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American Morning
Casey Anthony Bombshell; Selling the Plan for Afghanistan; Most Wanted Fugitive Caught; Pilot Rant Caught on Tape; Bloody Crackdown in Syria; After the Speech, the Fight Goes On; Man Allowed To Fly Wearing Only Women's Underwear; Lindsay Lohan Probation Violation
Aired June 23, 2011 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Christine Romans.
A bombshell at the Casey Anthony murder trial. Her parents don't think she's innocent. Ahead, we'll tell you what else George and Cindy Anthony are saying about their daughter in a CNN exclusive.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Kiran Chetry.
After 16 years on the run, James "Whitey" Bulger, one of FBI's most fugitives, has been caught. The notorious crime boss is suspected in nearly two dozen murders.
(MUSIC)
ROMANS: And welcome to AMERICAN MORNING. It is Thursday, June 23rd. Ali Velshi is off this morning. I'm Christine Romans, along with Kiran Chetry.
Good morning.
CHETRY: Good to see you this morning.
Well, we all stayed up late last night to hear the president speak about Afghanistan. We'll have the latest that in the moment.
But, first, a stunning admission from the parents of accused child killer Casey Anthony. It's a CNN exclusive. Mark Lippman is the attorney for George and Cindy Anthony. He told our Gary Tuchman that they will do all they can to keep their daughter from getting death penalty even though they do not believe she's innocent.
Here's how Gary describes his conversation with the Anthony family lawyer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Today, I talked to their family attorney, Mark Lippman. And Mark hasn't wanted to talk about that, citing the attorney-client privilege. But I explained to him we don't want to sensationalize this. But there's a big question. I mean, George could be in a lot of trouble if the jury ultimately believes what the defense is saying, that the child accidentally drowned and George had something to do with the disposing of the child's body. So, Mark Lippman has told me this. I asked him a very specific question. I said, "Do your clients, George and Cindy Anthony, think that she is not guilty?" And his answer was they do not think that. He said they want to see justice done. They want to see the truth come out.
And then he added to me, he said, they do not believe she is innocent.
That being said, OK, and this is very important, he wanted me to stress this, and it's important that they do stress this -- they love her, they support her, and they do not want her to get the death penalty. And they will do all they can to avoid her getting the death penalty in this case.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Such a tragedy for those parents.
Casey Anthony is charged with killing her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee. It is not clear how her parents' comments might impact the trial today. But we'll be following all of it at the top of the hour. We're going to be speaking with Sunny Hostin, former federal prosecutor and legal consultant for truTV's "In Session." And we'll also talk to her about the reports that the defense's plans to call Casey Anthony's mother to the stand today.
And that leads us to our question of the day. There's been a lot of speculation about whether Casey herself should take the stand in her own defense to tell her side of the story. What do you think: should she take stand?
Send us an e-mail, a tweet or tell us on Facebook and we'll read some of your comments a little later in the morning.
ROMANS: President Obama hitting the road this morning to sell his plan for Afghanistan to the troops. He's going to meet with soldiers at Ft. Drum, New York, home to the Tenth Mountain Division, one of the most frequently deployed divisions to Afghanistan.
Last night, the president formally announced that the withdrawal from Afghanistan will begin as planned next month.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Starting next month, we will be able to remove 10,000 of our troops from Afghanistan by the end of this year. And we will bring home a total of 33,000 troops by next summer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: The Taliban is also responding this morning to the president's announcement, calling it a symbolic step only.
We're getting perspective this morning on all of this from the Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr. She's with us this morning. I know you were listening to the president's speech last night. Not unexpected because people in the Pentagon knew that this was probably the plan. But what about the reaction this morning?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think you are seeing a very mixed reaction. Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill, already some in favor, some not in favor. You know, many people are saying he should have gone faster. Some Republicans are saying he's taking too many troops out too fast, a lot of concern about all of this.
But later today, it will become very interesting on Capitol Hill. General David Petraeus, the commander on Capitol Hill, for his confirmation hearings as CIA director, and you know this issue is going to be front and center.
CHETRY: Right.
STARR: You know, he is going to get cross-examined, many people believe, about whether he really truly supports the president's decision or what concerns he may have that this risks some of the security gains the troops has already made.
ROMANS: What had been the recommendations from the Pentagon? We know maybe they thought fewer and maybe slower pullback.
STARR: A little bit slower. Not -- I think people were surprised at the pace, 20,000 next year.
ROMANS: It essentially reverses the surge.
STARR: Well, it does. Look, this was going to happen no matter what. We are only talking about timing of it. I think what the president fundamentally said last night which is what so many Americans believe, that the war and the spending is politically and economically unsustainable. You just can't keep doing this forever.
At some point, you have to say to the Afghan government, it's yours, take it over.
CHETRY: Right. And we are going to be talking a little bit later about that cost that you talked about, the billions and billions spent since 2001.
