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President Bush, Afghan President Hamid Karzai Holding White House News Conference Next Hour

Aired June 15, 2004 - 10:30   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.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Here are the top stories at this hour: Iraq's interim prime minister says his country's incoming government is negotiating with coalition leaders for the handover of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. On CNN "AMERICAN MORNING," Iyad Allawi said that the coalition promises custody of the ousted leader and other detainees by the June 30th transfer of power. The Pentagon, however, is not committing to a handover before the transfer of power.
Just about a half hour ago, Israel's attorney general announced that prosecutors will drop their bribery case against Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. The announcement is seen as a major boost to Mr. Sharon's historic Gaza withdrawal plan. A trial over alleged payments between Sharon's son and a land developer could have forced the prime minister from office.

A new round of talks on North Korea's nuclear program is scheduled in Beijing next week. Representatives from the two Koreas, China, Russia, Japan and the U.S. will attend. Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who had talks in North Korea last month, believes that leaders there are sincere about dismantling the nuclear program.

Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan appears before the Senate Banking Committee today. It's a nomination hearing for a fifth term. The nation's top economic policy maker has overseen the nation's fortunes from the boom of the '90s to the bursting of the high-tech bubble to today's economic rally.

President Bush and Afghan President Hamid Karzai are holding a White House news conference next hour. You'll see it live right here on CNN. Much of Mr. Karzai's message has already been heard on Capitol Hill, where he addressed a joint meeting of Congress last hour. Our White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux moves the story for us this morning. She is at the White House this morning -- Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

President Bush is meeting with two critical allies. First is Jordan's King Abdullah this morning, before Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai. Now what we expect from President Bush and King Abdullah, the two will follow up with their talks from the G-8 summit, talking about the importance of bringing Democratic reforms to the Middle East, to the broader greater Middle East initiative. Also the importance of course of resuming talks between Palestinians and Israelis, and the importance of getting Arab allies on board to the transfer of power to the Iraqi people, just two weeks away.

When it comes to Karzai, of course, this is something that the president feels is very important. What he would like to do is use the model of Afghanistan to show that it is possible for stability and democracy to come to the Middle East, particularly to Iraq. There are a number of problems, however, that Afghanistan is facing.

We expect that some of those problems will come out in that briefing. There is a rise in the number of attacks with the Taliban, as well as al Qaeda, this rise in insurgency, security issues. This is something where the U.S. -- we are not expected Karzai is going to ask for additional U.S. troops. There are about 20,000 U.S. troops there in Afghanistan already, but he will ask to expand the peace- keeping mission there.

Also Karzai has been criticized for this growing problem with narcotics, the drug trade in his country, that this has criminalized his economy, that he is not doing enough. That is something that is expected to come up.

And finally, of course, is the big question of where is Osama bin Laden, both Afghan, Pakistani, as well as U.S. officials involved in the hunt for Osama bin Laden. They believe he is on the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan, but still his whereabouts are still unknown. All of those issues, Daryn, expected to come up in that briefing.

KAGAN: And you will be watching and listening right along with us. Thank you so much, Suzanne Malveaux at the White House.

MALVEAUX: Sure.

KAGAN: You can join us about an hour from now. The news conference that Suzanne was talking about will begin at 11:25 Eastern, 8:25 a.m. Pacific.

New evidence suggests that the 9/11 attackers postponed their mission from earlier date. Quoting sources now close to the 9/11 Commission, today's "Washington Post" reports that Osama bin Laden wanted the attacks carried out in May or June. But suspected lead hijacker Mohamed Atta apparently wasn't ready. The new finding contrasts with an FBI theory that the date of the attacks may actually have been moved up.

9/11 fund managers have until midnight tonight to clear their books of victims' claims. The program has authorized $5.9 billion in payments so far, with hundreds of claims still to process. That fund was created to protect the airlines from potentially devastating lawsuits, while compensating those killed or injured in the attacks.

Ronald Reagan's eulogies last week often included his bold 1980s firing of striking air traffic controllers, but the replacements are now nearing retirement age, believe it or not, without enough of their own replacements waiting in the wings.

Our Kathleen Koch has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 100 clear to land. 100 and 7.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In hundreds of towers and radar centers around the country, the clock is ticking toward retirement. Nearly half of the nation's air traffic controllers, some 7,000, are expected to leave over the next nine years, most hired in 1982 to replace the striking controllers fired by President Ronald Reagan.

