Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Greek Hostage Crisis; Interview With Senator Jon Corzine; All Aboard in Japan

Aired December 15, 2004 - 07:30   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: It is 9:30 in the evening here in Tokyo. Welcome back, everybody, to our third and final day here in Tokyo. It's been a great week, and already again tonight. We have several hundred, if not a thousand, folks who have come out to see the program. It's great to have all of them here.
In a moment, we're going to take an up-close look at the extremely efficient train system here. Just about everything in Japan runs on time, including the people. So, we'll get a look at that.

Also, as promised, a bit of karaoke from the world stage. The Japanese prime minister singing Elvis. We'll get to that as well.

Soledad -- good morning to you back there in New York. Good Wednesday morning back there on the East Coast.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Bill, thank you. And likewise.

Also this morning, a "CNN Security Watch" is coming up. Of all of the threats to the U.S. is bioterrorism, the one that authorities are the least prepared for. We'll take a look at what exactly the bioterror threat includes and what it's going to take various states to get ready.

Also this morning, a hostage standoff is unfolding in Athens, Greece. Authorities say at least two armed men strapped with explosives are holding more than 20 passengers hostage on a commuter bus.

CNN correspondent Anthee Carassavas joins us by phone from Athens this morning.

Anthee, good morning again.

What's the latest update from where you are?

ANTHEE CARASSAVAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Soledad, five passengers have been released from the commuter bus. The first release came about an hour and a half ago. It was a 55-year-old man who was suffering from heart problems. An additional four passengers -- two men and two women -- were released shortly thereafter.

Authorities say this is a positive development, meaning that negotiations with the hijackers are going well. Mind you, though, that this past hour has been calm, no additional releases. The identity of the hijackers remains in question -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: All right, Athee, we're going to continue to follow this story. Thanks for that update.

Let's get a quick check of the headlines. Kelly Wallace is sitting in for us this morning.

Hello. Good morning again.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Thanks so much, Soledad. Good morning again, everyone.

"Now in the News."

The man known as "Chemical Ali." CNN learning he will be the first member of the former Iraqi regime to go on trial. Ali Hassan Al-Majid is believed to have played a role in the 1988 chemical attack on Iraq's Kurdish population. According to an Iraqi official, Al- Majid and at least 10 other high-profile members of Saddam Hussein's regime face war crimes proceedings, which are set to begin before the end of this month.

Now to newly-released documents by the U.S. Navy, which are detailing numerous allegations of prisoner abuse in Iraq beyond the Abu Ghraib scandal. The files apparently document a rash of abuse claims, most dating back to the early months of the U.S. occupation. The Pentagon says the allegations are being investigated.

And the search is still on for a new Democratic National Committee chairman, but a former September 11 commission member now appears to be a leading candidate. Sources are telling CNN former Indiana Congressman Tim Roemer has strong backing from top Democrats on Capitol Hill. Roemer has indicated he is open to considering the DNC leadership post and is currently making phone calls to members of the DNC, according to a close associate.

And finally, Jenna Bush is reportedly ling up a teaching job close to home. "The Washington Post" reports that the first daughter has applied for a position at a school in Washington, D.C. The school, which serves low-income students, has not confirmed hiring the president's daughter. Soledad, she will be following, of course, if she has this job, in her mother's footsteps.

O'BRIEN: Absolutely. Good for her. All right, thanks, Kelly.

WALLACE: Sure.

O'BRIEN: In this morning's "CNN Security Watch," is America ready or not to handle a bioterrorism attack? A just-released report says combating bioterrorism is the weakest link in homeland security. Florida and North Carolina are considered the states that are best prepared, with Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire and Virginia close behind. Massachusetts and Alaska are cited as the worst. Indiana, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. also grade pretty poorly.

New Jersey ranked right in the middle. And Senator Jon Corzine joins us to talk about that.

It's kind of a little bit of a complicated study, but give me a sense. When New Jersey gets a five, the highest-ranking states get a nine, the lowest get a three, how concerned you are about that number.

SEN. JON CORZINE (D), NEW JERSEY: Well, I think that we are not preparing adequately for these kinds of attacks. We had the anthrax attack, which originated in New Jersey. And we still haven't found the people. We haven't really developed the techniques to respond to it.

I think that you saw probably, as opposed to a study, you heard from Secretary Thompson when he stepped down, saying we are totally unprepared to deal with an infectation of our food supply. And I think that there are tremendous exposures here. We're not putting enough resources into it, which is what this study indicated yesterday.

O'BRIEN: At the end of the day, do you think it's all about a lack of money, a lack of funding?

CORZINE: Well, if you're going to have the right laboratories, if you're going to have the right kinds of networks, communication networks to allow people to respond to a pandemic, a flu pandemic or any kind of bioterrorist attack, you're going to need the resources to be able to respond. We don't have that in place.

As this report is showing, many, many states are really in a whole series of categories. They have 10 points that they studied in this particular review. And they're not in place.

O'BRIEN: You said you want the money to be allocated according to risk.

CORZINE: Absolutely.

O'BRIEN: How exactly is it done now? And why is it not happening, if it's not?

CORZINE: Well, first of all, there is a baseline allocation that each state. It's about 40 percent of the money goes to each state just flat-out divided by 50. And then there is a complicated formula that is basically population-based that allocates out the additional resources.

