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President Bush in Arkansas to Talk About Jobs, Economy; Dick Cheney's Role in Race for Re-election; Interview with Martha Burke

Aired April 06, 2004 - 11:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld and the NATO secretary met in Norfolk, Virginia this morning. NATO recently welcomed seven new nations to the alliance, bringing membership to 26 new countries.
President Bush is in Arkansas today to talk about jobs and the economy. Our White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux is with the president in El Doredo and not El Dorado if you don't want to be run out of town, right Suzanne?

SUZANNE MALVEUAX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: We've been debating that this morning. Its El Doredo, you're right. The President will be speaking at a community college, talking about his job trainings initiative. Part of his larger economic plan. Essentially this is a major campaign issue creating jobs, the President 2.2 million has been lost under his watch.

It could become a liability. The President is going to be talking about the importance of job training and essentially taking in matching displaced workers with some of the jobs that exist or are created in sectors like health care, high technology, education, things of that nature. He's going to talk about consolidating some of these federally funded state run programs to try to double the amount, the number of people who receive job training, anywhere from 200,000 to 400,000. Daryn.

KAGAN: Suzanne, let's talk about next week coming up and Prime Minister Tony Blair coming to town.

MALVEAUX: Well that is something that has been reported in "THE NEW YORK TIMES." Officially, it is not coming out of the White House at this point. Certainly, close allies, those two leaders trying to strategize and plan for what they see is the future of Iraq and the reconstruction, the transition, that June 30th deadline.

One of the things the White House is debating is whether or not they'll stick with the deadline. The President very adamant, saying that is the deadline for transferring power. There is a debate that is taking place, perhaps extending it. Officials who I spoke with this morning say there are a number of reasons to stick by it. First, the Iraqis want it they really want to be credible in the eyes of the Iraqis.

Secondly, they say, this is a political transformation it does not affect security, as we heard from secretary Rumsfeld this morning that U.S. Forces will there be for some time. And, also that this is something that is important to maintain that this is a political transformation, not something they feel would be appropriate to have an American face on this operation. They want it turned into an international one as quickly as possible because some officials feel like the very U.S. presence is inciting some of that violence.

KAGAN: Suzanne Malveaux, in El Doredo, Arkansas.

Now we want to check in on George W. Bush's all but certain democratic opponent, John Kerry. Judy Woodruff standing by in Washington with more of political headlines. Judy, good morning

JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn, thank you. John Kerry headed to the showdown state of Ohio today. He plans a riverfront rally in Cincinnati where he's going to be discussing his economic plan. Which he says will create 10 million new jobs.

Down south in Florida, another key battleground state, a Mason Dixon poll finds Senator Kerry trails President Bush by 8 points among registered voters. Now the gap narrows to 3 points if Kerry were to choose Florida senator Bob Graham as his running mate. Four months ago, a poll showed Kerry trailed the president by 24 points in Florida.

Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader has failed in his first effort to get his name on the ballot in Oregon, where he got 5% of the votes in the 2000 election. Last night, at a gathering in Portland 741 people signed a petition to place Nader's name on the ballot. But 1,000 signatures were needed. Nader says he says he will now go with another option, collecting 15,000 signatures over a three- month period. This afternoon on "INSIDE POLITICS," I'll be talking with senate foreign relations committee member Chuck Hagel, Republican, from Nebraska. He is quoted as saying the United States is dangerously close to losing control on the ground in Iraq. Join me at 3:30 eastern when I go "INSIDE POLITICS." Now, let's go quickly back to Daryn in Atlanta.

KAGAN: Judy, thank you.

The Vice President has gone to front and center in the presidential race. Our senior White House correspondent John King examines Dick Cheney's role in the race for re-election.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: ( voice over) Opening day in Cincinnati, and a strike from a lifelong Cubs' fan smart enough to say he's neutral in election years. For those keeping score, 209 days until the election. The campaigning is constant and finding a few more chances to smile critical for a familiar face trying to soften his image a little bit.

DOUGLAS BRINKLEY, PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: Many people are looking for a scapegoat for their frustrations about things like Enron and Halliburton about the long and ugly postwar Iraqi situation. And Dick Cheney is a convenient scapegoat for comics and cynics and democrats.

