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CNN Live Today
Washington Speculates Over Tenet's Resignation; 9/11 Families Get More Details on Tragedy; President Awards Medal of Freedom to Pope on European Visit; Terrorist's Aide Arrested by Iraqis; D-Day Veteran Shares Memories; What's Hot Online: Britney Spears Lip-Syncing, Hollywood Blogger
Aired June 04, 2004 - 11:00 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.
DARYN KAGAN, ANCHOR: First, straight up at the top of the hour, 11 a.m. on the East Coast. Good morning West Coast, it's 8 a.m. where you are. From CNN Center in Atlanta, good morning once again. I'm Daryn Kagan.
Up first on CNN the future of the CIA after George Tenet's tenure. The resignation of the country's spy chief is drawing mixed reaction. At this hour another CIA official is expected to step down.
Our national security correspondent, David Ensor, is in Washington with the latest on that development.
Good morning.
DAVID ENSOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, Washington loves to speculate when there's a resignation. Did he jump or was he pushed? But George Tenet and George Bush are both insisting it was the former.
Tenet will have held one of the toughest jobs in the country for seven years when he leaves on July 11. He leaves bloodied but unbowed. He's been criticized, of course, over the failure to stop 9/11 and too much confidence in weapons of mass destruction, thinking they'd be found in Iraq.
But he has tremendous pride that there's been no major attack on the U.S. since 9/11, that two thirds of al Qaeda leaders are dead or captured and that the U.S. intelligence community is being rebuilt and retooled to face all these new challenges.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE TENET, CIA DIRECTOR: Our record is not without flaws. The world of intelligence is uniquely a human endeavor and, as in all human endeavors, we all understand the need to always do better. We're not perfect, but one of our best-kept secrets is that we are very, very, very good.
JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, CIA DEPUTY DIRECTOR: This extraordinary group of dedicated professionals, their commitment and their accomplishments. Many of the men and women of my organization operate at broad and dangerous locals and always in secret. They cannot publicly appear before this commission. I'm here to represent all of them. (END VIDEO CLIP)
ENSOR: The deputy director of central intelligence, John McLaughlin, holding the fort, probably until after the November election determines whether Mr. Bush or Mr. Kerry will picks -- pick the next intelligence chief -- Daryn.
KAGAN: And what about the next intelligence chief? Are there names? There have to be names that are floating around Washington, David, about who might be that?
ENSOR: Well, it depends so much on who's the next president. But assuming it were Bush, some people think that Porter Goss, the out -- retiring House Intelligence Committee chairman is a possibility. But really, it's too early to speculate when you think that...
KAGAN: It's never too early to speculate in Washington, David. You know that.
ENSOR: That's true. That's true. I just -- I guess I just don't buy the speculation right now. I think it's way early.
KAGAN: OK. I will give you that, given the time frame. Thank you. Appreciate that.
Well, since the horror of September 11, relatives of the hijacking victims have been left to wonder about their loved ones' final moments. Today they're going to learn more about what happened aboard those doomed flights.
Maria Hinojosa is in Princeton, New Jersey. There is a closed- door briefing that begins in the next hour, and Maria can tell us more about what will take place.
Maria, good morning.
MARIA HINOJOSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, a very emotional day for the family members of those who died on the four flights that were hijacked on September 11, and starting at 12:30, the families will be in a closed briefing that will begin and start for -- will continue for two hours.
Now this will be probably the first time that they will hear these tape recorded calls that were made from these planes, and they'll hear from investigators what they believe happened on those flights.
Of course, two flights that crashed into the World Trade Towers, as well as one flight that was aimed at the Pentagon, another one that crashed in Pennsylvania.
Now, the families won't be able to talk about what they hear in this briefing today. They have to sign a nondisclosure agreement. That's because of the trial against the alleged al Qaeda cooperative, Zacarias Moussaoui. And because of the fact that his case has been postponed indefinitely, investigators decided to give this information to the families today.
