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American Morning

Are Things Really Getting Better in Iraq?; Letter Perfect

Aired June 03, 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: Welcome back, everybody. 9:30 here in New York.
Good to have you along with us today. Good morning.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. I'm Carol Costello, in for Soledad today.

HEMMER: We are talking to the man, in fact across the way here, sitting over there in the dark is the man who won the National Spelling Bee yesterday, and you're going to find out his keys to success; 47th last year, number one this year. So that's coming up.

First the headlines. Here's Valerie Morris with more.

VALERIE MORRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good once again to both of you. Good morning, everyone.

Now in the news, the Michael Jackson trial could go to the jury by the end of the day. Jackson's lawyers are expected to wrap up their closing arguments later today. The prosecution will then make a rebuttal. Court resumes in less than three hours.

The search continues this morning for an Alabama teenager who disappeared in Aruba. Natalee Halloway was on vacation with classmates, but failed to show up for her flight home on Monday. Her family is offering a reward for any information regarding this case.

The woman who claims she found a finger in a bowl of Wendy's chili could enter a plea today. Anna Ayala faces nearly 10 years in prison in what officials say was a grand hoax to extort money from the fast-food chain.

Some residents in Laguna Beach, California are waiting for their electricity and their gas to be fully restored today; 250 of the 350 homes have been declared safe after a massive landslide. But dozens of families are on hold because their homes were designated threatened or beyond repair. So far, a wet winter is being blamed as the likely cause for the landslide.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HEMMER: From Iraq now, where there was another day of deadly insurgent attacks today. A car bomb exploding as a U.S. military convoy passed in Baghdad today. At least four Iraqi civilians were injured. No American casualties there. And last night a suicide bomb went off in a home near Balad. That's 50 miles north of Baghdad, killing at least 10 Iraqis. Nearly 50 were killed in attacks on Thursday. Also the interior minister says 12,000 civilians have been killed during the 18-month insurgency. That's about 20 a day, and it does not include the hundreds of security forces who have died as well. Various estimates putting the total number of dead at around 20,000 since the war began on March 19, 2003. The U.S. has lost more than 1,600 troops during that time. That's about two per day in Iraq.

And also that interior minister saying after five days of Operation Lightning, the security situation has improved. He says by about 60 percent. To the Pentagon right now and the second part of Barbara Starr's special report, looking in depth at this insurgency.

Barbara, good morning there.

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you again, Bill.

Well, that is the question, two years after major combat, are things really getting better in Iraq? It depends on who you ask.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STARR (voice over): A senior U.S. military intelligence officer says the insurgency in Iraq is getting more sophisticated. Fighters are increasing their surveillance of military and civilian targets. But U.S. and Iraqi forces are rounding up hundreds of insurgents. So, is the insurgency getting stronger?

GEN. RICHARD MYERS, CHMN., JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: The number of incidents is actually down over 20 percent, depending what you measure it against.

STARR: But a month earlier, General Myers said this about the insurgents.

MYERS: No. I think their capacity is, it stays about the same. And where they are right now is where they were almost a year ago.

STARR: Vice President Dick Cheney recently predicted success.

DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think they're in the last throes, if you will, in the insurgency.

STARR: U.S. military officials estimate there are still between 12,000 and 20,000 fighters. In the last two months alone, the toll on U.S. troops and Iraqis has been devastating: 278 car bomb attacks, more than 750 Iraqis killed or wounded, and 131 American troops killed. Why the spike since the January elections?

MICHAEL O'HANLON, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: The insurgents may have actually made a strategic decision to attack a little bit less during that period when the population was more hopeful, realizing that any attacks at that time would not be as well-received. STARR: Analysts agree, the insurgents are not easily defeated.

COL. THOMAS X. HAMMES, U.S. MARINE CORPS: So, we're two years into what is at least probably a 10-year war. Counter-insurgency is not about killing insurgents. You can kill as many insurgents as you want and you won't win.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STARR: So what's is the solution? Bill, the Bush administration says it is sticking with its plan, and that centers around training those Iraqi security forces to take over the security in Iraq, and hopefully send the American troops home. But no one is making any prediction when all of that may happen -- Bill.

HEMMER: Barbara, back to the estimate of 20,000 dead since the war broke out, is that what the Pentagon says is the accurate figure?

