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CNN Saturday Morning News

EARLY START WEEKEND: Anti-American Protests Continue Around the World; Was the Libyan Attack on U.S. Embassy Planned?; Understanding the "Red Lines" of International Relations; Romney's Definition of Middle Income; Exploring the Nutritional Information of Fast Food Edibles

Aired September 15, 2012 - 06:00   ET

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

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: From CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta, this is EARLY START WEEKEND.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We will bring to justice those who took them from us.

KAYE (voice-over): The U.S. embassy is under attack. A film sparking rage in the Muslim world is blamed for protests against America in more than a dozen countries and the deaths of four Americans.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR(voice-over): Red lines. They're the breaking points, the thresholds of no return and maybe what separates peace from war. All morning, we're putting red lines in focus.

KAYE (voice-over): You want to supersize that Big Mac and fries, you might think twice. McDonald's starts listing calories on its menu next week.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

KAYE: It is Saturday, September 15th, good morning, everyone. Glad you're with us. I'm Randi Kaye.

BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell.

And we're starting this morning with those anti-American protests now in more than a dozen countries around the world.

This video is from Sydney, Australia, where a peaceful protest this morning turned violent. The confrontation between police and protesters happened in front of the U.S. consulate there.

Also overnight in Los Angeles County, the man behind the film that sparked these protests was escorted from his home by police for questioning. He left the interview less than an hour ago.

KAYE: The protests in Australia and the questioning the filmmaker come in the wake of violent clashes in places like Libya, Yemen and Sudan. Marines have been sent to all three places to beef up security at the embassies that are being targeted.

We are covering all angles of the story from the Middle East to here at home. Our Ian Lee is in Cairo.

Jomana Karadsheh is in Benghazi, Libya.

And CNN intelligence correspondent Suzanne Kelly is in Washington.

In Egypt, more than 140 protesters have been arrested as Egyptian security forces crack down around the U.S. embassy, so, let's bring in Ian Lee first for us this morning; he is in Cairo as we said.

Ian, good morning. Have the protests let up at all there in the capital?

IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Randi, earlier this morning police and security forces cracked down heavily on protesters, pushing them away from the U.S. embassy. The protesters fell back to Tahrir Square and the security forces pushed them out from there.

Right now it seems to be over. The protesters have seemed to dispersed into the city. We are not seeing them coming back. In Tahrir Square, we have hundreds of security forces, riot police, plainclothesed (sic) officers keeping control of the area around the U.S. embassy and in Tahrir Square.

I also want to mention in Sinai yesterday, militants attacked a U.N. peacekeeping base out there. We're hearing from state television that that incident is over. The Egyptian military clamped down on that hard with tanks, with soldiers, a lot of infantry involved.

They say during the whole conflict that four soldiers from Fiji were injured, but they say now the area is controlled and security has been restored to that U.N. peacekeeping mission.

KAYE: And is there -- are there signs that security is actually making a difference around the U.S. embassy now?

LEE: Well, definitely. There's security all over the place. They -- the protesters may have melted away, but the security there is probably stronger than we've seen with hundreds of people, hundreds of security forces everywhere.

And the walls that they constructed around the embassy to keep protesters from going to the streets leading to the embassy are still there. It doesn't look like they're going to go away any time soon. They -- it looks like these security forces are around the embassy to stay.

KAYE: Ian Lee, thank you; we'll be checking back with you throughout the morning.

Victor?

BLACKWELL: Let's move from Egypt to Libya now. The worst protests were in Benghazi; that's where Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were killed in attacks on the U.S. consulate.

Jomana Karadsheh is in Tripoli, Libya, and she joins us now over the phone.

Jomana, what is the Libyan government saying about that attack?

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN PRODUCER: Well, Victor, it does seem now that this protest was not really a protest about this film, it was more of a planned attack. What we're hearing from Libyan government officials is what we initially heard from U.S. officials, that this was a preplanned attack by extremist groups, Islamist radical groups that operate in the eastern part of the country.

Yesterday we heard from the president's ruling, General National Congress, saying that they now believe it was most likely a preplanned attack by these groups that aimed to inflict maximum damage on Western interests, especially U.S. interests in Libya and sabotage Libyan and U.S. relations.

The Libyan government now saying this investigation is its top priority. They have made a number of arrests. They have four people in custody, at least so far, who are being interrogated.

And they are looking into links of these people to the extremist groups that possibly carried out this attack saying that they are taking this very, very seriously and they'll bring the perpetrators of this attack to justice.

