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American Morning
President Has a Chance to Directly Address Iraqi Prisoner Abuse Scandal for Extremely Skeptical Audience; Former Iraqi Hostage Thomas Hamill Finally Back Together With His Wife
Aired May 05, 2004 - 07:00 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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Appeal to Arab TV viewers today, trying to turn the tide of anger over the abuse of Iraqi prisoners.
This could be the worse wildfire season in California history. Firefighters say it's like the mountains have been soaked in gasoline.
And escaped hostage Thomas Hamill reunited with his wife today on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.
HEMMER: And on this Cinco de Mayo, good morning, welcome to AMERICAN MORNING.
Soledad getting a few days rest. Heidi Collins getting up early along with the rest of us here on AM.
Good morning, nice to have you.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: A little too early -- would have liked (UNINTELLIGIBLE) earlier today.
Want to let you know what other stories we're following this morning. A camera crew has been shooting inside Abu Ghraib Prison this morning. We are going to get a look at the place that has become the eye of a foreign policy storm.
HEMMER: Also that place changing dramatically in the last few days, too, with a prison inmate population there.
Also racial profiling in Massachusetts may be so widespread that three quarters of the state's police departments could be involved. We'll hear about the massive investigation that has been launched there, so stay tuned for more on that this hour.
COLLINS: In the meantime, Jack Cafferty joining us now -- good morning.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Michael Moore, that liberal filmmaker and Hollywood type, has done a documentary that is highly critical of President Bush.
The Walt Disney Company is trying to block distribution of this film. It's just a dandy little story, I absolutely love it. We'll tell you the details in a couple of minutes.
HEMMER: They call it a good old good one, huh?
CAFFERTY: Oh, man, it's great.
COLLINS: We look forward to it.
Want to get to the news, though, this morning.
We do begin in Iraq where one coalition soldier and at least ten Iraqi militants have been killed overnight. The battle took place in the southern Iraqi city of Karbala.
Military officials say supporters of radical cleric Muqtada Al- Sadr attacked the mayor's house in Karbala. Coalition forces returned fire. The exchanges lasted until dawn.
Counterterrorism officials reportedly believe al Qaeda may be trying to recruit inmates in U.S. prisons. That's according to a Justice Department report cited in "The New York Times."
The department claims groups promoting extremist brands of Islam have gained a following in American jails.
The report suggests some tighter control in federal prisons. The full copy of the report is to be released today.
Pentagon officials say the number of U.S. troops in Iraq will remain steady. Commander (UNINTELLIGIBLE) hoped to reduce the current forces from about 135,000 to about 115,000 this summer, but due to a recent surge of violence, officials say the numbers will stay about the same until the end of 2005.
Ten thousand active duty soldiers and Marines are expected to ship out in coming months.
Lawyers for Kobe Bryant say his accuser should not be referred to in court as "the victim." The defense filed papers yesterday saying the woman should be referred to by name or as the complaining witness.
They claim the term victim implies that Bryant is guilty of sexual assault. Prosecutors have five days to respond.
And a news helicopter in New York made its own news after it crashed while covering a story. Get a look at this.
The chopper and crew were covering a shooting story in Brooklyn when the helicopter spun out of control, clipped a building, and crashed onto a rooftop.
Seconds before the crash, the pilot reported a problem with the tail rotor. All three on board survived and are now in stable condition. There was some video of this we saw a little bit earlier today of the chopper going down; it was unbelievable.
HEMMER: Three very lucky people on board there. (WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: The president has a chance to directly address the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal for an extremely skeptical audience today. Mr. Bush will sit down about three hours from now for morning interviews with television networks that are seen across the Arab world.
One of those networks sponsored and funded by the U.S. Two reports I'll bring you this morning.
From the White House, Suzanne Malveaux is covering that for us; and Ben Wedeman just visiting outside the Arab prison in Baghdad west of that city.
Let's go to Suzanne first on the front lawn -- good morning there.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
Well, President Bush is going to conduct two interviews here at the White House in the map room at ten o'clock this morning. We are told they're going to last for about ten minutes apiece.
One of them with Al Harada (ph), a U.S. sponsored Pan-Arab network, the other one Al-Arabiya, which is based in the United Arab Emirates.
Noticeably absent is Al-Jazeera, that is the network that is based in Qatar. The U.S. has expressed its displeasure in the past at what it considers its anti-American bent, but White House spokesman Scott McClellan saying very clearly that he is assured that the president's message will reach a wide audience of the Arab world.
What is that message? The president will talk about these acts as shameful, as unacceptable, the acts of just a few, and that the U.S. will hold those guilty accountable.
Now all of this, of course, is part of a much wider public relations campaign really to get the United States message out there to counter those images.
