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American Morning
North Korea Test-Fires Another Missile; Quarantined U.S. Students Released from Chinese Hotel; Drug War Continues in Mexico; More Palin Family Drama; Recent Grads Encounter Dismal Job Market; Being a Judge Can Be High-Risk; Leno Moves to Prime Time, Conan Takes "The Tonight Show"
Aired May 29, 2009 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody. It's almost the top of the hour. Friday, May 29th.
I'm Rob Marciano, in for John Roberts, who is on vacation.
ALINA CHO, CNN ANCHOR: You know who you are.
MARCIANO: And Alina Cho sitting with me.
CHO: That's right, Kiran feeling a little end of the weather. So, feel better, Kiran.
Good morning, everybody. Glad you're with us on this Friday.
MARCIANO: All right. Let's take a look at the top stories topping our agenda this morning. We're going to break this down for you in the next 15 minutes. So, here we go.
First up, following North Korea, testing the world's patience by testing another short-range missile. It's the sixth test this week. In a moment, we'll take you live to the Pentagon.
Plus, on the front lines of America's war next door. Criminals in Mexico waging new attacks and staging a wild prison break. We have the pictures and the exclusive report from CNN's Michael Ware.
And concerns mounting this morning over where President Obama's Supreme Court pick stands on abortion. Judge Sonia Sotomayor, a very lengthy paper trail does not offer many clues on that hot button issue. This morning, we're exploring whether the future of Roe versus Wade could hang in the balance.
And back to our breaking news this morning. CNN confirming North Korea has test-fired another short-range missile from its east coast. It's the sixth test this week and it all comes as high level U.S. delegation is headed to Asia to deal with the communist regime.
CNN's Barbara Starr is live at the Pentagon.
Barbara, what are you hearing from your sources about this latest missile launch?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rob, we've been here all week long talking about North Korea here. We are on Friday, once again a missile launch from North Korea. U.S. officials are watching it, but they're not particularly concerned about the missile launch here or there. It is the big picture they're focusing on right now.
Defense Secretary Gates on his way to the region for an already scheduled security summit, but talking about this and what he is saying is pretty interesting. Let me share it with you.
He said to reporters on the way to the Pacific, quote, "I don't think that anybody in the Obama administration thinks there is a crisis." "What we do have, though, he says, are two new developments that are very provocative, that are aggressive, accompanied by aggressive rhetoric." And he says he thinks that brings home basically the reality of the challenge that one has to face with North Korea.
So, what he is really talking about here is North Korea's continuing to send a message that U.S. believes is belligerent, and the U.S. does not want to get sucked into this as a crisis. They're not going to play that game. They're not going to call it a crisis. They want to go down the road in Washington of diplomacy, working through the United Nations.
But here at the Pentagon, what if there was a need for military action? The chief of staff of the army said this week that it would take about 90 days to swing troops into action in Korea. And why is that? You might know, it's Iraq and Afghanistan.
So much is tied up there in counterinsurgency, walking patrols, walking through rough terrain, fighting those wars town-by-town, village-by-village. If it came down to it, Korea would be heavy armor, artillery, missiles. A different job.
General Casey, the head of the army says the army could do it, but it would take a while to get going - Rob.
MARCIANO: I guess we'll just have to wait and see, or at least hope this doesn't get to that crisis mode that Mr. Gates is speaking about.
All right, Barbara. Barbara, thank you very much, live from the Pentagon.
STARR: Sure.
MARCIANO: Alina?
ALINA CHO, CNN ANCHOR: We're also following breaking news this morning. The Pakistani army stepping up its offensive against the Taliban. Officials report 39 Taliban fighters hiding among refugees have been arrested. Those arrests follow several explosions yesterday that killed 12 civilians.
And another voice in favor of keeping controversial prisoner abuse photos under wraps. General David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, telling a federal judge that releasing images of the abuse of prisoners in U.S. custody could damage Pakistan's effort to battle Islamic militants, and increase the risk to American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
This morning, the American students and teachers who have been quarantined inside a Chinese hotel have just been released. They were sealed inside that hotel since Monday, because Chinese officials feared that the group may have been exposed to swine flu on the flight over.
Earlier, I spoke with the mother of one of those students, Alesia Peterson, who had just spoken with her daughter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: I know you've already heard from your daughter via e-mail. What did she tell you?
ALESIA PETERSON, MOTHER OF STUDENT IN CHINA: I've heard both from my daughter and from one of the teachers, chaperones. They are quite excited. They had the temperatures taken. They were all normal. So they were allowed to leave. They boarded the bus which was filled with flowers and gifts, and they're heading on to their next destination.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: And the group of students who were hiking and visiting a Buddhist temple when they got word they we're going to be quarantined will get an additional day of sightseeing before they head home, salvage something.
Some incredible video out of Mexico this morning. The country's drug war is escalating, and there seems to be no way to control it. As corruption reaches deep inside the government. Corruption so blatant that everything, even prison breaks appear to be inside jobs.
CNN's Michael Ware has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL WARE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Watch closely to what you're about to see. It's incredible -- grainy security camera video at a prison in Mexico.
Heavily-armed and obviously well-trained federal police appear to be sweeping in to transfer maximum-security prisoners. But this is not what it looks like, for these men are not police. Fake police officers arrived in this convoy, their uniforms legitimate, their cars marked as cop cars. And, within two minutes and 55 seconds, they had scooped up 53 inmates, stolen 23 guns, and driven back out the gate and away.
Of the 53 prisoners freed, at least 12 were cartel members. And why many of the 53 were in that cell block that night is a mystery, as they were meant to have been held elsewhere. Later, 44 prison guards were questioned. When we patrolled neighborhoods in Juarez with Mexican police, we knew corruption is a deeply entrenched way of life here. The corruption is so bad, honest officials don't know who to trust. After all, just this week, federal police arrested ten men in Mexican cities and 17 other officials. They charged them with corruption.
And it's the latest escalation in the two and a half-year war, a war that has seen President Felipe Calderon put 45,000 troops into battle against the cartels. And it's a war that has so far taken the lives of 7,499 people.
Most of the dead were cartel foot soldiers, but many were innocent Mexican civilians caught in the crossfire. And a few Americans have been killed, as well.
When we visited the war's front lines in Juarez, right next to the Texas City of El Paso, we found the story of this mother of two. Maricel Molinar (ph), a U.S. resident, murdered, gunned down within yards of the El Paso border crossing as cartel assassins targeted her boss, who was sitting beside her.
Now another American is dead, this time a 15-year-old high school student. She died while sitting with her family at a baptism party in Juarez. She was cut down by a stray round from a firefight that swept past the house.
All this bloodshed, and for what? A war U.S. and Mexican law enforcement officers agree cannot be won. At least not the way it's being fought now. A war fueled by America's appetite for drugs and one commonly waged by cartel members with U.S. weapons in their hands smuggled south across the border.
Michael Ware, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARCIANO: And now to the U.S. Shocking comments from the leader of Atlanta's police union. He said he wanted to beat Atlanta's Mayor Shirley Franklin with a baseball bat. Sergeant Scott Kreher made the statement during a city budget meeting, and it was all caught on tape.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SERGEANT SCOTT KREHER, ATLANTA POLICE DEPARTMENT: And to be treated the way they are now is just unconscionable. I want to beat her in the head with a baseball bat sometimes when I think about it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARCIANO: Mayor Franklin told CNN that's a severe act of violence when you hit someone with a bat. You intend to kill them. The sergeant is 17-year veteran was suspended and has since apologized to the mayor in a letter calling his remarks inexcusable.
CHO: Former President George W. Bush is speaking publicly for the first time since leaving office. In a speech to the economic club in Benton, Michigan, Mr. Bush told a crowd of 2,500 that he misses many things about being president, including Air Force One. Nice one to fly privately, White House food and meeting with members of the military and their families.
He also said he was not going to criticize President Obama because he knew what it was like to be criticized by a former president.
MARCIANO: Yes.
CHO: He wasn't going to do it.
MARCIANO: Yes. I thought that was pretty big of him. And he waited quite a long time, kind of being in the shadows there a bit.
CHO: Yes. He didn't talk about, you know, Vice President Cheney speaking out because he's been on the circuit a lot as we know.
MARCIANO: Yes, for sure. It must be nice to have Air Force One just at your beck when you call, you know.
CHO: Yes. Yes. And, of course, he's working on his memoir, too.
MARCIANO: Yes. He's got a book coming out, I'm sure.
CHO: Yes, there's a book coming up. Yes. Got a big advance for that. And he said his first chapter is, "Why Did I Run for President?" So, looking forward to hearing more about that.
MARCIANO: Not the last we've heard from George W. Bush, I'm sure.
CHO: No. Probably not, probably not.
Well, everything she has said or done in her life is being scrutinized, but what could be the downfall of Supreme Court Justice nominee Sonia Sotomayor? We're going to take a closer look at that.
And new college grads on the hunt for jobs. We're going to hear from grads and career coach advice on "Life after Graduation."
Nine minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. Eleven minutes past.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez starts his four-day talk show marathon, marking his tenth year since his program first hit the air waves. Now, the show usually airs on Sundays and lasts as long as eight hours, with Chavez talking about everything from anti-American rhetoric to sex education.
President Obama is expected to announce later this morning he is creating a cyberczar to oversee the protection of the nation's computer infrastructure. The Pentagon is also creating a new military command to help fight cyberterrorism.
