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American Morning

Al Qaeda No. 3 Killed; B.P.'s "Cut and Cap" Operation Begins; U.N. Condemns Israel for Ship Raid; Barabara Bush, Live!; Larry And Lady Gaga; Designing Women; Riding With The Bomb Squad; Getting the Olympic Edge

Aired June 01, 2010 - 08:00   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 and thanks for joining us in the Most News in the Morning. It is Tuesday. It's the 1st of June. I'm John Roberts.

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Kiran Chetry. Glad you're with us. We have a lot of big stories we're telling you about in the next 15 minutes.

First, word of a major blow to al Qaeda, the terror group saying that its number three man, a founding member, a man with a direct line to Osama bin Laden, is dead. Analysts say that the hit could disrupt plans to attack U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Nic Robertson is live in Kabul in moment.

ROBERTS: Israel in the midst of a diplomatic crisis after its raid on a flotilla delivering supplies to the Gaza Strip. Nine people were killed, many more than that injured. Was it self-defense or murder? We're live in Jerusalem with new details on this developing story.

CHETRY: Also, BP's cut and cap operation is getting underway. By tomorrow, underwater robots could be slicing a leaking riser pipe in half before attempting to lower a new containment device over it.

Meanwhile, it's day one of the hurricane season in the Gulf -- and a powerful storm could now do unthinkable damage.

ROBERTS: And, of course, the amFIX blog is up and running. Join the live conversation right now. Just go to CNN.com/amFIX.

CHETRY: First, though, a developing story in what's being called a major victory in the war against al Qaeda. The terror group is saying that its number three man in charge, maybe the closest to bin Laden, is dead. U.S. officials believe that Mustafa Abu Yazid was killed in a missile strike in Pakistan's tribal areas. At one time, he was bin Laden's top money man and was the man in charge of operations in Afghanistan as well.

Nic Robertson is live for us this morning in Kabul.

And what are your intelligence sources telling you this morning about whether or not they indeed did kill this man?

NIC ROBERTSON, SENIOR CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They believe that he is dead and it wasn't -- his significance is pretty big because he's not just been involved in attacks -- planning attacks and taking credit for attacks against U.S. troops in Afghanistan. I mean, earlier this year, he came out and claimed responsibility for that attack on the CIA base in Afghanistan that killed seven CIA operatives.

But we also know from our own research about people coming from the United States, would-be jihadists coming from the United States to al Qaeda training camps in Pakistan. He's also been meeting with some of those people trying to convince them not to get involved in the fight here in Afghanistan but to go back to the United States and plan attacks there. One of those attacks on the train network, on the Long Island railroad system.

So, he is an operational figure that's been very much involved at the full front of planning attacks inside the United States as well, Kiran.

CHETRY: And when you talk about the relationship that Ali Yazid had with Osama bin Laden, how close was that according to your sources?

ROBERTSON: Really close, about as close as you can get. I mean, he was Egyptian, which is the same as bin Laden's deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri. They were both locked up by the Egyptians in 1980s. They teamed up with Osama bin Laden, really became a very big influence on him, helping develop his sort of global jihadist ideology.

So, he's had a very strong hand in influencing Osama bin Laden, developing this idea that the United States is at war with Islam, which is what draws these recruits to al Qaeda today, all around the world. And he's been in with al Qaeda since it was created in 1998, part of its top Shura, part of its top council. So, this is a guy who's been really close to bin Laden as he's built this whole organization.

CHETRY: Nic Robertson for us this morning in Kabul -- thank you.

ROBERTS: Well, B.P. is hoping to pull off a plan that could briefly make the oil spill in the Gulf significantly worse before it hopefully gets better. It's a risky maneuver called cut and cap. Robotic subs are already on the ocean floor, preparing the way for it. They've been using circular saws with diamond-tip blades to cut pipes off of the gushing riser and plug them up.

B.P. is then preparing to cut that riser pipe in half tomorrow, which will increase, according to some reports, the flow of spewing oil by as much as 20 percent, before trying to cap it with a new containment device.

Earlier, on AMERICAN MORNING, I asked B.P. executive, Bob Dudley, if that is a risk worth taking.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: Do you have enough certainty in this method that you're willing to risk a temporary increase in flow of oil?

