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American Morning
Teresa Heinz Kerry Apologizes for Comments About Laura Bush; Scott Peterson's Defense Team Trying to Chip Away Prosecution's Case
Aired October 21, 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.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: More harsh statements in the presidential campaign, 12 days to go, and it's getting rougher and tougher.
Surviving the crash.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As the plane went into the trees, it started to come apart.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: One of just two survivors in a deadly commuter plane crash talks about the final moments.
In Japan, a powerful typhoon sweeps through that country causing massive devastation.
And the Red Sox...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's amazing man. Been a long time coming. You got to be here to believe it baby! Going all the way, World Series, baby?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Red Sox fans finally taste happiness. Their team does the possible, beating the mighty Yankees for a trip to the World Series, on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the Field Museum in Chicago, this is AMERICAN MORNING on the road, with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.
O'BRIEN: No, that's not bill hemmer.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: It's close.
O'BRIEN: Good morning, welcome, everybody. We are coming to you live from Chicago.
HEMMER: Yes, that we are. We are with a very good friend of ours. Say hello to T-rex known as Sue. We don't know if it's a he or a she, but we do know it's the finest fossil they have ever found for the dinosaur tyrannosaurus rex, and one of the finest things you'll find in this entire great museum today, so we'll let you know about that.
O'BRIEN: A museum full of pretty amazing exhibitions.
Of course there is Sue right there. It's named for the woman who discovered Sue.
We're going to be bringing you a little bit more about Sue, tell you more about her, and some of the other exhibits this morning also.
We're seeing a lot of this city, as you know. We were by the river on Monday. On Tuesday, we came to you from Loyola University.
I know, the car is a little distracting, but hang in there, Jack, I'm almost through.
Yesterday, we joined you from Union Station, and today we are at the famous field museum.
HEMMER: Love the horn.
We continue again. Had a great week so far and continue to today.
So good morning again, live in Chicago here.
O'BRIEN: All right, we're going to start this morning with presidential politics. Of course the gloves came off weeks ago. Well, actually, no, they're really off now. Harsh words all over the place. We're going to let the two sides tackle this all be themselves. We're going to hear from Liz Cheney and Mike McCurry in just a few minutes.
HEMMER: Also, we've got to talk about those Boston Red Sox from last night, maybe the greatest day, well, I guess since 1986, we can say that. They came back to beat the Yankees, down 3-0. No team has ever done that, pulling off the improbable. As you can imagine, they're going nuts in Boston today. Johnny Damon, two home runs last night, one a grand slam, and they did it all to right field at Yankee Stadium, the same place where the great Babe Ruth did it for so many years back in the '20s. David Ortiz, Mark Bellhorn, home runs as well, overpowering New York in New York, 10-3 the final.
And by the way, St. Louis and Houston are still playing, game seven later today. That series tide up at three apiece. Wow.
O'BRIEN: We're going to have more on that, and also we're going to talk about curses this morning.
HEMMER: That we will. Chicago know as thing or two about that.
O'BRIEN: Yes, you think? Just a little. We're going to talk with some of the Chicago sportswriters about that.
Good morning, Mr. Cafferty. JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: How're you doing Ms. O'Brien? We're going to ponder this, what happens when you combine the pressure from shareholders with the pressure from sponsors and the catterwalling (ph) of the Democratic Party? The answer is Sinclair Broadcasting folds up like a cheap suit. They're scheduled to air that documentary, but they've scaled back the plans dramatically. We're going to take a look at the new plan, plan b as it were, in the old Sinclair boardroom there. But the shares of the company are actually rising on the news that they decided to retreat. Talk to you about it in a few minutes.
HEMMER: Good deal, 12 days and counting.
Thank you, Jack.
Heidi Collins, also, good morning.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I was going to just do one story, and that was going to be the Red Sox, but I guess we've got some other stuff to talk about, too.
Now in the news this morning the highest ranking soldier charged in connection with the Abu Ghraib Prison scandal is expected to be sentenced today. Staff Sergeant Ivan Chip Frederick pleaded guilty yesterday to five charges of prisoner abuse. He faces up to 11 years in prison.
The death toll from a commuter plane crash in Missouri is now 13. Authorities say five people missing since the Tuesday crash have been found dead. Two passengers survived the crash, after the plane went down in a wooded area in northeast Missouri. We're going to talk with one of the survivors and get his account of what happened. That's coming up a little bit later in the show.
To Japan now. More than 13,000 people have been forced into shelters after the worst typhoon in 16 years. Rescuers are busy across the country today. In Kyoto, three dozen passengers of a tour bus had to be pulled to safety. The typhoon killed at least 39 people. At least 39 more are still missing.
A final decision is coming this morning on whether Paul Hamm will keep his Olympic gold medal. Hamm won the men's all-around medal in gymnastics, you may remember, but that's being challenged by a South Korean gymnast because of a scoring error. I'm sure you remember the controversy here. Switzerland's Court of Arbitration for Sports is the final appeal in the matter, and we're going to tell that you decision, of course, when it happens. Should be coming up in about two hours or so.
It really has gotten pretty complicated.
HEMMER: Thank you, Heidi.
We are inside today, which is kind of a good thing, huh, well compared to the other day.
O'BRIEN: It was a little windy, I'll give you that. But you know, it's been OK weather.
