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American Morning

Blackwater's Chairman to Defend His Company in Front of Congress Today; Record Drought in Southeast

Aired October 02, 2007 - 07:00   ET

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

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Why remote-control cars are part of a new security alert at the airport.
Plus, high and dry.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On a daily basis, the water is receding.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: Record drought, lakes fading fast, and the heated fight for water, on this AMERICAN MORNING.

That's right. A severe drought going on in many parts of the southeast. In fact, our Rob Marciano is out in Georgia today. They could set records for the drought down there.

ROBERTS Lakes literally disappearing, just evaporating.

CHETRY: We'll know much more on that. But meanwhile, thanks for being with us. It's Tuesday, October 2nd.

Glad you're with us. I'm Kiran Chetry

ROBERTS: And good morning to you. I'm John Roberts.

CHETRY: We begin this hour with fresh charges and a vigorous defense of Blackwater security's work in Iraq. A new congressional report uncovers Blackwater's involvement in some 195 so-called "escalation of force" incidents in Iraq, and the report also charges that Blackwater would pay off some victims' families, including one case where a drunk contractor accused of killing the Iraqi vice president's security guard, was allowed to leave the country without facing charges.

Blackwater's chairman Erik Prince will defend his company in front of Congress today. He'll also answer questions about Blackwater's involvement in the shooting deaths of at least 11 Iraqis last month that prompted this new scrutiny of Blackwater. This video of the aftermath of that incident was obtained by "Newsweek" magazine.

CNN's Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr joins us now.

Barbara, what are we expected to hear from Erik Prince this morning. How far is he expected to go in his defense of Blackwater? BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: John, when Erik Prince appears before the House committee just a few hours from now he will go all the way, right to the wall, saying that based on everything the company knows, the Blackwater personnel acted appropriately that day in Baghdad when that shooting incident broke out.

But make no mistake, there are widely conflicting views about what happened in that square in Baghdad. Blackwater says it acted appropriately. The Iraqi government says it has evidence that Blackwater employees fired indiscriminately.

Erik Prince will tell the committee the following. He will say, quote, "There has been a rush to judgment based on inaccurate information, and many public reports have wrongly pronounced Blackwater's guilt for the deaths of varying numbers of civilians. Congress should not accept these allegations as truth until it has the facts."

But expect to see a lot of fireworks at this hearing, John. Congress wants to know why Blackwater has paid off some Iraqi families. It should be pointed out the U.S. military also offers compensation after shooting incidents. And they will look at those statistics very carefully. How many shooting incidents involving Blackwater? Did Blackwater fire defensively or preemptively?

John?

ROBERTS: Now, Barbara, there are a number of investigations into this later shooting. The State Department is conducting a couple. The FBI now has just jumped in. Does that signify some sort of displeasure with what the State Department is doing, and could that possibly result in criminal charges?

STARR: Well, the official record is no, that the State Department and the FBI are very cooperative in this matter, that, in fact, the State Department wanted the FBI to get involved. The FBI has investigated any number of shooting incidents and incidents of violence in Iraq over the years. So that part of it is not unusual.

But, look, with the FBI involved with their very precise means of gathering evidence and evaluating what they have, it certainly opens the door to the possibility of future charges. If that comes to pass, simply too soon to say -- John.

ROBERTS: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon for us this morning. Barbara, thanks, as always.

Again, Blackwater chief Erik Prince goes before the House Oversight Committee at 10:00 a.m. Eastern. This is a guy who likes to stay out of spotlight, so it will be interesting testimony. You can watch live coverage of it right here on CNN. Or if you're away from your television, on CNN.com just follow the links to the live event.

(NEWSBREAK) ROBERTS: Time to check in now with our AMERICAN MORNING team of correspondents for other stories new that we're following this morning.

New information about the woman who died in police custody at the Phoenix airport. Our Alina Cho is at the national update desk with that.

Good morning, Alina.

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, John. Good morning to you.

One detail out since yesterday is that Carol Anne Gotbaum, according to her family, was on her way to an alcohol treatment center when she missed her flight. Now that may provide some insight into her state of mind at the time. Her family says they believe the 45- year-old mother of three was manhandled by police, and they've hired a well-known local attorney to watch the investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL MANNING, GOTBAUM FAMILY ATTY.: I know that at least some people in the Phoenix PD are spinning out the story that she was intoxicated. But whether she was intoxicated or not doesn't make any difference. In fact, if she was intoxicated, all the more reason never to handcuff her and shackle her, and never leave her alone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHO: Now, it could be up to three weeks before we know definitively whether there was any alcohol in Gotbaum's system. An autopsy that was supposed to happen yesterday is now scheduled for today. It was delayed by a day because the family wanted an independent forensic pathologist there.

