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American Morning
Mourners pay Final Respects to Ronald Reagan; A Gathering of Leaders; New al Qaeda Warning
Aired June 08, 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. Americans by the thousands waiting for hours for the one moment that will be their final moment to say goodbye to Ronald Reagan.
Car bombs exploding through Iraqi cities again today. Americans and Iraqis both paying a heavy toll there.
And a spectacular view of Venus. No one alive has ever seen this before. How the planets align on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: This is AMERICAN MORNING with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.
HEMMER: Good morning again. The pictures from Simi Valley, California, just outside the main lobby, now inside the lobby, where the casket of Ronald Reagan is now being viewed. An amazing outpouring of respect and appreciation for America's 40th President. Thousands lining up to walk past the coffin. And they still come, and they come in the dead of night here.
An amazing scene at the library. And beyond here, cars line up for at least four miles, in some cases, on the local freeway. Much more on what's happening here in California in a moment.
Also, from Washington, pictures now that carries -- that will carry the president's casket to the Capitol in the nation's capital. A whole lot to cover. But for now, to Soledad in New York City.
Soledad, good morning to you.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning to you, Bill. Thanks.
Also this morning, we're going to take a look at the deal that's being worked out in Iraq to disband the illegal militias. Can it really work? Also, we'll talk to a Newsweek correspondent who's been following that story from Baghdad.
And also this morning, we have the best bargains for hotels in the country. But first, here's Jack.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: The United States apparently thinking about pulling one-third of its troops out of South Korea. We've had a substantial military force there for 50-plus years since the end of the war. But now they're thinking about moving some of them out. The critics say South Korea might feel betrayed. But more importantly, North Korea, which has reconstituted its nuclear weapons program and is run by that nut case up there, might look upon this as an opportunity to make mischief. AM@CNN.com if you have any thoughts on whether it's a good idea or not.
O'BRIEN: All right, Jack. Thanks.
CAFFERTY: Yes.
O'BRIEN: In Simi Valley, California, the sun is up. That's where Bill Hemmer is, as many people making their way past the casket.
Bill, good morning again.
HEMMER: And good morning, Soledad. Six o'clock local time here. Another chilly morning here in southern California, but already that has not stopped the many thousands who have waited for hours. In some cases, as many as 10 and even 12 hours. In fact, we talked to a couple last hour who had waited all night, 10 hours in total, for a few short moments inside the library here in Simi Valley.
Before the day is done, though, many thousands more will certainly make the trip. And a long trip, too, for so many. David Mattingly a couple miles away at Moorpark, California. That's the gathering point where the mourners first park their cars, board buses, and then make their way here.
David, good morning there.
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
We're waiting for the sunrise right now. It's getting light out. And I want you to think about this: for most of the people who are here right now, it was still daylight when they left their homes yesterday to be a part of this event.
They've been here all night long. Just take a look at this line. These are pictures we took just a short time ago, to go out in the parking lot and see what's going on out there.
The wait to get on the bus is seven hours long. And as we walk through, you can see -- you can get some idea how it winds and snakes its way through the parking lots here. It seems to go on for miles.
You see some people waving, some people almost asleep on their feet. They've been going hours without food or water. But when they return from the library, every single person we talked to says it's all worth it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can see what he left behind and set a path for the American future, you know. Something that's going to affect my life and everyone else's. So it's good to be a part of that. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It chokes you up. I mean, I wouldn't have done it probably for too many others. But he was special. He was somebody that really meant a lot to me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MATTINGLY: This location right here is the end of the line. And occasionally you will hear cheers as people make their way through the security checkpoint. That's because they are about to get on the bus. And for so many of them, it will be the first time since last night they've had a chance to sit down -- Bill.
HEMMER: The wait continues. David, thanks for that. David Mattingly, about four miles from our location here.
Gary Foster is a former Reagan staff member now working with the family on behalf of the services throughout the week here. Gary Foster is our guest.
Good morning to you.
GARY FOSTER, FMR. REAGAN WHITE HOUSE STAFFER: Thank you, Bill.
HEMMER: The last estimate we were given many hours ago was 17,000 mourners have come here. Is that number updated?
FOSTER: I spoke to the Metropolitan Transit Authority that are running the buses just before I came, and there was a little over 33,000 that they had transported up to the library, and another almost 20,000 waiting to get on a bus.
HEMMER: So with David Mattingly's position, when we were just talking to him, 20,000 more waiting in that location at this hour?
FOSTER: That is correct.
HEMMER: In total, how long is the normal trip here? Is it 10 hours, 12 hours, or is that just a rough estimate?
FOSTER: We -- it has been 10 hours, and we don't see that dwindling much throughout the day. The response has been overwhelming and incredible. In between the logistical challenges of getting up here, we think that is probably a good rough estimate.
HEMMER: What does it say to you? We were here at 2:30 in the morning local time and people were still coming, and every bus was loaded. What does that tell you?
FOSTER: Well, you know, it's not a surprise to us who are executing the plans for the funeral, because many of us used to raise crowds for the president's campaign events. And it was an easy job to do because the fondness for this man is so deep and wide that people were willing to come and stand in hours waiting to get into one of his events. So this is not surprising. And if you look on the freeway right now, on the backup, there are license plates from states far and wide that have been driving all night to get here. HEMMER: Thank you, Gary. And good luck to you, not only today, but throughout the week here.
FOSTER: Thank you, Bill.
HEMMER: Gary Foster here, a former Reagan staff member.
As Gary mentioned, the highway deep in the distance, far too distant for our cameras to even pick up. We can still see that line of cars backed bumper to bumper, taillight to taillight here, as the sun starts to pick its way through the morning clouds in southern California.
More in a moment -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Wow, 50,000 people so far in line to walk around this casket. That's -- those are just unbelievable numbers. Bill, thanks. We'll check back in with you in just a moment.
In other news today, President Bush meets with both supporters and his opponents of his Iraq policy as the Group of Eight summit formally begins in Sea Island, Georgia. All the while, the Bush administration will be watching events at the U.N. That is where members of the Security Council today are expected to vote on a U.S.- backed Iraq resolution. White House correspondent Dana Bash in Georgia for us this morning.
Dana, good morning.
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad. And the idea of the U.N. Security Council that did not back President Bush's war backing the plan for peace is exactly the way the White House wanted to start this summit here in Georgia.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BASH (voice-over): The President returned from a three-day European trip prepared to pick up where he left off, his campaign to renew unity with estranged allies. Mr. Bush is hosting more than 20 world leaders around the G-8 summit at this seaside Georgia resort. And officials worked feverishly to finalize an apparent agreement on a U.N. resolution on Iraq. They hope it will be a potent symbol going into the summit. Disagreement over the war is evolving into agreement about Iraq's future.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Everybody now understands the key is an Iraq that is prosperous and moving forward. It really closes a page -- closes a book on the past.
BASH: The breakthrough came after a weekend exchange of letters with Iraq's interim prime minister detailing Baghdad's operational authority over foreign troops. It is at the heart of demands from France and others that Iraq's new government is truly independent from the United States.
For all the talk of the future at Sea Island, a key figure from the past, Ronald Reagan, looms over this summit, as he does everywhere this week. Reagan, Bush aides note, was instrumental in giving then G-7 meetings a high profile, and are drawing parallels between Mr. Bush's diplomatic style and what they call Reagan's clear-spoken rhetoric against communism that inspired change but also ruffled European leaders.
RICE: President Bush is inspired by that kind of plainspokenness, about that willingness to tell the truth, about the willingness to be unabashedly clear about the universality of the values of liberties and freedom.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BASH: And promoting freedom and democracy with a new Mideast initiative is a central U.S. goal at this summit. However, some key Arab leaders, like those from Egypt and Saudi Arabia, declined an invitation, which puts into question just how effective the attempt to change things in the Middle East socially, economically, will actually be -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Dana Bash for us this morning. Dana, thanks.
Suicide car bombs exploded in two Iraqi cities this morning, killing at least 11 people. A bomb that exploded outside a U.S. base in Baquba killed an American soldier and an Iraqi civilian, and injured 10 other soldiers as well. And just over an hour later, a taxi exploded near city hall in Mosul, killing nine Iraqi civilians, injuring at least 25 other people.
A new deal announced by the interim prime minister, Iyad Allawi, calls for several major Iraqi militias to disband by 2005. But some have doubts over whether the plan can work at all. So are there some major pittedfalls in the deal? Rod Nordland is a correspondent at large for Newsweek Magazine, and he is in Baghdad this morning.
Nice to see you, Rod. Thanks for being with us.
ROD NORDLAND, CORRESPONDENT AT LARGE, NEWSWEEK: Good morning.
O'BRIEN: I know that you are one of those who is a little bit dubious about this plan. Why do you think it might not be able to work?
NORDLAND: Well, I mean, first of all, it was put together by the Americans. Allawi announced it. And the nine parties that signed on to it, the nine militias, some of them really haven't gone much farther than talking about what to do. And some of them say they haven't really started negotiations.
But beyond that, some of the most important players, armed players, aren't represented at all. And particularly, the militia of Muqtada al-Sadr, and then of course the underground militias or insurgents or terrorists of many different groups will not be a part of this.
So it is a positive development. It's good to see these people signed on. But there's some question, too, just how much -- to what degree they'll really integrate into the -- into Iraqi society.
