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American Morning

Iraq Funding Approved; Greg's Gas Gauge

Aired May 25, 2007 - 06:00   ET

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

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Hold out and high emotions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOHN BOEHNER, (R) MINORITY LEADER: Providing the safety and security of the American people. That's at the top of our list.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: Congress sends the president a war funding bill, despite protests and fresh promises.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. HARRY REID: Senate Democrats will never give in. Never, never, never.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: Plus, start your engines. The summer driving season revs up today. But with gas prices sky high, is flying a better deal? A vacation price check on this AMERICAN MORNING.

Start your engines, as well, because it's the Indy 500 this weekend and later on this morning we'll be talking to Danica Patrick. A 26-year-old superstar.

Good morning to you. Friday, May 25th. I'm John Roberts.

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Kiran Chetry. Thanks so much for joining us today.

Also, summer means summer reading at times. And "On Our Radar" this morning, two new books that I'm sure the Hillary Clinton camp wishes were not being published at this point. A revealing look at her tortured past, from Bill Clinton's infidelities, to her plans to get even. Is this rehashing the past or are there some new, juicy tidbits that could affect her political ambitions? We're going to have a sneak peak at both of the books.

ROBERTS: Her campaign is certainly trying to say, hey, it's old news. What was it that her spokesman said?

CHETRY: Philip Reins said, can you quote a yawn?

ROBERTS: They were really trying to play this whole thing down. And, of course, summer blockbuster are out again. "Oceans 13" coming out. "Pirates of the Caribbean," "The End of The World," opens today. "Die Hard IV" coming up. "Harry Potter." "Shrek 3," "Spider- Man 3" already out. All morning we're going to be looking at the blockbusters that are coming out this summer. And we'll reveal some of our all-time favorites as well.

CHETRY: I wonder if people can guess what movies we like. It's interesting, though, all of them are summer sequels. They're all sequels. All the blockbusters. Well, we'll talk more about that.

But we begin with some drama, this could be a movie, in Washington. After months of holding out, Democrats capitulated. They yanked the troop withdrawal deadline part of that huge spending bill. They passed it. $120 billion war funding bill. It passed through both houses last night. It now heads to the president's desk today. It includes 18 benchmarks that the Iraqis are asked to meet, but President Bush is allowed to wave those benchmarks. Democrats say they'll mount another fight in September when this money runs out.

As for the candidates for president, Senators Joe Biden and John McCain voted for the bill. Senators Hillary Clinton, Chris Dodd and Barack Obama voted against it. Former senator and presidential candidate John Edwards also blasted the bill last night, calling it a blank check foe the president.

And in one dramatic moment during that debate on the House floor, Republican Congressman and Minority Leader John Boehner actually was moved to tears.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOHN BOEHNER, (R) MINORITY LEADER: I didn't come here to be a congressman. I came here to do something. And I think the top of our list is providing for the safety and security of the American people. That's at the top of our list. After 3,000 of our fellow citizens died at the hands of these terrorists, when are we going to stand up and take them on? When are we going to defeat them? Ladies and gentlemen, let me tell you, if we don't do it now, and if we don't have the courage to defeat this enemy, we will long, long regret it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: Well, and President Bush plans to sign that bill without ceremony, but emotions certainly running high. I've never seen him get that upset.

ROBERTS: No, I haven't. And David Obey, as well, was saying, I negotiated this bill and I'm voting against it. It was really strange. Washington really got turned on its head yesterday.

Tacked on to the Iraq funding bill, the first minimum wage increase in almost 10 years. Workers now making $5.15 an hour will may $7.25 an hour. But not until the summer of 2009. The raises are phased in. The first 70 cents will kick in by the end of this summer. And also included in the Iraq spending bill, more than $1 billion for dairy farmers. Airlines will be allowed to reduce pension plan contributions by almost $2 billion over the next 10 years. And a little more than $60 million goes to the northwestern salmon industry. Why, you say? Well, apparently they had a bad year.

A scathing, internal document blames Pentagon red tape for failing to get critical gear to Marines in Iraq. Vehicles resistant to mines, handheld lasers, just some of the equipment that was requested but not delivered. The Associated Press got a hold of the 32-page document. It was prepared by a Marine unit returning to Iraq. It was never submitted to the Pentagon, though, because it was deemed too controversial.

CHETRY: Well, meanwhile, speak of Iraq, the search continues for two missing soldiers captured in an ambush now two weeks old. It's not the first search in that dangerous section of Iraq. CNN has obtained newly released tapes of soldiers giving a deposition about a similar incident last year, saying they did not have enough manpower to protect themselves.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

QUESTION: How many times, if at all, did you ask for a larger force?

