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Armed Hijacker on CanJet Plane Apprehended, No Injuries Reported; President Obama Orders Cabinet Members to Cut Budgets; Better Than Expected Bank Reports Keep Optimism Alive on Wall Street; Iranian President Greeted by Protests, Walk Outs; The Fight in Afghanistan

Aired April 20, 2009 - 08:59   ET

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

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: And happening right now, a hostage drama in Jamaica, it is over. Police capture a gunman holding crew members of a Canadian plane. We've got the details.

Also, the president back in the U.S. and back to the budgets. This morning, he called on his cabinet to save some of your money.

Also, some dangerous storms hitting home. We take a look at the damage after a wild night in the Deep South.

It's Monday, April 20th. I'm T.J. Homes sitting in today for Heidi Collins, and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

And we are going to begin with that developing story out of Jamaica. Just a short time ago, officials told us that police boarded a Canadian plane and captured an armed hijacker. The young man had been holding six men crewmembers from the CanJet plane and demanding to be taken to Cuba.

He earlier had released all of the 174 passengers and two crew members. No one was injured during the standoff. The gun man was described as being mentally challenged. He apparently got on board as airport workers were loading bags.

The Jamaican information minister told CNN's Kiran Chetry just a short time ago about the resolution of this standoff.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DARYL VAZ, JAMAICAN INFORMATION MINISTER: The military was able to capture the gunman without anyone being harmed. The six crew members have actually come off the plane, disembarked the plane and the gunman is in police custody as we speak.

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Do you -- wonderful news, by the way, that these tense hours ended peacefully, it appears, with no one harmed. Could you elaborate a little more? The police or the military, as you were saying, entered the plane? Did they go on the plane?

VAZ: That's correct. They did go on the plane and they were able to capture the gunman without -- without any injuries or harm to anyone. (END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: I want to turn now to Owen Ellington, he's a deputy commissioner of police. He's on the ground now there at the airport there in Montego Bay, Jamaica.

Sir, thank you for giving us some time. Can you tell us, first of all, understand how this man was able to get to this plane with a gun?

OWEN ELLINGTON, DEPUTY COMMISSIONER, JAMAICAN POLICE: Yes. Hello? You're asking me?

HOLMES: Hey there, Mr. Ellington. This is T.J. Holmes, CNN in Atlanta. I hope you can hear me OK.

But my question was, if you can tell how this man was able to get on the plane in the first place?

ELLINGTON: There was -- there was -- I'm -- I'm -- just --part of the overall investigation on the incident.

HOLMES: And you say a breach there. Was he down there on the tarmac where the plane was? Did he go through the airport?

ELLINGTON: He found himself on the aircraft. My information I got, he went through the terminal.

HOLMES: That he did go through the terminal. All right, sir.

Well, how did you get the 174? I guess how was it worked out that he would allow all the passengers, at least, to get off the plane and he only held the crewmembers?

ELLINGTON: Well, once we got news of the situation, we immediately set up levels of command and we had resources in place and we begun this and a strategy of containment and stalling during which we were able to negotiate with him.

HOLMES: All right, Mr. Ellington. We understand that there's a press conference that's starting right now, a live press conference. We're going to dip into that.

KENT WOODSIDE, VICE PRESIDENT & GENERAL MANAGER, CANJET AIRLINES: Obviously, we are extremely concerned for the well-being for everybody involved in this incident. Our priority now is to provide comfort and support to the passengers and crew who were involved in this ordeal. The crew who were being held are receiving medical attention as a precaution.

I'd like to praise the professionalism and bravery of our crew who, while trained to deal with this serious incident, would have hoped never to have to deal with this reality.

The security and safety of our passengers and crew are our top priority. We will continue to do what we need to do and work with the authorities who are investigating the apparent breach of security at the airport that led to this incident.

As you know, Sangster International Airport has been reopened. Moments ago, a CanJet aircraft left Montreal and will travel via Toronto to Montego Bay later this afternoon to take passengers and crew on to Santa Clara or back to Canada should they wish to return home.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the security authorities at the Jamaican Airport and the Canadian authorities, including the (INAUDIBLE), and we are extremely grateful for the assistance of the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Prime Minister's Officer.

