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American Morning
Insurgent Plan; Class Of 9/11; Pop Culture IQ
Aired May 19, 2005 - 07:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody. It's 7:30 here in New York.
In a moment here, it is graduation time for what many are calling the class of 9/11.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: These are students who came to New York from around the country, really from around the world. They were practically in just their very first week of college when the attacks of 9/11 happened. Well, now, four years later, they are seniors. And they talk about how the terrorist attacks shaped their last four years of their lives and also their lives as a whole.
HEMMER: What a perspective they have, too.
O'BRIEN: Kelly Wallace with that for us in just a moment.
Before that, though, let's get right to Carol Costello. She's got a look at our top stories this morning.
Hello. Good morning.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: I do. Good morning to both of you. Good morning to all of you.
"Now in the News."
A man labeled as a person of interest in a triple slaying in Idaho has now been questioned by authorities. They were hoping he would have information about those two missing children. Detectives interviewed 33-year-old Robert Roy Lutner last night. It's not clear what was said, but police stressed Lutner is not a suspect in this case. In the meantime, the search continues for 9-year-old Dylan and 8-year-old Shasta Groene. The bodies of their mother and brother were found on Monday. The FBI is assisting in the search for these children.
Congress is debating legislation that would bar women in the military from serving on the front lines. It's based on a 10-year-old Pentagon policy barring female troops from direct ground combat roles. The House Armed Services Committee overwhelmingly approved the measure overnight and sent it to the House floor. A similar version is also up for debate in the Senate.
To California now, where CNN's own Larry King is expected to take the stand in the Michael Jackson trial today. A hearing is planned before that testimony to determine what will be admissible in court. Jackson's teenaged cousin testified on Wednesday that he saw the accuser and his brother secretly watching porn and stealing money.
And it's now down to the final two on "American Idol." Vonzell Solomon, oh, she's gone. The 29-year-old known to some of her fans as "Baby V" got knocked off last night after some 37 million people cast their votes. Her exit now paves the way for Bo Bice and Carrie Underwood. The two will perform for the last time next week to determine who will be the new "American Idol."
HEMMER: What do you think? Come on. Girl or guy?
COSTELLO: You know, I don't watch it, but I just think Bo...
O'BRIEN: Go with Bo, Carol. Trust me. It's Bo.
HEMMER: Bo.
COSTELLO: It's Bo?
HEMMER: It's Bo.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
COSTELLO: Yes, because Carrie supposedly has no personality, right?
HEMMER: Oh, really?
O'BRIEN: Some say no talent. Not me, just some.
HEMMER: And there's that.
COSTELLO: And there's that, too, right. But you know what? Chad Myers loves "American Idol."
HEMMER: Really?
COSTELLO: He would be the guy to ask. So, Chad?
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Carol, go with Bo. Exactly. Paula Abdul, she said it exactly last night. She said, watch next week. It will be your last chance to watch Bo for free. After that, you're going to have to pay it. He's going to be in concerts. He's going to be in record deals. They're all going to have record deals. So is Vonzell. I mean, so we can't feel sorry for any of them there. But I think Bo is going to win this thing hands down.
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: Two Iraqi leaders have been gunned down today in separate attacks. The killings of an Oil Ministry official and an aide to the powerful Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani followed an order condoning the killing of Muslims by Muslims. That order was on an audiotape said to be from Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
CNN's Ryan Chilcote is in Baghdad for us this morning.
Ryan -- good morning. Let's get right to that videotape. What was the response from people who heard that tape?
RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Soledad.
Well, not so sure that too many of the Iraqis here heard that audiotape. It was posted on the Internet, and it came out pretty late last night. So, I don't know exactly how many Iraqis actually hear it.
But I can tell you with a great deal of certainty that the vast majority of Iraqis, both Sunnis and Shiites, reject that kind of thinking. They reject the notion that it's OK for Iraqis or for Muslims to be killed if the insurgents' ultimate aim is to kill Americans or infidels, as Abu Musab al-Zarqawi puts it on this audiotape.
Having said that, we went to a mosque this morning, a Sunni mosque, because Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, in that recording -- if it is indeed him -- says that he's doing this to defend Sunni Arabs here in Iraq to sample opinion. They hadn't heard the message, but we read parts of Zarqawi's message to them. The imam of the mosque said that he was categorically against that kind of message; that he did not think it was OK to kill Iraqis or to kill Muslims in pursuit of American targets.
We then spoke with two of the men praying in the mosque, and, quite shockingly for us, both of those men said that while it's best to attack Americans when they're away from Iraqis, if it has to be that the only way to get at the Americans or Iraqi security forces when they're near Iraqi civilians, if that's the only way to do it, they said that's OK. That's allowed, and they understand Zarqawi's statement -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Oh, that's pretty surprising. Ryan, you know, yesterday we talked about the new daily wave of car bombings as part of a changing strategy for the terrorists within Iraq. Any other trends that you're seeing?