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: Our home base today has a pretty amazing heritage, more than a century. the Field Museum of Natural History is one of the finest of its kind, with a collection of artifacts that are really known and recognized the world over.
Here's a quick look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER (voice-over): Sunrise over Lakeshore Drive, a breathtaking sight in the Windy City. The Field Museum of Natural History is located on Chicago's lakefront. Part of the museum campus that's become one of the city's most popular tourist destination. This scenic complex also includes Soldier Field, home of the NFL's Chicago Bears, which reopened last year after a complete renovation.
The Field Museum, founded in 1893, as the Colombian Museum of Chicago, is now regarded as one of the leading natural history museums in the entire world.
Among its prize exhibits, the world's largest and most complete tyrannosaurus rex. It's nicknamed Sue, after Sue Hendrickson, a fossil hunter who discovered the skeleton in South Dakota back in 1990. The museum paid more than $8 million to showcase Sue, and the T-rex has attracted some eight million visitors since her unveiling back in 2000.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: And everyone in Chicago knows about Sue, and now you as well, here at the great Field Museum along the museum campus, as they refer to it here in Chicago.
Our last day is tomorrow in Chicago. We'll finish out the week at the Adler Planetarium, not too far from our location here. The very first planetarium in the entire western hemisphere. We'll show you that tomorrow.
Now to politics and Soledad.
O'BRIEN: All right, Americans, of course, go to the polls in just 12 days. The campaign is getting nastier and nastier. Teresa Heinz Kerry now apologizing for saying this about Laura Bush to "USA Today."
Here's what she said -- quote: "I don't know that she's ever had a real job, I mean, since she's been grownup. So her experience and her validation comes from important things, but different things."
Heinz Kerry said she'd forgotten that the first lady had been a teacher, and that there's no more important job than that.
I spoke about these developments, and others, with both campaigns just a few moment ago.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Americans, of course, go to the polls in just 12 days. The campaign is getting nastier and nastier.
Teresa Heinz Kerry now apologizing for saying this about Laura Bush to USA Today. Here's what she said, quote, "I don't know that she's ever had a real job. I mean, since she's been grown up. So her experience and her validation comes from important things, but different things." Heinz Kerry said she'd forgotten that the first lady had been a teacher, and that there's no more important job than that.
I spoke about these developments and others with both campaigns just a few moments ago.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Joining us this morning: Liz Cheney, senior Bush campaign adviser, from Arlington, Virginia, this morning; and Mike McCurry, senior adviser for the Kerry campaign. He's in Youngstown, Ohio.
Good morning to both of you.
Liz, we're going to start with you.
Teresa Heinz Kerry has already apologized for the remarks, saying that she forgot about Laura Bush's 10 years working as both a librarian and also teaching. Don't you think to some degree that apology puts the issue to rest?
LIZ CHENEY, BUSH CAMPAIGN SENIOR ADVISER: Well, I think, you know, Mr. Bush issued a statement yesterday saying she appreciated the apology. We do appreciate the apology. You know, we all do have difficult days out on the campaign trail.
And certainly being a librarian is a very important job, being a teacher is an important job and being a mother, you know, I think is perhaps, for those of us who are mothers, the most important job of all. So I think it's good that Mrs. Heinz Kerry apologized.
O'BRIEN: Mike, some have said that apology was somewhat lacking, in that it seems that Teresa Heinz Kerry clearly thinks, even with the apology, that women who stay home to raise their children don't have real jobs.
MIKE MCCURRY, KERRY CAMPAIGN SENIOR ADVISER: That's not true.
And by the way, in a rare moment of bipartisanship, I thank Liz for that comment.
We've made clear all along that this economy is not working well for working moms. And that's something that Senator Kerry talks about every day on the campaign trail. We'll be talking here in Ohio today about the steps we can take to really grow the economy, create the kind of jobs that people are looking for in America. And that's something that Teresa talks about. It's something that Senator Kerry talks about all the time. We've got great respect for the people who are struggling out here in America.
Here in Ohio, the treasury secretary was here recently and said that the idea that people have lost jobs in America is a myth. I don't think the Bush administration gets how hard people are struggling to, kind of, make ends meet.
O'BRIEN: I can tell, Mike, that you are clearly putting a focus on the economy. At the same time, how concerned are you about the aftermath of these remarks or you think the apology, kind of, brings this whole issue to a close?
MCCURRY: I think, look, that Mrs. Bush was very gracious about this apology yesterday, and I assume that, you know, all the Bush campaign folks will be gracious, too, today. I think the matter is over.
I think it's more important that we do talk about who has got a better plan to take care of those working moms who are struggling, single moms who are trying to raise kids; who's really got the best idea over the next four years on how we are going to make the economy work better? Because it certainly is not working well for the people who are struggling now.
CHENEY: Well, you know, we absolutely agree that those are the important issues we ought to be talking about. And we know that in fact the tax cuts that have helped all Americans, including working moms, have allowed Americans to keep more of their own money -- that Senator Kerry's proposals, because of the cost involved, would actually require him to raise taxes on all Americans, on those working moms.
We also know, you know, as I travel around the country, moms every place say to me they want to know that their commander in chief, their president is going to keep their kids safe. And they want to know that he's going to do whatever it takes to keep them safe.
And unfortunately with Senator Kerry, we've seen, you know, again and again looking to get some kind of a global permission slip, some kind of approval from foreign capitals before he takes action to keep us safe.
