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Firefighters' Salute; Closing Gitmo; Dick Cheney Accused of Protecting Secrets by Trying to Abolish Office Asking for Them
Aired June 22, 2007 - 08:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. I'm Heidi Collins in Charleston, South Carolina.
This hour nine firefighters who were killed Monday night in a raging blaze are being honored by their brothers from all over this country. And the memorial service is planned at 10:00. A processional is going on right now. You see live pictures of some of those vehicles making their way to the coliseum as they pass directly by the scene of the fire.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone.
I'm Tony Harris at the CNN Center in Atlanta.
The U.S. terror prison at Guantanamo Bay, is the White House ready to empty the cells? An intriguing new development in the CNN NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: Good morning, once again, everyone. I'm Heidi Collins.
Coming up at 10:00 this morning you see behind me a huge JumboTron. That is in order for all of the people who cannot fit inside the coliseum behind me to honor the nine firefighters in Charleston, South Carolina, that were killed on Monday night may also see what's going on in the ceremonies that they will be memorialized and remembered for. We are expecting to see approximately 20,000 people inside that coliseum, and possibly another 10,000 outside of it.
We were able to speak with some of the folks in the area last night. We got into town and spent some time over at the memorial, the site of the fire, at the Sofa Super Store. It was absolutely amazing how many people have come to pay their respects and to talk about these men who lost their lives doing what they do and what they had dedicated their lives to doing, and that is keeping other people safe.
I want to take a moment to bring in the Chaplain Rob Dewey. He's sitting behind me.
I want to get to him directly simply because I know, Chaplain Dewey, that you are going to be speaking today.
In the conversation I had last night with one of the firefighters who works here in Charleston City, he's worked with all of these men for his entire career. And he's got 26 years of service himself. He says, "You know, when we go to work every day, we don't know if we're going to be coming home, but we do it any way."
REV. ROB DEWEY, COASTAL CRISIS CHAPLAINCY: And that's just it. With the emergency personnel that put their lives on the line for us, I don't think that we appreciate them until something like this or Hurricane Katrina or 9/11 occurs. And I think that this gives us pause to stop and appreciate those firefighters, EMS, and police officers that do such a wonderful job for us.
COLLINS: And we heard the Charleston City fire chief, Rusty Thomas, say, "I lost nine f friends with more than 100 years of service." And I think you're right, people don't realize the dedication here. But they're going to learn a lot about it today.
And so many people, everywhere we look we see them in their dress uniforms coming from all over the country. I must have had at least 30 people on my flight last night to pay those respects.
What are you able to offer? I know you have spoken with the family members. What are you able to offer them at a time like this?
DEWEY: What we have been trying to do with some of our local chaplains and also some of the chaplains that are trained by the International Critical Stress Foundation is to come in here and be beside the firefighters, be beside the families. And we don't have a lot of answers, but we want them to know that we care for them and we support them, and that we're going to help them walk through this, and that we love them.
COLLINS: We'll be continuing to show the pictures of the victims as we go today and talk a little bit more about them and what types of people they were. And you can see now some of the pictures of the processional and all of those fire trucks from all kinds of different parts of this country. The same type of individuals putting their lives on the line every day for people like you and me.
What do you think of when you see that and when you have a chance to talk with people who are here today, who've traveled so far to be here?
DEWEY: I talked to several firefighters last night from Seattle. They came in. And we're just overwhelmed by the support, because this is -- it's a local event, but it's also got national significance. So we just appreciate the prayers and support from outside the area.
We're a small community here.
COLLINS: Yes.
DEWEY: We know everybody. And I knew all of these guys. So it's been very hard.
COLLINS: I'm sure. I'm sure. And as we've been saying before, this is the largest loss since the September 11th tragedy, and all of the men and women who lost their lives there.
I wonder how you begin to help these people move on. I know this is a little bit unorthodox, because this now being a national memorial service, if you will. It usually takes place after the families have had an opportunity to hold a private ceremony for their loved one. But this is not the case this time around.
DEWEY: It's not the case this time around. And everybody grieves differently and at their own time. And then there's not a set way that a memorial service or funerals have to go.
COLLINS: Sure.
DEWEY: And we talked with Chief Rusty Thomas the first morning, and we were able to secure this venue. And he said 10:00 Friday morning, and all of the families agreed to come here and bring their loved ones here. So we've got nine caskets inside, and then we will have funerals starting this afternoon. And so we've got now nine funerals to go to.
