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Grand Welcome for Pope; Virginia Tech: A Year Later; Congo Plane Survivor

Aired April 16, 2008 - 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: You're informed in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Good morning. I'm Tony Harris.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield, here in the NEWSROOM.

As the pope and president go behind closed doors now to have their one-on-one meeting...

HARRIS: Yes.

WHITFIELD: ... perhaps even a frank discussion, one that we all wish we could, you know, be there in the room to hear. But what a beautiful public moment that was there on the south lawn on the 16th day of April.

HARRIS: What a morning. What a morning.

Developments keep coming into the NEWSROOM. Here is what's on the rundown for you.

WHITFIELD: Fanfare at the White House. President Bush gives Pope Benedict a grand welcome there to Washington. You saw it live just moments ago.

HARRIS: A year after the Virginia Tech campus killings, a solemn day of remembrance in Blacksburg.

WHITFIELD: And protecting you during a flight. Is the government lowering standards to get air marshals onboard? A CNN investigation -- in the NEWSROOM.

The president and pope this morning. The White House has rolled out the red carpet. It is the first papal visit in nearly 30 years now.

CNN White House Correspondent Elaine Quijano joins us with some of the highlights.

Elaine, the president and the pope now going behind closed doors, if you will, to have their meeting. But what a beautiful public moment for all to see moments ago.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely. Extraordinary moments, really. One thing that's difficult to capture on television is the anticipation in the air here. If you can imagine, 12,000 people on the south lawn in those moments before the pope's arrival, those brief moments before President Bush greeted Pope Benedict, essentially falling silent here on the south lawn, outside, in anticipation of the moment.

But as expected during the remarks, President Bush and Pope Benedict, as you noted, stressing areas of shared values. Most notably, the president once more voicing his freedom agenda.

Also, fascinating for this president, a Protestant president, who has in many respects embraced essentially some of the central tenets of Catholic doctrine. We heard the crowd erupt into applause when the president talked about all human life being sacred. The president saying that each of us is willed, each of us is loved, each of us is necessary. That, of course, right in keeping with what the Vatican has called the culture of life when it comes to social issues like abortion and euthanasia.

Now, Pope Benedict himself brought a very hopeful message here to the south lawn, speaking to the nation's Catholics. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POPE BENEDICT XVI: It's good to be here as a guest of all Americans. I come as a friend and preach of the gospel, and a man with great respect for this (INAUDIBLE) society.

America's Catholics have made and continue to make an excellent contribution to the life of their country. As I begin my visit (INAUDIBLE), my presence will be a source of renewal and hope for the church in the United States, and strengthen the resolve of Catholics to put even more responsibility to the life of this nation of which they are proud to be citizens.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Now, what is happening behind closed doors here, in addition to a private greeting in the Blue Room with President Bush, the Holy Father and Mrs. Bush, something different is happening as well, because typically in the substantive meetings that takes place between world leaders and President Bush in the Oval Office, they are not typically one-on-one meetings.

So, that is the moment usually when the formal presentation of delegations is made. That's not going to be happening, because what we will be seeing instead is this one-on-one meeting between President Bush, as well as Pope Benedict, one-on-one. So those greetings of the presentation of the delegations is taking place as well, we are told, in a cross hall here at the White House. That from a senior Bush aides who's been very deeply involved in the planning.

So, a lot going on now behind the scenes. But certainly some extraordinary moments, Fredricka and Tony, as you noted, here on the south lawn just a short time ago.

Back to you.

WHITFIELD: Yes. And, you know, Elaine, you mentioned that moment when President Bush was talking about all life protected, all life sacred. That seemed to be the moment where we saw a real -- a visible reaction from Pope Benedict there, where he nodded very vigorously, almost as if he was a little surprised to hear the president say that.

QUIJANO: Well, you know, if he did appear surprised, it certainly did not necessarily come as a surprise, because this is a president who, of course, has used the language of Catholic teachings. In fact, using that phrase "culture of life" many, many times over the course of his presidency.

Again, in talking about his belief that abortion is wrong, talking about -- speaking out against euthanasia. But also, you'll recall the very sort of fine line he has had to walk when it comes to the debate over embryonic stem-cell research. This president saying that he does not believe that embryos should be destroyed in order to carry out stem-cell research. That is right in line with the Vatican's thinking.