BOB DUDLEY, B.P. MANAGING DIRECTOR: Yes, we do. We -- it's hard to say. I mean, the flow rate increase could be anywhere from zero to 20. There were some large holes on the top of that riser due to the flow -- the heavy flows of mud there. Even with an increased flow rate, this cap will be able to handle this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: We are now six weeks into this oil spill and the damage is spreading. The no-fishing zone off of the coast of Louisiana has blocked off about 26 percent of the Gulf of Mexico. And federal officials just expanded the restricted area now to 62,000 square miles. The shores of Mississippi and Alabama now threatened.

Rob Marciano is live in Belle Chasse, Louisiana, for us this morning.

And, Rob, the spill and the pain it's causing continuing to grow this morning.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It certainly is and so has the anxiety. And, frankly, the feeling of people around here, just don't know what to believe. They certainly want to believe that this new cutting of the riser is going to help in putting that new cap on is going to work.

But, certainly, the scary thought of having that flow increase temporarily, potentially to as much as a million gallons per day until they get that cap on, that certainly is a scary thought. But folks here certainly want to believe that that's the case.

But as you mentioned, the spill has grown since the beginning. That closed fishing area has expanded five times since the beginning of this spill. And now, this spill itself, as you mentioned, is growing eerily closer now to Mississippi and Alabama, and folks who live on those shorelines were thinking for several weeks, hey, maybe we're going to get lucky here. But it looks like now, that part of the oil spill is inching towards those coastlines, too.

ROBERTS: Rob, today marks the start of the hurricane season. It's the 1st of June. And by all accounts, it is going to be a doozy of a hurricane season.

What are the potential impacts if a storm were to get in the Gulf of Mexico when they haven't got that oil well capped?

MARCIANO: Well, I tell you, if this oil spill was in the middle of the Atlantic or further off the Gulf, a hurricane would actually be a good thing because it would churn it up, it would bang it around, it would dilute it and it would disperse it naturally. But it's way too close to shore to have a positive impact, I believe.

And especially if you're on the east side of that storm, if a storm were to develop and come onshore, it would push all that oil inland. And along sandy beaches, it would have less of an impact.

But certainly along marshlands like we've seen, that's nearly impossible to clean up. And we got record-breaking ocean temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean, that plus El Nino is kind of winding down. So, that's a recipe for a lot of storms.

And NOAA put out their forecast. I've never seen such an aggressive seasonal forecast from them to have this hurricane season be -- well, so active.

I mean, here at Belle Chasse, Louisiana, the heart of Plaquemines Parish, where they're having their annual hurricane preparedness meeting. It's open to the public and this year, as you can imagine, it's even busier than ever.

And this is not the only spots. The communities around the Gulf Coast have these meetings every year on June 1, the start of the hurricane season. And everyone, as you can imagine, is more on edge this year than in years past -- John.

ROBERTS: I can only imagine.

All right. Rob Marciano for us this morning in Belle Chasse -- Rob, thanks so much.

CHETRY: President Obama will be meeting this morning with two co-chairs of his new oil commission, former Florida Governor Bob Graham and ex-EPA chief, William Reilly.

Earlier on AMERICAN MORNING, we had a chance to speak to Carol Browner. She's an adviser to the president on matters of energy and climate change. And we asked her what the White House is prepared to do if B.P.'s cut and cap operation fails.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAROL BROWNER, W.H. ADVISER, ENERGY & CLIMATE CHANGE: We will triple the resources in the communities that are already impacted or the communities likely to be impacted in the near term. And so, whatever it takes, we're going to make sure that the resources and the personnel are there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: Suzanne Malveaux is live at the White House this morning.

And, of course, the White House is acknowledging that the pressure is on. What are you hearing about what may come out of this meeting today when he gets briefed by the two co-chairs?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, one of the things, Kiran, that's going to come out of the meeting is that this is really kind of a long-term view of the problem. A lot of people are looking for immediate solutions.

But what this commission -- this independent commission wants to do is take a look at why did this happen in the first place? If this would potentially happen again, how could you avert this crisis and solve this problem quickly?

They are going to look at the role of federal agencies, MMS, groups and people who are involved in the government, to make sure that the permitting of some of these oil rigs, that these things are watched closely, that they are regulated -- all the things that are leading up to a potential disaster, so that this doesn't happen again.

I know a lot of people are looking for immediate solutions. They are clearly focused on getting that pipe plugged up. But this is a group that's going to go to the president, make recommendations and say, this is what we see down the road that's going to avert this kind of problem from happening again.

And I also want to say that I did talk with Carol Browner as well. And one of the things that she said immediately here is that they do feel that they've got a structure in place that they have a chain of command, if you will.

