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American Morning
One Glasgow Bomber Left A Suicide Note; BBC Journalist Alan Johnston, Held By The Army Of Islam, Released Unharmed In Gaza
Aired July 04, 2007 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, "AMERICAN MORNING," CO-ANCHOR: Independence day.
ALAN JOHNSTON, FREED BBC JOURNALIST: I dreamt of being free -- literally dreamt. And it is, as I say, almost difficult to describe how good this moment feels.
ROBERTS: An embrace of freedom for a kidnapped BBC reporter set free overnight after four nightmare months in captivity.
JOHNSTON: And they put a hood over my head and handcuffed me and took me out into the night. And, of course, you know, you wonder where -- where that's going to end.
ROBERTS: This morning the dream phone call he finally got to make.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I said, "Hello, son. How are you? Are you all right?"
He says, "I'm 100 percent."
ROBERTS: And the long awaited homecoming on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Good morning to you and thanks for joining us.
It's Wednesday, the Fourth of July.
I'm John Roberts.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Happy Fourth of July, John.
ROBERTS: Thank you.
And the same to you --
NGUYEN: Yes --
ROBERTS: And thanks very much for being here, by the way.
It's good to see you.
NGUYEN: I wouldn't want to be anyplace else.
ROBERTS: Yes, sure.
NGUYEN: Right.
ROBERTS: Thank you for doing (INAUDIBLE).
NGUYEN: Sure.
Good morning, everybody.
I'm Betty Nguyen in for Kiran this morning.
ROBERTS: We're following a breaking news story this morning from the Middle East. The 114-day long ordeal of BBC reporter Allan Johnston is over.
Early this morning, he was released in Gaza, thin and pale, but obviously thrilled to be out of what he called "a living nightmare." These pictures of him at the British embassy are just in the last few minutes.
Johnston was held by the Army of Islam -- bound up, his life threatened, forced to wear a suicide bomber's belt at one point.
He's in Jerusalem right now, talking about how he got through it.
JOHNSTON: The first month, I was in a place where I could see the sun and -- but for the last three months, I was in a room where the shutters were always drawn, and so I had no -- no sun. And I couldn't see the sun at all. And that was depressing.
That was the last -- there were basically three months since I -- I saw the sun, although in the last -- in the very last place, the last two days, I could see it again.
Maybe it will be a while before I really know quite how I've been affected by this thing. But at the moment, I feel as well physically, and, I think, mentally as I can kind of expect to. You know, it is -- it's a big effort to keep your mind together, really, in those situations. And as I say, maybe I won't know for sure for a while. But I feel very good at the moment. It's fantastic, actually, to have left Gaza.
ROBERTS: Johnston also revealed that his captors let him listen to the BBC on the radio. One of his colleagues told us in the last hour that they made a point of reading messages from the listeners around the world on the air so that Johnston would hear how much there was out there for him.
CNN's Ben Wedeman knows Johnston personally, talked with him after his release this morning.
Ben is live for us in Jerusalem -- Ben, what was this group holding him and -- and how did he get released?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the group is called the Army of Islam, which seems to be closely affiliated to a very large Gaza clan, a very well-armed Gaza clan, as well, called the Darmush family, which is also -- has close ties with the Fatah movement. Now, our understanding is the events that led up to his release was basically the beginning of the week. Hamas began to reinforce its troops around the neighborhood where they believed Allan was being held. And beginning yesterday, they really closed the -- closed the noose even tighter, letting very few people in and out of that neighborhood. They made it clear that they were on the verge of launching an assault to free Allan Johnston, at which point another faction intervened, convinced both sides to release the prisoners they were holding from the various factions as a goodwill gesture. And that soon led to release of Allan Johnston, which occurred local time at about 3:30, 3:00 in the morning -- John.
ROBERTS: So, Ben, just tell us a little bit about your reunion with Johnston. You've been friends with him for a long time.
How is he doing this morning?
WEDEMAN: Well, when I spoke to him this morning, he was really gushing with joy, really excited to be able to speak to people he knew, simply to express his relief at the end of this ordeal. He told me it was a nightmare, that there were times when he really didn't think this was going to end. He said that, as you mentioned, that that little radio he had in his room, his ability to listen to the BBC, hear these messages of support, really kept his spirits up.
You know, the last time I saw Allan was over breakfast in Gaza. And ironically, we were joking about the possibility of being kidnapped. Oftentimes, kidnappings in Jerusalem -- rather, in Gaza -- were sort of farcical affairs where journalists would be nabbed, they'd be brought to a house, given tea, given a meal, and basically you had to listen for hours to the complaints of these various factions.
But Allan's kidnapping really changed. We don't joke about kidnappings anymore --
ROBERTS: Yes, I should think you don't.
WEDEMAN: -- 114 or 115 days, depending on how you count it, is a very long time -- John.
ROBERTS: It certainly is. Almost four months.
Ben Wedeman, thanks very much.
We'll talk to you soon.
NGUYEN: Also new this morning, investigators in the U.K. are considering lowering the threat level there from critical to severe. That decision will be based on whether they think another attack is imminent. Six suspects are now in custody, two more being questioned. All have careers in medicine and may have ties to Al Qaeda in Iraq. There are also reports that their names may have been on a terror watch list in the U.K.
