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American Morning
Protests Turn Violent in Greece; Bachmann Makes It Officialj; Pipe Bombs Found After Truck Crash; Casey Anthony Set To Resume; Big Win For Video Game Makers; Protecting your Privacy; Paging Dr. Ironman; Protests Turn Violent in Greece
Aired June 28, 2011 - 07:59 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.
Breaking news. Greece gripped by protests that are now turning violent as we speak. Police firing teargas to try to break up the crowds angry over proposed budget cuts and tax hikes. We're live in Athens with breaking pictures and developments.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Kiran Chetry. We're also tracking a nuclear threat from New Mexico to Nebraska. Nuclear power plants in two states threatened this morning by flood and fire. We'll have the latest.
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Ali Velshi.
Michele Bachmann is in. The Minnesota congresswoman launching her campaign and on a roll. But today she'll be competing for headlines with Sarah Palin. Is there room in this race for both of them on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ROMANS: Good morning, everybody. It is Tuesday, June 28th. And a lot going on this afternoon in Greece, this morning here in the U.S.
VELSHI: Right.
CHETRY: Absolutely. We start with breaking news out of Athens this morning, where police there are firing tear gas and they're trying to disperse some angry protesters who have been lobbying petro- bombs, as well as other things on the streets of Athens.
VELSHI: The issue is -- there's a debate in parliament about tax hikes, spending cuts and job losses and things like that.
Let's go right to Diana Magnay. She is watching the scene from a balcony above this action.
Diana, it's heated up a great deal. Give us the latest.
DIANA MAGNAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Ali.
Well, actually, since I last spoke to you, you can now hear the music. There have been people amongst the regular demonstrators if you can call them that, saying, you know, don't let these people ruin our day, don't let them take over our day, referencing the black bloc, the anarchist whose are really the ones throwing stones and Molotov cocktails at police. You know, they are a different group from the regular people who have come out here to demonstrate against the austerity measures that are being debated in the parliament.
And, you know, in the last five minutes, we have seen a bit of a lull in the violence. But it was certainly, Ali, pretty extreme, you know? It was just under an hour's worth of real rioting in all of the streets around the square, around 5,000 riot police out on duty firing tear gas into the crowds as they threw rocks, Molotov cocktails back at police, a lot of firecrackers and a lot of bangs.
As you can see down there, there are now people playing music in the streets to try and sort of alleviate the tension in the air and, you know, just hearing calls from people that they ruin our day is indicative of the fact it is a minority that who are leading the kind of violence on the streets today, Ali.
VELSHI: All right. Diana, I know you've got a lot of reporting to do as well for CNN International. We'll let you go and continue that. We'll check back in with you as this develops.
So, Diana Magnay in Athens, watching that develops right now.
ROMANS: And we'll will keep watching these pictures as we se this happening. You know, what's going on inside of parliament is really what's going to determine what happens in that country. What you're seeing in the streets is anger about what's happening.
VELSHI: What was interesting that Diana pointed out, as we've been, this has been a year of protests. We've seen them in Libya, and Syria, and Tunisia and Egypt. But in this case --
ROMANS: This is different.
VELSHI: -- she is pointing out, though, that there maybe some differences between what the people of Greece feel, what the protestors there feel and what this particular group of folks who are throwing the petro-bombs feel. We don't know who everybody is in the situation just yet.
ROMANS: That's right.
CHETRY: All right. Well, still ahead, another developing story that we're following for you.
Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, home to a particular accelerator, as well as super computers and nuclear material -- obviously, a very crucial place. Well, today, a wildfire continues to burn alarmingly close to this government lab.
VELSHI: More than 10,000 people in Los Alamos have been forced to leave their homes. The lab is shut down for the second day. Right now, though, officials say that all hazardous material is protected.
ROMANS: Also today, two nuclear facilities in Nebraska is under siege from the swollen Missouri River. Floodwaters have inundated the Fort Calhoun Power Station near Omaha. But officials insist there's no immediate danger.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: People see flood water all around. They think, oh, no, it's another Fukushima. Is it another Fukushima?
GARY GATES, CEO, FORT CALHOUN NUCLEAR POWER PLANT: No, it is not another Fukushima. The main difference is the rapid flooding that occurred at Fukushima. This was a predicted event to a degree from the Corps of Engineers. The floodwaters at Fort Calhoun are outside the plant. There's no water inside the plant.
The reactor is covered with borated water. The spent fuel rod is covered with borated water, which we want it to be. That's intentional. That's where it should be.
The floodwaters are outside of Fort Calhoun, not inside.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: The Fort Calhoun plant has been offline since April for refueling.
CHETRY: The TSA now denying that it forced a 95-year-old woman with cancer to remove her adult diaper before boarding a flight in Florida.
The woman's daughter told CNN that agents would not let them board unless that adult shield was inspected. It was their idea to take it off in the bathroom so they could make their flight. The TSA, though, is still defending the actions of its screeners saying that they acted professional.
VELSHI: Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords made her first public appearance since being shot in the head back in January. Now, we don't have pictures of that, or some pictures that we've seen that her office gave us a couple of weeks ago. But she appeared last night at a NASA award ceremony in Houston.
