Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
GM's Dealers May Be Eliminated; Obama Notre Dame Drama; Pelosi Admits Knowledge of Waterboarding; Filly Making Her Way to the Pimlico Race; Gore's Plea for Jailed Journalists
Aired May 15, 2009 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning. Once again, it is Friday, May 15th, 8:00 right on the nose here in New York.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning to you. Thanks for being with us. And here's what's on this morning's agenda. Stories that we'll be breaking down for you in the next 15 minutes.
A new shock through the heart of the U.S. economy. General Motors about to tell many of its dealerships to close. So how many jobs are on the chopping block?
Our CNN money team has got that story this morning.
Controversy awaiting President Obama at Notre Dame's commencement this weekend. The president is a supporter of abortion rights, and that has outraged many that he'll be honored at the premier Catholic school where abortion is considered a sin. But what do most students think?
And House Speaker Nancy Pelosi coming under fire from both sides of the aisle for claiming that the CIA misled Congress about using waterboarding tactics on terror suspects. In a news conference yesterday, Pelosi admitted for the first time she was informed about the CIA using the technique. That was in early 2003.
But first, thousands of car dealers across the nation are on notice today. Their days of selling GM cars and trucks are numbered. The struggling automaker is expected to announce today that it's shutting down 2600 dealerships. A major blow to communities across the nation with the dealers are part of the bedrock of the local economy.
Christine Romans is "Minding Your Business" this morning. She joins us now.
General Motors, they are looking at closing. Chrysler started handing out the notifications yesterday.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I think today GM dealers can expect maybe 1,000, maybe up to 2,000 of them are going to get a notice from GM that they will no longer GM licensed dealers. And you said there the bedrock of the community. You're absolutely right.
You know, they support everything from the local, little league to, you know, people start their Washington cars and work their way up to learn how to be good salesmen. I mean, they go to the very -- all kinds of different jobs from tech support to working out the insurance paper work and rebates and the like and warranties, car, you know, mechanics. Everything.
Twenty-six hundred dealerships for GM. You know, there are 300,000 employees at the dealers. This is not a Detroit story. This is a main street everybody. Everybody has these dealers in their backyard now. Overlap in some of the areas. We're told that rural dealerships are the best situation, because they are looking at places in, you know, in metro areas where there is two or three dealers, and they're going to get rid of one perhaps. So they're going to find that state of GM dealers.
ROBERTS: Some of these mega dealers are the ones that are surviving, right? Not the mom and pop operations?
ROMANS: Yes, that's right. And the mom and pop operations, the ones have been there forever and, you know, the family name has been passed down, these are the, you know, the names in the neighborhood.
CHETRY: You have a little paper -- paperwork there about Chrysler's announcement yesterday, just showing how many cities across the country are affected.
ROMANS: This is the bankruptcy filing. The Chrysler banks are saying that Exhibit A lists all the dealers that will close and it is 42 pages, single-spaced. All of these names. You know, you just sit down and like really go through it. I was looking for my home state, going through and seeing all the places in Iowa and the Midwest that are going to be -- that are being closed down. I mean, these are places where the dealer is really part of the community and, you know, sponsors of the community.
Seven hundred and eight-nine Chrysler dealers and 38,000 people, Edmunds.com estimates, will lose their job at those dealers from Chrysler.
ROBERTS: Got a "Romans' Numeral" for us this morning?
ROMANS: I do. I do. And that number is, 636 is that number. Care to guess what's 636 could be pertaining to this big story of the day?
CHETRY: The average car payment for a household?
ROMANS: That's a good guess. It's the average weekly pay for a typical auto dealer employee. So these are middle-class jobs. These are middle-class jobs that we're talking about here. Six hundred and thirty-six dollars a week is the average pay of these folks. So you're looking at communities that are facing, people making $30,000 to $35,000 a year who will be -- the owner, not the top manager.
(CROSSTALK)
ROBERTS: (INAUDIBLE) by tens of thousands... ROMANS: Absolutely right.
ROBERTS: That's a lot purchasing power. That's a lot of tax revenue that we're not going to see.
ROMANS: That's why the story is just beginning. And it's so important for all of us.
ROBERTS: All right. Christine, thanks so much for that.
CHETRY: Also new this morning, the Iranian-American journalist convicted of spying by Iran and later freed is safe and with her family in Vienna. Roxana Saberi left Tehran early this morning and arrived. Shortly after arriving at Vienna's airport, she thanked all of those who helped win her freedom.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROXANA SABERI, FREED JOURNALIST: I came to Vienna because I heard it's a calm and relaxing place. And, also, the Austrian master to Iran and is his family were very helpful to me and my family during this period. So I want to thank him again and his family. And all of the other people and nations in the world who helped us during this time.
