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American Morning
Security in Nation's Capital Put to the Test; Baghdad Market in Flames as Insurgents Launch New Attacks
Aired May 12, 2005 - 08:00 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.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Security in the nation's capital put to the test. The plane that strayed too close. What have we learned about the safety of our nation's capital?
A Baghdad market in flames today as insurgents launch new attacks, killing 12 people, wounding more than 50 others.
And a high speed chase through southern California with a deadly end. The mean streets on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN broadcast center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody.
8:00 here in New York.
Good to have you along with us today.
Good morning to you, as well.
O'BRIEN: And likewise.
HEMMER: We're looking back at this decision by a judge to allow United Airlines to terminate employee pensions. Not going down easy, too. The labor unions now threatening retaliation. So we'll get to that.
O'BRIEN: And, in fact, we're going to tell you what you need to know about your pension program. Gerri Willis is going to join us with some advice.
HEMMER: In the meantime, Jack Cafferty back with us.
What's up in "The File?"
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Coming up in "The Cafferty File," Bill, we have Thailand's version of "The Farmer's Almanac," a dead cat worth $45,000 and a German woman chooses jail time over her family. It is a great, great story.
HEMMER: Wow!
O'BRIEN: She might have a really good reason. Sometimes the family can be a little too much and you need a little time off.
HEMMER: How many children in that family?
O'BRIEN: Yes, right.
CAFFERTY: This is priceless.
O'BRIEN: How many kids?
CAFFERTY: It really is.
O'BRIEN: I'm looking forward to it.
CAFFERTY: You'll be able to relate.
O'BRIEN: Oh, yes, I bet.
HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.
First to the headlines.
Carol Costello has those -- good morning.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.
Good morning to all of you.
Now in the news, an investigation going on right now in southern California. Have you seen this police chase? This chase we're about to show you lasted about 20 minutes, reached speeds of 100 miles per hour and it ended in a hail of police gunfire. You see the car crashing and then the driver takes off again. The police chased the car again and then you're going to see, hopefully soon, the driver of this car getting out. And after he gets out of the car, police opened fire, shoots and kills the man. As I said, an investigation is ensuing. But just another car chase, a deadly one, in southern California.
The Army is planning to stop recruitment for one day this month to focus on its own rules and ethics. Army recruiters are expected to hear from officials next Friday about what is appropriate when signing people up for the service. The stand-down comes in response to recent reports alleging at least two cases of recruitment abuse.
The Reagan Presidential Library in California is getting $2.5 million thanks to a tribute to Nancy Reagan. Last night's dinner was the first major event for the former first lady since the death of former President Reagan last June. Noting that both Republicans and Democrats were among the 570 plus guests, Nancy Reagan joked, "Perhaps we should do this more often."
And the son of a New York photographer says he has discovered 32 unknown masterpieces by the late American abstract painter Jackson Pollock. Isn't this -- oh, this is like terrific. The works are all in Pollock's drip style, possibly done as experimental pieces between 1946 and 1940 -- oh, look at them. If authentic, these paintings could be worth millions and millions and millions of dollars.
O'BRIEN: Where were they found?
COSTELLO: I don't know. I don't know any more on the story. I'm going to have to go up and research it more.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
COSTELLO: But he just found all of these paintings, previously unknown. And there they are.
O'BRIEN: Wow, that's pretty amazing.
COSTELLO: I love Jackson Pollock.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
COSTELLO: I'm going to go look so that...
O'BRIEN: There are so many...
COSTELLO: ... not that I'd ever be able to afford to buy any.
O'BRIEN: I was going to say, yes, maybe you can get one, there are so many of them.
COSTELLO: Sure.
O'BRIEN: Thanks, Carol.
Let's get right to our CNN "Security Watch" now.
How well did the evacuation plan work when that unauthorized plane crossed into Washington air space? Thousands of people were evacuated from the White House and the Capitol in just a few minutes on Wednesday.
Here's a look at what it looked like when the Senate was suddenly interrupted.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The chair will recess. The chair stands in recess.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: To those who did not move quickly enough, Capitol police shouted, "Run! Run! This is for real!"
Joe Johns at the Capitol this morning, where he was yesterday -- Joe, what was learned from the scare?
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, on the morning after, Soledad, authorities say it went pretty well, but it wasn't perfect. The United States Capitol police chief says he got word about seven to eight minutes before he decided to order an evacuation. That evacuation accomplished in orderly fashion in about five to six minutes. The leadership of the United States Congress taken out first.
House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said she was literally taken from the building bare-footed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: The alarm came. We all got out of the Capitol. I had concerns because, of course, they pulled the leadership out very fast. I was concerned about the tourists, the people who work in the building, the media who cover us, that they would get out. But the sergeant in arms was just telling me that it was five minutes and everyone was out. It was very fast and much faster than any time before.
