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American Morning
America's Covert War; Alleged Weiner Nude Photo Surfaces; Delta Backs Down on Bag Fees for Troops; 84 Searches for "Chloroform"; Arizona Wildfire: Evacuations Ordered; Panetta Confirmation Hearings; NYT: U.S. Ramping Up Airstrikes in Yemen
Aired June 09, 2011 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Christine Romans. Here's what's happening on this AMERICAN MORNING.
The U.S. reportedly conducting a secret war in Yemen, intensifying its air assault on military groups using armed drones and fighter jets to keep al Qaeda from rising to power there.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Kiran Chetry. It took about 30 hours for a new photo of Congressman Anthony Weiner to surface on the Web. Now even his allies on Capitol Hill are bailing on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ROMANS: Welcome to AMERICAN MORNING. Good morning, everybody. It's Thursday, June 9th.
CHETRY: Yes, we're talking about the 30 hours, Andrew Breitbart who broke the story.
ROMANS: Right.
CHETRY: Said he had this photo on our air.
ROMANS: An explicit photo.
CHETRY: An explicit photo that he was choosing not to release publicly for the sake of Weiner's family, yet it's out so.
ROMANS: And 30 hours is all it took for it to be sweeping across the Internet. A lot of people sort of opening up their Facebook and getting links to it and the like.
CHETRY: We'll explain all of that. But still, first we start with America's secret war.
The United States reportedly ramping up airstrikes against al Qaeda in Yemen. "The New York Times" is reporting that the Obama administration is waging a covert war on militant targets using fighter jets as well as armed drones.
Our Barbara Starr is live at the Pentagon this morning.
So a huge power vacuum in Yemen right now. And of course, as we've been talking about, it's a double-edged sword for the White House. BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Indeed. Good morning to both of you.
Well, we know that the U.S. military had been training Yemeni forces, we know there had been some airstrikes. "The New York Times" reporting those airstrikes have now resumed.
And of course this is so critical because the U.S. intelligence community has been very concerned since the killing of Osama bin Laden that al Qaeda in Yemen was going to start trying to gain strength with new money, new funding, new recruits and take advantage also of the unrest in that very troubled country, the violent anti-government demonstrations.
All of this providing a vacuum for al Qaeda in Yemen to fill. And that is part of the concern here. "The New York Times" reporting there have been more airstrikes now and that some al Qaeda operatives have been killed.
You know, later this morning Leon Panetta will be on Capitol Hill for his confirmation hearings as secretary of defense. We have an advanced look at some of what he'll be talking about. And he has submitted a statement to the committee about the situation in Yemen.
I want to read to you some of it. He's talking about AQAP, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, essentially al Qaeda in Yemen. And he says, quote, "AQAP is intensely focused on conducting a near-term attack against the United States and poses an immediate terrorist threat to U.S. interests and the homeland. Al Qaeda and its affiliate, AQAP, are still actively plotting attacks with the principal goal of successfully striking the U.S. homeland."
That's why all of this, of course, is so important. This arm of al Qaeda does pose a direct threat to the United States. According to the U.S. government, they've already proven they can reach out and touch. You just have to recall the so-called underwear bomber in December 2009. That was a man said to be affiliated with al Qaeda in Yemen.
That's why this now is in the crosshairs of the Obama administration -- Kiran, Christine.
ROMANS: Barbara, quickly, so the hospitalization of President Saleh, he's in Saudi Arabia, how does that leave this opening? How does this help the U.S. or allow the U.S. to do this?
STARR: Well, you know, it lets the U.S. perhaps maneuver a little bit more to have Saleh out of the way. They wanted him to step down anyhow. That has not technically happened just yet even though he's out of the country.
But make no mistake it does cause more unrest in this very troubled country. Essentially there is not a central government that can control Yemen at this point. Tribesmen, al Qaeda insurgents are throughout the country and controlling various factions and various pieces of territory in Yemen. That is not good news. Not good news not to have a central government in control of the entire country. All that does is leave al Qaeda more room to maneuver possibly.
CHETRY: All right. Barbara Starr for us this morning. We'll continue to follow these developments with you. Thanks so much.
ROMANS: Meantime, a lot of new developments in the Anthony Weiner sexting scandal. More Democrats now turning their backs on the congressman. At least six of them now outright calling for him to step down.
Also "The New York Times" is reporting that his wife Huma Abedin, a top aide to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton -- the "New York Times" is reporting she is pregnant. A source also says Congressman Weiner called former President Bill Clinton to express regret for his actions.
