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Chrysler Auto Workers Set to Walk of the Job; Students at Columbia University Set to Walk Out of Class; Thompson's Debate Debut
Aired October 10, 2007 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning again, everyone. You're with CNN. You're informed.
I'm Tony Harris.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Hi there, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins.
Developments keep coming in to the CNN NEWSROOM on Wednesday, the 10th day of October.
Here's what's on the rundown.
Strike deadline right now. Chrysler auto workers set to walk off the job.
HARRIS: Students at Columbia University set to walk out of class. A professor targeted with a noose.
This hour, one of the professor's students, live.
COLLINS: And she died in police custody at Phoenix airport. Now her husband speaks out.
A CNN exclusive, in the NEWSROOM.
The deadline is now. Will it be deal or no deal for Chrysler and the United Auto Workers?
Want to go straight to New York and Ali Velshi, who has been covering this story for us.
So, what are you hearing, Ali? The clock is done ticking, right?
ALI VELSHI, CNN SR. BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: As of 10 minutes ago, we have word from Chrysler, the company, that the two sides are still talking. There are other reports that they are close to a deal and that some details still have to be worked out. However, we did see live pictures a few moments ago of a truck distributing picket signs, workers outside of a plant, what appears to be in Auburn Hills, but we haven't confirmed that, and workers preparing to go on to these picket lines.
This is from a Detroit affiliate. This is a strike operation center that is prepared. It's got signs ready. It doesn't look all that busy just yet. We do know, that Heidi, when the workers struck GM, the way it worked was that the instruction was, if you hear nothing else from us, you're to walk off the job at 11:00 Eastern. And what happened is the union -- the foreman went at 11:00, having herd nothing, told their workers and their union reps to clear the floors of workers.
We have not heard that that is happening right now. The last word we have, which was 12, 13 minutes ago, is that the two sides are still talking, and we are anticipating something from Chrysler or the UAW fairly soon.
What we're trying to gather right now is whether workers are walking off the jobs at factories across the United States. There are 45,000 workers who could walk off the job, could be walking off the job as we speak.
COLLINS: Yes, I was just going to say, 45,000, a pretty huge number.
VELSHI: Yes.
COLLINS: All right.
VELSHI: We'll notice if they're walking off the job.
COLLINS: Yes, no question about that.
All right, Ali. Let us know what you hear. Thank you.
VELSHI: Absolutely.
HARRIS: And other news making headlines. This time, the symbol of racial hatred found at Columbia University in New York.
CNN's Allan Chernoff live on the Columbia campus.
And Allan, it looks like students are going to be taking action today.
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SR. CORRESPONDENT: Tony, an absolutely despicable act of racism here at Teachers College at Columbia University. A hangman's noose was found on the door of one of the professors. The professor, an African-American female, 44 years of age, and her name we have confirmed is Madonna Constantine. She actually, ironically, has written a book called "Addressing Racism".
Now, police are investigating this as a bias crime. Word spread very quickly through the campus last night. There was a small protest after a student meeting. There is another school-wide meeting planned this afternoon, as well as a protest planned as well.
Now, for students and faculty who really thought this could not happen here, this is a wake-up call.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CHERNOFF (on camera): Tell me, when did you hear about what happened here?
LIZ TORTU, STUDENT: Yesterday around 5:00 p.m. I checked my e- mail and saw there was an e-mail from the president. And that's when I found out about what had happened.
CHERNOFF: What entered your mind immediately?
TORTU: I was just stunned. I would never think something like that would happen here. Just very surprised and saddened also.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHERNOFF: The Teachers College president, Susan Fuhrman, has said, "The Teachers College community and I deplore this hateful act." And the president of Columbia University, Lee Bollinger, also has said, "This is an assault on African-Americans, and, therefore, it is an assault on every one of us."
Tony, back to you.
HARRIS: Allan, just a quick question. Do we have any idea why this particular professor was targeted? I guess I'm trying to get at the motivation here.
CHERNOFF: Tony, the speculation -- and it is only speculation on campus -- is that this may have had something to do with a rivalry with a white professor. None of that is confirmed, but that's been the talk within the Columbia community.
HARRIS: Man.
CHERNOFF: It really would be unbelievably shocking. Of course, it already is. But if that really is what is behind this.
Of course, so many acts like this, they're kids who, you know, don't -- maybe should know better but don't. But to happen here at Columbia University Teachers College, the whole campus is just blown away.
HARRIS: Yes. And we're showing everyone a picture of the black professor at the heart of this story.
Allan Chernoff for us this morning.
