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American Morning
Scorching Heat Prompts Warnings in 18 States; BP to Begin Pouring Cement; War on Proposition 8 Far From Over; Still Lots of "Birthers"; Full-Body Scans Stored; Supermodel Testifies at The Hague; Kanye's Twitter Friend
Aired August 05, 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. It's Thursday. August 5th. Welcome to AMERICAN MORNING. Glad you're with us. I'm Kiran Chetry.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. I'm John Roberts. Thanks for being with us. A lot to talk about this morning. Let's get right to it.
Desperate to stay cool. The nation in the grip of a dangerous and deadly heat wave. Power companies maxed out. Cooling centers are open. Zookeepers are even feeding the animals popsicles to stay cool. The mercury is rising again this morning.
CHETRY: Also, BP is getting the green light this morning to begin pouring cement into that well that's poisoned the gulf for more than three months. But there are some new questions this morning from residents along the Gulf Coast. They want to know what happened to all that oil.
ROBERTS: Plus, supporters of same-sex marriage celebrating a federal judge's ruling that overturns California's Proposition 8. But this morning, people on both sides of the debate concede the battle is far from over. We're live in Los Angeles with the latest.
CHETRY: Also, the amFIX blog is up and running. You can join the live conversation by going to CNN.com/amFIX.
ROBERTS: But we begin this morning with extreme weather and another day of roasting heat across three quarters of the country. It felt like 108 degrees in Memphis, 106 in Little Rock, 104 in Jackson, Mississippi.
CHETRY: Yes. And it's pushing electric grids to the limit as well as many people are being pushed to the limit as well. Nine people have died because of the heat wave across the south and Midwest. Rob Marciano is live for us in Atlanta this morning.
Hey, Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, guys. You know, we made this point yesterday. We'll make it again today. Heat, believe it or not is the number one weather-related killer. And this is the worst heat wave that this country has seen so far this year. And especially across the southeastern third of the country, coupled the heat and the humidity, there is just no escaping it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARCIANO (voice-over): How hot is it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yesterday, the asphalt tipped at 160.
MARCIANO: Temperatures that can scald in a second.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's no shade. There's just, you know, there's no shade, no place to hide.
MARCIANO: Whether you work or play in the sun, there's no escape. Across much of the country, temperatures and heat indexes shot well into the triple digits.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With the oil, you know it's hot.
MARCIANO: Pushing people, power grids and the entire machines to the limit. In Arkansas, officials say the brutal heat buckled concrete and firefighters were busy with more than a dozen wildfires.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's pitiful. It's hard on us. It's hard on the grass. I mean, it's just -- it's probably it's just too hot.
MARCIANO: Water lines burst in Tulsa. And in the nation's capital, officials cut the speed of commuter trains in fear that the metal tracks might bend. Everywhere, the sick and the elderly are vulnerable. Keeping the A/C cranking, literally a matter of life and death. In Nashville, the power company let late bills slide. And in Oklahoma City, free movies for seniors.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I get it free?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, ma'am.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, is that good. Can you believe that?
MARCIANO: A day people won't mind all those previews providing a few more minutes of relief.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARCIANO: That movie wouldn't be a bad thing if you had that luxury today. We've actually seen a number of states that have heat advisories expand or at least move and expand to the east. Now, it includes places like New Jersey and New York and parts of Virginia and the Delmarva. So the heat at least for today is pushing off towards the east.
Take a look at these heat advisories. Remember the heat index? We couple the temperature with the humidity because when the humidity is higher, the sweat just can't evaporate as well off your skin and that is the way your body cools. So that's why this heat is so dangerous, especially for the elderly and those who may be suffering from other ailments. This is what it feels like right now in places like Shreveport -- 88 degrees. It feels like 90 in Houston, you know, when you couple that humidity in. Ninety-three degrees is the current feels-like temperature in Memphis, Tennessee. Yesterday, they set again another record high with a temperature of 104 degrees.
We're here again in Piedmont Park in Atlanta. And the boot camp, those people that get together early in the morning to do calisthenics in the park, the group today was even bigger than yesterday. And one of the reasons may be if they try to exercise in the afternoon and evening, they felt just how smoking hot and hard it was to do that. So if you are in exercise, do it early this morning. If you're working outside, well, just take care of yourself. And those who are working outside, my hat's off to you. We'll get through this heat. Looks like a little bit of relief may be coming in the next couple of days, but today and tomorrow, looks to be pretty harsh, guys.
ROBERTS: Yes. Already feeling pretty steamy here in New York City, too, Rob. So another hot one today. Thanks so much, Rob. We'll check back with you a little later.
MARCIANO: OK.
CHETRY: Meanwhile, down in the Gulf Coast, they are preparing for the final step in the static kill operation. After 108 days, the oil giant's blown-out well could soon be shut for good.
