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American Morning
More Flu Vaccines Coming to America; Homeland Security in Chicago's Union Station About to Get State of the Art security System
Aired October 20, 2004 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. More flu vaccines coming to America, but is the country really any closer to filling the shortfalls? Flu shots increasingly an issue on the campaign trail. The candidates now trading jabs at one another.
In Missouri, an all-night search for survivors after a commuter plane goes down.
And then there is baseball. Controversial calls, big time pitching and the Red Sox have forced game seven with the Yankees tonight, on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From Union Station in Chicago, this is AMERICAN MORNING on the road with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, and welcome everybody.
Greeting you from Chicago. We are seeing a lot of the city this week. We were by the river, of course, on Monday and yesterday we were at Loyola University. Today we are here at Union Station.
HEMMER: One of the great lasting train stations in all of America. We're in the Grand Hall today, and we're going to show you a bit late they are morning some of the great sites here at the train station. Thirty years ago, Chicago had three main train stations. Two of them closed down in the early '70s. This one still stands today, and the commuter traffic is already up and going.
O'BRIEN: Yes, there they are.
HEMMER: 6:01 local time here in Chicago.
O'BRIEN: Some 50,000 people will come through the train station. It's beautiful -- the marble, the columns, very, very nice.
Should we show folks the map of where we've been and where we're going?
HEMMER: How about it?
O'BRIEN: Well, as we mentioned, we started along the banks of the Chicago River. This looks like Hemmer's driving, but when the car turns, look, I'm driving.
Start along the banks. That was on Monday, right, Jack? JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, I remember that.
O'BRIEN: And then on Tuesday.
HEMMER: On Tuesday, we were outside of the water tower, right along Michigan Avenue, the Magnificent Mile, Loyola University, and today, we've come across town right across the Chicago River again, but we're inside at the Union Station.
CAFFERTY: Don't you miss the wind?
HEMMER: So that's our tour so far this week.
Indeed we do.
O'BRIEN: We never complain, Jack.
CAFFERTY: Don't you miss the wind and the freezing temperatures?
HEMMER: Yes.
O'BRIEN: It wasn't that bad. Come on you big wimp, it wasn't that bad.
Some of the other stories we're following this morning as well. We are looking at an aggressive security plan in Chicago that is going to bring some of the most advanced video surveillance equipment anywhere right here to Union Station. It's also going to make the folks who live here among the most observed anywhere. We're going to talk this morning with Chicago's director of emergency management about the need and also about how they plan to protect people's privacy as well.
HEMMER: Also this morning, among the many things that make Chicago unique are all the movable bridges. They rise and they fall in a ritual of the seasons. An engineering marvel and a traffic challenge, too, you can bet on that. We'll meet one of the people that literally holds the keys to the city, so really great story, and colorful, too. We'll get to it this morning.
O'BRIEN: Mr. Cafferty, good morning.
CAFFERTY: How're you doing?
The Boston Red Sox in the midst of a pretty stunning comeback. They knotted the American League Championship Series at three games apiece last night in that dramatic 4-2 win over the New York Yankees. If they win game seven in the Bronx tonight, and that is a tall order for the Red Sox, then they've got the World Series in front of them, and of course that brings up the Curse of the Bambino. Curses are something that are all too familiar to Chicago Cubs fans. We're talking the Curse of the Billy Goat. We'll explore those two, do a little witchcraft in the "Cafferty File," coming up in a few minutes.
O'BRIEN: A little witchcraft in the Cafferty...
CAFFERTY: Why not? We have tried almost everything else.
O'BRIEN: Why not? Is it working?
CAFFERTY: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Good. All right, thanks.
Let's start with a look at the top stories this morning.
Heidi Collins is in Millennium Park for us with the headlines.
Hey, Heidi, good morning.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Soledad.
That's right, we do have another location today, Millennium Park, beautiful park, filled with arts and culture, about a $475 million project, just opened up in July. People love it here. We'll tell you all about it a little bit later on.
In the meantime, now to the news, rescue teams in northern Missouri looking for survivors of a plane crash. At least eight people were killed in the Corporate Airlines crash. Five people are still unaccounted for at this hour. And officials say things went wrong while the St. Louis Kirksville flight was trying to land. Officials and authorities there are giving an update right now to the press. We of course will try to bring that to you, or at least an update from it, as soon as we can.
In Iraq now, another attack this morning on coalition forces. A car bomb ripped through military convoy on a highway leading to Baghdad. Military sources saying there are no American casualties. Meanwhile the national aide organization CARE says it is suspending operations in Iraq following the abduction of Margaret Hassan. She's the head of operation there, still no word from her kidnappers.
A documentary critical of Senator John Kerry's Vietnam Era anti- war activity also not be shown in full. Sinclair Broadcast Group say its stations will only play parts of the film during a special news program. The announcement follows weeks of criticism from Democrats and an employee who says he was fired for speaking out about Sinclair's decision to air the film.
Well, two big games today. The Houston Astros take on the St. Louis Cardinals in game six, and in New York, riot police out on the field after a disputed call gets ugly. The Red Sox take the game, though, 4-2. It could become the first team in Major League history to come back from a three-game deficit to win a best-of-seven series. Another unbelievable game last night. Good for the Sox, I guess, if I can say that live on air.
