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American Morning
Bush on 9/11 Report; Missing Utah Woman Case; 'Minding Your Business'
Aired August 02, 2004 - 07:33 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: It is just about half past the hour now on this AMERICAN MORNING. I'm Heidi Collins in New York. Good morning, everybody.
And good morning to you -- Bill.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Heidi. Good morning.
I'm Bill hemmer live in Grand Rapids, Michigan, today, following the John Kerry campaign coming out of Boston from last week. We wanted to see on the road how the Kerry campaign is being received, and what particular parts of the country they have targeted. Today, the target is here in the state of Michigan.
By the way, the state of Michigan, visited 18 times by President Bush since he took the White House almost four years ago. He made four trips here in July alone. He'll be back here on Thursday up in Saginaw north of our location here in Grand Rapids.
Heidi, we're back on the bus today, the CNN bus, Election Express rolling on along with these campaigns. So, our coverage continues from here throughout the morning.
Back to you now in New York.
COLLINS: All right, Bill. Still a bus I would like to see the inside of, by the way. Thanks so much for that.
HEMMER: Oh, we'll try and do that for you.
COLLINS: OK. We'll check back with you a little bit later, Bill. Thanks so much.
There is word this morning that President Bush could issue orders to start implementing some of the 9/11 Commission's recommendations as early as today.
Suzanne Malveaux is live at the White House with more on this now.
Good morning to you -- Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Heidi.
There certainly is a new sense of urgency with the terror alert for the financial sector in Washington, D.C. being upped a notch over the weekend.
We are told by administration sources that the president is expected to broadly endorse the 9/11 report, the commission's recommendations, that he will introduce his own package of reforms, some going beyond the 9/11 Commission's recommendations regarding protecting privacy and civil liberties.
And also he will go ahead and highlight what he can implement by executive order those recommendations that he can carry out right away, including greater emphasis on funding human intelligence.
Now, as for the central recommendation of this commission -- that is to create this national director of intelligence who would report directly to the president -- this is a job that would be within the White House, we are told from administration officials. This is not something that the White House approves of or supports. Rather, what they think is a good idea is, yes, to have one person who would be responsible for all of the 15 intelligence agencies, that that is a good idea. But they don't believe it should be within the executive office.
The concern here is that person would not have the kind of independence and autonomy that they would need. It would open up the president to possible criticism and blame for faulty intelligence. They believe that that is not a good idea, not something the president is expected to endorse.
But, Heidi, as you can imagine, there has been a lot of political pressure on the administration, on the president to come forward with these 9/11 Commission recommendations. His Democratic opponent, John Kerry, is saying he would endorse the full package -- Heidi.
COLLINS: All right, Suzanne Malveaux, thanks so much for that this morning, live from the White House.
The new terror warning may have come from the arrest of al Qaeda operatives in Pakistan. Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani wanted for the embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania was captured in a raid last week. And a computer engineer who may have been caught at the same time led investigators to -- quote -- "a potential treasure trove of al Qaeda information."
Published reports say the evidence uncovered reveals how al Qaeda conducts reconnaissance, how information is passed around the world and its leadership structure.
As our coverage of this story continues throughout the morning, we're going to speak with more of the leaders responsible for anti- terrorist security. Washington, D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams at 8:00 Eastern, and New Jersey Governor James McGreevey coming our way at 8:30 this morning.
For now, though, back to Grand Rapids and Bill.
HEMMER: All right, Heidi. We're going to move away from terror warnings, rather, at the moment here, and also moving away from politics for a moment. Back to the story in Utah over the weekend, major developments yet again.
Authorities in that state may have a break in the case of Lori Hacking. She's been missing for two weeks now. Her husband is considered the primary reason of interest to police.
And over the weekend the family issued a statement in part saying -- and quoting now: "The families understand Mark Hacking has provided information that makes it unnecessary for individuals or groups to continue their volunteer search."
And certainly there is reaction after that statement came out in Salt Lake on Sunday.
Pat Reavy is a reporter for the "Deseret Morning News." His beat is the police beat in Salt Lake. He's been covering the case there in Utah.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: Is there a sense in Salt Lake that an arrest is imminent through your sources -- Pat?
PAT REAVY, REPORTER, "DESERET MORNING NEWS": Through our sources it seems like something is really building through the intensive search of the landfill and the fact that the families called off the search or asked for volunteers not to help search anymore. We're really getting the sense something is building and something really might come down.
