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11th Anniversary of 9/11 Attacks; "Checkpoint Of The Future"; President Obama Honors 9/11 Victims; Chicago Teachers May End Strike Soon; Names Being Read At Ground Zero; Financial Help For 9/11 First Responders; Moment Of Silence At Ground Zero; V.P. Biden Speaks in Shanksville, Pennsylvania; iPhone 5 Could Boost GDP; Florida A&M Blames Hazing Victim

Aired September 11, 2012 - 10:00   ET

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

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. The breakthrough overnight was that the Port Authority, which is running this massive operation, has reached a deal with the 9/11 Foundation.

They're the ones that are overseeing the memorial, which is already open and also that museum. It's 110,000 square foot museum, below ground, underneath the memorial, that was actually set to open today.

It got caught in a lot of red tape, political infighting, feuds about who would pay for what, where the money was coming from, so since November the construction has really been halted.

Well overnight they reached a deal, they're going to restart construction in full swing within the next few weeks and they believe that this museum will now open at the end of 2013 or at the latest the beginning of 2014.

One of the family members of a victim that I spoke with this morning said, it's really important to us to have that done, and have it completed, because it sort of is the final stage of the memorial, and it's closure, in a sense, for us.

So it's been sort of a source of angst for a lot of people that want to come and want to visit it. It will have video recordings, voice recordings, clothing of some of the people in the towers so they'll have a lot of things that will be hard for people to see.

But also important for different families to look at and to remember those that they lost. So that is now back on track, very, very good news on this 11th anniversary.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Poppy, I know people across the country would like to come and visit the memorial. It's kind of hard to get to, number one and you have to reserve tickets online. Is that still true?

HARLOW: Right. You do. You have to get tickets online for the memorial, but it's free. And they told me this morning it's always going to remain free. The museum, they're probably going to have to charge admission to help pay for it. But it is -- it's a glorious place. It's a beautiful, beautiful memorial. And what we saw this morning with family members putting paper over the names of the loved ones that are inscribed around those two big pools of water and etching their names onto paper.

And that's what you see happen a lot here, Carol. I did also want to play you some sound, if we have time, from of the family members that I spoke with, the father, Bob Hughes, who lost his 30-year-old son Chris, who was a trader on the 89th floor of the World Trade Center --

COSTELLO: Can you paraphrase for us, Poppy, because soon we're going to have to go to Shanksville for the moment of silence there, so paraphrase for us what he said.

HARLOW: What he said to us, you know, he showed us that it's still hard for him, 11 years later, I said tell me about Chris and his eyes welled up and he said I can't believe it's still so hard. He said for us, 9/11 is 24/7. It's really every day for us. So they're still reliving the pain.

COSTELLO: I don't think they'll ever stop reliving the pain. Poppy Harlow reporting live for us from Ground Zero.

As I said we're going to go to Shanksville now, in Pennsylvania, where the final hijacked airliner crashed into a field at 10:03 Eastern Time. Heroic passengers fought back against the terrorists, and a moment of silence will honor them.

Also, this note for you, the Vice President Joe Biden is set to speak at the Shanksville Memorial. When Vice President Biden begins speaking, of course, we'll carry his remarks live.

In the years since the 9/11 attacks, airport security has changed dramatically. You know that. You know the drill, shoes off, liquids out and hands up for the full body scan.

But a new idea called the checkpoint of the future could make security screening better, easier, and possibly stress-free. CNN's Sandra Endo joins me now from Reagan National Airport. So Sandra, tell us what this is all about.

SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, good morning. Security experts really just want to keep the process safe, but efficient. Because the federal aviation administration projects that in 20 years there will be 1.3 billion people flying throughout the United States.

Now the International Air Transport Association is hoping that by then, people will be able to get their boarding pass through a fingerprint or retinal scan and then breeze through the checkpoint. They're hoping that to use advanced technology can make the checkpoint process more passive than it is today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ENDO: Airport checkpoints as easy as walking down a hall like this.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In seven to ten years, we think it can be, yes.

ENDO: How would it work if it's going to be as easy as walking down a hallway like this?

