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AMERICAN MORNING

'90-Second Pop'; Military Using Every Available Asset to Try to Locate Reconnaissance Team Missing in Afghanistan

Aired July 1, 2005 - 09:30   ET

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

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Carol, good morning again.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Good morning to you.

The search for a 4-year-old in Milwaukee, Oregon is said to be getting more desperate by the hour. Mattel Zachary Sanchez was last seen on Wednesday afternoon. Crews, including the FBI, are combing the area near the boy's home. Investigators are also looking for a small green car that was spotted at the time of his disappearance.

President Bush is spending his last day before the Fourth of July weekend with the prime minister of Kuwait. The two leaders are set to meet in about two hours at the White House. Topping the agenda, Iraq and women's rights. President Bush is applauding Kuwait's reasons decision to grant women voting rights.

Could be a record-setting weekend, but not in the a good way if you're traveling. AAA says more Americans are expected on the road this Fourth of July holiday than ever before. An estimated 40 million commuters will travel at least 50 miles from home. So I guess the high gas prices aren't keeping anyone at home.

And it's an all-American final at Wimbledon this year. Lindsay Davenport came back from set down to beat Amelie Mauresmo. The match started Thursday, but it was suspended because of rain, so Davenport will now face two-time champions Venus Williams on Saturday. And, oh, she's hot. Williams dethroned last year's champ Maria Sharapova for a spot in the finals. I just wish you could have heard Venus during this match, because she was grunting a lot. I mean, she was strong. She was passionate. It was a great game to watch.

S. O'BRIEN: Definitely.

M. O'BRIEN: With the sound up.

COSTELLO: Yes, exciting to watch, exciting to hear.

S. O'BRIEN: All right, Carol, thanks.

COSTELLO: Sure.

Military officials say they are using every available asset to try to locate a reconnaissance team that's missing in Afghanistan. The unit has not been heard from since Tuesday, when a U.S. military helicopter crashed, while trying to bring them reinforcements. Sixteen U.S. troops were killed in that chopper crash. CNN has learned that eight Navy SEALS were part of that group.

Ted Rowlands is live for us at the Naval Amphibious Base on Coronado Island in California this morning.

Ted, good morning.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

And as people make their way in to work this morning, they will be giving the bad news that indeed some of their own went down in that incident in Afghanistan on Tuesday. Navy SEALS are trained both here at Coronado Island off the coast of San Diego, and in Little River, Virginia. There are two units in each location, and we do not have the breakdown as to which units these eight are from, but according to the Pentagon, SEALS from both units were involved in this fatal accident, where eight SEALS perished. The SEAL community is a very tight-knit community. These are special forces, some of the most elite special forces in the world. SEAL. stands for sea, air and land, and the vigorous training that goes into becoming a SEAL makes this a very unique and elite group for those that make it through. Only a small percentage of those that want to be SEALS go on to become SEALS.

There are about 2,000 SEALS on active duty at this time. They make up less than one percent of all of Naval personnel, but clearly, a source of pride for not only the Navy, but for this island of Coronado, too. There is a real sense of pride that the SEALS are based here and train here.

They go through what is a, basically, a legendary training session, which includes what is called Hell Week, five-and-a-half days with a maximum of four hours' sleep. On the Navy Web site, it reads, "Hell proves to those that make it that the human body can do 10 times the amount of average man thinks possible." Clearly, a unique set of individuals, and people here on the island of Coronado would have those individuals on their minds this morning and throughout this holiday weekend -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: A very big loss. Ted Rowlands for us this morning. Ted, thanks -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: This weekend, Live 8 concerts kick off all around the globe. Megashows in 10 cities including Philadelphia, Barrie, Ontario, London, Paris, Rome, Edinboro, Berlin, Moscow and Johannesburg. Wow, that's a lot of shows.

Joining us from two of those concert cities, Alina Cho in Philadelphia, and Mallika Kapur. She is in Hyde Park in London. Let's begin with you, Alina. How many are going to be there in Philadelphia?

