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CNN Sunday Morning

Gunfire Continues as Taliban Fight Marines in Marjah; Stimulus Program Offers Free BlackBerrys to Smokers; Big Snow Could Cloud Economic View

Aired February 14, 2010 - 06:00   ET

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

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hey there, everybody. From the CNN Center, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING for this Valentine's Day.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes.

HOLMES: Happy Valentine's Day to you.

NGUYEN: Happy Valentine's Day.

HOLMES: Is that red? Kind of, sort of?

NGUYEN: Kind of an orangey-reddish color.

HOLMES: Didn't want to go all, full on.

NGUYEN: Couldn't do it. Couldn't do it. Not today.

HOLMES: Not - not feeling the love today, Betty?

NGUYEN: No, I'm feeling the love. It's a good day.

HOLMES: Hey there, everybody.

NGUYEN: Good morning, T.J.

HOLMES: Yes, I'm T.J. That's Betty.

NGUYEN: All day long. Thanks for joining us, folks.

All right. Let's get to this: the second day of the largest offensive in Afghanistan. Dozens of Taliban fighters are dead. We get the latest details from the battleground.

HOLMES: And would you believe we're still talking about winter storms? We're talking about - no, not the last few that hit us. We're talking about another one that's hitting. It's taking aim at several parts of the country, including the mid-South. Mid-Atlantic as well. We'll find out where this thing is, where it's heading and how big of a problem it's going to be.

NGUYEN: Let's check our top stories right now, because astronauts from Endeavour, they wrapped up their second spacewalk early this morning. They spent about five hours working on a new room for the space lab. NASA has just extended this mission by a day, and the astronauts have one more spacewalk left.

HOLMES: And to Alaska now, where unfortunately two people are dead, a third is missing after avalanches there in Alaska. The first one happened near Spencer Glacier. Officials say two snowmobilers were swept away by the avalanche. One of them killed. Rescuers hope to start searching again this morning for the person who is still missing.

The other avalanche hit near a suburb of Anchorage yesterday. That killed a cross-country skier.

Now, police say the biology professor who's accused of going on a rampage at the University of Alabama-Huntsville fatally shot her brother 23 years ago. Police, however, declared that shooting accidental.

Amy Bishop Anderson - that's her name - now facing charges for killing three faculty members and wounding three others Friday at a meeting there at the University of Huntsville, Alabama (sic).

NGUYEN: And these are some live pictures from downtown Beirut, Lebanon. Thousands gathering for a rally marking the fifth anniversary of the death of Rafik Hariri. The former Lebanese prime minister was killed in a car bombing in 2005, and many people blame Syria for the bombing.

Well, a U.N. investigation found a link between the Syrian government and the assassination, and that led to the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon.

Let's get the latest now on what is being called the biggest military operation yet in the eight-year-old Afghan war. This is the second day of the NATO and Afghan offensive on the Taliban's last remaining stronghold in the Helmand Province.

Now, in the target city of Marjah, we're hearing that Taliban resistance is strong. An Afghan official says 27 Taliban fighters have been killed and more than 5,500 pounds of explosives uncovered. A U.S. Marine and a British soldier have died in the fighting.

Our Frederik Pleitgen is in Kabul for us, while Atia Abawi is embedded with a group of U.S. Marines.

HOLMES: And we're going to start with Atia Abawi, again, who is embedded there right in the middle of the fighting. She is on the line for us now.

Atia, hello to you again. Tell us about day two.

VOICE OF ATIA ABAWI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, T.J.

Yes, the fighting is still going on. It is still very sporadic as well. The Taliban have been showing resistance. We're actually with the 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment Alpha Company, and they themselves have been targeted by the Taliban, firing right back. There were many (INAUDIBLE).

(AUDIO GAP)

(INAUDIBLE) group of Taliban (INAUDIBLE) as close as 200, 300 meters away. We're (INAUDIBLE).

HOLMES: All right.

ABAWI: ...from (INAUDIBLE) vehicles, the Breecher (ph) vehicles themselves actually pushing the - the - the IEDs that surround the city away (ph). And obviously, still IEDs within the city limits as well. There are groups of Marines going out to the city, trying to find these IEDs, trying to push forward.

(INAUDIBLE).

(AUDIO GAP)

HOLMES: All right, Atia.

ABAWI: ...(INAUDIBLE). Hello.

HOLMES: All right. Atia, we are having a tough time hearing you. I think we got you back. It's kind of going in and out. We're missing a lot of what you're saying. We're going to try to stick with you here for just a second.

But I want to - want you to go ahead and pick up on that last point you were making. And hopefully, you can still hear me. But we know it's not the clearest signal, but still we can hear you for the most part. But just cutting out quite a bit.

So, again, pick up on that last point you were there making, that - that we picked up, and still trying to clear out some of these - some of these booby traps and things left behind.

So - so go right ahead again, Atia.

ABAWI: Absolutely, T.J. I hope you can hear.

Alpha Company here with the - the - for - with 1-6th, were able to situate themselves between the Taliban and civilians to make sure that they - there are no civilian casualties and they can - they can target the Taliban themselves.

The Taliban still out in force (ph). (AUDIO GAP) the U.S. Marines in the city of Marjah. (AUDIO GAP) within the city. There are other Marines in the northern part of the city as well. (AUDIO GAP).

HOLMES: Yes. All - all right. Atia, we are going to have to re- establish a signal with you at some point soon. We - and again, it's not always, of course, as you can imagine, the places she is - she's in right now, not easy to get the best signal. But our Atia Abawi is embedded, again, talking about the sporadic fighting still coming from - the resistance still coming from the Taliban now on this day two. You see the city there, in the southern part of the country, Marjah. Again, the largest offensive we know of that has taken place in some eight-plus years of the war there in Afghanistan. Our Atia Abawi, again, reporting again that they are showing more resistance today on this second day of the offensive, the Taliban.

Again, we know 27 Taliban militants have been killed. Two coalition fighters, including one U.S. Marine, killed in the fighting so far as well. We'll try to re-establish with Atia a little later.

NGUYEN: In the meantime, though, let's see what the officials back in the Afghan capital are saying.

Frederik Pleitgen is in Kabul for us.

And Fred, it's just the second day of the battle for Marjah. But what are you hearing about progress so far?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Betty.

We've been talking both to NATO and also to the Afghan government. And we've been getting sort of the broader picture of what's been going on down there in Marjah.

What the Afghan government is telling us is exactly what you've just heard from Atia, is that there is still sporadic fighting. However, they are saying that they believe that the Taliban are somewhat changing their tactics.

If you remember, yesterday, we were talking about very sporadic, sort of hit-and-run attacks. Today, what the Afghan government is saying is that some of the Taliban fighters who have remained down there in Marjah appear to be entrenching themselves and looking forward to a fight. They seem to be entrenching themselves in the houses of civilians down in that area. That, of course, is a big concern for the U.S. and its allies.

The other thing that we've been hearing is that the Afghan government says it believes that there are still several hundred Taliban fighters down in there looking to gear up for a fight. So certainly, right now, as we're still hearing, that the - the resistance there is still very sporadic. The operations are going on. However, it seems very clear that, yes, there are still Taliban down there, and yes, they are still very much up for a fight.

The other thing that we've been hearing, both from NATO and from the Afghan government is that they haven't actually taken control over the whole area yet. And they say, right now, the goings is a little bit slower than it was yesterday, and the reason is all of those booby traps and improvised explosive devices, but also the Taliban, which are still down there.

