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American Morning
'90-Second Pop'; Americans in Gulag
Aired February 11, 2005 - 09:30 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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Hundreds of families in Venezuela have been evacuated due to massive flooding. The rescue operation is taking place in the same area where heavy rains and flooding left thousands dead more than five years ago. The rains are expected to continue throughout the weekend.
And volunteers are putting the finishing touches today on a work of art that stretches for miles across New York's Central Park. It's called the gates. There you see one of the gates going up, 7,500 archways draped in saffron cloth. They haven't unfurled the cloth yet. The installation is designed by the artist Christo and his wife, Jean Claude. The gates will be up through the end of the month.
O'BRIEN: It would be beautiful and very moving. I'm very excited that the two of you are going. I mean, Christo's wrapped a lot of things in cloth of various colors.
COSTELLO: This time you can just run through the cloth, down a pathway.
O'BRIEN: A version of wrapping stuff up. All right, I'll buy it. You go, Christo. I'm all for it.
Carol, thanks very much. A report out today may shed new light on a lingering mystery. Were U.S. service members imprisoned in the Soviet Union's Gulag, a network of forced labor camps. And if so, whatever became of them? This exclusive story now from CNN's Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr.
Hey, Barbara, good morning.
BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Soledad.
It is a remarkable report from the Pentagon today. Could American servicemen have died inside the Soviet Union unnoticed as prisoners of war?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STARR (voice-over): The Soviet Union forced labor camp, millions imprisoned, dying in the Gulag as enemies of the state in the most remote areas of the country. The camps are now gone, but half a century later, a mystery remains. Were American servicemen imprisoned in the Gulag after their capture during the Korean conflict and the Cold War? Did American POWs die here?
NORMAN KASS, U.S. RUSSIAN CMSN. ON POW/MIAS: I personally would be comfortable saying that the number is in the hundreds.
STARR (on camera): That you believe died inside the Soviet Gulag?
KASS: That I believe were taken into the soviet union. And I frankly have no way of being able to say how many of them wound up where and how many of them perished there, how many may have been sent from there and may still be there.
STARR (voice-over): For more than a decade, Norman Kass has investigated dozens of reports Americans were seen inside the Gulag. Snippets of information about hundreds of camps that stretched across the Soviet Union. A new Pentagon study has a startling look at what may have happened.
At one Siberian camp, the daughter of a prisoner recently said her father met an American there named Stanley Warner. Investigators were stunned. Forty-five years earlier, another prisoner had reported three American soldiers in the same camp, one named Stanley Warner.
An internal Pentagon document concludes there is a high probability American citizens, or possibly U.S. or British POWs, died in that camp. Kass and his team are continuing the hunt for more clues on all the reports of Americans dying in the Soviet Gulag.
KASS: From our standpoint, it doesn't matter if someone is missing from the current conflicts that we have today, or someone missing from 50, 60 years ago.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STARR: And, Soledad, tonight on "NEWSNIGHT," we will bring you the story of a woman whose brother was shot down over the Soviet Union, part of a U.S. Air Force crew. He was later reported to be seen alive inside the camps, and later reported to have been killed there -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: God, how horrible for these families who just don't know what happened.
Barbara Starr at the Pentagon. Fascinating report, Barbara, thanks -- Bill.
HEMMER: Soledad, from Florida now, a newborn baby boy is thrown from a moving car in Ft. Lauderdale. Now, police are asking for the public's help in trying to find the baby's parents. The Broward County Sheriff is Ken Jenne.
Earlier today, he told us about how the baby boy is doing this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHERIFF KEN JENNE, BROWARD CO. FLORIDA: Doing very good. While it's listed in serious condition, it's not in critical shape. There's no serious injuries from being tossed or from the birth. So we're looking forward for the boy to be very, very healthy.
HEMMER: You had an eyewitness a woman who described what she saw. She says this was a young couple, arguing apparently when a bundle was thrown from the car. What happened next, sheriff?
JENNE: We -- this is more than a witness. This woman is a good samaritan. She thought, actually, it was a puppy when I was talking to her, and she got out of the car to retrieve the package, the puppy, and opened up the package and found the little one-hour-old boy there.
HEMMER: You say one hour.
JENNE: She was on obviously...
HEMMER: Was this baby one-hour old?
JENNE: Yes, it was one-hour old. The paramedics are estimating that, the birth, because of the umbilical cord and the dryness of it. They estimated that it was about an hour old when the woman happened upon it. And so it was lucky that the birth was new and we had a witness that was also a good samaritan, would take the time, the effort in what she thought was retrieving a puppy.
HEMMER: It is also reported. I think you said last night, the baby had a plastic bag on its head. What would explain that, sheriff?
JENNE: Well we think that the baby was wrapped in a plastic bag as it was tossed from the car, and I think it was just a way of possibly clothing the child. It was tossed into a swale (ph) area, obviously abandoned, without any real thought of what was going to happen to this child.
HEMMER: Do you have a good description of the car from this good samaritan?
JENNE: That's part of the problem we have. We have a description of the automobile, that it was about a five-year-old, white police-looking type of car, an older model. Also, that the driver of the car had an afro, about a three-inch afro, and the woman had blond hair. We do not know if the two people in the car, obviously, at this point, mother and father, mother or what it is. But we're very anxious that this couple come in, talk to us. We have asked the public to participate with us in trying to find the mother and also the father of this child.
HEMMER: I have a phone number here for Crime Stoppers. We'll let our viewers know now. It's 954-493-TIPS. Spell it out, it's "tips." Is it possible this baby, sheriff, was born in that car?