STARR: The Pentagon has long had the policy of not getting into what they say is body counts. It's a very sensitive issue for them on how many people, how many Iraqis may have died. At this point, they leave it up to the Iraqi government to talk about Iraqi civilians and security forces who have died. But nonetheless, we have noticed, in recent weeks the Pentagon and the military in Iraq does put out press releases estimating the number of insurgents killed, but they do not estimate the number of Iraqi civilians or security forces -- Bill.

HEMMER: Barbara Starr from the Pentagon. Barbara, thanks.

Here's Carol.

COSTELLO: Let's talk about something good now. A 13-year-old boy from California has the nation in his spell today. Anurag Kashyap sped through 19 rounds of the National Spelling Bee, sometimes spelling so fast only the judges could keep up. He won the championship with "appoggiatura."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANURAG KASHYAP, NATL. SPELLING BEE WINNER: Appoggiatura. A-P-P- O-G-G-I-A-T-U-R-A.

(CHEERING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So how many times have you seen that tape?

KASHYAP: A few times.

COSTELLO: Do you ever get tired of seeing it?

KASHYAP: No, I'm used to it.

COSTELLO: You're used to it. I think it would be pretty darned exciting. KASHYAP: Yes, it was.

COSTELLO: Do you remember how you spelled it that moment?

KASHYAP: I was just completely filled with bliss and, like, amazement, because of all the hard work I put into it. And it finally paid off, and I was just so happy.

COSTELLO: I can see you hugging your dad there. And you had tears in your eyes. You were very emotional. So tell us, when you're hugging your dad, did you say anything to him?

KASHYAP: No. I just got up there, and it was all silent and quiet.

COSTELLO: It was all silent and quiet in your head at least, but everyone was cheering for you.

KASHYAP: Yes. There were great friends I met last year and this year, and they were supporting me, and I'm glad that they were there for me.

COSTELLO: So last year you came in 47th. This year you came in first. What was your secret?

KASHYAP: Nothing. Not a secret really, just I worked harder, I was more determined. I knew what to study because I saw, like, all the stuff last year. I was more experienced with the stage, and how it would really be, and I was more coordinated on the stage. You know, I was used to the conditions. So experience helped me.

COSTELLO: We were all amazed that you spelled the words so very fast.

KASHYAP: My final word?

COSTELLO: All the words. It seems like you were whipping through them.

KASHYAP: I just wanted to, you know, just get it over with and concentrate on the next round, so.

COSTELLO: Because that's usually when people make mistakes, right, when they spell words too fast.

KASHYAP: I know. But I say it in my head, write it on my placard, and then say it, so.

COSTELLO: We have a little quiz for you today, because it's not as if you spelled enough words correctly. So we came up with some words that you did not have to spell, but some of your competitors did. So are you ready? And I hope I pronounce these right.

This is Onychophagy.

KASHYAP: Onychophagy? COSTELLO: Onychophagy, would like to know what it means?

KASHYAP: Biting of the fingernails.

COSTELLO: You know what it means. OK, go for it.

KASHYAP: O-N-Y-C-H-O-P-H-A-G-Y. I don't think we could have followed that. We wanted to follow that graphically, but you were spelling to so fast.

COSTELLO: How about spondylitis?

KASHYAP: S-P-O-N-D-Y-L-I-T-I-S.

COSTELLO: Very excellent. I knew we couldn't throw you.

OK, so, a word of advice to other kids out there who are thinking of joining the Spelling Bee in their state or in their local school district.

KASHYAP: Work hard. Never give up if you miss a word during the practice sessions, and have fun, because that's what the spelling bee if for.

COSTELLO: And I know you had the support of your parents as well, because they're here right now. In fact, they're over there videotaping this whole scene, which is very cute. But they're very supportive of you. But you said, you never looked at them throughout the contest. Why?

KASHYAP: Because I was afraid I'd get nervous or something and just, like, make a slip of the tongue or do -- or make a blunder or mistake. So I mainly focused on the pronouncers and the judges.

COSTELLO: Yes, but you knew exactly where your dad was, because you ran to him right afterwards.

Anurag Kashyap, congratulations.

KASHYAP: Thank you.

COSTELLO: Thanks for joining us this morning -- Bill.

HEMMER: Well done.

