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CNN Sunday Morning
U.S. Government Releases Videos of bin Laden; Flooding in the South; Ship Named in Honor of Fallen SEAL
Aired May 08, 2011 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Happy Mother's Day. Hello, everybody. And welcome to this CNN SUNDAY MORNING on this Sunday, May the 8th. I'm T.J. Holmes.
Hope your weekend is off to a good start with mom. We'll be talking more about moms a little later this morning, of course.
But, we need to start with that breaking news we saw yesterday that's giving us more and more insights into how Osama bin Laden was living.
Some newly released tapes, getting kind of a sneak peek at a candid bin Laden. In some of them, can you see the former al Qaeda leader practicing in front of the cameras, possibly for a tape to be released by al Qaeda. In one, he's got a wrinkled sheet behind him. In another, a piece of furniture that matches one found inside bin Laden's compound.
All of them released without the audio. No sound on them. The government saying it did not want to broadcast bin Laden's message while sending a clear message of its own.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRANCES FRAGOS TOWNSEND, CNN NATL. SECURITY CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I think the U.S. government was attempting to make a point here. One, they are now in control of the message and the image of bin Laden. And, second, I think they were looking, to the extent, they could -- they didn't want to release the pictures of his corpse because they were too gruesome.
This is an alternative way to make the point that they had gotten these videos when they went into the compound to kill him, and they are now in possession of them.
Let's be honest. Some of these videos were clearly never meant to see the light of day. They are inconsistent with the image bin Laden himself had built up over the last decade. And putting them out there is really an effort -- one, to control his image and, frankly, to humiliate him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, in the other video, bin Laden's beard is dyed black. But this one is getting some attention here. It shows a visibly gray bin Laden watching himself on TV. You see the room he's in here, pretty modest surroundings, small television, wires hanging off the walls, bare walls as well.
But a lot of people point to this one because they see the profile of bin Laden and they don't see his face. Some are reacting to this in other parts of the world saying, "Are we really sure that's him?" There might be a better reason, though, for releasing these tapes than just trying to possibly humiliate Osama bin Laden.
Earlier, I talked with former FBI assistant director, Tom Fuentes, and asked him about the message that the U.S. government is sending.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM FUENTES, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Now, his new press agent is the United States government, and they are putting out what they want to put out about him and change the narrative, change the image, change the recruiting capabilities, and not just of him now, obviously, but of al Qaeda itself. So, I think -- I think it was a deliberate attempt on the part of the U.S. government to change the narrative and change the stock footage of what he looks like on television to a billion people around the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: So, exactly how are these new videos playing out in Pakistan where bin Laden had been hiding for years?
Our Reza Sayah live for us in Islamabad.
Reza, are people starting to see these images there? Are they starting to be fanned out across that country?
REZA SAYAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, they are, T.J. They started airing last night here on Pakistani TV, and we've seen them throughout the day here.
And I think they are convincing some skeptics in Pakistan that indeed Osama bin Laden was killed by U.S. forces early this week. Of course, throughout the week, many people here in Pakistan and across the border in Afghanistan were skeptical, unconvinced. They didn't believe that U.S. troops had swooped in to this compound in Abbottabad and killed Osama bin Laden. They asked for proof, some sort of hard evidence.
Washington had wrestled with the notion of releasing what some described as the gruesome images of Osama bin Laden's remains. They ultimately decided against that. They were concerned about the reaction that it might incite here in this region.
So, this is perhaps a safer way for the Obama administration to convince some people, and it is convincing some people but not everyone. Some people here in Pakistan continue to have questions. Specifically, they point out one particular image where we see Osama bin Laden sitting on a floor watching television in what appears to be a very bleak room, and they say that this is only a partial profile. They say we don't se Osama bin Laden's face, and they are not convinced that this is him.
So, I think, T.J., it really highlights the deep mistrust that still exists here in Pakistan for the U.S. government and any claims that come from Washington.
HOLMES: And, Reza, you're kind of giving us the mood of the street there and reaction. But any official reaction? Anything coming from the government of Pakistan or even the military there?
SAYAH: There hasn't been any official reaction. No public reaction. And I wouldn't expect any public reaction.
I think both the government and military have much bigger issues to worry about. This has been a big blow, especially to the Pakistani military's reputation. Technically, it's the civilian government that's supposed to run this country, but behind the scenes, there's no question that the Pakistani military is the most powerful institution in this country.
And this has been a blow to their reputation, their status. They have had to answer a lot of questions. First and foremost: How does Osama bin Laden manage to hide out in a compound right under their noses? And another question: is Pakistan and its security establishment playing a double game? Are they, on one hand, supporting the U.S. fight against extremism, and on the other hand maintaining links with some of these al Qaeda-affiliated groups?
These are questions that are not only coming from Washington, but now, because of this bin Laden episode, you're starting to here the questions domestically from the Pakistani public. Very rare.
