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American Morning
Election Terror Threat Real?; Judge Tosses Evidence in Kobe Bryant Case
Aired July 15, 2004 - 07:00 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.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: The threat of a terrorist attack before the election. How real is the danger? The acting director of the CIA answers the question in an exclusive interview with CNN.
A judge throws out potential evidence against Kobe Bryant. Will it damage the prosecution's case?
An extraordinary window into Osama bin Laden and his family. This morning, we talk Osama bin Laden's former sister-in-law.
And hundreds of people chased from their homes waiting to see where the flames will go, on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.
COLLINS: Good morning, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins. Bill and Soledad are off this morning. Bill actually on vacation and Soledad resting, preparing for the arrival of the babies.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Great. I'm Anderson Cooper.
Some of the news making headlines this morning.
Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge says the government is providing unprecedented security for the Democratic convention, which begins later this month. Ridge the acting CIA director in Boston yesterday. And we'll tell you what they are saying about the terror threats.
COLLINS: Also, Emmy award nominations being announced this morning. New shows like "Arrested Development" are among those being watched to make a splash. We're going to look at some of the other contenders in just a few minutes and have the presentation live.
COOPER: Have you watched? I haven't watched that show.
COLLINS: I haven't watched it either, but...
COOPER: I heard it's great.
COLLINS: Yes, it's suppose to be good.
COOPER: Also, our series on lying continues. This morning all the good stuff, all the lies couples tell each other. And we'll try to answer the age-old question, who are the biggest liars, men or women?
COLLINS: Jack Cafferty is off today. But in a few minutes, Toure' is going to be with us. He will have the e-mail question of the day. We're going to tell you about that in just a moment.
COOPER: A well-known higher, Toure'.
COLLINS: Yes. Yes, I've heard that.
Some of the news though, this morning -- extraordinary measures have been taken to prevent terrorism at the upcoming Democratic convention in Boston.
Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge expressed confidence yesterday in the steps taken to stop such an attack. Yet top officials are clearly concerned about the two conventions and the threat of an al Qaeda attempt to disrupt the election.
Wolf Blitzer spoke exclusively with the new acting CIA director about the gravity of the situation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, ACTING CIA DIRECTOR: This is a very serious threat we're facing.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): How serious?
MCLAUGHLIN: It's serious in the following sense, that I think the quality of the information we have is very good. We have a lot of experience now in terrorism.
BLITZER (voice-over): McLaughlin, who succeeded George Tenet only days ago declined to provide specific details of the intelligence that scares him, noting that those details could provide useful information to the terrorists.
MCLAUGHLIN: One of the important things terrorists do -- I'll tell you; it's very simple, very simple. They know how to keep a secret.
Their work is highly compartmented to a small group of people probably living in a cave somewhere. And our country doesn't keep secrets very well. So we have to watch what we release about the details? This is a serious threat, period.
BLITZER: He says Osama bin Laden is still very much a player against the United States.
MCLAUGHLIN: Is he sitting there behind some large console pulling wires and switches? I wouldn't say that. But to be sure, he remains the leader of al Qaeda.
It's his guidance to his followers that certainly inspires them to proceed with the attacks that we have seen in places like Istanbul and Morocco and Spain and so forth. BLITZER: Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, fresh from an inspection tour of preparations for the Democratic convention in Boston agrees with McLaughlin's assessment.
TOM RIDGE, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: They are credible, trustworthy sources, not terribly specific in terms of who, what, when and where but targeting, an opportunistic targeting in an attempt to undermine the Democratic process.
BLITZER: Still, he insists the overall situation is under control.
RIDGE: The community has done everything they can to put people and technology in all the right places.
BLITZER: That's the mixed message of the federal government, that it has become part of the so-called, new normal in this post 9/11 era.
Wolf Blitzer, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Bernard Kerik was police commissioner of New York City on September 11, 2001. More recently he was in Iraq in charge of rebuilding security forces there, and he joins us now this morning.
Mr. Kerik, thanks for being with us.
BERNARD KERIK, SR. V.P. GIULIANI PARTNERS: Good morning, Heidi.
COLLINS: So, you heard the acting CIA director yesterday. John McLaughlin says that there is going to be some type of threat, you know, it's been -- the biggest since 9/11. Do you think that there's going to be an attack some time this summer?
KERIK: Well, I can't say there's going to be an attack. I think there's going to be attempts. And I think at the end of Wolf Blitzer's commentary, he says this is the new norm. That's what people in this country have to realize after September 11th.
There is a new norm. We have to consider that there is an imminent threat against us each and every day for the next 10, 20 years until you root out terrorism at its base.
COLLINS: What do you do about that threat? You know, obviously the specifics are not there from what we have learned from Secretary Ridge and so forth.
How do you guard against something that you really don't know its identity?
KERIK: The key component to combating terrorism in the future both here in the United States and abroad, in Iraq and Afghanistan and in some of the other Arab countries that we're focusing on, the key is going to be intelligence. As John McLaughlin indicated, as the secretary indicated the sources are good. The sources are creditable, not specific but creditable. And that's what we have to worry about. We have to stay on top of that through the intelligence communities.
COLLINS: And do you think law enforcement is going to be able to thwart an attack should it happen?
KERIK: Well, we're in a lot better shape than we were two and a half years ago, with the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, the merging of the 22 agencies, the Patriot Act, the mandate by the president for the FBI and the CIA to communicate and work in conjunction with the 760,000 police officers that work throughout this country.
The elements of security are there. We're doing a lot better. Can we prevent every attack? No. You just can't. But we're in a lot better shape today than we were on September 11th.
COLLINS: Do you think that translates to the American public?
KERIK: I don't know. You know, there's a lot of media hype. You know, you watch -- every week, there's some new terror alert. There's an elevation in the alert status.
People in this country have to realize we live in a different world today. That threat is imminent. We have to keep that in our mind. People in this country have to realize that. It is a new world after September 11th.
COLLINS: Well, and we have some conventions coming, as I'm sure you're well aware. We've been talking about that an awful lot, one of them here, in New York, obviously.
What it is -- is it that law enforcement officials need be doing and have already done to step up precautions here?
