American Morning
Kiran after the show: A tribute to heroes
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/04/08/kiran.uso3.jpg caption= "Kiran Chetry emcees the USO Woman of the Year luncheon."]
Hero. We use the word lightly at times. But today, I had the honor to meet many of them. It was a celebration of some brave women in our Armed Forces and the quiet, enduring support of civilians who help them.
It was an awards luncheon for the USO of Metropolitan New York.
They asked me to emcee the Woman of the Year awards at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel at the Time Warner Center in New York and I eagerly accepted.
At a time when many people around the nation are struggling in tough economic times, there's a tendency to turn inward... to worry about oneself and one's own family. And that's only natural. It can be hard when you are struggling yourself to look up and see the need of others around you as well. But that is what the members of our armed forces do everyday. They volunteer to fight their neighbor's fight, their country's fight, and to put their own lives and their families well-being at risk to serve a greater cause. That is a true hero. And that's what the USO does as well. It recognizes this sacrifice and tries to do all it can to ease the burden to provide support and comfort to the fighting men and women overseas and those who come home injured and in need.
Busted for sexting
A lot of teens think it's funny, a way to flirt or joke around with friends.
No big deal.
But sending and receiving naked images of children is illegal. And once that photo of your kid is out there it's virtually impossible to get it back.
What do you think? Should teenagers be prosecuted for "sexting?"
Commentary: Muslim world "likes" Obama's words
President Obama was in Turkey today. It was the last leg of his five-nation European tour and his first trip to a Muslim country since taking office. During the stop he sent a message to the world that the U.S. will never be at war with Islam.
“I am personally committed to a new chapter of American engagement. We can't afford to talk past one another, to focus only on our differences or to let the walls of mistrust go up around us.”
So how is the Muslim community reacting to the president’s visit? Hisham Melhem, Washington Bureau Chief for global Arab language network Al-Arabiya, spoke to Kiran Chetry Tuesday on CNN’s “American Morning.”
Kiran Chetry: In all, how was our president received in the muslim world?
Hisham Melhem: Well, judging by the positive headlines, by the live coverage that my network and others gave his speech yesterday in front of the Turkish parliament, the Muslim world likes what the president has been saying. Not only in Turkey, but since he was elected. And I think his words and, more importantly, his actions, have resonated positively throughout the Arab world and the Muslim world. People realize that there is a new tone, that there is a new content, that there is a new language. Gone are the combustible words that President Bush used to use like Islamo [sic] Fascism. Now the new president talks about engagement, he talks about partnership, he talks about respect, mutual interests. President Bush seemed to many Arabs and Muslims every time he talks to them as if he is talking down to them, as if he is lecturing them. This new president is trying to engage them as potential partners in the fight against the real enemy of the United States and the real enemy of these governments which is al Qaeda. The president doesn't talk about the war on terror in general because the war on terror is a war on a tactic. He has a well-defined enemy called al Qaeda. He doesn't clump like, President Bush, all Islamic groups. He focuses only on al Qaeda. All of these things, they are nuances and people recognizes nuances and they appreciate that.
Albright: Kim Jong-il wants 'respect'
It's been three days since North Korea ignored the demands of the U.S. and its allies with a rocket launch.
The UN Security Council still has no official response, even after two days of closed-door meetings. We've also learned that a commercial satellite, owned by digital globe, apparently captured images of Sunday's launch.
Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright joined us live.
What do you think? What actions should the UN Security Council take in response to North Korea's rocket launch?
Gun control dead?
You'd think with a Democratic President and a Democratic Congress, gun control bills would be on their way to the White House for the president's signature.
But times have changed.
And so have Democrats on gun rights. As one southern Democrat recently said, the way the votes are shaping up these days, gun control is "dead on arrival" on Capitol Hill.
What do you think? Why is gun control receiving little attention from lawmakers despite mass shootings across the country?
What’s on Tap – Tuesday April 7th, 2009
Two big developing stories overnight. A small plane stolen in Canada lands in Missouri – the pilot is arrested. Plus, a plot to assassinate President Obama is foiled in Turkey. The suspect is Syrian. Here are the other major stories we're working on right now.
- President Obama is in Turkey speaking with Muslim youth this morning at a town hall in Istanbul, the gateway between the Muslim world and Europe. He told students to “choose to build new bridges.” We’ll talk about whether his tour changed our image around the world. CNN Chief International Correspondent, Christiane Amanpour, looks at President Barack Obama's first trip overseas - what did it achieve?
- The search for survivors intensifies after a strong earthquake in Italy. An ancient town reduced to rubble. The death toll 150 and rising. We’ll look at a desperate search for students who may have been buried alive, when a dorm crumbled to the ground.
- Letter from a mass killer. Confusion, paranoia, anger and frustration – all revealed in broken English in a letter purportedly written by the suspect in last week's deadly shooting at a Binghamton, New York immigrant center. It was sent to a New York television station days after the massacre.
- The Texas Legislature is considering allowing guns on campuses. This, after a wave of gun violence and mass killings across the country. A former Virginia Tech student who lost his girlfriend in that school’s tragedy will debate it.
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