I heard that certain people, many people went through a lot of troubles because of me, and someone on a hunger strike. Both journalists and non-journalists around the world, I've been hearing, supported me very much and it was very moving for me to hear this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Also, Saberi went on to say that she will talk about her entire ordeal in Iran sometime in the near future.
Meanwhile, coming up in about 20 minutes, we're going to talk to Christiane Amanpour about this. Some of insight into Iran's motivations behind this conviction and then release of Saberi and also perhaps how it will impact U.S.-Iranian relations.
Well, right now, all eyes focused on this weekend's graduation's speaker at Notre Dame University. President Obama will be the sixth sitting U.S. president to deliver the university's commencement address. And protesters are outraged that the Catholic school would honor a public figure, who supports abortion rights.
CNN's Jill Dougherty is live on the White House with more on this.
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kiran, you know, the president really is wading into hot water on both of these issues -- abortion and stem cell research. But he says he wants to find common ground even on that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DOUGHERTY (voice-over): It's a moral and political debate. Notre Dame University invites President Barack Obama to deliver a commencement address and plans to award him an honorary degree. The idea infuriates some Catholics. They call it scandal to honor a public figure whose support for abortion rights and embryonic stem cell research contradict Catholic teaching.
Anti-abortion activist Randall Terry was arrested for trespassing on campus, and he's rallying supporters to stop the president's speech, Sunday. Dueling Web sites urged supporters to disinvite the president or support dialogue in open debate.
But most students want to hear the president, according to the editor of the student newspaper.
JENN METZ, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, NOTRE DAME "OBSERVER": Roughly, 70 percent of student responses we've received are in favor of Obama's coming to the university and receiving an honorary degree.
DOUGHERTY: During the presidential election campaign, Barack Obama courted Catholic voters and he won 54 percent of their vote even with his stand on abortion rights.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I believe that women should have the right to choose. But I think that the most important thing that we can do to tamp down some of the anger surrounding this issue is to focus on those areas that we can agree on.
DOUGHERTY: What do Catholics as a whole think about the invitation? A Pugh Research Center Poll shows half of all Catholics approve, 28 percent disapprove. But when it comes to practicing Catholics, 45 percent think it's wrong to invite the president.
David Brody of the Christian Broadcasting Network agrees. Most Catholics aren't troubled by the Notre Dame controversy.
DAVID BRODY, CHRISTIAN BROADCASTING NETWORK: It's really just these weekly church Catholic goers, especially white, Catholic, weekly, church-goers that have the problem with it. They are vocal minority, though.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DOUGHERTY: And the president, right now, has a task force here at the White House. They are working both with groups that support abortion rights and those that oppose it. And the idea is to find common ground. And the president wants them to come up with specific suggestions by the end of this summer on ways to reduce unintended pregnancies and also the number of abortions - Kiran.
CHETRY: Jill Dougherty for us at the White House this morning. Thanks.
Also a reminder, you can see the president's speech live right here on CNN Sunday 2:00 p.m. Eastern. ROBERTS: And this just in to CNN: President Obama has just announced that he has chosen New York City's health commissioner Dr. Thomas Frieden to be the next director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The 48-year-old infectious disease specialist has been in his current job for seven years. The White House made the announcement through his statement with the president saying, quote, "The CDC is critical to our mission to preserve and protect the health and safety of our citizens."
Nancy Pelosi creating a lot of controversy with her comments about the CIA in a news conference, and that admission has the house speaker catching a lot of heat this morning. We'll talk more about that.
And can the lady handle the boys? A preview of the battle of the sexes in tomorrow's Preakness Stakes.
It's coming up on nine and a half minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: A developing story now. A lot of people asking this morning what did Nancy Pelosi know and when did she know it? The House speaker is coming under fire for claiming that the CIA misled Congress and her about the use of waterboarding on terror suspects.
Our Dana Bash pressed Pelosi after the speaker admitted for the first time yesterday she was informed about the use of waterboarding in 2003 by an aide who got the information from the CIA.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The idea that we got from you was that you were never told that waterboarding was being used, but now we know that later, in February, you were told. It wasn't in that briefing but you were told, so...
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), HOUSE SPEAKER: No. By the time we were told, we are finding out that it's been used before. You know? In other words, that was beyond the point.
BASH: Why didn't you tell us...
PELOSI: I told you what my briefing was. My briefing was...
BASH: ...that you had been told just not at that particular briefing?
PELOSI: No, no.
BASH: Because you were very adamant that you didn't know waterboarding was used.