But then they said you have to go right now. They just pulled me out of my shoes. So I said, "I have to get my shoes." They said, "You can't get your shoes."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: There are still questions about communications. Perhaps the most relevant question is whether state and local governments received rapid and specific notice of the problem in the air. That's important because in a situation like this, the argument can be made that in the worst case scenario the people on the Hill were not the only ones in the zone of danger.
There are questions, of course, also, about the evacuation itself, how smoothly it went, whether people knew where they were supposed to go and if it came off OK. These questions, of course, will be answered in the days to come -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Yes, officials and non-officials taking a look at those questions this morning.
Joe Johns for us -- Joe, thanks.
You want to stay with CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
HEMMER: Six minutes past the hour now.
Let's go to Iraq, where a suicide car bomber targeted a busy marketplace in eastern Baghdad today. Iraqi police say 12 dead, 56 injured and nearly 400 people have died in attacks like these since the government was announced two weeks ago.
John Burns is the Baghdad bureau chief of the "New York Times."
He's live from the Iraqi capital. And we have spoken with John off and on for about two years now.
And we want to revisit the issue of the day in Iraq today, John. And that's the fact that 70 insurgent attacks per day now on the average.
What is to explain the spike in this violence?
JOHN BURNS, "THE NEW YORK TIMES": I think there's really no other explanation than the fact that a Shiite majority government took power nine days ago and ahead of that, it was approved in the assembly. That's two weeks ago. And those two weeks have seen one of the most intense periods of the war.
The political geography of this is not really very hard to understand. The insurgency is driven by militants from the Sunni minority, some of them Islamists, some of them Saddam Hussein diehards. And this is the moment that they have fought to avoid these past two years, power shifting to the Shiite majority.
HEMMER: There was an attack in Tikrit that is especially brutal. You write about it today in your article you filed with the "Times." Quoting now: "Survivors said the bomber, whom they took for an Iraqi, drove up to a point in the main street where casual workers from some of the poorest districts in the Shiite heartland of southern Iraq had gathered looking for jobs and asked them to watch his car, which then exploded."
Is this another indication of just how cruel these attacks have become, John?
BURNS: They are absolutely ruthless, relentless. Those of us who have covered wars here and there over the past 15, 20, 25 years have to struggle to think of anywhere where we've seen such a relentless brutality. Of course, Pol Pot in Cambodia, Rwanda, things on a much larger scale than this. But this is pretty bad.
And more and more we get the impression that the targets chosen are specifically Shiite targets. If they're not Iraqi security forces, among whom now the newly trained American -- Iraqi security forces, among whom a majority are Shiites, it tends to be places where there are Shiite civilians in number -- mosques, weddings, funerals, and then yesterday these Shiite casual workers in the middle of the Sunni heartland, in Tikrit, which, of course, was Saddam Hussein's hometown.
HEMMER: Let's move further west, near the Syrian border. Operation Matador five days and counting now by my watch. You're quoting a colonel today in your article, too, that says: "The enemy has gone to ground, melded back into the cities."
What was the net effect that you understand now as a result of this Matador operation, John?
BURNS: I think this is a pretty good example -- and we'll have to wait for the American command to give us a fuller debriefing on this, at least those of us who were not embedded up there. But I think it's a very good example of just how difficult a job the American military here face.
There was a 1,000-man battle group that went up to the western reaches of the Euphrates River, where it flows from Syria, to try and close down the infiltration routes there. And we think, although the command says it wasn't a specific objective to try and bottle up Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian militant who is America's most wanted man in Iraq, they had some success, at great cost, in the first two or three days of that operation, beginning last weekend.
Now it appears to be winding down because, once again, this enemy, these insurgents who American commanders say ever more insistently are a clever, adaptive and learning enemy, have managed to melt away. They have a huge advantage and melting away simply means that they'll regather somewhere else and that the command will have to come up with a new offensive somewhere else.
HEMMER: Always great to get your insights.
John Burns of the "New York Times."
Be safe, as always, there in Baghdad, and thanks.
BURNS: It's a pleasure.
HEMMER: Here's Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Today, a near final scramble to win Senate support for John Bolton, the controversial nominee to be U.S. ambassador to the U.N. This coming a day after Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice went to bat for him on "LARRY KING LIVE," defending Bolton against critics who say he is unfit for the job.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM CNN'S "LARRY KING LIVE")
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: There are a lot of people who have worked for John Bolton who are inspired by him and who are intensely loyal to him. And John is hard charging. There's no doubt about that. But he has been very successful in managing people. He's been very successful in his diplomacy. I expect that when John leads the mission at the United Nations -- at the U.N., that he's going to do it in a way that is respectful of the people who work for him and that he'll get the best out of them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will debate Bolton's nomination, leading up to a committee vote later today.
We're going to have a live report from Capitol Hill coming up in our next hour -- Bill.
