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U.S. Soldier Captured in Afghanistan; North Korea Tests Two Short Range Missiles; The DEA Joins the Investigation on Michael Jackson's Death; Major O'Hare Airport Delays

Aired July 02, 2009 - 09:00   ET

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

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Captured in Afghanistan. A U.S. soldier is abducted by militants. We'll get the very latest from the Pentagon.

And tensions run even higher now on the Korean peninsula. The North test fires two short-range missiles off its coast. What's next?

And new concerns about Michael Jackson's death. The DEA now joining the investigation.

It is Thursday, July 2nd. Hi, everybody, I'm Heidi Collins and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

We are covering all of the angles of Afghanistan this morning and what is happening in the region. In fact, Barbara Starr at the Pentagon for us this morning. She'll have the very latest in the story of the U.S. soldier who's been kidnapped.

And also, we are live in the region as you can see there as U.S. troops send in 4,000 soldiers on a major offensive. It'll be taking place in the southern part of the country.

And also, our Atia Abawi has more on the story and a look at the goals of that particular operation.

Here's what we know right now. The thousands of U.S. troops moving into southern Afghanistan, Helmand Province to the exact, are being backed by 650 Afghan soldiers and police.

Now this move follows a similar operation by British troops in the area. This, in fact, is the largest offensive since President Obama ordered thousands more troops to Afghanistan. It is also the first step in a new strategy being carried out by the region's new commanding general, Stanley McCrystal.

We'll have more on the offensive in just a moment, but first we want to tell you about another developing story out of Afghanistan. The military says one U.S. soldier has been kidnapped by militant fighters. It happened on Tuesday. In fact two days before the launch of this major offensive.

CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr is joining us now live.

Barbara, I know you are working your sources in all of this. What's the late on what you're hearing? BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Heidi, what we are hearing now is this soldier was kidnapped, captured, it is believed, by militants in eastern Afghanistan earlier this week. He was last seen at his duty post, it is believed, on Tuesday.

The military overnight putting out a very terse statement that they are, quote, "exhausting all resources" to try to get this soldier back. By all accounts, this was not a combat situation in which this occurred. For some reason, this soldier was outside his base on his own.

It is believed at this point the working theory is for some reason he was outside the base on his own. That would be an extraordinary circumstance. It is believed that he is now in the hands of militants.

The U.S. military, of course, very tight-lipped about this situation. His family has been informed. His name has not yet been made public. And they are doing everything they can, they say, to get him back because it has escaped no one's attention that this area, of course, is very close to the Pakistan border.

COLLINS: Right.

STARR: And they want to get him back before there's any prospect he's taken across the border. Heidi?

COLLINS: Yes, certainly the timing is just very unfortunate, obviously. I also know that a short time ago you got new information, Barbara, about the operation that's being carried out by U.S. Marines now in Afghanistan.

STARR: Right. Now the capture is in the east down south in the Helmand Province. We talked Marine spokesman for the Marine brigade down there. They tell us about 1,000 Marines, actually, in direct combat participating in an air and ground operation in several towns and villages, up and down the Helmand River Valley.

This is a very important part of Helmand Province. This is where there are significant opium poppy crops. This is where the Taliban gets their money for their operations. They will not go gently. But right now, very interestingly, the Marines say they are seeing very light resistance, very light combat. And to them, that's an indication that the Taliban are engaging in their strategy.

COLLINS: Yes.

STARR: Which is to run away and hide and wait it all out.

COLLINS: Yes, interesting...

STARR: So we'll see...

COLLINS: But you say -- sorry, you say that there's also air operations going on, which Stanley McCrystal has said they were going to be using very, very sparingly, right? STARR: Well, to be clear, what is happening from the air are helicopter assault operations.

COLLINS: OK. Got it.

STARR: But also, there are -- there's plenty of air cover there to provide safety for the troops in action, Heidi.

COLLINS: OK. Very good. Understand. CNN's Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr. Barbara, thanks for that.

But this operation is the first major step in the new strategy to take on the Taliban. Helmand Province has been a stronghold for Taliban fighters for quite some time.

CNN's Atia Abawi is actually joining us now live from Kabul, Afghanistan.

So Atia, what are you able to tell us about their operation from where you are?

