Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
Feds Crack Down on the Largest Case of Identity Theft; President Bush Heads to Bangkok; Why Isn't Obama Doing Better in the Polls?; Paris Hilton Responds to McCain Attack Ad; McCain Slams Obama's Energy Plan
Aired August 06, 2008 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Landing on 10,000 plants of pot.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These aren't Cheech and Chong plants. They're doing this to make a lot of money.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Cracking down weed inside a national forest. Inside the covert operation to smoke it out.
Plus, 21st century Captain Hook.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're on the hunt for modern day pirates.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Our Paula Newton gets on board with the British Royal Navy on this AMERICAN MORNING.
It's a Thursday morning. We're talking about pot plants and pirates today.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. And you know what better show than you have for that. Waking up to that would be -- well, you definitely want to see that. Dan Simon diving into basically a marijuana jungle just right in our backyard.
CHETRY: Right. Our own backyard.
We have Rob Marciano with us in for John Roberts. Good to see you.
MARCIANO: Likewise. Nice to be here halfway through the week. I hope John is enjoying his well-deserved time off.
CHETRY: Me, too.
MARCIANO: Well, we begin this morning with what federal prosecutors are calling the biggest identify theft in U.S. history. Eleven people have been indicted, accused of stealing more than 40 million credit and debit card numbers. Federal authorities say the massive international scheme involved hacking into computer systems at major retailers including Barnes and Noble, TJ Maxx and Sports Authority. Investigators say it's still unclear how much money was stolen.
A soaring Wall Street expected to pick up where it left off yesterday. A decision to keep interest rates the same and falling oil prices helped boost stocks. The Dow closed up 331 points yesterday. Many say better than expected earnings reports and no economic data could keep the rally going today.
Actor Morgan Freeman said to be doing well this morning after undergoing lengthy surgery to reconnect nerves and repair damage to his left arm and hand. His publicist says the Oscar-winning actor is walking, talking with his family, and looking forward to his release from the hospital. Freeman and a passenger were injured Sunday when he lost control of his car which flipped over several times in Mississippi.
CHETRY: We have some breaking news. President Bush expressing "deep concerns about human rights in China." Right now, he's heading to Thailand to deliver a major speech on Asia policy. The speech comes just days before the opening ceremonies in Beijing which President Bush will attend.
He arrives in Bangkok in the next 60 minutes, and CNN's Dan Rivers is live right now in Bangkok this morning with more on the president's trip. Good morning, Dan.
DAN RIVERS, CNN BANGKOK CORRESPONDENT: Yes, hi. We've got a copy of the president's speech. Quite unusual for them to give us a copy this far in advance. He's speaking on Thursday. In it he says very pressing comments about China.
"The United States believes the people of China deserve the fundamental liberty that is the natural right of all human beings." He goes on, "So America stands firm in opposition to China's detention of political dissidents, human rights advocates and religious activists."
So not mincing his words there. He also says change in China will arrive on its own terms and in keeping with its own history and tradition, yet change will arrive. And these comments coming about 24 hours before the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Beijing.
So carefully calibrated comments made here in Thailand before he gets to Beijing, but careful comments nonetheless that will sting a little bit, I would think, the leadership in China. Comments about political freedom, about religious freedom and about human rights.
CHETRY: Very interesting. We have Dan Rivers in Bangkok, Thailand, for us this morning. Thanks.
MARCIANO: Turning to the "Most Politics in the Morning" now. John McCain and Barack Obama will be back in the battleground states today talking to voters about energy and the economy. Senators McCain and Obama are laying out plans for America's energy future and slamming each other's proposals for sure.
McCain wants to drill offshore for oil. Obama has railed against it in the past, and the candidates addressed the hot button issue while touring the Rust Belt yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The fact is we have to drill here and we have to drill now and we have to drill immediately. And it has to be done as quickly as possible. And I believe that it's vital that we move forward with that regardless of what we do on other energy issues.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We can't simply pretend as Senator McCain does that we can drill our way out of our problem.
By the way, T. Boone Pickens is about as conservative a guy as there is. That's a serious Republican there. Oilman. Made of money. Drilling. He says, we can't drill our way out of the problem. I think he knows more about it than John McCain.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARCIANO: Meantime, Barack Obama has a five-point lead over John McCain in CNN's latest poll of polls. Obama's at 48 percent, McCain at 43 percent. Nine percent still unsure. Obama's lead is up slightly from the three-point margin he held on Friday. He led by six points in a poll just a week ago.
Well, the CNN poll and others have some political observers wondering why the race is so close. Given an unpopular Republican president and a country seemingly ready for change, shouldn't Barack Obama have a bigger lead over John McCain?
Well, CNN's Jessica Yellin looks at that and what the Obama campaign is doing about it.
