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American Morning
School Standoff; Back to Latin; Heat Wave in Western U.S. States; Suspects Arrested in Australia That Might Be Connected to London's Recent Terror Activity
Aired July 06, 2007 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Summer sizzler. Triple digit temperatures from Arizona to Washington State. The push to keep people inside and power systems online.
Plus, new storms on the move in Texas. A flooding threat not seen in 50 years, on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ROBERTS: And good morning to you. It is Friday, the 6th of July. I'm John Roberts. Good of you to join us on this Friday morning.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. And good morning to all of you. I'm Betty Nguyen, in for Kiran Chetry this morning.
ROBERTS: You know, we've got all of this wild weather around the country which, of course, you know, makes some people wondering, gosh, is it global warming that's involved.
NGUYEN: True. So?
ROBERTS: We've got the king of global warming coming a little bit later on.
NGUYEN: Al Gore.
ROBERTS: If you can hang around until the third hour of AMERICAN MORNING, that's in our 8:00 Eastern hour, Al Gore is going to be in to talk about a whole bunch of things, including the Live Earth series of concerts which happen tomorrow, 7/7/07.
NGUYEN: All across too. I mean global.
ROBERTS: On every continent.
NGUYEN: This thing is taking off big time. All right, John, I'm looking forward to that.
ROBERTS: Yes, so am I.
NGUYEN: I'll stick around for that.
ROBERTS: I spent a year and a half of my life covering him in the 2000 campaign. Haven't spoken with him since.
NGUYEN: Wow. This is a nice reunion then. ROBERTS: So this will be a great reunion this morning.
NGUYEN: Yes.
ROBERTS: Hey, new this morning for you. As if they could stand anything more, Texas is under a storm watch. Another round of heavy thunderstorms expected to dump up to three inches of rain across Texas with flash flood warnings issued overnight. Right now, all of the state's major river basins are at flood stage. It's the first time that's happened in 50 years.
Forecasters, meanwhile, are predicting another day of triple digit temperatures up and down the West Coast. How about this, 107 in Boise, Idaho. A new record. It hit 100 in Spokane, Washington, on Thursday. And 127 in Death Valley, California. You might expect that there, though. Heat advisories and watches remain in effect today. The National Weather Service says the extreme heat could last well into next week.
NGUYEN: Well, the U.K. terror investigation takes a new turn in Australia this morning. Police raided two hospitals in western Australia taking computer files and other materials. Police say eight suspects arrested in Australia last week may have used those computers.
And we are also hearing this morning from one of the militant clerics holed up inside the standoff at a school and mosque in Pakistan. He phoned a TV station this morning and says he'd rather be a martyr than be arrested by government troops surrounding that complex. Up to 1,000 may still be trapped inside by Islamic extremists battling the Pakistan government.
ROBERTS: The alleged D.C. madam is making waves in Washington again, free now to open up her little black book. A judge lifted a restraining order preventing Jeane Palfrey from distributing her phone list. She says it contains the name of 15,000 people, including some Washington bigwigs. Palfrey is accused of running a prostitution ring. She claims that it was a legal escort service.
And a case of beauty queen blackmail. The reigning Miss New Jersey is going public and fighting back. Amy Polumbo says someone has been sending her photos of herself, threatening to make them public if she doesn't step down today. Her attorney says the photos aren't lewd. Pageant officials in New Jersey saying they're looking into the whole thing.
NGUYEN: Well, Pentagon officials confirmed that up to 10 Marines are under investigation for the killings of unarmed Iraqis. It allegedly happened during the seize of Falluja in 2004. Now this story came to light when a fellow Marine was taking a lie detector test for a job with the Secret Service. This is the third war crimes investigation of Marines based at Camp Pendleton.
ROBERTS: The White House has lost another major war supporter. Republican Senator Pete Domenici says he is going to support a bill that calls for most U.S. troops to leave Iraq by next March. He spoke out from his home state of New Mexico.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. PETE DOMENICI, (D) NEW MEXICO: We need a new strategy for Iraq that forces the Iraqi government to do more or else. I'm not calling for an immediate withdrawal from Iraq or a reduction in funding for our troops, but I am calling for a new strategy that will move our troops out of combat operations and on the path to continuing home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: A new round of debate on the war begins next week in the Senate.
NGUYEN: Al Gore III is said to be in treatment. Yes, police say they found four kinds of prescription drugs in his car when he was pulled over for speeding. Authorities say he also admitted to smoking marijuana. Now his father talked about it just briefly with Larry King last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AL GORE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT: He's doing very well. We're treating it, of course, as a private family matter. We're very happy that he's sought and is getting the treatment that he needs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: The younger Gore faces three felony counts and one misdemeanor charge for drug possession.
