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American Morning

Terror Arrests: Plot to Storm Fort Dix; Midwest Floods; Celebrity Custody Cases: Dads Caught on Tape; God to Go?

Aired May 08, 2007 - 08:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR (voice over): Rising rivers.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was very scary having it coming in our houses.

CHETRY: Floods and fears across the heartland right now. High water washing out homes, roads and residents.

Plus, a royal toast at the White House. A White tie tribute to the queen of England. The pomp, circumstance and star-studded guest list on this AMERICAN MORNING.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHETRY: Ah, the pomp and circumstance. The day after.

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Those White Douse dinners, I went to one for King Juan Carlos of Spain back in 1999. It was a lot of fun. It really was.

CHETRY: It was? I would be so nervous. I wouldn't even be able to eat.

ROBERTS: No, it was terrific. I sat at the president's table, and he regaled us with all kinds of political tales. It was a lot of fun.

CHETRY: That's cool. All right.

Well, thanks so much for being with us on this Tuesday. It's May 8th.

I'm Kiran Chetry.

ROBERTS: And I'm John Roberts.

Lots of stories in our AM radar this morning. Breaking news out today.

Six ethnic Albanians under arrest. They're accused of planning to attack soldiers at Ft. Dix, in New Jersey. Apparently, they went so far as to train in the Poconos with automatic weapons. So they're under arrest today.

Breaking news. We'll have that for you.

CHETRY: That's right. And apparently caught on tape, as well, audio and videotape, attempting to purchase AK-47s as well.

Well, what a mess for David Hasselhoff. After that video surfaced, this one right here, his daughter videotaping him as he's having a drunken binge here, well, now he's temporarily banned from seeing his daughters after this tape is released. And can he get a fair shot in a custody battle, or is the legal case already decided by the media playing the video?

We also saw this about two weeks ago with Alec Baldwin in the voice-mail.

ROBERTS: Right. It certainly doesn't look good for him.

A big brouhaha, if you will, also, at Starbucks. A message printed on their coffee cups.

They do this. They have these, you know, thought-provoking messages, provocative messages, marketing messages, whatever, on their coffee cups. This one questions whether god is real. It really upset one woman from Ohio.

Starbucks responds to it. We'll have all that for you this morning.

CHETRY: Also, breaking news here in New York City. Six men under arrest, accused of planning to gun down soldiers at Fort Dix Army Base in New Jersey.

CNN's justice correspondent, Kelli Arena, joins us on the phone now with more details.

I believe these were six ethnic Albanians under arrest today.

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kiran, you know, our sources are not -- are not laying that out for us on the ethnicity front. But what they are telling us is that, yes, those six men were planning to use automatic weapons to shoot as many soldiers as they could -- as they could aim at, at Fort Dix, which is the Army base over in New Jersey.

Now, the six men, we do know, were related to each other. So, I mean, if the charges stick, sort of terrorism as a family business. Isn't that lovely?

They've been doing surveillance and planning for some time, according to our sources, and they even trained up in the Poconos, according to those sources. The New York -- New Jersey state troopers, the FBI both involved in this investigation all along the way. They were involved in arresting those suspects, and this investigation was aided by an informant who played a very key role.

We do know that a tip came in to law enforcement that got the ball rolling on this. And, you know, what prosecutors love to hear, there is some video and even audiotape of the planning along the way.

So, where it stands right now is that federal charges are going to be filed in a court in New Jersey today, and we do expect to be hearing from officials -- so that we don't have to keep saying, you know, our sources tell us -- around 2:30 today -- Kiran.

CHETRY: All right. So, we hopefully will find out more.

We're also hearing that New Jersey state troopers, as well as the FBI, involved in that investigation and arrest, Kelli.

ARENA: That's right.

CHETRY: All right. Thanks for that update.

And we will continue, of course, to follow this throughout the day. As soon as we get any more developments, we'll bring them to you here on CNN.

ROBERTS: Just in this morning, news of a deadly Navy helicopter crash. It comes to us from the naval air station in Fallon, Nevada. That's about 50 miles east of Reno.

Commanders say an SH-60F helicopter crashed last night during a training mission. That's a variant of the Black Hawk helicopter. The five people on board were all killed. The cause of the crash still unclear at this point.

Four minutes after the hour now.

From tornado misery to flooding fears. Flood warnings are stretching from Iowa to Texas this morning. River towns could see floods approaching the same levels as back in 1993 or very, very close to it at the very least.

AMERICAN MORNING'S Sean Callebs is live in St. Joseph, Missouri, along the rising Missouri River. Rob Marciano is in Greensburg, Kansas, where the community is recovering after devastating tornadoes there. And Rob is watching the weather for us in the Midwest.

We begin with Sean in St. Joseph.

