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CNN Saturday Morning News
Picture Emerging Of Seven Men Suspected Of Plotting Attack On Chicago's Sears Tower; Intelligence Analysts Poring Over Latest Videotaped Message From Al Qaeda's Number Two; Producer Aaron Spelling Dies; Miami Heat Win Championship; Homegrown Terrorists Growing Threat; How To Complain
Aired June 24, 2006 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone.
Unarmed but dangerous -- that's how federal authorities describe seven suspects in an alleged terror plot. Officials say the men plotted to blow up the Sears Tower -- that's in Chicago -- but had no weapons or money. Six of the seven had court appearances yesterday.
The latest on the investigation in a live report just two minutes from now.
MELISSA LONG, CNN ANCHOR: Al Qaeda's top deputy issues a eulogy for a fellow terrorist. It's the second videotape from Ayman al- Zawahiri this week. He mourns the death of Al Qaeda in Iraq leader, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and he blasts President Bush and the new Iraqi prime minister.
HARRIS: Fierce fighting in Afghanistan. The military says coalition and Afghan forces have killed 65 Taliban fighters in two separate battles. Twenty-five died during fighting in the Kandahar Province.
LONG: A collection of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s documents will not be sold at auction. An Atlanta coalition will buy the papers and house them at Morehouse College. That's King's alma mater. The collection had been expected to sell for $15 million to $30 million at auction. It includes drafts of King's "I Have A Dream" speech.
HARRIS: The man who fought former Playmate Anna Nicole Smith over his father's oil fortune has died. The family of E. Pierce Marshall says he died unexpectedly this week from an aggressive infection. Marshall's father married Smith when he was 89 and she was 26. The legal battle over his estate went all the way to the Supreme Court.
LONG: The man who created such television hits as "Dynasty," "Charlie's Angels," "The Love Boat" and "Melrose Place" has died. Aaron Spelling died last night of complications from a stroke, according to his publicist.
Spelling's 1990 series "Beverly Hills 90210" launched the acting career of his daughter Tori. It also marked his come back after his first season without a hit show. Aaron Spelling was 83.
HARRIS: Good morning, everyone.
LONG: Good morning.
Welcome back from vacation, too.
HARRIS: Good morning.
Yes, it was good. Whoo, rested. The layers peeling off. Put the layers back on. But them back on. Time to go to work.
LONG: OK, come on.
HARRIS: From the CNN Center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
It is 7:00 a.m. here in Atlanta and 4:00 a.m. on the West Coast.
Good morning, everyone.
I'm Tony Harris.
LONG: And good morning.
I'm Melissa Long in this morning for Betty Nguyen.
Thanks for being with us.
HARRIS: And slowly now, a picture is emerging of seven men suspected of plotting to attack Chicago's Sears Tower. Six of the seven are in custody. Their Miami warehouse was raided Thursday. In the words of the FBI, they were more aspirational than operational.
But family members of the accused describe them as devout men who studied the bible.
Let's get the latest from CNN's Kyung Lah in Washington -- Kyung, good morning.
KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony.
We have two conflicting images of these suspects emerging this morning. In the indictment, the federal government says this group of men wanted to wage war against the U.S. The government says they came to view their home country as the enemy. But what the indictment certainly indicates, though, is that they were disorganized and they didn't have any weapons yet in their possession.
The seven suspects do remain in custody this morning.
Federal agents swooped in on a windowless Miami warehouse in an impoverished neighborhood of the city on Thursday. They surrounded that building.
The indictment says they tried to acquire weapons and bombs and wanted to blow up the Sears Tower in Chicago and various government offices in five different cities.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALBERTO GONZALES, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: The individuals here in America made plans to hurt Americans. They did take some overt acts. They did request materials. They did request equipment. They did request funding. They took an allegiance -- swore an allegiance to al Qaeda.
We clearly believe there's sufficient information, sufficient facts, to support this prosecution.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAH: But in their court hearing yesterday, most of the suspects did appear in front of a U.S. district court judge. They said they didn't have any money, not even enough to pay for an attorney. Neighbors described the men as odd, but visible, marching around for anyone to see, so if they were planning an attack, they certainly didn't hide it.
The sister of one of the suspects calls her brother a religious man and she says these charges are false.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARLENE PHANOR, TERROR SUSPECT'S SISTER: When I heard it, my heart didn't beat at once -- my heart didn't beat. I didn't get nervous. I didn't panic, because it was false accusations from the get go. When I heard it I was like I don't believe they put this out in the world that my brother is a terrorist.
