A magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck central Chile early Saturday morning. CNN has mobilized teams to head to South America and bring us the latest news. Here's the rundown:
CNN/U.S. Karl Penhaul, correspondent John Zarella, Miami correspondent Soledad O'Brien, anchor and special correspondent Ted Rowlands, general assignment correspondent Ed Lavandera, correspondent Elizabeth Cohen, sr. medical correspondent Gary Tuchman, correspondent
CNN International Sara Sidner, international correspondent Hala Gorani, CNNI anchor and reporter
CNN en Espanol Daniel Viotto, anchor
CNN Chile is Chile's leading 24-hour news network. A joint-venture between CNN and Liberty Global's VTR, CNN Chile launched in December 2008. In addition to a fully staffed local news production center based in Santiago, CNN Chile has complete access to CNN Worldwide’s newsgathering resources including the support of 4,000 journalists based around the globe.
State of the Union with John King started off with a prerecorded interview with Sen. Patrick Leahy (D) and Sen. Richard Shelby (R) about the pending vacancy on the Supreme Court. King had his pocket version of the US Constitution in hand as they talked about the type of person that the President should appoint. Sen. Shelby was asked about the results of the "banking stress test" that are to be released this week. King also asked Sen. Leahy about congressional questions about torture. Sen. Leahy made an interesting argument for a joint commission to tackle the torture issues:
But if we don't have such a commission, then we will have the Intelligence Committee and we will have the Judiciary Committee and we will have the Armed Service Committee and others each do pieces of it, but that in some ways is like, you know, the committee of blindfolded people who are trying to describe an elephant, each having just part of the elephant.
Sen. Shelby, who used to be a Democrat, was asked about Sen. Specter's defection to the Democrats.
King interviewed Mitt Romney and Rep. Eric Cantor about the future of the Republican party. I thought it was interesting that Romney talked about the Republicans acting like Democrats with their spending during the past administration and that Rep. Cantor took the view that there was plenty of blame to go around. I suppose that is the difference between currently holding an elected office and that of someone in between elected positions. They also discussed Sen. Specter's exit from the party, immigration, health care, same sex marriage, and lessons learned from the first 100 days of the Obama administration.
And for the first live segment of the morning, Susan Molinari (R) and Joe Lockhart (D) discussed the direction of the Republican party and Gov. Palin's impact on the party.
John King got see inside the war room for the Swine flu virus: the HHS Secretary's Operation Center. They are tracking the progress of the outbreak. The war room provides a central location for the representatives from various health agencies/ organizations to communicate and share information.
Howard Kurtz's Reliable Sources came in at 10 AM with Dana Milbank, Ryan Lizza and Amy Holmes to talk about Sen. Specter's conversion and the state of the Republican party. They also examined the coverage on Justice Souter's pending exit from the high court and the first 100 days.
The coverage of the swine flu outbreak was discussed by Dr. Tim Johnson, Elizabeth Cohen, and Mark Feldstein. Feldstein had an interesting outlook on the news coverage:
KURTZ: So, when I see all this wallowing, and I see on-screen headlines like "Outbreak of Fear," I wonder, is this overkill?
FELDSTEIN: Well, I think it is. And I don't think, with all due respect to Dr. Tim Johnson, that it's just the media transcribing like stenographers what officials say. The media have a vested interest, an economic vested interest, in promoting the fear. They don't want to get too carried away because they lose credibility, but...
KURTZ: An economic vested interest?
FELDSTEIN: An economic vested interest.
KURTZ: You're saying they are merchandising this tragedy?
FELDSTEIN: It's a commodity. When I was a correspondent at CNN, a top news executive here -- no longer here -- said, "Why do people watch us?" They watch out of fear, and we have to play to that. And if you look at cable news numbers, they're basically very steady until there's a crisis, and then it jumps.
Elizabeth Edwards' new book will include her reaction to her husband's affair. Kurtz spoke with Lisa Bloom.