KERIK: Vigilance, non-complacency, intelligence.
The Department of Homeland Security has recognized these two events as national, special security events, which means the secret service will be the mandated oversight working in conjunction with the state and the local authorities.
The security is going to be enormous. I think people should go to the conventions, have a great time and let the professionals do their job.
COLLINS: Do you think it's possible that an attack could originate from right here in the U.S. or would it be from overseas?
I mean, we've heard a lot about sleeper cells. Are they already here?
KERIK: Well, we're doing a lot better job at going after them. You have to realize in the last two and a half years since the president created all these changes, we've arrested probably over 700 people that are connected, associated, related to terrorist cells. That will continue.
My biggest fear isn't an attack at the convention or here in the United States, what about abroad, what about a major attack in Iraq. These are things that I'm thinking about before the election.
You have to realize al Qaeda, Ansar al-Islam and some of these other groups, they believe they can affect our election by a major episode or as Osama bin Laden would say, a spectacular event.
COLLINS: Right.
KERIK: Where can they get that spectacular event?
COLLINS: Certainly something to think about.
Mr. Bernard Kerik, we appreciate your time this morning.
KERIK: Thank you.
COLLINS: Thanks so much -- Anderson.
COOPER: Iraq's interim prime minister Ayad Allawi is taking a tough stand amid a furious rant of insurgent attacks. Allawi is getting ready to speak right now at the scene of yesterday's deadly attack in central Baghdad. He has yet to come out and speak.
Government officials and institutions have been the main target of the terrorists, of course. A number of attacks have been launched against the government today. Two suicide bombers blew themselves up outside Karbala today. They were on the run from police who had been alerted to their plan and set up check points outside the city?
But there was a deadly bombing near a police station in western Iraq. And a mortar attack missed another police station in the north, hitting a house instead.
Insurgents are also going after Iraq's key sources of income, oil and natural gas. A bomb heavily damaged an oil pipeline 55 miles southwest of Kirkuk today. A natural gas line was attacked in the same area on Saturday.
COLLINS: A series of intense thunderstorms hit south central Pennsylvania yesterday. This morning, meteorologists are trying to figure out if it was a tornado that tore through Campbelltown. At least 50 homes damaged in the storm, some of them were leveled.
High winds snapped trees in half and caused others to crash on to houses. Two people were hurt, one critically. And this morning 30,000 people are still without power.
And look at these monsoon-like rains in Cherokee County, Georgia. Driving rain and fierce winds pummeled the area, blowing over everything in the storm's path. And there are reports that hundreds of trees fell during these storms. No one though, thankfully, was hurt.
A look at this virtual firestorm near Lake Hughes, California -- incredible wildfire near the Angeles National Forest is blackening the countryside there. Hundreds of people have been evacuated now. And as of this morning the blaze has charred more than 4,700 acres.
With that, time for our first check of the forecast. Chad Myers at the CNN Center with the latest update.
Unbelievable pictures from all three of different places.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. Really. Exactly. The exact opposite things. You'd really like to get some rain on the West Coast, get rid of the rain on East Coast.
But man, I know you probably never heard of Campbelltown, Kentucky -- or Campbelltown, Pennsylvania. But literally, it's only about seven miles from Hershey, Pennsylvania. I know you know that town, at least, from the candy bars.
(WEATHER BREAK)
MYERS: Anderson, back to you.
COOPER: Chad, thanks very much.
It is about 11 minutes past the hour. Time for a look at some of the other day's top stories with Daryn Kagan.
Daryn, good morning.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Anderson, good morning to you.
Let's start on the campaign trail. That is where President Bush yesterday defended his decision to attack Iraq. The president also said he thinks that suspected terrorist Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi is behind yesterday's massive car bombing in Baghdad.
Meanwhile Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards was out on his own for the first time. He was speaking in Iowa. Edwards called on President Bush to take responsibility for intelligence failures that led to the war.
Speaking of Senator Edwards and his boss, John Kerry, they were the only two Senators to sit out -- a Senate vote on a proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.
The amendment fell a dozen votes short of the number needed to clear a procedural hurdle. President Bush said that he was disappointed that the amendment was blocked and urged the House to take up the matter.
Illinois Republicans are looking for a candidate in the approaching Senate race. That's because former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka announcing yesterday he will not be running for that open seat. Ditka says he is honored that the Republican leaders had approached him, but cites prior business commitments.
After days of delays, NASA has launched its Aura Earth observation satellite. The Delta blasting -- the Delta rocket blasting out of California. This was just about an hour ago.
The satellite will stay in orbit for six years studying pollution and the health of Earth's atmosphere. The launch had had been postponed four times due to technical problems.
And finally, from the world of sports -- Shaquille O'Neal is now a member of the Miami Heat. The former L.A. Lakers center is heading to Miami in exchange for three players and a first round draft pick. Miami officials say that since the trade was announced, business at the box office has been what they call a frenzy.
Now the big question, what happens to the L.A. Lakers and Kobe Bryant? Does he go to prison? Does he stay free? Does he stay with the Lakers? Does he go to the Clippers? Lots of questions in L.A.
Anderson, back to you.
COOPER: There is certainly that. All right. Daryn, thanks very much.
Scott Peterson's double murder trial continues this morning in California, this even as the judge agrees to hear a defense request for a mistrial.
Defense lawyer Mark Geragos says a police detective lied on the witness stand. The judge has already rejected two mistrial requests from Geragos. He'll hear this latest request on July 29th. Now Scott Peterson, of course, accused of murdering his pregnant wife, Laci, in December of 2002.
And as Daryn mentioned, a victory for the prosecution in the Kobe Bryant sexual assault case. His secretly recorded statement to police and the evidence from the room where the alleged assault took place will be allowed at trial. CNN's senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin is here with his take on the judges ruling.
A victory for the prosecution, but really not a major decision?
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SR. LEGAL ANALYST: It's certainly not a surprise.
What happened was Kobe Bryant was interviewed by police the night that they learned of this incident in Cordelia, Colorado. And they gave him the opportunity not speak to them, and he did speak to them. It's very hard to get statements like that thrown out of court. And this statement was not thrown out of court.
