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American Morning

The Fight to Control Baghdad; Bush to Meet with Republicans on Capitol Hill; Training Kids for Disasters

Aired September 14, 2006 - 08:00   ET

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


MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: We know the name, but still not the reason. The latest on Canada's Columbine.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Former Texas Governor Ann Richards is dead. One of the most colorful figures in American politics is being remembered this morning.

M. O'BRIEN: It's right up there with the seatbelt and the airbag and you're going to want to have it in your car. The government is going to make it mandatory. We'll tell you all about it.

S. O'BRIEN: Growing wildfires out West to tell you about. More homes in danger this morning.

M. O'BRIEN: And prepared for the worst -- a group of kids now getting a crash course in disasters.

That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

Good morning to you.

I'm Miles O'Brien.

S. O'BRIEN: And I'm Soledad O'Brien.

Two deadly car bombings and an assassination in Baghdad today to tell you about. Four people killed in an attack on Iraq police. Another bomb killed one person in northwestern Baghdad. And a police colonel shot leaving his home in southern Baghdad.

CNN's Michael Ware in Baghdad for us this morning.

He's embedded with U.S. troops -- hey, Michael, good morning.

MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

What we've also seen here in Baghdad today is an escalation or a new step forward in what's become known as the battle of Baghdad or Operation Together Forward, the long-running military operation to reclaim the city from militias, insurgents and death squads.

What's happened?

We've just been (AUDIO GAP)...

S. O'BRIEN: All right, it looks like our satellite image from Michael Ware has frozen up. So we're going to see if we can reestablish that and get back to him in just a little bit.

Let's move on.

About two hours from now, President Bush will be getting together with Republicans on Capitol Hill. They're going to be talking about his anti-terror proposals.

CNN's Capitol Hill correspondent, Andrea Koppel, join us this morning -- good morning, Andrea.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

This morning the commander-in-chief is going to take on a new role as cheerleader in chief, as he seeks to boost morale among the 200-plus members of the Republican-led House. According to the White House, Mr. Bush was invited by Speaker Dennis Hastert, who wanted members to be able to ask the president questions directly.

A number of House Republicans are facing stiff competition in this year's November mid-terms. You've got growing frustration over the war in Iraq. You have increasing frustration and anti-incumbent sentiment among many voters.

And so according to independent political analysts, they say this is really the first time in about a dozen years that Republicans stand to potentially lose control over the House and maybe even over the Senate.

And so this morning what you're going to hear President Bush do is ask questions and try to rally support among the troops for a couple of pieces of his key, you know, really what is the centerpiece of the president's policy on anti-terror legislation in particular, military tribunals making it easier to question potential terror suspects and also those warrantless wiretaps, trying to get them without court approval -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: That's what's ahead this morning on Capitol Hill.

Thanks, Andrea

Let's get right back to Michael Ware.

As we mentioned, he is embedded with U.S. troops in Baghdad -- Michael, I think we've reestablished our signal.

You were updating us on what's happening there.

WARE: Yes, Soledad.

Sorry about the signal.

We've literally just returned from the combat mission in these Stryker vehicles. What's happened is that for the first time, U.S. and Iraqi forces, thousands of them, have entered a new part of Baghdad. In the past, we've seen them go into areas contested between the two sectarian groups or areas where Shia death squads have been operating.

Well, today, U.S.-led forces went into a Shia domain. This is an area that's known to be controlled by the Jayshul Mahdi Militia, loyal to the radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

So, for the first time, they've gone into their territory and are touching upon Muqtada al-Sadr's power base -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: How did it go today?

WARE: It was a relatively successful operation so far. I think that this thing is going to continue for some time. We made -- the forces made their first steps, making their way into Muqtada's area.

It was, by and large, a peaceful operation. However, we do know that there was one sniper attack on U.S. forces and an American soldier was wounded. However, I believe it was only slightly. We're waiting for an update on that.

So there was no direct confrontation with Muqtada's forces. They seemed to have dissolved into the neighborhoods and into the people. But this is still very early days -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: All right, we'll continue to follow it.

Michael Ware for us this morning, embedded with U.S. forces.