She did not speak publicly but she did get together with staff and reported by our affiliates that she stood up from her wheelchair, waved and gave her husband a kiss.
ROMANS: OK. Two top staffers for GOP candidate Herman Cain have resigned. One was the director of a campaign in New Hampshire, the critical first primary state. Cain is a businessman -- of course, the former head of Godfather's Pizza. He polled pretty well in the South Carolina debate.
A spokeswoman for the campaign denied that Team Cain is in trouble, saying it's already hired a new point man in New Hampshire.
CHETRY: Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann officially jumped into the Republican race for president. She declared her candidacy, where she was born, in Waterloo, Iowa. She had a little slip-up. She tried to say that the actor John Wayne was from her hometown when really John Wayne Gacy was the one who spent time in Waterloo.
Earlier, I asked her about her recent string of gaffes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Are these misstatements becoming a distraction and how do you move on from that?
MICHELE BACHMANN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, you know, not really, because people are most concerned about my economic message of positive change in the economy. We are going on the wrong track and people are concerned that their children won't do as well as they have. So, people want to know, is there a person that I could trust who does know how to turn the economy? They see President Obama has failed us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Well, Bachmann will be in New Hampshire today where she is not polling as well as she is in Iowa.
VELSHI: She is officially out of Sarah Palin's shadow, sort of. But Palin is going to be in Iowa today for the debut of a friendly documentary about her life and political career. Here's a clip from it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was a CEO of 25,000 employees.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Of all the 50 governors in the United States, she was sitting at the desk as one of the most powerful, and she wasn't afraid to use those powers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: Of course, the timing and location are only adding to the buzz that Sarah Palin could jump into the presidential race.
Here to talk about it, Democratic strategist Jennifer Palmieri and CNN contributor and editor-in-chief at RedState.com, Erick Erickson.
Welcome to both of you. Good to see you.
Let's go back to Michele Bachman for a second.
Erick Erickson, a year ago, would you have even thought this possible that Michele Bachmann is in some places at least, polling as a real contender to win the Republican nomination?
ERICK ERICKSON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: No. I don't think any Republican really would have a year ago. A lot of people are saying Michele Bachmann, who? But she's really started shining in the last few weeks.
What she's doing in Iowa, I think the Tim Pawlenty campaign is going to be very nervous, along with Herman Cain campaign. She is setting herself up to be the real anti-Romney candidate, nobody thought she could be.
VELSHI: All right. What do you think -- Jennifer, what do you think of the things that's she's been saying. She talked to Kiran a few moments ago about -- you know, these misspeaks a she has them that she has. She said that her voters don't care about that. They care about somebody who can fix the number one problem and that's the economy.
Do you think that's true?
JENNIFER PALMIERI, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: I think I voters care about, I think they care about gaffes. And I think that, you know, she's had -- she's a little more buttoned up than she used to be, and a little more careful that she used to be. But, you know, as we saw yesterday, she's definitely gaffe-prone.
And Iowa is a real marathon and, you know, she's doing well now and she's clearly very talented. But she's really very conservative and she's gaffe-prone. And I think that she -- I would certainly not even write off people like Tim Pawlenty at this point.
As Obama showed, you keep your head down, you do your work, you do your one-on-one retailing in Iowa, and, you know, you can really get ahead and make a difference there.
So, I wouldn't, you know, I don't know that this is hers to lose at this point.
ERICKSON: Hey, Ali, I got to interject right here.
VELSHI: Yes?
ERICKSON: Because I heard this report and heard the interview and dwelling on these PolitiFact things. I got PolitiFact right on my iPad and I pulled these up.
OK. The first five on the PolitiFact page, the first one they said was barely true. But she was actually citing a media report.
The second one they say was false. She again was citing a press article.
The third one she says, what they say was false, but they actually said that they weren't looking at her contexts, they're looking at her actual words. And when you looked at her context, she got it right. If we're going to say that she's gaffe-prone based on these PolitiFact things, then you know, it's the media's problem, not her problem.
VELSHI: Right. But, Erick, I hear. I hear. We can agree, maybe there are differences in that. But the fact is we kind of agree that she's been more gaffe-prone than anyone else in the race.
(CROSSTALK)
ERICKSON: Because, for example, on Thursday, the president of the United States actually said he gave the Medal of Honor who was alive when the soldier wasn't alive, he had to apologize. And I've searched the CNN transcripts and I can't find us dwelling on these statements from the president, just on Michele Bachmann and Sarah Palin.
VELSHI: OK. So, let me take you forward on this for a second, Erick. You are conservative. She is conservative.
And guess what? Mitt Romney, there are questions about whether he's a committed conservative. There are questions about Jon Huntsman. There are questions about Tim Pawlenty.
So, the bottom line, she is a dyed in the wool conservative.
ERICKSON: She absolutely is.
PALMIERI: Right.
ERICKSON: And so, I'm just wondering why everyone is dwelling on these gaffes that she made when what she did was cite media reports that happened to be wrong.
VELSHI: Kiran --
CHETRY: I just want to say one thing.
VELSHI: Kiran here in for a second.