The Department of Homeland Security says attacks on government and private computer networks went from all about 4,000 in 2005 to more than 72,000 attacks last year.
This morning, while Democrats and Republicans gear up for a fierce confirmation battle over Sonia Sotomayor, you at home are also weighing in on the Supreme Court nominee, and lighting up our show hotline.
Here's what some of you are saying.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
CALLER: Republicans must realize Obama will never nominate a conservative judge so they should just accept the moderate nominee and be glad Obama didn't nominate a blatant liberal.
CALLER: Let's see, Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich have all expressed their dissent against the Supreme Court nominee Sotomayor. That sounds like the best ringing endorsement for the American people that I have ever heard.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
CHO: A historic nomination to the Supreme Court brings calls of racism.
And Levi Johnston, father of Bristol Palin's child, shirtless on the pages of "GQ" magazine. The drama hits up again.
Lots to talk about for our political panel. Ladies are more than ready this morning.
CNN political contributor Hillary Rosen right here in New York, Republican strategist Leslie Sanchez in Washington this morning. Two of my favorite girls.
Thank you for joining us this morning.
Hillary, I want to start with you. I want to talk about the big news of the week. President Obama's nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. Calls of racism. Newt Gingrich called her a Latina racist. Rush Limbaugh calling her a reverse racist. And, of course, this goes back to a comment she made back in 2001 in which she essentially said that her experience as a Latina woman can help her make better decisions than perhaps a white male.
Now, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs is saying, listen, you know, let's not -- let's put this all in context, but some Democrats are saying the White House should come out and say we've made a mistake and move on.
Why shouldn't they do that?
HILLARY ROSEN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, first of all, I'm not sure she would think she did make a mistake. Second of all, you have to put that comment in a context of her life, which is rich with experience, but very solid and specific as a jurist.
You know, she has consistently said that on the bench she follows the letter of the law. The fact that in her life experience and as she approaches defendants and she was a trial court judge, she happens to have the perspective of a Latina woman, all the better. And Newt Gingrich and his name calling, I think people are just sick of it.
CHO: But the GOP might have an opening, Hillary. You know, you look at what she said by using her own words against her. You look at what she says about the Appeals Court as a place where policy is made. Wouldn't you concede that that might be an opening for the GOP?
ROSEN: Well, I think you don't necessarily look at that one phrase in context, and now they've released the entire speech before the university law students, which was really an inspirational speech to encourage kids to get into law and to consider public service on the bench.
So, the idea that somehow a couple of words somehow changed this very strong and long record of her jurisprudence, I think, people are going to find this nonsense.
CHO: All right, Leslie, I want to talk about -- I want to get to you. Let me get to you, Leslie. Quickly, I want to ask you, you know, when the announcement was made about Sonia Sotomayor, I called you right away, and you picked up, and you said what a day.
I mean, as a woman, as a Latina woman, clearly, on some level, this must be a source of pride for you. At the same time, you're a Republican. And when you're talking about a tough confirmation fight that is expected ahead, how do the Republicans walk this sort of tough line of going after what could be the first Latina Supreme Court justice and also courting Latino voters, which they desperately need?
LESLIE SANCHEZ, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, I think they are two different things. You can be very excited for this announcement. It's a powerful message by our president. It's extremely a powerful moment for the Hispanic community, particularly Puerto Ricans.
But you can differentiate that and respect her and honor her by looking at her record and her qualifications, and that she is the best-suited candidate for this position. You can do that respectfully in both cases. I think there's an opportunity for Republicans.
She has said some things that give us pause. You're exactly right. She sounds like somebody who is a judicial activist on the bench. I think the part that is interesting where Hillary and I may or may not agree on, she is looking at life through the prism of gender, race, ethnicity. She's using that to influence her opinions, and she says that when she speaks publicly and candidly. I think that's the part the senators are going to be really interested in focusing on.
CHO: OK, guys, this is not a political segment without talking about this news about Levi Johnston, shirtless in the July issue of "GQ" magazine. Speaking out, saying a lot of interesting things. Not the least of which is that he claims that Todd Palin, Bristol Palin's father, said that he would promise her a car if she broke up with him.
Hillary, how about it?
ROSEN: I'll tell you, you know, if my kid were dating that jerk, I might give him a car to go away, too! I have to say, having said that, though, you know, Sarah Palin's family is a gift that keeps on giving. And you just -- you know, you're grateful as a political activist that she's burdened with so many problems that she can't possibly exceed any momentum that she had gained before.
But, you know what? On a human level, I feel for her. This is -- you know, this has takes what Jimmy Carter went through with his family to, you know, a whole other level.