All of the passengers who were released earlier today are resting at local hotels. We still have our information line available for anyone with questions about family or relatives who may have been on board CanJet flight 918. That number, again, 1-888-777-6429.

We will also provide updated information on our Web site, www.canjet.com as additional information becomes available. And I'm open to take some questions.

Go.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)

WOODSIDE: Obviously, all of the network of our airports are obviously under ongoing security protocols. And this is a -- this is a world renowned (INAUDIBLE), standard airport certified by Transport Canada and our colleagues in the U.S. and the TSA. So we'll continue to work with the authorities to understand, so they can understand what happened that allowed -- would have allowed this breach and this person to gain access through the airport to our aircraft.

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: Does this change your approach, though, at that airport? (INAUDIBLE) change any of the policies as a consequence of...

WOODSIDE: At this point, we are going to continue to work with the authorities, Jamaican authorities, to make sure any additional information that we can provide and from that investigation and review are ongoing evaluation of airports would happen.

But at this point, we're just -- as part of the -- it's going to be part of that ongoing investigation and we're going to cooperate to our fullest to see what happened there.

(CROSSTALK)

WOODSIDE: Go.

QUESTION: Have you been able to speak with any of the crew?

WOODSIDE: The -- I haven't spoken personally with all the crew but we do have confirmation through our offices that everyone -- everyone is fine and off the aircraft and are just being attended to just for medical precautions.

QUESTION: Can you give us a picture of how this was resolved in the end?

WOODSIDE: At this point, I don't have that detail. It's really all that handled through the Jamaican security authorities and in conjunction with the -- here in Canada, the (INAUDIBLE) have been fantastic through the last number of hours, working with us and the authorities there.

But I haven't got that detail and that investigation. It will be ongoing now.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

WOODSIDE: No, there wasn't.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

WOODSIDE: Just a part of all of our annual ongoing pilot and flight attendant and crew management training.

HOLMES: All right. Listening in to Kent Woodside who's an official there with CanJet briefing reporters about what happened on that plane.

Again, I want to reiterate, no one was injured in this thing and 174 passengers were allowed to get off. They got off safely. We understand that they are now resting comfortably at hotels and Mr. Woodside there is explaining that another CanJet is coming to pick them up and either take them on to their destination which it was headed to Cuba or take them back home to Nova Scotia.

But again, no injuries to anyone on that plane, including the crewmembers which he just told us are now getting some precautionary medical screening.

Also, a security official there in Jamaica telling me just a short time right here that, in fact, that gunman got on the plane through the terminal. Made his way through the terminal, some kind of way, and got to the plane like that. So still a lot of more details to come on just exactly how he was able to take over this jet.

Meanwhile, we move on now to President Obama. He is back in Washington and your money -- this is primary focus right about now. This morning he meets with his full cabinet for the first time and gives them a pretty daunting homework assignment. A hundred million dollars, get rid of it over the next 90 days.

CNN's Elaine Quijano joining us now live with more.

Elaine, $100 million used to sound like a big number, but given the $3.5 trillion budget, it's not so much.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's exactly right.

Nevertheless, T.J., this is all about President Obama trying to show that he is serious about cutting back government spending. As you know, critics have really blasted the Obama administration basically for its plans to spend. Saying, look, this is going to put an incredible financial burden on future generations.

So today, as you mentioned, President Obama is going to be convening for the very first time in the cabinet room, his cabinet. And he is going to challenge them, according to two senior administration officials who talked to my colleague Suzanne Malveaux, challenge them to cut $100 million over 90 days. And at the end of that 90-day period, those agencies are going to have to report back on how exactly they were able to save on their expenses.

Now, we also understand that President Obama is going to give some examples of how various departments are already working to save money. For example, the Department of Homeland Security saving an estimated $52 million over five years by buying bulk office supplies.

Also, the Department of Agriculture saving an estimated $62 million over 15 years by consolidating seven offices into a single facility.

And finally, the Department of Veteran Affairs, T.J., saving an estimated $17.8 million by canceling or delaying conferences. Also using -- they'll be using video conferences to try and cut costs.

As you know, some people say, $100 million is not a lot in the big scheme of things. Nevertheless, the president, obviously, T.J., is trying to demonstrate his administration is fiscally responsible -- T.J.