Also want to tell you this. As for a future run for office for the former vice president, he once again says he is not interested.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GORE: I ran for president twice. I have kind of fallen out of love with politics, but I deeply respect those who are involved in the political game. But what politics has become is something that requires a tolerance for these sort of spin messages that I don't think I'm very good at.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: There's also Live Earth to talk about. The concert extravaganza on all seven continents. Al Gore will join us live in the studio with John Roberts at 8:15 Eastern.
Looking forward to that, John.
ROBERTS: I am, yes. It's been a long time.
Just a month or so into his new job, a new storm is swirling around the director of the National Hurricane Center. Half of the center's employees have signed a letter and sent it to the Commerce Department on Thursday saying Bill Proenza is to political and needs to go. It reads, "the center needs a new director. The effective functioning of the National Hurricane Center is at state." The letter was signed by 23 employees, including forecasters and Proenza's secretary. Proenza has been critical of efforts to replace an aging satellite. He told CNN earlier this -- oh at least last month -- that he has no intention of stepping down.
Time now to check on what else is going on this morning with some of our correspondents. Any relief in sight in the west from the extreme heat? Rob Marciano is in for Chad Myers this morning.
Good morning, Rob. What are you looking at?
(WEATHER REPORT)
ROBERTS: Las Vegas tied a record high yesterday, 116 degrees. But now it's it's all about the number seven. Not talking about today, talking about tomorrow. AMERICAN MORNING's Chris Lawrence is in Vegas.
What's it all about, Chris.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, let me throw out a couple of numbers for you. Hundreds of people standing outside and waiting hours in that sweltering 116 degree heat just so they could get a marriage license and get hitched on the seventh day of the seventh month of 2007. Coming up a little bit later in the show, I'll tell you some of the extraordinary lengths people are going through just to get that 7-7-7 punch on their marriage certificate.
ROBERTS: All right, Chris, we'll check back with you. Thanks very much.
Faulty Xbox games are costing Microsoft $1 billion. Stephanie Elam looking into that story.
Good morning, Stephanie.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John.
They're saying there are just too many unacceptable errors that they've had to deal with and that is a problem behind this charge that they're going to take for the quarter that just wrapped up. This is related to their Xbox 360 game consoles. They also missed their shipping targets. They actually brought out a lot less than they expected to get out during the quarter and that's part of this issue there as well.
They did say that for these errors that they have been having, these three flashing lights, or people who have been getting those repaired, they'll reimburse them. They're also saying that they're going to extending the warranty to three years for people who have been having trouble with the Xbox. As of now, Xbox is still the leading video game console on the market and they want to keep it just that way.
John.
ROBERTS: Stephanie, thanks for that. We'll see you back for "Minding Your Business."
Betty.
NGUYEN: A pre-teen from Florida leads police in Alabama on a drunken, high-speed chase. You've got to take a look at this. The whole thing was caught on tape. Police say the suspect, an 11-year- old girl, was going over 100 miles an hour. She sideswiped another vehicle and then flipped and crashed. She was charged with driving under the influence, speeding and reckless endangerment.
And a fine day for Scooter Libby. That tops our "Quick Hits." Libby has already paid the $250,000 fine that was part of his sentence in the CIA leak case. President Bush commuted the 30-month prison portion of that sentence. Now a judge hears arguments next week about whether Libby needs to serve probation.
And some suspected kiddy kidnappers are busted in Enid, Oklahoma, by their mother. That's right. Police say two sisters, just 10 and 12 years old, broke into a neighbor's house, took a one-year-old baby and left a ransom note asking for $200,000. The girls were busted when the mom recognized that baby. He was quickly returned to his mother and the preteens, well, they were taken into custody.
Take a look at this. A school under siege. One of the leaders trapped inside with children says his followers will choose martyrdom over arrest. Food is running low. Water is limited. So what's really behind this standoff? That's next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: And welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning right here on CNN.
A flood of fraud. That tops your "Quick Hits" right now. Investigators say they have a backlog of 10,000 cases related to the 2005 Gulf Coast hurricane. Investigators are worried they won't get to some before they run up against the statute of limitations and that doesn't happen for another two years.
Well, a resignation by the executive director of the mental health agency that had a role in treating the Virginia Tech shooter. Even though Seung Hui Cho was ordered into treatment after he was determined to be a danger to himself, the agency never recommended a treatment plan. The agency says the resignation has nothing to do with the Virginia Tech shootings.
And Virginia Tech is going to start giving out some of the money donated after those shootings. Washington lawyer, Kenneth Feinberg, who oversaw the distribution of money after September 11th, has been hired to give out the roughly $7 million in donations the university received. That money will go to surviving victims, as well as victims' families. ROBERTS: Pakistan's president, General Pervez Musharraf, is making his stand against Islamic extremists in his capital of Islamabad. A radical cleric is holed up in a mosque and girl's school right now, surrounded by government troops. Hundreds of students have escaped in lulls in the fighting, but up to 1,000 may still be inside. Our senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson, is a veteran of covering conflicts in south Asia and joins us now live from London.
