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American Morning
Saving Chile's Trapped Miners; Iraq War Nearing End: Iran Gaining Influence as U.S. Troops Leave; Muslim Cabbie Attacked; Emmy Award Winners; A Soldier's Story; Beck Hits the Mall; Pot and Chronic Pain
Aired August 30, 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 Monday morning to you. Glad you're with us on this AMERICAN MORNING. It's Monday, August 30th. Man, time flies. I'm Kiran Chetry.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: I don't know what happened to the month of August. I looked over my shoulder and there was July, and now I'm staring straight at September.
Let's get you caught up on what happened overnight. To the rescue, in just hours, workers could start drilling the escape shaft for the 33 miners trapped deep underground in Chile. We're live at the mine with new details about the plan, plus how the men got to speak with their loved ones on the surface.
CHETRY: Deadly rip currents up and down the east coast. Warnings going out about that. If you're going to be in the water, Hurricane Danielle making it quite dangerous to swim. A surfer in Cocoa Beach, Florida was killed. A young dad swept away in Ocean City, Maryland and the threat won't be letting up any time soon.
ROBERTS: And the world comes to Flushing Meadow. It's opening day at the U.S. Open tennis tournament, the season's final major event. Richard Roth, our resident expert on non-major sports, will be here with a preview.
CHETRY: And, of course, the amFIX blog is up and running this morning. Join the live conversation. Go to CNN.com/amFIX.
ROBERTS: But first, developing news. As we speak this morning regarding the 33 trapped Chilean miners, rescuers are right now making final preparations to begin drilling the main rescue shaft. It's a process that could begin today and take more than three months to reach the men who this morning are alive, living in a cramped sweltering space some 2,300 feet beneath the surface.
And as the rescue drags on, officials are lowering food, games, even MP3 players down through small bore holes. They are the only way to reach the men and the only way for the miners to connect with the world above. Our Karl Penhaul is in Copiapo, Chile for us with the very latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the San Jose copper and gold mine, behind the Chilean desert. Deep below is this "refuge 33." The named 33 miners have given the shelter where they've been trapped for more than three weeks after a cave-in.
Rescue workers drag equipment into place. They plan to begin drilling a hole Monday through a depth of about 700 meters, or 2,300 feet.
(on camera): First of all, a dry drill will go down, and then a wider hole will be dug about shoulder width to pull the men up.
(voice-over): That initial plan, Plan A, is expected to take as long as four months. But now engineers say they may have another plan, Plan B. That could get the miners out in half the time previously estimated using a faster drill normally used for boring water holes.
"We don't want to pin down a time frame but we think this could be quicker than Plan A. In ideal conditions, we think it could take about two months," he said. But government mining minister, Laurence Golborne, said it was not certain that Plan B would work and urged caution. "We don't want to create expectations beyond what is reasonable," he said.
Families have mounted a constant vigil for their loved ones at a tent village called Camp Hope. At the weekend, a Chilean folk group, Inti- Illimani (ph), known for supporting working class causes, played an impromptu solidarity gig.
Night falls but the rescue effort continues round the clock. And on a barren hillside overlooking the mine, relatives light a candle for the men fighting to stay alive far underground.
Karl Penhaul, CNN, San Jose Mine, Northern Chile.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: And we'll continue to check in as we get more information from Karl throughout the morning.
Meantime, we're just a day away from a major milestone in the Iraq war. America's military mission there concludes tomorrow night after more than seven years of fighting. And by the end of 2011, all of our troops will have to be out of the country. Some are questioning that timetable for withdrawal though. CNN Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence has been embedded with U.S. soldiers living along the Iraq- Iran border. He's live in Camp Adder, Iraq this morning.
And, Chris, it seems as America draws down, American forces draw down in the region, Iran is gaining more and more influence.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Kiran. We saw that first-hand. You know, we just got back from the Iraq-Iran border embedded with those troops. And while you can clearly see that the Iraqi troops and the Americans are working very closely together, it's somewhat of a shock and it's a real eye-opener how much influence Iran already has and how much more they're getting every day. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAWRENCE (voice-over): Now the clock is really ticking on American troops in Iraq. Eighteen months to beef up Iraq's border patrol before all U.S. forces plan to leave. Then what?
(on camera): How big of an influence does Iran have in what goes on here?
LT. COL. JOHN HOWERTON, DAKAR, PROVINCE: Well, I think it's huge. Iran didn't sign a security agreement like we did, you know. Iran didn't have a responsible drawdown of forces like we do. Iran didn't have a timetable to be out when we do.
LAWRENCE (voice-over): Out to the tarmac, and then on-board the Black Hawk. We fly all the way out to Iraq's border with Iran. Together a small group of Iraqi and American troops man the remote rugged outpost at Kumsa (ph).