HOLMES: Yes, doing some fairly minor and simple things, but still do add up and it is symbolic, if nothing else.

Also, there's been a controversy passed several days about those secret CIA memos that were leaked out about interrogation techniques. Well, the president now heading over to CIA headquarters. What is he trying to do there?

QUIJANO: Yes, you know, it's going to be remarkable later today, T.J., because as you noted, President Obama is basically going to be heading straight into the heart of the place where critics say he has undermined the work of CIA employees.

President Obama is going to be visiting for the first time as president CIA headquarters. And his visit there, of course, is coming in the midst of that uproar that you mentioned over the president's decision to release those interrogation memos. Critics have said that, you know, he's undermined the CIA's work because now al Qaeda has this valuable information about what lines the United States is not going to cross.

But the White House over the weekend pushed back on that. Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel said, look, this information has already been put out in the public and also by the United States repudiating these harsh techniques, as some view them. That certainly it helps in the opinion of the administration. It helps to boost the U.S.' credibility and standing around the world.

But nevertheless, the president is going to be heading over to the CIA headquarters. He'll be meeting with top officials first privately and then making some public remarks to agency employees. That's later this afternoon -- T.J.

HOLMES: We will be watching. Elaine Quijano for us at the White House, thank you so much.

QUIJANO: Sure.

HOLMES: Want to turn to some now surprising, even shocking earnings numbers this morning. It's not what you think this time. It's surprising and shocking because they are good numbers. They are encouraging numbers.

Our Gerri Willis, our personal finance editor, joins us now.

Gerri, you know, every time we see something a little positive, we're thinking, could this be it? Could this be it? Could we be out of it? Well, but this is some very good surprising news. They really -- Bank of America blasted really some of those forecasts people are expecting to earn.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Absolutely. This is a, what they call on Wall Street, a positive earnings surprise and a very big one.

Bank of America today reporting an income or a -- pardon me, a profit increase of $4.2 billion. This is a very big number. The estimates were profits per share were 44 -- were 5 cents a share. That came in at 44 cents a share. Huge blowout on the earnings.

Want to show you some numbers here. You're looking at them right now. What a big turnaround this is. The previous quarter, the fourth quarter, they had a loss of $1.79 billion. Now they turn it around into a positive column.

Now this is important, because Bank of America -- if you rank the nation's banks by assets, Bank of America is the nation's largest, so this is no small thing. They are attributing this in part to the addition of Merrill Lynch. They just bought Merrill Lynch last year. And also the fact that the mortgage industry has turned around because of low, low interest rates. In fact, T.J., you might be interested to know that Bank of America is hiring some 5,000 people just to bolster that business.

Now, it wasn't all hearts and flowers, T.J., unfortunately.

HOLMES: Of course not.

WILLIS: No. The company reports that credit quality deteriorated across all lines of business. And they say, yes, housing prices continue to fall. The economy is weakening. That hurts us, hurts our business. Therefore, we are going to increase our loan loss provisions from 8.5 billion to 13.3 billion.

What does that mean? Well, they're setting money aside as more loans go bad. More mortgage loans, more business loans, more commercial loans. They want to be in a position to make those whole as those loans go bad.

But overall, you've got to say -- I mean, look at this. This is Bank of America now joining a long list of banks that have reported positive earnings surprises for the quarter. JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup. I think a lot of people out there are saying, wow, look at this banking sector. It looks like it's really stabilizing here, even turning around. But I guess the devil will be in the details here, T.J.

HOLMES: But yes, you...

WILLIS: We'll continue to watch.

HOLMES: But you say there could be possibly turn this corner and what not. OK, even if we see a couple more times, just some negative reporting, some bad numbers, if you will, can we at least say the worst part of all of this is over for the banking industry? Is there any consensus starting to build that at least the worst of it all could be over?

WILLIS: I think -- you know, I think there is some consensus that we're starting to see a turning point, but I think it's definitely wait and see.

You know, there's no rule, T.J., that says a downturn, an economic downturn, isn't followed by another economic downturn.

HOLMES: Yes.

WILLIS: You can't have what they call a W-down, instead of just the V and straight up. So, we're going to have to wait and see.