PERRY FLINT, AITA SPOKESMAN: Well, you can have standoff screening equipment that's under development now that's going to be quite a bit more capable than what exists today. And so that's how -- that's how it works. Right now, we're limited by the technology, by the setup that we have.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ENDO: Now the technology isn't quite there yet, but the group is hoping that by 2020, that it will be. So for right now the TSA does have to rely on those complex, high-tech body scanners and those high- tech x-ray luggage machines that they're using today -- Carol.

COSTELLO: You know how impatient Americans are, though, Sandra. So are there any steps being taken right now to make it a little easier for us?

ENDO: Yes, the TSA unveiled this program last year. They really want to minimize the so-called haystack of people who may pose a threat. So through their pre-check program, if a passenger registers with the TSA and is kind of a known flier to them, they can breeze through the process, if they're qualified.

That means they don't have to take off their shoes, they can keep their laptops in their bag. They can even keep their belt and a light jacket on. That program has been so successful in the past year or so that 2.5 million passengers are preregistered so far. So they're hoping that will speed up the process at airports -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Okay. So, of course, you can't travel with full-size liquids. Most people still have to take off their shoes when they go through security. Are those things here to stay or are they soon to go?

ENDO: That's interesting. Because, the technology is certainly out there, it's being developed. We talked to one executive from Rapidscan who actually developed this type of technology.

And he predicts that in a year or two, that passengers will be able to fly with full-size liquids. But the TSA is saying not so fast. In terms of practicality, they don't know if they could actually roll out that initiative in that time frame.

But clearly, that is what everyone is working on, trying to make this process more efficient, and faster, given the amount of passengers that they're anticipating in the next 20 years.

COSTELLO: Sandra Endo reporting live from Reagan National Airport this morning. We appreciate it.

Let's head back to the Pentagon now and check in with Barbara Starr. And before Barbara begins speaking, I want to remind our viewers we are awaiting remarks from Vice President Joe Biden. He's in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

They're still reading names of the victims there, 40 people died on board the flight that crashed into that field. When Joe Biden begins speaking, we'll go back to Shanksville.

But as I said, let's head to Washington now and check in with Barbara Starr. There was a moment of silence earlier and some moving speeches, frankly.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Carol, 184 souls lost here. Eleven years later, the President once again coming here to the Pentagon, making those remarks, talking about the real mission as he sees it for 9/11, of service and duty.

Trying to put that note on this very sad day that as America looks forward, Americans must rededicate themselves to this concept of service. And that, of course, is what the military is all about, so much is about 77,000 U.S. troops still serving in Afghanistan on the front line 11 years later.

This is not a day for political controversy about all of that, but everyone is well aware that this is an issue, and it was really just yesterday that Secretary of Defense Panetta talked about the notion of don't forget the troops.

After 11 years it can be easy not to remember every day that they are out there. And it is because of the attacks on 9/11, because of everything that happened here in New York, and in Shanksville.

As we await the Vice President coming to the podium in Shanksville for that third ceremony that we have seen every one of the anniversary dates of 9/11, haven't we. Eleven years later, we're still here.

COSTELLO: That we are. Barbara Starr, thanks so much. We're going to take a quick break. We'll take you back to Shanksville after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: This morning we're bringing you live coverage of the ceremonies marking this 11th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. President Obama was at the Pentagon just minutes ago he laid a wreath for those killed there when an airliner slammed into the building.

Vice President Joe Biden is attending a memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Of course that's the field where a plane crashed after passengers and crew tried to overthrow the hijackers.

Mr. Biden expected to speak any minute now. Once he begins speaking, we'll take you back to Shanksville live. We won't leave our coverage of the eleventh anniversary of 9/11 very long.

But there are other stories this morning. Let's go to Chicago, where it is day two of a teacher's strike that's left 350,000 students with another unscheduled day off, but maybe not for much longer. Nearly 30,000 teachers could be back on the job pretty soon. Casey Wian is in Chicago. Really? CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we don't know. Both sides are very hopeful, Carol, that the teachers that you can see over here are on the picket line are back in the classroom soon, where they belong.

The negotiations are scheduled to resume in about 15 minutes time. Those negotiations broke off last night with no agreement. Both sides saying that a deal is within reach, but there remain two very controversial issues that they're going to be talking about today or hopefully will be talking about. That is whether principals at individual schools like this one have the authority to hire whomever they want to replace teachers who have been laid off because of school closings and consolidations.