Now, we don't know how many phone calls, in fact, were made from these flights. We don't know how many of them were recorded. But we have been told that perhaps the families could hear one phone call, 23 minutes long, from Betty Ang (ph), on American Airlines Flight 11 where she talked about what happened on that flight, people being maced, people being stabbed, the cockpit being inaccessible.
Now we just saw one of the wives of one of the flights who came here and said that she's here because she needs to know everything that happened. She said, "It's going to be difficult, but I just need to know."
So the family members are expected to begin with this briefing at 12:30 here in Princeton -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Well, and because these tapes are going to be so emotional I would imagine also on the other side there are family members that are choosing not to be there, because it would be too uncomfortable to hear?
HINOJOSA: Absolutely, Daryn. There will be mental health experts on site here. But CNN did speak with a few family members who said that they just don't want to relive this at this time. So they won't be here today -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Maria Hinojosa from Princeton, New Jersey.
Now to the president's trip to Europe. He is in Italy this morning, marking the 60th anniversary of Rome's liberation by Allied armies in 1944.
The president attended a wreath laying ceremony today at the site of one of the worst massacres of the war in Italy; 335 Italians were executed by the Nazis to avenge a bombing that killed 33 German soldiers.
President Bush also met with Pope John Paul II today at the Vatican. The pope called for a quick return of Iraq's sovereignty and briefly alluded to the prisoner abuse scandal. Despite papal opposition to the war in Iraq, Mr. Bush awarded the pontiff the Presidential Medal of Freedom. That is the U.S.'s highest civilian honor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We appreciate the strong symbol of freedom that you have stood for. And we recognize the power of freedom to change societies and to change the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: President Bush spends tomorrow morning in Rome. Then he leaves for Paris for talks with French president Jacques Chirac. And Sunday the president will be in Normandy for D-Day ceremonies. He then leaves for the Group-8 summit, and that is in Sea Island, Georgia.
Six minutes past the hour. Let's check our morning situation report on Iraq. Twenty-six days left before a transfer of power.
The provincial governor in Najaf says that coalition forces will pull out of the city centers of Najaf and Kufa. That is an effort to build on a cease-fire with militias loyal to the radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.
Iraqi police officers will replace the troops. Coalition patrols will continue on the outskirts of the city.
The man who has been chosen to be Iraq's interim prime minister went on television this morning. He was introducing himself to Iraqis. Iyad Allawi says that the interim government is ready to assume power on the 30th. He also announced Iraq's newly appointed president, who will attend next week's G-8 summit in Georgia.
And new violence today near the Baghdad slum known as Sadr City. Gunmen attacked the U.S. Army patrol, wounding four soldiers. Insurgents also struck a police station housing U.S. troops. The firefight that followed left at least three Iraqis dead.
The coalition announced a significant arrest in Baghdad this morning. Let's check in with Harris Whitbeck. He is in the Iraqi capital.
Harris, hello.
HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Daryn.
The coalition announced that the Iraqi national police arrested Umar Baziyani, identifying him as a known terrorist and a murder suspect and an associate of terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi who, as you know, has been implicated in the beheading of U.S. citizen Nicholas Berg.
He's also known to have ties to several extremist terrorist groups that have been operating on the Iraq.
Now, the information on the arrest which took place some time on May 30 is a bit sketchy. The U.S. military says that, due to ongoing operations, they can't provide further information on him, except that he's been cooperative during some of the interrogations that he has been undergoing.
But this is a significant arrest in that this man, Umar Baziyani, is apparently an associate of al-Zarqawi, who has ties to al Qaeda, according to intelligence and law enforcement sources and, also, has apparently been implicated in the beheading of U.S. citizen Nicholas Berg -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Harris Whitbeck with the latest from Baghdad.
It is D-Day 60 years later. A new exhibit showcases the stories of horror and courage on that historic day. We're going to take you to Seattle's Museum of Flight.
Also pay as you go medical care comes to a doctor's office near you. We'll tell you how that works.
And this...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Most of my owners don't have children. These are their children and I just -- I feel horrible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Man's best friend carjacked in San Francisco. We have the details of this canine caper and what happened to the doggies.
