Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Problems with Space Shuttle "Atlantis"; President Bush Meets with Pope Benedict XVI; Celebrity Justice; Iraqis and Americans Against al Qaeda
Aired June 09, 2007 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: And Jim writes: "Paris Hilton must have feelings. You know what all this TV coverage can do to affect her life. Think about it. If it was you or me, it's bad enough going through this without TV coverage. Find a real story and leave this poor girl alone."
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Well, there you go.
NGUYEN: A variety of views, and we have seen them all today with the e-mail question. A lot of you sending your thoughts in, and we appreciate it. We'll have another one for you next weekend.
HOLMES: I know what we've got for you right now, the CNN NEWSROOM continuing with Veronica de la Cruz -- hello there.
NGUYEN: Hey, there.
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Betty and T.J. Nice to see you.
All right, straight ahead this hour, celebrity justice.
Paris may be back in jail, but do the rich and famous get a free ride from the legal system?
Also, missing for a year. She was the girl hidden under the stairs. What really happened in this strange Connecticut case? We've got some new information for you.
Plus this -- U.S. Troops and former insurgents working together? Old enemies teaming up against Al Qaeda.
Hello to you. I'm Veronica de la Cruz in today for Fredricka Whitfield and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
We have new concerns this hour, as the Shuttle Atlantis speeds towards the International Space Station. NASA officials now analyzing this tear in a protective thermal blanket on the rear of the shuttle. It happened during last night's launch.
CNN's space correspondent, Miles O'Brien, reports it is the latest in a series of recent headaches for the space agency.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Four, three, two, one and liftoff of Space Shuttle Atlantis.
MILES O'BRIEN, SPACE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was one hail of a launch. Three months after Space Shuttle Atlantis got pummeled by a freak hailstorm, the spacecraft left the weather behind, carrying seven crewmen to space after a nearly flawless countdown.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We can point to a couple of little problems we had today, but, gosh we shouldn't do that. We should -- we should point to the thousands and thousands that go right to allow this -- this masterful event to happen.
O'BRIEN: They were supposed to fly in March, but at the end of February, a torrent of inch-and-a-half sized hail left thousands of huge divots in the orange foam that coats external fuel tank. Workers spent months filling them in and smoothing them out with what amounts to a giant pencil sharpener.
MICHAEL GRIFFIN, NASA ADMINISTRATOR: I've been enormously impressed.
O'BRIEN: The crew is on its way to the International Space Station. Their mission -- to install $30 million truss that carries four huge solar wings. They will use two robot arms and three space walks to do the job. They will also pick up station keeper Sonny Williams and drop off her replacement, Clayton Anderson. He is slated to remain in space until the end of October. His mother was bursting with pride.
ALICE ANDERSON, CLAYTON ANDERSON'S MOTHER: I tell you, I'm nervous and I'm proud and I'm numb and I'm excited. And, you know, it's wild.
O'BRIEN: NASA has had little to laugh about this year so far. Before the freak hailstorm, now former astronaut Lisa Nowak, drove halfway across the country in diapers to confront a romantic rival. She now faces a trial on attempted kidnapping charges.
In April, a NASA worker in Houston shot and killed his boss before turning the gun on himself.
And the agency's independent watchdog is under fire for allegedly not doing his job. All in all, a star crossed five months.
GRIFFIN: Put one foot in front of the other, keep working, work on the mission, keep your head down and ignore the distractions. That's all you can do.
O'BRIEN (on camera): But on this day, NASA found its lucky stars. The weather was good and the countdown was nearly flawless. The crew of Atlantis has its work cut out for it still. They can only hope good luck will hold.
Miles O'Brien, CNN at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
(END VIDEO TAPE) DE LA CRUZ: Mourners gathering in Casper, Wyoming, to pay their last respects to Senator Craig Thomas. Funeral services held later today. The Republican lawmaker died Monday, after a battle with leukemia. Thomas was diagnosed in November, just as voters were giving him a third term. His death will not change the balance of power in the Senate.
Wyoming's Democratic governor will name his replacement from a list of three candidates chosen by the state's Republican Party.