The Pakistani military is trying to do some damage control, trying to convince people that they had no idea. Not everyone is convinced.
HOLMES: All right. Reza Sayah for us this morning in Islamabad -- Reza, we appreciate as always.
And a whole lot more on the bin Laden videos coming up at the top of the hour with "STATE OF THE UNION" with our Candy Crowley. She'll be talking with the national security advisers about the intelligence that led to the raid in Pakistan. Again, Candy, always, at 9:00 Eastern, on "STATE OF THE UNION," but also, before she does her show, she does our show right here. She'll be joining me live here to chat here in just a few minutes.
Well, the story we were telling you about yesterday. Two Muslim clerics kicked off a commercial flight and not really given a good reason why. Now, they are telling CNN about that experience.
Plus, a lot of people are trying to keep those floodwaters out of their homes this morning. Where is this slow moving water headed next? The severe weather team tracking it for you.
We're right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. Eight minutes past the hour now.
We need to turn to this flooding that's going on along the Mississippi River. The floodgates now all closed in Memphis. Well, that's a big deal. You might be asking what exactly does that mean?
Let me explain. The city has 30 of these floodgates to try to protect it from rising floodwaters. In its history, Memphis has only ever closed one of those 30 floodgates. Again, all 30 are closed right now, trying to control some of this water.
Meanwhile, firefighters -- look at this -- they were called into a mobile home park to help residents there evacuate as the water rises. Right now, water is at 18 inches short of hitting the all-time high water mark. That was set back in 1937.
And now, we're being told that the crest is coming sooner than originally expected. We were being told it was going to be on Wednesday. They have moved that up to Tuesday. That means people have less time to prepare.
Still folks down river who have a little more time to prepare, but how much can you really do? People in Louisiana are bracing for these rising floodwaters to make it to them.
We understand there is a plan, maybe, Alexandra Steele -- as I bring her in, our meteorologist with us this weekend. There's only so much that you can do.
ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Right.
HOLMES: But they do have a little time here. When are they expecting it?
STEELE: Well, time is what they have got. There's no question about that. And what the plan is, it's a mitigation and a movement of the water to keep it at bay, so to speak.
Now, the water is coming, and there will be flooding. Now, how much flooding and where? Those are really the critical issues.
So, these are manmade devices to divert the water. So, of course, here on this map, just to give you a little perspective, the Mighty Mississippi, of course, is doing all the damage. And these are the devices, the Morganza Floodway and the Bonnet Carre Spillway. Now, this is where they want the water to kind of be diverted to. And you can see eventually getting into the Gulf of Mexico. So, that's the plan.
And here's how it all will kind of play out. Now, the Bonnet Carre Spillway, it has been open before. We will still see flooding, but it's been open about nine times. The last time being 2008 to divert the water. Now, the plan that's in place again to move this water and divert it from some of the bigger cities -- the plan at this point is to open up the spillway up at 8:00 a.m. on Monday, alleviate the pressure on the levees, and what this will be is kind of a fast current of water as it heads to Lake Pontchartrain. But also the plan is to open up also somewhere else this floodway.
Once again, here's the picture. This is the spillway bringing the water to Lake Pontchartrain. In addition to the spillway, the Morganza Floodway potentially could be open on Thursday, another route to divert the water. This though has only been open once before, 1973, only partially and for a different reason.
And even if it is open there still will be flooding, five to 25 feet of water, deepest water near St. Francisville, five feet in Houma and Morgan City. That's about 40,000 people.
So, any way you slice it, T.J., there will be flooding in different areas. It's the routing of the water of where it goes and who sees how much.
HOLMES: Well, it sounds like they do have a plan in place. Hopefully, some of this will work.
Alexandra Steele, great to have you here with us this weekend. We'll check in again.
And as a lot of you know, they are still dealing with stuff in the stuff right now. We're talking about -- yes, some of this floodwater. But do you remember, it was just a week and a half ago we saw another major disaster, those tornado -- historic tornado outbreak, that is causing some people to spend this Mother's Day in a shelter. That is the reality for a lot of women across the South -- lost their homes, possessions. But later, our Reynolds Wolf reporting live from Alabama, one of the states hardest hit by those storms, he'll tell us how they're coping.
But at 12 minutes past the hour, let me say good morning to our Ray D'Alessio --
RAY D'ALESSIO, HLN SPORTS: Good morning to you.
HOLMES: -- with HLN Sports.
And we have you here because yesterday was one of the biggest days in sports we have every year, the derby. This is the only day we're all horseracing fans. Sorry. I mean --
D'ALESSIO: Yes, exactly. Yes, we are horseracing fans beforehand and when we lose money, then we're like, OK, I'm not a horseracing fan anymore.
HOLMES: But always drama in these things. Yesterday did not disappoint.