KING: Air Force 2 is home away from home. On the campaign trail, the Vice President plays several roles. Testing attack lines is one.

DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Over the same years that Kerry was voting for higher taxes, he was voting just as consistently in favor of new federal spending.

KING: Raising money for key republican races is another. In New Orleans, Monday night, for senate candidate David Viter help from the Vice President who knows the meaning of supporting role.

CHENEY: President Bush has taken strong, confident steps to get the economy growing again.

KING: Autographs and posing for pictures. But no speeches in the locker room. The Vice President didn't seem to mind when the Reds' owner reminded his players Mr. Cheney had a big role in cutting their taxes. And in the Cubs locker room, consider this scene, two house hold names who have called George W. Bush boss, as a baseball owner, Mr. Bush traded Sammy Sosa. For this campaign season, Mr. Bush says Cheney is on the team and the ticket to stay. John king, CNN, Cincinnati.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

KAGAN: Why don't we give you some news we're learning about an investigation into Tyco. As you'll recall, there was a mistrial called in that trial last week for Kozlowski and Swartz when was considered to be a threatening letter sent to one of the jurors now we're getting from our CNN FN's Chris Huntington from the New York Police department the investigation showing the person who actually sent that letter believed that a mistrial had already been declared when Jordan would have received the letter.

And also that the person who sent the letter believed it to be more of a complaint than a threatening letter in tone. Once again, you might remember the judge in that case using that letter as the final straw in declaring a mistrial in the fraud trial against Kozlowski. More on that investigation just ahead.

Also, great looking heels but a pain in the foot. We will show you some great lengths some women are going to.

And great leader or fictional character? A quiz is ahead and you wont believe what some Brits believe about Winston Churchill. Was he real or was he fiction?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Here's one we already knew. We women do sacrifice a lot for the sake of fashion. Some women apparently are even having foot surgery for the specific purpose to fit into their high fashion shoes. Medical news, our medical correspondent Holly Firfer has the story in our daily dose of health news.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HOLLY FIRFER, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It used to be Jimmy who? And now its Jimmy Choo a girl cant live without thanks to four single shoe addicted gals in New York.

SEX AND THE CITY: I'm looking for comfortable. Then I'll try these for you!

FIRFER: But comfort isn't a key need for the girls of "SEX AND THE CITY." Who have footed a fetish for a stunning stiletto.

DR. SUZANNE LEVINE: I think you're feet are the new face.

FIRFER: How far would you go? Would you shorten a toe? Shave down the bone? Inject collagen into your heel? Did you even know there was such a thing as toe cleavage?

LEVINE: I think there's a psychology that goes with wearing high heel shoes. It makes you feel good immediately. It's the one clothing item you can put on if you're ten pounds overweight.

FIRFER: Doctors in the American academy of Orthopedic Surgeons report that in the last six months, half their patients were asking for surgery to make their high heels fit better. A Gallup poll shows that 37 percent of women said they would continue to wear heels even if they were uncomfortable.

Using resulin injections to cushion the balls of the feet cost 500 dollars, lightening nails for 250. Injecting botox to prevent sweating about 480 dollars. And performing surgery to shave down bones for the perfect peds. Doctor Suzanne Levine says foot surgery is a lucrative business.

LEVINE: I built my practice on patients being able to wear any pair of shoes and I think women it's like saying to someone, don't have chocolate. Women consider shoes important.

FIRFER: Just ask Jennifer Davidson.

JENNIFER DAVIDSON: These are all my shoes.

FIRFER: She had the bone next to her big toe shaved down so she could fit into her high heels without any pain

DAVIDSON: I like to wear, you know, an interesting style of shoes so it just wasn't going to happen I wasn't going to wear sneakers all of the time.

FIRFER: The American College of Foot and Ankle surgeons says more than half its members have treated patients with problems related to cosmetic foot surgery.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Performing surgery solely for the purpose of changing the appearance or size of a foot or ankle carries with it medical risks.

