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American Morning
Town of Bedford Outraged Over Gadhafi Tent; Ahmadinejad to Push for Maximum Leniency for American Hikers Detained in Iran; Terror Warning Expands to Stadiums, Hotels and Entertainment Places; Soft Target Security: How to Protect Americans at Open Access Sites; House Approves Bill Extending Unemployment Benefits; Georgia Governor Seeks Federal Help Over Disastrous Flooding
Aired September 23, 2009 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: And a good Wednesday morning to you. Thanks for joining us on the Most News in the Morning. It is the 23rd of September. Big day for President Obama speaking before the United Nations today.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, it sure is. And all eyes will certainly be on New York today. And we have a lot of developing stories and we're going to break it down for you in the next 15 minutes.
First off, there's outrage in a New York City suburb this morning after Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi pitched a tent on property owned by Donald Trump. He's in New York for the United Nations General Assembly this week. The State Department says he's going to be using this tent for entertaining. Town leaders want it taken down. We're tracking this developing story.
ROBERTS: Brand new this morning, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad promising to seek leniency for three American hikers who have been held captive in his country for more than seven weeks. He'll be addressing the U.N. General Assembly tonight. He's already issuing a challenge to President Obama. Our State Department correspondent Jill Dougherty is here with us this morning to break it all down for you.
CHETRY: There are also some new warnings about an alleged terror plot that targeted trains and subways in New York City. Authorities say that stadiums, hotels and entertainment complexes should also be on high alert.
There are some new details this morning as well that we have in a wide-ranging investigation and the security challenges facing law enforcement at these so-called soft targets like hotels and restaurants for terrorists.
ROBERTS: Now we begin this morning with a message to Moammar Gadhafi from the suburban New York town of Bedford, New York. It comes in they say you're not welcome after the Libyan leader pitched his tent in their backyard.
Gadhafi is in New York for today's U.N. General Assembly. Just a few years ago, the U.S. government considered Gadhafi's Libya a state sponsor of terror. And while there has been a policy shift, sentiments here clearly have not changed.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS (voice-over): For Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, it seems the third time's the charm. After striking out in Central Park and Englewood, New Jersey, his Bedouin tent is finally being pitched on a property owned by none other than Donald Trump in Westchester County north of Manhattan. The outrage boiled over in less than a New York minute.
ANDY SPANO, WESTCHESTER COUNTY EXECUTIVE: We really don't want him here. He's not welcome here. This guy's a terrorist. He's maimed and killed innocent people. He really doesn't belong here let alone in Westchester, in the United States.
ROBERTS: Donald Trump's company was quick to react saying, "We have business partners and associates all over the world. The property was leased on a short-term basis to Middle Eastern (ph) partners, who may or may not have a relationship to Mr. Gadhafi. We are looking into the matter."
Gadhafi is in the United States for the first time in 40 years. He wants to use the tent to receive guests while attending the United Nations General Assembly. But local residents want no part of it. They're still enraged by last month's images of Gadhafi giving a hero's welcome home to convicted Pan Am 103 bomber Abdelbaset al- Megrahi after he was released from a Scottish prison on compassionate grounds.
Rabbi Schmuley Boteach played a big role in keeping Gadhafi out of New Jersey and is now leading the chorus to pull down his tent in New York.
RABBIE SCHMULEY BOTEACH, AUTHOR AND COMMUNITY LEADER: He's thumbing his nose at us. This -- this event with al-Megrahi happened about three weeks ago, and we all watched how this killer and a cowardly killer at that, all he did was place a bomb on a plane and let the people be blown to smithereens. He kissed Gadhafi's hands and we Americans need to tell Gadhafi to kiss a different part of our anatomy entirely.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: An attorney for Bedford says the town ordered work on the tent to be stopped last night. Town officials plan to be back on site this morning to see if workers are complying.
CHETRY: All right. For more on all this, our foreign affairs correspondent Jill Dougherty joins us here in New York. And, you know, we're not talking about a small little four-person pop tent here. Explain for people who don't know what this tradition is with Gadhafi and his tent. What's going on?
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's a Bedouin tent. And the tradition is that Moammar Gadhafi travels around the world and sets up this tent. And it's air conditioned, it's huge. It's part of his tradition. It attracts a lot of attention. No matter where he is he does it. But obviously, he's running into some problems here.
CHETRY: Yes. In this situation as well, as we know, he's tried other properties, right?
DOUGHERTY: Right.
CHETRY: He initially went to New Jersey and there was outrage there.
DOUGHERTY: And Central Park.
CHETRY: And Central Park, which didn't work out for him either.
ROBERTS: Ahmadinejad arrived in New York late last night. He was interviewed by APTN. He was also asked about the three American hikers who were being detained after crossing over the border between Kyrgyzstan and Iraq and Iran.