This is a big week, I think. And something in the next couple days -- either Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday -- I would expect something big to happen in this case.
HEMMER: You mentioned the landfill site. What's happening there, Pat?
REAVY: Police have been out at the landfill for four times in the past two weeks, including a string of three consecutive nights last week.
Now, yesterday police said that they won't be back out to search the landfill until this Friday, but it really seems like the investigation has zeroed in on the landfill. There is something in there, we assume. Evidence of what happened to Lori in that landfill that is going to wrap this case up, we hope.
HEMMER: Are police talking with him at that psychiatric ward?
REAVY: You know, to the best of our knowledge, police have not spoken to him for a week, a week and a half. And I think a lot of that is simply because they say he's just not telling them any truths, that when they try to talk to him it's been nothing but a constant stream of lies. In fact, they say, you know, when we talk to him, it's easier to count the times he has been truthful to us. And we really can't think of any off the top of our heads right now. And so, I'm not sure if it's just out of frustration or the investigation has led elsewhere. But I know that they're saying that, you know, even when we do talk to him, we're just not getting a lot of straight answers out of him.
HEMMER: What's been the reaction, Pat, since the family issued the statement over the weekend essentially calling off the search for Lori?
REAVY: Reaction is, once again, that feeling that, all right, what does this mean? You know, of course, the big question is: Did he confess to anything? Did Mark Hacking confess to having something to do with Lori's disappearance?
So, I think the reaction has been while this must be coming to an end now, maybe the family knows where Lori is. Maybe it's just a matter of time now of going to find her. And I think there's really a sense of this thing could be coming to an end now since the searches have ended.
Obviously, the family knows something. We think this could be wrapped up in a couple of days.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: Again, Pat Reavy with the "Deseret Morning News" from Salt Lake earlier today.
As we get more developments on that story, certainly we'll pass them along to you as the day grows older today on this Monday morning.
Back to politics in a moment here in Grand Rapids, but first to New York City, Kelly Wallace, and other news, headlines there.
Kelly -- good morning again.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning again to you, Bill. And good morning, everyone.
We begin once again in Iraq, where another hostage has reportedly been killed. A tape posted on an Islamist Web site shows what appears to be an execution of a Turkish hostage. That's according to the Associated Press.
Meanwhile, a Somali man may be going home. According to Arabic- language network Al Jazeera, a militant group says it will release the truck driver, because his Kuwaiti employer has agreed to stop working in Iraq.
In U.S. politics, a new poll shows the race for the White House is as close as ever. Senator John Kerry shows a slight lead among registered voters, but President Bush is ahead against likely voters. The CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll was conducted over the weekend. We will take a closer look at the numbers in the next half-hour.
Corporal Wasef Ali Hassoun, the U.S. Marine translator who had been missing in Iraq, arrived in Salt Lake City Saturday night. Corporal Hassoun has family there. The visit is supposed to help him ease back into full-time duty. Hassoun was reported missing June 20 from a Marine camp outside the Iraqi city of Fallujah and emerged July 7 at the home of Lebanese relatives around Beirut.
And torrential rains lead to flash flooding in the Philadelphia area. Streets overflowed with water, trapping cars. About 100 people had to spend the night at shelters after they were driven home -- or driven from their homes by the rising waters.
Heidi, let's hope they get some relief soon.
COLLINS: Yes, no kidding. That's kind of all over the place this morning, too. All right, Kelly, thanks so much for that.
WALLACE: Sure.
(WEATHER BREAK)
COLLINS: Still to come on AMERICAN MORNING today, America's financial centers are the only targets mentioned in the heightened terror alert. What will it mean for the market today? Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business."
Also ahead, it looks like the case of the Maryland mystery animal has been solved. Yes, solved. We'll tell you what was lurking in people's backyards.
Plus, Amy Fisher thinks she can teach kids a thing or two. "90- Second Pop" is coming up on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: A pioneer from the world of computers is battling cancer. Andy Serwer joins us now. He's "Minding Your Business" this morning.
Good morning once again.
SERWER: Good morning. A lot to talk about this morning, Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes.
SERWER: Obvious a big concern, the terror threat here in New York City and to the financial markets.
Let's go backwards and take a look at what happened last week, though, because the stock market stabilized after several weeks of declines. Stocks are up 1 to 2 percent across the board. The Dow crossing back over 10000.
