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Plane Crash Debris Spotted In The Atlantic Ocean On Air France Flight Path; Targeting Recruitment Centers; President Obama Reaches Out to Muslim World
Aired June 02, 2009 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: We're pushing forward this hour at an attack at a military recruitment center apparently motivated by religion and politics. That's what the police are saying about the shootings of two soldiers outside the center in Little Rock, Arkansas. One soldier was killed, the other seriously injured. We see these attacks on Military recruiting centers all the time in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. But, not here on American soil. The suspect in the Arkansas attack is a Muslim who converted to Islam. He made his first court appearance today.
CNN's David Mattingly is in Little Rock -- David.
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, Abdul Hakim Muhammad was very candid, apparently, with police when he was taken into custody last night, saying, according to the police statement he was a practicing Muslim, he was angry and he was retaliating for treatment he said at the hands of U.S. Military against Muslims in the past.
He also went on, according to the report, on videotape, saying that it was his intent to kill American soldiers and that he would have killed more yesterday if he had the chance.
Well, surprisingly, he came in to court today and has said that he was not guilty of the charges against him, including homicide and terroristic acts. Police did find weapons in his car, including the assault rifle he allegedly used to kill one young Army recruiter and wound another.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Muhammad, previously known as Mr. Bledsoe, did convert to Islam, sometime previously in his life. At this point, it appears that he specifically targeted military personnel, but it doesn't appear to be a wider conspiracy or, at this point in time, any indication that he's a part of a larger group or a conspiracy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MATTINGLY: The suspect in this case has gone through a couple of name changes in the recent past. He was formerly known as Carlos Bledsoe. He changed his name to Abdulhakim Muhammad, and recently, here in Little Rock, changed his name back to Abdulhakim Bledsoe.
We don't know why. There was no explanation. But he is now known again by his original last name of Bledsoe. I spoke to the president of the Islam Association here in Little Rock. They tell me that there's about -- a community of about 300 worshippers who gather and worship together every week here at a mosque, and he told me that no one there knows anything about him and was not familiar with him, and believes that any practicing Muslim would not be committing acts of violence like this -- Kyra.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Did you have a chance to talk to Army recruiters there in Little Rock as well, and how they've reacted to this, and if they're going to say open right now?
MATTINGLY: Well, the office where the shooting took place is closed for now, but there are other offices open in the Little Rock area. I talked to one of the officers in charge. He told me that everyone is being a little extra vigilant today, and he said this brings in some of their training. And that training being that they're supposed to be prepared to fight whenever and wherever the enemy brings the fight to them. They usually prepare for something overseas, but in this case, it was at a shopping mall in Little Rock, Arkansas -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. David Mattingly, thanks so much.
Well, it was a stunning attack in the country, but in some other countries attacks on recruitment centers have been all too frequent.
CNN's Josh Levs joins us now to discuss a problem that's plaguing Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, Josh?
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: All of them, yes. You know, this is a major type of attack that we see from terrorists in those three countries, really on a regular basis. So what I did today, after what we heard happening in this country, is just look back at some of the reports.
I'm going to take you to Google Earth now. I want you to see just a few of the examples of places that this happened.
We're going to first go into Manawan, Pakistan. We'll zoom in to that city, and then I'll show you here on this graphic what happened there. And it was just earlier this year we're talking about. These attackers fired machine guns into an unarmed crowd of police recruits there and instructors, killing at least eight.
Back to Google Earth. We're going to work our way over to Iraq now, because we hear lots of these things happened. There you go -- you had one in Baghdad, and I'll show you now what happened in Baghdad.
You had this suicide bomber that struck a crowd of police recruits, killing at least 33. And that was in March.
And keep in mind, when we talk about police recruits, these are efforts to bring stability to a country that's really been wracked by war. So, in a way, they're given tasks that's also military.
Let's zoom back out. I want you to go to the next one now. We have one in Diyala province, and you had two really around the same time in Diyala, right there. You had two suicide bombings that killed at least 28 Iraqi army recruits, and we're hearing about that from "The Washington Post."
And I think we've got time for one more. We're going to tell you about Kabul, Afghanistan, if I can go in there.
We'll just show you this graphic there, because in Kabul, it's another example. You have these suicide blasts, tore through a bus in that case, Kyra, and this place was filled with police recruits and trainers, killing at least 35.
So, unfortunately, Kyra, in those countries it's gotten to the point now where it's almost like police blotter information. It happens so often, and this is something that officials in all those countries are trying to work on, fortifying and protecting recruitment centers for army and police in order to protect these people who are trying to join the effort to bring stability.
PHILLIPS: So, what do we know about the kind of effect that these attacks are having?
LEVS: Yes, they are having a pretty profound effect in all these countries. And as you can imagine, one of the biggest things these terrorists try to do in these cases is scare people away from joining that effort to bring stability.
I'll end with this. I want to show you a graphic here. It's a quote from "The New York Times," and I think it says a lot about what happens. It's an example straight from Manawan, Pakistan.