In a moment here, Goldie Hawn out to prove there is more to her life than her Hollywood image. We'll talk to the actress about her new autobiography in a moment here, on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Who knew when she first struck gold as a ditzy ding-a-ling on TV's "Laugh-In" in the late '60s that Goldie Hawn would become the smartest dumb blonde in Hollywood. Through the years, the Oscar-winning actress has played to type, and against type as well. And now she's written her first book. It's a memoir, and it's called "A Lotus Grows in the Mud."

Goldie Hawn joins us this morning. Nice to see you. Thanks for coming in to talk with us.

GOLDIE HAWN, ACTRESS: Great to be here.

O'BRIEN: It's not a tell-all. It's not a Hollywood tell-all. Why not?

HAWN: I didn't want to do a book like that. I didn't feel there was a reason to do that. I mean, you know, what's the purpose of writing the book? I have been asked that a lot. And of course the only thing I can say is that I wrote it because I had fun and interesting stories to tell, and they're kind of coupled with a philosophy. If -- it's not a how-to book, it's none of that, but it is a way of sort of imparting some of the things I learned from my experiences.

O'BRIEN: A lot of life lessons I think. I want to talk about some of those. You have pictures in this book of a very cute little girl, probably around age five, and you're saying you don't think you're attractive. i mean, I thought that was so strange. This is a child who is so cute.

HAWN: I know. I was cute at five.

O'BRIEN: And beyond.

HAWN: No. When I was about 13, I looked weird. I mean, I just...

O'BRIEN: Like every 13-year-old girl.

HAWN: No, there is a picture in where...

O'BRIEN: Look, "My ears were too big. My nose too flat. My mouth too wide. As a little girl, the only thing I liked about myself was my lips." Look at this child. This is like a cute kid.

HAWN: Here's the deal...

O'BRIEN: What's the message?

HAWN: The message of this, first of all in not liking the way you look, I think a lot of girls don't like the way they look. I'm not saying everybody feels that way, but it's hard being a little girl.

O'BRIEN: You have a story when you were 11 years old, you were sexually assaulted, and you talk really about how your mom handled the circumstance. It was at a Christmas Party, a friend of your sisters.

HAWN: Yes, it was a Christmas Party. We had great Christmas parties. Well, you know, again, I told that story, not because I wanted to tell the story for some sort of inflated reason, but there was, again, but there was, again, this story reflects how we as parents and how my mother handled the situation so well, because I learned that the more negatively you imprint on the mind, for instance, if something terrible happened to you, and I kept saying, oh, it was terrible, that's just the worst thing that could happen, and, oh God, how do you feel? And I know you must feel bad.

O'BRIEN: You internalize the victim.

HAWN: Right, so what happens to the brain is it remembers it that way. So my mother -- and by the way, I wasn't raped, OK, so you just can get an understanding; that's a very different problem. But in terms of being fondled and assaulted in that kind of way at 11, very scary, and so on and so forth, my mom sat down on the bed. She said to me, I want you to know something. This young man is very sick. He is very sick. There's nothing wrong with you. I know this doesn't feel right. We're going to make it right. It's Christmas tomorrow. Lie down. I'm going to pat your tushy, we're going to go to sleep. She said she's being taken care of. He has a problem, Goldie, I want you to understand that.

O'BRIEN: It was never about your problem.

HAWN: It was never about me.

O'BRIEN: You have a partner for 20-plus years.

HAWN: I know. Isn't it unbelievable?

O'BRIEN: Yes, it's kind of unbelievable, I mean, especially in Hollywood, frankly.

HAWN: Yes, he's a great guy, you know. He's just never boring, ever boring, keeps me on my toes.

O'BRIEN: What do you think your kids have learned from your relationship? What do they take away -- when there trying to figure -- you know, I looked at my parents who have been married for 40 years, when I think about my own marriage, what do your kids take away from that?

HAWN: Well, hopefully our relationship has been kept -- you know, we keep ourselves very, very open. There are no issues that Kurt and I go behind closed doors. I mean, we just keep it all in the open. Everybody is a part of the unit, the family, the culture of under the roof of our house. It's very free.

O'BRIEN: It's called "A Lotus Grows in the Mud."

HAWN: Thanks.

O'BRIEN: Goldie Hawn, thanks.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: Twelve minutes now before the hour. A teenager from Virginia taking on one of the biggest problems in Africa.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... just to get water when we go to our sinks. And so I wanted to do something to help.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Well, she did help, by raising a lot of money, and she did not stop there. Her story is coming up this hour in "Extra Effort."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Welcome back. We want to check back in with Andy Serwer, watching the markets so far. We've got some numbers on the jobs reports, too.