CHILCOTE: Absolutely, Soledad. And over the last couple of weeks, we've seen a very alarming increase in the sectarian violence here. And what I mean by that is attacks on just ordinary Sunnis or ordinary Shiites.
And what the Iraqi government believes is that the insurgents are now executing Sunni clerics, Shiite clerics, abducting ordinary Sunnis and Shiites, taking them to remote locations and executing them, and then dumping the bodies to try and incite anger between these two groups of people here in Iraq, to try and turn them against one another. They're trying to turn Iraq's Shiites and Sunnis against one another and start a civil war. They believe that even if they're not successful in their attacks on Iraq's security forces and American forces here, their best approach might be to try and to start a civil war -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Interesting. Ryan Chilcote for us in Baghdad this morning. Ryan, thanks. A warning today about homegrown extremist groups that might threaten this country. Law enforcement officials say environmental and animal rights organizations like E.L.F., the Earth Liberation Front, pose grave dangers to the United States. A vandalism attack blamed on E.L.F. took place just this week in Fair Oaks, California, damaging some vehicles. Officials say these groups are said to pose the most serious domestic terror threat to the nation right now. No one has been killed. Officials, though, tell the Senate that the groups have grown and that their attacks are getting more frequent -- Bill.
HEMMER: It's about 22 minutes now before the hour. This is graduation season for colleges around the country. But this year's senior class is far different from any other. They began their college careers with the 9/11 attacks and have lived with 9/11 ever since.
Kelly Wallace here this morning with their story.
Good morning.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
Think about it. The class of 2005, they were just starting as freshmen when September 11 happened. So, we traveled to Columbia University here in New York City, which held graduation ceremonies this week. And there, we met three seniors, new to New York City. They had just wrapped up one week of classes as freshmen before their world dramatically changed.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WALLACE (voice over): They followed different roads to get here. Ruben immigrating from Armenia 14 years ago. Suzanne traveling from South Dakota. Harmony, from California. But their lives as part of Columbia's class of 2005 forever linked after that unforgettable September morning.
HARMONY DAVIS, SENIOR CLASS PRESIDENT: Just one week after our freshman orientation in 2001, we experienced one of the most terrifying attacks this city and this country has ever seen.
WALLACE: They were new to college, far from home, facing the unthinkable.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I walked into my hallway, and, you know, people that hardly knew each other -- we had only been on campus a week or so -- were crammed into the very, very small sort of common room because that was the only TV. And everyone was sort of mesmerized, staring at the TV.
WALLACE (on camera): Did you think, or did you hear from your parents about going back to South Dakota and not being in New York City?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I actually said that for a second. I was like, oh, my god, I need to go back home. I need to go, you know, back somewhere closer to home.
WALLACE (voice over): But they all stayed, with the attacks dramatically influencing their college lives.
DAVIS: In my own life, I've taken much bigger risks and have been more, you know, brave, I guess, about taking big risks.
WALLACE: Harmony went on to become senior class president. Ruben chose to major in Middle East studies instead of political science.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was after September 11 that I realized that we have no idea what is going on with that part of the world.
WALLACE: Suzanne thought she'd major in English, but eventually chose Middle East studies and learned Arabic.
(on camera): When you came to Columbia, I bet you didn't expect that you'd be speaking Arabic.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, I actually had no idea.
WALLACE (voice over): She now plans to get a Ph.D. in Mideast studies.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's this kind of sense of urgency that good scholarship has to be done and it has to be done now. And the whole new generations of Americans are going to be growing up. They have to grow up with a better understanding than I think our parents did and maybe even that we did.
WALLACE: Her classmates agree. September 11 reinforcing Ruben's plan to go into the Foreign Service and focus on public diplomacy. And Harmony's commitment to do something on the international stage.
(on camera): How did September 11 change or affect your world view, your view of the world?
DAVIS: The idea of interconnectedness again. We're so much closer than we think we are. You know, America has a history of being isolationist, and I think that this was a really big awakening.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALLACE (voice over): And a huge thanks to Harmony, Ruben and Suzanne for sharing some of their graduation time with us. Bill, I asked them if they are optimistic about the future. They all say yes. Harmony is saying she thinks September 11 will give her class the courage and conviction to try and make the world a better place.
HEMMER: A couple thoughts on this. You asked Suzanne if she was thinking about going back to South Dakota. Did Columbia say how many students they lost as a result?
WALLACE: They talked about it. We asked them if there was any sort of impact, September 11. They say no real impact on attrition. And what they also point to is applications actually continued to increase.
HEMMER: Is that so?
WALLACE: Early decision applications went up 7 percent right after September 11 and continue to go up 2002 and beyond.
HEMMER: What about the issue of Middle Eastern studies? Did a lot of students start signing up for classes? Were they curious about the relationship the U.S. had or the western world had with the Middle East?
