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American Morning

Furor Over John Bolton; On the U.S.S. John F. Kennedy

Aired May 27, 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.


SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back, everybody. We're coming to you live this morning at about half past the hour from the U.S.S. John F. Kennedy. We've been on board now for a couple days. We're going to spend the whole morning here this morning. It's one of the vessels that's docked in New York Harbor for Fleet Week. Coming up, we've got a pretty amazing and rare privilege. The captain is going to show us off the captain's quarters. It was designed by the late Jacqueline Kennedy. It's going to tell us a little bit about the history of that remarkable place. We're going to have that all ahead this morning.
But first, let's get back to Bill.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Soledad, thanks for that. Good looking pictures out there. Back there in a moment.

Also, this live report from D.C. There has been another delay in the John Bolton nomination. We'll get to that with Joe Johns standing by.

First, the headlines. And for that here is Carol Costello.

Good morning over there.

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

"Now in the News."

Pakistani hospital sources say at least 14 people have been killed in a morning blast at a Muslim shrine. Emergency crews raced to the scene less than five hours ago. Dozens of people are wounded. Investigators say the attack may have been a suicide bombing.

President Bush is praising Naval Academy graduates for their help in fighting terrorism. The president is set to deliver the commencement address at the academy in Maryland less than three hours from now. He last spoke there in 2001, four months before the September 11 terrorist attacks. CNN will have live coverage of the president's address will start at 10:00 a.m. Eastern.

A Florida teenager accused of leaving an 8-year-old girl to die in a landfill is set to appear in court today. Seventeen-year-old Milagro Cunningham was indicted Thursday as an adult on six counts, including attempted first-degree murder and sexual battery. If convicted, he could face life in prison. The girl is still in the hospital this morning. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay is very upset with producers of the NBC drama "Law & Order: Criminal Intent." At issue: this week's episode.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Maybe we should put out an APB for somebody in a Tom DeLay T-shirt.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: The officer in the show is investigating the murder of a federal judge, when you heard her quip, "Maybe we should look for someone in a Tom DeLay T-shirt." DeLay calls the line a slur. In the past, he called on Congress to rein in judges. The head of NBC Entertainment says the line is not political and refuses to apologize.

And a fugitive is still atop that 18-story crane in Atlanta. It's been more than 39 hours now. Police say he is 41-year-old Carl Edward Roland. These are live pictures. He's wanted in the death of his former girlfriend in Florida. Large air bags have now been set up on the building being constructed below the crane. Police are keeping him awake with a bullhorn and helicopters. They even sound their sirens, because they're afraid if he falls asleep up there, Bill, he'll just roll off.

HEMMER: The other report says, what, his youngest sister lives in Atlanta. Maybe that's why the reason he went there?

COSTELLO: Supposedly his sister. At least some woman is saying she's his sister.

HEMMER: And she had called out to him throughout the day yesterday. And, what, he's refusing food and water?

COSTELLO: He accepted a jacket, though, from negotiators, because they climbed up in an attempt to talk him down and offered him a jacket because it's chilly at night.

HEMMER: Keep an eye on it. Thank you, Carol. Coming up on 40 hours there.

Back to Washington now. Democrats are still fighting John Bolton's nomination for U.N. ambassador, not voted in on Thursday, but not voted out either.

Joe Johns is on Capitol Hill.

Why another delay, Joe?

JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: Bill, this nomination is held up at least another week, because Democrats say they want more information. Senators Chris Dodd and Joe Biden are demanding National Security Agency intercepts that Bolton requested. They haven't yet gotten what they wanted. The failure to cut off debate on this and move forward with the nomination set off finger pointing between Democrats and Republicans. Republicans accusing Democrats of obstructionism, Democrats saying they simply need more information.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BILL FRIST (R-TN), MAJORITY LEADER : We're going to come back and revisit it, but I think what America has just seen is an engagement of another period of obstruction by the other side of the aisle. And it looks like we have, once again, another filibuster.

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MINORITY LEADER: I am disappointed that tonight we were unable to have a vote on Bolton. But it is not the fault of the Democratic caucus. We're not here to filibuster Bolton. We're here to get information regarding Bolton. The information, we're entitled to that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: This was a procedural vote. Three Democrats voted with Republicans to cut off debate. But, frankly, they needed more Democrats to move forward with the nomination. There is, of course, a larger question about whether Bolton is the right person to fill a top diplomatic position -- Bill.

HEMMER: Back to this after the recess over a long weekend. Joe, thanks. Joe Johns on Capitol Hill.

Here's Soledad again on the Kennedy.

O'BRIEN: Thanks, Bill. Thank you.

We're continuing our special live coverage now on Fleet Week here in New York City. Just a moment ago, we chatted with the JFK's commander, Captain Dennis Fitzpatrick. Yesterday, he was kind enough to give us a behind-the-scenes look at his living quarters. They are pretty remarkable because of the history and the connections to the Kennedy family.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: So this is the room that Jackie Kennedy designed?

