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Soldier Believed Kidnapped; Airline Computer Glitch Delays Thousands; Obama's Public Appeal on Health Care; Major Offensives in Afghanistan; Female WWII Pilots Honored; Unemployment Higher for Men than Women; White House Still Aiming for Green Jobs; Teenage Girl Survives Plane Crash; Diana Ross Had Huge Influence on Michael Jackson
Aired July 02, 2009 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Checking stories happening right now, major delays for airline passengers in Chicago. It's not weather- related, either. Apparently, United Airlines check-in computers are not working. These are some pictures that are coming into us from our affiliate there. There are about 2,000 passengers stuck in line. Can you imagine?
Flights are already being delayed, and some of them actually might have to be canceled. There is actually no timetable, according to the airline, on when the problem might be fixed. What a mess.
Four hundred sixty-seven thousand jobs lost in June. The Labor Department reporting the unemployment rate for the month was 9.5 percent. That's the highest it's been in 26 years.
We are watching new developments on several international stories. In fact, U.S. forces are going to great lengths to try to locate and locate a soldier captured in Afghanistan. The Taliban are claiming responsibility. Also in Afghanistan, the U.S. military has launched its first major offensive as part of the new strategy for the region. At least 1,000 marines are involved in combat operations right now.
We are also hearing that North Korea has test fired a fourth short-range missile again this morning. Once again, short range missiles, not the kind North Korea claims can actually hit Hawaii.
Let's begin this morning now with that missing U.S. soldier in Afghanistan. It happened two days before the military launched their new offensive in southern Afghanistan. The Taliban, as we said, claiming responsibility. CNN Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr, joining us now with information on this. So Barbara, what are your sources telling you at this point?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Heidi, we do have some new information to share. Let's be clear, though. This is happening in eastern Afghanistan, not down south where that fighting is.
COLLINS: Right.
STARR: Eastern Afghanistan, Paktika province, the soldier missing now believed to be captured by militants in the region. U.S. military official tells CNN they now believe the man is being held by a very significant warlord in this area, a man named Saraj Hakani (ph), very well known to the U.S. military and the U.S. intelligence community. He operates on both sides of the border. Afghanistan and Pakistan, so, there is a good deal of concern that this soldier not be taken across the border into Pakistan.
COLLINS: Yes.
STARR: They're trying to shut down the area and talk to all the warlords, all the village elders in the area, and say do not let any strangers, any missing U.S. soldier move through here. You find him and turn him back over to us. They're trying to isolate it and make this come to a very quick and happy ending. It remains to be seen, Heidi.
COLLINS: Boy, I guess so. All right, Barbara, keep us updated on that. Of course, also, I want to talk about that new offensive in Helmand province as you mentioned down in the south part of the country. What do we know at this point?
STARR: Well, about 1,000 marines now having moved into a number of towns and villages in the Helmand River Valley, down south. This is an area that is a Taliban stronghold and poppy, opium growing area, where the Taliban get all their money from. So this is not an area that the Taliban are going to give up very easily.
COLLINS: Yes.
STARR: But, right now, very little fighting, we are told, by the marines. Very little opposition. The Taliban seem to be engaging in their usual strategy of running off and waiting it all out. The marines say they are there to stay. Heidi?
COLLINS: All right. Very good. We'll be watching how this goes, appreciate it. Our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr, thank you.
Heading militants off at the border. Pakistan's army deploying to its side of the border from Afghanistan's Helmand province. The troops are trying to keep the Taliban from fleeing the U.S. offensive. The militants have been freely moving across the poorly guarded region. In another part of Pakistan today, a suicide bomber hit a defense ministry bus killing at least one person and wounding 29 others. It marks the latest in a string of bombings in that country.
Nuclear tensions are on the rise again this morning. North Korea has reportedly test fired a fourth short-range missile off its eastern coast. Three launches have been reported by South Korea's defense ministry. The fourth now being reported by that country's Yonhap news agency. The launches were expected, Pyongyang have warned boats of a military firing exercise 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. Back to this story now, computer problems are causing major problems for travelers in Chicago today. United Airlines computers are down at O'Hare Airport, imagine that. Look at some of this video we have here. About 2,000 people waiting to get on those flight, but, for now, as you can see, nobody is going anywhere until those computers are fixed and, apparently, the problems at O'Hare could have a ripple effect, as you would imagine, across the country since Chicago is the hub for United. We have a live report on the scene there. We're going bring that reporter up in just a few minutes here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Meanwhile, there are more twists and turns to report in the death of Michael Jackson. Two federal law enforcement officials telling CNN that the Drug Enforcement Administration, DEA, will look into whether prescription drugs were involved. Neverland Ranch will not host a public viewing of the singer's body. A family spokesman says plans for a public memorial will soon be released.