WALLACE: It's so interesting. Just in our three-person interview here, two of those students ended up deciding to major in Middle East studies. We don't really have numbers about how big of an increase. Suzanne thinks that the number of people wanting to learning Arabic tripled, even quadrupled. More faculty teaching the courses, more professors saying that they were talking more about terrorism and other issues in their course work because of the demand and because of what happened.
HEMMER: Great story. Thanks, Kelly. Kelly Wallace here -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, from shirts to shorts, even to your underwear. The cost of clothing could be going up. Andy is "Minding Your Business." He'll explain why ahead.
And, if you think that video games and TV are just mindless fun, we'll find out how today's media could actually make you smarter. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Attention couch potatoes and video gamers, your ship has come in. According to a new book, being steeped in the popular culture can actually make you smarter.
Steven Johnson is the author of "Everything Bad is Good For You." He joins us this morning.
I thought this book was going to be about chocolate, high-fat diets. You're really talking about video games, television...
STEVEN JOHNSON, AUTHOR, "EVERYTHING BAD IS GOOD FOR YOU": Right.
O'BRIEN: ... all the things your parents tell you are bad for you.
JOHNSON: I may have to do a sequel, because I think there may be a big market for that. But, yes, it's about pop culture.
O'BRIEN: What's your theory?
JOHNSON: Well, the theory is basically the story of a trend over the last 30 years. And what I'm trying to look at is, if you look at the pop culture, what kind of thinking do you have to do to make sense of your average video game or television show? How many characters are there? How many different plot lines? How many puzzles do you have to work through? And if you look at the pop culture world from that angle, what you find is the story of the last 30 years is towards more complexity, more mental challenge, more thinking than we had to do growing up in the '70s.
O'BRIEN: It is a theory that those shows are sort of mindless fun. But you're saying not so mindless really.
JOHNSON: Well, look at the number of just, you know, kind of separate plot lines that you have to work through in an episode of "The Sopranos" or "Alias" or even "Survivor" or "The Apprentice."
O'BRIEN: I was going to say, "The Apprentice," I can't keep people straight.
JOHNSON: You have all of those different characters, and you really have to focus. It's not, you know, multi-tasking. It's not just kind of keeping track of lots of different things at the same time, because you're trying to make sense of these stories. You're trying to weave together all of these different plot lines and actually interpret them on some level, which is what we like when we read novels, right? We value novels because they can weave together all of these different narrative kind of strains and turn them into a coherent story. Television has become more novelistic in that way.
O'BRIEN: How about video games? You know, there is something when you sit down and you watch a kid playing a video game. I mean, literally, they have that mindless stare, kind of going nowhere.
JOHNSON: I know, but you can't zone out in front of a video game and play it successfully.
O'BRIEN: Really?
JOHNSON: I would argue that that look is a look of focus, right, because, if you don't pay attention, if you don't keep track of all of the different variables that are happening in the video game world...
O'BRIEN: The game is over.
JOHNSON: .. the game is over. And there is instant feedback from the game. If you aren't paying attention, you lose.
O'BRIEN: How about "Grand Theft" fill in the blank...
JOHNSON: "Grand Theft Auto," right.
O'BRIEN: ... whatever, for whatever city they're talking about.
JOHNSON: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Violent, disgusting.
JOHNSON: There is violence in these things, but not any more so than your average Martin Scorsese movie, by the way. I mean, it's worth pointing that out. There are violent movies. You know, there are violent books. So, but, yes, the video games have gotten more violent. However, they are an exception, not the rule, on the bestseller list. The best-selling game of all time is the "Sims," in which you run a little virtual household and you clean up after your dinner and you kind of try and save up enough money to buy a little extension on your house. And there's no violence in the game whatsoever.
O'BRIEN: Where do you think the conventional wisdom, that you're going 180 degrees against?
JOHNSON: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Where do you think the conventional wisdom came from?
JOHNSON: I think part of it is a generational thing, in a sense. It's the oldest story in the kind of cultural book of one generation saying that kids today, you know, I mean, you know, the cave people were probably like. The kids today with their sticks. You know, we had rocks in our day. They're much better than sticks.
So, you know, it's something you hear in every generation. And I think also, I genuinely think that the mass media in the '70s, 30 years ago, was really not that good. It was the days of, you know, "Joanie Loves Chachi" and "Starsky and Hutch" and the "Dukes of Hazzard."
O'BRIEN: Shows I loved, by the way.
JOHNSON: And I loved them, too. But I don't think they were that challenging. And we had no video games, and we had no interactive kind of entertainment. And so, things have gotten a lot better, and people just need to kind of start recognizing that for a change.
O'BRIEN: We'll see. Steven Johnson, nice to see you. Thanks very much. I'm looking forward to the sequel.
JOHNSON: Thank you. I'll start on it right away.
O'BRIEN: Everything bad in food is good for you, too.
JOHNSON: Exactly. I'll send you a copy as soon as it's done.
O'BRIEN: I would certainly appreciate that.
JOHNSON: Thank you.
