Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
Fugitive Couple Arrested; Roger Clemens Indicted; 9/11 Health Bill; One Year Later: He's Still Alive; President Obama's Religion; Indicted for Denial; Fugitive Couple Caught; Pakistan Floods
Aired August 20, 2010 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. Thanks so much for being with us on this AMERICAN MORNING" on this Friday. It's August 20th. I'm Kiran Chetry.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Jim Acosta in for John Roberts. He's off this morning. A lot to talk about. A big capture that happened overnight out West.
CHETRY: Yes, this manhunt has been going on for weeks now. It's over now. Yes. That's right. Back behind bars. An escaped inmate and his alleged accomplice captured 21 days after a daring prison break in Arizona.
We're going to find out how police captured the couple who are also accused of murders while on the run.
ACOSTA: That's right. And indicted for his denials. Roger Clemens, one of baseball's greatest pitchers, now facing the possibility of 30 years in prison for allegedly lying to Congress about his steroid use.
Could he lose his freedom along with his reputation? A closer look at the case is coming up.
And 9/11 First Responders turning up the heat on the president and Congress. They want to see a critical health care bill currently stalled in Congress become law.
We are live with the latest Ground Zero controversy with our Susan Candiotti. Good story from her on that.
CHETRY: And also the "AM Fix" blog is up and running. We'd love for you to weigh in on any of the stories you're hearing about today. Join the live conversation by going to CNN.com/amfix.
ACOSTA: But first, two fugitives with nothing to lose are in custody this morning. You're looking at new pictures now of John McCluskey and Casslyn Mae Welch. His cousin who is also his lover, by the way. The pair had been on the run for three weeks but not anymore.
CHETRY: No, that came to a dramatic end at a camp ground yesterday, about 280 miles east of the prison where Welch is accused of throwing tools over the fence, helping McCluskey, as well as two other men who are now captured, escape. Tracy Province and Daniel Renwick have since been recaptured.
Joining us on the phone right now is U.S. Marshal David Gonzales.
Thanks so much for being with us this morning. All of this went down late last night, as we understand it. They've been looking for them for some 20 days. Explain how they finally were able to catch up with these two.
DAVID GONZALES, U.S. MARSHALL DISTRICT OF ARIZONA: Yes. An alert U.S. forest ranger in the area of the Apache Citrus National Forest. That's on the northeast portion of Arizona near the New Mexico border.
He was checking a campground area and noticed what he thought was an unattended fire. He went to investigate, saw a car that looked suspiciously parked in the trees, went around the car, took a plate number down, ran into an individual -- a male -- that was acting very suspicious.
He then left the area, ran the license plate. It came -- the license plate came back stolen. Just the plate. And left to do some investigation and discussing it with our command post.
We realized that the plate was stolen around the same time and in the same area that the couple in New Mexico had been killed.
ACOSTA: And --
GONZALES: And based on --
(CROSSTALK)
ACOSTA: And, David -- and it looks like the trail had gone pretty cold at one point during this investigation. Did you have any idea that they were back in Arizona, that they were in Arizona, or was this pure luck and some pretty good quick thinking on the part of that forest ranger?
GONZALES: It was a little bit of both. Now what was important in this particular case is the -- obviously, it had gone cold. We had no idea where they were but -- so what we did to flush them out was that we had tightened a noose in the sense that we had locked down and were putting a lot of pressure on their friends, their family, their acquaintances.
ACOSTA: Right.
GONZALES: They had no place to go.
CHETRY: Right.
GONZALES: But to make a mistake and pop up like this.
CHETRY: Let's talk a little bit about how this actually happened when the ranger approached. As we understand it, they approached John McCluskey, talked to him for a time there. Can you tell us about it?
GONZALES: Right.
CHETRY: Were they armed? Were they in any danger at any point? Because, as we understand it, both of the suspects had weapons.
GONZALES: Right. During that initial conversation with McCluskey, they talked about the campfire, and it was an area that I believe they shouldn't have been in because it requires that you have horses in there.
The forest ranger then left, notified the local sheriff, the Apache County sheriff, and after researching the plates and the description of the individual, they put a SWAT team together, went back in the area, put it under surveillance, and then at about 7:05 last night Pacific Time, they then effected the arrest.
Casslyn Welch did have a gun on her. She had it hidden on the small of her back. She did pull that gun out but dropped it immediately.
ACOSTA: Wow.
GONZALES: And --
ACOSTA: So this could have turned out -- this could have turned out much, much worse.
GONZALES: Exactly. And McCluskey was waiting outside the camp and they pounced on him immediately, obviously, and he later said that -- and it was confirmed -- that he had a gun inside the tent and that, if he had the time, he would have shot the officer, the deputies, and he should have shot the forest service ranger when he had an opportunity.
ACOSTA: Wow. Well, David Gonzales with the U.S. Marshal Service in Arizona. Appreciate your time this morning. And thanks for breaking that down for us. We appreciate it.
CHETRY: Meantime, another top story we're following today. Instead of the Hall of Fame, baseball's seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens could soon be facing prison time.
You may remember back in 2008 when he was on the hot seat in Congress --
ACOSTA: Yes.
