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Air Cargo Security; 911 Dispatcher Saves Baby's Life

Aired May 17, 2005 - 14:30   ET

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

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


KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: CNN security analyst Clark Kent Ervin is the former inspector general for the Department of Homeland Security. He's in our Washington bureau. Good to see you, Clark.
CLARK KENT ERVIN, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: Good to see you, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: So do you feel the same way as Representative Markey? I'm sure this is someone who you've heard a lot from, even while you were in office with Homeland Security.

ERVIN: That's right. I do share the concern, Kyra. There is no question but that the bulk of cargo, air cargo, that's on passenger planes is not checked for dangerous weapons or explosives. There are random checks. If there's intelligence indicating that a particular cargo is of concern, that cargo is inspected, but most is not. And that's a potential area of vulnerability.

PHILLIPS: All right, and I want -- and you say potential vulnerability. I was looking at this letter that Markey had written to Tom Ridge, the former Homeland Security chief when you were there. And the letter says that "we are particularly concerned about cargo packages weighing less than 16 ounces. Published reports have suggested that less than 16 ounces of this type of explosives missing destroyed Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. And since packages weighing less than 16 ounces are currently not subjected to any screening requirements whatsoever, of course this is a major concern."

So I guess if you look at a stat like this, you look at the 16 ounces, the damage that explosives weighing that much could do, why is cargo not checked? Why not check all cargo?

ERVIN: Well, according to TSA, it would be very costly, indeed, to check all cargo. And also, it would be very time-consuming. It would slow down air travel and it would cause problems in terms of the entire supply chain. On the other hand, needless to say, this is a huge potential area of vulnerability. We know that passenger baggage, both checked baggage and carry-on baggage, is checked. And yet, even then, though according to undercover government reports and work, deadly weapons are missed. So if most cargo, air cargo, is not checked, then obviously that's an even bigger area of vulnerability.

PHILLIPS: All right, so right now, the TSA talks about the Known Shipper Program and this is, I guess, the primary way to pre-screen cargo. What do you know about this program? Because I was reading that pilots are very critical of this. ERVIN: Well, it's actually a program to pre-screen the shippers. In theory, actually, what happens is these shippers submit information, they fill out a questionnaire, and then TSA is supposed to check the backgrounds of these shippers to assure itself that the shippers don't have any connections to terrorism. This makes sense in theory, but it's only as good in practice as is the background check. And so those background checks need to be very, very rigorous, indeed, to provide the level of assurance that's necessary. Long term...

PHILLIPS: So back -- yes, I'm sorry, go ahead.

ERVIN: Long term, we really do need to move, it seems to me, to 100 percent inspections. And as you noted, this amendment would move toward that, over the course of three years.

PHILLIPS: Now, why -- why the language moving toward that in a couple of years? Why can't this be implemented now? I mean, you mentioned cost. But why would it take so long? And do you think that this amendment, indeed, is the answer, to just 100 percent security check?

ERVIN: Well, one of the reasons for this amendment is to raise awareness. Most people don't know that most passenger -- that some passenger planes, anyway, about a fifth of them, contain air cargo and most people don't know that most of that cargo is not checked for these weapons. And so the theory is that if people know this, then pressure will be brought to bear to have 100 percent inspections just as soon as possible.

And as you suggest, it is possible to do it rather quickly. It's going to cost a lot of money, needless to say, and there might well be, in the early days, some slow-down. But it seems to me it's worth it in order to correct what is clearly an area of vulnerability at a time when we can't afford vulnerabilities that we can correct.

PHILLIPS: When you were inspector general for the Department of Homeland Security, was there -- are there numbers that exist, or was a survey ever done, about the threat of cargo and how many times maybe a package in an aircraft was considered or deemed a threat or a close call?

ERVIN: As I was leaving the office of inspector general, we were in the process of doing a project on the Known Shipper program, on the whole issue of air cargo and the security of air cargo. That was not completed by the time I left. But I understand that that project's going to be continued and it's going to be very important, whatever conclusions are reached.

PHILLIPS: Clark Kent Ervin, thanks so much for your time today.

ERVIN: Thank you, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: You bet. CNN is committed to providing the most reliable coverage of news that affects your security. Stay tuned to CNN for the latest information, day and night. Live pictures now of the president of the United States, side-by- side there with Ambassador Rob Portman. He's getting ready to announce Ambassador Portman as the new U.S. trade representative. He has actually already been sworn in. Now the president giving comments about Mr. Portman.