There are bitter divisions over the Iraq War. The reason given for a surprising move to replace the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. General Peter Pace will step down when his term ends in September. His renomination had been widely expected. But Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he was warned by members of Congress that Pace's renomination hearing before the Senate would be very contentious.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT GATES, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: It had been my intention from early in my tenure to recommend to the president that General Pace be renominated for another two year term as chairman. However, after consultations over the course of several weeks with both Republican and Democratic senators, I concluded that because General Pace has served as chairman and vice president chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for the last six years, the focus of his confirmation process would have been on the past rather than the future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DE LA CRUZ: Gates is recommending Admiral Mike Mullen as Pace's replacement. Mullen is the current chief of naval operations.
Well, President Bush is meeting today with Italian leaders and engaging in what the Vatican is describing as warm talks during his first meeting with the pope.
Alessio Vinci joins us now live from Rome -- hello to you, Alessio.
ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Veronica.
A friendly and jovial meeting between President Bush and Prime Minister Romano Prodi, perhaps aimed at dispelling some of the concerns that relations between Italy and the United States had cooled down ever since Romano Prodi, a center-left leader, had taken over for prime minister -- for the former prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, a conservative friend of the United States.
Both leaders stressed their positive work together, issues on Iran, Sudan, as well as Darfur and Kosovo. The president also thanked Italy for its troops' commitment in places such as Lebanon and Afghanistan. And, also, Prodi told the president that Italy is ready to work alongside with the U.S. Along all of these major international crisis. But it was the meeting earlier in the day with the pope that has left big mark with the president. The 30 minute encounter, during which the president said he was in awe. The two main topics discussed -- how to alleviate poverty in Africa. The president promising the pope that he will work with Congress to try to double the financial commitment to fight HIV/AIDS in that continent. But, also, of course, Iraq, where the Vatican, according to a statement issued after their meeting, continues to be worried about the situation there and, in particular, for the Christian minority caught in the sectarian violence.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He did express deep concern about the Christians inside Iraq, that he was concerned that the society that was evolving would not tolerate the Christian religion. And I assured him we're working hard to make sure that the people lived up to the constitution, the modern constitution voted on by the people that would honor people from different walks of life and different attitudes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VINCI: And all of this is happening as thousands of demonstrators are taking to the streets here in Rome. You can see some live pictures there, closely watched by, it seems, as many police officers. A massive security operation underway in Rome. Nothing out of the ordinary, of course. But a large area of this -- of the city center has been blocked off to allow these demonstrators to express their disappointment towards President Bush, in particular. Not towards America, because demonstrators there point out that they are demonstrating just as much as most of the Americans are disapproving of the U.S. President.
There was some concern the demonstrators could turn violent, but so far it seems that everything is under control -- Veronica.
DE LA CRUZ: So, Alessio, you're saying that they are specifically protesting the president's visit. You also mentioned in your report that the president was thanking the Italian prime minister for its troop commitment to the war.
I would imagine that some of these protests are also about the Iraq War?
VINCI: That is correct. And, as a matter of fact, as I mentioned at the beginning of this report, currently Italy's is led by a center- left coalition led by Romano Prodi, who actually ordered troops out of Iraq as soon as he won these elections.
It must be noted that part of the demonstration -- demonstrators in downtown Rome are members who support Prime Minister Prodi. There are actually members -- the undersecretary in his own government -- who have decided to participate in those demonstrations. So, clearly, there has been throughout this -- ever since even before the beginning of the war there was demonstrators that really were against the fact that the United States went to war in Iraq.
And this is certainly something that has taken a big foothold here in Italy. You remember millions were demonstrating before the beginning of the war. A far less number now. But, again, people here stressing that this is not just against Iraq in particular, but it is against this president, who they see as someone who is not working for peace around the world, while he's stating that he to do so -- Veronica.
DE LA CRUZ: Alessio Vinci in Rome.
Alessio, thank you.
Paris Hilton waking up in a Los Angeles jail cell this morning. She's expected to undergo medical and psychiatric evaluations this weekend. Yesterday a judge ordered a tearful Hilton back to jail to serve out a 45 day sentence for parole violation. She spent one day in home detention after the sheriff became concerned about an undisclosed medical condition.