ROBERTS: The government giving BP the green light to cement over the well today, after the heavy drilling mud they pumped in on Tuesday forced the oil back down into the earth. The government also telling BP to move forward with those relief wells that they're drilling. That process should be completed within the next couple of weeks. Despite the positive news, though, administration officials insist they are not standing down. Instead, telling CNN, they are just beginning phase one of their long-term restoration plan.
Our Jim Acosta live in New Orleans for us this morning. And, Jim, when you look at some of the damage that's been done to, you know, the back base and a lot of those marshes, there's a lot of work yet to be done, no question.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And they're hearing all of these good news come out of Washington. You know, Thad Allen, the national incident commander, giving BP the green light to go ahead with this cementing process as part of the static kill. All of that sounds like good news, but for the people down here in the Gulf Coast, it's become a question of who to trust. The government officials who say that the oil is disappearing out on the gulf or their own local residents who say it's still coming ashore.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA (voice-over): Yes, the people in Louisiana have seen the latest video of the mostly clear blue waters in the Gulf of Mexico. And yes, they've heard the latest government report, all but roughly 25 percent of the oil spilled into the gulf is gone. That doesn't mean people like Louis Molero are going to believe it.
(on camera): What do you think when you hear all that?
LOUIS MOLERO, COMMERCIAL FISHERMAN: Where is it? Where did it go?
ACOSTA (voice-over): A life-long commercial fisherman, Molero now coordinates disaster response teams for St. Bernard Parish. And its response teams are made up of fishermen who are also skeptical.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where it went? Who picked it up? We didn't. I mean, you know, where it went is still a laugh.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The long battle to stop the leak and contain the oil is finally close to coming to an end. And we are very pleased with that.
ACOSTA: The latest White House message from the president right down to the press secretary --
ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Many of the doomsday scenarios that were talked about and repeated a lot have not and will not come to fruition because of that.
ACOSTA: Along with BP's new found confidence that its damaged well is no longer a threat sound like a political mop-up operation to St. Bernard Parish president Craig Taffaro.
(on camera): Is it possible that people along the Gulf Coast are just so weary and so beaten up that it's difficult to believe their own eyes?
CRAIG TAFFARO, ST. BERNARD PARISH RESIDENT: No, I don't think so, because we believe what we see. And that's why we continue to have some concern.
ACOSTA (voice-over): So Taffaro's staff still goes out every day to capture images of the oil still rolling into his parish in part to convince BP its clean-up operations are sorely needed.
(on camera): That BP says, well, guys, we don't you need anymore.
TAFFARO: That puts us in a position of having an entire part of our community in no man's land.
ACOSTA (voice-over): No man's land because commercial fishermen could end up stopped with no clean-up work and no markets for their seafood. It's no wonder Louis Molero wears the fisherman's prayer around his neck.
MOLERO: Continue to give us hope and courage to face the challenge that lie ahead, reminding us always that you are by our side. Amen.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: In the end, the government may find killing skepticism down in the gulf is harder than actually killing this well once and for all. Taking the government at its word, that is just as slippery in these parts as cleaning up all that oil -- John and Kiran.
CHETRY: Good point. And you're right. And there are some researchers actually casting doubt as well on those findings that 75 percent of the oil is dispersed. So it still is up for debate even though that report was issued yesterday. Jim, thanks.
Also, stay with us. BP lowering the price of its gas to help its struggling service stations. Will that price break be passed along to you and will it make a difference for a lot of these independent stations?
In 10 minutes, we'll talk with Steve Hargreaves. He's a senior writer at CNNmoney.com.
ROBERTS: Also new this morning, the U.S. Marshall Service confirming that it has stored more than 35,000 full-body scans of people entering a Florida courthouse. The images are less detailed than those that are used by the Transportation Security Administration at airports. The TSA has said the body scans taken at airports cannot be saved or recorded. Homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve has got more on the story coming your way at the bottom of the hour.
CHETRY: Also later this morning, former hot dog-eating champion Takeru Kobayashi gets his day in court. You may remember that he's facing charges because of resisting arrest and trespassing after making a scene at the Nathan's famous hot dog eating contest this July 4th in Coney Island. He was barred from competing after a legal dispute with major league eating. The hearing is set for 9:30 Eastern this morning in Brooklyn, New York.
All right. Well, a landmark ruling in California has been overturned -- has now overturned the state's ban on same-sex marriage. And there are groups on both sides of the debate that are now promising that the legal fight is actually far from over. We're live in Los Angeles with the very latest coming up.
It's nine minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Well, the celebrations went deep into the night. Supporters of same-sex marriage overjoyed by the overturning of Proposition 8. In a 136-page decision handed down yesterday, a federal judge declared the state's ban on gay marriage unconstitutional.
