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American Morning
Three U.S. Soldiers Killed; al Qaeda "Certain" to Attack U.S.; Pilot Error & Poor Training to Blame in Colgan Air Flight 3407 Crash; Pilots Short Changed; AIG Announces More Bonuses
Aired February 03, 2010 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning. We are following breaking news for you on this AMERICAN MORNING, Wednesday, February 3rd.
Glad you're with us. I'm Kiran Chetry.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. I'm John Roberts. Thanks for joining us.
Here's the breaking news out of Pakistan this morning, three American soldiers were killed in a roadside bombing in Northwestern Pakistan, but what were US troops doing on Pakistani soil? And were they being targeted?
The very latest live from Islamabad and the Pentagon coming up.
CHETRY: Well, al Qaeda is certain to try to attack America within the next six months. That prediction comes from the top intelligence agencies in the nation. But that's not certain is what type of attack we can expect. In a moment, homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve is going to talk to us about one possible target that we may not be ready to defend.
ROBERTS: Another round of bonuses for AIG's trouble financial products division. This time the bailed-out insurance giant reportedly doling out $100 million to employees who voluntarily agreed to reduce their bonuses. Christine Romans is "Minding Your Business" with more on AIG in just 15 minutes.
We begin this morning, though, with breaking news. A deadly day for American forces in Pakistan. Three U.S. soldiers were killed when a roadside bomb went off near the Afghan border. American officials are calling the attack a vicious terrorist bombing.
Our Reza Sayah is live in Islamabad for us this morning. Barbara Starr is at the Pentagon. Let's start with Reza in Islamabad.
These American troops were in Pakistan to train soldiers, take on al Qaeda and the Taliban. Do we if they, specifically, Reza, were being targeted?
REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, make no mistake. The Pakistani Taliban here would like nothing more than to kill American soldiers, but it's too early to tell if these particular American soldiers were being targeted. Today, I spoke to a Pakistani military official and he told CNN they are investigating if indeed these soldiers were being targeted. This certainly shows a remarkable degree of coordination on the part of the militants.
Let's go and tell what you we know about this attack. According to the Pakistani army, this was a convoy of several vehicles that was hit by a powerful roadside bomb. And officials and witnesses telling CNN that the bomb went off, it exploded right as the vehicle with the Americans passed by.
So, that piece of information in itself is at least some evidence that these Americans were targeted.
Two other American soldiers were injured in this blast, according to the U.S. embassy.
Now, remember the U.S. does not have military personnel here in Pakistan engaged in combat, but they do have personnel here training Pakistani security forces and the U.S. embassy here in Pakistan describing these five Americans, three who were killed, as American military trainers.
Four others killed in this blast, one Pakistani soldier and three schoolgirls. And that's the other tragedy when it comes to this attack -- this attack taking place right next to a girl's school. This convoy on its way to a school that's being inaugurated. Very rare for U.S. soldiers to be killed by militants here. The last time it happened, 2008 in the U.S. truck bombing, the suicide truck bombing in Islamabad at the Marriott, John.
ROBERTS: All right. Reza Sayah for us this morning from Islamabad -- Reza, thanks.
Let's bring in Barbara Starr now.
And, Barbara, this raises a number of questions, such as were the Americans riding in an identifiable vehicle? Was it a lucky shot? Was it an inside job potentially? And how would it affect U.S. military strategy in Pakistan?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: All the questions, John, that the Pentagon wants to know the answers to, specifically, whether these American troops were targeted.
Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was informed by the command center here in the Pentagon in the pre- dawn hours. We are told he will be getting updates throughout the day. This now a matter of top concern to try and figure out what happened.
The forces that were killed, we now know, were U.S. Special Forces. They travel very discreetly. They tend not to wear formal U.S. military uniforms.
They have beards. They wear sunglasses. They usually wear caps -- anything they can do to try and blend in and not be readily identified as Americans.
As Reza said, officially, U.S. troops are in Pakistan -- about 70 of them -- to train the Pakistani forces to go after the Taliban and al Qaeda. But this attack now raises questions to which there are no ready answers: are the Taliban now specifically targeting those U.S. military troops? John.
ROBERTS: All right. Barbara Starr for us at the Pentagon this morning -- Barbara, thanks so much.
CHETRY: Also developing now, the threat of an attack against America by al Qaeda. According to the top intelligence agencies in America, the terrorist group is certain to try to strike in the next six months. The heads of the FBI and the CIA, along with officials from the defense and state departments, all sounding a common theme when they appear before a Senate committee on Capitol Hill yesterday.
Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D-CA), CHAIRMAN, SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: What is the likelihood of another terrorist attempted attack on the U.S. homeland in the next three to six months? High or low? Director Blair?
DENNIS BLAIR, DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: An attempted attack, the priority is certain. I would say.
FEINSTEIN: Mr. Panetta?
