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American Morning

Iraq Ally Exits; Anxious Waiting; Oklahoma City Bombing Anniversary

Aired April 19, 2004 - 9:00   ET

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

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


SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Spain prepares to leave the coalition in Iraq and draws a promise from the country's most radical cleric in the process.
Did the president secretly finance military preparations for war in Iraq without telling Congress? A behind-the-scenes book starts a New wave of controversy for the White House.

And rage in the Middle East. Palestinians vowing a New wave of violence after another Hamas leader is killed.

Those stories ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.

ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Nine o'clock on a Monday here in New York. Other stories this hour...

Friends and family members of a U.S. soldier taken hostage in Iraq trying to stay strong as they await news. Army Private Matt Maupin, one of at least seven non-Iraqis currently held by insurgents. We'll get a report from the soldier's home town in a moment here. They have come out in force to show their support for him a half a world away.

O'BRIEN: Also this morning, the state murder trial of Terry Nichols resumes today on the nine-year anniversary of the attack. We're going to get a report on that coming up just ahead as well.

HEMMER: Jack Cafferty -- good morning to you, Jack.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Bill.

Negotiations with the insurgents in Fallujah and Najaf appear to be going nowhere, and Paul Bremer says something has got to be done about it. Is it a mistake to negotiate with insurgents? E-mail us at AM@CNN.com.

HEMMER: All right. Top stories top of the hour again.

Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge expected to call for speeding up New anti-terrorism plans. That move comes ahead of a number of high profile events, including the Democratic and Republican conventions set for this summer. Ridge will make the announcement during an address in Las Vegas a bit later this morning. Wanted Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr today called on his militia to refrain from attacks on Spanish troops after hearing news that that country is planning to pull out of Iraq. Yesterday, Spain's New prime minister announcing that the country forces would return as soon as possible. Jose Zapatero says that decision was made clear after the U.N. -- it was clear, rather, the U.N. would not take charge of Iraq after the June 30 Hanover. More from the White House, reaction on this in a moment here.

The wife of an American abducted in Iraq praying for his release. Thomas Hamill was kidnapped 10 days ago. Earlier today here on AMERICAN MORNING, Kellie Hamill described her husband as a person who wanted to go and help others.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KELLIE HAMILL, THOMAS HAMILL'S WIFE: He's a very family-oriented man. He's kind, gentle, loving. Very supportive to his family, would do anything for us, for his friends. You know, he would do anything for anyone if he could.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: The Reverend Jesse Jackson calling on Iraqi religious leaders to release Hamill. He says the American came to Iraq to serve the people and not to wage war.

British police say 10 suspects have been taken into custody. This in connection with terrorism charges. Ten people arrested during raids in northern England. A spokesperson for police there apparently could not confirm reports that the suspects were linked to Islamic groups who may have been planning to target a shopping center.

Also, a crew of three headed to the International Space Station on board a Russian rocket. The Soyuz blasted off, carrying a Russian, an American and a Dutchman. They're expected to dock on Wednesday for the space station. The current station crew will be relieved after a six-month stay in space.

Almost 9:03 here in New York, 7:03 in Denver.

O'BRIEN: Good.

HEMMER: Thank you.

O'BRIEN: Very smooth, Bill. Nicely done.

HEMMER: Yes.

(WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: Well, Spain, once one of the White House's strongest allies in Iraq, is pulling its troops out of that country. How is the Bush administration reacting to that move? For that we go to the White House and our correspondent there, Dana Bash.

Hey, Dana. Good morning to you. Is this any surprise?

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Soledad, the New foreign minister of Spain is actually coming here to the White House on Wednesday to meet with the national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice. And, officially, the White House's response is that it isn't a surprise, that this is the New prime minister simply making good on a campaign pledge to withdraw its some 1,400 troops from Iraq.

But privately, they are certainly disappointed in this because there was a feeling that because the U.S. is moving towards working with the United Nations, moving towards a New United Nations resolution, which is what the New Spanish prime minister was asking for, that perhaps he would reconsider. The biggest concern now, however, especially given the violence on the ground in Iraq, is that this could have a domino effect on other members of the coalition.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: We know that there are others who are going to have to assess how they see the risk. But we have a vibrant and robust coalition on the ground.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Now, another big fear here at the White House is that those who bombed the train in Madrid will think that they can have a very real affect on the policy of a country, and that they will look towards the elections here in the United States and think that they can also have an affect on U.S. policy and seriously consider striking the U.S. shortly before the election -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Dana, let's talk for a moment about Bob Woodwind's New book. As you well know, it is out and it brings lots of controversy to the White House, I'm sure. What is the fallout from that? Is the White House challenging specific parts of the book? What are they saying?