Not only are we cutting back on the funds, we went from about 3.1 billion to 2.5 billion in funds for homeland security resources this year. Then we have this formula that doesn't look at where the risks are. Places like New Jersey, where the FBI and everyone says the two- mile stretch from Newark Airport to Port Elizabeth...

O'BRIEN: A big risk. CORZINE: ... is the biggest risk in the country. They say it's the most dangerous two-mile strip in the country. And we got caught enormously in these, about 30 percent. And it just doesn't make sense.

O'BRIEN: Did you hear what Governor Mitt Romney wants to do? I thought it was kind of an interesting thing. He says private business needs to sort of gather intelligence itself, not to necessarily just rely on intelligence from the federal government. What do you make of -- it's not quite a plan yet -- but an idea like that?

CORZINE: Every private organization, I think, has to look after their own interests. Security is one of those things that we need to do. What the federal government needs to do, in my view, is make sure that those plans are actually in place.

One of the things that I've been most concerned about are chemical plants across this country; 123 of these, where more than a million people can actually be infected by a chemical explosion if a terrorist attack. We don't actually know what's going on inside those plants. We need to make sure that there are audible -- auditable responses and security plans from these individual companies. And that isn't in place. And I think it's very worrisome.

So, we have a whole series of holes in, I think, our homeland security plans: bioterrorism, chemical plant security, port security, a lot of these areas.

O'BRIEN: It sounds like the list goes on and on. Senator Jon Corzine, nice to have you.

CORZINE: Good to be here.

O'BRIEN: Thanks for being with us.

Let's go back to Tokyo and Bill hemmer.

HEMMER: All right, Soledad. Think your commute is tough in the morning or in the evening? Try rush hour here in Tokyo. The Japanese are known for cars, but it's the train that's the choice of millions every day. And the trains here in Japan are more than just a way to get to work. They are indeed a way of life.

Here's Atika Shubert tonight taking us for a ride.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): This is Tokyo's commuting hub, Shingushu (ph) Station. More than a million people come through these turnstiles every day, one of the busiest terminals in the world.

(on camera): If you want to get anywhere in Tokyo you take the train. It's faster than standing in traffic, 10 times cheaper than a taxi, and reliable. This is the busiest line in Tokyo, every four minutes, during rush hour every two and a half minutes. The only problem: it doesn't give you much of an excuse to be late for work.

(voice over): Japan is a train society. In addition to subways, there are bullet trains to transport you almost anywhere in the country within hours. Railway stations are hubs for shopping and entertaining.

(on camera): It also allows you to buy.

(voice over): You can use your train pass to buy your morning paper and breakfast.

Masahi Den is in charge of helping newcomers navigate Shingushu Station. His advice: don't worry. There's always another train.

"We do not allow trains to be delayed by more than one minute. I think this is an amazing accomplishment we can be proud of," he says.

On board, a TV monitor gives you an up-to-the minute schedule of which trains are running late and why. It takes an earthquake, it seems, to shake up Japan's train system.

It's all quite easy, maybe too easy. The average Japanese worker spends more than three hours commuting in jam-packed trains, only to put in more than 12 hours of work a day. Something to think about on your daily commute.

Atika Shubert, CNN, Tokyo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: Atika, thanks for that. A live picture from Tokyo Station, which is just about 20 minutes by taxi from our location here. This is where those bullet trains arrive, about 190 miles an hour. And by the way, when the bullet train arrives there, it makes the fastest time in the world for keeping on schedule. It is said that in Japan, when the trains run late, they run late by an average of 22 seconds. Not bad. A quick sample here.

OK. Good evening. Combanwa (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Combanwa (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Combanwa (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Combanwa (ph).

HEMMER: Ben sheday kimo sheetaca (ph). Who took the train tonight? About half, I'd say. This kind of fits the story. Thank you for that. Adigata (ph).

Earlier today, with the prime minister, Junichiro Koizumi, Soledad. And at the end of our 40-minute conversation, I wanted to congratulate him on his -- well, his affinity for Elvis Presley. And this is what happened. He kind of took it on his own. Listen here.

JUNICHIRO KOIZUMI, PRIME MINISTER OF JAPAN (singing): Hold me close, hold me tight. Make me feel with delight.

HEMMER (singing): Let me know where I stand.

KOIZUMI (singing): I love you, I need you with so much love.

HEMMER: That's right. Adigata (ph).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: It was a karaoke moment. I think he was more in tune than I was clearly in that.

Three years ago, Soledad, back in August of 2001, the prime minister picked his 25 favorite Elvis Presley songs. They put it on a CD, and they sold it here in Japan. Clearly today, again, it's on his mind, and a fan again as we can see.

Back to you now in New York -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: All right, Bill, thanks.

(WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: Still to come on AMERICAN MORNING, has it really been 10 years? Andy Serwer on the anniversary of the game that started a revolution and what they're doing now.

Plus, Madonna's new movie role could escape some of the heavy criticism that she's gotten in the past. "90-Second Pop" is going to take a look and see what she's up to.

And in our next hour, back to Japan, where a strategic U.S. military base is under attack, political attack, from residents who say they want Americans out. Stay with us. You are watching AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: It changed the way a generation approached video games. Now Sony's gaming pioneer celebrates a big anniversary. Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business" this morning.

