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Obama: Afghan Killings "Outrageous"; Taliban Threaten to Behead Americans; Southern Primaries: What's at Stake; Republican Race Takes On Southern Accent Today; The Lore of Grits; Red Meat May Shorten Life; The Help Desk; Planets Align, Brooms Stand Upright; Cutting Back on Red Meat Extends Life; The Help Desk; GOP Hopefuls Court Southern Voters
Aired March 13, 2012 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Live from CNN headquarters in Atlanta, where it is 12:00 noon, 9:00 a.m. on the West Coast, I'm Suzanne Malveaux. I want to the get you up to speed for this Tuesday, March 13.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says the soldier that allegedly opened fire on innocent civilians in Afghanistan could get the death penalty if found guilty. The fallout has a lot of people wondering if the war in Afghanistan is even still worth the fight.
President Obama, he is not changing course. Here's what he said just moments ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Obviously, what happened this weekend was absolutely tragic and heartbreaking. But when you look at what hundreds of thousands of our military personnel have achieved, under enormous strain, you can't help but be proud generally. And I think it's important for us just to make sure that we are not in Afghanistan longer than we need to be.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Meanwhile, the Taliban are expressing their outrage with grenades and gunfire, vowing revenge for the attack, threatening to behead Americans.
In Syria, explosions are terrorizing the besieged city of Homs.
Opposition activists are calling this a day of mourning. They say more than 9,000 people have been killed in government attacks over the past year. The U.N. puts the death toll lower at 8,000 plus.
The candidates turned on the Southern charm. Now, voters get to have their say in Alabama and Mississippi, where the primary elections, they are underway right now.
The latest polls showing Mitt Romney with a slight edge over Newt Gingrich in Mississippi. But Gingrich still has a slim lead in Alabama. Rick Santorum trails in both those polls.
Now, Romney is trying to downplay expectations now, while Gingrich and Santorum are counting on conservative Southern voters.
Here's President Obama reacting to the massacre in Afghanistan. This took place in the Rose Garden just a moment ago. Let's play that sound.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: We're heartbroken over the loss of innocent life. The killing of innocent civilians is outrageous and it's unacceptable. It's not who we are as a country and it does not represent our military.
And for that reason, I've directed the Pentagon to make sure that we spare no effort in conducting a full investigation. I can assure the American people and the Afghan people that we will follow the facts wherever they lead us. And we will make sure that anybody who was involved is held fully accountable with the full force of the law.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: But despite the efforts of the White House to the try to smooth the situation over, the actions of one rogue soldier threaten to put a whole war effort in jeopardy. That is the situation in Afghanistan.
Sara Sidner, she is joining us from Kabul.
And, Sara, the Afghans, understandably, are furious over this shooting. You have 16 people who are dead. What are the Afghans telling you now?
SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What we're hearing from some of the Afghans is that they are furious. They are very angry. They are saying, "Down with Obama, down with the U.S. services, down with NATO." They're very upset.
We saw some protests today in Jalalabad. That's in eastern Afghanistan, a far bit away from Kandahar, which is in southern Afghanistan, where this massacre took place. However, 400 to 500 people went out in the streets, many of them university students, and they were chanting all these kinds of slogans. They managed to shut down the important route between Jalalabad and Kabul for a bit. But then the road was reopened.
However, there was no violence there. But there was violence in the very village where this massacre took place, during a funeral. Several high-level officials with the Afghans had been in that village to try and show their condolences, be there for the villagers who lost loved ones.
And during one of the funerals, there were two rocket- propelled grenade attacks and some small arms fire that went off. People went ducking for cover. No one from the official delegation was hurt, which included one of President Hamid Karzai's brothers.
But we do understand at this point in time that some Afghan soldiers have been wounded, three of them in total, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: Do we know, are the Afghans responding at all to the statements that are coming out of the United States? Whether or not it's from the defense secretary or even President Obama, who we heard from just moments ago, saying this is tragic, that this is an accident, that there are condolences that are being expressed. Are the Afghans hearing any of that?
SIDNER: They're hearing it, but I'm not sure that they're responding to it and agreeing with it. I think they hear the condolences, but a lot of them are saying condolences and their sadness is not enough. Sixteen of the Afghan people are dead, including nine children and three women.
Hamid Karzai has called this unforgivable. He's also said in a statement, talking about late-night raid.
Now, the NATO forces have said this was the work of a lone soldier, working on his own. But you're hearing a lot of things from villagers and a lot of accusations that there were more soldiers involved, though. That has absolutely been put down by U.S. officials, saying it was only one person acting alone.
