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American Morning

Donald Rumsfeld Expected to Apologize Before Congress; Interview With Senator Saxby Chambliss; Spain Terror Arrest

Aired May 07, 2004 - 9:00   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.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. And word this morning that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will apologize. But already, some in Congress say that is not enough.
From the rim of a Martian crater, a picture of outstanding beauty and perhaps scientific value as well.

And the "Friends" finale. Do you believe the hype?

On this AMERICAN MORNING.

ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.

HEMMER: All right. Good morning, everyone. Nine o'clock here in New York. Soledad enjoying a final day off for this week. She has to get up early on Monday morning, and she'll be back here with us.

In the meantime...

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And just as you said that, the sun came out. Isn't that nice?

HEMMER: That's nice. Heidi Collins with us. Good morning to you again.

COLLINS: Good morning. Lots of stories we're following today.

One of them, a lawyer from Portland, Oregon, an American citizen, may be caught up in the Madrid train be bombings. We'll get a report on why he's been taken into custody by the FBI.

HEMMER: Also this hour, learning a little bit more about a new drug that could help millions of people get the all-important sleep that they've been missing.

COLLINS: You need some.

HEMMER: We could use it around here, let me tell you.

What's up, Jack?

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: The Question of the Day has to do with this liberal think tank down in Washington that after much thought has decided that the right, or the conservatives in this country, have succeeded in making the word "liberal" a dirty word when they prefer to people of the Democratic persuasion. They think the Democrats should use a different word to describe themselves, and we'll tell you what that is. But those are the letters we're getting, is the word "liberal" a dirty word.

HEMMER: Good deal. All right.

COLLINS: All right, Jack. Thanks so much.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will apologize today, according to a senior Republican aide. He will be testifying on Capitol Hill. Capitol Hill correspondent Ed Henry is joining us now with some more on all of this.

Ed, good morning to you.

ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi.

A senior Senate Republican aide has confirmed to CNN this morning that Secretary Rumsfeld has indicated to the committee privately that he will issue an apology to the committee and to the Congress this morning in his testimony this morning before the Senate Armed Services Committee, which begins at 11:45 this morning.

Rumsfeld also will be announcing, according to this Republican aide, that he is pointing an independent commission to investigate this prison abuse scandal. And that will be coming in his testimony here. And as you know, later in the afternoon at 3:00 p.m., he'll be testifying before the House Armed Services Committee and reiterating that same information -- Heidi.

COLLINS: We are already hearing a little bit about the possibility that he will be apologizing to Congress for keeping them in the dark, if you will. Are we hearing anything about what they feel this impact will be? If it might be a little too little, too late?

HENRY: That's right. Some very interesting political information bubbling up this morning, which is that Republicans here are privately saying that this may be too little, too late, frankly, and that they feel these two gestures, the apology and creating the independent commission, is something -- those are things that the secretary should have done a long time ago. And obviously, members in both parties are very frustrated at the fact that Rumsfeld did not keep them in the loop, kept Congress in the dark, did not let them know what was happening, and you're going to see a lot of frustration aired at the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in just a couple of hours -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right. Ed Henry live on Capitol Hill this morning. Ed, thanks so much.

Meanwhile, U.S. soldiers in Iraq are battling supporters of Muqtada al-Sadr on several fronts now. The rebel cleric delivered a weekly sermon today despite the fighting near the holy city of Najaf. Al-Sadr condemned the U.S. over the Iraq prisoner abuse scandal.

Fresh clashes also being reported near Karbala. At least eight insurgents were reportedly killed in that region.

A new Gallup poll shows Americans almost evenly split over the war in Iraq. Those surveyed were asked whether if it was worth going to war. Fifty percent said it was, 47 percent said it was not. There's a sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points.

Russian President Vladimir Putin was sworn in for his second and final term during a ceremony at the Kremlin. In his address, Mr. Putin vowed to work openly and honestly to improve the lives of Russian citizens. Putin was easily reelected in March.

Emergency contraception known as The Morning After pill will not be available over the counter, at least for now. The Food & Drug Administration yesterday rejected a recommendation of its scientific committee to expand sales of Plan B. The agency cited concern about young girls' unsupervised use of the pill. But officials say with more information they may reconsider.

And firefighters in southern California say they have almost contained a series of wildfires there. Lower temperatures and moist air are helping firefighters battle the blazes. Thousands of acres have been charred in the last week, as we've been showing you here.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HEMMER: More now on Secretary Rumsfeld's testimony. In fact, in two and a half hours from now, the Iraqi abuse scandal. Georgia Republican senator, Saxby Chambliss, a member of the Senate Armed Services committee, he is live this morning in D.C. from Capitol Hill to talk more about this.

Good morning to you, Senator.

SEN. SAXBY CHAMBLISS (R), GEORGIA: Good morning, Bill.

HEMMER: Yesterday, you said this would be grilled pretty good. What do you mean by that?

CHAMBLISS: Well, it's pretty obvious that there are a lot of upset people on Capitol Hill over the issue not just of the incident itself, but what happened following the incident. Why did it take so long for Congress to get notified about this situation, and what's been happening since the incident was discovered? What investigation has taken place? What's happened to the individuals involved? And, more significantly, what's going to happen to the chain of command, leading all the way up to Secretary Rumsfeld?

Somebody is responsible for not reporting directly to Secretary Rumsfeld on a very quick basis. Somebody is responsible for not reporting to Congress. And we're going to get the answers to those questions today.

HEMMER: Senator, CNN is reporting that Secretary Rumsfeld will apologize to Congress for not keeping them in the light regarding this story. Is that good enough for you if that happens? CHAMBLISS: Well, I would expect that to happen, but the secretary well knows that that's not enough, that he's got to answer the tough questions. But he's a professional, and he's going to do it.

He's always been very straightforward, and I know that's the way he's going to be today. But it's a very sensitive situation, very delicate situation, but one where the American people and Congress are simply entitled to know the facts.

HEMMER: It is a political season. With that in mind, Democratic Congressman John Murtha, here is what he said yesterday about this issue.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOHN MURTHA (D), PENNSYLVANIA: This policy has to be changed! We cannot prevail in this war at the policy that's going today. We either have to mobilize or we have to get out. The whole point is, this thing's got to -- the direction has got to be changed or it's unwinable, in my estimation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: The word he uses at the end, "unwinable." Smart talk or not?

CHAMBLISS: Well, I have great respect for John Murtha. I had the privilege of serving with him for eight years. He's a very dear friend of mine. And when John Murtha speaks, you better listen, because he's a very knowledgeable guy.

But he it is winnable, and we are winning. That's the important thing. You look at any aspect of this war, and while it's very ugly and it's turned nasty at number of different terms, we have to remember this is war. But the fact of the matter is we're winning.

We're making great strides. We're moving towards a June 30 date of turning this government over to the Iraqis to form an independent government of their own. And that's significant; that's important. We're seeing good things happening in addition to the ugly things that are happening.

HEMMER: Senator, thank you. We will be watching here from our corner here in New York City. Senator Saxby Chambliss, Republican from Georgia there on Capitol Hill.

CHAMBLISS: Good to be with you, Bill.

HEMMER: Thank you, sir.

Live coverage later today. We'll start at 11:300 with Wolf down in D.C. Secretary Rumsfeld kicks it off at 11:45 a.m. Eastern Time.

Heidi? COLLINS: A new audiotape containing a message purportedly from Osaka bin Laden has surfaces, and for the first time, the al Qaeda leader offers a material reward to anyone who kills certain U.S. and U.N. officials. The voice on the tape, whose identity has not yet been verified by intelligence officials, also criticizes the June handover of power in Iraq.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The so-called handover for the Iraqis is nothing but a mockery for the people, and also weakens the military opposition. This was understood by the Iraqi Mujahadin, who know that the authority for a true handover will never happen until the last crusader soldier leaves Iraqi soil.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

COLLINS: On the tape, the speaker offers 22 pounds of gold to anyone who kills Coalition Provisional Authority head, Paul Bremer. Also mentioned specifically in the bounty offer, U.N. Secretary- General Kofu Annon and his special envoy in Iraq, Lakhdar Brahma.

HEMMER: About nine minutes past the hour now. They're holding a man from Oregon, a lawyer in that state in connection with the train bombings of Spain back on the 11th of March. One official says Brandon Mayfield's fingerprints were on materials linked to the bombings.

From Portland, Oregon, today, the former lawyer and a friend for Mayfield, is Thomas Nelson, our guest now from the Pacific Northwest.

And welcome, sir, to our program here on AMERICAN MORNING.

THOMAS NELSON, FMR. MAYFIELD ATTORNEY: Thank you.

HEMMER: What do you make of the charges? Well, the charges are not been filed yet; we want to be cautious on that. But what do you make of the allegations right now that are now public in this country?

NELSON: I think first we have to recognize that the allegations are the allegations in a case filed in what's called a material witness case. Mr. Mayfield is not named as a suspect or defendant. He is merely in custody in order to assure his presence for testimony to the grand jury here in Portland, Oregon.

That's emphatic to note, because engaging in the presumption of innocence, which is entitled to all of us, particularly for a witness who hasn't been charged with anything, it's important to tell the public, particularly his clients, friends, family and those in the community out here in Portland that he has not been charged with anything, contrary to a lot of the innuendo that is coming out of the Justice Department in Washington, D.C.

