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American Morning

Laguna Landslides; 'The Survivor'

Aired June 02, 2005 - 09:30   ET

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

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


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: This is really the first videotape we've see of Jennifer Wilbanks. The other day, there was a few pictures that leaked out through one of the New York papers up here, I think it was the "Post." The "New York Post" had some photos of her at this treatment clinic, where she's been seeking help there in the northern part of Atlanta. But that's the first videotape too, so we'll find out from David what's happening inside in a moment.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Certainly the first we've seen since she returned from her days off the week of her wedding.

Much more on that is ahead, of course. Let's get right to Carol Costello though for the other headlines making the news.

HEMMER: Good morning.

O'BRIEN: Good morning again.

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

Now in the news, turning to Iraq, a violent morning. At least nine Iraqi civilians were killed in a drive-by shooting in Baghdad. And three suicide care bombings left at least 16 people dead and wounded more than 50 others. One of the attacks was in the city of Kirkuk. It apparently targeted an American diplomatic convoy. All three bombs went off in less than 45 minutes.

Israel is releasing some 400 Palestinian prisoners. Busloads of Palestinians are being set free into the West Bank and Gaza. It's part of an agreement made between the two sides in February.

In the meantime, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas is recovering from minor heart surgery. The surgery was done at a hospital in Amman, Jordan. He's expected to return to Ramallah tomorrow.

And more on the story we've been following out of Indiana all morning long. A woman held hostage at a convenience store for more than 20 hours is said to be safe. That is according to the Associated Press. The stand-off ended earlier this morning when the gunman was shot to death in an exchange with police.

And a major announcement expected this morning from the White House. Sources telling CNN President Bush plans to nominate California Representative Christopher Cox to head the Securities and Exchange Commission. Chairman William Donaldson announced Wednesday he will step down at the end of the month. He wants to return to the private sector and spend more time with his family. CNN will have live coverage of President Bush's announcement of the new SEC chairman this morning. That's set for 10:15 Eastern.

Back to you.

O'BRIEN: All right, Carol. Thanks a lot.

Well, more homes may be in danger from landslides in Southern California today. A section of Laguna Beach in California collapsed on Wednesday. It's 50 miles southeast of Los Angeles. Eighteen multi-million-dollar homes were destroyed. About 20 more were damaged. And about a thousand people had to evacuate their neighborhood.

Captain Danell Adams is with the Laguna Beach Police Department. She joins us from Laguna Beach this morning. Nice to see you, Captain. Thank you very much for talking with us. Give us a sense of how that hill held overnight.

CAPTAIN DANELL ADAMS, LAGUNA COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT: So far, so good. There hasn't been any movement on the hill since about 5:00 yesterday afternoon.

O'BRIEN: And how about the homes that were basically on the brink? What's their status right now?

ADAMS: We currently have 18 homes that are still red-tags; another 11 that are yellow-tagged, which basically means the house looks like it's intact, but we don't know what's happening structurally beneath the house. So there's a good nucleus of homes up there, 30 to 50 in that outlining area that we're paying close attention to.

O'BRIEN: What about the evacuations? We mentioned just a moment ago that some a thousand people had to leave their homes. Is that number the same? Are you adding to that our letting some people back in at this point?

ADAMS: No, that's a constant number at this point. We have not let any residents back in. However, that is our goal today. We're bringing in some big equipment, trying to get some utilities back in place, with the hope of filling maybe 250 or 300 of those homes, if we can determine that it's safe to do so.

O'BRIEN: You've blamed -- or you being, really, people who have been examining this have blamed the heavy rains of the past winter on the problems now. How concerned are you, and are the other experts there that this hill is going to give way more?

ADAMS: I think we'll know more of the answer to that question this afternoon. Certainly those rains have been looked at as a contributing factor to this. It has not been determined absolutely. So hopefully today we'll have a little bit more information about that.

O'BRIEN: The mayor -- we talked to her a little bit earlier today, and she said that they've brought a geologist in, a specialist to kind of determine the status of the ground as well. Is he on the site now? Is he working?

ADAMS: I haven't seen him this morning. I know he will be here today. He we here till late last night. And they're working very diligently, both on the ground and from the air.

O'BRIEN: I have to tell you, when we see these pictures of that hill just absolutely, you know, caving in, it's pretty dramatic. And I guess the good news or the very, very good news is that an injuries up to now have just been minor. Is that still the case? You must feel very fortunate if it is.

ADAMS: Yes, we are very fortunate, and that is still the case. We had four minor injuries. Two of them were foot-related, probably running from the area. They were treated at the hospital and released. And two here at the scene were treated and released. So yes, very fortunate.

O'BRIEN: I know it's early on and that you're really, really busy, but give me a sense of what you think is going to happen here. I mean, obviously -- can you rebuild on this site? And these homes look -- that have been red-tagged don't look like they're going to be able to last.

