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Details Trickle out in Houston Death; Fear, Violence Paralyze Syria; Santorum Finds New Momentum; Whitney Houston's Body in Newark; Heart Stem Cell Repairs Muscle Damage; "Lin-Sanity" Hits Wall Street; Home from War, Looking for a Job; Michigan to Romney: "Go Away"; Knicks' Lin a Sudden Sensation; "I Will Always Love You"
Aired February 14, 2012 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: I was just sitting here thinking, you guys are so sappy, but I love it. Happy Valentine's Day to you, too.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Bye, guys.
It is the top of the hour and thanks so much for joining us this morning, everyone.
Well, Whitney Houston is now home. Her body is in Newark, New Jersey, this morning. And that's where she came into the world. And that's where the world will say good-bye probably Friday. As far as the investigation into her death. Well, details trickling in out of Los Angeles.
And our Don Lemon is there. So, Don, what are you hearing this morning?
DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning to you, Kyra. Well, want to tell you that the body of Whitney Houston flew back yesterday to New Jersey. Left Teterboro Airport here in the Los Angeles area and is now back in New Jersey. The latest is that the investigation, according to the Beverly Hills Police Department who came out yesterday and gave a press conference saying the investigation at the Beverly Hilton Hotel is over and they're saying it is not a criminal investigation, it is a death investigation.
And they're saying that they're -- as far as they're concerned, it is in the hands of the L.A. County Coroners. The coroner gave a press conference yesterday as well saying -- downplaying the prescription drugs that were found in the room and they're also saying that Whitney Houston died in the bathtub and by the time that they got there and by the time rescue workers got there she had been removed and they tried to revive her but they couldn't.
And they're saying that Whitney Houston had been seen alive and well in the room an hour before a staff member found her in that bathtub, Kyra. And as for those nightclub pictures that we have been seeing and hearing so much about. I went to that particular nightclub, True Nightclub, yesterday and one of the managers of that club said they were filled to capacity. Almost 400 people. It was very hot and to his knowledge and to the people who were with him, there was nothing out of the ordinary about Whitney Houston.
As you see those pictures of her leaving, he's sayings just about everyone who was at that club left. It was hot. It was sweaty. People were clawing at her trying to get to her, trying to take pictures with her. But he said to his knowledge nothing was out of the ordinary. So that's the latest on the investigation now as we wait for the sun to come up and more information today in Los Angeles to come out about the Whitney Houston case here -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. We'll keep checking in with you. Don Lemon there in Los Angeles.
Don, thanks so much.
Now as I mentioned at the top of the hour, Houston's funeral likely will be Friday in Newark, possibly at the Prudential Center. The funeral home right now is handling the arrangements. It's the same one, by the way, that handled her father's funeral in 2003.
Our Deborah Feyerick is there. We're going to check in with her at 9:30 Eastern Time.
Let's get you to Syria now where CNN has managed to penetrate the government's ban on foreign journalists. First, the latest on the regime's crackdown. Take a listen to one city descend into a war zone.
Now if you listen closely, the camera is so close there you can actually hear the bullets ricochet off the buildings. That's the sound of government security forces sweeping through a neighborhood in Daraa, one of the several cities under siege right now. Pro-democracy activists said that civilians are too terrified to venture outdoors even for food.
Well, our Arwa Damon has been able to slip into Syria and now able to report firsthand on what's going on. Now for her own safety we are not disclosing her exact location.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's an incredibly intense situation here. And it's also incredibly emotional. Anger is running at an all-time high as is frustration and desperation. People that we've been talking to, every single one of them has some sort of horrific nightmare story. And some of them are still too afraid to publicly talk about it with their names attached to it.
One man who we met, he had four members of his family executed as government forces, he said, were raiding his village. And he wanted to tell the story. He wanted to put out the images of loved ones but he was afraid because he said at the same time his uncle had been detained. A lot of the younger generation we're talking to, university students, they've all had to drop out.
And people repeatedly keep expressing how difficult it is for them to try to keep going because they are quite simply exhausted. And they have lost so many loved ones, and everything, every single step that they take of every single day involves a phenomenal amount of plotting whether it's something simple like trying to get a loaf of bread or something more complicated like trying to get someone who's been wounded to some sort of medical care.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Well, Arwa says that everyone she has spoken to there in Syria shares the same concern, that the country is headed to a full-blown war and things are only going to get worse.
CNN's Nick Paton Walsh has covered conflicts around the world. He's joining us from Beirut.