It all depends -- you know, ultimately it's in our hands, T.J. Consumers control two-thirds of spending in this economy and ultimately, you know, people who are selling services have to convince the American public to spend and that's going to require more jobs.

HOLMES: All right. Gerri Willis for us, again, at least with the upbeat news for the time being and we'll take it.

WILLIS: That's right. We'll keep watching.

HOLMES: Gerri, thank you as always.

WILLIS: My pleasure.

HOLMES: Well, Captain Phillips is home. You know, the guy. The American captain who was rescued from those pirates. But still piracy still a threat in those waters off the coast of Africa. This time, however, NATO forces were there when they tried to take over another ship. We'll have a live report from the region.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: NATO forces stopped a pirate attack off the coast of Somalia this weekend. And after a chase, they caught the pirate but had to let them go.

David McKenzie joins us now live from Nairobi, Kenya.

David, explain this one to us. They caught them but had to let them go?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, T.J. That might surprise some of you, obviously, watching this morning because that NATO ship, it was a Canadian ship. A frigate, in fact.

They came across some pirates that were trying to take on a Norwegian vessel and managed to stop that attack and then chase those pirates for around seven hours. And in the dead of night, they were firing warning shots at those pirates. They sent out a helicopter to fire warning shots.

And after all that effort, they sent out a commander group on a small boat to the pirates. They got those pirates, detained them, questioned them and then released them.

So they said they don't have the mandate, T.J., to arrest pirates. And those pirates presumably are now head being back to Somalia.

HOLMES: Yes, getting back to Somalia. And some, I guess, they might just go right back to work in this business of piracy.

Are we seeing that there's been -- are there going to be stepped- up efforts by governments around the world really to combat piracy? And how do you get them out of business if you -- once you catch them, you've got to release them?

MCKENZIE: Well, it's a good question, because NATO is quite clear. We contacted the Canadian government just to be sure. They said their mandate is to disrupt and deter piracy, but that they are essentially a Navy group, they can't go and arrest people.

However, you see, T.J., what the U.S. Navy is doing, the French Navy, they have been pretty active in going after pirates, arresting them where they can, fighting them where it might be safe for the hostages. So different Navies are doing different things.

And obviously, many experts will say that if you have a sort of catch and release program with pirates, they'll just go out and get ships at will. So what really needs to be done many people say is that everyone needs to sit around the table, figure out some guidelines for doing this.

Because international law, in fact, is very clear. It states that any warship in international waters can take pirates and arrest them. And so obviously, NATO is saying that that's a law that doesn't apply necessarily to them because they, in fact, are not under that mandate.

So many people say they might have to change that mandate sometime soon -- T.J.

HOLMES: All right. Well, we will see if they all sit down at the table there, as you say.

David McKenzie for us in Nairobi, Kenya. Thank you so much, David.

Horses just start dropping dead. This is a mystery from the world of polo. Fourteen horses from one team die just before they were to take the field for a match.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Want to take you to some video we're just getting in here. The Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaking in Geneva, Switzerland at a conference on racism. He just took the podium a short time ago and not long after he took the podium.

Take a look at what happened.

You can you see there the Iran president's speech was interrupted by that man. A man wearing some kind of a rainbow wig. And he tossed something in the direction of the Iranian president. We're not sure what he's exactly tossed or what he was there necessarily to protest and what he was screaming at the president about.

We do know that Ahmadinejad is there along with many other leaders around the world for this conference.

This was specifically a conference on racism that has been boycotted by many countries around the world, including the United States, saying that it might not be fair necessarily.

Many countries staying out because of many conflicts and issues that they have with Iran and specifically the president there, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. I'm told now that it was two men involved in this protest. I believe. We see one there in the video, of course, with that wig he did have on.

Again, not sure what he was yelling. We'll get more information on this. But you saw -- as you see here, he was quickly escorted out by security authorities. We will continue to take a look at what's happening there. Get back to you with any more information we get on that protester and what he was protesting.

We'll turn back now to the U.S. and the banks and the bailouts. The government set aside hundreds of billions of dollars of taxpayer cash to go towards these banks. Now, two months later, are we getting our money's worth?

CNN's senior correspondent Allan Chernoff here now. Allan, we invested a lot in these banks. Is it going to pay off for us sometime soon?