Thanks, Michael -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Like Texas, she was bigger than life. They don't make them like that anymore. Just some of the tributes coming in this morning after the passing of former Texas Governor Ann Richards.

She died yesterday after a valiant battle with cancer.

CNN's Ed Lavandera joining us from Dallas with more -- Ed.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And it was a quick battle, Miles.

She was diagnosed with cancer -- at least she made it public -- back in March.

She had big Texas silver hair, a twang that was unmistakable when you were in a room with her and Republicans and Democrats alike this morning saying she was one of a kind.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Someone once said Ann Richards wasn't born funny, but she got funny pretty quick.

ANN RICHARDS, FORMER TEXAS GOVERNOR: After all, Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaire did, she just did it backwards and in high heels. LAVANDERA: There wasn't much to laugh about as a young girl during the Depression, growing up in Lakeview, a small town near Waco. She was Dorothy Ann Willis then. Her father once told her she could be anything she wanted to be. So at Baylor University, Richards joined the debate team. A career in politics was born.

She married Dave Richards and had four children. They immersed themselves in Texas Democratic politics, even spent their honeymoon campaigning for a congressman.

Richards' first elected office was as a county commissioner in Austin.

But years of hard drinking were taking its toll. Richards' marriage ended in divorce. In 1980, she quit drinking and smoking. Richards never shied away from talking about her alcohol abuse.

RICHARDS: I had such high expectations of myself. I was going to be the best mother, the best housewife, the best entertainer, the best nurse. You know, whatever it was, I was going to be the best. And I never could live up to my own expectations.

LAVANDERA: But Richards' political career continued to flourish. She became Texas state treasurer, which catapulted her to the state's biggest stage.

RICHARDS: I, Ann Willis Richards, do solemnly swear...

LAVANDERA: In 1990, Ann Richards was elected Texas governor, the first woman to hold the office in more than 50 years. In a conservative, now Republican state, she's always remained popular, a testament to the power of personality.

Ann Richards loved to put on a show, but nothing inspired her sharpest verbal darts quite like the Bush family.

First, at the expense of President George Bush at the 1988 Democratic convention.

RICHARDS: Poor George. He can't help it. He was born with a silver foot in his mouth.

LAVANDERA: Then, six years later, in a heated campaign for governor against George W. Bush, after he accidentally shot a protected bird on a hunting trip.

RICHARDS: You can't get dressed up in a hunting jacket, borrow somebody's shotgun-and hire yourself a guide and go out in somebody's pasture and fake it.

LAVANDERA: Richards lost that election to the future president and never returned to public office.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

LAVANDERA: Miles, the last time she spoke publicly with reporters was back in April, when she talked about the cancer treatment for the first time. She said back then that there was no doubt in her mind that she would recover from this and that she feels really positive about beating cancer.

Unfortunately, things taking a much quicker turn for the worse here in the last few months -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Ed, you've covered her for years.

How will the people in the press corps remember her there in Texas?

LAVANDERA: You know, I think she was someone that people who have covered state politics in this state for a long time will dearly miss. You know, she was someone that you just never knew what you were going to get when you were covering one of her events. She was just kind of full of life. And I think, you know, people on both sides of the aisle are recognizing that this morning. And if you cover state politics, I don't think there's much more you can ask for.

M. O'BRIEN: Always, right to the end, always good copy, for sure.

Ann Richards.

And thank you very much, Ed Lavandera -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: What was the motive in a college campus shooting in Montreal?

The gunman killed one person, wounded 19 others, before he was killed by police.

CNN's Allan Chernoff is live from Montreal General Hospital.

A press conference just wrapped up a few moments ago -- good morning, Allan.

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Soledad.