This is CNN LIVE TODAY.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(STOCK REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Let's take a look at what is making news overseas this morning.
First a live picture from Rome. Those are protesters on the street of the Italian city. There are there to protest President Bush's visit.
Earlier today the president met with Pope John Paul II. He is also marking the 60th anniversary, which is today, of the liberation by Allied forces of Rome, back on June 4, 1944.
So far things looking pretty peaceful. Police on the other side of the street, protesters making their way about. We will continue to monitor the situation in Rome and bring you more as it develops.
Also overseas today, this time from Russia. Authorities now say that a bomb was a cause of an explosion at a market in the city of Samara. That is in Kazakhstan. At least eight people were killed and 45 wounded. Officials initially said the blast was caused by exploding gas canisters.
In Beijing, lots of high profile security at Tiananmen Square right now. This is the 15th anniversary of the brutal crackdown of China's budding pro-democracy movement.
China's authorities want to make sure there are no protests or demonstrations to mark the anniversary. And that would include blacking out and censoring much of CNN's reporting and coverage from the scene.
To Israel, two right-wing ministers were dismissed today by Ariel Sharon. The prime minister has been trying to gain cabinet support for his controversial plan to pull Israeli troops and settlements out of Gaza and sections of the West Bank. Letters this morning to the tourism minister and transportation minister said they would be stripped of their post in 48 hours.
Ahead of the D-Day anniversary ceremonies, honors for those who served so bravely. The Association of Normandy Memories (ph) presented medals to 500 D-Day veterans today. Most of the honors presented went to British veterans, but among them 27 Americans who helped liberate Europe from the Nazis.
An exact copy of the Liberty Bell, minus the crack, was unveiled today -- excuse me -- in Normandy. French organizers say the bell is a tribute to the Americans who sacrificed their lives for a free Europe.
The new bell rang seven times today. That is once for each letter of the word freedom. It will hang in a regional political office for now. A more permanent home may be found on Omaha Beach.
Seattle's Museum of Flight unveils a new exhibit showcasing fighter planes on D-Day, this Sunday. It is called the Personal Courage Wing.
CNN's Kimberly Osias is there and gives us a preview.
Good morning.
KIMBERLY OSIAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And good morning to you Daryn.
Well, aptly so, I am under the wing, under the actual wing of the P-37, also known as the Thunderbolt. Or affectionately known by those that fought in them as the jug because of its unique size and shape.
Arguably, this and the Mustang were actually critical in helping the Allied troops gain air supremacy.
And when you understand and talk about World War II and talk about D-Day, nobody is better to explain it than the heroes themselves that fought in it. Joining me now is Walter Bergstrom.
WALTER BERGSTROM, D-DAY VETERAN: Good morning.
OSIAS: I know, Walter, you didn't -- good morning. You didn't fight in this plane.
BERGSTROM: NO. I saw a lot of them.
OSIAS: I'm sure you did, but you fought in the B-17, right?
BERGSTROM: B-17 bomber.
OSIAS: You actually fought on D-Day.
BERGSTROM: Right.
OSIAS: Tell me about that.
BERGSTROM: Well, I couldn't see too much because of the clouds and the stormy weather. And I didn't even know until well after the war where we had bombed.
I read it in the history book that we -- our group bombed Cannes, and we were bombing just ahead of the British troops. And we bombed the beaches first.
We were briefed for two missions that day. But by the time we got back to England to load up for the second mission, the weather had closed in so bad that it was canceled. So we got to go back to the barracks.
OSIAS: Now you actually, I know, you had a bit of a accident. You said a little accident, but it was pretty substantial. And you weren't able to fly again.
BERGSTROM: Well, right. During D-Day week I never saw a German plane all week. We flew over France all the way from the coast clear to the Spanish border, and we flew eight missions right in a row. And never saw a German plane. That's how well that the 8th Air Force fighters kept them out of Europe, out of our way.
So it was a piece of cake until after they got to Germany. In fact, it was nearly Arnheim jump (ph), we started flying missions deep into Germany again.
