Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
Summer Camp for Kids of Military Families; Slowing Down to Save Gas; Alternate Lyrics to National Anthem Creating Controversy
Aired July 04, 2008 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Under fire over Iraq. Barack Obama forced to deny.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're going to try this again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: And deny again.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
B. OBAMA: Apparently I wasn't clear enough this morning.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: That he is flip-flopping.
Plus, the muppets on a mission. Helping kids with moms and dads in the military. On a Fourth of July, AMERICAN MORNING.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, OK, that sounds great.
ROBERTS: Good morning. Welcome. Thanks very much for joining us on this Independence Day. It's Friday; it's the Fourth of July from across the country and around the world.
You've got the "Most News in the Morning" here on CNN AMERICAN MORNING.
John Roberts together with Kiran Chetry. Good morning to you.
CHETRY: Good to see you, and everyone who is up watching us right now.
ROBERTS: The music ended rather abruptly.
CHETRY: We're getting a head start on the day. Maybe they're firing up their barbecues, marinating their steaks early. How about it?
Well, glad you're with us because we have a lot going on today as well. In good condition. That is the news coming from the people who had a chance to check out the three American hostages. Doctors and other medical staff now saying that they're home free after surviving in the jungles of Colombia for five years.
The men will spend the next few days at the Brooke Army Medical Center as the military helps them transition back into their lives. Now, yesterday, we got a first look at their condition.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COL. JACKIE HAYES, PSYCHIATRIST: I'm happy to report that they are all in very good physical condition, very strong. The results of the tests are pending at this point in time, but everything really looks well. They're in great spirits.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Also in California, wildfires bearing down on the coastal community of Big Sur. The flames which are only five percent contained have already burned 100 square miles, destroyed at least 20 homes and forced all in the popular tourist destination to evacuate. There are nearly 400 wildfires burning currently in California.
ROBERTS: This morning Senator Barack Obama is on the defensive over Iraq. He says he may refine his plan to pull out most U.S. forces within 16 months. Republicans jumped on those comments saying essentially he's flip-flopping. We're going to have more on that story in just a moment.
CHETRY: Also new this morning, rescued Colombian hostage Ingrid Betancourt is in the air. She's headed home to Paris with her family. She left Colombia last night after reuniting with her children for the first time in more than six years. Yesterday, the former presidential candidate, spoke about her grueling days in captivity.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
INGRID BETANCOURT FMR. COLOMBIAN HOSTAGE (through translator): We lived with death on a daily basis. We knew that the people taking care of us had the order to kill us when they are given the signal, to have someone with a loaded weapon next to you as a constant reminder that our life was in their hands. The option of life to us was limited to the desires of the guardian that was taking care of us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: CNN's Harris Whitbeck is in Bogota, Colombia, this morning.
Hi, Harris.
HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kiran.
The plane carrying Ingrid Betancourt and her family should be landing outside of Paris within the next hour or so. She will be met by French President Nicolas Sarkozy and a huge celebration is being planned for her.
Ingrid Betancourt spent part of her childhood in Paris, where she spent her university years there, and she holds dual Colombian-French citizenship. She is expected to meet with President Sarkozy at the Elysee Palace, and later go to the city hall where a public celebration will be held to commemorate her liberation.
Now, Ingrid Betancourt has said that while she is going to France now, she has certainly not forgotten all of those hostages left behind in the jungles of Colombia.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BETANCOURT: The ones that are still in the jungles in Colombia, we need to have them out. We need to cry very loud to the world that what happens in Colombia must stop. And we have to put all the pressure on the FARC so that they understand that there is not another issue than just to give the freedom to all of those persons that are kidnapped right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITBECK: I remember when Ingrid Betancourt was taken hostage six years ago she was a presidential candidate here, and she was campaigning when she was taken hostage in the jungles of southern Colombia. And it is expected that she will return to Colombian politics in some fashion. She has already launched an international appeal for pressure to mount on the FARC to disarm and to make way for negotiations between them and the government -- Kiran.
CHETRY: And I'm also curious about her physical condition, Harris, and whether there's any details on that. We had talked about how the three Americans who were held hostage are still going through a battery of tests, both physical and psychological. Any word on her condition?
WHITBECK: Well, the approach to her release has been a lot different, Kiran. I mean, she has not been -- any tests that have been made, performed on her have not been made public. She was immediately put in contact with her family. All that has been a very, very public thing. Very different from what happened to the American hostages who were immediately taken into a military medical center and subjected to a battery of tests.
If you look at her physically, she looks fine. She looks much better than the photographs of her that were published a few months ago when she was sitting, looking very distraught, very thin in the jungle. She looks like a completely different person. And her attitude, at least outwardly seems very, very positive and upbeat.
CHETRY: Wonderful news for sure and glad she's gotten a chance to reunite with her family.
Harris Whitbeck for us reporting from Bogota, Colombia, this morning. Thanks. ROBERTS: To the "Most Politics in the Morning" now. And more on the latest shot across the campaign trail. Not one, but two denials from Barack Obama in responses to charges that he is flip-flopping on Iraq.