COLLINS: Wow.
It's going to be a very, very difficult day, but certainly one that is much needed, at least for the people that I've talked with. They could not be happier to be right here and remembering all of the faces that you are looking at now on your screen.
Also want to let you know a little bit more about the processional and what will be happening. Of course, as we said, the chaplain will be speaking. He'll be giving the invocation.
We'll also hear from the governor of South Carolina. We will also hear from the mayor and the Charleston City fire chief, Rusty Thomas. He's also going to be speaking.
We'll have the fire department from New York, Pipe and Drum Corps, they will be here as well. The National Anthem.
It is certainly without a doubt going to be a very, very emotional service, and we will have it for you in its entirety beginning at 10:00 this morning.
Tony, back now to you.
HARRIS: And Heidi, that coliseum behind you holds, what, 20,000 people I think I read somewhere. And a couple...
COLLINS: Correct.
HARRIS: ... of JumboTrons outside so the overflow can get an opportunity to take part in the ceremony as well.
COLLINS: Yes, that's right. And there's already so many people lined up right now. I believe that they're going to be beginning to bring the family members in as the processional comes to a close right here.
They will have, of course, special seating inside. But everyone else who does not fit inside that coliseum will be lined up out here. They will have the opportunity to watch and take part as well from those JumboTrons.
HARRIS: Yes. Well, Heidi, we will get back to you in just a couple of minutes.
Thanks, Heidi.
In other news that we're following this morning, the Gitmo prison camp, a black eye on the U.S. reputation at home and abroad, now a report the terror prison could soon close.
White House Correspondent Elaine Quijano is here.
And Elaine, what are officials there saying about how close, how soon the White House might make a decision on Gitmo's future?
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Tony.
Well, officials here continue to insist that nothing is imminent, but what happened was that yesterday, The Associated Press reported that officials were nearing a decision, and that there was going to be a meeting here today focusing on this very issue of closing Guantanamo.
Now, the White House was very quick to respond to that airport. National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe saying yesterday that the discussion of Guantanamo actually was no longer on the schedule for that meeting today. Senior administration officials privately this morning, Tony, saying that that report was "overblown".
They say it's no secret that President Bush wants to close down the detention facility at Guantanamo, and for months President Bush has publicly said he wants to do just that. But officials, Tony, say that it is just a matter of figuring out how to get there -- Tony.
HARRIS: Well, if that is the goal, and I guess it still comes back to the question of what's taking so long? The president talked about this months ago, and we've heard from Secretary Rice and Defense Secretary Gates. So what's taking so long, Elaine?
QUIJANO: Well, they say that there are some complicated issues that they are trying to work out. For instance, they are trying to build a prison in Afghanistan to possibly take some of these detainees. But that takes times.
You've got to build it. They've got to train guards. Eventually transfer detainees there.
A lengthy process. But they also say they have been trying to work out these agreements with foreign governments, trying to repatriate some of these detainees, but also getting assurances from these governments that these detainees will be treated humanely and that they won't be released prematurely.
So those have been ongoing issues. What they say here is that, look, officials at the highest levels continue to meet all the time, but the bottom line regarding this report, there is no decision imminent, they say -- Tony.
HARRIS: OK. Our White House correspondent, Elaine Quijano, for us this morning.
Elaine, good to see you. Thank you.
More miles to the gallon. An energy bill passed by the Senate would raise mileage standards for cars and trucks for the first time in 20 years.
Senators approved the bill by a vote of 65-27. Under the measure, automakers would have to meet a fleet-wide mileage standard of 35 miles per gallon by 2020. That includes small trucks and SUVs. The current standard is 27.5 miles per gallon for cars and 22.2 for SUVs. Democrats also pushed for higher taxes on the oil industry, but Republicans successfully blocked that effort.
The U.S. and North Korea working out a deal to end Pyongyang's nuclear program. U.S. envoy Christopher Hill wrapping up a visit, saying North Korea is ready to promptly shut down a nuclear reactor.