COOPER: It was a tape-recorded statement, too.
TOOBIN: It was a tape-recorded statement. Although interestingly in the judges opinion he talks about how the tape recording process failed a lot, that in this 75-minute interview, long stretches are inaudible.
COOPER: It seems that the policeman had it in his pocket.
TOOBIN: Exactly. I mean he didn't do a very good job preparing for this interview. I mean it seemed like pretty much an amateur hour operation. So, in fact, how much of this statement the jury will actually be able to hear is not at all clear. So...
COOPER: And the significance of the clothing?
TOOBIN: The clothing may be the single most important physical piece of physical evidence in the case. It is the shirt and pants that Kobe Bryant was wearing during the alleged assault.
And it's been established at the preliminary hearing that on that shirt is blood from the alleged victim. So that is at least some evidence of coercion of possible rape. So that's going to be a very important piece of evidence. And the judge said that can come into evidence.
COOPER: But the physical exam of Kobe Bryant will not enter in?
TOOBIN: That's right. The judge ruled for the defense in one aspect of yesterday's ruling. He said that Kobe Bryant was essentially tricked or forced into giving a physical exam of his own body, so that evidence will be excluded. But what's not clear is whether that evidence would have been incriminating at all. So it's...
COOPER: But he did consent to the exam?
TOOBIN: He did. But under the facts as the judge found them, he essentially thought that the police deceived him, that they didn't use the proper procedures, so he ruled that out of evidence.
COOPER: So what does the time of day matter? Because I think part of the ruling was that it -- the exam took place at night?
TOOBIN: Well, the whole thing took place at night.
COOPER: Right, they approached him at like after midnight.
TOOBIN: They didn't even come to the hotel in Cordelia until after midnight. They talked to him until two in the morning and then took him for the physical exam. So the fact that it was so late at night lent to this sort of coercive air.
COOPER: "The Rocky Mountain News" has published interviews with some jury consultants who were talking about, sort of, the ideal jury for the Kobe Bryant case. Have you seen this?
TOOBIN: I have not.
COOPER: They were saying that the ideal jury would be a -- for Kobe Bryant -- would be a white woman, in her 50s, who has a son; for the prosecution, a feminist who has a daughter the same age as the alleged victim.
Does that make any sense to you?
TOOBIN: Well, you know, it actually does.
One of the things that always surprised me in my work about, you know, rape cases is that women jurors, particularly older, women jurors tend to be very hostile to women who make claims of date rape.
COOPER: Really?
TOOBIN: That older women, in particular, say, you know, what were you doing in the hotel room?
And my anecdotal evidence is consistent with that. So even though it's counter-intuitive -- you would think some sort of women solidarity -- it largely doesn't exist with older women. So, that is consistent with what I've heard.
COOPER: All right.
TOOBIN: All righty.
COOPER: Thanks very much.
TOOBIN: See you later.
COOPER: Heidi?
COLLINS: All right. We're going to take you live now in just a moment here. Mike Ditka -- you've heard about this. We're going to listen to him live. He's talking about his run for Senate. Let's listen in.
MIKE DITKA, FORMER CHICAGO BEARS COACH: I don't like the scrutiny. I'm not saying that I couldn't handle it, but I don't like it.
And I think that there are certain things that are, you know -- The world doesn't have no know about. I really believe that. I mean, your personal life is your personal life.
Your public life is a different thing now. If you put out dirty laundry, than everybody is going to see it.
QUESTION: What about politics for you in the future?
DITKA: I don't think so. I think that at my age right now, I think I can do the best job as trying to speak out and making people hear what I say. And if they like what I say, fine, if they don't like what I say, I can't help it.
I'm just me. You know, I'm not trying to convert the world. I'm just telling people that there are two sides to every issue. My side is a viable side just like the other guy's side.
QUESTION: You feel like you have enough other platforms in which to get your message across?
DITKA: I speak to people all over the country, and I give the same message. You know, this country was founded under God. I love America. You know, I support this president. So, you know if people don't like it, they don't like it. I mean I can't help that.
QUESTION: You mentioned at the top of the interview that maybe there are other, viable candidates. Anybody that you can think of?
DITKA: Get somebody to put the gloves on and go out there and give the guy a fight. I don't know. I mean, I really don't -- I haven't kept up with the candidates, so I really don't know.
QUESTION: All right, coach. Thank you so much for joining us this morning.
DITKA: Thank you.
QUESTION: Well there you have it.
COLLINS: There you see it. Mike Ditka saying that he is not interested in running for Senate in the state of Illinois, talking a little bit about the public life and the scrutiny that he would be under even more so as a coach, as you would imagine.
Again, never running for Senate, but he would have gone up against State Senator Obama who is vying for that position. Anderson will be talking with him a little bit later in the show. So more on that as we continue.
All this week, we have looking at "The Truth About Lying." Today's focus is on men and women and how the lies we tell can build the relationship or tear it down.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS (voice-over): It's a refrain as old as time. Women say men basically lie to get what they want.
GWENDOLYN ROBINSON: He started telling me about all these visions that God was giving him as far as being the right person in his life. Once I found the marriage licenses, and I knew he was still married to these women, I didn't want to see it happen to someone else.
COLLINS: Are men always the liars and women the one's who believe them? Get ready for the truth. Researchers say women lie the same amount as men. What's different about the sexes is what they lie about.
DORY HOLLANDER, AUTHOR "101 LIES MEN TELL WOMEN": A lot of men feel that they have to compete with other men who have more money, who have a better job, who have more status. And so men will invent themselves and reinvent themselves in order to be attractive to a woman. So many of them lie about their eye color. COLLINS: One study found that men lie to enhance their self- esteem. The same study found women are more likely to lie to spare the feelings of others.
HOLLANDER: The most common places that women protect the relationship are in the sanctity of the bedroom, where a woman will say that she's sexually fulfilled and she's not.
She wants to protect his ego. She wants to make him feel good about her, about the relationship and about his performance.
COLLINS: But these days, women may be telling different kinds of lies about what happens in the bedroom. A recent poll shows that the number of married women in America who have had affairs is rising, still less than men but going up 50 percent in a decade.