But you are seeing the repercussions of all of this from Afghan lawmakers, who are saying, we want this person tried right here on Afghan soil, in front of the Afghan people. A spokesman for the Pentagon is saying that is not going to happen, that there's already an agreement in place and any U.S. service member accused in a case will be tried through military means -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: All right. Sara Sidner -- thank you very much, Sara. Appreciate it.
We're going to have more on this story in a few minutes. I'm going to talk to former diplomat Jamie Rubin about just how deep the impact of this attack would be on the war in Afghanistan.
Can Newt Gingrich revive the Southern strategy? Will Rick Santorum put another dent in Gingrich's plan? And can Mitt Romney win over Southern conservatives?
It's primary day in Alabama and Mississippi. We are taking an in depth look at the Republican race for president. And, of course, as always, great to see you, Wolf Blitzer, my colleague here.
Tell us a little bit about what's at stake today.
WOLF BLITZER, ANCHOR, THE SITUATION ROOM: Well, for Newt Gingrich, a lot is at stake. If he doesn't win at least one of these two Southern states, his campaign will be in deep trouble. I think he himself acknowledges that as well as his campaign supporters. He's got to do really well.
And from his perspective, you know, he did win South Carolina, he did win Georgia, if he can't win in Alabama and Mississippi, you know, people are going to wonder, can he go on?
MALVEAUX: Wolf, do you eat grits?
BLITZER: No. I have --
MALVEAUX: There's been a lot of talk.
BLITZER: I'll be honest, I have tasted them over the years, but I can't say I'm a major grit eater.
MALVEAUX: There's a lot of talk about cheesy grits and cat fish, and this is coming from Mitt Romney.
BLITZER: I'm sure it's delicious.
MALVEAUX: It is delicious. I grew up on grits.
BLITZER: Yes.
MALVEAUX: But do you think it's working for Romney? I mean, he's really trying to turn on the Southern charm.
BLITZER: I don't think it's working. A lot of Southerners are probably saying, why is he pretending to talk like that, y'all and stuff like that. I don't think it necessarily works.
But he's trying to be friendly. He's trying to be nice. He's trying to compliment the folks in the South. So, I guess that comes from the territory of being a politician.
From my perspective, I don't think it necessarily works.
MALVEAUX: And you're going to be talking to Mitt Romney live at --
BLITZER: Yes. But we're not going to be talking about grits.
MALVEAUX: Much more substantive things, I would hope.
BLITZER: Right.
MALVEAUX: What do you want to focus on?
BLITZER: I want to focus in on the most important issues facing the country right now, for example, Afghanistan, which is a critically important issue. I want to see where does he stand? Is he still in favor all of this money that American taxpayers are spending every single week.
I keep pointing out, it's $2 billion a week, $100 billion a year. Now, if this timetable that the president of the United States has put forward, keeping most of the U.S. troops there through end of 2014, that's going to be at least another $300 billion that American taxpayers are going to be spending.
And the question is, will it make any difference if the U.S. forces get out now, in six months from now, or in three years from now, given the history of Afghanistan, given what's going on?
And I think that's a good subject to discuss with a man who wants to be the president of the United States.
MALVEAUX: And that would really kind of get away from the horse race kind of talk that we've heard before. How does he perform? What does he need to do today?
BLITZER: I would not be surprised -- I, personally, would not be surprised if Romney actually manages to pull out a win in Mississippi. Alabama would be more difficult than Mississippi, because I think Santorum and Gingrich are really going to split up that conservative evangelical Christian social element that's out there. They'll both do well, but it might give an opening for Romney to actually pick up a win in one of these two Southern states.
Now, if Romney were to win both, then both Santorum and Gingrich would have to ask themselves really serious questions. My suspicion is that it will go on, until at least next Tuesday, Illinois, that's going to be an important state. And let's see how Santorum and Gingrich and Romney fare up in Illinois.
I think Ron Paul is going to stick it out. He keeps on going and going and going. He's like the Energizer bunny, if you will. But he comes in third or fourth in these respective states.
But he's got an agenda. He's got a mission out there. He's trying to educate the American public on domestic and international issues he's so passionate about. So, he's going to keep on going.
MALVEAUX: All right. Looking forward to your interview, 5:00 p.m. today, you're not discussing grits. We like that.
BLITZER: No, but I'll discuss it with you, though. Can you make grits?
MALVEAUX: I can make grits.
BLITZER: You've never prepared grits for me.
MALVEAUX: I will bring in grits tomorrow.
