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American Morning
Wildfire Near Lake Tahoe Only 40 Percent Contained; Deadly 9/11 Air?; How Common is the "Superbug"?
Aired June 26, 2007 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR (voice over): All smiles and home free. Paris Hilton out of jail overnight, with waves to the media and hugs for her parents.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's nothing to really say. She has fulfilled her debt. It brings an end to this incarceration.
CHETRY: The circus all around her release, her drive home, and the promises to change her ways on this AMERICAN MORNING.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: And welcome back. It is Tuesday, June 26th.
I'm Kiran Chetry, along with John Roberts.
Glad you're with us.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you.
(NEWSBREAK)
ROBERTS: We begin this morning, though, with the wildfire near Lake Tahoe, California. Overnight, firefighters said they made progress in stopping the fire, but still it's only 40 percent contained. Hundreds of homes are threatened, hundreds of buildings have already burned.
AMERICAN MORNING'S Chris Lawrence live from Meyers, California.
Chris, the sun about to come up. What kind of a day are the firefighters facing there?
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A better one than they've had the last few days. And better than they're going to get in the next few days to come.
You know, we're standing outside one of the homes here. It looks like this family tried to make a last stand and save their home right here. The hose out here. Maybe trying to, you know, wet down their lawn a little bit, using the shovels to maybe shovel some dirt on to the embers.
Unfortunately, you take a look behind me, you can see they just weren't successful. It was just too hot, coming too fast, and they aren't alone.
You're talking about, what, nearly 200 families who have homes that look pretty much like this one. And this morning, they are just now figuring out what they're going to have to do from this point on.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now have you to start thinking about getting blankets, getting ready to find a house to live in, get contractors, try to rebuild. Rebuild your life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAWRENCE: Now, again, right now the winds have died down compared to the last few days, and firefighters have got this fire about 40 percent contained. They are hoping that if they can get a leg up on the fire sometime today, that they will be able to get the fire fully contained by Sunday. But that's contingent on really beating the clock, because the winds are expected to kick up again, and that could pose a lot of problems in the next couple of days -- John.
ROBERTS: All right. Chris Lawrence for us live in Meyers, California.
Chris, thanks very much.
How much time do firefighters have before winds kick back up and start spreading those embers yet again? Chad Myers with the fire forecast, now live from the CNN weather center.
(WEATHER REPORT)
CHETRY: And right now we're going to be talking a little bit about a growing controversy when it comes to the air quality in the days after the September 11th terror attacks. Some finger pointing going on. In fact, it happened in Washington, D.C., when Christie Todd Whitman, the former EPA chief, had to testify about it.
And CNN's Alina Cho joins us now with more on the growing debate, finger pointing about who is to blame.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Finger pointing. A lot of he said-she said, Kiran.
Democrats say the Bush administration lied to the public about just how safe the air was at Ground Zero after 9/11. The former head of the EPA says it's personal and she would never lie.
We're going to tell you about the circus-like congressional hearing and how it could be bad news for one GOP presidential candidate named Giuliani coming up -- Kiran.
CHETRY: All right, Alina. Thank you so much.
And we're getting a shocking look now at a violent confrontation that ended in the shooting death of a New Hampshire police officer by the cousin of a champion skier, Bode Miller.
This is dash cam video that's just been released. And as we said, it is very disturbing to see Corporal Bruce McKay chased down, and then pulled over Miller's cousin, Liko Kenney. McKay pepper- sprays him, and Kenney sticks a handgun through the window, as you see, and starts firing.
He then tries to drive away. Off camera, though, he is stopped by another passing driver who saw what happened, pulled over, grabbed Officer McKay's -- I mean, grabbed the gun and then ended up shooting the man before he could get away. It turns out the entire confrontation between McKay and Kenney was the bloody finale to a long-simmering family feud that dates back to Kenney filing an assault charge against Officer McKay. Even Bode Miller himself claimed that McKay purposely harassed him.
ROBERTS: They are frightening, dangerous and tough to beat. And according to a new study, they have been far more frequently than we thought. We're talking about staph infections, a so-called super bug that's resistant to a lot of different antibiotics.
Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us now live from Atlanta with more on this surprising study.
So, how concerned should people really be, Sanjay?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think for the average person, still, it's not a huge concern. But this is much more common, John, than we thought. I mean, this sort of -- this was put in the category of rare, and now we're finding out, in fact, these superbugs are 10 times more common than we thought.
Look, it can start as a nasty looking lesion or a boil, something on your skin. That's worth getting checked out. That's the message here. It may be the most important thing I say all morning. Those are worth getting checked out.
There's about 30,000 hospital patients that actually have one of these superbugs right now. That's a big number.