What exactly does the U.S. trade representative do? Well, he'll be a cabinet member who serves alongside with the president and be the president's principal trade adviser, negotiator and spokesperson on all trade issues. As you know, the U.S. is party to numerous trade agreements, of course, with other countries and Ambassador Rob Portman, now U.S. trade representative, will be involved with all those decisions.

Well, you can find some pretty interesting stuff on eBay, but imagine finding your own keepsakes there when you didn't even put them up for sale. Yes, it happened to one very surprised shopper.

First, though, the scariest day in a young baby's life. You'll never take 911 for granted after watching this story.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: "Newsweek" magazine under heavy criticism for its now retracted article claiming U.S. soldiers at Guantanamo Bay desecrated a copy of the Quran. That's bringing up the issue of media accountability.

We're going to take that up with today's "American Voices" segment with Gallup editor-in-chief Frank Newport. Frank, how do Americans rate the accuracy of news organizations like CNN?

FRANK NEWPORT, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, GALLUP: Well, we did not ask about CNN or any other network or news magazine by name, Kyra, but I can say generically, it's pretty dismal, the picture about the credibility Americans give to news media's ability to report the news accurately.

This is a pretty interesting graph that tracked it back to Watergate for you, on the left there. 69 percent, great deal or fair amount of credibility to the news media, accuracy, back then when Woodward/Bernstein were doing their thing. Look how it's come down. Our most recent reading, obviously before this most recent incident, only 43 percent of Americans willing to give the news media some credibility. That's not pretty good at all.

Interestingly, we have asked, and we do every year, do you believe that these professions are honest and ethical? By way of comparison, I put military officers over there on the left. Very high, 72 percent. Look at print reporters and TV reporters. Pretty negative. So if anything, the "Newsweek" issue is going to lower that credibility, Kyra, perhaps even further.

PHILLIPS: Well, there's word that Senate majority leader Bill Frist is ready to invoke the nuclear option on filibusters as early as tomorrow. That's when he could push for nomination votes on at least one of President Bush's judicial nominees. Is public sentiment still in favor of keeping the filibuster?

NEWPORT: It is. It's a little complicated, because when pollsters generally ask people about the filibuster, as you may know, they have to read them a scenario. And we get different responses based on what we tell people about the whole procedure. The most two recent polls we can find, one by "Time" magazine released over the weekend, one by the Pew Research Center released yesterday, asked differently, but basically, 59 percent say don't get rid of it in the "Time" poll, and 37 to 28 don't get rid of it in the Pew poll. A lot of don't knows. But every poll I've looked at it, including our own CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll, Kyra, says keep the filibuster rule.

PHILLIPS: All right. A year ago today, the first legal same sex marriages were performed in Massachusetts. Since then, a number of states have passed constitutional bans on same sex marriages and civil unions. Friday, a federal judge overturned Nebraska's ban. How have the attitudes changed on this controversy over the last year?

NEWPORT: Well, it's -- these are flexible attitudes, labile as Dotwood (ph) would say. They kind of go up and down. But it's still quite conservative. That's my bottom line. I've looked at a lot of data on same sex marriages and gay/lesbian relationships in general. Should they be legally valid? That is, same sex marriages. The percentage who said no -- this is the no line, had gone up in March. Now it's down a little. But still, over half say no, they should not.

Constitutional amendment, nationally, amend the U.S. constitution to say marriage only a man and a woman, look at the bottom line. That's the percent who say that they would oppose that amendment. 44 percent favor it. Favor the conservative amendment? Over half say yes at this point, Kyra. So it's still, a year after the Massachusetts same sex marriages began, a very conservative American public.

PHILLIPS: Frank Newport, thank you.

A mother's worst nightmare. Her newborn son not breathing. Her moment of panic could have quickly turned into a moment of tragedy, except for a call to 911. Our Gary Tuchman has this pretty amazing story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The call came in at 4:53 in the afternoon.

DISPATCHER: 911, what's your emergency?

CALLER: My baby stopped breathing.

DISPATCHER: OK, stay on the line with me. I'll get help to you, OK?

TUCHMAN (voice-over): Barrett (ph) Driggers was two and a half weeks old; his body completely limp; his mother on the phone with the Leon County, Florida, 911 center. CALLER: Please, please, please help me.

