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American Morning
Cartoon Outrage; Capitol Hill Scare; Church Fires; Grammy Awards; Olympic Countdown
Aired February 09, 2006 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, I'm Miles O'Brien.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Zain Verjee in for Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Emotions still running high in the Muslim world this morning. An important religious holiday today and those controversial cartoons still weigh heavy. What will happen next?
Hunting for arsonists. Investigators using special tools to try and solve the Alabama church fire mystery, but will it help them find the suspects before other churches are torched?
VERJEE: It's back to work today on Capitol Hill. A nerve gas scare may have blown over, but tests on the building aren't over yet.
And this,...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb," U2.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VERJEE: U2 walks away with the lion's share of Grammy gold. We've got the winners, the losers and the hot performances.
O'BRIEN: Radicals today may be using the Shiite Muslim's holiest day to fan the flames over those offensive cartoons. Marchers celebrating the Ashura religious festival in Beirut are being encouraged to keep the pressure on Europe to change its laws on caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed.
Brent Sadler live now in Beirut with more.
Hello -- Brent.
BRENT SADLER, CNN BEIRUT BUREAU CHIEF: Hello, good morning, Miles.
One of the Middle East's most radical and armed Islamic groups, Hezbollah, organized a mass turnout, 200,000, 300,000 people, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Kenteran (ph), just a few hours ago. This was a peaceful protest, but a protest in which the leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, said that the European Union must change its laws so that their Prophet Mohammed cannot be insulted again in this way. And he said there should be no compromise until the Danish authorities apologize and the laws are changed -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Brent, yesterday the Bush administration made a point of indicating that it felt that certain governments were inciting a lot of these passions. What's your sense of that on the ground there?
SADLER: Well, Hezbollah, of course, is supported by and is a close ally of Iran and Syria, both criticized by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for whipping up the -- inflaming, rather, and inciting violence. Hezbollah denies that.
Many people I spoke to in the crowd say that this is a blatant lie. They say their faith, their belief has been badly insulted. And that the European laws on blasphemy and freedom of the press should not be changed just to suit Islam but to suit all religions. Nevertheless, what Hezbollah had to say today is very important in the Islamic world because those pictures were transmitted throughout this region -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Brent Sadler in Beirut, thank you very much -- Zain.
VERJEE: Miles, in a CNN "Security Watch" this morning, they're still checking for nerve gas at the Senate office building today, but it will be open for business. Police say that it was a false alarm that sent several senators and hundreds of staffers hustling out of the building last night.
Joe Johns covers Congress.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): The hope is everything will get back to normal today after a late night last night. That was because around 6:30 in the evening a device alerted to the possible presence of a hazardous material inside the Russell Senate Office Building originally thought to be nerve gas. The building was evacuated.
About 200 people, mostly staffers and some interns, were taken to an underground parking garage where they waited for the all-clear sign. Police did a number of tests before they determined that there was no nerve gas apparently present. And those persons who had been evacuated were released.
Today, authorities say they may do some more tests. But as far as they're concerned, in all likelihood there's no problem on Capitol Hill.
Joe Johns, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VERJEE: Make sure you stay with CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: It's now federal case number one, a rash of fires that has left nine Baptist churches in Alabama damaged or completely in ruin. State officials there say hate is the motive, but hatred of what?
Rusty Dornin is in Boligee, Alabama.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Despite pressure on investigators to reveal whether they think these fires were racially motivated, they say they want to find out who before they find out why. Now criminal and geographic profilers are being brought in by the ATF to help them do that.
Meantime, people here in Boligee, Alabama say it's bringing back a lot of ugly memories. A decade ago, three churches were burned to the ground. And many of the churches here in rural areas are feeling especially vulnerable.
Rusty Dornin, CNN, Boligee, Alabama.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VERJEE: Fire crews are battling California wildfires. They're making some progress, thanks to diminishing winds in the mountains near Calabasas, northwest of downtown L.A. Firefighters have contained 95 percent of a fire that threatened nearby schools and homes. The fire was sparked early on Wednesday by a burning SUV. Recent wildfires have scorched more than 7,200 acres in southern California.
Let's check on the weather forecast in that region and elsewhere in the U.S. Let's go over to Chad Myers at CNN Center.
Hey -- Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Zain.
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: All right, Chad, you feeling better?