A lot of people asking, who the heck is in charge of all this? Who's making the decisions?

She says that the energy secretary, Steven Chu, is really kind of at the top of this whole thing, that there are 100 people that's part of a brain trust, scientist people that they have gotten involved here. And that the government, ultimately, is giving orders to B.P. in terms of what to do next, here are the ideas we have on the table.

So, the president is going to talk a little bit about that as well, Kiran.

CHETRY: All right. And all of it is happening at 12:15 Eastern this afternoon.

Suzanne, thank you.

The president will brief the nation on the oil spill after the meeting with his advisory panel and we'll carry the president's remarks live right here on CNN. And you can get all the updates and complete coverage of the oil spill's impact on the Gulf Coast region, go to CNN.com/oilspill.

ROBERTS: Well, coming up in just a little while, former first daughter, Barbara Bush, how a trip to Africa wit her parents changed her view of the world and inspired her to take action and give back in a pretty incredible way.

An international fury after Israeli commandos seized boats carrying aid to Gaza. Nine people are dead.

Nine and a half minutes now after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Developing this morning: fierce condemnation, and calls for investigation after Israel's deadly raid on a block-busting flotilla delivering supplies to the Gaza Strip. At least nine activists were killed after commandos rappelled from helicopters onto one of six of the ships. Israel claims it was acting in self-defense. But supporters of Gaza believe it was an act of aggression.

Our Atia Abawi is live in Jerusalem with the very latest.

And difficult to untangle because -- as we know -- when it comes to a clash between Israel and the Palestinians, there are big, big differences in the stories that they're telling.

ATIA ABAWI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, John. You get two different sides of the story. And right now, you're getting a big side of the story with this international condemnation for Israel's actions against this flotilla of ships that were trying to make it to the port of Gaza, trying to bring 10,000 tons of humanitarian aid.

Aboard those ships were also several hundred activists -- pro- Palestinian activists that were detained. We're hearing right now from the Israeli police that 45 out of that several hundred, nearly 700 activists, have been in the process of being deported back to their respective countries. But nearly 600 are still being held at an Israeli prison in the south of the country. Although, the police says they're not under arrest. They are being detained because they're withholding their identification, making it harder for them to figure out what to do next.

When we spoke to the spokesperson for the foreign ministry, he said that they're still trying to decide if they will prosecute them, and it will be a case by case measure when it comes to the various activists -- John.

ROBERTS: And, Atia, what's Israel saying about the global condemnation of what happened over the weekend?

ABAWI: Israel is defending itself, John. They are not responding just yet, officially, on the U.N. Security Council's measure asking for an impartial investigation and also asking that the civilians from those ships be let go. But they are defending themselves.

Very strong words from the deputy foreign minister, Danny Ayalon, who said that Israel had every right to defend themselves and calling this flotilla that is referred to by some as the freedom flotilla -- he's calling it an armada of hate and violence -- John.

ROBERTS: Atia Abawi for us today in Jerusalem -- Atia, thanks for the update in that. Appreciate it -- Kiran.

CHETRY: Well, still ahead -- we're going to be joined by former first daughter, Barbara Bush. She finds her life's fashion after a trip to Africa with her parents. And she's going to be here in the studio with us to talk more about her Global Health Corps and how she's getting other young people to join in the fight.

And our "A.M. Original Series," "Making It In A Man's World." Typically, the car business was left to men, Carol though introduces us to some very special women designing cars.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Well our Larry King is going Gaga tonight. It is all part of his celebration of his 25 years here at CNN.

CHETRY: Lady Gaga, usually very private about her life, the singer opened up to Larry about her plans to work with Michael Jackson before his death.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY KING, CNN HOST: Is it true that Michael Jackson wanted to perform on his "This Is It" comeback tour?

LADY GAGA, GRAMMY-WINNING SINGER: You know, it is always very difficult, because I don't necessarily like to talk about those very personal things that happened but, I guess I can speak about it now. I was actually asked to open for Michael on his tour. And we were going to open for him at the '02. And we were working on making it happen. I suppose I believe there was some talk about us, lots of the openers doing duets with Michael on stage.

So, but Michael's death was devastating for me regardless of whether or not I was supposed to go on tour with him. He is such an inspiration and remarkable human being and I guess I suppose Larry, some of my fascination with death and the celebrity goes along with me watching these hugely iconic and amazing people that I have heralded and admired my whole life becoming destroyed, whether self-destroyed or destroyed by the media.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: Well you can catch the entire exclusive interview and special look into the so-called "House Gaga." "LARRY KING LIVE" tonight at 9:00 Eastern only on CNN.