DISPATCHER: We'll send you help.

CALLER: What should I do? Should I -- he won't open his eyes. He won't wake up. Please help me.

TUCHMAN: Helping her was dispatcher Cindy Walker.

CINDY WALKER, 911 EMERGENCY DISPATCHER: She was in a state of panic. It made me think of my own children and how I would feel, you know, in this situation.

TUCHMAN (on camera): This 911 center averages more than 33,000 calls per year. But for Cindy Walker, the CPR call was her first and the fact that it involved a baby only added to the pressure.

(voice-over): Sheryl Driggers did not realize it at the time, but Cindy Walker was using a special computer system.

WALKER: While I was taking the call, I put the address in and the determined it that it was a 2.5-week-old infant not breathing.

TUCHMAN: A system which lists customized instructions on the screen.

WALKER: I told her this: Listen carefully and I'll tell how you to do CPR compressions. Place two fingers in the center of his chest, right between the nipples.

(on phone): Now what I want you to do -- listen carefully. I'm going to tell you how to do CPR compressions. Place two fingers in the center of his chest, right between the nipples.

CALLER: OK.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): At that point, though, the baby still wasn't breathing.

SHERYL DRIGGERS, MOTHER: That was going through my mind: I've lost him. What am I going to do? I'm not going to be able to see him grow up. I'm not going to be able to see the first steps.

WALKER: Push down one inch with only your fingers touching the chest. Pump his chest rapidly five times.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): It was right after those words that Cindy Walker and an EMS supervisor with her worked their magic.

WALKER (on phone): OK. Put your mouth over his nose and mouth, one soft puff and then pump five times on his chest.

Breathe lightly like you're blowing up a balloon.

Are you covering his nose and mouth? Keep doing that.

S. DRIGGERS: He's starting to cry.

WALKER: All right. Good.

S. DRIGGERS: OK, baby.

WALKER: Keep crying.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): Paramedics took the infant to the hospital. Doctors think the baby had choked on digested food. But little Barrett's life had been saved. Sheryl and Jason Driggers regard Cindy Walker as a hero.

S. DRIGGERS: She was incredible. She is incredible. She was so calm. She was so knowledgeable. And I was on the other end just hysterical.

TUCHMAN: How did you feel when you heard him cry?

S. DRIGGERS: It was the best feeling in the whole wide world.

JASON DRIGGERS: I don't know how you explain it. You know, you go from not knowing if he's alive or what's going on to knowing he's fine. So that's the weight of the world lifted off your shoulders.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): Cindy Walker and EMS Supervisor Tom McNabb received letters of commendation from the Leon County Sheriff's Office as well as gratitude from the Driggers.

Cindy Walker wonders if emotionally she could have continued her job if Barrett's life had not been saved. Barrett's mother thinks of the what ifs.

S. DRIGGERS: Your children aren't supposed to consume you. You're supposed to raise them for 18, 20 years and then send them out. But I really -- as young as Barrett was, he was my whole world to that point. And I don't know what we would have done.

TUCHMAN (on camera): You're lucky, aren't you?

S. DRIGGERS: Yes, very blessed. The Lord blessed us tremendously. He put all the right people at the right places at the right time.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): Gary Tuchman, CNN, Tallahassee, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, still ahead, the most entertaining video of the day, courtesy of some troops in Iraq.

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: And I'm Sibila Vargas in Hollywood. The country contingent are warming up in Sin City. ASCAP (ph) honors two musical geniuses. And sad news for Kylie Minogue. I'll have the details when LIVE FROM continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Video just in to CNN, courtesy, our affiliate WCVB out of Boston. I tell you what, there's 136 very relieved individuals right now, as this plane touched down. Just to give you background, a red flag from a watch list sent this transatlantic airliner way off course in the name of Homeland Security today. This Alitalia flight was coming from Milan. It was diverted to Bangor, Maine, instead of Boston, because a passenger's name matched a name on the U.S. no-fly list. Flight 618, you see here, landed in Bangor, Maine. That individual on the watch list, taken off the plane. Once again, Alitalia, went airborne, and now we can tell you, has landed safely at Boston Logan Airport. We'll keep you posted on the individual that was taken off the plane.