Bill and Soledad, back now to you.
O'BRIEN: I think that's fair to say. Thanks, Heidi.
HEMMER: They won that game in less than seven hours last night. O'BRIEN: I believe they did. No records were set.
HEMMER: This guy went to bed, could not stick it out.
We'll get to more baseball throughout the morning here.
In the meantime, though, with Election Day fast approaching, the flu shot shortage suddenly becoming a major political front. Senator Kerry blames the bush administration for the current debacle. The president points his finger as a manufacturer as the culprit. He also says help is on the way as of yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRES. OF THE UNITED STATES: I know there are some here who worried about the flu season. I want to assure them that our government is doing everything possible to help older Americans and children get their shots, despite the major manufacturing defect that caused this problem. We have millions of vaccine doses on hand for the most vulnerable Americans. And millions more will be shipped in the coming weeks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: That was the president from yesterday.
This morning, Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the CDC, with us today from Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Welcome back. We spoke two days ago. And thank you for your time again today.
DR. JULIE GERBERDING, DIR., CDC: Good morning.
HEMMER: The new dose, the new supply is not coming until January. Too little, too late?
GERBERDING: Well, you know, we've got about 24 million doses, and they're coming out of the factory, about 3 million doses a week. So we're shipping them as we speak, and we do intend to get every dose that we can to people who need it the most as soon as possible.
HEMMER: But then again, we have this question here about the supply. And In January, when the shipment arrives, based on the report we got from yesterday, that brings U.S. supply to 60 million, still 40 million short of what is needed for a typical season. So the question again, too little, too late?
GERBERDING: Well, you know, actually we had projected 100 million doses this year, but that was far more than we thought we would be able to use. Even six years ago, we used 60 million doses, and that's what we'll have this year. What we need to do is get them where we need them the most, and that's our challenge right now. But we're very optimistic as these doses come out the seniors, and the very young children and those who need the doses will be ale to get them. HEMMER: When it comes to the flu season itself, though, is January -- for those who need the flu shot, who want to stave off sickness this year, will January be too late for them?
GERBERDING: You know, we had some good news right now. We actually have less flu activity this time of year than typical. In fact, we've only identified five flu isolates in the United States this year. So we're getting off to a bit of a slow start, and that gives us a little more time to get those doses out there. We can't tell when the season is going to peak, and of course we want to move as quickly as we can, but we're very glad to have these extra doses, and we'll make good use of them.
HEMMER: There was also a report earlier in the week that says the flu season will not be as bad, which kind of lends credence to what you said, though. Can you say overall though, at this point, how severe the season will be?
GERBERDING: You know, flu is always unpredictable, and I'm not going make any projections about the season. I'm just working on making sure we get the vaccine moved quickly. And we'll be letting people know when doses are coming and when they can expect to be able to get their shots.
HEMMER: We'll keep on looking for answers, too, as we go forward. Dr. Julie Gerberding, thanks, from the CDC in South Dakota this morning with us here -- Soledad.
GERBERDING: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: All right, thanks, Bill.
Just 13 days until Election Day and the push is on for the battleground states. Senator John Kerry yesterday campaigned in Pennsylvania and then Ohio before he ended the day at a rally in Iowa. Today Kerry will speak in Waterloo, Iowa focusing on the war on terror, then he heads back to Pennsylvania and Ohio, as well.
President Bush campaigned at three rallies in Florida yesterday. He starts the day in Washington, then heads to a rally in Mason City, Iowa. He's two more events after that, one in Rochester, Minnesota, the other in O'Claire (ph), Wisconsin.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: Meanwhile, our home today is historic Union Station. You can absolutely get there from here, so says Amtrak. A magnificent landmark in a living, breathing museum possessing the rare combination of both age and certainly beauty.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: If you build it, they will come. From 1913, when they first broke ground to its completion in 1925, Chicago's Union Station was a railroad field of dream for city fathers. After a multimillion-dollar renovation in 1991, it remains one of Chicago's most impressive landmarks, an architectural marvel. The station's great hall is aptly named. From the ornate main waiting room to the spectacular vaulted sky light, It's one of the country's most impressive interior public stations. The hall is a popular setting for special events, everything from weddings to inaugural balls to movie making. The southernmost entrance was featured in the 1987 film "The Untouchables," and has become a coveted snapshot for tourists from around the world.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: One other film here, you may recall the scene in the film "My Best Friend's Wedding," also taking place here in the great hall. There are these gigantic wooden benches in the waiting area here that, my gosh, they are the size of a sequoia, are they not, Soledad?
O'BRIEN: Yes, but yet smaller than the giant columns that are holding up Union Station. So we'll show you them throughout the morning here, rather those benches throughout the morning as we continue our coverage.
HEMMER: Yes, we'll have an opportunity to give people a little closer look.
O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, some of the most annoying songs ever. We're going to meet a Chicago man who really made it his job to irritate radio listeners.