Yesterday National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice spoke with three Arab networks. Other top officials taking to the airways, simply making their statements. This is all about crisis management and damage control.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: It is a global response to these pictures, as there should be. I mean, they are terrible; they're terrible. That's all there is to it. And we will deal with this by telling the people in the world that this is an isolated incident.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Now yesterday Rice apologized. She said -- I'm quoting here -- we are deeply sorry for what happened to these people.
It is unclear whether or not President Bush is going to apologize, but we do know that he is going to say that these actions were wrong. He is also going to make the distinction saying that the U.S. will hold those guilty accountable, unlike Saddam Hussein's regime where they engaged in torture and it was just normal practice -- Bill.
HEMMER: Suzanne, thanks for that.
To Baghdad now and Ben Wedeman just back from a demonstration, a large one, outside of that prison west of Baghdad. Ben what do you have for us?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN: Well, when -- I can tell you after speaking with these people out there at this demonstration President Bush's address, or rather interview on those two Arabic satellite news channels may fall on deaf ears.
There are several hundred people who gathered outside the area outside Abu Ghraib, where people normally wait to visit their relatives inside, possibly find out if any of their relatives are going to be released.
Now we heard them chanting that the United States is the enemy of God, holding a large Iraqi flag and placards saying, among other things, that democracy does not mean killing the innocents.
A small group of religious leaders went out -- left the main body of the demonstration. They held some sort of discussion with U.S. military officers who left the prison.
There they said they basically gave a list of demands. They wanted those involved in these alleged incidents -- incidences of abuse -- to be punished.
They want Iraqi human organizations -- human rights organizations to have free access to the prison, but afterwards I spoke with one of those religious leaders who told me that at this point after this particular incident of the pictures after a variety of disappointments for Iraqis, the Iraqis in general don't have a lot of trust in whatever the United States officials say -- Bill.
HEMMER: Ben Wedeman, thanks from Baghdad.
Suzanne Malveaux on the front lawn -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Former Iraqi hostage Thomas Hamill is finally back together with his wife. Some passport issues had delayed her arrival in Germany where Hamill is being treated for a gunshot wound he sustained when he was taken prisoner in Iraq.
Our Chris Burns standing by at Landstuhl Medical Center now with more details -- Chris, hello.
CHRIS BURNS, CNN: Hi, Heidi. Well, very, very emotional reunion between husband and wife. Just imagine -- Mrs. Hamill watching for the last three weeks her husband as we all -- the rest of us have -- seen on TV these videos of her husband being taken hostage and then the pictures that were released by his captors of him in front of an Iraqi flag being in captivity for the last three weeks.
Finally freeing himself and running to an American patrol last Sunday, and now he's here at Landstuhl being treated for a gunshot wound to the right arm, and also undergoing a lot of counseling and debriefing to intelligence people, perhaps giving some clues as to his two missing co-workers and that missing American solider who is a hostage.
Mr. Hamill did not appear before reporters today with his wife, but he did release this statement -- I'll read a couple of lines of it.
He says my recovery is definitely improving now that my wife Kellie is here with me. He says my only plan now is to go home as soon as possible, spend some quality private time with my family.
He says, please continue to pray for all the civilian soldiers hostages and my friends and colleagues who are still missing as well as their families.
He says Kellie, my wife, brought me my favorite boots -- cowboy boots -- jeans and a red shirt so I could feel a lot more comfortable and closer to home. I'm ready to get there and hug my children. They're going to have steak and chocolate cake tonight together -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Well you certainly can't go wrong there.
All right, Chris Burns. Thanks so much, live from Landstuhl today.
HEMMER: The 100-day countdown to the Olympics has been marred by a series of bomb explosions in Athens, Greece.
Police there say a heavily guarded police station was the target. A pre-dawn blast damaging the garage area of that station.
Nobody was injured, fortunately. Officials had evacuated the building before the attack after a tip from an anonymous caller. No one so far has claimed responsibility there in Athens.
A state of the art security system is being tested on rail passengers near the nations capitol. Amtrak and commuter riders will walk through an air puffer with their bags before boarding trains at New Carrollton station in Maryland. The machine detects a residue from explosives.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ASA HUTCHINSON, HOMELAND SECURITY UNDERSECRETARY: We're looking for explosives material that would result in a Madrid-type attack, and so its explosive material that we're looking for, and therefore it won't take the same amount of time and you won't have as many people that will be having secondary inspection.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: That air puffer you saw on the videotape, called entry scan, is already at nuclear power plants across the country -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Still to come this morning, firefighters battle drought and wildfires as hundreds are forced from their homes. How bad can it get? We'll go live to California coming up next.
HEMMER: Charges of racial profiling in one state involving a shocking number of police departments there. That's ahead also.
COLLINS: And is Disney blocking a new film because it is critical of President Bush? Talk about that on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Hundreds of people have been evacuated ahead of fast moving wildfires in southern California. You see the pictures there.