PELOSI: That is right. The point is that I wasn't briefed. I was told and informed that someone else had been briefed about it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Well, joining us now to talk about the Pelosi predicament is John Avlon, columnist for TheDailyBeast.com and author of "Independent Nation." So...
CHETRY: Wait. A tie-less John Avlon, because John dared him to take it off. It's tie-free Friday.
JOHN AVLON, COLUMNIST, THEDAILYBEAST.COM: Tie-free Friday, love it.
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: There you go. You can have it back for later.
ROBERTS: Just put it on later.
So, Nancy Pelosi, what she's doing, she had insisted that she was never told about the waterboarding and we later found out she was through a different channel. Is she trying to have it both ways here? Is she just trying to parse things out? Is she feeling trapped maybe?
AVLON: All right. I think she's in a defensive crouch at the moment. And the problem is that hypocrisy is the unforgivable sin in politics. The House Democrats have been calling for a truth commission, and now it seems like the speaker has a truth-telling problem of her own. That's a big political problem, the gap between political reality and -- political rhetoric and the reality of governing.
ROBERTS: Right.
CHETRY: The interesting thing is, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said he had no basis on which to base such a belief, which is that the CIA misled Nancy Pelosi. So, if you have your strongest ally in, you know, Congress not supporting you, what does that say?
AVLON: With friends like this, who needs enemies? That's a real problem.
And it shows that, you know, saying that the CIA lied to the speaker, that is sort of the mother of all CYAs. That could lead to a lot of big political problems down the road and a big problem for the Obama administration for an issue they really want to go away.
ROBERTS: Yes. For her to stand up there yesterday and say definitively at that press conference, the CIA misled me, the CIA misled Congress. What's the potential fallout from that?
AVLON: It's a -- it's a huge potential fallout. It is a huge accusation to make, saying that the CIA has lied to the leadership.
And remember, the briefing took place in the wake of 9/11. And it's the problem when you try to make political hay out of a lot of these issues. Reminds me a line from "Apocalypse Now." Sort of like, you know, when you try to legislate morality and war, it's a little like giving speeding tickets out at the Indy 500. It causes a lot of problems down the line, and she's getting hoist on her own rhetoric right now.
CHETRY: So, there are two things going on here. So, one is that she's saying that she was misled, A/K/A, lied to by the CIA. But then also, she came out about a month ago and just strongly said she did not know about waterboarding and now that story is changing.
AVLON: That's exactly right. And so you have conservatives smelling blood in the water and reporters realizing there's a real story here, getting aggressive in their inquiry of the speaker.
ROBERTS: So what's the upshot of all of this do you think?
AVLON: I think the upshot is an issue with the Obama administration wants to change the policy on and turn the page on is only going to escalate. Republicans...
ROBERTS: But what about for her?
AVLON: For her, I think she could be in a serious problem. She could be accused by members of the press of reversing her story. It appears that she did so. She is escalating her accusation in an attempt to get out of it, saying it's the CIA's problem. Well, that's not going to lead anywhere. There's going to be more inquiries in a desire for clarity on this very complex issue.
ROBERTS: The CIA issued a very simple statement yesterday neither disputed nor accepted her version of the story, just said, quote, and this is George Little from the CIA, saying, quote, "It's not the policy of this agency to mislead the United States Congress."
AVLON: That sounds more in line with Steny Hoyer than Nancy Pelosi.
CHETRY: And one other quick thing. Dana Milbank from today's "Washington Post." His quote is "Nancy Pelosi is a woman of many talents, yesterday she performed the delicate art of backtracking while walking sideways."
AVLON: Yes. That seemed to be the consensus coming out of that press conference. The body language said this was not a person telling the truth.
ROBERTS: Wow. John Avlon, thanks so much for that.
AVLON: Thank you.
CHETRY: Well, North Korea now says it will try two journalists who worked for Al Gore's TV network. Ahead, the former vice president speaks exclusively to John about his employees and what he thinks about their fate.
Also preview of tomorrow's Preakness Stakes. Can the only girl in the field take on the big boys?
It's 16 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
The second leg of horse racing's Triple Crown is shaping up to be a real battle of the sexes. A sensationally swift filly is taking on a field of formidable boys.
Richard Roth live now from the Pimlico Racetrack in Baltimore where all eyes are on one lovely lady.
Hi, there, Richard.
RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello. That's right. Thirteen horses will start here tomorrow in the Preakness, but the racing world and especially the media are captivated by the battle of the horse sexes.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROTH (voice-over): She is the female flash.
UNIDENTIFIED RACE ANNOUNCER: And now the Rachel Alexandra is opening up. Five legs on the field! Six! Oh, a tour de force by the super filly.