That's part of an agreement that was made in February. It was held up by a financial dispute. Now North Korea is getting back $25 million the U.S. had frozen in a Chinese bank. Hill says the transfer is already in the works.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTOPHER Hill, ASST. SECRETARY OF STATE: One of the reasons I saw the North Koreans was to make sure, you know, we've got our signals right and that we're going to proceed on this. And my sense, my very clear sense here, is once they get their money -- as you know, their money has been in the Russian banking system for 10 days now, so I think they're going to get it very shortly, if they haven't already gotten it -- I think they are set to shut it down, and they confirmed that to me today in Pyongyang.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: North Korea is also getting $300 million in energy and financial aid. U.N. inspectors are scheduled to arrive in North Korea next week. Hill says he expects the reactor shut down within two weeks.
Let's get a check of weather now.
(WEATHER REPORT)
(NEWSBREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Good morning once again, everyone, live from Charleston, South Carolina, this morning.
I'm Heidi Collins. It is a very, very somber morning indeed. I'm not sure if you can hear the bagpipes playing behind me. They've just taken a break now, but it is such a beautiful sound and such a tradition within fire departments all across the country, those bagpipes and what they mean certainly at something like this, memorializing today the nine firefighters who lost their lives Monday night battling the blaze at the Super Sofa Store in Charleston, South Carolina.
We are looking at their pictures now.
We want to take just a moment before we get to the memorial service, about 45 minutes away from that, to talk with one of the family members. Really want to try to get an opportunity to learn more about the firefighters.
And I have with me now Kelly Lax. She is Louis Mulkey's cousin.
Louis Mulkey was 34 years old, 11 and a half years service to this fire department in Charleston.
Kelly, what can you say about what type of a person your cousin was?
KELLY LAX, VICTIM'S COUSIN: Louis loved what he did. If he had been able to choose a way to leave this world, this would have been it.
He would have loved the fanfare and all the outpouring of supporting and the people that have stood by the rest of the firefighters and the firefighters everywhere. And that's the kind of person that he was.
After 9/11, he spent a lot of time in New York providing backup. He went to a lot of services. He had a lot of friends there.
COLLINS: Really?
LAX: Which was a big jump from a small town Summerville boy to go to New York City.
COLLINS: We also know that he was a baseball -- or excuse me, basketball coach. He also was a volunteer at a camp for children who were burn victims.
This is a man who really, really went that extra mile to make sure that his kids, whether it was at school or at the camp, were doing what they needed to do and that they had what they needed.
LAX: That's very true. He was an assistant on the JV football team at Summerville High School. And in Summerville, we live and die by high school football.
He was also a varsity assistant basketball coach. He coached Little League Football for years and years.
COLLINS: He just couldn't get enough, could he? LAX: No. A lot of his players went on to play high school ball with him, and that's been -- that's been one of the most difficult things to have to witness, is just the crushing effect it's had on his boys.
And, in fact, there is a memorial service for him at the Summerville High School stadium...
COLLINS: Really?
LAX: ... tomorrow evening, and he -- that was the only place big enough. It supposedly seats 8,000, and that's the kind of support. I mean, Summerville does have a very large high school, and there will be -- there are a lot of kids that feel the need to share in this process and express their grief and let him have the kind of sendoff that they know that he would have wanted.
COLLINS: And I notice the badge around your neck. Tell me about that.
LAX: My husband was a firefighter in Mt. Pleasant. My dad retired from the Summerville Fire Department. So we have a lot of experience within that family, and Louis was very much a part of that.
COLLINS: You know, I had mentioned earlier on the air that I had chance to talk with some of the firefighters last night over at the site of the fire who told me that, "We go to work every day, but we don't know if we're going to be coming home. We do it any way."
And that was so profound to me, because there are not many of us who have such a dangerous profession.
LAX: That's true. And I don't think I have ever met a firefighter that didn't have that mindset.
They know that they are the front line of protection. They may have to give themselves up to save somebody else.
And in fact, we've heard from several people that that was why they were still there Monday night. The store was open when this started, and they didn't know how many customers were there. They didn't know -- they could account for employees, but they were making sure that there wasn't anybody left.
COLLINS: They were doing their jobs.
LAX: That's exactly what they were doing.
COLLINS: How's the family doing?
LAX: They're holding up. They are doing the best they can under these circumstances.
COLLINS: Well, our condolences obviously go out to you and your family.
LAX: Thank you.
COLLINS: We certainly wish you the best of luck. And quite an overwhelming memorial service today, I'm sure.
LAX: This is very nice.
COLLINS: But absolutely beautiful to see everyone in there dressed in uniform.
Kelly, thank you very much.
LAX: Thank you.