BASH: Well, you know, the White House did cooperate with Bob Woodward on this book. The president, of course, gave him on-the- record interviews, long interviews. Other White House officials, countless, did talk to him on the condition of anonymity.

But there are -- so, largely, they are saying that it is an accurate account. There are some specific characterizations, as a senior administration official this morning called them, that they don't gee with, specifically the idea that the president decided shortly after New Year's Eve, January 2003, to go to war, that that was part of a conversation he had with his national security adviser.

She in the talk shows yesterday said that they did discuss the fact that the inspections in Iraq were not going to work, that diplomacy was not going to work, and that he sort of was thinking out loud in saying that war was probably inevitable. But she disputes the fact that he actually made a decision to go to war. That would have been a couple of months before the diplomacy actually played out and that the decision to go to war was formally announced -- Soledad. O'BRIEN: Dana Bash at the White House for us this morning. Dana, thanks.

HEMMER: The White House today downplaying the possibility that the Reverend Jesse Jackson will try to help secure the release of American prisoners in Iraq. Reverend Jackson saying he's reaching out to the family of the contractor Thomas Hamill and that of the private, Matt Maupin. And he says he is willing to travel to Iraq to negotiate, but only if he knows with whom he should talk and where he should go.

Meanwhile, in southwestern Ohio, the family of Matt Maupin waits for news about their loved one. And Chris Lawrence of CNN in Union Township, Ohio for more from there today.

Good morning there, Chris.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Bill.

And even with all the support that they've been getting, this has been an incredibly tough morning for the family. They are together at their home right down the street, and we're told by some of the people inside that they're literally jumping every time the phone rings, just hoping to hear anything from Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAWRENCE (voice-over): For Matt Maupin's friends and family, Monday marks another week, a New day, and the same old feeling. Many have tried to help his mother cope with what's happened. They are helpless to change it.

BETTIE MAXWELL, ATTENDS MAUPIN'S CHURCH: You just can't say, OK, we're going to pray for you, it's going to be all right.

LAWRENCE: But they tried. At church services Sunday, hundreds of people said prayers for Carolyn Maupin.

MAXWELL: She goes to bed hurting, she gets up hurting.

LAWRENCE: But she doesn't do it alone. The Army has assigned a team of people at the family home, including counselors specially trained for hostage situations.

REV. JESSE JACKSON, RAINBOW/PUSH COALITION: We're reaching out to Mr. Maupin's family.

LAWRENCE: The Reverend Jesse Jackson is offering to help based on what he heard in this videotape released Friday. In it, Maupin's captors offer to trade him for prisoners being held by the coalition in Iraq. U.S. officials say they don't negotiate with hostage takers, but that's not stopping this private citizen from getting involved.

JACKSON: And I think that in a situation like this, as they seek to get back to the table in Fallujah, the issue of negotiation and prisoner swap must not be out of the picture. LAWRENCE: But until Maupin is released, even the oldest songs have a different meaning here, when one were their bravest isn't free to come home.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAWRENCE: And at least two times last night, the phone rang in the Maupin home with at least some good news. Jessica Lynch, former POW, called to encourage Carolyn Maupin to stay hopeful about what is happening. And Jessica Lynch's mother talked to her for about 10 minutes, mother to mother, telling her what to expect when, not if, her son Matt comes home -- Bill.

HEMMER: Thanks for that. Chris Lawrence in Ohio -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Israelis pause today to remember the six million Jews killed by the Nazis during the holocaust. And Israeli leaders used the annual occasion to draw a parallel from the horrors of the past to explain the need for the assassination of two Hamas leaders in the past month.

Walt Rodgers is standing by for live in Jerusalem this morning.

Walt, good morning.

WALTER RODGERS, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Soledad.

As Israelis pause to remember Holocaust Day, it's difficult to remember a time here when public attitudes have been so hardened, attitudes shaped by a very bitter present and an even more tragic past.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RODGERS (voice-over): There were six torches lighted in Israelis annual Holocaust Memorial Remembrance. Six for six million Jews who were murdered by the Nazis in World War II. Israel's tough prime minister, Ariel Sharon, remembered the holocaust victims, relating the genocide then to those who would kill Jews now.

"We will never allow the murderers of today and those of tomorrow to attack our people. He who dares do so will be harmed," Sharon said.