So I think Mike is exactly right, we ought to be focused on substance and we welcome that discussion.
MCCURRY: I think those moms are worried about the $10,000 birth tax; that that tax cut, because it's created these enormous deficits, those kids that those moms have will be paying for the deficits this administration has run up. And that is a big debate.
We have had three debates now between the candidates, all of which I think Senator Kerry has done very well in because he's been talking about how we're going to improve the future for those people that are worried about the economic policies of this administration that just aren't working for the American people.
CHENEY: Well, I think actually, Mike, you know, what I hear from moms all across this country is they can't count on Senator Kerry. You know, he's adopted a series of very tough, sort of, rhetoric during the campaign...
MCCURRY: You talk to the moms you want to talk to.
CHENEY: ... which doesn't match his record at all.
I also got to tell you that what moms care about is knowing that there's going to be an OB/GYN there to deliver their baby. And because of medical malpractice being completely out of control and, you know, Senators Kerry and Edwards not willing to step in and vote for the kind of reforms that will allow those doctors to practice, you know, there are women in many cities across this country now who have no access to health care for their little babies and health care to help them deliver their babies.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: That's Liz Cheney and Mike McCurry, talking to them a little bit earlier this morning -- Bill.
Now this story out of Missouri. Federal officials do not know why a commuter plane crashed on Tuesday night; 13 people are dead as a result. But Dr. John Krogh is only one of two survivors. He described the crash in a phone call from his hospital bed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. JOHN KROGH, PLANE CRASH SURVIVOR: I was getting there ready to put a breath mint in my mouth so I wouldn't get off the plane and greet my grandkids with smelly breath. And then all of a sudden, there was just a crashing sound, which didn't really shock the plane too much. And as I thought back on it later, I'm sure that was the wing hitting a tree, and then within maybe, I don't know, two seconds maybe later, bigtime crashes occurred as the plane went into the trees and started to come apart down in the trees.
It was clear to me I had broken my left hip. And I also knew I had to get out of there. I looked out the door. And the wing was gone. And I thought the plane would be right on the ground. It was about eight feet up. And so I just pulled myself out and fell about eight feet down to the ground. And that hurt pretty bad. There were some screams of some people -- some people from there as they were dying.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: From his bedside, again, in a hospital where he's still recovering. The doctors was traveling with several other well-known doctors to a medical conference at the time. He and his assistant are listed in fair condition, and they are alive, amazingly, after that crash on Tuesday night. Wow.
O'BRIEN: Well, turning now, still to come this morning. What's on Chicago's must-see list. We're going to take a look at the Windy City according to Jim, Jim Belushi, brags about his hometown and tells us what makes it so great.
HEMMER: Also, the Red Sox are a step close to heaven, lifting the Curse of the Bambino. They haven't done it yet, but they're still playing. What about the Cubbies, though? Chicago knows a thing or two about a curse. We'll compare the hexes this morning.
O'BRIEN: Also ahead this morning, the defense explains why money couldn't be a motive in Laci Peterson's killing. Lisa Bloom of Court TV join us. That's ahead, as AMERICAN MORNING continues, right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Welcome back to Chicago. Good morning again on a Thursday morning here.
Want to move to Redwood City, California now. And Scott Peterson's defense team trying to chip away the prosecution's case.
Court TV's Lisa Bloom back with us back in New York City to talk about developments.
Good morning, Lisa.
LISA BLOOM, COURT TV: Good morning. Cool setup there, Bill.
HEMMER: Well, Thank you very much. Appreciate that, wish you were here, but we push on.
In this case yesterday, there's a lot made about an odor, or a lack of it, and a tarp that was found near Laci's body. What is the significance in that evidence yesterday, Lisa?
BLOOM: Well, from the defenses point of view, it's a tantalizing clue. Was Laci's remains wrapped up in that tarp by someone other than Scott Peterson? Look, the defense thinks that the police should have followed up with every possible lead in the case. They are saying this is a lead, because the tarp had the odor of decomposed remains, probably Laci's, the police should have followed up, and they didn't, and perhaps that's enough for reasonable doubt.
HEMMER: Was it enough in your mind, based on what you heard and read?
BLOOM: Well, of course it's not enough standing alone to create reasonable doubt, given all the mountain of evidence that the prosecution has put forth, but that's just one of a number of things the defense is going to put forward. Just like the prosecution built their case brick by brick, the defense is trying to tear it down little by little throughout their defense. HEMMER: Let's talk about the motive for money and the insurance policy. How effective or not was the defense in poking holes in the prosecution's theory that Scott Peterson wanted to kill his wife for cash?
BLOOM: Look, money was always a weak motive on the prosecution's side. I think, overall, their motive claim is that Scott wanted a different lifestyle. He wanted a carefree bachelor lifestyle. Money may have been a small part of that, but the defense CPA who's taken the stand the last few days, said, look, this is a typical middle- class couple. They didn't have a lot of debt. They had enough money to pay their bills. They even had an excess of money at the end of the month. Sure, Scott's business was losing money, but it was a startup; the parent company wasn't worried about it. It sure doesn't look like money standing alone would have been enough of a motive for Scott to have killed his wife.
HEMMER: There was an intriguing item here. As a lawyer, I think you'd be especially interested in this one: Michael Cardoza, who appears on NBC and he appears on Court TV, and he appears on "LARRY KING," the judges put a gag order on him, because he conducted some sort of Q&A mock session over the weekend. What happened there? And do you agree with the judge's decision?
