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American Morning

New EPA Chief; 'Gimme a Minute'

Aired March 04, 2005 - 08:30   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.


KELLY WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: One of the largest suppliers of oil and gas to the United States is threatening to cut off supplies. Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez says he's willing to block shipments if the U.S. tries to, quote, "hurt his country." Last month, Chavez accused the U.S. of trying to assassinate him. American officials deny that allegation.
In New York, jury deliberations expected to begin in the trial of former WorldCom chief, Bernie Ebbers. He is accused of masterminding the company's $11 billion fraud. If convicted, Ebbers could be sentenced to 85 years in prison.

And President Bush once again taking his plans to overhaul Social Security on the road. In about 30 minutes, the president set to leave for Westfield, New Jersey. It is the first of a 60-stop tour. President Bush will meet with supporters in Indiana this afternoon. More on this in a moment -- 60 days, 60 stops, big blitz.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, it is too, and he's got some work to do.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: He's got a lot of work to do.

WALLACE: Polls not in his direction at the moment.

HEMMER: We'll see. Thanks, Kelly.

WALLACE: Sure.

COSTELLO: Domestic diva Martha Stewart is a free woman this morning, sort of. She was released from federal prison overnight after serving five months. Arriving at the airport for a flight home to suburban New York, the 63-year-old looked fit, she looked trim, and look at her, she looks very stylish, doesn't she?

Just as she was released from prison, Stewart posted this message on her Web site, quote, "The experience of the last five months in Alderson, West Virginia has been life altering and life affirming. I can tell you now that I feel very fortunate to have had a family that nurtured me, the advantage of excellent education and the opportunity to pursue the American dream," end quote.

CNN's Allan Chernoff is live in Bedford, New York, down the street from Martha's 153-acre estate, where she will serve five months under house arrest.

Allan, her arrival this morning, I think the only thing mess missing was a red carpet.

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it would have been pretty hard to see the red carpet, because that arrival came at 2:30 in the morning. That's when Martha's caravan drove up to the house and finally she was back in the home after five months in prison.

Now, as you mentioned, she does still have five months of home detention, and she actually has to meet with her probation officer by Sunday night. She'll be fitted with an ankle bracelet that will track her movements, so even though she has 153 acres here, she won't be permitted to roam around the grounds. She will be allowed out, though, for 48 hours every week. That can be for doctor visits, to go to church, to shop for groceries and to work.

And believe me, Martha Stewart has plenty of work planned. She will resume writing a column for the magazine, "Martha Stewart Living." She also has two television programs in development, a version of "The Apprentice," as well as a new syndicated lifestyle program. And her company very much is depending upon Martha Stewart to help lift its fortunes. The company has been losing money while Martha Stewart has been in prison. But now the company says advertisers are returning to the magazine, and that certainly should help revenues.

Back to you, Carol.

COSTELLO: I'm just looking at her estate and we're getting these beautiful aerial views. I mean, she's not going to be hurting staying there. That is absolutely gorgeous, isn't it?

I wanted to talk about when she'll be allowed off. You said she's allowed off of the property 48 hours a week, correct?

CHERNOFF: Exactly.

COSTELLO: She has two TV shows coming out, she's going to write a column for her magazine. What's she going to do? Telecommute?

CHERNOFF: Well, certainly she can do plenty of that, as much as she wants. She can write in her home, of course, she can communicate with everybody over the telephone. Obviously, she was restricted from doing any of that in prison. But now she can speak freely. So plenty of work can be done right from over here. She has a television studio at her other home in Connecticut, so she may be commuting there a little bit. Certainly, she's expected to come into Manhattan as well. Her company has two offices over there. And I can tell you, the employees very much are anticipating her homecoming to the office.

COSTELLO: I bet. Allan Chernoff, live in Bedford, New York this morning. Thank you.

And tonight, a special edition of CNN's "PEOPLE IN THE NEWS" will feature Martha's makeover. Tune in for that at 8:00 Eastern, right here on CNN.

HEMMER: From the state of Virginia now, a police officer may have gotten the job done, but he says he would not recommend his tactics to anyone. Here is how a routine traffic stop began for Sergeant Todd Foreman.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's your name?

No!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Foreman was in the back of the truck, put a gun to the head of the driver down the road. About a block later, the driver stopped and was arrested. Sergeant Todd Foreman is on the telephone with us in Bedford, Virginia.

Good morning, Sergeant. How are you doing?

SGT. TODD FOREMAN, BEDFORD CITY POLICE DEPT.: I'm fine. Good morning.

HEMMER: Why did you pull this man over?

FOREMAN: It was an area where we have some narcotics problems, and I was sitting, working on a report in a parking lot. I heard a loud stereo coming before I could see it, and he pulled up beside me going down the street.

HEMMER: Now did you get your hand stuck in that door? Did I see that videotape correctly?

FOREMAN: My hand was there. I ended up grabbing ahold of it, I believe. It was pretty quick.

HEMMER: Did he know you were behind him?

FOREMAN: He didn't know I was in the truck until after I actually pulled my weapon and put it up there near him.

HEMMER: What were you yelling to him while you had this gun to his head as you're driving down the street?

FOREMAN: I was telling him to stop the vehicle and turn the ignition off.

HEMMER: That did the job, didn't it?

