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Military Families Coping with War; World War II Memorial Opens in D.C.; Kerry Addresses Mayors on National Security

Aired April 29, 2004 - 13:30   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.


MILES O'BRIEN, ANCHOR: Let's get a check of the headlines at this hour.
President Bush and Vice President Cheney have wrapped up their session with the 9/11 commission, as we've been telling you. Mr. Bush and Cheney met with all ten committee members in the Oval Office.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If we had something to hide, we wouldn't have met with them in the first place. We answered all their questions.

And as I say -- I think -- I came away good about the session. Because I wanted them to know, you know, how I set strategy, how we run the White House, how we deal with threats. The vice president answered a lot of their questions, answered all their questions.

And I think it was important for them to see our body language, as well, how we work together.

But it was -- you know, the commissioners will speak for themselves over time. They will let you know whether they thought it was a fruitful series of discussions. I think they did. I think they -- I think they found it to be useful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: There's a new wave of violence in Fallujah, despite ongoing ceasefire talks there. Earlier, a U.S. F-18 fighter jet dropped at least two bombs on the southwestern part of the city.

Ten more U.S. soldiers killed in and around Baghdad today. One of them died in an RPG -- that's rocket-propelled grenade -- attack in the eastern part of the city. That pushes April's death toll from hostile fire to 126, the deadliest month for the U.S. since the beginning of the war.

The latest CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll show Iraqis are conflicted over the impact of the war. More than half of those surveyed say the U.S. Invasion was not justified, but more than half also say their families are, in fact, better off because of it.

More than half of them say they're afraid to go outside of their homes during the day. Seven percent say they were afraid to do so before the invasion. And 57 percent say U.S. troops should leave immediately.

We should tell you this poll was conducted before the recent flare-up in Fallujah we've been talking to you about.

The images are relentless, U.S. troops under fire in Iraq, putting their lives on the line every day. Now imagine you're a kid, and that's your mom or dad over there. It's a lot to handle.

CNN's Thelma Gutierrez reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My father is a staff sergeant who went to Afghanistan, Iraq, and now he's going back to Iraq for the second time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My father is Staff Sergeant Jesse Fuentes. He's going to Iraq soon for the second time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My dad's name is Bartholomew (ph), and he is in Iraq right now.

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They are fathers, sacrificing for their country. Their children will tell you they're sacrificing, too.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He missed all of our birthdays.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He wasn't there for my birthday or Christmas.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Or mine.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're doing the worse sacrificing, because we're risking our father's lives, and they can't let us go through all this stuff without them helping us. They should at least try to help support us.

GUTIERREZ: We talked to sons and daughters at the Camp Pendleton Marine base in Oceanside, California.

(on camera) When is the last time that you saw your father?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Probably last month.

GUTIERREZ: Do you remember what he said to you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: "I love you guys a lot. I will -- I'll miss you."

GUTIERREZ (voice-over): For the most part, their days are normal. They play like other kids, and they have homework. But children of the military cannot escape the nagging reality.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I always think that he might get killed.

GUTIERREZ: A horrible thought that never goes away.

NICOLE HIGGINS, MILITARY WIFE: It used to be my kids never worried about the news. Sometimes they come in and they actually sit down and watch the news, only because they know where their daddy is.

GUTIERREZ (on camera): What are your thoughts when you watch the news?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To make sure that my dad -- like my dad doesn't get hit, or shot, like that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I heard that a couple dads died in Iraq.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's really hard when you try to concentrate at school because it's like you're worrying about your dad.

GUTIERREZ (voice-over): It's tough on mom too.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's not easy. It's just really hard.

GUTIERREZ: Sheila Kepler says the war has taken an emotional toll on her kids. They've changed.

SHEILA KEPLER, MILITARY WIFE: They whine, you know. The two little ones, they cry a lot, and they can't sleep. And they're just moody. And the older one's mouthy. And they get out of control.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's hard because, you know, he's not there to support us and try to tell us the things we need to do. Like -- because you need a father role model. And without a father role model, it's like, life's not -- it's incomplete.

GUITIERREZ (on camera): What does it feel like when you're dad's away?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It feels like, almost, I'm alone.

GUTIERREZ (voice-over): And so, until their fathers come home for good, they say this is what they hang on to.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I look at the picture and you just know that the last time you saw him might be the last time you'll ever see him.