BLACKWELL: The pictures there show that this consulate has been destroyed. Do we know if there are any protesters who were part of the original protest? Are they -- anyone still there?

KARADSHEH: Well, Victor, what we are seeing now in Libya here in the capital, Tripoli, and in Benghazi, over the past few days, people have taken out to the streets in protests against what happened, showing solidarity with the United States, mourning for the loss of Ambassador Stevens and the other Americans.

In Benghazi, we're seeing calls on social media sites from Libyans, saying that they want to put money into fixing the consulate. They want to help clean up the scene of the attack.

So, really, this is not what we're seeing in other parts of the Arab and Muslim world. What we're seeing is that many of the Libyans are really -- Muslim Libyans I have spoken to are really, really shocked and saddened by this attack and they say it is not representative of how most Libyans feel about the United States.

BLACKWELL: Of course, we'll follow the developments throughout the day.

Jomana Karadsheh in Libya, thank you.

KAYE: Let's talk for a moment about the American victims in Libya. Their bodies were returned home yesterday. President Obama, Vice President Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were there to pay their respects. Here they are: Ambassador Chris Stevens, Tyrone Woods, Sean Smith, Glen Doherty.

Doherty is a former Navy SEAL and veteran of deployments to Iraq who was working as a diplomatic security officer.

Here's what his father said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN DOHERTY, FATHER OF GLEN DOHERTY: I thought he was lucky to survive the four times he has already been over there. But he just laughed at me and said, "Dad, you're too cautious.

"He's a hero. He was my hero."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Tyrone Woods was also a former Navy SEAL. He retired two years ago after 20 years of service.

Here's his ex-wife. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANN SO, TYRONE WOODS' EX-WIFE: If you ever wanted anybody to protect you and feel safe, that's your man. I have the highest respect for his skills and for his love of what he did. It filled his heart. He loved what he did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Sean Smith enlisted in the Air Force when he was just 17. He earned the arc Commendation Medal before leaving to work on the civilian side, serving in missions from Baghdad to Benghazi. He leaves behind a wife and two children.

And finally, Chris Stevens was the U.S. ambassador in Libya. He spent most of the time in the Middle East and was instrumental in building relationships with Libyan rebel leaders during the uprising against Moammar Gadhafi. We'll talk with a friend of Stevens next hour to learn more about him and his dedication.

BLACKWELL: U.S. officials are reacting to the violent demonstrations and the outrage. Our intelligence correspondent Suzanne Kelly joins us live from Washington.

Suzanne, we heard the Libyan government believes the attacks were planned. What are we hearing from U.S. officials about the theory that this was a planned attack to take out an American diplomat?

SUZANNE KELLY, SR. NATIONAL SECURITY PRODUCER: Well, I'm glad you used the word "theory," because right now as they're continuing to sift through all of the intelligence that's coming in over this, there are a lot of theories and a lot of opinions out there. And in Washington, it's been very confusing, sifting through it all, very conflicting messages.

Take a listen to just a couple of things we heard this week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: No information to suggest that it was a preplanned attack.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because it was something that was planned, then they could have come and attacked right away.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KELLY: So, you literally have people all over the place on this and the question kind of drills down to what did intelligence, U.S. intelligence actually know? And did they know it was planned? And the word that we're hearing from U.S. intelligence sources is they did not know, they did not see this coming.

We did find out this week from a source, a U.S. official, that there was a cable sent, an intelligence cable sent to Cairo some 48 hours before this attack began. And that cable warned about the existence of the movie on the Internet, Victor, and the fact that they had seen traffic, that more people were going to this website.

And so they sent out a cable as kind of a warning, if you will, to let people know this was out there. And, of course, as you know, historically, when you have incidents like this, films or books or whatnot, poking fun at the Prophet Mohammed, it is definitely cause for concern.

BLACKWELL: And now we have troops on the ground, Marines in several countries and destroyers off the coast of Libya. So what is the red line for these Marines to do more than to protect the consulates and the embassies and for them to go into action?

KELLY: Well, we heard from two U.S. officials this week that these two warships you mentioned that were moved into place were there to make sure that the U.S. sites remain secure. So I think, if anything, they're a very strong sign the U.S. will retaliate if these attacks continue.

Both of these warships are carrying guided missiles. The U.S. has taken several other steps as well. They sent drones in so they have some sort of idea of what is going on from the air. They have also sent in a fleet of Marines, a fleet anti-terrorism security team, made up of U.S. Marines.

So the U.S. is also sending a very strong message, as you see these protests continue, that it's going to take whatever measures it needs to make sure that the embassies and the U.S. citizens who are over there are safe.