CHETRY: Legal experts point out though that while same-sex marriage supporters won this battle, the war over the divisive issue in California and across the nation is far from over. For more now, our Ted Rowlands is up early. He's live for us in Los Angeles this morning with more.
Hey, Ted.
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, John and Kiran. Yes, bottom line is this is step one in the federal process and most people believe that this case is destined for the U.S. Supreme Court. That said, there were emotional reactions on both sides of this issue on this judge's decision.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROWLANDS (voice-over): In San Francisco's Castro district and L.A.'s West Hollywood in downtown, the party went late into the night. Lisa Bartoli (ph) and Anita Zubere were married two years ago.
ANITA ZUBERE, SUPPORTS GAY MARRIAGE: We're in it until the end and it's going to go to the Supreme Court. And I think Americans are going to understand that we are people. We lead exciting lives, boring lives. We love our family, our friends, our children. And so, it is a great day.
ROWLANDS: David Boies and Ted Olsen, the attorneys that faced off against each other in 2000 for Bush v. Gore teamed up successfully to argue this case.
TED OLSEN, ATTY., AMERICAN FOUNDATION FOR EQUAL RIGHTS: This is the man who did that.
ROWLANDS: Last night, they took the stage together at a rally in West Hollywood.
OLSEN: We're a part of the way to the end. It is a very, very important first step.
DAVID BOIES, ATTY., AMERICAN FOUNDATION FOR EQUAL RIGHTS: We are a nation of a culture. And that culture is the culture of a following.
ROWLANDS (on camera): The mood may be festive here in West Hollywood, but the bottom line is Prop 8 did pass in the state of California. And there are a lot of people not only here, but across the country that are very upset with the judge's ruling.
RANDY THOMASSON, SAVECALIFORNIA.COM: Mark my words, if marriage will mean anything, then marriage ultimately will mean nothing.
ROWLANDS (voice-over): In the ruling, Judge Vaughn Walker wrote that Prop 8, quote, "does nothing more than enshrine in the California constitution the notion that opposite-sex couples are superior to same-sex couples."
MAGGIE GALLAGHER, CHAIR., NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR MARRIAGE: Seven million Californians believe that we had a course civil right to organize, to donate, to vote for marriage. One judge in federal -- a federal judge in San Francisco has stripped us of that course civil right.
ROWLANDS: The judge also issued a stay, meaning same-sex couples will have to wait to be married until after the appeals process, which both sides say they are looking forward to.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROWLANDS: And actually, that's the first issue at hand here, John and Kiran. The judge is going to first hear about this state. Both sides will have an opportunity to submit arguments and then the judge will rule on how long this temporary stay will be enacted. There's a chance that he could lift the stay and that people could get married in California during the appeals process. But most legal experts believe that won't happen. And at first, this will go to the 9th Circuit and then eventually to the U.S. Supreme Court. And during that interim period, no one will be allowed to get married in California to avoid later confusion.
ROBERTS: Yes. And it looks like the 9th Circuit is just going to be a way point as well that ultimately this will be decided by the Supreme Court.
Ted Rowlands up pretty early for us. Ted, thanks so much.
We're going to have more on the legal debate over same sex marriage and an analysis of the ruling former prosecutor, criminal defense attorney Paul Callan coming up.
It's 7:10 Eastern here on the Most News in the Morning.
CHETRY: And we want to know what you think. The AMFix blog is up and running, so you can sound off at the cnn.com/amfix.
ROBERTS: Coming up, BP is reaching out to gas stations that have lost customers since the oil spill by lowering prices. One industry analyst calls it an anger management allowance. We'll ask an expert if the savings will trickle down to you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Eighteen and a half minutes after the hour. We're "Minding Your Business" this Thursday morning, and some peer pressure among billionaires to do some good in the world this morning.
A whole new group of billionaires are taking a pledge to give away half of their worth to charity either during their lifetimes or after they die. It's a challenge that was started by Warren Buffett and Bill Gates called The Giving Pledge, and new additions include New York mayor Mike Bloomberg, director George Lucas, T. Boone Pickens and CNN founder Ted Turner - Kiran.
CHETRY: Wow. Adding more names to that list is a good thing.
Well, in an effort to help struggling gas stations and to appease furious consumers following the gulf oil spill, BP is lowering its gas prices. The company is offering a series of incentives to its distributors that could shave two cents off the price of gas at the pump.
Now, most BP stations are independent businesses. They're not actually owned by BP, but they buy their gas from distributors and they're also independent businesses.
Joining us now is Steve Hargreaves. He's a senior writer at CNNMoney.com. Thanks for being with us. And so, contrary to popular belief, BP actually doesn't set prices at the pump, so what is this incentive program that they're undertaking?
