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American Morning

Jury Considers Sentence for Lynndie England; A Hostage Remembers

Aired May 03, 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.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Opening bell on Wall Street. Stocks now open for business and everybody's waiting for 2:15 today. That's when the Fed will announce what it's going to do now with interest rates for the time being. Dow 30 starting today at 10,251, up about 59 points in trading on Monday. Nasdaq, decent day yesterday, up about seven points. 1,928 is your opening mark there.
Good morning. 9:30 here in New York.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And it is exactly half past the hour, in fact. We're going to talk this morning with Thomas Hamill. Remember him? He was -- a year since he was a hostage in Iraq. He saw a chance to escape and then he took it. So many people wanted to hear more of his story, so he wrote a book about his experiences. We'll chat with him about ahead this morning.

HEMMER: A story he has to tell, too.

Another story of courage in a dangerous situation. Meet an 8- year-old boy. His name's Steven. He saved the day when his father slipped into insulin shock on the highway. Mom was involved, too, and all three are with us in a couple of minutes to tell us the story.

O'BRIEN: Such a cute little kid, isn't he?

Let's get a look at the headlines this morning first, though, with Carol Costello. Good morning.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: He is cute. Good morning to all of you. "Now in the News," the new Iraqi government is said to be sworn in this hour. It's not clear if the full government will be decided by then. Some of the key positions, including the ministries of oil and defense, have been in dispute after an initial agreement last week.

The search for the body of a U.S. marine pilot killed in a jet crash over Iraq has been suspended due to a sandstorm. The U.S. military confirms it did locate the remains of the other pilot earlier today. Navy officials say two marine jets collided in bad weather during a routine mission.

The city of Boston has reached a settlement with the parents of a college student who was killed after a Red Sox win. You know, when they were playing for the pennant last fall. Authorities paid more than $5 million to the family of Victoria Snelgrove on Monday. She's the college student slain by police during a victory party for the Boston Red Sox last year. The D.A.'s office is apparently still trying to decide whether any criminal charges should be filed.

And authorities in Southern California are looking into a string of shootings on the Los Angeles freeway. At least eight shootings have been reported since mid-March, resulting in the deaths of four people. But police say they have not been able to establish any sort of connection between the shootings, so the investigation goes on.

HEMMER: That it does. Carol, thanks for that.

I want to get back to this story now. 30 minutes away now, a military jury set to convene in Ft. Hood, Texas, to consider a sentence for Private First Class Lynndie England.

Susan Candiotti's live in Ft. Hood. Susan, good morning.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill. Yes, selecting the jury is the first order of business this day and the petite army reservist from West Virginia, Lynndie England, arrived at court just a little while ago, surrounded by her legal team. That jury, when it is selected, will be made up of nine people, five enlisted members and four officers.

Military prosecutors plan on calling only one witness. That would be Lynndie England's team leader in Iraq. The defense may call six people, including England's then boyfriend, Specialist Charles Graner, who she says told her to pose for those infamous photos at Abu Ghraib prison. So far, England has done her only talking in the courtroom, when she pleaded guilty.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For someone seen in so many of the notorious photos from Abu Ghraib prison, Private First Class Lynndie England seemed unusually camera shy as she came to court, her legal staff running interference like blocking backs. England pleaded guilty to seven counts, all involving photos that show her with naked Iraqi detainees who are being deliberately humiliated.

She said her then-boyfriend guard Charles Graner told her to pose for pictures like this. "I knew it was wrong," she said. The judge: "Then why did you do it?" "Because he asked me to."

England said it was Graner and another guard who staged these scenes of humiliation and degradation. "Why?" asked the judge. "For their own amusement," she said. The judge: "Did you get any amusement out of it?" "Not really," England said. England said she gave in under peer pressure, but conceited, "I could have said no," and left.

At the end of the day, England and her lawyers walked away without saying a word. A jury is to be seated for the penalty phase on Tuesday.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CANDIOTTI: Technically, England could spend up to 11 years in prison. But under the terms of a secret plea deal, sources tell CNN that she could really spend just a little more than two years in prison. But all of that is being kept from the jury now, because if it decides to come up with a lighter sentence, that could actually work in England's favor -- Bill.

HEMMER: We'll watch it from here. Susan Candiotti in Ft. Hood -- Soledad?

O'BRIEN: One year ago Monday, Thomas Hamill, a Mississippi truck driver working for a contractor in Iraq, managed to escape his captors.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you want to give us your name?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hamill. Thomas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: He was held for 24 days by Iraqi insurgents after they attacked Hamill's convoy near the Baghdad airport. He's written a book about it all. It's called "Escape in Iraq," the Thomas Hamill story. He's with us this morning.