But obviously this morning, a different picture, a lot of jitters on the Street this morning with Citigroup, Prudential, the New York Stock Exchange all targeted here in New York, as well as the IMF and the World Bank in Washington, D.C. Foreign markets have been slipping not so bad. Citigroup down about 2 percent in overseas trading. The price of oil, however, hitting close to $44 a barrel at 43.92.
Now let's talk about this situation with Steve Jobs of Apple Computer announcing that he has had successful surgery for a rare form of pancreatic cancer. He sent an e-mail to Apple employees saying that he had a cancerous tumor removed. It is not the more common and deadly form of pancreatic cancer, however. And Jobs will be recovering. He will be out of work until September, though. Someone else will be filling in for him for the month of August.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: That's a lucky stroke for him. That pancreatic cancer is -- I mean, that's a death sentence usually.
SERWER: The more common one, right, Jack, will kill you in a year typically.
CAFFERTY: Yes. All right.
COLLINS: All right, well, good for him.
All right, Jack now and his "Question of the Day."
CAFFERTY: The "Question of the Day": Who are we safer under? Kerry or Bush? The polls show that Kerry did not get the big bounce he hoped for coming out of the convention.
Over the weekend, Bush was talking in Ohio. And when he got to talking about terrorism that's when he got his loudest applause.
So, we're wondering, terrorism possibly being the wild card in this year's campaign, who do you think will keep us safer as we go along?
And we may get a live picture here of the George Washington Bridge as we read some of the e-mails. They are doing vehicle checks. They have tightened security at the bridges and tunnels leading into and out of New York. The Hudson, the -- what's the downtown tunnel?
SERWER: Holland.
CAFFERTY: The Holland Tunnel, closed to all truck traffic and commercial traffic. They're not letting any of those through, and that's the tunnel that leads to the financial district, which is one of the alleged targets of the terrorist warning.
Buck in Charlottesville writes: "Obvious, under the Gestapo state that John Ashcroft envisions, we'll be safer from foreign adversaries. I'm more worried, though, about Ashcroft's minions."
Pamela -- tough. Pamela in Pinckney, Minnesota: "President Bush made this nation less safe with his invasion of Iraq. Kerry knows what the real threat is. And had he been president, he wouldn't have wasted our resources by invading Iraq. He would have put those resources into protecting and guarding this nation."
Ernest in New York writes: "I prefer the question, who would keep us more vigilant? After all, I'd rather have the guy on the corner keeping a lookout for suspicious behavior than count on the government to try to know what's going on, on every block."
Dave in Amherst, New York: "The only time this country was ever attacked was while Bush was on one of his patented vacations. And if he were really concerned about our safety, he would get off the campaign trail and get to work implementing the 9/11 Commission's recommendations."
We'll have more on that, by the way, a little later in the broadcast.
And Frank in Blue Ridge, Georgia: "When I travel to north, Georgia, western North Carolina and east Tennessee, I find that many people feel as Howard Dean feels: that every time George Bush slips we have a terror alert."
AM@CNN.com. We're getting lots on the subject du jour.
COLLINS: That's right. And we'll be talking about it all day, that's for sure. Jack, thanks so much for that.
A mystery in Maryland may have been solved. Residents of Glyndon have been catching glimpses of this: a strange wild animal in their back yards for weeks now. It didn't look like anything any of them had seen before. So, what was it? A hyena? A coyote? Maybe both?
Well, now one of them has been caught and identified. It's a red fox sick with scabies. Poor little thing. But there's still a bigger one on the loose, apparently. I'm not sure if that one is sick or not.
So, hey, don't say we don't follow up on these stories for you.
Coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING, "90-Second Pop." What it's like "Growing up Gaudy." America is about to get a crash course. Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Now that's music. Hey, it's "90-Second Pop" for a Monday. And the gang's all here.
Once again, B.J. Sigesmund, staff editor for "US Weekly." Sarah Bernard, contributing editor for "New York" magazine." And Andy Borowitz, chairman and CEO of BorowitzReport.com.
SARAH BERNARD, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, "NEW YORK" MAGAZINE: I read that.
COLLINS: Yes, it gets really good, doesn't it?
Hey, let's start with you, Sarah, talking about two new reality shows out there. The first one, "Growing up Gotti" premiers tonight.