Montreal really is a city in shock after yesterday's horrific events. A lone gunman suddenly opening fire at Dawson College, killing one person, injuring 19. And, as you mentioned, we did just have a briefing from one of the doctors here at Montreal General Hospital. Eleven people were brought to the hospital here. Six actually did have surgery last night. And of those, two remain in very, very critical condition.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. TANEK RAZEK, CHIEF OF TRAUMA, UNIVERSITY OF MONTREAL HOSPITAL CENTER: The critical patients suffered intracranial wounds and abdominal wounds.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CHERNOFF: Five other individuals are in much more stable condition and a psychiatrist here at the hospital did have an opportunity to speak with those individuals. She said that the wounds are going to heal, but the psychological scars, they could last for a very long time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KARINE JOSEE IGARTUA, UNIVERSITY OF MONTREAL HOSPITAL CENTER: Today, the confusion is gone. People know what has happened. People know what has happened to their loved ones. And so the confusion is subsiding and now we're dealing more with shock, grief, denial, anger, horror, really a sense that people's personal security has been shattered.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHERNOFF: The "Toronto Star" this morning is identifying the gunman as Kimveer Gill. The police, though, are not confirming that. But from reports, we understand he's a 25-year-old man.

But again, that question of motive, that remains unanswered right now -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Allan Chernoff for us this morning.

Allan, thanks.

Ahead in just about 20 minutes, we're going to talk to two people who were there on the screen at Dawson College and witnessed the shootings. That's just ahead.

Time for a check of the forecast first, though.

Chad's got that -- good morning.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning.

How are you, Soledad?

S. O'BRIEN: I'm here and there.

MYERS: I'm running over here to the lever board.

S. O'BRIEN: Oh, I would have -- if you had told me, I would have, you know, dragged it out a little more.

MYERS: That's OK.

S. O'BRIEN: Chad, the man we admire and love...

MYERS: You're always there for me. Oh, keep going...

S. O'BRIEN: ... for his work as our severe weather...

MYERS: Let me go back over here. Keep going. Keep going. S. O'BRIEN: ... expert is joining us now -- hello, Chad.

MYERS: Thanks, Soledad.

I appreciate that.

I mean, I'm there for you, too, Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Thank you.

(WEATHER REPORT)

M. O'BRIEN: Still to come, a new way to save a lot of lives on the highway, maybe yours one day. And it's coming to a dealer near you soon. We'll tell you how it works.

And later, reading, writing and response -- some sixth graders learn how to deal with disaster, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: If you're in the hunt for a new car, you'd better listen up. There's a new gadget you should be asking for besides the X.M. Radio and the air conditioning seats. I'm talking about electronic stability control, which steps in when the going gets rough and helps keep the rubber on the road.

The government is set to mandate the technology for all new vehicles in the next few years.

Jean Jennings, president of "Automobile" magazine.

She's got a promotion.

Congratulations.

JEAN JENNINGS, PRESIDENT, "AUTOMOBILE" MAGAZINE: Thank you very much.

M. O'BRIEN: Joining us now.

Jean, a pleasure to have you right here.

JENNINGS: Good to be inside.

M. O'BRIEN: All right.

Electronic stability control -- why don't you, if you can give us the layman's nutshell explanation of what it is.

JENNINGS: All right, it basically senses when the wheel is side slipping...

M. O'BRIEN: OK.

JENNINGS: ... so your anti-lock brakes and it tracks your control, control it when it's slipping and going forward. But it senses when it's moving -- it's going sideways and it puts on the brakes and it's -- it will maybe brake one wheel, two wheels or all four wheels, and maybe also control the acceleration to get it back into a straight ahead motion.

M. O'BRIEN: So, really, if you're in a bad way and you're trying to avoid something at high speed, it kind of steps in like an autopilot would on an airplane.

JENNINGS: Right. Right. You know, if you get into a little slippery situation -- ice, rain, whatever -- and you don't have to do anything, just steer. It does it by itself.

M. O'BRIEN: You don't even have to touch the brakes?

JENNINGS: You don't have to touch the brakes.

M. O'BRIEN: If you do touch the brakes do you defeat this technology? Or will it override your efforts?

JENNINGS: No. You know, it works with anti-lock, braking. So when you hammer the brakes, when you -- everyone knows now, hopefully, that in a bad situation you stomp and steer, meaning put your foot down.

M. O'BRIEN: Right. No more pumping like we learned years ago.

JENNINGS: No pumping.

M. O'BRIEN: You don't pump anymore.

JENNINGS: I think we are over pumping.

M. O'BRIEN: We're past the pump days.

JENNINGS: Pumping is behind us.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes.