So, Nick, do things seem irreversible at this point?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Certainly there's no letup on this day. Ten of the onslaught against Homs. This is described this morning by one activist we spoke to there as the heaviest shelling for five days. Now, frankly, bear in mind that over 400 people have died in Homs in those past 10 days. That really is saying something.
As we spoke to him our conversation in which he described how basically there is no safe place in Homs, that all they can do is try and keep away from the windows. Our conversation was constantly interrupted by the fire of artillery shells.
Let's just listen to some of that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are shelling randomly. Why, I don't know. There is no place here in the city that is a safe house or shelter or basement. You have to be lucky to stay safe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALSH: Now he talked about the terror, frankly, in that particular neighborhood being so strong and in the past three weeks four pregnant women had in fact lost their children because of the conditions there -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Now we are also talking so much about the civilians that are suffering trying to get food. They've put their life in jeopardy. We have reports that snipers are just targeting individuals that are trying to get out of the house to get bread.
Nick, what exactly do you know and is there any hope for humanitarian relief at this point?
WALSH: Well, the Red Cross, they say, tried to move in to Homs in the last couple of days. It's not clear precisely if they got any aid into Baba Amr, though the activists we spoke to made no mention of that at all. People are absolutely terrified there. They're not venturing out. The activists we spoke to are describing the shelling today as being as though they're trying to punish that particular neighborhood.
He actually pointed out that the Free Syrian Army in that area have managed to get military radio off the Syrian military in that particular area. And they overheard their military commander telling his subordinates that the president of Syria had in fact expressed his displeasure that that neighborhood was still holding out and hadn't been emptied. Obviously we can't verify that report because we can't get into Syria ourselves to talk to them. But it gives you the kind of idea, really, and perhaps the fury the military are feeling and how those people feel. They're simply holding out against what, frankly, are unimaginable odds. The Syrian military stacks around the town waiting to move in -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Nick Paton Walsh -- Nick, thanks.
Well, it's like a rollercoaster when it comes to who's leading the GOP in the race for the White House.
Paul Steinhauser, just when you think one candidate has momentum, think again. Now we're talking about Santorum and Romney.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Oh, my lord. What a difference a week makes.
Kyra, let's go back to last Tuesday. Remember Santorum swept those contests in Colorado, Minnesota, and Missouri. So take a look at the brand new national polls. This one from CBS/"New York Times" out this morning. Look who's on top now, Rick Santorum.
Go to the next poll. This is from Pew Research Center. This came out yesterday afternoon. Look at this, same thing as Pew Research Center. Rick Santorum on the top. And finally, one more from Gallup and this Gallup poll also coming out yesterday afternoon. Look at this one. And there is Romney just two points ahead of Santorum.
Basically all three polls within the sampling error so, Kyra, all knotted up, all tied at the top. A lot of momentum now, big surge for Santorum in the national polls.
PHILLIPS: All right. Now, Paul, "Occupy" protesters not too happy with Santorum right now as he addresses the crowd.
STEINHAUSER: No doubt. You know, I guess, listen, now that you've risen in the polls, what does that bring? It brings a lot of scrutiny and a lot of attention. Take a look at this tape. This is from last night in Tacoma, Washington. Santorum campaigning there ahead of the March 3rd contest there. And a number of "Occupy" protesters doing just that. A couple were arrested. Here's what Rick Santorum had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think it's really important for you to understand what this radical element represents. Because what they represent is true intolerance.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEINHAUSER: Meanwhile, Mitt Romney campaigning in Arizona last night, they have a , you know, contest in just two weeks. And here's what he said about his conservative credentials.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Conservative values were also part of my business experience because in business you don't have a choice about balancing your budget. You either balance your budget or you go bankrupt. And so I -- so I learned time and again, I learned time and again the principles of conservatism.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEINHAUSER: Meanwhile, Newt Gingrich in California last night, Kyra, sure didn't sound like a candidate who was about to step out. He's still marching forward. And Ron Paul, no events until our debate next week -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: OK. Paul, thanks so much.
And here's some good news for you this morning that your paycheck is not about to shrink. On Capitol Hill House Republicans are removing a key obstacle. They'll no longer demand that the cost of extending the payroll tax cut be offset by slashing spending elsewhere. If a deal is not reached by the end of the month a family making $50,000 a year would see about 40 bucks a week siphoned from their take-home pay.
President Obama is due to talk about this extension next hour. That's up for 10:40 Eastern Time. We'll carry that speech live.
The cause of Whitney Houston's death has yet to be established, but if prescription drugs are involved in any way, could we see an investigation into that? We'll talk about that coming up.
