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American Morning
Bird Flu Plan, Sago Mine Hearing; Durham D.A. Election
Aired May 03, 2006 - 06:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Top stories time. It's a day of mourning in Russia and Armenia. An Armenian airliner crashed overnight in bad weather off Russia's Black Sea coast. All 113 aboard killed.
A gruesome discovery in Baghdad. Authorities finding 14 bodies in the northern part of the city. They appear to have been tortured.
And some good in the Tasmania section of Australia. Rescue crews now drilling an escape tunnel for two miners stranded. They've been stuck underground for more than a week now. Rescuers sent down some iPods earlier today to help them pass the time.
Good morning to you. I'm Miles O'Brien.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Soledad O'Brien.
Today, the Bush administration reveals its battle plan to prevent the possible spread of bird flu here in the U.S.
Let's get right to CNN's Suzanne Malveaux. She's got more from the White House this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The White House is unveiling its implementation plan. It is really a roadmap for the federal government, as well as the public, to take certain steps in protecting themselves in the case of an impact, an outbreak of bird flu in this country. It outlines, U.S. officials say, a worst-case scenario where two million people are killed, 50 million infected, and 40 percent of the workplace essentially incapacitated.
Now, some of the highlights, these recommendations include the fact that the U.S. is stockpiling vaccines but will need to make a new vaccine for a particular new kind of human bird flu strain. Secondly, it also encourages voluntary quarantines, specifically telling businesses they should set up arrangements to keep employees away from each other, perhaps hold teleconferences, have liberal leave policies, but keep employees three feet apart during their workdays.
And finally, also, it talks about restricting travel, the potential of an infected traveler or passenger aboard a plane, that that flight would need to be diverted.
The one recommendation it does not make is in the case of a scenario, a pandemic overseas, that the U.S. border would not be sealed, it would not be shut down. That is something that is considered impractical.
Having said all that, U.S. officials are also emphasizing there is no pandemic of the bird flu, there is no evidence of human-to-human transmission of this particular virus. But it is best to be prepared.
Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: CNN is going to have live coverage of the White House announcement of the flu plan this afternoon. That happens at 12:30 Eastern. CNN Pipeline is also going to carry that event live -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Day two today of an emotional public hearing on the Sago Mine disaster. Families of the 12 men who died in January are demanding answers from mine owner and from officials in charge of mine safety.
CNN's Joe Johns is in Buckhannon, West Virginia, with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The focus of today's Sago hearing, the explosion, including the cause on January 2nd, as well as the attempt to rescue the miners who were trapped. The company that controlled and operated the mine at the time, International Coal Group, has gone on the record already stating its view that the explosion was sparked by lightning. Many family members and investigators are skeptical.
On Tuesday, an emotional scene here on the campus of West Virginia Wesleyan College when the families talked about their loss.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is the man that I no longer have. I'm not sure anybody could understand how lonely I often feel.
JOHNS: Much of the testimony so far has focused on the self- contained breathing devices the miners used while they were underground and whether those devices were operating properly. Also, there have been many questions about walls that were built to seal off methane gas in an unused portion of the mine and whether those walls were properly constructed.
This is not the end of the investigation. Here in West Virginia, the state hopes to conclude it by July 1st.
Joe Johns, CNN, Buckhannon, West Virginia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: The district attorney prosecuting two Duke University lacrosse players has been now nominated for another term. The shadow of the Duke case though weighing pretty heavily on his victory.
CNN's Jason Carroll is in Durham, North Carolina, for us this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it was a close race, but thanks to the voters, Durham's district attorney, Michael Nifong, will be able to continue on in office and in his pursuit of the Duke lacrosse case.
(voice over): Nifong celebrated last night as the last votes came in. Many political observers here in Durham said this election would really be an indication of how voters feel about the case.
Nifong says he doesn't necessarily believe that. He also says despite what his critics have been saying about him, namely that he's been using the case to advance his political goals, he says he would not have done anything differently.
MIKE NIFONG, DURHAM COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: My situation with respect to that is that I feel that I did what was right. And I don't have anything to be vindicated for. I mean, obviously, I'm happy that the voters have continued me in this job, but I will tell you that if they had not done so, there would have certainly been a sense of relief, you know, about that, too.
CARROLL: Nifong was also critical of defense attorney Kirk Osborn. Osborn filed a number of motions this week, including one to have Nifong recused from the case. Nifong simply said that Osborn just doesn't want to face him in court.
He also says, when referring to other motions that were filed, that there was only a kernel of truth to anything that was in them. And when we asked Nifong what he meant by that, he simply said, "Everyone is just going to have to show up at trial to see what he means."