Sean, how's it looking there? It's looking a little mistier than it was just a little while ago. It's not because of the rain, is it?

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is -- you know, it is -- yes, it has been a weird morning weather-wise. It started out kind of hazy, then got sunny last hour. And a fog has really rolled in. But if I look up that way, you can see blue skies. So that's going to be good news for people in this area.

What you're seeing here, a swollen Missouri River. Look out there. You can see how it just jumped its banks.

This the result of punishing rain that really hammered the plains states over the weekend. More than seven and a half here in St. Joseph, and in about a 24-hour period that really has people in this area extremely nervous. What they're worried about, how high will the river go?

Want to take you out to this tree we've used as a benchmark this morning. Right now city officials tell us that the Missouri is about 25 feet. And really, 17 feet is considered flood level.

They expect this water is going to crest today at 1:00 Central Time. And they think it's going to go about three feet higher.

So -- but if you look down there, you can see some of the tree is wet, and it looks as though some of the water has receded. We're trying to check with the National Weather Service, others who check these conditions, to see if, indeed, they still believe it is going to crest at 28 feet.

I had a chance to talk with a gentleman who owns a boat repair shop not far from here, using '93 as a benchmark, and he said back then the water was about seven feet higher than where I am now. So that's a significant difference. So, certainly people in this area aren't going to see anything like that.

And we know the police were out here earlier, too, looking at the current here. If we have another camera aimed out there, you can see through the fog some logs, debris going down, moving at a pretty good clip.

What we're told, they used a radar gun and found out that the current moving at 14 miles an hour. How does that compare to normal? Well, usually the Missouri flow, somewhere between four and six miles an hour, John. So you can see it's really cranking up.

ROBERTS: All right. Sean Callebs for us there in St. Joseph.

We'll get back to you this morning. Hopefully that blue sky will pop out and there won't be any more rain, because certainly that would just add to the misery there.

President Bush is going to visit the devastation in Greensburg, Kansas. He'll make that trip tomorrow.

Rob Marciano is live out in Greensburg. He's got the latest on the flood watches and warnings across the Midwest.

(WEATHER REPORT)

(NEWSBREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: We've seen it over the last few weeks. First it was Alec Baldwin's hostile voice-mail to his daughter. Then David Hasselhoff caught on tape in a drunken stupor. On Monday, a judge suspended Hasselhoff's visitation rights after this tape surfaced. It was shot by one of his daughters.

Let's listen to a little bit of it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tell me you're going to stop drinking. Tell me right now, or I'm not going to talk to you ever again. And I will totally disown you because it's not fair to me or your family what you're doing.

DAVID HASSELHOFF, ACTOR: I'll be fine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: Savannah Guthrie of Court TV joins us now from Washington to talk celebrity custody cases.

Savannah, good to see you.

SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, COURT TV: Good morning, Kiran.

CHETRY: In both of these instances, these leaked tapes, both the voice-mail from Alec Baldwin, and this tape from David Hasselhoff, actually led to a change in their parental rights.

GUTHRIE: And is that surprising? Not really when you see those tapes.

I mean, in the case of David Hasselhoff, the judge said, I can't ignore that this tape is out there. And so what he did yesterday was temporarily suspend David Hasselhoff's visitation rights, and that's understandable. The judge is basically saying, time out, I have got to get more information and find out what's really going on here.

CHETRY: What do you think about the tapes being out into the public spotlight? Do you think it's harmful or do you think it's helpful to these cases?

GUTHRIE: I can't imagine that it's helpful at all to the fathers in question, whether it be Alec Baldwin's tirade against his daughter, or David Hasselhoff in such apparent shape in front of his own daughter, exposing his own daughter to this. On the other hand, I don't think it necessarily helps the other side, the moms in these cases, if the judge has determined that they're the sources of the leak, because this may be relevant information for the judge to have in these custody cases, but I don't see any justification for why these tapes are out there in the public domain, for public consumption. That cannot be in the best interests of the children here.

CHETRY: The only argument to be made though is that this stuff would be going on behind closed doors and these children would still be suffering. At least it's out in the open and now there are consequences.

GUTHRIE: Well, absolutely. Again, I think the tapes should come in, in the custody case. I think the judges should see them. It's good information and good evidence, and judges making these very difficult custody decisions should see the whole landscape.

And to the extent the tapes really help them drive home these points, fine. But why are they being leaked to the media? I don't see any justification for that.

CHETRY: Let's hear about this, because there is some question about who leaked, especially in the David Hasselhoff video. We'll hear from his ex-wife right now. Pamela Bach-Hasselhoff was on "LARRY KING LIVE".

Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAMELA BACH-HASSELHOFF, EX-WIFE OF DAVID HASSELHOFF: That's why I don't believe Taylor-Ann would have released it. I know I didn't, and I know my youngest daughter. When you're the family of the diseased, it's the elephant, and you don't talk about it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: So she's saying that no one in her family released it.

In these cases, who else benefits?

GUTHRIE: Well, that's the question. And the judge will be looking very closely at motives here.

Obviously, the other side, Hasselhoff's lawyers think, of course that is who behind it. On the other hand, you know, tapes get out there. And it's not necessarily true that it came from the moms in these situations.

But now it's just one other thing, one other mystery the judge has to kind of track down, because especially in the case of Kim Basinger, that piece of voice-mail tape, I believe, was in the court file, a piece of sealed evidence. So, if somebody leaked it who was a party to the case, that's potentially a violation of a court order, and he may want to hold somebody in contempt.

CHETRY: And that's what they're looking into now in that case.

Savannah Guthrie from Court TV, thanks for talking to us this morning.

GUTHRIE: You bet.

ROBERTS: Want to avoid those big crowds at new movie openings? One cable company wants to bring brand-new flicks to your home, the same day that the movie comes out. Ali Velsli has got that, and "Minding Your Business" coming up next.

Plus, want a little spiritual pick-me-up with your coffee? Just what is printed on your fast food cups, and why is Starbucks feeling the heat?

Next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Well, next time you step up to a Starbucks counter or drive through In-N-Out Burger, take a moment to read your cup, because they're printing scriptures and quotes on them.

Michelle Encano (ph) of Springboro, Ohio, was insulted by the quote on her Starbucks' cup. It asks if god is a figment of our imagination.

And Delia Gallagher is AMERICAN MORNING'S faith and values correspondent, and she joins us now with the offending cup in hand.

What is the quote?

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN FAITH AND VALUES CORRESPONDENT: Let's read it. This is the quote on the back of -- all the Starbucks cups have different quotes on them.

This one says, "Why in moments of crisis do we ask god for strength and help? As cognitive beings, why would we ask something that may be a figment of our imagination for guidance? Why not search inside ourselves for the power to overcome? After all, we are strong enough to cause most of the catastrophes we need to endure."

So, obviously here raising the question of, you know, whether god is a figment of our imagination would be an offending thing in this quote.

CHETRY: And it's sort of by Joe Schmo Starbucks customer from...

(CROSSTALK)

GALLAGHER: Right. The idea behind these things is Starbucks kind of collects them from different people. They can be famous people, writers, musicians, poets, or they can be your average customer.

We talked to Starbucks yesterday. They gave us a statement saying, "We think this tradition of dialogue and discussion is an important facet of the coffee house experience. In fact, the conversation around Quote 247" -- which is the quote on the cup -- "is sparking dialogue, which is the original intent of the program."

So, they say this is the point. It's not to present one viewpoint over another. It's everybody can kind of -- as if you're sitting around talking in a conversation, except it's on your cup.

CHETRY: And there are ones that are also religious and are pro- scripture.

GALLAGHER: There are about -- yes, there are about 250 quotes in this program. And about 10 of those have some kind of religious discussion in them. And some of them are more positive. There was one from Rick Warren, for example, talking about god and being created by god. So, all different points of views are kind of represented in this thing. This one is particularly strong, so for religious people it might sort of strike them as offensive.

CHETRY: Now, it's interesting, because In-N-Out Burger, which is a famous hamburger chain, especially on the West Coast, a private company, has for years put scripture or actually given where you can go in the bible to read different scriptures.

GALLAGHER: Yes. As you see there, it's very hidden. Look a that, John 3:16 is right underneath the inside rim of the cup or on the very bottom of the bag.

I spoke to them yesterday, too. They said they've never received any complaints about -- about these scriptural references, and there are all kind of things on the Internet sort of wondering, you know, is there is a conspiracy here, what is this all about? But the company says that they're privately owned, it's a Christian family, and they've done it since the beginning as part of their own Christian beliefs.

So, I mean, Starbucks is not a private company, so that's kind of the difference. And, of course, they're not putting such overt scriptural references on their cups.

CHETRY: I have to laugh, because before -- I get a Starbucks every day, and I didn't even realize. Today's was Dr. Andrew Weil, the -- about living longer. I didn't even know to look at this until you pointed it out.

GALLAGHER: Well, there's all kinds of topics. I mean, it's the environment and, you know, friendship and love and all kind of things. So, they want to spark the conversation. They've done it.

CHETRY: They sure did.

Delia Gallagher, thanks so much.

GALLAGHER: You're welcome.

ROBERTS: Twenty-four minutes after the hour now.

Ali Velshi here "Minding Your Business".

I probably would have gone to see...

ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: "Spider-Man," right.

ROBERTS: "Spider-Man 3" last weekend...

