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American Morning

Martha Stewart Released; Stressed at the CIA?; 'The Future is Now'

Aired March 04, 2005 - 08:01   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.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Cheers for Martha Stewart fans on a chilly West Virginia night. The first look as she leaves prison and arrives back home in the early hours of the morning.
Also, a dangerous animal attack. A man in critical condition today, attacked by a pair of chimpanzees.

And in the line of duty. It looks like a Hollywood stunt, but a quick-thinking police officer has his man on this AMERICAN MORNING.

ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.

Clear skies in New York. Good, everybody, on a Friday. Good to have you along with us today.

Good morning.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Soledad is off. Where is she? Is she skiing?

HEMMER: She's in the American West with her husband.

COSTELLO: Good for her.

HEMMER: Getting some well deserved time away.

Getting right to the big story that happened overnight. When we were sleeping, Martha Stewart went home. She arrived in her New York estate at 2:40 a.m. Eastern Time, two hours after leaving jail in West Virginia. She has not spoken, but she has plenty to say in a statement.

Deb Feyerick has that in a moment here. We'll get to Deb.

COSTELLO: Also, the CIA is right at the start of one of the biggest changes in its history. We'll ask the former acting director, John McLaughlin, about the workload complaints we're hearing from the new director. And what happens to national security while these changes take place?

HEMMER: Also, "The File" a bit later this morning. Here's Jack with a preview.

Good morning.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: The new guy's complaining he has to work too hard? Is that the deal?

HEMMER: A bit of a comment that came out...

COSTELLO: He said it's crazy, the workload.

CAFFERTY: That's a shame.

Coming up on "The Cafferty File," a Republican senator defies the Bush administration on the subject of prescription drugs from Canada. Fat cops are shown the side door in Sweden. And the chance to buy someone's soul for $17.99.

HEMMER: That's it?

CAFFERTY: That's all I have at this time.

COSTELLO: I was expecting more myself.

HEMMER: The price tag.

CAFFERTY: Well, I got nothing.

COSTELLO: It's Friday.

CAFFERTY: The bowl is almost empty on a Friday.

HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.

CAFFERTY: Yes.

HEMMER: Want to get back to Martha Stewart's story now. After five months behind bars, Martha Stewart back home in her suburban New York City estate at this hour. Upstate, we should say, outside of town.

Deborah Feyerick is in West Virginia, meanwhile. She was there just minutes after Stewart was released.

And Deb, good morning to you. How did she look last night?

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bill, she looked amazing, actually. And that's one of the things about Martha Stewart. Everybody was guessing how she would look. And even though she didn't say anything, the image of Martha Stewart spoke volumes.

She looked trim, she looked young, she looked happy. Unlike the matronly outfits she normally wears, she was wearing jeans and boots and a shawl. And that shawl looked as if it had been crocheted.

She talked about crocheting in prison. We don't know if that's something that she or maybe one of her fellow inmates made. But she looked relaxed and happy. And even the way she was waving to people, there was something very girlish about the way she was waving.

She was so excited it seemed when she heard people here cheering for her. Those people just a small group of supporters who came out in the dead of night just to show that they were still behind her. They were actually from Seattle. They'd come in from Seattle, but they were here just to make sure she had somebody at the airport waving her good-bye.

HEMMER: The cameras, Deb, the flatbed truck, it seemed pretty scripted last night. How tight was the?

FEYERICK: Everything was scripted. There was not anything really that was left to chance.

The company itself actually brought in a flatbed truck, and that's so all of the photographers could stand on top of that. An unimpeded view of Martha Stewart as she boarded the plane.

As a matter of fact, the SUV pulled up just in front of the cockpit, giving Martha about 50 feet to walk into that door. They -- it seems as if the people who were in charge of all of this did not want Martha Stewart to be seen anywhere sort of near the prison. They didn't want that image of her walking through the gates or making some sort of a statement at the gates.

Instead, they wanted people to see Martha basically debuting in what was really quite miraculous. Even her hair looked shiny. And we do know that they were selling hair coloring in the commissary. So perhaps that's why she -- what contributed to her looking so good.

HEMMER: We understand by law she has to meet with her probation officer within 72 hours. When will that happen? Do we know, Deb?

FEYERICK: We're trying to find that out right now, as a matter of fact. She could meet with him as early as this afternoon.

The thing about her home confinement is it does not officially begin until the moment that the bracelet is put on her ankle. So if she waits until Monday, then obviously means she'll be in home confinement three days longer. Now that she's home, she could make arrangements to have it done as soon as possible.

The probation department does make exceptions so that they sometimes meet with people over the weekend. And that could happen too.

HEMMER: All right. Deb, thanks. Deb Feyerick there.

