Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Pan-Am Bomber's Flawed Release; WikiLeaks Versus the Pentagon; Birds Migrating to Gulf; Al Qaeda's Man in Charge?; Cleaner, Greener Grand Isle

Aired August 06, 2010 - 06:00   ET

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

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Thanks so much for being with us on the "Most News in the Morning." Just touching 6:00 Eastern on this 6th day of August. Thanks so much for being with us. I'm John Roberts.

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Randi Kaye. Great to have you with us this morning. And great to see you, John. Kiran Chetry has the day off.

So we do have a lot to get to this morning so let's get started. A lot to talk about.

When he was released we were told he was going home to die. Twelve months later convicted Pan Am bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi is still alive with his family in Libya.

And this morning a new report says a team of specialists treating him never said he only had months to live. And there was just one doctor making the diagnosis behind the decision that outraged America.

ROBERTS: He used to call America home. Now the feds are after him. They say that he is essentially al Qaeda's chief operating officer. But his mother says that simply can't be true.

Tracking the story only like CNN can. We are tapping into the global resources talking to her and the FBI. It's an exclusive report that you don't want to miss right here on the "Most News in the Morning".

KAYE: And cemented shut. Big news on the Gulf Coast this morning. Two hundred five million gallons later, the source of the Gulf oil leak appears to be dead this morning. BP says static kill is a success and ahead of schedule but we could be looking at many years before all the evidence of this disaster is gone.

ROBERTS: And the "AM Fix" blog is up and running. Join the live conversation joining on right now. Just go to CNN.com/amfix.

Well, up first this morning, an explosive report in the controversial release of the Pan Am bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi. Sources telling the "Wall Street Journal" that there was no consensus among the specialists who were treating al-Megrahi's prostate cancer that he had only three months left to live. Instead that determination came from one doctor who was running Scotland's prison health service. One doctor is apparently all it took to get al-Megrahi freed on humanitarian grounds last August.

The convicted terrorist killed 270 people on that Pan Am flight 22 years ago. Right now al-Megrahi is home in Libya with his family one year after that prison doctor concluded that he just had three months to live.

KAYE: Our Homeland Security correspondent Jeanne Meserve is tracking these new developments and joins us live from D.C. this morning.

And Jeanne, there has been a lot of speculation that there may have been something more behind Megrahi's release.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Megrahi was the only man ever -- ever convicted in connection with the Lockerbie bombing which of course was one of the most horrific acts of terrorism ever perpetrated. Many of the victims were American.

When he was released last year, the word was he had three months to live. There was outrage in many quarters, particularly in this country from families of people who died, saying he didn't deserve this compassionate treatment from the Scottish government.

And there have been suspicions among some members of Congress that there may have been some business influence here, specifically they think that BP, the oil giant, may have had something to do with this because it wanted an oil deal with Libya.

There is in fact a call for a congressional investigation at this point in time. They are asking for more documents. They want to know more about the circumstances surrounding his release which of course have become more suspect because a year after his release he's still alive.

But predictions were he was going to die in three months -- Randi.

ROBERTS: Jeanne, we want to shift to another major story that you're following. We heard about this yesterday. Major terror arrest here in the United States related to Somalia? What's that all about?

MESERVE: Well, indictments unsealed against 14 people. Twelve of them are men who they believe are fighting in Somalia. One of them -- Omar Hammami -- quite well known because he's become a participant in recruiting videos for al-Shabaab, the designated terrorist group in Libya that is one of the more active al-Qaeda affiliates around the world.

And there were only two people arrested. Interesting, they're women, they were in the state of Minnesota. The allegation of the government is that the two of them were raising money for al-Shabaab sometimes through teleconferences. And the government alleges that sometimes they were telling donors that their money was going to the poor. They weren't telling people that this was going to fund war in Somalia.

Back to you.

ROBERTS: Jeanne Meserve for us this morning from Washington. Jeanne, thanks. Good to see you.

KAYE: And coming up at 8:40 Eastern, we'll talk with Paul Sonne, the "Wall Street Journal" reporter who broke this story live from our London bureau.

ROBERTS: Now to the chilling words of a man who gunned down eight people moments before he turned the gun on himself and committed suicide. Police have released a 911 call made by Omar Thornton.

He is the man behind Tuesday's massacre at a beer distribution company in Manchester, Connecticut. He accuses his employers of being racist and, a warning as we are about to play this, you might find the tape very disturbing.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

OMAR THORNTON, GUNMAN: This is Omar Thornton, the -- the shooter over in Manchester. You probably want to know the reason why I shot this place up. This place right here is a racist place.