STAFF SGT. ADAM STEFFENS, 3RD BRIGADE, 4TH INFANTRY: We have to pay attention to the fact that we have a mildly aggressive nation right next door, a nation that has interest here.
LAWRENCE: So soldiers have to be extremely careful they don't cross the dividing line which doesn't divide much at all. For years, people have lived on top of what's now an arbitrary line between Iraq and Iran.
FIRST LT. WILL SWEARINGEN, 4-10 CAVALRY: Difficult situation because you have villages who have family ties, as well as tribal ties in both countries.
LAWRENCE (on camera): Just a few years ago, parts of the border were wide open and completely unprotected. Iraqi militants, backed by Iranian money, controlled a lot of what came in to the country. Now there are numerous stations like this one where Iraqi officials keep an eye on their own border.
(voice-over): The Department of Border Enforcement is better, but the border itself -- too big. It stretches for 1,500 kilometers, nearly 1,000 miles and U.S. commanders accuse Iran of using Iraqi truck drivers to smuggle weapons to militants.
(on camera): The thing is, everything is connected. Iran's influence may start at the border, but it spreads deep into the provinces and cities like here in Nasiriyah (ph).
(voice-over): And that's where Iran is buying even more influence. Iran is giving water and electricity to Iraqi families whose own government can't keep the power on.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As soon as they continue to accept that, they're not producing it themselves so it becomes an economic battle as well as a military battle.
LAWRENCE (voice-over): Neither of which is one where American troops get engaged their rival.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean, we can't fight our own.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: And that was Chris Lawrence reporting along the Iran-Iraq border. Chris, thanks for that.
Meantime, President Obama is planning to deliver a major address on Iraq from the Oval Office tomorrow night, 8:00 p.m. Eastern. Watch it right here on CNN.
ROBERTS: As the last U.S. combat troops prepare to leave Iraq, more U.S. soldiers are headed to Afghanistan. And AMERICAN MORNING is bringing you a series of special reports called "A Soldier's Story." In the next half-hour of AMERICAN MORNING, our Jason Carroll joins us live from Afghanistan for the first in a series of reports that you'll see only here all week long.
CHETRY: Jason is following Sergeant Randy Shorter. He's a father of two and he's on his third tour of duty from Fort Campbell, Kentucky to one of the most dangerous regions in the world -- Afghanistan's Paktika province. That's "A Soldier's Story," 6:30 Eastern. Jason Carroll will join us live for the kind of reporting, original reporting you'll see only here on CNN.
ROBERTS: Also new this morning, engineers are set to begin work on removing the temporary cap that stopped oil from gushing out of BP's damaged well in the Gulf of Mexico. They are doing it so they can raise the failed blowout preventer which officials say will be key in helping to determine what caused the gulf oil disaster.
CHETRY: And in just a few hours, former baseball star Roger Clemens will be arraigned in federal government in D.C. this morning. Clemens faces six felony charges, including obstructing Congress, making false statements and perjury. It all concerns his alleged use of steroids and performance enhancing drugs. Clemens has steadfastly denied using either steroids or human growth hormone. He is expected to plead not guilty. ROBERTS: Bad weather is being blamed for a massive, massive pileup on a highway in Phoenix this weekend. Sixty-nine vehicles were involved in a series of collisions over a two-and-a-half mile stretch of Interstate 10. Police say it was sudden rainstorm which surprised a lot of drivers. Paramedics had to treat dozens of people at the scene. Several of them had to be taken to the hospital.
CHETRY: And thousands of people fighting for a good cause in Bakersfield, California. They were trying to break the Guinness record for the largest water balloon fight. Money raised went to a local high school marching band. Unfortunately, not enough people participated to break the records but still looks like people had fun and the organizers say they're going to give it a try again.
ROBERTS: It's something to shoot for in the future.
Watching extreme weather from New York all the way down to Florida, Hurricane Danielle bringing dangerous rip currents along with it. Lifeguards had to rescue dozens of swimmers off the Florida coast. A surfer was killed in Cocoa Beach and a 20-year-old Washington, D.C. man is missing and presumed drowned in Ocean City, Maryland.
Rob Marciano is in the extreme weather center for us. Tell us about the rip currents. What's going on with that and also you're watching the gulf because there are more storms headed our way.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, we're really ramping up now. We have two hurricanes that are out there, John and Kiran, and Danielle is the one that hasn't hit land anywhere but certainly has affected land especially the U.S. coastline with those rip currents. The big swells rolling into the beaches and then making a hole in those sandbars and created those currents that can just rip anybody out to sea.