He said that they have committed a crime. They need to be punished. It needs to go through the courts, but he also said that he would appeal to the courts for maximum leniency. Let's listen to what he said last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD, PRESIDENT OF IRAN (through translator): We're not happy that this has happened. But when the law is broken, the law itself foresees a procedure that has to be carried through. What I can ask is that the judiciary expedites the process and gives it its full attention and to basically take a look at the case with maximum leniency.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Jill, is there political strategy at play here? You know, if the president of Iran says to the courts, treat this with maximum leniency, then that's a pretty strong signal.
DOUGHERTY: Right. And it could be because, after all, the context is this is a very serious time for Iran because here at the United Nations, the United States and other countries are very seriously pushing for increased sanctions against Iran because of their nuclear program. So coming out and saying, I am magnanimous, I am a leader who respects the law in my country, I can't change the courts, et cetera, but I can be magnanimous, improves his image and might score some points. But there is a lot of serious negotiation here and discussion among the allies about what to do on Iran.
CHETRY: You know, we all remember the scene with the British sailors when Ahmadinejad came out there, presented them with gifts. They were all dressed in suits and said, OK. Well, you know, here we are again being, you know, very, very willing to cooperate with the international community.
DOUGHERTY: Right. And that could be part of what he wants to do, to create that image. Because after all, the image is very bad.
Look at the context. The U.N. right now, also the recent elections were people were killed on the streets of Tehran. So there, he has some difficulties -- real difficulties -- and to look this way, to look like a normal leader who can be magnanimous is important.
ROBERTS: A week after, again, denying that the Holocaust ever took place.
DOUGHERTY: Right.
ROBERTS: Jill Dougherty for us this morning. Jill, thanks.
The next hour, by the way, the mother and the brother of one of the captured American hikers will be joining us live. We'll discuss what the ordeal has been like for them and get their reaction to President Ahmadinejad's latest remarks that, by the way, last week sent a letter to the president, asking for the return of the three hikers.
CHETRY: All right. Well, also developing this morning, some news about your security. Federal law enforcement expanding warnings about an alleged plot to bomb trains, subways and other transportation hubs in New York City.
Officials now say that stadiums, hotels, even entertainment venues could also be terror targets. And authorities are trying to work to unravel this plot. They're said to be looking for others who may be linked to the chief suspect in their investigation. Arrests have already been made in New York as well as Denver. Deborah Feyerick is following the latest developments for us this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A source with knowledge of the investigation says the joint terrorism task force is focusing on about a dozen people suspected of involvement in a plot to detonate homemade bombs. The possible targets, trains and subways. The sources say video of Grand Central Station was found on a laptop belonging to 24-year-old Najibullah Zazi, now charged with making false statements to federal investigators.
Zazi used to live in Queens before moving to Denver. But in 2008, he spent several months in Pakistan. He said he was seeing his wife there. But federal investigators say Zazi has admitted he attended an al Qaeda camp and received explosives training.
On September 9th, investigators say Zazi left Denver in a rental car and drove 1,700 miles to New York.
(on camera): According to various sources and the criminal complaint, the same day Najibullah Zazi left Denver for New York, a group of Afghan men came here to this U-Haul facility in Flushing, Queens. A source familiar with the investigation says the men wanted to rent a large 25-foot U-Haul. But when they wanted to pay cash and failed to produce the proper identification, the manager says he turned them away.
(voice-over): Was it a coincidence or was there a connection? A source tells CNN authorities began to fear the men were getting ready to move a large quantity of bomb-making material.
PETER BERGEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: When you add up all those dots, it sort of makes a constellation that looks a little bit more worrisome than many of the plots we've seen in the past.
FEYERICK: Hoping to get information on Zazi, NYPD detectives reached out to an imam they knew from New York's largest Afghan mosque. According to the official complaint, the imam called Zazi. Rather than help, authorities say the imam warns Zazi he was being watched, a claim the imam's lawyer denies.
The top priority now, a source tells CNN, is finding out whether suspects have a stash of chemicals for making explosives. Investigators have been scouring the Queens are of New York, questioning employees at storage facilities and places that sell chemicals.
(on camera): This is one of the storage facilities visited by police and FBI agents a few days ago. A manager tells CNN he was shown photographs of several men. But it wasn't until later when he was watching the news that he recognized one of them as the imam Ahmad Afzali.
(voice-over): Now he, like Zazi and his father, is under arrest, also charged with making false statements. Sources familiar with the investigation say more arrests and charges may follow. But for now, when and where any attack was supposed to take place remains a mystery.
Deborah Feyerick, CNN, Queens, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: All right. So what about security at soft-target locations that we mentioned and Deb mentioned? Stadiums, hotels, restaurants? Just how vulnerable are they? Our Jason Carroll is going to be digging deeper on that. He joins us in just a few minutes.
ROBERTS: Looking forward to that.
Flavored cigarettes are now against the law in the United States. The ban took effect yesterday. The first sign of the Food and Drug Administration's new power to regulate big tobacco. The FDA says candy, fruit and clove-flavored cigarettes appeal to young people and cause thousands of teenagers to get hooked on tobacco. Menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars are not affected by the ban, but the FDA is studying those products.
CHETRY: Well, a suburban Philadelphia swim club kicked out a group of mostly black and Hispanic kids back in June, and they say that it was because of their race. At least that's the ruling from state investigators in Pennsylvania. It's a story that we've been following closely on AMERICAN MORNING.
Now, the Valley Swim Club has been ordered to pay a $50,000 penalty and to give board members anti-discrimination training. The swim club says it turned the kids away because of overcrowding. They also say they will appeal this ruling.
ROBERTS: And as we show you this incredible video, we want you to know right up front everyone is OK. But it sure was a close call. Watch this. For a small child in Sunnyside, Washington, who almost got crushed by a car.
Police say a 34-year-old woman with a suspended license backed her car into a pickup truck and slammed into a building on Sunday night. The car came to rest on top of a sidewalk barrier pole and that kept it from falling on the child who miraculously walked away unharmed.
I saw that video this morning without knowing the complete context. And I said to myself, oh, my God. Unbelievable. Watch this. Is that the luckiest kid in the world or what? God was smiling on her.
CHETRY: Yes.
Well, still ahead, the deadly Southeast flooding leaving damage and destruction behind. And Rob Marciano is going to give us a firsthand look of just how hard it's going to be to get things back to normal in some parts of Georgia.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. We just heard from Deborah Feyerick about the expanding terror investigation in New York and Denver. And new alerts now issued for stadiums, hotels and entertainment sites.
This morning our Jason Carroll is focusing on security at one of these so-called soft targets where Americans may be most vulnerable, and he joins us now.
Hi, Jason.
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we're talking about luxury hotels. You know, the Department of Homeland Security has a list of protective measures for hotels to follow if they so choose. But will they choose to upgrade security, and if they do, will their customers be up for it?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL (voice-over): The United States is a country that prides itself on its open society. A place where people can see a movie or go to a ball game, or check into a hotel without having to pass through the same type of security found at airports. But what if that changed? What if there were security checkpoints at hotels? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I kind of would hate to move in that direction. I think what's great about America is the freedom to go places.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Once it starts, I think people get used to it.
CARROLL: In comparison, heightened hotel security is not unusual overseas. The Sheraton in Karachi, Pakistan, armed guards on patrol, none at the Sheraton in Los Angeles. The Marriott in Jakarta, Indonesia. Metal detectors. None at this Marriott in Washington, D.C.
Now that the Department of Homeland Security has released a bulletin saying hotels are attractive targets for terrorists and generally lack the security to prevent access by terrorists, some security experts say it's time U.S. hotels become more proactive in increasing security. Pat D'Amuro is the FBI's former executive assistant director of counterterrorism and counterintelligence.
PAT D'AMURO, GIULIANI SECURITY AND SAFETY: You have to be reasonable. You have to protect your guests, and you have to try to make it as unintrusive as possible. However, the guests are going to have to realize that this is being done for their safety.
CARROLL: Several suggested protective measures are outlined in the Homeland Security bulletin such as installing perimeter barriers, adding highly visible security, and random screening of guests. We contacted several major chain hotels including Marriott and Starwood resorts to ask about the likelihood of implementing the recommendations. None would comment.
Clark Ervin does not believe U.S. hotels will change. He's the author of "Open Target: Where America is Vulnerable for Attack."
CLARK ERVIN, THE ASPEN INSTITUTE: 9/11 proves that we are no longer impermeable to the kinds of security threats that other countries around the world, sadly, have routinely had to deal with. And so we're going to have to learn either to put up with these kinds of security measures before an attack happens or to do it after.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL: Well, a representative at Hilton weighed in on the topic, giving us a statement, saying Hilton Hotels Corporation views guest and employee safety as our highest priority and has comprehensive security policies and procedures. We continually monitor security-related practices, and we work with law enforcement whenever additional guidance is need.
And you know, working with law enforcement is another one of those recommendations that came out that hotels should be doing, working more with first responders, working more with law enforcement to upgrade their measures.
ROBERTS: Yes. You know, as we've seen overseas some hotels do have security, they still get hit by terrorists.
CARROLL: Very true.
ROBERTS: Counterterrorism investigation certainly is a big part of the puzzle.
CARROLL: Yes.
ROBERTS: Jason, good piece. Thanks.
CARROLL: Thank you.
CHETRY: Thanks, Jason. Well, still ahead, you know, we've been talking about difficult times, unemployment still continuing to rise. And a lot of people that really are relying on these unemployment benefits and having them extended.
Well, now, there's a new push in Congress for even more weeks to be added on to these extended benefits. How it may help you or somebody you know. We're going to talk about with Christine Romans still ahead.
Seventeen and a half minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. Twenty- one minutes past the hour right now. We have Christine Romans with us "Minding Your Business." Some news you can use here if you're one of the people struggling right now...
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
CHETRY: ... still looking for a job and relying on these unemployment benefits. Hopefully some good news for you.
ROMANS: Hundreds of thousands of people are relying on these unemployment benefits to feed their families. On average it's about $300 a week. And, you know, it's not what they were earning before, but it's something that's trying to get them through here.
And there -- for many people they're going to run out. By the end of this month, 314,000 families, I think, are going to run out of their unemployment benefits. Congress is working quickly here to try to have its third extension now of your jobless check. They've already been to -- the House has passed a bill to extend them again. This would help 314,000 people whose benefits sort of run out the end of this month and a million by the end of the year.
Who are these people? Well, these would be extensions for people in high unemployment states. You can see them right there. There's 27 states and the District of Columbia that have unemployment rates above 8.5 percent.
You know, when you file for unemployment benefits and you get them, usually you get them for 26 weeks. In some states you're getting them now for 79 weeks. Frankly, the government is supporting hundreds of thousands of families here right now who are having a hard time finding a job. We know that too many people are willing, ready and able to work, and this economy just isn't giving them that opportunity yet. So between this and between food stamps and some other safety-net spending that's all in the stimulus, you are seeing an awful lot of people, people from all walks of life, from every income strata, who are depending on these benefits to make it. And it looks like they're going to be extended.
We don't know what's going to happen in the Senate yet. There's not a bill yet, but there's a lot of pressure. These Congress people tell us that, you know, they get calls from every day from some good, hardworking people saying, look, I can't get a job and it's not my fault. I know it's not my fault. What are you going to do about it?
CHETRY: Right.
ROMANS: So Congress is getting the pressure.
ROBERTS: Tough when those benefits are all you've got to rely on.
ROMANS: Absolutely.
ROBERTS: You got a numeral for us early this Wednesday morning.
ROMANS: I do. And it's meant to show you just how tough it is. 50.7 percent.
So think of it. Of the people who are getting their jobless benefits, 50.7 percent still are unemployed after six months of getting a jobless check. Think of that.
I mean, usually this big, huge -- to go back to our playlist, big country -- this big, huge, dynamic country usually offers you the opportunity to get in there and get a job more quickly but we're just not doing it right now.
CHETRY: Right. And as you pointed out yesterday, fewer jobs available.
ROMANS: Yes.
CHETRY: So six applicants...
ROMANS: For every one job opening.
CHETRY: Christine, thank you.
ROMANS: Great.
ROBERTS: Christine Romans "Minding Your Business" this morning.
Still a tough situation down in the southeast after days and days and days of rain and flash flooding, and nine people killed now across the southeast including one particularly tragic story of a woman who was on the phone with 911 as her car was filling up with water.
Twenty-three minutes after the hour. Rob Marciano has got the latest on the big flood down south. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Well, welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. You know, the rain has stopped. The floodwaters are receding, but across the southeast, the damage is still there. The danger is widespread, and this is days after the rain has stopped.
ROBERTS: At least nine people have died. Georgia's governor, Sonny Perdue is asking for federal help to deal with the disastrous flooding which comes after a couple of years of bone-dry weather in the region. They certainly couldn't take any more right now.
Our Rob Marciano live in Austell, Georgia with the very latest.
Rob, we saw how bad it was a couple days ago. What's it looking like this morning?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, this particular bridge in Austell yesterday late afternoon and evening actually was completely submerged in water. So it gives you an idea in some cases just how quickly finally some of these rivers are beginning to recede. But most of the streams and rivers across north central Georgia remain in flood stage -- some historic flood stage. So there are pockets where there's still a lot of water and major thoroughfares, like Interstate- 20 West of Atlanta is still shut down. But where these waters are receding and where homes now that were flooded are beginning to reveal the damage, the work for the folks who live in those homes has just begun.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARCIANO (voice-over): Friends and family of David Miller are scrambling to salvage what's left of his 88-year-old mother's home. They are prying apart swollen waterlogged antique furniture trying to recover whatever is inside. Lots of stuff had accumulated over the years.
DAVID MILLER, GEORGIA RESIDENT: We moved to Austell in 1956. We lived south of the tracks till '57 and then bought this house.
MARCIANO: This is David's boyhood home. And in the 50 years since, he has never seen the water rise this much. Did you ever think it could be this high?
MILLER: No, not really.
MARCIANO: The water rushed into the house, inundating the entire home. Living room, dining room, kitchen, a muddy mess. Separating the wet from the dry is not difficult. Only a few items are dry.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is that wet?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, it's not wet.