FOREMAN: Yes, sir. Once I put the weapon up there, he...

HEMMER: What does your wife have to say about that?

FOREMAN: She wasn't too happy about it. She said I could have been hurt many different ways, you know, depending upon what could have happened.

HEMMER: Wow, would you do it again, same way? FOREMAN: Probably not. It's probably not the best tactic. It was effective this time, but I wouldn't try it again.

HEMMER: Probably not the best tactic. The driver was picked up for driving under the influence and eluding a police officer under arrest.

FOREMAN: Twice the legal limit. I could actually smell the alcohol before I got all the way up to the vehicle.

HEMMER: Glad you're okay, sergeant.

FOREMAN: Thank you.

HEMMER: Enjoy your weekend. Job well done, Todd Foreman down there in Bedford, Virginia. Wow.

COSTELLO: Pretty amazing.

COSTELLO: Every Friday at this time, our "Gimme a Minute" panel takes a quick look back at the week's big stories. In New York this morning, WABC Radio host Mark Simone. In Boston, Democratic strategist Doug Hattaway, and with us here, Andy Borowitz, from borowitzreport.com.

Gentlemen, start your engines. Let me provide the fuel first, shall I? I shall.

Let's talk about Saudi Arabia, Russia, Germany, a lot of other countries putting pressure on Syria to get their troops out of Lebanon. Is this inevitable? Let's start with you, Doug.

DOUG HATTAWAY, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I think so. I mean, if the Syrians really were behind the killing of the former prime minister, because he threatened their dominance in Lebanon, it's backfired bigtime. Their puppet government fell there. Saudi Arabia coming into the picture is a major player in the region, could force their troops out. It's good to see it blowing up in their face like this. The question is whether the opposition can hold things together if he pull out.

COSTELLO: Mark?

MARK SIMONE, WABC RADIO HOST: Well, I think it's a great thing that shows things are changing in the Middle East. You know, part of the reason of going to Iraq is the pendulum swinging the other way. We used to worry with the domino theory working against us. I think now it's working against the other side in this battle.

COSTELLO: Andy?

ANDY BOROWITZ, BOROWITZREPORT.COM: You know, I think they're out of there. Syria just announced that it wants to spend more time with its family.

COSTELLO: Oh, my. Let's talk about Social Security. The president's going to go on this 60-day tour to sell his plan. The polls suggest the public's not so hot on changing Social Security. Can the president close the sale? Let's start with you, Mark.

SIMONE: Well, I don't know that it's the immediate crisis he makes it out to be. I don't think he's going to close this sale. But I think he'll win in the end, because once again, it shows him being the progressive, as least coming up with ideas, trying to innovate, and the Democrats doing what they always do, yelling no to anything and everything. To this day, no one can tell us the Democratic plan for Social Security.

COSTELLO: Doug?

HATTAWAY: I think the problem with this is the Democrats built this social-safety net. The Republicans in Washington are trying to tear it down. Bush's plan is going to cut Social Security benefits, add $2 trillion to the deficits, younger workers going to pay for it in higher taxes. This is not going to fly.

COSTELLO: Andy.

BOROWITZ: It doesn't look good. The only person I know who has come out in favor of this is this reporter, Jeff Gannon. Have you heard of him?

COSTELLO: I believe I have, but we won't go into that.

OK, last question -- we hoped it would happen in our life times. Geena Davis is going to star in a TV pilot where she is the president of the United States. Does she have your vote, Mark?

SIMONE: Well, you know, the plot of this is a little far- fetched, the idea we could have a Democrat as president. I don't see that happening. But apparently, in the original script, she also had a husband who was a philanderer. It's kind of like "Desperate Housewives." She had to keep an eye on him. It's hard to picture a couple like that actually existing.

COSTELLO: Oh, gosh, Doug, I think you should take it away.

HATTAWAY: Well, it's too bad they couldn't get Susan Sarandon to team up with Geena Davis again. They could do this Thelma and Louise take over the "West Wing" thing, and that would be TV worth watching.

COSTELLO: You know, it's just amazing, I'm talking about this with three men, and you have kind of the same opinion -- Andy.

BOROWITZ: You know, Doug, it's interesting, I just read in "Variety" that Susan Sarandon actually plays her vice president, but in the first episode, they drive off a cliff. So it's very -- doesn't look good.

COSTELLO: The undiscovered story of the week, Doug, what do you think it is? HATTAWAY: I think it's a heartwarming tale of the Republicans who are in Washington coming to the rescue of the poor, downtrodden credit card companies and saving them from seniors who go bankrupt paying high medical bills. The Democrat tried to protect seniors in bankruptcy from high medical bills from losing their homes. But the Republicans put a stop to that, let seniors go homeless to protect the credit card companies.

SIMONE: Well, we had great news here in New York, it's not been reported widely, but those hideous gates of New York have been taken down and thrown out, and those two grifters have moved on to something else. That thing, it looked like Hari Krishnas (ph) hung their laundry out. They kept saying it wasn't orange, it was saffron. I found what exact shade was, traffic cone.

COSTELLO: That's what I thought. And as the taxis drove by Central Park on Columbus Park Circle, I thought the colors clashed.

But, Andy, let's go to you to see what you have?