CAPT. DENNIS FITZPATRICK, CMDR., USS JOHN F. KENNEDY: Absolutely, yes. If you look at the mural over there, Mrs. Kennedy wanted kind of a turn-of-the-century look. So, if you'll look out a portal or a window, you'd see something along those lines. And obviously, this room is just filled with all kinds of memorabilia.

O'BRIEN: It's very beautiful.

FITZPATRICK: Now, we don't put wood on Navy warships anymore, and for good reasons. And Mrs. Kennedy and the first C.O., Remi Yates (ph), went back and forth on this a little bit and had a little bit of an exchange. She really wanted to make it happen. He kept saying, we just don't do that anymore. And finally she got a little flustered and said, well, what would it take? And he said, it's going to take an act of Congress. And she said fine.

O'BRIEN: All right, I'll just go to Congress.

FITZPATRICK: And we have wood now on JFK. This is a model of the bust for the Kennedy Center. This was donated to the ship by Rose Kennedy. And these are replicas of the sword that George Washington carried during the Revolutionary War.

O'BRIEN: Mrs. Kennedy was very interested in taking on this project after her husband died, and she really took a lead in decorating this room. Why was that so important to her?

FITZPATRICK: Well, I mean, the ship carries her husband's name, and it's a namesake. And, you know, this is kind of the personality, I think, of the ship. This is where it begins in the captain's in- port cabin, particularly on JFK.

O'BRIEN: This is a letter, it was a response to an invitation that Jackie Kennedy got for the 25th anniversary of the aircraft carrier.

FITZPATRICK: Right.

O'BRIEN: And she declined.

FITZPATRICK: She did. She was ill. But, I mean, I think there are some really nice words in there, if you're looking at this middle paragraph. I remember so vividly the day of her christening, and I have followed her in the news the career -- I'm sorry -- followed in the news the career of this noble ship. So, I mean, it's a very personal letter to the crew of JFK acknowledging the ship and all that they've done.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Through the holiday weekend, in fact, the Navy is inviting the public to tour the vessel here in New York. Of course, as you come by for the Fleet Week celebrations, an opportunity to see some of the sailors who are walking around as well.

This morning as well, we want to introduce you to some of the folks who make this ship work. This morning we've got a crew member whose job is interior communications. Her name is Tachanna Chapman. She's from Atlanta, and she's a petty officer.

It's nice to talk to you. Thanks for chatting with us. Give me a sense of what your job is. You work on the flight deck.

PETTY OFC. TACHANNA CHAPMAN, USS JOHN F. KENNEDY: Yes, ma'am. They call us Greenshirts. We work on the maintenance of landing the planes. We fly them off, and we land them. My job basically is to land them. We use that with the lens, that we call a lens, and it has a range of lights that guide the plane in and gives them a reference to the deck and what the plane is in reference to the deck and when he's too low or when he's too high. So that's basically our job.

O'BRIEN: How intense do things get when you are in a combat situation, like you were not long ago in the battle of Falluja?

CHAPMAN: It can be very intense, considering what's going on. Landing planes, anything can happen. The last thing you want is to crash a plane on the deck. That's really important. And with so much going on, you have to be very alert. That's very important.

O'BRIEN: You're one of 500 women on board. And sometimes there's 5,500 people on board this ship. Is that a strange work environment or just a great work environment?

CHAPMAN: You could say great. It's really not a big deal. We're sailors. We're not women. We're not men. We're all sailors.

O'BRIEN: As you know, there has been a huge debate in Congress about the potential of limiting the role of women in combat. You've been in the Navy for more than 10 years now. You just got a new promotion.

CHAPMAN: Yes, ma'am.

O'BRIEN: What do you think of that debate?

CHAPMAN: I kind of can understand where Congress is coming from.

O'BRIEN: Really?

CHAPMAN: Because women, we serve our roles. Everybody has a role. However, I think whatever needs to be done for the country, for our freedom, for peace, everybody is accountable, you know, and I'm willing to do whatever.

O'BRIEN: You're willing to go right into combat?

CHAPMAN: Yes, ma'am.

O'BRIEN: I know you're a mom. You have a 5-year-old daughter.

CHAPMAN: Yes, ma'am.

O'BRIEN: You're based -- you're from Atlanta originally but you live in Jacksonville, based out of Jacksonville. How hard is it to juggle a 4-year-old when you're gone for a six-month deployment?

CHAPMAN: It's very, very difficult. I love my daughter. We have the best relationship in the world. She just celebrated a birthday while we were out to sea coming here. However, she got to go to the Atlanta Braves game. But it's very, very hard. But I stay focused and stay on the priority, and I know that what I'm doing is important. It's going to be important for her future. So that's what keeps me going. But it is difficult. It's difficult, but I love my daughter.

O'BRIEN: Well, hopefully, she'll get a chance to see her mom on TV. Thanks for talking with us.

CHAPMAN: Thanks.

O'BRIEN: Petty Officer Tachanna Chapman joining us. We certainly appreciate it.

CHAPMAN: Thank you.,

O'BRIEN: We have a beautiful day today. And we're glad about that, because, of course, it's been kind of crummy in New York City. Hopefully, it means that some of the people get off the ship today.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HEMMER: Twenty years ago, Live Aid rocked the world to fight world hunger. Now, Sir Bob is ready to put on another mega concert. "90-Second Pop" has a shot at that.

