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American Morning

Class of 9/11; Peak Performance

Aired May 19, 2005 - 09:31   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: Good morning. Welcome back, everybody. Just about half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING. Coming up, a man who's seen the top of the world from 14 different views.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: His name is Ed Viesturs. He's 45 years old and he knows how to dream big. The first American to climb the world's 14 tallest peaks. And we'll talk to him in a moment out there in Seattle. What a story he has to tell. 14 of them, in fact. So we'll get to it.

O'BRIEN: Let's get to Carol first, though. She's got the headlines. Good morning again.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Good morning to all of you.

"Now in the News," an Amber Alert still in effect this morning for two missing Idaho children. Police have now questioned Robert Roy Lutner, who they named as a person of interest in the case. But authorities say the interview has provided absolutely no new leads. Shasta Groene and her brother Dylan since their mother, older brother, and a third victim were found dead on Monday.

Round two of the looming Senate showdown. Lawmakers getting back to work this hour, debating one of President Bush's controversial judicial nominees, Priscilla Owen. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist is calling for a vote, but some Democrats say they will delay. Moderate members of both parties are trying to hammer out a compromise.

President Bush taking his Social Security campaign to the Midwest at this hour. The president has just left for Milwaukee. These pictures came to us just moments ago. He's set to meet with young workers and host a roundtable discussion on his proposal for personal retirement accounts. You know, his Social Security your.

And it will be rock versus country for the "American Idol" finale, now that one of the three has been knocked out. Vonzell Solomon, known to some of her fans as Baby V, got the boot last night after some 37 million people cast their votes. Her exit paves the way for Bob Bice and Carrie Underwood. The two will perform for the last time next week and then it will be time to pick the big winner.

O'BRIEN: Ooh, I can't wait. How about you, Carol?

COSTELLO: I'm on the edge of my seat. O'BRIEN: Hey, come on over. We'll watch it together.

COSTELLO: Oh, great.

O'BRIEN: Thanks, Carol.

Well, most of us know exactly where we were when the 9/11 terror attacks hit. For students in the graduating class of 2005, they had just arrived at college and they've lived with that day ever since. National correspondent Kelly Wallace has their story this morning. Good morning.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad. What we wanted to do is find out how September 11th impacted and influenced the class of 2005, so we headed to Columbia University here in New York City, which had its graduation ceremonies this week. The graduating seniors there had just wrapped up one week of classes as freshmen before everything 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 11th 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: A big awakening and clearly for Harmony, Ruben and Suzanne, an experience that defined in many ways who they are and Soledad, what they hope to be in the future.

O'BRIEN: Pretty remarkable students.

WALLACE: They are amazing.

O'BRIEN: Really nice spot. Thanks -- Bill.

HEMMER: How about this for a day job? Last week, Ed Viesturs became the first American to summit the 14 highest peaks on the planet. The last mountain to climb was in the Annapurna range in central Nepal. He has summited Everest six times, and the climbing legend, Ed Viesturs, my guest now from Seattle.

An honor to speak with you and congratulations, Ed.

ED VIESTURS, MOUNTAIN CLIMBER: Thanks very much.

HEMMER: When you summit Annapurna last week, you said it was one of the happiest and also one of the hardest days of your life. What made it to so difficult?

VIESTURS: Well, the mountain itself. I mean, Annapurna's very difficult, rather dangerous. I had been there twice before. It was my third attempt and the summit day, from the high camp just to the summit, took 11 hours of climbing. So I really had to dig deep that day, physically, mentally and emotionally to get to the summit. But when I got to the summit, I mean, it was the 14 of the 14, and it was one of the greatest days of my life.

HEMMER: Wow, I bet. What's the altitude there, Annapurna?

VIESTURS: 26,500 feet.

HEMMER: Not a stone throw, to say the least.

VIESTURS: No.

HEMMER: Take me back to May of 1996. You were part of this climbing group in Everest that got into a lot of trouble and you lost a climbing partner along the way. An excellent book was written about that account, "Into Thin Air," by Jon Krakauer. Have you ever stopped and thought, you know, maybe that this is not the thing I need to be doing anymore?

