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American Morning
Deadly Attack in Central Baghdad; U.S. Protesting Philippine's Government Decision to Reduce Number of Troops in Iraq
Aired July 14, 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.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN REPORTER: And good morning on this Wednesday. I'm Anderson Cooper. Bill and Soledad are off this week.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Heidi Collins.
News out of Iraq this morning -- we'll tell you about the very latest car bombing in just a moment.
Also, the decision by the Philippines to reduce the number of troops in Iraq in order to save a kidnapped citizen. You see him there. Are they caving, though, to terrorists and will it create a rift with the United States? We're going to look at some of those questions.
COOPER: Also ahead, who is this Saudi cleric? The man, the suspected al Qaeda terrorist who has turned himself in to the Saudi government, yesterday. Is he a big fish as some Saudis have said, or is he a big fish in a small pond?
How will this -- how will they handle this cleric? We'll ask a former official with the defense department.
COLLINS: Also, part three on our series on lying. And today we are talking about military interrogations. Does lying work where torture fails? We will look at the techniques the experts use.
COOPER: And Jack has a few days off this week.
COLLINS: He does. And we learned about that yesterday. He was quite excited about it, as you might imagine. But we have Andy Borowitz who's going to be filling in today with the e-mails and everything in just a few minutes.
COOPER: Look forward to that. Let's take a look at what's happening right now this morning. There has been a deadly attack this morning in central Baghdad. A suicide car bomb exploded near an entrance to the so-called Green Zone.
Michael Holmes is live for us in Baghdad. Michael what's the latest?
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, it was a very large explosion. We felt it here just a mile away from the Green Zone -- rattled the windows. You could see the smoke rising. And of course what we found was a scene of carnage, as you might expect.
This is one of the major entrances to the Green Zone. It's where the Al-Rasheed Hotel is, the convention center. The U.S. embassy is not far away, and so, too, of course, the headquarters of the interim government.
The prime minister, Ayad Allawi, toured the area himself under very heavy security. He later told us that seven Iraqi civilians had died, three members of the Iraqi national guard also. And they there had been 40 injuries, many of those very serious, you can imagine. Limbs were torn off. It was a very bloody scene, indeed.
We also heard from American colonel at the scene from the first cab. He told us one U.S. soldier had been wounded, but only slightly. He'll return to duty this day.
A fairly quiet time in terms of major events like this. Of course there are the daily events of shootings and roadside bombs and the like. Hasn't been a major one like this for a while, Anderson. But the calm very much shattered this day -- Anderson?
COOPER: Michael, at this point is anything known about the Philippine hostage? There have been sort of conflicting reports.
HOLMES: Indeed. He was meant to be released Tuesday here in Baghdad, didn't happen. What we know is that the Philippine government has announced that it has decommissioned eight of the 50 or so troops it has here. They haven't left the country, but they've been decommissioned, very careful wording there as part of what many see as concessions to those who took Mr. de la Cruz hostage.
He was, we were told by a very senior diplomatic source here in Baghdad, to be released yesterday -- Tuesday. It didn't happen. We're now nearly all of the way through Wednesday here and still no sign of him. So, a very, very -- a situation very, very much in limbo -- Anderson?
COOPER: Yes, murky negotiations there. Michael Holmes, thanks very much. Stay safe -- Heidi?
COLLINS: And as you just heard, Michael Holmes discuss, the U.S. is protesting the Philippine government decision to reduce the number of its troops in Iraq to satisfy the demands of the kidnappers of that Filipino national.
Barbara Starr is live now at the Pentagon with the very latest on all of this. Barbara, hello.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Heidi.
Well, as Michael Holmes just reported, the Philippine government today apparently making the decision to reduce its very small military contingent in Iraq in an effort to save the life of this hostage, this Philippine truck driver, Angelo de la Cruz.
Now, in a statement today from the foreign affairs ministry, the government said it is already reducing from 51 to 43, the number of troops there. But as Michael Holmes says, not at all clear any of those Philippine troops have actually left.
The Philippine contingent was scheduled to be out of Iraq by August 20th, but now it appears, according to the foreign affairs ministry in Manila that they will be leaving as soon as possible.
All of this in effort to save the life of this man, this truck driver a father of eight, who by all accounts was working in Iraq as a truck driver to send money home to support his family.
As you say, the Bush administration very dismayed about this not because, of course, that the Philippines were a significant, military contingent in Iraq but because of the concern of giving into kidnappers' demands and that it could simply lead to more hostage taking down the road -- Heidi?
COLLINS: Well of course an interesting point, Barbara. Even though we are only talking about eight troops here, they have always been a pretty good ally of the United States. Why are they doing this now?
STARR: That's right. People are watching this very closely. The Philippine has been, indeed, a very close, strong ally of the United States in the war on terrorism, has supported the U.S. mission in Iraq.
But by all accounts inside the Philippines this is all about the life of this man, this Philippine truck driver, father of eight. There is a sense inside the Philippines that they are not a large military contingent in Iraq, that their troops should come home if it can be helpful in saving the life of this man.
That is a very strong feeling that appears to be emerging inside the country, the Philippines and something that the government there is apparently responding to.
COLLINS: All right. Barbara Starr this morning from the Pentagon. Thanks, Barbara.
COOPER: Khaled Al-Harbi, a suspected al Qaeda militant has turned himself in to Saudi authorities. Al-Harbi, who appeared with Osama bin Laden in a 2001 videotape -- you see it there -- praising the 9/11 attacks, surrendered yesterday under an offer of Saudi leniency.
How significant is his surrender? That's what we talk about with Peter Brookes, the senior fellow for national security affairs at the Heritage Foundation. He joins us live in Washington this morning.
Good morning, Peter.
PETER BROOKES, SR. FELLOW, HERITAGE FOUNDATION: Good morning, Anderson.
COOPER: Let's talk about Al-Harbi. A Saudi official described him as a big fish, and yet a U.S. intelligence official told CNN yesterday that he didn't seem all that significant. What do you think?
