U.S. Nuclear Submarine Leaking Radioactive Water Since 2006; Anthrax Case Closed; What the Candidates Are Saying on the Campaign Trail
MARCIANO: By political standards, it's among the most closely guarded secrets -- the list of people both Barack Obama and John McCain are considering for vice president. And this morning, we're taking a closer look at one of those contenders. Joining me now from San Diego is Dana Milbank. He's the national political reporter for the "Washington Post" and a CNN political contributor. Hey, thanks for getting up early for us, Dana. Good morning to you on the West Coast.</s>DANA MILBANK, "WASHINGTON POST" REPORTER: Good morning, Rob.</s>MARCIANO: Well, let's start off with Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty who was campaigning for Senator McCain in Washington yesterday. He gave a couple of speeches, said some interesting things. Let's take a little listen.</s>GOVERNOR TIM PAWLENTY (R), MINNESOTA: Say what you will about Barack Obama and I say a lot of negative things about him. And we need leaders, and John McCain is positive as well. But people gravitate when you've got something positive to say.</s>MARCIANO: That sounded like a compliment to Barack Obama. You're saying you're calm this morning the governor is uncommonly forthright. Is he too outspoken and this kind of chatter is going to hurt him?</s>MILBANK: Well, he really is too forthright. He once actually went on a radio show and complained that he wasn't getting sex from his wife. So this is the kind of candor we journalists love to see in our politicians. You know, a lot of people criticized what he said yesterday saying maybe he's not going to be the attack dog that typically the running mate is. But let's give him some time. He's a young man, 47 years old. And even Dick Cheney wasn't quite so mean and nasty when he started out. You've got to sort of grow into the role. But he's clearly auditioning. I think if he were, you know, begging for the job any more openly people would start tossing coins in his coffee cup. But he's talking about his youth, talking about his conservative credentials, and even presented a potential slogan to John McCain yesterday. He was talking about Sam's Club Republicans as opposed to the country club Republicans. So he's got a little populous thing going too.</s>MARCIANO: He's not the only person begging for a vice presidential role on both sides. She may not be begging but hasn't completely taken her name out of the mix. Senator Clinton, she's expected to make her first solo appearance on behalf of the Democratic Party tomorrow in Las Vegas. And there's rumors out when the convention comes she may very well still put her name on the ballot. What's going on there?</s>MILBANK: Well, this has become sort of a recurring bad dream for Barack Obama. Each time he thinks he's left the whole Clinton episode behind him, first, Bill Clinton will pop up in Africa saying something unhelpful. Hillary Clinton had done the same at a fundraiser. This creates some lingering bitterness there. Obama's on a relatively good job picking up sort of the Clinton base. Has not necessarily picked up the Clintons themselves. They're going through the motions, doing what they need to do, but it does not appear that they really have their hearts in it. And they're sort of running out of time and they're really getting passionate about this.</s>MARCIANO: It doesn't. And don't they need to come -- don't they need to heal before the whole party needs to heal?</s>MILBANK: Well, it appears they may be the last to heal. You wonder if they sort of have his and hers cups of bitterness that they're drinking out of each morning. I mean, as Hillary Clinton said at an event that it's hard to turn the thing off just like that. It's presumably within the Obama campaign and the Democratic Party. Generally, there's some patience being lost with that. At some point you've just got to suck it up.</s>MARCIANO: Well, we'll wait for her speech tomorrow. Meanwhile, the veepstakes continue. We thank you for your insight. Dana Milbank, from the Washington Post. Thanks, Dana.</s>MILBANK: Thanks.</s>MARCIANO: Kiran?</s>CHETRY: Bottom of the hour now, and some of the big stories we're following for you this morning. The Chinese government pushing back saying no one should interfere with its own internal affairs. The remarks come after President Bush criticized China for its human rights record. The president is expected to touch down in Beijing in a little more than two hours, or he will attend the opening ceremonies tomorrow. Osama bin Laden's former driver is expected to ask a military jury to spare him from life in prison at his sentencing hearing today. Jurors delivered a mixed verdict in the trial of Salim Hamdan. They gave him -- they found him guilty of providing material support in the September 11th terror attacks, but not of conspiracy to aid a terrorist organization. He's the first Guantanamo detainee to be convicted at trial. Hamdan's lawyers say they will appeal the verdict. In Northern California the search is on for eight firefighters and a pilot missing and presumed dead after the helicopter they were in crashed in flames. The chopper went down Tuesday shortly after picking up firefighters who were battling a blaze in a California forest. Three other firefighters and a pilot were hospitalized with severe burns. Recovery efforts have been hampered by the remote location. And we're following breaking news this morning. The U.S. Navy saying the nuclear submarine USS Houston was leaking radioactive water during port calls in Japan and other Asian countries as far back as 2006. CNN's Barbara Starr is live in Washington to tell us what the Navy is saying about it, and why they are figuring this out just now. Hi, Barbara.