Well, a violent standoff in Pakistan appears to be coming to an end this morning. More than a hundred radical Islamic students surrendered overnight. More are expected to leave a little bit later this morning. They had been holed up inside a mosque in Islamabad for months. The confrontation erupted yesterday when 12 people killed in a gunfight.
And "Scooter" Libby might have his two year probation lifted. The judge who sentenced him saying that probation normally follows a jail term. Since President Bush commuted Libby's jail term, the judge now wants new arguments from lawyers on whether Libby should be on probation. President Bush says he hasn't ruled out a full pardon.
It was all a ghoulish coincidence -- that's what a Connecticut team is saying about a Wikipedia entry on wrestler Chris Benoit. It turns out a 19-year-old Stanford resident changed Benoit's Wikipedia profile to reference the death of his wife before her body had been discovered. Police say he didn't know about the murder/suicide that left Benoit, his wife, plus their seven year old son dead.
And look at this -- thousands of gallons of spilled crude oil moving with flooded rivers in Kansas. They're now within a few miles of a lake that serves as a source of drinking water for people in Tulsa. Emergency workers say water supplies are not in immediate danger since most of the oil is floating just on the surface -- John.
ROBERTS: Thanks, Betty.
Time now to check in on some of the other big stories with our AMERICAN MORNING team of correspondents.
The man who set off a tuberculosis scare by traveling around the world actually has a less severe form of T.B. than originally thought. Andrew Speaker actually has multi-drug-resistant, not extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis, according to the Denver hospital where he is being treated. Speaker told our Anderson Cooper last night what he thinks of the CDC's handling of his case.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "ANDERSON COOPER 360")
ANDREW SPEAKER, TUBERCULOSIS PATIENT: I think they owe an apologies to the people that they -- they scared. It just -- I know they do dual testing here, where when they're running a test to see whether or not something has tuberculosis or what kind, they run two at the same time to make sure the results are correct. They created a huge international panic. They scared, you know, millions of people around the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Our medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, joins us now live from the CNN Center in Atlanta -- Elizabeth, the CDC isolated this guy and put him under lockdown, had him moved to Denver.
Do they -- does he think that they owe him an apology, as well as people around the world?
And is there a potential lawsuit in here? ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. Andrew Speaker told Anderson Cooper that he thinks he's owed an apology. I think the CDC would beg to differ.
First of all, they stand by that first test. They say it showed XDR, extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis, and they had to act on that test.
But they say you know what?
Even if it had showed multi-drug resistant T.B., they still would have done the same thing.
I mean let's be extremely clear here. Multi-drug resistant T.B. kills 30 percent of the people it infects -- a 30 percent mortality. This is a big, bad disease. The CDC says they would of acted exactly the same way -- John.
ROBERTS: Elizabeth Cohen for us in Atlanta.
Elizabeth, thanks.
Security is ramped up across the country for the Fourth of July celebrations.
Our Sean Callebs is live in Washington, D.C. Right down there by the Mall -- Sean, how is it looking today?
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, things look great out here. The weather conditions are absolutely perfect. You notice from the last hour, we have moved off of the Mall. The police are right now doing a security sweep of that area. It is going to be the first of several security checks. In fact, they expect about a half a million people there today. Everybody is going to have to go through a security checkpoint to get in there to enjoy the fireworks this evening.
And, of course, Washington one of eight cities where special so- called VIPER teams -- those are visible intermodal law enforcement teams -- are going to be out. These are teams, John, that specialize in detecting explosives and also keep an eye on mass transit, because they expect a lot of people to take mass transit to watch fireworks displays across the country -- John.
ROBERTS: As long as everybody is safe, it's well worth it.
Sean Callebs down there on Constitution Avenue for us this morning.
Sean, thanks.
Dangerous heat and a storm watch for the holiday.
Rob Marciano now at the CNN Weather Center.
What have you got for us -- Rob. (WEATHER REPORT)
ROBERTS: Betty.
NGUYEN: Well, speaking of the heat, the drought, that record heat and thousands of campers all adding to the worries of the U.S. Forest Service today.
AMERICAN MORNING'S Chris Lawrence caught up with them outside Los Angeles.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: (voice-over): A wildfire rips through a picnic area near Santa Barbara and burns almost 500 acres of brush. Several camp sites have to be shut down.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The kitchen, the living room was here, the back bedroom.
LAWRENCE: Near Lake Tahoe, hundreds of families are homeless this holiday and investigators suspect that blaze was caused by an illegal campfire.
(on camera): How bad could it be this 4th of July?
ASSISTANT CHIEF JIM HALL, U.S. FOREST SERVICE:
This 4th of July could be bad.
LAWRENCE: (voice-over): California forestry officials say thousands of campers could accidentally spark this dry, brittle brush.
HALL: Grab some of this stuff. This stuff is like a time bomb ready to just go off -- one little ember. Look at that. It -- it's ready to go off. A prime example --
LAWRENCE: Chief Jim Hall showed me exactly how fires start.
