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American Morning

A Commuter's Nightmare in the Northeast; John Paul II Now on Fast Track to Sainthood

Aired May 13, 2005 - 07:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: A commuter's nightmare in the northeast, a major bridge engulfed in flames. Amtrak now scrambling to reroute thousands of passengers.
And in New York City, portions of a major freeway buried by a sudden mudslide.

An announcement out of the Vatican today, John Paul II now on the fast track to sainthood, all on this AMERICAN MORNING.

ANNOUNCER: From the CNN broadcast center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING, with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody.

Here at the end of the week, it'll be tough going for a lot of folks in this city today, commuter nightmare out there. We'll talk about it in a moment. Also we'll talk with the U.S. commander in Baghdad about what the military is ready to do now to stop the latest wave of attacks there.

Those stories are just ahead this morning. But also, we've got Jack Cafferty. Good morning.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.

Think cobra and mongoose, Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, the Coyote and the Roadrunner, think Hillary Clinton and Newt Gingrich.

O'BRIEN: Oil and vinegar.

CAFFERTY: Hillary and Newt, hanging out together. We will take a look.

HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.

O'BRIEN: It is odd. All right, Jack, thanks.

In the northeast, the morning rush hour became a commuter nightmare. A major highway on Manhattan's west side is shut down this morning after the collapse of a five-story high-retaining wall that started a landslide.

Also a sea of flames erupting on a train trestle over the Hackensack River, the fire forcing Amtrak to cancel trains and divert passengers to local service. And then hours later, still causing delays.

Let's get right to CNN's Maria Hinojosa. She's in Newark, New Jersey this morning.

Jason Carroll is live for us on the Henry Hudson Parkway in New York.

Maria, we're going to begin with you, though. Give us an update on what's happening there this morning.

MARIA HINOJOSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know what, Soledad, it could have been a commuter's nightmare, but I got to tell you, here at the New York -- Newark Train Station, where you have New Jersey transit and Amtrak trains coming out, pretty much everything is close to normal. Just a few cancellations, a few delays. People are being told expect a few delays, but essentially that bridge over the Hackensack River that caught fire at about 7:40 p.m. last night, had its first trains going over it just before 6:00 in the morning. There was some damage to this signal system. So some trains are going to be rerouted. People coming from Newark might be rerouted into Hoboken, and from there, they'll take a path train.

But essentially, pretty much the morning commute back to normal. Now, what we do know is that that bridge is owned by Amtrak. They had repairmen out all night long, precisely so that they could avoid having a commuter's nightmare. And at this point, the 42,000 commuters that use these trains in and out of New York City from New Jersey should expect very, very minor delays.

Now, it is called a portal or a railroad bridge. It goes over the Hackensack River for any people who have ever been to New Jersey or the area around Newark, you might know that there are marshes, there are rivers, and oftentimes when you're taking the trains in you'll be going along the bridges that cross the marshes and rivers. One of those bridges is exactly what caught fire last night. There were wood pilings under the bridge that caught fire. They're saying very little structural damage, if any. A lot of timbers, a lot of tires were caught on fire. But fire was under control and everything looks to be pretty good for people trying to get in and out of Newark this morning -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Some good news. All right, Maria, thanks.

What's happening for commuters in New York City, though? Let's go right to Jason Carroll's report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It happened in an instant. First a loud rumbling sound, then the cycle typically seen in California, not Manhattan, a massive section of earth and debris slipped on to the Henry Hudson Parkway, a major thoroughfare running along the city's west side.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were standing here having lunch, and we just starting seeing the tree go down, and the whole facade went down into the Hudson Parkway.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was facing where the trees were falling.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Turn around.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And you feel that rumbling on the ground.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We started feeling the rumble rumbling.

CARROLL: The slide happened after a 50-foot stone retaining wall collapsed. Witnesses say the earth moved twice, first a small slide, then a much larger one. These firefighters among the first at the scene.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were investigating it. The rest of the collapse came down. We were pretty close. So we had to get out of there in a hurry.

CARROLL (on camera): What was that like for you, guys, to see all of that earth coming down? what was that like?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was pretty scary.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I bet it was.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tremendous rocks. They were big, like I said before, as big as a car, some of these rocks.

CARROLL: How did you get out of there? What did you do?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just turned and started running the other way. Pretty much the came in is the way we went out.