SOLDIER: Oh, constantly. We never had enough people the whole time we were there. And that was evident from day one. It's extremely dangerous. I would say that if I was an insurgent, I would attack.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: Coming up in our next hour, Jason Carroll will have more on that story. And we're also going to be speaking with CNN military analyst General David Grange. He'll weigh in about that tape.

This morning, Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr is back in Iraq. He went into hiding in Iran back in January when the U.S. announced a new security crackdown. Al-Sadr told supporters in Kufa (ph) today that, "the occupation forces should leave Iraq."

And now to Lebanon, where U.S. military aid has started arriving. The supplies headed to troops in northern Lebanon. The army there battling with al Qaeda-inspired militants that are barricaded inside of a Palestinian refugee camp.

ROBERTS: Well, are you looking for summer reading. Two books out next month level some new charges against Hillary Rodham Clinton and paint a portrait of a driven woman in a tortured relationship. "The Washington Post" got an early look at both of the books. "A Woman in Charge: The Life of Hillary Rodham Clinton," is by Carl Bernstein, of course, of "Washington Post" and Watergate fame. And "Her Way: The Hopes and Ambitions of Hillary Rodham Clinton," by long-time "New York Times" reporter Jeff Gerth and Don Van Natta Jr. Bernstein reveals that Hillary considered running for governor of Arkansas in 1990 after learning that her husband wanted to divorce her. And "Her Way" includes a third-hand report claiming that the Clinton's hatched a secret plan after the '92 election in which both of them would have eight years as president. The authors also claim that Clinton did not read the national intelligence estimate on Iraq in 2002 before voting to authorize the war in Iraq.

CHETRY: White House reporters not the only ones taking aim at President Bush yesterday. Let's take a look at this video. It was a bird flying over the president's news conference and depositing a little present. A bird dropping falling on the president's sleeve. He quickly brushes it off, continues on. Not terribly bothered. You'll see it there. What are you going to do, right? It's thought to be a sign of good luck by some. If so, I'm quite lucky because it does happen to me a lot in New York.

ROBERTS: I've got a very lucky car myself.

California drivers, speaking of cars, and getting some relief. The a stretch of I-580 in Oakland, melted last month after a gasoline tanker crashed and caught fire there, is now open. You may recall what it looked like just last month. It took only 25 days to fix the raised roadway. Some had expected it to be out of commission for months.

Heavy rains flooded many parts of Texas yesterday with central Texas getting the worst of it. In Killeen, police say every intersection in town was flooded.

And is this price of gasoline keeping you closer to home this year? A look at whether it might be cheaper to fly than drive, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning is here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: A little, what, Will Smith, D.J. Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince? "Summer Time." I don't know if it was D.J. Jazzy Jeff as well. But a gorgeous shot in Boston today. It is going to get up to 71. Oh, it's already 71 degrees there. It's going to be going up to a high of 91 in Boston. How about that?

Time now, nine minutes after the hour, we check in with Rob Marciano.

How beautiful the shot of Boston this morning?

(WEATHER REPORT)

ROBERTS: Eleven minutes after the hour now. Months of political debate ended last night when funding for the Iraq War was approved by Congress. The Senate and House approved the money without any deadlines for troop withdrawal. A victory for President Bush and some Democrats say it's only the beginning of their fight. Josephine Hearn is the congressional reporter with Politico.com. She joins us now from Washington. Good morning to you, Josephine.

JOSEPHINE HEARN, POLITICO.COM: Good morning.

ROBERTS: So was this a clear win for President Bush?

HEARN: Well, both sides are claiming some victories. I think, though, most of the victory is the president's. He got most of what he wanted. As you said, the time lines were dropped. The readiness standards were dropped. There are some benchmarks for the Iraq government to meet. But it's not nearly where a lot of the anti-war groups wanted. And they certainly are seeing it as a defeat.

ROBERTS: It was quite an extraordinary day on Capitol Hill, filled with emotion, filled with speeches by Democrats who were voting against their own bill. Let's take a quick look at what the House minority leader, John Boehner, said when he got up there on the floor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOHN BOEHNER, (R) MINORITY LEADER: I came here to do something. And I think at the top of our list is providing for the safety and security of the American people. That's at the top of our list.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: Josephine, have you ever seen the minority leader in such a state?

HEARN: You rarely do. You know, sometimes Jack Murtha will be overcome on the House floor. It's rare for it to happen to Mr. Boehner. But this is an issue that's different than others for a lot of members. It's a life or death issue. They see it as one of the defining issues of our time. And so a lot of them do become emotional on this issue, whereas they wouldn't on many others. On, you know, a crop insurance programs.