JENNE: It's very possible that the baby was born in the car, because we know there were bodily fluids, birth fluids all over the child when the good samaritan actually picked up the child. So I would believe that the -- it was a very good chance that the baby was born in that white automobile.
(END VIDEOTAPE) HEMMER: Broward County Sheriff Ken Jenne earlier today. Again, that information -- that number for information anyway, 954-493-TIPS. It's there on the screen.
Baseball star Jason Giambi says he is sorry, but he never actually used the word "steroid" at yesterday's news conference.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JASON GIAMBI, NEW YORK YANKEES FIRST BASEMAN: Over the past year, and I wanted to apologize for all those distractions, from the bottom of my heart. I take full responsibility for it, and I'm sorry.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Giambi did say that he told the truth in his grand jury testimony. Giambi admitted to steroid use in testimony that was linked to "The San Francisco Chronicle." The grand jury is investigating the BALCO steroid scandal. Jason Giambi has four years and $82 million left on his contract with the New York Yankees.
The Indiana Pacers are also doing some image polishing. The team announcing yesterday that it will donate $2.4 million to Indianapolis Children's Charities. The money comes from the fines that were levied against five Pacers players for their roles in last November's brawl with Detroit Pistons fans.
HEMMER: "Desperate Housewives" in the headlines again today, this time for the personal life of one of its leading ladies. Marcia Cross, who plays Brie Van De Kamp on the show, is denying reports that she's gay. The rumor started earlier this month. Cross was planning of posing for "The Advocate," a gay magazine, and her publicists says the rumors are, quote, "completely untrue," but adds that the actress is very supportive of the gay community.
Also the world now getting a new look at Julia Roberts's new twins. Photos of mom and 12-week-old babies appearing "People" magazine, hits newsstands today, in fact, and the man behind the camera, none other than Robert's husband, movie cameraman, Danny Moder. He's qualified, right? The couple sold the photos to "People" magazine. All the proceeds go to charity. We wish them the best as well.
O'BRIEN: Yes, those are some cute little babies.
HEMMER: Indeed.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: Usher was music's man of the year back in 2004. Well, an artist you may have never heard of before may steal the spotlight come Sunday night. "90-Second Pop" is up in a moment here. All Grammys, on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: There's only 10 words in that song. One of them is "yeah, yeah, yeah."
Good morning. A special Grammy edition of "90-Second Pop". Joining us this morning are a couple of pop newcomers. Karyn Bryant, she is the host of "Showbiz Tonight," which, by the way, is premiering on "CNN HEADLINE NEWS" a little bit later this month.
Welcome to you.
KARYN BRYANT, CNN HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Welcome to the CNN family. It's nice to have you.
BRYANT: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Ken Tucker is "New York" magazine's film critic. He's also the author of "Kissing Bill O'Reilly, Roasting Miss Piggy." And I notice in that book I read you like "Silk Stockings," a show that no one but you and I have seen, by the way.
Also, pop veteran, Crystal McCrary Anthony. She is the author of "Gotham Diaries."
Nice to have you all joining us this morning.
Karyn, we're going to begin with you as our newcomer de jour.
BRYANT: OK.
O'BRIEN: Kanye West, yes, he is, like, the latest, hottest coolest, greatest. "College Dropout" is the name of his debut CD.
BRYANT: Right.
O'BRIEN: But beyond the fact that, OK, we get it, he's a college dropout...
BRYANT: Sure.
O'BRIEN: ... what else do we know about him?
BRYANT: Well, Kanye West was a producer for a lot of other people, and he's one of those guys who finally said, you know what? I'm going to get out from behind the boards and get behind the mic instead. He produced a number of hits for big artists like Jay-Z, written for, you know, Alicia Keys, Ludacris.
But in 2000 he, you know, decided, I'm going to start to do my own thing. He got in a really bad car accident in 2002, had his jaw wired shut. Then recorded a song called "Through the Wire" about his experience literally with his jaw shut (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
O'BRIEN: How did it sound?
BRYANT: It's actually fantastic, and it turned into a great big hit for him. And he then had more hits with "Slow Jamz."
KEN TUCKER, AUTHOR, "KISSING BILL O'REILLY, ROASTING MISS PIGGY": "Jesus Walks," that song...
BRYANT: It was fantastic.
TUCKER: ... a little-known fact, that song was actually called "Some Guy Walks," but Mel Gibson called him up and said, go with "Jesus." It worked with me.
BRYANT: Jesus, right, right.
CRYSTAL MCCRARY ANTHONY, AUTHOR, "GOTHAM DIARIES": That's a little-known story.
O'BRIEN: Do you guys predict he's going to walk away with...
ANTHONY: Yes.
BRYANT: Well, the thing is, he's extremely talented, and he's the first person to let you know that. And he'll probably win a couple of things.
O'BRIEN: A rapper with a big ego? What?
BRYANT: It's outrageous.
ANTHONY: You know, what's unique also about Kanye West is that he has the trifecta appeal.
TUCKER: Right.
ANTHONY: He appeals to the critics...
TUCKER: Yes.
ANTHONY: ... other musicians, and he has the record sales to back him up.
O'BRIEN: Yes. It seems like he has a lot of credibility certainly with the artists that he's worked with.
BRYANT: Absolutely.
O'BRIEN: He is a real musician instead of a fake-o (ph) rapper.
BRYANT: And a hit-maker for sure.
O'BRIEN: A fake-o (ph) wrapper.
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: J. Lo and Marc Anthony, have they even admitted they're married yet? I mean, the last time I saw them, you know, holding out the ring but, like, we're not talking about our marriage/non-marriage.