CHETRY: All this happening as an explicit photo of Anthony Weiner's anatomy is all over the Internet now thanks to radio hosts "Opie and Anthony." They captured the photo off of Andrew Breitbart's phone when he passed it around the studio for proof that he had it.
Breitbart was on "IN THE ARENA" last night. He promised he would never post that picture -- you remember he said that on our show as well -- and insists that he was not in on it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDREW BREITBART, PUBLISHER, BREITBART.COM: My Web site refuses to publish this photo. They have admitted that they took this photo surreptitiously. They said they did it without my knowledge. They even said that there were no cameras there.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Kate Bolduan is live from Washington with more on the growing list of representatives calling for Weiner to quite the House as well. And obviously this photo circulating does not help his cause today.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It does not, Kiran. And I can assure you that Democrats, many his colleagues were hoping that after the press conference things would kind of go away. And it seems that this latest photo that's circulating on the Internet, it's not going away.
And the deafening silence that we heard from many of Congressman Weiner's fellow Democrats after all of this has kind of come out has now turned into really nothing less than a concerted effort to simply push him out. About half a dozen House Democrats are now making it clear they can't ignore this scandal any longer.
Pennsylvania Democrat Allyson Schwartz, Larry Kissell, a Democrat from North Carolina, Maine Democratic Michael Michaud, Indiana Democrat Joe Donnelly who's running for Senate. Even Arkansas conservative Democrat Mike Ross and Massachusetts Democrat Niki Tsongas. Listen here to Congresswoman Schwartz.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. ALLYSON SCHWARTZ (D), PENNSYLVANIA: Yes, I was -- this is very personal decision as an individual member of Congress. But I was absolutely appalled when I heard about the behavior -- actions of Congressman Weiner. And I think that's inappropriate behavior. It violates the confidence and trust that his constituents should have in him and I call for his resignation.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: So the list of members calling now for him to go is growing. Congresswoman Schwartz is interesting. She's the head of recruiting efforts for House Democrats in the 2012 election cycle.
We're told her public statement there is now part of a new stepped-up effort to force Weiner out. As one Democratic source put to it me, it's simply a signal that represents a growing concern within the caucus.
So it seems that the scandal isn't only a distraction from the issues Democrats want to be debating and talking about, it's also becoming a campaign issue, which is a real problem -- Kiran, Christine.
CHETRY: And there's another troubling report out there. I believe "New York post" as well as TMZ claiming that they have obtained some back and forth between the congressman and a porn star. They're alleging that he coached her perhaps to lie about her Internet flirtation with him if questioned about it.
I mean does that add another layer on to perhaps the House investigation, the ethics investigation?
BOLDUAN: Taking the politics aside in this distraction element that I talk about, the ethics investigation that he could be facing -- we're told by ethics experts that the committee would be looking at all types of communication and how that communication was conducted and in what manner, because there are two rules that many people are pointing to, two House ethics rules that people really are talking about.
There's one rule that talks about behavior of members and how it reflects on the House, but also there's a rule about use of official resources. And that this report seems that it could fall under this rule, you know, if it all checks out. And really what it means and if, you know, this help was actually provided. So that seems to be that it could definitely be part of the investigation if it moves forward -- Kiran.
CHETRY: All right. Kate Bolduan for us on this this morning. Thanks so much -- Christine.
ROMANS: Kiran, while Congressman Weiner is facing pressure from fellow Democrats to step aside, his wife Huma Abedin is considered one of the most popular people in the Democratic Party. For years she has served as one of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's closest aides starting as an intern in 1996 for the then-first lady.
As Mrs. Clinton's political career took off, Abedin moved up the ranks. Today she is the secretary of state deputy chief of staff. And sources tell CNN that Clinton thinks of her as a daughter.
The 35-year-old Abedin has a reputation for being unflappable, she's known for her intelligence, striking style and unusual background. Last fall she made "TIME" magazine's "List of 40 Under 40."
Abedin was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The daughter of college professors. She is a Muslim. At a very young age the family moved to Saudi Arabia. She returned to the United States to attend college.
A "Vogue" magazine article about her back in 2007 hinted that she dated high-profile men including actor John Cusack and the cyclist Lance Armstrong. But during the 2008 presidential campaign when Abedin was Mrs. Clinton's traveling chief of staff she met Congressman Weiner.
Last summer they married in a ceremony officiated by former President Bill Clinton. This was just weeks before Chelsea Clinton's wedding -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Our question of the day today, what would you do if you were in her position, if you were Congressman Weiner's wife? Send us an e- mail, a tweet or tell us on Facebook, and we'll read some of your thoughts this morning a bit later.
