American Morning
Letterman reveals affairs with staff, extortion attempt
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/10/02/art.david.letterman.cbs.art.jpg caption="David Letterman on Thursday revealed an extortion attempt based on his sexual relations with staff members."]
NEW YORK (CNN) - "Late Show" host David Letterman acknowledged on his show Thursday night that he'd had sexual relations with members of his staff and that he revealed those liaisons during grand jury testimony for a case involving an attempted extortion.
"I have a little story that I'd like to tell you," Letterman said as he launched into his revelation.
"This morning, I did something I've never done in my life," Letterman told his audience. "I had to go downtown to testify before the grand jury" and "tell them all of the creepy things that I've done."
The 62-year-old funnyman said he received a package three weeks ago from a person who claimed to have information about Letterman's sexual dalliances, ultimately demanding $2 million to prevent public revelation.
Letterman said he went to the Manhattan District Attorney's office, which conducted an investigation and an arrest was made earlier in the day.
Obama makes 2016 Olympics sales pitch for Chicago
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/10/02/chicago.obama.olympics.art.jpg caption="President Obama personally appealed to IOC members for the 2016 Summer Olympics Games to be in Chicago."]
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (CNN) - President Obama urged the International Olympic Committee on Friday to pick his hometown of Chicago as the host of the 2016 Games, saying the city represents the American dream as well as the Olympic spirit.
Obama's address to the 106 IOC members gathered in Copenhagen, Denmark, was the highlight of the Chicago bid committee's final presentation before the vote to choose the host city.
"Chicago is a place where we strive to celebrate what makes us different, just as we celebrate what we have in common," Obama said.
He pointed out that from hosting the World's Fair in 1893 to hosting World Cup events in 1994, the Illinois city has the experience needed to put on an Olympic Games.
"We know how to put on big events and scores of visitors and spectators will tell you we do it well," the president said.
David Gergen: Obama's overexposure is dramatic
President Obama is fresh off his weekend media blitz and is steadily continuing his push for health care reform. To add to the president's busy agenda, General McChrystal says he thinks more troops will be needed in Afghanistan but the president doesn't appear to be in a hurry to send in reinforcements.
CNN Senior Political Analyst David Gergen spoke to Kiran Chetry on CNN's "American Morning" Monday.
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/09/21/gergen.obama.art.jpg caption="David Gergen says he doesn't think Obama's media blitz broke much new ground."]
Kiran Chetry:As we know, the president blanketed the television airwaves yesterday in defense of his health care reform effort. Did he break anymore new ground in your opinion?
David Gergen: I don't think he broke much new ground. He reached some people who might not otherwise have seen his big speech to the joint session. The audience numbers for that joint session speech were down, from 52 million from his first joint session to about 32 million then. So he needed to pick up some audience.
I think he gave himself a little insulation. He's going into a foreign policy period here over the next 10 days or so and I think they wanted to keep the momentum going in the White House.
But he did it at great risk to, you know, his viewability, if you would like, to his ratings, or whatever you would call them, because he's been out so often. The overexposure is dramatic.
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Yettaw: 'I had a vision they were going to murder her'
American John Yettaw made headlines around the world back in May when he swam to the lakeside home of Myanmar's detained pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi – sneaking in to see her.
The stunt got Yettaw sentenced to seven years hard labor and Aung San Suu Kyi an extra 18 months under house arrest. Yettaw was released earlier this month during a trip to Myanmar by Virginia Senator Jim Webb.
In an exclusive two-part interview, CNN's Kiran Chetry asked Yettaw what drove him to leave his wife and children and risk his life to travel halfway around the world.
Watch part two of the interview after the jump.
Cash for Clunkers may be put on hold
The federal government is considering whether to put the $1 billion Cash for Clunkers program on hiatus until it can sort out how much has been spent.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - The federal government may suspend its $1 billion Cash for Clunkers program after less than a week over concerns that the plan may have already burned through its funds, according to congressional sources.
A White House official said the Obama administration is assessing the situation, but added that "auto dealers and consumers should have confidence that all valid ... transactions that have taken place to-date will be honored."
The Department of Transportation, which runs the program, wants to sort out how much of the plan's funds it has already committed.
Cash for Clunkers officially launched less than a week ago.
It is set to end on Nov. 1, or whenever its $1 billion budget has been depleted.
Under the plan, vehicles purchased after July 1 will be eligible for refund vouchers worth $3,500 to $4,500 on traded-in gas guzzlers. The trade-in vehicle has to get combined city and highway fuel economy ratings of 18 miles per gallon or less.
The program, created by Congress to spur sales and help the struggling auto industry, is intended to take low-mileage cars off the road and spur new car sales for U.S. automakers.
"With this program, we are giving the auto industry a shot in the arm and struggling consumers can get rid of their gas-guzzlers and buy a more reliable, fuel-efficient vehicle," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement Monday.
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