Plus the fight over same-sex marriage is heating up in another state. But even if it passes the legislature, it still faces an uphill battle. I'll explain that, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Checking stories "Cross Country" now. New Jersey and legalizing same-sex marriage. The state Senate approved a bill yesterday. Now the state assembly will vote but Republican governor Chris Christie promises to veto the measure if it lands on his desk. He says voters should decide in a statewide referendum.
In Virginia take a look at what happened to one family's home. Strong winds toppled a tree slicing right through the house and trapping a 52-year-old woman in her bed. Her legs were actually pinned under the tree. It took rescuers more than an hour to free her.
And more than 70 years after their service in World War II the Utah legislature honored a group of Japanese-American vets for their bravery on the battlefield. The 100th Infantry Battalion reached a German port in Italy and helped rescue more than 200 soldiers.
And we are still waiting on the cause of death for Whitney Houston. The coroner says some prescription drugs were found in her hotel room.
Let's talk more about this case with our Ashleigh Banfield.
Ashleigh, you say it's critical to wait for a cause of death before any discussion of a possible criminal investigation could take place. Why don't you walk us through that.
ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN ANCHOR, "EARLY START": So here's how it works. First you've got to find out probably through toxicology what actually killed Whitney Houston. What was the cause of death?. And was it, perhaps, a heart attack, which is natural causes? Was it perhaps an overdose which becomes something a little different.
And then we can go to manner of death. Was it a homicide? Was it an accidental suicide? And that's where an investigation then can start moving forward as to whether somebody somewhere may have played a bit of a part. I remember the first time I heard about this I thought about Anna Nicole Smith and her untimely death and where that investigation ultimately went to.
And three doctors being charged with, you know, prescribing to an addict in that case. Now ultimately they were all cleared of that, but there it was. There was somebody who overdosed. You had to wait for toxicology and ultimately there was that investigation.
PHILLIPS: All right. And we should point out that -- and we want to emphasize that we in no way, shape, or form know exactly what caused her death -- but there was talk among some of the legal analysts this morning that if it were due to prescription drugs, you know, how did she get them? Did she get them legally? Who was prescribing them to her?
Is it difficult -- how difficult, I guess, is it to proof if someone was overprescribed?
BANFIELD: It's hard. I mean, it's really hard, and the prosecution ended up for Anna Nicole's doctors, that ended up being really hard, too, because at one point they were found guilty and then all of the charges were cleared.
They were all charged with a conspiracy to provide controlled substances to an addict, so you've got to kind of get inside the mind of whatever doctor or whatever person who's prescribing these drugs actually is.
And don't forget, a lot of people can go doctor shopping and doctors may not know how many other prescriptions exist in a patient's medicine cabinet. And they may not know what kind of combinations either, so you kind of have to get that mens rea which is really hard to establish. You kind of have to figure out if one doctor is responsible for a lot of prescriptions. And so, it is a tricky, you know, row to hoe in that particular case.
But with Whitney Houston, we should also note as we wait to find out what the toxicology reports suggest, the coroner said there weren't that many medications actually found in that hotel room. So I think there's still a mystery that will ultimately be solved in this.
PHILLIPS: Ashleigh Banfield with some legal perspective this morning -- Ashleigh, thanks.
BANFIELD: Sure, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: And returning home from war. Now, tens of thousands of vets face a new challenge: finding a job. Details on a new program that's trying hard to help them.
And healing the heart after a patient has a heart attack, virtually unheard of until now. Up next, Dr. Sanjay Gupta has results of a ground-breaking study that could mean longer lives for heart attack patients.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Now, some historic news surrounding stem cells and repairing your heart. A cutting-edged stem cell treatment is now providing healing for heart attack victims.
And chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, is live with more on this.
Pretty incredible. You know, my husband is obsessed with all of this. We were talking about it last night. He said, you better be talking with Sanjay about this tomorrow morning.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: This -- you know, we've been talking about the promise of stem cells for so long. People have yet been able to see it in action specifically. So, this is a pretty fascinating study.
It really proved two things. First of all, that this could be done safely. It's always the first question. And second, that it provided some benefit.
It's a small study, but it was pretty interesting.
PHILLIPS: What did we see? What exactly happen?
GUPTA: Let me show you, because we created an animation.
PHILLIPS: OK.
GUPTA: I think this would speak to the point, though, that what they did here specifically -- take a look -- is they actually went into a patient who had had a moderate or severe heart attack. Heart muscle had died.
They went in here with a catheter here. So, it's pretty non- invasive. And I'm talking about open heart surgery. And they take a little bit of healthy muscle there, Kyra. They take that out just like that, take that back out.