The union wants more control over that process. They want laid-off teachers to get the first crack at any jobs that become available. Also, the way teachers are evaluated is a very contentious issue here. The school board wants those evaluations tied, at least in part, to student performance. The teachers union saying tying those evaluations to standardized test scores is unfair to teachers who work in low-income districts.

If those two issues get solved, this strike could get solved. So everybody's hoping that those negotiations will be productive when they resume later this morning -- Carol.

COSTELLO: So whose side are parents mostly on: teachers, administrators, the governor, the mayor?

WIAN: It's hard to say. I think parents are -- most of the parents are on the side of let's get this thing settled. They've got working parents here who have no place to take their children. There are schools like this where they do have an opportunity to at least have some temporary child care.

But it's only for a half a day. The parents that we have seen at the schools are mostly in support of the striking teachers. But I'm not sure that's a real representative sample because those who are uncomfortable with the striking teachers are probably more likely to stay away.

We do know that some parents have been uncomfortable bringing their students to schools like this for temporary day care because they have to bring them across picket lines like this one and have them cross the picket line that's manned in some cases by the students' very own teacher -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Casey Wian reporting live for us from Chicago this morning.

All across the country men, women, families, even first responders honoring the victims of September 11th and that includes folks in Chicago where Mitt Romney spent some time this morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It's 18 minutes past the hour. Welcome back to NEWSROOM. Touching ceremonies going on all across the country to honor those lost on September 11th, 2001.

This is a reading of the names in New York City, those names being read by family members this year, not politicians. The ceremony also taking place in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, as you see the speeches have begun honoring the 40 people who died there.

As you know, Flight 93 crashed into the ground there. Who could forget Todd Beamer and Rex Roll as the passengers on board that plane stormed the cockpit, causing the plane to crash and preventing it from hitting its intended target the U.S. Capitol.

The President and Mrs. Obama are spending the day taking part in different ceremonies across Washington and this afternoon they'll be meeting with wounded troops now recovering at Walter Reed Military Medical Center.

White House correspondent Brianna Keilar joins me with that story. Good morning.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Carol. He'll be meeting with wounded troops, something that we actually won't get to see that will be done behind closed doors there will be no cameras.

But this will really be the third of three events that President Obama will do today in remembrance of 9/11. Of course, there was the moment of silence on the south lawn at 8:46 a.m. The time that the first plane hit the World Trade Center and he just wrapped up remarks not too long ago at the Pentagon where there was also a tribute, a moment of silence at 9:37 a.m. in honor of the 184 lives that were lost there in that building and on the plane, not including the hijackers, when the plane crashed into the Pentagon.

President Obama spoke a lot about the legacy of 9/11, Carol. He said it's a day where America took something very negative and made it into something positive, a day of service, coming together, and now remembering the victims and the heroes of that day -- Carol.

COSTELLO: I know when he talked about the third part of that legacy, though, he said that it made Americans more united than ever. Certainly that was true in maybe the first couple of years after 9/11, but right now, I can't say that it's absolutely true.

KEILAR: Yes, I think there is sort of this contrast that you're seeing certainly in a very political battle here two months ahead of the election. As you did mention though, there's been a suspension of the advertising, which as you know, is very negative in this very tough re-election battle.

But today, at least, politics being set aside, we heard President Obama making his remarks, the candidates on the other side, Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, Vice President Joe Biden, all of them paying tribute today to the victims of 9/11 and putting politics aside at least for the day, Carol. But I'm sure that things will return to the normal, the political normal tomorrow.

COSTELLO: I'm sure you're right about that. Brianna Keilar reporting live from the White House this morning.

Mitt Romney, he's also remembering the 9/11 tragedy. He tweeted today -- I'm going to read it to you now. He said on this most sombre day, America is united under God in its quest for peace and freedom at home and across the world.

Romney is in Chicago right now. This morning when he arrived at O'Hare Airport, the Republican presidential candidate shook the hands of several Chicago firefighters who were holding a 9/11 remembrance on the tarmac.