Also, next hour meet a sailor with a very important job: keeping the JFK safe from threats on air -- by air, rather, and at sea. Soledad is live on board the JFK all morning today on AMERICAN MORNING. Back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Welcome back.

Is the case against the former HealthSouth CEO headed for a mistrial? You know Andy loves this stuff. That and a check of the markets, back to Mr. Serwer.

Good morning.

SERWER: Good morning to you, Bill.

That's right. Richard Scrushy's trial in Birmingham, Alabama, the jury still deadlocked. Judge Karen Boger (ph) telling the jurors, though, to relax, don't do it. Don't tense up. You still have some time here, folks. That's what she's telling the jurors.

HEMMER: Don't do it.

SERWER: Yes.

HEMMER: Don't do what?

SERWER: It's a song lyric. Never mind. They have until 1:00 p.m. to deliberate, and then they begin the Memorial Day weekend, just like the rest of us.

Anyway, Richard Scrushy was interviewed on the steps of the courthouse, and he said -- quote: "Things are looking good. I liked what I saw." And at that point, his lawyers probably -- they did, in fact, tell him to hush up.

Let's talk a little bit about the markets yesterday, another upper and good stuff going on here. What's happening was yesterday a report that the economy grew at 3.5 percent in the first quarter boosted stocks. That's not a bad rate of growth. This morning, futures are mixed. It will be a choppy session as traders head for the exits for the holiday weekend. The markets are closed on Monday, and I'll be covering that story from home.

HEMMER: Enjoy that. Thanks, Andy.

Here's the "Question of the Day" and Jack now.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you, Bill.

It's that time of the year. President Bush is set to address the graduates of the U.S. Naval Academy later today. All across the country, students mark graduation day listening to speakers drone on about how they should live their lives. We've all heard them. Some of us have given them. It's very much an open question of how useful they are.

Nevertheless, we want to know what you would say if you were the commencement speaker. The question is: What advice would you give this year's graduates?

Pamela in Michigan writes: "I'd tell them to go into politics. Considering the lousy job Congress has been doing, there should be plenty of job openings coming up."

Blaine in Wisconsin writes: "I could use some advice. For those of us who take out $100,000 in student loans in order to afford ridiculous tuition to eventually get a graduate-level degree only to get a teaching job and make 30,000 a year. And on top of that, we may not have any Social Security either. Does the government realize we have to start our lives in a hole so big we may never climb out of it?"

Cat in Maine writes: "Move, quickly, while there are still two countries left that will tolerate Americans. I hear land in Latvia is cheap."

Kevin in New Jersey: "I'd tell them I hope you slept in school, because those days are all over now."

And Jerry in Georgia writes: "Success is not measured by possessions or dollars gained. Success is measured in the self- acknowledgment of how much of your talents and gifts have been used to make others breathe a little easier."

HEMMER: Well, he saved us there at the end, huh?

CAFFERTY: Yes, we had one rational letter at the end.

HEMMER: One good one.

CAFFERTY: Yes.

HEMMER: Thank you, Jack. Back to the JFK in a moment here. Also in a moment, is "The Longest Yard" short on laughs? "90-Second Pop" weighing in on that in a moment here. Back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: I think it's the worst songs the Stones have recorded in 30 years, actually. Would you agree? Hello, everybody. "90-Second Pop" on a Friday. Toure got a hair cut.

TOURE, CNN POP CULTURE CORRESPONDENT: Ah!

HEMMER: Good morning. Amy Barnett from "Teen People."

Amy, nice to see you on a Friday.

AMY BARNETT, "TEEN PEOPLE": Hello.

HEMMER: And B.J. Sigesmund from "Us Weekly."

How you doing, B.J.?

B.J. SIGESMUND, STAFF EDITOR, "US WEEKLY": Great.

HEMMER: You've been watching some films lately, haven't you?

SIGESMUND: Yes.

HEMMER: "Madagascar" with Chris Rock going against "The Longest Yard" with Chris Rock.

SIGESMUND: Right.

HEMMER: That guy has got a pretty big weekend Is either of these movies worth seeing?

SIGESMUND: I knew you were going to ask me that. Let's talk a little bit about them. "Madagascar" I'm expecting to be a huge Memorial Day hit.

HEMMER: This is an animated film.

SIGESMUND: It's an animated film, right, from Dreamworks. It's cute. I've seen it. It's no "Shrek." It's actually about four zoo animals from the Central Park Zoo here in Manhattan who they're spoiled brats and they accidentally get transported to this remote island of Madagascar and are forced to fend for themselves. It's not great voices. The lion that you're seeing right now is voiced by Ben Stiller. He's the most spoiled brat of them all. There's also Chris Rock as a curious zebra. Jada Pinkett Smith voices the fearless hippo. You know, it's very -- it's cute. I just -- it's not quite as good as "Shrek."

HEMMER: I'm getting one of these from B.J. all over this film.

SIGESMUND: Yes, I'm definitely giving you one of these. BARNETT: But it's cute.

HEMMER: What about the remake of "The Longest Yard?"

