has really played it along with the U.S., kind of straight down the middle, kind of hedging their bets to see who is going to come out and not really taking a firm side until the end with the protesters.

At the same time, there is a lot of anger at the United States, in the region, we're hearing. A lot of these countries, these authoritarian rulers, if you will, and others allies, not really so clear about whether the U.S. will stand by them. They saw the United States abandon, if you will, in the eyes of some diplomats, throw under the bus Hosni Mubarak, an ally of 30 years. They're questioning what it means to be a friend of America. They are saying, Fred, you want our help on Iran, you want our help on the peace process, good luck. So the U.S. really not only has its work cut out for them to navigate this Egyptian government, but also in the region, right now, a lot of apprehension about the United States and that's going to be a lot of this diplomatic outreach in the coming weeks.

WHITFIELD: All right. State Department Producer Elise Labott, thanks so much from Washington.

The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is in the midst of a 24-city tour celebrating 50 years of the company's most famous "Revelations" routine. This is also a year of the dance company's changing of the guard. Artistic Director Judith Jamison has been the face of Alvin Ailey for 20 years. She's passing the torch to director designate Robert Battle, and both are with me right now. Judith Jamison and Robert Battle.

Welcome.

ROBERT BATTLE, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR DESIGNATE, ALVIN AILEY DANCE THEATER: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Good to see both of you.

JUDITH JAMISON, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, ALVIN AILEY DANCE THEATER: Hi, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: This is very exciting.

JAMISON: Good to see you again. I'm so glad to be here with Robert, because this is such an exciting time for us.

WHITFIELD: This is very wonderful because you're both very joyous about this changing of the guard.

BATTLE: Yes.

JAMISON: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: I know it's got to be bittersweet for you, too, because I know you've been doing --

JAMISON: No, it's not.

WHITFIELD: No, not at all?

JAMISON: No, I'm not bittersweet.

WHITFIELD: You've been doing this so long.

JAMISON: Well, I danced with the company for 15 years and now it was 21 years of directing it. I am so happy to be able to give it over to Robert, I cannot tell you.

(LAUGHTER)

JAMISON: I cannot tell you. I danced for you, I directed for you, and now it is time for 50 more years of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and this is the man that can take us into a bright future.

WHITFIELD: You really did hand pick Robert battle. JAMISON: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: Before I ask you, Robert, what your feeling in all that. Give me an idea, what was it about Robert that you saw. And you said, you know what, he is the one to take this to the next level.

JAMISON: Sylvia Waters, Director of Ailey II, directed me in his direction because he had already done -- you had done how many pieces for the second company?

BATTLE: Three.

JAMISON: Like three pieces for the second company. And then about seven years ago or so, five years ago, I asked you to do pieces for the first company because I was so impressed. I'm like oh, my goodness, this man is so talented.

WHITFIELD: But he didn't grow up as a dancer within Alvin Ailey.

JAMISON: No, with Alvin Ailey. I'm sure Robert, can tell you about that. But it was very much a no brainer. It's like, wow, the talent, the integrity, the understanding of past, present and future, the dynamic of how he relates to people - and how he-you're sitting here-

(LAUGHTER)

JAMISON: How you relate to people. And how you relate and love of dancers. I love that you love dancers and love the mantra of Ailey which is, dance came from people, and needs to be delivered back. The heart and soul of him.

WHITFIELD: Wasn't there a tradition kind of set by Alvin Ailey. You were a dancer within Alvin Ailey and then he plucked you. And you said, I'm going to break with tradition. But you still went with your gut, looking for the person.

JAMISON: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Who could best lead and bring something new and different.

So then when you got that phone call or when you learned that you were in the running, Robert, I want you to tell the story of how she turned to you and said "you're the one." Give me an idea of how that happened and how that struck you.

BATTLE: Well, that was a couple of years ago. And we had lunch. And she asked me quite bluntly, was I interested. And my mouth spoke before I could grab hold of what I was saying. And I said absolutely, I'd love the opportunity to lead the company. I remember this, I've thought about it many times. And thus began a process of getting to where I am now. But it was -- I was overcome, and elated because knowing what the company means not only to me but so many others for 52 years.