ALLEN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Well, hopefully, you know. We're actually getting a lot of complaints about TARP. Some bankers are even saying that TARP is a trap. They don't like the restrictions tied to all of this government money.

But the fact is the government funding has been able to stabilize the banking system and it has allowed some banks to move from a bust to a boom.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHERNOFF (voice-over): Bankers are back in the black after taking billions in taxpayer bailout. Profits of $1.6 billion at Citigroup, slightly more at Goldman Sachs, and better than $2 billion for JPMorgan Chase. Is TARP, the Troubled Asset Relief Program, working? You bet.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: TARP is a success relatively speaking because it kept the banking system afloat. Without TARP, I don't think the banking system could have kept afloat.

CHERNOFF: Bank profits are coming not just from TARP. The Federal Reserve is letting banks borrow at very low interest rates, and low rates have fueled a boom in profitable mortgage refinancing. While banks are booking profits, they're paying dividends back to taxpayers as well, more than $2.5 billion so far.

Remember, the government got preferred stock in each bank that received TARP money. On top of the dividends, banks eventually are supposed to repay their bailout loans. Experts say most banks should be able to pay Washington back.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've put money in as an investment and we're getting dividends back out. Now in the end, we'll probably lose some money total. But that's worth it for avoiding the absolute disaster we could have had. Bad as things are, they could have been far worse.

CHERNOFF: Some big banks want to give the money back now, squirming under new TARP restrictions like limits on executive pay. JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon has even labeled TARP money a scarlet letter.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHERNOFF: Some bankers may find TARP to be annoying, but the fact is it certainly is helping a lot of them, especially now when the economy remains very weak. As a matter of fact, this morning Bank of America reported earnings of $4.2 billion. But the bank said that credit quality has been declining across all of its business lines.

T.J., the fact is there are going to be a lot more loan losses down the road for the bankers.

HOLMES: All right. Allen, we assumed. We appreciate it this morning, Allen Chernoff.

HOLMES: We do want to head back to what we were just watching a moment ago happening in Geneva, Switzerland; more video.

What you're seeing here, this is a conference on racism happening in Geneva, Switzerland. And what we saw was a mass exodus, if you will, from that very room because the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, got to the stand, got to podium and began to speak.

Now we saw a short time ago protesters. Two -- two men up in red, or excuse me, colored wigs and threw something at the Iranian president. But just a short time after that, he started speaking and it appears that many delegates to this conference got up and walked out.

We are back to a live picture now. He continues to speak, but he has been cheered and jeered, if you will, since he took the podium, which only happened a few minutes ago. There were a number of countries, including the United States, who have boycotted this particular conference as you see some of these empty seats here.

But this is a conference on racism and I'm being told now that part of the reason that many got up, that they got up right after the point where he called Israel racist. He called it a racist government in Israel. And that's when a lot of people got up and, as you see there, walked out of that conference.

Many other countries, many other leaders decided not to go to this conference at all, because of the presence of Ahmadinejad and some of the conflicts and some of the controversies surrounding this man, including his call over time for the destruction of Israel and not acknowledging Israel's right to exist. And he got up to the podium a short time ago and called Israel's government a racist government and that prompted many of these people, delegates to this conference in Geneva, Switzerland, to get up and walk out.

So a lot they were hoping to avoid by conference by his presence seems to not be avoided and this controversial, often controversial figure has made other comments. And again, this is the video we were talking about a short time ago. This is just moments after he started speaking. Someone got up and threw something at him and also wearing those wigs and they were quickly escorted out.

We'll continue to keep an eye on what's happening in Geneva, Switzerland and see if he can get through that speech without any more interruptions.

Meanwhile, we do want to turn now. It is 9:30. It is time for the opening bell there on Wall Street. It is Monday. This is at the New York Stock Exchange. Our Susan Lisovicz is, of course, there.

Susan, we are wrapping up six weeks -- six straight weeks of being in the black at the end of the week. We got another start to this week. A lot of optimism, I assume, also with the numbers coming out from Bank of America with their profits. Another good week? You want to predict seven-week straight already? SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh no, I'm not going out on a limb, especially after six weeks. I mean, the best gains that we've really seen for the three major averages since the 1930s. So that would be -- it would be tough to keep the momentum going, especially in a week like this one, T.J., where we are hearing from nearly 30 percent of the S&P 500 companies this week. They tend to be very volatile when we have that much news coming out. And we are seeing a sharp sell-off in the first 50 seconds of trading.