ROBERTS: Yes. And let's take a quick listen to what David Obey, who's the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said when he was saying that he was going to vote against this bill.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. DAVE OBEY, (D) WISCONSIN: I hate this agreement. I'm going to vote against the major portions of this agreement, even though I negotiated it, because I think that the White House is in a cloud somewhere in terms of understanding the realities in Iraq.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: So he and Nancy Pelosi negotiated a bill that the majority of Democrats in the House voted against. Nancy Pelosi also voted against it. I mean, this was an extraordinary day.

HEARN: That's right. It's very unusual for the speaker of the House to bring up a bill which they themselves do not support. It didn't happen very often under the Republicans. It happens very rarely in general. The Republicans used to have a doctrine called the majority of the majority, so the majority of Republicans had to vote for any bill that made it to the House floor.

That's not the case here. There were only -- it was less than half of the House Democrats that voted for this. So you see a speaker bringing up a bill that she very clearly disagrees with, but believes that, you know, that's the way to go forward, at least for now.

Now, a lot of the Democrats, especially the more liberal ones, the war opponents like the speaker, are reserving their fire for September. This is one setback in the overall debate and they believe that they've advanced their position so they'll be at a better negotiating spot when this comes up again in September.

ROBERTS: We should also point out, too, that presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama voted against this. You have to wonder if that's going to have some sort of an effect on them down the road. Are the Republicans going to be able to beat them like they've got a stick in their hands.

HEARN: That's right. It won't necessarily hurt them in the primaries. It will possibly help them, actually, because that's a popular position with primary voters. But, yes, it could become a problem if either one of them advance to the general election.

ROBERTS: All right. We'll keep watching this. Josephine Hearn from the Politico.com. Thanks very much.

HEARN: Thank you.

CHETRY: Another big topic, record high gas prices. Are you actually better off just flying your family on your summer vacation? AMERICAN MORNING's Greg Hunter is on the scene.

GREG HUNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, I'm at a gas station in Great Neck, New York. And, you know, the big question is the price of fuel. How high will it go? Is it giving you the willies about taking a summer vacation? Should you drive? Should you fly? Well, we're going on the road to answer those questions as AMERICAN MORNING continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Welcome back to the most news in the morning. Twenty minutes after the hour.

Two families in Maryland are suing McDonald's. They say that McDonald's failed to list all of the ingredients that it uses in its foods, specifically that milk and wheat are included in french fries and hash browns. The reason for the lawsuits? The family's sons are lactose intolerant, got sick after eating the food.

The allusive Reggie the Gator finally behind bars this morning. He's a six and a half foot alligator. Finally captured on Thursday after hiding in a lake in Los Angeles for two years. You usually don't hear much about alligators in Los Angeles. They're typically confined in the east coast. Police say Reggie was an illegal pet tossed into the lake when he got too big.

CHETRY: He wasn't cute anymore like he was when they first got him.

ROBERTS: The same thing's going to happen with Knut.

CHETRY: Well, more than 38 million Americans are going to be traveling for the Memorial Day weekend. That according to AAA. And despite the record high gas prices, the vast majority will be traveling in their car. AMERICAN MORNING's Greg Hunter has more on the great holiday travel debate, which is, is it cheaper to fly than drive this year? He's live at a gas station in Great Neck, New York, with the answers for us.

Hi, Greg.

HUNTER: Hey, how you doing, Kiran?

Well, you know, I'm at a gas station in Great Neck, New York, and we're getting ready to do a little preview on whether you should fly or whether you should drive. Coming up next week, we're going to be going from a city in Ohio down to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. A very popular route. But is it worth it to drive as opposed to fly? Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTER, (voice over): When should you fly versus drive? One general rule of thumb, if your destination is less than 300 miles, travel experts say it's generally cheaper to drive. Other considerations?

MARK ORWOLL, TRAVEL & LEISURE: How many people are traveling with you? If it's just yourself, it might be cheaper to fly. But if you're traveling with a family of five, that's really going to bump up the cost of flying.

HUNTER: Senior travel editor Mark Orwoll says, before booking anything, spend at least an hour on the computer comparing prices.

ORWOLL: Hotels, cars, cruises.

HUNTER: And check out more than one travel site, such as Kayak.com, AAA, Expedia.com. Flying may be faster, but there may be hefty ticket prices and delays. Driving now means high gas prices, wear and tear on your car, insurance, hotels and meals.

ORWOLL: Driving can really cost a lot of money. So you have to really figure out all of those little additional costs to make sure that you can still afford it.

HUNTER: To find out whether driving beats flying, next week we've driving from Columbus, Ohio, to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. And like others driving this holiday weekend, we'll try to save money where we can.