HEMMER: Also we'll talk to two local soldiers here in Chicago, just back from Iraq, telling us what it has been adjusting to life back here, and also the challenges still ahead in places like Baghdad.
O'BRIEN: And homeland security in Chicago's Union Station is about to get a state-of-the-art security system, but will passengers be giving up too much privacy? A look at that's ahead, as AMERICAN MORNING continues right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: And welcome back, everybody, as we come to you this morning from Union Station in Chicago. It is Chicago's major transportation hub. Tens of thousands of commuters pass through this great hall every single day. And in fact, in total, nearly a million people ride commuter and subway trains in Chicago, and keeping them safe is a top priority.
Ron Huberman is the executive director of Chicago's Office of Emergency Management and Communications joining us this morning.
Nice to see you, Ron. Thanks for being with us.
RON HUBERMAN, EXEC. DIR., OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MGMT. & COMM.: Good morning. Thanks for having me on. O'BRIEN: Let's talk a little bit about the state-of-the-art surveillance system that's really coming around the corner, 2006 is when it's going to be implemented around the city. First, you already have 2,500 cameras. How are these new cameras going to be different?
HUBERMAN: You know, I think what Chicago is doing and what's unique here is kind of the mayor's vision for homeland security in the city of Chicago was to have a camera network that was in many ways a smart network. I think what makes our system unique and very high tech, is, one, it's integrated into 911. So, for example, Soledad, if you were here at Union Station and you picked up a phone and you dialed 911, within one second, the operator on the other end of the line would be able to see the same thing you're seeing by tapping into the cameras right at this location.
O'BRIEN: So how exactly then, technologically speaking, but not for technologist, how does it work exactly?
HUBERMAN: It works in a variety of ways. One of the ways it works is it uses software that basically identifies immediately where a call is coming from and identifies the closest caller -- the closets cameras from the location of that caller, and then puts that image immediately in the 911 center on a screen for a specially trained operator to take a look at that image.
O'BRIEN: That's if someone calls into 911. But I read that the surveillance system will also work -- it can sense if someone's circling or if someone's dropped off a package.
HUBERMAN: Absolutely.
O'BRIEN: How does that work?
HUBERMAN: It's very interesting, but it's basically an algorithm that identifies preprogrammed behavior that's suspicious. So for example, if someone was to walk through an area we would consider an area of high risk, and they would leave a large bag and walk away from the bag, the camera would actually be able to sense the fact that a person left the package in a high-risk area and immediately notify the correct authorities to go investigate and see whether that package is potentially dangerous.
O'BRIEN: In 2006, you are planning on some 250 of these cameras, on top of the 2,500 other surveillance cameras already in the city. One, is that enough? And, two, where exactly will they be placed?
HUBERMAN: You know, they're going to be -- we use them really for two uses. One is for crime fighting. We've seen a very great decrease in crime of those areas where we put cameras. So we're going to be putting them in high-crime areas, and targeting them specifically in the areas where we believe would be at greater risk for a terrorists attack.
O'BRIEN: They say eventually could be in street sweepers. They could be inside the subway train cars. We've seen in the wake of the Madrid Bombings -- in fact, we have some new videotape of what it looked like inside from some of the surveillance tape, and I want to show this to folks -- you can see here. This is new tape that's just become available of the -- you can see the explosion, and then of course moments later, you really see the explosion -- pretty shocking pictures.
After the fact, though, will there be a way to protect people who are commuters from a circumstance similar to that, God forbid?
HUBERMAN: Yes, absolutely. And I think that's what we believe we're going to accomplish with this camera network. By having this camera network out there with this technology, we believe that we are going to increase our chance to interdict a potential terrorist attack, to identify someone with suspicious packages, to identify someone going under a rail car, and using this kind of technology to really make Chicago a significantly safer place.
O'BRIEN: Ron Huberman of the Office of Emergency Management and Communications. Nice to have you. Thanks for...
HUBERMAN: Great. Thanks for having me on this morning.
O'BRIEN: A pleasure. And thanks for hosting us in Chicago.
HUBERMAN: Hey, we're glad you're here in the city.
O'BRIEN: Thanks, appreciate it -- Bill.
HEMMER: Thanks. Break here in a moment. If you've got a kid headed for college. Be ready for some sticker shock. That may not be a shock to parents, though. Andy's "Minding Your Business" on that.
First, though, another Chicago fun fact: Twinkie snack cakes started in Chicago in 1930. Still today, with a vanilla cream. What was the original filling? Something to ponder at breakfast. Back in a moment here, live in Chicago.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: They sure do.
Before the break, we asked you about Twinkies. Today they are filled with banana cream.
O'BRIEN: Vanilla cream.
HEMMER: What did I say?
O'BRIEN: Banana cream.
HEMMER: Thank you. I'm still waking up.
O'BRIEN: Having eaten a lot of Twinkies over the last nine months, I can tell you.
HEMMER: That's what the answer is.
O'BRIEN: Banana cream.
HEMMER: A banana shortage during the Second World War caused the switch to vanilla. I did not know that.
O'BRIEN: I was going to guess chocolate, and I'd be wrong.
HEMMER: Well, now we know.