UNIDENTIFIED 911 DISPATCHER: Yes. I understand that.

THORNTON: They treat me bad over here. They treat all the black employees bad over here, too. So I took things into my own hands and handled the problem. I wish I could have got more of the people.

UNIDENTIFIED 911 DISPATCHER: What's that?

THORNTON: It's all right. I guess it's got me -- I have to take care of business. Tell my people I love them. And I got to go now.

(END OF AUDIO)

ROBERTS: That's where Thornton ended the four-minute, 11 second long call. Earlier he had hinted, when they find me, that's when everything will be over.

KAYE: It's amazing how calm he sounded.

ROBERTS: Yes.

KAYE: Incredibly calm after shooting so many people.

ROBERTS: Sounded like he was bragging about it.

KAYE: Mm-hmm. Terrible.

Now to the latest developments in the Gulf of Mexico and the words millions living and working along the Gulf Coast have waited 109 days to hear. The well is cemented shut. BP says it finished pouring cement down the well yesterday afternoon on top of 2300 barrels of heavy drilling mud to force the oil back into the earth.

ROBERTS: The man overseeing the operations in the Gulf of Mexico Admiral Thad Allen is calling this a significant milestone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADM. THAD ALLEN, NATIONAL INCIDENT COMMANDER: This is not the end but it will virtually assure us that there will be no chance of oil leaking into the environment.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: Allen says that BP is still drilling two relief wells to make sure that this well stays dead but the long-term cleanup, the effects of oil that ran on for -- unchecked for months are another story.

The federal government's on-scene coordinator says tar balls may be washing ashore for years to come.

KAYE: Well, they are all cleaned up and ready to go. Baby birds plucked from the oil spill a month ago going back to the bayou now. I'll have their incredible journey ahead.

Also later this hour, we'll take a trip over the marshes of Louisiana. A bird's eye view of an ecosystem on the rebound.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Did you ever think you would fly out over this bay again and see this water this clean?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. I thought we'd have problems for years.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: It was one of the hardest hit areas and people there say you can thank Mother Nature, not big oil, for the quick recovery.

ROBERTS: But new this morning, the military wants its secret files back. The Pentagon is demanding WikiLeaks turn over all the documents it has on the war in Afghanistan.

The Web site released over 90,000 secret military files online. Top military brass has said the leak may have already cost lives on the battlefield.

In just a few minutes we'll speak with a conservative columnist who says WikiLeaks' founder Julian Assange should be prosecuted and possibly executed.

KAYE: A man who went to prison for a deadly car crash involving his speeding Toyota Camry is now free. Prosecutors in Minnesota dropped charges against (INAUDIBLE) after a judge ordered a new trial. Lee was convicted of vehicular homicide back in 2006 when his Camry sped out of control killing three people. The case was the first to bring Toyota's sudden acceleration problems to light.

ROBERTS: Let's get a quick check of the weather forecast. Jacqui Jeras is in the weather center in Atlanta for us.

And how's it looking today? It was still pretty steamy here in New York yesterday.

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, so much better. You know the weekend in the northeast is going to be absolutely fantastic. I mean we're talking mid to upper 80s for highs. How's that for you?

That's what a cold front will do. But, unfortunately, this is also what a cold front will do for you this time of the year.

Take a look at these pictures that we have out of Washington, D.C. from yesterday afternoon and evening where damaging winds ripped through the area and just toppled trees all over the place on top of homes, on top of cars, blocking streets.

In fact the mayor in Alexandria, Virginia suburb there says it's worst for his city than snowmageddon was. Just putting into perspective how many trees are out there. No serious injuries, though, thankfully.

All right, that storm front on the move today and it's going to bring some showers and thunderstorms across parts of the southeast. And some of those storms could be severe across the Deep South and through the Carolinas.

Unfortunately that's also where the heat is going to be. So I hope that you got a couple of those thunderstorms to help cool you off a little bit.

We've got heat advisories in effect for about eight states now. So that's shaved down a little bit from the 16 yesterday. So that's good to see a little bit of progress here but still feeling like 100 to 110 in many of these areas.

We're also keeping our eye on the tropics. Colin had a little identity crisis throughout the week but back to a tropical storm for today. We'll talk more about what you can expect in the upcoming week in just a little bit.

(CROSSTALK)

ROBERTS: Looking forward to that. Thanks so much.

So Tony Blankley, right? He was press secretary to Newt Gingrich so many years ago. He's now -- now writes a column every once in a while.

He has taken on this WikiLeaks issue saying that Julian Assange, Bradley Manning, who's the guy who's accused of potentially leaking this stuff, and "The New York Times'" Des Spiegel, and "The Guardian" in the UK who published all this stuff should all stand trial on espionage charges.

