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American Morning: Wake Up Call

Possible 9/11 Terror Threat; Obama Rolls Out Jobs Plan; Possible 9/11 Terror Threat; President Obama Unveils Jobs Plan; Second Hottest Summer On Record

Aired September 09, 2011 - 05:00   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. Do you realize it's Friday? So, happy Friday. It's September 9th.

This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. I'm Carol Costello, joining you live from New York this morning.

Let's get started with the specific, credible, but unconfirmed terrorist threat against the United States -- that's how U.S. officials described a 9/11 anniversary plot involving three people, vehicle and bombs and possible targets in New York and Washington.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg says there will be additional police officers throughout the city, but no one should change their daily routines. Leaders in the nation's capital are telling people to stay calmed and vigilant.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES MCJUNKIN: There are scores of people at this moment at FBI headquarters and with a number of DHS components that are together, scrubbing through mounds of data, looking for potential leads for individuals that may -- where suspicion may arise around them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Let's talk with CNN national security contributor Fran Townsend about this. She joins me by phone from Washington.

So, Fran, first of all, tell me what you know of these three people. And is it car bombs? I mean, what are we talking about exactly?

FRAN TOWNSEND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CONTRIBUTOR (via telephone): You know, Carol, we've gotten the information in bits and pieces as we often do in the early stages. The threat information they got only in recent -- in the last 24 to 36 hours, they have been going through it. They notified Congress. The president had been informed early yesterday and he's being kept informed steadily.

They had gone through their normal -- up until now they had gone through their normal routine before a large big event like the 9/11 anniversary. The president had met with his cabinet. They have talked about the various national security measures that they would take before a big event. And there hadn't been up to that time this intelligence.

We understand the intelligence comes from overseas. It may, in fact, we're talking to sources -- remember Pakistan took into custody, al-Mauretani, a very senior al Qaeda leader. So, it may be that the information they're getting is related to his capture.

COSTELLO: We've been hearing conflicting reports from different networks. First of all, we heard there were three people, including one American, some people from Pakistan already in this country. But we've since determined that's not quite true.

I mean, do we know who -- I mean, you probably don't have the answer to this because they're keeping things under their hats. But do investigators know who these people are?

TOWNSEND: As you point out, Carol, the initial reporting was that there was three people, one being an American citizen. And then as the story seemed to develop, we then understood they may have names but they very common names. Our Susan Candiotti got that report from her sources. Not clear.

I mean, the key here is we also understand these are individuals who entered the United States as recently as last month. And, you know, this is an enormous task to try and figure out, even if you had names, to try and identify when and where they exactly came in and even once you do that, Carol, then you've got to figure out where they are now. None of this is easy. And that's the first priority of investigators at the moment.

COSTELLO: Well, they have plenty of people out there trying to keep us safe. And I guess the old adage works this time, too. If you see anything suspicious, report it. Don't hang on to that information.

And Fran Townsend, we appreciate you getting up --

TOWNSEND: Absolutely. We heard that from Commissioner Ray Kelly last night, you know, New York has been at the forefront of the "if you see it say it" campaign. That's how they identified the Times s attempted bombing. And so, that was his message last night. Don't change your routine but law enforcement needs your help.

So, you know, to our viewers, wherever you are, especially in those two cities, call 911 if you see something suspicious.

COSTELLO: Fran Townsend, thanks so much.

President Obama has put his jobs plan out there. Now, he's asking the Congress to pass it ASAP. The cost? $447 billion paid for with an expanded deficit reduction deal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Pass this jobs bill and starting tomorrow, small businesses will get a tax cut if they hire new workers or if they raise workers' wages. Pass this jobs bill and all small business owners will also see their payroll taxes cut in half next year. If you have 50 employees -- if you have 50 employees making an average salary, that's an $80,000 tax cut. And all businesses will be able to continue writing off the investments they make in 2012.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: The plan includes a payroll tax cut for 98 percent of businesses, a tax credit for companies that hire unemployed veterans, improvements for about 35,000 public schools, buildings I'm talking about, a tax credit for firms that hire the long-term unemployed. Let's get more. Americans can refinance their mortgages at the 4 percent interest rates now available. That's also part of the plan.

Republican reaction ran the gamut from we're interested to "no way." We'll talk more about that with Tim Farley in your Political Ticker. That comes your way in just a few minutes.