MYERS: No.
O'BRIEN: But you're back.
MYERS: But there's nobody to fill in...
O'BRIEN: You're a trooper.
MYERS: ... and so here I am.
O'BRIEN: Thank you for being here. We appreciate it.
MYERS: All right.
O'BRIEN: If you stayed up late last night to watch the Grammy's, we know Chad didn't, you're probably feeling it right now. If you won a Grammy, you're probably still up partying. It was a good night for Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, Kanye West, Mariah Carey and Green Day. It was a great night for U2, kind of a perennial favorite there.
CNN's Brooke Anderson with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And the Grammy...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And the Grammy...
BONNIE RAITT, SINGER: And the Grammy for album of the year goes to "How...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb," U2.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Irish rockers U2 won five awards last night, bringing their total career Grammy wins to 21.
Among last night's prizes, song of the year for "Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own."
BONO, U2: But if you think this is going to go to our head, it's too late.
ANDERSON: But Bono and the gang were quick to acknowledge their competition.
BONO: Kanye, you're next. He's a great artist. Mariah, you sing like an angel.
ANDERSON: Mariah Carey, rapper Kanye West and newcomer John Legend each had eight Grammy nominations, but none of them came close to winning that many. However, West did pick up three awards, including one for best rap album.
KANYE WEST, GRAMMY AWARD WINNER: I had no idea. I would like to thank...
ANDERSON: Soulful singer Legend also won three Grammy's, including best new artist.
JOHN LEGEND, WON THREE GRAMMY AWARDS: Anybody who wins best new artist is only new to the general public.
ANDERSON: Pop diva Carey ended a 16-year Grammy drought with three wins as well.
Another winning lady with a powerful voice, Kelly Clarkson. The original "American Idol" picked up two Grammy's, including one for best female pop vocal performance.
KELLY CLARKSON, GRAMMY AWARD WINNER: You have no idea what this means to me.
ANDERSON: Record of the year went to the edgy group Green Day for "Boulevard of Broken Dreams." BILLIE JOE ARMSTRONG, GRAMMY AWARD WINNER: Pop radio playing rock music is a very big deal to me.
ANDERSON: Star performances included Madonna, McCartney, Mary J. Blige and perhaps the most elaborate act of the evening, Jamie Foxx and Kanye West. Top talent honored the '60s funk group, Sly and the Family Stone. And the show closed with a moving tribute to the musical city of New Orleans.
Brooke Anderson, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: See, you don't have to stay up late, you just tune in here and you get the Brooke Anderson piece, you're good.
Coming up, more on that NHL gambling scandal which supposedly has links to Wayne Gretzky's wife. There's more fallout from Operation Slap Shot.
VERJEE: Also, we'll bring you some business news. Trouble for one of Detroit's automakers, thousands of jobs on the line.
O'BRIEN: And later, we're going to use technology this morning. We love doing that. We're going to check in with Steve Fossett as he tries to wing his way into the record books again. Take a look at that tracker. You can see that plane there just passed Dubai. That's real time information on where he is. We'll ask him how things are going. We'll ask him about his very scary takeoff as well. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VERJEE: Mariah.
O'BRIEN: Mariah Cara (ph). Yes. Excuse me.
VERJEE: Carey.
O'BRIEN: Why don't you do it.
VERJEE: "We Belong Together." Mariah Carey got her first Grammy since 1990. It wasn't the sweep that everybody thought it might be.
O'BRIEN: But it wasn't a bad night either.
VERJEE: No, it wasn't.
O'BRIEN: All right.
VERJEE: Carol, did you stay up and watch it?
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: No, I didn't. I was on a plane coming back home, so I missed it. But it looked like it was a good show.
O'BRIEN: I don't know, we missed it, too.
VERJEE: We...
O'BRIEN: We missed it, too.
VERJEE: ... missed it.
COSTELLO: OK, so we shouldn't talk about it anymore.
O'BRIEN: Yes, what do we know?
COSTELLO: I don't know.
Hey, good morning, everyone, the headlines for you now.
This morning, President Bush is expected to say more about the hunt for terrorists. He travels to the National Guard Memorial Building in Washington where he'll speak on the global war on terror. The president also expected to highlight the National Guard's rescue efforts during Hurricane Katrina. We will bring you the president's address when it starts around 9:55 Eastern.