HEMMER: All right, 11 minutes now before the hour. Next time you go shopping for some new clothes, you might be paying more. Andy explains why next "Minding Your Business" right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Welcome back, everyone. Made in China. You'll be seeing a lot less of that if Washington has its way. Andy Serwer has the story, "Minding Your Business."
What's happening?
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Good morning.
Let's talk about the markets yesterday, because another great day for investors on Wall Street. Dow up triple digits. Three days in May this week we have seen the stocks go up. You can see here quite nice. Lower oil prices behind this, 47.25 for a barrel of crude now. And also positive economic data as well. A benign inflation report. Futures are up this morning, Dow up 324 points this week. And we're above 2000 on the Nasdaq, Bill Hemmer.
We've been hearing about a trade war with China. But what does that mean for you? Lately, it's going to mean higher prices for clothes, particularly at outlets like Wal-Mart and Target on the lower end. And that's because the government is placing restrictions on the importation of Chinese textiles. These are just coming across right now.
Here are some of the things they're going to be limiting the importation of, not cutting back completely. And that will probably mean higher clothing prices. They've also imposed restrictions on cotton trousers, cotton knit shirts and underwear, skivvies as well.
The trade imbalance with China, $162 billion last year. That's the largest trade deficit with any country in the history of this nation. This is good news, though, these importation restrictions, for textile workers in the United States. And that's what the U.S. government is trying to do is to protect jobs here, saying that...
HEMMER: Do you think it helps the economy here?
SERWER: Well, it's a mixed picture. You know, higher prices for consumers, protecting jobs, and the government tries to weigh the balance there.
HEMMER: We'll see if the balance works. Thank you, Andy.
SERWER: You're welcome.
HEMMER: Three days in May.
SERWER: Three days.
HEMMER: It sounds like a love song. See you, Andy.
O'BRIEN: Donald Trump is the focus of the "Question of the Day," and we're not talking about "The Apprentice" either.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: No, we're not. After almost four years, Soledad, of bickering about the redesign of the World Trade Center, New York City officials have very little to point to in the way of accomplishment.
Wednesday, real estate developer Donald Trump called the design for the Freedom Tower -- quote -- "The worst pile of crap architecture I have ever seen in my life." Trump came forward with his own proposal for the site, a stronger, taller version of the original twin towers. Love him or hate him, Trump does design and build buildings for a living.
So, the question is this: Do you like Trump's plan to rebuild the twin towers?
Edgar in New Jersey writes: "I'd have to side with the Donald on this. The current plan looks like a schizophrenic nightmare. If it's built, I think the terrorists win, in a sense. Trump's plan expresses American resolve to rebound and rebuild bigger and stronger than ever."
Jonathan in Ontario: "Would I have him over for dinner? No. Would I watch his television show? No. If the opportunity somehow were to arise, though, would I let him build something for me? Absolutely."
Jerry in Georgia writes: "Trump's idea for the twin towers looks as if his hair stylist designed them. Let the real pros handle this one, Donald. You're fired."
Randy in North Carolina: "I agree with Mr. Trump about the towers. The current project stinks. I would like to see Mr. Trump's idea approved and a huge American flag hung from both towers."
And Leon writes from the Town of Eunice, New Mexico: "Who the heck cares? I'm busy trying to rebuild my kitchen."
Happy 33rd anniversary to his wife, Emily.
HEMMER: Leon and Emily. There's one thing in here. If you're going to build new buildings down there, you have to have tenant demand. You have to have companies who are willing to move in there or even residents move in there, too. About a month ago in this city, you know Seven World Trade? That was the building that fell later in the day on 9/11. It's almost finished. It's going to be 52 stories as opposed to 48 before. They're saying that not a single company has taken out a lease to move into that building. If that is true, that could be a very tough indication for, if they build something someday, how difficult this challenge might be.
O'BRIEN: There could be lots of reasons for that.
SERWER: Right.
O'BRIEN: I mean, for example, a significant portion of the whole area is not done.
SERWER: Yes, they don't know what's going up next door, for instance.
O'BRIEN: Yes, I mean, who wants to necessarily buy into that.
SERWER: Right. HEMMER: You know, but there's also, too, this argument, too. If you're not going to build anything, do you make it a park? Do you make it a memorial?
O'BRIEN: Well, Trump, wasn't that his other thing? He said, if you're not going to build it, make it a park.
CAFFERTY: He said the memorial -- under his plan, the memorial for the victims would be in the footprints of the original twin towers. These two twin towers would be moved a little bit to the east of the original.
O'BRIEN: It's an interesting question.
SERWER: Would it be a giant target for terrorists again, though? I mean, you know, if they rebuilt the towers like that.
O'BRIEN: Back to, do people really want to move in?
SERWER: Right.
O'BRIEN: Clearly. Thank you.
HEMMER: Good question, Jack.
Top stories in a moment here when we continue. Plus, this dramatic bank robbery involving hostages forced to strip down to their bra and panties, in their underwear taken to the airport. That story is ahead when we continue in a moment here on AMERICAN MORNING.