Nic, what's this all about?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, this is something that's been brewing for a long time. This is a radical mosque. It's also a madrassa, or a religious school. It's the biggest female religious school in the whole world. It's also one of the largest male madrassas, male religious schools in the whole of Pakistan. Thousands of young students are taught there.
I spoke with the cleric that's held up inside right now last September. He told me at that time that he believes that his young students should go to Afghanistan, should fight U.S. troops there. I put that to the prime minister of Pakistan at that time, September last year, almost a year ago, why aren't you doing anything about this? It was right on the doorstep of the government of Pakistan. He said, no, we can deal with this. We can deal with it.
Well, the situation escalated to the point where these students were taking the law into their own hands in Islamabad, burqa clad (ph) women carrying sticks, taking over a brothel, arresting the madam of the brothel, the alleged madam of the brothel, taking her away. The students, male students, forcing video stores there to close down, burning their videos. The government now, even several months after that, now seems to have come into conflict finally with the madrassa and now this very tense standoff with the hundreds of students inside. They have weapons in there. I've seen them before.
John.
ROBERTS: So these religious leaders, Nic, are they supporters of the Taliban, al Qaeda or both?
ROBERTSON: Both. Mullah (ph) Abdul Rashid Ghazi is holding out inside the mosque there. I spoke to him, again, a few months ago. I told him, what's going to happen if the government comes knocking on your door to close you down? He said, we'll stand and fight. We'll raise trouble in the rest of the country. So far that doesn't appear to have happened.
But his background a very troubling one, or could be, at least for the Pakistani government, he met Osama bin Laden back in 1998. He says his views are very much in line with Osama bin Laden and they've been trying to bring those Taliban religious laws to the center of the capital of Pakistan, just a few miles from the seat of the government. He told me that the laws in the city should reflect the same laws that are in the tribal region, the border region, where the Taliban holds its way right now.
John.
ROBERTS: Is this a sign of trouble for Musharraf, Nic?
ROBERTSON: It's another pressure on President Musharraf. It's one that he's seemed to keep on the back burner. The reason, let's face it, there are many hundreds of thousands of young students in religious schools like this across Pakistan. There are thousands of madrassas, hundreds of thousands of students. About 10 to 15 percent of those madrassas have a very religious extremist base, or at least that's how it be viewed by a lot of the rest of the world.
And President Musharraf has been in partnership with some of the religious, political leaders who run these madrassas. So he hasn't been able to take them and combat them head-on. Right now things just seem to come to an impasse that it cannot ignore them.
If you go back to April of this year, in the space of one week, four U.S. congressional delegations go into Pakistan right when these troubles were kicking off. Very clear the message at that time coming to Pervez Musharraf. Your country is in trouble. The extremists are getting stronger. You're our ally in the war on terror. What can you do about this?
ROBERTS: And that religious leader, Abdul Rashid Ghazi, vowing that he will die before he surrenders.
Nic Robertson for us in London this morning on all of that.
Nic, thanks for sharing your expertise. Appreciate it.
NGUYEN: A courthouse confession tops your "Quick Hits" right now. A man charged with killing three people in New Hampshire confessed to reporters on the way into court. Michael Woodbury (ph) said he killed the men because he "needed the money." The killing followed a bank robbery, arson and armed robbery.
New York City cracking down on movie pirates. The first arrest was made under new, stiffer laws. A man who took a video camera into a sneak preview of the "Transformers" was arrested and could get six months in jail.
Listen to this. Pope Benedict making a much anticipated announcement this weekend and it is already stirring up a lot of debate. We're going to show you when AMERICAN MORNING comes right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Coming up to 23 minutes after the hour. Take me out to the brawl game. Your "Quick Hits" now. It was an independent league game, but a major league bench clearing fight between the Reno Silver Sox and the Chico Outlaws. It started after an Outlaws player was hit by a pitch. The Outlaws retaliated in the next inning by hitting a Reno player. And then, well, this happened.
A bold burglary caught on tape in Palm Bay, Florida. Surveillance video shows four masked men using a stolen car and a towing chain to pull the bars off the front door of a jewelry store. Police say in less than three minutes the suspects made off with thousands of dollars worth of jewelry.
And a massive rescue operation in the Irish sea. More than 100 kids, some as young as 12, knocked into the water. Surging waves and strong winds overturned dozens of dinges during a junior regatta. The Coast Guard says everyone made it out OK. Race organizers had ignored a wind warning.
NGUYEN: John, there is a big change at the catholic church and it is turning back the clock and bringing back the Latin mass. AMERICAN MORNING's faith and values correspondent, Delia Gallagher, is in Atlanta.