BLITZER: Please! I would like to taste some. I'll be here tomorrow.
MALVEAUX: I will too. All right. We'll do it over grits.
BLITZER: If we do it live on the show, at noon tomorrow?
MALVEAUX: Yes, we can. Cheesy grits, though. You've got to have cheese.
BLITZER: Hmm.
MALVEAUX: No, it's good. I promise you.
BLITZER: OK.
MALVEAUX: All right. They're telling me I've got to go.
BLITZER: OK.
MALVEAUX: All right. Here's a rundown of some of the stories we're covering first.
A teenager holding a bag of Skittles gunned down by a neighborhood watch captain in Florida. The community is outraged.
And you may want to, yes, drop the hamburger after hearing this. A new study says that eating just a little bit of red meat a day can increase your risk of premature death.
And then, we're going to tell you what caused this passenger jet to skid off the runway in Atlanta.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: A cold-blooded killing in Afghanistan leaves 16 civilians dead, an entire war effort perhaps in jeopardy.
Here to talk about the fallout for the military and beyond, former diplomat, Jamie Rubin.
And, Jamie, thanks for joining us.
You've seen the kind of delicate balancing act that this administration is trying to get through. We just saw the president in the Rose Garden.
You've got folks, Afghans, taking to the streets now, protesting. And there is a debate that is taking place inside the administration whether or not you've got to pull out those 20,000 additional troops early by 2013.
Do you think the timetable should change? Should we expedite this and get out sooner?
JAMIE RUBIN, FORMER ASST. SECRETARY OF STATE: Well, I don't think we should change our timetable because of the actions of a rogue soldier, who obviously, you know, committed an act of mass murder, for which he should be punished. That shouldn't, however, dictate American foreign policy.
The president has stated for several years now that there's an important mission in Afghanistan. That is to make sure that there's enough strength and enough security in the Afghan government so that when Americans leave and American forces leave, that Osama bin Laden's type, given that he's dead, and al Qaeda and other extremists, including Mullah Omar, the leader of the Taliban, do not regain control of the country. That's the national security mission here. That's been the mission of the United States for a decade now.
Unfortunately, the burning of the Koran, this act of mass murder by a rogue soldier, and many other things that have happened there have created a situation in which the public has lost support here at home, the length of time means the public has lost support here at home, and the Afghans themselves are losing confidence in the United States. That's a big problem.
MALVEAUX: Right.
RUBIN: But I don't believe we should change our timetable because of the actions of a rogue soldier.
MALVEAUX: At what point, Jamie, does this war reach the point of diminishing returns?
RUBIN: Well, I don't think there is any single day in which you say, OK, we lost. Now it's time to come home. I think what you have to do is weigh the costs of continuing military activities, of trying to secure some remnants of a safe Afghanistan and see whether -- and this is what's the tragedy, for a year now -- we've had increased forces there in Afghanistan, designed to put the Taliban and the extremists on the defensive, so that perhaps we can negotiate an outcome for stability for the people of Afghanistan.
And that hasn't gone so well. But there are still signs that the Taliban realize that we are not walking away completely from this country. That we are, even when our troops leave, we're going to be providing military support. And that's extremely important. If the Taliban think we're picking up and leaving, then I can't imagine any negotiations succeeding.
MALVEAUX: Jamie, I want to play some sound here for our viewers. This was the president just moments ago from the White House. And we'll talk about it on the other end.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: I'm heartbroken over the loss of innocent life. The killing of innocent civilians is outrageous and it's unacceptable. It's not who we are as a country and it does not represent our military. And for that reason, I've directed the Pentagon to make sure that we spare no effort in conducting a full investigation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Jamie, I know that the United States, as well as NATO allies, have been involved in tug discussions with the Taliban. Is reconciliation with the Taliban, is that still possible?
RUBIN: Well, I don't think reconciliation with the likes of Mullah Omar is likely for the government of Afghanistan, certainly huge chunks of it, the so-called Northern Alliance, they're never going to reconcile with Mullah Omar.
ut if, indeed, there are signs, and there are such signs, that some Taliban operatives and commanders do not want to fight indefinitely and can find a way to have some sort of national unity government, I don't think we should rule that out.
And I think we should remember that the kind of mass murder that we saw happening over the last 48 hours in Afghanistan committed by this rogue soldier is what the people of Afghanistan faced, primarily from the Taliban over the last several years. And if we leave that country in a situation of civil war because we rushed to the exits, I think we're going to see on our TV screens some pretty horrible sights in the coming years. And people like you will be rightly asking the administration whether we rushed out too quickly.