STEVE HARGREAVES, SENIOR WRITER, CNNMONEY.COM: Well, they've dropped their wholesale prices, the price that they sell gas to the distributors. The distributors are the guys (INAUDIBLE) that go and buy the gas from BP.
And so, BP is offering a break to the distributors and to the gas stations who've also cut the price that they charge for processing credit cards, and they've offered a couple other rebate programs, and what it amounts to is it's a three or four cent drop in the wholesale price and the price that the service stations pay for gasoline.
CHETRY: And so the thinking behind that is that they can then pass on that rate to consumers and perhaps attract more customers to their stations because they've been hurting in the wake of the oil spill.
HARGREAVES: They certainly have. You know, business is down 10, 20, 30 percent. You know, people are angry. A lot of people are bypassing BP stations. So, the thinking is, yes, that they could pass on some of the - they could - they could attract more customers by dropping the price a couple of cents, or, conversely, they can make a little bit more money.
Now, it doesn't - it doesn't make for - for a driver, you know, a couple of cents. People might not, you know, be flocking to these stations. But for a service station, if you're selling thousands of gallons of gasoline a day, then a few cents, you know, it can mean quite a bit.
CHETRY: And they call it the anger management allowance, jokingly, one analyst -
HARGREAVES: Right.
CHETRY: -- just to sort of try to offset the fact that, you know, there is a lot of bad, you know, feelings about BP, especially as you get closer and closer to the gulf area.
HARGREAVES: Yes, certainly. You know, people that live near the coast, it even happens in coastal towns. They've noticed that people are avoiding BP stations.
Now, I guess, people that lived near the coast, they - you know, they live there for a reason. They really like it, and they seem to be a bit more sensitive to this.
CHETRY: The irony is, though, is that BP only owns a fraction of these stations, right? They're actually independent operators, mom and pops. You likened it to selling, you know, Coca-cola at, you know, your convenience store. It doesn't mean you're owned by Coke.
HARGREAVES: Right. Exactly. I think 95 percent of the service stations are owned by just independent operators. So, you know, people bypass these station, you know, it - it might be hurting BP a little bit, but BP is a huge company. They have operations all around the world. You know, who is really hutting are these independent operators.
CHETRY: And also, you can't really literally boycott BP gasoline, right, or oil, because it goes to so many other places that may not be labeled BP.
HARGREAVES: Right. Now, this is true. It's a very tangled web, the distribution system, so it's very hard to - to single one out.
CHETRY: Are we going to see that in the form of lower gas prices? I mean, if BP stations across the country start dropping, are other companies going to follow suit?
HARGREAVES: They could, and it really depends where in the country you are. You know, these BP stations, they're likely to drop their price. If their competitors are dropping their price or if they've taken a big hit, if (INAUDIBLE) to the station, you know, some places might see a penny or two, three cent drop, other places might not see anything.
CHETRY: The interesting thing, though, is if this continues - this trend continues, you're talking about a 30 percent drop in, you know, in - in revenues at some of these stations. I mean, any consideration of a name change, a brand change, a re-branding of BP stations?
HARGREAVES: Right. Well, it was Amoco, and people have talked about that, going back to Amoco. That was a very well-respected brand. It was very popular, you know, 10, 15 years ago.
BP is quite adamant that they're not going to go back to that brand. They've spent a lot of money re-branding everything worldwide, BP, so other analysts say it wouldn't really make that much sense for them to - to go back and reverse everything they've done in the last 10 years.
CHETRY: Hoping they can wait it out -
HARGREAVES: Right.
CHETRY: -- now that the well is - fingers crossed - capped.
HARGREAVES: Right.
CHETRY: All right. Well, Steve Hargreaves, thanks so much for joining us, senior writer with CNNMoney.com. You can check out more by heading to the site.
Thanks so much.
HARGREAVES: Thank you.
CHETRY: John.
ROBERTS: Thanks, Kiran.
General Petraeus laying out new guidelines for troops in the Afghanistan war, and it comes at the same time that the Taliban rolls out its own new rules of engagement. We're live at the Pentagon with details, coming right up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Twenty-six minutes after the hour.
The top general in Afghanistan is offering up new rules of engagement for 150,000 U.S. and coalition forces. The directive from General David Petraeus limits civilian casualties. The subject has become a major source of tension in Afghanistan.
Our Barbara Starr live at the Pentagon this morning. And, Barbara, it turns out that, at the same time, the Taliban is rolling out its own rules of engagement. What's this all about?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's absolutely right, John. You know, General Petraeus has laid down his plans for the war. Well, now, the Taliban have laid down theirs.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STARR (voice-over): After one month in command, General David Petraeus has now laid out how he wants to fight the Afghan war. Petraeus has largely kept current rules in place, telling troops in a message to maintain, quote, "Disciplined use of force to avoid civilian casualties." Petraeus had acknowledged the existing rules were controversial.