Poor little rich girl -- the Paris Hilton saga has a lot of people wondering, do the rich and famous get a free ride from the justice system?
Our Randi Kaye takes a look at the facts.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
PARIS HILTON: And I hope that I'm an example to other young people when they make decisions.
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Privileged and pampered -- Paris Hilton has been given a bitter taste of how the other half lives, forced to follow a judge's order to come to court, handcuffed, made to serve out her sentence in jail instead of her 2,700 square foot West Hollywood mansion.
It's not the treatment that celubutante is used to, especially not in L.A. Justice may have been hard on Hilton, but that's certainly not the norm.
Model Naomi Campbell mopped floors and cleaned toilets at a garbage depot after she assaulted her housekeeper. Mel Gibson was placed on three years probation and mandatory rehab for driving drunk. Halle Berry paid a fine and performed community service for leaving the scene of an accident. Snoop Dogg got a suspended sentence and 800 hours of community service for gun and drug possession. Boy George swept New York's streets for five days for filing a false police report. And then there was O.J.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We, the jury, in the above entitled action find the defendant, Orenthal James Simpson not guilty of the crime of murder.
KAYE: Acquitted of killing his ex-wife Nicole and her friend Ron Goldman. And M.J. Acquitted of child molestation charges. Both found not guilty by juries. Two controversial cases that left many Americans believing the rich and famous are the favored ones.
REV. AL SHARPTON, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: I'm convinced that if Paris Hilton was the daughter of a white worker in West Virginia in the coal mines or a black millionaire rapper, she would not have gotten treated like this. There are class issues here. There's race issues here.
KAYE: Is Paris paying the price for all the celebs who have seemingly skated through the justice system?
There are those who would say yes.
HARVEY LEVIN, TMZ.COM: There's no sense you can make of that kind of a ruling. It's just so out of whack with reality. And she ended up serving about what anybody would serve because the sheriff would have sprung anybody free.
KATE (on camera): If that has you feeling Paris' pain, take heart. The heiress will reportedly spend the weekend in the jail's medical facility. And her lawyers are still on the case, trying their best to get their client released. And so the saga continues.
Randi Kaye, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DE LA CRUZ: Here's what's coming up next in THE NEWSROOM.
The preacher's wife learns her sentence.
How long will a Tennessee woman spend in prison for killing her husband?
An Iowa mother in trouble with the law, accused of trading her son for a wedding dress. We're going to have details straight ahead.
And a Connecticut girl found alive after being missing for a year. Some insight from a reporter who is covering this bizarre case.
COMMERCIAL
DE LA CRUZ: Stories making news across America now.
She shot and killed her preacher husband, but it's unlikely a Tennessee woman will serve much time in prison. Mary Winkler could have gotten six years but a judge ordered her to serve 210 days and gave her credit for the five month she spent in jail. That leaves about 60 days and she'll be allowed to serve that time in a mental hospital. Winkler says she had been physically and mentally abused by her husband.
In New Hampshire, a babysitter is charged with reckless conduct after a toddler got into her epilepsy medication. Police say the sitter fell asleep while watching an 18-month-old and a 6-month-old baby. The toddler got into the bottle of pills, swallowed some and is now in serious condition. In Iowa, a woman accused of trying to trade her son to pay off a wedding dress is back in the court system. Marcy Gant withdrew her guilty plea to child endangerment charges yesterday. The judge rejected a deal that recommended probation. She now faces up to 10 years if convicted.
All right, a new twist in a strange case out of Connecticut. Homemade pornography videotapes reportedly seized from a man accused in the disappearance of this 15-year-old girl. The teen went missing a year ago and was found locked in a hidden closet at a home. The man and two other people living in that house have been arrested. They claim they were actually protecting her, something that the police and girl's parents say is complete nonsense.
Steven Goode is covering this case for us from the "Hartford Courant" and he
joins me now live from Springfield, Massachusetts.
Hello to you,
STEVEN GOODE, "HARTFORD COURANT" STAFF WRITER: Hi, Veronica.
DE LA CRUZ: Thanks for joining us.
I wanted to ask you, kind of a confusing case. This girl missing for about a year. She's found in a hidden room underneath a set of stairs.