You mentioned Bank of America. B of A says its first quarter profits tripled to more than $4 billion. But the bank also said its loan loss provisions doubled to more than $13 billion. Another sign that Americans are having trouble paying their bills at increasing numbers. B of A shares right now are down 10 percent. It's a merger Monday.

Very quickly, software giant Oracle buying Sun Microsystems for nearly $7.5 billion. PepsiCo will acquire its two biggest bottlers. We do have more job cuts at GM to tell you about. The A.P. says 1,600 salaried GM workers will lose their jobs over the next few days. GM of course running up against a June 1st deadline to cut costs to get more government help.

Checking the numbers. Well, yeah, few problem keeping that positive mo going right now. The Dow, the NASDAQ, the S&P 500 each down at least 1.3 percent. But what a ride we've had in the six previous weeks -- T.J.

HOLMES: Well, it's just Monday. We can make it seven weeks before the end of the week.

LISOVICZ: We could. It's only two minutes into the trading day, T.J.

HOLMES: Yes. We'll give it -- we'll give it some time to breathe today. Susan Lisovicz for us. We'll be checking in again with you.

We also want to check in with our Rob Marciano. He is standing by for us over in the weather center.

Rob, kind of a rough night -- rough couple of days for some parts of the country.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. A very slow-moving system brought severe weather to the south last night. Several tornadoes touching down. Some fatalities across parts of Alabama.

Still, it hasn't push off shore, and it will be a couple of days before it gets out of the northeast. That will bring some flooding issues, definitely bringing some travel issues today. We run it down when the CNN NEWSROOM comes right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Strong storms slamming the south last night. Two people killed in Alabama when their mobile homes were destroyed. More than 6,000 power outages were reported as well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We heard the wind and we just heard it when it hit. It was loud, and the whole house shook, and stuff was falling.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: You know, trees and power lines are down and homes damaged in west and northwest Georgia. A baby was hurt -- a baby -- when a roof collapsed.

Also, the National Weather Service has confirmed, yes, it was a tornado that struck the town of Langston, Oklahoma, over the weekend. Four homes damaged there. Winds speed ranged up to 100 miles an hour.

Rob Marciano, here, invading your space right about now.

I need to come to you. You got some light going on over here. It's been a -- kind of a brutal couple of days, even around here in the Atlanta area.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HOLMES: All right, Rob. Appreciate it.

MARCIANO: You got it.

HOLMES: Well, the way they lived inspired everything from Shakespearean plays to Hollywood epics. And the way they died assured that the world wouldn't forget their love affair. Now, after 2,000 years, a mystery over Anthony and Cleopatra may be solved.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: It was ten years ago today, the Columbine High School Massacre. In honor of those 13 people killed that day, hundreds attended a candlelight vigil. This was yesterday at a park near the school in the Denver suburb.

The school remains closed today to commemorate that anniversary. Private services for the victims' families planned for later tonight.

Two students went on that shooting rampage that day killing 12 students and a teacher before taking their own lives.

And we do have a guest, he'll be joining us to talk about this memorial and to talk about this day. He'll be with us in the second hour of the NEWSROOM. Craig Scott is his name. He was inside the school library where the attacks began. His sister, Rachel, was the first victim killed by the student gunman that day.

Also, a mystery surrounding the deaths of 21 polo horses. Horses from a Venezuelan team became ill yesterday just before a match in Wellington, Florida. Fourteen died yesterday, seven more died overnight. Witnesses said the horses began breathing heavily and stumbling while veterinarians tried to hook them up to intravenous lines.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIM O'CONNER, PALM BEACH INTERNATIONAL POLO CLUB: There's any number of things that could have occurred from just as simple as like the bug spray or the insect repellant they use to keep the flies off the horses. We just don't know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: The dead horses now taken to a lab for testing. The results expected sometime soon.

All right. We got to protect the planet. It's home, the only one we got. Earth Day, it's coming up on Wednesday. And today, we're talking about how severe pollution can affect oyster harvest, and we're taking you to the Chesapeake Bay.