I'm curious to know when you see clips of that tape, you're in the back of the car, gun being held to you, does it make you anxious to see? I mean, what goes through your head when you see that?

THOMAS HAMILL, FORMER HOSTAGE: Well, it's, you know -- it's been a year since this happened, and you know, I look at, you know, like I said, I pinch myself, I'm here and I'm alive. Of course, others haven't been that fortunate, and that's on your mind all the time when you think about that, you made it through and so many others didn't.

O'BRIEN: It is on your mind all the time, you think about it.

HAMILL: Yes.

O'BRIEN: When you see, for example, the pictures of Douglas Wood, the Australian who is now being held hostage in Iraq, I mean, does that take you right back?

HAMILL: Right. It does. And of course, I don't know which group he's with, if he's with any group that's a lot more stronger than the group that I was with. I'm not sure even who I was, but it takes me back there.

O'BRIEN: As you well know, the United States' policy is not to negotiate with hostage takers. When you look at the numbers, though, 34 people are currently being held captive or kidnapped in Iraq. Three are unaccounted for. 46 killed. Do you wish that the U.S. would change its policy? Do you wish that they had negotiating, not just for you, but for others, as well? HAMILL: No. The policy is what it should be. I mean, if we knew it was going to stop with the negotiations or money paid out, this would be the last time they would ever take a hostage, I'd say yes, let's do that. But it's not going to happen. It's not going to stop. They're going to continue to take hostages. They're terrorists. That's the way they work, that's how they put fear and terror in the people in the world, by taking hostages and threatening them like that.

O'BRIEN: Your family and your community, too, incredibly strong when you were kidnapped. And we had done a lot of reporting from your hometown. Now other families of hostages who are being held have contacted you. What do they want to know from you? What are they asking you?

HAMILL: Well, I talked to Roy Hallum's (ph) daughter, I talked to Miss Susan (ph)> You know, if there's anything I could do, I tell you, I would go over there if they would tell me they would release Roy or Douglas. To me, I'd go over there right now, walk down the streets of Baghdad and bring them out of there. I mean, that's how I feel about this. And I believe, you know, I don't know what I can do to help. I mean, anything I could do, I would be willing to do it.

O'BRIEN: And what do they ask you? What -- do they want to know about your circumstances? They just want to you sort of sit with them and be with them and provide sort of a physical hope that their loved one might come back?

HAMILL: They want to know what I think they're going through. And like said, I don't know -- there are so many different fundamentalists, extremists, that are different groups of this al Qaeda, that you don't know which one is, you know, Zarqawi or the other -- the bunches. It's just tough to say what he's going through. I was there, but I don't know actually what he's going through.

O'BRIEN: Your wife gave interviews when you were being held hostage. And I've always wondered, sometimes -- and you've said your captors saw your wife on TV. Do you think it helps when the family members come out and talk about the hostage or do you think somehow it puts the hostage at a greater risk and that the family members shouldn't be talking?

HAMILL: Well, I think it helps. I mean, I don't think it helps for families to get on there and just plead and cry on TV for anything like that. I mean, they would come in and tell me we've seen your family on TV. They cry for you, they cry for you. I've seen those videos. I never saw my wife crying on TV. She was always strong.

And they always would come in and ask me, do you have babies? And they're concerned about children. They have a compassion for children, and they saw my kids on TV and I said, yes, I have two teenagers. Every time they would come in, ask about my babies, do you have babies. I would tell them every day, I have two teenagers.

O'BRIEN: So you think it helps to have this connection, sort of, with your family? HAMILL: Right, but none of this begging and pleading. I mean, it's tough for the hostages there to even beg and plead for your life, because the situation you're in, like I was -- I knew that, you know, they weren't going to see any fear in me. I was going to be as strong as I can be in front of them and whatever happened was going to happen, regardless.

O'BRIEN: You're a leader. Things back to normal? Is there sort of a new definition of normal? How is it?

HAMILL: Well, I've got a better value for my family and I tell you, we take for granted -- what, we see them every day here, but when we're gone and we may not never come back again, I mean, I was preparing myself for being executed over there or even being there for years and never being found. And that goes through your mind and you think about that now, and I appreciate it so much, the country that we live in, and all the freedoms that we have here.

O'BRIEN: I hear you and many other do, as well. Thomas Hamill. Tommy Hamill. Nice to have you. Thanks for coming in to talk to us.

HAMILL: Thank you, Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Congratulations on the book as well -- Bill.

HEMMER: Best to you.

(WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, Andy is "Minding Your Business." Coca-Cola is coming up with a new formula for Diet Coke. We'll have a little taste test head.

HEMMER: Also hear the little boy who became his father's hero. A highway tragedy avoided thanks to an 8-year-old's cool head. Mom, dad and son join us next live on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Time now to meet the Vellucci's, mom, dad and 8-year-old son, Steven. Dad had a diabetic reaction when he was behind the wheel driving on a highway in Massachusetts, and young Steven saved the day by using a cell phone, some youthful savvy and a call to his mother to help his father get through it all. The parents are here, Tracy and Steven Vellucci, and their son Steven with us as well up in Boston.

How are you three doing? Good morning.

I want to start with the big Steve. I don't know if you're a senior or if you're a one or not. We'll just call you Steve today.

What do you remember when you look, behind the wheel as you look back?

STEVE VELLUCCI, DAD: Behind the wheel, I don't remember much. It was like a big dream. It was foggy, hazy, and I remember leaving my son's baseball practice, and the practice was only a mile and a half, two miles from my house, and I remember driving around, thinking, I'm lost, I don't know where I am, and that shouldn't have happened, since I was in my own hometown.

HEMMER: So you're in a bit of a fog. And, Steven, what do you then tell your dad?

STEVEN VELLUCCI, SAVED HIS DAD. I told him, I know where you are. Then I said, You're in Hudson.

HEMMER: How did you know that, Steven. Did you see the signs on the street?

STEVEN VELLUCCI: No, I just knew that some kid in my class, his mom lives in Hudson, so I just knew where it was.

HEMMER: I see. Well, we're looking at some videotape of highway now.

Steven, you were talking to your mom on a cell phone at the time. What was she telling you?

STEVEN VELLUCCI: She was telling me, Steven, you need to tell daddy to pull over, and unbuckle to look for some candy.

HEMMER: And what did you tell your dad?

STEVEN VELLUCCI: I said, dad, pull over. But then he kept on driving.

HEMMER: Oh, he didn't listen to you?

STEVEN VELLUCCI: The first time, but then we went into Bedford, and then the second time I told him, I said, mom told to you pull over, and then he pulled over, for a few minutes. Then he kept on driving. Then he pulled over again, and then he kept on driving.

HEMMER: So you knew this wasn't quite the way to get home, didn't you?

STEVEN VELLUCCI: Yep.

HEMMER: OK, can I talk to your mom a quick second here?

STEVEN VELLUCCI: Okay.

HEMMER: All right, hey, Tracy, so you're talking to your son.

TRACY VELLUCCI, MOM: Yes.

HEMMER: What kind of information did you want from him?

T. VELLUCCI: Well, I had no idea where they were. I knew they were about half an hour, 45 minutes late getting home, and so I knew they could be anywhere. So I needed to kind of pinpoint a location of where they were so I could call 911 and get them some help. HEMMER: But the good news is you know they're on the side of the road, right?

T. VELLUCCI: Well, when first started, my husband was driving, but yes, my son did get him to pull over.

HEMMER: Your son's on the phone about you. What do you think about the way he reacted?

T. VELLUCCI: I'm just amazed. It was incredible. I mean, The amount of detail that he could give us as to where he was, which was 20 miles from our home.

HEMMER: What did he tell but that detail?

T. VELLUCCI: He told me the town they were in, what exit off the highway they had gotten off, and once they finally did stop he mentioned a street name right around the corner that he had seen, and he also mentioned -- he described a house that was outside the window, the house number, the color, he said he saw a white house, number 62, with two blue doors, and then across the street he saw a beach house.

HEMMER: Wow, that is some detail. So then you call authorities and they come out and they make sure that the car doesn't go down the road any further.

Steven, how did you get the keys from your father?

STEVEN VELLUCCI: I just said, dad, I need the keys really badly, and then he gave them to me.

HEMMER: Well done.

To the father, I understand this, you haven't had a diabetic reaction, Steven, in what, 12 years, is that right?

STEVE VELLUCCI: That's right.

HEMMER: So that really surprised you, I'm assuming, too.

STEVE VELLUCCI: Yes, it was -- it could have easily been avoided if I just had a little something to eat.

HEMMER: Well, I understand that had some M&M's in the back seat that may have saved the day for you.

STEVE VELLUCCI: Yes.

HEMMER: Hey, well done, Steven.

STEVEN VELLUCCI: Thank you.

HEMMER: Thanks for talking with us today, Steven Vellucci and his proud mother, Tracy, and his father, Steve, up there in Boston.

Nice to chat with you all three today. T. VELLUCCI: Thank you.