CHETRY: Because I understand what you're saying that this game of gotcha which had occurred with a lot of the candidates, and I hear you here. But some of the things were just outright misstatements that PolitiFact checked. And, again, it's also convenient to say that PolitiFact may or may not be picking. But they really do it along party lines.
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: Listen. She said that President Obama released all of the oil --
VELSHI: Hang on, Erick. Hang on.
CHETRY: -- in the strategic oil preserves at a time when gas prices and oil issues are a huge thing. That's a very, very large mischaracterization. Here at least I believe about 4 percent, not all of our strategic oil preserve. So, you can understand when people say things like that they have to be held to account.
ERICKSON: You're right. I saw the interview. It was clear from her context that --
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: Jennifer, go ahead.
PALMIERI: I'm saying, you know, I think the real concern for her ultimately is that she said another network this morning, she considers the minimum wage a regulation that we need to take a look at and said before she thought it was having a minimum wage was holding back job growth. She said that she thinks we need to wean people off Social Security. I mean, she has really conservative, some people would even say, extreme views. And I think that that's what people really means --
VELSHI: But is that good for her, Jennifer? Is that going to be good or bad for her?
PALMIERI: That would be good for her in some parts of Iowa. But, ultimately, I don't think the person who has that view is electable as the president of the United States. And, you know, as much as I would like to face somebody that conservative in the general election, I don't think we will. I think the Republicans will end up nominating someone else.
VELSHI: Last answer to you on, Erick -- if she is that conservative and she sticks that, is that going to be good or bad for Republicans winning the presidential election?
ERICKSON: You know, I think it will be good. I know a lot of Democrats and even moderate Republicans say we got to be more like the Democrats. But painting bold contrast actually is the way to win victory. You saw it in 1980, you saw it in '94, saw it in 2000, you saw in 2010.
VELSHI: Well, if she becomes the nominee, you'll have bold contrast.
Erick, good to talk to you. Thanks so much. Erick Erickson is a CNN contributor and editor in chief of RedState.com.
Jennifer Palmieri, pleasure to talk to you as well. She's a Democratic strategist.
ROMANS: And it's just getting interesting. It's just getting interesting.
VELSHI: Yes. I'll tell you, the one thing that Michele Bachmann has achieved, we were kind of talk about Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann in that conversation and we're talking about Michele Bachmann.
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: She is getting attention but she's also getting questioned about things that proven to be distraction. I'm sure, as she said, she didn't mean to misspeak. She said I'm not perfect. People make mistakes.
VELSHI: Right.
CHETRY: And that's what a lot of the conversation has been instead of, what do you want to see happen?
VELSHI: She told you people want to see somebody who has the wherewithal to fix the economy. That's what this is going to come down to in this election, for all of those candidates in the field.
ROMANS: And who can also harness some hope? Because I haven't heard a lot of hope. I only heard the president hasn't done a good job and America is not as good today as it was when -- you know, a generation ago. So, who's going to bring the hope?
VELSHI: Jon Huntsman said when he came back from China, he said, all you see in China is this rah, rah, rah, we're going to be the best. And all you see in America these days is how terrible things are. And he says, China is overstated, and America is understated at the moment.
ROMANS: Right. So, who's going to harness that and really start to inspire?
All right. Still ahead, Casey Anthony found competent to resume with her murder trial and a big witness may take the stand today. We have new developments on that next.
CHETRY: Also ahead, a California woman who is Muslim is suing Abercrombie & Fitch. She is accusing the clothing store of firing her because she refused to remove her religious head scarf. We're going to get that story and she joins us live, coming up.
VELSHI: And hackers are on the attack. We are hearing about a daily -- we are now going to give you something you can do to protect yourself. Straight ahead, Mario Armstrong with specifics on how to make an un-hackable password.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: All right. Ten pipe bombs found in a truck after the driver wrecked it in Louisiana. Police say the truck hit a guardrail and flipped into a drainage ditch yesterday morning. No one else was around at the time. Authorities reportedly ignited the bombs in a nearby cane field after the crash and said they could have done some pretty significant damage.
The driver was air-lifted to the hospital. Police do expect to file charges, but they still have to finish the investigation and figure out what he had planned to do with those.
VELSHI: They are fireworks and pipe bombs.
ROMANS: That's right.
VELSHI: Strange.
ROMANS: Right. CHETRY: Testimony set to resume today in the Casey Anthony murder trial, actually, within the hour, and a key witness could take the stand today. He's the meter reader that you may have heard a lot about if you've been following the trial. Roy Kronk, he was the one who discovered the remains of Anthony's two-year-old daughter, Caylee.
Meantime, the judge in the case says that Casey Anthony was found to be mentally fit to stand trial, rejecting a motion by the defense that questioned her competence.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUDGE BELVIN PERRY, ORANGE COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT: Based upon the reports that the court has reviewed, the court will find that the defendant is competent to continue to proceed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Those reports, by the way, by three psychologists remain sealed. Interestingly, our legal analyst, Sunny Hostin, said that it leads her to believe that there was some questioning going on.
ROMANS: Prepping.
CHETRY: Prepping and deposing her for the stand, and that's when a red flag was raised about her mental ability.
VELSHI: Her ability. Yes.
CHETRY: At that point.