MARCIANO: More important than dry furniture are the family photos.
MILLER: That's a little store we ran.
MARCIANO (on camera): Your grandmother and grandfather?
MILLER: Yes.
MARCIANO (voice-over): Some over 100 years old.
MILLER: We had a house to burn.
MARCIANO: The Millers know the feeling of losing a home. Theirs burned down just 12 years ago, but this loss is much worse.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is harder for us and her because she doesn't know where she's going right now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARCIANO: Actually, they had two homes in their family burn down. And now this one. The matriarch of the family losing her home to the flood.
I talked to the mayor yesterday. He estimates, when he sends his crew out to do assessment damage, he thinks maybe 500 to 600 homes just in this town alone may have sustained flood damage. On this bridge, take a look at this. Eighteen-wheeler containers floating down the river and slamming up against this bridge. The other issue is, you can bet this did some sort of damage to this bridge. Engineers are going to have to go out to every bridge that has seen flooding and make sure they're safe. So we've got roadblocks all around north central Georgia because these bridges, even though now they're beginning to reveal themselves and seem passable, they may not be safe.
So, this is going to be an ongoing struggle not only with the folks cleaning up their homes but the roadways getting back in shape. And as you know, Atlanta has a big traffic problem and it's gotten only worse with this event -- John and Kiran.
CHETRY: They've got to check about the soundness of all of those bridges. And meantime, yesterday, the call was out, don't come to work. Just stay home. What about today?
MARCIANO: I don't know what they're saying. But I can tell you, it took us to drive five miles, it took us over three hours yesterday. I've never, ever seen congestion like that, and that's just on the outskirts of Atlanta. So I don't know what officials are saying today about the traffic. But if I had to take a snow day, I would.
CHETRY: All right. Rob Marciano for us this morning, thanks.
MARCIANO: All right. CHETRY: Also new this morning, Brazil's government is asking the U.N. Security Council to call an emergency meeting to try to deal with the standoff in Honduras. Ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya has taken refuge inside Brazil's embassy. Thousands of Zelaya's supporters rallied outside that embassy yesterday. They were chased away by soldiers using water cannons and tear gas.
Brazil wants the U.N. to ensure the safety of its embassy now that Zelaya and 70 of his friends and relatives are said to be trapped inside.
Well, after a weeklong search on property owned by the Phillip and Nancy Garrido, police in California are saying they did not find anything linking the couple to two other disappearances of young girls years ago in the area. But they say that they're not crossing the Garridos' name off a possible list of suspects. Bone fragments were found, but investigators say they're too old to be connected to the case. The Garridos are accused of holding kidnapped victim Jaycee Dugard for 18 years.
And take a look at this. A massive dust storm sweeping through parts of southern Australia. It ended up bathing Sydney in an eerie reddish haze. The dust was so thick it actually set off smoke alarms and made it difficult for people to see in front of them. The storm caused major problems on highways as well as airports as well.
ROBERTS: The Federal Communications Commission announcing plans to stop Internet and wireless service providers from blocking or slowing certain applications and content on their networks. The proposal is considered a victory for the net neutrality movement. But, many service providers claim that it could limit their ability to manage their networks. Here to break down what net neutrality is and how it will affect you is the senior editor of "Wired" magazine, Nick Thompson. Good to see you this morning.
NICK THOMPSON, SENIOR EDITOR, "WIRED" MAGAZINE: Good to see you.
ROBERTS: So what is net neutrality, and why are Internet users so hot about it?
THOMPSON: So the principle is that the companies that provide us access to the internet, whether it's T-mobile with your cell phone or say Comcast with your cable service have to treat all the information flowing over their pipes the same way. So if you think about their pipes as a highway, or what the information travels to you, the idea is that they can't discriminate. They can't say that Toyotas can't use this highway because we've struck a deal with Honda. Or we're going into the business of electric cars so we're going to ban all electric cars. Everything has to be able to travel over those highways the same way. Now, they say, come on, that's too burdensome. First of all, there's no evidence that we're restricting anything. And if you take away our ability to manage our networks, it will get very confusing. Other people say it's extremely important that everybody who creates new content for the Internet know that it can travel safely and freely over that highway. ROBERTS: Right. So the FCC Chairman, Julius Genachowski, yesterday said that he wants to formalize net neutrality rules in the United States.
THOMPSON: Right.
ROBERTS: And here's one -- this is probably the key addition to the FCC principles regarding Internet use. He wants broadband providers -- it says broadband providers cannot block or degrade lawful traffic over their networks, favor certain content or applications over others and cannot "disfavor an Internet service just because it competes with a similar service offered by that broadband provider." So he's codifying what you basically just told us, but he's getting a lot of pushback from many Internet providers. Why?
THOMPSON: He's getting pushback because they say there's no evidence there's a problem. And these are so hard to manage. Why are you interfering with us? He in return is saying look. For example, there are only four companies that provide us access to our cell phones. It's almost a monopoly situation. We need the government to make sure that you play right. Even if we don't have evidence that Verizon has been manipulating its networks to slow down competitors. We still need the government to say that they can't do it in the future in order for people to have an incentive to invent things in the future.
ROBERTS: So what's the bottom line for consumers? What is this going to mean? If they preserve net neutrality and everybody has to abide by these rules, what does it mean for us using the Internet or a mobile devices?
THOMPSON: For people who are in favor of net neutrality, it means there's going to be much more freedom to invent. There is going to be many more applications invented. It also means that if I decide I want to invent a way of streaming video and I invent that at the same time that Verizon creates a new method of streaming video, I know that my service will be available to consumers. So it needs much more consumer choice. If you talk to the Telco, they say, oh, it means everything's going to be slower and more confused because we are not going to be able to charge people and we are not going to be able to optimize things.
ROBERTS: So what about that? Because going back to your analogy of the highway, there are some small cars and then there are some huge trucks that have to use the highway as well. There are some applications out there like video streaming which would be a huge truck on an Internet superhighway. And take up bandwidth.
THOMPSON: Absolutely.
ROBERTS: When we're talking about mobile devices, AT&T's already got a problem with the iPhone that a lot of people's calls are dropped because so many people are using it as a computer and they're tying up the service. Is this just going to make that problem worse?
THOMPSON: Actually, this is a hugely important point. In his speech, Genachowski did not say that the highway providers can't tax the trucks more or that they can't charge you more for driving a truck instead of driving a car. In fact, the Internet providers could do that if they need to manage their networks. So this is something that can happen. They can manage based on size. They just can't manage based on kind. They can't say this kind of truck is banned or this kind of car is banned.
ROBERTS: The Internet has been terrific and innovation and leaping over technical hurdles up until this point. Do you think that this will spur more innovation or at present is the pipe only so big and can only handle so much?
THOMPSON: Well, it will make the pipe larger. I mean, it will make the traffic going through the pipe more efficient and more varied. The pipe is only so big. The pipe fortunately is getting bigger. But that is one of the problems. But net neutrality helps resolve this problem in a way.
ROBERTS: All right. Nick Thompson, thanks for breaking it down this morning. Not sure we still fully understand it, but I'm sure we will in the coming months. Thanks so much.
THOMPSON: Thank you, John.
CHETRY: Well, President Obama's going to be laying out his vision of what he sees for international diplomacy. He's speaking before the United Nations today, the general assembly. It's a big day for our President. We're going to talk about what the international community wants to hear and also what it means here at home. 35 minutes past the hour.
CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the morning. It's 38 minutes past the hour this morning. That's a look at the United Nations in New York City where the stage is set for world leaders to address the United Nations general assembly today. It's a big day for President Obama. He's going to be the headline speaker. And he's making his debut before the world body. His audience will include, of course, friends as well as rivals. He's scheduled to speak in just a few hours. 10:00 a.m. this morning, actually, Eastern Time. Richard Roth live at the U.N. with a preview. And Richard, it's certainly a big day there at the United Nations.
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT: That's right. They all seem to be big days, but this is the biggest in quite some time. An electric lineup of international stars on the big stage right here today at the U.N.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So nice to see you.
UNKNOWN MALE: Welcome to the United Nations.
OBAMA: Thank you. It's my pleasure.
UNKNOWN MALE: I am very honored.
OBAMA: It's a great honor. You're doing a great job. I know this will be a busy week for you.
ROTH: The United Nations will never say it publicly, but diplomats like this president. Even the applause sounded warmer for Barack Obama than for his predecessor. Mr. Obama's first ever U.N. moment came Tuesday, a speech on climate change. Diplomats brought their own cameras to capture the event. Today it's the United States annual state of the world address.
JEFF LAURENTI, CENTURY FOUNDATION: There's a great deal of anticipation that this is somebody who is ready to enter into dialogue with others as partners rather than asserting American domination.
ROTH: And they love that at the U.N. dialogue.
LAURENTI: They love dialogue at the U.S.
ROTH: They may like President Obama, but that doesn't mean he's getting his way here. The Europeans are not committing more troops to Afghanistan. Russia doesn't think more sanctions are needed against Iran.
BRETT SCHAEFER, AUTHOR, CONUNDRUM: We should be sending a positive message but one based also on tough love and sending the signal that the United States supports the organization, but ultimately, the organization has to live up to its end of the bargain as well.