Obama blames the McCain campaign for the confusion. He says his policy hasn't changed but did talk about refining his position.
CNN's Jessica Yellin has got more for us this morning.
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: John, Kiran, it was a scramble for Barack Obama to put out a firestorm of questions over his signature issue. His pledge to withdraw from Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
YELLIN (voice-over): Barack Obama has made his name as a different kind of politician. A candidate who says what he means and doesn't change with the political winds, which is why he can't afford to be seen as shifting positions on big issues.
He faced a firestorm about whether he's backing off the central pledge of his campaign to withdraw combat troops from Iraq within 16 months of taking office. The concern became so intense, he found himself in an odd spot this afternoon holding a do-over press conference.
B. OBAMA: We're going to try this again. Apparently I wasn't clear enough this morning on my position with respect to the war in Iraq.
YELLIN: The problem? Obama triggered a deluge of questions with this statement earlier in the morning.
B. OBAMA: When I go to Iraq and I have a chance to talk to some of the commanders on the ground, I'm sure I'll have more information and we'll continue to refine my policies.
YELLIN: Republicans accused him of flip-flopping. So he faced reporters a second time to insist he's been clear all along.
B. OBAMA: That I would bring our troops home at a pace of one to two brigades per month and that pace we would have our combat troops out in 16 months. That position has not changed. I have not equivocated on that position.
YELLIN: When pressed, he refused to commit to that 16-month time frame, insisting any good commander in chief adjusts.
B. OBAMA: I would always reserve the right to do what's best in America's national interests. And if it turned out, for example, that, you know, we had to in certain months slow the pace because of the safety of American troops in terms of getting combat troops out, of course, we would take that into account.
YELLIN: Though he insists he intends to end the war. Still, the McCain campaign quickly fired off a statement insisting that Obama has reversed his position, proving once again that his words do not matter. That they are just empty words. Obama fired back, saying they're playing politics.
B. OBAMA: I think what's happened is that the McCain campaign primed the pump with the press to suggest that somehow we were changing our policy when we hadn't.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
YELLIN: Clearly the McCain campaign thinks it's found a strategy, accusing Obama of changing positions now on a number of issues and will keep pressing its flip-flop claim -- John, Kiran.
ROBERTS: Jessica Yellin this morning.
A story with explosive political implications. Four months after learning presidential candidates' passport records were breached, we now know the problem is more widespread than originally thought.
The State Department inspector general reviewed the files of 150 famous people. He found 127 were breached, accessing more than -- accessed rather more than 4,000 times in the past six years. The inspector's report also offered several recommendations to improve safeguards. Nearly all of them have been recommended.
CHETRY: All right. Well, America's politically explosive R.S.V.P. President Bush decides to attend the opening ceremony of the Olympics despite an uproar over Chinese human rights violations. And the French threatening to boycott the games.
ROBERTS: Plus, with a national average of $4.10 a gallon, everyone's looking for a break at the pump. Find out why some people are buying their gas now to save money later. We'll let you know whether it's a deal or steal.
CHETRY: And slowing you down on the highway. There is a new push for a national speed limit. Hit the breaks, it could be 1974 all over again.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Wake up. It's the Fourth of July. Welcome back to the "Most News in the Morning."
Today the Olympic torch is making its way through the Shanxi Province in China in the north central part of the country. Crowds are lining much of its route cheering on the torch bearers. The whole situation on that is what we've seen in some of the other places with the big protest. There are now just 35 days until the opening ceremonies in Beijing.
ROBERTS: Yes. In China, everybody does want to stand next to the fire as opposed to ripping it out of people's hands and running away with it. In the crowd for those ceremonies on opening day at the Olympics will be President Bush. The White House making a politically explosive announcement that he will attend. Several world leaders have turned down invitations over China's treatment of Tibet.
CNN's Ed Henry has got more for us on this story -- Ed.
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John and Kiran.
The White House has finally confirmed that the president will be attending the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. But that admission only came after just a little bit more diplomatic tap dancing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HENRY (voice-over): For the first time, White House Spokeswoman Dana Perino said the president will attend the opening ceremonies of the Olympics this summer.
DANA PERINO, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: He certainly is going to be going to China. I would certainly think that the opening ceremonies will be a part of that trip.
HENRY: While the president has previously said he will attend the Olympic Games in Beijing, officials have danced around whether that includes the opening ceremonies. It's politically explosive because human rights groups have said leaders should skip the opening to protest China's record.
UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS: We want freedom!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What we want.
UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS: We want freedom!
HENRY: French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, who has threatened to boycott the opening, now says he may go if China makes progress in talks over human rights with the Dalai Lama. Perino was asked whether Sarkozy's standard may provide a model for the president, and reporters pounced on her comment that Mr. Bush will attend.
In a sign of how sensitive the subject is, she immediately pulled back.
PERINO: I said it's a distinct possibility here (INAUDIBLE) last word are the actual words I said. But I would expect -- I think I said I would expect that the opening ceremonies could be a part of the schedule.