HEMMER: If I could stop you for a second. When you talk about a material witness, define that in this case as it applies to your friend and former client. NELSON: The material witness means somebody who may have, not does, but may have information that nay assist an ongoing investigation. It is somebody who might know something that they might find helpful. And the purpose of the statute is to make sure that that person is, in fact, available when the grand jury meets to hear the testimony.

HEMMER: Mr. Nelson, the fingerprints apparently found on a plastic bag that was used and connected with some sort of explosives in the March 11th attacks, how do you explain away that?

NELSON: I cannot even comment on the fact that there might or might not have been fingerprints, because I was at the hearing and I am prohibited from speaking about that. The information about the fingerprints came from the Justice Department through Mr. Isikoff at Newsweek. And while the Justice Department engages in enormous leaks that have terrible, tragic consequences upon the community and, more particularly, the family and the children, I cannot address any of those allegations to the merits. All I can do is say, people out there, do not turn your backs on Mr. Mayfield or his family or his children in this time of trouble.

HEMMER: What was your friend's views, or what are they today, rather, on radical extremism, on the Muslim world in the sense that it relates to al Qaeda and those who believe the United States' position around the world, especially in that region is wrong?

NELSON: Mr. Mayfield is a very moderate, very sensible, very middle-of-the-road loving father, loving husband, and member of the community. The fact that he is a Muslim appears to be why this case is getting all of the attention it is getting. He is not a terrorist. He has not been charged with terrorism, notwithstanding some of the implications and innuendo coming out of Washington, D.C.

He is a straight down the road former Army officer, discharged honorably, working pro bono projects, working for the Oregon State Bar in its Modest Means program, working with people who need a hand up. He is not a rich man. He is a sole practitioner. He has a -- very frankly, a fragile practice that is being obliterated by this activity coming out of Washington, D.C.

HEMMER: Mr. Nelson, in short, are you suggesting that these charges will be dismissed completely, or the allegations, anyway, will be thrown out?

NELSON: I don't know what's going to happen. I am no longer his attorney. We agreed yesterday that he needs somebody who practices criminal law full-time. And I certainly do not do that.

So the case has been turned over. I really cannot comment on the substance of this. The judge made that very clear yesterday.

HEMMER: Thomas Nelson, thanks.

NELSON: Thank you.

HEMMER: Friend, former lawyer of Brandon Mayfield there in Portland, Oregon, talking to us from the Pacific Northwest.

COLLINS: Still to come this morning, President Bush tells the Arab world he's sorry. What effect might his words have on the presidential race? Political analysis ahead.

HEMMER: Also, more dazzling pictures of Mars. The latest postcards from the Rover Opportunity in a moment.

COLLINS: And is America's fascination with low-crab diets forecasting disaster for Crispy Creme? Andy Serwer will have that.

It's all ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: NASA Scientists say they're thrilled about the Mars Rover Opportunity's new mission. The robotic probe now moving very close to a large Martian crater. Engineers would erect the Rover to circle the Endurance Crater, as it's known. Later, they hope to get the Rover inside that crater and study the rock formations found therein.

Heidi?

COLLINS: Sundays is Mother's Day, as you know. And hundreds of thousands of women plan to spend it marching against gun violence. The Million Mom March in Washington will focus on extending the assault weapons ban due to expire in September.

Donna Dees-Thomases is the founder of the Million Mom Movement. Her new book is titled "Looking For a Few Good Moms." And Donna joins us now to tell us all about this.

Donna, good morning to you. Tell me, how does this march, or how do you think this march will differ from the one four years ago?

DONNA DEES-THOMASES, FOUNDER, MILLION MOM MARCH: Well, first of all, four years ago, we were at the National Mall. We don't have to fill the Mall up with a million people. We're going to be on the west lawn of the Capitol this time, right at the spot where George W. Bush took his oath of office as President four years ago.

Because of the tremendous success of the Million Mom March, he called us, he wrote us, he told us that if he were elected President, he would make sure he would renew the assault weapons ban, which was going to expire on his watch. It's set to expire in September, so we're going back to Washington. We're looking for a few committed activists to go stand with us on the Capitol lawn and to say, Mr. President, please honor your promise four years ago.

COLLINS: You know, there are going to be some people protesting that, as I'm sure you've probably heard. In fact, there's a group called the Second Amendment Sisters. They say this about your motives regarding assault weapons ban: "They have even stated that they wish not only to extend the assault weapons, but also to strengthen it. That proves the point that people on our side made 10 years ago, that this was just the first step in their total agenda in outlawing guns entirely."

Do you want to outlaw guns entirely?

DEES-THOMASES: That's ridiculous. We do not.

We want to take AK-47s and oozies off of our streets. They were banned 10 years ago after a spate of some horrible shootings, where people would run into McDonald's and kill as many people as possible. There was a shooting in an elementary school in Stockton, California, in 1989 where five kids were killed, 29 others injured in less than three minutes.

These are weapons of mass destruction. These are not weapons for hunting, these are not weapons for personal protection. These are weapons to kill as many people as quickly as possible. We're going back to Washington on Mother's Day to make sure that we get this assault weapons ban renewed by September.

COLLINS: And quickly, before you go, in writing this book, obviously you talk about the single incidents that sparked your idea for the book. In the five years that you've been doing this now, what is the single biggest thing that you've learned?

DEES-THOMASES: How dedicated activists can be. We really don't need a million of people to show up in Washington on Mother's Day. We need five committed activists in every congressional district to show up.

Our events is sponsored by Essence Magazine, so we finally have women of color who have joined our organization. They've been doing it alone for a long time, and now we're going to unite on Mother's Day. And this year, we also have some fantastic men who are going to be with us. From "Law & Order," Richard Belzer, Kenneth Cole, the fashion designer, Jesse Jackson, Sr. The reverend is going to be our keynote speaker.

So this time, what I've learned is that we need a few dedicated, committed people to show up on the west lawn of the Capitol on Mother's Day, and that we can make a difference together.

COLLINS: Men or women, all right.

DEES-THOMASES: Men or women.

COLLINS: Great. Thanks for being with us.

DEES-THOMASES: Thank you.

COLLINS: Donna Dees- Thomases, author of "Looking For a Few Good Moms." Thanks so much.

Bill?

HEMMER: Heidi, it's 9:19 here in New York, about two and a half hours away from the testimony from Secretary Rumsfeld. What can we expect in a moment here. Plus, no more sleepless nights. How does that sound? Sanjay and a potential new drug to help the insomniacs in the crowd.

Back in a moment after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: For millions of Americans, sleep can be a series of tosses and turns every night. Now, a new pill that may spell relief for the insomniac. Sanjay is back with us here with details on this story.

It could be really good news.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It could be. It's a perfect story for morning anchors, as it turns out. We'll talk about that as well.

First of all, insomnia, you know, a lot of people define insomnia differently. So it's important to define this correctly.

It's not so much the lack of sleep. That's not what insomnia really is, but rather poor quality sleep. Tossing and turning, as you can see there, difficulty falling to sleep at night, waking up frequently during the night. A lot of people suffer from this, 70 million insomniacs of some sort or another. So a lot of interest in this in terms of developing drugs, medications, that might actually help with this.

We've talked about this before. There is a drug out there that we're -- gaining a lot of momentum. It's called Estorra. And there is some study findings; we're going to present those to you.

This just came from the American Psychiatric Association. They're petitioning for FDA approval. This is why: quicker falling asleep time, longer stretches of uninterrupted sleep, greater total amount of sleep time.

And here is the kicker: effective for up to 12 months. A lot of the other chronic insomniac agents about six months in effectiveness. This one perhaps a year.

Now, in full disclosure, a lot of these studies were paid for by the company that makes them. But we also made sure that a lot of independent sleep experts verified this. There is some genuine excitement about this.

HEMMER: If someone is listening to this, who is a good candidate for a drug like this?

GUPTA: Not everybody. Not everybody. Not for the person who occasionally has difficulty falling asleep.

A very good point there, because this is more for people who have a reason not to fall asleep over long periods of time. You can take a look. Long-term pain conditions, for example, that could be a problem. Ongoing stress, a sick loved on in the house, things like that. But there certainly people who are not good candidates as well.

People who have severe sleep apnea, that's an entirely different problem. If you're on call as a doctor, of if you're going to be driving, you shouldn't be taking this medication either.

The elderly or frail, always a difficult population to target. Sleeping agents difficult in them. Usually, you have to use reduced doses. Estorra may not be a good choice for them either.

HEMMER: I'm getting tired.

GUPTA: How much sleep did you get?

HEMMER: Not bad. Five hours. That's about what I average.

"WEEKEND HOUSE CALL," a quick reminder to our viewers out there. See you tomorrow morning, Saturday morning on the weekends. "Life Beyond Limits" continues tomorrow. So you get some good sleep, all right?

Sanjay, thanks.

Heidi?

COLLINS: Want to quickly get to Jack now and the Question of the Day. Talking about "liberal" and that word, right?

CAFFERTY: Yes. You know, the other you can do if you have trouble sleeping is just put on the "F" word network. Night-night.

HEMMER: Have you tried that?

CAFFERTY: It works. It works.

A report by the Senate for American Progress saying that the right has managed to hang the label "liberal" on Democrats and turn it into, in fact, a dirty word. It used to mean well-meaning, admirable, but now it's come to mean weak, naive and effective. The study was done by a liberal think tank down in Washington that suggests that Democrats or liberals should use the word "progressive" to describe themselves instead of "liberal."

So the question is, do you think "liberal" is a dirty word?