ROTH: The hallways were full of envoys on their best behavior. But the tone may change today. Will Israel walk out and convince other nations to do the same when the president of Iran who denies the Holocaust addresses the general assembly? What will Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi do? He's due to speak seconds after President Obama after shunning the U.N. podium for decades. It's the U.N. general assembly where friends and enemies can be just a few feet apart.
LLOYD AXWORTHY, FORMER CANADIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: It probably is really like a grand bazaar. People get together to trade information.
ROTH: The streets around here, of course, are sealed off. This is, I would rate, Kieran, the biggest day at the United Nations maybe since the 50th anniversary here. You just have a mix of personalities. One doesn't know if Gadhafi is going to try to approach President Obama. That kind of thing. It will be tough to watch every inch of this place. But there are a lot of cameras around. Back to you.
CHETRY: Yeah. You know it's going to be like there today. All right. Richard Roth this morning, thanks.
ROBERTS: So what will the President say in his speech, and who will he make sure to avoid while at the United Nations?
CHETRY: He's got to sort of dodge and weave, it seems, at times. Our White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux is here to tell us more about that. Hey Susan. SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: A dance, obviously, because, of course, there's a spectacle of who's going to run into whom. President Obama, Libya's leader Moammar Gadhafi that are literally back-to-back speakers this morning before the general assembly. Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the audience as well. So there's definitely an effort there to keep things cordial but distant.
But the message this morning from this President is going to be engagement. At the end of what many leaders saw as unilateralist, go it alone approach from President Bush, in part here the excerpts released by the White House, President Obama speech is going to talk about the groundwork for progress, saying make no mistake. This cannot be solely America's endeavor. Those who used to chastise America for acting alone in the world cannot now stand by and wait for America to solve the world's problems alone. We have sought in word and deed new era of engagement with the world. Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges. So the main message today with this new engagement comes new expectations and responsibilities for other leaders essentially to step up.
ROBERTS: I saw that excerpt, I thought to myself, there are a lot of other nations in this world now who want to challenge the United States. Not necessarily for supremacy, but certainly for position in the world. Are they going to readily step up and accept that challenge, or might they want to see the United States continue to falter?
MALVEAUX: And that's a very good question because one of the things I talked to an analyst, and they've been watching these world leaders. And they say that people like Obama. They really like President Obama. But the thing about President Bush was that he told leaders what to do and essentially they did it for a while, and then it created some resentment. If you're liked, if you're popular, people want to help you but they don't necessarily feel like they need to help you. And so President Obama really has to prove that it's in their interests to do as he wants them to do. And that's the big test. We don't know yet.
CHETRY: It's all in delivering the message, right?
MALVEAUX: Yes, absolutely.
ROBERTS: Suzanne Malveaux, great to see you this morning.
Of course, we are going to have the President's speech at the U.N. general assembly live this morning. That happens at 10:00 Eastern. We'll have it on CNN and also online at cnn.com/live.
CHETRY: All right. Still ahead, controlling computers and machines just using our minds? We have a fascinating edge of discovery for you that could mean hope for many, many people. 44 minutes after the hour.
CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning live. Look now at the capitol in Washington, D.C. It's 70 degrees, going up to 85. Scattered thunderstorms in the forecast for the nation capitol.
Imagine this, being able to control your computer using your mind? Sounds like something from science fiction movie. But, this technology isn't just for the big screen anymore. Gary Tuchman has more in this week's "Edge of Discovery."
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GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This researcher is posting a message on twitter. What's amazing here is he didn't type the word "Hello." He just thought it. The cap he's wearing is full of electrodes. As he focuses on these flashing letters, the cap picks up electronic signals from his brain. Then the computer spells what he thinks. It's called brain/computer interface or BCI. This research being done at the Wadsworth Center, the Albany Medical Center And Washington University in St. Louis, among others, could help quadriplegics and people with cerebral palsy or Lou Gehrig's disease.
DR. GERWIN SCHALK, WADSWORTH CENTER: One could apply that skill, this brain/computer interfacing skill to move a cursor on the computer screen, to move a wheelchair potentially, or perhaps at some point to even control the movement of a robotic arm.
TUCHMAN: The patient you see here is electrodes implanted directly on the surface of the brain. He's controlling the spaceship in this video game with just his thoughts. BCI is still in the experimental phase. But the Dr. Schalk says you'll be seeing a lot more of it in the next few years.
SCHALK: The research we're doing right now, I think we're getting a tiny glimpse into what may actually be possible in the future.
TUCHMAN: Gary Tuchman, CNN.
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CHETRY: It's amazing.
ROBERTS: It's fascinating, isn't it? Shows how quickly the technology is evolving.
Well, call him the amazing disappearing man. It's the TV show "Prison Break" for real. Wait till we tell you this story. It's coming right up 48 1/2 minutes after the hour.