FIRFER:: Too squeechy for surgery? Pamper those peds with a foot facial exfoliate scrape mask and massage so you can shimmy into a jimmy. Holly Firfer, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: She made big headlines for fighting for women to break the sex barrier on the links at Augusta.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

So with the Masters starting up this week, what's with Martha Burke? And the Masters at Augusta national? We will ask her coming up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Ninety-four golfers are teeing up for the Masters which starts Thursday. The tournament held at Augusta National a private club that does not allow women to join. Martha Burke of the National Coalition of Women's Organizations has been trying to change that very publicly and she is in Washington this morning. Martha, good morning.

MARTHA BURKE, NATIONAL COALITION OF WOMEN'S ORGANIZATIONS: Good morning.

KAGAN: Will you be down here in Augusta protesting?

BURKE: Not this year. We're protesting on Wall Street this year. We have started a new project announced today. Women on Wall Street. To investigate these firms whose CEOs are members of Augusta and we've been hearing from women all year that the discrimination does not stop at those gates. It goes all the way through the work place and that's what we're going to be look at.

KAGAN: Let's talk about the gates. And the fight to be able to protest there. The fact that you will not be outside the gates, a lot of people would say, is a victory for Hootie Johnson, the chairman of Augusta. Martha, He has said what really happened over the last year, this is a quote from him, "I think is that the public recognized our Constitutional rights as a private club." Meaning if they don't want women to join that is their business and people like you are just sticking their nose in where it doesn't belong.

BURKE: If becoming an icon for sex discrimination, is a victory, than I concede Hootie won. But I can't see what else that they did win. As far as being down there, they were in complicity with the city of Augusta to keep us away from the gates. We had to go to court to get that changed. It's not changed yet. It's still in the 11th circuit. Barring any decision out of the court, there's no point in going back down there. And as for it being a private club, it is a for-profit corporation. It is not even a club at all. It's a for-profit corporation that produces a multimillion-dollar public event and its members are the CEOs of America's top corporations. And Wall Street is heavily represented in that membership and that's

KAGAN: Right. This has been a two-pronged attack.

BURKE: Yes.

KAGAN: Part of the battle was being able to protest outside the gates of Augusta National. That's not going to happen because the appeal hasn't been ruled on yet. Tell me more specifically how you're trying to do this through corporate America and can you name any specific corporations that have changed their policies, that have decided not to pay for their CEOs to belong to Augusta national any more?

BURKE: That is the whole point. The CEOs are still dancing to Hooties's tune, bank of America, American Express, Citigroup, Berkshire Hathaway, Prudential, J.P. Morgan chase, Morgan Stanley, all these wall street firms. We're hearing from women in those companies saying we're begging our CEOs to get out of this club. It's hurting our ability to make a living and these guys are not listening. So today, we've announced a new initiative with the law firm of Mary and Scarlet. They are the folks that litigated the Coca-Cola and Texaco race discrimination case and they'll help us take a look in these companies.

KAGAN: And so possibly sue?

BURKE: It could result in a lawsuit it may not. If these companies can show us they're not discriminating and that these members are not indicative of a larger problem, then there will no lawsuit. On the other hand if what the women are telling us is true, we very well could see a big class action suit.

KAGAN: I want to ask a personal question. When you Google Martha Burke, there's no end of "hate Martha Burke" Web sites that come up. There are some have said the way this whole thing has been handled, everybody lost. Augusta National lost, the PGA lost, the fact even you lost because you didn't bring the change that you wanted to. When you look back, do you wish you did things differently?

BURKE: Only wish I had gotten arrested last year. It would have highlighted the hypocrisy that's going on down there and complicity with local law enforcement. But as far as us loosing, we haven't won yet, but that does not mean that we haven't won but we will win. The women in corporate America will win as a result of this corporate campaign. We've left the gates of Augusta behind. We're now looking at what's behind it and what we see is not a pretty picture.

KAGAN: National Council of Women's Organizations Martha Burke thanks for joining us. Thank you for joining us today.

BURKE: Thank you so much.

KAGAN: Want to check in on Wall Street now. Susan Lisovicz handling that for us from the New York stock exchange Good morning.