CHETRY: He said, let me be clear. I have never taken steroids or HGH. Well, now, a federal grand jury has charged Roger Clemens for lying to Congress. He is facing a total of six counts, one for obstruction of justice, three for making false statements, two for perjury.
ACOSTA: Yes. He's denied it to this day, and yesterday Clemens' lawyer said he will keep fighting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUSTY HARDIN, ROGER CLEMENS'S ATTORNEY: Roger did not use steroids. He didn't use HGH, and he didn't lie to Congress about it. Roger has known from the very beginning that if he chose to publicly deny the accusations in the Mitchell report, that this day would come.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: Roger Clemens, by the way, also came to his own defense on Twitter, tweeting, quote, "I never took HGH or steroids, and I did not lie to Congress. I look forward to challenging the government's accusations and hope people will keep an open mind until trial. I appreciate all the support I've been getting. I am happy to finally have my day in court." Signing it, "The Rocket."
And interesting, I was looking at his Twitter page last night, Kiran. Not only did he say that, but he had numerous responses from fans, friends out there. And he responded almost individually to every one. So obviously the Rocket getting a lot of support out there despite these allegations.
And coming up in just a few minutes we will talk about the Clemens case, why he did not take the Mark McGwire track, whether he will strike a deal or whether it's too late with "Sports Illustrated's" David Epstein and former prosecutor and criminal defense attorney Paul Callan.
CHETRY: Another developing story this morning. A new push to get Israelis and Palestinians talking again. A senior U.S. official says President Obama plans to invite both parties to Washington for direct talks early next month.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is also expected to formally announce the summit talks today. The last direct talks between Israel and the Palestinian authority broke down in December of 2008.
ACOSTA: Well, it looks like there is a new momma grizzly this morning. Sarah Palin is coming to Dr. Laura Schlessinger's defense after the radio host said the "N" word 11 times during a call with an African-American listener last week.
First Palin tweeted to Dr. Laura, quote, "Don't retreat, reload." Now more long form on her Facebook page, saying, quote, "Does anyone seriously believe that Dr. Laura is a racist? Anyone, I mean, who isn't already accusing all conservatives, Republicans, Tea Party Americans, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, of being racists?"
Schlessinger apologized for the "N" word barrage but says she is leaving her radio show at the end of the year.
So Sarah Palin in vintage form there on her Facebook page.
CHETRY: It's interesting because Dr. Laura when -- when Sarah Palin was first announced as the vice presidential candidate for the GOP, was a little bit harsh about her, saying that, you know, she had a child born with Down syndrome, a serious illness, and she went -- I mean a serious disorder --
ACOSTA: I forgot about that.
CHETRY: -- and she went right back to work. And --
ACOSTA: Those momma grizzlies stick together.
CHETRY: Well, in this case, I guess so.
ACOSTA: Apparently so. And she's taking heat for that as well. So we'll have to see how that plays out.
CHETRY: Meantime, check this police chase out. It started in central Dallas yesterday, and after an hour ended on a runway at Love Field.
ACOSTA: This is unbelievable.
CHETRY: Yes. Police were finally able to stop the suspect. They ended up ramming this pickup. The airport was shut down for about 10 minutes during the incident. Police say that the suspect may be linked to other crimes in the area.
ACOSTA: He wasn't late for his flight? Because I --
CHETRY: What makes you think?
ACOSTA: I felt like doing that myself when I've been running late for a flight. You know? Can you just drive right onto the runway and hop on?
CHETRY: Apparently, you can't. I saw the movie "Liar Liar" and it's a big no-no. But --
ACOSTA: You can't do that. I guess the police get a little touchy about that.
CHETRY: If I was on one of those planes, though, can you imagine? That's how easy it is --
ACOSTA: Unbelievable.
CHETRY: -- to just bust on to the runway?
ACOSTA: Yes. Wow. Yes, might be some delays as a result of that, I would imagine.
By the way, speaking of bumbles, Aerosmith front man Steven Tyler, he took another tumble on the stage. This time in Toronto. Check this out this video from TMZ. Some speculating that it was no accident when the guitarist Joe Perry bumps into Tyler.
That's one of our crew members stumbling himself. He has an Aerosmith T-shirt on this morning. So that would be logical. By the way, Tyler fell off the stage last year at the Sturgis motorcycle rally in South Dakota and had some pretty serious injuries. This time he appears to be OK.
Perry and Tyler are said to have a rocky relationship. And from what we understand this was not during the version of "Walk This Way."
CHETRY: Come on. He did not. He did not bump him off the stage. Are you serious?
ACOSTA: This was not during their rendition of "Walk This Way." But -- well, yes. But we should -- and we should mention TMZ owned by our parent company. So --
CHETRY: There you go.
ACOSTA: Putting that disclaimer in there.
CHETRY: Nine minutes past the hour. Let's get a check of this morning's weather headlines. Our Rob Marciano is in the Extreme Weather Center.
Do you think Joe Perry hip-checked him off the stage? No way.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: No. No. No. Those guys have been together way too long and there's been nothing but love over the years.
ACOSTA: Sort of like in this band.
MARCIANO: Exactly.
(LAUGHTER)
MARCIANO: We'll all get in the elevator a little bit later on.