HENRY: As reporters noted, she had been more definitive, the scene got comical. Perino sought help from her mother who's visiting Washington for the Fourth of July. The first chance for mom to be at the White House to watch her daughter brief the media.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mom, help me out. PERINO: Thank you, mom. Help me. But I'm not able to announce the president's schedule. But he is going to the Olympics. And I expect that the opening ceremonies could be a part of that trip.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HENRY: After that lighthearted moment, a short while later, Dana Perino put out a written statement confirming the president will attend the opening ceremonies. She told me that there's no bigger champion of both religious freedom and human rights than the president. And he thinks it's better to press these issues face to face with the Chinese leaders. But as you know, the president is going to take a lot of political heat for this decision -- John, Kiran.
ROBERTS: Ed Henry at the White House this morning. Ed, thanks.
CHETRY: Oh, hack to the future is a time again to cut the national speed limit in an effort to save gas? Hear what one senator is proposing.
ROBERTS: Coming up on AMERICAN MORNING --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALEY: My name is Patten (ph). I'm 8 years old and my dad is in Iraq.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Helping those left behind.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It saddens me sometimes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: A look at the camp that lets military kids be kids. You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Well, you could be forced to hit the brakes on the highway. Forget the faster car. Senator John Warner out of Virginia suggesting that Congress might want to reimpose a national speed limit again to combat high gas prices.
Fuel efficiently dropped sharply after 60 miles an hour. And some studies suggested a 55 miles an hour speed limit could save as much as 167,000 barrels of oil a day.
And right now, gas is more than $4.10 a gallon nationally. You'll be feeling the pinch if you're filling up this holiday weekend. A new Web site though claims to have a gas saving solution. You prepay with them and save big as the price climbs. Sounds like a good deal but is there a catch? CNN's Gerri Willis takes a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR (voice-over): One way to beat rising gas prices? How about buying your fill-ups in advance. Bill Gardner bought 150 gallons back in April.
BILL GARDNER, MYGALLONS PILOT-PROGRAM MEMBER: When I bought gallons at $3.20 a gallon and recently redeemed them at closer to $4 a gallon, I've saved a lot of money.
WILLIS: Gardner was in a pilot program to try out mygallons.com, a Web site that went live this week. He prepaid for gas online at today's prices. And if prices go up, you draw on your gas card for your next fill-up.
GARDNER: It just works like a debit card. You just plug it into the machine, enter your pin just like you would any other debit card and pump your gas.
WILLIS: It's gambling that gas prices will keep increasing. Will it catch on?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If gas goes up to $5, $6 a gallon, I'll be saving a dollar per gallon on gas. So it paid for itself another time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'd be very interested in this. Spending $50 right now.
WILLIS: What's the downside? Besides a $30 or $40 annual fee you could find yourself on the wrong side of the market. Plus, prepaying can tie up your cash for months.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right now, I can't afford to, you know, to do it. You know what I'm saying?
WILLIS: And how does the Web site make a profit? Not from hedging gas.
STEVE VERONA, CEO, MYGALLONS.COM: The gas transactions are really a break even for us. We look to make money from advertising on our Web site and the interest earned on the prepayments. And a little bit from the annual membership fees.
WILLIS (on camera): And there are other fees that users pay like a $2 fee every time you load your gas card.
Gerri Willis, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: Here's something you might want to consider about mygallons.com. The Better Business Bureau gives the new Web site an F rating citing a "material omission of fact in the material distributed for its launch."
Well, it's a billion dollar court battle surrounding your privacy. Yesterday a court ordered Google to surrender the log in names and Internet addresses of every viewer who has viewed material on the popular Web site. That adds up to tens of millions of names. Viacom wants the information to determine how many users are watching unauthorized material on the Web site.
Well, it is Friday. And that means it's time for our legal hotline. AMERICAN MORNING legal analyst is early on Friday morning.
AMERICAN MORNING legal analyst Sunny Hostin here to answer some of your legal questions. How are you doing this morning?
SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: I'm good. Happy Fourth.
ROBERTS: Happy Fourth of July to you as well. Let's get right into it here.
Larry from Omaha, Nebraska, writes in today and says, "I recently won a judgment in small claims court. Does the cost of an attorney and associated costs come out of settlement or are those costs added to the judgment."
HOSTIN: Well, the interesting thing, Larry, is you don't even really need an attorney to do what you need to do in this case. You've done the hard work.
In Nebraska, the top money that you can get in small claims court is $2,700. So you probably have that already and you don't need an attorney to collect it. You can just go to the clerk's office and fill out any forms that they have and have the sheriff's department help you get the money that you need.
You can either get wage garnishment. You can get a lien on someone's property. But hopefully, Larry, the person that owes you the money will give it to you voluntarily once you fill out the paperwork.
ROBERTS: Speaking of wage garnishment, we got a second question that came in.
HOSTIN: Yes, yes.
ROBERTS: This is from Andi in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, who writes, "Can credit card companies garnish wages?"
HOSTIN: Well, the answer to Andi's question is it really depends where it's happening. There are at least four states that we know of now in the U.S. that do not -- do not allow wage garnishment at all. At all. Except for debts related to taxes, child support, federally guaranteed student loans and court ordered fines, order restitution for a crime the debtor committed.