What you're looking at here now is more of the central Atlantic. Danielle, although the rip currents will continue, is heading out to sea and weakening, but still a hurricane. Our main concern is Hurricane Danielle -- or Earl, I should say, which is over the Leeward Islands there. And that is now battering some of the Caribbean islands here where hurricane warnings are out for Antigua, Bermuda, St. Martin and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. As far as what the track of Earl is forecast to do, this is a little bit more daunting than Danielle was because Earl may very well bring much, much more to the U.S. than just rip currents.
Forecast to become a major hurricane. Right now, it has winds of 105 miles an hour. It's moving west-northwest at 15 and it is expected to gain strength, becoming a Category 3, potentially a Category 4 as it begins to shoot the gap between Bermuda and the outer banks of North Carolina. Notice though that not only the Carolina coastline but everywhere from the Carolina border north and east is in that cone of uncertainty, meaning that that forecast track can easily bring the storm directly to the northeast coastline here as we get closer to the weekend.
So this is one we're going to have to watch very, very carefully, John and Kiran, obviously, because any deviation from that forecast track -- and there are indications that that can happen to the west. And we're talking about, you know, potentially a direct landfall somewhere along the northeastern coastline. So it's going to be a nerve- wracking week for some folks up there. We'll be on top of it for you.
CHETRY: No doubt. All right. Rob, thanks so much.
MARCIANO: You bet.
CHETRY: Well, the television industry held honored its own at the prime time Emmy Awards last night. And for the third straight year, "Mad Men," the winner, named Best TV Drama.
ROBERTS: It was a big night for ABC's "Modern Family" as well in its first year. The series won the Emnmy for Best Comedy knocking out the three-time reigning champion, "30 Rock." Coming up at about 15 minutes time, Brooke Anderson has got a complete wrap up of last night's Emmy Awards ceremony.
CHETRY: Also, still ahead, the world's best tennis players are all in New York. The U.S. Open tennis tournament starts today. And Richard Roth who has AMERICAN MORNING's best backhand supposedly will be joining us with a preview.
ROBERTS: And a Muslim cab driver in New York City is stabbed after a passenger asked about his religion. Now other cabbies are concerned that they, too, could be targets. We've got their story coming up.
It's 12 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Fifteen minutes past the hour. Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
Some scary moments for some passengers aboard a cruise ship. A Canadian Coast Guard had to rescue them after their ship ran aground hitting an unchartered rock in the Arctic Ocean last week. Authorities are transporting the 128 passengers and 69 crew members to land. No one was injured.
ROBERTS: Well, they're not calling it a hate crime just yet, but authorities are investigating an arson fire at a construction site in Murfreesboro, Tennessee where a mosque is being built. A piece of heavy construction equipment was set on fire, others were drenched in gasoline.
The sign on the property has been vandalized twice before.
CHETRY: There's new concern this morning for a New York City cab driver who was stabbed by a passenger after being asked if he was a Muslim. Taxi union officials says that the money raised to try to help Ahmed Sharif's family is barely enough to even pay for baby formula. Sharif has no health insurance or disability.
The vicious attack has raised fears among other New York cab drivers as well.
CNN's Alison Kosik has that part of the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The life of a New York City taxi driver - not the easiest for most of the 49,000 licensed drivers on the streets here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Taxi.
KOSIK: Especially, says Akir Choudri (ph), if you're a Muslim behind the wheel.
ZAKIR CHOWDHURY, CAB DRIVER: We are scared, you know?
KOSIK: Scared because one of their own, cab driver Ahmed Sharif, was slashed Tuesday night by a knife-wielding passenger after saying he was Muslim. Twenty-one-year-old college student Michael Enright has been charged with attempted murder in what police are calling a hate crime.
On Thursday, Sharif, along with his wife and four children, met with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Sharif believes he could have been killed.
AHMED SHARIF, MUSLIM CAB DRIVER STABBED BY PASSENGER: He stab right over there. If this one, he can put it here, I couldn't talk right now. I'd be dead.
MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, NEW YORK CITY MAYOR: No matter how wonderful this country is, mo matter how wonderful this city is, there's always somebody that acts disgracefully. It's kind of hard to understand why.
KOSIK: New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly says he doesn't see the attack as a trend.
RAYMOND KELLY, NYPD COMMISSIONER: We see it as an isolated incident. There's nothing to indicate that, you know, that there's anything of extra concern based - based on this event.
KOSIK: But Muslim cab drivers are concerned.
TAHA HEWEDY, CAB DRIVER: It's a tough job, you know, because you're dealing with the public, and they're not always behind you.