CARROLL (voice-over): About a third of the 600-foot retaining wall gave way, several parked cars buried. Luckily it appears no one was hurt or trapped. Rescue crews used canine teams and infrared imaging cameras for the search.

MYR. MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, NEW YORK CITY: Fortunately, it was before rush hour. Unfortunately it happened. I don't know if that means you're lucky or unlucky. I think we should just all be very happy that nobody was hurt.

CARROLL: Still, it clogged traffic for hours. City crews evacuated an apartment building as a precaution. The wall, built in the early 1900s, had been worked on within the past six months. And just hours before the wall fell, a structural engineer on site had expressed concerns about the structure, but claimed it would stand.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: We're going to be keeping an eye not only on the commuter-rail issues this morning, but also on the traffic on New York City's highways as well for you -- Bill.

HEMMER: And there are now developments today from the Vatican. Pope John Paul II now a giant step closer to sainthood. About two hours ago, Pope Benedict XVI saying he will waive the five-year waiting period that is normally required before saint hood can be considered in the Catholic Church. It was wildly popular, too, at a funeral in April for Pope John Paul II. You remember this scene.

The calls for immediate sainthood began right after pope John Paul II's death on the second of April.

Jennifer Eccleston live with me now in Rome.

What does the fast track to sainthood involve, Jennifer?

JENNIFER ECCLESTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, basically, what it means is that he no longer has to wait for the five years, Bill, that the new pope can now begin the process of determining whether or not pope John Paul II meets the requirements of first going through to the beatification process, one that is also called being blessed, and to do so, they have to look into his readings, into his various writings, talk to people that know him and just give proof of his holiness. There also must be a determination of whether there was a miracle attributed to pope John Paul II after his death. And after that, they can also begin the process, after he's determined to be blessed, begin the process of canonization, Bill. And of course we know in order to be canonized, in order to become a full saint, there has to be yet another miracle to show that in fact, he could become a saint -- Bill?

HEMMER: How much of this was expected, Jennifer?

ECCLESTON: Well, as you mentioned earlier, you recall, and you were here after the funeral, there was the chants and the various posters around town, saying "santo subito (ph)." It's Italian rough translation for, "Make him a saint soon." In that respect, it was expected. Of course the Vatican office here that determines sainthood always said it was up to the new pope to determine whether or not that process would begin now, would begin in a couple of years, or five years. But it was long expected that because this pope was so widely popular, and that because there are so many people who can stand witness now to his teachings and to his holiness this process would have come in the immediate months after the new pope's election.

Jennifer Eccleston, thanks, live in Rome today -- Soledad..

O'BRIEN: The John Bolton nomination is now heading for a showdown in the Senate. Democrats are hinting at a Senate floor filibuster against President Bush's pick for U.N. ambassador.

Suzanne Malveaux is live now from the White House with much more.

Suzanne, good morning to you. .

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

Well, of course President Bush and the White House have invested a lot of political capital in this nominee. Now the strategy at the White House is publicly, of course, to express a great deal of confidence, but privately, there is a bit of arm twisting that is taking place.

Yesterday, for all intents and purposes, was an embarrassment to the White House. That is when Republican George Voinovich of Ohio blasted John Bolton, calling him the poster child of what someone in the diplomatic corps should not be and indicating he'd not vote for Bolton in the full Senate. Now the Republicans' comments undermine the president's case that this is merely a partisan smear campaign. So white House officials are continuing public relations campaign for this final push.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECY.: John Bolton is going to bring a strong voice to United Nations, to make sure that it is results-oriented and effective in the important work that it is doing, and to make sure that much-needed reform is implemented at the United Nations. I think the American people want to see reform at the United Nations. And John Bolton has the experience and the ability to get things done at the United Nations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Now, Soledad, the White House officials I speak with say that they are confident they've got that 51 votes in the Senate to get that confirmation through. But leaving nothing to chance, Vice President Dick Cheney, of course, privately, quietly talking to those wavering Republicans -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: That's no surprise there. Suzanne, thanks.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HEMMER: Dave Chappelle reportedly checking himself into a mental health treatment facility. This in South Africa. What's happening with him and what happens with the show? "90-Second Pop" has a crack at that a bit later.

O'BRIEN: Also this morning, homeland security experts are questioning the emergency response to Wednesday's airplane scare in Washington D.C. We'll tell you what's being done about it.