GENERAL DAVID PETRAEUS, COMMANDER, U.S. FORCES IN AFGHANISTAN: I am keenly aware of concerns by some of our troopers on the ground about the application of our rules of engagement and the tactical directive.
STARR: Recent operations in the Helmand River Valley underscored the dilemma for troops, fighting insurgents and yet holding back if an operation would endanger civilians at the same time. In this directive, Petraeus made clear troops still have the right to self- defense.
But, guess what? The Taliban just laid out their own 69-page code of conduct for dealing with Afghan civilians.
STEPHEN BIDDLE, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: The Taliban make a very explicit exception for civilians who side with the government of the coalition, who they think it's open season to kill. We aren't threatening to kill Afghan civilians who express sympathy for the Taliban.
STARR: The coalition says there's evidence that the Taliban doctrine is being implemented. Recently, some 50 elders in the Kandahar region received threatening letters telling them to leave their villages or be killed.
So, is the Taliban attacking more because it's stronger or because it's worried the military could succeed in stopping them? Stephen Bittle, who has advised the coalition, says right now, coalition strength is growing, but so is the Taliban effort.
BIDDLE: And were the outcomes up in the air, and we don't know which side is going to win yet.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STARR: So what is now the coalition response to this Taliban strategy of increased threatening and intimidation of Afghan civilians? Well, coalition officials say what they're going to start doing is publicizing every instance of attacks and violence against Afghan civilians, publicizing that right inside Afghanistan to try and make sure that people know there where the violence is really coming from - John.
ROBERTS: Right. A battle for hearts and minds there in Afghanistan. No question.
STARR: Indeed.
ROBERTS: Barbara Starr for us this morning. Barbara, thanks.
CHETRY: Well, time for a look at our top stories now. The dog days of August proving to be deadly in some cases. We're dealing with triple-digit temperatures in many parts of the country, 105-degree heat indexes and higher in many places. Nine people have died because of the heat wave across the south and Midwest, and there are warnings in more than a dozen states in effect right now.
ROBERTS: Admiral Thad Allen giving BP the green light this morning to cement its damaged oil well shut. The decision comes after BP says the heavy drilling mud that it pumped into the well on Tuesday is holding back the oil.
To make sure the well stays plugged, BP is pushing ahead with its other relief well, which should be ready in the next two weeks or so.
CHETRY: And overnight, supporters of same sex marriage celebrated a federal judge's decision to overturn California's ban on same sex marriage known as Proposition 8 that was put to the voters.
The groups on both side of the debate now vow that the legal fight is not over. Lawyers for the group Protect Marriage, which supported Prop 8, are promising to file an appeal, quote, "Before the ink is dry on the judge's ruling."
Well despite all the proof disputing their theory, there's a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll finding that a lot of Americans still believe that President Obama is not a natural-born U.S. citizen.
Brian Todd is taking a look at the numbers and laying out the facts for us this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There's no credible dispute. Officials in Hawaii released a copy of President Obama's birth certificate. It was authenticated by the state's Republican governor. A Honolulu hospital posted newspaper announcements of his birth. CNN and other news outlets have thoroughly debunked the rumors.
And the White House has squarely addressed those who doubt Mr. Obama was born in the U.S.
ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I have news for them and for all of us: the president was born in Honolulu, Hawaii.
TODD: But despite the overwhelming evidence, a quarter of Americans remain skeptical. A new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll shows 11 percent saying President Obama was definitely not born in the U.S. Another 16 percent saying he probably wasn't.
Does that mean a significant new core group of Americans believes he's not eligible to be president? CNN polling director Keating Holland doesn't think so. He says those who think Mr. Obama probably wasn't born in America are not so committed.
KEATING HOLLAND, CNN POLLING DIRECTOR: They're probably not Obama fans. It's conceivable that they might wind up voting for Obama. It's conceivable that they might end up voting for other Democrats as well.
TODD: But Holland says those on the fence are listening to right wing commentators like Rush Limbaugh, who fuelled the fire just this week on his radio show.
RUSH LIMBAUGH, RADIO HOST: They tell us August 4th is the birthday. We haven't seen any proof of that!
TODD: I asked political analyst Stu Rothenberg what happens if those tepid doubters stay tilted against believing in the president's American birth.
(on camera): What do they do this his chances for reelection? What does it mean for him from 30,000 feet?
STU ROTHENBERG, POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, look, his re-election date is still a number of years away. These people didn't support him before. They're not going to support him again. He just needs a majority. And I think, much depends on the dynamic over the next couple of years if the Republicans take over the House.
