Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
President Bush, John Kerry Do Battle Again in Battleground States; Significance of Arrest of 12 Suspected Al Qaeda Operatives in Britain
Aired August 05, 2004 - 08:00 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.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Zigzagging across the heartland -- President Bush and John Kerry do battle again in the battleground states.
The case against Kobe Bryant suddenly all question marks. Will the accuser participate? Can the prosecution go on without her?
And black box recorders -- so important in airplane disasters, do we really need them in cars?
All ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN broadcast center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.
COLLINS: Good morning, everybody.
Soledad is off, as you know. And as Bill said earlier, waiting for the stork.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Waiting on the stork.
COLLINS: Or maybe two storks.
Some of the news making headlines this morning.
We're going to get right back to the campaign trail in just a moment. An interesting day yesterday when the two candidates also physically bumped into each other. The states George Bush and John Kerry visit today could be much more important, though, for each campaign.
HEMMER: Also this hour, we'll have a look at the terror intelligence coming into the U.S. So much of it appears to be linked to anti-terror operations out of Pakistan.
In a few minutes, we're talking about America's delicate relationship with that country with a former official from Pakistan.
COLLINS: Also, the first member of law enforcement assigned to the case that became the infamous Green River killings. Sheriff David Reichert has now written a book about it. He will tell us about all the twists and turns in this 20-year case.
HEMMER: He knows it as well as anyone. My man Jack today is fired up, by the way.
Jack Cafferty lays it on the line.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I am not your man. Let's get that straightened out right here.
COLLINS: My man.
CAFFERTY: Coming up in the "Cafferty File" in less than an hour, prime time television commercials coming soon for breast implants. Do we need this?
And while John Kerry and President Bush were posing with ears of corn in Iowa yesterday, some other presidents were disappearing from the local banks. We'll tell you about it.
COLLINS: Very (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
HEMMER: A crazy story, too.
COLLINS: Yes.
All right, Jack, thanks so much.
The presidential race, as you know, is extremely close. And so are the candidates. President Bush and John Kerry both begin today in Washington, D.C. They'll continue to work the swing states. The next stop for the Bush campaign, Columbus, Ohio. After D.C., Kerry's tour picks up in St. Louis, Missouri.
And we have two campaign reports now, both in Washington.
Kathleen Koch covering John Kerry and Elaine Quijano at the White House.
We begin this morning with Kathleen.
Kathleen -- good morning.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi.
Well, not quite so much synchronicity on the campaign trail here today, though both men will, though, one day apart be speaking here in Washington to the Unity Conference that John Kerry is expected to address in just about an hour. This is the world's largest gathering of journalists of color. It's expected to be a tough, discerning audience for both men. And in an unusual move, both candidates have agreed to take questions from the audience after their speeches. So that should be very interesting.
Now, candidate John Kerry obviously very aware of the importance of the minority vote this election year. He is expected to garner some 80 to 90 percent of the African-American vote. That is traditional for Democrats. So President Bush himself very recently began making a bold pitch for that very group by hinting that the Democrats are taking African-Americans for granted.
And then, of course, there is the Hispanic vote, expected to make a critical difference in key swing states like New Mexico, Arizona and, of course, Florida.
Now, after this morning's speech, Senator Kerry will head back to those Midwestern battleground states, this time making a pitch for undecided voters in the State of Missouri. That's a state that back in 2000 then Vice President Al Gore lost by just 3 percentage points. Senator Kerry wants it in his column this year -- Heidi.
COLLINS: I bet he does.
All right, Kathleen Koch, thanks so much for that.
We want to get to Elaine Quijano now, standing by at the White House -- Elaine, good morning to you.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi.
President Bush heads back to the Midwest today, this time to two states he visited just last week, critical states, Ohio and Michigan. The president's campaign swing today comes on the heels of his visit yesterday to Iowa and Minnesota. But the president today reaching out to voters in those important states of Ohio, first of all, a state that Mr. Bush won by four points in 2000 and which polls show is a close race this year.
The president, by the way, has visited Ohio 20 times before. Today he'll be talking with reporters in Columbus. His second stop of the day will take him to Michigan, another crucial state, one that the president lost by five points to Al Gore. The capital is hoping to make inroads there. And today the president will be speaking to several thousand supporters at a rally in Saginaw, Michigan.
Now, before he heads out, President Bush will actually be signing, here on the White House campus, a $416 billion defense appropriations bill. Among other things, that legislation provides money for 20,000 additional troops for the U.S. Army -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Elaine Quijano, thanks so much, coming from the White House this morning -- Bill.