HALL: No one is here and they've left the stuff burning, a prime example. All we need is a gust of wind into the bushes and we're -- we're fighting fire.
LAWRENCE: Los Angeles just ended its driest rain year on record -- barely over three inches. With triple digit temperatures forecast for the rest of the week in parts of California, officials have banned some traditional holiday celebrations like fireworks.
HALL: And for five or 10 minutes of awe or five to 10 seconds of awe, I mean, we could have this whole hillside go up.
LAWRENCE: Almost all massive fires start from one little spark. So Hall warns families to clean out the area around their grills and pour enough dirt and water to cool it down.
Chris Lawrence, CNN, Los Angeles. (END VIDEO TAPE)
ROBERTS: -- after the hour now.
At least half a dozen major presidential candidates are parading through Iowa today.
CNN's senior political correspondent, Candy Crowley, is following it all.
She joins us live from Waterloo, Iowa this morning.
And I guess the tag team that everybody is talking about this morning, Candy, the one that's being dubbed "Billary" in a country that loves to just contract names together -- how are they doing, Bill and Hillary Clinton?
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, everything is going to script. Not a mistake made that we can see, at least in public. In addition to the public events that these two are going to -- they're going to some private events, where they're talking to caucus goers, trying to get their county chairmen lined up for the caucus.
As you know, John, here in Iowa, it's all about organization. So he's helping her put that together.
You know, on the stage, it's really amazing to watch them because as you know, this is not a man used to playing second fiddle. But he is playing his role quite well. He talks about her. She talks about the world. He introduces her and then quite literally gets off the stage and hands it to her.
So it's been about six months where she has been out there largely by herself. The campaign thought that she needed to establish herself as her own entity. But now they thought it was time to roll out the big gun and we're expecting to see him some more on the campaign trail over this year.
ROBERTS: Candy, it has been observed in the past that any time the two of them are on stage together, his ease and ability to communicate kind of highlights shortcomings that she has in that department.
Are we still seeing that?
CROWLEY: They're very different. But I tell you, he's very low key on this trip. Now, it is still true that when it's time for autographs afterwards, there are more people lining up to get his than hers. But he is a former president.
It is true that he is, you know, a warmer speaker, a more natural speaker. He remains probably the best politician of his generation. Nonetheless, people always come away from these crowds impressed with her -- her knowledge, her grasp of the issues.
So they're very different. And you're right, there is a connection there with Bill Clinton that very few other politicians have, including his wife.
ROBERTS: All right.
Candy Crowley for us this morning from Waterloo, Iowa.
Candy, thanks very much.
And coming up in just about an hour's time, we're going to go back live to Iowa and talk with presidential candidate, Senator Joe Biden -- everything from fundraising to the president saving "Scooter" Libby from jail.
NGUYEN: Democrats are beating Republicans when it comes to raising campaign cash. And we have those Quick Hits right now.
His contributions for the second quarter show the top Democrats collected more money than the top Republicans by a three to two margin. Now, Barack Obama alone has more than 250,000 contributors -- more than Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney and John McCain all combined.
And, more accounting problems for Enron. Twenty thousand former employees finally got their first payment from a settlement to repay them for retirement funds lost in Enron's collapse. But a computer glitch meant 13,000 people were underpaid; 7,700 were overpaid. They have to work that out.
And the fallout does continue from the "Scooter" Libby commutation.
Up next, CNN contributor Roland Martin joins us with the political round-up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PFC MCLARSA GARRIS: I am PFC McLarsa Garris (ph) from EMS Kuwait (ph). My hometown is Oakland, California, the I.E. (ph). Happy Fourth of July. And send me food, mom. Love you guys.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Well, storm damage in Alabama tops our Quick Hits.
A Wal-Mart in Mobile hit the hardest. Heavy winds and rain ripped off part of the store's roof and at least two to three inches of water flooded the inside. Six people were hurt.
And a 9-month-old baby girl in Arizona survives triple digit heat in a locked car for over an hour. The mother and grandmother say they forgot she was with them, and then they could be charged. The baby was treated at a hospital and released back to her parents.
Also, the head of the National Hurricane Center is feeling the heat in South Florida. Bill Proenza's bosses are conducting an unscheduled review of the Center this week and several senior forecasters told a local paper it is time for him to go. Proenza made some waves when he spoke out about budget shortfalls and a failing satellite.
Let's get you the weather this morning.
Rob Marciano is at the CNN Weather Center -- it's the Fourth of July, Rob, and the pressure is on.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: No pressure at all.
(WEATHER REPORT)
ROBERTS: The announcement of one of the biggest deals of the year tops our Quick Hits now.
Hilton Hotels is going to be sold to the Blackstone Group, an investment company, for $26 billion. Hilton owns Doubletree and Hampton Inn and Embassy Suites. Combined with Blackstone's other hotels, the company will control -- listen to this -- 600,000 hotel rooms worldwide.
New numbers show that this year has been the worst for flight delays since the government started keeping track. Cancellations are a big problem -- a big part of the problem. They shot up 80 percent compared to last year.
The judge who sentenced "Scooter" Libby is speaking out. We'll have that for you and a whole lot more when AMERICAN MORNING comes right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING.