Tonight on CNN, 8:00 Eastern Time, a special edition of "PEOPLE IN THE NEWS" will feature Martha's makeover. Paula Zahn has that, 8:00 tonight, 5:00 on the West Coast.

COSTELLO: Somehow, I'm finding it difficult to believe -- and Kelly, I know you're with me on this -- that she bought her hair color from the prison commissary.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, I don't know. She had that stylist, right, from New York City that she talked with last week?

COSTELLO: Exactly. WALLACE: Maybe he was doing a little work during those visits.

COSTELLO: Exactly. And then we were talking about her poncho, because, you know, she started weaving in prison. And maybe...

HEMMER: Did she make it?

COSTELLO: No.

HEMMER: Well, you said it, she's bringing back the poncho. We'll see.

COSTELLO: Well, you know, because ponchos are so out now, Kelly.

WALLACE: Maybe she'll start Ponchos by Martha.

COSTELLO: You never know.

WALLACE: You never know. OK, we've got to move on. "Now in the News" a lot to tell you about.

The defense in the Michael Jackson trial set to cross-examine the accuser's sister for a second day. The college freshman will be back on the stand today. She says Jackson held her family against their will at the Neverland Ranch. She also claims her family was whisked away to Miami before that controversial TV documentary about the pop star aired. Proceedings set to resume less than four hours from now in Santa Maria, California.

Americans killed -- American soldiers killed in Iraq are being honored. The 5x7 images are part of an art exhibit at Syracuse University. The project started with 1,100 portraits done last year at a college in California. The images will stay up until April 1, then go to the families. One student said it is a way to return the ultimate generosity of the soldiers.

News about pope John Paul II. He may make another appearance this weekend. A Vatican spokesman says the pope may give blessings to the faithful in Rome from his hospital window. He did the same thing last Sunday.

As for when he'll be released, no date yet. But Vatican officials say the pontiff may be back at the Vatican in time for Easter celebrations three weeks from now.

And a Florida man is lucky to be alive. He is recovering this morning after spending two days beneath a bridge. Authorities say the man was bending over the railing to pick up a cell phone when he lost his grip and fell more than 40 feet. He apparently drank rain water for two days before a maintenance worker heard his cries for help.

But again, the man is said to be doing fine and listed in stable condition. And thankful that maintenance worker came around and heard him.

HEMMER: Thankful indeed. Thank you, Kelly. WALLACE: Sure.

HEMMER: These are changing times at the CIA as the agency seeks to remain relevant in its sweeping intelligence changes. President Bush was there touring the agency yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: One of the reasons I came here is because I know there is some uncertainty about what this reform means to the people of the CIA. And I wanted to assure them that the reforms will strengthen their efforts and make it easier for them to do their job, not harder.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Yes, that visit comes a day after CIA Director Porter Goss reportedly said that job could be "too much for this mortal." The CIA says those remarks taken out of context in California at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. That's part of our CNN "Security Watch" now with CNN national security adviser John McLaughlin, a former CIA acting director, live in D.C.

And good morning to you, and welcome back here. Porter Goss apparently was quoted as saying the following: he's "a little amazed at the workload" that he has at the CIA.

Were you amazed when you had that job?

JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: I don't know whether "amazed" is the right term, but I was certainly impressed, as Porter has been, with the scope and duties that are involved in the job. It is a job where you never take your pack off -- 24/7 you're on the job. And the diversity of duties are just staggering.

HEMMER: You say this is the most demanding job in Washington. I'd imagine there are a lot of demanding jobs in Washington. What makes this more so than the others?

MCLAUGHLIN: Well, all senior jobs in Washington are very demanding, as you know, Bill. What makes this one so demanding is the combination of duties.

You're up at 5:30 in the morning, you go through 50 to 60 pages, preparing to brief the president. You brief the president for an hour, you return to your headquarters, you sit down with your folks, you go over a series of operations that will take place that day, all with life and death consequences, then you move on. This is an average day.

You move on and prepare to brief your counterparts in the cabinet on some difficult subject like Iran nuclear matters. You meet with foreign intelligence chiefs to plan joint operations. You go up to Capitol Hill. All in one day you're dealing with congressmen on contentious issues in a hearing. You sit down at that point and look back over your day and realize that there's a lot to be done. You might make it to dinner by 8:00 at night. You're interrupted three or four times with phone calls. You get a couple of phone calls in the middle of the night.

And while you're doing all of this -- you ask what's different about this job. Well, all these jobs are tough, but this is the only job in Washington where the incumbent is expected to foresee the future. And it's the job where you very often -- not a day goes by that you don't have to make a choice between covering something in the world and not covering something else. Because intelligence resources are not such that everything can be covered.