There is a victory this morning for those 9/11 first responders who were exposed to all that toxic dust and debris at Ground Zero. Federal officials have decided that 58 different types of cancer will now be covered under the Zagroda Act.

A law designed to help those who gave so much that day, for those heroic volunteers and responders whose actions left them really sick and bankrupt. This news couldn't come fast enough.

Our senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joins me now to tell us more.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: This was a huge change, Carol. It was last year that you and I were talking about how they weren't going to cover cancer. That was the official edict and now they are. Exactly, and now they are.

And one of the reasons for this change is that a study came out and they looked at firefighters and they looked at the ones who were down at 9/11, down at the site, and the ones who weren't.

The ones who were at Ground Zero had a 19 percent increased incidence of cancer. Now they're not saying that these first responders actually got cancer from the dust at 9/11. They're just saying the possibility is there, and so we're going to, you know, give out money.

COSTELLO: So they don't have to be 100 percent sure. But it's a good, educated guess, because there was a lot of toxic stuff in that debris.

COHEN: There was an unprecedented mix of toxic stuff. That's the important part. I mean, there was jet fuel mixed with asbestos and other building materials. There's no science to go back to say does this cause cancer?

We've never seen this before. We're not really completely sure what it causes. But as you said, the educated guess is yes, it might have caused those cancers.

COSTELLO: Some of those first responders have already died. It's just sad. Will the families of those victims get some money to help them with their medical costs?

COHEN: I was just on the phone with a doctor who treated a patient who died and she said she worked really hard to get him charity care. He didn't have any money, so charity hospitals paid.

This was a very expensive care and she asked me with these hospitals now go get some of that money to compensate them? I said I don't know. That's a great question. We're going to try to find that out.

I think this starts to get very complicated, considering that these cancers, some of them happened in the past, some might happen in the future. Some people got charity care. This gets very tangled up.

COSTELLO: Elizabeth Cohen, thanks so much. We're awaiting Joe Biden's speech. He's supposed to speak in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. You can see the scene there, lots of people coming out to remember those who died on board that flight, Flight 93 that slammed into that field.

When Joe Biden begins speaking, we'll go back to Shanksville. We got to take a break now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: And we are still awaiting Vice President Joe Biden to start speaking in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. But we wanted to take you back to New York; soon there will be another moment of silence when the north tower fell.

Remember how surprised we all were and shocked when the tower fell down. It took a long time, too. The north tower was hit by American Airlines Flight 11, 87 people on board that plane, minus the hijackers. That hit before the 9:00 Eastern hour, so you can see how long it took the north tower to fall. And of course, many people died inside that building on that day. Let's pause now to listen.

At Ground Zero a break from tradition for the first time, politicians were not invited to speak. Only the families of those killed have been reading the names.

CNN's Poppy Harlow joins us again from Ground Zero. I know, Poppy, you spoke to one couple that took part in this ceremony. They lost their son.

HARLOW: I did. Bob and Elaine Hughes, and we just at 10:18 a.m. we just heard Elaine Hughes read her son's name. It was very emotional. They lost their 30-year-old son, Chris. He was a trader on the 89th floor of the south tower.

And you know, even 11 years later, Carol, for them it's incredibly hard. I want you to take a listen to Bob Hughes and what he had to say when I asked him this morning about his son, Chris.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: Tell me a little bit about Chris.

BOB HUGHES, FATHER OF 9/11 VICTIM: Well, it is really, you know, a fun-loving -- I don't know why --

HARLOW: Very hard.

HUGHES: He was a very really, you know, loved the outdoors, a fun- loving type of guy, you know, always wanted to work in the financial sector.

Unfortunately he worked in the Trade Center, but he was a real outdoors type of guy. You know, great family, you know, son. There were a lot of things you could say, but he loved the outdoors.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: And you know, Carol, he also told me that there's a much bigger message. He said what he wants people to remember today, and every anniversary, is that we will never be beaten and that's part of why he and his wife come here every single year to remember their son.

COSTELLO: It's so touching. Thank you very much, Poppy.

Vice President Joe Biden has just taken the podium, you see him there in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Let's listen.

JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: -- with all that you plan will happen.