What we're also learning is that besides being transmitted in the hospital, it can also be transmitted in locker rooms, from wrestling mats, and day care facilities. So these are all potential places of concern as well.
The biggest concern, obviously, doctors not washing their hands, and hospitals spreading it. Patients not washing their hands who are infected, spreading it as well in that way.
The CDC and the American Hospital Association releasing some new guidelines now specifically trying to address this increase in the number of what is called MRSA, Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or superbug, as you call it -- John.
ROBERTS: Right. You know, this used to be stuff that we heard about solely in the hospital. And now it's out there in the great wide world?
GUPTA: It is. And I think this sort of speaks to what happens when you get resistant bugs out there. You know, bugs that aren't treatable with conventional antibiotics.
They start off in hospitals, typically, because that is where the most antibiotics are. But then those patients start leaving the hospital. They take the organisms with them, they spread it to other people, and that's what's happening out there.
ROBERTS: All right. Sanjay Gupta with some good tips for us this morning.
Sanjay, thanks.
GUPTA: Thank you.
CHETRY: Paris Hilton a free woman this morning, walking out of the Lynwood jail overnight. She was all smiles after 23 days behind bars.
AMERICAN MORNING'S Lola Ogunnaike joins us now with the update.
And people were saying she lost 10 pounds behind bars. Where did she have 10 pounds to lose?
LOLA OGUNNAIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I don't know, but apparently she did lose 10 pounds.
What we do know is that she's at the Hilton family compound in Bel-Air, California, and she's doing "LARRY KING LIVE" tomorrow. And she's on probation until March 2009.
She can reduce the probation term by 12 months if she does a community service -- does community service or a public service announcement. So we'll see. Maybe she won't have to be on probation for that long.
CHETRY: Yes. And hopefully she won't get into a car and drive again, because she could face some trouble there.
But they were talking about a post-jail celebration.
OGUNNAIKE: Talking about a post-jail celebration. Might not be the best idea considering the fact that she got into trouble, you know, in dealing with some, you know, liquor violation. So maybe she might want to lay low on the post-jail celebration. May want to have some cider at that celebration.
CHETRY: Lay low. I don't know if that's in her DNA.
OGUNNAIKE: No.
CHETRY: But meantime, we want to remind people -- thanks, Lola -- that Paris will be having her first post-jail interview right here on CNN, where she's going to be speaking on "LARRY KING LIVE". It all happens tomorrow, 9:00 p.m. Eastern.
(NEWSBREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Well, if you give out your phone number to enough people, one of them might actually be the one, even if you're not searching.
Ryan Fitzgerald gave out his phone number. He posted it on YouTube and told people to call him if they wanted to talk. And boy, did people call him.
Thousands upon thousands of people, 24 hours a day. And he's really glad he did it because now he is engaged to a person who reached out to him. And the two lovebirds are joining me now, Ryan Fitzgerald, as well as his fiancee, Kara Fraim.
Thanks to both of you for being here.
First of all, congratulations are in order. You -- tell us how you met, Ryan.
RYAN FITZGERALD, GAVE OUT HIS PHONE NUMBER ON YOUTUBE: Well, basically, she -- I was doing the whole phone thing. She -- we were on IM. She decided that she wanted to call me -- IM me instead of calling me first, because she was kind of skeptical.
So we talked for a few hours online. Then she ended up calling me.
We talked for about nine hours that night. We spoke over the next few days. And then we ended up deciding that we just wanted to meet up for one night, and then one night turned into two days, which turned into two months.
CHETRY: And now you guys are together and you're going to be together forever?
FITZGERALD: Yes, pretty much.
CHETRY: Eighteen years old, 20 years old.
FITZGERALD: Twenty, yes.
CHETRY: People say you're too young?
FITZGERALD: A lot of people do.
CHETRY: What does your mom say, Kara?
KARA LAEL FRAIN, RYAN'S FIANCEE: My mom is really supportive because she just wants me to be happy, but she's delighted to hear that it's not for a couple of years.
CHETRY: You guys want to go through college and get jobs together before you're deciding to get married?
FRAIN: Absolutely.
CHETRY: Kara, how did you even find out about Ryan and what he was doing?
FRAIN: I was just on YouTube like I always am, and I came across it. I don't even know how I came across it, but I did. And I kind of just put it in my phone, but was like, no, I can't call it.
CHETRY: And what's the situation now? Because Ryan, even when you were here on our show back in April, your phone was ringing off the hook. And I think I hear some buzzing, so your phone is probably still ringing.
FITZGERALD: Yes. I have it on silent now, but...
CHETRY: Do you still do this? Do you still answer the phone?
