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American Morning

Bin Laden Threat; Battling 'Boys Club?'

Aired January 20, 2006 - 08:00   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.
I'm Soledad O'Brien.

An urgent search is underway for two miners who are missing in West Virginia. Search crews are underground right now. We're going to take you there live for the very latest developments in this story.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Miles O'Brien. Holding out hope for an American journalist held hostage in Iraq. The deadline is looming today. We are live in Baghdad.

S. O'BRIEN: And Osama bin Laden's latest message has not raised the threat level. But there's a call for vigilance from the Department of Homeland Security. We're going to get more live from the White House, all ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.

M. O'BRIEN: Good Friday morning to you.

We're glad you're with us this morning.

S. O'BRIEN: Let's get right to our top story this morning, which is the search for those two missing miners in Melville, West Virginia. The mine is about 60 miles southwest of Charleston, 170 miles from the Sago mine, which we, of course, were watching just about three weeks ago.

Let's get right to AMERICAN MORNING'S Bob Franken.

He is at that mine -- good morning, Bob.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

And as daybreak happens here in Logan County, in Melville, West Virginia, the Aracoma mine is the scene -- it's back there -- the scene of a big search that's going on now underground.

What happened is, is overnight, about 5:30, actually, as a crew was going into the mine, a fire broke out on a conveyor belt, not like the explosion at the Sago mine and nowhere near as much carbon monoxide. In any case, the miners turned around and they rode their transport out as far as they could.

But then, because of the smoke, we're told, they had to get on their hands and knees and crawl the rest of the way out. When they came out, they discovered that two of their number was missing -- two of their number were missing and so the search began. About 9:00 the first rescue crews went into the mine. The governor of West Virginia -- this all too familiar ritual -- came here as family members gathered at a church, the Freeworld Baptist Church, which is about less than a mile up the road. They're keeping us away from that for reasons we can certainly understand.

The governor has been in touch with them, has had regular briefings there. And now, five rescue crews inside methodically searching. This is a different kind of mine from Sago. It is much larger, a much flatter layout, actually. It only goes down 900 to 1,000 feet. The miners were about 10,000 feet into the mine when all of this occurred.

There is optimism, but there is also the pessimism that is built out of bitter experience, the most recent, of course, being Sago. There is always a concern when respirators have to be used by the miners because they are, quite frankly, very difficult to put on, particularly under duress.

So let's find out now about the rescue crews that are here and the emergency technicians who are watching and just hoping for the best.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROGER BRYANT, LOGAN COUNTY EMERGENCY SERVICES: Well, kind of what went through my mind was oh, no, not again, you know? Here we go again. We're only about, you know, not even 20 days into the new year and, you know, this is kind of the third mine accident that we've had. So the year is not starting out very well for miners.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRANKEN: This is just a sad part of life here. That rescue worker willing to share his thoughts as he did on AMERICAN MORNING. But it is something that the real thought is here that everybody is worried and only hoping that the outcome is better than it was at Sago -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Gosh, we certainly hope so, too.

Bob Franken for us this morning.

Bob, thank you.

M. O'BRIEN: Osama bin Laden's recorded diatribe was like a red cape waved at the White House. A defiant response from the West Wing -- "We put terrorists out of business."

Elaine Quijano is in the business of covering the White House.

She joins us from the North Lawn -- good morning, Elaine.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Miles.

And the White House is flatly rejecting any notion of a truce between the United States and al Qaeda. That after the new audiotaped message surfaced yesterday. The message believed to be from Osama bin Laden.

In that tape, bin Laden said that plans to attack the U.S. are underway, but he also offered a kind of long-term truce, which the White House promptly dismissed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN: The al Qaeda leaders and other terrorists are on the run. They're under a lot of pressure. We do not negotiate with terrorists. We put them out of business. The terrorists started this war and the president made it clear that we will end it at a time and place of our choosing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Now, so far there are no plans to raise the nation's terror threat level.

In the meantime, Vice President Dick Cheney, in an interview yesterday, said that he hoped the tape might change some minds in Congress about the Patriot Act, which is set to expire in two weeks, and the administration's controversial domestic surveillance program -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: That's Elaine Quijano at the White House.

Thank you very much -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: New pleas this morning for the life of Jill Carroll, the American journalist who is being held hostage in Iraq. Her father is making an appeal directly to the terrorists on an Arab television network.