HEMMER: Also from Iraq, there is no relief in sight from the attacks from the insurgents. In a moment, we'll talk to a commander in Baghdad about what's happening again today.

Back with more.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: A passenger who has was taken off an Air France flight has now been released after his name set off a transatlantic alarm. That story tops our CNN Security Watch this hour. U.S. authorities forcing the jet to land in Bangor, Maine on Thursday when the name and birth date of the passenger matched someone on the U.S. no-fly list. After a delay of an hour and 40 minutes, the plane, originally from Paris, took off for Boston. The man and his family later released after it was determined he did not pose a security risk.

And there are more questions now about this response on Wednesday to the security breach in Washington. Once a small plane crossed into restricted airspace, it triggered a broad emergency response, as we all watched here.

One of the biggest questions investigators are now asking, did 30,000 people need to be evacuated? Kelli Arena now has that story from D.C.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLI ARENA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Thousands of people running for their lives through the streets of Washington isn't a comforting scene, but it's exactly what the emergency playbook called for.

MICHAEL CHERTOFF, HOMELAND SECURITY SECY.: There's an effective response in place. We detect problems as they emerge on the horizon. We react appropriately and quickly. We resolve them, and now, we go on with the rest of our lives.

ARENA: But as they review Wednesday's events, some Homeland Security experts question whether the playbook needs to be rewritten. Richard Falkenrath is the former deputy White House homeland security adviser.

RICHARD FALKENRATH, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: There are certain sorts of threats that may have been in that plane, for which running out in the streets was not the right response. If it was a chemical threat, if it was a biological threat, probably don't want to do that.

ARENA: For example, if there were a dirty bomb on board, the more people outside, the more victims exposed to radiation. Counterterrorism officials say given the small size of the Cessna and the fact that there were F-16s right on top of it diminished the chance of a 9/11 repeat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's go, let's go.

ARENA: Government officials say that part of the problem is that people automatically think about that last attack and respond accordingly.

FALKENRATH: It is possible for buildings, especially very large and important buildings, to have multiple response plans. So, one would be to evacuate. Another would be to shelter in place and to stay put. And this -- you need a little bit of nimbleness in your command and control system to make that work.

ARENA: Government officials tell CNN there is serious discussion under way about linking what's going on in the air more tightly with what's going on on the ground. White House Spokesman Scott McClellan would only say a review is in process.

SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECY.: You always want to step back after a situation like this occurs and do a review and see if there's any improvements that need to be made. If there are, they will be made. We always learn things as a situation like this occurs.

ARENA (on camera): But government officials say that coming up with nuanced responses to possible terror threats, when you only have a few minutes to act, is a Herculean task, especially here in Washington, where there are distinct chains of command governing different buildings and different parts of the city.

Kelli Arena, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: This investigation likely to examine why the president was not informed of the emergency immediately, and why D.C. city officials were also out of the loop that day.

Stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

O'BRIEN: Well, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates talking tough about his competitors over at Apple. Find out what he said about the popular iPod, just ahead when Andy minds your business. That's coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Welcome back, everyone. It was Microsoft's worst kept secret, but now they want everybody to know about it. Go figure. Here's Andy Serwer, "Minding Your Business." Good morning.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" COLUMNIST: Good morning, Bill. It is the new Xbox we were talking about here, that Microsoft introduced yesterday on MTV. It's called the Xbox 360. Maybe Anderson Cooper has something to do with it. There's Elijah Wood. And it will be available in November in time for Christmas, which is important, because that's before the new Sony Playstation and the new Nintendo Revolution come out in '06. Took three years to make this new console. Should cost around $300.

HEMMER: And they debuted on MTV. There's a target audience for you.

SERWER: Yes, absolutely. It's a very, important business for Microsoft. It's been -- the Xbox was introduced in 2001. It's lost $1.2 billion so far. So they really want this new one to work. Playstation 2 way ahead, 87 million units, versus the Xbox's 20 million units. Gamecube around 18 million units. So they have a lot of ground to make up there.

Meanwhile, in Europe, Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft and the chief software architect -- that's his title these days -- bashing Apple Computer. He has a long history of doing this, of course. Saying the iPod's success was unsustainable. He says that people will be listening to music on mobile phones and, guess what? Microsoft will have a hand in developing that business. HEMMER: Sounds like he's a little jealous of the gigabytes over there with...

SERWER: A little iPod envy.