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Rob, Kiran, the political climate favors Barack Obama. But so far that's not translating into a landslide margin for him. Pollsters say there's a reason some voters are holding back.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
YELLIN (voice-over): Most Americans are grim about the state of the economy, unimpressed with progress in Iraq, and unhappy with the Republican in the White House. Voters want change. And poll after poll shows they favor Democrats in November.
You might think the stage is set for the Democratic presidential candidate to coast to an easy victory. So why is Obama holding on to just a narrow advantage?
BILL SCHNEIDER, SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: I don't think it's his lineage, nor do I think it's his policies. I think it's the fact that he's young and relatively inexperienced.
YELLIN: An NBC News/"Wall Street Journal" poll from July shows that 43 percent of Americans say they don't relate to Obama's background or values. In other words, to many, he's unknown. The McCain campaign is trying to capitalize on that telling voters Obama can't be trusted. And ads like this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, MCCAIN CAMPAIGN AD)
NARRATOR: He's the biggest celebrity in the world. But is he ready to lead?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YELLIN: The Obama campaign insists this is all to be expected, but they do know they've got work to do. Introducing Barack Obama, that's the key idea. Making voters feel comfortable with him. Like he's a guy they know and who knows them.
So they're replacing the big crowds with smaller settings. Taking questions.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What is your plan for education for our children?
YELLIN: And hitting back hard against McCain's attacks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, CAMPAIGN AD)
NARRATOR: John McCain. His attacks on Barack Obama, not true. False. Baloney. The low road. Baseless.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YELLIN: Political observers say the numbers could change dramatically. That is, if undecided voters decide to trust the new guy. But the McCain campaign is working to ensure that doesn't happen.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
YELLIN: The unknown in all of this is the role of race. Charges of playing the race card erupted on both sides last week. Now, the fact that Obama is the first African-American in his position could be a reason some voters feel he is unfamiliar. Voters said he holds different values. But just what role race will play is still unknown -- Rob, Kiran.
CHETRY: Jessica Yellin for us, thank you.
Well, Paris Hilton also getting in on the politics, taking a playful shot at John McCain. The hotel heiress responding to McCain's attack ad. Here it is, where he compared Barack Obama to her and Britney Spears, and called Obama the biggest celebrity in the world.
Well, Hilton rolled out her spot on the comedy Web site funnyordie.com. Here she is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PARIS HILTON, ACTRESS: That wrinkly white-haired guy used me in his campaign ad, which I guess means I'm running for president. So thanks for the endorsement white-haired dude. And I want America to know that I'm like totally ready to lead.
And now, I want to present my energy policy for America. Barack wants to focus on new technologies to cut foreign oil dependency, and McCain wants offshore drilling. Well, why don't we do a hybrid of both candidates' ideas? Energy crisis solved. I'll see you at the debate [bleep].
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Oh, she looks little -- pretty smart there. Maybe one of the campaigns want to sign her up. How about that? Nice bathing suit as well.
Well, the McCain camp says, "Sounds like Paris is taking the all of the above approach that John McCain has advocated. Both alternatives and drilling."
Now in the past the Hilton family has supported the Republican Party, even donating money to McCain's campaign.
MARCIANO: And as a reminder you could always write in.
Also new this morning, federal authorities say they have cracked down the largest case of identity theft in the history of the United States. This morning 11 people have been charged with stealing and selling 40 million credit and debit card numbers from shoppers at major corporations including the likes of TJ Maxx and Marshalls.
The thefts began in 2003 and continued through this year. Investigators say the criminal ring stretched from the United States to Eastern Europe all the way to Asia, and it used sophisticated hacking techniques to steal sensitive information from wireless networks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL CHERTOFF, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: This is from the standpoint of what I guess you would describe as a white collar crime, probably one of the biggest challenges we face in the 21st century. Huge amounts of money move over the Internet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARCIANO: The Feds say it's still too early to know the extent of losses, and the Department of Homeland Security says it's working with stores to close cyber holes.
CHETRY: Well, America's growing credit crunch in the news yet again. There's a new report out this morning saying that clients of Morgan Stanley were told, you cannot withdraw funds from your home equity line of credit. What it means for your money. Ali Velshi is back.
MARCIANO: Pirate patrol.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They were not happy with the reports as they got back from the ship. So here we go.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARCIANO: We're along for the ride as the military prepares to fight heavily armed criminals cruising the seas. You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARCIANO: "Shady's Back."
CHETRY: Yes, guess who's back? It's Ali Velshi, fresh from vacation in Croatia. I guess what happens without you.
ALI VELSHI, SENIOR BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: You know, there's very little I can do, right? I mean, I've got nothing I can do with my head. I can wear the ties and the vests and this. So I was off for a little while, but I'd sail around the Adriatic I thought I'd let this grow a little bit.