KOSIK: We caught up with cab drivers and Chowdhury in the middle of their 12-hour shift at this taxi stand at LaGuardia Airport. It's where cabbies come to eat, wait for passengers, and on the sidewalk just around the corner from the bathrooms is where some Muslim drivers use the space as a makeshift mosque.
CHOWDHURY: Yes. We are - we are unsure. Well, we are not secure now. We are not safe.
KOSIK: Chowdhury says he came to the U.S. 20 years ago from Bangladesh in search of a better life for him and his family. He says he's found it, but hopes it's not taken away because of his faith.
CHOWDHURY: We are praying for all over the world peace on the end of the day, and (INAUDIBLE) the peace in the world, you know? We are not praying for - for - only for Muslim, you know? We for - we pray for all over the world people.
KOSIK: Trying to live the American dream in safety and peace.
Alison Kosik, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: Well, Glenn Beck draws a big crowd in Washington. It stirs up a huge fuss in the process, but was the gathering more of a religious revival than a conservative clarion call? John Avlon was there. He joins us, coming up, with reaction.
CHETRY: Also, a bunch of new faces take home Emmys. We've got all the winners plus the must-see moments from last night.
It's 19 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Thanks, Phil. "Minding Your Business" now at 22 minutes past the hour.
Ford announcing it's recalling 575,000 Windstar vans. These were the vans made between 1998 and 2003. They say the problem is that the rear axles can corrode and potentially break. At least two accidents have been linked to the problem.
ROBERTS: This morning, government officials in India will meet to decide whether to ban certain BlackBerry services. They want greater access to encrypted e-mails and instant messages that are sent from the devices. The government fears that those security - the services, rather, pose a security threat, because the information is too difficult to track.
CHETRY: Also checking the weekend box office, "The Last Exorcism" earned the top spot. It was a horror flick that took in an estimated $21.3 million, which is a pretty nice debut considering the film only cost $1.8 million to make. Cops and robbers flick "Takers" came in a close second, earning $21 million.
ROBERTS: Well, forget the repeats, it was all about the newcomers at this - at this year's Emmy Awards.
CHETRY: You know, one fresh face after the other claiming their Emmy gold. And our Brooke Anderson has a complete rundown of all the winners.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And the Emmy goes to "Modern Family".
BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Emmys are sometimes accused of going stale, but this time around the results were modernized.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're so happy that you have let us into your families.
ANDERSON: "Modern Family" led a parade of first-time winners at this ceremony, earning Best Comedy over "Glee," another newcomer to the newcomer.
The ABC sitcom won half-a-dozen Emmys all together including one for Supporting Actor Eric Stonestreet.
ERIC STONESTREET, BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: This is - this really incredible. TOM SELLECK, PRESENTER: "Mad Men."
ANDERSON: There was no modernizing on the drama side. Emmy voters looked back to the '60s again awarding Best Drama to the retro series "Mad Men" for the third year in a row.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Next time just have one meeting.
ANDERSON (on camera): This is what it's all about at the Emmys, winning one of these things, although the actual award is slightly smaller. But check out those prongs. It's been called the most dangerous trophy in entertainment.
JANE LYNCH, EMMY WINNER: This is rather dangerous -
ANDERSON: I know.
LYNCH: -- but it's solid gold.
JIM PARSONS, EMMY WINNER: It's not dulled. I mean, it's really not. These are very sharp. Threatening.
ANDERSON (voice-over): "The Big Bang Theory's" Jim Parsons joined the array of fresh-faced winners. His came from Best Actor in a Comedy. "Glee's" Jane Lynch won her first Emmy too for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy. The openly gay actress acknowledged her family from the stage.
LYNCH: I love you, my wife, Laura, and my little girl Hayden.
ANDERSON: Emmy host Jimmy Fallon kept the audience entertained with a variety of musical numbers.
JIMMY FALLON, EMMY AWARD HOST: (SINGING).
ANDERSON: And he made a sly allusion to Conan O'Brien's firing as host of "The Tonight Show".
FALLON: NBC asking the host of "Late Night" to come to Los Angeles to host a different show. What can possibly go wrong?
ANDERSON: Presenter Ricky Gervais made a crack about an absent star.
RICKY GERVAIS, PRESENTER: Mel Gibson. Come on. No, come on. I'm not going to go after him. He's been through a lot. Not as much as the Jews.
FALLON: Thanks everybody!
ANDERSON: The late summer party set the stage for the new fall season which begins in just a few weeks.
Brooke Anderson, CNN, Hollywood.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: There you go. Did you stay up?
ROBERTS: No - well, yes. I did stay up, but not to watch the Emmy Awards. Great to see Betty White there, though.
CHETRY: I know. She's still going strong.
ROBERTS: More Betty White, the better.