As the program shifted back to John King, we got to see a Full Ginsberg as King talked to Dr. Richard Besser, Sec. Janet Napolitano, and Sec. Kathleen Sebelius. Since this was the fifth interview of the morning for the group, King took questions from Facebook and from callers. King asked a pocket book question to Sec. Sebelius:
KING: I want to get to our viewer questions in just a moment. But you bring up that point. If you're feeling sick, don't go to school, please don't go to work. Just take a few days.
SEBELIUS: Call your doctor first.
KING: Call you doctor. Call you doctor.
We were looking at the research, and looking into this. And eight out of 10 people in the food services industry who make $7.25 an hour or less, eight out of 10 do not get paid sick leave.
SEBELIUS: That's right.
KING: Is that a concern to you, that if I work and I don't want to name any names, I work at a fast food outlet, I work in a kitchen, and I'm feeling maybe a little flu-ish, but you know what, I've got to feed my family, I've got to pay my rent.
SEBELIUS: Well, the president, I think, made a great point in his address on Saturday. He made the point the day before to the cabinet who he assembled to deal with this, we really need a partnership with employers and we need employers to, not only take this responsibly and seriously, but not punish people for taking the right health protocol.
We don't want people to lose their jobs. We don't want people to feel that, you know, they're going to be penalized if they take some personal responsibility. So, this is an effort where we need to join together.
The diner segment this week had King in New Hampshire.
The discussion of the US Supreme Court vacancy was discussed by a panel that included Harvard Law Professor Charles Ogletree, Jeffrey Toobin, David Gergen, and Maria Echaveste.
One interesting quote from Prof. Ogletree:
Well, I'll tell you what he won't do. Barack Obama won't sleep at a Holiday Inn and have an epiphany and just say, I have got the right choice.
Bill Bennett spoke to King via phone about the life of Jack Kemp.
King talked with Fareed Zakaria about Pakistan and Afghanistan. King pointed out that the President has been seen with Zakaria's book in his hand.
The Last Word segment returned this week with Rep. Joe Sestak (D). Rep. Sestak last appeared on the program just a few weeks ago on March 15, 2009 when he also got the Last Word. Sen. Specter changed parties to avoid a Republican primary that he probably couldn't win, but the Senator may be facing a challenge in the Democratic primary from Rep. Sestak (if the Congressman decides to run).
Of course, there was a behind the scenes clip posted to CNN.com:
On State of the Union with John King this morning, it is day 97 of the Obama administration. The first guest on this morning's program was Senior White House Advisor, Valerie Jarrett. The topics of the interview included: Swine flue outbreak, the torture memos, the bailouts, partisanship in Washington, and diversity in the White House. Jarrett was very clear during the interview about what she would and wouldn't say. For instance, when asked about prosecutions of those responsible for torture 1:
KING: Who should be prosecuted for what. If it's not those who acted on the advice they were given, who were told it was legal, what are we talking about here? Are we talking about the attorney general in the previous administration, the CIA director, Secretary Rumsfeld?
JARRETT: You and I aren't talking about anything. We are going to leave that all up to the attorney general. As you know, the Senate Intelligence Committee is having hearings as well. That is the appropriate place I think for any further investigation. And then the rest we leave to the attorney general.
KING: You have a fascinating job because you have the trust of the president and you have become his conduit to many of the CEOs around America right now. He is dealing with the auto bailout. He is dealing with the financial institutions and the banks. He is in negotiations now over credit card reforms.
And you are the person who is often in touch with these CEOs, getting their advice and telling the administration things, seeking their input. One of the questions on the table is these stress test for all of the banks.
JARRETT: Yes.
John King spoke with Senators Dianne Feinstein (D), Lindsey Graham (R) and Joe Lieberman (I) about the torture memos, Iraq, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.