BOROWITZ: Well, after circling the globe without being able to eat, sleep or move, millionaire Steve Fossett says he knows how it feels to fly coach.

COSTELLO: Doug Hattaway, Mark Simone, Andy Borowitz, thank you for stopping by this morning.

HEMMER: Love the in-flight snack.

Carol, thank you.

There is a new sheriff apparently on the Internet. Miami Heat center Shaquille O'Neal presented with an honorary deputy U.S. marshall badge yesterday. The basketball star named the national spokesman for a Virginia sheriff's group aimed at protecting kids from online predators. O'Neal has said he will pursue a career in law enforcement after the NBA. That would be a heck of a traffic stop.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: We're just a few minutes away from taking you live to the White House. President Bush set to name his pick to head up the EPA. We'll have that as soon as it happens.

HEMMER: Also, a dizzying drama outside this skyscraper. Hold on tight here.

Back in a moment, on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: This is the Roosevelt Room at the White House, waiting on the president, and the next head of the EPA.

John King is at the White House.

John, you broke this news 15 minutes ago. What is the news?

Good morning there.

JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Bill.

The new administrator, and you see the president coming in, will be Stephen Johnson. He's the acting administrator. Let's listen to the president.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNTIED STATES: Good morning.

I'm pleased to announce my nomination of Stephen Johnson to be the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Steve Johnson is a talented scientist and skilled manager, with a lifelong commitment to environmental stewardship. He has 24 years of experience at the EPA, spanning all four decades of the agency's history.

Since late January, he has served as acting administrator. He knows the EPA from the ground up, and has a passion for its mission: to protect the health of our citizens and to guarantee the quality of our air, water and land for generations to come.

I've come to know Steve as an innovative problem-solver with good judgment and complete integrity.

I'm proud to ask him to become the first career EPA employee to hold the office of administrator, and I'm glad he's agreed to do so.

When confirmed by the Senate, Steve will also become the first professional scientist to lead the EPA. He will use that background to set clear, rational standards for environmental equality and to place sound, scientific analysis at the heart of all decisions.

Steve shares my conviction that we can improve the Earth while maintaining a vibrant and competitive economy.

He will work cooperatively with leaders in government, industry and environmental advocacy to continue using our resources wisely. He will listen to those living closest to the land because they know our environmental needs best.

For the last four years, Steve has served at the side of EPA Administrators Michael Leavitt and Christie Todd Whitman, and he shares in their record of achievement.

Today, America's air and water are cleaner than in 2001.

The Clean Diesel Rule we finalized will cut emissions from heavy- duty vehicle by more than 90 percent over the next 10 years.

Our brownfields initiative has helped restore more than a thousand abandoned industrial sites to productive use in their community.

We've taken landmark steps toward improving water quality in one of our nation's most treasured natural resources, the Great Lakes.

BUSH: All Americans are benefiting from the EPA's practical approach and emphasis on results, and Steve will build on that progress.

His immediate task is to work with Congress to pass my Clear Skies Initiative. This innovative legislation will reduce power plant pollution by 70 percent without disrupting the economy or raising electricity prices.

The bill will give governors the flexibility they need to meet strict new air quality, improve public health and protect vulnerable ecosystems from acid rain.

Clear Skies is a common-sense, pro-environment, pro-jobs piece of legislation, and Congress needs to get it to my desk this year.

Steve will also bring valuable experience that will help us improve our homeland security.

As an expert on pesticides, he helped design new regulations to improve food safety.

In his new role, Steve will lead federal efforts to ensure the security of our drinking water supply. My budget includes a new program to better monitor urban water systems so we can detect contamination as quickly as possible.

EPA personnel are playing an important role on the war on terror, so my budget increases support for EPA homeland security programs by more than 70 percent this year.

As he embarks on all of these duties, Steve has the trust and admiration of his long-time colleagues, the thousands of hard-working EPA employees across the country.

BUSH: He's also fortunate to count on the love and the support of his wife, Debbie, and their children and grandchildren, who are with us here today. And his mother- and father-in-law.

(LAUGHTER)

I asked the Senate to confirm this nomination promptly. I look forward to welcoming Steve Johnson to my Cabinet as America's 11th administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Congratulations, Steve. Appreciate you.

STEPHEN JOHNSON, NOMINATED TO BE EPA ADMINISTRATOR: Thank you. Thank you.

Well, Mr. President, thank you very much.

Under your leadership, we have made great strides in environmental protection.

I'm deeply honor that you are nominating me to be the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

If confirmed, it will be my distinct privilege to serve you and our nation to continue to advance environmental agenda while maintaining our nation's economic competitiveness.

I'd like to acknowledge the tremendous service of Secretary Leavitt, first as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and continuing now as the secretary of health and human services. He came in as the administrator and now remains a dear friend and respected colleague.

I'd also like to take the opportunity to thank Governor Whitman for her support.

Finally, let me say, in my over 20 years of public service, I have the utmost admiration and respect for my colleagues at the Environmental Protection Agency and throughout the government.

I'd like to thank and recognize those whose love and support have brought me to this day: my family.

Mr. President, thank you again for this historic opportunity and the confidence that you have placed in me.

BUSH: Good job.

JOHNSON: Thank you very much, sir.

HEMMER: It's now official, Stephen Johnson elevated to the head of the EPA. John king, what's his challenge?