Israel struck down another of its foes Saturday night, killing the second Hamas leader in a month. This time, Abdel Aziz Rantisi, again in Gaza, again a missile filed from a helicopter. Sharon and Israeli intelligence believe Rantisi a mastermind for many of the recent murderous attacks on Israeli citizens.

During Rantisi's funeral Sunday in Gaza, the streets boiled with Palestinian rage. And there were promises of vengeance, retaliation, not just for Rantisi, but for the earlier assassination of Hamas spiritual leader Sheik Ahmed Yassin, also branded by Israel an architect of terrorism against civilians. Still, in killing both Rantisi and Sheikh Yassin, the Israelis may have done great damage to Hamas' infrastructure: its ability to kill.

So for a people who have seen too much killing of their own in the last 65 years, very few in Israel now question these assassinations of their modern-day enemies. They're seen as a means of national survival.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RODGERS: And, by way of footnote, after World War II, about 250,000 holocaust survivors immigrated to Israel. Today, only about 70,000 are still alive here -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Walt Rodgers for us thanks. Walt, thanks.

Bill?

HEMMER: Still to come here, nine years later, Oklahoma City still seeking justice.

O'BRIEN: Also, will the revelations about a New book about how President Bush decided to go to war do any political damage? We'll take a look at that.

HEMMER: Also, "90-Second Pop today says an actress is not only making a comeback, but gives the performance of her career. Still to come this hour on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: On this date nine years ago, the Alfred P. Murrah building in Oklahoma City was ripped apart by a powerful explosion. One hundred sixty-eight people were killed. The bomber, Timothy McVeigh, was executed. Now his accomplice, Terry Nichols, who is already serving a life sentence on a federal conviction, is on trial for his life in state court.

Susan Candiotti live for us McAlester, Oklahoma this morning.

Susan, good morning.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

On this anniversary, some victims' families who normally would be in Oklahoma City for a memorial, marking the precise moment of that blast, instead are here in McAlester, Oklahoma, about 130 miles away, staring down Terry Nichols in a courtroom. One woman in particular is here in memory of her niece who, along with her grandparents, was killed nine years ago this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DARLENE WELCH, VICTIM'S AUNT: I am there for Ashley (ph).

CANDIOTTI: Ashley Echols (ph) would be 13 years old now if she had not been killed in the Oklahoma City bombing. WELCH: She would be planning to go to dance now, wearing makeup, and worrying about what to do with her hair, and worrying about boys. And all of the things that a regular teenager would do.

CANDIOTTI: Darlene Welch is Ashley's (ph) aunt. She has been in court every day for Terry Nichols' state murder trial.

WELCH: What we are seeking is justice.

CANDIOTTI: Each week, Welch leaves her spacious home outside Oklahoma City to live in an RV where the trial is taking place in McAlester, 130 miles away.

WELCH: It's like a little house. I have a refrigerator and stove, and all my clothes are there. And my dog and cat go with me, my snuggle buddies in the evenings.

CANDIOTTI: Five weeks into the case, Welch suggests the evidence found in Nichols' home alone is damming, including a receipt for two tons of fertilizer and plastic barrels said to be similar to those used to build the bomb.

WELCH: He bought the fertilizer. He got the barrels. He did it.

CANDIOTTI: Court was scheduled to resume today at 9:00 a.m., almost nine years to the minute when a bomb brought down the Oklahoma City federal building, killing Ashley (ph) and 167 other victims.

WELCH: I imagine that I will probably just drop my head and pray and ask god to provide justice for us.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CANDIOTTI: A third member of the bomb plot, Michael Fortier (ph), is expected to testify this week. He's in the witness protection program doing federal time. And, so far, his schedule is being kept secret -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Season Candiotti for us this morning. Susan, thanks.

HEMMER: The St. Louis Blues Hockey team could be returned to St. Louis today to face charges stemming from an alleged murder for hire plot. Mike Dantan (ph), seen here in the videotape in the middle, arrested on Friday night in San Jose after his team was knocked from the playoffs. Police say Dantan (ph) hatched the plan because he believed a hit man from Canada was on the way to kill him.

A criminal complaint says Dantan (ph) then tried to hire someone to kill an acquaintance he feared, may ruin his own career by talking to officials about his "promiscuity and use of alcohol." Some of the teammates on the Blues talked about that case this weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOUGH WRIGHT, ST. LOUIS BLUES: He was (UNINTELLIGIBLE) on the ice. He worked hard, and he was there for us every game. And like I said, I wish him the best.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Also on this story, a 19-year-old female college student arrested in that case. Her family believes she met Dantan (ph) at a St. Louis area mall where she worked and where the Blues have a practice site -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, the top U.S. administrator in Iraq says there is no way that Iraqis can protect the country by the June 30 handover. We have the latest on that story just ahead.