James Carville and Mary Matalin: both political strategists, one a Democrat, the other a Republican, husband and wife, and back again on CNN together. Topics discussed: Gov. Palin's comment regarding President Obama's first 100 days, state of the Republican Party, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's campaign debt. The two wanted to continue on with the discussion as John King attempted to go to a commercial break. Here's a snippet from the discussion about Secretary of State Clinton's campaign debt 1:
KING: Let me -- let me close on a lighter note, and that is, to James, you are a friend of now-Secretary of State Clinton. You were trying to help her retire her campaign debt when she was Senator Clinton...
(LAUGHTER)
... running against now-President Obama. And the Clinton campaign organization, trying to reduce its debt, has put out a letter offering people who contribute three potential prizes.
One is a day with former President Clinton in New York City. One is tickets to the "American Idol" season finale. And the third is, spend a weekend in Washington, D.C. with James Carville and Paul Begala.
(LAUGHTER)
Mary, you've got the checkbook there?
(LAUGHTER)
MATALIN: Oh, well, as you can see, I'd rather be here at Jazz Fest and the Zurich Classic and the Bubba Gump Run. And good luck in Washington with your crazy, loony lefties.
(LAUGHTER)
CARVILLE: I don't know.
MATALIN: That's a prize. What's the second prize, James?
CARVILLE: I always insist, the last two words, with Secretary of State Clinton and any conversation we have -- and they have always been, "Yes, ma'am."
(LAUGHTER)
So, whatever she wants, I'm delighted to do.
KING: James Carville and Mary Matalin, we are -- we are thrilled to have you back with us, together. We will see you again on "State of the Union" in the near future. Enjoy what looks like a beautiful morning, there in New Orleans.
Howard Kurtz's Reliable Sources started off with a heated discussion on the torture coverage with Dan Lothian, David Frum, Joan Walsh, Chris Cillizza. The next topic was 100-day mania. Frum had an interesting comment 1:
FRUM: Well, when I was asked in the beginning of the administration about press coverage, I predicted that at 100 days, it would subside from the rapturous to the merely worshipful, and it's impressive to see that the press has managed to sustain the rapture for a hundred days.
Here's the thing that people forget about the 100 days. The phrase does not originate with FDR. It originates with Napoleon Bonaparte. A hundred days was the period from Napoleon's escape from Elba to the Battle of Waterloo and the restoration of the Bourbons. In other words, it commemorates overarching hubris ending in total disaster.
Ben Mankiewicz, Steve Lopez, and R. B. Brenner discuss the two movies coming out that have journalists as the main characters: State of Play and The Soloist.
Kurtz talked with Perez Hilton via Skype about his comments on Carrie Prejean's answer at the Miss USA pageant.
In case you missed Reliable Sources, CNN has posted the program to their website:
Former White House insiders: David Gergen, John Podesta (D), Ken Duberstein(R) joined King to discuss Mahmoud Ahmadinejad latest comments about Israel, the torture debate, and the first 100 days.
John King was at Jamm's Restaurant in Las Vegas and discussed Obama's first 100 days as part of his CNN Diner segment.
This week's behind the scenes staff briefing:
Ali Velshi took a look at the administration's first 100 days concerning the economy.
The next panel, consisting of three former or current White House correspondents, Dana Bash, Gloria Borger, and Dan Lothian, discussed: the torture memos, first 100 days, and budget politics.
John King was in Las Vegas last week and spoke with Mayor Oscar Goodman (D) about President Obama's comments about Las Vegas early in his administration as well as the stimulus package.
King's next guest was the official White House photographer, Pete Souza. King talked to Souza about what it was like to have full access to the President. Souza was also the photographer for President Reagan and describes himself as a "visual historian." Here's a clip of the interview: *UPDATED*
The program ran a bit long (about 30 minutes) this morning as it covered the White House Press briefing on the Swine Flu outbreak. King discussed the outbreak with Elizabeth Cohen and Fran Townsend.