GUITIERREZ: Thelma Gutierrez, CNN, Oceanside, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: And now another generation and the sacrifices they made for freedom.

Nearly 60 years after the end of World War II and 20 years after it was first proposed, a fitting memorial to the greatest generation is now officially open on Washington's mall.

Our Sean Callebs joins us with an opening day live shot to give us a tour.

Hello, Sean.

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Miles, how are you?

Indeed, quite a day here in Washington, D.C. The weather could not be better. Let me tell you, legions of people have been coming down here today, to get their first glimpse of this World War II memorial, the monument to the 16 million veterans who served there.

They've had everything from World War II vets themselves, to tourists, families, people who work in the D.C. area.

Let's give you a little idea of how this is set up.

Over here to our right, this is a monument honoring those who served in the Pacific theater. Everything from Pearl Harbor day on.

And then as we come back over here, you see all this white granite that came from parts of South Carolina, parts of Georgia, a couple of other states.

Down hearing a monolith to those who served in the Atlantic theater, of course D-day invasion and beyond.

Now this -- the formal opening is going to be during the Memorial Day weekend. But because there are only about four million World War II veterans still living, the park service wanted to open this as soon as they could.

There's still some construction going on. You can see a backhoe out in there in the distance. But the park also tells us that about 1,000 World War II vets are passing away every day.

Among them, down here today, Gordon Zerbrigger (ph). He is 79- years-old right now. He's from Iowa. But during World War II, he was on a ship that went up to the edge of the Normandy Beach. And he described that horrific day.

And he, along with many other veterans, thinks this memorial was a long time overdue.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's very inspiring and very gratifying to know that the country cares enough to finally remember World War II. You bet. We appreciate it. And I'm sure all the veterans do, regardless where they served.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CALLEBS: And Miles, as you mentioned, it's about 17 years in the making, from the planning stage through construction. That's about four times as long as the U.S. involvement in World War II.

And this did not go up without controversy. Behind me, you can see the Lincoln memorial in the distance to my north, the Washington monument.

There was some concerns, even lawsuits filed, trying to stop construction of this, concern that it would take away the aesthetic beauty of this mall area. But in talking to the legions coming out here today, people were very happy with the way this turned out and said if anything, it adds to the beauty.

Miles, back to you.

O'BRIEN: You can't do anything to the mall without causing a stir. And that's probably the way it should be.

Sean, tell us about those columns that separate the regions that you pointed out. What do those signify?

CALLEBS: Well, these are actually all the states and all the American territories. Across the way, if I go, there's Maine, Illinois, Indiana. And to tell you the truth, I don't know exactly why they're set out. It isn't in alphabetical order. It's not in order of the first state to the last territory.

And you see the wreath. That's of course to the 400,000 U.S. vets who died during World War II.

And across this way -- you can't see very clearly. But those are actually gold stars. There are about 400 -- there are exactly 400 gold stars there, one for every 100 servicemen who died during World War II.

O'BRIEN: All right. Thank you very much, Sean Callebs. Can hardly wait to see that in person. Thanks for giving us a preview.

Let's check news around the world -- we'll do that in just a moment. There's a lot more ahead on CNN LIVE FROM.

Imagine SCUBA diving and being left behind. We'll tell you how the Boy Scouts saved the day when LIVE FROM continues.

ANNOUNCER: You're watching LIVE FROM on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: OK. You probably know that an earthquake is a sudden tremor or movement of the Earth's curst, originating at or below the Earth's surface. But what causes them?

Well, just like its inhabitants, the earth suffers from stress. This time, the physical variety. When the Earth's layers become subjected to enormous strain, they eventually move and can cause an earthquake.

The surface of the earth is broken into several major plates or large areas of crust that float on the mantle. Since these plates are free to slowly move, and move they do, they can either drift toward each other, away from each other or slide past each other.

Now, many of the earthquakes we feel are areas where plates collide or try to shift past each other. Something's got to give. When there's a sudden movement within the crust or mantle, concentrate shockwaves move out from that point, just like ripples in a pond.

On average, about 1,000 earthquakes with intensities of 5.0 or greater are recorded each year.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Well, I think it's high time we took you for a brief visit aboard the International Space Station.

The hatch was just closed -- or at least the beginnings of the hatch closing occurred. There you see in the foreground, that is Mike Foale, having spent six months in space and Alexander Kaleri, his crewmate. And behind them is a Dutch astronaut by the name of Andre Kuipers who's been up there for only eight weeks. He came up with the new crew.