VELSHI: All right. A big game for video game makers. The Supreme Court in a 7-2 ruling struck down a California law that would have banned the sale of violent video game to children. The law was called an infringement on First Amendment right. The state maintains it -- the state of California maintains that it has a legal obligation to protect children. The Supreme Court disagreed.
ROMANS: All right. Rob Marciano in the Extreme Weather Center right now. Seventeen minutes -- almost 18 minutes after the hour. It's (ph) time for Rob. Good morning, Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hey, guys. We have some storms that are rumbling through the south and the mid south Tennessee Valley. A couple of thunderstorm watches that have been posted. This one just issued now for parts of Mississippi and Southern Arkansas. These two clusters of thunderstorms have had a history of producing not only some heavy rain, but some gusty winds and potentially some damage with these as they roll off towards the south and east.
Associate with this front which is pushing slowly off to the east. The southern part mostly (ph) than the northern part. The northern part will get to some drier and somewhat cooler air behind it, but not so much for the southwest which is going to continue to be hot including the southern plains. Boy, the drought in Texas just making things worse. Temperatures will easily get up and over a hundred degrees today as it did yesterday. In Tucson, 112, Tulsa 106, 103 in Oklahoma City. These are record high temperatures. Here's where we think you'll see delays, the New York metros, some low clouds right now, Philadelphia reporting slight delays this morning, and D.C., you'll see some thunderstorms in the afternoon, as well Atlanta and some low clouds expected in San Francisco with a high temperature out there of 65 degrees.
It's chilly in the bay this time of the year. Eighty-two degrees in New York with a chance of rain, and 80 degrees with dry weather expected in Chicago. Guys, back up to you.
ROMANS: All right. Rob Marciano, thanks, Rob.
CHETRY: Check this one out, Rob. I know you're a baseball fan. This is a first pitch, by far, the coolest one thrown in last night in the Padres game. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI (voice-over): Wow!
CHETRY (voice-over): That's pretty amazing.
VELSHI: Wow!
CHETRY: It was a performance from Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas. I mean, that twisting 360 degrees back flip before letting go and a strike.
(LAUGHTER)
CHETRY: You're kidding me.
VELSHI: That's crazy. For a second there, I thought that might be rough. But (INAUDIBLE) without a shirt on.
CHETRY: Well, check this out. This is the shot that was caught in mid air.
VELSHI: Wow!
CHETRY: Over the mound.
VELSHI: Look at that! Rob, that's impressive.
CHETRY: Not only is he an acrobat, he can play baseball. You don't see many guys that can do that.
VELSHI: That's incredible.
ROMANS (voice-over): All right.
(END VIDEO CLIP) VELSHI (on-camera): We're following breaking news right now. Greece is gripped by protests that have in the last hour or so turned violent. These are pictures from Greece. Diana Magnay is there. We'll bring you the latest next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS (on-camera): Twenty-three minutes after the hour. "Minding Your Business" this morning.
We've been following breaking news. Calm beginning to return to the streets in Athens. these are live pictures here of violence erupted just 30 minutes ago as Greek police fired tear gas on the demonstrators. Greece right now is paralyzed by a 48-hour strike. Its transportation system, banks, schools, hospitals shut down. Hospitals on a skeleton staff. Protesters are upset over budget cuts and tax hikes needed to nab a second international bailout.
A check in on premarket trading this morning in the U.S. Right now, stock futures are down slightly amid those concerns about Greece and its debt problems. In just a few minutes, we'll have more housing numbers, a consumer confidence survey coming out later this morning that could move markets here in the U.S.
Wall Street buzzing over what some people are calling the holy grail of IPO, Facebook. Investments on GSV capital shares jumped about 40 percent yesterday following the announcement it had purchased a stake in Facebook, and that stake values Facebook at about $70 billion.
Up next, the Muslim woman who's suing Abercrombie and Fitch after she was fired because she says she wouldn't remove her headscarf. AMERICAN MORNING back right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Twenty-eight minutes past the hour right now. Abercrombie and Fitch, it's a company that's not exactly known for its modesty, but it's now being sued by a young woman in California who claims that she was fired after she refused to remove her headscarf. Abercrombie released a statement saying that they're committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all individuals regardless of race, religion or ethnicity.
Hani Kahn basically disagrees after what happened to her. She joins us now from Sacramento with her attorney, Araceli Martinez- Olguin. Thanks so much for both of you for being with us this morning.
HANI KAHN, SAYS SHE WAS FIRED FOR WEARING RELIGIOUS HEADSCARF: Good morning.
ARACELI MARTINEZ-OLGUIN, ATTOTNEY FOR HANI KAHN: Good morning, Kiran.
CHETRY: Thanks for getting up, by the way, because I know it's early out there, 5:30. Hani, let me first ask you about your employment history with them. When you first went to get the job, you were wearing your headscarf, right? And you said that, initially, you were told it was fine as long as they were in company colors.
KAHN: Yes. When I went in for my interview with the assistant manager, he saw my headscarf, and all he said was that it'd be navy, white, or gray and that it would be fine.
CHETRY: And then, what happened? What went wrong?
KAHN: The district manager came in after I had been working there since October 2009 and came in in February 2010 and didn't like the fact that I was wearing a headscarf and called me in for a meeting, and then, I was contacted by corporate, who then let me know that I would no longer be working there.
CHETRY: And what did they say when they called you into that meeting? They gave you a choice? You need to decide whether or not you're comfortable removing the headscarf at work, is that what they said to you?
KAHN: They asked me if I would be able to come into work and take my headscarf off, work, and then, put it back on after I left work hours, and I told them that wasn't acceptable. That it was a part of my religion, and I wasn't going to do that.
CHETRY: Mrs. Olguin, let me just ask you a couple of question about the suit here.
MARTINEZ-OLGUIN: Sure.
CHETRY: Legally, what are you guys arguing?
MARTINEZ-OLGUIN: So, federal civil rights law as well as California state civil rights law require that employers provide reasonable accommodation for religious practices of their employees. And by failing to engage Miss Kahn in any sort of accommodation process, that, in and of itself, violated civil rights laws.
On top of that, they are also required as part of a providing reasonable accommodation, as long as there is no undue burden, they are supposed to make that accommodation. As her working there, as Hani working there four months showed there was no undue burden on Abercrombie and Fitch for the four months she was there.
So requiring her to remove it or lose her job also discriminates on her based on her religion. So what we are looking for Abercrombie and Fitch to amend their look policy so they will make reasonable accommodations for employees because of their religious practices.
CHETRY: Abercrombie and Fitch is a clothing company, and they have an image of course, at times actually a controversial image for some of their catalogue shots that were taken. Why can't they dictate what their salespeople wear?
MARTINEZ-OLGUIN: I think it's a matter of appreciating that they can certainly tell employees what colors to wear but that fundamentally, we, as Americans, sort of value the diversity that exists within this country and generally are tolerant of people regardless of their religion, and they are not above the law.
CHETRY: Hani, why is it so important to wear a head scarf? Why is it an important part of your religion and what does it symbolize?
KAHN: The hijab just symbolizes modesty, that we want to be looked at for our intellect rather than our body. So it's just a symbol of modesty for us.
CHETRY: And did you have any reservations about working for Abercrombie and Fitch because of that? I mean, they have been in the news before for some of their racy catalogs and some of their racy ad campaigns and also for some of the clothing that they sell that probably would be considered the opposite of modest.
KAHN: That wasn't a factor for me. What I was looking at was a fun environment where my friends were also working. So that's what I was primarily looking at. It was just a fun environment to be in.
CHETRY: And this has got to be a very difficult and embarrassing situation for you, because you said that you've worn a head scarf since you were in kindergarten, there has never been a problem and never singled out. And you're fired from a job not because of your performance but because of what you're wearing. What was that like?
KAHN: I've been wearing it, like you said, I've been wearing it since kindergarten and not a problem, even after 9/11. For it to come up when I was 19 was out of the ram done and not ordinary. I was shocked and surprised.
CHETRY: We did reach out to Abercrombie and read the statement in the beginning. We are waiting to hear more specifically about your case. In the meantime, keep us posted how this lawsuit goes and thank you for your time this morning.
MARTINEZ-OLGUIN: We will do. Thank you, Kiran.
KAHN: Thank you.
CHETRY: We want to know what you think. Should somebody, because of their religion, a Muslim worker, be fired for taking of a head scarf for religious reasons? That is our question of the day. We will read some of your thoughts later in the show.
VELSHI: Developing this morning, tear gas being fired on demonstrators who have taken to the streets in Athens, Greece. They are protesting budget cuts and tax hikes need to do ensure a second international bailout. Today's protest kicked off a 48-hour strike. The country's transportation system, banks, schools, all of that has been shut down today. You can see what is going on down the streets in Athens. We will follow it all day on CNN.
A wildfire burning near Los Alamos laboratory in New Mexico. More than 10 thousand people in Los Alamos has been force to do leave their homes. The lab shut down for a second day. Officials say all hazardous material at the lab is protected.
Floodwaters from the Missouri river continue to threaten two nuclear power plants in Nebraska. Officials managing the plant say they are winning the battle with Mother Nature. They say protective measures will keep water away from critical structures and prevent a disaster on the scale of the Fukushima Daiichi plant in Japan.
ROMANS: All right, the man tapped to take over the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan is backing the size and pace of president Obama's troop drawdown. Lieutenant General John Allen will face the Senate Armed Services committee today.
CHETRY: Joining us now to give us more of the take from the ground, what it's like when you're actually there trying to help, Major Rusty Bradley, a U.S. special operations soldier. He is also the author of a new book "Lions of Kandahar." Major, thanks so much for being with us this morning.
ROMANS: Nice to see you.
CHETRY: When we debate policy about Afghanistan, what is the one thing in your mind that you think people may be need to understand a little bit better about our fight there and about the country?
MAJ. RUSTY BRADLEY, U.S. ARMY SPECIAL FORCES: I think, first of all, we are making a significant amount of progress and I think a lot of times that story not being told. These people want and need our help, which is significant. It takes about six people to support every ground combat soldier. You got people that have to bring in water, food, fuel, rations. You've got that, helicopter mechanics, otherwise, helicopters don't fly. So it takes a large network to make what we do possible.