He's not a terrorist. He don't have any terror act in him. He's never involved in violence. He's just out here trying to help the community, help the black power where we stay at to get together and do something positive for themselves.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAH: And that was a relative speaking to Wolf Blitzer in "THE SITUATION ROOM."
Now, Florida officials do describe the group's plans as aspirational rather than operational. But the attorney general says that that's precisely the time to swoop in and break up terror cells.
The arraignment is set for June 30th -- Melissa, Tony.
HARRIS: CNN's Kyung Lah in Washington.
Kyung, thank you.
And next hour, we're bringing in our legal ladies to talk about these arrests. That's in our 8:00 Eastern hour right here on CNN.
And this leads us all to our e-mail question of the day -- how big a threat is homegrown terror in your mind?
Send your comments to Weekends@CNN.com and we'll read your responses throughout the morning.
LONG: A financial disclosure angering the Bush administration. Top officials are blasting news reports about the use of international financial records to track terrorists.
Vice President Dick Cheney says the Treasury Department uses safeguards to protect civil liberties.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What I find most disturbing about these stories is the fact that some of the news media take it up on themselves to expose vital national security programs, thereby making it more difficult for us to prevent future attacks against the American people. That offends me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LONG: Some Democrats question the program. Congressman Ed Markey of Massachusetts says, and I quote: "The Bush administration may be once again violating the constitutional rights of innocent Americans, s part of another secret program created in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks."
Markey co-chairs the Congressional Privacy Caucus.
HARRIS: And there's this. The Justice Department says a lawsuit over the NSA domestic spying program could reveal state secrets. The government is asking a federal judge in San Francisco-to dismiss the case. Lawyers say terrorists could use information from the lawsuit to plot their attacks. The case was filed by a privacy group against telecom giant AT&T. No word on when the judge will rule.
LONG: Intelligence analysts are now poring over the latest videotaped message from al Qaeda's number two man. In the tape, Ayman al-Zawahiri suggests President Bush is a liar and a coward.
As CNN's national security correspondent David Ensor explains, it's not just what al-Zawahiri says, it's how he says it that may be most telling.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On a slickly produced tape with a photo of al Qaeda's dead leader in Iraq behind him, al Qaeda's deputy leader expressed grief over Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's death in an American air strike and called him the prince of martyrs.
Ayman al-Zawahiri warned Americans on the tape that killing Zarqawi and the like will not stop attacks on the West.
AYMAN AL-ZAWAHIRI, AL QAEDA SECOND IN COMMAND (through translator): Bush is lying to you when he tells you that you will win when you kill Osama bin Laden, Mullah Omar and the members of al Qaeda and Taliban. He is hiding a lot behind his lies. He's hiding the true catastrophe that you're facing.
JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: The tape looks to me like an attempt by Zawahiri to remind the world that al Qaeda central is still in charge. This is the third tape in a month. And, for the first time, Zarqawi's no longer dominating the headlines.
ENSOR: McLaughlin and other analysts point to the letter captured by U.S. intelligence written by Zawahiri to Zarqawi in which he advised him to stop beheading foreigners -- too bloody -- and especially to stop killing fellow Muslims. The latter advice Zarqawi ignored.
MCLAUGHLIN: In fact, if you could put one of those sort of subliminal bubbles over his head like in a cartoon, it would probably say, "Good riddance."
ENSOR (on camera): But Arabic translators say they were struck by the anger and frustration they heard in Zawahiri's voice -- anger at the U.S.; frustration, perhaps, that all he may be able to do from hiding is issue tapes.
David Ensor, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: And still ahead, could you be living near a would be terrorist? Al Qaeda's leaders are operating a world away, but they could be inspiring people who lurk and live quietly among us.
More Security Watch ahead this hour.
LONG: Plus, have you ever bought something that doesn't work or just had a frustrating experience with a salesperson? Ahead, we're going to show you how it pays to complain.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
BARE NAKED LADIES: It's all right when we go shopping.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
(WEATHER REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LONG: Good morning.
On this Saturday, the jewel of Arizona is still threatened. Fire crews worked through the night to try to contain that wildfire near Sedona. The fire has burned roughly 4,000 acres. About 450 homes and businesses have been evacuated since last Sunday.
The good news, no homes have burned, but that fire is only about 20 percent contained.