And they say one of the reasons why the going is a little slower than they had been expecting is because of the very limited use of airpower. They're using very few helicopters, very few planes in that area - the reason being, of course, that they want to minimize civilian casualties.

So in effect, what you're seeing is, you're seeing Americans and Afghan soldiers taken more risks upon themselves to really keep the civilian population out of all this, Betty.

NGUYEN: Yes. And, you know, it's still early on in this offensive. But have you been given any indication as to what they're thinking as far as how long this might last?

PLEITGEN: Well, what NATO's been telling us is that they believe that the major combatant operations are going to be finished in the coming days. A lot of that, of course, depends on how much of a fight the Taliban put up.

So far, they've been quite elusive. They've been resorting to the kind of tactics that they've been resorting to, really, for the past eight years, since all of this has been going on, which has been more hit-and-run, guerilla-style tactics, rather than looking for an open, toe-to-toe battle in the battlefield.

So it - it really depends on - on how much of the fight the Taliban are willing to put up, how fast they can make progress. However, what we're hearing right now is that NATO is very eager to get all of this done with as quick as possible so that the Afghan government can actually move in there, build up government institutions as fast as possible, provide service to the people as fast as possible. That really is a key part of this operation.

What we're hearing right now is that they are making progress, and they believe that all of this could be done quite quickly - Betty.

NGUYEN: All right. CNN's Frederik Pleitgen, joining us live from Kabul. Fred, thanks so much for that.

HOLMES: We return now to what has been an ongoing weather situation in many parts of the country, including the South here. We - it's been kind of nasty the past couple days here in Atlanta. We're not used to.

It seemed like it cleared out, actually, pretty quickly.

NGUYEN: It did. And you know, I was talking to Jacqui Jeras yesterday, one of our other meteorologists, and she was warning of possibly some black ice out there this morning. I didn't encounter any, thanks goodness.

But look at the traffic backups in Atlanta. I tell you, folks here in the South, we have a hard time when it comes to slick roadways. You get a little bit of snow on - on the streets there, and boy it is slow going. And you see those 18-wheelers that are just backed up on the freeway.

Didn't see a whole lot of accidents from my vantage point.

And this is a look - speaking of vantage points, of Centennial Olympic Park. You can still see a little bit of the snow on the ground. Boy, it was beautiful while it lasted, Bonnie Schneider. But it seems like things are going to be clearing up. And she's going to give us an update on the weather coming right up.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: We are looking at the threat for black ice, actually, this morning, Betty and T.J., and we're going to have more on that. Plus, a brand-new winter storm that is taking shape for the mid-South, the Midwest and even the Mid- Atlantic. So be careful out there this morning.

I'll have your complete forecast coming up.

NGUYEN: All right. Looking forward to that.

HOLMES: Also coming up, it is the big daddy of all surfing competitions. But the spectators got a little...

NGUYEN: Look at that. Oh my goodness.

HOLMES: The spectators didn't expect to be a part of the waves. We'll explain what happened at Maverick's in California.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: So BlackBerrys, right? A lot of people use them; a lot of people want them. They're the coolest thing out there. I'm - I'm attached to mine.

But just imagine getting one for free. But only under a certain condition.

HOLMES: Yes, Josh Levs explaining this one for us.

He's actually tracking some stimulus dollars.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, you have to be a smoker. And then you can get a free BlackBerry.

NGYYEN: How is that possible?

(LAUGHTER)

NGUYEN: Should I take up smoking?

LEVS: And you know who's paying for it? Everyone out there.

NGUYEN: Yes, we all are.

LEVS: And no. The answer to that is no. Don't take up smoking.

NGUYEN: Yes. Yes. Yes, don't take up smoking. Not just for a BlackBerry.

LEVS: It's not worth it for a phone.

But it's a million dollars from all of us, a million dollars from the stimulus to hand out free phones to smokers. Your call: Is this a good use of your money? We're going to give you a chance to weigh in.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC, MARVIN GAYE, "YOUR PRECIOUS LOVE")

HOLMES: (INAUDIBLE)

NGUYEN: Men do, according to that survey. As though it should be, right?

HOLMES: Well, we are naturally more thoughtful and giving.

(LAUGHTER)

NGUYEN: Oh, you think?

HOLMES: So yes, you're absolutely right, Betty.

NGUYEN: It doesn't cost money to be thoughtful and giving.

HOLMES: Yes, for you guys.

(LAUGHTER)

NGUYEN: All right. We'll debate this later.

But in the meantime, there are all sorts of things out there to help you quit smoking.

HOLMES: Yes.

NGUYEN: You know, the patch, chewing gum. How about a BlackBerry?

HOLMES: Whatever works.

A program handing out free phones for smokers. And it's being paid for by the taxpayer.

NGUYEN: Yes.

HOLMES: Josh Levs here with that.

Good morning again, Josh.

LEVS: Good morning again to you guys.

And I - Betty, I hope my wife was watching just now when you guys had that conversation about, it doesn't cost any money necessarily to (INAUDIBLE).

NGUYEN: Well, I was speaking on the female behalf. LEVS: Got it.

NGUYEN: Of course, right?

(LAUGHTER)

(CROSSTALK)

LEVS: OK, nice. Nice. Wake up, honey.

All right. So tax money, right? Going to pay for this program..

Let me tell you all about it. Here - here's the basic idea. There is a lot of money being spent from the stimulus. This is an $862 billion package that passed a year ago.

At the Stimulus Desk, we've been breaking it down all we can, showing you the different projects that are coming from it. And this is one of them: There's a program inside Washington that is reaching out to smokers, particularly the people who rely on these quit lines, where they want to call them all the time.

And what they've done is, they're using this money to go around handing out BlackBerry phones to these people, in order to basically give them access to some support, 24/7.

Now, that's the idea behind it, and to some extent, it really is experimental. The retention rates for these quit lines are really, really bad in the big picture. They don't get people to keep calling, and they're not doing as much as they want to get people to actually quit.

So let's take a look at the dollar figures here I have on the screen for you. This is straight from the stimulus. It's just under a million dollars -- $977,000 has created one full-time job to go around handing these out in the Washington, D.C., area.

And we spoke to the group that's carrying this out. And on the next screen, I'm going to show you what they say it can achieve. You've got a few points, they're saying.

First of all, you can get support via text, 24/7. You can connect with other people who are trying to quit. Also, they say that on the BlackBerrys they're handing, they give you options to help prevent relapse.

Plus, one of our producers here pointed out, it gives you something else to do with your hands, and that can really help people smoke - I talked to our medical unit here. They said, 'You know what? It is shown that getting access to a lot of support in addition to something else, of using the patch or that kind of thing, can sometimes help.'

And this is just one piece of the big stimulus pie. The CDC got more than $40 million for anti-smoking, anti-tobacco efforts. And as the package was going through last year, we heard from Senator Tom Harkin, who weighed in about this idea in general. And he said he thinks it's great idea to have this in the stimulus.

Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TOM HARKIN (D), IOWA: We're doing two things with this bill: We're putting people back to work on - on infrastructure projects, building new schools, things like that.

But we're also investing. We're investing in a sound recovery in the future. For every $10 or so that we spend on smoking-cessation programs, we can see the effect of people getting off of smoking.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEVS: And I will tell you, there are a lot of science projects that have gotten some funding from the stimulus. We have talked to the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, which are distributing a lot of this money, and they say, 'Look, nothing went to anything frivolous. These things are going to achieve things for America.'

