Obama Pledges to End "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"; Pakistani Hostages Freed
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN Center, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. It is October 11th, 8:00 a.m. right here at CNN headquarters in Atlanta, 5:00 a.m. in Seattle. Good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen.</s>DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Drew Griffin. T.J. Holmes has the day off. Thanks for waking up with us this morning.</s>NGUYEN: All right. Let's get right to it. President Obama makes his strongest statement yet on a controversial military policy.</s>BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I will end "don't ask, don't tell." That's my commitment to you.</s>NGUYEN: So far, though, no specifics. So, what do you think about his statement? We are asking you your thoughts today. We're going to read them on the air. Go to my Facebook, my Twitter page, also my blog, CNN.com/Betty and we will be reading your responses.</s>GRIFFIN: All part of a weekend in Washington where gay rights activists will march there this afternoon. It may be energized by Obama's speech. We're going to talk with noted civil rights leader Julian Bond about the struggle for equality in the gay community. But, first, let's take a quick look at our top stories. A long and violent hostage situation at a Pakistan army headquarters came to a bloody end today. Thirty-nine hostages freed, two militants killed, one captured and two others -- well, they blew themselves up. Three hostages also died. The standoff began after militants attacked the headquarters yesterday. Four of them and six guards were killed in the initial attack.</s>NGUYEN: At least eight Iraqi police officers have been killed in an attack today in the western part of the country. Iraqi interior ministry officials say two car bombs were set off outside police headquarters in the city of Ramadi, which is west of Baghdad. Authorities say the bombings injured 50 others, including civilians and police.</s>GRIFFIN: In Idaho, a deadly crash involving a busload of high school band members. The bus veered off and crashed in Interstate 15 in Idaho. State police say an adult on board died. Affiliate KIFI reporting that that victim was a chaperon. More than a dozen students on the bus were hurt. Investigators say the driver had some medical condition that caused that crash.</s>NGUYEN: President Obama is reaffirming his commitment to make good on campaign promises to the gay community. He spoke at the Human Rights Campaign dinner in Washington last night and the president praised the gay community for making strides in equal rights and reassured the group that he will still be with them in their fight for equality.</s>BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You will see a nation that's valuing and cherishing these families as we build a more perfect union -- a union in which gay Americans are an important part. I am committed to these goals. And my administration will continue fighting to achieve them. And there's no more poignant or painful reminder of how important it is that we do so than the loss experienced by Dennis and Judy Shepard, whose son, Matthew, was stolen in a terrible act of violence 11 years ago. In May, I met with Judy, who's here tonight with her husband. I met her in the Oval Office and I promised her that we were going to pass an inclusive hate crimes bill, a bill named for her son. This struggle has been long, time and again, we faced opposition, time and again, the measure was defeated or delayed, but the Shepards never gave up. They turned tragedy into an unshakable commitment. Countless activists and organizers never gave up. You held vigils. You spoke out year after year, Congress after Congress. The House passed the bill again this week that I can announce that after more than a decade, this bill is set to pass and I will sign it into law.</s>GRIFFIN: Before the president spoke, about 200 gay rights activists gathered near the Washington Monument, protesting the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy.</s>GRIFFIN: Many of the protesters said they're disappointed with what they see as the president's lack of action on gay rights. The president addressed those concerns as well, promising the group that he's going to end the policy, though offering no clear timetable.</s>OBAMA: We cannot afford -- we cannot afford to cut from our ranks people with the critical skills we need to fight, anymore than we can afford for our military's integrity to force those willing to do so into careers encumbered and compromised by having to live a lie. So I'm working with the Pentagon, its leadership, and members of the House and Senate on ending this policy. Legislation has been introduced in the House to make this happen. I will end "don't ask, don't tell." That's my commitment to you.</s>GRIFFIN: Well, his fight for civil rights well-documented. So, how does the NAACP chairman Julian Bond compares civil rights march of 1963 to this march taking place today? He's going to join us in a few minutes. And also, you've been weighing in on this topic on blog and Facebook and Twitter. We're going to read some of your comments -- that's coming up. Betty?</s>NGUYEN: Well, this time yesterday, they were taken hostage at a Pakistani army headquarters. And this morning, 39 of the victims are free. That standoff began when militants attacked a checkpoint in Rawalpindi. And our own Reza Sayah has been following this story ever since it started. Here's what he filed.