Hundreds of thousands of people in the San Diego area, eastern Arizona, and part of Mexico went to bed without electricity. Some might not have electricity when they wake up. Utility crews have begun restoring power after last night's massive blackout left about 3.5 million people in the dark.

Take a look at the graphic. Each dot represents households without power just in San Diego alone.

Officials aren't sure when everyone will be back on the grid. So you're asking, what happened? Arizona power service says an employee tripped up a high voltage line near Yuma on the California border and that's what killed off the lights all the way to San Diego.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE NIGGLI: The initial instance of this looks like an operator error that happened in Arizona. That started the series of events. What we'll have to find out through the investigation as we review this with federal agencies, state agencies, is to find out was there any other complicating factors along the way, any other equipment that failed that contributed to the outage as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: The number of homes destroyed in that's enormous wildfire outside of Austin, Texas, keep rising. It's wiped out nearly 140 homes now and isn't letting up. Fire crews are pouring almost everything they have into protecting the structures that are still standing.

President Obama has signed emergency declarations for New York and Pennsylvania after another round of punishing rains. Leftovers from tropical storm Lee have flooded the Susquehanna River, began to crest last night. Several communities now are underwater. Thousands of people have had to leave their homes. At least three people have died.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I stayed up most the night just keeping an eye on things. You know, you think it will be all right. And then you start getting butterflies and start wondering whether or not, you know?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's on the market for sale. We're supposed to have an open house Sunday and now this has happened.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: I don't think she'll be having that open house, Reynolds.

REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, it looks like it's going to be rough, no question about it.

One thing about this morning, Carol, is that most of the rainfall remains offshore. As we go and take up our maps, you're going to see the heaviest precipitation forming out in the Atlantic. That's the good news.

Bad news is you still have many of these rivers, creeks, lakes swollen at this point. So, some residual moisture coming up from Washington, back over at Pittsburgh, even into Williamsburg. If you look at how much has fallen already, last 48 hours, some places up to six to 10 inches, even more rainfall. You have Wilkes-Barre, southward into Harrisburg, even south from Washington, D.C., and into Virginia.

More is on the way today. Again, we got the flood threat that remains in effect for a good part of the Northeast. And that's one part of the story with that area of low pressure taking up over the parts of the Great Lakes and moving into the Northeast. The rain, the clouds are going to stick around for quite some time.

Meanwhile, while switching gears and going into the tropics, you're keeping a sharp eye on hurricane Katia. But thankfully not expected to have any direct threat on the United States, with an exception of some enhanced surf and some rip currents along the coast. Meanwhile, tropical storm Maria looks like it may indeed strengthen. Right now, winds at 45 miles per hour.

But as we fast forward over the next several days, we see winds going to 65 miles per hour, 75. A category one hurricane forecasted by Wednesday at 2:00 a.m. with winds at 80 miles an hour. Still too early to say if it will have direct affect with United States.

And tropical storm Nate looks like it's fizzling out. But not so fast. The latest computer models indicate that it's going to strengthen to a category 2 storm. Winds of 90 miles per hour, possibly making landfall into Monday and into Tuesday, again, making landfall into parts of Mexico, right along the coast.

That is the latest we got for you. More weather coming up through out the morning. Let's pitch it back to you, Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Thank you, Reynolds.

WOLF: You bet.

COSTELLO: Inventors all over the world are working on ways to prevent another 9/11. A remote controlled airliner is just one of those tech advances in the works. More amazing inventions on the other side of the break.

But, first, check out our quote of the day. "Mr. President, we cannot spend our way to prosperity." Find out who said this about the president's jobs plan. That's coming up in 90 seconds.

It's nine minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It is 10 minutes past the hour. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL.

Now, back to our quote of the day. The quote, "Mr. President, we cannot spend our way to prosperity." That was Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry about the jobs plan presented last night by President Barack Obama.

This Sunday's anniversary of the 9/11 attacks is going to lead to our high tech headlines today.

So, let's head to Hong Kong and Kristie Lu Stout.

You know, we're always trying to find new ways to protect ourselves after 9/11. And the inventors came through. Tell us about some of those inventions.

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: That's right. "National Geographic" recently published a list of six tech advances to defend against terrorism in the skies.

First up, remote-controlled airlines. Now, Boeing has already developed the technology to fly an airliner by remote. There's a plan document out there, but Boeing says it has no plans to produce the device just yet.