BERNARD: Tonight, that's right. Well, this one is, when you watch it, it's kind of like which came first? Carmela or Victoria? It's hard to know. And that's exactly the point. They're kind of blurring the lines.
She said she wanted to do this show to show the world that her sons are more than just Mafia princes. But if you look at them, I mean, they are straight out of real casting. They're more A.J. Soprano than A.J. Soprano.
But she's been saying that, you know, she really wants this to be not so focused on the Gotti aspect of her life, but more of the fact that she is a single mom raising these teenage boys. But that's not going to cut it. I mean, unless they really focus on, you know, giving us some insight into what it's like being a Gotti, I don't think this is going to be successful.
ANDY BOROWITZ, HUMORIST: But, you know, I don't think the Gottis are really set up for a reality show, because every time these kids walk into the room and to the cameras, they immediately cover their faces. And I just think it's not going to fly.
BERNARD: Are they like that?
BOROWITZ: That's not going to fly.
COLLINS: All right, we'll have to watch for that one. Let's see if people are as interested in that as they are like in "The Sopranos."
BERNARD: Exactly.
COLLINS: All right, B.J., let's talk about Shar Jackson. Now, forgive me, you'll have to remind me who she is again.
B.J. SIGESMUND, STAFF EDITOR, "US WEEKLY": Yes, let me clear it all up. Who is Shar Jackson? Shar Jackson is the former star of "Moesha," which was on for seven years.
COLLINS: Right.
SIGESMUND: But now she is much more famous for being the ex of Kevin Federline, who very famously left her while she was seven months' pregnant to get with Britney Spears. Now, and Shar had her baby about a week and a half ago. And she now has had tons and tons of offers since this whole Kevin, Britney, Shar triangle.
But what she wants is -- surprise -- a reality show. So, she is shopping around this reality show that would be the trials and tribulations of a single mother in Hollywood trying to re-launch her acting career and launch a singing career.
COLLINS: All right.
BERNARD: But don't you think this is just a ploy to try to get Britney on camera with her kids?
SIGESMUND: Yes.
BERNARD: I mean, that's what it seems like. BOROWITZ: I think the format of this show is interesting. It's a half-hour show, and they're going to spend the first 25 minutes actually explaining who Shar Jackson is, which is great.
COLLINS: Good point. All right...
BOROWITZ: I would rather see a show about Tito Jackson. That's just my vote.
COLLINS: Yes. I think some other people would agree with you.
Let's quickly get to our Long Island Lolita, if you will.
BOROWITZ: Yes.
COLLINS: Amy Fisher, she's got some advice for kids now.
BOROWITZ: She does. She has a new book out, and she says it's a cautionary tale. But, you know, I don't think a tale can be cautionary if it ends with the main character getting a book deal. I think that's impossible. And the worst thing that can happen with Amy Fisher right now is that she'll be played by Hilary Duff in the movie version. That's pretty much it.
COLLINS: Oh!
BERNARD: Well, you know, they're both from Long Island. I think she should do a little episode in the Gotti show, don't you think?
BOROWITZ: There you go.
COLLINS: Oh, there you go.
BERNARD: She can just knock on the door...
BOROWITZ: Perhaps a crossover with Shar. Let's get Shar in there.
BERNARD: Yes, (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
SIGESMUND: I was thinking, you know, there are sections on her seven years in prison, and I was thinking that Martha Stewart might read this book before...
COLLINS: But Martha is going to write her own book, she says.
(CROSSTALK)
SIGESMUND: She might have to learn a little bit about inside prison before she goes.
COLLINS: All right, you guys...
BOROWITZ: This was like really the c-list edition of "90-Second Pop." It really was.
COLLINS: Still fabulous.
BERNARD: We're a-list, though.
COLLINS: Thanks so much to the three of you once again this morning. B.J., Sarah and Andy, thanks, guys.
And now to Grand Rapids once again and Bill Hemmer.
Hey -- Bill.
HEMMER: All right. Hey, thank you, Heidi.
Back to politics in a moment here as our coverage continues. Also, back to these terror threats, specific threats, specific targets mentioned yesterday. We'll talk to the mayor of one city and see how they are reacting there.
And over the weekend, on campaign '04, if you talk about Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, and certainly here in the state of Michigan, they are targets for both campaigns. We'll get back to that topic as our coverage rolls on, on this Monday morning on AMERICAN MORNING.