VELSHI: Lots of folks did.

ROBERTS: ... but for the fact that I didn't want to brave the crowds at the movie theater.

VELSHI: Right.

ROBERTS: So, here's Ali with the solution.

VELSHI: I am rarely interested in braving the crowds on a first day of a movie.

Now, a few years ago, Bob Iger, who runs Disney, had suggested it, and I think he didn't get the sentence out of his mouth, saying that he's looking to a future where movies will be released on DVD the same day they come out in the theater, in the studios. I'm surprised the guy's still walking around. I mean, they were really, really mad at him.

So now what's happened is Comcast, one of the biggest cable service providers in the country, has said that it is in negotiation with some of the Hollywood studios, hasn't said whom, to release movies on the same day that they come out in the theaters on a premium cable TV offering, and it will be $30 to $50.

So, the privilege of not -- wanting to see that movie on the day it's released, but not wanting to hang out at the theater, is that you'll pay for it. The idea here is that studios like to milk as much as they can. They release it in theaters, and then it gets to DVD. And then, you know, they want to get as much run out of this thing as they can.

So, if you're going to eliminate that profitability for them, they're going to want you to pay for the privilege, $30 to $50. That's what Comcast is saying. No details on that yet, but obviously if this is big in moneymaking, everybody will get involved.

ROBERTS: Now, if you can invite 10 friends over to watch the film...

VELSHI: And you charge them a little admission.

ROBERTS: ... that would be a good deal. But if it's one person...

VELSHI: And you sell soda and popcorn for the rates they do at the movie theaters. You could just move into the movie business.

ROBERTS: You are the very definition of the entrepreneur, are you not?

VELSHI: That's right.

ROBERTS: No, I'm just saying, it would be a good deal if you could have a lot of people over to your house.

VELSHI: Yes.

(CROSSTALK)

ROBERTS: If it were one person, though, that would be prohibitively expensive. VELSHI: Yes. I think what you'll see is, if this becomes a trend, you might see those costs going down. But interesting. A development in something that the studios a few years ago would be the death for their industry.

ROBERTS: You know, we should call up Dan Glickman over at the MPAA and find out what they're thinking about it.

VELSHI: Yes.

ROBERTS: Maybe we'll do that later on today.

Ali, thanks very much.

VELSHI: Yes.

ROBERTS: Still to come, trouble in the air. Warm weather, lots more pollen. We'll tell you what can be done to prevent asthma problems.

Plus, inside the white-tie toast. We'll talk to someone who helped plan a White House dinner fit for a queen.

You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning is on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Floods inundating parts of the heartland this morning. Homes and roads suddenly washed out, hundreds of residents forced to evacuate. We have got the latest pictures, the latest extreme weather forecast on this AMERICAN MORNING.

And good morning to you. It is Tuesday, May the 8th.

I'm John Roberts.

CHETRY: And I'm Kiran Chetry.

Also on our radar today, asthma concerns. Things are actually expected to get worse for people with the condition in the coming weeks.

ROBERTS: Oh, the pollen out there. I don't know if it's...

CHETRY: And you suffer from -- you don't know if I gave you a cold or if you have allergies.

ROBERTS: I don't know if it's your personal Petri dish's fault that I have a cold, or if this is just allergies. I'm just not sure.

CHETRY: But it has been tough with the winds blowing and the pollen coming off the trees. But for people with asthma it's even scarier, because the fact of the matter is, is you really feel like you cannot breathe. And in some cases you can't.

So, Dr. Sanjay Gupta is going to explain why this is getting worse, and he's also going to give us some advice on breathing easy.

ROBERTS: All right.

Also, some of the most enticing presidential candidates aren't even running. We'll be talking about some of them. And also, are there signs out there that Republicans are growing impatient with the war?

Talk show host Laura Ingraham joining us in just a couple of minutes. Stick around for that.

CHETRY: Should be a lively debate, between you two.

ROBERTS: Sure.

CHETRY: Or discussion, rather.

ROBERTS: We always have words. But good words, though.

CHETRY: Good words, exactly.

Hundreds of people had to be rescued or evacuated from flooded out cities across the Midwest. Seven different states dealing with a lot of flooding; and there is concern up and down the Missouri River, near St. Joseph, Missouri. Earlier we spoke with the town's spokeswoman about some of the precautions they're taking.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARY ROBERTSON, SPOKESWOMAN, ST. JOSEPH, MO.: We did a mandatory evacuation of a small area in the northeast -- northwestern section of the city that sits on the river itself.

We have been sandbagging three areas, one with the waste water treatment facility to protect it from being compromised by flood waters. There are a couple gaps in the Missouri River levee that needed to have sandbags filled there, as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: Again, that was Mary Robertson. She does not expect things, she says, to be as bad in St. Joseph as it was back in 1993 when days of heavy rain prompted severe flooding.