BROOKES: I think it's the latter, quite frankly. He is a standby cleric for Osama bin Laden. He is not considered to be operational. I doubt very much considering the Saudi -- I doubt very much that he has a lot of very good information, fresh information for us at this time.
And interestingly, this amnesty by the Saudis was aimed at people in Saudi Arabia who had been attacking the westerners there. It wasn't aimed at people like Al-Harbi.
It's great that he's come in. We may -- he may -- turn out to be a treasure trove, but I kind of doubt it.
COOPER: Yes, a couple of fascinating details, too. I mean, he was in Iran, which raises all sorts of questions. I mean, what was he doing there?
BROOKES: Well, that's another thing. They say he may have been along the Iranian-Afghan border, not clear on what side he was on of that. But there may be scores of al Qaeda operatives in Iran. In fact, many believe that Sa'ad bin Laden, Osama bin Laden's son is in Iran as well as Saif Al-Adel who's very famous for masterminding the attacks on the American embassies in Kenya and
Tanzania in 1998, which injured thousands so -- and there's others, as well. So, it's very interesting. And that's one of the things we'd like to run down, is what relationship does he have and al Qaeda have with the Iranian authorities.
COOPER: You know, this amnesty that the Saudis have proposed has been very controversial really, to say the least. It would be interesting to see, and I'm interested to hear your comments on whether the Saudis grant the United States access to this man and whether -- what, sort of the level of cooperation is between them. Is that one of the things that you're going to be watching?
BROOKES: Well, it's very, very important that we do get access to him. I doubt -- I suspect, Anderson, that it will be very quiet if we do get access because it may cause an uptick of turmoil in the kingdom itself if it is believed that the United, this person is turned over to the United States.
He is actually supposed to be held for 30 -- or at least for a while, while there are people who can make claims against him, or charges against him. But he has not been charged with any criminal acts in Saudi Arabia, so it would be very interesting.
We'll have to see that we do get access to him, but I think it will be on a very quiet, private basis. COOPER: Peter, you called him a stand-by cleric a little while ago. What do you mean by that? How is he sort of used by Osama bin Laden and what might that indicate about what sort of intelligence value, if any, he has?
BROOKES: Well, he'd probably been out of the - away -- He may have been away from Osama bin Laden for as many as a couple of years. But a stand-by cleric -- you know, Osama bin Laden considers himself to be a cleric. And really, a lot of the clerics within the Muslim faith don't believe he is a cleric. But Osama bin Laden does issues these things called fatwas, these religious decrees.
So he was kind of an adviser or personal confident. And if Osama bin Laden wasn't sure about what he was directing or his own beliefs, he would often turn to Al-Harbi and ask him what his thoughts were. So he was kind of a executive assistant, a confidential assistant to Osama bin Laden on religious matters.
COOPER: He's like a pinch hitter if you want an extra fatwa put out he would call this guy. All right, Peter.
BROOKES: Absolutely.
COOPER: Peter Brookes, thanks very much.
BROOKES: Thank you.
COLLINS: After a heated debate, a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage looks to be dead on the Senate floor far short of the two-thirds needed to approve it.
Senate Republicans are now pushing to vote on a stripped down version. But Arizona's John McCain says a constitutional amendment is unnecessary and un-Republican.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: Many of those Americans who do not presently support the amendment but oppose same-sex marriage do not perceive it as urgently necessary to address this issue by means of amending the most successful and enduring political compact in human history.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Same-sex marriage is a hot topic in the presidential race. CNN political analyst Carlos Watson here now this morning to talk about that and other campaign developments.
Is it a hot topic? Is it a hot issue?
CARLOS WATSON, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: It is, in two ways. Number one, for the president's Christian conservative base this is a very important topic. They, frankly, would have been upset with him if he hadn't brought it up. And then number two, it will be on several state ballots. So tossup states like Arkansas and Oregon, Ohio even will have this on the ballot in the fall, could bring extra people out.
COLLINS: As we just saw, John McCain, you know, departing, if you will, from the party. What's going on with that? I mean, why is he taking that stance?
WATSON: This isn't new. John McCain, going back to 2000 in the bitter battle there, has been one of president's toughest adversaries on taxes, on what's going on in Iraq. And once again, he is calling the president into question, this time on a key social policy.
But don't forget he's not alone. If John McCain hadn't spoken up, you probably would have heard from some of the New England Republicans like Chafee from Rhode Island or maybe Olympia Snowe from Maine. So, there isn't unanimity within the Republican Party on this issue.
COLLINS: In fact, Tom Daschle commented about that. He said it's kind of an embarrassing position because they can't agree among themselves. Who does this help more the Democrats or Republicans?
WATSON: So far it helps the Republicans. But here's what's significant, I think, Heidi. This is just the first of a series of so-called values issues that they are going to raise.
So while we're spending a lot of time talking about gay marriage, expect to hear more about gun rights. Expect in certain corners to hear more about abortion. And then maybe the toughest issue of all, expect to hear more about the death penalty.
Remember John Kerry, for the most part, opposes the death penalty. Bush obviously is in favor of it. And some 74 percent of Americans in the most recent poll for May say they support the death penalty. So, You'll hear more about that.
COLLINS: You know, that's a great point to raise. With all of these different issues and, particularly looking at same-sex marriage -- Who would you say, when we're talking about Kerry versus Bush, has their finger tighter, closer on the American value system?
WATSON: You know what, in a strange way we don't know because reality is the polls are shifting. One of the polls showed us that just five months ago 65 percent of Americans said they oppose gay marriage, now 55 percent. So, that's a dramatic decrease in only five months.
Heck, who knows what happens over the next three or four months. That could change again. Americans in at least one poll do seem to support civil unions; and civil unions are something that John Kerry has come out in favor of and that, at present, President Bush is opposed.
COLLINS: Right. Well, even if this does not pass, like we've been saying, it looks like it is probably not going to. Does Bush still get credit with social conservatives in order, because he's been trying to push forward as hard as he has?