ANTHONY: Well, they've never really been seen in public together, have they? I mean, they always go in separate entrances.
O'BRIEN: No, right. OK.
ANTHONY: Well, this is their official appearance together. They're going to be performing a duet at the Grammys. But, you know, with Queen Latifah hosting and Stevie Wonder, Bono, Alicia Keys performing together for a special tsunami relief...
O'BRIEN: So it's a huge lineup.
ANTHONY: It's an extravaganza. I mean, quite frankly, I don't know really who is going be talking about J.Lo and Mark Anthony. Everybody will be talking about Stevie Wonder.
TUCKER: I worry about this poor, thin Marc Anthony. I think one good hip shake from J.Lo and he's going to go flying across that stage.
BRYANT: Well, you know, the thing is too, is Marc Anthony is a terrific performer. He's a fantastic singer. Jennifer is a...
O'BRIEN: I want to hear how you're going to put this, because I was going to raise this question. I want to hear how you're going to say this.
BRYANT: Jennifer, she's a performer as well, but she's a show person. You know what I mean? And I think...
O'BRIEN: Oh, very tastefully done to say that she actually...
BRYANT: Sure.
O'BRIEN: ... is not quite as talented as her husband.
BRYANT: Well, but, she's extremely talented, maybe not as much as a singer, but as a performer I think she really has a lot going for her. I just don't think she's going to come out and, you know, wave a pregnancy test and say I'm pregnant. And, I mean, what are people really waiting for? This big announcement from them at the end of their song? I don't really know.
O'BRIEN: As you said, you've got Bono, you've got Alicia, come on.
(CROSSTALK)
ANTHONY: I think Monday morning people are going to be talking about Stevie Wonder. If anybody has seen him in concert, I mean, he doesn't get tired. The audience gets tired.
TUCKER: An unseen presence, Ray Charles, I think, could be a presence, nominated for a lot of awards.
O'BRIEN: Could we talk about the Susan Lucci of the Grammys, which, I think...
TUCKER: You mean Rod Stewart, who is beginning to look like Susan Lucci?
O'BRIEN: Yes, it's true. You know...
TUCKER: You know...
BRYANT: In more ways than one, right?
TUCKER: You know, Rod never won a Grammy when he should have, i.e., 30 years ago. So, now he's doing the last refuge of the rock- and-roll washed-up, which is, you know, recording standards, "Embraceable You."
O'BRIEN: OK. I love him, first of all, so...
TUCKER: Well, but he's...
BRYANT: Look at her, back off!
TUCKER: Yes, but listen...
O'BRIEN: Let's talk about Rod.
TUCKER: He's croaking through "Baby, It's Cold Outside," you know, things like that. It's kind of sad.
BRYANT: But he had surgery.
TUCKER: Well, who could tell with Rod Stewart? But I think he really stands a chance of winning.
O'BRIEN: I was going to say, because the Grammys, like, are often the Academy Awards. It's like even after the...
TUCKER: Yes.
O'BRIEN: ... window closes, someone wins an award. And you're like, they should have won that.
BRYANT: It's a lifetime achievement award for him, I think it's going to be.
TUCKER: It's kind of a gimme, and if you can't beat, you know, Ronny Milsap, who can you not beat?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love Ronny Milsap.
ANTHONY: You know, he's also up against Bette Midler...
TUCKER: Yes.
ANTHONY: ... and Barbara Streisand.
BRYANT: Right. But in the traditional pop category, he's up against Manseeni Milsap (ph).
TUCKER: Right, right.
BRYANT: And...
TUCKER: Barbara Cook (ph)...
BRYANT: Right, right, right.
TUCKER: ... who really deserves to win.
BRYANT: But people do love Rod Stewart, and he has a cross- generational appeal. And I think he probably will finally get it.
TUCKER: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Any wardrobe malfunctions?
TUCKER: A possibility.
BRYANT: Only hair problems.
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: Or a weave might fall out.
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: We will see. I will watch for that, right?
BRYANT: Yes, right.
O'BRIEN: You guys, as always, thank you very much. And welcome to you, Karyn.
BRYANT: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Again, we should mention is one of the hosts of "Showbiz Tonight." It's TV's only live nightly entertainment news show. It debuts on February 21 at 7:00 p.m. Eastern on "CNN HEADLINE NEWS." Look at that picture you got.
TUCKER: Wow!
ANTHONY: Wow!
O'BRIEN: That's the serious journalist shot.
TUCKER: That's right.
O'BRIEN: Yummy. Thanks. It's nice to see you guys -- Bill.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: Good luck. Thanks, Soledad. He delivered two people from danger while delivering the mail. A heroic mailman and a grateful community, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
O'BRIEN: Final look at the "Question of the Day."
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Where's Andy? Wasn't he here earlier? I could swear I saw him in the 7:00 hour at some point.
O'BRIEN: He's a devoted daddy and he ran off to some school event.
HEMMER: But he will be back in the much-coveted recording.
CAFFERTY: Yes, we taped that business show, that "IN THE MONEY" situation. All right, the question is this: should the United States agree to bilateral talks with North Korea? I don't care.
O'BRIEN: What? It's critical. I think this is a good "Question of the Day."
HEMMER: That's two days in a row you haven't cared.
O'BRIEN: I care, I care.
CAFFERTY: Soledad cares for both of us. Bilateral talks.
This is Willie in Yonkers: "Bilateral talks? Sure. We ask them to surrender and then they either say yes or no."
Anonymous: "Here's an excellent bargaining chip the Bush administration can use with impoverished North Korea. If they drop their nuclear program, they too can cash in on all the American jobs being sent over to the other non-democratic Asian countries."