ORWOLL: Some people will actually make their vacations a few days shorter just so they don't have to pay as many hotel nights. Instead of eating at a four-star or five-star restaurant, maybe you're going to be eating at a coffee shop.

HUNTER: Maybe not eating out at all. And there may be some considerations that have nothing to do with money.

ORWOLL: You get on the road, with get in the car with a good buddy or with your family, there's the sense of adventure. There's the bonding. There's the companionship. It's a romantic-sounding concept, but a lot of people really prefer to drive for that reason.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTER: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, to Columbus, Ohio, it's about 600 miles. We're actually going from Columbus, Ohio, to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. So we're getting on the road next week. We're going to find out how expensive it is or how cheap we can make it. What's the comparison to flying. You know, the rental car implications. All that we're doing next week on the road. This is going to be a lot of fun. It's going to be good.

Back to you guys.

CHETRY: The ultimate road trip.

All right, thanks so much, Greg.

ROBERTS: Twenty-three minutes after the hour. Carrie Lee "Minding Your Business" this morning.

Very often, Carrie, we'll see different prices between a company's Web site and the company's store. But there's an interesting case here that you've got different prices on the same Web site.

CARRIE LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Exactly. Or what seem to be the same Web site anyway. We're talking about Best Buy. And what's happening, Connecticut's attorney general is suing the electronics retailer, saying that it deceives customers with in-store computer kiosks and overcharge them.

Now this follows a story in the "Hertford Courant." The paper reported an experience of a man who went on bestbuy.com at home, or not within the store, saw a laptop computer for about $730. Went to a Best Buy location in Connecticut, went on bestbuy.com in an in-store kiosk and saw the same item for about $880.

So looks like it's the same Web site. Obviously some sort of discrepancy here. The company says that there were a few customers who did not receive the best prices from the kiosks when they should have. Following that newspaper story, about 20 people complained and so now the attorney general getting involved. Best Buy has until June 13th to respond. They're denying, though, allegations of deception and they said that they will defend themselves in court. But, clearly, this is a wake-up call for companies to make sure that all of the prices align and that there aren't discrepancies like this because they can get in a lot of trouble and, obviously, it's not good publicity at all. So that's the latest on Best Buy.

Turning to stocks. Markets could not continue their positive open yesterday. Take a look here. The Dow down 84 points. Nasdaq, S&P losing ground, as well.

A look at new home sales are raising concerns that the Fed will not cut interest rates by the end of the year. And you know, a lot of people on Wall Street watching the Fed moves. This morning, it is looking like a strong open, but we'll get a look at existing home sales. Interesting to note, every day this week, the market have started off on a positive front but ended either lower or mixed. So we'll see what happens today.

CHETRY: All right. We'll check in with you a little later, Carrie, thanks.

LEE: OK.

ROBERTS: The top story at cnn.com this morning, war funding bill gets the OK. Take a look here. Congress sending President Bush a bill that leaves out deadlines for getting troops out of Iraq. It does include benchmarks, though, for the Iraqis to meet, though those benchmarks can be waved.

Also on the most popular list, smoking forbidden in most U.S. households. Three quarters of U.S. homes are now saying they're smoke free. That's according to the CDC. That doesn't mean, though, that no smokers live there anymore. It's just that they go outside to light up. No smoking in the house.

And coming up, America's finest officers, West Point graduates. A new class this weekend. But why are so many of their fellow alums getting out once their five-year commitment is up?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're losing the next generation of future combat leaders for the army. (END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: A visit to West Point coming up on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: And there's a shine inside Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. The rush to get out of town for the Memorial Day weekend just beginning. Traffic not too bad there yet, but expected to increase throughout the day. One of the biggest travel days of the season -- of the year, of course, but a lot of people driving today. Welcome back. It's Friday, May 25th. I'm John Roberts.

CHETRY: And I'm Kiran Chetry. Thanks so much for joining us today.

"On Our Radar," we're going to be going right back to the picture from Reagan National because we're talking about new security measures in place. Some new technology that may help the TSA find whether or not there are explosives in your liquids. Of course, we all know, we've all dealt with the liquid ban. Can't have anything in your carry-on that's bigger than three ounces. We're going to be talking with the TSA about what this will mean to us. Will it make it easier for us to get through our checkpoints as we travel?

ROBERTS: Now wouldn't it be great if you could take bigger containers of liquid on the plane? Wouldn't have to check those bags anymore.

And all morning, we're looking at hot movies that are hitting the theaters this summer, "Ocean's 13," "Pirates of the Caribbean: The End of the World." What to see, what to skip, plus some of our favorites from summers past. This is going way back for some of us, as well.