KING: Well, Bill, Stephen who, the country might be asking right now, and that's part of the point here. The president is deliberately picking a career employee of the EPA to take a less confrontational approach on environmental issues in the second term. Two former governors held the job before Steve Johnson. His big challenge, as the president noted, selling some remaining environmental initiatives to the Congress.

But the president here signaling that, yes, he wants to get his agenda through, but he does not want the big dust-ups over the environment that you had during the tenure of Christie Todd Whitman or Mike Leavitt, a less confrontational approach in the management of the EPA, certainly a political agenda. That's a big political debate with the environment, but likely to be in the second term. But this an interesting pick for the president, rewarding a career employee of the EPA. And again, signaling in the second term, let's fight about the agenda, let's keep the personalities -- maybe turn the volume down on the personalities a little bit.

HEMMER: It's appropriate you have a beautiful day in Washington, too, for the head of the EPA, too.

Thank you, John, talk to you later.

Break here. Back with Jack and Andy in a moment. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Welcome back.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Wall Street waiting with baited breath for the big jobs report. It's out. Andy's got it. He's "Minding Your Business." Huge.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Yes, what does baited breath mean, though?

CAFFERTY: I don't know.

SERWER: I don't either. They were waiting for it, right?

CAFFERTY: There's a lot of stuff I don't know. That's just one of them. I have no idea what baited breath. But everybody says that, right? Waiting with baited breath.

SERWER: They do. I say it all the time, they were waiting with baited breath, Jack, on Wall Street for the jobs report for the month of February, just crossed the tape 24 minutes ago. It's a very strong report, as you're suggesting, Jack, 262,000 jobs added; they were only looking for 222. And just to give you an idea, it almost doubles January's number, the biggest number since October.

Now here's the little confusing part, because the unemployment rate ticked up to 5.4 percent from 5.2. How do you do that if you're adding so many jobs? It means that more than 262,000 people were looking for jobs.

CAFFERTY: In a way that's a good number if you look at renewed confidence in the economy and the chance to be able to find a job.

SERWER: That right, and that could happen. When you see the number go up, people are out there looking for a job. So I think Wall Street is going to focus on the number -- the jobs-creation number, rather than the unemployment rate. You're starting to seeing futures pick up on that number. Manufacturing even up last month, which is a real surprise.

Jack, the gates, one of your favorite subjects.

CAFFERTY: The sheets?

SERWER: Yes, the saffron sheets.

CAFFERTY: The laundry in the park.

SERWER: Mayor Bloomberg declared a huge victory, saying that it brought $254 million to the city, four million visitors, 1.5 from out of town. Hotels up, restaurants up. And interesting, you know, they did it in the month of February, which is really a dead month for the economy here. So you wonder, did the mayor's office have leverage over Christo at all and say, look, if you're going to do this, you have to do it in February. I bet you they did. CAFFERTY: Sure. Maybe. I mean, it was, like you say, it was a good time to do it.

HEMMER: That park was packed on Saturday.

SERWER: It was. A lot of people went, like it or not.

COSTELLO: I'm just wondering about the statistics. How do you know those people specifically came to New York to see the gates?

SERWER: How do you tell? And you know, I don't know. I was out there counting, and I asked every single -- no, it's impossible to tell. It's an estimate from the mayor's office, Carol.

COSTELLO: Well, I'm just wondering.

SERWER: Good question.

CAFFERTY: It's time now for the "Cafferty File."

SERWER: Good.

CAFFERTY: Driving this thing in a ditch. A Republican senator is -- this is good. I like this. A Republican senator guaranteeing that drugs imported from Canada will be available in the United States within a year. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, a Republican, said yesterday the Senate will pass a bill this summer allowing the importation of Canadian drugs, a bill allowing such drug importation got through the House in 2003, but that's as far as it got. The Bush administration opposes importing drugs from Canada, saying the U.S. government must be able to guarantee the safety of the drugs. Oh, yes, and they're cheaper than the ones sold in this country, which means the drug companies make less profit.

Police officers in Sweden, some of them having a tough time getting to work. A newly remodeled security entrance at the national police headquarters only allows for the passage of a single person at a time. The passage is some of the cops on doughnut patrol are too fat and they can't get through the door. If an officer weighing more than 230 pounds tries to enter, a recorded voice tells them stop, one at a time, and they're not allowed in. They have to go around to the freight elevator.

SERWER: That's like that casino in Atlantic City.

CAFFERTY: Same idea, the Borgota Babes.

And finally, you can now buy a celebrity's soul at buysouls.com. A Web site that -- I told you we ran out of stuff at the end of the week, Carol. This is a Web site that gives you access to the souls of your favorite celebrities, friends and loved ones. Owning someone's soul means you get a unique soul stone, an official soul ownership certificate, and a background profile. The cost of owning someone's soul? Well, you can buy Leo DiCaprio's for $18.99, and you get Ashley Simpson's for only $17.99.

COSTELLO: Only a dollar less than a Leo's soul?

CAFFERTY: I know, how about that? One of those two is a bargain, the debate is which one.

SERWER: How about a two-fer? Get both for $25.

CAFFERTY: Something. Silly.

HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.