We'll be checking in with you a little bit later, Barbara. Thanks so much.
STARR: Great.
CHETRY: Also this morning, he is on the FBI's most wanted list. He's been there for 16 years. But this morning, 81-year-old James "Whitey" Bulger, a notorious Boston crime boss, is in federal custody. Authorities say that Bulger and his longtime girlfriend were captured yesterday in southern California. Bulger was the inspiration for Jack Nicholson's character in "The Departed."
CNN's Kara Finnstrom is following developments on this arrest. She's live in Los Angeles.
How did they eventually catch up with this notorious crime boss?
KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, it's quite a story. James "Whitey" Bulger is a legendary Boston crime boss. He managed to elude federal authorities for more than a decade and a half. But last night, in Santa Monica, California, the FBI got its man after in a way targeting his girlfriend.
FBI officials say the 81-year-old Bulger and his 60-year-old girlfriend were arrested from a residence without resisting. The FBI is crediting a publicity campaign for their capture. It began airing this 30-second public service announcement that centered on his longtime girlfriend, Catherine Elizabeth Grieg, who allegedly fled with him, and was wanted for harboring a fugitive.
The FBI bought about 350 TV spots that aired in 14 U.S. cities, including here in Los Angeles. Those ads focused on specific habits of Grieg, including the fact that she liked to have a dental cleaning done once a month and that she frequented beauty salons. Apparently, a tip from that ad led to these arrests. Those who live in the Santa Monica area tell us that they are shocked to learn of these arrests.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's just a surprise to come and see that he was right around the corner from me, because I know his story. Crime boss from Boston, you know?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I grew up in Southie, moved out here, been here for about a week. And wow. Whitey is caught. You got to be kidding me? No way. We had to come down and check it out and see what's going on.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
FINNSTROM: I want to give you another look at that 30-second public service announcement that has been airing, that apparently that led to this arrest. Bulger and Grieg are expected to make their first court appearance Thursday in U.S. district court and we'll have more details on this.
But, again, this man was wanted for 19 killings, his alleged role in 19 killings, along with extortion, racketeering, money laundering and other crimes, according to the FBI. So, a very big arrest in Santa Monica overnight.
Reporting live here in Los Angeles, Kara Finnstrom -- back to you.
CHETRY: Pretty amazing. All right. Kara Finnstrom, thanks so much.
ROMANS: All right. Stunning new video this morning of what appears to be a tornado forming near Louisville, Kentucky. You see it here, severe storm system slamming that area last night, knocking down trees and power lines. Louisville's Churchill Downs, home to the Kentucky Derby, was also hit. Nine barns were damaged. Horses were running loose before being corralled. Officials say no people or horses were injured. All racing, though, has been canceled for today.
CHETRY: Wow. Got lucky.
ROMANS: They sure did.
CHETRY: The water is getting so high in parts of Minot, North Dakota. It is just simply too dangerous for people to stay. Some 12,000 residents have been ordered to evacuate. They were given that order last night.
ROMANS: That's right, because the swollen river is now spilling over the levees that protect the city.
Our Jim Spellman is live in Minot, North Dakota, this morning.
Jim, what's the latest there? We know that this is an area not immune to flooding this time of year in the spring in particular. But this time, it's particularly bad.
JIM SPELLMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. It's being fed by massive amounts of snow melt and heavy rain coming down from Canada. This river, this Souris River, goes through the middle of Minot, North Dakota, surrounded by so many businesses and homes. They had to evacuate about 12,000 people now.
We are right at the edge of the evacuation zone here where crews are filling these giant sandbags trying to protect parts of the city. At this point, they know that there's no way that they're going to be able to save most of the affected flood area. They're just focusing on the important infrastructure.
Here's what the mayor told me yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SPELLMAN: At this point, I don't think you can really realistically plan on raising all the dice. What is your strategy?
MAYOR CURT ZIMBELMAN, MINOT, NORTH DAKOTA: No. We gave up with that idea when we heard how much water was coming. There was no way we could get our dikes high enough. So, our strategy is to get all of our public facilities (INAUDIBLE) around.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SPELLMAN: Sobering to hear a mayor giving such a blunt assessment of what the next few days holds for his city. Most of the people have evacuated. The water right now is at the top of the dikes throughout most of the city. And it's got about another eight feet to go. That's going to put it potentially up to the roofs of many of the homes that are right in that affected area. They are preparing here for devastation -- Kiran. ROMANS: All right. Thanks so much, Jim Spellman.
Certainly, our thoughts are with the people in North Dakota this morning. Thanks, Jim.
CHETRY: Absolutely.