Meantime, we're still covering extreme weather. We have dry heat and high winds that continue to fuel a monster wildfire in Arizona. Six hundred square miles now torched. And authorities there have expanded evacuation orders including entire towns in parts of the eastern Arizona, home to some 8,000 people. They expect the numbers to grow in the coming days as this so-called Wallow fire still burns out of control.
In Florida dry conditions are sparking brushfires across the state. Some 14,000 acres have burned in Miami-Dade County over the past several days. And firefighters say they still have not been able to get it under control. Officials are concerned it could threaten tourists at Everglades National Park.
So nearly half the country right now is in the grips of a brutal heat wave and more temperature records could fall today with another dose of triple-digit heat all the way from Texas to New England.
ROMANS: Our Rob Marciano tracking all of this extreme weather for us. He's feeling the heat this morning in Stone Mountain, Georgia.
Hey, Rob, heat advisories, gosh, really across the country.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. And where there's not heat advisories in some of the larger cities, we're looking at air quality is going to be poor because of the sustained heat that we've seen and the ozone buildup and the pollution in some of those cities including Atlanta. This is a popular tourist attraction just outside of Atlanta, Georgia, where you can be sure later on today people are going to be trying to seek -- seek relief from the heat. And the top of this mountain behind me, Stone Mountain itself, the largest piece of exposed granite in the world, well, that's not going to be the place to do it. You're going to have to find some shade elsewhere.
This heat wave has unfortunately turned deadly. In Tennessee, two heat related deaths, also in Maryland. So this is certainly dangerous stuff. And across New York City as (INAUDIBLE), folks were just trying their best to get away from it or stay cool any way they could.
High temperatures were extraordinary. And when you couple in the humidity it felt like it was well up over 100 degrees. And record highs from yesterday. Check them out. Baltimore, Maryland, 99, Newark, New Jersey, 99 degrees, 97 degrees in -- at LaGuardia.
And these are measured in the shade don't include humidity.
All right, here's where we have advisories and excessive heat warnings. D.C. to Philly to New York could see temperatures -- we will see temperatures approach 100 degrees and with the humidity will feel well up and over that.
Places like Chicago got cooled off with some thunderstorms. Boston getting cooled off with some thunderstorms. Some of them are severe. We've got a severe thunderstorm watch that's posted for parts of upstate and western New York until 11:00 today.
That's the cool front, guys, that will come through New York City tomorrow. But until then, New York City included, we'll get close to 100 degrees. I think we'll break some records later on this afternoon.
Back to you.
CHETRY: Wow. We're going to be superhot when we're outside with Kyle Petty a little bit later.
ROMANS: I know.
CHETRY: The ultimate tailgate party. Popular former NASCAR driver, the ultimate tailgate. And Rob, you're going to wish you were here.
ROMANS: I know. Maybe we'll drink a beer for you, Rob.
(LAUGHTER)
CHETRY: Not until 9:01.
ROMANS: Not until 9:01. That's right.
OK, Delta now backing down on extra bag fees for troops. This move comes after two U.S. soldiers posted a viral video that caused a PR migraine from the airline. The soldiers who are returning from Afghanistan complained that their unit -- their unit was charged almost $3,000 for extra bags because each person is only allowed three, not four.
Of course, they've been in Afghanistan, so they had a lot of gear they were bringing back. We're going to hear what the soldiers said and what people thought about it in a live report from Hartsfield Jackson at the bottom of the hour.
But you know yesterday it was so interesting because Delta said we're sorry that they misunderstood our bag policy, but they have to pay for the fourth bag, $200 a pop. And of course --
CHETRY: Sparked an outrage.
ROMANS: That just doesn't seem fair. I mean these guys are coming back from Afghanistan. The first three bags are free but the fourth one is 200 bucks? And it wasn't even 24 hours and Delta has now changed its policy. And other airlines are now following suit because --
CHETRY: Because they all have that bag policy.
ROMANS: That's right.
CHETRY: And it's --
ROMANS: Three bags for three but the fourth one you have to pay. I mean these guys have been -- these guys have been out in a desert fighting a war for months.
CHETRY: Yes.
ROMANS: To be -- to pay 200 bucks when you're coming home --
CHETRY: A lot of people find it outrageous.
ROMANS: It was insulting.
CHETRY: Well, ExxonMobil announcing it's discovered a new source of oil in the Gulf of Mexico. And this find could yield up to 700 million barrels. It would make it one of the largest discoveries in the Gulf in the past 10 years. Oil analysts say this proves that there are still untapped energy sources in the Gulf of Mexico.