BLACKWELL: All right, Suzanne Kelly in Washington, we'll continue to check in with you. Thank you. KAYE: After a week on the picket line, Chicago teachers and the school board reach a tentative deal that could put students back in school on Monday. But the union warns it's not over just yet.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Kids in Chicago may be headed back to school as soon as Monday. The teachers' union and school board have reached a tentative agreement, but there's still no solid contract to end the strike that's left 350,000 students out of school for a full week.

KAYE: Nick Valencia is here now to talk more about this.

All right, so, Nick, so no contract signed yet.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Not yet.

KAYE: Do we have any idea what they've agreed on, what progress they've made?

VALENCIA: It's just a tentative agreement right now, a framework, Randi, if you will. There's no specific details.

But a source close to the negotiations is telling us that there's three main sticking points here. One is keeping the current school year, now that is very important, because under their school reform package proposed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel, he proposed expanding the school year.

That sort of started these -- this whole contentious problem between the school board and the teachers' union. So that's a blow to him.

Another one is giving the authority to the principals to hire their own teachers and perhaps one of the biggest sticking points is that changing the teacher evaluations for the first time in four decades. So this, big moves here, but, again, the language has to be agreed upon. That's the main problem here is that the language has not been agreed upon. This goes to a vote, though, on Sunday.

BLACKWELL: So that means this is a very delicate agreement.

VALENCIA: Oh, absolutely.

BLACKWELL: What could jeopardize it?

VALENCIA: Well, again, going back to those teacher evaluations. Right now under the current program, the evaluations are based on standardized test scores. Now one union board member called it "data- driven madness."

So, there's 6,000 teachers right now, Victor, at jeopardy of losing their jobs. Teacher evaluations, one of the big sticking points here.

From the beginning, though, the teachers' union has been saying this is not just about pay, it's about job security, school supplies, things as specific as getting air conditioning in these classrooms that are 40 kids in each classroom. So a lot of delicate issue. This has still got a long way to go, then.

KAYE: Yes. No question parents are watching this one closely.

VALENCIA: Absolutely.

KAYE: All right, Nick, thank you. Appreciate that.

As outrage and violence spread around the world, we're left with this question: why is depicting the Prophet Mohammed the point of no return for some Muslims? In about one minute, I'll ask expert Dalia Mogahed from the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Welcome back; 16 minutes past the hour. The red line: in diplomacy it's the point of no return. Take for example Syrian President Bashar al-Assad using chemical weapons against its people. That's the Obama administration's red line, and if crossed, it could provoke a U.S. military response.

Now in the last months we've seen red lines drawn and crossed all over the world. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: We have been very clear to the Assad regime but also to other players on the ground that a red line for us is we start seeing a whole bunch of chemical weapons moving around or being utilized. That would change my calculus. That would change my (inaudible).

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL: Those in international community who refuse to put red lines before Iran don't have a moral right to place a red light before Islam.

ZAFAR BANGASH, DIRECTOR, CONTEMPORARY ISLAMIC THOUGHT INSTITUTE: All U.S. officials, whether they are in the Congress or in the government or elsewhere are quite familiar and aware of the fact that the honor of the Prophet of Islam is a red line for Muslims.

GEN. WESLEY CLARK, FORMER NATO SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER: There's a sense that all those sanctions are definitely tightening their grip on the economy of Iran, that there are rising concerns because the Iranian nuclear activities are continuing and people are recognizing this.

And, so, maybe there are some red lines there that would be breached and, you know, if I were the Iranian leadership, I'd be very nervous about President Barack Obama.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Dalia Mogahed joins me now. She's the executive director of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies and author of "Who Speaks for Islam?"

For nearly a week, Muslims around the world have hit the streets, protesting the film "Innocence of Muslims," that mock the Prophet Mohammed and even Egypt state information service, Dalia, quoted President Morsi as saying Mohammed is a red line for all Muslims.

So is Mohammed a red line for Muslims and, if so, why?

DALIA MOGAHED, EXEC. DIRECTOR, GALLUP CENTER FOR MUSLIM STUDIES: Well, I think we need to take a larger look at this. Where the U.S. has a problem in terms of its image, you see mass protests in places where people are much more positive about the U.S., like Libya. The protests are actually in support of the U.S.

So, yes, the Prophet Mohammed is a red line in that it -- he is a figure that Muslims revere. And so, when he's dishonored or insulted, there is an emotional reaction.

But we can't just look at that. We also have to look at the wider political picture. It's a trigger that then makes anti-Americanism erupt into protests in places where that resentment was already there.