I thought I would let it grow until such time that gas goes up again because if you notice while I've been away, oil and gas have been dropping.
CHETRY: Can I just say one thing?
VELSHI: Yes.
CHETRY: It's 6:12 right now, Eastern time. I'm just saying if anyone wants to do a poll on how long you get the e-mail from the boss.
VELSHI: Oh, yes.
CHETRY: Shave it now.
VELSHI: One of two things is going to happen. Gas prices going up or the boss is going to call and say, get rid of that thing. Do you have any opinions on the matter?
MARCIANO: Oh, here we go.
VELSHI: Please, let me know.
We do have a lot of news this morning, by the way. It's good to see you both. It's great to be back at work. We have news -- these are interesting news from Morgan Stanley, which we're working very hard to get some details on right now from them. But Morgan Stanley is apparently freezing thousands of home equity lines of credits of its customers.
Now, what the reports are saying is that the clients whose home equity lines of credit are being frozen are those who have lines of credit against property which has lost value, in some cases, not enough value to make that line of credit work. So clients' properties have lost value. What Morgan Stanley has apparently done has written to thousands of clients saying they cannot withdraw funds against their credit lines and the bank is going to review all home equity lines of credit on a monthly basis now.
We have heard stories of this over the course of the last few months. Obviously, if your home is losing value, the bank may sit there and say, all right, we don't want to have you -- let you have that much credit. IndyMac, obviously, when it failed those lines of credit were frozen.
Washington Mutual has frozen some. GreenPoint Mortgage, which is a unit of Capital One, has frozen mortgages. We've also heard of lines of credits being decreased or closed at some banks including Washington Mutual, Bank of America, Citibank and J.P. Morgan Chase.
So something for you to look at. If you've got a line of credit that is, you know, you've got more on that line of credit than you're using or your home value has gone down, you might find the bank saying you don't get that anymore. So when you make your monthly payment, your line of credit may come down along with it.
MARCIANO: So if it's there, you should take it now?
VELSHI: Well, you don't want to be doing irresponsible things. You don't want to take it if you can't pay it back. But you definitely want to be in touch with your bank. You definitely want to look at your line of credit and see where you stand, and what would happen if the bank took it away.
MARCIANO: I'm trying to look him in the eye. Really, now.
CHETRY: You know the funny thing he grows facial hair so fast that that happened in like 20 minutes.
MARCIANO: Yes. There you go. I might take this --
CHETRY: He didn't have that.
MARCIANO: Thank you, Ali.
VELSHI: All right.
MARCIANO: Well, the Fu Man (ph) shoeless John McCain is promoting his energy policy. He tours a nuclear plant and slams Barack Obama's ideas. Hear what the presumptive Republican nominee is saying in his own words. CHETRY: Also, the gulf coast dealing with the aftermath of what was Tropical Storm Edouard. There is some new concern this morning that hurricane season could be more active than originally thought this year. We're going to talk all about it when the "Most News in the Morning" comes right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARCIANO: Well, this year's hurricane season could be a little busier than originally forecast. Noted hurricane researcher, Dr. William Gray, bumping up his prediction after an already active hurricane season.
He said he and his team at Colorado State University are calling for now 17 named storms, nine hurricanes with five of them becoming major storms. They previously predicted 15 named storms this hurricane season, so that's bumping everything by two. The Atlantic hurricane season runs through November.
Let's bring in Jacqui Jeras. Jacqui, I've got to believe that because we're already on the fifth named storm and we're not even into prime time here...
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Right.
MARCIANO: ... that's got to be one of the reasons that Dr. Gray upped the ante here.
JERAS: Absolutely. And plenty of time for a lot more development. Peak date, by the way, September 10th. And Gray also put out a new prediction with that saying there's a 67 percent chance of a major hurricane making U.S. landfall. Those are odds none of us certainly like.
Well, we've had Edouard. That's a storm we could all take, right? Very minimal damage. Just some power outages and some minor tree damage, and that's about it. Still holding on to tropical depression status so still has some tropical characteristics. And that will bring some rain still across parts of the Hill Country and central Texas.
Much worse conditions really pushing in across the northeast at this hour. Showers and thundershowers, lots of lightning, some heavy downpour certainly impacting your morning commute and some of your flights potentially from New York City on up towards Boston. Be aware of that.
Thunderstorms becoming severe we think this afternoon across the nation's midsection. A big swath here really from Colorado extending over towards the Carolinas. Large hail and damaging winds will be our primary concern, but you can't rule out a tornado or two maybe in parts of Kansas and down into Oklahoma as well.