ACOSTA: There you go.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MARCIANO: Summer not over yet. Jim, Kiran, back up to you.
ACOSTA: All right.
CHETRY: Heat index 115. Yikes.
ACOSTA: Walk this way. Crawl this way.
CHETRY: Still talking about Aerosmith, I guess.
MARCIANO: I'm sorry.
CHETRY: Thanks, Rob.
ACOSTA: Thank, Rob.
MARCIANO: See you, guys.
ACOSTA: The Rocket is still insisting that steroids did not give him a boost late in his career. Will Roger Clemens deny it all the way to prison? More on the baseball legend's case and his fall from grace. That is 10 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the "Most News in the Morning." Thirteen minutes past the hour.
His message to this day has been pretty consistent. Deny, deny, deny. And now Roger Clemens, one of the best pitchers to ever play the game of baseball, has been charged with lying to Congress -- among other things -- for saying he never used steroids.
ACOSTA: It all went down more than two years ago, Clemens under oath and contradicted by his former trainer. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROGER CLEMENS, MLB PITCHER: Let me be clear. I have never taken steroids or HGH.
BRIAN MCNAMEE, FMR. MLB STRENGTH COACH: When I told Senator Mitchell that I injected Roger Clemens with performance-enhancing drugs, I told the truth.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: A lot of implications here. We want to bring in Paul Callan, he's a professor of media law at Seton Hall University. Also a prosecutor and defense attorney. And David Epstein from "Sports Illustrated."
Thanks to both of you for being with us this morning.
David, just overall about this Roger Clemens case and the fact that these indictments came down yesterday -- overall, what does this do for Roger and for the game of baseball?
DAVID EPSTEIN, STAFF WRITER, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: I mean most immediately for Roger, it threatens his freedom. You know he could be kind of the first baseball player in all of this to see some jail time. And certainly, it makes 2013 a really interesting Hall of Fame voting year because both he and Barry Bonds will be eligible for the first time.
They're both currently indicted on perjury charges and they're the best pitcher and the best hitter of their era. So that's going to be -- kind of keep this debate going at least through 2013 in a big, big way.
And presumably, if he gets convicted, you know, we're not going to be seeing him in the Hall of Fame, I wouldn't think.
ACOSTA: And, Paul, help us out with the legal side of this because I wasn't aware that lying to Congress was a crime.
(LAUGHTER)
CHETRY: He's kidding.
ACOSTA: Usually, it happens the other way around. They're lying to us. But -- I mean how serious is this?
PAUL CALLAN, PROFESSOR OF MEDIA LAW, SETON HALL UNIVERSITY: Well, they don't get indicted. They get reelected when they lie to us.
ACOSTA: That's right.
CALLAN: But -- no, the laws are very, very clear. You tell a lie to Congress, it is a crime. What's interesting, Jim, is that it's a crime that's very, very rarely prosecuted.
ACOSTA: Yes, I was going to say, if -- shouldn't it be prosecuted if it's going to be a crime?
CALLAN: Well, it should be prosecuted but, you know, this case points in the direction of why it's not usually prosecuted. Usually, it's very, very hard to prove. Usually, the witness says, well, I was confused. I didn't understand.
Maybe the lie was a little lie and it wasn't material which is one of the elements. But in this case -- in Clemens's case, he was so brazen and arrogant about everything that he said that Congress felt compelled to seek an indictment here. So they think that the case against him is very strong.
CHETRY: Clemens has long maintained, as we've said, that he is not involved in steroids and he didn't do steroids despite some of the evidence out there. I mean, his trainer, McNamee, claims he had saved syringes and, you know, he's reporting that these syringes tested positive for Clemens' DNA.
I mean, it seems that there's -- many of, you know -- his friend, longtime friend, Andy Pettite testifying, you know, against him. Why has he maintained his innocence so vehemently through all of this, and what are the implications for him moving forward if indeed he's proven wrong?
EPSTEIN: Well, why he's maintained his innocence? This is a guy who legacy is really, really important to. You know, he played many, many years. He kept going long after other people might have retired from injuries and things like that, and he's always cared about his legacy, and he's always had the legacy of a guy who could stand up on the mound, be an intimidator, and get people to back down.
And it seems like he kind of took the same approach in this case, and it didn't really work out that well because he was facing Congress and law enforcement officials and not, you know, scared batters who were shaking in their cleats, basically.
ACOSTA: And he's another icon of this game.
EPSTEIN: Oh, yes, absolutely. I mean, he's -- he's a seven-time Cy Young Award winner. This is -- you couldn't think of someone who would go into the hall of fame more quickly without this kind of stuff. So --
CHETRY: And -- and you talked about how difficult it is to prove this. I mean, what do they have here in terms of possibly getting a conviction?
CALLAN: Well, it looks on the surface like they have a very strong case. I mean, they have testimony from his trainer that he was injected over 20 times with anabolic steroids. They have testimony from Andy Pettite, who is a much beloved figure.
But they also have physical corroboration. They say they have syringes that the trainer actually used, which have his DNA, and I'm sure prosecutors have other corroborative evidence as well. So, on the surface, it looks like an extremely strong case against Roger Clemens.