ADAMS: I wouldn't have a whole lot of hope for those homes that have been red-tagged. I think there's going to be, even in the surrounding homes, probably some structural work that will have to be done to stabilize them. We're accustomed to that here in Laguna Beach. The good news is is there's a substantial amount of bedrock in the area, so hopefully most of those homes can be stabilized and reoccupied.

O'BRIEN: And how are the people holding up that you've been talking to?

ADAMS: That's hard. They've been through this before -- not this particular group of homes, but the residents here certainly have. Even with a thousand residents last night before night's end, all of them had a place to stay. The community always pitches in with this. Of course, we went through the fires in 1993. We've had more slides in 1998. So this community knows how to band together and pull together and take care of one another and get everybody through it.

O'BRIEN: Yeah, it really has been battered. I don't think that's an overstatement. Captain Danell Adams in Laguna Beach for us this morning. Thank you very much. Appreciate your time. We know you're really busy.

ADAMS: You bet. Thank you.

HEMMER: They're going to need some help.

Twenty-five minutes now before the hour. Former President Bill Clinton says he is not quite 100 percent, but he is feeling a lot better since his recent heart surgery. Talked with Larry King last night here on CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No, I feel great. I feel much better. After the second surgery, after we found out that my lung was closed because of this fluid buildup, I got a whole new burst of energy. And I feel quite good.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: A re-energized Bill Clinton, also the subject of a new book now out. It's called "The Survivor." It offers a behind-the- scenes look at the Clinton White House.

The author, John Harris, is with me now in Washington. John, good to have you, and good morning to you.

JOHN HARRIS, AUTHOR: Thank you.

HEMMER: What is it like to release a book the same week that "Deep Throat" is announced?

HARRIS: I'd recommend not doing it.

HEMMER: I've got to say, that's some pretty tough luck, don't you think?

HARRIS: You know what, I've had a pretty good launch. I've definitely had some good reviews who have taken the book seriously and said it's fair, which is what my aim was. And so, anyway, I think we'll get an audience.

HEMMER: All right, well let's get into it here. You describe a White House that at times seemed filled with screaming and profanity. In one instance, you describe how Hillary Clinton wanted the White House to fight the Whitewater investigation, saying, "Hillary contemptuously compared the aides before her to the staff of John F. Kennedy's New Frontier." Quote, "JFK had real men in his White House," she taunted.

How common were conversations like these?

HARRIS: Well, you know, the White House was a turbulent place. And that was my aim in this book, was to give -- to do two things: one, give a sense of historical perspective, but also get the reader inside as many rooms as possible when decisions were getting made and conversations like this were taking place, the feel of what life was like in there. So, yeah, occasionally it got a little rough.

HEMMER: Back in '94, Bob Woodward, who's in the news this week for obvious reasons, he released his book called, "The Agenda." And after that book came out, you write this about how Bill Clinton responded: "Never again would Clinton fully trust most members of his staff to protect his interests over their own. He abandoned his lifelong habit of thinking aloud about policy choices so details would not leak." How did that affect the way he ran that place?

HARRIS: I required him to really change his whole personality. Bill Clinton came into the presidency with a very spontaneous, free- wheeling style. He likes to think aloud. And that was the style he brought from Arkansas to Washington. And what happened was he found he couldn't do that. I think he found it quite difficult to realize that he might be free-associating and weighing different options, and that would show up in the paper the next day. It was, I would say, searing for him in some ways.

HEMMER: John, the other line you try to draw through this book is that Bill Clinton was actually passive in the way he governed. Can you draw the line between Paula Jones, Bosnia, Whitewater, the war on terrorism that explains what you mean by passive.

HARRIS: Well, what I don't mean is that Bill Clinton has a passive temperament. Obviously he's hyperactive. he wants to stay up late. He wants to fit as many things in in a day, but what I do mean, is that he has a mind that doesn't see things black and white. It's these infinite shades of gray. At times you might say that's his strength, but in other cases it could be paralyzing.

The line you can draw is on Bosnia, he ultimately took a courageous decision, but it took really two and a half years of anguished decision making what to do on Paula Jones. That case was looming for four years. We now know if had settled that case, we might never have heard the name Monica Lewisnky. History would have been completely different. His presidency would have been vastly better off.

And the question I kept asking is, why didn't he settle? He knew how much risk he -- danger he was in, in that case. And he was always looking just a day ahead. It would be politically painful to settle this case now. Obviously if he had taken that political pain, he would have been far better off in the long term. So that's what I mean by a certain passivity.

HEMMER: John Harris, covered the White House for six years while Bill Clinton was president, writing for "The Washington Post" at that time. He interviewed hundreds of people for that book, but the Clintons did not grant him an interview for what he wrote. The book is called "Survivor." It's out now. John Harris with us today -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Jennifer Wilbanks, the runaway bride, has just appeared in court this morning. Her fiance, John Mason, at her side when she entered the Gwinnett County Courthouse in Georgia, just a few minutes ago.