HARRIS: Now, I have been away for the last week, but I King we've been dealing with wildfires for months now.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: Updating our top stories right now, family and friends say seven men indicted in Miami are not homegrown terrorists. The FBI disagrees. The federal indictment says they aspired to wage war against the government.
The private information is out there -- Social Security numbers and other personal data for 28,000 sailors and their families. The information was found on a civilian Web site. The Navy says there's no evidence the data was used illegally.
It looks like Martin Luther King, Jr.'s personal documents will stay in Atlanta and won't be auctioned after all. Atlanta's mayor says an anonymous group representing Atlanta's interests has agreed to buy the papers. They will be housed at Morehouse College, King's alma mater.
You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
LONG: A death in Hollywood to share with you this morning.
Aaron Spelling, the prolific producer who brought us shows like "Charlie's Angels" and "Beverly Hills 90210" died Friday in Los Angeles.
CNN's Brooke Anderson looks at the man behind some of America's most popular programs.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): "Charlie's Angels," "Beverly Hills 90210," "Melrose Place" -- "The Guinness Book of World Records" cites Aaron Spelling as the most prolific TV producer ever, with more than 200 television series and movies to his credit during his 50 years in the business.
AARON SPELLING, PRODUCER: I used to think I really wanted to do movies. And we did 11 movies, everything from "Mr. Mom" to "Night Mother." And I thought, wow! Movies! And "Soap Dish" was our last one. And I said I just want to do movies. I'm tired of television. Boy, when it can take so long to do movies, I couldn't make television. I love television.
ANDERSON: And television loved him.
He was nominated for seven Emmy Awards and won two.
Spelling's own story went from rags to riches -- Texas to Tinseltown, where he lived in a sprawling mansion with his wife Candy, daughter Tori, son Randy, 123 rooms and a bowling alley.
Spelling was born in Dallas in April, 1923, the son of Polish and Russian immigrants. The former roadie for a band started in show business by writing and producing plays. He even worked briefly as an actor, appearing on "Gunsmoke" in 1955.
While Spelling often joked about his acting, he got serious with producing.
In 1968, he scored his first hit as a producer with "The Mod Squad" -- three hip cops who lasted five years. Spelling's shows often seemed to jump from picture tube favorites to pop culture phenomenon. "Charlie's Angels," at first passed on by ABC, brought sex appeal to prime time and made stars of Farrah Fawcett, Jacqueline Smith, among others.
TV viewers worldwide cruised on Spelling's "Love Boat," cheered and jeered at the rich and infamous of "Dynasty," rode along with "Starsky and Hutch" and escaped to "Fantasy Island."
RICARDO MONTALBAN, ACTOR: The plane! The plane!
ANDERSON: "Beverly Hills 90210" seemed to find exactly the right time slot and demographic -- young viewers. Spelling launched the popular high school drama in the early '90s. It was partly inspired by his daughter Tori, who also starred in the show.
SPELLING: Most exciting is to have a hit. I guess it's like hitting a home run-in a baseball game. I don't think you ever get used to it.
ANDERSON: Spelling routinely hit the type of prime time grand slam that set trends, both on and off screen.
Brooke Anderson, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Well, if you build it, they might not automatically come. But the Miami "Heat" had beaten the Dallas Mavericks and come home with an NBA championship. It took 18 years for "The Heat" to bring the trophy home to Miami.
But look, look, look, who's counting? Now, this season, "Heat" fans came running with cash in hand to grab Miami arena seats. "Heat" center Alonzo Mourning thanked the Miami fans for their support and their patience.
Sports business analyst Rick Horrow, author of "When the Game Is On the Line," was there from the very beginning and he is with us this morning from West Palm Beach, Florida -- Rick, good to see you.
What are you wearing now?
What is that?
What...
RICK HORROW, CNN SPORTS BUSINESS ANALYST: Good to see you. That's a best is yet to come Miami T-shirt.
HARRIS: Oh, boy.
HORROW: Twenty years ago, before "The Heat" was even created -- and this shirt is 20 years old, as you can tell, because you can see the belly sticking out, right -- to just take a line away from you.
HARRIS: Is that right? Is that right? You've got it.
I have to ask you, "The Heat" brought home the championship, but it's taken a while, 18 years, as we've mentioned. But it seems to me that's been a hot franchise for a while now. Fans grabbing up tickets for those games.
Talk about the economic impact of "The Heat" in Miami and what's to come with a championship in hand.