Country music honors its best tonight. We can't tell you who will win the Academy of Country Music Awards, but entertainment correspondent Sibila Vargas knows who's hoping to win. She's live in Los Angeles. Hi, Sibila.

VARGAS: Hi, and I hope you've got your dancing boots on, Kyra, because there's going to be a party and we've got your backstage pass to the rehearsals.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (SINGING): Gonna get a little crazy just because I can...

VARGAS (voice-over): Gretchen Wilson says it best in her song, she's ready to party. The country crooner is just one of the acts that will heating things up at the 40th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. Kenny Chesney, aka, Mr. Renee Zellweger, joins Miss Wilson with five nominations including top male vocalist. The newlywed is sure to be a crowd pleaser, along with country cutie, Brad Paisley. There he is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(on camera): Well, heartthrob Tim McGraw leads the pack with six nominations. The 40th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards airs tonight on CBS.

Well, it's one of the most prestigious awards in the music industry honoring songwriters and producers, and last night, two of music's finest got their accolades at the 22nd Annual ASCAP Pop Music Awards.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) (voice-over): Producer and performer Jermaine Dupri took to the stage, along with superstars Mariah Carey and Usher. Dupri was honored with a golden note award for his ground-breaking work and influences on pop music. And it was a terrific night for legendary rocker Neil Young. The singer received the ASCAP's Founders Awards which pays tribute to pioneering songwriters who have made exceptional contributions to music. Kyra?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: All right, what's the latest with Kylie Minogue?

VARGAS: Well, Kyl -- Kyra, I mean -- this actually comes as a big surprise to the music world. Kylie was supposed to begin a tour of Australia, but had to postpone it so that she could undergo immediate treatment for breast cancer. In a statement, the 36-year- old singer says that she's looking forward to her Australian -- she was looking forward to her Australian Showgirl tour, but she's sorry for disappointing her fans. Well, I'm sure that her fans will definitely understand, and we definitely wish her all the best. Kyra?

PHILLIPS: All right, Sibila Vargas, indeed, thank you so much.

Well, while we're talking about entertainment, some British soldiers in Iraq took time out from keeping the peace to breaking the peace while making a mock music video. It's a spoof of the U.K. hit "Is This the Way to Amarillo?"

Well, when the lads e-mailed this high comedy to London pals, it caused a low moment for the Ministry of Defense. It crashed their entire e-mail system. All's back to business as usual, though, and defense officials told the BBC, maintaining morale on operations is always important.

An outspoken member of British parliament blasts American lawmakers on Capitol Hill today, calling the accusations against him a pack of lies. We're there live with his fiery testimony.

And you can now drive your horse and buggy to Wal-Mart. The giant retailer goes after a niche market.

But first, let's check out how the markets are doing.

(STOCK REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN.COM DESK: If you're tired of stashing your cash under a mattress or in your piggy bank, log on to CNNmoney.com for a lesson in money 101. These 10 tips on banking and saving could help tremendously.

The first tip, use a federally insured bank account. It's likely your safest best because your funds are insured up to $100,000 by the U.S. government. When shopping for a bank account, options may appear limitless. In order to pick the right one, ask yourself these four questions: how much money will you put in the bank? How many checks do you plan to write? How many related banking services will you need? And, how many different types of accounts will you want to set up? Plus, see if you're making the grade when it comes to money 101 with this online quiz. Last but not least, now that you've got some money in a safe place, find out how fast it will grow with the savings calculator. You can find it all online at CNNmoney.com/101. From the dot com newsdesk, I'm Veronica De La Cruz.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: "Now in the News," on to Boston after a brief, unintended stop in Bangor, Maine. Alitalia flight 618 had just landed at its original destination. Live pictures right now via our affiliate WCVB. The airliner was diverted after a passenger's name matched one on the U.S. government's no-fly list. The unidentified man was taken off the flight in Maine.

Targeting cargo -- you and your bags have to be screened but not all the cargo on your plane. Now some members of Congress are trying to close that loophole by insisting within three years everything be checked on passenger flights.

Packing her bags, First Lady Laura Bush is going to the Middle East later this week. Word from the White House is that she'll leave Thursday to press for expanding women's rights. Her itinerary includes Jordan, Israel, and Egypt.

A plea of not guilty from Brian Nichols, who was arraigned this morning in the same Atlanta courthouse where police say he gunned down three people. A grand jury was indicted -- indicted him, rather -- on 54 counts of murder, kidnapping, robbery and escape.