HEMMER: ... Steve Jobs, huh?

SERWER: Yes, sir. I think that's...

O'BRIEN: Sure, they will be. Meanwhile, Microsoft's -- I mean, Apple's like raking in the money hand over fist each and every day.

SERWER: They sure are.

O'BRIEN: Thanks, Andy. "Question of the Day"?

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Politics makes strange bedfellows, but few as strange as Newt Gingrich and Hillary Clinton. You got to love this.

SERWER: Yes.

CAFFERTY: Thursday, these two announced their support for a greater federal presence in electronic record-keeping to improve healthcare. Healthcare, the issue that made Hillary and Newt arch enemies during the Clinton presidency. Newt also led the charge to impeach Hillary's husband, President Bill.

But lately, Senator Clinton and Newt have been working together on a number of issues, including a Pentagon panel to improve the nation's military readiness. Gingrich says Mrs. Clinton is very practical, hard-working. He has also been talking up Hillary's presidential prospects in 2008, saying quote, "Any Republican who thinks she's going to be easy to beat has a total amnesia about the history of the Clintons."

So here's the question we had a little fun with this morning: What are Hillary Clinton and Newt Gingrich up to? Am@CNN.com.

SERWER: Maybe he wants to be her running mate.

HEMMER: Wouldn't that be interesting?

SERWER: I don't think that's it.

HEMMER: This is like a race to the middle, isn't it?

CAFFERTY: I don't know what it is.

HEMMER: We've seen that here in New York for a while now with Senator Clinton.

CAFFERTY: The both of them are just nightmares. They're both nightmares.

SERWER: OK. CAFFERTY: They're both nightmares.

SERWER: I knew you'd have a take.

O'BRIEN: Can I talk about the new "Star Wars" movie now?

CAFFERTY: Wait.

O'BRIEN: The new "Star Wars" movie doesn't open 'til next week, but you could have seen it last night if you shelled out $500. Hundreds of people turned out for pricey premieres across the country, where they rubbed shoulders with past and present "Star Wars" stars. That was Samuel L. Jackson, Liam Neeson, right there. All the ticket proceeds went to charity. "Star Wars" creator George Lucas talked about last minute movie preparations at the San Francisco event.

(VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE LUCAS, CREATOR, "STAR WARS": Up until about a week ago, I was always looking at it for the technical and how can I make it better and is the color right and the sound right, and all that sort of thing. And now I listen more for the response that I get from the audience. I'm more listening to the audience than I am to the film, just to see where they're reacting, if it's consistent from screening to screening and all that sort of thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: They don't need to listen to the film anymore. You've seen it 500 times. What else do you get for $500? San Francisco fans got a batch of wookie cookies and a shot at breaking a death star pinata. $500 to get wookie cookies and a pinata?

SERWER: Yes, yes. Why don't you wait a week?

O'BRIEN: Exactly. And then it's like $10.50.

HEMMER: Thanks, guys. More in a moment here on AMERICAN MORNING right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, an American snaps up control of the world's most valuable sports franchise and fans are not happy about it. We're going to talk to our very own Richard Quest to find out what all the fuss is about, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Welcome back, everybody. 7:30 here in New York.

In a moment here, one of the U.S. commanders in Baghdad telling us how the military is now responding to the sudden increase in violence there. It's been the talk all week long now.

O'BRIEN: And a very tough couple of weeks there. Going to get to that in just a moment, but first, a look at the headlines with Kelly Wallace, who's in for Carol this morning. Good morning.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, happy Friday.

HEMMER: To you, as well.

O'BRIEN: Thank you, likewise.

WALLACE: Lots of smiles here. Good morning again, everyone. "Now in the News."

Pope John Paul II is officially on his way to becoming a saint. Pope Benedict XVI is putting his predecessor on the fast track, waiving the usual five-year waiting period before that process begins. John Paul will first have to be beatified, then canonized. That process is still likely to take years.

U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is set to announce recommendations for the closing of some military bases in the United States. The cuts are projected to save the military almost $50 billion over the next two decades. Secretary Rumsfeld says the list will be shorter than previously thought, but still, some military communities are on edge this morning awaiting word.

New England has carried out its first execution in almost five decades. Serial killer Michael Ross was put to death by lethal injection in Connecticut earlier this morning. He had been sentenced to death for the killings of four women in the 1980s, but confessed to killing at least four others. Ross had rejected efforts to postpone his execution, saying he wanted to die.