HEMMER: We've been talking about the mean weather in Nebraska for two days now. The governor there, Dave Heineman, will get a firsthand look today at some of the damage there in Hastings. Hail the size of baseballs shattered windows, took out some streetlights and banged up some cars on Wednesday. Heavy rain, too, causing some deep flooding. And the wind was strong enough to blow over a semi truck. That was in the central part of the country, something that Rob Marciano was looking at yesterday.
Back with us today working for Chad -- good morning, Rob. ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Bill.
The silver lining to all of this is that this time of year, even though they get severe weather in this part of the country, it's really where they get a lot of their moisture for the crops that grow throughout the summer. So always good and bad news with the weather.
The bad news is, is this part of the country is going to see possibly some rough weather again. They had it all in Nebraska yesterday. They had hail, they had tornadoes and they had that flooding with rains in excess of six inches in spots.
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: Well, a court said this week that United Airlines could dump its employee pension plans. Can other companies do the same thing? A look at that is up next.
HEMMER: Also, millions of teenagers getting ready for the big prom. Oh, the anxiety.
O'BRIEN: Oh.
HEMMER: A look today at one family's anxiety over the big dance in our special series. It's called "Prom Pressures." It's coming up this hour.
O'BRIEN: Oh, (INAUDIBLE).
And this morning we are "Paging Dr. Gupta." He's fresh off his "Jeopardy" appearance. He's going to tell us how game shows can actually be good for your brain.
That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Ground workers for United Airlines are threatening to strike if the carrier rewrites their union contracts. This comes a day after United got the legal go ahead to dump its employees' pensions. The pension default means that employees will get less money in their retirement. Just how much less is unclear at this point.
Could it happen to you? How do you prepare for this kind of possibility?
CNN's personal finance editor, Gerri Willis, has some tips -- good morning.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
This is really bad news...
O'BRIEN: Oh, tell me.
WILLIS: ... and not just for United Airlines' employees.
O'BRIEN: So who is the most -- I mean who else could fall into the same circumstances? Who's the most vulnerable here?
WILLIS: Well, first off, other airline employees. I mean consider it, for example, if you work for another airline that is in financial trouble and it's competing with United, United now has an advantage because they don't have to pay these pensions. What's more, other old line American companies like auto, auto part companies, they could be in the same situation, as well.
There are about 20 percent of companies that have pension plans across the country and I've got to tell you, if you have one of them, you want to check that company out and make sure that they're doing well enough to service your pension in your old age. Older workers are most vulnerable.
O'BRIEN: But there is this thing, the PBGC, which is supposed to guarantee your pension benefits.
Why are they not really fully guaranteeing pension benefits?
WILLIS: Well, they are guaranteeing these pension benefits, but you may not get what you expected. You'll get some of that money. In some cases, it's only 50 percent. In some cases, it's 75. This is an obscure federal agency that's sponsored, in fact, by insurance that comes from the companies themselves.
But look at this. There are almost 3,500 plans under the agency's administration, 3,500 companies that aren't paying pension benefits. In 2001, there was a huge surplus in this agency's wallet; now a massive deficit. The maximum that you can get from the PBGC, some $45,000 annually. That's not going to make everybody happen -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: And, as you mentioned, you might -- if you get money, often you'll just get a percentage of, really, what you're owed from your pension.
So what do you do?
WILLIS: Well, I think there's some tough love that's coming here for these people and I wish I had better news. You may have to get radical, particularly if you're retired right now. You may have to consider going back to work. You could tap your biggest asset, your house, with a reverse mortgage or maybe even a home equity loan. But I know a lot of people out there are going to have to think seriously about their next step.
O'BRIEN: All right, well, it's really, I think, pretty scary news for folks.
WILLIS: It is.
O'BRIEN: And not much you can do, really, to protect yourself, it sounds like.
WILLIS: That's right. I think everybody out there needs to be thinking about their retirement benefits, especially if they have a pension, now.
O'BRIEN: Gerri Willis, thanks, as always.
Appreciate the advice -- Bill.
HEMMER: In a moment here, too much TV is bad for the brain, right? Not if you watch game shows like "Jeopardy," apparently. Sanjay is going to tell us about the benefits for the brain when we continue this hour.
Back in a moment on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Welcome back, everyone.
One of the most popular stories on our Web site right now, cnn.com, concerns one very lucky woman. She's 70 years old. She took a fall off a ninth floor balcony in Florida, Fort Lauderdale, off a condo tower down there. She was cleaning the balcony when she slipped, dropped about 80 feet, but landed -- get this -- she landed on a soft canopy on the first floor. It broke her fall.
She was treated for only a broken arm and apparently was talking to rescuers all the way to the hospital. So she did not slow down. So (INAUDIBLE)...
O'BRIEN: I like that detail, because you know exactly, you know, they're bringing her off and she's...
HEMMER: (INAUDIBLE).
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: Yes. How are you? Then I was cleaning the balcony.