Bob writes: "Jack, a guy that goes through $800,000 in brandy a year is quite liable to ask for anything. Ask Hennessey how they deal with him."
O'BRIEN: That's pretty funny.
HEMMER: Remember Wendy Sherman yesterday? The former ambassador, when she was on. That whole issue about nuclear envy. That maybe it worked here, if Iran is getting all the attention, North Korea has to up the stakes so that it gets back into that...
CAFFERTY: Isn't it interesting, the axis of evil countries -- we invaded the only one that doesn't have this stuff?
O'BRIEN: Certainly a power play going on. Jack, thank you very much.
CAFFERTY: You're most welcome, Soledad. Nice to be with you. I hope we can do this again.
O'BRIEN: Maybe Monday, say.
CAFFERTY: Cool. Let's meet here about 5:00 in the morning.
O'BRIEN: Fantastic. I'll see you then.
HEMMER: Valentine's day is Monday, too. Just around the corner, still haven't found the perfect gift yet? CNN LIVE TODAY has top five buying tips for diamonds. Are some of the fakes as good, rather, as the real deal?
O'BRIEN: No.
HEMMER: Right. Rick and Betty have that next hour. Back in a moment here on AMERICAN MORNING right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: You know what they say, neither wind nor rain, nothing at all can stop a postal worker. In this week's "Extra Effort," even a fire didn't stop a Miami mailman from going beyond the call of duty. CNN's John Zarrella has his story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILLIE HAYWARD MAILMAN: Hello there.
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): All along Willie Hayward's route, people had heard their mail carrier was a hero.
HAYWARD: Good morning, everybody.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Congratulations.
HAYWARD: Thank you all. Thank you all very much.
ZARRELLA: For 20 years Hayward has been walking the same streets in Miami's Buena Vista neighborhood. On one particular Monday, something wasn't right when Willie arrived at this apartment complex.
HAYWARD: As I walked past the door, I heard the smoke alarm going off.
ZARRELLA: The sound was coming from apartment 3. Hayward knocked, no one answered.
HAYWARD: I felt this door and I didn't feel any heat. But when I went to the kitchen window, which is approximately right here, I put my hand on the glass and felt the heat.
ZARRELLA: After pounding on the door again, an elderly woman inside opened up. Smoke was everywhere.
MANUELA PERERA, SAVED FROM FIRE: I opened the door and the man, he comes and he says, call the police! Call the police! Right away.
ZARRELLA: After all his years on the route, Hayward knew she didn't live alone. Her husband must still be inside. On his hands and knees, the postman crawled through the apartment looking for Giullermo Perera (ph). The first time he couldn't take the smoke. The second time in, he found the man and pulled him halfway to safety.
HAYWARD: I know he's in there now and I brought him halfway. So I put the towel one more time, I went in there and I grabbed him. And we came out.
ZARRELLA: Others in the building say they, too, owe their lives to their postman.
HAYWARD: I didn't want to go to bed that night thinking I didn't do all I could have possibly done to get him. And I'm glad I had the strength and the courage to go back in to do that.
ZARRELLA: Willie Hayward saved at least two lives that day. He shrugs it off. For him, it was the right thing, the only thing to do. John Zarrella, CNN, Miami.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Here's a question for you. What do you think Willie Hayward did after the rescue? He got back in his truck and then finished his daily route. Good for him. That's a nice story.
HEMMER: Yes. Well done.
About 12 hours away from "NEWSNIGHT." Here's Aaron Brown with a preview now. Where are we? How about over here? Here's Aaron.
AARON BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you, Bill. Tonight on the program, a conversation with hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons. We talk about race, leadership, fatherhood, what makes him go wow, in fact. That plus all the news of the day, morning papers, everything else that makes "NEWSNIGHT", "NEWSNIGHT." CNN tonight. 10:00 p.m. Eastern -- Bill.
HEMMER: All right, thanks for that, we'll see you then. What are we, 72 hours away from our next show?
O'BRIEN: What are you doing for Valentine's Day? Miss Newlywed. Why don't we start with you?
COSTELLO: My husband's out of town! On our first Valentine's Day as a married couple. There's something wrong with that.
O'BRIEN: Make him pay, honey.
CAFFERTY: Maybe he's got a girlfriend somewhere else.
COSTELLO: Oh, stop.
CAFFERTY: Just a thought.
O'BRIEN: That was so inappropriate.
(CROSSTALK)
HEMMER: Funny, but inappropriate. CAFFERTY: Like most of my stuff.
O'BRIEN: And how about you, Jack? What are you doing for Valentine's Day?
CAFFERTY: When is it?
O'BRIEN: It's Monday.
CAFFERTY: I'm probably just working.
HEMMER: I'm taking my -- you going to ask me?
O'BRIEN: Sure, what are you doing?
HEMMER: Thank you. I'm taking my -- well, wait. I'm taking my mountain bike to the bike Christo (ph) display. How about that? Aww, cheer up.
O'BRIEN: I think my husband's out of town, too, actually.
COSTELLO: Maybe they're together somewhere.
CAFFERTY: Can you tell who the married people with children are on the panel? You and me, kid.
O'BRIEN: Yes, we got nothing going on.
CAFFERTY: Nothing going on.
O'BRIEN: I hear ya.
HEMMER: Carol's married.
CAFFERTY: I said married people with children.
COSTELLO: I got nothing going on, just because my husband's out of town, though. I'm sure he'll be doing something special for me on Sunday.