ACOSTA: And one of the -- one of the members of that committee that Clemens is accused of lying to, Tom Davis, a Republican from Virginia who's no longer in Congress, says that if Roger Clemens had not been so brazen to come before the committee, put his hand up, take an oath to tell the truth to the Congress and then say what he did, that perhaps he wouldn't be in as much trouble as he is now, he had just been simply deposed before coming before the committee.
CALLAN: Well, you're right. The congressman said that, and I think what's interesting is you see bipartisan support for this indictment.
ACOSTA: Right.
CALLAN: I mean, what are Democrats and Republicans agreeing on in Congress now?
And the other thing, I think, Jim, you mentioned it earlier when you were talking about going to his Twitter site, Roger Clemens' Twitter site. This guy is a defense attorney's nightmare.
ACOSTA: Right.
CALLAN: Defense attorneys say to their clients --
ACOSTA: They don't like Twitter.
CALLAN: -- keep your mouth shut. Don't say anything. Roger Clemens is answering fan questions on Twitter. That's all going to be used against him by prosecutors when he takes the stand at trial.
He's a nightmare client for a defense attorney. So we're going to see a really interesting case get tried if Roger Clemens takes this all the way.
CHETRY: I mean, bottom line, though, 30 years in jail, I mean, in prison. Can you -- I mean, do you really picture Roger Clemens doing jail time?
EPSTEIN: No. I mean, from the little reporting I did yesterday and talking to lawyers, that that's unrealistic. People were talking about a year, maybe two years at the most. But, no, absolutely not.
CALLAN: You know, federal sentencing guidelines, maybe 12 to 15 months is where he would wind up being sentenced. But I do think he's looking at a jail sentence, if he's convicted. Probably he will be -- face jail. Not 30 years, not five years, but some jail time.
CHETRY: All right. We'll see how this plays out.
Paul Callan and David Epstein, thanks for both of you for being with us this morning.
EPSTEIN: Thanks.
CALLAN: (INAUDIBLE).
ACOSTA: Thank you, gentlemen.
CHETRY: Coming up, federal regulators are reportedly set to hit American Airlines with a record, a multimillion dollar fine over safety issues. We're going to get details on that just ahead.
It's 19 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ACOSTA: All right. Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
American Airlines, as you just mentioned a few minutes ago, Kiran, could be facing the largest fine ever against a U.S. airline. "The Wall Street Journal" reports the FAA is proposing a penalty of $25 million or more over safety issues that concerns maintenance lapses that forced American to ground its entire fleet of MD-80 planes for several days in 2008. An announcement is expected in the next few weeks, but officials say no final decision has been made.
CHETRY: How about this one? Times are a changing. Well, actually, I'll tell you about that later.
You may want to resume -- rename "Sin City," "Stress City" (INAUDIBLE) --
ACOSTA: The times are a changing, I mean, when it comes to this because, honestly, this surprised me.
CHETRY: Well, about the most stressful cities?
ACOSTA: Yes.
CHETRY: Usually, you think of New York, right?
ACOSTA: Exactly.
CHETRY: (INAUDIBLE), D.C. perhaps, not just because we live there, but, I mean, people are a little -- wound a little tight here.
But, according to "Forbes," it's Vegas. It's the most stressful city in America.
ACOSTA: Vegas? What?
CHETRY: Even though it's a place where a lot of people go to blow off steam -- OK, perhaps to blow their paychecks -- people who live there are burnt out from working crazy hours, keeping the lights on all night for the tourists. They also say that it's a city where you don't -- because it's so hot, there's not a lot of places to do outdoor exercise. People are not fit as much in Vegas.
Number two is L.A., by the way, followed by Houston.
You know one of the other factor of this? The long commute, being stuck in traffic.
ACOSTA: Oh, well, that would make a huge difference. In Houston, they have brutal traffic.
But, I have to say, Las Vegas, one of -- as you know, one of my favorite movies, "The Hangover," they don't look too stressed out in "The Hangover," I just have to say.
CHETRY: No, they don't. But then again, they don't remember much.
ACOSTA: Especially in the closing credits, which I wouldn't get into.
CHETRY: Coming up, emergency first responders are now turning up the heat on President Obama and Congress over the 9/11 health bill. They want it passed to save themselves. They say, why all the focus on the mosque nearby? Why not focus on the issue of people who were injured?
ACOSTA: Right. Good question.
CHETRY: Yes. Susan Candiotti is following the story for us this morning.
Twenty-three minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: It's 26 minutes past the hour. Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
President Obama is weighing in on another Ground Zero controversy, one that's been overshadowed by the fight over building an Islamic center and mosque near the World Trade Center site.
ACOSTA: The president is backing a bill to provide long-term health care and compensation in 9/11 first responders. Right now, the legislation is stalled in Congress and our Susan Candiotti talked with one first responder who had a message for those in Washington.
And, Susan, I imagine that message was pretty -- pretty plainly put.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is, and frankly, the message is would someone please, please get off the dime?
You know, the man that you're about to meet -- the man you're about to meet wants the president to sign the health care bill as soon as one is passed, and he says that that response, signing that bill, would be way over due.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDIOTTI: John, this is you just a few hours before you were injured on September 17th, 2001?