Jason Carroll, CNN, Durham, North Carolina.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: Chad Myers is back. He's tanned, he's rested, he's ready --106 holes of golf behind him.
Good to have you back.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Went around and around -- 45 holes in one day. That's my new record.
M. O'BRIEN: Whoa.
S. O'BRIEN: Oh my god.
M. O'BRIEN: Did you walk or did use a cart?
MYERS: No. I walked from the cart to the ball. It was cart path only that day. So that was kind of a walk.
M. O'BRIEN: Oh, such an excuse.
MYERS: Yes, I know. Whiner. I've got the violin right here.
(WEATHER REPORT)
S. O'BRIEN: All right, Chad. Thank you.
MYERS: You're welcome.
S. O'BRIEN: You want to talk about a May-December relationship? A 33-year-old man in northern Malaysia has married a 104-year-old woman. I did the math. That's more than 70 years between them.
That's the happy couple right there.
M. O'BRIEN: She looks great, by the way.
S. O'BRIEN: She looks like a great 104, honestly. The new hubby, though, says the couple's mutual respect and friendship blossomed into love.
According to newspaper reports, locally, the woman's married 21 times now. She's says she's hopeful that this marriage is going to last.
M. O'BRIEN: She keeps outliving them, I guess -- 21 times.
S. O'BRIEN: No, I think that some of them have gone by the wayside also.
M. O'BRIEN: Hmm.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, because, you know, he's -- calculate it. You really should only have, like, three or four in there over 104 years.
M. O'BRIEN: That could be a record on its own right there.
S. O'BRIEN: But, you know, now she's marrying a young guy. She definitely -- he should outlive her for sure. Maybe. Maybe not.
M. O'BRIEN: In theory, yes.
S. O'BRIEN: Paris Hilton -- oh, this is sad news. Paris Hilton -- and we all know and care about this -- she's single again.
The publicist, her publicist -- see, a less happy couple. Her publicist is confirming that she has split from the Greek shipping heir, Stavros Niarchos. Just weeks earlier -- oh, this is such a sad story -- the publicist insisted the couple was solid.
They only started dating last year. She broke off her engagement to Paris Latsis, another Greek shipping heir.
You know what? Apparently the Greek shipping heir thing not working. Move on.
M. O'BRIEN: Apparently not. Apparently not.
Show that picture with him. Put that picture back up, Michael.
S. O'BRIEN: Of the couple?
M. O'BRIEN: Of the couple.
The problem is, they were -- I think they were trying to communicate by PDA. Did you see that? They're looking at their phones. They should have just talked to each other.
S. O'BRIEN: The problem is, it's a PR marriage and not a whole heck of a lot more than that.
M. O'BRIEN: Oh, you think?
S. O'BRIEN: No, I'm quite certain.
M. O'BRIEN: All right.
S. O'BRIEN: Moving on then...
M. O'BRIEN: Coming up on the program, some states are fed up with gas-guzzling SUVs and they're suing the federal government over it. We'll tell you why.
S. O'BRIEN: Also, New Orleans trying to avoid a repeat of Katrina. We're going to tell you about the city's brand new evacuation plan.
M. O'BRIEN: Plus, a couple of self-described terror grannies from England. We'll tell you why they broke into a high security U.S. spy center.
But first, here's a look what else is making news on this Wednesday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Oh, let's gauge some gas for you this morning, shall we?
The latest CNN gas gauge, $2.92 for unleaded regular. It's down a penny from yesterday. A month ago, that was $2.58. A year ago, $2.22.
M. O'BRIEN: What happened to the bongos?
S. O'BRIEN: Apparently when I complained about the bongos we got rid of the bongos.
M. O'BRIEN: We got rid of the bongos? We did? OK, no more bongos.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes. No. I liked the cheery, chipper music, though. M. O'BRIEN: Well, maybe we can mix it up.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes. Anyway...
M. O'BRIEN: Just bring them back once a week.
S. O'BRIEN: ... despite the ever slight drip -- dip, rather, in the price of gas, some oil analysts say the high prices are going to be with us for quite some time. Some states very upset, say they're going to court.
Let's get right to CNN's Sumi Das. She's live with more on the push for long-term fixes.
Hey, Sumi. Good morning.
SUMI DAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Soledad.
Well, with gas prices sky high, some states are claiming the federal government isn't doing all it can to increase fuel efficiency. So they're taking legal action.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAS (voice over): California and nine other states, plus the District of Columbia and New York City, are suing the federal government. The allegation? The Bush administration's fuel economy standards for light trucks and SUVs fails to address effects on the environment. Tuesday, Transportation Secretary Norm Mineta praised the very rule the lawsuit criticizes.