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Aired May 17, 2005 - 14:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: CNN security analyst Clark Kent Ervin is the former inspector general for the Department of Homeland Security. He's in our Washington bureau. Good to see you, Clark.
CLARK KENT ERVIN, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: Good to see you, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: So do you feel the same way as Representative Markey? I'm sure this is someone who you've heard a lot from, even while you were in office with Homeland Security.

ERVIN: That's right. I do share the concern, Kyra. There is no question but that the bulk of cargo, air cargo, that's on passenger planes is not checked for dangerous weapons or explosives. There are random checks. If there's intelligence indicating that a particular cargo is of concern, that cargo is inspected, but most is not. And that's a potential area of vulnerability.

PHILLIPS: All right, and I want -- and you say potential vulnerability. I was looking at this letter that Markey had written to Tom Ridge, the former Homeland Security chief when you were there. And the letter says that "we are particularly concerned about cargo packages weighing less than 16 ounces. Published reports have suggested that less than 16 ounces of this type of explosives missing destroyed Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. And since packages weighing less than 16 ounces are currently not subjected to any screening requirements whatsoever, of course this is a major concern."

So I guess if you look at a stat like this, you look at the 16 ounces, the damage that explosives weighing that much could do, why is cargo not checked? Why not check all cargo?

ERVIN: Well, according to TSA, it would be very costly, indeed, to check all cargo. And also, it would be very time-consuming. It would slow down air travel and it would cause problems in terms of the entire supply chain. On the other hand, needless to say, this is a huge potential area of vulnerability. We know that passenger baggage, both checked baggage and carry-on baggage, is checked. And yet, even then, though according to undercover government reports and work, deadly weapons are missed. So if most cargo, air cargo, is not checked, then obviously that's an even bigger area of vulnerability.

PHILLIPS: All right, so right now, the TSA talks about the Known Shipper Program and this is, I guess, the primary way to pre-screen cargo. What do you know about this program? Because I was reading that pilots are very critical of this. ERVIN: Well, it's actually a program to pre-screen the shippers. In theory, actually, what happens is these shippers submit information, they fill out a questionnaire, and then TSA is supposed to check the backgrounds of these shippers to assure itself that the shippers don't have any connections to terrorism. This makes sense in theory, but it's only as good in practice as is the background check. And so those background checks need to be very, very rigorous, indeed, to provide the level of assurance that's necessary. Long term...

PHILLIPS: So back -- yes, I'm sorry, go ahead.

ERVIN: Long term, we really do need to move, it seems to me, to 100 percent inspections. And as you noted, this amendment would move toward that, over the course of three years.

PHILLIPS: Now, why -- why the language moving toward that in a couple of years? Why can't this be implemented now? I mean, you mentioned cost. But why would it take so long? And do you think that this amendment, indeed, is the answer, to just 100 percent security check?

ERVIN: Well, one of the reasons for this amendment is to raise awareness. Most people don't know that most passenger -- that some passenger planes, anyway, about a fifth of them, contain air cargo and most people don't know that most of that cargo is not checked for these weapons. And so the theory is that if people know this, then pressure will be brought to bear to have 100 percent inspections just as soon as possible.

And as you suggest, it is possible to do it rather quickly. It's going to cost a lot of money, needless to say, and there might well be, in the early days, some slow-down. But it seems to me it's worth it in order to correct what is clearly an area of vulnerability at a time when we can't afford vulnerabilities that we can correct.

PHILLIPS: When you were inspector general for the Department of Homeland Security, was there -- are there numbers that exist, or was a survey ever done, about the threat of cargo and how many times maybe a package in an aircraft was considered or deemed a threat or a close call?

ERVIN: As I was leaving the office of inspector general, we were in the process of doing a project on the Known Shipper program, on the whole issue of air cargo and the security of air cargo. That was not completed by the time I left. But I understand that that project's going to be continued and it's going to be very important, whatever conclusions are reached.

PHILLIPS: Clark Kent Ervin, thanks so much for your time today.

ERVIN: Thank you, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: You bet. CNN is committed to providing the most reliable coverage of news that affects your security. Stay tuned to CNN for the latest information, day and night. Live pictures now of the president of the United States, side-by- side there with Ambassador Rob Portman. He's getting ready to announce Ambassador Portman as the new U.S. trade representative. He has actually already been sworn in. Now the president giving comments about Mr. Portman.