Was she abducted or did she run way from home?
GOODE: She ran away. She had been a runway several -- several times and this last time that she ran away, she apparently went to stay with Mr. Gault.
DE LA CRUZ: And what do we know about this relationship between the girl and Adam Gault?
GOODE: Gault had had a business relationship with her mother and stepfather. They were in the dog care business and he's a dog trainer. That relationship ended, but apparently at some point she had done some work for Gault and his dog training business, and that's when their relationship began to take a different turn.
DE LA CRUZ: And now there is new evidence in this case.
Tell us more on that.
GOODE: Authorities, when they searched the house, they were looking for two things. They were looking for -- they were going for DNA evidence from Mr. Gault, and, also, they were looking for videotaping equipment, cameras, videotapes. They seized those. And a source has told us they've determined that there is pornographic images on these tapes of not just one girl, but several. And they're not sure if Danielle is on these tapes at this point, because the quality is very poor. But he apparently was putting them on the Internet.
DE LA CRUZ: What do we know about this girl?
I mean we know that she was -- she was found living in this hidden room underneath a set of stairs.
Had anybody ever seen her before?
Had the neighbors ever seen her?
GOODE: No. The attorney for the two women who are charged has -- has said that the girl was going -- Danielle was going to school. But there's no evidence of that. And the neighbors around where she was found have said that they never saw her during the year she was there. Apparently the windows were covered. Nobody knew she was living in the house. They were just shocked when they found this out.
DE LA CRUZ: And in the meantime, it's not just Adam Gault who is being held. There are also two other women who were living in that house.
What do we know about them?
GOODE: Ann Murphy is his -- what authorities call -- describe as common law wife and the other woman, Miss. Cray, is apparently a girlfriend of Gault's.
DE LA CRUZ: And in another twist, do we know if this girl, who has been missing for a year -- her parents thought she was dead -- has she been reunited with her parents?
GOODE: Not yet. She's -- she's in a facility getting some psychological treatment, care. And, you know, they're making sure she's going to be OK. They're -- the parents are visiting her regularly, but she's not home yet.
DE LA CRUZ: All right, Steven Goode is a staff writer for the "Hartford Courant."
Steven, we appreciate your time.
Thanks for giving us some insight today.
GOODE: My pleasure, Veronica.
DE LA CRUZ: Well, with the flip of a switch, a tornado is formed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Unlike other simulators that work from the ground up, this one moves the vortex entirely from above, just like a real tornado.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DE LA CRUZ: Absolutely amazing.
Twisters, technology and saving lives. We have the details straight ahead in THE NEWSROOM -- Bonnie.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, we had no reports of tornadoes yesterday, but over 300 accounts of strong winds and damaging hail. Today the threat is for flooding in the Northeast and dangerous heat to the South.
I'll have your complete forecast coming up next on CNN NEWSROOM.
COMMERCIAL
DE LA CRUZ: Destruction as far as the eye can see. These scenes in Wisconsin after tornadoes ravaged central and northeastern parts of the state. The storms struck rural communities, causing widespread damage to more than 350 homes. The National Weather Service says one of the twisters had winds up to 165 miles an hour. So far, no reports of any serious injuries.
Yes, we know, it is pretty to look at. It is beautiful, even. But it is dangerous, as well. Big bolts of lightning lighting up the night sky over Virginia Beach. The lightning was part of a storm system that moved through that area a little bit earlier today.
But is there more of that in the forecast?
Let's check do ahead and check in with Bonnie Schneider now, who has a look at the weather -- hey there, Bonnie.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Veronica.
(WEATHER REPORT)
DE LA CRUZ: It is one of the most powerful and destructive forces on earth -- a tornado. Now researchers using technology to actually create twisters and try to save lives.
Chris Lawrence explains.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They form within minutes, but leave behind months and years of destruction.
BILL GALLUS, METEOROLOGIST: I've chased tornadoes for about 20 years and I'm always in awe of the power.
LAWRENCE: Only now, meteorologist Bill Gallus can turn a tornado on and off. He's with a team of Iowa State engineers who can create their own tornadoes and test what it takes to withstand those winds. This machine is the only one in the world that produces moving tornadoes big enough to perform structural tests.
