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American Morning

Homeland Security Secretary Weighs in on Times Square Bomb Scare and Oil Spillout Disaster; New Army Recruit Says Goodbye to her Family; Waiting for a Disaster; Times Square Bomb Scare Investigation Continues

Aired May 03, 2010 - 07:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, thanks for joining us as we start a brand-new week, the first one of May. It's the 3rd of May, thanks for being with us. I'm John Roberts.

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Kiran Chetry. Here are the big stories we're telling you about in the next 15 minutes.

A lot of new information this morning on the bomb scare in Times Square over the weekend. Authorities are now looking at a surveillance video that may have captured a possible suspect, a half block away, changing his shirt, looking over his shoulder. We're live in Times Square with the very latest.

ROBERTS: President Obama warns of an unprecedented environmental disaster. There's more than 1 million gallons of oil oozing towards the Gulf Coast. Right now there's an all-out effort to contain that spill and fishing in the area has been banned. We're live on the Gulf coast with what residents there could be dealing with for years to come.

CHETRY: And even with a threat of war, sometimes the hardest thing about being in the military is leaving those you love. Today in our special series, "A Soldier's Story" we take a look at a new army recruit the last days before leaving home. She has to say good-bye to her husband and her little girl.

And the "A.M. Fix" blog is up and running. Go to CNN.com/amfix. We'll read your comments throughout the morning.

ROBERTS: But first, the hunt for a possible suspect who terrorized Times Square over the weekend. Police in New York City are going over every inch of the Nissan Pathfinder that was left on 45th street at 7th Avenue and Broadway packed with propane tanks, gas cans. and clocks.

The police commissioner says this man, described as a white man in his 40s in this video, may be the person who parked the truck there. He stops in the middle of the sidewalk, changes his shirt, keeps looking back.

Our Susan Candiotti is live for us in Times Square this morning with the very latest on the investigation. Good morning, Susan.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: John, good morning.

At this hour and throughout the day, investigators are following a number of leads. Included among them, that video that you probably have seen of surveillance video that was taken of a man, a man they are calling a person of interest at this time that was evidently shot just after that SUV was pulled over to the side of the road on Saturday night.

This video shows a man who is described as acting and looking around furtively down an alley near one of theaters there. Police say he takes off one shirt and puts on another and stuffs the first one away in a bag before he leaves the scene.

They want to know whether he might be connected to this case. And they are also talking with a Pennsylvania man, a tourist who was here who thinks that he might have taken some pictures of someone who was leaving the scene possibly running away from the area. So those are two key things.

Of course, they are also combing that Pathfinder, the forensics experts, looking for any evidence of fingerprints or hair or fibers. And because that bomb sizzled they might have some good luck doing it because whoever did it might have thought that the vehicle would be destroyed and it wasn't.

ROBERTS: Susan Candiotti with the very latest from Times Square. Susan, thanks.

And coming up at 7:35 Eastern, Ray Kelly, the NYPD commissioner, will update us on the investigation and any new possible leads as New Yorkers go back to work this morning.

CHETRY: And another big story, the Obama administration is keeping an eye on the massive oil spill that keeps growing in the Gulf of Mexico. The worst of the slick has yet to reach land but its economic, environmental, and political effects are already certainly being felt.

This morning fishing has been banned from Louisiana to Florida. This is taking place for at least ten days right now until they can assess the situation.

Meanwhile, at least one bird covered in oil has been rescued. President Obama, who is facing criticism for his administration's response, pushed back yesterday during a visit to Louisiana.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: BP is responsible for this leak. BP will be paying the bill. But as president of the United States, I'm going to spare no effort to respond to this crisis for as long as it continues. And we will spare no resource to clean up whatever damage is caused.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CHETRY: Our Rob Marciano is live in Gulfport, Mississippi, and we also have Brian Todd live in New Orleans. We'll start with Brian. Give us an update on whether or not they've gotten any closer to figuring out the best option to try to stop the leak.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They are trying several options, Kiran, and being criticized for those because a lot of those options are taking some time. A couple of them are -- one is trying to construct a relief well to go down to the source to the well head that is leaking and essentially tap into that and cap it. That takes weeks.