O'BRIEN: No you know.
HEMMER: So it's banana cream.
Good morning everyone. Welcome. We're here in Chicago. Jack is too, as well.
CAFFERTY: Hey, Jack, good morning again.
How're you doing, Soledad?
Andy and I are downstairs on the concourse, tracks 6, 8, 10 and 12. If this doesn't go well, I'm on a train to Sheboygan by 8:30.
The cost of college tuition is something I'm well acquainted with. My fourth and final daughter is moving through Tulane.
Andy is here with the latest disappointing numbers on what it costs folks to send these kids off to school.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Yes, more sticker shock to parents, Jack, and not a surprise. The cost of going to college is going up. Here's the manage number, folks, $11,354, that's how much it costs to send your kids to a public university. That's up almost 11 percent, or over $800. Private schools not as bad, but the reason is costs so much to go there anyway, that they can't raise the price as much.
Exactly, the increase isn't as high.
Let's go through a couple of the schools here, University of Wisconsin up 14 percent. All those Badgers at Arizona State up 13 percent. That's also a little bit of a hike.
Going over to some of the private schools. Northwestern, right up on the north shore there, Evanston, up only 5.4 percent but, again, you can see, Jack, at almost 30k, how much can they really raise prices? And then we've got Princeton, Old Nassau, also up about $30,000 -- up to $30,000.
CAFFERTY: And these are just tuition numbers. You've got to add in books.
SERWER: No, that includes room and board.
But it is true, Jack, that a lot of schools offer all kinds of aid, of course, so you're actually paying less than the sticker price. But you know, the college cost going up like that and health care costs going up, and we talked about this year after year after year, and no relief in sight, really.
CAFFERTY: Yes, but as soon as the election is over, whoever wins is going to fix all of this.
SERWER: Yes, for sure.
Quickly, the markets down yesterday. I don't know if it was the Red Sox winning the game last night or what, but actually the insurance industry more troubles there. We'll talk about that in the next half hour.
CAFFERTY: Very good.
Speaking of the Red Sox, Andy, game seven tonight at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, after a dramatic sixth-game win by the Red Sox, 4-2 over the Yankees. The Curse of the Bambino could come into play, if the Red Sox can figure out a way to get to the World Series. They've got to win game seven tonight, then of course we're looking at that thing that goes all the way back to 1918. That's the last time the Red Sox won the World Series. They traded Babe Ruth to New York in 1919, and they haven't won a series ever since.
The last time they played in the World Series, 1986, against the New York Mets, that was an infamous game where Buckner let that ground ball go between his legs, and they managed to lose that World Series.
Of course we're in a town that's well, familiar with curses. The Chicago Cubs dealing with the Curse of the Billy Goat. 1945, a billy goat ran on to the field, and they threw the thing off the field. The Cubs haven't won a series since 1908. And some people say that the man who owned that billy goat, William Cyannis (ph), put the curse on the cubs, and that they're not going to win another World Series, I don't know, until they let a bunch of goats eat the grass out there at the ballpark.
Anyway, do you believe in this stuff or no? Am@CNN.com is the e- mail address. We'll read some of this stuff a bit later. We're going to look at some of the most well-known and dramatic architecture around the city of Chicago a bit later.
And it's Wednesday, we'll be doing things people say. All of the great quotes out of the major Chicago figures that you have known -- grown to know and love over the years, Al Capone and people like that. So it's a busy morning in the "Cafferty File." We're on the concourse at the main terminal down here in Chicago.
We'll go back upstairs now to Bill and Soledad.
HEMMER: I'm warning the folks in Sheboygan, by the way, OK. You stay right there.
CAFFERTY: Be nice. HEMMER: You mention the games last night, Jack. Two critical calls in the ALCS ruled in the Yankee's favor at first, then reversed. Watch it last night. Mark Belhorn's fourth inning, 3-1 home run for the Red Sox, bounced off a fan, then back into the field, initially they called it -- the left field umpire thought it was originally a ground-rule double. The other five umpires came in, saw it the other way; they ruled it a home run and put Boston up, what, 4-0 at that point.
Later in the eighth inning, Alex Rodriguez, charging down the first base line, slapped the ball out of the pitcher's glove. Derek Jeter scored, and it looked like the Yankees were just behind by a run, but Boston argued the umpires again, got together. They called it interference, which erased the New York Yankees run. Angry Yankee fans then threw debris on the field.
There is a history of bad blood between these two teams, and after a close call at first in the next inning went Boston's way, riot police took up positions on the field. All that and more at Yankee Stadium last night, huh, Soledad?
O'BRIEN: Yes, but still it was a game that didn't go longer than the history-making one, the record-making one?
HEMMER: That is true. And Boston was down 3-0. It's the first team ever to come back and tie at this point, so we'll see what happens later tonight.
O'BRIEN: We're going to see what happens, as they say.
HEMMER: Still to come this morning: Chicago's contribution to the war in Iraq. We're going to talk to two soldiers who just got back to the Windy City, and they're going to tell us how the lessons they learned in Iraq and helping them here at home. Stay with us, everybody. You're watching AMERICAN MORNING, and we're back in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired October 20, 2004 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. More flu vaccines coming to America, but is the country really any closer to filling the shortfalls? Flu shots increasingly an issue on the campaign trail. The candidates now trading jabs at one another.