VIESTURS: Well, you know, there are risks involved in climbing and what happens in '96 -- I mean, hindsight is 20/20, but I could look back and probably rationalize that I wouldn't have done certain things that were done that day, and you know, I did lose a couple of friends. They were on different expeditions. If anything, I think I think I've learned a lesson to be even more conservative in the mountains, and knowing when to go on and when to walk away and feeling good about walking away, knowing that, you know, I can go back next year and try again.

HEMMER: I got a couple questions for you. Ready?

VIESTURS: Yes.

HEMMER: Which mountain did you enjoy the most?

VIESTURS: You know, I've been to Everest ten times, so I'd say Everest.

HEMMER: Oh, she's the mother, isn't she? The mother of all.

VIESTURS: Yes.

HEMMER: Which mountain offered the greatest beauty, do you believe?

VIESTURS: You know, I went to a mountain in central Nepal called Monoslou (ph), and it's very isolated. There's no trekking in that area. It's like Nepal is meant to be seen, and it was a wonderful expedition.

HEMMER: Give me a sense, then, what it is like to stand on top of one of these peaks and look out, or look down, or what do you feel?

VIESTURS: It's the ultimate in rewarding feeling. I mean, you've spent years of preparation, months of planning, weeks of planning, days of struggle, and when you finally get to the top and you're standing there and everything around you is below you, it's this amazing feeling of accomplishment. And that feeling is very addicting, and that's why you tend to want to go back time and time again.

HEMMER: I would believe it's addictive as all be. What do you think -- what is it about the challenge? You know, you're sitting in your home in the state of Washington, you're thinking about this peak or that mountain. What is it about that challenge to climb that you find drives you?

VIESTURS: You know, it's the one place that I found where I can push myself ultimately physically and mentally, and I've learned so much about myself, what I'm capable of and what I'm not capable of, and then, you know, in everyday life, when obstacles come my way, I feel like, you know, I can do that, if it takes me a day or year or two years, if I put my mind to doing it, I can do it, and that's the feeling that I get in the mountains, this drive and this challenge.

HEMMER: Are you ready for a lazy summer?

VIESTURS: I am.

HEMMER: You've earned it. Wow! Say hello to your wife and kids there in the state of Washington.

Ed Viesturs, job well done.

VIESTURS: Thank you very much.

HEMMER: Thank you for your time -- Soledad.

Well, Bill, some pictures of a horrifying accident, but it has a happy ending. Take a look at this amazing video. It's from Minnesota, happened on Wednesday. This pickup truck right here plows into a sheriff's deputy. It's happening along the interstate there. He was helping out a woman whose car was stuck in a ditch when that pickup hit him practically head-on. Incredibly the deputy suffered only minor injuries. He was treated at the hospital and then he was released.

HEMMER: That's about as close as it comes. Twenty-one minutes now before the hour, Soledad.

For decades it's been a source of frustration for every griller: hot dogs sold in eight-packs and buns sold in 12-packs. There is a resolution, and Andy's been doing some research on this. We'll get to that in a moment.

Also you know his as George Costanza, But now Jason Alexander is taking on a whole new role. He's here to talk about it, too. First, some trivia from "Seinfeld": What is the character George Constanza's middle name? Joseph, Louis or Allen? The answer after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Here was the question we asked you before the break, what is George Constanza's middle name on "Seinfeld?" The answer is B, Louis. Of course it's Louis.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JERRY SEINFELD, ACTOR: But the basic idea is, I would...

JASON ALEXANDER, ACTOR: May I?

SEINFELD: Go ahead.

ALEXANDER: I think I can sum up the show for you with one word. Nothing!

SEINFELD: Nothing?

ALEXANDER: Nothing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: Years later, critics would be saying the name thing. The name George Costanza of course legend in the world of television comedy. The man behind all those neuroses is Jason Alexander. Not too shabby himself actually. He's had a distinguished showbiz career. Now he's the master of a new domain. He's got a children's book out. It hits him right where he lives. It's called, "Dad, Are You The Tooth Fairy?" Author and actor Jason Alexander with us.

Nice to talk to you this morning.

ALEXANDER: Now I feel like, you know, a Noble laureate.

O'BRIEN: Exactly, Peace Prize winner.

ALEXANDER: That's right.