And, Delia, I've got to ask you, there's some real controversy behind this decision, isn't there?
DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Absolutely, Betty. The blogs are abuzz for this decision. Pope Benedict expected to revive the old Latin mass this weekend, more than 40 years after it fell out of common use.
The move is stirring up a lot of debate. Let's take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GALLAGHER, (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 later, some, including the pope, believe the modern mass may have strayed too far from its traditional roots.
FATHER RICHARD ADAMS, ST. AGNES CHURCH: There were some certainly very wrong things done. You know, 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, JAZZ MASS CONGREGANT: 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, LATIN MASS CONGREGANT: The Latin mass is the mass of all the saints down through the years and Vatican II destroyed the mass.
PETER CLEMENTE, LATIN MASS CONGREGANT: 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's 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 say the Tridentine mass, you know, because they don't know Latin.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GALLAGHER: And, Betty, you know, some are concerned that this decree is going to deepen divisions within the church, but others say it's really going to offer a choice to worship in the old style or the new.
Betty.
NGUYEN: Well, let's look at these choices. Does it mean that Catholics will have masses offered to them in Spanish, Vietnamese, other languages?
GALLAGHER: Yes. Well there are already, you know, masses in Spanish, masses in Vietnamese, masses in all the different languages. The difference is, this is not just another mass in a different language. This is a whole different mass. It's the old version. It's also said in Latin. But as we saw, you know, it's about the priest with his back to you. It's got a lot of different rituals. And it also represents a larger split in the catholic church between kind of traditionalists and progressives. And that's why this is such a big deal because many people are going to see this as a point for the traditionalists.
Betty.
NGUYEN: That's true.
Delia Gallagher, thank you, as always.
GALLAGHER: You're welcome.
ROBERTS: Twenty-six minutes after the hour. If you think it's hot where you live, wait until you hear how hot it's going to get in Needles, California, today. Here's a little hint for you. It was 122 yesterday, 93 degrees right now. We're going to talk with the mayor of Needles next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Our thanks to our folks at WPXI in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for this foggy shot of Pittsburgh this morning. Look, the fog is coming in. But don't worry about it because later on today and the fact that just a little while from now the sun's going to pop out. It will be a beautiful day there, mostly sunny, 82 degrees.
NGUYEN: Oh, that's a far cry from 122 in Needles, California. We're going to be talking to the mayor about that.
ROBERTS: The funny thing is, we looked up the current temperature in Needles. It says 95, but feels like 91.
NGUYEN: Big difference there, don't you think?
ROBERTS: It's that dry heat.
NGUYEN: Right.
ROBERTS: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. It's Friday, the 6th of July. I'm John Roberts.
NGUYEN: Yes. Good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen, in for Kiran Chetry.
ROBERTS: The U.K. terror investigation takes a new turn in Australia. Police there raided two hospitals, taking computer files and other materials. Police say the suspect arrested in Australia last week may have used these computers.
NGUYEN: And we're hearing this morning from one of the militant clerics hold up inside that standoff at a school and mosque in Pakistan.
He phoned a TV station this morning and says, he'd rather be a martyr than be arrested by government troops surrounding the complex. Up to 1,000 may still be trapped inside by Islamic extremists battling the Pakistani government.
And the TV reporter who is the other woman in the marriage of Los Angeles mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa, has been put on leave by Telemundo. Telemundo says it is reviewing the matter. And a source says, Mirthala Salinas told her bosses about the relationship and asked not to be involved in reporting on Villaraigosa's divorce.
ROBERTS: Texas under a storm watch this morning. The water there just will not go away. Another round of heavy thunderstorms is expected to dump up to three inches of rain across the flood-ravaged state today.
Flashflood warnings were issued overnight. Right now, all of the state's major river basins are at flood stage. And that is the first time that that's happened in 50 years.
Forecasters are predicting another day of triple-digit temperatures up and down the West Coast. How hot is it, you say? How about this -- 107 in Boise, Idaho, way up north -- a new record. It hit 100 in Spokane, Washington, on Thursday out there in the mountains, 127 in Death Valley, California.
Heat advisories and watches remain in effect today. The National Weather Service says the extreme heat could last all the way into next week.
NGUYEN: Yes. And one of those areas in the Southwest that has been hit with a massive heat wave is Needles, California. Temperatures expected to reach into the 120s today.
And joining me on the phone is Jeff Williams, the mayor of Needles, California.
Mayor Williams, good morning to you.
JEFF WILLIAMS, MAYOR OF NEEDLES, CALIFORNIA (by phone): Good morning, Betty.
NGUYEN: All right. So, it's 3:30 in the morning where you are. We just took a look at the weather. How hot is it outside?
WILLIAMS: It's 94 degrees right now, at 3:30.
NGUYEN: A balmy 94 degrees. And so, you got up to what, 122, yesterday. What are you expecting today?