COLLINS: Tony, I'll send it back to you now in the studio.
HARRIS: OK, Heidi. Thank you.
A bizarre story to share with you. An investigation under way today at a Louisville amusement park. It follows a gruesome accident at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom.
A teenage girl injured on the Superman Tower of Power. Her feet severed above her ankles, possibly by a broken cable. The ride drops passengers 154 feet at highway speeds, stopping just above the pavement. A witness describes what he saw.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TREVA SMITH, WITNESS: We had seen the cable break loose as soon as it got to the top on the right-hand side. And as the ride came down, the wire swung left, hit -- struck the young lady.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Well, the ride is closed today. The unidentified girl was taken to University Hospital in Louisville. No word on her condition.
Still to come in the NEWSROOM this morning, critical condition. A Los Angeles hospital could have its license revoked for allegedly putting patients in life-threatening jeopardy.
And murder on a Michigan campus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But they knew that they told us nothing. To find out this horrible thing that happened to our daughter, how could they just think that was OK, to not tell us?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: An unspeakable horror kept secret.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COLLINS: A live look now inside the North Charleston Coliseum, where the memorial service will be getting under way in about 30 minutes from now, 10:00 a.m., to memorialize the nine firefighters who were lost on Monday night.
I want to give you an idea of who will be speaking and how this will go.
Right now we know that the processional of all the fire engines from different companies around the country are making their way here to the coliseum. Then once inside, the presentation of colors will take place. That will be done by the Charleston Fire Department Honor Guard.
We will hear the Fire Department of New York Pipe and Drum Corps. We will hear the National Anthem. And we will hear some words, invocation from Chaplain Rod Dewey.
We'll also hear words of comfort from the mayor, Joe Riley, and the governor of South Carolina, and the Charleston City police chief, Rusty Thomas.
We expect about 20,000 people or so inside, possibly 10,000 more outside. And as I sit here talking to you outside the coliseum, I am certainly seeing a constant influx of people getting in position so that they, too, may take part.
HARRIS: Can't wait to see how that city honors its heroes at the top of the hour.
In the meantime, don't call this an end (ph) around. It's more like a full frontal assault. Vice President Dick Cheney accused of protecting secrets by trying to abolish the office asking for them.
CNN's Suzanne Malveaux reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The vice president's office is keeping a secret. The secret is over how many secrets it keeps.
An order by President Bush requires Cheney's office to tell the National Archives how many documents it classifies or declassifies each year. For years, the vice president's office has refused.
Now Cheney's solution to the dispute, just abolish the office asking for the records. That according to Congressman Henry Waxman, who heads the congressional committee investigating the matter. He warned Cheney in a letter that his actions could be downright criminal, saying, "I question both the legality and wisdom of your actions."
For Cheney's part, his camp would neither confirm or deny whether they sought to abolish the National Archives Office seeking the vice president's records. But they did respond to Waxman's accusations, saying, "We are confident that we are conducting the office properly under the law."
That executive order Mr. Bush signed in 2003 required all agencies and any other entity within the executive branch to report its records for classifying top-secret documents. But according to Waxman, the vice president's office is now claiming it is not an entity within the executive branch.
Sound cut and dry? Not exactly.
If abolishing the National Archives Office doesn't work, Cheney's office has another tactic. They say as vice president, Cheney also serves as the president of the Senate, which means he's in the unique position of straddling the executive and legislative branches.
STEVEN AFTERGOOD, FED. OF AMERICAN SCIENTISTS: It's transparently silly. If it were true, then we would have to rewrite all of the textbooks that we all grew up with. It's obvious that the vice president's office is part of the executive branch, and to claim otherwise is preposterous.
MALVEAUX: Those textbooks say the U.S. Constitution establishes the office of vice president under executive branch, Article II Section I.
(on camera): What is also interesting is that the Bush administration has made the case numerous times for keeping information secret, citing executive privilege and executive power. So it seems inconsistent that the vice president's office is now saying that he's in a unique position.
Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: A hospital emergency in California, not for patients but for the hospital itself. The state Department of Health Services says it is taking steps to revoke the license for the troubled Martin Luther King Jr. Harbor Hospital.
The move, if successful, could eventually force the public hospital to close. The hospital has been plagued by claims of substandard care. It is under renewed scrutiny.
Just last month you may recall a woman died after writhing untreated on the floor of the emergency room for 45 minutes. Don't expect the hospital to close any time soon. The process could take months.