Another technology being considered: bio monitors. These are surveillance systems that can analyze facial expressions for signs of lying or even scan for irregular heartbeats.

Number three on the list: remote video monitoring. In fact, European researchers are developing onboard systems to scan facial expressions and look out for suspicious behavior.

Now, we have a visual of the next counter-terror tool. These are light guns. Officials are looking the possibly equip air marshals with these laser rifles designed to dazzle attackers and temporarily blind them.

Also on the list, a super thin flexible body armor. So, imagine a uniform for marshals and flight crews that double as armor. It's being in development now by scientists all over the world.

And, lastly, missile disrupters. It's already available. These are devices that use infrared radiation to disrupt missile guidance systems. The target here would be an attacker armed with a shoulder- fired missiles.

So, Carol, the fear is out there that airplanes will continue to be targeted. And for that reason, we're seeing this array of technology all developed to defend the skies.

Back to you.

COSTELLO: So, I'm dazzled by this light gun. When might that hit the market?

STOUT: Yes. I don't know quite yet. Of course, they also have to look into its viability, being able to bring that on board if it's in use to make sure it won't hurt passengers as well. There's a number of many different technology involving as unfortunately terror strategies evolve as well -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Pretty amazing. Kristie Lu Stout, thanks so much -- reporting live from Hong Kong this morning.

President Obama is about to hit the road to promote his new $447 billion jobs package. A big plan with a big question: can he get anything passed? We'll talk about that in 90 seconds.

It's 13 minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It is 15 minutes past the hour. Good morning. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL.

Now time for your Political Ticker with Tim Farley, host of "Morning Briefing" on Sirius POTUS, live from Washington.

Hi, Tim.

TIM FARLEY, SIRIUS XM POTUS: Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: Good morning.

So, President Obama hits the road today to propose his new jobs proposal. His first stop is in Virginia, in Eric Cantor's district.

But let's go back to the speech last night, shall we?

FARLEY: Sure.

COSTELLO: We're going to play a bit for our audience and then we will talk about it. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: The purpose of the American Jobs Act is simple, to put more people back to work and more money in the pockets of those who are working. It will create more jobs for construction workers, more jobs for teachers, more jobs for veterans and more jobs for long-term unemployed. It will provide -- it will provide a tax break for companies who hire new workers, and it will cut payroll taxes in half for every working American and every small business.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So, supposedly this plan has job creation in it. It also has tax cuts in it -- which should please everybody you would think. But the big challenge for the president is, if Congress will act on it quickly and if he can get any part of this plan passed.

FARLEY: Yes. I think you've hit the challenge right there. In the parlance of the sales world, the president asked for the order last night, repeatedly saying pass this jobs bill now, pass it now, act now.

Republicans may be a little bit, shall we say, delaying in this. But there's a sense, I do believe, that there has to be some kind of action. It may not be that everything goes through and I don't think the president expects that. But I do believe, and given what we heard from the Speaker of the House John Boehner, what we heard from Eric Cantor, the House majority leader yesterday, there is some room for maneuvering. The merits consideration -- that was the line from the speaker of the House.

Indeed, when you look through the reaction from a lot of Republicans, certainly, there was a lot of criticism and there was certainly even some people who said downright total rejection of what the president said.

But there's also a lot of room there. There's some breathing room, if you will. And I think that speaks to the fact that members of the House and Senate have just come back from their districts and found out that people are looking for something to happen in Washington, D.C.

So, an outright rejection is not something that's going to play well with the average voter.

COSTELLO: You mentioned some Republicans are at least receptive to parts of the president's plan. I'll read you a quote from John Boehner, the House speaker. He said, quote, "It's my hope we can work together to end the uncertainty facing families and small businesses and create a better environment for long-term economic growth and private sector job creation."

But, you know, I was talking to John Avlon about this. CNN analyst, he's an independent. And he said written statements are great. But unless politicians are actually saying it, you know, with their mouths, don't believe it.

FARLEY: There's a certain amount of truth to that. And I also do believe that when you read through the statements and the reactions, as I said, you don't hear out right rejection in a lot of cases. One fascinating one, Carol, was the quote from Scott Brown, Republican senator from Massachusetts, who was up for re-election. He's saying, hey, who doesn't want good roads and bridges. And he's looking forward to working with the president.