There will be a meeting behind closed doors this morning on the domestic spying program. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is expected to give some classified details on the wiretaps to members of the Senate Intelligence Committee. The White House now reversing course and sharing the information after Republican Congresswoman Heather Wilson called for a full review of the program. The closed- door session is set to begin in about two hours.
People in Haiti waiting to hear who will lead their country after two years of political chaos. Early results show the front-runner, Rene Preval, in the lead. He is linked to the ousted President Jean- Bertrand Aristide. Ballots are being counted as we speak. A final tally could come as early as tomorrow.
A fog that is lifting little by little, that's how Randy McCloy's wife describes his progress to "USA Today." McCloy is the only miner to survive the Sago Coal Mine disaster in West Virginia. He's still in the hospital, but he's now breathing and eating on his own. His family says he's even started to talk.
Federal investigators are working to nail down what may have caused a plane crash that killed three people near San Diego. Take a look at the picture. It shows the two small planes colliding in midair. They landed less than a half mile from each other. One went down in a park. The other crashed through the roof of a house. Fire officials say no one on the ground was hurt.
And Coyotes' assistant coach Rick Tocchet is on indefinite leave. Indefinite leave, that's what they're calling it, and that's just the beginning. Remember, we told you Wednesday that Tocchet is suspected of helping to bankroll a nationwide sports gambling ring. Wayne Gretzky's wife has even been implicated as one of the people who placed bets. Well, in addition to cutting off all ties with the NHL, Tocchet also faces possible criminal charges. So far no current players have been named in Operation Slap Shot, as it's being called, but we're expecting to hear more on this story later today.
And I know, Chad, you were a hockey fan. I'm not so sure you are anymore.
MYERS: Yes, sure. You know they struck, I boycotted for a year. We'll give them a little break now. But I remember that movie "Slap Shot." What a funny movie that was back in the '70s.
COSTELLO: Yes, well this is a different kind of slap shot.
MYERS: Absolutely, a little bit of a slap on the wrist, maybe more.
(WEATHER REPORT)
Back to you guys.
VERJEE: Chad, you like watching the Olympics? The Winter Olympics...
MYERS: Absolutely.
VERJEE: Yes.
MYERS: Sure, sure, sure.
VERJEE: Yes. Yes, which is your favorite competition?
MYERS: Bobsled.
VERJEE: Bobsled.
MYERS: One-hand bobsled.
VERJEE: Yes, all right.
Well there's only one day to go until the Olympic opening ceremonies. Now the Olympic Torch is already on its way to Torino. Torino, like the Italians would say. It's ready to illuminate the 20th Winter Games. It's already made its way around the country. It's taken two months, something like 7,000 miles around Italy. It's been cheered, as well as booed.
CNN's Alessio Vinci is in Torino, and he joins us now on the phone.
Alessio, give us a sense of how the preparations are going there.
ALESSIO VINCI, CNN ROME BUREAU CHIEF: That's correct, Zain. You know after years of preparations, the city of Torino is, of course, getting ready to experience its first concrete oly pick (ph) reality. I mean the relay torch is expected to arrive here in town within the next few hours.
Security, of course, remains the biggest concern, 15,000 men have been deployed throughout the city and at venues up in the mountains. And they are quite visible. There's always -- obviously always a risk of a terrorist attack, although officials here point out that they have not received any specific or credible threats.
For the time being, however, the biggest concern comes from disgruntled anti-globalization protesters who are taking advantage of the spotlight to vent their frustrations. In the past few days on a few occasions they managed to block the torch relay. And there is concern of course they will try to do the same here in Torino.
That said, everything is ready, at least the main venues are. We are experiencing a few last-minute glitches. There was a power outage, for example, last night at our hotel, which was newly built for this event. But organizers stress everything will be up and running by the time the Games begin tomorrow night with the opening ceremony, of course, and the competition starting first thing in the morning on Saturday -- Zain.
VERJEE: Alessio Vinci reporting to us from Torino in Italy. We'll be checking him -- in with him throughout the Olympics.
Thanks, Alessio.
Just say it that way, right -- Miles?
O'BRIEN: I love...
VERJEE: Torino.
O'BRIEN: That rolls off your tongue...
VERJEE: Yes, you have to raise your hands like this, Torino.