Also, how does the Bush administration fare in Bob Woodward's explosive new book? A look at that as well as AMERICAN MORNING continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Back to Jack again, the Question of the Day.

Good morning.

CAFFERTY: Good morning.

The negotiations going on in Fallujah and Najaf may soon be over. Paul Bremer, America's top guy in Iraq, said yesterday that Iraqi insurgents, "must be dealt with."

There has been no progress and the talks with the rebels in Fallujah and Najaf. Bremer suggested U.S. troops need to end the standoff. This comes as the death toll of American service personnel continues to accelerate there. The question is: Is it a mistake to try to negotiate with these people?

Barbara in St. Paul, Minnesota: "If it spares the life of one man or woman, absolutely."

Tara in Philadelphia: "No, you don't negotiate with terrorists." "These coward worms -- I like your choice of words, Tara -- "these coward worms who hide their faces know only one thing, and that's violent force. It's time to stop showing restraint and understanding for their cultural ways. They will stop only when we have shown them that for every act of brutality they can expect and get an equally violent response."

Tom in Louisburg, North Carolina writes: "We should take a lesson from Israel. They know how to fight the war in the Middle East. We don't. Diplomatic solutions will never work because they don't understand what that term means. They only know violence."

Robert in Holden, Massachusetts: "While negotiating with terrorists is clearly counterproductive, a distinction must be made in the situation in Iraq. These insurgents are native inhabitants protecting their homeland. Would we do any less to protect our American freedom and independence?" Probably not, but I'm not sure they're all just protecting their homeland. There is some suggestion that many of them are former members of the elite Republican Guard that were not taken on during the initial fighting over there. They melded back into the population.

There's also a suggestion a lot of them are outside agitators and terrorists that are in there from other countries. So maybe they're not all just Iraqi patriots.

"Cafferty File" this morning, a couple of notes. Jacqueline writes: "I've been spinning dog fur for years. I use it to knit socks and mittens because it's one of the warmest fibers we know. It really isn't just a cute thing to do. I love your segments. Keep it up."

And Bob in Bugtussle, West Virginia, which is a place I've got to visit if I ever get down that way, Bugtussle, West Virginia, "Teaching values asleep? The U.S. military has a better program. They wake you up 4:30 in the morning, basic training, keep you up all day, and by 21:00 hours, you crash in your bed. As a teenager used to staying up late, until 2:00 in the morning, the military basic training sleep program works good."

Bugtussle, West Virginia.

I also got a long note from some Ph.D. typist, said I didn't know what I was talking about.

HEMMER: You?

CAFFERTY: And that young people when they enter college need more sleep, and I didn't understand that. And, therefore, I was a moron, and yadda, yadda, yadda.

O'BRIEN: Thank you for writing, doctor.

CAFFERTY: And my suggestion, doctor, is, if you're not getting enough sleep, try going to bed earlier at night.

HEMMER: There you go.

CAFFERTY: See, that will do it every time. But I don't have a Ph.D. I don't even have a Bachelor's Degree. So, hey, what do I know?

HEMMER: You don't have a Bachelor's Degree?

CAFFERTY: No.

HEMMER: Really?

CAFFERTY: No. I was a pre-med major for three years at the University of Nevada.

HEMMER: You didn't graduate?

CAFFERTY: No. I quit.

HEMMER: Oh.

O'BRIEN: You go. Look at that.

CAFFERTY: What do you want from me? That's what I did.

HEMMER: Hey. The record's clear.

CAFFERTY: And now I'm here. See how things turn out?

O'BRIEN: Thank you, Jack.

CAFFERTY: Sure.

O'BRIEN: The crackdown on broadcast indecency will reportedly face its first major challenge today, according to The Wall Street Journal. The FCC will be petitioned to overturn a ruling against the rock star Bono. The U2 star used a phrase including the "F" word, which I'm not going to repeat here, at a live awards show last January. The FCC has ruled the comments indecent and profane, but it did not fine NBC, which aired the show. Those seeking to have that ruling overturned are concerned that an expanded interpretation of indecency laws could actually curb free speech.

HEMMER: In a moment here, a good weekend for revenge. A food fight erupts in the new season of "The Restaurant." And losing pay for "The Apprentice" hopefuls.