MALVEAUX: Jamie Rubin, thank you, Jamie. Appreciate it, as always.
A Florida family is desperate for answers and justice. Their son, 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, was shot and killed about two weeks ago. He was walking towards his father's home in a gated community, carrying a bag of Skittles and iced tea. The neighborhood watch captain, George Zimmerman, says he shot the teen in self- defense. But the Martin family would like to see him arrested and charged.
Gail Paschall-Brown of our affiliate WESH has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMES DAVIS, SANFORD, FLORIDA RESIDENT: I see that white man -- can I stop and detain that white man, get in an argument, and shoot that white man to death?
GAIL PASCHALL-BROWN, WESH REPORTER: What do you think?
DAVIS: I'm saying no! Absolutely not! I would be in jail right now!
PASCHALL-BROWN (voice-over): Residents have been outraged by the killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.
During all-star weekend, Trayvon Martin was walking to his stepmother's home in Sanford when the neighborhood watch captain, George Zimmerman, called the non-emergency line and reported the teen as suspicious. The two apparently got into a confrontation, and before Sanford police arrived, the teen was dead, shot 70 feet from his stepmother's home.
NATALIE JACKSON, MARTIN FAMILY ATTORNEY: I think that it's been 15 days since Trayvon Martin was killed, and I think that the family deserves answers. So it's not fair to keep everything secret. We're asking for the 911 tapes and the non-emergency record tapes.
CHIEF BILL LEE, SANFORD, FLORIDA POLICE: In this case, Mr. Zimmerman has made the statement of self-defense. Until we can establish probable cause to dispute that, we don't have the grounds to arrest him.
PASCHALL-BROWN (on camera): Do you think this was a racial issue?
JACKSON: I don't know if the whole thing was a racial issue. It may have been a "Zimmerman wants to be a hero" issue. It became racial because Zimmerman thought that black males with hoodies are criminals.
PASCHALL-BROWN (voice-over): George Zimmerman told the police that he shot the teenager in self-defense. The police chief says on at least one 911 call, you can hear the confrontation and the fatal gunshot.
MAYOR JEFF TRIPLETT, SANFORD, FLORIDA: This is a tragedy for the family, for the Martin family, and for the city of Sanford.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: What do you think should happen? Should the neighborhood watch captain remain free? Send us your thoughts at Facebook.com/SuzanneCNN or on Twitter @SuzanneMalveaux.
So, a strip club trying to be a good corporate citizen by donating money. Well, wait until you hear who they tried to give it to.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: All right. It's happening again. Gas prices on the rise. According to AAA, the average now: $3.81 a gallon.
President Obama's critics are putting the blame on him. Here's what he had to say in an interview with our Orlando affiliate, WFTV.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GREG WARMOTH, ANCHOR, WFTV: Two-thirds of Americans today said that they don't feel as though you're doing enough to control gas prices. It's huge for the Florida economy.
OBAMA: Well, look, as long as gas prices are going up, people are going to feel like I'm not doing enough. And I understand that, because people get hurt when they're going to the gas station and seeing those prices rise every day.
WARMOTH: Your opponents say that they can get gas prices down in the $2, $2.50 range. What do you think Americans should be OK with?
OBAMA: Well, first of all, nobody believes that. They know they're -- you know, that's just politics. Our oil production --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: All right. Alison Kosik, she's joining us from the New York Stock Exchange.
Alison, I guess I think there are some people who do believe that the president can actually control gas prices. That's not necessarily true, though, however.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It isn't necessarily true, Suzanne. You know, no one can just wave a magic wand and impact gas prices, not even the president. You know, if it was that easy, someone would have done it already.
You know, actual fiscal policy can have an effect. But the thing with policy, there's a lot of red tape, there's a huge lag time. You wouldn't see the results happen for months, maybe even years.
You know, case in point, President Obama passed higher fuel efficiency standards back in 2010. They're not going to be kicking in until 2016. So, you know what? It sounds great in a campaign speech, but the reality is, is that there's really no easy fix to bringing down gas prices, and bringing down gas prices fast, to make consumers happy.
MALVEAUX: And, Alison, what's the bottom line here, though? Why are gas prices so high now?
KOSIK: OK. So gas prices are high, Suzanne, because oil prices are high. Look what goes into the price of gas -- 76 percent of that gas price is really driven by what the price of oil is.
And oil is traded on the open market. It's impacted by everything going on in the world. And right now, the biggest driver that's driving up the price of oil are those tensions with Iran over its nuclear capabilities.