ATIA ABAWI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the information we're getting, Heidi, is that these soldiers, these Marines and these Afghan soldiers supporting them are going into areas of Helmand that has had strong Taliban influence.

These are areas that the British soldiers tried to clear and hold, but they didn't have the manpower until this new influx came into the province. So what we're hearing right now is they're going into those areas. They're securing and they're holding them.

They want to create a secure environment for Afghans to do their daily lives, to farm, to go to the market, to even vote in the August elections. Let's remember too that prior to President Obama's influx of troops into Afghanistan, Helmand Province had approximately only 7,000 troops within the province.

Now there's over 13,000 troops in the region, coalition troops, working together to make a difference in this war, in this very volatile region of Afghanistan boarding Pakistan. Heidi?

COLLINS: All right. Atia, we sure do appreciate that coming to us live from Kabul, Afghanistan. We will continue to stay in touch with you as this offensive continues. Thanks so much, Atia.

Here's a little bit more now on the Helmand River Valley. It's possibly the most dangerous area in Afghanistan for NATO forces. British troops have taken a security lead there since 2006. They have been joined by U.S. and other NATO forces since then.

The Helmand River Valley is a hot commodity. That is where about 2/3 of Afghanistan's opium supply comes from which is seen as a major financial source for the Taliban. The United Nations says opium production netted insurgents between $50 and $70 million last year.

Nuclear tensions are on the rise again this morning. North Korea has reportedly test-fired two short-range missiles off its eastern coast. And that's according to South Korea's defense ministry.

The launch was expected. Pyongyang had warned both of military firing exercise that would be taking place in the area. North Korea has strained international relations with a string of defiant actions this spring. They include several missile launches and an underground nuclear test.

There are more twists and turns to tell you about now in the death of Michael Jackson. Two federal law enforcement officials tell CNN the Drug Enforcement Administration, the DEA, will look into whether prescription drugs were involved.

Neverland Ranch will not host a public viewing of the singer's body after all. A family spokesman says plans for a public memorial will soon be released.

Details of Jackson's will are now public. The 7-year-old will put its entire estate worth about $500 million into a family trust, the will being 7 years old, in fact. Jackson named his mother the custodian of his children with Diana Ross as a backup.

Those are the headlines. Now let's get the details. CNN's Kara Finnstrom is at the Neverland Ranch, of course, this morning in Los Olivos, California.

So Kara, tell us a little bit more about what you know regarding the DEA's role in the case now.

KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, bringing the DEA on board, Heidi, is going to give this investigation a boost. Because the DEA offers additional resources, including access to some data bases that can track the drug-prescribing habits of doctors.

Now what sources tell CNN is that agents will be looking into various doctors with links to Jackson checking out their practices, checking out their medicine supplies. Since day one, this has loomed large. The question of whether Jackson's death, is that all linked to his use of prescription drugs or other medications.

There have been people close to him who have talked repeatedly about, you know, their fears, about his reliance on prescription drugs, and even the LAPD very early on in their investigation impounded a car that was his doctor's saying that they were looking for possible evidence in that car, possible prescription drugs.

So Heidi, this is just really the latest step. It provides some more resources and they will be working alongside the LAPD.

COLLINS: OK. Understood. What about the memorial service now? Are you hearing anything new on that? Because obviously there have been a lot of stories out there. First Neverland and then the Staples Centers. There was talk of that. Anything new?

FINNSTROM: More stories than actual fact out here.

COLLINS: Yes. FINNSTROM: But what the family spokesperson now says as we know it's not going to take place at Neverland and that they are planning a public memorial for Jackson. No details, no time, no place shared yet.

Lots of speculation out here, though, one place could be the Staples Center, another place could be the L.A. Coliseum, both are huge sporting venues and would offer more the space the resources that would be required for something this.

COLLINS: Yes, the circus, though, I understand is coming to the Staples Center so they have to do something about that if, in fact, that became the venue, I imagine.

FINNSTROM: Right. A little bit of juggling there. We did look on both their Web sites this morning. We saw the circus. We saw a number of other events. But at this point, no mention of how this might fit in.

COLLINS: OK. All right. Well, hang in there, Kara. Let us know what you find out. Appreciate it, Kara Finnstrom, live for us this morning.

Tonight we should let you know, Larry King will be broadcasting live from Neverland ranch. He was granted special action so he'll take us inside the house and around the property. That will happen tonight 9:00 Eastern, 6:00 Pacific right here on CNN.