Hello again.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Hello, again.

You might have missed this birthday. We'll get to that in a second.

Of course, the Japanese are known for their expertise in technology and manufacturing. And this is also true in video game consoles. The Playstation, it's the 10th anniversary this month, Soledad of the Sony Playstation; 100 million of these sold over the last decade. Obviously an incredibly successful product; 70 million of those 100 million have been the PS2, which was rolled out in 2000. The dominance here is truly amazing. And when you take a look at how they dominate this business -- look at that, that's the Playstation -- a 62 percent market share. The Xbox is No. 2. The Nintendo GameCube is No. 3. The Nintendo, of course, dominates the handheld business in the Gameboy. And the Playstation, of course, has rolled out a handheld version of that game, too. So, they are competing.

All three of those companies, by the way -- the Xbox, the GameCube and the Playstation -- are going to be rolling out new models next year. They're going to have voice recognition, motion detection, online gaming -- all kinds of stuff. So it's really amazing.

But don't think that the U.S. is totally left out of the picture here in technology. A lot of people used to say that the Japanese dominate technology. It's not true. Think of the Xbox first of all. Think of the iPod. Think of Dell and PCs. Think of TiVo. And you think of the Palm Pilot. And it used to be that, you know, it was the Walkman and Sony televisions. It's not really true anymore. The U.S. has really kept pace with the Japanese over the past decade or so.

O'BRIEN: Excellent. All right, Andy, thank you.

SERWER: You're welcome.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Cutting edge, we are here in the colonies.

SERWER: Oh, don't you know.

CAFFERTY: The question, do you want me do that now?

O'BRIEN: Yes.

SERWER: Just jump right in.

O'BRIEN: Do.

CAFFERTY: Yes. The FCC is going to think about letting people use cell phones while airplanes are flying. It's a nauseating` idea. The government currently bans them, because they could interfere with a plane's communications and electronics. However, with new technologies for coping with that interference, the government now is feeling consumer pressure to ease up.

These days, an airplane might be the only place you can go to get away from the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) things. Why ruin a good idea, which is to not have them in use on airplanes?

Anyway, here's the question. It's probably going to happen whether I like it or not. Should the use of cell phones be allowed on airplanes?

Barbara in Chatham, Ontario, writes: "I don't fly. But, in my opinion, forget the cell phones in the planes. And while you're at it, ditch them in the restaurant, too. somebody needs to write the book, Cell Phone Manners for Dummies."

Sandy, Chesterfield, South Carolina: "I'm sorry, but it annoys the hell out of me to see people driving, shopping or just walking with a phone jammed in their ear. What earth-shattering world event cannot wait for CNN to announce it?"

There you go.

Ernie writes from Covington, Georgia: "This is going to be worse than road rage."

Lee in Canton, Ohio: "Cell phones should not be allowed on planes. It's hard enough dealing with crying babies and bad food. I don't want to hear about someone's personal life as I'm trying to sleep through the flight, not to mention those annoying ring tones."

And then Reg has some perspective from Thunder Bay, as he usually does: "Yes, they should be allowed. And horseless carriages should be allowed to travel on public roads without a man running ahead waving a red lantern, Jack. Let's try to get real here."

SERWER: Yes.

O'BRIEN: I'm with Reg on this one.

CAFFERTY: Yes?

O'BRIEN: Yes.

SERWER: You don't want to sit next to someone, like, "Hello, can you get my dry cleaning?" Like that close.

O'BRIEN: But, you know, what, though, everyone is so busy.

SERWER: Yes.

O'BRIEN: Everyone is so busy. I need the extra number of hours on a plane to get work done.

SERWER: It's true.

O'BRIEN: And I have a phone.

SERWER: But you are sitting very close to someone. And if someone has this long conversation...

O'BRIEN: I know, but I listen in.

CAFFERTY: I've worked with you for a couple of years here. Now, you may be trying to suck up to the CNN bosses, but you don't work that hard. I watch you. You spend a lot of time loping around, doing nothing.

SERWER: That's an unusual take on that. Hit him with your cell phone. Hit him with your cell phone.

CAFFERTY: She really doesn't work that hard, Mr. Walton, if you're watching.

O'BRIEN: All right.

SERWER: I think it's time to read the prompter again. Again. Just leave it.

(CROSSTALK)

O'BRIEN: Thank you.

SERWER: Yes.

O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, Anna Kournikova and Enrique Inglesias. Do they have something to hide? We're going to find out what they're up to. "90-Second Pop" is just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Oh, another time, another chapter with "90-Second Pop" -- whatever it says there on the prompter. Sorry. We're off to a good start. That's what I love about this segment.

Let's get right to the guests, shall we? And they can save me. Andy Borowitz, the head of humor at BorowitzReport.com. Sarah Bernard, contributing editor for "New York" magazine. Toure, CNN's pop culture correspondent.

Good morning. Good morning. Good morning.

Anna Kournikova and -- what's his face? -- Inglesias...

TOURE, CNN POP CULTURE CORRESPONDENT: Enrique.

SARAH BERNARD, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, "NEW YORK" MAGAZINE: Enrique.