JENNINGS: Yes.

M. O'BRIEN: Well, then now explain the history. This is something that's been around for a little while.

Why now? Why is it suddenly becoming mandated?

JENNINGS: It has been around for a while. Bausch, the Bausch Company in Germany, introduced it in the top of the line Mercedes Benz S Class in the 1995 model. But you have to remember, this goes with anti-lock braking.

So there are two factors. First of all, they usually introduce these expensive new technologies in luxury cars. They're the test bed, because the high price can cover the cost. And then it trickles slowly down into the rest of our cars.

M. O'BRIEN: Right. So it's like a high end...

JENNINGS: Like anti-lock braking.

M. O'BRIEN: ... high end people pay for the research and development, essentially.

JENNINGS: Exactly. Right.

In addition to that, anti-lock brakes, they were not a done deal. You know, when they came out, people were very suspicious. Mfrs weren't sure if they'd be sued if there were problems. And there were -- and even the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said there were problems with anti-lock brakes.

M. O'BRIEN: Lest we forget the airbag, too.

JENNINGS: So we had to get through that.

M. O'BRIEN: You remember the airbag controversy.

JENNINGS: Oh, yes. People...

M. O'BRIEN: You had tremendous resistance on those.

JENNINGS: Right.

M. O'BRIEN: So, if you're out buying a car right now, should you be asking for this? Should you be looking for it? Should you wait until these are mandated and in the car?

JENNINGS: Well, frankly, people are loathe to spend a lot of money on technology that they -- they're more likely to spend the extra $1,000 on a radio upgrade than they are on technology that they can't see and might not ever use.

M. O'BRIEN: Right.

JENNINGS: So, you know, if you live in an inclement state like our states in the North, you know, you might consider this. And especially if you're a bad driver.

If you're someone like...

M. O'BRIEN: (LAUGHING).

JENNINGS: If you're someone like Jeff Gordon, you know...

M. O'BRIEN: Yes.

JENNINGS: ... he's going to turn the switch off on that and he's going to be driving sideways.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes.

JENNINGS: You know, he's going to have a good time with that car. M. O'BRIEN: He can handle that, yes.

JENNINGS: But, you know, this is -- the government is expected to ask for this. Congress is demanding it. It's going to take a little bit of time to get into place. Sixty days for the comment period.

M. O'BRIEN: Right.

JENNINGS: So, for the -- and we expect that no one is going to complain about this. Ford already said all of their cars by 2009.

M. O'BRIEN: They're going to do it. So the...

JENNINGS: G.M. all of their cars by 2010.

M. O'BRIEN: So the government is kind of behind the curve, in a sense.

JENNINGS: Exactly.

M. O'BRIEN: Or they heard this was rumbling and they decided to get ahead of it, whatever the case.

JENNINGS: Congress told them to so they're putting it out.

M. O'BRIEN: There you go.

Right.

JENNINGS: So it may take three years after the 60-day period and we will expect some mfrs who don't have the technology in place yet to ask for a little more time. So it will be some time before it's mandated. But it will eventually be in all cars. And it's good.

M. O'BRIEN: And worth the money, you think?

JENNINGS: It's absolutely good.

M. O'BRIEN: Jean Jennings, president of "Automobile" magazine.

Thank you very much.

JENNINGS: Thank you.

M. O'BRIEN: Congratulations on the promotion -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Coming up this morning, our health series for people in their 30s and their 40s and their 50s. Today, we're taking a look at salt -- how much you should be getting as you get older and what could it do to your health to get too much?

Also ahead this morning, a wild ride caught on tape. Look at that. We'll tell you why this little home movie got four people in big trouble with the cops.

That's ahead.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: This morning in our health series for people in their 30s and their 40s and their 50s, salt. It certainly can make a meal tastier. No question about that. But as you get older, instead of saying pass the salt, you might just want to say pass.

Here's Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We shake it onto many of the foods we eat.

DR. STUART SEIDES, WASHINGTON HOSPITAL CENTER: We need salt to live. It's part of our cellular structure.

GUPTA: And also salt is part of our daily diet, too much or too little of it can cause health problems, especially as we get older.