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 13, 2005 - 07:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: A commuter's nightmare in the northeast, a major bridge engulfed in flames. Amtrak now scrambling to reroute thousands of passengers.
And in New York City, portions of a major freeway buried by a sudden mudslide.

An announcement out of the Vatican today, John Paul II now on the fast track to sainthood, all on this AMERICAN MORNING.

ANNOUNCER: From the CNN broadcast center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING, with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody.

Here at the end of the week, it'll be tough going for a lot of folks in this city today, commuter nightmare out there. We'll talk about it in a moment. Also we'll talk with the U.S. commander in Baghdad about what the military is ready to do now to stop the latest wave of attacks there.

Those stories are just ahead this morning. But also, we've got Jack Cafferty. Good morning.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.

Think cobra and mongoose, Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, the Coyote and the Roadrunner, think Hillary Clinton and Newt Gingrich.

O'BRIEN: Oil and vinegar.

CAFFERTY: Hillary and Newt, hanging out together. We will take a look.

HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.

O'BRIEN: It is odd. All right, Jack, thanks.

In the northeast, the morning rush hour became a commuter nightmare. A major highway on Manhattan's west side is shut down this morning after the collapse of a five-story high-retaining wall that started a landslide.

Also a sea of flames erupting on a train trestle over the Hackensack River, the fire forcing Amtrak to cancel trains and divert passengers to local service. And then hours later, still causing delays.

Let's get right to CNN's Maria Hinojosa. She's in Newark, New Jersey this morning.

Jason Carroll is live for us on the Henry Hudson Parkway in New York.

Maria, we're going to begin with you, though. Give us an update on what's happening there this morning.

MARIA HINOJOSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know what, Soledad, it could have been a commuter's nightmare, but I got to tell you, here at the New York -- Newark Train Station, where you have New Jersey transit and Amtrak trains coming out, pretty much everything is close to normal. Just a few cancellations, a few delays. People are being told expect a few delays, but essentially that bridge over the Hackensack River that caught fire at about 7:40 p.m. last night, had its first trains going over it just before 6:00 in the morning. There was some damage to this signal system. So some trains are going to be rerouted. People coming from Newark might be rerouted into Hoboken, and from there, they'll take a path train.

But essentially, pretty much the morning commute back to normal. Now, what we do know is that that bridge is owned by Amtrak. They had repairmen out all night long, precisely so that they could avoid having a commuter's nightmare. And at this point, the 42,000 commuters that use these trains in and out of New York City from New Jersey should expect very, very minor delays.

Now, it is called a portal or a railroad bridge. It goes over the Hackensack River for any people who have ever been to New Jersey or the area around Newark, you might know that there are marshes, there are rivers, and oftentimes when you're taking the trains in you'll be going along the bridges that cross the marshes and rivers. One of those bridges is exactly what caught fire last night. There were wood pilings under the bridge that caught fire. They're saying very little structural damage, if any. A lot of timbers, a lot of tires were caught on fire. But fire was under control and everything looks to be pretty good for people trying to get in and out of Newark this morning -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Some good news. All right, Maria, thanks.

What's happening for commuters in New York City, though? Let's go right to Jason Carroll's report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It happened in an instant. First a loud rumbling sound, then the cycle typically seen in California, not Manhattan, a massive section of earth and debris slipped on to the Henry Hudson Parkway, a major thoroughfare running along the city's west side.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were standing here having lunch, and we just starting seeing the tree go down, and the whole facade went down into the Hudson Parkway.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was facing where the trees were falling.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Turn around.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And you feel that rumbling on the ground.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We started feeling the rumble rumbling.

CARROLL: The slide happened after a 50-foot stone retaining wall collapsed. Witnesses say the earth moved twice, first a small slide, then a much larger one. These firefighters among the first at the scene.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were investigating it. The rest of the collapse came down. We were pretty close. So we had to get out of there in a hurry.

CARROLL (on camera): What was that like for you, guys, to see all of that earth coming down? what was that like?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was pretty scary.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I bet it was.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tremendous rocks. They were big, like I said before, as big as a car, some of these rocks.

CARROLL: How did you get out of there? What did you do?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just turned and started running the other way. Pretty much the came in is the way we went out.