CHETRY: Well, we begin with some high drama in Washington, and round one goes to President Bush. After months of wrangling, Democrats dropped their demand that would tie troop withdrawals to the war spending bill. Now that $120 billion bill is heading to the president's desk. And it includes 18 benchmarks for the Iraqis to meet. Only President Bush is allowed to waive them. Democrats say they will mount another fight in September when this money runs out.

Also in Iraq, the search goes on for two missing soldiers captured in an ambush two weeks ago. It is not the first search in that dangerous section of Iraq. CNN has obtained newly released tapes, soldiers giving a deposition about a similar incident last year, saying they didn't have enough manpower to protect themselves.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How many times, if at all, did you ask for a larger force?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Constantly. We never had enough people the whole time we were there and that was evident from day one. It's extremely dangerous. I would say that if I was an insurgent, I would attack.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: Jason Carroll is going to be joining us in the next half hour with more on those tapes. We're also going to be speaking with CNN military analyst General David Grange -- John.

ROBERTS: At a time when U.S. military personnel are stretched to the limit with commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan, an alarming number of Army officers are leaving the military behind once their active duty requirement has been fulfilled. These are guys who went to West Point, as well, career military officers. AMERICAN MORNING's Alina Cho has more on the story. She joins us now.

What's going on?

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, some people cite family reasons, other says multiple deployments. Whatever the case, John, it is happening. And it is a cause for concern. You know, it's graduation time, as you well know. And tomorrow, some 900 cadets will become second lieutenants in the Army when they graduate from the elite West Point Academy.

Now if you think about it, it's not a bad deal. An Ivy League- level education in exchange for five years of active duty. Now to be fair, many officers do stay on and become career military men and women, as John mentioned. But an alarming number are getting out as soon as they can. And that's creating a brain drain in the top ranks.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHO (voice-over): It was a time of peace, a few months before 9/11 and the war on terror. Angela and Dave Lamborn were graduating from West Point. The two met there, married and started a family. Dave shipped off to Iraq soon after their first child was born. Angela stayed behind, but she was worried about both of them being deployed at the same time. So she decided to leave active duty, just a year after her five-year commitment was up.

(on camera): So how does that make you feel?

CAPT. ANGELA LAMBORN, LEAVING ARMY: A sense of guilt in a way because i was leaving during a time of war, but at the same time, a sense of relief because I knew that there was going to be somebody at home to take care of the children.

CHO: The Army is losing mid-level officers at a rate not seen since the Vietnam war. Thirty-six percent of officers who graduated from West Point in 2001 left the service last year after fulfilling their five-year active duty requirement. At the start of the Iraq War, half as many, 18 percent left.

Some, like Angela, leave for family reasons. Others cite multiple deployment, fatigue over the war in Iraq.

LT. GEN. DANIEL CHRISTMAN, FMR. SUPERINTENDENT, USMA: We're losing the next generation of future combat leaders for the Army. Ultimately, that's what is at stake here.

CHO: Just this week, the Army rolled out new incentives for those who are most likely to leave. Captains, among the enticement, a $20,000 bonus for three more years of active duty or for just one more year, language training or additional military training.

COL. PAUL ASWELL, U.S. ARMY: We want those officers to stay in. There is no other way to get them.

CHO: While Dave Lamborn prepares for another combat tour in Afghanistan, Angela will stay home, serving her family.

LAMBORN: The best of both worlds. My husband is going to be serving. I'm going to be right by his side.

CHO: She says by supporting her husband, she's supporting her country, as well.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHO: It was a tough decision. You know, in this day and age, it wasn't automatic that Angela was going to be the one to leave active duty. They actually talked about it. They said they had some heated debates, but ultimately, Angela believed as the mother she should be the one at home. While Dave said sending his wife off to war while he was at home would have been a, quote, "tough pill to swallow."

And as I mentioned in the piece, John, Dave is likely headed to Afghanistan next spring or early summer. And he says by having Angela at home with the kids gives him peace of mind.

(CROSSTALK)

ROBERTS: So we see -- yes, obviously, so many hardships and so many people because of the length of these wars. So but not only are we seeing a hollowing out of the lower level of the officers ranks, but we're also seeing a hollowing out at the top level of the non-com ranks, as well, sergeants, first sergeants, sergeant majors.

CHO: You're absolutely right. Because think about it, these people are leaving, many of them, at the five-year mark, right? As soon as their commitment is up. At that point, they're captains. They're leading day-to-day combat. They're in charge of companies. Well, if it takes 10 years to grow a major and the captains are leaving, it has a ripple effect and there are fewer captains, fewer majors, fewer colonels, fewer generals at the very top levels.

