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American Morning
Judging Alito, Missing Journalist; Tragedy at Sago Mine; Starbucks Bomb Scare; Deadly Fire
Aired January 10, 2006 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Welcome, everybody. I'm Soledad O'Brien.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Miles O'Brien.
A marathon day of tough questions ahead for Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, abortion one of the hot topics. We're live in Washington.
S. O'BRIEN: Missing in Iraq, the search for an American journalist kidnapped. Her interpreter has been found dead. We'll take you live to Baghdad for the latest on that story.
And a bomb scare at Starbucks, an explosive device found in a locked bathroom. We'll have more on that story straight ahead.
M. O'BRIEN: Successful surgery for an Iraqi child brought to the U.S. What next for Baby Noor? Details ahead.
And for the first time since 9/11, the Dow tops 11,000. Will the market continue its climb?
That's ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.
S. O'BRIEN: Good morning. Welcome, everybody.
Today the hard questioning begins for Judge Samuel Alito. It's going to be a long day. Senate confirmation hearings start right after breakfast. Could be going on after dinner. Democrats used opening statements to bring up the issue of presidential power, while Judge Alito stuck to talking about being fair and open-minded.
AMERICAN MORNING's Bob Franken live on Capitol Hill for us this morning.
Hey, Bob, good morning to you.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
Arlen Specter, the Chairman of the committee, said this would be a minuet, and the dance has begun. You will be interested to know that Samuel Alito in his 11-minute opening statement said he would approach cases with an open mind, leading us to wonder if anybody will ever say that he would be close-minded if he became a judge.
In any case, it was a day where the Democrats said they were going to hold in their questioning, which begins today, Alito's feet to the fire for his past statements against abortion, for his past records citing strong presidential power.
But Alito tried to reassure them that as a jurist he doesn't have any predisposition.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAMUEL ALITO, SUPREME COURT JUSTICE NOMINEE: A judge can't have any agenda. A judge can't have any preferred outcome in any particular case. And a judge certainly doesn't have a client. The judge's only obligation, and it's a solemn obligation, is to the rule of law.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FRANKEN: Now as for the Democrats, they probably have an uphill battle, at least as far as public opinion is concerned. The latest CNN-"USA Today"-Gallup Poll shows that when the question is do they consider, the respondents, consider Alito's views mainstream, the answer is 52 percent yes. Only 30 percent said they believed he was too extreme. So the Democrats are going to have to try and paint that picture if they have any hope of blocking Samuel Alito -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: What kind of timeline are they all working under today...
FRANKEN: Well...
S. O'BRIEN: ... and the following days -- Bob?
FRANKEN: It's going to be a very long week. The Democrats are going to use their full 30-minute periods of questions, each of them to question, and of course the Republicans will do the same. The timeline is that the chairman would like to have an up or down vote on this by next week. I would put that in the fat chance category.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, we do a lot of that in that category.
All right, Bob.
Bob Franken for us this morning, thanks.
CNN is going to have live coverage of today's hearings. Begins at 9:30 a.m. Eastern special edition in "THE SITUATION ROOM" with Wolf Blitzer -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: U.S. and Iraqi forces are searching for any new leads in the kidnapping of a Western journalist, Jill Carroll, on assignment for "The Christian Science Monitor," when she was abducted by gunmen on Saturday. Her Iraqi interpreter was killed.
Michael Holmes live in Baghdad.
Michael, what details do we know?
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Miles.
Yes, that driver survived this abduction, and the story he tells is chilling in its detail.
Jill Carroll had been to the office of a Sunni politician, a prominent politician here, Adnan al-Dulaimi. And now it's thought that she thought she had an interview set up. Al-Dulaimi, however, wasn't even there. Now despite that, it's thought that Jill stayed there for some time, anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes. Why is still unclear. Now as Carroll and her interpreter attempted to drive off, they were stopped by half a dozen men.
Here's what the driver had to say. I'm going to quote him here. He says, "I saw a group of people coming as if they had come from the sky. One guy attracted my attention. He jumped in front of me screaming stop, stop, stop, with his left hand up and a pistol in his right hand."
Now, Miles, the driver says he was pulled from the car. A kidnapper got in and drove off with Jill and her translator. That 32- year-old translator later found dead, shot twice in the head -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Michael, it sure sounds like a setup.
HOLMES: Yes, you know that's got to be the feeling here. The driver certainly thinks so. He said so. And on the face of it appears to be far too well organized to have been, say, a matter of opportunity. There were up to three cars, six men involved. They knew exactly where she was and what she was doing. So I think it's fair to say that. And I have spoken to security experts here too who say it certainly looks that way -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Michael, you have had your own brush with security issues there. That's glossing it over, to say the least. How is the situation now for journalists doing their job there?