O'BRIEN: Vinci from Torino.
CARRIE LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Torino. OK.
VERJEE: Yes, all right.
LEE: We're all warming up here.
O'BRIEN: But it's not the shroud of Torino now, it's the shroud of Turin, so (ph), right?
VERJEE: Right, exactly.
O'BRIEN: So we just kind of go along with NBC.
VERJEE: Exactly...
O'BRIEN: NBC says Torino, we're going with it, right?
LEE: OK, sounds good to me. O'BRIEN: Carrie Lee, good morning to you.
LEE: Good morning to both of you.
We're talking about more labor troubles at General Motors. Seems like it's been going on for a while. Well here is the latest. GM- Delphi, which is the auto parts unit it spun off some time ago, and union workers, the UAW, have hit snags in their labor talks. Now they don't have, as I said, the ownership of this company anymore, but there are still some labor talks going on. Well, their jobs and pay at Delphi, that is, are at risk. Delphi is operating under Chapter 11. So some more money troubles continue there.
Talking about GM's stock price, yesterday shares fell 3.5 percent. The only component in the Dow, I believe, that fell on a 100-plus day for the Dow Jones industrials overall. Take a look at the stock price from early 2005, you can see not a very happy story there.
Meantime, GM and Ford, we both know they're having big money troubles, losing a lot of money. Well now they're not asking the federal government for a bail-out, per se. There's been a lot of talk about that, but they're asking for some more limited ways that the federal government can help them.
And they are restraining healthcare costs, promoting new fuel technologies and keeping exchange rates in line. GM and Ford say to strengthen their case, these appeals are measures that would benefit all American manufacturers in this age of outsourcing. So that's the latest, not a blanket bailout, but some specific areas.
And here's the fun auto story of the day. "Detroit News" talking about Honda, saying product planners there are studying the way Gwen Stefani has incorporated Japanese style into her designs -- you know she's a fashion designer now -- as well as her stage work. And they might use this as a springboard to make their vehicles more appealing to young buyers. There's something called J Cool (ph) and it stands for Japanese Cool. So who knows, maybe there's going to be a Stefani model of Honda down the road. Just speculation there, but...
VERJEE: Does this translate into sales? I mean does...
LEE: There's nothing formal.
VERJEE: ... introducing like cultural icons or musical things...
LEE: It could. It could. I mean there's nothing formal. They haven't actually talked to her. They're just looking at it at this point. But you know in this day and age of drastic cross promotion, who knows, it seems like anything is possible, so.
VERJEE: J Cool.
LEE: Yes.
O'BRIEN: She certainly has a well-designed body, I would say. LEE: And I didn't watch the Grammy's either, but I heard she looked very cute with her little bulge, so, she's pregnant.
O'BRIEN: I guess so.
All right. Thank you.
VERJEE: All right, more on that.
O'BRIEN: All right.
VERJEE: Thanks, Carrie Lee.
O'BRIEN: Thank you -- Carrie Lee.
LEE: Nice segue into the Grammy's, right, OK.
O'BRIEN: Well it's in the news. Nicely done.
VERJEE: Thank you. Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Carol, it's time for coffee.
VERJEE: It is.
O'BRIEN: We need some coffee.
COSTELLO: It is time for coffee.
(CROSSTALK)
COSTELLO: Actually, if you know the car companies offered a date with Gwen Stefani, maybe that would sell more cars.
Coming up on "Morning Coffee" though, after a painful and highly publicized breakup, America's most famous couple is ready to kiss and makeup. We are not talking about Brad and Jen but Ken and Barbie. Ken needed a makeover to win her back, though. We'll show you what's up next in "Morning Coffee."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: U2 with a big night, to say the least.
VERJEE: Yes.
O'BRIEN: They -- you know they have a way of consistently doing quality work, you know.
VERJEE: Their album is pretty good, "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb."
O'BRIEN: Right.
VERJEE: And so talented. COSTELLO: Well it's interesting, because the music that won, Green Day also won, very political in nature. So maybe that has something to do with it, I don't know.
O'BRIEN: Tenor of the times perhaps.
COSTELLO: Maybe so.
O'BRIEN: Well good to have you back, Carol Costello, after a trip to not so sunny San Diego.
COSTELLO: I know. I had the two days it's not sunny in San Diego, but it didn't matter.