David Mattingly was in that courtroom as well. He joins us by phone this morning.

David, good morning.

What exactly transpired. DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Soledad, runaway bride Jennifer Wilbanks appeared before a county judge just a few minutes ago, entering a plea of nolo contendre. She was not fighting the felony and misdemeanor charges against her.

And what the judge has decided to do is sentence her to two years of probation and 120 hours of community service. She's also required to continue mental health treatments that she has been getting since her return, after that episode where she claimed to have been abducted and sexually assaulted.

She's also, this week -- has repaid local authorities $13,000 for the overtime police incurred during the search. There's also a matter of restitution to the county sheriff's office of about $2,500. So, again, Jennifer Wilbanks, continuing to clean up the mess that she made, if you will, by her disappearance shortly before her wedding here in Georgia -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: How did she appear when she got that word? As you mentioned, looking at probation, looking at community service. Could have been much more seriously -- serious, rather, David. How did she appear? What was her reaction?

MATTINGLY: She did speak to the court briefly. She was very polite, almost demure, in the way she was speaking to the judge. And she told the judge that -- she told the court, she said, "I'm truly sorry for my actions." And she went on to thank the Gwinnett County sheriff and the Duluth police and then she became choked up. It was almost hard to hear what she was saying. It appeared that she was being overcome with emotion at that point.

And then the judge made his ruling and she sat down quietly and she will go on about her life. There -- it was said a couple of times today she wants to get on with her life, and it appears she's trying to make good on the trouble that was caused by this and do exactly that, get on with her life.

O'BRIEN: David, we're watching videotape that looks as if it was taken as she was coming into the courthouse, along with her fiance at her side. And it looks a little bit sometimes chaotic in that they're surrounded by a lot of people. What was the scene like inside, coming into and inside that courtroom?

MATTINGLY: Well, inside the courtroom, the judge did allow selected members -- selected cameras to go in and get video. So we'll have some of that for you later today, as well. And it wasn't necessarily as chaotic as it probably looked. There is a great deal of media interest in this case and everyone was here with their cameras to greet her as she came in today. O'BRIEN: I wonder if this actually brings an end to all of this. Many people, as you well know, have been waiting for an apology from Jennifer's own mouth, so to speak. And so it will be interesting to see if this, indeed, the final word now that the judge has made his ruling.

David Mattingly, joining us by phone with an update on the runaway bride and what the judge had to say. A short break. We're back in just a moment. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: As wedding costs rise, conventional wedding wisdom no longer applies. Some couples are now turning to their guests to help foot the wedding bill, asking them to kick in for everything from the flowers to the minister's fee.

Carley Roney from the theknot.com is here to explain. Good morning, nice to see you.

CARLEY RONEY, THEKNOT.COM: Good morning, Soledad.

O'BRIEN: How exactly would this work? How do you get the money from your guests. I mean, especially beforehand, right?

RONEY: Yes, well what couples are doing is they're using gift registry services on the Internet, most often, to ask for different aspects of their weddings, whether it's the flowers or the officiant or things along those lines. And you know, there is a tradition back in time to have your close friends and family help you pay for -- help throw the wedding, but it's very different. The couples are really going to the extent, asking average -- your average guest to help pay.

O'BRIEN: Peggy Post (ph) who is often the final word on things like this, says inexcusably rude, beyond rude.

RONEY: I mean, I personally do not think it's appropriate to invite people to a party and then ask them to pay their own way. I think it's impolite to ask for anything in particular. I think it's one thing to make a gift registry...

O'BRIEN: But how about if you phrase it, like if you're going to send the money anyway, we could use that 200 bucks to offset the cost of my dress.

RONEY: Well, certainly, if you want to use that money to do those things, I think that's totally fine. But to do it in such an outright way. I think you need to give people the option to actually buy you a gift or to give you cash, if they want to. I do think it's, however, different to ask people to contribute to your honeymoon.

Because that is an extraordinary once in a lifetime event that people would feel really good about. And we let people do that on theknot, contribute to, you know, your trip to Venice. It's a fun way to ask people to give you cash or a down payment on a home, something like that. But your actual wedding is a little bit...

O'BRIEN: How much money are we talking, though? Because you know, the down payment on a home and the cost of the wedding are often very similar costs.

RONEY: That's right. An average wedding in America right now costs about $25,000. So this is a big number. And one of the reasons why couples have been forced to do this is that the pressure to put on a great wedding is really on. Their budgets do not match their wedding dreams.

And couples are increasingly being asked to pay for the weddings themselves, because they are a little bit older. The average marrying age is now 27 of a woman in America. And it's a different time. You already have a job. Your parents are like, you're on your own, kid.

O'BRIEN: Sorry, honey, we're not paying the 25 grand. Let's talk about some tips. Because I know your wedding, you said, cost $5,000.

RONEY: Yes, I mean, my point is that you can have a great wedding no matter what your budget is. So first and foremost, what you want to do is have it in an off time or an off season. You can save 50 percent of your wedding. Get married in a Friday in March or a Sunday in March, so off day, off time is really key.