BLOOM: Well, what Michael Cardoza did, was he id a mock Q&A session with Scott Peterson from Scott's jail cell. He didn't get any money for it, he says, and he was simply trying to help out the defense. Well, the judge says, once you're in that kind after relationship, there's an attorney/client privilege that attaches, because Scott Peterson would reasonably think that Michael Cardoza would keep the confidences of that meeting. Well, after that, any attorney in the case is gagged, any of the defense attorneys, any of the prosecutors, are gagged. Michael Cardoza is no longer to be a legal commentator, not that there's any thing wrong with people who do that.
HEMMER: That means more airtime for people like you, I believe, right?
BLOOM: Well, there's a lot of us out there on Court TV and elsewhere, so I don't think the public is going to feel a real shortage.
HEMMER: Just a few, I would say. Thank, Lisa, good to talk to you, back to New York City -- Soledad.
BLOOM: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: All right, we're talking about business now. Why are three of the nation's biggest airlines losing hundreds of millions of dollars? And why is another on the edge of bankruptcy.
Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business" this morning.
Good morning. We haven't spent a lot of time together this week.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: I was going to say, it's great to see you in the flesh actually here.
O'BRIEN: I know, yes.
SERWER: We've been talking week after week, Soledad, about the airlines flying into deeper and deeper trouble, mostly the old-line big legacy carriers, like United Airlines and American, but now, one of the new discount carriers in trouble, as well. We're talking about ATA, which is based here in the Midwest and Indianapolis, and in fact is Midway's largest carrier, 168 flights a day, 44 percent of capacity. How about those figures? And if looking like they're facing a severe cash crunch, could be headed for bankruptcy. Higher fuel costs, the hurricanes down in Florida having to do with that.
Now let's talk about some of the bigger ones, because yesterday, Soledad, the big airlines reported a lot of their numbers, and they were not good at all. First of all, Delta, we talked about that, $646 million of loss in a quarter, OK. That's one of the unhealthy ones, they call it, with United and U.S. Air.
Now let's move on to the three healthier legacy carriers, the old-line carriers. American, considered one of the healthier ones, $200 million of losses in the quarter. Northwest, not as bad, a picture at $46 million. And Continental, OK, we can handle that, $16 million in a quarter.
But you know, something's got to happen here. We're going to see some consolidation, and got to get some relief here in terms of fuel cost, but I don't see that happening.
O'BRIEN: I was going to ask you, what's the remedy? I mean, is the answer consolidation? Because the fuel costs are not going to...
SERWER: I think the answer is definitely, right, definitely consolidation. That's what's got to happen here. And some of these are going to have to close down. It's a very, very sad situation, particularly for the employees of these airlines.
O'BRIEN: No question. Andy, thanks, appreciate it.
SERWER: We want to get a break here in a moment. Back to Chicago, also Sinclair Broadcasting and its Kerry controversy takes another turn.
First, another fun fact of Chicago. Which of the following is not a nickname for the city of Chicago: Gem of the Prairie, City of the Big Shoulders, Marvel of the Midwest, or Hog Butcher to the World? And there's an 'e' in here, too, the I Will City. The answer, after a break here, live in Chicago, on the road with AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Welcome back to Chicago. We are live inside the Field Museum. What a great structure it is too here in Chicago. Before the break, which of the following is not a nickname for Chicago: Gem of the Prairie, City of the Big Shoulders, Marvel of the Midwest, Hog Butcher to the World?
O'BRIEN: That's my choice.
HEMMER: That's yours?
O'BRIEN: Yes.
HEMMER: Or the I Will City. The answer is 'c,' Marvel of the Midwest. You'll hear people often refer to Chicago by nicknames. And we've heard many this week.
Welcome back. That's Sue behind us. This is Soledad and Bill, and that's Jack over there.
O'BRIEN: Hello.
CAFFERTY: Good morning.
Sinclair Broadcast retreating now from showing that anti-Kerry film in its entirety. Instead a documentary with excerpts from the film will air on Friday on 40 Sinclair stations.
Investors put the pressure on the company, because the price of Sinclair's shares plummeted when the criticize began. Now Sinclair's saying, well, it never intended to show the whole film. Baloney.
However, Sinclair commentator and vice president Mark Hayman (ph) at one point told "The Washington Post," the movie would air unless Kerry agreed to an interview. And the Washington bureau chief got fired for talking about company business with the media. He called the film biased political propaganda.
Believe what you will, the shareholders aren't the only ones upset. Democrats were howling like wounded geese the minute Sinclair's plans were announced, and don't forget the sponsors. When somebody asked Michael Jordan why he didn't run for political office, he summed the whole thing up, by saying, hey, Republicans buy sneakers, too.
Here's the question, "In a race this tight, is it appropriate for Sinclair to air portions of such a highly partisan film this close to Election Day?
They caved like a house of cards, folded up like a cheap suit.
HEMMER: Some of the movie is still going to show, though, right?
CAFFERTY: Excerpts.
HEMMER: Excerpts, but not in its entirety, like...
CAFFERTY: That's correct, just excerpts.
HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.
Right here in a moment, the Red Sox are still alive, beating the Yankees last night. They have to win one more series to reverse that curse. Fans here in Chicago know a thing or two about that. We'll compare the hexes in a moment, live from the Field Museum in Chicago, after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired October 21, 2004 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: More harsh statements in the presidential campaign, 12 days to go, and it's getting rougher and tougher.