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Aired August 2, 2004 - 07:33 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: It is just about half past the hour now on this AMERICAN MORNING. I'm Heidi Collins in New York. Good morning, everybody.
And good morning to you -- Bill.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Heidi. Good morning.
I'm Bill hemmer live in Grand Rapids, Michigan, today, following the John Kerry campaign coming out of Boston from last week. We wanted to see on the road how the Kerry campaign is being received, and what particular parts of the country they have targeted. Today, the target is here in the state of Michigan.
By the way, the state of Michigan, visited 18 times by President Bush since he took the White House almost four years ago. He made four trips here in July alone. He'll be back here on Thursday up in Saginaw north of our location here in Grand Rapids.
Heidi, we're back on the bus today, the CNN bus, Election Express rolling on along with these campaigns. So, our coverage continues from here throughout the morning.
Back to you now in New York.
COLLINS: All right, Bill. Still a bus I would like to see the inside of, by the way. Thanks so much for that.
HEMMER: Oh, we'll try and do that for you.
COLLINS: OK. We'll check back with you a little bit later, Bill. Thanks so much.
There is word this morning that President Bush could issue orders to start implementing some of the 9/11 Commission's recommendations as early as today.
Suzanne Malveaux is live at the White House with more on this now.
Good morning to you -- Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Heidi.
There certainly is a new sense of urgency with the terror alert for the financial sector in Washington, D.C. being upped a notch over the weekend.
We are told by administration sources that the president is expected to broadly endorse the 9/11 report, the commission's recommendations, that he will introduce his own package of reforms, some going beyond the 9/11 Commission's recommendations regarding protecting privacy and civil liberties.
And also he will go ahead and highlight what he can implement by executive order those recommendations that he can carry out right away, including greater emphasis on funding human intelligence.
Now, as for the central recommendation of this commission -- that is to create this national director of intelligence who would report directly to the president -- this is a job that would be within the White House, we are told from administration officials. This is not something that the White House approves of or supports. Rather, what they think is a good idea is, yes, to have one person who would be responsible for all of the 15 intelligence agencies, that that is a good idea. But they don't believe it should be within the executive office.
The concern here is that person would not have the kind of independence and autonomy that they would need. It would open up the president to possible criticism and blame for faulty intelligence. They believe that that is not a good idea, not something the president is expected to endorse.
But, Heidi, as you can imagine, there has been a lot of political pressure on the administration, on the president to come forward with these 9/11 Commission recommendations. His Democratic opponent, John Kerry, is saying he would endorse the full package -- Heidi.
COLLINS: All right, Suzanne Malveaux, thanks so much for that this morning, live from the White House.
The new terror warning may have come from the arrest of al Qaeda operatives in Pakistan. Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani wanted for the embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania was captured in a raid last week. And a computer engineer who may have been caught at the same time led investigators to -- quote -- "a potential treasure trove of al Qaeda information."
Published reports say the evidence uncovered reveals how al Qaeda conducts reconnaissance, how information is passed around the world and its leadership structure.
As our coverage of this story continues throughout the morning, we're going to speak with more of the leaders responsible for anti- terrorist security. Washington, D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams at 8:00 Eastern, and New Jersey Governor James McGreevey coming our way at 8:30 this morning.
For now, though, back to Grand Rapids and Bill.
HEMMER: All right, Heidi. We're going to move away from terror warnings, rather, at the moment here, and also moving away from politics for a moment. Back to the story in Utah over the weekend, major developments yet again.
Authorities in that state may have a break in the case of Lori Hacking. She's been missing for two weeks now. Her husband is considered the primary reason of interest to police.
And over the weekend the family issued a statement in part saying -- and quoting now: "The families understand Mark Hacking has provided information that makes it unnecessary for individuals or groups to continue their volunteer search."
And certainly there is reaction after that statement came out in Salt Lake on Sunday.
Pat Reavy is a reporter for the "Deseret Morning News." His beat is the police beat in Salt Lake. He's been covering the case there in Utah.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: Is there a sense in Salt Lake that an arrest is imminent through your sources -- Pat?
PAT REAVY, REPORTER, "DESERET MORNING NEWS": Through our sources it seems like something is really building through the intensive search of the landfill and the fact that the families called off the search or asked for volunteers not to help search anymore. We're really getting the sense something is building and something really might come down.