LEON PANETTA, CIA DIRECTOR: I would agree with that.
FEINSTEIN: Mr. Mueller?
ROBERT MUELLER, FBI DIRECTOR: Agree.
FEINSTEIN: General Burgess?
LIEUTENANT GENERAL RONALD BURGESS, DIRECTOR, DEFENSE INTELLIGENCE AGENCY: Yes, ma'am, agree.
FEINSTEIN: Mr. Dinger?
JOHN DINGER, ACTING ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE, BUREAU OF INTELLIGENCE AND RESEARCH: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve joins us live now from Washington.
Boy, when you hear that consensus, it's a scary thing. But is there right now a specific credible threat from al Qaeda that we know about? JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kiran, we've been told repeatedly since Christmas Day that concerns have intensified, that there is credible information that al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is planning additional attacks, that the group is probing, that it's innovating, trying to find new ways to strike. In recent weeks, sources have even said the government has identified viable operatives. But, intelligence officials have also said that other specifics are lacking -- though obviously, Kiran, there's been particular concern about aviation where we've seen security ramped-up significantly since that attempted Christmas Day attack.
CHETRY: Talking about Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. He's now talking. So, what does he saying and really, what got him to open up?
MESERVE: Well, they used his family. We're told by senior administration officials that FBI agents went to Nigeria, the suspect's home country, a few days after the attempted bombing. They made contact with members of his family and persuaded two of them to come to the United States and talk with Abdulmutallab about cooperating.
They did, and last week he started talking. We're told he still is talking, and providing useful and current intelligence about his training and other people he work with. All that information being passed on to the intelligence agencies who are running it all to ground -- Kiran.
CHETRY: And, Jeanne, do you think there's a connection between the information that investigators are getting out of Abdulmutallab and also the terror warning that we heard coming from our top intelligence agencies?
MESERVE: Kiran, we have asked that question and we have not gotten an answer. But this much is clear: after the events of Christmas Day, investigators went back and combed through every scrap of intelligence.
They gathered new intelligence. They've improved systems for vetting and connecting intelligence. They found things that heightened their already-considerable concern, and it has, of course, Kiran, been very high because of the number of plots that have been detected and disrupted, or that have been executed -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Yes, Jeanne Meserve for us this morning in Washington -- thank you.
ROBERTS: Just turning seven minutes after the hour now. Rob Marciano has got a quick look at the weather forecast. He's at the Weather Center in Atlanta.
(WEATHER REPORT)
CHETRY: Still ahead, we're going to be talking about what happened, what went wrong in that Colgan Air crash over Buffalo. The NTSB saying that pilot error was only part of the problem.
It's eight minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. Ten minutes past the hour right now. It's time for an A.M. original.
But first, new this morning, Michael Jackson's personal physician could turn himself in to authorities today. Dr. Conrad Murray expected to walk into the courthouse there in L.A. after being the sole focus of the investigation for months. An autopsy showed that Michael Jackson died from an overdose of the anesthetic Propofol, something rarely used outside of an operating room. Investigators believe that Murray administered that drug.
ROBERTS: President Obama's aunt will be learning this week whether she can stay in Boston or will be forced to return to Kenya. Zeituni Onyango is the half-sister of the president's father. The "Boston Herald" says the deportation hearing will be held behind closed doors tomorrow. The president has stayed out of this case entirely.
CHETRY: Also, police taking out the tasers during a half-time brawl. It involved hundreds of students at a high school basketball game in Pennsylvania. They were calling it a borderline riot. Police say the fight started in a hall between two girls, then players got pulled in. Three people actually were taken out in handcuffs.
ROBERTS: It looks like the police were causing more chaos than they were trying to control there.
CHETRY: Yes.
ROBERTS: It's been nearly a year since Continental Airlines Flight 3407 fell out of the sky near Buffalo, New York, killing 49 people onboard and one person on the ground. Critical problems in our aviation system since then still have not been fixed.
CHETRY: Now, after the latest hearing, federal officials are worried that history could repeat itself.
Our senior correspondent Allan Chernoff has been tracking the investigation and he joins us now for the A.M. breakdown this morning.
Good morning, Allan. What were the lessons learned out of this crash?
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Boy, too many, frankly. The NTSB, first of all, did point to pilot error as the cause of this horrific accident, but it also highlights a system that allowed a pilot to have appeared to have been poorly qualified and poorly trained to be in command of an aircraft with four dozen passengers dependent upon him.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHERNOFF (voice-over): When Continental Flight 3407 was about to stall, captain Marvin Renslow reacted with tragic mistakes, ignoring warnings the plane was slowing, and then overriding an emergency system that tried to point the aircraft nose down to regain speed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The captain's improper flight control inputs were instead consistent with startle and confusion.
CHERNOFF: Renslow, a pilot for regional airline Colgan Air, which operated the flight, had repeatedly failed test rides but withheld some of the failures from his employer. Colgan Air never trained Renslow in a simulator to use the emergency stick pusher that warned of an imminent stall.