LEWIS STEPHENSON, AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER: We picked up the ball and ran with it, and I think we did pretty well. And we're starting to turn to hand it off to anybody, and we don't see anybody there.

KOCH: A new study by the Transportation Department inspector general finds the FAA hasn't yet determined precisely how many new controllers it will need, where or when.

The FAA insists it has the situation under control.

MARION BLAKEY, FAA ADMINISTRATOR: The FAA has been very accurate in predicting the numbers over time. So we believe we've got a pretty good feel for it, and it's hardly a crisis at this point.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rocket 1-1, check wheels down. Flight low pressure. Runway 1-9 at estimated 230 at 8.

KOCH: The FAA says not all controllers who become eligible will want to retire. It suggests a crisis could also be delayed by giving waivers to work past the mandatory retirement age of 56.

Two controllers who help guide Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base have such wavers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think I'm the best controller here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've seen everything that can happen, happened at least once before, and I know how to react to it.

KOCH: But the controllers' union warns of dire consequences if the government doesn't start training and hiring new controllers now.

RUTH MARLIN, KATL AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL ASSOCIATION: We won't have certified controllers. We won't be able to operate the air space. And when there is a severe shortage, you only have two choices. And that is to curtail services or to reduce the margin of safety.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOCH: And Congress does not like either of those choices any more than the American public. So as we speak, the house is having a hearing to begin to try to figure this issue out because if the FAA underestimates the number of retirements, there is no quick fix. Training an air traffic controller takes at least three years, but it can take as long as seven -- Daryn.

KAGAN: And you'll be tracking that for us. Kathleen Koch in Washington, thank you.

"Smoky and the Bandit" -- what happened when a police car burst into flames? We have that story right ahead.

Plus, in need of some Gator-aid? What Florida's doing about a once-endangered species problem.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET UPDATE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Let's take a look at some other stories making news coast to coast this morning.

A chase in Dallas got a little too hot for police. Check out these pictures. They were following a suspected stolen pickup. The officer's patrol car caught on fire. The officers did manage to get out safely and take down the suspects after a foot chase.

Some Houston Astro rookies have made the lineup, and we're not talking ballplayers. The newest class of NASA astronauts sworn in at Johnson Space Center. Like Major Leaguers, they will head for training in Florida. Instead of snagging fly balls, they will be taking flight instructions.

And vandals made their marks on some panda sculptures in Washington. A couple have been defaced with graffiti, and other had their costume parts stolen. The pandas can be seen around the nation's Capitol this summer. It is part of a public arts display.

Now on to Florida and the turf battle between the natives and interlopers. The interlopers are not flocks of northern snow birds, but rather the humans in general, and the growing confrontations with native alligators.

Our John Zarrella has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN MIAMI BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): Try explaining this one to your insurance agent. It was no lie: an alligator that ate Carolyn Christian's (ph) bumper, a last desperate act of defiance before its capture.

Another took a bite out of Jennifer Cook's (ph) dog.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I got my dog and took him right to the hospital.

ZARRELLA: This time of year in Florida, alligators are on the move. Dry weather sends them in search of water. It's mating season too. Gators end up looking for love in all the wrong places, which brings out the local trapper to remove the critter.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That alligator has eaten something recently. Look at that belly. That's probably a dog in there.

ZARRELLA (on camera): This is where gators are supposed to be, out here in the Everglades but it's not surprising to find them just about anywhere. The alligator is one of nature's greatest comeback stories.

(voice-over): Twenty-five years ago the alligator was an endangered species. Now, there are more than one million in Florida. But Fish and Wildlife officers say people who feed them turn the creatures into nuisance gators, signing their death warrants.

OFFICER BEN STIFFLER, FISH AND WILDLIFE COMM.: If you call in and you have an aggressive alligator and we have to come and respond to remove it, the animal is not just taken back out to the Everglades. It is killed. That is our policy.

ZARRELLA: It would be better, wildlife officials say, if humans and alligators didn't have to coexist. But in Florida where land is a premium, people and gators are increasingly calling the same territory home.

John Zarrella, CNN, Miami.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: All right, let's get a little bit sweeter here from the alligators. Are you looking for your soulmate? Ahead, author Rosemary Altea will give you the key to your soul sign, and explain the science behind finding your true self.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Whether you bond with a kindred soul or find true love with a soulmate, it seems that spiritual magnetism is often seen as a defining measure of a relationship. Our next guest is the author of "Soul Signs," a book promoting what she calls the science of the soul, with a system that could be somewhat like astrology. Rosemary Altea joins us from our New York bureau.