Photojournalist Jeremy Moorhead (ph) looks into new eco-friendly approaches certain foundations are taking to create a cleaner and greener bay.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've got the best raw bar in Washington. Everything we carry is northern coldwater source. They're farm- raised, cultivated in the ocean in protected coves, again, from Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, two Taylor bays from Cape Cod. Even from the Chesapeake we get them.

TOMMY LEGGETT, VIRGINIA OYSTER RESTORATION AND HISTORY SCIENTIST, CHESAPEAKE BAY FOUNDATION: Oysters are a keystone species. They're one of the most important species in the Chesapeake Bay. They're filtering the water, they're providing habitat. There's so many other food webs that depend and reply on oysters.

My name is Tommy Leggett. I've been working on the water since 1982.

My day job is working with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation as the Virginia oyster restoration and history scientist.

We grow about 50,000 a year for restoration. We're going to go out and pressure wash a few cages.

Each oyster cage has about 2,000 oysters in it.

Each one of these oysters, in those bags, can filter about 50 gallons of water per day.

All we're doing here is making moms and dads to serve as a baby- making machine for more oysters to help jump start reefs throughout the Chesapeake Bay. At one time, it's estimated that the oyster population in the Chesapeake Bay could filter the volume of water in the bay in a matter of days.

Check them out and see how they're doing.

All the critters in these bags would not be here if it weren't for the oyster bags.

These fish provide food for bigger food. It is all a giant food web.

No oyster left behind.

If we don't restore oysters, we're not going to restore the bay.

I think people are more and more becoming aware of their surroundings and what they have to do to make it better for everybody and future generations as well.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: And our iReporters as well have been sending us their Earth Day stories. One iReporter, Chris Morrow of San Diego, California, talked with Wyland, that's a well-known marine artist, about an Earth mural he is going to paint on top of the Long Beach Arena.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WYLAND, MARINE ARTIST: What I'm going to do is I'm going to start painting the Earth. And this thing is monumental. It's an acre and a half. The largest earth ever painted on the roof. It's a great canvas. You know, I get excited when I see blank canvass.

Right now, if you Google, it's a white, kind of rough, but later it will be the blue planet, our planet earth. And in celebration of Earth Day, but every day is earth day for me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: And if you see news happening, you can send us your iReports at iReport.com.

If you want to find out more about issues affecting the planet and how you can help out, visit our "Impact Your World" page at cnn.com/impact.

We turn now to the situation on the ground in Afghanistan. U.S. military commanders express their concerns, including the threat from a former Gitmo detainee.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, this is day 91 of the Obama administration. If you've been counting here now a look at what's on the president's calendar for day 91.

Later this morning, he'll hold his first meeting with all of his cabinet secretaries. Two senior administration officials say he will challenge them to cut a $100 million dollars over the next 90 days.

Also this afternoon, the president delivers remarks to CIA employees. Then him and the vice president meet with Defense Secretary Robert Gates. That meeting will be taking place in the Oval Office.

Well, a former detainee at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba has emerged as a major threat to U.S. forces battling the Taliban in Afghanistan. CNN's Barbara Starr spoke with top military leaders on the ground about this growing threat.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): 39,000 U.S. troops are now here in Afghanistan. We asked four key senior U.S. officers on the ground to tell us how tough the fight is for those on the front lines.

(on camera): Are there places where the Taliban are now in control?

BRIG. GEN. JAMES NICHOLSON, REGIONAL COMMAND SOUTH: Yes. There are some areas, because we don't have -- we haven't had to date sufficient forces on the ground.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, it remained stalemate in the south.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Insurgency has grown dramatically over the last year.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are likely to see our casualties rise over what they had been.

STARR (voice-over): CNN exclusively joined General Conway in Southern Afghanistan for a firsthand look.

In the weeks ahead, 8,000 more Marines alone will come here. The Taliban are setting up their welcome party.

(on camera): One man in particular U.S. troops are looking for goes by the battlefield name Zakeer (ph). He was released from Guantanamo Bay. U.S. troops think he's now operating in Southern Afghanistan.

(voice-over): We asked the top U.S. commander if Zakeer (ph), released from the military prison camp two years ago, is now a serious threat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely. And we are seriously after him.

