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American Morning
9/11 Commission Director Recommendations; Vanessa Kerry discusses the DNC; Kobe Bryant Sexual Assault Case
Aired July 19, 2004 - 08:00 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.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Will the legacy of the 9/11 Commission be a super spy in Washington? A controversial proposal draws fire in Washington.
Is this year's election setting up a showdown between Hillary Clinton and John Edwards? We'll take a look down the road.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. vowing he'll make a speedy return to the racetrack after a terrifying crash.
And getting more ride than you bargained for. We'll talk to the family that was stuck in that balloon on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN broadcast center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.
COLLINS: Good morning, everybody.
Hope you're doing well today, at least better than us in the rain out there.
Soledad is resting in the last few weeks of her pregnancy.
I'm Heidi Collins.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Bill Hemmer.
Some of the other news making headlines this morning.
A lot of people talking in Washington about the proposals said to be coming in the 9/11 report, due later this week. The panel expected to ask for a single head of intelligence. We'll get a report on that in a moment.
COLLINS: Also this morning, we'll get a look inside the FleetCenter of Boston, where the final preparations are being made for the Democratic convention. We're going to speak with this young lady: John Kerry's daughter, Vanessa Kerry, is going to give us the preview from there.
HEMMER: Also, a bid decision coming up in the Kobe Bryant matter that could determine if the trial is put on television. It's never been done that way before in Colorado. We'll see if anything changes this time or not.
COLLINS: Meanwhile, Jack Cafferty here now with "The Cafferty File" today.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
Yes, coming up in "The File" in a little less than an hour, we'll tell you how a handwriting sample could help you get your next job.
And Hollywood Madam Heidi Fleiss has some advice for Martha Stewart on how to survive in prison.
COLLINS: That ought to be good.
CAFFERTY: Yes, it is good, actually.
COLLINS: OK.
All right.
CAFFERTY: Wait till you hear it.
COLLINS: All right, thanks, Jack. We'll talk soon.
The 9/11 Commission's final report is due Thursday, but expected recommendations for the intelligence agencies are already ruffling some feathers in Washington. If major changes are made, the decision will come from the White House, which is where Dana Bash is this morning -- hi, Dana.
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Heidi.
And the president has been talking in general terms over the past week or so about reforming intelligence agencies. That in the wake of some questionable prewar intelligence about Iraq.
But on the key finding, we think, from the 9/11 Commission, that is something that the president and the White House has been very careful not to take a position on. And that, of course, is creating a cabinet level position to be in charge of all 15 agencies that deal with intelligence, to help streamline and coordinate information.
Mr. Bush's acting CIA director, however, Heidi, is taking a position. He says it would add another layer of bureaucracy. And besides, he says, he thinks that's his job.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, ACTING CIA DIRECTOR: I see the director of Central Intelligence as someone who is able to do that and empowered to do so under the National Security Act of 1947. So I think with some modest changes in the way the CIA is set up, the director of Central Intelligence could carry out that function well and appropriately.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: Now, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, whose Pentagon controls the vast majority of intelligence purse strings, he has publicly resisted the idea. Back in March, he testified before the 9/11 Commission, saying that centralizing intelligence could stifle creativity instead of challenging conventional thinking.
But nevertheless, there are members of Congress in both parties, and some former CIA chiefs, who do think that this is a good idea. And again, the White House, there's debate going on in the building behind me over whether or not to embrace this idea of a cabinet level post or maybe come up with some kind of compromise -- Heidi.
COLLINS: All right, Dana Bash live from the White House this morning.
Dana, thanks.
HEMMER: When the curtain rises on the Democratic National Convention a week from today in Boston, John Kerry will eventually take center stage.
Here is a first look this morning at the inside of the FleetCenter in Boston, where preparations are under way for that event. Senator Kerry's daughter Vanessa setting the stage for us this morning.
She's also live inside the FleetCenter.
Vanessa, welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING, and good morning to you.
VANESSA KERRY, JOHN KERRY'S DAUGHTER: Good morning.
HEMMER: I want to talk about the convention in a moment here. But first, let's talk about these poll numbers. Even among Democrats, a strong number of people still do not believe that they know enough about your father.
Why do you believe that is still the case?
KERRY: I think this country is about to be introduced to my father. We are just warming up in this election, and I think that, you know, people had four years to get to know the president and they've had a few short months to get to know my dad, John Kerry.
This is just the beginning, and I'm very confident that this country is going to love what they see, if they get to see anything of what I've seen in my 27 years of having him as a father.
HEMMER: He's working on his speech in Nantucket, said to be writing it out in long form, longhand.
What do you think, knowing him as well as you do, being his daughter, what does he need to express about himself to make that connection with people who do not know him?
KERRY: I think that when people hear about my father's history -- having grown up as the son of someone in the Army Air Corps; having gone to Vietnam and fought in the Delta; having been a prosecutor fighting for civil liberties and rights and for Americans here in Massachusetts and going on to be a senator and fighting fights for the environment, fighting for jobs, fighting for the things he's done -- as people hear his history, they're going to get to know him.
But they're also going to get to know what he's going to fight for as president of the United States: jobs for all Americans -- 10 million; fighting for energy independence; early education; healthcare for all Americans; protecting our civil liberties; making this country safer and have more respected in the world. These are things that he's going to begin talking about.
And this country is going to see the side that is the fighter, the side that is passionate, the side that is laughing, the side that I think, you know, is able to understand what the average American is going through. And they're really, I think, going to get to know him next week in this convention hall when he accepts the nomination.
HEMMER: At the end of last week, a number of high profile women were added to the speakers list. Just to name a few: Hillary Clinton will introduce her husband; Nancy Pelosi; Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm; Madeleine Albright.
Were women not fairly represented at the convention before this announcement last week?