ROGER COX, NTSB OPERATIONS GROUP CHAIRMAN: The captain would have been a candidate for remedial training. However, Colgan did not have a formal program for pilots who demonstrated weakness.
CHERNOFF: From Renslow's student days at Gulfstream Training Academy, to his rise as a pilot as Colgan, the NTSB chair says the aviation system failed to hold back an aviator who simply didn't have the right stuff.
DEBORAH HERSMAN, NTSB CHAIRWOMAN: Pilot needed a good day to pass a test. And I liken it to a student that keeps getting passed from grade to grade to grade and ultimately upon graduation hasn't mastered the material.
CHERNOFF: The NTSB found Renslow and co-pilot Rebecca Shaw were not well-rested and engaged in conversation unrelated to the flight through much of the evening, a violation of cockpit rules.
BOB PERRY, SON KILLED IN CRASH: There was no reason why this should have happened. Had he been properly trained, the pilot had been properly trained, if the co-pilot had been properly trained, my son would be alive today. They cannot bring my son back.
CHERNOFF: The Federal Aviation Administration is demanding better performance from airlines, reviewing pilot training and plans proposals to address pilot fatigue later this year. But to the NTSB, the FAA is doing too little, too late.
HERSMAN: It's the same thing over and over again. We have made recommendations time after time after time. They have not been heeded by the FAA, and they haven't pushed it across the finish line.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHERNOFF: In a statement, Colgan Air said, "We want to make clear again that our pilots are highly-trained to handle all situations they may encounter."
The FAA said, "Pilots must be trained for the mission they are flying." And the FAA already is working to further improve their professional qualifications.
ROBERTS: You know, we had Jim Hall, the former chairman of the NTSB on in our last hour and he said it's -- a lot of it has to do with the pay that these pilots are getting for working for these small regional airlines. But if you want to pay them more, you got to charge more for tickets and people don't want to pay more for tickets.
CHERNOFF: The pay is very, very low. And it is a step ladder. Everyone in the industry sees those regional airlines as a place to start your career, you move up and first get in as a first officer, try to move up to pilot, then you want to move on to one of the majors.
CHETRY: Right, you also talked in your reporting that you did on last year as well the fact they are responsible for putting themselves up, right. Sometimes they take these cross country flights. It is expensive to give these accommodations and so they skimp on it.
CHERNOFF: Oh YOU saw what Rebecca Shaw did, the co-pilot, she flew all night hitching a ride on the FedEx, two FedEx flights connecting in Memphis and then only to get to Newark. And the pilot crashed in the crew lounge in Newark which she really wasn't supposed to do.
ROBERTS: Allan, Good story this morning, thanks, we'll keep watching this and see what happens out of it.
Coming up on 16 minutes after the hour. How's your outrage meter today? Well, if it's down a few notches we have something to pump it right back up again. Christine Romans "Minding Your Business" this morning, stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Welcome back to The Most News in the Morning. Eighteen minutes after the hour, that means it is time for minding our business. Christine Romans, "Minding Your Business." Whatever it is we do here.
Christine Romans joining us now, and we are talking AIG bonuses. The amount of money the government threw into AIG, the number 43 on the list of countries by GDP out of 182 countries.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Think of that. $181 billion is what taxpayers have plugged in to AIG to keep it afloat, this very big important insurance company. And John it's figured out that it would be the 43rd largest country in the world if AIG, the money we put in there. I mean, that just shows what you a big hole there was to fill and how much money American taxpayers have at risk here.
The story today is more news of AIG bonus payments. Folks, this is the same $435 million pot of money that we've been arguing about for a year. Its bonus time again at AIG. Another $100 million we're expecting to go out the door to these employees, new and old employees of the financial products division. These are the folks who wrote those insurance contracts and complicated mortgage-backed securities, insurance contracts that when mortgages fell out of bed, suddenly they had to pay up this insurance. Now AIG says that the staff who are going to accept that $100 million have agreed to take some voluntary pay cuts. They're going to give up $20 million of those bonuses right away. And AIG hopes that this puts this whole mess behind it. Mark Her and AIG spokesperson telling us, "we believe this allows us to put this matter behind us." I don't know if it will. Look, it is a lot of money and taxpayer still own a big part of this company. This is technically taxpayer money that will be going to pay these bonuses.
CHETRY: Is this pure outrage in your opinion or is there another side to this story? Meaning, there was an argument that, look, you know, we need AIG to eventually be successful, right, because we now own it or do we have to sit back and say, all right, this is outrageous but we can do nothing about it.
ROMANS: Look there are some people who say this administration should have been able to do a better job figuring out how to unwind this and not pay these retention bonuses. But they are from a 2007, a 2007 contract. They are legal. They are legal. And they did managed to convince people voluntarily to give up some of the money. So that's -- and they've also been able to put some very strict restrictions on this year's pay and next year's pay as well.