O'BRIEN: This is such a great book. I mean, the pictures are beautiful, but I love the story as well, and it's based on a real-life experience. So explain what happened when your son came to talk to you about the Tooth Fairy.

ALEXANDER: My son and I -- he had a lovely relationship going with his tooth fairy based on -- I'll show you -- based mainly on these exchanges. My friend, Greg Leonard, made these beautiful little envelopes and gave it to the Tooth Fairy. He would leave him little notes and little gifts inside this thing, and he loved his tooth fairy.

O'BRIEN: Sweet. ALEXANDER: And somewhere around the age of seven or eight, somebody got to him and said, it's your parents. And he came home and said, dad, I want the real, absolute truth. Do I have this tooth fairy, or is it just you?

O'BRIEN: So there's that question about that, and sex and, I mean, a million other things. What do you do at that moment?

ALEXANDER: Absolutely. Well, you know, as I say in the book, it was one of those few occasions where God smiled on me and I had divine parenting. I was able to give him an awful lot of truth and science, mixed in with some possibilities.

O'BRIEN: What's the story you told him?

ALEXANDER: In a nutshell, I said, you know that there are creatures on the planet that are no longer here, dinosaurs and that kind of stuff, and all of the magical creatures were once real as well. And as we got more sophisticated, these magical creatures went away and the fairies started to go away, and as the Tooth Fairy started to leave, the children got upset, and so the fairies made a deal with parents if parents would take over their role, the fairies would speak in their heads and tell them what to say and do, but only if children believed. So I said to Gabe, I am the arms and legs of your Tooth Fairy, if that's what you choose to believe I am. If you don't, then it's me.

O'BRIEN: Hoisting it right back on to his imagination. Will you read this part, the note from the author, which I think goes right to the parents? It's really moving.

ALEXANDER: Thank you.

It says, "This story is more or less an actual conversation I had with my son, Gabriel, some years ago. It is not a story intended solely for children. Rather it is an example of the magic that can happen when parents have a good day. My son wanted the truth, but he clearly didn't want something precious taken from him. I was happily able to give him both.

Some parents may feel I did him a disservice, and I accept that part of our parental responsibility is to prepare our children for the harshest of realities, but as Gwyenth, the Tooth Fairy says, it needs to be a balance between their heads and their hearts. One without the other is an empty life. And ultimately, I believe if you care for their hearts, their heads will be just fine. If this story inspires you to have a good parent day, then I am deeply gratified."

O'BRIEN: I think it is often a nice story. The illustrations are also very beautiful.

ALEXANDER: Wonderful. Wonderful.

O'BRIEN: I heard you wrote this in about an hour.

ALEXANDER: Yes, well, it was a real conversation, and I told the story to a couple of friends of mine. They said, you have to write that down. Really? And so I did, and off it went.

O'BRIEN: Got another one in the works, you think, maybe?

ALEXANDER: We might. We might.

O'BRIEN: That's a yes, I'll take that as a yes.

ALEXANDER: I don't see why J.K. Rowling should have all the success.

O'BRIEN: The fourth season DVD from "Seinfeld" is also out.

ALEXANDER: Absolutely.

O'BRIEN: Nice to have you come in here.

ALEXANDER: Thank you very much.

O'BRIEN: You're going to keep up the acting part of your career, too?

ALEXANDER: I think that may be my main -- the money in children's books is outstanding, but I might need to act a little bit in between writing gigs.

O'BRIEN: You know, you miss it all together. Jason Alexander, nice talk to you.

ALEXANDER: Thanks.

O'BRIEN: Thank you.

HEMMER: Very cool. Good luck to you.

Carol Lin is coming up next hour, "CNN LIVE TODAY."

Carol, what are you working on there down at the CNN Center?

Good morning.

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. It's a busy day, Bill.

Coming up the top of the hour, we're going to take you to the front lines in Baghdad. Lieutenant General John Vines (ph) is the second in command of U.S. forces, and he's going to join me live to talk about the progress, the setbacks and when, if possible, more U.S. troops can return home.

And there's trouble on the court. Could there be an NBA lockout? We are going to explore the sticking points.