We'll talk to Tony coming right now up. It's nine minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Twelve minutes now after the hour. The Pentagon is waiting to hear from WikiLeaks this morning after demanding the group turn over all the documents it has on the war in Afghanistan.

The Web site released more than 90,000 secret military files online. Secrets that the military has said could get people killed.

Our next guest suggests that WikiLeaks' founder could be a war criminal, something punishable by death. Tony Blankley is a conservative columnist. He used to be press secretary for Newt Gingrich.

Tony, great to see you this morning.

TONY BLANKLEY, CONSERVATIVE COLUMNIST: Good morning. Good to see you.

ROBERTS: I read your column yesterday with great interest. You say that you want to see Julian Assange prosecuted, even executed if he is found guilty for espionage. Is this just column rhetoric or are you really serious about this?

BLANKLEY: Well, the Espionage Act 794 actually calls for either death sentence, life imprisonment or a term of years. But "The New York Times" last Friday reported that lawyers at the Justice Department were considering whether he could be prosecuted under the Espionage Act. So it's not a right-wing columnist's fantasy but a serious consideration.

And then if you see what Secretary of Defense Gates said last week -- and as you know, he's a man who doesn't overstate matters. And he described the grievous harm that was perpetrated by these leaks, risking and costing lives of our own troops, of allies, of undermining our ability to work in the future with allies around the world as we fight terrorism or anything else, because we can't keep secrets as to who operationally is working with us in the villages of central Asia.

But --

(CROSSTALK)

ROBERTS: But seriously, you think he should be executed if he's found guilty of espionage?

BLANKLEY: I think -- what I said at the end is the evidence in court if it supports the prosecution should go forward. This is -- during World War II we prosecuted and executed people for espionage. This is a serious crime that's being committed against the government. American troops either have or are going to be killed. Our young men and women who volunteered to defend the country are going to be killed because of secrets that were released by this man.

Now he -- he did it for ideological purposes. (INAUDIBLE), I happen to oppose the Afghan war and I share -- for different reasons -- his desire to minimize our involvement in the war, but that's no excuse to commit espionage which is clearly -- I think if you read the statute -- I --

ROBERTS: Sure. And --

(CROSSTALK)

ROBERTS: And, Tony, you're not just -- you're now stopping with Julian Assange. You said that Bradley Manning who is potentially accused of releasing this information --

BLANKLEY: Well, I think --

(CROSSTALK)

BLANKLEY: I actually didn't mention Manning. That's a matter for the Defense Department. But --

ROBERTS: OK. But you also say, though, that "The New York Times" --

BLANKLEY: Yes --

ROBERTS: Der Spiegel and "The Guardian," who published this stuff, are culpable as well.

BLANKLEY: Well, Section C of the statute says anyone who conspires with someone who releases it is equally guilty of the all crimes. And even in the Pentagon Papers' decisions back in the '70s, the Court held open the possibility of prosecuting legitimate news organizations for espionage.

ROBERTS: OK, well --

BLANKLEY: They didn't in that particular case for factual reasons but certainly --

ROBERTS: But no one -- nobody was prosecuted during the Pentagon Papers.

BLANKLEY: Right, but -- but for factual reasons. But -- but there was a footnote that said it's not that we can't -- you can't, it is just the facts don't meet the situation.

But certainly, for non-news organization like WikiLeaks, there's no even tradition of protecting -- you know, we have a certain tradition, modern tradition, of protecting journalism from -- from prosecution, although, as I say, it's not -- it's not written into the law. It's just kind of an unwritten tradition.

ROBERTS: It --

BLANKLEY: But for WikiLeaks, which is not a journalistic organization, it's just a quick release of data to the world.

ROBERTS: Yes.

In your column, you spoke directly to Julian Assange. You said, "You ideological, cold-blooded killer of Afghans, working with our troops, unlike with the crime of treason, one does not need to be an American citizen to be convicted and executed for espionage." You're talking tough quite directly to Mr. Assange, but you also say in your column that you've only read 30 or so of the more than 90,000 documents that were posted. So are you really in a position, Tony, to be so provocative?

BLANKLEY: No, I -- I specifically said I only read 30 of 90,000. Obviously, not too many people have read all 90,000 yet. I said because I don't have an independent judgment, I was relying on Secretary Gates who had -- had obviously had the resources to study it, and I quoted directly his words. So I'm relying on Secretary Gates, the president's secretary of defense, for the characterization of the harm done, not relying on my own judgment because obviously -- I said in the column, I'm not capable of -- of absorbing 90,000 documents in a week, and then make that judgment.