O'BRIEN: There are some supporters of the plan who say of those militias you mentioned, the rebel militias, like Muqtada al-Sadr's militia, they're going to be isolated because they're left off this list. Do you think that that's going to happen, or do you think in some way they're strengthened by being left off this list?
NORDLAND: Well, I mean, there is maybe a glimmer of hope that Muqtada al-Sadr could be persuaded to join the political process, or at least some of his followers could. I know there are a lot of talks going on in that direction. They've managed to make peace with them in Najaf.
But at the same time, his followers, the Mehdi Army, are still fighting in Sadr City here in Baghdad. You know, the deaths of the American soldiers over the weekend were as a result of those clashes. So there's a long way to go to bring him in. And, of course, there's no -- really almost no hope at all at this point of getting the more underground factions involved.
O'BRIEN: The nine militias are the equivalent of about 100,000 fighters we're told. Of those militias who have not agreed to be part of this disbanding, how many fighters are we talking about there? Is there a sense of any sort of rough number about how many fighters are not now involved in these negotiations?
NORDLAND: It's hard to say. I mean, they were estimating Muqtada al-Sadr's militias at only a couple thousand followers, until they took over four or five cities, at least briefly. And now people are talking more in the 4,000, 5,000, 7,000 range. I mean, there are a lot of various estimates.
And then as far as those underground, it's really hard to say. But certainly, it's some thousands. It's enough that on any given day there are 40 serious attacks on American forces, ranging from car bombings to ambushes. And over the weekend, for 48 hours, they closed the road to the airport here as a result of an attack on American security workers. Along there, it was a very well organized attack.
And these attacks occur all over the country, particularly in the central part of the country, but throughout the country. So they're numerous enough to be of concern. How numerous is very hard to say.
O'BRIEN: Nine militias on the list, 100,000 fighters. Is it likely that they're going to be able to blend into a cohesive unit, essentially operating as veterans as they would in the United States, getting benefits from the government, things like that, when they really all have historically supported other factions that often didn't agree with each other?
NORDLAND: Well, a lot depends on how well the interim government goes over with people. I mean, if people -- if it holds together, if the Kurds and the Shiites and the Sunnis make peace and stay together under that government, then maybe it could work. Already, a lot of the Kurds, for instance, the Pesh Murga, who are among them, most numerous, have joined a lot of the security forces. And there's some indication that they will. But the Kurds are also very angry about their lot in the interim government.
Then there's the major Shiite militia, the Badr (ph) brigades. It's hard to imagine them putting their guns down as long as Muqtada al-Sadr's people are still armed. They're arch rivals, after all. I mean, Muqtada al-Sadr's only enemies are not the Americans. And for them to really effectively disarm, that's difficult to see.
Now, what may happen instead is that they kind of rebrand themselves, and at least nominally take up positions in the interim government's armed forces, but still maintain some structure of their own. And if things fall apart, you know, we'll first see it fall apart along the militia lines.
O'BRIEN: Hmm, interesting. All right. Rod Nordland joining us. He's a correspondent at large for Newsweek Magazine.
Thanks for your time. Nice to see you.
NORDLAND: My pleasure.
O'BRIEN: And it is just about 14 minutes past the hour. It's time to take a look at some of the other stories making news this morning. Daryn Kagan in Atlanta for us.
Hey, Daryn. Good morning again.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, Soledad. We actually have breaking news to begin this "News Alert" with. We are getting this into CNN.
There has been a deadly shooting in Saudi Arabia involving an American. This American has been shot and killed in the Saudi city of Riyadh. We'll bring you more details as they become available. But in terms of details surrounding the event and the possible victim at this time, those details are not available right now.
The U.N. Security Council is set to vote on a new resolution on Iraq. The document authorizes U.S.-led multinational forces to stay in the country after the June 30th handover. France and Germany are now saying they will back the resolution after a last-minute compromise. The vote is expected later today.
In California, the jury in the Scott Peterson trial that -- is hearing from members of Laci Peterson's family. Yesterday, Laci's mother, Sharon Rocha, testified how Scott seemed distant from friends and family members the night that he reported Laci missing. Peterson is charged with killing his wife and their unborn son.
Lawmakers are calling on President Bush to expand his policies on stem sell research. Yesterday, a bipartisan group of senators made a public letter -- made this letter public which calls on the President to expand the number of stem cell lines available for research. The letter was sent before the death of former President Ronald Reagan, who suffered from Alzheimer's disease. Yet, former first lady, Nancy Reagan, has promoted stem cell research. It has been a long journey for Venus. Stargazers in much of the world saw the transit of Venus overnight and this morning. The last time the planet crossed directly between the Earth and the sun was back in 1882. The astronomical event occurs only twice about every century. Which means, for most of us, get a look now, because we probably won't be here for the next time.
Soledad, back to you.
O'BRIEN: I guess it makes its way back, right, in eight years? We can see it then. And then it's another hundred and some odd -- we're not going to live that long.
KAGAN: Like when you're passing through a small town, blink so you don't miss it -- don't blink, actually.
O'BRIEN: All right. Daryn, thanks.
Reported members of al Qaeda in Saudi Arabia are out with a new warning about future attacks. The warning was posted on two Islamic Web sites. It says there are plans to attack U.S. and other western airlines, as much as -- as well as, rather, other means of transportation. It also warns Muslims not to spend time with westerners in order to avoid being involved in future attacks.
All this just days after gunmen attacked two western reporters in Saudi Arabia, killing one, gravely wounding the other. Terrorism expert MJ Gohel joins us from London this morning to talk a little bit about the situation.
Thanks for being with us. Assess this threat for me. How worried should we be about this new information? And it looks like we've lost him. So we're obviously going to try to get him back. The satellite clearly has died.
Oh, you're back. Mr. Gohel, forgive me for that satellite interruption. We lost you briefly. My question for you was, could you please assess the level of this threat. How seriously shall we be taking it?
MJ GOHEL, TERRORISM EXPERT, ASIA-PACIFIC FOUNDATION: Well, Soledad, I think we should take this threat very seriously for two reasons. One, this particular Web site has also published the grisly, gruesome beheading video of American businessman Nicholas Berg. So obviously the Web site has connections to some of these terrorists.
And secondly, it's also a timely reminder that the airline industry faces a multi-dimensional threat, an ongoing threat from, say, hijackers, as happened on 9/11, from suicide bombers such as Richard Reid, and from even heat-seeking sand missiles as happened in Mombassa, Kenya, in November of 2002.
So there is an ongoing threat, and for the U.S., particularly now, because of the U.S. presidential elections coming up in November. So I would say there is a great risk between now and November. O'BRIEN: Specifically, geographically-wise, where does the greatest threat lie? Because, of course, the statement, while it warns of airline attacks, doesn't really get any more specific than that.
GOHEL: That's true. It mentions also attacks on compounds and on other western interests. It could well be just a propaganda video just meant to divert attention from the real intentions. It may be that they intend to strike in a totally different way.
However, it still doesn't get away from the fact that the airline industry in particular is highly vulnerable. And the reason why they would go for the airline industry is because it is a key foundation of a national economy, as also the global economy. Any kind of strikes, any kind of disruption of civil aviation would have global consequences.
O'BRIEN: Is it typical of al Qaeda to send out a warning like this? I mean, are they tipping people off in some way, or are they just psychologically trying to scare people?
GOHEL: Well, you raise a very important point. Certainly, al Qaeda in the past has never, ever issued a very specific warning of this kind. But we have to keep reminding ourselves that al Qaeda is but one component group within what is a global jihad movement.
There are many different groups operating in this global jihad. And the other groups have their own operational methods. And so what we get is different warnings coming from different groups.
And in this particular instance, the warning has come from a group calling itself al Qaeda on the Arabian Peninsula. This group is linked to another group called Al Haramain. And Al Haramain has certainly been involved in the attacks on westerners on non-Muslims in Khobar and in (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Saudi Arabia recently.
O'BRIEN: Terrorism expert MJ Gohel joining us this morning. Thank you.
GOHEL: My pleasure.
O'BRIEN: It's time now to check in with Jack and the Question of the Day.
Hello again.
CAFFERTY: Hello again.
The United States is considering pulling a third of its 37,000 troops out of South Korea by the end of next year. If the plan is finalized, South Korea says it would beef up its own forces to compensate. But there is concern that North Korea, which has that nuclear weapons program, might see this as an opportunity to stir up trouble.
How dangerous is it for the U.S. to pull a third of its troops out of South Korea, is the question. Here are some of the answers.
Mario in Washington, D.C., writes: "Because of the conventional and nuclear threat North Korea poses to Seoul, and to our forces on the DMZ, our forces are a deterrent not to the North Koreans, but to us. If those troops left South Korea, we would be free to use strategic bomber forces in Guam and elsewhere to destroy North Korea's nuclear facilities and perhaps command and control of the regime itself, and they would have nothing to retaliate against" -- meaning our soldiers would be gone.
Richard in Pensacola, Florida: "I've lived and worked in Korea, and the general sentiment of most Koreans is to get the troops out of that country. I think the time has come to respect their wishes. It's important to remember we are guests in South Korea."
A different view from Dean, who writes from Tokyo, Japan. "It's about time our troops are finally leaving South Korea. They never seemed to appreciate the fact that the U.S. has been protecting their country for the past 50 years. Having lived in South Korea, we saw protests in front of the U.S. Embassy all the time. Without U.S. troops, there would be no South Korea today."
Dean gets it, I think. Dean gets it.
O'BRIEN: Jack, thank you very much.
