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American Morning
NY Car Bomb Suspect Does a Dry Run; Tennessee Flooding; NYC Bomber Ties to Terror: The Pakistan Connection; Expedition to Contain Oil Leak Begins; Politics and Sports Collide; Are You Getting Rebound Headaches?; Sleeping Dangers
Aired May 06, 2010 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. Glad you're with us on this AMERICAN MORNING on this Thursday, May 6th. I'm Kiran Chetry.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you, I'm John Roberts. Thanks so much for being with us this Thursday morning. Here are the big stories we'll be telling you about in the next 15 minutes.
Brand new information on the plot to blow up a car in Times Square. Authorities say the suspect, Faisal Shahzad, rehearsed the attack the day before but still apparently needed a lot of practice. You will not believe what he forgot. All the details just ahead.
CHETRY: And an experiment at sea in an effort to stop the disastrous flow of oil. A giant 40-foot containment dome on this barge this morning, bound for that gushing oil well in the Gulf of Mexico. Officials are hoping to drop it over the wellhead on the ocean floor to catch the leaking oil. It has never been tried at these depths before and if it works, and that's a big if, the spill could be contained by Monday.
ROBERTS: A Nashville heartbreak. So much lost after days of severe flooding. We're live in "Music City" this morning with a look at the impact on some of country music's most treasured landmarks.
CHETRY: And, of course, the amFIX blog is up and running. We'd like to have you join the live conversation by going to CNN.com/amFIX.
ROBERTS: First this morning, though, new information on the Times Square bombing plot. Authorities believe that the suspect, Faisal Shahzad, made a dry run the day before from Connecticut to New York City in what was supposed to be his getaway car. But besides not being able to get the bomb to work, he had another problem. He left the keys to that getaway car in the SUV that he was trying to blow up.
CHETRY: All of this raising a lot of questions this morning, how much training, if any, did he receive in his native Pakistan? And was he just a wannabe, but a wannabe who still could have done a lot of damage?
Our Susan Candiotti has been following the story since day one. She joins us now. So first, let's talk about the new information that's surfacing about this dry run. He tried this on Friday night, the day before this car was found in Times Square. So what exactly did he do on Friday night?
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: All of this information comes from a law enforcement source who's been made aware, briefed on the investigation. Remember, he's talking to investigators. That's how we're finding this stuff out.
First of all, he took, drove his white Isuzu from Connecticut, down through Times Square to kind of look the place over and then he parked the vehicle several blocks away. And then he gets on the train and he goes back to Connecticut. So that's the dry run.
ROBERTS: All right. So then -- so he's got the Isuzu parked in New York City, what happens after that? How does the Nissan Pathfinder get there?
CANDIOTTI: Right. Now, he's back home. He's got allegedly the bomb together. Now he drives down to New York from Connecticut, and he goes southbound along FDR Drive, those who are familiar, along the East River. He pauses at around 49th Street, and he reaches through the rear compartment of the Pathfinder to set the wheels in motion, activate what he had there in the back seat. And then he continues down towards Times Square. And they said he randomly chose the street, 45th Street, that's what he says, to make then turn the corner because he saw that there was a spot there.
He pulls over. He gets out of the car. The smoke starts to fill up. And then he goes uh-oh, he realizes that he left the car keys to the getaway car, his white Isuzu. He left them in the Pathfinder.
So he realizes he can't go back, can't go back. So he had to keep on going so he runs to the train station. About a half hour later, there's a time stamp on the train ticket that they found. He took the 7:00 train back up to Connecticut.
CHETRY: Wow. And then whatever happened to the Isuzu that was supposed to be his getaway car?
CANDIOTTI: Well, it turns out that when he got back to Connecticut, he was able to get himself back to that white Isuzu because he wound up driving that car to JFK. That wound up being his getaway car. But we're also finding out that police have found now a new surveillance video of him that was taken apparently a short time after witnesses saw that smoky car. And they said that he was in the Shubert Alley, which is right close to where that car was parked and he was wearing a white baseball cap. Maybe, maybe we'll get a look at that tape sometime today.
ROBERTS: Yes. There have been other pictures that have surfaced as well of him in Times Square with family and friends sometime before that bombing attempt.
CANDIOTTI: That's right. As long as -- maybe as far back about a year, two years ago. What an amazing thing to see him posed right there in Times Square, very close to where he wound up driving that vehicle.
CHETRY: Exactly. And you talk about the police surveillance video where there was a lot made of the man removing his shirt. That also was the video that was seen in Shubert Alley. That turned out to be a lead that went nowhere, right?
CANDIOTTI: Exactly. But they're still looking at a lot of videos. They still want to trace, where did the car go, back and forth, how did it get into the city? That's going to be all part of that case. But you know, he apparently, from all accounts, is still talking to investigators right now. Amazing.