TODD (voice-over): In their quest for that, some GOP candidates are playing political footsy with the so-called birthers, and often getting slapped down by fellow Republicans. This John McCain ad targets comments made by his primary opponent J.D. Hayward.
J.D. HAYWORTH ON THE J.D. HAYWORTH RADIO SHOW 7/15/09: And until President Obama signs his name and in fact has the records revealed, the questions will remain.
ANNOUNCER: The only difference between these people -- only one is running for the U.S. Senate.
TODD (on camera): Hayworth has since backtracked on that, as have Senator David Vitter and other Republicans who have voiced solidarity with the birthers. Analysts say, while Republicans want the support of the birther movement, especially for possible primary victories in the midterms, they certainly don't want to be identified as being part of that movement.
Brian Todd, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: Your vote, just don't give your ideology.
CHETRY: Right. A little strange.
ROBERTS: Coming up on 33 minutes after the hour -- so, remember how the TSA told us that those new all-body scanners that are going into the airports will not store images? A lot of people worried about privacy issues here.
Well, it turns out that one place where those body scanners are put in, they have been storing images. Not just a few either. We got that story coming up with Jeanne Meserve right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC)
ROBERTS: Thirty-six minutes after the hour.
On the "Security Watch" this morning, new questions and concerns about those full-body imaging machines that are being deployed at airports and other government facilities. The TSA says the images taken in airports cannot be stored or recorded. And that's exactly what Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told us back in March.
CHETRY: Yes, but this morning, a different federal agency, this one, the U.S. Marshal Service, admits to saving tens of thousands of full-body scan images from a federal courthouse in Florida.
Homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve is following this. She's live in Washington.
And this is what privacy rights activists and others were very worried about in the first place.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, they have these issues and have really been raising questions. We should emphasize here, this is about the U.S. Marshal's machines, not the TSA's machines. But the U.S. Marshals are confirming it stored more than 35,000 images of people who entered this courthouse in Orlando, Florida.
We have some examples of the images produced by the marshal's millimeter wave machine. They're a lot less detailed than those produced by some of the other technology that's used by the TSA.
The Marshal Service says its machine in Orlando allows security officers to look at the image of the person who just entered the imager and the two previous people. But it says all other images can only be accessed with a special pass code.
But, as I said, the machines have raised privacy concerns from the get-go. This is what the secretary of homeland security said about them when asked in March.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, CNN'S AMERICAN MORNING/MARCH 18, 2010)
JANET NAPOLITANO, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: The machines are not set to store images. They're not set to transmit images. And they are objectively better at detecting liquids, powder, gels, other things that somebody may smuggle on a plan to blow up the plane.
We have been really working on the privacy side to make sure those concerns have been mitigated from the original iterations of the technology. A lot of the reports that are out such as the one you referred to, we're really talking about, you know, older iterations of the technology.
ROBERTS: Sure. But --
NAPOLITANO: I want to deal those as we go through the implementation.
ROBERTS: Sure. But you can guarantee, Madam Secretary, again, that we will never, ever hear a story of somebody inappropriately storing or transmitting these images?
NAPOLITANO: Look, I'm going to tell you, we are not -- we are not retaining, we are not keeping. They're not designed for that at all.
ROBERTS: Right. But that doesn't sound like an unequivocal no.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MESERVE: Well, today, the Transportation Security Administration is reiterating that although its machines can store images when they're being tested, quote, "all functionality to store, export or print images is disabled before these machines are delivered to airport checkpoints."
But the privacy group who obtained the Marshal's images, the Electronic Privacy Information Center, says this all bolsters its case for barring use of the machines at airports.
Back to you.
ROBERTS: How many of these machines are being use across the country, not only in airports but in places like courthouses?
MESERVE: Well, the courthouse number, I'm not sure. But as far as the TSA goes, they now have 160 of the backscatter and millimeter wave imaging machines -- two technologies here. They're deployed at 43 airports. They plan to deploy 500 machines by the end the year, and 1,000 by the end of 2011.
So, they certainly see them as something that they want to use even more extensively than they do now, John.
CHETRY: All right. Jeanne Meserve for us, certainly raising a lot of questions this morning, though, this new information -- thanks so much.
MESERVE: You bet.
ROBERTS: The war crimes trial of Liberia's former president, Charles Taylor, took a rather bizarre turn today with supermodel Naomi Campbell taking the stand.
CHETRY: Prosecutors say that Taylor gave the model a diamond back in 1997. Now, he denies ever handling the precious at Sierra Leone's bloody civil war.
We're tapping the global resources of CNN right now. Our Phil Black has more this morning from The Hague.
Good morning, Phil.
PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Kiran.