President Bush headed to Greensburg, Kansas, today. That's where he will see for himself the devastation caused by Friday night's massive tornado. The town literally wiped out. Many of the people who lost their homes returned yesterday. They were given a certain amount of time to search for anything they could salvage, and then many need to leave, again.

Nine people were killed. People who live there say it could have been a lot worse, in terms of injuries and deaths, it had it not been for a 20-minute warning they got from the National Weather Service.

ROBERTS: Our latest CNN presidential polling reveals something interesting about the Republican '08ers. There is strong support for one at least candidate who isn't even in the race, at least, not yet. Laura Ingraham is the host of "The Laura Ingraham Show". Her new book, "Power To The People", is due out in September.

Laura joins me now from Washington.

Good morning, Laura.

LAURA INGRAHAM, HOST, "LAURA INGRAHAM SHOW": I get here and this whole place is empty, thanks.

ROBERTS: Sorry. I mean, come up to New York, we'd love to have you up here.

INGRAHAM: Is it tie-less Tuesday, John? Tie-less Tuesday?

ROBERTS: It is. It's tie-less Tuesday.

INGRAHAM: Excellent.

ROBERTS: And I notice you're following suit, as well. You don't have a tie on.

INGRAHAM: I did. I didn't wear one.

ROBERTS: Our latest poll, Laura, shows Fred Thompson would be in third place if he was running, ahead of Mitt Romney. Would he be the conservative's choice for president? How good a shot would he have if he jumps in the race?

INGRAHAM: I think people are very curious at this point about Fred Thompson. He has, in the past, kind of flirted with running for governor of Tennessee; and maybe running for president in 2000, and then he didn't run for re-election when he was senator. People are always like well, he's almost our candidate, and yet ultimately it never seems to come to fruition.

I'm sure you saw the Bob Novak take on Sen. Thompson's speech, in Orange County, last week and it was according to Novak a ho-hum performance. I only heard bits and pieces. I thought it was OK. But I think if you are going to come in this late, you'll need to come in with a lot of momentum. So, I think Thompson has to decide one way or another.

ROBERTS: So, is he more of a good idea than a viable candidate, do you think?

INGRAHAM: I think everybody is looking for the next Reagan. And you know -- Reagan -- there's not going to be another Reagan. Everybody yet wants to invigorate that memory of Ronald Reagan and they think someone like a Thompson is articulate, obviously, comes from the entertainment industry, but has a lot of experience in the law and in government. He has an aura of confidence that I think people are really looking for. So, I think it's all that combined.

ROBERTS: What about New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg? He denies, denies, denies even though he winks that idea of running. Would he be a good candidate?

INGRAHAM: I remember when he was telling me that he was thinking of running for mayor of New York as a Republican. I think I laughed in his face. I mean, that's how much I know about whether he would be viable in New York.

I think he -- this -- he has really loved being mayor of New York. I think he just loves his job, loves getting up every day. And he thinks, if there's a real split there in the Republican Party that maybe an independent can make a difference this time. I think it is a very big long shot. Although I did see he was dining with Chuck Hagel last week, which is very exciting.

ROBERTS: Right. Well, according to his count, he has come through on 91 percent of the promises that he's made. So, he's doing a good job here in New York.

INGRAHAM: He has.

ROBERTS: About an hour from now you have Mayor Giuliani on your radio program. I want to play a little piece of sound from last Thursday's debate and then get you to react to it. Take a listen.

INGRAHAM: Sure.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUDY GIULIANI (R-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: In my case I hate abortion. I would encourage someone to not take that option, but, ultimately, since it is an issue of conscious, I would respect a woman's right to make a different choice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: I would assume, Laura, you'll ask him about that when he comes on your program. Is that a position that could win him the nomination of the Republican Party?

INGRAHAM: It's giving people a lot of pause. I think the fact that he says he hates abortion, and then we found out he has given on multiple occasions to Planned Parenthood, donations. It is hard to square those two things. I don't donate to things I hate. I think he is going to have to answer those questions.

I don't think he adequately answered them in the debate. But there's a wide range of issues that Giuliani, I think, has to keep talking about.

ROBERTS: One more, quick question before you go, both Trent Lott and John Boehner have suggested that the president has until the fall to figure out what is going on in Iraq, otherwise people are going to start asking about plan B. Are we seeing the first cracks here in the Republican leadership on this issue?

INGRAHAM: I think it's pretty clear that if there isn't real progress, the benchmarks aren't being met by the fall, it is going to be difficult politically, back here at home, to continue to go to the American people and say just one more time, just one more time. I think they're speaking realistically.