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Miles, Good morning to you.

As we listen to a sound check on the stage behind me, I can tell you that in Philadelphia alone, organizers are expecting over the course of the day that one million people will crowd Benjamin Franklin Parkway. That's this area around me. And There will be certainly a lot to see. Listen to this lineup. Among the acts performing tomorrow, Jay Z, P. Diddy, Destiny's Child. Will Smith will serve as the host.

And remember that besides all the fun and music, there is a larger message here. Organizers of Live 8 are trying to get a message to the G-8 leaders as they get ready to meet in Scotland next week. They will be discussing Africa, among other things, and organizers want these leaders to do everything they can to get rid of poverty in Africa.

Now, you may be asking why Philadelphia, as opposed to New York or some other city in the United States? Well, the reason is simple. It is because Philadelphia served as one of the two host cities of Live Aid 20 years ago, but this production is a much larger one. In fact, it is being billed, Miles, as the largest live entertainment event in history -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Alina Cho in Philadelphia, thank you. Let's go now to London. Mallika Kapur standing by at Hyde Park.

Mallika, the stars are going to be out there, big numbers there as well, right?

MALLIKA KAPUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. We have some of the biggest names in the music world, who are going to be performing here, and it's at Hyde Park tomorrow. You have names like Elton John, Madonna, Sting, Bono, they're all going to be here tomorrow.

Now, some of these rock stars are people who took part in the original Live Aid concert, which took place in London, but at Wembley Stadium 20 years ago. These stars are also going to be joined by some younger, newer acts. We're going to be able to hear from Coldplay tomorrow, from Dido, and also from Just Dawn, who wasn't even born when the original Live Aid concert took place -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, Mallika Kapure, I hope it goes well there. Thank you very much. You'll see much, much more from Live 8 tomorrow on "CNN SATURDAY." Watch as we take you live to stages all around the world. It all starts at 7:00 Eastern on "CNN SATURDAY MORNING" -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Well, American drivers are going to pay an average of $2.21 per gallon of gas on this holiday weekend.

But as Chris Huntington reports, the high price isn't slowing anybody down.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS HUNTINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: OK, so be honest, have you changed anything about the way you drive or traded in your old guzzler because of high gas prices? Maybe your cousin bought a hybrid, but did you? Chances are you are shrugging and chugging, just like this woman in Chicago, paying more, but driving no less.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People are always complaining about it, but they're usually complaining about it while they're filling up.

HUNTINGTON: Syndicating cartoonist Chip Bock (ph) nailed the American motorists in hundreds of papers across the country this past week, an apparently well-fed gent gassing up his SUV, but showing no response to crude oil at $60 a barrel. So how expensive do oil and gas have to get for us to change our ways? This San Francisco man says he can't take much more.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three dollars would be where I would draw the line.

HUNTINGTON: In Chicago, a bit more slacked.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Probably not until like $3.50, $4 a gallon.

HUNTINGTON: But in New York, plenty of room to run.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The majority of folks out here are laughing at $3 a gallon; $4 a gallon, they may say I may work overtime; $5 a gallon, they start to consider their other car, and then their start $6, you're out.

HUNTINGTON: The facts don't lie. Gas prices, high as they are, have not slowed U.S. consumption one bit. According to the Departments of Transportation and Energy, American motorists, who already drive more miles and burn more fuel than anyone else on the planet, are on pace for another record year. This Fourth of July weekend, AAA predicts that more Americans will drive more miles than ever before over a three-day holiday. As for slowing down or even obeying the speed limit to conserve fuel, don't count on it.

(on camera): I bet you with this big vehicle, you're still getting it up to 70 sometimes?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Higher than that.

HUNTINGTON (voice-over): Chris Huntington, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

S. O'BRIEN: Well, the costs might be high, but there's no problem getting gas. Analysts say the supply is strong and refineries are putting out more than nine million gallons of gasoline every day.

(WEATHER REPORT)

M. O'BRIEN: Still to come on the program, it's kind of like a celebrity smackdown, the two of them going at it.

S. O'BRIEN: yes.

M. O'BRIEN: Brooke Shields is the target of recent attacks by Tom Cruise. She has some fighting words this morning.

S. O'BRIEN: And Mr. and Mr. Affleck Ben and Jen tie the knot, and baby is going to make three in the fall. If rumors are true, the blushing bride is expecting. We're talking all of that with our "90- Second Pop" panel, just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. Another episode of "90- Second Pop" We're starting a pop newcomer today. Nikki Gustin from "Newsweek."

Welcome, Nikki.

NIKKI GOSTIN, "NEWSWEEK": Thank you.

S. O'BRIEN: We hope you enjoy nor experience today.

B.J. Sigesmund from "US Weekly" joins us as well, and Amy Barnett from "Teen People." Let's get right to it. Ben and Jen, version 2.0, it finally worked out, they got hitched, it's all confirmed, and I thought it was very clever. No big hoopla wedding?

AMY BARNETT, "TEEN PEOPLE": It was very impressive. And I have to say, on the record, I am not the biggest fan of Patagonia's (ph), you know, first couple, Bennifer. I'm not the biggest fan. But I do respect the way they handled their relationship, because they're boring; they're a little dry and boring, but they handled their relationship and their wedding with extreme dignity. The like the anti-Tom and Katie.

S. O'BRIEN: Maybe they want their marriage to work?

BARNETT: Exactly.

S. O'BRIEN: Because maybe they love each other?

BARNETT: We're in total agreement. I think that they don't need some overwrought display of emotion. You know, they actually did their wedding in a very respectful, kind of genuine way.

B.J. SIGESMUND, "US WEEKLY": Incredible contrast from just two years ago, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, because remember, he was in her video. He was rubbing suntan lotion on her posterior.

This whole relationship, I mean, has been a complete 180. They hadn't even confirmed that they were dating before yesterday, let alone pregnant and engaged.

BARNETT: They got married in front of one person.

(CROSSTALK)

BARNETT: Way out of the way. She wore white. And they also announced their pregnancy at the same time, so it was actually...

S. O'BRIEN: A two-fer.

GOSTIN: And I love that Vic DeGava (ph) went to wedding, he was there, her "Alias costar.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, exactly. I like that. I wish them all the best of luck, as I always do for everybody.

GOSTIN: I'm that kind of gal.

S. O'BRIEN: Did you guys see this op-ed that Brooke Shields wrote. Well, let's back up a little bit to Tom Cruise, because it's not "90-Second Pop" if we're not talk be about Tom Cruise in some way, shape or form. Here -- you remember that he did. It was kind of off with Matt Lauer. At one point, they started talking about Brooke Shields and her struggles with postpartum depression. Let's listen to what he said in that interview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM CRUISE, ACTOR: I really care about Brooke Shields. I think here's a wonderful and talented woman. And I want to see her do well. And I know that psychiatry is a pseudoscience.

MATT LAUER: But aren't there examples? And might not Brooke Shields be an example of someone who benefited from one of those drugs?

CRUISE: All it does is mask the problem, Matt, and if you understand the history of it, it masks the problem. That's what it does. That's all it does. You're not getting to the reason why. There is no such thing as a chemical imbalance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

S. O'BRIEN: Dr. Cruise talking. Here's what Ms. Shields had to say today in her op-ed. She said, "I'm going to take a wild guess," and read much sarcasm into these words, "and say that Mr. Cruise has never suffered from postpartum depression" -- you only get that after you have a baby -- "and comments that those made by Tom Cruise are a disservice to mothers everywhere." Oh, he gives one; she gives one back.

GOSTIN: I think that she is clearly. I mean, she made some great points in this op-ed that you can read in "The New York times Today," and I think sort of had to address his really bizarre talk on the "Today Show," because she hasn't really said anything, and I think that she really is shedding a light on postpartum depression, which a lot of people are ashamed to talk about or discuss.

SIGESMUND: She opened up to a lot of details. She talked about how she wanted to take a bottle of pills in some of her darker moments. She thought of jumping out the window of her apartment in some moments, in the first three months that her child was born.

BARNETT: My question is who is Tom Cruise to comment on this, anyway? I mean, Scientology...

S. O'BRIEN: Not just because he's a guy and hasn't had postpartum depression.

BARNETT: There's also that, but frankly, Scientology was discovered by a science fiction writer, and then (INAUDIBLE) the bad souls of the aliens and all of this -- I mean, I don't understand at this point saying that psychiatry is a pseudoscience like saying that Darwinism is speculation. Sensible people don't think that.

GOSTIN: Well, I just think also he's saying that it's a psychiatric problem when it's a hormonal problem, and it's a physical problem.

BARNETT: He thinks there's no such thing as chemical imbalance. That's the thing that's really striking to me.

GOSTIN: When it's hormones it's physical.

(CROSSTALK)

S. O'BRIEN: He clearly touched a nerve among, I think, women, too, and people everywhere, but women, too.

You guys, we're out of time, so thank you very much. Nice to have you. Have a great long weekend, OK.

BARNETT: You, too.

S. O'BRIEN: Thank you -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: So glad I got my Cruise moment. I feel so much better.

CNN LIVE TODAY is coming up next. Daryn, you doing more Tom Cruise? Please, no, no, right?

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: No.

M. O'BRIEN: Good.

KAGAN: No, I can promise you two hours the "no Cruise" zone...

M. O'BRIEN: The "no Cruise" zone.

KAGAN: Yes, but we have a lot to talk about this morning. We're going to be taking a look at Live 8 concert in Africa with rock music's biggest names. Thousands expected to attend worldwide. In fact, some people saying millions. Will it really help?

Also, Lance Armstrong goes for lucky seven. Does he have enough pedal power for another yellow jersey? We'll ask an expert about the Tour De France. That one kicks off on Saturday, tomorrow -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: All he's doing is beating his own records. Boy, it sure is fun to watch, though.

KAGAN: Yes, absolutely.

M. O'BRIEN: Thanks. We'll be watching.

Still to come, the convicted former Worldcom chief, Bernie Ebbers, is giving up nearly everything he owns as part of a settlement with investors. We're "Minding Your Business" on that.

And a pair of pajamas and a book enough to change a kid's life? in our "Extra Effort," you'll meet a woman who says yes, and who is making a difference. You're watching AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: A harsh settlement for former WorldCom boss Bernie Ebbers. That story is what's going on. And also, what's happening at Wall Street. Andy Serwer, here with that.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Thanks, Miles, good morning. Let's check out the early trading this hour on Wall Street. The Dow Jones Industrials is up 29 points. A nice start to the day.

A couple good stock stories this morning. First off, Taser is suing "USA Today," the newspaper, for liable. Interesting one there. Said some inaccuracies in the story that the paper wrote about that company. That stock is up 1 percent. And Microsoft is paying IBM $775 million to settle a lawsuit.

No trading Monday for the 4th of July holiday. Just a reminder there. Trading expected to be slow this afternoon.

Now let's talk about Bernie Ebbers. The former WorldCom CEO has agreed to forfeit $40 million of his assets, basically all of his money, or so he says, paying it to the U.S. attorney general of New York and also the New York State Comptroller Alan Hevesi. This money will be distributed to shareholders in WorldCom and bond holders who lost everything in that $11 billion fraud, the largest in U.S. history.

Let's go through some of his assets here. Some timberland, an estate in Clinton, Mississippi. Then we also got a trucking business, a hotel, a marina, a golf course. He had all kinds of stuff. A 28,000-acre crawfish farm. That's a big crawfish farm.

M. O'BRIEN: You know, everybody needs one of those.

SERWER: That's a big...

M. O'BRIEN: I want a crawfish farm.

SERWER: Yes, that's a big one.

And one thing you've got to wonder is -- supposedly they're going to leave enough money for his wife to live on and to pay his legal fees. But don't you think that old Bernie's got some money squirreled away somewhere?

M. O'BRIEN: You bet.

SERWER: And it's interesting. You don't want to bankrupt the guy. How embarrassing would it be if he's on welfare? And then the government would be bailing him out. So you're going to leave him...

M. O'BRIEN: Good point.

SERWER: ... with a little bit of money. But I think he's probably got some money in Switzerland or the Caribbean or something like that.

M. O'BRIEN: Or buried in the backyard or something.

SERWER: Yes, like those guys in Massachusetts.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes, look what it got them.

SERWER: No. Yes.

M. O'BRIEN: It didn't do them so well. All right, Andy Serwer, thanks -- Soledad.

SERWER: Thanks, Miles.

S. O'BRIEN: In our "Extra Effort" this week, the story of two women who discover that when children go to bed without pajamas, they could help. Jason Carroll has a look at their story this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, want to pick some more?

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's Wednesday afternoon at the Andrus Children's Center, a group home for emotionally troubled children in Yonkers, New York. The kids here are getting a weekly reading lesson, plus a little something extra.

Books.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a book for (INAUDIBLE) because she likes music.

CARROLL: And pajamas.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't mess it up.

CARROLL: 11-year-old Brandon (ph) lives at the center five days a week and spends weekends with his parents.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's pretty cool that they actually volunteer to come and help us. And you could see that it really helps a lot of the kids.

CARROLL: The books, the clothes, all of it possible because of this woman, Genevieve Piturro....

GENEVIEVE PITURRO, FOUNDER, PAJAMA PROGRAM: And in out of weeks...

CARROLL: ... who started the Pajama Program four years ago, with the hope that kids will wake up optimistic and confident. (on camera): Do you think it's that simple, that you can give a child a pair of pajamas or a book and it can really sort of change their outlook on life?

PITURRO: It's not the only thing,it's a little thing.

CARROLL: I see.

PITURRO: And I think the more more people can touch a child that way, I think it must make a difference to them. It must.

CARROLL (voice-over): Piturro left her job as a marketing executive and started the program after volunteering with underprivileged children.

PITURRO: When I used to go and visit, how the kids had that -- had that emptiness at night. I thought, how are they ever going to know people love them?

CARROLL: She began by asking people in New York City for donations. Now...

PITURRO: Somebody sent probably one pair and a book from California.

CARROLL: She gets pajamas and books from across the country. Most of them go to group homes, like Andrus.

(on camera): Tell me about what type of experience this has been for you?

PITURRO: Oh, my world has changed. It's a totally different life that I have. The people are different. And it's more of a mission to help as many children as we can.

CARROLL: Helping them feel better with a little piece of home.

Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

S. O'BRIEN: You can get more information on the Pajama Program at their Web site. It's pajamaprogram.org.

Coming up Monday on AMERICAN MORNING, the truth about sharks. Despite recent attacks, how often do human beings really fall prey and what are the odds that you're at risk when you're in the water? We're going to take a look, beginning at 7:00 a.m. Eastern on Monday on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: We're out of time. Have a great long weekend, everybody.

SERWER: Yes, the weekend. Big weekend. S. O'BRIEN: You're off on Monday?

SERWER: I am, yes. Happy 4th of July.

S. O'BRIEN: It's my first ever. So I just want to gloat just for a second.

M. O'BRIEN: Savor every moment. Enjoy the barbecue, and...

S. O'BRIEN: Thank you.

SERWER: Gloat on, Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: I'll bring some in for you guys.

M. O'BRIEN: We'll call you up and give you a little update...

COSTELLO: Please do. We'll call you at 3:00 a.m. and wake you up.

S. O'BRIEN: Please do. You remember, I got little children, I'm up then. Let's get right to Daryn Kagan. She's at the CNN Center and going to take you through the next couple hours. Hey, Daryn, good morning.

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