When you make those choices, it's mathematically certain that you will be wrong about something, and that, in turn, will probably bring on an investigation. And that adds to the stress as well.

There's no agency in Washington that spends more time looking in the rearview mirror of necessity because of all the investigations, while having so much at stake on the path that lies ahead. So all of these things combine to make it a very stressful position that is in many ways, different than any other position in Washington.

HEMMER: It seems to me like -- go ahead.

MCLAUGHLIN: That said, most of us who have had it also say it's the best job in Washington.

HEMMER: Well, I think he'll welcome John Negroponte to take a bit of that workload off of him.

I wanted to focus on something -- on a different topic now. It was about 24 hours ago the president was at the swearing-in of Michael Chertoff, the head of Homeland Security. It is rare that we hear the president mention Osama bin Laden and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi by name. What does it tell you as to why he did this yesterday?

MCLAUGHLIN: Well, I'm guessing that he's keying on the reports that we've had about the likelihood of increased cooperation between the two of them. Zarqawi some months ago made a decision to be subordinate to bin Laden, and this was a big development. And the president is probably mindful of the fact that that closer association is a dangerous thing, and raises the stakes and makes it all the more important that we chase these people down.

In the case of Zarqawi, we've had a lot of success capturing a number of his lieutenants, couriers, lower-level people, some of his key aides. Essentially peeling the network, peeling the onion of his network and getting closer and closer to him.

HEMMER: When he talked about...

MCLAUGHLIN: I think the president is just underlining this.

HEMMER: Yes. When he talked about Osama bin Laden -- I need a quick answer, almost out of time -- he said we've kept him in hiding, almost as if he's baiting him. Does that happen?

MCLAUGHLIN: No. I wouldn't look at it that way. I think the president is simply saying that he has been under such pressure that he doesn't have the same freedom to operate that he once did.

HEMMER: OK. Thanks. John McLaughlin, come on back again. Always good to talk to you down there in Washington.

And stay tuned to CNN day and night for the latest news on your security.

Here's Carol now with more.

COSTELLO: Shall we talk to the hardest working man in weather, Chad?

(WEATHER REPORT)

HEMMER: A Hollywood actress taking over the Oval Office. Geena Davis elected president on TV. But is that a sign of things to come in the real world?

COSTELLO: I know. I wonder who she's modeling herself after. Hmm.

Also, how would you like your boss keeping tabs on you 24/7? It's already happening at one company. Andy explains how the boss became big brother.

HEMMER: Also in a moment, a routine traffic stop turns into a wild ride for one cop. He'll share his amazing story in a moment. We'll talk to him after the break here on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: GPS technology hardly new, but now it is catching on with employers trying to improve productivity by watching their workers. In our series "The Future is Now," a trucking company that's using GPS to find out if its drivers are on their routes or whether or not they're slacking out. Here's Andy Serwer back with his series again today.

Good morning.

ANDY SERWER, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, FORTUNE MAGAZINE: Good morning, Bill. How would you like it if your boss knew where you were every working hour of every working day?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SERWER (voice-over): Drivers who haul trash for Ciro Viento have been warned. Ciro sees everything.

CIRO VIENTO, AUTOMATED WASTE DISPOSAL: He's moving 58 miles an hour in a southwest direction. It shows exactly where he is. He's on Interstate 84 and he just passed South Street. SERWER: Viento commands a fleet of 250 trash trucks in Connecticut and New York. His company, Automated Waste Disposal, pays for a service backed by a global positioning system to track each of its truck 24/7. But drivers like Greg Ramos don't seem to mind.

GRAG RAMOS, TRUCK DRIVER: It doesn't bother me at all. You know, as long as you get your job done, you get no hassle. And you go without noticing it.

SERWER: Once the transponders are hooked up and mounted on the roof, there's nowhere ho hide. Viento can even tell if drivers are stopped at what he calls hot spots, distractions like Dunkin' Donuts or a local bar.

VIENTO: We've also loaded in all of the drivers' homes so we can tell if they're supposed to be on their route and they're at their house with their wife or their kids, or whatever they're doing.

SERWER: Viento says the GPS system from At Road paid for itself after just two months. For one group of drivers, overtime hours plunged 75 percent in just a week.

VIENTO: It was during the wintertime, and we had discovered that he had gone home to his house, parked our vehicle in his driveway, got in his personal vehicle, pickup truck with a plow, and decided to go out and make some extra money plowing snow that day.

SERWER (on camera): On your time?

VIENTO: On my time.

SERWER (voice-over): With an average truck costing $200,000, Viento says he's just protecting the company's investment. But Tom McNally, one of the drivers, says it's changed his daily routine.