CHO: I mean, it's getting, Leslie, almost kind of Springeresque. Is it not? I mean, you know, at a certain point, if Palin is going to be taken seriously in 2012, this does not help.
SANCHEZ: Well, you know, in most cases, you tend to wrangle those efforts and don't see that. I think any parent would sympathize with that when you have a family member in their 20s out shirtless.
You know, it's interesting, this is not the first family this has happened to. It happens to a lot of political families. You can't necessarily control your children. But with respect to that, I don't think it's a direct reflection on Governor Palin. She has her own credentials, her own family, her own initiatives. This is a young man seizing his 15 minutes of fame, and we'll just leave it there.
ROSEN: You know, the one quick thing I would just say is that...
CHO: Quick, quick, quick, Hillary.
ROSEN: ...is that Sarah Palin has to deal with the fact that consistently in her family, they act in ways and they get supported in ways that are completely inconsistent with her positions on issues, how other people should live. So, you know, that's something she has to deal with.
CHO: All right. We're going to leave it there.
Hillary Rosen, Leslie Sanchez, two of my favorite people. Thanks for joining us.
ROSEN: Thank you.
SANCHEZ: Take care.
CHO: Rob?
MARCIANO: Well, you see it many times. People flying into a rage after a court ruling, and then it's an all-out brawl. Well, we'll tell you why some -- what some judges are doing to help them stay safe after the ruling. It's 19 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARCIANO: A summer song but not very much summer weather here in the Big Apple. There is Columbus Circle. Light rain expected or happening now, and maybe it will increase that with some thunder and 73 degrees expected later on today.
Speaking of weather, we are following a developing weather story this morning. It's the first tropical depression of the season, and actually, it's not even a hurricane season yet. That doesn't start until on Monday, I believe. Let's check in with Reynolds Wolf who is tracking the entire storm.
Where is it headed, Reynolds? What else do you have?
(WEATHER REPORT)
MARCIANO: Alina, back over to you.
CHO: When courtrooms erupt in violence, unpopular rulings have put judges at risk. Seems these kinds of episodes are on the rise. What some judges are doing to protect themselves.
And so many graduates, so few jobs. A career coach answers your questions about "Life after Graduation."
Twenty-three minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARCIANO: It is a tough job market. Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
All this week, we have been looking at how college grads are dealing with the dismal job market. According to a recent study, just 20 percent of graduates who applied for a job actually have one. That's compared to 26 percent last year and 51 percent in 2007.
Well, you may remember Michael Volpe from earlier this week. He has a degree in physics and is a former Peace Corps volunteer. Emily Bell Dinan just graduated yesterday with a political science degree and history degree.
Laura Berman Fortgang is a career coach and author of "Now What?: 90 Days to a New Life Direction."
Welcome to all of you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.
MARCIANO: All right. Let's get to the brass tax. Michael, you were here just a few days ago. I remember you're making your plea for work. How did you do in the last couple of days?
MICHAEL VOLPE, JOB SEEKER: Well, I've gotten some e-mail responses but nothing concrete so far.
MARCIANO: All right. Well, we hope for better days ahead and maybe we'll make some progress today.
Emily Bell, you just graduated. You have a pretty impressive degree. You've had a number of internships, and you've been looking for a job for how long?
EMILY BELL DINAN, RECENT COLLEGE GRADUATE: About seven months.
MARCIANO: OK.
And how has your luck been so far?
DINAN: Pretty dismal. I've been working part-time for an artist who actually makes green roofs, but that's still few and far between jobs because there is not a lot of demand in development.
MARCIANO: How worried are you?
DINAN: Pretty worried. I stay up late just thinking about it pretty often.
MARCIANO: Yes. Having a hard time sleeping.
DINAN: So, it's on my mind. Yes, kind of.
MARCIANO: I'll give you some Ambien after the show.
DINAN: That's OK.
MARCIANO: Laura, you're a coach. This is your job to guide people looking for a job.
I mean, what's the biggest mistake graduates are making these days?
LAURA BERMAN FORTGANG, CAREER COACH: You know, I actually think there's two. One is underestimating what it really takes. I know Emily has had one interview. She's sending out one resume a day. You've got to quadruple that more. I mean, 50 a week. You've got to be working on a job search 15 hours a week at least.
And the other thing is, you know, because you're new and starting out, you can cast a broad net but, at the same time, each cover letter, each resume, you might want to tweak to be specific to that place where you apply. I think sometimes you leave it too open and they don't know what to do with you. So, you got to help the employer along by really being specific with each contact.
MARCIANO: So, it's more than a full-time job. You got to work overtime just to try to get a full-time job.
FORTGANG: Well, we do because right now we're working against the odds. I mean, it's down 22 percent for college graduates over last year to land a job, but it's not impossible but you have to be driven. And, you know, your example is fantastic. MARCIANO: Well, we've got a lot of viewers that are concerned and we asked them to call into our hotline with their questions or ideas. Here's one from our AMFix hotline.