Rosemary, good morning. Thanks for being with us.

ROSEMARY ALTEA, AUTHOR, "SOUL SIGNS": Good morning, Daryn. How are you?

KAGAN: Good.

We're not talking about astrological signs here. This is not like, are you Aquarius? Then you should be with Gemini. This is a whole different kind of thing.

ALTEA: It is. It's about energy, and it's about the energy that we're born with, the energy that we're created from, the energy that the soul is created from, and that energy helps us, makes us driven, makes us act and react in the ways that we do. It makes us different as individuals, and it tells us exactly why your mother loved your sister more than you, your father got on with your brother and didn't get on with someone else, and it tells us about relationships, why we get on with one person better than we do with another, but it also tells us about ourselves and that's the most important thing.

KAGAN: That's the most important thing to figure out where you are and where you're coming from first, yes.

Let's look at the categories, some of the soul signs, and we can see how they -- so we have fire, earth, air, water.

ALTEA: Water.

KAGAN: And sulfur.

ALTEA: And sulfur.

KAGAN: How do you figure out what you are?

ALTEA: Oh, it's really a simple process of elimination. If you're a fire sign, are you a fire sign? You're driven by your emotions. And your emotions are what drive you and what drive you to act and react. If you're a fire sign, you're more likely to be a reactor.

Earth signs, driven by planning, strategizing, but earth signs are -- those people must always take action, no matter what.

Air signs -- air signs are those passive, easy going, those people who float, and wonderful, wonderful gentle, caring people. Water signs, the compromisers of the world, you've all met them, we've all met them. You know, we have to make a compromise if we're a water sign; we have to find ways of making people happy.

Sulfur signs, the dark soul.

KAGAN: And there are dark forces out there. Now the first thing is to understand what you're about if you're looking for a partner or trying to understand your partner, perhaps understanding what their soul is about. You say you haven't spoken to these celebrities, but there are certain celebrities as we know them with their potent persona, that you say you can figure out what their are and why they're a good match, namely Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston. How do you see them from their public persona? And why are they a good match?

ALTEA: I think that he's definitely an earth sign, and I'm seeing him as a visionary soul. And Jennifer Aniston is a water sign. I would say definitely a peacemaker soul. We're hearing names of soul signs now that you've never heard before. Why they're a good match, water feeds earth. Earth needs water, earth needs to be fed. Jennifer Aniston is that person who feeds, will feed Brad Pitt's wonderful creative and visionary traits. He is a doer, an action- taker. She's a wonderful career. Wonderful, fabulous people, fabulous together. They stand an extremely good chance of making a really, really great relationship work really, really well.

KAGAN: So for the people out there who are still looking for the soulmate, you say this is a good thing to look at, because you can do a process of elimination before you get in too deep.

ALTEA: That's right. So how many times have you made the same mistake over and over again? And I can speak for that myself. We go for the wrong kind of person. Once again, we do it to ourselves. Soul signs tells us not only who we are, it really tells us who we are and what kind of soul we are and why we act the way we act, why we do what we do, and how we think -- why we think how we think. Then it helps us in every other relationship, not just love relationships; it helps us understand our children better, it helps us understand our parents better, it helps us understand our workmates better, and when we understand what we are and who we are soul signs we can...

KAGAN: Rosemary, let me just jump in real quickly, because we only have a few seconds left, because I know there's some people who are going to read this and say, oh, aha, it makes a lot of sense. There a lot of people who obviously look and go -- and I know you've heard this throughout your career -- it's a bunch of mumbo jumbo, and you've just made it up. What do you see to those critics?

ALTEA: Too bad to them. You only have to read this book to understand it works, it truly works. And the information that came to me came to me from the spirit world. I am a spiritual medium and a healer. I talk to people who have died all the time. People know me for that. This works. This information came from the spirit world, it came to help us to learn, to grow, and to really understand our souls, and the souls of those others who are on this earth having this earth experience with us.

KAGAN: And there are many people out there who are having that journey.

Thank you so much, Rosemary Altea. The book is called "Soul Signs." Thanks for stopping by.

ALTEA: Thank you. Thank you, Daryn.

KAGAN: Appreciate it.