FITZGERALD: Yes, it's still the same. Yes. And that's why -- that's another big thing with her, why we clicked, because she was doing similar -- pretty much the same thing on YouTube, except she was talking to people through video logs versus her cell phone.
So she sometimes picks up the phone. A lot of people now, they call and actually ask to talk to her. So I actually let them -- usually she will pick up my phone when I'm sleeping or people want to talk to her. Obviously I let them.
CHETRY: And so it doesn't bother you that strangers, thousands of strangers, reach out to your future husband every day, Kara?
FRAIN: Not at all, because it's how I met him. It's how -- it's just something that he came -- like that's how I met him, do you know what I mean? When I met him, that's what he was doing, so it's nothing that I cannot be used to already.
CHETRY: Right. I hear what you're saying.
So are you two planning to parlay this into something else, maybe your careers, or maybe a life in social work since you guys are really good at it and like to do it?
FITZGERALD: Yes, I definitely think that something might happen in the future that has to do with the cell phone. If not, then obviously we're just going to go into school for something in the general department.
CHETRY: Well, congratulations to both of you.
FITZGERALD: Thanks.
CHETRY: A very unique way. You have some great stories to tell your kids, that's for sure.
FITZGERALD: Yes. Thanks. CHETRY: Sometime down the road.
Ryan Fitzgerald, as well as his fiancee, Kara Fraim.
Thanks for joining us and good luck.
FITZGERALD: No problem. Thank you.
FRAIM: Thanks.
ROBERTS: Coming up to 16 minutes after the hour.
The White House has heard criticism of its policies for detaining suspected terrorists before, but yesterday it came from an unsuspected source.
President Bush was meeting this year's high school presidential scholars when one of them slipped him a handwritten letter signed by several dozen of the teens. It read, in part, "We have been told we represent the best and brightest of our nation. Therefore, we believe we have a responsibility to voice our convictions. We do not want America to represent torture."
Some of the students behind the letter are with us this morning from Washington. They are Mari Oye from Massachusetts; Leah Anthony Libresco from New York; and Colin McSwiggen from Ohio.
So whose idea was this? Speak up.
LEAH ANTHONY LIBRESCO, PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLAR: Well, I think what happened was we were all talking about the opportunity to meet the president, someone who answers to us, the American people. And we didn't know what we should do or what we should say, but everyone wanted to seize the opportunity. And when we talked, we really wanted to talk about the issue of torture, because human rights and human dignity is a nonpartisan issue, and it was something we all really felt strongly, and we wanted to take the opportunity to be heard.
ROBERTS: Right. So when did you decide to write this, Mari?
MARI OYE, PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLAR: Well, originally, we put it together over the course of a day. But it's something that was really envisioned by a lot of us ahead of time, not together. But it's something that we felt was really, really important to work on together.
ROBERTS: Well, let me point out your mother was a presidential scholar...
OYE: Yes.
ROBERTS: ... met Lyndon Johnson back in 1968, I believe.
OYE: Yes.
ROBERTS: And said that she always regretted not saying something to him about the Vietnam War.
OYE: Absolutely. And that's something that weighed heavy on my mind. And I wanted to think about how we would feel 40 years from now if we had the opportunity to speak -- and also the privilege to speak to the president of the United States and to not use that privilege in order to make a difference.
ROBERTS: So, Colin, what happened when you gave the president the letter?
COLIN MCSWIGGEN, PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLAR: Well, the one who originally handed the letter to the president was, of course, Mari. She -- we were lined up for a photo-op, and he came right before the photo and started speaking to us.
He -- we had a very casual discussion. He said it's important to treat others as you wish to be treated. And he said that we really need to think about the choices that we make in our lives.
And as he lined up to take the photo with us, Mari handed him the note and said, "Mr. President, some of us have made a choice, and we want you to have this." He read, "All right, I'll have it." After the photo he asked if he should read the note. And Mari said, "Well, that's up to you."
But he read it right there, and had a very casual discussion with him about it. Right there in front of the White House lawn.
ROBERTS: Wow.
MCSWIGGEN: And his response was, "We agree. Americans do not use torture."
ROBERTS: So, Leah, I mean, that's a pretty bold stroke to hand the president a letter, particularly one with that sort of controversial subject matter. It was signed by 50 students.
Did you have any problem getting those 50 students to sign it?
LIBRESCO: We actually didn't. Though these are 50 students individually who made an individual choice, not speaking for the program. But the thing is we all feel so strongly.
And I don't think this is a controversial issue. I don't think human dignity and human rights is a controversial issue. So once we started talking to people about the idea of speaking up, people kept coming forward and saying, "Yes, this is important."