CAFFERTY: You're welcome.
Weather now. Chad Myers at the CNN Center for us.
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, it was a picture-perfect romance. We're going to talk to a man who might know the private side of the Reagans better than anybody else. He's going to show us some candid images this morning.
Also ahead, looking for last-minute bargains on hotel rooms? We've got tips from Consumer Reports when we continue right after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Welcome back to Simi Valley, California. That is one of the many shuttle buses being used now, and will be used for the next 12 hours at least, as the thousands and thousands of mourners come here to Simi Valley, the library of presidential -- the president, Ronald Reagan.
The work of the Reagan White House photographer Pete Souza volumes about the private side of a very public man. Souza's new book, "Images of Greatness," contains some never seen before photographs of President Reagan set to be published later this month. Pete Souza is our guest now here in Simi Valley. Also the official photographer for the Reagan family, not only today, but throughout the entire week of ceremonies. Good morning.
PETE SOUZA, FMR. WHITE HOUSE PHOTOGRAPHER: Good morning.
HEMMER: Nice to have you here. On the screen, the first image here is at the ranch here in southern California. Ronald Reagan with his jeep and a dog. Give us a bit of context as we go through these photos, what was happening at the time.
SOUZA: Well, you know, at ranch, he was the bird let out of the cage. He was very confining at the White House. At the ranch he had 600-plus acres, the only time he got to drive.
You know, one of the things that strikes me about this photo now is there's usually a Secret Service agent sitting in the front seat with him. But when he was ready to go, he just went. So...
HEMMER: Also in that same ranch is a picture with his doctor sitting there on tree stumps. I know you remember that one quite well. If we go forward to Air Force One, we can also see him putting onboard that plane.
SOUZA: Yes. Someone had brought along a new putting green, and he had to try it out. And you see all his aides in the background seeing if he's going to make the shot.
HEMMER: And with the mask of Michael Dukakis, what was happening here when this picture was taken?
SOUZA: Well, you know, he was a jokester. I mean, he would start a meeting off either with a joke, or something funny like this. Someone had given him a mask of Michael Dukakis, when Dukakis was running against Reagan's vice president in 1988 for -- to succeed him.
HEMMER: The next picture we have is with the pope in Miami, Florida. There's a certain intimacy, a certain intensity in this photo. What was happening then?
SOUZA: You know, this was right after the photo op for the press. They had been escorted out, the lights had been turned off, but the background light, the hair (ph) light had been left off. And it just made for a dramatic setting with the lighting. And then the pope leaned in to listen to the president. Just kind of a dramatic photo.
HEMMER: After the colon cancer surgery in 1985, you kind of captured a picture then. What was his mood or his feeling at that point?
SOUZA: Well, you know, surprisingly, he was doing quite well. I mean, this man had just had major surgery, and this is a couple of days later. And here he is talking to his chief of staff from his bed.
HEMMER: And the final picture we have today, Pete, is truly an intimate one. Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan embraced. SOUZA: This is after Mrs. Reagan had had breast cancer surgery. And the president would visit her every day at the hospital after work in the afternoon.
HEMMER: You were there for the private ceremony yesterday. I know your job is photographer. Were you able to take note of how the family was doing?
SOUZA: Well, I think Mrs. Reagan, as you said, looked quite proud. I think it's certainly an emotional time for her. But probably -- I don't know this for sure, but probably, there's some sense of relief, too. It's been a difficult 10 years for her as well.
HEMMER: And over that 10-year period she pretty much committed her life to him and taking care of him.
SOUZA: She really did.
HEMMER: I know you're going to be in Washington throughout the week. Travel well, and travel safe.
SOUZA: OK.
HEMMER: And thanks for sharing.
SOUZA: Thanks for having me on.
HEMMER: Pete Souza here live in Simi Valley, California.
Let's get a break here. Going back to November of 1991, two million visitors have come to this library. Many more will come throughout the coming weeks and months and years, as we remember the life of Ronald Reagan.
Back in a moment. Much more live here in California right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: A beautiful shot there. Welcome back, everybody. It is just about half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Bill Hemmer, my partner in Simi Valley, California, today -- and there he is -- we're going to chat with him in just one moment about what he is seeing at the Reagan Presidential Library.
Also this morning, we're also talking about some great deals. Sometimes they seem impossible to find but you know they're out there. So the question, where are the best summer bargains for hotels? In just a few minutes, we'll tell you where to look and how you can nail down the great rates.
But first, let's start with Bill Hemmer.
Hey, Bill.
HEMMER: Hey, Soledad. How are you doing there?
Listen, back here live in Simi Valley. We know at this point 33,000 have made their way past the casket. We're told in the assembly area, about three miles from our location, an additional 20,000 more are gathering there and waiting to come here. And there are at least 12 more hours to go officially on the schedule before what is seen here in the presidential library will be officially closed down. Then tomorrow, as we move into Wednesday, the president's body will be phone to Andrews Air Force Base in Washington, D.C.
It is an enormous task for the people in D.C. to keep that place safe and secure. Security is a major concern, too. And Ed Henry is standing live on Capitol Hill, taking us through for what we expect on Wednesday, Thursday and then on Friday morning.
Ed, good morning there.
ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
We have new pictures this hour of the preparations for the horse- drawn caisson that will take Mr. Reagan's casket on Wednesday night from 16th Street and Constitution Avenue, right near the Washington Monument and the White House, down Constitution Avenue for the Capitol. This is the pictures of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Division, the Caisson Platoon. They have been practicing this morning. A lot of preparations going on.
As you mentioned, also with security, this has been deemed, according to a memo distributed to senators yesterday, a national security special event. That gives it a classification similar to the national political conventions coming up this summer. Secret Service will be leading it, but the Capitol Police, the Park Police, the Department of Homeland Security, so much security involved. Also, senators, meanwhile, are focusing on tribute speeches on the Senate floor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can tell by the way he carried himself, the way he walked, the way we spoke, the way he treated people, the handshake, that he was not only the commander in chief and president of the United States, but he was also a man of the people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY: The House, meanwhile, will come into session today to deal with two resolutions. One honoring the former president, a second one that will formally open up the Rotunda in the Capitol to receive the casket of Mr. Reagan. That's a formality that both chambers have to deal with, Bill. We'll see the House deal with it first today -- Bill.
HEMMER: Yes, first time since 1973, Ed, as we have pointed out many times. Thanks. Ed Henry, live there in Capitol Hill.
Much more coverage here from Simi Valley in a moment. Back to Soledad now in New York.
O'BRIEN: All right. Bill, thanks a lot.
Popular Web sites, like Hotwire, Priceline and Travelocity, to name just a few, offer a variety of travel discounts. But Consumer Reports says you should think twice before you double click to get the best bargains on hotels this summer. Their new survey says that, in fact, increased competition gives travelers a great opportunity to get some great rates. And David Heim from Consumer Reports joins us this morning.
So where should you go to get the best deal, if it's not the Internet? Where do you go?
DAVID HEIM, DEPUTY EDITOR, CONSUMER REPORTS: Well, you should start with the Internet. And the advice we have in the July issue of Consumer Reports that's out today, start with the Internet, then check with the hotel's own Web site. And finally, to really close the deal and get the best price, call the hotel directly.
O'BRIEN: You say close the deal, which makes it sound like you can sort of bargain and negotiate. Can you negotiate with the people on the phone at the hotel?
HEIM: Absolutely, you can. We tried that about a hundred different times. And we found that we could get the best price by calling up, going to the hotel directly, saving $60 to $80 a night on our hotel rates.
O'BRIEN: Wow.
HEIM: And if it seems too high, it never hurts to say, listen, that's more than I can afford, or can you give me an upgrade if you can't do anything in the price. That saved a lot of money for our reporter, too.
O'BRIEN: That's always good. How does it work when they ask -- for sites that ask for bidding on a particular hotel room? I mean, that always seems very weird to me, because you don't necessarily know what hotel room you're going to be in or what hotel you're going to be in.
HEIM: You don't know exactly where you're going to be if you use a site like Priceline or Hotwire. Those are the two popular kind of blind sites, as they're called.
Again, we tried them to figure out great strategies for saving on hotel rates in the July issue of Consumer Reports. You can save substantially. Sometimes 40 percent or more over the best price you can find elsewhere on the Internet.
It takes time. You don't know exactly where you're going to be until after you say OK. And once you say OK, that's it. The rates aren't refundable.
O'BRIEN: OK. So you've just got to be flexible and kind of willing to go wherever they end up putting you.
HEIM: Right.
O'BRIEN: You say there are also faster ways to check a good bargain than going to each and every individual site on the Web. What do you do for that?
HEIM: This is great. This is something I learned. There are two sites that are kind of in a rough way, like Google, just for travel: Travelaxe and Traveladviser.com.
O'BRIEN: And axe is a-x-e.
HEIM: A-X-E. And they will search all the other Web sites for you and pop up the ones that have -- have hotel rooms and have good rates.
O'BRIEN: Oh, saving you a little bit of time there.
HEIM: Exactly.
O'BRIEN: David Heim from Consumer Reports, nice to see you. Thanks for the great tips.
HEIM: Thank you. My pleasure.
O'BRIEN: It always helps as we head into a little vacation time. Appreciate it.
Still to come this morning, there may be a significant advance in how doctors can treat brain cancer. Dr. Sanjay Gupta's got that just ahead.
Also this morning, the world's economic powers gathering in the U.S., but money matters are not expected to top the agenda. We'll tell you what is, though.