O'BRIEN: Enrique, Enrique. True? Not true? Breaking news here?

BERNARD: Apparently, they have gotten married earlier this month in a secret ceremony. This is the news from "US Weekly" that we're hearing. And...

O'BRIEN: In Puerto Vallarta, the Love Boat.

BERNARD: Puerto Vallarta, I know, it's what I think of every time. On the Love Boat.

ANDY BOROWITZ, BOROWITZREPORT.COM: It was fabulous, by the way.

BERNARD: There were three people there, and Anna, Andy and Enrique.

BOROWITZ: I (UNINTELLIGIBLE). BERNARD: Now, this is the funny celebrity trend, right? It used to be that you had these lavish weddings. Remember Madonna's first wedding, where the helicopters were circling overhead? And now...

BOROWITZ: Sean Penn.

BERNARD: Right. Now it's like you have to have the quiet secret, did they get married, did they not?

O'BRIEN: To avoid the paparazzi.

BERNARD: Right.

BOROWITZ: Right.

BERNARD: So, it proves all the more that Star and Al got it totally wrong.

BOROWITZ: Wrong.

BERNARD: Totally the opposite.

O'BRIEN: Here's the curve and here's where they are, way behind it.

BERNARD: Exactly. Now, the funny thing about this is the way they met is that she was actually starring as his girlfriend in one of his videos. So, from then on they were together. This is a new way for rock stars to find girls, don't you think? You just cast them in your video.

O'BRIEN: A new way? A new way?

BERNARD: Well, they don't always end up in marriage.

O'BRIEN: That's true. But please.

BOROWITZ: I don't know about this marriage.

BERNARD: You don't know about it?

BOROWITZ: No, because she's hot and he's not. So, how are they going to raise the kids?

BERNARD: Oh!

O'BRIEN: He's not, not hot.

TOURE: But they have a lot to talk about, because they're both people who are way more famous than they're good. So, they can really come together on that.

O'BRIEN: And good thing for them. Let's move on. Madonna, guess what, is doing another movie? How great is that?

BOROWITZ: That's right. Well, it's with her husband, Guy Richie. I guess it's a gangster film called "Revolver." I just -- you know, I've looked into this, and I just don't think that couples make good movies. And I'm not singling out Madonna and Guy Richie, also Madonna and Sean Penn, and Madonna and Warren Beatty. It always (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

BERNARD: Right.

BOROWITZ: So...

BERNARD: Ben and Jen.

BOROWITZ: Really, the only couple that's made good films, I think, is, like, Paris Hilton and her boyfriend. I mean, that's like the only one thing that stands the test of time. That's in my view.

TOURE: Pam and Tommy Lee, they made a film together.

BERNARD: That's right.

(CROSSTALK)

O'BRIEN: OK. All right. You know what? I said we're going to keep...

TOURE: We're dipping low, low, low today.

O'BRIEN: Circling the drain, as my girlfriend says. Circling the drain this morning on "90-Second Pop."

BOROWITZ: It's another name for this segment.

O'BRIEN: We're going to call it...

TOURE: Hello, can we change the segment?

O'BRIEN: Call it circling the drain. Interesting. We'll take that on advisement.

There is a really bizarre battle going on.

TOURE: Oh, yes.

O'BRIEN: And it's between Kobe Bryant and Karl Malone. Apparently, Kobe Bryant's wife, Vanessa, said that Karl Malone said something inappropriate, hitting on her kind of thing. What happened?

TOURE: Well, they were at the game together. Karl is not playing right now. And Vanessa Lane Bryant asked him to come sit with her...

O'BRIEN: He's injured, right?

TOURE: Right. At a Lakers game. And he was wearing cowboy boots and a hat. And she said, "What are you hunting?" And then she said it again. And he said, "I'm hunting little Mexican girls." Now, he said something inappropriate. Kobe suggests that he made also a further pass at his wife. But before we jump on Karl's back, let's not forgot that Kobe has recently had fights with Shaq, Phil Jackson, Ray Allen from the Seattle Supersonics.

(CROSSTALK)

O'BRIEN: OK. This is the same wife he cheated on, right?

TOURE: Exactly.

BERNARD: Right.

(CROSSTALK)

TOURE: And he's calling the Malone's house saying, you know, "Leave my wife alone." If you are fighting with everybody, it may not be everybody else's fault. It might be you.

BOROWITZ: I think it's time for Karl Malone to retire. When you make at a pass at a woman and it's blocked, that's it. That's it.

TOURE: But Kobe is a really troubled guy, right?

O'BRIEN: It's unraveling.

TOURE: I mean, I think this is about keeping Karl off the team. He wants it all for himself. He's super egomaniac. Even for an athlete he's a super egomaniac.

BERNARD: Maybe it's time for him to just chill out and not draw attention to himself.

TOURE: I know.

O'BRIEN: But you know what?

TOURE: Lay low.

BERNARD: Yes.

O'BRIEN: With that, we go, because we're out of time. You guys, as always, thank you.

Let's go back to Mr. Hemmer in Tokyo -- Bill.

HEMMER: All right, Soledad, thanks.

In a moment here, the Japanese youth have a reputation for pushing the pop trend to the edge. In a moment, what could be the next look for teenage America. We'll show it to you in a moment. Live in Tokyo on this AMERICAN MORNING.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.