Another one is an effort to build a dome, which they are doing right now, that would essentially act as an upside down funnel that would be lowered into the water and into the oil in an effort to siphon it out. That's also being constructed and that also takes weeks.

One of the other tactics that they're using is the deployment of underwater chemical dispersants that would be shot out of a tube and the chemicals would latch onto the oil and get it to sink. They have tested that method out twice now and that has been successful and they are waiting to prepare those chemicals and deploy them.

But that's under some criticism too because environmentalists are saying those chemicals themselves are almost as harmful as the oil. BP says they have gotten clearance from the U.S. government to use the chemicals, including from environmental agencies that have weighed in on the safety to marine life.

CHETRY: So as you talked about the construction of that relief well to be able to tap into it that takes weeks, but some say it could take as long as three months. Are they going ahead with that in conjunction with some of these others ideas?

TODD: They appear to be. BP officials are telling us that all of these things are going on all at once. And essentially they're going to bring every resource to bear as it gets completed.

They are still trying the remote control submersibles that have been unable to cap this well, so they're still doing that while at the same time they're trying to contain the oil, spreading booms along the coastline to keep it from getting to some sensitive areas of the coastline.

And they also will probably resume those controlled burns of oil at the surface. They haven't been able to do that for the last two or three days because the weather has been so bad. We were down in Venice yesterday and the day before where the staging operations are going on. The weather has been very bad, rough seas and rain.

CHETRY: We saw even when the president was giving his press conference down there, he was covered in the rain because it's been terrible. And of course the high whipping winds and rough seas have made it a mess as well.

Brian Todd for us this morning, we'll check in with you throughout the morning with the latest information. Thank you.

(WEATHER BREAK)

CHETRY: Coming up, Conan O'Brien and Jay Leno shared the spotlight again this week. They weren't together, however. Jay Leno was headlining the White House correspondent's dinner, and Conan O'Brien appeared on CBS's "60 Minutes," his first interview since the messy split from NBC back in January.

He was asked how he felt about Jay Leno taking back "The Tonight Show".

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONAN O'BRIEN, FORMER HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW": If I surrendered "The Tonight Show" and handed it over so somebody publicly and wished them well, and then would not have come back six months later. But that's me. Everyone has got their own way of doing things.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What would you have done?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: Conan says he's mostly very happy and having a great time on his current live national tour.

Well, the $3 billion merger in the skies will create the biggest airline in the world. But what will a deal between Continental and United mean for your choice as a flyer?

ROBERTS: Also, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on the Times Square bomb scare. Also, was the government's response to the Gulf oil spill too slow?

CHETRY: Also at 7:25, an "A.M." original, "A Soldier's Story," a mom's emotional final day with her two-year-old daughter as she gets set to join the Army.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Welcome back. Let's check on what's new this morning.

Thousands rescued are moving to higher ground in Tennessee and Mississippi where widespread flooding has killed 15 people. Nashville's Cumberland River is still rising and could crest 12 feet above flood level. More than 150 Tennessee roads had to be closed because of what state officials call their worst flooding since the 1970s.

ROBERTS: In just a few hours time, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will speak during the opening session of the United Nations conference on nuclear nonproliferation. The 40 year old treaty is aimed at reducing the global stockpile of nuclear weapons. The meeting could reignite a war of words between Iran and the west over Tehran's nuclear ambitions. CHETRY: The only accused gunman who survived the 2008 siege on Mumbai has been found guilty in an Indian court. The Pakistani man was charged with murder, attempted murder, and waging war against India. The judge is expected to sentence him tomorrow to either life in prison or death.

Two Indian men charged in helping plot the siege were acquitted because of lack of evidence. Nine other gunmen were killed by security officials during that attack.

ROBERTS: And coming up on the Most News in the Morning, we'll speak with the secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano about two big stories this morning, the federal response to the Gulf oil spill, as well as that Times Square bombing attempt. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: It's coming up now to 16 minutes after the hour. We're following two big developing stories this morning, the relentless oil spill off of the Gulf Coast and the search for clues at a weekend bomb scare in New York's Times Square. Investigators are poring over surveillance tapes that may have spotted a potential suspect.