Allan, appreciate it. Thank you.
Back at home but leaving office, the once missing Atlantic City mayor, Bob Levy, has resigned. He mysteriously vanished two weeks ago. His lawyer says he was at a clinic known for mental health and substance abuse treatment.
Earlier, a city councilman asked a judge to decide whether Levy abandoned his office. A hearing was scheduled for Friday to see if Levy would keep his job. COLLINS: Well, he's certainly no stranger to the screen, but it was his debut on the debate stage as a presidential candidate. So how did actor and former Republican senator Fred Thompson do?
Let's ask the experts, CNN contributor and Democratic strategist Donna Brazile -- hello to you there, Donna.
DONNA BRAZILE, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Hello, Heidi.
COLLINS: And Republican strategist Amy Holmes.
Hi there, Amy.
AMY HOLMES, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Good morning.
COLLINS: Let's go ahead, guys, and listen for just a moment to one of the sound bites from Fred Thompson and let me get your reaction in just a moment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRED THOMPSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I don't think anybody believes anything coming out of Washington anymore. I think we need to tell them the truth, that our security is on the line, that our economy is on the line, that our prosperity is on the line. We're going to have to do some things differently.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Amy, let's start with you. How do you think Fred Thompson did?
HOLMES: Well, I thought he was solid but not sensational. He didn't dazzle, but he didn't disappoint.
He was on very familiar territory, I should hope as a conservative, talking about economic issues. Again, as I say, he was solid. He held his own. But I think he's going to need to ramp it up, show a little bit more conviction, and really make the sale on why he should be president of the United States.
COLLINS: Donna, did you hear why he should be president of the United States?
BRAZILE: Well, he had to overcome some initial stage fright, but beyond his stumbling out the box where he seemed to have lost track of what he was saying, he then regained his composure. And while I don't agree with some of the Republican prescription for our economic woes, I thought that Mr. Thompson held his own.
Look, the fireworks took place on the other parts of the stage between Mr. Giuliani and Mr. Romney.
COLLINS: Yes. All right. In fact, let me begin with you then on that.
What kind of impression do you think the other candidates made, Donna?
BRAZILE: Well, look, on the issue of the war, Ron Paul, of course, had the most passion, but when it comes to tax and spending, we're trying to outdo each other. But at the end of the day I was sort of mystified by Mr. Romney's charge about the line-item veto when they really should be talking about the deficit and what steps he would take as president to really close the huge budget deficits that's been created, as well as trade deficits under this current president.
COLLINS: All right. Amy, your reaction to that? How do you think the others did?
HOLMES: I thought all the Republican candidates were very strong. I think Ron Paul may have outlasted his usefulness last night when he seemed to insist that we would never and have never been attacked on home soil. Giuliani brought him up short, I think properly, appropriately.
But I think looking at all of these candidates, you can see how being on the stage they have grown over time. Thompson has some catching up to do, and that's, you know, what he's going to have to do the next few weeks, few months.
COLLINS: Yes, I think a lot of people were expecting a little more.
Listen, I want to have you listen with me to something that Rudy Giuliani said last night. Of course, Hillary Rodham Clinton is going to be one of the targets when you're talking about Republicans and their vying for the presidency.
Let's listen in to what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUDY GIULIANI (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Hillary the other day -- remember the Hillary bond program? She's going to give out -- she's going to $5,000 to every child born in America with her picture on it? I think, right?
OK, OK, OK. I challenged her on it. I challenged her. She has backed off that.
She has a new one today. This one is she's going to give out $1,000 to everybody to set up a 401(k). The problem is, this one costs $5 billion more than the last one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Guys, you know, we always talk about electability, but I do wonder if the GOP is starting to look at how electable someone will be up against specifically Hillary Clinton -- Amy.
HOLMES: Well, most certainly. I mean, Heidi, if there's one thing other than tax cuts that unites Republicans and conservatives, it's Hillary. So I thought it was very smart for both Giuliani and Romney to be positioning themselves as a frontrunner who could be possibly running against Hillary Clinton and probably winning.
BRAZILE: Well, when you don't have much to sell to the Republican base, and you disagree with them on so many issues over the years...
HOLMES: Oh, Donna.
BRAZILE: ... you, of course, play this game of bait and switch. And let's talk about the General election.
First of all, Hillary Clinton has not secured the Democratic nomination. And while I understand that they enjoy talking about Senator Clinton and her impressive record and her credentials, the truth is, is that they need to begin appealing to those Republican conservatives who are right now...
COLLINS: OK. Hey, guys...