STEVE VELLUCCI: Bye-bye.

HEMMER: All right, here's Soledad.

O'BRIEN: "CNN LIVE TODAY" is up next. Daryn, good morning to you. What are you working on? And how cute is that little boy?

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, very cute, doing very well there. We're were proud of him. We have a lot to work on today. In just a few minutes, BTK suspect Dennis Rader will be back in court. It's his arraigned today. We're going to take you live inside the Kansas courtroom. You'll also get to hear from the man that police say is a serial killer.

Also, get a rare glimpse inside the secretive nation of North Korea. Find out what life is really like inside the Communist country.

It's all ahead on CNN LIVE TODAY. Back to you.

O'BRIEN: All right, Daryn, thanks.

Well, Coca-cola is introducing yet another style of beverage. Andy's going to give it a taste test when he "Minds Your Business," coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. Diet Coke with a sugar substitute. We've seen that before. So what's new? With that story and a check on Wall Street, Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business." Before the big old taste test, let's talk about the markets, and of course the Fed meeting.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" COLUMNIST: Yes, the Fed's meeting at 2:15. So you're going to see, kind of, sitting on the hands, a lot of treading water. Down six points on the Dow this morning. And Jack brought up an interesting point earlier in the program, that if Fed Reserve says that it's ended raising interest rates, you would see the market take off. Unfortunately, I don't think that's what's going to happen. I think they're going to raise rates, so they're going to say we're going to keep watching things. So watch CNN at 2:15 to find out what happens.

OK,yes indeed, there are a lot of Diet Cokes out there. Six, in fact. Diet Coke, caffeine-free Diet Coke, Diet Coke with lime, Diet Coke with lemon, Diet Cherry Coke, Diet Vanilla Coke.

O'BRIEN: Aye, cherry coke.

SERWER: Cherry. Cherry coke.

O'BRIEN: Gotcha. SERWER: OK. Now we have a new Diet Coke. It's with Splenda. And we have Ms. Soledad O'Brien here to do a taste test. We have A and B. Why don't try A? Now, one of these is the original Diet Coke and one of these is Diet Coke with Splenda. You're trying B first.

O'BRIEN: Oh, I am? Sorry.

SERWER: OK, that's B.

O'BRIEN: OK.

SERWER: OK, now try A. I know how to run these taste tests.

O'BRIEN: How do I clean my palette?

SERWER: Oh, we don't have anything palette-cleaning thing. Bill, did you forget bring the palette-cleaning...

O'BRIEN: The old cheap taste test.

SERWER: It's CNN.

O'BRIEN: B is the one with the Splenda, A is regular coke.

SERWER: We can't fool her! And we didn't tell her beforehand. We really didn't. You're right.

O'BRIEN: Gosh. I drink a lot of Diet Coke.

SERWER: Yes. What do you think about the Splenda?

O'BRIEN: Not bad. Not bad. Not great, but not bad.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Are they a sponsor of this program, by any chance?

SERWER: Underwritten, but no, it's not.

O'BRIEN: It's fabulous, I love it! I always have my Diet Coke with Splenda.

SERWER: This is sponsored by PepsiCo, this segment.

HEMMER: And tomorrow, bring a big fat latte, will you?

SERWER: Yes, all right.

HEMMER: Thanks, Andy. "Question of the Day," one final batch.

CAFFERTY: Standardizing driver's licenses. Will it improve national security? Congress is working on this. All 50 states would be the same and in order to get a driver's license, you'd have to prove, with documents, passport, birth certificate, that you were a citizen to this country.

Earlier, Soledad asked about people who were in the country legally, but were not citizens. What would that mean to them? International driver's licenses. They're available. Now you can drive in 150 countries. You get one of those. And I knew that, but it was a senior moment and I'd forgotten because we talked about it earlier.

Anyway, Dave writes from Japan: "Yes, do it. Make my life more complicated. Haven't they figured it out yet? Criminals know how to forge all of these documents. So while they do business as usual, American citizens have to prove they belong here. It's a feel-good bill. It's a terrible idea."

Al in Arizona writes: "If we're ever going to get our country back from Vicente Fox's invading army, we have to start somewhere. Viva la real I.D.!"

And Sandra writes: "My vote is yes. If you have something to hide, ride a horse."

HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.

All right, this morning, we reported how Army recruiting fell short, once again, the month of April. Tomorrow, a closer look at that problem. We'll talk to recruitment officers in one city, who are struggling to sign up new faces. Part of our series "Battle Fatigue," tomorrow 7:00 a.m. Back in a moment, after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: We got to run. See you again tomorrow. Here's Daryn Kagan at the CNN Center. Daryn, good morning to you.