JOHN FEAL, 9/11 VICTIMS' ADVOCATE: That is correct, Susan.
CANDIOTTI (voice-over): John Feal was a demolition foreman removing 9/11 debris, then 8,000 pounds of concrete nearly crushed his left foot.
CANDIOTTI (on camera): How many surgeries have you had on both feet over the years?
FEAL: More than 2,000.
CANDIOTTI (voice-over): He nearly lost that foot, but the victims' advocate has never lost hope for a health bill. It would help those sickened by contaminants and other illnesses related to Ground Zero.
Feal wasn't happy about President Obama weighing in on the Ground Zero Islamic center controversy, yet not saying much about a health bill for 9/11 responders, so he wrote a letter to the president.
FEAL: It is disturbing, Sir, that you have the time and energy to speak in favor of the mosque but not on the health crisis caused by the attacks.
I was challenging our president to make 9/11 responders and our bill a priority, an issue that's been neglected for nine years, for him to be our leader, to be our champion.
CANDIOTTI: Wednesday night the White House issued a statement. "The President looks forward to signing the 9/11 health bill into law, once it passes both Houses of Congress, to help the first responders whose health and livelihood were devastated by the events of September 11th." FEAL: He says he would sign the bill if it passed both Houses, but he doesn't say he supports the bill.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So I'll put in place --
CANDIOTTI: Feal wants the president to take a more active role, like he did on the campaign trail. In 2007, then candidate Obama railed against those who only supported first responders with words.
OBAMA: We love you for what you did on September 11th, but when it's time to get you health care or buy radios or the equipment that you need, those supporters sometimes disappear like a puff of smoke.
CANDIOTTI: Supporters in Congress were fired up when the bill failed to pass a few weeks ago.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is a shame! A shame!
CANDIOTTI: The bill would include unlocking a victims' compensation fund and cost at least $7 billion over 10 years, according to its supporters.
Feal says he wouldn't give up.
FEAL: This anniversary, we're going to vote like Americans and they're going to get it done. I truly believe that, Susan, and if I didn't think that, I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CANDIOTTI: Over 13,000 responders are getting treatment, and about 55,000 are being monitored. Opponents say a $7 billion price tag to take care of them is yet another strain on the federal budget. Either way, look for another Ground Zero related hot potato when Congress reconvenes next month.
ACOSTA: Yes.
CHETRY: You know, it's something that, you know, is -- is firing a lot of people up about this.
ACOSTA: We were talking about this during the piece. This makes people's blood boil, this issue of the first responders not being taken care of. We were talking about the fact that the -- the site has not been fully rebuilt and we're now nine years, almost, after 9/11.
CANDIOTTI: It's unbelievable that that much time has passed, and, clearly, a lot of people would like to get a lot of things moving down at that site and certainly to take care of -- of these first responders and the people who helped them --
ACOSTA: Absolutely.
CANDIOTTI: -- lived in the area. CHETRY: Yes. Great story, Susan. Thank you.
ACOSTA: Thanks, Susan.
CANDIOTTI: You're welcome.
CHETRY: Well, it's now half past the hour. We check our top stories this morning.
The nightmare is over -- that's what authorities are saying this morning after they nabbed two fugitives who have been on the run after a prison break back in July. Escaped inmate John McCluskey and his alleged accomplice, Casslyn Mae Welch, were arrested in an Arizona campground yesterday -- thanks to a tip from a forest ranger. Authorities say Welch tried to pull a gun, but SWAT members stopped her. They also say McCluskey told officers that he would have killed them had he been able to get to his gun.
ACOSTA: Researchers have been trying to figure out where a lot of the crude that spewed from BP's ruptured well went. Well, scientists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution say they detected a 22-mile long plume of oil 3,000 feet deep in the Gulf of Mexico. This contradicts recent government findings that a vast majority of the oil spill is gone and raises new concerns that the tens of billions of gallons of oil that leaked could threaten wildlife for months or even years.
CHETRY: And the U.N. now says 4 million people have been left homeless by the massive flooding in Pakistan. That's double the previous estimate for homelessness. Some 20 million affected in all.
The U.S. is pledging an additional $60 million in aid to Pakistan. That brings the contributed total for the U.S. to $150 million.
Meantime, Pakistan's government is cracking down on charities with ties to Islamic militants out of fear that the Taliban may be trying to exploit the flooding chaos.
ACOSTA: And check this out. You know how mad people are in the United States about this next story. Well, they're just as mad over in Great Britain.
An opinion piece in Britain's "Telegraph" newspaper this morning is not holding back. The headline, "Libya has made fools of us all over Lockerbie bomber Megrahi." That's because one year ago today, a convicted terrorist and mass murderer left a Scottish prison and returned to Libya.
CHETRY: Scottish officials say that Abdel Basset al-Megrahi was released on compassionate grounds because he was on death's door with prostate cancer. Well, it's a year later, he's alive, at home with his family.
And for more, we'd bring in our Phil Black live from London this morning.
What is the Scottish government saying today? This is a year later. We took the news conference live when they discussed their decision to release him. A year later, he seems to be in decent health and free.
PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Kiran and Jim, good morning.
No regrets from the Scottish government on this one year on. They stand by the decision they made to release the convicted Lockerbie bomber. They insist that it was made for the right reasons, in accordance, they say, with Scottish values and Scottish law, and they continue to insist that they -- as they have done for the last year -- that economics, trade, political factors did not influence the decision at all. In fact, the Scottish first minister, Alex Salmond, said he would rather lead a government that is accused of being too compassionate rather than one that is accused of showing too little compassion -- Jim, Kiran.
ACOSTA: And, Phil, there have been reports today of celebrations today in Libya? We just showed some video that was from a while back. But do the Libyans know what the reaction is going to be like in the West? Or do they just not care?
BLACK: Well, one year ago, you'll remember, as Abdel Basset el-Megrahi returned home to Libya for the first time, he was greeted by cheering crowds, what has been described as a hero's welcome. That triggered a lot of anger, a lot of hurt for the victims' families -- a lot of embarrassment for the British government.
This year, on this day, the British government is warning the Libyans, or asking them fairly firmly, to tone it down. They're asking them not to celebrate this first anniversary, and they're saying to do so would be tasteless, offensive, and deeply insensitive.
CHETRY: Well, unfortunately, all they can do at this point is suggest. They can do whatever they want in Libya. He's a free man.
Phil black, thanks so much. Appreciate it.
ACOSTA: Thanks, Phil.
CHETRY: Thirty-four minutes past the hour.
There are some new questions this morning about -- well, not this morning but lately -- about President Obama's religion. Why does it seem confusing to so many people? There's a new poll suggesting a growing number of Americans believe he's a Muslim, and a growing number of Americans aren't sure what his religion is. But why does it matter so much?
We'll take a look at the fact, the fiction, and the controversy -- just ahead.
Thirty-four minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Thirty-seven minutes past the hour. Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
Well, it's a fact. President Obama is not a Muslim. He's a Christian.
But there is another truth out there that a growing number of Americans don't believe that.
According to a Pew Research poll, 18 percent think that the president is a Muslim. That's up from 11 percent when asked the same question last year. Thirty-four percent say they believe he's a Christian, and that's down from nearly 50 percent last year. Forty- three percent say they don't know the president's religion, and that is up from 34 percent.
But why? And why does it matter?
Joining us now from Orlando is Reverend Joel Hunter, a spiritual adviser to President Obama.
Welcome.
And also, from Nashville, Stephen Mansfield, the author of "The Faith of Barack Obama," as well as "The Faith of George W. Bush."
Stephen, thanks for being with us as well.
STEPHEN MANSFIELD, AUTHOR, "THE FAITH OF BARACK OBAMA": Great to be with you.
CHETRY: Let me start with you, Reverend Hunter. You're a spiritual adviser to the president, as we said. Why do you think there's a misunderstanding here about the president's religion?
REV. JOEL HUNTER, PRESIDENT OBAMA'S SPIRITUAL ADVISER: Well, because the president has decided to keep his religious life more personal, more private, there is not the public definition. He doesn't public-define himself. And when you don't define yourself, others will define you, and probably, inaccurately and falsely, as is happening in this case.
CHETRY: And let me ask you about this, Stephen. Why does it seem that there is such a -- I guess there's questions. It's a subject, it's up for debate.
I mean, have we seen this before? Or is it because the president looks different than past presidents that it's such an issue?
MANSFIELD: Well, we have definitely seen situations where people are uncertain about what a president believed. But I think it's the inconsistency with Barack Obama that is at issue. You know, he's had the Iftar dinners, he's had the Seders in the White House, he's had the Hindu ceremonies in the White House.
CHETRY: Right. But President George W. Bush also had Iftar dinners at the White House.
MANSFIELD: No question about it. But I was going to say was, they -- the thing is, though, that on -- for example, on the National Day of Prayer, the National Prayer Breakfast, he was not involved. So, people are used to a kind of Christianity that embraces other faiths as equally valid paths to God and yet is a little suspicious of fellow Christians at times. And that's -- that sort of marked this administration.
CHETRY: Do you think that, Reverend Hunter, that President Obama has shown he's suspicious of fellow Christians?
HUNTER: Absolutely not. He was very involved. He's always been involved in the National Day of Prayer. He's declared it the last two years. He's spoken at the National Prayer Breakfast.
This is part of the mystery. I would say that there are probably few or relatively few Christians in America that are as faithful with daily devotions as our president is. And it's remarkable to me that people think that -- because he tries to treat all faiths equally, that somehow, that makes him less of a Christian.
CHETRY: Stephen, why do you think it's such a subject for discussion? Why is it so important that people know the religion of their president?
MANSFIELD: Well, if a president's faith is sincere, it's one of the most important things about them, and I think that we sometimes elected people to office when we weren't sure of their faith, even George W. Bush. You know, he's -- when he was asked who his favorite political philosopher was, and he said, "Jesus Christ because he changed my heart." Well, we didn't know what that meant exactly. I think we would like to have known more.
Looking back at it now, I think we would have liked to have known more what Ronald Reagan believed when he was contemplating Armageddon while he was in the White House.