A lot of heat out there, too, Rob. Things have been suppressed in the nation's midsection but now, we're looking at the Carolinas for those triple digits. MARCIANO: All right. Smoking hot east. Thanks, Jacqui -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Barack Obama making a joint appearance with Evan Bayh in Indiana fueling speculation about an Obama-Bayh Democratic ticket. We're going to take a look at what the Indiana senator can do as a running mate.
Also newly released police files relating to the case of missing British girl, Madeleine McCann. Well, now, Madeleine's parents are demanding answers after another sighting of their little girl. You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: The "Most Politics in the Morning" now. And as part of CNN's commitment to helping you make an informed choice this November, we're showing you more of the candidates' message to voters so you can get a better picture of where they stand on the issues.
Here's Senator John McCain. He's in Michigan taking on Barack Obama's energy policy and laying out his plan for solving America's energy crisis.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I saw that Senator Obama's latest attack has got to do with oil and campaign contributions. I think he might be a little bit confused because when the energy bill came to the floor of the Senate full of goodies and breaks for the oil companies, I voted against it. Senator Obama voted for it.
People care not only what you say, but how you vote. Now solving our national energy crisis requires, as I've mentioned, an all of the above approach. And that will require aggressive development of alternative energies like wind, solar, tide and biofuels. It also requires expanding traditional sources of energy such as offshore drilling. And I noticed that there's confusing, now, information from Senator Obama as to whether he actually supports offshore drilling or not.
The fact is, we have to drill here and we have to drill now and we have to drill immediately. And it has to be done as quickly as possible. And I believe that it's vital that we move forward with that regardless of what we do on other energy issues.
Senator Obama has said that expanding our nuclear power plants "doesn't make sense for America." He also says no to nuclear storage and no to reprocessing. I could not disagree more.
My experience with nuclear power goes back many years to being stationed on board the USS Enterprise, the first nuclear powered aircraft. I knew it was aircraft carrier. I knew it was safe then, and I know it's safe now.
And I proposed a plan to build 45 new nuclear plants before the year 2030. And that would provide 700,000 jobs for American workers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: So there was John McCain in his own words. We're going to hear from Barack Obama on energy a little bit later in the hour.
MARCIANO: The veepstakes front and center on the campaign trail. Barack Obama appears with Senator Evan Bayh in Bayh's home state of Indiana. Could Obama pick Bayh as his running mate? We'll take a look.
Pillow, $7. Extra leg room, $20. Kiran says comfortable flight, priceless. Some of the charges the airline passengers are facing.
We'll talk about it. Is there anything for free?
You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY LENO, HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO": And here's what we know about Evan Bayh. He was going to run for president. He dropped out after getting less than two percent of the vote -- less than two percent. He was actually losing to low fat milk. OK? Two percent.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARCIANO: Well, Americans could learn more about the -- whether Evan Bayh is going to be a VP of the Democratic Party. We'll see about that. The Indiana senator has been mentioned as a possible running mate for Barack Obama. And this morning the two senators appeared together at a town hall meeting in Elkhart, Indiana. And it's sure to be full of speculation, that's for sure.
Joining us now from Washington, Jonathan Capehart, editorial writer of the "Washington Post."
Good morning, Jonathan. Let's talk about Mr. Bayh.
JONATHAN CAPEHART, EDITORIAL WRITER, "WASHINGTON POST": Good morning, Rob.
MARCIANO: Is he a contender? What does he have going for him?
CAPEHART: Well, that's what it seems like. Last week there was a flurry of speculation about three names that were allegedly on the top list -- top of the list for Senator Obama. They were Governor Tim Kaine of Georgia, Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana and Senator Joe Biden of Delaware.
We saw Governor Kaine out in front of the press all last week giving interviews with Charlie Rose and lots of other reporters were following him. And that was viewed as a possible audition. Today the appearance with Senator Obama and Senator Bayh is being thought of as another part of that process of the audition. You get the -- we, the media, get the pictures of the two of them together. It allows people to see the two senators together and have people imagine what that might look like. Also, it gives the potential for people who've been covering Senator Bayh for years.
And let's remember, he and his family are legendary in Indiana. He is a former governor and has held other statewide offices in Indiana. So, you know, Senator Bayh is someone who would bring a lot to Senator Obama. And so that's why I think it's only natural that he would be considered to be at the top of the list.
MARCIANO: So you're calling --
CAPEHART: Not the top of the list, but on the list.
MARCIANO: On the list. So you're calling this an audition. It's not a coming out party.
CAPEHART: Right.
MARCIANO: I don't expect that he'll make any sort of announcement today. Is this the way the process goes? I mean, they audition these guys in front of the public?
CAPEHART: Oh, sure. Rob, you sound surprised. This happens. This happens all the time because the vetters are combing through the background -- through their backgrounds.