In Missouri, an all-night search for survivors after a commuter plane goes down.
And then there is baseball. Controversial calls, big time pitching and the Red Sox have forced game seven with the Yankees tonight, on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From Union Station in Chicago, this is AMERICAN MORNING on the road with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, and welcome everybody.
Greeting you from Chicago. We are seeing a lot of the city this week. We were by the river, of course, on Monday and yesterday we were at Loyola University. Today we are here at Union Station.
HEMMER: One of the great lasting train stations in all of America. We're in the Grand Hall today, and we're going to show you a bit late they are morning some of the great sites here at the train station. Thirty years ago, Chicago had three main train stations. Two of them closed down in the early '70s. This one still stands today, and the commuter traffic is already up and going.
O'BRIEN: Yes, there they are.
HEMMER: 6:01 local time here in Chicago.
O'BRIEN: Some 50,000 people will come through the train station. It's beautiful -- the marble, the columns, very, very nice.
Should we show folks the map of where we've been and where we're going?
HEMMER: How about it?
O'BRIEN: Well, as we mentioned, we started along the banks of the Chicago River. This looks like Hemmer's driving, but when the car turns, look, I'm driving.
Start along the banks. That was on Monday, right, Jack? JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, I remember that.
O'BRIEN: And then on Tuesday.
HEMMER: On Tuesday, we were outside of the water tower, right along Michigan Avenue, the Magnificent Mile, Loyola University, and today, we've come across town right across the Chicago River again, but we're inside at the Union Station.
CAFFERTY: Don't you miss the wind?
HEMMER: So that's our tour so far this week.
Indeed we do.
O'BRIEN: We never complain, Jack.
CAFFERTY: Don't you miss the wind and the freezing temperatures?
HEMMER: Yes.
O'BRIEN: It wasn't that bad. Come on you big wimp, it wasn't that bad.
Some of the other stories we're following this morning as well. We are looking at an aggressive security plan in Chicago that is going to bring some of the most advanced video surveillance equipment anywhere right here to Union Station. It's also going to make the folks who live here among the most observed anywhere. We're going to talk this morning with Chicago's director of emergency management about the need and also about how they plan to protect people's privacy as well.
HEMMER: Also this morning, among the many things that make Chicago unique are all the movable bridges. They rise and they fall in a ritual of the seasons. An engineering marvel and a traffic challenge, too, you can bet on that. We'll meet one of the people that literally holds the keys to the city, so really great story, and colorful, too. We'll get to it this morning.
O'BRIEN: Mr. Cafferty, good morning.
CAFFERTY: How're you doing?
The Boston Red Sox in the midst of a pretty stunning comeback. They knotted the American League Championship Series at three games apiece last night in that dramatic 4-2 win over the New York Yankees. If they win game seven in the Bronx tonight, and that is a tall order for the Red Sox, then they've got the World Series in front of them, and of course that brings up the Curse of the Bambino. Curses are something that are all too familiar to Chicago Cubs fans. We're talking the Curse of the Billy Goat. We'll explore those two, do a little witchcraft in the "Cafferty File," coming up in a few minutes.
O'BRIEN: A little witchcraft in the Cafferty...
CAFFERTY: Why not? We have tried almost everything else.
O'BRIEN: Why not? Is it working?
CAFFERTY: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Good. All right, thanks.
Let's start with a look at the top stories this morning.
Heidi Collins is in Millennium Park for us with the headlines.
Hey, Heidi, good morning.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Soledad.
That's right, we do have another location today, Millennium Park, beautiful park, filled with arts and culture, about a $475 million project, just opened up in July. People love it here. We'll tell you all about it a little bit later on.
In the meantime, now to the news, rescue teams in northern Missouri looking for survivors of a plane crash. At least eight people were killed in the Corporate Airlines crash. Five people are still unaccounted for at this hour. And officials say things went wrong while the St. Louis Kirksville flight was trying to land. Officials and authorities there are giving an update right now to the press. We of course will try to bring that to you, or at least an update from it, as soon as we can.
In Iraq now, another attack this morning on coalition forces. A car bomb ripped through military convoy on a highway leading to Baghdad. Military sources saying there are no American casualties. Meanwhile the national aide organization CARE says it is suspending operations in Iraq following the abduction of Margaret Hassan. She's the head of operation there, still no word from her kidnappers.
A documentary critical of Senator John Kerry's Vietnam Era anti- war activity also not be shown in full. Sinclair Broadcast Group say its stations will only play parts of the film during a special news program. The announcement follows weeks of criticism from Democrats and an employee who says he was fired for speaking out about Sinclair's decision to air the film.
Well, two big games today. The Houston Astros take on the St. Louis Cardinals in game six, and in New York, riot police out on the field after a disputed call gets ugly. The Red Sox take the game, though, 4-2. It could become the first team in Major League history to come back from a three-game deficit to win a best-of-seven series. Another unbelievable game last night. Good for the Sox, I guess, if I can say that live on air.
