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American Morning

Longtime ABC News Anchor Peter Jennings Dead at 67; NASA Delays Discovery Landing

Aired August 08, 2005 - 07:00   ET

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

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Soledad O'Brien in New York. Nearly four months after announcing his battle with lung cancer, longtime ABC News anchor Peter Jennings is dead at the age of 67. A look back at his life and his career with those who knew him best, on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Welcome, everybody, to a Monday edition of AMERICAN MORNING. And we begin with sad news. Peter Jennings died with his wife and his children by his side. ABC announced his death just before midnight Eastern Time. We take a look back this morning at his life and his remarkable career.

First, let's get to Miles O'Brien. He, of course, is at the Kennedy Space Center.

Good morning to you.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Soledad.

We thought we might see a landing here this morning. As a matter of fact, the weather seemed to be improving, but NASA erring on the side of caution here. We are hearing reports from the weather- reconnaissance airplane in the vicinity at the time that it looked pretty good and seemed to be improving.

But back in Houston, where the ultimate decision was made by flight director Leroy Kane, who handles the assent and entry, the decision was made to wait another day. The next opportunity for a landing will be at 5:08 Eastern Time tomorrow here at the Kennedy Space Center. There are five other opportunities tomorrow. Some here, some at Edwards Air Force Base, and some at the White Sands missile range in New Mexico. The word came down just a few hours ago from mission control. Listen to the so-called CAPCOM, capsule communicator, Ken Ham.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEN HAM, CAPCOM: The word that describes this all night has been unstable. Our current observed weather is actually go. It's few at 500, broken at 15,000, and the forecast is in the same neighborhood, 800 scattered, broken at 15,000, which technically is go as well.

However, we just can't get comfortable with the stability of the situation for this particular opportunity. So we're going to officially wave you off for 24 hours.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

M. O'BRIEN: Boy, if ken ham's body language speaks volumes, doesn't it? Take a look at what happens when the space shuttle comes in. Decision has to be made really an hour and a half in advance for all this to happen, for them to come down to that shuttle-landing facility, a three-mile long runway right here at the Kennedy Space Center near where I am. And so they have to anticipate where the weather is headed. That's the key. It may look good at that moment, but what's it going to be like an hour and a half from now?

(WEATHER REPORT)

M. O'BRIEN: Just want to show you what's going on here this morning. We're right beside the runway here, the shuttle-landing facility, which is southeast-northwest direction. Big long, three- mile-long runway, beautiful morning here. And I'm sure that the folks in mission control not doing the hindsight is 20/20 routine right now. There are all kinds of decisions you make in aviation and space flight that, in retrospect you maybe could have pushed on, but clearly in this case erring on the side of conservatism is the way NASA is going -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: All right, miles. Thanks. We'll get back to you in a little bit.

Another look at one of our top stories this morning now. Peter Jennings, he was one of our nation's most respected newsmen, "ABC World News Tonight" anchor. He died last night at his home in Manhattan. He was 67 years old.

CNN's Jason Carroll is live for us this morning outside of ABC headquarters in New York.

Jason, good morning to you.

It truly was a tremendous shock when Peter Jennings announced less than four months ago that he had cancer.

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think, Soledad, you're right, I think a lot of people at ABC were expecting this, but I think it came as a shock just the same. Peter Jennings was such a force here at ABC, and at ABC News. And when you have a force like that, a lot of people find it hard to believe that force will no longer be around. I think it was Barbara Walters who said last night, this was a man who died way too young.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PETER JENNINGS, ABC NEWS ANCHOR: And living is the key word. The National Cancer Institute says that we are survivors from the moment of diagnosis.

CARROLL (voice-over): Four months after telling the world he had been diagnosed with lung cancer, Peter Jennings, the longtime ABC News anchor, died Sunday at the age of 67. His ABC news colleague Charles Gibson made the announcement. CHARLES GIBSON, ABC NEWS: It is with a profound sadness and true sorrow that I report to you Peter Jennings has died tonight of lung cancer.

CARROLL: Within minutes of his passing, friends and former longtime colleagues of Jennings shared their memories of the man who endlessly trotted the globe, doing the job he loved and doing it with such panache right up until the very end.

JEFF GREENFIELD, WORKED WITH JENNINGS: I think Peter's going to be seen as kind of a -- maybe the last of these kinds of giants and maybe a figure that we are increasingly going to miss.

