American Morning
Dr. Gupta behind the scenes
CNN Chief Medical Correspondent gives a glimpse of his day behind the scenes at CNN.
Meet AM: Ed Keohane – Line Producer
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/04/17/ed.keohane.art.jpg caption=" Ed Keohane talks to reporters and makes sure everything goes smoothly during the show."]
Each Friday in “Meet AM,” we’ll introduce you to the people who get American Morning to air.
Today, we’d like you to meet Ed Keohane. Ed produces the first hour of American Morning – he decides what happens on air for that hour, and sits in the control room during the show to guide the plan along. He’s been with AM since October 2006.
How did you end up here?
Back in 2005 I was producing a morning show in Boston. Our sister station in New Orleans got knocked off the air during Hurricane Katrina forcing the staff to relocate to Orlando. A skeleton crew of anchors and producers worked round-the-clock from there, broadcasting live shows that got beamed back into NOLA. Within a few days the team in Florida called for some Beantown backup. I caught a flight, headed south and ended up working alongside a guy who later became CNN's New Orleans bureau chief. We stayed in touch after the storm clouds cleared and a few months later he told me about a job with AM. The stars lined up and I got the chance to come do TV in Manhattan – the news capital of the world!
America's in love with Susan Boyle... and so am I!
We had the pleasure this morning of talking live to Susan Boyle, the overnight sensation who melted hearts when she sang “I dreamed a dream…” on Britain’s Got Talent. Read story
She spoke with us this morning from her home in Blackburn, Scotland. (There were unfortunately a few audio problems) but she was just as sweet and humble as she was before becoming the most talked about woman in the world of late. She says she is “gobsmacked” (translation = massively surprised) by all of the fame and accolades but she will take it all of it one day at a time—and stay true to herself. I asked her if she thought she’d let the U.K show would give her a makeover like they so often do with reality contestants. Interestingly she didn’t say yes or no!
And since we just cant get enough of her singing…we had her SING a few bars LIVE on our show. Watch
And I have to tell you, I’m just as taken with her as the rest of the world seems to be. And I started thinking about why? Well, first she reminds me of my mother’s Aunt Mary. A sweet, unassuming gentle woman who was just happy and thankful for her modest life. You never hear Mary complain of anything even though she spent a lot of hours alone at home as a widow. She found joy and wonder in all of the small things in life and I never heard her say a negative thing about anyone. That’s what we’ve seen from Susan so far.
When she first walked out on that stage, it was obvious the audience didn’t think much of her due to her modest appearance. It was almost like everyone was in on the joke but her. She didn’t let it stop her. She didn’t get mad or upset. She just opened her mouth and sang. And without having to really say a word, she made a lasting impression on so many of us.
We could all learn a thing or two from that.
God Bless,
Kiran
Fmr. Bush Adviser: Memo may hinder terror war
A Bush-era memo released by the White House Thursday revealed interrogation methods used by the Bush administration including waterboarding, sleep deprivation and forced nudity. Some of the methods Bush lawyers approved included keeping detainees naked, in diapers or in cramped confinement. Some former Bush officials say President Obama’s decision to declassify these memos is putting the country in danger.
Fran Townsend, former Homeland Security Adviser to President Bush, spoke to John Roberts on CNN’s American Morning Friday.
John Roberts: What is your take on the release of these memos? These were among the Bush administration's most closely-guarded secrets.
Fran Townsend: John, we should be clear with our viewers. Even during my time in the administration, I wasn't a part of the policy discussions but I will tell you here is my concern about the release of them. Regardless of what you think on the issue of whether or not waterboarding is torture, there were legal documents created and relied upon by career intelligence officials who then implemented the program. There were very strict controls on the program. These people relied on them and, now, to release them and to subject these people, these career professionals to a sort of public humiliation and opprobrium and then the potential of a congressional investigation really will make our intelligence community risk-averse.
I think that is what Mike Hayden, the former director of CIA, is getting at when he says “look you’re going to make us less safe.” I think there’s real potential in that. I think the administration needs to come out and tell us why did you release them? I think they made the right decision to say they are not going to prosecute intelligence officials and I think Dennis Blair, Director of National Intelligence, made a very strong statement on that issue. But I will tell you, then why did you release them? What was the purpose? Because we've won legal cases in the courts to protect those memos up to now from public disclosure.
About this Show
Welcome to the American Morning blog where you can get daily news updates from American Morning's reporters and producers. Join us for "the most news in the morning," weekdays from 6-9 a.m. ET, only on CNN.
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