That's ahead as AMERICAN MORNING continues right after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Researchers are calling it the first major advance in the treatment of brain cancer in decades. Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us from the CNN Center with the latest details of a new study.
Hey, Sanjay. Good morning.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
You know, there really hasn't been any significant advances in treating one of the most aggressive forms of brain cancer in a long time. So scientists, doctors and patients all alike are pretty excited about this latest development. And we're talking about a tumor called Glioblastoma Multiforme, GBM. It is one of the most aggressive forms of cancer, period, anywhere on the body. This is the sort of cancer that patients are often told that they have less than a year to live if they're given this diagnosis. It's unfortunately one of the most common types of brain cancer as well. It is incurable, to be sure. Prognosis, again, less than a year.
There's a new study out there looking at a new medication and when that medication specifically is given. The Glioblastoma study, they looked at 286 patients with Glioblastoma Multiforme, and the patients got radiation only, and patients who got this medication, temadol (ph), before and after radiation. And what they found that was after two years, three times as many chemotherapy patients survived compared to the radiation patients. Again, three times as many.
Just to give you the absolute numbers, at about two years, 10 percent of patients typically are alive with this sort of tumor. With this new therapy, 26 percent, again, almost three times as many.
We talked to doctors, scientists about this. This is probably going to start changing the standard of treatment right away. Doctors are probably going to start using this medication right away to treat this cancer. It's been about 30 years since they've had any good progress against this form of tumor -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: How many folks, Sanjay, does this type of cancer effect? And are there implications for this with other forms of cancer?
GUPTA: Good question. It's fortunately not that common a tumor overall. If you look at all sorts of cancers in the body, benign and malignant, this represents about maybe 2 percent or so of cancers, about 20,000 or so cases a year.
But, you know, 13,000 people die from this a year as well. So very, very high likelihood of death when you get the diagnosis of this.
Now, regarding other sorts of cancers, it may very well be that this has implications for other sorts of cancers as well. We're giving you this information just as it's coming out. The study just being released today regarding this sort of cancer and this treatment. But the studies are certainly going to be done using temadol (ph) on other cancers as well -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: All right. Sanjay, thanks. Appreciate it.
GUPTA: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, first the airlines got rid of free meals. Now, they're thinking of getting rid of something else to save money. We'll tell you what it is when we're "Minding Your Business" just ahead in a moment.
We're back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Forty-five minutes past the hour. Time to look at some of the other stories making headlines with Daryn Kagan.
Hey, Daryn. Good morning again.
KAGAN: Hi, Soledad.
We have more details coming in now about that deadly shooting in Saudi Arabia we told you about just about a half-hour ago. An American contractor has been shot and killed in the Saudi capital of Riyadh. The victim worked for a company that helped train the Saudi National Guard. The incident follows a string of recent attacks targeting foreigners in Saudi Arabia.
Two suicide car bombings in Iraq today. The first in Baquba. It left an American soldier dead. And in Mosul, at least nine Iraqi civilians were killed in a bombing there. Witnesses reported seeing three men in a taxi just before it exploded.
Authorities in Italy say they've arrested two men and detained another in connection with the train attacks in Madrid. Authorities say they believe one of the men was in custody was actually the mastermind behind those March 11th bombings. This comes as part of a police sweep going on in Europe in which other arrests are expected.
And President Bush is expected to use this year's G-8 summit to help mend some fences over the issue of Iraq. President Bush expected to hold private meetings on the sidelines of the summit, which is getting under way today. Also on the agenda, debt relief and ongoing war on terrorism. The summit wraps up on Thursday.
Much more news ahead, including a visit with Dear Abby. We're going to be talking about being left behind once you lose one -- a loved to Alzheimer's, Soledad. That's coming up at 10:00 Eastern.
O'BRIEN: All right. Daryn, thanks. Looking forward to that.
Question now, why do paper airline tickets that (ph) should be heading for the shredder soon? And look at that and a check of the market this morning with Andy Serwer, who is "Minding Your Business."
ANDY SERWER, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, FORTUNE MAGAZINE: Good morning.
O'BRIEN: Good morning. And why? I mean, I thought -- often people tell you, hang on to those paper tickets...
SERWER: Yes.
O'BRIEN: ... because if you lose your e-ticket or have a problem with your e-ticket, you really need the paper ticket to change things. Now they're getting rid of them altogether?
SERWER: They're going to get rid of them all by 2007. An airline conference in Singapore right now with top airline executives looking to cut costs. This is a business that lost $30 billion over the past three years. I mean, they've got to do something, Soledad. So getting rid of paper tickets is something that they're going to do.
They're also talking about how the price of oil needs to go back down to $33 a barrel before they're making any money. I mean, good luck, because it's right around $40 right now. You can see how much trouble that's been for them.
You know, and then you've got SARS, Iraq, terrorism, a weak economy on top of that. And it's just been a miserable time for that business. And hoping that the price of oil goes back down to $33 is no way to run a railroad, or I should say an airline. But cutting up paper tickets is something that's going to happen by 2007 for sure.
O'BRIEN: The market has been open for about 20 minutes now. How is it looking?
SERWER: We're slipping a little, as expected this morning. Down about 17 on the Dow tech stocks, like Intel, Texas Instruments, weaker. ImClone a little bit weaker after its big day yesterday.
O'BRIEN: All right. Andy, thank you very much.
SERWER: You're welcome.
SERWER: Appreciate that.
Time to check in with Jack. He's got the Question of the Day.
CAFFERTY: How dangerous is it to pull a third of U.S. troops out of South Korea? We've got about 37,000 American military personnel on the peninsula. There's a plan under way to yank about a third of them out of there. The e-mails this morning, all over the lot.
We've gotten a lot of mail from Japan. I guess it's an issue that is of some relevance to folks in Japan.
John writes from Ishikawa: "The South Koreans cannot have it both ways. On the one hand, they're bashing the U.S. troops for being there. On the other, they're going to moan about the U.S. re- deploying away from the DMZ and reducing the overall number of troops on the peninsula. Pull all the U.S. troops and give the younger generation there in South Korea a dose of reality."
Chris writes from Missoula, Montana, "I don't think this presents any risk to Asian stability. It may lead to better cooperation between North and South Korea, and a greater role for China in keeping Asia stable."
And Jim in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, "Oh, for the days of splendid isolationism. Maybe we should let the world take care of itself and tend our own garden."
O'BRIEN: A long time since we've heard that phrase, splendid isolationism.
CAFFERTY: Ain't possible anymore, Jim. Nice idea, but no can do.
O'BRIEN: All right. Jack, thank you very much.
CAFFERTY: Sure.
O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, dealing with Alzheimer's. We heard Daryn talk about it just a moment ago. President Reagan, of course, battled the disease for a decade. We're going to talk about that coming up in our next hour on "CNN LIVE TODAY."
But first, let's head out to Bill Hemmer, who's in Simi Valley, California, for us this morning.
Hey, Bill. Good morning again.
HEMMER: Hey, Soledad. Thank you, and good morning again.
We're getting new information about the visitation here, the viewing of the casket here. It's now -- the hours have been extended an additional four hours. They were going to conclude around 6:00 West Coast Time, now it's 10:00. But they're telling everyone who wants to come here still, even if you're in the state of California and still have plans to come here, no one will be admitted in the parking lot, the gathering area, after 3:00 local time.
Again, they're also working on viewing times at the burial site possibly on Sunday, they say. Still to be ironed out. But as soon as we get it, we'll pass it along.
Let's get a break here. More in a moment in Simi Valley.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Look at that shot. It might make it to 90 degrees here in New York City today. Time to check back in on the weather with Chad Myers at the CNN Center.
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: And now, here's Aaron Brown with a preview of what's coming up tonight on "NEWSNIGHT."
AARON BROWN, HOST, "NEWSNIGHT": Thank you, Soledad. Tonight on "NEWSNIGHT," a legacy of honesty. By telling the world he had Alzheimer's, Ronald Reagan put a public face on the disease and helped raise public awareness. His decision to speak out has made a difference, according to advocates.
That part of the Reagan story, plus all the day's top news, morning papers and everything that makes "NEWSNIGHT" "NEWSNIGHT." CNN tonight, 10:00 p.m. Eastern -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: All right. Aaron, thanks for that.
Coming up on CNN, more coverage from Simi Valley, as thousands of people pay their respects of the late Ronald Reagan. And then the toll that Alzheimer's can take on families like the Reagans. We're going to talk with Jeanne Phillips form Dear Abby fame. Her family is dealing with the tough reality of the disease as well.
That's ahead on "CNN LIVE TODAY" with Daryn Kagan. AMERICAN MORNING is back right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: As we say goodbye here from the Presidential Library in Simi Valley, if you ever get a chance to come here, there are countless artifacts from the Reagan White House years inside. But, Soledad, there's one artifact that goes back about 54 years.
There was a restaurant in LA called Chasen's. Well, there was a booth from that restaurant that has been set up and moved to the library inside. In that booth is where Ronald Reagan proposed to Nancy Reagan back in the early 1950s. And that wedding taking place in 1952, and that marriage lasting 52 full years.
It's been a heck of a week already. I'll see you tomorrow live in Washington, as we move across the country and continue to track the -- this enormous funeral procession that really extends from California to our nation's capital, and then back again here on Friday night.
See you then, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: All right. Bill, we'll see you then.