ROBERTS: Yes. And again, with the non-coms, you're seeing fewer platoon leaders, as well.

CHO: That's absolutely right.

ROBERTS: So they're losing it all over the place. Great story. Thanks very much, Alina Cho.

CHO: My pleasure.

CHETRY: Well, holiday drivers hitting the road in New Jersey will be buying the cheapest gas in the nation. It probably doesn't make you feel any better if you live in the other 49 states. New Jersey is the only state now where the average gallon of regular gas is under $3 according to AAA. Analysts say Jersey drivers benefit from low taxes as well as in-state refineries.

Also, finding liquid in your luggage. New technology soon that is coming to an airport near you. We'll have more on that after the break, talk about whether or not it will ease your waits when you go to the airports.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

CHETRY: Well, if you're packing up for the airport right now, and you're going to be seeing something new maybe if you're at one of the airports that is trying out a new technology that can detect liquid explosives. Ellen Howe is assistant administrator for the TSA.

Hi, Ellen. You're over there at Reagan National Airport this morning.

ELLEN HOWE, TSA ASST. ADMINISTRATOR: Hey, Kiran.

CHETRY: And you guys are testing these scanners, they would be able to screen liquids for explosives, doing it at some of the nation's busiest airports. First of all, show us, how does it work?

HOWE: Well, this is how it works. She's got it. It weighs two- and-a-half pounds. She's going to point it at the bottle. And it can sniff the vapors. It's called "the Fido." And it can sniff the vapors from that bottle, a sealed bottle and tell us if there is an explosive chemical inside.

So it is just another layer in our risk-based approach to security at TSA. And we can use it all over the airport because it's flexible and mobile. So you might see it at the checkpoint, but employees might see it on the back side of their airport when they're going into the secure side with liquids. We could potentially even use it with catering pallets and that sort of thing.

Right now we're piloting it and we want to see the potential.

CHETRY: All right. Well, Ellen, let me ask you this, does it mean we can say goodbye to the little Ziploc baggies with our three ounces of liquid again and bring our drinks in our carry-ons?

HOWE: Not yet, Kiran. Right now, passengers should remember for holiday travel the 3-1-1, which is three ounces of liquid in a one quart, clear plastic bag, one bag per passenger at the checkpoint.

And actually, more than half of the world's air passengers are harmonized on this message right now. So we don't anticipate it going away anytime soon.

CHETRY: All right. So the liquids are still banned, the technology then is being tested. Is it because of the fact that a would-be terrorist can still do damage with three ounces of liquid or is it to eventually lead us to being able to bring our regular sized liquids back on the plane?

HOWE: Primarily it's going to be used for exemptive liquids. There's a lot of people that need to travel with more than three ounces for medical purposes, also moms carrying baby formula or breast milk, so we'll be able to test people's medications and that sort of thing just by pointing this at their exempted liquids.

(CROSSTALK)

HOWE: ... that is how it will be used.

CHETRY: All right. And then down the road maybe we'll be able to bring back full-sized liquids in general. Ellen, what would happen if this hit on something?

HOWE: Well, what would happen is our security officer would call in a supervisor and then they would do further investigation. Usually we work very closely with law enforcement, so if they thought it was a potential threat of liquid explosive, we would certainly call local law enforcement that we work with every day in our nation's airport.

CHETRY: Yes, I know you guys are doing your best to keep everybody safe and that's also weighed against, you know, just some of the aggravation when you're in these long lines at airports. And a lot of people we talked to when I said I was going this and interviewing you today is -- they were saying, why can't you weed out people for extra security who clearly are not threats, like the elderly or young children that you see tied up in the line when they have to get pulled aside for extra screening?

HOWE: Well, there's an element of randomness to our screening. And the thing that you have to remember is you can't say what a terrorist looks like. We know the terrorists are recruiting people that look like you and me.

So certainly, we want people to get to the checkpoint early, have patience with the process, reduce your stress level by being prepared when you get there, know that you're going to have to take your shoes off, know that you're going to have to take your jacket off, have your bottle of liquids separated. And remember, if you want to bring a larger amount of liquids, you can always put those in your checked luggage. There is no restriction on size in your checked luggage.

CHETRY: Ellen Howe with TSA, assistant administrator, thanks.

HOWE: Thanks, Kiran.

ROBERTS: Forty-five minutes now after the hour. Yet another problem this morning with an import from China. The FDA is warning consumers to steer clear of imported fish labeled as monkfish. It might actually be puffer fish, which contained a potentially deadly toxin in their liver. In Japan they call it fugu (ph) and apparently it is a rite of passage to try to eat that because of the fact that it is so dangerous.