WILLIAMS: We're expecting about the same, 122 to 124, right in that area.
NGUYEN: And you're used to getting hot in that area, but this has to be record heat.
WILLIAMS: Well, the official record temperature is in 2005. It was 125. Unofficially, on the 4th, we reached 128 this year.
NGUYEN: Oh, my goodness. What in the world does 128 degrees outside feel like? Like you're walking in an oven?
WILLIAMS: Yes, that pretty much is exactly what it feels like. We try and have our residents conserve electricity, especially during the hours of 12 p.m., noon, to 6 p.m., and until we get this heat wave over with.
NGUYEN: Wait. Hold on. You're asking them to conserve electricity?
WILLIAMS: Right. We have ...
NGUYEN: How is that even possible, especially with the air conditioners that have to keep running to keep them out of that heat?
WILLIAMS: Well, we understand the air conditioning has to keep going. We've asked them to put them to 78 degrees, at least. Also, don't do laundry, vacuuming, those type of other household duties until after it gets to be evening.
NGUYEN: Have you had any heat-related injuries or deaths
WILLIAMS: Not that I'm aware of this time around, no.
Like you said, our residents here are pretty much used to this type of heat. They know how to take precautions. And pretty much, stay out of the heat, if you have to work outside.
Most of our construction and landscape people get out at four in the morning, work till 10 or noon ...
NGUYEN: Before the sun comes out.
WILLIAMS: ... and then get out of the heat.
NGUYEN: Let me ask you just very quickly. You've lived in Needles for about 18 years. Do you ever get sick of that heat out there?
WILLIAMS: Well, you know, the funny thing is, I grew up out here. And as you get older, it seems like it gets hotter.
(LAUGHTER)
NGUYEN: It's harder for your body to deal with it, I imagine, too.
Jeff Williams, mayor of Needles, California. Hopefully, you'll get some cool weather sometime soon. I can't guarantee it, but we're sending positive thoughts your way. Thank you.
WILLIAMS: Thank you. Well, it sounds like it might be cooling down here. We might be going into a cooling trend for the weekend. It might get down to 119. So, we're looking forward to that.
(LAUGHTER)
ROBERTS: Yes, I was looking at Needles on one of the weather sites, and they always give tips. And it said rehydrate on every tee.
NGUYEN: Oh, really. I can't imagine.
ROBERTS: I can't imagine anybody playing golf in that.
NGUYEN: At all.
ROBERTS: Coming up to 35 minutes after the hour.
(WEATHER REPORT)
ROBERTS: Fred Thompson is running first or second among Republican presidential candidates in a lot of the early primary states. The last couple of days we've been taking a closer look at Thompson.
Yesterday, Joe Johns examined his conservative credentials. Today, he investigates his political past.
Can Thompson really run as a Washington outsider?
(BEGIN VIDEO)
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT, WASHINGTON (voice-over): If Fred Thompson decides to run for president, he's likely to hear a lot more of this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How do you run as an outsider, if you've had all those ...
FRED THOMPSON, UNDECLARED REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I have never used the word "outsider."
JOHNS: Thompson's career as a Senate lawyer, U.S. senator and a lobbyist for big corporations ...
THOMPSON: Got a cap on that (UNINTELLIGIBLE) ...
JOHNS: ... doesn't jibe with his folksy, anti-Washington image. That image emerged during his 1994 Senate race in Tennessee. Thompson rode around in a rented red pickup truck and attacked Washington in relentless campaign ads.
THOMPSON: They have no idea, do they, the career politicians. We need somebody on the inside of that place fighting for us.
CRAIG HOLMAN, PUBLIC CITIZEN: Fred Thompson is no political outsider. I mean, that label is just a mistake. Fred Thompson is known on Capitol Hill as the access man.
JOHNS: Thompson spent two decades as a big-time lobbyist.
THOMPSON: So I have probably a half a dozen lobbying clients who wanted a seat at the table.
JOHNS: But questions are likely on the campaign trail about some of his clients.
Former Haitian president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, was accused of endorsing the use of burning tires soaked in gasoline as a way of killing opponents.
The Tennessee Savings and Loan League, which had Thompson push for S&L deregulation. That legislation hastened an industry collapse and a $150 billion taxpayer payout.
Thompson also raised money for Scooter Libby, whose sentence was just commuted by the president.
But will any of this matter to voters?
RICH GALEN, MULLINGS.COM: For most Republican primary voters, the issues that we're talking about are very popular. Defending Scooter Libby is a hugely popular cause for most Republican conservatives.
JOHNS: If he gets the nomination, he'll draw fire from Democrats, who just charge that Thompson is -- you guessed it -- a Washington insider.
Joe Johns, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEO)
NGUYEN: And efforts to save kidnapped contractors in Iraq tops your "Quick Hits" right now.