Latest snapshot of the economy. Jobless rate for June just out. We'll give you the numbers and check the trends coming in a moment.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And I'm Rob Marciano in the CNN Severe Weather Center -- excuse me -- where we've got heat across the south, record rainfall, and some cool temperatures. Plus the Fourth of July forecast is coming up in just a little bit. Stay right there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: The monthly jobs report coming out a day early due to the holiday weekend. But, unfortunately, not much to celebrate in these numbers.

Our Christine Romans has the figures for us.

Well, Christine, I haven't seen you in a while. But, unfortunately, it's not under the greatest of circumstances with the looks of this report.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's true, Heidi. And you know, I'm going to tell you that we know that the jobless rate is expected to keep rising from here. We've been saying that for some time.

The hope had been we saw in April and May a slowdown in the massive job losses. The hope was that would continue, it didn't. In June, you saw those mass job losses again and unemployment rate creeping up to 9.5 percent. That's now the highest since 1983.

Jobs lost last month, another 467,000, in just about every sector, Heidi, except for health care. Health care added 21,000. But 467,000 was much more than economists had been expected. They were looking for 100,000 less than that.

COLLINS: Yes.

ROMANS: Now the jobs loss since the start of the recession 6.5 million jobs lost since the start of this recession, Heidi. So some of the hopes that the mass job losses were slowing, that hope basically turned down by the June's job loss report which showed a lot more job losses again.

COLLINS: Yes. Wow. Well, I know we have an opinion poll out on the economy. The economy as a whole. What is that telling us?

ROMANS: Well, what we know is that -- you know the auto industry has lost a lot of jobs. We know that auto manufacturing is one of the reasons why this number was likely pushed up here, some 27,000 jobs lost in auto manufacturing. Dealers lost another 9,000 jobs.

And look at this statistic, 1/3 of the jobs lost in the auto industry since the recession began. Think of that. An entire industry so important to the American economy, 1/3 of it just wiped out since this recession began 18 months ago. So even as GM and Chrysler emerge from bankruptcy, it's important perspective on just what has happened in the auto industry and the American economy since this whole thing began 18 months ago.

Digging into these numbers, even the government-lost jobs. State governments, you know, there's a big state budget, you know, crunch.

COLLINS: Yes.

ROMANS: They're laying off workers. Those workers lost jobs and there's an hourly workweek figure in here for people who worked hourly workweek, private production personnel, non-supervisory positions, that was 33 hours. So that means that the average hourly workweek, 33 hours, that's the shortest workweek on record since these records began back in 1964.

That tells us that -- that essentially even if you've got your job in manufacturing or an hourly working job, they're cutting back your hours because demand isn't good. The economy is still weak.

COLLINS: Yes. No kidding. What about the "Romans' Numeral" for today?

ROMANS: "Romans' Numeral" gives some perspective on the job situation. The "Romans' Numeral" is 150,000. And Heidi, this number is -- I think puts this whole story in some important perspective. You need to be adding 150,000 jobs every month just to keep up with new entrance into the workplace.

So you need to add 150,000 jobs just to stay even in the labor market, and, of course, you want to be adding jobs on top of that so the economy can grow and people can prosper and people can move and advance in their careers and get new opportunities.

So it's a sign of just how much work needs to be done. You don't want to be seeing month after month of such big job losses that we've been seeing...

COLLINS: No.

ROMANS: ... and it shows you the challenges, definitely the challenges ahead here.

COLLINS: Yes. Yes. Really not a huge surprise, I guess. We've been waiting for this.

ROMANS: You're right.

COLLINS: Christine Romans, appreciate it. Thank you.

ROMANS: Bye-bye.

COLLINS: In fact, as you just heard, most Americans feel the economy has not turned around, that's according to the latest CNN Opinion Research Corporation poll. 12 percent of those polled believe the economy is starting to recover, 48 percent believe the worst is over, and 4 in 10 think we are still in a downturn. 1 in 5 respondents think the economy is in good shape right now. 80 percent disagree.

With that in mind, President Obama focuses on the challenge of creating jobs. Later today, he meets with business leaders who are doing just that. And CNN's Ed Henry at the White House for us this morning.

Ed, good morning to you.

ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

COLLINS: How concerned is the administration about these latest job numbers we were just talking about?