D'ALESSIO: Yes. And, of course, the biggest drama -- they were talking beforehand, T.J. This was the most wide open field in recent memory, in Kentucky Derby history. We had so much - so many story lines going in.
One of the big story lines, the winner, Johnny Velazquez -- I mean, here's a guy, future Hall of Fame jockey. He lost his ride earlier in the week -- on Friday he lost his ride. Uncle Mo, who's the pre-race favorite, Uncle Mo was scratched because of a stomach ailment.
He then gets a call to replace Robbie Albarado on Animal Kingdom. Albarado broke his nose earlier in the week.
And the horse's trainer and owners thought, OK, we -- you know, maybe, it would be better to go with some other jockey. They go with Johnny Velazquez.
And here he goes, heads out his 13th derby and he races Animal Kingdom to victory. The 20-1 long shot, proving once again, T.J., that the pre-race favorite does not always win the Kentucky Derby. In fact, since 2000, pre-race favorite has only won four times.
HOLMES: And he didn't know this horse at all.
D'ALESSIO: No. And he was talking about it afterwards. I mean -- and jockeys are used to this because they race all the time. They get put on horses at the last second. They have to get with the trainer and kind of find out the horse's tendencies. If there's videotape of the horse, look at the videotape of the horse racing as well.
HOLMES: Wow.
D'ALESSIO: So, yes, it was some last-minute studying on his part to know this horse.
HOLMES: OK. Nice story.
Another story, or should I say video, out of Boston.
D'ALESSIO: Yes.
HOLMES: And we should warn people.
D'ALESSIO: If you're eating right now --
HOLMES: Yes, you might want to turn away.
D'ALESSIO: Turn away.
HOLMES: If you're a little -- if your stomach can't take some of these things, this is one. All right. You set this up.
D'ALESSIO: Yes, Rajon Rondo, talking about the Heat/Celtics playoff game last night. You see Rondo getting tangled up with there with Dwyane Wade. He goes down hard. Now, here's the slow motion.
Again, if you get squeamish, folks, turn away.
Watch his left elbow -- a dislocated elbow. Now, obviously he was in a tremendous amount of pain there, T.J. Some players would have said, "I'm done, I can't come out the rest of the game, not Rondo. He comes back out, playing basically with one arm, one arm, and did a phenomenal job, with the steal here. The attempted steal there, comes up with a huge big-time bucket there, and goes on to help the Celtics beat the Heat, 97-81.
HOLMES: Two to one in the series now.
D'ALESSIO: Yes.
HOLMES: This is a stuff that legends are made of in the playoffs. That is one thing people remember from that game.
D'ALESSIO: And he was taking criticism earlier in the playoffs because of his poor play. I think he stepped up his game last night.
HOLMES: He did. But, yes, it was a tough, tough video to watch.
D'ALESSIO: Yes, it was.
HOLMES: But he's all right. Ray D'Alessio. Good stuff from you this morning.
D'ALESSIO: All right, man.
HOLMES: Always good to see you. Good to have you. Ray D'Alessio from HLN Sports.
Well, coming up here in a moment, at 15 past the hour, turning to another story. Listen to this family's reaction -- parents' reaction to an honor given to their son.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANIEL MURPHY, FATHER OF HONORED SEAL: Maureen started to cry. I started to shake. And it grabbed both of us, you know, just right in the heart.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: That's Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy, killed in Afghanistan but honored here in the U.S.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: My mommy is the best because she lets me have pizza. She lets me do science experiments and lets me eat good stuff.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Just been loving those on this morning on this Mother's Day as we're at 17 minutes past the hour on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
We do have a question for you this morning. A lot of mothers out there -- which cities, though, in this country are the best for a mother to live in? There is a list -- an annual list -- that's put out by "The Daily Beast." And what they do is taking to considerations schools, daycare, population, the availability of health care specialists.
And look at the list here. I'll show you a few of them. Number five, San Francisco. Number four: Seattle. And Cincinnati at number three.
Those are three of the top five best cities for mothers to be in in this country. I'm going to have the top two for you in just a couple of minutes.
But also something we're going to do is look at the best countries for mothers on this Mother's Day. We're going to be talking live with Save the Children. They put out a list. They have a mother's index rankings. You might be surprised at where the U.S. ranks on that list. That's coming up.
But, first, the U.S. Navy's newest and state of the art destroyer was christened yesterday, the USS Michael Murphy -- on what would have been the 35th anniversary -- excuse me -- birthday of its namesake.
As you might guess, there is a story behind this one. Susan Candiotti has it for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He gave his all.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a distinction rarely bestowed on someone so young -- dedicating a ship in the name of 29-year-old Navy SEAL, Lieutenant Michael Murphy.
(on camera): What do you think your son would say to you and his mother about this honor?
DAN MURPHY, MICHAEL MURPHY'S DAD: Michael would say will you cut it out and stop it.