Family and friends of the five private contractors say they're trying to raise $150,000 to pay the ransom. And one man has even volunteered to go to Iraq and negotiate. The five were taken captive last November.
And the Reverend Al Sharpton leads a rally for Genarlow Wilson in Georgia. More than 200 people turned out yesterday. Wilson is serving 10 years in prison for having consensual sex with a 15-year- old when he was 17. He's stuck behind bars while the State of Georgia appeals a ruling that overturned his sentence.
Coming up on AMERICAN MORNING, 7/7/07. It only comes along once a century. Thousands are flocking to Las Vegas to tie the knot. Will it bring added marital bliss and good luck? We'll explore the sevens phenomenon, next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING, the most news in the morning, right here on CNN.
Want to tell you now about a roadblock removed from the Charleston fire investigation. That tops our "Quick Hits".
Federal investigators will be allowed to talk to firefighters about the furniture store fire that killed nine firefighters. Now, the fire chief at first refused to let his men be interviewed, but now the city says it is OK.
And a deadly plane crash in Mexico. Check this out. Investigators say a small cargo jet blew a tire on takeoff and slid off the runway. At least nine people were killed, including two soldiers assigned to the Mexican president's security detail and a family of four in a car on the highway.
A roof collapse at a construction site in Denver injures dozens of workers. Investigators say the workers were pouring concrete when the floor gave way. The injuries were not considered life- threatening, so that's a little bit of good news there -- John.
ROBERTS: Lots of couples are planning to walk down the aisle tomorrow. The reason why? They're casting their bets on a string of sevens, which are always lucky in Las Vegas.
AMERICAN MORNING's Chris Lawrence is live in Vegas, where thousands are looking to get lucky in love. Are you among them, Chris? Or are you going to take a pass this year?
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT, LAS VEGAS, NEVADA: I'll take a pass. I thought about randomly meeting some stranger and making a lifelong commitment on the fly like that, but figured there's probably better ways I could screw up my life.
Anyway, you know, we saw these people literally standing outside in this sweltering, 116-degree heat for hours, just so they could get a marriage license in time. And based on the activity at places like Mandalay Bay, Bellagio, the little chapels off the strip, this could go down as one of the busiest wedding days ever.
(BEGIN VIDEO)
LAWRENCE (voice-over): The line to get a marriage license came down the block, up the steps, wrapped around the corner and went inside.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A show of hands. Who's here for the 7/7/07.
(CHEERS)
LAWRENCE: Some experts predict 70,000 couples could get hitched on the seventh day of the seventh month in '07.
NIA HAMILTON, BRIDE: We've been planning it for a year now. So, we're the trendsetters.
LAWRENCE: Nia Hamilton says she's paying a premium to marry Miles Ware (ph).
HAMILTON: For your chapel, they add a little bit more money, because you're on a special day. For your dinner, they add a little bit more money, because you're on a special day.
So, it's a tax upon tax, because you're on 7/7/07, with everyone else.
LAWRENCE: Chapels are all booked up. And the competition over superstition is fierce.
JUDY BOWE, OWNER, CUPID'S CHAPEL: We actually had one couple that booked quite a ways out, tried to sell their package on eBay. So, it's been crazy.
LAWRENCE: The significance of seven can be traced back to Egyptian culture. The number shows up throughout the Bible. It's a positive card in tarot card readings.
And yes, it means you've hit the jackpot.
VINCENT PILON, EXECUTIVE CHEF, MANDALAY BAY: The sevens are all chocolate with the blue cocoa butter on it.
LAWRENCE: Mandalay Bay's world-renowned pastry chef is making plans for a mass wedding outside. The Venetian will conduct 77 ceremonies on Saturday. And the Bellagio's flower factory is in full bloom.
Across the Atlantic, Eva Longoria and Tony Parker tied the knot in France. And celebrity chef, Wolfgang Puck takes the plunge.
As for Miles and Nia ...
MILES WARE (ph), GROOM: Official. HAMILTON: Yes.
WARE (ph): Nothing left to do now but walk down the aisle.
(LAUGHTER)
LAWRENCE: Marriage can be a bit of a gamble. So, any couple counting on those lucky sevens should take note -- next week is Friday the 13th.
(END VIDEO)
LAWRENCE (on camera): Yes, a few of the couples told me their marriage is going to need all the luck it can get. And some of the grooms said, at the very least, it'll make their anniversary a little easier to remember -- John.
ROBERTS: You know, you might want to take a roll of the dice yourself there, Chris. Because, don't forget, they've got drive- through divorce there, as well.
(LAUGHTER)
LAWRENCE: Oh, perfect!
ROBERTS: Thanks for that.
LAWRENCE: Something tells me that's a little more expensive than getting married.
ROBERTS: Oh, it depends on quickly you do it. Get a pre-nup, too.