Joining us now from Washington is the secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano.

Madam Secretary, good to see you this morning. And so far, do you have any idea whether what happened in Times Square might have a connection to global terrorism? Is there an Islamist component in here anywhere that you've been able to detect?

JANET NAPOLITANO, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: Oh, I think, right now, it would be highly premature to draw any conclusions. So right now, law enforcement is focused on following leads, looking at the design of the bomb itself, tracing the vehicle, identifying subjects or potential people they want to speak to based on the videotapes. There's lots of cameras in that area of New York City. So there's a lot of investigatory work going on right now.

ROBERTS: Counterterrorism officials I spoke with over the weekend suggest that the bomb very closely mirrored the gas limo project plot in London a couple of years back. Dhiren Barot was behind that. He's in jail for a very, very long time. Do you see any connections at least in bomb design, if not an ideology?

NAPOLITANO: Well, it's somewhat similar. But again, I caution that the last thing we want to do is to draw premature conclusions, which may actually obscure the actual lead that we need to be following. So all leads need to be followed. They are being followed. They are being followed by the New York City Police Department. They're being followed by the FBI and by law enforcement officials of the Department of Homeland Security.

ROBERTS: But this person who was taped near the SUV removing a layer of clothing, what leads you and law enforcement to believe that there may be some connection here? NAPOLITANO: Well, he was seen, you know, leaving the scene. And so, he may have been a witness. He may have observed something. He may be someone who was involved. We don't know. It would be premature to suggest that we do know. What we would like to do is to be able to identify and then speak with him.

ROBERTS: You know, everybody is looking for exactly what the motive might have been. And some people in counterterrorism have made note of the idea that the car was parked very close to the headquarters of Viacom which owns Comedy Central. And, of course, there was that whole controversy in recent days surrounding that episode of "South Park" and characterizing the image of the prophet Muhammad. Is there anything being given to a potential link between those two things?

NAPOLITANO: Well, let me just say, again, no leads are being discarded right now. No sources of inquiry are not being pursued. This is an open investigation that really is at its beginning stages.

ROBERTS: What about the possible connection between this attempted bombing and Viacom? How viable might a connection be there?

NAPOLITANO: Look, I'm not going to speculate on speculation. It's out there as one theory that's being positive. There may be others. What we do know is that some person or persons parked a vehicle near 45th and 7th in New York City and tried to put something in there to blow it up.

ROBERTS: All right. Let's switch gears that we couldn't talk about the oil spill in the gulf coast. Do you have any idea just how bad this could potentially be? It looks like there's another week at least of an unabated leak coming there from the sea floor. The estimates from NOAA are 5,000 barrels a day leaking. But the "Wall Street Journal" has got an analyst who says no, 5,000 is wrong. It might be closer to 20,000 or 25,000 barrels.

NAPOLITANO: You know, I think this notion of, this fixation of number of barrels is a little bit misleading because neither of those estimates really captures what is going on, which is to say three battlefronts, one is to cap the well. Efforts to do that have not succeeded to date. However, they have begun doing undersea injection of dispersant that looks to be very promising.

ROBERTS: Right.

NAPOLITANO: The second is fighting the spill on the surface of the sea before it reaches landfall. And the third is preventing it from reaching landfall and having the immediate ability to clean it up.

ROBERTS: And Madam Secretary, in the early going of this, was too much faith put in BP as to what was going on? When that rig went down, it was still on fire, which would suggest that there was a supply of fuel to that fire, that supply would have, you know, presumably been oil. And yet, what we heard, first of all, in the first few hours after the rig went down was it wasn't leaking any oil. NAPOLITANO: Oh, that's right. But what BP was estimating and what independent government agencies were also seeing were the same thing. You know, first, the first day, of course, you had the explosion. The focus was on search and rescue. Realize this was a very active search and rescue site. It wasn't until two days later that the rig itself went down and there again, not much oil seen coming to the surface. And it evolved over time, but I will say, once again, that we were already pre-positioning vessels and boom and setting up a command center, realizing that we were dealing with a situation that was really unknown at that point in time.