O'BRIEN: Right. Then save a chunk of money. Then you say sneaky substitutions.

RONEY: Yes. You know, if you substitute dahlias for black magic roses -- you know, it's a flower thing -- and you can save, you know, thousands of dollars on your floral budget. Same for platinum rings versus white gold. You can save 50 percent on that.

O'BRIEN: Don't be so beholden in little details that you've dreaming about.

RONEY: Exactly.

O'BRIEN: Give a little.

RONEY: Don't live with a vision, but let your vendors help come up with a thing that fits your budget.

O'BRIEN: And finally say, just cut it down.

RONEY: Yes. If you cut a $5 appetizer and you have a wedding of 200 people, you save yourself $1,000 right there.

O'BRIEN: How about cutting 50 people out of the 200?

RONEY: Exactly. And you -- you know, save yourself a couple thousand. So you know, you really...

O'BRIEN: How about five people? Wait a minute.

RONEY: That's another thing. Keep it small. Keep it simple.

O'BRIEN: I think that's great advice. And I actually think giving to the wedding is a great idea. Really.

RONEY: There you go.

O'BRIEN: I'd do that if anybody asked me.

RONEY: I know, I think you can do it with friends and family. O'BRIEN: Yes. Nice to see you. Thanks for the advice -- Bill.

HEMMER: All right, Soledad. The jury is still out on whether or not Mark Felt is a hero or a villain, but the man revealed to be Deep Throat is apparently already a winner on eBay. Andy explains that in a moment here, "Minding Your Business" after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: All right, welcome back, everyone. The billionaire George Soros trying to expand his empire in the sports arena. Good story, too. Also, Deep Throat attracting deep pockets on eBay. Andy's watching that, "Minding Your Business."

Where do you wan to start? Markets? How are we doing now?

SERWER: I want to start with the markets, even though the Dow, I think is trading down at this hour. Let's see here, 27 points off on the Big Board, a couple big deals.

Sun Microsystems buying Storage Technology for $4 billion, and a sneaker merger, Stride Rite, which makes Keds, is buying Saucony, a couple Massachusetts sneaker makers getting together. This stuff happens.

Let's talk about Washington Nationals baseball team bidding heating up down there, hundreds of millions of dollars at stake. Seven groups now bidding for the baseball team in the nation's capital. Billionaire financier, as Bill mentioned, George Soros, liberal activist as well, has joined John Ledecky's group, and you may remember Colin Powell's in another group. Yusef Jackson, Jesse Jackson's son, is another group. Four-hundred million dollars is expected to be the price tag, but who knows, it could go even higher. And it's just really fascinating politicking going on down there, all manner of powerful businesspeople and politicians, looking for good seats is the ultimate prize here.

And let's talk about Mark Felt finally here this morning. He had a book that he wrote back in 1980 called "The FBI Pyramid: The FBI From the Inside." There's an autographed copy that someone put up on eBay the other day. The bidding started out at $9. Look where we are now, over $1,100. The famous line in this book is, "I never leaked information to Woodward and Bernstein or to anyone else," felt wrote in that book. But I guess everything else in the book is true.

HEMMER: Good point.

SERWER: Well, who knows. And this woman who put the book up said she's sorry to be taking advantage of the situation.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: No, she's not.

SERWER: I don't really understand.

O'BRIEN: Not that sorry apparently.

SERWER: Hey, it's America. Enjoy yourself, make some money.

O'BRIEN: Final look at the e-mails. Good morning.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, the question is about the same guy, Mark Felt. As Deep Throat, do you think he was a hero or a villain?

John in Virginia writes, "Mark Felt was a hero, and we are in his debt, although law-enforcement officials should not make a habit of betraying the public trust. In Felt's case, going through channels was not an option."

John in Alabama, "This is a case of yet another government official abusing his position and power for his own reasons, but with a role model like J. Edgar Hoover, what would you expect. And the family should not make a dime off his story."

One of the more thoughtful letters came from Caitlin in Michigan, "As Deep Throat, Felt did the right thing. His actions in his own name as a proud Hoover man at the FBI, ready to break the laws he'd sworn up to hold for far less compelling reasons are not so honorable. Mark Felt is not on balance, an American hero, but that's not because he happens to have been Deep Throat."

HEMMER: A lot to consider there. He was later convicted, pardoned by Reagan, early '80s.

SERWER: Right, fascinating story, and I'm not sure what job he held in the ensuing period, but he did have a lot of stuff that he went through.

HEMMER: And a great debate, too. Thank you, Jack.

CAFFERTY: Tomorrow on "AMERICAN MORNING," our series "DEFINING MOMENTS" continues, wrapping up tomorrow, with a story that may have put CNN on the map for so many millions around the world. The First Gulf War, January 1991. We'll have a look back tomorrow at 7:00 a.m. Eastern Time.

