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AQUSA threatens to kill investment bankers at Goldman Sachs. Life-threatening heat still strangles Western cities. U.S. field commander in Iraq says troops can't come home yet. All seven continents holding a world-wide Live Earth concert. He said-she said, who talks more?

Aired July 06, 2007 - 14:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Do you think you talk a lot?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't think so, but a lot of men think I do.

MOOS: Took her ten words to say yes. Stereotyping starts young.

(on camera): Who talks more, you or your mom?

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Mom.

MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York,

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DON LEMON, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: So who talks more, Kyra or me?

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: Don't just -- we'll just find out.

LEMON: We'll take a look ahead.

The next hour of the CNN "NEWSROOM" starts right now.

PHILLIPS: AQUSA meet the FBI. The feds want to talk to whoever's sending hate mail to newspapers threatening to kill investment bankers.

LEMON: And life-threatening heat still has a strangle hold on Sacramento and Phoenix and lots of cities not seen here.

In Phoenix, it was 99 in the middle of the night.

Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon, live at the CNN World headquarters in Atlanta.

PHILLIPS: And I'm Kyra Phillips, here in the CNN "NEWSROOM."

LEMON: The temperatures getting hotter by the minute. Let's get to Palm Springs, California, where the higher the sun gets the higher the mercury goes.

Kara Finnstrom, are the folks there ready for another scorcher today?

KARA FINNSTROM, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: It is hot, and people trying to get any break they can from the heat. This is a water park where folks are cooling off, families tubing here.

The park says they want people to have a good time here today, but they are concerned about safety. They say every day here they usually have one to two cases of heat illness, which they treat very quickly so that it doesn't progress on to heat stroke. But they're constantly looking for the warning signs, people getting fatigued, stopping sweating and just becoming very thirsty.

We have a family here with us that is hoping to enjoy the day. They just got out here. This is the Weese (ph) family from Orange County.

You said you're taking extra precautions with your boys here.

MS. WEESE (ph): We have. We applied sunscreen and we're going to reapply it as the day goes on. We rented a cabana because it has a little shade so we're trying to keep cool that way. We have their little rash guards on to keep the sun off.

FINNSTROM: You are well prepared. We're going to let you hit the water.

We also want to mention that one of the big concerns here is for the people who are working hard. We took some videos as we came in last night. A lot of the construction workers, people working on the roads are doing it at night to avoid the heat of the day.

Even as we came in, those roadside thermometers were saying 106 degrees at 10:00 at night. These guys with the shovels and the machinery just sweating profusely. So really no break here quite yet in from the heat -- Don?

LEMON: Yes. I certainly understand that. All right, Kara Finnstrom. Thank you, Kara.

When can they expect a cool down, Reynolds Wolf?

REYNOLDS WOLF: It's not going to be today or tomorrow. In fact, much of the weekend it's going to remain sizzling in many spots like Las Vegas, where it's 100 degrees right now.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WOLF: It's going to be very warm. Back to you.

LEMON: All right, Reynolds. Thank you.

WOLF: You bet. PHILLIPS: They're as simple as they are scary, hand scrawled notes sent to nine newspapers around the country warning hundreds of people will die at the investment bank Goldman Sachs. Some say the threat isn't credible, but the FBI isn't taking any chances.

CNN's Allan Chernoff joins us from New York.

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, we've learned that, in fact, that letter was sent to 20 newspapers around the country, small and medium-sized newspapers such as the "Newark Star- Ledger," one of the largest papers that did receive the letters.

As you said, these were handwritten in red ink on loose leaf paper.

I'll read to you exactly what the threat says: "Goldman Sachs, hundreds will die. We are inside. You cannot stop us. Signed AQUSA."

I should emphasize local and federal officials do not believe that this is a credible threat. Goldman Sachs has been working with those authorities since the end of last month. The letters were postmarked on June 27th, mailed from Queens, New York, one of the five boroughs of New York City.

As I said, Goldman Sachs is taking this seriously. In fact, they issued a statement saying that. They also say "We take any threat to the safety of our people very seriously. We are working closely with the law enforcement authorities, who tell us they don't believe the threat to be very credible."

But I should say that the letters are now at the FBI and the postal inspection crime labs, and they are looking for DNA or any evidence they can from the envelopes the letters to try and find out who mailed these to the newspapers.

PHILLIPS: So, the question, Allan, whether this is a prank or not, has that totally been ruled out? And also, how are the employees there reacting to this?