And they also point to economic impacts, like he was talking about there. If you can get people to be healthier and not smoking, that's good for the economy.

Still, when it comes to the stimulus, it's up to all of you. What should or should not get stimulus money?

And here's how to weigh in: We've got the conversation going for you right there at the blog, CNN.com/josh. That's also linked to you guys, /betty, /tj.

And Facebook and Twitter, joshlevsCNN. What do you think? Do you feel good about a million bucks being used in this way?

Betty, T.J., we've already been hearing from people about this. Not too many happy people.

NGUYEN: I am sure people are sounding off on this one.

LEVS: They are.

NGUYEN: I mean, because, really, couldn't you get the same from your own cell phone? I mean, do you absolutely have to have a BlackBerry or - I mean, I don't know.

LEVS: I know.

NGUYEN: Families, support groups, other things. I - I don't know.

LEVS: Yes, they say they're reaching out to underserved communities and people that don't necessarily have their own phones.

But you're right, there are a lot of people questioning that, and are there other ways that you can do it without having this free phone with the service paid for?

NGUYEN: Hmm. Interesting stuff. Created one job.

LEVS: Yes.

NGUYEN: All right. Thank you.

(LAUGHTER)

NGUYEN: Thanks for delving into that.

LEVS: (INAUDIBLE)

HOLMES: You still want to take up smoking?

NGUYEN: Not against it. Not against it.

HOLMES: No.

NGUYEN: I'm just pointing out the facts here, folks. You can weigh in.

(LAUGHTER)

NGUYEN: All right. So a lot of you have been snowed in, stuck in the house, not going anywhere. Going stir-crazy, that's where you're going.

HOLMES: And some of it has been kind of nice. You get back to some basics. You maybe kick in a few...

NGUYEN: Because you've been traveling. You just want to be home.

(LAUGHTER)

HOLMES: I'm happy to be home.

(LAUGHTER)

NGUYEN: I know you are.

HOLMES: All right.

NGUYEN: That's OK. That's all right.

HOLMES: But because so many people are home, that means you're not going out. You're not going to stores; you're not going to restaurants.

NGUYEN: Yes.

HOLMES: You're not buying anything. So is the economy, which is struggling to recover - is it going to be taking another big hit because of the weather?

Stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Good morning, everybody. Going to check some top stories for you right now.

The U.S. has a special envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference. President Obama appointed Rashad Hussain has a liaison with the 57-nation Islamic body yesterday. Now, Hussein has been a deputy associate White House counsel. And the president said he made the move to broaden his administration's strategy to reach out to Muslims all over the world.

HOLMES: Well, Toyota says a private consulting firm it hired to check out acceleration problems related to some vehicles didn't find any problems. The company found no issues at all with the electronic throttle-control system. This is all according to Toyota now.

A report from last week says investigators were not able to get any of the Toyota or Lexus models tested to accelerate unintentionally.

NGUYEN: Well, happy New Year. Yes, it's New Year. Most of Asia celebrating the start of the Lunar New Year. It's the celebration of the Year of the Tiger.

Check it out. Well, these are dragon. But the tiger is the third sign in the Chinese zodiac, which has 12 animal signs. You may want to look it up and go on the Internet and see what your sign is.

Now, a typical tiger has these characteristic traits that are - include bravery, competitiveness and unpredictability. But tigers also show a slight tendency to be selfish.

HOLMES: And you're a what?

NGUYEN: I'm one of those.

HOLMES: You're what?

NGUYEN: Happy New Year, everybody.

HOLMES: You're - you're a tiger, right?

NGUYEN: Perhaps.

HOLMES: Aren't you the (INAUDIBLE) - aren't you - all right.

NGUYEN: Why are you trying to call me out for being slightly selfish?

HOLMES: No, it had some good traits in here.

NGUYEN: Right.

HOLMES: You're...

NGUYEN: Competitive.

HOLMES: You're very brave.

NGUYEN: Brave.

HOLMES: You are the bravest....

NGUYEN: I am. I know.

HOLMES: ...thing....

(LAUGHTER)

NGUYEN: Happy New Year to all of you, including the tigers out there.

HOLMES: Quick break. We're right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: OK. Well, the snowstorm that we've been talking about for days - you know, it slammed the nation's capital this week. Not only did it cause a lot of sore backs from all that shoveling, but, man is it having an economic impact.

HOLMES: And businesses are losing money. People couldn't get out; they couldn't go to the stores. You can't buy anything.

Sarah Lee tells us about this economic impact.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARAH LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The historic snowfall cost the federal government up to $100 million in payroll. And inside D.C.'s renowned Old Ebbitt Grill, you could almost count the losses by the number of empty table.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People come in, maybe you see a little - people drinking more alcohol, et cetera. So it might help your margins a bit, but your gross sales were off 50 to 60 percent.

LEE: And for Old Ebbitt, that equals about $50,000 a day. But in staying open through the storms, they were the exception.

Following the federal government's lead, many companies here were at a standstill, creating a chain reaction of non-productivity.

But economist Stephen Fuller calls these short-term losses that won't affect the overall economy.

STEPHEN FULLER, GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY: We could add up that we lose or unearned income might be $100 million, $200 million. It's a very small number in the totality of the Washington-area economy, which is about $425 billion over the course of the year.

On an individual basis, it potentially could make the difference between a company being profitable or not.

LEE: That's especially true for small businesses.

(on camera): The heart of downtown D.C. is home to many federal agencies and offices. And even though most reopened their doors by Friday, that didn't guarantee everyone would show up for work. And that's hitting businesses around here hard, like this flower shop.

The owner here was hoping for a big Valentine's Day weekend.

(voice-over): Instead, David Hope is bracing himself for big losses of at least 30 to 40 percent.

(on camera): Give me some perspective. What would a normal day look like, that's not Valentine's Day and that's not backed up?

DAVID HOPE, OWNER, "FLOWER GALLERY": Maybe like that.

LEE (voice-over): Hope says this week he's facing a triple- whammy: The snow, Valentine's Day falling on a Sunday and Monday's federal holiday.

(on camera): Would you say a lot of your clients are people who work downtown, federal workers, lobbyists, lawyers - so a lot of the flowers would have been going to offices downtown?

HOPE: Totally. Totally.

And then the other - the other fact is that there's something very special about receiving flowers in the office in front of your co-workers, you see. And that is totally lost.

LEE (voice-over): Sarah Lee, for CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: All right. So along with the economic impact, there's yet another storm coming along. Bonnie Schneider's going to be talking to us about that. She's working hard to get the details on it.

Yes, and it means more snow.

HOLMES: Also coming up in just a bit: What's forcing some Afghans to stay behind in the middle of a military offensive, the biggest military offensive we've seen in Afghanistan?

Well, their crops. It is the middle of opium-growing (sic) season. Could that be the way to get at the Taliban, attacking their source of money?

Stay here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Hello, everybody. Welcome back on this Valentine's Day. Hopefully you got a great day in store for you. T.J. Does. Good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen. So do I.

HOLMES: Good morning to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes. Thank you for being here with us. We'll get into plans a little later. But we have some top stories to tell you about first.

NGUYEN: Yes, get right to them.

Toyota says a consulting firm is hired to check out acceleration problems related to some vehicles, but it didn't find any. A preliminary report issued last week found no problems with the Toyota's electronic throttle controls. Now the report goes on to say investigators were unable to get any of the Toyota or Lexus models tested to accelerate unintentionally.