Details of Jackson's will are now public. It says Diana Ross should raise his children, if his mother is unable to do so. CNN's Kara Finnstrom is at the Neverland Ranch for us this morning, now with the very latest. So Kara, tell us what you know about the DEA now. Tell us why they get involved, again?
KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they could offer up some more resources, including access to some databases that can help investigators track the drug-prescribing habits of doctors. What sources tell us is that these agents will look at several doctors that have been linked to Jackson, take a look at their practices and a look at their supplies of medicine.
You know, obviously, from the get go here there has been concern about whether Michael Jackson's death was linked to prescription drugs or to other medicines and those who know him well, have raised that question. As well as the LAPD, which, right away, impounded the car of one of his physicians and said they were looking for evidence inside, possibly prescription medications.
Now back out here at Neverland, you can see some of the fans are gathered up there at the gate, kind of mingled in there with all the media still out here and they're disappointed there is not apparently going to be a memorial tribute held here.
COLLINS: Yes.
FINNSTROM: Word is that one is being planned, though, and you know, the only word we have from the Jackson family at this point, Heidi, is that it's in the works, no details yet but kind of the talk is perhaps either the Staples Center or perhaps the L.A. Coliseum. That's what numerous media outlets are speculating, but, again, no official word yet.
COLLINS: All right. Well, is there any more information at this point, Kara, where things stand with the will?
FINNSTROM: The will has gone into probate, so, you know, essentially, this needs to be approved by a court. Really, you know, the big news out of it being that he designated or said that he would prefer for the guardian to be his mother with the back-up of Diana Ross, as you mentioned, if the mother was not able to fulfill those duties. But that's what kind of what everyone expected. Now, it is out there and it's known that's what he actually requested in his will.
COLLINS: All right. Kara Finnstrom, we sure do appreciate that. Thanks so much, live from Neverland Ranch this morning.
Michael Jackson's 79-year-old mother, is she physically able to raise his children? We're going to be hearing from Michael's brother, Jermaine, at the bottom of the hour.
And then tonight, Larry King broadcast live from Neverland Ranch. He was granted special access. So, he'll take us inside the house and around the property. That's tonight at 9:00 Eastern, 6:00 Pacific, right here on CNN.
No charges have been filed, but investigation is under way in Florida after a pet python strangled a 2-year-old girl in her crib. Authorities say the more than eight foot long snake broke out of its cage in the middle of the night. It bit the young girl and strangled her to death. The owner stabbed the snake until he was able to pry the child away.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KIRSTEN DARNELLL, SISTER: She was in her crib sleeping, and the snake got out of his cage somehow and went in the room and it was hungry, I guess and it started, it bit her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Boy. The snake belonged to a boyfriend of the toddler's mother. Wildlife officials say he did not have a permit for that snake.
Quickly, I want to get back to the story we have been following all morning long now. Out of Chicago, and boy, oh, boy, what a mess. Apparently the check-in computers for United Airlines there at O'Hare aren't working. So they have amassed about 2,000 people in line just to check in. So, we will continue to follow that. You see those pictures there, probably not very happy people at this point. Watch that story for you, again, out of Chicago.
Meanwhile, the sky opened up and the roads filled up, much of the Northeast socked in yesterday. What about today? Our Rob Marciano keeping a close eye on things here at the CNN severe weather center. Hey, Rob, aren't you glad you're not in Chicago?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I am or in the Northeast for that matter. They continue to be wet. As you mentioned, Rhode Island continued to be hammered. Yesterday with rain and they got it again this morning and there's more heading on the way. So hopefully, they'll dry up by the fourth of July. We'll have all the details when the CNN NEWSROOM comes right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Computer problems causing major issues at one of the nation's busiest airports. Reporter Regina Waldroup with affiliate CLTV is at Chicago's O'Hare Airport, where all this is going on. Regina, what are you seeing? We're hearing word of like 2,000 passengers waiting in line to check in.
REGINA WALDROUP, REPORTER, CLTV: Heidi, 2,000 or thousands of rather frustrated passengers waiting to check in. Some of the folks have been in line since 6:30 this morning. That's when United officials told them that there was some type of computer glitch that was preventing them from being able to check-in passengers.
Now at one point there was a ground stop instituted here but now we're told that planes are able to land and, also, there are still some delays here though. Delays are running up to two hours and also some cancellations. Mind you, this comes at a time when people are trying to head out of town for the long holiday weekend.
COLLINS: Oh, yes.