CHERNOFF: Well, mixed feelings amongst the employees. A lot of people just going about their regular day, not willing to talk to us, but they seem to be just doing fine. In fact, in the back of the Goldman Sachs building, there are open-air restaurants and it's packed there right now. And you wouldn't think anybody was concerned at all.

However, we have heard of some employees who have expressed concern, at least one who actually did leave the office. Goldman put out an e-mail to staffers saying, "We do not view this situation as cause for concern," but some employees are a little concerned that it took Goldman so long to send that e-mail out -- Kyra?

PHILLIPS: All right. We'll follow up. Allan Chernoff, thank you.

The casino was packed, yet only four people were hurt in Las Vegas this morning when a gunman walked into the New York-New York complex and started shooting. Off-duty troops and visiting cops wrestled the man to the ground, grabbed his handgun. Police say he is a local. He doesn't work there. And wasn't a guest at the casino. Talk about luck, none of the victims seriously hurt.

LEMON: New battle lines in the Iraq war debate. Another Republican Senator breaks ranks with the White House while a field commander insists, for now, the troops can't come home.

Let's bring in Senior CNN Pentagon Correspondent Jamie McIntyre -- Jamie?

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN NEWS SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, there's a lot of debate in Washington on whether the so-called surge is going to produce the results that people want to see. There doesn't seem to be much debate among U.S. commanders in Iraq that the surge strategy needs more time and is unlikely to have produced any definitive results in the short term.

That's what we heard again today from Major General Rick Lynch, who is in command of troops in the so-called southern belt south of Baghdad. General Lynch said it's only because of those extra so- called surge battalions that he's been able to launch what he thinks are effective military operations to drive al Qaeda out and, more importantly, keep them out.

He said if the troops were go to go, if there would be a drawdown of troops, it would be, in his words, a mess.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICK LYNCH, MAJOR GENERAL, MULTINATIONAL DIVISION CENTER COMMANDER: It would be a mess, Jamie. It would be a mess. Those surge forces are giving us the capability we have now to take the fight to the enemy. And the enemy only responds to force. And we now have that force.

You know, we can conduct detail, kinetic strikes, we can do cordoned searches and we can deny the enemy the sanctuaries. If those surge forces go away, that capability goes away. And Iraqi security forces aren't ready yet to do that.

Now what you're going to find, if you did that, is you'd find the enemy regaining ground, re-establishing sanctuary, building more IEDs, carrying them into Baghdad and the violence would escalate. It would be a mess.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCINTYRE: General Lynch says, if the surge forces go away, he says his capability goes away as well. Of course, that's sort of in direct conflict to the mood in Washington, which is to look for some sort of results that can result in U.S. troops coming back in some significant numbers.

Of course, everybody's looking to the recommendation in September from General Petraeus about whether or not U.S. troops will be able to come home. But some in Congress are saying they need to make a decision even before then -- Don?

LEMON: So, Jamie, when can we hear the next progress report from the Pentagon?

MCINTYRE: Well, the Pentagon's next report -- the quarterly report is coming out in about a week, but that's likely to be just like the one in September, a mixed picture, some modest success, but also noting some of the setbacks, including a rise in casualties, continued civilian deaths. So it's not going to provide the kind of definitive answer that people are looking for, although some people may seize on it to buttress the argument that it's time to cut the losses and go or conversely that they need to spend more time maintaining the so-called surge.

LEMON: Senior Pentagon Correspondent Jamie McIntyre. Thank you, Jamie.

Well, disturbing new allegations, U.S. marines accused of killing civilians in Iraq. It allegedly took place during the U.S. siege on Fallujah, November of 2004. According to several Pentagon officials, a former Marine says his comrades gunned down their eight civilian prisoners.

The allegations surfaced when the former marine applied far job with the U.S. Secret Service and received a routine polygraph test given to job applicants.

PHILLIPS: Twenty-four hours, nine concerts, one environment -- that's the plan for live earth coming to a hemisphere near you. The global series of concerts begins tomorrow. Its mission? To focus attention on global warming. One of the shows will be in Washington, D.C., another in east Rutherford, New Jersey.

CNN Entertainment Correspondent Brooke Anderson is already there.

Hey, Brooke.

BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN NEWS ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Hey, there, Kyra. I'm at Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands where one of the ten Live Earth concerts will take place tomorrow. The headliners here are the Police. They are actually closing the show. It's an impressive lineup. We've got Melissa Etherege, John Mayer and Kanye West.

Kyra, it's an ambitious event, world wide. All seven continents will be holding a Live Earth concert. Back to you.

PHILLIPS: All right. Now, we'll follow this, of course. I'm being told all the acts are doing this for free, right? No one's getting paid?