And remember, they're always coy about whether they're being vetted, whether they've given over information, if they really are being vetted. And then this last piece is -- would allow the campaigns to hear more things about the candidate that they couldn't get through the vetting process and also find out what people think of the possible person.
Governor Tim Kaine, for example, is someone who gets high marks. He's a popular governor of Virginia. Virginia is a red state, and Senator Obama is hoping to turn it blue. But through the process of talking about Governor Kaine, other things bubbled up such as Governor Kaine is a one-term governor from Virginia --
MARCIANO: John, let me interrupt.
CAPEHART: And so he -- what they learned was that he might highlight the inexperience that Senator Obama has at the top of the ticket. That's the point.
MARCIANO: Speaking of bubbling up, what seemingly won't go away is his tire inflating issue. I mean, Senator McCain is passing out gauges that say this is Barack Obama's energy plan. They went tit for tat yesterday. Again, take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's like these guys take pride in being ignorant. You know? I mean, they think it's funny that they're making fun of something that is actually true. They need to do their homework.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARCIANO: That's Senator Barack Obama. Here's what Senator McCain had to say about that in a statement. He says, "Barack Obama does not have the judgment or experience to understand that Americans are choosing between offshore drilling and inflating their tires. They're demanding action now."
You know, if I was Barack Obama, I would want to bury this whole tire thing. Why won't this thing go away?
CAPEHART: Well, you know, the tire thing, you know, Senator Obama is right. You know, if you inflate your tires, you can save -- nationally you can save millions, probably billions of gallons of oil. It's something that Governor Crist of Florida, a Republican has encouraged people to do. It's something Governor Schwarzenegger, Republican in California, has encouraged the people of California to do.
What's happening here is they're each trying to undermine the other one's arguments in this energy debate. If you notice in Senator McCain's statement against Senator Obama, there were the words judgment and experience. You're going to see that in every criticism about Senator Obama whether it's filling up your tires, offshore drilling, Medicare, taxes, you name it.
And so, what Senator McCain is trying to do is not only raise doubts in people's minds about Senator Obama's judgment and experience, but at the same time he's belittling Senator Obama's proposals, which, you know, even Republicans say are good ideas.
MARCIANO: Jonathan Capehart with the "Wall Street Journal," thank for your insight this morning. Always fun, Jonathan.
CAPEHART: "Washington Post."
MARCIANO: "Washington Post," you're right. Excuse me.
Kiran, back to you.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: All right, thanks, Rob. Well, just about 30 minutes past the hour. Some of the big stories we're following this morning. The last known survivor of an ice avalanche on Pakistan's K2 being treated right now for severe frostbite. He and two other people were rescued from the world's second highest peak early this morning by helicopter.
Saturday's avalanche killed 11 people as the group was making its way down the mountain. It is the deadliest incident on K2 since 1995 when 13 climbers died. Members of Congress seeing red over a report that shows Iraq swimming in green. The Government Accountability Office says that Iraq could end the year with a $79 billion budget surplus. And that's due to booming oil revenues and a lack of money spent on rebuilding the country. U.S. lawmakers called the situation, quote, "inexcusable." And they're demanding Baghdad shoulder more of the burden for reconstruction.
Well, the Bush administration denies faking a letter to show a link between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda as a way of justifying the U.S. invasion of Iraq. That charge comes in a new book by journalist Ron Suskind who claims that the president's case for war was a total, quote, "deception." He says the letter supposedly from Saddam Hussein's intelligence chief said 9/11 hijacker Mohamed Atta trained for the mission in Iraq. The White House calls the fake letter allegation, quote, "absurd."
If you've flown recently you know the prize of a plane ticket is only the tip of the iceberg. If you want anything else, you've got to fork it over. CNN's Susan Candiotti reports on the growing number of fees for the things that used to be free.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kiran, Rob, we've put on our body armor today before we started asking passengers about what they think of all the added fees that seem to just keep on coming.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDIOTTI (voice-over): If you want to get comfy on JetBlue's leather seats with a pillow and blanket, get ready to pony up $7. We couldn't find any takers on a New York to Florida run.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'll use my own pillow. Thank you very much.
CANDIOTTI: You have your own pillow with you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have my own pillow, right here.
CANDIOTTI: There it is.
Personal pillows the latest add-on fee to help offset rising fuel costs. JetBlue also charges up to $20 for extra leg room. Estimating it will step up revenue by $40 million this year.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think it's fair charging it out to us as consumers.
CANDIOTTI: Whether it's $15 for your first checked bag on five airlines or $2 for soft drinks and water as U.S. Airways charges, passengers aren't happy.
Will you pay extra for all those little things you used to get for free?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not me.