CANDIOTTI (voice-over): His parents are as proud of their son as he was humble.
(on camera): Lieutenant Murphy and two members of his team were fatally ambushed in Afghanistan in 2005. Despite two bullets in his back and under heavy enemy fire, Murphy tried to save his fellow SEALs by running into a clearing to call for help. Incredibly, his final calm words to his command were, "Thank you, sir."
(voice-over): Sixteen other would-be rescuers also died in that operation. It remains the worst single day loss in the SEAL's history. Murphy's parents received a Medal of Honor on behalf of their son in 2007, the nation's highest award for valor. And now, a 500-foot long five-story high Navy destroyer is named the USS Michael Murphy.
The ship's dedication comes during the same week another elite SEAL team killed Osama bin Laden.
MURPHY: This was payback time, without a doubt.
CANDIOTTI: An Air Force reserve flight surgeon who recovered Murphy's bodies in the mountains says he could not miss this day.
JOSH APPEL, FLIGHT SURGEON, AIR FORCE RESERVE: It's quite an honor. You know, I'm humbled just to be a part of it.
CANDIOTTI: Lieutenant Murphy's pride and devotion to the SEALs is expected to mean something special to sailors.
REAR ADMIRAL GARRY BONELLI, DEP. CMDR., NAVAL SPECIAL WARFARE COMMAND: He was taking care of his teammates, and I think that's what will really resonate with the ship's crew.
CANDIOTTI: For Murphy's parents, seeing their son's name on the ship's stern was overwhelming.
MURPHY: Maureen started to cry. I started to shake. And it grabbed both of us, you know, just right in the heart, just kind of "Mom, dad, I'm still here, and I'm still leading the fight, and I'm still out there protecting people."
CANDIOTTI: A tribute to his generation and those to come.
Susan Candiotti, CNN, Bath, Maine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. Twenty-three minutes past the hour.
Just a bit ago, we showed you a list of the best cities in America for mothers. Talk about this on Mother's Day, of course. The list was compiled by "The Daily Beast."
And at number five was San Francisco, number four, Seattle, and number three was Cincinnati. Now, they use a number of criteria here, including health care and schools to try to come up with the rankings.
Here are the top two cities, though, for mothers -- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at number two. You moms are doing pretty well there. The city ranks high and available in health care specialists.
And at number one, it's already on the screen, I don't know why the drum roll and it was already revealed, what was the point of that? But Tampa -- Tampa, Florida, scored really well when it comes to schools. Whoo! All right. Twenty-four minutes past the hour now.
Those are cities in the U.S. But what about countries -- the best countries for mothers? There's a recent report by Save the Children, an organization ranks the best and worst places for mothers to live. The results might be surprising to you, especially where the U.S. ranks on the list, not in the top 10, not in the top 20, not in the top 30.
Mary Beth Powers is with Save the Children. She joins me this morning.
Ma'am, thank you so much for being here.
Let's start with this. What are just -- before we actually show the best and worst and where the U.S. is -- tell me, how did you all come up with this? What's the criteria being used?
MARY BETH POWERS, SAVE THE CHILDREN, NEWBORN & CHILD SURVIVAL CAMPAIGN: Well, we looked actually at a number of factors, especially about the health and educational opportunities for children, and other things like political participation of women in national legislatures, et cetera, to figure out where it was good to be a mom and where it was tougher.
HOLMES: All right, then, you tell me, as we put up the top five -- tell us who is number one and why.
POWERS: Norway was the best place to be a mom. And the reason is, frankly, it's very low risk for moms giving birth in Norway. Their children are very likely to live. They have good pre-school, and actually they get 12 months of maternity leave, which is very different than the United States.
HOLMES: All right. Let's put up on screen as well, the bottom five countries. And there are 164 you all ranked here. And Afghanistan, probably not a surprise -- but you go ahead and explain why there as well.
POWERS: Well, in Afghanistan actually, one out of 11 women will die in her effort to become a mother. So, basically childbirth, not enough midwives, not enough health professionals close to women. Children, most -- you know, children, one out of five will die before the age of 5.
So, it's a very risky place to be a mom and a very risky place to be a child, frankly.
HOLMES: Yes. There's certainly a theme in the bottom five, bottom 10, a lot of African nations on that list.
But let's turn now to the United States, where it ranks on this list and why. A lot of people might be surprised, ma'am, to hear that it's number 31 on this list and dropped since the last time you did these rankings. Tell me why. POWERS: I mean, in the United States, we were ranked 28. We're down to 31, and it's partly because we're not investing in getting the kind of care to women during pregnancy that will help them if they have underlying condition. So, women -- we experience some of the highest maternal mortality in the United States and child mortality compared to other industrialized countries. So, it's really critical that we reach every person who needs care during pregnancy and childbirth.