HOLMES: Police say the biology professor charged with killing three University of Alabama at Huntsville faculty members fatally shot her brother 23 years ago. In that shooting police declared it accidental. Police say Amy Bishop Anderson was not being accidental when she was attending a faculty meeting on Friday and shot six colleagues, three of them dead.

NGUYEN: And in southern Afghanistan, the second day of the NATO and Afghan offensive on the Taliban stronghold, and we are hearing the battle is intensifying in the city of Marjah. Now, it is unclear how many Taliban fighters remain, but troops continue to discover explosives in and around the city. Two members of the coalition force have been killed so far.

We do want you to keep in mind Marjah is Afghan's most violent province and the hub of the opium industry. The military operation underway is unique in many ways. Christine Fair is an assistant professor at Georgetown University and she spent some time working with the U.N. in Afghanistan.

Let's first talk about this opium crop because that's key, essentially, to getting this town away from the rule of the Taliban because the Taliban essentially have a shadow government there. And a lot of their money comes from those opium crops. So the plan is to come in and get these farmers on the side of the Afghan government and really growing other items. But is that something, is that a plan that's truly going to work?

CHRISTINE FAIR, POLITICAL, MILITARY AFFAIRS ANALYST: Well, you know, the problem is these farmers have basically taken out loans to get seed for their crop. So what generally happens is these farmers are not making the money. It is actually the folks that are down stream that are involved in the harvesting and reprocessing; and of course the protection rackets and all the illegal activity that happens in association with this particular crop.

The farmers themselves are more often than not just subsistence level farmers. So by eradicating these crops without doing something to actually relieve them of the debt, in many cases it is the Taliban themselves that have provided liquidity to these farmers, so simply eradicating the crops will probably do very little to win the hearts and the minds of those farmers, especially when they need those crops to get themselves out of debt.

You know, sometimes the farmers actually have to sell their daughters to get out of debt, so this is not going to be a hearts and minds winning strategy.

NGUYEN: So, do you think the plan to come in and say that the Afghan government is really going to essentially set up shop here, and the Taliban is going to be gone. Therefore, you'll have a better life. We'll provide schools, we'll provide opportunities, jobs, and maybe a new crop, that being of wheat. That's what they are hoping the farmers will grow. Is that something the farmers are going to buy into?

FAIR: Well, I think there's so many questions. So far the Afghan government really hasn't stepped up to govern. So no matter what happens on the battlefield, an I suspect the coalition and the Afghan counterparts are going to prevail in the battlefield.

However, unless the Afghan government can get down and provide district level governance, I don't really see this panning out in terms of the holding and build phase. McChrystal has what he calls a government in the box. They actually have brought back, I believe from Germany, a guy who has been living there for the last 15 years, and he has agreed to be the district governor. But simply having a district governor who doesn't actually live in the district, that is going to be the test.

And whether or not they can get all elements of government service provision in there is going to be, I think, a momentous challenge. Personally on that phase, I'm not terribly optimistic. We'll prevail in the battlefield, but then it is up to the Afghans to actually govern.

NGUYEN: Let's talk about Karzai for just a second, because this is about trust.

FAIR: Yes.

NGUYEN: It is it is about trust of the people with this Afghan government that essentially is supposed to come in, once the battle is over with, but has Karzai done enough to build that trust?

FAIR: Well, you saw how the election panned out in August. He won largely through-well, the easiest (ph) electoral malfeasance. There was supposed to be a runoff. And the only reason he's still president is because Abdullah Abdullah actually withdrew citing structural reasons for the corrupt election, in the first place, hadn't been changed.

So, Karzai going into this doesn't exactly share a lot of the confidence of his people. That being said, what matters most at the district level is not Karzai, it is actually the district level elements of governance. That's going to be really basic stuff. What people care about at the district level and the sub-district level is not Karzai and his fanfare in Kabul. It is whether or not they can get simple disputes resolved efficaciously, that is to say some kind of functioning justice system, which by the way the Taliban do. They have roving justice mobiles and they are able to dispense justice very quickly with very little recidivism.

And the second thing that Afghans really want is security, and that has to come from the form of clean, competent Afghan national police, that don't simply shake down the citizenry when the opportunity presents itself.

NGUYEN: There's a lot to go on there aside from the battle that taking place right now in order for this to work. Christine Fair, thank you so much for your time. We appreciate it.

FAIR: Thank you for having me. Thank you.

HOLMES: We'll turn back to weather here in just a moment. Meteorologist Bonnie Schneider in for us, for our Reynolds Wolf, she is tracking another -- yes, another storm that is heading -- whose way this time?

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Your way.

NGUYEN: Great.

SCHNEIDER: We have winter weather advisory posted starting early tomorrow morning for the Atlanta area, but it is certainly not just Atlanta. Many cities will be seeing some snow, and some of it, even to the north, we'll get up to five inches. I'll have a look at that plus the rest of your holiday weekend forecast.

HOLMES: All right. Bonnie, thank you. We'll see you here in a minute.

NGUYEN: And spectators at a surf competition in California-check it out. They got a whole lot more than they bargained for. Yeah. The waves just kept coming and coming. We'll have the details on this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: We are talking about relationships here.

HOLMES: Yes. It is Valentine's Day.

NGUYEN: We have a guest coming up.

HOLMES: We have some stuff coming up for you this morning having to do with Valentine's Day. We'll get to that.

NGUYEN: The difference between men and women, let me tell you.

HOLMES: It is causing us to fight during every commercial.

NGUYEN: It is apparent right here.

(LAUGHTER)

HOLMES: Bonnie, please, save us from ourselves.

SCHNEIDER: You know whose side I am on, T.J. Sorry.

NGUYEN: Right. Thank you very much.

SCHNEIDER: You are outnumbered.

HOLMES: Where's Reynolds when you need him?

SCHNEIDER: Yes, exactly. He is sleeping or celebrating Valentine's Day.

We are looking at a storm, though, unfortunately, starting this Valentine's Day for parts of the Midwest and into Presidents' Day for the South and the Mid-Atlantic will get clipped by this storm. Another winter storm, we only get like a day or two to shovel out before the next one comes on in.

Look at the advisories posted all the way from Ohio down to Tennessee and even here in Georgia. Early this morning Atlanta is now back under a winter weather advisory. I don't think we'll see heavy snow with the system, because it is a fast-moving clipper system, but it is important to note that cities like Louisville and Chattanooga are under winter storm warnings. That means the storm is coming and be prepared.

We could see two to three, maybe even up to five inches in some areas with this storm system. And notice some of the advisories are as far south and east as Hilton Head, South Carolina, places that hardly ever see snow. We saw it this week and we are likely to see it again. Where is the snow right now?

Mostly, we are seeing it across St. Louis and down a little bit into northern parts of Alabama and Mississippi. It is very, very light in terms of being measurable or accumulating, but this storm system could still pack a punch for those of you trying to shovel out. Even in Washington on Presidents' Day, particularly on Monday night, you'll see rain mixing with snow at times. Very little accumulation. That's important to know.

But when you have 40 inches of snow piled up from two storms, it is still just a nuisance to have to deal with. A fast-moving storm by Tuesday that will definitely work its way out of here.

Well, I want to show you what's going on in California. Things look pretty good, no huge storms coming through, but sometimes you get very high waves. I want to show you what's been happening at the Half Moon Bay, for the Maverick Surfing Competition.