WATSON: He does. And again, for people like Gary Bauer and other, kind of leading social conservative activists, if he hadn't raised it, it would have been a real issue.
But I think what happened with Lynne Cheney over the weekend as she spoke about it, not just in a political way, but a very personal way, underscores how difficult this issue is and that this is an issue that cuts across party, and cuts across family and actually could end up surprising pundits, myself included, in how it plays out this fall.
COLLINS: All right, got to ask you before we let you go. Some of the speakers were announced for the Democratic National Convention, prime time speakers, if you will. Someone not on that list, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. Surprised? Not surprised?
WATSON: Surprised in some ways because she is obviously one of the party faithful's most favored people and, obviously, a Senator from New York.
COLLINS: She knows how to fill a room.
WATSON: She knows how to fill a room.
Remember her husband is going to speak. Al Gore is going to speak. Jimmy Carter is going to speak. And for these guys, John Kerry and John Edwards, who want the spotlight themselves, they know that if Hillary Clinton is up there speaking and ends up getting louder applause could be a little bit tough. So, you know boys will be boys.
COLLINS: Is that what it is?
WATSON: Well...
COLLINS: See you heard it here.
WATSON: You heard it here first. But don't forget that on the first night they expect her to be part of an overall celebration that will be led by a series of women senators, including Barbara Mikulski of Maryland.
COLLINS: OK. All right. Carlos Watson, as always, thanks so much.
WATSON: Good to see you. Good to be here in New York.
COLLINS: Yes, this is true.
Anderson, back to you.
COOPER: It's just 14 minutes past the hour. Time for a look at some of the other headlines this morning with Daryn Kagan in Atlanta.
Good morning, Daryn.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Anderson, good morning to you.
Let's begin with U.S. Marine Corporal Wassef Ali Hassoun. He is heading back to the U.S. The Marine has been undergoing debriefings and medical examinations in Germany following what he claims was his abduction in Iraq.
In a statement released less than an hour ago, Hassoun says, "I am in good health and spirits. I look forward to my return home to friend and family."
They'll continue his repatriation process at a base in Virginia.
There are some conflicting reports this morning about the fate of two Bulgarian hostages in Iraq. A Bulgarian government official has said that one of these two men has been executed, but an Iraqi police official now says both men are still alive and that they're being held near the city of Mosul. The militant group involved in their captivity has threatened the men if Bulgaria does not pull its troops out of Iraq.
Right here in the U.S., the White House and the CIA are reportedly refusing to give Congress some information about pre-war Iraq. The "New York Times" says that officials have refused to give the Senate Intelligence Committee a one-page summary of prewar intelligence.
That summary reportedly contains few of the qualifiers and none of the descents spelled out in the longer intelligence reviews. The administration cites executive privilege on that.
And the story from yesterday to Florida -- the hunt for an escaped tiger is over. And we're sorry to report Bobo the 600-pound tiger owned by former Tarzan actor, Steve Sipek, was shot yesterday by a wildlife officer who said the tiger lunged for him. But Sipek claims the tiger didn't pose a threat. An investigation into that shooting is under way.
And finally, the American league's recent domination of baseball's all-star game continues. Boston's Manny Ramirez helped get the A.L. off to a strong start with the first hitting two-run home run.
Then it was Texas second baseman Alfonso Soriano, you see him here, he's going long against M.L. starter Roger Clemens. He was rocked. Only lasted an inning. That made that score 6-0.
The National League came back a little bit later in the game. It wasn't enough though. The American League goes on to win 9-4. And under this kind of -- kind of new rule that Bud Selig came up with -- Heidi, it means the American League will have home field advantage in the World Series.
Discuss amongst yourselves if you think that is a good rule or not.
COLLINS: Yes. KAGAN: Yes.
COLLINS: We'll get back to you on that.
KAGAN: OK. Very good.
COLLINS: All right. Daryn Kagan, thanks so much.
The Abu Ghraib Prison abuse scandal exposed some of the means used to get information from captives, but how do interrogators know if they're getting the truth?
This morning in our series, "Exploring the Truth About Lying," we learned how the experts gather reliable intelligence.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Imagine being an American interrogator at the Abu Ghraib Prison in Iraq. Your job -- to gain intelligence about who's behind the violence there.
TORIN NELSON, FORMER MILITARY INTERROGATOR: One of the sections was known generally as the break team and the main job was to key in and focus on breaking down the will, breaking down the resistance of these possibly difficult detainees.
COLLINS: Torin Nelson is a former military adviser. More recently, he worked as a civilian contractor questioning prisoners at the Abu Ghraib Prison. Nelson says he never used torture because it just doesn't work.
NELSON: If you brutalize somebody long enough you can get them to admit that they're Osama bin Laden or Saddam Hussein in disguise.
COLLINS: Experts who have advised law and military enforcement agencies agree. Dr. Paul Ekman is a former chief psychologist for the Army. He now does consulting work for the department of defense.
DR. PAUL EKMAN, PSYCHOLOGIST: It's not just to get information, torture will get you information, but it may not be the truth.
COLLINS: The answer, Ekman says is to make the prisoner feel he is talking to someone who will help.
EKMAN: You get nowhere unless that person thinks that you're interested and able to understand why they did what they did.
COLLINS: Sometimes trust can lead to breakthroughs.
NELSON: In the midst of a conversation, they inadvertently let something slip that -- one key information -- then you know that you can use that information to save lives.
COLLINS: Nelson also uses repeat questions to find out if someone is able to keep their story straight. NELSON: The sign of a really good interrogator is somebody that can actually role play and become an actor and win this person over with friendship, with rapport. And sometimes you'll come out of the booth and you feel so dirty you have to go take a shower.
But I know the tactics that I used, because of the fact that I kept it professional -- I kept it moral and ethical -- that in the end that information that I've garnered will help end the conflict sooner. It will help save lives, and that's the important thing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Tomorrow, lying between the sexes. Who lies more?
And answer this question, your next-door neighbor offers to hook you up with free cable television. Do you take the offer?