Now a little background for those of you new to the story. Carol Anne Gotbaum was arrested for disorderly conduct Friday afternoon after she missed her flight to Tucson. According to several witnesses, she was yelling and screaming and running around the terminal. She was handcuffed. And now we're learning that police restrained her even further by using shackles to secure her to a bench.

Now, police believe Gotbaum accidentally strangled herself in a holding cell, where she was left alone as she tried to escape from the handcuffs. Police would not comment on whether Gotbaum was drunk at the time of arrest.

But one police sergeant told CNN, John, she was kicking and punching police and was clearly out of control. Something her family disputes.

ROBERTS: Such a bizarre story. Missed a flight and end up dead.

Alina Cho for us this morning at the national update desk. Thanks, Alina. We'll check back in with you a little bit later on. Record drought and extreme measures in the south. Our Rob Marciano in Lake Allatoona, Georgia, watching extreme weather this morning.

And, Rob, as the sun starts to come up, we can see how little water there is in the lake behind you there.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: There is. This pool is about 14 feet below where it should be. And this isn't the only lake and reservoir across parts of north Georgia, across the southeast for that matter, that is experiencing this sort of low-water level, and drought is an issue. Water restrictions are in place. Why has this area not seen much rainfall this year? This is typically the time of year where we get some rain, at least from tropical systems.

Let's go to the weather maps and show you why. Most everything has been tracking to the south of here, and there has been very little action turning up through the Gulf of Mexico. So you know we had the two major hurricanes that went into Central America. We had some that went into parts of Texas. But most of the tropical moisture has been staying to the south. Most of the northern storms have been staying to the north. So extreme drought has been the case across the southeast, and there you see the areas highlighted. Alabama, Tennessee really getting hit hard, that entire state, Kentucky, parts of it, and northern parts of Georgia.

Speaking of the tropics, we've got a little spiral action similar to what we saw a couple of weeks ago across Florida. They're seeing heavy rain and some wave action. Their drought has pretty much been relieved. but they're getting too much a good thing. This thing could spin out into the Gulf of Mexico over the next couple of days, and might develop into something more tropical. We'll watch that for a possible development. We are still in hurricane season, don't forget.

Well, we'd like to have, guys, a weak hurricane or a strong tropical storm with a lot of moisture that would come and dump a lot of rain into this area. We need a couple of those to get out of this drought we're in right now. It's pretty extreme.

Back to you guys in New York.

ROBERTS: As long as their mild tropical storms, Rob, I would think, right?

MARCIANO: That would be the optimal opportunity, for sure.

ROBERTS: All right, Rob Marciano for us this morning. Rob, thanks -- Kiran.

CHETRY: There's some new information linking panic attacks with heart attacks.

CNN's chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta is at our medical update desk in Atlanta. And you know, we're interested to find out more because it seems stunning how just one panic attack can possibly lead down the road to a heart attack or stroke.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's pretty remarkable. For a long time people have been trying to link emotional problems, psychiatric symptoms with heart attacks or heart problems, and it's hard to do, as you might imagine. Type-A personality, depression, anger -- all those things have been linked to future heart disease. But this whole idea of panic attacks puts it right up there with things like smoking and obesity. Interesting study. Researchers decided to look at 3,400 women, it was in this case, postmenopausal women, and tried to figure out the likelihood of having a heart attack if they have one single panic attack.

With a panic attack they were three times more likely to have a heart attack or a stroke within the next five years -- Kiran. So that was pretty remarkable, again, just from one panic attack.

Now a couple of things to keep in mind. They're not exactly sure why the two are linked. There's lots of different theories on that. One theory is that having a panic attack might increase your platelet count, and the effectiveness of your platelets, which are more likely to develop blood clots. It could just be the surge of hormones that you release during a panic attack that could actually damage the heart and set you up for a heart attack later on down the line.

Regardless of what it is, there definitely seems to be a link here, Kiran.

CHETRY: All right, how do you know if you're actually having a panic attack versus a heart attack? Sometimes it can feel the same.