Incredible waves and unfortunately, while they are great for surfers, spectators were injured. There were two massive waves that swept over the sea wall and they hit the beach and onto the stage. At least seven people suffered broken bones and others are being treated for abrasions. Now, some officials say people got a little too close to the action. They should have been further back, but you can see how far this water came in. This is some incredible video. We even have iReports, as well, from the region, show you some still pictures of what it looks like. People were definitely not expecting that water to come so high, very dangerous situation.

This iReport was sent to us from Scott Anderson. He bicycled up from Miramar. He saw the first wave and then he kind of backed up and took these pictures. So, he could send them to us via iReport. I am glad he was not injured, but several people were. It is scary when the waves come over you. Just looking at enjoying a day of watching the surfers, not expecting to get drenched by a wave coming over the seawall, Betty and T.J.

HOLMES: I love this competition. Usually the spectators don't get involved.

NGUYEN: Yes.

(LAUGHTER)

HOLMES: But this thing, Mavericks is unbelievable out there.

NGUYEN: The waves are amazing.

HOLMES: You have to wait for the conditions to be just right. The surfers getting 24 hours notice to show up. It is the coolest thing out there. But spectators not--

SCHNEIDERS: Not to get hurt.

HOLMES: Yes. That's too bad. Bonnie, we appreciate that.

SCHNEIDER: Sure.

NGUYEN: OK, we are going to talk about this because meetings with the King and the Dalai Lama, all right? Those are just a couple things on the president's to-do list this week.

HOLMES: Yes, he has a pretty long list every week, doesn't he?

NGUYEN: I know.

HOLMES: Also, NASCAR, they go -- you see all the advertisements on the cars.

NGUYEN: Right?

HOLMES: They are going to go political, though? The latest on the track, a guy is hoping NASCAR can help him get elected. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Would you be feeling a homemade Valentine's card?

NGUYEN: Only if you feel writing a free love poem. What is that? I'm sure there's someone right now scribbling on a piece of paper writing out a love poem, and that is super sweet.

HOLMES: It is.

NGUYEN: Not really up my alley.

HOLMES: Oh, Betty, come on.

NGUYEN: Come on, have you ever written a love poem?

HOLMES: It's the thought.

HOLMES: No, I haven't.

NGUYEN: Yes, exactly my point.

HOLMES: But that's just not my thing. Are we going to do this all morning?

NGUYEN: All morning.

HOLMES: OK.

NGUYEN: OK. There's no love lost on this Valentine's Day in the race for U.S. Senate in Arizona.

HOLMES: Yes, the senior senator there, you know, Sarah Palin's running mate, you may have heard of him, John McCain. He faces some criticism that he's too soft. CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser has that, plus a look ahead at the week in politics.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR (On camera): Good morning.

John McCain is getting a serious challenge from the right. Former Congressman J.D. Hayworth officially announces his primary challenged tomorrow.

Hayworth says McCain has been in Congress too long and isn't conservative enough. McCain, you remember he was the Republican Party's nominee in the last presidential election, he's fighting for a fifth term as senator from Arizona. He already faces another candidate on the right, from one of the founders of the Minutemen, the volunteer organization that tries to keep illegal immigrants from crossing the border from Mexico. But McCain has wracked up endorsements from top conservatives, including his old running mate, Sarah Palin.

The former Alaskan governor teams up with McCain on the campaign trail in Arizona next month. Talking about Palin, she headlines a major state 'Republican fundraiser in Arkansas this week.

Now, later in the week, leaders of the conservative movement gather right here in the nation's capital for the annual Conservative Political Action Conference. Some top politicians on the right, as well as possible contenders for the next Republican presidential nomination, will speak to the crowd. Just another busy week ahead in politics. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: All right.

Doctor Sanjay Gupta ordered-well, actually he operated, some brain surgery on a girl in Haiti and he's back in the country to check up on his young patient. We'll share the good news with you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: After the earthquake hit Haiti a month ago, our Doctor Sanjay Gupta was called on to help perform brain surgery on a little girl. Well, Doctor Gupta is back in Haiti where he meets the girl and sees her reunited with her father.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): January 18th we got a call, come quickly. A 12-year-old girl broken by the rubble, cement embedded in her brain. The U.S. military asked me to help. That was the last time I saw Kimberly, until today.

We received word that Kimberly is alive, doing well. In fact, ready to go home. It was time for a follow-up visit, a house call.

(On camera): We expected her father to actually come here and meet us for this reunion, but we are told he didn't have enough money to get transportation to come down to this port, so instead the rescue worker who helped rescue Kimberly is going to come and collect her and take her back to her father.

(Voice over): Kimberly was healed. It was so good to see that smile aboard the world class USS Comfort. Just the typical 12-year- old showing off the new toys she's received.

(On camera): One thing that is sort of surprising is that Kimberly really didn't know, up until just now that she was on a ship. It is such a big place that she actually thought she had been transferred to the United States, so she's actually about to see the water outside for the first time and recognize that where she's been for the last several weeks.

(voice over): Kimberly knows that just moments from now she'll be reunited with her father. (CHILD SOBBING)

GUPTA: Truth is, I wish I could end the story right here, but that would be unfair to Kimberly, and thousands more like her.

(On camera): This is part of what happens here in Haiti. You know, Kimberly obviously is doing well medically, but now this is really about the rest of her life, and what's going to happen to her, how she recovers from all this. They used to have a home, now they don't. He used to have a job, now he doesn't.

(voice over): What you are looking at is their new home, her recovery room. Confusion sets in. Her eyes shift with the tragic realization. You see, because she's been in the hospital the last month, she doesn't even remember the quake. The quake, that she now learns took away her home, her sister, her mother.

Her dad, also confused, he asks me what to do next. No medications were sent with Kimberly. And the instructions, they are in English, which he can't read.

(On camera): It says you need certain medications, syproflaxomin (ph) and clindomyacin (ph). Are you going to be able to get these medications?

(Voice over): Without money, he says there's no way.

In this case, we point him to the direction of a free clinic, but what about all these other people?

This was a remarkable day for Kimberly full of moments like this. But the image I'm left with is this one: a young girl with a brain operation struggling to recover in a place, in a country so devastated.

(On camera): What is a tough story to tell in so many ways because we all want to story to end well, we want the happy ending. Sometimes it doesn't work out that way and Kimberly is emblematic for so many thousands of people in who are in exactly her position. We'll continue to follow her along as she heals slowly, but does heal both physically and emotionally. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: I just love how he followed up on that story. Because so many times you see it while it is happening and you always wonder, what now? Where did they go? How are they doing? Just to see their face as she was realizing what had happened to her country, and to know that her mom and sister is gone. Wow, that is a lot to take in, for a little girl, who was, and is so lucky considering.

HOLMES: We know that is the perfect point right there. It is one thing to survive the quake, now you have a whole new world and a whole new problem to deal with.

NGUYEN: One of thousands.

HOLMES: Great reporting from our Sanjay Gupta there. We remember that story so well. He was like is there a doctor nearby? There's a brain surgeon, let's go get him. And Sanjay was able to help him out.

NGUYEN: They sent a helicopter out for him, in fact, so that he could do that surgery there. You know, this morning on "SANJAY GUPTA MD" we look at what's happening in Haiti to the sick and injured. Once they leave the hospital, where do they go? That is something that he's asking.

HOLMES: Yes, "SANJAY GUPTA MD", as you see, every weekend here, 7:30 Eastern Time.

NGUYEN: All right. This is the second day of the NATO and Afghan offensive of the Taliban's stronghold in the Helmand Province.

