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American Morning

Remembering Ronald Reagan; Transit of Venus

Aired June 08, 2004 - 07:30   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.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: 7:30 in New York City, 4:30 here in Simi Valley, California. The body of the former president, Ronald Reagan, is lying in repose inside his presidential library. Thousands will continue to pass by Mr. Reagan's body today -- all today, in fact, until about 6:00 clock local time.
Among those who we are told may visit here today, a man who would like to move into the Oval Office himself, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Senator John Kerry. He is in California for a two-day period.

Tomorrow the casket will be moved from here to Washington, D.C., where Mr. Reagan will be the 10th U.S. president to lie in state under the Capitol Rotunda. Police back in Washington say they expect upwards of 100,000 people to pay their final respects there.

Good morning, and welcome back to this special edition of AMERICAN MORNING. And to my partner in New York, Soledad, good morning there.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Bill.

In fact, it is just about half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING. I'm Soledad O'Brien in New York. As you just saw, Bill Hemmer is in Simi Valley, California, today, right at the site of the Reagan Presidential Library. We're going to check in with him throughout the morning today.

In just a few moments, a picture believed to the very last one taken of Ronald Reagan in public. We're going to talk to a young man who was only a boy at the time about his chance encounter with Mr. Reagan in a park and his impressions of him on that day.

Plus, the planet, Venus, is putting on a big show today, crossing between the Earth and the sun for the first time in 122 years. Jack Horkheimer is pretty high on the list of people who are very excited about this. We're going to talk to him this morning about what we are seeing -- Bill.

HEMMER: Soledad, thank you.

Among the first Californians to visit the casket of the former president yesterday was a man who now occupies the office here in Sacramento, as Mr. Reagan did for about an eight-year period going back to the late '60s into the mid-'70s. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, along with his wife, Maria Shriver, came here to Simi Valley yesterday. The Republican governor gave all Californians a chance to offer their thoughts for the Reagan family.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (R), CALIFORNIA: The opening books of tribute to President Reagan, books we will give later on to the family. We were moved by the words and the ideas of Ronald Reagan. He was always known as the great communicator. Now let us communicate to him and to his family.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Many of these events are carefully choreographed. With the traffic yesterday and the thousands of people who were literally waiting in line for hours yesterday, the governor here actually arrived about 10 minutes late with his wife. They did not seem to mind though, although they got caught up in the stream of mourners. It was quite fitting for him to be among the people here yesterday.

In the meantime, his most vivid memory of Ronald Reagan is not as president but as the elderly man he met in a California park seven years ago in 1987. At that time, he was age 12. Rostik Denenburg's chance encounter with Ronald Reagan in 1997 led to a picture taken by his own grandfather. It's believed to be the last public photo of the former president.

Rostik Denenburg is with us from Detroit, Michigan, to talk about his accidental role in history.

And we welcome you, and good morning. Welcome to AMERICAN MORNING here.

ROSTIK DENENBURG, HAD CHANCE ENCOUNTER WITH REAGAN: Good morning.

HEMMER: How did you recognize the president that day?

DENENBURG: My grandfather and I actually recognized him at the same time. We saw him walking through the park in L.A., and we came up and we greeted him. We shook his hand.

HEMMER: What did you say to him?

DENENBURG: We thanked him for what he did, for the Soviet Union. Myself and my grandfather are both immigrants from the Soviet Union, and he was one of the key figures responsible for destroying communism and the Cold War, and making it possible for us to immigrate to the United States.

HEMMER: What did he say to you and your grandfather?

DENENBURG: When we congratulated him, he said, "It's my job."

HEMMER: Now, Rostik, did you recognize him first or did your grandfather do that?

DENENBURG: I'd like to say it was simultaneous, but my grandfather did first, because he's seen him many more times, obviously.

HEMMER: Sure. How did the Secret Service react? I can't imagine they were too far away from that location.

DENENBURG: They were right by Mr. Reagan. And, in fact, they inspected the camera right before we shot the picture to make sure it was a camera.

HEMMER: Wow! Where's that photo today, Rostik?

DENENBURG: The photo's hanging on my wall, actually.

HEMMER: There for safekeeping. How did your family view Ronald Reagan at that point?

DENENBURG: As a hero, a great man and a great American.

HEMMER: And how did the news affect you this weekend, Rostik?