BRAZILE: ... very dissatisfied with the current candidates.
COLLINS: Please forgive the interruption, but we are getting some word here on some breaking news. So unfortunately, we are going to have to cut it short.
I hope that was equal time.
Amy, I know you had something else to say. Forgive me. We will get it next time. Plenty of time even until Iowa. So we'll talk to you again, I'm sure.
Donna Brazile, Amy Holmes, thanks so much, guys.
HARRIS: And without a moment's delay, let's get to Ali Velshi in New York City.
Ali, what are you hearing about this possible strike, the UAW against Chrysler?
VELSHI: We're seeing it. We're seeing pictures of thousands of Chrysler workers walking off the job at various plants. This is what you're looking at, a Detroit shot from our affiliate WDIV.
You see picket signs going on. There are reports now from Detroit newspapers that the UAW has struck Chrysler now, the second strike in this round of negotiations.
The first one with General Motors lasting two days. This one substantially smaller, but it's not that small, Tony. It's 45,000 workers at more than two dozen plants across the United States on strike.
Now, just 20 minutes ago, we got word from Chrysler that negotiations were still under way. They were still talking. So we know that they had been at the table overnight, but the UAW did set a deadline at 11:00, and the same thing happened today as happened with GM.
It was an 11:00 a.m. Deadline, and the union leaders were told at 11:00, if you have not heard there's a settlement, you tell your workers to down their tools and walk off the job. And that is what workers are now telling reporters has happened. They're leaving their jobs.
They do not know what it is. They call signed up for strike pay yesterday, $200 a week. They also signed up for pickets. And you're seeing that they've got those pickets.
We saw vans driving around half an hour ago dropping those pickets off. So it looks like until the end, they weren't sure this was going to happen, Tony, but they are on strike now, the second time. United Auto Workers striking Chrysler.
HARRIS: And Ali, a big challenge for Chrysler, now a private company.
VELSHI: And this is a bigger deal because as a private company, we don't have as much transparency, as much way of looking at the financials of the company. So this is the first time the UAW has actually had to deal with a private company.
There are no public shareholders, so the pressure is different. When GM was on strike, you saw the shares go up and down. And many people invest in those shares. It's a very widely-held company. This is a cone of silence, as it were, from Chrysler.
HARRIS: Yes.
VELSHI: So we don't know what's happening right now with them. We do know that Tom LaSorda, who was the CEO, is now the co-president of the company, has delayed meetings that he was on his way to with Chrysler executives. We are waiting to hear now whether the United Auto Workers will hold a press conferences, as they did with the General Motors strike. But you can see it as clearly as I can, Tony...
HARRIS: Absolutely.
VELSHI: ... Chrysler workers are on strike.
HARRIS: Well, and if you would, sort of backtrack us through this and remind everyone again of the major issues on the table to be resolved.
VELSHI: All right. The simplest way to put this is that all auto makers in the United States, whether they work for the Detroit companies or non-American companies, earn, lets say, roughly 25 bucks an hour. That's their salary, but then there are benefits associated with that.
Toyota, Honda, and Nissan, when you take all the expenses associated with employees and you add it up, comes to about 50 bucks an hour. With Chrysler, GM, and Ford, it's between $70 and $75 an hour. And that makes them less competitive.
So they are trying to find ways of dealing with all of these retiree benefits that they're paying because the workforces of these companies were so much bigger in the '60s and '70s than they are today. These are much smaller companies, and they're trying to deal with some of these expenses.
The workers, of course, are trying to protect their jobs and say, don't outsource our work, don't close our factories, and don't send jobs to other countries. That's obviously -- that's in broad strokes what they're stuck with right now.
HARRIS: Yes. And what is your thinking as to why the UAW/GM deal wasn't accepted? Because we know that it was floated throughout the auto industry.
VELSHI: Right.
HARRIS: And I'm wondering if it has something to do with the fact that we're talking about a private company now that has some different financial issues.
VELSHI: Yes, well, there are a couple of things at play here. One is the GM proposal, the GM deal, which we believe has now been ratified, seems to have passed with about 60 percent of the vote. That's not overwhelming.
I mean, after they went on strike, if the voters -- if only 60 percent of GM workers think that was a good deal, what that might do is contribute to some militancy down the road with these folks at Chrysler and the workers at Ford to say, you know what? We just didn't get enough out of this deal.
In the ensuing two weeks since that GM deal, there's been a lot of criticism to say, wow, the workers didn't get a very good shake on that one. So that could be part of it. And the second one is, yes, these workers are sitting there saying, we can't see what's going on in this company as well as we could at GM and Ford.