(on camera): Unlike other simulators that work from the ground up, this one moves the vortex entirely from above, just like a real tornado.
(voice-over): A family's home, the local shop, a typical town -- and the swirling debris barreling down on top of it. These models are being blown around and battered so that one day real towns might be saved.
PARTHA SARKAR, AEROSPACE ENGINEER: There will be damage but not as much as it is happening now, because we are not designing for tornadoes at all. So everything is getting wiped out.
LAWRENCE: Partah Sarkar says current building codes are designed to withstand straight line winds. He created the simulator to design buildings that can survive tornadoes, with wind speeds up to 135 miles per hour.
SARKAR: Even if sirens go off, we don't have to worry about it because homes are supposed to protect us.
LAWRENCE: Just outside the lab, real winds are already whipping up.
GALLUS: We're still right in the heart of tornado season in this part of the country.
LAWRENCE: And unlike the simulator, there's no simple switch to stop them.
Chris Lawrence, CNN, Ames, Iowa.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
DE LA CRUZ: Well, from tornadoes to a summer scorcher out West -- heat waves, extreme temperatures, brushfires. Experts say it is a perfect storm in southern California.
Also, the kids have graduated, they've moved out of the house, but mom and dad just can't seem to let go. The problem of helicopter parents. That's coming up.
But first, U.S. Troops in Iraq team up with former insurgents. They are taking on Al Qaeda. We have that story next in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DE LA CRUZ: In Iraq, the American death toll climbs as insurgents unleash more deadly violence. The Pentagon saying a U.S. soldier died today, after a firefight in Diyala province. The U.S. death toll for this month alone is now 24.
In Baghdad, two Iraqi police officers were killed in separate attacks while on patrol south of the capital. At least a dozen people were killed. That attack on an Iraqi army checkpoint.
In southern Iraq, word of a deadly attack on a U.S.-run prison. The Pentagon says six civilian detainees were killed, and dozens more injured. Once allies, now foes. Are some Iraqi insurgents now turning against al Qaeda militants?
CNN's Karl Penhaul reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the masked face of an insurgent backlash. Nationalist anti-American guerrillas and former Saddam Hussein loyalists are turning their sights on al Qaeda radicals.
"God is great, God damn the al Qaeda criminals," they chant.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): "The al Qaeda organization has dominated and humiliated Sunnis, Shiites and Jihadies. It has forced people from their homes. They can't get enough blood. They killed many honest scholars, preachers and loyal Mujahideen."
PENHAUL: Based in Tehreed (ph), a small district 40 miles north of Baghdad, they call themselves the "United Jihad Council," an alliance of battle-hardened insurgent factions, including the 1920s brigade and the Mujahideen army.
They say two months of fierce fighting forced even mosques to close. Last Friday marked the first public prayers since the Jihad Council drove out al Qaeda. This worshiper thanks the masked gunman for taking control of his town. The insurgent greets him with a kiss and pats him down for hidden weapons.
Inside, the faithful listen to the Imam's by now customary rant against U.S. occupation. The message is now mixed with condemnation of al Qaeda and its brutal tactics.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): "We will fight the oppressors and with God's support, we will defeat al Qaeda. al Qaeda made us suffer. They killed our clerics, our children and our women. They left their bodies dumped on the ground."
PENHAUL: Underscoring those words, a shallow grave near the mosque gives up its secrets. These Jihad Council gunmen expressed surprise this victim was not beheaded, but he was handcuffed, evidence, they say, it was an al Qaeda execution.
Until the split two months ago, nationalist insurgents and al Qaeda militants united in their war against the Americans. As in this firefight in a nearby town Behruts (ph) in 2004.
(on camera): Civilian sources living in the area say the rift came after nationalist insurgents rejected al Qaeda's calls to enforce extremist's Islamic rule. They also oppose the influx of al Qaeda's foreign fighters and the murder and torture of civilians for even the mildest dissent.
(voice-over): It's a rift U.S. military commanders in this region are keying to exploit. Similar insurgent infighting was documented in western Iraq earlier this year.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The people have pretty much decided, they've discovered that if they want to have a future, if their children want to a future, if Iraq is going to have a future, that that future is not with al Qaeda.