So, in many respects this is a president who has seen, in fact, seen eye to eye. Immigration is another issue. The president mentioned the word "compassion" today in his public remarks. The president took a great deal of heat from members of his own party for his position on illegal immigration. Again, sort of in keeping with what the Catholic Church has said, and that is illegal immigrants should be treated humanely and with compassion.

So, certainly there has been these similarities, but there have been disagreements, pointed ones, most notably over the Iraq war -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Elaine Quijano, thanks so much, from the White House -- Tony.

HARRIS: Again, just a sun splash day in Washington, D.C. Take a look at the south lawn now as the very public ceremony begins to wind down just a bit.

We are joined by Reverend Joseph Fessio. He's founder and editor-in-chief of Ignatius Press, which publishes the pope's mini works. And Reverend James Martin is a New York-based Jesuit priest and the author of several books. He is also the editor of "America" magazine.

Thank you both for being with us.

Father Fessio, here in Atlanta, let me start with you. You were taking notes as feverishly as I was. I'm just sort of curious.

So much talk from this pope about freedom, about liberation -- the pass (ph) to liberation, certainly knowledge, certainly right action, certainly trust in God. I'm curious as to some of your takeaways from the pope's message this morning.

REV. JOSEPH FESSIO, S.J., FOUNDER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, IGNATIUS PRESS: thought maybe they got their speeches mixed up. They have a lot in common.

HARRIS: Yes. Yes.

FESSIO: We had the president talking about religion and religious freedom and the pope talking about freedom and democracy.

HARRIS: That's right.

FESSIO: But I think we saw an iconic moment. You know, we saw two of the greatest leaders in the world today. And we saw the best of American ideals and principles expressed by our president. And we saw the truth and beauty of the Catholic Church based on moral law and dignity of man expressed by the pope. And certainly there is a great synergy we saw there.

HARRIS: Well, from your perspective, let me have you expand on that idea of democracy informed by moral values.

FESSIO: Well, I saw -- again, the icon there was the pope all dressed in white, almost like he is shedding light on the situation.

HARRIS: OK.

FESSIO: Because we believe that man's created in the image of God. And each human person has dignity from the conception until natural death. So those are principles this country was founded on, too. So, we see here the foundation of Christianity and Christ teaching, and the foundation of America in our principles coming together on the White House lawn.

HARRIS: Freedom not only a gift, but a call to personal responsibility. Freedom a challenge to each generation. Democracy -- to your point -- only flourishes when leaders and those being led -- this is a paraphrase -- are guided by truth. And then the pope suggesting that everyone in the United States should be patient with efforts to establish international democracy.

FESSIO: Absolutely.

HARRIS: That's great.

FESSIO: And he's talking about global solidarity. The pope talks about global solidarity to President Bush. It's amazing.

HARRIS: Father Fessio, if you would, stand by with us for just a moment.

FESSIO: Sure.

HARRIS: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Well, Father Fessio, I love that, shedding light. Light is exactly kind of the symbolism that the pope seemed to be garnering there at the White House.

Reverend James Martin is a New York-based Jesuit priest and the author of several books. He is also the editor of "America" magazine.

Good to see you again.

Well, let's talk about whether the public words that we heard between the president and the pope will be any different from the private ones.

REV. JAMES MARTIN, AUTHOR, " MY LIFE WITH THE SAINTS": Well, it's hard to say. I agree, as Father Fessio was saying, on many important topics such as human dignity, the common good, those kinds of things.

They may different on things like the Iraq war, of course, but also slightly on immigration. I think the Vatican is a little stronger on immigrant rights than President Bush is. And I expect him to talk about those things in a very polite way, though.

WHITFIELD: Is this a moment of admonishment, too, though, given that it's very clear they don't see eye to eye as it pertains to certain things -- immigration, the Iraq war, which the pope had been outspoken about on several occasions, even prior to this visit.

MARTIN: Well, I don't know if admonishment would be the right word. You know, I always remind people that the Vatican has been dealing with diplomacy since the time of Charlemagne. So they're very good at sort of presenting their message and sharing their message. And, you know, hopefully President Bush will be open to that, as obviously he is to so much of Catholic teaching.

WHITFIELD: And the pope said there is a need for global solidarity. What was your interpretation of those remarks?

MARTIN: I think that's very important, because I think that there are some in this country who, for example, I think the U.N. is not an important international body. And the pope, I think, is reminding people that global solidarity and global cooperation, especially in international organizations like the U.N., is an important goal for us, and is part of the common good.

WHITFIELD: And do you see that now Pope Benedict XVI has really been introduced formally now to America -- Catholics and non- Catholics? What do you suppose this introduction -- and how will it be translated to the rest of America?