</s>REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A tense and deadly standoff. It lasted nearly 24 hours inside the Pakistani army's headquarters, finally came to an end Sunday when commandos and security forces stormed the army headquarters, capturing one of the militant hostage-takers alive, killing four remaining militants and rescuing dozens of hostages. Army officials say three hostages were killed during the rescue operations. Let's recap for you this dramatic standoff that began at 12:00 noon local time on Saturday. That's when military officials tell CNN a minivan packed with armed men, all of them wearing camouflage uniforms, attacked a check post outside the main gate of the army headquarters in Rawalpindi, just outside the federal capital of Islamabad. There was a fierce gun fight. Several military personnel were killed. At least five militants were killed, as well. But army officials say five remaining militants managed to penetrate the army compound and take dozens of hostages. These militants, according to officials, are carrying explosives and grenades; several of them wearing suicide vests. Obviously, a horrifying situation for these hostages who were face-to-face with militants wearing explosives. During portions of the standoff, officials say they were in contact with the militants who did make several demands. One of the demands: the release of fellow militants who had been captured over the past few months by security forces. The army said they rejected that command. Their priority was to get these hostages out safely. Early Sunday morning, around 6:00 a.m. local time, they finally launched a rescue operation. Again, four of the militants were killed, two of them, according to officials, blew themselves up. One of them captured alive. Again, the standoff is over, and now, the fallout, the aftermath. It certainly doesn't look good for the Pakistani government -- militants targeting and penetrating the heart of Pakistan's security apparatus. But the Pakistani government says they are not backing down. They say another military operation is coming soon, this time targeting South Waziristan. South Waziristan, of course, is a Taliban stronghold, and according to Washington, a safe haven for al Qaeda. Reza Sayah, CNN, Islamabad.</s>NGUYEN: That's the latest on the situation there. Let's get you the latest on the weather for your Sunday morning. I'm seeing a thumbs up, Reynolds. Is that true?</s>REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It depends where you happen to be...</s>NGUYEN: OK.</s>WOLF: ... because parts of the country maybe doing this, or this or that or this. You know, it depends on what you like, I mean, here in the Southeast, in Atlanta, we got a little bit of cloud cover out there, maybe a stray shower. Most of the rain is going to be along the coast. In terms of snowfall, you have to go back into the mountains, which is not a bad place if you're a skier. A place like Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, you're going to see some snow there, but also places, like Nebraska, could see up to about maybe six inches of snow along parts of I-70.</s>NGUYEN: Six inches already?</s>WOLF: It's hard to believe, but yes, it's going to happen. And there's a very, very slight chance you might see some light snowfall in parts of Chicago later on tonight and tomorrow, which would make it some of the earliest snowfall on record for the city of Chicago.</s>NGUYEN: Wow! What is today? The 11th -- October 11th.</s>WOLF: I have no answers for you.</s>NGUYEN: OK.</s>WOLF: Let's show you what's happening here in Atlanta. I know, it's going to be kind of crazy, this transition, going from what we have -- just a very quick summer to fall and now little shades of winter. Right now, we're seeing some shades of gray here in Atlanta, kind of hard to see the skyline because of those low clouds that are hanging up above. But in terms of heavy rainfall here in parts of Georgia, not going to see a whole lot for us. But if you happen along the coast, it could be a different story. Now, we keep talking about seeing the possibility of rain along the coast. There's a reason for that. As we check out the weather map, I'm going to stretch this thing out here a bit for you. You're going to notice a little bit of a stationary front, warm front over parts of the Gulf Coast. And right along that boundary is where we could see some scattered showers -- some of that maybe as far to the north as, say, the Texas coastline. And back into the central Texas, back in the Piney Woods section, even in the ArkLaTex, look for some rain showers. And then into, say, spots like, say, Austin, maybe San Antonio, you could see some rain. Same story for Dallas. But when you get a bit farther to the North, you've got that cold air that continues to slide in from parts of Canada. That combined with the overrunning moisture could give you the heavy snowfall we were talking about for places like, say, the Great Lakes, pretty nice day for you along parts of Detroit, making a drive along the lines this morning. It should be OK for you. Partly cloudy skies in parts of the Southeast, could see scattered showers along parts of the Carolinas. Very quickly, high temperatures for the day, going up to 52 in Kansas, 49 degrees in Chicago, 70 in Washington, 75 in Atlanta and 88 in Phoenix, 59 for San Francisco. That is a wrap on your forecast. Let's send it back to you at the news desk.</s>NGUYEN: All right, Reynolds. We do appreciate that. Thank you.</s>WOLF: You bet.</s>GRIFFIN: In Washington, gay rights activists gathering there this morning by the thousands.</s>NGUYEN: Yes, indeed. The National Equality March is set to start in just a few hours. But last night, they listened to the president pledge to make good on some campaign promises. Today, they want the nation to listen to them. We'll be talking with longtime civil rights activist Julian Bond on the other side in just three minutes. So, don't go anywhere.</s>GRIFFIN: Within hours, thousands of gay rights activists will march in Washington. Today's National Equality March was planned long before President Obama's pledge last night to end "don't ask, don't tell" -- a promise he made during the campaign. NAACP Chairman Julian Bond has often compared the fight for gay rights with the battle for civil rights that he actively took part in. He's in Washington for today's march. He's going to be a keynote speaker there as well. And, Mr. Bond, good morning. You've actually taken heat for that. Do you really compare the issues that gays are facing today with what you and Dr. King and thousands of others faced in the '50s and '60s?