Listen.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
CALLER: I study electrical engineering. And I'm calling to see if this is a real good time for people who are in engineering and sciences field to try and become entrepreneurs and take advantages of, you know, opportunities that are out there.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
MARCIANO: Michael, you have a physics degree. What do you think about his advice?
VOLPE: Well, you know, he is competitive with an engineering degree. Physics and engineering, it's few and far between that you have those degrees.
(CROSSTALK)
MARCIANO: Laura, do you think -- I'm sorry, I cut you off, Michael. But do you think that's a valid point that our caller makes?
FORTGANG: The sciences and, you know, computers and health care, those are still very much growing fields. So, this person is in a good position to keep looking within the job market.
And his question was, is this a good time to become an entrepreneur. He would need to have mentors and know what he is doing and have a plan, but downturns are great opportunity for people to break out on their own and do something that's needed.
MARCIANO: All right, guys -- Michael, we did this with you earlier in the week and we'll do it with both of you.
I'll start with you, Emily. Emily Bell, if you had to give your pitch to a potential employer who is watching right now, what would you say?
DINAN: Well, I'd say I'm a creative, responsible individual who works well in groups, but is also -- will take initiative and work independently. Most of my experience is in the nonprofit field. And so, in that regard, I have a lot of knowledge and a lot of experience, always willing to learn. But, also, because it is a nonprofit sector, I'm also a dedicated, genuine individual who wants to just help my community.
MARCIANO: Excellent pitch. I'd hire you in a second.
Michael? Shoot.
VOLPE: Well, I'm a creative, hard-working guy. I have many talents. I have a long history of public service with the Peace Corps and Americorps. And I have good analytical problem solving skills, and I think I'd be an asset to any company who wants to hire me.
MARCIANO: Physics not an easy major. Political science, history, two tough majors. Two bright kids and a coach. Next time, bring your whistle and stopwatch. Let's give everybody sweatbands and get an early get going on this.
Good luck to you both. I know it's tough out there. Michael, Emily Bell and Laura, thank you for joining us this morning.
DINAN: Thank you.
VOLPE: Thank you for having us.
MARCIANO: Alina.
CHO: It's 31 minutes after the hour. Checking our top stories this Friday morning. North Korea launches another missile test and fires off another threat. A little more than two hours ago, the North test-fired its sixth short-range missile this week. Before the launch, the communist regime promised, "self-defense if provoked by the United Nations."
Russia says it's inked a $306 million deal with NASA to shuttle U.S. astronauts to the International Space Station in 2012. Last month, NASA said the service is needed because the agency plans to retire its aging space shuttle next year.
And some amazing video to show you this morning. A woman who may be a reporter covering President Obama's departure from Los Angeles yesterday was carried off by security guards from the press area. Brenda Lee -- that is how she identified herself to an AP photographer -- said she was with a "Georgia Informer," a small newspaper, and so she was forcibly removed because she wanted to give the president a letter urging him to stand up for traditional marriage. The reporter or so-called reporter was later released from custody. Got to work out or square away whether she was actually a reporter or not.
MARCIANO: Yes. You think maybe she has infiltrated the ranks?
CHO: Yes. A little skeptical.
MARCIANO: Have you heard of that publication?
CHO: I have not.
MARCIANO: OK. I guess we'll have to investigate that as well.
CHO: With the president's high profile choice of Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court, there's new interest in the day-to-day decision-making of federal judges. Think about this. Half the people in a court case are going to be upset about the outcome, and that can put a judge at risk. Jeanne Meserve is in Washington right now to show us how. Jeanne, good morning.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alina. You know when you think of high-threat jobs you probably do not think of judges. But you should.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MESERVE (voice-over): In a courtroom, emotion often spills over into violence. Reggie Walton recalls his days as a Superior Court judge in Washington, D.C.
JUDGE REGGIE WALTON, U.S. DISTRICT COURT: I used to call it the Jerry Springer courtroom because there were so many fights that took place either outside or inside the courtroom.
MESERVE: As a federal judge, Walton presided over the trial of White House official "Scooter" Libby. That case and others have provoked so many threats that U.S. marshals put surveillance cameras around Walton's home and he has taken other protective measures he prefers not to disclose.
WALTON: You can't let it impede on what you do as a judge, but, obviously, you're concerned about your security and the security of your family, so you do take it seriously.
MESERVE: With good reason, in Chicago in 2005, authorities say a man whose case had been dismissed murdered a federal judge's husband and mother. The number of threats against federal judges and prosecutors is rising. 500 in 2003 and more than 1,200 last year. And it's expected to go higher.