MARTIN: Well, you know, I think people may be surprised because he is a very -- even though he is 81 today, he's very vigorous and active. I think he has a very good command of English. He's obviously someone who has great facility with concepts that are distinctly American concepts, like freedom and justice. So, I think he's speaking an American language today.

WHITFIELD: And "vigorous" is a great word, because just seeing this 81-year-old man kind of spring up out of his seat as he did on several occasions there was pretty remarkable.

MARTIN: Well, you know, he used the word "joy." And I think it's important to remember that this is a pastor visiting his flock. And so this is someone who is happy to see some of these Catholics and also happy to be greeted, as you here, on his birthday, which is quite charming.

WHITFIELD: And now we are hearing, you know, kind of a replay of "Happy Birthday" being sung to him. And you can hear Kathleen Battle's voice there, too. What a moment for the pope.

And I think the president really hit on a great moment there, too, where he said, you know, it's significant that the pope would choose to spend his birthday, his 81st birthday, on his first visit to the U.S.

MARTIN: Well, and also just a small note. The pope is also a great classical music fan. So I'm sure he was happy to hear Kathleen Battle, too.

WHITFIELD: Yes, he did seem like he was very pleased. And who wouldn't be?

MARTIN: Exactly. Right.

WHITFIELD: Now, the pope will then leave the White House after his one-on-one meeting. He has a full plate over the next few days.

He will be parading down Washington, the nation's capital. He will make his way to Catholic University. He'll be at the shrine there meeting with other bishops. And then as part of this trip, when he's in New York he will meeting at the U.N. And I haven't even mentioned at least two masses that he will be leading.

MARTIN: Yes, he's very busy. And I was telling someone recently that, you know, that's a crushing schedule for someone half his age. And here is an 81-year-old person who just flew all the way from Rome. So it's quite a full plate on his docket for the next few days.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Just as he writes his own speeches, do you suppose he crafted his own agenda? He wanted to do these very things?

MARTIN: Oh, I would have no doubt that -- this is a man who is in control of what he is doing. This is not someone who is, you know, told what to do.

So, certainly all of these events, particularly the events with the faithful at National Stadium, and also at Yankee Stadium, are things that are important to him, as well as meeting with the bishops and priests and visiting Ground Zero. So, yes, I think this is a very carefully planned out agenda by the pope.

WHITFIELD: Father James Martin, thanks so much for your time. Appreciate it.

MARTIN: My pleasure. WHITFIELD: And again, Pope Benedict, who turns 81 today -- quite remarkable -- has indeed a very busy schedule, as we just underscored, here in the U.S. And here are some of the highlights tonight.

He attends a prayer service with American bishops. Tomorrow the pope will celebrate mass at Nationals Park in Washington. Some 46,000 people are expected there.

And then on Friday, Pope Benedict will travel to New York. He'll address the United Nations General Assembly. And then on Sunday, he will celebrate mass at Yankee Stadium.

(NEWSBREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: Consumer prices up. Housing construction down. We are watching some new numbers out this morning on the struggling economy. Increases in food and energy costs helped push consumer prices higher in March.

The Labor Department says prices rose three-tenths of a percent. That is in line, actually, with what analysts expected.

Also this morning, something not in line. The Commerce Department says construction of new homes and apartments plunged last month. Housing construction dropped almost 12 percent. Twelve percent, double digits here, to the lowest level in 17 years. That is a much steeper decline than economists had predicted.

The cost of filling up, that keeps going up as well. AAA says the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded is up more than a penny since yesterday. The price today, almost $3.40 a gallon.

Yes. Another record high.

The average is more than 53 cents a gallon higher than a year ago. Soaring oil prices are fueling the price surge at the pump.

What kind of an impact is all of this -- all of this data having on Wall Street? Wow.

You get some of these figures and what happens? The Dow goes through the roof. Well, sort of.

WHITFIELD: A little.

HARRIS: What a nice morning session so far, huh? The Dow up 177 points the first couple of hours into the trading day. And the Nasdaq, at last check, up 48 points.

We are going to check the numbers and try to figure out why this is happening in light of some of the economic data in today with Susan Lisovicz in the NEWSROOM.

And keep watching CNN. Our money team has you covered. Whether it is jobs, debt, housing, or your savings, join us for a special report. It is called "ISSUE #1, THE ECONOMY," all this week, noon Eastern, only on CNN.