Six fires have scorched more than 15,000 acres in the state. The firefighters hope cooler weather will bring some relief.
Rick Griggs of the California Department of Forestry is live now in Cerritos, California to update the situation for us.
Good morning to you, Mr. Griggs. Give us the very latest, if you could on the efforts to battle these firefighters (ph). How well contained are they at this point?
RICK GRIGGS, PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER, CALIFORNIA DEPT. OF FORESTRY: The Cerritos fire that we're standing at right now is about 10,500 acres with about 15 percent containment -- we have more than 500 firefighters on the line today and we've had six structures that were destroyed by the fire.
COLLINS: You know when you look at these pictures its always pretty shocking to see this wonderful wildlife going up in flames like this.
What's the biggest concern right now by firefighters?
GRIGGS: The big concerns right now are trying to get a perimeter constructed around this fire. To prevent any further progress on it.
COLLINS: What about the weather? Any cooperation there? We've been hearing a little bit about cooler temperatures.
GRIGGS: Over the night tonight, we noticed considerably cooler temperatures and the relative humidity has come up giving the firefighters a real good edge on making some good progress on this fire.
COLLINS: We've also been talking, Rick, for quite a while about what an early start these fires have gotten in California. What are some of the concerns there and as far as preventing them -- I know last year was a devastating year as well. Didn't leave much ground cover to work with.
Tell us what can be done at this point.
GRIGGS: Absolutely last year was a very large year for us. Interesting you should say that. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared next week as wildfire awareness week in California.
We really want to remind the public that wildfires can be extremely devastating and that they need to prepare early for this and we hope that they will make a defensible space around their house if they live in that wild land urban interface.
COLLINS: We also along that same line we've heard a little bit about a man that was charged with negligence for possibly starting one of these fires. What do you know about that?
GRIGGS: He was arrested yesterday -- or on the -- Monday evening by CDS law enforcement officers and booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center at 9:00.
COLLINS: OK, any idea what may have started -- that was just one of the six fires. Any ideas at this point what may have started the other five?
GRIGGS: Right now the other fires in Riverside County remain under investigation.
COLLINS: OK, understood. Tell us once again if you could a little bit more about the efforts to contain these fires. I know you guys use the slurry bombers we've seen a lot of that make sure going over the flames. Any problem with that?
The winds had been quite a problem before and I know those planes can't fly when you're trying to drop the slurry. You getting a pretty good effect from that?
GRIGGS: We've gotten a real good effect from our airdrops. They've gotten -- they are used to slow the spread of the fire, which gives our fire crews a real good chance to catch up and start to construct line around the fire and prevent that forward progress.
COLLINS: All right, well, we know it's a really tough battle out there. Certainly wish you and all the crews the very best in getting these fires under containment.
Thanks so much -- Rick Griggs with the California Department of Forestry, thanks so much -- Bill.
HEMMER: About 17 past the hour now.
A controversy over racial profiling now stirring in Massachusetts. A study there by Northeastern University has found that in three-fourths of police departments in that state, a disproportionate number of non-whites is being stopped and searched.
Now 250 law enforcement agencies are facing scrutiny. Dan Lothian has more this morning in Boston.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN LOTHIAN, BOSTON BUREAU CHIEF: Boston Police Department is just one of 249 Massachusetts law enforcement agencies now facing closer scrutiny to determine if officers may be racially profiling during traffic stops.
EDWARD FLYNN, MASSACHUSETTS PUBLIC SAFETY SECY: We need to collect more data that's more refined, that is the same across the board so that apples are compared to apples.
LOTHIAN: This comes in the wake of a new study, commissioned by the state, conducted by Northeastern University. More than a million and a half citations were reviewed over a two-year period, beginning in 2001.
The number of tickets and searches by race were compared to the racial makeup of each department's jurisdiction. The study concluded that in two-thirds of the state's departments, a disproportionate number of non-whites were stopped and searched.
FLYNN: Why those disparities exist we have yet to ascertain.
CAROL ROSE, AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION: Basically the report indicates what people in the communities of color in Massachusetts have always been saying.
LOTHIAN: And what this activist says happened to him.
RING DOWNING, ACLU COORDINATOR FOR RACIAL PROFILING: It makes you angry, it's degrading, it upsets you.
LOTHIAN: The state office of public safety is now ordering the departments in question to collect a year's worth of data on all traffic stops. Some police officers welcome further scrutiny but worry that the report has already labeled them guilty.
JOHN COLLINS, MASSACHUSETTS POLICE CHIEFS ASSN: It puts the police agencies on the defensive.
LOTHIAN: In a statement the Massachusetts Chief of Police Association suggests the study is flawed, that the problem is not widespread, and that anyone who thinks police here have a practice of profiling is sadly misinformed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a witch-hunt and they've found some witches.