NORMAN MINETA, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: In March, I announced the president's tough new mileage requirements for light trucks, minivans, and SUVs. And that was the second in just three years.
DAS: The administration's new rule would require SUVs to average 24 miles to the gallon by 2011. President Bush says the standards will save American drivers about 340,000 barrels of gasoline a day.
California's attorney general says the rules are soft on the auto industry. Environmental activists agree.
BRENDAN BELL, THE SIERRA CLUB: The technology exists to make all vehicles, form cars, to SUVs, to light trucks, average 40 miles per gallon within 10 years. And taking that step would save the average driver about $500 per year at the gas pump and it would save four million barrels of oil per day.
DAS: Savings Americans are keen to see. Divers may be in for continued pain at the pump, but some SUV owners says they are not ready to park their vehicles.
RENITA BEBLA, ENDWELL, NEW YORK: I do need it for the size of the family. And I have large pets.
(END VIDEOTAPE) DAS: SUVs aren't the only vehicles receiving attention. Transportation Secretary Norm Mineta will speak on Capitol Hill this morning, and he will be talking about the president's request to be granted the authority to refuel standards for passenger vehicles -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: All right. Sumi Das for us this morning
Sumi, thanks -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Coming up in the program, the story of the terror grannies. Two English grandmothers break into a critical U.S. spy center. We'll tell you why and we'll tell you about the trouble they're up against right now.
And millions of Americans dealing with alcoholism, and now there's word an old drug may be one of the best ways to treat it.
That is ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: A pair of peacenik grannies in Britain in some hot water this morning. They decided to make a point by breaking through the fence at a super-secret U.S. spy compound in Britain. And now the authorities there may be making a point of their own. Some tough new laws there put them in the same category as al Qaeda.
CNN's Paula Newton live now from London with the story.
Hello, Paula.
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
Well, you can throw out that image of the rocking chair and the cane, at least for this pair of British grannies. They're taking on their government's new anti-terror laws, as you just said. And although their family members think they might be a bit nuts, they say they're willing to go to prison just to prove their point.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON (voice over): It's the last thing you'd expect to see on a quiet English road. This is no driving range. And it's the last thing you'd expect to hear from two grannies. This is no joke.
HELEN JOHN, PEACE ACTIVIST: You know, I raised the stakes a little bit. We went -- Sylvia had a hammer on her, I had a pair of cable cutters.
NEWTON: Armed with cable cutters and a hammer, Helen John and Sylvia Boyes broke into one of the largest spying sites in the world just to prove a point.
JOHN: We're just saying to them, "I don't give a damn what you're going to just try and stop me doing." NEWTON: These may look like giant golf balls, but underneath these canopies are U.S. communications satellites, a web of intelligence gathering protected by machine guns and police. John and Boyes faced them down and were arrested within minutes.
The women, self-described terror grannies, are not advocating terrorism, but are protesting a law that treats people who trespass on sensitive sites across Britain as criminals and potential terrorists. They say the new law tramples on basic rights.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But you broke the law.
JOHN: No, we did not. The law is wrong. And we are upholding the law.
SYLVIA BOYES, PEACE ACTIVIST: No, laws are made by people. The laws are made by people to maintain the status quo. And the status quo is, I believe, both illegal and immoral. And it's our duty as citizens to act against those.
NEWTON: But John Taylor and his wife June say the new terror laws are essential.
JOHN TAYLOR, DAUGHTER KILLED IN LONDON ATTACKS: If a 60-year-old woman can get in there, so can a 16-year-old terrorist. And the implications of that is quite far-reaching.
NEWTON: Taylor speaks from experience. Their 24-year-old daughter Carrie (ph) was killed in the London bombings last summer.
TAYLOR: We live from day to day, basically.
NEWTON: They say the granny activists are being naive.
TAYLOR: Really, they don't see the whole picture. Our safety and our security comes before everybody's human rights.
NEWTON: But these veteran activists compare their cause to the early civil rights movement in the United States.
BOYES: And eventually, through the actions at first of ordinary people, these laws were changed. And this is what I believe.
NEWTON: And they say there's no stopping them.
JOHN: They can count on it.
We're coming to get you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: They'll get a decision next week as to whether or not they'll be charged. And if they're tried and convicted, they'll be spending up to 10 years in prison -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Paula, let me ask you this. I mean, I understand how the families would feel of the victims of the bombings this past summer. Generally speaking, is there a lot of support for the grannies in Great Britain?