We're still talking about that $435 million that was contractually obligated to these employees before the crash.
CHETRY: Right.
ROMANS: But you're right. You're absolutely right that we need this company to succeed because it is the 43rd largest economy in the world if it were an economy.
ROBERTS: And by the way, I looked it up. $100 million in bonuses puts it slightly behind the GDP of Kiribati, which is last on the list.
ROMANS: I don't even know how to spell that Kiribati.
ROBERTS: With a "k."
ROMANS: With a "k," I see, so I have a Romans numeral for you to put it all of this in perspective. Billions and millions of GDPS, $50,303. This is a number...
CHETRY: What every American taxpayer paid to go into this?
ROMANS: This is what every American family takes home.
CHETRY: Oh okay.
ROMANS: This is median household income in this country. You're taking...
ROBERTS: I that gross or net?
ROMANS: This - median household income. ROBERTS: Sorry.
ROMANS: It would be gross. This is not called "The Roberts Numeral." it's called "The Romans' Numeral."" the $50,303, this is just to let you know how much $100 million is. Divided by some less than 400 people, I mean it's a lot of money. This is why people are so outraged. No matter what, people are mad because it is a lot of money, and it's taxpayer money.
CHETRY: Sure, certainly is. Thanks a lot Christine.
ROBERTS: Christine thanks.
Aren't you tired of that tiny little yacht that have you now? While a company in Belgium releasing plans for a new mega yacht tentatively called "Project 1000." if built, it will be the biggest yacht ever, almost as long as, oh it's yacht right? Almost as long as two football fields and the price tag could be anywhere between $500 million and $900 million.
CHETRY: Also looks like just a Disney Cruise ship. Right or the Norwegian, I mean that could house your whole neighborhood.
ROBERTS: It's pretty amazing.
CHETRY: Pretty cool. Well still ahead, Americans detained in Haiti they are now awaiting their fate. We are going to be speaking with Christopher Schmidt, he's an attorney who handles international kidnapping cases about what the future could be for these ten who said they were just doing god's work. Clearly the Haiti government disagrees.
Twenty-three minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: It's 25 minutes past the hour, welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
Top U.S. officials from five intelligence agencies saying they believe that al Qaeda is certain to attempt an attack on America by this summer.
ROBERTS: And while we've heard plenty of tough talk from the White House when it comes to tackling terrorism, there's a big difference between resolve and results. Barbara Starr joins us live from the pentagon now with a memo to the president.
STARR: Good morning to you.
Well, you know, you remember back at that State of the Union speech, the President made really only a passing reference to the war on terror, but make no mistake, it is one of the President's top priorities. Mr. President, you've said the war on terror is a top priority. You warned of the threat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STARR (voice-over): You've said the war on terror is a top priority, you warned of the threat.
BARAK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: al Qaeda and its extremist allies will stop at nothing in their efforts to kill Americans.
STARR: Your pledge to the public...
OBAMA: We are determined not only to thwart those plans but to disrupt, dismantle and defeat their networks once and for all.
STARR: But 2010 may be a tough year to make it happen. According to one of your advisors, former CIA officer Bruce Riedel...
BRUCE RIEDEL, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: al Qaeda is a very difficult enemy, very agile and very resourceful. And this isn't going to be won in a matter of months or even a couple of years.
STARR: Take Pakistan, the tribal areas, the major hideout for al Qaeda's top leaders.
(on camera): You've stepped up U.S. drone attacks since you took office, but is that going to be enough?
RIEDEL: Pakistan is the hardest part of this problem. There is no made-in-America solution to the problem in Pakistan. We have to convince the Pakistanis that this is their strategic fight. That's going to take an awful lot of persuading.
STARR (voice-over): Across the border in Afghanistan, you're sending 30,000 additional troops to fight the resurgent Taliban. Your commanders in the field say the combat power is vital. But, Mr. President, is your own team in Washington sending mixed signals? Bad news from your joint chiefs chairman?
ADM. MICHAEL MULLEN, CHAIRMAN, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: We are in our third straight year of a very significant deterioration with respect to the security environment.
JAMES JONES, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR: The good news that Americans should feel at least good about in Afghanistan is that the al Qaeda presence is very diminished. The maximum estimate is less than 100 operating in the country. No bases, no ability to launch attacks on either us or our allies.
STARR: But in December, a suicide bomber believed to be working for al Qaeda got on to this base, killing seven CIA employees, a disaster, by any measure.
(on camera): And, there's more to worry about. For al Qaeda, national borders are irrelevant radical websites like these are now a major means for al Qaeda to communicate and recruit fighters across the globe. (voice-over): Look at Yemen. al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula backed Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab's Christmas day attempt to bring down a U.S. airliner. The U.S. has been secretly working with the Yemeni security services on raids against al Qaeda hideouts and training camps. Aid to the military in Yemen is expected to double. But, experts warn, be careful. U.S. military assistance in strikes against al Qaeda in Yemen could still backfire.