PENHAUL: Once divided by common hatred of each other, the U.S. army and these insurgents have for now, found a common foe in al Qaeda.
Karl Penhaul, CNN, Diyala Province, Iraq.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DE LA CRUZ: Political maneuvering now under way to breathe new life into the immigration bill. In his weekly radio address today, President Bush urges action while admitting the bill isn't perfect. It was pulled from the floor Thursday, after the Senate was unable to set a vote. Republican Senator John McCain is taking up the standard.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R-AZ) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The president of the United States and I and many others were hopeful that we could come to some conclusion on this.
Well, my friends, because we didn't, then as I said, several hundred people will cross the Arizona border today and into Arizona and go around the country and several hundred tomorrow and then the next day. So, it's not an issue that we can say, well, it's over. Because it's not over.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DE LA CRUZ: The bipartisan bill has bipartisan critics who say it offers amnesty to illegal immigrants and a guest worker program that will drive down wages and create a permanent underclass.
New concerns this hour as the shuttle "Atlantis" speeds towards the International Space Station. NASA scientists now analyzing this small tear in a protective thermal blanket on the rear of the shuttle. You can see it right there. It happened during last night's launch. NASA says it's not too worried, but is keeping an eye on it. Thermal blankets are crucial to re-entry.
Seven astronauts are on the 11-day mission. They're due to arrive at the space station tomorrow.
Paris Hilton waking up in a L.A. jail cell this morning. She's expected to undergo medical and psychiatric evaluations this weekend.
Yesterday, a judge ordered a tearful Hilton back to jail to serve out a 45-day sentence for parole violation. She spent one day in home detention after the sheriff became concerned about an undisclosed medical condition. Another beef recall to tell you about this hour. Some 40,000 pounds of ground beef are being pulled off shelves at Wal-Mart stores in 12 states. The beef from Tyson Foods may be contaminated with E. coli bacteria. Here are those states, take a look, Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas.
This is not related to an earlier beef recall by United Foods. That happened in 11 western states.
OK, graduation season is coming to a close, but are you out there, are you the parent who hovers over your child, long after they've left the nest. Some advise from a career consultant. That's coming up next in the NEWSROOM.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NILOU MOTAMED, TRAVEL + LEISURE: Instead of flying or driving, you can take the train. And there's some great points to that. You don't have to go to the airport, you don't have to stand in long lines.
Train travel can also be a great value. For example, a one-way trip from New York to D.C. can cost as little as $57 each way. Something that a lot of people don't know is if you travel on Amtrak and your kids are 15 or under, they travel for half price.
It goes without saying that you can get a lot of work done on the train. But something that people don't think about is that your vacation starts as soon as you board the train. You can be sightseeing, you can be looking at places that you never thought you'd be going to. And something that plane travel does deprive of us is the whole experience of the journey.
You leave from the center of the city that you start out in and you actually end up in the part of the city that you're going to. So, you obviously are saving money on taxis, for example, and of course, time.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DE LA CRUZ: All right, college graduation, it's supposed to be the time when a young person begins an independent life. But there's a growing trend among this current generation that's making the transition a little harder: the "helicopter" parent. They hover over their children, even after the kids enter the workforce.
Career consultant Anna Ivy is here to tell us why this happens and how to stop it. Hello, Anna.
ANNA IVEY, CAREER CONSULTANT: Hi, Veronica.
DE LA CRUZ: All right, I know there are a lot of parents out there who are saying, oh, no, this could be me. What are the tell- tale signs of a "helicopter" parent?
IVEY: Well, self-awareness is the first step, no question. Some things to look out for. If you are calling your adult child's employer to schedule interviews or reschedule interviews, that's a bad sign. You shouldn't even be setting foot in the lobby, let alone going into the interview with your adult child. This happens all the time. And employers have gotten used to it, and are starting to accommodate it, but that doesn't mean they like it, so ...
DE LA CRUZ: OK, so -- what you're saying that employers are getting used to this. Why is this becoming a trend?