And a Democrat, Joe Manchin from West Virginia, who's saying, look, if spending a lot of money was going to be the key, then we would be out of this economic issue that we're in, that the problems would be gone.

And so, we have a Democrat who seems more resistant to the president. A Republican who seems more receptive. And maybe that's a result of whether they're trying to get reelected.

So, you know what they're saying, but also notice what's missing from a lot of these statements and I think you'll see there's a possibility at least of moving forward. And maybe that's the optimist in me. I don't know. I just think that I see a little bit more here than just the typical intransigence that has been so much the case in Washington lately.

COSTELLO: I know. It's good you're a glass half full kind of guy. Tim, I like that in a man.

FARLEY: There's a weekend coming up. Why not?

COSTELLO: Exactly, it's Friday. Tim Farley, thanks so much, host of "Morning Briefing" on Sirius POTUS radio.

It has been 10 years, you know, since the 9/11 attacks. It's been four months since Osama bin Laden was killed. We're taking a look at where the terror network stands now as U.S. investigators look into a credible unconfirmed threat against the United States.

It's 19 minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It is 22 minutes past the hour. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL.

Here are three things to put on your radar today:

Fresh off his jobs speech, President Obama takes his message on the road to University of Richmond where he'll speak at 11:35 Eastern this morning. Virginia is a key battleground state that Obama actually won in 2008.

We're down to the quarterfinals in the U.S. Open. It's the men's singles at noon when John Isner takes on Andy Murray. After that, it's Andy Roddick versus after Rafael Nadal.

And in Los Angeles, jury selection resumes in the manslaughter, in the involuntary manslaughter trial of Michael Jackson's doctor, Conrad Murray. Potential jurors will fill out questionnaires to determine if they are qualified to serve.

Also this morning, we are following a developing story. U.S. officials say they have a specific credible but unconfirmed threat involving an al Qaeda plot against New York City or Washington, D.C. It's reportedly aimed to coincide with the 9/1 anniversary.

Senior international correspondent Nic Robertson is tracking the story from Kabul, Afghanistan.

So, Nic, I know you've been making calls from that side of the world. What are you hearing this morning?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, we heard that the initial reports came from the Pakistan-Afghan tribal border region. That's where there are al Qaeda camps across the border inside Pakistan. We talked to a very senior ministerial government official today to find out what he knew. He has responsibility for those border areas.

And he said, look, we just don't have anything here at the moment. Indeed, he said we don't really have good information about what's about to happen in Kabul. So, he said really for us at the moment to know what's going on do know about the threats in Washington and New York is just a stretch. But he is the man in the government here responsible for the border area where these threats are -- certainly the initial intelligence we understand came from, Carol.

COSTELLO: Yes. You know, I want to ask you so many more questions, but since they really don't know anything -- I mean, we have heard, there's supposedly an American person involved along with two Pakistani people involved. I mean, any information you've been able to gather on that?

ROBERTSON: It would certainly be very typical of the potential terror threat coming from this area. The border area in Pakistan has al Qaeda camps and people have been coming from the United States and from Europe as well to train in those camps. They come do fight here in Afghanistan.

And then you have people like this top al Qaeda official who was picked up in Pakistan within the past couple of weeks, al-Mauretani, who's been in charge of al Qaeda, of recruiting these foreigners coming in from United States and Europe and telling them don't fight in Afghanistan, go back to the United States, go back to Europe, and perpetrate your attacks there.

And there have been several, very clearly documented classes where Mauretani has just been picked up by the Pakistanis has been directly involved in these sorts of incidents. But, so far, from what we understand from Pakistani officials, they cannot link Mauretani to this later terror threat warning.

However, what has been involved in the past fits the modus operandi of exactly what we're hearing here, Carol.

COSTELLO: All right. Nic Robertson, reporting live from Afghanistan this morning.

And, you know, there are extra investigators, extra security on the streets in New York City and Washington, D.C. -- if you see anything suspicious, authorities say, please tell someone. And you'll see plenty of people with guns on the streets of New York and Washington, D.C.

If you fly a lot, you know the drill, shoes off, liquids out, ID and boarding pass in hand. The string of security changes that started in the aftermath of 9/11. A look at how much as changed at the airport.