</s>JULIAN BOND, NAACP CHAIRMAN: Well, in the '50s and '60s, we were fighting for rights that we were denied because what the -- in legal terms, are called immutable characteristics. I'm black. You look at me. You say I'm black. Gay people have immutable characteristics. They are gay. They can't change it if they want to. It seems to me these are the same fights. In fact, I'm fond of saying there are no such things as gay rights or black rights, there are only civil rights. And every American has a right to civil rights.</s>GRIFFIN: And the march today designed to point out that struggle or that fight for gay rights. But a gay member of Congress is saying, you know what, this is just a big waste of time. Barney Frank is saying that this is the wrong approach. It's a somewhat old approach. Let's listen to what he had to say about what's going to happen today.</s>REP. BARNEY FRANK (D), MASSACHUSETTS: Barack Obama doesn't need any pressure on these things. Secondly, if you do want to pressure Congress, I don't know what standing on the Mall on a weekend when no member of Congress is in town is going to do. All that's going to pressure is the grass.</s>GRIFFIN: A colorful fellow, Barney Frank, always has something interesting to say. But does he have a point? This is just a march to have a march, and that you're real activities should be dialing up members of Congress?</s>BOND: Well, you like to think that the people who are gathering in Washington today can do both those things. They can march and demonstrate that a sizable body of Americans supports gay rights. At the same time, they can focus on their members of Congress and make sure that they vote in the right way. So, it's not an either/or, it's both/and.</s>GRIFFIN: Well, Mr. Bond, the gay rights community openly and actively supported Barack Obama. They moved Democratic in most elections. You have a Democratic president who made some promises, you have a Democratic House, and you have a Democratic Senate. And still, we have the need for this march and struggle to pass some of these laws that have not been passed. Do you feel let down by any of those three entities? And do you feel, in some way, that the Democratic Party is just taking advantage of a constituency that traditionally votes its way anyway?</s>BOND: No, I don't think so. In fact, I'm sure that almost every American in some way or another is going to feel let down by the House, the Senate, the president. None of them is always going to do the things we want them to do. But I think this president, this Congress, is set to act on these issues that are so important, not just to gay Americans, but to all Americans. Every American ought to be affronted when any group of Americans is denied ordinary civil rights. That's what this march is all about and that's what the action in talking to congressmen, talking to senators, all of that, that's what that's about, too.</s>GRIFFIN: But, specifically, Mr. Bond, "don't ask, don't tell." It seems to me, that could be one issue that this Congress and this president could have done away with, you know, January 21st or 22nd. Are you disappointed that we're still talking about getting rid of that policy?</s>BOND: Not really. You know, Obama has been president, what is it, nine months. You can't expect him to have changed the world in those nine months. You're happy that he's moving forward on so many issues at the same time. These are concerns that all Americans have. And so, I'm looking forward to seeing some action on them. And I think we're going to see it. We've seen this hate crimes legislation move through the House last week. The president said last night, it's going to move through the Senate. He's going to sign it. That's progress.</s>GRIFFIN: Mr. Julian Bond, thanks for joining us this Sunday morning. And I got to have a little shout-out for that tie -- very colorful, sir.</s>BOND: Thank you.</s>GRIFFIN: Thank you very much.</s>NGUYEN: He is looking very dapper today, as always though. You know, we've been asking for your thoughts this morning on President Obama's comments last night about "don't ask, don't tell." And we've gotten a lot of them so far this morning. First off, let's go to my Facebook page. And Lisa Marie Taylor says, "'Don't ask, don't tell,' discrimination at its finest. Good for you, Mr. President." And also here on my Twitter side, Eagleflyer145 says, "'Don't ask, don't tell' is a military policy that helps morale and camaraderie. Without this, the military will be weakened." Lifgud (ph) says, "Since he has to work with Congress on this bill, it would be unrealistic to offer a time line. Time lines in Congress? Ha!" All right. And we also have a blog comment that we're going to put on the screen that I'm going to read to you right now -- if we can get that up. This coming from one of our blogger that says, "I'm a gay man and I fully understand everything that our president has had to face during his months of service and I appreciate all that he has done to this point and understand much more will be done. I do wish, as a gay man, more would have been accomplished regarding gay rights. But I fully understand the scope and the timing of all things that are on his plate." That from Bill Alvarez. And again, we appreciate all of your responses today -- and keep them coming. Let us know what you think about the president's stand on "don't ask, don't tell." He has said, especially last night, specifically, that he will end it, although there was no time line given. So, let us know what you think about all of that. Reach me at Facebook, my Twitter site, also at my blog, CNN.com/Betty.</s>GRIFFIN: Gay rights legislation may be moving slowly, but earmarks are always flying through that Congress.</s>NGUYEN: Always.</s>GRIFFIN: New questions about earmarks and campaign contributions.</s>NGUYEN: Yes. Despite promises of reform, it is still business as usual in Washington.