HOLMES: Now, you talk about that care and how the U.S. moved down on that list a bit. Are we in a dangerous situation where we might continue to see the U.S. drop, or do you see efforts being made here that will improve the U.S. on those rankings?
POWERS: I think it's critical that we do, you know, extend health care to the people who need it, but it's all relative. I mean, compared to being a mother in sub-Saharan Africa and countries where Save the Children works -- obviously, mothers here do have it a lot better. So, we need to invest equally in making health care better for women in the developing world, as well as seeking out those women not getting care in the United States and making sure they get good care.
HOLMES: You know, ma'am, this is a great day. I mean, we should be focused on this certainly year round. But glad we're able to highlight this.
And for a lot of folks, I will send this out as well. If they want to read the whole report, you'll have a lot of statistics, a lot of information that is very interesting to read on your Web site.
So, Mary Beth Powers, again, with Save the Children -- and to our viewers, I will send this out on Twitter and Facebook @TJHolmes. I will send this out to you all.
But, ma'am, thank you so much for taking the time with us on this Sunday, on this Mother's Day. And you enjoy the rest of your day.
POWERS: Thank you so much.
HOLMES: All right. Well, we're at 28 minutes past the hour now.
A story we were telling you about here yesterday, kind of a developing story we were just finding out about. Two Muslim men kicked off hair commercial flight, but who exactly wanted them of the plane? The men are talking to CNN now about Islamophobia.
Also, what is it like to be a Muslim woman in America? The co- editor of a new book called "I Speak for Myself" joining us for "Faces of Faith" this morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right, 32 minute past the hour now.
Of course, we're talking about this Mother's Day. A lot of people celebrating this day, honoring mothers, but some moms, they don't have a whole lot to celebrate right now. At least they don't feel like doing it. We're talking about people who lost their homes and just about everything in the tornadoes that tore through the south just a little more than a week ago.
Can you imagine as I bring in our Reynolds Wolf here. Reynolds, it's tough to imagine. People having to celebrate --
(CROSSTALK)
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It is.
HOLMES: -- Mother's Day today in a shelter or standing in the rubble of their home. That's tough.
WOLF: I know. It is very difficult. I mean, let's be honest. I mean, it's tough for us to imagine Mother's Day first and foremost, T.J., because we're dudes. But if you're a mom and you have to celebrate Mother's Day, you know, you want it in a setting at your home with your friends, with your family, that kind of thing.
But that's not going to be a reality for many people in the state of Alabama. We've got a lot of homes that have been destroyed and it's just a heart wrenching thing for a lot of people.
Now, we were able to meet one amazing person by the name of Leicia Fairchild, it's her first baby, she's a first child and his name is Christian. And she's spending her first Mother's Day in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and she's spending it at a shelter. Here's her story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEICIA FAIRCHILD, TORNADO VICTIM: I look out the door and seen the tornado. I said tornado and we just ran, and we dove under the sink, and the whole house lifted up and started to go with the wind, and we were just praying to God, the whole time. All I could think about was my baby.
So before the tornado is even over, I'm up the house all down the hill, I'm trying to see my mom's house and trying to see if it's still there, and I look and the whole roof is gone and the windows are busted. I'm like oh, my God, Christian, that's all I can say, Christian, Christian.
WOLF: You were not around the baby during the tornado.
FAIRCHILD: No.
WOLF: So what was going through your mind the second it's over?
FAIRCHILD: All I could think -- all I could think was my son, I've got to get to my son. I -- they pulled out a nail out of my feet from where I had to run through my house. We had to climb over a huge tree that ran over our how that was blocking the door. And I had to climb over the tree. I was determined to get to my son. WOLF: It's a pretty great Mother's Day present.
FAIRCHILD: Yes it really is. He's -- he's a blessing. Yes, I get to tell him, hey, you know, you lived through a tornado when you were nine weeks, eight weeks old.
WOLF: So you're not at your home for Mother's Day. How -- what is that like?
FAIRCHILD: It's kind of hard because I've -- I've pictured Mother's Day at home with his father and happy and everything, and it's not. It's far from happy in a shelter with my son.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF: You know, T.J. that of course, took place over in Tuscaloosa where we have tons of tornado damage. But far and away it's not the only place in the state of Alabama where you have rough stuff to see.
For example here in Pratt City, as far as can you see around this hill and beyond, you've got just the path of where this tornado came through, wreckage everywhere.
This house -- you've got the foundation a little bit of the stairwell here but everything here and then off in the distance, you see a few houses back there that have some damage. Some just completely demolished and of course, the cleanup is going to take in some places not just days, but weeks, months, perhaps even some years.
That's a wrap. T.J., let's send it back to you in the studio.
HOLMES: As always, Reynolds, we appreciate you this morning as always, thanks so much.
Well, we kind of have an extended "Faces of Faith" segment for you this morning and part of it has to do with the story we've been watching this weekend. The story of two men, two Muslims who were taken off a plane in Memphis and not really given a good reason why.