ROBERTS: Now, to an "A.M. Original." Something that you'll see only here on AMERICAN MORNING. Traditionally, the auto industry has been dominated by men but women are now making their mark.

CHETRY: Yes at Ford, for example, an all-female team of engineers is designing the next generation of green cars. Carol Costello has their story in our series "Making It In A Man's World." and she joins us, of course where she is covering the oil spill as well, Conidial, Louisiana. Hey, Carol.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Hello, Kiran. You know these women are so smart. Maybe they should come out here, I bet they could find a fix for that oil spill leak. These four women have this idea for green technology in cars a very long time ago. It just has taken a long time for them to actually implement it. Because green technology is so in vogue right now. I want you to meet these four very impressive ladies at Ford.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Here I am sitting in front of an electron spin resonant spectrometer --

COSTELLO: Debbie Mielewski remembers what it was like being one of the first female chemical engineers at Ford Motor Company 24 years ago.

MIELEWSKI: They would guard the male, the men's restroom for me so I could run in there, go and not have to make the hike across the building to the women's restroom.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What about the sides of the seat?

COSTELLO (voice-over): Mielewski no longer needs to sneak into the men's restroom. Today she leads a team of women all engineers designing cars of the future using green technology, recyclable and renewable materials like wheat straw and soy.

MIELEWSKI: My group went from working with all men to working with all women. So it has been a big change.

COSTELLO (on camera): Was it difficult at times?

MIELEWSKI: At times I remember sometimes in the past where I was the only woman in a meeting. I would have an idea and maybe everybody would ignore that idea and then a man would say that idea and they would call him doctor, even though I had my Ph.d. as well.

COSTELLO (voice-over): Today, when it comes to women in the automotive manufacturing industry, still, only 1 in 4 workers are female and just over 1 in 10 auto executives are women?

(on camera): Why don't women gravitate to this field?

ANGELA HARRIS, ENGINEER, PLASTICS RESEARCH: I think it is just not a traditional career path. And you have to really kind of seek it out. It is not like engineering gets presented to you at the high school levels.

ELLEN LEE, TECHNICAL EXPERT, PLASTICS RESEARCH: I think things are coming around in education. But it takes a while, you know, for all of the women to go through their education and then filter in. So it doesn't change overnight.

COSTELLO: What do you bring to the field that maybe men don't do you think?

MIELEWSKI: Well I think we are really persistent, we are really passionate about it. Everybody here feels that we have to leave a good legacy for our children.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh wow. PATTI TIBBENHAM, TECHNICAL EXPERT, PLASTICS RESEARCH: We had a meeting a couple of weeks ago and a guy came in and he looked at our group and he said, do they only let women work here? And I said, no, only the smart once.

COSTELLO (voice-over): Between the five of them the team has been awarded ten prize patents. Even so they still have to toot their own horn.

LEE: I have noticed that when many men think some fact is true, they may be 50 percent sure, they say it with confidence and everybody believes them. A woman can be maybe 95 percent sure of something and she will say, well, I think it is this. And so they may not tend to notice. So I really have tried to change my ways and you know be more confident.

COSTELLO: How will you inspire the passion in your daughters for science and engineering?

LEE: I think to some extent we already have. Because we often have events here. I know my daughters are very excited when I mention maybe coming in to see the lab. They get all excited.

MIELWESKI: I think Ellen's daughters drew her this year on her Mother's Day card with a beaker and a little test tube in her hand. So they are catching on.

COSTELLO: She did. I saw it. It was really cute. Broadly speaking, men and women remain stuck in these traditional roles, which is a bad thing because you want a large bowl of grains to choose from. The more the merrier. It also lends to the wage gap because let's face it an engineer makes a lot more money than a teacher. John, Kiran.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHETRY: All right there you go, you just have to sometimes be confident, you know be confident in how you are projecting and it could make all the difference. I love it.

COSTELLO: Well you know, it is interesting that you bring that up. Because she is right about that. She said a man in a meeting, you know, is 50 percent sure. But he will stand up and say, this is how it is going to be. A woman may be 95 percent sure. And she will go, well, I think it might work. We have to stop that, ladies of America.

CHETRY: Yes.

ROBERTS: I remember several years ago, women were on the design team for a Chevrolet corvette. And made some improvements to the car that none of the men had ever figured out before. So you know, it is great to see things changing.

CHETRY: See that Carol, it is more than just cup holders.