Bill and Soledad, back now to you.
O'BRIEN: I think that's fair to say. Thanks, Heidi.
HEMMER: They won that game in less than seven hours last night. O'BRIEN: I believe they did. No records were set.
HEMMER: This guy went to bed, could not stick it out.
We'll get to more baseball throughout the morning here.
In the meantime, though, with Election Day fast approaching, the flu shot shortage suddenly becoming a major political front. Senator Kerry blames the bush administration for the current debacle. The president points his finger as a manufacturer as the culprit. He also says help is on the way as of yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRES. OF THE UNITED STATES: I know there are some here who worried about the flu season. I want to assure them that our government is doing everything possible to help older Americans and children get their shots, despite the major manufacturing defect that caused this problem. We have millions of vaccine doses on hand for the most vulnerable Americans. And millions more will be shipped in the coming weeks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: That was the president from yesterday.
This morning, Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the CDC, with us today from Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Welcome back. We spoke two days ago. And thank you for your time again today.
DR. JULIE GERBERDING, DIR., CDC: Good morning.
HEMMER: The new dose, the new supply is not coming until January. Too little, too late?
GERBERDING: Well, you know, we've got about 24 million doses, and they're coming out of the factory, about 3 million doses a week. So we're shipping them as we speak, and we do intend to get every dose that we can to people who need it the most as soon as possible.
HEMMER: But then again, we have this question here about the supply. And In January, when the shipment arrives, based on the report we got from yesterday, that brings U.S. supply to 60 million, still 40 million short of what is needed for a typical season. So the question again, too little, too late?
GERBERDING: Well, you know, actually we had projected 100 million doses this year, but that was far more than we thought we would be able to use. Even six years ago, we used 60 million doses, and that's what we'll have this year. What we need to do is get them where we need them the most, and that's our challenge right now. But we're very optimistic as these doses come out the seniors, and the very young children and those who need the doses will be ale to get them. HEMMER: When it comes to the flu season itself, though, is January -- for those who need the flu shot, who want to stave off sickness this year, will January be too late for them?
GERBERDING: You know, we had some good news right now. We actually have less flu activity this time of year than typical. In fact, we've only identified five flu isolates in the United States this year. So we're getting off to a bit of a slow start, and that gives us a little more time to get those doses out there. We can't tell when the season is going to peak, and of course we want to move as quickly as we can, but we're very glad to have these extra doses, and we'll make good use of them.
HEMMER: There was also a report earlier in the week that says the flu season will not be as bad, which kind of lends credence to what you said, though. Can you say overall though, at this point, how severe the season will be?
GERBERDING: You know, flu is always unpredictable, and I'm not going make any projections about the season. I'm just working on making sure we get the vaccine moved quickly. And we'll be letting people know when doses are coming and when they can expect to be able to get their shots.
HEMMER: We'll keep on looking for answers, too, as we go forward. Dr. Julie Gerberding, thanks, from the CDC in South Dakota this morning with us here -- Soledad.
GERBERDING: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: All right, thanks, Bill.
Just 13 days until Election Day and the push is on for the battleground states. Senator John Kerry yesterday campaigned in Pennsylvania and then Ohio before he ended the day at a rally in Iowa. Today Kerry will speak in Waterloo, Iowa focusing on the war on terror, then he heads back to Pennsylvania and Ohio, as well.
President Bush campaigned at three rallies in Florida yesterday. He starts the day in Washington, then heads to a rally in Mason City, Iowa. He's two more events after that, one in Rochester, Minnesota, the other in O'Claire (ph), Wisconsin.
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HEMMER: Meanwhile, our home today is historic Union Station. You can absolutely get there from here, so says Amtrak. A magnificent landmark in a living, breathing museum possessing the rare combination of both age and certainly beauty.
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HEMMER: If you build it, they will come. From 1913, when they first broke ground to its completion in 1925, Chicago's Union Station was a railroad field of dream for city fathers. After a multimillion-dollar renovation in 1991, it remains one of Chicago's most impressive landmarks, an architectural marvel. The station's great hall is aptly named. From the ornate main waiting room to the spectacular vaulted sky light, It's one of the country's most impressive interior public stations. The hall is a popular setting for special events, everything from weddings to inaugural balls to movie making. The southernmost entrance was featured in the 1987 film "The Untouchables," and has become a coveted snapshot for tourists from around the world.
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HEMMER: One other film here, you may recall the scene in the film "My Best Friend's Wedding," also taking place here in the great hall. There are these gigantic wooden benches in the waiting area here that, my gosh, they are the size of a sequoia, are they not, Soledad?
O'BRIEN: Yes, but yet smaller than the giant columns that are holding up Union Station. So we'll show you them throughout the morning here, rather those benches throughout the morning as we continue our coverage.
HEMMER: Yes, we'll have an opportunity to give people a little closer look.
O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, some of the most annoying songs ever. We're going to meet a Chicago man who really made it his job to irritate radio listeners.
HEMMER: Also we'll talk to two local soldiers here in Chicago, just back from Iraq, telling us what it has been adjusting to life back here, and also the challenges still ahead in places like Baghdad.