Take a look here at the men I'm talking about. One is Imam Rahman and the other Imam Zaghloul, they are being greeted here by their attorney. This was Friday night but hours after their originally scheduled arrival in Charlotte, North Carolina. Both men were taken off their initial flight apparently by the order of the pilot.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
IMAM MASUDUR RAHMAN, TAKEN OFF FLIGHT: The pilot made an announcement that I have to take back a plane to the gate and he came to the gate. After then, Delta agents and some TSA agents came to us and he said, "Sir, we have to check you again".
They are very polite, they were very helpful and we help them. And we let them check our stuff and our luggage, our bag, our body, everything they did in few minutes, after then, they said ok, you guys are good. You can go.
When we are entering into the plane, the -- their supervisor, Mr. Russell, he said "Mr. Rahman, sorry, I was pleading to the pilot to let you go on this flight."
"I'm on in this flight", I replied but he is not allowing you to go. I said can you say the reason, what is the reason?
So he said, ok, I'm asking him the reason, but he's not giving any reason. I can ask him again, so he went in again, and he was, you know, arguing with him maybe more than ten minutes. He came back again and he said, "I'm sorry he's not allowing you, he's not giving me any reasons."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Now, it turns out, would you believe, the imams were actually headed to Charlotte for a conference that focused on Islamophobia.
Now, here's what the airline, Atlantic Southeast Airlines had to say. Quote, "We take security and safety very seriously and the event is currently under investigation. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience that this may have caused."
We'll continue in our "Faces of Faith" this morning talking about that story and also this week the killing of Osama bin Laden. It certainly resonated around the world, but also how do these type of stories resonate for the U.S. Muslim community?
And Maria Ebrahimji is CNN's executive editorial producer and also an American Muslim. We work with her very closely here at CNN. She co-edited a new book called "I Speak for Myself, American Women on being Muslim."
Maria, it is good to have you in here with us.
You know, let's start with these two situations, these two stories. Just your reaction there, and what has the reaction been when you see a story like that with these two Muslim men pulled off a plane, inexplicably, maybe we'll get some more answers, but we have seen these types of stories before.
MARIA EBRAHIMJI, CNN EXECUTIVE EDITORIAL PRODUCER: We absolutely have and every time a story like this comes up it's very troubling to me as an American-Muslim but also as a journalist. Because part of what we do is tell stories about other people and we tell stories about what we hope would be a culture of civility in our country.
And I think what this shows is there's still a great amount of fear in America about my religion in particular. And I think it also speaks to this concept of what I call otherness epidemic.
HOLMES: Yes.
EBRAHIMJI: We always want to have this other person that we're looking to, to stereotype or to sort of alleviate the fears that we have, so we look to American Muslims as that.
HOLMES: I want to ask as well. You brought this up. I was going to ask about it later. But you mentioned, you said your religion.
EBRAHIMJI: Yes.
HOLMES: And, yes, if someone saw you getting on an airplane right now dressed the way you are dressed, they might not look or think twice about it. What is the difference though and even if they heard you say you were a Muslim, they might not think much. But when -- why -- do you think there's a different type of fear when they see a Muslim man or a Muslim woman dressed in the traditional garb?
EBRAHIMJI: Yes, it's a -- you know, I think one of the things that I think is really important to note for the American audience is that Islam is a religion that is internal as well as external. And how we interpret our faith is very different across this country. And I think, you know, the stereotyping occurs because of the garb, because of how someone looks.
HOLMES: Yes.
EBRAHIMJI: You know, I have family members who wear full beards --
(CROSSTALK)
HOLMES: Right.
EBRAHIMJI: -- who wear Hijab and some of them have been stereotyped against and others haven't. I think -- I think what we need to do in our country is really look very critically about the actions that people are undertaking rather than what they look like on the outside.
HOLMES: All right, Maria one other thing, we saw the world reaction, American reaction to the killing of Osama bin Laden. Was the Muslim-American reaction any different to the reaction any other American would have to had?
EBRAHIMJI: Oh absolutely not. I think the American-Muslim community reaction was exactly the same as any American's reaction. We were all very happy and relieved that this man who has killed thousands of people is gone. But that doesn't mean that we're any less concerned that other people can take the mantle, and we still need to remain vigilant.
HOLMES: All right, Maria. We want to talk about the book now. It's called "I Speak for Myself" in which you got the perspective of 40 women about what it means to be Muslim in America. You talked to a couple. We're going to take a quick listen and I'll ask you about it on the other side.
EBRAHIMJI: Ok.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMEELAH XOCHITL MEDINA, PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA: I am Jameelah Medina, Muslim women are not only misrepresented, but they are not really represented in mainstream media. If I could describe Jameelah Medina accurately, I would say she is pensive, compassionate, driven, inquisitive and caring.