There's another factor in this. You know, the economy, here in the U.S., is recovering. It means the demand is rising. Now, we do have a sufficient supply of oil to meet the demand, but a stronger economy and higher oil and gas prices, they tend to go hand in hand.
And then, of course, I've got to mention the speculators here. I'm talking about the banks, the hedge funds, other investors who bet on the price of oil and bet on the price of oil and gas. They're betting that prices are going to rise, and that, of course, drives prices higher.
So, there you go. It's going to drive prices higher, at least for the time being, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: And how far are we from breaking record prices here?
KOSIK: You know, we have been at higher levels. Back in July, the average price for gas, for a gallon of regular, was at $4.11 a gallon. So the silver lining in this, as we see these little incremental rises in the gas prices, day after day, is that analysts say you may wind up seeing prices peaking soon and then hopefully stop going any higher, because gas prices are really strong right now.
But it's really going to depend on what happens with Iran. If Iran keeps on stirring it up, that could continue to pressure oil to go higher -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: All right. Alison, thank you.
Battling for votes in the Deep South. We're going to take a look at what's at stake for the candidates in today's primary matchups. We're talking about Alabama and Mississippi.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Here's a rundown of some of the stories we're working on.
First, is tonight do-or-die for Newt Gingrich? We're breaking down what you need to know about the Southern primaries.
And also, don't order that burger just yet. You've got to hear this. Harvard researchers say a daily serving of red meat can shorten your life.
And I want you to check this out. This is so cool. In 25 minutes, we're going to show you a little magic and science. What actually makes this broom stand up. We're going to show you.
And the Republican presidential race, taking on the Southern accent today. Voting underway in the Alabama and Mississippi primaries. Joining us to talk about what's at stake for the candidates, CNN contributor, John Avalon, senior political columnist for "Newsweek" and "The Daily Beast."
Hey, John, great to see you. It's going to be another fun night. Let's talk about it a little bit here. You've got a week after Romney describes Alabama and Mississippi as this away game. Now you've got this three-man race, essentially, fiercely contested. What is at stake for today?
JOHN AVLON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: It's a fascinating three-man race, and it really is too close to call, which adds to the drama. Mitt Romney has really moved up in the polls in these states to the point where he seems like he could be competitive.
The big surprise is Newt Gingrich. Coming from -- a lot of people thought he was dead. He captured his home state of Georgia, but he's continuing this theme of being the candidate who can most connect in the Deep South. Seems to be doing very well in the polls.
But then again, of course, there's Rick Santorum. He's had the evangelical community rally around his candidacy. So he can't be knocked out of contention.
Bottom line tonight is a fascinating fight for the delegates in the Deep South. This is the core of conservative base. And one of the real challenges that Mitt Romney has had throughout his presidential quest is showing that he can connect with voters in the Deep South. So this is a real test, 90 delegates at stake.
MALVEAUX: And John, what do you think of the fact that Santorum is now pushing this idea that Mitt Romney is not going to get the 1,144 delegates needed to clinch the nomination? He says these votes are going to be split among the three candidates that are going up against him. So, do you think we could see an open convention here, where nobody has the number?
AVLON: Suzanne, this year is different. It's different for two reasons. Super PACs and proportional delegates. And the way those two new innovations intersect changes the fundamental rules of getting the Republican nomination.
Proportional delegations meaning it's no longer winner take all, as Republicans have always done in the past. But as Santorum points out, candidates split the votes according to their proportion of the popular vote. That's a significant factor in making it much more difficult to clinch the nomination with 1,144 delegates.
The other piece is just as important. Super PACs. In the past, candidates would be forced out of the race, effectively, because they ran out of cash. But now with Super PACs, those campaigns can be sustained almost indefinitely.
You add those two new dynamics together, and Rick Santorum's got a real point. It's not just whether Mitt Romney's in the poll position in terms of having the most delegates. He could very easily not be able to reach that 1,144 to clinch the nomination.
And then it goes on to the convention, where it becomes a real protracted negotiation and something we haven't seen in American politics since 1952. Could be fascinating.
MALVEAUX: Wow. It's -- for months and months, it could be fascinating. If it's an open convention, who do you think Republicans would go for?
AVLON: Well, look, I mean, Mitt Romney has the strongest case to make. In other rules, he would be the clear nominee. He's got the organization, he's had the money in the past, it seems like he's got an argument about being the most electable. But you can't buy love. And that's the most difficult thing he's had to do today, is win over those conservative activists into his corner. Santorum has some of that enthusiasm. Gingrich has the memory, the successful Republican revolution. Ron Paul supporters are intense, unlike any others.