KERRY: Women have always been a part of this convention, always been a part of this planning. There's a huge event on Monday night with all the women senators and Mrs. -- Senator Clinton will be introducing her husband. Governor Granholm is speaking on Wednesday. My stepmother, Teresa Heinz, will be speaking.
Women have always been represented in this campaign, if you look at the levels. His campaign manager, his press -- his head of press is a woman, his national co-chair is a woman. I think that that has always been a part of the program, and I think people are going to be excited to see their involvement next week.
HEMMER: Judith Hope, ex-state party chairman here in New York for the Democrats last week, referring to Hillary Clinton's lack of involvement, now being put in, said this: The senator's treatment is "a slap in the face for every woman in the Democratic Party and every woman in America."
Does Judith Hope have a point, or did she have a point prior to the announcement last week?
KERRY: Senator Clinton was always a part of next week. She was going to be part of the women's event on Monday night, and my father had the great pleasure of asking her to introduce her husband. So, I think that we've always been -- women have always been a part of this program.
HEMMER: What can we expect to see at the convention when it opens up a week from today, Vanessa?
KERRY: Well, the stage is behind me, which gives you a quick glimpse of what is coming. We have two podiums where people are going to speak from. There are podiums here on the arena floor. We have a huge main screen and several plasma screens where we're going to be bringing in the faces of America.
Our goal is to make this as inclusive as possible -- to not only bring Americans into the convention hall, but also to help, obviously, bring this convention out into America, passing on our message as stronger here at home and safer in the world.
There is an area back behind me where you're going to see people who are working in the convention, tallying the votes and doing much of the behind-the-scenes. They'll be working in a way that people can see what they're doing.
There's room for 200 people to be sitting behind the podium, so some of the audience, young people, will be able to be up where the speakers are speaking. And we have several other surprises, but people are going to have to tune in next week to see those.
HEMMER: You're a pretty good spokeswoman already. So, we'll see you in Boston next week, Vanessa.
Thanks for your time this morning.
KERRY: Great. Thank you.
HEMMER: Vanessa Kerry there inside the FleetCenter -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Well, they don't agree on much, but prosecutors and defense attorneys in the Kobe Bryant case are united against cameras in their courtroom. That's one of a number of issues on the agenda today at a pretrial hearing in Colorado. Bryant will be there.
And so will KOA Radio reporter Alex Stone. He's with us now live from Eagle, Colorado -- Alex, good morning to you.
ALEX STONE, REPORTER, KOA RADIO: Hi, Heidi. Good morning.
COLLINS: You know, it's been about one month, 26 days, that is, since court was in session. What should we expect from the hearing today? Obviously this issue of cameras.
STONE: Yes, the cameras in the courtroom will be the big issue today, Heidi. And we're just a month away from the trial beginning. This was expected originally to be a three-day hearing; now, it's just going to be a one-day hearing. Much shorter. There's not that much left that really needs to get done, but just these tying up of loose ends, really, like cameras in the courtroom.
COLLINS: Well, speaking about those cameras in the courtroom, Alex, why are the defense and the prosecution both pushing to get the cameras out?
STONE: They both say that there's no reason the cameras need to be in the courtroom in this case. The media, Heidi, is saying that it can cover up the accuser's face, it can conceal her identity. But everybody involved in the case is saying it's too risky, that there's a chance that it could come out, that her identity could come out. They're saying, "Judge, don't allow her identity to be possibly exposed. Kick cameras out of the courtroom."
COLLINS: All right, well, jury selection, as you know, just about six weeks away or so. There's going to be something like 999 summonses issued in that county. In fact, it's the most ever issued for a trial in that county.
Why so many?
STONE: Yes, it's going to be quite a few. It's because of the pretrial publicity in this case that it seems like everybody in this case knows what's been going on, that everybody in this county knows what's been going on. And it's going to take that many people to find, in the court's opinion, a fair jury.
So, 1,000 summonses are going out this week. We understand possibly today or tomorrow people in this county will be getting those summonses. And then they'll be required to respond here, to arrive here at the courthouse on August 27.
COLLINS: Alex, another issue today that's going to be talked about, the judge is going to have to make a decision about whether or not the accuser's sexual history will be entered in as evidence.
Tell us about the importance of a decision like that.
STONE: Right. We're waiting to find out what the judge will decide on that. This is a topic that took quite a while. There were numerous hearings on this topic of what will happen with the accuser's sexual history. The significance is it will make or break the case for one side or the other.
If the accuser's sexual history is allowed in at trial -- and if the jury finds out about all the other people that the accuser may, according to the defense, have been sleeping with -- then, if they do find out about that, then it's going to be hard, according to experts, to prove that a rape did occur, because the injuries could have come from somebody else.
But if the jury doesn't know about these other people, if the only person that they think she had been with was Kobe Bryant, then at that point the injuries, in a juror's mind, would look more like those injuries must have come from Bryant.
COLLINS: All right. Quickly, Alex, before we let you go, jurors are now going to be able to ask witnesses questions during this trial. Very interesting to me.
How is that going to impact this case?
STONE: Well, we don't know yet, Heidi, if they're going to be able to ask questions. That'll be up to the judge. A new Colorado law will allow it. The judge could allow the jurors to ask questions. They would put it in written form. They would submit that to the judge. If they do have a question, the judge would decide which questions he wants asked, if any. But it will be up to the judge.
We understand so far, in several cases where -- in other cases in Colorado, judges have not allowed it so far that are going on right now in other parts of Colorado.
COLLINS: All right, so that decision still to be made in this case, as well.
Alex Stone, thanks so much for being with us once again.
STONE: OK.
Thanks, Heidi.
HEMMER: About 12 minutes past the hour.
Back to Daryn Kagan at the CNN Center looking at the other news this morning. And a very fascinating story developing in the Middle East -- Daryn, good morning.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: And that's where I'll begin, Bill.
Good morning to you.