HEMMER: Almost five minutes past the hour now.
New intelligence suggesting that al Qaeda may have a presence here in the U.S. And senior U.S. sources say that al Qaeda operatives in Pakistan have contacted an individual or individuals in the U.S. in the past few months. Also, Pakistani officials telling CNN that at least six people in the U.S. were contacted by Mohammed Khan. That's the computer expert taken into custody back in mid-July.
U.S. officials have not yet confirmed the Pakistani intelligence, but Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge says that officials are operating as if al Qaeda is, indeed, here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM RIDGE, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: We cannot afford to guess as to whether or not they're here or how many are here or when they might choose to attack. We operate, as you said, the working hypothesis is that those who would attack are here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Tom Ridge went on to say that the latest intelligence would not have been secured without the U.S. alliance with Pakistan.
So, then, how important is it, how vital is it with Pakistan, the current effort?
Akbar Ahmed is a professor at American University, a former high commissioner of Pakistan to Great Britain, our guest now.
Good morning to you, sir and thank you for your time this morning.
AKBAR AHMED, PROFESSOR, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY: Good morning.
HEMMER: First up, the A.P. reporting today about these photos found about Heathrow Airport.
What do you make of this story?
AHMED: Not entirely surprised. While the British government has made determined efforts to win over the Muslim community -- they are members of the House of Lords, members of the House of Common sense -- about half, almost half of the population of the Muslim community is from Pakistan. And many of them, many individuals are not happy about the war in Iraq and therefore may well be tempted into something rash and foolish.
HEMMER: Back in the country of Pakistan, the "New York Times" reporting this week that that country is allowing Taliban fighters to train on its soil, then head from Pakistan back into Afghanistan to conduct the war against American soldiers there.
Why is this happening and what, if anything, can be done to stop that, if, indeed, that's the case?
AHMED: This is the big challenge facing President Musharraf. While he and his government are firmly in the American camp, the population of Pakistan, the vast majority, according to all the recent polls, tends to be disenchanted with the United States and its foreign policies. And the tribal areas in the northwest frontier province, that's the province running alongside the Afghanistan border, are ideal grounds for this kind of activity. So you may have dozens of Taliban or al Qaeda groups there. You may even have Osama bin Laden hiding there.
Very difficult for the Pakistani government to go in there without creating a major local upheaval. And the army has been in twice into Waziristan recently and we saw the results -- a lot of political problems.
HEMMER: It is our understand, though, the U.S. government firmly believes that Musharraf should continue to lead the country of Pakistan.
How does the U.S. ride that line of balance...
AHMED: Again...
HEMMER: ... with trying to keep him in power and also making sure that Pakistan is in a cooperative mode regarding the war on terror?
AHMED: Again, a very delicate balancing act. President Musharraf in with the United States. The population of Pakistan unhappy, some angry, and therefore ideal breeding ground for al Qaeda elements. And at the same time remember the elections coming up here in the United States, which means that President Bush and President Musharraf are locked together. If President Musharraf sends troops to Iraq, for instance, or if he produces Osama bin Laden down the road in a couple of weeks, this will have an impact on the elections here in the United States because terrorism and security are at the center of these elections. And in both cases, President Musharraf and his strong support of President Bush will make a difference.
HEMMER: Akbar Ahmed, our guest down in D.C.
Thank you, sir, for your time today.
AHMED: Thank you.
HEMMER: All right -- Heidi.
COLLINS: The woman accusing Kobe Bryant of sexual assault is having doubts now about pursuing criminal charges. Her attorney says newly released court documents about her sex life have given the young woman pause. He says she may withdraw from the criminal case and file a civil suit instead.
CNN's senior legal analyst, Jeffrey Toobin, is here now to talk about all of this -- so, hey, the last time we talked, we were kind of thinking she has put so much time and energy into this and has really kind of stayed the course. But now, with the release of these documents, things have changed a little bit.
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Things really have changed a lot. Not only have the legal circumstances changed, but her legal team has changed. You know, she is now being represented by Lynn Wood, who's a very distinguished civil lawyer from Atlanta who specializes in civil cases, not criminal cases. He's the lawyer who represented Richard Jewell when he sued the media after Jewell was unjustly accused in the '96 Atlanta bombings.
COLLINS: Right.
TOOBIN: This is what he does. COLLINS: So this is a good indication?