WHITFIELD: This indeed is a day to remember. Virginia Tech honors those killed one year ago today. Coverage all morning in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. New pictures of the president and the pope.

Bet you were wondering what happens when they left that beautiful balcony shot there overlooking the south lawn after that beautiful ceremony earlier. Well, this is kind of what took place next.

They walked through this courtyard, the colonnade there, on their way to the Oval Office there at the White House, where they will have their one-on-one meeting. This taking place just moments ago. They are probably at this hour, at this minute now -- have made it to that Oval Office, where they are meeting face to face and having candid conversations.

Much more on the pope's visit here to the U.S., his first, when we come right back to our coverage on the pope.

HARRIS: A year ago today, horror at Virginia Tech -- 32 people dead. This morning, the community remembers.

Our Brianna Keilar covered the story last spring. She is in Blacksburg this morning.

Brianna, good to see you. How is Virginia Tech marking, well, this sad occasion today?

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they are marking today with a commemoration. It's actually under way right now. And Governor Tim Kaine, Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, is speaking at this commemoration.

He showed some really compassionate leadership following the attacks here last year. And his comments follow the reading of the names of 32 -- of the 32 victims here at Virginia Tech, and also some brief descriptions of them. Some really personal and touching details.

Some of the people here at Virginia Tech, no doubt, the wounds of that day are reopened by this anniversary. Some people, they want to move on. They don't want this to define their college experience. And there are some who are very much impacted by this, still feeling the long-term effects.

And you really can't understand how much of that is true unless you talk to someone who was there in Norris Hall one year ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ERIN SHEEHAN, VIRGINIA TECH STUDENT: The main entrance...

KEILAR (voice over): Erin Sheehan and 13 other Virginia Tech students were in their German class on the second floor of Norris Hall.

SHEEHAN: This group of windows was my classroom.

I remember we saw someone poke in the door twice.

KEILAR: It was a Seung-Hui Cho, a senior at Virginia Tech.

SHEEHAN: I heard a hammering noise. The thing that bothered me was that the hammering was going up and down the hall.

KEILAR: Cho shot Erin's professor first, then 12 of the 14 students in the class. Erin played dead.

SHEEHAN: I had to fight with myself to stop the instinct to scream.

KEILAR: Erin escaped without being shot. She and three other students barricading the door to stop Cho from returning. Moments later, Cho killed himself.

After a week or two, Erin was showing signs of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder -- nightmares and flashbacks. Unexpected noises now cause her heart to race.

SHEEHAN: People have no idea how much people running in flip- flops will actually sound like bullets to me.

KEILAR: Even the sound of boxes being stacked makes her nervous.

(on camera): you Just looked over a shoulder when you heard a noise. Is that...

SHEEHAN: Yes, that was bothering me again.

KEILAR (voice over): Erin now has to take tests in a quiet room alone. Earplugs help her study, sleeping medication helps at night. And she credits psychotherapy with making her PTSD more manageable.

This April day, Erin heads to class mindful of what took place exactly one year ago.

SHEEHAN: I wish this hadn't happened to anyone. But now that it has, I would like to think about it as something that I have grown from. You know, hopefully become a better person, hopefully appreciate my life more and understand how easily it could have been taken away.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: And that is why Erin says she's actually thinking of taking part in a controversial pro-gun control protest taking place right here on the campus of Virginia Tech later today. Organizers of that protest say they are remembering the victims the best way they can by trying to make changes so this doesn't happen again.

But again, very controversial. Many folks on campus at odds with them, saying you shouldn't take a day of remembrance and politicize it -- Tony.

HARRIS: It is called a lie-in, as I recall. What can you tell us about it, Brianna?

KEILAR: Yes, it's called a lie-in, because what it is, is 32 people dressed in black, many of them Virginia Tech students, and they're actually going to be lying on the ground, simulating the victims of the shootings here. They'll be lying on the ground for three minutes, because they say that is the short amount of time in which Cho could have purchased a gun -- Tony.

HARRIS: CNN's Brianna Keilar with us again this morning.

Brianna, appreciate it. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: We want to update you on what took place in the Congo. We're talking about a DC-9 passenger jet that simply crashed in Goma, Congo. And we understand that 33 people died.

Miraculously, looking at the images here, 79 people onboard actually survived. This plane crash taking place yesterday.

And among them, Marybeth Mosier, and her husband and her two children who were on board.

Marybeth is joining us on the phone now.

Marybeth, at what point did you realize, uh-oh, we have got a big problem here on this plane?