ANDERSON: No one's getting paid. Everyone's doing it for free. A total of 150 artists, world wide, will be taking part. I'm very excited about the lineup here. But I have to be honest with you, I'm most thrilled that a band in Antarctica, made up of scientists, is also performing, will probably perform for a crowd of less than 20 people. But it will be broadcast, of course, via satellite for the entire world to see.

Live Earth organizers, of course, project and hope that 2 billion people worldwide will be reached by these events.

Of course, environmentalist and former Vice President Al Gore is leading this effort. And this morning on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING," he made a surprise announcement that Washington, D.C., has been added to the lineup, that they will be hosting a concert.

And initially, Live Earth had tried to get D.C. to host a concert, but were turned down. But the Museum of the American Indian came through and is now welcoming Live Earth with open arms.

PHILLIPS: Brooke, I have to tell you something. That caught me off guard seeing that video because I had the chance to go to Antarctica and do a documentary six years ago. And I actually saw that band perform. I just saw a clip of the fiddle player. I can't remember the name of the band. Do you know the name?

ANDERSON: Nunatack.

PHILLIPS: Nunatack. Believe it or not, there's a coffeehouse on McMurdo Station and that's where they play. I had no idea. All right. I'm going to try and get out there. There he is right there. There he is. I love it.

ANDERSON: Yes, I can't wait to see these guys. A lot of people haven't heard of them, but they are about to become very famous. We'll be the largest audience they've ever had.

In an interview, one of the band members said they didn't know what the fuss was about. They don't have television so much there. They keep up with things through the Internet. But they're just playing for a small crowd, just having a little bit of fun. It will probably be a quick show because it does get cold there.

PHILLIPS: Yes. Yes, it does.

ANDERSON: It's cold always, yes.

PHILLIPS: That's all there is to do is just pack the coffeehouse and listen to them play. All right, Brooke. Thanks so much. We'll check in again.

LEMON: Lots of folks would like to use the weather in Antarctica today because there is fiery heat versus unending rain happening across the country. Summer's weather is going to extremes. We're covering all of it for you.

PHILLIPS: When BBC Correspondent Alan Johnston was freed, few could understand his relief as well as Terry Wade, who spent more than four years hostage in Lebanon. He joins, live, straight ahead.

LEMON: Plus, talking about talk -- guys, girls gab, and a stereotype that doesn't walk the walk.

You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: 2:16 eastern time. Here are the stories we're working on from the CNN "NEWSROOM." A federal appeals panel has dismissed a suit challenging the president's domestic eavesdropping program, saying the plaintiffs have no standing to sue because they failed to show they were victims of the surveillance.

The FBI is investigating an apparent terror threat targeting a major investment bank. Nine newspapers received anonymous letters saying "Goldman Sachs, hundreds are will die. We are inside. You cannot stop us."

And the Essence Music Festival has returned to New Orleans for the first time since Hurricane Katrina. Live pictures right now from Louisiana. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton making an appearance there right now.

LEMON: Well, women talk on the phone, they talk on the job, they talk at home. They talk about their husbands and their boyfriends and their kids and their diets and their clothes and their hair and their feelings and their shoes and their belts and their makeup. Everyone knows women do much more talking than men.

PHILLIPS: Want to bet? CNN Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen here with a few choice words.

ELIZABETH COHEN: That was a long list.

PHILLIPS: Yes. Put him in his place. Hello?

LEMON: All right, so who talks more?

COHEN: Well, you know what, you'd be surprised. There's going to be a lot of surprises in this segment.

I'm going to tell you that some researchers put actual recording devices on people and counted how many words they said in a day. And what they found is that, okay, yes, it's true, women do talk more, but not by very much.

I'm going to show you the numbers just to prove it. Women in this study said 16,215 words a day. And men said 15,669 words a day. That is not a very big difference.

LEMON: I don't believe that.

PHILLIPS: What about texting?

LEMON: I really don't believe that. PHILLIPS: What about texting? They didn't measure that.

COHEN: We're not talking about texting.

LEMON: We've always heard that women talk more, though, haven't we?

COHEN: We have always heard that, and that's probably because there were these studies that said that women talked three times as much. But you know what, those were kind of old studies, they may not have been done as well as this study. Oh, they are the people talking. What people are thinking is maybe those old studies war little bit exaggerated. Maybe women do talk more, but not three times as much more.

I have a question for you two.

PHILLIPS: Yes?

COHEN: Who do you think talks more, you or you?

LEMON: It depends on the day. I think Kyra talks more than me.

PHILLIPS: It depends on how many interviews we have.

LEMON: You mean up here?