Surviving the crash.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As the plane went into the trees, it started to come apart.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: One of just two survivors in a deadly commuter plane crash talks about the final moments.
In Japan, a powerful typhoon sweeps through that country causing massive devastation.
And the Red Sox...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's amazing man. Been a long time coming. You got to be here to believe it baby! Going all the way, World Series, baby?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Red Sox fans finally taste happiness. Their team does the possible, beating the mighty Yankees for a trip to the World Series, on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the Field Museum in Chicago, this is AMERICAN MORNING on the road, with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.
O'BRIEN: No, that's not bill hemmer.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: It's close.
O'BRIEN: Good morning, welcome, everybody. We are coming to you live from Chicago.
HEMMER: Yes, that we are. We are with a very good friend of ours. Say hello to T-rex known as Sue. We don't know if it's a he or a she, but we do know it's the finest fossil they have ever found for the dinosaur tyrannosaurus rex, and one of the finest things you'll find in this entire great museum today, so we'll let you know about that.
O'BRIEN: A museum full of pretty amazing exhibitions.
Of course there is Sue right there. It's named for the woman who discovered Sue.
We're going to be bringing you a little bit more about Sue, tell you more about her, and some of the other exhibits this morning also.
We're seeing a lot of this city, as you know. We were by the river on Monday. On Tuesday, we came to you from Loyola University.
I know, the car is a little distracting, but hang in there, Jack, I'm almost through.
Yesterday, we joined you from Union Station, and today we are at the famous field museum.
HEMMER: Love the horn.
We continue again. Had a great week so far and continue to today.
So good morning again, live in Chicago here.
O'BRIEN: All right, we're going to start this morning with presidential politics. Of course the gloves came off weeks ago. Well, actually, no, they're really off now. Harsh words all over the place. We're going to let the two sides tackle this all be themselves. We're going to hear from Liz Cheney and Mike McCurry in just a few minutes.
HEMMER: Also, we've got to talk about those Boston Red Sox from last night, maybe the greatest day, well, I guess since 1986, we can say that. They came back to beat the Yankees, down 3-0. No team has ever done that, pulling off the improbable. As you can imagine, they're going nuts in Boston today. Johnny Damon, two home runs last night, one a grand slam, and they did it all to right field at Yankee Stadium, the same place where the great Babe Ruth did it for so many years back in the '20s. David Ortiz, Mark Bellhorn, home runs as well, overpowering New York in New York, 10-3 the final.
And by the way, St. Louis and Houston are still playing, game seven later today. That series tide up at three apiece. Wow.
O'BRIEN: We're going to have more on that, and also we're going to talk about curses this morning.
HEMMER: That we will. Chicago know as thing or two about that.
O'BRIEN: Yes, you think? Just a little. We're going to talk with some of the Chicago sportswriters about that.
Good morning, Mr. Cafferty. JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: How're you doing Ms. O'Brien? We're going to ponder this, what happens when you combine the pressure from shareholders with the pressure from sponsors and the catterwalling (ph) of the Democratic Party? The answer is Sinclair Broadcasting folds up like a cheap suit. They're scheduled to air that documentary, but they've scaled back the plans dramatically. We're going to take a look at the new plan, plan b as it were, in the old Sinclair boardroom there. But the shares of the company are actually rising on the news that they decided to retreat. Talk to you about it in a few minutes.
HEMMER: Good deal, 12 days and counting.
Thank you, Jack.
Heidi Collins, also, good morning.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I was going to just do one story, and that was going to be the Red Sox, but I guess we've got some other stuff to talk about, too.
Now in the news this morning the highest ranking soldier charged in connection with the Abu Ghraib Prison scandal is expected to be sentenced today. Staff Sergeant Ivan Chip Frederick pleaded guilty yesterday to five charges of prisoner abuse. He faces up to 11 years in prison.
The death toll from a commuter plane crash in Missouri is now 13. Authorities say five people missing since the Tuesday crash have been found dead. Two passengers survived the crash, after the plane went down in a wooded area in northeast Missouri. We're going to talk with one of the survivors and get his account of what happened. That's coming up a little bit later in the show.
To Japan now. More than 13,000 people have been forced into shelters after the worst typhoon in 16 years. Rescuers are busy across the country today. In Kyoto, three dozen passengers of a tour bus had to be pulled to safety. The typhoon killed at least 39 people. At least 39 more are still missing.
A final decision is coming this morning on whether Paul Hamm will keep his Olympic gold medal. Hamm won the men's all-around medal in gymnastics, you may remember, but that's being challenged by a South Korean gymnast because of a scoring error. I'm sure you remember the controversy here. Switzerland's Court of Arbitration for Sports is the final appeal in the matter, and we're going to tell that you decision, of course, when it happens. Should be coming up in about two hours or so.
It really has gotten pretty complicated.
HEMMER: Thank you, Heidi.
We are inside today, which is kind of a good thing, huh, well compared to the other day.
O'BRIEN: It was a little windy, I'll give you that. But you know, it's been OK weather.
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: Our home base today has a pretty amazing heritage, more than a century. the Field Museum of Natural History is one of the finest of its kind, with a collection of artifacts that are really known and recognized the world over.
Here's a quick look.