O'BRIEN: Exactly. I'm sure he's planning something very, very big.
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 February 11, 2005 - 09:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Hundreds of families in Venezuela have been evacuated due to massive flooding. The rescue operation is taking place in the same area where heavy rains and flooding left thousands dead more than five years ago. The rains are expected to continue throughout the weekend.
And volunteers are putting the finishing touches today on a work of art that stretches for miles across New York's Central Park. It's called the gates. There you see one of the gates going up, 7,500 archways draped in saffron cloth. They haven't unfurled the cloth yet. The installation is designed by the artist Christo and his wife, Jean Claude. The gates will be up through the end of the month.
O'BRIEN: It would be beautiful and very moving. I'm very excited that the two of you are going. I mean, Christo's wrapped a lot of things in cloth of various colors.
COSTELLO: This time you can just run through the cloth, down a pathway.
O'BRIEN: A version of wrapping stuff up. All right, I'll buy it. You go, Christo. I'm all for it.
Carol, thanks very much. A report out today may shed new light on a lingering mystery. Were U.S. service members imprisoned in the Soviet Union's Gulag, a network of forced labor camps. And if so, whatever became of them? This exclusive story now from CNN's Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr.
Hey, Barbara, good morning.
BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Soledad.
It is a remarkable report from the Pentagon today. Could American servicemen have died inside the Soviet Union unnoticed as prisoners of war?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STARR (voice-over): The Soviet Union forced labor camp, millions imprisoned, dying in the Gulag as enemies of the state in the most remote areas of the country. The camps are now gone, but half a century later, a mystery remains. Were American servicemen imprisoned in the Gulag after their capture during the Korean conflict and the Cold War? Did American POWs die here?
NORMAN KASS, U.S. RUSSIAN CMSN. ON POW/MIAS: I personally would be comfortable saying that the number is in the hundreds.
STARR (on camera): That you believe died inside the Soviet Gulag?
KASS: That I believe were taken into the soviet union. And I frankly have no way of being able to say how many of them wound up where and how many of them perished there, how many may have been sent from there and may still be there.
STARR (voice-over): For more than a decade, Norman Kass has investigated dozens of reports Americans were seen inside the Gulag. Snippets of information about hundreds of camps that stretched across the Soviet Union. A new Pentagon study has a startling look at what may have happened.
At one Siberian camp, the daughter of a prisoner recently said her father met an American there named Stanley Warner. Investigators were stunned. Forty-five years earlier, another prisoner had reported three American soldiers in the same camp, one named Stanley Warner.
An internal Pentagon document concludes there is a high probability American citizens, or possibly U.S. or British POWs, died in that camp. Kass and his team are continuing the hunt for more clues on all the reports of Americans dying in the Soviet Gulag.
KASS: From our standpoint, it doesn't matter if someone is missing from the current conflicts that we have today, or someone missing from 50, 60 years ago.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STARR: And, Soledad, tonight on "NEWSNIGHT," we will bring you the story of a woman whose brother was shot down over the Soviet Union, part of a U.S. Air Force crew. He was later reported to be seen alive inside the camps, and later reported to have been killed there -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: God, how horrible for these families who just don't know what happened.
Barbara Starr at the Pentagon. Fascinating report, Barbara, thanks -- Bill.
HEMMER: Soledad, from Florida now, a newborn baby boy is thrown from a moving car in Ft. Lauderdale. Now, police are asking for the public's help in trying to find the baby's parents. The Broward County Sheriff is Ken Jenne.
Earlier today, he told us about how the baby boy is doing this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHERIFF KEN JENNE, BROWARD CO. FLORIDA: Doing very good. While it's listed in serious condition, it's not in critical shape. There's no serious injuries from being tossed or from the birth. So we're looking forward for the boy to be very, very healthy.
HEMMER: You had an eyewitness a woman who described what she saw. She says this was a young couple, arguing apparently when a bundle was thrown from the car. What happened next, sheriff?
JENNE: We -- this is more than a witness. This woman is a good samaritan. She thought, actually, it was a puppy when I was talking to her, and she got out of the car to retrieve the package, the puppy, and opened up the package and found the little one-hour-old boy there.
HEMMER: You say one hour.
JENNE: She was on obviously...
HEMMER: Was this baby one-hour old?
JENNE: Yes, it was one-hour old. The paramedics are estimating that, the birth, because of the umbilical cord and the dryness of it. They estimated that it was about an hour old when the woman happened upon it. And so it was lucky that the birth was new and we had a witness that was also a good samaritan, would take the time, the effort in what she thought was retrieving a puppy.
HEMMER: It is also reported. I think you said last night, the baby had a plastic bag on its head. What would explain that, sheriff?
JENNE: Well we think that the baby was wrapped in a plastic bag as it was tossed from the car, and I think it was just a way of possibly clothing the child. It was tossed into a swale (ph) area, obviously abandoned, without any real thought of what was going to happen to this child.
HEMMER: Do you have a good description of the car from this good samaritan?
JENNE: That's part of the problem we have. We have a description of the automobile, that it was about a five-year-old, white police-looking type of car, an older model. Also, that the driver of the car had an afro, about a three-inch afro, and the woman had blond hair. We do not know if the two people in the car, obviously, at this point, mother and father, mother or what it is. But we're very anxious that this couple come in, talk to us. We have asked the public to participate with us in trying to find the mother and also the father of this child.
HEMMER: I have a phone number here for Crime Stoppers. We'll let our viewers know now. It's 954-493-TIPS. Spell it out, it's "tips." Is it possible this baby, sheriff, was born in that car?