In our 30s, we begin to lose fluids faster when we exercise. As we work out, our salt is depleted. We sweat it out. It's important to keep our salt levels in balance. If we don't get enough, our blood vessels can dehydrate and collapse.

SEIDES: Your blood pressure falls and a person can become very ill or even die.

GUPTA: Most people deal with their salt deficit with water. But many hard core athletes need to replace salt with sports drinks with electrolytes.

In our 40s, our blood vessels are aging and hypertension or high blood pressure becomes an issue.

Postman Larry Campbell is 47. He has a family history of hypertension and takes medication for it.

LARRY CAMPBELL, HYPERTENSION PATIENT: I've never been a salt shaker. My mother brought me up like that, that, you know, once she prepared the meal, you know, it has the salt in it and that you don't need to put salt on your food.

GUPTA: And if your blood pressure begins to rise, too much salt can raise it even higher, eventually causing heart problems. So watch what you eat. An average fast food meal may contain more salt than you need in an entire day. And processed foods also have lots of salt.

And as we get into our 50s, doctors say use moderate salt in your cooking and seasoning. The American Heart Association recommends 2,000 to 3,000 milligrams of sodium daily. For example, a teaspoon of salt is 2,200 milligrams. So you need to use it sparingly. SEIDES: That's not that easy to do. Many foods that we have are either previously prepared or preserved and even more difficult if one eats out at restaurants.

GUPTA: When we reach our 50s, too much salt compounded with other health problems we face as we get older, like hypertension, diabetes and fluid retention, can cause the heart and the kidneys to break down. So if you can, doctors say try to take that salt shaker off the table, for good.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

S. O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, firefighters in California finally get the upper hand on a huge wildfire. Crews in another state, though, have their work cut out for them ahead.

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Alina Cho in New York, where Fashion Week is underway. We'll tell you about the unusual way one fashion designer brings his ideas to the runway, when AMERICAN MORNING returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think if we don't get a handle on it now, it's probably going to get worse.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But I just don't understand why it's taking so long. It's the same procedure they used before.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Security is good and everything, but I think it's just got too much security here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Technology can't tell what's actually in somebody's heart.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't see how you classify who is acting like a terrorist. They look just like me or you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It used to be a joy to fly. But now it's nerve-wracking as hell.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

M. O'BRIEN: It all began here five years ago, here at the site of the World Trade Center.

Airline travel has not been the same ever since.

But are the layers of security we have added really making us safer? Could we be missing something important? Psychologist Paul Eckman says we may be focusing too much on screening bags while not paying enough attention to the body language of a terrorist.

PAUL ECKMAN, PSYCHOLOGIST: Your emotions are manifest primarily in your facial expressions. Those are innate and many of them are involuntary and hard to prevent.

M. O'BRIEN: Eckman has discovered 3,000 universal facial movements that can reveal a person's concealed emotions. He says screeners could be trained to spot those telltale signs.

ECKMAN: If you go back through the records of the 19 9/11 hijackers, some of the people who saw them on the very day they committed their act thought there's something off. But they hadn't been trained in exactly what to look for and what it meant.

M. O'BRIEN: Eckman says the idea has been tried in pilot programs and it is efficient and effective.

ECKMAN: When they saw someone who showed one of the things on the checklist, they didn't have to take him out of the line. In less than 60 seconds, in almost every case, they were able to clarify that there was no problem.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Good morning.

Welcome back.

I'm Soledad O'Brien.

M. O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien.

Thanks for being with us this morning.

(NEWSBREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Well, I don't think there's a Scotty on the International Space Station, but they can get more power, captain, now because they've got some solar arrays that have been -- well, they're in the process of being successfully deployed. And there you see it. A solar array, for those of you who don't know -- oh, there's a good picture -- this is halfway deployed. Solar array, these are like little blankets. And on them are 250,000 -- I'm going to put 250,000 arrows for you -- not quite -- little solar cells. It is called solar photo volteox (ph). It takes the light from the sun, and it converts it directly into electricity for the space station.