HENRY: Well, they have to be very concerned, Heidi. As you just pointed out in that new CNN Opinion Research Corporation poll, large number of Americans are not feeling any kind of recovery.

And after these new jobs numbers came out this morning, immediately you have Republicans like Congressman Eric Cantor saying Mr. President, where's the stimulus from that economic recovery plan you signed into law now four months ago?

COLLINS: Yes.

HENRY: And so clearly this White House is feeling some heat that's why they're going to put the president out there this afternoon about 2:20 Eastern Time in the Rose Garden. He's going to talk about job growth after meeting with some CEOs. Specifically, we're told he'll try to focus on growth in clean energy jobs.

And what White House officials are saying privately -- they're not going to officially on the record react until about 9:30 Eastern when the markets open. That's our tradition in terms of reacting to the job numbers. But to give you a sense of what they're saying in private is, look, the stimulus plan, they believe, has created some jobs around the country.

You just heard Christine reporting. It's not keeping up with the pace of population growth or the fact that jobs are being lost in other sectors. But they insist here at the White House that without the stimulus plan, these job numbers would be much, much worse.

In fact, we've heard the president already say publicly that he fears that unemployment is going to reach 10 percent pretty soon. So this is going to get worse before it gets better.

COLLINS: Yes. Certainly sounds like it. Where do we stand, Ed, on some of these other big initiatives? And obviously, we're talking about health care here. Health care reform.

HENRY: Well, look, it has been in some trouble on Capitol Hill, not just because of strong Republican opposition. The president is still trying to win over some fellow Democrats, skeptical about the cost. So basically this thing is still being worked out. It's not anywhere near a final product.

But yesterday the president went out here, nearby in northern Virginia. Was at a town hall meeting taking questions from YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, trying to use some of those social media sites to reach out to the American people.

And it's a clear reason why. He's still the administration's best salesman when it comes to health care reform, when it comes to dealing with the economic recovery. They're going to keep putting him out there.

But again, when you look at some of the recent CNN polling, there's a lot of skepticism across the country right now about whether you can really get health reform done without forcing a large number of Americans to pay a lot more money potentially in increased taxes.

COLLINS: Yes.

HENRY: So (INAUDIBLE) is saying, look, if you do have health care reform, it's going to help the broader economy by bringing costs down. But there's skepticism out there, Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes. All right. Ed Henry, got a lot to cover out there. Appreciate it so much.

HENRY: Thanks, Heidi.

COLLINS: Live from the White House this morning.

In fact, we are talking about jobs on our blog this morning. Do you have any ideas for creating or finding jobs? Because we want to hear them. All you've got to do is go to our blog here CNN.com/newsroom and then just go ahead and click on my name and you can see it right there. "Creative ways to create jobs."

We really will take your suggestions and then we'll share some of your thoughts a little bit later on in the show.

Also a bittersweet homecoming. A young girl who spent 13 hours floating in the ocean after a plane crash is now back home with her family. Regrettably, her mother is presumed dead in that crash.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: A young girl believed to be the only survivor of this week's plane crash in the Indian Ocean is back home in Paris with her family now. French government plane carrying the 13-year-old arrived in Paris. She was taken immediately to a hospital.

The teen spent 13 hours in the water before she was rescued. Her mother is among the 152 people presumed dead. The Yemenia Airways plane went down near the Comoros Island capital of Moroni on Tuesday.

Rob Marciano joining us now from the Severe Weather Center. I don't even really know where to begin. We've got a lot of rain, but less rain today? Or am I being completely hopeful?

MARCIANO: No, I think that's a good -- that's a good shot at it.

COLLINS: OK.

MARCIANO: We'll start with a lot of rain yesterday then we'll talk about a lot of rain today that's going to be coming today.

(WEATHER REPORT)

MARCIANO: The coveted Fourth of July graphic forecast, which I think we gave you a sneak preview of yesterday would be....

COLLINS: Really?

MARCIANO: ... (INAUDIBLE) once again in about half hour.

COLLINS: I'm sorry I missed that. I look forward to it.

MARCIANO: Stay tuned.

COLLINS: All right. We'll talk to you again very shortly. Rob Marciano, Thank you.