WALDROUP: So a lot of frustrated passengers here. United officials say they don't know what caused this computer glitch, but they're doing everything they can to get everything back up and running but they don't yet know when that happened. In the meantime, they are telling folks to check united.com to check the status of their flights. Also, Heidi, they are able to check a few people in manually, but it's a slow going process here at O'Hare.
COLLINS: Yes. Boy, how would you like to be one of those I.T. guys working there right now. Ouch.
WALDROUP: How would you like to be some of the people heading out of town to see family. One guy is meeting his girlfriend's in- laws or his fiancee's in-laws for the first time. They're going to be quite late, Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes, no question. All right. Well, keep us posted. We definitely want to know what's going to be happening there. It will be affecting the rest of the country, I imagine, too, being right in the center of things. Regina Waldroup, sure do appreciate it from CLTV this morning. Thanks.
WALDROUP: You're welcome.
COLLINS: Use caution. The word from emergency officials in the westernmost town of Rhode Island. A lot of rain fell in a very short time westerly yesterday afternoon. Streets as you can see flooded, stranding more than a few motorists.
Rob Marciano standing by to talk a little bit more about that and, also, this holiday weekend that we just can't seem to get out of our minds. We've already checked out, basically. MARCIANO: Oh, yes. I'm not even going to be in the studio tomorrow. I'm going someplace fun and we'll talk about something patriotic tomorrow, so don't miss that.
COLLINS: Good. I'll be watching.
MARCIANO: Right here in the CNN NEWSROOM with Heidi Collins.
COLLINS: Not really, but that's OK.
MARCIANO: Come on, you're not going to be here tomorrow?
COLLINS: I'm not going to be here.
MARCIANO: Talk about...
COLLINS: I'll be celebrating Fourth of July, independence.
MARCIANO: All right. God bless America.
Boston, definitely a patriotic place. You're getting some rainfall. Everything coming in from the northwest towards the southeast. All this instability will pop up more showers and thunderstorms. You saw that video from Rhode Island and that drainage system just can't take it any more. They got another pulse of moisture early this morning and now moving into extreme northeastern New England and you'll probably get more as the day rolls along.
So the National Weather Service from northeastern Jersey to southwestern Maine has issued flood watches and warnings for some cases. Same deal across parts of Tampa, day after day, Tampa seems to be getting the brunt of more rain and thunderstorms. Another one to three inches, potentially today, which will lead to more in the way of flooding. Dry weather, it's the dry season across the pacific northwest.
Good morning to our friends in Portland and Seattle. You'll see temperatures into the 90s. Pretty low levels of humidity. So, it shouldn't be that bad. A matter of fact, there went my - I had a Vegas cam. It went to bars. This is like the bane of my existence when this happens.
COLLINS: It's pretty colors.
MARCIANO: That does not make for good TV.
Speaking of pretty color, here you go. You asked for it, you got it. There's the fireworks. I'm not sure where Heidi is going to be on Saturday -- I'm not sure where you're going to be tomorrow for that matter.
COLLINS: New York. New York on the Hudson.
MARCIANO: Oh, OK.
COLLINS: Yes. MARCIANO: Working or just...
COLLINS: No, playing. just playing and being proud to be American.
MARCIANO: Do you remember the Hall of Presidents exhibit down at Disney World?
COLLINS: Yes, yes, absolutely. It's fantastic.
MARCIANO: We're doing a riveting investigative piece on that and we're debuting tomorrow. It's an exclusive and I'll be live from Disney World. How is that for Fourth of July fun?
COLLINS: Amazing. Good gig. Colorado, wine country, Disney World.
MARCIANO: Wine country, I'm still working on.
COLLINS: All right.
MARCIANO: See what can happens.
COLLINS: Rob Marciano, we'll be watching. Sounds like a good time.
MARCIANO: Yes.
COLLINS: Thank you.
MARCIANO: OK. See you then.
COLLINS: Turning up the pressure, President Obama going straight to the public, he wants to lean on Congress to overhaul the health care system.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Fixing health care. Democrats on a key Senate committee reportedly are circulating a revised health care plan now. It includes a government-backed insurance option and a fee for employers if they do not offer coverage to their workers.
According to the Associated Press, the backers say the plan will lead to 97 percent of Americans having health coverage and it will cost just over $600 billion over 10 years. That's far less than an earlier $1 trillion estimate.
Meanwhile, President Obama going straight to the public hoping they'll light a fire under Congress to get health care legislation passed. More on that now from White House correspondent Ed Henry.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are going to pass it this year. That is my commitment. We're going to get it done.