GUPTA: Yes, it can be. It's remarkable how much people can actually get those two things confused. You show up in an emergency room, you're having symptoms; until they get the blood work back, they may actually confuse the two things.

But there are a long list of symptoms of the sorts of panic attack symptoms. If you have four of these, chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, trembling, a sort of sensation of choking, those sorts of things are more likely a panic attack. You can see the overlap, though, there, Kiran, with heart attack-type symptoms, which is why you need to get to an emergency room and get these things checked out.

And, Kiran, in the next half hour, I'm also going to talk about how to avoid a panic attack, and also, as a result, try to decrease your chances of having a heart attack as well.

CHETRY: All right, Sanjay, we'll see you in a little while. Thanks.

GUPTA: Thank you.

ROBERTS: Six kids have died this summer after swimming in lakes. The Centers for Disease Control is taking notice, because they didn't drown. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

CHETRY: It is 17 minutes past the hour now. Stephanie Elam in for Ali Velshi, Minding Your Business this morning.

And so bank are learning of their earnings now after of course the big mortgage mess.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, because, you know, Yesterday was the beginning of the fourth quarter. That means we're going to start seeing the earnings coming out now. And as you might expect, the mortgage mess that we've seen is starting to slam the banks. Yesterday we had Citigroup coming out, saying that their third quarter numbers are probably going to get hit by about 60 percent because it's writing down about $3 billion in subprime-backed securities. UBS also said that it will take a $3.4 billion write-down in the third quarter for the same reason. Also expecting a third quarter loss.

But yet the stock, if you take a look at it, Citigroup up over 2 percent, UBS up over 3 percent. So why is that? Well, it seems investors are thinking the worst is behind the big banks. They're thinking this is actually going to be less of an issue than they thought it was going to be.

In fact, Citigroup went on to say this is a one-time issue and the current quarter should be better. So for the fourth quarter we're looking for stronger numbers. And that's the good news there.

However, we do expect this to spread. JP Morgan, Washington Mutual, we may see those numbers come in taking hits as well. Obviously, what investors like to see there is it may be contained to a period, that they'll take these numbers, take these hits, and move on and bring in stronger numbers again as we move forward.

ROBERTS: And of course everybody is now looking at this in terms of will this force Ben Bernanke to lower interest rates again, which is why the stock market is taking off.

ELAM: And the other reason why we saw that yesterday is because there was a manufacturing figure that came out for the economic sector that was weaker than expected, because of that, we also saw the markets rally because the idea then is that gives more steam to the idea that the Fed will have to cut interest rates at the end of this month. Of course we'll be watching that. A lot can happen between now and then as we saw, between July and here. So we'll keep our eyes on it.

ROBERTS: The only certainty with the stock market is that nothing's for certain, right.

ELAM: Exactly, especially lately.

CHETRY: Although, as Ali pointed out yesterday, if you kept your money in at the beginning of all this mess, you're still OK. ELAM: Thirteen percent -- the Dow is up by 13 percent on the year, so a lot of people frequent about what their investments are doing. But overall, you're OK if you let things ride it out.

ROBERTS: All right, Stephanie thanks.

CHETRY: Thanks.

(NEWSBREAK)

ROBERTS: Six kids have died this summer after swimming in lakes. The CDC is taking notice of this, but is the government doing enough to protect swimmers?

And a presidential contender takes the stage. Who's jamming with Governor Mike Huckabee? We'll show you, just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING.

You know, we're hearing from the Centers for Disease Control this morning about the deadly organisms in freshwater lakes, extremely rare, but deadly. At least six people, including four children, were killed this summer in three different states. And we've been following this story for several weeks now.

Dr. Michael Beach is the CDC's point man on this, and he joins us from Cincinnati this morning.

Dr. Beach, thanks for being with us.

DR. MICHAEL BEACH, CDC: Good morning.

CHETRY: Now this deadly amoeba, there have only been 23 cases the past 10 years, but six this summer alone. So clearly there's been some sort of spike. How concerned should we be?

BEACH: Well, this is something, again, there's been an increase this year, but this isn't unusual. What we tend to see is that there are spikes during years in which there's long extended heatwaves like there has been this year.