Martha Stewart's back home out of prison, at an estate where she'll be serving out the rest of her house arrest. Jeff Toobin says there's an important reason why she picked it. Back in moment here, after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired March 4, 2005 - 08:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: One of the largest suppliers of oil and gas to the United States is threatening to cut off supplies. Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez says he's willing to block shipments if the U.S. tries to, quote, "hurt his country." Last month, Chavez accused the U.S. of trying to assassinate him. American officials deny that allegation.
In New York, jury deliberations expected to begin in the trial of former WorldCom chief, Bernie Ebbers. He is accused of masterminding the company's $11 billion fraud. If convicted, Ebbers could be sentenced to 85 years in prison.

And President Bush once again taking his plans to overhaul Social Security on the road. In about 30 minutes, the president set to leave for Westfield, New Jersey. It is the first of a 60-stop tour. President Bush will meet with supporters in Indiana this afternoon. More on this in a moment -- 60 days, 60 stops, big blitz.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, it is too, and he's got some work to do.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: He's got a lot of work to do.

WALLACE: Polls not in his direction at the moment.

HEMMER: We'll see. Thanks, Kelly.

WALLACE: Sure.

COSTELLO: Domestic diva Martha Stewart is a free woman this morning, sort of. She was released from federal prison overnight after serving five months. Arriving at the airport for a flight home to suburban New York, the 63-year-old looked fit, she looked trim, and look at her, she looks very stylish, doesn't she?

Just as she was released from prison, Stewart posted this message on her Web site, quote, "The experience of the last five months in Alderson, West Virginia has been life altering and life affirming. I can tell you now that I feel very fortunate to have had a family that nurtured me, the advantage of excellent education and the opportunity to pursue the American dream," end quote.

CNN's Allan Chernoff is live in Bedford, New York, down the street from Martha's 153-acre estate, where she will serve five months under house arrest.

Allan, her arrival this morning, I think the only thing mess missing was a red carpet.

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it would have been pretty hard to see the red carpet, because that arrival came at 2:30 in the morning. That's when Martha's caravan drove up to the house and finally she was back in the home after five months in prison.

Now, as you mentioned, she does still have five months of home detention, and she actually has to meet with her probation officer by Sunday night. She'll be fitted with an ankle bracelet that will track her movements, so even though she has 153 acres here, she won't be permitted to roam around the grounds. She will be allowed out, though, for 48 hours every week. That can be for doctor visits, to go to church, to shop for groceries and to work.

And believe me, Martha Stewart has plenty of work planned. She will resume writing a column for the magazine, "Martha Stewart Living." She also has two television programs in development, a version of "The Apprentice," as well as a new syndicated lifestyle program. And her company very much is depending upon Martha Stewart to help lift its fortunes. The company has been losing money while Martha Stewart has been in prison. But now the company says advertisers are returning to the magazine, and that certainly should help revenues.

Back to you, Carol.

COSTELLO: I'm just looking at her estate and we're getting these beautiful aerial views. I mean, she's not going to be hurting staying there. That is absolutely gorgeous, isn't it?

I wanted to talk about when she'll be allowed off. You said she's allowed off of the property 48 hours a week, correct?

CHERNOFF: Exactly.

COSTELLO: She has two TV shows coming out, she's going to write a column for her magazine. What's she going to do? Telecommute?

CHERNOFF: Well, certainly she can do plenty of that, as much as she wants. She can write in her home, of course, she can communicate with everybody over the telephone. Obviously, she was restricted from doing any of that in prison. But now she can speak freely. So plenty of work can be done right from over here. She has a television studio at her other home in Connecticut, so she may be commuting there a little bit. Certainly, she's expected to come into Manhattan as well. Her company has two offices over there. And I can tell you, the employees very much are anticipating her homecoming to the office.

COSTELLO: I bet. Allan Chernoff, live in Bedford, New York this morning. Thank you.

And tonight, a special edition of CNN's "PEOPLE IN THE NEWS" will feature Martha's makeover. Tune in for that at 8:00 Eastern, right here on CNN.

HEMMER: From the state of Virginia now, a police officer may have gotten the job done, but he says he would not recommend his tactics to anyone. Here is how a routine traffic stop began for Sergeant Todd Foreman.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's your name?

No!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Foreman was in the back of the truck, put a gun to the head of the driver down the road. About a block later, the driver stopped and was arrested. Sergeant Todd Foreman is on the telephone with us in Bedford, Virginia.

Good morning, Sergeant. How are you doing?

SGT. TODD FOREMAN, BEDFORD CITY POLICE DEPT.: I'm fine. Good morning.

HEMMER: Why did you pull this man over?

FOREMAN: It was an area where we have some narcotics problems, and I was sitting, working on a report in a parking lot. I heard a loud stereo coming before I could see it, and he pulled up beside me going down the street.

HEMMER: Now did you get your hand stuck in that door? Did I see that videotape correctly?

FOREMAN: My hand was there. I ended up grabbing ahold of it, I believe. It was pretty quick.

HEMMER: Did he know you were behind him?

FOREMAN: He didn't know I was in the truck until after I actually pulled my weapon and put it up there near him.

HEMMER: What were you yelling to him while you had this gun to his head as you're driving down the street?

FOREMAN: I was telling him to stop the vehicle and turn the ignition off.

HEMMER: That did the job, didn't it?

FOREMAN: Yes, sir. Once I put the weapon up there, he...