There's some members of the new crew, Mike Fincke and Gennady Padalka. As they roll in, they're about to -- Foale and Gennady and Kaleri are about to get into the Soyuz rocket. As a matter of fact, they've gotten into that spacecraft. And they're going to begin the long process of going through checklists before they head back to earth.

Shortly before 5 p.m. Eastern they will part company with the International Space Station, begin the process of coming back home. They're due to land on the steppe of Kazakhstan at 8:12 p.m. Eastern. And we'll be watching it closely for you all along the way.

Take a quick look at a live picture outside the International Space Station. Another perfect weather day in space, just like they all are.

A much happier ending off the coast of California to tell you about -- well, it's a happy ending in space. Speaking of happy endings, thanks to some sharp-eyed, quick-witted Boy Scouts who put that official motto "be prepared" into life-saving use.

The troop was aboard the ship Argus, returning to port from a trip to Santa Catalina Island. Now, Scott Zach Mayberry was standing watch. And he thought he saw something in the water -- excuse me -- he grabbed some binoculars.

The something he saw was 45-year-old Dan Carlock, a diver who'd been mistakenly been left behind by his dive group five hours earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAN CARLOCK, RESCUED DIVER: I started waving at -- two, waving the other arm, and blowing the hell out of the whistle. ZACH MAYBERRRY, BOY SCOUT: I had to look through a pair of binoculars to even see him because he was that far out. Everybody's saying I'm a hero. To tell you the truth, didn't really care. All I really care about is that this guy's safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: Well, it has certainly had the build-up of a Super Bowl, so why not treat it like one? Supersize prices for a piece of the final "Friends."

And we'll have a check on Wall Street. And all that is coming up. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Let's go live now to Philadelphia. The presumptive Democratic nominee, John Kerry, is addressing a conference of black mayors. He has some comments about homeland security. Let's listen a bit.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: ... when are we going to consolidate our databases so that when one of your cops or sheriffs happens to pull over a suspected terrorist, they actually find out about it?

I have a plan to accomplish many of these things, and I will continue to address what we can do together to prevent another attack. This is an area which we can never stop trying to do better.

And I say that as a former law enforcement official who worked at the local level, county, and I remember what it was like to work with state and federal officials and try to get everybody on the same page.

I believe that in the end, our real tribute to those who perished on that September day is to create an America that is safer, and, therefore, stronger, an America that has exerted all its might and muscle to prevent another terrorist attack.

I don't accept the notion that we've accomplished enough today. We have to do more, and I don't think it's right for mayors to bear all of those costs alone.

Since September 11, you've met your responsibilities. You're paying more than $3 billion from your own budgets, and of the federal money that's provided, set aside for portion of costs, for equipment and overtime training, very little has actually reached your police departments and fire departments across this country.

That has to change, and I want to make sure it does when I am president. We don't have a second to spare, in my judgment. I don't think you can sit around and wait for this.

The General Accounting Office just reported that security upgrades at nuclear weapons sites are as many as three years behind. I think we have to do better. We also know that when it comes to stopping the next terrorist attack, that we need a plan that will secure our chemical plants across this country. And I have a plan to do that.

According to recent reports, al Qaeda affiliated groups were planning an assault on a chemical plant in Jordan. It was intercepted. The FBI has warned us that al Qaeda may attempt to launch conventional attacks at our nuclear and chemical industries here in this country. And, of course, our own leaders in Washington warned us that terrorists may strike again before the November election.

So what are we waiting for? Look at Philadelphia. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, there are seven plants in this area, most of them chemical plants.

In Memphis, Tennessee, Virtex Chemicals Manufacturing has 180,000 pounds of chlorine 25 miles from a million people.

In Detroit, PVS Technology Chemicals Manufacturing has 180,000 pounds of chlorine 14 miles from two million people.

There are more than 100 plants like these across America. And we know these plants are not secure. "60 Minutes" did a long investigation, and they found that you can walk right in, no questions asked. That's what many reporters have found and reported...

O'BRIEN: We have been listening to Senator John Kerry, the presumptive Democratic nominee for the presidency, talking to a conference of black mayors in Philadelphia. We'll continue to monitor his speech.

And in the meantime, it's time to check in with Rhonda, at long last.