We begin in the Middle East, where Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia says that he is resigning his position. Qureia claims the reason for the move, a lack of security and what he describes as a state of chaos. He says he's awaiting a written response from Palestinian President Yasser Arafat.
Violence, meanwhile, broke out over the weekend after Arafat appointed his nephew to be the security chief for Gaza and the West Bank. The man that Arafat's nephew replaced now claims he is back in the security post.
It has been another violent morning in Iraq. Officials say that a truck bomb killed at least nine people and injured dozens of others in Baghdad. The blast is the latest attack aimed at Iraqi police. The explosion comes a day after a newspaper run by supporters of radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr was ordered reopened by Interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi.
U.S. military commanders reportedly authorized the use of dogs at Abu Ghraib Prison in Iraq. According to classified documents obtained by "USA Today," Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez authorized the use of dogs during interrogation sessions at the prison. The order came months after Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld barred the practice at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
Let's check out California. That is where firefighters are working to contain a major blaze in Los Angeles County. Crews used helicopters yesterday to drop water over the area. But strong winds managed to fan the flames toward a housing community. No reports of injuries, but nearly 1,600 homes have been evacuated.
And finally, Will Smith's summer movie hot streak -- it shows no signs of ending. Smith's "I, Robot" was the weekend top draw at the box office. It grossed more than $52 million. How big is that? Well, it is more than the next three biggest films combined for the weekend.
"Robot," by the way, knocked "Spider-Man 2" down to number two after two weeks at the top. A lot of folks going to the movies this summer -- back to you.
HEMMER: I saw "Spider-Man" yesterday.
KAGAN: And?
HEMMER: I preferred "Spider-Man" number one.
KAGAN: Interesting, because a lot of people are liking number two.
HEMMER: I'm with you there.
KAGAN: OK.
HEMMER: My expectations were high; I was let down.
KAGAN: All right.
HEMMER: Thank you, Daryn.
KAGAN: OK.
HEMMER: Did you see this dangerous close call for one of NASCAR's biggest stars? A fiery crash for Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Recovering today with second degree burns after an accident yesterday during a practice run in California. Fuel spilled as Earnhardt's Corvette spun, hit a barrier. In seconds, the car was in flames.
The 29-year-old Earnhardt suffered second degree burns on his face and both legs, but amazingly climbed out of the wreckage. Earnhardt's doctors think he'll be out of the hospital in a few days and a burn suit he was wearing helped protect him.
And Chad Myers is our -- he's our expert when it comes to this -- Chad, I heard you talking earlier today, saying there's a compartment inside of that car that did not protect him as much as it should have.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right.
HEMMER: Is that the case?
MYERS: It's called a fuel cell. And in fact, if you think of a gas tank, your gas tank is one big hunk of metal that you put gas in. A fuel cell in race cars is the same type of tank. But inside that tank is a bladder, and it does not allow the gas to come out.
This thing broke off at the very top of the tube, almost like where you put the gas in your car. It literally broke off from the gas tank and that's how the gas, the fuel literally got out of that gas tank. And it just kept going.
You could almost see that little explosion. It was a puff. And then -- and Dale wasn't really moving very much. So he was already and still dazed from the wreck.
Finally he got himself out of that five point harness and then the workers were over there to get the fire out. But that car was a complete wreck and he's going to be in the hospital for maybe a couple of days. They thought that they would let him go today. It may not be the case. Obviously, still very early out there, though, in California -- Bill.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: It's a story Kathy and Mike McGonigle will be telling for quite some time about a sightseeing balloon ride that went up, up and awry. The balloon was in the air over Baltimore's Inner Harbor Saturday when strong winds caused it to swing out of control. The nearly 20 passengers were suspended for almost two hours before the balloon was brought to Earth. You see it there.
The McGonigles were on board with their two very young children, two and four.
They are joining us now from Baltimore with the kids to talk about this ordeal.
Good morning to all of you.
Thanks for being here.
MIKE MCGONIGLE, PASSENGER ON BALLOON RIDE: Good morning.
KATHY MCGONIGLE, PASSENGER ON BALLOON RIDE: Good morning.
COLLINS: Kathy, we see that your arm is in a little bit of a sling there.
Why don't you begin by telling us what on earth happened and when you knew that you were in trouble.
K. MCGONIGLE: We had gone up in the balloon. I assume we had risen to the top. And I kind of hit Mike on the shoulder and I pointed, because you could see to the south, probably east, really dark clouds, like a storm. And I said ugh...
M. MCGONIGLE: Yes, pretty much immediately, as soon as we got up to the top, you could see there was a storm right out over the Chesapeake Bay. And people got nervous pretty quickly. And then shortly thereafter, the wind started gusting. And so within five minutes of us getting to the top, it started getting really turbulent.
K. MCGONIGLE: Really windy. And...
M. MCGONIGLE: And people started, at that point, demanding to be -- to come back down. K. MCGONIGLE: Right. We...
COLLINS: But that wasn't possible, was it?
K. MCGONIGLE: No. I guess -- we had gotten blown around so much, I'm not exactly sure what happened, but from what we could understand and from the communications they were making with the ground, it appeared that the computer had -- system had locked the balloon and wouldn't allow it to discussed.
M. MCGONIGLE: Right. And at first what happened, they were trying to pull us back down. But the winds were so strong that net we weren't making any progress. And then finally, the winds were so strong the computer, as a safety precaution, shut the whole system down. The only problem is we were still 10 stories above the ground.
COLLINS: Wow. Have you guys ever been on a balloon ride before?
M. MCGONIGLE: No. And it'll be our last.
K. MCGONIGLE: Yes, I think this is it.
COLLINS: Yes, I was going to say, are you going to do that again? But I guess that's painfully obvious here.
With the two kids on board, were you thinking more about that and the danger of the situation that you were in?