HORROW: Well, a lot of dimensions to that story, frankly, with Shaquille O'Neal promising a championship and getting one. It's Dwayne Wade -- a 41 percent increase in jersey sales the day after the championship, an NBA record. And most of that is Dwayne Wade's superstar status, potentially.
The franchise was valued by "Forbes" at $362 million before the championship. It's now a premium to it, of course. And the economics -- by the way, I grew up in South Florida. $100 million of impact for tourism, South Beach and the like. But it doesn't begin to tell the story, because it is the next expansion franchise in '86. And, frankly, it was the only one after the Dolphins and it's re-defined the South Florida sports landscape, that next championship.
HARRIS: You know, I'm not sure how I feel about this, but I guess part of the reason we're even talking to you these days is because you had a hand in bringing -- well, building the arena.
Is that true? I know it's true.
HORROW: Well, it's true. A good set up. One of the reasons you're talking to me these days is because I constantly make you look good.
HARRIS: There you go.
HORROW: And the bottom line of all of this, and "When the Game Is On the Line," the book, talks about it, is, you know, 25 years ago, South Florida was a sports wasteland except for the Dolphins. And we went through a number of sports authorities and tries, put the arena together, had an exhibition game to try to promote South Florida to David Stern.
By the way -- Gary...
HARRIS: But what does Franco-Harris do with it?
Wait a minute... HORROW: No, no, no, no, no, no. That's me in the quasi intellectual look the day before the arena opened almost 20 years to the day...
HARRIS: A nice afro.
HORROW: ... since the ground breaking.
Yes. Yes, sorry.
So I have a lot of fun-with that.
We -- we brought David Stern's mom to an exhibition game, gave her a rose. David called up and said what are you lobbying for? We did that. That was part of the franchise process.
We also had Ted Arison, Mickey's father, the founder of Carnival Cruise Lines, going into the NBA office and asking David Stern whether $32 million was the right number. He said that's the only number.
Arison left, came back five minutes later and said, "I went across the street to buy an NBA franchise, but you're the only ones selling." He took out his checkbook, $32 million. The rest is history.
HARRIS: Yes.
HORROW: "Heat" was awarded almost 20 years ago and now the championship ...
(CROSSTALK)
HARRIS: Hey, let's get to the fair and foul ball this week.
The foul ball, of course, I -- yes, USA out of the World Cup.
HORROW: Well, you know, 30 million viewers internationally, 3.1 million spectators and it'll go on without America...
HARRIS: Yes, yes, yes.
HORROW: The bottom line is we're out. Major league soccer may be affected by it, but we have 17 million points playing soccer and people will rebound very quickly. The sport will survive, but it was a major hit this week.
HARRIS: And what's your fair ball this week?
HORROW: That's interesting, baseball has not been a fair ball for a long time, but it is today. The study said that home runs increased about 11 percent, to 2.2 a game, even though steroid use is obviously declining because of the testing and all of the grief that's happened.
So we're looking at an exciting game, more so than ever before, heading into the All Star Game in Pittsburgh. HARRIS: A nice shirt.
HORROW: Hey, I'm going to try to pry this shirt off. It may take me about three-and-a-half hours to get it off. I need a can opener.
HARRIS: Good to see you, Rick.
Take care, man.
HORROW: See you next week.
HARRIS: All right -- Melissa.
LONG: All right, thank you, Tony.
Homegrown terrorists preparing to strike from within -- is the U.S. prepared for these local terror cells?
We'll have the details in about five minutes.
Plus, customer dis-service...
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED CONSUMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE: Well, I don't k what anybody has done to you, Vincent.
VINCENT: You're annoying the (OBSCENE WORD OMITTED) out of me. That's what you're doing to me. Cancel the account please.
UNIDENTIFIED CONSUMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE: Well, that goes both ways, my friend.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
LONG: Are you frustrated with poor customer service?
Coming up in 15 minutes, the best way to complain and make it count.
(WEATHER REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LONG: Good morning to you.
More aspirational than operational -- that's how the FBI's deputy director describes the seven suspects accused of hatching a homegrown terror plot in Miami. A federal indictment says the suspects had no weapons, money or supplies to back their alleged plan. The indictment accuses the seven of conspiring to wage war against the U.S.
An Atlanta coalition is buying a collection of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s documents. In it, priceless handwritten papers, including drafts of the "I Have A Dream" speech. The papers will be kept at King's alma mater, Morehouse College.
This collection was scheduled for auction next week and now that has been called off.
A seriously ill nine-month-old has been found alive in Washington State. Police say his mother took little Riley from the Seattle hospital right before the scheduled operation Thursday. A state amber alert was issued for him. He was recovered yesterday. His mother was arrested on a kidnapping warrant. Police say little Riley is in state custody.
The man who spent years fighting with Anna Nicole Smith over his late father's oil fortune has died at the age of 67. His family says E. Pierce Marshall died unexpectedly earlier this week from a brief and extremely aggressive infection. Marshall fought all the way to the Supreme Court, trying to keep the former Playmate from cashing in on his father's estate.
Smith was briefly married to the 89-year-old tycoon, J. Howard Marshall, before he died.
And a king of prime time television, Aaron Spelling, has died. His publicist says Spelling passed away last night at his California home due to a complication from a stroke he suffered last weekend. Spelling either produced or created a number of hit TV shows like "The Love Boat," "Dynasty," "Beverly Hills 90210." Aaron Spelling was 83.
HARRIS: The threat from within -- al Qaeda isn't the only concern. Authorities say the arrests of seven suspects accused of plotting to blow up Chicago's Sears Tower point to another problem -- homegrown terrorists.
Details from homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Sears Tower, a landmark, a symbol, on the list of potential terrorist targets since 9/11. But the threat against it, once believed to come from abroad, came, in this instance, from within.
ROBERT MUELLER, FBI DIRECTOR: They were persons who, for whatever reason, came to view their home country as the enemy.
MESERVE: It is a product of the war on terror, officials say, unexpected and unwelcome. With al Qaeda disrupted, the seeds of jihadist ideology have dispersed, germinated and grown into small, local terror cells.
MUELLER: These extremists are self-recruited, self-trained and self-executing. They may not have any connection at all to al Qaeda or to other terrorist groups. They share ideas and information in the shadows of the Internet.
MESERVE: The bombers who attacked the London transit system a year ago are said to have had no direct al Qaeda link. Likewise, the alleged Toronto terrorists arrested earlier this month, who are said to have wanted to blow up the Canadian parliament and behead the prime minister.
And now there are the purported plotters in Florida, who were caught because someone who knew them grew suspicious.
JOHN PISTOLE, FBI DEPUTY DIRECTOR: Let's just say that they were doing things that came to our attention through people who were alert in the community.
MESERVE: Members of local cells plot and plan where they live and work. They belong there. They do not stand out. They are, in short, hard to find. A homegrown cell that originated in this California prison was only stopped after some members were caught robbing gas stations and investigators stumbled onto evidence of terrorism.
The absence of a larger organizational hierarchy decreases the likelihood of communications intercepts or unusual travel that might raise alarm bells. The key, say experts, is old-fashioned police work.
GEORGE BAURIES, FORMER FBI AGENT: You have to have a constant surveillance of what's going on within the community. And that means that agents have to be out there working with their informants.
MESERVE: Officials make it clear finding and stopping these homegrown cells must be a priority.
GONZALES: And, left unchecked, these homegrown terrorists may prove to be as dangerous as groups like al Qaeda.
MESERVE (on camera): No one has a real handle on the number of homegrown terrorists in the United States, but officials are worried that their number could be multiplying, and their danger growing.
Jeanne Meserve, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LONG: My Pipeline colleague, Veronica de la Cruz of the Dot-Com Desk is here with us this morning to talk about the information you can find online related to this story.
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely.
Yes, good to see you.
Well, as you well know, CNN.com has the latest news and analysis on this story, including the full indictment outlining each of the charges against these seven men. So, if you like reading law documents, you understand the jargon, then you might want to take a look. You will also find the indictment important because it outlines a sequence of events starting with a December meeting where these men are alleged to have planned a mission to wage war against the U.S. At CNN.com, you can also check out aerial photos of the various landmarks the suspects are accused of planning to attack, including Miami's Federal Detention Center and Police Department. And you can always check out CNN Pipeline. There, you will be able to search the word "terror" and that will give you the latest news, video and live events right on your desktop or your laptop.
As you well know, Melissa...
LONG: Yes, of course, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. we're streaming so many live events. A great opportunity when you're at work to stay in the know.
DE LA CRUZ: Absolutely.
And this weekend we start weekends.
LONG: What hour?
DE LA CRUZ: Weekend programming.
LONG: What hour?
DE LA CRUZ: Saturdays and Sundays, 1:00 p.m. Eastern. We're going to be doing a Pipeline...
LONG: News to Tony over here.
DE LA CRUZ: ... newscast.
HARRIS: Nice. No, I did not know that.
Great!
LONG: See what happens when you go away on vacation. You come back and everything's different.
HARRIS: And things change.
So you're -- when is it now, Saturdays?
DE LA CRUZ: Saturdays...
LONG: And Sundays.
DE LA CRUZ: ... and Sundays, 1:00 p.m. Eastern.
HARRIS: CNN Pipeline?
DE LA CRUZ: Um-hmm.
HARRIS: Outstanding. Great, great, great, great.
All right, thank you.
LONG: Talk to you soon, Veronica. DE LA CRUZ: Good to see you guys.
LONG: And Veronica's segment leads us, actually, to our e-mail question of the morning -- how big a threat is homegrown terror?
Do send us your comments this morning to Weekends@CNN.com and we will share your responses throughout the morning.
Stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable information on your safety and security.
HARRIS: And Other Stories Across America this morning.
A candlelight vigil last night in Madras, Oregon for Private First Class Thomas Tucker. He was kidnapped and killed in Iraq last week. Oregon's governor ordered flags lowered to half staff beginning Monday. Funerals for Tucker and Private First Class Kristian Menchaca of Houston will be next week. Both soldiers were with the 101st Airborne. A spokeswoman with the 101st will join us in the 10:00 a.m. Eastern hour this morning.
And don't look for any more National Guard troops from California to help patrol the Mexican border. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has already agreed to send 1,000 troops to the border. But officials say he turned down a request from the White House for an additional 1,500 troops.
And in suburban Washington, a rare piece of history opens to the public for the first time today. The log structure attached to this house in Montgomery County, Maryland was the basis for the novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin." The county bought the private home and property for $1 million in January. Officials expect a large crowd when it opens at noon.
LONG: You've probably experienced this at one point -- bad service, a defective product, a rude salesperson.
HARRIS: Does any of that sound familiar?
Of course it does.
Up next, we will tell you how to take action and get your complaint resolved.
Stay with CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: And welcome back, everyone, to CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
Let's get you up to speed on the news of the day. First, in Miami and Atlanta, six of seven men accused of conspiring to wage war against the U.S. have appeared in court. They had no weapons, money or supplies, according to the indictment. The FBI says their alleged terrorist ambitions were more inspiration then operational.
Al Qaeda's number two man releases a new videotape, his second this week. In it, he mourns the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in a U.S. air strike in Iraq earlier this month.
Back in the States, it took hours, but rescuers were able to pull these three men off the top of this vehicle and to safety. The van they were riding in careened into a river. The driver got out and swam to safety. No one suffered any injuries.
LONG: Are you frustrated with customer service? Think back to a time when you've bought a car, purchased a new appliance or went out to eat and you were unhappy with the service. It's happened to most of us at one time or another.
So what can you do to get the most for your money?
Joining us now from San Francisco-is Consumer Action spokesman Joe Ridout with some tips on how to complain.
Good morning.
Thanks for your time.
JOE RIDOUT, CONSUMER ACTION: Good morning.
Hi.
LONG: Well, let's first talk about the fact that you are angry, you're irritated, you perhaps want to blow your stack.
So how do you focus all of that and actually get the message to the -- to the person on the other end of the line or the person at the other end of the desk?
RIDOUT: Well, it's important no matter how upset you might be to be very civil and polite when you're talking with a customer service person or whoever you begin your complaint with. You don't necessarily have to be nice, per se, but you should be polite and civil rather than rude. You'll catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, they say.
LONG: So be stern. Think about it as if you were arguing with your spouse in a relationship or something like that? Make your point...
RIDOUT: Yes...
LONG: ... but don't bring in other stuff necessarily.
RIDOUT: Be polite but firm, and that's the best way to get your message across.
LONG: A lot of people will try to put something down in writing so that there's some sort of a paper trail.
What do you think about that?
RIDOUT: It's a very good idea to put things in writing. If you can't get the complaint resolved immediately with a customer service person, you know, we recommend going up to a supervisor, ask for the retention office.
If none of that works, put your complaint in writing. You'll protect a lot of your legal rights, on the one hand, and if you direct your letter to someone higher up in the organization, they're going to be in a better position to address your complaint.