LOTHIAN: Some critics of the study worry it will lead to de- policing. In other words, officers backing off for fear of being accused of racial profiling.
Dan Lothian, CNN, Boston.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: Next hour here on AMERICAN MORNING we'll hear from a Catholic bishop who says he has been the victim of racial profiling in the state.
We'll also talk to Edward Flynn, secretary of Massachusetts Public Safety -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Still to come, we'll have much more on the widening controversy over prisoner abuse in Iraq.
And Alan Greenspan and the Fed leave rates unchanged but are they losing patience? Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Federal Reserve sure knows how to drop a hint. They did that yesterday and a market preview. Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business."
First check for us this morning. Good morning.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Good morning to you.
HEMMER: Impatient, aren't they?
SERWER: They are. The Fed not as patient as it used to be and what happened yesterday, Bill, is that Alan Greenspan and company stuck to the script, they did not raise short-term interest rates at all.
That's what we expected, but they did drop a hint as you said that they will raise interest rates down the road.
The language is very nuanced. Let's look at it here. Hiring "picked up." Well, maybe not so nuanced, last time they said it had "lagged."
They said long-term inflation was "contained." Before that they said deflation or falling prices was a bigger risk.
They said they are no longer "patient" and that interest rate hikes are likely to be "measured," though.
And let's check out, also, what happens when rates rise. If you have a mortgage. In other words, what does it mean to you?
Well, a lot of people out there recently have six percent mortgages on a 30-year. You're paying about $1500.
More typical rates historically which we could be heading toward seven and seven five. You can see -- and if you go up to eight you're going to be paying about $1800 a month so that's real money coming into your pocket. HEMMER: Difference of $300.
SERWER: Sure is. Talk about the markets, you want to do that? Yesterday stocks danced all over the place if you've looked.
It's funny, you know, everyone expected this and still the market went all haywire at 2:15 and we ended up sort of back where we started. Just up a bit on the Dow, the Nasdaq as well.
The big news this morning is Coca-Cola has a new CEO; they've been looking around, all kinds of things going on with that company. An Irishman named Neville Isdell and he'll be running the big KO (ph) down in Atlanta. And that story keeps on going.
HEMMER: The last guy was an Aussie, right?
SERWER: He was an Aussie, yes, so...
HEMMER: Thanks, Andy, see you -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Time now for the Cafferty File and the "Question of the Day" from Jack.
CAFFERTY: Thank you, Heidi. It's not as though the CEO of the Walt Disney Company; Michael Eisner doesn't have enough problems these days.
Now they're reporting that the Disney Company is blocking it's Miramax film unit from distributing Michael Moore's latest film. It's a documentary called "Fahrenheit 911."
It links President Bush with powerful Saudi families including the family of Osama bin Laden. The film explores the government's role in evacuating bin Laden's relatives immediately after the September 11 attacks.
Moore's agent told "The New York Times" that Eisner expressed concern that the film would endanger tax breaks that Disney gets for its parks, hotels, and other properties in Florida where guess who's the governor? Why it's the president's brother.
Disney says the company has the right to block the distribution of any film that goes against its interests, claiming the film could alienate families of different political persuasions who visit their theme parks.
Michael Moore posted a response early this morning on his website that reads, quote, "I would have hoped that by now I would be able to put my work out to the public without having to experience the profound censorship obstacles I often seem to encounter."
So here's the question: what a great story -- I'm not sure whose side I'm on in this, which is why it's a great story -- here's the question. Is Disney making a mistake blocking the distribution of a Michael Moore film? You can e-mail us at am@cnn.com.
COLLINS: Can't he just go to a different distributor, different company?
CAFFERTY: No, because Miramax is entered into an agreement to distribute the film.
SERWER: But Jack wouldn't you be on the side of Michael Moore -- I know this is strange bedfellows -- but to let the American people decide.
CAFFERTY: Well, I'm confused.
SERWER: I know you are confused at this point, but to put the film out there and let the American people decide and if they don't like it they don't have to go.
CAFFERTY: You know what's wrong with this? It looks terrible for Eisner and the Disney Company to be trying to do this.
I mean, they're going to do more damage to themselves making an issue out of this than if they just kept their mouths shut, let Miramax distribute the film and go on down the road. Now it's become a deal and we of course intend to keep it very much alive for our viewers.
HEMMER: And you have two hours and 35 minutes to make up your own mind about how you feel, Jack.
CAFFERTY: Yes, I'm working on it.
HEMMER: Get back to us. In a moment here the former Iraqi captive Thomas Hamill meeting with his wife today says he plans to head home as soon as possible.
Back in a moment after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: All right, 7:30 here in New York. Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING.
Heidi is in today for Soledad. We welcome her back here in New York City.