ROBERTS: All right. Susan Candiotti for us this morning. Susan, thanks so much.
CANDIOTTI: You're welcome.
ROBERTS: There's also new information this morning that could establish a link between Faisal Shahzad and the Taliban. CNN is learning that in July of 2009, Shahzad met with one or more terror leaders in the mountains of Pakistan.
Our Nic Robertson has been digging into this for us. He joins us now live from Karachi.
Nic, there's increasing belief here in this country at least that there is some sort of loose association between Shahzad and the Taliban. What have you found there?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, there certainly seems to be evidence supporting that now. We've heard from a senior Pakistani government official who says that he was picked up here in Karachi and driven about 300, 400 miles to the border region with Afghanistan which is where he was taken to, one or more Taliban leaders. So even government officials here now saying there is this link with the Taliban. But we have heard as well from Taliban spokesman here saying, yes, we applaud what he did in New York. But, no, we didn't give him any training. So you've got two versions of events. The government saying one thing. The Taliban saying another. But what we have learned about the man that took him from Karachi to meet with the Taliban leaders is somebody who's got connections with a jihadist movement. That jihadist movement has ties to the Taliban and to Al Qaeda as well, John.
ROBERTS: Is there anything so far from where you are, Nic, to confirm that he might have received some sort of bomb training in North Waziristan?
ROBERTSON: Well, that's where he was going to meet the Taliban leaders. And I think from what we know from the police investigation so far, focusing the people that they've arrested have all been arrested here in Karachi. The police are working out from his last visit to Pakistan which was here in Karachi in July last year. He was here just two weeks before he took that trip further north to Waziristan.
So the police here at least appear to be working outwards from Karachi. And so far, they are not saying that they have this positive link that he got the Taliban -- that he got training from the Taliban. However, the footsteps that he has walked are very similar to footsteps other groups have walked in before. This jihadist group, the fellow who gave him a lift to meet the Taliban leaders, this group as well associated last year with those five men from Virginia who then traveled to Pakistan looking to tie up with jihadists. So this group has a track record of having connections with people who want to become terrorists -- John.
ROBERTS: A lot of leads there in Pakistan. Nic Robertson for us in Karachi. Nic, thanks.
And coming up in a little bit more than 30 minutes, we're going to get the latest on the investigation here in the United States when we talk with Congressman Peter Hoekstra. He's the ranking Republican on the House Intelligence Committee.
CHETRY: There's another terrorist scare for New York City overnight. Police say that a U-Haul truck was abandoned on the RFK Triborough Bridge. It's a bridge that connects three of New York's five boroughs, Manhattan, Queens and the Bronx.
A toll booth operator who approached the truck reported a strong odor of gasoline. The heavily traveled bridge was closed briefly while the bomb squad examined the vehicle. They found no explosives and then the bridge was reopened. Witnesses though told police that they saw the driver abandon the truck about a thousand feet from the toll booth and run off.
ROBERTS: Also new this morning, French investigators are closing in on the so-called black boxes from that Air France jet that crashed off of the coast of Brazil last July. A spokesman for the French defense ministry says new computers analyzing data gathered by a submarine last year have narrowed the search area to about three miles. Air France Flight 447 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean killing all 228 people on board.
CHETRY: Another Facebook glitch. A bug made some users' private instant message conversations visible to all of their Facebook friends. The site temporarily shut down the chat function for about an hour. The problem was fixed and blamed on a new feature that lets you see how your own profile looks to other people.
ROBERTS: Well, the water is beginning to recede but much of Nashville is still under water this morning after days of epic flooding. Country star Kenny Chesney is one of the many victims. He shot this video of damage to his home. The floodwaters have also cost other country stars millions of dollars in damaged gear.
We're going to go live to Nashville in just a little bit. But right now, Reynolds Wolf with a quick look at the extreme weather across the country. Boy, you see those pictures, Reynolds, you can understand just how much rain fell in such a short period of time there.
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, it's mind-boggling. I mean, they had a month's worth of rain that fell in. In what? 24 to 36 hours. It is unreal. They will be getting a break today in terms of the weather. However, you still have the cleanup. We have all the water that has to, of course, recede.
Right now, and speaking of water, we've got a strong line of storms moving through parts of the northeast into the Ohio Valley. Let's go right to it. And on the map, you can see it plain as day. North of Boston, back over to parts of, say, mid-state in New York and then back across parts of the Keystone state.
For Pittsburgh, the rain is going to come to an end for Philadelphia, New York and Boston. The rain is on the way. Let's wrap it very quickly. Let's go out west.
And as you go on west, you're going to see some heavy snow out there. Some places up to a foot of snow across the parts of Big Sky Country and into the central Rockies. And take a look at this. Possibly some strong storms in the Midwest later today.