ROMANS: The Stanley Cup Finals, now a best of three. The Boston Bruins even the series at two games apiece. The 4-0 shutout of the Vancouver Canucks is the second straight route by the Bruins at home. The series now moves back to Vancouver for the pivotal fifth game tomorrow night.
CHETRY: Also yesterday powerful testimony from a computer forensic expert in the Casey Anthony murder trial pointing to 84 searches for chloroform on her home computer.
Is this a testimony that makes the prosecution's case or is there a plausible defense?
ROMANS: And President Obama's approval rating slips below 50 percent as more Americans fear another Great Depression. We'll tell you what these new poll numbers say ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: Dozens of computer searches for chloroform and how to make it, the latest bombshell evidence against Casey Anthony, the young Florida mother charged with murdering her 2-year-old daughter Caylee.
CHETRY: Yes. There was really compelling forensic testimony yesterday from a forensics expert detailing search records that could be used to suggest that Caylee Anthony's murder was premeditated.
CNN's Gary Tuchman has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Casey and Caylee Anthony in 2008, just months before little Caylee disappeared, the pictures shown today in court by the prosecution. Casey Anthony in her usual spot in the courtroom showed no emotion and didn't even look at the pictures of her little girl.
Prosecutors then turned to Casey Anthony's computer laying out what they believed to be very damning evidence.
JOHN DENNIS BRADLEY, SOFTWARE EXPERT: My name is John Dennis Bradley.
TUCHMAN: John Bradley is a software expert, who was asked by investigators in Orlando to forensically investigate the computer in Casey Anthony's house. The jury was listening carefully.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is that a Google search?
BRADLEY: Yes, it is.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For?
BRADLEY: The words "neck breaking" with a space in between. And then a visit to Wikipedia.org and inhalation, head underscore injury, ruptured spleen, chest trauma, hand to hand combat. Search term of internal bleeding.
TUCHMAN: All these search results came from the computer three months before little Caylee disappeared.
TUCHMAN (on camera): Prosecutors are trying to convince the jury that Casey Anthony was doing homework about ways to kill her daughter. It was presumed her attorney would cast doubt that she was the one using the computer, but instead he seemed to concede she was using it by saying she was surfing topics ranging from self-defense to self- protection.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A computer examiner can never testify that a person is actually reading what's on the page, right?
BRADLEY: Not without a security camera watching, that is correct.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): But the history also included websites about chloroform. Earlier testimony in the trial regarded chloroform being found in Anthony's car trunk as what one expert said at, quote, "shockingly high levels." Chloroform can incapacitate or kill a person.
Linda Drane Burdick is one of the prosecutors.
LINDA DRANE BURDICK, PROSECUTOR: How many times was that site visited?
BRADLEY: According to the history 84 times.
TUCHMAN: Casey Anthony was almost expressionless after that comment, too, as the evidence against her builds.
Gary Tuchman, CNN, Orlando, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS: Wow. So how much damage did that home computer do to Casey Anthony's case? At 7:10 Eastern Time, we're going to ask CNN Legal Contributor Sunny Hostin, who has been following every twist and turn of this case.
CHETRY: Also, a dangerously close call for a group of college ROTC students when lightning struck a military base in Mississippi. Seventy-seven cadets were sent to the hospital after the strike. It happened in Camp Shelby in Mississippi yesterday. Officials say they're all responsive and in stable condition. The students are enrolled in the Air Force ROTC which uses Camp Shelby as its summer training site.
ROMANS: And take a look at this time lapse video of moving day for the National Czech and Slovak Museum in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The museum is damaged by floods back in 2008. Yesterday, the 1,700-ton building was lifted on to 40 individual dollies and was rolled 200 feet to its new foundation. Elapsed time, three hours.
CHETRY: That's pretty cool. Wow. Well, up next on AMERICAN MORNING, Citigroup says it's been hit by hackers. Is your personal information at risk? We'll have details of what the big bank is saying.
ROMANS: And where in the world is Newt Gingrich? The Republican fell off the radar after a few hiccups. And now we know where he is. We'll tell you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: It's 25 minutes past the hour. "Minding Your Business" this morning.
Concerns of an economic slowdown pushing stocks lower again on Wednesday. The Dow, NASDAQ, S&P 500 all lower for the sixth day in a row.
Citigroup confirming hackers may have accessed the online account information for about 210,000 of its customers - 210,000. The attack happened back in May. Citigroup says other information like birth dates and social security numbers was not compromised.
Oil prices spiked Wednesday following news the OPEC members failed to reach an agreement to cut - or to push up crude oil production levels. Oil futures jumped nearly two percent Wednesday selling at $101 a barrel.