CHETRY: Well, a troop surge is now underway in Afghanistan. CNN is there with "A Soldier's Story". Our Jason Carroll tracked Sergeant Randy Shorter. He's a father of two. He's on his third tour of duty now. We follow him from Fort Campbell, Kentucky to one of the most dangerous regions in the world - Afghanistan's Patika Province.
It's 26 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Twenty-nine minutes past the hour right now. Time for a look at your top stories this morning.
Officials in Chile began drilling a rescue shaft today to save 33 stranded miners. It could take three to four months to break through 2,300 feet of rock to reach them. Officials are now sending the miners recordings of soccer matches and MP3 players to help them cope with the boredom. The men also spoke directly with family members for the first time yesterday.
ROBERTS: Pakistan urgently needs more financial help from the international community to remain stable and keep extremists from gaining power. That warning comes from Senator John Kerry. With one- fifth of Pakistan now underwater and six million people homeless from the flooding, Kerry says some Islamic charities with ties to militants are beginning to gain influence in the area.
CHETRY: And the National Guard is being called in this week to patrol the Arizona-Mexico border. About 30 soldiers will represent the first wave of reinforcements sent by the White House. More will be sent to the border every Monday until an additional 532 soldiers are stationed there. They will be armed for self-defense, but will not have law enforcement powers.
ROBERTS: Well, now to Afghanistan where a U.S. troop surge is underway. The mission - to stabilize the country so our soldiers can begin to withdraw next summer.
CHETRY: Well, the success or failure of the mission rides on shoulders of people, like 1st Class Sergeant Randy Shorter. He's a 14-year veteran, making his third combat tour.
And our Jason Carroll is with him every step of the way as he makes the long journey from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, to where he is this morning in Sharana, Afghanistan.
Good morning, Jason.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Kiran.
You know, actually, Sergeant Shorter has been here before. He was deployed here about two years ago. So, this is familiar territory. But this time coming, it was sort of a longer journey than somewhat expected.
But let me sort of take you back a little bit to when we first met Sergeant Shorter. That was some time ago. We met him and his wife, Sheryll, along with their two children, their two daughters, back in Fort Campbell, Kentucky. And that's where he is based.
And we were there, Kiran, for the good-bye, when he said good-bye to his family. He also had some of the extra men in his platoon there, men who did not have family nearby so they could have something to do right before they left for deployment. Saying good-bye, as you can imagine, is very difficult for Sergeant Shorter since he has been here before.
He represents those people who have been multiple -- who have gone through multiple deployments. Again, this is his third deployment, third tour of combat duty. This time he ends up here in Sharana, Afghanistan.
Now, we were there, once again, as he said his goodbye. We were for the journey to get here, Kiran, which again, as I said, took us a little longer than expected. We had an unanticipated stop in Bagram Airfield. That's in Afghanistan. And the reason for that is because Sergeant Shorter is part of surge -- some 30,000 additional troops being sent here to Afghanistan.
So, when you have that many troops being brought here into the country to serve, it sort of taxes the system in some ways. And so, you've got to get the transportation system a chance to catch up with all the influx of additional troops that are coming in.
I ended up speaking to Sergeant Shorter about that and about how the extra wait was affecting him and some of the other men in his platoon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SGT. RANDY SHORTER, U.S. ARMY: We don't like sitting around. I mean, right now, majority of the guys are just kind of in that mode where, you know, they want to get at it, they want to go ahead and leave relieve their brothers that's currently in Sharana. And, you know, we're looking forward to meeting our counterparts, that way we can go ahead and get started with the mission because we know, you know, their reputation (ph) precedes them.
They've been there for the last nine months. They've been doing a great, outstanding job. And we just all feel, you know, it's our share, it's our turn to, you know, go ahead and pass the payroll (ph) along and help them out.
(END VIDEO CLIP) CARROLL: And, Kiran, we ended up spending an extra few days there in Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan. And as we were there, the expression I kept hearing is, "Hurry up and wait." That's something, if you've ever been in the Army, you hear all the time. And that's exactly what's applying -- what is being applied here.
Many soldiers that I spoke to are used to hurrying up to get in position, and then waiting for a period of time until they receive further orders.
But we're finally here. So, now, what we'll be doing as part of our series is following Sergeant Shorter through the process of completing his mission. His mission, some of the goals he is going to be trying to achieve, obviously, engaging the Afghan people. We will be there for that, as well as trying to secure the area -- Kiran, John.
CHETRY: You know, it's fascinating to watch all of that and to hear what he said which is that he's just literally carrying out his job. He's going there to relieve people that are already there, that have been there a long time. What about the fact that this will be his third combat tour as well?