What exactly does the U.S. trade representative do? Well, he'll be a cabinet member who serves alongside with the president and be the president's principal trade adviser, negotiator and spokesperson on all trade issues. As you know, the U.S. is party to numerous trade agreements, of course, with other countries and Ambassador Rob Portman, now U.S. trade representative, will be involved with all those decisions.

Well, you can find some pretty interesting stuff on eBay, but imagine finding your own keepsakes there when you didn't even put them up for sale. Yes, it happened to one very surprised shopper.

First, though, the scariest day in a young baby's life. You'll never take 911 for granted after watching this story.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: "Newsweek" magazine under heavy criticism for its now retracted article claiming U.S. soldiers at Guantanamo Bay desecrated a copy of the Quran. That's bringing up the issue of media accountability.

We're going to take that up with today's "American Voices" segment with Gallup editor-in-chief Frank Newport. Frank, how do Americans rate the accuracy of news organizations like CNN?

FRANK NEWPORT, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, GALLUP: Well, we did not ask about CNN or any other network or news magazine by name, Kyra, but I can say generically, it's pretty dismal, the picture about the credibility Americans give to news media's ability to report the news accurately.

This is a pretty interesting graph that tracked it back to Watergate for you, on the left there. 69 percent, great deal or fair amount of credibility to the news media, accuracy, back then when Woodward/Bernstein were doing their thing. Look how it's come down. Our most recent reading, obviously before this most recent incident, only 43 percent of Americans willing to give the news media some credibility. That's not pretty good at all.

Interestingly, we have asked, and we do every year, do you believe that these professions are honest and ethical? By way of comparison, I put military officers over there on the left. Very high, 72 percent. Look at print reporters and TV reporters. Pretty negative. So if anything, the "Newsweek" issue is going to lower that credibility, Kyra, perhaps even further.

PHILLIPS: Well, there's word that Senate majority leader Bill Frist is ready to invoke the nuclear option on filibusters as early as tomorrow. That's when he could push for nomination votes on at least one of President Bush's judicial nominees. Is public sentiment still in favor of keeping the filibuster?

NEWPORT: It is. It's a little complicated, because when pollsters generally ask people about the filibuster, as you may know, they have to read them a scenario. And we get different responses based on what we tell people about the whole procedure. The most two recent polls we can find, one by "Time" magazine released over the weekend, one by the Pew Research Center released yesterday, asked differently, but basically, 59 percent say don't get rid of it in the "Time" poll, and 37 to 28 don't get rid of it in the Pew poll. A lot of don't knows. But every poll I've looked at it, including our own CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll, Kyra, says keep the filibuster rule.

PHILLIPS: All right. A year ago today, the first legal same sex marriages were performed in Massachusetts. Since then, a number of states have passed constitutional bans on same sex marriages and civil unions. Friday, a federal judge overturned Nebraska's ban. How have the attitudes changed on this controversy over the last year?

NEWPORT: Well, it's -- these are flexible attitudes, labile as Dotwood (ph) would say. They kind of go up and down. But it's still quite conservative. That's my bottom line. I've looked at a lot of data on same sex marriages and gay/lesbian relationships in general. Should they be legally valid? That is, same sex marriages. The percentage who said no -- this is the no line, had gone up in March. Now it's down a little. But still, over half say no, they should not.

Constitutional amendment, nationally, amend the U.S. constitution to say marriage only a man and a woman, look at the bottom line. That's the percent who say that they would oppose that amendment. 44 percent favor it. Favor the conservative amendment? Over half say yes at this point, Kyra. So it's still, a year after the Massachusetts same sex marriages began, a very conservative American public.

PHILLIPS: Frank Newport, thank you.

A mother's worst nightmare. Her newborn son not breathing. Her moment of panic could have quickly turned into a moment of tragedy, except for a call to 911. Our Gary Tuchman has this pretty amazing story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The call came in at 4:53 in the afternoon.

DISPATCHER: 911, what's your emergency?

CALLER: My baby stopped breathing.

DISPATCHER: OK, stay on the line with me. I'll get help to you, OK?