HOLLANDER: Understand that people lie. You lie. I lie. We all lie.
But some lies are going to be not acceptable, and that's where you have to draw your line in the sand. Lies of evasion are really hurtful.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Tomorrow, as our week-long series continues, we'll focus on how to tell if someone is lying to you.
COOPER: Their nose grows.
COLLINS: The Pinocchio effect.
Well still to come this morning, "Friends" said goodbye a couple of months ago, but the show might be getting a belated going away present this morning.
What? You didn't like it?
COOPER: No. I never really got into it.
Also ahead, there's a new ruler at Caesar's Palace. Will the gamble pay off? Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business."
COLLINS: Plus Osama bin Laden may be the most hated man in America, but even he has a family. We'll talk to someone who once knew bin Laden well.
Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Welcome back. All bets are on as another casino gathers its chips to take over a competitor. Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business."
Who is taking over whom? ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Harrah's is taking over Caesars? And you remember just a couple weeks ago, MGM and Mandalay did a giant deal. So you have two huge deals in the casino business?
And what's going on here, Anderson is that gambling has become so pervasive all across the country that these two companies are looking to gather businesses under their tents.
Let's look at some of these properties here. It's unbelievable. Harrah's and Caesars -- two very different companies. You can see the size of these deals are big, big, big.
Harrah's generally has been more of a blue-collar operation. They've got a lot of casinos throughout the country like in Tunica, Mississippi and stuff like that. Caesars is going to be their big Las Vegas property, whereas MGM and Mandalay have things like the Bellagio, where maybe you hang out, Circus Circus...
COOPER: I've never been.
SERWER: Maybe.
Heidi Collins, the Colorado Bell.
Or Toure', Excalibur.
Luxor, Mandalay Bay.
Mandalay Bay, I go -- I don't gamble; I just go and hang out in those pools.
COLLINS: And the boat rides.
COOPER: I've never been to Vegas.
SERWER: You've never been to Las Vegas?
COOPER: Never.
TOURE', "ROLLING STONE" MAGAZINE: Really?
COLLINS: Oh man.
TOURE': Unless we connect him tonight.
COOPER: I don't like gambling.
SERWER: Yes.
TOURE': JetBlue.
SERWER: Yes.
TOURE': Get him there.
SERWER: Get him out. Let's talk about the markets...
COOPER: Tomorrow, AMERICAN MORNING from Vegas.
(LAUGHTER)
SERWER: That's a terrific idea.
COLLINS: Ching.
SERWER: Let's talk about the markets, the other big casino in the United States.
Yesterday was a down day across the board. You can see here. People really wondering, are we running out of steam? And I think it's a very good question.
One night -- nice -- note here thought, Apple profits tripling. Their iPods selling like crazy. They sold 860,000 in the latest quarter. That's more than double. And that is a product hot, hot, hot.
COOPER: And that iTunes, a big hit.
SERWER: Yes.
COOPER: The kids love it.
SERWER: Hundreds of millions of tunes are downloading off there.
COOPER: Toure' loves it.
SERWER: The young people. Is that what you're talking about?
COOPER: Yes, the kids.
SERWER: The young people...
COOPER: Yes, with the music and the computers.
SERWER: Yes, they're just crazy, these people.
COLLINS: I got one of those for my birthday. I'm still learning how to figure it out.
TOURE': Those people.
You need an iPod.
COOPER: I have an iPod. I don't know how to connect it to the computer, but I have one.
TOURE': It's so amazingly simple.
COOPER: Yes, well, OK.
COLLINS: More on that.
SERWER: He's never been to Vegas either.
COLLINS: More on that later. We'll have the instructions a little bit later.
TOURE': Can you see Anderson like, can I get that wake-up call to my cell phone, please?
(LAUGHTER)
COLLINS: All right. As you probably have noticed, Jack is off for a few days. And Toure' is here to help with the "Question of the Day."
We just heard from this guy, Mr. Mike Ditka.
TOURE': Right, right, right, right.
Well, before we get started just, you know, I'm not giving it 110 percent today. I'm going to be phoning it in today because I was up really, really late...
(BEEP)
TOURE': ... at the Prince show.
COLLINS: Well, that was the phone.
TOURE': As everybody is phoning it in today.
The whole crew was with me at the Prince show last night until 2 a.m.
We were hoping he would perform at the after party. But he didn't. But I got to talk to the man and his gorgeous wife.
COOPER: You talked to the princess?
TOURE': I talked to his princess and he's -- you know.
COOPER: Wow.
COLLINS: Wow, you totally outdone me now. I'm so bummed.
TOURE': And I heard that the show I went to was better than the one you went to. But --
COLLINS: Yes, whatever. On to the question, Toure'.
TOURE': But we digress.
Mike Ditka has decided not run for the Illinois senate. And we've seen Tom Osbourne become the governor of Nebraska. But we've also seen athletes, actors and politicians with no political experience throwing their hats in the ring. And because of the advantages of fame, they're immediately viable candidates.
Is this good for the process? Well, why not? Politics is always the great American second act from Bill Bradley, to Reagan, Ventura, Schwarzenegger. Sometimes outsiders can breath new life into the process.
The ancient Roman senate had people from all walks of life. And then thousands of years since then, career politicians haven't ended war, poverty or political corruption. So why should they have all the fun.
But we want to know what you think. We know what Heidi thinks because she's dying over here.
COOPER: Haven't you just answered "The Question of the Day"?
TOURE': Yes. That's what we do.
COOPER: I'm not sure about that.
TOURE': We give them the correct answer.
COOPER: Oh, I see how it works.
TOURE': And then we see how they do.
COOPER: OK.
TOURE': So, do non-career politicians belong in politics?
E-mail us at am@cnn.com.
COLLINS: That was very poetic.
TOURE': Thank you.
COOPER: Yes, yes.
COLLINS: All right. Thank you.
COOPER: There you go.
COOPER: Still to come, what is it like to marry into the family of a terrorist mastermind? We'll talk to a woman very familiar with Osama bin Laden.