COLLINS: Thank you, sir. The White House is in crisis management mode over the pictures showing Iraqi prisoners being abused.
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Aired May 5, 2004 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Appeal to Arab TV viewers today, trying to turn the tide of anger over the abuse of Iraqi prisoners.
This could be the worse wildfire season in California history. Firefighters say it's like the mountains have been soaked in gasoline.
And escaped hostage Thomas Hamill reunited with his wife today on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.
HEMMER: And on this Cinco de Mayo, good morning, welcome to AMERICAN MORNING.
Soledad getting a few days rest. Heidi Collins getting up early along with the rest of us here on AM.
Good morning, nice to have you.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: A little too early -- would have liked (UNINTELLIGIBLE) earlier today.
Want to let you know what other stories we're following this morning. A camera crew has been shooting inside Abu Ghraib Prison this morning. We are going to get a look at the place that has become the eye of a foreign policy storm.
HEMMER: Also that place changing dramatically in the last few days, too, with a prison inmate population there.
Also racial profiling in Massachusetts may be so widespread that three quarters of the state's police departments could be involved. We'll hear about the massive investigation that has been launched there, so stay tuned for more on that this hour.
COLLINS: In the meantime, Jack Cafferty joining us now -- good morning.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Michael Moore, that liberal filmmaker and Hollywood type, has done a documentary that is highly critical of President Bush.
The Walt Disney Company is trying to block distribution of this film. It's just a dandy little story, I absolutely love it. We'll tell you the details in a couple of minutes.
HEMMER: They call it a good old good one, huh?
CAFFERTY: Oh, man, it's great.
COLLINS: We look forward to it.
Want to get to the news, though, this morning.
We do begin in Iraq where one coalition soldier and at least ten Iraqi militants have been killed overnight. The battle took place in the southern Iraqi city of Karbala.
Military officials say supporters of radical cleric Muqtada Al- Sadr attacked the mayor's house in Karbala. Coalition forces returned fire. The exchanges lasted until dawn.
Counterterrorism officials reportedly believe al Qaeda may be trying to recruit inmates in U.S. prisons. That's according to a Justice Department report cited in "The New York Times."
The department claims groups promoting extremist brands of Islam have gained a following in American jails.
The report suggests some tighter control in federal prisons. The full copy of the report is to be released today.
Pentagon officials say the number of U.S. troops in Iraq will remain steady. Commander (UNINTELLIGIBLE) hoped to reduce the current forces from about 135,000 to about 115,000 this summer, but due to a recent surge of violence, officials say the numbers will stay about the same until the end of 2005.
Ten thousand active duty soldiers and Marines are expected to ship out in coming months.
Lawyers for Kobe Bryant say his accuser should not be referred to in court as "the victim." The defense filed papers yesterday saying the woman should be referred to by name or as the complaining witness.
They claim the term victim implies that Bryant is guilty of sexual assault. Prosecutors have five days to respond.
And a news helicopter in New York made its own news after it crashed while covering a story. Get a look at this.
The chopper and crew were covering a shooting story in Brooklyn when the helicopter spun out of control, clipped a building, and crashed onto a rooftop.
Seconds before the crash, the pilot reported a problem with the tail rotor. All three on board survived and are now in stable condition. There was some video of this we saw a little bit earlier today of the chopper going down; it was unbelievable.
HEMMER: Three very lucky people on board there. (WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: The president has a chance to directly address the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal for an extremely skeptical audience today. Mr. Bush will sit down about three hours from now for morning interviews with television networks that are seen across the Arab world.
One of those networks sponsored and funded by the U.S. Two reports I'll bring you this morning.
From the White House, Suzanne Malveaux is covering that for us; and Ben Wedeman just visiting outside the Arab prison in Baghdad west of that city.
Let's go to Suzanne first on the front lawn -- good morning there.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
Well, President Bush is going to conduct two interviews here at the White House in the map room at ten o'clock this morning. We are told they're going to last for about ten minutes apiece.
One of them with Al Harada (ph), a U.S. sponsored Pan-Arab network, the other one Al-Arabiya, which is based in the United Arab Emirates.
Noticeably absent is Al-Jazeera, that is the network that is based in Qatar. The U.S. has expressed its displeasure in the past at what it considers its anti-American bent, but White House spokesman Scott McClellan saying very clearly that he is assured that the president's message will reach a wide audience of the Arab world.
What is that message? The president will talk about these acts as shameful, as unacceptable, the acts of just a few, and that the U.S. will hold those guilty accountable.
Now all of this, of course, is part of a much wider public relations campaign really to get the United States message out there to counter those images.