DENENBURG: It was definitely a very sad occurrence. However, we must celebrate this man's long life, and we must celebrate the things he did for the world, for the United States and for the Soviet Union.

HEMMER: Rostik, thanks for sharing. Rostik Denenburg from Detroit, Michigan, now a medical student at the University of Toledo in northwestern, Ohio, taking us back to 1977, and we remember that picture today seven years later. Thank you, Rostik.

DENENBURG: Thank you.

HEMMER: Good to see you on this Tuesday morning -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Bill, thanks.

Well, it is a rare celestial event. The last time Venus was in transit was on December 6, 1882. So, Bill Hemmer hasn't seen it, I haven't seen it, and Jack Horkheimer also has not seen it. The planet began making its move earlier this morning, crawling across the sun in what's known as the transit of Venus. Here on Earth it looks a little bit like a black dot on the sun. The event took six hours to play out, and, in fact, really just ended moments ago.

And Jack Horkheimer, who is the executive director of the Miami Planetarium, has been up all night taking a look. He joins us from Miami this morning.

Hey, Jack, good morning to you.

JACK HORKHEIMER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MIAMI PLANETARIUM: Good morning, Soledad.

O'BRIEN: I know that you've gotten no sleep whatsoever. Tell me a little about what exactly the transit of Venus is. I mean, how does it happen?

HORKHEIMER: Well, what happens is that Venus comes directly between our Earth and the sun, and it only happens in pairs about eight years apart, but about every 120 years. And it happened in 1882 the last time. And when it comes between us and the sun, we can actually, if you use special filters and special glasses, you can actually see Venus, the sphere of Venus, which is earth-size, about 8,000 miles wide, crossing the face of the sun.

In 1882, this was great science. Scientists all over the world were really cranked up about this, because they could determine by timing the entrance of Venus touching the sun, the first contact, and when Venus left the sun, the last contact, by timing this exactly, they could determine just how far away Venus was and the size of Venus. It was great science.

Today there's not a lot science to this, Soledad. It's just kind of a time, I think, to observe the precision clockwork of the universe, of our solar system. And, you know, what really is special about this -- and I was thinking this morning.

I was watching on the Web from Hong Kong and then from Turkey and then from Iran, and I just told myself, you know, this is so unusual. Because when this last occurred, if anyone would have told the greatest scientists in the world that we would actually go to Venus and go to the solar system, we'd have been locked up. I mean, we've already been to Venus now, 122 years later. We've been there, done that. We have rovers on Mars, and on July 1 we are going to go into orbit, around Saturn with the Cassini Probe.

O'BRIEN: No one would have believed it way back then. In your hand you're holding some of those eclipse glasses.

HORKHEIMER: Right.

O'BRIEN: And we've seen pictures of folks who have been watching this wearing their eclipse glasses. What happens if you don't wear them?

HORKHEIMER: If you don't wear glasses, if you look at the sun without these special Mylar glasses, you can do damage to your retina, permanent damage before you feel any pain. So, astronomers all around the world have been cautioning people about using the necessary kind of equipment. Of course, the safest way to view the whole event was by looking at it on the Web. And I had so much fun last night going from one country to the next watching through one telescope live on the Web to the next and to the next. And, you know, Soledad, this is going to occur again in eight years, in 2012. So, the United States will get a good view.

O'BRIEN: So explain to me. Why 122 years and then 8 years?

HORKHEIMER: These transits always come in pairs. It's just the way the clockwork of the cosmos works. They always come in pairs eight years apart, and then you don't see it again for another 120 years or so. But I'll tell you something for sure I can guarantee, when this occurs in 2012, the United States is going to see the entire show because it will happen in the daytime. And I'll tell you what, if I'm still here, your twins will be 8 years old and I'll send you all glasses to watch it.

O'BRIEN: Thank you. And I'll be sort of 500 years old in stress. Jack Horkheimer, nice to see, as always. I'm looking forward to that date. I'd like to see that. That would be fun to see. It's been fun to talk to you. Not only experts, but also the amateurs, are really jazzed by this sight. So thanks for joining us.

HORKHEIMER: Keep looking up, Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Thanks, Jack.

Still to come on this AMERICAN MORNING, those sky-high gas prices might be coming down, but by how much? We'll take a look at that.