AMIRA CHOUEIKI, COLUMBUS OHIO: I'm Amira Choueiki. If you want people to know what Islam is really about, then you need to live as an example of your faith. And you need to be willing to tell someone what you're doing during Ramadan and why you pray five times a day and that Allah does not mean some foreign God, it is the same God and be willing to go out on a limb and explain yourself and define yourself because if you don't, they will.
AYAH IBRAHIM, FAIRFAX, VIRGINIA: I am Ayah Ibrahim. The time myself the proudest as an American was the first time I walk into a polling station and was able to vote for my president. I define myself as a daughter, as a sister, as a researcher, as an educator and as an activist.
MAYTHA AHASSAN, LOS ANGELES: I am Maytha Ahassan. I think there's a misconception of who Muslim women are and I think that stems from seeing us as a monolith. I admire Malcolm X's commitment to the truth, for his sincerity. One thing that most people don't know about me is that I'm pretty introverted.
MEDINA: I speak for myself.
CHOUEIKI: I speak for myself.
IBRAHIM: I speak for myself.
AHASSAN: I speak for myself.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And again, I'm joined again by Maria who works with us here at CNN but was the -- is the co-editor of that -- of that book.
What can we get from this that -- can this help us along quite frankly, because still that intolerance and frankly ignorance still exists?
EBRAHIMJI: Absolutely, I think Americans can get from this book what you would get from talking to your next door neighbor, right, a sense of appreciation about our back grounds, our history, our culture, but also the idea that all of us are just like you and me.
I was born and raised in this country. My parents are refugees from another land. But I grew up really learning to appreciate the values that we have here in America, and I believe that my Islam and my religion actually don't contradict my American patriotism either.
HOLMES: Ok, Maria I want to have you back because I would love to continue to -- to chat with you about this book and about so many other things. So hopefully you'll be willing to come back here with us but we've got to go now. Maria --
(CROSSTALK)
EBRAHIMJI: Thank you.
HOLMES: -- we appreciate you. The book is called "I Speak for Myself," co-editor right here one of our own. We're very proud of her. So there it is "I Speak for Myself".
And if you want to learn more about your faith, about faith in general, other faiths, you can go to CNN's belief log at CNN.com/belief.
Also in 90 seconds, we're going to be talking to Candy.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Might not seem like the right thing to do, but there's nothing wrong with a little Candy on a Sunday morning. Candy Crowley, host of "STATE OF THE UNION" joining me this morning. Candy, how you doing?
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN HOST, "STATE OF THE UNION": I am very good, and you?
HOLMES: I am doing really well. Looking forward to hearing from you at the top of the hour.
Now, of course, we know the topic of discussion is going to be the week we saw last week. I mean, I don't even know where to start. And what are you trying to get at really, some of the politics or just some of the information we're still getting about how this whole raid went down?
CROWLEY: Well, both, but this has to be at this point the push forward. What's the world post-bin Laden look like? Are we any closer to getting the number two who we're assuming will take over in al Qaeda? Where's the danger? And also obviously those details continue to fascinate.
We have Tom Donilon, who is the President's national security advisor. He's the guy that President Obama first said, "Ok. This mission is a go." He called the President and called Donilon and said we're going to do it. So he has interesting insight into that. Also into some of the details that the Navy SEALs told the President about when he went down to visit them, the SEALs that were on that mission. But also just to look at Pakistani relationships with the U.S. which are not all that great.
We also have Richard Lugar on, premiere voice on Capitol Hill on matters of foreign policy, to take a look at what he thinks went wrong, and what he thinks the future holds in terms of the U.S. and the battle against terrorism.
And then we do have some politics we're going to talk about.
HOLMES: What?
CROWLEY: Also we're going to talk a little about Libya because the NATO secretary-general is here. We are, you know, multi- dimensional.
HOLMES: Does your show go from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.? How are you going to get all that stuff in?
CROWLEY: We're quick. You know, you just go for the core of it and move on.
HOLMES: But the other thing, I'm sure it will come up as well. It's fascinating, and I hear a couple of people say this that now the new PR firm for Osama bin Laden is the United States government. It's fascinating how the U.S. can now control the narrative of Osama bin Laden.
CROWLEY: Right. Well, it's something we've been wanting to do for years even before 9/11. Sure. I mean they put those pictures out yesterday and the first thing I thought was it's the de-mythification of Osama bin Laden. They want to make this guy -- it's not just that he's dead. They now want to destroy whatever myth was around him. You know, this big warrior in the mountains, you know, fighting on the side of, you know, Arab nations, et cetera, et cetera. So they very clearly wanted that message across.
And I will also point out that prior to those videos being released by the U.S. government, a lot of the talk was about the circumstances. Was bin Laden armed, unarmed? Was he going for a gun, was he not going for a gun? Yesterday, it was all about those videos.