Yesterday National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice spoke with three Arab networks. Other top officials taking to the airways, simply making their statements. This is all about crisis management and damage control.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLIN POWELL, SECRETARY OF STATE: It is a global response to these pictures, as there should be. I mean, they are terrible; they're terrible. That's all there is to it. And we will deal with this by telling the people in the world that this is an isolated incident.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Now yesterday Rice apologized. She said -- I'm quoting here -- we are deeply sorry for what happened to these people.
It is unclear whether or not President Bush is going to apologize, but we do know that he is going to say that these actions were wrong. He is also going to make the distinction saying that the U.S. will hold those guilty accountable, unlike Saddam Hussein's regime where they engaged in torture and it was just normal practice -- Bill.
HEMMER: Suzanne, thanks for that.
To Baghdad now and Ben Wedeman just back from a demonstration, a large one, outside of that prison west of Baghdad. Ben what do you have for us?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN: Well, when -- I can tell you after speaking with these people out there at this demonstration President Bush's address, or rather interview on those two Arabic satellite news channels may fall on deaf ears.
There are several hundred people who gathered outside the area outside Abu Ghraib, where people normally wait to visit their relatives inside, possibly find out if any of their relatives are going to be released.
Now we heard them chanting that the United States is the enemy of God, holding a large Iraqi flag and placards saying, among other things, that democracy does not mean killing the innocents.
A small group of religious leaders went out -- left the main body of the demonstration. They held some sort of discussion with U.S. military officers who left the prison.
There they said they basically gave a list of demands. They wanted those involved in these alleged incidents -- incidences of abuse -- to be punished.
They want Iraqi human organizations -- human rights organizations to have free access to the prison, but afterwards I spoke with one of those religious leaders who told me that at this point after this particular incident of the pictures after a variety of disappointments for Iraqis, the Iraqis in general don't have a lot of trust in whatever the United States officials say -- Bill.
HEMMER: Ben Wedeman, thanks from Baghdad.
Suzanne Malveaux on the front lawn -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Former Iraqi hostage Thomas Hamill is finally back together with his wife. Some passport issues had delayed her arrival in Germany where Hamill is being treated for a gunshot wound he sustained when he was taken prisoner in Iraq.
Our Chris Burns standing by at Landstuhl Medical Center now with more details -- Chris, hello.
CHRIS BURNS, CNN: Hi, Heidi. Well, very, very emotional reunion between husband and wife. Just imagine -- Mrs. Hamill watching for the last three weeks her husband as we all -- the rest of us have -- seen on TV these videos of her husband being taken hostage and then the pictures that were released by his captors of him in front of an Iraqi flag being in captivity for the last three weeks.
Finally freeing himself and running to an American patrol last Sunday, and now he's here at Landstuhl being treated for a gunshot wound to the right arm, and also undergoing a lot of counseling and debriefing to intelligence people, perhaps giving some clues as to his two missing co-workers and that missing American solider who is a hostage.
Mr. Hamill did not appear before reporters today with his wife, but he did release this statement -- I'll read a couple of lines of it.
He says my recovery is definitely improving now that my wife Kellie is here with me. He says my only plan now is to go home as soon as possible, spend some quality private time with my family.
He says, please continue to pray for all the civilian soldiers hostages and my friends and colleagues who are still missing as well as their families.
He says Kellie, my wife, brought me my favorite boots -- cowboy boots -- jeans and a red shirt so I could feel a lot more comfortable and closer to home. I'm ready to get there and hug my children. They're going to have steak and chocolate cake tonight together -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Well you certainly can't go wrong there.
All right, Chris Burns. Thanks so much, live from Landstuhl today.
HEMMER: The 100-day countdown to the Olympics has been marred by a series of bomb explosions in Athens, Greece.
Police there say a heavily guarded police station was the target. A pre-dawn blast damaging the garage area of that station.
Nobody was injured, fortunately. Officials had evacuated the building before the attack after a tip from an anonymous caller. No one so far has claimed responsibility there in Athens.
A state of the art security system is being tested on rail passengers near the nations capitol. Amtrak and commuter riders will walk through an air puffer with their bags before boarding trains at New Carrollton station in Maryland. The machine detects a residue from explosives.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ASA HUTCHINSON, HOMELAND SECURITY UNDERSECRETARY: We're looking for explosives material that would result in a Madrid-type attack, and so its explosive material that we're looking for, and therefore it won't take the same amount of time and you won't have as many people that will be having secondary inspection.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: That air puffer you saw on the videotape, called entry scan, is already at nuclear power plants across the country -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Still to come this morning, firefighters battle drought and wildfires as hundreds are forced from their homes. How bad can it get? We'll go live to California coming up next.
HEMMER: Charges of racial profiling in one state involving a shocking number of police departments there. That's ahead also.
COLLINS: And is Disney blocking a new film because it is critical of President Bush? Talk about that on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Hundreds of people have been evacuated ahead of fast moving wildfires in southern California. You see the pictures there.