So, I think we live in a more religiously sophisticated, religiously open society that we have in recent generations, and I think people want to know what their president believes.
CHETRY: And, Reverend Hunter, you know, there was a lot of speculation and talk after he left the church in Chicago of where he would join, what congregation he would be part of in Washington. And do you think it was a mistake not to announce that or not to be more public about where he worships now?
HUNTER: No. As a matter of fact, I remember a conversation that T.D. Jakes and I had with him in the Oval Office about this. He literally creates a circus whenever he walks into a church, and he was very frustrated because he tried with several churches. And his disturbance was that he was not allowing others to worship, which is the purpose of going to church, and he certainly couldn't worship because of all of the, you know, the hullabaloo surrounding his attendance.
So, it really defeated the purpose of actually choosing a church the way some other presidents were free to do.
CHETRY: And, Stephen, this is interesting. When you look deeper into polling about questions about this, 1/3 of the conservative Republicans asked think that -- who were asked -- think that the president is Muslim. It's up 16 points since last year. How much of that is just politics? I mean, we saw on this poll that the more you tend to disagree with the president on issues, the more you tend to question whether or not you believe he's Christian.
MANSFIELD: Yes, exactly. The president is absolutely not a Muslim, and I think those who don't like him simply throw this label at him because it's -- you know, part of the political mud fest. I think the broader issue is what he said earlier, that the president is what we might call a very liberal, a broad, and an all-inclusive kind of Christian.
And so, he values Islam, its heritage, its world view, and that's confusing to people who expect that, if you're Christian, then you are, you know, not embracing of Islam or not embracing of Hinduism. So, that he's not a Muslim is certain, but that these numbers are so high amongst those who think he is, I think that's a -- that's a real statement that the White House has not done a good job communicating what he does believe.
CHETRY: Many people, Reverend Hunter, thought we'd never have an African-American president. Do you think that we will ever elect somebody who's not Christian in this country?
HUNTER: That would be probably difficult. There's about 80 percent of this country that affiliates with the Christian belief. And so, that would be certainly a challenge. I don't know. I can't see into the future, though.
CHETRY: All right. Interesting conversation, though, today. Reverend Joel Hunter, as well as Stephen Mansfield -- thanks to both of you for being with us.
ACOSTA: And never say never.
CHETRY: Well, Joe Lieberman --
ACOSTA: That's right.
CHETRY: -- is conservative Jewish.
ACOSTA: Absolutely.
CHETRY: And he was on the ticket and almost won.
ACOSTA: That's right. And Rahm Emanuel would like to be the first -- or once wanted to be the first Jewish speaker of the House. So, it's not out of the question that we could see that someday. A great discussion there.
Well, it is 43 minutes after the hour. Still to come on the Most News in the Morning, Rob Marciano will have this morning's travel forecast. It's coming up right after the break.
CHETRY: Also, in 10 minutes, what do you get when you cross a bib and an eye mask, a Snuggy and an eye patch? They got another one of these blankets out again.
ACOSTA: I don't think I want to know.
CHETRY: You might -- hey, you might if you're stuck on the plane or perhaps in the subway and you get a little chilly.
Forty-four minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ACOSTA: Kiran, if you're up to no good.
CHETRY: What? You direct that at me?
ACOSTA: You might want some scary animals to protect your lair, maybe sharks with lasers on their heads like Dr. Evil and Austin Powers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have one simple request, and that is to have sharks with freaking laser beams attached to their heads. Now, evidently, my cycloptic colleague informs me that that can't be done. Can you remind me what I pay you people for? Honestly, throw me a bone here.
ACOSTA (voice-over): They were ill tempered sea bass. But anyway, these aren't spy villains. This is just a lot of setup for some bear video. These are Canadians with an illegal pot farm. The cops didn't find laser headed sharks. They found bears, yes, black bears guarding the crops. The amount of police tell the Vancouver Sun, the bears were actually quite gentle, and the bad guys were feeding them dog food to keep them around.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: I love that the police are posing with the black bears after a huge bust of an illegal marijuana farm. That's great.
ACOSTA (on-camera): What better to guard your pot farm with than black bears? I mean, honestly, you know. The laser beams attached to their heads would have been an improvement.
CHETRY: I can't get over these pictures. They're posing and grinning. Obviously, the bears aren't that scary if the cops feel comfortable doing that.
ACOSTA: It's different in Canada.
CHETRY: Yes. Rock on.
Forty-eight minutes past the hour. We get a check of this morning's weather headlines. Rob Marciano in the Extreme Weather Center. You were chuckling. Were you chuckling harder at the throwback movie clip or the?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: That was funny, but I think the answer, let's think about bears guarding a pot farm, very chill, eating.
ACOSTA: That's true.
MARCIANO: Were they really guarding the farm?
ACOSTA: Yes. Apparently, some twinkie wrappers were found at the scene.
MARCIANO: Yes. I think more than just dog food possibly.
ACOSTA: Right.
MARCIANO: Good morning, guys. Listen, across the northeast, we got a little bit of air quality alert -- not too bad in Philadelphia and in D.C. No storms there. But in the New York City and Boston metros, you might see some delays because of wind. Low clouds in Atlanta, Chicago, and Minneapolis. That's going to be the prep for severe weather. Pop-up thunderstorms in Houston. If you travel to San Francisco, they got a bit of marine layer there.