And coming up next, a major offensive underway now. We're talking about Afghanistan. Thousands of U.S. troops have moved into the southern part of the country all to take on the Taliban.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: Live in the CNN NEWSROOM, Heidi Collins. COLLINS: Well, the opening bell just about to ring on this Thursday on Wall Street. Now we are looking at a sharply lower open, unfortunately, on the heels of a dismal monthly jobs report that we've already been talking about this morning.

Just how many positions did the U.S. lose last month? Susan Lisovicz joining us now as the opening bell rings from the New York Stock Exchange with more on that and also a look at the trading day.

Hi there, Susan.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi. Nobody said recovery was going to be smooth.

COLLINS: Yes.

LISOVICZ: This is the first time in four months that the number of jobs lost has increased from the prior month and the numbers are also much worse than Wall Street expected. 467,000 jobs lost in all in the month of June. That's about 100,000 more than expected.

Construction and manufacturing jobs hard hit. Education, and health care, the only industries to add jobs last month. The jobless rate, meanwhile, edged higher for the ninth straight month, now stands at 9.5 percent. That's a 26-year high. By the way, we should mention that weekly jobless claims actually declined last week.

Many of the losses last month not surprisingly rooted in the auto industry. The big three car makers reported disappointing June sales figures yesterday, proving the industry's pain not yet over. However, Ford sales dropped by only, I put that in quote, only dropped by 11 percent; its best showing this year. And the big three U.S. automakers say their sales slump has now hit bottom.

We're certainly seeing a slump in the first minute of trading. The Dow, the NASDAQ, the S&P 500 all down one percent. This is the final trading day of the week. Some markets are all closed for the extended July 4th holiday weekend.

Heidi, I did not forget. You asked if we were going to see fireworks this week. You asked me at the beginning of the week.

COLLINS: Yes.

LISOVICZ: And we may well because Macy's rings the closing bell to celebrate the 31st annual Fourth of July fireworks. And they have actually shot off fireworks when they do that.

And you may also want to know because you're a Jersey gal...

COLLINS: Yes.

LISOVICZ: ...that the fireworks return to the Hudson River this year to celebrate.

COLLINS: I am well aware. I will be there. LISOVICZ: You will? We're both going to have first row seats. That 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's Voyage is the reason why, and that voyage led to the establishment of something called New Amsterdam later renamed New York City.

COLLINS: Oh, boy. The history, right?

LISOVICZ: Yes.

COLLINS: All right.

LISOVICZ: Thank you, Mr. Hudson.

COLLINS: All right. Well, Susan, we'll see you there. I'm bringing the other little boy redhead along, too.

LISOVICZ: We'll make a plan.

COLLINS: That's right. Very good.

Susan Lisovicz, sure do appreciate that.

Quickly, though, Susan, check this out. What a mess at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. United Airlines is suffering a major computer glitch right now. Apparently, it's the check-in computers. People are not able to check in. They're standing in these unbelievable lines, apparently about 2,000 passengers are in line outside the airport, and who knows how far around the airport, trying to get themselves checked in. So to be clear, these are the computers that allow you to check in.

You can see everybody right there. You know the little kiosk that you walk up to and check yourself in there. So this has nothing to do with traffic patterns or the control tower or anything like that, but definitely causing a headache.

United Airlines are saying this, while we immediately work to fix it, flights are delayed and some may be canceled. We apologize to our customers for this inconvenience, and recommend they allow for extra time at the airport and use United.com to check flight status and check in.

So once again, those pictures coming to us from WGN, our affiliate there in Chicago. They have actually no idea, according to the airlines, when they're going to be able to get the problem repaired. But we will certainly be keeping our eye on this one.

Again, 2,000 people, apparently in line. Chicago's O'Hare Airport because of United Airlines check-in computers not working so well right now.

One month after the crash of Air France Flight 447, French investigators this morning are revealing their initial findings into what caused the plane to drop out of the sky. The plane was flying from Rio De Janeiro to Paris on June 1st when it plunged into the Atlantic off Brazil. All 228 people on board were killed. Here's what investigators are saying now this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALAIN BOUILLARD, AIR FRANCE INQUIRY (through translator): What we found out is it lost the auto pilot feed monitors are no longer giving information, the windshield function telling us about the wind function is no longer working. And also, the information that tells us what direction the plane is going to is also lacking. So we receive all of these messages. And as I'm telling you, the message these tell us is that the plane has to be in this case, our plane would have to be directed by the pilot because the auto pilot was no longer working.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: That's if the pilot was able to control the plane at all at that point, of course. The flight data recorders have never been located and Brazil called off the search for bodies last week. But 51 bodies were found.