(STOCK REPORT)

O'BRIEN: We're done for this hour. It was a busy one. Thanks for being with us. We've got more ahead; stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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 29, 2004 - 13:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, ANCHOR: Let's get a check of the headlines at this hour.
President Bush and Vice President Cheney have wrapped up their session with the 9/11 commission, as we've been telling you. Mr. Bush and Cheney met with all ten committee members in the Oval Office.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If we had something to hide, we wouldn't have met with them in the first place. We answered all their questions.

And as I say -- I think -- I came away good about the session. Because I wanted them to know, you know, how I set strategy, how we run the White House, how we deal with threats. The vice president answered a lot of their questions, answered all their questions.

And I think it was important for them to see our body language, as well, how we work together.

But it was -- you know, the commissioners will speak for themselves over time. They will let you know whether they thought it was a fruitful series of discussions. I think they did. I think they -- I think they found it to be useful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: There's a new wave of violence in Fallujah, despite ongoing ceasefire talks there. Earlier, a U.S. F-18 fighter jet dropped at least two bombs on the southwestern part of the city.

Ten more U.S. soldiers killed in and around Baghdad today. One of them died in an RPG -- that's rocket-propelled grenade -- attack in the eastern part of the city. That pushes April's death toll from hostile fire to 126, the deadliest month for the U.S. since the beginning of the war.

The latest CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll show Iraqis are conflicted over the impact of the war. More than half of those surveyed say the U.S. Invasion was not justified, but more than half also say their families are, in fact, better off because of it.

More than half of them say they're afraid to go outside of their homes during the day. Seven percent say they were afraid to do so before the invasion. And 57 percent say U.S. troops should leave immediately.

We should tell you this poll was conducted before the recent flare-up in Fallujah we've been talking to you about.

The images are relentless, U.S. troops under fire in Iraq, putting their lives on the line every day. Now imagine you're a kid, and that's your mom or dad over there. It's a lot to handle.

CNN's Thelma Gutierrez reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My father is a staff sergeant who went to Afghanistan, Iraq, and now he's going back to Iraq for the second time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My father is Staff Sergeant Jesse Fuentes. He's going to Iraq soon for the second time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My dad's name is Bartholomew (ph), and he is in Iraq right now.

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They are fathers, sacrificing for their country. Their children will tell you they're sacrificing, too.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He missed all of our birthdays.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He wasn't there for my birthday or Christmas.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Or mine.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're doing the worse sacrificing, because we're risking our father's lives, and they can't let us go through all this stuff without them helping us. They should at least try to help support us.

GUTIERREZ: We talked to sons and daughters at the Camp Pendleton Marine base in Oceanside, California.

(on camera) When is the last time that you saw your father?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Probably last month.

GUTIERREZ: Do you remember what he said to you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: "I love you guys a lot. I will -- I'll miss you."

GUTIERREZ (voice-over): For the most part, their days are normal. They play like other kids, and they have homework. But children of the military cannot escape the nagging reality.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I always think that he might get killed.

GUTIERREZ: A horrible thought that never goes away.

NICOLE HIGGINS, MILITARY WIFE: It used to be my kids never worried about the news. Sometimes they come in and they actually sit down and watch the news, only because they know where their daddy is.

GUTIERREZ (on camera): What are your thoughts when you watch the news?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To make sure that my dad -- like my dad doesn't get hit, or shot, like that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I heard that a couple dads died in Iraq.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's really hard when you try to concentrate at school because it's like you're worrying about your dad.

GUTIERREZ (voice-over): It's tough on mom too.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's not easy. It's just really hard.

GUTIERREZ: Sheila Kepler says the war has taken an emotional toll on her kids. They've changed.

SHEILA KEPLER, MILITARY WIFE: They whine, you know. The two little ones, they cry a lot, and they can't sleep. And they're just moody. And the older one's mouthy. And they get out of control.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's hard because, you know, he's not there to support us and try to tell us the things we need to do. Like -- because you need a father role model. And without a father role model, it's like, life's not -- it's incomplete.

GUITIERREZ (on camera): What does it feel like when you're dad's away?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It feels like, almost, I'm alone.

GUTIERREZ (voice-over): And so, until their fathers come home for good, they say this is what they hang on to.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I look at the picture and you just know that the last time you saw him might be the last time you'll ever see him.

GUITIERREZ: Thelma Gutierrez, CNN, Oceanside, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: And now another generation and the sacrifices they made for freedom.