It's 23 minutes after the hour.
The "Scooter" Libby sentence, the race for the White House and an affair to remember at city hall in Los Angeles -- a lot for CNN contributor Roland Martin to chew on with us this morning. He's the host of "The Roland Martin Show" that, we should point out, that he's taking the day off from the radio today, but still got up to join us from Chicago.
Good morning to you -- Roland.
ROLAND MARTIN, HOST, "THE ROLAND MARTIN SHOW": Good to see you, John.
ROBERTS: First of all, let -- the first thing on the block here, the Libby commutation.
What are you thinking about that whole deal?
MARTIN: It's all politics. And the bottom line is the president stood on that stage at the Republican National Convention in 2000 and talked about storing restoring dignity and honor to the White House, and that was not the case here.
I mean I don't understand how he can suggest that somehow the sentence was too harsh when he -- he hasn't spent a single day in jail. And, in fact, Martha Stewart went to jail for obstruction of justice. Rapper Lil' Kim did. Attorney General John Mitchell, during the Nixon administration did.
There are a number of people who have gone to jail because of obstruction of justice.
ROBERTS: But --
MARTIN: And so it's unbelievable.
ROBERTS: But, Roland --
MARTIN: It's unbelievable.
ROBERTS: -- but Martha Stewart went to jail for five months, Lil' Kim for 10. He was sentenced to 30.
Was that excessive?
MARTIN: Well, he was sentenced to 30, but in New York -- the "New York Times" has a great story this morning talking about that it fell within the federal guidelines. And what's amazing is that the Bush Justice Department -- they fare fighting the exact kind of arguments that the president outlined for his defense of "Scooter" Libby. I mean this is simply a protection of a White House pal. Simple as that.
And the most important thing, John, if it happened to you or it happened to me, trust me, we would not be getting our sentence commuted. We would be going to jail.
ROBERTS: We would be --
MARTIN: And that's what's most important.
ROBERTS: We would be measured for our orange jumpsuit even as we speak.
MARTIN: Precisely.
ROBERTS: Hey, let me jump across --
MARTIN: Precisely.
ROBERTS: Let me jump across to the other side of the country.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa yesterday came out and said yes, I've been having a relationship with a local news reporter. I'm getting divorced.
Is this going to hurt him at all, particularly since he's got aspirations for higher government?
He may run for governor. He may run for national office, as well.
MARTIN: Well, you know what?
Times have changed. We're not talking about the days where the media no longer reported those things. The fact of the matter I is what took place with Bill Clinton in the White House has played an impact in that.
Newt Gingrich has admitted he had an affair and he's talking about running for president.
It is not the same as it was in the past. The key, though, is whether not he's had multiple affairs, whether he is going to be on the straight and narrow, because, you know, people will accept one or two transgressions. But then -- but if it continues, then it also calls into question his judgment.
ROBERTS: Does --
MARTIN: That is going to be a critical issue.
ROBERTS: Does it also depend, as well, on what his wife says in the divorce proceedings?
Not to say that this at all reflects what went on in that marriage.
But remember what happened with Jack Ryan, the Republican --
MARTIN: Absolutely.
ROBERTS: -- who was running against Barack Obama for the Senate there in Illinois?
MARTIN: Well, it also depends on -- right, exactly what she says, because when it came to Ryan, it was this whole point of well, you know, his wife, Jeri Ryan, was saying he wanted her to have sex at these clubs. I mean, we had all these salacious details. And so that is going to be an issue; also, how long this has been going on. The Los Angeles "Daily News," they were reporting this whole issue that -- that he had previous affairs. It's all a matter of how much is there.
But, again, what took place with President Clinton has changed the landscape as to how we judge politicians when it comes to affairs. Most Americans say, look, just do your job. We don't care what you do. But it is the extent of the kind of sexual past.
ROBERTS: Yes. And a lot of the -- the top tier candidates in the presidential race have had multiple marriages, as well.
MARTIN: There you go.
ROBERTS: So I mean everybody has got a closet and there are skeletons in every one.
MARTIN: There you go. Absolutely. ROBERTS: Roland, thanks very much.
Appreciate it.
MARTIN: Thanks, John.
I appreciate it.
NGUYEN: BBC correspondent Allan Johnston is a free man this morning. And just ahead, we will hear, in his own words, about how he survived 114 days in the hands of militants in Gaza. That's right after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: A hazy Fourth of July in Philadelphia. A shot from across the river, the Delaware River, from Camden, New Jersey this. Our thanks to our friends at WPVI for that.
Good morning. Welcome back. It's Wednesday the Fourth of July. I'm John Roberts.
NGUYEN: I'm Betty Nguyen in for Kiran today.
We do want to start with some breaking news in the U.K. in that terror plot they're investigating. Sources are telling CNN that they found a suicide note following the attack in Glasgow. CNN's International Security Correspondent Paula Newton is following all of the developments this morning. She joins us now live from London.
What do you know about this suicide note, Paula?
PAULA NEWTON, CNN INT'L. SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Betty, as you say, sources close to this investigation say a suicide note was found in connection with the two suspects that they believe are responsible for attacking that Glasgow airport on the weekend.