ROBERTS: Hey, Laura, thanks very much for coming in.

INGRAHAM: Thanks.

ROBERTS: We appreciate it. We'll make sure that there's somebody there next time.

INGRAHAM: OK, thank you.

ROBERTS: And wear a tie, as well.

INGRAHAM: Excellent. Thanks.

ROBERTS: We'll be listening next hour, so --

INGRAHAM: Good job.

ROBERTS: All right.

CHETRY: She's great.

How about this one? They weren't abuzz over politics yesterday in Washington, everyone was abuzz over a visitor, a certain someone.

ROBERTS: Well, when the queen comes to town, you have to be abuzz over the queen, right?

CHETRY: That's right. And it was the royal toast yesterday in Washington, D.C. We'll talk to the woman who helped plan, imagine the pressure, she helped plan the star-studded dinner fit for a queen.

Also Dr. Sanjay Gupta is with us. He has a look at asthma. Millions suffer from it and it's about to get worse, he says. We'll explain why and some solutions. Coming up. You're watching AMERICAN MORNING, the most news in the morning here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: It's 39 minutes after the hour. Time to check in on the weather forecast to see what's going on across the Plains states and the Midwest. Rob Marciano is in Greensburg, Kansas, with the very latest.

(WEATHER FORECAST)

CHETRY: Well, it was a dinner fit for a queen last night at the White House. Itzhak Perlman playing for those lucky enough to land a ticket to the rare white-tie affair. All of it, of course, in honor of Britain's Queen Elizabeth.

ROBERTS: Anita McBride is the first lady's chief of staff. She helped plan the big gala. She joins us now from the White House.

Hey, Anita. How are you?

ANITA MCBRIDE, FIRST LADY'S CHIEF OF STAFF: Good morning.

ROBERTS: I went to one of these in 1999, I believe, for King Juan Carlos, of Spain, they are always a lot of fun. But the first question I had, was there any lingering chatter about the president's almost-1776 comment yesterday?

MCBRIDE: That was very much an innocent slip of the tongue. Her majesty was very gracious and the president was very quick in his response.

CHETRY: I have to laugh because you can breathe a sigh of relief yesterday because by all accounts everything went off without a hitch. How nervous were you in terms of trying to get everything planned and just perfect for the queen?

MCBRIDE: Surprisingly we were not nervous at all. It was not the chaos that one would expect in putting together an event like this. Certainly, it was very busy. Everybody came together. The household staff, the new social secretary and her staff, this was quite a big event for her to put on. And it was just terrific. We were not nervous at all. And part of it was working so well with our British counterparts and coming together to put on an event definitely fit for a queen.

ROBERTS: Anita, this was the first white-tie event that this White House has held. Was this the first lady's idea? And did she have a difficult time -- or recruit anybody it talk the president into it?

MCBRIDE: She really thought if we were going to do a white-tie event in this administration, this would be the one to do. She suggested it. If the president was reluctant he certainly went along with it. He really does respect Mrs. Bush's role as the nation's first hostess, and she always puts together a beautiful and elegant party. It's always wonderful to come to the White House.

ROBERTS: But I read that she got you to recruit Condoleezza Rice to just put a word in his ear to say this would be a good idea.

MCBRIDE: I think they tag teamed it. And, they obviously came up with the best result.

CHETRY: He looked dashing with the white tie, by the way. It was a look that worked for him. Now, it's interesting because you said you worked with the British counterparts. When you're planning a menu like this you have to make sure that the guest of honor actually likes the food. So, is that the type of stuff you talked about?

MCBRIDE: Well, sure, actually we do get guidance from the office of protocol at the Department of State; will give us some dietary restrictions. And, of course, we will have discussions with our British counterparts on other likes and dislikes of the queen. But there were very few, if any, restrictions. This was really very fun to plan. Mrs. Bush enjoyed every single bit of this visit. ROBERTS: The main course was Dover sole. And I'm wondering, did it go through the queen's mind, oh, my god, Dover sole again. Don't I get that every day? Why not give her a big Angus steak? Something from the United States?

MCBRIDE: Actually, John, it was one part of a five-course meal, Dover sole, was the fish course, but there was a beautiful meat course, of saddle of lamb that everybody seemed to very much enjoy.

ROBERTS: All right. Looked like a lot of fun, Anita. Good job.

MCBRIDE: It was a lot of fun. Thank you.

CHETRY: And breathe a sigh of relief, you're off the hook. Congratulations. Anita McBride, planned that whole event yesterday.

ROBERTS: Thanks for joining us this morning. Appreciate it.

MCBRIDE: Thank you.

ROBERTS: "CNN Newsroom" just minutes away. Heidi Collins at the CNN Center with a look at what's on the menu for Newsroom this morning. Good morning, Heidi.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR, CNN NEWSROOM: Yes, good morning. In fact, I heard, John, they went all-gluten free at the state dinner last night. Very exciting.