Guys, I also want to mention down on the Gulf of Mexico where they're going to be working on harnessing that oil spill, seas around two to three feet can be expected through today and tomorrow. Let's send it back to you.
CHETRY: All right. Reynolds Wolf, thanks so much. We'll check in with you a little later.
Still to come on the Most News in the Morning, it's made up of concrete steel, it's four stories tall. How officials are hoping that this structure that's on this barge right now will be able to help control the oil leak at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico.
Ten minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Coming up now at 13 minutes after the hour. It's four stories high, weighs 100 tons, and right now in Louisiana, everyone is hoping that it's their new superdome.
CHETRY: Very true. We're talking about this giant experimental containment dome that's on a barge right now heading for that gushing oil well in the gulf. British Petroleum is planning to lower the experimental device over the leaking wellhead in an attempt to contain and capture the spilling oil.
ROBERTS: David Mattingly is in Venice, Louisiana, for us this morning. And, David, Kiran mentioned the word, this really is a bold experiment to try to staunch the flow of oil?
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's absolutely true. This is a one of a kind device for a one of a kind job. If this device doesn't work, if somehow this operation fails and it's damaged in its placement, then they don't have a backup. This has to work, or else they don't have anything ready to go to try again to stop this flow of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.
They've never, ever tried to do something like this at this kind of depth. We're looking at a leak that is almost a mile down on the ocean floor. They've tried this technique with smaller devices with smaller leaks in shallower water, but never something this deep, John.
CHETRY: How are they going to do it? What is -- if anything goes right, how is it supposed to work?
MATTINGLY: If everything goes right. We're actually in the easy part of the operation right now, transporting that device out to the location which is about 50 miles from where I'm standing out in the Gulf of Mexico. But the way this is supposed to work, they will lower it from a barge. They will just simply very slowly lower it down to the ocean floor. Now, the barge is going to be constantly adjusting its location using a GPS stabilizer to make sure it stays in the exact spot that it needs to be in. They've located the exact spot where it's supposed to land. And that barge is going to be constantly stabilizing to lower this device right where it needs to go.
This, again, is a very delicate operation. They're going to take a couple days possibly to get it all the way down to the bottom. Again, they don't have a backup. This is the only device that they have that's capable of doing this. And this is a one of a kind job, never, ever tried before.
ROBERTS: So, David, this I take it is a temporary fix, it's just to stop the oil from spewing out. Long-term, what do they plan to do?
MATTINGLY: That's right. This is going to go over the largest of the leaks.
They've got two leaks they have to cap still. This is going to go over the largest of those leaks and it's going to funnel that oil up to a containment vessel on the surface. It's going to collect about 80 to 85 percent of the leaking oil.
So the leak will not be completely stopped once this containment vessel gets down there.
Beyond that, that will - the next plan that they've discussed publicly is to drill another well where they will pump concrete into this leaking well and finally seal it off for good.
CHETRY: Right. And that process hasn't started yet? Or it has started yet?
MATTINGLY: That drilling process has not started yet. They have to get these containment facilities into place over these two leaks before they're going to try the drilling.
The drilling could take months. But this process here, where they're going to try and trap this oil, they hope to have that done, well, in a couple of days, have that facility on top of that main leak, and then in operation shortly after that.
ROBERTS: David Mattingly for us in Venice, Louisiana, monitoring all the developments, with them trying to cut flow of oil there on the sea port (ph). David, thanks.
And coming up on the Most News in the Morning, violence erupts in Greece as that country faces painful financial problems. Why American should be concerned.
Christine Romans is here with a preview. Hi, Christine.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John and Kiran.
That's right, a crisis in Greece is a threat into a crisis in Europe. And what does it mean for the very fragile economy in the United States?
I'll have that for you after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Nineteen minutes past the hour right now. Time for "Minding Your Business".
General Motor's recalling 162,000 Hummer H3s. They're doing it to fix a faulty hood vent. The recall involves 2006 through 2010 midsize H3 Hummers and also H3T pickup truck models.
GM says that a clip that holds the large plastic vents on the hood could sail and those vents could eventually fly off the vehicle, possibly hitting another car.
If you own one of those Hummer models that's involved, you'll be getting a letter from GM in the mail.
ROBERTS: The last three people that own Hummers.
Protesting Greece over severe government spending cuts have turned deadly. Some 100,000 took to the streets during a nationwide general strike. Three people died when demonstrators set fire to a bank in Athens.
The new government cutback slashed salaries and pensions for civil servants while raising taxes at the same time. They're being imposed as a condition for an international bailout that Greece needs to stay afloat.
Christine Romans "Minding Your Business" this morning with more of what's going on in Greece. And this is beginning to send shockwaves through Europe and a lot of concerns in Wall Street as well?