Good morning.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: We do. Good morning, Bill.

Let's see how that weaker-than-expected jobs report for the month of May is affecting Wall Street, down 12 on the Dow. Let's see here, jobs added, 78,000 for the month of May. We are looking for 100,000 more than that. Unemployment rate ticks down to 5.1 percent. A couple of promotion stories to tell you about. First of all, Subway has this Subway club promotion that they've had for years and years now, where you collect coupons, put them in a little book, get a free sandwich. The problem is Internet fraud, and they are ending this promotion, because people are counterfeiting these things. They're putting them on eBay; we had like 91 of these booklets for sale. And a guy was actually put in jail for five months in Missouri for having counterfeit coupons at Applebee's last month.

It is the first Friday in June, and that means it's National Doughnut Day. That's right, you get a free doughnut, Krispy Kreme doughnut, and so because of that, I was able to get you guys some doughnuts today. See, they're free. I bought you some doughnuts today.

HEMMER: Oh, you doll.

COSTELLO: Thanks, Andy.

SERWER: You're welcome.

HEMMER: You still getting discounts at Starbucks?

SERWER: No, no, no. It goes back to 1938, Salvation Army started as a fund-raiser, 1938.

I got you some doughnuts today.

HEMMER: Great. I'll share.

COSTELLO: Well, we'll munch while we listen to Jack.

The secret to a successful marriage, the Question of the Day, prompted by the 80th anniversary of a couple in Great Britain.

Lori in Pennsylvania writes, "You have to be able to trust and talk. Try not to have your kids dictate and play each parent against each other. One other thing, you always have to let the husband believe that he's in charge for his confidence."

Mel in North Carolina, "The key to a successful marriage is a short memory. If you can forget all the little things that bother you, but are really unimportant, you'll have a much happier marriage. This has enabled me to be happy for 38 years."

And Bart writes, from Oregon, "My wife and I have known each other since we were five years old, now married 34 years, still very much in love. We made a deal years ago, whoever left had to take the kids."

HEMMER: Great stuff.

(CROSSTALK)

CAFFERTY: Very important.

HEMMER: Let's get a break. Back here in a moment here on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Most American teenagers go to the sink and turn on the water. They're not likely to give it a second thought, but when one young woman from Virginia learned how precious water can be in parts of Africa, she decided to make the extra effort to help.

Here's Kathleen Koch with her story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Burkina Faso (ph), one of the poorest, driest countries on Earth. Author Sobonfu Some visits American classrooms to speak about its culture and how people there walk for miles every day just to get fresh water.

SOBONFU SOME, AUTHOR/AFRICAN RITUAL TEACHER: Now you have to multiply this by six or eight times, and I used to carry it for hours.

KOCH: Seventeen-year-old Kristin Karinshak herd Sobonfu poignant story last year.

KRISTEN KARINSHAK, WALK ORGANIZER: I couldn't believe having to walk five to 10 hours a day just to get water when we go to our sinks, and so I wanted to do something to help.

Crystal (ph), come sign up. Come sign the walk.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Where are you going to walk to?

KOCH: So Christian decided to organize a walk for water, and persuaded her friends at Heritage High School in Leesburg, Virginia to help.

SANDRA KARINSHAK, KRISTIN'S MOTHER: To be honest with you, I wondered if it would ever come about, and then I was extremely proud. The more that she talks about it, the more that I realized how serious she was about it. It was like it just opened up a new world to her. It was like she had found a purpose in her life.

KOCH: Last year, they raised $53,000. This year, $47,000 and counting. In February, Kristin went to Burkina Faso to help construct the first of 10 wells the money will build.

K. KARINSHAK: When we were digging, it was like a relief. You're like, oh my God, it's finally happening. Having all the village around you, it just makes you so happy.

KOCH: Sobonfu is stunned by what one teenager has been able to accomplish.

SOME: This is magic, you know. This is magic. And I couldn't have asked for more. And it's just amazing.

KOCH: Kristin and the students now want to raise money to buy their own drilling equipment, so they can dig more wells in Africa more quickly. Kristin, meanwhile, is considering joining the Peace Corps.

K. KARINSHAK: I was just one of those average kids who are, like, oh, let's go to the mall, let's go do this, you know, not really caring about anything, and then when I met Sobonfu. She changed my life. She opened my eyes to the world.