HOLMES: So, exactly how many fighters have been killed? Where is the resistance headed? We are going to be live, again, in Afghanistan. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Hey, everybody. From the CNN Center, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING, for this Day of Love.

NGUYEN: It is Valentine's Day. It is your favorite day of the year, isn't it?

HOLMES: It is not my favorite day. I'm T.J. Holmes. Hello, by the way.

NGUYEN: Good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen. Thanks so much for being with us. Yes, Happy Valentine's Day out there.

We have a little bit of serious news to tell you about. The second day of the largest military offensive in Afghanistan. Dozens of Taliban fighters are dead. And we'll will find out what is next for U.S. and coalition forces.

HOLMES: Also, what's next for many parts of the country, another winter storm. Yep, we are not done just yet. We'll let you know where this one is, where it is headed and do you need to be worried about it this time.

NGUYEN: Check our top stories. Astronauts from Endeavor wrapped up their second space walk early this morning. They spend about five hours working on a new room of the space lab. NASA has just extended this mission by a day. The astronauts have one more spacewalk left.

HOLMES: Police say the biology professor who's accused of going on a shooting rampage at the University of Alabama-Huntsville also fatally shot her brother 23 years ago. Police, however, declared that shooting accidental. Amy Bishop Anderson is her name. She now faces charges for killing three faculty members and wounding three others Friday at the University of Alabama-Huntsville.

NGUYEN: Well, most parts of Asia is marking the start of the lunar new year. Take a look.

(VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: The dragon dance there. The lunar new year, the celebration this time around is the year for the tiger. The tiger is the third of 12 animal signs in the Chinese zodiac. Typical tiger characteristics traits include bravery, competitiveness and unpredictability. But tigers can also show a slight tendency to be selfishness.

So, whether you're a tiger or not, you shouldn't be selfish on this day and celebrate the new year. Happy lunar year, everybody.

HOLMES: We turn back to the Afghan war now. And again, the largest military operation we have seen in this long Afghan war now in its second day. We'll give you an update on what's happening right now.

Afghan officials say 27 Taliban fighters have been killed in Helmand Province, in particular in Marjah. That's the city that the NATO forces are targeting. Troops have found more 5,500 pounds of explosives. Military officials tell us Taliban resistance is strong, sporadic at times as well.

Marjah is considered the last major stronghold of the Taliban there in Helmand. A combine NATO and Afghan force of 15,000 troops taking part in the operation so far. One U.S. Marine and one British solider have been killed in that fighting.

NGUYEN: Well, let's turn now to the Afghan capital. Our Frederik Pleitgen is in Kabul.

And, Fred, those NATO and Afghan troops, they are limiting the use of air power in this offensive. How does that pretty much affect what they're able to do there in Marjah?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's certainly making their advance a lot slower than it probably could be if they were using that air power. Now, the reason, of course, they are doing that is because they want to minimize civilian casualties. They want to make sure that no civilians or as few civilians as possible get hurt while they're advancing.

Of course, on the other hand, it's very difficult for them to move forward, because it is a dangerous place. In the past couple of weeks, the Taliban have been planting a lot of roadside bombs and a lot of improvised explosive devices in the roads there, in the fields there, on the bridges where the many irrigation canals that traverse that are. So, certainly, it's very dangerous.

And what we're also hearing is that Taliban fighters now appear to actually be taking up defensive positions. We have been talking about yesterday is that it appeared as though the Taliban were very disoriented. As the British military said, it appeared they were only resorting to hit-and-run tactics. Now, it appears some of these fighters at least are taking up defensive positions, a lot of them, in civilian houses, trying to hold up the coalition forces as they move along.

Certainly, that is something that the U.S. military has to deal with, trying to get those fighters out of there -- while at the same time, making sure no civilians get hurt while they do that. So, right now, they're saying the progress is being made, but it is a lot slower than it could be if they were going in there with full force and with a lot of air power, Betty. NGUYEN: So, we've heard of that two coalition casualties. On the side of the Taliban, what has been done when it comes to rooting out the Taliban from this town of Marjah?

PLEITGEN: Well, really, what they're trying to do is they moved in there yesterday very early on, they say that they are still going forward trying to root out those Taliban fighters down there. What we're hearing from the Afghan government is that they believe that about 100, maybe 200, maybe 300 Taliban fighters are still actually down in that town, hunkered down, ready to plant possibly a counterattack against the coalition forces.

Right now, they say the situation is such that there are still these scattered pockets of resistance going on in that town, Betty.

NGUYEN: We are hearing, too, that some 27 Taliban fighters have been killed so far in this offensive.

Fred Pleitgen joining us live from Kabul -- Fred, thank you.

HOLMES: Now, we have been talking snow an awful lot for the past good week now. Most of the nation is still digging out in some ways. And now, it's the south's turn to be digging out.

NGUYEN: Yes, Atlanta, to be exact. Officials are warning drivers to be extra careful on the roadways today. It got a little warmer during the day yesterday with melt -- which melted some of that snow, but colder temperatures overnight caused some spots on the road to refreeze.

Officials actually closed I-85 between Friday night and Saturday. And it backed up traffic -- look at that -- for several hours.

HOLMES: In South Carolina as well, some kids -- kids are going to be kid.

NGUYEN: Snow angels.

HOLMES: OK, that's cute. Going down the hill, you don't get this -- that often in the south, so, hey, take advantage of it. The largest snowfall in three decades they're seeing there. They aren't the only ones, of course, but they also have to clear this stuff up. It's the fifth snowiest day there on record. Some parts of the state got nine inches.

So, it could be fun, causing a few problems, but hey, if you don't see this often, you better take advantage of it.

NGUYEN: That's true. Well, you know what? We may get another chance to take advantage of it because another storm is headed eastward.

Bonnie Schneider has been tracking all of this for us. She's in for Reynolds today.

What are you seeing, Bonnie? BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, we are expecting more snow for South Carolina, for Georgia, for Tennessee, places that don't usually see a lot. How about twice in one week? I'll tell you all about it and the rest of your forecast for this Valentine's Day and Presidents Day tomorrow -- coming up.

HOLMES: All right, Bonnie. We will see you here in just a moment.

And sometimes, and we all see this, some people get down, get depressed on Valentine's Day because they are single.

NGUYEN: True.

HOLMES: Do you know what's worse than being single?

NGUYEN: What?

HOLMES: Being with the wrong person.

(LAUGHTER)

NGUYEN: No doubt. That is so true.

So, those of you who are single, you know, you should be thankful, essentially, right?

HOLMES: You should be thanking your lucky stars. You could be with Mister or Miss Wrong on this Valentine's Day. So, how do you find Mister Right or Miss Right? We got some help -- coming up.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: And we turn now to a big story we have been following this weekend. We are in the second day now of what's been called the largest offensive launched since the Afghan war started some eight- plus years ago.

Our Atia Abawi is embedded with Marines who are part of this operation. She has been tracking this for us and she is with us again live on the phone.

Atia, give us the update about day two?

ATIA ABAWI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Well, T.J., it's been a crazy couple of days here. Yesterday started out with fire with the Taliban.