Plus, you may have seen the trailers for one thought-provoking film that crosses the color lines. "Crash" is at the top of the box office and it's a multicultural cast that brings you to the forefront of the stereotypes and the prejudices that, frankly, all of us probably carry in our everyday lives. So coming up at 11:00, the leading actor of the film, Oscar- nominated Don Cheatle and producer Paul Haggis are going to join me live to talk about that.

HEMMER: That's cool. Yes, that movie getting some great reviews, too.

LIN: You bet. Very controversial.

HEMMER: Yes, thanks, Carol. See you in about nine minutes, OK?

LIN: Sure. Will do.

HEMMER: All right, a solution has been found that every griller needs to know this summer. Andy has finished the research. He joins us to talk about it in a moment here, right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Welcome back. Quick check of the markets. Here's Andy, "Minding Your Business." What's happening on Wall Street?

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE": Thanks, Bill, we're going to go to the big board and see what's happening. Stocks have been mixed at this hour. Right now, we're down a point. Netflix is up 20 percent. Wal- Mart is getting out of the DVD rental business and steering people to Netflix.

One of America's great inconveniences solved this week in Chicago. Detente between hot dog makers and bun makers. You know, they come in different packages. Hot dogs come in eight-packs, buns come in 12-packs. They got together. Now they're all going to come in eight-packs. It's a beautiful thing. Just in time for Memorial Day.

HEMMER: All right.

SERWER: Now, a new flavor from Ben & Jerry's. Dave Matthews strikes again. He's already got One Sweet World. Now they're rolling out Magic Brownies. Why does the guy get two flavors? OK? You know, what about The Who Berry Cobbler? Shouldn't they get one? Green Day Hint of Mint. Black-Eyed Peas. No, forget about that one.

HEMMER: You're onto something.

SERWER: Beyonce Parfait, Jimmy Buffett Pina Colada, Eric Clapton Creamsicle, were some ideas. What do you think? You want to try it real quick?

HEMMER: Should we eat now? That's the question.

SERWER: Go, go. It's raspberry-ish.

HEMMER: Magic Brownies.

SERWER: And Magic Brownie. Does that... HEMMER: Who would have came up with that idea?

SERWER: That has some implications. Anyway, enjoy it.

O'BRIEN: Not a big fan of the chocolate and raspberry, but that's me.

SERWER: Yes? What do you think? It's not bad.

HEMMER: Ooh, I like it.

SERWER: Oh, you got a big chocolate piece, that's why.

O'BRIEN: It needs more brownie.

HEMMER: Jack, you want to share a spoon?

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: No, thank you.

O'BRIEN: How about "Question of the Day"?

SERWER: "Question of the Day."

CAFFERTY: Donald Trump thinks we ought to rebuild the Twin Towers. And that's the question: Do you like Trump's plan to rebuild the Twin Towers? He wants to make them a little taller, a little stronger. But put up the Twin Towers again. It's a message that hey, you can knock them down, but we won't stay down. We'll get back up.

Vinny in Newport, Maine: "The man's an idiot. It's always the dollar. That sacred ground should be a memorial to the victims and their families, not a Trump memorial."

Ed in Minnesota writes: "I'm not a big fan of Trump, but he's right. I happened to be in New York on September 11th, saw the tragedy firsthand. We should never forget. But the so-called Freedom Tower is a reminder of the disaster, not a celebration of our resilience."

And David in Maine writes: "I agree with the Donald's statement 'If something happened to the Statue of Liberty,' you wouldn't rebuild it as something other than the Statue of Liberty.' So I say scrap the Freedom Tower and go with Trump's new plan for the new Twin Towers."

HEMMER: Great topic.

SERWER: Could they really rebuild it? I mean, could it really happen? It would be amazing.

O'BRIEN: Not any time soon, is the answer to that question.

SERWER: That's right. That's what Bill was saying, yes.

HEMMER: Friday on AMERICAN MORNING, can you believe it's been 30 years? That's right, 30 years since the premiere of "Jaws." A look back at that, 7:00 Eastern, tomorrow here on CNN. And we are back in a moment, too, right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: There's more ice cream to eat. We got to go! Here's Carol Lin...

(CROSSTALK)

O'BRIEN: It's all right.

HEMMER: A job well done.

O'BRIEN: Thank you.

HEMMER: All right, here's Carol Lin at the CNN Center. Hey, Carol, good morning.