TOM FOREMAN, WORKED WITH JENNINGS: I used to joke when I worked with ABC -- I was there from 1990 to 2000, for 10 years, on "World News" the whole time. And I used to say the only thing in Peter not being interested in your career was having him interested in your career.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, ABC NEWS: He was a reporter first and foremost, and that was in his blood, that curiosity, that obsession with making and keeping contacts. He taught us all an awful lot about it.

BARBARA WALTERS, ABC NEWS: I don't know anyone who could command an audience with the kind of authority as that Peter had.

TED KOPPEL, ABC NEWS: He was a warm, and loving and surprisingly sentimental man.

DIANE SAWYER, ABC NEWS: It's customary to say he will not come again. Peter Jennings will not come again.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL: He was the type of journalist a lot of us looked up to. His family released a statement last night, Soledad, saying Peter died with his family around him without pain and in peace. He knew he had lived a good life. Jennings is survived by his wife, Casey. He also had a son and a daughter -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Jason Carroll for us this morning. Jason, thanks. We're going to have much more throughout American morning on the life of Peter Jennings.

In other news this morning, seven men who have been charged in London's bungled terror attacks on July 21st appeared in court today. Charges range from attempted murder to assisting in evading arrest.

Robin Curnow is live for us outside Belmarsh Prison in London. That's where the suspects running backing held.

Robyn, good morning to you.

What's the latest? ROBYN CURNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Soledad. Well, good morning to you, too. It has been a very busy morning here outside Belmarsh Prison, where the magistrate's court is sitting. Those seven suspects linked to the July 21st attacks brought in in a white van into the court this morning, amidst very, very high security. We do know they've all appeared before the magistrate. They've all been remanded in custody. They'll appear again at another (INAUDIBLE) court on the 14th of November.

But let's remind viewers who these men are. Importantly, three of the suspected suicide bombers from July 21st appeared in court today. Ibrahim Mukhtar Said, Ramzi Mohammed, Yasin Hassan Omar, three of the suspected bombers from the failed bombings from July the 21st.

Also Manfu Quake Asedu (ph). He was the man many believed abandoned a backpack in the northern London park, which might have been the fifth bomb.

Also, missing from this lineup today is Issac Hamdi. He's the man who's in Rome being held by Roman authorities, and of course the British want him extradited back here as soon as possible -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Robyn, Another question on the separate hearing that's going to be being held for Haroon Rashid Aswat. He was deported to the United Kingdom from Zambia. What kind of hearing is he going to face? And what exactly is he being held for?

CURNOW: His, obviously, a slightly different case because he is being held under a U.S. extradition warrant. The American authorities want him in relation to terror activities, in particular, conspiracy to set up a U.S. terrorist training camp in Oregon.

So, at the moment, he's having an extradition hearing here in these courts as well. Unclear what the British authorities, if any, have against this man at the moment. It is just solely an American extradition warrant that is being heard in this magistrate's court. So that's what I can tell you about that -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Robyn Curnow for us. Robyn reporting from London this morning. Robyn, thank you.

Let's turn to Iraq now. Officials there are racing to meet next week's deadline for completion of a new constitution. Meanwhile, three more U.S. troops were killed in fighting over the weekend. Aneesh Raman is live for us in Baghdad this morning.

Aneesh, all of this happening, of course, this violence, while they're struggling really to create that constitution, right?

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Soledad, good morning. Exactly. No breakthrough, though, yet on the issues that remain outstanding. Marathon sessions, though, are getting under way to negotiate with that August 15th deadline, now looming just days away.

Last night at the residence of Iraq's President Jalal Talibani, key political leaders met to try to force through and compromise on those outstanding issues. They remain, how autonomous various regions in Iraq should be, what role Islam should be, should it be the source, or a source of the Iraqi constitution? And also, how should oil revenue be distributed? Should it be kept within the regions or given to the country at large?

Now they were to meet again today. As you can probably tell from the picture behind me, a sandstorm has descended upon Baghdad. It has made visibility essentially zero, making travel here extremely dangerous. So they're postponing today's meeting. They'll meet again tomorrow, Soledad. But the key question is whether they'll be able to address these issues in the time they have, or will they sideline it for the five-year government to come?

Soledad?

S. O'BRIEN: All right, Aneesh Raman for us this morning in Baghdad.

Thanks, Aneesh.

To Russia now where Russian officials are expressing their gratitude to Britain, saying the Royal Navy's help was crucial in rescuing the seven-man crew of the Russian mini-submarine. The crew had spent more than three days trapped on the Pacific Ocean floor, and they watched their oxygen supply dwindle.