ROBERTS: Now, Assange gave an interview to "Der Spiegel" newspaper in which he said that WikiLeaks was very careful not to release any really sensitive information. He said, quote, "We identified cases where there may a reasonable chance of harm occurring to the incident. Those records were identified and edited accordingly."

And the -- the source who gave WikiLeaks the documents withheld 15,000 of them that this person thought were -- were particularly sensitive. So has any harm really been done here?

BLANKLEY: Well, obviously, Mr. Assange isn't in a position to judge the military consequences, but Secretary Gates is. I don't want to read a whole bunch of stuff to you now on the air, but Gates was very specific in -- in talking about the grievous -- grievous language -- grievous harm done to our troops, permanent damage. I mean it -- potentially dramatic and grievous harmful consequences, battlefield consequences in the release, death -- danger of our troops or allies.

So, Secretary Gates, who I think is in a better position than either Mr. Assange or me to make the judgment, believes this is -- this is one of the most serious releases of classified wartime information that he's seen. So the question isn't what does Tony Blankley or Julian think, the question is what does the Secretary of Defense, who has line responsibilities for it (ph), thinks.

ROBERTS: All right. Well, some of these investigations are continuing and we'll see where they go.

Tony, great to see you this morning.

BLANKLEY: Pleasure.

ROBERTS: Love the glasses, by the way.

BLANKLEY: Thank you.

ROBERTS: Thanks, Tony -- Randi.

KAYE: Thanks, John. A New York State senator is confronted in Albany by protesters, so he responds by throwing cash at them. Now, instead of apologizing, he's defending his actions.

It is 18 minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: And welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. "Minding Your Business" now.

Social Security hits the tipping point this year. The Feds say for the first time in 30 years the system will pay out more than it takes in, this year and next. The government report goes on to say unless the system is reformed the Social Security Trust Fund will be exhausted by 2037.

ROBERTS: And a point on that is the Social Security Trust Fund is just a promise of payment, there's no money.

KAYE: Nothing --

ROBERTS: No money is --

KAYE: Yes.

ROBERTS: No money sitting in a bank or anything like that --

KAYE: Right.

ROBERTS: -- to draw from.

KAYE: It's just not there.

ROBERTS: So it just adds to the deficit to pay out Social Security.

President Obama's top economic mind is leaving the administration. Christina Romer, head of the Council of Economic Advisors, is stepping down. Her resignation taking effect on September 3rd. The White House says Romer will return to teaching at the University of California at Berkeley.

KAYE: And New York Senate Majority Leader caught on tape in a bizarre clash with protestors inside the state capital. Take a look at this. Democrat Pedro Espada encountering screaming protesters before heading to the Chamber Floor. So he screamed back and then threw money at them. The protesters say they're fighting for tenants rights. Espada called them, quote, "hired goons."

ROBERTS: Well, oil-soaked baby pelicans rescued from the Gulf of Mexico, nursed back to health and now going home again. Follow their journey coming up next on the Most News in the Morning.

It's 22 minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.

All dressed up and ready to go home. Baby pelicans rescued from the oil-stained gulf heading back to the bayou this morning. The birds, all from five to 10 weeks old, have been cared for at Seabird Station in Miami for the past month. Officials say they're all in great shape and ready to return to their natural habitat.

BP's blown-out well may finally be plugged, but experts are worried that birds migrating to the gulf will get stuck in the oil or maybe even get sick from it. In this "A.M. Original" report, we look at efforts under way to provide a fresh alternative for the millions of birds now making their way south.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE (voice-over): So many birds dripping in thick brown crude. So even if the well is capped and most of the oil is gone from the gulf, bird conservationists say it doesn't matter. The fact is, since the spill, more than 1,700 birds have been picked up oiled but alive. Even more, another 3,500 birds or so were found dead. Of those, more than 1,500 visibly oiled. And bird sanctuaries are still taking in oily birds.

But this is only part of the story. What about the oiled birds that biologists fear may have died and sunk beneath the surface? They'll never be counted. Just like with the Exxon Valdez. It's estimated as many as 250,000 birds may actually have perished in that spill. Thousands never recovered.

And now with migration season under way, and as many as 2.5 million birds a day migrating to the Gulf of Mexico, conservationists fear more birds could be lost.

KAYE (on camera): It's still early in the migration season. Just a few days into it, but already some ducks, like the Blue-winged Teal, have arrived here from the Dakotas. Conservationists estimate during the next six months, more than 25 million birds will migrate through Coastal Louisiana.

What are your concerns about the birds going into the Gulf of Mexico? What makes you worry the most?