Also, what's ahead? What's the next target for al Qaeda? There is a new warning out there this morning. We'll look at that on AMERICAN MORNING. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: U.S. drivers may be finding more relief at the pumps. The government says gas prices fell for a second straight week as lower fuel costs mirror a drop in crude oil prices.

Here's a look. Gas prices have fallen 3 cents from the all-time high, which was reached three weeks ago. Those prices are now averaging just over two bucks as gallon, still up 54 cents, though, from a year ago. And the government predicts that prices may fall even further as more oil from Saudi Arabia and other OPEC countries arrives here in the U.S.

As gas prices fall, things are on the rise on Wall Street. Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business."

Hello.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Hello again. Absolutely true, Soledad. The price of oil is dropping, and stocks are going higher on Wall Street; that, plus optimism over the jobs report last Friday sent stocks soaring on yesterday's session. Dow is up 148 points. Nasdaq up well over 2 percent across that vaunted Hemmer line of 2,000.

O'BRIEN: Of 2000.

SERWER: I don't know why he has such a big thing for that, but he does. It was up 42 points there on the Nasdaq.

One stock really moving higher yesterday: ImClone. You remember that at the center of Martha Stewart's scandal. It was up to a high of $82. Of course, Martha Stewart sold at $60. A big deal there. Good news on the cancer front.

Let's talk also about the NYSE closing on Friday for Ronald Reagan's funeral. It closed for most presidents' funerals going back to Nixon and Johnson. A couple of presidents it didn't close for the whole day. Taft, Wilson and Teddy Roosevelt, only half-day closures. That's kind of going back in history.

And this is a really interesting factoid about Ronald Reagan: the first sitting president to visit the New York Stock Exchange in 1985.

O'BRIEN: Oh!

(CROSSTALK)

SERWER: I was just amazed by that. Isn't it?

O'BRIEN: Yes, absolutely. I would have thought more presidents would have gone to visit the stock exchange well before then.

SERWER: Yes.

O'BRIEN: All right, Andy, thank you.

SERWER: You're welcome.

O'BRIEN: Appreciate it.

Still to come this morning, some tense moments at a strip mall. But trust us, it all ends well. And with some actually very cute pictures to boot as well. We'll explain ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Just about 15 minutes before the next hour. It's time to take a look at some of the other stories that are making headlines today. Daryn Kagan is sitting in for us.

Good morning again -- Daryn.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Soledad.

We begin in Iraq. That is where two suicide car bombings in two Iraqi cities took place this morning. The first explosion went off in Baquba, killing an American soldier. Just over an hour later in Mosul, officials say a taxi exploded near the city hall there. At least nine Iraqi civilians were killed, dozens more were wounded.

There is a new warning of a possible terrorist attack on U.S. and other western airlines. A statement was posted on two Islamic Web sites. It is signed by al Qaeda's organization in the Arabian peninsula, but that has not been verified by officials. The Department of Homeland Security says there is no indication that al Qaeda is currently targeting airlines here in the U.S.

Iraq and the Middle East are expected to dominate the agenda at the G-8 Summit on Georgia's Sea Island. The summit opens today under tight security. Some 20,000 law enforcement officers and National Guard troops are patrolling that area. The summit will wrap up on Thursday.

In New York, thousands of health care employees could be back at work today. More than 20,000 home care aides walked off the job yesterday demanding, a pay hike and better benefits. Tentative agreements have been reached with about half of the workers. New York's mayor, Michael Bloomberg, calls the potential deal "encouraging."

And speaking about encouraging and talking about getting out of a tight spot, an 8-week-old kitten ended up in a drain pipe at a strip mall in Hanley Hills, Missouri. Workers at a nearby shop heard the meows. They called in the humane society. At first, they tried to lure the kitty out with some food. He finally was pulled to safety. And there's your payoff, scared, but a little dirty. He is said to be doing well.

Soledad, there's a reason we have Bill in California when we do the animal stories, so you can appreciate that.

O'BRIEN: Wow, that's cute. I like that.

KAGAN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) kitty.

O'BRIEN: all right, Daryn, thanks.

It's time to check in with Jack and the question of the day.

Hello.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you, Soledad.

The United States, according to published reports, is thinking about pulling a third of its 37,000 troops out of South Korea by the end of next year. If the U.S. plan is finalized, South Korea says it would in turn beef up its own forces to compensate. But there is some criticism that North Korea, which has reconstituted its nuclear weapons program, might see this as a sign of weakness.