Jim in Cambridge, New York: "Liberal and conservative are just cosmetic titles of convenience. Politician is the word that's ugly and goes to the bone."

Barbara in Asheville, North Carolina: "Hell, no. We liberals have been working for the very issues that define this country: social justice, freedom of religion, equal opportunity, and, last but not least, preserving our land and air. We need to take pride in our name and actions." Shirley in Atlanta, Georgia -- that's where the home office is, isn't it? Yes. "Liberal is defined as tolerant in Webster's Dictionary. It's a sad day when being tolerant is a bad thing. Liberals should stop letting conservatives define who they are and proudly announce their liberalism to the world."

Don in Wisconsin: "Jack, conservatives should not be putting down liberals at this time. They don't have much to work with, but they need all the help they can get to raise their self esteem."

And DW in Crescent City, California, "I like being called liberal. It's a proud title. Failing that, I'll settle for renaissance man or even gorgeous hunk."

HEMMER: Nice. Did you see the finale last night?

CAFFERTY: I missed it, along with all of the other 164,000 episodes of that show that I missed as well. Yeah, I've never seen it.

HEMMER: Well, just for you, Heidi did a great "90-Second Pop" today with a big old bank of friends, three women, three men. So in a moment here, a friendly farewell. All over now for (ph) syndication.

The final episode last night. Was it worth the hype? Part of our special, "90-Second Pop" on a Friday morning after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Welcome back, everybody -- 9:30 here in New York. Heidi is in for Soledad this week.

Good morning again to you.

COLLINS: Good morning.

HEMMER: President Bush has already said he is sorry. That coming yesterday. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld now expected to apologize for not keeping Congress informed about the abuse of Iraqi prisoners. Carlos Watson, our political analyst, in a moment telling us if he thinks any of that matters to voters. And, if so, how much and to what degree in a moment here.

COLLINS: Also, many "Friends" fans may be feeling withdrawal symptoms this morning. We have a special Friday edition of "90-Second Pop" to deal with the end of "Friends."

We're going to move on to the news, though, this morning first.

The Bush administration to be reaching out to the Palestinians to discuss the stalled Middle East peace process. A U.S. official says National Security Adviser Condoleeza Rice will meet with the Palestinian prime minister perhaps as early as May 17. The meeting is expected to take place in Germany.

Al Qaeda may be offering gold in exchange for the killings of top U.S. and U.N. officials. The offer was made in a new audiotape purportedly from Osama bin Laden. The voice on the tape is offering 22 pounds of gold to anyone who kills top U.S. civil administrator, Paul Bremer, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, or his enjoy, Lakhdar Brahimi. Intelligence officials have not independently identified the identity of the speaker.

Emergency contraception known as The Morning After pill will not be sold over the counter. The Food & Drug administration yesterday rejected a recommendation of its scientific committee to expand sales of Plan B. The agency cited concern about young girls' unsupervised use of the pills. The maker of the drug says it will try again for an approval.

And firefighters in southern California say they have almost contained a series of wildfires there. Lower temperatures and moist air are helping firefighters battle the blazes. Thousands of acres have been charred in the last week.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HEMMER: President Bush this morning off on a two-state campaign swing. He left the White House just a few moments ago, heading for a brief bus tour. Stops in Iowa, stops in Wisconsin. Today's trip followed some upbeat economic news: 288,000 jobs added to payrolls during the month of April. That far exceeds the expectation of about 175,000.

To the White House now and Dana Bash with more there.

Dana, good morning.

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill. And the pictures you just saw of the president, we were out there earlier and noticed that he seemed to have a little bit more of a spring in his step this morning. Clearly, he had gotten the news of these extraordinary job numbers for the White House.

This is, of course, the second month in a row that the numbers have exceeded what experts thought would happen. And this is something that the White House has been waiting for quite sometime. There you see 288,000 jobs added for the month of April.

Now, the White House statement, according to White House spokesman Trent Duffy, is that they think this is proof that the president's economic plan is working, and that they are hoping that this will help some people in Congress understand that they want to make the tax relief permanent. That, of course, is what the president talks about on the campaign trail.

As you mentioned, he is going to Iowa and Wisconsin today. This is going to be some welcome news for the Bush political team to bring with him on the bus tour that he's doing there. These are key states for him in the reelection, and the economy is certainly a top issue.

However, having said all that, Bill, one administration official said this morning in terms of the mood here, that it is essentially bittersweet. While they had been waiting for months for the job numbers to catch up with the rest of the economy, this comes on a day and at a time where the focus is, of course, on these pictures out of Iraq. And as one official said, the inhumane treatment of some members of the U.S. military of Iraqi prisoners.

So they are trying to contain their excitement on the economy. And politically, of course, we understand and we know that they are quite happy that they think that perhaps they're getting the economy back away from Democrats. But the issue of Iraq, which is one they thought they would be able to run on successfully for the president, perhaps is slipping away from them -- Bill.

HEMMER: Dana Bash on the front lawn. Dana, thanks for that.

Two hours and waiting right now. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld expected to apologize to members of Congress for keeping them in the dark over the Iraq prisoner abuse scandal. He's also expected to announce the formation of an independent panel to look into how the Pentagon handled these investigations.

President Bush says Secretary Rumsfeld still will remain in his cabinet. He talked about that yesterday in the rose garden after a meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I told him I was sorry for the humiliation suffered by the Iraqi prisoners and the humiliation suffered by their families. I told him I was equally sorry that people who have been seeing those pictures didn't understand the true nature and heart of America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Trying to measure the impact for all of this, political analyst Carlos Watson our guest now in D.C.

Carlos, welcome. Good to see you again. And good morning.

CARLOS WATSON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Good morning.

HEMMER: Secretary Rumsfeld is going to start in two hours. Have you thought about where we are at the end of the day regarding this issue?

WATSON: I think that for most voters today, frankly, the president's apology probably will go a long way. Certainly for Republicans, who give the president right now a 91 percent approval rating, versus Democrats only give the president 18 percent approval rating. I think the Republican base will hold.

I think there are three scenarios, Bill, in which I think a further problem could emerge. One, if there is proof of a clear cover-up. Two, if we hear even more graphic or, frankly, see more graphic pictures -- not just re-descriptions, but see more graphic pictures or videos. Or, three, I think if there is an international incident where it's clear that more of our soldiers have been harmed as a result of this, then I think you'll see a stronger public reaction. But as of now, I think it's mainly inside the beltway and international action that we're seeing.

HEMMER: Well, take the end of that part and put it with Senator Kerry's words from yesterday. Listen here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Today, I have a message for the men and women of our armed forces. As commander in chief, I will honor your commitment and I will take responsibility for the bad, as well as the good.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: So then, Carlos, you mentioned inside the beltway. What is the impact on Senator Kerry's campaign? Is there anyone to measure at this point?

WATSON: The most recent poll we saw, a slight move. And currently, Senator Kerry, depending on which poll you look at, may be slightly ahead. Whereas, several weeks ago, he was down by two or three points in some polls.

I think as of now, Senator Kerry still has not made the most either of this issue or other troubles in Iraq. Voters still don't feel like he's got an alternative credible plan. And while he came out with a statement, that's still a far cry from a decisive and determinative point of view that voters can associate with him and say, I'd rather go in that direction. When I say voters, I mean particularly Independent and swing voters.

HEMMER: You mentioned the surveys. Here is a new poll from Gallup. I'll put two on the screen for you to see here now. "Was it worth going to war?" Now they say 50 percent -- back in April, say three weeks ago, up about two more points, to 52 percent.

"How well are things going for the U.S. in Iraq?" Thirty-seven percent say well. Sixty-two percent say it's gone poorly. What do you make of this?

WATSON: Well, I think it's interesting. I mean, Americans are saying two things. They're saying things aren't going well, but we're still not going to give up. And it's what some pollsters call a rallying effect. We've seen it in a number of wars over the years, including in Vietnam.

The question is, will those numbers come together between now and November? Meaning, will voters not only say things aren't going well, but also, was it worth it, and, therefore, decide to replace President Bush perhaps with Senator Kerry. But as of now, things are holding. And I think that's interesting.

The last thing I'll add is that there a significant gender gap. A majority of women say that it was not worth going to war, whereas, currently, a majority of men say that it was worth going to war. And I would watch that gender gap over time as well.

HEMMER: We will. Something to think about. Thanks, Carlos. And later tonight, we'll see you on "WOLF BLITZER REPORTS." And "The Inside Edge" comes your way every Friday, 5:00 with Wolf. Check Carlos out there.

And again, another reminder: 11:30, our coverage starts down in D.C.; 11:45, Secretary Rumsfeld expected to begin there.

Heidi?

COLLINS: That big April jobs report is out now, and the impact of the low-carb diets on Krispy Kreme. Andy Serwer "Minding Your Business" today.

OK, I think one is a little bit more important than the other. Some big numbers?

ANDY SERWER, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, FORTUNE MAGAZINE: Yes, the jobs report, Dana Bash talking about it earlier, Heidi. Very good news for the economy, 288,000 jobs created in April. Way more than expected. And a jobs report revised for the months of March and February as well.

Now over 700,000 jobs created in the last three months. Very good stuff. The unemployment rate falls to 5.6 percent.

COLLINS: And?

SERWER: Krispy Kreme.

COLLINS: Working (ph) at Krispy Kreme?