K. MCGONIGLE: Yes. I mean especially, you know, we went through the one really turbulent time. Then it was calm for a while. And you know, we kept thinking why aren't they bringing us down? And when that second turbulent time came through, that's when we hit the building. And that, it was terrifying.
And I mean, you know, we were in positions just trying to protect the kids and holding on and bracing with our feet. And so we, you know, that was my main concern. I had Claire (ph) and Mike had Shawn (ph) and how could we just keep them safe.
COLLINS: Of course.
K. MCGONIGLE: Yes...
COLLINS: Mike, tell me, what was the pilot saying to, the balloon pilot? Was he or she explaining anything to you?
M. MCGONIGLE: I think he tried his best. I don't think that the system was designed -- I mean unfortunately there really was no back up system. So, there wasn't really a Plan B to default to. He was trying his best, but on the ground they clearly were confused. They really, you know, we went through the first gust, which was terribly unnerving.
But the worst part was we sat there for 45 minutes of calm weather with the fire department showing up and everything and all we could hear over the Walkie-Talkie was the computer shut down and after half an hour they overrode the computer. But the emergency brake was still applied. And then, the second squall hit us.
COLLINS: Wow.
M. MCGONIGLE: So, he was trying his hardest to keep everyone calm, but they were totally unprepared for it. The balloon really had no backup system whatsoever.
COLLINS: Yes, I'm sure he was working pretty hard, too.
Now, how did you explain all of this to the kids? Obviously when they see the fire crews down below and they hear all of this going on, on the radios -- I mean, were they pretty scared?
K. MCGONIGLE: Yes. It...
M. MCGONIGLE: Fortunately for us, though, there were -- I'm sorry.
K. MCGONIGLE: No, I was going to say I think, given their ages, the seriousness of it was beyond them. They were scared. They told us they did not want to be on the bumpy balloon ride.
COLLINS: Right.
K. MCGONIGLE: And you know, get us down, you know, and...
M. MCGONIGLE: We drove by it this morning and they -- our son thought that we were taking him back on the balloon ride and he said, "No balloon, daddy."
COLLINS: Ah.
K. MCGONIGLE: You know, so...
COLLINS: Real quick, before we let you guys go, just to be sure, I want to make sure I read this statement here from the company. As you know, the name of it Balloon Over Baltimore.
It says: "All of us at Balloon Over Baltimore want to express our sincere concern for the riders of our balloon Saturday afternoon. Balloon Over Baltimore is truly sorry for this unfortunate event, but extremely thankful that everyone was brought safely to the ground."
Are you satisfied with that?
M. MCGONIGLE: Yes, I think that -- we appreciate it and it's operated through J.V. with the Children's Museum, which we frequent. I think there is a shortcoming, though: The system has to be re- engineered such that there's some kind of backup.
And in fact, with the single cable system, it turned us -- it really acted as a catapult so that when the winds started gusting, they said we had a 49 knot wind, we needed up being catapulted inside the gondola.
COLLINS: Right. M. MCGONIGLE: And then, we hit the building. You can see that there. And that was -- that was scary. So, they need to reengineer the system.
COLLINS: All right, well, we're glad that you guys are safe.
Very glad to see you here this morning.
K. MCGONIGLE: Thank you.
COLLINS: Kathy, Mike, Claire (ph) and Shawn (ph) McGonigle, thanks so much, you guys.
M. MCGONIGLE: Thanks a lot.
K. MCGONIGLE: Bye. Thanks.
COLLINS: All right.
HEMMER: It will be our last.
COLLINS: Yes. That was very clear.
HEMMER: Wow.
COLLINS: Yes.
HEMMER: In a moment here, a high profile businesswoman with a rather shady past has some advice for Martha Stewart. "The Cafferty File" has that in a moment.
COLLINS: Also ahead, most of the detainees at Guantanamo have been there for at least two years. Now, hundreds of them are about to find out whether they should have been there in the first place, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Welcome back, everyone.
Back to Jack and "The Cafferty File."
CAFFERTY: Thank you, sir.
The most passionate sports fans in the United States are found in Denver, Colorado. This is according to a survey by DirecTV. Boston is second. San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose tie for third. And rounding out the top five are Philadelphia and New York City.
The picks were made by analyzing sporting event attendance, cable TV, sports subscriptions and by quizzing sports reporters and fans. I apologize for that item.
Your handwriting can help you land your next job. The "New York Times" -- well, it wasn't very interesting. The "New York Times" reports that more U.S. employers are using handwriting analysis to screen potential employees. This is only marginally better. The method is called graphology. It dates to the 11th century. It's widely used in France, Germany and England. Experts say a person's handwriting shows if he's trustworthy, creative and resourceful. Companies cross check the analysis against their own impressions of the person.
HEMMER: Zero for 2.
CAFFERTY: Yes. You know, you're right.
COLLINS: If you're that.
CAFFERTY: However, big finish. Heidi Fleiss has some advice for Martha Stewart. That's Heidi Fleiss. She spent three years in a federal prison for tax evasion. She says, "Martha Stewart may want to consider becoming gay in order to survive her time in the big house."
According to the "Pittsburgh Tribune Review," Fleiss says, "I was gay for the stay. My advice to Martha, find a nice, cute lesbian lover and make the best of it."
One out of three is not very good, but it was a big finish.
HEMMER: And then you had vacation last week, too, though, so it just...
CAFFERTY: Well, it's...
HEMMER: It goes down a little easier on a day like today.
CAFFERTY: You know, it's -- you know, it does. Thank you.
HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.
CAFFERTY: You're welcome.
COLLINS: Do I have to go on from here? Oh...
CAFFERTY: Not if you don't want to.
COLLINS: OK.
CAFFERTY: I don't care.
COLLINS: Still to come this morning, hundreds of detainees at Gitmo are finally about to get a status review. But some experts think it might be a rush job. We'll talk to a former Air Force attorney ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Still to come, the latest on the violence in Iraq. This time it seems Iraq's own people were the target.
Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired July 19, 2004 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Will the legacy of the 9/11 Commission be a super spy in Washington? A controversial proposal draws fire in Washington.
Is this year's election setting up a showdown between Hillary Clinton and John Edwards? We'll take a look down the road.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. vowing he'll make a speedy return to the racetrack after a terrifying crash.
And getting more ride than you bargained for. We'll talk to the family that was stuck in that balloon on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN broadcast center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.
COLLINS: Good morning, everybody.
Hope you're doing well today, at least better than us in the rain out there.
Soledad is resting in the last few weeks of her pregnancy.
I'm Heidi Collins.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Bill Hemmer.
Some of the other news making headlines this morning.
A lot of people talking in Washington about the proposals said to be coming in the 9/11 report, due later this week. The panel expected to ask for a single head of intelligence. We'll get a report on that in a moment.
COLLINS: Also this morning, we'll get a look inside the FleetCenter of Boston, where the final preparations are being made for the Democratic convention. We're going to speak with this young lady: John Kerry's daughter, Vanessa Kerry, is going to give us the preview from there.
HEMMER: Also, a bid decision coming up in the Kobe Bryant matter that could determine if the trial is put on television. It's never been done that way before in Colorado. We'll see if anything changes this time or not.
COLLINS: Meanwhile, Jack Cafferty here now with "The Cafferty File" today.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
Yes, coming up in "The File" in a little less than an hour, we'll tell you how a handwriting sample could help you get your next job.
And Hollywood Madam Heidi Fleiss has some advice for Martha Stewart on how to survive in prison.
COLLINS: That ought to be good.
CAFFERTY: Yes, it is good, actually.
COLLINS: OK.
All right.
CAFFERTY: Wait till you hear it.
COLLINS: All right, thanks, Jack. We'll talk soon.
The 9/11 Commission's final report is due Thursday, but expected recommendations for the intelligence agencies are already ruffling some feathers in Washington. If major changes are made, the decision will come from the White House, which is where Dana Bash is this morning -- hi, Dana.
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Heidi.
And the president has been talking in general terms over the past week or so about reforming intelligence agencies. That in the wake of some questionable prewar intelligence about Iraq.
But on the key finding, we think, from the 9/11 Commission, that is something that the president and the White House has been very careful not to take a position on. And that, of course, is creating a cabinet level position to be in charge of all 15 agencies that deal with intelligence, to help streamline and coordinate information.
Mr. Bush's acting CIA director, however, Heidi, is taking a position. He says it would add another layer of bureaucracy. And besides, he says, he thinks that's his job.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, ACTING CIA DIRECTOR: I see the director of Central Intelligence as someone who is able to do that and empowered to do so under the National Security Act of 1947. So I think with some modest changes in the way the CIA is set up, the director of Central Intelligence could carry out that function well and appropriately.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: Now, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, whose Pentagon controls the vast majority of intelligence purse strings, he has publicly resisted the idea. Back in March, he testified before the 9/11 Commission, saying that centralizing intelligence could stifle creativity instead of challenging conventional thinking.
But nevertheless, there are members of Congress in both parties, and some former CIA chiefs, who do think that this is a good idea. And again, the White House, there's debate going on in the building behind me over whether or not to embrace this idea of a cabinet level post or maybe come up with some kind of compromise -- Heidi.
COLLINS: All right, Dana Bash live from the White House this morning.
Dana, thanks.
HEMMER: When the curtain rises on the Democratic National Convention a week from today in Boston, John Kerry will eventually take center stage.
Here is a first look this morning at the inside of the FleetCenter in Boston, where preparations are under way for that event. Senator Kerry's daughter Vanessa setting the stage for us this morning.
She's also live inside the FleetCenter.
Vanessa, welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING, and good morning to you.
VANESSA KERRY, JOHN KERRY'S DAUGHTER: Good morning.
HEMMER: I want to talk about the convention in a moment here. But first, let's talk about these poll numbers. Even among Democrats, a strong number of people still do not believe that they know enough about your father.
Why do you believe that is still the case?
KERRY: I think this country is about to be introduced to my father. We are just warming up in this election, and I think that, you know, people had four years to get to know the president and they've had a few short months to get to know my dad, John Kerry.
This is just the beginning, and I'm very confident that this country is going to love what they see, if they get to see anything of what I've seen in my 27 years of having him as a father.
HEMMER: He's working on his speech in Nantucket, said to be writing it out in long form, longhand.
What do you think, knowing him as well as you do, being his daughter, what does he need to express about himself to make that connection with people who do not know him?
KERRY: I think that when people hear about my father's history -- having grown up as the son of someone in the Army Air Corps; having gone to Vietnam and fought in the Delta; having been a prosecutor fighting for civil liberties and rights and for Americans here in Massachusetts and going on to be a senator and fighting fights for the environment, fighting for jobs, fighting for the things he's done -- as people hear his history, they're going to get to know him.
But they're also going to get to know what he's going to fight for as president of the United States: jobs for all Americans -- 10 million; fighting for energy independence; early education; healthcare for all Americans; protecting our civil liberties; making this country safer and have more respected in the world. These are things that he's going to begin talking about.
And this country is going to see the side that is the fighter, the side that is passionate, the side that is laughing, the side that I think, you know, is able to understand what the average American is going through. And they're really, I think, going to get to know him next week in this convention hall when he accepts the nomination.
HEMMER: At the end of last week, a number of high profile women were added to the speakers list. Just to name a few: Hillary Clinton will introduce her husband; Nancy Pelosi; Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm; Madeleine Albright.
Were women not fairly represented at the convention before this announcement last week?
KERRY: Women have always been a part of this convention, always been a part of this planning. There's a huge event on Monday night with all the women senators and Mrs. -- Senator Clinton will be introducing her husband. Governor Granholm is speaking on Wednesday. My stepmother, Teresa Heinz, will be speaking.