Back in a moment here on AMERICAN MORNING, and "90-Second Pop."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)


Aired April 19, 2004 - 9:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Spain prepares to leave the coalition in Iraq and draws a promise from the country's most radical cleric in the process.
Did the president secretly finance military preparations for war in Iraq without telling Congress? A behind-the-scenes book starts a New wave of controversy for the White House.

And rage in the Middle East. Palestinians vowing a New wave of violence after another Hamas leader is killed.

Those stories ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.

ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Nine o'clock on a Monday here in New York. Other stories this hour...

Friends and family members of a U.S. soldier taken hostage in Iraq trying to stay strong as they await news. Army Private Matt Maupin, one of at least seven non-Iraqis currently held by insurgents. We'll get a report from the soldier's home town in a moment here. They have come out in force to show their support for him a half a world away.

O'BRIEN: Also this morning, the state murder trial of Terry Nichols resumes today on the nine-year anniversary of the attack. We're going to get a report on that coming up just ahead as well.

HEMMER: Jack Cafferty -- good morning to you, Jack.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Bill.

Negotiations with the insurgents in Fallujah and Najaf appear to be going nowhere, and Paul Bremer says something has got to be done about it. Is it a mistake to negotiate with insurgents? E-mail us at AM@CNN.com.

HEMMER: All right. Top stories top of the hour again.

Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge expected to call for speeding up New anti-terrorism plans. That move comes ahead of a number of high profile events, including the Democratic and Republican conventions set for this summer. Ridge will make the announcement during an address in Las Vegas a bit later this morning. Wanted Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr today called on his militia to refrain from attacks on Spanish troops after hearing news that that country is planning to pull out of Iraq. Yesterday, Spain's New prime minister announcing that the country forces would return as soon as possible. Jose Zapatero says that decision was made clear after the U.N. -- it was clear, rather, the U.N. would not take charge of Iraq after the June 30 Hanover. More from the White House, reaction on this in a moment here.

The wife of an American abducted in Iraq praying for his release. Thomas Hamill was kidnapped 10 days ago. Earlier today here on AMERICAN MORNING, Kellie Hamill described her husband as a person who wanted to go and help others.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KELLIE HAMILL, THOMAS HAMILL'S WIFE: He's a very family-oriented man. He's kind, gentle, loving. Very supportive to his family, would do anything for us, for his friends. You know, he would do anything for anyone if he could.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: The Reverend Jesse Jackson calling on Iraqi religious leaders to release Hamill. He says the American came to Iraq to serve the people and not to wage war.

British police say 10 suspects have been taken into custody. This in connection with terrorism charges. Ten people arrested during raids in northern England. A spokesperson for police there apparently could not confirm reports that the suspects were linked to Islamic groups who may have been planning to target a shopping center.

Also, a crew of three headed to the International Space Station on board a Russian rocket. The Soyuz blasted off, carrying a Russian, an American and a Dutchman. They're expected to dock on Wednesday for the space station. The current station crew will be relieved after a six-month stay in space.

Almost 9:03 here in New York, 7:03 in Denver.

O'BRIEN: Good.

HEMMER: Thank you.

O'BRIEN: Very smooth, Bill. Nicely done.

HEMMER: Yes.

(WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: Well, Spain, once one of the White House's strongest allies in Iraq, is pulling its troops out of that country. How is the Bush administration reacting to that move? For that we go to the White House and our correspondent there, Dana Bash.

Hey, Dana. Good morning to you. Is this any surprise?

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Soledad, the New foreign minister of Spain is actually coming here to the White House on Wednesday to meet with the national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice. And, officially, the White House's response is that it isn't a surprise, that this is the New prime minister simply making good on a campaign pledge to withdraw its some 1,400 troops from Iraq.

But privately, they are certainly disappointed in this because there was a feeling that because the U.S. is moving towards working with the United Nations, moving towards a New United Nations resolution, which is what the New Spanish prime minister was asking for, that perhaps he would reconsider. The biggest concern now, however, especially given the violence on the ground in Iraq, is that this could have a domino effect on other members of the coalition.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: We know that there are others who are going to have to assess how they see the risk. But we have a vibrant and robust coalition on the ground.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Now, another big fear here at the White House is that those who bombed the train in Madrid will think that they can have a very real affect on the policy of a country, and that they will look towards the elections here in the United States and think that they can also have an affect on U.S. policy and seriously consider striking the U.S. shortly before the election -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Dana, let's talk for a moment about Bob Woodwind's New book. As you well know, it is out and it brings lots of controversy to the White House, I'm sure. What is the fallout from that? Is the White House challenging specific parts of the book? What are they saying?