(STOCK REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: Jacqui, you're wrapping thing up for us, thank you. Appreciate that. That is going to do it for us, I'm Daryn Kagan Wolf Blitzer takes over from Washington, D.C. I'll see you here tomorrow morning.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com


Aired April 6, 2004 - 11:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld and the NATO secretary met in Norfolk, Virginia this morning. NATO recently welcomed seven new nations to the alliance, bringing membership to 26 new countries.
President Bush is in Arkansas today to talk about jobs and the economy. Our White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux is with the president in El Doredo and not El Dorado if you don't want to be run out of town, right Suzanne?

SUZANNE MALVEUAX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: We've been debating that this morning. Its El Doredo, you're right. The President will be speaking at a community college, talking about his job trainings initiative. Part of his larger economic plan. Essentially this is a major campaign issue creating jobs, the President 2.2 million has been lost under his watch.

It could become a liability. The President is going to be talking about the importance of job training and essentially taking in matching displaced workers with some of the jobs that exist or are created in sectors like health care, high technology, education, things of that nature. He's going to talk about consolidating some of these federally funded state run programs to try to double the amount, the number of people who receive job training, anywhere from 200,000 to 400,000. Daryn.

KAGAN: Suzanne, let's talk about next week coming up and Prime Minister Tony Blair coming to town.

MALVEAUX: Well that is something that has been reported in "THE NEW YORK TIMES." Officially, it is not coming out of the White House at this point. Certainly, close allies, those two leaders trying to strategize and plan for what they see is the future of Iraq and the reconstruction, the transition, that June 30th deadline.

One of the things the White House is debating is whether or not they'll stick with the deadline. The President very adamant, saying that is the deadline for transferring power. There is a debate that is taking place, perhaps extending it. Officials who I spoke with this morning say there are a number of reasons to stick by it. First, the Iraqis want it they really want to be credible in the eyes of the Iraqis.

Secondly, they say, this is a political transformation it does not affect security, as we heard from secretary Rumsfeld this morning that U.S. Forces will there be for some time. And, also that this is something that is important to maintain that this is a political transformation, not something they feel would be appropriate to have an American face on this operation. They want it turned into an international one as quickly as possible because some officials feel like the very U.S. presence is inciting some of that violence.

KAGAN: Suzanne Malveaux, in El Doredo, Arkansas.

Now we want to check in on George W. Bush's all but certain democratic opponent, John Kerry. Judy Woodruff standing by in Washington with more of political headlines. Judy, good morning

JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn, thank you. John Kerry headed to the showdown state of Ohio today. He plans a riverfront rally in Cincinnati where he's going to be discussing his economic plan. Which he says will create 10 million new jobs.

Down south in Florida, another key battleground state, a Mason Dixon poll finds Senator Kerry trails President Bush by 8 points among registered voters. Now the gap narrows to 3 points if Kerry were to choose Florida senator Bob Graham as his running mate. Four months ago, a poll showed Kerry trailed the president by 24 points in Florida.

Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader has failed in his first effort to get his name on the ballot in Oregon, where he got 5% of the votes in the 2000 election. Last night, at a gathering in Portland 741 people signed a petition to place Nader's name on the ballot. But 1,000 signatures were needed. Nader says he says he will now go with another option, collecting 15,000 signatures over a three- month period. This afternoon on "INSIDE POLITICS," I'll be talking with senate foreign relations committee member Chuck Hagel, Republican, from Nebraska. He is quoted as saying the United States is dangerously close to losing control on the ground in Iraq. Join me at 3:30 eastern when I go "INSIDE POLITICS." Now, let's go quickly back to Daryn in Atlanta.

KAGAN: Judy, thank you.

The Vice President has gone to front and center in the presidential race. Our senior White House correspondent John King examines Dick Cheney's role in the race for re-election.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: ( voice over) Opening day in Cincinnati, and a strike from a lifelong Cubs' fan smart enough to say he's neutral in election years. For those keeping score, 209 days until the election. The campaigning is constant and finding a few more chances to smile critical for a familiar face trying to soften his image a little bit.

DOUGLAS BRINKLEY, PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: Many people are looking for a scapegoat for their frustrations about things like Enron and Halliburton about the long and ugly postwar Iraqi situation. And Dick Cheney is a convenient scapegoat for comics and cynics and democrats.