In case you missed anything, the following podcasts are available on CNN.com:
State of the Union with John King premiered just a few days prior to President Obama taking office, so as the President comes up on his first 100 days in office, so does the Sunday morning program. Throughout this morning's program, King took a look back at some of the interview and reports that aired. From the start of the program, there has been an emphasis of getting outside the beltway and King has visited 17 states (only 33 states and a hand full of territories to go). Let's take a closer look at how the program has done based on a few statistics:
There have been 15 Sunday morning programs (some followed by an abbreviated 8PM ET version) and one one-hour special on CNN.com/LIVE.
There have been 111 guests. 2 Who's been on the program the most:
Overall:
10 appearances: Dana Bash and Donna Brazile
9 appearances: Gloria Borger and James Carville
8 appearances: David Gergen and Ed Henry
Breakdown of the politicians:
8 Governors
16% of the Governors from the 50 states
4 Democrats
4 Republicans
Gov. Jennifer Granholm has appeared three times
9 Representatives
2% of the US House of Representatives
5 Democrats
4 Republicans
none making repeat visits
16 Senators
16% of the US Senators
7 Democrats
1 Independent
8 Republicans
5 have been on the program twice
5 Mayors
4 Military Experts (either currently serving or retired)
1 Foreign Leader (this is probably the biggest difference between Late Edition and the current Sunday program)
The program has an established format along with regular segments like the CNN Diner, John King's reports from outside the beltway, and a look at what was said on the other Sunday morning programs. The first hour focuses on the big interviews, second hour is Howard Kurtz' Reliable Sources, the analysts come in during the third hour and then four hour typically includes a recap of parts of the first hour along with the last word.
No Highlights from State Of The Union with John King this week. But I do have one article from the Winston-Salem Journal who caught John King having breakfast on Friday morning.
(left to right) Alan Bentley, Jennifer Kline, John King, and Nancy Rivers discuss the economy at Cagney's on Friday March 6, 2009. King, the anchor of CNN's State of the Union was in town interviewing people for a segment that will air Sunday March 8, 2009.
CNN came to Cagney's Restaurant on Cloverdale Avenue this morning.
A film crew visited the restaurant as part of a segment that will air Sunday on "State of the Union with John King."
King, the host of the program, spoke with patrons about the state of the economy and how it was affecting their lives.
The segment will also include interviews King shot on Thursday with Mayor Allen Joines and with Damian Birkel, the founder of Professionals in Transition.
King was CNN's senior White House correspondent from 1999 to 2005, and then became the network's chief national correspondent. His show is based in Washington, but he travels about two and a half days a week for segments filmed around the country.
"My favorite part of the program is when we get out and talk to people," King said after taping the segment. "It's good to keep in touch with everyday people.
"You live in Spain long enough, you start to speak Spanish. You live in Washington long enough, you start to speak Washington."
The segment will air at 11 a.m. Sunday.
What do your doodles mean? That's the question that Elizabeth Cohen was answering the other day on American Morning. Oh course, John Roberts and Kiran Chetry were showing off their doodles.
What did Ali Velshi once consider doing with a swiffer?
Why is Ali Velshi throwing money at John Roberts when he finishes telling viewers about a tax break for small businesses? Here's another clip from America Morning...
NewsRoom anchor Heidi Collins announced on Friday that she will shortly be going out on maternity leave. As you may know, Heidi has celiac disease, and because of potential complications from that as well as a blood clot she had about ten years ago, she and her husband were advised by doctors to have a surrogate carry the baby, who is due any day now. Heidi discussed her family's situation with Elizabeth Cohen:
Everyone at ATC wishes Heidi and her (extended) family the very best at this blessed time!
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Last week we got a brief look at some of the clean-up at the CNN Center after the tornado damage. If you have ever been there, you will recognize the atrium:
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Finally, the commercial currently running about CNN's National Headliner Award winners:
