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American Morning

Hurricane Politics; Walker Lindh Appeal; Italian Hostages Freed

Aired September 29, 2004 - 8:59 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.

ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. Live in Manhattan, 9:00 here in New York City. Bill Hemmer, along with Heidi Collins, in for Soledad.

Good morning.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.

HEMMER: Some of the other headlines coming up this hour, from Italy, still celebrating the release of the two Italian women kidnapped in Iraq. The two Simonas, as they are called, back home now, but there are some questions, too, about how they came to be released. We'll get a report live in Rome in a moment on that story.

COLLINS: Also, can you live into your 90s and barely age at all? We know a guy who did just that. Look at him there on the right.

Jack LaLanne, the fitness pioneer, just turned 90, and you will not believe the shape he's in. I witnessed it personally. We're going to here from Jack, and his life as well. Lovely woman.

How does he do it, though? He's going to tell us how you can do it, too.

HEMMER: He's got some spunk, huh?

COLLINS: Yes.

HEMMER: With a small "S" or a capital "S?"

COLLINS: Capital.

HEMMER: Capital, that's right.

Get to Jack Cafferty again.

Good morning, Jack.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: How you doing, Bill?

The "Question of the Day" has to do with cell phones in school. Efforts to ban the little instruments don't seem to be working out so well. So we're interested in your thoughts on what you think should be done about these electronic devices that kids tend to abuse. They can even use them to cheat on the tests, text message each other, "What's the answer to question four?" It's a terrible thing. They should be taken out and shot.

(LAUGHTER)

CAFFERTY: Anything less than that...

HEMMER: Whoa!

CAFFERTY: ... put in the letter.

HEMMER: You have four daughters. Would you have done that?

CAFFERTY: Yes, I do have four daughters, and none of them -- none of them use their cell phones during school.

COLLINS: How many of them are in school?

HEMMER: Three out of the four.

CAFFERTY: The youngest one is a sophomore at Tulane. She's probably got her cell phone down there. But, I mean, that's...

HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.

Want to get straight ahead to Rick Sanchez, also with us today.

Good morning, Rick.

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, good morning, Bill.

We're going to start with a story we've been following out of Yemen. The apparent mastermind of the USS Cole bombing has been sentenced to death, and we're going to have that story. Just hours ago, in fact.

The Yemeni judge sentenced to death two men, including the apparent mastermind. Now, these pictures from the courtroom just coming into CNN. Four other conspirators have been given jail sentences for their roles in the October 2000 bombing. Seventeen Americans were killed in that attack.

This next story is confusing because it involves four different countries. But there's nothing at all confusing about wanting freedom and a better life for yourself and your family.

Here is the exclusive CNN video this morning. Look at it.

North Koreans living in China stormed the Canadian embassy. They want to be sent to South Korea. Forty-four get in. One was pulled from a tree and captured.

No decisions have yet been made as to what's going to be done with them. We'll follow it.

It appears the Washington, D.C. area will again have a Major League Baseball team. However, it means that Montreal may not.

This move by the Expos is expected to begin next season. Thirty- three years ago, Washington had a team called the Senators, but they left to become the Texas Rangers.

And, by the way, also out of D.C., a large, white object has been spotted in the morning skies, causing some residents to be a bit nervous. Pentagon police said the Defense Department is testing a security blimp fully equipped with security cameras. It will stay up until tomorrow.

There you go. Bill, back over to you.

By the way, you know, the Senators, before they became the Rangers, were also switched for another team, which is -- and people in Minnesota watching this newscast right now will tell you -- the Minnesota Twins were also the Washington Senators at one point.

HEMMER: They had two. And today they don't have baseball, they have blimps, right? Busy day in D.C. Thank you, Rick.

The two presidential candidates go head to head tomorrow night in Florida, the first debate and a meeting there. We spoke with both -- both camps, rather, earlier today. First, the senior Kerry adviser, Mike McCurry on the strategy for John Kerry.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: What does John Kerry hope to accomplish Thursday night?

MIKE MCCURRY, SR. ADVISER, KERRY CAMPAIGN: Well, I think at the end of 90 minutes the people of America will know that he can be our commander in chief, that he has a very clear plan for winning the war in Iraq, bringing our troops home, and winning the war on terror. I think that's what people are looking for in this debate.

You know, the tone of the campaign has turned increasingly negative. And President Bush's campaign has spent millions and millions of dollars to create a lot of negative impressions of Senator Kerry.

The good thing about tomorrow night is the two of them stand side by side and really lay out what they would do to lead America in a different direction and help America lead the world in a different direction. And I think people will clearly see that Senator Kerry has got the preferable plan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Mike McCurry from earlier. Mary Matalin, senior adviser to the Bush campaign, also talked about the president's approach to this debate Thursday evening.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Each side sets out its goals. What does George Bush hope to accomplish Thursday night?

MARY MATALIN, SR. ADVISER, BUSH CAMPAIGN: Well, President Bush, in a great advantage in this debate for him, is that he knows what he thinks, why he thinks it. He'll be talking about the record, his fine record of progress here. And he'll be talking about the agenda going forward, his vision for the future, where he wants to lead the country, how he wants to, and the plan that he has for winning the war on terror specifically, and then a lot of -- well, this is not a domestic debate, but he does have a lot of plans going for forward for the next term.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Mary Matalin from earlier.

Meanwhile, in Florida, the center of campaign 2000 of four years ago, center stage again tomorrow night, this time, too, Florida could be the one battleground state where voters may have their minds on other things. That's what four hurricanes in six weeks will do. Kelly Wallace now joins me with more on that.

Good morning again.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning again, Bill.

You know, there's no precedent, really, to what impact four hurricanes in one state could have on the presidential contest. So it's a bit of a guessing game here. Still, there are signs one candidate could benefit more than the other.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE (voice-over): In Melbourne, Florida, cleaning up after the latest hurricane, and frankly not concentrating on anything else.

JOHN BINDHAMMER, MELBOURNE, FLORIDA, RESIDENT: What election?

WALLACE: John and Nancy Bindhammer say they made up their minds before Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne. Still, will they check out the first debate on Thursday?

BINDHAMMER: I don't know if we have a TV or not, to be perfectly honest.

WALLACE: Floridians are more focused on damages than debates. More consumed with power outages...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our area's all still out.

WALLACE: ... than power politics. This has made statewide polling so difficult that it's next to impossible to know exactly where Sunshine State voters stand. With that in mind, before the hurricanes, President Bush had a four-point lead with likely voters. In the CNN-"USA Today"-Gallup poll out last week, he was ahead by three points. The hurricanes have kept the two major candidates largely off the stump, but one has not been out of sight.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What else do you need?

WALLACE: The president rolling up his sleeves here after the first three hurricanes, requesting more than $12 billion in federal aid.

TOM FIEDLER, "THE MIAMI HERALD": It works to the president's advantage in that this gives him an opportunity to actually act presidential.

WALLACE: Senator Kerry has only visited the hurricane areas once, careful not to look like he was trying to capitalize on the tragedy. So the president benefits, Kerry loses? Well, maybe not entirely. The areas hardest hit have been predominantly Republican, which raises this question: could GOP turnout be lower than in years past?

FIEDLER: Now, does that mean that on November 2 people's lives remain enough in disarray that the idea of casting a ballot is maybe secondary to your concerns?

WALLACE: Something we won't know until after the election.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE: And just before tomorrow night's debate, President Bush using the power of the presidency once again, Bill, before he heads to Miami. He is visiting areas ravaged by Jeanne. This is his fourth visit to the state to tour areas devastated by the hurricanes.

HEMMER: And when these storms happen, the president's brother is front and center. He has headlines in every newspaper, he's front- page story for the -- for the newscast there every day as well. I mean, that's a governor's job, to come forward in times of national disasters.

WALLACE: It is a governor's job, but he has been there and he's been dominating the television screens for the past six weeks. So Governor Jeb Bush there, well, President Bush, same last name. It obviously helps the president.

What it also does, though, Senator Kerry really not able to get in the state. If he goes there, it looks like he might be trying to be a political opportunist, taking resources away. So he hasn't been able to get his message out for the past few weeks.

HEMMER: Variables that will play out on the second of November.

WALLACE: Absolutely. We'll be watching. HEMMER: Thank you, Kelly. All right. We will, too.

A debate for number one set for tomorrow night, 9:00 Eastern Time. That's when the debate begins. Our coverage start two hours earlier at 7:00 Eastern.

Here on AMERICAN MORNING, we are getting ready as well. We'll go live in Miami tomorrow morning. Then voter reaction. Twenty-four undecided voters in the city of Columbus in the state of Ohio comes your way Friday morning. We'll be there as well --Heidi.

COLLINS: John Walker Lindh is asking President Bush to commute his prison sentence. Lindh was captured in Afghanistan three years ago, alongside Taliban fighters. He is an American, and was sentenced to 20 years in jail. But his lawyer says his case is similar to Yasser Hamdi, also an American, who was released last week after just three years.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES BROSNAHAN, ATTORNEY FOR JOHN WALKER LINDH: Mr. Hamdi and Mr. Lindh were found in the same place and surrendered to the northern alliance. Mr. Hamdi and Mr. Lindh did not fight American troops at anytime. Never, ever did they do that. It seems to us, as a matter of justice, and, if I may use the word, compassion, for the president to consider reducing John Lindh's sentence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Hamdi has to give up is U.S. citizenship and join his family in Saudi Arabia.

Johnny Michael Spann, a CIA agent, was killed in the battle where they were captured. His father, also Johnny Spann, is in Birmingham, Alabama, this morning to talk with us about this.

Mr. Spann, thanks for being here. I want to get your reaction right off the bat to John Walker Lindh asking for a reduced sentence.

JOHNNY SPANN, SON KILLED IN AFGHANISTAN: Well, I'm really not surprised that his family did this and that he did this. They have been saying things like that ever since the -- you know, when he was captured.

They've tried to convince the American people that, you know, he was a good American, that he never hurt anybody, never wanted to hurt anybody, never carried arms, and he never fired at anybody, anything like that. But, you know, the thing about it is, is that we know that he did. We know that, as a matter of fact, that John Walker Lindh went to Afghanistan and that he joined the al Qaeda, the organization that sent their people to the United States of America and flew the airplanes into the World Trade Center and into the Pentagon and killed American people, murdered American people.

We know that he's...

COLLINS: But sir, you say that you...

SPANN: ... a member of that organization, and there's nothing he can do to change that.

COLLINS: Pardon the interruption, but you say that you know that he fired his weapon. You mentioned that that has been his defense all along, he never did anything with a weapon he carried around.

SPANN: Well, let me ask you this, the guy admittedly fought in Takar (ph), he was on the front lines with the Taliban, with the al Qaeda in Takar (ph). They retreated back up to Kunduz, and they fought there.

Now, he was in the army of the al Qaeda and he had a weapon. But you're trying to tell me, and you want me to believe that he never fired it?

COLLINS: No, sir, I'm not trying to tell you anything.

SPANN: I don't believe that's very sensible.

COLLINS: I just wanted to make sure that the viewers understood that that was his -- what he had said in the past. And I wanted to make sure that they knew that you were saying that that is not your belief.

SPANN: Yes. Well, he also said, you know, that he's a good American and he loves America. But he also -- we have e-mails that he sent his mother saying how much he hated Americans and he never wanted to set his foot back on American soil.

COLLINS: Let me ask you this, what do you think about the comparison between the two cases of Hamdi and John Walker Lindh?

SPANN: Well, I think they're similar. They were both in Afghanistan.

The fact that the other guy was actually -- I guess he had American citizenship because he was born in the United States, but he also had been raised in Saudi Arabia. The fact that this other gentleman never had a chance to tell Mike Spann that he was American and that there was going to be an uprising, that's one of the major difference.

John Walker Lindh said in front of Mike, and Mike begged him and asked him, "Who are you, and where are you from?" And he never indicated to him at all that there was going to be an uprising.

And we know for a fact now by the reporters who have gone to Afghanistan and talked to other prisoners that were in Shebarghan Prison, that were left there, and they're saying that everyone inside the pink house knew there was going to be an uprising, that there was no way for them not to know, because they planned it the night before.

COLLINS: It has been two years since your son has been killed. Mr. Spann, let me ask you how your family is doing today. SPANN: We're doing fine, I guess. I mean, how do you say if you're doing OK when you've lost a loved one. And, you know, there's children involved, Mike left three kids. And of course they miss him, but, you know, we're having to move on.

COLLINS: Understandably so. We certainly appreciate your time today. Thank you so much, Johnny Spann, this morning.

Also, it should be said, we invited John Walker Lindh's attorneys to be on our program this morning. They did decline that invitation -- Bill.

HEMMER: About 12 minutes past the hour. I want to get a check of weather right now. And again, we're checking on Jeanne. Chad was there when Jeanne came on shore in Florida, and she's still with you today.

Chad, good morning.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, good morning, Bill.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HEMMER: That they will. Thank you, Chad.

COLLINS: We're planning the trip to Colorado, right?

HEMMER: I'm on board.

COLLINS: Chad, thanks a lot.

MYERS: You're welcome.

COLLINS: Still to come, we may see the future of space travel today over the Mojave Desert. A live look at the quest for the so- called X Prize.

HEMMER: Also, do the men running for president deserve the same medical privacy as you? Sanjay's back with whether or not this could become an issue.

COLLINS: Plus, it's time to celebrate all across Italy. Two women live to tell the story of their weeks in captivity. We'll have a live report ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Much of Italy this morning is celebrating the return of two women held hostage for three weeks in Iraq. Alessio Vinci joins us now live from Rome, watching this story from there.

Alessio, it's a good day in Rome. Good afternoon there.

ALESSIO VINCI, CNN ROME BUREAU CHIEF: It's a -- good afternoon. Good morning to you, Bill. It's a beautiful day here in Rome. And I can tell you, the country feels just as well. Huge relief throughout the country. This latest hostage crisis has ended without a bloodshed and in the best possible way.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VINCI (voice-over): Together, on the tarmac, holding hands, their smiles said it all. Simona Pari and Simona Torretta freed after being abducted and held for three weeks in Iraq.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): The kidnappers treated us well and they even apologized at the end.

VINCI: As relatives and government officials welcomed them, Simona Torretta hugged her mother, saying, "I'm sorry for the whole sufferance I've caused you."

Within hours after their release, friends and colleagues working for the same aid organizations gathered outside the Rome headquarters to celebrate. They unveiled a huge peace flag and offered flowers to people nearby.

"It is beautiful. We're all happy," she says. "We heard the news and we came here."

The sense of relief here enhanced by the rapid succession of events in the run-up to their release, including reports last week they had been executed. In a matter of days, everything changed, with the same newspapers hailing their return home.

Outside the house of one of the former hostages, relief and happiness. The end came without bloodshed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (through translator): It made me very happy, and my wife started to cry when she heard the news because it is such a beautiful thing. Whatever politics there might be behind this, let's put it behind us.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VINCI: And Bill, Italian government officials are denying that a ransom was paid to free the two hostages. However, both politicians here, as well as some intelligence sources, are telling us that some money may have changed hands -- Bill.

HEMMER: Some money may have changed hands. What more do you know about the negotiations to get their release, Alessio?

VINCI: Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi yesterday addressing parliament and answering some questions from lawmakers. He said that he really credited the Italian Red Cross, as well as intelligence services, for the successful release of the two hostages. So we don't know much more.

We do know, however, from other intelligence sources throughout this week, and last week as well, that intense negotiations were ongoing with mediators in the region. AS I can tell you, most of the people in this country, not just politicians, not just intelligence sources, but just about everyone I've spoken with, believes that some money has changed hands because, otherwise, they say the two Simonas, as they're known here, would have not been released -- Bill.

HEMMER: Alessio Vinci's reporting in Rome. Alessio, thanks for that -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Jack Cafferty now and the "Question of the Day" once again.

CAFFERTY: Cell phones in schools, Heidi. Critics say they're a distraction for the students; parents say they want their kids to have one so they can get in touch with them at all times. The question is, what should be the policy, restrictions, if you will, on cell phones in the schools?

Richard in Charleston, Massachusetts -- I like this -- "If you have lemons, make lemonade. Make it mandatory to have a cell phone and teach subjects on the cell phones. Watch how quickly they disappear from the classroom."

And Mark in Japan right writes, "Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richard, not exactly a guy known for his previous healthy lifestyle, refuses to carry a cell phone." "Why," he says? "I wouldn't put my head in a microwave oven, either. That's my best advice for cell phone carriers: just don't."

All of these discussions academic. If this next little item were to be a little bit closer, there is a mountain-size asteroid scheduled to do a fly-by of the planet Earth about 10 minutes from now, 9:35. This is according to NASA.

This is called Asteroid Tutatas (ph), named after the Celtic god of war. It is three-and-a-half miles long, one-and-a-half miles wide, and it's traveling at 25,000 miles an hour.

It's about 960,000 miles from Earth, which is pretty close, actually by cosmic standards. It doesn't pose any danger. It's not going to hit us.

But if it did, if it smacked into the Earth, it would create an explosion equal to the energy of a million tons of TNT. Say good night. NASA says the asteroid's closer than it's been since the 12th century, and it's going to go away for awhile, but it will be back in the year 2562, 558 years from now, after four orbits around the sun.

COLLINS: Wow. That's huge.

CAFFERTY: I'm doing this in case, you know, Miles would call in sick. Maybe I can fill in for him some time.

(CROSSTALK)

COLLINS: You're so versatile. HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.

COLLINS: Thanks, Jack.

CAFFERTY: You're welcome.

COLLINS: Still to come now, if you want to get fit, listen up. We will talk to a man who might know a thing or two about working out. There he is, LaLanne. What he says you should be putting into your body to stay healthy.

Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: He's been called the godfather of fitness. Truth be told, Jack LaLanne's been exercising longer than many of us have been alive.

His television show spanned several decades and showed generations of Americans how to eat right and stay fit. Now, 90 years young, Jack LaLanne is still a muscleman with a message.

He's joining us now, along with his beautiful wife, Elaine. Thanks so much for being here, you guys.

JACK LALANNE, JACKLALANNE.COM: Hi, Heidi. How are you?

COLLINS: Happy birthday to you, first of all.

LALANNE: Ninetieth birthday.

ELAINE LALANNE, JACK LALANNE'S WIFE: Oh, Jack. Come on.

COLLINS: He's trying act old.

E. LALANNE: Yes.

COLLINS: I know better.

J. LALANNE: I am friendly. No, I can't afford to die. It will wreck my image.

COLLINS: Yes, I heard that about you.

J. LALANNE: The folks want to see what I look like. OK. Thank you.

COLLINS: All right. There you go. Lovely. Much, much better.

J. LALANNE: Now, you folks at home, don't touch that dial. That's your first exercise.

E. LALANNE: Our son gave him those glass, and he said, "Dad, you've got look cool. You've got to -- you wear these glasses."

COLLINS: Those are the Bono, U-2 glass, huh?

J. LALANNE: Listen, it takes more than glass to make me cool.

COLLINS: No it does not.

J. LALANNE: I'm trying to be humble.

COLLINS: Listen, let's talk about some of these different things that you have done in your life just in case people don't know. Age 42, set the world record for push-ups. On your 60th birthday you did this little swim. I believe it was to Alcatraz, in handcuffs to complicate things. Then at 70, you swam Long Beach Harbor with 70 boats tied to you.

J. LALANNE: With 70 people.

COLLINS: And 70 people.

J. LALANNE: And my feet and hands were tied.

COLLINS: So, OK, you're 90 now.

J. LALANNE: Yes.

COLLINS: What's the plan? What's the trick?

J. LALANNE: I'm going to tow her across the bathtub.

(LAUGHTER)

J. LALANNE: No, if I get another thing up, I want -- what I have been wanting to do for several years, I want to swim from Catalina Island to Los Angeles under water.

E. LALANNE: That's in here. That's in there.

J. LALANNE: What are you doing? You can't keep your hands off me. No, that's...

COLLINS: I wouldn't be surprised. I mean, you...

J. LALANNE: That's 26 miles. Well, I did the Golden Gate in San Francisco twice under water.

COLLINS: How do you still practice what you preach after all these years?

J. LALANNE: I work out two hours every day of my life. And my nutritional habits are, if man makes it don't eat it.

COLLINS: Really?

J. LALANNE: Cakes, pies, candy, ice cream, soda pop, all this fried junk.

COLLINS: What is safe for us to eat then? J. LALANNE: Well, fruits and vegetables, fish, chicken, turkey, and whole grains. Why should you eat white bread when you can get whole wheat bread? Why should you eat white rice when you can get brown rice?

You're losing all the vitamins and the minerals and a lot of the roughage and everything. Man's got his tongs in everything. All this canned stuff.

You read some of the labels, you can't even pronounce the stuff they have in it, all these preservatives. Your body needs live, vital foods. You're a live, vital creature. You put dead in, dead comes out. Live in, live comes out.

E. LALANNE; He juices every day, you know, with his juicer. He juices every...

J. LALANNE: I've been juicing since I was 15.

COLLINS: Well, Jack, what do you think, though, about the current state of people and their diets? I mean, we talk about different diets a lot on this show.

J. LALANNE: They're exceeding the feed limit. They're exceeding the feed limit and they're not exercising.

COLLINS: How do you get them out there? How do you motivate them? A lot of couch potatoes today.

J. LALANNE: You've got to ask them first, do you want to feel better? Do you want to look better? Do you want to live longer?

If the answer is, yes, then you have to earn it. Dying's easy. Just don't exercise, eat anything. Would you get your dog up in the morning, give him a cup of coffee, a cigarette and a doughnut?

COLLINS: My dog might actually eat that.

J. LALANNE: Why are you laughing? You know how many millions of Americans got up this morning with a cup of coffee and a doughnut and they wonder why they're fat, why they're tired, why they're all fouled up? Because they're putting in the wrong fuel.

I just bought a new Mercedes convertible. Would I put water in the gas tank?

COLLINS: I hope not.

J. LALANNE: How about the human machine?

COLLINS: All right. Jack and Elaine LaLanne, you guys, we loved having you.

E. LALANNE: Thank you so much for having us.

COLLINS: Thank you so much. J. LALANNE: Sick 'em, baby.

HEMMER: Oh, yes. Thank you, Jack.

In a moment here, a Wednesday morning dose of "90-Second Pop."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER (voice-over): Daytime diva Star Jones gets ready to take a trip down the aisle. Why do some say she's turned into a bridezilla? Plus, critics have some surprising things to say about "Wife Swap."

Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired September 29, 2004 - 8:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. Live in Manhattan, 9:00 here in New York City. Bill Hemmer, along with Heidi Collins, in for Soledad.

Good morning.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.

HEMMER: Some of the other headlines coming up this hour, from Italy, still celebrating the release of the two Italian women kidnapped in Iraq. The two Simonas, as they are called, back home now, but there are some questions, too, about how they came to be released. We'll get a report live in Rome in a moment on that story.

COLLINS: Also, can you live into your 90s and barely age at all? We know a guy who did just that. Look at him there on the right.

Jack LaLanne, the fitness pioneer, just turned 90, and you will not believe the shape he's in. I witnessed it personally. We're going to here from Jack, and his life as well. Lovely woman.

How does he do it, though? He's going to tell us how you can do it, too.

HEMMER: He's got some spunk, huh?

COLLINS: Yes.

HEMMER: With a small "S" or a capital "S?"

COLLINS: Capital.

HEMMER: Capital, that's right.

Get to Jack Cafferty again.

Good morning, Jack.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: How you doing, Bill?

The "Question of the Day" has to do with cell phones in school. Efforts to ban the little instruments don't seem to be working out so well. So we're interested in your thoughts on what you think should be done about these electronic devices that kids tend to abuse. They can even use them to cheat on the tests, text message each other, "What's the answer to question four?" It's a terrible thing. They should be taken out and shot.

(LAUGHTER)

CAFFERTY: Anything less than that...

HEMMER: Whoa!

CAFFERTY: ... put in the letter.

HEMMER: You have four daughters. Would you have done that?

CAFFERTY: Yes, I do have four daughters, and none of them -- none of them use their cell phones during school.

COLLINS: How many of them are in school?

HEMMER: Three out of the four.

CAFFERTY: The youngest one is a sophomore at Tulane. She's probably got her cell phone down there. But, I mean, that's...

HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.

Want to get straight ahead to Rick Sanchez, also with us today.

Good morning, Rick.

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, good morning, Bill.

We're going to start with a story we've been following out of Yemen. The apparent mastermind of the USS Cole bombing has been sentenced to death, and we're going to have that story. Just hours ago, in fact.

The Yemeni judge sentenced to death two men, including the apparent mastermind. Now, these pictures from the courtroom just coming into CNN. Four other conspirators have been given jail sentences for their roles in the October 2000 bombing. Seventeen Americans were killed in that attack.

This next story is confusing because it involves four different countries. But there's nothing at all confusing about wanting freedom and a better life for yourself and your family.

Here is the exclusive CNN video this morning. Look at it.

North Koreans living in China stormed the Canadian embassy. They want to be sent to South Korea. Forty-four get in. One was pulled from a tree and captured.

No decisions have yet been made as to what's going to be done with them. We'll follow it.

It appears the Washington, D.C. area will again have a Major League Baseball team. However, it means that Montreal may not.

This move by the Expos is expected to begin next season. Thirty- three years ago, Washington had a team called the Senators, but they left to become the Texas Rangers.

And, by the way, also out of D.C., a large, white object has been spotted in the morning skies, causing some residents to be a bit nervous. Pentagon police said the Defense Department is testing a security blimp fully equipped with security cameras. It will stay up until tomorrow.

There you go. Bill, back over to you.

By the way, you know, the Senators, before they became the Rangers, were also switched for another team, which is -- and people in Minnesota watching this newscast right now will tell you -- the Minnesota Twins were also the Washington Senators at one point.

HEMMER: They had two. And today they don't have baseball, they have blimps, right? Busy day in D.C. Thank you, Rick.

The two presidential candidates go head to head tomorrow night in Florida, the first debate and a meeting there. We spoke with both -- both camps, rather, earlier today. First, the senior Kerry adviser, Mike McCurry on the strategy for John Kerry.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: What does John Kerry hope to accomplish Thursday night?

MIKE MCCURRY, SR. ADVISER, KERRY CAMPAIGN: Well, I think at the end of 90 minutes the people of America will know that he can be our commander in chief, that he has a very clear plan for winning the war in Iraq, bringing our troops home, and winning the war on terror. I think that's what people are looking for in this debate.

You know, the tone of the campaign has turned increasingly negative. And President Bush's campaign has spent millions and millions of dollars to create a lot of negative impressions of Senator Kerry.

The good thing about tomorrow night is the two of them stand side by side and really lay out what they would do to lead America in a different direction and help America lead the world in a different direction. And I think people will clearly see that Senator Kerry has got the preferable plan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Mike McCurry from earlier. Mary Matalin, senior adviser to the Bush campaign, also talked about the president's approach to this debate Thursday evening.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Each side sets out its goals. What does George Bush hope to accomplish Thursday night?

MARY MATALIN, SR. ADVISER, BUSH CAMPAIGN: Well, President Bush, in a great advantage in this debate for him, is that he knows what he thinks, why he thinks it. He'll be talking about the record, his fine record of progress here. And he'll be talking about the agenda going forward, his vision for the future, where he wants to lead the country, how he wants to, and the plan that he has for winning the war on terror specifically, and then a lot of -- well, this is not a domestic debate, but he does have a lot of plans going for forward for the next term.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Mary Matalin from earlier.

Meanwhile, in Florida, the center of campaign 2000 of four years ago, center stage again tomorrow night, this time, too, Florida could be the one battleground state where voters may have their minds on other things. That's what four hurricanes in six weeks will do. Kelly Wallace now joins me with more on that.

Good morning again.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning again, Bill.

You know, there's no precedent, really, to what impact four hurricanes in one state could have on the presidential contest. So it's a bit of a guessing game here. Still, there are signs one candidate could benefit more than the other.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE (voice-over): In Melbourne, Florida, cleaning up after the latest hurricane, and frankly not concentrating on anything else.

JOHN BINDHAMMER, MELBOURNE, FLORIDA, RESIDENT: What election?

WALLACE: John and Nancy Bindhammer say they made up their minds before Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne. Still, will they check out the first debate on Thursday?

BINDHAMMER: I don't know if we have a TV or not, to be perfectly honest.

WALLACE: Floridians are more focused on damages than debates. More consumed with power outages...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our area's all still out.

WALLACE: ... than power politics. This has made statewide polling so difficult that it's next to impossible to know exactly where Sunshine State voters stand. With that in mind, before the hurricanes, President Bush had a four-point lead with likely voters. In the CNN-"USA Today"-Gallup poll out last week, he was ahead by three points. The hurricanes have kept the two major candidates largely off the stump, but one has not been out of sight.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What else do you need?

WALLACE: The president rolling up his sleeves here after the first three hurricanes, requesting more than $12 billion in federal aid.

TOM FIEDLER, "THE MIAMI HERALD": It works to the president's advantage in that this gives him an opportunity to actually act presidential.

WALLACE: Senator Kerry has only visited the hurricane areas once, careful not to look like he was trying to capitalize on the tragedy. So the president benefits, Kerry loses? Well, maybe not entirely. The areas hardest hit have been predominantly Republican, which raises this question: could GOP turnout be lower than in years past?

FIEDLER: Now, does that mean that on November 2 people's lives remain enough in disarray that the idea of casting a ballot is maybe secondary to your concerns?

WALLACE: Something we won't know until after the election.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE: And just before tomorrow night's debate, President Bush using the power of the presidency once again, Bill, before he heads to Miami. He is visiting areas ravaged by Jeanne. This is his fourth visit to the state to tour areas devastated by the hurricanes.

HEMMER: And when these storms happen, the president's brother is front and center. He has headlines in every newspaper, he's front- page story for the -- for the newscast there every day as well. I mean, that's a governor's job, to come forward in times of national disasters.

WALLACE: It is a governor's job, but he has been there and he's been dominating the television screens for the past six weeks. So Governor Jeb Bush there, well, President Bush, same last name. It obviously helps the president.

What it also does, though, Senator Kerry really not able to get in the state. If he goes there, it looks like he might be trying to be a political opportunist, taking resources away. So he hasn't been able to get his message out for the past few weeks.

HEMMER: Variables that will play out on the second of November.

WALLACE: Absolutely. We'll be watching. HEMMER: Thank you, Kelly. All right. We will, too.

A debate for number one set for tomorrow night, 9:00 Eastern Time. That's when the debate begins. Our coverage start two hours earlier at 7:00 Eastern.

Here on AMERICAN MORNING, we are getting ready as well. We'll go live in Miami tomorrow morning. Then voter reaction. Twenty-four undecided voters in the city of Columbus in the state of Ohio comes your way Friday morning. We'll be there as well --Heidi.

COLLINS: John Walker Lindh is asking President Bush to commute his prison sentence. Lindh was captured in Afghanistan three years ago, alongside Taliban fighters. He is an American, and was sentenced to 20 years in jail. But his lawyer says his case is similar to Yasser Hamdi, also an American, who was released last week after just three years.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES BROSNAHAN, ATTORNEY FOR JOHN WALKER LINDH: Mr. Hamdi and Mr. Lindh were found in the same place and surrendered to the northern alliance. Mr. Hamdi and Mr. Lindh did not fight American troops at anytime. Never, ever did they do that. It seems to us, as a matter of justice, and, if I may use the word, compassion, for the president to consider reducing John Lindh's sentence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Hamdi has to give up is U.S. citizenship and join his family in Saudi Arabia.

Johnny Michael Spann, a CIA agent, was killed in the battle where they were captured. His father, also Johnny Spann, is in Birmingham, Alabama, this morning to talk with us about this.

Mr. Spann, thanks for being here. I want to get your reaction right off the bat to John Walker Lindh asking for a reduced sentence.

JOHNNY SPANN, SON KILLED IN AFGHANISTAN: Well, I'm really not surprised that his family did this and that he did this. They have been saying things like that ever since the -- you know, when he was captured.

They've tried to convince the American people that, you know, he was a good American, that he never hurt anybody, never wanted to hurt anybody, never carried arms, and he never fired at anybody, anything like that. But, you know, the thing about it is, is that we know that he did. We know that, as a matter of fact, that John Walker Lindh went to Afghanistan and that he joined the al Qaeda, the organization that sent their people to the United States of America and flew the airplanes into the World Trade Center and into the Pentagon and killed American people, murdered American people.

We know that he's...

COLLINS: But sir, you say that you...

SPANN: ... a member of that organization, and there's nothing he can do to change that.

COLLINS: Pardon the interruption, but you say that you know that he fired his weapon. You mentioned that that has been his defense all along, he never did anything with a weapon he carried around.

SPANN: Well, let me ask you this, the guy admittedly fought in Takar (ph), he was on the front lines with the Taliban, with the al Qaeda in Takar (ph). They retreated back up to Kunduz, and they fought there.

Now, he was in the army of the al Qaeda and he had a weapon. But you're trying to tell me, and you want me to believe that he never fired it?

COLLINS: No, sir, I'm not trying to tell you anything.

SPANN: I don't believe that's very sensible.

COLLINS: I just wanted to make sure that the viewers understood that that was his -- what he had said in the past. And I wanted to make sure that they knew that you were saying that that is not your belief.

SPANN: Yes. Well, he also said, you know, that he's a good American and he loves America. But he also -- we have e-mails that he sent his mother saying how much he hated Americans and he never wanted to set his foot back on American soil.

COLLINS: Let me ask you this, what do you think about the comparison between the two cases of Hamdi and John Walker Lindh?

SPANN: Well, I think they're similar. They were both in Afghanistan.

The fact that the other guy was actually -- I guess he had American citizenship because he was born in the United States, but he also had been raised in Saudi Arabia. The fact that this other gentleman never had a chance to tell Mike Spann that he was American and that there was going to be an uprising, that's one of the major difference.

John Walker Lindh said in front of Mike, and Mike begged him and asked him, "Who are you, and where are you from?" And he never indicated to him at all that there was going to be an uprising.

And we know for a fact now by the reporters who have gone to Afghanistan and talked to other prisoners that were in Shebarghan Prison, that were left there, and they're saying that everyone inside the pink house knew there was going to be an uprising, that there was no way for them not to know, because they planned it the night before.

COLLINS: It has been two years since your son has been killed. Mr. Spann, let me ask you how your family is doing today. SPANN: We're doing fine, I guess. I mean, how do you say if you're doing OK when you've lost a loved one. And, you know, there's children involved, Mike left three kids. And of course they miss him, but, you know, we're having to move on.

COLLINS: Understandably so. We certainly appreciate your time today. Thank you so much, Johnny Spann, this morning.

Also, it should be said, we invited John Walker Lindh's attorneys to be on our program this morning. They did decline that invitation -- Bill.

HEMMER: About 12 minutes past the hour. I want to get a check of weather right now. And again, we're checking on Jeanne. Chad was there when Jeanne came on shore in Florida, and she's still with you today.

Chad, good morning.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, good morning, Bill.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HEMMER: That they will. Thank you, Chad.

COLLINS: We're planning the trip to Colorado, right?

HEMMER: I'm on board.

COLLINS: Chad, thanks a lot.

MYERS: You're welcome.

COLLINS: Still to come, we may see the future of space travel today over the Mojave Desert. A live look at the quest for the so- called X Prize.

HEMMER: Also, do the men running for president deserve the same medical privacy as you? Sanjay's back with whether or not this could become an issue.

COLLINS: Plus, it's time to celebrate all across Italy. Two women live to tell the story of their weeks in captivity. We'll have a live report ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Much of Italy this morning is celebrating the return of two women held hostage for three weeks in Iraq. Alessio Vinci joins us now live from Rome, watching this story from there.

Alessio, it's a good day in Rome. Good afternoon there.

ALESSIO VINCI, CNN ROME BUREAU CHIEF: It's a -- good afternoon. Good morning to you, Bill. It's a beautiful day here in Rome. And I can tell you, the country feels just as well. Huge relief throughout the country. This latest hostage crisis has ended without a bloodshed and in the best possible way.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VINCI (voice-over): Together, on the tarmac, holding hands, their smiles said it all. Simona Pari and Simona Torretta freed after being abducted and held for three weeks in Iraq.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): The kidnappers treated us well and they even apologized at the end.

VINCI: As relatives and government officials welcomed them, Simona Torretta hugged her mother, saying, "I'm sorry for the whole sufferance I've caused you."

Within hours after their release, friends and colleagues working for the same aid organizations gathered outside the Rome headquarters to celebrate. They unveiled a huge peace flag and offered flowers to people nearby.

"It is beautiful. We're all happy," she says. "We heard the news and we came here."

The sense of relief here enhanced by the rapid succession of events in the run-up to their release, including reports last week they had been executed. In a matter of days, everything changed, with the same newspapers hailing their return home.

Outside the house of one of the former hostages, relief and happiness. The end came without bloodshed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (through translator): It made me very happy, and my wife started to cry when she heard the news because it is such a beautiful thing. Whatever politics there might be behind this, let's put it behind us.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VINCI: And Bill, Italian government officials are denying that a ransom was paid to free the two hostages. However, both politicians here, as well as some intelligence sources, are telling us that some money may have changed hands -- Bill.

HEMMER: Some money may have changed hands. What more do you know about the negotiations to get their release, Alessio?

VINCI: Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi yesterday addressing parliament and answering some questions from lawmakers. He said that he really credited the Italian Red Cross, as well as intelligence services, for the successful release of the two hostages. So we don't know much more.

We do know, however, from other intelligence sources throughout this week, and last week as well, that intense negotiations were ongoing with mediators in the region. AS I can tell you, most of the people in this country, not just politicians, not just intelligence sources, but just about everyone I've spoken with, believes that some money has changed hands because, otherwise, they say the two Simonas, as they're known here, would have not been released -- Bill.

HEMMER: Alessio Vinci's reporting in Rome. Alessio, thanks for that -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Jack Cafferty now and the "Question of the Day" once again.

CAFFERTY: Cell phones in schools, Heidi. Critics say they're a distraction for the students; parents say they want their kids to have one so they can get in touch with them at all times. The question is, what should be the policy, restrictions, if you will, on cell phones in the schools?

Richard in Charleston, Massachusetts -- I like this -- "If you have lemons, make lemonade. Make it mandatory to have a cell phone and teach subjects on the cell phones. Watch how quickly they disappear from the classroom."

And Mark in Japan right writes, "Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richard, not exactly a guy known for his previous healthy lifestyle, refuses to carry a cell phone." "Why," he says? "I wouldn't put my head in a microwave oven, either. That's my best advice for cell phone carriers: just don't."

All of these discussions academic. If this next little item were to be a little bit closer, there is a mountain-size asteroid scheduled to do a fly-by of the planet Earth about 10 minutes from now, 9:35. This is according to NASA.

This is called Asteroid Tutatas (ph), named after the Celtic god of war. It is three-and-a-half miles long, one-and-a-half miles wide, and it's traveling at 25,000 miles an hour.

It's about 960,000 miles from Earth, which is pretty close, actually by cosmic standards. It doesn't pose any danger. It's not going to hit us.

But if it did, if it smacked into the Earth, it would create an explosion equal to the energy of a million tons of TNT. Say good night. NASA says the asteroid's closer than it's been since the 12th century, and it's going to go away for awhile, but it will be back in the year 2562, 558 years from now, after four orbits around the sun.

COLLINS: Wow. That's huge.

CAFFERTY: I'm doing this in case, you know, Miles would call in sick. Maybe I can fill in for him some time.

(CROSSTALK)

COLLINS: You're so versatile. HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.

COLLINS: Thanks, Jack.

CAFFERTY: You're welcome.

COLLINS: Still to come now, if you want to get fit, listen up. We will talk to a man who might know a thing or two about working out. There he is, LaLanne. What he says you should be putting into your body to stay healthy.

Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: He's been called the godfather of fitness. Truth be told, Jack LaLanne's been exercising longer than many of us have been alive.

His television show spanned several decades and showed generations of Americans how to eat right and stay fit. Now, 90 years young, Jack LaLanne is still a muscleman with a message.

He's joining us now, along with his beautiful wife, Elaine. Thanks so much for being here, you guys.

JACK LALANNE, JACKLALANNE.COM: Hi, Heidi. How are you?

COLLINS: Happy birthday to you, first of all.

LALANNE: Ninetieth birthday.

ELAINE LALANNE, JACK LALANNE'S WIFE: Oh, Jack. Come on.

COLLINS: He's trying act old.

E. LALANNE: Yes.

COLLINS: I know better.

J. LALANNE: I am friendly. No, I can't afford to die. It will wreck my image.

COLLINS: Yes, I heard that about you.

J. LALANNE: The folks want to see what I look like. OK. Thank you.

COLLINS: All right. There you go. Lovely. Much, much better.

J. LALANNE: Now, you folks at home, don't touch that dial. That's your first exercise.

E. LALANNE: Our son gave him those glass, and he said, "Dad, you've got look cool. You've got to -- you wear these glasses."

COLLINS: Those are the Bono, U-2 glass, huh?

J. LALANNE: Listen, it takes more than glass to make me cool.

COLLINS: No it does not.

J. LALANNE: I'm trying to be humble.

COLLINS: Listen, let's talk about some of these different things that you have done in your life just in case people don't know. Age 42, set the world record for push-ups. On your 60th birthday you did this little swim. I believe it was to Alcatraz, in handcuffs to complicate things. Then at 70, you swam Long Beach Harbor with 70 boats tied to you.

J. LALANNE: With 70 people.

COLLINS: And 70 people.

J. LALANNE: And my feet and hands were tied.

COLLINS: So, OK, you're 90 now.

J. LALANNE: Yes.

COLLINS: What's the plan? What's the trick?

J. LALANNE: I'm going to tow her across the bathtub.

(LAUGHTER)

J. LALANNE: No, if I get another thing up, I want -- what I have been wanting to do for several years, I want to swim from Catalina Island to Los Angeles under water.

E. LALANNE: That's in here. That's in there.

J. LALANNE: What are you doing? You can't keep your hands off me. No, that's...

COLLINS: I wouldn't be surprised. I mean, you...

J. LALANNE: That's 26 miles. Well, I did the Golden Gate in San Francisco twice under water.

COLLINS: How do you still practice what you preach after all these years?

J. LALANNE: I work out two hours every day of my life. And my nutritional habits are, if man makes it don't eat it.

COLLINS: Really?

J. LALANNE: Cakes, pies, candy, ice cream, soda pop, all this fried junk.

COLLINS: What is safe for us to eat then? J. LALANNE: Well, fruits and vegetables, fish, chicken, turkey, and whole grains. Why should you eat white bread when you can get whole wheat bread? Why should you eat white rice when you can get brown rice?

You're losing all the vitamins and the minerals and a lot of the roughage and everything. Man's got his tongs in everything. All this canned stuff.

You read some of the labels, you can't even pronounce the stuff they have in it, all these preservatives. Your body needs live, vital foods. You're a live, vital creature. You put dead in, dead comes out. Live in, live comes out.

E. LALANNE; He juices every day, you know, with his juicer. He juices every...

J. LALANNE: I've been juicing since I was 15.

COLLINS: Well, Jack, what do you think, though, about the current state of people and their diets? I mean, we talk about different diets a lot on this show.

J. LALANNE: They're exceeding the feed limit. They're exceeding the feed limit and they're not exercising.

COLLINS: How do you get them out there? How do you motivate them? A lot of couch potatoes today.

J. LALANNE: You've got to ask them first, do you want to feel better? Do you want to look better? Do you want to live longer?

If the answer is, yes, then you have to earn it. Dying's easy. Just don't exercise, eat anything. Would you get your dog up in the morning, give him a cup of coffee, a cigarette and a doughnut?

COLLINS: My dog might actually eat that.

J. LALANNE: Why are you laughing? You know how many millions of Americans got up this morning with a cup of coffee and a doughnut and they wonder why they're fat, why they're tired, why they're all fouled up? Because they're putting in the wrong fuel.

I just bought a new Mercedes convertible. Would I put water in the gas tank?

COLLINS: I hope not.

J. LALANNE: How about the human machine?

COLLINS: All right. Jack and Elaine LaLanne, you guys, we loved having you.

E. LALANNE: Thank you so much for having us.

COLLINS: Thank you so much. J. LALANNE: Sick 'em, baby.

HEMMER: Oh, yes. Thank you, Jack.

In a moment here, a Wednesday morning dose of "90-Second Pop."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER (voice-over): Daytime diva Star Jones gets ready to take a trip down the aisle. Why do some say she's turned into a bridezilla? Plus, critics have some surprising things to say about "Wife Swap."

Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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