Her abductors have given Washington until today to release all Iraqi women who are in U.S. custody. Some Muslim groups are also calling for Carroll to be released.

Let's get right to CNN's Michael Holmes.

He's in Baghdad this morning following the story -- hey, Michael, good morning.

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you again, Soledad.

That's right, a lot of Muslims groups right around Iraq and, in fact, the region, have been calling for the release of Jill Carroll right across sectarian divides, as well.

You mentioned Jim Carroll. He was speaking on Al Jazeera. Just part of what he said was this. "Do not sacrifice an innocent soul. Instead, use Jill to be your voice to the world. Her life as a reporter will serve your purpose. And as a father, I appeal to you to release my daughter for the betterment of all of us and I ask the men holding my daughter to work with Jill to find a way to initiate a dialogue with me."

Now, also significantly, the man Jill was going to interview when she was abducted on January 7th, that is a prominent Sunni politician by the name of Adnan al-Dulaimi, he held a news conference also calling for the release of the 28-year-old reporter, a woman he said defended Iraqis and condemned the war in Iraq -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Michael Holmes for us this morning.

Thanks for the update.

Time to get a look at some of the other stories making news.

Carol has got those -- good morning, Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: I do.

Good morning.

Good morning to all of you.

There is more news out of Iraq to tell you about right now.

Two Iraqi civilians killed, a third wounded, in an attack in southeast Baghdad. A roadside bomb went off near a U.S. military convoy. The attack coming even though authorities were said to be on high alert today because the preliminary results from Iraq's parliamentary elections came out.

The father of American Taliban John Walker Lindh is asking President Bush to grant clemency for his son. Franklin says his son has rights. He claims the U.S. military tortured Walker and put him in jail as a response to the hysteria following 9/11. John Walker Lindh is currently serving a 20-year sentence. He was captured alongside Taliban fighters in Afghanistan back in 2001.

The man famous for classic hits like "In The Midnight Hour" and "Mustang Sally" has died.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILSON PICKETT, SINGER: I'm going to wait until the midnight hour. That's when my love comes...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Oh, you know Wilson Pickett well. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991. He stopped performing last year because of health problems. His manager says Pickett's heart gave out on Thursday. Wilson Pickett was just 64.

Former Ohio Congressman James Traficant now dabbling in watercolors behind bars, but not for much longer. The Ohio Democrat with the bad toupee has been passing time in prison painting. A Web site has been selling his masterpieces on its Web site for as much as $1,000. Let's go to that Web site now, because the paintings are actually pretty good. I'm telling you, if you can see them full screen, they're pretty good. The Web site, though, says that authorities caught wind they were selling Traficant's paintings and a prison spokeswoman says inmates cannot conduct any business behind bars. Traficant is in prison for bribery and racketeering charges.

I'm serious, if you could see these...

M. O'BRIEN: Well, we can imagine.

S. O'BRIEN: No, they were pretty good.

COSTELLO: No, they're pretty good.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes?

COSTELLO: They really are. I was surprised.

S. O'BRIEN: That horse looks like a horse.

M. O'BRIEN: I would say it's a horse...

COSTELLO: Well, you couldn't do that.

M. O'BRIEN: ... it's a horse of a different color with him painting behind prison.

COSTELLO: But some of his landscapes are quite good.

M. O'BRIEN: Is he making dough off this?

S. O'BRIEN: That was supposed to...

COSTELLO: He's making as much as $1,000 on some of these paintings.

S. O'BRIEN: I don't...

M. O'BRIEN: Where is that money going?

COSTELLO: I don't know, because, you know, you're not allowed to receive money in jail. And he claims he didn't really know that they were selling these paintings for money. So there's a whole controversy surrounding it.

S. O'BRIEN: Isn't that sort of the tone he was sounding when...

M. O'BRIEN: Oh, boy.

S. O'BRIEN: ... before he went on his march to prison?

COSTELLO: Well, yes.

M. O'BRIEN: As he would put it, beam me up now, huh?

S. O'BRIEN: Thanks, Carol.

It's time to get a check of the weather.

Let's go to Chad.

He's got that -- hey, Chad.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And I didn't even know he wore a toupee. There's the breaking news...

M. O'BRIEN: You're a blind man, Chad, obviously.

MYERS: There's the breaking news on that one right there.