BOB DEW, CONSERVATIONIST, DUCKS UNLIMITED: Our biggest concern is what -- what kind of food resources they're going to find there.

KAYE (voice-over): So biologist Bob Dew and his team at Ducks Unlimited have partnered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which is paying landowners in eight states as much as $20 million to turn idle farmland into clean habitats for birds. Dew's group is hoping to sidetrack migrating birds by transforming 40,000 acres in Southern Louisiana. He brought us to this rice field which has been pumped full of water and turned into a mud flap to tempt the birds.

KAYE (on camera): With about one million ducks and a million geese spending the winter here in Coastal Louisiana, the key is to stop them before they reach the oiled marshlands of the gulf. That's just about a mile from here. So they have to be given a good reason to stop short of their regular destination such as plenty of clean water, fresh vegetation and food.

DEW: You have a lot of seeds that are produced by the vegetation. There's lots -- also lots of invertebrates like snails and clams and other, you know, small worms and things that --

KAYE: That's all oil-free.

DEW: -- that oil-free.

KAYE (voice-over): Scientists we spoke with are extremely concerned about birds digesting oily seafood. Loons, Diving Ducks and Black Skimmers could end up feeding on it since they're all fish- eating open-water birds.

KAYE (on camera): And if the birds ingest any seafood that they might feed on like clams or something like that that are oiled, what would that do to them?

DEW: Well, they could die or they, you know -- and if that happens, it will probably a slow -- a slow death.

KAYE (voice-over): The Audubon Society is keeping an eye on shore birds. The beaches may look clean, they say, but birds may still dig down in the sand for food and end up taking in oil. That poses a real risk for the Piping Clover, a shore bird that's also an endangered species.

As conservationist Jay Owen puts it, if the migrating birds make it all the way to the gulf, they're toast.

JAY OWEN, CONSERVATIONIST: This is the Ritz-Carlton for ducks. And -- and for migratory birds and we need more of this. You get into the vegetation and -- and it's a whole ecology of its own that produces a lot of the proteins and, you know, as far as bugs and everything else. You know, it's the filet mignon for a lot of these migratory birds.

KAYE: The Audubon Society has signed up thousands of citizen scientists to monitor birds. They say it's too early not to worry.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTS: Are people from the Audubon Society then not buying the government's assertion that the seafood is safe? KAYE: Well, you know, I think they believe it's safe, yes. A lot of them do. But they're, you know, they're more concerned really about the birds and getting the right vegetation and finding their right habitat. I mean, birds are habitat samplers, I've learned.

ROBERTS: Yes.

KAYE: So, if you can make something look attractive to them from the sky -- I mean, they've been doing this for thousands of years. So, to try to trick them to not go to the marshlands in Louisiana or along the Gulf isn't going to work. So, they kind of have to just make something look real attractive to sidetrack them.

ROBERTS: Yes, well, an interesting look at it.

KAYE: Yes, it was.

ROBERTS: Checking our top stories as we cross the half hour.

New evidence this morning that specialists treating the convicted Pan Am bomber before his release did not think he had only three months to live. "The Wall Street Journal" is reporting that only one doctor from Scotland's prison system made that determination which was then used to grant al-Megrahi a compassionate release last August. One year later, he is still in Libya.

KAYE: The "static kill" is a success. BP is saying it has finished pumping cement down the ruptured oil well at the bottom of the Gulf. Admiral Thad Allen, the point man for the government, saying this will virtually assure no more oil, pledging the government is committed to finishing that clean-up.

ROBERTS: In a couple of hours' time, we're going to get the latest government gauge of unemployment. July's report is expected to show a slight rise in the jobless rate, which is now hovering near double digits.

KAYE: CNN is uncovering new details about a man who's risen to the top ranks of al Qaeda, according to the feds. They say he spent much of his life in New York and Florida, and now, he seems to have vanished.

ROBERTS: His name is Adnan Shukrijumah. And we have an exclusive interview this morning with his mother.

Our Susan Candiotti is live in Miami for us with a story that you'll see only on CNN.

Good morning, Susan.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

And also, an exclusive interview with the FBI, talking about him on camera for the very first time.

This is a man who was born, as you said, in Saudi Arabia and then spent much of his youth in New York and here in south Florida and then he simply disappeared. And now, it appears, Adnan Shukrijumah appears to have risen to a key leadership position in al Qaeda.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): The FBI says that after he left America, Shukrijumah started off as an al Qaeda dishwasher, doing menial tasks at training camps. But it believes he's much more than a dishwasher now.

BRIAN LABLANC, SPECIAL AGENT, FBI: Just like any other business, he would be equated with a chief of operations.