KAYE: Who are these people actually protesting? I mean, do they think that they actually speak for all Muslims as well?

MOGAHED: Well, some do and some are just there looking for a fight. What was really interesting is a lot of pictures that were circulating on the Internet yesterday of protesters in Egypt were really a mixed bag.

Some appear to be conservative religious folks and others seem to look like soccer hooligans or the ultras that have been responsible for a lot of the violence over the past 21 days, hardly known for their religiosity.

So, it's a complex picture and much more complex than simply Muslims not understanding free speech.

And with billions of Muslims around the world, certainly not all of them are protesting. So what do the other Muslims think of this protests?

It is a very good point. This is a small minority and many other people are offended by the film, but they think violence is exactly the wrong way to respond. I've seen several prominent figures say that if we want to honor the Prophet, we should live his values rather than respond violently, which is something that would actually offend him much more than this film.

KAYE: What about in terms of freedom of speech, do Muslims in other nations understand or even know about America's policy toward freedom of speech?

MOGAHED: There is some confusion. I think I'll say first off that, in principle, Muslims around the world, according to our research, do value freedom of speech. Over 90 percent of Egyptians, Indonesians and Iranians say that if they were to write a new constitution, they would include a fundamental protection of free speech.

So, in principle, this idea is something that people value, but then in its execution, it becomes much more complex. And then there's also the confusion around some of the European laws, criminalizing some speech, the denial of the Holocaust or the denial of the Armenian genocide. So, people are somewhat confused.

Why can't the United States simply criminalize the defamation of religion? There's not enough understanding of the complexities of free speech in the United States and how it's actually quite different from Europe.

KAYE: And on the flip side of that, what is it that you think the U.S. isn't understanding about the Muslims?

MOGAHED: Well, I think there needs to be more understanding of the complexity of Muslim society and the diversity within Muslim society. These violent protesters can't be seen as speaking for Islam or for all Muslims. Far more Muslims are peaceful, peacefully objecting to this film, by simply living the Prophet's life rather than responding violently.

KAYE: Thank you, Dalia; appreciate your time this morning -- and an interesting discussion as well.

And don't go anywhere; more on red line warnings and the attacks against U.S. embassies with the former ambassador to Syria, Theodore Kattouf. That's happening next hour.

All right, just how much does the middle class make? Republican candidate Mitt Romney's answer taking some heat and see how he defines the middle class.

BLACKWELL: Plus, the British royal family is not brushing off the topless photos published by a French magazine. We'll tell you how they're responding.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Welcome back. The British royal family says it's going to take legal action after a French magazine printed photos of Kate Middleton topless.

And the pictures were taken while Prince William and his wife were on vacation at a private chateau in Provence. Now that's why the photos are drawing comparison to the way the paparazzi hounded William's mother, Princess Diana.

CNN's Max Foster has been traveling with William and Kate and touring the Far East in honor Queen Elizabeth's 60th year on the throne.

Max, what legal options does the royal family have?

MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Well, there are quite tough privacy laws in France. Actually, tougher than they are in the U.K. So, they basically say this is a massive invasion of privacy. The palace came out with a statement yesterday, which is quite rare, using very strong language, saying this was an outrage, effectively, and that they will be taking legal action. And then later on we got a statement saying they have actually started legal action in France. What they are saying is the duke and duchess were in a private villa, had a right to privacy. These are a massive invasion of privacy and they should not have been published, they should not have even been photographed because it was a private place.

So they are basically drawing a line, as they described it to me. They are drawing the red line about what is private and what isn't private.

KAYE: As far as the magazine goes, Max, I mean, it's called "Closer" and it's defending its decision to do this, isn't it?

FOSTER: It is, because what they're arguing is that they're just doing their job and this is just a young, romantic couple in the images. They don't really understand all the fuss. That's what the editor says.

They also said that they took a picture from a road, which is a public place, and you can do that. But there has been a magazine in the U.K. actually publishing pictures of where the photographer was standing, and it's an extraordinarily long distance away. So it was a very powerful, long lens.

They come under some attack in social media, this magazine editor, because a lot of people do find these pictures quite offensive and they do feel for Catherine.

She was here at a mosque in Malaysia actually at the time, when this story was breaking. So you had to dress in a very conservative manner, and it must have been very embarrassing for her. She walked around, said there is this outpouring of support for her in many quarters.

But I have to tell you, an Italian news agency, the main news agency, is saying that a magazine there is going to publish even more photos, more intimate photos on Monday. So we'll see whether or not that transpires. The palace says no comment on that so far.