IVEY: It's generational, and I'm not one to unpack all of the inter-generational mysteries, but there seems to be something interesting about this particular generation gap. I think part of it is that they've been raised by parents who've wanted to be their friends, rather than parents. And so, they're not quite ready to cut the cord and I think they're a little terrified of their kids becoming adults and moving on. So, I think that's definitely some of it.
They're also used to micro-managing every minute of their kids' lives and that doesn't magically stop when they start college, or even when they graduate from college. So, the micro-managing, being involved in their daily lives, talking to their kids multiple times a day on their cell phones, this is happening well into people's 20s.
DE LA CRUZ: All right, then what can a parent do here, because I know that there are a lot of parents out there who are saying you know, I only do this because I love you. And yes, it might be a little bit difficult to cut that cord. So, give us some advice for the parents.
IVEY: You know, I'm all about the tough love. I know it's hard. I know you have your child's interests at heart. But, think about whether you're actually helping your grown child or stunting his development. They shouldn't be behaving like teenagers once they're out of college. And you shouldn't be treating them like teenagers either. I mean, you're really holding them back.
And as I say, employers have gotten used to this, but at the same time, they're wondering who's this person going to be in ten years? Are their parents still going to be this involved? How are we going to promote these people, how are we going to turn them into leaders. It's a big challenge.
So, I would say think of it as in your child's best interest to let him evolve into an adult. That's the best thing you can do for him.
DE LA CRUZ: And you know, here's an interesting question, what kind of an impact is this having on the workforce?
IVEY: It's a big impact. I mean, it's definitely changing how managers and supervisors interact with their new hires. Very often, they're finding that they're the first authority figure in these children's lives, children, grown children's lives. They haven't been getting authority at home. They haven't really been getting it at school. They're used to accommodations and extensions and their parents handling everything for them.
They get to the workforce, and they're not really used to treating a boss like a boss. And bosses are a little bit taken aback by this. And so, the whole relationship to authority is very foreign to them and that's playing itself out on the workforce.
There are some exceptions, obviously. You know, someone coming out of the military and into the civilian working world, not going to have a problem with authority. But your average 20-something coming right out of college, it's a big problem with authority and managers are very unused to being talked to the way they're being talked to and treated the way they're being treated.
DE LA CRUZ: Well, so interesting. All right, "helicopter" parents, you need to take a step back.
Anna Ivey, thanks so much for your time today. We appreciate it.
IVEY: Thanks, Veronica.
DE LA CRUZ: Well, the heat is on out west. When the mercury rises, it can cause all sorts of problems. We have that story straight ahead for you in the NEWSROOM.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I'm CNN Meteorologist Bonnie Schneider with a look at your Allergy Report for Saturday. Well, a powerful cold front has made things a lot more comfortable for those of you that suffer from allergies across the northern plains. Cooler and drier air is now in place over the Dakotas and areas of the upper midwest.
We're also looking at better conditions for the Gulf coast due to some rain coming in to parts of Louisiana and Texas. The rest of the country, not so great, particularly in parts of New England, Central Plains area and up towards the Rocky Mountains. That's where we have a high concentration of pollutants or allergens in the air.
That's a look at your Allergy Report for Saturday. I'm Meteorologist Bonnie Schneider.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DE LA CRUZ: Southern California, warm weather is definitely one of its attractions but when warm turns to very hot, it causes all sorts of problems.
CNN's Randi Kaye has the grim forecast.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Southern Californians call it the perfect storm. Extreme heat, dry brush, power, and lots of it, this summer conditions are ripe.
(on camera): Paint the picture for me of what this summer's going to look like.
BILL PATZERT, NASA CLIMATOLOGIST: It's going to be dry, it's going to be fiery, it's going to be smoggy, and it's going to be steamy.
KAYE (voice-over): Bill Patzert is a climatologist for NASA. He looks at the past to predict the future. Analyzing the last 100 years of California temperatures, Patzert found daytime averages jumped five degrees, nighttime averages, seven degrees.
PATZERT: We're no longer living in a normal world. We're living in a warmer world.
KAYE: So warm, Patzert says, annual extreme heat days, those over 90 degrees Fahrenheit, have multiplied by 12. Each summer brings three to five more heat waves.