ROBERTS: And the future still unknown too as it continues to unfold.

NAPOLITANO: Indeed.

ROBERTS: Janet Napolitano, secretary of Homeland Security, thanks for being with us this morning.

NAPOLITANO: Thank you.

CHETRY: And some business news for you as well this morning. A $3 billion done deal, United and Continental Airlines merging to become the largest airline in the world. The agreement keeps the United name but Continental CEO will run the company. Its new slogan is "Let's fly together." Antitrust regulators must now approve that deal.

ROBERTS: The city of Concord, Massachusetts, has banned bottled water. Residents voted in favor of it. The ban makes it illegal to sell plastic bottled water within city limits unless those bottles are refillable. Some local officials say they aren't sure if the measure is even legal.

CHETRY: Well, coming up today in our special series "A Soldier's Story," a young mom has to leave home for basic training and finds it unbearable to leave, as all of us would, to leave her 2-year-old daughter. Mommy is leaving tomorrow. That's what she had to say. We're going to hear from here. That's just ahead at 22 minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Top stories is just minutes away now at 26 minutes after the hour.

But first for you, an "A.M. Original," something that you'll see only on AMERICAN MORNING. The days before a soldier leaves home for the very first time can be just as agonizing as war itself.

CHETRY: A lot of us can't imagine what it would be like. But we're following the story of new Army recruit La Trisha Rose who had to leave her husband and her young daughter behind to head to basic training. Our Jason Carroll is back this morning with our special series "A Soldier's Story." She knew that was going to be the hardest part. JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

CHETRY: And the time came, so how did it go?

CARROLL: It went as well I think as she could expect. But the problem was she struggled with it for such a long period of time. It was really painful to watch.

You know, women actually make up about 14 percent of the Army's active duty. Many of those women are mothers. Today, we take a look at one young mother Latricia Rose and how she dealt with a personal struggle even before the hard work of basic training got under way.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL (voice-over): It's Latricia Rose's last day at home before leaving to join the Army. Just about everything is done. Paperwork, check.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's take a look at what you have here.

CARROLL: Final meeting with recruiter, check.

LATRICIA ROSE, NEW RECRUIT: Smile.

CARROLL: Telling her 2-year-old daughter Ayana (ph) she's leaving, not quite.

L. ROSE: I think she kind of knows I'm leaving. I said I was going to tell her today that I'm leaving, but she -- she kind of -- I think she kind of knows.

CARROLL: Latricia and her husband Brandon have been struggling to tell their daughter for weeks in a way a 2-year-old can understand. They think Ayana (ph) she may be catching on.

L. ROSE: She just cries if I walk out of the room or anything. And I think she just can probably sense something.

Ayana --

CARROLL: For now, Latricia and her husband make the most of their last day with their daughter, taking her to her favorite spot, Chuck E Cheese, though it's clear it's the game she likes, not the mascot. By midday, still no talk.

L. ROSE: I mean, I did say to her, like two days ago, you know, mommy is going to be leaving, but she ignored me and we went on with our day like nothing was wrong.

CARROLL: Meanwhile, Brandon senses how challenging it's going to be to be both father and mother.

BRANDON ROSE, LATRICIA'S HUSBAND: I'm trying the best I can. You know, she's going to be asking for her mom. I have to tell her that mommy is gone and it's just daddy for now. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ready, one, two, three. Say cheese.

ALL: Cheese.

CARROLL: Today, the entire family can be together so they mark the occasion with a portrait. And one last dinner with a come home soon cake, compliments of the restaurant staff.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's the least we can do.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're really proud of you.

L. ROSE: Oh, thank you.

CARROLL: Finally, time for bed and the talk. It is hard to find the words.

L. ROSE: Help me, because I don't know what to say. Ayana (ph), mommy is leaving tomorrow, OK? OK?

AYANA (ph) ROSE, LATRICIA'S DAUGHTER: OK.

