American Morning
U.S. and France: A love-hate story
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/04/03/obama.sarkozy.getty.art.jpg caption="President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama are welcomed by French First Lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy and French President Nicolas Sarkozy"]
French-American relations hit a very low point in 2003 when the French refused to support the American invasion of Iraq. Things got so bad that many Americans actually got behind a movement to CHANGE the name “French Fries” to “Freedom Fries”. Read the story. Congressman Walter Jones (R-NC) actually held a press conference to pronounce that the House cafeteria would “rename the ‘French Fry’ to the ‘Freedom Fry’ because of our disappointment with the French.”
Ouch!
Since then the French elected a new president, Nicolas Sarkozy, who embraced America so much he actually vacationed in the USA in the summer of 2007. Sarkozy was invited to speak before a joint session of Congress where he embraced “the American Dream.” Read his speech.
So, what’s with President Sarkozy now? Headlines on the eve of the G-20 Summit said that he threatened to stay away unless the United States got tough with financial regulation.
Fast Forward
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Here are some of the stories that will be making news later today:
At 8:30am ET – The Labor Department releases its March unemployment report. Economists expect a loss of more than 650-thousand jobs and a jump in national unemployment rate to 8.5 percent. If they're right it would be a record four straight months with job losses topping 600-thousand.
Iowa's supreme court is expected to issue a ruling this morning on whether the state's ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. A national gay rights organization sued the state on behalf of six gay and lesbian couples who were denied marriage licenses
The Coast Guard is preparing to move about 4.7 millions of gallons of oils stored near Alaska's Mount Redoubt. The volcano has had 18 major eruptions in just two weeks – but has quieted in the past 48 hours. Officials fear a massive oil spill at the storage facility that's just 22 miles away.
While we could all use a vacation, Congress is getting two weeks. After today, lawmakers are scheduled to start their spring-Easter vacation. They reconvene on April 20th.
Disgraced former NFL star, Michael Vick, is expected to take the stand around 9am ET this morning in his own chapter 11 confirmation hearing. The proceeding is meant to determine how he will emerge from bankruptcy. Vick's fortune was depleted after his arrest for involvement in a huge dog fighting ring.
And at one o'clock ET this afternoon – Demonstrators will stage a protest rally in New York against bailouts for the big banks. Their "bail out the people" march on Wall Street will call for a moratorium on foreclosures and evictions.
What's on tap
Happy Friday everyone.
President Obama is in France this morning for talks with the French president. Our Suzanne Malveaux is traveling witih the president.
Madonna's petition to adopt a second Malawian child was rejected by a local judge Friday, an official said. "The decision came down to residency requirement and the fact that the judge believes she was being well taken care of in the orphanage," said Zione Ntaba, a spokeswoman for the Malawi Justice Department.
The State Department on Thursday sent a blunt, public message to North Korea: Don't launch your rocket."We don't want to see this launch go forward," department spokesman Robert Wood said. But at the same time, the United States is carefully avoiding any suggestion that it would try to disrupt the launch and is being vague about what Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and others have said the "consequences" of the launch would be.
Remember "Freedom Fries"? Americans outraged over France's refusal to support the US position in Iraq in 2003 decided to rename "French Fries" to something, well, less French. US-French relations seemed to thaw when French President Sarkozy waxed poetic last year about Barack Obama. What about now? Has time healed wounds? And what about Sarkozy's recent threat to leave the G-20 talks if the US doesn't agree with the French position on the world economy?
Big tobacco has taken a big hit in Washington. Congress is moving forward with a bill that would give sweeping powers to the food and drug administration to regulate tobacco products for the first time ever.
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The G-20 Summit consumed American Morning viewers, who weighed in on topics relating to the G-20 protests, the President and Mrs. Obama’s visit with Queen Elizabeth II, and the repercussions of the Summit. The issue of royal protocol had some confused and intrigued about the “hug” between Mrs. Obama and the Queen, while others felt the topic was irrelevant.
- Denisha: As I was watching AM this morning around 7, I found myself annoyed that the newscasters were laughing and joking about how stupid the protesters were (which one admittedly was, trying to head butt a bank window). My annoyance stemmed from actually wanting to hear the NEWS about why people were protesting. I tune in to be informed about what's happening around the world and during the G-20 summit, not to hear witty banter about the stupidity of some protesters. As of now I still have no idea why those people were protesting.
- Anonymous: Is this G-20 summit about the G-20 or Mrs. Obama? She isn't running the U.S. I want to hear more about what’s going on, than how popular she is in London and the 1st Women’s Club.
How do you feel about CNN’s coverage of the G-20 Summit? Are we providing the right balance between serious topics and human interest stories? What stories would you like us to cover that you haven’t seen? Let us know your ideas.
Viewers were furious with Barney Frank’s answers during his interview with John Roberts:
- Derrick: I now understand why Conservative Republicans show no love for Barney Frank. His arrogance this morning, reminded me of Congress voting for a fifty percent pay raise in 1988. In order to structure their raise, Congress restructured all service members’ retirement plans. His answer to your question was defensive, arrogant and uninformative. In other words, "He wasted my time!"
How did you feel about the interview with Representative Frank? Were his answers “defensive, arrogant and uninformative” as Derrick noted, or did you feel he appropriately addressed the issues presented by John Roberts? What questions would you ask him if you were conducting the interview? Tell us your thoughts.
First lady, queen embrace
We are very amused.
There are a few things in this world that you just don’t touch. A hot stove. The third rail of a subway line. The business end of a bee. Oh yes, and the Queen.
Anyone who has ever met Her Royal Majesty knows that it’s not cricket to lay a mitt on the monarch other than to shake her hand when she extends it. Just ask former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating, who was branded the “Lizard of Oz” in 1992 after he committed the extraordinary faux pas of putting his hand on the Queen’s back.
“All hell broke loose” when that happened, according to royal watcher Charles Mosley, who spoke with us this morning.
So imagine the surprise of the British press and people when a photo flashed around the world of the Queen and Michelle Obama arm-in-arm! According to royal watcher Robert Jobson (who asked Buckingham Palace about it), the hug-fest was initiated by the Queen, “she embraced her”, says Jobson. “She just pulled her close and Michelle responded.”
The moment was as endearing as it was rare. The newly-minted first lady and the British monarch, in a demonstration of enduring friendship between nations, displayed tenderness between individuals. “The Queen is not known for being touchy-feely”, Mosley told us. “Her son, Prince Charles, complained on one occasion he wasn’t given enough affection when he was a child. She’s obviously a late developer.”
She’s obviously enamored of Michelle Obama, as it seems is most of London. “The First Lady can’t do anything wrong as far as London is concerned”, Jobson told us this morning.
And there’s no question the first lady is a hugger. I was surprised to see her freely doling out hugs at a campaign event in Denver last August, an early indication that at some point, an embrace with a monarch might be in the offing.
The Queen’s ladies-in-waiting were reportedly agog at the incident, as was the British press. At first, it wasn’t clear who initiated the contact, but as the story began to unfold and palace officials confirmed the timeline, royal watcher Mosely was left to jokingly consider “For all I know, this is a breach of White House protocol.”
What do you think of the display of affection between Mrs. Obama and the queen?
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