ROTH: But he won the Kentucky derby at 50-1 odd.
UNIDENTIFIED RACE ANNOUNCER: A brilliant ride by Calvin Borel. Mine That Bird is going clear in the derby! Mine That Bird wins the derby!
ROTH: And now it's boy meets girl in the Preakness Stakes, the second jewel at America's famed Triple Crown series of horse racing.
JOE TESSITORE, ESPN CORRESPONDENT: So you have two great hooks that the American public has always loved: The upset and the battle of the sexes.
ROTH: That battle started a week before the race. The owner of the male, Mine That Bird, hatched a scheme.
MIKE WATHCMAKER, DAILY RACING FORM: The owners of Mine That Bird and Pioneer of the Nile were talking about entering a bunch of hopelessly overmatched bums in the race just to try to exclude her from the race.
ROTH: Howls of protest from the racing industry sensing a publicity bonanza at the Preakness prompted the owner of Mine That Bird to come down to Earth.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm glad they made a decision not to do that. I think for the good of the sport.
ROTH: The filly flip-flop just fuels female fan fury. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People try to gain advantage where they can. I think they're scared of her. So I say leave them in the dust.
ROTH: To add more hay to the plot...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rachel Alexandra, Calvin Borel is moving up!
ROTH: The jockey of the derby winner, Calvin Borel, is switching saddles to ride the filly in the Preakness.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is historic. It's never happened before.
ROTH: Big Brown even showed up at the track, but last year's winner has retired. Though Big Drama is a contender, Miss Preakness is going for the bird.
HEATHER RADFORD, MISS PREAKNESS: I'm, you know, kind of the underdog supporter, and I'd really like Mine That Bird to go on to win the Preakness.
ROTH (on camera): What makes her so speak?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's faster than they are, I think.
ROTH (voice-over): The unbeaten filly is the favorite over the colt.
(on camera): So it's speed over sex for you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, absolutely! Yes. Right.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROTH: And when they go into the gate, the male horse will start on the inside, Mine That Bird. Rachel Alexandra is on the far outside. The trainer likes it that way. Fillies typically need a little bit more time to recover after a big race.
The racing world still recovering a bit from the disaster that happened to Eight Belles, a filly, who competed in last year's Kentucky derby and broke down - Kiran.
ROTH: Yes. It was heartbreaking -- that story. And boy, we're all praying that's not repeated.
Very interesting matchup. We'll see how it turns out.
Richard Roth, thanks for being with us.
ROBERTS: Two journalists who work for Al Gore's television network, Current TV, are being held by North Korea and will stand trial in that country on the 4th of June. Ahead, my exclusive interview with the former vice president. What he has to say about the fate of his employees.
Plus, Karl Rove facing questions today over his role in the 2006 firings of nine U.S. attorneys. Just ahead, we're talking with one of the attorneys who was forced out, live.
It's 22 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Good morning, Washington! Sorry, not such a nice day there. Cloudy right now, and 64 degrees. Later on, scattered thunderstorms. It will be warm, though. A high of 77.
Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
Two journalists who work for Al Gore's Current TV network are being held by North Korea and will stand trial there in June, on the 4th of June. Laura Ling and Euna Lee charged with unspecified hostile acts and entering the country illegally. More now of my exclusive interview with the former vice president and his take on the two women being detained and their prospects for freedom.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: Mr. Vice President, of course, you're one of the partners in Current TV, and a couple of Current TV employees find themselves in a difficult position. Laura Ling and Euna Lee are being held by authorities in North Korea. North Korea says that it's going to put them on trial as of June 4th.
I just want to get your thoughts on that, and what could you possibly do to intervene?
AL GORE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, I've been very deeply involved in this every single day. And I haven't spoken about it publicly, John, for one simple reason. My partner, Joel Hyatt, and I at Current have been in close consultation with the families, and I have talked extensively and at length on many, many, many occasions with the State Department, with other people who are helping around the world and other governments, and through private intermediaries.
And everyone points out that this has occurred at an unusual time of high tensions. And we have the attention of our own government, very much so. They're very much on this case. And because the North Korean government is a little bit different and not really responding to the kinds of public appeals that maybe we're familiar with when other governments are involved, we're going about this in the way we think has the very best chance of securing their safety and their early release.
ROBERTS: It was suggested in at least one article that I wrote -- that I read that perhaps if you went over there, yourself, on a mission, it might be more effective in winning their release. Is that something you'd consider?
GORE: Oh, I would do anything within reason, including that, at the drop of a hat. But it I is -- that's not -- it's not someplace that you just, you know, buy a ticket and show up at the airport. It doesn't work that way. It's a different kind of country, as you know.