MARYBETH MOSIER, CONGO PLANE CRASH SURVIVOR: Well, when we heard a loud noise and then the pilot put the brakes on the plane.

WHITFIELD: And how soon after was there an impact?

MOSIER: You know, it's hard to calculate. It may be seconds. We don't -- I don't know. Maybe a minute.

WHITFIELD: So there was no time to really react or prepare, all those things people are instructed when you -- as soon as you board a flight, about what to do when your plane is in trouble. There was no moment like that?

MOSIER: Right. It's the time when you need to have your seat belt on. And it's good to have it on.

WHITFIELD: Oh my goodness. And so, the impact takes place, spontaneous combustion right away. How was it that 79 people, including you and your family, were able to survive what happened? MOSIER: Well, you know, people pray for us every day. And we ask the lord's protection. And I think that's the only way. (INAUDIBLE) keeping the plane from bursting, the whole plane, into flames before we could exit the plane. That's the only reason.

WHITFIELD: And so at this impact -- I mean, you know, plane is falling apart, there's fire. Now, were people screaming? Was it an issue of people running to see who was OK, who could be rescued? You know, just among the passengers there, obviously, before help could come.

MOSIER: Yes. I think that my daughter and husband remembered the screaming. For some reason I just was concentrating on getting my son out of his seat belt, getting in the aisle, handing him to my husband, and moving forward with the surge of people.

I don't recall a lot of hysteria. But I think there probably was some, because other people tell me. My mind was just focused on, you know, heading out the direction of the opening.

WHITFIELD: And now how old are your children?

MOSIER: Three and a half is my son, and my daughter is 14.

WILLIS: Wow, three and a half and 14. So, you know, especially with your three-and-a-half-year-old, you really had to think quickly and do everything for him to try to, you know, get him to safety.

Your 14-year-old, you know, that's kind of an age of being morning independent. But clearly, as mother, you are worried about what your 14-year-old is able to do.

How did you all keep it together?

MOSIER: Well, it's amazing. My 14-year-old raced to the front and helped start pulling the hole apart. There was a crack in the center of the plane, and she raced forward.

And there was an African man, and she just told him in Swahili, "Let's get it open." And so they started pushing and pulling until there was a hole.

WHITFIELD: Wow. That is incredible.

And now where is your husband in this whole equation? Are you all sitting together?

MOSIER: He was in the middle. I handed my son to him, the little one, and he had gotten up to where seat from the plane had fallen down. And the bottom of the plane had kind of dropped down, and there were people down, some under the seat. So he was there trying to get through the seats, and my son's legs got caught, and he couldn't get them unstuck. But I was behind him, so I pulled from behind and got him unstuck, and that's when we broke my son's leg, but we're just thankful to be alive. We're not worried about the broken leg. WHITFIELD: You really are, you now, incredibly lucky to be alive, you and so many others of the 79 people or so.

Mary Beth Mosier, thank you so much. We're so glad that you and your family are well, and that you're able to share this incredible story.

Pretty extraordinary there, taking place in the Congo.

You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris. Good morning again, everyone.

An update on the story we brought you recently, the lack of federal air marshals. Our report now under investigation by Congress. And now New allegations the Air Marshal Service is lowering standards for new hires.

CNN's Special Investigation Unit correspondent Drew Griffin has this exclusive.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SPECIAL INVESTIGATION UNIT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He is a former federal air marshal and weapons train their left in 2006 after four years. Why? He says the Air Marshal Service wasn't doing its job. So many marshals were leaving, not being replaced, that fewer flights have an assigned air marshal aboard.

Even worse, he says, to fudge the numbers, managers at his L.A. office began assigning agents to short no-risk flights, Phoenix to San Diego, Los Angeles to Las Vegas, to get as many flights in as possible, no matter how low the risk, so the percentage of flights covered would seem high.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not a threat flying on Southwest Airlines to Las Vegas.

GRIFFIN: The Federal Air Marshal Service tells CNN assignments are intelligent driven and risk-based. This former air marshal says it was just a numbers game.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were questioning how these flights could be intelligence driven when we were flaying from San Diego to Phoenix on another leg, hour later to Las Vegas, back to Phoenix, back to San Diego.

GRIFFIN: More than a dozen air marshals and pilots told CNN the same thing, saying the Federal Air Marshal Service is protecting with about 1 percent of the nation's 28,000 daily flights.