The question we asked this morning is: How dangerous is it for the U.S. to pull a third of its troops out of South Korea?

C. writes this: "It wouldn't be very dangerous at all to reduce our forces in South Korea. Over the last 50 years South Korea has been fortified. And compared to the standing forces of South Korea, our forces in theatre are nothing more than a token force anyway."

Wayne says: "Very dangerous. Under the circumstances, I don't think that Bush has much respect with foreign leaders. And the local thugs will be up to no good in no time flat."

George in Chicago writes: "It's about time we made the South Koreans take more responsibility for their own defense. With our own health care, social security and education systems in trouble, it's time the government diverted these defense funds to improving things in the country that has footed the bill for the world's defenses for the last 60 years."

And finally, Don, who is a U.S. Army retired, writes: "If we need troops from somewhere, why don't we take them from an area where we have accomplished our mission: Germany. We could rotate them through Iraq, send our Reserves and National Guard back home, where they can work on their mission, which is protecting the United States from within."

O'BRIEN: Some interesting options that the viewers are raising.

CAFFERTY: It's a very bright group that watches this program.

O'BRIEN: As you always say.

CAFFERTY: Yes.

O'BRIEN: How is the e-mail running on that? Are people agreeing, disagreeing, 50/50?

CAFFERTY: Yes, a little of each (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

O'BRIEN: All right, thanks, Jack.

CAFFERTY: Yes.

O'BRIEN: Let's head it back out to Bill Hemmer, who is standing by for us in Simi Valley and Los Angeles this morning.

Hey, Bill. Good morning again.

HEMMER: Hey, Soledad, good morning again. They have come by the thousands here to pay final respects to Ronald Reagan. They have come here to get close to history and get close to a man one final time who had a hand in changing and shaping that history. Our coverage continues live in Simi Valley in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Well, welcome back, everybody. It's a beautiful day -- or going to be at least -- here in New York City.

(WEATHER BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, they answered the call to duty. So, why are some wounded U.S. soldiers getting what critics call second-rate care? We'll look at that ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. Stay with us.

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 June 8, 2004 - 07:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: 7:30 in New York City, 4:30 here in Simi Valley, California. The body of the former president, Ronald Reagan, is lying in repose inside his presidential library. Thousands will continue to pass by Mr. Reagan's body today -- all today, in fact, until about 6:00 clock local time.
Among those who we are told may visit here today, a man who would like to move into the Oval Office himself, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Senator John Kerry. He is in California for a two-day period.

Tomorrow the casket will be moved from here to Washington, D.C., where Mr. Reagan will be the 10th U.S. president to lie in state under the Capitol Rotunda. Police back in Washington say they expect upwards of 100,000 people to pay their final respects there.

Good morning, and welcome back to this special edition of AMERICAN MORNING. And to my partner in New York, Soledad, good morning there.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Bill.

In fact, it is just about half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING. I'm Soledad O'Brien in New York. As you just saw, Bill Hemmer is in Simi Valley, California, today, right at the site of the Reagan Presidential Library. We're going to check in with him throughout the morning today.

In just a few moments, a picture believed to the very last one taken of Ronald Reagan in public. We're going to talk to a young man who was only a boy at the time about his chance encounter with Mr. Reagan in a park and his impressions of him on that day.

Plus, the planet, Venus, is putting on a big show today, crossing between the Earth and the sun for the first time in 122 years. Jack Horkheimer is pretty high on the list of people who are very excited about this. We're going to talk to him this morning about what we are seeing -- Bill.

HEMMER: Soledad, thank you.

Among the first Californians to visit the casket of the former president yesterday was a man who now occupies the office here in Sacramento, as Mr. Reagan did for about an eight-year period going back to the late '60s into the mid-'70s. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, along with his wife, Maria Shriver, came here to Simi Valley yesterday. The Republican governor gave all Californians a chance to offer their thoughts for the Reagan family.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (R), CALIFORNIA: The opening books of tribute to President Reagan, books we will give later on to the family. We were moved by the words and the ideas of Ronald Reagan. He was always known as the great communicator. Now let us communicate to him and to his family.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Many of these events are carefully choreographed. With the traffic yesterday and the thousands of people who were literally waiting in line for hours yesterday, the governor here actually arrived about 10 minutes late with his wife. They did not seem to mind though, although they got caught up in the stream of mourners. It was quite fitting for him to be among the people here yesterday.

