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American Morning
Taliban Releases Video of Captured U.S. Soldier; Prescription for Health Care Reform; Some Democrats Express Concern on Obama's Health Care Plan; Unemployment Rates Soar; Secretary of State Clinton Meets With Indian Prime Minister
Aired July 20, 2009 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Crossing the top of the hour now. Thanks very much for being with us on this Monday, it's the 20th of July. You're watching the Most News in the Morning. I'm John Roberts.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Kiran Chetry. Here's what's on the agenda. These are the big stories we're going to be breaking down for you in the next 15 minutes.
For the first time since he was captured, we're seeing some dramatic video of a U.S. soldier taken by the Taliban in Afghanistan. The U.S. military is calling the tape propaganda. We're live with his plea as well as his family prayers and the Pentagon's reaction.
ROBERTS: A six-month report card. New polls suggesting that President Obama's approval ratings are slipping on some key issues including health care, something that he has been pushing hard for this month.
CHETRY: Also, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meets with India's leaders this morning. She's in the middle of her week-long trip to India and Thailand. It's a key diplomatic test after the Mumbai terror attacks raise tension in the region again.
And more now on our developing story this morning. The U.S. military says that video showing a frightened soldier captured by the Taliban is in violation of international law. Here it is. It's our first glimpse at Private First Class Bowe Bergdahl since he disappeared from his base in eastern Afghanistan nearly three weeks ago. And the military is calling the 28-minute tape propaganda.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PFC. BOWE ROBERT BERGDAHL, U.S. ARMY: Well, I'm scared. I'm scared I won't be able to go home. It is very unnerving to be a prisoner.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr has more on the fallout from this disturbing video and whether this is yielding any clues perhaps in the continuing search for him.
Good morning, Barbara. BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kiran. This American soldier now a prisoner of the Taliban for the last three weeks. The hunt goes on for him throughout the eastern Afghanistan- Pakistan border area. U.S. forces say they are doing everything they can to find 23-year-old Private First Class Bowe Bergdahl who disappeared from his base back on June 30th.
Private Bergdahl, Private First Class Bergdahl for the first time talking about how he feels.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PFC. BOWE ROBERT BERGDAHL, U.S. ARMY: I have my girlfriend whom I'm hoping to marry. I have my grandma and grandpa. I have a very, very good family that I love back home in America. And I miss them every day that I'm gone. I miss them.
And I'm afraid that I might never see them again, and that I'll never be able to tell them that I love them again. I'll never be able to hug them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR: Throughout the 28-minute video, his captors put a number of political questions to the soldier. It should be understood, of course, all of his answers are under duress because he is being held captive.
Now, his family in Idaho has asked for privacy. They've asked for the media not to approach them at all. They're keeping very quiet about all of this. But they did issue a brief statement over the weekend saying, "We hope and pray for our son's safe return to his comrades and then to our family, and we appreciate all the support and expressions of sympathy shown to us."
The U.S. military has a liaison with the family that is keeping them fully informed at all times of any developments. The U.S. military has also issued a statement saying that they publicly condemn the exploitation and humiliation of Private First Class Bergdahl -- Kiran.
CHETRY: All right. Hopefully we'll find out new information that will lead to his release soon.
Barbara Starr following this for us this morning. Thanks so much.
Also in the soldier's hometown, everyone is watching closely this story closely. Of course, hoping and praying for the soldier's safety. This heartfelt message came from a neighbor in Idaho that was speaking to our CNN affiliate KTVB and directly to the soldier. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIM BAKER, FAMILY FRIEND OF MISSING SOLDIER: Bowe, if you see this, know that we love you and we are praying fervently for you, and prayers are going up for you from all over the world. Stand tall and stand firm. And to all of our valiant men and women in uniform, know that the American people believe in you, support you and are 100 percent behind you. And we thank God every day that you have our backs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Again, that was one of Bowe Bergdahl's neighbors. And they say that they knew about his capture but his family asked them not to talk about it, of course, for fear any publicity might compromise his safety.
ROBERTS: President Obama is hoping to get his health care reform plan out of sick bay this week, but critics over the weekend were saying proposals on Capitol Hill could kill too many jobs. And there's a new dire prediction about how much change in the system could cost all of us.
Suzanne Malveaux is live at the White House right now with where it all goes from here. And, Suzanne, the Congressional Budget Office, a couple of predictions that nobody really liked them, what this is all going to cost. And some people are wondering if this whole thing just might be DOA.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: And, John, it really was a body blow to the president's plan reforming health care. But, obviously, I spoke with a top administration official who says when things get tough for this White House, they send the president out there. He's the best pitchman for this. There's going to be an aggressive public relations campaign. He is fully engaged in this.
We're going to see him at the Children's National Medical Center later today this morning talking about the need to push for it. And they really are trying to get this done as quickly as possible because they're trying to build some momentum here.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX (voice-over): Facing a tough week ahead. President Obama is trying to recapture the spotlight in the health care debate.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I will not sign on to any health plan that adds to our deficits over the next decade.
MALVEAUX: This after a devastating announcement on Friday by the Congressional Budget Office that the administration's health care bill would raise health care costs and add $239 billion to the deficit over 10 years. The White House dispatched their head of health care, Kathleen Sebelius.
KATHLEEN SEBELIUS, HHS SECRETARY: This is a work in progress. The good news is the House and Senate are actively working and share the president's goal that overall costs have to come down for everyone.
MALVEAUX: And the president's top money man, Peter Orszag, took up the argument.
PETER ORSZAG, OMB DIRECTOR: They'll have to be deficit neutral. The president yesterday said he will not sign a bill that isn't deficit neutral.
MALVEAUX: Republicans seized on the deficit announcement.
SENATOR JUDD GREGG (R), NEW HAMPSHIRE: Those were pretty damming words, to be very honest with you.
MALVEAUX: The Senate's minority leader said the bill will not have Republican support.
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), SENATE MINORITY LEADER: This is a bill that shouldn't pass at any point either before the August recess or later in the year because it is not good for the country.
MALVEAUX: The Obama administration is pushing hard for the bill to be on the president's desk before the August recess. But many lawmakers on both sides of the aisle say that's too ambitious.
REP. CHARLES RANGEL (D), NEW YORK: Sure we wish we had more time, but the president has given us a deadline. We're working under it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: They're obviously working on it. They feel that the president still has the political capital now to try to push this forward. But there is definitely a sense of urgency here on the administration's part. We are going to see the president holding a primetime news conference on Wednesday, 9:00 Eastern.
This is, John, the fourth primetime press conference that this president has held in the first six months of his presidency clearly using the bully pulpit as well as the media here to try to make this point and sell his agenda, John.
ROBERTS: We'll be watching all of this very closely this week. Suzanne Malveaux for us at the White House this morning. Suzanne, thanks so much.
And we want to hear what you think about all of this. Should the government tax the rich to help pay for health care reform? Or should everybody pay tax on their employer-sponsored health care benefits to pay for it? Send us your thoughts by going to our blog at CNN.com/amFIX.
CHETRY: Eight minutes past the hour. Also new this morning, investigators are trying to figure out why two light-rail trains collided in San Francisco over the weekend. Fifty people were hurt.
Witnesses say it was a westbound L train that barreled into a K train at the West Portal station. The AP reports that the train operator is now being looked at. A deadly crash in Los Angeles back in September was blamed on an engineer sending text messages. ROBERTS: Police in Indonesia have found a laptop they believe belonged to one of the bombers in Friday's deadly hotel attacks. Police say the blast at the Ritz-Carlton and the Marriott hotel killed nine people and injured more than 50. The death toll does include two suspected suicide bombers.
CHETRY: Also 40 years ago today, man first walked on the moon. An incredible feat, such a source of national pride. In fact, so incredible, though, that some find it hard to believe. We're putting the conspiracy theories to the test.
It's nine minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Welcome back to the Most Politics in the Morning. Inside the Beltway right now, President Obama trying to rally lawmakers on health care reform. But critics who say it will be way too expensive and cracks within his own party may derail an August deadline for a vote, if not the whole thing. Here to break that down and more political hot topics, Democratic strategist Lisa Caputo. She's here in New York with us this morning.
Good morning, Lisa.
LISA CAPUTO, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Good morning.
ROBERTS: And Washington Republican strategist Leslie Sanchez.
So let's take a look at this. Peter Orszag talking to John King yesterday in "STATE OF THE UNION" suggested that this August deadline, while they'd like to stick to it, may be a little softer than they thought. And when you look at public opinion polls, "Washington Post"/ABC News poll, President Obama's approval on health care reform slipped below 50 percent. He was at 57 percent, now 49 percent.
Lisa, is this whole thing in trouble?
CAPUTO: Well, I think that's why you see the president going out full barrel. I mean, he is their greatest resource. And you see him today, he's going to do an event. He's going to do a press conference on Wednesday night.
I also think it's important to note that they're using Michelle Obama now, and you're going to see a grassroots effort through the Internet. And so he's going out full barrel.
I think a couple of things. I said -- I think, one, you have to remember Peter Orszag said yesterday, which is while the criticism is on, this is going to add to the deficit. You have to remember that it's not, they're not taking into account the cost aids you're going to get from the cost-cutting in Medicare and Medicaid program.
ROBERTS: That's if Congress came up with the deal on...
CAPUTO: Yes, but the other thing also is that states are going to benefit from reduced health care costs. And it's also important to note that when you take a step back and look at this, people are not understanding the fact that they're going to save money when it comes down over ten years on children's health and Medicare.
ROBERTS: What do you think about all of this, Leslie? Obviously, there's the cost that's one issue. It's also how do you pay for it. Do you tax wealthy income earners? Do you tax employer benefits? Is this thing going to fly?
LESLIE SANCHEZ, CO-CHAIR, HISPANIC ALLIANCE FOR PROSPERITY INSTITUTE: It's going to be very difficult to fly. I mean, let's start with the obvious which is the American public is very skeptical about politicians and their ability to get this right. And with all due respect to the president, his very high approval ratings, at least alluded to, there is a lot of skepticism about a Congress that is trying to railroad a major reform, a major government involvement on health care.
And you do have Peter Orszag saying that there is the potential to tax some of these benefits and that is implying, if you look at the numbers of individuals making less than $250,000 which was the threshold the president set.
So, you're talking about an increase in taxes. Who knows if this is going to be the right solution? And I think it is very cautious. And the American public is right in this case of wanting to slow down and look at the details of what the president is trying to do.
ROBERTS: Lisa, we also saw -- we saw six moderates sending a letter, they're both Republicans and Democrats, moderates, though, sending a letter to the leadership saying, whoa, slow this whole thing down. Why are we going into this so fast? We might make a mistake here. We want to get this right.
CAPUTO: Well, I think, you know, there are two issues. One is, he's got to get the revenue stream right on this. And second, what are the political implications?
Let's remember Barack Obama ran on health care as one of his key platforms. So he's got to think about the political ramifications going into the midterm elections. That's why you see the Blue Dog Democrats saying hold on a minute. "Going into the midterm elections, do I really want to be associated with something that may raise taxes on the wealthy?"
ROBERTS: Right.
CAPUTO: So I think this is -- this is the political dynamic that the president is certainly going to address over the next couple of days. And Senator Kennedy, I thought, did a fantastic job laying with the column in "Newsweek" really laying out the case for health care.
ROBERTS: You know, there was an interesting article in "The New York Times Magazine" over the weekend written by Matt Bai calling President Obama "the shuffle president." Here's what he said. He said, "Obama is the nation's first shuffle president. He's telling lots of stories at once, and in no particular order. His agenda is fully downloadable. If what you care most about is health care, then you can jump right to that. If global warming gets you going, then click over there."
Peggy Noonan said in the "Wall Street Journal," "The administration about everything is an administration about nothing."
What do you think, Leslie? Is he taking on too much here? Has this administration -- you know, have they got too much on the table here to really get anything done effectively?
SANCHEZ: I think Republicans and Democrats would agree that this is a very ambitious agenda. And the problem is that the president -- by their own admission, has said that they misread the economy. Now you have 10 states that -- or excuse me, you have 15 states with unemployment over 10 percent. They are not seeing the type of residual benefits in the economy they thought the president talked about in the stimulus package. In fact, it's gotten worse.
Now you're talking about health care. He's talking about cap and trade, immigration reform. You have situation increasingly difficult in Afghanistan.
There are so many issues this president has to deal with that with respect to his ability to be effective, people don't want to see this kind of instant gratification. They're starting to say, let's look at the details. Can he do this, and can our economy take it?
ROBERTS: Even Colin Powell rang in on this, Lisa, saying, "I think that one of the cautions that has to be given to the president, and I've talked to some of his people about this, is that you can't have so many things on the table and you can't absorb it all."
CAPUTO: Well, I think a couple of things. One, I take issue with what Leslie said. I mean, the stimulus package is not supposed to work in six months. OK? So let's be clear about that, number one.
Number two, I would take --
ROBERTS: She's impatient.
CAPUTO: I would take it --
SANCHEZ: Sure. It wasn't supposed to get worse, Lisa?
CAPUTO: I would take an ambitious agenda in a heartbeat to address what was a do-nothing administration for eight years. So he's got a lot of political momentum. He's got, you know, very high approvals, even though they're slipping and he should use that to his advantage to push through various reforms that I think the country needs.
ROBERTS: Well, certainly -- SANCHEZ: Bottom line, John, he's losing support among independents. He's losing not to partisans but people who are looking objectively at this president. The situation was not supposed to get worse with this economic stimulus plan and it has.
CAPUTO: But, Leslie, if you look at those -- I'm looking at those same polls, and independents still are in favor of health care reform, so...
SANCHEZ: I think the reality is the deficits. We didn't see it. The government misread it. And I think that's where people are most concerned.
ROBERTS: We've got to wrap this up. Leslie Sanchez, Lisa Caputo, always great to see you.
CAPUTO: Nice seeing you.
ROBERTS: Thanks for coming in this morning. Really appreciate it.
Seventeen and a half minutes now after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Twenty minutes past the hour. Christine Romans "Minding Your Business" for us this morning.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: So I'm crunching these numbers, the state jobless numbers, looking at the number of states that have now topped 10 percent unemployment. It's pretty -- it's pretty dire. Couple of these states are even topping 15 percent.
I wanted to show you, these are the worst states in the country. This is not a news flash, folks. We've seen these, but we're hitting levels since '82.
If you see these red states here, you know that these are some of the top spots. 15.2 percent in Michigan, 12.4 percent Rhode Island, Oregon 12.2 percent. This is a political story, ladies and gentlemen, because anything above 10 percent starts to really just wreak havoc in politics, and it's really tough for incumbents.
It brings me to something I wanted to show you, a recession 101 ad campaign in some 2,000 billboards across the country because there's an unidentified donor in Rhode Island who is just so sick and tired of hearing about the economy that he wanted to point out that, you know, recessions do end.
Bill Gates started Microsoft in the middle of a recession. "Self worth beats net worth," one of these billboards says. And stop obsessing about the economy, you're scaring the children.
So a little bit of a reminder that, yes, these numbers continue to be ugly but there are some people out there who like to say, you know, recessions do end and this one will end too. CHETRY: As long as you're the one with the job, you know.
ROMANS: Yes, exactly.
CHETRY: And mortgage is easier.
ROMANS: Exactly. Exactly. Which bring me to "Romans' Numeral" because this is what constitutes -- what constitutes good news in a bad economy. 14,373, is a number, you know, we try to kind of -- a number that make you think a little bit -- 14,373.
ROBERTS: No idea.
ROMANS: John's like "hmm." It is the number of people in the last three months everyday who lost their job. 14,373.
ROBERTS: Wow.
ROMANS: How does this constitute good news?
ROBERTS: Per day.
ROMANS: Everyday. But in the first three months of the year it was 22,000. So, we have 7,900 fewer people. Well, John, I've reached...
ROBERTS: Well, 14,000 is better than 23.
ROMANS: I am reaching. But that is something to let you know that the job situation is still the lagging indicator. We're going to see numbers like this for the next, you know, foreseeable future, through the end of the year, probably.
ROBERTS: Looking forward to the day when we have 14,000 people gaining employment.
CHETRY: Exactly.
ROMANS: That's right. But this becomes -- this is the political story, and I'm going to keep hammering on this. This is what makes it a Washington and an incumbent story because people sitting at home, they start to lose patience with all the things that are out there trying to fix the economy. So should be interesting to see what happens midterm. Already talking about midterm.
CHETRY: You're right.
ROBERTS: Thanks, Christine.
CHETRY: Christine Romans, thanks.
ROBERTS: You might remember a movie called "Capricorn One." It was all about a conspiracy to put a person on Mars and how the whole Mars landing was faked. Well, there a lot of people who say the same thing happened with the moon. Did we really land on the moon or was it all done on a Hollywood set? We'll run down some of the conspiracy theories coming up in just a minute or two.
It's 23 and a half minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: We're following breaking news this morning. The lone gunman who survived the terrorist attacks in Mumbai last year has confessed in a statement that shocked the courtroom. Mohammed Ajmal Kasab (ph) reportedly said, "I plead guilty to my crime." He's one of ten Pakistanis who police say attacked several sites, including the famous Taj Mahal hotel killing more than 160 people.
And this morning, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in India. Earlier she paid tribute to the people who died in last year's terrorist attacks in Mumbai, attacks that raised tensions with India's longtime rival Pakistan. It was then on to New Delhi for official talks with India's prime minister.
Mallika Kapur is live in Mumbai for us this morning. Two sides talking about a lot of things. The secretary of state not getting some of what she was looking for, either.
MALLIKA KAPUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely right. Not getting everything that she was looking for. Interesting timing here today, though, because the topic -- the main topic of discussion between the secretary of state and the Indian prime minister, Manmohan Singh, in New Delhi today is terrorism.
And, of course, we know that's very significant today in the light of that dramatic use of the confession from Ajmal Kasab (ph), who after months of saying not guilty for the 86 charges against him, this morning surprised everyone by pleading guilty to the charges against him. So, terrorism very much a topic that the U.S. secretary of state simply could not avoid during her trip to India.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAPUR (voice-over): It was a wet and windy welcome for Hillary Clinton on her first visit to India as U.S. secretary of state, arriving during the peak of the monsoon season. Clinton chose to stay at one of the Mumbai hotels terrorists attacked last year, the landmark Taj Palace, calling it a rebuke to the terrorists. The purpose of her visit, strengthening ties with India at a time India fears the U.S. is preoccupied with Pakistan and Afghanistan.
ANAND MAHINDRA, MAHINDRA GROUP: I believe this is reaching out saying, "Look, we still love you. You're still important for us."
KAPUR: Anand Mahindra is one of Mumbai's leading industrialist. He says it's significant Clinton chose to land not in the capital of New Delhi but the financial hub, Mumbai, where she had breakfast with business heads. Many Indian industrialists say it's awfully disappointing.
MAHINDRA: What does President Obama really intend to do about taxing offshore? What does he intend to do about restricting H-1B (ph) visas? Is there a bias creeping in towards outsourcing? These are real issues for corporate India but none of that was discussed.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Happy and satisfied with the action that Pakistan is taking against terror.
KAPUR: A topic that kept coming up and Clinton tried playing down -- Pakistan.
HILLARY CLINTON, SECRETARY OF STATE OF THE UNITED STATES: Discussion between India and Pakistan is between India and Pakistan.
KAPUR: The U.S. is walking a fine line trying to keep the two neighbors on the same page in the fight against extremists. India blames a Pakistan-based militant group for last year's attack and says Pakistan isn't doing enough to tackle terror. Observers say India faces pressure from Washington to ease tensions with Pakistan allowing U.S. and Pakistani forces to focus on fighting extremists along the Afghan border.
BRAHMA CHELLANEY, STRATEGIC AFFAIRS ANALYST: The recent joint statement between India and Pakistan, reestablishing dialogue and agreeing to exchange real-time actionable intelligence between their agencies, all that happened because of American diplomacy, because of American back channel involvement.
KAPUR: Clinton preferred to keep the focus of her trip on other issues, climate change, newer technology, women's rights and education.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAPUR: When it comes to climate change, too, the U.S. secretary of state did not get what she wants. This morning, the Indian side coming out very strongly and saying that it will not adhere to any limitations, any caps on carbon emissions, saying that India simply doesn't pollute as much -- John.
ROBERTS: Mallika Kapur live for us from Mumbai this morning. Mallika, thanks so much for that.
CHETRY: Coming up now on 30 minutes past the hour. We check our top stories.
And the Pentagon confirming now the identity of the captured American soldier who appears in a video that was posted online by the Taliban. He's Private Bowe Bergdahl, a 23-year-old from Ketchum, Idaho. The military calling the tape a piece of propaganda.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PFC. BOWE ROBERT BERGDAHL, U.S. ARMY: Well, I'm scared. I'm scared I won't be able to go home. It is very unnerving to be a prisoner.
TIM BAKER, FAMILY FRIEND OF MISSING SOLDIER: Bowe, if you see this, know that we love you and we are praying fervently for you, and prayers are going up for you from all over the world. Stand tall and stand firm.
And to all of our valiant men and women in uniform, know that the American people believe in you, support you and are 100 percent behind you. We thank God every day that you have our backs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Private Bergdahl disappeared from his base in eastern Afghanistan. It was nearly three weeks ago. The exact circumstances surrounding his capture still not clear. The military has been distributing leaflets in the area seeking his release.
ROBERTS: Growing concerns about terrorists' ability to outsmart security according to the "Wall Street Journal." The bombers in the Jakarta, Indonesia hotel attack disguised bomb parts to look like laptop computers. Meanwhile, police in Jakarta now say the explosive materials used in Friday's bombings is identical to explosive used by the terror group Jemaah Islamiyah in previous attacks.
CHETRY: Pope Benedict XVI showing his mettle just three days after falling and breaking his wrist. The Pope preached to followers Sunday in northern Italy. A spokesman for the 82-year-old pontiff said that he's learning to live with his cast.
Well, it was 40 years ago today the Apollo 11 moon walk, a historic feat. And it was the first time the United States beat Russians in space. But believe it or not, there are still some people who think that never happened and it was a huge conspiracy that was cooked up by the government to put the U.S. ahead in the space race and to boost patriotism.
So, how do these conspiracies get started? Robert Thompson, he's a professor of television and popular culture at Syracuse University's (INAUDIBLE) School of Communication, and he has extensively studied conspiracy theories around the moon landing. He joins us this morning. Professor Thompson, great to have you with us.
ROBERT THOMPSON, PROFESSOR, SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY: Good morning.
CHETRY: First of all, set the stage for those who only read about the moon landing because they weren't around yet, what a pivotal time it was in our history and why it was so important.
THOMPSON: Yes, well, it really was. I mean, we were in the middle, of course, of a cold war with the Soviet Union and in the space race, the Soviet Union had been beating us quite handily. They, of course, got the first rocket into orbit with "Sputnik" in 1957, which was an enormous blow to the ego of the United States. And as they were launching all kinds of rockets into orbit -- a dog, a woman, all kinds of things -- we in the beginning kept blowing our rockets up on the launching pad. We couldn't get out into space much less into orbit in the beginning.
So, this moon landing thing was going to be the way we kind of reclaimed our national identity. In many ways, it was a machismo thing to do. JFK, of course, gave us a deadline that we've got to do it by the end of the decade. So there was a lot of national pride riding on this landing.
CHETRY: And so over the years, these polls have shown that most people believe that it did happen. A small but vocal minority believe this is a conspiracy. How do these conspiracies get started?
THOMPSON: Well, I think in this particular case, one of the main reasons is that in an odd sort of way it's kind of plausible. I mean we're not talking about aliens landing and being covered up by the government or anything. We're talking about something that if you think about it actually isn't that outrageous.
For one thing, and I do not number myself among the six percent who think this was a fake. I think we really landed there. But for one thing the federal government had the motive, the means and the opportunity to pull off a hoax if they would have wanted to do so. The motive was we really, really wanted to make this symbolic act.
CHETRY: Right.
THOMPSON: It had a lot to do with our national identity. The means and the opportunity, let's face it, everybody except three people saw this thing as a television show. There were no eyewitnesses except the three people who were actually up there. And they were under the employ of NASA. So if you were going to fake something, I supposed something that nobody else can see is probably an easier way to do that not to mention the fact that...
CHETRY: It's also endlessly fascinating and the pictures are fascinating. So, we want to run through sort of a lightning round of some of the biggest reasons that conspiracy theories happened.
THOMPSON: Oh, good.
CHETRY: And you can tell us. One of them that we're going to show is the appearance of the waving flag. It appeared that the flag was waving, even though they say there's no wind on the moon. So how could the flag wave. There you see it. Explain this.
THOMPSON: Right. Well, it was waving. The reason it was waving, was not because there was wind. As we say, there's no wind on the moon, there's no atmosphere. However, to make that flag stand out and go straight, you got to have to this little have ribbing to make it go. Because it's not going to fly straight when there's no atmosphere. And every time they touched that little pole, it sent vibrations through the ribbing. And then, therefore, the fabric so it actually looks like it's vibrating.
I actually think the flag is the biggest argument against the moon landing being a hoax. Because if you go back and watch the coverage of them trying to get that flag to stand up, it looks like keystone cops that can't get it in the ground. It's a joke if you were going to fake it, you wouldn't make your astronauts look so silly.
CHETRY: All right. Let's get to the next one. And this is the picture of Buzz Aldrin. The famous picture. And there are conspiracy theorists who say the shadows is not right. It looks like it's not parallel. It looks like some objects appear well lit, hinting possibly this came from studio cameras. What do you say about the shadow question?
THOMPSON: Right. Of course, these are the most convincing for many people. The shadows look like they're coming from different light sources. Because of this non-parallel sort of thing. The answer to that though is relatively simple. The shadows were coming from different light sources, the sun is not only reflecting off the surface of the moon, it's reflecting off the landing module. It's reflecting off the astronauts themselves. It's reflecting off whatever irregularities there are on the surface. And that would explain the fact that everything doesn't look like it's coming only from the light source of the sun.
CHETRY: All right. Finally, a lot of people say that what's adding credence to the conspiracy theorists is, where is the proof? NASA admitted that you know, they don't have the original video of the transmission. That they taped over it by accident, that they had Hollywood restore it. What about that?
THOMPSON: Yes. Well, this the one I swear almost makes the conspiracy theorist out of me, whenever I hear that "oh, we don't have the tape anymore." Just a few years later, there will be a missing tape in the Watergate conspiracy and of course, that was a conspiracy.
So, missing tape is always really bothersome. The fact that NASA would have taped over in the '70s and '80s, they say they needed more tape, so they taped over this, seems so incredible. And that does seem really, really suspicious. It hasn't convinced me. I don't think this whole thing is a conspiracy. But I do have to say when I hear that they taped over one of the most historic events in science of all time may not make me think it's a conspiracy but makes me think a lot of other things about NASA.
CHETRY: All right. Well, we could go on. People asking, "Where are the stars?". People saying that in the mirror of Buzz's space helmet you don't see a person taking the picture but we could go on all day with these, right, Robert?
THOMPSON: We could and the stars are easy. Go to a late-night football game with the bright lights. And the bright lights are going to make you not able to see the stars. That one seems to me easily checked off the list, as I think most of these are.
CHETRY: All right. Well, you studied this a long time. You don't count yourself among the six percent who does not believe we that we actually landed on the moon on this 40th anniversary of that lunar landing. Robert Thompson from Syracuse University. Good to have you with us this morning.
THOMPSON: Thank you for having me.
ROBERTS: People tape over important things all the time. How many guys put a football game over their wedding video in this country? Come on.
CHETRY: That's why you got to back it up now, right? Back it up with another CD or DVD.
ROBERTS: Absolutely. A big fan of space program was Walter Cronkite. You know, he reported, of course, on all of the shots from Mercury all the way to the landing on the moon. Walter passed away at the age of 92 on Friday. Dan Rather, who succeeded him on the CBS "Evening News," joins us coming up next to talk about his reminiscences of America's anchorman, or what some people would argue is the greatest journalist who ever lived in this country. Stay with us.
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ROBERTS: Remembering a legend. Walter Cronkite was America's anchor man, the most trusted man in America. He passed away on Friday at the age of 92. Dan Rather had the unenviable task of following Cronkite in the CBS anchor chair in 1981, a difficult task by anyone's measure. Earlier on AMERICAN MORNING, Dan talked about the Walter Cronkite he knew.