Patrick, you're keeping the flame alive and keeping families together is in my experience I imagine you all find solace in seeing one another. There's nothing like being able to talk with someone who you know -- who you know understands. And it's an honor, it's a genuine honor to -- to be back here today.

But like all of the families, we wish we weren't here. We wish we didn't have to be here. Wish we didn't have to commemorate any of this. It is -- it is a bittersweet moment for the entire nation, for all of the country. But particularly those family members gathered here today.

Last year the nation and all of your family members that are here, commemorated the 10th anniversary of the heroic acts that gave definition to what has made America such a truly exceptional place. Individual acts of heroism of ordinary people in moments that could not have been contemplated, but yet were initiated.

I also know from my own experience that today is just as momentous a day for all of you, just as momentous day in your life, each of your families, as every September 11th has been, regardless of the anniversary. For no matter how many anniversaries you experience, for at least an instant, the terror of that moment returns, the lingering echo of that phone call, the sense of total disbelief that envelops you. You feel like you're being sucked into a black hole in the middle of your chest.

My hope, my hope for you all is that as every year passes, the depth of your pain recedes and you find comfort, as I have, genuine comfort, in recalling his smile, her laugh, their touch, and I hope you're as certain as I am, as certain as I am, that she can see what a wonderful man her son has turned out to be. Grown up to be. But he knows everything that your daughter has achieved. And then he can hear and she can hear how her mom -- how her mom still talks about her, the day he scored the winning touchdown. How bright and beautiful she was on that graduation day. And know that -- and know that he knows what a beautiful child the daughter he never got to see has turned out to be. And how much she reminds you of him.

For I know you see your wife every time you see her smile on her child's face. Remember your daughter, every time you hear her laughter coming from her brother's lips. And you remember your husband, every time your son just touches your hand. I also hope, I also hope it continues to give you some solace, knowing that this nation, all these people gathered here today, were not family members.

All your neighbors that they've not forgotten. They've not forgot the -- the heroism of your husbands, wives, sons, daughters, mothers, fathers. And that -- that what they did for this country is still etched in the minds of not only you, but millions of Americans forever. That's why it's so important that this memorial be preserved and go on for our children and our grandchildren and our great- grandchildren and our great-great-grandchildren because it is. It is what makes us so exceptional.

And I think they all appreciate, as I do, more than they can tell you, the incredible bravery your family members showed on that day. I said last year my mom used to have an expression, she said "Joey, bravery resides in every heart. And someday it will be summoned."

It's remarkable, it's remarkable how it was not only summoned but acted on. Today we stand in this hallowed ground, a place made sacred by the heroism and sacrifice of the passengers and crew on Flight 93, and it's as if the flowers as I walked through, as if the flowers are giving testament to how -- how sacred this ground is.

My guess and obviously it's only a guess, no two losses are the same, but my guess is you're living this moment that Yates only wrote about when he wrote, "Pray I will, and sing I must, but yet I weep. Pray I will, sing I must, but yet I weep."

My personal prayer for all of you is that in every succeeding year, you're able to sing more than you weep. And may God truly bless you and bless the souls of those 40 incredible people who rest on this ground.

COSTELLO: And we just heard Vice President Joe Biden speaking at Shanksville in honor of those 40 people who died aboard Flight 93 that terrible day 11 years ago at 10:03 Eastern Time.

We're going to take a short break. We'll be back with much more on the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Forty minutes past the hour.

Could one new product affect the entire U.S. economy? That would be like pouring a glass of water into the ocean, right? Well maybe not. At least one economist is saying Apple's anticipated release of the iPhone 5 this week could give the nation's economy a measurable bump.

Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange. Wow.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes wow. And this is a pretty sizable impact. You know JP Morgan actually puts the bump Carol at a quarter to a half of a percentage point. To give you an example here in the second quarter of this year GDP grew by 1.7 percent, so an iPhone 5 bump would get it over that two percent mark. It's equal to say pumping $3.2 billion right into the economy in the last three months of this year.

So how do we get that? Well it's based on a retail cost of $600 per iPhone. Now that's just a guess. We don't know how much the iPhone is actually going to cost. You take out $200 off the cost for imported components of the phone and this of course, is all based on Carol if eight million iPhones are sold in the U.S. in the final three months of this year.