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Aired May 19, 2005 - 09:31   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Welcome back, everybody. Just about half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING. Coming up, a man who's seen the top of the world from 14 different views.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: His name is Ed Viesturs. He's 45 years old and he knows how to dream big. The first American to climb the world's 14 tallest peaks. And we'll talk to him in a moment out there in Seattle. What a story he has to tell. 14 of them, in fact. So we'll get to it.

O'BRIEN: Let's get to Carol first, though. She's got the headlines. Good morning again.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Good morning to all of you.

"Now in the News," an Amber Alert still in effect this morning for two missing Idaho children. Police have now questioned Robert Roy Lutner, who they named as a person of interest in the case. But authorities say the interview has provided absolutely no new leads. Shasta Groene and her brother Dylan since their mother, older brother, and a third victim were found dead on Monday.

Round two of the looming Senate showdown. Lawmakers getting back to work this hour, debating one of President Bush's controversial judicial nominees, Priscilla Owen. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist is calling for a vote, but some Democrats say they will delay. Moderate members of both parties are trying to hammer out a compromise.

President Bush taking his Social Security campaign to the Midwest at this hour. The president has just left for Milwaukee. These pictures came to us just moments ago. He's set to meet with young workers and host a roundtable discussion on his proposal for personal retirement accounts. You know, his Social Security your.

And it will be rock versus country for the "American Idol" finale, now that one of the three has been knocked out. Vonzell Solomon, known to some of her fans as Baby V, got the boot last night after some 37 million people cast their votes. Her exit paves the way for Bob Bice and Carrie Underwood. The two will perform for the last time next week and then it will be time to pick the big winner.

O'BRIEN: Ooh, I can't wait. How about you, Carol?

COSTELLO: I'm on the edge of my seat. O'BRIEN: Hey, come on over. We'll watch it together.

COSTELLO: Oh, great.

O'BRIEN: Thanks, Carol.

Well, most of us know exactly where we were when the 9/11 terror attacks hit. For students in the graduating class of 2005, they had just arrived at college and they've lived with that day ever since. National correspondent Kelly Wallace has their story this morning. Good morning.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad. What we wanted to do is find out how September 11th impacted and influenced the class of 2005, so we headed to Columbia University here in New York City, which had its graduation ceremonies this week. The graduating seniors there had just wrapped up one week of classes as freshmen before everything 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 11th 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: A big awakening and clearly for Harmony, Ruben and Suzanne, an experience that defined in many ways who they are and Soledad, what they hope to be in the future.

O'BRIEN: Pretty remarkable students.

WALLACE: They are amazing.

O'BRIEN: Really nice spot. Thanks -- Bill.

HEMMER: How about this for a day job? Last week, Ed Viesturs became the first American to summit the 14 highest peaks on the planet. The last mountain to climb was in the Annapurna range in central Nepal. He has summited Everest six times, and the climbing legend, Ed Viesturs, my guest now from Seattle.

An honor to speak with you and congratulations, Ed.

ED VIESTURS, MOUNTAIN CLIMBER: Thanks very much.

HEMMER: When you summit Annapurna last week, you said it was one of the happiest and also one of the hardest days of your life. What made it to so difficult?

VIESTURS: Well, the mountain itself. I mean, Annapurna's very difficult, rather dangerous. I had been there twice before. It was my third attempt and the summit day, from the high camp just to the summit, took 11 hours of climbing. So I really had to dig deep that day, physically, mentally and emotionally to get to the summit. But when I got to the summit, I mean, it was the 14 of the 14, and it was one of the greatest days of my life.

HEMMER: Wow, I bet. What's the altitude there, Annapurna?

VIESTURS: 26,500 feet.

HEMMER: Not a stone throw, to say the least.

VIESTURS: No.

HEMMER: Take me back to May of 1996. You were part of this climbing group in Everest that got into a lot of trouble and you lost a climbing partner along the way. An excellent book was written about that account, "Into Thin Air," by Jon Krakauer. Have you ever stopped and thought, you know, maybe that this is not the thing I need to be doing anymore?