CHETRY: You know, I think what's scary for most parents is it just seems the randomness of it. Popular lakes like Lake Havasu over in Arizona, the lake in Florida where this 11-year-old boy, Will Sellers, who just was swimming with his family, suddenly comes down with a stiff neck and a fever, and two days later is dead. I think that's the real fear for parents of, how can you make sure that your children are protected if they're swimming in freshwater lakes? Can you, Dr. Beach?

BEACH: Well, I think what people need to understand is that this amoeba actually is in many of the lakes in the southern-tier states. So there's really very little chance that we can prevent it. But clearly, there are some things we can do to reduce risk further. So think about plugging your nose or using nose clips when you jump or you dive into warm fresh water. Also think about, if you're in shallow, warm freshwater, don't stir up the sediment and stick your head underneath. Really it's thinking about trying to avoid jumping or diving into shallow, warm freshwater during the summer.

CHETRY: You know, it really struck -- some it is hard when children are playing, of course, they're going to be splashing around the water and shaking up the sediment in the bottom. But when it comes to nose clips, can using nose clips truly prevent this amoeba, which is how it enters, from making its way through the nose and getting to the brain?

BEACH: This is something we don't have a lot of information on, because there are so few cases that occur. But, again, I think what we've got to focus on is reducing risk. It can help by reducing the volume and the forcefulness of the water that goes up the nose, but it's unlikely that we can ever prevent all of these infections.

The key, I think, here is to keep perspective, that there are hundreds of millions of visits to swimming venues every year, and there are only a few cases. It's a very severe disease, but people need to weigh that very low risk against the exercise benefit and the continued enjoyment of swimming during the summertime.

CHETRY: I guess, you know, like I said before, it's just the randomness and the fear you have a healthy kid, and two weeks later they're dead.

But is it naive to think that the government can do anything to help us out here, testing of various waters or ones that maybe catch your attention because, as you said, they're warmer than they have been in years past, or they're popular venues for people to swim? Can those be tested?

BEACH: Actually, it would be very difficult because the testing procedures wouldn't tell you what's going on until days after people would actually be in that water.

And so what we know is that the amoeba is in most lakes in the southern United States. So you have to assume that it's there and try and reduce these risks even further.

But, again, I think, as you said, this is an extremely rare infection, so we have to keep that in perspective as well, although it's very severe.

CHETRY: Bottom line, you're an expert in this -- would you let your kid swim in fresh water lakes this summer?

BEACH: Yes.

CHETRY: All right.

BEACH: I mean, I think, again, it's a very low risk.

CHETRY: All right. Dr. Michael Beach from the CDC. Thanks for talking to us about this issue.

BEACH: Thank you.

ROBERTS: Twenty-seven minutes after the hour. A look at a story coming up in the next half hour that you just can't miss. It's a new alert from the Transportation Security Administration. You know, we've seen this with liquids and shoes. Now remote-controlled toys on the list.

CHETRY: That's right. Why some kids' toys aren't flying with the feds, and why are we hearing about this now? Is there a new threat? We're going to talk much more about it when AMERICAN MORNING comes right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Beautiful shot.

ROBERTS: Look at that, yes. The last vestiges of night there in Dallas, Texas. Thanks to our folks at WFAA for providing that shot. It's going to be a hot one there. It's 76 degrees right now going up to a high of 92, partly cloudy today. A nice day, if you like it hot. It's always hot in Dallas, isn't it?

Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. And thanks for joining us. It's Tuesday, the 2nd of October. I'm John Roberts.

CHETRY: And I'm Kiran Chetry.

New this morning. Something all too familiar for people in Indonesia, another powerful earthquake hitting the island nation. A 6.2 magnitude according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It struck about 100 miles off the coast of western Sumatra Island and deep under the Pacific Ocean. A tsunami warning was issued, and then it was lifted about an hour later. It rattled the very same area that was hit with the massive magnitude, 8.4 magnitude quake less than a month ago. Aftershocks followed that one for day. 23 people died in that quake.

4,000 monks arrested in Myanmar are now going to be sent to prisons far away from Rangoon, according to the BBC. Monks have been at the forefront of recent anti-government rallies that turned violent and killed at least 10 people. BBC also reports this morning that the United Nations envoy to Myanmar has met for the second time with an opposition leader just hours after holding talks with Myanmar's military rulers.