WHITFIELD: Did you see Alvin Ailey as a child?

BATTLE: Oh, yeah. I was about 12 years old in Miami, Florida.

WHITFIELD: Near Liberty City.

BATTLE: Mm-hmm.

WHITFIELD: Florida kid.

BATTLE Absolutely. Like we still do. I think we've done about 10,000 students in the past five days in terms of them coming to see performances in the morning. And I was bussed there, sitting there seeing, "Revelations" for the first time.

WHITFIELD: And what happened when you saw it?

BATTLE: It was awesome. It was awesome, because I got it. And for a young person, it's so important when they get it, when they feel connected to something larger than themselves. And I think that something brought me to New York City and now to where I am.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right. Changing of the guard, from Artistic Director Judith Jamison, to the director designate Robert Battle. So, Alvin Ailey in Atlanta, right now, on to Miami, Florida, next. And then to a city near you, 22 other cities.

The movie "The King's Speech" highlights a serious problem suffered by millions of people, stuttering. The cause of the condition and treatments after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A popular film shines a spotlight on stuttering. Up next, advice from a well-known columnist who suffers from the condition, but first a look at the top stories.

Crowds are still in Cairo's Tahrir Square on this day after Hosni Mubarak stepped down as president of Egypt. The country is now ruled by a caretaker government controlled by the military. Military leaders today said they are committed to a democratic process that will result in civilian rule.

More than 10,000 conservatives are ending their annual conference in Washington this afternoon. CPAC is one of the most influential gatherings of the year. And it's the first presidential straw poll for the 2012 Republican presidential hopefuls; 15 names are on the ballot this year. CPAC is expected to announce that winner any time now.

And Oscar-winning actress Elizabeth Taylor is being treated as a Los Angeles hospital for symptoms caused by congestive heart failure. Taylor's representative says the 78-year-old star is doing well and is very comfortable. Doctors are monitoring Taylor for an ongoing condition.

"The King's Speech" an Oscar-nominated film about a British monarch and his struggle to overcome a debilitating stutter, a condition that affects millions of people around the world.

(BEGIN MOVIE CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You destroyed the happiness of my family all for the sake of ensnaring a star-patient you couldn't-possibly hope to assist.

It would be like mad King George, the Stammer who let his people down so badly in their hour of need -- what are you doing? Get up, you can't sit there! Get up!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why not, it's a chair.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, that is not a chair. That is -- that is St. Edwards' chair.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People have carved their names on it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Listen to me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Listen to you? By what right?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because I have a right to be heard. I have a voice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Joining me now, two guests who are shedding light on this often misunderstood condition. In New York Chamonix Olsen Sikora, the executive director of the American Institute for Stuttering, and in Washington, Clarence Page, he's a well-known syndicated columnist for the "Chicago Tribune" who has battled stutter for most of his life.

Good to see both of you.

CLARENCE PAGE, SYNDICATED COLUMNIST, STUTTERER: Thank you. Thank you for having us.

CHAMONIX OLSEN, SIKORA, EXEC. DIR., AMERICAN INSTITUTE FOR STUTTERING: Thank You.

WHITFIELD: Clarence, let me begin with you. When you see Colin Firth's depiction of the stuttering, when you saw that, could you relate to that?

PAGE: I not only related to it, I was sitting there wincing, you know, silently saying, come on, get it out, get those words out because I've gone through it. That whole profile I think was very typical of a lot of us who stutter. And also we all are somewhat unique, because everybody stutters differently. But I'm happy to see the whole problem put into the spotlight and the fact that it can be dealt with.

WHITFIELD: When did you start to stutter, and really nobody would know, right, unless they were to hear of you making it very public. PAGE: Or if they're a stutterer themselves. Since I came out of the closet, if you will, and started writing about it after the movie came out, I've gotten some wonderfully heart-warming e-mails and letters from fellow stutterers, fellow suffers, as I put it. Some of them say I've seen you on TV before, and I detected a little hesitancy, but I had never guessed that you were one of us.