CARROLL: You know, he's excited. He's one of those people that is so committed to the job, so committed to those that he serves with, he actually couldn't wait to get back here. And part of the reason for that is because he helps in some ways build part of this base. Again, he's a mortar platoon sergeant and he was involved in trying to make things better.
So, now that he's back, it is interesting to get his perspective on how this base has grown, how things have changed. But he's anxious to get back in here and finish the job -- Kiran.
ROBERTS: Jason, over the years, we have seen these attacks on forward operating bases and in some cases, they've become much more brazen than they were in the past. Some 30 insurgents were killed over the weekend in attacks against forward operating bases.
Is there any difference that the military is noticing in how these attacks are being carried out?
CARROLL: Yes. And for just the people out there who don't know what a forward operating base is, because it is kind after technical term, military term, I mean, we know, but it's basically a secured forward operation, a secured point beyond where like we are now.
And basically, what's happened is what we're hearing is we're hearing of an increase in violence in the area. That is for sure. But in terms of why, John, we're seeing about this increase, it could be two reasons. One, because you have more troops here in the area, more troops that are engaging insurgents, so you're going to have more issues of violence. So, that can be one reason.
But the other reason is that the insurgents are definitely stepping up, stepping up their activities here. Just in terms of planting IEDs. You know, you set -- they set one IED, and then some of the folks come out here and disarm it, and they very quickly learn how to reset another one. So, we're definitely seeing an uptick in violence in the area -- John.
ROBERTS: Well, we look forward to your series of reports. No question about.
Jason Carroll for us this morning live in Sharana, Afghanistan -- Jason, great to see you. We'll see you again in the coming days.
CHETRY: Thanks, Jason.
Well, Glenn Beck hits the Mall. Tens of thousands of people show up. Beck promised a non-political gathering, but was it? Our John Avlon was there. What brought some -- by some estimates hundreds of thousands of people out to hear cable news host speak. We're going to find out, coming up.
Thirty-six minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. Thirty- nine minutes past the hour right now.
After weeks of promoting the event, TV commentator and host, Glenn Beck, went to Washington with tens of thousands of supporters. The three-hour rally has held 47 years ago to the today where Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Beck promised it would be a non- political gathering.
Here's a little bit of what he said at the rally.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GLENN BECK, FOX NEWS HOST & RALLY ORGANIZER: Something beyond imagination is happening. Something that is beyond man is happening. America today begins to turn back to God.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Well, John Avlon joins us now. He was actually at the rally. He called it the "Restoring Honor" rally. He had an interesting group of speakers, including Sarah Palin.
What was it exactly?
JOHN AVLON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: It was a religious revival on the Washington Mall. You know, initially, when Beck announced this, he was supposed to be presenting his 100-year plan for America. But this really was an event, a tribute to the troops, but this was essentially a religious revival. It was very different than the many rallies we've seen on this space and over this political cycle before. Partisan politics were not directly a part of it.
CHETRY: Right. You said --
AVLON: It was all about turning back to God.
CHETRY: All right. So you say a tribute to the troops. But then, there were very religious messages and at the same time, of course, the fact that it came 47 years to the day, there were some civil rights leaders who actually had a rally of their own because they were not comfortable with it taking place where Dr. King 47 years ago delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech.
AVLON: That's exactly right. And, obviously, the controversy comes from the fact that Beck is, at best, an imperfect messenger of Martin Luther King's message -- Beck famously calling President Obama racist with a deep-seated hatred of white people. Well, that's tough to square with an attempt to carry the mantle of Martin Luther King forward. And then, of course, there's also the still -- the polarization, the persistent diversity deficit that exists in our politics still between the two parties.
So, a tough date to try to -- to try to connect yourself with that message. Beck -- an imperfect messenger for MLK's message to many.
CHETRY: But it is, you know, interesting -- and clearly, this was something that was covered. I mean, it was on the front page of "The New York Times." It was on the front page of "USA Today" this week, and it was covered extensively in the blogosphere. But to have a cable news host delivering a religious message, you had the GOP vice presidential candidate in Sarah Palin there speaking -- who were the people in the crowd? I mean, because by some estimates, more than 100,000 people showed up to hear them speak.
AVLON: In terms of demographics, this was very similar to a Tea Party rally, but the message was fundamentally different. This was a broad and peaceful crowd. There was none of the anger or overt politics we've seen at rallies in the past. And so, a significant pivot certainly on Beck and even Palin's part, who spoke as the mom of a soldier in combat rather than a political figure.
I think what struck me is, is that when Beck was up there claiming, talking about how there's too much division in our country, hw there's too much hatred, it made me wonder if he'd ever watched his own program. It was such a different -- fundamentally different message than the one he gives on the air every day that there was a little bit of cognitive distance.