JENNE: It's very possible that the baby was born in the car, because we know there were bodily fluids, birth fluids all over the child when the good samaritan actually picked up the child. So I would believe that the -- it was a very good chance that the baby was born in that white automobile.
(END VIDEOTAPE) HEMMER: Broward County Sheriff Ken Jenne earlier today. Again, that information -- that number for information anyway, 954-493-TIPS. It's there on the screen.
Baseball star Jason Giambi says he is sorry, but he never actually used the word "steroid" at yesterday's news conference.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JASON GIAMBI, NEW YORK YANKEES FIRST BASEMAN: Over the past year, and I wanted to apologize for all those distractions, from the bottom of my heart. I take full responsibility for it, and I'm sorry.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Giambi did say that he told the truth in his grand jury testimony. Giambi admitted to steroid use in testimony that was linked to "The San Francisco Chronicle." The grand jury is investigating the BALCO steroid scandal. Jason Giambi has four years and $82 million left on his contract with the New York Yankees.
The Indiana Pacers are also doing some image polishing. The team announcing yesterday that it will donate $2.4 million to Indianapolis Children's Charities. The money comes from the fines that were levied against five Pacers players for their roles in last November's brawl with Detroit Pistons fans.
HEMMER: "Desperate Housewives" in the headlines again today, this time for the personal life of one of its leading ladies. Marcia Cross, who plays Brie Van De Kamp on the show, is denying reports that she's gay. The rumor started earlier this month. Cross was planning of posing for "The Advocate," a gay magazine, and her publicists says the rumors are, quote, "completely untrue," but adds that the actress is very supportive of the gay community.
Also the world now getting a new look at Julia Roberts's new twins. Photos of mom and 12-week-old babies appearing "People" magazine, hits newsstands today, in fact, and the man behind the camera, none other than Robert's husband, movie cameraman, Danny Moder. He's qualified, right? The couple sold the photos to "People" magazine. All the proceeds go to charity. We wish them the best as well.
O'BRIEN: Yes, those are some cute little babies.
HEMMER: Indeed.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: Usher was music's man of the year back in 2004. Well, an artist you may have never heard of before may steal the spotlight come Sunday night. "90-Second Pop" is up in a moment here. All Grammys, on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: There's only 10 words in that song. One of them is "yeah, yeah, yeah."
Good morning. A special Grammy edition of "90-Second Pop". Joining us this morning are a couple of pop newcomers. Karyn Bryant, she is the host of "Showbiz Tonight," which, by the way, is premiering on "CNN HEADLINE NEWS" a little bit later this month.
Welcome to you.
KARYN BRYANT, CNN HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Welcome to the CNN family. It's nice to have you.
BRYANT: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Ken Tucker is "New York" magazine's film critic. He's also the author of "Kissing Bill O'Reilly, Roasting Miss Piggy." And I notice in that book I read you like "Silk Stockings," a show that no one but you and I have seen, by the way.
Also, pop veteran, Crystal McCrary Anthony. She is the author of "Gotham Diaries."
Nice to have you all joining us this morning.
Karyn, we're going to begin with you as our newcomer de jour.
BRYANT: OK.
O'BRIEN: Kanye West, yes, he is, like, the latest, hottest coolest, greatest. "College Dropout" is the name of his debut CD.
BRYANT: Right.
O'BRIEN: But beyond the fact that, OK, we get it, he's a college dropout...
BRYANT: Sure.
O'BRIEN: ... what else do we know about him?
BRYANT: Well, Kanye West was a producer for a lot of other people, and he's one of those guys who finally said, you know what? I'm going to get out from behind the boards and get behind the mic instead. He produced a number of hits for big artists like Jay-Z, written for, you know, Alicia Keys, Ludacris.
But in 2000 he, you know, decided, I'm going to start to do my own thing. He got in a really bad car accident in 2002, had his jaw wired shut. Then recorded a song called "Through the Wire" about his experience literally with his jaw shut (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
O'BRIEN: How did it sound?
BRYANT: It's actually fantastic, and it turned into a great big hit for him. And he then had more hits with "Slow Jamz."
KEN TUCKER, AUTHOR, "KISSING BILL O'REILLY, ROASTING MISS PIGGY": "Jesus Walks," that song...
BRYANT: It was fantastic.
TUCKER: ... a little-known fact, that song was actually called "Some Guy Walks," but Mel Gibson called him up and said, go with "Jesus." It worked with me.
BRYANT: Jesus, right, right.
CRYSTAL MCCRARY ANTHONY, AUTHOR, "GOTHAM DIARIES": That's a little-known story.
O'BRIEN: Do you guys predict he's going to walk away with...
ANTHONY: Yes.
BRYANT: Well, the thing is, he's extremely talented, and he's the first person to let you know that. And he'll probably win a couple of things.
O'BRIEN: A rapper with a big ego? What?
BRYANT: It's outrageous.
ANTHONY: You know, what's unique also about Kanye West is that he has the trifecta appeal.
TUCKER: Right.
ANTHONY: He appeals to the critics...
TUCKER: Yes.
ANTHONY: ... other musicians, and he has the record sales to back him up.
O'BRIEN: Yes. It seems like he has a lot of credibility certainly with the artists that he's worked with.
BRYANT: Absolutely.
O'BRIEN: He is a real musician instead of a fake-o (ph) rapper.
BRYANT: And a hit-maker for sure.
O'BRIEN: A fake-o (ph) wrapper.
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: J. Lo and Marc Anthony, have they even admitted they're married yet? I mean, the last time I saw them, you know, holding out the ring but, like, we're not talking about our marriage/non-marriage.