Yes, it was Naomi Campbell, the reluctant witness that appeared in court here at The Hague this morning. She said she didn't want to appear here. She was forced to. She was subpoenaed.
She said it was a great inconvenience and she just want to get it over and done with so she could get on with her life.
But she was called here today to give her version of the night that that took place 13 years ago, in the home of South Africa's then- president, Nelson Mandela. It was a star-studded dinner party where Campbell attended, along with other big names, there was the actress Mia Farrow, the music producer Quincy Jones.
Now, the key facts of what happened when that dinner party wound up and the various parties all went to their rooms to sleep through the night. Well, when Campbell says she retired to her bed early, she says she was woken in the middle of the night. This is what she said in court this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NAOMI CAMPBELL, SUPERMODEL: Yes. When I was sleeping, I had a knock at my door. And I opened my door. And two men were there and gave me a pouch and said, "A gift for you."
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you know what time that was that that happened?
CAMPBELL: No, I don't. I just -- I was sleeping. So, I was woken up from my sleep.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And these two men, did you know who they were?
CAMPBELL: No, I'm afraid not.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLACK: So, Campbell says she put the pouch -- didn't look in -- didn't look inside it, put it down next to her bed, went back to sleep, didn't ask any questions of the men who delivered it to her door because she said it's not unusual for people to give her gifts at all hours in all places. But the next morning, when she met for breakfast with some of the other guests who were staying at Mandela's home as well, there was Mia Farrow, there was Campbell's agent at that time, it was they who said that, well, those must be diamonds and they must be from Charles Taylor.
Campbell says she assumed that it was true. She had no idea otherwise. But she said the sort of diamonds she's used to receiving are shiny and they come in boxes -- John, Kiran.
ROBERTS: But it doesn't, though, Phil, sound like a direct connection. You get a couple of people who come to you in the middle of the night with the pouch saying, here's a gift for you. And then other people the next day say, well, it must have come from Charles Taylor. Is that enough to establish that, you know, without a shadow of a doubt the fact that he might have been involved?
BLACK: Well, that's certainly something that Charles Taylor's attorneys pick up in cross examining Naomi Campbell. They put through with it, it was just speculation that these rough cut diamonds came from Charles Taylor. And she had no choice but to essentially say, well, that's right. She said she was simply assuming that to be the case. She said she didn't even identify them as diamonds, initially. They were in her words, dirty stones, because they were uncut diamonds.
But for the prosecution, they say this evidence is crucial to their whole case against Charles Taylor and the war crimes that they say he orchestrated and ran during that civil war in Sierra Leone because they say he was motivated by diamonds, getting diamonds from the rebels who held that territory in Sierra Leone. And what this case proves is that he did, in fact, possess these raw uncut diamonds. And he owned them, he used them. He was throwing them around.
And extrapolating from that, they say he was using them to buy weapons and provide support for those rebels in Sierra Leone -- John, Kiran.
CHETRY: All right. Phil Black for us this morning at The Hague -- thanks so much.
ROBERTS: The South and Midwest still in the grips of a severe heat wave. Rob Marciano has more on that this morning's travel forecast coming up right after the break.
CHETRY: Also in 10 minutes, once a gang member, now a role model for street kids in Chicago. One man's fight against youth violence in our "Building Up America."
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ROBERTS: Oh, yes, it's a hot one in hot Atlanta this morning. Seventy-seven degrees right now under hazy skies. Later on today, another scorcher, 95, but of course, it's going to feel a lot hotter than that.
CHETRY: Oh, yes. Dangerous heat out there as the heat wave continues. Forty-six minutes past the hour. We get a check of the morning's weather headlines with Rob Marciano. He's live again in Piedmont Park in Atlanta this morning. Hey, Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, guys. What a beautiful shot of the buildings of downtown Atlanta. Behind me, the midtown skyline here at Piedmont Park, overlooking is, basically, the central park of Atlanta. Pretty busy today with folks trying to get out and exercise before the heat of the day soaks in which will be shortly as the sun comes up over the eastern horizon. Check out some of these record high temperatures yesterday. Boy, we seem like a broken record with these records. Look at Hot Springs, Arkansas, 108, 107 in Pine Bluff. This is some of the worst heat that Arkansas has seen in well over a decade, maybe even longer than that.
It was 104 degrees in Memphis, Tennessee, and Louisville getting in of the act at 102. Heat indexes today will be very high once again, in some case, into the one-teens. And those pinky areas you see, those are excessive heat warnings, but look at the heat advisories. They stretch all the way into the New York metropolitan area. At least for today, your cool down will come down a little bit over the weekend. All right. Here's what it feels like right now. The biggest problem with this heat wave is that it has not cooled down at night and especially near some of the larger cities, you get that concrete holding on to it.