And, of course, Pennsylvania is one of them. North Carolina is another, South Carolina and Texas. If you're in any of those four states and you owe a lot of credit card debt you don't have to pay. But, of course, the best thing to do is not get into that sort of credit card debt.
ROBERTS: Exactly. Good information this morning. And we should remind people too, that the federal government is garnishing some of those tax rebate checks as well. So --
HOSTIN: That's right. That's what we're hearing.
ROBERTS: Yes. So if you haven't gotten your rebate check yet you might want to check on why.
HOSTIN: That's right.
ROBERTS: Sunny, thanks so much.
HOSTIN: Thank you.
CHETRY: Barack Obama taking heat today for what sounds like a shift in position on Iraq to some. All candidates are accused of doing it, but do voters really care? Answers in a new CNN poll.
And you heard of the Passenger Bill of Rights, but should the airlines have a list of dos and don'ts for you? From stealing the armrests to dealing with screaming children, our ethics guide says it's time passengers do their part too.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Welcome back to the "Most News in the Morning." Changes in Barack Obama's Iraq position? Well, he says no, holding two press conferences yesterday to clarify his stance after Republicans immediately accused him of flip-flopping.
Meantime, a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll shows voters believe both candidates changed their positions for political reasons. Sixty-one percent think that John McCain does. Fifty-nine percent say the same for Barack Obama. That's pretty much a statistical tie.
CNN special correspondent Frank Sesno is taking a closer look at the shifting winds in this year's presidential campaign. And he joins us now.
FRANK SESNO, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: John, Kiran, Barack Obama and John McCain are trying to cast themselves are reformers, candidates whose positions are based on principle, not politics. What then are we to make of all their flips and flops in the course of this campaign?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SESNO (voice-over): What if the maverick who drove now flies the Straight Talk Express? And the guy who says he's all about a different kind of politics?
B. OBAMA: Yes, we can.
SESNO: Really are all about change. Changing their own positions that is. Obama has flipped on public financing for his campaign. He was all for it until he wasn't. On meeting with Iran's president. Would he sit down without preconditions, he was asked?
B. OBAMA: I would.
SESNO: Simple enough till it got complicated.
B. OBAMA: If and only if it can advance the interest of the United States.
SESNO: On Iraq, first it was simple. Out in 16 months. And now?
B. OBAMA: We must be as careful getting out of Iraq as we were careless getting in.
SESNO: Small changes, too. The lapel pin. Now you don't see it, now you do. Jeremiah Wright like a grandmother till he wasn't.
McCain's flipped a bunch too. He supported the Congressional ban on drilling, but now opposes it. He opposed ethanol, but now supports it. Both for energy security, he explains.
McCain famously voted against President Bush's tax cuts. Now extending those tax cuts as part of his platform.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I want to keep it in the wallets and purses of the American people.
SESNO: His positions have changed on immigration, repeal of Roe v. Wade. Not to mention a reverend or two along the way.
What if these candidates keep doing this? They'll be judged accordingly. Is it pragmatism or pandering? Political expediency or evolution?
It matters because both are staking their political claims on being a different kind of politician. It matters because that's how they say they'll fix health care reform. Iraq, the economy, energy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SESNO: Are flip-flops politically fatal? It depends. The first Bush said read my lips. No new taxes and raised them. His conservative base never forgot or forgave, and he lost in '92.
Another no new taxes president, Ronald Reagan, raised taxes as well as part of a Social Security deal and remains a Republican hero. So it's about context, reputation, the story line. Things this year's candidates are desperately trying to define -- John, Kiran.
ROBERTS: Frank Sesno reporting this morning on that. Thanks, Frank. Hitting the half hour mark now. And here are some of your top stories of this Independence Day.
A dangerous morning in California as hundreds of wildfires burn out of control. Police are urging more people to pack up and get out. Its fierce winds pushed the flames toward the foothills of Santa Barbara. There are reports that one firefighter has died fighting those wildfires.
Right now, rescued Colombian hostage, Ingrid Betancourt, is flying home to her family in France. The former presidential candidate left Bogota last night and is expected to receive a hero's welcome on her return to Paris. She is also reportedly been invited to meet with Pope Benedict XVI next week at the Vatican.
CHETRY: One of Florida's most powerful bachelors is getting married. Governor Charlie Crist proposed yesterday to his girlfriend of nearly nine months. His engagement makes news on the campaign trail.
Christ is thought to be a potential running mate for John McCain. And America has not had a bachelor vice president since 1852.
And a rare patriotic find this Fourth of July. A New York man found a handwritten manuscript of "America My Country, "Tis of Thee" behind a picture. He bought it at a flea market last month for just ten bucks. Now experts say that 1831 manuscript is worth tens of thousands of dollars.
Well, turning now to the war and the stress of a military deployment. It can be particularly hard on the children left behind. Now there's a summer camp trying to fill the void for many kids spending their childhood largely without one parent.
CNN's Thelma Gutierrez has details -- Thelma.
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kiran, John, anyone who's been through deployment will tell you it's an immensely stressful time. But it's even tougher for the children who have to take on extra responsibilities or feel isolated and lonely.