And that's sort of what's been so inspiring about the whole process, especially the presidential scholars, more than even the lectures we've had or even meeting the president, meeting all of these people who are so smart and so committed and so invested in what is happening in our country. I mean, we're all so thrilled to have had this opportunity, and we hope a lot of other kids get this opportunity, too.
ROBERTS: Mari, in response, the president said, "We respect human rights."
Do you buy that?
OYE: What he actually said -- we brought up some very specific points in the letter about the treatment of detainees, even those designated as enemy combatants. And we strongly believe that all of these detainees should be treated according to the principles of the Geneva Convention. So this was a very specific point.
We asked him to remove -- I asked him to remove the signing statement attached to the anti-torture bill which would have allowed presidential power to make exemptions to the ban on torture. I really feel strongly about this issue and also about the -- about the treatment of some Arab and Muslim-Americans after September 11th.
ROBERTS: Right.
OYE: My own grandparents were interned during World War II simply for being Japanese-Americans. And I think that my background really affected the way that I feel and the compassion that I have for other people who are in a similar situation.
ROBERTS: Well, obviously you weren't shy about sharing your opinions, which is what the great thing about this democracy is.
And you want to talk about brain power, the collective group that you're seeing there, Mari and Leah are going to Yale next year. Colin has been accepted to MIT.
We wish you a lot of luck in your collegiate studies. And thanks very much for being with us this morning.
OYE: Thank you so much.
LIBRESCO: Thank you.
MCSWIGGEN: Thank you.
ROBERTS: All right.
(NEWSBREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK)
CHETRY: The former head of the Environmental Protection Agency is standing by statements that she made in the days following the attacks on the World Trade Center. Christie Todd Whitman said at the time the area -- the air in that area was safe, and yesterday she faced a fierce grilling on Capitol Hill over those claims.
AMERICAN MORNING'S Alina Cho is following the story for us, and she has more on the really heated discussion there on Capitol Hill.
CHO: I think fierce grilling is maybe an understatement, Kiran. CHETRY: Yes.
CHO: Good morning to you.
Nearly six years after 9/11, they are still trying to find out why the public wasn't given proper information about the air quality at Ground Zero.
A sweeping study shows 70 percent -- 70 percent of 9,000 rescue workers at Ground Zero have some sort of respiratory illness, and Congress wants some accountability now. So yesterday, after initially refusing to testify, the former head of the EPA, Christie Todd Whitman, went before Congress.
She told a House subcommittee when she declared two days after 9/11 that the air was safe, she believed it was. Whitman says when she made that statement she was talking to the general public, not recovery workers.
Last week, the General Accounting Office released a preliminary report saying the federal government misled the public about contamination at Ground Zero, and some members of Congress say that was negligent and has even cost lives.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTIE WHITMAN, FMR. EPA ADMINISTRATOR: It's important for people to understand that these were not whims, these were not decisions by a politician. Everything I said was based on what I was hearing from professionals.
My son was in Building 7 on that day, Congressman. And I almost lost him.
REP. KEITH ELLISON (D), MINNESOTA: And Governor -- Governor, no one...
(CROSSTALK)
ELLISON: No, Governor, excuse me. I'm not going to allow to you turn this into a personal thing. It's personal for the people out here.
WHITMAN: It's personal with everybody, and I...
ELLISON: It's personal to the people out here, too, Governor.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Not your usual congressional hearing. There was two and a half hours of that.
Whitman says the government did the best it could at the time, and if anyone is to blame, Kiran, she says it's the terrorists who attacked the United States after 9/11, not the federal government. CHETRY: And looking forward, it certainly seems like it's going to be a big issue in 2008, especially when you look at who the candidates are and what their role was -- Mayor Giuliani.
CHO: That's right. We're never far from politics, right, Kiran?
CHETRY: Right.
CHO: You know, Whitman -- Whitman says that she repeatedly -- or her agency repeatedly told recovery workers, rescue workers to wear protective gear, but that she says it was the city, New York City, that was ultimately responsible for enforcing it.
Well, who was in charge at the time? Then New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who happens to be running for president now. Of course the Giuliani camp fired back saying Whitman never voiced any of these concerns at the time, and to do so now is revisionist, Kiran, at best.
CHETRY: Alina Cho, thank you.
CHO: My pleasure.
(NEWSBREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back. That's a beautiful shot this morning, LAX. I'm assuming, since there's a big L and A, followed by an X.
ROBERTS: Those are the cool art deco columns there at the entrance of the airport.
CHETRY: I like them.
ROBERTS: My daughter is there this week staying with a friend in Huntington Beach. I want her life! I want her life!
CHETRY: She probably wants yours.
Welcome back. It's Tuesday, June 26th. I'm Kiran Chetry along with John Roberts.