TOOBIN: That is a -- it's a good sign that she is at least considering a civil case, perhaps in addition to, but it sounds like instead of participating the criminal case.
COLLINS: Would you characterize the prosecution, though, as really afraid that it can't win this case?
TOOBIN: Oh, I think any rational lawyer, especially a prosecutor, would be afraid about losing the case at this point. There are so many problems with this case. Just remember, starting with the fact that date rape cases are hard to win for the prosecution in general. Then you have the situation of, you know, this woman apparently having had sexual contacts as soon as 11 hours after the alleged incident with Kobe Bryant. Then her credibility issues of perhaps lying about those sexual incidents, I mean these are big, big problems in the case.
COLLINS: They are big problems. But we want to make sure that we let everybody know, this is by no means a done deal yet. In fact, we have something from the accuser's attorney, John Clune. He said this: "It would be inappropriate to say she is definitely out."
TOOBIN: Not exactly a ringing...
COLLINS: OK, well, no...
TOOBIN: ... a ringing assertion that she's still in the case.
COLLINS: No, but can you see this case going on without her?
TOOBIN: No, without her, absolutely not. I mean I think it is impossible for the government to try this case if she refuses to participate. You know, as a legal matter, they could slap her with a subpoena and say show up in court, you have to testify, I don't care if you want to or not. As a practical matter in rape cases, sexual assault cases, you can't treat a victim that way. They don't try cases -- the government would almost certainly have to dismiss if she refuses to participate.
COLLINS: OK, quickly before we let you go, too, I want to make sure we get to these unconfirmed reports about Kobe Bryant possibly doing a plea deal here.
Make any sense to you?
TOOBIN: It makes no sense to me at this point because Kobe Bryant's lawyers have all the cards at this point. The case is hanging by a thread as it is. Why would you plead guilty to anything in those circumstances? Maybe if it were, you know, an extremely minor crime just to make it go away. But I think his lawyers, given that this woman's lawyers are saying they're going to decide in a matter of days, a plea -- they wouldn't be interested in a plea bargain at this point.
COLLINS: All right, CNN senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin.
Thanks, Jeff -- Bill.
HEMMER: All right, Heidi, 11 minutes past the hour.
Back to Daryn Kagan at the CNN Center.
Again, news out of Iraq. The violence there continues and so does the battles, as well -- Daryn, good morning.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, unfortunately so.
Good morning to you, Bill.
It is escalating violence to tell you about in the Iraqi holy city of Najaf. Two U.S. service members were injured when their medical helicopter was shot down by small arms fire. Meanwhile, at least 10 people have been killed in heavy fighting between American and Iraqi security forces and the militia of radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
Back here in the States, Albany, New York, federal agents and city police raided a mosque there overnight. A source has confirmed to CNN the raid took place. Details at this point are scarce. We'll have much more on this story coming up in a live report.
There is an expanding probe at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. Four more workers are now on paid leave from that nuclear facility. This after an investigation into two missing computer disks with classified information. Twenty-three employees are suspended in the scandal. Also, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission says it will no longer reveal security gaps at nuclear power plants. That is an effort to keep information from terrorists.
And a new study says that if pollution levels don't drop, summertime air quality will fail federal health standards in 15 Eastern cities by the middle of the century. It says higher temperatures mean more summertime smog. The study is published by the National Resources Defense Council. Breathe now while you can.
HEMMER: Thank you, Daryn.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: Still to come this morning, we're paging Dr. Sanjay Gupta. A new anti-depressant, and there are some serious warnings that go along with it.
HEMMER: Also in a moment, the so-called Green River killer got away with murder for 20 years. At least one detective, though, never gave up on trying to catch him. We'll talk to him in a moment here.
COLLINS: Plus, the government says black boxes in cars could improve safety. But does that mean Big Brother will be watching? We'll talk to a car expert about that ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: The NTSB wants all passenger vehicles to be equipped with airplane style black boxes to record accident data. The recommendation stems from a deadly crash in California last year when an elderly driver hit the gas pedal instead of the brake. The technology isn't all that new, though. Millions of cars actually already have it.
Jean Jennings, editor-in-chief of "Automobile" magazine joining us from Farmington Hills, Michigan now to talk about this.
Ms. Jennings, thanks for being with us.
JEAN JENNINGS, "AUTOMOBILE" MAGAZINE: Good morning, Heidi.
COLLINS: So we've stated already many of these cars on the roads already have the black boxes.