And they say here, "I'm not joing the police," said an angry young recruit. "I love my life. No one wants to be here anymore. We're taking off our uniforms and going home."
So, Kyra, you want to know the effect it can have when terrorists strike these locations? A perfect example. It's a tragedy right there.
PHILLIPS: Josh, thanks.
LEVS: You got it.
PHILLIPS: President Obama will be out of pocket this week. He leaves today on a four-day trip to the Mideast and Europe. First stop, Saudi Arabia. He's going to meet with King Abdullah. Thursday, he's in Cairo. He'll deliver a speech on relations with the Muslim world.
And then it's off to Europe. He's going to actually visit a former Nazi concentration camp in Germany and then go to France for ceremonies marking the 65th anniversary of D-Day.
A CNN poll shows that only about 20 percent of Americans have a favorable opinion of Muslim countries. And a Gallup poll shows that most Muslims don't approve of U.S. leadership. The president's speech in Cairo could be the first stitch to repair the damage on both ends.
Here's CNN's Jim Acosta.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): During the campaign, candidate Obama pledged to fix a battered U.S. image in the Muslim world and talked about holding a summit.
BARACK H. OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: One of the things I propose is to call a summit in the Muslim world within the first year of my presidency that I would lead and would invite Muslim leaders from all around the world.
ACOSTA: Then in 2008, he told a French magazine, "I want to organize a summit in the Muslim world, with all the heads of state."
The White House now says Mr. Obama misspoke in using the word summit, and points to this statement from August, 2007.
OBAMA: In the first 100 days of my administration, I will travel to a major Islamic forum and deliver an address to redefine our struggle.
ACOSTA: When the president travels to Egypt this week, he says look for a speech, not a summit.
OBAMA: The main thing for me to do is to project what our values are, what our ideals are, what we care most deeply about.
ACOSTA: Whatever you call it, James Zogby with the Arab American Institute describes the president's trip as critical.
JAMES ZOGBY, ARAB AMERICAN INSTITUTE: Listen, eight years have taken a real, heavy toll in that region. Attitudes have become hardened. And even where there's some hope, it's tentative.
ACOSTA: Even though the president has been dubbed by some as the new King Tut in Cairo, polls show Arab opinions of the U.S. are overwhelmingly negative.
Congressman Keith Ellison, a Muslim, who recently toured the war- torn Gaza Strip argues the president should use some of his popularity in the region to broker a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.
REP. KEITH ELLISON (D), MINNESOTA: Unless we can convert that capital into some real substance and political change that it could dissipate. And I don't think we have a long time. I'm glad that this president is focusing, but it's time to really start getting down to business.
ACOSTA: The only other Muslim member of Congress, Andre Carson, is advising the White House on issues in the Arab world says the president is making a necessary first step.
REP. ANDRE CARSON (D), INDIANA: You must get a conversation going. We can't make assumptions. We can't be some imperialistic power that forces our opinions down the throats of other nations. We have to open the doors of dialogue.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Jim Acosta is joining us now live from D.C.
Jim, what has the president said that might give us a sense of what his message will be?
ACOSTA: I think it's going to be his personal story, Kyra. He talked during the campaign about how he knows Islam better than any U.S. president this country's ever had, talking about his childhood in Indonesia and having a Kenyan father giving him that very unusual biography that he thinks will go down well in that part of the world. So I think we're going to hear a lot of that. During a conference call with reporters last week, a member of the National Security Council was talking to reporters about what the president might say, and he even brought this up, something that the president talked about almost a year and a half ago during the campaign -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: And as we know, you talked to a number of Muslim members of Congress. You can't get...
ACOSTA: There were just two.
PHILLIPS: Yes, exactly. OK. There you go, the two. And you can't get everything that they said in the piece that we just aired.
ACOSTA: Right.
PHILLIPS: What else did they tell you about what they would like to see from the president or what they expect from the president?
ACOSTA: Well, when I was talking with Keith Ellison, he was the congressman who was saying that this is an urgent time for the president in that part of the world. And he said that, you know, despite what we just talked about, about the president's biography, Congressman Ellison said that is already known down in the Muslim world. And what they really want to hear in the Arab and Muslim countries of the Middle East is some sort of talk from the president about where the roadmap to peace is headed in the Middle East, and in particular the Israeli/Palestinian issue.
Congressman Ellison took a tour of Gaza and also went over into Israel, just across the border from Gaza, and said on both sides of that border there is a thirst, a hunger, for leadership from the United States and from President Obama. And at this point, he's got a tricky tightrope to walk, Kyra.
He's not only hearing from members of Congress like Keith Ellison saying, you know, press the Israelis, try to broker some kind of peace agreement, he's also hearing from other members of Congress who are saying you're going too fast, don't push the Israelis too hard. So, he has got a tricky task ahead of him down there in Cairo -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. We'll be talking a lot about it.
Jim Acosta, thanks.
ACOSTA: You bet.