Let's hand it over now to Daryn Kagan, who's at the CNN Center in Atlanta, going to take you through the next several hours.
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 - 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. Americans by the thousands waiting for hours for the one moment that will be their final moment to say goodbye to Ronald Reagan.
Car bombs exploding through Iraqi cities again today. Americans and Iraqis both paying a heavy toll there.
And a spectacular view of Venus. No one alive has ever seen this before. How the planets align on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: This is AMERICAN MORNING with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.
HEMMER: Good morning again. The pictures from Simi Valley, California, just outside the main lobby, now inside the lobby, where the casket of Ronald Reagan is now being viewed. An amazing outpouring of respect and appreciation for America's 40th President. Thousands lining up to walk past the coffin. And they still come, and they come in the dead of night here.
An amazing scene at the library. And beyond here, cars line up for at least four miles, in some cases, on the local freeway. Much more on what's happening here in California in a moment.
Also, from Washington, pictures now that carries -- that will carry the president's casket to the Capitol in the nation's capital. A whole lot to cover. But for now, to Soledad in New York City.
Soledad, good morning to you.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning to you, Bill. Thanks.
Also this morning, we're going to take a look at the deal that's being worked out in Iraq to disband the illegal militias. Can it really work? Also, we'll talk to a Newsweek correspondent who's been following that story from Baghdad.
And also this morning, we have the best bargains for hotels in the country. But first, here's Jack.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: The United States apparently thinking about pulling one-third of its troops out of South Korea. We've had a substantial military force there for 50-plus years since the end of the war. But now they're thinking about moving some of them out. The critics say South Korea might feel betrayed. But more importantly, North Korea, which has reconstituted its nuclear weapons program and is run by that nut case up there, might look upon this as an opportunity to make mischief. AM@CNN.com if you have any thoughts on whether it's a good idea or not.
O'BRIEN: All right, Jack. Thanks.
CAFFERTY: Yes.
O'BRIEN: In Simi Valley, California, the sun is up. That's where Bill Hemmer is, as many people making their way past the casket.
Bill, good morning again.
HEMMER: And good morning, Soledad. Six o'clock local time here. Another chilly morning here in southern California, but already that has not stopped the many thousands who have waited for hours. In some cases, as many as 10 and even 12 hours. In fact, we talked to a couple last hour who had waited all night, 10 hours in total, for a few short moments inside the library here in Simi Valley.
Before the day is done, though, many thousands more will certainly make the trip. And a long trip, too, for so many. David Mattingly a couple miles away at Moorpark, California. That's the gathering point where the mourners first park their cars, board buses, and then make their way here.
David, good morning there.
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
We're waiting for the sunrise right now. It's getting light out. And I want you to think about this: for most of the people who are here right now, it was still daylight when they left their homes yesterday to be a part of this event.
They've been here all night long. Just take a look at this line. These are pictures we took just a short time ago, to go out in the parking lot and see what's going on out there.
The wait to get on the bus is seven hours long. And as we walk through, you can see -- you can get some idea how it winds and snakes its way through the parking lots here. It seems to go on for miles.
You see some people waving, some people almost asleep on their feet. They've been going hours without food or water. But when they return from the library, every single person we talked to says it's all worth it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can see what he left behind and set a path for the American future, you know. Something that's going to affect my life and everyone else's. So it's good to be a part of that. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It chokes you up. I mean, I wouldn't have done it probably for too many others. But he was special. He was somebody that really meant a lot to me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MATTINGLY: This location right here is the end of the line. And occasionally you will hear cheers as people make their way through the security checkpoint. That's because they are about to get on the bus. And for so many of them, it will be the first time since last night they've had a chance to sit down -- Bill.
HEMMER: The wait continues. David, thanks for that. David Mattingly, about four miles from our location here.
Gary Foster is a former Reagan staff member now working with the family on behalf of the services throughout the week here. Gary Foster is our guest.
Good morning to you.
GARY FOSTER, FMR. REAGAN WHITE HOUSE STAFFER: Thank you, Bill.
HEMMER: The last estimate we were given many hours ago was 17,000 mourners have come here. Is that number updated?
FOSTER: I spoke to the Metropolitan Transit Authority that are running the buses just before I came, and there was a little over 33,000 that they had transported up to the library, and another almost 20,000 waiting to get on a bus.
HEMMER: So with David Mattingly's position, when we were just talking to him, 20,000 more waiting in that location at this hour?
FOSTER: That is correct.
HEMMER: In total, how long is the normal trip here? Is it 10 hours, 12 hours, or is that just a rough estimate?
FOSTER: We -- it has been 10 hours, and we don't see that dwindling much throughout the day. The response has been overwhelming and incredible. In between the logistical challenges of getting up here, we think that is probably a good rough estimate.
HEMMER: What does it say to you? We were here at 2:30 in the morning local time and people were still coming, and every bus was loaded. What does that tell you?
FOSTER: Well, you know, it's not a surprise to us who are executing the plans for the funeral, because many of us used to raise crowds for the president's campaign events. And it was an easy job to do because the fondness for this man is so deep and wide that people were willing to come and stand in hours waiting to get into one of his events. So this is not surprising. And if you look on the freeway right now, on the backup, there are license plates from states far and wide that have been driving all night to get here. HEMMER: Thank you, Gary. And good luck to you, not only today, but throughout the week here.
FOSTER: Thank you, Bill.
HEMMER: Gary Foster here, a former Reagan staff member.
As Gary mentioned, the highway deep in the distance, far too distant for our cameras to even pick up. We can still see that line of cars backed bumper to bumper, taillight to taillight here, as the sun starts to pick its way through the morning clouds in southern California.
More in a moment -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Wow, 50,000 people so far in line to walk around this casket. That's -- those are just unbelievable numbers. Bill, thanks. We'll check back in with you in just a moment.
In other news today, President Bush meets with both supporters and his opponents of his Iraq policy as the Group of Eight summit formally begins in Sea Island, Georgia. All the while, the Bush administration will be watching events at the U.N. That is where members of the Security Council today are expected to vote on a U.S.- backed Iraq resolution. White House correspondent Dana Bash in Georgia for us this morning.
Dana, good morning.
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad. And the idea of the U.N. Security Council that did not back President Bush's war backing the plan for peace is exactly the way the White House wanted to start this summit here in Georgia.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BASH (voice-over): The President returned from a three-day European trip prepared to pick up where he left off, his campaign to renew unity with estranged allies. Mr. Bush is hosting more than 20 world leaders around the G-8 summit at this seaside Georgia resort. And officials worked feverishly to finalize an apparent agreement on a U.N. resolution on Iraq. They hope it will be a potent symbol going into the summit. Disagreement over the war is evolving into agreement about Iraq's future.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Everybody now understands the key is an Iraq that is prosperous and moving forward. It really closes a page -- closes a book on the past.
BASH: The breakthrough came after a weekend exchange of letters with Iraq's interim prime minister detailing Baghdad's operational authority over foreign troops. It is at the heart of demands from France and others that Iraq's new government is truly independent from the United States.
For all the talk of the future at Sea Island, a key figure from the past, Ronald Reagan, looms over this summit, as he does everywhere this week. Reagan, Bush aides note, was instrumental in giving then G-7 meetings a high profile, and are drawing parallels between Mr. Bush's diplomatic style and what they call Reagan's clear-spoken rhetoric against communism that inspired change but also ruffled European leaders.
RICE: President Bush is inspired by that kind of plainspokenness, about that willingness to tell the truth, about the willingness to be unabashedly clear about the universality of the values of liberties and freedom.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BASH: And promoting freedom and democracy with a new Mideast initiative is a central U.S. goal at this summit. However, some key Arab leaders, like those from Egypt and Saudi Arabia, declined an invitation, which puts into question just how effective the attempt to change things in the Middle East socially, economically, will actually be -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Dana Bash for us this morning. Dana, thanks.
Suicide car bombs exploded in two Iraqi cities this morning, killing at least 11 people. A bomb that exploded outside a U.S. base in Baquba killed an American soldier and an Iraqi civilian, and injured 10 other soldiers as well. And just over an hour later, a taxi exploded near city hall in Mosul, killing nine Iraqi civilians, injuring at least 25 other people.
A new deal announced by the interim prime minister, Iyad Allawi, calls for several major Iraqi militias to disband by 2005. But some have doubts over whether the plan can work at all. So are there some major pittedfalls in the deal? Rod Nordland is a correspondent at large for Newsweek Magazine, and he is in Baghdad this morning.
Nice to see you, Rod. Thanks for being with us.
ROD NORDLAND, CORRESPONDENT AT LARGE, NEWSWEEK: Good morning.
O'BRIEN: I know that you are one of those who is a little bit dubious about this plan. Why do you think it might not be able to work?
NORDLAND: Well, I mean, first of all, it was put together by the Americans. Allawi announced it. And the nine parties that signed on to it, the nine militias, some of them really haven't gone much farther than talking about what to do. And some of them say they haven't really started negotiations.
But beyond that, some of the most important players, armed players, aren't represented at all. And particularly, the militia of Muqtada al-Sadr, and then of course the underground militias or insurgents or terrorists of many different groups will not be a part of this.
So it is a positive development. It's good to see these people signed on. But there's some question, too, just how much -- to what degree they'll really integrate into the -- into Iraqi society.
O'BRIEN: There are some supporters of the plan who say of those militias you mentioned, the rebel militias, like Muqtada al-Sadr's militia, they're going to be isolated because they're left off this list. Do you think that that's going to happen, or do you think in some way they're strengthened by being left off this list?