But the humidity in places like Houston, it feels like 90 right now. It feels like 88 degrees in Shreveport. That humidity has not allowed the temperatures to drop at night like it would, say, out west. All right. Thunderstorms today are going to pop in some spots and even some severe weather potentially as some of this heat and humidity bumps up against them. Less hot and less humid air that's trying to get down here from Canada. So, that's going to be your relief across places like the lower Great Lakes and eventually the northeast come tomorrow and over the weekend. Your weekend looks pretty good.
All right. Tropics. Colin doesn't want to go away just yet. The remnants of this tropical storm potentially developing later on today or tomorrow. They may send a hurricane (INAUDIBLE) into it just to check it out. Check this out. Remember, we talked about the solar flares that will pop in from the sun a couple of days ago and said that coronal mass ejection will be heading towards the earth. These are shots at Denmark. Northern lights, aurora borealis, eat your heart out. That is awesome. That looks like some sort of Pixar animated film. Beautiful stuff. Do you see the green hues there? Kind of like angels dancing in the sky. You've never seen it in person. It is a spiritual event. All right. Some still shots for you. Closer to home in Michigan, similar event, just a little bit different venue. This over lake superior, that is cool as well. Good stuff. You might see a couple more tonight, but I think the fall (ph) of it was last night. I know you guys didn't get a chance to see it because there are so many artificial lights up there in New York. And I'm a little too far south here in Atlanta to see those northern lights, but that is a cool shot if you have the opportunity to see that.
CHETRY: Beautiful. MARCIANO: All right. Guys, another hot one for you guys as well, but you'll cool down, and you'll be blessed with yet another comfortable weekend in New York, but until then, a little bit toasty.
ROBERTS: All right. Thanks, Rob. Yes. I looked down 42nd street looking for those northern lights, and all I saw was this big blue M&M on the side of the building.
CHETRY: M&M, Red Lobster, Applebee's, yes, beautiful. But hey, at least, thanks to the video they sent at the iReport. We got to see it.
ROBERTS: Very nice. And you know what's really cool about the Denmark shots was, because it's so high in latitude, it's still kind of twilight. So, you get all of those colors mixed in.
CHETRY: Very cool.
You know Kanye West, super popular, of course, but he picked one lucky teen to follow on Twitter. It turns out the teen doesn't feel so lucky, after all. At first he was thrilled about it, a 19-year- old, Steven Holmes (ph). He said he was so excited about being the chosen one, the only one that Kanye West was going to follow, but then later, he was upset about it. He said he was bombarded with phone calls from fans and journalists around the world. He says that the hassle that comes with fame is just not worth it.
This morning's top stories are just minutes away now, including victory for same-sex couples in California, but a long legal battle lies ahead. We'll take a look at the ruling and the challenges facing gay couples now.
CHETRY: Also, exposed. The fed that mix (ph) storing naked body scans, head to toe shot. So, why were we told that this wouldn't happen? Those stories and much more at the top of the hour.
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ROBERTS: Coming up at 54 minutes after the hour, it's kind of like where's Waldo? There's always going to be a Phil somewhere in the shot.
CHETRY: That's right. He was out here a second ago, and he said, I'll be right back. I'm going to be on TV. ROBERTS: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. A former gang member turned role model. Derek Brown is fighting a good fight in his old Chicago neighborhood.
CHETRY: Keeping kids off the street by teaching them to box. We have this story in today's "Building Up America."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEREK BROWN, FORMER GANG MEMBER: I hear six blocks are corrupted. I was trapped up in the life of selling drugs. Shotgun, I actually stayed across the street. This was a big gambling spot, and one day, they were outside gambling, and I looked out my window, and I see the whole crowd just disperse, and I looked. I didn't know what was going on. I couldn't hear anything. I saw a car jumps on the sidewalk and run into (INAUDIBLE) and I came off my back porch. The kids right now call me Coach Brown or Coach Derek is what I tell them to call me.
What I'm doing, I'm watching. Try to hit me right there. It's a big problem in the city. For one, it's not enough programs over here. It's not enough community centers. Ready, go. All your punches straight. There you go. Perfect. What's ironic is I went to this school right here. There are bullet holes in this wall that came from me. You should see the bullet holes in the walls that came from me. There are two parents, though. It's your home parent, whether your father or mother and the street. That's something that I know.
You know, the street can take the kids and turn them into what they is. When I look at them, I see hope. I think somebody that's going to be something in life. Somebody who is going to be better than me. Snap to it and keep your hands and stuff in. You don't have to grow into nothing negative. You can see all negative when you know how to handle it. I'm not just teaching them how to box. I'm teaching them how to box their way through life. There you go. Good. That's a champ.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Top stories coming your way right after the break. Stay with us.
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