COHEN: OK, here is the -- up here, on your show.

LEMON: I would say Kyra talks more. I do more ad libbing. Kyra probably talks more.

COHEN: Let's say we counted every word you said in the 2:00 show yesterday.

PHILLIPS: Today? Oh, yesterday, yes.

COHEN: And we calculated who talked more. Who would you bet?

PHILLIPS: Did you do that?

COHEN: We did do that. Can you believe it?

PHILLIPS: Uh-oh.

LEMON: Yesterday, I would say it was probably me who talked more because I think I had like an interview or something -- Kyra had an interview that cancelled.

COHEN: I think it's because you're chattier. Let's take a look for these two. Don said 1,629 words. And Kyra said 1,056. We actually counted them.

So, Don, you actually -- that's a lot more.

LEMON: I didn't talk that much more. COHEN: Like in this study, it was just -- no, that's a lot more. That's a pretty healthy percentage actually.

PHILLIPS: My mom always said less is better. That's what my mom said.

COHEN: Well, there you go. And you learned something.

PHILLIPS: If you don't have anything smart to say, don't say it at all.

COHEN: That's right.

LEMON: The weird thing is I don't talk that much when I'm outside of here. I really don't.

COHEN: Well, you talk on the air a lot.

LEMON: I talk on the air a lot.

PHILLIPS: He is always on the phone, ladies and gentlemen.

COHEN: What this all goes to show you is that there's a lot of individual variations. Trying to take the facts in some form of science out of this. There's a lot of individual variables.

PHILLIPS: Biologically, is there a reason why?

COHEN: Yes, there actually is. Men's and women's brains are just different. Lots of studies have shown that. If you look at our brains, there would be reasons for us to talk more. Women have more brain cells that are connected to communication and emotion.

As a matter of fact, some researchers say women get a little bit of a high out of going chat, chat, chat, chat with each other or with who anybody, I suppose.

PHILLIPS: Men are from Venus, women are from Mars, whatever. See, he's calling up his mom right now.

LEMON: I've got to call you back.

PHILLIPS: See. It's true.

COHEN: He's using every single brain cell in order to have that conversation.

PHILLIPS: Guys do all their talking in the locker room. That's why you never know they're talking. Women just talk honest and straightforward and lay it all out there.

COHEN: Men don't talk to women. So it seems like they talk less. They talk to each other.

PHILLIPS: That's what it is.

COHEN: Yes, that's what it is.

LEMON: The proof is right here.

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: There is the proof right there.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Elizabeth.

COHEN: You are so welcome. We'll talk later.

PHILLIPS: All right. Definitely. We always do.

LEMON: Hmm.

PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, Texas rivers can't hold another drop and neither can the soggy ground. The rain just keeps falling. We'll have an update from the fire chief in Tyler, Texas, coming up next.

LEMON: A Category Four storm, inside the National Hurricane Center up next in the "NEWSROOM," forecasters and a storm surge of anger.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Developments coming to us across the wires, Associated Press, rather, reporting that British prosecutors are now advising police in London to charge an Iraqi doctor in the failed London and Glasgow car bombings.

As you know, seven men have been detained. This would be the first man charged. We've made the connection that a number of these suspects are doctors, one being an Iraqi doctor. Now we're being told that Iraqi doctor, British prosecutors want police to charge him in those failed bombings. We'll continue to update you on the investigation as we get more information.

LEMON: A red flashing light is usually not a good sign when it comes to electronics, and it is a problem that's going to cost the maker of xBox 360 some big money.

Stephanie Elam at the New York Stock Exchange to explain that.

Hi, Stephanie. That's a popular game too.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Don. We're talking about more than $1 billion this will cost the maker, which happens to be Microsoft. They say they'll take this huge charge to fix what it calls an unacceptable number of repairs that have to deal with this xBox 360 video game console.

Now, owners know a hardware problem is indicated by three red flashing lights on the system. The company also says it missed shipment targets for the end of June by about 400,000. And that number was already decreased anyway. But Microsoft is still leading in the latest console wars. So far, 5.6 million xBox 360 units have been sold to customers in the U.S. That compares with less than 3 million Nintendo Wii units and less than 1.5 million Sony Playstation #'s.

Many expected a price cut on the PS-3 to help spur sales, but Sony's president told Reuters that's not in the cards right now. They've got a pretty expensive system there as it stands.

Also, keep in mind Microsoft began selling the xBox 360 a year before the other two systems hit the market -- Don?

LEMON: What are they going do to make customers happy?