Women have always been represented in this campaign, if you look at the levels. His campaign manager, his press -- his head of press is a woman, his national co-chair is a woman. I think that that has always been a part of the program, and I think people are going to be excited to see their involvement next week.
HEMMER: Judith Hope, ex-state party chairman here in New York for the Democrats last week, referring to Hillary Clinton's lack of involvement, now being put in, said this: The senator's treatment is "a slap in the face for every woman in the Democratic Party and every woman in America."
Does Judith Hope have a point, or did she have a point prior to the announcement last week?
KERRY: Senator Clinton was always a part of next week. She was going to be part of the women's event on Monday night, and my father had the great pleasure of asking her to introduce her husband. So, I think that we've always been -- women have always been a part of this program.
HEMMER: What can we expect to see at the convention when it opens up a week from today, Vanessa?
KERRY: Well, the stage is behind me, which gives you a quick glimpse of what is coming. We have two podiums where people are going to speak from. There are podiums here on the arena floor. We have a huge main screen and several plasma screens where we're going to be bringing in the faces of America.
Our goal is to make this as inclusive as possible -- to not only bring Americans into the convention hall, but also to help, obviously, bring this convention out into America, passing on our message as stronger here at home and safer in the world.
There is an area back behind me where you're going to see people who are working in the convention, tallying the votes and doing much of the behind-the-scenes. They'll be working in a way that people can see what they're doing.
There's room for 200 people to be sitting behind the podium, so some of the audience, young people, will be able to be up where the speakers are speaking. And we have several other surprises, but people are going to have to tune in next week to see those.
HEMMER: You're a pretty good spokeswoman already. So, we'll see you in Boston next week, Vanessa.
Thanks for your time this morning.
KERRY: Great. Thank you.
HEMMER: Vanessa Kerry there inside the FleetCenter -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Well, they don't agree on much, but prosecutors and defense attorneys in the Kobe Bryant case are united against cameras in their courtroom. That's one of a number of issues on the agenda today at a pretrial hearing in Colorado. Bryant will be there.
And so will KOA Radio reporter Alex Stone. He's with us now live from Eagle, Colorado -- Alex, good morning to you.
ALEX STONE, REPORTER, KOA RADIO: Hi, Heidi. Good morning.
COLLINS: You know, it's been about one month, 26 days, that is, since court was in session. What should we expect from the hearing today? Obviously this issue of cameras.
STONE: Yes, the cameras in the courtroom will be the big issue today, Heidi. And we're just a month away from the trial beginning. This was expected originally to be a three-day hearing; now, it's just going to be a one-day hearing. Much shorter. There's not that much left that really needs to get done, but just these tying up of loose ends, really, like cameras in the courtroom.
COLLINS: Well, speaking about those cameras in the courtroom, Alex, why are the defense and the prosecution both pushing to get the cameras out?
STONE: They both say that there's no reason the cameras need to be in the courtroom in this case. The media, Heidi, is saying that it can cover up the accuser's face, it can conceal her identity. But everybody involved in the case is saying it's too risky, that there's a chance that it could come out, that her identity could come out. They're saying, "Judge, don't allow her identity to be possibly exposed. Kick cameras out of the courtroom."
COLLINS: All right, well, jury selection, as you know, just about six weeks away or so. There's going to be something like 999 summonses issued in that county. In fact, it's the most ever issued for a trial in that county.
Why so many?
STONE: Yes, it's going to be quite a few. It's because of the pretrial publicity in this case that it seems like everybody in this case knows what's been going on, that everybody in this county knows what's been going on. And it's going to take that many people to find, in the court's opinion, a fair jury.
So, 1,000 summonses are going out this week. We understand possibly today or tomorrow people in this county will be getting those summonses. And then they'll be required to respond here, to arrive here at the courthouse on August 27.
COLLINS: Alex, another issue today that's going to be talked about, the judge is going to have to make a decision about whether or not the accuser's sexual history will be entered in as evidence.
Tell us about the importance of a decision like that.
STONE: Right. We're waiting to find out what the judge will decide on that. This is a topic that took quite a while. There were numerous hearings on this topic of what will happen with the accuser's sexual history. The significance is it will make or break the case for one side or the other.
If the accuser's sexual history is allowed in at trial -- and if the jury finds out about all the other people that the accuser may, according to the defense, have been sleeping with -- then, if they do find out about that, then it's going to be hard, according to experts, to prove that a rape did occur, because the injuries could have come from somebody else.
But if the jury doesn't know about these other people, if the only person that they think she had been with was Kobe Bryant, then at that point the injuries, in a juror's mind, would look more like those injuries must have come from Bryant.
COLLINS: All right. Quickly, Alex, before we let you go, jurors are now going to be able to ask witnesses questions during this trial. Very interesting to me.
How is that going to impact this case?
STONE: Well, we don't know yet, Heidi, if they're going to be able to ask questions. That'll be up to the judge. A new Colorado law will allow it. The judge could allow the jurors to ask questions. They would put it in written form. They would submit that to the judge. If they do have a question, the judge would decide which questions he wants asked, if any. But it will be up to the judge.
We understand so far, in several cases where -- in other cases in Colorado, judges have not allowed it so far that are going on right now in other parts of Colorado.
COLLINS: All right, so that decision still to be made in this case, as well.
Alex Stone, thanks so much for being with us once again.
STONE: OK.
Thanks, Heidi.
HEMMER: About 12 minutes past the hour.
Back to Daryn Kagan at the CNN Center looking at the other news this morning. And a very fascinating story developing in the Middle East -- Daryn, good morning.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: And that's where I'll begin, Bill.
Good morning to you.
We begin in the Middle East, where Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia says that he is resigning his position. Qureia claims the reason for the move, a lack of security and what he describes as a state of chaos. He says he's awaiting a written response from Palestinian President Yasser Arafat.