SIGESMUND: Yes, "The Longest Yard," this is a remake, as you say, of the famous 1974 prison football comedy starring Burt Reynolds. Now, it's 31 years later, and it's back, only this time Adam Sandler kind of unbelievably is cast in the Burt Reynolds role as a -- you know, you have to believe that he is a one-time NFL great who has sort of fallen into a depression. He ends up in prison, and he has to create -- yes, it's very believable. You have to...

BARNETT: Give me a break!

TOURE: This is the weekend that we find out how big a star Chris Rock is, right? He's not leading any of these films, but the seed is planted at the Oscars to let everybody in the world know that Chris Rock is a hugely funny guy. This is the weekend, if these two movies blow up, then next we'll see him starring in something six to nine months from now. We're going to see.

BARNETT: Right.

HEMMER: And I think B.J.'s review on this film was like...

BARNETT: All I was going to say is you better see "The Longest Yard" or Burt Reynolds is going to haul off and slap you. That's all I'm going to say.

SIGESMUND: And you don't want that to happen.

HEMMER: Let's talk about Sir Bob Geldof. We are 20 years down the road from Live Aid. He wants to do another mega concert to fight world hunger. He's going to pull a lot of big names together. But he says, don't call it Live Aid II. Why not?

BARNETT: I don't know why not. It really is Live Aid II, but he's made this big deal about not wanted to call it Live Aid II, possibly because he doesn't want to -- you know, he's afraid of following in his own footsteps, because the first Live Aid concert made history in 1985.

HEMMER: That's exactly the point.

BARNETT: It was this huge sort of global, you know, 14-hour jukebox event with, you know, acts like Madonna and The Who and U2.

TOURE: Run DMC.

BARNETT: Rum DMC.

SIGESMUND: And it made $250 million.

BARNETT: To, you know, help the famine in Ethiopia. So it started this whole charity concert revolution. We've seen Farm Aid. We've seen Asia Aid. So now he's sort of afraid of not being able to recreate this huge history-making event.

HEMMER: Certainly. If he pulls it off, who plays when and where?

BARNETT: Who plays when and where?

HEMMER: Who plays in this concert and where do they play?

TOURE: Well, Eminem might be. There's one.

HEMMER: U2?

BARNETT: Well, I think the biggest act so far is going to be Spice Girls -- you know, a reunited Spice Girls.

SIGESMUND: No, that's not (INAUDIBLE).

(CROSSTALK)

SIGESMUND: Bob Geldof knows everyone. He's gotten Sting. Madonna will probably be there. They're talking about July 2 as the date, although they haven't committed to it.

BARNETT: Yes.

SIGESMUND: And they're talking about some of it in London, some that will be in New York.

BARNETT: Right.

SIGESMUND: It just can't help but be compared to the first one, though.

HEMMER: I agree with you. The last topic...

(CROSSTALK)

TOURE: But it's not a subject that this generation really, really cares about, like combating terrorism or fostering world peace.

HEMMER: Well, but perhaps this is the reason why he does this thing.

BARNETT: Right.

TOURE: Right. Well, it's got to be about the right subject. That's the thing.

BARNETT: We've all been jaded now, because we've seen so many charity concerts. I mean, Brad and Angelina are going to do one next. I'm concerned. I don't know if people are really as into that concept.

HEMMER: So are we. Last topic, fall television. Right now they're doing these up-fronts. That's like the industry's way of presenting to their advertisers, to their marketers to say this is what's coming up. Look at how great we are. What's on tap?

TOURE: Two shows that you've got to pay attention to. Of course, Martha Stewart's show, "The Apprentice." You're going to be watching that whether it's a train wreck or it's great. And that's going to make headlines whether everybody watches it or not, you've got to watch that one, Bill. The other one, back to Chris Rock, "Everybody Hates Chris" on UPN. You won't see his face. It's like "The Wonder Years" with Chris Rock. You know, he's getting hated. He's busting. He's growing up in Brooklyn and getting hated. And it's going to be great. And this is the show that the up-fronts did the best.

HEMMER: Really? They liked it?

TOURE: The advertisers were dying to get on this one.

HEMMER: What do you say, B.J.?

SIGESMUND: I'm interested in this trend. You know, "Lost" has done so well. They just had this amazing finale the other day. And now the networks have seven new hours of supernatural programming. There's one called "Threshold" on CBS, which is about aliens. NBC has one called "Fathom," which is about a sea creature. And then on the WB there is the "Supernatural," which is about ghosts. I mean, every network, it's a trend. It's what they always do. They throw stuff out there to see if they can capture what happened on other networks.

HEMMER: I'm still getting this. Thank you. Have a good weekend. Great to see you. Happy hair cut.

TOURE: Thank you, sir.

HEMMER: You look so much better.

Here's Soledad back on board the Kennedy now -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: All right, Bill, thanks.

Coming up this morning, we're going to introduce you to a sailor. He meant to get into the Navy for just four years. Now he's been in for 15, and he says he wants to stay for 20. He's also got one of the toughest jobs on board the ship. We'll introduce you to him just ahead. Plus, we'll introduce you to some of the other sailors on board. We report to you live from the U.S.S. John F. Kennedy. Stay with us.