For one week, Operation Purple camp brings together kids who understand each other.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUTIERREZ (voice-over): High in the mountains above Fresno, California.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILDREN: And to the Republic for which it stands.
GUTIERREZ: Is a camp for kids of war.
PATTEN, FATHER SERVING IN IRAQ: My name is Patten. I'm 8-years- old and my daddy's in Iraq.
EMILY, FATHER DEPLOYED TO IRAQ: My name is Emily. I'm 13-years- old. My dad has been deployed to Iraq twice.
JANE, FATHER DEPLOYED TO IRAQ: My name is Jane and I'm 7-years- old and my dad has been deployed three times.
GUTIERREZ: They are a generation of children whose lives have been consumed with Iraq and Afghanistan.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The lake is so cold. It's like Fort Bragg.
GUTIERREZ: Kids who spent too much time missing parents overseas.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I miss you.
GUTIERREZ: Too little time by their side.
JORDAN, OPERATION PURPLE CAMPER: When you have to move you have to find new friends and new surroundings and learned.
GUTIERREZ (on camera): And you've done it, what, ten times in how long?
JORDAN: The last three years.
GUTIERREZ: Ten times in three years you've moved?
JORDAN: Yes.
GUTIERREZ: It has to be tough?
JORDAN: Yes.
GUTIERREZ: 15-year-old Jordan says camp Operation Purple makes him feel normal.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Time to hang out and to get to know other people and just forget about your worries.
GUTIERREZ (voice-over): Jordan's father is about to be sent to Iraq.
Does it make you nervous? Does it?
JORDAN: Yes. It saddens me sometimes because I think that could happen to him at any time.
GUTIERREZ: It is the thing kids here don't like to talk about. But it's never far from their thoughts.
JORDAN: Sometimes I just go to be alone and just be by myself and think about stuff. Other times I can snap on people.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just getting in touch with those emotions that they really have stuffed inside of them is really, really important, because it gives them an outlet.
GUTIERREZ: An outlet just to be kids.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There we go. Now put it in the water.
GUTIERREZ: For one week they'll experience the outdoors and each other. All expenses are covered by the Sierra Club and the Dell Foundation. To believe military children like Kate Lynn and Cameron...
JADEN, OPERATION PURPLE CAMPER: (INAUDIBLE).
GUTIERREZ: ...And Jaden, serve and sacrifice just as much as their parents.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GUTIERREZ: This year more than 10,000 military children will have a chance to go to operation Purple Camp. It's held in 62 different locations throughout the country -- John, Kiran?
CHETRY: In the meantime, the folks of Sesame Street are also doing their part to help the military kids deal with their parents' deployment. They've joined forces with the USO and they are launching the Sesame Street experience.
I had a chance to talk with the project executive director, Lynn Chawatsky, and also a special member of the troop, Elmo.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: Lynn, this is a really unique program that you're starting to try to help not only the people that are deployed, but their families that are left behind as they go off to war. So what are you guys doing?
LYNN CHAWATSKY, SESAME STREET EXPERIENCE FOR MILITARY: Sesame Street has partnered with the USO to bring Elmo and his friends to military families across the country. We're going to be traveling to 43 military installations to bring them a fun and happy experience. It's really helped them take away from their every day challenges because, as we know, when a parent's deployed the whole family's deployed.
CHETRY: When the kids come out to watch the show what do they experience? What do they get to see?
CHAWATSKY: Well, they get to see a performance with Elmo, Rosita, and all of their friends so the kids can get up, sing, and dance, and just have a lot of fun. And after that, they can get some wonderful materials including one of our kits that we've developed for military families. Some wonderful goodies as well as some other materials for the whole family to really help them with their experiences.
CHETRY: And what's the best part, Elmo, about meeting all the kids.
ELMO, "SESAME STREET": Well, that's it. Elmo gets to meet all the kids' friends and try to help them be happy.
CHETRY: What is it about Sesame Street and characters like Elmo that make kids so happy?
CHAWATSKY: He, now, it's the fuzzy, friendly, furry muppets that bring out the best in everybody.
CHETRY: You are fuzzy, by the way.
ELMO: And I was friendly, too.
CHETRY: And your friendly, that's right, and the kids love you. And in fact, in this DVD that you, guys, have out as well, Elmo is going through that very same experience, right? Of a family member who is away and you're having to deal with that. What's that like, Elmo?
ELMO: Well, it was kind of sad when daddy went away. But Elmo knew it was important for him to go. So Elmo missed him, but Elmo got to see him on the computer and call him up on the phone. And one thing that we do together that we can still do while daddy is gone is we can watch the moon together.
CHETRY: That's right because everyone's under the same moon.
ELMO: Yes.
CHETRY: What do you say to the other kids who are also going through the same thing?
ELMO: Well, Elmo will say just hang in there and there's a lot of things you can do while your mommy and daddy are gone. And you can still keep in touch with them and you can mark a calendar until they're coming back. Stuff like that.
CHETRY: And Lynn, where do families find out about how they can come check out the characters and get a chance to enjoy this?
CHAWATSKY: Well, again, this tour is exclusively for military families. You can come to our Web site at sesamestreet.org/tlc for the tour schedule and when to see Elmo and his friends.