VERJEE: Did you at least have some fun? You're relaxed and...
COSTELLO: What a beautiful city and what nice people.
O'BRIEN: It's beautiful.
COSTELLO: So if any of you are awake in San Diego, thank you for a fine time.
Let's talk "Morning Coffee" now, shall we?
Just how precious is space in New York City? Well check this out. This tree was in the way of a new apartment building, so the developer just built right around the tree. That's because he doesn't own the tree. Really. It's the old property line dispute. The tree is on the line between the developer and the guy next door. The guy next door asked for 20 grand to cut the tree down. The developer, in true New York style, said forget about that and he built around the tree.
O'BRIEN: No, I think he said forget about it. Here's what he said, forget about it.
COSTELLO: That was what I was trying to say. Thanks -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Yes, all right. Yes. All right.
COSTELLO: Anyway...
VERJEE: That's what I have in my hotel room, do not disturb...
O'BRIEN: Yes.
VERJEE: ... forget about it.
O'BRIEN: Forget about it.
COSTELLO: Forget about it. Yes.
(CROSSTALK)
COSTELLO: Well, anyway, the city is getting involved with an order to stop building.
Looking for a little love this Valentine's Day? Well that guy in the next cubical that looks mighty cute is fair game. A couple of New York surveys says workplace romances are on the rise. In one, 40 percent of people admitted, admitted to being involved with a co- worker at one time or another. In a study done for AOL, part of our corporate family, says around 50 percent are open to future dalliances. But there is one agreed upon taboo, never, never date the boss, not a good idea.
O'BRIEN: Of course the corollary to that is if you're the boss, don't date the underling either, bad idea.
COSTELLO: Bad idea.
O'BRIEN: OK.
COSTELLO: Although it's been done, not here.
O'BRIEN: I've heard. I was told. So we've heard.
COSTELLO: On the subject of romance, remember how devastated we all were when Ken and Barbie broke off a couple of years ago?
O'BRIEN: I missed that.
VERJEE: She called it off, right?
COSTELLO: She called it off...
O'BRIEN: Really?
COSTELLO: ... because Ken wasn't doing it for her.
VERJEE: He was going through a bit of a midlife crisis.
COSTELLO: He was. And he wasn't looking good.
O'BRIEN: Had some issues.
COSTELLO: Yes.
Anyway, after being seen with G.I. Joe and a couple of those X- Men action figures, Barbie is going back to her original beau, but Ken is a whole new plastic man. This is his old look. He's the one all the way to the left.
O'BRIEN: But it was Ken with G.I. Joe or was Barbie with G.I. Joe?
COSTELLO: What? Barbie was with G.I. Joe.
O'BRIEN: Just checking. I -- nothing wrong with that.
COSTELLO: When she left Ken, she went...
O'BRIEN: Just checking.
COSTELLO: Jeez, try to follow the story.
VERJEE: They were on a break.
COSTELLO: Anyway, Ken has gotten a makeover and it's going to be unveiled today. He's traded in the chinos for a pair of cargo pants. And let's just say he had a little plastic surgery. Get it, plastic surgery. His jaw is more manly. One problem for Barbie's dream of a more macho man though, he loves to listen to Norah Jones.
VERJEE: All right then.
O'BRIEN: He has got some issues. Get him some U2 on his iPod.
COSTELLO: Well if you want to be more manly, you don't sit there and listen to Norah Jones.
O'BRIEN: Norah Jones.
VERJEE: No, a metro-sexual (ph) Ken.
COSTELLO: Yes, but Barbie wants G.I. Joe.
VERJEE: Well, all right then.
O'BRIEN: And...
VERJEE: Well he may have a bit of a problem then.
COSTELLO: OK.
O'BRIEN: Thank you -- Carol.
COSTELLO: That's a look at "Morning Coffee."
O'BRIEN: Thank you, Carol.
VERJEE: Coffee.
O'BRIEN: We enjoyed it. We enjoyed our coffee.
This morning's top stories are straight ahead. Plus, we'll tell you about a crime-busting kitty. We'll find out why this cat went undercover for NYPD Blue. And what could possibly possess 400 people to jump out of a plane at the same time?
VERJEE: The view.
O'BRIEN: The view. And that's a spectacular sight, isn't it? The story is ahead. It's kind of a human kaleidoscope ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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