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HEMMER (voice-over): Sunrise over Lakeshore Drive, a breathtaking sight in the Windy City. The Field Museum of Natural History is located on Chicago's lakefront. Part of the museum campus that's become one of the city's most popular tourist destination. This scenic complex also includes Soldier Field, home of the NFL's Chicago Bears, which reopened last year after a complete renovation.
The Field Museum, founded in 1893, as the Colombian Museum of Chicago, is now regarded as one of the leading natural history museums in the entire world.
Among its prize exhibits, the world's largest and most complete tyrannosaurus rex. It's nicknamed Sue, after Sue Hendrickson, a fossil hunter who discovered the skeleton in South Dakota back in 1990. The museum paid more than $8 million to showcase Sue, and the T-rex has attracted some eight million visitors since her unveiling back in 2000.
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HEMMER: And everyone in Chicago knows about Sue, and now you as well, here at the great Field Museum along the museum campus, as they refer to it here in Chicago.
Our last day is tomorrow in Chicago. We'll finish out the week at the Adler Planetarium, not too far from our location here. The very first planetarium in the entire western hemisphere. We'll show you that tomorrow.
Now to politics and Soledad.
O'BRIEN: All right, Americans, of course, go to the polls in just 12 days. The campaign is getting nastier and nastier. Teresa Heinz Kerry now apologizing for saying this about Laura Bush to "USA Today."
Here's what she said -- quote: "I don't know that she's ever had a real job, I mean, since she's been grownup. So her experience and her validation comes from important things, but different things."
Heinz Kerry said she'd forgotten that the first lady had been a teacher, and that there's no more important job than that.
I spoke about these developments, and others, with both campaigns just a few moment ago.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Americans, of course, go to the polls in just 12 days. The campaign is getting nastier and nastier.
Teresa Heinz Kerry now apologizing for saying this about Laura Bush to USA Today. Here's what she said, quote, "I don't know that she's ever had a real job. I mean, since she's been grown up. So her experience and her validation comes from important things, but different things." Heinz Kerry said she'd forgotten that the first lady had been a teacher, and that there's no more important job than that.
I spoke about these developments and others with both campaigns just a few moments ago.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Joining us this morning: Liz Cheney, senior Bush campaign adviser, from Arlington, Virginia, this morning; and Mike McCurry, senior adviser for the Kerry campaign. He's in Youngstown, Ohio.
Good morning to both of you.
Liz, we're going to start with you.
Teresa Heinz Kerry has already apologized for the remarks, saying that she forgot about Laura Bush's 10 years working as both a librarian and also teaching. Don't you think to some degree that apology puts the issue to rest?
LIZ CHENEY, BUSH CAMPAIGN SENIOR ADVISER: Well, I think, you know, Mr. Bush issued a statement yesterday saying she appreciated the apology. We do appreciate the apology. You know, we all do have difficult days out on the campaign trail.
And certainly being a librarian is a very important job, being a teacher is an important job and being a mother, you know, I think is perhaps, for those of us who are mothers, the most important job of all. So I think it's good that Mrs. Heinz Kerry apologized.
O'BRIEN: Mike, some have said that apology was somewhat lacking, in that it seems that Teresa Heinz Kerry clearly thinks, even with the apology, that women who stay home to raise their children don't have real jobs.
MIKE MCCURRY, KERRY CAMPAIGN SENIOR ADVISER: That's not true.
And by the way, in a rare moment of bipartisanship, I thank Liz for that comment.
We've made clear all along that this economy is not working well for working moms. And that's something that Senator Kerry talks about every day on the campaign trail. We'll be talking here in Ohio today about the steps we can take to really grow the economy, create the kind of jobs that people are looking for in America. And that's something that Teresa talks about. It's something that Senator Kerry talks about all the time. We've got great respect for the people who are struggling out here in America.
Here in Ohio, the treasury secretary was here recently and said that the idea that people have lost jobs in America is a myth. I don't think the Bush administration gets how hard people are struggling to, kind of, make ends meet.
O'BRIEN: I can tell, Mike, that you are clearly putting a focus on the economy. At the same time, how concerned are you about the aftermath of these remarks or you think the apology, kind of, brings this whole issue to a close?
MCCURRY: I think, look, that Mrs. Bush was very gracious about this apology yesterday, and I assume that, you know, all the Bush campaign folks will be gracious, too, today. I think the matter is over.
I think it's more important that we do talk about who has got a better plan to take care of those working moms who are struggling, single moms who are trying to raise kids; who's really got the best idea over the next four years on how we are going to make the economy work better? Because it certainly is not working well for the people who are struggling now.
CHENEY: Well, you know, we absolutely agree that those are the important issues we ought to be talking about. And we know that in fact the tax cuts that have helped all Americans, including working moms, have allowed Americans to keep more of their own money -- that Senator Kerry's proposals, because of the cost involved, would actually require him to raise taxes on all Americans, on those working moms.
We also know, you know, as I travel around the country, moms every place say to me they want to know that their commander in chief, their president is going to keep their kids safe. And they want to know that he's going to do whatever it takes to keep them safe.
And unfortunately with Senator Kerry, we've seen, you know, again and again looking to get some kind of a global permission slip, some kind of approval from foreign capitals before he takes action to keep us safe.
So I think Mike is exactly right, we ought to be focused on substance and we welcome that discussion.