TOM MCNALLY, TRUCK DRIVER: You know, you're standing on line at the deli and you've got to hurry up because, you know, big brother's watching.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SERWER: For a while, Bill, employees at this company tried to beat the system. One guy had a company car and he took it to his mechanic and got the GPS system removed. Of course they saw that right away, they reinstalled it. Then he tried to get it removed again. They saw that again. He was terminated.

Meanwhile, this guy Ciro Viento, the manager in the story, his son is about to turn 16, and he said he's going to put one of those in his kid's car.

HEMMER: I bet.

SERWER: I mean, this really is big brother.

HEMMER: How about the overtime report you had in there. It dropped how much?

SERWER: Seventy-five percent in a week. I mean, it's just amazing. And, you know, I think the drivers accept it, but it's not their favorite thing.

HEMMER: Good series this week.

SERWER: Thanks, Bill.

HEMMER: That was my favorite story, too.

SERWER: Interesting, huh?

HEMMER: Well done. See you later, Andy.

SERWER: Thanks.

HEMMER: Here's Carol.

COSTELLO: A developing story to tell you about. We just found out the president is set to name his pick to be the new EPA chief. It's expected to happen in the next 20 minutes or so. When it does, we will take you live to the White House.

Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Oh, it's time to check in with Jack and the question. He's doing that because the floor crew told us to look at this camera.

CAFFERTY: And so we're just doing what we're told, right?

COSTELLO: Exactly.

CAFFERTY: So following instructions. Now we're over here?

23,000 miles and 67 hours, and Steve Fossett's in the world record book. Sixty years ago old. This guy became the first person to circle the globe solo -- and that's an important distinction -- without stopping for gas.

His GlobalFlyer touched down in Salina, Kansas, yesterday. And he has a record. And because it's Friday, and I'm a little out of great ideas, according to Ms. Costello, the "Question of the Day" is, what world record would you like to break?

This doesn't interest Carol a lot.

Dave in Japan writes: "I think the next Olympics will see a new distance record for throwing an IOC drug tester."

COSTELLO: Ugh.

CAFFERTY: Michael in Georgia writes: "The only record I'd like to own is that of sharing the most kisses with one woman in a lifetime, my wife. I've only been married 20 years, but if we both live long enough, we've got a shot."

COSTELLO: Ah.

CAFFERTY: Touching.

Dave in Toronto writes: "The record I would most like to break is going as many days in a row without seeing the annoying Jack Cafferty on AMERICAN MORNING. How can we make that happen?"

I've got 18 months to go on my contract, kid. You better watch something else.

Mike in South Dakota writes: "As a retired" -- this is interesting. "As a retired military officer, I salute you, Jack. With our youngsters sacrificing everything to defend our freedoms, who the hell cares if Martha Stewart can now fit into her skinny jeans."

Right on, Michael.

COSTELLO: What does that have to do with setting a record?

CAFFERTY: It's Friday. If you watched this program regularly, you'd know that on Friday, we allow people to write in about anything that they wish to comment on. It's been that way for about two-and-a- half years.

So you need to set your little TiVo situation and get up to date. Do your homework before you come here and fill in on this thing.

HEMMER: Editorial overview Jack Cafferty has...

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: He's a nasty guy.

CAFFERTY: I am.

COSTELLO: OK. I got it. Thanks for educating me.

CAFFERTY: I'm here to help out.

COSTELLO: Yes.

CAFFERTY: Let me know if you need anything else.

COSTELLO: Any minute now, we're expecting to hear from the president. He's set to name his pick to head up the EPA. We're going to take you live to the White House when the president begins speaking.

Plus, big news overnight, Jack. Martha Stewart out of prison, in her skinny jeans, and she's back at home in Bedford, New York. We will take you there live to check out the scene. That's just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HEMMER: Good morning, everybody. Nice day here in New York City. Good morning to you. And good to have you along with us today. I'm Bill Hemmer.

COSTELLO: I'm Carol Costello, in for Soledad this morning. Happy Friday.

HEMMER: We're going to get back to this story at the White House happening at this hour. In fact, John King has learned the new head of the EPA will be Stephen Johnson, the acting head. We'll go live to that announcement when it happens down there with John and the president.

COSTELLO: We certainly will.

Other big news today, Martha Stewart out of jail, back on her New York estate. And she is wasting no time in getting back to work. Allan Chernoff is going to tell us about her big plans and how a prison term may be a fabulous business opportunity.

HEMMER: The Martha watch continues.

Also this morning, we'll talk to a lawman who took the ride of his life. He's alive. He's well. We'll ask him why he took such a risk here and how all this came about.

COSTELLO: Yes. We're going to ask him, "Were you crazy?"

HEMMER: He'll probably answer "Yes, but I want to do it again." So we'll get to that.