O'BRIEN: And homeland security in Chicago's Union Station is about to get a state-of-the-art security system, but will passengers be giving up too much privacy? A look at that's ahead, as AMERICAN MORNING continues right after this.
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O'BRIEN: And welcome back, everybody, as we come to you this morning from Union Station in Chicago. It is Chicago's major transportation hub. Tens of thousands of commuters pass through this great hall every single day. And in fact, in total, nearly a million people ride commuter and subway trains in Chicago, and keeping them safe is a top priority.
Ron Huberman is the executive director of Chicago's Office of Emergency Management and Communications joining us this morning.
Nice to see you, Ron. Thanks for being with us.
RON HUBERMAN, EXEC. DIR., OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MGMT. & COMM.: Good morning. Thanks for having me on. O'BRIEN: Let's talk a little bit about the state-of-the-art surveillance system that's really coming around the corner, 2006 is when it's going to be implemented around the city. First, you already have 2,500 cameras. How are these new cameras going to be different?
HUBERMAN: You know, I think what Chicago is doing and what's unique here is kind of the mayor's vision for homeland security in the city of Chicago was to have a camera network that was in many ways a smart network. I think what makes our system unique and very high tech, is, one, it's integrated into 911. So, for example, Soledad, if you were here at Union Station and you picked up a phone and you dialed 911, within one second, the operator on the other end of the line would be able to see the same thing you're seeing by tapping into the cameras right at this location.
O'BRIEN: So how exactly then, technologically speaking, but not for technologist, how does it work exactly?
HUBERMAN: It works in a variety of ways. One of the ways it works is it uses software that basically identifies immediately where a call is coming from and identifies the closest caller -- the closets cameras from the location of that caller, and then puts that image immediately in the 911 center on a screen for a specially trained operator to take a look at that image.
O'BRIEN: That's if someone calls into 911. But I read that the surveillance system will also work -- it can sense if someone's circling or if someone's dropped off a package.
HUBERMAN: Absolutely.
O'BRIEN: How does that work?
HUBERMAN: It's very interesting, but it's basically an algorithm that identifies preprogrammed behavior that's suspicious. So for example, if someone was to walk through an area we would consider an area of high risk, and they would leave a large bag and walk away from the bag, the camera would actually be able to sense the fact that a person left the package in a high-risk area and immediately notify the correct authorities to go investigate and see whether that package is potentially dangerous.
O'BRIEN: In 2006, you are planning on some 250 of these cameras, on top of the 2,500 other surveillance cameras already in the city. One, is that enough? And, two, where exactly will they be placed?
HUBERMAN: You know, they're going to be -- we use them really for two uses. One is for crime fighting. We've seen a very great decrease in crime of those areas where we put cameras. So we're going to be putting them in high-crime areas, and targeting them specifically in the areas where we believe would be at greater risk for a terrorists attack.
O'BRIEN: They say eventually could be in street sweepers. They could be inside the subway train cars. We've seen in the wake of the Madrid Bombings -- in fact, we have some new videotape of what it looked like inside from some of the surveillance tape, and I want to show this to folks -- you can see here. This is new tape that's just become available of the -- you can see the explosion, and then of course moments later, you really see the explosion -- pretty shocking pictures.
After the fact, though, will there be a way to protect people who are commuters from a circumstance similar to that, God forbid?
HUBERMAN: Yes, absolutely. And I think that's what we believe we're going to accomplish with this camera network. By having this camera network out there with this technology, we believe that we are going to increase our chance to interdict a potential terrorist attack, to identify someone with suspicious packages, to identify someone going under a rail car, and using this kind of technology to really make Chicago a significantly safer place.
O'BRIEN: Ron Huberman of the Office of Emergency Management and Communications. Nice to have you. Thanks for...
HUBERMAN: Great. Thanks for having me on this morning.
O'BRIEN: A pleasure. And thanks for hosting us in Chicago.
HUBERMAN: Hey, we're glad you're here in the city.
O'BRIEN: Thanks, appreciate it -- Bill.
HEMMER: Thanks. Break here in a moment. If you've got a kid headed for college. Be ready for some sticker shock. That may not be a shock to parents, though. Andy's "Minding Your Business" on that.
First, though, another Chicago fun fact: Twinkie snack cakes started in Chicago in 1930. Still today, with a vanilla cream. What was the original filling? Something to ponder at breakfast. Back in a moment here, live in Chicago.
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HEMMER: They sure do.
Before the break, we asked you about Twinkies. Today they are filled with banana cream.
O'BRIEN: Vanilla cream.
HEMMER: What did I say?
O'BRIEN: Banana cream.
HEMMER: Thank you. I'm still waking up.
O'BRIEN: Having eaten a lot of Twinkies over the last nine months, I can tell you.
HEMMER: That's what the answer is.
O'BRIEN: Banana cream.
HEMMER: A banana shortage during the Second World War caused the switch to vanilla. I did not know that.
O'BRIEN: I was going to guess chocolate, and I'd be wrong.
HEMMER: Well, now we know.
O'BRIEN: No you know.