Which ones?
JENNINGS: Well, G.M., all General Motors products have black boxes. They've been having black boxes since the '70s. Ford has some. Chrysler has some. Toyota has some, as well.
COLLINS: What actually do they record? I mean we know that it's the five seconds before the crash. But this is not a voice recording similar to a cockpit voice recorder, is it?
JENNINGS: No. It's an electronic device that's actually hooked up to the airbag sensing and deployment unit. There's a little box, usually under the right front seat. It actually records at the moment of impact what happens with the airbag. Did it deploy? What time did it deploy? It also measures speed at the collision and during the collision and it measures seat belt status. Was the seat belt on? Was the buckle hooked up. Even if it was on, sometimes it's not hooked.
For the five seconds before the impact, it's measuring braking. It's measuring speed. It's measuring the steering wheel angle and other things like that. There are quite a number of points that can be measured.
COLLINS: Well, the cars that already have them, for example, the G.M. cars, I mean from all of that information that has been gathered, what has been the success of using these black boxes?
JENNINGS: Well, you know, I wouldn't -- I don't know about the success, but the success could be for the lawyers that have used it in litigation. It has become a very primary piece of evidence and sometimes the sole piece of evidence during litigation. For instance, there have been cases where, you know, someone has been tried and convicted based solely on the results of the black box, telling that the vehicle was speeding.
The danger is that these are -- this black box, first of all, has no government regulation requiring these results from the box to be uniform and repeatable, like there is with seat belts and airbags. And in addition to that, it's measuring wheel speed, not necessarily the speed of the car. If a car is hydroplaning, for instance, the wheel speed can significantly increase. So it doesn't tell you that.
Another problem with them is they only measure the front impact because they're based on the airbag system. They're hooked up to there. So if you've been rear-ended, your car doesn't have any information on the box.
COLLINS: Right. So some of the information...
JENNINGS: I say bring on the lawyers.
COLLINS: Yes. Some of the information sounds pretty complex.
But there's another concern, too, and that is the privacy concerns or privacy issues.
What's that all about?
JENNINGS: Well, you know, is it snooping or is it safety? You know, the number one problem is there are all of these black boxes in cars without people's knowledge. That's the first problem that's going to be addressed. You know, secondly, what comes from that? You know, there are rental companies using black boxes to set the rates of their cars, meaning you sign an agreement saying you won't speed, the black box says you sped, they put a big surcharge on your bill.
The next is will insurance companies require black boxes as a condition of being insured? There are many, many questions.
COLLINS: Yes, whether or not it'll actually be an option.
I understand that this is going to be in places, or at least they're hoping for it to be in place by 2008.
Jean Jennings...
JENNINGS: It's not a rule. It's not a regulation. They're re -- they're asking for mand -- for the companies to do this voluntarily at this point.
COLLINS: Voluntarily.
Very good.
Jean Jennings from "Automobile" magazine.
Thanks so much, Jean.
HEMMER: We want to get a break here.
In a moment here, some news on The Boss today. You might have heard Bruce Springsteen's music on the trail with John Kerry played often at many rallies. Now Springsteen is about to take that a step further. Back in a moment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, ROCK STAR: Come on up for the rising, come on up for the rising tonight.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Once again, my man, Jack Cafferty.
CAFFERTY: There you go again.
The Mary Kay Letourneau story is the question du jour here. She was this elementary school teacher in Seattle, Washington who began having sex with a 12-year-old student and kept it up until eventually she was in prison and they had two children. It's just, it's disgusting.
She got out of jail yesterday and there's a court order in place prohibiting the two of them from resuming their relationship. Vili Fualaau wants the judge to let them reunite. He's 21 now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VILI FUALAAU, FORMER STUDENT & LOVER OF MARY KAY LETOURNEAU: I'm kind of nervous. I don't know what my feelings are right now. But I know I do love her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAFFERTY: So the question is should the courts keep this woman, Mary Kay Letourneau, and her victim apart?
Stanley in Springfield, Massachusetts: "I'm usually with you on most subjects, Jack. But this time you are so wrong. Shakespeare wrote of tragic situations and thus is this. Try to understand that she truly loves him and he is now an adult. Why do you want her to suffer more? Have you no feelings?"
You're close.
Wayne writes: "Let them reunite so they can get past the fantasies they're both attached to and face reality. He's 21, never finished school and unemployed. She's a 42-year-old registered sex offender. I give it two months."