Nearly 60 years after the end of World War II and 20 years after it was first proposed, a fitting memorial to the greatest generation is now officially open on Washington's mall.

Our Sean Callebs joins us with an opening day live shot to give us a tour.

Hello, Sean.

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Miles, how are you?

Indeed, quite a day here in Washington, D.C. The weather could not be better. Let me tell you, legions of people have been coming down here today, to get their first glimpse of this World War II memorial, the monument to the 16 million veterans who served there.

They've had everything from World War II vets themselves, to tourists, families, people who work in the D.C. area.

Let's give you a little idea of how this is set up.

Over here to our right, this is a monument honoring those who served in the Pacific theater. Everything from Pearl Harbor day on.

And then as we come back over here, you see all this white granite that came from parts of South Carolina, parts of Georgia, a couple of other states.

Down hearing a monolith to those who served in the Atlantic theater, of course D-day invasion and beyond.

Now this -- the formal opening is going to be during the Memorial Day weekend. But because there are only about four million World War II veterans still living, the park service wanted to open this as soon as they could.

There's still some construction going on. You can see a backhoe out in there in the distance. But the park also tells us that about 1,000 World War II vets are passing away every day.

Among them, down here today, Gordon Zerbrigger (ph). He is 79- years-old right now. He's from Iowa. But during World War II, he was on a ship that went up to the edge of the Normandy Beach. And he described that horrific day.

And he, along with many other veterans, thinks this memorial was a long time overdue.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's very inspiring and very gratifying to know that the country cares enough to finally remember World War II. You bet. We appreciate it. And I'm sure all the veterans do, regardless where they served.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CALLEBS: And Miles, as you mentioned, it's about 17 years in the making, from the planning stage through construction. That's about four times as long as the U.S. involvement in World War II.

And this did not go up without controversy. Behind me, you can see the Lincoln memorial in the distance to my north, the Washington monument.

There was some concerns, even lawsuits filed, trying to stop construction of this, concern that it would take away the aesthetic beauty of this mall area. But in talking to the legions coming out here today, people were very happy with the way this turned out and said if anything, it adds to the beauty.

Miles, back to you.

O'BRIEN: You can't do anything to the mall without causing a stir. And that's probably the way it should be.

Sean, tell us about those columns that separate the regions that you pointed out. What do those signify?

CALLEBS: Well, these are actually all the states and all the American territories. Across the way, if I go, there's Maine, Illinois, Indiana. And to tell you the truth, I don't know exactly why they're set out. It isn't in alphabetical order. It's not in order of the first state to the last territory.

And you see the wreath. That's of course to the 400,000 U.S. vets who died during World War II.

And across this way -- you can't see very clearly. But those are actually gold stars. There are about 400 -- there are exactly 400 gold stars there, one for every 100 servicemen who died during World War II.

O'BRIEN: All right. Thank you very much, Sean Callebs. Can hardly wait to see that in person. Thanks for giving us a preview.

Let's check news around the world -- we'll do that in just a moment. There's a lot more ahead on CNN LIVE FROM.

Imagine SCUBA diving and being left behind. We'll tell you how the Boy Scouts saved the day when LIVE FROM continues.

ANNOUNCER: You're watching LIVE FROM on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: OK. You probably know that an earthquake is a sudden tremor or movement of the Earth's curst, originating at or below the Earth's surface. But what causes them?

Well, just like its inhabitants, the earth suffers from stress. This time, the physical variety. When the Earth's layers become subjected to enormous strain, they eventually move and can cause an earthquake.

The surface of the earth is broken into several major plates or large areas of crust that float on the mantle. Since these plates are free to slowly move, and move they do, they can either drift toward each other, away from each other or slide past each other.

Now, many of the earthquakes we feel are areas where plates collide or try to shift past each other. Something's got to give. When there's a sudden movement within the crust or mantle, concentrate shockwaves move out from that point, just like ripples in a pond.

On average, about 1,000 earthquakes with intensities of 5.0 or greater are recorded each year.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Well, I think it's high time we took you for a brief visit aboard the International Space Station.

The hatch was just closed -- or at least the beginnings of the hatch closing occurred. There you see in the foreground, that is Mike Foale, having spent six months in space and Alexander Kaleri, his crewmate. And behind them is a Dutch astronaut by the name of Andre Kuipers who's been up there for only eight weeks. He came up with the new crew.