ROMANS: That's right, concerns that Greece's problem is not isolated. It can spread to some of these other countries. Let's talk, John and Kiran, specifically about why those people are rioting in the streets of Greece. Greece has a problem with its sovereign debt, meaning that it spends too much money compared to what it brings in. Its budget deficit is 13.6 percent of the size of its economy. That's too big. That's much too big, and the IMF and the E.U. say that if they're going to be bailed out, they've got to get that in - in line.
That $146 billion bailout could help the country but it will mean big austerity cuts. It's going to mean the people of Greece are going to live differently and are going to have huge, huge cuts to their - their standards of livings and their benefits, and that's why people are rioting.
So why do we care about this beyond Greece, a country that is one-fifth the size of California, relatively small? Well, we're concerned about the PIIGS - Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Spain, specifically Spain.
This is a big economy. This is the Euro Zone's fourth largest economy, 11.2 percent budget deficit, meaning it has some of the same problems with its debt and it has a 20 percent unemployment rate here.
It is a big country. It is $1.2 trillion economy. It starts to really matter when you have other countries that are falling down, too.
Why could this be potentially our worry? Well, it could be a potential banking crisis in Europe. This what they're really watching, and would that hurt U.S. banks? No sign of that yet, but our banks are still pretty fragile, right, because they're so exposed to an American consumer that is still in trouble.
A weak euro could be a - a hit for U.S. exports and jobs. As the euro is weaker, that means the dollar is stronger and that means it's harder for us to export things to some of these places or more expensive, rather, for us to export thing to some of these places. And I believe the dollar-euro today is something like 1.27. So it's - it's been - the euro has been weakening.
And this could be a threat overall to the - to the - to the global recovery. I mean, remember in 1997, you had an Asian financial crisis that seemed contained at the beginning and then it spread and spread and spread and really hurt the rest of the world.
So that, John and Kiran, is why we're watching what's happening in Greece beyond the tragedy in the streets of Athens and - and the pain and the anger of the Greek people, watching to see how this spreads and what it could mean for a very fragile recovery in the United States, you guys.
CHETRY: Yes, a real mess, and you're continuing to monitor it for us.
ROMANS: Sure.
CHETRY: Thanks so much, Christine.
ROMANS: You're welcome.
CHETRY: Still to come on the Most News in the Morning, the - the immigration debate in Arizona is now spilling over into many other places, including the sports arena. We'll explain.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY LENO, HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO": Tonight, to protest Arizona's new immigration law, the Phoenix Suns are all wearing jerseys that read "Los Suns".
Boy, talk about making a point. So the Phoenix Suns are wearing jerseys written in Spanish, made in China, modeled after their best player, Canadian Steve Nash. There you go.
That's America. Yes. That is America! That is America!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: He got the whole ball of wax in a nutshell there.
Twenty-five and a half minutes after the hour, and the world of politics colliding with the world of sports last night over Arizona's controversial new immigration law.
There were more protests at the Arizona Diamondbacks game, and, as Jay Leno said, the Phoenix Suns took to the - the floor, the hard court wearing jerseys that read "Los Suns" to show solidarity with Latinos.
CHETRY: That's right. Also politicians like New Mexico's governor Bill Richardson getting in on it, talking about it not only on CNN but on ESPN as well. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I know that a lot of you would rather be watching tonight's game, the Spurs - the Spurs against Los Suns from Phoenix.
Today reminds us that America's diversity is America's strength. That's why I spoke out against the recently passed law in Arizona.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Also the president getting in on it. He made those comments during the Cinco de Mayo commemorations yesterday. And some, you know, protests hitting people hard and also making their way on to the courts.
Carol Costello is here with our "Gut Check" today, and even the hard court couldn't avoid this divisive political debate that's been sparked by what happened Arizona. Hey, Carol.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, divisive political debate is like infiltrating in all aspects of our pop culture life. You hear it on television and television shows, on soap operas, on talk shows, and now in the sports world.
So the question this morning, should basketball or baseball, or any sport for that matter, get involved in politics?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO (voice-over): Jerseys that read Los Suns in protest of Arizona's tough new immigration law. Their look was met with both support and protest.
Hundreds of people actually protested outside, but they were upset not at the Phoenix Suns, but - but at the immigration law itself. Look how many people. This was a march that went past where the Suns played to city hall in Phoenix.
The Sun's guard, you know, the guy from Canada, he did not flinch. Steve Nash said wearing the "Los Suns" uniform was important, and so was jumping into the political fray.
STEVE NASH, GUARD, PHOENIX SUNS: You know, we have a lot of love for, you know, our Latino fans. We have Latino players on both teams, and, you know, unfortunately, that's the group that seems targeted by this - this bill, and, you know, it's a shame.