SERWER: Yes. Krispy Kreme stock, though, taking a beating this morning, down more than $5 to $25. And what's going on here is they're saying the low-carb craze is finally beginning to hurt their sales. People avoiding all those doughnuts. And you've got to catch up with them eventually, right?

COLLINS: That surprises me, because if you're eating doughnuts you're probably never really thinking at all about any type of diet, right?

SERWER: Yes, that's right. But, you know, people are really catching on to this.

One thing I should add, though. I want to correct a report that I gave on Wednesday about Corning, talking about a glass plant closing in Pennsylvania, a thousand jobs lost. That is correct.

However, the jobs that were shipped overseas, they weren't shipped overseas in the sense that the factory that was built in China had nothing to do with Corning. It was a Chinese company that did that. So I just wanted to set that straight.

COLLINS: Independently. SERWER: Yes.

COLLINS: All right. Thanks so much, Andy Serwer.

SERWER: You're welcome.

COLLINS: Appreciate it.

Bill?

HEMMER: In a moment, here, a grandmother goes on a hiking adventure and gets in a bit over her head. A lot of people there, though, pitching in to help her out. The "Extra Effort." And we'll meet some of them in a moment here.

Also, the folks on "Friends" say goodbye. We'll find out how they did last night in a special Friday edition of "90-Second Pop."

Back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Turning us now with reaction to the "Friends" finale -- now bear with me, there's a few people here today -- humorist Andy Borowitz; New York Magazine contributing editor, Sarah Bernard; BJ Sigesmund, staff editor for US Weekly; CNN entertainment reporter Sibila Vargas; and Toure, contributing editor for Rolling Stone.

So, what we want to do first...

(CROSSTALK)

COLLINS: Let's go ahead and listen, you guys, really quick, to the big moment of the whole show. We'll start there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "FRIENDS")

DAVID SCHWIMMER, ACTOR, "FRIENDS": Oh my god. Did she get off the plane? Did she get off the plane?

JENNIFER ANISTON, ACTOR, "FRIENDS": I got off the plane.

(END VIDEO CLIP, "FRIEND")

COLLINS: Well? All right. Toure, go ahead.

TOURE, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, ROLLING STONE: Another boring, sappy episode of "Friends" as interesting as a Ritz cracker. I mean, my god, they all act stupid, they're all simple-minded, they've learned nothing. Like, I mean, it wasn't sad, like the end of "Sex and the City," it wasn't smart like the end of "Seinfeld." It was just boring, boring, boring.

SARAH BERNARD, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, NEW YORK MAGAZINE: I think it's the subplots that were the worst. I mean, Ross and Rachel had to be together or it was going to be, you know, revolt in the streets. But the duck and the chick? What was that? And then going to the wrong airport? I mean, that's in a car commercial.

ANDY BOROWITZ, HUMORIST: I want to give this the benefit of the doubt, but it completely lacked the closure and catharsis of the final episode of "Saved by the Bell."

BJ SIGESMUND, STAFF EDITOR, US WEEKLY: About that drive to the airport, in the words of Chandler, could it have been any more cliche? Like "Friends" invented that cliche, the drive to the airport.

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: I think I was the only one who actually enjoyed it?

(CROSSTALK)

VARGAS: I really liked it, and I think it was endearing, you know, Ross and Rachel getting together. And I actually got goosebumps.

TOURE: Who could have predicted that, though?

SIGESMUND: This episode shrouded in secrecy for four months. Don't let anyone know what happened, as if we all couldn't have predicted this.

COLLINS: Listen, if you're a writer for the show and you know that the entire contingent of people who watch this program are wanting Ross and Rachel back together to end on that note, what do you do as a writer?

BERNARD: I think you want to give them in a sense what they want. You want to satisfy them. But you want to do it in an interesting way. And I guess their attempt was that answering machine, last-minute arrival. But it just wasn't that clever.

(CROSSTALK)

BOROWTIZ: It gave David Schwimmer a great chance to show off his acting, I thought. "Did she get off the plane?" That was good.

COLLINS: But tell me, Sarah...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It will be better next week, though.

COLLINS: It will be better next week, right. No more chances, though. What was it about this cast of characters, leaving out last night, if you want, that worked so well?

BERNARD: It was their chemistry. It was obviously the way that they all reacted together. I mean, they were such rounded characters. Everyone was, you know, very clear of their individual personalities. And they really, I think, did a great job of all these 10 years making them that way. I mean, so many shows are just so not well drawn like that.

SIGESMUND: Although, ironically, Joey has gotten more one dimensional as this series has wrapped up. And now he's the one who has his own series.

(CROSSTALK)

VARGAS: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) they said that the first season -- actually, even before the first season, on the pilot -- it felt as if they were doing the third season. That is how close they were.

And what was also amazing about them is that they were friends on the set and they were also friends outside of the set. And they negotiated their million-dollar-per-episode deal together. There were no deals.

(CROSSTALK)

BOROWITZ: That's a bonding moment when you get that million- dollar deal.

COLLINS: But this is "90-Second Pop," and we are out of time.

BOROWITZ: We'll be there for you, Heidi.

COLLINS: All right. Well, thank you so much. Having to go through all of the names...

BOROWITZ: Group hug! Group hug!

COLLINS: All right. Thanks, everybody. Appreciate it this morning.

Bill, back over to you.

HEMMER: Thank you, Heidi.

In a moment here, the 81-year-old grandmother lost in the rugged back country and the extra effort that saved her life. We'll meet her and her rescuers after the break here on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Our weekly "Extra Effort" series pays tribute to those who go the extra mile helping others. This morning, it's the dramatic rescue of an 81-year-old woman who disappeared while hiking in California's rugged back country.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS (voice-over): Lost, dazed, and seriously dehydrated, 81- year-old Sybil Hilton had spent 50 hours alone in California's Sequoia National Forest. Each passing hour put her in greater danger, a fact that was not lost on the nearly 100 people searching for her.

SYBIL HILTON, RESCUED FROM RAVINE: So much attention. I'm not used to all this.

COLLINS: A passionate hiker, Hilton had traversed the trails in these mountains for more than 30 years. But she says while hiking a week ago Sunday, she injured her leg, became disoriented, and couldn't find her way back. Her disappearance set off a massive search, which included local residence, mounted patrols and chopper crews.

HILTON: I think it's amazing, and especially volunteers. My god!

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: And joining us now from Bakersfield, California, we have 81-year-old Sybil Hilton, along with two friends who rescued her, Bill Roberts and his wife, Jeri Bridges.

Thanks so much for being with us, all of you.

Sybil, I want to begin with you. How do you feel today?

HILTON: I feel fine. Felt kind of (UNINTELLIGIBLE) a couple of days ago, but I feel good today.

COLLINS: I see that your leg is up there. I know you're recovering from a wound. Tell us really quickly how you were lost in the first place.

HILTON: I apparently just got disoriented. And when I hurt my leg, all I could think about was trying to get moving somewhere where I could be found. And it just hurt too much to move.

COLLINS: I know you're an avid hiker, but you were with a couple of friends who just plain would not give up on you.

Geri, I want to ask you -- tell us about your hunch and why you decided to go off the grid to find your friend.

JERI BRIDGES, RESCUER: Well, Sybil taught me a lot about the back country, and one of the things that she made perfectly clear, like 40 years ago, was if you are lost, always head downhill. So that was playing in my mind and that's what we did.

COLLINS: Well, thank goodness you learned that from her, because that's where you found her.

Sybil, did you hear any of the rescue choppers flying overhead trying to find you?

HILTON: Yes, I heard them from Sunday on, but I put some red mitts on top of a couple of climbing sticks and waved them around and turned my parka inside out because it was dark blue on the outside and light blue on the inside. And I waved it around, but obviously, nobody saw it.

COLLINS: I guess not.

Bill, tell us about...

HILTON: I was trying to get attention.

COLLINS: Yes, good idea.

Bill, tell us about the moment that you actually found Sybil. How did that feel?

BILL ROBERTS, RESCUER: It felt wonderful. We were stumbling down a real steep ravine and heard this little voice, "Hello, hello, hello." And Jeri said, "That's Sybil." And I said, "Oh my god. It' can't be."

You know, I was expecting the worst. And the closer I got, it was Sybil and she looked good. And I just felt awe-inspired. The tears were practically coming to my eyes. And I ran down the ravine and even started a few rocks rolling, which wasn't going to be good because...

COLLINS: Yes.

ROBERTS: Anyway, it was a wonderful feeling.

COLLINS: Well, I can only imagine. Certainly are glad that all three of you are safe. In particular, you, Sybil. Thanks so much for being with us, the three of you, Sybil Hilton, Bill Roberts and Jeri Bridges. Thanks, guys.

HEMMER: What a great ending, too.

In a moment here, anti-American words and actions today in the volatile town of Najaf in southern Iraq. Full details next hour. Carol Lin has that on "CNN LIVE TODAY." She's working for Daryn.

We're back in a moment on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Have a great weekend. We've got to run. Here is Carol Lin at the CNN Center, working for Daryn Kagan today. I think Daryn is up here for Anderson later tonight.

Good morning, Carol.

CAROL LIN, CNN ACHOR: Good morning to all of you.

COLLINS: Hey, Carol.

LIN: Hi there, Heidi.

Good morning, everyone, from the CNN headquarters in Atlanta. I'm Carol Lin.

Topping the headlines at this hour, all eyes are on Capitol Hill today. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is about to get a public tongue lashing over the scandalous treatment of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. forces. The verbal fireworks are set to start at 11:45 a.m. Eastern.