COSTELLO: That's right. It is more than just cup holders.

CHETRY: Thanks. Well coming up tomorrow, we are going to take a look at women on Wall Street. There are 400,000 fewer women working in finance than there were 2 1/2 years ago. And not a single women at the helm of a major financial institution. But, as Christine Romans shows us, things are changing. That's tomorrow's "Making It In A Man's World."

ROBERTS: The bomb squad in New York City, even a left lunch bag is treated is treated as the real deal. So what's it like to be in that high adrenaline, high anxiety business. Our Susan Candiotti suits up to find out. Twenty five minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Twenty eight minutes past the hour. Time for the look at the "Top Stories" this morning. The cut and cap operation. That is the latest attempt to stop the gusher has began and the Gulf Roberts armed with saws preparing the gushing riser for a clean-cut as early as tomorrow. What happens then a new containment device will be lowered over the top of it and BP will hope to be able to siphon the oil to the surface. They say right now the crude oil has ended up closing 62,000 square miles of ocean to fishing.

ROBERTS: Al Qaeda says its third in command is dead. The U.S. believes that Mustafa Abuyazid was killed in a strike in Pakistan region. U.S. official say he was the commander of operations in Afghanistan and a direct outlet to Osama Bin Laden.

CHETRY: Faisal Shahzad, the man accused of trying to set off a homemade car bomb in Times Square has a court hearing this morning. Shahzad is charged with five felony counts including attempt of terrorism, attempt of use of a weapon of mass destruction.

ROBERTS: Well ever since the botched time squares plot, the NYPD bomb squad has been busier than ever.

CHETRY: Yes CNN's Susan Candiotti had exclusive access to the elite unit and this morning in part two of her "A.M. Original" report she rides along with the bomb squad and tries one of their heavy-duty bomb suits on for size.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Barely into their 16-hour shift, they are on the move and there is no time to spare.

(on camera): What does it sound like you might have here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Apparently down at police headquarters?

CANDIOTTI: There is a report of something suspicious, maybe a backpack. And we'll -- the team will go down to find out what you can find out so let's head down. Now are you already thinking we might have to suit up for this one? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is going through my head.

CANDIOTTI: CNN is given unusual access to the NYPD bomb squad that defused the Times Square bomb to get a feel for a typical day. No mistaking their office, a vintage grinning maw hovers over the entrance. On the wall is a sea of faces who belonged to the historic unit going back to 1903. Detective Ray Claire qualified 13 years ago.

DETECTIVE RAYMOND CLAIR, NYPD BOMB SQUAD: If you make one mistake, the last mistake you will ever make and your I.D. card will be on the front of the newspaper.

CANDIOTTI: Within minutes, they arrive at a park near police head quarters.

CANDIOTTI (on camera): We are here. There are certain restrictions. We will only be able to get so close.

SGT. JOHN RYAN, NYPD BOMB SQUAD: We are getting our equipment together and formulating a plan and going to attack it.

CANDIOTTI: No taking chances with any of this. He has the suit on and putting the helmet on now. It is beyond a police checkpoint. If you look down this sort of tunnel here, it is all the way to the right.

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): After about an hour, the all-clear sign is given.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just a backpack and clothes and some papers and stuff. Somebody left it there by the garbage or inadvertently left it there.

CANDIOTTI (on camera): There is city hall right there, the police department.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Entrance to the Brooklyn bridge.

CANDIOTTI: And the Brooklyn bridge.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All major landmarks.

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): No need for a remote controlled robot this time. The squad doesn't like to precisely show the public its bells and whistles except to say it can shoot video, blast something to bits, and adjust its hate and traction. A bomb suit is usually a must to get close.

CANDIOTTI (on camera): How much does this weigh?

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): The unit invites me to put it on.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tilt your head down. OK.

CANDIOTTI (on camera): I can see if you were claustrophobic, this would not be a job for you. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, pick up the keys.

CANDIOTTI: I don't see how you possibly can.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Try to kneel down and spread your feet out. There you go.

CANDIOTTI: I can't see them but I'm feeling for them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There you go.

CANDIOTTI: Let me get up myself.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. Nice job.

CANDIOTTI: If you were out in the direct sun, this has got to be super hot and hard to maneuver.

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Yet bomb techs do it with skill and good-natured competition, that's right, despite the potential danger of being blown to bits.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We actually have arguments about who is take can the job.

CANDIOTTI: And when people see them on the job?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They know we're going to take care of it, and when we leave they know it's safe to go back to whatever they were doing.