We are back in a moment, right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired June 2, 2005 - 09:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: This is really the first videotape we've see of Jennifer Wilbanks. The other day, there was a few pictures that leaked out through one of the New York papers up here, I think it was the "Post." The "New York Post" had some photos of her at this treatment clinic, where she's been seeking help there in the northern part of Atlanta. But that's the first videotape too, so we'll find out from David what's happening inside in a moment.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Certainly the first we've seen since she returned from her days off the week of her wedding.

Much more on that is ahead, of course. Let's get right to Carol Costello though for the other headlines making the news.

HEMMER: Good morning.

O'BRIEN: Good morning again.

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

Now in the news, turning to Iraq, a violent morning. At least nine Iraqi civilians were killed in a drive-by shooting in Baghdad. And three suicide care bombings left at least 16 people dead and wounded more than 50 others. One of the attacks was in the city of Kirkuk. It apparently targeted an American diplomatic convoy. All three bombs went off in less than 45 minutes.

Israel is releasing some 400 Palestinian prisoners. Busloads of Palestinians are being set free into the West Bank and Gaza. It's part of an agreement made between the two sides in February.

In the meantime, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas is recovering from minor heart surgery. The surgery was done at a hospital in Amman, Jordan. He's expected to return to Ramallah tomorrow.

And more on the story we've been following out of Indiana all morning long. A woman held hostage at a convenience store for more than 20 hours is said to be safe. That is according to the Associated Press. The stand-off ended earlier this morning when the gunman was shot to death in an exchange with police.

And a major announcement expected this morning from the White House. Sources telling CNN President Bush plans to nominate California Representative Christopher Cox to head the Securities and Exchange Commission. Chairman William Donaldson announced Wednesday he will step down at the end of the month. He wants to return to the private sector and spend more time with his family. CNN will have live coverage of President Bush's announcement of the new SEC chairman this morning. That's set for 10:15 Eastern.

Back to you.

O'BRIEN: All right, Carol. Thanks a lot.

Well, more homes may be in danger from landslides in Southern California today. A section of Laguna Beach in California collapsed on Wednesday. It's 50 miles southeast of Los Angeles. Eighteen multi-million-dollar homes were destroyed. About 20 more were damaged. And about a thousand people had to evacuate their neighborhood.

Captain Danell Adams is with the Laguna Beach Police Department. She joins us from Laguna Beach this morning. Nice to see you, Captain. Thank you very much for talking with us. Give us a sense of how that hill held overnight.

CAPTAIN DANELL ADAMS, LAGUNA COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT: So far, so good. There hasn't been any movement on the hill since about 5:00 yesterday afternoon.

O'BRIEN: And how about the homes that were basically on the brink? What's their status right now?

ADAMS: We currently have 18 homes that are still red-tags; another 11 that are yellow-tagged, which basically means the house looks like it's intact, but we don't know what's happening structurally beneath the house. So there's a good nucleus of homes up there, 30 to 50 in that outlining area that we're paying close attention to.

O'BRIEN: What about the evacuations? We mentioned just a moment ago that some a thousand people had to leave their homes. Is that number the same? Are you adding to that our letting some people back in at this point?

ADAMS: No, that's a constant number at this point. We have not let any residents back in. However, that is our goal today. We're bringing in some big equipment, trying to get some utilities back in place, with the hope of filling maybe 250 or 300 of those homes, if we can determine that it's safe to do so.

O'BRIEN: You've blamed -- or you being, really, people who have been examining this have blamed the heavy rains of the past winter on the problems now. How concerned are you, and are the other experts there that this hill is going to give way more?

ADAMS: I think we'll know more of the answer to that question this afternoon. Certainly those rains have been looked at as a contributing factor to this. It has not been determined absolutely. So hopefully today we'll have a little bit more information about that.

O'BRIEN: The mayor -- we talked to her a little bit earlier today, and she said that they've brought a geologist in, a specialist to kind of determine the status of the ground as well. Is he on the site now? Is he working?

ADAMS: I haven't seen him this morning. I know he will be here today. He we here till late last night. And they're working very diligently, both on the ground and from the air.

O'BRIEN: I have to tell you, when we see these pictures of that hill just absolutely, you know, caving in, it's pretty dramatic. And I guess the good news or the very, very good news is that an injuries up to now have just been minor. Is that still the case? You must feel very fortunate if it is.

ADAMS: Yes, we are very fortunate, and that is still the case. We had four minor injuries. Two of them were foot-related, probably running from the area. They were treated at the hospital and released. And two here at the scene were treated and released. So yes, very fortunate.

O'BRIEN: I know it's early on and that you're really, really busy, but give me a sense of what you think is going to happen here. I mean, obviously -- can you rebuild on this site? And these homes look -- that have been red-tagged don't look like they're going to be able to last.