COSTELLO: Yes, exactly.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com


Aired March 4, 2005 - 08:01   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Cheers for Martha Stewart fans on a chilly West Virginia night. The first look as she leaves prison and arrives back home in the early hours of the morning.
Also, a dangerous animal attack. A man in critical condition today, attacked by a pair of chimpanzees.

And in the line of duty. It looks like a Hollywood stunt, but a quick-thinking police officer has his man on this AMERICAN MORNING.

ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.

Clear skies in New York. Good, everybody, on a Friday. Good to have you along with us today.

Good morning.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Soledad is off. Where is she? Is she skiing?

HEMMER: She's in the American West with her husband.

COSTELLO: Good for her.

HEMMER: Getting some well deserved time away.

Getting right to the big story that happened overnight. When we were sleeping, Martha Stewart went home. She arrived in her New York estate at 2:40 a.m. Eastern Time, two hours after leaving jail in West Virginia. She has not spoken, but she has plenty to say in a statement.

Deb Feyerick has that in a moment here. We'll get to Deb.

COSTELLO: Also, the CIA is right at the start of one of the biggest changes in its history. We'll ask the former acting director, John McLaughlin, about the workload complaints we're hearing from the new director. And what happens to national security while these changes take place?

HEMMER: Also, "The File" a bit later this morning. Here's Jack with a preview.

Good morning.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: The new guy's complaining he has to work too hard? Is that the deal?

HEMMER: A bit of a comment that came out...

COSTELLO: He said it's crazy, the workload.

CAFFERTY: That's a shame.

Coming up on "The Cafferty File," a Republican senator defies the Bush administration on the subject of prescription drugs from Canada. Fat cops are shown the side door in Sweden. And the chance to buy someone's soul for $17.99.

HEMMER: That's it?

CAFFERTY: That's all I have at this time.

COSTELLO: I was expecting more myself.

HEMMER: The price tag.

CAFFERTY: Well, I got nothing.

COSTELLO: It's Friday.

CAFFERTY: The bowl is almost empty on a Friday.

HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.

CAFFERTY: Yes.

HEMMER: Want to get back to Martha Stewart's story now. After five months behind bars, Martha Stewart back home in her suburban New York City estate at this hour. Upstate, we should say, outside of town.

Deborah Feyerick is in West Virginia, meanwhile. She was there just minutes after Stewart was released.

And Deb, good morning to you. How did she look last night?

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bill, she looked amazing, actually. And that's one of the things about Martha Stewart. Everybody was guessing how she would look. And even though she didn't say anything, the image of Martha Stewart spoke volumes.

She looked trim, she looked young, she looked happy. Unlike the matronly outfits she normally wears, she was wearing jeans and boots and a shawl. And that shawl looked as if it had been crocheted.

She talked about crocheting in prison. We don't know if that's something that she or maybe one of her fellow inmates made. But she looked relaxed and happy. And even the way she was waving to people, there was something very girlish about the way she was waving.

She was so excited it seemed when she heard people here cheering for her. Those people just a small group of supporters who came out in the dead of night just to show that they were still behind her. They were actually from Seattle. They'd come in from Seattle, but they were here just to make sure she had somebody at the airport waving her good-bye.

HEMMER: The cameras, Deb, the flatbed truck, it seemed pretty scripted last night. How tight was the?

FEYERICK: Everything was scripted. There was not anything really that was left to chance.

The company itself actually brought in a flatbed truck, and that's so all of the photographers could stand on top of that. An unimpeded view of Martha Stewart as she boarded the plane.

As a matter of fact, the SUV pulled up just in front of the cockpit, giving Martha about 50 feet to walk into that door. They -- it seems as if the people who were in charge of all of this did not want Martha Stewart to be seen anywhere sort of near the prison. They didn't want that image of her walking through the gates or making some sort of a statement at the gates.

Instead, they wanted people to see Martha basically debuting in what was really quite miraculous. Even her hair looked shiny. And we do know that they were selling hair coloring in the commissary. So perhaps that's why she -- what contributed to her looking so good.

HEMMER: We understand by law she has to meet with her probation officer within 72 hours. When will that happen? Do we know, Deb?

FEYERICK: We're trying to find that out right now, as a matter of fact. She could meet with him as early as this afternoon.

The thing about her home confinement is it does not officially begin until the moment that the bracelet is put on her ankle. So if she waits until Monday, then obviously means she'll be in home confinement three days longer. Now that she's home, she could make arrangements to have it done as soon as possible.

The probation department does make exceptions so that they sometimes meet with people over the weekend. And that could happen too.

HEMMER: All right. Deb, thanks. Deb Feyerick there.