HEMMER: What does your wife have to say about that?

FOREMAN: She wasn't too happy about it. She said I could have been hurt many different ways, you know, depending upon what could have happened.

HEMMER: Wow, would you do it again, same way? FOREMAN: Probably not. It's probably not the best tactic. It was effective this time, but I wouldn't try it again.

HEMMER: Probably not the best tactic. The driver was picked up for driving under the influence and eluding a police officer under arrest.

FOREMAN: Twice the legal limit. I could actually smell the alcohol before I got all the way up to the vehicle.

HEMMER: Glad you're okay, sergeant.

FOREMAN: Thank you.

HEMMER: Enjoy your weekend. Job well done, Todd Foreman down there in Bedford, Virginia. Wow.

COSTELLO: Pretty amazing.

COSTELLO: Every Friday at this time, our "Gimme a Minute" panel takes a quick look back at the week's big stories. In New York this morning, WABC Radio host Mark Simone. In Boston, Democratic strategist Doug Hattaway, and with us here, Andy Borowitz, from borowitzreport.com.

Gentlemen, start your engines. Let me provide the fuel first, shall I? I shall.

Let's talk about Saudi Arabia, Russia, Germany, a lot of other countries putting pressure on Syria to get their troops out of Lebanon. Is this inevitable? Let's start with you, Doug.

DOUG HATTAWAY, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I think so. I mean, if the Syrians really were behind the killing of the former prime minister, because he threatened their dominance in Lebanon, it's backfired bigtime. Their puppet government fell there. Saudi Arabia coming into the picture is a major player in the region, could force their troops out. It's good to see it blowing up in their face like this. The question is whether the opposition can hold things together if he pull out.

COSTELLO: Mark?

MARK SIMONE, WABC RADIO HOST: Well, I think it's a great thing that shows things are changing in the Middle East. You know, part of the reason of going to Iraq is the pendulum swinging the other way. We used to worry with the domino theory working against us. I think now it's working against the other side in this battle.

COSTELLO: Andy?

ANDY BOROWITZ, BOROWITZREPORT.COM: You know, I think they're out of there. Syria just announced that it wants to spend more time with its family.

COSTELLO: Oh, my. Let's talk about Social Security. The president's going to go on this 60-day tour to sell his plan. The polls suggest the public's not so hot on changing Social Security. Can the president close the sale? Let's start with you, Mark.

SIMONE: Well, I don't know that it's the immediate crisis he makes it out to be. I don't think he's going to close this sale. But I think he'll win in the end, because once again, it shows him being the progressive, as least coming up with ideas, trying to innovate, and the Democrats doing what they always do, yelling no to anything and everything. To this day, no one can tell us the Democratic plan for Social Security.

COSTELLO: Doug?

HATTAWAY: I think the problem with this is the Democrats built this social-safety net. The Republicans in Washington are trying to tear it down. Bush's plan is going to cut Social Security benefits, add $2 trillion to the deficits, younger workers going to pay for it in higher taxes. This is not going to fly.

COSTELLO: Andy.

BOROWITZ: It doesn't look good. The only person I know who has come out in favor of this is this reporter, Jeff Gannon. Have you heard of him?

COSTELLO: I believe I have, but we won't go into that.

OK, last question -- we hoped it would happen in our life times. Geena Davis is going to star in a TV pilot where she is the president of the United States. Does she have your vote, Mark?

SIMONE: Well, you know, the plot of this is a little far- fetched, the idea we could have a Democrat as president. I don't see that happening. But apparently, in the original script, she also had a husband who was a philanderer. It's kind of like "Desperate Housewives." She had to keep an eye on him. It's hard to picture a couple like that actually existing.

COSTELLO: Oh, gosh, Doug, I think you should take it away.

HATTAWAY: Well, it's too bad they couldn't get Susan Sarandon to team up with Geena Davis again. They could do this Thelma and Louise take over the "West Wing" thing, and that would be TV worth watching.

COSTELLO: You know, it's just amazing, I'm talking about this with three men, and you have kind of the same opinion -- Andy.

BOROWITZ: You know, Doug, it's interesting, I just read in "Variety" that Susan Sarandon actually plays her vice president, but in the first episode, they drive off a cliff. So it's very -- doesn't look good.

COSTELLO: The undiscovered story of the week, Doug, what do you think it is? HATTAWAY: I think it's a heartwarming tale of the Republicans who are in Washington coming to the rescue of the poor, downtrodden credit card companies and saving them from seniors who go bankrupt paying high medical bills. The Democrat tried to protect seniors in bankruptcy from high medical bills from losing their homes. But the Republicans put a stop to that, let seniors go homeless to protect the credit card companies.

SIMONE: Well, we had great news here in New York, it's not been reported widely, but those hideous gates of New York have been taken down and thrown out, and those two grifters have moved on to something else. That thing, it looked like Hari Krishnas (ph) hung their laundry out. They kept saying it wasn't orange, it was saffron. I found what exact shade was, traffic cone.

COSTELLO: That's what I thought. And as the taxis drove by Central Park on Columbus Park Circle, I thought the colors clashed.

But, Andy, let's go to you to see what you have?

BOROWITZ: Well, after circling the globe without being able to eat, sleep or move, millionaire Steve Fossett says he knows how it feels to fly coach.