We're going to look at some weather, the soul of weather ahead. High water in parts of Pennsylvania. Heavy rains make it hard to get around. Is the flooding going to let up? Jacqui Jeras is here with the forecast. That's just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

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Aired June 15, 2004 - 10:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Here are the top stories at this hour: Iraq's interim prime minister says his country's incoming government is negotiating with coalition leaders for the handover of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. On CNN "AMERICAN MORNING," Iyad Allawi said that the coalition promises custody of the ousted leader and other detainees by the June 30th transfer of power. The Pentagon, however, is not committing to a handover before the transfer of power.
Just about a half hour ago, Israel's attorney general announced that prosecutors will drop their bribery case against Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. The announcement is seen as a major boost to Mr. Sharon's historic Gaza withdrawal plan. A trial over alleged payments between Sharon's son and a land developer could have forced the prime minister from office.

A new round of talks on North Korea's nuclear program is scheduled in Beijing next week. Representatives from the two Koreas, China, Russia, Japan and the U.S. will attend. Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who had talks in North Korea last month, believes that leaders there are sincere about dismantling the nuclear program.

Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan appears before the Senate Banking Committee today. It's a nomination hearing for a fifth term. The nation's top economic policy maker has overseen the nation's fortunes from the boom of the '90s to the bursting of the high-tech bubble to today's economic rally.

President Bush and Afghan President Hamid Karzai are holding a White House news conference next hour. You'll see it live right here on CNN. Much of Mr. Karzai's message has already been heard on Capitol Hill, where he addressed a joint meeting of Congress last hour. Our White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux moves the story for us this morning. She is at the White House this morning -- Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

President Bush is meeting with two critical allies. First is Jordan's King Abdullah this morning, before Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai. Now what we expect from President Bush and King Abdullah, the two will follow up with their talks from the G-8 summit, talking about the importance of bringing Democratic reforms to the Middle East, to the broader greater Middle East initiative. Also the importance of course of resuming talks between Palestinians and Israelis, and the importance of getting Arab allies on board to the transfer of power to the Iraqi people, just two weeks away.

When it comes to Karzai, of course, this is something that the president feels is very important. What he would like to do is use the model of Afghanistan to show that it is possible for stability and democracy to come to the Middle East, particularly to Iraq. There are a number of problems, however, that Afghanistan is facing.

We expect that some of those problems will come out in that briefing. There is a rise in the number of attacks with the Taliban, as well as al Qaeda, this rise in insurgency, security issues. This is something where the U.S. -- we are not expected Karzai is going to ask for additional U.S. troops. There are about 20,000 U.S. troops there in Afghanistan already, but he will ask to expand the peace- keeping mission there.

Also Karzai has been criticized for this growing problem with narcotics, the drug trade in his country, that this has criminalized his economy, that he is not doing enough. That is something that is expected to come up.

And finally, of course, is the big question of where is Osama bin Laden, both Afghan, Pakistani, as well as U.S. officials involved in the hunt for Osama bin Laden. They believe he is on the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan, but still his whereabouts are still unknown. All of those issues, Daryn, expected to come up in that briefing.

KAGAN: And you will be watching and listening right along with us. Thank you so much, Suzanne Malveaux at the White House.

MALVEAUX: Sure.

KAGAN: You can join us about an hour from now. The news conference that Suzanne was talking about will begin at 11:25 Eastern, 8:25 a.m. Pacific.

New evidence suggests that the 9/11 attackers postponed their mission from earlier date. Quoting sources now close to the 9/11 Commission, today's "Washington Post" reports that Osama bin Laden wanted the attacks carried out in May or June. But suspected lead hijacker Mohamed Atta apparently wasn't ready. The new finding contrasts with an FBI theory that the date of the attacks may actually have been moved up.

9/11 fund managers have until midnight tonight to clear their books of victims' claims. The program has authorized $5.9 billion in payments so far, with hundreds of claims still to process. That fund was created to protect the airlines from potentially devastating lawsuits, while compensating those killed or injured in the attacks.

Ronald Reagan's eulogies last week often included his bold 1980s firing of striking air traffic controllers, but the replacements are now nearing retirement age, believe it or not, without enough of their own replacements waiting in the wings.

Our Kathleen Koch has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 100 clear to land. 100 and 7.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In hundreds of towers and radar centers around the country, the clock is ticking toward retirement. Nearly half of the nation's air traffic controllers, some 7,000, are expected to leave over the next nine years, most hired in 1982 to replace the striking controllers fired by President Ronald Reagan.