The Federal Air Marshal Service disputes that figure. And this week in a congressional hearing, the head of the Transportation Security Administration, Kip Hawley, told members of Congress what CNN heard from the air marshals is flat-out wrong. KIP HAWLEY, TSA ADMINISTRATOR: On the CNN report about air marshals covering 1 percent, that number is absolutely wrong by an order of magnitude, and it was a guess by the folks there, and I just have to say that number is completely false.

GRIFFIN: Hawley would not say what percentage of flights have air marshals. That's a national security secret. Federal air marshal service continues to refuse CNN's request for an interview. Air marshals tell us the agency hides behind national security and to keep the public from knowing how thin the coverage really is.

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, this month, began holding closed-door meetings with the Air Marshal Service to determine if congressional oversight committees are fling flimflammed.

REP. SHEILA JACKSON LEE (D), HOMELAND SECURITY COMMITTEE: The air marshals have suggested that not only to you, but they've suggested that to members of Congress, and we are concerned. We, too, are not interested in having funny numbers.

GRIFFIN: Jackson-Lee says she's convinced air travel is safe and terrorists should not have any thoughts of taking over another American aircraft. With few applicants, current air marshals tell us recruiting and training standards are being lowered.

In 2006, the Air Marshal Service sent out this memo, saying new hires would no longer face mandatory psychological testing, unless the recruit admits being treated for a mental condition. This former weapons instructor with the air marshals says when managers and recruits could not pass the tough federal tactical pistol course, called the TPC, it was replaced with a shooting test they could pass.

(on camera): And you're a firearms trainer and you say they absolutely lowered those standards.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely.

GRIFFIN (voice-over): But TSA says the test was changed six years ago, because marshals needed police-type training, not military. These current air marshals say it is so bad the Department of Homeland Security is hiring airport screeners to fill the ranks.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: TSA internal hires, administrative staff, has no college, no law enforcement, no military background.

GRIFFIN (on camera): Screeners?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

GRIFFIN: Screeners are federal air marshals?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To me it is more of an embarrassment to be a member of that agency that would allow that particular individual to make it through the training program. I know I don't want them on my flight. I don't want them as my partner.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Drew Griffin joins us live.

Drew, what does the Federal Air Marshal Service say about standards being lowered?

GRIFFIN: You know, Tony, they wouldn't talk to us on camera, but they say -- send us a written statement saying that new marshals go through rigorous training, and that screeners who do qualify can become marshals. As to the change in psychological testing, the TSA says those tests are no longer needed since every marshal, they say, is carefully interviewed.

HARRIS: Wow, what a piece, what reporting. Drew Griffin for us this morning. Drew, thanks. Appreciate it.

WHITFIELD: All right, this story we are following out of Florida, Miami. You recall six men were accused of trying to plot terror acts with al Qaeda. The targets were going to be this Chicago Sears tower. Well, now apparently the jury after being deadlocked for 12 days, this entire case has been declared a mistrial.

John Zarrella has been following this story from Miami. John, what happened?

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This trial goes back originally that was called "Liberty City Seven." There were seven men originally charged by the U.S. government with attempting to blow up the Sears tower, with attempting to blow up the MIAMI FBI building, as well as other facilities. They were tried originally, and one was acquitted. The six others ended in a hung jury. That was in December.

So in less than six months now, the U.S. government has gone back, retried these other six defendants, and once again, the jury in this retrial of the six defendants has not been able to come up with a verdict after 13 days of deliberations. Once again, ending in a mistrial.

There will be a status hearing, the government will hold a status hearing, in about a week from now to determine whether it will retry these individuals again for a third time.

WHITFIELD: Can you do that?

ZARRELLA: That's right, potentially retrying them for a third time. Although that's up to the government. And they will have to meet and make that decision down the road. But at this point in time, once again, these six defendants, a hung jury, once again -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Wow. Remarkable, John.

And just to help explain why they are called the Liberty Seven, originally, they were allegedly operating out of a warehouse, right, in the Liberty City section of Miami?

ZARRELLA: That's correct. Back in 2006, they were caught in the neighborhood. And what happened was that they were working with a man that they thought was, or the government says they thought, was a member of al Qaeda. They, in fact, swore allegiance to al Qaeda. There is tape of that, undercover video the government has of These individuals allegedly swearing an allegiance to al Qaeda. They thought that this man was a member of al Qaeda. But, in fact, he was undercover, working with authorities.

There you can see some of that material there being played, released by the Department of Justice during the course of all of this. That, of course, investigation led to the bust in June of 2006 when these men were all taken down by federal agents in the Liberty City area of Miami.