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Aired May 27, 2005 - 07:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back, everybody. We're coming to you live this morning at about half past the hour from the U.S.S. John F. Kennedy. We've been on board now for a couple days. We're going to spend the whole morning here this morning. It's one of the vessels that's docked in New York Harbor for Fleet Week. Coming up, we've got a pretty amazing and rare privilege. The captain is going to show us off the captain's quarters. It was designed by the late Jacqueline Kennedy. It's going to tell us a little bit about the history of that remarkable place. We're going to have that all ahead this morning.
But first, let's get back to Bill.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Soledad, thanks for that. Good looking pictures out there. Back there in a moment.

Also, this live report from D.C. There has been another delay in the John Bolton nomination. We'll get to that with Joe Johns standing by.

First, the headlines. And for that here is Carol Costello.

Good morning over there.

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

"Now in the News."

Pakistani hospital sources say at least 14 people have been killed in a morning blast at a Muslim shrine. Emergency crews raced to the scene less than five hours ago. Dozens of people are wounded. Investigators say the attack may have been a suicide bombing.

President Bush is praising Naval Academy graduates for their help in fighting terrorism. The president is set to deliver the commencement address at the academy in Maryland less than three hours from now. He last spoke there in 2001, four months before the September 11 terrorist attacks. CNN will have live coverage of the president's address will start at 10:00 a.m. Eastern.

A Florida teenager accused of leaving an 8-year-old girl to die in a landfill is set to appear in court today. Seventeen-year-old Milagro Cunningham was indicted Thursday as an adult on six counts, including attempted first-degree murder and sexual battery. If convicted, he could face life in prison. The girl is still in the hospital this morning. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay is very upset with producers of the NBC drama "Law & Order: Criminal Intent." At issue: this week's episode.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Maybe we should put out an APB for somebody in a Tom DeLay T-shirt.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: The officer in the show is investigating the murder of a federal judge, when you heard her quip, "Maybe we should look for someone in a Tom DeLay T-shirt." DeLay calls the line a slur. In the past, he called on Congress to rein in judges. The head of NBC Entertainment says the line is not political and refuses to apologize.

And a fugitive is still atop that 18-story crane in Atlanta. It's been more than 39 hours now. Police say he is 41-year-old Carl Edward Roland. These are live pictures. He's wanted in the death of his former girlfriend in Florida. Large air bags have now been set up on the building being constructed below the crane. Police are keeping him awake with a bullhorn and helicopters. They even sound their sirens, because they're afraid if he falls asleep up there, Bill, he'll just roll off.

HEMMER: The other report says, what, his youngest sister lives in Atlanta. Maybe that's why the reason he went there?

COSTELLO: Supposedly his sister. At least some woman is saying she's his sister.

HEMMER: And she had called out to him throughout the day yesterday. And, what, he's refusing food and water?

COSTELLO: He accepted a jacket, though, from negotiators, because they climbed up in an attempt to talk him down and offered him a jacket because it's chilly at night.

HEMMER: Keep an eye on it. Thank you, Carol. Coming up on 40 hours there.

Back to Washington now. Democrats are still fighting John Bolton's nomination for U.N. ambassador, not voted in on Thursday, but not voted out either.

Joe Johns is on Capitol Hill.

Why another delay, Joe?

JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL REPORTER: Bill, this nomination is held up at least another week, because Democrats say they want more information. Senators Chris Dodd and Joe Biden are demanding National Security Agency intercepts that Bolton requested. They haven't yet gotten what they wanted. The failure to cut off debate on this and move forward with the nomination set off finger pointing between Democrats and Republicans. Republicans accusing Democrats of obstructionism, Democrats saying they simply need more information.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BILL FRIST (R-TN), MAJORITY LEADER : We're going to come back and revisit it, but I think what America has just seen is an engagement of another period of obstruction by the other side of the aisle. And it looks like we have, once again, another filibuster.

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MINORITY LEADER: I am disappointed that tonight we were unable to have a vote on Bolton. But it is not the fault of the Democratic caucus. We're not here to filibuster Bolton. We're here to get information regarding Bolton. The information, we're entitled to that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: This was a procedural vote. Three Democrats voted with Republicans to cut off debate. But, frankly, they needed more Democrats to move forward with the nomination. There is, of course, a larger question about whether Bolton is the right person to fill a top diplomatic position -- Bill.

HEMMER: Back to this after the recess over a long weekend. Joe, thanks. Joe Johns on Capitol Hill.

Here's Soledad again on the Kennedy.

O'BRIEN: Thanks, Bill. Thank you.

We're continuing our special live coverage now on Fleet Week here in New York City. Just a moment ago, we chatted with the JFK's commander, Captain Dennis Fitzpatrick. Yesterday, he was kind enough to give us a behind-the-scenes look at his living quarters. They are pretty remarkable because of the history and the connections to the Kennedy family.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: So this is the room that Jackie Kennedy designed?

CAPT. DENNIS FITZPATRICK, CMDR., USS JOHN F. KENNEDY: Absolutely, yes. If you look at the mural over there, Mrs. Kennedy wanted kind of a turn-of-the-century look. So, if you'll look out a portal or a window, you'd see something along those lines. And obviously, this room is just filled with all kinds of memorabilia.