HARRIS: Yes. And Bob -- oh, I'm sorry. Let's do this -- we've got some tape from a worker -- our local affiliate there in Detroit.
Let's listen in and see if there's something we can learn from this.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have your co-workers, have you in terms of saving up...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, yes. My wife and I started, like, six months ago. Yes. So we'll be all right, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You'll be all right. OK. Thank you for your time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you so much.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'll let you go. Thank you.
HARRIS: So, Ali, talk to us about this company that now owns Chrysler.
VELSHI: Sure.
HARRIS: What kinds of pressure that company might be under because of the price tag to buy it, might be under, look, to bring down some costs and to strike a better deal with UAW than GM?
VELSHI: Well, keep in mind a few things. First of all, Chrysler is -- it's not as big a company as GM, but it's still has had its problems.
It was bought by Cerberus, which is one of those private equity companies that we've talked so much about that have gone and bought public companies. Cerberus -- the chairman of Cerberus is actually John Snow, the former U.S. Treasury secretary. And one of the first things they did is they moved Tom LaSorda, who was the CEO of Chrysler, into the job of president.
They sort of kicked him a notch down, and they hired Jim Press, who was with Toyota for many years. A very, very successful fellow with Toyota.
They also have Bob Nardelli there. Bob Nardelli was the CEO of Home Depot for five years until he was unceremoniously booted in January. Also not known as the great conciliator in the whole operation.
HARRIS: Yes.
VELSHI: But Chrysler is now a company that has to turn a profit and turn things around. By being private, they don't have to report to shareholders in an ongoing basis, which gave people the impression that they can take longer to come around to things.
But let's see what the workers are saying about this.
HARRIS: Great.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everybody was kind of prepared and saving their money. We knew it was coming down to this.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now hopefully they will come up with a resolution soon. And once they do, what are you going to be looking for in that deal? What will matter to you the most?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I know they're talking about COLA allowances. The cost of living is not going up. It's going up. I don't want them to affect our pay or the medical, you know, putting all -- making us pay more on our medical. That's going to hurt us.
So I hope -- I know we have to give up something, just not all things.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can I get your name?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My name is Dornita Elder (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And how long have you worked here, ma'am?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Fifteen years.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Fifteen years.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is it D-O...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: D-O-R-N-I-T-A.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you going to be...
HARRIS: All right. And Ali, what do you make of that? This worker's concerns, certainly health care costs. And we have heard that repeatedly. And let's make sure I'm not losing ground, the cost of living, let's make sure we're keeping pace here.
VELSHI: Right. So those are the normal strings any union would have, right?
HARRIS: Sure.
VELSHI: They want to say we need to make sure we have cost of living, we want some degree of job security, but there's this whole added albatross of these health care concerns. And the issue is that GM successfully passed the responsibility of that underfunded massive health care account over to the union.
It became the union's problem. And by the way, GM shaved about a third of its responsibility in passing it over. It owed about $50 billion and it passed about $35 billion.
Now, the workers are sitting there saying, all right, this may be the lump sum that we get and we can manage it and grow it and hope that it grows faster than it is depleted. But fundamentally, it's unclear whether they're getting that. And that is separate and apart from whether or not Chrysler will continue to close factories or idle plants and send those jobs elsewhere.
HARRIS: There you go.
VELSHI: There's just not a lot of -- when she says losing ground, it's not clear that the UAW didn't lose ground in the deal that it got with GM. So I think these people are fearful of the same thing.
HARRIS: Got you.
Ali, will you stay close, please? VELSHI: I will.
HARRIS: Because we're going to continue to follow this obviously throughout the morning and throughout the afternoon here in the NEWSROOM .
VELSHI: Sure. I'll be here.
HARRIS: Ali, appreciate it. Thanks.
COLLINS: A noose found on campus. Reaction from a Columbia University administrator and a student who takes a class from the professor apparently targeted.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: We saw these pictures just a short time ago. Let's take you back now to Detroit.
The UAW, the United Auto Workers, has struck Chrysler. The 11:00 a.m. deadline has come and gone. And really virtually on cue the gates on the plants in Detroit and Dearborn, Michigan, swung open and workers began pouring out of those gates.
The strike is on. Health care and wages certainly at the heart of the issue. And we see that picketers have now taking to the streets as well.
We will continue to follow this story throughout the day with Ali Velshi, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: President Bush -- concerns over the government surveillance program, and the Democrats attempt to change it.
Here now, CNN Congressional Correspondent Jessica Yellin.