BASH: Well, you know, the White House did cooperate with Bob Woodward on this book. The president, of course, gave him on-the- record interviews, long interviews. Other White House officials, countless, did talk to him on the condition of anonymity.

But there are -- so, largely, they are saying that it is an accurate account. There are some specific characterizations, as a senior administration official this morning called them, that they don't gee with, specifically the idea that the president decided shortly after New Year's Eve, January 2003, to go to war, that that was part of a conversation he had with his national security adviser.

She in the talk shows yesterday said that they did discuss the fact that the inspections in Iraq were not going to work, that diplomacy was not going to work, and that he sort of was thinking out loud in saying that war was probably inevitable. But she disputes the fact that he actually made a decision to go to war. That would have been a couple of months before the diplomacy actually played out and that the decision to go to war was formally announced -- Soledad. O'BRIEN: Dana Bash at the White House for us this morning. Dana, thanks.

HEMMER: The White House today downplaying the possibility that the Reverend Jesse Jackson will try to help secure the release of American prisoners in Iraq. Reverend Jackson saying he's reaching out to the family of the contractor Thomas Hamill and that of the private, Matt Maupin. And he says he is willing to travel to Iraq to negotiate, but only if he knows with whom he should talk and where he should go.

Meanwhile, in southwestern Ohio, the family of Matt Maupin waits for news about their loved one. And Chris Lawrence of CNN in Union Township, Ohio for more from there today.

Good morning there, Chris.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Bill.

And even with all the support that they've been getting, this has been an incredibly tough morning for the family. They are together at their home right down the street, and we're told by some of the people inside that they're literally jumping every time the phone rings, just hoping to hear anything from Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAWRENCE (voice-over): For Matt Maupin's friends and family, Monday marks another week, a New day, and the same old feeling. Many have tried to help his mother cope with what's happened. They are helpless to change it.

BETTIE MAXWELL, ATTENDS MAUPIN'S CHURCH: You just can't say, OK, we're going to pray for you, it's going to be all right.

LAWRENCE: But they tried. At church services Sunday, hundreds of people said prayers for Carolyn Maupin.

MAXWELL: She goes to bed hurting, she gets up hurting.

LAWRENCE: But she doesn't do it alone. The Army has assigned a team of people at the family home, including counselors specially trained for hostage situations.

REV. JESSE JACKSON, RAINBOW/PUSH COALITION: We're reaching out to Mr. Maupin's family.

LAWRENCE: The Reverend Jesse Jackson is offering to help based on what he heard in this videotape released Friday. In it, Maupin's captors offer to trade him for prisoners being held by the coalition in Iraq. U.S. officials say they don't negotiate with hostage takers, but that's not stopping this private citizen from getting involved.

JACKSON: And I think that in a situation like this, as they seek to get back to the table in Fallujah, the issue of negotiation and prisoner swap must not be out of the picture. LAWRENCE: But until Maupin is released, even the oldest songs have a different meaning here, when one were their bravest isn't free to come home.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAWRENCE: And at least two times last night, the phone rang in the Maupin home with at least some good news. Jessica Lynch, former POW, called to encourage Carolyn Maupin to stay hopeful about what is happening. And Jessica Lynch's mother talked to her for about 10 minutes, mother to mother, telling her what to expect when, not if, her son Matt comes home -- Bill.

HEMMER: Thanks for that. Chris Lawrence in Ohio -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Israelis pause today to remember the six million Jews killed by the Nazis during the holocaust. And Israeli leaders used the annual occasion to draw a parallel from the horrors of the past to explain the need for the assassination of two Hamas leaders in the past month.

Walt Rodgers is standing by for live in Jerusalem this morning.

Walt, good morning.

WALTER RODGERS, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Soledad.

As Israelis pause to remember Holocaust Day, it's difficult to remember a time here when public attitudes have been so hardened, attitudes shaped by a very bitter present and an even more tragic past.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RODGERS (voice-over): There were six torches lighted in Israelis annual Holocaust Memorial Remembrance. Six for six million Jews who were murdered by the Nazis in World War II. Israel's tough prime minister, Ariel Sharon, remembered the holocaust victims, relating the genocide then to those who would kill Jews now.

"We will never allow the murderers of today and those of tomorrow to attack our people. He who dares do so will be harmed," Sharon said.

Israel struck down another of its foes Saturday night, killing the second Hamas leader in a month. This time, Abdel Aziz Rantisi, again in Gaza, again a missile filed from a helicopter. Sharon and Israeli intelligence believe Rantisi a mastermind for many of the recent murderous attacks on Israeli citizens.