Tonight on CNN, 8:00 Eastern Time, a special edition of "PEOPLE IN THE NEWS" will feature Martha's makeover. Paula Zahn has that, 8:00 tonight, 5:00 on the West Coast.

COSTELLO: Somehow, I'm finding it difficult to believe -- and Kelly, I know you're with me on this -- that she bought her hair color from the prison commissary.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, I don't know. She had that stylist, right, from New York City that she talked with last week?

COSTELLO: Exactly. WALLACE: Maybe he was doing a little work during those visits.

COSTELLO: Exactly. And then we were talking about her poncho, because, you know, she started weaving in prison. And maybe...

HEMMER: Did she make it?

COSTELLO: No.

HEMMER: Well, you said it, she's bringing back the poncho. We'll see.

COSTELLO: Well, you know, because ponchos are so out now, Kelly.

WALLACE: Maybe she'll start Ponchos by Martha.

COSTELLO: You never know.

WALLACE: You never know. OK, we've got to move on. "Now in the News" a lot to tell you about.

The defense in the Michael Jackson trial set to cross-examine the accuser's sister for a second day. The college freshman will be back on the stand today. She says Jackson held her family against their will at the Neverland Ranch. She also claims her family was whisked away to Miami before that controversial TV documentary about the pop star aired. Proceedings set to resume less than four hours from now in Santa Maria, California.

Americans killed -- American soldiers killed in Iraq are being honored. The 5x7 images are part of an art exhibit at Syracuse University. The project started with 1,100 portraits done last year at a college in California. The images will stay up until April 1, then go to the families. One student said it is a way to return the ultimate generosity of the soldiers.

News about pope John Paul II. He may make another appearance this weekend. A Vatican spokesman says the pope may give blessings to the faithful in Rome from his hospital window. He did the same thing last Sunday.

As for when he'll be released, no date yet. But Vatican officials say the pontiff may be back at the Vatican in time for Easter celebrations three weeks from now.

And a Florida man is lucky to be alive. He is recovering this morning after spending two days beneath a bridge. Authorities say the man was bending over the railing to pick up a cell phone when he lost his grip and fell more than 40 feet. He apparently drank rain water for two days before a maintenance worker heard his cries for help.

But again, the man is said to be doing fine and listed in stable condition. And thankful that maintenance worker came around and heard him.

HEMMER: Thankful indeed. Thank you, Kelly. WALLACE: Sure.

HEMMER: These are changing times at the CIA as the agency seeks to remain relevant in its sweeping intelligence changes. President Bush was there touring the agency yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: One of the reasons I came here is because I know there is some uncertainty about what this reform means to the people of the CIA. And I wanted to assure them that the reforms will strengthen their efforts and make it easier for them to do their job, not harder.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Yes, that visit comes a day after CIA Director Porter Goss reportedly said that job could be "too much for this mortal." The CIA says those remarks taken out of context in California at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. That's part of our CNN "Security Watch" now with CNN national security adviser John McLaughlin, a former CIA acting director, live in D.C.

And good morning to you, and welcome back here. Porter Goss apparently was quoted as saying the following: he's "a little amazed at the workload" that he has at the CIA.

Were you amazed when you had that job?

JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: I don't know whether "amazed" is the right term, but I was certainly impressed, as Porter has been, with the scope and duties that are involved in the job. It is a job where you never take your pack off -- 24/7 you're on the job. And the diversity of duties are just staggering.

HEMMER: You say this is the most demanding job in Washington. I'd imagine there are a lot of demanding jobs in Washington. What makes this more so than the others?

MCLAUGHLIN: Well, all senior jobs in Washington are very demanding, as you know, Bill. What makes this one so demanding is the combination of duties.

You're up at 5:30 in the morning, you go through 50 to 60 pages, preparing to brief the president. You brief the president for an hour, you return to your headquarters, you sit down with your folks, you go over a series of operations that will take place that day, all with life and death consequences, then you move on. This is an average day.

You move on and prepare to brief your counterparts in the cabinet on some difficult subject like Iran nuclear matters. You meet with foreign intelligence chiefs to plan joint operations. You go up to Capitol Hill. All in one day you're dealing with congressmen on contentious issues in a hearing. You sit down at that point and look back over your day and realize that there's a lot to be done. You might make it to dinner by 8:00 at night. You're interrupted three or four times with phone calls. You get a couple of phone calls in the middle of the night.

And while you're doing all of this -- you ask what's different about this job. Well, all these jobs are tough, but this is the only job in Washington where the incumbent is expected to foresee the future. And it's the job where you very often -- not a day goes by that you don't have to make a choice between covering something in the world and not covering something else. Because intelligence resources are not such that everything can be covered.