Today, it seems to be going on again, sporadically, throughout the day, to a point where they were just 100 meters away from us. I'm with Unit 1/6 Alpha Company, and they have been engaging the enemy throughout the day. We have been hearing gunfire. We even had times where we were basically targets in the compound that we were in was under attack. And also, there have been signs around. The unit that we're with, the Alpha Company, was able to find $4 million worth of raw opium. This is opium that is usually processed into heroin. The Taliban in the city of Marjah alone is estimated to make thousands -- a few hundred thousand of dollars a month when taxing the drug trade. So, the men we are with right now, they are trying to basically (INAUDIBLE) Marjah, they're trying to basically capture more and more parts of the city.

The Taliban, they are putting up a fight. They are not giving up easily because this is their last stronghold in Helmand Province. Some people likening it to the Alamo in a way. The Taliban continue to use civilians as a shield, a few.

But the Alpha Company, they were able to situate themselves between the Taliban and civilians and buy information they got from Afghan from the city of Marjah coming to them -- actually coming them with wounded family members saying that the Taliban are using their homes as areas to target the U.S. forces. They use that intelligence to, obviously, situate themselves between the two -- T.J.

HOLMES: Well, Atia, one more thing here. I know we're just in day two, but are you seeing, and does the military believe that the Taliban, even in day two, now starting in any way to alter their tactics, their strategies and as far fighting the NATO forces, and also, are the NATO forces going to have to adjust and adapt as well?

ABAWI: Well, I think it's all about adjusting and adapting to what the Taliban are doing. What they're seeing from the Taliban is, that they are firing from certain locations. This location is trying to find the best way to target the areas that Marines are at. It is -- it is believed that that they have some heavy machinery that they would like to target the compound, where they see a group of U.S. Marines camping (ph) in the compound that we're in. We are finding (INAUDIBLE), find ways to attack, but the Marines are pushing them back so they're not able to hit.

It's no secret where the Marines are at, the Taliban know, and what they're trying right now is to attack them where it hurts, because the Marines are doing their best to push them away, but the Taliban themselves made it 100 meters just outside of this compound. There were dicey situations throughout the day and it's expected to continue throughout the next few days -- T.J.

HOLMES: All right. Our Atia Abawi will be there for us -- again, embedded with the Marines in the midst of that offensive in Marjah. Atia, thank you so much. We'll talk to you again soon.

NGUYEN: And you can follow each step of this operation online.

HOLMES: Yes, Josh Levs is keeping an eye on that for us. Good morning to you, Josh.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, good morning to you, guys.

Yes, we got the Web site to use to track the war and learn also about every fallen soldier in the coalition throughout the entire war. Also, NATO has now launched a big new Internet effort along with this operation. And we are going to navigate that for you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: OK. We've been telling you that it has been and, in fact, is the largest offensive of the Afghanistan war. Now, the military hopes the operation underway will serve as a turning point.

HOLMES: Yes, Josh Levs is here to show how you can follow all of this online.

Good morning to you, Josh.

LEVS: And good morning to you, guys.

Yes, this is chockfull. Let's zoom right in, I want to see what we got here. CNN.com/Afghanistan and we continue to update this. It updated throughout the night. And every time we get new video about the latest operation in Marjah, but also really anywhere, we are updating this, all at CNN.com/Afghanistan.

Here's a piece of video you guys can take now. Let's take a look at this. This is some video that we got of nighttime preparations.

And this is a good example of what the military has been doing. They have purposely been releasing a lot -- especially in advance of this operation -- they have been releasing a lot of video online. And we are linking you to that and we're showing it to you at our Web site that you're seeing on your screen.

We also got some video from a commander inside NATO and what he said to his troops before they began this operation. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. COL. NICK LOCK, CMDR., ROYAL WELSH BATTLE GROUP: On this mission, it is a historic mission. We are already at a point -- a tipping point in the future of the campaign, and I'm absolutely convinced of the necessity for this mission. Because by doing things and clearing this particular area, we will ensure that we have government of Afghanistan influence right the way through central Helmand.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEVS: It's always interesting to hear what they say just before an operation begins. Now, any time I talk to you about the Afghanistan war and what we have online, I'll always want to point to this. Let's come back to the screen behind me.

We have a section called "Remember the Fallen," and I'm going to stroll down a little bit. We have, essentially up close, we can get to these photos. We have the photo and the background of every single coalition soldier throughout this entire war who has given his or her life, all of these fallen heroes. What they did, where they came from, what they were doing in the war. All of that at CNN.com/Afghanistan.

There's also one more thing I want to point to here, which is that NATO itself has launched this big new effort called 30 Days to Afghanistan. They did that time along with what they're doing now with this new operation.

We have some video here. You could take a look at that, and we also link you to from our Web site. And what they do here is they go to a different place in Afghanistan each day and they talk with Afghans. And they are using Afghans to get their message out. Some Afghans that they interview are speaking on camera. And it's generally the militant's message.

Take a look at this student named Muhammad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOHAMMED, STUDENT: There are many channels on our way to prosperity and to peace, but the will is there amongst the youth, amongst others, too. The will to be safe, to be -- the will to be stronger, more educated and more successful, as people and as a country.

SGT. KEN RAIMONDI, U.S. AIR FORCE: You can't help but see the future of Afghanistan the faces of Mohammed and Manija (ph). Now, we just hope to continue to have the opportunity to make their country great.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEVS: One example of how the military is using the Web now to get its message out.

So, Betty and T.J., we'll link you to all of that and a lot more at this page right here, CNN.com/Afghanistan.

NGUYEN: That is such good information. All right.

LEVS: We got things for you there, too.

NGUYEN: OK.

LEVS: There you go.

NGUYEN: Absolutely. Thank you.

LEVS: You got it.

HOLMES: All right. Now, Bonnie Schneider, as we know, in for Reynolds Wolf this weekend. We're going to check in with her in just a moment. We have been talking about this severe weather seems like forever. But yes, we have to talk about it a little more because there's yet another storm that's on the way.

We're going to be checking in with Bonnie in just a moment. CHETRY: Well, if you are snowed in today, hey, that's OK, because it's Valentine's Day. And if you haven't found that perfect mate just yet, we have a guy coming up next that's going to show you how to do it.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SCHNEIDER: I'm CNN meteorologist Bonnie Schneider.

We are tracking more wintry weather to the south and the heartland. It will begin today, continue through Presidents Day.

Your Valentine's Day forecast is looking snowy in many locations. The winter weather advisories are now in place, some will go into effect later tonight and for tomorrow. And that does include the city of Atlanta. We're expecting more snow here, higher amounts though towards Tennessee and back out towards areas into more northern Georgia than Atlanta itself.

But we are still looking at measurable snow and it's something to note because it is snowing right now in Tennessee, as well as into Mississippi and Alabama. This snowfall threat will bring the chance for snow showers, measurable snow to the Mid-Atlantic one against for Presidents Day, and maybe even stronger snowfall amounts as we look towards the northeast for Monday into Tuesday.

For those of you that are traveling today, watch out, we are anticipating delays in the cities that you see here due to inclement weather.

Stay tuned, we'll have a check of your top stories coming up on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC)

HOLMES: All right. If for no other reason, you need to stick around, because Betty has an interview coming up. And she was talking to the guest a second ago and she just asked him a question, said, why we all ho? Now, we can explain. It's a title of a book, we can explain. But you want to stick around, if nothing else, for that conversation -- coming up.

Now, a lot of people are thinking about their perfect mate today this Valentine's Day. Who is your perfect picture partner?