NORDLAND: Well, I mean, there is maybe a glimmer of hope that Muqtada al-Sadr could be persuaded to join the political process, or at least some of his followers could. I know there are a lot of talks going on in that direction. They've managed to make peace with them in Najaf.
But at the same time, his followers, the Mehdi Army, are still fighting in Sadr City here in Baghdad. You know, the deaths of the American soldiers over the weekend were as a result of those clashes. So there's a long way to go to bring him in. And, of course, there's no -- really almost no hope at all at this point of getting the more underground factions involved.
O'BRIEN: The nine militias are the equivalent of about 100,000 fighters we're told. Of those militias who have not agreed to be part of this disbanding, how many fighters are we talking about there? Is there a sense of any sort of rough number about how many fighters are not now involved in these negotiations?
NORDLAND: It's hard to say. I mean, they were estimating Muqtada al-Sadr's militias at only a couple thousand followers, until they took over four or five cities, at least briefly. And now people are talking more in the 4,000, 5,000, 7,000 range. I mean, there are a lot of various estimates.
And then as far as those underground, it's really hard to say. But certainly, it's some thousands. It's enough that on any given day there are 40 serious attacks on American forces, ranging from car bombings to ambushes. And over the weekend, for 48 hours, they closed the road to the airport here as a result of an attack on American security workers. Along there, it was a very well organized attack.
And these attacks occur all over the country, particularly in the central part of the country, but throughout the country. So they're numerous enough to be of concern. How numerous is very hard to say.
O'BRIEN: Nine militias on the list, 100,000 fighters. Is it likely that they're going to be able to blend into a cohesive unit, essentially operating as veterans as they would in the United States, getting benefits from the government, things like that, when they really all have historically supported other factions that often didn't agree with each other?
NORDLAND: Well, a lot depends on how well the interim government goes over with people. I mean, if people -- if it holds together, if the Kurds and the Shiites and the Sunnis make peace and stay together under that government, then maybe it could work. Already, a lot of the Kurds, for instance, the Pesh Murga, who are among them, most numerous, have joined a lot of the security forces. And there's some indication that they will. But the Kurds are also very angry about their lot in the interim government.
Then there's the major Shiite militia, the Badr (ph) brigades. It's hard to imagine them putting their guns down as long as Muqtada al-Sadr's people are still armed. They're arch rivals, after all. I mean, Muqtada al-Sadr's only enemies are not the Americans. And for them to really effectively disarm, that's difficult to see.
Now, what may happen instead is that they kind of rebrand themselves, and at least nominally take up positions in the interim government's armed forces, but still maintain some structure of their own. And if things fall apart, you know, we'll first see it fall apart along the militia lines.
O'BRIEN: Hmm, interesting. All right. Rod Nordland joining us. He's a correspondent at large for Newsweek Magazine.
Thanks for your time. Nice to see you.
NORDLAND: My pleasure.
O'BRIEN: And it is just about 14 minutes past the hour. It's time to take a look at some of the other stories making news this morning. Daryn Kagan in Atlanta for us.
Hey, Daryn. Good morning again.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, Soledad. We actually have breaking news to begin this "News Alert" with. We are getting this into CNN.
There has been a deadly shooting in Saudi Arabia involving an American. This American has been shot and killed in the Saudi city of Riyadh. We'll bring you more details as they become available. But in terms of details surrounding the event and the possible victim at this time, those details are not available right now.
The U.N. Security Council is set to vote on a new resolution on Iraq. The document authorizes U.S.-led multinational forces to stay in the country after the June 30th handover. France and Germany are now saying they will back the resolution after a last-minute compromise. The vote is expected later today.
In California, the jury in the Scott Peterson trial that -- is hearing from members of Laci Peterson's family. Yesterday, Laci's mother, Sharon Rocha, testified how Scott seemed distant from friends and family members the night that he reported Laci missing. Peterson is charged with killing his wife and their unborn son.
Lawmakers are calling on President Bush to expand his policies on stem sell research. Yesterday, a bipartisan group of senators made a public letter -- made this letter public which calls on the President to expand the number of stem cell lines available for research. The letter was sent before the death of former President Ronald Reagan, who suffered from Alzheimer's disease. Yet, former first lady, Nancy Reagan, has promoted stem cell research. It has been a long journey for Venus. Stargazers in much of the world saw the transit of Venus overnight and this morning. The last time the planet crossed directly between the Earth and the sun was back in 1882. The astronomical event occurs only twice about every century. Which means, for most of us, get a look now, because we probably won't be here for the next time.
Soledad, back to you.
O'BRIEN: I guess it makes its way back, right, in eight years? We can see it then. And then it's another hundred and some odd -- we're not going to live that long.
KAGAN: Like when you're passing through a small town, blink so you don't miss it -- don't blink, actually.
O'BRIEN: All right. Daryn, thanks.
Reported members of al Qaeda in Saudi Arabia are out with a new warning about future attacks. The warning was posted on two Islamic Web sites. It says there are plans to attack U.S. and other western airlines, as much as -- as well as, rather, other means of transportation. It also warns Muslims not to spend time with westerners in order to avoid being involved in future attacks.
All this just days after gunmen attacked two western reporters in Saudi Arabia, killing one, gravely wounding the other. Terrorism expert MJ Gohel joins us from London this morning to talk a little bit about the situation.
Thanks for being with us. Assess this threat for me. How worried should we be about this new information? And it looks like we've lost him. So we're obviously going to try to get him back. The satellite clearly has died.
Oh, you're back. Mr. Gohel, forgive me for that satellite interruption. We lost you briefly. My question for you was, could you please assess the level of this threat. How seriously shall we be taking it?
MJ GOHEL, TERRORISM EXPERT, ASIA-PACIFIC FOUNDATION: Well, Soledad, I think we should take this threat very seriously for two reasons. One, this particular Web site has also published the grisly, gruesome beheading video of American businessman Nicholas Berg. So obviously the Web site has connections to some of these terrorists.
And secondly, it's also a timely reminder that the airline industry faces a multi-dimensional threat, an ongoing threat from, say, hijackers, as happened on 9/11, from suicide bombers such as Richard Reid, and from even heat-seeking sand missiles as happened in Mombassa, Kenya, in November of 2002.
So there is an ongoing threat, and for the U.S., particularly now, because of the U.S. presidential elections coming up in November. So I would say there is a great risk between now and November. O'BRIEN: Specifically, geographically-wise, where does the greatest threat lie? Because, of course, the statement, while it warns of airline attacks, doesn't really get any more specific than that.
GOHEL: That's true. It mentions also attacks on compounds and on other western interests. It could well be just a propaganda video just meant to divert attention from the real intentions. It may be that they intend to strike in a totally different way.
However, it still doesn't get away from the fact that the airline industry in particular is highly vulnerable. And the reason why they would go for the airline industry is because it is a key foundation of a national economy, as also the global economy. Any kind of strikes, any kind of disruption of civil aviation would have global consequences.
O'BRIEN: Is it typical of al Qaeda to send out a warning like this? I mean, are they tipping people off in some way, or are they just psychologically trying to scare people?
GOHEL: Well, you raise a very important point. Certainly, al Qaeda in the past has never, ever issued a very specific warning of this kind. But we have to keep reminding ourselves that al Qaeda is but one component group within what is a global jihad movement.
There are many different groups operating in this global jihad. And the other groups have their own operational methods. And so what we get is different warnings coming from different groups.
And in this particular instance, the warning has come from a group calling itself al Qaeda on the Arabian Peninsula. This group is linked to another group called Al Haramain. And Al Haramain has certainly been involved in the attacks on westerners on non-Muslims in Khobar and in (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Saudi Arabia recently.
O'BRIEN: Terrorism expert MJ Gohel joining us this morning. Thank you.
GOHEL: My pleasure.
O'BRIEN: It's time now to check in with Jack and the Question of the Day.
Hello again.
CAFFERTY: Hello again.
The United States is considering pulling a third of its 37,000 troops out of South Korea by the end of next year. If the plan is finalized, South Korea says it would beef up its own forces to compensate. But there is concern that North Korea, which has that nuclear weapons program, might see this as an opportunity to stir up trouble.
How dangerous is it for the U.S. to pull a third of its troops out of South Korea, is the question. Here are some of the answers.
Mario in Washington, D.C., writes: "Because of the conventional and nuclear threat North Korea poses to Seoul, and to our forces on the DMZ, our forces are a deterrent not to the North Koreans, but to us. If those troops left South Korea, we would be free to use strategic bomber forces in Guam and elsewhere to destroy North Korea's nuclear facilities and perhaps command and control of the regime itself, and they would have nothing to retaliate against" -- meaning our soldiers would be gone.
Richard in Pensacola, Florida: "I've lived and worked in Korea, and the general sentiment of most Koreans is to get the troops out of that country. I think the time has come to respect their wishes. It's important to remember we are guests in South Korea."
A different view from Dean, who writes from Tokyo, Japan. "It's about time our troops are finally leaving South Korea. They never seemed to appreciate the fact that the U.S. has been protecting their country for the past 50 years. Having lived in South Korea, we saw protests in front of the U.S. Embassy all the time. Without U.S. troops, there would be no South Korea today."
Dean gets it, I think. Dean gets it.
O'BRIEN: Jack, thank you very much.
CAFFERTY: You're welcome.
Weather now. Chad Myers at the CNN Center for us.