CANDIOTTI: Investigators have revealed to CNN they believe Adnan Shukrijumah is now directing al Qaeda's overseas operations.

(on camera): How dangerous is he?

LABLANC: He may not be somebody that's going to come into the United States to conduct the attack, but what makes him more dangerous is that he's out there plotting the attacks and recruiting people to actively do that.

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): The break-through came when FBI counterterrorism agent Brian LaBlanc linked Shukrijumah to the thwarted New York subway suicide mission last fall, the biggest post- 9/11 terror investigation.

Najibullah Zazi and Zarein Ahmedzay admit they plan to blow themselves up using homemade bombs. Prosecutors say it was Shukrijumah who called the shots, probably from somewhere along the Afghan-Pakistan border.

(on camera): What did Zazi that he, Shukrijumah, told him to do?

LABLANC: Adnan was the one that convinced the three of them to come back to the United States and conduct the attack here.

CANDIOTTI: He told them you go there and you blow up the subways.

LABLANC: Yes.

CANDIOTTI: There are a lot of people that are saying now that he's involved in evil things, planning attacks on the United States. Can you imagine this?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. That is not my son. My son is not a violent person. He is very kind, generous.

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): In her only televised interview since her son was indicted in the New York plot, his mother insists he's incapable of doing harm.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The way you call it -- the scapegoat.

CANDIOTTI: The eldest son of a Saudi imam, Shukrijumah came to America as a young child. His mother shared exclusively this beloved photo of the two of them. They settled in Brooklyn, New York.

CNN has learned that his Shukrijumah's father preached at this mosque. They lived at this house nearby before moving to Florida in the mid-'90s. His father, who is now dead, opened a small mosque near Fort Lauderdale.

(on camera): In the late '90s, Shukrijumah worked several odd jobs, including selling used cars. His family says that's how he paid for courses, including chemistry and computers, at this small college in south Florida. He even took classes to speak better English.

Well, a few years later, when the FBI began looking for him, his English professor remembered videotaping him at one of those classes and turned over the tape to the FBI. The FBI says that professor's actions proved crucial to their investigation some six years later.

(voice-over): On a hunch, LaBlanc asked agents in New York to show that video of Shukrijumah to would-be bomber Zazi.

LABLANC: From that video, he was able to make an identification.

CANDIOTTI: The FBI says it now has a more detail profile of Shukrijumah in part from 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. Just before 9/11, Shukrijumah crossed the U.S. by train. Later, he scoped out the Panama Canal as a target. He went to Trinidad, London and by June 2001, Afghanistan. On 9/11, his mother, who doesn't want to be named, says he called home for the last time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He called me and he said, oh, maybe you'll hear what happened so on and so on and so on. They say they put it in -- they're putting it on the Muslims. I say, yes. I tell him do not come. Do not come because they're looking at all the Muslim people.

And he was arguing with me. He said, no, I didn't do nothing. I will come. Don't worry about it.

CANDIOTTI (on camera): And after that?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: After that, I don't hear about him.

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Shukrijumah's mother adamantly denies her son is directing al Qaeda attacks. But when I asked about the admitted Times Square car bomber, she said this --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Some time you have to do something very alarming for the people to wake up. It's not because you hate them or you want to destroy them or you want to hurt them.

CANDIOTTI (on camera): Is there anything that you would tell your son about what he should do or not do?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. I don't have nothing to tell him. He have his own guide and his own heart.

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): For the FBI, it is all about staying one step ahead. Where will al Qaeda and Shukrijumah strike next?

(on camera): What do you think he's doing now?

LABLANC: He's definitely focused on attacking the United States and other western countries.

CANDIOTTI: Looking for people, recruiting people, deciding on targets.

LABLANC: Absolutely. Yes. That's correct.

CANDIOTTI: And where is he now? The FBI believes that Shukrijumah is likely in the lawless tribal region of Pakistan called Waziristan. And how do you move up in al Qaeda? Well, apparently, it's a combination of training and timing. The FBI says that the two people who had been working with Shukrijumah were killed in U.S. drone attacks, and that's when he moved up the ladder -- Randi and John.

ROBERTS: Susan Candiotti for us this morning -- thanks so much, Susan.

Well, there's been a lot of debate over exactly where the oil is from the BP blowout.

KAYE: Some see it, some don't see it.

ROBERTS: Yes. Well, we're going to take a look in the air. David Mattingly goes way up high to take a look at Barataria Bay, Grand Isle, that whole area to find out, well, is the oil still there, or isn't there. We'll have that report coming right up for you.

It's 38 minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Forty-one minutes after the hour now.