I think people who stutter can recognize when somebody else has been dealing with it. You never get rid of it, it's like being an alcoholic. You only bring it under control. But as I put it that beast is always in there waiting to leap out, grab my vocal cords.

WHITFIELD: So how have you managed it, if that's the right word?

PAGE: It was really -- I want to thank the public school system where I grew up at Middletown, Ohio. They provided free therapists for me every year through grade school. And also just some wonderful people in my community, and my own family, folks in the community. Wonderful mentors, I had a speech mentor, Fred Ross, a local lawyer, who grew up with a stutter himself, and never had any therapy. He was my coach and a speech contest I was in, in the ninth grade, I stuttered all the way through. A year later I reentered it. Under his coaching, he said come on, you can do this. And I walked away with the second prize trophy.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh.

PAGE: I was on my way then.

WHITFIELD: That was very courageous to be in it in the first place, and then, to go through with it again.

PAGE: Well, I've always been a talker, you just can't shut me up.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: All right. Let me bring you in with the American Institute for stuttering. So, help us understand if a child, or I guess it's first evidenced in the family, the child is experiencing this, is that the first course of action, to try and address it for a child, whereas in the movie, the king was an adult before anyone came to his calling?

SIKORA: Yes. Well, nowadays it really is important to identify children young. The best chance to recover from stuttering is when you treat children at a very early age. There's a lot we can do working with parents and doing some therapy with children as young as two and three years old. It is a different type of treatment that we do at that age, than we do with adults but there's always help. It's never too late.

WHITFIELD: What are the differences in the treatment, or the help?

SIKORA: Yeah. Well, with adults we are working a bit on the psychological aspects of stuttering as well as physically being able to get words out easier. So although stuttering is not psychological in cause, it's not caused by nervousness, so it doesn't really help to say slow down or go a little slower, or take your time to someone who stutters, there is this physical component. We know now that it's neurologically based and there's a genetic piece for the majority of people out there.

So it's something physical occurring in the body, something going on in the brain actually, possibly a mistiming of messages being sent down to the level of the vocal folds, so it's really a physical problem, not psychological. But as adults --

WHITFIELD: So if it's neurological and physical, then is it also hereditary?

SIKORA: Exactly. There are genetic studies that came out this past year. "The New England Journal of Medicine" published a study just this past year, which did show that in about 9 percent of people that stutter, there's three genes that they identified. So this will hopefully lead us to finding more genes, and maybe even changing some treatment approaches.

WHITFIELD: So, Clarence, do you -- you know, you did kind of describe that it is a constant thing, battle. You try to manage it all the time. Do you also still have the same kind of mentoring or assistance that you did as a child? Do you maintain that as an adult?

PAGE: Well, I've been happily, luckily able to help mentor some other people and help advise other folks. I'm always happy to do that. And I'm on the Board of the American Institute for Stuttering. I really like to give back, because I was a kid myself, who went through this and I know what a difference it makes when people take a little time out to help a youngster.

I think what Chamonix was saying, there is truth that we all stutter differently but people tend to react the same way. They say calm down, slow down, it's all right, take your time. And that kind of adds to your anxiety. I think for me the breathing exercises help the most. I thought that was very accurate in "The King's Speech."

WHITFIELD: So what would be your recommendation on the receiving end to people who are listening to someone who is stuttering? They're not quite sure what to do? And as you said, sometimes their reaction might make the stuttering even worse?

PAGE: Yeah. Well, one thing that people need to do is to try to just be patient. My parents learned to just be patient until I got the words out, and just speak to me as if there was nothing wrong. Try to reduce the anxiety in the situation.

But the therapy definitely helps to work with people who can help you to coordinate all of the complex mechanisms involved in speech, including breathing, vocal cords, the mouth, the hearing, everything is involved. And if one thing is out of sync, suddenly those words get stuck in the throat. So it's -- and a lot of it's practice. Just keep on talking and keep on practicing and things will work out.