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DAN RATHER, HDNET'S "DAN RATHER REPORTS": He invented television news as we know it today. And you're quite right -- people born after 1981, you know, say who are you talking about here? Well, this was a man who brought us in, in terms of news into the television age, television news came of age with the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963. Before that, newspapers were dominant. After that, television news became dominant. That's number one.
Number two, Walter Cronkite set the platinum standard for quality news of integrity. That the people who brought the news were people who were passionately, actively, personally involved in gathering the news. I've said it before and I think it can't be said too many times. Walter Cronkite was not just playing a reporter on TV, he was a reporter.
ROBERTS: He was sort of the consummate reporter, too.
RATHER: He was the consummate reporter. I think one reason that Walter was so popular as an anchor man and he was the country's most popular anchor man for no fewer than 12 or 13 years was he has such a passion for gathering news and presenting news. He loved it. And Walter Cronkite was a very competitive fellow.
ROBERTS: Oh, yes. David Halberstein (ph) wrote last week that nobody could beat Walter Cronkite in a story. He was also a person who believed opinion had no place in the news. We see so much of that in television these days. He also wasn't one to let his emotion show, but on a couple of very, you know, prominent occasions, I recall, in 1962 when he announced that Kennedy had died -- 1963, he announced that Kennedy -- his father died in '62, I always get that mixed up -- he took back his glasses and choked back emotion. You could see it there. And then 40 years ago today when the eagle had landed, he took off, you know, he rubbed his hands together and he couldn't believe it and let out a "Wow!". And it was, you know, this was, you know, I guess the natural honesty and authenticity of Walter Cronkite, that if something really affected him he let you know about it. But it was just an honest reaction, it wasn't a calculation that we see of so many people on television.
RATHER: I often thought about this that as one who succeeded him, nobody could replace the great Walter Cronkite. I succeeded him. But particularly in those days when I succeeded him as anchorman of the CBS "Evening News," I thought about the key to Walter's connection with the audience. And you use the word "authenticity." He was authentic. There was no pretense about Walter Cronkite.
As far as news was concerned, you know, straight up, no change, he didn't like gadgets and gimmicks. For election night coverage, as the years went by, there was always a new gadget or gimmick. Walter had very little patience with that. It was the authenticity of the man and what you saw on television was what you got.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: A private funeral for Walter Cronkite will be held on Thursday in New York City. He will be cremated, his remains buried next to his dear wife Betsy at the family plot in Kansas City.
It's 45 minutes now after the hour.
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CHETRY: Good morning. In Atlanta, Georgia this morning, right now it's partly cloudy skies, 62 degrees. A little bit later, clouds remain going up to a high of 85 degrees. Our Reynolds Wolf is down there right now in Atlanta at the CNN weather center. You like the music this morning, huh?
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Oh, yes.
CHETRY: You're bopping along to it.
WOLF: Yes, I like it. It sounds great.
CHETRY: You guys are also enjoying these unseasonably cool temperatures.
WOLF: Yes, you know this is not supposed to happen in Atlanta. I mean, this is weird. This is crazy. It's like a bunch of fourth graders at a Jonas Brothers concert. I mean it's just not supposed to happen but that's what we had yesterday morning. Take a look at some of these numbers, Atlanta 63 degrees, Charlotte also in on the fun, cool temperatures, 60 yesterday morning, Augusta 58, Columbus 62.
Now, we're headed for another day with those temperatures warming up, not quite as dramatic again as what you would expect this time of year. Temperatures mainly going back into the 90s in a couple of spots. Let me enlarge the shot for you so you can take a look.
Maybe your favorite spot in the country is in Chicago, 78 degrees will be your high, 82 in New York, 90 in Miami, Tampa with 83 degrees, Atlanta with 85. But then when you get back out towards the West, in places like Phoenix and even Las Vegas, yes it still feels like some of that dry air is going to warm up very quickly.
And by late afternoon, we're talking temperatures in the triple digits, about 111 degrees in Phoenix. Now something else is going to be popping up, will be that chance of storms across parts of the nation's midsection. We're talking to Central Plains, perhaps even into portions of the Midwest, western Great Lakes before the day is out. Could see some severe storms, maybe some isolated tornadoes.
But it's going to be the cool down in the West, or rather in the East that's going to be the big story for us today. And I think it's going to bring a lot of smiles to the southeast. Kiran, let's send it back to you in New York.
CHETRY: All right. Thanks, Reynolds.
WOLF: You bet.
CHETRY: Sixty-three degrees for some lows in July in Atlanta. How about that?
ROBERTS: Yes, sleeping weather.
You've got to admit. Thanks, Reynolds.
Road signs are supposed to help drivers find their way. But check this one that we found. This is an actual sign. Where it's pointing is anyone's guess. Looks like it could be the symbol that Prince used for his name for a little while or maybe John Madden on the telestrator. One driver said it looks like a tattoo. A person with the city's public works department told the local affiliate of CNN that it means that you have to make a right onto a jug handle before you make a u-turn.