COSTELLO: Doug Hattaway, Mark Simone, Andy Borowitz, thank you for stopping by this morning.

HEMMER: Love the in-flight snack.

Carol, thank you.

There is a new sheriff apparently on the Internet. Miami Heat center Shaquille O'Neal presented with an honorary deputy U.S. marshall badge yesterday. The basketball star named the national spokesman for a Virginia sheriff's group aimed at protecting kids from online predators. O'Neal has said he will pursue a career in law enforcement after the NBA. That would be a heck of a traffic stop.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: We're just a few minutes away from taking you live to the White House. President Bush set to name his pick to head up the EPA. We'll have that as soon as it happens.

HEMMER: Also, a dizzying drama outside this skyscraper. Hold on tight here.

Back in a moment, on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: This is the Roosevelt Room at the White House, waiting on the president, and the next head of the EPA.

John King is at the White House.

John, you broke this news 15 minutes ago. What is the news?

Good morning there.

JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Bill.

The new administrator, and you see the president coming in, will be Stephen Johnson. He's the acting administrator. Let's listen to the president.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNTIED STATES: Good morning.

I'm pleased to announce my nomination of Stephen Johnson to be the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Steve Johnson is a talented scientist and skilled manager, with a lifelong commitment to environmental stewardship. He has 24 years of experience at the EPA, spanning all four decades of the agency's history.

Since late January, he has served as acting administrator. He knows the EPA from the ground up, and has a passion for its mission: to protect the health of our citizens and to guarantee the quality of our air, water and land for generations to come.

I've come to know Steve as an innovative problem-solver with good judgment and complete integrity.

I'm proud to ask him to become the first career EPA employee to hold the office of administrator, and I'm glad he's agreed to do so.

When confirmed by the Senate, Steve will also become the first professional scientist to lead the EPA. He will use that background to set clear, rational standards for environmental equality and to place sound, scientific analysis at the heart of all decisions.

Steve shares my conviction that we can improve the Earth while maintaining a vibrant and competitive economy.

He will work cooperatively with leaders in government, industry and environmental advocacy to continue using our resources wisely. He will listen to those living closest to the land because they know our environmental needs best.

For the last four years, Steve has served at the side of EPA Administrators Michael Leavitt and Christie Todd Whitman, and he shares in their record of achievement.

Today, America's air and water are cleaner than in 2001.

The Clean Diesel Rule we finalized will cut emissions from heavy- duty vehicle by more than 90 percent over the next 10 years.

Our brownfields initiative has helped restore more than a thousand abandoned industrial sites to productive use in their community.

We've taken landmark steps toward improving water quality in one of our nation's most treasured natural resources, the Great Lakes.

BUSH: All Americans are benefiting from the EPA's practical approach and emphasis on results, and Steve will build on that progress.

His immediate task is to work with Congress to pass my Clear Skies Initiative. This innovative legislation will reduce power plant pollution by 70 percent without disrupting the economy or raising electricity prices.

The bill will give governors the flexibility they need to meet strict new air quality, improve public health and protect vulnerable ecosystems from acid rain.

Clear Skies is a common-sense, pro-environment, pro-jobs piece of legislation, and Congress needs to get it to my desk this year.

Steve will also bring valuable experience that will help us improve our homeland security.

As an expert on pesticides, he helped design new regulations to improve food safety.

In his new role, Steve will lead federal efforts to ensure the security of our drinking water supply. My budget includes a new program to better monitor urban water systems so we can detect contamination as quickly as possible.

EPA personnel are playing an important role on the war on terror, so my budget increases support for EPA homeland security programs by more than 70 percent this year.

As he embarks on all of these duties, Steve has the trust and admiration of his long-time colleagues, the thousands of hard-working EPA employees across the country.

BUSH: He's also fortunate to count on the love and the support of his wife, Debbie, and their children and grandchildren, who are with us here today. And his mother- and father-in-law.

(LAUGHTER)

I asked the Senate to confirm this nomination promptly. I look forward to welcoming Steve Johnson to my Cabinet as America's 11th administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Congratulations, Steve. Appreciate you.

STEPHEN JOHNSON, NOMINATED TO BE EPA ADMINISTRATOR: Thank you. Thank you.

Well, Mr. President, thank you very much.

Under your leadership, we have made great strides in environmental protection.

I'm deeply honor that you are nominating me to be the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

If confirmed, it will be my distinct privilege to serve you and our nation to continue to advance environmental agenda while maintaining our nation's economic competitiveness.

I'd like to acknowledge the tremendous service of Secretary Leavitt, first as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and continuing now as the secretary of health and human services. He came in as the administrator and now remains a dear friend and respected colleague.

I'd also like to take the opportunity to thank Governor Whitman for her support.

Finally, let me say, in my over 20 years of public service, I have the utmost admiration and respect for my colleagues at the Environmental Protection Agency and throughout the government.

I'd like to thank and recognize those whose love and support have brought me to this day: my family.

Mr. President, thank you again for this historic opportunity and the confidence that you have placed in me.

BUSH: Good job.

JOHNSON: Thank you very much, sir.

HEMMER: It's now official, Stephen Johnson elevated to the head of the EPA. John king, what's his challenge?