ROMANS: All right. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is growing more pessimistic about the economy. During a press conference yesterday, Bernanke said that he predicts just a slight decline in unemployment and slower than expected economic growth this year.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEN BERNANKE, FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIRMAN: The economic recovery appears to be proceeding at a moderate pace, though somewhat more slowly than the committee expected. And some recent labor market indicators have also been weaker than expected.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: In the press conference afterward, he said, you know, the Fed didn't really know why it was a little bit slower than expected. Couldn't really put his finger on exactly why the economy was slower than they thought. Those comments put an end to Wall Street's four- day rally. Dow closed down more than 80 points. The NASDAQ and S&P 500 were also lower. European stocks open lower this morning as well.
CHETRY: They did talk about the pace of the job of job creation.
ROMANS: It's been disappointing. Right.
CHETRY: And also that perhaps some of it may be short-term because of the situation in Japan.
ROMANS: They are hoping and they're certainly hoping that things get a little bit better, that growth picks up a little bit by sometime early next year. But again, that why question is something a lot of people are struggling with. Why has it been so sub-par at this point?
CHETRY: We'll find out a little more of that picture, right, the jobs report.
ROMANS: That's right. That's right. We'll get a weekly jobs (INAUDIBLE). We will find out how many people added to roll in the last week. So, that will tell us whether this persists.
CHETRY: All right.
Well, also, more trouble for actress Lindsay Lohan. She's been ordered back to court this morning after reportedly violating her probation on a drunk driving conviction. Why? Well, sources say that Lohan failed a court-ordered alcohol test last week. She's due to appear before the same judge who sentenced her to jail for stealing a necklace from a California jewelry store. Lohan was allowed to serve that sentence under house arrest. She now could end up behind bars. ROMANS: Up next, a hateful rant from a Southwest Airlines pilot who didn't know his microphone was on.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
PILOT: I mean, it's all these (EXPLETIVE DELETED) old dudes and grannies and there's like maybe a handful of cute chicks.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
ROMANS: Classy. Well, we got a lot more of that tape. And wait until you hear what else he had to say about the airline's flight attendants.
CHETRY: Also, rivers rising -- towns under historically high water in the Midwest. And hundreds of people are now being warned they may have to stay way for the entire summer. We're going to get our extreme weather report still ahead.
It's twelve minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Fifty minutes past the hour -- fifteen minutes past the hour. I'm sorry. This story has got me. I can't believe this guy is back on the job.
ROMANS: He's back on the job.
CHETRY: This is amazing. This is a Houston-based Southwest Airlines pilot. Three months after a hate-filled rant about flight attendants was inadvertently captured on an open air traffic control microphone.
ROMANS: That's right. This morning, the Flight Attendants Union is not happy about that.
CNN's Jeanne Meserve with the audiotape that everyone is talking about today.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The pilot's tirade about flight attendants is peppered with obscenities, insults, and slurs against homosexuals and women.
PILOT (voice-over): Eleven [bleep] over the top, [bleep] [bleep] homosexuals and a granny. Eleven. I mean, think of the odds of that. I thought I was in Chicago which was party land. After that, it was just a continuous stream of gays and grannies and grandes.
MESERVE: Grandes - an apparent reference to overweight people.
PILOT: Well, I don't give a [bleep]. I hate - I hate percent of their asses.
MESERVE: The pilot talks about exploits with some of them. PILOT: So, six months I went to the bar three times. In six months, three times. Once with the granny and the [bleep] and I wish I hadn't gone. At the very end with two girls, one of them that was probably doable...
MESERVE: An air traffic controller tries to stop the pilot.
CONTROLLER (voice-over): OK. Whoever is transmitting, better watch what you are saying now.
MESERVE: But the rant goes on.
PILOT: I still wouldn't want anyone to know if I had [bleep] them. I mean, it is all these [bleep] old dudes and grannies and there is like maybe a handful of cute chicks.
CONTROLLER: OK. Someone has a stuck mic and telling us about their endeavors and we don't need to hear that.
MESERVE: Finally the transmission ends. Pilots on the other planes chime in quickly to say it wasn't me. One adds some commentary.
SKY WEST PILOT (voice-over): And they wonder why airline pilots have a bad reputation.
MESERVE: The Federal Aviation Administration says it expects a higher level of professionalism from flight crews. Southwest put out a video press release.
CHUCK MAGILL, SOUTHWEST AIRLINES: What he said is offensive and inconsistent with the professional behavior and overall respect we require from all employees.
MESERVE (on camera): The pilot was reprimanded, suspended without pay, and underwent diversity education. He's now back on the job. The pilot has apologized, Southwest says, to controllers, his bosses, pilots, and of course, flight attendants.
But the Flight Attendants Union is not happy. It says Southwest's response to the incident has added insult to injury and it is considering filing a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Jeanne Meserve, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: So do you think that every flight crew knows which pilot that is? I mean, we're not saying the name of the pilot but do you think every flight crew knows the pilot or he just sheepishly gets on an airplane?
CHETRY: It's a small - it's a small world.