O'BRIEN: It's very beautiful.

FITZPATRICK: Now, we don't put wood on Navy warships anymore, and for good reasons. And Mrs. Kennedy and the first C.O., Remi Yates (ph), went back and forth on this a little bit and had a little bit of an exchange. She really wanted to make it happen. He kept saying, we just don't do that anymore. And finally she got a little flustered and said, well, what would it take? And he said, it's going to take an act of Congress. And she said fine.

O'BRIEN: All right, I'll just go to Congress.

FITZPATRICK: And we have wood now on JFK. This is a model of the bust for the Kennedy Center. This was donated to the ship by Rose Kennedy. And these are replicas of the sword that George Washington carried during the Revolutionary War.

O'BRIEN: Mrs. Kennedy was very interested in taking on this project after her husband died, and she really took a lead in decorating this room. Why was that so important to her?

FITZPATRICK: Well, I mean, the ship carries her husband's name, and it's a namesake. And, you know, this is kind of the personality, I think, of the ship. This is where it begins in the captain's in- port cabin, particularly on JFK.

O'BRIEN: This is a letter, it was a response to an invitation that Jackie Kennedy got for the 25th anniversary of the aircraft carrier.

FITZPATRICK: Right.

O'BRIEN: And she declined.

FITZPATRICK: She did. She was ill. But, I mean, I think there are some really nice words in there, if you're looking at this middle paragraph. I remember so vividly the day of her christening, and I have followed her in the news the career -- I'm sorry -- followed in the news the career of this noble ship. So, I mean, it's a very personal letter to the crew of JFK acknowledging the ship and all that they've done.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Through the holiday weekend, in fact, the Navy is inviting the public to tour the vessel here in New York. Of course, as you come by for the Fleet Week celebrations, an opportunity to see some of the sailors who are walking around as well.

This morning as well, we want to introduce you to some of the folks who make this ship work. This morning we've got a crew member whose job is interior communications. Her name is Tachanna Chapman. She's from Atlanta, and she's a petty officer.

It's nice to talk to you. Thanks for chatting with us. Give me a sense of what your job is. You work on the flight deck.

PETTY OFC. TACHANNA CHAPMAN, USS JOHN F. KENNEDY: Yes, ma'am. They call us Greenshirts. We work on the maintenance of landing the planes. We fly them off, and we land them. My job basically is to land them. We use that with the lens, that we call a lens, and it has a range of lights that guide the plane in and gives them a reference to the deck and what the plane is in reference to the deck and when he's too low or when he's too high. So that's basically our job.

O'BRIEN: How intense do things get when you are in a combat situation, like you were not long ago in the battle of Falluja?

CHAPMAN: It can be very intense, considering what's going on. Landing planes, anything can happen. The last thing you want is to crash a plane on the deck. That's really important. And with so much going on, you have to be very alert. That's very important.

O'BRIEN: You're one of 500 women on board. And sometimes there's 5,500 people on board this ship. Is that a strange work environment or just a great work environment?

CHAPMAN: You could say great. It's really not a big deal. We're sailors. We're not women. We're not men. We're all sailors.

O'BRIEN: As you know, there has been a huge debate in Congress about the potential of limiting the role of women in combat. You've been in the Navy for more than 10 years now. You just got a new promotion.

CHAPMAN: Yes, ma'am.

O'BRIEN: What do you think of that debate?

CHAPMAN: I kind of can understand where Congress is coming from.

O'BRIEN: Really?

CHAPMAN: Because women, we serve our roles. Everybody has a role. However, I think whatever needs to be done for the country, for our freedom, for peace, everybody is accountable, you know, and I'm willing to do whatever.

O'BRIEN: You're willing to go right into combat?

CHAPMAN: Yes, ma'am.

O'BRIEN: I know you're a mom. You have a 5-year-old daughter.

CHAPMAN: Yes, ma'am.

O'BRIEN: You're based -- you're from Atlanta originally but you live in Jacksonville, based out of Jacksonville. How hard is it to juggle a 4-year-old when you're gone for a six-month deployment?

CHAPMAN: It's very, very difficult. I love my daughter. We have the best relationship in the world. She just celebrated a birthday while we were out to sea coming here. However, she got to go to the Atlanta Braves game. But it's very, very hard. But I stay focused and stay on the priority, and I know that what I'm doing is important. It's going to be important for her future. So that's what keeps me going. But it is difficult. It's difficult, but I love my daughter.

O'BRIEN: Well, hopefully, she'll get a chance to see her mom on TV. Thanks for talking with us.

CHAPMAN: Thanks.

O'BRIEN: Petty Officer Tachanna Chapman joining us. We certainly appreciate it.

CHAPMAN: Thank you.,

O'BRIEN: We have a beautiful day today. And we're glad about that, because, of course, it's been kind of crummy in New York City. Hopefully, it means that some of the people get off the ship today.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HEMMER: Twenty years ago, Live Aid rocked the world to fight world hunger. Now, Sir Bob is ready to put on another mega concert. "90-Second Pop" has a shot at that.