HOLMES: All right. Candy Crowley, it's always good to see you.
CROWLEY: It's good to see you.
HOLMES: And we all will see Candy again in 12 minutes. Keep it right here. "STATE OF THE UNION" with Candy Crowley 9:00 a.m. Eastern, 6:00 a.m. Pacific, right here on CNN.
And happy mother's day to Candy Crowley, as well today.
And on this mother's day, I'm not sure what kind of gift she's getting but I wonder if her kids are willing to spend -- oh, I don't know -- about $12,000 on a tea bag for her. I'll explain.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: It is mother's day this day. Nadia Bilchik joining me here.
NADIA BILCHIK, CNN EDITORIAL PRODUCER: Yes.
HOLMES: A lot of people send flowers, send cards.
BILCHIK: Send flowers, send cards, make breakfast for mom in bed. HOLMES: Beautiful, yes. Great gifts.
BILCHIK: But I don't know how many people do this and, that is, spend $1,000 on an omelet. Now, why it's so expensive is that we have an entire lobster and the rarest kind of caviar. But I wanted to tell you the best part about this omelet. If you make it at home, you can do it for $700.
HOLMES: $700; so it's the caviar that makes the difference.
BILCHIK: It's the caviar and the lobster and the way it's made and, of course, the whole elusive ambience of it. But you can also give your mom truffles. Now, truffles are a very rare fungus, a kind of mushroom. And the reason that they are so expensive it takes a whole confluence of circumstances to create them, and you can find truffles for around $1,350 a pound.
HOLMES: Are people really getting this stuff for mom. Would moms -- would you think moms would appreciate this? You took her out today I --
(CROSSTALK)
BILCHIK: Well, not the moms that maybe you and I know. In fact the moms you and I know might kill us.
But let's go on to other rare forms of gifts that you could buy -- caviar.
HOLMES: Ok.
BILCHIK: Now, the world's most expensive caviar, now I learned something myself this week, Beluga sturgeon caviar is the most expensive. Why? Because there are only 100 beluga sturgeon type of fish caught every year -- caviar, of course, being fish roe; so it's very, very rare, this kind of caviar.
Now you could also put a tea bag on your mother's tray which you might.
HOLMES: A tea bag?
BILCHIK: But what about a $9,000 tea bag.
HOLMES: Stop, Nadia.
BILCHIK: Because it's diamond encrusted for Procter & Gamble's 75th anniversary.
HOLMES: Wait, you said a tea bag.
BILCHIK: A tea bag.
HOLMES: What do you do with this thing?
BILCHIK: Well, what you do with this thing is you look at it and maybe you try and wear it, I'm not quite sure. But put it this way, I wouldn't be putting it into any hot water.
HOLMES: Ok. I'm just making sure that's not what it's meant for.
BILCHIK: Yes. But now the piece de resistance is chocolate. Now, would you pay $2,600 for a pound of Knipschildt chocolate?
HOLMES: Ok, why would -- tell me why I would.
BILCHIK: Because it's got truffle oil in the ganache and cream and vanilla and then it's about $250 per chocolate and inside is a truffle.
HOLMES: Ok. Is it actually good, though?
BILCHIK: Personally, I am not sure that I'd do the chocolate truffle thing and I will tell you that Knipschildt's do make more reasonable chocolate but I think I might choke on a $250 chocolate. And my children, if they gave me that, would probably get choked.
But I will tell you, I'm going to leave here today and I'm going to get breakfast in bed. It will probably cost a whole lot less than any of these items but it will be priceless.
HOLMES: It's the effort, it's the thought that they put into those gifts. This is mom's day. So you all enjoy. You don't have to spend a lot but, hey, if you can, knock yourself out.
Nadia thank you.
BILCHIK: Exactly.
HOLMES: All right. We will have the latest on which Republicans are moving closer to a bid for the Oval Office in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Never too early to talk 2012 contenders, right.
The potential GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain, his campaign staffers are getting ready. And they say that on the heels of Thursday's Republican debate in South Carolina, the former Godfather's Pizza CEO and current talk show host is a quote, "first tier candidate". And the formal on his bid for the White House is expected sometime in the next two weeks.
Also there is President Obama's former ambassador to China. John Huntsman reportedly told South Carolina Republicans he could finalize a potential presidential bid by the end of the month. Huntsman, prior to his diplomatic post, was the governor of Utah.
Well, you are just a couple of minutes away from Candy.
We're right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I love my mommy a lot, a lot, and I love my dog. I love my mommy this much.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Those have been great this morning on this mother's day; to give us something to smile about. But of course, we are keeping our minds on our friends who are being flooded right now with that natural disaster along the Mississippi River and also in the south. They're still picking up from those historic storms.
Happy mother's day to you as well, and hope you do the best you can trying to enjoy this day.
To all of our viewers, thank you for being with us on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
Right now it's time for Candy.