And we bombed Leifsig (ph) one day at the big oil refinery at Koluxtendorf (ph) and our plane got hit by flack. It blew a big hole in the wing and we burned all the way back to England.
And at just about 40 miles from our own air base the pilot decided to land at another field and put the fire out, which he did. And -- but when it was in the final approach another big flame came out of the wings so all of us in the back end bailed out.
And I had a fractured wrist at the time. I had a little trouble getting my chute open.
OSIAS: Well, we are glad that you are OK, and thank you so much for all of your efforts. An amazing time.
Again, the museum open this special wing on Sunday in concert with the 60th anniversary of D-Day.
Daryn, back to you.
KAGAN: All right. Kimberly Osias in Seattle Washington, thank you.
You can find out more about the D-Day invasion as well as a photographic gallery of the Normandy invasion on our web site. The address is CNN.com/dday.
Speaking of the Web, a Britney Spears performance is abuzz online for online surfers this week. We're going to tell you why.
And later, if you're looking for unusual ways to keep cool this summer, have you heard of this? It's called a Chillo. Not a pillow, a Chillo. We'll tell you how it works.
We also have a lot of other great items to check out. The folks from DailyCandy.com are with us. We're going shopping for summer cool stuff. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: We're going to have some more of that cool stuff to stay cool during the summer months just ahead. For now let's talk about how hot it is out there.
(WEATHER REPORT)
KAGAN: We do it every Friday -- Thank you, Orelon -- buzz on the Web. The buzz on the Web, the hottest stories that you are searching for on AOL. For that we have our online advisor, Regina Lewis, in New York City this morning.
Good morning.
REGINA LEWIS, AOL: Hey, Daryn. It was an interesting week.
KAGAN: Yes, apparently a little interesting for people who follow Britney Spears.
LEWIS: Yes. Writing for the AOL welcome screen is a little like writing newspaper headlines or teasers for CNN. You want to get people's attention.
Two words did the trick: Britney busted. Kind of begs the question for what? Click.
Next thing you know you are watching, and we're going to listen and watch here, a video of her where she gets a little out of sync with the lip-syncing. We're going to play that.
KAGAN: OK.
LEWIS: Now how she even attempts to sing while dancing like this is beyond me. But you couldn't help but watch it, once, twice, three times to kind of catch the moment.
KAGAN: I'm missing it, Regina. I don't really see what we're seeing. I've got to tell you.
LEWIS: Yes, it's not -- it's very slight, which is why people watched it again and again. And it's at the end where the track continues, and I guess she's fairly famous for this. And she's doing her dancing, saying and they don't really match up. No harm, no foul.
But Britney busted, especially with her recent history, had a lot of people looking. KAGAN: Maybe actually there's a ventriloquist thing happening. She's even extra talented to give her the benefit of the doubt.
Speaking of doubt, there is some potentially famous actor blogging on there with an online journal. And tell us more about that and who potentially it could be.
LEWIS: Well, this is the talk of the town in Hollywood.
The blogger goes by the name Rance, which is a play on the word "rant," about the comings and goings of celebrity life in Hollywood. No shortage of material there. And shortage of followers, because the big question is who is Rance?
Is it Ben Affleck? Is it George Clooney? Jim Carrey, Matthew Perry? Nobody knows.
KAGAN: Or a wannabe.
LEWIS: Or a wannabe. And I think you're onto something there. I actually think it could be a screenwriter who, frankly, has found the following for their next project because it is extremely well written. So, we'll see what happens with this one.
KAGAN: Are you suggesting those big-time stars don't know how to write? Don't forget Ben Affleck and Matt Damon wrote "Good Will Hunting."
LEWIS: You caught me there. No, and actually that was one of the reasons why he was rumored to be the top guess.
But if it's written by Ben Affleck, hats off. I admire you even more than ever for your writing.
KAGAN: Just for the record, in case you don't want them to be mad at you.
Regina Lewis from AOL, thank you for that. You enjoy New York City.
LEWIS: Thanks.