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The president was bullish about the prospects for health reform, but warned critics are lining up to kill it. So he used a town hall in Virginia to urge the public to rise up as he fielded questions from YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and a live audience.
OBAMA: If Congress thinks that the American people don't want to see change, frankly, the lobbyists and the special interests will end up winning the day, but when the American people decide that something needs to happen, nothing can stop us.
HENRY: One of those ordinary Americans, Debbie Smith, cried as she told her story.
DEBBIE SMITH, ATTENDED TOWN HALL MEETING: Now I have a new tumor. I have no way to pay for it.
OBAMA: I don't want you to feel like you're alone.
HENRY: After comforting Smith, the president held her up as Exhibit A.
OBAMA: The long-term problem here is going to be how do we create a system in which Debbie is getting the preventive care that she needs and is able to get regular checkups, is able to get treatment in a way that is much more cost-efficient.
HENRY: But a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll shows the public is worried about picking up the tab for people without insurance. Fifty-four percent say they believe the amount they pay for medical care will increase, while only 17 percent believe it will decrease. One reason the public is divided on the president's plan. With 51 percent saying they favor it and 45 percent opposing. Similar to the split Bill Clinton faced before his health plan failed.
(on camera): White House officials say they're still confident of victory and will keep putting their best salesman, the president, out on the road to engage the public and deal with the skepticism that is clearly out there. Ed Henry, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: All right. On our blog now, we have been asking you exactly what worries you the most about the president's health care reform plan. We've been getting lot of responses, and I want to read some of them to you now. Let's take a look over here at the blog. In fact, the first one says this, from Mary. "The only thing that concerns me is how much it will cost me."
OK, well, the next one says this: "What concerns me is that I've heard no talk about removing the profits in health insurance." Certainly an issue that people are talking about.
And finally this one: "Is the Obama plan going to interfere with people who already have good insurance?" Everybody concerned about how much they're going to pay. So, definitely, go ahead and send us your thoughts because, as I've said, we've been getting a lot of them and we want to share more with you on health care reform. Just go to cnn.com/newsroom. We'll check them out later.
U.S. troops on the offensive in southern Afghanistan, facing numerous challenges in the fertile poppy fields and not just from insurgent fighters.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: Live in the CNN NEWSROOM, Heidi Collins.
COLLINS: Here's a quick look now at some of the stories we're watching right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
A U.S. soldier has been abducted in eastern Afghanistan. The military says they believe a well-known warlord has the soldier. The U.S. is, of course, doing what they can to get him back.
Three people are dead in a pair of bombings in Baghdad, one of them, a car bomb in southern Baghdad. As many as 25 people were wounded.
And reports out of South Korea say North Korea has test fired a fourth short-range missile this morning. The U.S. has only confirmed the first three. North Korea had warned they may be test firing missiles over the sea of Japan this week.
Also this morning, the U.S. military has launched a major offensive in southern Afghanistan, Helmand province, to be exact. Earlier we heard about Marines being involved in a firefight. CNN international correspondent Nic Robertson has more on the challenges and goals of this offensive from Islamabad, Pakistan.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Marines in Helmand are going to face a number of challenges. We were there last summer at exactly this time when marines in the same area of Helmand. It was incredibly hot. It means that operations during the day, the foot patrols are very, very difficult. The Marines we were with a year ago only operating for about four or five hours. It was so exhausting, they were carrying very heavy equipment and they are very well-trained and very capable fighters, but the conditions will make it very difficult.
Another challenge facing the Marines. We are told that they are going to secure and hold these areas, stay in the area. One of the things that they will be doing is trying to convince the local population too, that they had population to support them and should support the Afghan government. This is something new we're told for the Marines in this area of Afghanistan, but it's something British troops and other U.S. troops have been doing for some time in other parts of Afghanistan and the challenge for the marines is they're not going in supported by a large number of agricultural experts, doctors, vets, civilians. These type of people who will bring the civil affairs projects that the military talks about into the communities and, thus, help win over the communities. We've heard commanders talking about that already. So that is going to be another challenge facing the Marines and even in other parts of the country where troops have tried this before is met with very, very limited success. They're certainly able to go in and win the fight, certainly able to secure the area initially, but in other areas, we're seeing the Taliban moving back in after they have been initially chased out.
One of the things troops face in that area of Afghanistan, pressure plate IEDs, other source of IEDs and when we were there patrolling last year with troops in areas that they've secured, the Taliban were infiltrating back in and laying these IEDs right where the troops were walking. So that will be another very, very big challenge for the marines in this particular area and, of course, one of the greatest challenges is that there is such a huge distrust among Afghans for NATO and U.S. forces.