CHETRY: Well, that's going to be great. Well, I want to thank both of you for being with us.
Elmo, you are great and fabulous.
ELMO: Thank you.
CHAWATSKY: Thank you.
CHETRY: Thanks, Lynn.
ELMO: Bye, bye.
(END VIDEOTAPE) ROBERTS: Coming up on AMERICAN MORNING -- presidential pup.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
B. OBAMA: We promised them that we'll get them a dog.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Jeanne Moos goes in search of a pet worthy of the West Wing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I can see you in the White House.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: And meet the finalists related to this guy. You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Welcome back to the "Most News in the Morning."
It's 20 minutes to the top of the hour on this Independence Day. There's a big push for an airline passengers bill of rights. But should passengers have to follow their own code of responsibility when they fly?
Joining us to talk more about that is Bruce Weinstein. He is the ethics columnist for businessweek.com, better known as the ethics guy. So you say that hearkening back to the old days of flying, you know, the old school thing when people used to get dressed up, they would be almost very formal when they got on that plane. They don't have to do that. But you say that passengers need to adhere to some sort of code of responsibility.
BRUCE WEINSTEIN, ETHICS COLUMNIST, BUSINESSWEEK.COM: Yes, with rights come responsibilities. And passengers certainly have a right to be treated respectfully if we're stranded on the tarmac for ten hours. But we also have responsibilities to the crew, to one another, and to the institution of flying, if you will.
It used to be an elegant experience. Why can't it be like that again? Why can't it be civil?
ROBERTS: So, you've got this idea of a whole number of points that you think that passengers should keep in mind when they get in any aircraft. And the very first one that you talked about is, be courteous to airline staff.
WEINSTEIN: Unbelievable. Well, you know, most delays are not the fault of the airline crews. So, why should we take out our frustrations? It's understandable that we would be angry if our flight is canceled or delayed. But we shouldn't take it out on the ticket taker. You know what I say when I board the plane. I say to the crew, my name is Bruce, I'll be your passenger today. That's the response I get. People like that and, you know what? I get great service. I'm not doing it to get great service but, you know, you treat them respectfully, chances are, they'll treat you respectfully.
ROBERTS: But you know, you've been through this before. Maybe they're in the minority but there certainly are people who are either ticket agents or gate agents who are apathetic. They're sometimes hostile. They don't give a --whatever. And how are you supposed to treat those people?
WEINSTEIN: It's true. Once I had a flight attendant who spritzed perfume all over herself. I mean, come on, that's not very respectful. But, you know, the obligation to be compassionate and caring is tested in these cases. And maybe we can rise to the challenge. That's really when it's hardest, to be compassionate for people who maybe aren't that compassionate to us.
ROBERTS: So, you talk about passengers having some sort of code of responsibility when it comes to airline staff. What about the fellow passengers?
WEINSTEIN: Well, again, the most important rule of all is to take other people into consideration in everything that we do. So, what this means with respect to fellow passengers is, don't assume the armrest is yours alone. Don't assume that other people want to have a long conversation with you.
And, you know, if you're watching something -- DVD on your laptop, don't put porn or extreme violence on there. You know, because it may offend the sensibilities of fellow passengers. Wait until you get to the hotel to watch your Janet Jamison video.
ROBERTS: I was flying once and I got upgraded the first class and the guy sitting beside me cut his nails throughout the flight, flicking the nail bits on the floor.
WEINSTEIN: Disgusting. What is it? How have we gotten to this point in our society? You see it on the subway and bus, too. I mean, come on, just basic rules of civility. Treat other people with respect. They'll treat you with respect.
ROBERTS: I used to take the 4:30 shuttle up from Washington every Sunday afternoon. I started taking the train because the shuttle was getting canceled. But I nicknamed that 4:30 shuttle the screaming baby shuttle. What about people with their children?
WEINSTEIN: It is especially difficult, you know, when you have an unruly child. I was one of those children. You know, my Third Grade teacher wrote on my report card, Bruce would be an excellent student, but his mouth is his downfall.
So, I understand that kids can get out of hand but, nevertheless, an airplane is not your living room. This is a public place and we should treat it accordingly. I know it's hard but let's have some concern for our fellow passengers.
ROBERTS: A lot of children freak out, though, when they get on an aircraft. They don't understand the confined space, the noise. They get scared and they whine.
WEINSTEIN: Yes. I'm not suggesting putting a muzzle and leash on them, although with a couple of kids, I can see that would be a good idea. But just think about how your actions and the actions of your kids might affect fellow passengers.
Don't let them kick the seat. I mean, come on, I don't even understand why we're having a discussion about this, quite frankly. Isn't it common sense? I guess it's not common sense because that's why we're talking about it.
ROBERTS: Passengers code of responsibility, which I fear has less chance of getting into effect than the passengers bill of rights.
WEINSTEIN: We posted it on the "A.C. 360" bus so people can get all 10 rules.
ROBERTS: All right. And they can also count on it, which I'm sure they will.
WEINSTEIN: Yes, they will.