ROBERTS: What are your fears over what might happen to them if they do, in fact, go to trial on June 4th?
GORE: We saw in Iran the speedy release after a trial of an American journalist held there. And I would hope that something like that could be in the cards.
ROBERTS: Have you had any contact at all with Laura Ling and Euna Lee?
GORE: The United States government is represented in Pyongyang by the Swedish ambassador, who looks after American interests there. And he was allowed in to see them on March 30th, and since then, that -- the only representations we've had have been from the North Koreans.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: So, he's confident, though, that they will be released. It's just a matter of time, and they're working every possible angle that they can.
CHETRY: Must be terrifying for their families. Of course, we know Lisa Ling is Laura's sister. She's been on our show many times as well, and they're all just holding out hope that this ends quickly.
ROBERTS: Well, he's optimistic that it will. We'll see.
CHETRY: All right. Well, it's 29 minutes past the hour right now.
Breaking news, the Pakistani army stepping up its offensive against the Taliban. Officials report 55 militants have been killed in the past 24 hours in the Swat Valley. The army also appealing to civilians to help track down a number of Taliban fighters who are shaving off their beards and fleeing the area.
Pope Benedict heading back to the Vatican this morning after an eight-day trip to the Middle East. He just left the Jewish state after visiting -- meaning, Israel, after visiting the church at the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Before leaving, the Pope asked for an end to violence in the region saying, quote, "No more bloodshed, no more fighting and no more terrorism."
Also new this morning, these dramatic pictures raging flood waters carrying away this full-sized SUV. This happened in Indianapolis, Indiana. The woman who was driving was able to get out. But look at the amazing pictures. The car literally just swallowed by the water there. She was pulled from her vehicle just moments before it was swept away. Powerful winds from an onslaught of thunderstorms left many people in the area without power. And they say that flood watches are still in effect this morning.
Well, right now, U.S. journalist Roxana Saberi who was convicted of spying by Iran is in Vienna, Austria. She left Tehran early this morning just days after an Iranian Appeals Court reduced her sentence.
Shortly after arriving at Vienna's airport, Saberi thanked all of those who helped to win her freedom,
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SABERI: I came to Vienna because I heard it's a calm and relaxing place. And, also, the Austrian master to Iran and is his family were very helpful to me and my family during this period. So I want to thank him again and his family. And all of the other people and nations in the world who helped us during this time.
I heard that certain people, many people went through a lot of troubles because of me, and someone on a hunger strike. Both journalists and non-journalists around the world, I've been hearing, supported me very much and it was very moving for me to hear this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Well, joining us now is Christiane Amanpour, CNN's chief international correspondent, with more on this case now.
So, she was convicted of spying, she was sentenced, but then it was reduced and she has been allowed to leave the country.
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. She has a two years suspended sentence. She has been ordered to leave the country. She has to be out of Iran and cannot practice journalism for the next five years in Iran.
But this is a much more complicated case than at first seemed on face value. The narrative was, poor little American journalist arrested and convicted by bad Iranian state. Now, it seems, according to her own lawyers, that what, in fact, happened was - and as I reported earlier in this story - that she had been found with some documents and it now transpires, according to her own lawyers that those documents were, at least one of them, a classified document that belonged to the expediency council which is one of the powerful influential bodies that advises the supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini.
It appears that Roxana Saberi was a translator before she started - well several years ago and she had been translating various documents and according to her own lawyer, basically copied these documents and held on to them. There is also another set of documents that were related to the office of the President Ahmadinejad.
So these are very complicating facts that essentially complicated her case and led to the authorities presuming that she was involved in spying and her release resulted from a dramatic tug of war between the more hardliner and the more moderates who wanted to get her out including President Ahmadinejad, who in this case decided that the better course of wisdom for Iran is to get her sentenced reduced and get her out. But she is very lucky to be out.
ROBERTS: There are classified documents, as we know, and there are top secret documents. Do we know what the nature of this document was and compared to something that would happened here? If a translator was given a classified document by the White House to translate and tucked it into their socks or wherever, and took it home, what kind of sanctions would they suffer?
AMANPOUR: As you know, classified is basically classified and not allowed to reporters. This one apparently pertained to the U.S. war in Iraq. It was Iran's analysis on that. So this was something that was important at that time for the Iranians.
The interesting thing, of course, we need to hear more from Roxana Saberi herself. She hasn't said anything factual or substantive about the actual charges or the nature of what her lawyers have now said publicly as to why she had these documents and what happened in that initial trial.
But even in the United States, if journalists -- or at this point, apparently, she was a translator for the Expediency Counsel - walked off with documents that are classified, there are penalties to be paid. And certainly, in a country like Iran, it's probably even more complicated.