An all out search this morning for a U.S. soldier who was captured by militants in Afghanistan. It happened on Tuesday. The U.S. military is not releasing much more information on the soldier or where he was at the time of the kidnapping. But they are saying they're exhausting all resources to find him. The Taliban have claimed responsibility.

Unrelated to that search for the missing soldier. The U.S. military has launched what they're calling a major offensive in southern Afghanistan. About 4,000 troops are being committed to the operation so far. This is the first big move since President Obama ordered thousands more troops to Afghanistan. It's also the first step in a new strategy being carried out by the region's new commanding general, General Stanley McChrystal.

North Korea now apparently defying the international community once again. There are reports this morning, the communist nation has test fired two short-range missiles off its Eastern Coast. That's according to South Korea's Defense Ministry. The launch was expected. Pyongyang had warned boats of a military firing exercise in the area. North Korea sparked international anger with a string of define actions this spring. They include several missile launches and an underground nuclear test.

Dissent still boiling over in Iran. Three leading reformists are questioning the legitimacy of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Some even calling his election to a coup.

CNN's Reza Sayah is following all of that information from our Iran desk this morning.

Good morning to you there, Reza.

REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi.

The government in Iran would like nothing more than for these opposition leaders to keep quiet and go away. But they are still making a lot of noise. Some strong statements coming out from these opposition leaders. None stronger than what former President Mohammad Khatami said.

Khatami, of course, supported Mir Hossein Moussavi in the presidential elections. Remember, the government Iran has described these protests as an attempt at a velvet revolution, a velvet coup to topple the regime.

Well, on his Web site, Khatami accused the government of a velvet revolution against the people of Iran through propaganda and fear. He also accused the government of crimes against the citizens saying the government reacted to this great movement with bloodshed and forced confessions.

Opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi also came out describing the elections and its aftermath as illegitimate. According to state-funded press TV in Iran, Mir Hossein Moussavi plans to take his complaints to the Iranian judiciary by providing them a document that proved vote rigging.

In the meantime, the government continues its crackdown against dissent and opposing views. Human rights groups say one of their tactics are forced confessions. And that's what they call a purported statement by Newsweek reporter Maziar Bahari.

According to state-run news in Iran, Bahari, a very accomplished reporter came out and allegedly confessed to filing false reports, trying to create trouble for the government. But both Newsweek and human rights groups dismissed this statement describing it as a forced confession on the part of the government.

Heidi?

COLLINS: What about Internet access now?

Although social media Web sites, YouTube. I mean, obviously, we've been getting a lot of video through those Web sites.

Has some of that activity died down now?

SAYAH: It has. It has dropped and decreased dramatically. But one thing that we can tell you, SMS, texting did come up last night in Iran.

Remember, ever since election day on June 12th, SMS and texting was shut off. Last night, it was back in Iran. But, again, YouTube activity, Twitter activity has dropped dramatically. We're getting some messages that the government is monitoring and that's the reason.

COLLINS: All right. Reza Sayah, we sure do appreciate that from our Iran desk this morning.

We've also got another story that we've been watching and bringing it to you right now as we learn it here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Breaking news about North Korea. We have just learned, bear with me as I get it here, that North Korea has, in fact, test fired a fourth short-range missile off of its East Coast today. This is according to South Korean's Yonhap news agency.

South Korea's Defense Ministry had earlier confirmed three launches, but now, this fourth launch, again, of a short-range missile off the East Coast, the same area as the others has now been apparently confirmed.

Once again, the first three missiles were fired about 5:20, 6:00 p.m., and 7:50 p.m. Local Time. So we are, again, attributing this to the ministry spoke people there.

We will continue to follow this, obviously. And, again, I'm reading it as we go here so bear with me. But that is the fourth short-range missile test off the same area, North Korea. The others apparently had been expected because there had been a warning put up by North Koreans for boats in the area. A military exercise was going to be taking place. So they had tried to warn of that activity, but now, once again the fourth short-range missile test has been confirmed. We'll continue to watch that story for you.

COLLINS: Amazing pictures of a river rescue.

A construction worker, yes, that's him, is lowered on the line of the crane to save a woman's life. We'll talk to him in just a moment.

As you get older, you have more of a tendency to snore in your sleep. Our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta explains why and what can be done about it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Kim and Curtis Christiansen have always been a close couple, but when Curtis began snoring in his early 50s, Kim had to retreat to the couch.

KIM CHRISTIANSEN, SNORING HUSBAND SUFFERER: He would just take a breath in and would go, it would take his breath away.

GUPTA: At first Curtis thought the snoring would stop. But when he started nodding off at traffic lights from lack of sleep, he knew something was wrong.

CURTIS CHRISTIANSEN, SLEEP APNEA PATIENT: It was actually a little later on that I became more aware of this sort of choking and waking up feeling.

GUPTA: As we get into our mid-30s, the muscles in the back of our throats begin to weaken, losing tone, causing them to flop and make noise as we breathe. That can cause snoring.

DR. THOMAS LORUSSO, NORTH VIRGINIA SLEEP DIAGNOSTIC CENTER: So as we get older, that area tends to flop back further, to have a predisposition to bang in the back of that throat. And with that, the snoring is just typically that banging.

GUPTA: Alcohol can also cause loose throat muscles, combine that with aging, this snoring gets worse.

As muscles continue to become lax in our 40s and 50s, medications we begin to take in our middle-age can also cause snoring.

LORUSSO: Sedative types of drugs. So there are certain benzodiazepine drugs and narcotics in particular that selectively make that back of your throat floppy.

GUPTA: In some cases, sleep apnea can occur. Sleep experts say a lot of people think snoring is part of the busy lifestyle. Some cases it is. But when snoring starts to affect your daily habits, you may have sleep apnea.

LORUSSO: Your bed partner may notice that the patient stops breathing and snores loudly. And the daytime symptoms typically are sleepiness, problems with concentration, patients may have trouble waking up in the morning.

GUPTA: Because sleep apnea periodically deprives your brain of oxygen, many patients can suffer from heart disease, high blood pressure, memory problems, weight gain and depression. So it's a good idea to get yourself checked out.

Curtis Christiansen who was eventually diagnosed with sleep apnea had high blood pressure. Since he began treatment, he's gotten under control.

For 30, 40, 50, I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: The construction workers were just doing their jobs when they were called on to save a life. A couple's boat went over a dam of Des Moines River, Tuesday. The husband died in the accident, but a construction crew working nearby saved the woman as you see there.

A short time ago, I talked with two crew members and that man there asked them to describe what happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JASON OGLESBEE, RESCUER: A couple had some trouble with their boat and they went over the dam behind us. And he was thrown out. And she was trapped in the current below the dam. And they called 911, and they couldn't get her out. And they couldn't -- nobody could get to her. And the guys here behind me, they were throwing her life preservers and ropes and she just couldn't hang on to them. So we got the crane up there and was able to get down there and get her out. COLLINS: So you guys were, you were kind of up above and you were looking down and that's why it was able to work that way? Because as you said, we saw all of those boats and the rescue workers trying to get to them. They just couldn't get up stream, right?

OGLESBEE: Right.

COLLINS: So the proverbial question, what were you thinking when you decided to be hooked on to the crane and slide down there and try to help her out?

JOE LOWE, CONSTRUCTION CREW MEMBER: That was our supervisor Chad. He instructed us to move some other stuff out of the way so we could get up to the bank with the crane and reach out and get her.

COLLINS: Had you ever done anything like this before?

OGLESBEE: No.

LOWE: No.

COLLINS: No. So Jason, as you went down there to do this, I mean, were there people coaching you? Some of the firemen or some of the paramedics or anything? You know, telling you, hey, this is how you do it, and this is what you need to watch out for?

OGLESBEE: No. They just chained me up to the crane and was able to get me down there, and I was fortunate enough to be able to get a hold of her and got her to lifeboat. They got her to the hospital. So --

COLLINS: How difficult was it to get a hold of her?

LOWE: Got her first try.

OGLESBEE: Yes. It went fairly quick, and it was pretty easy. We're just fortunate enough she was close enough to -- Joe could move the crane down and get a hold of her and get her out of there.

COLLINS: Yes. And obviously the story is a sad one, and that she lost her husband in all of this, Allen. So he's certainly thinking of her today and I know that you guys are, as well.