This is the second of five arrays in all that are pretty much identical to be attached to the International Space Station. So far, this crew of the Space Shuttle Atlantis said this whole deployment has gone well. You notice -- you can't really tell for sure -- but what is going on right here, it's only about halfway deployed. In its total, it's about 112 feet, and each of these is about 39 feet.

They're waiting for a little while for it to heat up because last time they tried to do this six years ago, they tried to go the full distance right away and it got stuck because of the way these things are kind of folded together, they kind of got stuck. And it took a little while for them to get that straightened out. So what they've decided to do, halfway deploy, and then do the distance a little bit later after it heats up a little bit. Yes, that was a little bit earlier. You'll see some of the deployment from the previous solar array. This is the port solar array as it was going out.

Before he left, the commander of the mission, Brent Jett-- that's his real name, Jett -- told us what a big deal this is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRENT JETT, ATLANTIS COMMANDER: Professionally, you know, when those arrays come out, that's going to be the highlight of the mission for me. That's why we're going. We get those arrays out without any problems, and I'll be very happy at that point.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

M. O'BRIEN: So soon to be happy up there. Now, let me show you with a little bit of animation exactly how these things work. One of the key -- one of the most precious resources on the space station is power. And with this animation, I can show you how they -- as they rotate around the Earth 17,500 miles an hour, this solar array spins around like you see here, and catches the solar's array -- the sun's energy -- at just the right angle.

Now, when it goes into darkness like this, how do they keep the lights on? Well, they have a bunch of batteries there that store up this power as it is generated, so they can keep things running while they're in the dark.

And it's Thursday, so special edition of the Miles Cam, space edition we'll call it. You can send your e-mails with questions to me about anything you'd like, including space. Milescam@CNN.com is the place. You'll get the answers if you tune into the Pipeline product, CNN.com/pipeline, at 10:30 Eastern. Join me then -- Soledad.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, a new report says America's kids are fatter than ever. What can help them slim down? Dr. Sanjay Gupta is going to take a look at one success story.

And then coming up next, disaster training for sixth graders. Why is one state teaching that to kids? That's ahead. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Your building is dark and full of smoke. All around you, people are screaming for help. So what's your first move? It's a tough spot for anyone, even thinking about it now. But imagine being in the middle of it, especially if you're a kid.

Here's CNN's Rusty Dornin.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you can hear us, please make a noise.

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A burned out, smoky building, no lights, and people are screaming for help. A frightening scenario for almost anyone, but what if you are in the sixth grade and you have to figure out what to do next?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're at the building that's on fire.

DORNIN: These Alabama sixth-graders have been training for three days on emergency preparedness at the space camp in Huntsville, Alabama. They call it Be Ready Camp, sponsored by Alabama Homeland Security and the governor. And this is the finale. Pyrotechnics, smoke and fire, a simulated plane crash.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's victims in the water. There's a crash site over there, and there's a crash site in Area 51.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mayday!

DORNIN: Twelve year-old Tyler Cee (ph) is the incident commander for Team Three. His task, get on the radio.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need divers quickly at the lake!

DORNIN: And coordinate the rescue of crash victims in the water.

TYLER SEAY, 6YH-GRADER: I have to talk to people, see how many people went. And they told me six, but there were only five heads standing. So I had to call in the rescue team, and some divers and a boat.

DORNIN (on camera): They try to make it as realistic as possible, right down to the blood on the injured bodies, and the kids have to cope with the chaos, the confusion and sometimes the lack of communication that can happen at a real tragedy.

(voice-over): OK, well, maybe there was a little more confusion here. But at their side stood real firefighters, paramedics and rescue teams were there to whisper the right words in their ear.

Why go to all of this trouble for a bunch of 12-year-olds?

JAMES WALKER, ALABAMA HOMELAND SEC. DIR.: The young people that you see tonight will be the next generation's soldier, firefighter, police officer, emergency medical technician, doctor and surgeon.

DORNIN: After rescuing victims, Sabrina Stevens helped get them on a medevac chopper. This sixth-grader once dreamed of being an artist. Not anymore.

SABRINA STEVENS, 6TH-GRADER: I want to be a firefighter.

DORNIN (on camera): Really? Just from this experience?

STEVENS: Uh-huh.