Also, next hour meet a sailor with a very important job: keeping the JFK safe from threats on air -- by air, rather, and at sea. Soledad is live on board the JFK all morning today on AMERICAN MORNING. Back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Welcome back.

Is the case against the former HealthSouth CEO headed for a mistrial? You know Andy loves this stuff. That and a check of the markets, back to Mr. Serwer.

Good morning.

SERWER: Good morning to you, Bill.

That's right. Richard Scrushy's trial in Birmingham, Alabama, the jury still deadlocked. Judge Karen Boger (ph) telling the jurors, though, to relax, don't do it. Don't tense up. You still have some time here, folks. That's what she's telling the jurors.

HEMMER: Don't do it.

SERWER: Yes.

HEMMER: Don't do what?

SERWER: It's a song lyric. Never mind. They have until 1:00 p.m. to deliberate, and then they begin the Memorial Day weekend, just like the rest of us.

Anyway, Richard Scrushy was interviewed on the steps of the courthouse, and he said -- quote: "Things are looking good. I liked what I saw." And at that point, his lawyers probably -- they did, in fact, tell him to hush up.

Let's talk a little bit about the markets yesterday, another upper and good stuff going on here. What's happening was yesterday a report that the economy grew at 3.5 percent in the first quarter boosted stocks. That's not a bad rate of growth. This morning, futures are mixed. It will be a choppy session as traders head for the exits for the holiday weekend. The markets are closed on Monday, and I'll be covering that story from home.

HEMMER: Enjoy that. Thanks, Andy.

Here's the "Question of the Day" and Jack now.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you, Bill.

It's that time of the year. President Bush is set to address the graduates of the U.S. Naval Academy later today. All across the country, students mark graduation day listening to speakers drone on about how they should live their lives. We've all heard them. Some of us have given them. It's very much an open question of how useful they are.

Nevertheless, we want to know what you would say if you were the commencement speaker. The question is: What advice would you give this year's graduates?

Pamela in Michigan writes: "I'd tell them to go into politics. Considering the lousy job Congress has been doing, there should be plenty of job openings coming up."

Blaine in Wisconsin writes: "I could use some advice. For those of us who take out $100,000 in student loans in order to afford ridiculous tuition to eventually get a graduate-level degree only to get a teaching job and make 30,000 a year. And on top of that, we may not have any Social Security either. Does the government realize we have to start our lives in a hole so big we may never climb out of it?"

Cat in Maine writes: "Move, quickly, while there are still two countries left that will tolerate Americans. I hear land in Latvia is cheap."

Kevin in New Jersey: "I'd tell them I hope you slept in school, because those days are all over now."

And Jerry in Georgia writes: "Success is not measured by possessions or dollars gained. Success is measured in the self- acknowledgment of how much of your talents and gifts have been used to make others breathe a little easier."

HEMMER: Well, he saved us there at the end, huh?

CAFFERTY: Yes, we had one rational letter at the end.

HEMMER: One good one.

CAFFERTY: Yes.

HEMMER: Thank you, Jack. Back to the JFK in a moment here. Also in a moment, is "The Longest Yard" short on laughs? "90-Second Pop" weighing in on that in a moment here. Back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: I think it's the worst songs the Stones have recorded in 30 years, actually. Would you agree? Hello, everybody. "90-Second Pop" on a Friday. Toure got a hair cut.

TOURE, CNN POP CULTURE CORRESPONDENT: Ah!

HEMMER: Good morning. Amy Barnett from "Teen People."

Amy, nice to see you on a Friday.

AMY BARNETT, "TEEN PEOPLE": Hello.

HEMMER: And B.J. Sigesmund from "Us Weekly."

How you doing, B.J.?

B.J. SIGESMUND, STAFF EDITOR, "US WEEKLY": Great.

HEMMER: You've been watching some films lately, haven't you?

SIGESMUND: Yes.

HEMMER: "Madagascar" with Chris Rock going against "The Longest Yard" with Chris Rock.

SIGESMUND: Right.

HEMMER: That guy has got a pretty big weekend Is either of these movies worth seeing?

SIGESMUND: I knew you were going to ask me that. Let's talk a little bit about them. "Madagascar" I'm expecting to be a huge Memorial Day hit.

HEMMER: This is an animated film.

SIGESMUND: It's an animated film, right, from Dreamworks. It's cute. I've seen it. It's no "Shrek." It's actually about four zoo animals from the Central Park Zoo here in Manhattan who they're spoiled brats and they accidentally get transported to this remote island of Madagascar and are forced to fend for themselves. It's not great voices. The lion that you're seeing right now is voiced by Ben Stiller. He's the most spoiled brat of them all. There's also Chris Rock as a curious zebra. Jada Pinkett Smith voices the fearless hippo. You know, it's very -- it's cute. I just -- it's not quite as good as "Shrek."

HEMMER: I'm getting one of these from B.J. all over this film.

SIGESMUND: Yes, I'm definitely giving you one of these. BARNETT: But it's cute.

HEMMER: What about the remake of "The Longest Yard?"