LONG: You know, my grandmother has actually done this successfully over the years when she's had a bad travel experience.
I wanted to ask about something, though.
Do you think handwriting is better because it gives that personal touch? Or should you be more professional and actually put it on a computer, or type it out?
RIDOUT: Personally, I would suggest typing it up. Handwritten notices may not receive the same amount of care and consideration. Typewritten notices will be able to be read quicker and they probably will get a better response.
The key, really, is to make sure you're talking with the right person or writing to the correct person. There's some very good Web sites, like Hoovers.com, where you can find specific corporate information, write to the upper management of the company if you like. And if it's a very important issue, send it certified mail so that you can have proof they have received it.
LONG: Well, you've mentioned the Web sites, as well. And the Web sites have actually made it easier for us to complain. There's a few Web sites, like the Better Business Bureau, which you can really contact and maybe get some work done.
RIDOUT: Yes. You know, if you can't get anything done with a company and your complaint is still unresolved, you can go to organizations like the Better Business Bureau or state agencies, regulators or consumer groups like Consumer Action. When you write to the BBB, for example, or file a complaint online, they'll write a letter on your behalf to the company. That may not be enough to resolve it, but sometimes that'll tip the scales in your favor.
And, also, like you mentioned, they have an excellent searchable online database so that customers in the future, at the very least, can find out about problems with this particular company.
LONG: Well, help us to do that exactly. How do you call the Better Business Bureau and what exactly are you supposed to seek? What type of information are you searching for when you do make that call?
RIDOUT: Well, you can call up your local branch of the Better Business Bureau. They're in the phone book. Www.bbb.org is their Web site and you can just type in the name of any company and you can get a very good idea of what kinds of complaints or what kinds of positive feedback customers have had to say about specific companies.
LONG: You mentioned earlier to be polite but firm. And I've encountered this many times with something, and perhaps you have, as well, when you call a company these days, you really never know which country your phone call may end up in. And there may be actually a communication problem.
What's your advice for that situation?
RIDOUT: Well, if you're getting a disagreeable customer service person or someone who is unwilling or unable to solve the problem for any reason, ask for a supervisor. That often will switch you from perhaps the outsourced company where the front line customer service person is to someone in the United States or someone in a better position to address your complaint.
If that, in turn, still isn't enough, large companies have what's called retention offices. That's where you get sent if they think that your business is in jeopardy. If you put your...
LONG: Well...
RIDOUT: Yes?
LONG: Go ahead.
RIDOUT: If you put your complaint in terms that your future business with the company be in jeopardy, that often is enough to make them go the extra mile for you.
For example, with credit card companies, it's estimated it costs them $200 to replace you with a new customer. So if they think you may switch to another company, that may be enough to get your complaint fixed.
LONG: Well, that's actually the last question I wanted to ask you this morning. You mentioned a large company and so often I feel that consumers will feel like well, I'm just one customer. So do the large customers actually care about each and every customer out there?
RIDOUT: They most certainly do. A good company wants to hear about problems with billing or problems with the quality of their products. They're very interested in hearing about things like that so they can make the products that they're intending to.
You know, and on a side note, it's -- they also appreciate hearing positive comments. If someone has had a particularly good experience, companies like to hear that, too.
LONG: Send them a note, maybe they'll send you free coupons or free stuff, too.
RIDOUT: They do, in appreciation for the positive feedback, frequently you'll get a coupon or a free sample, things like that. But, you know, for a bad customer feedback, it's good to just put it in writing and start with a compliment. Say, for example, I've always appreciated eating at Mama Antoinelli's, that is, until I found the wing nut in my spaghetti.
LONG: OK.
RIDOUT: So start with a compliment, get to the bad stuff and they'll be much more likely to take your complaint seriously.
LONG: Joe Ridout from the Consumer Action organization this morning.
Thanks so much for your time, Joe.
RIDOUT: Thank you.
HARRIS: That was an interesting construction.
Brace yourself.
The Water Cooler is next with the story of a giant red army invading the West. This is one road trip where you'd better pack a can of bug killer.
That story and much more, right after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Love that sound, just love it.
You know what that means?
It's time for the Water Cooler, when we take a little break to tell you about some of the strange, odd, weird things that are happening in the world -- Melissa.
LONG: Quirky.
HARRIS: Yes, yes, quirky too.
LONG: Right.