CAFFERTY: I would think -- don't the condominium places provide for like maintenance of the things like the balcony?
HEMMER: I don't know.
CAFFERTY: Maybe she had to do her, I guess, the inside wall.
HEMMER: We could ask the rescuers, because I know for a fact...
CAFFERTY: I'll bet they know everything about her.
HEMMER: ... that they know everything.
CAFFERTY: Yes, they know her whole story.
O'BRIEN: They sure... HEMMER: A couple of times.
That's true.
CAFFERTY: That's terrible. We shouldn't make fun of that poor woman.
O'BRIEN: No, it's cute. It's sweet.
CAFFERTY: The Senate Foreign -- I'm glad she's fine.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is scheduled to vote on John Bolton's nomination to be the U.N. ambassador today. The vote has been held up for three weeks. Mr. Bolton is a controversial figure. Even Colin Powell, the former secretary of state, says that he's a bright guy but he's a problematic government official who treated State Department subordinates harshly.
Now, the question is, is John Bolton the right guy to serve, or woman, the right person to serve as the U.S. ambassador to the U.N.?
Mike in South Carolina: "No. He is now well known to manipulate intelligence. Who could possibly believe anything he has to say on the U.N. floor about North Korea, Iran or Syria?"
Fred writes from Michigan: "I see why Bush would think that Bolton would be the right guy. He expects everybody to jump when he calls, he wants no questions asked, no matter how wrong he is. In the U.N., though, he'll have to deal with other people and they will not always have to take his attitude."
D.W. in California: "There must be someone with a more pleasant personality who has never made derogatory remarks about the United Nations. Almost anyone else would be a better choice."
And Jaclyn in Ohio writes: "Bolton is about as well-suited to work at the U.N. as President Bush is to work as a grammarian."
HEMMER: That's an interesting dynamic shaping up, don't you think? If he's approved and passed by the Senate, if he is a kind of a hard-headed guy -- and there are a lot of hard-headed guys down there in Washington, D.C. -- how he's going to handle...
CAFFERTY: What about over on the East River?
HEMMER: Well, how he's going to navigate all that over there on the East River.
CAFFERTY: A collection of do nothings. Their main mission is to continue to exist. And they do that by doing nothing.
HEMMER: And if you are of that mind...
CAFFERTY: Well, maybe...
HEMMER: ... maybe John Bolton is your guy. CAFFERTY: That's what I'm thinking.
HEMMER: Yes.
CAFFERTY: He might go over there and light a fire under some of those...
O'BRIEN: Or he might be a bull in a china shop.
CAFFERTY: Well, that's OK. I mean that is a -- that's a china shop that could use a little damage. Go in and break a few dishes. Get their attention. I mean, seriously.
O'BRIEN: I hear you.
CAFFERTY: But, I mean, what do they do over there besides park their cars illegally all over the city and don't pay the tickets?
HEMMER: Oh, there we go.
O'BRIEN: OK, we've got that...
(CROSSTALK)
CAFFERTY: Don't get me started.
O'BRIEN: I was going to say, that's another question altogether.
Jack, thanks.
Well, prom night is rapidly approaching for millions of teenagers. Today, we take a look at the excitement and the anxiety surrounding that big night. Our special series, "Prom Pressures," is just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Get the latest news every morning in your e-mail. Sign up for AMERICAN MORNING "Quick News" at cnn.com/am.
In a moment here, new developments in that infamous Atlanta child murder case. There is new hope for the man who says he was wrongly convicted. We'll talk about that in a moment, as we continue, after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Welcome, everybody.
Just about half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Coming up, we're talking about something pretty fun. We're in the height of high school prom season. Lots of pressure, though, as well.
Well, Kelly Wallace -- this must be romantic for the couples -- Kelly Wallace playing tag along.
HEMMER: Yes, come on, Kelly, climb in the back seat.
O'BRIEN: Yes, come on.
HEMMER: Let's go!
O'BRIEN: We've got the first part of her series on what students and their parents have to go through.
HEMMER: Remember your prom?
O'BRIEN: Very well.
HEMMER: Yes? What was your song?
O'BRIEN: Oh, gosh, I don't know. But I remember my date. He was so nice.
HEMMER: Oh.
COSTELLO: He was a dud.
O'BRIEN: No, he wasn't.
COSTELLO: He was a dud.
O'BRIEN: He was a nice guy. We just...
HEMMER: Hey (INAUDIBLE).
O'BRIEN: You didn't even know him.
COSTELLO: He was a dud.
O'BRIEN: He was not. Besides, he watches the show. Now, come on, Carol. Work with.
COSTELLO: OK, he was a really great guy.
O'BRIEN: He was.
HEMMER: You're getting -- you're getting better, Carol.
O'BRIEN: Do you have some news to report for us this morning, Ms. Costello?
COSTELLO: Actually, I do.