And, after that horrible day, much of the world waited -- waited for some reason to smile.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOB RIGGLE: The late night shows, I think, Conan O'Brien, Jon Stewart, David Letterman, "Saturday Night Live" -- I think these shows helped pave the way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: How comedians pressed forward says a lot about our culture. We'll have that story just ahead.

It's 26 minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Good morning to you. Happy Friday. It is September 9. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. I'm Carol Costello, joining you live from New York this morning. Thank you for waking up with us. It's just about half -- 30 minutes past the hour right now.

Intelligence officials are looking into a potential al Qaeda bomb threat timed to the tenth anniversary of 9/11. Authorities say they have specific and credible but unconfirmed information about that possible plot. So, here's where we stand right now. Officials tell us the possible threat is focused on New York City or Washington, D.C., and it may include a car or truck bomb.

It, apparently, involves three people, one of them a U.S. citizen. Now, the mayors of New York and D.C. are giving similar advice. Stay calm and stay vigilant.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG (I), NEW YORK: The NYPD is deploying additional resources around the city and taking other steps to keep our city safe, some of which you may notice and some of which you will not notice. But there is no reason for any of the rest of us to change anything in our daily routines. (END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Our national correspondent, Susan Candiotti, joins us now. So, Susan, you've been on the phone literally all night long. So, get us up to speed. What have you found out?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Well, as you stated and summed it up beautifully, this is something that authorities are very much concerned about, but as you said, there are still efforts that are being made even as we speak to try to corroborate this information. In fact, one piece of information I have -- excuse me -- from a U.S. government official is that the names of the three people that they may be working with are, in fact, so common, that that might even make it a bit harder for authorities to track this down.

But, of course, they're using every conceivable method to do so. And they certainly have various ways to do it including computers to track these things down. So, they're, in fact, looking at the possibility of three people, at least, one of them American. They might be using a vehicle that's filled with explosives, could be a car bomb, and they've also sent out a law enforcement bulletin that is unclassified.

CNN has obtained a copy of it, but generally, it says that law enforcement authorities around the country really, because you can't be too narrow minded about this, should always be on the lookout, and should be on the lookout now, in particular, to look out for anything that appears to be suspicious, including the things that you mentioned.

So, as you're driving around, certainly, New York City as an example or Washington this day, they have ramped up security that was already ramped up because of the 9/11 anniversary, 10th anniversary coming, of course, up on Sunday, Carol.

COSTELLO: Susan, it's like a needle in a haystack. So, three guys driving some kind of vehicle, may be loaded with explosives in Washington, D.C. or New York. Big trafficated places. It sounds impossible.

CANDIOTTI: Well, they certainly are concerned enough about this to go public with it. And, that's why they said they're trying vigorously, authorities are telling us, to track this down. And yes, it is difficult. And that's why they're advising people to certainly be on the alert always. If you see something, say something, as they like to put it, and just to be extra cautious as people already are.

And again, nothing magical about the date of 9/11. They're looking at the possibility of this before that, after that, and keeping all those possibilities open. Does that make it hard? Yes, it does. But that's why our law enforcement authorities here, and certainly, around the world are trying to track this down, to see whether it is the real deal.

COSTELLO: Susan Candiotti, many thanks to you. We appreciate it.

Catching a flight has never been the same since September 11th, 2001. The terror attacks changed everything. From the way you go through security to what you're allowed to bring on board a plane. Richard Quest looks back upon ten turbulent years for the airline industry.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the two years after 9/11, the aviation industry lost more than $20 billion. Airlines laid off workers by the thousands. Some airlines like Swiss Air couldn't survive and went bankrupt. The ballooning security bills are weighing heavily on the industry. Last year alone, aviation is estimated to have spent $7.4 billion on security.

If the airlines felt the financial cost, the traveling public saw dramatic changes. The entire business of flying became an ordeal in itself.

SIMON CALDER, TRAVEL JOURNALIST: Well, it's just completely extinguished the joy out of air travel. It used to be that people would look forward to actually the experience of being in an airport. Now, everybody is thinking, oh, my goodness, me -- have I got anything sharp like a nail file?

QUEST: 9/11 was just the beginning. There were more restrictions after the shoe bomber attempted to blow up a plane. Passengers had to remove their shoes at security. In 2006, a failed plot to blow up transatlantic planes led to new restrictions on liquids and gels at airports. Little plastic bag at security became the norm.