TUCHMAN (voice-over): Barrett (ph) Driggers was two and a half weeks old; his body completely limp; his mother on the phone with the Leon County, Florida, 911 center. CALLER: Please, please, please help me.

DISPATCHER: We'll send you help.

CALLER: What should I do? Should I -- he won't open his eyes. He won't wake up. Please help me.

TUCHMAN: Helping her was dispatcher Cindy Walker.

CINDY WALKER, 911 EMERGENCY DISPATCHER: She was in a state of panic. It made me think of my own children and how I would feel, you know, in this situation.

TUCHMAN (on camera): This 911 center averages more than 33,000 calls per year. But for Cindy Walker, the CPR call was her first and the fact that it involved a baby only added to the pressure.

(voice-over): Sheryl Driggers did not realize it at the time, but Cindy Walker was using a special computer system.

WALKER: While I was taking the call, I put the address in and the determined it that it was a 2.5-week-old infant not breathing.

TUCHMAN: A system which lists customized instructions on the screen.

WALKER: I told her this: Listen carefully and I'll tell how you to do CPR compressions. Place two fingers in the center of his chest, right between the nipples.

(on phone): Now what I want you to do -- listen carefully. I'm going to tell you how to do CPR compressions. Place two fingers in the center of his chest, right between the nipples.

CALLER: OK.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): At that point, though, the baby still wasn't breathing.

SHERYL DRIGGERS, MOTHER: That was going through my mind: I've lost him. What am I going to do? I'm not going to be able to see him grow up. I'm not going to be able to see the first steps.

WALKER: Push down one inch with only your fingers touching the chest. Pump his chest rapidly five times.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): It was right after those words that Cindy Walker and an EMS supervisor with her worked their magic.

WALKER (on phone): OK. Put your mouth over his nose and mouth, one soft puff and then pump five times on his chest.

Breathe lightly like you're blowing up a balloon.

Are you covering his nose and mouth? Keep doing that.

S. DRIGGERS: He's starting to cry.

WALKER: All right. Good.

S. DRIGGERS: OK, baby.

WALKER: Keep crying.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): Paramedics took the infant to the hospital. Doctors think the baby had choked on digested food. But little Barrett's life had been saved. Sheryl and Jason Driggers regard Cindy Walker as a hero.

S. DRIGGERS: She was incredible. She is incredible. She was so calm. She was so knowledgeable. And I was on the other end just hysterical.

TUCHMAN: How did you feel when you heard him cry?

S. DRIGGERS: It was the best feeling in the whole wide world.

JASON DRIGGERS: I don't know how you explain it. You know, you go from not knowing if he's alive or what's going on to knowing he's fine. So that's the weight of the world lifted off your shoulders.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): Cindy Walker and EMS Supervisor Tom McNabb received letters of commendation from the Leon County Sheriff's Office as well as gratitude from the Driggers.

Cindy Walker wonders if emotionally she could have continued her job if Barrett's life had not been saved. Barrett's mother thinks of the what ifs.

S. DRIGGERS: Your children aren't supposed to consume you. You're supposed to raise them for 18, 20 years and then send them out. But I really -- as young as Barrett was, he was my whole world to that point. And I don't know what we would have done.

TUCHMAN (on camera): You're lucky, aren't you?

S. DRIGGERS: Yes, very blessed. The Lord blessed us tremendously. He put all the right people at the right places at the right time.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): Gary Tuchman, CNN, Tallahassee, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, still ahead, the most entertaining video of the day, courtesy of some troops in Iraq.

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: And I'm Sibila Vargas in Hollywood. The country contingent are warming up in Sin City. ASCAP (ph) honors two musical geniuses. And sad news for Kylie Minogue. I'll have the details when LIVE FROM continues.

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PHILLIPS: Video just in to CNN, courtesy, our affiliate WCVB out of Boston. I tell you what, there's 136 very relieved individuals right now, as this plane touched down. Just to give you background, a red flag from a watch list sent this transatlantic airliner way off course in the name of Homeland Security today. This Alitalia flight was coming from Milan. It was diverted to Bangor, Maine, instead of Boston, because a passenger's name matched a name on the U.S. no-fly list. Flight 618, you see here, landed in Bangor, Maine. That individual on the watch list, taken off the plane. Once again, Alitalia, went airborne, and now we can tell you, has landed safely at Boston Logan Airport. We'll keep you posted on the individual that was taken off the plane.