This is a big week, I think. And something in the next couple days -- either Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday -- I would expect something big to happen in this case.
HEMMER: You mentioned the landfill site. What's happening there, Pat?
REAVY: Police have been out at the landfill for four times in the past two weeks, including a string of three consecutive nights last week.
Now, yesterday police said that they won't be back out to search the landfill until this Friday, but it really seems like the investigation has zeroed in on the landfill. There is something in there, we assume. Evidence of what happened to Lori in that landfill that is going to wrap this case up, we hope.
HEMMER: Are police talking with him at that psychiatric ward?
REAVY: You know, to the best of our knowledge, police have not spoken to him for a week, a week and a half. And I think a lot of that is simply because they say he's just not telling them any truths, that when they try to talk to him it's been nothing but a constant stream of lies. In fact, they say, you know, when we talk to him, it's easier to count the times he has been truthful to us. And we really can't think of any off the top of our heads right now. And so, I'm not sure if it's just out of frustration or the investigation has led elsewhere. But I know that they're saying that, you know, even when we do talk to him, we're just not getting a lot of straight answers out of him.
HEMMER: What's been the reaction, Pat, since the family issued the statement over the weekend essentially calling off the search for Lori?
REAVY: Reaction is, once again, that feeling that, all right, what does this mean? You know, of course, the big question is: Did he confess to anything? Did Mark Hacking confess to having something to do with Lori's disappearance?
So, I think the reaction has been while this must be coming to an end now, maybe the family knows where Lori is. Maybe it's just a matter of time now of going to find her. And I think there's really a sense of this thing could be coming to an end now since the searches have ended.
Obviously, the family knows something. We think this could be wrapped up in a couple of days.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: Again, Pat Reavy with the "Deseret Morning News" from Salt Lake earlier today.
As we get more developments on that story, certainly we'll pass them along to you as the day grows older today on this Monday morning.
Back to politics in a moment here in Grand Rapids, but first to New York City, Kelly Wallace, and other news, headlines there.
Kelly -- good morning again.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning again to you, Bill. And good morning, everyone.
We begin once again in Iraq, where another hostage has reportedly been killed. A tape posted on an Islamist Web site shows what appears to be an execution of a Turkish hostage. That's according to the Associated Press.
Meanwhile, a Somali man may be going home. According to Arabic- language network Al Jazeera, a militant group says it will release the truck driver, because his Kuwaiti employer has agreed to stop working in Iraq.
In U.S. politics, a new poll shows the race for the White House is as close as ever. Senator John Kerry shows a slight lead among registered voters, but President Bush is ahead against likely voters. The CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll was conducted over the weekend. We will take a closer look at the numbers in the next half-hour.
Corporal Wasef Ali Hassoun, the U.S. Marine translator who had been missing in Iraq, arrived in Salt Lake City Saturday night. Corporal Hassoun has family there. The visit is supposed to help him ease back into full-time duty. Hassoun was reported missing June 20 from a Marine camp outside the Iraqi city of Fallujah and emerged July 7 at the home of Lebanese relatives around Beirut.
And torrential rains lead to flash flooding in the Philadelphia area. Streets overflowed with water, trapping cars. About 100 people had to spend the night at shelters after they were driven home -- or driven from their homes by the rising waters.
Heidi, let's hope they get some relief soon.
COLLINS: Yes, no kidding. That's kind of all over the place this morning, too. All right, Kelly, thanks so much for that.
WALLACE: Sure.
(WEATHER BREAK)
COLLINS: Still to come on AMERICAN MORNING today, America's financial centers are the only targets mentioned in the heightened terror alert. What will it mean for the market today? Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business."
Also ahead, it looks like the case of the Maryland mystery animal has been solved. Yes, solved. We'll tell you what was lurking in people's backyards.
Plus, Amy Fisher thinks she can teach kids a thing or two. "90- Second Pop" is coming up on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: A pioneer from the world of computers is battling cancer. Andy Serwer joins us now. He's "Minding Your Business" this morning.
Good morning once again.
SERWER: Good morning. A lot to talk about this morning, Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes.
SERWER: Obvious a big concern, the terror threat here in New York City and to the financial markets.
Let's go backwards and take a look at what happened last week, though, because the stock market stabilized after several weeks of declines. Stocks are up 1 to 2 percent across the board. The Dow crossing back over 10000.