Aired May 7, 2004 - 9:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. And word this morning that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will apologize. But already, some in Congress say that is not enough.
From the rim of a Martian crater, a picture of outstanding beauty and perhaps scientific value as well.

And the "Friends" finale. Do you believe the hype?

On this AMERICAN MORNING.

ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.

HEMMER: All right. Good morning, everyone. Nine o'clock here in New York. Soledad enjoying a final day off for this week. She has to get up early on Monday morning, and she'll be back here with us.

In the meantime...

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And just as you said that, the sun came out. Isn't that nice?

HEMMER: That's nice. Heidi Collins with us. Good morning to you again.

COLLINS: Good morning. Lots of stories we're following today.

One of them, a lawyer from Portland, Oregon, an American citizen, may be caught up in the Madrid train be bombings. We'll get a report on why he's been taken into custody by the FBI.

HEMMER: Also this hour, learning a little bit more about a new drug that could help millions of people get the all-important sleep that they've been missing.

COLLINS: You need some.

HEMMER: We could use it around here, let me tell you.

What's up, Jack?

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: The Question of the Day has to do with this liberal think tank down in Washington that after much thought has decided that the right, or the conservatives in this country, have succeeded in making the word "liberal" a dirty word when they prefer to people of the Democratic persuasion. They think the Democrats should use a different word to describe themselves, and we'll tell you what that is. But those are the letters we're getting, is the word "liberal" a dirty word.

HEMMER: Good deal. All right.

COLLINS: All right, Jack. Thanks so much.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will apologize today, according to a senior Republican aide. He will be testifying on Capitol Hill. Capitol Hill correspondent Ed Henry is joining us now with some more on all of this.

Ed, good morning to you.

ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi.

A senior Senate Republican aide has confirmed to CNN this morning that Secretary Rumsfeld has indicated to the committee privately that he will issue an apology to the committee and to the Congress this morning in his testimony this morning before the Senate Armed Services Committee, which begins at 11:45 this morning.

Rumsfeld also will be announcing, according to this Republican aide, that he is pointing an independent commission to investigate this prison abuse scandal. And that will be coming in his testimony here. And as you know, later in the afternoon at 3:00 p.m., he'll be testifying before the House Armed Services Committee and reiterating that same information -- Heidi.

COLLINS: We are already hearing a little bit about the possibility that he will be apologizing to Congress for keeping them in the dark, if you will. Are we hearing anything about what they feel this impact will be? If it might be a little too little, too late?

HENRY: That's right. Some very interesting political information bubbling up this morning, which is that Republicans here are privately saying that this may be too little, too late, frankly, and that they feel these two gestures, the apology and creating the independent commission, is something -- those are things that the secretary should have done a long time ago. And obviously, members in both parties are very frustrated at the fact that Rumsfeld did not keep them in the loop, kept Congress in the dark, did not let them know what was happening, and you're going to see a lot of frustration aired at the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in just a couple of hours -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right. Ed Henry live on Capitol Hill this morning. Ed, thanks so much.

Meanwhile, U.S. soldiers in Iraq are battling supporters of Muqtada al-Sadr on several fronts now. The rebel cleric delivered a weekly sermon today despite the fighting near the holy city of Najaf. Al-Sadr condemned the U.S. over the Iraq prisoner abuse scandal.

Fresh clashes also being reported near Karbala. At least eight insurgents were reportedly killed in that region.

A new Gallup poll shows Americans almost evenly split over the war in Iraq. Those surveyed were asked whether if it was worth going to war. Fifty percent said it was, 47 percent said it was not. There's a sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points.

Russian President Vladimir Putin was sworn in for his second and final term during a ceremony at the Kremlin. In his address, Mr. Putin vowed to work openly and honestly to improve the lives of Russian citizens. Putin was easily reelected in March.

Emergency contraception known as The Morning After pill will not be available over the counter, at least for now. The Food & Drug Administration yesterday rejected a recommendation of its scientific committee to expand sales of Plan B. The agency cited concern about young girls' unsupervised use of the pill. But officials say with more information they may reconsider.

And firefighters in southern California say they have almost contained a series of wildfires there. Lower temperatures and moist air are helping firefighters battle the blazes. Thousands of acres have been charred in the last week, as we've been showing you here.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HEMMER: More now on Secretary Rumsfeld's testimony. In fact, in two and a half hours from now, the Iraqi abuse scandal. Georgia Republican senator, Saxby Chambliss, a member of the Senate Armed Services committee, he is live this morning in D.C. from Capitol Hill to talk more about this.

Good morning to you, Senator.

SEN. SAXBY CHAMBLISS (R), GEORGIA: Good morning, Bill.

HEMMER: Yesterday, you said this would be grilled pretty good. What do you mean by that?

CHAMBLISS: Well, it's pretty obvious that there are a lot of upset people on Capitol Hill over the issue not just of the incident itself, but what happened following the incident. Why did it take so long for Congress to get notified about this situation, and what's been happening since the incident was discovered? What investigation has taken place? What's happened to the individuals involved? And, more significantly, what's going to happen to the chain of command, leading all the way up to Secretary Rumsfeld?

Somebody is responsible for not reporting directly to Secretary Rumsfeld on a very quick basis. Somebody is responsible for not reporting to Congress. And we're going to get the answers to those questions today.

HEMMER: Senator, CNN is reporting that Secretary Rumsfeld will apologize to Congress for not keeping them in the light regarding this story. Is that good enough for you if that happens? CHAMBLISS: Well, I would expect that to happen, but the secretary well knows that that's not enough, that he's got to answer the tough questions. But he's a professional, and he's going to do it.

He's always been very straightforward, and I know that's the way he's going to be today. But it's a very sensitive situation, very delicate situation, but one where the American people and Congress are simply entitled to know the facts.

HEMMER: It is a political season. With that in mind, Democratic Congressman John Murtha, here is what he said yesterday about this issue.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOHN MURTHA (D), PENNSYLVANIA: This policy has to be changed! We cannot prevail in this war at the policy that's going today. We either have to mobilize or we have to get out. The whole point is, this thing's got to -- the direction has got to be changed or it's unwinable, in my estimation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: The word he uses at the end, "unwinable." Smart talk or not?

CHAMBLISS: Well, I have great respect for John Murtha. I had the privilege of serving with him for eight years. He's a very dear friend of mine. And when John Murtha speaks, you better listen, because he's a very knowledgeable guy.

But he it is winnable, and we are winning. That's the important thing. You look at any aspect of this war, and while it's very ugly and it's turned nasty at number of different terms, we have to remember this is war. But the fact of the matter is we're winning.

We're making great strides. We're moving towards a June 30 date of turning this government over to the Iraqis to form an independent government of their own. And that's significant; that's important. We're seeing good things happening in addition to the ugly things that are happening.

HEMMER: Senator, thank you. We will be watching here from our corner here in New York City. Senator Saxby Chambliss, Republican from Georgia there on Capitol Hill.

CHAMBLISS: Good to be with you, Bill.

HEMMER: Thank you, sir.

Live coverage later today. We'll start at 11:300 with Wolf down in D.C. Secretary Rumsfeld kicks it off at 11:45 a.m. Eastern Time.

Heidi? COLLINS: A new audiotape containing a message purportedly from Osaka bin Laden has surfaces, and for the first time, the al Qaeda leader offers a material reward to anyone who kills certain U.S. and U.N. officials. The voice on the tape, whose identity has not yet been verified by intelligence officials, also criticizes the June handover of power in Iraq.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The so-called handover for the Iraqis is nothing but a mockery for the people, and also weakens the military opposition. This was understood by the Iraqi Mujahadin, who know that the authority for a true handover will never happen until the last crusader soldier leaves Iraqi soil.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

COLLINS: On the tape, the speaker offers 22 pounds of gold to anyone who kills Coalition Provisional Authority head, Paul Bremer. Also mentioned specifically in the bounty offer, U.N. Secretary- General Kofu Annon and his special envoy in Iraq, Lakhdar Brahma.

HEMMER: About nine minutes past the hour now. They're holding a man from Oregon, a lawyer in that state in connection with the train bombings of Spain back on the 11th of March. One official says Brandon Mayfield's fingerprints were on materials linked to the bombings.

From Portland, Oregon, today, the former lawyer and a friend for Mayfield, is Thomas Nelson, our guest now from the Pacific Northwest.

And welcome, sir, to our program here on AMERICAN MORNING.

THOMAS NELSON, FMR. MAYFIELD ATTORNEY: Thank you.

HEMMER: What do you make of the charges? Well, the charges are not been filed yet; we want to be cautious on that. But what do you make of the allegations right now that are now public in this country?

NELSON: I think first we have to recognize that the allegations are the allegations in a case filed in what's called a material witness case. Mr. Mayfield is not named as a suspect or defendant. He is merely in custody in order to assure his presence for testimony to the grand jury here in Portland, Oregon.

That's emphatic to note, because engaging in the presumption of innocence, which is entitled to all of us, particularly for a witness who hasn't been charged with anything, it's important to tell the public, particularly his clients, friends, family and those in the community out here in Portland that he has not been charged with anything, contrary to a lot of the innuendo that is coming out of the Justice Department in Washington, D.C.