They're all local. They were called homegrown terrorists by the government. And again, the government trying to -- had been trying to prove that while they weren't members of al Qaeda, they might have been al Qaeda wannabes.

But once again, the jury, a jury, has -- was not convinced of the government's arguments and once again, these six individuals, no verdict by the -- by -- on their behalf. In fact, just another mistrial, the second one in less than six months.

WHITFIELD: Wow. And, John, you mentioned, homegrown. Five of the original seven are actually American.

ZARRELLA: That's correct.

WHITFIELD: All right, John Zarrella in Miami, thanks for the update -- Tony.

HARRIS: And as we told you at the top of the newscast, major ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court this morning. The court upholding lethal injection as a method of execution.

Our Kelli Arena joins us now to tell us what was at issue here.

Good morning.

KELLI ARENA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony. Well, you may remember, a Kentucky death row inmate argued that if he were put to death using lethal injection that he could be at risk of cruel and unusual punishment, a violation of the Eighth Amendment. He argued that this three-drug cocktail that is used to put inmates to death could be improperly administered, and if the first drug is not properly administered, then that would cause excruciating pain and suffering on behalf of the inmate. The judges heard that argument, the justices heard that argument and said well, not so fast; we think that if this three-drug cocktail is administered properly and Kentucky does have many safeguards in place to ensure that it is, that this is not cruel and unusual punishment, that lethal injection is an OK method to execute prisoners.

Now Tony, as you know, for like the past eight months, there's been a moratorium on executions.

HARRIS: That's right.

ARENA: Well, states were waiting for the Supreme Court to rule on this issue. And so, this does give in essence a green light for those states to move ahead. Now, many of them will probably go back, look at how they do it and make sure that they're in line with how Kentucky does it because Kentucky, of course, is now the standard.

So, they'll make sure that that's what they're doing and we don't have -- there are no executions scheduled in the next several weeks, but we could see executions once they restart once again as a result of this ruling.

HARRIS: You know, another execution case before the court, let's talk about that for a moment, Kelli. The court also hearing arguments on whether the Constitution allows for child rapists to be executed.

ARENA: Right and that has to do with the state of Louisiana, which did pass a law saying that people who raped children 12 and under could be subject to the death penalty. The argument against that is that, well, that's just too arbitrary. If you start executing people for raping children, well that will open up a whole other can of worms and give prosecutors way too much discretion in what they can bring people -- that they can charge people with the death penalty.

HARRIS: Sure.

ARENA: So they said well, you know, we think that's just that -- that gives too much latitude.

But of course, the other side of the argument is wait a minute, this -- if nothing else, is more vile and heinous than raping a young child, what is? I mean, this is definitely a crime that warrants being put to death if you are convicted. That is what the justices are grappling with today.

Of course, Louisiana, little bit different than some other states that do allow death penalty for child rapists in that they don't -- they don't have any add-ons to it. They don't say that you have to have a prior conviction, they don't say that you have to have done this multiple times, which some other states do have.

HARRIS: I see.

ARENA: And so, there was some discussion, well, maybe we can allow that statute to stand if we make some changes to it. So, that's what the justices are considering. We expect a ruling there by late June, Tony.

HARRIS: Our justice correspondent Kelli Arena for us. Kelli, great to see you. Thank you.

ARENA: See you.

WHITFIELD: All right, you saw it here on CNN, the White House rolling out the red carpet, the pope reaching out to Americans. Another live look, this time at Pennsylvania Avenue as crowds gather to see the pope mobile when it leaves the White House. A closer look in the NEWSROOM right after this.

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WHITFIELD: Oh, the pomp and pageantry and the White House welcomes Pope Benedict in one of its largest ever arrival ceremonies.

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(APPLAUSE)

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WHITFIELD: The applause there and then later, some spontaneous singing of happy birthday. President Bush and thousands of well- wishers greeted the pope last hour. It is the first papal visit to the White House in 29 years.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POPE BENEDICT XVI: Mr. President, dear friends, as I begin my visit to the United States, I express once more my gratitude for the invitation, my joy to be in your midst and my fervent prayers, so that the Almighty God will confirm (ph) this nation and its people in service of justice, prosperity and peace. God bless America.

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WHITFIELD: So, during his six-day visit to the United States, Pope Benedict is scheduled to celebrate masses at two baseball stadiums, one in Washington and one in New York. More than 100,000 people will be attending those services in those cities. The pope will also address the United Nations General Assembly.