HOLMES: Yes, it's very difficult, Miles, as you say. I mean this month is the second anniversary of when we were ambushed just south of Baghdad and had two of our people killed. I've been here half a dozen times and it certainly feels more insecure every time I come here.
Sure there's been progress in a lot of areas, particularly politically, but in terms of just on the street for journalists, it's very difficult. Whenever we go anywhere, really, you have to either go with the military, which involves helicopters and the like, or if you go out, you have to take some pretty severe security precautions yourselves -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: All right. Michael Holmes, stay safe there, thank you -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: The investigation of the Sago Mine tragedy is going to soon head to the Senate. West Virginia Democrat Robert Byrd says mine safety officials will be called to testify at hearings next week.
But while the investigation moves ahead, the human toll is still a focus for people in Upshur County.
Christopher King has more from Philippi, West Virginia.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTOPHER KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Funerals are wrapping up for the victims of the Sago Mine disaster. Two more will be held today. Last night they held a candlelight vigil at the Barbour County courthouse here in the town of Philippi, West Virginia. Now 4 of the 12 men who died at the Sago Mine lived in Barbour County.
In the meantime, Randal McCloy, the lone survivor of the disaster, is still in critical condition. Doctors say he is responsive, but they say he has developed a slight fever. McCloy has been breathing without a ventilator. And as he recovers, West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin has announced he's launching a state investigation into the disaster. A report is due out by July 1.
In Philippi, West Virginia, I'm Christopher King.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: San Francisco police say they have several leads into who may have planted an explosive device at a busy Starbucks coffee shop.
CNN's Sumi Das with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUMI DAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): The San Francisco Police Department launched an investigation after an improvised explosive device was discovered and then rendered safe at this Starbucks at Van Ness and Bush, a busy intersection in San Francisco.
A source from within the San Francisco Police Department has told CNN that the device was a large firecracker that was housed in an empty flashlight. Police officers spent several hours talking with Starbucks employees on Monday afternoon.
We also spent a fair amount of time peering into the coffee shop. We noticed that there was a surveillance camera that's trained on the front door. We haven't been able to confirm whether or not authorities have begun reviewing videotape from that camera.
We can tell you that the restroom inside the Starbucks remains locked. So, whenever somebody wants to use that restroom, they have to request a key from one of the employees. San Francisco Police Department has said they have some pretty good leads, which they are pursuing.
The coffee shop remained closed after the incident on Monday, but a handwritten sign taped to the front door says that it will reopen for business on Tuesday.
Sumi Das, CNN, San Francisco. (END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: Which brings us now to a check of the weather forecast.
Chad Myers at the CNN Center.
Good morning -- Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Miles.
(WEATHER REPORT)
Back to you.
M. O'BRIEN: Forty-five in Boston.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, that sounds good.
M. O'BRIEN: Not bad.
MYERS: Sure does.
M. O'BRIEN: Thank you, Chad.
S. O'BRIEN: Thanks.
MYERS: You're welcome.
M. O'BRIEN: Coming up, the latest on little Baby Noor, her first surgery apparently a success. But what's the long-term prognosis? We'll ask her doctor.
S. O'BRIEN: Also, the return of college students to New Orleans. We're going to take a look at why for many of them this week is the start of a long lesson in healing.
M. O'BRIEN: Plus, back to front, window to aisle, how do you like to get on an airplane? Grab your carryon, we're talking boarding changes and the time could -- you could save some time. Boy, I botched that one. It's still early.
S. O'BRIEN: We understand what you mean. It's all right.
M. O'BRIEN: I have no idea what I just read. I apologize, folks. We'll try to sort this out after a break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Take a look at this videotape, it's just in, it's of a house fire in Camden, New Jersey, which is just across the river from Philadelphia. Two people were killed, 19 others taken to the hospital.
Amy Buckman of our affiliate WPVI is live for us in Camden, New Jersey. Amy, good morning. What do we know about the injuries?
AMY BUCKMAN, WPVI-TV REPORTER: Well, Soledad, this is a tragic story, a house fire that broke out about 3:00 this morning here on Westfield Avenue in Camden in a twin home. More than a dozen people, close to about 19 or 20 in the two houses that were affected.
And now we have learned from fire officials out here on the scene that two people have died, one of them a 1-and-a-half-year-old boy, the other an adult male, and there remain about three other people who are in critical condition. They are being transported at this hour from Cooper Medical Center here in Camden over to the burn center at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia.