Still to come this morning, NASA looks for a break in the clouds. Atlantis astronauts heading home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SUNI WILLIAMS, ASTRONAUT: I just can't wait to get back and feel the air on my face and the sea breeze. I'm looking forward to hopefully going to the beach and taking a walk with my husband and my dog.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Five chances, two landing sites. Will they make it home today?
Airborne laser defense. Sounds simple enough.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Think of the it as the lens and the bulb in a flashlight. We direct that very, very powerful flashlight at a boosting missile, and we shoot it down.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: But is Congress buying it?
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And live in Charleston, South Carolina. Behind me now on the JumboTron outside of the coliseum for the memorial that will begin in about 30 minutes from now. You see all the firefighters from all over the country lining up. The family members will walk through that line and shortly sit down in their seats for an hour of remembering their loved ones.
Up next, we'll talk with the president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs and learn more about their sacrifice.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Just past the bottom of the hour.
Welcome back, everyone, to THE CNN NEWSROOM.
I'm Tony Harris from world headquarters in Atlanta.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you, everyone.
I'm Heidi Collins live from Charleston, South Carolina, now sitting outside of the coliseum where inside, in about 30 minutes or so, the memorial service will begin, where thousands of fellow firefighters and loved ones will be remembering the nine who lost their lives so tragically on Monday night here in Charleston.
As we begin to hear the orchestra behind us and as everyone starts the president to take their seats, I want to talk with the president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs for a moment.
Jim Harmes is with me.
He is also the fire chief in Grand Blanc, Michigan.
Chief, first of all, take us back and tell me a little bit about how you found out what happened here in Charleston. JAMES HARMES, PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FIRE CHIEFS: Roughly at 10:45 Monday night I received a phone call from someone from our staff that there were two firefighters lost in Charleston, with a number of people missing at this time. And by 11:15, 11:20, we found out that nine had lost their life in the fire in a building that contained sofas and so on, and couches and mattresses and so on.
COLLINS: And as the president of the IAFF, these are phone calls that you take?
HARMES: Yes. As president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, I have to take these phone calls for deaths of firefighters or serious injuries to a number of firefighters. And, unfortunately, I received this call Monday night. And we immediately began action Tuesday morning with the international office to start getting help down here for the individuals here in Charleston, South Carolina. And...
COLLINS: How do you -- how do you take those phone calls?
I mean you said to me yourself it's one thing to lose one and the grieving is tremendous there. But nine.
HARMES: It's just -- this has been a real tough one. Obviously, we lost 343 firefighters in New York City at the World Trade Center. But when we lose a number of firefighters -- three or four in a building -- you know, we take it very hard. But when we lose nine, nine people in one building, that's -- I think it's 30,000 square feet -- it's just j it's beyond the belief of a fire chief. It's a nightmare to any fire chief, fire officer throughout the world.
And looking at the situation yesterday, it's -- I still don't have my questions answered, just...
COLLINS: Sure.
HARMES: ... what went wrong?
The building really, truly let them down. We didn't have sprinklers in the building, obviously. And they were in rescue and they, at one time, four people supposedly trapped. They did what every firefighter is taught to do -- they made a rescue. They made a rescue attempt. They did rescue one person.
COLLINS: And it was a very difficult rescue. My understanding is this was a metal trussed building and your training, does it not, teach you that a structure that is made of metal truss, about 10 minutes before it is severely compromised and could come down. So not only was the smoke raging, but they didn't have very long before it came down.
HARMES: Right. Right. With the heat inside a metal building when it's all metal trussed -- metal sided, like this building is -- it just -- it acts like the inside of a pot or pan on the stove.
COLLINS: Yes.
HARMES: It gets astronomically warm, hot. The heat is just beyond the realm of what you're used to.
These firefighters worked hard to get as far in as they did. They were very warm, very hot. They made their attempt to rescue these individuals. And they did rescue one individual, as I said. But going through that building, there's no good way of getting through a metal building. It's just so hot. We can't just rip the siding off and go forward. The siding is put on with screws. They're tied together. It's not easy to take them apart.
COLLINS: Right.
HARMES: So we really easily even vent a building like this easily. So they're -- the heat they were sustaining as they went in the building is unbelievable...
COLLINS: Yes. And we heard the...
HARMES: ... and obviously as it went along, it became worse.