So, winning Afghans over is a going to be a very, very tough thing to achieve for those Marines. Nic Robertson, CNN, Islamabad, Pakistan.
COLLINS: The death of Michael Jackson is now a federal investigation. Two federal law enforcement officials tell CNN the Drug Enforcement Administration is on the case. The DEA will look into whether prescription drugs were involved in his death.
There will not be a public viewing of the singer's body at Neverland Ranch. Fans have flocked there amid reports that preparations were under way. A family spokesman says plans for a public memorial will soon be released and details of Jackson's will are now public. One twist, he names singer Diana Ross as his second choice to raise his children. His first, of course, his mother.
Michael Jackson's first choice, as we said, to care for his three children, his mother. But at 79 years old, is she up to that challenge? That's the question put to Michael Jackson's older brother, Jermaine, on NBC's "Today" show.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JERMAINE JACKSON, MICHAEL'S BROTHER: She's capable. She's up to it. Because she's always with all the grandchildren all the time. She loves the laughter and the crying and all the excitement, yes.
She is. I mean, we're still her kids. Like, to them, we never grew up. But she's definitely capable. And she has someone with her to make sure that they're doing the right things. I thought it was a great will because the children are fine. My mother's the perfect person to be there, and it's definitely him (ph).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Jermaine says Michael's children were shown their father's body, and they seem to have accepted that he is gone now. One other thing -- Jermaine Jackson says his brother's final resting place should be Neverland. Diana Ross was said to be almost a mother figure to the troubled star. Near the end of the hour, we'll take a closer look at her and the role she played in Michael Jackson's life.
And also tonight, Larry King will be broadcasting live from Neverland Ranch. He was granted special access, so he'll take us inside the house and around the property. That will come your way tonight, 9:00 Eastern, 6:00 Pacific right here on CNN.
And this afternoon, President Obama will be talking jobs and the economy. First, he plans to sit down with business leaders who are actually creating new jobs in these tough times. And then he's expected to make a few comments to reporters coming from the Rose Garden.
On our blog, in fact, we are asking if you have any ideas for creating more jobs. Here now are some of your responses.
The first one is from Tony. He says this: "I say we make it illegal to pump one's own gas. This prevents drive-offs, and gas stations across the country will have to hire more people to pump gas, thus creating jobs."
Hey, they do that in Jersey, by the way. You can't pump your own gas.
Anyway, and this one from Ray: "Rebuilding the nation's railway for a high-speed rail system that's already available in Europe and Asia. It could be a consortium of government and private businesses. It would impact the entire country; it would involve more people than the moon project."
All right, so thanks for those responses, everybody.
They were the first women to serve as pilots in wartime. We'll look back at what they accomplished and talk to one of these pioneers.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: They were the first women to fly U.S. military aircraft. We're talking about the Women Airforce Service Pilots from World War II. The 300 surviving pilots were honored at a White House ceremony just yesterday. President Obama you see there signing a measure awarding them the Congressional Gold Medal.
CNN's Jessica Yellin tells us about these brave pioneers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): From the time she was 8, Jane Tedeschi wanted to be a pilot.
JANE TEDESCHI, FORMER PILOT: That was Lindbergh flying across the Atlantic, and a lot of other people were flying air races.
YELLIN: As a young woman in her 20s, Tedeschi sought out flight lessens and got her pilot's license, a rarity for a woman in those days. With World War II gripping the nation, male pilots were desperately needed overseas for battle. Female aviator Jacqueline Cochran came up with a radical idea: Let female pilots take over domestic missions. The military approved, and WASP, Women Air Service Pilots program, was born.
TEDESCHI: I thought, well, this is something I can do and love to do and will contribute to the war effort.
YELLIN: Another of the 1,102 members was Deanie Parrish. One of her jobs was to help train gunners for combat.
DEANIE PARRISH, FORMER PILOT: It was not that I was going to do any more than anybody else because there were other females who were driving ambulances or firetrucks, working on airplanes. And I was doing the one thing that I felt I could do best.
YELLIN: The WASPs were civilians, but they were the first women to fly in U.S. military planes, in all logging over 60 million miles in all types of aircraft, from heavy bombers to attack planes.
TEDESCHI: Night flying, occasionally, was an interesting thing because we didn't have an awful lot of training in that and you've got to be sure you never lose your horizon.
YELLIN: Although the work was confronted to the homefront, Air Force Major Nicole Malachowski, the first female Thunderbird pilot, says these women developed key tactics and training for the war.
MAJOR NICOLE MALACHOWSKI, U.S. AIR FORCE: These women did that by training the men to fly these planes so they could go fly in combat. They did that by being instructor pilots. They were test pilots. They also did aerial gunnery.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Shows how happy we were to be flying.
YELLIN: Now with fewer than 300 of the pilots still alive, Congress is moving to recognize their legacy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is a historical fact and should be recognized.
YELLIN (on camera): Their mission could be dangerous. In all, 38 WASPs died, some in training, some in test flights. And supporters say that shows the commitment these women had.
Jessica Yellin, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Now, one of the pilots attending the White House signing ceremony is that woman there, Lorraine Rodgers. She is 88 years young and one of the surving World War II Women Airforce Service Pilots.
Lorraine, thanks for being with us. Thank you for your service. And, also, dying to hear what you have to say about this incredible honor. The president signing this bill that awarded you and the others a Congressional Gold Medal of Honor. Let's take a look at that photo. I want to get your reaction to what that day was like.
LORRAINE RODGERS, WOMEN'S AIR SERVICE PILOT, WORLD WAR II: It was fabulous. Just fabulous. And we were so warmly welcomed that we were all in shock. First of all, to -- for him to sign the bill, the president to sign the bill in front of us and then to have -- well, the entire affair was outstanding, truly.
COLLINS: Well, I can tell. And you were able to sort of snuggle your way up right there, right next to him. I see you there on the right. Very good.
Well, listen, I want to talk to you a little bit more about the history of all this. Excellent piece that we just had there by Jessica Yellin tells us a lot, but how do you feel about the attention you're getting now? Because this was exhaustive work. Went on for about a year back in World War II. And you lost a lot of friends.
RODGERS: Oh, yes. Well, actually, we were active from in '42, 1942 to December 20th of 1944. So, that's the beginning of '45, yes. And it was unbelievable. Over 25,000 women applied to get in over the, you know, the years.
COLLINS: Right.
RODGERS: And 1,830 were accepted for the training, which was the same as the men took.
COLLINS: Yes. What made you do it? Why did you get interested in flying?
RODGERS: I think curiosity because I grew up in a suburb of Chicago and I'd see the planes taking off from Municipal Airport.
COLLINS: Yes, you know, they're not taking off so well today. I don't know if you heard about the computer glitch at O'Hare. But anyway, moving on...
RODGERS: Oh, no. Well, anyway, I'd see these big planes, and I'd think, how on earth do they stay up there? All those people, all that luggage, everything.
And then I decided when I got a job, every weekend I took my paycheck and went out to the local airport and took flying lessons. So, when I heard about Jacqueline Cochran coming into town, I immediately scheduled an appointment. And a week later, after taking the physical and the mental exam, a week later I got my orders to report to Sweetwater, Texas at (INAUDIBLE) Field, yes.
COLLINS: Wow, wow, how thrilling. Now, what exactly was your job?
RODGERS: After graduation, after we got our wings, I went to the Fairing (ph) Command at Love Field in Dallas, Texas. And whatever plane was coming off of a line, assembly line someplace, just go and pick it up, take it up and test it and make sure it was OK.
COLLINS: Holy cow.
RODGERS: And then come back down and accept it for the Army and deliver it to its base, to a base or to a point of embarkation where the men took over.
COLLINS: Right, right. So, let me get this straight. They had the women go out there and test these things to make sure that they were OK to fly, and then they gave them to the boys to actually fly, right? I see how that works.
RODGERS: Yes. Oh, well, some of the girls weren't test pilots. I mean, I went in the Fairing Command, and the last two months I was still active, I was a test pilot.
COLLINS: All right.
RODGERS: Planes that had been in accidents and were repaired before the instructors or cadets could fly them, we tested them.
COLLINS: Boy. Quickly, what did your family think of what you were doing at the time? Did they think you were nuts?
RODGERS: Well, when I first talked to them about it, my mother just looked up to heaven and said, what next? And my father just looked at me and shook his head, and he said, Lorraine, whatever. We're with you. Go.
COLLINS: Oh, yes. And look at you. That's you, all that time ago. Fantastic.
Well, Lorraine, it is a pleasure and an honor to speak with you, and congratulations on getting the Congressional Gold Medal. Thanks so much for your service. A great, great story.
RODGERS: Thank you.
COLLINS: Quickly now, we're going to take a look at the market, because I don't know if you've noticed, but it is not looking so hot. Down about 171 points for the Dow Jones Industrial Averages. We'll talk more about it coming up in just a moment right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
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COLLINS: The recession has dealt a big blow to all of us, but there's one big part of the population that's been especially hard hit, men. Susan Lisovicz on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange with more on why men are having such a hard time in this economic downturn.