Take our ethics test on the web at CNN.com/am. See how your answers stack up on a number of interesting, ethical questions.
COOPER: That's a dilemma.
COLLINS: Of course if it's cable, you've got to pay because otherwise we don't get paid.
COOPER: Oh that's right -- a little self interest there?
COLLINS: Well, you know. I'm thinking.
COOPER: All right. It's time for our "Question of the Day." Jack Cafferty is off today, but we are lucky to have Andy Borowitz in the house.
COLLINS: We are so lucky.
ANDY BOROWITZ, BOROWITZREPORT.COM: Well, thank you. It's great to be on. I'm sorry we dress in such a similar fashion.
COOPER: We are wearing -- This is like my one suit that I have.
BOROWITZ: You look like you're back-up singers, actually.
(LAUGHTER)
BOROWITZ: Can you do that pop and lock thing that you did last time?
So, "Question of the Day," what is it?
COLLINS: Michael Moore.
BOROWITZ: Well, Michael Moore, you know love him or hate him, his new movie "Fahrenheit 9/11" has grossed more than $80 million. It's broken all kinds of box office records in the U.S. and abroad.
Now in his film career, Moore has taken on the auto industry, gun control and now the president of the United States and Paul Wolfowitz's hair-care techniques.
So, our question to you is what would you like to see Michael Moore make a movie about?
E-mail us now at am@CNN.com.
COOPER: Interesting.
COLLINS: That's a great question.
COOPER: And try to keep the e-mails civil.
BOROWITZ: Exactly.
COLLINS: And clean.
BOROWITZ: Exactly.
COLLINS: Thank you.
COOPER: Thanks.
Time for our first check of the forecast. Chad Myers standing by at the CNN Center with the latest. Good morning, Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Anderson.
(WEATHER BREAK)
MYERS: Anderson, back to you.
COOPER: Chad, thanks very much.
COLLINS: Thanks, Chad.
And still to come this morning, we are "Minding Your Business." We'll tell you why today might be the best day to play the markets.
COOPER: Also ahead the president hits the road and shares a few choice words for his opponents.
COLLINS: Plus Iron Mike Ditka was the leader of the men on the field, but the old coach could be taking leadership to a whole new level. We'll talk about it next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: From pizza to chips, computer chips, that is. There is a whole lot of market news this morning to talk about.
Plus could there really be a sure shot today on Wall Street? And how often do we hear that?
Christine Romans is in for Andy Serwer, who is on assignment, "Minding Our Business" this morning.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT: Cell phone computer chips. We'll start with that.
COLLINS: OK.
ROMANS: They were up nicely and that was good for Intel. Intel had a profit report that almost doubled sales, up 19 percent. But that's not good enough for Wall Street because it said its profit margins were probably going to fall.
So Intel shares are actually down overseas, and that's a problem for the overseas markets. And that's likely to spill into the U.S. market. So, we're looking for a lower opening.
Yesterday was a brutal day, brutal not because stocks fell but brutal because the market was absolutely stuck in neutral. The Dow up only nine points. The Nasdaq down about 5 points. The S&P up just a little bit.
A couple of things there. You've got oil almost near $40 a barrel. That means gas prices are probably going to go up later this summer. And you've also got retail sales coming out today. People are concerned about what happened for retailers in the month of June, but pizza...
COLLINS: I was going to say, no bump when Domino's came on board.
ROMANS: No, Domino's was down $0.50. Domino's down because cheese and meat, two pretty important things for Dominoes...
COLLINS: Yes.
ROMANS: So those prices have been going up. So Domino's Pizza shares -- DPZ -- debuted yesterday, but they fell about $0.50.
COLLINS: The important thing, did they bring pizza for the entire floor, or no?
ROMANS: They there was some pizza. There was even some pizza in our newsroom yesterday.
COLLINS: Good. OK, so, but today -- we've already mentioned this. Wall Street is a sure bet.
ROMANS: This is so cool. There is this thing called the "Stock Traders Almanac," which is pretty much the Bible for stock traders. And it says the probability for a stock market gain is the most sure today than any other day of the year -- 86 percent chance for a stock market gain today.
Now, I say, tell that to Intel whose stock is down 3 percent.
COLLINS: Right. Yes, it is.
ROMANS: And Intel is in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. We'll see if it happens. It's not because it's Bastille Day, by the way either. It's probably because in this part of the year you have the second half retirement money starting to be put to work.
COLLINS: OK.
ROMANS: So, there is a lot of money out there slashing around that people have to buy stocks with, and that could be good. So we'll see if the "Stock Traders Almanac" is right this time.
COLLINS: And there is an 11 percent chance that they might not be right.
ROMANS: Well absolutely.
COLLINS: True. We'll see. All right, Christine Romans.
ROMANS: Sure.
COLLINS: Thanks so much for that.
COOPER: One guy who is definitely always right. He's been called TV's unbeatable answer man. "Jeopardy" champion Ken Jennings, yes, he won again in the program aired yesterday breaking the million dollar mark.
The Utah man has won 30 straight rounds on the popular game show. That brings his total to $1,004,960. And yet again, I issue my challenge.
COLLINS: We offer a challenge.
COOPER: Ken Jennings -- I will take him on anywhere, any time, any place.
COLLINS: I mean that is like, uh.
COOPER: Any subject.
COLLINS: That is very -- I probably will never be on "Jeopardy" because I realized I just did my math wrong with this 86 percent that we were just talking about. That would be a 14 percent chance, not 11.
ROMANS: And a business reporter, oh, I noticed right away too, right?
COOPER: Well when you do the dumbed-down version of celebrity "Jeopardy," they don't ask you about tough things like that.
COLLINS: OK. Good.
COOPER: It's like "famous Maria's," that's the category.
(LAUGHTER)
COOPER: Seriously, that's my category.
COLLINS: All right. Well, still to come, Wednesday's edition of "90-Second Pop."
From the looks of this, there's no midlife crisis for the artist currently known as Prince. But does the man in purple still party like it's 1999?