VIESTURS: Well, you know, there are risks involved in climbing and what happens in '96 -- I mean, hindsight is 20/20, but I could look back and probably rationalize that I wouldn't have done certain things that were done that day, and you know, I did lose a couple of friends. They were on different expeditions. If anything, I think I think I've learned a lesson to be even more conservative in the mountains, and knowing when to go on and when to walk away and feeling good about walking away, knowing that, you know, I can go back next year and try again.

HEMMER: I got a couple questions for you. Ready?

VIESTURS: Yes.

HEMMER: Which mountain did you enjoy the most?

VIESTURS: You know, I've been to Everest ten times, so I'd say Everest.

HEMMER: Oh, she's the mother, isn't she? The mother of all.

VIESTURS: Yes.

HEMMER: Which mountain offered the greatest beauty, do you believe?

VIESTURS: You know, I went to a mountain in central Nepal called Monoslou (ph), and it's very isolated. There's no trekking in that area. It's like Nepal is meant to be seen, and it was a wonderful expedition.

HEMMER: Give me a sense, then, what it is like to stand on top of one of these peaks and look out, or look down, or what do you feel?

VIESTURS: It's the ultimate in rewarding feeling. I mean, you've spent years of preparation, months of planning, weeks of planning, days of struggle, and when you finally get to the top and you're standing there and everything around you is below you, it's this amazing feeling of accomplishment. And that feeling is very addicting, and that's why you tend to want to go back time and time again.

HEMMER: I would believe it's addictive as all be. What do you think -- what is it about the challenge? You know, you're sitting in your home in the state of Washington, you're thinking about this peak or that mountain. What is it about that challenge to climb that you find drives you?

VIESTURS: You know, it's the one place that I found where I can push myself ultimately physically and mentally, and I've learned so much about myself, what I'm capable of and what I'm not capable of, and then, you know, in everyday life, when obstacles come my way, I feel like, you know, I can do that, if it takes me a day or year or two years, if I put my mind to doing it, I can do it, and that's the feeling that I get in the mountains, this drive and this challenge.

HEMMER: Are you ready for a lazy summer?

VIESTURS: I am.

HEMMER: You've earned it. Wow! Say hello to your wife and kids there in the state of Washington.

Ed Viesturs, job well done.

VIESTURS: Thank you very much.

HEMMER: Thank you for your time -- Soledad.

Well, Bill, some pictures of a horrifying accident, but it has a happy ending. Take a look at this amazing video. It's from Minnesota, happened on Wednesday. This pickup truck right here plows into a sheriff's deputy. It's happening along the interstate there. He was helping out a woman whose car was stuck in a ditch when that pickup hit him practically head-on. Incredibly the deputy suffered only minor injuries. He was treated at the hospital and then he was released.

HEMMER: That's about as close as it comes. Twenty-one minutes now before the hour, Soledad.

For decades it's been a source of frustration for every griller: hot dogs sold in eight-packs and buns sold in 12-packs. There is a resolution, and Andy's been doing some research on this. We'll get to that in a moment.

Also you know his as George Costanza, But now Jason Alexander is taking on a whole new role. He's here to talk about it, too. First, some trivia from "Seinfeld": What is the character George Constanza's middle name? Joseph, Louis or Allen? The answer after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Here was the question we asked you before the break, what is George Constanza's middle name on "Seinfeld?" The answer is B, Louis. Of course it's Louis.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JERRY SEINFELD, ACTOR: But the basic idea is, I would...

JASON ALEXANDER, ACTOR: May I?

SEINFELD: Go ahead.

ALEXANDER: I think I can sum up the show for you with one word. Nothing!

SEINFELD: Nothing?

ALEXANDER: Nothing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: Years later, critics would be saying the name thing. The name George Costanza of course legend in the world of television comedy. The man behind all those neuroses is Jason Alexander. Not too shabby himself actually. He's had a distinguished showbiz career. Now he's the master of a new domain. He's got a children's book out. It hits him right where he lives. It's called, "Dad, Are You The Tooth Fairy?" Author and actor Jason Alexander with us.

Nice to talk to you this morning.

ALEXANDER: Now I feel like, you know, a Noble laureate.

O'BRIEN: Exactly, Peace Prize winner.

ALEXANDER: That's right.