ROBERTS: Good for them.

COLLINS: In fact, we have these stories coming up on the NEWSROOM run down.

Six arrested in New Jersey. Federal authorities say the group planned a brazen attack at Fort Dix. The alleged plot? Gun down soldiers with automatic weapons. We'll tell you more about that.

Flood waters chasing hundreds of people from their homes in Missouri. Forecasters say the brewing disaster could match the historic 1993 flood.

Now, hear this, you couldn't blame him for a bad case of arachnophobia. Doctors removed spiders that took up residence in his ear. Tony Harris joins me in the "Newsroom". There might be a little bit of gagging. Top of the hour on CNN.

John back to you.

ROBERTS: That's too frightening to even conceive of.

COLLINS: That's so heinous. I can't even really talk about it too much.

ROBERTS: Spiders?

COLLINS: Tony is going to do all those stories. ROBERTS: I guess. Thanks, spiders in the ear?

COLLINS: Yeah.

ROBERTS: See you soon. Thanks.

COLLINS: OK.

CHETRY: He's such a boy, though, John. Because he saved them in a jar to show his friends.

ROBERTS: Oh, my lord!

CHETRY: Well, the killer tornado in Greensburg, Kansas, makes this the deadliest tornado season we've seen since 1999. It was back in March when 19 people were killed in a tornado that hit Alabama, as well as Georgia.

As bad as that was, it might have been worse if it wasn't for Debra Boyd, today's CNN hero.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is Miss Deborah you're hero?

EMMA SMITH, SURVIVED TORNADO: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Will you tell me why she's your hero?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, she just saved me from the tornado.

DEBRA BOYD, TORNADO SURVIVOR: We knew it was bad weather, but we have bad weather a lot of times. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary, I didn't think. Then, all of a sudden, tornado sirens were going off.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's first take you to Enterprise, Alabama. That is certainly an area where you want to take cover immediately.

BOYD: There was a tornado coming this way.

This was full parents. And we were pushing them into this office. And I we had gotten them all in, and I was like the last person. And I was about to close the door when I saw Emma, with her mother Barbara.

She had no idea that a tornado was about to hit. There wasn't time to yell. I just ran out and grabbed Emma, and grabbed Barbara, and we ran -- I said, we've got to get down.

BARBARA SMITH, TORNADO SURVIVOR: The front door blasted out, glass went everywhere.

BOYD: The wind had just taken one of the trophy cases and put it right there where she was.

I just took them over to the side and got on top of them.

E. SMITH: Mama was on my head, and Miss Deborah's head was on mine. They were trying to protect me.

B. SMITH: I shudder to think what would have happened to us had I been standing in that front door when that glass blasted out, and the trophy case shattered everywhere.

BOYD: It's just really something that I did. There wasn't time to do anything else. I have never really thought of myself as a hero.

E. SMITH: Well, she's a super girl because she's not a man like Super Man.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHETRY: Wow. For more information, or to nominate a hero of your own, visit cnn.com/heroes.

ROBERTS: Millions of people suffer from it, and this time of year makes it even worse. How to ward off suffocating asthma allergies. Dr. Sanjay Gupta pays us a house call. That's coming up next.

And breaking up may be hard to do, but one billboard urges you to do it now while you have the chance. People like that are in your future. We'll take a look at the uproar over this racy ad.

You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning is on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: More than 20 million Americans suffer from asthma and this can be the season of most discomfort, with all that pollen out there. Dr. Sanjay Gupta with us now for more on asthma and what triggers it.

How much worse is it typically this time of year?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Much worse. In this particular year, much worse than previous years. I don't know what's going on, and the pollen counts in Atlanta, for example, thousands. Usually they're in the hundreds, so it's really exponentially worse. Pollen, obviously a big trigger, people talk about that, but also the rising temperatures and smog, which has gotten worse, as well. Those things all in combination make for a pretty bad asthma season.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEATRICE AIST, ASTHMA PATIENT: I would cough. Every other word cough, or trying to get enough air to be able to speak more than three words, a phrase.

GUPTA (voice over): Beatrice Aist was diagnosed with asthma, and in that moment she joined more than 20 million other Americans suffering from the chronic lung disease that causes coughing, chest tightness, shortness of breath and wheezing.

DR. DAVID GROSS, PULMONOLOGIST: The airways get inflamed, and when they're inflamed they tend to react and constrict.

GUPTA: It can happen at any age, although it's more common in children. Now, there are a number of triggers that can bring on an attack. Allergens like pollen and animal dander, or environmental irritants like cigarette smoke and air pollution, even exercise. In fact, every day there are 5,000 asthma-related emergency room visits and 11 deaths, every day. There's no cure. So getting the proper treatment is crucial.