Plus Sharon Stone says it's time she had a younger lover, but it's not what you think.
That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired July 14, 2004 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN REPORTER: And good morning on this Wednesday. I'm Anderson Cooper. Bill and Soledad are off this week.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Heidi Collins.
News out of Iraq this morning -- we'll tell you about the very latest car bombing in just a moment.
Also, the decision by the Philippines to reduce the number of troops in Iraq in order to save a kidnapped citizen. You see him there. Are they caving, though, to terrorists and will it create a rift with the United States? We're going to look at some of those questions.
COOPER: Also ahead, who is this Saudi cleric? The man, the suspected al Qaeda terrorist who has turned himself in to the Saudi government, yesterday. Is he a big fish as some Saudis have said, or is he a big fish in a small pond?
How will this -- how will they handle this cleric? We'll ask a former official with the defense department.
COLLINS: Also, part three on our series on lying. And today we are talking about military interrogations. Does lying work where torture fails? We will look at the techniques the experts use.
COOPER: And Jack has a few days off this week.
COLLINS: He does. And we learned about that yesterday. He was quite excited about it, as you might imagine. But we have Andy Borowitz who's going to be filling in today with the e-mails and everything in just a few minutes.
COOPER: Look forward to that. Let's take a look at what's happening right now this morning. There has been a deadly attack this morning in central Baghdad. A suicide car bomb exploded near an entrance to the so-called Green Zone.
Michael Holmes is live for us in Baghdad. Michael what's the latest?
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, it was a very large explosion. We felt it here just a mile away from the Green Zone -- rattled the windows. You could see the smoke rising. And of course what we found was a scene of carnage, as you might expect.
This is one of the major entrances to the Green Zone. It's where the Al-Rasheed Hotel is, the convention center. The U.S. embassy is not far away, and so, too, of course, the headquarters of the interim government.
The prime minister, Ayad Allawi, toured the area himself under very heavy security. He later told us that seven Iraqi civilians had died, three members of the Iraqi national guard also. And they there had been 40 injuries, many of those very serious, you can imagine. Limbs were torn off. It was a very bloody scene, indeed.
We also heard from American colonel at the scene from the first cab. He told us one U.S. soldier had been wounded, but only slightly. He'll return to duty this day.
A fairly quiet time in terms of major events like this. Of course there are the daily events of shootings and roadside bombs and the like. Hasn't been a major one like this for a while, Anderson. But the calm very much shattered this day -- Anderson?
COOPER: Michael, at this point is anything known about the Philippine hostage? There have been sort of conflicting reports.
HOLMES: Indeed. He was meant to be released Tuesday here in Baghdad, didn't happen. What we know is that the Philippine government has announced that it has decommissioned eight of the 50 or so troops it has here. They haven't left the country, but they've been decommissioned, very careful wording there as part of what many see as concessions to those who took Mr. de la Cruz hostage.
He was, we were told by a very senior diplomatic source here in Baghdad, to be released yesterday -- Tuesday. It didn't happen. We're now nearly all of the way through Wednesday here and still no sign of him. So, a very, very -- a situation very, very much in limbo -- Anderson?
COOPER: Yes, murky negotiations there. Michael Holmes, thanks very much. Stay safe -- Heidi?
COLLINS: And as you just heard, Michael Holmes discuss, the U.S. is protesting the Philippine government decision to reduce the number of its troops in Iraq to satisfy the demands of the kidnappers of that Filipino national.
Barbara Starr is live now at the Pentagon with the very latest on all of this. Barbara, hello.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Heidi.
Well, as Michael Holmes just reported, the Philippine government today apparently making the decision to reduce its very small military contingent in Iraq in an effort to save the life of this hostage, this Philippine truck driver, Angelo de la Cruz.
Now, in a statement today from the foreign affairs ministry, the government said it is already reducing from 51 to 43, the number of troops there. But as Michael Holmes says, not at all clear any of those Philippine troops have actually left.
The Philippine contingent was scheduled to be out of Iraq by August 20th, but now it appears, according to the foreign affairs ministry in Manila that they will be leaving as soon as possible.
All of this in effort to save the life of this man, this truck driver a father of eight, who by all accounts was working in Iraq as a truck driver to send money home to support his family.
As you say, the Bush administration very dismayed about this not because, of course, that the Philippines were a significant, military contingent in Iraq but because of the concern of giving into kidnappers' demands and that it could simply lead to more hostage taking down the road -- Heidi?
COLLINS: Well of course an interesting point, Barbara. Even though we are only talking about eight troops here, they have always been a pretty good ally of the United States. Why are they doing this now?
STARR: That's right. People are watching this very closely. The Philippine has been, indeed, a very close, strong ally of the United States in the war on terrorism, has supported the U.S. mission in Iraq.
But by all accounts inside the Philippines this is all about the life of this man, this Philippine truck driver, father of eight. There is a sense inside the Philippines that they are not a large military contingent in Iraq, that their troops should come home if it can be helpful in saving the life of this man.
That is a very strong feeling that appears to be emerging inside the country, the Philippines and something that the government there is apparently responding to.
COLLINS: All right. Barbara Starr this morning from the Pentagon. Thanks, Barbara.
COOPER: Khaled Al-Harbi, a suspected al Qaeda militant has turned himself in to Saudi authorities. Al-Harbi, who appeared with Osama bin Laden in a 2001 videotape -- you see it there -- praising the 9/11 attacks, surrendered yesterday under an offer of Saudi leniency.
How significant is his surrender? That's what we talk about with Peter Brookes, the senior fellow for national security affairs at the Heritage Foundation. He joins us live in Washington this morning.
Good morning, Peter.
PETER BROOKES, SR. FELLOW, HERITAGE FOUNDATION: Good morning, Anderson.
COOPER: Let's talk about Al-Harbi. A Saudi official described him as a big fish, and yet a U.S. intelligence official told CNN yesterday that he didn't seem all that significant. What do you think?