ADAMS: I wouldn't have a whole lot of hope for those homes that have been red-tagged. I think there's going to be, even in the surrounding homes, probably some structural work that will have to be done to stabilize them. We're accustomed to that here in Laguna Beach. The good news is is there's a substantial amount of bedrock in the area, so hopefully most of those homes can be stabilized and reoccupied.

O'BRIEN: And how are the people holding up that you've been talking to?

ADAMS: That's hard. They've been through this before -- not this particular group of homes, but the residents here certainly have. Even with a thousand residents last night before night's end, all of them had a place to stay. The community always pitches in with this. Of course, we went through the fires in 1993. We've had more slides in 1998. So this community knows how to band together and pull together and take care of one another and get everybody through it.

O'BRIEN: Yeah, it really has been battered. I don't think that's an overstatement. Captain Danell Adams in Laguna Beach for us this morning. Thank you very much. Appreciate your time. We know you're really busy.

ADAMS: You bet. Thank you.

HEMMER: They're going to need some help.

Twenty-five minutes now before the hour. Former President Bill Clinton says he is not quite 100 percent, but he is feeling a lot better since his recent heart surgery. Talked with Larry King last night here on CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No, I feel great. I feel much better. After the second surgery, after we found out that my lung was closed because of this fluid buildup, I got a whole new burst of energy. And I feel quite good.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: A re-energized Bill Clinton, also the subject of a new book now out. It's called "The Survivor." It offers a behind-the- scenes look at the Clinton White House.

The author, John Harris, is with me now in Washington. John, good to have you, and good morning to you.

JOHN HARRIS, AUTHOR: Thank you.

HEMMER: What is it like to release a book the same week that "Deep Throat" is announced?

HARRIS: I'd recommend not doing it.

HEMMER: I've got to say, that's some pretty tough luck, don't you think?

HARRIS: You know what, I've had a pretty good launch. I've definitely had some good reviews who have taken the book seriously and said it's fair, which is what my aim was. And so, anyway, I think we'll get an audience.

HEMMER: All right, well let's get into it here. You describe a White House that at times seemed filled with screaming and profanity. In one instance, you describe how Hillary Clinton wanted the White House to fight the Whitewater investigation, saying, "Hillary contemptuously compared the aides before her to the staff of John F. Kennedy's New Frontier." Quote, "JFK had real men in his White House," she taunted.

How common were conversations like these?

HARRIS: Well, you know, the White House was a turbulent place. And that was my aim in this book, was to give -- to do two things: one, give a sense of historical perspective, but also get the reader inside as many rooms as possible when decisions were getting made and conversations like this were taking place, the feel of what life was like in there. So, yeah, occasionally it got a little rough.

HEMMER: Back in '94, Bob Woodward, who's in the news this week for obvious reasons, he released his book called, "The Agenda." And after that book came out, you write this about how Bill Clinton responded: "Never again would Clinton fully trust most members of his staff to protect his interests over their own. He abandoned his lifelong habit of thinking aloud about policy choices so details would not leak." How did that affect the way he ran that place?

HARRIS: I required him to really change his whole personality. Bill Clinton came into the presidency with a very spontaneous, free- wheeling style. He likes to think aloud. And that was the style he brought from Arkansas to Washington. And what happened was he found he couldn't do that. I think he found it quite difficult to realize that he might be free-associating and weighing different options, and that would show up in the paper the next day. It was, I would say, searing for him in some ways.

HEMMER: John, the other line you try to draw through this book is that Bill Clinton was actually passive in the way he governed. Can you draw the line between Paula Jones, Bosnia, Whitewater, the war on terrorism that explains what you mean by passive.

HARRIS: Well, what I don't mean is that Bill Clinton has a passive temperament. Obviously he's hyperactive. he wants to stay up late. He wants to fit as many things in in a day, but what I do mean, is that he has a mind that doesn't see things black and white. It's these infinite shades of gray. At times you might say that's his strength, but in other cases it could be paralyzing.

The line you can draw is on Bosnia, he ultimately took a courageous decision, but it took really two and a half years of anguished decision making what to do on Paula Jones. That case was looming for four years. We now know if had settled that case, we might never have heard the name Monica Lewisnky. History would have been completely different. His presidency would have been vastly better off.

And the question I kept asking is, why didn't he settle? He knew how much risk he -- danger he was in, in that case. And he was always looking just a day ahead. It would be politically painful to settle this case now. Obviously if he had taken that political pain, he would have been far better off in the long term. So that's what I mean by a certain passivity.

HEMMER: John Harris, covered the White House for six years while Bill Clinton was president, writing for "The Washington Post" at that time. He interviewed hundreds of people for that book, but the Clintons did not grant him an interview for what he wrote. The book is called "Survivor." It's out now. John Harris with us today -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Jennifer Wilbanks, the runaway bride, has just appeared in court this morning. Her fiance, John Mason, at her side when she entered the Gwinnett County Courthouse in Georgia, just a few minutes ago.

David Mattingly was in that courtroom as well. He joins us by phone this morning.

David, good morning.