ELAM: To appease customers, Microsoft will extend its warranty coverage to three years, but only for people who see those red lights. The company will also reimburse anyone who previously paid for repairs for the problem. It's also made improvements so new buyers won't have to deal with the same issue.

Looking at shares of Microsoft, they're losing 1 percent today. Overall, pretty quiet session. Many traders are on vacation following the July 4th break.

We did, however, get the big monthly jobs report this morning. The government says employers added a solid 132,000 new jobs in June. This follows even stronger job creation in May. That's providing some ammunition for those investors that are here, about ten of them.

Right now, the Dow industrials are on the upside by 38 at 13,604, up about a third of a percent. NASDAQ is up about the same amount, S&P up about .25 percent. Of course, there's more trade issues than (inaudible) and I was joking.

It only happens once a century, 7/7/07. In the next hour of "NEWSROOM," I'll tell you how business is cashing in. Until then, Don, 7779311, back to you. Remember that? Remember that song?

LEMON: I do remember that. That was Morris Day, was it?

ELAM: I think it was. 9311, yes. There you go.

LEMON: All right, thank you.

ELAM: You're welcome.

PHILLIPS: He negotiated the release of hostages before he was taken captive himself. Coming up next, Terry Wade talks about the business of kidnapping, right here in the CNN "NEWSROOM."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Hello, Kyra Phillips live at CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta.

LEMON: And I'm Don Lemon. He went to negotiate for the release of British hostages in lebanon but ended up becoming a hostage himself for more than four years.

PHILLIPS: We're talking about Terry Waite and about political kidnappings, why they're still a favorite tool for terrorists, whether in Gaza, Iraq, or Nigeria. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

They want him out. He says he won't go. A different storm is brewing inside the National Hurricane Center. Our John Zarrella is right on top of it. Hi, John.

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN MIAMI CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra, absolutely. You know, with the heart of hurricane season not more than about a month away, there is a gathering storm inside those walls here at the National Hurricane Center in Miami. Just a day after half of his staff asked for his resignation, Hurricane Center Director Bill Proenza told me in an interview this morning that he is leaving that door open.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BILL PROENZA, DIR. NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER: I work for the American people.

ZARRELLA: So you tell me you're not resigning?

PROENZA: Well, whatever is in their best interest I will do. If it involves me moving on, I will do so when the time comes. I will do it smoothly. And I will do it genuinely in a way that supports the new incoming director.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZARRELLA: Now, the forecasters who are calling for his resignation and four of the 23 people who signed that petion yesterday are Senior Hurricane Specialists. They are saying that he has been lobbying for the wrong priorities, that he is not listening to them, he is not asking for their input, and that it is impossible for them to do their business effectively without a sense of family and a sense of teamwork here at the Hurricane Center. That is why they're calling for his immediate replacement saying the center needs a new director.

Now, this all began shortly after Proenza started back in January after he replaced retiring Max Mayfield. At the time, Proenza came out publicly criticizing the parent agency, NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, for spending money on NOAA's 200th anniversary celebration while at the same time cut regular search funds to the Hurricane Center. He then criticized his parent agency for not spending enough money to replace an aging satellite. So, that's where we are now. And an investigative team, Kyra, is expected back here in Miami on Monday morning.

PHILLIPS: So, John, with so many people against the center's director, where is his support coming from?

ZARRELLA: Well, Proenza has gotten quite a bit of support from the political arena for his fight over the aging satellite. There are some people within these walls who still do support Proenza but are not going publicly with that support. But clearly, as every hour passes, it is a question as to whether he will be able to hold on to his job much longer. Kyra?

PHILLIPS: John Zarrella, thanks.

LEMON: Extreme weather scorching out West, soaking in the Southern plains, five inches plus in east Texas overnight. Drenching areas already saturated from weeks of downpours. Farther west, the numbers say it all. 104 in Boise, 116 in Las Vegas, 127 in Death Valley. Dangerously hot from Santa Barbara to Spokane. So, can we expect to get any cool weather anytime soon, Reynolds Wolf? That's the question.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LEMON: All right, Reynolds. Thank you so much.

PHILLIPS: Is it ever going to stop raining? That's what folks in parts of Texas have to be wondering. The sky opened up again today dumping five more inches of rain on the city of Tyler. The city's fire chief has been checking on the flooding, Chief Neal Franklin on the phone with us. What does it look like, Chief?

VOICE OF CHIEF NEAL FRANKLIN, TYLER FIRE DEPT.: We've had more rain in the last 24 hours than we normally expect to have for the entire month of July.

PHILLIPS: So, how do you respond to something like this when you don't expect to get this type of weather? How do you move forward?