LEWIS STEPHENSON, AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER: We picked up the ball and ran with it, and I think we did pretty well. And we're starting to turn to hand it off to anybody, and we don't see anybody there.

KOCH: A new study by the Transportation Department inspector general finds the FAA hasn't yet determined precisely how many new controllers it will need, where or when.

The FAA insists it has the situation under control.

MARION BLAKEY, FAA ADMINISTRATOR: The FAA has been very accurate in predicting the numbers over time. So we believe we've got a pretty good feel for it, and it's hardly a crisis at this point.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rocket 1-1, check wheels down. Flight low pressure. Runway 1-9 at estimated 230 at 8.

KOCH: The FAA says not all controllers who become eligible will want to retire. It suggests a crisis could also be delayed by giving waivers to work past the mandatory retirement age of 56.

Two controllers who help guide Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base have such wavers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think I'm the best controller here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've seen everything that can happen, happened at least once before, and I know how to react to it.

KOCH: But the controllers' union warns of dire consequences if the government doesn't start training and hiring new controllers now.

RUTH MARLIN, KATL AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL ASSOCIATION: We won't have certified controllers. We won't be able to operate the air space. And when there is a severe shortage, you only have two choices. And that is to curtail services or to reduce the margin of safety.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOCH: And Congress does not like either of those choices any more than the American public. So as we speak, the house is having a hearing to begin to try to figure this issue out because if the FAA underestimates the number of retirements, there is no quick fix. Training an air traffic controller takes at least three years, but it can take as long as seven -- Daryn.

KAGAN: And you'll be tracking that for us. Kathleen Koch in Washington, thank you.

"Smoky and the Bandit" -- what happened when a police car burst into flames? We have that story right ahead.

Plus, in need of some Gator-aid? What Florida's doing about a once-endangered species problem.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET UPDATE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Let's take a look at some other stories making news coast to coast this morning.

A chase in Dallas got a little too hot for police. Check out these pictures. They were following a suspected stolen pickup. The officer's patrol car caught on fire. The officers did manage to get out safely and take down the suspects after a foot chase.

Some Houston Astro rookies have made the lineup, and we're not talking ballplayers. The newest class of NASA astronauts sworn in at Johnson Space Center. Like Major Leaguers, they will head for training in Florida. Instead of snagging fly balls, they will be taking flight instructions.

And vandals made their marks on some panda sculptures in Washington. A couple have been defaced with graffiti, and other had their costume parts stolen. The pandas can be seen around the nation's Capitol this summer. It is part of a public arts display.

Now on to Florida and the turf battle between the natives and interlopers. The interlopers are not flocks of northern snow birds, but rather the humans in general, and the growing confrontations with native alligators.

Our John Zarrella has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN MIAMI BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): Try explaining this one to your insurance agent. It was no lie: an alligator that ate Carolyn Christian's (ph) bumper, a last desperate act of defiance before its capture.

Another took a bite out of Jennifer Cook's (ph) dog.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I got my dog and took him right to the hospital.

ZARRELLA: This time of year in Florida, alligators are on the move. Dry weather sends them in search of water. It's mating season too. Gators end up looking for love in all the wrong places, which brings out the local trapper to remove the critter.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That alligator has eaten something recently. Look at that belly. That's probably a dog in there.

ZARRELLA (on camera): This is where gators are supposed to be, out here in the Everglades but it's not surprising to find them just about anywhere. The alligator is one of nature's greatest comeback stories.

(voice-over): Twenty-five years ago the alligator was an endangered species. Now, there are more than one million in Florida. But Fish and Wildlife officers say people who feed them turn the creatures into nuisance gators, signing their death warrants.

OFFICER BEN STIFFLER, FISH AND WILDLIFE COMM.: If you call in and you have an aggressive alligator and we have to come and respond to remove it, the animal is not just taken back out to the Everglades. It is killed. That is our policy.

ZARRELLA: It would be better, wildlife officials say, if humans and alligators didn't have to coexist. But in Florida where land is a premium, people and gators are increasingly calling the same territory home.

John Zarrella, CNN, Miami.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: All right, let's get a little bit sweeter here from the alligators. Are you looking for your soulmate? Ahead, author Rosemary Altea will give you the key to your soul sign, and explain the science behind finding your true self.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Whether you bond with a kindred soul or find true love with a soulmate, it seems that spiritual magnetism is often seen as a defining measure of a relationship. Our next guest is the author of "Soul Signs," a book promoting what she calls the science of the soul, with a system that could be somewhat like astrology. Rosemary Altea joins us from our New York bureau.