KAGAN: Coming up next, we're going to have a check of the day's top stories and former President Bill Clinton hits the road to promote his new book. Judy Woodruff has details on that. Other political headlines as well. She'll be with us in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired June 4, 2004 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, ANCHOR: First, straight up at the top of the hour, 11 a.m. on the East Coast. Good morning West Coast, it's 8 a.m. where you are. From CNN Center in Atlanta, good morning once again. I'm Daryn Kagan.
Up first on CNN the future of the CIA after George Tenet's tenure. The resignation of the country's spy chief is drawing mixed reaction. At this hour another CIA official is expected to step down.
Our national security correspondent, David Ensor, is in Washington with the latest on that development.
Good morning.
DAVID ENSOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, Washington loves to speculate when there's a resignation. Did he jump or was he pushed? But George Tenet and George Bush are both insisting it was the former.
Tenet will have held one of the toughest jobs in the country for seven years when he leaves on July 11. He leaves bloodied but unbowed. He's been criticized, of course, over the failure to stop 9/11 and too much confidence in weapons of mass destruction, thinking they'd be found in Iraq.
But he has tremendous pride that there's been no major attack on the U.S. since 9/11, that two thirds of al Qaeda leaders are dead or captured and that the U.S. intelligence community is being rebuilt and retooled to face all these new challenges.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE TENET, CIA DIRECTOR: Our record is not without flaws. The world of intelligence is uniquely a human endeavor and, as in all human endeavors, we all understand the need to always do better. We're not perfect, but one of our best-kept secrets is that we are very, very, very good.
JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, CIA DEPUTY DIRECTOR: This extraordinary group of dedicated professionals, their commitment and their accomplishments. Many of the men and women of my organization operate at broad and dangerous locals and always in secret. They cannot publicly appear before this commission. I'm here to represent all of them. (END VIDEO CLIP)
ENSOR: The deputy director of central intelligence, John McLaughlin, holding the fort, probably until after the November election determines whether Mr. Bush or Mr. Kerry will picks -- pick the next intelligence chief -- Daryn.
KAGAN: And what about the next intelligence chief? Are there names? There have to be names that are floating around Washington, David, about who might be that?
ENSOR: Well, it depends so much on who's the next president. But assuming it were Bush, some people think that Porter Goss, the out -- retiring House Intelligence Committee chairman is a possibility. But really, it's too early to speculate when you think that...
KAGAN: It's never too early to speculate in Washington, David. You know that.
ENSOR: That's true. That's true. I just -- I guess I just don't buy the speculation right now. I think it's way early.
KAGAN: OK. I will give you that, given the time frame. Thank you. Appreciate that.
Well, since the horror of September 11, relatives of the hijacking victims have been left to wonder about their loved ones' final moments. Today they're going to learn more about what happened aboard those doomed flights.
Maria Hinojosa is in Princeton, New Jersey. There is a closed- door briefing that begins in the next hour, and Maria can tell us more about what will take place.
Maria, good morning.
MARIA HINOJOSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, a very emotional day for the family members of those who died on the four flights that were hijacked on September 11, and starting at 12:30, the families will be in a closed briefing that will begin and start for -- will continue for two hours.
Now this will be probably the first time that they will hear these tape recorded calls that were made from these planes, and they'll hear from investigators what they believe happened on those flights.
Of course, two flights that crashed into the World Trade Towers, as well as one flight that was aimed at the Pentagon, another one that crashed in Pennsylvania.
Now, the families won't be able to talk about what they hear in this briefing today. They have to sign a nondisclosure agreement. That's because of the trial against the alleged al Qaeda cooperative, Zacarias Moussaoui. And because of the fact that his case has been postponed indefinitely, investigators decided to give this information to the families today.
Now, we don't know how many phone calls, in fact, were made from these flights. We don't know how many of them were recorded. But we have been told that perhaps the families could hear one phone call, 23 minutes long, from Betty Ang (ph), on American Airlines Flight 11 where she talked about what happened on that flight, people being maced, people being stabbed, the cockpit being inaccessible.