Aired December 15, 2004 - 07:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: It is 9:30 in the evening here in Tokyo. Welcome back, everybody, to our third and final day here in Tokyo. It's been a great week, and already again tonight. We have several hundred, if not a thousand, folks who have come out to see the program. It's great to have all of them here.
In a moment, we're going to take an up-close look at the extremely efficient train system here. Just about everything in Japan runs on time, including the people. So, we'll get a look at that.

Also, as promised, a bit of karaoke from the world stage. The Japanese prime minister singing Elvis. We'll get to that as well.

Soledad -- good morning to you back there in New York. Good Wednesday morning back there on the East Coast.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Bill, thank you. And likewise.

Also this morning, a "CNN Security Watch" is coming up. Of all of the threats to the U.S. is bioterrorism, the one that authorities are the least prepared for. We'll take a look at what exactly the bioterror threat includes and what it's going to take various states to get ready.

Also this morning, a hostage standoff is unfolding in Athens, Greece. Authorities say at least two armed men strapped with explosives are holding more than 20 passengers hostage on a commuter bus.

CNN correspondent Anthee Carassavas joins us by phone from Athens this morning.

Anthee, good morning again.

What's the latest update from where you are?

ANTHEE CARASSAVAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Soledad, five passengers have been released from the commuter bus. The first release came about an hour and a half ago. It was a 55-year-old man who was suffering from heart problems. An additional four passengers -- two men and two women -- were released shortly thereafter.

Authorities say this is a positive development, meaning that negotiations with the hijackers are going well. Mind you, though, that this past hour has been calm, no additional releases. The identity of the hijackers remains in question -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: All right, Athee, we're going to continue to follow this story. Thanks for that update.

Let's get a quick check of the headlines. Kelly Wallace is sitting in for us this morning.

Hello. Good morning again.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Thanks so much, Soledad. Good morning again, everyone.

"Now in the News."

The man known as "Chemical Ali." CNN learning he will be the first member of the former Iraqi regime to go on trial. Ali Hassan Al-Majid is believed to have played a role in the 1988 chemical attack on Iraq's Kurdish population. According to an Iraqi official, Al- Majid and at least 10 other high-profile members of Saddam Hussein's regime face war crimes proceedings, which are set to begin before the end of this month.

Now to newly-released documents by the U.S. Navy, which are detailing numerous allegations of prisoner abuse in Iraq beyond the Abu Ghraib scandal. The files apparently document a rash of abuse claims, most dating back to the early months of the U.S. occupation. The Pentagon says the allegations are being investigated.

And the search is still on for a new Democratic National Committee chairman, but a former September 11 commission member now appears to be a leading candidate. Sources are telling CNN former Indiana Congressman Tim Roemer has strong backing from top Democrats on Capitol Hill. Roemer has indicated he is open to considering the DNC leadership post and is currently making phone calls to members of the DNC, according to a close associate.

And finally, Jenna Bush is reportedly ling up a teaching job close to home. "The Washington Post" reports that the first daughter has applied for a position at a school in Washington, D.C. The school, which serves low-income students, has not confirmed hiring the president's daughter. Soledad, she will be following, of course, if she has this job, in her mother's footsteps.

O'BRIEN: Absolutely. Good for her. All right, thanks, Kelly.

WALLACE: Sure.

O'BRIEN: In this morning's "CNN Security Watch," is America ready or not to handle a bioterrorism attack? A just-released report says combating bioterrorism is the weakest link in homeland security. Florida and North Carolina are considered the states that are best prepared, with Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire and Virginia close behind. Massachusetts and Alaska are cited as the worst. Indiana, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. also grade pretty poorly.

New Jersey ranked right in the middle. And Senator Jon Corzine joins us to talk about that.

It's kind of a little bit of a complicated study, but give me a sense. When New Jersey gets a five, the highest-ranking states get a nine, the lowest get a three, how concerned you are about that number.

SEN. JON CORZINE (D), NEW JERSEY: Well, I think that we are not preparing adequately for these kinds of attacks. We had the anthrax attack, which originated in New Jersey. And we still haven't found the people. We haven't really developed the techniques to respond to it.

I think that you saw probably, as opposed to a study, you heard from Secretary Thompson when he stepped down, saying we are totally unprepared to deal with an infectation of our food supply. And I think that there are tremendous exposures here. We're not putting enough resources into it, which is what this study indicated yesterday.

O'BRIEN: At the end of the day, do you think it's all about a lack of money, a lack of funding?

CORZINE: Well, if you're going to have the right laboratories, if you're going to have the right kinds of networks, communication networks to allow people to respond to a pandemic, a flu pandemic or any kind of bioterrorist attack, you're going to need the resources to be able to respond. We don't have that in place.

As this report is showing, many, many states are really in a whole series of categories. They have 10 points that they studied in this particular review. And they're not in place.

O'BRIEN: You said you want the money to be allocated according to risk.

CORZINE: Absolutely.

O'BRIEN: How exactly is it done now? And why is it not happening, if it's not?

CORZINE: Well, first of all, there is a baseline allocation that each state. It's about 40 percent of the money goes to each state just flat-out divided by 50. And then there is a complicated formula that is basically population-based that allocates out the additional resources.