Also ahead some tips on how to save money at the pump and we'll tell you how you can be rewarded for buying gas.
Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired July 15, 2004 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: The threat of a terrorist attack before the election. How real is the danger? The acting director of the CIA answers the question in an exclusive interview with CNN.
A judge throws out potential evidence against Kobe Bryant. Will it damage the prosecution's case?
An extraordinary window into Osama bin Laden and his family. This morning, we talk Osama bin Laden's former sister-in-law.
And hundreds of people chased from their homes waiting to see where the flames will go, on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.
COLLINS: Good morning, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins. Bill and Soledad are off this morning. Bill actually on vacation and Soledad resting, preparing for the arrival of the babies.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Great. I'm Anderson Cooper.
Some of the news making headlines this morning.
Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge says the government is providing unprecedented security for the Democratic convention, which begins later this month. Ridge the acting CIA director in Boston yesterday. And we'll tell you what they are saying about the terror threats.
COLLINS: Also, Emmy award nominations being announced this morning. New shows like "Arrested Development" are among those being watched to make a splash. We're going to look at some of the other contenders in just a few minutes and have the presentation live.
COOPER: Have you watched? I haven't watched that show.
COLLINS: I haven't watched it either, but...
COOPER: I heard it's great.
COLLINS: Yes, it's suppose to be good.
COOPER: Also, our series on lying continues. This morning all the good stuff, all the lies couples tell each other. And we'll try to answer the age-old question, who are the biggest liars, men or women?
COLLINS: Jack Cafferty is off today. But in a few minutes, Toure' is going to be with us. He will have the e-mail question of the day. We're going to tell you about that in just a moment.
COOPER: A well-known higher, Toure'.
COLLINS: Yes. Yes, I've heard that.
Some of the news though, this morning -- extraordinary measures have been taken to prevent terrorism at the upcoming Democratic convention in Boston.
Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge expressed confidence yesterday in the steps taken to stop such an attack. Yet top officials are clearly concerned about the two conventions and the threat of an al Qaeda attempt to disrupt the election.
Wolf Blitzer spoke exclusively with the new acting CIA director about the gravity of the situation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, ACTING CIA DIRECTOR: This is a very serious threat we're facing.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): How serious?
MCLAUGHLIN: It's serious in the following sense, that I think the quality of the information we have is very good. We have a lot of experience now in terrorism.
BLITZER (voice-over): McLaughlin, who succeeded George Tenet only days ago declined to provide specific details of the intelligence that scares him, noting that those details could provide useful information to the terrorists.
MCLAUGHLIN: One of the important things terrorists do -- I'll tell you; it's very simple, very simple. They know how to keep a secret.
Their work is highly compartmented to a small group of people probably living in a cave somewhere. And our country doesn't keep secrets very well. So we have to watch what we release about the details? This is a serious threat, period.
BLITZER: He says Osama bin Laden is still very much a player against the United States.
MCLAUGHLIN: Is he sitting there behind some large console pulling wires and switches? I wouldn't say that. But to be sure, he remains the leader of al Qaeda.
It's his guidance to his followers that certainly inspires them to proceed with the attacks that we have seen in places like Istanbul and Morocco and Spain and so forth. BLITZER: Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, fresh from an inspection tour of preparations for the Democratic convention in Boston agrees with McLaughlin's assessment.
TOM RIDGE, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: They are credible, trustworthy sources, not terribly specific in terms of who, what, when and where but targeting, an opportunistic targeting in an attempt to undermine the Democratic process.
BLITZER: Still, he insists the overall situation is under control.
RIDGE: The community has done everything they can to put people and technology in all the right places.
BLITZER: That's the mixed message of the federal government, that it has become part of the so-called, new normal in this post 9/11 era.
Wolf Blitzer, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Bernard Kerik was police commissioner of New York City on September 11, 2001. More recently he was in Iraq in charge of rebuilding security forces there, and he joins us now this morning.
Mr. Kerik, thanks for being with us.
BERNARD KERIK, SR. V.P. GIULIANI PARTNERS: Good morning, Heidi.
COLLINS: So, you heard the acting CIA director yesterday. John McLaughlin says that there is going to be some type of threat, you know, it's been -- the biggest since 9/11. Do you think that there's going to be an attack some time this summer?
KERIK: Well, I can't say there's going to be an attack. I think there's going to be attempts. And I think at the end of Wolf Blitzer's commentary, he says this is the new norm. That's what people in this country have to realize after September 11th.
There is a new norm. We have to consider that there is an imminent threat against us each and every day for the next 10, 20 years until you root out terrorism at its base.
COLLINS: What do you do about that threat? You know, obviously the specifics are not there from what we have learned from Secretary Ridge and so forth.
How do you guard against something that you really don't know its identity?
KERIK: The key component to combating terrorism in the future both here in the United States and abroad, in Iraq and Afghanistan and in some of the other Arab countries that we're focusing on, the key is going to be intelligence. As John McLaughlin indicated, as the secretary indicated the sources are good. The sources are creditable, not specific but creditable. And that's what we have to worry about. We have to stay on top of that through the intelligence communities.
COLLINS: And do you think law enforcement is going to be able to thwart an attack should it happen?
KERIK: Well, we're in a lot better shape than we were two and a half years ago, with the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, the merging of the 22 agencies, the Patriot Act, the mandate by the president for the FBI and the CIA to communicate and work in conjunction with the 760,000 police officers that work throughout this country.
The elements of security are there. We're doing a lot better. Can we prevent every attack? No. You just can't. But we're in a lot better shape today than we were on September 11th.
COLLINS: Do you think that translates to the American public?
KERIK: I don't know. You know, there's a lot of media hype. You know, you watch -- every week, there's some new terror alert. There's an elevation in the alert status.
People in this country have to realize we live in a different world today. That threat is imminent. We have to keep that in our mind. People in this country have to realize that. It is a new world after September 11th.
COLLINS: Well, and we have some conventions coming, as I'm sure you're well aware. We've been talking about that an awful lot, one of them here, in New York, obviously.
What it is -- is it that law enforcement officials need be doing and have already done to step up precautions here?
KERIK: Vigilance, non-complacency, intelligence.