(on-camera) There's little doubt that air travel today is more secure than it was ten years ago, but that security has come at a terrible price for the airlines who bear the financial cost and for the passengers who bear the cost of convenience.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: You got that right, but, if you hate shuffling through the airport security in your socks, we do have a bit of good news. Homeland Security secretary, Janet Napolitano, said this week, the no- shoe rule will eventually be phased out because technology is evolving. But, restrictions on liquids are staying put for now.

After 9/11, no one knew exactly when it was OK to smile or laugh again, including the late night comedians. Here's how they handled their return to the air waves in the days after the attacks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JON STEWART, HOST, THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART: A lot of folks have asked me what are you going to do when you get back? What are you going to say? I mean, gees, what a terrible thing to have to do, and I don't see it as a burden at all. I see it as a privilege, and I see it as a privilege and everyone here does see it that way.

CONAN O'BRIEN, HOST, CONAN: All I can say is that, tonight, we're going to start and we're going to try make this little show which has always been silly and unprofessional and largely inconsequential in the larger world, we're going to try and do one of these tonight, and then, we'll try tomorrow and then so on and so on.

DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST, LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN: The reason that I am doing a show and the reason I am back to work is because of Mayor Giuliani. Very early on after the attack -- and how strange does it sound to invoke that phrase, "after the attack," Mayor Giuliani encouraged us and, here lately, implored us to go back to our lives, go on living, continue trying to make New York City the place that it should be. And because of him, I'm here tonight.

(APPLAUSE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from New York, it's Saturday night!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It is 40 minutes past the hour. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. Let's look at today's "Get Smart" question. How much will the president's jobs plans cost us? Is it A. $347 billion, B. $447 billion, or C. $557 billion? The answer is -- it is B, $447 billion. That's what (ph) President Obama says.

A strong appeal from the president telling lawmakers to, quote, "stop the political circus and actually do something to help the economy." He says his $447 billion package will give a jolt to the economy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I am sending this Congress a plan that you should pass right away. It's called the American Jobs Act. There should be nothing controversial about this piece of legislation. Everything in here is the kind of proposal that's been supported by both Democrats and Republicans, including many who sit here tonight. And everything in this bill will be paid for, everything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Sounds good. So, let's go to Christine Romans. She's here in New York with me. So, Christine, if the president's plan is passed as he proposed it, would it create jobs?

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's really no question. Economists this morning are saying if it were passed as he proposes it, and that's the key there, indeed, it would create jobs. The liberal Economic Policy Institute has a range of anywhere from 1.5 to 2.6 million jobs. So, that's a pretty wide range. Others are saying it would definitely add to GDP most likely next year and adding to GDP as to jobs.

I'll be honest with you, though, a lot of economists are shy about coming up with an actual job number as is the White House, because the numbers were so far off for the stimulus. There are formulas for how do you create jobs and how much spending creates jobs, but we know that the economy has been weaker than we thought, and it's been harder to get a good grip on how, when the money is deployed in the economy, it's creating jobs.

No question it would create jobs. David Brook, though -- David Brook in "The New York Times" says -- David Brook says in this moment of peril, the country needs an insurance policy against a double-dip. And he says that's what this would be. It wouldn't be the jolt that the president, as you were saying -- just now as the president was just saying now, it wouldn't be the jolt to the economy, but it would prevent a double-dip. It would be the insurance against that.

COSTELLO: But what if republicans said, you know, I like some things in this plan. We're going to pick which things we like, and then, maybe those things will pass. So, would that be effective? Or are you just talking about this would create jobs if the plan is passed only in its entirety?

ROMANS: It depends on what part. For example, if you look at unemployment benefits insurance, the president talked about a rehab of that entire program. For 40 years, it's run basically the same way. Well, things are a lot different now. We got people who are unemployed for very long time. Do we need to put a retraining element on to that? Hard to see -- we've never done it before. Hard to see how many jobs that would create, but changing that program, would it make people more employable and respond to some realities in the global system?

That's important. You look at infrastructure spending, Carol. This is what -- $200 billion of new spending in this plan, targeted tax cuts as well, among that new spending, infrastructure spending. We need to make these improvements anyway. So, it wouldn't be just throwing money away for job creation, right? It would be actually fixing a road, and then, much longer out, there would be economic benefits of that, too.

So, look, this is all about using this moment of weakness in the economy to try to do something in the short-term to juice it. The question is, will Republicans go along for it?