FRANKLIN: Well, on a situation like this, we're watching it. Right now, actually, the sun is shing outside, which is a welcome sight. We just face it the same way we face all merge emergencies.

PHILLIPS: Well, are there -- what type of assets do you put into place? How do you respond to those who get stranded? Do you get a lot of 911 calls? Do you have to deal with fires, utility fires?

FRANKLIN: Absolutely. We established technical rescue teams several years ago, and we have added our swift water rescue teams which have paid off even this week. On Tuesday, we had a rescue of a mother and a child due to driving off into deep waters.

PHILLIPS: Wow. Reynolds Wolf is our meteorologist, Chief. He's got a couple questions for you. Reynolds, go ahead.

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, actually what I'm seeing, have you had any reports of any open water or water rescues, have you had (INAUDIBLE) of people driving through those low-lying areas?

FRANKLIN: We did. And actually on last Tuesday we had one that drove off, a mother and child into an area that was -- the water was rising swiftly, and we ended up having to use our teams to go in and rescue them. We have been blanketing the media here to let people know to turn around, don't get involved in those situations.

WOLF: Now, how has the response been? Have people embraced the idea or do you still have the -- obviously some people do, they aren't paying attention, you have those issues, you have those rescues. For the most part, though, I mean have you seen people leaving the areas that have had the flooding, have you seen people avoiding those crossings, have they been paying mind to those warnings and those watches?

FRANKLIN: They have. They have paid heed to the instructions from us. I think we -- which is great, especially when they show on the front page of the paper. On Wednesday, they showed the rescue taking place and I think that helps. Anytime we can blanket the media and show -- and talk to them and get the word out, and that's helped, our media has really been our friend.

LEMON: Well, you're doing a great job getting the word out right now and we certainly appreciate your time.

FRANKLIN: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Chief Neal Franklin, thanks so much.

FRANKLIN: You're welcome.

LEMON: This has been a week of high-profile kidnapping stories. One ended well. The safe release of a BBC journalist from Gaza. Another, well we don't know yet, it's ongoing. A little girl held for ransom in Nigeria. Of the people in the world today can empathize with the hostage more than Terry Waite, no one else can. The Anglican envoy was held nearly five years in Lebanon, most of it in solitaire confinement. And Terry Waite joins me now from london.

Considering what you went through in Lebanon in the '80s, are you surprised to sea all this happening in Iraq and Gaza and elsewhere in the world, as many hostages as we've been hearing about?

TERRY WAITE, FORMER LEBANON HOSTAGE: I'm afraid I'm not surprised. I'm depressed by it. But it has become almost a tacticof warfare that both sides have deployed. When you look at the whole question of extraordinary rendition, to many people, that seems as though it's state-inspired hostage taking. And, well, as I say, it's become a tactic of warfare.

LEMON: Explain what you mean by state-inspired hostage taking.

WAITE: When someone is -- let me just give you an example. In my case as a hostage, I was a negotiator. I was taken by my captors because of political duplicity. They suspected me of being an agent of and intelligence, which I wasn't. They took me, they suspected me, they denied me proper legal rights. They kept me confined. I had no access to the outside world or to my family. Now, I was able to demonstrate to them that I was totally innocent of the charges.

Now, what is essentially the difference between that process and the process of taking someone on suspicion from a foreign country, detaining them in places such as Guantanamo Bay or elsewhere, and subjecting them to interrogation where it's alleged that force is being used, what is the essential difference? LEMON: Now, you -- fortunately, your incident ended positively and so did Alan Johnston as a result of the political circumstances with Hamas. Do you think that that contributed to his release and the positive end to that story?

WAITE: Well, I think -- again, that was, of course, a political kidnapping. Alan Johnston's kidnapping was a political kidnapping. He may well have been taken by a criminal gang but it was because of political pressure in that situation that he was released. And -- sorry?

LEMON: What is the gain of this? Obviously, besides money, I guess maybe bargaing power but what is it, what is the gain to take people hostage in these situations?

LEMON: What is the gain of this? Obviously, besides money, I guess maybe bargaining power. But what is the gain to take people hostage in these situations?

WAITE: Well, I mean, it does vary, you know, Don, from case to case. I mean, if you look at Nigeria, for example, and where the little girl has been taken and it's been suggested she might be exchanged for her father. What has happened there in Nigeria, is that companies, quite understandably, have ensured their workers against hostage taking. So that hostages, when they're taken, and the hostage-takers know that a huge ransom is going to be paid through insurance.

LEMON: Yes.