HEMMER: If I could stop you for a second. When you talk about a material witness, define that in this case as it applies to your friend and former client. NELSON: The material witness means somebody who may have, not does, but may have information that nay assist an ongoing investigation. It is somebody who might know something that they might find helpful. And the purpose of the statute is to make sure that that person is, in fact, available when the grand jury meets to hear the testimony.

HEMMER: Mr. Nelson, the fingerprints apparently found on a plastic bag that was used and connected with some sort of explosives in the March 11th attacks, how do you explain away that?

NELSON: I cannot even comment on the fact that there might or might not have been fingerprints, because I was at the hearing and I am prohibited from speaking about that. The information about the fingerprints came from the Justice Department through Mr. Isikoff at Newsweek. And while the Justice Department engages in enormous leaks that have terrible, tragic consequences upon the community and, more particularly, the family and the children, I cannot address any of those allegations to the merits. All I can do is say, people out there, do not turn your backs on Mr. Mayfield or his family or his children in this time of trouble.

HEMMER: What was your friend's views, or what are they today, rather, on radical extremism, on the Muslim world in the sense that it relates to al Qaeda and those who believe the United States' position around the world, especially in that region is wrong?

NELSON: Mr. Mayfield is a very moderate, very sensible, very middle-of-the-road loving father, loving husband, and member of the community. The fact that he is a Muslim appears to be why this case is getting all of the attention it is getting. He is not a terrorist. He has not been charged with terrorism, notwithstanding some of the implications and innuendo coming out of Washington, D.C.

He is a straight down the road former Army officer, discharged honorably, working pro bono projects, working for the Oregon State Bar in its Modest Means program, working with people who need a hand up. He is not a rich man. He is a sole practitioner. He has a -- very frankly, a fragile practice that is being obliterated by this activity coming out of Washington, D.C.

HEMMER: Mr. Nelson, in short, are you suggesting that these charges will be dismissed completely, or the allegations, anyway, will be thrown out?

NELSON: I don't know what's going to happen. I am no longer his attorney. We agreed yesterday that he needs somebody who practices criminal law full-time. And I certainly do not do that.

So the case has been turned over. I really cannot comment on the substance of this. The judge made that very clear yesterday.

HEMMER: Thomas Nelson, thanks.

NELSON: Thank you.

HEMMER: Friend, former lawyer of Brandon Mayfield there in Portland, Oregon, talking to us from the Pacific Northwest.

COLLINS: Still to come this morning, President Bush tells the Arab world he's sorry. What effect might his words have on the presidential race? Political analysis ahead.

HEMMER: Also, more dazzling pictures of Mars. The latest postcards from the Rover Opportunity in a moment.

COLLINS: And is America's fascination with low-crab diets forecasting disaster for Crispy Creme? Andy Serwer will have that.

It's all ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: NASA Scientists say they're thrilled about the Mars Rover Opportunity's new mission. The robotic probe now moving very close to a large Martian crater. Engineers would erect the Rover to circle the Endurance Crater, as it's known. Later, they hope to get the Rover inside that crater and study the rock formations found therein.

Heidi?

COLLINS: Sundays is Mother's Day, as you know. And hundreds of thousands of women plan to spend it marching against gun violence. The Million Mom March in Washington will focus on extending the assault weapons ban due to expire in September.

Donna Dees-Thomases is the founder of the Million Mom Movement. Her new book is titled "Looking For a Few Good Moms." And Donna joins us now to tell us all about this.

Donna, good morning to you. Tell me, how does this march, or how do you think this march will differ from the one four years ago?

DONNA DEES-THOMASES, FOUNDER, MILLION MOM MARCH: Well, first of all, four years ago, we were at the National Mall. We don't have to fill the Mall up with a million people. We're going to be on the west lawn of the Capitol this time, right at the spot where George W. Bush took his oath of office as President four years ago.

Because of the tremendous success of the Million Mom March, he called us, he wrote us, he told us that if he were elected President, he would make sure he would renew the assault weapons ban, which was going to expire on his watch. It's set to expire in September, so we're going back to Washington. We're looking for a few committed activists to go stand with us on the Capitol lawn and to say, Mr. President, please honor your promise four years ago.

COLLINS: You know, there are going to be some people protesting that, as I'm sure you've probably heard. In fact, there's a group called the Second Amendment Sisters. They say this about your motives regarding assault weapons ban: "They have even stated that they wish not only to extend the assault weapons, but also to strengthen it. That proves the point that people on our side made 10 years ago, that this was just the first step in their total agenda in outlawing guns entirely."

Do you want to outlaw guns entirely?

DEES-THOMASES: That's ridiculous. We do not.

We want to take AK-47s and oozies off of our streets. They were banned 10 years ago after a spate of some horrible shootings, where people would run into McDonald's and kill as many people as possible. There was a shooting in an elementary school in Stockton, California, in 1989 where five kids were killed, 29 others injured in less than three minutes.

These are weapons of mass destruction. These are not weapons for hunting, these are not weapons for personal protection. These are weapons to kill as many people as quickly as possible. We're going back to Washington on Mother's Day to make sure that we get this assault weapons ban renewed by September.

COLLINS: And quickly, before you go, in writing this book, obviously you talk about the single incidents that sparked your idea for the book. In the five years that you've been doing this now, what is the single biggest thing that you've learned?

DEES-THOMASES: How dedicated activists can be. We really don't need a million of people to show up in Washington on Mother's Day. We need five committed activists in every congressional district to show up.

Our events is sponsored by Essence Magazine, so we finally have women of color who have joined our organization. They've been doing it alone for a long time, and now we're going to unite on Mother's Day. And this year, we also have some fantastic men who are going to be with us. From "Law & Order," Richard Belzer, Kenneth Cole, the fashion designer, Jesse Jackson, Sr. The reverend is going to be our keynote speaker.

So this time, what I've learned is that we need a few dedicated, committed people to show up on the west lawn of the Capitol on Mother's Day, and that we can make a difference together.

COLLINS: Men or women, all right.

DEES-THOMASES: Men or women.

COLLINS: Great. Thanks for being with us.

DEES-THOMASES: Thank you.

COLLINS: Donna Dees- Thomases, author of "Looking For a Few Good Moms." Thanks so much.

Bill?

HEMMER: Heidi, it's 9:19 here in New York, about two and a half hours away from the testimony from Secretary Rumsfeld. What can we expect in a moment here. Plus, no more sleepless nights. How does that sound? Sanjay and a potential new drug to help the insomniacs in the crowd.

Back in a moment after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: For millions of Americans, sleep can be a series of tosses and turns every night. Now, a new pill that may spell relief for the insomniac. Sanjay is back with us here with details on this story.

It could be really good news.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It could be. It's a perfect story for morning anchors, as it turns out. We'll talk about that as well.

First of all, insomnia, you know, a lot of people define insomnia differently. So it's important to define this correctly.

It's not so much the lack of sleep. That's not what insomnia really is, but rather poor quality sleep. Tossing and turning, as you can see there, difficulty falling to sleep at night, waking up frequently during the night. A lot of people suffer from this, 70 million insomniacs of some sort or another. So a lot of interest in this in terms of developing drugs, medications, that might actually help with this.

We've talked about this before. There is a drug out there that we're -- gaining a lot of momentum. It's called Estorra. And there is some study findings; we're going to present those to you.

This just came from the American Psychiatric Association. They're petitioning for FDA approval. This is why: quicker falling asleep time, longer stretches of uninterrupted sleep, greater total amount of sleep time.

And here is the kicker: effective for up to 12 months. A lot of the other chronic insomniac agents about six months in effectiveness. This one perhaps a year.

Now, in full disclosure, a lot of these studies were paid for by the company that makes them. But we also made sure that a lot of independent sleep experts verified this. There is some genuine excitement about this.

HEMMER: If someone is listening to this, who is a good candidate for a drug like this?

GUPTA: Not everybody. Not everybody. Not for the person who occasionally has difficulty falling asleep.

A very good point there, because this is more for people who have a reason not to fall asleep over long periods of time. You can take a look. Long-term pain conditions, for example, that could be a problem. Ongoing stress, a sick loved on in the house, things like that. But there certainly people who are not good candidates as well.

People who have severe sleep apnea, that's an entirely different problem. If you're on call as a doctor, of if you're going to be driving, you shouldn't be taking this medication either.

The elderly or frail, always a difficult population to target. Sleeping agents difficult in them. Usually, you have to use reduced doses. Estorra may not be a good choice for them either.

HEMMER: I'm getting tired.

GUPTA: How much sleep did you get?

HEMMER: Not bad. Five hours. That's about what I average.

"WEEKEND HOUSE CALL," a quick reminder to our viewers out there. See you tomorrow morning, Saturday morning on the weekends. "Life Beyond Limits" continues tomorrow. So you get some good sleep, all right?

Sanjay, thanks.

Heidi?

COLLINS: Want to quickly get to Jack now and the Question of the Day. Talking about "liberal" and that word, right?

CAFFERTY: Yes. You know, the other you can do if you have trouble sleeping is just put on the "F" word network. Night-night.

HEMMER: Have you tried that?

CAFFERTY: It works. It works.

A report by the Senate for American Progress saying that the right has managed to hang the label "liberal" on Democrats and turn it into, in fact, a dirty word. It used to mean well-meaning, admirable, but now it's come to mean weak, naive and effective. The study was done by a liberal think tank down in Washington that suggests that Democrats or liberals should use the word "progressive" to describe themselves instead of "liberal."

So the question is, do you think "liberal" is a dirty word?