You know, it's not such a far stretch. Did you know four million iPhone 4s were sold in the first weekend that that particular -- that particular iPhone launched just four million in a weekend. So eight million is not so far off the mark.

COSTELLO: Oh it's just amazing. Okay so we often hear the country is close to falling off a fiscal cliff. So could the iPhone 5 pull us back from the brink?

KOSIK: Wouldn't that be interesting? Don't you feel like Apple at this point is kind of -- is kind of like taking over the world? But to be honest, you know, I don't think it can really pull us back from the brink. Not unless the new iPhone can kind of whip votes in Congress. Now that wouldn't that be a nifty feature for the iPhone, that and of course making me dinner which I'm still looking for from this iPhone.

So you have to remember that with the fiscal cliff if it doesn't act we will fall off this so-called fiscal cliff meaning spending cuts would expire, taxes would go up, it would have a huge negative impact on GDP and you'll have such a bad impact looking to that big Congressional Budget Office has predicted we're going to fall into a recession which is negative growth.

So you know, to be honest here it'll take more than just the iPhone to pull us out of that hole. But it would be a nifty feature if the iPhone can kind of walk through Congress and say can you guys get off your ducks and do something?

COSTELLO: Wouldn't that be great?

KOSIK: Love it.

COSTELLO: A lot of people are wishing they would do more than that.

KOSIK: Yes. COSTELLO: Alison Kosik thanks so much.

We're going to take a short break. We'll be back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: It has been 11 years since the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, too, sent this country into an all-out war against terror. President Obama was at the Pentagon this morning. About an hour ago he laid a wreath for those killed when an airliner slammed into the Pentagon.

Fran Townsend is CNN's national security contributor and a member of the CIA and Homeland Security external advisory boards. She joins me now. Hi, Fran.

FRAN TOWNSEND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CONTRIBUTOR: Hi, Carol.

COSTELLO: So what are your memories of that? And what do you think that we have learned?

TOWNSEND: Well, Carol, look, I think like many Americans, I had the television on that morning, and actually saw the second plane slam into the World Trade Center. So, this day will never be the same. And, in fact, this morning coming to work I was looking at people walking to work just as they did on that day. It's a cool, you know, the air is cool, the sun is bright, the sky is clear. It's very reminiscent of that day.

And I really think we've got to remember that for thousands of our fellow citizens, this day was a tragedy and their lives have been changed forever. And frankly the life of the nation -- we are stronger, we are better. We have done a lot of things to improve the security of this country. And we owe a great deal of gratitude, frankly, to the military intelligence and law enforcement officials who have kept us and continue to keep us safe.

COSTELLO: We just got word last night that the second in command of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula had been killed. So how big a blow is this to Al Qaeda?

TOWNSEND: Tremendous. Al-Shihri, the individual you're talking about, the deputy emir of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula was caught by U.S. forces and transferred to Guantanamo where he served for six years. He was a Saudi citizen and he was returned as many are to Saudi, you know, to his country of origin. He was put in a rehabilitation program but as we know from our own experience here in the United States, rehabilitation programs don't always work.

He escaped from Saudi Arabia when he was released with his family. He went to Yemen. He was one of the founding members of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. And as we've heard from very senior intelligence officials in the U.S. government, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is the most active Al Qaeda, you know, segment that targets U.S. interests. People who remember the underwear bomber on the Northwest Airlines plane one Christmas and also the computer card ridges filled with explosives, and then most recently the plot out of Yemen itself. And so anything that undermines their ability and Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula to put together and launch an attack against us is a good thing.

And so this is a tremendous blow to the leadership, as was the killing of Anwar al-Awlaki. This is another second very important blow against them.

COSTELLO: So let's go back to what you said about our intelligence officials. Al Qaeda hasn't had a successful attack on U.S. soil in the past 11 years.

TOWNSEND: Right.

COSTELLO: Do we really need to worry about Al Qaeda anymore?