The Department of Homeland Security has recognized these two events as national, special security events, which means the secret service will be the mandated oversight working in conjunction with the state and the local authorities.
The security is going to be enormous. I think people should go to the conventions, have a great time and let the professionals do their job.
COLLINS: Do you think it's possible that an attack could originate from right here in the U.S. or would it be from overseas?
I mean, we've heard a lot about sleeper cells. Are they already here?
KERIK: Well, we're doing a lot better job at going after them. You have to realize in the last two and a half years since the president created all these changes, we've arrested probably over 700 people that are connected, associated, related to terrorist cells. That will continue.
My biggest fear isn't an attack at the convention or here in the United States, what about abroad, what about a major attack in Iraq. These are things that I'm thinking about before the election.
You have to realize al Qaeda, Ansar al-Islam and some of these other groups, they believe they can affect our election by a major episode or as Osama bin Laden would say, a spectacular event.
COLLINS: Right.
KERIK: Where can they get that spectacular event?
COLLINS: Certainly something to think about.
Mr. Bernard Kerik, we appreciate your time this morning.
KERIK: Thank you.
COLLINS: Thanks so much -- Anderson.
COOPER: Iraq's interim prime minister Ayad Allawi is taking a tough stand amid a furious rant of insurgent attacks. Allawi is getting ready to speak right now at the scene of yesterday's deadly attack in central Baghdad. He has yet to come out and speak.
Government officials and institutions have been the main target of the terrorists, of course. A number of attacks have been launched against the government today. Two suicide bombers blew themselves up outside Karbala today. They were on the run from police who had been alerted to their plan and set up check points outside the city?
But there was a deadly bombing near a police station in western Iraq. And a mortar attack missed another police station in the north, hitting a house instead.
Insurgents are also going after Iraq's key sources of income, oil and natural gas. A bomb heavily damaged an oil pipeline 55 miles southwest of Kirkuk today. A natural gas line was attacked in the same area on Saturday.
COLLINS: A series of intense thunderstorms hit south central Pennsylvania yesterday. This morning, meteorologists are trying to figure out if it was a tornado that tore through Campbelltown. At least 50 homes damaged in the storm, some of them were leveled.
High winds snapped trees in half and caused others to crash on to houses. Two people were hurt, one critically. And this morning 30,000 people are still without power.
And look at these monsoon-like rains in Cherokee County, Georgia. Driving rain and fierce winds pummeled the area, blowing over everything in the storm's path. And there are reports that hundreds of trees fell during these storms. No one though, thankfully, was hurt.
A look at this virtual firestorm near Lake Hughes, California -- incredible wildfire near the Angeles National Forest is blackening the countryside there. Hundreds of people have been evacuated now. And as of this morning the blaze has charred more than 4,700 acres.
With that, time for our first check of the forecast. Chad Myers at the CNN Center with the latest update.
Unbelievable pictures from all three of different places.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. Really. Exactly. The exact opposite things. You'd really like to get some rain on the West Coast, get rid of the rain on East Coast.
But man, I know you probably never heard of Campbelltown, Kentucky -- or Campbelltown, Pennsylvania. But literally, it's only about seven miles from Hershey, Pennsylvania. I know you know that town, at least, from the candy bars.
(WEATHER BREAK)
MYERS: Anderson, back to you.
COOPER: Chad, thanks very much.
It is about 11 minutes past the hour. Time for a look at some of the other day's top stories with Daryn Kagan.
Daryn, good morning.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Anderson, good morning to you.
Let's start on the campaign trail. That is where President Bush yesterday defended his decision to attack Iraq. The president also said he thinks that suspected terrorist Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi is behind yesterday's massive car bombing in Baghdad.
Meanwhile Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards was out on his own for the first time. He was speaking in Iowa. Edwards called on President Bush to take responsibility for intelligence failures that led to the war.
Speaking of Senator Edwards and his boss, John Kerry, they were the only two Senators to sit out -- a Senate vote on a proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.
The amendment fell a dozen votes short of the number needed to clear a procedural hurdle. President Bush said that he was disappointed that the amendment was blocked and urged the House to take up the matter.
Illinois Republicans are looking for a candidate in the approaching Senate race. That's because former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka announcing yesterday he will not be running for that open seat. Ditka says he is honored that the Republican leaders had approached him, but cites prior business commitments.
After days of delays, NASA has launched its Aura Earth observation satellite. The Delta blasting -- the Delta rocket blasting out of California. This was just about an hour ago.
The satellite will stay in orbit for six years studying pollution and the health of Earth's atmosphere. The launch had had been postponed four times due to technical problems.
And finally, from the world of sports -- Shaquille O'Neal is now a member of the Miami Heat. The former L.A. Lakers center is heading to Miami in exchange for three players and a first round draft pick. Miami officials say that since the trade was announced, business at the box office has been what they call a frenzy.
Now the big question, what happens to the L.A. Lakers and Kobe Bryant? Does he go to prison? Does he stay free? Does he stay with the Lakers? Does he go to the Clippers? Lots of questions in L.A.
Anderson, back to you.
COOPER: There is certainly that. All right. Daryn, thanks very much.
Scott Peterson's double murder trial continues this morning in California, this even as the judge agrees to hear a defense request for a mistrial.
Defense lawyer Mark Geragos says a police detective lied on the witness stand. The judge has already rejected two mistrial requests from Geragos. He'll hear this latest request on July 29th. Now Scott Peterson, of course, accused of murdering his pregnant wife, Laci, in December of 2002.
And as Daryn mentioned, a victory for the prosecution in the Kobe Bryant sexual assault case. His secretly recorded statement to police and the evidence from the room where the alleged assault took place will be allowed at trial. CNN's senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin is here with his take on the judges ruling.
A victory for the prosecution, but really not a major decision?
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SR. LEGAL ANALYST: It's certainly not a surprise.
What happened was Kobe Bryant was interviewed by police the night that they learned of this incident in Cordelia, Colorado. And they gave him the opportunity not speak to them, and he did speak to them. It's very hard to get statements like that thrown out of court. And this statement was not thrown out of court.