They have been looking for telltale signs to give them more indication of motive in that case, in terms of what were they actually trying to do; and were they linked to those car bombs left in London. Again, investigators telling us there could be no doubt now that the two men who left those car bombs in London were linked to the bombing in Glasgow, and also the fact that they found a suicide note.
Very interesting note here, too. It was the fact that both of them apparently had their passports with them. We've seen this happen before during the July 7th bombings. All of those were bombers carrying their passports again, a telltale sign that they wanted recognition for the attack, and wanted to be clearly identified -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Just to be clear, it was one suicide note? It wasn't -- there were two suicide notes, one for each person?
NEWTON: That's right -- no, just one, in general. That's all they found so far. As of yet, no suicide tape. After the July 7th bombings, we did have some tapes emerge but it was quite some weeks and months afterwards. So far, no information that there was a suicide tape made.
NGUYEN: I'm sure we will be learning more about the details of that note as this investigation continues. CNN's Paula Newton joining us live from London this morning on the breaking news that a suicide note was found with the two suspects in the Glasgow bombing there at the airport -- John.
ROBERTS: We're also following a breaking story from Middle East this morning. The 114-day long ordeal of BBC reporter Alan Johnston is over. Earlier this morning he was released in Gaza. Johnston was held by the Army of Islam, bound up, his life threatened, forced to make hostage videos. In one of which he was forced to wear suicide bomber's vest.
He is in Jerusalem right now talking about how he got through that ordeal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALAN JOHNSTON, FREED BBC JOURNALIST: The first month, I was in a place where I could see the sun and -- but for the last three months, I was in a room where the shutters were always drawn, and so I had no sun. I couldn't see the sun at all. And that was depressing. That was the last -- basically the last three months since I saw the sun. Although in the last -- the very last place, the last two days, I could see it again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Johnston also revealed that his captors let him listen to the BBC on the radio. One of his colleagues told us, in last hour, that they made a point of reading messages to Johnston on the air, so he would know how much support there was out there for him.
We've also heard from Alan Johnston's parents this morning. They talked with reporters from their home in Scotland and said they never gave up hope they would see their son again. Graham Johnston called this is a wonderful morning, as he described hearing Alan's voice on the phone.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRAHAM JOHNSTON, FREED JOURNALIST'S FATHER: It's a wonderful morning. I can't tell you. We got the phone call late last night from the BBC and we're absolutely overjoyed.
It's been 114 days of a living nightmare and just to hear his voice. He telephoned us. There was a lot of noise in the background. I think he is being jostled a lot. All he said was, "Hello, Dad!"
I says, "Hello, son, how are you? Are you all right?"
He says, "I'm a 100 percent." And then the phone was cut. So that's all we've had from him so far, but we've seen him on the box, and it's just incredible. It's been a long 114 days.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: CNN's Ben Wedeman has also talked with his friend Alan Johnston this morning. We will be talking with Ben more about that coming up at the top of the hour.
NGUYEN: It is a very special Fourth of July ceremony today, in Iraq, for a group of more than 500 U.S. soldiers. They showed an impressive level of dedication by reenlisting for another tour of duty. General David Petraeus, commander of multi-national forces in Iraq, oversaw that ceremony, at which about a 100 soldiers also became American citizens. Republican presidential candidate and war vet, Senator John McCain was also on hand. One of General Petraeus' advisors joined us last hour and he said the ceremony was extraordinarily moving.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SGT. MAJ. MARVIN HILL, SR. ENLISTED ADVISER TO GEN. PETRAEUS: If you're not careful, you really get emotional during the ceremony such as that. You just find yourself getting choked up as they're raising their hands and, you know, and committing themselves to their country one more time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Similar ceremonies have been held in the past, but none of this size.
ROBERTS: Lots of people have this Fourth of July holiday off for barbecues and fireworks. U.S. troops are in the combat zones of Iraq. CNN's Frederik Pleitgen is in embedded with American troops south of Baghdad.
Frederik, good morning to you. Are they doing anything special to mark the Fourth or is it business as usual there?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INT'L. CORRESPONDENT: John, it is pretty much business as usual here. What a lot of guys here on the base are telling me, they say that they simply cannot afford to take this day off. I'm about 30 miles south of Baghdad and there is lot of insurgent activity going on around here.
I got to go on a mission very early this morning with some of these troops to try to disrupt some of that insurgent activity in this area.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, tonight, high risk for small arms fire, dismounted IEDs.
PLEITGEN (voice over): For Lieutenant Jason Dupuis this Fourth Of July begins long before dawn with a briefing for a dangerous mission in a rural area south of Baghdad.
A raid in a neighborhood where only a few days before, Dupuis's platoon found IEDs and bomb-making components; a neighborhood they know is hostile to American forces.
(on camera): What is the most dangerous thing here for you guys?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dismounted IEDs, yeah.
PLEITGEN: Why?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's no armor around you. You know, as your body armor. So, you know, fragmentation can cause the most bodily harm.
PLEITGEN (voice over): No independence celebrations for these soldiers. To them they say the Fourth of July is just another day, with another combat mission and Dupuis' main goal is bringing his men back alive.