But obviously this morning, a different picture, a lot of jitters on the Street this morning with Citigroup, Prudential, the New York Stock Exchange all targeted here in New York, as well as the IMF and the World Bank in Washington, D.C. Foreign markets have been slipping not so bad. Citigroup down about 2 percent in overseas trading. The price of oil, however, hitting close to $44 a barrel at 43.92.
Now let's talk about this situation with Steve Jobs of Apple Computer announcing that he has had successful surgery for a rare form of pancreatic cancer. He sent an e-mail to Apple employees saying that he had a cancerous tumor removed. It is not the more common and deadly form of pancreatic cancer, however. And Jobs will be recovering. He will be out of work until September, though. Someone else will be filling in for him for the month of August.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: That's a lucky stroke for him. That pancreatic cancer is -- I mean, that's a death sentence usually.
SERWER: The more common one, right, Jack, will kill you in a year typically.
CAFFERTY: Yes. All right.
COLLINS: All right, well, good for him.
All right, Jack now and his "Question of the Day."
CAFFERTY: The "Question of the Day": Who are we safer under? Kerry or Bush? The polls show that Kerry did not get the big bounce he hoped for coming out of the convention.
Over the weekend, Bush was talking in Ohio. And when he got to talking about terrorism that's when he got his loudest applause.
So, we're wondering, terrorism possibly being the wild card in this year's campaign, who do you think will keep us safer as we go along?
And we may get a live picture here of the George Washington Bridge as we read some of the e-mails. They are doing vehicle checks. They have tightened security at the bridges and tunnels leading into and out of New York. The Hudson, the -- what's the downtown tunnel?
SERWER: Holland.
CAFFERTY: The Holland Tunnel, closed to all truck traffic and commercial traffic. They're not letting any of those through, and that's the tunnel that leads to the financial district, which is one of the alleged targets of the terrorist warning.
Buck in Charlottesville writes: "Obvious, under the Gestapo state that John Ashcroft envisions, we'll be safer from foreign adversaries. I'm more worried, though, about Ashcroft's minions."
Pamela -- tough. Pamela in Pinckney, Minnesota: "President Bush made this nation less safe with his invasion of Iraq. Kerry knows what the real threat is. And had he been president, he wouldn't have wasted our resources by invading Iraq. He would have put those resources into protecting and guarding this nation."
Ernest in New York writes: "I prefer the question, who would keep us more vigilant? After all, I'd rather have the guy on the corner keeping a lookout for suspicious behavior than count on the government to try to know what's going on, on every block."
Dave in Amherst, New York: "The only time this country was ever attacked was while Bush was on one of his patented vacations. And if he were really concerned about our safety, he would get off the campaign trail and get to work implementing the 9/11 Commission's recommendations."
We'll have more on that, by the way, a little later in the broadcast.
And Frank in Blue Ridge, Georgia: "When I travel to north, Georgia, western North Carolina and east Tennessee, I find that many people feel as Howard Dean feels: that every time George Bush slips we have a terror alert."
AM@CNN.com. We're getting lots on the subject du jour.
COLLINS: That's right. And we'll be talking about it all day, that's for sure. Jack, thanks so much for that.
A mystery in Maryland may have been solved. Residents of Glyndon have been catching glimpses of this: a strange wild animal in their back yards for weeks now. It didn't look like anything any of them had seen before. So, what was it? A hyena? A coyote? Maybe both?
Well, now one of them has been caught and identified. It's a red fox sick with scabies. Poor little thing. But there's still a bigger one on the loose, apparently. I'm not sure if that one is sick or not.
So, hey, don't say we don't follow up on these stories for you.
Coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING, "90-Second Pop." What it's like "Growing up Gaudy." America is about to get a crash course. Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Now that's music. Hey, it's "90-Second Pop" for a Monday. And the gang's all here.
Once again, B.J. Sigesmund, staff editor for "US Weekly." Sarah Bernard, contributing editor for "New York" magazine." And Andy Borowitz, chairman and CEO of BorowitzReport.com.
SARAH BERNARD, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, "NEW YORK" MAGAZINE: I read that.
COLLINS: Yes, it gets really good, doesn't it?
Hey, let's start with you, Sarah, talking about two new reality shows out there. The first one, "Growing up Gotti" premiers tonight.