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 May 3, 2005 - 09:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Opening bell on Wall Street. Stocks now open for business and everybody's waiting for 2:15 today. That's when the Fed will announce what it's going to do now with interest rates for the time being. Dow 30 starting today at 10,251, up about 59 points in trading on Monday. Nasdaq, decent day yesterday, up about seven points. 1,928 is your opening mark there.
Good morning. 9:30 here in New York.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And it is exactly half past the hour, in fact. We're going to talk this morning with Thomas Hamill. Remember him? He was -- a year since he was a hostage in Iraq. He saw a chance to escape and then he took it. So many people wanted to hear more of his story, so he wrote a book about his experiences. We'll chat with him about ahead this morning.

HEMMER: A story he has to tell, too.

Another story of courage in a dangerous situation. Meet an 8- year-old boy. His name's Steven. He saved the day when his father slipped into insulin shock on the highway. Mom was involved, too, and all three are with us in a couple of minutes to tell us the story.

O'BRIEN: Such a cute little kid, isn't he?

Let's get a look at the headlines this morning first, though, with Carol Costello. Good morning.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: He is cute. Good morning to all of you. "Now in the News," the new Iraqi government is said to be sworn in this hour. It's not clear if the full government will be decided by then. Some of the key positions, including the ministries of oil and defense, have been in dispute after an initial agreement last week.

The search for the body of a U.S. marine pilot killed in a jet crash over Iraq has been suspended due to a sandstorm. The U.S. military confirms it did locate the remains of the other pilot earlier today. Navy officials say two marine jets collided in bad weather during a routine mission.

The city of Boston has reached a settlement with the parents of a college student who was killed after a Red Sox win. You know, when they were playing for the pennant last fall. Authorities paid more than $5 million to the family of Victoria Snelgrove on Monday. She's the college student slain by police during a victory party for the Boston Red Sox last year. The D.A.'s office is apparently still trying to decide whether any criminal charges should be filed.

And authorities in Southern California are looking into a string of shootings on the Los Angeles freeway. At least eight shootings have been reported since mid-March, resulting in the deaths of four people. But police say they have not been able to establish any sort of connection between the shootings, so the investigation goes on.

HEMMER: That it does. Carol, thanks for that.

I want to get back to this story now. 30 minutes away now, a military jury set to convene in Ft. Hood, Texas, to consider a sentence for Private First Class Lynndie England.

Susan Candiotti's live in Ft. Hood. Susan, good morning.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill. Yes, selecting the jury is the first order of business this day and the petite army reservist from West Virginia, Lynndie England, arrived at court just a little while ago, surrounded by her legal team. That jury, when it is selected, will be made up of nine people, five enlisted members and four officers.

Military prosecutors plan on calling only one witness. That would be Lynndie England's team leader in Iraq. The defense may call six people, including England's then boyfriend, Specialist Charles Graner, who she says told her to pose for those infamous photos at Abu Ghraib prison. So far, England has done her only talking in the courtroom, when she pleaded guilty.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For someone seen in so many of the notorious photos from Abu Ghraib prison, Private First Class Lynndie England seemed unusually camera shy as she came to court, her legal staff running interference like blocking backs. England pleaded guilty to seven counts, all involving photos that show her with naked Iraqi detainees who are being deliberately humiliated.

She said her then-boyfriend guard Charles Graner told her to pose for pictures like this. "I knew it was wrong," she said. The judge: "Then why did you do it?" "Because he asked me to."

England said it was Graner and another guard who staged these scenes of humiliation and degradation. "Why?" asked the judge. "For their own amusement," she said. The judge: "Did you get any amusement out of it?" "Not really," England said. England said she gave in under peer pressure, but conceited, "I could have said no," and left.

At the end of the day, England and her lawyers walked away without saying a word. A jury is to be seated for the penalty phase on Tuesday.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CANDIOTTI: Technically, England could spend up to 11 years in prison. But under the terms of a secret plea deal, sources tell CNN that she could really spend just a little more than two years in prison. But all of that is being kept from the jury now, because if it decides to come up with a lighter sentence, that could actually work in England's favor -- Bill.

HEMMER: We'll watch it from here. Susan Candiotti in Ft. Hood -- Soledad?

O'BRIEN: One year ago Monday, Thomas Hamill, a Mississippi truck driver working for a contractor in Iraq, managed to escape his captors.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you want to give us your name?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hamill. Thomas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: He was held for 24 days by Iraqi insurgents after they attacked Hamill's convoy near the Baghdad airport. He's written a book about it all. It's called "Escape in Iraq," the Thomas Hamill story. He's with us this morning.