And we have hand sanitizer here on the set this morning because we're talking about protecting your kids from germs. Is there a hidden danger, though? We see these all of the time. We all carry them around, we use them. But is there a danger in overuse of hand sanitizers? Doctor Sanjay Gupta is here.
ROBERTS: Here is the real danger. The active ingredient is ethyl alcohol. Which is ethanol, which is the same thing you can run your car on, but it's also the same thing that is in liquor.
CHETRY: Can children get drunk by doing this?
ROBERTS: Can you get drunk on hand sanitizer? That is the question we will ask this morning. The $54-million lawsuit over a pair of missing pants. The judge ruled, but is the case over?
CHETRY: We will talk about that with our Savannah Guthrie in just a couple of minutes as well.
First, our top story this morning. Firefighters are making progress on the destructive wildfire that's burning near Lake Tahoe, California. At last report, though, they have contained about 40 percent of that fire and they need the weather to cooperate today as they get prepared to make more air lifts, trying to get some of the fire retardant and water from the air onto some of the parts that are burning the hardest out there.
A 1,000 people have been forced to evacuate their homes. About 220 homes and buildings destroyed and firefighters are doing their level best to try to save some of the other homes in the fire line. How much time do firefighters have before the winds kick back up and start spreading the fire again today? Our Chad Myers is with the fire forecast live in the CNN Weather Center in Atlanta.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Kiran.
They need a little bit more wind than yesterday. That sounds ironic. You go, no, that doesn't make any sense. But the wind was so light yesterday, the smoke wouldn't get out of the way for the helicopters and the planes to see the front line. Well, today, 5 to 10 miles per hour with an occasional gust to 15. You saw a little gust there to 9 miles per hour. So coming up a little bit right now, but, tomorrow, 10 to 25, with that gust to almost 30 by Thursday and Friday afternoon.
Wouldn't they love to get some of this rain from Oklahoma into Texas where, in fact, almost a spot almost the entire state of Texas under either flood watches, and flood warnings. Just can't spread this rain around. Guys, back to you.
ROBERTS: Chad, thanks very much.
You might buy them because they kill germs and help keep your family safe but, in fact, those hand sanitizers may hold a hidden danger for your kids. Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us now to talk more about this.
Sanjay, some parents have nicknamed this stuff booze ooze. Why?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I have to say, first of all, I thought this was urban legend. It thought this was going to pan out to be untrue, but people are very concerned about the fact you might actually -- people be drinking the stuff, this hand sanitizer, treating it like alcohol. You sort of alluded to this.
I'm holding a bottle up, you see the bottles of Purell there. I'm holding a two-ounce bottle as well. Flip this over. The active ingredient, as you mentioned, is ethyl alcohol. And 62 percent of it is ethyl alcohol. The same stuff in beer. It's the same stuff in wine. Same stuff in Jack Daniels.
This little two-ounce bottle, if you will, is about equivalent to four shots of vodka as well. That is the concern. People actually drink the stuff. It smells good. For little kids can be quite enticing.
And to be fair, the "New England Journal of Medicine" had an article about this not that long ago, talking specifically about the concerns about hand sanitizer. Again, pointing out that no one has died from taking this but, in fact, it can be of significant concern to small children, not only because you have the ethyl alcohol, but because they metabolize it differently as well. They can be become intoxicated, they can slow their speech, but they can also have dangerous drops, if you will, in blood glucose. That can be another concern as well.
Again, John, I thought it was urban legend, but it appears to be true, and of concern out there.
ROBERTS: I expect, Sanjay, they make this out of ethyl alcohol as opposed to wood alcohol because if you were to put it on your hands and then touch your hand to your mouth, if it was wood alcohol you could poison yourself almost immediately.
Is there anything else in these bottles that would be injurious to some people other than alcohol overdose of ethyl alcohol for small children?
GUPTA: Not really. That is the active ingredient of concern. And the other reason they use the ethyl alcohol is because it can be a very good sterilizing agent. It can kill some of those organisms and the bacteria very quickly.
But, again, keep in mind, that if you look at the overall number of reported cases of poisoning from the sort of thing it actually has gone up. In 2005, for example, there were about 12,000 cases, 11,900 cases there. So far this year, already there have been about 6,600 cases. Mainly, again, John, because of this ethyl alcohol, and because of this intoxication if you will from this particular substance.
ROBERTS: Sanjay Gupta for us on the hidden dangers of hand sanitizer that we never knew it existed.
GUPTA: Lock it away, John. Lock it away.
ROBERTS: Sanjay, thanks very much.
GUPTA: All right, thanks.
CHETRY: Better take it before someone gets hurt, or drunk.