ROMANS: I mean, you do not think that he's ringing the call button asking for a flight attendant to bring him a cup of coffee or something -
CHETRY: No. But the - the most amazing part is the other guy saying somebody's endeavors are being broadcast here that we don't want to hear about.
ROMANS: Oh, gosh.
CHETRY: Oh, boy.
ROMANS: Air Traffic Control, they're probably just -
CHETRY: But we'll see what happens. We'll see if the - if the Flight Attendants Union lets this one go.
ROMANS: Right.
CHETRY: I mean, this is - he is back on the job now.
ROMANS: Well, diversity training maybe - maybe it scrubs him off of all of his -
CHETRY: Yes. I'm sure that worked.
ROMANS: Grannies and grandes and whatever.
All right. You've seen the viral videos of kids getting a pat-down at airports like this one. It was taken back in April showing the security agent giving a pat-down to a 6-year-old girl through the New Orleans Airport. Well no, the Transportation Security Administration is changing its policy for screening small children.
The agency says security workers will have more options when it comes to checking little kids. The TSA says that while the new policy will reduce, it wouldn't eliminate these invasive searches.
CHETRY: Well, there are new reports this morning of serious crackdown on anti-government protests for security forces deploying tanks and soldiers to a village near the Turkish Border. And this is a place where thousands have fled to escape the regime's bloody assault on protestors.
ROMANS: CNN's Arwa Damon has managed to get back into Syria. Something you'll see only on CNN. She joins us live on the phone now from Damascus. Good morning, Arwa.
ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Good morning.
And we did finally manage to get visas into the country. We arrived in Damascus around seven hours ago. And I have to say is in a brief amount of time and I stress brief amount of time that we have been able to drive around the capital and there certainly appears to be in stark contrast to the type of scenes that we had just been seeing along the Syrian/Turkish border.
Now, in the capital, (INAUDIBLE) demonstrations that's mostly been concentrated on neighborhoods in the outskirts, the city center. Life appears on the surface to be relatively normal. But the handful of people that I have thus far had the opportunity to speak to are telling us that people are incredibly upset about what is taking place.
A number of people who I have been talking to most certainly are telling me that they do support the president. They do support the Assad regime. Some of them feel as if the demonstrators initially did receive the request to reform. They believe that the president have made (INAUDIBLE) concessions. They don't understand why the demonstrations are taking place.
I was incredibly distressed about the impact that is ongoing unrest that's having on the economy. And a number of them also telling us that they fully do support the president and they do want to see this brought about some sort of end very, very quickly.
ROMANS: All right. Arwa Damon, thank you so much, in Damascus. We look forward to more reporting from you from inside Syria. Something you'll see only on CNN.
CHETRY: It's difficult and the video also is very difficult to obtain.
ROMANS: She's been doing some amazing reporting from along the border with the refugee crisis there, you know? The president of the country is saying just come home. Everything is going to be fine. And the people along the border saying we are not coming home.
CHETRY: Right.
ROMANS: We're afraid of our own government. So arwa has been doing amazing reporting on that. We look forward to more reports from her.
CHETRY: Meantime, new this morning, levees failing and homes flooding. This is all happening along the Missouri River and water there now hitting historic highs and topping at least four levees in the area. Hundreds of people in Northwest Missouri have been told they have to leave their homes and they've been warned that they may not be able to come back the entire summer.
ROMANS: A sinkhole big enough to swallow an SUV, the road crumbling under the weight of water after a flash flood outside Cincinnati. Crews came in to pump all the water out of the crater. No drivers were hurt, but an entire neighborhood was cut off.
CHETRY: Reynolds Wolf joins from us the Extreme Weather Center. So we're seeing these scenes play out. The devastating flooding that's taking place and the news from Missouri that some of these folks can't return for the entire summer. Why is that? I mean, they don't expect the water to go down or they expect this to just continue to get worse for more rain?
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: A little bit of both. But also, this is such a tremendous event. It's going to be really long term. It's going to be quite a while before they're going to allow those people to return back to their communities. I mean, just a heartbreaking thing to see along that stretch of river.
Along a different stretch of river, namely the Ohio River Valley. We were talking moments ago about the sinkhole they had in Cincinnati. Well, farther to the south, just south of Louisville, we had a different type of damage altogether from Churchill Downs, take a look at this video that we have from just yesterday. We had, again, some widespread damage right along the racetrack. Possibly a tornado. Still no official confirmation but I would be stunned if this does not end up being classified as tornado damage. Still plenty of it across the area.
Let's go back to the weather computer, if we can. We're going to run through the motion. This is from yesterday at 12:22 in the afternoon. Fast forward and you can see that line of storms impact point right around 9:17 or so. And this line just pushes right on through. Of course, dropped that possible tornado and now leaving damage in its wake.