Now we just saw one of the wives of one of the flights who came here and said that she's here because she needs to know everything that happened. She said, "It's going to be difficult, but I just need to know."
So the family members are expected to begin with this briefing at 12:30 here in Princeton -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Well, and because these tapes are going to be so emotional I would imagine also on the other side there are family members that are choosing not to be there, because it would be too uncomfortable to hear?
HINOJOSA: Absolutely, Daryn. There will be mental health experts on site here. But CNN did speak with a few family members who said that they just don't want to relive this at this time. So they won't be here today -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Maria Hinojosa from Princeton, New Jersey.
Now to the president's trip to Europe. He is in Italy this morning, marking the 60th anniversary of Rome's liberation by Allied armies in 1944.
The president attended a wreath laying ceremony today at the site of one of the worst massacres of the war in Italy; 335 Italians were executed by the Nazis to avenge a bombing that killed 33 German soldiers.
President Bush also met with Pope John Paul II today at the Vatican. The pope called for a quick return of Iraq's sovereignty and briefly alluded to the prisoner abuse scandal. Despite papal opposition to the war in Iraq, Mr. Bush awarded the pontiff the Presidential Medal of Freedom. That is the U.S.'s highest civilian honor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We appreciate the strong symbol of freedom that you have stood for. And we recognize the power of freedom to change societies and to change the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: President Bush spends tomorrow morning in Rome. Then he leaves for Paris for talks with French president Jacques Chirac. And Sunday the president will be in Normandy for D-Day ceremonies. He then leaves for the Group-8 summit, and that is in Sea Island, Georgia.
Six minutes past the hour. Let's check our morning situation report on Iraq. Twenty-six days left before a transfer of power.
The provincial governor in Najaf says that coalition forces will pull out of the city centers of Najaf and Kufa. That is an effort to build on a cease-fire with militias loyal to the radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.
Iraqi police officers will replace the troops. Coalition patrols will continue on the outskirts of the city.
The man who has been chosen to be Iraq's interim prime minister went on television this morning. He was introducing himself to Iraqis. Iyad Allawi says that the interim government is ready to assume power on the 30th. He also announced Iraq's newly appointed president, who will attend next week's G-8 summit in Georgia.
And new violence today near the Baghdad slum known as Sadr City. Gunmen attacked the U.S. Army patrol, wounding four soldiers. Insurgents also struck a police station housing U.S. troops. The firefight that followed left at least three Iraqis dead.
The coalition announced a significant arrest in Baghdad this morning. Let's check in with Harris Whitbeck. He is in the Iraqi capital.
Harris, hello.
HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Daryn.
The coalition announced that the Iraqi national police arrested Umar Baziyani, identifying him as a known terrorist and a murder suspect and an associate of terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi who, as you know, has been implicated in the beheading of U.S. citizen Nicholas Berg.
He's also known to have ties to several extremist terrorist groups that have been operating on the Iraq.
Now, the information on the arrest which took place some time on May 30 is a bit sketchy. The U.S. military says that, due to ongoing operations, they can't provide further information on him, except that he's been cooperative during some of the interrogations that he has been undergoing.
But this is a significant arrest in that this man, Umar Baziyani, is apparently an associate of al-Zarqawi, who has ties to al Qaeda, according to intelligence and law enforcement sources and, also, has apparently been implicated in the beheading of U.S. citizen Nicholas Berg -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Harris Whitbeck with the latest from Baghdad.
It is D-Day 60 years later. A new exhibit showcases the stories of horror and courage on that historic day. We're going to take you to Seattle's Museum of Flight.
Also pay as you go medical care comes to a doctor's office near you. We'll tell you how that works.
And this...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Most of my owners don't have children. These are their children and I just -- I feel horrible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Man's best friend carjacked in San Francisco. We have the details of this canine caper and what happened to the doggies.
This is CNN LIVE TODAY.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(STOCK REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Let's take a look at what is making news overseas this morning.
First a live picture from Rome. Those are protesters on the street of the Italian city. There are there to protest President Bush's visit.