HEMMER: So it's banana cream.
Good morning everyone. Welcome. We're here in Chicago. Jack is too, as well.
CAFFERTY: Hey, Jack, good morning again.
How're you doing, Soledad?
Andy and I are downstairs on the concourse, tracks 6, 8, 10 and 12. If this doesn't go well, I'm on a train to Sheboygan by 8:30.
The cost of college tuition is something I'm well acquainted with. My fourth and final daughter is moving through Tulane.
Andy is here with the latest disappointing numbers on what it costs folks to send these kids off to school.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Yes, more sticker shock to parents, Jack, and not a surprise. The cost of going to college is going up. Here's the manage number, folks, $11,354, that's how much it costs to send your kids to a public university. That's up almost 11 percent, or over $800. Private schools not as bad, but the reason is costs so much to go there anyway, that they can't raise the price as much.
Exactly, the increase isn't as high.
Let's go through a couple of the schools here, University of Wisconsin up 14 percent. All those Badgers at Arizona State up 13 percent. That's also a little bit of a hike.
Going over to some of the private schools. Northwestern, right up on the north shore there, Evanston, up only 5.4 percent but, again, you can see, Jack, at almost 30k, how much can they really raise prices? And then we've got Princeton, Old Nassau, also up about $30,000 -- up to $30,000.
CAFFERTY: And these are just tuition numbers. You've got to add in books.
SERWER: No, that includes room and board.
But it is true, Jack, that a lot of schools offer all kinds of aid, of course, so you're actually paying less than the sticker price. But you know, the college cost going up like that and health care costs going up, and we talked about this year after year after year, and no relief in sight, really.
CAFFERTY: Yes, but as soon as the election is over, whoever wins is going to fix all of this.
SERWER: Yes, for sure.
Quickly, the markets down yesterday. I don't know if it was the Red Sox winning the game last night or what, but actually the insurance industry more troubles there. We'll talk about that in the next half hour.
CAFFERTY: Very good.
Speaking of the Red Sox, Andy, game seven tonight at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, after a dramatic sixth-game win by the Red Sox, 4-2 over the Yankees. The Curse of the Bambino could come into play, if the Red Sox can figure out a way to get to the World Series. They've got to win game seven tonight, then of course we're looking at that thing that goes all the way back to 1918. That's the last time the Red Sox won the World Series. They traded Babe Ruth to New York in 1919, and they haven't won a series ever since.
The last time they played in the World Series, 1986, against the New York Mets, that was an infamous game where Buckner let that ground ball go between his legs, and they managed to lose that World Series.
Of course we're in a town that's well, familiar with curses. The Chicago Cubs dealing with the Curse of the Billy Goat. 1945, a billy goat ran on to the field, and they threw the thing off the field. The Cubs haven't won a series since 1908. And some people say that the man who owned that billy goat, William Cyannis (ph), put the curse on the cubs, and that they're not going to win another World Series, I don't know, until they let a bunch of goats eat the grass out there at the ballpark.
Anyway, do you believe in this stuff or no? Am@CNN.com is the e- mail address. We'll read some of this stuff a bit later. We're going to look at some of the most well-known and dramatic architecture around the city of Chicago a bit later.
And it's Wednesday, we'll be doing things people say. All of the great quotes out of the major Chicago figures that you have known -- grown to know and love over the years, Al Capone and people like that. So it's a busy morning in the "Cafferty File." We're on the concourse at the main terminal down here in Chicago.
We'll go back upstairs now to Bill and Soledad.
HEMMER: I'm warning the folks in Sheboygan, by the way, OK. You stay right there.
CAFFERTY: Be nice. HEMMER: You mention the games last night, Jack. Two critical calls in the ALCS ruled in the Yankee's favor at first, then reversed. Watch it last night. Mark Belhorn's fourth inning, 3-1 home run for the Red Sox, bounced off a fan, then back into the field, initially they called it -- the left field umpire thought it was originally a ground-rule double. The other five umpires came in, saw it the other way; they ruled it a home run and put Boston up, what, 4-0 at that point.
Later in the eighth inning, Alex Rodriguez, charging down the first base line, slapped the ball out of the pitcher's glove. Derek Jeter scored, and it looked like the Yankees were just behind by a run, but Boston argued the umpires again, got together. They called it interference, which erased the New York Yankees run. Angry Yankee fans then threw debris on the field.
There is a history of bad blood between these two teams, and after a close call at first in the next inning went Boston's way, riot police took up positions on the field. All that and more at Yankee Stadium last night, huh, Soledad?
O'BRIEN: Yes, but still it was a game that didn't go longer than the history-making one, the record-making one?
HEMMER: That is true. And Boston was down 3-0. It's the first team ever to come back and tie at this point, so we'll see what happens later tonight.
O'BRIEN: We're going to see what happens, as they say.
HEMMER: Still to come this morning: Chicago's contribution to the war in Iraq. We're going to talk to two soldiers who just got back to the Windy City, and they're going to tell us how the lessons they learned in Iraq and helping them here at home. Stay with us, everybody. You're watching AMERICAN MORNING, and we're back in just a moment.
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