TOWNSEND: Oh, Carol, I wish we could say that we had completely eradicated this threat. But it's not the case. Look Zawahiri continues to be in the tribal areas between Pakistan and Afghanistan. We know that. We know there remains some leadership cadre there. And throughout North Africa we have seen the resurgence, frankly, of Al Qaeda, both in the east of Libya, and in the Mali, Mauritania area, and then we come to Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, including recently, there was a large Al Qaeda cell broken up into Saudi Arabia, and it was originally this Al Qaeda in the Arabian peninsula which was in Yemen was originally in Saudi. Saudi efforts pushed them out of the kingdom but we've seen even there they've continued to try to go back into the kingdom as well as Yemen to launch and plan attacks.

COSTELLO: Fran Townsend, thanks so much for joining us this morning.

TOWNSEND: Thanks Carol.

COSTELLO: We'll be back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Checking our top stories now.

School's out for day two as Chicago's nearly 30,000 teachers in the nation's third largest school district remain on strike. But the school board president says a deal could be reached today. 350,000 students are affected by the walkout.

Screenings for ovarian cancer may do more harm than good according to one government panel. Studies done by the U.S. Preventative Service Task Force shows ovarian cancer screenings do not lower the death rate from the disease, but instead are likely to produce many false positives, leading to unnecessary surgeries with high complication rates.

Overseas, actress and U.N. Ambassador Angelina Jolie is visiting with Syrian refugees at a camp in neighboring Jordan today. The trip is drawing attention to the plight of more than 250,000 Syrians who fled their country since the conflict began 18 months ago.

There's been another twist in the search for justice following the hazing death of a Florida college student. CNN has learned Florida A&M university is blaming Robert Champion for his own death. Champion died in November after a band hazing incident on a bus trip. Comes as the school defends itself from a wrongful death suit filed by Champion's parents. George Howell has been following this case from the beginning. Tell us more.

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, look, it comes down to one fundamental question. Was Robert Champion forced into hazing, as his family has insisted all along? Or did he voluntarily go through with this? Did he have a choice?

Now the university, when you read their report that they filed to dismiss this civil lawsuit, they say that he did have a choice, that he made this decision. They're seizing on those statements that we've heard from several other band members who say that he chose to do this. I want to read this quote directly from the university attorney. "Respectfully, as a 26-year-old adult and leader in FAMU's band, Mr. Champion should have refused to participate in the planned hazing event and reported it to law enforcement or university administrators. Under these circumstances, Florida's taxpayers should not be held financially liable to Mr. Champion's estate for the ultimate result of his own imprudent, avoidable, and tragic decision and death."

So in very blunt terms the university is saying that they are not responsible.

COSTELLO: Champion's parents?

HOWELL: They have a different statement. And not surprising, they are shocked by this. Want to read this there -- Chris Chestnut, he's the family attorney. He says, quote, "The Champion family is shocked at the defense FAMU has chosen in the brutal hazing death of Robert Champion. We simply cannot ignore the audacity of an institution that blames students for their own deaths yet for decades ignored the hazing epidemic occurring within its own walls."

So, you know, you hear the family saying, you know, they are blaming -- the university is blaming the victim but the attorney says they're not blaming the victim, rather they're just saying the Champion chose to do this and they're not responsible.

COSTELLO: We'll see what happens. George Howell, thanks so much.

Another break, we'll be back.

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COSTELLO: Let's end the show on an up note. Staying fit while pregnant is possible. You can still go to the gym but there are some rules you have to follow. Dr. Lisa Masterson from TV's "The Doctors" has them for today's "Daily Dose".

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DR. LISA MASTERSON, CO-HOST, "THE DOCTORS": I'm always asked, can I exercise during pregnancy? And this is so important, because we actually know it goes into making a really healthy pregnancy. But you have to consult your doctor. You have to make sure it's healthy for you. You don't have any medical conditions during pregnancy where you shouldn't exercise.

The types of exercise that you do while you're pregnant are going to be low impact and high energy. Walking, swimming, prenatal pilates, prenatal yoga, these are all things that are going to be maintenance and toning. They're not to push your body, just to maintain what you have going on already. You want to make sure that you're at a heart rate where you can talk comfortably. You don't want to do anything that's jarring, like step aerobics or anything where you may have the potential to fall like bicycling. And then have fun.

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COSTELLO: I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for joining us today. CNN NEWSROOM with Ashleigh Banfield starts after a quick break.

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