Hi there, Jessica.
What is it that Democrats are trying to do in all of this?
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Heidi, Democrats say that they're making good on a pledge to fix the current wiretap law which they say gives the government way too much power. They say the powers are so broad that they believe the government could get -- could actually search Americans -- doctor's offices, homes, listen in on their phone calls without a government warrant.
Under this new bill, they say they're going to correct all that by putting a special court back in the process of approving who gets wiretapped and how. Now, they're creating a special category called blanket warrants. They say this makes the process efficient.
So, if the government wants to, say, wiretap everyone they think is affiliated with al Qaeda overseas, they just apply for one warrant for the whole group, al Qaeda, the court lays out the guidelines, and then the government can go out and add anyone they say falls under those guidelines to the list. They say this makes the process -- it protects Americans' privacy, but it also is efficient and secure.
Republicans, you might not be surprised, disagree vehemently. The president has come out hitting hard against it, and here is what one Republican here in Congress had to say this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. LAMAR SMITH (R), JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: Most of the time you don't know who the target is calling. And if you don't know who that terrorist is calling, as I say, for the first time ever under this bill you have to get a court order. Clearly, that is something that jeopardizes our national security. Clearly, that is a protection for terrorists that we've never given them before. And clearly, that could easily cost American lives.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YELLIN: Now, this is a fight, as you can see, between, on one hand, civil liberties, on the other hand, national security. It could be a risky fight politically for Democrats, but they think it's a winner for them because, A, they promised to take action on it and they would be hit hard they believe if they didn't.
And they also think that the government's powers right now are so far-reaching that they believe most Americans agree some powers need to be reined in. So it's going to be a showdown with the White House, it seems, and with Republicans in the House -- Heidi.
COLLINS: OK. Jessica, just for a moment, I know the president addressed this issue and it would be good to maybe show some of that sound, so we're going to do that here on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, FISA. Let's listen in for just a moment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In August, Congress passed the Protect America Act, a bill to modernize the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978. This new law strengthened our ability to collect foreign intelligence on terrorists overseas, and it closed the dangerous gap in our intelligence.
Since this important measure took effect, our intelligence professionals have been able to gather critical information that would have been missed without this authority. And keeping this authority is essential to keeping America safe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: OK, Jessica, your crystal ball? How is it all going to work out?
YELLIN: It looks like -- well, it looks like the Senate will propose a version that's much close to what the White House wants. Maybe the House and Senate can ultimately agree and get the president to sign off, but we're far from that right now. It still looks like it will be a big fight, at least in the House of Representatives. COLLINS: All right. We know you'll be covering it.
Thanks so much, Jessica Yellin.
HARRIS: OK. Still to come in the NEWSROOM this morning, pass on the pot pie. One brand actually might make you sick.
Freezer alert, ahead in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Happening right now, want to show you these live pictures coming in from our affiliate in Detroit, WDIV.
Well, it was there for a moment. I'll tell what you we're seeing. There we go. OK.
We are looking at the pictures of a verified strike that is going on. About 45,000 UAW workers -- this is the third largest U.S. auto maker, in case you did not know that -- walked off their jobs about 11:00 Eastern Time, about 30 minutes or so ago. There were cars that were seen streaming out of the plant, and several people as you can see now holding up those picket signs that they had actually made I'm sure several days ago. It's really just been a very long negotiating period. But it's the second strike now in just the last two weeks. A lot of work to be done here on the part, I think fair to say, of both GM/Chrysler/Ford and the UAW, the workers.
But what does it mean for you, the consumer? We will get to that as quickly as possible.
But, again, that strike affecting 24 manufacturing plans, 22 other facilities, and 45,000 UAW workers. We'll keep our eye on it for you, of course.
HARRIS: And a new food warning to tell you about. Health officials say frozen Banquet and some store-brand turkey and chicken potpies may be linked to salmonella. The CDC says 139 cases were reported in 30 states. The potpies made by Conagra and have the code P-9 written on the box. Conagra has stopped production for now. The company says the potpies are safe if they're cooked properly, but folks are urged, at least right now, not eat them right now until this is all resolved.
COLLINS: Good morning, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins.
HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris. Welcome back to the CNN NEWSROOM.
Breaking news, Chrysler workers on strike, and new video now of the workers walking off the job, oh, about a half hour ago. That's when a deadline set by the United Autoworkers union passed. The union and automaker unable to agree on a contract. There is no official comment yet from the union or Chrysler. Among the major sticking points in the talks, wages and health care costs for workers and retirees. We hear this over and over again. The strike affects 24 manufacturing plants and 22 other facilities. It follows a two-day walkout by the UAW against General Motors last month.