Now, that's healthy tissue and the idea is can we grow this in a Petri dish, create millions of cells out of just a few, and then subsequently put that back into the heart? Again, the first question is when you inject these stem cells back in, is it going to cause a problem? Is it unsafe in some way?
And what they found is when they injected this back in, it was -- there was no unexpected side effects and they started to see some benefit.
PHILLIPS: So, bottom line, what does this mean for my dad, the heart patient?
GUPTA: Well, what we used to think, this is how I learned in medical school, you know, decades ago, was that once heart muscle died, it was gone.
PHILLIPS: Right.
GUPTA: It wasn't coming back. This throws a little bit of cold water on that theory.
Now, what they found was about a 50 percent reduction in scar. Again, nothing has ever done that before. So significant there.
But it was a small study, just 25 patients. Seventeen had stem cells, eight did not. They wanted to compare the two groups.
The real question for your dad and for others out there is that besides a good looking heart scan with less scar, is his heart working better? Is it going to function better, pump harder, let him get up stairs without losing his breath? All that sort of stuff.
And that remains to be seen. That's where the research is headed next. It's not instantaneous by any means. But the idea that people might get some heart function back is pretty promising.
PHILLIPS: That's great news. Sanjay --
GUPTA: Every now and then, we get good news.
PHILLIPS: Yes, exactly. And you always seem to bring it to us.
GUPTA: I love it.
PHILLIPS: Sanjay, thanks so much.
Well, he was cut from two NBA teams. He was playing in the minor leagues. But now, Lin-sanity is burning up the court and Wall Street.
Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange to put it altogether for us.
It's pretty amazing. His story already is amazing. This is even -- this is just icing on the cake.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It really is. It's Lin-tastic, I know. We got to put that in there.
So, everybody's wondering, you know, what is it with MSG shares? We saw them really shoot up over the past week or two.
So think about Madison Square Garden itself. It's not this venue where you go to see concerts and basketball games. MSG is actually a publicly traded company. The New York Knicks are one of MSG's products.
So, what happens on the court affects the stock prices. You can see how shares have been performing over the past month. Initially, there was no movement, you see that flat line, and then, bam, that pop up 10 percent since February 4th. Coincidence?
No way. The stocks shot up when Jeremy Lin moved off the bench, scoring 25 points in one game against New Jersey Nets. So, with Lin, the Knicks now have won five games in a row and ratings on the MSG network, they have been soaring.
Everybody wants to watch this guy play. He really is truly amazing.
If this streak continues, it could help MSG gain more advertisers, and maybe even settle a battle that it's having with Time Warner cable which right now is not carrying Knicks games in New York because of a pricing dispute. This may give more ammunition to ahead and show those games -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Well, how about the rest of the stock market, how's it looking today?
KOSIK: Looking at a lower open in about seven minutes. Retail sales numbers from January came in a bit disappointing. Also, more worries are hanging over the market about Europe's debt crisis. This is after Moody's downgraded its rating on six European countries.
None of that is really a big surprise. But you know what, it doesn't help the perception of a debt problem in Europe, the perception that maybe they could be getting better. It doesn't help much -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Well, Alison Kosik, thanks so much.
Well, details about Whitney Houston's death are few and far between. But details about her funeral are coming together. Her body is in Newark, New Jersey, her hometown. And we'll take you there next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Checking top stories now.
In Syria, snipers in Homs not letting anyone move. And heavy shelling is just blasting through the air. One activist actually says snipers are targeting people going out of their homes just to get bread.
And back here in Washington, China's Vice President Xi Jinping is in town for an official visit. Xi is expected to become China's next leader. And this trip is expected to help his credentials in China. Behind the scenes, both countries are still squabbling over trade issues and China's militarization.
Robbed at machete point, Chief Justice Steven Breyer is confronted by an intruder in his vacation home on the Caribbean island of Nevis. The robber got away with about a thousand bucks in cash. No one was hurt.
And now, the U.S. Marshals Service is helping with the investigation.
Well, two fronts in the Whitney Houston story this morning. First, Los Angeles, where investigators are trying to figure out why she died. It could be eight weeks before toxicology results are back.
And then in New Jersey, that's where she was born, and that's where her final public appearance will be.
CNN's Deborah Feyerick is in Newark. Houston's body arrived there last night.
Hi, Deb.
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Kyra.
You know, many people from this area, they just look at Whitney Houston and what they say is they see a local Jersey girl, a girl who was born here, who developed her spirituality and voice here -- somebody who was really a part of the New Hope Baptist Church and part of a loving community.