When you make those choices, it's mathematically certain that you will be wrong about something, and that, in turn, will probably bring on an investigation. And that adds to the stress as well.

There's no agency in Washington that spends more time looking in the rearview mirror of necessity because of all the investigations, while having so much at stake on the path that lies ahead. So all of these things combine to make it a very stressful position that is in many ways, different than any other position in Washington.

HEMMER: It seems to me like -- go ahead.

MCLAUGHLIN: That said, most of us who have had it also say it's the best job in Washington.

HEMMER: Well, I think he'll welcome John Negroponte to take a bit of that workload off of him.

I wanted to focus on something -- on a different topic now. It was about 24 hours ago the president was at the swearing-in of Michael Chertoff, the head of Homeland Security. It is rare that we hear the president mention Osama bin Laden and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi by name. What does it tell you as to why he did this yesterday?

MCLAUGHLIN: Well, I'm guessing that he's keying on the reports that we've had about the likelihood of increased cooperation between the two of them. Zarqawi some months ago made a decision to be subordinate to bin Laden, and this was a big development. And the president is probably mindful of the fact that that closer association is a dangerous thing, and raises the stakes and makes it all the more important that we chase these people down.

In the case of Zarqawi, we've had a lot of success capturing a number of his lieutenants, couriers, lower-level people, some of his key aides. Essentially peeling the network, peeling the onion of his network and getting closer and closer to him.

HEMMER: When he talked about...

MCLAUGHLIN: I think the president is just underlining this.

HEMMER: Yes. When he talked about Osama bin Laden -- I need a quick answer, almost out of time -- he said we've kept him in hiding, almost as if he's baiting him. Does that happen?

MCLAUGHLIN: No. I wouldn't look at it that way. I think the president is simply saying that he has been under such pressure that he doesn't have the same freedom to operate that he once did.

HEMMER: OK. Thanks. John McLaughlin, come on back again. Always good to talk to you down there in Washington.

And stay tuned to CNN day and night for the latest news on your security.

Here's Carol now with more.

COSTELLO: Shall we talk to the hardest working man in weather, Chad?

(WEATHER REPORT)

HEMMER: A Hollywood actress taking over the Oval Office. Geena Davis elected president on TV. But is that a sign of things to come in the real world?

COSTELLO: I know. I wonder who she's modeling herself after. Hmm.

Also, how would you like your boss keeping tabs on you 24/7? It's already happening at one company. Andy explains how the boss became big brother.

HEMMER: Also in a moment, a routine traffic stop turns into a wild ride for one cop. He'll share his amazing story in a moment. We'll talk to him after the break here on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: GPS technology hardly new, but now it is catching on with employers trying to improve productivity by watching their workers. In our series "The Future is Now," a trucking company that's using GPS to find out if its drivers are on their routes or whether or not they're slacking out. Here's Andy Serwer back with his series again today.

Good morning.

ANDY SERWER, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, FORTUNE MAGAZINE: Good morning, Bill. How would you like it if your boss knew where you were every working hour of every working day?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SERWER (voice-over): Drivers who haul trash for Ciro Viento have been warned. Ciro sees everything.

CIRO VIENTO, AUTOMATED WASTE DISPOSAL: He's moving 58 miles an hour in a southwest direction. It shows exactly where he is. He's on Interstate 84 and he just passed South Street. SERWER: Viento commands a fleet of 250 trash trucks in Connecticut and New York. His company, Automated Waste Disposal, pays for a service backed by a global positioning system to track each of its truck 24/7. But drivers like Greg Ramos don't seem to mind.

GRAG RAMOS, TRUCK DRIVER: It doesn't bother me at all. You know, as long as you get your job done, you get no hassle. And you go without noticing it.

SERWER: Once the transponders are hooked up and mounted on the roof, there's nowhere ho hide. Viento can even tell if drivers are stopped at what he calls hot spots, distractions like Dunkin' Donuts or a local bar.

VIENTO: We've also loaded in all of the drivers' homes so we can tell if they're supposed to be on their route and they're at their house with their wife or their kids, or whatever they're doing.

SERWER: Viento says the GPS system from At Road paid for itself after just two months. For one group of drivers, overtime hours plunged 75 percent in just a week.

VIENTO: It was during the wintertime, and we had discovered that he had gone home to his house, parked our vehicle in his driveway, got in his personal vehicle, pickup truck with a plow, and decided to go out and make some extra money plowing snow that day.

SERWER (on camera): On your time?

VIENTO: On my time.

SERWER (voice-over): With an average truck costing $200,000, Viento says he's just protecting the company's investment. But Tom McNally, one of the drivers, says it's changed his daily routine.