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Aired May 19, 2005 - 07:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody. It's 7:30 here in New York.
In a moment here, it is graduation time for what many are calling the class of 9/11.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: These are students who came to New York from around the country, really from around the world. They were practically in just their very first week of college when the attacks of 9/11 happened. Well, now, four years later, they are seniors. And they talk about how the terrorist attacks shaped their last four years of their lives and also their lives as a whole.
HEMMER: What a perspective they have, too.
O'BRIEN: Kelly Wallace with that for us in just a moment.
Before that, though, let's get right to Carol Costello. She's got a look at our top stories this morning.
Hello. Good morning.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: I do. Good morning to both of you. Good morning to all of you.
"Now in the News."
A man labeled as a person of interest in a triple slaying in Idaho has now been questioned by authorities. They were hoping he would have information about those two missing children. Detectives interviewed 33-year-old Robert Roy Lutner last night. It's not clear what was said, but police stressed Lutner is not a suspect in this case. In the meantime, the search continues for 9-year-old Dylan and 8-year-old Shasta Groene. The bodies of their mother and brother were found on Monday. The FBI is assisting in the search for these children.
Congress is debating legislation that would bar women in the military from serving on the front lines. It's based on a 10-year-old Pentagon policy barring female troops from direct ground combat roles. The House Armed Services Committee overwhelmingly approved the measure overnight and sent it to the House floor. A similar version is also up for debate in the Senate.
To California now, where CNN's own Larry King is expected to take the stand in the Michael Jackson trial today. A hearing is planned before that testimony to determine what will be admissible in court. Jackson's teenaged cousin testified on Wednesday that he saw the accuser and his brother secretly watching porn and stealing money.
And it's now down to the final two on "American Idol." Vonzell Solomon, oh, she's gone. The 29-year-old known to some of her fans as "Baby V" got knocked off last night after some 37 million people cast their votes. Her exit now paves the way for Bo Bice and Carrie Underwood. The two will perform for the last time next week to determine who will be the new "American Idol."
HEMMER: What do you think? Come on. Girl or guy?
COSTELLO: You know, I don't watch it, but I just think Bo...
O'BRIEN: Go with Bo, Carol. Trust me. It's Bo.
HEMMER: Bo.
COSTELLO: It's Bo?
HEMMER: It's Bo.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
COSTELLO: Yes, because Carrie supposedly has no personality, right?
HEMMER: Oh, really?
O'BRIEN: Some say no talent. Not me, just some.
HEMMER: And there's that.
COSTELLO: And there's that, too, right. But you know what? Chad Myers loves "American Idol."
HEMMER: Really?
COSTELLO: He would be the guy to ask. So, Chad?
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Carol, go with Bo. Exactly. Paula Abdul, she said it exactly last night. She said, watch next week. It will be your last chance to watch Bo for free. After that, you're going to have to pay it. He's going to be in concerts. He's going to be in record deals. They're all going to have record deals. So is Vonzell. I mean, so we can't feel sorry for any of them there. But I think Bo is going to win this thing hands down.
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: Two Iraqi leaders have been gunned down today in separate attacks. The killings of an Oil Ministry official and an aide to the powerful Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani followed an order condoning the killing of Muslims by Muslims. That order was on an audiotape said to be from Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
CNN's Ryan Chilcote is in Baghdad for us this morning.
Ryan -- good morning. Let's get right to that videotape. What was the response from people who heard that tape?
RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Soledad.
Well, not so sure that too many of the Iraqis here heard that audiotape. It was posted on the Internet, and it came out pretty late last night. So, I don't know exactly how many Iraqis actually hear it.
But I can tell you with a great deal of certainty that the vast majority of Iraqis, both Sunnis and Shiites, reject that kind of thinking. They reject the notion that it's OK for Iraqis or for Muslims to be killed if the insurgents' ultimate aim is to kill Americans or infidels, as Abu Musab al-Zarqawi puts it on this audiotape.
Having said that, we went to a mosque this morning, a Sunni mosque, because Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, in that recording -- if it is indeed him -- says that he's doing this to defend Sunni Arabs here in Iraq to sample opinion. They hadn't heard the message, but we read parts of Zarqawi's message to them. The imam of the mosque said that he was categorically against that kind of message; that he did not think it was OK to kill Iraqis or to kill Muslims in pursuit of American targets.
We then spoke with two of the men praying in the mosque, and, quite shockingly for us, both of those men said that while it's best to attack Americans when they're away from Iraqis, if it has to be that the only way to get at the Americans or Iraqi security forces when they're near Iraqi civilians, if that's the only way to do it, they said that's OK. That's allowed, and they understand Zarqawi's statement -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Oh, that's pretty surprising. Ryan, you know, yesterday we talked about the new daily wave of car bombings as part of a changing strategy for the terrorists within Iraq. Any other trends that you're seeing?