BLACKWELL: Yes, certainly not the end of this. Max Foster, thank you very much.

KAYE: Clint Eastwood and the chair. Wait, there's more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINT EASTWOOD, ACTOR: Nobody wants to sit and insult people, which, unfortunately, that's the way politics is.

KAYE (voice-over): The veteran actor is not only defending his rambling speech, he's also explaining the thought process behind it. Can't wait to hear this one. We'll bring you more.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: It is 32 minutes past the hour. Welcome back, everyone. I'm Randi Kaye.

BLACKWELL: I'm Victor Blackwell. Thank you for starting your day with us.

KAYE: We have seen protesters holding the signs angry at the amateur film that mocked Islam's Prophet Mohammed, saying things like we condemn American animosity against our Prophet. Protests like this one in Pakistan were mostly peaceful, but many more demonstrations are not. People were seen throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails, scaling the walls of U.S. embassies and setting buildings on fire.

And as the protests continue into the fifth day, one can't help but wonder if this is really all about a little-known movie that insults Islam? Or is it a broader anti-U.S. sentiment led by radical militants, who are set on attacking the U.S., all while using the film protest as a cover-up?

On the phone with us now, Rich Brewer, from Falmouth (ph), Maine. He's a retired U.S. embassy guard and U.S. Marine. He was disabled when a truck bomb exploded while he was protecting the U.S. embassy annex in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1984.

Good morning, Rich.

RICH BREWER, USMC, FORMER U.S. EMBASSY GUARD (via telephone): Good morning, Randi. How are you?

KAYE: I'm well, thank you. So let me ask you about what's happening there. We've been seeing the pictures come in, the video in some cases is really remarkable.

What do you think is really turning people to violence?

BREWER: Well, I think now it tends to be the hype of the video. I think initially when the attacks on the Cairo embassy and, of course, the coordinated attack on the consulate in Libya against our four personnel there, it was a coordinated attack, something that I will characterize as a terrorist attack.

But what we're seeing spread throughout the 20-some odd different countries now and even into Southeast Asia, I think, is the hype that has become the video. But initially what sparked it, you know, we had the 9/11 anniversary. We've had increased drone attacks and some sort of reprisal for the 9/11 and the war that we've had on Al Qaeda for the last 11 years.

KAYE: Right. There was a lot of talk in recent days about the level of security at the embassy. How can we better protect our embassies?

BREWER: Well, I think in the situation that we've had with the Arab Spring, I think one of the things we should have done prior to this is deploy the DFAS teams. They're designed just for these sort of situations where we look at the security on the ground and say, you know, additional security is needed.

These troops can be deployed, obviously, as they have been here, through the air quickly, helicoptered in, if they need be, or they can be done quietly through airports using regular civilian clothing and that sort of thing. So, we could have done it very quietly, no media blitz or anything like that, and could have had them in place to help prevent the breaches. The trick is that, again, our main focus is the protection of U.S. personnel and classified documents.

So, breaching the exterior walls, although very hard for an American to see the flag come down and be burned, that's not our immediate concern. Our immediate concern are the personnel and the classified documents inside the embassy building itself, not the courtyard.

KAYE: In terms of the protests, you have said that you expect the protests in both Egypt and Yemen to continue. Why those countries in particular?

BREWER: Well, I believe Yemen because of the Al Qaeda in Yemen -- and recently have been -- taking out the number two man there in the drone attack, I think, is going to spark that. And that has been brewing for some time.

And then in Cairo, I think, you know, Cairo is kind of the, you know, it's the center of the Muslim world and we have a transitional government there, where we have Muslim Brotherhood elected as president.

We're not quite sure as a country, as stated by President Obama, whether they're an ally or not and we're just not quite sure where he's going to fall on many of his issues.

And, of course, you know, we give them a great deal of foreign aid and people are going to start questioning that and, you know, it's always a place where we kind of watch and see the pulse of the Middle East.

KAYE: Yes. Rich Brewer, you've been there, you know how this works and we certainly appreciate your insight this morning. Thank you.

BREWER: Randi, thank you for having me on.

BLACKWELL: In southern Afghanistan this morning, two U.S. Marines were killed in an attack at Camp Leatherneck, a military base in Helmand province. As many as four others have been wounded. Military officials called the incident "a sustained attack." The Taliban has claimed responsibility.

KAYE: Mitt Romney raising some eyebrows with his definition of middle income. In an ABC News interview set to air Sunday, the Republican nominee defined middle class families with a number that may surprise some.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, ABC HOST: Is $100,000 middle income?