Let's hear from now some of the strikes workers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUESTION: First of all, What's most important to you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My retirement, you know, the way this private-equity firm operates. I'm really not sure what's going to happen.
QUESTION: What was the mood like inside?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pretty calm. I was surprised. It was pretty calm. You know, there wasn't a lot of hollering and stuff like that. So it was pretty calm, yes.
QUESTION: I saw as you were pulling out of here, before you were going to turn here, we thought that you had your thumbs up sign.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hope it works out for, like I said, the younger people. They have to have some way to take care of their families, American families. The American car-buying public has to stop buying Toyotas, Nissan, Suzukis, Kias. That's where this started from. And companies are leaving. Years before they didn't have anyplace to go. Now they're all leaving this country, you know, and it's just for the money.
QUESTION: A lot of people we talked to are certainly hoping this wraps up soon. Have your coworkers, have you in terms of saving up...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, yes. My wife and I started like six months ago, so we'll be all right, yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: And this is the first UAW strike against Chrysler since 1997.
COLLINS: A noose found on a professor's door at Columbia University. Police investigating it now as a hate crime. Joining me live from New York, provost Thomas James, Teacher's College Columbia University, and also joining me live from New York, Sara Zoeterman. She takes a class with the professor who found the noose on her office door.
Thanks to both of for being with us today.
Provost James, I'd love to ask you, first of all, what you thought when you first learned about this incident?
THOMAS JAMES, PROVOST, TEACHERS COLLEGE, COLUMBIA UNIV.: When I first learned about it, the police who were already at the faculty door investigating it, and my first instinct was to call the faculty member and express my shock and my support, that this is something in very deep violation of our academic community, and it's something that we all must mobilize and work through to support that faculty member and create -- support the investigation and create the kind of community where this cannot happen.
COLLINS: Dr. Madonna Constantine is the name of that professor. Can you tell us at all about what she said, what was her reaction was to this?
JAMES: Well, let me say, first of all, that she's a very distinguished faculty member and a great expert on race relations, and I think a very constructive force in education and psychology.
And very interestingly the first thing that she said to me, she expressed her shock and her hurt, but she also said that her heart reached out to the students, because this was fracturing their community. So I heard from her an altruistic reaction, along with her own pain.
COLLINS: I also wonder -- and you may not have the details yet, I'm sure there's an investigation ongoing as to who may have done this -- but I know in order to get into the building you have to have some sort of student id, even though the building is up 24 hours a day?
JAMES: That's correct. You have to have an I.D. to come into the building, but the location was an area of faculty offices where there would not be very much traffic.
COLLINS: Have police given you any idea what they think about what think about the person who may have done it?
JAMES: Not yet. They've been visiting with -- there's a hate crime unit of the New York City Police, and they're hard at work interviewing and collecting information, but we don't have any report yet.
COLLINS: And Sara Zoeterman, as we said, you are a student at Columbia University, specifically of the professor where the noose was placed on her door. What do kids think? What do students think?
SARA ZOETERMAN, COLUMBIA UNIV. STUDENT: Well, I was at a meeting last night, that an impromptu meeting was held, and most people are saying that they want the message to get out that as a student body we don't accept in this our school, and that we really feel like we need to look at ourselves and do the personal work and the personal reflection to find out, you know, what is each of our role in this and how can we change from here on in. How can we change it so things like this don't occur at Teacher's College.
COLLINS: Do you believe that Dr. Constantine was a specific target to this because of some of the work that she has done?
ZOETERMAN: I mean, I don't know. It's possible. I mean, she does do important work in that field. She's an African-American woman. Among the T.C. community, I know that among students she's very highly respected and very well-loved, both as a person and as an educator.
COLLINS: Did you ever think something like this could map at your school?
ZOETERMAN: Yes, I mean, I think that -- especially -- we're all shocked because it's terrible and when you see something so horrible, it's shocking.
But as far as expectations go, we do a lot at T.C. in terms of our curriculum, in terms of race, racial identity, multiculturalism, and so we all know this is a problem in our society and it exists, and we need to keep working against it.
COLLINS: And to that point, Provost James, back to you for a moment. The last time we heard from Lee Bollinger was making some comments about the controversial visit from Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. We also heard from him today in regards to this incident. What does that say? Does it say anything about the university? We just heard the student say, gosh, we talk about thought-provoking things all the time.
JAMES: I don't think there's any direct connection between this event inside Teacher's College and the invitation to the president of Iran.