There is an Amber Alert out this morning in Florida for a teen believed to be with a convicted sex offender. Police in Polk County, Florida, are looking for 15-year-old Alyssa Frank. She was last seen wearing a Tinkerbell shirt, jeans, and black tennis shoes. And she is believed, according to police, to be with Joe Mitchell. There is his picture there. William Joe Mitchell from Jacksonville. He is 46 years old and is said to have tattoos on his arms and fingers.

Two weeks after Republicans went after moveon.org general betray us ad, and the democrats are turning the tables on Rush Limbaugh. They say he made hateful and unpatriotic remarks about U.S. troops on his radio show last week. Here's the conversation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CALLER: They never talked to real soldiers. They like to pull these soldiers that come out of the blue and spout to the media.

RUSH LIMBAUGH, "RUSH LIMBAUGH SHOW": The phony soldiers.

CALLER: The phony soldiers. If you talk to a real soldier, they are proud to serve.

SEN. HARRY REID (D), MAJORITY LEADER: Rush Limbaugh took it upon himself to attack the courage and character of those fighting and dying for him and for all of us. Rush Limbaugh got himself a deferment from serving when he was a young man.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: Senator Harry Reid has called on Limbaugh's boss, the chief executive of Clear Channel Communications to denounce his remarks. Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa then followed Reid saying "maybe he was just high on his drugs." Here's how Rush responded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIMBAUGH: He's got to be a nut. This is -- I cannot believe that they are actually going this far with this.

(END AUDIOTAPE)

CHETRY: Limbaugh insists he was talking about one anti-war soldier who was actually convicted of lying about serving in Iraq and that they took his comment out of context.

ROBERTS: Well, a high school cheating scandal that could happen in any town is tearing apart one community. School officials say as many as 50 students conspired to break in and steal final exams. But instead of failing or suspending them, they called the police. What happened next sparked a huge debate over power and privilege. Paying for your crimes and the pressure of getting into college. Live from Hanover, New Hampshire, is Cathy Fairbrothers. Her son, Jeffrey, is one of nine students charged with criminal trespass for stealing those tests. Miss Fairbrothers, thanks very much for being with us. Your son admits to being a lookout for the student who stole the exam. Why shouldn't he be charged with criminal trespass?

CATHY FAIRBROTHERS, SON CHARGED IN CHEATING SCANDAL: It's our belief that this is an issue of cheating. To bring the police in seems to be not appropriate to dealing in the school where the kids are -- have been caught cheating. To bring the police in and never call the parents, the first call I got was from the police and was told that they were investigating an issue of cheating. Then for it to turn into a criminal investigation was a total surprise.

ROBERTS: Now, here's what the principal of Hanover High, Debra Gillespie, said about the whole thing back when it first came to light. She said, "what we're here to do is to teach young people to become responsible adults. Not confronting this would not do that." Does she have a point, or do you think she overreacted?

FAIRBROTHERS: I think that she's absolutely correct that the children need to address these issues with strong disciplinary reactions, as we as parents have done. The school has very strong sanctions and disciplines that they impose upon children for cheating, and this is a case of cheating. And we support the school's strong disciplinary measures.

ROBERTS: Did you and your husband deal with this as well on a personal level with your son?

FAIRBROTHERS: We most certainly do, continue to.

ROBERTS: And how did you deal with it?

FAIRBROTHERS: Just grounding. He's been -- the entire summer, spent the whole summer at home working. He's been studying for the S.A.T. and does not really have a social life. And is focusing on what he needs to focus on. Yes, we were very strong in our discipline with him.

ROBERTS: So you really let him know that he was wrong in doing this?

FAIRBROTHERS: Most certainly. Because we all feel that academic cheating is wrong.

ROBERTS: Now, the prosecutor warned that, if you proceed to take this to trial, that the charges against him right now, which are misdemeanor charges of trespass, could be elevated to felony trespass. Do you feel like you're trying to be pressured into pleading on this?

FAIRBROTHERS: I do. I feel like being a citizen, we are afforded certain rights within the legal system, and one of those rights is to a fair hearing in a judicial system when charged with a criminal proceeding. To not act upon that because of fear of escalating charges seems to fly counter to that point.

ROBERTS: Let's get the other side of this now. Cathy Fairbrothers, mother of Jeffrey, who's one of nine charged with criminal trespass in this cheating scandal. Thanks for being with us. We turn now to the prosecutor in this case, Christopher O'Connor. He joins us now live from Hanover, New Hampshire as well.