CHILCOTE: Absolutely, Soledad. And over the last couple of weeks, we've seen a very alarming increase in the sectarian violence here. And what I mean by that is attacks on just ordinary Sunnis or ordinary Shiites.
And what the Iraqi government believes is that the insurgents are now executing Sunni clerics, Shiite clerics, abducting ordinary Sunnis and Shiites, taking them to remote locations and executing them, and then dumping the bodies to try and incite anger between these two groups of people here in Iraq, to try and turn them against one another. They're trying to turn Iraq's Shiites and Sunnis against one another and start a civil war. They believe that even if they're not successful in their attacks on Iraq's security forces and American forces here, their best approach might be to try and to start a civil war -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Interesting. Ryan Chilcote for us in Baghdad this morning. Ryan, thanks. A warning today about homegrown extremist groups that might threaten this country. Law enforcement officials say environmental and animal rights organizations like E.L.F., the Earth Liberation Front, pose grave dangers to the United States. A vandalism attack blamed on E.L.F. took place just this week in Fair Oaks, California, damaging some vehicles. Officials say these groups are said to pose the most serious domestic terror threat to the nation right now. No one has been killed. Officials, though, tell the Senate that the groups have grown and that their attacks are getting more frequent -- Bill.
HEMMER: It's about 22 minutes now before the hour. This is graduation season for colleges around the country. But this year's senior class is far different from any other. They began their college careers with the 9/11 attacks and have lived with 9/11 ever since.
Kelly Wallace here this morning with their story.
Good morning.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
Think about it. The class of 2005, they were just starting as freshmen when September 11 happened. So, we traveled to Columbia University here in New York City, which held graduation ceremonies this week. And there, we met three seniors, new to New York City. They had just wrapped up one week of classes as freshmen before their world dramatically changed.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WALLACE (voice over): They followed different roads to get here. Ruben immigrating from Armenia 14 years ago. Suzanne traveling from South Dakota. Harmony, from California. But their lives as part of Columbia's class of 2005 forever linked after that unforgettable September morning.
HARMONY DAVIS, SENIOR CLASS PRESIDENT: Just one week after our freshman orientation in 2001, we experienced one of the most terrifying attacks this city and this country has ever seen.
WALLACE: They were new to college, far from home, facing the unthinkable.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I walked into my hallway, and, you know, people that hardly knew each other -- we had only been on campus a week or so -- were crammed into the very, very small sort of common room because that was the only TV. And everyone was sort of mesmerized, staring at the TV.
WALLACE (on camera): Did you think, or did you hear from your parents about going back to South Dakota and not being in New York City?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I actually said that for a second. I was like, oh, my god, I need to go back home. I need to go, you know, back somewhere closer to home.
WALLACE (voice over): But they all stayed, with the attacks dramatically influencing their college lives.
DAVIS: In my own life, I've taken much bigger risks and have been more, you know, brave, I guess, about taking big risks.
WALLACE: Harmony went on to become senior class president. Ruben chose to major in Middle East studies instead of political science.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was after September 11 that I realized that we have no idea what is going on with that part of the world.
WALLACE: Suzanne thought she'd major in English, but eventually chose Middle East studies and learned Arabic.
(on camera): When you came to Columbia, I bet you didn't expect that you'd be speaking Arabic.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, I actually had no idea.
WALLACE (voice over): She now plans to get a Ph.D. in Mideast studies.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's this kind of sense of urgency that good scholarship has to be done and it has to be done now. And the whole new generations of Americans are going to be growing up. They have to grow up with a better understanding than I think our parents did and maybe even that we did.
WALLACE: Her classmates agree. September 11 reinforcing Ruben's plan to go into the Foreign Service and focus on public diplomacy. And Harmony's commitment to do something on the international stage.
(on camera): How did September 11 change or affect your world view, your view of the world?
DAVIS: The idea of interconnectedness again. We're so much closer than we think we are. You know, America has a history of being isolationist, and I think that this was a really big awakening.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALLACE (voice over): And a huge thanks to Harmony, Ruben and Suzanne for sharing some of their graduation time with us. Bill, I asked them if they are optimistic about the future. They all say yes. Harmony is saying she thinks September 11 will give her class the courage and conviction to try and make the world a better place.
HEMMER: A couple thoughts on this. You asked Suzanne if she was thinking about going back to South Dakota. Did Columbia say how many students they lost as a result?
WALLACE: They talked about it. We asked them if there was any sort of impact, September 11. They say no real impact on attrition. And what they also point to is applications actually continued to increase.
HEMMER: Is that so?
WALLACE: Early decision applications went up 7 percent right after September 11 and continue to go up 2002 and beyond.
HEMMER: What about the issue of Middle Eastern studies? Did a lot of students start signing up for classes? Were they curious about the relationship the U.S. had or the western world had with the Middle East?
WALLACE: It's so interesting. Just in our three-person interview here, two of those students ended up deciding to major in Middle East studies. We don't really have numbers about how big of an increase. Suzanne thinks that the number of people wanting to learning Arabic tripled, even quadrupled. More faculty teaching the courses, more professors saying that they were talking more about terrorism and other issues in their course work because of the demand and because of what happened.