(WEATHER REPORT)

S. O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, some shocking allegations of sexual discrimination on Wall Street. Now, six women are suing their bosses for -- get this -- $1.4 billion, that's with a "B" -- billion dollars. They're going to tell us just what happened to them at work.

M. O'BRIEN: Plus, he could have stopped the Oklahoma City bombing. All he had to do was pick up the phone, drop a dime, as they say. He didn't, though. He is set free to -- set to walk free today. What's going on through the minds of the bombing survivors? We'll ask that question ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: One is dead, one is behind bars for good and another is now walking free. We're talking about the trio that planned, procured and executed the Oklahoma City bombing, April of 1995.

Michael Fortier, the least involved of the trio, and became the one that talked to ensure that Tim McVeigh and Terry Nichols would face justice, ultimately. He was the star prosecution witness.

Dot Hill was in the Murrah Federal Building that day.

She joins us -- now, were it not for her desire for a cup of coffee this morning, would not be joining us from Oklahoma City, near the memorial.

And Michael Fortier's attorney, Michael McGuire, is in Tulsa, Oklahoma this morning.

Good morning to you both.

Dot, good morning to you and we're glad you're with us. And it's now approaching 11 years and when you heard this -- and I assume you got a message from somebody saying this is about to happen -- what went through your mind?

DOT HILL, OKLAHOMA CITY BOMBING SURVIVOR: Well, initially it was anger, fear and concern. I did receive a letter from the Bureau of Prisons, you know, announcing his release would be today. And it just kind of made me mad. It was like good grief, it hasn't been that long yet, he hasn't paid long enough.

Then we came -- I came to work the next day and we discussed it at lunch and we were all sitting around talking and it just kind of slammed us right back to April the 19th again, back to the day of all the devastation and fear and turmoil.

But the other side is that then we were able to talk about how far we have come since then and how we could work together to try not to let this event take us back and trip us up again.

So we sat around and we talked about it and how distressing it was and how we each personally felt about it. And then one made the remark that, you know, he's -- this is the deal, this is the deal we cut and this is what we had to do. And we're like, you're right, it is. It's what we agreed to.

Oklahomans are people of their word. So we -- we're going to have to stand by that, whether we like it or not.

M. O'BRIEN: Wow! I'm sort of proud of you for being able to say that because I know how emotional it is.

I want to go back to what you said at Fortier's sentencing, because it was a very, very emotional statement that you read in court there. And just, I'm going to read a little bit of it for folks, because compared to what you just said it's amazing how far you've come.

"Because of Mr. Fortier's negligence, his lack of responsibility in reporting a terrorist act, I and many others suffer a hellish life. We will never be the person we were prior to April 19th."

And it goes on about how you used to send cards and remember people and be the one to rely on and do the checkbook and all the things that are important about life.

Have you gotten back to that? Are you back to being the old Dot Hill?

HILL: No. I'll never be the old Dot Hill. What I had to do was become a new Dot Hill. And she's a pretty good girl. I like her quite a bit, too. She's a fairly strong woman, you know? I've grown a lot through the support of fellow survivors and family members, through my personal family's patience with me and understanding of how difficult a time it was, and through the support of my church family and through my relationship with god.

And it, you know, I -- being the woman that I am today, I'm not sure I'd want to be the old Dot Hill again. I have gotten back to sending cards. I don't do the checkbook anymore. I left that with my husband, thank god for that. But I'm slowly getting back to doing some of the things I used to do, just not everything. M. O'BRIEN: Mike McGuire, as attorney for Michael Fortier, you just heard Dot Hill. She said she's afraid now that your client is walking free.

Should she be?

MICHAEL MCGUIRE, MICHAEL FORTIER'S ATTORNEY: No. There's never been any reason to be afraid of Mr. Fortier or anything that...

M. O'BRIEN: Never been any reason ever?

MCGUIRE: Never.

M. O'BRIEN: Hmmm.

MCGUIRE: He's never been anybody the government feared would do anything, even back in 1995. Before he was actually charged and plead guilty, he stayed in Oklahoma City, the entire area there, with me for about four months while he cooperated and was debriefed by the United States Attorney's office. And no one working with him on a daily basis now or back then or while he was in prison has ever expressed any fear concerning him.

M. O'BRIEN: Mr. Fortier isn't with us today.

I want to read a little bit of his statement from 1998 at his sentencing, that same sentencing where Dot Hill had that emotional statement. And this was an emotional statement, as well.