KING: Air Force 2 is home away from home. On the campaign trail, the Vice President plays several roles. Testing attack lines is one.

DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Over the same years that Kerry was voting for higher taxes, he was voting just as consistently in favor of new federal spending.

KING: Raising money for key republican races is another. In New Orleans, Monday night, for senate candidate David Viter help from the Vice President who knows the meaning of supporting role.

CHENEY: President Bush has taken strong, confident steps to get the economy growing again.

KING: Autographs and posing for pictures. But no speeches in the locker room. The Vice President didn't seem to mind when the Reds' owner reminded his players Mr. Cheney had a big role in cutting their taxes. And in the Cubs locker room, consider this scene, two house hold names who have called George W. Bush boss, as a baseball owner, Mr. Bush traded Sammy Sosa. For this campaign season, Mr. Bush says Cheney is on the team and the ticket to stay. John king, CNN, Cincinnati.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

KAGAN: Why don't we give you some news we're learning about an investigation into Tyco. As you'll recall, there was a mistrial called in that trial last week for Kozlowski and Swartz when was considered to be a threatening letter sent to one of the jurors now we're getting from our CNN FN's Chris Huntington from the New York Police department the investigation showing the person who actually sent that letter believed that a mistrial had already been declared when Jordan would have received the letter.

And also that the person who sent the letter believed it to be more of a complaint than a threatening letter in tone. Once again, you might remember the judge in that case using that letter as the final straw in declaring a mistrial in the fraud trial against Kozlowski. More on that investigation just ahead.

Also, great looking heels but a pain in the foot. We will show you some great lengths some women are going to.

And great leader or fictional character? A quiz is ahead and you wont believe what some Brits believe about Winston Churchill. Was he real or was he fiction?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Here's one we already knew. We women do sacrifice a lot for the sake of fashion. Some women apparently are even having foot surgery for the specific purpose to fit into their high fashion shoes. Medical news, our medical correspondent Holly Firfer has the story in our daily dose of health news.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HOLLY FIRFER, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It used to be Jimmy who? And now its Jimmy Choo a girl cant live without thanks to four single shoe addicted gals in New York.

SEX AND THE CITY: I'm looking for comfortable. Then I'll try these for you!

FIRFER: But comfort isn't a key need for the girls of "SEX AND THE CITY." Who have footed a fetish for a stunning stiletto.

DR. SUZANNE LEVINE: I think you're feet are the new face.

FIRFER: How far would you go? Would you shorten a toe? Shave down the bone? Inject collagen into your heel? Did you even know there was such a thing as toe cleavage?

LEVINE: I think there's a psychology that goes with wearing high heel shoes. It makes you feel good immediately. It's the one clothing item you can put on if you're ten pounds overweight.

FIRFER: Doctors in the American academy of Orthopedic Surgeons report that in the last six months, half their patients were asking for surgery to make their high heels fit better. A Gallup poll shows that 37 percent of women said they would continue to wear heels even if they were uncomfortable.

Using resulin injections to cushion the balls of the feet cost 500 dollars, lightening nails for 250. Injecting botox to prevent sweating about 480 dollars. And performing surgery to shave down bones for the perfect peds. Doctor Suzanne Levine says foot surgery is a lucrative business.

LEVINE: I built my practice on patients being able to wear any pair of shoes and I think women it's like saying to someone, don't have chocolate. Women consider shoes important.

FIRFER: Just ask Jennifer Davidson.

JENNIFER DAVIDSON: These are all my shoes.

FIRFER: She had the bone next to her big toe shaved down so she could fit into her high heels without any pain

DAVIDSON: I like to wear, you know, an interesting style of shoes so it just wasn't going to happen I wasn't going to wear sneakers all of the time.

FIRFER: The American College of Foot and Ankle surgeons says more than half its members have treated patients with problems related to cosmetic foot surgery.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Performing surgery solely for the purpose of changing the appearance or size of a foot or ankle carries with it medical risks.