Chris, thanks very much. We'll see you again.
Quick hits starts with a presidential birthday wish today. The commander in chief turns 61. He celebrated a little bit early last night with a trip to the ballpark, watching the Washington Nationals take on the Chicago Cubs.
A woman who claims she can't work, because a co-worker wears too much perfume, is suing the City of Detroit. Susan McBride (ph) says her co-worker's strong perfume was making her sick. She claims the work environment violates the Americans With Disabilities Act.
Blame it on Rio. Is the Brazilian city in or out of tomorrow's Live Earth concert? We'll have that story coming up for you on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Welcome back to the most news in the morning.
Well, we want to tell you about another death penalty issued over a drug scandal in China. Time now for your "Quick Hits". A manager at China's food and drug administration sentenced to death for taking bribes to approve drugs that hadn't been properly tested. One drug led to 10 deaths.
And Microsoft is spending at least $1 billion to fix problems with the Xbox 360. Microsoft didn't say exactly what the problems are, but, because of a lot of general hardware failures, is extending the warranty on the videogame systems to three years.
A new survey says many Americans are worried about the growing income gap between the richest Americans and everybody else. But a lot of those surveyed say it's an incentive to get people to work harder. And two-thirds of the responders think it is up to the government to make sure anyone who wants a job has one -- John.
ROBERTS: Rio is back. Yesterday we told you a Brazilian judge canceled this weekend's big Live Earth concert on Copacabana Beach. The decision has been reversed.
Lola Ogunnaike here to explain what happened, and give us the rest of your Live Earth news.
So, what did happen in Rio?
LOLA OGUNNAIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT, CNN CENTER, ATLANTA: Well, the judge decided that the concert would be back on. She had security concerns. And once the organizers were able to alleve her of all of her concerns and tell her that there would be enough adequate security there, she said the show was back on.
ROBERTS: I went to the first Rock 'n' Rio Festival, 22 years ago. And they didn't have any problem with security back then.
OGUNNAIKE: They didn't. But they're expecting close to 700,000 to a million people at this. And this is the only free concert.
ROBERTS: And it is right in the heart of downtown, too.
OGUNNAIKE: Copacabana Beach. So, yes, this is going to be a huge party. You've got Lenny Kravitz performing. You've got Macy Gray. You've got Pharrell Williams.
And again, it's the only free concert, so it's going to be quite the show.
ROBERTS: Rio is such an incredible place. I mean, look at the lineup. You mentioned Lenny Kravitz and Macy Gray. You've also got Madonna in London, the Police here in the United States, Linkin Park in Tokyo.
And seven continents, though. So, that means that they've got a concert from Antarctica. Who's playing there?
OGUNNAIKE: Yes, they've got Germany, who has Snoop Dog and Shakira. And Antarctica has Nunatak.
ROBERTS: Nunatak.
OGUNNAIKE: I know. You've never heard of them. I've never heard of them. No one's ever heard of them.
They're five scientists, actually -- five British scientists -- who are based in Antarctica. And they've actually never played a live concert before. They just formed last October.
They're based at a research center out there. So this is their ...
ROBERTS: So, this is a real novelty thing.
OGUNNAIKE: It's huge. This show could reach two billion people. So, I mean, for your first live performance, what a way to open your career. They don't have a record contract now, but ...
ROBERTS: I thought they would have flown an act down there to do it.
OGUNNAIKE: To Antarctica? These guys are having to play in gloves. And they're performing before 17 people there.
ROBERTS: That's right. It's also, it's the dead of winter.
Hey, listen, Al Gore is coming up. He's one of the organizers of this, certainly promoting it a lot. I'll be asking him about a lot of politics, as well as the environmental message here.
You're going to doorstop him in the green room before he gets in. What are you going to ask him about?
OGUNNAIKE: You ask him about all the serious stuff. I'll ask him about what's on his iPod. Where is going to watch the show? Which continent?
And also, you hear about all these obnoxious demands that some of these celebs have, you know, for their green room needs. What does Al Gore want backstage? Green M&Ms?
I'll get to the bottom of it, and we'll have it coming up next, actually.
ROBERTS: Remember the first Live Aid concert when Bob Geldof started off in London, and then took the Concorde and flew to the United States, so that he could be here for Philadelphia?
I mean, no Concorde anymore, but I don't expect Al Gore is going to be jetting around the world, either. That would be ...
OGUNNAIKE: Not environmentally sound.
ROBERTS: Not exactly in keeping with the spirit of the concert.
OGUNNAIKE: But, you know, maybe.
ROBERTS: Lola, thanks.
OGUNNAIKE: Thank you.
ROBERTS: We're going to hear, by the way, from the vice president. He joins us live in the studio at 8:15 Eastern this morning. So, either hang around for that or come back and visit us. It'll be interesting -- Betty.