BOBBY FAGAN, U.S. MARSHALS: Most of these individuals have a great deal of frustration and anger towards in their view how they didn't get their day in court and justice was denied to them. In the federal court, it's the final forum.
MESERVE: Often, they've already threatened judges at the state or local level, where local police and sheriffs provide protection.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Police are everywhere.
MESERVE: Four years ago in Atlanta, a prisoner wrestled a gun away from a deputy and went on a rampage, killing a judge and three others. To prevent a similar incident in Louisiana where Laurie White sits on the bench, only judges can carry firearms in the courtroom.
JUDGE LAURIE WHITE, ORLEANS PARISH CRIMINAL COURT: You better have a strong gun. It's not an easy spot and I think you do this job at your own personal risk and the point is whether you depend on everyone else to protect you or whether you want to provide a lot of your own protection.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MESERVE: The U.S. marshals who protect federal judges and prosecutors have opened a center that collects and analyzes threats. They are also training state and local authorities to deal with them because this isn't only life and death that's at stake it's the integrity of the justice system itself. Alina, back to you. CHO: You got it. That's right. Jeanne Meserve live in Washington for us. Jeanne, thank you. You know for more on what judges face, you can read Jeanne Meserve's blog, where to find it? cnn.com/amfix.
MARCIANO: We got some brand new numbers now coming in on the state of the economy, just in to CNN. But it may not be as bad as economists think. Christine Romans is going to be breaking down the numbers in just a minute. It's 35 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARCIANO: Just in to CNN, the new GDP report came out just minutes ago. And Christine Romans is "Minding Your Business." She is here to explain what the new numbers are and what they mean.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: This is the broadest gauge of the health of our economy. And every quarter we take a look at the three months and how they did. We have more information now about what happened in the first three months of this year. And the government is saying that the economy shrank at an annual rate 5.7 percent. So that means the economy is shrinking. There are parts of the economy that are shutting down. That is still happening and that is a continuation of the last three months of last year when the economy shrank, I think, 6.3 percent. So it's two tough quarters in a row.
Now here is another way to look at it, though. The first time we took this read of the first quarter, we thought the economy shrank 6.1 percent. So this shows you that something along the way as they are looking at the numbers was a little better than they thought. The consumer showed a pulse actually, consumer spending in December was up 1.5 percent.
CHO: I feel my hard work is paying off.
ROMANS: Exactly. Exactly. The consumer showed a pulse and basically because it's just how deep this recession is, we're importing less stuff from overseas and that helped this number, too. So just to put it as clearly as I can, the economy shrank 5.7 percent in the first three months of this year but that's not as bad as the original reading which was 6.1 percent.
CHO: Well for importing less too, that could potentially mean, hopefully, preservation of jobs here in the United States.
ROMANS: It could unless that reverses once the economy gets going again and people are, you know, preferring to import cheap things rather than what is domestically made here.
MARCIANO: It's nice to think though that maybe we are cognitively thinking that we are buying U.S. stuff for the betterment of the economy.
ROMANS: It is. And it's nice, I mean, to look at numbers like this is pretty scary but at the same time, to look at the fact that at least the economy is not shrinking so quickly. That's good and that happens before things turn around.
CHO: Great.
MARCIANO: All right. Christine Romans. Thanks, Christine.
ROMANS: Sure.
MARCIANO: All right. Tonight, Christine and Ali Velshi host a special hour looking at the crisis in America's auto industry. "How the Wheels Came off," tonight 8:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.
CHO: It's an end of an era tonight for "The Tonight Show." Jay Leno's last show. Ahead, the lineup for his final night and the next step for Hollywood's top rated host.
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CHO: Forty-three minutes after the hour. Time to fast forward to stories that will be making news later today.
At 12:45 Eastern time, Britain's Prince Harry visits the site of the World Trade Center right here in New York City. His first official trip to the United States. The 24-year-old prince will meet with 9/11 families and name a garden to honor the 67 British victims of the terrorist attacks.
At 3:30 Eastern Time today, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton will share a stage tonight in Toronto. The two presidents, both 62, will talk about the global and domestic challenges facing the United States and Canada.
And after more than 33,000 jokes about politicians tonight, Jay Leno steps down as host of "The Tonight Show." Here's CNN's A.J. Hammer.
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A.J. HAMMER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rob, Alina, since 1992, fans of "The Tonight Show" have enjoyed the comedic stylings of one man, Jay Leno. But all of that is about to change.
ANNOUNCER: It's the "Tonight Show with Jay Leno."
HAMMER (voice-over): Jay Leno will soon hear those words for the last time when his 17-year reign as the host of the iconic late-night talk show comes to an end.
LENO: You know O.J. spends, oh, I didn't realize this, overdue justice. Did you know that?