What we're learning is that a funeral is expected to take place Friday at the Prudential Center, about 18,000 seats. They initially they thought they might be able to keep it to a smaller venue like the New Hope Church, however, the outpouring seems to be so large that, in fact, they have extended it.
And they're really trying to get all these details down. I'm told by a friend of the family that the mom, Cissy Houston, a gospel legend, she's overwhelmed by all of this. But, really, it's her faith that's keeping her strong.
And a friend also tells me that really in the end, although Whitney Houston had wrestled with drug addiction, she had managed to find her way back to God. Take a listen.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
HOUSTON FAMILY FRIEND: I know for a fact that she wasn't on anything hard. She had gave that life up. She had let it go and we were proud of her. We are proud of her. She was back on top, and I quote her in saying, I'm in a good place. I'm where I want to be.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
FEYERICK: And that friend says that he had seen Whitney Houston about two weeks ago and at the time, they did talk about drug addiction and, in fact, she was clean, at least clean in terms of not doing cocaine, not doing marijuana.
However, there were prescription medications, medications for anxiety and sleeplessness as well as a throat infection. And the friend even told me that, you know, she wasn't above having a glass of wine every now and again.
So, all of this under investigation as they try to find out what caused her death. But, Kyra, there's a sense that she's home. She's back home, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Deb Feyerick in Newark for us -- Deb, thanks.
Take you now to Capitol Hill. Live pictures.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey is testifying, or before a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing this morning. They are defending the department's budget plan. It includes massive cuts to personnel, training, and equipment. We're following that for you.
You know, so many men and women that are returning home from war are facing a tremendous challenge, finding work. But now, there's a program to help transfer their battlefield experience to the civilian world. Christine Romans has more on her special "Coming Home."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN WATSON, WORKFORCE OPPORTUNITY SERVICES: You guys working in groups. You have a project. You have a deadline. You have defined responsibilities and someone is being a problem.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A typical workplace issue, but this isn't a workplace, it's a class for veterans making the switch from military to civilian work life.
WATSON: Doesn't show up for meetings. Doesn't do anything. Literally like --
ROMANS: Workforce Opportunity Services is a program that pairs classes with a paid consulting job. So here and here is where former Army Combat Engineer Tom Richardson is learning a new language, corporate speak.
He served in Iraq and came home in 2003 with a military background and post traumatic stress disorder.
THOMAS RICHARDSON, VETERAN: When you join the military thinking when you come out, people are going to be throwing jobs at you, you know, lining up outside of your house, and it's the total opposite.
ROMANS: The jobless rate for Iraq war veterans like Richardson is 9.1 percent. For very young vets, many who don't have a college degree, it's more than double that.
RICHARDSON: I was unemployed for two years, and it's really hard I know for veterans because a lot of us, you know, came back PTSD and stuff. And it's hard to really stay focused and upbeat.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think one thing that worked in my group --
ROMANS: This program has three semesters in the classroom teaching communications and technical skills among other things. And it gets the veterans jobs with companies it's reached out to as a potential path to full-time employment.
Brian Watson is an instructor and mentor.
WATSON: It's very much a culture shock for them. You know, having to get dressed up in the way that they do and working in corporate environments, corporate offices, skyscrapers, whatever it is. They have a lot of skills and a lot of talents that they learn in the service, but one of their hardest challenges is actually learning how to adapt to the corporate environment.
ROMANS: Richardson is in his third semester. He'll finish at the end of March.
RICHARDSON: From where I was just a year ago to now, it's night and day, you know? It's definitely a game changer.
ROMANS: And it's why it's so urgent to get veterans like Richardson into the workforce.
RICHARDSON: When I hire a vet, that's a hard question? I put everything into my job, you know? If something's expected of me, I want to deliver. It's just something that is engrained in a veteran because every day, you live the military 24 hours a day.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Christine Romans, you were saying something very interesting. These are gentlemen you wouldn't think need help with a job interview.
ROMANS: Right.
PHILLIPS: But what they learned in the military doesn't necessarily help them in the work force.
ROMANS: Here's the crazy thing. You dock back. The things that make you really excel in a group of people in the military, "yes, sir," "yes, ma'am," "no, ma'am," "I'll fix that," "done," you know, saying you're going to -- quietly doing it are different than what they want in a job interview or in the workforce.
PHILLIPS: What do they want in the interview?
ROMANS: They want to hear how you're going to do it. They want to hear you asking good questions.