In the meantime, his most vivid memory of Ronald Reagan is not as president but as the elderly man he met in a California park seven years ago in 1987. At that time, he was age 12. Rostik Denenburg's chance encounter with Ronald Reagan in 1997 led to a picture taken by his own grandfather. It's believed to be the last public photo of the former president.

Rostik Denenburg is with us from Detroit, Michigan, to talk about his accidental role in history.

And we welcome you, and good morning. Welcome to AMERICAN MORNING here.

ROSTIK DENENBURG, HAD CHANCE ENCOUNTER WITH REAGAN: Good morning.

HEMMER: How did you recognize the president that day?

DENENBURG: My grandfather and I actually recognized him at the same time. We saw him walking through the park in L.A., and we came up and we greeted him. We shook his hand.

HEMMER: What did you say to him?

DENENBURG: We thanked him for what he did, for the Soviet Union. Myself and my grandfather are both immigrants from the Soviet Union, and he was one of the key figures responsible for destroying communism and the Cold War, and making it possible for us to immigrate to the United States.

HEMMER: What did he say to you and your grandfather?

DENENBURG: When we congratulated him, he said, "It's my job."

HEMMER: Now, Rostik, did you recognize him first or did your grandfather do that?

DENENBURG: I'd like to say it was simultaneous, but my grandfather did first, because he's seen him many more times, obviously.

HEMMER: Sure. How did the Secret Service react? I can't imagine they were too far away from that location.

DENENBURG: They were right by Mr. Reagan. And, in fact, they inspected the camera right before we shot the picture to make sure it was a camera.

HEMMER: Wow! Where's that photo today, Rostik?

DENENBURG: The photo's hanging on my wall, actually.

HEMMER: There for safekeeping. How did your family view Ronald Reagan at that point?

DENENBURG: As a hero, a great man and a great American.

HEMMER: And how did the news affect you this weekend, Rostik?

DENENBURG: It was definitely a very sad occurrence. However, we must celebrate this man's long life, and we must celebrate the things he did for the world, for the United States and for the Soviet Union.

HEMMER: Rostik, thanks for sharing. Rostik Denenburg from Detroit, Michigan, now a medical student at the University of Toledo in northwestern, Ohio, taking us back to 1977, and we remember that picture today seven years later. Thank you, Rostik.

DENENBURG: Thank you.

HEMMER: Good to see you on this Tuesday morning -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Bill, thanks.

Well, it is a rare celestial event. The last time Venus was in transit was on December 6, 1882. So, Bill Hemmer hasn't seen it, I haven't seen it, and Jack Horkheimer also has not seen it. The planet began making its move earlier this morning, crawling across the sun in what's known as the transit of Venus. Here on Earth it looks a little bit like a black dot on the sun. The event took six hours to play out, and, in fact, really just ended moments ago.

And Jack Horkheimer, who is the executive director of the Miami Planetarium, has been up all night taking a look. He joins us from Miami this morning.

Hey, Jack, good morning to you.

JACK HORKHEIMER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MIAMI PLANETARIUM: Good morning, Soledad.

O'BRIEN: I know that you've gotten no sleep whatsoever. Tell me a little about what exactly the transit of Venus is. I mean, how does it happen?

HORKHEIMER: Well, what happens is that Venus comes directly between our Earth and the sun, and it only happens in pairs about eight years apart, but about every 120 years. And it happened in 1882 the last time. And when it comes between us and the sun, we can actually, if you use special filters and special glasses, you can actually see Venus, the sphere of Venus, which is earth-size, about 8,000 miles wide, crossing the face of the sun.

In 1882, this was great science. Scientists all over the world were really cranked up about this, because they could determine by timing the entrance of Venus touching the sun, the first contact, and when Venus left the sun, the last contact, by timing this exactly, they could determine just how far away Venus was and the size of Venus. It was great science.

Today there's not a lot science to this, Soledad. It's just kind of a time, I think, to observe the precision clockwork of the universe, of our solar system. And, you know, what really is special about this -- and I was thinking this morning.