O'BRIEN: Thank you.
Could we get to it?
COSTELLO: OK.
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 May 12, 2005 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Security in the nation's capital put to the test. The plane that strayed too close. What have we learned about the safety of our nation's capital?
A Baghdad market in flames today as insurgents launch new attacks, killing 12 people, wounding more than 50 others.
And a high speed chase through southern California with a deadly end. The mean streets on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN broadcast center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody.
8:00 here in New York.
Good to have you along with us today.
Good morning to you, as well.
O'BRIEN: And likewise.
HEMMER: We're looking back at this decision by a judge to allow United Airlines to terminate employee pensions. Not going down easy, too. The labor unions now threatening retaliation. So we'll get to that.
O'BRIEN: And, in fact, we're going to tell you what you need to know about your pension program. Gerri Willis is going to join us with some advice.
HEMMER: In the meantime, Jack Cafferty back with us.
What's up in "The File?"
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Coming up in "The Cafferty File," Bill, we have Thailand's version of "The Farmer's Almanac," a dead cat worth $45,000 and a German woman chooses jail time over her family. It is a great, great story.
HEMMER: Wow!
O'BRIEN: She might have a really good reason. Sometimes the family can be a little too much and you need a little time off.
HEMMER: How many children in that family?
O'BRIEN: Yes, right.
CAFFERTY: This is priceless.
O'BRIEN: How many kids?
CAFFERTY: It really is.
O'BRIEN: I'm looking forward to it.
CAFFERTY: You'll be able to relate.
O'BRIEN: Oh, yes, I bet.
HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.
First to the headlines.
Carol Costello has those -- good morning.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.
Good morning to all of you.
Now in the news, an investigation going on right now in southern California. Have you seen this police chase? This chase we're about to show you lasted about 20 minutes, reached speeds of 100 miles per hour and it ended in a hail of police gunfire. You see the car crashing and then the driver takes off again. The police chased the car again and then you're going to see, hopefully soon, the driver of this car getting out. And after he gets out of the car, police opened fire, shoots and kills the man. As I said, an investigation is ensuing. But just another car chase, a deadly one, in southern California.
The Army is planning to stop recruitment for one day this month to focus on its own rules and ethics. Army recruiters are expected to hear from officials next Friday about what is appropriate when signing people up for the service. The stand-down comes in response to recent reports alleging at least two cases of recruitment abuse.
The Reagan Presidential Library in California is getting $2.5 million thanks to a tribute to Nancy Reagan. Last night's dinner was the first major event for the former first lady since the death of former President Reagan last June. Noting that both Republicans and Democrats were among the 570 plus guests, Nancy Reagan joked, "Perhaps we should do this more often."
And the son of a New York photographer says he has discovered 32 unknown masterpieces by the late American abstract painter Jackson Pollock. Isn't this -- oh, this is like terrific. The works are all in Pollock's drip style, possibly done as experimental pieces between 1946 and 1940 -- oh, look at them. If authentic, these paintings could be worth millions and millions and millions of dollars.
O'BRIEN: Where were they found?
COSTELLO: I don't know. I don't know any more on the story. I'm going to have to go up and research it more.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
COSTELLO: But he just found all of these paintings, previously unknown. And there they are.
O'BRIEN: Wow, that's pretty amazing.
COSTELLO: I love Jackson Pollock.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
COSTELLO: I'm going to go look so that...
O'BRIEN: There are so many...
COSTELLO: ... not that I'd ever be able to afford to buy any.
O'BRIEN: I was going to say, yes, maybe you can get one, there are so many of them.
COSTELLO: Sure.
O'BRIEN: Thanks, Carol.
Let's get right to our CNN "Security Watch" now.
How well did the evacuation plan work when that unauthorized plane crossed into Washington air space? Thousands of people were evacuated from the White House and the Capitol in just a few minutes on Wednesday.
Here's a look at what it looked like when the Senate was suddenly interrupted.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The chair will recess. The chair stands in recess.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: To those who did not move quickly enough, Capitol police shouted, "Run! Run! This is for real!"
Joe Johns at the Capitol this morning, where he was yesterday -- Joe, what was learned from the scare?
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, on the morning after, Soledad, authorities say it went pretty well, but it wasn't perfect. The United States Capitol police chief says he got word about seven to eight minutes before he decided to order an evacuation. That evacuation accomplished in orderly fashion in about five to six minutes. The leadership of the United States Congress taken out first.
House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said she was literally taken from the building bare-footed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: The alarm came. We all got out of the Capitol. I had concerns because, of course, they pulled the leadership out very fast. I was concerned about the tourists, the people who work in the building, the media who cover us, that they would get out. But the sergeant in arms was just telling me that it was five minutes and everyone was out. It was very fast and much faster than any time before.