I think there is, though, a larger climate in the country about interracial tensions and hatred, and we are determined to address that.
And I must say that Teacher's College is a place that has been a center for celebrating racial diversity. It was one of the first institutions in the end of the 19th century to begin educating black teachers when they could not go to higher education in various parts of the South. So this is something that goes to the heart of our mission, and I think that's the key point.
COLLINS: And that's what I'm talking about, certainly not trying to make any connection between Mahmoud Ahmadinejad being there and then what happened today. Just wondering, you know, when you have these controversial topics and things that often raise emotion, is that something that the university -- universities, I should say, will continue to do where you are?
JAMES: We will stand with our students and with our faculty in investigating such issues and coming up with social practices that can help to improve American education and American Democracy. That's our heart and soul as an institution.
So I think if there's controversy, it just teaches us that we have more to do.
COLLINS: And quickly before we let you go here, we do know there is a protest rally set for 2:00, I believe, where students will be wearing black. They'll be walking out, and there will also be a town hall meeting tonight. What do you expect to happen with all of that? JAMES: Well, the town hall meeting will be later in the afternoon. And I think there will be calls for action. I think there will be a call to look closely at our own community. And as I say, we stand with our students and with our faculty. We're going to look to see what we can do to grow through this despicable event.
COLLINS: Sara, if you had a moment to say something to the person who may have done this, what would it be?
JAMES: This is an affront to humanity.
COLLINS: I'm sorry, provost. I just wanted to give Sara...
JAMES: Oh, I'm sorry.
COLLINS: That's all right -- the last word quickly.
ZOETERMAN: I would hope that the person -- I don't know what I would say directly to them, but my concern is that when something like this happens it's because there's a feeling of stunted, you know -- they're not able to express the things that they want to express, and I'm not suggesting that it's good to express such terrible feelings. But I would like the person to know that we want dialogue with everybody, and that's the only way that we believe that things will change.
Columbia University student at Teacher's college Sarah Zoeterman, thanks for your thoughts, also Provost Thomas James. Sure do appreciate it. Thank you.
ZOETERMAN: Thank you.
HARRIS: Enraged and in custody at a U.S. airport. Soon, this woman would be dead. Her family speaks out. Plus, new details on the investigation.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange. When NEWSROOM returns, I'll have the latest on the UAW strike against Chrysler.
You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: And we want to get you to Fredricka Whitfield in the CNN news room. And Fred, I'm looking at -- well, there's a live picture. I just had ...
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Yes.
HARRIS: ...a still picture online here that looked pretty scary. But there is the picture live. This is Cary, North Carolina?
WHITFIELD: Yes, Cary, North Carolina, right in the Raleigh- Durham area. Never a comforting scene when you see kind of flames like this. Well, the reason why you are seeing this is because apparently a truck rammed into a gas line there at this intersection on Kildaire Farm Road and Tryon Road there in Cary. And so, you're seeing the burning off of all of this fuel that has escaped.
Now, we don't know exactly what happened with the driver of this vehicle as to why he kind of careened off -- he or she careened off the road hitting this gas line. But, we're glad to be able to report that there are no reported injuries. So, this driver and anyone else that may have been in this vehicle, did manage to escape without injury. That's the good sign.
And then, you're seeing here, often times in a case where there's a gas line that is on fire, they would let it burn out. But, there's no telling how long that would take in this case, so they are dousing it with water there trying to contain it. And, they've also closed off the area there, so obviously, no traffic while they're trying to get this situation under control.
HARRIS: And, Fred, they're desperately trying to find the shutoff for that thing as well ...
WHITFIELD: Yes.
HARRIS: ...as they try to hose it down.
All right, Fred, appreciate it. Thank you for the update.
WHITFIELD: OK (ph).
COLLINS: Thousands of UAW members began walking off the job at Chrysler after an 11:00 a.m. strike deadline passed, apparently, without a new deal in place.
Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange now with more details on this as we continue to look at some of those live pictures of the employees walking across the street, it looks like, Susan.
(BUSINESS HEADLINES)
HARRIS: "YOUR WORLD TODAY" coming up, oh, about 12 minutes at the top of the hour right here on CNN. Hala Gorani standing by with a preview.
Hala, good morning.
HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, Tony and Heidi.
A lot going on all over the world today. Join us at the top of the hour on "YOUR WORLD TODAY" for that.