Now to the case of the $54-million pants. We're hearing from the lawyer for the Chung family, the owners of the D.C. dry cleaners who were sued for $54 million for losing a pair of pants.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CHRISTOPHER MANNING, ATTORNEY FOR DRY CLEANERS: What this has done to them is it's emotionally and financially devastated them. They're trying to pick up the pieces basically after this. Unfortunately, the ordeal is going to continue, though, because we fully expect Mr. Pearson to appeal the decision.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Well, a judge dismissed the case. It may not end there, because as we just heard, the man who brought the suit, Roy Pearson, also a judge, has not made a final decision about whether or not he will file an appeal. Court TV's Savannah Guthrie has been following the case and joins us from Washington.
Everybody I talk to who hears this case says thank goodness it seems that clearer heads prevailed and there was some sanity in the courtroom. Because the judge not only threw the case out, isn't he making this plaintiff paying for the Chung's legal fees?
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, COURT TV: It hasn't been decided yet but already the judge has said that the plaintiff has to pay the court costs, which is about $1,000, and later she's going to hear a motion over whether or not this plaintiff will have to pay the defendant's court fees, which that could go into the 10 of thousands and maybe even $100,000 dollars. The big loser yesterday was clearly this plaintiff.
CHETRY: At the same time, is this a cautionary tale about frivolous lawsuits? Because it did end up costing the defendants at least at this point, thousands upon thousands, not to mention time lost.
GUTHRIE: Exactly. You can see how they've been emotionally devastated by having to defend this claim in court that's gone on for two years now. It should be a cautionary tale to the plaintiffs out there, because at the end of the day this plaintiff who is the most hurt by this lawsuit. He lost the lawsuit. He could face sanctions by the court for bringing a frivolous lawsuit. He may be on the hook for attorneys' fees.
And he's an administrative law judge in the District of Columbia. He's supposed to be being considered right now for a ten-year extension of that term. And you got to believe the commission that looks into that will be looking hard at this lawsuit and his judgment in this case.
CHETRY: There is a possibility he is going to appeal?
GUTHRIE: There is. I guess it's too much to hope that he would set down his litigious ways once and for all, but he has a right to an appeal. And as you saw this, the defendant's lawyers thinks it's a good chance he will do so.
CHETRY: Has anyone come out in support of this judge, Roy Pearson? GUTHRIE: It's interesting. Usually in a legal case you can find people on both sides of the issues, but this is one of those cases that was just universally regarded as ridiculous almost from the get- go.
CHETRY: Do the Chung's have a counter-suit claim if they want to do it?
GUTHRIE: They may try to do that but I think what they will probably to do is try to get their attorneys' fees and then just close the book on this case once and for all.
CHETRY: Yes, hope to never have to head back into a courtroom again probably. That would be understandable. Savannah Guthrie, of Court TV, thank you.
GUTHRIE: You bet.
ROBERTS: Tiger Woods has a new cub and showing her off to the world. Internet Reporter Jacki Schechner joins us now our first look at Sam Alexis Woods. How abuzz is the Internet about all of this?
JACKI SCHECHNER, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: I haven't seen the buzz, but this is a really interesting thing, John. You put the pictures online and the paparazzi leaves you alone, but a double-edged sword, because then you don't get those huge fees that they pay for celebrity babies.
But Tiger Woods and his wife, Ellen, did put the photos of their baby, Sam Alexis Woods, online at Tigerwoods.com. Originally they had said please respect our privacy, leave us alone, and pictures will be forthcoming. They make do on that promise. Sam Alexis Woods was born on Monday the 18th.
Now a week or so later, we're getting our first shots of this gorgeous, gorgeous baby girl. You are not going to be surprised if you take a look at the parents how pretty the little baby is.
Of course, Tiger Woods saying he is not going play in the upcoming U.S. Open. That he is going to spend time with his family instead that's on Thursday through Sunday. So he is taking a little time off from the greens to be with the little one.
ROBERTS: I would expect, Jacki, that Tiger wouldn't need the money that he would get from selling the photos.
SCHECHNER: Well, yeah but neither do any of the celebrities who sell their photos if you think about it. Tom Cruise and his wife, or some of the other celebrities that end up -- Katie Holmes, rather -- and some of the celebrities end up sending their photos to the tabloids. They don't need the money, but they do it.
ROBERTS: How soon do you think it will be before she gets a golf club in her hand?
SCHECHNER: Ah, actually, I have to show you. I found this Web site called Baby Golf, which is all dedicated to things golf and little younguns. I also found this onesie on line that says, "I'm told I like golf." I thought that was kind of fun, too. So, I bet she will start really, really early.
ROBERTS: We all remember the appearances that Tiger made at the age of four on the late night shows, so I would expect he's going to get her up there on the tee soon.