Earlier today the president met with Pope John Paul II. He is also marking the 60th anniversary, which is today, of the liberation by Allied forces of Rome, back on June 4, 1944.
So far things looking pretty peaceful. Police on the other side of the street, protesters making their way about. We will continue to monitor the situation in Rome and bring you more as it develops.
Also overseas today, this time from Russia. Authorities now say that a bomb was a cause of an explosion at a market in the city of Samara. That is in Kazakhstan. At least eight people were killed and 45 wounded. Officials initially said the blast was caused by exploding gas canisters.
In Beijing, lots of high profile security at Tiananmen Square right now. This is the 15th anniversary of the brutal crackdown of China's budding pro-democracy movement.
China's authorities want to make sure there are no protests or demonstrations to mark the anniversary. And that would include blacking out and censoring much of CNN's reporting and coverage from the scene.
To Israel, two right-wing ministers were dismissed today by Ariel Sharon. The prime minister has been trying to gain cabinet support for his controversial plan to pull Israeli troops and settlements out of Gaza and sections of the West Bank. Letters this morning to the tourism minister and transportation minister said they would be stripped of their post in 48 hours.
Ahead of the D-Day anniversary ceremonies, honors for those who served so bravely. The Association of Normandy Memories (ph) presented medals to 500 D-Day veterans today. Most of the honors presented went to British veterans, but among them 27 Americans who helped liberate Europe from the Nazis.
An exact copy of the Liberty Bell, minus the crack, was unveiled today -- excuse me -- in Normandy. French organizers say the bell is a tribute to the Americans who sacrificed their lives for a free Europe.
The new bell rang seven times today. That is once for each letter of the word freedom. It will hang in a regional political office for now. A more permanent home may be found on Omaha Beach.
Seattle's Museum of Flight unveils a new exhibit showcasing fighter planes on D-Day, this Sunday. It is called the Personal Courage Wing.
CNN's Kimberly Osias is there and gives us a preview.
Good morning.
KIMBERLY OSIAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And good morning to you Daryn.
Well, aptly so, I am under the wing, under the actual wing of the P-37, also known as the Thunderbolt. Or affectionately known by those that fought in them as the jug because of its unique size and shape.
Arguably, this and the Mustang were actually critical in helping the Allied troops gain air supremacy.
And when you understand and talk about World War II and talk about D-Day, nobody is better to explain it than the heroes themselves that fought in it. Joining me now is Walter Bergstrom.
WALTER BERGSTROM, D-DAY VETERAN: Good morning.
OSIAS: I know, Walter, you didn't -- good morning. You didn't fight in this plane.
BERGSTROM: NO. I saw a lot of them.
OSIAS: I'm sure you did, but you fought in the B-17, right?
BERGSTROM: B-17 bomber.
OSIAS: You actually fought on D-Day.
BERGSTROM: Right.
OSIAS: Tell me about that.
BERGSTROM: Well, I couldn't see too much because of the clouds and the stormy weather. And I didn't even know until well after the war where we had bombed.
I read it in the history book that we -- our group bombed Cannes, and we were bombing just ahead of the British troops. And we bombed the beaches first.
We were briefed for two missions that day. But by the time we got back to England to load up for the second mission, the weather had closed in so bad that it was canceled. So we got to go back to the barracks.
OSIAS: Now you actually, I know, you had a bit of a accident. You said a little accident, but it was pretty substantial. And you weren't able to fly again.
BERGSTROM: Well, right. During D-Day week I never saw a German plane all week. We flew over France all the way from the coast clear to the Spanish border, and we flew eight missions right in a row. And never saw a German plane. That's how well that the 8th Air Force fighters kept them out of Europe, out of our way.
So it was a piece of cake until after they got to Germany. In fact, it was nearly Arnheim jump (ph), we started flying missions deep into Germany again.
And we bombed Leifsig (ph) one day at the big oil refinery at Koluxtendorf (ph) and our plane got hit by flack. It blew a big hole in the wing and we burned all the way back to England.