But then they said you have to go right now. They just pulled me out of my shoes. So I said, "I have to get my shoes." They said, "You can't get your shoes."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: There are still questions about communications. Perhaps the most relevant question is whether state and local governments received rapid and specific notice of the problem in the air. That's important because in a situation like this, the argument can be made that in the worst case scenario the people on the Hill were not the only ones in the zone of danger.
There are questions, of course, also, about the evacuation itself, how smoothly it went, whether people knew where they were supposed to go and if it came off OK. These questions, of course, will be answered in the days to come -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Yes, officials and non-officials taking a look at those questions this morning.
Joe Johns for us -- Joe, thanks.
You want to stay with CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
HEMMER: Six minutes past the hour now.
Let's go to Iraq, where a suicide car bomber targeted a busy marketplace in eastern Baghdad today. Iraqi police say 12 dead, 56 injured and nearly 400 people have died in attacks like these since the government was announced two weeks ago.
John Burns is the Baghdad bureau chief of the "New York Times."
He's live from the Iraqi capital. And we have spoken with John off and on for about two years now.
And we want to revisit the issue of the day in Iraq today, John. And that's the fact that 70 insurgent attacks per day now on the average.
What is to explain the spike in this violence?
JOHN BURNS, "THE NEW YORK TIMES": I think there's really no other explanation than the fact that a Shiite majority government took power nine days ago and ahead of that, it was approved in the assembly. That's two weeks ago. And those two weeks have seen one of the most intense periods of the war.
The political geography of this is not really very hard to understand. The insurgency is driven by militants from the Sunni minority, some of them Islamists, some of them Saddam Hussein diehards. And this is the moment that they have fought to avoid these past two years, power shifting to the Shiite majority.
HEMMER: There was an attack in Tikrit that is especially brutal. You write about it today in your article you filed with the "Times." Quoting now: "Survivors said the bomber, whom they took for an Iraqi, drove up to a point in the main street where casual workers from some of the poorest districts in the Shiite heartland of southern Iraq had gathered looking for jobs and asked them to watch his car, which then exploded."
Is this another indication of just how cruel these attacks have become, John?
BURNS: They are absolutely ruthless, relentless. Those of us who have covered wars here and there over the past 15, 20, 25 years have to struggle to think of anywhere where we've seen such a relentless brutality. Of course, Pol Pot in Cambodia, Rwanda, things on a much larger scale than this. But this is pretty bad.
And more and more we get the impression that the targets chosen are specifically Shiite targets. If they're not Iraqi security forces, among whom now the newly trained American -- Iraqi security forces, among whom a majority are Shiites, it tends to be places where there are Shiite civilians in number -- mosques, weddings, funerals, and then yesterday these Shiite casual workers in the middle of the Sunni heartland, in Tikrit, which, of course, was Saddam Hussein's hometown.
HEMMER: Let's move further west, near the Syrian border. Operation Matador five days and counting now by my watch. You're quoting a colonel today in your article, too, that says: "The enemy has gone to ground, melded back into the cities."
What was the net effect that you understand now as a result of this Matador operation, John?
BURNS: I think this is a pretty good example -- and we'll have to wait for the American command to give us a fuller debriefing on this, at least those of us who were not embedded up there. But I think it's a very good example of just how difficult a job the American military here face.
There was a 1,000-man battle group that went up to the western reaches of the Euphrates River, where it flows from Syria, to try and close down the infiltration routes there. And we think, although the command says it wasn't a specific objective to try and bottle up Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian militant who is America's most wanted man in Iraq, they had some success, at great cost, in the first two or three days of that operation, beginning last weekend.
Now it appears to be winding down because, once again, this enemy, these insurgents who American commanders say ever more insistently are a clever, adaptive and learning enemy, have managed to melt away. They have a huge advantage and melting away simply means that they'll regather somewhere else and that the command will have to come up with a new offensive somewhere else.
HEMMER: Always great to get your insights.
John Burns of the "New York Times."
Be safe, as always, there in Baghdad, and thanks.
BURNS: It's a pleasure.
HEMMER: Here's Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Today, a near final scramble to win Senate support for John Bolton, the controversial nominee to be U.S. ambassador to the U.N. This coming a day after Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice went to bat for him on "LARRY KING LIVE," defending Bolton against critics who say he is unfit for the job.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM CNN'S "LARRY KING LIVE")
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: There are a lot of people who have worked for John Bolton who are inspired by him and who are intensely loyal to him. And John is hard charging. There's no doubt about that. But he has been very successful in managing people. He's been very successful in his diplomacy. I expect that when John leads the mission at the United Nations -- at the U.N., that he's going to do it in a way that is respectful of the people who work for him and that he'll get the best out of them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will debate Bolton's nomination, leading up to a committee vote later today.
We're going to have a live report from Capitol Hill coming up in our next hour -- Bill.