He said: "Your Honor, I understand there's nothing I can do to -- now, that can make up for what I did and didn't do then" -- more importantly, I guess. "Cooperating with authorities now does not change the facts. When I should have been thinking about the safety of my fellow man, I was only thinking of myself. Nothing I can say will change the past, but maybe I can say something to affect the future."

How much of that was real and how much of that was him just trying to get out of jail time?

MCGUIRE: Well, it's all real and he put a lot into the effort to help the prosecutors. They believed everything that he said and did. Everything that he did to help them was truthful. There's no doubt in his sincerity or the assistance that he provided at all. He wasn't given many opportunities to express that and we were not the kind of people that were going to go out and hold press conferences or make statements to the media on a regular basis trying to position ourselves for some type of leniency. We took care of our business in court.

M. O'BRIEN: Can you tell me if he's going into the witness protection program?

MCGUIRE: I can't answer any questions about that.

M. O'BRIEN: All right. MCGUIRE: Mr. Fortier is going to be released today from the Bureau of Prisons.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, you have an opportunity right now to talk to Dot Hill, one of the victims of the bombing.

As, speaking on behalf of Mr. Fortier, what would you like to say to her and the other victims?

MCGUIRE: I can tell Miss. Hill what Mr. Fortier told me. And he's always told me that he prays for the victims every day. And it bears on his conscience every waking moment. And we acknowledge their grief and continuing grief and we've always tried to be respectful of their feelings and their loss.

M. O'BRIEN: How does that make the new Dot Hill feel?

MCGUIRE: I can't answer that...

HILL: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

M. O'BRIEN: I'm asking her. I'm asking her.

Go ahead.

HILL: I'm glad to hear that, but it doesn't -- it doesn't make up completely for the pain he caused. You know, maybe hearing that now will help move further down the road. I don't know. We'll have to see.

He, obviously -- this gentleman here obviously has a different relationship and connection with Mr. Fortier than we do here. It's hard to reconcile the two and you always hear of the jailhouse salvation and very seldom does that always last.

So I guess probably the best thing Mr. Fortier could do would be to prove with the rest of his life that he truly means what he says.

I think I personally wouldn't want to hear from him, but I think it wouldn't be a bad idea for him to make a general statement to the public, to the State of Oklahoma and those involved here, even if it's just in a conference, television, whatever you want to call it. Then maybe we can see if he means it in his eyes or not.

M. O'BRIEN: Mr. McGuire, what do you think?

MCGUIRE: I don't think that's necessary.

HILL: Of course not.

MCGUIRE: Mr. Fortier made a very sincere statement when he was in court in 1998, spoke directly to the victims then and expressed his feelings, some of which you quoted this morning.

I've always heard from some people that they'll never be satisfied. And we totally understand that and we believe that and accept that.

However, there is really nothing else that we can do. And he's served his sentence and completed his punishment.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, we thank you both.

MCGUIRE: Thank you.

HILL: You bet.

M. O'BRIEN: Dot Hill, Michael McGuire, the attorney for Michael Fortier.

Thanks, both of you, for being with us -- Soledad.

HILL: Thank you.

S. O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, one of the biggest sexual discrimination lawsuits ever. Six women want $1.4 billion from their bosses on Wall Street. Just wait to hear what they say happened to them. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: What can jet fighter pilots learn from rock stars? The military is catching on to a piece of rock and roll technology that could drastically improve a pilot's performance.

Here's Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Rock stars and fighter pilots don't seem to have much in common. But it turns out they share an occupational hazard -- loud music and the roar of the jet's engine, both very hard on the ears.

Now, the Air Force is tuning to the same technology rock stars use to protect pilots' hearing. Some Air Force pilots are using these custom molded earpieces, which have tiny speakers inside. They block jet noise yet allow pilots to hear important radio communications.

CAPT. HENRY SCHANTZ, AIR FORCE FIGHTER PILOT: It's kind of nice to be able to use the same things that the rock stars and the entertainment industry is using for sure.

STARR: Musicians have worn similar earpieces for years. They must hear the music in their ear to stay on key.

SCHANTZ: It's like they put the money in and helped develop them and we're actually being able to benefit from that, as well.

STARR: You can hear the difference between what a pilot hears without the new hearing protection...

(AUDIO CLIP OF JET FLIGHT) STARR: ... and with it.