In addition, there are about a half dozen other people who remain in hospitals here in south Jersey, although, fortunately, most of them have injuries that at this point appear not to be life-threatening.
There is also a firefighter who was hospitalized for smoke inhalation because he actually went in to this burning home behind me while it was still on fire to attempt to make rescues of three people who were trapped inside. Two of those people who were rescued are the ones who died.
Now the blaze, as we said, broke out around 3:00. Firefighters continued to get calls on this blaze as they arrived on the scene. And when they got here, flames were shooting out of the front porch and first floor. Before they could gain control over the fire had spread into the other side of the twin, also up into the second floor and down in the basement.
At this hour, the fire marshal's team is out here. They are going into the house, trying to determine what caused this deadly blaze.
Soledad, back to you.
S. O'BRIEN: Those pictures look just terrible.
Amy Buckman from our affiliate WPVI, thank you for the update.
That's terrible news about those injuries and the deaths.
There are other stories making news. Let's get right to Carol for an update.
Good morning.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Good morning to all of you.
Israeli doctors continue to bring Prime Minister Ariel Sharon out of a medically induced coma. So far though, no change in his condition. Doctors say he remains stable and critical. Sharon suffered a massive stroke last week. It's not yet clear how much damage his brain has suffered. So far so good though for Baby Noor. Doctors say her first surgery was an apparent success. You remember Noor, she's the 3- month-old Iraqi girl brought to the United States thanks to U.S. soldiers. That's a picture of her resting right after surgery. She has spina bifida and would have likely died without treatment. Despite the surgery's success, doctors say she will be a paraplegic. In just a few minutes, we're going to talk with her neurosurgeon.
Looks like the man who says he cloned human embryonic stem cells faked his research. South Korean investigators say Hwang Woo-suk could not provide any real data. His claims had raised hopes for possible cures for diseases like Alzheimer's and diabetes. But investigators say Wang did in fact produce the world's first cloned dog, Snuppy. So that apparently was real.
There is a new case of Bird Flu in Turkey to tell you about. And the case confirmed today brings the total number of cases there to 15, latest one in southeast Turkey. Most of those affected are children. Last week, three people died in Turkey from Bird Flu. A team from the World Health Organization now investigating.
A New York City ferryboat captain sentenced to 18 months in prison for a deadly 2003 crash. Eleven people killed when his ferry slammed into a concrete pier on Staten Island. The captain had apparently passed out at the wheel. The city's former ferry director was also sentenced to a year and a day for not enforcing docking rules. The sentences were well beyond a federal recommendation.
Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito is in the hot seat again this morning. Opening day of his Supreme Court confirmation hearing Monday was devoted solely to opening statements. Today, senators are promising to grill Alito about his views on abortion and executive power.
Stay tuned to CNN for complete coverage of today's hearings starting at 9:30 Eastern with a special edition of "THE SITUATION ROOM."
Broadway is still riding high from a very special performance Monday. With last night's show, "Phantom of the Opera" became the longest running play in Broadway history. Lasted 18 years and 7,486 shows. That's longer than "Cats." Both are Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals, by the way.
And I know, Chad, that you were sad that "Cats" went away because Grizabella was your favorite character.
MYERS: I didn't know "Cats" wasn't playing anymore.
COSTELLO: You're so behind.
MYERS: Sorry. Yes, I'm still watching "Shawshank Redemption."
(WEATHER REPORT)
M. O'BRIEN: Thank you very much, Chad. A major milestone on Wall Street to tell you about, the Dow topping 11,000 for the first time since 9/11.
Carrie Lee here with that.
Good morning -- Carrie.
CARRIE LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thank you, Miles.
Hello, Soledad.
The first time this has happened, the Dow crossing the 11,000 mark in four-and-a-half years. First time we have hit this level since June 7 of 2001. So, so far the Dow has performed better in 2006 than it did in 2005 altogether. Remember last year, the Dow lost a little bit of ground. Well right now we are just 6 percent off of the all-time high on the Dow. That was in January 14, 2000, so just about six years ago.
So what does this mean going forward? Well, it's certainly showing some momentum for big name stocks. Since the late 1990s, small company names have outperformed the bigger names, but this could give us some momentum for the big company names that make up the Dow. Names like Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Microsoft and some others.
I will say, though, in the prior 19 times since the Dow finished above 11,000, stayed there for at least one day, we only stayed there for seven days. So we could come back. But still, a sign of confidence for big name stocks, certainly.