HEMMER: We've been talking about the mean weather in Nebraska for two days now. The governor there, Dave Heineman, will get a firsthand look today at some of the damage there in Hastings. Hail the size of baseballs shattered windows, took out some streetlights and banged up some cars on Wednesday. Heavy rain, too, causing some deep flooding. And the wind was strong enough to blow over a semi truck. That was in the central part of the country, something that Rob Marciano was looking at yesterday.
Back with us today working for Chad -- good morning, Rob. ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Bill.
The silver lining to all of this is that this time of year, even though they get severe weather in this part of the country, it's really where they get a lot of their moisture for the crops that grow throughout the summer. So always good and bad news with the weather.
The bad news is, is this part of the country is going to see possibly some rough weather again. They had it all in Nebraska yesterday. They had hail, they had tornadoes and they had that flooding with rains in excess of six inches in spots.
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: Well, a court said this week that United Airlines could dump its employee pension plans. Can other companies do the same thing? A look at that is up next.
HEMMER: Also, millions of teenagers getting ready for the big prom. Oh, the anxiety.
O'BRIEN: Oh.
HEMMER: A look today at one family's anxiety over the big dance in our special series. It's called "Prom Pressures." It's coming up this hour.
O'BRIEN: Oh, (INAUDIBLE).
And this morning we are "Paging Dr. Gupta." He's fresh off his "Jeopardy" appearance. He's going to tell us how game shows can actually be good for your brain.
That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Ground workers for United Airlines are threatening to strike if the carrier rewrites their union contracts. This comes a day after United got the legal go ahead to dump its employees' pensions. The pension default means that employees will get less money in their retirement. Just how much less is unclear at this point.
Could it happen to you? How do you prepare for this kind of possibility?
CNN's personal finance editor, Gerri Willis, has some tips -- good morning.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
This is really bad news...
O'BRIEN: Oh, tell me.
WILLIS: ... and not just for United Airlines' employees.
O'BRIEN: So who is the most -- I mean who else could fall into the same circumstances? Who's the most vulnerable here?
WILLIS: Well, first off, other airline employees. I mean consider it, for example, if you work for another airline that is in financial trouble and it's competing with United, United now has an advantage because they don't have to pay these pensions. What's more, other old line American companies like auto, auto part companies, they could be in the same situation, as well.
There are about 20 percent of companies that have pension plans across the country and I've got to tell you, if you have one of them, you want to check that company out and make sure that they're doing well enough to service your pension in your old age. Older workers are most vulnerable.
O'BRIEN: But there is this thing, the PBGC, which is supposed to guarantee your pension benefits.
Why are they not really fully guaranteeing pension benefits?
WILLIS: Well, they are guaranteeing these pension benefits, but you may not get what you expected. You'll get some of that money. In some cases, it's only 50 percent. In some cases, it's 75. This is an obscure federal agency that's sponsored, in fact, by insurance that comes from the companies themselves.
But look at this. There are almost 3,500 plans under the agency's administration, 3,500 companies that aren't paying pension benefits. In 2001, there was a huge surplus in this agency's wallet; now a massive deficit. The maximum that you can get from the PBGC, some $45,000 annually. That's not going to make everybody happen -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: And, as you mentioned, you might -- if you get money, often you'll just get a percentage of, really, what you're owed from your pension.
So what do you do?
WILLIS: Well, I think there's some tough love that's coming here for these people and I wish I had better news. You may have to get radical, particularly if you're retired right now. You may have to consider going back to work. You could tap your biggest asset, your house, with a reverse mortgage or maybe even a home equity loan. But I know a lot of people out there are going to have to think seriously about their next step.
O'BRIEN: All right, well, it's really, I think, pretty scary news for folks.
WILLIS: It is.
O'BRIEN: And not much you can do, really, to protect yourself, it sounds like.
WILLIS: That's right. I think everybody out there needs to be thinking about their retirement benefits, especially if they have a pension, now.
O'BRIEN: Gerri Willis, thanks, as always.
Appreciate the advice -- Bill.
HEMMER: In a moment here, too much TV is bad for the brain, right? Not if you watch game shows like "Jeopardy," apparently. Sanjay is going to tell us about the benefits for the brain when we continue this hour.
Back in a moment on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Welcome back, everyone.
One of the most popular stories on our Web site right now, cnn.com, concerns one very lucky woman. She's 70 years old. She took a fall off a ninth floor balcony in Florida, Fort Lauderdale, off a condo tower down there. She was cleaning the balcony when she slipped, dropped about 80 feet, but landed -- get this -- she landed on a soft canopy on the first floor. It broke her fall.
She was treated for only a broken arm and apparently was talking to rescuers all the way to the hospital. So she did not slow down. So (INAUDIBLE)...
O'BRIEN: I like that detail, because you know exactly, you know, they're bringing her off and she's...
HEMMER: (INAUDIBLE).
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: Yes. How are you? Then I was cleaning the balcony.
CAFFERTY: I would think -- don't the condominium places provide for like maintenance of the things like the balcony?