SIGESMUND: Yes, "The Longest Yard," this is a remake, as you say, of the famous 1974 prison football comedy starring Burt Reynolds. Now, it's 31 years later, and it's back, only this time Adam Sandler kind of unbelievably is cast in the Burt Reynolds role as a -- you know, you have to believe that he is a one-time NFL great who has sort of fallen into a depression. He ends up in prison, and he has to create -- yes, it's very believable. You have to...

BARNETT: Give me a break!

TOURE: This is the weekend that we find out how big a star Chris Rock is, right? He's not leading any of these films, but the seed is planted at the Oscars to let everybody in the world know that Chris Rock is a hugely funny guy. This is the weekend, if these two movies blow up, then next we'll see him starring in something six to nine months from now. We're going to see.

BARNETT: Right.

HEMMER: And I think B.J.'s review on this film was like...

BARNETT: All I was going to say is you better see "The Longest Yard" or Burt Reynolds is going to haul off and slap you. That's all I'm going to say.

SIGESMUND: And you don't want that to happen.

HEMMER: Let's talk about Sir Bob Geldof. We are 20 years down the road from Live Aid. He wants to do another mega concert to fight world hunger. He's going to pull a lot of big names together. But he says, don't call it Live Aid II. Why not?

BARNETT: I don't know why not. It really is Live Aid II, but he's made this big deal about not wanted to call it Live Aid II, possibly because he doesn't want to -- you know, he's afraid of following in his own footsteps, because the first Live Aid concert made history in 1985.

HEMMER: That's exactly the point.

BARNETT: It was this huge sort of global, you know, 14-hour jukebox event with, you know, acts like Madonna and The Who and U2.

TOURE: Run DMC.

BARNETT: Rum DMC.

SIGESMUND: And it made $250 million.

BARNETT: To, you know, help the famine in Ethiopia. So it started this whole charity concert revolution. We've seen Farm Aid. We've seen Asia Aid. So now he's sort of afraid of not being able to recreate this huge history-making event.

HEMMER: Certainly. If he pulls it off, who plays when and where?

BARNETT: Who plays when and where?

HEMMER: Who plays in this concert and where do they play?

TOURE: Well, Eminem might be. There's one.

HEMMER: U2?

BARNETT: Well, I think the biggest act so far is going to be Spice Girls -- you know, a reunited Spice Girls.

SIGESMUND: No, that's not (INAUDIBLE).

(CROSSTALK)

SIGESMUND: Bob Geldof knows everyone. He's gotten Sting. Madonna will probably be there. They're talking about July 2 as the date, although they haven't committed to it.

BARNETT: Yes.

SIGESMUND: And they're talking about some of it in London, some that will be in New York.

BARNETT: Right.

SIGESMUND: It just can't help but be compared to the first one, though.

HEMMER: I agree with you. The last topic...

(CROSSTALK)

TOURE: But it's not a subject that this generation really, really cares about, like combating terrorism or fostering world peace.

HEMMER: Well, but perhaps this is the reason why he does this thing.

BARNETT: Right.

TOURE: Right. Well, it's got to be about the right subject. That's the thing.

BARNETT: We've all been jaded now, because we've seen so many charity concerts. I mean, Brad and Angelina are going to do one next. I'm concerned. I don't know if people are really as into that concept.

HEMMER: So are we. Last topic, fall television. Right now they're doing these up-fronts. That's like the industry's way of presenting to their advertisers, to their marketers to say this is what's coming up. Look at how great we are. What's on tap?

TOURE: Two shows that you've got to pay attention to. Of course, Martha Stewart's show, "The Apprentice." You're going to be watching that whether it's a train wreck or it's great. And that's going to make headlines whether everybody watches it or not, you've got to watch that one, Bill. The other one, back to Chris Rock, "Everybody Hates Chris" on UPN. You won't see his face. It's like "The Wonder Years" with Chris Rock. You know, he's getting hated. He's busting. He's growing up in Brooklyn and getting hated. And it's going to be great. And this is the show that the up-fronts did the best.

HEMMER: Really? They liked it?

TOURE: The advertisers were dying to get on this one.

HEMMER: What do you say, B.J.?

SIGESMUND: I'm interested in this trend. You know, "Lost" has done so well. They just had this amazing finale the other day. And now the networks have seven new hours of supernatural programming. There's one called "Threshold" on CBS, which is about aliens. NBC has one called "Fathom," which is about a sea creature. And then on the WB there is the "Supernatural," which is about ghosts. I mean, every network, it's a trend. It's what they always do. They throw stuff out there to see if they can capture what happened on other networks.

HEMMER: I'm still getting this. Thank you. Have a good weekend. Great to see you. Happy hair cut.

TOURE: Thank you, sir.

HEMMER: You look so much better.

Here's Soledad back on board the Kennedy now -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: All right, Bill, thanks.

Coming up this morning, we're going to introduce you to a sailor. He meant to get into the Navy for just four years. Now he's been in for 15, and he says he wants to stay for 20. He's also got one of the toughest jobs on board the ship. We'll introduce you to him just ahead. Plus, we'll introduce you to some of the other sailors on board. We report to you live from the U.S.S. John F. Kennedy. Stay with us.

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