Violence, meanwhile, broke out over the weekend after Arafat appointed his nephew to be the security chief for Gaza and the West Bank. The man that Arafat's nephew replaced now claims he is back in the security post.
It has been another violent morning in Iraq. Officials say that a truck bomb killed at least nine people and injured dozens of others in Baghdad. The blast is the latest attack aimed at Iraqi police. The explosion comes a day after a newspaper run by supporters of radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr was ordered reopened by Interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi.
U.S. military commanders reportedly authorized the use of dogs at Abu Ghraib Prison in Iraq. According to classified documents obtained by "USA Today," Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez authorized the use of dogs during interrogation sessions at the prison. The order came months after Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld barred the practice at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
Let's check out California. That is where firefighters are working to contain a major blaze in Los Angeles County. Crews used helicopters yesterday to drop water over the area. But strong winds managed to fan the flames toward a housing community. No reports of injuries, but nearly 1,600 homes have been evacuated.
And finally, Will Smith's summer movie hot streak -- it shows no signs of ending. Smith's "I, Robot" was the weekend top draw at the box office. It grossed more than $52 million. How big is that? Well, it is more than the next three biggest films combined for the weekend.
"Robot," by the way, knocked "Spider-Man 2" down to number two after two weeks at the top. A lot of folks going to the movies this summer -- back to you.
HEMMER: I saw "Spider-Man" yesterday.
KAGAN: And?
HEMMER: I preferred "Spider-Man" number one.
KAGAN: Interesting, because a lot of people are liking number two.
HEMMER: I'm with you there.
KAGAN: OK.
HEMMER: My expectations were high; I was let down.
KAGAN: All right.
HEMMER: Thank you, Daryn.
KAGAN: OK.
HEMMER: Did you see this dangerous close call for one of NASCAR's biggest stars? A fiery crash for Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Recovering today with second degree burns after an accident yesterday during a practice run in California. Fuel spilled as Earnhardt's Corvette spun, hit a barrier. In seconds, the car was in flames.
The 29-year-old Earnhardt suffered second degree burns on his face and both legs, but amazingly climbed out of the wreckage. Earnhardt's doctors think he'll be out of the hospital in a few days and a burn suit he was wearing helped protect him.
And Chad Myers is our -- he's our expert when it comes to this -- Chad, I heard you talking earlier today, saying there's a compartment inside of that car that did not protect him as much as it should have.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right.
HEMMER: Is that the case?
MYERS: It's called a fuel cell. And in fact, if you think of a gas tank, your gas tank is one big hunk of metal that you put gas in. A fuel cell in race cars is the same type of tank. But inside that tank is a bladder, and it does not allow the gas to come out.
This thing broke off at the very top of the tube, almost like where you put the gas in your car. It literally broke off from the gas tank and that's how the gas, the fuel literally got out of that gas tank. And it just kept going.
You could almost see that little explosion. It was a puff. And then -- and Dale wasn't really moving very much. So he was already and still dazed from the wreck.
Finally he got himself out of that five point harness and then the workers were over there to get the fire out. But that car was a complete wreck and he's going to be in the hospital for maybe a couple of days. They thought that they would let him go today. It may not be the case. Obviously, still very early out there, though, in California -- Bill.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: It's a story Kathy and Mike McGonigle will be telling for quite some time about a sightseeing balloon ride that went up, up and awry. The balloon was in the air over Baltimore's Inner Harbor Saturday when strong winds caused it to swing out of control. The nearly 20 passengers were suspended for almost two hours before the balloon was brought to Earth. You see it there.
The McGonigles were on board with their two very young children, two and four.
They are joining us now from Baltimore with the kids to talk about this ordeal.
Good morning to all of you.
Thanks for being here.
MIKE MCGONIGLE, PASSENGER ON BALLOON RIDE: Good morning.
KATHY MCGONIGLE, PASSENGER ON BALLOON RIDE: Good morning.
COLLINS: Kathy, we see that your arm is in a little bit of a sling there.
Why don't you begin by telling us what on earth happened and when you knew that you were in trouble.
K. MCGONIGLE: We had gone up in the balloon. I assume we had risen to the top. And I kind of hit Mike on the shoulder and I pointed, because you could see to the south, probably east, really dark clouds, like a storm. And I said ugh...
M. MCGONIGLE: Yes, pretty much immediately, as soon as we got up to the top, you could see there was a storm right out over the Chesapeake Bay. And people got nervous pretty quickly. And then shortly thereafter, the wind started gusting. And so within five minutes of us getting to the top, it started getting really turbulent.
K. MCGONIGLE: Really windy. And...
M. MCGONIGLE: And people started, at that point, demanding to be -- to come back down. K. MCGONIGLE: Right. We...
COLLINS: But that wasn't possible, was it?
K. MCGONIGLE: No. I guess -- we had gotten blown around so much, I'm not exactly sure what happened, but from what we could understand and from the communications they were making with the ground, it appeared that the computer had -- system had locked the balloon and wouldn't allow it to discussed.
M. MCGONIGLE: Right. And at first what happened, they were trying to pull us back down. But the winds were so strong that net we weren't making any progress. And then finally, the winds were so strong the computer, as a safety precaution, shut the whole system down. The only problem is we were still 10 stories above the ground.
COLLINS: Wow. Have you guys ever been on a balloon ride before?
M. MCGONIGLE: No. And it'll be our last.
K. MCGONIGLE: Yes, I think this is it.
COLLINS: Yes, I was going to say, are you going to do that again? But I guess that's painfully obvious here.
With the two kids on board, were you thinking more about that and the danger of the situation that you were in?
K. MCGONIGLE: Yes. I mean especially, you know, we went through the one really turbulent time. Then it was calm for a while. And you know, we kept thinking why aren't they bringing us down? And when that second turbulent time came through, that's when we hit the building. And that, it was terrifying.