During Rantisi's funeral Sunday in Gaza, the streets boiled with Palestinian rage. And there were promises of vengeance, retaliation, not just for Rantisi, but for the earlier assassination of Hamas spiritual leader Sheik Ahmed Yassin, also branded by Israel an architect of terrorism against civilians. Still, in killing both Rantisi and Sheikh Yassin, the Israelis may have done great damage to Hamas' infrastructure: its ability to kill.

So for a people who have seen too much killing of their own in the last 65 years, very few in Israel now question these assassinations of their modern-day enemies. They're seen as a means of national survival.

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RODGERS: And, by way of footnote, after World War II, about 250,000 holocaust survivors immigrated to Israel. Today, only about 70,000 are still alive here -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Walt Rodgers for us thanks. Walt, thanks.

Bill?

HEMMER: Still to come here, nine years later, Oklahoma City still seeking justice.

O'BRIEN: Also, will the revelations about a New book about how President Bush decided to go to war do any political damage? We'll take a look at that.

HEMMER: Also, "90-Second Pop today says an actress is not only making a comeback, but gives the performance of her career. Still to come this hour on AMERICAN MORNING.

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O'BRIEN: On this date nine years ago, the Alfred P. Murrah building in Oklahoma City was ripped apart by a powerful explosion. One hundred sixty-eight people were killed. The bomber, Timothy McVeigh, was executed. Now his accomplice, Terry Nichols, who is already serving a life sentence on a federal conviction, is on trial for his life in state court.

Susan Candiotti live for us McAlester, Oklahoma this morning.

Susan, good morning.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

On this anniversary, some victims' families who normally would be in Oklahoma City for a memorial, marking the precise moment of that blast, instead are here in McAlester, Oklahoma, about 130 miles away, staring down Terry Nichols in a courtroom. One woman in particular is here in memory of her niece who, along with her grandparents, was killed nine years ago this morning.

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DARLENE WELCH, VICTIM'S AUNT: I am there for Ashley (ph).

CANDIOTTI: Ashley Echols (ph) would be 13 years old now if she had not been killed in the Oklahoma City bombing. WELCH: She would be planning to go to dance now, wearing makeup, and worrying about what to do with her hair, and worrying about boys. And all of the things that a regular teenager would do.

CANDIOTTI: Darlene Welch is Ashley's (ph) aunt. She has been in court every day for Terry Nichols' state murder trial.

WELCH: What we are seeking is justice.

CANDIOTTI: Each week, Welch leaves her spacious home outside Oklahoma City to live in an RV where the trial is taking place in McAlester, 130 miles away.

WELCH: It's like a little house. I have a refrigerator and stove, and all my clothes are there. And my dog and cat go with me, my snuggle buddies in the evenings.

CANDIOTTI: Five weeks into the case, Welch suggests the evidence found in Nichols' home alone is damming, including a receipt for two tons of fertilizer and plastic barrels said to be similar to those used to build the bomb.

WELCH: He bought the fertilizer. He got the barrels. He did it.

CANDIOTTI: Court was scheduled to resume today at 9:00 a.m., almost nine years to the minute when a bomb brought down the Oklahoma City federal building, killing Ashley (ph) and 167 other victims.

WELCH: I imagine that I will probably just drop my head and pray and ask god to provide justice for us.

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CANDIOTTI: A third member of the bomb plot, Michael Fortier (ph), is expected to testify this week. He's in the witness protection program doing federal time. And, so far, his schedule is being kept secret -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Season Candiotti for us this morning. Susan, thanks.

HEMMER: The St. Louis Blues Hockey team could be returned to St. Louis today to face charges stemming from an alleged murder for hire plot. Mike Dantan (ph), seen here in the videotape in the middle, arrested on Friday night in San Jose after his team was knocked from the playoffs. Police say Dantan (ph) hatched the plan because he believed a hit man from Canada was on the way to kill him.

A criminal complaint says Dantan (ph) then tried to hire someone to kill an acquaintance he feared, may ruin his own career by talking to officials about his "promiscuity and use of alcohol." Some of the teammates on the Blues talked about that case this weekend.

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DOUGH WRIGHT, ST. LOUIS BLUES: He was (UNINTELLIGIBLE) on the ice. He worked hard, and he was there for us every game. And like I said, I wish him the best.