This morning all along the Gulf Coast, it looks like for folks who live there, the worst may be behind them. BP says the well that leaked 205 million gallons of oil is finally cemented shut.

And while the clean-up effort could take years, some areas are rebounding a lot more quickly than expected. And they may have some really, really, really small clean-up workers to thank for it.

David Mattingly takes us on a trip over the marshlands of Louisiana this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Barataria Bay was among the first and worst hit areas in Louisiana when the oil started coming ashore. You'd never know it looking at it now.

(on camera): I'm only seeing an occasional piece of sheen out here. Is that all there is now?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, it is.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): This is my second trip over the Gulf in less than two weeks with federal clean-up coordinator Rear Admiral Paul Zukunft. He says the Gulf's oil eating microbes are working twice as fast as predicted. Oil that was expected to linger for a month is gone in half the time.

(on camera): So, what we are seeing is a very rapid biodegradation of this oil. Faster than what you expected?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Certainly. We were prepared and, of course, we always prepare. But now, in three weeks, when the NOAA trajectory shows little to no oil on the surface, we were expecting to see more than what we see right now.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): What we do see are marshes growing back fresh green grass and flocks of feeding pelicans, all signs of an ecosystem on the rebound.

(on camera): Did you ever think you would fly out over this bay again and see this water this clean?

CHIEF AUBREY "T.BLACK" CHAISSON, GRAND ISLE FIRE DEPT.: No. I thought we would have problems for years. But actually --

MATTINGLY: I'm amazed. This is the first time I've seen it in probably over a month. I can't believe it.

(voice-over): Getting the public to believe it is a challenge for the Coast Guard and local officials like Grand Isle fire chief, T. Black Chaisson.

(on camera): Are you still struggling with that question, though, where did the oil go?

CHAISSON: Yes, we have a lot of people that ask that question. I think our next challenge is to educate the public. We just need to educate them.

MATTINGLY: Where do you think it went?

CHAISSON: I actually believe that, you know, when you disperse it, Mother Nature takes its course. Microorganisms eat it up. It breaks down. Mother Nature takes care of itself.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): But no one is prepared to drop their guard. Federal reports indicate there's still potentially over 1 million barrels of oil still unseen and in the environment. It's long-term effect on these seemingly resilient ecosystems is unknown.

David Mattingly, CNN, Grand Isle, Louisiana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAYE: Checking the time for you, it is about 6:43 right now.

And still to come this morning, Jacqui Jeras is in for Rob. She'll have this morning's travel forecast coming up after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Well, it's not going to be quite 96 degrees, but it will be very close and it will probably feel a lot hotter in Atlanta. Seventy eight degrees right now under cloudy skies later on today, 91 degrees, but the humidity will make it feel a lot warmer.

KAYE: That is hot. Well, it is 6:46 right now. Let's get a quick check of the morning's weather headlines. Jacqui Jeras is in the Extreme Weather Center.

Good morning, again, Jacqui.

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hey,good morning, guys. It is going to feel like 96 in the shade in Atlanta when you combine the humidity and the temperature out there. And you know, it's really all about the southeast today in terms of where the active and worst weather is across the country.

As we wake up this morning, we do have some pop-up showers and thundershowers along the Gulf Coast. Check out what's going on in Nashville this morning. We've got real nasty line moving along the I- 40 corridor. We've got a live picture to show you out in Nashville this morning.

We're at 75 degrees and thunderstorms are rumbling through. The temperature this afternoon should reach up to 91 degrees. We'll have the thunderstorms this morning. It should quiet down say maybe in another or so.

Temperatures this weekend should be nice and coll. You're going to be into the lower 90s, but right back up into the triple digits unfortunately I think as we kick off the work week and next week as well.

As we take a look at the heat advisories today, they stretch from Oklahoma City down towards Dallas, through much of the deep south. Atlanta you're not in it, but you're very close, it will feel like 100 to 110 again this afternoon.

If you're traveling today, we've got a lot of travel troubles mostly because of the winds in the northeast. Boston, New York City metros, as well as D.C. and Philadelphia, Atlanta and Houston because of the thunderstorms, 30 to 60, over an hour for you in San Fran and Salt Lake City, and we'll see some minor delays we think in some of the big cities out to the west due to some of the low clouds and fog as we'll see in the morning.

Temperature wise today, you're hot here, you're not up here, but you'll see a little reversal once again as the heat starts to build across the plain states against next week.

So summer doesn't want to go away. Guys, kids are going back to school. It is hot for those kids out on the playground. I suggest a water bottle today.

ROBERTS: A hundred to 110 in Atlanta. I like Randi, she says it's not going to be hot up here. It's going to be in the 80s. You know, everything is relative, right?