M. O'BRIEN: But this bodes well for the year for the market, right, because these early weeks are usually kind of precursors, aren't they?
LEE: Absolutely, it's called the January Effect. If you believe the "Stock Traders Almanac," if we see a net gain for the first five trading days of any year for the past couple of decades, there's an 85 percent chance that we will end up for the year. So, so far looking good, because we have ended higher every day so far for 2006.
S. O'BRIEN: All right.
M. O'BRIEN: Thank you, Carrie.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, a little hopeful news there.
M. O'BRIEN: You can drop by any time with that kind of news.
S. O'BRIEN: Thank you.
M. O'BRIEN: We appreciate that.
S. O'BRIEN: Let's get right back to Carol with an update what's coming up on "Morning Coffee" this morning.
COSTELLO: I have it right here. Coming up, your time is their money. We'll tell you why and how so many airlines are changing how you board their airplanes. Yes, there is a reason. Stay with us, "Morning Coffee" is coming your way next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: That the last couple of days. What's that, a run on Fleetwood Mac?
M. O'BRIEN: Dramatic changes. Sure he's got a little Stevie Nicks thing going. I don't know.
S. O'BRIEN: All right, Jerry (ph).
COSTELLO: It's like the Clinton-Gore campaign all over again.
S. O'BRIEN: It does feel likely, doesn't it?
"Morning Coffee." Good morning.
COSTELLO: It is time for "Morning Coffee."
And now time is money, even if it's just five minutes. If you are wondering why so many airlines are changing the way they board passengers, the answer is cha-ching. United Airlines now boards window passengers first. They say that saves them five whole minutes. And you might think that's...
M. O'BRIEN: That's big.
COSTELLO: It is big, because that translates into a million dollars a year in savings.
M. O'BRIEN: Isn't that amazing?
COSTELLO: Yes, because they can take off on time and that saves them money in the long run.
M. O'BRIEN: Right.
COSTELLO: Interesting. America West went to side seating in 2003. U.S. Airways will try it next year. Other airlines are boarding passengers in split shifts.
S. O'BRIEN: What's side seating?
M. O'BRIEN: That's the...
COSTELLO: They sit -- they board window...
M. O'BRIEN: ... windows first.
COSTELLO: ... passengers first.
S. O'BRIEN: So that's the same thing?
M. O'BRIEN: As opposed to back to front. S. O'BRIEN: I got it, yes.
COSTELLO: Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
COSTELLO: And then they go to the other seats.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
COSTELLO: AirTran Airlines boards the back, then the front and then the back again and so on.
S. O'BRIEN: That makes no sense.
COSTELLO: It doesn't, but they say it saves them time.
M. O'BRIEN: Well, no, because sometimes you know the entrance is kind of in the middle of the plane, so they'll fan them out that way.
S. O'BRIEN: I see.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
COSTELLO: I don't think AirTran doors are in the middle, though. I don't know the technical answers.
M. O'BRIEN: You're right. That's right, those are you know 717s or whatever.
S. O'BRIEN: Just to mix it up a little bit.
COSTELLO: Just regular planes.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes. You're right.
COSTELLO: But they say it saves them time and money. Delta started its own zone system back to front boarding. That happened a little over a year ago. And then there is Southwest and they are sticking to the unassigned seat experience.
M. O'BRIEN: Mayhem on Southwest.
COSTELLO: I personally hate...
S. O'BRIEN: That's like the Delta shuttle. What's worse than that everybody fighting for a seat?
COSTELLO: Yes. It's like ridiculous.
M. O'BRIEN: A bunch of New Yorkers with sharp elbows, yes, no problem.
S. O'BRIEN: Businessmen pushing pregnant women out of the way.
COSTELLO: My gosh. S. O'BRIEN: You've got to love it. Yes, that's a true story. Go on.
COSTELLO: Well let's talk about spitting now, shall we?
M. O'BRIEN: Let's.
S. O'BRIEN: From bad to worse.
COSTELLO: That's right. What's the worst offense is it hitting or spitting?
S. O'BRIEN: Spitting is.
M. O'BRIEN: Spitting. Spitting. I mean, yes, yes.
COSTELLO: Isn't that strange, though. A British sociologist agrees with you.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
COSTELLO: He says it's spitting. He says it's its own form of violence. But then again so is hitting.
S. O'BRIEN: Spitting is more demeaning.
COSTELLO: It's true.
S. O'BRIEN: Hitting is...
COSTELLO: It may not hurt as much.