I'm curious to know when you see clips of that tape, you're in the back of the car, gun being held to you, does it make you anxious to see? I mean, what goes through your head when you see that?

THOMAS HAMILL, FORMER HOSTAGE: Well, it's, you know -- it's been a year since this happened, and you know, I look at, you know, like I said, I pinch myself, I'm here and I'm alive. Of course, others haven't been that fortunate, and that's on your mind all the time when you think about that, you made it through and so many others didn't.

O'BRIEN: It is on your mind all the time, you think about it.

HAMILL: Yes.

O'BRIEN: When you see, for example, the pictures of Douglas Wood, the Australian who is now being held hostage in Iraq, I mean, does that take you right back?

HAMILL: Right. It does. And of course, I don't know which group he's with, if he's with any group that's a lot more stronger than the group that I was with. I'm not sure even who I was, but it takes me back there.

O'BRIEN: As you well know, the United States' policy is not to negotiate with hostage takers. When you look at the numbers, though, 34 people are currently being held captive or kidnapped in Iraq. Three are unaccounted for. 46 killed. Do you wish that the U.S. would change its policy? Do you wish that they had negotiating, not just for you, but for others, as well? HAMILL: No. The policy is what it should be. I mean, if we knew it was going to stop with the negotiations or money paid out, this would be the last time they would ever take a hostage, I'd say yes, let's do that. But it's not going to happen. It's not going to stop. They're going to continue to take hostages. They're terrorists. That's the way they work, that's how they put fear and terror in the people in the world, by taking hostages and threatening them like that.

O'BRIEN: Your family and your community, too, incredibly strong when you were kidnapped. And we had done a lot of reporting from your hometown. Now other families of hostages who are being held have contacted you. What do they want to know from you? What are they asking you?

HAMILL: Well, I talked to Roy Hallum's (ph) daughter, I talked to Miss Susan (ph)> You know, if there's anything I could do, I tell you, I would go over there if they would tell me they would release Roy or Douglas. To me, I'd go over there right now, walk down the streets of Baghdad and bring them out of there. I mean, that's how I feel about this. And I believe, you know, I don't know what I can do to help. I mean, anything I could do, I would be willing to do it.

O'BRIEN: And what do they ask you? What -- do they want to know about your circumstances? They just want to you sort of sit with them and be with them and provide sort of a physical hope that their loved one might come back?

HAMILL: They want to know what I think they're going through. And like said, I don't know -- there are so many different fundamentalists, extremists, that are different groups of this al Qaeda, that you don't know which one is, you know, Zarqawi or the other -- the bunches. It's just tough to say what he's going through. I was there, but I don't know actually what he's going through.

O'BRIEN: Your wife gave interviews when you were being held hostage. And I've always wondered, sometimes -- and you've said your captors saw your wife on TV. Do you think it helps when the family members come out and talk about the hostage or do you think somehow it puts the hostage at a greater risk and that the family members shouldn't be talking?

HAMILL: Well, I think it helps. I mean, I don't think it helps for families to get on there and just plead and cry on TV for anything like that. I mean, they would come in and tell me we've seen your family on TV. They cry for you, they cry for you. I've seen those videos. I never saw my wife crying on TV. She was always strong.

And they always would come in and ask me, do you have babies? And they're concerned about children. They have a compassion for children, and they saw my kids on TV and I said, yes, I have two teenagers. Every time they would come in, ask about my babies, do you have babies. I would tell them every day, I have two teenagers.

O'BRIEN: So you think it helps to have this connection, sort of, with your family? HAMILL: Right, but none of this begging and pleading. I mean, it's tough for the hostages there to even beg and plead for your life, because the situation you're in, like I was -- I knew that, you know, they weren't going to see any fear in me. I was going to be as strong as I can be in front of them and whatever happened was going to happen, regardless.

O'BRIEN: You're a leader. Things back to normal? Is there sort of a new definition of normal? How is it?

HAMILL: Well, I've got a better value for my family and I tell you, we take for granted -- what, we see them every day here, but when we're gone and we may not never come back again, I mean, I was preparing myself for being executed over there or even being there for years and never being found. And that goes through your mind and you think about that now, and I appreciate it so much, the country that we live in, and all the freedoms that we have here.

O'BRIEN: I hear you and many other do, as well. Thomas Hamill. Tommy Hamill. Nice to have you. Thanks for coming in to talk to us.

HAMILL: Thank you, Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Congratulations on the book as well -- Bill.

HEMMER: Best to you.

(WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, Andy is "Minding Your Business." Coca-Cola is coming up with a new formula for Diet Coke. We'll have a little taste test head.