COSTELLO: He had a good game last night. Of course, the Suns won.
Not all fans were happy with Nash and the Suns' political stance. On the team's Facebook page, there are plenty of comments like this one from Ryan. He said, "Sports are no place for politics... it's split Suns fans into bickering factions. Not a good move."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: The Arizona it law is designed to identify, prosecute and deport illegal immigrants. It allows police officers to ask people for papers proving legal residency.
Critics say it will lead to racial profiling, and, in case you're wondering, according to the "Phoenix Business Journal", Arizona's baseball team is not taking a political stance despite the fact its managing partner, Ken Kendrick, a Republican, personally opposes the law.
Some politicians nationwide wish all of baseball would take a stand. New York Congressman Jose Serrano wants Major League Baseball to pull the All Star game out of Arizona in protest in 2011.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JOSE SERRANO (D), NEW YORK: You can't on one hand talk about the diversity in baseball and celebrate it, and we should celebrate it, and then say that you can discriminate against technically 40 percent of the organized players in baseball and then show up at a state where they're not welcome in so many ways.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: No comment from Major League Baseball, but sources tell me eventually commissioner Bud Selig will say something about this. But the question this morning is, should he?
What do you think? Should sports teams jump into politics? We want to know what you think this morning, so send your comments into our blog, CNN.com/amFIX.
You know, the question's been out there on our website, John and Kiran, and people are already responding. They have very strong feelings about this.
ROBERTS: They do. One person I'm looking at here, it's solidarity with the Suns, another says they should be disbanded as an NBA team for doing what they did. Oh, my goodness. That's (ph) a little harsh.
COSTELLO: Well, keep in mind there is precedence for this, because, remember, back in the day, Martin Luther King day in Arizona, they didn't want to celebrate it? So the NFL pulled the Super Bowl out of Arizona because of this. And, of course -- now, of course, Arizona recognizes Martin Luther King Day.
So, there is precedent for, you know, sports teams and sports organizations getting involved in politics.
CHETRY: That's right. It's also funny, some people are blogging, why don't they just go for it all and say "Los Sol" instead of "Los Suns." Say it all in Spanish.
COSTELLO: Well, maybe they will. Who knows?
CHETRY: There's always another game, right?
COSTELLO: There's always another game. That's right. Did you see the people in the stands wearing sombreros?
CHETRY: Yes. Well, it's Cinco de Mayo, right? So there you go. Maybe they would have worn them anyway.
(LAUGHTER)
COSTELLO: Maybe so. Maybe they're drinking too many margaritas and that's why.
ROBERTS: Thanks, Carol.
COSTELLO: Sure.
ROBERTS: Crossing the half hour now, time for your top stories. Terror fail, he forgot the keys. New information this morning about the accused Times Square bomber. Authorities say he made a dry run the day before, planted a getaway car in the city and then left the keys to it with the bomb that didn't go off.
CHETRY: And also, we're following the latest in the aftermath in the flooding in Nashville. The waters are starting to recede. The people across Tennessee are beginning to assess the damage.
What you're actually looking at right now, though is, a drill pipe. It's this enormous container box that's on a barge right now heading to a gushing oil well in the Gulf of Mexico. They've never attempted to do this before. But they're trying to use it to contain the oil and then siphon it off, collecting some -- as much as 85 percent of the oil spewing out of that well, if -- and that's a big "if" -- it's successful.
ROBERTS: And, right now, voters in the U.K. are deciding the fate of Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his Labor Party. Labor has been in power for the past 13 years. But the latest polls are giving edge to David Cameron and the Conservative Party. But because the country has several smaller parties, there's a good chance of a hung parliament where no one wins a proper majority.
CHETRY: Let's get back to our top story about flooding taking place. People across Tennessee beginning to assess the damage as the floodwaters start to recede. They got an unprecedented amount of rain, 13 inches -- 17 inches in some places -- over two days. And it decimated the city.
Our Martin Savidge is there right now with more on the aftermath.
They're saying, Martin, this damage could top more than $1 billion. How are people dealing as they begin to see the damage?
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Kiran. The sound that you hear in the background here, it's a constant drone. That's the sound of generators and it's the sound of pumps. They've been going nonstop in for days in downtown Nashville.
What they're essentially trying to do is remove the Cumberland River from the basements of many of the buildings. The problem is: the basements just keep refilling.
This disaster couldn't have come at a worse time for this city. It's the beginning of the busy tourist season. In five weeks, you've got the CMA Music Festival which normally brings in about $22 million alone to this city. But for fans of country, this isn't about the business -- Nashville is the Mecca for their music.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SAVIDGE (voice-over): To understand what country music means to Nashville and the millions who love it, we turn to somebody who knows it. Country performer, Jo Dee Messina had had nine hit singles and sold over 5 million albums. And the first thing she did was get me on stage, not at some hunky talk, but at the Nashville Symphony.