CANDIOTTI: Prepared, they say, for whatever happens.

Susan Candiotti, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTS: That would be a high-stress job, don't you think?

CHETRY: Yes, because you never know. It could be a lunch pail, but they have to treat it as though it's live every time. And she showed us how difficult it is. She had difficulty picking up the keys and standing back up again.

ROBERTS: I loved it when she said "no, I'm going to get up myself." That's our Susan Candiotti for you.

CHETRY: Still ahead, we will be joined by former first daughter Barbara Bush. How a trip to Africa with her parents changed her view of the world and inspired her to take action. Now she heads up her own global health corp. We are going to be talking to her about her hopes for the future still ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the morning. It's 36 minutes past the hour.

Her name is a familiar one, and she shares it with former first lady and her grandmother Barbara Bush. Today, we are talking to the daughter of our last president.

CHETRY: She is the founder of and the head of the new nonprofit group Global Health Corp. It is dedicated to bringing health care to people who cannot afford it. And Barbara Bush is here to talk about it. Good morning, it's great to see you.

BARBARA BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH'S DAUGHTER: Good morning. Thanks for having me.

CHETRY: I know you went to Africa back in 2003 with your parents. Was there a particular moment when you were struck by something where you said, wow, I have to pitch in here and give back and this is how I want to do it?

BUSH: I did. I got to go in 2003 to Africa with my parents to five countries. It was when they were just launching it PEPFAR. And I went to a clinic with my parents and saw at that time so many people so excited about the idea and they were living with HIV and were going to be able to benefit from it.

ROBERTS: We should say that PEPFAR is President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.

CHETRY: Yes, exactly. So it was the first large U.S. aid plan focused on AIDS relief.

And I met so many people that were living with HIV that were doing OK because they were taking anti-retrovirals. And I also met a little girl that was not. Her mom had brought her to come to this event under this idea that the American president was in their village and it was this really big deal.

And she was just a really sick little girl. I just at that time couldn't -- I just had never seen anything like that. I know she ended up passing away afterwards. And so I was struck by that.

And I was also struck by meeting so many people that were working in this clinic and working on these different initiatives that had really devoted their life to help and bringing changes. And I think that was the first time -- I was not premed. I hadn't studied health. I thought, maybe I should focus on this and I can. You really can work in the health field even if you are not a doctor or a nurse.

CHETRY: And you have talked about just marveling at the fact that there were people dying of preventable illnesses where here, you or John or anybody could go to a clinic or go to their doctor and get treated. In many cases, you are seeing half a million kids dying unnecessarily.

And so you founded and you are now the president of Global Health Corp and you are recruiting other young people to do this as well. Explain what your Corp does? BUSH: We really wanted to capitalize on the energy and enthusiasm of people in our age group, young professionals that can work in the health field. So we recruit young professionals that are 30 years and younger to work for a year in a health organization.

And really they are not doctors and nurses. They are filling in needs that the organizations have. What we've found is all of our partners want people with technology skills. They want program management skills. They want monitoring and evaluation support.

They just want general support program support, which are skills that tons of people have. They just don't know they can use them in the health field.

ROBERTS: So you chose 22 fellows this year out of 1,200 applications.

BUSH: Yes.

ROBERTS: You have a lot of people that want to get in this. You are going to bump that up to 40 fellows in the next year and maybe 500 five years from now?

BUSH: Yes.

ROBERTS: That's terrific. You said everybody is under the age of 30. Why do you limit it to people under the age of 30?

BUSH: We limited it to people under the age of 30, because we want to build the next generation of leader in health. We had seen how Teach for America had really changed the idea of young people approaching careers to go into education. There wasn't something like that for health.

So what we really want to show is that we can build the next generation of leaders so that older people that have been working in the health field, when they retire there is more people going in to take their place?

CHETRY: The other question, in this time, we talked about it being a rough environment for graduates in 2010. We are in a recession and dealing with a high rate of unemployment. Does this actually help nonprofit groups in some way? You figure, if I'm not going to be able to get a paying job in my field, getting experience and getting those contacts may prove to be vital as well?

BUSH: Absolutely. We -- I think the talent of the people that have been applying to us are unbelievable. One of our fellows was working at Google during product management and now he is working on health management information systems in Tanzania. He has applicable skills but never thought they would fit in the health field.