There is a potential we might see more severe weather today in a couple of spots. One in parts of the Northern Rockies, the other right across parts of the nation's midsection, the Central Plains, across the Ohio Valley and into the northeast. Certainly, we're going to watch for you very carefully.
Reason why, as we wrap things up, this area of low pressure, that frontal boundary is going to be the real kicker, interact with that moist air from the Gulf of the Atlantic. Also that secondary frontal boundary we've seen in the Northern Rockies could draw some problems.
Wrapping up with 90 degrees in Salt Lake City, 79 in Kansas City and 76, your high for New York.
Let's pitch it back to you in New York.
CHETRY: Reynolds, thanks so much. We'll check in with you a little bit later.
ROMANS: OK. Some say this is not very lady-like.
CHETRY: What - acing somebody?
ROMANS: The grunting, not the tennis. Now, one Wimbledon official trying to get the ladies to tone it down, of course.
CHETRY: That's right. They say it's really distracting when they are grunting every time they hit the ball. Did they say about the man, too?
ROMANS: I'm not sure.
CHETRY: Also, a joint effort by two lawmakers to end the federal government as they - as they call it war on marijuana.
It's 24 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) ROMANS: "Minding Your Business" this morning.
The Federal Reserve says the economy and jobs growth are weaker than expected and will continue into 2012. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke attributing the weak recovery to temporary factors like the earthquake in Japan, but also acknowledging that long-term problems may be holding back growth.
The Feds left interest rates unchanged as expected near zero percent. Stocks fell following the Fed's announcement in a press conference from the Fed chief. The Dow, NASDAQ and S&P 500 all ended lower for the day, and European stocks opened lower this morning.
Investors looking at the weekly jobless claims numbers coming out today. They're expected to remain at pretty high levels about 415,000. That means 415,000 people lining for the - up for the first time for jobless benefits last week. That data comes out at 8:30 A.M. Eastern Time.
President Obama meeting with top House Democrats today for an update on budget talks. A new report by the Congressional Budget Office says U.S. debt is on track to equal the size of the economy within 10 years if the deficit is not decreased. Negotiators will meet again today on Capitol Hill to work on the budget.
Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, commonly referred to as "The Winklevi," dropping their appeals case versus Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. The twins accused Facebook of misrepresenting the company's stock value during a $65 million settlement with the twins back in 2008.
AMERICAN MORNING will be right back after this break with what troops in the frontline are saying about President Obama's plan for Afghanistan.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Thirty-one minutes past the hour now. Time for a look at our top stories this morning.
And a shocker coming from the parents of suspected child killer Casey Anthony. The parents -- well, the attorney for her parents gave an exclusive interview to CNN's Gary Tuchman, saying that George and Cindy Anthony will do all they can to keep their daughter from getting the death penalty, but they don't believe she's innocent.
ROMANS: Also, he is a fugitive no more. The FBI capturing one of its 10 most wanted, James "Whitey" Bulger in southern California yesterday. The notorious Boston gangster who inspired the film "The Departed," he's been on the run since 1995. Bulger is wanted for some 19 murders.
CHETRY: Also, President Obama will be meeting with the troops today after announcing that 33,000 of them will be home from Afghanistan by the end of next year. He stressed, though, that the war there is not over.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Huge challenges remain. This is the beginning -- but not the end -- of our effort to wind down this war. We'll have to do the hard work of keeping the gains that we've made while we draw down our forces and transition responsibility for security to the Afghan government. Next May, in Chicago, we will host a summit with our NATO allies and partners to shape the next phase of this transition.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Well, the people who want to be the next commander-in-chief are responding to the president's announcement. The front-runner for the GOP, Mitt Romney, saying, quote, "We all want our troops to come home as soon as possible, but we shouldn't adhere to arbitrary timetable on the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. This decision should not be based on politics or economics."
ROMANS: Herman Cain saying, "Instead of providing the American people with clarity, President Obama proposes an abrupt withdrawal of our troops that could potentially compromise the legitimate gains we have made in Afghanistan. Sadly, I fear President Obama's decision could embolden our enemy and endanger our troops."
CHETRY: And former Senator Rick Santorum, "Every American wants our brave men and women home safely, but we cannot let those who have given the last full measure die in vain by abandoning the gains we've made thus far."
ROMANS: Some troops on the frontlines maybe getting their tickets home soon, but for tens of thousands of others, the mission has not changed.
Nick Paton Walsh is live for us at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, where the American presence began back in 2001.
How is the news on the president's speech playing out there, Nick?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's just a reality check on the ground here. People were watching it overnight. One said to me, "I still have to get up at 6:00 a.m. and the president was talking at 4:30."
But, privately, we are hearing from people here of mixture of different personal reactions, his decision impacting personal lives. One saying, "Look, I just don't believe we should be leaving early. We should finish the job, stay here. The cost of the budget is not immaterial because the cost America paid was on 9/11."