DORNIN (voice-over): It's hard to keep sixth-graders serious for too long, but there were sobering reminders.

STEVENS: I saw some pretty scary things, like one person had a very cut thing with a lot of blood.

DORNIN: A night to remember for more than just fun and games.

Rusty Dornin, CNN, Huntsville, Alabama.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

S. O'BRIEN: What caused a gunman to open fire on college students in Montreal at midday. Police have named the suspect. No word yet, though, on a motive. One woman was killed; 19 others were wounded.

Daniel Mightley was there. He joins us from Montreal. Nice to see you.

Thanks for talking with us, Daniel.

Describe for me exactly where you were when you started hearing the gunfire.

DANIEL MIGHTLEY, WITNESSED SHOOTING: I was only like, five, six feet outside of Dawson on (INAUDIBLE), and he was to my right when he commenced fire.

S. O'BRIEN: So you were inside, and then you started hearing the gunfire. Did you -- what did you do?

MIGHTLEY: No, I was actually outside. I was getting ready to go eat breakfast with one of my friends just across in the mall.

S. O'BRIEN: Did you see the gunman?

MIGHTLEY: Yes, I did. I had a very clear look at his face actually.

S. O'BRIEN: What did he look like? What was he doing?

MIGHTLEY: He was, I'd say like around, 6'2. He wasn't all that big, he was kind of skinny, pale face, a little bit of a mohawk. And after fired the first time, everybody around just kind of stood there, because we didn't know exactly what it was. It kind of sounded like a firecracker. And then when I turned to my right, where I heard the sound coming from, that's when I saw him. And I had -- looked at him for probably, like, two seconds, and that's when he started firing again, and that's when everybody was screaming and turning around and running in every direction. S. O'BRIEN: And which direction did you run in?

MIGHTLEY: I ran back inside, and I ran up to the third floor, back to where my program space is, because I know that once I got in there, the way that the door is, is that once it's closed, you can't open it from the outside. There's like a code on it, and only the teachers knew the code or the administration.

So that's when I told everybody, look, there's somebody in the college shooting. We need to go in a back room away from the windows. And we stayed there until the police came and got us, maybe an hour and a half later.

S. O'BRIEN: Did any of the folks in the classroom have any idea what was happening outside?

MIGHTLEY: None whatsoever. I was actually the only news that they had, because actually they had heard some of the shots being fired, but didn't know what it was. They just thought there was a firecracker, like I said before. When I came inside, there was actually one of my classmates getting ready to go into the hall to look and see what was going on. That's when I told her to get inside because somebody had a gun and was shooting at people.

S. O'BRIEN: It had to be just terrifying. What was going through your mind while all this was happening?

MIGHTLEY: Honestly, I didn't have time to think at all. It was just one of those moments where it's, like, "is this really happening at my school" type of thing? So my split reaction was to just grab my friend that was with me and go back inside and take cover.

S. O'BRIEN: When you finally were able to get out, once the police said the area was clear, you had to walk through a lot of the debris and a lot of what was leftover from all of that gunfire. What did it look like? What did you see?

MIGHTLEY: The school that I once knew wasn't what it looked like a couple of hours previous. There was bullet holes all over the place, police officers all over the place, blood in our cafeteria, like pools of blood in our cafeteria. There was blood smears on the floor. When they escorted us outside, there was more blood on the concrete where I was standing actually before. And they led us a few blocks away. And we were met by media, some people were met by friends, family members. My phone wouldn't stop ringing. People worried about me.

S. O'BRIEN: I bet they were worried about you.

The suspect -- by a couple of Canadian broadcasters, have named his as Kim Beard Gil (ph), 25 years old. Do you know that name? Do you know this person at all?

MIGHTLEY: Never ever met him, seen him in my life. Actually, when I picked up the paper this morning and they actually had a picture of him, I was, like, yes, that was the guy I saw yesterday. I never knew his name. Now I do. I'd never seen him before. I don't think he was a student at Dawson. Never seen him before.

S. O'BRIEN: Daniel Mightley, thanks for talking with us. I hope you're able to kind of get over all of this chaos and fear. We appreciate you sharing your story.

MIGHTLEY: Thank you very much for having me.