L. ROSE: But I'll be back in a little while, OK? You're the best.

CARROLL: By 4:00 the next morning, she's on her way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you ready to roll? Ready as you're going to be, huh?

CARROLL: But first, one last hug.

L. ROSE: Bye, baby.

CARROLL: And one final goodbye. Latricia is on the road to becoming a soldier.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CARROLL: Sometimes that road is not easy. Again, Latricia told me she tried to tell her daughter for weeks. But, you know, both of you are parents. How do you tell a 2-year-old, "I'm leaving in two months, I'm leaving in, you know, three months from now or three days from now"?

The time -- they don't have a concept of time. So it's very, very difficult. And again, this is something that, you know, hundreds, thousands actually, women who are mothers in the military struggle with every day.

CHETRY: But just to see it like that, I mean, it just breaks your heart. It's the same thing even when the dads have to go and they have to leave --

CARROLL: Very good point. CHETRY: And the moms are at home with the kids. It is -- I mean, we witness this every day, these are people who are sacrificing their lives in so many different ways, not just possibly getting injured or killed.

CARROLL: Exactly. And doing it again because she wants to serve her country and because she wants to create a better life for her family. And it's a tough struggle.

CHETRY: Well, I hope everything works out for them.

CARROLL: Well, we're going to see and you guys will see as well.

ROBERTS: Yes, because Jason's going to be back tomorrow with Latrisha's first days in basic training. She faces some unexpected challenges. And the whole story takes a very, very odd twist. That's tomorrow right here on the most news in the morning.

CHETRY: We'll be watching. Jason, thanks.

Well, we're half past the hour right now. Time for a look at the top stories. Trouble continues for thousands in Tennessee after weekend storms produced widespread flooding that killed at least 15 people there and in Mississippi. Now the Cumberland River may crest at 10 feet above flood level putting downtown Nashville in a water- logged danger zone.

Emergency crews already evacuated several businesses but with dozens of highways closed, it actually is proving to be difficult to find a way out of town.

ROBERTS: Updating our breaking news this morning. A Detroit police officer was killed in a shootout overnight. Four other officers were hit and hospitalized but are expected to survive. Police say the officers were responding to a break-in call and were met with a hail of bullets when they got to the door. One suspect is also in the hospital and in police custody. The mayor says the murdered officer had a 10-year-old son.

CHETRY: NYPD says this video may be the man behind the Times Square bomb scare. There you see the surveillance video caught on one of the many cameras in Times Square. It was taken about half a block away from a Nissan Pathfinder that police say was loaded with explosives. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly will be joining us here in five minutes to give us an update on the search and the people of interest.

ROBERTS: And also developing this morning, the race to contain and cap the oil that has been spilling into the Gulf of Mexico since a rig caught fire and collapsed 11 days ago. The still uncontrolled spill is shaping up as one of the worst disasters in U.S. history. And executives from the oil giant operating the rig are emphasizing the difficulty of trying to shut off the well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're still working hard, still working hard on the blowout preventer to see if we can actuate this piece of this evidently failed equipment. As you can imagine, this is like doing open heart surgery at 5,000 feet in the dark with robot-controlled submarines.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: David Mattingly is live for us this morning in Gulfport, Mississippi. And David, how are folks there getting ready for the potential that a lot of that oil is going to come onshore in the coming days?

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, people on this part of the Gulf Coast know what to do when a hurricane comes ashore. They've had a lot of practice in dealing with that devastation, recovering from that kind of devastation. But this man-made problem is bringing a whole lot of unknowns their way and that has them worried.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTINGLY (voice-over): Ben Stone knows all about disasters.

BEN STONE, GULFPORT RESIDENT: The whole house was gone, not one piece of furniture.

MATTINGLY: Five years ago, Katrina destroyed his house and almost wiped out his hometown. But an oil slick is something new.

(on camera): You can't get mad at a hurricane, can you get mad about this?

STONE: You can't get made about this.

MATTINGLY: Are you?

STONE: I am. I'm very disturbed about this.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): If the slick comes ashore in Gulfport, Mississippi, as some expect, Stone will be able to see it from the front porch of his newly-rebuilt house. Already there's a foul odor.