Another suggesting the job is being done since bin Laden was killed. And somebody else actually hoping he'd go home as quickly as possible.
That's the American troop reaction.
On the local perspective, Afghan President Karzai welcoming the withdrawal and hoping perhaps the Afghan youth could protect the country. I think he has to also accept really that without American backing and finance, his grip on power in the country in the face of this insurgency is possibly a little weak -- Christine.
ROMANS: You know, Nick, you still would have a pretty decent size presence even after the surge is reversed. Also, wouldn't there be diplomats? And wouldn't there be American infrastructure still in the country? I mean, kinds of a reality check on how much of an American presence would still be there.
WALSH: Yes, absolutely. I mean, just one the troop numbers you mentioned there. We're not talking about a very fast significant withdrawal. We have 10,000 soldiers coming home by the end of the year. That's 7 percent of the total that are here.
And two-thirds of the surge is staying right until September next year. That's pretty close, that 2014 deadline for a much lesser NATO presence.
Civilian force is continuing, absolutely. The focus on development, on aid. But that's something the U.S. had been trying now for about 10 years, to pull Afghan society forward, closer to western Europeans standard. A very tough one, particularly given the security threats and insurgency here.
And I think, frankly, once we start seeing troops coming home, the desire to keep funding a massive bill here for reconstruction may well ebb -- Christine.
ROMANS: All right. Thank you so much, Nick Paton Walsh.
CHETRY: So, we have been talking so much about Afghanistan and our mission there. And we wanted to break down just how much money the war in Afghanistan has cost the United States. Since October 2001, the U.S. has spent roughly $443 billion on the war in Afghanistan.
And when you break it down by year, you take a look at the chart, we have seen here there has been a steady climb of money being poured into Afghanistan. Spending on the war actually skyrocketing since President Obama took office. When the mission began in 2001, we were spending roughly $21 billion a year. We fast forward 10 years. And now, we are up to spending $118 billion this year.
When you take a look what the troop reduction would mean, the president announced last night we would likely save less than $10 billion in the first year. It's a mere fraction of the $443 billion tab the U.S. has already run up. And one of the reasons why it would be less than $10 billion saved is the -- expense, the big expense, extracting troops and equipment from the battlefield. That is very costly.
And then also, the cost of continuing the war. Some researchers have estimated that the military spends as much as $1 million supporting each soldier that's on the ground in Afghanistan.
So, the bottom line is that savings from troop reductions will not start to make a real difference until at least 2013. ROMANS: Kiran, many House Republicans, meanwhile, are now challenging President Obama's powers as commander-in-chief over the war in Libya. They are calling for a vote tomorrow to cut off funding for direct military involvement there. GOP leaders are also planning to hold a separate vote on the -- on the use of force resolution authorizing the Libyan mission.
Growing concern this morning the political chaos in Yemen is giving al Qaeda an opening there -- this after carefully planned attack on a prison that sprung dozens of militants. A Yemeni official says more than 60 al Qaeda militants escape through a tunnel as the compound came under heavy fire from the outside. He says three of the escapees were shot down and a prison guard was killed.
A Marine reservist who was arrested last week after a bomb scare near the Pentagon is now being linked to five shootings at military facilities in northern Virginia last year. A source identify it is suspect as Yonathan Melaku. The shootings targeted the Pentagon, the National Museum of the Marine Corps, and some military recruiting stations. There were no injuries reported in any of those incidents.
CHETRY: The U.S. flexing some nuclear muscle with the test launch of a minuteman missile from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. And there's some of the amazing video. Military officials say it carried an unarmed warhead, some 4,200 miles to a predetermined target in the Marshall Islands. They say the data will be analyzed to ensure the readiness and capability of the nation's ICBM fleet.
ROMANS: All right. Wimbledon, one of the grandest traditions in sports. The players are referred to as gentlemen and ladies, which may be why they are trying to put a sock in this.
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ROMANS: That's -- this is a montage of Maria Sharapova. The chief executive of the All England Lawn and Tennis Club told "The Daily Telegraph" that women who play too loudly on the court are annoying their opponent and their fans. Sharapova reportedly holds the record for the 105 (INAUDIBLE) louder than an incoming train.
Can you -- I mean, every fiber of your being to hit that ball. I mean --
CHETRY: And it's also become sort of the thing. I mean, they all do it now. Are they asking the men to stop as well or just the ladies?
ROMANS: I'm only hearing about the grunting of the ladies. What would you do -- here is -- OK, what would you do if a man tried to board your flight wearing nothing but ladies' underwear?
CHETRY: Depends if I had the kids with me or not. If I didn't have the kids, I'd be laughing.
(CROSSTALK)
ROMANS: Exactly. We will tell you -- it is funny you mentioned the kids. I saw this picture, and I was like, how would I explain this to my children?
We'll tell you what U.S. Airways did and show you what this man looked like, coming up.