O'BRIEN: This is such a great book. I mean, the pictures are beautiful, but I love the story as well, and it's based on a real-life experience. So explain what happened when your son came to talk to you about the Tooth Fairy.

ALEXANDER: My son and I -- he had a lovely relationship going with his tooth fairy based on -- I'll show you -- based mainly on these exchanges. My friend, Greg Leonard, made these beautiful little envelopes and gave it to the Tooth Fairy. He would leave him little notes and little gifts inside this thing, and he loved his tooth fairy.

O'BRIEN: Sweet. ALEXANDER: And somewhere around the age of seven or eight, somebody got to him and said, it's your parents. And he came home and said, dad, I want the real, absolute truth. Do I have this tooth fairy, or is it just you?

O'BRIEN: So there's that question about that, and sex and, I mean, a million other things. What do you do at that moment?

ALEXANDER: Absolutely. Well, you know, as I say in the book, it was one of those few occasions where God smiled on me and I had divine parenting. I was able to give him an awful lot of truth and science, mixed in with some possibilities.

O'BRIEN: What's the story you told him?

ALEXANDER: In a nutshell, I said, you know that there are creatures on the planet that are no longer here, dinosaurs and that kind of stuff, and all of the magical creatures were once real as well. And as we got more sophisticated, these magical creatures went away and the fairies started to go away, and as the Tooth Fairy started to leave, the children got upset, and so the fairies made a deal with parents if parents would take over their role, the fairies would speak in their heads and tell them what to say and do, but only if children believed. So I said to Gabe, I am the arms and legs of your Tooth Fairy, if that's what you choose to believe I am. If you don't, then it's me.

O'BRIEN: Hoisting it right back on to his imagination. Will you read this part, the note from the author, which I think goes right to the parents? It's really moving.

ALEXANDER: Thank you.

It says, "This story is more or less an actual conversation I had with my son, Gabriel, some years ago. It is not a story intended solely for children. Rather it is an example of the magic that can happen when parents have a good day. My son wanted the truth, but he clearly didn't want something precious taken from him. I was happily able to give him both.

Some parents may feel I did him a disservice, and I accept that part of our parental responsibility is to prepare our children for the harshest of realities, but as Gwyenth, the Tooth Fairy says, it needs to be a balance between their heads and their hearts. One without the other is an empty life. And ultimately, I believe if you care for their hearts, their heads will be just fine. If this story inspires you to have a good parent day, then I am deeply gratified."

O'BRIEN: I think it is often a nice story. The illustrations are also very beautiful.

ALEXANDER: Wonderful. Wonderful.

O'BRIEN: I heard you wrote this in about an hour.

ALEXANDER: Yes, well, it was a real conversation, and I told the story to a couple of friends of mine. They said, you have to write that down. Really? And so I did, and off it went.

O'BRIEN: Got another one in the works, you think, maybe?

ALEXANDER: We might. We might.

O'BRIEN: That's a yes, I'll take that as a yes.

ALEXANDER: I don't see why J.K. Rowling should have all the success.

O'BRIEN: The fourth season DVD from "Seinfeld" is also out.

ALEXANDER: Absolutely.

O'BRIEN: Nice to have you come in here.

ALEXANDER: Thank you very much.

O'BRIEN: You're going to keep up the acting part of your career, too?

ALEXANDER: I think that may be my main -- the money in children's books is outstanding, but I might need to act a little bit in between writing gigs.

O'BRIEN: You know, you miss it all together. Jason Alexander, nice talk to you.

ALEXANDER: Thanks.

O'BRIEN: Thank you.

HEMMER: Very cool. Good luck to you.

Carol Lin is coming up next hour, "CNN LIVE TODAY."

Carol, what are you working on there down at the CNN Center?

Good morning.

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. It's a busy day, Bill.

Coming up the top of the hour, we're going to take you to the front lines in Baghdad. Lieutenant General John Vines (ph) is the second in command of U.S. forces, and he's going to join me live to talk about the progress, the setbacks and when, if possible, more U.S. troops can return home.

And there's trouble on the court. Could there be an NBA lockout? We are going to explore the sticking points.