CANDIOTTI: Not ever?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Never.
CANDIOTTI: Southwest is the only airline not charging for extras. And poking fun at others who are.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Southwest, fees don't fly with us.
JUSTIN BERGMAN, BUDGET TRAVEL: People are just sick of being nickeled and dimed to death. You know, they want to know what they're going to have to pay.
CANDIOTTI: OK, says Spirit Airline CEO. In exchange for cut rate fares, Spirit charges ala carte fees for most everything else.
BEN BALDANZA, PRES. CEO, SPIRIT AIRLINES: You can decide to pack a little lighter, you can decide to take less baggage, you can decide to eat something before you get on the airplane and avoid the fee as opposed to just raising the base fares $20 or $30 to cover, and you have to pay that no matter what you do. So, it puts control on the consumers' hands and we like that.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CANDIOTTI: With airlines taking in millions, thanks to those new special fees. It looks like those items ala carte items may be here to stay.
Kiran?
Rob?
CHETRY: Susan Candiotti for us, thanks.
MARCIANO: Well, Barack Obama laying out his energy plan and laying in to his Republican rival for mocking his proposals. We'll hear from Senator Obama in his own words.
CHETRY: And the waters off the coast of Somalia, a dangerous place. Modern day pirates hijacking ships. Ahead, we go along for a ride. You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Fixing America's energy crisis. It's been a major focus for both John McCain and Barack Obama out on the campaign trail. And AMERICAN MORNING is committed to helping you make an informed choice this November. And so, we're showing you more about what the candidates are saying to voters in their own words so that you can get a better picture of where they stand on the issues. Here's Senator Obama pushing his plan and blasting his opponent.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) OBAMA: The other day I was in a town hall meeting and I've laid out my plans for investing $15 billion a year, energy efficient cars and the new electricity grid and all this. Somebody said, well, what can I do? What can individuals do? So, I told him something simple. I said, you know what, you could inflate your tires to the proper levels. And that if everybody in America inflated their tires to the proper level, we would actually probably save more oil than all the oil that we'd get from John McCain drilling right below his feet there, wherever it is that he was going to -- wherever he was going to drill.
So, now, the Republicans are going around. This is the kind of thing they do. I don't understand it. They're going around. They're sending, like, little tire gauges. Making fun of this idea. And that this is Barack Obama's energy plan.
Now, two points. One, they know they're lying about what my energy plan is. But the other thing is, they're making fun of a step that every expert says would absolutely reduce our oil consumption by three to four percent.
(APPLAUSE)
It's like -- it's like -- it's like these guys take pride in being ignorant. You know? I mean, they think it's funny that they're making fun of something that is actually true. They need to do their home work, because this is serious business. Instead of running ads about Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, they should go talk to some energy experts and actually make a difference.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: There you go. Who knew there'd be so much debate on the political trail about tire inflation and tire gauges?
MARCIANO: And it's really all about safety, too. If your tires are properly inflated, it's much safer.
CHETRY: Yes, we all agree it is better. But just how important and how much of a difference it would make, both campaigns have a different take on that. But it is certainly interesting. And in about 40 minutes, we're going to hear from John McCain about the war in Iraq.
The new pirates.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It used to be piracy was a crime in which the ship was hijacked. Now it's the crew that are worth a king's ransom.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Danger on the high seas. Taking on heavily armed thugs running wild on the open water. You're watching the "Most News in the Morning." (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARCIANO: Armed pirates targeting ships and crew members in the Arabian Sea. It sounds like a movie plot, but it's not. CNN's Paula Newton went along with sailors off the coast of England and found that modern-day pirates causing terror on the open seas.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Good morning. You know, modern-day Captain Hooks are now threatening key strategic shipping routes around the world. We're with the British Royal Navy now training to combat them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a coalition warship.
NEWTON (voice-over): The call goes out. HMS Cumberland has just spotted a suspicious boat. They're on the hunt for modern-day pirates. Air support is called in. On this day, it's a pretty true to life training mission off the coast of England. But in just a few months, Cumberland will be in the Arabian Sea, part of a multinational coalition trying to catch up with the Captain Hooks of the modern age.
PETER SPARKES, COMMANDING OFFICER, HMS CUMBERLAND: The modern- day pirate is very much not Johnny Depp in the "Pirates of the Caribbean." They are generally Somalis operating in small skiff type (INAUDIBLE) armed with AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenades.
NEWTON (on camera): We've now been given permission to board the boat. That's what's going on during this training. We're now heading off with the British Royal Navy team here. They say that they will board the boat and try to determine if they have any arms on board. They are also looking for drugs, looking to see any kind of suspicious behavior. They were not happy with the report that they got back from the ship. So, here we go.