HEMMER: Also hear the little boy who became his father's hero. A highway tragedy avoided thanks to an 8-year-old's cool head. Mom, dad and son join us next live on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Time now to meet the Vellucci's, mom, dad and 8-year-old son, Steven. Dad had a diabetic reaction when he was behind the wheel driving on a highway in Massachusetts, and young Steven saved the day by using a cell phone, some youthful savvy and a call to his mother to help his father get through it all. The parents are here, Tracy and Steven Vellucci, and their son Steven with us as well up in Boston.

How are you three doing? Good morning.

I want to start with the big Steve. I don't know if you're a senior or if you're a one or not. We'll just call you Steve today.

What do you remember when you look, behind the wheel as you look back?

STEVE VELLUCCI, DAD: Behind the wheel, I don't remember much. It was like a big dream. It was foggy, hazy, and I remember leaving my son's baseball practice, and the practice was only a mile and a half, two miles from my house, and I remember driving around, thinking, I'm lost, I don't know where I am, and that shouldn't have happened, since I was in my own hometown.

HEMMER: So you're in a bit of a fog. And, Steven, what do you then tell your dad?

STEVEN VELLUCCI, SAVED HIS DAD. I told him, I know where you are. Then I said, You're in Hudson.

HEMMER: How did you know that, Steven. Did you see the signs on the street?

STEVEN VELLUCCI: No, I just knew that some kid in my class, his mom lives in Hudson, so I just knew where it was.

HEMMER: I see. Well, we're looking at some videotape of highway now.

Steven, you were talking to your mom on a cell phone at the time. What was she telling you?

STEVEN VELLUCCI: She was telling me, Steven, you need to tell daddy to pull over, and unbuckle to look for some candy.

HEMMER: And what did you tell your dad?

STEVEN VELLUCCI: I said, dad, pull over. But then he kept on driving.

HEMMER: Oh, he didn't listen to you?

STEVEN VELLUCCI: The first time, but then we went into Bedford, and then the second time I told him, I said, mom told to you pull over, and then he pulled over, for a few minutes. Then he kept on driving. Then he pulled over again, and then he kept on driving.

HEMMER: So you knew this wasn't quite the way to get home, didn't you?

STEVEN VELLUCCI: Yep.

HEMMER: OK, can I talk to your mom a quick second here?

STEVEN VELLUCCI: Okay.

HEMMER: All right, hey, Tracy, so you're talking to your son.

TRACY VELLUCCI, MOM: Yes.

HEMMER: What kind of information did you want from him?

T. VELLUCCI: Well, I had no idea where they were. I knew they were about half an hour, 45 minutes late getting home, and so I knew they could be anywhere. So I needed to kind of pinpoint a location of where they were so I could call 911 and get them some help. HEMMER: But the good news is you know they're on the side of the road, right?

T. VELLUCCI: Well, when first started, my husband was driving, but yes, my son did get him to pull over.

HEMMER: Your son's on the phone about you. What do you think about the way he reacted?

T. VELLUCCI: I'm just amazed. It was incredible. I mean, The amount of detail that he could give us as to where he was, which was 20 miles from our home.

HEMMER: What did he tell but that detail?

T. VELLUCCI: He told me the town they were in, what exit off the highway they had gotten off, and once they finally did stop he mentioned a street name right around the corner that he had seen, and he also mentioned -- he described a house that was outside the window, the house number, the color, he said he saw a white house, number 62, with two blue doors, and then across the street he saw a beach house.

HEMMER: Wow, that is some detail. So then you call authorities and they come out and they make sure that the car doesn't go down the road any further.

Steven, how did you get the keys from your father?

STEVEN VELLUCCI: I just said, dad, I need the keys really badly, and then he gave them to me.

HEMMER: Well done.

To the father, I understand this, you haven't had a diabetic reaction, Steven, in what, 12 years, is that right?

STEVE VELLUCCI: That's right.

HEMMER: So that really surprised you, I'm assuming, too.

STEVE VELLUCCI: Yes, it was -- it could have easily been avoided if I just had a little something to eat.

HEMMER: Well, I understand that had some M&M's in the back seat that may have saved the day for you.

STEVE VELLUCCI: Yes.

HEMMER: Hey, well done, Steven.

STEVEN VELLUCCI: Thank you.

HEMMER: Thanks for talking with us today, Steven Vellucci and his proud mother, Tracy, and his father, Steve, up there in Boston.

Nice to chat with you all three today. T. VELLUCCI: Thank you.

STEVE VELLUCCI: Bye-bye.