So first up in this segment, a motorist near Boise, Idaho describes coming upon what many people might call a biblical plague.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was like a sea of red. At first it was just a real small patch and I could tell they were crickets. You could see them hopping on the road. It's like a sheet of ice. I mean you get to a point where you're driving and even though you want to slow down as you're hitting them, you are sliding a little bit, so you have to be real careful.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Cranky. A little Australian for you, a little cranky.
That's a lot of bugs, is what that is, really. This is what it looks like when hordes of Mormon crickets begin their annual invasion across parts of the West. There were so many this year that some roads became nearly impassable.
LONG: Yucky.
HARRIS: Yes.
LONG: All right, now we're going to take you to New England. A beautiful home. A cautionary tale about, however, a homebuilder who wouldn't take no for an answer. This luxurious three story home overlooks Marblehead Bay.
The cost?
More than a million dollars. It's really a dream house, right?
HARRIS: Yes.
LONG: But, the owner has been ordered to tear it down because it was built without the proper permits.
HARRIS: Oh, come on.
So they're going to tear it down?
LONG: Um-hmm.
HARRIS: They just won't rezone or something? OK. All right, I guess. All right.
LONG: I'm just telling you the information.
HARRIS: Yes, yes, yes.
Now if you think that's pretty embarrassing, well, listen to this. This brand spanking new courthouse in Nashville has one serious design flaw -- flushing toilets can be heard throughout the building. So the judges are not amused about presiding over, say, a murder case and suddenly there's this giant sucking sound in the courtroom.
Engineers are working on the problem.
(LAUGHTER)
HARRIS: Sorry.
LONG: In any case, that's just terribly embarrassing.
HARRIS: Exactly.
LONG: Finally, one of the tacky, I don't know, maybe I'm editorializing there -- I'm just sharing -- platinum wigs that became Andy Warhol's signature look sold at auction the other day in New York for nearly $11,000.
HARRIS: Oh, come on.
Really?
LONG: Yes. Yes. That was nearly twice what it was actually expected to bring in.
HARRIS: Sure, the creepy artifact belonged to Warhol's nephew, which begs the question, if he didn't want it, why would you?
LONG: Well, somebody -- you know, if you're an obsessive fan, you want anything from the person you admire.
HARRIS: True. No, that's a good point. Something to ponder as we get you now to Reynolds Wolf in the CNN Weather Center -- good morning, sir.
(WEATHER REPORT)
LONG: Well, we have been asking you this morning for your thoughts.
The e-mail question we've posed -- how big of a threat is homegrown terror?
Send us your comments, Weekends@CNN.com. And we want to thank Bill McClelland for writing in this morning from Ohio. He says: "Homegrown terrorism has, in the past, and will continue in the future, to be the number one threat to this nation. By its very definition, terrorism is an act of premeditated violence committed against individuals or property."
Bill, thanks for your comments.
HARRIS: And this from Shasta from Forth Worth, Texas. She writes: "I actually believe this notion of homegrown terrorists has been greatly exaggerated. Is it really just a coincidence that this so-called threat emerges shortly before the mid-term elections? I feel, as one CNN contributor said, these indictments in Miami are thin and will be hard for the government to prove with this group of hapless individuals. If homegrown terrorists were such a danger, why haven't we seen any sign of this before now, in the last five years since 9/11? Is it just an accident of timing that these arrests happened the day before FBI Chief Mueller gave a speech on homegrown terrorism?"
Shasta asking a bunch of questions there in her e-mail.
Appreciate it.
Thank you very much.
And, once again, here's the question of the day -- how big a threat is homegrown terror? There's our address, Weekends@CNN.com. Send along your comments and we'll read them throughout the morning.
LONG: The next hour of CNN SATURDAY MORNING begins in a moment.
But first, Gerri Willis has your Tip of the Day.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Finding the right real estate agent is key when you're putting all your assets on the line. Experts suggest interviewing at least three agents before you sign on for the ride.
Ask about expertise, references and the projected game plan. Look for an agent who works full-time and who has been practicing for at least two years. And remember, personality counts for something. You're going to be working closely with this person.
A good place to start is the National Association of Realtors Web site. There you'll find a list of certified agents in your area. Another great resource is the National Association of Exclusive Buyers Agents, atnaeba.org.
Finally, if you'd like to check up on your broker's track record, head to homethinking.com.
I'm Gerri Willis and that's your tip of the day.
For more, watch "OPEN HOUSE" today at 9:30 Eastern, right here on CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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