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ROMANS: Self-help guru James Arthur Ray found guilty of three counts of negligent homicide, three people died back in 2009 during a sweat lodge ceremony in Arizona after four months now of testimony. The jury took less than 12 hours to convict Ray.
Witnesses described the scene after the ceremony like a battlefield. People vomiting and shaking violently and volunteers performing CPR. Ray could be sentenced to 11 years in prison.
CHETRY: The Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul as well as Massachusetts Democrat Barney Frank want the government out of the marijuana regulation business. And they've introduced a bill that would let states legalize, regulate, probably most importantly, tax and control marijuana without federal interference. They acknowledge, though, that the bill is considered a long shot.
ROMANS: Yes, lot of people talk about -- what does that mean to the cartels with 40 percent of their revenues derived from marijuana? Does it legitimatize cartels then --
CHETRY: Or just put them out of business.
ROMANS: Well, 60 percent of their other revenue is harder drugs. So, it's very interesting conversation.
A lot of question this morning about the condition of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, 11 days after doctors in Cuba performed an emergency operation on him.
CHETRY: Yes, the Cuban government is saying that he is recovering satisfactorily.
ROMANS: Zain Verjee live, tracking the latest developments on all of this from London this morning.
Good morning, Zain.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Good morning. And that's about all we know. There's really not a lot of detail coming up about this. And so, because it's shrouded in all of this secrecy and some kind of inconsistencies, too, it's raising a lot of eyebrows and it's also raising a lot of questions.
But what we do know, Hugo Chavez was in Cuba. He had surgery. Now, there are some reports that say he had it because of a pelvic abscess. There's another report that says that his recovery is slow because he's insisting that -- this one source had said -- on working from bed and being in charge of Venezuela from Cuba.
But a lot of people are asking, too, who is actually running the country while he's away? It's important because his country, Venezuela, is South America's largest oil producer. So, it does raise a concern of a lot of people around the world, but what we're hearing is it may take another 10 to 12 days before he even gets the all-clear to go back to Venezuela. But he and Fidel Castro and Raul Castro were pictured together. They were all great buddies.
CHETRY: Also, we understand, the Vatican is going green. There will be a hybrid pope podium.
(LAUGHTER)
VERJEE: Yes. You know how the pope travels with a white car that he has, the Mercedes, the bulletproof. He's elevated there in the front with a couple of passengers that can travel at the back, but yes. You know, how about a green one of these, guys? There are reports that Mercedes-Benz is actually doing this whole big study of -- whether they can get together and build a hybrid energy saving pope mobile that can replace this one that he is so famous for. You know, the pope is actually pretty environmentally conscious, guys.
CHETRY: Yes.
VERJEE: He even has solar panels on a roof of the papal audience in the Vatican. So, he's into sustainable energy. So, we may see it soon.
CHETRY: If he does do that, they need to get his entire motorcade green, too, because there are more cars on the front and back that seems to be using the gas rather than the --
VERJEE: Yes.
CHETRY: All right.
VERJEE: Yes, that's right.
CHETRY: Zain, thanks so much. Good to see you.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: You get to watch Zain every morning, 5:00 a.m. eastern on "World One" right here on CNN.
All right. U.S. Airways drawing a lot of attention for allowing a male passenger to board a flight wearing nothing but women's underwear. Take a look if you dare over your cheerios. A fellow passenger took this picture earlier this month after her complaints to the flight crew were ignored.
CHETRY: It's not just nothing. He clearly has on a shrug and some tights.
ROMANS: I'm just speechless. U.S. Airways says the employees acted properly by allowing him to board the plane insisting the airline does not have a dress code for passengers or a cross-dress code for passengers beyond the requirement that all private parts be covered.
CHETRY: Yes. The state has some people really angry, and they're saying, hey, this is racial discrimination because I don't know if you, guys, remember this, but six days earlier, U.S. Airways had an African-American passenger removed from a flight because he was wearing his pants too low, and you could see his underwear.
ROMANS: How do you supposed to explain like this to your kids or I mean, what if this person is sitting in the middle row between you and --
CHETRY: You pass him a blanket, but the thing is that's weird, and the situation is, clearly, it is --
ROMANS: What is weird about this situation? What is not weird about this situation?
CHETRY: It's up to -- I mean, clearly, it's a discretion.
ROMANS: I know.
CHETRY: Do you remember the girl -- was it the Southwest Airlines flight. She's on tight teen tank top and she had on a jean skirt, and they wouldn't let her board, unless, she agreed to wrap herself in a blanket, but this guy can like wander around the place?
ROMANS: Oh, man.
CHETRY: Would you feel differently if he worked out?
ROMANS: No, I wouldn't feel differently at all. I just -- it's just -- I want to get on a plane and get where I'm going with a minimum of drama. And people who come to the airport --
CHETRY: Good luck.