HEMMER: I don't know.
CAFFERTY: Maybe she had to do her, I guess, the inside wall.
HEMMER: We could ask the rescuers, because I know for a fact...
CAFFERTY: I'll bet they know everything about her.
HEMMER: ... that they know everything.
CAFFERTY: Yes, they know her whole story.
O'BRIEN: They sure... HEMMER: A couple of times.
That's true.
CAFFERTY: That's terrible. We shouldn't make fun of that poor woman.
O'BRIEN: No, it's cute. It's sweet.
CAFFERTY: The Senate Foreign -- I'm glad she's fine.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is scheduled to vote on John Bolton's nomination to be the U.N. ambassador today. The vote has been held up for three weeks. Mr. Bolton is a controversial figure. Even Colin Powell, the former secretary of state, says that he's a bright guy but he's a problematic government official who treated State Department subordinates harshly.
Now, the question is, is John Bolton the right guy to serve, or woman, the right person to serve as the U.S. ambassador to the U.N.?
Mike in South Carolina: "No. He is now well known to manipulate intelligence. Who could possibly believe anything he has to say on the U.N. floor about North Korea, Iran or Syria?"
Fred writes from Michigan: "I see why Bush would think that Bolton would be the right guy. He expects everybody to jump when he calls, he wants no questions asked, no matter how wrong he is. In the U.N., though, he'll have to deal with other people and they will not always have to take his attitude."
D.W. in California: "There must be someone with a more pleasant personality who has never made derogatory remarks about the United Nations. Almost anyone else would be a better choice."
And Jaclyn in Ohio writes: "Bolton is about as well-suited to work at the U.N. as President Bush is to work as a grammarian."
HEMMER: That's an interesting dynamic shaping up, don't you think? If he's approved and passed by the Senate, if he is a kind of a hard-headed guy -- and there are a lot of hard-headed guys down there in Washington, D.C. -- how he's going to handle...
CAFFERTY: What about over on the East River?
HEMMER: Well, how he's going to navigate all that over there on the East River.
CAFFERTY: A collection of do nothings. Their main mission is to continue to exist. And they do that by doing nothing.
HEMMER: And if you are of that mind...
CAFFERTY: Well, maybe...
HEMMER: ... maybe John Bolton is your guy. CAFFERTY: That's what I'm thinking.
HEMMER: Yes.
CAFFERTY: He might go over there and light a fire under some of those...
O'BRIEN: Or he might be a bull in a china shop.
CAFFERTY: Well, that's OK. I mean that is a -- that's a china shop that could use a little damage. Go in and break a few dishes. Get their attention. I mean, seriously.
O'BRIEN: I hear you.
CAFFERTY: But, I mean, what do they do over there besides park their cars illegally all over the city and don't pay the tickets?
HEMMER: Oh, there we go.
O'BRIEN: OK, we've got that...
(CROSSTALK)
CAFFERTY: Don't get me started.
O'BRIEN: I was going to say, that's another question altogether.
Jack, thanks.
Well, prom night is rapidly approaching for millions of teenagers. Today, we take a look at the excitement and the anxiety surrounding that big night. Our special series, "Prom Pressures," is just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Get the latest news every morning in your e-mail. Sign up for AMERICAN MORNING "Quick News" at cnn.com/am.
In a moment here, new developments in that infamous Atlanta child murder case. There is new hope for the man who says he was wrongly convicted. We'll talk about that in a moment, as we continue, after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Welcome, everybody.
Just about half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Coming up, we're talking about something pretty fun. We're in the height of high school prom season. Lots of pressure, though, as well.
Well, Kelly Wallace -- this must be romantic for the couples -- Kelly Wallace playing tag along.
HEMMER: Yes, come on, Kelly, climb in the back seat.
O'BRIEN: Yes, come on.
HEMMER: Let's go!
O'BRIEN: We've got the first part of her series on what students and their parents have to go through.
HEMMER: Remember your prom?
O'BRIEN: Very well.
HEMMER: Yes? What was your song?
O'BRIEN: Oh, gosh, I don't know. But I remember my date. He was so nice.
HEMMER: Oh.
COSTELLO: He was a dud.
O'BRIEN: No, he wasn't.
COSTELLO: He was a dud.
O'BRIEN: He was a nice guy. We just...
HEMMER: Hey (INAUDIBLE).
O'BRIEN: You didn't even know him.
COSTELLO: He was a dud.
O'BRIEN: He was not. Besides, he watches the show. Now, come on, Carol. Work with.
COSTELLO: OK, he was a really great guy.
O'BRIEN: He was.
HEMMER: You're getting -- you're getting better, Carol.
O'BRIEN: Do you have some news to report for us this morning, Ms. Costello?
COSTELLO: Actually, I do.
O'BRIEN: Thank you.
Could we get to it?
COSTELLO: OK.
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