COLLINS: Yes. We heard the 911 tapes that were let out this morning from the dispatchers who -- and there's just no hesitation, you know?
We think someone is in the building. Send more in. Send more in. Because that is what you do.
HARMES: Right.
COLLINS: Explain to the people who might be watching today about the community of firefighters, the fraternity. You sleep, you know, in the same building. You cook together. You eat together. You joke together. I mean everybody knows about the famous chili cook-offs that the firemen do. This is really an extended family.
HARMES: It is more than an extended family. They used to call it a fraternity or a sorority, which were the females in the fire service that we have. It's become an extended family. We work together. We play together. We eat together. And we cry together.
And when we have something like this happen, whether it's in Michigan or South Carolina or it's in California, we simply feel the pain. We just -- as I said, people came into our station Tuesday morning and most of them were numb. You just don't understand how something like this can happen.
How can you cope and go forward with such a thing?
It's just -- I feel bad for the South Carolina fire chiefs and firefighters associations. They've worked diligently all week to put this together today and, you know, it's -- when you work so hard at something like they have done, you think of it being as a happy climax and we're all done and everybody is going to celebrate.
COLLINS: Right. R.
HARMES: This is not. This is the end of the road for nine firefighters -- kids, I call them kids. A couple of them just being kids. A couple being around my age. And it just, you know, it's just very hard to understand this as a fire chief, firefighter, fire officer. The fraternity is so strong or the sorority is so strong. It's brothers and sisters working together having fun....
COLLINS: Well that's...
HARMES: It's just...
COLLINS: That's very evident today as I look behind me. And I've been watching all morning long as people have been filing in nonstop in their beautiful dress uniforms to pay their respects. It is quite, quite a brotherhood.
I want to send it back now to Tony -- Tony, we're about 20 minutes away, as you can see, from the start of the memorial service behind us.
HARRIS: I will remember that statement from Chief Harmes saying the building let those firefighters down.
Thank you, Heidi.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
HARRIS: And still to come this morning, murder on a Michigan campus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But they knew that they told us nothing. To find out this horrible thing that happened to our daughter, how could they just think that was OK to not tell us?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: An unspeakable horror kept secret. The story in THE NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Another day of iffy weather for Space Shuttle Atlantis. NASA eyeing landing sites in Florida and California. The shuttle will have five opportunities to return to Earth today, the first just after 2:00 Eastern this afternoon.
Low clouds and showers forced NASA to wave off yesterday's attempt at Kennedy Space Center. That same weather pattern is building today.
High winds could cause problems at the other landing site -- Edwards Air Force Base. That's in California.
Atlantis has enough power to remain in orbit until Sunday. There is the good news there.
Chad Myers checking the weather situation -- Chad, are we just seeing a situation where we're seeing that typical summer pattern of afternoon -- is that what it is -- and evening thunderstorms?
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Sure.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MYERS: Hey, Tony?
HARRIS: Yes?
MYERS: Jackie and I were honored yesterday.
HARRIS: Hey, we talked about this just a little bit. Oh, great.
MYERS: Look at this.
HARRIS: Yes.
MYERS: This is the Mark Trail Award that Jacqui Jeras and I received yesterday in recognition by the National Weather Service for our continuing obsession with people trying to get weather radios in their house.
HARRIS: You're making it our obsession, OK?
MYERS: Oh...
HARRIS: And it's a great thing.
MYERS: Really, really. And if you know Jack Elrod -- he's the founder here of Mark Trail...
HARRIS: Wow!
MYERS: And it's his effort and the efforts of a lot of lawmakers in Washington, too, and some lawmakers in Indiana that are actually going to try to get weather radios mandatory on every manufactured home. The bill was introduced yesterday. Every manufactured home that comes out of the shop will have to have a weather radio in it before it gets installed.
HARRIS: Were you willing to go up there and speak to the lawmakers and make it happen?
MYERS: Actually, I said -- the funny thing, I talked to Representative Klein from Florida yesterday on trying to get that satellite fixed that we relaunched.
HARRIS: Yes.
MYERS: The new one.
HARRIS: Yes. MYERS: So that's why I was on the Hill yesterday, talking to him about that and trying to get some appropriated for that.
HARRIS: Wow!
It's great work. And, boy, you have lit a fire.
MYERS: Yes, we did.
HARRIS: My kids -- my kids now are on our case to get it, because they've been watching you.