WHITFIELD: Syndicated columnist Clarence Page and the director of the American Institute for Stuttering, Chamonix Olsen Sikora, thanks so much to both of you for your time. Appreciate it.

PAGE: Thank you.

SIKORA: Thank you. Thanks for having us.

WHITFIELD: A woman who built an international reputation in the fashion world has strong personal feelings about the revolution in Egypt. Coming up, "Face To Face" with Iman.

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WHITFIELD: Well, they say he's one of the hardest working guys around here. You know who I'm talking about, Don Lemon. He's coming up next with more in the NEWSROOM.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR, CNN NEWSROOM: You are the hardest working woman.

But a couple of serious stories to tell you about. Remember I showed you that video of the police allegedly beating that teenage boy in Houston?

WHITFIELD: Yes, yes.

LEMON: Well, another video, Fred, has surfaced. The first one was an unarmed teenager. There he is, a 19-year-old, unarmed suspect. So that caused a grand jury investigation.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

LEMON: And several officers could loose their jobs.

WHITFIELD: Alarming images.

LEMON: Another video has surfaced that appears to show a Houston police officer beating a suspect as he takes him into custody. This incident reportedly happened about two years ago inside a hospital. Community activists are saying that the Houston PD needs to be cleaned up. The question is do they have a point. We're going to talk to our legal analyst, Sunny Hostin, about that.

And all these videos that are coming out, most of them one, two years old, a community activist is releasing them because he believes there is an internal problem in the police department, and they're not handling it so -- and drip by drip it's coming out.

OK, a bizarre story that we're gong to tell you abut, Fred, out of Philadelphia. Have you ever heard of a the Black Madam?

WHITFIELD: No.

LEMON: I had never heard of her either. She's a 41-year-old singer, her name is Black Madam.

WHITFIELD: Black Madam, OK? LEMON: But Philadelphia police are looking for her. Get this, a really bizarre story, for they believe the death of a woman because of a cosmetics procedure, buttocks enhancement. This woman apparently came from England, went to this hotel near the airport in Philadelphia, got a buttock injection to enhance her butt, it's a very popular procedure all over the world, and died. Shortly after she started complaining about shortness of breath. Three other women had come with her. They all told investigators this Black Madam gave the injection.

WHITFIELD: And this was not at a medical facility?

LEMON: No, at a hotel.

WHITFIELD: Ooohh!

LEMON: A silicone injection. And so you remember last year there was a big story like this. So the cosmetic industry, and investigators, authorities are concerned about these black market procedures.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness.

LEMON: We're going to look into it to see exactly what happened.

WHITFIELD: All right, very good. We'll be watching. Don Lemon, thanks so much.

LEMON: I've got to say something on a lighter note.

WHITFIELD: What?

LEMON: I'm so jealous.

WHITFIELD: Because?

LEMON: You got to talk to Iman.

(LAUGHTER)

WHITFIELD: Yeah, she's pretty fantastic. We'll talk a little more about her and what she has to say. You know, she lived in Egypt so she has some strong sentiments about Egypt and what has taken place.

LEMON: And you're taller than her. I'm shocked.

WHITFIELD: More on that, in a minute.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Not many people know that former runway model and fashion icon Iman spent part of her childhood in Egypt. Today as Egyptians celebrate the resignation of President Mubarak, and honor the demonstrators who died during the uprising, she feels very close to the people there.

In my "Face To Face" interview with her, I asked Iman what one ingredient Egypt lacked under Mubarak. You want to catch my entire face-to-face interview with Iman next Saturday. She will talk about building herself as a fashion icon, and business mogul, and she talks about and underscores her relationship with Egypt. That's why she named her daughter that she had with David Bowie, Alexandria after Alexandria, Egypt. She's also going to talk about the secret ingredient to her 20-year marriage with David Bowie.

That's going to do it for me this afternoon. Don Lemon is coming up next with more of the day's headlines.