ALAN VALENTINE, CEO, THE NASHVILLE SYMPHONY: You can speak in a normal voice here and the person in the last row can hear it like they're standing in front of you.
SAVIDGE (on camera): And none of this was flooded or damaged?
VALENTINE: Right.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): In a city that loves all kind of music, that was a big relief. Then she took me to a real disaster, the basement, 18 feet of water drowning all sorts of instruments.
(on camera): Somewhere down there are two Steinways?
VALENTINE: Yes, two Steinways, really beautiful concert grand Steinways, handpicked for this hall.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): With the electricity out, the humidity and smell are overwhelming.
Jo Dee doesn't just know music, with five feet of water in her own basement, she also has a feel for what many in Nashville are going through.
(on camera): I think people think stuff like that doesn't happen to people like you.
JO DEE MESSINA, COUNTRY MUSIC SINGER: It happens.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): She takes me to another place that flooded. The Country Music Hall of Fame where everything country lives -- or did. Rumors were a lot have been lost. And judging by the sidewalk, it didn't look good.
The museum's wood floor and wall sat in piles. In the basement, the theater had flooded to the third row. Upstairs, we found Caroline Tate and her team working in the dark.
They were surrounded by what could only be called the "crown jewels of country music" which they had guarded and cared for all through the flood. It may not have looked pretty or organized, but it was all there, including a squirrel sculpture belonging to Hank Williams, music awards, even Vince Gill's very first music guitar.
In the rotunda, Jo Dee found new meaning in an old song.
(on camera): You have nice acoustics here, too.
MESSINA: Yes, we do.
SAVIDGE: But I guess you'd expect that here, wouldn't you?
MESSINA: Yes.
SAVIDGE: Do you think that has meaning here at a time like this? MESSINA: It all has meaning, all meaning, all the time.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SAVIDGE: And the circle is unbroken, the good news for country fans is that the Country Music Hall of Fame will reopen this weekend.
As far as that other icon, the Grand Ole Opry House, news is not so good. We're still trying to get in. The flooding is said to be extensive. When we do, we'll bring it to you -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Wow, a lot of rebuilding this morning for sure. Martin Savidge for us this morning -- thank you.
All right. Well, we're going to take a quick break and AMERICAN MORNING will be right back.
Thirty-five minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC)
ROBERTS: Thirty-nine minutes after the hour.
New picture is emerging this morning of a fumbling and confused Times Square bombing suspect. But there are reports this morning saying American investigators think there may indeed be a link between him and the Taliban in Pakistan -- not al Qaeda, not the Taliban that we're fighting in Afghanistan. It could be a game-changer as well if they were able to hit the homeland.
Joining us now from Capitol Hill is Congressman Peter Hoekstra. He's the ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee.
Congressman, good to see you this morning. What have you heard about a potential link between Faisal Shahzad and the Pakistani Taliban?
REP. PETER HOEKSTRA (R), MICHIGAN: Well, we won't get our first official briefing on classified information hopefully later today. From a number of other sources, you know, I'm gleaning the information that there probably is a very strong link between this individual and the Taliban in Pakistan. And you're absolutely right, if this is accurate, it would be a game-changer.
ROBERTS: And if indeed there is that link, this would be at least the second -- potentially the third time, that there's been a nexus between an attack or -- a planned attack in the United States and Pakistan. If that is found to be true, what needs to be done?
HOEKSTRA: Well, what we really need to do at that point in time, John, is we then will have two organizations that are focused on attacking the American homeland: al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, al-Awlaki, and then the Taliban in Pakistan. We need to make sure that our intelligence community has every tool in its tool box to go after what we call these one-offs, smaller -- you know, smaller attacks in the United States. These are very, very difficult to detect. They are going to be very, very hard to stop.
Word is, we're going to get very more -- we're going to have to get much more aggressive and perhaps more creative in terms of how we gather intelligence to find these plots, to find these individuals and to stop them.
ROBERTS: You know, Congressman, much of the narrative of the story has surrounded -- the speed with which investigators identified who this bombing suspect was and managed to get him in custody about 53 hours after the perpetrated attempt at bombing Times Square. But at the same time, he managed to get that SUV into Times Square loaded with an explosive device.
What about the strategy to prevent terrorism? How are you feeling about that this morning?
HOEKSTRA: Well, obviously, what we've seen, you know, with what happened at Fort Hood, what we saw on Christmas Day and what we saw at Times Square, you know, the strategy here of, you know, quick law enforcement.