(voice-over): The sailors have no idea what's coming. They board the boat, interrogate the crew, conduct the search. And yet, this is one of the few times a modern army has actually taken on pirates.
Last April, French commandos stormed a luxury yacht where 30 people were being held for ransom. All were rescued. The pirates shipped back to France for trial. And it's about time says John Burnett, once a victim of piracy, and now an author and consultant on the subject. He says piracy is dangerously out of control.
JOHN BURNETT, AUTHOR, "DANGEROUS WATERS": It used to be piracy was a crime in which the ship was hijacked and the ship was valuable. Or the cargo that the ship carried was valuable and was sold on the black market. Now, it's the crew. It's the men and women who are crewmembers on these ships that are worth a king's ransom.
NEWTON: Back on the Cumberland, sailors know what they're up against. Taking down pirates will take more police work than naval maneuvers. NEWTON: Think about it. Trying to police 2.5 million square miles of high seas. It isn't easy. And there has been a moderate spike in piracy incidents since the beginning of this year.
Paula Newton, CNN, on the HMS Cumberland off the coast of England.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: And still ahead, illegal immigrants growing marijuana on public land. We're going to take a look at efforts to destroy the pot plant.
Political props. Jeanne Moos lets the air out of McCain's latest attack.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: All this talk about tire pressure is raising my blood pressure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARCIANO: When it comes to solving America's energy problems, John McCain seems to think Barack Obama is full of hot air.
CHETRY: That's right. I mean, who knew we'd be doing so much research this morning on tire gauge pressure and how much gas we could save. But the McCain campaign has a brand-new political weapon to drive the point home. Here's CNN's Jeanne Moos.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Could this be the hiss of the air going out? Of a political stunt? The tire pressure gauge has become the political prop of the week as the McCain campaign uses it to try to deflate Senator Obama.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESUMPTIVE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: He suggested we put air in our tires to save on gas.
We're not going to achieve energy independence by inflating our tires.
The only thing I've heard him say is that we should inflate our tires.
MOOS: This is what Senator Obama did say as he ticked off things individuals could do to save energy.
OBAMA: Making sure your tires are properly inflated. MOOS: Those seven words became what the McCain campaign dubbed "Obama's energy plan." Emblazoned on tire pressure gauges they handed out on the press plane.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tire pressure gauges.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, thank you.
MOOS: The McCain folks even handed out tire gauges to people lining up for an Obama rally. They're being sold on eBay for 10 bucks. Over and over Senator McCain used tire inflation to tread on Obama.
MCCAIN: Do you think that's enough to break our dependence on Middle Eastern oil?
My opponent doesn't want to drill. He doesn't want nuclear power. He wants you to inflate your tires.
MOOS: Tire pressure. Tire pressure. All this talk about tire pressure is raising my blood pressure. Something wrong with my blood pressure. Boo, his. Is what columnist Joe Klein is saying.
JOE KLEIN, TIME MAGAZINE: I think the McCain campaign has this weird idea that you can win a presidential election through mockery.
MOOS: But the Automobile Association of America isn't mocking tire inflation, on a vehicle like this, just one tire.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: See. About four pounds underinflated.
MOOS: Could result in this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So you're losing about eight percent of your fuel economy.
MOOS: After several days of Republican spin on the tire issue, Obama got tired of it.
OBAMA: They're going around. They're sending like little tire gauges, making fun of this idea, and that this is Barack Obama's energy plan.
MOOS: His actual energy plan fills page after page on his Web site.
OBAMA: It's like these guys take pride in being ignorant. They think it's funny that they're making fun of something that is actually true.
MOOS: But watch your back, tire pressure gauges can be hazardous. This guy used one to create a pipe to smoke ganja. And our AAA expert found out it's not just the gauge.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oops, sorry.
MOOS: That's feeling the pressure.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You OK?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. That hurt a little bit.
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: There you have it. By the way, the McCain campaign e- mailed us with a reminder that John McCain did say that he does agree we should keep our tires inflated to the optimum level. He just doesn't think that it's enough to break our dependence on foreign oil. And like we said, there's a bunch of these Web sites like PolitiFact, who say that if you're talking in plausibility, there is a chance, perhaps, that if we all were running on optimum tire pressure we could save as much as we could possibly get from offshore drilling.
(CROSSTALK)
MARCIANO: (INAUDIBLE) has done their tests saying that, you know, it doesn't make much of a difference. So, anyway, inflate them to the proper level, if not for just safety only and for ride comfort.
CHETRY: Exactly.
Biggest identity theft ever. 40 million credit card numbers stolen as fast as you can swipe them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The bad guys are smart, too. They continue to probe, try to corrupt the system.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: The Feds say someone may be using yours right now.