This unit, like so many others in Iraq, is stepping up operations as a result of the U.S. troop increase, the so-called surge. Trying to disrupt insurgent activities around Baghdad. Operations the commanding general say are key to success.
MAJ. GEN. RICK LYNCH, U.S. ARMY: There has to be a long-term gain. It has to be clear and hold and build. The only people who can do the hold piece are the Iraqi security forces. It has to happen.
PLEITGEN: Jason Dupuis' and his men wrap up their mission at the crack of dawn. They haven't found any new IEDs this time. Back at base Dupuis shows me what he says he's fighting for, his wife Tamara, five months pregnant.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is his head right here, OK? There's his spine.
Red One, you ready?
PLEITGEN: On Independence Day especially, Dupuis says he is proud to serve his country here in Iraq but he also says the Fourth of July is another day gone by, another day he gets closer to seeing his family again.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PLEITGEN: So, John, a lot of these soldiers, obviously, would like to spend their Fourth of July in a different way, at home with their families. Of course, a lot of them have received an additional blow. A lot thought they were coming here for 12 months but now they're going to be staying for 15 months, so they will be away from their families for even longer than they expected. But they say they're hanging in here. They say they will keep doing those operations and keep trying to stop that insurgent activity around in this area, John.
ROBERTS: Doing it around the clock duties as well. Eight hours on, six hours off. Frederik Pleitgen, for us, embedded with U.S. troops this morning.
Frederik, thanks.
NGUYEN: Back here the search remains at ground zero. That is topping our "Quick Hits" right now. Because New York City is saying the search won't end in the foreseeable future. The city wanted to finish by the fall, but ongoing construction is turning up more bone fragments almost every day.
And detainees at the detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba will be soon provided with more recreation options including movie night. That's right some of the detainees are also being allowed to watch soccer matches.
We have seen nature's wrath played out all across the country lately proving that disaster can strike quickly and at any time. So, are you prepared? We're going to hear from the Red Cross. That's ahead, right here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING, the most news in the morning.
You know, we've seen nature's wrath all too often lately. Recent floods in Kansas, Texas, New York. It reminds us that disaster can strike at any time. So are you as prepared as you need to be? Back in February, as you remember, tornadoes tore through the town of Lady Lake, Florida. Here is some video of that.
Joining us now live from there this morning is Maria Yabrudy of the American Red Cross.
We appreciate you spending the Fourth with us to help other people get ready for disasters that often do come, and they come quickly. Here is something I found very interesting. The Red Cross conducted a poll this spring and found some two-thirds of Americans are not prepared. They don't have an evacuation plan in the case of a disaster. So to help people change that, to help people get ready what are some of the essentials you need to have in that evacuation disaster kit?
MARIA YABRUDY, AMERICAN RED CROSS: The first thing that people need to have is a really great disaster supplies kit that not only can they keep at home, but one that they can take with them, in case they have to evacuate.
The next thing they need to have is a strong plan. Know where they're going to be and how they're going to communicate with their family members. They need to have an out of state emergency contact that they can communicate with, because usually local lines are too congested. So you want to make sure you have a friend or relative out of town that every family member knows how to reach in case a family was separated. Finally, you need to be very well-informed to know what could happen around you and then how you would react. NGUYEN: Yes, some of the details of that also include you know, those important documents that you talk about. Prescription medications, that is so very important, a radio, some cash, a flashlight, a first-aid kit, and some heavy work gloves. Because you just never know what you're going to be dealing with.
But you know, a lot of times, Maria, people don't leave. They decide I can ride this out and I can stay home and hunker down, and we're going to get through this. But in order to do that, you say that people need to have enough supplies to last three to seven days with no power. So what are those supplies?
YABRUDY: Correct. Basically people need to be self-sufficient for at least three days but in the case of Hurricane Frances we sheltered in place for about three days, and then had to wait three more for help to get there. So, you want to make sure you have at least one gallon water per person, per day, for at least three days. You want to have non-perishable foods such as canned goods, a manual can opener to go along with that; high protein foods like peanut butter and granola bars.
You want to make sure that you have a land line at home. Because often cell phone towers will collapse and you will need a land line to get through to someone outside of your area. You also want to make sure that you have copies of important documents ready to go because if there is a flash flood, or a tornado you'll have minutes and seconds to leave with whatever you have. And you don't know what you're going to find when you come back. Make sure you have all of those items with you wherever you hunker down at home.
NGUYEN: Yes, you absolutely I have to be prepared. You also want to probably create a safe room.
But I want to talk to you just briefly about those pets. A lot of people don't want to leave home without those pets and a lot of shelters won't take them in. So, in that case what kind of a pet disaster kit do folks need to keep in mind?
YABRUDY: You need to make sure you have a carrier, that you have a leash, a muzzle, important documents, because if you drop off your pet somewhere if you're going to a shelter, you need to make sure that first they can relate them back to you, when you go pick them up. They need to have the medical records, including vaccine records. They need to have the emergency contact for the veterinarian in case something happens or they need to reach a doctor.
NGUYEN: And very quickly. You are in Lady Lake, Florida where we just saw so much damage earlier this year. How is that area recovering?