When it's 100 degrees somewhere else, in D.C. would rather be cool.

KAYE: Having been along the Gulf Coast now for about six weeks straight, this feels pretty cool actually here in New York.

ROBERTS: Do you have any moisture left in your body?

KAYE: No, none at all. None to give!

ROBERTS: Jacqui, thanks. We'll see you again soon.

This morning's top stories just minutes away now, including the military ordering a web site give back stolen property. Will Wikileaks fall in line or could we see even more documents with bigger secrets posted online. The latest live from the Pentagon this morning.

KAYE: Also, Facebook friends looking at your status update as a license to steal. Why you may want to think twice before telling hundreds of your not-so-closest friends that you are not home.

ROBERTS: And she didn't have her food handler's permit, the lemonade stand that the government shut down.

KAYE: Really?

ROBERTS: Yes. Your tax dollars at work. Another example of the death of common sense.

KAYE: Unbelievable.

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WYCLEF JEAN, SINGER AND HAITIAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, after January 12th, I would say over 50 percent of the population is the youth population, and we suffered for over 200 years.

Now that our country has toppled, it is a chance to rebuild from the bottom on up and I don't even say I'm trying to be president. I'm being drafted by the youth of Haiti.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Coming up on 6:53. Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. Can Wyclef Jean save Haiti? Last night, on "Larry King Live," the Grammy-winning hip-hop star announced he's running for president of his native land.

In the aftermath of the devastating earthquake there, Jean helped collect bodies from the streets and raised money for the relief effort.

Joining us now from Port-Au-Prince is musician, blogger and owner of the Hotel Oloffson, Richard Morse. Good morning, Richard. Thanks for being with us.

RICHARD MORSE, OWNER, HOTEL OLOFFSON: All right, my pleasure.

KAYE: Tell me, when Wyclef made his announcement last night on "Larry King" here on CNN, there were people behind him cheering him on, celebrating.

But what sort of reaction are you seeing on the ground to this news? What do folks in Haiti think of this candidacy?

MORSE: Well, you know, I think he is going to probably develop a lot of followers in certain neighborhoods and certain parts of town and I think a lot of people are intrigued by it.

I think that this reflects on the politicians of Haiti. I think the fact that a musician from New York or New Jersey can enter a race without really living in Haiti --

KAYE: But this is a guy who's never held public office. He didn't finish college. He left Haiti when he was 9 years old. I mean, do you think, is he really ready to govern Haiti?

MORSE: Well, I don't really think that's the issue. I think with him, the issue is our people willing to vote for him. And the fact that politicians really haven't come through here, I think they've created a void.

KAYE: Actor Sean Penn was on "Larry King" last night as well and he was a bit critical of Wyclef's candidacy. Let's take a listen and we'll talk about his comments.

MORSE: Sure.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEAN PENN, ACTOR, ACTIVIST: I have to say, I'm very suspicious of it, simply because he as ambassador at large has been virtually silent in -- for those of us in Haiti, he has been a non-presence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAYE: Those are some pretty strong words. What do you think of Sean Penn's comments? Has Wyclef Jean been MIA on the ground there? MORSE: Well, what -- you know, first of all, I want to say that Sean's done a great job and no one would have thought well Sean's going to come in here and run this 60,000-person camp. So that's out of the blue.

And Wyclef, you know, Wyclef doesn't live here, but if he can -- he's definitely got some back-up. I mean, he's making the rounds. He's got back-up. You know? And so he can make himself a player. I mean it is not a huge country. You start dropping some money you can become a player.

KAYE: He has said that he points to the fact that he's an outsider and he can rise above some of the corruption there and the politics there, but does he really have a clean slate considering that he's been criticized for charging his foundation over $400 for that benefit concert. What do you think?

MORSE: Well, yes. I mean, there are some questions, but I don't think that those questions are going to reach his following here and I think that he'll be able to make enough noise and get, you know, people excited.

I mean, his biggest huddle is going to be the electoral council, which is going to determine whether he can run or not and then if he gets by that, then it is just going to be a popularity contest.

There is another musician who's joined the race, Sweet Mickey has joined the race. That's going to be an interesting play-out. Then regular politicians have just been mum. I think they're just stunned.

KAYE: All right, Richard Morse for us in Port-Au-Prince this morning, thanks so much for joining us.

MORSE: My pleasure.

ROBERTS: It's going to make the Haiti elections extra interesting.

KAYE: I think so. You got a musician -- a couple of musicians, actually it sounds like.

ROBERTS: It's something to watch in the future.

Coming up on 57 minutes after the hour. Top stories coming your way right after the break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)