Mr. O'Connor, you heard Cathy Fairbrothers. She says that clearly this is a matter of cheating. Should be handled by the parents and the school system. Why is this in the criminal justice system?

CHRISTOPHER O'CONNOR, CHEATING SCANDAL PROSECUTOR: It was based on the investigation that was started by the Hanover Police Department. This was for the incident that took place not for the cheating, but the act of the criminal trespass and the theft of the test that, in fact, brought forth the charges that are pending before the district court.

ROBERTS: Now, do you not believe, as a prosecutor, that the school, as Mrs. Fairbrothers said, has enough remedies at its disposal to deal with this matter without taking it into the courts?

O'CONNOR: Well, I want to make it perfectly clear that the Hanover School District is, in fact, dealing with the incident of the cheating. There is no such law in the state of New Hampshire for cheating. What we are, in fact, prosecuting the students for is the crime for which they committed, to help facilitate the act of the cheating.

ROBERTS: Right. Now, you heard Mrs. Fairbrothers say that she believes they may be feeling some pressure to plead guilty to the misdemeanor charge because you're informing them that, should they go to court, this could be elevated to felony charges. Why would you elevate these charges?

O'CONNOR: Well, the it's -- the letter that I sent to the attorneys that they elected to release to the public actually does not state that. The letter states that I will leave all my options open at the end of the letter, just as they need to do. It could mean that I could be forced to reduce the charge. It could mean that I may have to, upon review prior to trial, to even dismiss the charge if I do not believe that I can prove the case.

ROBERTS: And one other quick question. Hanover, of course, is the home of Dartmouth College, an Ivy League school. The students that are involved here are the children of a physician, a business school professor, a hospital president, a prominent columnist at a local newspaper. What do you say to people who say that you're trying to send a message to these students, that power and privilege hold no sway with you?

O'CONNOR: Well, it really, I mean, we deal with every person in society when you're dealing with an Ivy League community. We have dealt with offenses that parents are movie stars. And so we're not trying to send any message whatsoever except to treat everyone as fairly as we can within my office.

ROBERTS: We'll be interested to see the outcome of this case. Christopher O'Connor, who's the local prosecutor there. Thanks for being with us. Appreciate seeing you this morning. Kiran.

CHETRY: Still ahead, panic attacks and heart attacks. We talked with Sanjay earlier about the link. Well, there is some new research that says one can lead to another. So how do you protect yourself? We're paging Dr. Gupta once again. Hi, Sanjay.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN, CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning again, Kiran. I'm fascinated by this topic. This whole idea that emotional problems, psychiatric symptoms could be linked to a heart attack. We've known it intuitively. Now we've proven it. More importantly, I'll show you what you can do about it. Don't panic. It's coming up on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Well, a governor from Arkansas running for president is showing his musical chops. Sound familiar? This time it was Mike Huckabee playing bass guitar with a local band in a bar near Londonderry, New Hampshire. Huckabee played "Born to be Wild" and "Twist and Shout" with the band Momma Kicks (ph). He usually plays with his own band, Capital Offense.

Huckabee hoping that like the last dark horse from Arkansas, New Hampshire could be what catapults him to the nomination.

CHETRY: That's right, he has former President Clinton and his one-time adversary, Newt Gingrich agreeing that he could be the dark horse nominee for the GOP if he could get his hands on some dough.

ROBERTS: Get some money and some recognition. Well, maybe I'll get some recognition.

Rob Marciano watching extreme weather from Lake Allatoona, Georgia, for us this morning. Other than the fact that the lake behind you is disappearing, what else is on the radar?

ROB MARCIANO, CNN, METEOROLOGIST: Well, we need more rain on the radar. Most of it is down to the south. It's been extreme drought across the southeast. This is the result. Areas in and around the Atlanta area, especially the north, have been 14, 15, and some places 16 inches below average for year to date. This could turn out to be the worst rainfall deficit on record. Some of the aerials of this lake, Lake Allatoona here, Lake Lanier just to the east of here, and all the reservoirs in north Georgia, and probably in Tennessee, and Kentucky also suffering from this sort of thing. Not only the residents who live on the lake, be it houseboats or recreational users, people have been watching the level of this lake go down day by day. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PATRICK HALLINAN, LAKE ALLATOONA BOAT OWNER: We've actually taken rocks where the waterline is, and the next day the waterline would be moved from that rock. So we know on a daily basis the water is receding.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARCIANO: It has dropped to over nine feet since the beginning of August. There are a couple of lakes -- technically, this is Lake Acworth, which is connected to Allatoona. There's a spillway there. It's controlled by the army corps of engineers. You walk and there's a legal dispute as well. Downstream, Alabama folks, they need this water too for paper mills, for power plants, that sort of thing. And this, you can see behind me, those white stakes, those are channel markers, and they're completely out of the water. This lake is 14 feet below the average pool -- the full pool level where it should be for this time of year. So it's pretty dire circumstances. All of north Georgia, John, under level four drought conditions, meaning their restrictions are in place for water usage. People are being asked to conserve until we get some rain. A beautiful day here but it doesn't look like it's going to rain today, that's for sure.