ROBERTS: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. A Texas inmate is on the loose right now and he is considered dangerous. He pulled off a daring escape from prison over the weekend. And it's not the first time that he managed to break out. Our Ed Lavandera with more on a prisoner who has certainly proven to be hard to keep behind bars.
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ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John and Kieran, Joshua Barnes might be a young inmate in the Texas prison system, but prison officials say he's a veteran of making daring escapes. This is his third escape in a little over a year.
This is what Joshua Barnes looked like after getting into a prison fight. The scuffle landed him in this prison hospital in Galveston, Texas, to treat the injuries. But he didn't stick around long enough for a second opinion. Prison officials say Barnes was alone in his room Saturday night. Guards were making routine checks every 15 minutes. At 8:15, he was in the hospital room. At 8:30, he was gone. Using medical equipment to bang a hole through the wall.
JASON CLARK, TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE: It certainly took a lot of effort because he had to bust through a wall, bust through a window and then tie bed sheets together and scale down a seven-story building. So it took quite a bit of effort.
LAVANDERA: Barnes apparently reached the street and ran away wearing his hospital gown. Prison officials say he stole a car and drove to Dallas. That's where Michelle Cox, a realtor, came face to face with the escapee. Dallas police say Barnes broke into her home.
MICHELLE COX, A REALTOR: He pushed me down to the ground, tried to strangle me, had his hand over my mouth and told me if I spoke, he would kill me.
LAVANDERA: Cox fought back and says Barnes locked her in a bathroom and then stole her car.
COX: I wasn't going to give him the upper hand in my house. It wasn't my day to die.
LAVANDERA: Joshua Barnes was serving a 35-year prison sentence for burglary and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. But in 2008, Barnes managed to escape from custody twice. He fled from a courthouse after being asked to testify in a probation hearing and then also escaped from a county jail's recreation yard.
CLARK: We consider him dangerous. And so we are taking every step possible right now to get him back into custody.
LAVANDERA: Each time that Joshua Barnes has managed to escape from Texas authority, he hasn't remained free man for very long. Each time he was caught in four days, hiding in motels. John and kieran?
CHETRY: Good luck. Ed Lavandera, thanks so much.
Still ahead, federal law enforcement is now expanding warnings about this alleged terror plot to bomb trains and subways in New York City. Our Deb Feyerick looking into that. Who are they having in their sights now and just how far along was this plot? She's going to join us in just a moment. It's 53 minutes after the hour.
CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the morning. Authorities investigating an alleged plot to attack New York City trains and they're expanding warnings to include stadiums to hotels as well as other entertainment venues. All of these as possible terrorists targets. And they're said to be looking for others who may be linked to the chief suspect in this investigation. As we know, arrests have already been made in New York and Denver. Deb Feyerick is now following the latest developments for us.
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DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A source with knowledge of the investigation says the joint terrorism task force is focusing on about a dozen people suspected of involvement in a plot to detonate homemade bombs. The possible targets, trains and subways. The sources say video of Grand Central Station was found on a laptop belonging to 24-year-old Najibullah Zazi, now charged with making false statements to federal investigators. Zazi used to live in Queens before moving to Denver. But in 2008, he spent several months in Pakistan. He said he was seeing his wife there.
But federal investigators say Zazi has admitted he attended an al Qaeda camp and received explosives training. On September 9th, investigators say Zazi left Denver in a rental car and drove 1,700 miles to New York. According to various sources and the criminal complaint, the same day Najibullah Zazi left Denver for New York, a group of Afghan men came here to this U-Haul facility in flushing, Queens. A source familiar with the investigation says the men wanted to rent a large 25-foot U-haul. But when they wanted to pay cash and failed to produce the proper identification, the manager says he turned them away. Was it a coincidence, or was there a connection? A source tells CNN authorities began to fear the men were getting ready to move a large quantity of bombmaking material.
PETER BERGEN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: When you add up all those dots, it sort of makes a constellation that looks a little bit more worrisome than many of the plots we've seen in the past.
FEYERICK: Hoping to get information on Zazi, NYPD detectors reached out to an imam of New York's largest Afghan mosque. According to the official complaint, the imam called Zazi. But rather than help, authorities say the imam warned Zazi he was being watched, a claim the imam's lawyer denies. The top priority now a source tells CNN is finding out whether suspects have a stash of chemicals for making explosives. Investigators have been scouring the Queens area of New York. Questioning employees at storage facilities and places that sell chemicals.
This is one of the storage facilities visited by police and FBI agents a few days ago. A manager tells CNN he was shown photographs of several men. But it wasn't until later when he was watching the news that he recognized one of them as the imam of Afzali. Now he like Zazi and his father is under arrest, also charged with making false statements. Sources familiar with the investigation say more arrests and charges may follow. but for now, when and where any attack was supposed to take place remains a mystery. Deborah Feyerick, CNN, Queens, New York.
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CHETRY: Deb, thanks so much.