STARR: Here's what the U.S. troops are now up against in the south. Insurgents are launching increasingly sophisticated ambush attacks. Roadside bombs are the number of one killer. Mine detectors haven't been working as well as expected.

Conway is concerned whether there will be enough helicopters to evacuate wounded Marines quickly off the battlefield. And the U.S. has new intelligence that top Taliban and insurgent leaders in Afghanistan and Pakistan are joining forces.

This man, Pakistan-based Baitullah Mehsud now controls thousands of insurgent, and is beefing up his organization's ability to launch suicide attacks according to U.S. officials.

Overall, the Obama administration is sending in another 21,000 troops and is spending billions on aid.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And take care of each other.

STARR: Still, commanders warn, there could be years of combat ahead.

Barbara Starr, CNN, Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: All right. As always here at CNN, we have our crews working and working hard all over the place to bring you the news you need. And they are some of the hardest working we have right there.

Let's check in with some of our correspondents starting with Elizabeth Cohen.

Hello, there.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, T.J.

T.J., ovarian cancer killed some 15,000 American women each year. But it's very, very difficult to prevent. A new genetic test may be able to tell you if you're at high risk. I'll have that at the top of the hour.

LISOVICZ: I'm Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange.

A fifth big bank is reporting profits that exceeded Wall Street's estimates. But analysts say there's still reason for concern and stocks are selling off.

T.J., more on that at the top of the hour.

MARCIANO: Rob Marciano in the CNN Severe Weather Center.

Another rough night across the southeast. A slow moving storm causing travel delays across the northeast. We'll run down that weather story, T.J., at the top of the hour.

HOLMES: All right. Thank you, ladies, and Rob. See you all here shortly.

Also, today, remembering Columbine, ten years to the day since that high school massacre. The brother of one of the victims fighting back with kindness and compassion.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Well, they're one of history's original power couples. After 2,000 years, after they took their own lives, no one knew for sure where they were buried. But as senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman tells us, archaeologists may have solved the mystery of Anthony and Cleopatra.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Skulls and bones, the latest discoveries in a land blessed with an embarrassment of archaeological riches.

ZAHI HAWASS, EGYPTIAN SUPREME COUNCIL OF ANTIQUITIES: There is hundreds of tombs near the temple and also there are tombs in the west side of the temple.

WEDEMAN: These recently uncovered tombs west of Alexandria date back more than 2000 years. And at this site, around an ancient Egyptian temple -- or rather, underneath it -- archaeologists believe underneath it could be the bodies of star-crossed, lovers Mark Antony and Cleopatra, most memorably portrayed by Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.

Antony and Cleopatra took their lives in 30 B.C. after a power struggle with Antony's main rival, Octavian.

(on camera): According to the Roman historian Plutarch, Octavian, who later became the first emperor of Rome, gave orders that Cleopatra be buried in a splendid and regal fashion along with Mark Antony. The question is where.

(voice-over): It was thought they were buried in Cleopatra's palace in Alexandria, now under water.

But Dominican archaeologist Kathleen Martinez says the old theory doesn't make sense.

KATHLEEN MARTINEZ, ARCHEOLOGIST: I believe it was not possible for her to buried there because of her political situation. It was the end of the Ptolemys (ph). It was the end of Egypt as a free country. And she could not use the same cemetery. She need a special place.

WEDEMAN: And this could be that special place. So far, they've uncovered a variety of likenesses of Cleopatra and possibly Antony.

HAWASS: We discovered, inside the temple, a head of Cleopatra. It's a beautiful head made of alabaster. And 22 coins had the face of Cleopatra.

WEDEMAN: They've also found these two, as yet, unidentified mummies. Underneath the crumbling cloth, the mummies are covered in gold, or so we're told. (on camera): What we have inside this tomb does appear to be the mummies of a man and a woman. Now, is it Mark Antony and Cleopatra? It is very difficult to say. But certainly does make one think and wonder.

(voice-over): Using ground-penetrating radar, archeologists detected three underground cavities within the temple compound that could be tombs or burial shafts. One of which might contain the remains of Antony and Cleopatra, or might just contain more anonymous skulls and bones.

Ben Wedeman, CNN, west of Alexandria, Egypt.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Mystery solved, maybe.