CARROLL (voice-over): About a third of the 600-foot retaining wall gave way, several parked cars buried. Luckily it appears no one was hurt or trapped. Rescue crews used canine teams and infrared imaging cameras for the search.

MYR. MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, NEW YORK CITY: Fortunately, it was before rush hour. Unfortunately it happened. I don't know if that means you're lucky or unlucky. I think we should just all be very happy that nobody was hurt.

CARROLL: Still, it clogged traffic for hours. City crews evacuated an apartment building as a precaution. The wall, built in the early 1900s, had been worked on within the past six months. And just hours before the wall fell, a structural engineer on site had expressed concerns about the structure, but claimed it would stand.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: We're going to be keeping an eye not only on the commuter-rail issues this morning, but also on the traffic on New York City's highways as well for you -- Bill.

HEMMER: And there are now developments today from the Vatican. Pope John Paul II now a giant step closer to sainthood. About two hours ago, Pope Benedict XVI saying he will waive the five-year waiting period that is normally required before saint hood can be considered in the Catholic Church. It was wildly popular, too, at a funeral in April for Pope John Paul II. You remember this scene.

The calls for immediate sainthood began right after pope John Paul II's death on the second of April.

Jennifer Eccleston live with me now in Rome.

What does the fast track to sainthood involve, Jennifer?

JENNIFER ECCLESTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, basically, what it means is that he no longer has to wait for the five years, Bill, that the new pope can now begin the process of determining whether or not pope John Paul II meets the requirements of first going through to the beatification process, one that is also called being blessed, and to do so, they have to look into his readings, into his various writings, talk to people that know him and just give proof of his holiness. There also must be a determination of whether there was a miracle attributed to pope John Paul II after his death. And after that, they can also begin the process, after he's determined to be blessed, begin the process of canonization, Bill. And of course we know in order to be canonized, in order to become a full saint, there has to be yet another miracle to show that in fact, he could become a saint -- Bill?

HEMMER: How much of this was expected, Jennifer?

ECCLESTON: Well, as you mentioned earlier, you recall, and you were here after the funeral, there was the chants and the various posters around town, saying "santo subito (ph)." It's Italian rough translation for, "Make him a saint soon." In that respect, it was expected. Of course the Vatican office here that determines sainthood always said it was up to the new pope to determine whether or not that process would begin now, would begin in a couple of years, or five years. But it was long expected that because this pope was so widely popular, and that because there are so many people who can stand witness now to his teachings and to his holiness this process would have come in the immediate months after the new pope's election.

Jennifer Eccleston, thanks, live in Rome today -- Soledad..

O'BRIEN: The John Bolton nomination is now heading for a showdown in the Senate. Democrats are hinting at a Senate floor filibuster against President Bush's pick for U.N. ambassador.

Suzanne Malveaux is live now from the White House with much more.

Suzanne, good morning to you. .

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

Well, of course President Bush and the White House have invested a lot of political capital in this nominee. Now the strategy at the White House is publicly, of course, to express a great deal of confidence, but privately, there is a bit of arm twisting that is taking place.

Yesterday, for all intents and purposes, was an embarrassment to the White House. That is when Republican George Voinovich of Ohio blasted John Bolton, calling him the poster child of what someone in the diplomatic corps should not be and indicating he'd not vote for Bolton in the full Senate. Now the Republicans' comments undermine the president's case that this is merely a partisan smear campaign. So white House officials are continuing public relations campaign for this final push.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECY.: John Bolton is going to bring a strong voice to United Nations, to make sure that it is results-oriented and effective in the important work that it is doing, and to make sure that much-needed reform is implemented at the United Nations. I think the American people want to see reform at the United Nations. And John Bolton has the experience and the ability to get things done at the United Nations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Now, Soledad, the White House officials I speak with say that they are confident they've got that 51 votes in the Senate to get that confirmation through. But leaving nothing to chance, Vice President Dick Cheney, of course, privately, quietly talking to those wavering Republicans -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: That's no surprise there. Suzanne, thanks.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HEMMER: Dave Chappelle reportedly checking himself into a mental health treatment facility. This in South Africa. What's happening with him and what happens with the show? "90-Second Pop" has a crack at that a bit later.

O'BRIEN: Also this morning, homeland security experts are questioning the emergency response to Wednesday's airplane scare in Washington D.C. We'll tell you what's being done about it.

HEMMER: Also from Iraq, there is no relief in sight from the attacks from the insurgents. In a moment, we'll talk to a commander in Baghdad about what's happening again today.