NEWTON: There is a lot of support for them, Miles. And there is not a lot of support for these new anti-terror laws.
People here in this country are now starting to say, look, is big brother going too far? And those giant golf balls that you see, that's really become a symbol of how these new anti-terror laws are, they believe, imposing on people's very basic freedoms and rights -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Paula Newton in London.
Thank you.
S. O'BRIEN: Andy Serwer is minding our business just ahead.
What are you looking at this morning? Good morning.
ANDY SERWER, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, "FORTUNE": Good morning, Soledad.
Crooked CEOs, they're indicted.
S. O'BRIEN: Again?
SERWER: Again, they're indicted, they're convicted. So why do they get to keep their bonuses?
S. O'BRIEN: No.
SERWER: We'll try to explain coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Here's a look at some of the stories we're working on for you this morning.
The White House unveiling its plan for a potential bird flu pandemic.
An Armenian passenger jet has crashed in Russia. All 113 on board are killed.
More testimony is expected today at the Sago Mine disaster hearings.
The D.A. in the Duke rape case wins his party's nomination for reelection. Now he's unopposed.
And evidence of an alleged plot to blow up a New York subway station. Prosecutors say this FBI surveillance videotape right there holds the truth.
We've got a look at those stories just ahead.
First, though, Andy Serwer, who is "Minding Your Business."
You said "corrupt CEOs". And literally, it's again.
SERWER: Yes, it's happening. And it's, you know, almost, you know, a redundancy sometimes when we're talking about there are so many CEOs who are in trouble these days.
A couple of stories about chief executive officers. First of all, this one's sort of counterintuitive, having to do with charisma.
We all think the charismatic leader is a leader who takes a company to new heights and makes the stock go up. Not so, apparently.
According to the University of Pittsburgh, which studied charisma in CEOs in the 1990s and found that charismatic leaders were not particularly effective. They might look good at the company Christmas party and at the annual meeting, but they didn't necessarily make the stock go up. So, sort of an interesting study there.
Now, we were talking earlier about CEOs who are indicted, convicted, and still get to keep all the goodies. Take this gentleman, Sanjay Kumar, who pled guilty to cooking the books at CA. The company used to be known as Computer Associates.
Three hundred million of bonuses. And he's just keeping them.
Now, why is that? Particularly when there's a specific law, Sarbanes-Oxley, that new law you may have heard of, which says that in cases of misconduct, CEOs need to return all that cash? Well, the problem is the language.
Misconduct, it's never spelled out. What does it mean? And, of course, these gentlemen get phalanxes of lawyers to say, well, it's not really misconduct. It was a misunderstanding.
S. O'BRIEN: He's going to prison for 10 years.
SERWER: That's not misconduct.
S. O'BRIEN: That doesn't count as misconduct.
M. O'BRIEN: It's more like too much charisma.
SERWER: Right, exactly. Or something like that. I mean, it's just amazing.
It's a law that's not precise enough. Richard Scrushy, of HealthSouth, they're trying to get $48 million back from him. He's fighting that.
And Nortel...
M. O'BRIEN: It looks like he's saying no right there. No.
SERWER: No. No. I'm not giving it back. That's his no expression, you're right, Miles. No, you're not going to see it. And finally, another CEO we've been talking about over the past couple of days, William McGuire, from UnitedHealth Group, remember him?
S. O'BRIEN: Oh, you've crunched my numbers?
SERWER: We've crunched your numbers, Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: And what does he get?
SERWER: $1.6 billion of stock options over 15 years, $292,000 a day. And that's on weekends, too. Right? That's 365.
M. O'BRIEN: Off days. Wow.
SERWER: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: Go calculate it now for just a five-day work week. Man.
SERWER: Just for the 250 days a year.
S. O'BRIEN: That's a lot of dough.
SERWER: That's -- he sort of apologized yesterday. He apologized not for getting the money, but for saying that "Our company is in the news and it shouldn't be."
Well, why is that?
S. O'BRIEN: Yes.
SERWER: Why is that?
S. O'BRIEN: Refer back to $1.6 billion.
SERWER: $1.6 billion, yes.
S. O'BRIEN: All right, Andy. Thank you.
SERWER: Thank you.
M. O'BRIEN: That's some serious charisma there.
SERWER: Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: All right.
Time for a check of the forecast.
Chad Myers, $292,000 a day.
MYERS: That sounds good.
M. O'BRIEN: Work a week and you're done. You're done. You're golfing. MYERS: One day I'm done. I'm good -- hey.
(WEATHER REPORT)
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