GREG JOHNSEN, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY: In these strikes there were a number of innocent men, women and children killed. Their pictures then showed up on Jihadi forums and really these pictures I think serve as a recruiting field day for al Qaeda.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STARR: And, John, Kiran, even at this hour, a grim reminder today in Pakistan of the war on terror. Three U.S. troops killed in an attack. And we now know that these U.S. troops were actually Special Forces, traveling very low-key, not in uniform, trying to blend in with the Pakistani forces that they were training and, still, they came under attack. Three U.S. troops targeted. A key goal for the U.S. pentagon right now is to determine whether U.S. troops are now specifically at threat in Pakistan -- John, Kiran.
CHETRY: All right, thanks Barbara.
And we are talking about Pakistan this morning and following a breaking news with three members of the U.S. Special Forces are dead after their convoy was bombed in northwestern Pakistan. U.S. official confirm that they were there to train Pakistani forces to fight al Qaeda and to fight Taliban militants. The convoy was traveling to the opening of an all-girls school. Two other U.S. soldiers were hurt. One Pakistani soldier and three students were also killed in that attack.
ROBERTS: Iran says it launched a rocket into space carrying a rat, two turtles and some worms. Iran's state-run news agency says the launch is to commemorate the 1979 Islamic revolution that overthrew the country's monarchy. Both the pentagon and the state department voicing concern over Iran's space program.
CHETRY: Well there could be new troubles for Toyota. The automaker has now received more than 100 complaints in America and Japan about the brakes on its popular Prius model. Two of those incidents involves accidents with injuries, Apple Co founder, Steve Businiac tells CNN that there is something wrong with his new Prius, but it's not the breaks.
CHETRY: Well there could be new troubles for Toyota. The automaker has now received more than 100 complaints in America and Japan about the brakes on its popular Prius model. Two of those incidents involves accidents with injuries, Apple Co founder, Steve Businiac tells CNN that there is something wrong with his new Prius, but it's not the breaks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVE WOZNIAK, APPLE CO-FOUNDER: The car will start to accelerate in cruise control. You can hit the brake to stop it. You know, and maybe it's scary for the first time for a couple seconds, but once you know about it, it's not like I think it's life- threatening.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: OK. Well, Wozniak says his Prius once accelerated on its own to 97 miles an hour while in cruise control. He claims that he had a hard time getting Toyota and the government safety agencies to listen to his complaint. We'll of course continue to follow that situation for you.
In just a few hours, a judge will meet with some of the Americans who were arrested for trying to take 33 children in Haiti out of the country. There is still no decision as to whether they'll be charged with attempted child trafficking.
There are a lot of pieces to this story. Joining me now to break it down for us is Christopher Schmidt, he's an attorney with Brian Kate LLP. They specialize in international kidnapping cases. Christopher, thanks for being with us this morning.
CHRISTOPHER SCHMIDT, ATTORNEY WHO HANDLES INTERNATIONAL KIDNAPPING CASES: Thank you. Good to be here.
CHETRY: As we said, there is a lot to this story. The ten maintain that they were doing what they thought was right and they didn't realize. There has been some fine reporting by our reporters, including Karl Penhaul, that seem to show some of the contrary there.
And the Haitian government is saying they believe it is a case of attempted child kidnapping. What's your assessment here?
SCHMIDT: Well, in the United States and in Haiti and in countries all over the world, it is a crime to take children out of a foreign country without the consent of both the parents and of the government. And here, that is what took place, especially, we know, with respect to the government. Regardless of intentions, it's still a crime.
CHETRY: And as we talk about that, they haven't been charged yet. As far as we know, they don't have any representation. They have been interviewed by Haitian authorities. What would you recommend in this situation? We've talked many times to both members of their church as well as families who are extremely worried about them.
SCHMIDT: Well, there is a couple of things, first, that these missionaries should do. One is they really need to get legal counsel in Haiti. There were indications yesterday in reports that they are being interviewed without legal representation. I think that's very problematic.
So for these individuals, it's really important that they get Haitian criminal legal defense counsel to assist them in this process.
CHETRY: And it's a risky situation. I mean they clearly took a risk here. They went to a foreign country. Regardless of what they say their intentions were, they're now in trouble there.
How much -- what rights do you have? How much power do you have to get an attorney when you are detained in a foreign country, especially one that's just been through a tremendous disaster? They themselves have talked about the extreme challenges with their legal system because of the infrastructure.
SCHMIDT: Kiran, that's a great question. It is -- every country's different. And the United States has excellent rights for people that have been accused of a crime.
Many countries don't have those same rights like the United States. So rights to speak with an attorney, or knowing that if you're charged, you will be tried quickly and that there will be a determination about your case. Those basic provisions in a judicial system to ensure fairness are not present in a lot of countries.