FIRFER:: Too squeechy for surgery? Pamper those peds with a foot facial exfoliate scrape mask and massage so you can shimmy into a jimmy. Holly Firfer, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: She made big headlines for fighting for women to break the sex barrier on the links at Augusta.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

So with the Masters starting up this week, what's with Martha Burke? And the Masters at Augusta national? We will ask her coming up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Ninety-four golfers are teeing up for the Masters which starts Thursday. The tournament held at Augusta National a private club that does not allow women to join. Martha Burke of the National Coalition of Women's Organizations has been trying to change that very publicly and she is in Washington this morning. Martha, good morning.

MARTHA BURKE, NATIONAL COALITION OF WOMEN'S ORGANIZATIONS: Good morning.

KAGAN: Will you be down here in Augusta protesting?

BURKE: Not this year. We're protesting on Wall Street this year. We have started a new project announced today. Women on Wall Street. To investigate these firms whose CEOs are members of Augusta and we've been hearing from women all year that the discrimination does not stop at those gates. It goes all the way through the work place and that's what we're going to be look at.

KAGAN: Let's talk about the gates. And the fight to be able to protest there. The fact that you will not be outside the gates, a lot of people would say, is a victory for Hootie Johnson, the chairman of Augusta. Martha, He has said what really happened over the last year, this is a quote from him, "I think is that the public recognized our Constitutional rights as a private club." Meaning if they don't want women to join that is their business and people like you are just sticking their nose in where it doesn't belong.

BURKE: If becoming an icon for sex discrimination, is a victory, than I concede Hootie won. But I can't see what else that they did win. As far as being down there, they were in complicity with the city of Augusta to keep us away from the gates. We had to go to court to get that changed. It's not changed yet. It's still in the 11th circuit. Barring any decision out of the court, there's no point in going back down there. And as for it being a private club, it is a for-profit corporation. It is not even a club at all. It's a for-profit corporation that produces a multimillion-dollar public event and its members are the CEOs of America's top corporations. And Wall Street is heavily represented in that membership and that's

KAGAN: Right. This has been a two-pronged attack.

BURKE: Yes.

KAGAN: Part of the battle was being able to protest outside the gates of Augusta National. That's not going to happen because the appeal hasn't been ruled on yet. Tell me more specifically how you're trying to do this through corporate America and can you name any specific corporations that have changed their policies, that have decided not to pay for their CEOs to belong to Augusta national any more?

BURKE: That is the whole point. The CEOs are still dancing to Hooties's tune, bank of America, American Express, Citigroup, Berkshire Hathaway, Prudential, J.P. Morgan chase, Morgan Stanley, all these wall street firms. We're hearing from women in those companies saying we're begging our CEOs to get out of this club. It's hurting our ability to make a living and these guys are not listening. So today, we've announced a new initiative with the law firm of Mary and Scarlet. They are the folks that litigated the Coca-Cola and Texaco race discrimination case and they'll help us take a look in these companies.

KAGAN: And so possibly sue?

BURKE: It could result in a lawsuit it may not. If these companies can show us they're not discriminating and that these members are not indicative of a larger problem, then there will no lawsuit. On the other hand if what the women are telling us is true, we very well could see a big class action suit.

KAGAN: I want to ask a personal question. When you Google Martha Burke, there's no end of "hate Martha Burke" Web sites that come up. There are some have said the way this whole thing has been handled, everybody lost. Augusta National lost, the PGA lost, the fact even you lost because you didn't bring the change that you wanted to. When you look back, do you wish you did things differently?

BURKE: Only wish I had gotten arrested last year. It would have highlighted the hypocrisy that's going on down there and complicity with local law enforcement. But as far as us loosing, we haven't won yet, but that does not mean that we haven't won but we will win. The women in corporate America will win as a result of this corporate campaign. We've left the gates of Augusta behind. We're now looking at what's behind it and what we see is not a pretty picture.

KAGAN: National Council of Women's Organizations Martha Burke thanks for joining us. Thank you for joining us today.

BURKE: Thank you so much.

KAGAN: Want to check in on Wall Street now. Susan Lisovicz handling that for us from the New York stock exchange Good morning.

(STOCK REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: Jacqui, you're wrapping thing up for us, thank you. Appreciate that. That is going to do it for us, I'm Daryn Kagan Wolf Blitzer takes over from Washington, D.C. I'll see you here tomorrow morning.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com