SUVs are now safer than ever. Thanks for improvement in stability control which keep the vehicle from rolling over. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the death rate for SUVs has dropped 66 percent in the past 10 years.
Coming up later this morning, the Labor Department will release the latest initial jobless claims numbers. (INAUDIBLE) survey by Briefing.com expect about 403,000 claims were filed up about a thousand from last week. Those figures come out at 8:30 A.M.
AMERICAN MORNING we'll be back right after the break with new information on the wildfires that are burning dangerously close to home this morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Thirty minutes past the hour. Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING.
Time to look at your top stories:
"The New York Times" reporting this morning that U.S. fighter jets and armed drones are now intensifying their attacks against al Qaeda targets in Yemen. The White House is reportedly waging a covert war against militant targets in this power vacuum that exists right now in Yemen before they can organize and gain more power.
Democrats are now like up against Congressman Anthony Weiner. Six House Democrats are now calling for his resignation. And it's getting more difficult for him to hang on. "The New York Times" is reporting his wife is pregnant and a blurry photo of his anatomy is now all over the web.
Mandatory evacuations ordered in two towns in eastern Arizona threaten by a massive wildfire that keeps growing. Six hundred miles now have burned. And crews say they have contained zero percent right now. One of CNN's iReporters captured the mountain of smoke and flames coming from this fire. One Arizona resident describing this torched terrain, saying it looks like an atomic bomb hit.
ROMANS: Eagar, Arizona, is one of the towns where people are being told to get out while they can. Still, it's a dilemma for some of the town's longtime residents.
Jim Spellman is live there with that part of the story -- Jim. JIM SPELLMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Good morning, Christine.
Listen, despite those evacuation orders, residents here really want to stay, the sheriffs will let them, forcing people here to make some difficult decisions.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SPELLMAN (voice-over): While firefighters battle the "Wallow Fire," residents in Eagar, Arizona, face a serious question: to stay or go.
For now, Dave Hunt (ph) is staying.
DAVID HUNT, RESIDENT: We've got so many firefighters here that they've protected other small communities, and I know they're going to do a good job protecting Eagar.
SPELLMAN: A house full of memories in a town he's come to call home.
HUNT: My dad built this place. He's gone now. And this is -- I love this area so much.
SPELLMAN: But he's hedging his bets. His Harley and his car are packed and ready. And if conditions change, he'll hit the road.
HUNT: I'm ready. Just grab the cat and run.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The main thing is the dog that's in the front there.
SPELLMAN: Next door, Rodney and Bob Meter (ph) have decided to leave.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're just going to get out of here since they want us out of here. We don't want to go, no.
SPELLMAN: But with the fire just a few miles away, they don't want to take any chances.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've seen wildfires in California just rip -- you know, just tear through places and stuff. So, that's what I worry about.
SPELLMAN: With just a few hours to pack, they're forced to make some hard decisions. Family photos stay behind, but Tigger, their 18-year- old chow, gets a seat up front up front.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They don't want to go either, I'll tell you. He's a good guy.
SPELLMAN: Dave, the neighbor, stays behind for now as Rodney and Bob and Tigger pull out, headed for safety -- hoping that when the fire is gone, their home will remain.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SPELLMAN: Sheriffs here are going door to door, urging everybody to leave. No doubt they want people out of these two towns. About 4,000 homes here are threatened by the fire that's now less than three miles away from town -- Christine.
ROMANS: All right. Jim Spellman -- thanks so much, Jim.
CHETRY: Well, there's also a lot of anxiety over the overflowing Missouri River in Bismarck and Mandan, North Dakota. Folks are scrambling to get pumps and hundreds of thousands of sandbags in place to keep the river out of homes and businesses. In fact, 15 miles of emergency levees have been built up near the capital. And already, 2,400 people have evacuated the area.
ROMANS: Much of the country is in the midst of a heat wave right now. Record temperatures are expected today.
Rob Marciano is in Stone Mountain, Georgia, this morning.
Good morning, Rob. It is certainly -- wow, when you look at the red dots for all of the records we've already set from Sunday to Tuesday on the map, it's pretty incredible.
MARCIANO: It is. And it's going to continue today for parts of the Northeast, certainly the Southeast. Here in Atlanta, Georgia, just outside of it where Stone Mountain Park exists. This is the largest piece of exposed granite in the world. And there's a carving in there that features prominent folks from the Civil War -- Jeff Davis, Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. The same designer that carved out Mount Rushmore did this puppy.
And it's a huge tourist attraction. So, you better believe, throughout the day, there will be people in some cases climbing up that. And it might not be the smartest thing at least at high noon when temperatures are going to be soaring well into the 90s.
We had temperatures that were well into the 90s. Yesterday, a record breaking, up through LaGuardia, Newark and Baltimore as well, touching 100 degrees in some cases. So, we'll have some similar deal today with D.C., up to Philly and New York City, looking at heat advisories and excessive heat warnings there.
So, dangerous heat and this is the stuff that could kill you if you're not ready for it -- and certainly, if you're ill in any sort of capacity or elderly. So, look after your neighbors.
All right. Look after the thunderstorms that are going to be rolling across the Northeast. We got a severe thunderstorm watch out for parts of the Great Lakes. Cooling down in Boston, kind of around the back side of this thing. And that watch box is the leading edge of cooler air.
Temperatures today in Chicago -- much, much cooler than they were yesterday. Although they'll be a few more storms. But below that front, down across the Southeast, temps are going to stay hot and steamy really until further notice.
Here are the daytime highs expected for today. Looking at the lower to mid-90s, maybe upper 90s in New York and D.C. Well, look at Chicago, 64 degrees for the high temperature. So, that's a number that certainly will help things out come tomorrow in New York City. But across the Southeast, temps will stay well into the 90s through the weekend.
So, here we are, guys, in the month of June. This feels more like July or August certainly as this heat wave continues to crank up across the East Coast. Back to you.
ROMANS: All right. Rob Marciano -- thanks, Rob. We'll check in with you again soon.
CHETRY: It's always weird when it's warmer you know, in D.C. --
ROMANS: I know.
CHETRY: -- in Boston than it is down in Atlanta and parts of the South.
Well, in Libya, the heaviest fighting of the week, we've seen in the week, in the city of Misrata under heavy attack again. Rebels say that Moammar Gadhafi's forces are shelling the city from three sides. Misrata is the scene of some of the bloodiest fighting since the war began. Rebels gained control of the city (INAUDIBLE) for it. A doctor says 1,000 people have died, including close to 700 civilians who live in the city.
ROMANS: Tens of thousands of Syrian refugees have fled the government's bloody crackdown there. Hundreds more are trying to get out right now. A group of them lined up against a border fence with Turkish troops pacing in front of them, chanting and holding the Syrian flag.
The United Nations now says more than a thousand people have been killed during anti-government protests in less than three months.
CHETRY: Well, the United States efforts to stabilize Afghanistan had limited success, according to a new congressional report. This is a report based on a two-year investigation. It also states that Afghanistan risks sinking into deeper crisis after U.S. troops withdraw. The U.S. has sent nearly $19 billion in aid to the troubled nation.
ROMANS: New evidence this morning of America's growing economic anxiety and how it may affect President Obama's winning a second term. According to a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll, 48 percent of Americans approve of the president's job performance. That's down from 54 percent just two weeks ago.
Also, 48 percent of Americans say the U.S. is likely to slip into another Great Depression in the next 12 months. That's up from 41 percent back in 2009 and just 38 percent back in 2008.
CHETRY: Right. So, even when it was at its worse -- I mean, the beginnings of the scope of the financial crisis, people did not want to say Great Depression. ROMANS: That's right.
CHETRY: They didn't believe we'd be in another Great Depression.
ROMANS: And the Great Depression was two big legs down in the economy, one that was very painful. And t hen in 1937, another big huge move lower. And that seems to be people have this foreboding feeling about the economy, in part because jobs and the housing market have not improved for them.
CHETRY: That's right.
Well, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich on the campaign trail in New Hampshire yesterday. It's his first stop since May 27th when he was in Columbia, South Carolina. So, campaign watchers, of course, are starting to wonder why he fell off the radar, especially after he took heat from conservatives for his comments on the Paul Ryan Medicare plan.
Well, now, we know. A Gingrich spokesman says that he was on a planned vacation with his wife Callista. He apparently was on a cruise. One cruise Web site review listed him and his wife as passengers on a ship called the Seaborn Odyssey.
ROMANS: And here's the way to beat the traffic and never lonely. Police say a guy on the QEW Highway in Canada was pulled over for having a blowup doll as his plus one in the carpool lane. A fellow driver ratted him out. You know, the doll is dressed up, even had a hat on to cover. The fact that there's a cup holder on the top of her head.
It's a $100 fine, and point on your license, on top of the embarrassment of riding along with a blowup doll that actually has a cup holder in the top of its head.
(LAUGHTER)
ROMANS: I'm sorry.
CHETRY: How many traffic can there be on the QEW.