Back with more.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: A passenger who has was taken off an Air France flight has now been released after his name set off a transatlantic alarm. That story tops our CNN Security Watch this hour. U.S. authorities forcing the jet to land in Bangor, Maine on Thursday when the name and birth date of the passenger matched someone on the U.S. no-fly list. After a delay of an hour and 40 minutes, the plane, originally from Paris, took off for Boston. The man and his family later released after it was determined he did not pose a security risk.

And there are more questions now about this response on Wednesday to the security breach in Washington. Once a small plane crossed into restricted airspace, it triggered a broad emergency response, as we all watched here.

One of the biggest questions investigators are now asking, did 30,000 people need to be evacuated? Kelli Arena now has that story from D.C.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLI ARENA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Thousands of people running for their lives through the streets of Washington isn't a comforting scene, but it's exactly what the emergency playbook called for.

MICHAEL CHERTOFF, HOMELAND SECURITY SECY.: There's an effective response in place. We detect problems as they emerge on the horizon. We react appropriately and quickly. We resolve them, and now, we go on with the rest of our lives.

ARENA: But as they review Wednesday's events, some Homeland Security experts question whether the playbook needs to be rewritten. Richard Falkenrath is the former deputy White House homeland security adviser.

RICHARD FALKENRATH, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: There are certain sorts of threats that may have been in that plane, for which running out in the streets was not the right response. If it was a chemical threat, if it was a biological threat, probably don't want to do that.

ARENA: For example, if there were a dirty bomb on board, the more people outside, the more victims exposed to radiation. Counterterrorism officials say given the small size of the Cessna and the fact that there were F-16s right on top of it diminished the chance of a 9/11 repeat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's go, let's go.

ARENA: Government officials say that part of the problem is that people automatically think about that last attack and respond accordingly.

FALKENRATH: It is possible for buildings, especially very large and important buildings, to have multiple response plans. So, one would be to evacuate. Another would be to shelter in place and to stay put. And this -- you need a little bit of nimbleness in your command and control system to make that work.

ARENA: Government officials tell CNN there is serious discussion under way about linking what's going on in the air more tightly with what's going on on the ground. White House Spokesman Scott McClellan would only say a review is in process.

SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECY.: You always want to step back after a situation like this occurs and do a review and see if there's any improvements that need to be made. If there are, they will be made. We always learn things as a situation like this occurs.

ARENA (on camera): But government officials say that coming up with nuanced responses to possible terror threats, when you only have a few minutes to act, is a Herculean task, especially here in Washington, where there are distinct chains of command governing different buildings and different parts of the city.

Kelli Arena, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: This investigation likely to examine why the president was not informed of the emergency immediately, and why D.C. city officials were also out of the loop that day.

Stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

O'BRIEN: Well, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates talking tough about his competitors over at Apple. Find out what he said about the popular iPod, just ahead when Andy minds your business. That's coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Welcome back, everyone. It was Microsoft's worst kept secret, but now they want everybody to know about it. Go figure. Here's Andy Serwer, "Minding Your Business." Good morning.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" COLUMNIST: Good morning, Bill. It is the new Xbox we were talking about here, that Microsoft introduced yesterday on MTV. It's called the Xbox 360. Maybe Anderson Cooper has something to do with it. There's Elijah Wood. And it will be available in November in time for Christmas, which is important, because that's before the new Sony Playstation and the new Nintendo Revolution come out in '06. Took three years to make this new console. Should cost around $300.

HEMMER: And they debuted on MTV. There's a target audience for you.

SERWER: Yes, absolutely. It's a very, important business for Microsoft. It's been -- the Xbox was introduced in 2001. It's lost $1.2 billion so far. So they really want this new one to work. Playstation 2 way ahead, 87 million units, versus the Xbox's 20 million units. Gamecube around 18 million units. So they have a lot of ground to make up there.

Meanwhile, in Europe, Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft and the chief software architect -- that's his title these days -- bashing Apple Computer. He has a long history of doing this, of course. Saying the iPod's success was unsustainable. He says that people will be listening to music on mobile phones and, guess what? Microsoft will have a hand in developing that business. HEMMER: Sounds like he's a little jealous of the gigabytes over there with...

SERWER: A little iPod envy.

HEMMER: ... Steve Jobs, huh?