Six fires have scorched more than 15,000 acres in the state. The firefighters hope cooler weather will bring some relief.
Rick Griggs of the California Department of Forestry is live now in Cerritos, California to update the situation for us.
Good morning to you, Mr. Griggs. Give us the very latest, if you could on the efforts to battle these firefighters (ph). How well contained are they at this point?
RICK GRIGGS, PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER, CALIFORNIA DEPT. OF FORESTRY: The Cerritos fire that we're standing at right now is about 10,500 acres with about 15 percent containment -- we have more than 500 firefighters on the line today and we've had six structures that were destroyed by the fire.
COLLINS: You know when you look at these pictures its always pretty shocking to see this wonderful wildlife going up in flames like this.
What's the biggest concern right now by firefighters?
GRIGGS: The big concerns right now are trying to get a perimeter constructed around this fire. To prevent any further progress on it.
COLLINS: What about the weather? Any cooperation there? We've been hearing a little bit about cooler temperatures.
GRIGGS: Over the night tonight, we noticed considerably cooler temperatures and the relative humidity has come up giving the firefighters a real good edge on making some good progress on this fire.
COLLINS: We've also been talking, Rick, for quite a while about what an early start these fires have gotten in California. What are some of the concerns there and as far as preventing them -- I know last year was a devastating year as well. Didn't leave much ground cover to work with.
Tell us what can be done at this point.
GRIGGS: Absolutely last year was a very large year for us. Interesting you should say that. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared next week as wildfire awareness week in California.
We really want to remind the public that wildfires can be extremely devastating and that they need to prepare early for this and we hope that they will make a defensible space around their house if they live in that wild land urban interface.
COLLINS: We also along that same line we've heard a little bit about a man that was charged with negligence for possibly starting one of these fires. What do you know about that?
GRIGGS: He was arrested yesterday -- or on the -- Monday evening by CDS law enforcement officers and booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center at 9:00.
COLLINS: OK, any idea what may have started -- that was just one of the six fires. Any ideas at this point what may have started the other five?
GRIGGS: Right now the other fires in Riverside County remain under investigation.
COLLINS: OK, understood. Tell us once again if you could a little bit more about the efforts to contain these fires. I know you guys use the slurry bombers we've seen a lot of that make sure going over the flames. Any problem with that?
The winds had been quite a problem before and I know those planes can't fly when you're trying to drop the slurry. You getting a pretty good effect from that?
GRIGGS: We've gotten a real good effect from our airdrops. They've gotten -- they are used to slow the spread of the fire, which gives our fire crews a real good chance to catch up and start to construct line around the fire and prevent that forward progress.
COLLINS: All right, well, we know it's a really tough battle out there. Certainly wish you and all the crews the very best in getting these fires under containment.
Thanks so much -- Rick Griggs with the California Department of Forestry, thanks so much -- Bill.
HEMMER: About 17 past the hour now.
A controversy over racial profiling now stirring in Massachusetts. A study there by Northeastern University has found that in three-fourths of police departments in that state, a disproportionate number of non-whites is being stopped and searched.
Now 250 law enforcement agencies are facing scrutiny. Dan Lothian has more this morning in Boston.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN LOTHIAN, BOSTON BUREAU CHIEF: Boston Police Department is just one of 249 Massachusetts law enforcement agencies now facing closer scrutiny to determine if officers may be racially profiling during traffic stops.
EDWARD FLYNN, MASSACHUSETTS PUBLIC SAFETY SECY: We need to collect more data that's more refined, that is the same across the board so that apples are compared to apples.
LOTHIAN: This comes in the wake of a new study, commissioned by the state, conducted by Northeastern University. More than a million and a half citations were reviewed over a two-year period, beginning in 2001.
The number of tickets and searches by race were compared to the racial makeup of each department's jurisdiction. The study concluded that in two-thirds of the state's departments, a disproportionate number of non-whites were stopped and searched.
FLYNN: Why those disparities exist we have yet to ascertain.
CAROL ROSE, AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION: Basically the report indicates what people in the communities of color in Massachusetts have always been saying.
LOTHIAN: And what this activist says happened to him.
RING DOWNING, ACLU COORDINATOR FOR RACIAL PROFILING: It makes you angry, it's degrading, it upsets you.
LOTHIAN: The state office of public safety is now ordering the departments in question to collect a year's worth of data on all traffic stops. Some police officers welcome further scrutiny but worry that the report has already labeled them guilty.
JOHN COLLINS, MASSACHUSETTS POLICE CHIEFS ASSN: It puts the police agencies on the defensive.
LOTHIAN: In a statement the Massachusetts Chief of Police Association suggests the study is flawed, that the problem is not widespread, and that anyone who thinks police here have a practice of profiling is sadly misinformed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a witch-hunt and they've found some witches.