ROBERTS: Real quick, what would it take to refill the lake?

MARCIANO: We need 14 feet of water. That's the quick answer. How much rainfall that equates to, I'm not quite sure. I can tell you this, we're over a foot below where we should be this time of year. So, it would take a good couple of tropical storms, or, I hate to say it, a hurricane or two to fill this lake up. We have a long road ahead, that's for sure.

ROBERTS: Rob Marciano for us this morning at Lake Allatoona, Georgia. Rob, thanks. Kiran.

CHETRY: Well, there is some new information this morning linking panic attacks to heart attacks. In fact, just one panic attack, it seems, could lead to heart attack or stroke down the road. But can you prevent both? We're paging Dr. Gupta now in Atlanta. You say you're fascinated with this correlation between your mental state and how it -- you know, how it presents physically. But does it affect women more than men, Sanjay?

GUPTA: Well, it's interesting. In this particular study, it was mainly women that were studied. In fact, it was all women who were studied, Not only women, but more specifically, post menopausal women. We do know a couple of things. We know that women are more likely to actually experience panic attacks, but that men could also have some of the negative attributes of it actually being related to a heart attack.

Take a look again at the study. Women with a panic attack, just a single panic attack, were three times more likely to have a heart attack or stroke within the next five years. Kiran, that caught my attention. I said that's sort of remarkable because intuitively we know that there's a relationship between our psychological well-being and our physical well-being. This is a study that actually proves that to some extent.

What's harder to prove is why. It could be a surge of hormones that are released in response to a panic attack. It could be that throws off the clotting in our blood just a little bit, making us more likely to develop blood clots. It could be that people who develop panic attacks are also more likely to have other physical things like hypertension or more likely to smoke. We don't know, but there is a correlation here. Kiran.

CHETRY: So, if you do know that you had a panic attack, how do you then take that information and work to prevent a future heart attack?

GUPTA: Well, I think, you know, this is a message here, I think, for both patients and physicians. I think asking about panic attacks is an important part, should be the important part of the history, of the physical and history when you go to the doctor's office because it does set you up for a heart attack later on.

But also, looking at ways to reduce panic attacks in the first place. It's something that we've done a lot of stories on, known as introceptive (ph) exposure, which basically means trying to expose someone to the thing that panics them in a more controlled setting so you can break down the parts and deal with them one by one. Sometimes medications might be necessary. But this whole idea of taking anti- anxiety medications to ward off heart attacks down the line might come more into vogue.

But really recognizing that you might be experiencing a panic attack. Sometimes, it might take you out of the blue. You could be one of those people who say, I never get panic attacks. Occasionally, I have a sensation of being choked or a shortness of breath, or just a little unusual. That could be a panic attack. It's worth getting checked out.

CHETRY: Sanjay, thank you. By the way, if you have a question for Dr. Gupta, send us an e-mail. Go to CNN.com/am, and Sanjay will answer your questions as he does every Thursday right here on AMERICAN MORNING.

ROBERTS: Airport security turning up the heat on children's toys. We'll tell you why remote-controlled toys are under the microscope. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

ROBERTS: New security threat in airports to tell you about this morning. Screeners will be closely looking at remote-controlled toys in carry-on baggage. The Transportation Security Administration is worried that one might be used to set off a bomb. Joining us with more is our Homeland Security correspondent Jeanne Meserve. She's at Reagan International Airport this morning. What exactly is this threat, Jeanne?