Kathleen Koch, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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Aired June 3, 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: Welcome back, everybody. 9:30 here in New York.
Good to have you along with us today. Good morning.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. I'm Carol Costello, in for Soledad today.

HEMMER: We are talking to the man, in fact across the way here, sitting over there in the dark is the man who won the National Spelling Bee yesterday, and you're going to find out his keys to success; 47th last year, number one this year. So that's coming up.

First the headlines. Here's Valerie Morris with more.

VALERIE MORRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good once again to both of you. Good morning, everyone.

Now in the news, the Michael Jackson trial could go to the jury by the end of the day. Jackson's lawyers are expected to wrap up their closing arguments later today. The prosecution will then make a rebuttal. Court resumes in less than three hours.

The search continues this morning for an Alabama teenager who disappeared in Aruba. Natalee Halloway was on vacation with classmates, but failed to show up for her flight home on Monday. Her family is offering a reward for any information regarding this case.

The woman who claims she found a finger in a bowl of Wendy's chili could enter a plea today. Anna Ayala faces nearly 10 years in prison in what officials say was a grand hoax to extort money from the fast-food chain.

Some residents in Laguna Beach, California are waiting for their electricity and their gas to be fully restored today; 250 of the 350 homes have been declared safe after a massive landslide. But dozens of families are on hold because their homes were designated threatened or beyond repair. So far, a wet winter is being blamed as the likely cause for the landslide.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HEMMER: From Iraq now, where there was another day of deadly insurgent attacks today. A car bomb exploding as a U.S. military convoy passed in Baghdad today. At least four Iraqi civilians were injured. No American casualties there. And last night a suicide bomb went off in a home near Balad. That's 50 miles north of Baghdad, killing at least 10 Iraqis. Nearly 50 were killed in attacks on Thursday. Also the interior minister says 12,000 civilians have been killed during the 18-month insurgency. That's about 20 a day, and it does not include the hundreds of security forces who have died as well. Various estimates putting the total number of dead at around 20,000 since the war began on March 19, 2003. The U.S. has lost more than 1,600 troops during that time. That's about two per day in Iraq.

And also that interior minister saying after five days of Operation Lightning, the security situation has improved. He says by about 60 percent. To the Pentagon right now and the second part of Barbara Starr's special report, looking in depth at this insurgency.

Barbara, good morning there.

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you again, Bill.

Well, that is the question, two years after major combat, are things really getting better in Iraq? It depends on who you ask.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STARR (voice over): A senior U.S. military intelligence officer says the insurgency in Iraq is getting more sophisticated. Fighters are increasing their surveillance of military and civilian targets. But U.S. and Iraqi forces are rounding up hundreds of insurgents. So, is the insurgency getting stronger?

GEN. RICHARD MYERS, CHMN., JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: The number of incidents is actually down over 20 percent, depending what you measure it against.

STARR: But a month earlier, General Myers said this about the insurgents.

MYERS: No. I think their capacity is, it stays about the same. And where they are right now is where they were almost a year ago.

STARR: Vice President Dick Cheney recently predicted success.

DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think they're in the last throes, if you will, in the insurgency.

STARR: U.S. military officials estimate there are still between 12,000 and 20,000 fighters. In the last two months alone, the toll on U.S. troops and Iraqis has been devastating: 278 car bomb attacks, more than 750 Iraqis killed or wounded, and 131 American troops killed. Why the spike since the January elections?

MICHAEL O'HANLON, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: The insurgents may have actually made a strategic decision to attack a little bit less during that period when the population was more hopeful, realizing that any attacks at that time would not be as well-received. STARR: Analysts agree, the insurgents are not easily defeated.

COL. THOMAS X. HAMMES, U.S. MARINE CORPS: So, we're two years into what is at least probably a 10-year war. Counter-insurgency is not about killing insurgents. You can kill as many insurgents as you want and you won't win.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STARR: So what's is the solution? Bill, the Bush administration says it is sticking with its plan, and that centers around training those Iraqi security forces to take over the security in Iraq, and hopefully send the American troops home. But no one is making any prediction when all of that may happen -- Bill.

HEMMER: Barbara, back to the estimate of 20,000 dead since the war broke out, is that what the Pentagon says is the accurate figure?