Hi there, Susan.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Heidi, I think we're all suffering, that's for sure. COLLINS: Yes.
LISOVICZ: There's no question about it. Let me just give you some of the headline numbers. We have grown accustomed to big job losses each month. But one thing we had been seeing is that those job losses were declining. Well, that reversed, unfortunately, in June. A whopping 467,000 jobs were lost last month.
For those of you keeping count, we have lost, the U.S. economy has given up 6.5 million jobs since this recession began in late 2007. The unemployment rate ticked a little bit higher. It now stands at 9.5 percent.
But, yes, this is a trend we have noticed, but disparity between men and women who are unemployed is really striking. Men, unemployment right now, 10 percent. Women, 7.6 percent. It's very close to the highest we have seen since record keeping began in 1948. It actually has been that high, but this month, it's just a tad below that, Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes, wow, it's fascinating. A lot of it seems to have to do with which sectors men and women choose to work in, right?
LISOVICZ: Exactly right. When you think about where this began or some of the areas particularly hard hit, we talk about the auto industry, for instance, that's manufacturing. We talk about the housing market. That's construction. They have been decimated, and men tend to dominate those fields.
The areas where we actually have seen growth, education and health care, well, women populate those industries, and that's why they fared a little better. But make no mistake about it, the unemployment rate for women has shot up as well, since this recession began, Heidi.
COLLINS: Well, what about the outlook for the people who have lost factory jobs? We've certainly heard a lot about them, too.
LISOVICZ: Well, there's a lot of debate about it because the United States economy used to be a manufacturing power base. I mean, it's not any more. That's just -- we're a service-based industry. But then you combine it with the worst recession since World War II, and you have a real problem.
We actually got a glimmer of hope yesterday in manufacturing. This is just one headline in today's papers here, Heidi, that says manufacturing easing, but that's partly because manufacturers have to start making things anymore. The inventory was just simply going down.
And I think that's why there's been such an emphasis on new types of industries to offset the losses we're seeing in manufacturing. That debate continues. There's no debate on Wall Street, no way to spin these numbers. It was a disappointment, and so we're seeing triple-digit losses. The Dow right now down 169 points. The Nasdaq is down 43 points, a 2 percent decline, you know. And now that new chart, you can see that we had a selloff right from the get go, Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes, we can see that. All right, well, we'll continue to watch it. This is it, though, for the holiday weekend, that's for sure. So, hopefully it can skootch back up a bit before the close. Thank you, Susan.
LISOVICZ: Well, think about it. Mull it over over the weekend.
COLLINS: Yes, absolutely. Thank you, Susan.
LISOVICZ: You're welcome.
COLLINS: We hear so much about green jobs, but how's the White House effort to create them really going? CNNmoney.com's Poppy Harlow has our "Energy Fix" now from New York. Hi there, Poppy.
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Hey there, Heidi. Yes, a lot of talk by the White House, billions of dollars put into job creation. Not that many results yet. Let's look at the numbers. We have more than 7 million jobs lost since the beginning of this recession a year and a half ago.
And on the campaign trail, the president promised what you see in green there, the hope of 5 million new green jobs over the next decade by investing $150 billion in clean energy. Now, the president has tapped this man. Take a look at him. You might not know him, but you will soon.
Van Jones, he's leading the White House effort to create all of these jobs. We talked to him this week, and we pressed him hard. I asked him a number of times, Heidi, can you give us some numbers. He said time and time again, sorry, there are no numbers yet, but, hey, it's been less than six months since the stimulus went into effect.
You sort of have to let the medicine sink into the patient, Heidi, if you will. He insists the administration is on track to create millions of new jobs. Boy, folks could surely use it. Take a listen to what he told us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VAN JONES, WHITE HOUSE COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY: Great thing about this whole green sector is that there is a wingspan on these jobs that goes literally from the GEDs to the PhDs and back again. And what we're trying to do right now is to make sure that Americans can get in on the ground floor and then grow with these industries.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: All right, as he said, from GEDs to PhDs, a range of jobs that we hope to see. We are, Heidi -- here's a glimmer of hope -- starting to see that stimulus money trickle through the system. Last week an announcement by the Labor Department of a grant competition freeing up $500 million for green jobs training -- Heidi. COLLINS: OK, well, there's more news to talk about on all of this, too. The climate bill that passed the House, a long way to go, still, with it. And certainly debate about whether it's really going to create jobs either.