MCCURRY: I think those moms are worried about the $10,000 birth tax; that that tax cut, because it's created these enormous deficits, those kids that those moms have will be paying for the deficits this administration has run up. And that is a big debate.
We have had three debates now between the candidates, all of which I think Senator Kerry has done very well in because he's been talking about how we're going to improve the future for those people that are worried about the economic policies of this administration that just aren't working for the American people.
CHENEY: Well, I think actually, Mike, you know, what I hear from moms all across this country is they can't count on Senator Kerry. You know, he's adopted a series of very tough, sort of, rhetoric during the campaign...
MCCURRY: You talk to the moms you want to talk to.
CHENEY: ... which doesn't match his record at all.
I also got to tell you that what moms care about is knowing that there's going to be an OB/GYN there to deliver their baby. And because of medical malpractice being completely out of control and, you know, Senators Kerry and Edwards not willing to step in and vote for the kind of reforms that will allow those doctors to practice, you know, there are women in many cities across this country now who have no access to health care for their little babies and health care to help them deliver their babies.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: That's Liz Cheney and Mike McCurry, talking to them a little bit earlier this morning -- Bill.
Now this story out of Missouri. Federal officials do not know why a commuter plane crashed on Tuesday night; 13 people are dead as a result. But Dr. John Krogh is only one of two survivors. He described the crash in a phone call from his hospital bed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. JOHN KROGH, PLANE CRASH SURVIVOR: I was getting there ready to put a breath mint in my mouth so I wouldn't get off the plane and greet my grandkids with smelly breath. And then all of a sudden, there was just a crashing sound, which didn't really shock the plane too much. And as I thought back on it later, I'm sure that was the wing hitting a tree, and then within maybe, I don't know, two seconds maybe later, bigtime crashes occurred as the plane went into the trees and started to come apart down in the trees.
It was clear to me I had broken my left hip. And I also knew I had to get out of there. I looked out the door. And the wing was gone. And I thought the plane would be right on the ground. It was about eight feet up. And so I just pulled myself out and fell about eight feet down to the ground. And that hurt pretty bad. There were some screams of some people -- some people from there as they were dying.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: From his bedside, again, in a hospital where he's still recovering. The doctors was traveling with several other well-known doctors to a medical conference at the time. He and his assistant are listed in fair condition, and they are alive, amazingly, after that crash on Tuesday night. Wow.
O'BRIEN: Well, turning now, still to come this morning. What's on Chicago's must-see list. We're going to take a look at the Windy City according to Jim, Jim Belushi, brags about his hometown and tells us what makes it so great.
HEMMER: Also, the Red Sox are a step close to heaven, lifting the Curse of the Bambino. They haven't done it yet, but they're still playing. What about the Cubbies, though? Chicago knows a thing or two about a curse. We'll compare the hexes this morning.
O'BRIEN: Also ahead this morning, the defense explains why money couldn't be a motive in Laci Peterson's killing. Lisa Bloom of Court TV join us. That's ahead, as AMERICAN MORNING continues, right after this.
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HEMMER: Welcome back to Chicago. Good morning again on a Thursday morning here.
Want to move to Redwood City, California now. And Scott Peterson's defense team trying to chip away the prosecution's case.
Court TV's Lisa Bloom back with us back in New York City to talk about developments.
Good morning, Lisa.
LISA BLOOM, COURT TV: Good morning. Cool setup there, Bill.
HEMMER: Well, Thank you very much. Appreciate that, wish you were here, but we push on.
In this case yesterday, there's a lot made about an odor, or a lack of it, and a tarp that was found near Laci's body. What is the significance in that evidence yesterday, Lisa?
BLOOM: Well, from the defenses point of view, it's a tantalizing clue. Was Laci's remains wrapped up in that tarp by someone other than Scott Peterson? Look, the defense thinks that the police should have followed up with every possible lead in the case. They are saying this is a lead, because the tarp had the odor of decomposed remains, probably Laci's, the police should have followed up, and they didn't, and perhaps that's enough for reasonable doubt.
HEMMER: Was it enough in your mind, based on what you heard and read?
BLOOM: Well, of course it's not enough standing alone to create reasonable doubt, given all the mountain of evidence that the prosecution has put forth, but that's just one of a number of things the defense is going to put forward. Just like the prosecution built their case brick by brick, the defense is trying to tear it down little by little throughout their defense. HEMMER: Let's talk about the motive for money and the insurance policy. How effective or not was the defense in poking holes in the prosecution's theory that Scott Peterson wanted to kill his wife for cash?
BLOOM: Look, money was always a weak motive on the prosecution's side. I think, overall, their motive claim is that Scott wanted a different lifestyle. He wanted a carefree bachelor lifestyle. Money may have been a small part of that, but the defense CPA who's taken the stand the last few days, said, look, this is a typical middle- class couple. They didn't have a lot of debt. They had enough money to pay their bills. They even had an excess of money at the end of the month. Sure, Scott's business was losing money, but it was a startup; the parent company wasn't worried about it. It sure doesn't look like money standing alone would have been enough of a motive for Scott to have killed his wife.
HEMMER: There was an intriguing item here. As a lawyer, I think you'd be especially interested in this one: Michael Cardoza, who appears on NBC and he appears on Court TV, and he appears on "LARRY KING," the judges put a gag order on him, because he conducted some sort of Q&A mock session over the weekend. What happened there? And do you agree with the judge's decision?