STARR: The Pentagon has long had the policy of not getting into what they say is body counts. It's a very sensitive issue for them on how many people, how many Iraqis may have died. At this point, they leave it up to the Iraqi government to talk about Iraqi civilians and security forces who have died. But nonetheless, we have noticed, in recent weeks the Pentagon and the military in Iraq does put out press releases estimating the number of insurgents killed, but they do not estimate the number of Iraqi civilians or security forces -- Bill.

HEMMER: Barbara Starr from the Pentagon. Barbara, thanks.

Here's Carol.

COSTELLO: Let's talk about something good now. A 13-year-old boy from California has the nation in his spell today. Anurag Kashyap sped through 19 rounds of the National Spelling Bee, sometimes spelling so fast only the judges could keep up. He won the championship with "appoggiatura."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANURAG KASHYAP, NATL. SPELLING BEE WINNER: Appoggiatura. A-P-P- O-G-G-I-A-T-U-R-A.

(CHEERING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So how many times have you seen that tape?

KASHYAP: A few times.

COSTELLO: Do you ever get tired of seeing it?

KASHYAP: No, I'm used to it.

COSTELLO: You're used to it. I think it would be pretty darned exciting. KASHYAP: Yes, it was.

COSTELLO: Do you remember how you spelled it that moment?

KASHYAP: I was just completely filled with bliss and, like, amazement, because of all the hard work I put into it. And it finally paid off, and I was just so happy.

COSTELLO: I can see you hugging your dad there. And you had tears in your eyes. You were very emotional. So tell us, when you're hugging your dad, did you say anything to him?

KASHYAP: No. I just got up there, and it was all silent and quiet.

COSTELLO: It was all silent and quiet in your head at least, but everyone was cheering for you.

KASHYAP: Yes. There were great friends I met last year and this year, and they were supporting me, and I'm glad that they were there for me.

COSTELLO: So last year you came in 47th. This year you came in first. What was your secret?

KASHYAP: Nothing. Not a secret really, just I worked harder, I was more determined. I knew what to study because I saw, like, all the stuff last year. I was more experienced with the stage, and how it would really be, and I was more coordinated on the stage. You know, I was used to the conditions. So experience helped me.

COSTELLO: We were all amazed that you spelled the words so very fast.

KASHYAP: My final word?

COSTELLO: All the words. It seems like you were whipping through them.

KASHYAP: I just wanted to, you know, just get it over with and concentrate on the next round, so.

COSTELLO: Because that's usually when people make mistakes, right, when they spell words too fast.

KASHYAP: I know. But I say it in my head, write it on my placard, and then say it, so.

COSTELLO: We have a little quiz for you today, because it's not as if you spelled enough words correctly. So we came up with some words that you did not have to spell, but some of your competitors did. So are you ready? And I hope I pronounce these right.

This is Onychophagy.

KASHYAP: Onychophagy? COSTELLO: Onychophagy, would like to know what it means?

KASHYAP: Biting of the fingernails.

COSTELLO: You know what it means. OK, go for it.

KASHYAP: O-N-Y-C-H-O-P-H-A-G-Y. I don't think we could have followed that. We wanted to follow that graphically, but you were spelling to so fast.

COSTELLO: How about spondylitis?

KASHYAP: S-P-O-N-D-Y-L-I-T-I-S.

COSTELLO: Very excellent. I knew we couldn't throw you.

OK, so, a word of advice to other kids out there who are thinking of joining the Spelling Bee in their state or in their local school district.

KASHYAP: Work hard. Never give up if you miss a word during the practice sessions, and have fun, because that's what the spelling bee if for.

COSTELLO: And I know you had the support of your parents as well, because they're here right now. In fact, they're over there videotaping this whole scene, which is very cute. But they're very supportive of you. But you said, you never looked at them throughout the contest. Why?

KASHYAP: Because I was afraid I'd get nervous or something and just, like, make a slip of the tongue or do -- or make a blunder or mistake. So I mainly focused on the pronouncers and the judges.

COSTELLO: Yes, but you knew exactly where your dad was, because you ran to him right afterwards.

Anurag Kashyap, congratulations.

KASHYAP: Thank you.

COSTELLO: Thanks for joining us this morning -- Bill.

HEMMER: Well done.

In a moment here, Goldie Hawn out to prove there is more to her life than her Hollywood image. We'll talk to the actress about her new autobiography in a moment here, on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Who knew when she first struck gold as a ditzy ding-a-ling on TV's "Laugh-In" in the late '60s that Goldie Hawn would become the smartest dumb blonde in Hollywood. Through the years, the Oscar-winning actress has played to type, and against type as well. And now she's written her first book. It's a memoir, and it's called "A Lotus Grows in the Mud."