Not only are we cutting back on the funds, we went from about 3.1 billion to 2.5 billion in funds for homeland security resources this year. Then we have this formula that doesn't look at where the risks are. Places like New Jersey, where the FBI and everyone says the two- mile stretch from Newark Airport to Port Elizabeth...

O'BRIEN: A big risk. CORZINE: ... is the biggest risk in the country. They say it's the most dangerous two-mile strip in the country. And we got caught enormously in these, about 30 percent. And it just doesn't make sense.

O'BRIEN: Did you hear what Governor Mitt Romney wants to do? I thought it was kind of an interesting thing. He says private business needs to sort of gather intelligence itself, not to necessarily just rely on intelligence from the federal government. What do you make of -- it's not quite a plan yet -- but an idea like that?

CORZINE: Every private organization, I think, has to look after their own interests. Security is one of those things that we need to do. What the federal government needs to do, in my view, is make sure that those plans are actually in place.

One of the things that I've been most concerned about are chemical plants across this country; 123 of these, where more than a million people can actually be infected by a chemical explosion if a terrorist attack. We don't actually know what's going on inside those plants. We need to make sure that there are audible -- auditable responses and security plans from these individual companies. And that isn't in place. And I think it's very worrisome.

So, we have a whole series of holes in, I think, our homeland security plans: bioterrorism, chemical plant security, port security, a lot of these areas.

O'BRIEN: It sounds like the list goes on and on. Senator Jon Corzine, nice to have you.

CORZINE: Good to be here.

O'BRIEN: Thanks for being with us.

Let's go back to Tokyo and Bill hemmer.

HEMMER: All right, Soledad. Think your commute is tough in the morning or in the evening? Try rush hour here in Tokyo. The Japanese are known for cars, but it's the train that's the choice of millions every day. And the trains here in Japan are more than just a way to get to work. They are indeed a way of life.

Here's Atika Shubert tonight taking us for a ride.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): This is Tokyo's commuting hub, Shingushu (ph) Station. More than a million people come through these turnstiles every day, one of the busiest terminals in the world.

(on camera): If you want to get anywhere in Tokyo you take the train. It's faster than standing in traffic, 10 times cheaper than a taxi, and reliable. This is the busiest line in Tokyo, every four minutes, during rush hour every two and a half minutes. The only problem: it doesn't give you much of an excuse to be late for work.

(voice over): Japan is a train society. In addition to subways, there are bullet trains to transport you almost anywhere in the country within hours. Railway stations are hubs for shopping and entertaining.

(on camera): It also allows you to buy.

(voice over): You can use your train pass to buy your morning paper and breakfast.

Masahi Den is in charge of helping newcomers navigate Shingushu Station. His advice: don't worry. There's always another train.

"We do not allow trains to be delayed by more than one minute. I think this is an amazing accomplishment we can be proud of," he says.

On board, a TV monitor gives you an up-to-the minute schedule of which trains are running late and why. It takes an earthquake, it seems, to shake up Japan's train system.

It's all quite easy, maybe too easy. The average Japanese worker spends more than three hours commuting in jam-packed trains, only to put in more than 12 hours of work a day. Something to think about on your daily commute.

Atika Shubert, CNN, Tokyo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: Atika, thanks for that. A live picture from Tokyo Station, which is just about 20 minutes by taxi from our location here. This is where those bullet trains arrive, about 190 miles an hour. And by the way, when the bullet train arrives there, it makes the fastest time in the world for keeping on schedule. It is said that in Japan, when the trains run late, they run late by an average of 22 seconds. Not bad. A quick sample here.

OK. Good evening. Combanwa (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Combanwa (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Combanwa (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Combanwa (ph).

HEMMER: Ben sheday kimo sheetaca (ph). Who took the train tonight? About half, I'd say. This kind of fits the story. Thank you for that. Adigata (ph).

Earlier today, with the prime minister, Junichiro Koizumi, Soledad. And at the end of our 40-minute conversation, I wanted to congratulate him on his -- well, his affinity for Elvis Presley. And this is what happened. He kind of took it on his own. Listen here.

JUNICHIRO KOIZUMI, PRIME MINISTER OF JAPAN (singing): Hold me close, hold me tight. Make me feel with delight.

HEMMER (singing): Let me know where I stand.

KOIZUMI (singing): I love you, I need you with so much love.

HEMMER: That's right. Adigata (ph).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: It was a karaoke moment. I think he was more in tune than I was clearly in that.

Three years ago, Soledad, back in August of 2001, the prime minister picked his 25 favorite Elvis Presley songs. They put it on a CD, and they sold it here in Japan. Clearly today, again, it's on his mind, and a fan again as we can see.

Back to you now in New York -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: All right, Bill, thanks.

(WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: Still to come on AMERICAN MORNING, has it really been 10 years? Andy Serwer on the anniversary of the game that started a revolution and what they're doing now.

Plus, Madonna's new movie role could escape some of the heavy criticism that she's gotten in the past. "90-Second Pop" is going to take a look and see what she's up to.

And in our next hour, back to Japan, where a strategic U.S. military base is under attack, political attack, from residents who say they want Americans out. Stay with us. You are watching AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: It changed the way a generation approached video games. Now Sony's gaming pioneer celebrates a big anniversary. Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business" this morning.