SERWER: Yes, sir. I think that's...

O'BRIEN: Sure, they will be. Meanwhile, Microsoft's -- I mean, Apple's like raking in the money hand over fist each and every day.

SERWER: They sure are.

O'BRIEN: Thanks, Andy. "Question of the Day"?

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Politics makes strange bedfellows, but few as strange as Newt Gingrich and Hillary Clinton. You got to love this.

SERWER: Yes.

CAFFERTY: Thursday, these two announced their support for a greater federal presence in electronic record-keeping to improve healthcare. Healthcare, the issue that made Hillary and Newt arch enemies during the Clinton presidency. Newt also led the charge to impeach Hillary's husband, President Bill.

But lately, Senator Clinton and Newt have been working together on a number of issues, including a Pentagon panel to improve the nation's military readiness. Gingrich says Mrs. Clinton is very practical, hard-working. He has also been talking up Hillary's presidential prospects in 2008, saying quote, "Any Republican who thinks she's going to be easy to beat has a total amnesia about the history of the Clintons."

So here's the question we had a little fun with this morning: What are Hillary Clinton and Newt Gingrich up to? Am@CNN.com.

SERWER: Maybe he wants to be her running mate.

HEMMER: Wouldn't that be interesting?

SERWER: I don't think that's it.

HEMMER: This is like a race to the middle, isn't it?

CAFFERTY: I don't know what it is.

HEMMER: We've seen that here in New York for a while now with Senator Clinton.

CAFFERTY: The both of them are just nightmares. They're both nightmares.

SERWER: OK. CAFFERTY: They're both nightmares.

SERWER: I knew you'd have a take.

O'BRIEN: Can I talk about the new "Star Wars" movie now?

CAFFERTY: Wait.

O'BRIEN: The new "Star Wars" movie doesn't open 'til next week, but you could have seen it last night if you shelled out $500. Hundreds of people turned out for pricey premieres across the country, where they rubbed shoulders with past and present "Star Wars" stars. That was Samuel L. Jackson, Liam Neeson, right there. All the ticket proceeds went to charity. "Star Wars" creator George Lucas talked about last minute movie preparations at the San Francisco event.

(VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE LUCAS, CREATOR, "STAR WARS": Up until about a week ago, I was always looking at it for the technical and how can I make it better and is the color right and the sound right, and all that sort of thing. And now I listen more for the response that I get from the audience. I'm more listening to the audience than I am to the film, just to see where they're reacting, if it's consistent from screening to screening and all that sort of thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: They don't need to listen to the film anymore. You've seen it 500 times. What else do you get for $500? San Francisco fans got a batch of wookie cookies and a shot at breaking a death star pinata. $500 to get wookie cookies and a pinata?

SERWER: Yes, yes. Why don't you wait a week?

O'BRIEN: Exactly. And then it's like $10.50.

HEMMER: Thanks, guys. More in a moment here on AMERICAN MORNING right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, an American snaps up control of the world's most valuable sports franchise and fans are not happy about it. We're going to talk to our very own Richard Quest to find out what all the fuss is about, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Welcome back, everybody. 7:30 here in New York.

In a moment here, one of the U.S. commanders in Baghdad telling us how the military is now responding to the sudden increase in violence there. It's been the talk all week long now.

O'BRIEN: And a very tough couple of weeks there. Going to get to that in just a moment, but first, a look at the headlines with Kelly Wallace, who's in for Carol this morning. Good morning.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, happy Friday.

HEMMER: To you, as well.

O'BRIEN: Thank you, likewise.

WALLACE: Lots of smiles here. Good morning again, everyone. "Now in the News."

Pope John Paul II is officially on his way to becoming a saint. Pope Benedict XVI is putting his predecessor on the fast track, waiving the usual five-year waiting period before that process begins. John Paul will first have to be beatified, then canonized. That process is still likely to take years.

U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is set to announce recommendations for the closing of some military bases in the United States. The cuts are projected to save the military almost $50 billion over the next two decades. Secretary Rumsfeld says the list will be shorter than previously thought, but still, some military communities are on edge this morning awaiting word.

New England has carried out its first execution in almost five decades. Serial killer Michael Ross was put to death by lethal injection in Connecticut earlier this morning. He had been sentenced to death for the killings of four women in the 1980s, but confessed to killing at least four others. Ross had rejected efforts to postpone his execution, saying he wanted to die.

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