But what we've been told by sources inside Iran and by officials inside Iran as well, that her release was directly - really President Ahmadinejad. Although not telling the judiciary what to do, directly after that she was convicted for the eight-year sentence, he wrote a letter to the judiciary and said that her appeal should be allowed to take place and he said it should be swift, fair, legal, and she should get proper justice. What transpires is that there was this basic tussle between the hardliners, between President Ahmadinejad over what to do with her.
And I've been told by my sources that actually releasing her at this time, given the potential severity of the documents that she had, was a gesture of goodwill, particularly to President Obama, who had publicly said that she was not spying for the United States.
ROBERTS: We'll see where all of this goes in terms of potentially new relations between the two countries.
Christiane, good to see you this morning. Thanks.
CHETRY: Thank you.
ROBERTS: If you fly you want to hear about the investigation into that plane crash near Buffalo that killed 50 people back in February. This morning, details about the salary of one of the pilots and how it may have played a role in the crash.
Plus, with Karl Rove facing questions over the 2006 firings of nine U.S. attorneys, we're talking live with one of them, just ahead.
It's coming up on 35 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Well, welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
He was a political point man for former President Bush. Now Karl Rove is facing some tough questions from a special prosecutor. It's all part of an investigation into the firings of nine U.S. attorneys back in 2006 and critics say they were ousted for political reasons.
Bud Cummins was one of those attorneys who was forced out and he joins me now from Little Rock this morning.
Bud, thanks for being with us.
BUD CUMMINS, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY: Good morning, Kiran.
CHETRY: So you received positive job reviews. You've been called, "one of the most distinguished lawyers in Arkansas" and then you find yourself out of a job.
Tell us about your personal case in a nutshell.
CUMMINS: Well, in a nutshell, I was just surprised to get a call that asked me to resign, which was unprecedented. When presidents had appointed U.S. attorneys in the past, they usually were able to serve out the term of that president if they chose to. So, I was a little surprised that I was asked to step down. I knew we had really good performance, posted really good numbers and met all the criteria the administration had set out for performance.
I later found out that the decision was made to allow a person that worked at the White House to have my job and really, frankly, that was within the province of the White House. If they wanted to do that, they could do that. It had never been done that way before and they pretty quickly admitted that in my case. So if it was just about me, we wouldn't be here.
They also later let go some other U.S. attorneys and they alleged that they were let go because of their performance. And that wasn't the truth and that created a lot of problems.
CHETRY: All right. So, in this situation, you were informed that you were let go. You said, they had a right to do that and that they were pretty forthcoming with you about the fact that they needed to make room for somebody else that had connections. And so what was your reaction to that?
CUMMINS: I was disappointed, because I felt like I'd done a really good job and made the administration look good by doing the job right, and being nonpolitical and doing all of the other things that United States attorneys are supposed to do.
But, you know, I was disappointed but I was ready to go on my way and move on to something else. I mean, it really was nothing more than that, just the disappointment.
CHETRY: A lot of legal analyst say that your case really has the clearest link to Karl Rove and as we said, he's going to be testifying about this today or giving, you know, statements about this today. You were fired so, basically, a protege of Rove's, Timothy Griffin, a 37-year-old former RBC opposition research director, could take your position.
CUMMINS: Right.
CHETRY: Do you think that there should be some consequences? Do you think Rove should face consequences for that?
CUMMINS: Not really. I mean, I think he already has. I think that it's been proven that probably been an unwise decision. It was -- even if it was an OK decision, it was handled incredibly poorly and unprofessionally by the Department of Justice by Kyle Sampson and other managers at the Department of Justice. And I think there's been ample embarrassment all around for everybody involved.
So, in my case, I don't know that there's any other consequences indicated. I don't think any crimes were committed in my case. Now, in n other cases that's still an open question.
CHETRY: The other thing is what about the integrity of the Justice Department? Do you think that it's been compromised and how do they get back that integrity, if that's the case?
CUMMINS: The Department of Justice lives on integrity. It's a unique agency. It has to be nonpolitical. People have to know that when federal prosecutors go out to put people in prison that it's entirely about the facts and the law and has nothing to do with politics.
This injection of politics and the stonewalling that went on after the fact and really undercut the credibility of the department, but you have to remember, the department is made up of thousands of career people who do their jobs very well, and now that these individuals who committed these bad acts within the department have been removed and now we're even in a new administration, I think the department will regain its integrity, but for a time, it was very badly damaged.
CHETRY: All right. And again, as we said, Karl Rove is going to be facing some tough questions from a special prosecutor looking into this. Bud Cummins, former U.S. attorney, thanks for joining us this morning.