FORMER GOV. MITT ROMNEY, R-MASS., PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, no, middle income's $200,000, $250,000 and less.

(END VIDEO CLIP) KAYE: We should note that President Obama also defines middle income as $250,000 or less. But just this week, the Census Bureau reported that median income in the U.S. is a little more than $50,000 a year.

BLACKWELL: And Neil Armstrong, the first person to walk on the moon, has been buried at sea. His remains were sent into the Atlantic Ocean during a ceremony aboard the U.S.S. Philippine Sea (ph). Armstrong was a hero to millions of Americans and people around the world, really. He died last month at age 82.

KAYE: Clint Eastwood and the empty chair, they were the darlings of the Republican National Convention. We just can't get enough of this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLINT EASTWOOD, ACTOR: What? What do you want me to tell Romney? I can't tell him to do that. Can't do that to himself. You're crazy. You're absolutely crazy. You're getting as bad as Biden.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Yes, Clint Eastwood and his chair stole the show. Does anybody even remember that Mitt Romney took the stage shortly after that? Some have applauded his speech; others have called it crazy.

BLACKWELL: Do you think Clint cares? Well, here's what he told our Nischelle Turner.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EASTWOOD: One thing about -- one advantage of being my age is that, you know, what do they do to you? You just have fun and do what you think and you can say what you think, you don't have to edit yourself.

NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So you don't regret it at all? And I think I heard Governor Romney say on one of the Sunday shows last week that he enjoyed it. He liked it.

EASTWOOD: He did?

TURNER: Yes.

EASTWOOD: Yes. He's got a much better sense of humor than people think.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: I don't know. That wasn't much of an explanation --

(CROSSTALK)

BLACKWELL: No, it wasn't --

KAYE: -- just that he wanted to do it.

BLACKWELL: You know, at my age people don't question you, you just do what you want. I think this will make a list somewhere of convention moments. Good, bad, funny, not funny. It's going to make a list somewhere.

KAYE: Our list next time around, no doubt.

BLACKWELL: (Inaudible).

KAYE: No doubt.

Well, the actions of a Washington professor have revived a long- running debate. Find out what she did in front of a classroom full of students.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Just in to CNN, we're now getting a look at the man believed to behind the anti-Muslim film that sparked protests in the Middle East. Federal officials interviewed him this morning. You can barely see his face. But Nakoula Basseley Nakoula was bundled up in a coat with a hat and that white scarf. And he did not speak to reporters as he left his house.

As part of his probation stemming from am earlier bank fraud conviction, he was supposed to have only limited access to the Internet, but clips of the movie were found on YouTube. We'll keep following this story for you. Again, the first pictures of Nakoula Basseley Nakoula.

KAYE: Somewhat, as best we can see him, I guess.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

KAYE: It is great, though, that we had a chance to at least see him returning home as well.

All right. So listen to this. Imagine you're a new mom; you're also an assistant professor at a prestigious university. Your baby gets sick and you can't take her to day care.

BLACKWELL: Yes, but you don't want to abandon your students so you take the baby with you to class. And when she fusses, you nurse her in front of 40 students. It happened last month in Washington, and it has reignited the discussion about breastfeeding at work. Lisa Sylvester has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LISA SYLVESTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Assistant Professor Adrienne Pine is starting her fourth year at American University. The single mom normally leaves her daughter, Lee (ph), at a Washington day care while at work. But on the first day of fall classes, her 11- month-old daughter woke up with a slight fever.

ADRIENNE PINE, ASSISTANT PROF., AMERICAN UNIVERSITY: I didn't have any emergency day care and I couldn't bring her to the regular day care and, so, I was faced with this really difficult choice of being there for my students, which, to me as a professional, is the most important thing for me to do. Or, you know, or taking care of my daughter and the only way that I could do both of those things was to bring my daughter to class.

SYLVESTER: During her class of 40 students, her daughter began getting fussy; she was hungry. Pine, who says she has nursed her daughter at other public places, including parks and airplanes, even several locations on campus, breastfed her daughter during class.

PINE: I very discreetly fed her. I don't believe that any part of my breast really was showing. I don't think my nipple was showing and, in any case, the most important thing for me was feeding her and within a couple minutes she fell asleep.

SYLVESTER: One student, Jake Carias, was shocked, later tweeting, quote, "Sex, gender and culture professor, total feminist, walks in with her baby, midway through class, breastfeeding time. WTF."

Carias spoke exclusively to CNN.