Plus, you may have seen the trailers for one thought-provoking film that crosses the color lines. "Crash" is at the top of the box office and it's a multicultural cast that brings you to the forefront of the stereotypes and the prejudices that, frankly, all of us probably carry in our everyday lives. So coming up at 11:00, the leading actor of the film, Oscar- nominated Don Cheatle and producer Paul Haggis are going to join me live to talk about that.

HEMMER: That's cool. Yes, that movie getting some great reviews, too.

LIN: You bet. Very controversial.

HEMMER: Yes, thanks, Carol. See you in about nine minutes, OK?

LIN: Sure. Will do.

HEMMER: All right, a solution has been found that every griller needs to know this summer. Andy has finished the research. He joins us to talk about it in a moment here, right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Welcome back. Quick check of the markets. Here's Andy, "Minding Your Business." What's happening on Wall Street?

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE": Thanks, Bill, we're going to go to the big board and see what's happening. Stocks have been mixed at this hour. Right now, we're down a point. Netflix is up 20 percent. Wal- Mart is getting out of the DVD rental business and steering people to Netflix.

One of America's great inconveniences solved this week in Chicago. Detente between hot dog makers and bun makers. You know, they come in different packages. Hot dogs come in eight-packs, buns come in 12-packs. They got together. Now they're all going to come in eight-packs. It's a beautiful thing. Just in time for Memorial Day.

HEMMER: All right.

SERWER: Now, a new flavor from Ben & Jerry's. Dave Matthews strikes again. He's already got One Sweet World. Now they're rolling out Magic Brownies. Why does the guy get two flavors? OK? You know, what about The Who Berry Cobbler? Shouldn't they get one? Green Day Hint of Mint. Black-Eyed Peas. No, forget about that one.

HEMMER: You're onto something.

SERWER: Beyonce Parfait, Jimmy Buffett Pina Colada, Eric Clapton Creamsicle, were some ideas. What do you think? You want to try it real quick?

HEMMER: Should we eat now? That's the question.

SERWER: Go, go. It's raspberry-ish.

HEMMER: Magic Brownies.

SERWER: And Magic Brownie. Does that... HEMMER: Who would have came up with that idea?

SERWER: That has some implications. Anyway, enjoy it.

O'BRIEN: Not a big fan of the chocolate and raspberry, but that's me.

SERWER: Yes? What do you think? It's not bad.

HEMMER: Ooh, I like it.

SERWER: Oh, you got a big chocolate piece, that's why.

O'BRIEN: It needs more brownie.

HEMMER: Jack, you want to share a spoon?

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: No, thank you.

O'BRIEN: How about "Question of the Day"?

SERWER: "Question of the Day."

CAFFERTY: Donald Trump thinks we ought to rebuild the Twin Towers. And that's the question: Do you like Trump's plan to rebuild the Twin Towers? He wants to make them a little taller, a little stronger. But put up the Twin Towers again. It's a message that hey, you can knock them down, but we won't stay down. We'll get back up.

Vinny in Newport, Maine: "The man's an idiot. It's always the dollar. That sacred ground should be a memorial to the victims and their families, not a Trump memorial."

Ed in Minnesota writes: "I'm not a big fan of Trump, but he's right. I happened to be in New York on September 11th, saw the tragedy firsthand. We should never forget. But the so-called Freedom Tower is a reminder of the disaster, not a celebration of our resilience."

And David in Maine writes: "I agree with the Donald's statement 'If something happened to the Statue of Liberty,' you wouldn't rebuild it as something other than the Statue of Liberty.' So I say scrap the Freedom Tower and go with Trump's new plan for the new Twin Towers."

HEMMER: Great topic.

SERWER: Could they really rebuild it? I mean, could it really happen? It would be amazing.

O'BRIEN: Not any time soon, is the answer to that question.

SERWER: That's right. That's what Bill was saying, yes.

HEMMER: Friday on AMERICAN MORNING, can you believe it's been 30 years? That's right, 30 years since the premiere of "Jaws." A look back at that, 7:00 Eastern, tomorrow here on CNN. And we are back in a moment, too, right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: There's more ice cream to eat. We got to go! Here's Carol Lin...

(CROSSTALK)

O'BRIEN: It's all right.

HEMMER: A job well done.

O'BRIEN: Thank you.

HEMMER: All right, here's Carol Lin at the CNN Center. Hey, Carol, good morning.

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