GROSS: With care, we think most of those asthma attacks are preventable, but, unfortunately, not all of them are. Some can be incredibly acute.

GUPTA: The standard care is medication, mainly in the form of inhaled steroids.

GROSS: It's really our main line of attack against asthma and they're very successful and very safe, when they're used. The side effects are very low, as well.

GUPTA: Beatrice says after just six months on medication her symptoms improved significantly.

AIST: Less coughing and a better quality of life. I feel like I'm living.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA: Asthma can't be cured. And that's bad news for a lot of people, but you can live a pretty normal, active life as long as you get the medications, some of the things avoiding triggers, things like that, as well.

ROBERTS: You know, Sanjay, it's not just getting the medications. As I have found out in my own household it's getting the person with the asthma to use the medications.

GUPTA: I think you're talking of someone in particular, it sounds --

ROBERTS: There might be somebody I had in mind, yeah.

CHETRY: John's wife happens to be up -- he is talking about you.

It is true. We have made advances in the medicines, as well. You don't have to take the fast-acting inhalers.

GUPTA: That's right. I think that's one of the biggest things. There's the fast-acting stuff, which gets rid of your symptoms at the time. People love that, because it makes them feel better. But I think the bigger key for a lot of people, one of the tips there, is also to use the longer-term medications, as well. You have to use those things to sort of ward off asthma longer term.

(CROSS TALK)

ROBERTS: Are you listening, Michelle?

GUPTA: I'm not preaching to you, Michelle. That's your husband preaching.

Use proper medications. Use them early in the season, as well, especially if you know this is going to be happening. Again, those triggers. Those can be hard to avoid for the reasons we just talked about and Beatrice just talked about in the piece, as well.

But if you can avoid them, for example, I know that smog gives me exercise-induced asthma. So, I'll try to do my runs earlier in the day when the smog is a lower levels.

ROBERTS: And pregnancy can really exacerbate it, as well, can't it?

GUPTA: Yeah.

CHETRY: But he's not planning on being pregnant any time soon. So that some good news.

ROBERTS: Are you sure about that?

CHETRY: Yeah.

GUPTA: That's tomorrow's story, that's a tease.

ROBERTS: Advances in medical science.

CHETRY: Sanjay, thanks so much.

GUPTA: Thanks, guys.

ROBERTS: By the way, if you have a question for Dr. Gupta, e- mail it to us. Go to cnn.com/americanmorning. We'll gather together all these questions for Sanjay and he'll be answering questions from the mail bag coming up on Thursday.

It's 55 minutes after the hour, here's a quick look at what CNN's "Newsroom" is working for the top of the hour.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: See these stories in the "CNN Newsroom":

Evacuations in Missouri, forecasters say flooding could rival the 1993 disaster.

Northern Ireland: Protestants and Catholics inaugurate a new power-sharing government.

The toasts are done, today Queen Elizabeth visits NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and the World War II Memorial. Archaeologists say they discovered the tomb of King Herod, builder of old Jerusalem. "Newsroom", at the top of the hour, on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Just a minute and a half now before the top of the hour. A couple of quick hits before we go here. A personal makeover may be in order for "Extreme Makeover" host Ty Pennington.

CHETRY: That's right. He was busted for drunk driving in Los Angeles early Saturday morning. He says the arrest was, quote, "a wake-up call." He apologized to his fans and co-workers.

ROBERTS: Pennington was let go after posting a $5,000 bail.

"Life is short, get a divorce".

CHETRY: That was the message of this racy billboard that is making people furious in Chicago. Well, we talked with a lawyer behind that ad in the last hour, she says that critics are looking at it all in the wrong way. And that her law firm is actually promoting happiness and personal integrity.

ROBERTS: She said that it was outcome-oriented advertising and that these pictures were to give people who are going through divorces hope that there's something on the other side.

CHETRY: Right, so we said, is that false advertising? They believe that's what they're getting, when they get rid of their marriage?

ROBERTS: She denied all of that, of course.

CHETRY: She sure did.

Well, that's all for us here on AMERICAN MORNING. Thanks so much for being with us today.

ROBERTS: We'll see you again tomorrow. "CNN Newsroom" with Tony Harris and those spiders, and Heidi Collins, begins -- right now.

HARRIS: Good morning, everyone. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Toney Harris.

COLLINS: And good morning, I'm Heidi Collins. Watch what's coming into the NEWSROOM, live on this Tuesday morning, May 8. Here's what's on the rundown.

Fort Dix attack plot. Federal authorities say six men wanted to kill as many soldiers at possible with automatic weapons. The suspects under arrest and in court today.

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