COSTELLO: We'll see. We'll talk much more about this on "American Morning." Thanks, Christine.

The higher ups at Bank of America are talking about slashing 40,000 jobs. That's according to the "Wall Street Journal." Those numbers are not final, and they could change. That's also according to the paper sources. But it would be part of the first wave of a restructuring. Thousands of other positions could be cut in the coming years. Executives will meet again today in North Carolina to hammer out final details. If you felt like this summer was especially steamy, it wasn't all in your head. The summer of 2011 is the second hottest on record in the United States according to the government. It has been 75 years since June, July, and August were that scorching hot.

Nearly one in ten Americans say they use illegal drugs. That's according to a national drug survey. That's up just a bit from 2009. Marijuana is, by far, the most popular drug with about seven percent of Americans using it regularly, but methamphetamine use dropped off. Only a tenth of one percent of people now say they use it.

U.S. officials say they've got information that al Qaeda might try something around the 9/11 anniversary. We'll talk more about that after a break.

But first, on this day in history, in 1776, the United States of America got its name. The Continental Congress changed the name from the United Colonies. It's 45 minutes past the hour.

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COSTELLO: Good morning to you. Happy Friday. It is September 9th. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. I'm Carol Costello joining you live from New York. Thank you for joining us. It's 48 minutes past the hour.

U.S. officials say there's a specific, credible, but unconfirmed terrorist threat against the United States. It involves three people, vehicle bombs, and possible targets in New York City and Washington. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg says there will be additional police throughout the city, but that should change no one's daily routine. Leaders from the nation's capital are telling people to stay calm and vigilant.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES MCJUNKIN, FBI WASHINGTON FIELD OFFICE CHIEF: There are scores of people at this moment at FBI headquarters and a number of the DHS components. They're together scrubbing through mounds of data looking for potential leads for individuals that may -- where suspicion may arise around them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr, joins us live now. So, Barbara, what can you tell us about these three people and this truck bomb?

VOICE OF BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Officials say specific and credible, but not confirmed. What they're really saying is, they are very aggressively going after any leads that they have, but they don't have a time, date, and places on this. They don't know who the people are. They do have intelligence, they say, that the plot is believed to involve three individuals, including possibly, possibly at least one U.S. citizen. It indicates -- the intelligence indicates a vehicle laden with explosives, possibly New York, possibly Washington, D.C. But one official telling me late last night that not enough is known about the operatives or their plots. Still, all of this has led the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security to issue a bulletin saying what they know and what they are looking for. It is believed these people may have entered the United States.

That is not clear. And that they might have come to the United States after traveling at least through Afghanistan and Iran. Nobody saying the Iranians knew about it, but it's an indication of what they believe how much the plot has emanated from the very heartland of al Qaeda -- Carol.

COSTELLO: So, I guess, my question would be how concerned should people be about this?

STARR: Well, you know, officials in Washington and New York are saying go about your daily business, be vigilant. Here in Washington, D.C., the head of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department already said one thing is that unattended vehicles left around key buildings will be towed away. You know, we've seen that for years at airports. So, they're looking for any unattended vehicles or anything that looks suspicious.

But as Mayor Bloomberg of New York indicated, there's a real feeling that Americans should keep their eyes open, but go back their daily business as they pause to remember 9/11 ten years later.

COSTELLO: Yes. Sadly, we're used to that by now. Barbara Starr reporting live for us from Washington.

The number of homes destroyed in that enormous wildfire outside of Austin, Texas -- it just keeps on rising. It's light out nearly 1,400 homes and is not letting up. Fire crews are pouring almost everything they have into protecting the structures that are still standing.

That massive blackout out west has affected about five million people in Southern California alone. Some might have electricity when they wake up, but officials aren't sure when everyone will be back on the grid. California's power grid operator is asking everyone in the state to conserve power to ease strain on the system.