So, let's check in again with CNN's senior Vatican analyst, John Allen. Also serves as a Vatican expert for the "National Catholic Reporter."

Good to see you again, John. If America felt like it didn't know the pope prior to what we saw on the South Lawn, do you feel like they got a pretty good handle of who this man is?

JOHN ALLEN, CNN SR. VATICAN ANALYST: Yes, I think in a way that that few minutes we saw Benedict XVI with the president this morning was a sort of classic introduction to the man. I mean, the first thing you saw is that this is unlike some other spiritual leaders, this is not a pulpit-thumping preacher. I mean, this is a much calmer and very reflective sort of figure, delivering a substantive address about the role of religion in public life.

The other thing you saw is a pope who was deliberately trying to stay above the political fray of the '08 elections in the United States. This was not highly charged political rhetoric, but someone wanting to sort of cut deeper than that, and talk about any democracy's need to be informed by basic moral values and the role of religious groups within its society. And so in that sense, I think this was a great sort of snapshot of Benedict both in terms of his personality and also the substance of his message.

WHITFIELD: And this pontiff was not just talking to Catholics; it was clear, he was talking to all of America.

ALLEN: That's right. Modern popes, in general, have seen themselves not merely as the head of the Catholic Church but also as a voice of conscience in global affairs. I mean, Popes are very well aware that Catholicism is unique among world religions and that the pope is not merely a spiritual guide; he is a head of state. The Vatican, in the term for it in this sense, is the holy sea, is a sovereign entity that exchanges ambassadors of the 194 countries, including the United States, including the United Nations; it's accredited there as well. And so the pope has a unique role in sort of foreign affairs and global policy debates, trying to make sure that the voice of the human conscience is heard in that arena, and you certainly saw Benedict playing that role here this morning on the White House lawn.

WHITFIELD: And did you see him to be comfortable? Did you see that he seemed to be approving of the message from the president as well?

ALLEN: Well. Sure, look, at an abstract level, there are few people that would challenge the idea that democratic debate needs to be informed by moral values. You know, clearly, the president and pope can agree on that. It's when you start cashing it out in terms of the concrete that things get more complicated. Clearly these two men clearly have their differences on some questions -- the war in Iraq, environmental protection and so on.

But I think the pope believes that this forum here this morning was not one to get into details of policy questions. It was to present the kind of core of his message and his challenge to American society, which is, as you try to grapple with the huge challenge that's facing you, don't forget the voice of conscience and don't exclude religion from the public debate.

WHITFIELD: Yes, and that was the public message on his 81st birthday. Just a reminder because of the spontaneous happy birthday singing that we're just now hearing that took place earlier. But of course the two, president and the pope, meeting face to face. Who knows whether there is an entirely different message that's being conveyed in that private session.

John Allen, thank you.

ALLEN: You bet.

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(BUSINESS HEADLINES) WHITFIELD: All right, you saw classic and nostalgic Washington. The White House rolling out the red carpet. Now Pennsylvania Avenue is ready to see the pope. We'll take you live to Washington.

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WHITFIELD: All right, folks, welcome back. Now that is not a smart car that you're seeing there on Pennsylvania Avenue in the nation's capital. That is the Popemobile, and inside of course Pope Benedict XVI there as part of the motorcade there as it heads down Pennsylvania Avenue. And you see lining the streets there a lot of official Washington, but soon you're going to see the rest of public Washington, the crowds, Thousands of people have come out to see firsthand the first visit of this pope to the United States.

HARRIS: On the heels of what has been extraordinary morning of pomp and circumstance, what a welcome ceremony for the pope at the South Lawn of the White House, as we just sort of think back and watch these pictures, but reflect back on the moments this morning. The president -- I think about, first of all, the pope. What are you seeing, Fred?

WHITFIELD: Well, what I'm seeing is that was not Pennsylvania Avenue. They were leaving there, the property of the White House now, as I see these barricades you usually see around the 16th Street area and Pennsylvania Avenue area. And so as they head out there to Executive Avenue and on to Pennsylvania Avenue, they're going to make their way down, and so that's why you saw a lot of official Washington before you get a chance to see the rest of the public.

HARRIS: Got you. Got you.

WHITFIELD: And there you can see it as the backdrop there as it now proceeds.

HARRIS: Yes, I was just thinking about what a morning it's been for us all here to watch this. What a vantage point we have. Elaine Quijano had a perfect vantage point there, on the South Lawn of the White House.