Jacki Schechner, thanks.
SCHECHNER: Sure.
CHETRY: Well, a new warning about poison ivy topping the "Quick Hits" now. "The Wall Street Journal" reporting this morning that the oil in poison ivy that produces the itching and the bumps and redness actually is growing more potent. Increased carbon dioxide, they say, is to blame; creating perfect conditions for poison ivy to thrive.
The emotional toll of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita may be leading teens to begin smoking. A survey of the University of Texas found 38 percent of teenagers who had a family member hurt or killed in the storm is now smoking. Only 13 percent of those who didn't have that experience say they are smoking.
Well, it looked like it could have been a movie premiere. An absolute mob of fans, press, bright lights going on off. Someone walking out waving; it was actually Paris Hilton leaving jail. You might have slept through it, but we don't. AMERICAN MORNING Lola Ogunnaike has it all, coming up on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: It's 43 minutes after the hour; time now for your look at politics -- "Raw Politics". Here is CNN's Anderson Cooper.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR, "AC 360": Thanks, John.
Expect big news out of Nashville one week from today, that's when Fred Thompson may make his White House plans official. We'll keep you posted. For now, let's get you up to speed with the latest from the capitol and the campaign trail. CNN's Tom Foreman is watching at all.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, with summer just starting out, no one is hotter in the presidential decathlon than the guy who is pole vaulting.
(Voice over): He's still not in the race but New York Mayor Bike Bloomberg is rocketing upward. Our latest CNN numbers hot off the griddle show Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Rudy Giuliani pretty much even.
But in a three-way race, an independent Bloomberg pulls a hefty 17 percent. The "Raw Politics" perspective, that's is about what Ross Perot got and almost half of America doesn't know who Bloomberg is -- yet.
Mitt Romney, knows where the money is, in his back pocket. He's leading the dollar chase for Republicans, but admits, for the second time, he's going to give money to his own campaign.
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It is a nightmare. It is a nightmare.
FOREMAN: Romney says he's got to do it to get his name out there, even as he comes under blistering attacks for being a flip- flopper on issues. But he's got a personal fortune of at least $190 million, so the check is probably good.
Some quick hits: Campaign finance reform? Ha! Under the steering of John McCain, Congress passed a law to restrict commercials by special interest groups who want to affect the election. But now the Supreme Court says can't do it. It cuts into free speech. Expect a barrage of such ads as a result.
Free speech at a gay pride parade in San Francisco. Elizabeth Edwards says she is fine with gay marriage, her husband, John, however, says he's against it.
And shine up the Grammy for best foreign language recording. The big man from Massachusetts, Senator Ted Kennedy, on Spanish radio!
SEN. TED KENNEDY (D-MA): (SINGING IN SPANISH)
FOREMAN: OK, one more item. The Annual Congressional Baseball Game is kicking off summer. Here is the Democrats against the Republicans, and as a courtesy, both sides say they will look the other way when bases are stolen -- Anderson.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Later today, Rudy Giuliani heads to Pat Robertson's Regent University. Can the pro-choice candidate win over the founder of the Christian coalition? It should make for some for interesting "Raw Politics" -- John.
ROBERTS: Anderson, thanks very much.
You can catch all the "Raw Politics" each weeknight at 10:00 Eastern on "Anderson Cooper 360" and again here, on AMERICAN MORNING.
What about Ted Kennedy?
CHETRY: Was he singing or was that spoken word?
ROBERTS: (Singing Spanish)
CHETRY: Right. I didn't know if I heard a tune in there at all, but hey, more power to him. At least he tried.
ROBERTS: At least he tried.
"CNN NEWSROOM" is just minutes away. Tony Harris is at the CNN Center with a look at what is ahead.
Hi, Tony.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: He couldn't carry a tune if it had handles on it.
Kiran, good morning. These stories are coming up on the NEWSROOM rundown.
Shocked residents get a look at fire's fury. Crews hoping for good progress against the Lake Tahoe wildfire today. Winds expected to pick up tomorrow.
WWE wrestler Chris Benoit, his wife, and seven-year old son found dead in their suburban Atlanta home. Police say it appears to be a murder/suicide.
And a run of the mill school fight or attempted murder. A troubling story out of Louisiana with race at its core. The case against he Jena 6 (ph).
Heidi Collins is with me. At the top of the hour and we get going with NEWSROOM right here on CNN.
Kiran, back to you.
CHETRY: We'll be watching, Tony. Thank you.
HARRIS: Sure thing.