COOPER: It was a tape-recorded statement, too.
TOOBIN: It was a tape-recorded statement. Although interestingly in the judges opinion he talks about how the tape recording process failed a lot, that in this 75-minute interview, long stretches are inaudible.
COOPER: It seems that the policeman had it in his pocket.
TOOBIN: Exactly. I mean he didn't do a very good job preparing for this interview. I mean it seemed like pretty much an amateur hour operation. So, in fact, how much of this statement the jury will actually be able to hear is not at all clear. So...
COOPER: And the significance of the clothing?
TOOBIN: The clothing may be the single most important physical piece of physical evidence in the case. It is the shirt and pants that Kobe Bryant was wearing during the alleged assault.
And it's been established at the preliminary hearing that on that shirt is blood from the alleged victim. So that is at least some evidence of coercion of possible rape. So that's going to be a very important piece of evidence. And the judge said that can come into evidence.
COOPER: But the physical exam of Kobe Bryant will not enter in?
TOOBIN: That's right. The judge ruled for the defense in one aspect of yesterday's ruling. He said that Kobe Bryant was essentially tricked or forced into giving a physical exam of his own body, so that evidence will be excluded. But what's not clear is whether that evidence would have been incriminating at all. So it's...
COOPER: But he did consent to the exam?
TOOBIN: He did. But under the facts as the judge found them, he essentially thought that the police deceived him, that they didn't use the proper procedures, so he ruled that out of evidence.
COOPER: So what does the time of day matter? Because I think part of the ruling was that it -- the exam took place at night?
TOOBIN: Well, the whole thing took place at night.
COOPER: Right, they approached him at like after midnight.
TOOBIN: They didn't even come to the hotel in Cordelia until after midnight. They talked to him until two in the morning and then took him for the physical exam. So the fact that it was so late at night lent to this sort of coercive air.
COOPER: "The Rocky Mountain News" has published interviews with some jury consultants who were talking about, sort of, the ideal jury for the Kobe Bryant case. Have you seen this?
TOOBIN: I have not.
COOPER: They were saying that the ideal jury would be a -- for Kobe Bryant -- would be a white woman, in her 50s, who has a son; for the prosecution, a feminist who has a daughter the same age as the alleged victim.
Does that make any sense to you?
TOOBIN: Well, you know, it actually does.
One of the things that always surprised me in my work about, you know, rape cases is that women jurors, particularly older, women jurors tend to be very hostile to women who make claims of date rape.
COOPER: Really?
TOOBIN: That older women, in particular, say, you know, what were you doing in the hotel room?
And my anecdotal evidence is consistent with that. So even though it's counter-intuitive -- you would think some sort of women solidarity -- it largely doesn't exist with older women. So, that is consistent with what I've heard.
COOPER: All right.
TOOBIN: All righty.
COOPER: Thanks very much.
TOOBIN: See you later.
COOPER: Heidi?
COLLINS: All right. We're going to take you live now in just a moment here. Mike Ditka -- you've heard about this. We're going to listen to him live. He's talking about his run for Senate. Let's listen in.
MIKE DITKA, FORMER CHICAGO BEARS COACH: I don't like the scrutiny. I'm not saying that I couldn't handle it, but I don't like it.
And I think that there are certain things that are, you know -- The world doesn't have no know about. I really believe that. I mean, your personal life is your personal life.
Your public life is a different thing now. If you put out dirty laundry, than everybody is going to see it.
QUESTION: What about politics for you in the future?
DITKA: I don't think so. I think that at my age right now, I think I can do the best job as trying to speak out and making people hear what I say. And if they like what I say, fine, if they don't like what I say, I can't help it.
I'm just me. You know, I'm not trying to convert the world. I'm just telling people that there are two sides to every issue. My side is a viable side just like the other guy's side.
QUESTION: You feel like you have enough other platforms in which to get your message across?
DITKA: I speak to people all over the country, and I give the same message. You know, this country was founded under God. I love America. You know, I support this president. So, you know if people don't like it, they don't like it. I mean I can't help that.
QUESTION: You mentioned at the top of the interview that maybe there are other, viable candidates. Anybody that you can think of?
DITKA: Get somebody to put the gloves on and go out there and give the guy a fight. I don't know. I mean, I really don't -- I haven't kept up with the candidates, so I really don't know.
QUESTION: All right, coach. Thank you so much for joining us this morning.
DITKA: Thank you.
QUESTION: Well there you have it.
COLLINS: There you see it. Mike Ditka saying that he is not interested in running for Senate in the state of Illinois, talking a little bit about the public life and the scrutiny that he would be under even more so as a coach, as you would imagine.
Again, never running for Senate, but he would have gone up against State Senator Obama who is vying for that position. Anderson will be talking with him a little bit later in the show. So more on that as we continue.
All this week, we have looking at "The Truth About Lying." Today's focus is on men and women and how the lies we tell can build the relationship or tear it down.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS (voice-over): It's a refrain as old as time. Women say men basically lie to get what they want.
GWENDOLYN ROBINSON: He started telling me about all these visions that God was giving him as far as being the right person in his life. Once I found the marriage licenses, and I knew he was still married to these women, I didn't want to see it happen to someone else.
COLLINS: Are men always the liars and women the one's who believe them? Get ready for the truth. Researchers say women lie the same amount as men. What's different about the sexes is what they lie about.
DORY HOLLANDER, AUTHOR "101 LIES MEN TELL WOMEN": A lot of men feel that they have to compete with other men who have more money, who have a better job, who have more status. And so men will invent themselves and reinvent themselves in order to be attractive to a woman. So many of them lie about their eye color. COLLINS: One study found that men lie to enhance their self- esteem. The same study found women are more likely to lie to spare the feelings of others.
HOLLANDER: The most common places that women protect the relationship are in the sanctity of the bedroom, where a woman will say that she's sexually fulfilled and she's not.
She wants to protect his ego. She wants to make him feel good about her, about the relationship and about his performance.
COLLINS: But these days, women may be telling different kinds of lies about what happens in the bedroom. A recent poll shows that the number of married women in America who have had affairs is rising, still less than men but going up 50 percent in a decade.