I was watching on the Web from Hong Kong and then from Turkey and then from Iran, and I just told myself, you know, this is so unusual. Because when this last occurred, if anyone would have told the greatest scientists in the world that we would actually go to Venus and go to the solar system, we'd have been locked up. I mean, we've already been to Venus now, 122 years later. We've been there, done that. We have rovers on Mars, and on July 1 we are going to go into orbit, around Saturn with the Cassini Probe.

O'BRIEN: No one would have believed it way back then. In your hand you're holding some of those eclipse glasses.

HORKHEIMER: Right.

O'BRIEN: And we've seen pictures of folks who have been watching this wearing their eclipse glasses. What happens if you don't wear them?

HORKHEIMER: If you don't wear glasses, if you look at the sun without these special Mylar glasses, you can do damage to your retina, permanent damage before you feel any pain. So, astronomers all around the world have been cautioning people about using the necessary kind of equipment. Of course, the safest way to view the whole event was by looking at it on the Web. And I had so much fun last night going from one country to the next watching through one telescope live on the Web to the next and to the next. And, you know, Soledad, this is going to occur again in eight years, in 2012. So, the United States will get a good view.

O'BRIEN: So explain to me. Why 122 years and then 8 years?

HORKHEIMER: These transits always come in pairs. It's just the way the clockwork of the cosmos works. They always come in pairs eight years apart, and then you don't see it again for another 120 years or so. But I'll tell you something for sure I can guarantee, when this occurs in 2012, the United States is going to see the entire show because it will happen in the daytime. And I'll tell you what, if I'm still here, your twins will be 8 years old and I'll send you all glasses to watch it.

O'BRIEN: Thank you. And I'll be sort of 500 years old in stress. Jack Horkheimer, nice to see, as always. I'm looking forward to that date. I'd like to see that. That would be fun to see. It's been fun to talk to you. Not only experts, but also the amateurs, are really jazzed by this sight. So thanks for joining us.

HORKHEIMER: Keep looking up, Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Thanks, Jack.

Still to come on this AMERICAN MORNING, those sky-high gas prices might be coming down, but by how much? We'll take a look at that.

Also, what's ahead? What's the next target for al Qaeda? There is a new warning out there this morning. We'll look at that on AMERICAN MORNING. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: U.S. drivers may be finding more relief at the pumps. The government says gas prices fell for a second straight week as lower fuel costs mirror a drop in crude oil prices.

Here's a look. Gas prices have fallen 3 cents from the all-time high, which was reached three weeks ago. Those prices are now averaging just over two bucks as gallon, still up 54 cents, though, from a year ago. And the government predicts that prices may fall even further as more oil from Saudi Arabia and other OPEC countries arrives here in the U.S.

As gas prices fall, things are on the rise on Wall Street. Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business."

Hello.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Hello again. Absolutely true, Soledad. The price of oil is dropping, and stocks are going higher on Wall Street; that, plus optimism over the jobs report last Friday sent stocks soaring on yesterday's session. Dow is up 148 points. Nasdaq up well over 2 percent across that vaunted Hemmer line of 2,000.

O'BRIEN: Of 2000.

SERWER: I don't know why he has such a big thing for that, but he does. It was up 42 points there on the Nasdaq.

One stock really moving higher yesterday: ImClone. You remember that at the center of Martha Stewart's scandal. It was up to a high of $82. Of course, Martha Stewart sold at $60. A big deal there. Good news on the cancer front.

Let's talk also about the NYSE closing on Friday for Ronald Reagan's funeral. It closed for most presidents' funerals going back to Nixon and Johnson. A couple of presidents it didn't close for the whole day. Taft, Wilson and Teddy Roosevelt, only half-day closures. That's kind of going back in history.

And this is a really interesting factoid about Ronald Reagan: the first sitting president to visit the New York Stock Exchange in 1985.

O'BRIEN: Oh!

(CROSSTALK)

SERWER: I was just amazed by that. Isn't it?

O'BRIEN: Yes, absolutely. I would have thought more presidents would have gone to visit the stock exchange well before then.

SERWER: Yes.

O'BRIEN: All right, Andy, thank you.

SERWER: You're welcome.

O'BRIEN: Appreciate it.

Still to come this morning, some tense moments at a strip mall. But trust us, it all ends well. And with some actually very cute pictures to boot as well. We'll explain ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Just about 15 minutes before the next hour. It's time to take a look at some of the other stories that are making headlines today. Daryn Kagan is sitting in for us.