M. O'BRIEN: Well it also -- the disease factor here. I mean, you know.
S. O'BRIEN: Well he's just so grossed out by this...
M. O'BRIEN: I mean you can -- I mean I'm kind of grossed out by this whole notion...
COSTELLO: OK.
M. O'BRIEN: ... sharing whatever that person has.
COSTELLO: Well allow me to go on with my wonderful spitting story.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes, please do.
COSTELLO: The NFL agrees with the sociologist, and of course Miles and Soledad. That's why the Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor was thrown out of the playoff game over the weekend. The ref said he spit. Taylor says he didn't. But the NFL fined him $17,000 anyway. A slap would have just gotten him a 15-yard penalty. Roughing the quarterback, you know, that would have gotten a bigger penalty (ph) but not the spitting. M. O'BRIEN: Did he do it on purpose? I mean...
COSTELLO: Yes. I don't know if he was...
S. O'BRIEN: Accidentally spitting on the ref, please.
COSTELLO: I don't think that happens by accident.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes.
COSTELLO: For his other...
M. O'BRIEN: Well they do spit a lot.
S. O'BRIEN: What?
M. O'BRIEN: NFL guys, they do, there's a lot of spitting that goes on there (ph). Yes.
COSTELLO: You mean just to clear your throat on the field?
M. O'BRIEN: Yes, you know what I mean.
COSTELLO: You know athletes do that a lot. Runners do that.
S. O'BRIEN: On the ref.
COSTELLO: Not on the ref, though, no.
M. O'BRIEN: All right.
COSTELLO: Of course other people faced fines for spitting as well. In fact, in Britain, bus drivers carry special expectorant extrapolation kits.
M. O'BRIEN: No, no, no, it's expectorate.
COSTELLO: Expectorate extrapolation kits.
M. O'BRIEN: Expectorant is cough syrup, right?
COSTELLO: OK.
M. O'BRIEN: Isn't expectorate spit? I don't know.
S. O'BRIEN: Spit. Go on.
COSTELLO: Anyway, these kits...
M. O'BRIEN: Wait, an expectorant extrapolation kit.
S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back from vacation, Carol. Aren't you glad you're back?
COSTELLO: Anyway.
S. O'BRIEN: Let the woman finish her segment for God's sake.
COSTELLO: These are kits -- these kits...
M. O'BRIEN: She's spitting mad now. I'm sorry, press on.
COSTELLO: These kits can help police nab spitters using the national DNA database.
M. O'BRIEN: You can sit there cross-checking the spit with the DNA database...
COSTELLO: Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: ... and they have nothing else to do with their time? I mean...
COSTELLO: Apparently it's a big problem in Britain. I don't know.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
COSTELLO: Let's talk about Howard Stern, because he launched his show on Satellite Radio. And for his first show on Monday on Sirius Radio, he tried something that would have gotten him in major trouble on free radio. It wasn't lesbian dating or dwarf tossing, no, try swearing. One watchdog group says he dropped the F bomb about 68 times. Stern...
M. O'BRIEN: Filibuster he said 68 times, really?
COSTELLO: Exactly.
M. O'BRIEN: Wow.
S. O'BRIEN: Will the Democrats filibuster Samuel Alito?
COSTELLO: Stern says that it's about more than just the financial freedom to swear though. Here is what he told CNN "ShowBiz Tonight" anchor A.J. Hammer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOWARD STERN, SIRIUS RADIO HOST: We are going to go to new places. And that doesn't mean the F word. If that's what satellite means, then that's ridiculous. Then it's just pornography. But what it means is is something really important. We can do whatever we want.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
S. O'BRIEN: Like drop the F bomb 68 times.
M. O'BRIEN: And that's...
COSTELLO: But it's not about swearing.
M. O'BRIEN: That's comedy, I guess.
COSTELLO: All right, "ShowBiz Tonight" of course 7:00 p.m. Eastern weeknights on Headline News.
S. O'BRIEN: Carol, thank you very much.
Ahead this morning, coffee drinkers get a big scare alongside their triple lattes. We're going to tell you what happened at a Starbucks in San Francisco. That story is ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. We're back in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Samuel Alito in the spotlight. Senators lining up with some tough questions for the Supreme Court nominee.
M. O'BRIEN: Startling discovery at a Starbucks in San Francisco. Police want to know who planted an explosive device in a locked bathroom.
And a successful first surgery for Baby Noor. Now what's next for the little Iraqi girl?
ANNOUNCER: You're watching AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Miles O'Brien.
S. O'BRIEN: Good morning. Welcome, everybody. Looks like it's going to be another nice day in New York City as we see shots of little traffic outside our window this morning.
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