JAKE CARIAS, STUDENT: She could have take the sick day left, stayed with the child. The T.A. would have came (sic) into class, read the syllabus, gave us an explanation as to why she wasn't there and our class would have left early and nobody would have complained. There would have been no problems at all.

SYLVESTER: Pine lashed out at a university student reporter in a scathing blog. She was writing an article about what happened. But Pine insists her intention was never to be what she calls a breastfeeding activist. Student reaction on American University's campus was mixed.

JANE MORICE, STUDENT: I didn't think she was trying to be like, oh, look what I can do. I though she was just feeding her child.

JAMES ADAMS, STUDENT: For the first day of class, I think it is probably a little inappropriate.

JULIA RICCH, STUDENT: I understand that it's like a natural thing and like part of human nature, but at the same time, like we're not used to that and especially with college students who probably never had a child.

SYLVESTER: Pine says there is a much larger issue here, that there are tough choices, particularly for working mothers, many who grapple with how to balance work demands with a sick child.

PINE: I had bottle fed my daughter, I would not have been attacked for that. If a male professor brought his child to class the response would be how sweet, how cute, how fatherly of him, whereas as a woman when I do that, I get attacked.

SYLVESTER: I asked Adrienne Pine if the situation were the same, would she do it again. She says probably not that she just didn't expect this kind of backlash. She says, though, that she has learned people are still squeamish about public breastfeeding, and she hopes this begins a new conversation about the need for adequate child care options for working parents.

Lisa Sylvester, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: Oh, it's starting a conversation. I don't know if it's the conversation she wanted to have. But it's definitely starting a conversation.

We want your take on this story. Do you think a professor should be able to breastfeed her child during class?

BLACKWELL: Tweet your responses to @RandiKayeCNN or @VictorCNN. We'll check all of your responses -- I promise.

I have the phone in my hand, and we're going to read some of them on air. We're already getting some in.

KAYE: Well, coming to a menu near you, calorie counts. We have got a spread to compare fast food favorites and the big question is, will adding calorie counts to menus persuade people to eat healthier? Grab your appetite. Stick around.

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KAYE: Welcome back. Hope you're hungry this morning because we have a whole lot of fast food.

BLACKWELL: Yes, we do.

KAYE: We've got quite a spread here. Are you a fast food guy?

BLACKWELL: I try not to eat fast food but every once in a while I get weak.

KAYE: Yes, you and everyone else.

BLACKWELL: Yes, every once in a while.

KAYE: So but the question is what if the calorie counts were posted, would it make a difference for you?

BLACKWELL: Probably.

KAYE: Yes. So a little bit.

BLACKWELL: Except when it comes to fries.

KAYE: Oh, the weakness.

BLACKWELL: Probably, yes.

KAYE: The weakness.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

KAYE: Well, starting Monday, McDonald's is going to be posting the calorie count on menus nationwide and under the new U.S. health care law, actually, all restaurants with 20 or more locations will soon be required to do the same thing.

So, we have gathered -- our fabulous producer, Troy, has put together this lovely spread and he didn't even eat any of it.

BLACKWELL: No, he didn't. Well, you know, we don't know what was here before, so maybe.

KAYE: No, I watched him. I watched him with a close eye.

BLACKWELL: OK.

KAYE: All right. So let's start with burgers. OK? We're going to take a look at some of these popular burgers.

This one here is the McDonald's Big Mac, favorite of yours, maybe? Not really?

BLACKWELL: Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, mayo, pickles.

KAYE: You're going to sing the song and everything? All right. So, what do you think? I mean, we know it has 1,000 milligrams of sodium.

BLACKWELL: Oh, my goodness.

KAYE: But in terms of calories, what is your guess?

BLACKWELL: I would put it at 515.

KAYE: 515 -- OK, we have to pick it up to find out: whoa, 550.

BLACKWELL: 550, that's a lot for one sandwich.

(CROSSTALK)

BLACKWELL: But I was close. I was close.

KAYE: All right. Burger King Whopper next.

BLACKWELL: Whopper. OK.

KAYE: Shall we guess?

BLACKWELL: More meat, bigger sandwich, I think, so, I'll put it at 625.

KAYE: 625 -- oh --

BLACKWELL: Whoa!

KAYE: -- oh, my gosh, 1,200. BLACKWELL: 1,200.

KAYE: And that's not to mention the sodium, which is 1,450.

BLACKWELL: Yes, that's --

KAYE: Not good.

OK, next, the Wendy's Baconator. Now, if my husband saw that, that would not even be here anymore. It would be gone in about a split second.