BILL CARTER, "THE NEW YORK TIMES": The charge against Jay often is that he's not hip. That you know, he's act is kind of a little Vegasy. I don't think he would disagree with that. But that's what he's going for. He's going for the broadest possible laughs. HAMMER: "New York Times" TV writer Bill Carter says it's a strategy that has worked. Leno has dominated late night ratings for the past 15 years, silencing much skepticism when he took over the post from Johnny Carson.
CARTER: They were really two comedians who deserve the job. David Letterman had already been at NBC for 11 years and basically expected that he would graduate to "The Tonight Show." But Letterman is a very distant character who doesn't throw really himself into social activities or sucking up to the bosses, where Jay made it clear he wanted the job. So, when he got the job, there was a really big division, not just in NBC, but in the country.
HAMMER: In stark contrast to his transition, Leno has invited his successor, Conan O'Brien, to be his last guest.
CARTER: Jay really wants to sort of hand off in a very smooth and kind of easy way because that wasn't what he experienced when Johnny Carson left.
LENO: Here's a poorly worded ad. Anthony's Dry Cleaners working on the same spot for 15 years.
HAMMER: Leno moves to a new prime-time show in the fall. But O'Brien's charge to keep "The Tonight Show" on top starts June 1st.
CARTER: One thing I can guarantee you is he's going to come out of the box huge. His first two nights, you know, he's got Will Farrell and Pearl Jam on the first night. He's got Tom Hanks and Green Day on the second night. He's going to kill.
HAMMER (on camera): Now, Carter says that unlike Carson and Leno, who are headlines and punchline guys, O'Brien is a conceptual comic, so fans should not expect long monologues. Just his famous brand of silly. Oh, and Triumph the Insult Dog will be in the mix, too -- Rob, Alina?
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MARCIANO: The "activist judge" rearing its ugly head again in the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. Politicians say they don't want activists judges on the bench. We're just saying, do they really mean it? Carol Costello is "Keeping Them Honest."
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MARCIANO: Good morning, D.C. That's the Capitol Building, 70 degrees and fog, low clouds there and scattered thunderstorms expected in the afternoon with a high getting about to 78 degrees or so.
Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
The White House now digging in for a confirmation fight over President Obama's Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. And her historic selection this week has drudged up a familiar and politically charged argument. Carol Costello is in Washington looking at the term "activist judge" in her weekly segment. I'm just saying. Love this segment, Carol. Go for it.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thank you. I love when you say that, Rob. We hear politicians say it all the time. We don't need an activist judge legislating from the bench. But what exactly does that mean? Critics roll their eyes when they hear we don't want an activist judge on the bench, when in reality, that's exactly what they want. I'm just saying, if that's true, why not drop the act and tell voters what you really mean?
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COSTELLO (voice-over): It's a buzzword that's got staying power.
GEORGE W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Activist judges.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Activist judges.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Activist judges.
COSTELLO: It's used so often and it's so politically loaded, Jonathan Turley, a constitutional law expert, suggests you turn off the TV when you hear it.
PROF. JONATHAN TURLEY, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL: This type of name-calling is perfectly juvenile. It's simply saying no one could possibly disagree with my interpretation of the constitution.
COSTELLO: But those who use the phrase argue activist judges are dangerous because they legislate from the bench.
MCCAIN: They want to be spared the inconvenience of campaigns, elections, legislative votes and all of that.
COSTELLO: A too liberal court, he says, will pick and choose which laws it doesn't like and find a way to change their meaning or throw them out. If that's the case, then how to explain the court under Chief Judges Rehnquist and Roberts? Both are conservatives and under their leadership, experts say the high court overturned about 65 state or federal laws. That's more than were overturned in the previous liberal-led court. So is that bad? Good? Both?
TURLEY: The curious thing is that yesterday's judicial activists are often today's judicial heroes.
COSTELLO: In 1954, many accused activist judges on wrongly overturning state laws in Brown versus Board of Education on the ground school segregation violated the U.S. Constitution. Today those judges aren't considered evil activist judges, but wise men. Some say the problem with the term judicial activist today is that it's evolved into something that has nothing to do with actively impartially interpreting the law.
NINA TOTENBERG, NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO: Conservatives for a couple of decades have succeeded by using that term as a pejorative. Liberals in the last few years have adopted it as a pejorative about this court.
COSTELLO: That means those who say they don't want activist judges really do if they support their beliefs. And some say the term has become so politically charged, it affects who a president nominates.
TURLEY: The tendencies to appoint someone who has never said or done anything particularly interesting in their career.
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COSTELLO: Enter Judge Sonia Sotomayor. Apart from a controversial ruling in an affirmative action case on other hot button social issues like abortion, the death penalty and religion, Sotomayor hasn't issued any substantive rulings on those things which of course makes charges of judicial activism, hard to pin on her, which is also why, Rob, that many states say President Obama made an excellent choice.