BROOKES: I think it's the latter, quite frankly. He is a standby cleric for Osama bin Laden. He is not considered to be operational. I doubt very much considering the Saudi -- I doubt very much that he has a lot of very good information, fresh information for us at this time.
And interestingly, this amnesty by the Saudis was aimed at people in Saudi Arabia who had been attacking the westerners there. It wasn't aimed at people like Al-Harbi.
It's great that he's come in. We may -- he may -- turn out to be a treasure trove, but I kind of doubt it.
COOPER: Yes, a couple of fascinating details, too. I mean, he was in Iran, which raises all sorts of questions. I mean, what was he doing there?
BROOKES: Well, that's another thing. They say he may have been along the Iranian-Afghan border, not clear on what side he was on of that. But there may be scores of al Qaeda operatives in Iran. In fact, many believe that Sa'ad bin Laden, Osama bin Laden's son is in Iran as well as Saif Al-Adel who's very famous for masterminding the attacks on the American embassies in Kenya and
Tanzania in 1998, which injured thousands so -- and there's others, as well. So, it's very interesting. And that's one of the things we'd like to run down, is what relationship does he have and al Qaeda have with the Iranian authorities.
COOPER: You know, this amnesty that the Saudis have proposed has been very controversial really, to say the least. It would be interesting to see, and I'm interested to hear your comments on whether the Saudis grant the United States access to this man and whether -- what, sort of the level of cooperation is between them. Is that one of the things that you're going to be watching?
BROOKES: Well, it's very, very important that we do get access to him. I doubt -- I suspect, Anderson, that it will be very quiet if we do get access because it may cause an uptick of turmoil in the kingdom itself if it is believed that the United, this person is turned over to the United States.
He is actually supposed to be held for 30 -- or at least for a while, while there are people who can make claims against him, or charges against him. But he has not been charged with any criminal acts in Saudi Arabia, so it would be very interesting.
We'll have to see that we do get access to him, but I think it will be on a very quiet, private basis. COOPER: Peter, you called him a stand-by cleric a little while ago. What do you mean by that? How is he sort of used by Osama bin Laden and what might that indicate about what sort of intelligence value, if any, he has?
BROOKES: Well, he'd probably been out of the - away -- He may have been away from Osama bin Laden for as many as a couple of years. But a stand-by cleric -- you know, Osama bin Laden considers himself to be a cleric. And really, a lot of the clerics within the Muslim faith don't believe he is a cleric. But Osama bin Laden does issues these things called fatwas, these religious decrees.
So he was kind of an adviser or personal confident. And if Osama bin Laden wasn't sure about what he was directing or his own beliefs, he would often turn to Al-Harbi and ask him what his thoughts were. So he was kind of a executive assistant, a confidential assistant to Osama bin Laden on religious matters.
COOPER: He's like a pinch hitter if you want an extra fatwa put out he would call this guy. All right, Peter.
BROOKES: Absolutely.
COOPER: Peter Brookes, thanks very much.
BROOKES: Thank you.
COLLINS: After a heated debate, a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage looks to be dead on the Senate floor far short of the two-thirds needed to approve it.
Senate Republicans are now pushing to vote on a stripped down version. But Arizona's John McCain says a constitutional amendment is unnecessary and un-Republican.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: Many of those Americans who do not presently support the amendment but oppose same-sex marriage do not perceive it as urgently necessary to address this issue by means of amending the most successful and enduring political compact in human history.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Same-sex marriage is a hot topic in the presidential race. CNN political analyst Carlos Watson here now this morning to talk about that and other campaign developments.
Is it a hot topic? Is it a hot issue?
CARLOS WATSON, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: It is, in two ways. Number one, for the president's Christian conservative base this is a very important topic. They, frankly, would have been upset with him if he hadn't brought it up. And then number two, it will be on several state ballots. So tossup states like Arkansas and Oregon, Ohio even will have this on the ballot in the fall, could bring extra people out.
COLLINS: As we just saw, John McCain, you know, departing, if you will, from the party. What's going on with that? I mean, why is he taking that stance?
WATSON: This isn't new. John McCain, going back to 2000 in the bitter battle there, has been one of president's toughest adversaries on taxes, on what's going on in Iraq. And once again, he is calling the president into question, this time on a key social policy.
But don't forget he's not alone. If John McCain hadn't spoken up, you probably would have heard from some of the New England Republicans like Chafee from Rhode Island or maybe Olympia Snowe from Maine. So, there isn't unanimity within the Republican Party on this issue.
COLLINS: In fact, Tom Daschle commented about that. He said it's kind of an embarrassing position because they can't agree among themselves. Who does this help more the Democrats or Republicans?
WATSON: So far it helps the Republicans. But here's what's significant, I think, Heidi. This is just the first of a series of so-called values issues that they are going to raise.
So while we're spending a lot of time talking about gay marriage, expect to hear more about gun rights. Expect in certain corners to hear more about abortion. And then maybe the toughest issue of all, expect to hear more about the death penalty.
Remember John Kerry, for the most part, opposes the death penalty. Bush obviously is in favor of it. And some 74 percent of Americans in the most recent poll for May say they support the death penalty. So, You'll hear more about that.
COLLINS: You know, that's a great point to raise. With all of these different issues and, particularly looking at same-sex marriage -- Who would you say, when we're talking about Kerry versus Bush, has their finger tighter, closer on the American value system?
WATSON: You know what, in a strange way we don't know because reality is the polls are shifting. One of the polls showed us that just five months ago 65 percent of Americans said they oppose gay marriage, now 55 percent. So, that's a dramatic decrease in only five months.
Heck, who knows what happens over the next three or four months. That could change again. Americans in at least one poll do seem to support civil unions; and civil unions are something that John Kerry has come out in favor of and that, at present, President Bush is opposed.
COLLINS: Right. Well, even if this does not pass, like we've been saying, it looks like it is probably not going to. Does Bush still get credit with social conservatives in order, because he's been trying to push forward as hard as he has?
WATSON: He does. And again, for people like Gary Bauer and other, kind of leading social conservative activists, if he hadn't raised it, it would have been a real issue.