Hello again.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Hello, again.

You might have missed this birthday. We'll get to that in a second.

Of course, the Japanese are known for their expertise in technology and manufacturing. And this is also true in video game consoles. The Playstation, it's the 10th anniversary this month, Soledad of the Sony Playstation; 100 million of these sold over the last decade. Obviously an incredibly successful product; 70 million of those 100 million have been the PS2, which was rolled out in 2000. The dominance here is truly amazing. And when you take a look at how they dominate this business -- look at that, that's the Playstation -- a 62 percent market share. The Xbox is No. 2. The Nintendo GameCube is No. 3. The Nintendo, of course, dominates the handheld business in the Gameboy. And the Playstation, of course, has rolled out a handheld version of that game, too. So, they are competing.

All three of those companies, by the way -- the Xbox, the GameCube and the Playstation -- are going to be rolling out new models next year. They're going to have voice recognition, motion detection, online gaming -- all kinds of stuff. So it's really amazing.

But don't think that the U.S. is totally left out of the picture here in technology. A lot of people used to say that the Japanese dominate technology. It's not true. Think of the Xbox first of all. Think of the iPod. Think of Dell and PCs. Think of TiVo. And you think of the Palm Pilot. And it used to be that, you know, it was the Walkman and Sony televisions. It's not really true anymore. The U.S. has really kept pace with the Japanese over the past decade or so.

O'BRIEN: Excellent. All right, Andy, thank you.

SERWER: You're welcome.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Cutting edge, we are here in the colonies.

SERWER: Oh, don't you know.

CAFFERTY: The question, do you want me do that now?

O'BRIEN: Yes.

SERWER: Just jump right in.

O'BRIEN: Do.

CAFFERTY: Yes. The FCC is going to think about letting people use cell phones while airplanes are flying. It's a nauseating` idea. The government currently bans them, because they could interfere with a plane's communications and electronics. However, with new technologies for coping with that interference, the government now is feeling consumer pressure to ease up.

These days, an airplane might be the only place you can go to get away from the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) things. Why ruin a good idea, which is to not have them in use on airplanes?

Anyway, here's the question. It's probably going to happen whether I like it or not. Should the use of cell phones be allowed on airplanes?

Barbara in Chatham, Ontario, writes: "I don't fly. But, in my opinion, forget the cell phones in the planes. And while you're at it, ditch them in the restaurant, too. somebody needs to write the book, Cell Phone Manners for Dummies."

Sandy, Chesterfield, South Carolina: "I'm sorry, but it annoys the hell out of me to see people driving, shopping or just walking with a phone jammed in their ear. What earth-shattering world event cannot wait for CNN to announce it?"

There you go.

Ernie writes from Covington, Georgia: "This is going to be worse than road rage."

Lee in Canton, Ohio: "Cell phones should not be allowed on planes. It's hard enough dealing with crying babies and bad food. I don't want to hear about someone's personal life as I'm trying to sleep through the flight, not to mention those annoying ring tones."

And then Reg has some perspective from Thunder Bay, as he usually does: "Yes, they should be allowed. And horseless carriages should be allowed to travel on public roads without a man running ahead waving a red lantern, Jack. Let's try to get real here."

SERWER: Yes.

O'BRIEN: I'm with Reg on this one.

CAFFERTY: Yes?

O'BRIEN: Yes.

SERWER: You don't want to sit next to someone, like, "Hello, can you get my dry cleaning?" Like that close.

O'BRIEN: But, you know, what, though, everyone is so busy.

SERWER: Yes.

O'BRIEN: Everyone is so busy. I need the extra number of hours on a plane to get work done.

SERWER: It's true.

O'BRIEN: And I have a phone.

SERWER: But you are sitting very close to someone. And if someone has this long conversation...

O'BRIEN: I know, but I listen in.

CAFFERTY: I've worked with you for a couple of years here. Now, you may be trying to suck up to the CNN bosses, but you don't work that hard. I watch you. You spend a lot of time loping around, doing nothing.

SERWER: That's an unusual take on that. Hit him with your cell phone. Hit him with your cell phone.

CAFFERTY: She really doesn't work that hard, Mr. Walton, if you're watching.

O'BRIEN: All right.

SERWER: I think it's time to read the prompter again. Again. Just leave it.

(CROSSTALK)

O'BRIEN: Thank you.

SERWER: Yes.

O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, Anna Kournikova and Enrique Inglesias. Do they have something to hide? We're going to find out what they're up to. "90-Second Pop" is just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Oh, another time, another chapter with "90-Second Pop" -- whatever it says there on the prompter. Sorry. We're off to a good start. That's what I love about this segment.

Let's get right to the guests, shall we? And they can save me. Andy Borowitz, the head of humor at BorowitzReport.com. Sarah Bernard, contributing editor for "New York" magazine. Toure, CNN's pop culture correspondent.

Good morning. Good morning. Good morning.

Anna Kournikova and -- what's his face? -- Inglesias...

TOURE, CNN POP CULTURE CORRESPONDENT: Enrique.

SARAH BERNARD, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, "NEW YORK" MAGAZINE: Enrique.

O'BRIEN: Enrique, Enrique. True? Not true? Breaking news here?