Jim in Cambridge, New York: "Liberal and conservative are just cosmetic titles of convenience. Politician is the word that's ugly and goes to the bone."

Barbara in Asheville, North Carolina: "Hell, no. We liberals have been working for the very issues that define this country: social justice, freedom of religion, equal opportunity, and, last but not least, preserving our land and air. We need to take pride in our name and actions." Shirley in Atlanta, Georgia -- that's where the home office is, isn't it? Yes. "Liberal is defined as tolerant in Webster's Dictionary. It's a sad day when being tolerant is a bad thing. Liberals should stop letting conservatives define who they are and proudly announce their liberalism to the world."

Don in Wisconsin: "Jack, conservatives should not be putting down liberals at this time. They don't have much to work with, but they need all the help they can get to raise their self esteem."

And DW in Crescent City, California, "I like being called liberal. It's a proud title. Failing that, I'll settle for renaissance man or even gorgeous hunk."

HEMMER: Nice. Did you see the finale last night?

CAFFERTY: I missed it, along with all of the other 164,000 episodes of that show that I missed as well. Yeah, I've never seen it.

HEMMER: Well, just for you, Heidi did a great "90-Second Pop" today with a big old bank of friends, three women, three men. So in a moment here, a friendly farewell. All over now for (ph) syndication.

The final episode last night. Was it worth the hype? Part of our special, "90-Second Pop" on a Friday morning after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Welcome back, everybody -- 9:30 here in New York. Heidi is in for Soledad this week.

Good morning again to you.

COLLINS: Good morning.

HEMMER: President Bush has already said he is sorry. That coming yesterday. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld now expected to apologize for not keeping Congress informed about the abuse of Iraqi prisoners. Carlos Watson, our political analyst, in a moment telling us if he thinks any of that matters to voters. And, if so, how much and to what degree in a moment here.

COLLINS: Also, many "Friends" fans may be feeling withdrawal symptoms this morning. We have a special Friday edition of "90-Second Pop" to deal with the end of "Friends."

We're going to move on to the news, though, this morning first.

The Bush administration to be reaching out to the Palestinians to discuss the stalled Middle East peace process. A U.S. official says National Security Adviser Condoleeza Rice will meet with the Palestinian prime minister perhaps as early as May 17. The meeting is expected to take place in Germany.

Al Qaeda may be offering gold in exchange for the killings of top U.S. and U.N. officials. The offer was made in a new audiotape purportedly from Osama bin Laden. The voice on the tape is offering 22 pounds of gold to anyone who kills top U.S. civil administrator, Paul Bremer, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, or his enjoy, Lakhdar Brahimi. Intelligence officials have not independently identified the identity of the speaker.

Emergency contraception known as The Morning After pill will not be sold over the counter. The Food & Drug administration yesterday rejected a recommendation of its scientific committee to expand sales of Plan B. The agency cited concern about young girls' unsupervised use of the pills. The maker of the drug says it will try again for an approval.

And firefighters in southern California say they have almost contained a series of wildfires there. Lower temperatures and moist air are helping firefighters battle the blazes. Thousands of acres have been charred in the last week.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HEMMER: President Bush this morning off on a two-state campaign swing. He left the White House just a few moments ago, heading for a brief bus tour. Stops in Iowa, stops in Wisconsin. Today's trip followed some upbeat economic news: 288,000 jobs added to payrolls during the month of April. That far exceeds the expectation of about 175,000.

To the White House now and Dana Bash with more there.

Dana, good morning.

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill. And the pictures you just saw of the president, we were out there earlier and noticed that he seemed to have a little bit more of a spring in his step this morning. Clearly, he had gotten the news of these extraordinary job numbers for the White House.

This is, of course, the second month in a row that the numbers have exceeded what experts thought would happen. And this is something that the White House has been waiting for quite sometime. There you see 288,000 jobs added for the month of April.

Now, the White House statement, according to White House spokesman Trent Duffy, is that they think this is proof that the president's economic plan is working, and that they are hoping that this will help some people in Congress understand that they want to make the tax relief permanent. That, of course, is what the president talks about on the campaign trail.

As you mentioned, he is going to Iowa and Wisconsin today. This is going to be some welcome news for the Bush political team to bring with him on the bus tour that he's doing there. These are key states for him in the reelection, and the economy is certainly a top issue.

However, having said all that, Bill, one administration official said this morning in terms of the mood here, that it is essentially bittersweet. While they had been waiting for months for the job numbers to catch up with the rest of the economy, this comes on a day and at a time where the focus is, of course, on these pictures out of Iraq. And as one official said, the inhumane treatment of some members of the U.S. military of Iraqi prisoners.

So they are trying to contain their excitement on the economy. And politically, of course, we understand and we know that they are quite happy that they think that perhaps they're getting the economy back away from Democrats. But the issue of Iraq, which is one they thought they would be able to run on successfully for the president, perhaps is slipping away from them -- Bill.

HEMMER: Dana Bash on the front lawn. Dana, thanks for that.

Two hours and waiting right now. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld expected to apologize to members of Congress for keeping them in the dark over the Iraq prisoner abuse scandal. He's also expected to announce the formation of an independent panel to look into how the Pentagon handled these investigations.

President Bush says Secretary Rumsfeld still will remain in his cabinet. He talked about that yesterday in the rose garden after a meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I told him I was sorry for the humiliation suffered by the Iraqi prisoners and the humiliation suffered by their families. I told him I was equally sorry that people who have been seeing those pictures didn't understand the true nature and heart of America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Trying to measure the impact for all of this, political analyst Carlos Watson our guest now in D.C.

Carlos, welcome. Good to see you again. And good morning.

CARLOS WATSON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Good morning.

HEMMER: Secretary Rumsfeld is going to start in two hours. Have you thought about where we are at the end of the day regarding this issue?

WATSON: I think that for most voters today, frankly, the president's apology probably will go a long way. Certainly for Republicans, who give the president right now a 91 percent approval rating, versus Democrats only give the president 18 percent approval rating. I think the Republican base will hold.

I think there are three scenarios, Bill, in which I think a further problem could emerge. One, if there is proof of a clear cover-up. Two, if we hear even more graphic or, frankly, see more graphic pictures -- not just re-descriptions, but see more graphic pictures or videos. Or, three, I think if there is an international incident where it's clear that more of our soldiers have been harmed as a result of this, then I think you'll see a stronger public reaction. But as of now, I think it's mainly inside the beltway and international action that we're seeing.

HEMMER: Well, take the end of that part and put it with Senator Kerry's words from yesterday. Listen here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Today, I have a message for the men and women of our armed forces. As commander in chief, I will honor your commitment and I will take responsibility for the bad, as well as the good.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: So then, Carlos, you mentioned inside the beltway. What is the impact on Senator Kerry's campaign? Is there anyone to measure at this point?

WATSON: The most recent poll we saw, a slight move. And currently, Senator Kerry, depending on which poll you look at, may be slightly ahead. Whereas, several weeks ago, he was down by two or three points in some polls.

I think as of now, Senator Kerry still has not made the most either of this issue or other troubles in Iraq. Voters still don't feel like he's got an alternative credible plan. And while he came out with a statement, that's still a far cry from a decisive and determinative point of view that voters can associate with him and say, I'd rather go in that direction. When I say voters, I mean particularly Independent and swing voters.

HEMMER: You mentioned the surveys. Here is a new poll from Gallup. I'll put two on the screen for you to see here now. "Was it worth going to war?" Now they say 50 percent -- back in April, say three weeks ago, up about two more points, to 52 percent.

"How well are things going for the U.S. in Iraq?" Thirty-seven percent say well. Sixty-two percent say it's gone poorly. What do you make of this?

WATSON: Well, I think it's interesting. I mean, Americans are saying two things. They're saying things aren't going well, but we're still not going to give up. And it's what some pollsters call a rallying effect. We've seen it in a number of wars over the years, including in Vietnam.

The question is, will those numbers come together between now and November? Meaning, will voters not only say things aren't going well, but also, was it worth it, and, therefore, decide to replace President Bush perhaps with Senator Kerry. But as of now, things are holding. And I think that's interesting.

The last thing I'll add is that there a significant gender gap. A majority of women say that it was not worth going to war, whereas, currently, a majority of men say that it was worth going to war. And I would watch that gender gap over time as well.

HEMMER: We will. Something to think about. Thanks, Carlos. And later tonight, we'll see you on "WOLF BLITZER REPORTS." And "The Inside Edge" comes your way every Friday, 5:00 with Wolf. Check Carlos out there.

And again, another reminder: 11:30, our coverage starts down in D.C.; 11:45, Secretary Rumsfeld expected to begin there.

Heidi?

COLLINS: That big April jobs report is out now, and the impact of the low-carb diets on Krispy Kreme. Andy Serwer "Minding Your Business" today.

OK, I think one is a little bit more important than the other. Some big numbers?

ANDY SERWER, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, FORTUNE MAGAZINE: Yes, the jobs report, Dana Bash talking about it earlier, Heidi. Very good news for the economy, 288,000 jobs created in April. Way more than expected. And a jobs report revised for the months of March and February as well.

Now over 700,000 jobs created in the last three months. Very good stuff. The unemployment rate falls to 5.6 percent.

COLLINS: And?

SERWER: Krispy Kreme.

COLLINS: Working (ph) at Krispy Kreme?

SERWER: Yes. Krispy Kreme stock, though, taking a beating this morning, down more than $5 to $25. And what's going on here is they're saying the low-carb craze is finally beginning to hurt their sales. People avoiding all those doughnuts. And you've got to catch up with them eventually, right?