Goldie Hawn joins us this morning. Nice to see you. Thanks for coming in to talk with us.

GOLDIE HAWN, ACTRESS: Great to be here.

O'BRIEN: It's not a tell-all. It's not a Hollywood tell-all. Why not?

HAWN: I didn't want to do a book like that. I didn't feel there was a reason to do that. I mean, you know, what's the purpose of writing the book? I have been asked that a lot. And of course the only thing I can say is that I wrote it because I had fun and interesting stories to tell, and they're kind of coupled with a philosophy. If -- it's not a how-to book, it's none of that, but it is a way of sort of imparting some of the things I learned from my experiences.

O'BRIEN: A lot of life lessons I think. I want to talk about some of those. You have pictures in this book of a very cute little girl, probably around age five, and you're saying you don't think you're attractive. i mean, I thought that was so strange. This is a child who is so cute.

HAWN: I know. I was cute at five.

O'BRIEN: And beyond.

HAWN: No. When I was about 13, I looked weird. I mean, I just...

O'BRIEN: Like every 13-year-old girl.

HAWN: No, there is a picture in where...

O'BRIEN: Look, "My ears were too big. My nose too flat. My mouth too wide. As a little girl, the only thing I liked about myself was my lips." Look at this child. This is like a cute kid.

HAWN: Here's the deal...

O'BRIEN: What's the message?

HAWN: The message of this, first of all in not liking the way you look, I think a lot of girls don't like the way they look. I'm not saying everybody feels that way, but it's hard being a little girl.

O'BRIEN: You have a story when you were 11 years old, you were sexually assaulted, and you talk really about how your mom handled the circumstance. It was at a Christmas Party, a friend of your sisters.

HAWN: Yes, it was a Christmas Party. We had great Christmas parties. Well, you know, again, I told that story, not because I wanted to tell the story for some sort of inflated reason, but there was, again, but there was, again, this story reflects how we as parents and how my mother handled the situation so well, because I learned that the more negatively you imprint on the mind, for instance, if something terrible happened to you, and I kept saying, oh, it was terrible, that's just the worst thing that could happen, and, oh God, how do you feel? And I know you must feel bad.

O'BRIEN: You internalize the victim.

HAWN: Right, so what happens to the brain is it remembers it that way. So my mother -- and by the way, I wasn't raped, OK, so you just can get an understanding; that's a very different problem. But in terms of being fondled and assaulted in that kind of way at 11, very scary, and so on and so forth, my mom sat down on the bed. She said to me, I want you to know something. This young man is very sick. He is very sick. There's nothing wrong with you. I know this doesn't feel right. We're going to make it right. It's Christmas tomorrow. Lie down. I'm going to pat your tushy, we're going to go to sleep. She said she's being taken care of. He has a problem, Goldie, I want you to understand that.

O'BRIEN: It was never about your problem.

HAWN: It was never about me.

O'BRIEN: You have a partner for 20-plus years.

HAWN: I know. Isn't it unbelievable?

O'BRIEN: Yes, it's kind of unbelievable, I mean, especially in Hollywood, frankly.

HAWN: Yes, he's a great guy, you know. He's just never boring, ever boring, keeps me on my toes.

O'BRIEN: What do you think your kids have learned from your relationship? What do they take away -- when there trying to figure -- you know, I looked at my parents who have been married for 40 years, when I think about my own marriage, what do your kids take away from that?

HAWN: Well, hopefully our relationship has been kept -- you know, we keep ourselves very, very open. There are no issues that Kurt and I go behind closed doors. I mean, we just keep it all in the open. Everybody is a part of the unit, the family, the culture of under the roof of our house. It's very free.

O'BRIEN: It's called "A Lotus Grows in the Mud."

HAWN: Thanks.

O'BRIEN: Goldie Hawn, thanks.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: Twelve minutes now before the hour. A teenager from Virginia taking on one of the biggest problems in Africa.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... just to get water when we go to our sinks. And so I wanted to do something to help.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Well, she did help, by raising a lot of money, and she did not stop there. Her story is coming up this hour in "Extra Effort."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Welcome back. We want to check back in with Andy Serwer, watching the markets so far. We've got some numbers on the jobs reports, too.