BERNARD: Apparently, they have gotten married earlier this month in a secret ceremony. This is the news from "US Weekly" that we're hearing. And...

O'BRIEN: In Puerto Vallarta, the Love Boat.

BERNARD: Puerto Vallarta, I know, it's what I think of every time. On the Love Boat.

ANDY BOROWITZ, BOROWITZREPORT.COM: It was fabulous, by the way.

BERNARD: There were three people there, and Anna, Andy and Enrique.

BOROWITZ: I (UNINTELLIGIBLE). BERNARD: Now, this is the funny celebrity trend, right? It used to be that you had these lavish weddings. Remember Madonna's first wedding, where the helicopters were circling overhead? And now...

BOROWITZ: Sean Penn.

BERNARD: Right. Now it's like you have to have the quiet secret, did they get married, did they not?

O'BRIEN: To avoid the paparazzi.

BERNARD: Right.

BOROWITZ: Right.

BERNARD: So, it proves all the more that Star and Al got it totally wrong.

BOROWITZ: Wrong.

BERNARD: Totally the opposite.

O'BRIEN: Here's the curve and here's where they are, way behind it.

BERNARD: Exactly. Now, the funny thing about this is the way they met is that she was actually starring as his girlfriend in one of his videos. So, from then on they were together. This is a new way for rock stars to find girls, don't you think? You just cast them in your video.

O'BRIEN: A new way? A new way?

BERNARD: Well, they don't always end up in marriage.

O'BRIEN: That's true. But please.

BOROWITZ: I don't know about this marriage.

BERNARD: You don't know about it?

BOROWITZ: No, because she's hot and he's not. So, how are they going to raise the kids?

BERNARD: Oh!

O'BRIEN: He's not, not hot.

TOURE: But they have a lot to talk about, because they're both people who are way more famous than they're good. So, they can really come together on that.

O'BRIEN: And good thing for them. Let's move on. Madonna, guess what, is doing another movie? How great is that?

BOROWITZ: That's right. Well, it's with her husband, Guy Richie. I guess it's a gangster film called "Revolver." I just -- you know, I've looked into this, and I just don't think that couples make good movies. And I'm not singling out Madonna and Guy Richie, also Madonna and Sean Penn, and Madonna and Warren Beatty. It always (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

BERNARD: Right.

BOROWITZ: So...

BERNARD: Ben and Jen.

BOROWITZ: Really, the only couple that's made good films, I think, is, like, Paris Hilton and her boyfriend. I mean, that's like the only one thing that stands the test of time. That's in my view.

TOURE: Pam and Tommy Lee, they made a film together.

BERNARD: That's right.

(CROSSTALK)

O'BRIEN: OK. All right. You know what? I said we're going to keep...

TOURE: We're dipping low, low, low today.

O'BRIEN: Circling the drain, as my girlfriend says. Circling the drain this morning on "90-Second Pop."

BOROWITZ: It's another name for this segment.

O'BRIEN: We're going to call it...

TOURE: Hello, can we change the segment?

O'BRIEN: Call it circling the drain. Interesting. We'll take that on advisement.

There is a really bizarre battle going on.

TOURE: Oh, yes.

O'BRIEN: And it's between Kobe Bryant and Karl Malone. Apparently, Kobe Bryant's wife, Vanessa, said that Karl Malone said something inappropriate, hitting on her kind of thing. What happened?

TOURE: Well, they were at the game together. Karl is not playing right now. And Vanessa Lane Bryant asked him to come sit with her...

O'BRIEN: He's injured, right?

TOURE: Right. At a Lakers game. And he was wearing cowboy boots and a hat. And she said, "What are you hunting?" And then she said it again. And he said, "I'm hunting little Mexican girls." Now, he said something inappropriate. Kobe suggests that he made also a further pass at his wife. But before we jump on Karl's back, let's not forgot that Kobe has recently had fights with Shaq, Phil Jackson, Ray Allen from the Seattle Supersonics.

(CROSSTALK)

O'BRIEN: OK. This is the same wife he cheated on, right?

TOURE: Exactly.

BERNARD: Right.

(CROSSTALK)

TOURE: And he's calling the Malone's house saying, you know, "Leave my wife alone." If you are fighting with everybody, it may not be everybody else's fault. It might be you.

BOROWITZ: I think it's time for Karl Malone to retire. When you make at a pass at a woman and it's blocked, that's it. That's it.

TOURE: But Kobe is a really troubled guy, right?

O'BRIEN: It's unraveling.

TOURE: I mean, I think this is about keeping Karl off the team. He wants it all for himself. He's super egomaniac. Even for an athlete he's a super egomaniac.

BERNARD: Maybe it's time for him to just chill out and not draw attention to himself.

TOURE: I know.

O'BRIEN: But you know what?

TOURE: Lay low.

BERNARD: Yes.

O'BRIEN: With that, we go, because we're out of time. You guys, as always, thank you.

Let's go back to Mr. Hemmer in Tokyo -- Bill.

HEMMER: All right, Soledad, thanks.

In a moment here, the Japanese youth have a reputation for pushing the pop trend to the edge. In a moment, what could be the next look for teenage America. We'll show it to you in a moment. Live in Tokyo on this AMERICAN MORNING.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.