S. O'BRIEN: Coming up, we're going to be "Minding Your Business" straight ahead. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Hey, it's Fashion Week here in New York. The spring collections are on the runways, where the style is cool and calm and collected. Apparently, it's nothing like that behind the scenes where they're getting ready for the show, though.

AMERICAN MORNING's Alina Cho is covering the fashion scene for us. Good morning.

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Soledad. Good morning to you. Well, if you've ever written a term paper, you know that sometimes you do your best work at night. Well, that certainly is the case for the Tuleh designer Brian Bradley, who says he's most creative when most of us are sleeping.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHO (voice-over): When the clothes move this well on the runway, when every last detail is picture perfect, it looks easy. Sometimes it is. But not always.

Less than 48 hours from showtime, Tuleh designer Brian Bradley is working feverishly through the night.

BRIAN BRADLEY, DESIGNER, "TULEH": Put it a little bit lower.

CHO: Many of his dresses aren't even made.

(on camera): Now, it's almost 11:00 at night, and yet...

BRADLEY: Yes, but we're fashion people, though. And for the most part, people who work in fashion are weirdos and misfits. And, you know, we do all those terrible things that you're not supposed to do. We sleep late, we stay up late.

CHO (voice-over): In Bradley's case, very late.

BRADLEY: The good ideas come when they come.

CHO: Sometimes he doesn't make it to bed until the rest of us are getting up.

BRADLEY: It's not being interrupted. And I'm not saying this is, like, you know, brain surgery here, but if you're interrupted every five, ten minutes, you can't get a thought going. From 9:00 to 5:00 I'm more of like a mascot cheerleader, getting everybody in the right direction, talking on the phone, that kind of thing. This happens when I'm alone.

CHO: He says working while others are sleeping allows him to focus.

BRADLEY: One of the sort of ways to drive someone insane, in a torture sense, is to not let them sleep. And after a while, a person goes crazy. So as the number of hours increases since you've last slept, your brain gets a little cracked, which is helpful in design.

CHO: At 1:00 in the morning, it also makes a certain reporter a little giddy. There is a method to the madness. The sketches, the stitching, what for now is concept, will soon be reality.

Just a few minutes before showtime, Bradley is backstage.

BRADLEY: You look gorgeous.

CHO: In the front row, "Vogue" magazine's Andre Leon Talley says Bradley's method of working through the night makes sense. He is, after all, an artist.

ANDRE LEON TALLEY, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, "VOGUE": It would be like Jackson Pollack or Andy Warhol. I mean, it's just that kind of laid- back syndrome of I will get it done my way.

CHO: His way, on three hours of sleep. Bradley says he doesn't have a choice. The label may say Tuleh, but the designs are his.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHO: Bradley says he remembers the early days when the designs weren't so good and taking a bow wasn't so great.

Now, having said that, he's already thinking ahead. Soledad, he's heading to Paris on Sunday for the fabric shows, and it's not a moment too soon. His next show, where he will unveil his fall collection for 2007, is a short five months away.

S. O'BRIEN: So he wraps up one show, hops on a plane and starts working on the next show. Has had no sleep whatsoever, and at the point where he's still drawing sketches for things that the models will be wearing going down the runway? Oh my god, the guy just...

CHO: Yes, I mean, that's it. Andre Leon Talley from "Vogue" said he visited Bradley just the night before the show and half the dresses weren't even made. And so sometimes the designers work and they procrastinate like the rest of us.

S. O'BRIEN: Wow, yes, that's procrastination, for sure. All right, Alina, thanks.

CHO: That's right.

S. O'BRIEN: Miles? (BUSINESS HEADLINES)

M. O'BRIEN: Top stories after a short break. Stay with

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Still no motive in that deadly shooting spree at a Montreal college. Now, new details, though, about the suspected shooter.

M. O'BRIEN: Remembering Ann Richards, the sharp-tongued former Texas governor. She broke barriers for herself and for others.

S. O'BRIEN: Childhood obesity, nearing epidemic levels. Now even more serious consequences for overweight children to tell you about.

M. O'BRIEN: Also, Lindsey Wagner, step aside. You'll meet a real bionic woman, ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.

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