American Morning
Gates unveils 'don't ask, don't tell' plan
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/02/02/gates.mullen.gi.art.jpg caption="Defense Secretary Robert Gates (L) and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael Mullen (R) participate in a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill on February 2, 2010."]
Washington (CNN) - The Pentagon has taken the first steps toward repealing the military's controversial "don't ask, don't tell" policy regarding gay and lesbian service members, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday.
Laying the groundwork for a repeal of the policy will take more than a year, Gates said. In the interim, however, the Defense Department will start enforcing the policy "in a fairer manner," he told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
President Obama called for a repeal of the policy during last week's State of the Union address.
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen also endorsed a repeal Tuesday, telling the committee it is his "personal belief" that "allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly [in the military] would be the right thing to do."
"For me, personally, it comes down to integrity," he said.
"The question before us is not whether the military prepares to make this change, but how we best prepare for it," Gates told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. "We have received our orders from the commander in chief and we are moving out accordingly."
But the ultimate decision on whether to repeal the policy, he acknowledged, rests with Congress.
Normal body weight could still be unhealthy
You may feel like you're in good shape and the number on the scale may not be anything to worry about. But, new research is showing that just because you have a healthy weight, you may still actually be obese.
Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta joined us on Tuesday's American Morning to explain how this could be possible.
Ending 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'
According to Pentagon sources, Defense Secretary Robert Gates is prepared to ask for up to a year to study the best way to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
Today's hearing on Capitol Hill comes on the heels of one key sentence in the president's State of the Union address last week.
This year, I will work with Congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are. It's the right thing to do.
We were joined on Tuesday's American Morning by Alex Nicholson, the executive director of Servicemembers United, an advocacy group that opposes the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. Nicholson is a former Army intelligence officer who was dismissed for being gay.
Read more: Plan to abandon 'don't ask, don't tell' to go before panel
U.S. census reaching out to immigrants
There's no running water, questionable sanitation, and abject poverty. No, it's not Port-au-Prince, but towns along America's Mexican border, called "colonias," where many are illegal immigrants.
Near Laredo, Texas, the U.S Census Bureau is reaching out, hoping the desperately poor will participate in next year's census. And as our Ed Lavandera found out, many in the "colonias" would rather be counted out, than in.
Should Americans trust the Red Cross?
Americans have opened their hearts and wallets for Haiti. The biggest recipient has been the Red Cross.
Texting the word "Haiti" has raised $31 million so far. America clearly trusts the Red Cross, but should we?
Our Allan Chernoff investigated the Red Cross relief effort in this report.
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