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HEMMER: Also on this story, a 19-year-old female college student arrested in that case. Her family believes she met Dantan (ph) at a St. Louis area mall where she worked and where the Blues have a practice site -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, the top U.S. administrator in Iraq says there is no way that Iraqis can protect the country by the June 30 handover. We have the latest on that story just ahead.

Also, how does the Bush administration fare in Bob Woodward's explosive new book? A look at that as well as AMERICAN MORNING continues.

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HEMMER: Back to Jack again, the Question of the Day.

Good morning.

CAFFERTY: Good morning.

The negotiations going on in Fallujah and Najaf may soon be over. Paul Bremer, America's top guy in Iraq, said yesterday that Iraqi insurgents, "must be dealt with."

There has been no progress and the talks with the rebels in Fallujah and Najaf. Bremer suggested U.S. troops need to end the standoff. This comes as the death toll of American service personnel continues to accelerate there. The question is: Is it a mistake to try to negotiate with these people?

Barbara in St. Paul, Minnesota: "If it spares the life of one man or woman, absolutely."

Tara in Philadelphia: "No, you don't negotiate with terrorists." "These coward worms -- I like your choice of words, Tara -- "these coward worms who hide their faces know only one thing, and that's violent force. It's time to stop showing restraint and understanding for their cultural ways. They will stop only when we have shown them that for every act of brutality they can expect and get an equally violent response."

Tom in Louisburg, North Carolina writes: "We should take a lesson from Israel. They know how to fight the war in the Middle East. We don't. Diplomatic solutions will never work because they don't understand what that term means. They only know violence."

Robert in Holden, Massachusetts: "While negotiating with terrorists is clearly counterproductive, a distinction must be made in the situation in Iraq. These insurgents are native inhabitants protecting their homeland. Would we do any less to protect our American freedom and independence?" Probably not, but I'm not sure they're all just protecting their homeland. There is some suggestion that many of them are former members of the elite Republican Guard that were not taken on during the initial fighting over there. They melded back into the population.

There's also a suggestion a lot of them are outside agitators and terrorists that are in there from other countries. So maybe they're not all just Iraqi patriots.

"Cafferty File" this morning, a couple of notes. Jacqueline writes: "I've been spinning dog fur for years. I use it to knit socks and mittens because it's one of the warmest fibers we know. It really isn't just a cute thing to do. I love your segments. Keep it up."

And Bob in Bugtussle, West Virginia, which is a place I've got to visit if I ever get down that way, Bugtussle, West Virginia, "Teaching values asleep? The U.S. military has a better program. They wake you up 4:30 in the morning, basic training, keep you up all day, and by 21:00 hours, you crash in your bed. As a teenager used to staying up late, until 2:00 in the morning, the military basic training sleep program works good."

Bugtussle, West Virginia.

I also got a long note from some Ph.D. typist, said I didn't know what I was talking about.

HEMMER: You?

CAFFERTY: And that young people when they enter college need more sleep, and I didn't understand that. And, therefore, I was a moron, and yadda, yadda, yadda.

O'BRIEN: Thank you for writing, doctor.

CAFFERTY: And my suggestion, doctor, is, if you're not getting enough sleep, try going to bed earlier at night.

HEMMER: There you go.

CAFFERTY: See, that will do it every time. But I don't have a Ph.D. I don't even have a Bachelor's Degree. So, hey, what do I know?

HEMMER: You don't have a Bachelor's Degree?

CAFFERTY: No.

HEMMER: Really?

CAFFERTY: No. I was a pre-med major for three years at the University of Nevada.

HEMMER: You didn't graduate?

CAFFERTY: No. I quit.

HEMMER: Oh.

O'BRIEN: You go. Look at that.

CAFFERTY: What do you want from me? That's what I did.

HEMMER: Hey. The record's clear.

CAFFERTY: And now I'm here. See how things turn out?

O'BRIEN: Thank you, Jack.

CAFFERTY: Sure.

O'BRIEN: The crackdown on broadcast indecency will reportedly face its first major challenge today, according to The Wall Street Journal. The FCC will be petitioned to overturn a ruling against the rock star Bono. The U2 star used a phrase including the "F" word, which I'm not going to repeat here, at a live awards show last January. The FCC has ruled the comments indecent and profane, but it did not fine NBC, which aired the show. Those seeking to have that ruling overturned are concerned that an expanded interpretation of indecency laws could actually curb free speech.

HEMMER: In a moment here, a good weekend for revenge. A food fight erupts in the new season of "The Restaurant." And losing pay for "The Apprentice" hopefuls.

Back in a moment here on AMERICAN MORNING, and "90-Second Pop."

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