HEMMER: Great story. Thanks, Kelly. Kelly Wallace here -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, from shirts to shorts, even to your underwear. The cost of clothing could be going up. Andy is "Minding Your Business." He'll explain why ahead.
And, if you think that video games and TV are just mindless fun, we'll find out how today's media could actually make you smarter. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Attention couch potatoes and video gamers, your ship has come in. According to a new book, being steeped in the popular culture can actually make you smarter.
Steven Johnson is the author of "Everything Bad is Good For You." He joins us this morning.
I thought this book was going to be about chocolate, high-fat diets. You're really talking about video games, television...
STEVEN JOHNSON, AUTHOR, "EVERYTHING BAD IS GOOD FOR YOU": Right.
O'BRIEN: ... all the things your parents tell you are bad for you.
JOHNSON: I may have to do a sequel, because I think there may be a big market for that. But, yes, it's about pop culture.
O'BRIEN: What's your theory?
JOHNSON: Well, the theory is basically the story of a trend over the last 30 years. And what I'm trying to look at is, if you look at the pop culture, what kind of thinking do you have to do to make sense of your average video game or television show? How many characters are there? How many different plot lines? How many puzzles do you have to work through? And if you look at the pop culture world from that angle, what you find is the story of the last 30 years is towards more complexity, more mental challenge, more thinking than we had to do growing up in the '70s.
O'BRIEN: It is a theory that those shows are sort of mindless fun. But you're saying not so mindless really.
JOHNSON: Well, look at the number of just, you know, kind of separate plot lines that you have to work through in an episode of "The Sopranos" or "Alias" or even "Survivor" or "The Apprentice."
O'BRIEN: I was going to say, "The Apprentice," I can't keep people straight.
JOHNSON: You have all of those different characters, and you really have to focus. It's not, you know, multi-tasking. It's not just kind of keeping track of lots of different things at the same time, because you're trying to make sense of these stories. You're trying to weave together all of these different plot lines and actually interpret them on some level, which is what we like when we read novels, right? We value novels because they can weave together all of these different narrative kind of strains and turn them into a coherent story. Television has become more novelistic in that way.
O'BRIEN: How about video games? You know, there is something when you sit down and you watch a kid playing a video game. I mean, literally, they have that mindless stare, kind of going nowhere.
JOHNSON: I know, but you can't zone out in front of a video game and play it successfully.
O'BRIEN: Really?
JOHNSON: I would argue that that look is a look of focus, right, because, if you don't pay attention, if you don't keep track of all of the different variables that are happening in the video game world...
O'BRIEN: The game is over.
JOHNSON: .. the game is over. And there is instant feedback from the game. If you aren't paying attention, you lose.
O'BRIEN: How about "Grand Theft" fill in the blank...
JOHNSON: "Grand Theft Auto," right.
O'BRIEN: ... whatever, for whatever city they're talking about.
JOHNSON: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Violent, disgusting.
JOHNSON: There is violence in these things, but not any more so than your average Martin Scorsese movie, by the way. I mean, it's worth pointing that out. There are violent movies. You know, there are violent books. So, but, yes, the video games have gotten more violent. However, they are an exception, not the rule, on the bestseller list. The best-selling game of all time is the "Sims," in which you run a little virtual household and you clean up after your dinner and you kind of try and save up enough money to buy a little extension on your house. And there's no violence in the game whatsoever.
O'BRIEN: Where do you think the conventional wisdom, that you're going 180 degrees against?
JOHNSON: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Where do you think the conventional wisdom came from?
JOHNSON: I think part of it is a generational thing, in a sense. It's the oldest story in the kind of cultural book of one generation saying that kids today, you know, I mean, you know, the cave people were probably like. The kids today with their sticks. You know, we had rocks in our day. They're much better than sticks.
So, you know, it's something you hear in every generation. And I think also, I genuinely think that the mass media in the '70s, 30 years ago, was really not that good. It was the days of, you know, "Joanie Loves Chachi" and "Starsky and Hutch" and the "Dukes of Hazzard."
O'BRIEN: Shows I loved, by the way.
JOHNSON: And I loved them, too. But I don't think they were that challenging. And we had no video games, and we had no interactive kind of entertainment. And so, things have gotten a lot better, and people just need to kind of start recognizing that for a change.
O'BRIEN: We'll see. Steven Johnson, nice to see you. Thanks very much. I'm looking forward to the sequel.
JOHNSON: Thank you. I'll start on it right away.
O'BRIEN: Everything bad in food is good for you, too.
JOHNSON: Exactly. I'll send you a copy as soon as it's done.
O'BRIEN: I would certainly appreciate that.
JOHNSON: Thank you.