WAITE: Therefore, that does lead to more hostage taking. The game in other situations is minimal. I mean, in my case, for example, the end of five years they said, we've gained nothing from this.

LEMON: And so they let you go. I would love the talk to you more about this, it's fascinating. More about your experience being a hostage and also an envoy as well. Terry Waite, thank you.

WAITE: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, the Pope's revival of an ancient rite meets with mixed reviews. Latin mass in the modern church, straight ahead, on the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Some want it, others don't. That's causing a rift within the rank and file of the Catholic Church. The Pope is expected to turn back the clock and issue a decree that will revive traditional Latin mass after a 40-year absence. It could happen as soon as tomorrow. And while the idea may seem simple enough on paper, it's extremely complicated to implement, especially when traditionalists and progressives aren't speaking the same language.

Here's CNN's Faith and Values Correspondent Delia Gallagher, with what prompted the change in 1965 and what's spurring it now. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN FAITH AND VALUES CORRESPONDENT (voice over): This is what the Catholic mass used to look and sound like, until the 1960s. It was called the Tridentine Mass. The priest had his back to the people and the words were all in Latin.

Then in 1965, Vatican II decided to update the ancient ritual. The changes were meant to make the mass more accessible to the people. The priest would face the congregation and say mass in the local language. But 40 years layer, some, including the Pope, believe the modern mass may have strayed too far from its traditional roots.

FATHER RICHARD ADAMS, ST. AGNES CHURCH: There was some, certainly very wrong things done. Rather than using let's say wine and water, and I'm talking about the '60s, rather than using wine and water, we could use Coke and pretzels.

GALLAGHER: Ever since, there's been a tug of war between the new and the old.

SUSAN MICHELLE, SUPPORTS MODERN MASS: I think the church needs to go forward into its third millennium and not backward into its second. And that's what the Tridentine Mass says to me.

MAY CONLON, SUPPORTS LATIN MASS: The Latin mass is the mass of all the saints down through the years, and Vatican II destroyed the mass.

PETER CLEMENTE, SUPPORTS LATIN MASS: I'm 26. I've only been coming to this mass for maybe a year or two. And I just feel like you get so much more out of it. It is a lot more fulfilling.

GALLAGHER: Pope Benedict is encouraging a return to the Latin mass as a way to restore tradition to the church's central celebration. But finding priests who can actually say mass in Latin may prove difficult.

ADAMS: I have to go hunting for priests to save the Tridenine Mass, because they don't know Latin.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Delia Gallagher now joins us to talk more about the piece. So, will this completely replace the previous mass?

GALLAGHER: No. When you go to mass on a Sunday if you're a Catholic, you're not going to want in and the priest will suddenly have his back to you and be speaking in Latin. You know, and you don't know where you are.

This is an and-and option. So, it's saying this should be made available if there are people who want it. And in some cases, there are people who have wanted this and who haven't been able to have this mass. So the Pope is really just kind of coming back and saying, you know, this mass is valid and we should have it if there are people who want it.

PHILLIPS: You speak Latin so it wouldn't be a problem for you. But, why is this so controversial?

GALLAGHER: Well, I think you have to see it in the context of the Catholic church since the 1960s, since Vatican II, which was the big council that changed a lot of things in the church, primarily this mass.

Since then, there have been a number of people who were upset about those changes and it happens a lot of times, when you start messing with people's religious practices, they get upset.

PHILLIPS: They like their routine.

GALLACHER: That's right. And you can imagine, you change it from Latin and the priest with his back to you, and suddenly he's facing you and he is speaking in English. Well a lot of people said great, because we understand what's going on, other people said, no, it's not as reverent. It's not as sacred. So, really, for about the past 40 years, there has been this kind of tug of war between some traditionalists and progressives, and that is why this is such a big deal now. Because the traditionalists say great, you know, we finally got it.

PHILLIPS: So why is the Pope doing this? Because I don't see the Pope necessarily as a progressive Pope.

GALLAGHER: No. But he is somebody who has always been very attached to the mass and the way that you celebrate the mass. He thinks it's very important that there is reverence in it. And he was one of the people that participated in Vatican II to make these changes and so then, he saw, in the 40 years since then, that there have been what he would call sort of abuses in that change.

So, he said, you know, let's bring it back. And also let's try and bring back in those people that were upset by this. He thinks this is ridiculous. Why should have this if we have this great tradition. Why not keep it alive?

PHILLIPS: Delia Gallagher, thanks so much.

GALLACHER: You're welcome.

LEMON: A freak accident at 20,000 feet almost cost this man his life. What kept him from being sucked through a broken window of a twin engine jet? Stick around for the amazing story.