CHETRY: And the other interesting thing about it is that the president actually weighed in. He was asked about it in an interview Sunday. And here's what he said about it. He said that given the country's economic, national security woes, quote, "it's not surprising that somebody like Mr. Beck is able to stir up a certain portion of the country."
It's also interesting -- and I'd like your take on the president weighing in on basically a cable host, right? I mean, an author, among other things --
AVLON: Yes.
CHETRY: -- holding this huge rally in Washington, 47 years to the day of Martin Luther King's speech.
AVLON: Probably not the best move because you elevate it. On the other hand, if you're asked the direct question, you need to give a direct answer. Clearly, I mean, there are folks who have made their living over the last two years trying to, as Mr. Beck said -- well, he said we need to defend people we disagree with. But more often, I think we've seen demonization of people we disagree with, particularly when it comes to the president.
And look, in economic downturns, we always see a rise of angry populists trying to give people a sense of purpose, usually with an "us against them" lens. And that's what we've often seen --
CHETRY: Right.
AVLON: -- in these cycles.
The pivot to religion was different. But certainly not a pro- Obama crowd by any means.
CHETRY: But the bottom line is, if these people are going to come to a rally, you know, there are strong convictions there regardless, they're going to the polls in the mid-term elections.
AVLON: Oh, yes. Look, I mean, midterm elections are low turnout, high-intensity affairs. And this rally, one of the things it showed was, is the ability for Glenn Beck to mobilize an enormous number of people. And it is, I think, in some ways, a proxy for the enthusiasm that exists among the conservative populist base in this election. These folks are turning out at the polls.
CHETRY: All right. Well, you wrote more detail about what it was like to be there on "The Daily Beast." We'll link it up with our Web site, CNN.com/amFIX, as well.
John Avlon, great to talk to you. Thanks.
AVLON: Me, too.
ROBERTS: Coming up: Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Williams, Clijsters, Wozniacki -- who has got the edge in the U.S. Open? Tennis' final major tournament gets under way today. And Richard Roth, he has a deadly backhand, is going to have a preview for us.
And we're tracking the extreme weather for you this Monday morning as the east coast is on the watch for hurricanes. Rob's got the complete forecast right after the break. It's 45 minutes after the hour.
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ROBERTS: Good Monday morning in New York City. We're starting out this week a lot better than we started out the last. Right now, it's 76 degrees and sunny. Later on today, sunny and hot with a high of 92, but watch out, because, potentially, bad weather later on in the week.
CHETRY: We could be looking at a hurricane touching many parts of the eastern seaboard. Let's get a check of this morning's weather headlines. Rob Marciano is in the Weather Center for us this morning.
We're dealing with actually two right now, right? We're talking about the rip currents as well caused by Danielle.
MARCIANO: Yes, just goes to show just how dangerous a hurricane can be even when it doesn't even come anywhere close to shore. We'll talk about that right here as far as what Danielle did which is not come anywhere close to the United States. Here is where it is off the -- well off the coast of new found land in the shipping lanes and this is the forecast track heading in the Greenland at some point, but it's basically getting out of its tropical nature.
But what it did to places like Jersey, Maryland, down to Florida, up and down the east coast, we had dangerous rip currents. This is some video out of New Jersey. Just down the road in Maryland alone, they had 250 rescues from people being caught in rip currents. And look at all the people on the beach. Temperatures were record breaking in Atlantic City and record breaking along parts of Long Island. So, people wanted to get in the water, and unfortunately, it's a dangerous situation right now.
So, just be aware of that over the next couple days because once Danielle goes away, we got to deal with this, which is Earl, hurricane Earl, as a matter of fact. Right now, category 2 storm with winds of 105 miles an hour. It is battering some of the northern Leeward Islands heading toward San Juan, and it's forecast to strengthen as we go through time. So, the forecast for it to get a little bit closer to the United States than Danielle, that's for sure.
Matter of fact, the east coast from North Carolina northward is in our cone of uncertainty as far as potentially affecting if not hitting the U.S. coastline some time later in the week. Something we're watching very, very closely. That's going to be a strong storm, I'm confident with that. The question is does it make a direct strike on the U.S., and we'll be updating that throughout the week. John and Kiran.
ROBERTS: Looking forward to it. Rob, thanks so much.
MARCIANO: You bet.
ROBERTS: In health news this morning, more proof about the benefits of medical marijuana for people suffering from chronic pain, smoking potent marijuana can improve mood, aid in sleep and ease the pain. That's according to a study by researchers at McGill University in Canada. They tested 21 people with chronic neuropathic pain using three different potencies of pot.