I give total credit to the New York Police Department, the FBI, for being so good after the fact but just think if the guy in Times Square were a suicide bomber and had decided to stay in the SUV and saw that something was going on and started messing with the wires and these types of things and had an explosion. I don't think we're all that far away from having suicide bombers coming into the United States. At which point in time, prosecution, law enforcement after the fact really doesn't make any difference at all.
You know, the focus has to be on the front end, stopping these things, not law enforcement.
ROBERTS: You know, when you take this together with the Christmas Day attempt, you know, neither one of the explosive devices detonated. Have we just gotten lucky here?
HOEKSTRA: That would be my perspective. And I'm sure the Taliban, I'm sure that al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, they're going back now and they're saying, OK, what went wrong? Were there problems with the materials? Were there problems with the individuals? Do they need more training?
You can bet that they're evaluating each of these incidents. They're going through and correcting them -- just like we should be in terms of -- you know, analyzing the procedures that we are using to keep America safe. Like I said, this is very, very hard. We got to be at the top of our game to be able to stop these things.
Right now, I think we need to expand the tools that we are using to find these folks and to stop them.
ROBERTS: You know, in terms of expanding tools, too, there's an idea to expand the tools that investigators have when it comes to terrorism after the fact. Senator Lieberman is going to be introducing a measure today that would strip any terror suspect of their American citizenship.
Is that something that you would sign on to?
HOEKSTRA: Senator Lieberman and I, we've talked about this. We're going to take a close look at that -- you know, that legislation to see exactly what options it opens up for us in terms of investigating. Sure, I think that this is something that we should consider.
You know, this guy was a naturalized citizen. He pledged loyalty to the United States of America. He then went out and tried to, you know, perhaps kill hundreds of Americans in one day. He's broken that oath to the United States.
And we ought to clearly evaluate whether we should strip him of his citizenship. And what that would mean in terms of providing us with, you know, more opportunities to interrogate and investigate exactly what he did.
ROBERTS: And there's a controversy and discussion over whether or not he should have been read his Miranda rights when he was arrested. Where do -- where do you come down on that?
HOEKSTRA: I mean, I don't know all the specifics in this case. It appears that he was fully cooperating. You know, they may have made the right call. I do know that -- as they went through this process, they've really improved -- you know, the coordination between the intelligence community, the law enforcement community, to make sure they were focused on intelligence.
I think there's more indications this time around, versus what happened on Christmas Day. They got this more right than wrong.
ROBERTS: Congressman Peter Hoekstra, it's always good to catch up with you. Thanks for coming in this morning.
HOEKSTRA: Yes, thank you.
ROBERTS: Appreciate it -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Thanks, John.
Well, they're going to be attempting a never before tried fix for the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, fitting a 100-ton dome over top of the leak. Will the weather allow for that risky mission today?
Plus, the aftermath of the flooding in Tennessee. We're watching the weather. Reynolds Wolf have will the morning's travel forecast as well right after the break.
Forty-four minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) CHETRY: A shot this morning of New York City where it's 60 degrees, mostly sunny right now, and a little bit later, it's going up to a high of 77. There could be some rain and scattered thunderstorms possible in the afternoon.
ROBERTS: It's time now for your AM House Call, stories about your health. If you are using over-the-counter drugs to relieve chronic headaches, pills like aspirin, ibuprofen, or naproxen, Aleve as better known could actually be making things worse for you. Doctors say if you exceed the recommended dosage on these pills that could actually trigger so-called rebound headaches. We'll get more on this with from our own Dr. Sanjay Gupta who has his own problem with headaches coming up at 7:30 eastern.
CHETRY: And too much sleep could be just as bad as not enough, according to a new study. We know that if you sleep less than six hours, it's not considered a good thing. That in some cases, it's been linked to diabetes and also increases your risk of dying before the age of 65, but in the study, they also found that sleeping more than nine hours also ups your chances of dying early. The authors of the study say it's because sleeping too much can actually be a sign of some underlying illness or depression. They say the best bet is to get between seven and eight hours a night if you can. That's a pipe dream for most of us.
ROBERTS: I'm going to die this afternoon of diabetes.
CHETRY: No, you'll be fine.
ROBERTS: Before you head out to work today, you might want to take note, forbes.com published a list of words and phrases that you should remove from your office vocabulary because they could make you sound noncommittal and unreliable. Topping the list, the word "try." Remember your "Star Wars," Yoda says, "do not, there is no try." That was a terrible Yoda. Also, making the cut, "whatever", "maybe," and "I don't know". How about "I'll get back to you, if, yes, but, I guess, and we'll see." So, you should never say yes, but maybe, I guess, I don't know. We'll try and get back to you if you know whatever.
CHETRY: There you go.
ROBERTS: My favorite weenie phrase is "I don't disagree with you."