PATZERT: Our summers have turned into scorchers.
KAYE: Last summer here, temperatures soared well above 100 degrees. The power grid collapsed in some areas, like the ever- expanding inland empire of San Bernardino Valley. In all, more than a million customers had no electricity for more than a week.
This is southern California Edison's war room.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The dark blue line is the actual usage.
KAYE: The company is already cranking out nearly 23,000 megawatts, one megawatt powers 650 homes. But megahomes, being built in hotter inland areas, are draining the system.
PATZERT: All this population, urban, suburban, industrial development, is definitely done in extreme makeover on the surface of southern California.
KAYE: The result, dominos falling. More ozone trapped in the atmosphere, more smog and with the brush literally baking, more fires. Eight hundred acres of L.A.'s Griffith Park burned in May. A fire on Catalina Island burned that same week. L.A. County Fire Chief John Todd says the brushfire season, which used to be a few months, is now year- round.
(on camera): So, this certainly is an area of concern?
CHIEF JOHN TODD, L.A. CO. FIRE DEPT., FORESTRY DIV.: Yes, well, when you've got this kind of vegetation like this, with all these small twigs and all this -- all these leaves and stuff, you have a lot of surface area. And not only is it dry, just like we were talking about, it's like kindling. And if you get wind on this, this will just, basically explode and the fire will move through this very easily.
KAYE: And there's more bad news. Infectious disease experts suggest extreme heat this summer could bring tropical diseases to southern California. The flu, which circulates year round in the tropics, could do the same here. And mosquitoes, look out, they like to bite at night. And the warm nighttime temperatures could keep them very busy. Not exactly life at the beach.
Randi Kaye, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DE LA CRUZ: And are Los Angeleneos (ph) waking up with more of that today? Let's check in now with Bonnie Schneider for a look at the forecast.
Hey, Bonnie.
SCHNEIDER: Hi, Veronica.
(WEATHER REPORT)
DE LA CRUZ: Woodman, woodman, spare that tree. Some people think a suburban Chicago sycamore has developed an eerie resemblance to a man who twice saved it from the axe. Are they barking up the right tree? The answer, straight ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We start our search in sunny, south Florida with a single mom and first-time buyer .
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: After working so hard, I think I deserve it.
LAWRENCE: Doris Chorino (ph) sees a three-bedroom townhouse 20 miles from the ocean. For about the same price, she can afford a two- bedroom condo two blocks from the beach.
DORIS CHORINO: This is a range that I can pay for -- $300,000.
LAWRENCE: But look what that same money gets you in suburban Detroit, four bedrooms on half an acre.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And that's quite a lot for this area.
LAWRENCE (on camera): Wow. You don't get this kind of room in Florida.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, no, and certainly not in L.A.
LAWRENCE (voice-over): Realtor Dawn Miller (ph) showed us a 7- year-old home with a classic front porch, and a corner house with 2,600 square feet. DAWN MILLER, REALTOR: I believe this area was selling right around the $320, $325 range a couple of years ago, and this house is priced at $280 now.
LAWRENCE: Even with everything upgraded, she'd only offer 240.
MILLER: And if they don't take it, we'll walk away and we'll do it to the next house.
LAWRENCE: For this week's Modern Living, I'm Chris Lawrence.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DE LA CRUZ: All right, you've heard of Jesus and the Virgin Mary popping up on trees, but here's a new one. Folks living in a Chicago suburb say this -- take a look -- this is the image of the town's late mayor, Donald Stephens (ph). They say Stephens saved this particular sycamore tree from the chipper twice, and he is now watching over it.
A look at our top stories in just a moment. "IN THE MONEY" is next. Here's a preview.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks.
Coming up on "IN THE MONEY," why the candidates are telling you about everything but the economy.
Plus, see if you can learn a few tricks from big money guys like Carl Icon (ph) and Warren Buffett (ph). And find out why so many Americans don't take the vacation they're eligible for.
All that and more after a quick check of the headlines.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DE LA CRUZ: Now in the news, new concerns as the shuttle "Atlantis" speeds towards the International Space Station.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.voxant.com