ANTHONY: Well, they've never really been seen in public together, have they? I mean, they always go in separate entrances.
O'BRIEN: No, right. OK.
ANTHONY: Well, this is their official appearance together. They're going to be performing a duet at the Grammys. But, you know, with Queen Latifah hosting and Stevie Wonder, Bono, Alicia Keys performing together for a special tsunami relief...
O'BRIEN: So it's a huge lineup.
ANTHONY: It's an extravaganza. I mean, quite frankly, I don't know really who is going be talking about J.Lo and Mark Anthony. Everybody will be talking about Stevie Wonder.
TUCKER: I worry about this poor, thin Marc Anthony. I think one good hip shake from J.Lo and he's going to go flying across that stage.
BRYANT: Well, you know, the thing is too, is Marc Anthony is a terrific performer. He's a fantastic singer. Jennifer is a...
O'BRIEN: I want to hear how you're going to put this, because I was going to raise this question. I want to hear how you're going to say this.
BRYANT: Jennifer, she's a performer as well, but she's a show person. You know what I mean? And I think...
O'BRIEN: Oh, very tastefully done to say that she actually...
BRYANT: Sure.
O'BRIEN: ... is not quite as talented as her husband.
BRYANT: Well, but, she's extremely talented, maybe not as much as a singer, but as a performer I think she really has a lot going for her. I just don't think she's going to come out and, you know, wave a pregnancy test and say I'm pregnant. And, I mean, what are people really waiting for? This big announcement from them at the end of their song? I don't really know.
O'BRIEN: As you said, you've got Bono, you've got Alicia, come on.
(CROSSTALK)
ANTHONY: I think Monday morning people are going to be talking about Stevie Wonder. If anybody has seen him in concert, I mean, he doesn't get tired. The audience gets tired.
TUCKER: An unseen presence, Ray Charles, I think, could be a presence, nominated for a lot of awards.
O'BRIEN: Could we talk about the Susan Lucci of the Grammys, which, I think...
TUCKER: You mean Rod Stewart, who is beginning to look like Susan Lucci?
O'BRIEN: Yes, it's true. You know...
TUCKER: You know...
BRYANT: In more ways than one, right?
TUCKER: You know, Rod never won a Grammy when he should have, i.e., 30 years ago. So, now he's doing the last refuge of the rock- and-roll washed-up, which is, you know, recording standards, "Embraceable You."
O'BRIEN: OK. I love him, first of all, so...
TUCKER: Well, but he's...
BRYANT: Look at her, back off!
TUCKER: Yes, but listen...
O'BRIEN: Let's talk about Rod.
TUCKER: He's croaking through "Baby, It's Cold Outside," you know, things like that. It's kind of sad.
BRYANT: But he had surgery.
TUCKER: Well, who could tell with Rod Stewart? But I think he really stands a chance of winning.
O'BRIEN: I was going to say, because the Grammys, like, are often the Academy Awards. It's like even after the...
TUCKER: Yes.
O'BRIEN: ... window closes, someone wins an award. And you're like, they should have won that.
BRYANT: It's a lifetime achievement award for him, I think it's going to be.
TUCKER: It's kind of a gimme, and if you can't beat, you know, Ronny Milsap, who can you not beat?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love Ronny Milsap.
ANTHONY: You know, he's also up against Bette Midler...
TUCKER: Yes.
ANTHONY: ... and Barbara Streisand.
BRYANT: Right. But in the traditional pop category, he's up against Manseeni Milsap (ph).
TUCKER: Right, right.
BRYANT: And...
TUCKER: Barbara Cook (ph)...
BRYANT: Right, right, right.
TUCKER: ... who really deserves to win.
BRYANT: But people do love Rod Stewart, and he has a cross- generational appeal. And I think he probably will finally get it.
TUCKER: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Any wardrobe malfunctions?
TUCKER: A possibility.
BRYANT: Only hair problems.
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: Or a weave might fall out.
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: We will see. I will watch for that, right?
BRYANT: Yes, right.
O'BRIEN: You guys, as always, thank you very much. And welcome to you, Karyn.
BRYANT: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Again, we should mention is one of the hosts of "Showbiz Tonight." It's TV's only live nightly entertainment news show. It debuts on February 21 at 7:00 p.m. Eastern on "CNN HEADLINE NEWS." Look at that picture you got.
TUCKER: Wow!
ANTHONY: Wow!
O'BRIEN: That's the serious journalist shot.
TUCKER: That's right.
O'BRIEN: Yummy. Thanks. It's nice to see you guys -- Bill.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: Good luck. Thanks, Soledad. He delivered two people from danger while delivering the mail. A heroic mailman and a grateful community, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
O'BRIEN: Final look at the "Question of the Day."
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Where's Andy? Wasn't he here earlier? I could swear I saw him in the 7:00 hour at some point.
O'BRIEN: He's a devoted daddy and he ran off to some school event.
HEMMER: But he will be back in the much-coveted recording.
CAFFERTY: Yes, we taped that business show, that "IN THE MONEY" situation. All right, the question is this: should the United States agree to bilateral talks with North Korea? I don't care.
O'BRIEN: What? It's critical. I think this is a good "Question of the Day."
HEMMER: That's two days in a row you haven't cared.
O'BRIEN: I care, I care.
CAFFERTY: Soledad cares for both of us. Bilateral talks.
This is Willie in Yonkers: "Bilateral talks? Sure. We ask them to surrender and then they either say yes or no."
Anonymous: "Here's an excellent bargaining chip the Bush administration can use with impoverished North Korea. If they drop their nuclear program, they too can cash in on all the American jobs being sent over to the other non-democratic Asian countries."