PHILLIPS: The president's trip overseas begins today, and so does his Supreme Court nominee's trip toward confirmation. So far, so good for Judge Sotomayor, but the handshakes and "Nice to meet yous" can't last forever; right?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, it's a high seas mystery that has the U.S. Navy pretty baffled right now. Missing, $30,000 from the Maersk Alabama. You'll recall that that was the ship captained by Richard Phillips when it was commandeered by pirates off Somalia in April. But the burning question is, who's got the booty?
Our Chris Lawrence is hot on the trail. He joins us once again from the Pentagon.
Still trying to crack down the "booty" word, but you're not doing it. You're being a very professional Pentagon correspondent, Chris Lawrence.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: It is called evidence, Kyra. Evidence.
PHILLIPS: The physical evidence, the jewels.
LAWRENCE: That's right.
PHILLIPS: What are the theories right now?
LAWRENCE: Well, there's any of a number of things that could have happened. Here's what we know for sure, and we know it from the U.S. government, because the government has filed federal -- is bringing federal charges against this last pirate here in New York. And so there is an actual criminal complaint. And in that complaint, the FBI says that these pirates basically put a gun to captain Rich Phillips' head, marched him to the safe on board the Maersk Alabama, forced him to then take out about $30,000 in cash, which they then split up amongst themselves and got on board that lifeboat where they were holding him hostage.
Well, we know what played out after that. You know, the one pirate gave himself up, the Navy SEALs on board the USS Bainbridge took the shots and killed the other three pirates and rescued the captain.
But when you look at the list of evidence of what was recovered from that lifeboat, AK-47s, ammo, cell phones, radios, it does not list the actual money. So, where did the $30,000 go?
It could have gone overboard, someone could have taken it. What the naval criminal investigative services is doing now is questioning everyone. You know, basically just crossing all of the Ts, dotting the I's. No one has been accused, but they are taking a wide view of anyone who may have come in contact with that cash. That could include the crew of the Alabama, the crew of the Bainbridge, and the Navy SEALs who actually rescued Captain Phillips.
PHILLIPS: Well, we'll keep tracking it.
Chris Lawrence, appreciate it.
LAWRENCE: Yes.
PHILLIPS: So far, so good for Sonia Sotomayor. She's begun meeting the senators who will confirm or deny her nomination to the Supreme Court.
Republican Jeff Sessions had nothing but good things to say here on CNN about her knowledge, energy and experience.
Let's go ahead and check in with CNN Radio's Lisa Desjardins. She's on judge watch for us today.
Lisa, you know, we heard from Jeff Sessions and his first impressions, but tougher questions actually from him and his colleagues in both parties are definitely coming, right?
LISA DESJARDINS, CNN RADIO CAPITOL HILL CORRESPONDENT: Oh, there are questions from both sides. As Dana Bash has been reporting, she spoke to Dianne Feinstein, who told her she wants to know what Judge Sonia Sotomayor thinks about abortion rights and where that fits in the legal framework.
Of course, Roe versus Wade is kind of the sentinel case in that area. And this is a tricky issue for anyone to address with someone approaching the Supreme Court.
Anyone who has watched hearings in the last 15 years knows that this is the job of a Supreme Court nominee, is to duck those questions and say they could be facing that issue, so they won't comment. But yet, Democrats don't know where Sotomayor is on abortion rights, and they're very eager to find out, maybe even a little nervous.
PHILLIPS: So, what's your take? What do you think her chances are now? I mean, you've been there from early morning to mid afternoon now.
DESJARDINS: Well, I think a big key, as you sort of referenced, Kyra, is that when you have the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee come out and call her a delight, that's about as good as it gets here. The question is how the votes will come down.
Democrats know that they are within one seat of 60 votes in the Senate, and that's all they need to confirm her, even go over a filibuster. But here's the problem, Kyra. Two of their members, Senators Kennedy and Byrd, have health problems. So we don't know if Democrats can count on those votes right now.
That brings them down to 57 votes, meaning they probably will need some Republican help. So, not a done deal, but I think Republicans see right now this is a nominee that is on track.
PHILLIPS: And just real quickly, we're hearing hearings probably in September, right? Is that what you're hearing as well?
DESJARDINS: There's a fight. Republicans want September, a lot of Democrats, including the White House, want July. So, watch for that power struggle in even the next couple of days to emerge.
PHILLIPS: Got it.
Lisa Desjardins, with CNN Radio.
Thanks so much.
Coming this October, CNN will present "Latino in America," a comprehensive look at how Latinos are changing America, reshaping politics, business, schools, churches and neighborhoods. Watch for it. It's coming this October, only on CNN.
Getting a new job after losing your old one -- a lot of Americans are having to go through that right now. So, how did they do it? And where are the hot jobs? We're going to find out from our financial help desk.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
PHILLIPS: Well, GM is trying to work quickly to get out of bankruptcy, and today it took one big step closer. The automaker has reached a deal to sell its biggest gas-guzzler. Of course we're talking about the Hummer brand.
Susan Lisovicz following this from the New York Stock Exchange.
So, Susan, who's buying the Hummer these days?
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: And that's the big surprise, Kyra. It is a Chinese heavy industrial company. I'm not sure that the name is going to mean anything to you or to our viewers, but it is Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Company.
It's a heavy industrial company. It's not a car company. And that is who is buying the Hummer, which is probably one of the most iconic vehicles that symbol strength and power in the U.S. these days.
Unfortunately, the Hummer, though, sales have fallen off a cliff, because it is a gas-guzzler made by GM. We knew that it was going to sell it along with Saturn, Saab and Pontiac. This is the first one to go. This deal apparently struck today.
Now, you may ask, here is GM, the biggest of the big three, selling the Hummer to a Chinese company when it's getting billions, tens of billions of dollars, in taxpayer money. Well, as part of the deal, we do know this, that the Hummer will continue to be made in Louisiana, at least for -- up until 2010. That much we do know, but details, of course, are still coming out.
And we do know that we also got car sales this afternoon, Kyra, which really points to the problems behind the Hummer. GM's sales last month fell 29 percent. That was better than expected. Hummer sales, within GM, fell 41 percent.
PHILLIPS: Wow.
LISOVICZ: One of the reasons why GM wants to separate into the good company and the bad company. Hummer would be part of the bad company, but it will be sold by a Chinese company.
PHILLIPS: All right. So, stay with me a second.
Let's bring in Peter Valdez-Dapena with CNNMoney.com.
Peter, then, you know, what Susan said, down 41 percent in sales. So why would this company want to buy Hummer?
PETER VALDES-DAPENA, CNNMONEY.COM: Right. Well, Hummer sales, even at the best of times, are tiny. Now, the 41 percent drop last month, remember everyone knew that GM was selling the brand, so a lot of people were probably avoiding buying a Hummer just because they were wary of what was going to happen to the brand in the future.
But, Hummer, you're right, has always had very tiny sales. Contrast it with Pontiac, which GM is not selling, which they're simply closing down. Pontiac sold 10 times as many cars in the U.S. alone as Hummer sold around the world.
But, if I went out on the street right now and asked people, "What do you think of Hummer?" I guarantee you I would get a strong response from almost everyone I asked. This brand has a very strong image, and that's something that can go for you and it can go against you, but it's something you really want in a brand, is strong, commanding image that people understand what Hummer means and what it stands for.
And let's say gas prices stay flat, or if this company can improve the fuel economy of the vehicles -- I mean, look at Jeep. Jeep is a very, very popular grand for Chrysler, it's the strongest brand they have. Hummer could be perhaps another Jeep if it can just get away from the strong gas-guzzler attachment it now has.
PHILLIPS: So do you think that's possible? Do you think this company is going to take the Hummer, you guys, and make it so it gets, what, 50 miles per gallon? That seems almost impossible.
VALDES-DAPENA: Right. Right now its best product is the H-3, which gets 18 miles a gallon. It's not very good, but GM does have in its product plan a smaller Hummer about the size of a Jeep Wrangler, and that is a product plan they are sharing with the new buyers, and the new buyers are expected to follow. So, something like that could actually help Hummer shed its image for only making big SUVs.
PHILLIPS: All right, what do you -- what about -- Susan, do you think they'll actually make these Hummers in China?
LISOVICZ: Well, "The New York Times" says that this is a company, a heavy industrial company, with ambitions to become a car company. It would certainly seem that would be a logical step. And yes, it would seem that with, what, a couple billion people in its own direct marketplace, that's car crazy -- I mean, Buick is a huge seller in China.
If GM just had one market and it was in China, GM would be a great success story. Unfortunately, North America's its biggest market. So, yes, I think that would be a logical step, but from what we know now, is that the Hummer will continue to be made in the U.S.
PHILLIPS: You start to wonder, the U.S. bails out GM, they ship the jobs over to China, then they export the Hummers back to the U.S.
What do you think, Peter?
VALDES-DAPENA: I'm sorry, could you repeat that? I didn't hear you?
PHILLIPS: I was just saying, what if they -- Susan, am I on to something there? What do you think? I mean, is it possible that that could happen?
LISOVICZ: Absolutely.
VALDES-DAPENA: That they could increase demand for the Hummer? Yes. In the U.S.?
PHILLIPS: As in the U.S. bails out GM, right? They ship the jobs overseas. They make the Hummers in China. Boom, the Hummers are back in the U.S.
VALDES-DAPENA: Yes. I don't think that would be a terribly popular move in this country.
I think if the Chinese buyer is smart, they're going to find ways to manufacture these vehicles here, because a lot of Hummer buyers are the type of folks that are not going to be too cool about buying a product made in another country. Part of the reason they're buying a Hummer is they want to buy an American product.
So, I think if they play it right, they should probably try to find ways to continue manufacturing the vehicles here, so they can at least say, OK, we're a Chinese company, but there are American people working on your car and building this vehicle for you. It's still an American vehicle.
PHILLIPS: Got it.
Susan Lisovicz, Peter, thanks so much, guys.
Well, two debris fields covered in the Atlantic Ocean. Could the wreckage be from that missing Air France jetliner? We're going to tell you what's been found and the efforts to solve the mystery of Flight 447.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: We want to get you answers to your financial questions, so let's get straight to The Help Desk.
Beth Kobliner is the author of "Get a Financial Life," and John Simons is the senior personal finance editor at "Black Enterprise" magazine.
All right, guys, let's get to work. Tim in Florida asks, "I'm 43 years old and was laid off from my job five months ago. I don't have a college degree, but I have some college experience. I want to work in the health care field, that is. I've applied online just like crazy, but just can't get my foot in the door. Should I consider moving, or getting my degree?"
Beth, this is a great field to be in right now. It's one of the few that's expanding.
BETH KOBLINER, AUTHOR, "GET A FINANCIAL LIFE": Absolutely. Since the recession started, health care jobs have still increased about 3 percent on average. Not quite as much as Florida, but I would say he doesn't have to move. What he does want to: Get a little education. You can be a paramedic, you can be a dental assistant, a doctor's assistant, all these kinds of jobs that don't require a formal college degree. But if he wants to take courses, I urge him to get federal student loans like a Stafford loans, to pay for that. Because the interest rates are much lower than private loans.
Also there's a great website Healthcarejobs.org.
WILLIS: Healthcarejobs.org.
KOBLINER: Yes, they're the usual -there's Monster.com and Hotjobs but healthcarejobs.org will be something he should take a look at. The final thing is go in person. Everybody is online, everybody is looking, but if you have a doctor you like, maybe they need an assistant.
WILLIS: Start there, start and local.
KOBLINER: Right.
WILLIS: OK, Carla from Pennsylvania asks, "My aging mother inherited a home from my grandmother and would like to pass it on to me. If she passes the home to me or sells to me for very little, will it affect my ability to enroll in the first-time homeowners program?"
John, I get all kinds of questions about the $8,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers. What would you say to this viewer?
JOHN SIMONS, "BLACK ENTERPRISE": If you take the home as an inheritance, you do not qualify.
WILLIS: So, no.
SIMMONS: So, the answer is no. What this person should do is go ahead and purchase a home, if you're -- if you're ready to do that right now. Go ahead and purchase it. Get the maximum up to $8,000 tax credit, and then have your -- have your family give you the inherited home.
WILLIS: And so it's all about the order that you do it in.
SIMONS: That's right.
WILLIS: And that $8,000 tax credit, that's a fantastic thing.
SIMONS: It's very good.
WILLIS: The federal government is turning that into something you can use as part of a down payment. All right, guys, thanks.
The Help Desk is all about getting you answers, send me an e-mail at Gerri@cnn.com or logon to cnn.com/helpdesk to see more or our financial solutions. And the Help Desk is everywhere. Make sure to check out the latest issue of "Money" magazine on newsstands now.
PHILLIPS: A day in court for the man accused of killing a abortion provider. The picture painted of the suspect by family members is grim, if not downright scary. We will tell you what they've said.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: CNN has just learned that a commercial ship is now at a debris field in the Atlantic Ocean, which could be wreckage from that missing Air France plane. Earlier Brazilian military planes had spotted what was described as a plane seat, life jacket, oil can and fuel oil floating on the water.
Flight 447, with 228 passengers and crew on board, vanished yesterday en route from Rio to Paris.
Air France flight 447 was an almost new high-tech aircraft and lightning may have hit the plane as it was high over the Atlantic. But would that be enough to cause it to crash? Here's CNN's Brian Todd.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A massive air and sea search that may never provide definite answers on the fate of flight 447. Air France officials say the plane experienced turbulence and electrical problems before it vanished, in or near what experts call the inter-tropical convergence zone, an area where the northern and southern hemispheres and their trade winds meet, spawning some of the world's most severe thunderstorms. Experts say a lightning strike is a possibility, but --
JOHN WILEY, FORMER AIRBUS PILOT: On average every airliner is struck at least once a year by a lightning strike. They don't go down.
TODD: Experts say when lightning strikes a plane, the bolt typically hits a sharp part of it, a wing tip or tail surface. Millions of amps of energy run through the aircraft and usually exit out another sharp point. But sometimes if components aren't well grounded high voltages can cause electrical damage. This plane, an Airbus 330, is equipped with a fly-by-wire system. Unlike standard aircraft where the pilot's controls are manually attached to control surfaces like rudders and flaps with fly-by-wire the pilot's controls in the cockpit are linked to the movable surfaces by electrical wires and computers, so essentially a signal is sent to move those devices.
Experts say there are backup fly-by-wire computers and wires, but a lightning strike could possibly disable those as well.
PROF. JOHN HANSMAN, MIT: If you have a massive electrical problem, it's possible that you could cut off all the commands out of the control surfaces.
TODD (On camera): We asked Airbus for a briefing on possible causes. On the electrical warning system, what protections are built in for lightning strikes, an Airbus spokeswoman said it's way too early at this stage and the company does not want to engage in speculation. Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
PHILLIPS: And the man accused of gunning down a Kansas abortion provider in church may be formally charged this afternoon. Scott Roader is being held in a Wichita jail. He allegedly killed George Tiller, one of the few doctors who still performed late-term abortions.
Roeder's former wife said that Roeder first got involved in anti- government groups more than a decade ago, and eventually became very anti-abortion. She says that she divorced him to, quote, "protect herself and her son". Roeder's brother says that he has suffered from mental illness at various times.
Doctor Tiller was one of the few doctors in the U.S. who would perform late-term abortions when a woman's life was in danger. And last night CNN's Anderson Cooper talked with one of his patients. We can't show you her face because she fears retaliation. But here's her thoughts.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR, "AC 360": You wrote a letter last summer to then candidate Barack Obama and you took issue with his position on late-term abortions, which at that time he said that states should be able to restrict or prohibit those procedures as long as there's an exception for the health of the mother. Why do you think he's wrong? Why should it be more than just the health of the mother?
LYNDA WADDINGTON, FORMER PATIENT OF DOCTOR TILLER: No, I don't think that statement is necessarily wrong. In as much as I wonder who gets to decide what those health concerns are. I mean, there are some people who believe that pregnancy, if God wills it, should be destined for women. There are other people who believe that terminal defects like I experienced should be allowable to terminate a pregnancy.
But there are other people, you know, who want to cut that line off at depression, women are suicidal. I don't think that's a decision government should ever be making, ever. COOPER: That is the argument you hear probably most often, from even some people who support abortions in general, that if it's just the mental health of the mother, the depression of the mother, then that's not legitimate enough reason. And you say that's -- that's not true, that's inappropriate?
WADDINGTON: I do believe that's inappropriate. I think that's a decision that the mother, and the doctor, and the family should be able to make on their own. We wouldn't look at someone suffering from cancer and say that you're too depressed to make your decisions regarding your family and your life. Why do we put that on women?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: You can watch Anderson Cooper every night at 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
Let's take a quick break. More from the NEWSROOM straight ahead.
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PHILLIPS: Well, hopeful sign today for the battered housing market. Sales of previously owned homes jumped in April by 6.7 percent. That's the biggest monthly gain in nearly eight years. Experts say it's a sign that home sales are finally coming to life after a long and painful slump.
And working moms face a built-in challenge, balancing jobs and kids, now the recession is piling on. A report by the Joint Economic Committee in Congress finds that unemployment is spiking among female heads of household, these are women who are totally responsible for supporting their families; one in 10 of those moms now unemployed. Less than two years ago that rate was below 7 percent. If you break it down, African-Americans are hit hardest, facing 13.3 percent unemployment.
Ah, childhood, when we were young and clueless. You know our produce, Katie, pointed us to this website where grown-ups share their outgrown misconceptions. More on that, plus some of your contributions.
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PHILLIPS: Well, at the morning meeting today our fabulous producer and mommy-to-be Katie Baritone (ph) mentioned a website she just heard about, it's called Iusedtobelieve.com, where thousands of people have fessed up to hilarious, or horrifying, stuff that they used to believe as kids.
We've found a few fun examples, so here it goes: I used to believe that when we fly somewhere there was a separate plane for luggage. It explained why luggage would take so long and why it would get lost sometimes."
Someone else wrote in to this web site, and said, "When I grew up, I wanted to be a toll booth operator, because when my parents asked why on earth would I want to do that, I explained it was because people always gave them the money. I was under the impression that they got to keep all of it."
We asked for your own "I used to believe" stories. We got a bunch of Tweets from you. Marshall1993 says, "I used to believe that bands and singers were actually performing at radio stations. I was amazed at how often they visited.
And R4808 says, "When I was young I thought that the car knew where to turn. I didn't know there was a turn signal handle. I always thought the car just knew.
And from DustyRoad325: "When I was young I thought church was a place that we went for my mother to sing and dad and other males to nap."
Thanks, everyone, for your Tweets. Appreciate it.
Rick Sanchez, what did you used to believe as a kid? Or maybe I shouldn't ask.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: I used to believe in goodness and prosperity, but suddenly I realized the world is a very difficult place.
PHILLIPS: I am going to barf.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Yeah, whatever, Rick. What are you working on back there?
SANCHEZ: Hey, you know who I'm talking to today? You're not going to believe this.
PHILLIPS: Tell me, Rick.
PHILLIPS: Rick Sanchez.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: You're talking -- you always talk to yourself. What's different?
SANCHEZ: No, I've got an interview with Rick Sanchez.
PHILLIPS: OK?
Come on, Rick Sanchez.
PHILLIPS: OK, I'll bite.
SANCHEZ: The general, in charge of Iraq.
PHILLIPS: The general! Ricardo Sanchez!
SANCHEZ: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Did you read his book?
SANCHEZ: Got it right here, as a matter of fact.
PHILLIPS: Yeah.
SANCHEZ: "Wiser in Battle".
PHILLIPS: Uh-huh.