ROMANS: I'm a Canadian. Val over (ph) here able to tell us that -- I mean, I don't know.
CHETRY: Good try with that one.
Ahead on AMERICAN MORNING, though, Delta charges -- and most airlines, right? All airlines.
ROMANS: Yes.
CHETRY: The policy is that they do charge soldiers for extra bags. Well, in this case, it was almost three grand. Now, they're backtracking after a big P.R. disaster that went viral on YouTube.
ROMANS: Plus, two high rollers take one casino to the cleaners. We're going to tell you how much they won millions.
It's 39 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: All right. Delta Airlines is now backing down on some extra bag fees for troops. The move comes after two U.S. soldiers posted a viral video that caused frankly a P.R. disaster for the airline.
CHETRY: Martin Savidge live at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in Atlanta.
You know, and not to just pick on Delta -- I mean, this is pretty much the industry's standard, right? You get charged with -- for these bags even if you're a returning vet.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right. But we all know as the flying public, there's nothing that irks us more than these baggage fees.
Here's the way the story goes: 34 members of an Army reserve unit arrived back in the U.S. from Afghanistan Monday. Tuesday morning, bright and early, they're on a Delta Airlines flight going from Baltimore right down here to Atlanta, when they run afoul of those infamous baggage fees.
Now, these guys weren't coming back from vacation. They had all sorts of war stuff. Delta said, look, it's three bags for free, but you got to pay for the fourth bag. It turns out their tab came to just over $2,800, which they had to pay out of their own pocket.
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SAVIDGE (voice-over): The Pentagon likes to say the U.S. has the best trained soldiers in the world. It turns out they're also pretty media savvy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That is correct.
SAVIDGE: While on their flight to Atlanta, two of the soldiers recorded a video about their frustration and posted it on YouTube.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, you're saying that our military travel orders authorized us to carry four bags, correct?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, that is correct.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, what happened to the soldiers that actually had four bags?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We had actually end up paying out of pocket, our own money, to allow that fourth bag to be taken on the plane.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How much did you pay?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two hundred dollars per bag. SAVIDGE: Close to 200,000 hits later, and Delta was issuing an apology in the form of a blog, implying the soldiers had simply been misinformed. They could check four bags.
"We would like to publicly apologize to those servicemen and women for any miscommunications." The statement went on. "We are currently looking further into the situation and we'll be reaching out to each of them personally to address their concerns and work to correct any issues they have faced."
The statement appeared to do little to stem the withering fire of public outrage.
SALLY KROCHALIS, PASSENGER: It's unforgivable that Delta couldn't make an exception and cut these boys some slack.
SAVIDGE: Less than 24 hours later, Delta was in full retreat, abruptly changing its military baggage allowance, announcing the move in a press release. Delta Airlines today increased its free checking baggage allotment for U.S. military traveling on orders in economy class to four checked bags. And that is how two U.S. soldiers fought off an entire airline to win the battle of the bags.
STAFF SGT. FREDERICK HILLIKER, U.S. ARMY: Thank you. We're actually happy to be back to America. God bless America.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SAVIDGE (on-camera): And we actually did some checking ourselves of other airlines. And as you pointed out in the beginning there, most airlines had done exactly what Delta had done, that is the standard was three bags for free for the military. Interestingly enough, though, yesterday afternoon, a lot of those policies began to change with one exception, Southwest Airlines.
We asked them how many bags do you allow the military when in military service to check. Their answer, as many as they need. Back to you.
CHETRY: You know, that's a nice David and Goliath story, isn't it, though? And the power of the social media on display once again.
SAVIDGE: Yes. And here's the thing, you know, it was clear, very clear that Delta said, look, it's three bags. It was the military that, somehow, those guys got the wrong bum steer on it. But the way it probably should have been handled was a ticket agent would have said, you know what, guys, it's normally three bags, today guess what? It's four. Welcome home.
End of story. And that would have saved themselves a real PR debacle. Instead, they ran into the buzz saw of bad publicity and look what happen.
ROMANS: And when they issued that blog statement earlier yesterday, and they said, we are in line with industry standards and the rest of the industry people went crazy.
CHETRY: And also apologize for the miscommunication, not for the bags.
ROMANS: People just thought it was an apology that wasn't an apology and that only fueled the whole thing. So, nice to see that the other airlines are following suit and allow them to have four bags. All right. Martin Savidge, thanks, Martin.
SAVIDGE: Very much so.
CHETRY: You know, a lot of times it is up to the discretion of the individual ticketing agent to say, you know what, go for it.