Valentine's Day, we've been asking our viewers exactly what they're looking for. This is what they say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What are you looking for in a mate?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Really just somebody who is sweet and caring and pretty.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm looking for honesty, trustworthy. He has to be tall, too, and preferably with dark hair. Someone's stable in a relationship, and someone that's committing and faithful. Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you feel like women these days are looking for Mr. Perfect?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, ma'am. Yes, ma'am. They complain a lot. And men can't be perfect. You work with what you have. I mean, there's a lot of good men out there and you just have to work with what you got.

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

NGUYEN: A lot of good men out there, you just got to work with what you got.

OK. You know, you get the idea of what some people are looking for. So, if you are looking for love this Valentine's Day and beyond, our guest says there are a few things that you can do to help narrow down the search for Mister or Miss Right.

Steven James Dixon is a contributor to "Essence" magazine and the author of -- there it goes "Men Don't Heal, We Ho: A Book the Emotional Instability of Men." And he is with us this morning.

And you got to answer my question, why you all hoing? I mean, what's that all about?

STEVEN JAMES DIXON, AUTHOR, "MEN DON'T HEAL, WE HO": Yes, it's tough. As men, we just don't know how to heal. We don't have that as a skill set. So, what we do --

NGUYEN: What --

DIXON: Yes.

NGUYEN: You're speaking for all men -- come on.

DIXON: Well, not all men, just in general. I mean, when we're in relationships --

NGUYEN: Not all men, just in general.

DIXON: Just in general, just in general.

NGUYEN: OK.

DIXON: And when we're in a relationship, what happens is, if we, you know, break up with a woman on Thursday, a lot of times we get a new woman on Friday. And so, we are in the next relationship, we haven't dealt with the emotions from the past relationship, so we can't commit to the next woman.

And so, my book is about challenging men to express themselves, to learn how to deal with their emotions before moving on to the next relationship.

NGUYEN: All right. So, how do we, as women, learn to spot a man like that and maybe steer clear of them?

DIXON: Oh, absolutely. That's what the article is about and I have different chapters in my book written specifically for a woman.

NGUYEN: Well, give the tip, come on.

DIXON: Yes. Yes.

NGUYEN: For a woman looking for Mister Right, what should she look for?

DIXON: One of the first things you want to look for if he's ready to find a woman. A lot of times, I get e-mails from women every day where they say, "Hey, I'm dating a guy who doesn't what a relationship."

NGUYEN: Then why are you dating him?

DIXON: Then why are you dating him? Move on. He's not going to change. That's not what he's looking for.

Another point I gave was look for a man that knows how to be a man.

NGUYEN: What does that mean?

DIXON: It means a lot of men aren't ready to assume the position of men to take the responsibility, to make the sacrifice, to work with their woman and compromise on different issues. So, just simple things to look for, like, if you meet a man out somewhere and you exchange numbers and then your car breaks down on the way home and you call him and he's like, "Oh, I can't help you out." Don't date that guy. Keep moving.

NGUYEN: So, the key, though, is when you see these red flags --

DIXON: Immediately move.

NGUYEN: -- move on.

DIXON: That's one -- that's definitely --

NGUYEN: OK.

DIXON: -- one of the major problems I see with women.

NGUYEN: A lot of times, women just want to work it, he's cute, I like him. We get along.

DIXON: Yes, they want to work it out. He has a lot money, or whatever those different things and what I talk --

NGUYEN: Not worth working out. DIXON: Not worth working out. I tell women all the time, don't stay long in a bad relationship because it's not going to get better, you know? And if you are in a bad relationship right now and you are there, the man knows that you're going to stay because you're putting up with what he's giving you right now.

NGUYEN: Yes. Because usually in a relationship, don't you put your best foot forward anyways in the beginning?

DIXON: In the beginning.

NGUYEN: So, if it's not even good in the beginning --

DIXON: Right.

NGUYEN: -- you might as well run.

DIXON: And I'll tell women -- and women say to me, "Well, if I keep leaving, you know, I'll never find one." I said, "Well, you never know until you -- you have to move on. You have to have yourself available to meet other men." The thing with women, too, in a relationship, you are emotionally connected to that man. So, you want to be able to meet other men and you can't do that when you're connected to one man.

NGUYEN: Got you. All right. It's not a one-way street, too.

DIXON: Oh, absolutely.

NGUYEN: Men are out there looking for Miss Right. What are the keys in finding her?

DIXON: Yes. One of the things I talk to men about is just evaluating what you need in a woman long-term. A lot of times, we look at beautiful women and say, oh, wow, she's great. She's marvelous. But, really, at the end of the day, we need to be able to communicate and feel comfortable with, and she's supportive and she's there for us.

NGUYEN: There's a lot of times we hear, too, that, you know, men want all of this, you know, a beautiful woman, a strong woman, intelligent woman, but sometimes, when you get the full package, it's a lot to handle it, isn't it?

DIXON: Oh. That's a lot --

NGUYEN: I saw your face.

DIXON: Definitely. Yes, definitely. And women come to me and say, "Hey, I've been perfect to my husband." And I'd say, "Well, a lot of times, you have to have to know when to choose a right man." So I write a lot about, too, on how to go about picking a man.

Currently these days, a lot of women are not picking men well. We have to start there. We have to learn how to pick a man.

NGUYEN: So, it's the female's fault. Is that what you are trying to tell me?

DIXON: Oh, absolutely not. Men have to take responsibility.

NGUYEN: OK.

DIXON: I blame men for all marriages that fail, all of them.

NGUYEN: Men. Really?

DIXON: I blame men for all because I think men were leaders. We lead our families. We lead our marriage.

A lot of times, women don't lead men. Women usually leave men based on what a man did or did not do. And so, I definitely blame men.

And so, my book is about changeling men, teaching men on how to be better in relationships and marriages. At the same time, showing them that, hey, you can be good at this.

I was a man that wasn't good at it. I didn't have the skills. I didn't have the tools initially. It's something I learned, it's something I want to do. And so, I put value in that now as a husband. I love being married. I love my wife and my family.

NGUYEN: That's wonderful.

DIXON: And so, we're just trying to be positive.

NGUYEN: So, what you're trying to teach people out there is how to heal and not to ho.

(CROSSTALK)

DIXON: Exactly.

NGUYEN: OK, unlike what the book says.

DIXON: Right. Right. It's about healing. Definitely, it's about men learning how to heal, because in contrast, women -- when a woman is hurt, she'll get with her girlfriends, express themselves, vent, cry, drink, whatever they do.

But men, we move on. We sweep it you should the rug like it didn't happen. A friend will call me --

NGUYEN: On to the next one.

DIXON: Yes. We go and continue hoing.

NGUYEN: Hey, good advice. Some good information today.

DIXON: Yes.

NGUYEN: Thanks so much. Happy Valentine's Day.

DIXON: You, too. You look great today with the red --

(CROSSTALK)

NGUYEN: He's got the charm going, T.J. This is an expert, apparently.

HOLMES: I cannot believe, still, we are talking about hoing on a Sunday.

(LAUGHTER)

CHETRY: We are, apparently.

DIXON: Or Valentine's Day.

HOLMES: Anybody else not strange (ph) with me.

(LAUGHTER)

HOLMES: All right. We shall continue the discussion. I wish people get here where we're going to talk about the controversy coming up. But good stuff this morning.

Well, we go from that to now finding love online. A lot of people out there are looking to online date. A lot of single parents as well. It's kind of dangerous out there in some ways. How should you go about this?

We're going to help you navigate the online dating world in the next hour of CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, we do have more top stories at the top of the hour when CNN SUNDAY MORNING continues. But first, "SANJAY GUPTA, M.D." begins right now.