SCHANTZ: I have an engine fire light on engine number two.

STARR (on camera): Here at the Black Cat Club in Washington, D.C. the rock and roll band Monopoli is getting ready for tonight's performance. But are any of these young musicians actually wearing hearing protection?

ALFONSO, MONOPOLI LEAD SINGER: I use it pretty much all the time.

STARR (voice-over): Whatever the source, exposure to extreme noise can make a person deaf.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Unfortunately, the hearing system does not have the capability of recovering from severe noise damage.

STARR: So just maybe musicians and pilots aren't so different after all.

ALFONSO: It makes me think I might have a shorter career as a musician if I don't get hip to that, you know?

SCHANTZ: I'm hoping that these will definitely keep my hearing so that when I'm 60 I'm not a deaf old fighter pilot.

STARR: Barbara Starr, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

M. O'BRIEN: You don't want to be a deaf old fighter pilot. Apparently when you put these in your ear, you know what you hear?

S. O'BRIEN: What?

M. O'BRIEN: Danger Zone. It's just on a loop, apparently. Lying to, you know? All right.

S. O'BRIEN: Because I'm an idiot and I thought you really were going to tell me what I'd hear. So I'm completely gullible. But, no, that's all right. Go ahead. One for you.

M. O'BRIEN: Anyway, coming up on the program, a 15-year-old kid who spends his free time chatting online with some of the most powerful people in the world, people like Soledad O'Brien. Why is the, actually, the White House taking time out to answer his questions? Maybe because he asked.

Stay with us for more AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.

Ahead this morning, we're going to tell you about six women. They are suing the bank, the investment bank called Dresdner Kleinwort & Wasserstein. They want $1.4 billion. They say...

M. O'BRIEN: Billion?

S. O'BRIEN: Billion. They say they've been degraded, demeaned and demoted, and they want the cash. We're going to tell you their story and their complaints just ahead.

M. O'BRIEN: We will enter the world of investment banking on Wall Street.

S. O'BRIEN: A pretty ugly story.

M. O'BRIEN: Not pretty.

S. O'BRIEN: Nope.

M. O'BRIEN: All right.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: You're watching AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Miles O'Brien.

S. O'BRIEN: Oh, it's a beautiful day in New York City.

M. O'BRIEN: Good that it's a Friday. We're glad about that.

Let's get right to it.

Osama bin Laden's new message to America -- another terrorist attack is in the planning stages.

Jeanne Meserve is our homeland security correspondent.

She joins us from Washington -- Jeanne, I know there is some concern about this tape, but yet we haven't seen the threat level change.

What is that all about?

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the concern, of course, is whether or not attack plans are being prepared, as Osama bin Laden says. Counter-terrorism officials say there is no intelligence indicating that is the case and there has been no surge in so-called chatter. And some at this point in time, there is no plan to increase the nation's threat level.

The man who designed the color-coded system, Tom Ridge, thinks that is the right decision.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM RIDGE, FMR. HOMELAND SECURITY DIR.: It's not news that we're a target. It's not news that he would say publicly that they continue to plan for attacks in the United States. But unless there's a significant amount of additional information that's credible, no, I think his public statement notwithstanding, there's no need to raise the threat level.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MESERVE: At Los Angeles International Airport, the police presence was more visible, but in Washington, D.C. and New York, the other cities considered prime terrorist targets, there were no plans to change security posture. But many officials are heeding the advice given out in a joint homeland-FBI security bulletin. They have their antenna up and are keeping their eye out in light of the bin Laden tape -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: So, Jeanne, the color-coded system really is at the point of irrelevancy at this point?

MESERVE: Well, some people would disagree with that. Certainly Tom Ridge does. I talked to him about it last evening, and he said he thinks it's been a very useful tool. And some localities would tell you, too, it gives them some measure, some way to balance things. The fact is the color code has never gone up solely because of a bin Laden tape. It's gone up a total of seven times. Six times it was in reaction to specific and credible intelligence. The seventh time because of the train bombings in London, and that a very targeted approach just for transit. Never been raised in connection with one of these tapes solely.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, but no calls to stock up on the duct tape this time?

MESERVE: No -- well, you know, we're all supposed to do that anyway, whether we're at yellow or orange.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, make sure it's there. All right, thank you, Jeanne Meserve in Washington.

(NEWSBREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Now to the story of six women who are taking on Wall Street's boy's club, they say, and making a stand, they say, for women in the work place. The women are executives at the Dresdner Bank. They say they're being kept from promotions and bonuses, and they're subjected to lewd behavior as well.

Joanna Hart and Jyoti Ruta are two of the women who are suing Dresdner, and their lawyer is Douglas Wigdor. Nice to see you. Thanks for talking with us.

Jyoti, we're going to start with you. I've heard you say that you were degraded, you were demeaned and you were demoted. So let's talk about degraded and demeaned. Give me some specifics. What happened?

JYOTI RUTA, ALLEGES SEXUAL DISCRIMINATION: Well, there were lots of instances where, for example, male colleagues got pats on the back and received all of the rewards that went with their hard work. But I was basically not given that same treatment. So those are some of the examples that occurred in terms of just being sort of degraded. Also being mommy-tracked after coming back from maternity leave after giving birth to my daughter, which didn't happen to any of the males, obviously. So those types of things are just being channeled into sort of more administrative tasks, rather than being on the real deals and having the opportunities to advantage and promote, which I did have prior to having a child.

S. O'BRIEN: So you were a director in the structured finance group?

RUTA: Correct.

S. O'BRIEN: And you were technically demoted, or did you just sort find yourself doing those meaningless tasks with the title?

RUTA: I think it was technical demotion as well, in terms of function. Obviously, not in title.

DOUGLAS WIGDOR, ATTY, "DRESDNER 6": I think it's important to understand that while the media has picked up on some of the salacious facts in the case, which are certainly true. The case is really about not paying a woman the same as men for doing the same job and not promoting women who should be promoted.

And I know that the company's lawyers is going to come on after us. And I would ask him to look directly into that camera and explain to the American public why virtually 100 percent of the managing directors in the capital markets division are men and why virtually 90 percent of the directors at the capital markets are men.

S. O'BRIEN: But you're talking about an industry in which we all know is very subjective, right? I mean, you're talking about people sit down, and they kind of do the math and work out your bonus, and they do the math and decide are you a good employee and a hardworking employee? I mean, it's a very subjective business.

Now I know, Joanne, you have a very similar story. Your title is director of investor relations. What kinds of things did you feel you were being made to do with sort of a big title?

JOANNE HART, ALLEGES SEXUAL DISCRIMINATION: Well, I think that what really happened to me was that the job I was promised was changed dramatically after I began to undertake it.

S. O'BRIEN: In what way?

HART: In the sense that I was inundated, buried with menial tasks, with no help.

S. O'BRIEN: Like what?

HART: Like ordering cars for people and making plane reservations.

S. O'BRIEN: A director of investor relations is ordering a Towncar for a guest?

HART: Yes.

And while I've always been a team player and I'm always happy to pitch in and you do what you have to do in a given situation, and everybody helps to make -- you know to get things done. But this became day to day, day in, day out, menial tasks.

S. O'BRIEN: It was your job basically?

HART: It was my job. It was in my job description.

S. O'BRIEN: There was a strip club incident, Jyoti, I know that's you've talked about. Tell me what happened.

RUTA: You know, it was basically something that happened after a closing dinner...

S. O'BRIEN: Big celebration? A deal's just been done? What happened?

RUTA: Just management the client basically we're going to figure out to go to this place. But, again, this is not what it's about. It's an exclusionary event that, you know, I wouldn't have gone to, but it's more than that. There's exclusion all across the board in terms of client events that are even appropriate client events.

S. O'BRIEN: Like a golf outing or ski outing?

RUTA: Wine tasting.

S. O'BRIEN: You weren't allowed to go to that?

RUTA: No.

WIGDOR: Just this past December actually, Jyoti and Tracy Holt (ph), who are in the same group, they were the only two women in the group, and they were not invited to a wine tasting. All of the other men in the group, including more junior men, were invited to that. Makes no sense.

S. O'BRIEN: So did you go to management and say, why am I not included in the wine tasting?

RUTA: I think what happens is that, like you said, you're sort of degraded and demeaned so much that you become mute, and to the extent that you had ever spoken that, they would of basically just said, oh, well, you weren't invited.

S. O'BRIEN: Then you stopped caring that you're not invited at some point?

RUTA: And some point, you just decide to...