(on camera): It's pretty strong. How long have you been able to smell it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: About the last two days.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): The city is worried a drop in tourism from the oil slick would chill its post Katrina rebound. Flattened five years ago by a 28-foot storm surge, today there's a half billion in new construction underway. 30 million just developing the harbor.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This could not have happened at a worst time in our history. MATTINGLY: Gulfport has the third largest container port on the Gulf Coast and I found it buzzing with crews loading vessels, fighting the spill.

(on camera): So you got booms being loaded up there and this is one of skimmer vessels?

DONALD ALLEE, MISSISSIPPI STATE PORT CEO: It's part of a skimmer operation.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): The director of the state port tells me business still hasn't recovered from Katrina.

(on camera): What is this oil going to do to you?

ALLEE: Well, if it threatens the commercial sea lanes, that's a concern because if ships don't come in and ships aren't able to go out, that stops commerce.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): And that would kill jobs. Daniel Shepens was out of work for a month after Katrina. He's worried this could be worse.

DONALD SHEPENS, EQUIPMENT OPERATOR: There are no ships. The warehouses are empty, no trucks, no import, no export.

MATTINGLY: And nothing to do now but wait and worry.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MATTINGLY: And what these communities all along the Gulf Coast have learned from the hurricanes is how to pull together and how to prepare for those worst-case scenarios and that's exactly what they are doing right now. John.

ROBERTS: David Mattingly for us in Gulfport, Mississippi. David, thanks for that.

CHETRY: And meantime, we're updating you on another breaking store that's been developing this morning. The latest under way for the search for the person who is the suspect behind the New York City Times Square foiled car bombing. We're going to be joined by Police Commissioner Ray Kelly and get an update next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Thirty-eight minutes past the hour right now. We have an A.M. security watch with new developments this morning in the scare that shut down Times Square over the weekend. The NYPD says that it may have surveillance video of a man who parked a bomb on 45th Street. A man in his 40s. And you see in the video, he looks over his shoulder a few times. He changes his shirt. He actually takes off a sweat shirt and has a shirt on underneath, about half block away.

This was video that was shot from one of the many police cameras in Times Square. And there are also some new leads on where that SUV came from. Here to talk with us now is Ray Kelly, the police commissioner of New York.

Thank so much for coming in with us this morning.

COMMISSIONER RAY KELLY, NEW YORK POLICE: Good morning.

CHETRY: First, I want to ask you about that surveillance video. I know that you're interested in speaking to this person. Are you -- is this person a suspect, a person of interest?

KELLY: No. Not in any way. He would be totally innocent. It's one of the first videos that we obtained. We thought it warranted an interview. He was taking his shirt off, it was a warm day. But this happened just around the time that the pops start to go off inside the car.

So that's why we simply want to talk to him. We have another video we'll be putting out later, today, of an individual who is seen, we believe running north on Broadway. We obtained that from a tourist.

CHETRY: From a tourist.

KELLY: And again, these are not suspects. These are people that we just like to speak to.

CHETRY: I got you. So this video is from one of the several, as I said, 82 different cameras that you have in Times Square. You guys in the process right now of combing through all of the video on those many cameras.

KELLY: Well, there's a lot more than 82 cameras. Those 82 cameras are just New York City cameras and that's from 51st Street to 34th Street, 6th to 8th Avenue. But it's a laborious process, it takes a lot of time. And when you look at the private sector cameras, many times the time is not correct.

CHETRY: Right.

KELLY: So it means you have to sit down and look through it and try to match it up with some other events to get the time of what you're looking at.

CHETRY: Right. So you're talking about your own cameras, on top of that you have tourists. In fact, one from Pennsylvania, a man came forward and told you guys that he had some video. What did you see on that? What did you want to know about this tourist visiting from Pennsylvania that has a tape?

KELLY: Again, it happened just around the time that the fire starts or the popping starts in the car. It's a picture of an individual running north on Broadway. And we'll be putting it out later today. Again, you know, we ask if anyone with any information on the event to call us at our tips hot line, 1-800-577-TIPS. And this individual, we would like to speak to him.