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, it was a picture-perfect romance. We're going to talk to a man who might know the private side of the Reagans better than anybody else. He's going to show us some candid images this morning.
Also ahead, looking for last-minute bargains on hotel rooms? We've got tips from Consumer Reports when we continue right after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Welcome back to Simi Valley, California. That is one of the many shuttle buses being used now, and will be used for the next 12 hours at least, as the thousands and thousands of mourners come here to Simi Valley, the library of presidential -- the president, Ronald Reagan.
The work of the Reagan White House photographer Pete Souza volumes about the private side of a very public man. Souza's new book, "Images of Greatness," contains some never seen before photographs of President Reagan set to be published later this month. Pete Souza is our guest now here in Simi Valley. Also the official photographer for the Reagan family, not only today, but throughout the entire week of ceremonies. Good morning.
PETE SOUZA, FMR. WHITE HOUSE PHOTOGRAPHER: Good morning.
HEMMER: Nice to have you here. On the screen, the first image here is at the ranch here in southern California. Ronald Reagan with his jeep and a dog. Give us a bit of context as we go through these photos, what was happening at the time.
SOUZA: Well, you know, at ranch, he was the bird let out of the cage. He was very confining at the White House. At the ranch he had 600-plus acres, the only time he got to drive.
You know, one of the things that strikes me about this photo now is there's usually a Secret Service agent sitting in the front seat with him. But when he was ready to go, he just went. So...
HEMMER: Also in that same ranch is a picture with his doctor sitting there on tree stumps. I know you remember that one quite well. If we go forward to Air Force One, we can also see him putting onboard that plane.
SOUZA: Yes. Someone had brought along a new putting green, and he had to try it out. And you see all his aides in the background seeing if he's going to make the shot.
HEMMER: And with the mask of Michael Dukakis, what was happening here when this picture was taken?
SOUZA: Well, you know, he was a jokester. I mean, he would start a meeting off either with a joke, or something funny like this. Someone had given him a mask of Michael Dukakis, when Dukakis was running against Reagan's vice president in 1988 for -- to succeed him.
HEMMER: The next picture we have is with the pope in Miami, Florida. There's a certain intimacy, a certain intensity in this photo. What was happening then?
SOUZA: You know, this was right after the photo op for the press. They had been escorted out, the lights had been turned off, but the background light, the hair (ph) light had been left off. And it just made for a dramatic setting with the lighting. And then the pope leaned in to listen to the president. Just kind of a dramatic photo.
HEMMER: After the colon cancer surgery in 1985, you kind of captured a picture then. What was his mood or his feeling at that point?
SOUZA: Well, you know, surprisingly, he was doing quite well. I mean, this man had just had major surgery, and this is a couple of days later. And here he is talking to his chief of staff from his bed.
HEMMER: And the final picture we have today, Pete, is truly an intimate one. Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan embraced. SOUZA: This is after Mrs. Reagan had had breast cancer surgery. And the president would visit her every day at the hospital after work in the afternoon.
HEMMER: You were there for the private ceremony yesterday. I know your job is photographer. Were you able to take note of how the family was doing?
SOUZA: Well, I think Mrs. Reagan, as you said, looked quite proud. I think it's certainly an emotional time for her. But probably -- I don't know this for sure, but probably, there's some sense of relief, too. It's been a difficult 10 years for her as well.
HEMMER: And over that 10-year period she pretty much committed her life to him and taking care of him.
SOUZA: She really did.
HEMMER: I know you're going to be in Washington throughout the week. Travel well, and travel safe.
SOUZA: OK.
HEMMER: And thanks for sharing.
SOUZA: Thanks for having me on.
HEMMER: Pete Souza here live in Simi Valley, California.
Let's get a break here. Going back to November of 1991, two million visitors have come to this library. Many more will come throughout the coming weeks and months and years, as we remember the life of Ronald Reagan.
Back in a moment. Much more live here in California right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: A beautiful shot there. Welcome back, everybody. It is just about half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Bill Hemmer, my partner in Simi Valley, California, today -- and there he is -- we're going to chat with him in just one moment about what he is seeing at the Reagan Presidential Library.
Also this morning, we're also talking about some great deals. Sometimes they seem impossible to find but you know they're out there. So the question, where are the best summer bargains for hotels? In just a few minutes, we'll tell you where to look and how you can nail down the great rates.
But first, let's start with Bill Hemmer.
Hey, Bill.
HEMMER: Hey, Soledad. How are you doing there?
Listen, back here live in Simi Valley. We know at this point 33,000 have made their way past the casket. We're told in the assembly area, about three miles from our location, an additional 20,000 more are gathering there and waiting to come here. And there are at least 12 more hours to go officially on the schedule before what is seen here in the presidential library will be officially closed down. Then tomorrow, as we move into Wednesday, the president's body will be phone to Andrews Air Force Base in Washington, D.C.
It is an enormous task for the people in D.C. to keep that place safe and secure. Security is a major concern, too. And Ed Henry is standing live on Capitol Hill, taking us through for what we expect on Wednesday, Thursday and then on Friday morning.
Ed, good morning there.
ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
We have new pictures this hour of the preparations for the horse- drawn caisson that will take Mr. Reagan's casket on Wednesday night from 16th Street and Constitution Avenue, right near the Washington Monument and the White House, down Constitution Avenue for the Capitol. This is the pictures of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Division, the Caisson Platoon. They have been practicing this morning. A lot of preparations going on.
As you mentioned, also with security, this has been deemed, according to a memo distributed to senators yesterday, a national security special event. That gives it a classification similar to the national political conventions coming up this summer. Secret Service will be leading it, but the Capitol Police, the Park Police, the Department of Homeland Security, so much security involved. Also, senators, meanwhile, are focusing on tribute speeches on the Senate floor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can tell by the way he carried himself, the way he walked, the way we spoke, the way he treated people, the handshake, that he was not only the commander in chief and president of the United States, but he was also a man of the people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY: The House, meanwhile, will come into session today to deal with two resolutions. One honoring the former president, a second one that will formally open up the Rotunda in the Capitol to receive the casket of Mr. Reagan. That's a formality that both chambers have to deal with, Bill. We'll see the House deal with it first today -- Bill.
HEMMER: Yes, first time since 1973, Ed, as we have pointed out many times. Thanks. Ed Henry, live there in Capitol Hill.
Much more coverage here from Simi Valley in a moment. Back to Soledad now in New York.
O'BRIEN: All right. Bill, thanks a lot.
Popular Web sites, like Hotwire, Priceline and Travelocity, to name just a few, offer a variety of travel discounts. But Consumer Reports says you should think twice before you double click to get the best bargains on hotels this summer. Their new survey says that, in fact, increased competition gives travelers a great opportunity to get some great rates. And David Heim from Consumer Reports joins us this morning.
So where should you go to get the best deal, if it's not the Internet? Where do you go?
DAVID HEIM, DEPUTY EDITOR, CONSUMER REPORTS: Well, you should start with the Internet. And the advice we have in the July issue of Consumer Reports that's out today, start with the Internet, then check with the hotel's own Web site. And finally, to really close the deal and get the best price, call the hotel directly.
O'BRIEN: You say close the deal, which makes it sound like you can sort of bargain and negotiate. Can you negotiate with the people on the phone at the hotel?
HEIM: Absolutely, you can. We tried that about a hundred different times. And we found that we could get the best price by calling up, going to the hotel directly, saving $60 to $80 a night on our hotel rates.
O'BRIEN: Wow.
HEIM: And if it seems too high, it never hurts to say, listen, that's more than I can afford, or can you give me an upgrade if you can't do anything in the price. That saved a lot of money for our reporter, too.
O'BRIEN: That's always good. How does it work when they ask -- for sites that ask for bidding on a particular hotel room? I mean, that always seems very weird to me, because you don't necessarily know what hotel room you're going to be in or what hotel you're going to be in.
HEIM: You don't know exactly where you're going to be if you use a site like Priceline or Hotwire. Those are the two popular kind of blind sites, as they're called.
Again, we tried them to figure out great strategies for saving on hotel rates in the July issue of Consumer Reports. You can save substantially. Sometimes 40 percent or more over the best price you can find elsewhere on the Internet.
It takes time. You don't know exactly where you're going to be until after you say OK. And once you say OK, that's it. The rates aren't refundable.
O'BRIEN: OK. So you've just got to be flexible and kind of willing to go wherever they end up putting you.
HEIM: Right.
O'BRIEN: You say there are also faster ways to check a good bargain than going to each and every individual site on the Web. What do you do for that?
HEIM: This is great. This is something I learned. There are two sites that are kind of in a rough way, like Google, just for travel: Travelaxe and Traveladviser.com.
O'BRIEN: And axe is a-x-e.
HEIM: A-X-E. And they will search all the other Web sites for you and pop up the ones that have -- have hotel rooms and have good rates.
O'BRIEN: Oh, saving you a little bit of time there.
HEIM: Exactly.
O'BRIEN: David Heim from Consumer Reports, nice to see you. Thanks for the great tips.
HEIM: Thank you. My pleasure.
O'BRIEN: It always helps as we head into a little vacation time. Appreciate it.
Still to come this morning, there may be a significant advance in how doctors can treat brain cancer. Dr. Sanjay Gupta's got that just ahead.
Also this morning, the world's economic powers gathering in the U.S., but money matters are not expected to top the agenda. We'll tell you what is, though.