BLOOM: Well, what Michael Cardoza did, was he id a mock Q&A session with Scott Peterson from Scott's jail cell. He didn't get any money for it, he says, and he was simply trying to help out the defense. Well, the judge says, once you're in that kind after relationship, there's an attorney/client privilege that attaches, because Scott Peterson would reasonably think that Michael Cardoza would keep the confidences of that meeting. Well, after that, any attorney in the case is gagged, any of the defense attorneys, any of the prosecutors, are gagged. Michael Cardoza is no longer to be a legal commentator, not that there's any thing wrong with people who do that.
HEMMER: That means more airtime for people like you, I believe, right?
BLOOM: Well, there's a lot of us out there on Court TV and elsewhere, so I don't think the public is going to feel a real shortage.
HEMMER: Just a few, I would say. Thank, Lisa, good to talk to you, back to New York City -- Soledad.
BLOOM: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: All right, we're talking about business now. Why are three of the nation's biggest airlines losing hundreds of millions of dollars? And why is another on the edge of bankruptcy.
Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business" this morning.
Good morning. We haven't spent a lot of time together this week.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: I was going to say, it's great to see you in the flesh actually here.
O'BRIEN: I know, yes.
SERWER: We've been talking week after week, Soledad, about the airlines flying into deeper and deeper trouble, mostly the old-line big legacy carriers, like United Airlines and American, but now, one of the new discount carriers in trouble, as well. We're talking about ATA, which is based here in the Midwest and Indianapolis, and in fact is Midway's largest carrier, 168 flights a day, 44 percent of capacity. How about those figures? And if looking like they're facing a severe cash crunch, could be headed for bankruptcy. Higher fuel costs, the hurricanes down in Florida having to do with that.
Now let's talk about some of the bigger ones, because yesterday, Soledad, the big airlines reported a lot of their numbers, and they were not good at all. First of all, Delta, we talked about that, $646 million of loss in a quarter, OK. That's one of the unhealthy ones, they call it, with United and U.S. Air.
Now let's move on to the three healthier legacy carriers, the old-line carriers. American, considered one of the healthier ones, $200 million of losses in the quarter. Northwest, not as bad, a picture at $46 million. And Continental, OK, we can handle that, $16 million in a quarter.
But you know, something's got to happen here. We're going to see some consolidation, and got to get some relief here in terms of fuel cost, but I don't see that happening.
O'BRIEN: I was going to ask you, what's the remedy? I mean, is the answer consolidation? Because the fuel costs are not going to...
SERWER: I think the answer is definitely, right, definitely consolidation. That's what's got to happen here. And some of these are going to have to close down. It's a very, very sad situation, particularly for the employees of these airlines.
O'BRIEN: No question. Andy, thanks, appreciate it.
SERWER: We want to get a break here in a moment. Back to Chicago, also Sinclair Broadcasting and its Kerry controversy takes another turn.
First, another fun fact of Chicago. Which of the following is not a nickname for the city of Chicago: Gem of the Prairie, City of the Big Shoulders, Marvel of the Midwest, or Hog Butcher to the World? And there's an 'e' in here, too, the I Will City. The answer, after a break here, live in Chicago, on the road with AMERICAN MORNING.
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HEMMER: Welcome back to Chicago. We are live inside the Field Museum. What a great structure it is too here in Chicago. Before the break, which of the following is not a nickname for Chicago: Gem of the Prairie, City of the Big Shoulders, Marvel of the Midwest, Hog Butcher to the World?
O'BRIEN: That's my choice.
HEMMER: That's yours?
O'BRIEN: Yes.
HEMMER: Or the I Will City. The answer is 'c,' Marvel of the Midwest. You'll hear people often refer to Chicago by nicknames. And we've heard many this week.
Welcome back. That's Sue behind us. This is Soledad and Bill, and that's Jack over there.
O'BRIEN: Hello.
CAFFERTY: Good morning.
Sinclair Broadcast retreating now from showing that anti-Kerry film in its entirety. Instead a documentary with excerpts from the film will air on Friday on 40 Sinclair stations.
Investors put the pressure on the company, because the price of Sinclair's shares plummeted when the criticize began. Now Sinclair's saying, well, it never intended to show the whole film. Baloney.
However, Sinclair commentator and vice president Mark Hayman (ph) at one point told "The Washington Post," the movie would air unless Kerry agreed to an interview. And the Washington bureau chief got fired for talking about company business with the media. He called the film biased political propaganda.
Believe what you will, the shareholders aren't the only ones upset. Democrats were howling like wounded geese the minute Sinclair's plans were announced, and don't forget the sponsors. When somebody asked Michael Jordan why he didn't run for political office, he summed the whole thing up, by saying, hey, Republicans buy sneakers, too.
Here's the question, "In a race this tight, is it appropriate for Sinclair to air portions of such a highly partisan film this close to Election Day?
They caved like a house of cards, folded up like a cheap suit.
HEMMER: Some of the movie is still going to show, though, right?
CAFFERTY: Excerpts.
HEMMER: Excerpts, but not in its entirety, like...
CAFFERTY: That's correct, just excerpts.
HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.
Right here in a moment, the Red Sox are still alive, beating the Yankees last night. They have to win one more series to reverse that curse. Fans here in Chicago know a thing or two about that. We'll compare the hexes in a moment, live from the Field Museum in Chicago, after this.
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