More than just a marine layer, heavy rain yesterday across parts of the Carolinas. Albemarle got 6.47. Cheraw got 4.52. And even Lake Charles, Louisiana, my old stomping grounds, almost 2 inches of rainfall there. This is all part of the system that made its way through Tennessee. We were concerned yesterday about the Cumberland River getting up and over flood stage. It did not happen overnight. So, that's good news. We're not looking for more rain there today, but most of it is moving offshore.
This is a severe weather threat today as this line moves a little bit closer towards Iowa and Chicago. Iowa doesn't need any more rain obviously because of the very, very wet summer they've had. So, they don't need that. Heat indexes are on the rise here. 105 to 115 in places like Dallas, Houston, and this is all expanding. It's going to get hot, I think, in areas across the midsection of the country over the weekend. So, summer not quite done yet. 101 in Dallas. They can't buy a cool day even in the 90s.
So, that's the latest from the weather department. Back up to you. Twinkie sounds pretty good right now, and all I've been drinking is coffee.
CHETRY: Yikes. You need a couple of pop-tarts.
ACOSTA: Any brown bears floating around in the weather studio?
MARCIANO: No. All is quiet and calm on this Friday. ACOSTA: That's good.
CHETRY: Thanks, Rob.
ACOSTA: Thanks, Rob.
MARCIANO: See you, guys.
CHETRY: This morning's top stories just a couple of minutes away, including fugitives caught. A couple that has been on the run accused of murder now in custody.
ACOSTA: Where are those pictures?
CHETRY: Yes. The chase happened last night. These are the pictures from the arrest. It sounds like something out of a movie. We're going to hear about the race to get them before they got to their weapons.
ACOSTA: And he still says it ain't so. Roger Clemens facing charges of lying to Congress about his steroid use. Could one of the greatest pitchers ever be headed to prison?
CHETRY: And powerful addictive drugs. No prescriptions needed, no questions asked, just click and you get them in the mail. How the feds say they busted major players in the online drug trade. Those stories and more coming up in just ten minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: By the way, that was our control room. The young girl who waved, Erica, it's her birthday today. So, happy birthday, Erica.
ACOSTA: Hey, happy birthday.
CHETRY: Right.
ACOSTA: And they all looked happy in there.
CHETRY: They look thrilled. Look at them. Happy birthday, Erica. Twenty-one forever. Woo hoo. She won't even look at the camera. There she is.
ACOSTA: You may want to turn around. You're on television. All right. Happy birthday.
Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. It is 6:54 and that means time for Moos News in the Morning. Forget the Snuggie. One woman is taking the wearable blanket one step further, although, not sure all of us if she would (ph).
CHETRY: One step further to wear. It's called the Snazzy Napper. An unusual product. It's designed to let you nap in public in comfort. Here's Jeanne Moos trying it out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Are you tired of napping using a cap or a sleeve to block out the light?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The snazzy to sleep while you travel.
MOOS: Move over, Snuggie.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The blanket that has sleeves.
MOOS: The Snazzy Napper is the new blanket on the block.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where do you snazzy nap? In the car? On a plane? Snazzy Napper is here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You put it here.
MOOS: It's the brain child of Atlanta physician, Margaret Wilson, after she had to resort to putting a jacket over her head to sleep on a flight to London. She designed the Snazzy Napper.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They don't have to look at you with your mouth open while you sleep or --
MOOS: No. Now, they have to look at you wondering what is that thing on your head? As we discovered when we tested this Snazzy Napper and got giggles on a Central Park bench. You strap it on with Velcro. There's a hole for your nose with a metal strip.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, that it would crimp to your nose.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's like privacy in a bag.
MOOS: It comes in two sizes, small and large enough to wrap yourself up in.
We think it's the next Snuggie.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It looks ridiculous.
MOOS: Wearing the Snazzy Napper in the New York subway provoked both smiles and the cold shoulder.
Would I be able to ask your opinion about this?
My neighbors on the platform didn't know what to make of me. Strange looks sometimes turned into outright stares.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What is that, a big bib?
MOOS: Someone tweeted, if you wear this thing on a plane, they'll arrest you for terrorism. The napper's creator said she tried to make it look friendly by putting Zs and a sheep logo on it. And there's that non-threatening name.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Snazzy, Snazzy Napper.
MOOS: Down in the subway, the napper soon had rappers serenading it as jazzy rather than Snazzy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jazzy napper.
MOOS: There's even a contest. Win $100 by sending in your funniest photos.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Be sure to tell us time, date, and location of the napping.
MOOS (on-camera): This by the way, is a no-no. The packaging explicitly says no smoking.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where do you snazzy nap?
MOOS (voice-over): At the office but only when I'm covering Snazzy Napper, or it's covering me. Hello?
Jeanne Moos, CNN.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Grab yourself a jazzy napper.
MOOS: New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: OK. The New York subway does not need to get more strange. That's all I have to say.
CHETRY: That's scary true. There's really nothing else to say after that. We'll be right back. Top stories in two minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