Have you heard from Patricia at all just yet?

OGLESBEE: No, I haven't --

LOWE: I talked to the man's sisters yesterday. He told me that she was in the hospital and she was doing fine, except grieving over her husband.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: In a statement, the woman who was rescued, Patricia Ralph Neely, thanked the construction worker and others who worked to rescue her from the river. But added that she is thankful to be alive. She did lose the love of her life.

Rob Marciano joining us now live from the severe weather center. A lot of people getting ready, of course, for the Fourth of July. So you have those great funky graphics.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: Yes. No kidding. I'm looking at some pictures right now. It is still pretty ugly there.

Rob Marciano, thank you. We'll check in later on.

Meanwhile, South Carolinians say they are suffering from TMI, too much information. They say they caught it from Governor Mark Sanford.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: As usual an awful lot going on in the next hour of the NEWSROOM. CNN crews are in place to break it all down for you, beginning this morning with Barbara Starr at the pentagon.

Barbara, good morning.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Heidi, a U.S. soldier now in enemy hands. We will have the latest coming up.

KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Kara Finnstrom in Neverland. More twists and turns in the death investigation of Michael Jackson and the planning of a memorial tribute. It's all coming up in the next hour.

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: And I'm Poppy Harlow in New York. Heidi, we have lost more than 7 million jobs since the start of this recession. Can the White House really create millions of green jobs. It's a lofty goal. We'll have more on that, Heidi, at the top of the hour.

COLLINS: All right, very good.

Thanks so much, ladies.

Also, they answered their country's call when the men went off to war. Now, the surviving women Air Force service pilots are being honored.

Meet one of them right here in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Well, some South Carolinians want their governor to step down. Many others just want him to shut up.

CNN's Candy Crowley has the latest now on the Mark Sanford's scandal.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After a day of public calls and private urging that he resign, Governor Mark Sanford is described by one South Carolina Republican as defiant, noting that Sanford's political career showed a willingness to fight lonely battles. The source, who has known Sanford for decades, said he'd be shocked if the governor resigned in the next few days.

"Honestly, I think he could go down in the ugliest, messiest way. It certainly would fit the profile."

GINA SMITH, "THE STATE": If there's anything the governor likes, it's a good fight. If anything is going to change here, it's going to have to come from the public.

CROWLEY: Several Republican sources contacted over the course of the day suggested the South Carolina governor wrote his own political obituary in the past 24 hours, with the needlessly detailed interview with the Associated Press, during which Sanford called his mistress his soul mate and called the relationship a "love story," a forbidden one, a tragic one, but a love story at the end of the day."

Sanford also offered that he was trying to fall back in love with his wife, while revealing that he had crossed lines with other women but didn't have sex with them. "Have I done stupid? I have. You know, you meet someone. You dance with them. You go to a place where you probably shouldn't have gone."

In addition to details, there was a bizarre-o world feel to the governor's continued explanations. "If you come into connection with a soul that touches yours in a way that no one's ever had, even if it's a place you can't go, this notion of knowing that you know, for me, became very important."

And there was this description of his latest trip down to Argentina to see his mistress. "I got down on one knee and said, I am here in the hope that we can prove this whole thing to be a mirage."

No mirage back home, where the Sanford soap opera may be getting old. South Carolinians are chatting it up on the Web site of the Columbia newspaper, "The State."

SMITH: There's a lot of people who say they're suffering from TMI, too much information. They're not exactly clear why governor feels the need to give such exhaustive, detailed information about what's going on.

CROWLEY: Nearly every political barometer indicates Mark Sanford's days in the governor's office are numbered. In South Carolina's capital city, one of the few who apparently does not think that is the governor.

Candy Crowley, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: All right, so, here's how the Sanford affair came to light, if you remember. On Thursday, June 18th, he disappeared. The following week, his staff told reporters he was hiking on the Appalachian Trail. Last Wednesday he had admitted that he had not been on the Appalachian Trail but in Buenos Aires, instead. He also admitted to having an extramarital affair with an Argentinean woman.

In an interview with the Associated Press two days ago, Sanford said he had seen that woman seven times, not three, as he initially told reporters. He also said he had, quote, "crossed lines with other women, but had not had sex with them," as you just saw in Candy Crowley's piece there.