KING: Well, Bill, Stephen who, the country might be asking right now, and that's part of the point here. The president is deliberately picking a career employee of the EPA to take a less confrontational approach on environmental issues in the second term. Two former governors held the job before Steve Johnson. His big challenge, as the president noted, selling some remaining environmental initiatives to the Congress.

But the president here signaling that, yes, he wants to get his agenda through, but he does not want the big dust-ups over the environment that you had during the tenure of Christie Todd Whitman or Mike Leavitt, a less confrontational approach in the management of the EPA, certainly a political agenda. That's a big political debate with the environment, but likely to be in the second term. But this an interesting pick for the president, rewarding a career employee of the EPA. And again, signaling in the second term, let's fight about the agenda, let's keep the personalities -- maybe turn the volume down on the personalities a little bit.

HEMMER: It's appropriate you have a beautiful day in Washington, too, for the head of the EPA, too.

Thank you, John, talk to you later.

Break here. Back with Jack and Andy in a moment. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Welcome back.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Wall Street waiting with baited breath for the big jobs report. It's out. Andy's got it. He's "Minding Your Business." Huge.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Yes, what does baited breath mean, though?

CAFFERTY: I don't know.

SERWER: I don't either. They were waiting for it, right?

CAFFERTY: There's a lot of stuff I don't know. That's just one of them. I have no idea what baited breath. But everybody says that, right? Waiting with baited breath.

SERWER: They do. I say it all the time, they were waiting with baited breath, Jack, on Wall Street for the jobs report for the month of February, just crossed the tape 24 minutes ago. It's a very strong report, as you're suggesting, Jack, 262,000 jobs added; they were only looking for 222. And just to give you an idea, it almost doubles January's number, the biggest number since October.

Now here's the little confusing part, because the unemployment rate ticked up to 5.4 percent from 5.2. How do you do that if you're adding so many jobs? It means that more than 262,000 people were looking for jobs.

CAFFERTY: In a way that's a good number if you look at renewed confidence in the economy and the chance to be able to find a job.

SERWER: That right, and that could happen. When you see the number go up, people are out there looking for a job. So I think Wall Street is going to focus on the number -- the jobs-creation number, rather than the unemployment rate. You're starting to seeing futures pick up on that number. Manufacturing even up last month, which is a real surprise.

Jack, the gates, one of your favorite subjects.

CAFFERTY: The sheets?

SERWER: Yes, the saffron sheets.

CAFFERTY: The laundry in the park.

SERWER: Mayor Bloomberg declared a huge victory, saying that it brought $254 million to the city, four million visitors, 1.5 from out of town. Hotels up, restaurants up. And interesting, you know, they did it in the month of February, which is really a dead month for the economy here. So you wonder, did the mayor's office have leverage over Christo at all and say, look, if you're going to do this, you have to do it in February. I bet you they did. CAFFERTY: Sure. Maybe. I mean, it was, like you say, it was a good time to do it.

HEMMER: That park was packed on Saturday.

SERWER: It was. A lot of people went, like it or not.

COSTELLO: I'm just wondering about the statistics. How do you know those people specifically came to New York to see the gates?

SERWER: How do you tell? And you know, I don't know. I was out there counting, and I asked every single -- no, it's impossible to tell. It's an estimate from the mayor's office, Carol.

COSTELLO: Well, I'm just wondering.

SERWER: Good question.

CAFFERTY: It's time now for the "Cafferty File."

SERWER: Good.

CAFFERTY: Driving this thing in a ditch. A Republican senator is -- this is good. I like this. A Republican senator guaranteeing that drugs imported from Canada will be available in the United States within a year. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, a Republican, said yesterday the Senate will pass a bill this summer allowing the importation of Canadian drugs, a bill allowing such drug importation got through the House in 2003, but that's as far as it got. The Bush administration opposes importing drugs from Canada, saying the U.S. government must be able to guarantee the safety of the drugs. Oh, yes, and they're cheaper than the ones sold in this country, which means the drug companies make less profit.

Police officers in Sweden, some of them having a tough time getting to work. A newly remodeled security entrance at the national police headquarters only allows for the passage of a single person at a time. The passage is some of the cops on doughnut patrol are too fat and they can't get through the door. If an officer weighing more than 230 pounds tries to enter, a recorded voice tells them stop, one at a time, and they're not allowed in. They have to go around to the freight elevator.

SERWER: That's like that casino in Atlantic City.

CAFFERTY: Same idea, the Borgota Babes.

And finally, you can now buy a celebrity's soul at buysouls.com. A Web site that -- I told you we ran out of stuff at the end of the week, Carol. This is a Web site that gives you access to the souls of your favorite celebrities, friends and loved ones. Owning someone's soul means you get a unique soul stone, an official soul ownership certificate, and a background profile. The cost of owning someone's soul? Well, you can buy Leo DiCaprio's for $18.99, and you get Ashley Simpson's for only $17.99.

COSTELLO: Only a dollar less than a Leo's soul?

CAFFERTY: I know, how about that? One of those two is a bargain, the debate is which one.

SERWER: How about a two-fer? Get both for $25.

CAFFERTY: Something. Silly.

HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.

Martha Stewart's back home out of prison, at an estate where she'll be serving out the rest of her house arrest. Jeff Toobin says there's an important reason why she picked it. Back in moment here, after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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