So, the real question will be is whether negotiations can be made to help Romney solidify his lead, maybe using some of the party leader delegates and undeclared delegates. Or whether, and this is possible but certainly not likely, the party ends up casting its votes with someone else. That gets way, far ahead of where we can say at this moment.
What we can say is that the Romney camp's argument that they are in poll position, that no other candidate can beat them, exceed them in delegates, that may very well be true. But it's not the critical test. It's whether the other candidates sticking in the race and sticking together can deny Romney the nomination.
MALVEUAX: All right. John, good to see you. It's going to be a fun night. Thanks.
AVLON: It is.
CNN tonight, Republican presidential hopefuls turning their attention to Alabama and Mississippi. Our coverage of the primaries begins at 7:00 Eastern with Erin Burnett followed by CNN's complete live coverage of the results at 8:00. Join Wolf Blitzer, Anderson Cooper, and the CNN political team.
And there's talk in the South. What are they talking about? Grits. How this food became a must-say vocabulary for presidential candidates.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY, GOP PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm learning to say y'all and --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Mitt Romney's been criticized for being out of touch with the so-called 99 percent, and his critics are pointing to another comment he made, showcasing his wealth. He was asked on a sports radio show about what he thought when quarterback Peyton Manning was cut from the Colts last week. Well, first he said that he hoped that Manning would not be picked up by rivals of his home team, the New England Patriots, and then that's when he talked about his friends.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
ROMNEY: I got a lot of good friends, the owner of the Miami Dolphins and the New York Jets. Both owners are friends of mine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEUAX: Last month, he made a similar comment. He said he didn't follow NASCAR closely, but he said that he had some great friends that are NASCAR team owners.
Presidential candidates were talking about eating grits, saying y'all ahead of today's Southern primaries. Jeanne Moos reports. With 84 delegates up for grabs in Alabama and Mississippi, Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney showing off their Southern vocabulary.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yankee candidates down south, feel like they have to grit and bear it.
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I like grits.
NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I understand grits.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is a grit, anyways?
MOOS: Grits are what some call the latest primary after Mitt Romney fell into a steaming pot of grits.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Creamy, perfect grits.
MOOS: All Governor Romney did was try to joke around about grits.
ROMNEY: I'm learning to say y'all and -- I like grits and the things are -- strange things are happening to me.
MOOS: If you think that's cheesy, it got cheesier.
ROMNEY: Morning, y'all. Good to be with you. I got started right this morning with a biscuit and some cheesy grits, I'll tell you.
MOOS: Then Newt Gingrich started to stir the pot.
GINGRICH: Unlike one of my competitors, I have had grits before.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Stir it continuously.
GINGRICH: As a Georgian, I understand grits. I even understand cheese grits. I even understand shrimp and grits. How's that?
MOOS: Once the grits were bubbling hot --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Add a few dashes of hot sauce.
GINGRICH: If you don't understand grits, there's a pretty high likelihood you don't understand the rest of the south either.
MOOS: For those that don't understand grits, they basically consist of ground corn. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, I always like butter on mine or gravy, sometimes tomatoes.
MOOS: You say tomato, I say tomato. And if you never tasted grits, the author of "Gone with the Grits" cookbook says --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You'll learn to love them.
MOOS: Better learn fast before the Southern primaries are over. Cousin Vinny came south and after only one serving of grits he was able to use what he learned to cook his adversary on the witness stand.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How could it take you five minutes to cook your grits when it takes the entire grit-eating world 20 minutes?
MOOS: Now Newt is trying to trap Mitt with his grittiness.
GINGRICH: With shrimp, with cheese, with gravy -- I get it.
MOOS: And Mitt, next time Newt mocks you about grits, just tell him what Flo the waitress told her boss from the TV show "Alice."
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Kiss my grits.
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN --
ROMNEY: I got it sort of right this morning with a biscuit and some cheesy grits. I'll tell you.
MOOS: New York.
ROMNEY: Delicious.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: It's lunchtime here in the east. Are you in the mood for a burger? Well, you should hold on a sec. I'm about to tell you something that could actually change your mind.
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MALVEAUX: If you eat even one serving of red meat a day, you're increasing your risk of an early death by as much as 20 percent. Now, that startling finding, it is the headline from a new study by Harvard researchers.
But you don't have to give up red meat altogether. Here's Elizabeth Cohen.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Suzanne, there have been a lot of studies on red meat and health, but this new one is particularly large: more than 120,000 men and women.