So he started rethinking his career path because of the recession and the economy. And that's one example of the type of skills that people have, that they may not continue working in their fields. ROBERTS: Many people have said that PEPFAR is going to be your father's enduring legacy. And I know that your mother has been very concerned about health issues, women, breast cancer, heart disease. Did they give you any advice when you were getting into this?

CHETRY: They gave me a lot of advice, really. I really, through exposure from them, that's how I got involved in health. That's how I got interested in health.

ROBERTS: So what did they tell you?

BUSH: Everything. Literally, starting a nonprofit from the beginning is something that I had never done. And then working in the health field and trying to figure out the smartest people and the best people to talk about and the best organizations to partner with was a whole new thing for me. And so they have given me advice on everything.

CHETRY: Personally, for you, what are your goals for the future?

BUSH: I want to keep working on this. I'm really excited for in five years when we do have 500 fellows and in ten years when we see these young people that have done our program are really committing their lives to the health field and changing the outcomes.

I think that is the most exciting is to think what are other fellows going to do with the future and how are we going to benefit from that. So that's what I want to see in my future.

ROBERTS: What's the best piece of advice your dad gave?

BUSH: I was nervous starting this in the first place. My dad said you are going to regret it if you don't do it. So just do it. There is nothing to lose. It's a good idea. And you are essentially helping young people get involved in a field that needs more young people. So do it.

ROBERTS: It is a terrific idea. Good for you for giving back in the way that you are.

BUSH: Thank you very much.

ROBERTS: Barbara Bush, great to talk to you. Thanks for coming up.

BUSH: Thank you.

ROBERTS: It's 43 minutes after the hour. Heat and storms ushering in the first of June, plus, beginning of hurricane season, Jacqui Jeras has your forecast coming up next.

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CHETRY: A beautiful shot this morning in Roanoke, Virginia where it is mostly cloudy 72 degrees. A little bit later, they are looking at scattered thunderstorms, a high of 82 in Roanoke. ROBERTS: It could be some unstable weather across many parts of this country. Jacqui Jeras is watching the extreme weather for us. She is in Atlanta today. And a whole weekend of storm after storm after storm. Flights delayed. I got home about quarter to 1:00 last night.

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Oh.

ROBERTS: What's it going to look like today?

JERAS: Unfortunately, more of the same. Yes, lots of beach plans were ruined this weekend too. And unfortunately today is not a whole lot better especially up and down the eastern coast. But at least we're not expecting a lot of widespread severe weather for today.

Take a look at these pictures out of Colorado, this is in southeast parts of the state, yesterday afternoon, an incredible shot here of a tornado, incredibly, no damage. Nobody was injured with this and this was really the only tornado reported across the U.S. yesterday. Today, we'll be watching the Central Plain States for that risk.

Not only expecting anything severe across the east just lots of heavy rain once again; northern New England really getting it as well as parts of the southeast. More delays will be expected today. We do have some already departure delays out of Newark and Chicago a little bit of fog. So you've got some arrival delays already at O'Hare.

Here is the big picture for today in showing you that risk area from Kansas up to Minnesota and just kind of stretching towards Chicago. I don't think you guys are going to get it until real late for tonight and then up and down the East Coast, especially late this afternoon and this evening. We'll see more widespread thunderstorms.

Temperature-wise, well, we've got a lot of heat across the south central part of the U.S., 98 in Dallas. You guys could be approaching 100 degrees before the weekend is said and done.

All right, it is June 1 and that means it is the start of the Atlantic hurricane season. We already got things going over the weekend in the eastern Pacific with what was Agatha. You can see a little flare-up here from the remnants of that storm.

But take a look at some of the damage that it did. We've got some pictures of a sinkhole. It's just incredible. I literally have never seen anything like this before. Kiran, I have seen lots of sinkholes but never anything so perfectly round. Isn't that amazing?

CHETRY: Yes, it literally looks like it was carved out with some sophisticated drilling machine.

JERAS: Yes.

CHETRY: And then, you don't even see where it ends, that's the creepy part looking all the way down there. JERAS: I know, it's very, very deep. They assure us it is real, though.

CHETRY: Yes, they -- we called right to find out.

JERAS: Yes.

CHETRY: But you also wonder if it's going to get wider. I mean, there were homes and buildings right around the circumference of it.

JERAS: Absolutely. They still have more showers and thundershowers in the forecast. You get any more moisture into there and everything is kind of just (INAUDIBLE) away underneath.

CHETRY: Scary site. Jackie thanks so much.

JERAS: Sure.

ROBERTS: It kind of looks like there was an underground cavern there that nobody knew about.