S. O'BRIEN: Keep your mouth shut?

RUTA: Do your work, hope that the hard work pays off and hope that somehow things will turn around. S. O'BRIEN: Did you ever complain, Joanne? Did you go to your boss and say, listen, guys, you know, I'm happy to call in for a Towncar when someone needs one, but I can't do it every day?

HART: I did. I asked for help. I was denied any sort of support help. And I've never found that complaining has, you know, and bringing a legitimate complaint forward has been a help there.

S. O'BRIEN: We want to hear from the bank itself. The attorney from Dresdner, Kleinwort and Wasserstein is joining us. His name is Ronald Green. You've obviously heard the litany of complaints, you know, a director whose basic job is calling for Towncars and trips to a strip club and being kept out of other events that would be client events.

How does the company respond?

RONALD GREEN, ATTY, DRESDNER KLEINWORT WASSERSTEIN: First of all, let me say, to put this in context, this is a pay-and-promotion case, as Mr. Wigdor tried to impress you with a few moments ago.

And Mr. Wigdor has said this is also a class action. It is not. There are six individuals with disparate factual histories with the firm who have made six discrete claims. The class that of 500 people Mr. Wigdor claims to represent don't exist.

S. O'BRIEN: OK, no, and I hear you, and forgive me for interrupting you, because I understand that; it's not a class action suit. Right now, we're talking about six women, and right now, specifically, we're talking to two of those women.

But I'm interested in some of the complaints that they have spelled out. Were there trips to a strip club that women didn't go on? Were there client events that eventually translate into your bottom line, your paycheck? Are those things that females are not allowed to take part in at your company?

GREEN: Absolutely not. The allegations that have been made to you and in this salacious complaint are categorically denied; they are untrue. Our chief legal officer, the attorney responsible for ensuring the company complies with the law, is a managing director. She is a woman. The chief human resources officer responsible for ensuring our extraordinary diversity program works, ensuring that women who have grievances are heard is a managing director. She is a woman.

S. O'BRIEN: And there are only two other women, is that correct? I heard there are four out of 200-some odd?

GREEN: That is not correct.

S. O'BRIEN: So there are more than two percent of managing directors are women at your company?

GREEN: This is -- we're not dealing with percentages, Soledad. The co-head of all of a corporate finance is a managing director, and it's a woman.

And Mr. Wigdor claims to represent six women. We were told yesterday that Ms. Smith, whose name appears in the caption, is not even represented by Mr. Wigdor and doesn't want to be represented by Mr. Wigdor, and we heard that from her attorney, Mr. Donaldson, in the U.K. These claims are absolutely untrue and unfounded.

By way of example, one of the plaintiffs, who is not a banker, since only five claim now to be represented by Mr. Wigdor, one is not a banker is claiming in this lawsuit not that she was denied a promotion to a position that went to a man, but that she was denied a promotion to a position that went to a woman.

S. O'BRIEN: Not necessarily relevant under the law, which actually I have read in this case, by the way. Listen, we're out of time. And I can tell, I can predict for you, this is going to be a contentious lawsuit. We thank you all for joining us. A complicated case. Miles, back to you, whether you're talking about 6 women, 5 women or 500 women.

Ronald Green, we thank you for talking with us. He's the attorney of course for the Dresdner Bank and Joanne Hart, and Jyoti Ruta, and also Douglass Wigdor, thanks for talking us. This is a complicated case.

Miles, back to you.

M. O'BRIEN: Thanks, Soledad.

We got some pictures that just came in a while ago from our affiliate WGN. This is Chicago and this is a fire that is under way, injured one firefighter, the Red Basket Restaurant. If you're familiar with the area, the intersection is Peterson and Cicero, the northwest side of Chicago. It was a minor injury according to a spokesman there. The firefighter being treated at a hospital nearby. And we're watching it for you. They're worried about that fire spreading into other businesses. Currently right now at the Red Basket restaurant in Chicago.

Thank you, WGN.

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S. O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, a little proof. You don't have to be a world leader to have the ear of the White House. We're going to meet a teenager who sort of chit chats with some of the most powerful people in the world on a daily basis. His story is coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING.

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M. O'BRIEN: Well, This next kid is probably going to take my job someday, right, on his way? A 15-year-old kid talking to some of the most powerful people in the world. It turns out he's just on his computer chatting away, right?

S. O'BRIEN: Yes. Alina Cho has a look at that this morning.

Good morning.

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad and Miles.

