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CNN Sunday Morning

Mourning in Poland

Aired April 11, 2010 - 07:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: They're up there swapping-out an ammonia tank that is used in the cooling system of the International Space Station. We have been monitoring their progress. We'll continue to do so this morning.

But we do want to tell you some about other stories making news overnight -- including one story out of New Orleans, the French Quarter in particular, where seven people were shot there after a music festival last night. And police now say that two gunmen are out on the loose. Police say, of the seven people who were shot, one was actually the intended target -- a 17-year-old who was shot in the chest and is now in stable condition.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Seemingly no end to the violence erupting in Thailand where protesters are vowing today not to negotiate with the government. At least 20 people have died in weekend clashes between protesters and government forces. And more than 800 people have been injured. The protestors are known as Red Shirts and they want parliament dissolve and they want new elections called.

HOLMES: And they're beginning to say their good-byes in West Virginia. Relatives, friends, family, an entire community is coming together to mourn 29 miners who died after the explosion on Monday. They're going through the painful process now of burying the dead -- and, again, 29. We saw two funerals yesterday. And more are scheduled for this coming week.

Officials are still not sure exactly what caused that accident.

We want to get back to our continuing coverage of the deadly plane crash in Russia that killed about 100, including Poland's president and several dignitaries.

KEILAR: About an hour ago, there was a moment of silence in Poland, and about the same time, Russian authorities were in the process of handing over the body of the Polish president to officials from Poland.

HOLMES: And we have team coverage this morning from Russia and from Poland.

We want to start with our Nic Robertson who is in Russia for us this morning, joins us over the phone.

Nic, we appreciate you being here. Tell us what, I guess, the scene was like and what they essentially did there in Russia to send off this Polish president?

Nic is not with me. I'll try again, guys. You let me know. But I think he's on the line. Maybe we're not able to hear him just yet, our Nic Robertson there in Warsaw.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): I could hear you now.

HOLMES: Nic, it sounds like I hear you now.

(CROSSTALK)

ROBERTSON: I'm standing just about 20 feet away from Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. He's standing next to the Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on the runway here. I couldn't hear you before because the Polish air force twin-prop plane that's carrying the casket of President Kaczynski back (INAUDIBLE) on the runway, and is now taxing down the runway.

From what we have just witnessed here in the last half an hour or so, a very solemn ceremony. The president's casket carried out by two Russian soldiers, two Russian sailors and two Russian airmen and laid on a trestle in the middle of the airfield here draped in the Polish flag. And for about 20 minutes soldiers, airmen, and sailors paraded in front of it. The "Last Post" was played.

And during that time, Prime Ministers Putin and Tusk stood at the end of the casket and watched, stood there silent, both looking very, very solemn. In the end of the ceremony, "Last Post" was played, and the casket was carried on to the Polish aircraft which, as I said, just taxing down the runway, beginning its journey to taking President Kaczynski back to Warsaw -- T.J.

HOLMES: All right. Our Nic Robertson there, reporting for us. We'll try to reestablish a connection with him in just a bit and get more details, having a bit of a tough time hearing us at the beginning there.

But while the investigation into the crash goes on in Smolensk, Russia, many Poles have flocked to Warsaw in the presidential palace.

CNN's Frederik Pleitgen is in Warsaw for us.

Hello to you. The pictures we started to see yesterday of people just starting to gather and see this grow and grow and grow, were just so moving. Tell us what -- it was just shocked in some ways yesterday -- tell us what the mood is there like now.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, right now, that mood has certainly changed to nothing but sorrow, T.J.

And I can tell you that that drove of people that has come here to central Warsaw, to the presidential palace, really hasn't let up at all. If you look behind me, you can see that there's literally tens of thousands of people still here at the presidential palace coming in ever greater numbers. They were here, of course, as you said, for that moment of silence. And more and more people seemed to be streaming in today.

Now, all of this also happened yesterday. There were over 100,000 people here yesterday. Let's have a look at how that day unfolded.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PLEITGEN (voice-over): Crying out their grief in songs, lighting candles, laying flowers, publicly displaying their sorrow. Up to 100,000 people gathered in central Warsaw to mourn their president, his wife, and much of the country's political leadership killed in the crash.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shock.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I can tell you what I'm feeling, just shock.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I think that this is the place that all Poles should be today. Not just for the president, but his wife and many other important people who have died.

UNIDENTIFIED KID (through translator): I don't think there will be a better president than Mr. Kaczynski.

PLEITGEN: It was Saturday morning when Poles learned their president was killed when his plane crashed near Smolensk in western Russia. Lech Kaczynski and many Polish political and military leaders were on their way to a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the Katyn massacre.

Many were waiting in Katyn, but instead of commemorating some 22,000 Polish officers killed by Soviet army in World War II, they prayed for their presidents.

Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk visited the crash site with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Tusk is clearly taken aback by the scene.

DONALD TUSK, POLISH PRIME MINISTER (through translator): For many of us, they were friends and acquaintances. The biggest tragedy is for the families of the people who were killed. I want to say, in the name of all the Polish people, to pass the words of condolences to the family of the Polish president, to his daughter, to his mother, to his brother, and to all the families of all the victims.

PLEITGEN: Political leaders from around the world offer their condolences.

GORDON BROWN, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I think at a time like this, we also remember a family in mourning, large numbers of people who have died and a whole country that will be shocked and saddened by what has happened. I met President Kaczynski on a few occasions. I've talked with him recently. I think everybody around the world will be sending their sympathies to the people of Poland. PLEITGEN: The speaker of Poland's parliament will take on the duties of the president until elections are held in about two months. He has already ordered a week of mourning.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PLEITGEN: And, T.J., we're also getting some details as to how all of this is going to proceed.

Of course, Nic was already telling you that the president's body has already been loaded onto a plane which is bound here for Warsaw. Once it arrived, it's going to be received with military honors at the Warsaw airport. After that, and the body is going to be brought right here to the presidential palace where mourners will have a chance to pay their respects after that.

And throughout the evening, there are going to be masses here in Warsaw and, of course, around the country as the Poles commemorate their deceased leader -- T.J.

HOLMES: All right. Frederik Pleitgen for us in Warsaw -- thank you so much.

KEILAR: Poland's late president had forged strong ties to the U.S., and with his death, the emotional bonds to that country are in full view as well. In Washington, mourners have laid flowers outside of the gates of the Polish embassy. And the country's flag flies at half staff. Also, a book of condolences has been opened for people to sign.

That same sense of grief and shock also rippled through Polish communities across the country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

BARBARA LIV, POLISH IMMIGRANT: His politics was trying to put all the Polish people together and try to work with all the side of the -- and the right and the left of the Polish politics; and the country -- try to do -- to make the country rich.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I came out because my family is from Poland. My grandfather fought in World War II. And during the war, they had to leave Poland. I've been to Poland studying there. And I came out just because to pay respects. Just -- it's a tragedy what happened.

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

KEILAR: Also this morning, Pope Benedict extended his sympathies to the Polish people. This crash came actually five years exactly after the death of his Polish born predecessor, Pope John Paul II.

HOLMES: And stay here all morning, we're going to be bringing you live coverage, more coverage of that deadly plane crash. In about 15 minutes, Josh Levs is taking a look at how this impacts the U.S., and in particular, plans for a missile shield. KEILAR: Also, of course, we're going to be talking about Tiger Woods -- 144 days off, no problem. You know, despite a major layoff, media scrutiny, even rehab, Tiger is in the hunt for another green jacket today. We'll be taking a look at his amazing chase for a 15th major title.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Trying to absorb the ovation, the greeting for Tiger.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And here he was from birdie at nine to play eight and nine --

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

HOLMES: Tiger Woods could win this thing. Five months away from the game, and all of that scandal surrounding his personal life, Woods is in third place at the Masters and within striking distance of the leader. He's four shots back.

Christine Brennan, sportswriter for "USA Today" is in Augusta. She joins me now on the phone.

Christine, good morning. First of all, as someone who has covered golf for quite some time and someone who has covered Tiger for quite some time, just your reaction that here we are on Sunday, and he could win this thing.

CHRISTINE BRENNA, SPORTS WRITER, "USA TODAY" (via telephone): Absolutely, T.J. It's shocking almost, considering what we've all said and talked about with Tiger Woods over the last five months. I think it shows his incredible ability to focus and concentrate.

I know there's a lot of people who like him; a lot of people can't stand him. Those opinions almost seem to be separate -- if it's possible to say when you can separate those feelings from the man who is out there on the golf course. At least, he seems able to make himself just kind of a golfer, almost, you know, a machine out there, doing what he does, that this other world there -- but, obviously, not present to him at least on the golf course.

HOLMES: And, Christine, what have you seen? He talked about how he was going to be a little different, kind of a different guy -- maybe a warmer, fuzzier Tiger in some ways, if you will. But have you seen out there that you see kind of a different Tiger? And what have you seen and you thought that's the same old Tiger?

BRENNAN: First of all, on Thursday, T.J., and actually throughout the week, Friday and Saturday, he has been tipping his cap and waving a little bit, smiling much more than we've ever seen. He's no Phil Mickelson, and I don't know that he will ever be.

HOLMES: Yes. BRENNAN: But he certainly has been much friendlier to the gallery, as he said he would try to do.

As far as the same old Tiger, certainly on Saturday, in the third round, the people who were watching on television, we certainly heard it in the press room.