So, what happened? Well, Arizona Power service Says an employee tripped up a high voltage line near Yuma on the California border and that's what's killed off the lights in parts of Arizona, Mexico, and California.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOICE OF MIKE NIGGLI, SDG&E PRESIDENT AND CEO: The initial instance of this looks like it's an operator error that happened in Arizona. And, that started the series of events. What we'll have to find out through the investigation as we review this with federal agencies, state agencies, is to find out was there any other complicating factors along the way, any other equipment that failed that contributed to do the outage as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: President Obama has signed emergency declarations for New York and Pennsylvania after another round of punishing rains. Leftovers from tropical storm Lee have flooded the Susquehanna River. It began to crest last night. Several communities are now under water. Thousands of people have been told to leave their homes, and at least, three have died.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I stayed up most of the night just keeping an eye on things. You know, you think, it will be all right. Then you start getting little butterflies and you started wondering whether or not, you know --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's on the market for sale. We're supposed to have an open house on Sunday, and now, this has happened.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Let's head to Atlanta now and meteorologist, Reynolds Wolf. So, you know what I'm going to ask you. When is it going to stop?

REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: yes. That's the million dollar question. I think we're going to see it slow down a little bit today, but the problem is you've got the rivers and the creeks and the lakes all swollen (INAUDIBLE) some places over a foot of rainfall just sort of last 48 hours. Thankfully, the last couple hours, though, we've seen a bulk of the rainfall actually off the coast.

Let's go right to the maps. As we do so, you'll see the precipitation off of Long Island, but still, some residual showers through the keystone state of Pennsylvania south warped in Washington, D.C. The areas you see in green in the northeast are places where you have your flood warnings and flood watches. There are a lot of them. Over the next 30 seconds, we're going to show you an entirely different flavor of weather.

Of course, you see that area of low pressure bringing the rainfall to parts of the northeast. Nothing doing in Texas, though, where they're battling the fire. So relatively dry there to say the least. Hurricane Katia moving out to sea, not expected to really affect the U.S. other than bringing in a stronger rip current for much the northeast. Just keep that in mind along the coast. And we're looking at tropical storm Maria expected to intensify.

Right now, winds at 40 miles per hour, but take a look at what can happen over the next 24 to 48 to 36 hours, even fast forwarding all the way into Wednesday with winds of 80 miles per hour, a Category 1 hurricane expected. And very quickly, tropical storm Nate also expected to intensify surprisingly enough pulling due west, and then, possibly forecasting to go to a Category 2 storm with landfall sometime Monday morning around 1:00 a.m. with winds of 90. That is a quick snapshot on the forecast. More on that flooding coming out throughout the morning. Back to you, Carol.

COSTELLO: Thanks, Reynolds.

Google is throwing major muscle into its new focus on local businesses. We'll have details for you in a live report.

But first, let's take a look at the word of the day. It would be supernova. Find out what it means and why you need to know about it right after this short break. It's 54 minutes past the hour.

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COSTELLO: Two minutes until the top of the hour. This is your A.M. WAKE-UP CALL. Now back to our word of the day which would be supernova. A supernova is an exploding white dwarf star. OK. You need to know that today because a supernova the size of the earth just exploded within viewing distance of the earth.

Now, when I say within distance of the earth, we're actually talking about 21 million light years away, but the rare cosmic explosion was caught in pictures by the Palomar Observatory in California. It was the closest and brightest supernova seen by the United States by we here on earth, I should say, in 25 years. It's in the pinwheel galaxy above the big dipper if you really want to know.

Now, let's go to Carter Evans for a look at your money this morning. Our own supernova joins us live from the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York. Good morning.

CARTER EVANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I've never been compared to a supernova before. It's a special day. Hey, look, you know, after the president's speech, not a whole lot of reaction so far -- as far as futures are concerned. Let's take a look right now. Dow futures currently down about 24, NASDAQ off 3.5, S&P 500 up about a fraction.

Essentially, stocks could go either way today. We do have one report coming up on business inventories, wholesale inventories, but for the most part, not a lot on tap. So, investors are on their own today.

COSTELLO: So, what are the headlines on CNNMoney? Maybe those are more exciting.

EVANS: Well, you know, this is something that's going to interest techies and foodies alike. Google gabbling (ph) up to gap. So, yes, Google is now going to be giving a restaurant medications to its part of Google's new focus on local businesses. It's not clear exactly how much Google paid for Zagat, but Zagat has been around for a long time since 1979.

Very well respected. It's really part of the latest run for Google on trying to pick up a lot of these local advertising and ratings type businesses. COSTELLO: Interesting. Maybe, they'll have a better online presence, because that's what Zagat needs in my humble opinion. Thank you very much. We appreciate it.

EVANS: Sure.

COSTELLO: "AMERICAN MORNING" continues right now.