YABRUDY: It's recovering slowly. There are some homes that were repaired. There are some homes that never came back because the damage was so extensive and some people passed away. So, right here, we have about three or four lots that are empty and that is a perfect example of a disaster, where you have to be ready.
If something happened in the middle of the night as it did on February 2nd, you won't have advance notice. You won't be able to leave your home. You have to have your disaster supplies right there, and you need to be able to reach out to your family members as soon as a disaster passes, to let them know how you're doing. And you can do that via the Red Cross website, which is Redcross.org. And use the "Safe & Well" page to report how you're doing and let your family members know where you are, and how they can get in touch with you.
NGUYEN: Yes, being prepared can save your life, as well as your families. Maria Yabrudy with the American Red Cross. Thanks for being with us today.
YABRUDY: Thank you, Betty.
ROBERTS: It's 45 minutes after the hour now.
The Loop comes to a stop in Chicago. That tops your "Quick Hits". Trains along Chicago's El were stuck last night for more than an hour when the electrical system shorted out. Riders were trapped in cars, people stuck on platforms.
And 350 young diplomats and civil servants are being deployed by the State Department to help clear the backlog of passport applications. They'll report for two months of duty at facilities in Louisiana and New Hampshire.
An amazing story of survival that's being called the worst day in Navy SEAL history. The sole survivor of a deadly ambush in Afghanistan, joins us next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, I'm Specialist Wes Langerman (ph) with the 50th Public Affairs Detachment, Camp Ayers (ph) down in Kuwait.
I'd like to give a shout out to all my friends and family back in Mississippi. You guys have a safe and happy Fourth of July.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: A forensic expert who used Michigan state equipment to catch her cheating husband could land in hot water for it. Your "Quick Hits" right now. The woman broke the rules when she used the equipment to test DNA from her husband's underwear. She did, by the way, find signs that he had strayed.
Well, a strange catch in North Carolina. Yes, it is a one-pound, four-ounce piranha. Have you seen one up close? There it is. A fisherman said it bit down on his pocket knife and left an impression on the blade. Look at the power of those teeth. Experts say the piranha is not native to North Carolina and must have been dumped there. ROBERTS: He was the sole survivor of the worse day in Navy SEAL history. Marcus Luttrell's four-man SEAL team was ambushed by about 150 Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters in Afghanistan. Luttrell earned a Navy Cross for his service and now sharing his story in a new book called, "Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Red Wing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10".
Marcus Luttrell joins us now. Thanks for being here, appreciate it.
MARCUS LUTTRELL, U.S. NAVY: Thanks for having me.
ROBERTS: Let's go back to June of 2005, you and three other Navy SEALS were dropped into an area of Afghanistan, near the border of Pakistan on the hunt for an Al Qaeda leader. What happened a soon as you got on the ground?
LUTTRELL: As soon as we got on the ground, it took us about all night to get into position to -- for our target objective. We monitored the camp for a few hours. Didn't have a very good advantage where we had set up in the beginning and we relocated. We got soft compromised by some goat herders.
ROBERTS: Soft compromise, you were discovered, in other words?
LUTTRELL: Yes, sir.
ROBERTS: The team had a decision to make at that point?
LUTTRELL: Yes, sir.
ROBERTS: What was the decision?
LUTTRELL: We were -- we had just infilled, so we were supposed to be out there from anywhere to 24 to 48, 72 hours depending on the -- how long it took us to find this guy. So our decision was if we held these guys we would have to carry them with us, we couldn't do that. And if we released them we had to take the chance of them going to get the Taliban or Al Qaeda to come back and bring on the gunfight.
ROBERTS: So, you say in your book, you debated whether or not to let them live? That's a difficult decision to have to make. What were your considerations?
LUTTRELL: Well, our considerations were that they weren't Taliban fighters; they weren't brandishing any firearms or anything like that. They had over a hundred goats with them. One of them was a 13-year-old boy, which over there, is a fighting age male. So, in our opinion they weren't any threat to us.
ROBERTS: You let them go and just a few hours later you were swarmed by 150 members of the Taliban.
LUTTRELL: Yes, sir.
ROBERTS: Do you regret the decision now to let them live? LUTTRELL: Yes, sir.
It's my opinion that there was no other reason for that whole army to show up on the ridge that we were on. You know? I mean, if I had to do it again, to bring back -- to prevent all of the loss of American lives, I would of taken them out.
ROBERTS: How do you make a decision like that?
LUTTRELL: It's war. War is hell, sir.
ROBERTS: So you were overwhelmed by the Taliban. The helicopter, a Chinook came in to try to rescue you. The Taliban took that out with RPG in addition to the three members of the SEAL team, who were killed. And 16 members of the rescue team were killed. You were the sole survivor. You were picked up by a local Afghan?
LUTTRELL: Yes, sir.
ROBERTS: And taken to a village?
LUTTRELL: Yes, sir.
ROBERTS: Tell me about that.
LUTTRELL: He found me after I had -- on the -- in the -- during the second day I finally found some water and I was drinking from a pool of water on the ground.
ROBERTS: You were severely wound at the time?