HEMMER: All right, 11 minutes now before the hour. Next time you go shopping for some new clothes, you might be paying more. Andy explains why next "Minding Your Business" right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Welcome back, everyone. Made in China. You'll be seeing a lot less of that if Washington has its way. Andy Serwer has the story, "Minding Your Business."
What's happening?
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Good morning.
Let's talk about the markets yesterday, because another great day for investors on Wall Street. Dow up triple digits. Three days in May this week we have seen the stocks go up. You can see here quite nice. Lower oil prices behind this, 47.25 for a barrel of crude now. And also positive economic data as well. A benign inflation report. Futures are up this morning, Dow up 324 points this week. And we're above 2000 on the Nasdaq, Bill Hemmer.
We've been hearing about a trade war with China. But what does that mean for you? Lately, it's going to mean higher prices for clothes, particularly at outlets like Wal-Mart and Target on the lower end. And that's because the government is placing restrictions on the importation of Chinese textiles. These are just coming across right now.
Here are some of the things they're going to be limiting the importation of, not cutting back completely. And that will probably mean higher clothing prices. They've also imposed restrictions on cotton trousers, cotton knit shirts and underwear, skivvies as well.
The trade imbalance with China, $162 billion last year. That's the largest trade deficit with any country in the history of this nation. This is good news, though, these importation restrictions, for textile workers in the United States. And that's what the U.S. government is trying to do is to protect jobs here, saying that...
HEMMER: Do you think it helps the economy here?
SERWER: Well, it's a mixed picture. You know, higher prices for consumers, protecting jobs, and the government tries to weigh the balance there.
HEMMER: We'll see if the balance works. Thank you, Andy.
SERWER: You're welcome.
HEMMER: Three days in May.
SERWER: Three days.
HEMMER: It sounds like a love song. See you, Andy.
O'BRIEN: Donald Trump is the focus of the "Question of the Day," and we're not talking about "The Apprentice" either.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: No, we're not. After almost four years, Soledad, of bickering about the redesign of the World Trade Center, New York City officials have very little to point to in the way of accomplishment.
Wednesday, real estate developer Donald Trump called the design for the Freedom Tower -- quote -- "The worst pile of crap architecture I have ever seen in my life." Trump came forward with his own proposal for the site, a stronger, taller version of the original twin towers. Love him or hate him, Trump does design and build buildings for a living.
So, the question is this: Do you like Trump's plan to rebuild the twin towers?
Edgar in New Jersey writes: "I'd have to side with the Donald on this. The current plan looks like a schizophrenic nightmare. If it's built, I think the terrorists win, in a sense. Trump's plan expresses American resolve to rebound and rebuild bigger and stronger than ever."
Jonathan in Ontario: "Would I have him over for dinner? No. Would I watch his television show? No. If the opportunity somehow were to arise, though, would I let him build something for me? Absolutely."
Jerry in Georgia writes: "Trump's idea for the twin towers looks as if his hair stylist designed them. Let the real pros handle this one, Donald. You're fired."
Randy in North Carolina: "I agree with Mr. Trump about the towers. The current project stinks. I would like to see Mr. Trump's idea approved and a huge American flag hung from both towers."
And Leon writes from the Town of Eunice, New Mexico: "Who the heck cares? I'm busy trying to rebuild my kitchen."
Happy 33rd anniversary to his wife, Emily.
HEMMER: Leon and Emily. There's one thing in here. If you're going to build new buildings down there, you have to have tenant demand. You have to have companies who are willing to move in there or even residents move in there, too. About a month ago in this city, you know Seven World Trade? That was the building that fell later in the day on 9/11. It's almost finished. It's going to be 52 stories as opposed to 48 before. They're saying that not a single company has taken out a lease to move into that building. If that is true, that could be a very tough indication for, if they build something someday, how difficult this challenge might be.
O'BRIEN: There could be lots of reasons for that.
SERWER: Right.
O'BRIEN: I mean, for example, a significant portion of the whole area is not done.
SERWER: Yes, they don't know what's going up next door, for instance.
O'BRIEN: Yes, I mean, who wants to necessarily buy into that.
SERWER: Right. HEMMER: You know, but there's also, too, this argument, too. If you're not going to build anything, do you make it a park? Do you make it a memorial?
O'BRIEN: Well, Trump, wasn't that his other thing? He said, if you're not going to build it, make it a park.
CAFFERTY: He said the memorial -- under his plan, the memorial for the victims would be in the footprints of the original twin towers. These two twin towers would be moved a little bit to the east of the original.
O'BRIEN: It's an interesting question.
SERWER: Would it be a giant target for terrorists again, though? I mean, you know, if they rebuilt the towers like that.
O'BRIEN: Back to, do people really want to move in?
SERWER: Right.
O'BRIEN: Clearly. Thank you.
HEMMER: Good question, Jack.
Top stories in a moment here when we continue. Plus, this dramatic bank robbery involving hostages forced to strip down to their bra and panties, in their underwear taken to the airport. That story is ahead when we continue in a moment here on AMERICAN MORNING.
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