HOLLANDER: Understand that people lie. You lie. I lie. We all lie.
But some lies are going to be not acceptable, and that's where you have to draw your line in the sand. Lies of evasion are really hurtful.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Tomorrow, as our week-long series continues, we'll focus on how to tell if someone is lying to you.
COOPER: Their nose grows.
COLLINS: The Pinocchio effect.
Well still to come this morning, "Friends" said goodbye a couple of months ago, but the show might be getting a belated going away present this morning.
What? You didn't like it?
COOPER: No. I never really got into it.
Also ahead, there's a new ruler at Caesar's Palace. Will the gamble pay off? Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business."
COLLINS: Plus Osama bin Laden may be the most hated man in America, but even he has a family. We'll talk to someone who once knew bin Laden well.
Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Welcome back. All bets are on as another casino gathers its chips to take over a competitor. Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business."
Who is taking over whom? ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Harrah's is taking over Caesars? And you remember just a couple weeks ago, MGM and Mandalay did a giant deal. So you have two huge deals in the casino business?
And what's going on here, Anderson is that gambling has become so pervasive all across the country that these two companies are looking to gather businesses under their tents.
Let's look at some of these properties here. It's unbelievable. Harrah's and Caesars -- two very different companies. You can see the size of these deals are big, big, big.
Harrah's generally has been more of a blue-collar operation. They've got a lot of casinos throughout the country like in Tunica, Mississippi and stuff like that. Caesars is going to be their big Las Vegas property, whereas MGM and Mandalay have things like the Bellagio, where maybe you hang out, Circus Circus...
COOPER: I've never been.
SERWER: Maybe.
Heidi Collins, the Colorado Bell.
Or Toure', Excalibur.
Luxor, Mandalay Bay.
Mandalay Bay, I go -- I don't gamble; I just go and hang out in those pools.
COLLINS: And the boat rides.
COOPER: I've never been to Vegas.
SERWER: You've never been to Las Vegas?
COOPER: Never.
TOURE', "ROLLING STONE" MAGAZINE: Really?
COLLINS: Oh man.
TOURE': Unless we connect him tonight.
COOPER: I don't like gambling.
SERWER: Yes.
TOURE': JetBlue.
SERWER: Yes.
TOURE': Get him there.
SERWER: Get him out. Let's talk about the markets...
COOPER: Tomorrow, AMERICAN MORNING from Vegas.
(LAUGHTER)
SERWER: That's a terrific idea.
COLLINS: Ching.
SERWER: Let's talk about the markets, the other big casino in the United States.
Yesterday was a down day across the board. You can see here. People really wondering, are we running out of steam? And I think it's a very good question.
One night -- nice -- note here thought, Apple profits tripling. Their iPods selling like crazy. They sold 860,000 in the latest quarter. That's more than double. And that is a product hot, hot, hot.
COOPER: And that iTunes, a big hit.
SERWER: Yes.
COOPER: The kids love it.
SERWER: Hundreds of millions of tunes are downloading off there.
COOPER: Toure' loves it.
SERWER: The young people. Is that what you're talking about?
COOPER: Yes, the kids.
SERWER: The young people...
COOPER: Yes, with the music and the computers.
SERWER: Yes, they're just crazy, these people.
COLLINS: I got one of those for my birthday. I'm still learning how to figure it out.
TOURE': Those people.
You need an iPod.
COOPER: I have an iPod. I don't know how to connect it to the computer, but I have one.
TOURE': It's so amazingly simple.
COOPER: Yes, well, OK.
COLLINS: More on that.
SERWER: He's never been to Vegas either.
COLLINS: More on that later. We'll have the instructions a little bit later.
TOURE': Can you see Anderson like, can I get that wake-up call to my cell phone, please?
(LAUGHTER)
COLLINS: All right. As you probably have noticed, Jack is off for a few days. And Toure' is here to help with the "Question of the Day."
We just heard from this guy, Mr. Mike Ditka.
TOURE': Right, right, right, right.
Well, before we get started just, you know, I'm not giving it 110 percent today. I'm going to be phoning it in today because I was up really, really late...
(BEEP)
TOURE': ... at the Prince show.
COLLINS: Well, that was the phone.
TOURE': As everybody is phoning it in today.
The whole crew was with me at the Prince show last night until 2 a.m.
We were hoping he would perform at the after party. But he didn't. But I got to talk to the man and his gorgeous wife.
COOPER: You talked to the princess?
TOURE': I talked to his princess and he's -- you know.
COOPER: Wow.
COLLINS: Wow, you totally outdone me now. I'm so bummed.
TOURE': And I heard that the show I went to was better than the one you went to. But --
COLLINS: Yes, whatever. On to the question, Toure'.
TOURE': But we digress.
Mike Ditka has decided not run for the Illinois senate. And we've seen Tom Osbourne become the governor of Nebraska. But we've also seen athletes, actors and politicians with no political experience throwing their hats in the ring. And because of the advantages of fame, they're immediately viable candidates.
Is this good for the process? Well, why not? Politics is always the great American second act from Bill Bradley, to Reagan, Ventura, Schwarzenegger. Sometimes outsiders can breath new life into the process.
The ancient Roman senate had people from all walks of life. And then thousands of years since then, career politicians haven't ended war, poverty or political corruption. So why should they have all the fun.
But we want to know what you think. We know what Heidi thinks because she's dying over here.
COOPER: Haven't you just answered "The Question of the Day"?
TOURE': Yes. That's what we do.
COOPER: I'm not sure about that.
TOURE': We give them the correct answer.
COOPER: Oh, I see how it works.
TOURE': And then we see how they do.
COOPER: OK.
TOURE': So, do non-career politicians belong in politics?
E-mail us at am@cnn.com.
COLLINS: That was very poetic.
TOURE': Thank you.
COOPER: Yes, yes.
COLLINS: All right. Thank you.
COOPER: There you go.
COOPER: Still to come, what is it like to marry into the family of a terrorist mastermind? We'll talk to a woman very familiar with Osama bin Laden.
Also ahead some tips on how to save money at the pump and we'll tell you how you can be rewarded for buying gas.
Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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