ROMANS: Drive me nuts.
CHETRY: Good luck.
All right. Forty-eight minutes past the hour. Ahead in AMERICAN MORNING, you can't lead a horse to water, but this one found it fine by accident. Tell you what happen here. Forty-eight minutes past the hour.
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CHETRY: Fifty minutes past the hour. Here's a look at your headlines this morning.
A lawyer for Casey Anthony's parents telling CNN George and Cindy Anthony don't believe their daughter is innocent. However, they say they do plan to do everything they can to make sure she doesn't get the death penalty. Casey Anthony is charged with several counts in connection with her daughter's death, including first-degree murder.
President Obama visiting Fort Drum today. First stop, to talk about his new Afghanistan strategy with those who are fighting it. Last night, he announced all 33,000 surge troops will be home by the end of next year.
After 16 years on the run, notorious Boston crime boss, James "Whitey" Bulger, is in FBI custody. He's scheduled to appear in court this morning after his arrest along with his girlfriend in Southern California. Bulger is wanted for at least 19 murders.
What's believed to be a tornado hitting the famous Churchill downs racetrack in Louisville, Kentucky, nine barns were damaged. Horses were not injured. Officials say that they may have to relocate as many as 150 horses because the animals could get injured from the storm debris.
And Lindsay Lohan due to appear in court this morning and could find herself behind bars again. She reportedly violated her probation testing positive for alcohol. Lohan is currently serving a sentence under home confinement in a separate case involving a stolen necklace.
You're caught up on the day's headlines. AMERICAN MORNING is back after a quick break.
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ROMANS: All right. We've seen gators in a pool. Just last week, we saw a bear in a hot tub. Now, a horse taking an accidental dip in Florida. The owner of the horse named Casper says the poor thing is blind and fell into the pool.
CHETRY: Oh, he looks like an albino.
ROMANS: They quickly pulled him out in the shallow end, pulled him into shallow end. Rescue crews had to drain the pool to finally get him out.
CHETRY: And he wasn't hurt? He's OK?
ROMANS: He's OK.
CHETRY: Poor Casper. They're just 10 years old, but two best friends from Oklahoma have a story they can certainly tell for the rest of their lives. Hunter Schultz (ph) and his best friend, Carter Malou (ph), have been playing together since they were toddlers. A couple of weeks ago, Carter was eating some gummy worms and started to choke.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED KID: So, I look over there and he was choking or he was going --
UNIDENTIFIED KID: He was like are you joking? I didn't say anything.
UNIDENTIFIED KID: I just saw him doing this. I ran over there and -- did the Heimlich maneuver five times.
UNIDENTIFIED KID: On that fourth one when it didn't come out, you kind of tell it was starting to come out, so I did it really hard the last time. And so it --
UNIDENTIFIED KID: It came out. I was like thank God. Thank goodness.
UNIDENTIFIED KID: He sits down.
UNIDENTIFIED KID: And then, I was like, you just saved my life.
UNIDENTIFIED KID: So, I'm just sitting there and thinking, I just saved his life.
UNIDENTIFIED KID: And then, we just started playing again.
CHETRY (voice-over): It's so adorable. This wasn't accidental. The mothers of both of these boys are registered nurses. And so, they say that's how Carter knew that his best friend was choking. I mean, that's how Carter knew he was choking and how Hunter knew what to do to save him. So, pretty smart.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: That is really smart. All right. Time now for our question of the day. In a CNN exclusive, we've been telling you about it. A shocking admission from Casey Anthony's parents. They have told their attorney and he told CNN that they don't believe their daughter is innocent.
CHETRY (on-camera): That's right. They say that, even though, they don't believe it, they think that she should not get the death penalty.
ROMANS: That's right.
CHETRY: So, we're asking today, should Casey Anthony take the stand in her own defense? We've gotten a lot of feedback from you, guys.
Michelle writes on her blog, "I doubt she will. I really wish she would, though, because we all know that she'd go up there and dig her own grave. It's unfortunate that she doesn't have to."
ROMANS: Joshua on Facebook says, "What she should do is take a plea deal for life in prison without parole. She's rolling the dice on her life by continuing this trial."
CHETRY: Dan on our blog says, "She should not take the stand. I don't think the defense would really achieve anything by putting her on the stand and wouldn't want to put itself in the position of having Casey cross-examined."
ROMANS: And Julie on the blog says, "I think, at this point, if Casey told the truth, which I do not think she is capable of doing, no one would believe her."
CHETRY: Lot of feedback this morning. Keep your comments coming. Send us an e-mail, a tweet, tell us on Facebook, and we'll read some more of your thoughts a bit later in the show. ROMANS: OK. Ahead next, our on the lam no more. A Boston crime boss caught after some 16 years on the run. He's real-life Frank Costello from "The Departed." A live report on how he finally slipped up.
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