Country music honors its best tonight. We can't tell you who will win the Academy of Country Music Awards, but entertainment correspondent Sibila Vargas knows who's hoping to win. She's live in Los Angeles. Hi, Sibila.

VARGAS: Hi, and I hope you've got your dancing boots on, Kyra, because there's going to be a party and we've got your backstage pass to the rehearsals.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (SINGING): Gonna get a little crazy just because I can...

VARGAS (voice-over): Gretchen Wilson says it best in her song, she's ready to party. The country crooner is just one of the acts that will heating things up at the 40th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. Kenny Chesney, aka, Mr. Renee Zellweger, joins Miss Wilson with five nominations including top male vocalist. The newlywed is sure to be a crowd pleaser, along with country cutie, Brad Paisley. There he is.

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(on camera): Well, heartthrob Tim McGraw leads the pack with six nominations. The 40th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards airs tonight on CBS.

Well, it's one of the most prestigious awards in the music industry honoring songwriters and producers, and last night, two of music's finest got their accolades at the 22nd Annual ASCAP Pop Music Awards.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) (voice-over): Producer and performer Jermaine Dupri took to the stage, along with superstars Mariah Carey and Usher. Dupri was honored with a golden note award for his ground-breaking work and influences on pop music. And it was a terrific night for legendary rocker Neil Young. The singer received the ASCAP's Founders Awards which pays tribute to pioneering songwriters who have made exceptional contributions to music. Kyra?

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PHILLIPS: All right, what's the latest with Kylie Minogue?

VARGAS: Well, Kyl -- Kyra, I mean -- this actually comes as a big surprise to the music world. Kylie was supposed to begin a tour of Australia, but had to postpone it so that she could undergo immediate treatment for breast cancer. In a statement, the 36-year- old singer says that she's looking forward to her Australian -- she was looking forward to her Australian Showgirl tour, but she's sorry for disappointing her fans. Well, I'm sure that her fans will definitely understand, and we definitely wish her all the best. Kyra?

PHILLIPS: All right, Sibila Vargas, indeed, thank you so much.

Well, while we're talking about entertainment, some British soldiers in Iraq took time out from keeping the peace to breaking the peace while making a mock music video. It's a spoof of the U.K. hit "Is This the Way to Amarillo?"

Well, when the lads e-mailed this high comedy to London pals, it caused a low moment for the Ministry of Defense. It crashed their entire e-mail system. All's back to business as usual, though, and defense officials told the BBC, maintaining morale on operations is always important.

An outspoken member of British parliament blasts American lawmakers on Capitol Hill today, calling the accusations against him a pack of lies. We're there live with his fiery testimony.

And you can now drive your horse and buggy to Wal-Mart. The giant retailer goes after a niche market.

But first, let's check out how the markets are doing.

(STOCK REPORT)

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The first tip, use a federally insured bank account. It's likely your safest best because your funds are insured up to $100,000 by the U.S. government. When shopping for a bank account, options may appear limitless. In order to pick the right one, ask yourself these four questions: how much money will you put in the bank? How many checks do you plan to write? How many related banking services will you need? And, how many different types of accounts will you want to set up? Plus, see if you're making the grade when it comes to money 101 with this online quiz. Last but not least, now that you've got some money in a safe place, find out how fast it will grow with the savings calculator. You can find it all online at CNNmoney.com/101. From the dot com newsdesk, I'm Veronica De La Cruz.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: "Now in the News," on to Boston after a brief, unintended stop in Bangor, Maine. Alitalia flight 618 had just landed at its original destination. Live pictures right now via our affiliate WCVB. The airliner was diverted after a passenger's name matched one on the U.S. government's no-fly list. The unidentified man was taken off the flight in Maine.

Targeting cargo -- you and your bags have to be screened but not all the cargo on your plane. Now some members of Congress are trying to close that loophole by insisting within three years everything be checked on passenger flights.

Packing her bags, First Lady Laura Bush is going to the Middle East later this week. Word from the White House is that she'll leave Thursday to press for expanding women's rights. Her itinerary includes Jordan, Israel, and Egypt.

A plea of not guilty from Brian Nichols, who was arraigned this morning in the same Atlanta courthouse where police say he gunned down three people. A grand jury was indicted -- indicted him, rather -- on 54 counts of murder, kidnapping, robbery and escape.

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