ROMANS: What is the progress? You say there's been progress. What has been the progress that you have seen?
BRADLEY: Let me give you an example. Four years ago when we fought this ballots, it's a place called Panua and the birth place of the Taliban. We were in a bizarre where we had a significant firefight which is a large market area.
I worked on this last rotation, I worked in that very same area. The first time I drove through there, school had just let out. There were 300 Afghan kids in their little uniforms running through the streets of the bizarre. Women were shopping with their children without their husbands. Shops were opening. New shops had been built. There was commerce in a place where we had fought probably the largest unknown battle in Afghanistan. So to me that was --
VELSHI: You bring an interesting point up. When we see images we see blown-out buildings and nobody living there. We hear from so many people if there is work and jobs, and whatever they plant and whatever they sell and do pays more than what the Taliban will pay them to do, commerce and business and the economy will really change hearts and souls in Afghanistan. BRADLEY: That's absolutely correct. And things are flourishing there and there are certain areas where the Afghans have taken over control. The Afghans will tell you very quickly that they understand we are not there to conquer them and it's a new revelation to them because everybody else that ever has tried --
ROMANS: Our Chris Lawrence and others who are there on the ground have said that those Afghan soldiers are not ready, they are not the same kind of warrior that the U.S. soldiers are. And that in many cases, they feel like a lot of the investment we're making in the people in Afghanistan won't be returned as soon as we're gone.
BRADLEY: They have significant challenges. You got to remember, most of these people have no occasionally level whatsoever, not even a third grade education. We are not only training them to be soldiers but establish security across the country. There's some very bad areas that still needs a lot of work.
CHETRY: This is our nation's longest war there. This is going on past ten years. We're doing a lot of, I guess, nation building as opposed to counterterror and people asking why are we doing this and can we afford the sacrifice of so many like you and those who haven't come back alive to continue it.
BRADLEY: I think it is our strategic interests. I mean, we need -- we need partners like the Afghanis. They are extremely loyal people and hard-working people and to be able to have partners in that part of the world who are so desperate that when somebody comes to you and says here is my child, she's burned, will you help me? And then you do that for them. That's normally what we are going to do.
But that amount of compassion resonates through them and it's really taken a grassroots sort of approach where we live in the villages with the people and now, they are starting to look at the insurgency from a perspective of why are you here? You don't help us. You're not bringing anything to the table. The Americans build roads and schools. And, yes, there is fighting that is going on, but at the end of the day, they are -- they really get it.
ROMANS: The book is called "Lions of Kandahar." Major Bradley, thanks for joining us.
BRADLEY: Thank you for having me.
VELSHI: Coming up next, hackers on the attack every day stealing your information and sense of security and money. We seem to be hearing about it all the time. I got answers for you and solutions to protect yourself. We will teach you how to build a hacking proof password up next. It's 39 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Look at that picture above New York City. The cloud says rain to me, 76 and partly cloudy and a few sun rays peeking through, 82 later on today. Guess what? It's summertime. Thunderstorms will be in New York. You can't do anything about thunderstorms but use an umbrella. You can protect yourself from hackers, however. You may not think so. Joining us now is Mario Armstrong the host of Sirius XM "Digital Spin." You will help us build a password and protect yourself from hackers. Let's talk about this. What do you do?
MARIO ARMSTRONG, CNN TECHNOLOGY CONTRIBUTOR: First and foremost the longer the better, 12 characters.
VELSHI: Hard for me. My hard drive is full.
ARMSTRONG: You are running out of space in there! 12 characters. What you're going to do is built it as a sentence. Talk about that. Georgia institute of tech researchers found eight character password can be cracked in two hours.
VELSHI: Using software?
ARMSTRONG: Right. Use them, 12 character, 17,444 years.
VELSHI: A big difference.
ARMSTRONG: Major difference.
VELSHI: I can't come up with 12 characters. You got ideas.
ARMSTRONG: Make it easy for yourself and build a password from a sentence. At 5:00 p.m. I like playing basketball with two friends. Notice numbers in there. Use upper and lower case and numbers and symbols. You have to go beyond the 26 letters in the alphabet.
VELSHI: So you start off.
ARMSTRONG: A little asterisk there to separate it.
VELSHI: I like playing basketball with two friends. A little exclamation point. Remember something you like saying all the time. You want to mix it up, upper and lower case.
ARMSTRONG: You mix it up and makes it hard to hack.
VELSHI: Talk about the cloud. A big deal storing stuff not on your flash drive or portable device but in the ether. Not a cloud but somebody's server.
ARMSTRONG: Someone else computer so taking your hard drive from your computer or the external and putting it up on the internet and saying multiple devices, a laptop, a tablet, a phone can get to the programs and files through the internet.
VELSHI: We hear people saying I don't want to use a cloud. The bottom line is it's the way of the future it's going to end up happening so you need to protect yourself.
ARMSTRONG: So you need to password protect the files before you upload them to the site. VELSHI: Ok.
ARMSTRONG: Many people don't know they have that level of encryption on their own computers.
VELSHI: Yes, ok.
ARMSTRONG: So that -- if they get access it doesn't matter. They still have to crack the password on that file.