NGUYEN: I'll be hanging around for that, John.
Well, in the meantime, quit hits. Right now, NASA says a major dust storm is blocking the sun. And that is causing the Mars exploration rovers to lose power. Opportunity's risky entry into Victoria Crater is delayed for at least several days.
And, OK. You've got to check this out, because it is half squid and half octopus. Yes. It's so rare that it doesn't even have a name. It was found off the coast of Hawaii, and biologists say it might be a new species. For now, the locals are calling it "octosquid."
And there is new research about why you might feel achy or sick while flying. And it's not that stiff seat or the airline food, oh, no. We're going to tell you what it is. That is ahead right here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: In "Quick Hits" now. And everyone knows that the finale is the best part of the fireworks show, right? But people watching a show in Fort Lauderdale, Florida were left disappointed, when their show ended with a bust instead of a bang. A bad fuse was to blame. The entire finale -- some seven minutes' worth -- never happened. The city is now asking the fireworks company for a refund.
And a former firefighter is cleared of a public indecency charge. The picture here tells the whole story. Take a look. Steven Cole (ph) was arrested while wearing a wig and a bikini in a public park. The police dropped the public indecency charge and Cole (ph) pleaded guilty to driving drunk and disorderly conduct. He got two years probation and has to stay out of the parks.
I can't imagine what he's going to go through at the firehouse.
NGUYEN: Maybe he should just stay away from bikinis altogether.
All right. Well, we do want to talk about "Minding Your Business" today. Ali Velshi is off. Stephanie Elam is minding our business.
And in fact, a lot of people taking a look at those iPhones, and in the wrong kind of way.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT, CNN CENTER, ATLANTA: Yes, I know. Exactly. It's so funny, because it seems like you can't get enough iPhone news, Betty. But it seems there's someone -- a Norwegian, actually, a 23-year- old guy there -- who's found a way to hack into the iPhone. It was just a matter of time, right?
Well, he says he knows how to activate an unactivated phone, because, you know, the features on the iPhone don't work unless you have the service started up through AT&T, the exclusive provider of phone service. You can't even use the alarm clock on the phone without getting it activated.
But he says he's found a way to do it. He's got a blog that's called "So, sue me." So, he's used to doing this kind of thing. It's what he does.
And also, taking a look here, it includes technical details for hackers, also links to the software they need to get the job done.
Of course, AT&T is saying, hey, look. You can't do this. We're going to monitor to see if this becomes a big problem.
There are unofficial estimates that Apple has actually sold like 700,000 iPhones so far, since launching on Friday, the 29th of June. So, there's a lot of iPhones out there.
And this is not rare, actually. This is the thing that surprised me, is that a lot of iPods have already gone into by hackers as far as, like, oh, I want to customize my graphics in there, I want to use it as a remote control.
So, people do this kind of thing all the time.
NGUYEN: Wait, wait. A remote control?
ELAM: Yes, which I'm like ...
NGUYEN: Why do that?
ELAM: ... wouldn't it be easier just to use that?
But people do that all the time. And also word processing, if you want a list, that's all on there, too. So people have routinely gone into these products to find ways to customize them for themselves.
NGUYEN: But if you're customizing, is that truly hacking?
ELAM: Yes, in a way it is, because you're not supposed to do it. You have to go around the system inside to do it. So, yes, it's still hacking, even though it's more for your own use and not for ...
NGUYEN: For everybody else.
ELAM: ... for everybody else, yes.
ROBERTS: Wait a minute. You're hacking your own phone.
ELAM: Right.
(LAUGHTER)
No, it's not too smart. That's not a ...
ROBERTS: But, I mean, how is that really hacking, if you own it?
NGUYEN: Yes, exactly.
ELAM: But if you send it out to other people and tell them how to do it, like this guy does on his blog.
ROBERTS: Oh, I see. All right.
ELAM: You know, that's the thing. And obviously, they're saying your warranty, how that affects you if you're not doing what you're supposed to do, John.
NGUYEN: That's true.
ELAM: And John's rolling his eyes ...
ROBERTS: Well, I'm not rolling my eyes at you. I'm just thinking it smacks of "1984," doesn't it?
ELAM: Yes. Leave it alone. Keep it this way.
ROBERTS: I mean the movie, not the actual year.
ELAM: Not the actual year. Yes, so, and AT&T is also saying that, outside of the country, you know, if you take your phone out, it won't work. And so, therefore, you can't use the functions, because AT&T is domestic only.
NGUYEN: Are you -- OK. So, you can't use it outside of the country. If the battery goes down, you have to get a new iPhone, because that thing is internal. There's all kinds of issues.
ELAM: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) for an expensive gadget.
NGUYEN: All right. And I'm sure we'll learn much more as the days go on. Thank you, Stephanie.
The next hour of AMERICAN MORNING starts right now.
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