SANCHEZ: Do you know what's interesting is he has said a lot of very interesting things lately.
PHILLIPS: And he's ripped apart the former administration.
SANCHEZ: Well, maybe it's an epiphany from a guy, you know, who grew up in a Texas town on the border with Mexican parents, and suddenly he's going through transformation. I don't know. I'm going to ask him these questions and let him answer why he said that the Iraq war was in many ways a failure, an institutional failure? And why there should be a truth commission to look into it. This would -you would think the guy who has a lot of the answers, right?
PHILLIPS: Yeah.
SANCHEZ: And then Nancy Reagan is in the news. This is really cool. People are going to be able to see this right here during our show. She's returning to the White House today. Nancy Reagan returns --
PHILLIPS: What for?
SANCHEZ: She's going back to be with the president. They're setting up something in obviously her husband's name, which is very important for the history of our nation. And it's going to be -- it's going to happen live and in living color, right in -- during our hour. We're pretty -- we're pretty proud of that. We'll let viewers share that and let it happen. Hopefully it's not the last time she returns to the White House.
PHILLIPS: All right, Rick, we'll be watching.
SANCHEZ: All right.
PHILLIPS: Thanks.
SANCHEZ: See you.
PHILLIPS: We've got an update for you now on that fatal shooting just outside a military recruiting center in Little Rock, Arkansas. CNN has confirmed the suspect had been under investigation after he visited Yemen. The suspect is a Muslim who converted to Islam. He made his first court appearance today. One soldier was killed in that shooting. The other seriously injured.
Well, you see them literally everywhere. Heck, you probably have bumper stickers or other car art going on. But what if your neighbors told you they had to go? That's what happened to a disabled Vietnam vet who plastered his car with Marine Corps tributes. He's with us. We are going to tell you what happened. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, a disabled Vietnam vet shows his Marine Corps pride on his ride. And then guess what happens? He gets a letter from the homeowners association ordering him to remove his Marine stickers or be fined. Fined $50 a day, and also get his car towed. It's a total outrage story that drew heated reaction on the web -- and from us.
So former Marine, Frank Larison, joins me now live with his attorney Frank Burns. We've also got Art Bradford, a member of that neighborhood board, on the line as well.
But, Frank, let's go ahead and start with you. So, you get this letter and it's signed from the Dallas Homeowners Association, The Woodlands II On The Creek board of directors, telling you about this. What was your reaction?
FRANK LARISON, RETIRED MARINE: I was shocked.
PHILLIPS: Why were you shocked?
LARISON: I never had any notice -- other notice. Just -- the letter just popped right up in the mail.
PHILLIPS: And what exactly did the letter say? I mean, did anybody come talk to you prior to getting this letter from the board of directors?
LARISON: No, ma'am.
PHILLIPS: OK. So, all of a sudden you just get the letter?
LARISON: Yes, ma'am, I just got the letter.
PHILLIPS: All right, I want to take -- why don't we start by - just a little bit back when you were a Vietnam vet. Do we have those pictures? OK, here we go. Here we are back when you were a vet. You know, let's talk about why you're so proud to have been in the U.S. Marine Corps, and serving the country.
Go ahead, Frank.
LARISON: Why I served? Because when I was young there was a president, and he a speech, and I -- I liked it ever since. I still like it.
PHILLIPS: And what did it mean to you? What did it mean to you to put on that uniform and to serve your country? And to, you know, know that you were doing something for everyone around you?
LARISON: I thought, you know, I was doing something good for the country. At the time and I've always -- still feel that way. I'm sorry.
PHILLIPS: That's OK. I know this is tough for you, because you know what, you're a hell of a Marine. And you're very proud of what you did. And that's why we wanted to do this story, Frank.
So, let's take a look at your car. You've got a number of U.S. Marine Corps decals on your PT Cruiser, which looks like a fun ride, by the way.
LARISON: It's an HHR.
Oh, it's an HHR. Whoops, I got it wrong. I'm sorry. I got to work on my cars, Frank.
All right. So, we are looking at the stickers. We see cars like this all the time. So, you get a letter from the board of directors and the president, Dorenda Hardy (ph) saying, unless you remove these, you'll be fined $50 a day and you could get your car towed. And just to read exactly what it says in that statement, it says "a vehicle with painted or decal advertising of any kind is not permitted on the property at any time."
Now, here's what I found interesting. Since you are a U.S. Marine, we asked you to go on a little "recy" for us. And we noticed that there were all these other cars in the neighborhood that had decals as well. Let's take a look at these.
We have the Dallas Fraternal Order of Police. We found another car in the neighborhood there that showed a photo of Obama and Biden '08. Then we found this one here, this is my personal favorite, because I'm a golfer, Frank, I'd rather be driving a Titleist. And then we found another one that said, Virginia Law School and that was a huge one right there in the center of the car. So, this seems pretty hypocritical to me. Did any of those people get letters?
LARISON: Not that I know of, ma'am.
PHILLIPS: Did anyone in the neighborhood come to you and say, hey, I'm offended by these stickers? Take them off.