Jim in Seguin, Texas: "The Mary Kay Letourneau drama is a microcosm of what is wrong with America today. She violated our reproductive rules and we made her pay dearly. In Canada, females have the right to consent at age 14. Interestingly enough, they have half the teen pregnancy rate that we have here in the United States."
Peter in Houston: "There are two children involved in this mess who know and visit their mother and father. If Letourneau and the 21- year-old former victim now get together permanently, this may be good for the children. Good, indeed, might well come from evil."
And finally, J.B. writes: "Surely you jest. I mean asking the American people to judge a two time sex offender about reuniting with her under aged male lover. Of course they should be reunited. He's probably too old for her anyway. That's the silliest question AMERICAN MORNING has ever come up w."
It's probably in the top five, J.B., I'll have to agree with you, but, hey, that's all we've got.
COLLINS: You know what, though, there are six children involved, because there's the four children that she had with her first husband.
CAFFERTY: Well, a woman like this can't have too many children, you know. Just get out there and have some more kids. It's a good deal.
HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.
COLLINS: It's sad for that.
HEMMER: Rock stars, in good numbers, too, planning to stage concerts in nine key states in support of John Kerry starting the first of October. Bruce Springsteen is the headliner.
He talked with Ted Koppel about why he is involved now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "NIGHTLINE," COURTESY OF ABC NEWS)
SPRINGSTEEN: The point is a way where I can feel we're going out and we're trying to level the playing field with a lot of the kind of corporate donations and different things that the Republicans can raise, you know? And the idea here, we are trying to infuse, you know, the campaign with a certain amount of cash at that time. It's going to enable foot soldiers to go out and go door to door and activate voters and get people to the polls. And there's a very specific goal that we're -- that we feel is worth accomplishing, you know? And so that's really the bottom line as far as I'm concerned.
TED KOPPEL, HOST: And when I suggest that that goal is beating Bush...
SPRINGSTEEN: Yes, it is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: That tour is sponsored by moveon.org. REM, The Dave Matthews Band, some members of the Dixie Chicks all involved in that. A variance of opinion as to whether or not this tour will have an effect. Some say it will attract young voters to the polls. Others suggest no. We'll all find out in October when they roll on. Key states, though, battleground states. No small coincidence for the states they chose.
COLLINS: You've got to listen to The Boss for a while.
HEMMER: That's what I'm talking about.
COLLINS: We'll come to that.
All right, still to come, the latest in Lynndie England's military hearing. Her fellow soldiers do not portray her in a flattering light.
Plus, we'll talk to the man who tracked down a brutal serial killer after chasing him for 20 years. He'll tell us why it's as if the killer picked the perfect victims.
Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired August 5, 2004 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Zigzagging across the heartland -- President Bush and John Kerry do battle again in the battleground states.
The case against Kobe Bryant suddenly all question marks. Will the accuser participate? Can the prosecution go on without her?
And black box recorders -- so important in airplane disasters, do we really need them in cars?
All ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN broadcast center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.
COLLINS: Good morning, everybody.
Soledad is off, as you know. And as Bill said earlier, waiting for the stork.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Waiting on the stork.
COLLINS: Or maybe two storks.
Some of the news making headlines this morning.
We're going to get right back to the campaign trail in just a moment. An interesting day yesterday when the two candidates also physically bumped into each other. The states George Bush and John Kerry visit today could be much more important, though, for each campaign.
HEMMER: Also this hour, we'll have a look at the terror intelligence coming into the U.S. So much of it appears to be linked to anti-terror operations out of Pakistan.
In a few minutes, we're talking about America's delicate relationship with that country with a former official from Pakistan.
COLLINS: Also, the first member of law enforcement assigned to the case that became the infamous Green River killings. Sheriff David Reichert has now written a book about it. He will tell us about all the twists and turns in this 20-year case.
HEMMER: He knows it as well as anyone. My man Jack today is fired up, by the way.
Jack Cafferty lays it on the line.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I am not your man. Let's get that straightened out right here.
COLLINS: My man.
CAFFERTY: Coming up in the "Cafferty File" in less than an hour, prime time television commercials coming soon for breast implants. Do we need this?
And while John Kerry and President Bush were posing with ears of corn in Iowa yesterday, some other presidents were disappearing from the local banks. We'll tell you about it.
COLLINS: Very (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
HEMMER: A crazy story, too.
COLLINS: Yes.
All right, Jack, thanks so much.