It's coming up now on 11 minutes to the top of the hour.

I want to take a moment to show you a new interactive feature on CNN.com; it's called "Home and Away". It's a Web site dedicated to honoring the brave men and women who gave their lives for their country.

And don't forget yesterday was Memorial Day. I hope you took a moment to reflect on that.

What you see here is a map of Afghanistan and the United States. We have a series of dots here, small ones, large ones, those all represent areas where American service members have been killed. And then over here on the American side of the map, you see all of these dots. These dots are the hometowns of those service members who have been killed.

They've got it for Afghanistan also, if you click up here on the Iraq tab, it takes a second build here but we are doing the same thing in Iraq as well. And you can see that the majority of the casualties here in the areas of Baghdad and Fallujah and up at (INAUDIBLE) on the northern part of Iraq.

And look at that just all these bright white dots here across America representing the hometowns of service members who were killed.

We want to focus in this morning on one particular service member, Lance Corporal Jourdan Lin Grez (ph). He was from Harrisonburg, Virginia. He was one of four Marines killed when the amphibious assault vehicle struck a roadside bomb in Karbala (ph), Iraq in May of 2005.

Now, what's really unique about this Web site is we have a facility here where you can learn more about the service member who gave his or her life in defense of this country and as well family members here can post their memories in many different ways.

Messages or in the case of Jourdan's mother, a slide show here that we can show you with some memories. It's -- it's about five minutes long. And these are just memories that Jourdan's family has sent in via iReport. It's really easy to do. There's all -- instructions are all there so you can follow along with it.

So if you are the family member of a service member who was killed or if you're a friend or loved one in some other form, go on to this Web site and take a look and see what you can contribute to their memory. Log on to your home town and pay tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country; CNN.com/homeandaway.

What a great facility. We are doing it for you here on CNN.com -- Kiran.

CHETRY: John thanks so much.

Well, CNN's "Fit Nation" triathlon challenges of course getting underway right now. Dr. Gupta as well as six CNN viewers are getting some training tips from an Olympic swimming star. We're going to meet that person coming up.

It's 51 minutes after the hour.

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ROBERTS: Fifty five minutes after the hour.

Time for your "AM House Call": stories about your health this Tuesday morning. The last time we checked in with our intrepid Dr. Sanjay Gupta and our AM triathletes, they were getting cycling tips from Lance Armstrong.

CHETRY: That's right. But today, Sanjay recruited an Olympic Swimmer you may know to show them how to get a leg up in the race. Here's a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: For Olympic swimmer, Eric Shanteau, the sport used to be about competition. But since his testicular cancer diagnosis just weeks before his first Olympic Games in Beijing, Eric has changed his tune a bit.

ERIC SHANTEAU, OLYMPIC SWIMMER: This is kind of a new role that I'm going to take on, you know, being a cancer awareness advocate. We are going to be basically making the swimming world aware of the cancer community.

GUPTA: And in between planning a charity swim event, training for world championships and living the life of a 26-year-old, Eric took time to give some rookies, our Fit Nation triathletes, a few tips.

You've met our triathletes. You're familiar with this program. What do you think of them?

SHANTEAU: You know, I think they are going to be a great group when the time comes. And they are going to be ready to race. What's fun is that this is all new to them. And so you see the enthusiasm on their faces.

GUPTA: Swimming is the first event, as you know, in a triathlon. You have any -- this is always an impossible question I think to ask people who do this for a living essentially, but do you have any tips or is there anything you would tell people who are doing this for the first time?

SHANTEAU: Well, you know, I think, depending on if swimming is your strength, then I think you need to establish your position in the race, in the swim and really put yourself out there, because if you can get out to that early lead, that's kind of a mental advantage.

If swimming isn't your thing, then that's where you need to really make sure and conserve your energy and really be able to push the back half of the race.

GUPTA: As for Eric's future --

SHANTEAU: I definitely won't be doing triathlons, because I can't run to save my life. I really have enjoyed kind of taking on this new role that I have. So I would like to explore that option a little more.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

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CHETRY: I'm still marveling at the sinkhole in Guatemala. It does look too perfect, doesn't it?

ROBERTS: Pretty incredible.

CHETRY: It is. But it really is real.

Continue the conversation on our stories today; go to our blog, cnn.com/amFix.

That's going to do it for us. Thanks so much for joining us. We'll see you back here tomorrow morning.

ROBERTS: The news continues on CNN with Brooke Baldwin in the "CNN NEWSROOM".