CHETRY: The license plate on SUV is from a pickup truck in an auto repair shop in Connecticut is what we've learned. And they've also been able to trace the car through its Vehicle Identification Number. Apparently, also identified the owner, have you spoken to the owner of that car?

KELLY: Investigators have spoken to the registered owner of that car, yes.

CHETRY: And that car was not reported missing, correct?

KELLY: That car was not reported stolen.

CHETRY: So what does that tell you, if anything?

KELLY: You know, the investigation is going forward. This is going to take a while. The JTTF (ph) (INAUDIBLE) this entity doing the investigation. They are doing work in Connecticut, obviously here in New York and other places. So you know, we're hopeful that this will come to a successful conclusion for us. But still a lot of work to be done.

CHETRY: Yes. And one of the things, of course, the car itself, presumably whoever was behind it thought it was going to burn. And thus the inside would burn. That didn't happen, of course. And so now, what about the forensics, whether there was any fingerprints, hair, fiber, anything to give you an indication?

KELLY: That process is all going forward as we speak.

CHETRY: So you haven't made any -- have you been able to come closer to possibly finding the suspect through forensics rights now or is it too early?

KELLY: It's too early to say.

CHETRY: All right. And can you tell us the name of the registered owner of the Pathfinder?

KELLY: Well, we prefer not to do that. Because the media wants to do the investigation for us and we prefer that not happen.

CHETRY: I want to ask a couple of questions about any indications that this was an international act of terrorism, a lot of people -- there have been some claims of responsibility, have you been able to figure out whether it was a one off alone actor or part of any type of network?

KELLY: It's too early to say that as well. I mean, when you have events of this nature, it's not unusual that people call up and claim credit or try to blame someone else. The poison pen aspect of this can't be discounted. So it takes a while to go through all of this information. And we don't know if this is part of an international organization, one individual. You know, it's going to take time.

CHETRY: You know, we have two recent cases, this one and also the failed Christmas bombing where it really boiled down to luck. That in both of these cases the explosive simply didn't go off. In this case, is one of the lessons that really we can't do nothing to stop somebody who wants to carry out an attack in a public place like Times Square?

KELLY: Well, it all depends on the circumstances. Like, one aspect of this is -- and we saw this in Najibullah Zazi case here, the subway bomber is that it's very difficulty to get explosives. So you'll see these individuals trying to put it together. We had Zazi, who used a beauty supply products in trying to make a bomb.

CHETRY: Peroxide and --

KELLY: In this case we see firecrackers that are legally available, not in this state but in surrounding states, Pennsylvania, for instance, you can get these types of fireworks. They are M-88s. So that in a way is good news. And you see these individuals trying to jerry rig something rather than take, you know, professional grade explosives and have it readily available.

CHETRY: Well, worst case scenario if this had been able to go off, had a detonation actually taking place, what do you think the casualties would have been? What do you think the destruction?

KELLY: It's very hard to say. We think we would have seen a significant fire ball, because you would have seen the tanks explode. Inside the vehicle there was this gun case, about 75 pounds, a heavy metal gun case.

Inside it there's a substance, we believe it to be fertilizer. But fertilizer that doesn't have an explosive nature to it. But clearly it was the intent to use that -- in my judgment, I'll say clearly -- as shrapnel.

CHETRY: Right.

KELLY: So, you know, if that had gone off, it would have been a very serious event. And the car itself would have exploded and turned into shrapnel as well.

CHETRY: You guys have gotten a lot of praise actually for how this all went down, both from the two rookie cops who got people out of the vicinity and then obviously notified others in the police department who were qualified to deal with this.

But in terms of lessons learned, is there anything that you think you should have done differently in terms of response, moving forward if this ever happens again?

KELLY: Not know. Probably -- in every case when you look back at something that should be done differently, maybe in terms of the investigation. You know, we're too close to it now.

But everybody acted appropriately. The vendors on the corners, they are the ones that alerted the police. The police moved people out of the way, called the firefighters, firefighters responded quickly. So everything worked and obviously we are lucky that it didn't ignite, it didn't go off. So we'll see if there's any lesson to be learned. But right now it looks like everybody did what they should have done.