LARISON: Not that I know of. No one's come to me yet.
PHILLIPS: OK, so, let me ask your lawyer there, Mike, did he break the rules? Did he violate the rules?
MIKE BURNS, ATTORNEY: I don't think so. I've taken a look at the rules, and I think he's in compliance with them. The only thing that he wants to do, as you can tell from those stickers, he wants to express his loyalty and patriotism to the military and to the United States government.
PHILLIPS: You know, quite frankly, I think that's a big reason why we want to show your support for you, Frank, because the rules seem pretty darn stupid. And we did try to reach out to Dorenda Hardy (ph), the head of the homeowners association there in Dallas. Tried her cell, tried her home phone number. It wasn't able to receive messages. We e-mailed, said that she wouldn't be able to respond to the 13th of June. But we were able to get a member of the board on the line.
And, Art, are you with us?
ART BRADFORD, BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF HOMEOWNER'S ASSOC.: Yes.
PHILLIPS: OK, now, you're a member of the board, Art Bradford, correct?
BRADFORD: I am a member on the board. And it is a voluntary position.
PHILLIPS: All right, it's a voluntary position. All right, let me ask you this, did you know about this letter? Because the letter was signed from the board of directors. Did you know that Frank was going to be fined and have his car towed even when there were other people in the neighborhood that had decals all over their cars?
BRADFORD: No, I didn't know about the letter going out before it was sent out. I'd actually didn't know about it until I received a knock at my door last Tuesday, so --
PHILLIPS: OK.
BRADFORD: So I was blindsided by all of it, OK? Frank's side of the story and the homeowners association side.
PHILLIPS: So, here's my question -- you know, we've seen Frank's car. We see all his stickers. We also see a number of other cars in your neighborhood with decals as well. What do you think about these rules? They seem pretty silly, don't they?
BRADFORD: Well, I'm -- about the rules, the rules are rules. We all live by rules on this world we live in nowadays. And it's like I told the Channel 4 News crew that was here the other day, our world is chaotic enough without rules. So, if we didn't have rules, imagine how chaotic it really would be so --
PHILLIPS: But nobody else got a letter in the neighborhood. There's a number of other cars with a bunch of decals, and they didn't receive a letter. They haven't been told that they'd have to pay a fine or that their car would be towed. Frank's the only guy here that's been reprimanded.
BRADFORD: Well, first off, it had nothing to do with it being Marine stickers, of the Marines. I am full in favor of every person that serves for our military. They -- they sacrificed more than I can even imagine. So, with that said, you know, the fact is that this was blown way out of proportion because it had nothing to do with it being Marine stickers. We didn't send it out to him because he was --
PHILLIPS: But that was never mentioned, Art. I mean, nobody else has received a letter. No one else has been told they'd be fined or their car would be towed. Nothing was mentioned about the fact that these were military stickers. The fact is, Frank is being cornered on this one and we can't seem to get a hold of your president, Dorenda Hardy (ph).
You are speaking out. What I want to know are you going to stick everybody to these rules or are you going to drop these silly rules and let Frank have his decals like everybody else in the neighborhood has their decals?
BRADFORD: First off, we're not a neighborhood. We're only a small complex. We probably have 70 units here.
PHILLIPS: All right, the cars in the complex there, are you going to drop the rules, can Frank keep his stickers like everybody else?
BRADFORD: Well, back up, first off, OK? Now, if we were talking about one sticker that was on a vehicle like you showed on all the other vehicles out there, one Titleist sticker, a one Obama sticker, we may not be talking -- we wouldn't be having this conversation, probably.
PHILLIPS: Actually, there's a couple stickers on some of the cars as we are looking at right now. So it's not just an issue of one sticker.
BRADFORD: I'm not looking at the cars that you're referring to, so --
PHILLIPS: All right. Well, I tell you what, why don't you check out all the other cars in the neighborhood. Frank, we support you. Thank you for serving our country.
LARISON: Thank you, Ma'am.
PHILLIPS: We hope you will be able to not be fined and not get that car towed because we're proud of what you do. And everybody else seems to be able to advertise their own stickers, as well. Will you keep us posted?
LARISON: Yes, ma'am.
PHILLIPS: All right. Semper fi, Frank.
LARISON: Thanks. You, too.
PHILLIPS: All right. We're going to take it to Rick Sanchez right after the break.
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SANCHEZ: Murderer or terrorist? Yesterday he was Carlos Bledsoe, accused of shooting two U.S. soldiers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Muhammad, previously known as Mr. Bledsoe, did convert to Islam, sometime previously in his life. At this point it appears that he specifically targeted military personnel.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Today reports say he's Abdul Hakim Mujahedeen Mohammad (ph), a Muslim convert who may have traveled to Yemen. Murder or terrorist? This weekend, it was the killing of a doctor who performed abortions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: George Tiller was a mass murder and horrifically he reaped what he sowed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: So, he deserved it? Is that a warning to other abortion providers? And if so, is that terrorism?