VELSHI: Right, ok.
ARMSTRONG: That's number one.
Number two, save those sensitive files on your local machine or on an external hard drive.
VELSHI: Ok.
ARMSTRONG: Don't put everything up there that you wouldn't want seen.
VELSHI: Like your pictures and your music and your videos something like that.
ARMSTRONG: Right, right, but you don't want to put maybe your tax -- your tax forms and banking statements.
VELSHI: I got it.
VELSHI: So some stuff for now until we understand how this works and save it locally.
ARMSTRONG: Exactly because the whole promise of the Cloud is security.
VELSHI: Ok.
ARMSTRONG: We have already seen some breaches.
VELSHI: So you're saying protect the file before you upload it.
ARMSTRONG: That's right, number one.
VELSHI: You save the important stuff locally and protect the device.
ARMSTRONG: The actual device. If someone gets ahold of my cell phone right now.
VELSHI: Yes.
ARMSTRONG: I have Drop Box and another application called Sugar Sync. If they get that they could just tap that icon for the app and get to my files.
VELSHI: Right.
ARMSTRONG: And the authentication is already done on the device.
VELSHI: Got it.
ARMSTRONG: So if I lose my phone --
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: Yes.
ARMSTRONG: I need to have a pass code.
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: All right. We learn this.
ARMSTRONG: You don't know how to get in.
VELSHI: So many people have it 1-2-3-4.
ARMSTRONG: Right.
VELSHI: Or 0-0-0-0
ARMSTRONG: Mix it up. Change it.
VELSHI: So you don't get 12 characters for that but make it something good.
All right. Let's talk about key logging. This one is shocking. Tell me what this means.
ARMSTRONG: Yes this is a software that runs on your computer that you don't know it's hidden.
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: Yes.
ARMSTRONG: And it can capture everything, from every key stroke you type to every Web site you visit.
VELSHI: Yes.
ARMSTRONG: So instant -- instant messages, chat rooms, e-mails, passwords, username.
VELSHI: Who is putting this on? This is malicious?
ARMSTRONG: So it's -- so it's legal software.
VELSHI: Yes?
ARMSTRONG: So if someone, obviously, maybe you're in a bad relationship and they want to track you if they have access to your computer they can install it or you can get it installed remotely from an e-mail attachment.
VELSHI: Wow.
ARMSTRONG: So any files that have that .exe extension --
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: Right.
ARMSTRONG: Do not click on those because they'll run a program.
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: Ok. So this is what it -- this is a log, you've actually taken a log of somebody's activity?
ARMSTRONG: Yes, what's worse about this is once I installed it on my wife's computer.
VELSHI: Yes.
ARMSTRONG: It actually can send me an e-mail on the frequency that I want.
VELSHI: Wow.
ARMSTRONG: So this is a report that I get from her computer showing me all of her usage.
VELSHI: Wow.
ARMSTRONG: So this is showing me all of her usage in Outlook. Time, date stamped, what she talked about and what the actual message was. I could see all of that.
VELSHI: Wow. This is all detailed stuff.
ARMSTRONG: It's very detailed.
VELSHI: I mean all e-mails.
ARMSTRONG: All e-mails are here.
VELSHI: Ok.
ARMSTRONG: A little bit later on here, I start to see some areas where she was connecting to Sales Force and she had it to log in.
VELSHI: Right.
ARMSTRONG: And I could see what her password was.
VELSHI: Wow.
ARMSTRONG: So you can get anything that you need here. Web sites that are accessed -- (CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: How do I prevent this from happening?
ARMSTRONG: So you don't know it's running that's the hard thing about it.
VELSHI: Yes.
ARMSTRONG: So you have to use maybe something like Spy Reveal or some of these Web sites that can help you reveal Key Loggers.
VELSHI: Right.
ARMSTRONG: So you're going to use software to fight software to try to see if you have it on your --
VELSHI: So what do I want to look for if I'm Googling to find out software that will help you?
ARMSTRONG: Key, revealing key loggers or just key logging software.
VELSHI: Key logging software.
ARMSTRONG: Just get educated on key logging software. And look at services like Spy Reveal and others that can help reveal that.
VELSHI: Mario Armstrong, your wife knows you're doing this?
ARMSTRONG: Yes, she does now.
VELSHI: Ok because you just disclosed on TV that you were spying on your wife's computer.
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: See you, my friend.
ARMSTRONG: I do have to stay more in New York, but I don't know if that's the way to do it.
VELSHI: Yes, I know. That's not the way to do it.
Our morning headlines are up next. Its 47 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: Its 49 minutes past the hour. Here are your morning headlines.
We're following breaking news out of Greece this morning. Things calming down a little bit. You can see that pictures, the live pictures in the smoke on the screen there; police firing tear gas on demonstrators rallying in the Central Square. They are protesting a debate in parliament on more tax hikes and spending cuts.
And this is just in, U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner endorsing French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde for the top job at the International Monetary Fund. A vote by the IMF's board is expected later today. Former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn resigned over sexual assault and attempted rape charges in May.