And at just about 40 miles from our own air base the pilot decided to land at another field and put the fire out, which he did. And -- but when it was in the final approach another big flame came out of the wings so all of us in the back end bailed out.
And I had a fractured wrist at the time. I had a little trouble getting my chute open.
OSIAS: Well, we are glad that you are OK, and thank you so much for all of your efforts. An amazing time.
Again, the museum open this special wing on Sunday in concert with the 60th anniversary of D-Day.
Daryn, back to you.
KAGAN: All right. Kimberly Osias in Seattle Washington, thank you.
You can find out more about the D-Day invasion as well as a photographic gallery of the Normandy invasion on our web site. The address is CNN.com/dday.
Speaking of the Web, a Britney Spears performance is abuzz online for online surfers this week. We're going to tell you why.
And later, if you're looking for unusual ways to keep cool this summer, have you heard of this? It's called a Chillo. Not a pillow, a Chillo. We'll tell you how it works.
We also have a lot of other great items to check out. The folks from DailyCandy.com are with us. We're going shopping for summer cool stuff. Stay with us.
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KAGAN: We're going to have some more of that cool stuff to stay cool during the summer months just ahead. For now let's talk about how hot it is out there.
(WEATHER REPORT)
KAGAN: We do it every Friday -- Thank you, Orelon -- buzz on the Web. The buzz on the Web, the hottest stories that you are searching for on AOL. For that we have our online advisor, Regina Lewis, in New York City this morning.
Good morning.
REGINA LEWIS, AOL: Hey, Daryn. It was an interesting week.
KAGAN: Yes, apparently a little interesting for people who follow Britney Spears.
LEWIS: Yes. Writing for the AOL welcome screen is a little like writing newspaper headlines or teasers for CNN. You want to get people's attention.
Two words did the trick: Britney busted. Kind of begs the question for what? Click.
Next thing you know you are watching, and we're going to listen and watch here, a video of her where she gets a little out of sync with the lip-syncing. We're going to play that.
KAGAN: OK.
LEWIS: Now how she even attempts to sing while dancing like this is beyond me. But you couldn't help but watch it, once, twice, three times to kind of catch the moment.
KAGAN: I'm missing it, Regina. I don't really see what we're seeing. I've got to tell you.
LEWIS: Yes, it's not -- it's very slight, which is why people watched it again and again. And it's at the end where the track continues, and I guess she's fairly famous for this. And she's doing her dancing, saying and they don't really match up. No harm, no foul.
But Britney busted, especially with her recent history, had a lot of people looking. KAGAN: Maybe actually there's a ventriloquist thing happening. She's even extra talented to give her the benefit of the doubt.
Speaking of doubt, there is some potentially famous actor blogging on there with an online journal. And tell us more about that and who potentially it could be.
LEWIS: Well, this is the talk of the town in Hollywood.
The blogger goes by the name Rance, which is a play on the word "rant," about the comings and goings of celebrity life in Hollywood. No shortage of material there. And shortage of followers, because the big question is who is Rance?
Is it Ben Affleck? Is it George Clooney? Jim Carrey, Matthew Perry? Nobody knows.
KAGAN: Or a wannabe.
LEWIS: Or a wannabe. And I think you're onto something there. I actually think it could be a screenwriter who, frankly, has found the following for their next project because it is extremely well written. So, we'll see what happens with this one.
KAGAN: Are you suggesting those big-time stars don't know how to write? Don't forget Ben Affleck and Matt Damon wrote "Good Will Hunting."
LEWIS: You caught me there. No, and actually that was one of the reasons why he was rumored to be the top guess.
But if it's written by Ben Affleck, hats off. I admire you even more than ever for your writing.
KAGAN: Just for the record, in case you don't want them to be mad at you.
Regina Lewis from AOL, thank you for that. You enjoy New York City.
LEWIS: Thanks.
KAGAN: Coming up next, we're going to have a check of the day's top stories and former President Bill Clinton hits the road to promote his new book. Judy Woodruff has details on that. Other political headlines as well. She'll be with us in a moment.
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