Residents of Naples, Italy, are facing a disgusting problem. They leave the trash by the curb, but nobody comes to pick it up. Garbage has been piling up for two weeks because there's nowhere to put it. Current dumpster full and communities keep blocking efforts to open new ones.

And a happy ending to a frantic search for a missing boy. More on this when we come back. You are watching AMERICAN MORNING, the most news in the morning is on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: All right. We're back and we're going to be talking a little bit later about the hot summer blockbusters. All of them seem to be sequels this year.

ROBERTS: One of the great things about going into the summer season is you know you're going to have some very interesting movies. Most of them are action-packed, a lot more special effects now than there were when I was a kid growing up. But you know, there we just starting to get into the era of special effects.

My all-time summer blockbuster was from 1975. We stood in line outside the theater for three-and-a-half hours to see the Steven Spielberg special events presentation of "Jaws."

CHETRY: It was a great movie. We watched it years later, no offense. I wasn't there for opening day. But they already knew there was going to be such a buzz that you guys had a big line even before it ever...

ROBERTS: Oh yes, there she is.

CHETRY: ... played for the first time.

ROBERTS: Chrissie Watkins. Oh, and there's the first victim of the shark off of Martha's Vineyard. And I vacationed a couple of years on Martha's Vineyard as well. And everybody still talks about "Jaws" being filmed there. And they cross over a bridge that was the bridge that it went under going to that lagoon inside.

So you know, Chrissie, the young woman who goes for a...

CHETRY: A skinny dip.

ROBERTS: ... little bit of a skinny dip there off of the beach as her boyfriend falls asleep from having too much to drink, she was played by Susan Backlinie. And you are wondering, 31 years later after being eaten by a shark, what does Chrissie Watkins look like? There is Susan Backlinie right there.

I imagine she was probably 20 then, she's probably got to be in her 50s now. So, Susan Backlinie, she also got eaten by a grizzly bear.

CHETRY: Are you kidding?

ROBERTS: Well, I mean, not in real life. In the movie "Grizzly."

CHETRY: Oh, all right. Well...

ROBERTS: So she got eaten by a shark and then a grizzly.

CHETRY: I was going to tell you quickly, though, that for the rest of all of our lives, every time you're in the ocean, "Jaws" comes into your head and you think for a second, what would I do if I feel my leg get grabbed right now.

ROBERTS: We were so frightened back in 1975, we were in landlocked inland lakes and we were thinking the same thing.

CHETRY: All right. So we also talked about a coming of you age movie, a lot of the other producers that I spoke to today say, I remember this as one of my favorite summer blockbusters. It was "Dirty Dancing." I don't remember exactly what year, but that was another fun one. It was about the two young girls and every year they go with their parents up to Kellerman's (ph) Mountain Ranch or mountain...

ROBERTS: Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze.

CHETRY: That's right, in the mountains of Pennsylvania or New York, I believe it was. And of course, she has quite a summer because she falls in love with the dangerous dancer. We don't have any video of this one?

ROBERTS: Yes. It was sort of the -- it was the Borsch Belt dance thing, right?

CHETRY: Yes. It inspired -- all of the great songs from the '50s came back again from our generation. There it is.

ROBERTS: Look at how young she was back then.

CHETRY: She looks completely different. What year, '87. All right. And speaking of people looking so different, she, of course, famously then got a nose job and ended up looking completely different. And it actually changed the whole course of her career. There she is now.

ROBERTS: There she is now, wow.

CHETRY: Jennifer Grey.

ROBERTS: Rob Marciano is with us from Atlanta. What was your favorite movie, Rob?

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: "Top Gun."

ROBERTS: Big surprise.

MARCIANO: Yes, you know, hey, listen, all right. So it didn't win many Academy Awards, not a lot of high profile acting there, but you know, growing up as a kid, you want to be a fighter pilot. There are a lot of them out there. My dad was a Naval aviator. So they had the song. They had the fast planes. And they had the tough talk. So why not? It still to this day, you know, watching this sucker in surround sound just brings some chills. The F-14 Tomcats now being phased out of the military. But you know, when Mav says, I'm going to hit the brakes and he'll fly right by.

CHETRY: Right.

ROBERTS: And Tom Cruise being phased out of the movie business, too. So there you go.

CHETRY: Well, that really was his glory years. And it's funny that you just said Tomcat being faced out, because that's what they call of course Tom Cruise and his new wife, Katie Holmes.

MARCIANO: I didn't even think about that.

CHETRY: Wow, six degrees of separation. Rob, thanks so much. That was a great movie. That was a good pick on his part as well.

ROBERTS: He is right. It's a great surround sound movie.