So, what the researchers at Harvard did is they asked them, how often they ate red meat and how often they ate processed meat. And then for about 25 years, they followed these folks to see who died during that time and who didn't.
So, before I tell you what the results are, let's take a look at what they mean by a serving of meat. This is a serving of red meat. That's right, that's a little piece of steak. It's just three ounces. That's counted as one serving with. And the serving of processed meat was the equivalent of two slices of bacon.
So, let's see how these folks did. So, the study subjects who ate just one serving of meat a day, just three-ounce serving of red meat a day, had a 13 percent increased risk of dying during the course of the study. And folks who had just one serving of the processed meat had a 20 percent increased risk of dying.
So, what's in red meat that might possibly make it not particularly healthy? Well, doctors tell us it's the saturated fat, that that's the number one culprit.
COHEN: So what's in red meat that might possibly make it not particularly healthy? Well, doctors tell us it's the saturated fat, that that's the number one culprit. One eight-ounce steak has all the saturated fat that you're supposed to have in an entire day. You're getting it in one steak, and that's all the saturated fat you're supposed to have that day.
Plus in the processed foods, you have things like sodium and nitrites. Now, people want to know, if I want to eat meat, how much can I eat? How much is healthy? There's no quick and easy answer for that, so we're going to give you three answers.
Here's the first one. This is from Dr. Dean Ornish, who wrote a commentary in the journal, and he's a well known advocate of vegetarian eating. He says, "Is red meat bad for you? In a word, yes."
And then we asked the American Meat Institute about red meat, and they said, "Red and processed meat continues to be a healthy part of a balanced diet."
Now, we wanted an opinion in the middle, so we asked the doctor who wrote this new study. And he said, look, you don't have to be a vegetarian. That's not necessary to achieve optimal health. But he said, if you can replace any given serving of meat with a serving of chicken or fish or nuts or beans or vegetables, you are going to be healthier. You will live a longer life. He says, that's the way to think about it. Every time you can say no to red meat and yes to one of those other things, you will increase your life span. -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: Thanks.
Checking the stories our affiliates are covering across the country.
A Delta Airlines Boeing 737 ran off the runway at Atlanta's Hartfield Jackson airport this morning. No passengers were on board, fortunately. Mechanics were testing the engine when something happened to the plane's breaking system. No one was injured.
Remember this deadly pipeline explosion in San Bruno, California? This happened a couple of years ago. Killed eight people, destroyed dozens of homes. Well, the city is getting $70 million in settlement money from the Pacific Gas and Electric company. That's outside of separate lawsuits from victims' families. Investigators say a faulty pipe and inaccurate oversight led to that blast.
And little league baseball teams in need of money are offered an unlikely donation. $1, 200 from a Los Angeles strip club, yes. But the "Los Angeles Times" reports that the league is not going to accept the money. The money would have helped keep about 300 kids on the field for another season.
All right. So you might think our weather guy, Chad Myers, has too much time on his hands, trying to make a broom stand on its own. But the there's a reason behind all of this science and magic and cool stuff. It has to do with spraying and the planets lining up.
We're going to show you. Just stay with us and we'll show you how it's done and why.
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ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Time now for "The Help Desk," where we get answers to your financial questions. Joing me this hour, Jack Otter. He's the executive editor of cbsmoneywatch.com, and the author of "Worth it, Not Worth it," and Stacy Francis is a financial adviser and the president of Francis Financial. All right, thanks for coming in to both of you.
Let's get to the first e-mail from Gerald in North Carolina. He's asking, I bought my house in 1996 for $141,000. I still owe about $106,000 on a 30-year fixed loan at 5.7 percent. I have about $70,000 in a regular savings account. Here's his question: should I take that money and use it to pay down the home loan?
JACK OTTER, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, CBSMONEYWATCH.COM: I actually think his first step should be looking into refinancing. He's got a 5.7 percent loan. Now, he could get a 15-year loan -- he's got about 15 years left in his mortgage -- for less than four percent.
Now, he's been on this loan for so long, he's already paid a lot of interest, so he's going to have to run the numbers on a financial calculator. Maybe he wants to stick with this one. But please, go to something like hsh.com, run the numbers.
Now, The question of paying it off. You know, it depends. On the one hand, from a purely financial perspective, it's not the best move. He's better of saving that money, maybe putting it into a 401(k) where he'll get a better return because of the cash advantages, or just sitting on it so he's got cash flow. In an emergency, the money's in the bank and it's safe.