And in Haiti, for example, even before the quake, there were lots of problems with their judicial system, people who spent years in jail without ever seeing a courtroom. And their jails were horribly crowded before this quake hit, and many of their jails were leveled and convicts escaped.
And so there's real problems with Haiti trying to even prosecute, and, if they successfully prosecuted these individuals, to jail them. Where would they jail them since so many of their jails have been destroyed?
CHETRY: And as our news crews have documented throughout this disaster in Haiti, you basically have so much need and so much chaos, and right now difficult to match children that need help with willing families.
When you take all of that into consideration and the fact that Laura Silsby, who apparently was the head of this group, says she knew they didn't have proper documents but they was just trying to do the right thing, how much will intent factor in here given the scope of the disaster, especially how hard it's hit children?
SCHMIDT: Well, that's certainly a mitigating circumstance. And I imagine the Haitian authorities are really trying to gauge at this point what was the intent of these missionaries that went down to Haiti to take these children.
Clearly, Haiti is getting a lot of attention. A lot of people are trying to help Haiti at this time. And the government in the country is in chaos. And so, from their perspective, they may not have been aware of -- that this was a crime to do in this case if the parents actually consented and gave the children to them.
And so they might have thought they did absolutely nothing wrong. If that's the case, they be the Haitian government could choose not to prosecute these individuals in this case.
CHETRY: And quickly, your assessment on how big of a potential problem child trafficking, international kidnapping is for Haiti right now in the aftermath of this quake?
SCHMIDT: International child abduction was a huge problem for Haiti before the quake. And lots of children in Haiti, because it's so poor, were being abducted. After the quake I imagine with all the chaos the problem has only compounded, become much worse.
CHETRY: Christopher Schmidt, attorney who handles these cases from St. Louis, Missouri this morning. Thanks for talking with us.
SCHMIDT: Thank you very much.
ROBERTS: Inside the tea party movement, there are a lot of rival factions at war over the hearts and minds of today's conservatives and some independents. So we're asking this morning, just whose tea party is it? Stay with us. It's 36 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning at 39 minutes after the hour.
The tea party movement is prepping for its first national convention this week. But there may be trouble brewing from within.
CHETRY: We're kicking off the first part of our three-part series "Welcome to the Tea Party." It's Jim Acosta, and he's here with us now talking more about this. So explain what's going on.
ACOSTA: Well, we wanted to find out what the buzz is all about, what's with these tea party guys. And we asked three questions. One is, are they for real? The answer to that is yes. They have not only Republicans involved, but independents, and even some former Democrats.
The other question, should they be taken seriously? Well, you can just ask Martha Coakley and President Obama that question.
And the third question is, where do they go from here? And the answer -- nobody seems to know.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Take recession- raging conservatives and independents --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think Barack Obama's anti-American.
ACOSTA: Add a Democrat to the White House.
ACOSTA (on camera): You think having the president dressed up as the grim reaper is a little over the top?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, I do not. There's nothing disrespectful about this.
ACOSTA (voice-over): And you get the tea party.
There's more brewing in this rebellion against bailouts and big governments than just Scott Brown's tea-party infused upset in the Massachusetts Senate race.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a major victory in what I could call "the second American revolution."
ACOSTA: Mark Meckler and Jenny Beth Martin, founders of the Tea Party Patriots, want this movement to blow the lid off Capitol Hill in this year's elections. They plan to back candidates who stand for tea party principles, and it doesn't matter if it's Republicans or Democrats standing in the way.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think if it had been John McCain, the same thing would have happened. I truly believe that.
ACOSTA (on camera): Really?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I really do.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I do, too.
ACOSTA (voice-over): In one year the tea party has gone viral, from dozens to now hundreds of loosely linked groups around the country. But Meckler and Martin don't tell them what to do. That's not the tea party way.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is all bottom-up. The real deal is that there are millions of leaders out there leading this movement.
ACOSTA: There may be leaders in the tea party movement, but nobody's in charge. In fact, rival groups from Washington, D.C. to Sacramento, California, are battling over who will carry the tea party banner. And that fight has some tea partiers feeling hung over.
ACOSTA (on camera): What do you think is happening to the tea party?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think the tea party knows what's happening to the tea party.
ACOSTA (voice-over): Sacramento tea party activist Jim Knapp fears the movement is about to be hijacked by one of the establish parties.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think there is any question that the GOP has their tentacles into the tea party.
ACOSTA: Knapp points to the Tea Party Express, the conservative bus tour that crisscrossed the country last year. It's run right inside a Republican political consulting firm. To the right, Sal Russo runs the firm, to the left, Joe Wierzbicki runs the Tea Party Express is run. Their offices are side by side. ACOSTA (on camera): Do you think a lot of those tea party activists know that the Tea Party Express is based in an office that's run by Republican political consultants?