TOM MCNALLY, TRUCK DRIVER: You know, you're standing on line at the deli and you've got to hurry up because, you know, big brother's watching.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SERWER: For a while, Bill, employees at this company tried to beat the system. One guy had a company car and he took it to his mechanic and got the GPS system removed. Of course they saw that right away, they reinstalled it. Then he tried to get it removed again. They saw that again. He was terminated.

Meanwhile, this guy Ciro Viento, the manager in the story, his son is about to turn 16, and he said he's going to put one of those in his kid's car.

HEMMER: I bet.

SERWER: I mean, this really is big brother.

HEMMER: How about the overtime report you had in there. It dropped how much?

SERWER: Seventy-five percent in a week. I mean, it's just amazing. And, you know, I think the drivers accept it, but it's not their favorite thing.

HEMMER: Good series this week.

SERWER: Thanks, Bill.

HEMMER: That was my favorite story, too.

SERWER: Interesting, huh?

HEMMER: Well done. See you later, Andy.

SERWER: Thanks.

HEMMER: Here's Carol.

COSTELLO: A developing story to tell you about. We just found out the president is set to name his pick to be the new EPA chief. It's expected to happen in the next 20 minutes or so. When it does, we will take you live to the White House.

Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Oh, it's time to check in with Jack and the question. He's doing that because the floor crew told us to look at this camera.

CAFFERTY: And so we're just doing what we're told, right?

COSTELLO: Exactly.

CAFFERTY: So following instructions. Now we're over here?

23,000 miles and 67 hours, and Steve Fossett's in the world record book. Sixty years ago old. This guy became the first person to circle the globe solo -- and that's an important distinction -- without stopping for gas.

His GlobalFlyer touched down in Salina, Kansas, yesterday. And he has a record. And because it's Friday, and I'm a little out of great ideas, according to Ms. Costello, the "Question of the Day" is, what world record would you like to break?

This doesn't interest Carol a lot.

Dave in Japan writes: "I think the next Olympics will see a new distance record for throwing an IOC drug tester."

COSTELLO: Ugh.

CAFFERTY: Michael in Georgia writes: "The only record I'd like to own is that of sharing the most kisses with one woman in a lifetime, my wife. I've only been married 20 years, but if we both live long enough, we've got a shot."

COSTELLO: Ah.

CAFFERTY: Touching.

Dave in Toronto writes: "The record I would most like to break is going as many days in a row without seeing the annoying Jack Cafferty on AMERICAN MORNING. How can we make that happen?"

I've got 18 months to go on my contract, kid. You better watch something else.

Mike in South Dakota writes: "As a retired" -- this is interesting. "As a retired military officer, I salute you, Jack. With our youngsters sacrificing everything to defend our freedoms, who the hell cares if Martha Stewart can now fit into her skinny jeans."

Right on, Michael.

COSTELLO: What does that have to do with setting a record?

CAFFERTY: It's Friday. If you watched this program regularly, you'd know that on Friday, we allow people to write in about anything that they wish to comment on. It's been that way for about two-and-a- half years.

So you need to set your little TiVo situation and get up to date. Do your homework before you come here and fill in on this thing.

HEMMER: Editorial overview Jack Cafferty has...

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: He's a nasty guy.

CAFFERTY: I am.

COSTELLO: OK. I got it. Thanks for educating me.

CAFFERTY: I'm here to help out.

COSTELLO: Yes.

CAFFERTY: Let me know if you need anything else.

COSTELLO: Any minute now, we're expecting to hear from the president. He's set to name his pick to head up the EPA. We're going to take you live to the White House when the president begins speaking.

Plus, big news overnight, Jack. Martha Stewart out of prison, in her skinny jeans, and she's back at home in Bedford, New York. We will take you there live to check out the scene. That's just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HEMMER: Good morning, everybody. Nice day here in New York City. Good morning to you. And good to have you along with us today. I'm Bill Hemmer.

COSTELLO: I'm Carol Costello, in for Soledad this morning. Happy Friday.

HEMMER: We're going to get back to this story at the White House happening at this hour. In fact, John King has learned the new head of the EPA will be Stephen Johnson, the acting head. We'll go live to that announcement when it happens down there with John and the president.

COSTELLO: We certainly will.

Other big news today, Martha Stewart out of jail, back on her New York estate. And she is wasting no time in getting back to work. Allan Chernoff is going to tell us about her big plans and how a prison term may be a fabulous business opportunity.

HEMMER: The Martha watch continues.

Also this morning, we'll talk to a lawman who took the ride of his life. He's alive. He's well. We'll ask him why he took such a risk here and how all this came about.

COSTELLO: Yes. We're going to ask him, "Were you crazy?"

HEMMER: He'll probably answer "Yes, but I want to do it again." So we'll get to that.

COSTELLO: Yes, exactly.

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