ROBERTS: Bruce, good to see you. Happy Fourth of July.
WEINSTEIN: You too, John.
ROBERTS: Thanks for coming in.
WEINSTEIN: Thanks.
CHETRY: Time to head to Rob Marciano. He's tracking weather for us on this Fourth of July.
You know, everyone wants to know, is it going to be nice in my neck of the woods so we can enjoy the fireworks?
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You know, that's when the pressure is on. But thankfully at the national level, when we only have 60 seconds, it's really hard to pinpoint that.
(WEATHER REPORT)
CHETRY: Yes, I can't imagine your stockpile down there in Atlanta. (INAUDIBLE) to bring up the sparklers.
MARCIANO: We'll see you guys in a little bit.
ROBERTS: Kiran's very happy now, Rob. She was looking for some fireworks video this morning.
CHETRY: And it was gorgeous.
ROBERTS: Now she's happy. You made her day.
CHETRY: It was beautiful over Mount Rushmore. I loved it.
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: I was hearing them last night, by the way, people already setting off fireworks a day early.
ROBERTS: Isn't it there's a secret city of gold underneath Mount Rushmore?
CHETRY: Really?
ROBERTS: I saw that in a movie, yes.
MARCIANO: We'll go digging there.
CHETRY: All right, Rob. That's your next assignment. We'll check in with you in a couple of minutes.
MARCIANO: OK.
CHETRY: Well, still to come, snooping where they shouldn't. At 11 after the hour, the secret lives of celebrities and their not-so- secret passport files. Who's been checking out their private information?
ROBERTS: And it's 25 minutes after the hour. Tickets, check. Luggage, check. Tons of extra money for bag fees and the headset and food that you're going to pay for on board? A former airline CEO goes one-on-one with us about flier frustrations.
CHETRY: Also at 42 after the hour, a day off from work, a barbecue with the folks, the Constitution. What does the Fourth of July mean to you?
Our Richard Roth takes to the streets and gets some patriotic answers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Who is this man?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know, but I'm blocking traffic.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Checking out some of the best video of the morning. Take a look at this. Motorcycle daredevil, Robbie Knievel. There he goes. Setting a new record in front of cheering fans at Six Flags in St. Louis. He jumped over 25 Dodge Chargers, soaring nearly 200 feet, beating by two cars his previous best of 23 cars.
He also says that like his dad, he is going to try to jump the Snake River Canyon soon after he makes a big jump at Wimbledon Stadium in England.
CHETRY: You follow his moves, don't you?
ROBERTS: Oh, yes, absolutely. I mean, I'm logged on to the Robbie Knievel Web site everyday. I'm a part of the fan club. No, I just see this stuff every once in a while and it looks like fun.
CHETRY: Yes, it's pretty cool actually.
Well, this amazing video also came from our affiliate WPLG in Florida. Watch at this van just explodes at a gas station. There it goes. It happened in Hialeah, that's just north of Miami. Police say the man lit a cigarette, igniting gas. He was moving at the time now?
ROBERTS: Yes. Going down the road (INAUDIBLE).
CHETRY: He was leaving a gas station. Anyway, the truck packed with gas tanks and welding equipment for his job. There you have it. The driver, miraculously, they only suffered minor burns.
ROBERTS: Unbelievable. Obviously, I guess one of the tanks inside the truck was leaking.
Ten minutes to the top of hour. Pets at the White House. The tradition is old as the presidency. And Barack Obama has promised his children that as a reward for putting up with those long hours on the campaign trail, he will get them a dog if he wins the election. And already the public is helping to pick Barack Obama's family pet.
CNN's Jeanne Moos tells us about a new breed of candidates -- ones who bark.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This may look like a place mat, but it's a ballot for potential first dog.
I can see you in the White House. Yes, just imagine -- White House dinners. Meet a new breed of candidate. Whoa. The American Kennel Club took note of Barack Obama's campaign promise to his kids.
B. OBAMA: We promised them that we'll get them a dog.
MICHELLE OBAMA, BARACK OBAMA'S WIFE: That was a bargaining chip. It was like you want to run for president? We're getting a dog.
MOOS: Well, now you can vote at the AKC Web site on what kind of dog the Obamas should get.
M. OBAMA: We talked about this dog every day, every day. What kind are we going to get? You do know we're getting it?
MOOS: The Kennel Club says at least one of the Obama daughters has allergies, so they selected five types of hypoallergenic dogs.
DAISY OKAS, AMERICAN KENNEL CLUB: Its hair as opposed to fur. MOOS: The candidates are the Wheaten Terrier, the Bichon Frise, the poodle, the Miniature Schnauzer and the Chinese Crested -- wait a minute. The Chinese Crested is a dog that year after year wins the ugly dog contest.
OKAS: When they get old, they do tend to lose their looks.
MOOS: But Nutmeg, here, is a show dog. Don't even mention the ugly dog contest to Nutmeg's owner.
Does it annoy you? I mean, (INAUDIBLE).
AMY FERNANDEZ, CHINESE CRESTED OWNER: I was immensely intense for him. I really wish they would stop having that contest. It's such a beautiful breed.