Rosemary, good morning. Thanks for being with us.

ROSEMARY ALTEA, AUTHOR, "SOUL SIGNS": Good morning, Daryn. How are you?

KAGAN: Good.

We're not talking about astrological signs here. This is not like, are you Aquarius? Then you should be with Gemini. This is a whole different kind of thing.

ALTEA: It is. It's about energy, and it's about the energy that we're born with, the energy that we're created from, the energy that the soul is created from, and that energy helps us, makes us driven, makes us act and react in the ways that we do. It makes us different as individuals, and it tells us exactly why your mother loved your sister more than you, your father got on with your brother and didn't get on with someone else, and it tells us about relationships, why we get on with one person better than we do with another, but it also tells us about ourselves and that's the most important thing.

KAGAN: That's the most important thing to figure out where you are and where you're coming from first, yes.

Let's look at the categories, some of the soul signs, and we can see how they -- so we have fire, earth, air, water.

ALTEA: Water.

KAGAN: And sulfur.

ALTEA: And sulfur.

KAGAN: How do you figure out what you are?

ALTEA: Oh, it's really a simple process of elimination. If you're a fire sign, are you a fire sign? You're driven by your emotions. And your emotions are what drive you and what drive you to act and react. If you're a fire sign, you're more likely to be a reactor.

Earth signs, driven by planning, strategizing, but earth signs are -- those people must always take action, no matter what.

Air signs -- air signs are those passive, easy going, those people who float, and wonderful, wonderful gentle, caring people. Water signs, the compromisers of the world, you've all met them, we've all met them. You know, we have to make a compromise if we're a water sign; we have to find ways of making people happy.

Sulfur signs, the dark soul.

KAGAN: And there are dark forces out there. Now the first thing is to understand what you're about if you're looking for a partner or trying to understand your partner, perhaps understanding what their soul is about. You say you haven't spoken to these celebrities, but there are certain celebrities as we know them with their potent persona, that you say you can figure out what their are and why they're a good match, namely Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston. How do you see them from their public persona? And why are they a good match?

ALTEA: I think that he's definitely an earth sign, and I'm seeing him as a visionary soul. And Jennifer Aniston is a water sign. I would say definitely a peacemaker soul. We're hearing names of soul signs now that you've never heard before. Why they're a good match, water feeds earth. Earth needs water, earth needs to be fed. Jennifer Aniston is that person who feeds, will feed Brad Pitt's wonderful creative and visionary traits. He is a doer, an action- taker. She's a wonderful career. Wonderful, fabulous people, fabulous together. They stand an extremely good chance of making a really, really great relationship work really, really well.

KAGAN: So for the people out there who are still looking for the soulmate, you say this is a good thing to look at, because you can do a process of elimination before you get in too deep.

ALTEA: That's right. So how many times have you made the same mistake over and over again? And I can speak for that myself. We go for the wrong kind of person. Once again, we do it to ourselves. Soul signs tells us not only who we are, it really tells us who we are and what kind of soul we are and why we act the way we act, why we do what we do, and how we think -- why we think how we think. Then it helps us in every other relationship, not just love relationships; it helps us understand our children better, it helps us understand our parents better, it helps us understand our workmates better, and when we understand what we are and who we are soul signs we can...

KAGAN: Rosemary, let me just jump in real quickly, because we only have a few seconds left, because I know there's some people who are going to read this and say, oh, aha, it makes a lot of sense. There a lot of people who obviously look and go -- and I know you've heard this throughout your career -- it's a bunch of mumbo jumbo, and you've just made it up. What do you see to those critics?

ALTEA: Too bad to them. You only have to read this book to understand it works, it truly works. And the information that came to me came to me from the spirit world. I am a spiritual medium and a healer. I talk to people who have died all the time. People know me for that. This works. This information came from the spirit world, it came to help us to learn, to grow, and to really understand our souls, and the souls of those others who are on this earth having this earth experience with us.

KAGAN: And there are many people out there who are having that journey.

Thank you so much, Rosemary Altea. The book is called "Soul Signs." Thanks for stopping by.

ALTEA: Thank you. Thank you, Daryn.

KAGAN: Appreciate it.

We're going to look at some weather, the soul of weather ahead. High water in parts of Pennsylvania. Heavy rains make it hard to get around. Is the flooding going to let up? Jacqui Jeras is here with the forecast. That's just ahead.

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