Plus, landing on 10,000 pot plants.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These aren't Cheech and Chong plants. They're doing it to make a lot of money.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Tracking down weed inside of a national forest. Inside the covert operation to smoke it out.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: All right. Still ahead, a new political ad out this morning. Unlike any you've ever seen. It's Paris Hilton and her response to an ad that linked her to Barack Obama. We're going to show it to you in 20 minutes. MARCIANO: Now, the top videos right now on CNN.com. Check this out. A Utah farmer has erected a fence out of old cars to send a message to his new neighbors that he can do whatever he wants on his property. Rick Davis calls it his Redneck Stonehenge. He came up with the idea after neighbors who recently moved into the new homes next to his farm complained about the flies and smell. But he refused to split the cost of the fence.
Also, an amazing discovery in Congo. This is amazing. Scientists found about 125,000 gorillas living in a remote swamp in Africa. That's more than double the number thought to survive worldwide. The scientist found the endangered animals on a tip from a hunter.
And love is in the air, so is the bride, the groom and a preacher. This British couple took to the wings of a biplane to exchange their wedding vows. And those are the most popular videos right now on CNN.com.
CHETRY: Well, there's thick vegetation, few roads and no pesky neighbors. And Mexican drug cartels have figured out that public land in America is the perfect place to grow marijuana.
Well, now the feds are making sure that this harvest never happens. Our Dan Simon dropped down in the middle of a pot field to check out operation locust. Here's a look.
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kiran and Rob, we're in the middle of the wilderness, Sequoia National Park. It takes about two or three hours to hike in here. Fortunately, we were dropped in by helicopter. And here in this small area, we are surrounded by at least 10,000 marijuana plants.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SIMON (voice-over): The Mexican drug cartels have figured out this is one of the best places in the world to grow marijuana. The forestland in the California sierra. Illegal immigrants set up shop in makeshift camps hours from civilization.
Are they here 24/7 watching over this place?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're here 24/7. There is a tremendous amount of product here, tremendous amount of money source that's here.
SIMON: Lieutenant Mike Boudreau (ph) is leading a raid on the crop and the people who grow it. Part of a ramped up effort to smoke out marijuana gardens on public land.
It infuriates a lot of people.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely.
SIMON: That people can cross illegally into this country and grow marijuana on public land. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely. It's something that's troublesome for many of us in law enforcement. You have illegal criminal activity occurring in the mountain regions not only destroying the natural beauty of the landscape, but as well as the potential for this product to reach the children of our community.
SIMON: Finding and destroying the gardens has become a top priority for the nation's drug czar, John Walters. In one week as part of a covert operation, authorities say they destroyed 340,000 plants and arrested three dozen suspects.
JOHN WALTERS, DIR. NATL. DRUG CONTROL POLICY: These aren't Cheech and Chong plants, and people who farm now are not doing this for laughs despite the fact Hollywood still thinks that. They're doing it to make a lot of money. And the single biggest source of the money for the guys with the horrific violence along the border on the Mexican side and our side now are making it from marijuana.
SIMON: The plants are nurtured by irrigation systems. A network of hoses feeding the thirsty plants in the often triple digit heat. Each plant able to produce a pound of high quality marijuana.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SIMON: The street value for this marijuana garden alone is about $40 million. All these plants are going to be destroyed and eradication efforts just like this are going to be taking place all summer long. In fact, they'll go with the very end of September.
Rob and Kiran, back to you.
CHETRY: Fascinating story. Thanks, Dan.
Here's some more on marijuana use in an "A.M. Extra" now. According to Drug Enforcement Agency, marijuana is the most widely used illegal drug in the U.S. It's also the only major drug grown domestically. In a study in 2003 found that 57 percent of adults have smoked it in their lifetime and that same study found that nearly 50 percent of 12 graders say they've at least tried it.
MARCIANO: And on a side note, Cheech and Chong are now back together.
CHETRY: Exactly. Reunited. And it feels so good.
MARCIANO: It's almost the top of the hour now. Here are this morning's top stories. The biggest rip off ever. More than 40 million credit and debit cards hacked. The Justice Department says 11 people have been indicted for breaking into computer systems at several major chains. The damage to bank accounts in the U.S. could total tens of millions of dollars, maybe more.
President Bush is expected to arrive in Bangkok within the hour. This morning he's expressed, quote, "Deep concerns about human rights in China." The president will be at the opening ceremonies in Beijing on Friday. Today, he'll deliver what's billed to be a major Asian policy speech.
Barack Obama has a narrow five point lead over John McCain in CNN's latest poll of polls. Obama is at 48 percent, McCain at 43 percent. Nine percent of the registered voters are still unsure who they'll vote for. Obama's lead is up slightly from the three point margin held on Friday. But he led by six, you may remember, a week ago.