CHETRY: Well, it wasn't a red carpet but there was paparazzi, there was a big smile on the face of Paris Hilton, as she was released from jail just a few hours ago. Lola Ogunnaike has more on Paris coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Paris Hilton is a free woman. It happened overnight and CNN's Brooke Anderson was on the air live for CNN International when Paris walked out. Let's take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN HOLLYWOOD CORRESPONDENT: The jail, the women's facility here in Lynwood, California. It is reaching a fever pitch here. It is, of course, a media circus. Paris Hilton exiting now after serving 23 days behind bars, give or take a few hours, serving time -- serving a 45-day sentence for violating probation.
You see Paris now. Paris, what are your plans? Paris!
Paris is smiling. Paris is waving. And she is walking to her parents black SUV. They were waiting in the car at the end of this walkway. As you can see, people are scrambling. People are scrambling to get to Paris and that black SUV.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Play by play of the Paris jail breaker -- you now, release. I love it. Paris, what are you going to do now? She missed a perfect opportunity, Lola, to say I'm going to Disneyland!
LOLA OGUNNAIKE, CNN HOLLYWOOD CORRESPONDENT: Exactly. Paris, what are your plans? Well, apparently her plans are to chill out at her parent's Bellaire estate for the day, and she's talking to our Larry King tomorrow.
And she's got -- you know, she's still on probation until March of 2009. Other plans? Stay on the right side of the law this time. Make sure that you have your driver's license. Make sure that you don't involve in anything that is going to get you back in the pokey.
CHETRY: That's right. And she also talked a little about wanting give back. That she was a changed woman. Including possibly trying to help some of the other women who find them themselves in jail a lot.
OGUNNAIKE: Well, my favorite is Paris found God in jail. She was in there for 23 days; she's clutching the Bible; she's found the Lord and she has a spiritual advisor. But on the other side, we can be like -- you know, we can condemn her, and the whole thing to be fun with her. But she has said she wants to give back to various charities. Her grandmother suffered from MS, and suffered various cancers. So she wants to give back to those charities.
She's saying that, you know what, the dumb blonde act not working anymore. I'm not doing that. I'm actually a smart girl. It was all a con. She is dropping that. She has a new theme that she wants to work, this time around.
CHETRY: All right. Well, actions speak louder than words so we'll see if she follows through. Lola, thank you.
Meanwhile, Paris Hilton's first post-jail interview will be right here on CNN. She'll be talking to Larry King, live tomorrow 9:00 p.m. Eastern.
John.
ROBERTS: Here is a quick look now at what the CNN NEWSROOM is working on at the top of the hour.
HARRIS (voice over): See these stories in the CNN NEWSROOM.
A revived immigration bill faces a do or die vote this morning in the Senate.
Burned out Lake Tahoe residents get a look at what is left of their homes. Containment of the fire still days away.
European heat wave. Temperatures soar to 113 degrees in Italy.
Officer down. A deadly traffic stop caught on dash cam. NEWSROOM just minutes away at the top of the hour on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: All this year, CNN is bringing you the stories of people dedicating their lives to improving the lives of others. We call them "CNN Heroes". Today's hero was helping to keep the promise of freedom, quality and economic prosperity a reality for children. Bob Nemang is a "CNN Hero".
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BOB NEMANG, CNN HERO: OK, great. When I look at children, I see them like flowers; flowers that have the right to blossom. These kids don't deserve these conditions that they find themselves in, in Kliptown.
No proper infrastructure, no good sanitation, no school, no facilities around. We come from very difficult times.
We come from very difficult times, apartheid times; 3000 people came together in 1955, in Kliptown, which led now to the adoption of the Freedom Charter, which forms the constitution of South Africa.
For me, it's a contradiction because all those things that are written there, I don't see any of them happening in our community.
Young people are bored hanging around, doing nothing, but nobody is talking to these kids. Nobody is telling them how special they are. Nobody is trying to say to them let your little light shine.
My name is Bob Nemang, and I'm the founder Soweto-Kliptown Youth Foundation.
There is a feeding program, where we give our kids meals, three meals a day. There is educational programs, where kids are being given access to computer, library, where kids are learning.
This will improve your vocabulary, Robert. So that's good.
What we're doing is community work to help to make a difference in our own community. I'm a ghetto child. I know life in the ghetto.
Children live what they see. If we lead a positive life then we're setting a good example to our children.
If people can know that they own this community. A lot of things can start moving in a positive way. I believe one day, things going to be OK, because after darkness, there is light.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: If you'd like to know about Bob's organization or make a contribution you will find all of the information you need at cnn.com/heroes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) CHETRY: That's going to do it for us here on AMERICAN MORNING. Thanks so much for joining us.
ROBERTS: See you again tomorrow morning. We hope. CNN NEWSROOM with Tony Harris and Heidi Collins begins right now.
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