But I think what happened with Lynne Cheney over the weekend as she spoke about it, not just in a political way, but a very personal way, underscores how difficult this issue is and that this is an issue that cuts across party, and cuts across family and actually could end up surprising pundits, myself included, in how it plays out this fall.
COLLINS: All right, got to ask you before we let you go. Some of the speakers were announced for the Democratic National Convention, prime time speakers, if you will. Someone not on that list, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. Surprised? Not surprised?
WATSON: Surprised in some ways because she is obviously one of the party faithful's most favored people and, obviously, a Senator from New York.
COLLINS: She knows how to fill a room.
WATSON: She knows how to fill a room.
Remember her husband is going to speak. Al Gore is going to speak. Jimmy Carter is going to speak. And for these guys, John Kerry and John Edwards, who want the spotlight themselves, they know that if Hillary Clinton is up there speaking and ends up getting louder applause could be a little bit tough. So, you know boys will be boys.
COLLINS: Is that what it is?
WATSON: Well...
COLLINS: See you heard it here.
WATSON: You heard it here first. But don't forget that on the first night they expect her to be part of an overall celebration that will be led by a series of women senators, including Barbara Mikulski of Maryland.
COLLINS: OK. All right. Carlos Watson, as always, thanks so much.
WATSON: Good to see you. Good to be here in New York.
COLLINS: Yes, this is true.
Anderson, back to you.
COOPER: It's just 14 minutes past the hour. Time for a look at some of the other headlines this morning with Daryn Kagan in Atlanta.
Good morning, Daryn.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Anderson, good morning to you.
Let's begin with U.S. Marine Corporal Wassef Ali Hassoun. He is heading back to the U.S. The Marine has been undergoing debriefings and medical examinations in Germany following what he claims was his abduction in Iraq.
In a statement released less than an hour ago, Hassoun says, "I am in good health and spirits. I look forward to my return home to friend and family."
They'll continue his repatriation process at a base in Virginia.
There are some conflicting reports this morning about the fate of two Bulgarian hostages in Iraq. A Bulgarian government official has said that one of these two men has been executed, but an Iraqi police official now says both men are still alive and that they're being held near the city of Mosul. The militant group involved in their captivity has threatened the men if Bulgaria does not pull its troops out of Iraq.
Right here in the U.S., the White House and the CIA are reportedly refusing to give Congress some information about pre-war Iraq. The "New York Times" says that officials have refused to give the Senate Intelligence Committee a one-page summary of prewar intelligence.
That summary reportedly contains few of the qualifiers and none of the descents spelled out in the longer intelligence reviews. The administration cites executive privilege on that.
And the story from yesterday to Florida -- the hunt for an escaped tiger is over. And we're sorry to report Bobo the 600-pound tiger owned by former Tarzan actor, Steve Sipek, was shot yesterday by a wildlife officer who said the tiger lunged for him. But Sipek claims the tiger didn't pose a threat. An investigation into that shooting is under way.
And finally, the American league's recent domination of baseball's all-star game continues. Boston's Manny Ramirez helped get the A.L. off to a strong start with the first hitting two-run home run.
Then it was Texas second baseman Alfonso Soriano, you see him here, he's going long against M.L. starter Roger Clemens. He was rocked. Only lasted an inning. That made that score 6-0.
The National League came back a little bit later in the game. It wasn't enough though. The American League goes on to win 9-4. And under this kind of -- kind of new rule that Bud Selig came up with -- Heidi, it means the American League will have home field advantage in the World Series.
Discuss amongst yourselves if you think that is a good rule or not.
COLLINS: Yes. KAGAN: Yes.
COLLINS: We'll get back to you on that.
KAGAN: OK. Very good.
COLLINS: All right. Daryn Kagan, thanks so much.
The Abu Ghraib Prison abuse scandal exposed some of the means used to get information from captives, but how do interrogators know if they're getting the truth?
This morning in our series, "Exploring the Truth About Lying," we learned how the experts gather reliable intelligence.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Imagine being an American interrogator at the Abu Ghraib Prison in Iraq. Your job -- to gain intelligence about who's behind the violence there.
TORIN NELSON, FORMER MILITARY INTERROGATOR: One of the sections was known generally as the break team and the main job was to key in and focus on breaking down the will, breaking down the resistance of these possibly difficult detainees.
COLLINS: Torin Nelson is a former military adviser. More recently, he worked as a civilian contractor questioning prisoners at the Abu Ghraib Prison. Nelson says he never used torture because it just doesn't work.
NELSON: If you brutalize somebody long enough you can get them to admit that they're Osama bin Laden or Saddam Hussein in disguise.
COLLINS: Experts who have advised law and military enforcement agencies agree. Dr. Paul Ekman is a former chief psychologist for the Army. He now does consulting work for the department of defense.
DR. PAUL EKMAN, PSYCHOLOGIST: It's not just to get information, torture will get you information, but it may not be the truth.
COLLINS: The answer, Ekman says is to make the prisoner feel he is talking to someone who will help.
EKMAN: You get nowhere unless that person thinks that you're interested and able to understand why they did what they did.
COLLINS: Sometimes trust can lead to breakthroughs.
NELSON: In the midst of a conversation, they inadvertently let something slip that -- one key information -- then you know that you can use that information to save lives.
COLLINS: Nelson also uses repeat questions to find out if someone is able to keep their story straight. NELSON: The sign of a really good interrogator is somebody that can actually role play and become an actor and win this person over with friendship, with rapport. And sometimes you'll come out of the booth and you feel so dirty you have to go take a shower.
But I know the tactics that I used, because of the fact that I kept it professional -- I kept it moral and ethical -- that in the end that information that I've garnered will help end the conflict sooner. It will help save lives, and that's the important thing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Tomorrow, lying between the sexes. Who lies more?
And answer this question, your next-door neighbor offers to hook you up with free cable television. Do you take the offer?
Take our ethics test on the web at CNN.com/am. See how your answers stack up on a number of interesting, ethical questions.