Patients slept better as the THC content increased in the marijuana, anxiety and depression also decreased, and patients reported pain levels were significantly reduced.
CHETRY: There you go.
Also, race to save 33 miners trapped in Chile. The operation to get them out could begin as early as today, and we're live with details. Plus, how long it can take and a possible plan B.
ROBERTS: The auto industry traditionally has been dominated by men, but women are now making their mark in the business. Our Carol Costello has the story in our series "Making it in a Man's World."
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CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. Fifty- four minutes past the hour right now. They faced each other all over the world, but tennis rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have never faced off at the U.S. Open.
ROBERTS: Could this be the year for the Big Apple -- you know what? It's early Monday morning. Could this be the year for the Big Apple epic battle? The Open begins today. Our Richard Roth is here with the preview.
CHETRY: You pronounced all the other names, right? All those hard-to-pronounce Czechoslovakian names.
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Really? Didn't I feel that country to me (ph) when existed anymore? I'm glad that he is say that line.
CHETRY: You got me.
ROTH: It's an epic battle, though, either way you say or look at it. These big hitters, John, Kiran, come from countries around the world and the action is hot in September. No, I'm not speaking about the U.N. general assembly, debate in New York, but further east, in Queens, the U.S. Tennis Open.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rafa, Rafael Nadal.
ROTH (voice-over): The bright lights and the big stars returned to New York for the U.S. Tennis Open. It only seems like a heavyweight boxing match, but then it always does with Federer and Nadal.
BRYAN GRAHAM, TENNIS WRITER, SI.COM: I think on the men's side, you really have two co-favorites, you have Roger Federer and you have Rafael Nadal.
ROTH: Federer won his last tournament in Cincinnati. He has been written off by some critics as too old or distracted by family.
ROGER FEDERER, WORLD RANKED. NO. 2: I feel good, I feel good, believe it or not, in the crisis I am stuck in.
ROTH: Federer, losing in the finals last year after five straight U.S. Open titles, shock people.
FEDERER: You know, I have a great chance to win again, but then, he's obviously playing the best tennis of his life.
ROTH: Nadal, for all his success, has never won the U.S. open.
RAFAEL NADAL, WORLD RANKED. NO. 2: Last three years, I did semi- finals. So, I improved a little bit. It wasn't about tournaments for me. Right now, I am ready to try another time to be in this finals round.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Welcome, Kim, our defending champ.
ROTH: Kim Clijsters came out of a two-year retirement to win the Open last year.
Now, you might have another child and then retire again?
KIM CLIJSTERS, WORLD RANKED NO. 3: No.
ROTH: Are you Brett Favre of the football packers?
CLIJSTERS: No, not yet. Not yet. I would like to try and make it to the Olympics in 2012. That's going to be my goal.
ROTH: Serena Williams is not playing this year citing a foot injury.
GRAHAM: With Serena out of the women's side, it's very wide open. A lot of people think it could be Maria Sharapova's year to come back after she went down to, I think, 128 in the rankings last year.
ROTH: Players say the U.S. Open is different than other grand slam contests.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC, WORLD RANKED NO. 3: I think it's entertainment. It's entertainment. It's just a great show that they're doing.
ROTH: Which helps to attract the fans.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Love New York. Love tennis.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These are all my autographs on my cap.
ROTH: You get them to sign your cap.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
ROTH: Not a tennis ball?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, because this way, I can wear it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're more than tennis players. They're celebrities. They're rock stars.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROTH (on-camera): As we mentioned, Federer and Nadal never met at the U.S. Open in the finals. Nadal, I think, is 14-7 against Federer over the years. Federer would like to meet Nadal, he says, in this year's final with the open.
ROBERTS: Could that not be an epic battle?
ROTH: That would be. In the Big Apple, it would be.
ROBERTS: Yes. Big Apple epic battle
CHETRY: In the Czech Republic, it would be, too.
ROTH: Yes. There are some good Czech players. Most of the famous players now from Eastern Europe, Andy Roddick ranked number nine for awhile. There was no American tennis player in the top ten, quite a change from many years ago in the hey days of American tennis.
ROBERTS: Djokovic is a great player as well.
ROTH: Yes. He does good imitations of all the players.
ROBERTS: Who is the guy that wore down Federer last year? I forget --
ROTH: Del Potro. He's not in. The reigning champ not in, Serene Williams also out.
CHETRY: Venus is in.
ROTH: Venus is in, yes, plays today.
ROBERTS: So, no Serena meltdown (ph) this year.
ROTH: No threats to put a ball down someone's throat.
CHETRY: She said sorry.
ROBERTS: Thanks, Richard.
Top stories coming your way right after the break. Stay with us.
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