JOE WIERZBICKI, TEA PARTY EXPRESS: I think what you'll find is at tea party rallies a lot of those people who are mad at the Republican Party, many of those are Republicans themselves, us included.
ACOSTA: You're Republicans?
WIERZBICKI: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And that's why we at the Tea Party Express endorse Scott Brown.
ACOSTA (voice-over): After spending $350,000 to air pro-Scott Brown campaign ads, these Republican consultants argue the tea party's home is the GOP.
WIERZBICKI: The people who form this movement need a major political party.
ACOSTA: The movement's future is on the agenda at the tea party's first convention set for this week. But even with tea party favorite Sarah Palin headlining the convention, it's being boycotted by some tea party activists, scoffing at the $550 admission fee.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It wasn't the kind of grassroots organization that we are, so we declined to participate.
ACOSTA: Despite all that in-fighting, it's clear that the tea party is on a roll. Where it rolls is anybody's guess.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: Where it rolls, that is the question. And it is up to some of these tea party activists whether or not this becomes a third political party. The gentleman that you saw in that piece would like to see that happen.
But those two major groups that we talked to, the Tea Party Express and the Tea Party Patriots, say no, they don't think that's going to happen. And the Tea Party Express would go further and say, no, the real home is the Republican Party.
And speaking of the Tea Party Express, Sarah Palin, who will be at that tea party convention this weekend, she is going to be in Searchlight, Nevada, coming up here next month to kick off the third version of the tea party express, the third bus tour, right in Harry Reid's home turf, sending a message that they're going after him, they're going against Democrats and Republicans up and down the ticket. They want tea party candidates not necessarily with t's next to their names, but adhering to their principles.
ROBERTS: So it's like the blue dog Democrat kind of thing. But are there indications there are some fractures in there already? Could this lead the party to perhaps slit along ideological lines into two entities?
ACOSTA: I don't think so.
ROBERTS: And I called it a party!
CHETRY: The tea party!
ACOSTA: It is a tea party but it is not a party.
You know, I don't think it could split into two because it is so disorganized and so chaotic right now -- and that is not putting them down. They will admit that themselves -- that it could split into five or six different things.
CHETRY: A work in progress.
ACOSTA: It is definitely a work in progress.
CHETRY: The interesting thing, as you pointed out, is they funded ads for Scott Brown who is prochoice and also pro gay rights. They're having Sarah Palin, who's very socially conservative, to the other end of the spectrum. So what is that link I guess in terms of support?
ACOSTA: The thing that we heard time and again from tea party activists is that they're more focused on fiscal conservative issues. So when Scott Brown was saying I want to take down healthcare reform, he was speaking their language.
ROBERTS: Jim Acosta, fascinating piece this morning. Thanks.
ACOSTA: You bet.
ROBERTS: By the way tell us what you think. Post your comments about our "Welcome to the TEA Party" series on Jim's blog, that's at CNN.com/AmFix.
And tomorrow on AMERICAN MORNING, part two of our series, "Welcome to the Tea Party". This group is gaining some serious momentum. They were behind Scott Brown's upset win in Massachusetts. Now they have their sights set on the senate race between Florida Governor Charlie Crist and Tea Party darling Marco Rubio in the Republican primary there.
CHETRY,: Still ahead we are checking in with Rob Marciano soaking rains in the south they are heading towards the east coast on top of a little bit of snow. Hey your school, your daughter's school was closed right Jim in D.C.?
ACOSTA: It was, it was.
CHETRY: So that means you guys got about free flakes (ph)?
ACOSTA: Exactly, yes. CHETRY: Just kidding. All right, 45 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: ...there they are very busy this morning and so is our Rob Marciano as he keeps an eye on the forecast for us. And snow in some parts. You got a big storm heading our way.
(WEATHER REPORT)
ROBERTS: Rob thanks so much.
Now, let's check in with Kyra Phillips in the "CNN NEWSROOM" for a look at what's ahead in the next hour. What's got your attention this morning?
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, you know, we've all been talking about these American missionaries in Haiti that allegedly kidnapped more than 30 kids. Well, we actually may learn of their fate coming up in hour -- hours this morning.
We will be there live as they appear in court in Haiti. Could they be set free? Could they be sent back to the United States? And then again, what happens to all those kids that they had planned to take with them? We hope to have an update as it happens live in our hour.
ROBERTS: All right, looking forward to it. Thanks, see you soon.
So a new study on sudden infant death syndrome; has it come up with a potential cause? Dr. Sanjay or actually Elizabeth Cohen is looking into this. She'll join us coming up right after the break.
It's ten minutes now to the top of the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Welcome back to The Most News in the Morning.
And time for your "AM House Call". There may be a link between the brain chemical serotonin and babies who die of sudden infant death syndrome.