LOTHIAN: Some critics of the study worry it will lead to de- policing. In other words, officers backing off for fear of being accused of racial profiling.
Dan Lothian, CNN, Boston.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: Next hour here on AMERICAN MORNING we'll hear from a Catholic bishop who says he has been the victim of racial profiling in the state.
We'll also talk to Edward Flynn, secretary of Massachusetts Public Safety -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Still to come, we'll have much more on the widening controversy over prisoner abuse in Iraq.
And Alan Greenspan and the Fed leave rates unchanged but are they losing patience? Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Federal Reserve sure knows how to drop a hint. They did that yesterday and a market preview. Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business."
First check for us this morning. Good morning.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Good morning to you.
HEMMER: Impatient, aren't they?
SERWER: They are. The Fed not as patient as it used to be and what happened yesterday, Bill, is that Alan Greenspan and company stuck to the script, they did not raise short-term interest rates at all.
That's what we expected, but they did drop a hint as you said that they will raise interest rates down the road.
The language is very nuanced. Let's look at it here. Hiring "picked up." Well, maybe not so nuanced, last time they said it had "lagged."
They said long-term inflation was "contained." Before that they said deflation or falling prices was a bigger risk.
They said they are no longer "patient" and that interest rate hikes are likely to be "measured," though.
And let's check out, also, what happens when rates rise. If you have a mortgage. In other words, what does it mean to you?
Well, a lot of people out there recently have six percent mortgages on a 30-year. You're paying about $1500.
More typical rates historically which we could be heading toward seven and seven five. You can see -- and if you go up to eight you're going to be paying about $1800 a month so that's real money coming into your pocket. HEMMER: Difference of $300.
SERWER: Sure is. Talk about the markets, you want to do that? Yesterday stocks danced all over the place if you've looked.
It's funny, you know, everyone expected this and still the market went all haywire at 2:15 and we ended up sort of back where we started. Just up a bit on the Dow, the Nasdaq as well.
The big news this morning is Coca-Cola has a new CEO; they've been looking around, all kinds of things going on with that company. An Irishman named Neville Isdell and he'll be running the big KO (ph) down in Atlanta. And that story keeps on going.
HEMMER: The last guy was an Aussie, right?
SERWER: He was an Aussie, yes, so...
HEMMER: Thanks, Andy, see you -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Time now for the Cafferty File and the "Question of the Day" from Jack.
CAFFERTY: Thank you, Heidi. It's not as though the CEO of the Walt Disney Company; Michael Eisner doesn't have enough problems these days.
Now they're reporting that the Disney Company is blocking it's Miramax film unit from distributing Michael Moore's latest film. It's a documentary called "Fahrenheit 911."
It links President Bush with powerful Saudi families including the family of Osama bin Laden. The film explores the government's role in evacuating bin Laden's relatives immediately after the September 11 attacks.
Moore's agent told "The New York Times" that Eisner expressed concern that the film would endanger tax breaks that Disney gets for its parks, hotels, and other properties in Florida where guess who's the governor? Why it's the president's brother.
Disney says the company has the right to block the distribution of any film that goes against its interests, claiming the film could alienate families of different political persuasions who visit their theme parks.
Michael Moore posted a response early this morning on his website that reads, quote, "I would have hoped that by now I would be able to put my work out to the public without having to experience the profound censorship obstacles I often seem to encounter."
So here's the question: what a great story -- I'm not sure whose side I'm on in this, which is why it's a great story -- here's the question. Is Disney making a mistake blocking the distribution of a Michael Moore film? You can e-mail us at am@cnn.com.
COLLINS: Can't he just go to a different distributor, different company?
CAFFERTY: No, because Miramax is entered into an agreement to distribute the film.
SERWER: But Jack wouldn't you be on the side of Michael Moore -- I know this is strange bedfellows -- but to let the American people decide.
CAFFERTY: Well, I'm confused.
SERWER: I know you are confused at this point, but to put the film out there and let the American people decide and if they don't like it they don't have to go.
CAFFERTY: You know what's wrong with this? It looks terrible for Eisner and the Disney Company to be trying to do this.
I mean, they're going to do more damage to themselves making an issue out of this than if they just kept their mouths shut, let Miramax distribute the film and go on down the road. Now it's become a deal and we of course intend to keep it very much alive for our viewers.
HEMMER: And you have two hours and 35 minutes to make up your own mind about how you feel, Jack.
CAFFERTY: Yes, I'm working on it.
HEMMER: Get back to us. In a moment here the former Iraqi captive Thomas Hamill meeting with his wife today says he plans to head home as soon as possible.
Back in a moment after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: All right, 7:30 here in New York. Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING.
Heidi is in today for Soledad. We welcome her back here in New York City.
COLLINS: Thank you, sir. The White House is in crisis management mode over the pictures showing Iraqi prisoners being abused.
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