</s>BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kiran. Well, Japan now says it wants a full explanation of what happened, what went wrong. The U.S. Navy now acknowledging one of its nuclear submarines had been leaking trace amounts of radioactive water for years rather than just a period of months as that submarine made port calls in Japan and across Asia. Last week, the navy officials told Japan that the USS Houston had made only one port call in March 2008 while it was leaking the contaminated fluid. But after reviewing records of the sub, the Navy now says the Houston had been leaking water much longer since June 2006. And it made several port calls in Japan to Sasebo, Yokosuka and Okinawa. Also, they are now telling the governments of Malaysia and Singapore that the sub made port calls in those countries while it was leaking the radioactive water. All this according to what Navy officials have told CNN. The Houston also made stops in Guam and Hawaii. The problem was discovered last month when a build up of leaking water popped a valve and poured water on to a sailor's leg while the submarine was in dry dock. It was very low level trace amounts. But still these governments across Asia want to know what happened, and why they are now just being told about it. Kiran?</s>CHETRY: Yes, understandably so. Barbara Starr for us live in Washington today. Thank you.</s>MARCIANO: Alina Cho now joins us with other news stories of the day. You've got a little black and white party you guys got going on?</s>CHETRY: I know. Can you believe that? We coordinate this type of stuff.</s>ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We talk every morning.</s>MARCIANO: Hi, Alina.</s>CHO: Good morning, guys, hey. Good morning, everybody. New this morning, federal authorities including the FBI and the secret service, I believe that I've got a bit of an issue here with my -- it's on. Here we go. Authorities and the secret service now involved in the case of a Maryland teen. The 18-year-old boy accused of making pipe bombs, stockpiling assault weapons. And authorities say they also found a map of Camp David. Police say the map found in Collin McKenzie-Gude's home also included a presidential motorcade route. They also say they found counterfeit I.D.s including one from the CIA, and a document that appears to show how to kill someone at a distance of 200 meter. Good is in jail on a $750,000 bond. U.S. prosecutors have closed the criminal case into Heath Ledger's death without filing any charges. They were trying to find out whether the painkillers found in Ledger's body were obtained without a legal prescription. Prosecutors reportedly had a subpoena to try and convince actress Mary Kate Olsen to speak about Ledger's January overdose. But they apparently never served it. You may remember, police said Ledger's masseuse called Olson three times after she found his body inside his apartment before dialing 911. Agents have wanted to ask the 22-year-old actress if she knew how Ledger got the drugs that killed him. And body image. Not just a concern for women, apparently. Researchers say men are just as likely to be unhappy with the way they look, especially when they saw pictures of muscular men. A review of 15 studies found men became more anxious about their own bodies and self-esteem when they saw pictures of guys like that, Matthew McConaughey.</s>CHO: Exactly, he doesn't. Always seems to be a shot of him running on the beach. But get this. This is really interesting. Images of attractive men apparently who were not muscular had no effect on a man's body satisfaction. So, apparently, what we're learning is when we open up an U.S. Weekly and we see a picture of a shirtless Rob Marciano, other men get jealous.</s>MARCIANO: Yes, that's not going to happen. No, I can't make them jealous that's for sure.</s>CHETRY: That's why you were doing push-ups behind the floor there.</s>MARCIANO: I like to get pump up before the show, get a little flow going.</s>CHETRY: And this is all steroid free, ladies and gentlemen. He does it the natural way. By the way, I just heard that Sanjay Gupta is going to be interviewing Matthew McConaughey.</s>MARCIANO: Is he?</s>CHETRY: Yes. How about that? Alina is still laughing. Tomorrow.</s>MARCIANO: Thank you, ladies.</s>CHETRY: We'll ask him how he does it. Alina, thanks.</s>MARCIANO: A five-week congressional recess? Forget that. John McCain says Congress should be hard at work dealing with the energy crisis. Hear what the candidates are saying in their own words. Easy street.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean, you're talking hundreds and hundreds of wells.</s>MARCIANO: Meet the average folks and farmers making millions off high gas prices.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't get no better.</s>MARCIANO: Inside the tiny boom town transformed by oil. You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."