CHETRY: Including the vigilant New Yorkers who -- if they see something, say something.

KELLY: That's right.

CHETRY: Which, of course, is part of the --

KELLY: Absolutely. That's the message.

CHETRY: -- campaign.

KELLY: Right.

CHETRY: Thanks for talking with us about it and best of luck with the investigation. Commissioner Ray Kelly, always great to see you.

KELLY: Thank you, Kiran.

ROBERTS: And some really terrible weather in the state of Tennessee over the last 24 hours. The severe storms are continuing today as well. Take a look at those pictures of cars just piled up like cordwood after the flooding there.

Rob Marciano is tracking all of the severe weather. And you could see it up and down the Atlantic seaboard. He'll have an update for you coming up next. Forty-seven minutes after the hour.

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CHETRY: Welcome back, 49 minutes past the hour. Right now we check in with Rob Marciano who is live in Gulfport, Mississippi this morning with the latest for us.

Hey, Rob.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Kiran. Good morning, John.

The rain has been coming down unbelievably so the past 24 hours. And that has certainly hampered the efforts to battle back the oil slick that remains now just offshore here along the Gulfport, Mississippi shoreline, which, by the way, in just -- in Gulfport proper, the city beaches here about 26 miles worth completely unprotected as far as containment booms go.

So if this oil slick gets ashore here, there's not going to be any sort of wall to protect these beaches still recovering from Hurricane Katrina less than five years ago.

All right, the rainfall today will continue. The winds, not quite as strong as they were over the weekend. That's a good thing. But they're not going to turn northerly on northwesterly to push this oil away from shore. So that's still the big question mark.

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MARCIANO: Hopefully, they will get the skimmers out there soon, John and Kiran, but that has been a no-go in the past couple of days because of the rough weather. We expect to see less the way of thunderstorms over the next couple of days. And lighter winds but winds will still be from the south. And that means that that oil will slowly creep towards the shoreline.

Back to you guys in New York.

ROBERTS: That whole area could really use a break. Rob, thanks so much.

This morning's top stories just minutes away now including the terrorist who keeps on dying and living to tell about it. The Pakistan Taliban leader, apparently alive and well, appearing on tape three months after the U.S. believed that Baitullah Mehsud was killed.

CHETRY: At 8:20, making it the biggest airline ever with a $3 billion deal. What United and Continental could mean for your ticket prices and your patience.

ROBERTS: And at 25 minutes after the hour, a man required to enforce Arizona's tough new immigration law says he just can't it. The Hispanic police officer who says it is racially biased.

Those stories and more coming your way at the top of the hour.

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ROBERTS: Fifty-six minutes after the hour. We're back with "The Most News in the Morning." It's time for your "A.M. House Call."

The FDA advising consumers to stop using dozens of over-the- counter infant and children's liquid medications that are being recalled. They include children's Tylenol, Motrin, Zertek and Benadryl. Some of the products may have a higher concentration of the active ingredient than what's listed on the bottle.

Officials do say, though, the potential for serious medical problems is remote.

CHETRY: Crews are making better-than-expected progress with a broken water pipe in Boston. The whole result has been that the city has been without a clean water supply for up to two million people.

Police were called to some stores this weekend because people were actually fighting over bottled water. Officials said that everyone should still boil tap water before using it. They are still not sure what caused the leak.

ROBERTS: And we've been watching this for more than a week now. Bret Michaels expected to be OK. His doctor says he should make a full recovery from his brain hemorrhage.

The former Poison front man is expected to undergo more tests at a Phoenix neurological center where he is being treated. His physician says Michaels' sheer will to live helped him survive the dangerous brain injury.

CHETRY: Good to know he's on the mend, though, because those were scary times.

ROBERTS: Yes. And an aneurysm like, wow, that that can be very serious.

CHETRY: Yes, absolutely.

ROBERTS: Very serious.

CHETRY: Well, we're going to take a quick break. Your top stories coming your way in just a couple of minutes. We'll be right back.

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