So, if you're in the military you're going for a job interview, you better have a good five or six questions that you're asking the hiring manager as well. You've got to show not just yes, ma'am/no, ma'am, it's a different kind of communication -- yes, sir/no, ma'am.
And that's something that Brian Watson, who is teaching this class is saying, that's what they kind of do. They're teaching them things in the military that made them excel, turning it upside down so it ca make you can excel in the workforce.
PHILLIPS: Now, one of the vets mentioned PTSD. And I've seen it with so many of the men and women that have come back. You know, a lot of these companies stereotype them and judge them. There's a stigma that goes along with that.
What did you find?
ROMANS: It's true. And Brian Watson and others have said that managers do tell them, look, we want to hire some vets. But what comes along with that, you know?
Are they -- do these guys have PTSD or these young women have PTSD? Are they in therapy? Are they getting some kind of a treatment? What are we getting here?
And I think there are a lot of companies -- I'm going to profile one this week as well, Kyra -- but who go out of their way to hire vets and make sure that they do have the mental health facilities and, you know, benefits necessary. But for the most part, you got people who are coming home who want to work, who want to work and have technical skills they learned in the military that are absolutely translatable and applicable to this economy right now.
I mean, that's what we need, technical skills right now. That's what they were learning. We're fighting two high tech wars.
PHILLIPS: Yes, take the technical and discipline, you can't lose. It's worth it.
ROMANS: And communication.
PHILLIPS: Yes.
ROMANS: Learn the communication. It's all there. All the pieces are there.
PHILLIPS: Thanks, Christine.
ROMANS: You're welcome.
PHILLIPS: All right. Christine is also going to have part two of her "Coming Home" series at the bottom -- on, rather, "YOUR BOTTOM LINE." That's Saturday, 9:30 Eastern. That's her show on the weekend. I hope you're watching. We're going to take a look at companies that are actively hiring vets.
All right. Mitt Romney might be Michigan's son, but judging from a new poll, he's not a favorite son. Coming up, Michigan's own L.Z. Granderson will tell us why he thinks Mitt Romney might lose the primary.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Legendary singer Chaka Khan sat down with our Piers Morgan last night. He asked how Whitney Houston's mom, Cissy, was dealing with her daughter's death.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHAKA KHAN, SINGER: She's coping. She's coping. But she's -- you know, she's also, you know, I'm sure many times had fear for her daughter's life, and I know my mother did and my little girl did and my son. So I know what this world that we're living in, this business particularly can do to one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: And Aretha Franklin paid a special tribute to her goddaughter Whitney Houston last night during a private concert.
A.J., this must have been a pretty emotional tribute.
A.J. HAMMER, HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Oh, it certainly was. And, of course, she got out there and belted out the song, Kyra, that Whitney will probably be most remembered for, "I Will Always Love You." I think quite frankly it was as therapeutic for Aretha Franklin as it was for her audience.
I give her a lot of credit for doing this. She could have canceled the show in Charlotte. It was a concert for around 600 people. But instead, Aretha played on and reportedly told organizers that there is nothing like music to comfort the soul, something we've been hearing quite a bit about the last couple of days.
One of our own local affiliates was allowed to shoot part of this show, what you're seeing right here. They weren't allowed to be there when Aretha asked the crowd for a moment of silence to pray for Houston's family. Then, Aretha performed Whitney's signature song.
She told the crowd that Whitney was kind, good, and gentle and added, "When the gates swing open, I'm going to walk through. They sure opened the other day for her and she walked in."
Sweet, sweet tribute from the queen of soul, Aretha Franklin, for Whitney Houston.
PHILLIPS: A.J., you also had a chance to speak with Gloria Estefan last night. What's her reaction to Whitney's death?
HAMMER: Yes, I did. Gloria had already been booked on "Showbiz Tonight," Kyra, long before this shocking news. Of course, we had to talk about her friend and her colleague Whitney Houston.
And Gloria can certainly understand the pressure that Whitney must have been under for years now. Whitney's voice was her signature. And it is something that she had to be worried about, but it was a voice that Gloria thinks was one of the best of all time.
Here's what she told me last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GLORIA ESTEFAN, ENTERTAINER: Her gift, which was a true gift -- I mean, since she was a little girl she had this amazing voice. So, when you lose that as well, it's got to be pressure. And lately, the entertainment -- the music business particularly has taken major turns and we've all had to adapt to the new world in music.
And all of those things put pressure on. Add to that the fact that, you know, everyone's watching your every move. So I'm sure that there are pressures.
And like anyone else, you know, we go through a lot of tough times. But in the public eye, it's tough.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Yes. I think a big part of that pressure, obviously, Kyra, not wanting be to disappoint your fans. Imagine living like that.