CHETRY: A-ha. I wonder what it looks like on a GPS.
ROBERTS: What the heck is that? My lord.
So the swine flu, World Health Organization was warning us that it might go away for the summer and then come back with a vengeance this fall. Will it? Could it potentially? Our Elizabeth Cohen has got the details coming up next. 10 minutes now until the top of the hour.
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ROBERTS: Fifty-three minutes after the hour. And good morning, New York City, where it's mostly cloudy, hazy, and 74 degrees right now, going up to a high of 81 today. And partly cloudy skies, it sounds like it's going to be a pretty good day in New York City. Is it mostly cloudy that they're saying right now is really more haze, because it does look like there's a lot of sunshine out there.
Just when you thought you might have heard the last of the H1N1 virus, there's this. Countries in the peak of flu season are getting slammed with the swine flu now. So when our flu season starts back up again in the fall, will the virus be back with a vengeance. There had been warnings about that. Our senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joins us now live from Atlanta with more.
Good morning, Elizabeth.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John. John, this is not your regular flu season that we have coming up this fall. That's because they know that H1N1 will return and that there's very little immunity to it. Very few of us have any immunity whatsoever. So what they do is they look to the southern hemisphere which is in the middle of winter right now to see what the virus is doing.
And take a look at these numbers, John. They really are amazing. We picked Australia. On July 6th, they reported about 5,000 cases, by July 17th, 11 days later, the number of cases had more than doubled and they're probably not even counting every single case. Now while I say that, we see thousands of cases, there aren't obviously nearly as many deaths. There have been 31 deaths in Australia as of July 17th.
Now, to take a look in the United States, what's been happening with H1N1, 41,000 cases and 263 deaths, but those numbers of cases are misleading because they're not counting all of the case of H1N1, John. As a matter of fact, the CDC says there are probably have been a million cases of swine flu in the United States. John.
ROBERTS: So, you know, we don't have that much time between now and the fall when the flu season might start to emerge again. What are the best things that people can do to try to prepare for this? If there is a reemergence here.
COHEN: Right. It's probably not. Well, if there's a reemergence, it's probably when there's a reemergence, according to the CDC. First, you want to think about who is most at risk for swine flu? And it is not the same list of usual victims that we see with regular flu. So let's take a look at this. Who is the most at risk for swine flu? Pregnant women, for example, really seem to be the most at risk for complications. Children and younger adults. Now that's usually not true, usually it's older people and also people with other medical problems.
So it's a little bit different than regular flu season. Now, you know, as far as what we can do to prevent H1N1 really washing hands, good hygiene all of the stuff your mother always taught you. John?
ROBERTS: Developing good habits is probably the best way.
COHEN: That's right.
ROBERTS: Elizabeth Cohen for us this morning with that. Elizabeth, thanks so much.
COHEN: Thanks, John.
Fifty-five and a half minutes after the hour.
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CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. More than $500,000 to fix a small bridge in rural Wisconsin. Well, some republicans say it's just another example of the wasteful ways some communities are spending their stimulus money. But as Jessica Gomez tells us, people who live nearby say they deserve the money just like everyone else.
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JESSICA GOMEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At Rusty's Backwater Saloon in central Wisconsin, it's dinner time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to Rusty's. Sweet potato fries.
GOMEZ: To get to Rusty's, many drivers have to cross this bridge, a bridge the county says is falling apart.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean, the deck has deteriorated to the point where the concrete is just starting to disintegrate. If you're to take your hammer on this deck, it would go through it like butter.
GOMEZ: Plans to replace the bridge have been in the works for a few years, but Portage (ph) County couldn't afford it until now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When the stimulus program came about and they said, you know, if you've got shovel ready projects, we're willing to give you some money to do it, we jumped at the opportunity.
GOMEZ: Some money turned out to be about $850,000 in approved stimulus funds, even though bids have now come in around $640,000. Critics are questioning the project.
SEN. TOM COBURN (R), OKLAHOMA: When you have a bridge that every few people travel versus one that hundreds of thousands of people travel every month and we ought to restore the integrity of those before we restore the integrity of the less important ones.
GOMEZ (on camera): Transportation officials estimate about 250 cars cross this bridge every day, and while they acknowledge there are hundreds of other busier bridges in need of repair across Wisconsin, it's this bridge that was given priority simply because it was shovel ready.
(voice-over): People here point out that the bridge doesn't only lead to Rusty's, it's part of an integral road for emergency crews, a local paper mill and country club.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's not a bridge to nowhere. Very definitely it's going to lead to somewhere.
GOMEZ: The debate on this project seems to be water under the bridge. Construction is set to begin next month. In Portage County, Wisconsin, for CNN, Jessica Gomez.
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