CHETRY: Our senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joins us live from Atlanta to tell us more about this story. And for anyone who's lost a child to SIDS, I mean, the question of why, blaming yourself and just wondering if you could have prevented it really, really takes a toll.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Oh, right. It absolutely does take a toll.
And now parents really shouldn't worry. If somebody in their -- you know, God forbid if you have a child who dies of SIDS. It didn't have anything to do with you; you didn't do anything wrong. What they discovered in this research is that babies who died of SIDS when they did an autopsy, they found that these babies had low levels of a chemical called serotonin. That's a brain chemical that's involved in lots of different things. But in babies it's involved in sleep.
And so what they think happens and you'll see here a baby being put on their back which is how babies -- we all know this as parents is how babies ought to be put to sleep. When babies have low levels of serotonin they're not very good at gauging when they're not getting enough oxygen.
So babies with normal serotonin won't get enough oxygen and will wake up or will turn their head or will do something. But babies who don't have enough serotonin don't know to do that. And so they think that this low level of serotonin plays a major role on why some kids get SIDS -- Kiran.
ROBERTS: Well, we do know Elizabeth that some babies are -- or not some babies that some people who have low levels of serotonin are predisposed to depression and things like that which is why we have those selecto-serotonin (ph) re-uptake inhibitor antidepressants. But do we know what causes this chemical abnormality in an infant?
COHEN: Well, in an infant, what they think is going on is that infants need an enzyme to make serotonin. And interestingly, when they found the babies with low levels of serotonin, they had low levels of this enzyme. And that of course, begs the question we all want to know, well, why did they have low levels of the enzyme? And they think that it may have something possibly to do with genetics. It may have to do with an illness that the baby had early in life.
They just don't know but that is exactly going to be the focus of their research, why did that these babies have low levels of that enzyme.
CHETRY: And then moving forward off of that, are there ways to identify these infants who are most at risk and then take steps to avoid it happening.
COHEN: You know Kiran, wouldn't that be great? Wouldn't that be great if they could just give babies a blood test and see if they have low levels of serotonin and that that would answer the question? As parents we would love that.
Unfortunately, they are not there yet. The only way that they could see these low levels were on autopsies. So obviously you can't do that for a living baby. So right now there is no way but they are hoping -- this isn't going to help our babies but it might help our babies' babies. In years to come they might be able to come up with a test.
CHETRY: Elizabeth Cohen for us this morning. Thanks so much.
COHEN: Thanks.
CHETRY: Still ahead, we'll check in with Jeanne Moos. She shows us firsthand that you should be careful what you do on your computer because you never know who's taping.
Fifty-five minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: We're coming up right now to two minutes until the top of the hour. Time for the "Moost News in the Morning".
ROBERTS: Watch what you look at on your computer because you just never know who's watching you. Here's Jeanne Moos with that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: If you're going to look at half- naked pictures, better make sure you're not exposed. Channel 7 News in Australia got more of a rise than they bargained for. Note the guy in the background bringing up racy photos on his computer.
The McQuarry financial expert was talking about interest rates. That's not what interested the guy in the background even when a colleague walked over. He kept right on looking.
Folks quickly recognized Miranda Kerr, a famous Victoria's Secret model. Yes, well actually she had on less than she usually does when cavorting on the beach or on a bed. In the words of one admirer, "I would totally drink her bath water." Her fans put her image to songs like "Super Model".
That's what he was supposed to be doing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Which is where they were at their low.
MOOS: In the guy's defense, it wasn't really porn he was looking at. It was more as if he were opening photos that someone had e- mailed him, photos from "GQ." The current issue features a three- photo spread as he looked at a final photo, he knew he was nabbed.
"Poor so and so," someone commiserated. "Busted doing something most people do at work every day."
As in this French commercial, the guy watching porn accidentally unplugs his headset. Or the wife surprises hubby at home and his computer freezes before he can hide the evidence.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What are you doing?
MOOS: Get a laptop, or maybe a lap dance. Online speculation about this guy's fate was rampant.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good-bye.
MOOS: In the words of Donald Trump...
DONALD TRUMP, BUSINESSMAN: You're fired.
MOOS: But the McQuarry Group would say only that "it takes matters such as the unacceptable use of technology extremely seriously and that the situation is being dealt with internally."
This is what banker types are looking at? And we wonder why they didn't see the crash coming.
MOOS: Jeanne Moos...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Before that you see that effect.
MOOS: CNN.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Before that you see that effect.
MOOS: New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: I still say I feel bad for the guy. He was just looking at some attachments someone sent him. Poor thing.
ROBERTS: Be aware there is a camera on behind you, for Pete's sake. Come on.
CHETRY: I guess he learned that the hard way.
ROBERTS: He did.
CHETRY: That's going to do it for us though.
By the way, thanks for being with us. We will be back here bright and early tomorrow morning.
ROBERTS: The news continues meantime with Kyra Phillips in the "CNN NEWSROOM" -- good morning Kyra.