Good morning.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: We do. Good morning, Bill.

Let's see how that weaker-than-expected jobs report for the month of May is affecting Wall Street, down 12 on the Dow. Let's see here, jobs added, 78,000 for the month of May. We are looking for 100,000 more than that. Unemployment rate ticks down to 5.1 percent. A couple of promotion stories to tell you about. First of all, Subway has this Subway club promotion that they've had for years and years now, where you collect coupons, put them in a little book, get a free sandwich. The problem is Internet fraud, and they are ending this promotion, because people are counterfeiting these things. They're putting them on eBay; we had like 91 of these booklets for sale. And a guy was actually put in jail for five months in Missouri for having counterfeit coupons at Applebee's last month.

It is the first Friday in June, and that means it's National Doughnut Day. That's right, you get a free doughnut, Krispy Kreme doughnut, and so because of that, I was able to get you guys some doughnuts today. See, they're free. I bought you some doughnuts today.

HEMMER: Oh, you doll.

COSTELLO: Thanks, Andy.

SERWER: You're welcome.

HEMMER: You still getting discounts at Starbucks?

SERWER: No, no, no. It goes back to 1938, Salvation Army started as a fund-raiser, 1938.

I got you some doughnuts today.

HEMMER: Great. I'll share.

COSTELLO: Well, we'll munch while we listen to Jack.

The secret to a successful marriage, the Question of the Day, prompted by the 80th anniversary of a couple in Great Britain.

Lori in Pennsylvania writes, "You have to be able to trust and talk. Try not to have your kids dictate and play each parent against each other. One other thing, you always have to let the husband believe that he's in charge for his confidence."

Mel in North Carolina, "The key to a successful marriage is a short memory. If you can forget all the little things that bother you, but are really unimportant, you'll have a much happier marriage. This has enabled me to be happy for 38 years."

And Bart writes, from Oregon, "My wife and I have known each other since we were five years old, now married 34 years, still very much in love. We made a deal years ago, whoever left had to take the kids."

HEMMER: Great stuff.

(CROSSTALK)

CAFFERTY: Very important.

HEMMER: Let's get a break. Back here in a moment here on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Most American teenagers go to the sink and turn on the water. They're not likely to give it a second thought, but when one young woman from Virginia learned how precious water can be in parts of Africa, she decided to make the extra effort to help.

Here's Kathleen Koch with her story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Burkina Faso (ph), one of the poorest, driest countries on Earth. Author Sobonfu Some visits American classrooms to speak about its culture and how people there walk for miles every day just to get fresh water.

SOBONFU SOME, AUTHOR/AFRICAN RITUAL TEACHER: Now you have to multiply this by six or eight times, and I used to carry it for hours.

KOCH: Seventeen-year-old Kristin Karinshak herd Sobonfu poignant story last year.

KRISTEN KARINSHAK, WALK ORGANIZER: I couldn't believe having to walk five to 10 hours a day just to get water when we go to our sinks, and so I wanted to do something to help.

Crystal (ph), come sign up. Come sign the walk.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Where are you going to walk to?

KOCH: So Christian decided to organize a walk for water, and persuaded her friends at Heritage High School in Leesburg, Virginia to help.

SANDRA KARINSHAK, KRISTIN'S MOTHER: To be honest with you, I wondered if it would ever come about, and then I was extremely proud. The more that she talks about it, the more that I realized how serious she was about it. It was like it just opened up a new world to her. It was like she had found a purpose in her life.

KOCH: Last year, they raised $53,000. This year, $47,000 and counting. In February, Kristin went to Burkina Faso to help construct the first of 10 wells the money will build.

K. KARINSHAK: When we were digging, it was like a relief. You're like, oh my God, it's finally happening. Having all the village around you, it just makes you so happy.

KOCH: Sobonfu is stunned by what one teenager has been able to accomplish.

SOME: This is magic, you know. This is magic. And I couldn't have asked for more. And it's just amazing.

KOCH: Kristin and the students now want to raise money to buy their own drilling equipment, so they can dig more wells in Africa more quickly. Kristin, meanwhile, is considering joining the Peace Corps.

K. KARINSHAK: I was just one of those average kids who are, like, oh, let's go to the mall, let's go do this, you know, not really caring about anything, and then when I met Sobonfu. She changed my life. She opened my eyes to the world.

Kathleen Koch, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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