Let's get right to senior international correspondent Matthew Chance. He's live for us in Moscow this morning.

The details, Matthew, I think, of just how they were rescued were pretty remarkable.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely remarkable. It really was a race against time. And even though Russians across the country are very much relieved that this undersea rescue was a success, there is now an inquiry under way as well, because there are a lot of questions being asked, first of all, why was it this submarine on a military training mission managed to get snagged in this debris on the ocean floor.

And, secondly, why didn't Russia have the right kind of equipment to rescue its people itself from an ordeal that could have so easily become a disaster?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHANCE (voice-over): They endured frigid temperatures and darkness for three long days, trapped deep in the Russian pacific. Back on dry land, the seven crew of the stranded mini-submarine have been undergoing medical checks.

"It was cold, very cold," said one.

This was the moment few Russians had dared hope for. The stranded vessel cut free after intensive work by a British rescue team. Russian television broadcast these images, then the reactions of family members anxiously waiting for news.

ELENA MILASHEVSKAYA, WIFE OF RESCUED SAILOR (through translator): I was ready to dance. I was crying. I was so glad, so happy to hear they're fine.

CHANCE: And for Russian officials, a major success too. Their early call for international assistance off this remote and military- sensitive far eastern seaboard now vindicated.

SERGEI IVANOV, RUSSIA MINISTER (through translator): I want to thank you all very much. I've already spoken to my colleagues, the British defense secretary, as well as my Japanese counterpart, and thanked them for their assistance, for their helping hand. Now we all know what the solidarity of the sea means, not just in words, but in deeds.

CHANCE: It was Thursday morning the Russian craft became tangled in abandoned fishing nets and a mesh of deep sea-antenna off the remote Kamchatka (ph) Peninsula. British specialists arriving ahead of teams from the United States and Japan launched an undersea robot to cut the mini-submarine free, an intensive operation that took three-and-a-half hours. Underwater footage shows how the British submersible was maneuvered using cameras and lights by using specialist operators on the surface, its powerful cutting equipment severing debris to free the Russian sub.

IAN RICHES, BRITISH COMMANDER: Elated, and I think that's an understatement at the moment. The team are over the moon that we have got these guys out alive, and we just want to meet them.

CHANCE: These have been tense days in Russia, the crisis renewing bitter memories of the Kursk tragedy five years ago; 118 Russian sailors died on board, and nuclear submarine marooned in the freezing waters of the Arctic.

Back then, the Russian military refused outside help until it was too late. The dramatic and happy events of recent days showing, with a little help, the best of outcomes can be achieved.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHANCE: So this is a crisis, Soledad, that's underlined just how much difference international cooperation can make. In this case, really saving seven lives. But it's also for Russians underlined the dilapidated state of their once-powerful Navy.

Back to you.

S. O'BRIEN: So many questions still to answer. Matthew Chance for us this morning. Matthew, thanks.

Still to come on AMERICAN MORNING, the deadly Asian flu. There are fears it could be the next pandemic. There's a new flu vaccine, but can people get it in time? We'll take a look at that this morning.

Also, Miles is at the Kennedy Space Center. Hey, Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Hello, Soledad.

I'll have a bit more on the decision to delay Discovery's re- entry, and a look at how astronauts handle delays like this. We'll talk to somebody who wishes she had a delay. That's next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: It's going to be another day before we see the Space Shuttle Discovery back on land. NASA officials early this morning decided to postpone the landing because low clouds were circulating all around the area right now. I'm right beside the shuttle landing facility. NASA probably will bring the shuttle home tomorrow. It may not be here. It could be Edwards Air Force Base. A remote possibility of White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, but that doesn't seem too likely at this point.

Joining me now IS a veteran of two space missions, astronaut Cady Coleman, who told me earlier she wishes she had had one little delay just so she could have a little more of an opportunity to look out the window, which is what we can presume there will be a fair amount of activity along those lines on Discovery the last 24 hours.

CADY COLEMAN, ASTRONAUT: We can only hope. These folks have been so busy on this mission. And actually, as in every mission, at least my two missions, there is very little time to yourself, let alone to look out the window, which is something I think humans need to do while they're up in such a special place.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes, and they certainly had an amazing roller coaster ride of a mission, in midst of it, hearing that the shuttle fleet will not fly again until some problems are worked out. As you look back at this mission, there's a lot of accomplishments but there's a lot of concerns that are left over on landing.