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PHILLIPS: Tragic, deeply troubling and revolting, those are just a few of the words people are using in Wichita, Kansas. Police say a woman was stabbed at this convenience store, but most of the other customers simply ignored her.

Police say shoppers just stepped over her body. One of them stopped to take a picture with a cell phone. After the woman finally got to the hospital, she died from her injuries. One person has been charged in connection with that stabbing.

LEMON: A terrifying moment, 20,000 feet above Idaho, a flight nurse was taking care of a patient on an air ambulance when he suddenly found his head and arm sucked through the plane. Sucked right through the plane's window. Forty-one-year-old Chris Fogg lived to talk about it in an interview this morning on CNN's "American Morning" with John Roberts.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS FOGG, FLIGHT ACCIDENT SURVIVOR: It was like the struggle of my life, you know, I was working as hard as I possibly could. And I was lucky that my left hand, as a reflex, went up to the ceiling to hold the wall and my knees went against the wall and I was just pulling for all my might. I guess it just wasn't my day to die.

JOHN ROBERTS, HOST CNN "AMERICAN MORNING": So how did you manage to work your way back inside the plane?

FOGG: Well, I was just pulling and pulling and pulling. Finally, my chest came away from the wall of the plane enough that more wind went by me and it broke the suction that was pulling me out. And I just -- with all the energy I just fell right back into my -- into the plane.

ROBERTS: So, you popped back inside the plane. The patient that you were transporting, was a Vietnam Vet.

FOGG: Yes.

ROBERTS: He said he had some flashbacks of being shot out of the sky.

FOGG: Yes. He thought he was being shot down. You know, there is just paper and stuff flying around in the plane, you know, and it was really loud, I mean, really loud.

ROBERTS: Did you see this stuff in movies and think, oh, that's just for dramatic effect. But that's what it's really like?

FOGG: Exactly. It was just like that. It was really just like you think the big airlines -- anything that was near the plane or not tied down was going outside.

ROBERTS: So, when you came back in, as well, you were injured. You've got a bandage on your arm there. But you took 13 stitches in the head?

FOGG: Yes, 13 staples in my head.

ROBERTS: Unbelievable. (END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Wow, very interesting, I wonder how that window broke. Chris Fogg still suffers from nightmares a week after his terrifying encounter.

PHILLIPS: You have to see it to believe it and even then, belief is not mandatory. But it helps to have a high tolerance for metallic paint and wheelie boopers (ph). The UFO Festival in Roswell, New Mexico, next in the CNN NEWSROOM.

LEMON: Wheelie boopers.

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LEMON: That's from one of my favorite shows. Submitted for your approval, it's either been 60 years since aliens landed in Roswell, New Mexico, or since somebody started a heck of a rumor.

PHILLIPS: Well ever since, Roswell has been the certain of an ongoing controversy in an annual celebration that's flakier than Aunt Mae's pie crust. Reporter Drew Rudnick of KOAT is in Albuquerque.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DREW RUDNICK, CNN AFFILIATE KOAT CORRESPONDENT (voice over): This week, the city of Roswell is packed with people who all believe aliens touched down right here in New Mexico 60 years ago. Some would say it's a farce, that it's not true, but former Navy man Richard Heese says differently.

RICHARD HEESE, ROSWELL STORE OWNER: I've seen UFOs. I was part of the government.

RUDNICK: The first UFO he saw was on a hunting trip in Arizona. He saw lights in the night sky traveling at astronomical speeds. The second one was in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The spaceship looked like two pie plates put together.

(on camera): Richard said what he saw was absolutely real and the government has taken measures to make sure his story never gets told.

The Festival that runs from Thursday to the Weekend is full of guest lecturers and UFO experts who talk about their paranormal alien encounters. As for Richard Heese, he's sticking by his story and says some people don't want the truth to come out.

HEESE: When I left the military, I signed a document that I would not speak of anything top secret or above for ten years.

RUDNICK: Heese moved to Roswell in the early 1990's where he owns his own alien novelty store just off Main Street. He is just one of thousands of similar stories that will be told throughout Roswell this week. Making it a place no where else in the world.

In Roswell, Drew Rudnick, Action seven news.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well adding extra zing to the extra-terrestrial wing- ding, late night radio George Noory will be broadcasting live from Roswell tonight. A special Area 51 edition of Coast to Coast.

The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

And this just in. As we told you just about 15 minutes ago, we were getting word that British prosecutors wanted police to charge an Iraqi doctor in those failed London and Glasgow car bombings. We're being told through Scotland Yard that indeed has happened. We're talking about Bilal Abdulla.

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