What exactly transpired. DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Soledad, runaway bride Jennifer Wilbanks appeared before a county judge just a few minutes ago, entering a plea of nolo contendre. She was not fighting the felony and misdemeanor charges against her.

And what the judge has decided to do is sentence her to two years of probation and 120 hours of community service. She's also required to continue mental health treatments that she has been getting since her return, after that episode where she claimed to have been abducted and sexually assaulted.

She's also, this week -- has repaid local authorities $13,000 for the overtime police incurred during the search. There's also a matter of restitution to the county sheriff's office of about $2,500. So, again, Jennifer Wilbanks, continuing to clean up the mess that she made, if you will, by her disappearance shortly before her wedding here in Georgia -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: How did she appear when she got that word? As you mentioned, looking at probation, looking at community service. Could have been much more seriously -- serious, rather, David. How did she appear? What was her reaction?

MATTINGLY: She did speak to the court briefly. She was very polite, almost demure, in the way she was speaking to the judge. And she told the judge that -- she told the court, she said, "I'm truly sorry for my actions." And she went on to thank the Gwinnett County sheriff and the Duluth police and then she became choked up. It was almost hard to hear what she was saying. It appeared that she was being overcome with emotion at that point.

And then the judge made his ruling and she sat down quietly and she will go on about her life. There -- it was said a couple of times today she wants to get on with her life, and it appears she's trying to make good on the trouble that was caused by this and do exactly that, get on with her life.

O'BRIEN: David, we're watching videotape that looks as if it was taken as she was coming into the courthouse, along with her fiance at her side. And it looks a little bit sometimes chaotic in that they're surrounded by a lot of people. What was the scene like inside, coming into and inside that courtroom?

MATTINGLY: Well, inside the courtroom, the judge did allow selected members -- selected cameras to go in and get video. So we'll have some of that for you later today, as well. And it wasn't necessarily as chaotic as it probably looked. There is a great deal of media interest in this case and everyone was here with their cameras to greet her as she came in today. O'BRIEN: I wonder if this actually brings an end to all of this. Many people, as you well know, have been waiting for an apology from Jennifer's own mouth, so to speak. And so it will be interesting to see if this, indeed, the final word now that the judge has made his ruling.

David Mattingly, joining us by phone with an update on the runaway bride and what the judge had to say. A short break. We're back in just a moment. Stay with us.

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O'BRIEN: As wedding costs rise, conventional wedding wisdom no longer applies. Some couples are now turning to their guests to help foot the wedding bill, asking them to kick in for everything from the flowers to the minister's fee.

Carley Roney from the theknot.com is here to explain. Good morning, nice to see you.

CARLEY RONEY, THEKNOT.COM: Good morning, Soledad.

O'BRIEN: How exactly would this work? How do you get the money from your guests. I mean, especially beforehand, right?

RONEY: Yes, well what couples are doing is they're using gift registry services on the Internet, most often, to ask for different aspects of their weddings, whether it's the flowers or the officiant or things along those lines. And you know, there is a tradition back in time to have your close friends and family help you pay for -- help throw the wedding, but it's very different. The couples are really going to the extent, asking average -- your average guest to help pay.

O'BRIEN: Peggy Post (ph) who is often the final word on things like this, says inexcusably rude, beyond rude.

RONEY: I mean, I personally do not think it's appropriate to invite people to a party and then ask them to pay their own way. I think it's impolite to ask for anything in particular. I think it's one thing to make a gift registry...

O'BRIEN: But how about if you phrase it, like if you're going to send the money anyway, we could use that 200 bucks to offset the cost of my dress.

RONEY: Well, certainly, if you want to use that money to do those things, I think that's totally fine. But to do it in such an outright way. I think you need to give people the option to actually buy you a gift or to give you cash, if they want to. I do think it's, however, different to ask people to contribute to your honeymoon.

Because that is an extraordinary once in a lifetime event that people would feel really good about. And we let people do that on theknot, contribute to, you know, your trip to Venice. It's a fun way to ask people to give you cash or a down payment on a home, something like that. But your actual wedding is a little bit...

O'BRIEN: How much money are we talking, though? Because you know, the down payment on a home and the cost of the wedding are often very similar costs.

RONEY: That's right. An average wedding in America right now costs about $25,000. So this is a big number. And one of the reasons why couples have been forced to do this is that the pressure to put on a great wedding is really on. Their budgets do not match their wedding dreams.

And couples are increasingly being asked to pay for the weddings themselves, because they are a little bit older. The average marrying age is now 27 of a woman in America. And it's a different time. You already have a job. Your parents are like, you're on your own, kid.

O'BRIEN: Sorry, honey, we're not paying the 25 grand. Let's talk about some tips. Because I know your wedding, you said, cost $5,000.

RONEY: Yes, I mean, my point is that you can have a great wedding no matter what your budget is. So first and foremost, what you want to do is have it in an off time or an off season. You can save 50 percent of your wedding. Get married in a Friday in March or a Sunday in March, so off day, off time is really key.