And I mean, you know, we were in positions just trying to protect the kids and holding on and bracing with our feet. And so we, you know, that was my main concern. I had Claire (ph) and Mike had Shawn (ph) and how could we just keep them safe.
COLLINS: Of course.
K. MCGONIGLE: Yes...
COLLINS: Mike, tell me, what was the pilot saying to, the balloon pilot? Was he or she explaining anything to you?
M. MCGONIGLE: I think he tried his best. I don't think that the system was designed -- I mean unfortunately there really was no back up system. So, there wasn't really a Plan B to default to. He was trying his best, but on the ground they clearly were confused. They really, you know, we went through the first gust, which was terribly unnerving.
But the worst part was we sat there for 45 minutes of calm weather with the fire department showing up and everything and all we could hear over the Walkie-Talkie was the computer shut down and after half an hour they overrode the computer. But the emergency brake was still applied. And then, the second squall hit us.
COLLINS: Wow.
M. MCGONIGLE: So, he was trying his hardest to keep everyone calm, but they were totally unprepared for it. The balloon really had no backup system whatsoever.
COLLINS: Yes, I'm sure he was working pretty hard, too.
Now, how did you explain all of this to the kids? Obviously when they see the fire crews down below and they hear all of this going on, on the radios -- I mean, were they pretty scared?
K. MCGONIGLE: Yes. It...
M. MCGONIGLE: Fortunately for us, though, there were -- I'm sorry.
K. MCGONIGLE: No, I was going to say I think, given their ages, the seriousness of it was beyond them. They were scared. They told us they did not want to be on the bumpy balloon ride.
COLLINS: Right.
K. MCGONIGLE: And you know, get us down, you know, and...
M. MCGONIGLE: We drove by it this morning and they -- our son thought that we were taking him back on the balloon ride and he said, "No balloon, daddy."
COLLINS: Ah.
K. MCGONIGLE: You know, so...
COLLINS: Real quick, before we let you guys go, just to be sure, I want to make sure I read this statement here from the company. As you know, the name of it Balloon Over Baltimore.
It says: "All of us at Balloon Over Baltimore want to express our sincere concern for the riders of our balloon Saturday afternoon. Balloon Over Baltimore is truly sorry for this unfortunate event, but extremely thankful that everyone was brought safely to the ground."
Are you satisfied with that?
M. MCGONIGLE: Yes, I think that -- we appreciate it and it's operated through J.V. with the Children's Museum, which we frequent. I think there is a shortcoming, though: The system has to be re- engineered such that there's some kind of backup.
And in fact, with the single cable system, it turned us -- it really acted as a catapult so that when the winds started gusting, they said we had a 49 knot wind, we needed up being catapulted inside the gondola.
COLLINS: Right. M. MCGONIGLE: And then, we hit the building. You can see that there. And that was -- that was scary. So, they need to reengineer the system.
COLLINS: All right, well, we're glad that you guys are safe.
Very glad to see you here this morning.
K. MCGONIGLE: Thank you.
COLLINS: Kathy, Mike, Claire (ph) and Shawn (ph) McGonigle, thanks so much, you guys.
M. MCGONIGLE: Thanks a lot.
K. MCGONIGLE: Bye. Thanks.
COLLINS: All right.
HEMMER: It will be our last.
COLLINS: Yes. That was very clear.
HEMMER: Wow.
COLLINS: Yes.
HEMMER: In a moment here, a high profile businesswoman with a rather shady past has some advice for Martha Stewart. "The Cafferty File" has that in a moment.
COLLINS: Also ahead, most of the detainees at Guantanamo have been there for at least two years. Now, hundreds of them are about to find out whether they should have been there in the first place, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Welcome back, everyone.
Back to Jack and "The Cafferty File."
CAFFERTY: Thank you, sir.
The most passionate sports fans in the United States are found in Denver, Colorado. This is according to a survey by DirecTV. Boston is second. San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose tie for third. And rounding out the top five are Philadelphia and New York City.
The picks were made by analyzing sporting event attendance, cable TV, sports subscriptions and by quizzing sports reporters and fans. I apologize for that item.
Your handwriting can help you land your next job. The "New York Times" -- well, it wasn't very interesting. The "New York Times" reports that more U.S. employers are using handwriting analysis to screen potential employees. This is only marginally better. The method is called graphology. It dates to the 11th century. It's widely used in France, Germany and England. Experts say a person's handwriting shows if he's trustworthy, creative and resourceful. Companies cross check the analysis against their own impressions of the person.
HEMMER: Zero for 2.
CAFFERTY: Yes. You know, you're right.
COLLINS: If you're that.
CAFFERTY: However, big finish. Heidi Fleiss has some advice for Martha Stewart. That's Heidi Fleiss. She spent three years in a federal prison for tax evasion. She says, "Martha Stewart may want to consider becoming gay in order to survive her time in the big house."
According to the "Pittsburgh Tribune Review," Fleiss says, "I was gay for the stay. My advice to Martha, find a nice, cute lesbian lover and make the best of it."
One out of three is not very good, but it was a big finish.
HEMMER: And then you had vacation last week, too, though, so it just...
CAFFERTY: Well, it's...
HEMMER: It goes down a little easier on a day like today.
CAFFERTY: You know, it's -- you know, it does. Thank you.
HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.
CAFFERTY: You're welcome.
COLLINS: Do I have to go on from here? Oh...
CAFFERTY: Not if you don't want to.
COLLINS: OK.
CAFFERTY: I don't care.
COLLINS: Still to come this morning, hundreds of detainees at Gitmo are finally about to get a status review. But some experts think it might be a rush job. We'll talk to a former Air Force attorney ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Still to come, the latest on the violence in Iraq. This time it seems Iraq's own people were the target.
Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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