LUTTRELL: Yes, sir. I had been hit by an RPG and shot. Of course, I fell about 4,000, 5,000 feet. We all did during the initial gunfight. They picked me up, carried me into their camp, and I didn't have any pants on. The RPG had blown the lower half of me pretty much off. So they put the local garb on me, doctored me up and gave me food and water and protected me.
ROBERTS: And then the Taliban came calling on the village?
LUTTRELL: Yes, sir, shortly thereafter, about an hour. I would say I was there about an hour before the Taliban showed up with their greetings.
ROBERTS: How did you eventually get out?
LUTTRELL: I wrote a couple of letters, saying that, and passed them off to some individuals in the village.
ROBERTS: So one of these fellows went to a Marine --?
LUTTRELL: Exactly, the village elder. That is kind of how they had an idea of where I was.
ROBERTS: So helicopters came in?
LUTTRELL: Yes, sir.
ROBERTS: They exfiltrated (sic) you, in military speak.
LUTTRELL: Yes, sir.
ROBERTS: From the village. How do you feel about the people that protected you while you were there?
LUTTRELL: It was the most incredible thing I've ever seen. They wouldn't give me up for anything. It was just unbelievable act of kindness. It's a life-debt so to speak.
ROBERTS: Marcus Luttrell, thanks for coming in.
LUTTRELL: Yes, sir.
ROBERTS: I appreciate it. Thanks for your service to the country.
LUTTRELL: Thank you, sir.
NGUYEN: And a close out yard sale, tops our "Quick Hits" this morning. Peace activist Cindy Sheehan, who recently announced she was retiring from the movement, will sell some items and then hand over her five-acre lot in Crawford, Texas to its new owner.
DaimlerChrysler might soon bring the firs Chinese-made car to the U.S. market. China started making cars 10 years ago. The first models could make it to dealers right here in the U.S. in just a few years.
And good news for those chocolate lovers out there! Small amounts of this. It's dark chocolate. Not the milk chocolate, but the dark chocolate can be good for you. You may be surprised to hear, though, just how small we're emphasizing, teeny-weeny. That's coming up at the top of the hour.
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ROBERTS: A courthouse controversy tops your "Quick Hits" this morning. The American Civil Liberties Union is suing the city of Slidell, Louisiana, for displaying this painting of Jesus on the courthouse lobby. The suit says the painting violates the constitutional separation of church and state. The judge says the painting will stay unless a federal judge orders it removed.
Apple is charging twice what it costs to make an iPhone. Research firm I Supply broke open the $600 iPhone and found out that its component parts and manufacturing costs add up to about $265, but of course, that doesn't include the very expensive marketing campaign such as the commercial you're looking at right there.
And $80,000 violin lost in the New York City subway city. Concert violinist Tom Chu (ph) had played a concert in Brooklyn and fell asleep while waiting for his subway. When he got on the train he suddenly realized he didn't have his $80,000 Scaranpello (ph) with him. He's not sure if he left it on the platform, or if it was stolen. But you would think he would have that thing handcuffed to his wrist.
NGUYEN: I was going to say, or tied around your neck of something to make sure you don't lose it!
ROBERTS: Buddy, come on!
NGUYEN: That's $80,000, now it's gone. Yeah, fat chance getting that back. Maybe someone, though, will be a good Samaritan.
ROBERTS: You never know. There are a few in this city.
NGUYEN: You got to hope, at least.
All right, the next hour of AMERICAN MORNING starts right now.
ROBERTS: Freedom on the Fourth of July. A kidnapped reporter released overnight now talking about his nightmare captivity.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALAN JOHNSTON, RELEASED KIDNAP VICTIM: They put a hood over my head and handcuffed me, and took me out in the night. Of course, you're going to wonder where that is going to end.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Relief from his coworkers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Simply fantastic just to hear his voice.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: And family.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
"Hello, son, how are you? Are you all right?"
He says, "I'm a 100 percent."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: A homecoming more than a 100 days in the making on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ROBERTS: And good morning to you. Thanks very much for joining us on this Wednesday, the Fourth of July, Independence Day, as we celebrate our 231st birthday. I'm John Roberts.
NGUYEN: Happy Fourth of July, John. I'm Betty Nguyen in for Kiran this morning. You know, on this Fourth of July, we decided to shower you with kisses. Do you see all these?
ROBERTS: How am I going to turn that down? NGUYEN: It's all in an effort to give you good health.
ROBERTS: New studies out, recent studies, that show that dark chocolate can actually be good at lowering your blood pressure.
NGUYEN: But you have to be careful, though. It's the amount of dark chocolate, too. You can't load up on this stuff!
ROBERTS: Exactly.
NGUYEN: Although you might want to.
ROBERTS: You may put it on your thighs as well as lowering your blood pressure.
NGUYEN: Just rub it all over you.
ROBERTS: Our Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen will be checking with us in just a couple of minutes to tell you more about that.
NGUYEN: If only it were that easy, just to rub it where you needed it.
(LAUGHTER)
OK.
Well, we are following a breaking news story out of the Middle East. The 114-day ordeal of BBC Reporter Alan Johnston is over. Yes, early this morning
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