HOLMES: Yes.

BRENNAN: Tiger had a couple of times -- a couple of swearing episodes, and, you know, that's -- if that's really going to change, that has to change. But that, I guess, what Tiger -- I'm sure Tiger would tell us it's a work in progress. You know, I don't think athletes should swear, especially in that situation when they know the cameras are on them. The other guys don't seem to do it, but Tiger still seems to have a problem with that.

HOLMES: Yes, that same old Tiger, like a lot of people thought. He's still fiery and he's still emotional sometimes out there.

Last thing and I'll let you go, has it seem -- a lot of people say that this is the one tournament that Tiger will -- can't be bigger than the Masters. Maybe first day, everybody was thinking about Tiger. But it's been just a great, competitive tournament.

Does it seem like we have all gotten back to golf in a lot of ways? And this was the -- this was probably the perfect tournament for him to come back to.

BRENNAN: It was that. Yes, but the security, with the way, the referential treatment, if you will, the way fans look at the Masters and look at the players, he will be cheered here in ways that he might not be cheered other places. There -- it's not -- you don't have a Yankees/Red Sox atmosphere by any means here. And you might have that in other tournaments.

But I do think that Tiger -- this Tiger story still is the biggest story here. If he were to win today, it's stunning. If he doesn't win today, then I agree with you, then we kind of revert back to golf and whether it's Phil Mickelson or Lee Westwood or Fred Couples, those are great stories, too. Those are great golf stories. And Tiger, of course, is transcending that.

HOLMES: All right. Christine Brennan, always a pleasure to have you and your expertise. Always great to talk with you. Enjoy this final day.

We will all be watching. We'll talk to you soon.

BRENNAN: Thank you. Thanks, T.J.

KEILAR: A really beautiful weather down there at the Masters today.

HOLMES: Yes. Yes. KEILAR: And everywhere, this is the kind of weekend I like. When we toss to Reynolds Wolf and he says everything is good except for maybe just a little bit -- right, Reynolds?

REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Just a little bit. Yes, up to the west, it tends to get kind of tricky. But at Augusta National, it is going to be picture perfect. I mean, you got (INAUDIBLE) plenty of sunshine. Temperatures mainly in the 70s.

We're going to take the next minute to show you what you can expect. But it should be dazzling for you.

High temperatures in parts of the southeast, including places like Augusta and in Atlanta, mainly 70s; 76 in Washington, D.C. Your high in Tampa is 70 degrees; 80 in Dallas; 72 in Denver; Salt Lake City, 71.

But when you make that jump from Salt Lake City back over to San Francisco, you're going to see some changes in things. And we're not just talking temperatures. Looking at the chance of some heavy snow developing in parts of the Sierra Nevada. Some locations could see extremely heavy snow. In fact, up to 16 to 26 inches in some locations. One to two feet near Yosemite.

But only that but some strong wind gusts of, say, 30 to 50 miles an hour. Stronger gusts approaching 70 miles per hour by late afternoon. So, look for breezy, windy times, no question about it out on the west coast.

That is a quick look at your forecast. We'll have more updates coming up and so much more. You're CNN SUNDAY. See you in a few moments.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Well, the tragic plane crash in Russia leaves some of the most prominent positions in the Polish government vacant.

HOLMES: Yes. Just how much of a shakeup should we expect? And how could it affect the relationship between Poland and the U.S.?

Josh Levs is here with that for us.

Good morning to you again, Josh.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning to you guys. Yes, you know, obviously, a lot of major officials were on that plane. It's a huge human toll, a huge tragedy for an entire country and for people around the world. There were top military brass on that plane.

One thing I've been looking into is this president and how much power he actually has versus the prime minister who remains there, and is the head of government. The president is the head of state. And the president does play some major roles. He can veto some bills that come across his desk. He can represent the country. He can sign some treaties. And there are some ways in which this man specifically really did help set an agenda inside Poland. His party says it was all about trying to weed out what it believes were these investitures of communist influence there. That said, he was facing election pretty soon. And he was -- re-election -- and he was not necessarily likely to win. His popularity had fallen pretty far.

We have an analyst now that we're going to hear from who will talk about where things really stood for him at the end of his life.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JANUSZ BUGAJSKI, CTR. FOR STRATEGIC AND INTL. STUDIES: He was a president who maybe wasn't popular amongst all the Poles, but there was a certain loyalty to the fact that he was the head of state, that he developed very good relations with the United States. During his watch, Poland joined various international institutions. It contributed to NATO missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

So, there was -- he did have popularity, even though he had a lot of opposition. But I think the important thing was his symbolism. He represented Poland.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEVS: And, guys, that same analyst tells me that he believes whoever takes over will also be a friend to the United States, who also be a supporter of a strong relationship with the United States, and will support U.S. anti-missile technology being inside Poland, which is something the Obama administration continues to want. So, most likely, no huge shift in that sense.