The presidential race, as you know, is extremely close. And so are the candidates. President Bush and John Kerry both begin today in Washington, D.C. They'll continue to work the swing states. The next stop for the Bush campaign, Columbus, Ohio. After D.C., Kerry's tour picks up in St. Louis, Missouri.
And we have two campaign reports now, both in Washington.
Kathleen Koch covering John Kerry and Elaine Quijano at the White House.
We begin this morning with Kathleen.
Kathleen -- good morning.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi.
Well, not quite so much synchronicity on the campaign trail here today, though both men will, though, one day apart be speaking here in Washington to the Unity Conference that John Kerry is expected to address in just about an hour. This is the world's largest gathering of journalists of color. It's expected to be a tough, discerning audience for both men. And in an unusual move, both candidates have agreed to take questions from the audience after their speeches. So that should be very interesting.
Now, candidate John Kerry obviously very aware of the importance of the minority vote this election year. He is expected to garner some 80 to 90 percent of the African-American vote. That is traditional for Democrats. So President Bush himself very recently began making a bold pitch for that very group by hinting that the Democrats are taking African-Americans for granted.
And then, of course, there is the Hispanic vote, expected to make a critical difference in key swing states like New Mexico, Arizona and, of course, Florida.
Now, after this morning's speech, Senator Kerry will head back to those Midwestern battleground states, this time making a pitch for undecided voters in the State of Missouri. That's a state that back in 2000 then Vice President Al Gore lost by just 3 percentage points. Senator Kerry wants it in his column this year -- Heidi.
COLLINS: I bet he does.
All right, Kathleen Koch, thanks so much for that.
We want to get to Elaine Quijano now, standing by at the White House -- Elaine, good morning to you.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi.
President Bush heads back to the Midwest today, this time to two states he visited just last week, critical states, Ohio and Michigan. The president's campaign swing today comes on the heels of his visit yesterday to Iowa and Minnesota. But the president today reaching out to voters in those important states of Ohio, first of all, a state that Mr. Bush won by four points in 2000 and which polls show is a close race this year.
The president, by the way, has visited Ohio 20 times before. Today he'll be talking with reporters in Columbus. His second stop of the day will take him to Michigan, another crucial state, one that the president lost by five points to Al Gore. The capital is hoping to make inroads there. And today the president will be speaking to several thousand supporters at a rally in Saginaw, Michigan.
Now, before he heads out, President Bush will actually be signing, here on the White House campus, a $416 billion defense appropriations bill. Among other things, that legislation provides money for 20,000 additional troops for the U.S. Army -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Elaine Quijano, thanks so much, coming from the White House this morning -- Bill.
HEMMER: Almost five minutes past the hour now.
New intelligence suggesting that al Qaeda may have a presence here in the U.S. And senior U.S. sources say that al Qaeda operatives in Pakistan have contacted an individual or individuals in the U.S. in the past few months. Also, Pakistani officials telling CNN that at least six people in the U.S. were contacted by Mohammed Khan. That's the computer expert taken into custody back in mid-July.
U.S. officials have not yet confirmed the Pakistani intelligence, but Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge says that officials are operating as if al Qaeda is, indeed, here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM RIDGE, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: We cannot afford to guess as to whether or not they're here or how many are here or when they might choose to attack. We operate, as you said, the working hypothesis is that those who would attack are here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Tom Ridge went on to say that the latest intelligence would not have been secured without the U.S. alliance with Pakistan.
So, then, how important is it, how vital is it with Pakistan, the current effort?
Akbar Ahmed is a professor at American University, a former high commissioner of Pakistan to Great Britain, our guest now.
Good morning to you, sir and thank you for your time this morning.
AKBAR AHMED, PROFESSOR, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY: Good morning.
HEMMER: First up, the A.P. reporting today about these photos found about Heathrow Airport.
What do you make of this story?
AHMED: Not entirely surprised. While the British government has made determined efforts to win over the Muslim community -- they are members of the House of Lords, members of the House of Common sense -- about half, almost half of the population of the Muslim community is from Pakistan. And many of them, many individuals are not happy about the war in Iraq and therefore may well be tempted into something rash and foolish.
HEMMER: Back in the country of Pakistan, the "New York Times" reporting this week that that country is allowing Taliban fighters to train on its soil, then head from Pakistan back into Afghanistan to conduct the war against American soldiers there.
Why is this happening and what, if anything, can be done to stop that, if, indeed, that's the case?