That's ahead as AMERICAN MORNING continues right after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Researchers are calling it the first major advance in the treatment of brain cancer in decades. Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us from the CNN Center with the latest details of a new study.
Hey, Sanjay. Good morning.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
You know, there really hasn't been any significant advances in treating one of the most aggressive forms of brain cancer in a long time. So scientists, doctors and patients all alike are pretty excited about this latest development. And we're talking about a tumor called Glioblastoma Multiforme, GBM. It is one of the most aggressive forms of cancer, period, anywhere on the body. This is the sort of cancer that patients are often told that they have less than a year to live if they're given this diagnosis. It's unfortunately one of the most common types of brain cancer as well. It is incurable, to be sure. Prognosis, again, less than a year.
There's a new study out there looking at a new medication and when that medication specifically is given. The Glioblastoma study, they looked at 286 patients with Glioblastoma Multiforme, and the patients got radiation only, and patients who got this medication, temadol (ph), before and after radiation. And what they found that was after two years, three times as many chemotherapy patients survived compared to the radiation patients. Again, three times as many.
Just to give you the absolute numbers, at about two years, 10 percent of patients typically are alive with this sort of tumor. With this new therapy, 26 percent, again, almost three times as many.
We talked to doctors, scientists about this. This is probably going to start changing the standard of treatment right away. Doctors are probably going to start using this medication right away to treat this cancer. It's been about 30 years since they've had any good progress against this form of tumor -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: How many folks, Sanjay, does this type of cancer effect? And are there implications for this with other forms of cancer?
GUPTA: Good question. It's fortunately not that common a tumor overall. If you look at all sorts of cancers in the body, benign and malignant, this represents about maybe 2 percent or so of cancers, about 20,000 or so cases a year.
But, you know, 13,000 people die from this a year as well. So very, very high likelihood of death when you get the diagnosis of this.
Now, regarding other sorts of cancers, it may very well be that this has implications for other sorts of cancers as well. We're giving you this information just as it's coming out. The study just being released today regarding this sort of cancer and this treatment. But the studies are certainly going to be done using temadol (ph) on other cancers as well -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: All right. Sanjay, thanks. Appreciate it.
GUPTA: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, first the airlines got rid of free meals. Now, they're thinking of getting rid of something else to save money. We'll tell you what it is when we're "Minding Your Business" just ahead in a moment.
We're back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Forty-five minutes past the hour. Time to look at some of the other stories making headlines with Daryn Kagan.
Hey, Daryn. Good morning again.
KAGAN: Hi, Soledad.
We have more details coming in now about that deadly shooting in Saudi Arabia we told you about just about a half-hour ago. An American contractor has been shot and killed in the Saudi capital of Riyadh. The victim worked for a company that helped train the Saudi National Guard. The incident follows a string of recent attacks targeting foreigners in Saudi Arabia.
Two suicide car bombings in Iraq today. The first in Baquba. It left an American soldier dead. And in Mosul, at least nine Iraqi civilians were killed in a bombing there. Witnesses reported seeing three men in a taxi just before it exploded.
Authorities in Italy say they've arrested two men and detained another in connection with the train attacks in Madrid. Authorities say they believe one of the men was in custody was actually the mastermind behind those March 11th bombings. This comes as part of a police sweep going on in Europe in which other arrests are expected.
And President Bush is expected to use this year's G-8 summit to help mend some fences over the issue of Iraq. President Bush expected to hold private meetings on the sidelines of the summit, which is getting under way today. Also on the agenda, debt relief and ongoing war on terrorism. The summit wraps up on Thursday.
Much more news ahead, including a visit with Dear Abby. We're going to be talking about being left behind once you lose one -- a loved to Alzheimer's, Soledad. That's coming up at 10:00 Eastern.
O'BRIEN: All right. Daryn, thanks. Looking forward to that.
Question now, why do paper airline tickets that (ph) should be heading for the shredder soon? And look at that and a check of the market this morning with Andy Serwer, who is "Minding Your Business."
ANDY SERWER, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, FORTUNE MAGAZINE: Good morning.
O'BRIEN: Good morning. And why? I mean, I thought -- often people tell you, hang on to those paper tickets...
SERWER: Yes.
O'BRIEN: ... because if you lose your e-ticket or have a problem with your e-ticket, you really need the paper ticket to change things. Now they're getting rid of them altogether?
SERWER: They're going to get rid of them all by 2007. An airline conference in Singapore right now with top airline executives looking to cut costs. This is a business that lost $30 billion over the past three years. I mean, they've got to do something, Soledad. So getting rid of paper tickets is something that they're going to do.
They're also talking about how the price of oil needs to go back down to $33 a barrel before they're making any money. I mean, good luck, because it's right around $40 right now. You can see how much trouble that's been for them.
You know, and then you've got SARS, Iraq, terrorism, a weak economy on top of that. And it's just been a miserable time for that business. And hoping that the price of oil goes back down to $33 is no way to run a railroad, or I should say an airline. But cutting up paper tickets is something that's going to happen by 2007 for sure.
O'BRIEN: The market has been open for about 20 minutes now. How is it looking?
SERWER: We're slipping a little, as expected this morning. Down about 17 on the Dow tech stocks, like Intel, Texas Instruments, weaker. ImClone a little bit weaker after its big day yesterday.
O'BRIEN: All right. Andy, thank you very much.
SERWER: You're welcome.
SERWER: Appreciate that.
Time to check in with Jack. He's got the Question of the Day.
CAFFERTY: How dangerous is it to pull a third of U.S. troops out of South Korea? We've got about 37,000 American military personnel on the peninsula. There's a plan under way to yank about a third of them out of there. The e-mails this morning, all over the lot.
We've gotten a lot of mail from Japan. I guess it's an issue that is of some relevance to folks in Japan.
John writes from Ishikawa: "The South Koreans cannot have it both ways. On the one hand, they're bashing the U.S. troops for being there. On the other, they're going to moan about the U.S. re- deploying away from the DMZ and reducing the overall number of troops on the peninsula. Pull all the U.S. troops and give the younger generation there in South Korea a dose of reality."
Chris writes from Missoula, Montana, "I don't think this presents any risk to Asian stability. It may lead to better cooperation between North and South Korea, and a greater role for China in keeping Asia stable."
And Jim in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, "Oh, for the days of splendid isolationism. Maybe we should let the world take care of itself and tend our own garden."
O'BRIEN: A long time since we've heard that phrase, splendid isolationism.
CAFFERTY: Ain't possible anymore, Jim. Nice idea, but no can do.
O'BRIEN: All right. Jack, thank you very much.
CAFFERTY: Sure.
O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, dealing with Alzheimer's. We heard Daryn talk about it just a moment ago. President Reagan, of course, battled the disease for a decade. We're going to talk about that coming up in our next hour on "CNN LIVE TODAY."
But first, let's head out to Bill Hemmer, who's in Simi Valley, California, for us this morning.
Hey, Bill. Good morning again.
HEMMER: Hey, Soledad. Thank you, and good morning again.
We're getting new information about the visitation here, the viewing of the casket here. It's now -- the hours have been extended an additional four hours. They were going to conclude around 6:00 West Coast Time, now it's 10:00. But they're telling everyone who wants to come here still, even if you're in the state of California and still have plans to come here, no one will be admitted in the parking lot, the gathering area, after 3:00 local time.
Again, they're also working on viewing times at the burial site possibly on Sunday, they say. Still to be ironed out. But as soon as we get it, we'll pass it along.
Let's get a break here. More in a moment in Simi Valley.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Look at that shot. It might make it to 90 degrees here in New York City today. Time to check back in on the weather with Chad Myers at the CNN Center.
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: And now, here's Aaron Brown with a preview of what's coming up tonight on "NEWSNIGHT."
AARON BROWN, HOST, "NEWSNIGHT": Thank you, Soledad. Tonight on "NEWSNIGHT," a legacy of honesty. By telling the world he had Alzheimer's, Ronald Reagan put a public face on the disease and helped raise public awareness. His decision to speak out has made a difference, according to advocates.
That part of the Reagan story, plus all the day's top news, morning papers and everything that makes "NEWSNIGHT" "NEWSNIGHT." CNN tonight, 10:00 p.m. Eastern -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: All right. Aaron, thanks for that.
Coming up on CNN, more coverage from Simi Valley, as thousands of people pay their respects of the late Ronald Reagan. And then the toll that Alzheimer's can take on families like the Reagans. We're going to talk with Jeanne Phillips form Dear Abby fame. Her family is dealing with the tough reality of the disease as well.
That's ahead on "CNN LIVE TODAY" with Daryn Kagan. AMERICAN MORNING is back right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: As we say goodbye here from the Presidential Library in Simi Valley, if you ever get a chance to come here, there are countless artifacts from the Reagan White House years inside. But, Soledad, there's one artifact that goes back about 54 years.
There was a restaurant in LA called Chasen's. Well, there was a booth from that restaurant that has been set up and moved to the library inside. In that booth is where Ronald Reagan proposed to Nancy Reagan back in the early 1950s. And that wedding taking place in 1952, and that marriage lasting 52 full years.
It's been a heck of a week already. I'll see you tomorrow live in Washington, as we move across the country and continue to track the -- this enormous funeral procession that really extends from California to our nation's capital, and then back again here on Friday night.
See you then, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: All right. Bill, we'll see you then.
Let's hand it over now to Daryn Kagan, who's at the CNN Center in Atlanta, going to take you through the next several hours.
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