COLLINS: That surprises me, because if you're eating doughnuts you're probably never really thinking at all about any type of diet, right?

SERWER: Yes, that's right. But, you know, people are really catching on to this.

One thing I should add, though. I want to correct a report that I gave on Wednesday about Corning, talking about a glass plant closing in Pennsylvania, a thousand jobs lost. That is correct.

However, the jobs that were shipped overseas, they weren't shipped overseas in the sense that the factory that was built in China had nothing to do with Corning. It was a Chinese company that did that. So I just wanted to set that straight.

COLLINS: Independently. SERWER: Yes.

COLLINS: All right. Thanks so much, Andy Serwer.

SERWER: You're welcome.

COLLINS: Appreciate it.

Bill?

HEMMER: In a moment, here, a grandmother goes on a hiking adventure and gets in a bit over her head. A lot of people there, though, pitching in to help her out. The "Extra Effort." And we'll meet some of them in a moment here.

Also, the folks on "Friends" say goodbye. We'll find out how they did last night in a special Friday edition of "90-Second Pop."

Back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Turning us now with reaction to the "Friends" finale -- now bear with me, there's a few people here today -- humorist Andy Borowitz; New York Magazine contributing editor, Sarah Bernard; BJ Sigesmund, staff editor for US Weekly; CNN entertainment reporter Sibila Vargas; and Toure, contributing editor for Rolling Stone.

So, what we want to do first...

(CROSSTALK)

COLLINS: Let's go ahead and listen, you guys, really quick, to the big moment of the whole show. We'll start there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "FRIENDS")

DAVID SCHWIMMER, ACTOR, "FRIENDS": Oh my god. Did she get off the plane? Did she get off the plane?

JENNIFER ANISTON, ACTOR, "FRIENDS": I got off the plane.

(END VIDEO CLIP, "FRIEND")

COLLINS: Well? All right. Toure, go ahead.

TOURE, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, ROLLING STONE: Another boring, sappy episode of "Friends" as interesting as a Ritz cracker. I mean, my god, they all act stupid, they're all simple-minded, they've learned nothing. Like, I mean, it wasn't sad, like the end of "Sex and the City," it wasn't smart like the end of "Seinfeld." It was just boring, boring, boring.

SARAH BERNARD, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, NEW YORK MAGAZINE: I think it's the subplots that were the worst. I mean, Ross and Rachel had to be together or it was going to be, you know, revolt in the streets. But the duck and the chick? What was that? And then going to the wrong airport? I mean, that's in a car commercial.

ANDY BOROWITZ, HUMORIST: I want to give this the benefit of the doubt, but it completely lacked the closure and catharsis of the final episode of "Saved by the Bell."

BJ SIGESMUND, STAFF EDITOR, US WEEKLY: About that drive to the airport, in the words of Chandler, could it have been any more cliche? Like "Friends" invented that cliche, the drive to the airport.

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: I think I was the only one who actually enjoyed it?

(CROSSTALK)

VARGAS: I really liked it, and I think it was endearing, you know, Ross and Rachel getting together. And I actually got goosebumps.

TOURE: Who could have predicted that, though?

SIGESMUND: This episode shrouded in secrecy for four months. Don't let anyone know what happened, as if we all couldn't have predicted this.

COLLINS: Listen, if you're a writer for the show and you know that the entire contingent of people who watch this program are wanting Ross and Rachel back together to end on that note, what do you do as a writer?

BERNARD: I think you want to give them in a sense what they want. You want to satisfy them. But you want to do it in an interesting way. And I guess their attempt was that answering machine, last-minute arrival. But it just wasn't that clever.

(CROSSTALK)

BOROWTIZ: It gave David Schwimmer a great chance to show off his acting, I thought. "Did she get off the plane?" That was good.

COLLINS: But tell me, Sarah...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It will be better next week, though.

COLLINS: It will be better next week, right. No more chances, though. What was it about this cast of characters, leaving out last night, if you want, that worked so well?

BERNARD: It was their chemistry. It was obviously the way that they all reacted together. I mean, they were such rounded characters. Everyone was, you know, very clear of their individual personalities. And they really, I think, did a great job of all these 10 years making them that way. I mean, so many shows are just so not well drawn like that.

SIGESMUND: Although, ironically, Joey has gotten more one dimensional as this series has wrapped up. And now he's the one who has his own series.

(CROSSTALK)

VARGAS: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) they said that the first season -- actually, even before the first season, on the pilot -- it felt as if they were doing the third season. That is how close they were.

And what was also amazing about them is that they were friends on the set and they were also friends outside of the set. And they negotiated their million-dollar-per-episode deal together. There were no deals.

(CROSSTALK)

BOROWITZ: That's a bonding moment when you get that million- dollar deal.

COLLINS: But this is "90-Second Pop," and we are out of time.

BOROWITZ: We'll be there for you, Heidi.

COLLINS: All right. Well, thank you so much. Having to go through all of the names...

BOROWITZ: Group hug! Group hug!

COLLINS: All right. Thanks, everybody. Appreciate it this morning.

Bill, back over to you.

HEMMER: Thank you, Heidi.

In a moment here, the 81-year-old grandmother lost in the rugged back country and the extra effort that saved her life. We'll meet her and her rescuers after the break here on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Our weekly "Extra Effort" series pays tribute to those who go the extra mile helping others. This morning, it's the dramatic rescue of an 81-year-old woman who disappeared while hiking in California's rugged back country.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS (voice-over): Lost, dazed, and seriously dehydrated, 81- year-old Sybil Hilton had spent 50 hours alone in California's Sequoia National Forest. Each passing hour put her in greater danger, a fact that was not lost on the nearly 100 people searching for her.

SYBIL HILTON, RESCUED FROM RAVINE: So much attention. I'm not used to all this.

COLLINS: A passionate hiker, Hilton had traversed the trails in these mountains for more than 30 years. But she says while hiking a week ago Sunday, she injured her leg, became disoriented, and couldn't find her way back. Her disappearance set off a massive search, which included local residence, mounted patrols and chopper crews.

HILTON: I think it's amazing, and especially volunteers. My god!

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: And joining us now from Bakersfield, California, we have 81-year-old Sybil Hilton, along with two friends who rescued her, Bill Roberts and his wife, Jeri Bridges.

Thanks so much for being with us, all of you.

Sybil, I want to begin with you. How do you feel today?

HILTON: I feel fine. Felt kind of (UNINTELLIGIBLE) a couple of days ago, but I feel good today.

COLLINS: I see that your leg is up there. I know you're recovering from a wound. Tell us really quickly how you were lost in the first place.

HILTON: I apparently just got disoriented. And when I hurt my leg, all I could think about was trying to get moving somewhere where I could be found. And it just hurt too much to move.

COLLINS: I know you're an avid hiker, but you were with a couple of friends who just plain would not give up on you.

Geri, I want to ask you -- tell us about your hunch and why you decided to go off the grid to find your friend.

JERI BRIDGES, RESCUER: Well, Sybil taught me a lot about the back country, and one of the things that she made perfectly clear, like 40 years ago, was if you are lost, always head downhill. So that was playing in my mind and that's what we did.

COLLINS: Well, thank goodness you learned that from her, because that's where you found her.

Sybil, did you hear any of the rescue choppers flying overhead trying to find you?

HILTON: Yes, I heard them from Sunday on, but I put some red mitts on top of a couple of climbing sticks and waved them around and turned my parka inside out because it was dark blue on the outside and light blue on the inside. And I waved it around, but obviously, nobody saw it.

COLLINS: I guess not.

Bill, tell us about...

HILTON: I was trying to get attention.

COLLINS: Yes, good idea.

Bill, tell us about the moment that you actually found Sybil. How did that feel?

BILL ROBERTS, RESCUER: It felt wonderful. We were stumbling down a real steep ravine and heard this little voice, "Hello, hello, hello." And Jeri said, "That's Sybil." And I said, "Oh my god. It' can't be."

You know, I was expecting the worst. And the closer I got, it was Sybil and she looked good. And I just felt awe-inspired. The tears were practically coming to my eyes. And I ran down the ravine and even started a few rocks rolling, which wasn't going to be good because...

COLLINS: Yes.

ROBERTS: Anyway, it was a wonderful feeling.

COLLINS: Well, I can only imagine. Certainly are glad that all three of you are safe. In particular, you, Sybil. Thanks so much for being with us, the three of you, Sybil Hilton, Bill Roberts and Jeri Bridges. Thanks, guys.

HEMMER: What a great ending, too.

In a moment here, anti-American words and actions today in the volatile town of Najaf in southern Iraq. Full details next hour. Carol Lin has that on "CNN LIVE TODAY." She's working for Daryn.

We're back in a moment on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Have a great weekend. We've got to run. Here is Carol Lin at the CNN Center, working for Daryn Kagan today. I think Daryn is up here for Anderson later tonight.

Good morning, Carol.

CAROL LIN, CNN ACHOR: Good morning to all of you.

COLLINS: Hey, Carol.

LIN: Hi there, Heidi.

Good morning, everyone, from the CNN headquarters in Atlanta. I'm Carol Lin.

Topping the headlines at this hour, all eyes are on Capitol Hill today. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is about to get a public tongue lashing over the scandalous treatment of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. forces. The verbal fireworks are set to start at 11:45 a.m. Eastern.