COLEMAN: I think it's been a fantastic test mission, in that before this mission launched, we said the team was ready for this mission. And everything I have seen every single day has shown me that that is true. You know, we have had more data to under the state of the shuttle for entry than certainly on any other mission, and we've used that data and looked at every situation which could endanger re-entry as we know it, and analyzed that and gone out and fixed the ones we thought needed fixed. And I say that in one sentence, but it's a difficult thing to do, and to gin up a space walk in a matter of a day or two, and we did that overrule over several days in the mission. I'm just very proud of everything we've learned, and we've got more to learn after the shuttle comes home.

M. O'BRIEN: At what point does it become to cumbersome? If you spend that much of your mission just trying to determine if the spacecraft is good enough to return to Earth, at one point does it become not worth it?

COLEMAN: Well, I think we learned a lot on this mission about how to do some of those things even faster. Some of them turned out to be slicker than we though, some of them more cumbersome, and I'm hoping that we'll be able to figure out what is the right mix, and the next flight is also scheduled to be a test flight. And so I think we'll be doing all the looking that we can on that flight, and then we'll see after that. I think we'll all know when we can start looking a little less by the things that we're learning from these flights.

M. O'BRIEN: Whenever Discovery comes home, there will be a debate about the future of the program, because the return to flight, under any circumstances, would be a discussion about that because there's a talk of retiring the shuttle in 2010. But given what happened during this mission, do you think there's a pretty strong argument out there to accelerate the retirement of the shuttle?

COLEMAN: I think we need to learn everything we can from the shuttle while it's practical. And in my opinion, it's still practical to be using the shuttle as our vehicle that we bring up to the space station. I'd like to go to the moon and Mars, and we're going to go do those things, but I think we need to be armed with the most information that we can get. Right now, that information is waiting for us in space, people living there, learning things about what happens to humans up in space and also bringing some of that knowledge home to processes here on the ground.

M. O'BRIEN: Now, you have a young son, and having seen what you saw, after two-and-a-half years of work, seeing that foam fall off, if it had fallen off at a different time, would it have been potentially catastrophic for the shuttle? Would it have changed the way your decision making about going and flying on the shuttle?

COLEMAN: You know, it just doesn't. There is risks that comes with this business, and yet I think all of us who are astronauts, and actually the whole NASA team, has a passion for exploration. This is a vehicle that's had 114 flights. That's not very many in the test world. And there may be some tough times coming up. But I think it's important, that the things that we doing are important, and I think that they are worth the risk, and I also trust the people on the ground to be doing what they can to make it as safe as possible. I really trust them to do that.

M. O'BRIEN: Astronaut Cady Coleman, thank you very much for being with us this morning -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: All right, Miles, thanks.

Still to come this morning, we spent all summer talking about expensive gas. Could it hit $3 a gallon by the end of the year? Andy's "Minding Your Business," up next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.

Oil prices continue to climb. Kind of sound like a broken record, don't I? And gas prices could hit $3 a gallon maybe. Let's check in with Andy Serwer. He's "Minding Your Business" this morning.

Maybe or definitely?

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Maybe. Only maybe. And you may find a way to profit from that. We'll get to that in one second.

S. O'BRIEN: Do tell.

SERWER: Yes, let's talk about the price of crude oil this morning, Soledad, and you're right. Another record high, nearly touching $63 a barrel this morning. This on news that the U.S. will be closing its embassies and consulates in Saudi Arabia today and tomorrow because of terrorist threats. Obviously, that's unsettling news, and that's the kind of thing that makes oil prices go up.

More problems here in the U.S. in terms of refinery closures as well in Pennsylvania and Texas. We've been telling you about that. The price of oil 40 percent higher than it was a year ago. Still would have to hit $90 a barrel to match the high reached in 1980 on an inflation adjusted basis.

But the price of gasoline continues to climb. It's now at $2.30 nationally. There is a Web site, however, called pinnaclesports.com, where you can actually bet on whether or not the price of gas will hit $3 on average in L.A. or New York by the end of the year. And if it does, you can make money off it.

S. O'BRIEN: How's it going?

SERWER: Well, it's going -- right now the odds are 30 to one. So it's suggesting it probably will not get that high. That's a big jump. That's 70 cents to get all the way to $3. Still, I mean, if it does get there, you're obviously going to have to pay a lot of money. You can make out by doing a little wagering perhaps.

S. O'BRIEN: Take back some of that money. All right, Andy, thanks a lot.

SERWER: Thank you.

S. O'BRIEN: A short break's ahead. We're back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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