BLACKWELL: Everything is better with bacon.

KAYE: That's what they say. I wouldn't know, but --

BLACKWELL: Yes, the number really to me doesn't matter when it comes to bacon. I am going to say 800.

KAYE: 800 calories?

BLACKWELL: Yes.

KAYE: 970.

BLACKWELL: 970. And I thought I was going high for that one.

KAYE: Yes. And guess how much sodium there is in that one?

BLACKWELL: How much?

KAYE: It's ugly.

BLACKWELL: How much?

KAYE: 4,040 milligrams of sodium.

BLACKWELL: Wow. Yes, that's a lot.

KAYE: OK.

BLACKWELL: Now we've got shakes.

KAYE: What do you want to look at next? Yes.

BLACKWELL: You want to do the salads or the shakes?

KAYE: Let's do the salads.

BLACKWELL: OK. Because people think salads are great, that salads are a good idea, but some of these salads really have a lot once you add the dressing and you add all that's here. We have got --

KAYE: McDonald's grilled chicken salad, Caesar salad. So let's see. This, you think, would be a light alternative, a healthy alternative -- BLACKWELL: 400.

KAYE: -- fast food -- oh, 190.

BLACKWELL: Oh, 190, I could live with that.

KAYE: (Inaudible) lift it too high or we're going to spill it out.

BLACKWELL: OK.

KAYE: Another one here, the Burger King grilled chicken -- a lot of these are all grilled chicken Caesar salads.

BLACKWELL: Yes, which I like.

KAYE: Burger King --

BLACKWELL: 490.

KAYE: 490 versus 190.

BLACKWELL: That's a lot for that one.

And then the Wendy's grilled chicken Caesar salad here has 770 calories. So, if you think you're getting a light lunch you're doing the right thing, 770 right there.

KAYE: Yes, but the problem is, I can see it. I'm looking in --

BLACKWELL: Fried chicken.

KAYE: It's fried. It's fried --

BLACKWELL: Cheese and all that.

KAYE: -- that's the problem. OK.

BLACKWELL: OK, shakes. Let me get to shakes because I love a good shake. McDonald's chocolate shake, 12 ounces, small, 550 calories.

KAYE: Wow. That's -- oh, my goodness.

BLACKWELL: And you know people add that on to a meal. We've got the Wendy's chocolate Frosty, love a good Frosty.

KAYE: Yes, it looks nice and small, 10 ounces.

BLACKWELL: 300 calories.

KAYE: What a deal.

BLACKWELL: Yes, so enjoy that one. You'll work that off on the treadmill.

And then the Burger King chocolate shake, 12 ounces, 500 calories, again, for a small. KAYE: No way. I'm dropping things all over the place.

These are the Taco Bell cinnamon twists. You get a whole bag of these. I'm not even going to tell you what they are, I'm just going to let you eat them.

BLACKWELL: Let's see. They bought these last night.

KAYE: Yes, they're not very fresh, 170 calories.

(CROSSTALK)

KAYE: -- a little note there.

BLACKWELL: Thank you for that.

KAYE: So there you go, interesting. It'll certainly make a lot of people think twice.

BLACKWELL: I'm sure they're great when they're fresh, but --

KAYE: I'm sure they are.

BLACKWELL: All right.

KAYE: We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Go to any race and you're likely to see at least one disabled competitor. It wasn't always that way. Pioneers like this week's CNN Hero, Dick Traum, broke the barriers to make it happen.

Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DICK TRAUM, CNN HERO: Working out in Central Park is the best time of the day for me. It's an opportunity to test myself. You feel like you could do anything. Back in 1965, I got hit by a car and I ended up losing my leg. I didn't see it as holding me back, it just wasn't a big issue.

In 1976, I became the first amputee to run the New York City Marathon. It was probably the best day of my life. And I just felt that this joy can be shared with others.

I'm Dick Traum and I help people with disabilities achieve their potential through sports. How many people here are doing the New York City Marathon? Virtually everybody who is a member of Achilles has a vulnerability.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let's go.

People come to Achilles and we match them with guides.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He just did 16 miles.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I did 16 miles.

TRAUM: The atmosphere is social; there's jokes and there's laughter.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So you're going to beat me still?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, buddy.

TRAUM: It truly is a family.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I had a stroke in 1980. When I started with Achilles, I could only walk from one lamppost to another lamppost. And now I just ran in the New York City Marathon. Dick helped me realize I can do anything in my life.

TRAUM: We change the way people perceive themselves. And you see the glow. There's nothing in the world that I have more fun doing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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