PHILLIPS: Can't even imagine the pressure.
A.J., thanks so much. I know you'll be back with us next hour with more on Whitney Houston.
Also coming up, Mitt Romney struggling in his native state of Michigan. L.Z. Granderson says he knows exactly why. He's going to join me live and tell me.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Michigan where Mitt Romney was born and raised. His dad was governor. You'd think Michigan's presidential primary will be all his. Well this was Romney during his 2008 run for president speaking in Detroit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And I want you to be briefed on what's going on in the auto industry or what's happening to Michigan's economy. You see I've got -- I've got Michigan in my DNA. I've got it in my heart and I've got cars in my bloodstream. When -- when I was living here, Michigan was the pride of the country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Now fast forward to 2012. A new poll of likely GOP primary voters in Michigan shows Romney trailing Santorum just two weeks before the contest.
CNN op-ed writer L.Z. Granderson has Michigan in his DNA also. So why is Romney falling behind?
L.Z. GRANDERSON, CNN.COM BLOGGER: You know, there are a lot of factors. You know certainly there have been questions about his politics and his ability to actually follow through on the things he talked about because he tends to flip-flop a lot. But when I look at Mitt Romney in the state of Michigan and I live here and I'm born and raised in Detroit, you know he's got a really big problem with the way he handled the bailouts.
He's got a really big problem with the way that he went after he won the primary in Michigan but pulled out of the race in 2008, went and wrote a piece about why Detroit should go bankrupt and why the auto industry should be allowed to fail but at the same time defending the bailouts on Wall Street.
So that's a really big problem. And I think a lot of people here in Michigan, they see that the bailouts, was it the best plan? We won't really know. But what we do know is that people still have jobs. The industry is back and people's lives did not get more interrupted by -- by the losses.
And so he's got a big problem. And we've already trusted him once and he stabbed us in the back. And that's why I don't think you're going to see people trust him again, not here.
PHILLIPS: Now you -- you -- you write that -- that he is an insult to flip-flops. And not only that, that he was dead wrong. What do you mean by that?
GRANDERSON: Well, he just -- he just seems to flip-flop just -- just so quickly and so recklessly. There are so many really key issues. I mean really core issues that with a person you shouldn't be flip-flopping on. Like abortion. Like gay rights. Like how you feel about the state you call home. To flip-flop as quickly as that for your own convenience, you know, I think is really, really bad and as I said, gives flip-floppers a bad name.
And the reason why I think he failed is because look at the numbers; you know 23 consecutive months of job creation under President Obama. Estimated 1.5 million jobs saved because of the auto bailouts. You know, people talk so much about the unions. Well, it's more than just the unions that were impacted by the auto bailouts. You know you're talking about the mechanics. You're talking about the people who sell the automobiles. You're talking about the non- unionized workers who work on cars.
And so that industry affects a lot of people and that's why I think he was ultimately wrong in his -- in his saying that if we bailed out the auto industry that the industry itself would crumble.
PHILLIPS: All right, L.Z., before I let you go, Romney wrote an op ed in today's "Detroit News." I want to get your response to this, I pulled a quote. "Before the companies were allowed to enter and exit bankruptcy, the U.S. government swept in with an $85 billion sweetheart deal disguised as a rescue plan." He says it was all a major taste of crony capitalism. How do you respond to that?
GRANDERSON: Well first of all -- you know I also read that piece. And I think what's really interesting is two things. First, he failed to mention President Bush and the reason why that's important is because President Bush actually was the one who began the auto bailouts. He had already dictated that billions of dollars would be funneled to the automobile companies before President Obama even was inaugurated. So that needed to be part of that op ed piece.
And then two, he doesn't talk about the people and that is the reason why I'm so upset about him coming here to Michigan is because he talked about us like strangers but whenever he needs votes we're family. You know, when you talk to family about what needs to happen to make things better, you talk to them honestly about the hard things and the good things.
He just gave us the good stuff when he needed to get our votes and then when he left, that's when he came with the hammer in "The New York Times."
And so this piece in "Detroit News" that's just a way for him to backtrack and try to correct the mistake he made back in 2008 because he's trailing in the polls here now.
PHILLIPS: L.Z. Granderson, thanks for joining me this morning. You can read L.Z.'s column at cnn.com/opinion.
GRANDERSON: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: You can also weigh in and give your comments.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, we're following lots of developments in the next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM. Let's check in first with Don Lemon -- Don.
DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: How did Whitney Houston, Kyra, end up dead in a bath tub? CNN speaks with some of her closest friends. And I'm going to retrace the last moments before her death. I'll have that coming up at the top of the hour. DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I'm Dan Lothian at the White House. President Obama in less than an hour will again be putting pressure on Congress to pass the payroll tax cut. We'll bring that to you live in the next hour.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: And I'm Christine Romans here in Atlanta. Are you in the top five percent of data users that is for your Smartphone? If you are you're cell phone provider could very well be putting up road bumps, speed bumps to slow you down. I'll tell you that at the top of the hour.
PHILLIPS: All right, guys. Thanks so much.
PHILLIPS: Well, it's Valentine's Day. Whatever happened to traditional courtship? Why do we have to find love through texting? What happened to a love letter, to poems? We've got somebody weighing in on that next hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Doesn't get much better than this. Lin-sanity. The story. The background.
JEFF FISCHEL, HLN SPORTS: Yes, I mean -- the puns.
PHILLIPS: The puns. Wall street now cashing in. I mean it's just -- it's great.
FISCHEL: No, it's true. It's an incredible story. You know, everyone talks about Lebron and Kobe. Forget it.
The player everyone' is talking about in the NBA right now is the Knicks Jeremy Lin. He's been named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week. Lin's being called the Tim Tebow of the NBA, only better. The Knicks picked him up out of desperation because of injuries. Harvard grad; no one wanted him.
He's averaging 25 points a game since he was put in the starting line up. The Knicks haven't lost. Jeremy Lin jerseys are selling like crazy. Ticket prices are way up for Knicks games.
And this is a big part of the legend of Jeremy Lin. He gets to crash on the couch of his brother's New York apartment for the first few games right. But now, the Knicks have signed him for the rest of the season so I think he can definitely afford his own place. The Knicks play tonight.
PHILLIPS: What's he getting? Do we know.
FISCHEL: Yes, $788,000 for the rest of the season -- pro rate.
PHILLIPS: Ok. All right.
FISCHEL: It's enough for a New York apartment.
PHILLIPS: If he's playing like this, he's going to get a lot more than that.
FISCHEL: Oh, yes. Absolutely.
PHILLIPS: And a lot of Valentine's Day dates.
FISCHEL: Yes.
In New York last night, the cover of the "Sports Illustrated" swimsuit issue was unveiled on the "Dave Letterman Show". Kate Upton was on the cover. It would have been a huge upset if she hadn't been on the cover. In the last year, she's become an Internet sensation. Young men in fraternities and dorm rooms across the country helped a video of her doing the doggie at a basketball game go viral.
How about some romance for Valentine's Day? After U.S. Olympic swimmer Matt Grievers won a race, he proposed to his girlfriend- teammate Andy Chandler. Grievers wanted to propose the day before Chandler raced but she was disappointed with her fifth-place finish. So he decided to wait. Of course, some might say that would have been the perfect way to cheer her up.
There she is. If you're scoring at home, he got the gold and she got the diamond.
PHILLIPS: I knew that was coming in somewhere. All right.
I love the stories today. They are all very positive.
Thanks, Jeff.
FISCHEL: Yes. Happy Valentine's day.
PHILLIPS: There you go.
It is the song that many people around the world are remembering Whitney Houston by and it never seems to get old. Here is Jeanne Moos.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If this isn't stuck in your mind by now -- you have a Teflon skull. It's not just the media playing it over and over. It's the tributes from professional singer/songwriters like Butch Walker who posted this to YouTube.
To singer Sasha Allen.
And the amateurs are singing it too from a dorm room -- to a New York City subway car.
Whitney Houston's number one hit sung on the number two train. Elizabeth Hasselbeck wore it on "The View".
SHERRI SHEPHERD, CO-HOST, "THE VIEW": That song, "I'll Always Love You" was always my karaoke song and I would get to that last part, you know, where she -- and I would always cough. MOOS: To cover the failure to reach that high, some in the music business had a name for the highest part of that song. It was called simply "the note."
But sometimes even Whitney couldn't hit it. This concert in South Korea, she chugged some water and continued. The song's appeal was global. Wen Yu Chan (ph) sang it on a Taiwanese talent show. Then brought some in the audience members to tears. He sang it on Ellen.
And though we think of it as Whitney Houston's song, it was Dolly Parton who wrote it. Wrote it to ease the pain when she decided to part ways with a business partner, Dolly later told country music television it's saying just because I'm going, don't mean I won't love you.
One of the most popular tribute videos ricocheting around the web was from the United Arab Emirates where the Dubai fountain showered Whitney Houston with love even before her death.