CHETRY: I also loved "Gone with the Wind." But I didn't know if "Gone with the Wind" was a summer blockbuster. Not back in 1930 (ph). Well, we want to hear from you? What is your favorite summer blockbuster and why? E-mail us am@cnn.com. We'll read some of them. We'll see if people like the ones we picked as well.

ROBERTS: All right. You bet. Stay with us. After the break, we're going to tell you about a cat named lucky and just how lucky he did turn out to be. You're watching AMERICAN MORNING, the most news in the morning is on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Your buddy, Sheryl Crow, singing...

(CROSSTALK)

ROBERTS: My buddy Sheryl Crow and my buddy Tom Cochrane -- my buddy Sheryl Crow. And there's a shot of Lake Michigan. Beautiful morning as the sun is coming up in Milwaukee, thanks to our affiliate WISN for that shot. Fifty-three degrees there, going to a high of 65. And there have been lots of product from Milwaukee on the roads of Washington this weekend. You know why?

CHETRY: Why?

ROBERTS: Annual Rolling Thunder run. You're going to see Harley-Davidsons from across the country.

CHETRY: Oh, John is going to be strapping on his chaps and jumping behind the beautiful handlebars of his Harley. I forgot your Rolling Thunder weekend...

ROBERTS: Yes.

CHETRY: Take pictures.

ROBERTS: Big weekend in Washington.

CHETRY: Hopefully it will be nice, not too rainy. ROBERTS: It's always a lot of fun. So we've been talking about movies all morning. You have got movie dough to talk about this morning?

CARRIE LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. This is -- you know, the third time is the charm, or that's what movie studios are hoping this summer. Because remember, earlier this month, Spidey 3 came out, "Spider-Man 3," then of course, "Shrek 3," the third sequel. And then this weekend, starting today, "Pirates of the Caribbean." So they're hoping the third time is the charm. Here are the studios. Sony, Dreamworks, Disney, all cashing in on this -- hoping to cash in.

And the reason franchises have been so popular, they're big moneymakers for studios. Obviously, they have a big built-in audience, and even if reviews aren't necessarily great, you know, they are kind of mixed for both "Shrek" and "Spider-Man," they made a ton of money. So they're hoping that "Spider-Man" -- "Pirates of the Caribbean," rather, will do the same.

Let's take a look at some of the numbers here. The top money- making movies of all time. And this is just box office gross, not even merchandising and DVD sales: "Titanic" topping the list at $1.8 billion. "Lord of the Rings," you can see over a billion straight on down. Now so far, "Spider-Man 3," which was out a couple of weeks ago, holds the record for the biggest opening weekend at $151 million.

"Shrek" holds the record for the biggest opening weekend for animated films. So the big question really, will "Pirates of the Caribbean" beat "Spider-Man 3"? Even if it doesn't though, it's going to be a huge moneymaker. And by the way, those numbers are earlier for the other films, just total box office. Add DVD sales and merchandising, you can easily add another $500 million or more. So you can see why studios are banking on this sequel ideas.

CHETRY: And they don't care about the reviews, they care about the bottom line.

LEE: Exactly.

CHETRY: Carrie, thanks.

LEE: Sure.

CHETRY: All right. We have some quick hits for you right now. Relief for the parents of a 10-year-old Fort Lauderdale boy. He was found after a frantic search that included a police helicopter, dozens of cops, and there he was, sleeping, curled up in a tree. A sharp eyed police officer caught him, woke him up. He didn't even know what was going on. The poor guy was just trying to take his afternoon nap. Had no idea the ruckus he caused.

ROBERTS: That's a heck of a nap. And a cat named Lucky living up to his name in Parma, Ohio. The 8-year-old cat staggered home on Saturday. Looks like he had a dart sticking out of his neck.

CHETRY: That's an arrow. That's awful. ROBERTS: Is that an arrow or a dart. Oh, it's an arrow, look at that, the size of it.

CHETRY: Where do you play darts? I mean, that's pretty big.

ROBERTS: Well, it could be a lawn dart. His owners rushed him to the animal emergency room where a surgeon removed the arrow. Lucky is home now, but not out of danger yet. He will need to stave off infection and kidney damage as well.

CHETRY: Poor guy.

ROBERTS: Where does that happen to you?

CHETRY: Well, there he is. Hopefully he will continue to be lucky.

ROBERTS: That looks like a crossbow arrow.

CHETRY: Next hour of AMERICAN MORNING starts right now.

ROBERTS: High emotions on the Hill.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Providing for the safety and security of the American people. That's at the top of our list!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: Congress approves money for the war, but Democrats say the fight is just beginning.

Plus, a CNN exclusive, voices from the front lines.

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