Bob writes: "Jack, a guy that goes through $800,000 in brandy a year is quite liable to ask for anything. Ask Hennessey how they deal with him."
O'BRIEN: That's pretty funny.
HEMMER: Remember Wendy Sherman yesterday? The former ambassador, when she was on. That whole issue about nuclear envy. That maybe it worked here, if Iran is getting all the attention, North Korea has to up the stakes so that it gets back into that...
CAFFERTY: Isn't it interesting, the axis of evil countries -- we invaded the only one that doesn't have this stuff?
O'BRIEN: Certainly a power play going on. Jack, thank you very much.
CAFFERTY: You're most welcome, Soledad. Nice to be with you. I hope we can do this again.
O'BRIEN: Maybe Monday, say.
CAFFERTY: Cool. Let's meet here about 5:00 in the morning.
O'BRIEN: Fantastic. I'll see you then.
HEMMER: Valentine's day is Monday, too. Just around the corner, still haven't found the perfect gift yet? CNN LIVE TODAY has top five buying tips for diamonds. Are some of the fakes as good, rather, as the real deal?
O'BRIEN: No.
HEMMER: Right. Rick and Betty have that next hour. Back in a moment here on AMERICAN MORNING right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: You know what they say, neither wind nor rain, nothing at all can stop a postal worker. In this week's "Extra Effort," even a fire didn't stop a Miami mailman from going beyond the call of duty. CNN's John Zarrella has his story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILLIE HAYWARD MAILMAN: Hello there.
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): All along Willie Hayward's route, people had heard their mail carrier was a hero.
HAYWARD: Good morning, everybody.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Congratulations.
HAYWARD: Thank you all. Thank you all very much.
ZARRELLA: For 20 years Hayward has been walking the same streets in Miami's Buena Vista neighborhood. On one particular Monday, something wasn't right when Willie arrived at this apartment complex.
HAYWARD: As I walked past the door, I heard the smoke alarm going off.
ZARRELLA: The sound was coming from apartment 3. Hayward knocked, no one answered.
HAYWARD: I felt this door and I didn't feel any heat. But when I went to the kitchen window, which is approximately right here, I put my hand on the glass and felt the heat.
ZARRELLA: After pounding on the door again, an elderly woman inside opened up. Smoke was everywhere.
MANUELA PERERA, SAVED FROM FIRE: I opened the door and the man, he comes and he says, call the police! Call the police! Right away.
ZARRELLA: After all his years on the route, Hayward knew she didn't live alone. Her husband must still be inside. On his hands and knees, the postman crawled through the apartment looking for Giullermo Perera (ph). The first time he couldn't take the smoke. The second time in, he found the man and pulled him halfway to safety.
HAYWARD: I know he's in there now and I brought him halfway. So I put the towel one more time, I went in there and I grabbed him. And we came out.
ZARRELLA: Others in the building say they, too, owe their lives to their postman.
HAYWARD: I didn't want to go to bed that night thinking I didn't do all I could have possibly done to get him. And I'm glad I had the strength and the courage to go back in to do that.
ZARRELLA: Willie Hayward saved at least two lives that day. He shrugs it off. For him, it was the right thing, the only thing to do. John Zarrella, CNN, Miami.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Here's a question for you. What do you think Willie Hayward did after the rescue? He got back in his truck and then finished his daily route. Good for him. That's a nice story.
HEMMER: Yes. Well done.
About 12 hours away from "NEWSNIGHT." Here's Aaron Brown with a preview now. Where are we? How about over here? Here's Aaron.
AARON BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you, Bill. Tonight on the program, a conversation with hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons. We talk about race, leadership, fatherhood, what makes him go wow, in fact. That plus all the news of the day, morning papers, everything else that makes "NEWSNIGHT", "NEWSNIGHT." CNN tonight. 10:00 p.m. Eastern -- Bill.
HEMMER: All right, thanks for that, we'll see you then. What are we, 72 hours away from our next show?
O'BRIEN: What are you doing for Valentine's Day? Miss Newlywed. Why don't we start with you?
COSTELLO: My husband's out of town! On our first Valentine's Day as a married couple. There's something wrong with that.
O'BRIEN: Make him pay, honey.
CAFFERTY: Maybe he's got a girlfriend somewhere else.
COSTELLO: Oh, stop.
CAFFERTY: Just a thought.
O'BRIEN: That was so inappropriate.
(CROSSTALK)
HEMMER: Funny, but inappropriate. CAFFERTY: Like most of my stuff.
O'BRIEN: And how about you, Jack? What are you doing for Valentine's Day?
CAFFERTY: When is it?
O'BRIEN: It's Monday.
CAFFERTY: I'm probably just working.
HEMMER: I'm taking my -- you going to ask me?
O'BRIEN: Sure, what are you doing?
HEMMER: Thank you. I'm taking my -- well, wait. I'm taking my mountain bike to the bike Christo (ph) display. How about that? Aww, cheer up.
O'BRIEN: I think my husband's out of town, too, actually.
COSTELLO: Maybe they're together somewhere.
CAFFERTY: Can you tell who the married people with children are on the panel? You and me, kid.
O'BRIEN: Yes, we got nothing going on.
CAFFERTY: Nothing going on.
O'BRIEN: I hear ya.
HEMMER: Carol's married.
CAFFERTY: I said married people with children.
COSTELLO: I got nothing going on, just because my husband's out of town, though. I'm sure he'll be doing something special for me on Sunday.
O'BRIEN: Exactly. I'm sure he's planning something very, very big.
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