MARCIANO: And you're just saying?
COSTELLO: I'm just saying. And we want your comments...
MARCIANO: Yes.
COSTELLO: Because I really value our viewers comments, because our viewers are smart. So please, send your comments to cnn.com/amfix. The story is posted. I want to hear from you. Thanks.
MARCIANO: All right. Carol Costello, you can read her blog on cnn.com/amfix. We'll be right back.
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ANNOUNCER: This is "CNN Heroes."
SUZAN LAKHAN BAPTISTE, DEFENDING THE PLANET: In Trinidad, people hunt turtles for primary meat.
Twenty years ago, the beach was heavily littered with rotten turtles. The stench of the beach down here was terrible. I said that is wrong and then I said, you know, we need to do something.
I am Suzan Lakhan Baptiste. My goal is to protect endangered leatherbacks. I actually came out here nightly and patrol the beach. There would be people with machetes waiting for the turtles to nest. I was very vigilant and I would tell people this is a protected species. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I started hunting turtles with my father. Suzan brought around the change. They don't kill the turtles anymore because of the visitor.
BAPTISTE: Today, it's so much better.
You want to come and touch the turtles?
Now, we are creating sustainable livelihood to ecotours using these very turtles. The passion that I feel it burns me up. I have seen the fruits of our labor. It can happen in every community.
This is a leatherback that we will be viewing. The leatherback is one of the largest of the seven marine species.
Our goal is to make this a model for other countries. When I got started, a lot of people thought I was crazy, but I love being crazy, you know. Totally environmentally crazy.
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ANNOUNDER: This is CNN breaking news.
CHO: We have breaking news just in to CNN. Our Pentagon team reporting new activity at a nuclear site in North Korea. Barbara Starr working her sources and breaking the story right now. Barbara, we started the week with news of the North's underground nuclear bomb test. We started this morning with another short-range missile test, six in all. Now this latest development of new satellite imagery and it seems to be significant right, Barbara?
STARR: It does indeed, Alina. Let me just start by laying it out a little bit. Actually, it's not a nuclear site. It is a ballistic missile site, a long-range ballistic missile site. Two Defense Department officials telling CNN that the latest U.S. satellite imagery now shows activity at a place called Sanadong (ph), 14 kilometers north of Pyongyang. This is a well-known North Korean long-range ballistic missile site.
What U.S. satellites have picked up in the last day or so is vehicle activity at this site. Vehicle activity that is a very similar pattern that they saw prior to a previous long-range missile launch earlier this year by North Korea. That is the typo Dong missile, the long range missile that is of the most concern to the United States.
So suddenly, they are seeing a pattern of activity at this site that they saw before, before the last time North Korea launched one of these long-range missiles. What should be said is it's very early in this situation. They don't know what North Korea's intentions are and they never really know. And you know, North Korea has a pretty fair idea when U.S. satellites are overhead, it's entirely possible they are just moving a lot of stuff around because they know the U.S. can see it.
So, it's going to take a while to figure out, but nonetheless, the latest intelligence showing more activity by North Korea now at a long-range missile site -- Alina.
CHO: Barbara, I want to put this in perspective for us because you're looking at the North just this week firing - test-firing short- range missiles. When you're talking about long-range ballistic missiles, this seems like a significant development. Having said that, when you're talking long-range, how far can that long-range missile go?
STARR: Right. Well, when we're talking that, we're talking hundreds of miles into maybe perhaps as long as a couple of thousand miles. North Korea's long-range missiles if they actually worked, which they haven't in the past, you know, are said to be long enough to be able to threaten the United States, threaten not just countries in the Pacific rim, but potentially reach out all the way to Alaska. That's why long-range missiles, of course, are of such massive strategic concern to the United States. The short range missiles that we've seen North Korea fire off this week, half a dozen or so, nobody is happy about that, but that's a pretty local situation. Long-range, quite a different story. Alina.
CHO: Barbara Starr, at the Pentagon for us. We should mention that Defense Secretary Robert Gates says we are not yet in a crisis mode. Nonetheless we are watching this story very, very closely. Lots of developments out of North Korea this week. And we want to you ask to continue the conversation on all of today's story and for that you can go to our blog at cnn.com/amfix. Nice sitting next to you for three hours, six hours total.
MARCIANO: I'm not sure if John is back next week, but Kiran will likely be back on Monday.
CHO: That's right.
MARCIANO: It's been pleasure serving with you.
CHO: Thank you so much for joining us on this AMERICAN MORNING. Happy Friday, everybody. Have a great weekend.
MARCIANO: CNN NEWSROOM with Heidi Collins starts right now.