BERNARD: Tonight, that's right. Well, this one is, when you watch it, it's kind of like which came first? Carmela or Victoria? It's hard to know. And that's exactly the point. They're kind of blurring the lines.
She said she wanted to do this show to show the world that her sons are more than just Mafia princes. But if you look at them, I mean, they are straight out of real casting. They're more A.J. Soprano than A.J. Soprano.
But she's been saying that, you know, she really wants this to be not so focused on the Gotti aspect of her life, but more of the fact that she is a single mom raising these teenage boys. But that's not going to cut it. I mean, unless they really focus on, you know, giving us some insight into what it's like being a Gotti, I don't think this is going to be successful.
ANDY BOROWITZ, HUMORIST: But, you know, I don't think the Gottis are really set up for a reality show, because every time these kids walk into the room and to the cameras, they immediately cover their faces. And I just think it's not going to fly.
BERNARD: Are they like that?
BOROWITZ: That's not going to fly.
COLLINS: All right, we'll have to watch for that one. Let's see if people are as interested in that as they are like in "The Sopranos."
BERNARD: Exactly.
COLLINS: All right, B.J., let's talk about Shar Jackson. Now, forgive me, you'll have to remind me who she is again.
B.J. SIGESMUND, STAFF EDITOR, "US WEEKLY": Yes, let me clear it all up. Who is Shar Jackson? Shar Jackson is the former star of "Moesha," which was on for seven years.
COLLINS: Right.
SIGESMUND: But now she is much more famous for being the ex of Kevin Federline, who very famously left her while she was seven months' pregnant to get with Britney Spears. Now, and Shar had her baby about a week and a half ago. And she now has had tons and tons of offers since this whole Kevin, Britney, Shar triangle.
But what she wants is -- surprise -- a reality show. So, she is shopping around this reality show that would be the trials and tribulations of a single mother in Hollywood trying to re-launch her acting career and launch a singing career.
COLLINS: All right.
BERNARD: But don't you think this is just a ploy to try to get Britney on camera with her kids?
SIGESMUND: Yes.
BERNARD: I mean, that's what it seems like. BOROWITZ: I think the format of this show is interesting. It's a half-hour show, and they're going to spend the first 25 minutes actually explaining who Shar Jackson is, which is great.
COLLINS: Good point. All right...
BOROWITZ: I would rather see a show about Tito Jackson. That's just my vote.
COLLINS: Yes. I think some other people would agree with you.
Let's quickly get to our Long Island Lolita, if you will.
BOROWITZ: Yes.
COLLINS: Amy Fisher, she's got some advice for kids now.
BOROWITZ: She does. She has a new book out, and she says it's a cautionary tale. But, you know, I don't think a tale can be cautionary if it ends with the main character getting a book deal. I think that's impossible. And the worst thing that can happen with Amy Fisher right now is that she'll be played by Hilary Duff in the movie version. That's pretty much it.
COLLINS: Oh!
BERNARD: Well, you know, they're both from Long Island. I think she should do a little episode in the Gotti show, don't you think?
BOROWITZ: There you go.
COLLINS: Oh, there you go.
BERNARD: She can just knock on the door...
BOROWITZ: Perhaps a crossover with Shar. Let's get Shar in there.
BERNARD: Yes, (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
SIGESMUND: I was thinking, you know, there are sections on her seven years in prison, and I was thinking that Martha Stewart might read this book before...
COLLINS: But Martha is going to write her own book, she says.
(CROSSTALK)
SIGESMUND: She might have to learn a little bit about inside prison before she goes.
COLLINS: All right, you guys...
BOROWITZ: This was like really the c-list edition of "90-Second Pop." It really was.
COLLINS: Still fabulous.
BERNARD: We're a-list, though.
COLLINS: Thanks so much to the three of you once again this morning. B.J., Sarah and Andy, thanks, guys.
And now to Grand Rapids once again and Bill Hemmer.
Hey -- Bill.
HEMMER: All right. Hey, thank you, Heidi.
Back to politics in a moment here as our coverage continues. Also, back to these terror threats, specific threats, specific targets mentioned yesterday. We'll talk to the mayor of one city and see how they are reacting there.
And over the weekend, on campaign '04, if you talk about Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, and certainly here in the state of Michigan, they are targets for both campaigns. We'll get back to that topic as our coverage rolls on, on this Monday morning on AMERICAN MORNING.
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