MYERS: Hey, hey, you know, there are some exciting things going on. I know I'm over my time on this and maybe I'll talk to you later, but we're trying to put weather radios in your GPS in your car...
HARRIS: Whoa!
MYERS: ... so that when you're driving -- you don't know what county you're in.
HARRIS: Exactly.
MYERS: But your GPS does.
HARRIS: Oh, that's great, Chad.
MYERS: (INAUDIBLE) that.
HARRIS: We'll carve out some time to talk about that.
MYERS: All right.
HARRIS: Congratulations on the honor.
MYERS: OK.
HARRIS: Still to come in THE NEWSROOM this morning, resuming the search. Volunteers back out today looking for a pregnant and missing Ohio mom. We will give you an update on the investigation in THE NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: Live from Charleston, South Carolina, where we are listening to the beautiful sounds of The Charleston Symphony Orchestra, just as outside we watch the family members of the victims beginning to arrive to remember their lost loved ones. They are all escorted by various police cars and squad cars from all over South Carolina. It is quite an emotional moment as you look at the faces of these family members about to go inside the coliseum. About 10 minutes away from the memorial service. We'll be back in just a moment.
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DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta with this week's Fit Nation Friday tip.
So, are you headed to the gym this weekend?
If you are, make sure to train your muscles in the right order. You'll want to start with big muscle groups first -- your back, your quads and your pecs. And work your way down to the smaller muscles, like your calves, abs and arms.
Why so much importance on the order of your workout?
Well, it's common sense, really. If you start by training the smaller muscles, you won't have as much energy left when it comes to training the big muscle groups. If you start big and work downward, you can use what little energy you have left to work the smaller muscles.
Have a fit-tastic weekend and don't forget to check in at cnn.com/fitnation to join the fit nation challenge.
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COLLINS: We have already seen so much emotion this morning, as we stand outside of the North Charleston Coliseum and now are watching family members of the nine firefighters who died Monday night arrive to the coliseum.
They will walk through a sea -- a very long line of the honor guard lined up shoulder to shoulder who have come in from all over this country. They will go inside the coliseum at 10:00, just a few minutes from now. We understand they will see video from the evening of the fire. They will see the firefighters at the scene embracing one another and trying to get through that very tragic moment.
You see the faces of the nine firefighters of the Charleston City Fire Department who were lost that fateful night.
We'll bring you the coverage just as soon as it begins.
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HARRIS: What to do after a career in the FBI?
CNN's Ali Velshi tells us about a retired agent profiting by sharing his knowledge with poker players?
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JOE NAVARRO, RETIRED FBI AGENT: What we do in this room is two things -- observe and communicate.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Joe Navarro's life seems right out of a Tom Clancy novel.
NAVARRO: For 25 years I -- most of my work was in the national security division of the FBI. I was a spy catcher. And that's what I did.
VELSHI: When he retired in 2003, Navarro had fairly pedestrian goals.
NAVARRO: Honestly, I thought I would be writing part-time, because I enjoy writing. And I would be teaching maybe one school a month.
(TEACHING) But if you want to learn about reading nonverbal behavior...
VELSHI: Navarro is teaching, but the subject matter of the class is less Tom Clancy and more "Ocean's 11." You see his students here are poker players.
NAVARRO: I teach them the significance of tells that affect us the most, things that tell us what is this person going to do.
Is this person going to fold? Is this person going to quit or are they going to continue?
VELSHI: Navarro started sharing his knowledge with the poker set after appearing on a television show about deception with a poker pro.
NAVARRO: At first, I mean I told him, I said I don't play poker. I -- I don't know what I can offer you. And they said we want you to come teach even though you don't know how to play poker because we think you have something to -- to offer. And -- and that's how I got started.
VELSHI: Navarro does spend most of his time teaching law enforcement groups and business clients, like J.P. Morgan Chase.
NAVARRO: Do they show discomfort when I mention a product?
VELSHI: Yet he says the poker school delivers the biggest payoff -- 40 percent of his earnings, despite being only 7 percent of his work. And Navarro is picking things up from the poker world, as well.
NAVARRO: I wish more agents played poker because there's tells that you pick up in -- at -- in the poker room. And you pick up so many of them in one day or in one hour, that it would take you maybe 40, 50, 60 interviews to see these. And you can see it in one or two tables in the span of 30 minutes.
VELSHI: Ali Velshi, CNN.
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