JEANNE MESERVE, HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, you've pinpointed the problem. They're concerned that these items from a child's toy box could be part of a terrorist toolbox.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE (voice-over): It may look like a harmless toy, but this remote-controlled car could be rigged to trigger something like this. TSA screeners will now be looking at remote-controlled toys they find in carry-on bags to see if they've been modified. Experts ask what took so long?

LAURA MANSFIELD, LAURAMANSFIELD.COM: I'm surprised that this hasn't come out before now because this has been something we've seen on the Jihadist forums for a number of years going back as far as 2001 and 2002.

MESERVE: Some security experts are calling the toys the threat du jour after the August arrest of two college students in South Carolina. One of them, authorities alleged, had posted a video on youtube demonstrating how to convert a toy to a detonator. The TSA insists its screeners have already been on the lookout for remote- controlled toys but will now examine them more closely. Officials say recent intelligence has now made them a growing concern.

ELLEN HOWE, TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION: There are some pieces of information that are credible specific pieces of information, but they are not tied to any specific plot or any specific time line.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE: Now, the TSA is not banning the toys, but it is asking travelers to pack them in their checked baggage and is hoping that this public announcement will deter terrorists from using them. John.

ROBERTS: Jeanne, I mean, is the threat really any different than the threat from a cell phone or from a Blackberry type of device? And can parents expect that their children may be hassled about these things when they go through security?

MESERVE: Well, TSA is concerned about all those electronics that you mentioned. They're looking at all of them. But what authorities indicate is that they have gotten some recent intelligence from intelligence agencies and law enforcement that has caused them to put a few dots together when it comes to these specific toys. So, they'll be getting a closer look. Now, if your kid has one in their backpack, you can expect it will be taken out, will be examined very carefully. You could be subject to secondary inspection. That means a kid could get patted down, but that's not how TSA wants to be spending its time. John.

ROBERTS: Right. Well, since you can't use them at the airport or on the aircraft, might as well put it in the checked luggage, if you can. Jeanne Meserve for us this morning at Reagan Airport. Jeanne, thanks. Kiran.

CHETRY: Harnessing the power of the people. How moguls like Martha and others are taking ideas from the crowd to help them expand. You know about wikipedia? What about Marthapedia? Would you go on that? We're going to show you how it's working. Coming up.

Plus name your price. One band opts out of iTunes when it releases its new album. Will it pay off? Radiohead's big gamble. Ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Two minutes to the top of the hour now. And Stephanie Elam is in for Ali Velshi for "Minding your Business." I know somebody's going to be happy about this, Campbell Brown who is joining us in November.

STEPHANIE ELAM, "MINDING YOUR BUSINESS": She'll be happy about Radiohead?

ROBERTS: She's a huge Radiohead fan. ELAM: Really? I don't know much about Radiohead, but I do know they're trying to shake things up a little bit. I don't know much about their music, I should say. But I do know about this, they are going to actually sell their new album in Rainbows as a digital download exclusively, at least at first, and they're going to let the fans decide how much to pay for it. They could pay as little as just the 90 cent credit card processing fee. The download will not have copy restriction software either so the ten-song album will be available on October 10th. But the band does plan on selling a more extensive album, like a physical album, two LPs and also expanded CD packaging and extra songs and photos. That one? Oh about $82. So if you want the -- if you're a real huge Radiohead fan, then Campbell Brown will be very happy to know that you can get this one for $82.

ROBERTS: Go cheap on this one and save up for the next one.

CHETRY: Is this a gimmick? I mean, they're trying to get a little bit of attention by doing this?

ELAM: Well, they finished out their contract with EMI so now they want to do things differently. They're not happy with iTunes because they want to sell the whole album. They don't want to sell individual songs the way iTunes does. So this is kind of a test here to see how loyal their fans are and to see if they can shove something in the face of Apple and their iTunes.

CHETRY: Do you guys remember when Stephen King did this? He had his book and it was only available on-line. You could print it out but only in parts.

ELAM: Well, I mean, you know, Prince has done those. Madonna has done those. A lot of people have done it. Not the first to do it but we'll see. October 10th. Thanks, Campbell Brown. So, check it out.

CHETRY: She's already writing down the dates now. Thanks a lot, Stephanie. Next hour of AMERICAN MORNING starts right now.

Hot seat. The founder of Blackwater to be grilled on the Hill. Charges of excessive force in Iraq. And a new report that says Blackwater tried to buy its way out of trouble.

Security alert. On the look out for toys used for terror on airplanes.

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