CUMMINS: My pleasure. Thank you.
ROBERTS: This morning, eye-opening details emerging from the Buffalo plane crash hearings. Wait until you hear how little money some pilots make and how salaries may put your safety at risk.
It's 42 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: New this morning, police say the bassist for rock band Pearl Jam, Jeff Ament was mugged outside an Atlanta studio where the band is recording. Late last month, three masked men attacked the rocker and another band employee while they were inside a rented jeep. Ament was thrown to the ground after trying to escape. The robbers made off with $7,000 in cash and equipment.
Well this morning, new information revealing the passengers on board that commuter plane that crashed outside of Buffalo trusted their lives to a co-pilot making just a little more than $23,000. A slim salary that may have forced her to cut costs by commuting across four time zones and not getting appropriate sleep before getting behind the controls of that flight back in February.
CNN's Jason Carroll joins us now with more on all of this.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. A lot of controversy surrounding this. In fact, the first officer's mother weighing in on this basically saying her daughter is being used as a scapegoat. She says she was well qualified, well trained, well paid. Well, that may be a different story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL (voice-over): The investigation into the crash of Colgan Air flight 3407 revealed something many outside the aviation industry may not have known.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dirty little secret that we're not paying these folks enough to fly safely.
CARROLL: $23,900. That's how much First Officer Rebecca Shaw made a year working for Colgan Air, an amount that raised concerns with NTSB investigators and came as a shock to her mother.
LYNN MORRIS, MOTHER OF CO-PILOT: She didn't tell me what she was making. I was amazed, I thought she would be making a lot more.
CARROLL: Shaw had a second job at a coffee shop when first hired and she lived with her parents in Seattle. Investigators questioned about if that salary prevented Shaw from living closer to her job in Newark, New Jersey. She took two flights cross-country overnight before the doomed flight and did that, investigators ask, prevent her from getting needed rest?
MORRIS: I don't think she came to work too tired. I think she came to work ready to do her job and do it to the very best of her ability.
CARROLL: Pilot Ben Berman said the airlines have been cutting back for years. Berman is with a major carrier and just took a 25 percent pay cut. Still, it's better, he says, than the days of flying a regional jet.
BEN BERMAN, COMMERCIAL PILOT: I suffered as a regional pilot for years and I started out at 11,284. Very, very difficult to live life.
CARROLL: Some aviation experts say while pilots are doing their best, low pay could lead to complications in the cockpit. CAPT. PAUL RICE, AIR LINE PILOTS ASSOCIATION: Flying is an exacting business and, as such, you have to have all of your capacities available to you.
CARROLL: The president of the Regional Airline Association takes offense to suggestions lack of pay equals lack of performance.
ROGER COHEN, REGIONAL AIRLINE ASSOCIATION: This kind of linkage just doesn't make any sense to any average laymen out there that someone would do less of a job to protect his or her own life, let alone their responsibility to the passengers simply because they weren't paid as much.
CARROLL: The average annual starting pay for a regional pilot about $18,000. Compared to a janitor, $21,000 or a New York City cab driver with just a few years' experience, $22,000. Some passengers say it is time to pay pilots more.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am putting my life in their hands and so I think they need to up that to whatever it takes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everything about the airlines makes me nervous. Yes.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL: Well aviation experts we spoke to say in order for pilot compensation to change, it has to start with a strong recommendation from the National Transportation Safety Board and the public has to get involved as well and demand that pilots be paid more.
ROBERTS: So she was living with her parents, clear across the country, traveled to Newark for that flight, didn't get a hotel room probably because a hotel room in that area is going to be $250 to $300 for a night and on her salary it's difficult to pay for that.
CARROLL: And it's not unusual. You know there are a lot of pilots, you know, who commute from other cities and come in and that, obviously, has been a concern to some of the investigators there in D.C. who are, you know, trying to figure out what were some of the causes behind this accident.
ROBERTS: All of this well known in the pilots community but rather surprising for the public to be finding out?
CARROLL: But now the public does know.
ROBERTS: Yes. Jason, thanks so much for that. All right - Kiran.
CHETRY: Well, Coca-Cola is already there and could Starbucks be next as relations thaw between the U.S. and Cuba? Plenty of companies are eyeing an island of potential consumers.
It's 49 minutes past the hour. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Fifty-one minutes past the hour.
A look at Atlanta, Georgia this morning. It's sunny right now, 66 degrees. Afternoon thunderstorms are a possibility there. Warming up to a high of 82.
Turning to a developing story in Cuba. For decades, the communist nation has been forbidden fruit for American companies. It's a country full of potential consumers, just 90 miles off the Florida coast but as talk of dropping the trade embargo continues in Washington, big business is paying close attention.