CHETRY: I cannot stand that one either.
Fifty minutes past the hour. Let's get a check of this morning's weather headlines. Reynolds Wolf in the Weather Center for us this morning. You certainly have a lot to talk about, watching the waters off the Gulf Coast as well as they're going to attempt, as you know that very experimental operation of trying to lower that dome down to the seafloor.
WOLF: Absolutely. So, in a situation like that, you have to have picture-perfect weather conditions out there. Look at anywhere from say 2 to 3-foot swells, so it should be just fine for them, but we're talking about a very risky endeavor. One risky endeavor we've been dealing with is the situation of the Cumberland River in Nashville, Tennessee. Good news for that today. Take a look at this.
Here's what happen to be a currently 41.1 feet, but we're expecting to drop within 12 hours, well below flood stage and action stage which means the water in the river is going to drop, but then the cleanup again is we're looking to be about $1 billion cleanup. Just Unbelievable.
Now, something else we're going to be seen which should be working pretty favorably for Nashville is going to be the forecast. Now, breezy conditions on Friday, possibly a few stray showers, but more rain more likely as we get into early next week, Monday, the chance of thunderstorms. But even then, the rain is not going to be anything in the magnitude of what we've seen over say the last week or so in parts of Nashville.
What you can expect, though, in your forecast today as you're going to be traveling out and about, look for the potential some delays in spots like Kansas City, it's going to be a thunder day for you and to the afternoon. Breezy conditions back through Denver, then you can depart in the Central Rockies, not far (ph) as the drivers may have a tough time. Some places could get up to 1 foot of snow.
And now, when you check out the calendar (ph) of winter snow, yes, there may be the situation all the way through parts of the Northern Rockies. California looks pretty nice. Beautiful in Texas. Breezy and warm for you in parts of Florida and a chance of scattered showers could see (INAUDIBLE) this afternoon. All your major airports in Boston, New York and perhaps in Philadelphia and D.C. That's your forecast. Let's send it back to you in New York.
ROBERTS: Do you have a favorite wimpy office phrase, Reynolds?
WOLF: You know, basically, what I'm moved on away with is your Yoda impression. Forget about everything else. The thought process stopped right there.
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: You should stick with Shrek. That's your best one so far. And Shrek would never have a cop-out phrase, right? Shrek just would do anything.
ROBERTS: No cop-out with Shrek, not at all.
CHETRY: There you go.
ROBERTS: Reynolds, thanks so much. We'll see you soon.
WOLF: You bet guys.
ROBERTS: This morning's top stories just minutes away now including cracking the case and getting inside the head of an accused terrorist. Is the suspected Times Square bomber connected to the Taliban or is he just a wannabe?
CHETRY: Also at 20 minutes after the hour, gas masks, fire bombs and the intense anger as Greece spirals into an economic black hole. There are concerns that other countries, including the U.S. could feel the effect.
ROBERTS: And at half past the hour, cover, contain and capture. Will a 100-ton, 40-foot dome put a cork on a catastrophic oil spill? They're going to try. Those stories and more coming your way at the top of the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Good morning. This morning, good news for rocker, Bret Michaels. He is speaking for the first time after the brain hemorrhage that put him in the hospital for nearly two weeks. The singer said that he first thought a burglar shot him in the back of head. That's what that hemorrhage felt like. He said it sounded like a handgun -- like it literally popped. Doctors expect Michaels, though, to make a full recovery.
ROBERTS: And a scene that could have been straight out of Seinfeld. The star of the show got her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but they misspelled Julia Louis-Dreyfus' name. They spelled it L-U-I-S, Luis, instead of L-O-U-I-S. She had fun with the typo anyway saying, right when you think you've made it, you'll get knocked out.
CHETRY: That was very Seinfeldesque that's happened to her.
ROBERTS: Oh my God! They misspelled.
CHETRY: A woman working the overnight shift in the California newsroom is certainly making news herself. I wonder if she'll be back tomorrow for the overnight shift in the newsroom. She and her husband won the $266 million mega millions jackpot. Hope you enjoy the $2 I contributed to that lady. Just kidding! Her husband was laid off a few weeks ago, and he bought the only winning ticket earlier this week on his way home from jury duty. The family needless to say, overjoyed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, it was quite a shock, and we're absolutely elated. It's absolutely unbelievable experience.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: The store, by the way, that sold the winning ticket gets a $1 million bonus.
ROBERTS: Not bad.
CHETRY: She said she's coming back.
ROBERTS: That won't last long. And just thinking back to the Julia Louis-Dreyfus thing, if it was the Seinfeld episode, it would have been (ph) because Kramer went out to get the star and was trying to save money, and they misspelled (ph).
CHETRY: Exactly.
ROBERTS: Top stories coming your way right after the break. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