AHMED: This is the big challenge facing President Musharraf. While he and his government are firmly in the American camp, the population of Pakistan, the vast majority, according to all the recent polls, tends to be disenchanted with the United States and its foreign policies. And the tribal areas in the northwest frontier province, that's the province running alongside the Afghanistan border, are ideal grounds for this kind of activity. So you may have dozens of Taliban or al Qaeda groups there. You may even have Osama bin Laden hiding there.
Very difficult for the Pakistani government to go in there without creating a major local upheaval. And the army has been in twice into Waziristan recently and we saw the results -- a lot of political problems.
HEMMER: It is our understand, though, the U.S. government firmly believes that Musharraf should continue to lead the country of Pakistan.
How does the U.S. ride that line of balance...
AHMED: Again...
HEMMER: ... with trying to keep him in power and also making sure that Pakistan is in a cooperative mode regarding the war on terror?
AHMED: Again, a very delicate balancing act. President Musharraf in with the United States. The population of Pakistan unhappy, some angry, and therefore ideal breeding ground for al Qaeda elements. And at the same time remember the elections coming up here in the United States, which means that President Bush and President Musharraf are locked together. If President Musharraf sends troops to Iraq, for instance, or if he produces Osama bin Laden down the road in a couple of weeks, this will have an impact on the elections here in the United States because terrorism and security are at the center of these elections. And in both cases, President Musharraf and his strong support of President Bush will make a difference.
HEMMER: Akbar Ahmed, our guest down in D.C.
Thank you, sir, for your time today.
AHMED: Thank you.
HEMMER: All right -- Heidi.
COLLINS: The woman accusing Kobe Bryant of sexual assault is having doubts now about pursuing criminal charges. Her attorney says newly released court documents about her sex life have given the young woman pause. He says she may withdraw from the criminal case and file a civil suit instead.
CNN's senior legal analyst, Jeffrey Toobin, is here now to talk about all of this -- so, hey, the last time we talked, we were kind of thinking she has put so much time and energy into this and has really kind of stayed the course. But now, with the release of these documents, things have changed a little bit.
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Things really have changed a lot. Not only have the legal circumstances changed, but her legal team has changed. You know, she is now being represented by Lynn Wood, who's a very distinguished civil lawyer from Atlanta who specializes in civil cases, not criminal cases. He's the lawyer who represented Richard Jewell when he sued the media after Jewell was unjustly accused in the '96 Atlanta bombings.
COLLINS: Right.
TOOBIN: This is what he does. COLLINS: So this is a good indication?
TOOBIN: That is a -- it's a good sign that she is at least considering a civil case, perhaps in addition to, but it sounds like instead of participating the criminal case.
COLLINS: Would you characterize the prosecution, though, as really afraid that it can't win this case?
TOOBIN: Oh, I think any rational lawyer, especially a prosecutor, would be afraid about losing the case at this point. There are so many problems with this case. Just remember, starting with the fact that date rape cases are hard to win for the prosecution in general. Then you have the situation of, you know, this woman apparently having had sexual contacts as soon as 11 hours after the alleged incident with Kobe Bryant. Then her credibility issues of perhaps lying about those sexual incidents, I mean these are big, big problems in the case.
COLLINS: They are big problems. But we want to make sure that we let everybody know, this is by no means a done deal yet. In fact, we have something from the accuser's attorney, John Clune. He said this: "It would be inappropriate to say she is definitely out."
TOOBIN: Not exactly a ringing...
COLLINS: OK, well, no...
TOOBIN: ... a ringing assertion that she's still in the case.
COLLINS: No, but can you see this case going on without her?
TOOBIN: No, without her, absolutely not. I mean I think it is impossible for the government to try this case if she refuses to participate. You know, as a legal matter, they could slap her with a subpoena and say show up in court, you have to testify, I don't care if you want to or not. As a practical matter in rape cases, sexual assault cases, you can't treat a victim that way. They don't try cases -- the government would almost certainly have to dismiss if she refuses to participate.
COLLINS: OK, quickly before we let you go, too, I want to make sure we get to these unconfirmed reports about Kobe Bryant possibly doing a plea deal here.
Make any sense to you?
TOOBIN: It makes no sense to me at this point because Kobe Bryant's lawyers have all the cards at this point. The case is hanging by a thread as it is. Why would you plead guilty to anything in those circumstances? Maybe if it were, you know, an extremely minor crime just to make it go away. But I think his lawyers, given that this woman's lawyers are saying they're going to decide in a matter of days, a plea -- they wouldn't be interested in a plea bargain at this point.