Shasta Darlington is live in the Cuban capital for us this morning.
Hi, Shasta.
SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kiran.
That's right. You know American companies haven't done business here for almost half a century, but we discovered that they have registered almost 5,000 trademarks. Now on the one hand that's to avoid copycats but it's also to secure a position in what could become a new market.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DARLINGTON (voice-over): Fidel Castro's revolution tore down capitalism and all of its symbols, leaving an ad-free oasis in Cuba. Instead of commercials, state-run TV urges Cubans to attend political rallies and fight disease-ridden mosquitoes. This iconic face looms from billboards, pedaling revolution instead of retail.
And the visitors notice.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It makes your mind very clear.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I came out from the airport, all I saw were political - I definitely notice that. It's a breath of fresh air.
DARLINGTON: More than 90 percent of business is state owned in Cuba and the U.S. embargo keeps most American companies out anyway. But that hasn't kept them from preparing in case one day they could break in to this market just 90 miles off of U.S. shores. Experts say thousands of American brands are trademarked here for just that reason.
JAKE COLVIN, NATIONAL FOREIGN TRADE COUNCIL: Kraft Foods, Starbucks coffee, Batman, even Playboy.
DARLINGTON: Rusty Fords and Chevrolets still ply Havana's highways, but Detroit hasn't unveiled any new models here since 1959.
(on camera): Some big names like Coca-Cola are still sold in Cuba today. Thanks to exceptions in the embargo for food products. Other names like this one, you can only find in antique shops.
(voice-over): Still, pressure for change is growing in Washington. U.S. President Barack Obama has lifted some restrictions on travel to Cuba. Now many lawmakers want trade restrictions eased and companies are taking note.
COLVIN: Cuba has been forbidden for so long. That it hasn't been worthwhile for U.S. companies to pay much attention to it. Now that it looks like policy is changing and may change further, certainly I think it is in the U.S. company's interest to go a ahead and look at towards registering their trademark.
DARLINGTON: While change may not happen overnight, even companies ousted by Fidel Castro are getting positioned for any opening on Havana's horizon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DARLINGTON: Of course, even if the embargo were lifted, those U.S. companies would still have to negotiate with Cuba's communist government. On the other hand, many European firms, for example, Benetton and Maia (ph) hotels have succeeded in doing just that. Kiran?
CHETRY: All right. Shasta Darlington for us in Havana this morning, thank you.
ROBERTS: One of the nation's largest pharmaceutical companies has decided to offer help to certain Americans who can't afford their prescription drugs. Find out if someone you love qualifies for free Viagra.
It's 55 minutes after the hour.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Heroes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The things that we could do like go to the movie, we haven't done in quite a while. We just go to church and come home. I work for the city. We're not poor, we're not broke, but it's a real struggle to survive right now.
PAM KONER, COMMUNITY CRUSADER: Families who were able to make it and just get through the month are not able to make it quite the same way anymore, so food becomes the item that gets dropped at the end of the month.
My name is Pam Koner. I began an organization that makes families with more to families with less. After learning about this community in Illinois that women and children were not eating the last week of the month, something moved me to come up with something to change this.
I sent a letter out to all of the families in my child care businesses and well, how about if we match families? Our original mission was to help poor rural communities. We began to expand to help families who were not in need of help before but now were in trouble.
Families purchase and send groceries or donate via Paypal. Most families are also exchanging letters and opening up to each other and sharing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was very happy to hear from you. I did get your e-mail. Also your wonderful package that you sent for us. This will be a great help for the entire family.
KONER: No one really knows what's going to happen. We're all part of a big family. We need to be there for each other.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Well Pfizer is announcing that it will give free prescription drugs to Americans who have been out of work and without health insurance since January. For those who qualify, the Maintain Program will provide free Lipitor, Celebrex and Viagra.
Comedian Jay Leno could just not resist.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY LENO, HOST "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO": And Pfizer has announced it will provide free Viagra to men who have lost their jobs and their health insurance. This is true. This is a real story.
If you are unemployed they will give you free Viagra. They say it's all about pointing people in the right direction. I think that calling it a stimulus package for your package.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Insert your own joke here.
CHETRY: Well they even had their own joke, right? It wasn't meant to be a joke. They said you have to prove financial hardship to qualify!
ROBERTS: There you go!
CHETRY: There you go!
ROBERTS: OK. I'll leave it there.
CHETRY: And with that, thanks so much for joining us on this AMERICAN MORNING. We'll see you back next week. Meanwhile, play us off, keyboard cat?
ROBERTS: Keyboard cat? Have a great weekend! See you.