HARLOW: Yes, a lot of debate about that. The president wants this through. It's going to be a battle in the Senate. The White House says this bill is going to spur many, many new jobs to be created in clean energy industries. Opponents argue that cap and trade system in there is actually going to cost more jobs than it creates because if businesses -- let's take coal companies, for example. If they have to pay for their carbon emissions, they're going to have to lay off workers. That's their argument, and there is weight behind it, Heidi, so that's why it's going to be a very, very heated debate in the Senate. We'll be watching -- Heidi.
COLLINS: All right, Poppy Harlow with our "Energy Fix." Poppy, thanks a lot.
HARLOW: Sure.
COLLINS: An airliner crashes into the sea. A teenage girl is found floating among the wreckage and among the bodies. Her story and her bittersweet return home without her mother.
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COLLINS: One month after the crash of Air France 447, French investigators this morning are revealing their initial findings into what caused the plane to plunge into the Atlantic off Brazil. They did not break up. Instead, it went down vertically into the water intact.
Investigators say the cause of the crash still unclear. The flight data recorders have not been found. They do say the plane was unable to fly on autopilot just before the crash and, therefore, had to be directed by the pilot, if that was at all possible at that point. Two hundred twenty-eight people aboard were killed.
The only known survivor of a horrific plane crash is back home in France today. She returns with a harrowing tale. For 13 hours, she clung to wreckage in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa until the voices of other survivors simply faded away. The details from the reporter Bill Neely of ITN.
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BILL NEELY, ITN-TV CORRESPONDENT: The sole survivor. She's bruised, her collarbone is fractured, but she is miraculously alive. Bakari Bahia's swollen eyes have seen more than any should, clinging to life with death and a dark sea all around her. The speed boats that rushed to her plane found her on a piece of wreckage surrounded by corpses, suitcases and oil. She was too exhausted to grab the life belt thrown to her and was dragged freezing from the water after 12 hours.
Her father had kissed her goodbye in France. She was on the first day of her summer holiday. He's still stunned by her survival.
"She said to me, 'Daddy, I was in the water. I could hear people talking, but I couldn't see anyone. I was in the dark, I couldn't see anything. On top of that, Daddy, I can't swim well. I hung on to something, but I don't know what.' "
His daughter survived, but his wife, who was with Bakari on the plane, is presumed dead.
There were prayers for the 152 dead. There is shock in France at a second aircraft ditching in a storm in a month. But this time, there is a survivor, thrown clear of the plane, and that's the biggest shock of all.
Bill Neely, News at 10.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Still ahead, Diana Ross and her surprise appearance in Michael Jackson's will. We'll look at the huge role she played in his career and his life.
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COLLINS: A command performance by Diana Ross. In his will, Michael Jackson named her as someone who could possibly raise his children. The reason? She had played a huge role in his career and his life. CNN's Mary Snow explains.
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MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After Michael Jackson died, Diana Ross said in a statement she couldn't stop crying, that she was praying for Jackson's children and his family. Jackson's will shows how highly he regarded her. The will says if Jackson's mother, Katherine, died or was unable to take care of his three children that Ross should be named guardian.
MIKE WALTERS, TMZ.COM: It is fitting, if you think about that, and the people that he trusted, Michael didn't have very many people around him for a long time, including some of his family members, that he trusted.
SNOW: Jackson knew Ross most of his life. She lent her star power to the young Jackson family. Their first album was called "Diana Ross presents the Jackson 5." Ian Drew of "US Weekly" says Ross, who has five children of her own, taught the Jacksons the ropes in show businesses but also provided emotional support.
IAN DREW, SENIOR EDITOR, "US WEEKLY": A lot of times when they were visiting Los Angeles before they had a house there, they would stay at Diana's home. He would often seek refuge there when things were very bad at home. She really was a surrogate mother to him almost.
SNOW: Michael Jackson got older, he remained close to Ross. The two of them, seen here in "The Wiz" in the late '70s, performed together at times. And former president of CBS Records, Walter Yetnikoff, recalls how Jackson turned to Ross before releasing his blockbuster "Thriller."
WALTER YETNIKOFF, FORMER PRESIDENT, CBS RECORDS: Two people other than Michael who saw "Thriller" for the first time. He invited me and Diana Ross to preview, you know, "Thriller."
SNOW (on camera): That's just a glimpse of the kind of influence Diana Ross had on Michael Jackson's careers. Some music industry watchers say it's unclear how close the two performers were in the last several years since the will was written in 2002. Diana Ross has not commented publicly on the fact that she's mentioned in this will.
Mary Snow, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: The Taliban claiming responsibility for capturing a missing U.S. soldier in Afghanistan. This as our military launches a major offensive in the southern part of that country.
I'm Heidi Collins. We're live from Afghanistan with the very latest next in the CNN NEWSROOM with Tony Harris.