We are going to start with Myanmar, the First Lady, Laura Bush, making a rare foreign policy statement about Burma, the former Burma, saying the junta there, the military dictatorship, needs to move aside. We'll be going live to the White House and our Ed Henry for the latest on that. Also, we're going to be talking about Turkey and its neighbor to the south, northern Iraq. Is Turkey getting ready to move into northern Iraq and Kurdistan to fight Kurdish rebels and separatists from its own country there? We'll bring you that story, and we'll have analysis.
Also, the new French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, and the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, they don't always see eye to eye on Iran and its nuclear program. What did the two leaders say about possible sanctions against Tehran?
That and much more, top of the hour "YOUR WORLD TODAY." Back to you guys.
HARRIS: Appreciate it, Hala, thank you.
Time's up, and they're out of here. Thousands of Chrysler workers walk off the job this hour. A strike deadline passes with no deal.
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HARRIS: And once again happening right now, take a look at the live pictures. Boy, oh, boy, the workers filing out. Gates open, leaving the plants.
Chrysler workers on strike after the Automaker and United Autoworkers Union failed to reach a tentative contract agreement before that 11:00 a.m. Union-imposed deadline. It's the first UAW strike against Chrysler since 1997. No official word from the Union or Chrysler on whether we're talking about a nationwide strike here. This is -- or even if the two sides are talking right now.
Obviously, we'll be following this throughout the day, and we'll pick up certainly in the afternoon in the NEWSROOM 1:00 p.m. Eastern time.
COLLINS: She missed her flight. Soon, Carol Gotbaum would be dead inside an airport holding cell. This morning, exclusive new details to report.
A source with knowledge of the case tells CNN the medical examiner had officers handcuff and shackle her just like Gotbaum, the M.E. about the same size and weight as the dead woman. Gotbaum apparently became furious when she was not allowed to board a flight. Her destination: an alcohol rehab center.
Her husband addressed that pain in his audiotaped eulogy shared exclusively with CNN.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
VOICE OF NOAH GOTBAUM, HUSBAND OF CAROL GOTBAUM: My beautiful girl was so ashamed to seek help, and many of us, myself included, perpetuated that because we simply didn't understand the disease. We said it can't be, must be something else causing this. This are diseases that have to be understood and treated, not swept under the rug, demonized, and hushed up.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
COLLINS: Police say Gotbaum was apparently drinking before the incident. Her family insists she was not drunk. Authorities believe Gotbaum strangled herself while trying to escape her handcuffs.
HARRIS: Two Iraqi women killed in a hail of bullets. A private security contractor is blamed. What really happened? "YOUR WORLD TODAY" starts at the top of the hour.
COLLINS: But first, "Fortune" magazine is on newsstands now with its list of the country's 50 most powerful women. Here's a woman who made company history. But before we tell you who it is, we'll give you a chance to guess.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She started her career as an intern for the photocopying giant. Twenty-seven years later, she's president of the entire company. Find out the business woman whose career is bursting into full color after the break.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Climbing up 16 spots to number 11 this year on "Fortune" magazine's Most Powerful Women in Business list: Ursula Burns. In April, Burns became president of the Xerox Corporation, making her the first black female to ever hold that title of the $16 billion company. And her future might even be brighter. Many believe her appointment to president is a move that will prepare her to become CEO of Xerox, a position currently held by the Anne Mulcahy, who ranks at No. 2 on "Fortune's" list.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Want to go ahead and show you some more of these live pictures that we have been following all morning long. We now know that United Autoworkers are on strike. This has happened -- coming out of our affiliate here in Auburn Hills, to be specific, Michigan, but obviously Detroit where the three big automakers are.
We see people holding up the picket signs, honking their horns. Many of them started to stream out of the facilities about 11:00 this morning, that was the deadline, 11:00 Eastern, I should say. About 45,000 people this affects by way of the UAW and 24 manufacturing plants, 22 other facilities.
What does it all mean for you? Well, apparently there are plenty of cars to buy at this moment, but if the strike looms for a long period of time, then we could be talking about something a little bit different. So of course, we will follow it here on CNN.
HARRIS: The army apparently winning its battle to sign up more recruits. New numbers due out this morning are expected to show the army has reached its recruitment goal for the year. Officials upped the ante this time around, and pretty soon, the sign (ph) of bonus to $20,000. The army has offered bonuses, but to $15,000 in the past. The increase comes after missing its recruitment target two straight months.
COLLINS: CNN NEWSROOM continues just one hour from now.
HARRIS: "YOUR WORLD TODAY" is next with news happening across the globe and here at home.
I'm Tony Harris.
COLLINS: Bye, everybody. Have a great day. I'm Heidi Collins.
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