Good morning again -- Daryn.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Soledad.

We begin in Iraq. That is where two suicide car bombings in two Iraqi cities took place this morning. The first explosion went off in Baquba, killing an American soldier. Just over an hour later in Mosul, officials say a taxi exploded near the city hall there. At least nine Iraqi civilians were killed, dozens more were wounded.

There is a new warning of a possible terrorist attack on U.S. and other western airlines. A statement was posted on two Islamic Web sites. It is signed by al Qaeda's organization in the Arabian peninsula, but that has not been verified by officials. The Department of Homeland Security says there is no indication that al Qaeda is currently targeting airlines here in the U.S.

Iraq and the Middle East are expected to dominate the agenda at the G-8 Summit on Georgia's Sea Island. The summit opens today under tight security. Some 20,000 law enforcement officers and National Guard troops are patrolling that area. The summit will wrap up on Thursday.

In New York, thousands of health care employees could be back at work today. More than 20,000 home care aides walked off the job yesterday demanding, a pay hike and better benefits. Tentative agreements have been reached with about half of the workers. New York's mayor, Michael Bloomberg, calls the potential deal "encouraging."

And speaking about encouraging and talking about getting out of a tight spot, an 8-week-old kitten ended up in a drain pipe at a strip mall in Hanley Hills, Missouri. Workers at a nearby shop heard the meows. They called in the humane society. At first, they tried to lure the kitty out with some food. He finally was pulled to safety. And there's your payoff, scared, but a little dirty. He is said to be doing well.

Soledad, there's a reason we have Bill in California when we do the animal stories, so you can appreciate that.

O'BRIEN: Wow, that's cute. I like that.

KAGAN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) kitty.

O'BRIEN: all right, Daryn, thanks.

It's time to check in with Jack and the question of the day.

Hello.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you, Soledad.

The United States, according to published reports, is thinking about pulling a third of its 37,000 troops out of South Korea by the end of next year. If the U.S. plan is finalized, South Korea says it would in turn beef up its own forces to compensate. But there is some criticism that North Korea, which has reconstituted its nuclear weapons program, might see this as a sign of weakness.

The question we asked this morning is: How dangerous is it for the U.S. to pull a third of its troops out of South Korea?

C. writes this: "It wouldn't be very dangerous at all to reduce our forces in South Korea. Over the last 50 years South Korea has been fortified. And compared to the standing forces of South Korea, our forces in theatre are nothing more than a token force anyway."

Wayne says: "Very dangerous. Under the circumstances, I don't think that Bush has much respect with foreign leaders. And the local thugs will be up to no good in no time flat."

George in Chicago writes: "It's about time we made the South Koreans take more responsibility for their own defense. With our own health care, social security and education systems in trouble, it's time the government diverted these defense funds to improving things in the country that has footed the bill for the world's defenses for the last 60 years."

And finally, Don, who is a U.S. Army retired, writes: "If we need troops from somewhere, why don't we take them from an area where we have accomplished our mission: Germany. We could rotate them through Iraq, send our Reserves and National Guard back home, where they can work on their mission, which is protecting the United States from within."

O'BRIEN: Some interesting options that the viewers are raising.

CAFFERTY: It's a very bright group that watches this program.

O'BRIEN: As you always say.

CAFFERTY: Yes.

O'BRIEN: How is the e-mail running on that? Are people agreeing, disagreeing, 50/50?

CAFFERTY: Yes, a little of each (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

O'BRIEN: All right, thanks, Jack.

CAFFERTY: Yes.

O'BRIEN: Let's head it back out to Bill Hemmer, who is standing by for us in Simi Valley and Los Angeles this morning.

Hey, Bill. Good morning again.

HEMMER: Hey, Soledad, good morning again. They have come by the thousands here to pay final respects to Ronald Reagan. They have come here to get close to history and get close to a man one final time who had a hand in changing and shaping that history. Our coverage continues live in Simi Valley in a moment.

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O'BRIEN: Well, welcome back, everybody. It's a beautiful day -- or going to be at least -- here in New York City.

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O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, they answered the call to duty. So, why are some wounded U.S. soldiers getting what critics call second-rate care? We'll look at that ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. Stay with us.

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