There's some members of the new crew, Mike Fincke and Gennady Padalka. As they roll in, they're about to -- Foale and Gennady and Kaleri are about to get into the Soyuz rocket. As a matter of fact, they've gotten into that spacecraft. And they're going to begin the long process of going through checklists before they head back to earth.

Shortly before 5 p.m. Eastern they will part company with the International Space Station, begin the process of coming back home. They're due to land on the steppe of Kazakhstan at 8:12 p.m. Eastern. And we'll be watching it closely for you all along the way.

Take a quick look at a live picture outside the International Space Station. Another perfect weather day in space, just like they all are.

A much happier ending off the coast of California to tell you about -- well, it's a happy ending in space. Speaking of happy endings, thanks to some sharp-eyed, quick-witted Boy Scouts who put that official motto "be prepared" into life-saving use.

The troop was aboard the ship Argus, returning to port from a trip to Santa Catalina Island. Now, Scott Zach Mayberry was standing watch. And he thought he saw something in the water -- excuse me -- he grabbed some binoculars.

The something he saw was 45-year-old Dan Carlock, a diver who'd been mistakenly been left behind by his dive group five hours earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAN CARLOCK, RESCUED DIVER: I started waving at -- two, waving the other arm, and blowing the hell out of the whistle. ZACH MAYBERRRY, BOY SCOUT: I had to look through a pair of binoculars to even see him because he was that far out. Everybody's saying I'm a hero. To tell you the truth, didn't really care. All I really care about is that this guy's safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: Well, it has certainly had the build-up of a Super Bowl, so why not treat it like one? Supersize prices for a piece of the final "Friends."

And we'll have a check on Wall Street. And all that is coming up. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Let's go live now to Philadelphia. The presumptive Democratic nominee, John Kerry, is addressing a conference of black mayors. He has some comments about homeland security. Let's listen a bit.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: ... when are we going to consolidate our databases so that when one of your cops or sheriffs happens to pull over a suspected terrorist, they actually find out about it?

I have a plan to accomplish many of these things, and I will continue to address what we can do together to prevent another attack. This is an area which we can never stop trying to do better.

And I say that as a former law enforcement official who worked at the local level, county, and I remember what it was like to work with state and federal officials and try to get everybody on the same page.

I believe that in the end, our real tribute to those who perished on that September day is to create an America that is safer, and, therefore, stronger, an America that has exerted all its might and muscle to prevent another terrorist attack.

I don't accept the notion that we've accomplished enough today. We have to do more, and I don't think it's right for mayors to bear all of those costs alone.

Since September 11, you've met your responsibilities. You're paying more than $3 billion from your own budgets, and of the federal money that's provided, set aside for portion of costs, for equipment and overtime training, very little has actually reached your police departments and fire departments across this country.

That has to change, and I want to make sure it does when I am president. We don't have a second to spare, in my judgment. I don't think you can sit around and wait for this.

The General Accounting Office just reported that security upgrades at nuclear weapons sites are as many as three years behind. I think we have to do better. We also know that when it comes to stopping the next terrorist attack, that we need a plan that will secure our chemical plants across this country. And I have a plan to do that.

According to recent reports, al Qaeda affiliated groups were planning an assault on a chemical plant in Jordan. It was intercepted. The FBI has warned us that al Qaeda may attempt to launch conventional attacks at our nuclear and chemical industries here in this country. And, of course, our own leaders in Washington warned us that terrorists may strike again before the November election.

So what are we waiting for? Look at Philadelphia. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, there are seven plants in this area, most of them chemical plants.

In Memphis, Tennessee, Virtex Chemicals Manufacturing has 180,000 pounds of chlorine 25 miles from a million people.

In Detroit, PVS Technology Chemicals Manufacturing has 180,000 pounds of chlorine 14 miles from two million people.

There are more than 100 plants like these across America. And we know these plants are not secure. "60 Minutes" did a long investigation, and they found that you can walk right in, no questions asked. That's what many reporters have found and reported...

O'BRIEN: We have been listening to Senator John Kerry, the presumptive Democratic nominee for the presidency, talking to a conference of black mayors in Philadelphia. We'll continue to monitor his speech.

And in the meantime, it's time to check in with Rhonda, at long last.

(STOCK REPORT)

O'BRIEN: We're done for this hour. It was a busy one. Thanks for being with us. We've got more ahead; stay with us.

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