COOPER: That's a dilemma.
COLLINS: Of course if it's cable, you've got to pay because otherwise we don't get paid.
COOPER: Oh that's right -- a little self interest there?
COLLINS: Well, you know. I'm thinking.
COOPER: All right. It's time for our "Question of the Day." Jack Cafferty is off today, but we are lucky to have Andy Borowitz in the house.
COLLINS: We are so lucky.
ANDY BOROWITZ, BOROWITZREPORT.COM: Well, thank you. It's great to be on. I'm sorry we dress in such a similar fashion.
COOPER: We are wearing -- This is like my one suit that I have.
BOROWITZ: You look like you're back-up singers, actually.
(LAUGHTER)
BOROWITZ: Can you do that pop and lock thing that you did last time?
So, "Question of the Day," what is it?
COLLINS: Michael Moore.
BOROWITZ: Well, Michael Moore, you know love him or hate him, his new movie "Fahrenheit 9/11" has grossed more than $80 million. It's broken all kinds of box office records in the U.S. and abroad.
Now in his film career, Moore has taken on the auto industry, gun control and now the president of the United States and Paul Wolfowitz's hair-care techniques.
So, our question to you is what would you like to see Michael Moore make a movie about?
E-mail us now at am@CNN.com.
COOPER: Interesting.
COLLINS: That's a great question.
COOPER: And try to keep the e-mails civil.
BOROWITZ: Exactly.
COLLINS: And clean.
BOROWITZ: Exactly.
COLLINS: Thank you.
COOPER: Thanks.
Time for our first check of the forecast. Chad Myers standing by at the CNN Center with the latest. Good morning, Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Anderson.
(WEATHER BREAK)
MYERS: Anderson, back to you.
COOPER: Chad, thanks very much.
COLLINS: Thanks, Chad.
And still to come this morning, we are "Minding Your Business." We'll tell you why today might be the best day to play the markets.
COOPER: Also ahead the president hits the road and shares a few choice words for his opponents.
COLLINS: Plus Iron Mike Ditka was the leader of the men on the field, but the old coach could be taking leadership to a whole new level. We'll talk about it next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: From pizza to chips, computer chips, that is. There is a whole lot of market news this morning to talk about.
Plus could there really be a sure shot today on Wall Street? And how often do we hear that?
Christine Romans is in for Andy Serwer, who is on assignment, "Minding Our Business" this morning.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT: Cell phone computer chips. We'll start with that.
COLLINS: OK.
ROMANS: They were up nicely and that was good for Intel. Intel had a profit report that almost doubled sales, up 19 percent. But that's not good enough for Wall Street because it said its profit margins were probably going to fall.
So Intel shares are actually down overseas, and that's a problem for the overseas markets. And that's likely to spill into the U.S. market. So, we're looking for a lower opening.
Yesterday was a brutal day, brutal not because stocks fell but brutal because the market was absolutely stuck in neutral. The Dow up only nine points. The Nasdaq down about 5 points. The S&P up just a little bit.
A couple of things there. You've got oil almost near $40 a barrel. That means gas prices are probably going to go up later this summer. And you've also got retail sales coming out today. People are concerned about what happened for retailers in the month of June, but pizza...
COLLINS: I was going to say, no bump when Domino's came on board.
ROMANS: No, Domino's was down $0.50. Domino's down because cheese and meat, two pretty important things for Dominoes...
COLLINS: Yes.
ROMANS: So those prices have been going up. So Domino's Pizza shares -- DPZ -- debuted yesterday, but they fell about $0.50.
COLLINS: The important thing, did they bring pizza for the entire floor, or no?
ROMANS: They there was some pizza. There was even some pizza in our newsroom yesterday.
COLLINS: Good. OK, so, but today -- we've already mentioned this. Wall Street is a sure bet.
ROMANS: This is so cool. There is this thing called the "Stock Traders Almanac," which is pretty much the Bible for stock traders. And it says the probability for a stock market gain is the most sure today than any other day of the year -- 86 percent chance for a stock market gain today.
Now, I say, tell that to Intel whose stock is down 3 percent.
COLLINS: Right. Yes, it is.
ROMANS: And Intel is in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. We'll see if it happens. It's not because it's Bastille Day, by the way either. It's probably because in this part of the year you have the second half retirement money starting to be put to work.
COLLINS: OK.
ROMANS: So, there is a lot of money out there slashing around that people have to buy stocks with, and that could be good. So we'll see if the "Stock Traders Almanac" is right this time.
COLLINS: And there is an 11 percent chance that they might not be right.
ROMANS: Well absolutely.
COLLINS: True. We'll see. All right, Christine Romans.
ROMANS: Sure.
COLLINS: Thanks so much for that.
COOPER: One guy who is definitely always right. He's been called TV's unbeatable answer man. "Jeopardy" champion Ken Jennings, yes, he won again in the program aired yesterday breaking the million dollar mark.
The Utah man has won 30 straight rounds on the popular game show. That brings his total to $1,004,960. And yet again, I issue my challenge.
COLLINS: We offer a challenge.
COOPER: Ken Jennings -- I will take him on anywhere, any time, any place.
COLLINS: I mean that is like, uh.
COOPER: Any subject.
COLLINS: That is very -- I probably will never be on "Jeopardy" because I realized I just did my math wrong with this 86 percent that we were just talking about. That would be a 14 percent chance, not 11.
ROMANS: And a business reporter, oh, I noticed right away too, right?
COOPER: Well when you do the dumbed-down version of celebrity "Jeopardy," they don't ask you about tough things like that.
COLLINS: OK. Good.
COOPER: It's like "famous Maria's," that's the category.
(LAUGHTER)
COOPER: Seriously, that's my category.
COLLINS: All right. Well, still to come, Wednesday's edition of "90-Second Pop."
From the looks of this, there's no midlife crisis for the artist currently known as Prince. But does the man in purple still party like it's 1999?
Plus Sharon Stone says it's time she had a younger lover, but it's not what you think.
That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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