ROMANS: I tell you what, it was so interesting. There were a bunch of guys that were coming back and all the people in first class got up and gave their seats to the people coming back one after another. You know, it's things like that that really matter to people when they're coming home, not paying $200 bag fees.
All right. Leon Panetta, the president's choice for his new defense secretary goes on the Capitol Hill, grill today. That his confirmation hearings begin before the Senate Arms Services Committee. He's expected to replace Robert Gates as secretary of defense. Gates is retiring at the end of the month.
The 72-year-old Panetta is a veteran Washington insider. He's been a congressman. He's been a White House chief of staff. He's currently serving as CIA director.
Two high rollers charmed lady luck, and they won more than $11 million at the Tropicana Casino in a resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The first big win came back in April. That's when a blackjack player won $5.8 million. Then a different gambler won $5.3 million last week. And despite the heat (ph), Tropicana said its emphasis on high stakes wagering is here to stay.
ROMANS: All right. Ahead on AMERICAN MORNING, cam Newton, National Champion Auburn Tigers were in the house, right? But all eyes were on the son of President Obama's former press secretary, Robert Gibbs. It was really cute. We're going to show you what happened.
CHETRY: Also, our question of the day. What would you do if you were Congressman Weiner's wife as new allegations and an unfortunate new photo come out all as the "New York Times" is reporting that she is expecting the couple's first child. Send us your e-mails and tweets. Let us know what you think.
Forty-eight minutes past the hour. We'll be right back.
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CHETRY: Fifty minutes past the hour. Time for look at your morning headlines.
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CHETRY (voice-over): "The New York Times" reporting that U.S. fighter jets and armed drones are stepping up air strikes against al Qaeda targets in Yemen. The White House reportedly waging a covert war to stop militants from organizing and rising to power as that power vacuum in the country continues the absence of their president in Saudi Arabia now.
A naked photo of Congressman Anthony Weiner is now circulating on the web. Six House Democrats are now calling for him to resign because of the sexting scandal.
Six hundred square miles of Arizona on fire. Smoke visible as far away as Wyoming. Winds are fanning the flames. Some 8,000 people in eager and Springerville have been forced out. Two thousand people are fighting the wildfire including crews as far away as New York State.
Damaging evidence against a young mother accused of killing her two- year-old daughter. A forensic expert says he found 84 searches for chloroform and how to make chloroform on Casey Anthony's home computer.
ExxonMobil announcing the equivalent -- found the equivalent of 700 million barrels of oil in the Gulf of Mexico, the biggest find in the last decade. Enough to power the U.S. for 28 days.
And the Boston Bruins winning their second straight at home to even up their Stanley Cup Final series at the Vancouver Canucks at two games apiece. Game five, by the way, is tomorrow night in Vancouver.
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CHETRY (on-camera): You're caught up on the day's headlines. AMERICAN MORNING will be back after a quick break.
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ROMANS: President Obama honoring the BCS champions Auburn Tigers at the White House, but it was a young Auburn football fan who stole the show instead.
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ROMANS (voice-over): The president congratulated Cam Newton and the rest of the team for their perfect season. There they are. Watch what happens when the son of former Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, by the way, a big-time Auburn fan, joins him on stage a the photo-op. Watch the kid.
Still a big thrill. He gets a fist bump from the president. You know, it's funny like locked in battle Robert Gibbs and the press corps. The press corps, at times, maybe called him thick headed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: You'll need a bigger helmet.
ROMANS (on-camera): That's so cute.
All right. More tweets, more chats, even an explicit photo. It's only getting worse for Congressman Anthony Weiner. And now, "The New York Times" is reporting that his wife, Huma, is pregnant. We asked what would you do if you are Congressman Weiner's wife.
CHETRY: Yes. Becky Stewart (ph) on Facebook, "If it took place during marriage, I'd see a divorce lawyer. This stand by your man crap makes women look like idiots."
ROMANS: Simone on Facebook says, "They should try to work it out. Too many divorces in this decade. Let it be a private matter at this point.
CHETRY: Donna Moody on Facebook, "I would have been at my attorney's office the day he told me. Pregnant or not, she is accomplished in her own right and doesn't need a man to support her. She'll probably divorce him at some point anyway. Why prolong the marriage?"
ROMANS: And Mary on Facebook said, "Like many other wronged wives, what she chooses to do is ultimately up to her, not the media, not public opinion. So, please, leave the poor woman alone."
CHETRY: And keep your comments coming. We got a lot of good ones today. Send us an e-mail, a tweet, or tell us on Facebook, and we'll read some of your thoughts later in the hour.
ROMANS: All right. Top stories coming up right after the break. It's 55 minutes past the hour.
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