KOSIK: All right, some good advice there. Let's go to another one from Mike in Maine. He's asking, "I have a Roth I.R.A. and an online brokerage account for investing in E.T.F.s. Where should I park my different investment types such as bonds and E.T.F.s to minimize my tax hits?" Stacy, what do you think?
STACY FRANCIS, PRESIDENT, FRANCIS FINANCIAL: When we're managing money for a client, we take a look at the overall tax impact, because that can really eat into your overall return. We put all of the tax- inefficient taxable bonds in our I.R.A.s, in all of our retirement plans. So that is actually saving you a lot of money in taxes.
Then we take any of those stocks that have a lot of capital appreciation that might be taxed at 15 percent, and we put it in that online brokerage, maybe a taxable account. Because, again, remember, interest from a bond is taxed at your federal tax bracket. Guess what? The growth and long-term gains on a stock are taxed at 15 percent. So if you can, again, try and put that high interest in your retirement plan and then put your stocks in your taxable accounts.
KOSIK: All right, some great advice. Thanks for coming in. If you have a question you want answered, send us an e-mail anytime to CNNhelpdesk@CNN.com.
MALVEAUX: Spring officially starts next week. The planets ling up for the vernal equinox. And you know what it means? Well, it's not just warmer weather, but also, it is a time when brooms can actually stand upright. I don't know how that works, but Chad does. Chad, you can explain what you've got over there going on. Because this is really bizarre to me.
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: This started on Facebook and Twitter a couple of weeks ago. People were standing brooms up all by themselves. Nothing here, no strings attached. People were saying, it must be those stars, those planets that are out there. If you look out today, they're very close to each other. As the sun sets today, you'll see Jupiter and Venus about that far apart. It's a beautiful sight.
People are saying, that must be why these things are standing up by themselves. Actually not. If you go buy a broom and stand it up on its own, all it is, is about balance. I made a line down here where the center of gravity is. Now I'm not touching it anymore. There's the center of gravity of the broom right here, it's right over the bristles. And if you can make the bristles make a small little tripod down there, they'll stand up any day. Not just today. And you know why the eggs stand up, typically, because that's the only time people try to stand eggs up. If you set the egg up long enough, the yolk will come down to the bottom of the egg, and that will be your center of gravity down there. Keeping a low center of gravity will make a fast race car and also make brooms stand up.
MALVEAUX: You don't have magnetic -- any magnets or anything --
MYERS: Nothing up my sleeve. Nothing IN here, nothing up here. They just stand up all by themselves. It's not a hoax. It happens. But people are saying because the planets are ling up. No. It's -- you can do this. We'll come back in a month, it will still work.
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MALVEAUX: You burst my bubble there. I thought it was all about the spring and the equinox. That was good.
MYERS: That's the tease I gave you.
MALVEAUX: You had me. You had me there. All right, thanks, Chad.
MYERS: You're welcome.
MALVEAUX: March madness, GOP style. We are live in Mississippi, where the candidates are duking it out for a win in today's primary.
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MALVEAUX: A family is calling for justice after a neighborhood watch captain shoots and kills an unarmed teenager. 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was shot to death last month, walking to his dad's house. The shooter, George Zimmerman, claims he acted in self- defense. Zimmerman has not been charged, which brings us to today's talk back question. What do you think should happen?
Jasmine says, "He needs to be in jail. The teen was carrying some snacks, not a weapon. This is very sad and my prayers go out to this young man's family."
Ben writes, "This is a difficult case. I think the tapes should be released so people can get a clear idea of what happened. It seems he was at fault and should be arrested as he had the gun and he confronted the teen. But those tapes need to be released."
Gary says, "Deadly force is used when lesser means of force have failed. Pepper spray, billy club, stun gun, and taser gun. That neighborhood watchman should be in the neighborhood jail."
Keep the conversation going online. We'll have more of your responses in the next hour.
Top of the hour. I'm Suzanne Malveaux. I want to get you up to speed. From the deep south to the Pacific, voters having their say. Primaries underway in Alabama, Mississippi, and Hawaii also holding its caucuses tonight.
Latest polls show Mitt Romney with a slight edge over Newt Gingrich in Mississippi. But Gingrich has a slim lead in Alabama. Rick Santorum trails in both polls.
Romney is trying to downplay expectations, looking ahead to the next contest. He's campaigning in Missouri.
The Afghan people are outraged. 16 civilians, mostly women and children, died this weekend when an American soldier allegedly went on a shooting rampage. Well, now the Taliban are vowing revenge, threatening to behead any Americans they can get their hands on. President Obama offered his condolences to the Afghan people earlier this morning.
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BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The United States takes this as seriously as if it was our own citizens -