O'BRIEN: Right. Then save a chunk of money. Then you say sneaky substitutions.

RONEY: Yes. You know, if you substitute dahlias for black magic roses -- you know, it's a flower thing -- and you can save, you know, thousands of dollars on your floral budget. Same for platinum rings versus white gold. You can save 50 percent on that.

O'BRIEN: Don't be so beholden in little details that you've dreaming about.

RONEY: Exactly.

O'BRIEN: Give a little.

RONEY: Don't live with a vision, but let your vendors help come up with a thing that fits your budget.

O'BRIEN: And finally say, just cut it down.

RONEY: Yes. If you cut a $5 appetizer and you have a wedding of 200 people, you save yourself $1,000 right there.

O'BRIEN: How about cutting 50 people out of the 200?

RONEY: Exactly. And you -- you know, save yourself a couple thousand. So you know, you really...

O'BRIEN: How about five people? Wait a minute.

RONEY: That's another thing. Keep it small. Keep it simple.

O'BRIEN: I think that's great advice. And I actually think giving to the wedding is a great idea. Really.

RONEY: There you go.

O'BRIEN: I'd do that if anybody asked me.

RONEY: I know, I think you can do it with friends and family. O'BRIEN: Yes. Nice to see you. Thanks for the advice -- Bill.

HEMMER: All right, Soledad. The jury is still out on whether or not Mark Felt is a hero or a villain, but the man revealed to be Deep Throat is apparently already a winner on eBay. Andy explains that in a moment here, "Minding Your Business" after this.

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HEMMER: All right, welcome back, everyone. The billionaire George Soros trying to expand his empire in the sports arena. Good story, too. Also, Deep Throat attracting deep pockets on eBay. Andy's watching that, "Minding Your Business."

Where do you wan to start? Markets? How are we doing now?

SERWER: I want to start with the markets, even though the Dow, I think is trading down at this hour. Let's see here, 27 points off on the Big Board, a couple big deals.

Sun Microsystems buying Storage Technology for $4 billion, and a sneaker merger, Stride Rite, which makes Keds, is buying Saucony, a couple Massachusetts sneaker makers getting together. This stuff happens.

Let's talk about Washington Nationals baseball team bidding heating up down there, hundreds of millions of dollars at stake. Seven groups now bidding for the baseball team in the nation's capital. Billionaire financier, as Bill mentioned, George Soros, liberal activist as well, has joined John Ledecky's group, and you may remember Colin Powell's in another group. Yusef Jackson, Jesse Jackson's son, is another group. Four-hundred million dollars is expected to be the price tag, but who knows, it could go even higher. And it's just really fascinating politicking going on down there, all manner of powerful businesspeople and politicians, looking for good seats is the ultimate prize here.

And let's talk about Mark Felt finally here this morning. He had a book that he wrote back in 1980 called "The FBI Pyramid: The FBI From the Inside." There's an autographed copy that someone put up on eBay the other day. The bidding started out at $9. Look where we are now, over $1,100. The famous line in this book is, "I never leaked information to Woodward and Bernstein or to anyone else," felt wrote in that book. But I guess everything else in the book is true.

HEMMER: Good point.

SERWER: Well, who knows. And this woman who put the book up said she's sorry to be taking advantage of the situation.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: No, she's not.

SERWER: I don't really understand.

O'BRIEN: Not that sorry apparently.

SERWER: Hey, it's America. Enjoy yourself, make some money.

O'BRIEN: Final look at the e-mails. Good morning.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, the question is about the same guy, Mark Felt. As Deep Throat, do you think he was a hero or a villain?

John in Virginia writes, "Mark Felt was a hero, and we are in his debt, although law-enforcement officials should not make a habit of betraying the public trust. In Felt's case, going through channels was not an option."

John in Alabama, "This is a case of yet another government official abusing his position and power for his own reasons, but with a role model like J. Edgar Hoover, what would you expect. And the family should not make a dime off his story."

One of the more thoughtful letters came from Caitlin in Michigan, "As Deep Throat, Felt did the right thing. His actions in his own name as a proud Hoover man at the FBI, ready to break the laws he'd sworn up to hold for far less compelling reasons are not so honorable. Mark Felt is not on balance, an American hero, but that's not because he happens to have been Deep Throat."

HEMMER: A lot to consider there. He was later convicted, pardoned by Reagan, early '80s.

SERWER: Right, fascinating story, and I'm not sure what job he held in the ensuing period, but he did have a lot of stuff that he went through.

HEMMER: And a great debate, too. Thank you, Jack.

CAFFERTY: Tomorrow on "AMERICAN MORNING," our series "DEFINING MOMENTS" continues, wrapping up tomorrow, with a story that may have put CNN on the map for so many millions around the world. The First Gulf War, January 1991. We'll have a look back tomorrow at 7:00 a.m. Eastern Time.

We are back in a moment, right after this.

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