Guys, back to you.

KEILAR: It's interesting to cover, Josh. Thanks for that.

LEVS: You got it. Thanks.

KEILAR: You know, that Texas stadium implosion -- we love implosions here, don't we? This is just 45 minutes away.

HOLMES: It's coming up. A piece of history is coming down and you're going to meet the boy who actually gets to flip the switch. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: And some of the stories making news from overnight. Check this out.

In Virginia, an annual block party got a little out of control. This was near the campus of James Madison University. Usually, they have 2,000 people show up to this thing, have a good time. But for whatever reason, 8,000 people showed up. It trickled out into some other neighborhoods. Police tried to break up some fights. Some people at the party actually started throwing rocks and bottles. Police ended up having to use tear gas to break it up.

KEILAR: Russia has halted all pending adoptions by parents in the U.S. The reason: an American family put this 7-year-old, a boy, a young boy, on a Moscow-bound flight and returned him home to Russia unannounced. He was carrying a letter from the Tennessee woman who had adopted him. And it said that he was violent and mentally unstable.

Now, authorities in Tennessee and the State Department -- they are investigating.

HOLMES: Well, some work to be done in space today. You're seeing some video here. A live picture from NASA TV. Astronauts on two -- on the second of three space walks. They're back outside today. What they're doing today is they're replacing an old storage tank for the station's cooling system. They'll wrap this job up. The third spacewalk is expected for Tuesday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA DAWN JOHNSON, MORNING MOTIVATIONAL MINUTE: Good morning and welcome to a beautiful day. This is Melissa Dawn Johnson with your morning motivation.

Well, did you know that one of the most undervalued benefits for health and performance is sleep? Yes, it is essential for us to live a long life. As a matter of fact, studies show that those of us who sleep longer actually live longer. So, it's so critical that you get your sleep.

So, whether you're exercising and taking care of your body, eating right and balancing a very hectic schedule, I would encourage you this week to try to get an extra 30 minutes in. Whether you take a nap, or even get to bed a little bit earlier, it definitely will pay off dividends now and in the long term.

Definitely check me out on my blog at brandmelive.com. And as always, we hope that you have a wonderful and brandtastic week.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC)

KEILAR: We are about 30 minutes away now until the old Cowboy stadium, the Texas stadium, is going to implode, right?

HOLMES: It's going to go away. It's going away.

KEILAR: It's going to be destroyed. HOLMES: We're never going to see it again. There's a new one they have down there that costs $1 billion-plus. So, you probably will forget about this pretty soon anyway.

But the person who is going to be able to make the building go boom is an 11-year-old who started a charity for homeless and he won an essay contest. You see him there. And he got to -- he's going to get to do the honors today. You see them there.

But Don Lemon talked to him last night. Check him out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Are you nervous?

CASEY ROGERS, IMPLOSION CONTEST WINNER: Well, no, I'm not. Just a little bit.

LEMON: What do you mean, a little bit?

ROGERS: Well, I'm kind of nervous and kind of excited.

LEMON: You've been able to sleep?

ROGERS: Well, a little bit.

LEMON: Yes. What do your buds think of you?

ROGERS: Two of them are kin d -- a lot of them are happy for me. But some of them are kind of jealous.

LEMON: Yes. Well, if I was 11, I'd be like, I feel like I want to do that. Why does he got to do it, mom and I can't do it?

So, you'd been practicing?

ROGERS: No, I haven't.

LEMON: You haven't?

ROGERS: No.

LEMON: Are you going to have to pull a lever, push a button, light up a big stick of dynamite? What do you have to do?

ROGERS: Push a button.

LEMON: Push a button. You can do that, right?

ROGERS: Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Hand the kid a lighter and say go for it. Thank goodness that's not the case, right?

HOLMES: And a stick of dynamite and just toss it in there, kid.

Well, again, we are, you know, implosions around here. We haven't had a good implosion in quite some time here. But this is the granddaddy of all implosions. The building cost $35 million to build back in 1971. It's actually costing them $6 million to bring it down, all the rigging and clearing the place out to make sure it was just a shell if it will come. And the explosives cost pretty penny.

KEILAR: Yes, but they have to be very careful about it. They have to take it all of the asbestos out and there are going to be people right there tailgating in one of the parking lots, taking a look at this.

HOLMES: They're doing it now.

All right. Brianna and I will be back at the top of the hour with more live news. And we will have live coverage of that implosion. So, we will see you back here in a half hour.

But, for right now, who is it, Sanjay Gupta? We know that guy. "SANJAY GUPTA, M.D." starts right now.