Like so many other kids his age, Daniel Lippman is addicted to the Internet. He's also a bit of a news junky. So one day when he was perusing the Web for a speech by President Bush, he stumbled upon something else, and his claim to fame.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHO (voice-over): At first glance, Daniel Lippman looks like an average 15-year-old. He enjoys sports, going to the movies and hanging out with his friends. He also spends his free time chatting online with some of the most important people in the world, top officials at the White House.

DANIEL LIPPMAN, STUDENT: I've talked with John Snow three times, who is the treasury secretary,. and i've talked to the commerce secretary, Carlos Gutierrez, and also the energy secretary, Sam Bodeman.

CHO: How does he do it? Quite simply, anyone can.

DAVID ALMACY, W.H. INTERNET & E-COMMUNICATIONS DIR.: It's called Ask the White House, and it's located on the White House. It's www.whitehouse.gov/ask.

CHO: The live chat sessions allow regular Americans to submit questions to people who work and live at the White House. First lady Laura Bush has been a guest. So has White House Chief of Staff Andy Card. The featured VIP chooses which questions to answer.

Enter Daniel.

LIPPMAN: Submitting a question.

CHO: A regular on the site.

(on camera): Does it surprise you that you're able to do this?

LIPPMAN: It does surprise me. I mean, because Who would of thought that this could happen, and it's just like a direct line almost.

CHO (voice-over): Take this exchange with Treasury Secretary John Snow -- Daniel.

LIPPMAN: Why did the economy create only a hundred thousand jobs and not 200,000 jobs that was forecast?

CHO: Snow's answer.

LIPPMAN: In short, all forecasts are subject to error. Sometimes they miss the mark on the high side. Sometimes the low side.

CHO: In another exchange with special guest astronaut Neil Armstrong, Daniels asks, Is it really possible to send a human to Mars?"

Armstrong, "We still have a number of difficulties to surmount, but I believe we will overcome those barriers in the years ahead."

CHO (on camera): Are you satisfied with most of the answers you get?

LIPPMAN: I am satisfied.

CHO (voice-over): Daniel's dad, David Lippman, and mom, Honey Sharp, say their son has always been interested in politics and current events. So much so, mom says on Election Day, Daniel's the one who reminds them to vote.

HONEY SHARP, DANIEL'S MOM: He just says, you know, this is the day. I've checked it in the newspaper, and sometimes he would accompany us. He would say, you know, wait until I'm out of school and I want to come with you.

CHO: Daniel admits it may be unusual for a 15-year-old to be doing this, but he says he's the better for it.

(on camera): Is there anybody you haven't talked to yet that you want to talk to?

LIPPMAN: George W. Bush. But I'm sure -- he would be an interesting guest.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

M. O'BRIEN: I suspect he would, Alina Cho. Is that going to happen?

CHO: The White House Internet director says there are no plans for that so far, but we shall see. You can bet either way, Daniel will be ready. He is one smart kid. In case you didn't notice, he goes to a boarding school, a pretty competitive one, in Connecticut. And you should also know that Daniel doesn't chat online with White House officials. He has reached out to famous news anchors as well. After the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster in 2003, Daniel says he e- mailed and talked by phone with our very own Miles O'Brien.

M. O'BRIEN: You're kidding? Really?

CHO: Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) LIPPMAN: He just explained what the different parts to the space shuttle, what could go wrong and kind of deepened my knowledge about that topic since he's so interested in that.

CHO: Was he nice?

LIPPMAN: He was!

CHO: Are you sure about that?

LIPPMAN: yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

M. O'BRIEN: I am so glad! I am so glad I returned that phone call. That's all I can say. All of those calls!

(CROSSTALK)

S. O'BRIEN: Can you imagine if he said, yes, he wasn't nice at all actually.

M. O'BRIEN: What a loser.

CHO: He wasn't about to say that, not while the camera was rolling.

M. O'BRIEN: Daniel, thank you. Thank you for the props, Daniel.

And any time you need a question answered, do give me a call, please. You have my number, obviously.

S. O'BRIEN: Thank you, Alina.

M. O'BRIEN: Thanks, Alina.

Coming up in AM Pop, we'll one on one with Jonathan Rhys Meyers, one of the stars in Woody Allen's new movie, which is getting rave reviews. It's called "Match Point." What does he say about working with Woody and about that Golden Globe he just won for playing Elvis. An Irish guy playing Elvis? Go figure. That's ahead.

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