A wildfire burning within miles of the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico; the nation's nuclear weapons research facility is shut down for a second day now. Officials at the lab say all radioactive and hazardous material are being protected. More than 10,000 residents told to get out.
Federal regulators say Nebraska's two nuclear plants are safe as they battle floodwaters from the rising Missouri River. Both the Ft. Calhoun and the Cooper Nuclear Plants sit right along the Missouri River. Ft. Calhoun has been inundated with water after a protective flood barrier gave way.
Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords making her first public appearance in Houston; she attended a NASA function with her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly. Her staff saying it's clear the Congresswoman's strength, as well as her cognitive and verbal abilities are improving.
A check in on premarket trading this morning, right now, U.S. stock futures trading down slightly, almost flat really, amid concerns over Greece and its debt. We're also waiting for new housing numbers out in just a few minutes and a consumer confidence survey coming out later this morning and that could, of course, direct the markets her in the United States.
You're caught up on today's headlines. AMERICAN MORNING is back right after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania this morning where it is cloudy at 72 degrees, a little bit later it's only going up to about six degrees to 78 degrees for a high and they are expecting some thunderstorms.
VELSHI: I think there's a pattern with that. We have been hearing that all across the northeast, thunderstorms.
ROMANS: This next story is just fantastic.
Triathlons saved his life. Dr. Joseph Maroon is the team neurosurgeon for the Pittsburgh Steelers and a leading colleague of our friend Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
VELSHI: But when his life took a turn for the worse, Doctor Maroon got hooked on exercise. Sanjay has his story in this morning's "Human Factor."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Dr. Joseph Maroon remembers the exact moment his life fell apart.
DR. JOSEPH MAROON, TEAM NEUROSURGEON, PITTSBURGH STEELERS: I had a major personal train wreck. Within the course of a week, my father died, a marriage that was rocky ended, and I didn't have any reserve. I had to quit neurosurgery.
GUPTA: Death, divorce, depression, all of it happened in a matter of days.
MAROON: My mental processing was gone. I was rock bottom.
(CROSSTALK)
MAROON: I hit bottom.
GUPTA: The crisis was so bad, Dr. Maroon contemplated suicide, but then came the opportunity.
MAROON: There was a phone call from a banker friend in Wheeling, West Virginia, who, I think, took pity on me and said, hey Joe, let's go for a run. I said --
GUPTA: Your first response to that?
MAROON: My first, "Are you crazy?"
GUPTA: But he did go for that run. And he felt something go click.
MAROON: It was the first night that I slept in about four or five months.
GUPTA: Is that right? Just getting a little bit of exercise then?
MAROON: Four times around, I slept.
GUPTA: In fact, he was running so much, he developed an overuse injury. So Dr. Maroon started to bike and then swim and slowly his depression began to fade.
MAROON: I started to feel strong again and was able to get back to neurosurgery, get back to my life.
GUPTA: That's when he heard about triathlons. Back then, it was a new sport, still in its infancy, but he was hooked after his first race.
You have done how many triathlons now?
MAROON: I've done 70 triathlons and seven ironman distance races.
GUPTA: We came out today. I didn't know if I would be able to keep up with Dr. Maroon; although we have been exercising, still not sure.
How much of this improvement in your life would you attribute to the fact that you really incorporated exercise into it?
MAROON: I just -- I know I wouldn't be here today if it weren't the case. It really saved me.
You're going to be on the Queen K Highway.
GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Denver.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Wow.
CHETRY: Two minutes before the top of the hour.
This is some very dramatic video that we're getting in from Athens, Greece right now. You see what looks to be a satellite -- some sort of light truck possibly from a news crew and you see thick black smoke after what appeared to be a crash there.
The city has been gripped by protests that have turned violent as they protest austerity measures, budget cuts, layoffs, et cetera.
ROMANS: And that's going on right now. Clearly, that is a television truck or satellite truck on fire. Our Diana Magnay told us earlier that one of her camera crews had been hit and attacked by the crowds; unclear who is all in this. We know that they are in those crowds. There are several different unions. We know, according to Diana, there are anarchists and troublemakers.
These are live pictures. This is not the CNN truck, by the way. This is not our crew here but we know that there have been some attacks on the media. Police have been firing tear gas trying to break up the crowds.
VELSHI: Diana was reporting there were some attempts by the protesters to say let's not let this thing be taken over by those who are being a little more violent. But it's unclear as to who is doing what. But it's a general strike. It's a two-day strike.
ROMANS: And we know that demonstrators are upset over proposed budget cuts and tax increases. They've already been through this, right? For the first bailout.
Now there's another bailout they need because the first round of belt tightening just was not enough. Today's protests a part of a 48- hour strike.
VELSHI: That's right. It started this morning. The parliamentary vote is tomorrow afternoon their time. And what these people are trying to do is say as much as the world wants these austerity measures; as much as Europe wants it and as much as the parliament has agreed or the president has agreed to do this, these people are saying we don't want the increased tax hikes and the job cuts.
CHETRY: That's right. So we will continue to follow these dramatic pictures coming out of Athens.
Thanks so much for being with us. We'll be back bright and early tomorrow morning.
ROMANS: "CNN NEWSROOM" starts right now with Kyra Phillips. Good morning, Kyra.