MOOS: Though it's currently bringing up the rear in the poll. By the way, this is not one of the criteria for selection.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Say, Obama. Say, Obama.
MOOS: Remember how the Clinton's dog, Buddy, fought with first cat socks? And current White House occupation, Barney, refused to get on Air Force One. And who could forget the time the president dropped, Barney, and be easily tried to elude secret service agents. Reagan's dog, Lucky.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You don't stand up on me, do you?
MOSS: Had to be retired to the ranch because, Lucky, was too hard to control. So are the five breeds up for election White House ready?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, somebody paid. Come here.
MOOS (on camera): It's just slobbering.
OKAS: Well, she's panting because of the all the excitement.
MOOS (voice-over): You can't walk around a White House with turkey in your ears. Hey, hey, hey. You will dismiss anything. We can't have any of this behavior in the White House.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Flirtatious little boy. Knock it off!
MOOS: Should have tried that back when Bill was president.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Knock it off!
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: Long lines, delays, extra fees -- Happy Fourth. A former airline exec tells us who you can thank for the holiday hassle. Plus, as American as scarfing down 50 hot dogs in ten minutes? Richard Roth quizzes citizens on the real meaning of Independence Day.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Benjamin Franklin.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Eddie Murphy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hamilton.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: John Adams.
ROTH: So I'm going to give you 100 but I don't have it with me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the "Most News in the Morning."
Your Fourth of July "Political Ticker," right now. And a new CNN poll of polls showing the race for the White House is tight going into Independence Day. Barack Obama holding a six point lead over John McCain -- 48 percent to 42 percent. A point higher than his lead was last week.
And another White House, Bush White House original on its way out. Deputy Chief of Staff Joe Hagen told the president he is leaving this month for a job in the private sector. Hagen has been with the president's campaign since the 2000 race. He was a point man during the Florida recount and also worked for the first President Bush. His middle name is even White House.
ROBERTS: White House is warning the terror detainees could be free to walk our streets. Thanks to a recent decision by the Supreme Court. The ruling gave all detainees at the Guantanamo Bay Naval facility the right to petition federal judges for immediate release.
White house Press Secretary Dana Perino invoked the accused 9/11 mastermind to make her point saying, quote, "I'm sure that none of us would want Khalid Sheikh Mohammed walking around our neighborhoods. Analysts say it's unlikely an Appeals Court would actually release the detainee on the U.S. soil.
Slowing down to save gas. Republican Senator John Warner of Virginia suggesting that Congress might want to rethink a national speed limit. He says it could force drivers to be more efficient and maybe lead to lower gasoline prices as well.
Back in 1974, Congress set a national speed limit of 55 miles an hour because of energy shortages caused by the Arab oil embargo. After Sammy Hager popularized his song "I Can't Drive 55," Congress was forced to rescind the order in 1995. No, I just made that up. And for more up to the minute political news, just head to CNN.com/ticker.
Well, some alternate lyrics to the national anthem are creating controversy on this Independence Day. Denver's mayor and others are blasting a jazz singer for her surprise rendition. One sometimes referred to as the black national anthem.
CNN's Carol Costello is following the story for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Just before we celebrate the bomb's bursting in air and how our flag was still there -- Denver City leaders are dealing with star spangled mess.
MAYOR JOHN HICKENLOOPER (D), DENVER: The "Star Spangled Banner" in that context is part of our sacred, most beloved traditions.
COSTELLO: The mayor after receiving hundreds of outraged phone calls is now condemning jazz singer Rene Marie's version of the "Star Spangled Banner."
RENE MARIE, SANG "ALTERNATIVE" ANTHEM: That the dark path has taught us.
COSTELLO: Singing at the Denver mayor's state of the city address, she substituted Francis Scott Key's lyrics to lyrics from what some call the black national anthem. A song called "Lift Every Voice and Sing."
MARIE: I want to express how I feel about living in the United States, as a black woman.
COSTELLO: After that hit the air waves, Republican congressman Tom Tancredo wrote an op-ed in Thursday's Denver post, calling on Denver officials to fully condemn, Marie, a woman he says "...is angry at America for its shortcomings. She does not like singing the national anthem because it makes no mention of the suffering of black people."
But Marie says she was expressing herself artistically in honor of her parents and their fight against segregation.
MARIE: They took matters into their own hands, basically. And that's what you have to do.
COSTELLO: This isn't the first time an individual's interpretation of our national anthem has sparked controversy. Back in 2006, the Spanish language version of the song was released to support illegal immigrants. It sparked loud protests.
And way back in 1969, Jimi Hendrix's screaming guitar version sparked controversy because it seemed an anti-Vietnam war statement. Today Rene Marie's version is giving some ammo to at least one Republican to use against Colorado Democrats. The city will host the Democratic convention in August, and Congressman Tancredo ended his op-ed piece with this.
"I suspect that right now the Democrat National Convention is asking how they can work Marie into the program to affirm her right to artistic expression. Go for it, girl."
COSTELLO (on camera): It's pretty safe to say that the city of Denver will not be inviting Marie to sing the national anthem again any time soon. As for Marie, she offers no apologies and no regrets.
Carol Costello, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