HEMMER: All right, here's Soledad.

O'BRIEN: "CNN LIVE TODAY" is up next. Daryn, good morning to you. What are you working on? And how cute is that little boy?

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, very cute, doing very well there. We're were proud of him. We have a lot to work on today. In just a few minutes, BTK suspect Dennis Rader will be back in court. It's his arraigned today. We're going to take you live inside the Kansas courtroom. You'll also get to hear from the man that police say is a serial killer.

Also, get a rare glimpse inside the secretive nation of North Korea. Find out what life is really like inside the Communist country.

It's all ahead on CNN LIVE TODAY. Back to you.

O'BRIEN: All right, Daryn, thanks.

Well, Coca-cola is introducing yet another style of beverage. Andy's going to give it a taste test when he "Minds Your Business," coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. Diet Coke with a sugar substitute. We've seen that before. So what's new? With that story and a check on Wall Street, Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business." Before the big old taste test, let's talk about the markets, and of course the Fed meeting.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" COLUMNIST: Yes, the Fed's meeting at 2:15. So you're going to see, kind of, sitting on the hands, a lot of treading water. Down six points on the Dow this morning. And Jack brought up an interesting point earlier in the program, that if Fed Reserve says that it's ended raising interest rates, you would see the market take off. Unfortunately, I don't think that's what's going to happen. I think they're going to raise rates, so they're going to say we're going to keep watching things. So watch CNN at 2:15 to find out what happens.

OK,yes indeed, there are a lot of Diet Cokes out there. Six, in fact. Diet Coke, caffeine-free Diet Coke, Diet Coke with lime, Diet Coke with lemon, Diet Cherry Coke, Diet Vanilla Coke.

O'BRIEN: Aye, cherry coke.

SERWER: Cherry. Cherry coke.

O'BRIEN: Gotcha. SERWER: OK. Now we have a new Diet Coke. It's with Splenda. And we have Ms. Soledad O'Brien here to do a taste test. We have A and B. Why don't try A? Now, one of these is the original Diet Coke and one of these is Diet Coke with Splenda. You're trying B first.

O'BRIEN: Oh, I am? Sorry.

SERWER: OK, that's B.

O'BRIEN: OK.

SERWER: OK, now try A. I know how to run these taste tests.

O'BRIEN: How do I clean my palette?

SERWER: Oh, we don't have anything palette-cleaning thing. Bill, did you forget bring the palette-cleaning...

O'BRIEN: The old cheap taste test.

SERWER: It's CNN.

O'BRIEN: B is the one with the Splenda, A is regular coke.

SERWER: We can't fool her! And we didn't tell her beforehand. We really didn't. You're right.

O'BRIEN: Gosh. I drink a lot of Diet Coke.

SERWER: Yes. What do you think about the Splenda?

O'BRIEN: Not bad. Not bad. Not great, but not bad.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Are they a sponsor of this program, by any chance?

SERWER: Underwritten, but no, it's not.

O'BRIEN: It's fabulous, I love it! I always have my Diet Coke with Splenda.

SERWER: This is sponsored by PepsiCo, this segment.

HEMMER: And tomorrow, bring a big fat latte, will you?

SERWER: Yes, all right.

HEMMER: Thanks, Andy. "Question of the Day," one final batch.

CAFFERTY: Standardizing driver's licenses. Will it improve national security? Congress is working on this. All 50 states would be the same and in order to get a driver's license, you'd have to prove, with documents, passport, birth certificate, that you were a citizen to this country.

Earlier, Soledad asked about people who were in the country legally, but were not citizens. What would that mean to them? International driver's licenses. They're available. Now you can drive in 150 countries. You get one of those. And I knew that, but it was a senior moment and I'd forgotten because we talked about it earlier.

Anyway, Dave writes from Japan: "Yes, do it. Make my life more complicated. Haven't they figured it out yet? Criminals know how to forge all of these documents. So while they do business as usual, American citizens have to prove they belong here. It's a feel-good bill. It's a terrible idea."

Al in Arizona writes: "If we're ever going to get our country back from Vicente Fox's invading army, we have to start somewhere. Viva la real I.D.!"

And Sandra writes: "My vote is yes. If you have something to hide, ride a horse."

HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.

All right, this morning, we reported how Army recruiting fell short, once again, the month of April. Tomorrow, a closer look at that problem. We'll talk to recruitment officers in one city, who are struggling to sign up new faces. Part of our series "Battle Fatigue," tomorrow 7:00 a.m. Back in a moment, after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: We got to run. See you again tomorrow. Here's Daryn Kagan at the CNN Center. Daryn, good morning to you.

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