COLLINS: All right, CNN senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin.
Thanks, Jeff -- Bill.
HEMMER: All right, Heidi, 11 minutes past the hour.
Back to Daryn Kagan at the CNN Center.
Again, news out of Iraq. The violence there continues and so does the battles, as well -- Daryn, good morning.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, unfortunately so.
Good morning to you, Bill.
It is escalating violence to tell you about in the Iraqi holy city of Najaf. Two U.S. service members were injured when their medical helicopter was shot down by small arms fire. Meanwhile, at least 10 people have been killed in heavy fighting between American and Iraqi security forces and the militia of radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
Back here in the States, Albany, New York, federal agents and city police raided a mosque there overnight. A source has confirmed to CNN the raid took place. Details at this point are scarce. We'll have much more on this story coming up in a live report.
There is an expanding probe at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. Four more workers are now on paid leave from that nuclear facility. This after an investigation into two missing computer disks with classified information. Twenty-three employees are suspended in the scandal. Also, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission says it will no longer reveal security gaps at nuclear power plants. That is an effort to keep information from terrorists.
And a new study says that if pollution levels don't drop, summertime air quality will fail federal health standards in 15 Eastern cities by the middle of the century. It says higher temperatures mean more summertime smog. The study is published by the National Resources Defense Council. Breathe now while you can.
HEMMER: Thank you, Daryn.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: Still to come this morning, we're paging Dr. Sanjay Gupta. A new anti-depressant, and there are some serious warnings that go along with it.
HEMMER: Also in a moment, the so-called Green River killer got away with murder for 20 years. At least one detective, though, never gave up on trying to catch him. We'll talk to him in a moment here.
COLLINS: Plus, the government says black boxes in cars could improve safety. But does that mean Big Brother will be watching? We'll talk to a car expert about that ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: The NTSB wants all passenger vehicles to be equipped with airplane style black boxes to record accident data. The recommendation stems from a deadly crash in California last year when an elderly driver hit the gas pedal instead of the brake. The technology isn't all that new, though. Millions of cars actually already have it.
Jean Jennings, editor-in-chief of "Automobile" magazine joining us from Farmington Hills, Michigan now to talk about this.
Ms. Jennings, thanks for being with us.
JEAN JENNINGS, "AUTOMOBILE" MAGAZINE: Good morning, Heidi.
COLLINS: So we've stated already many of these cars on the roads already have the black boxes.
Which ones?
JENNINGS: Well, G.M., all General Motors products have black boxes. They've been having black boxes since the '70s. Ford has some. Chrysler has some. Toyota has some, as well.
COLLINS: What actually do they record? I mean we know that it's the five seconds before the crash. But this is not a voice recording similar to a cockpit voice recorder, is it?
JENNINGS: No. It's an electronic device that's actually hooked up to the airbag sensing and deployment unit. There's a little box, usually under the right front seat. It actually records at the moment of impact what happens with the airbag. Did it deploy? What time did it deploy? It also measures speed at the collision and during the collision and it measures seat belt status. Was the seat belt on? Was the buckle hooked up. Even if it was on, sometimes it's not hooked.
For the five seconds before the impact, it's measuring braking. It's measuring speed. It's measuring the steering wheel angle and other things like that. There are quite a number of points that can be measured.
COLLINS: Well, the cars that already have them, for example, the G.M. cars, I mean from all of that information that has been gathered, what has been the success of using these black boxes?
JENNINGS: Well, you know, I wouldn't -- I don't know about the success, but the success could be for the lawyers that have used it in litigation. It has become a very primary piece of evidence and sometimes the sole piece of evidence during litigation. For instance, there have been cases where, you know, someone has been tried and convicted based solely on the results of the black box, telling that the vehicle was speeding.
The danger is that these are -- this black box, first of all, has no government regulation requiring these results from the box to be uniform and repeatable, like there is with seat belts and airbags. And in addition to that, it's measuring wheel speed, not necessarily the speed of the car. If a car is hydroplaning, for instance, the wheel speed can significantly increase. So it doesn't tell you that.
Another problem with them is they only measure the front impact because they're based on the airbag system. They're hooked up to there. So if you've been rear-ended, your car doesn't have any information on the box.
COLLINS: Right. So some of the information...
JENNINGS: I say bring on the lawyers.
COLLINS: Yes. Some of the information sounds pretty complex.
But there's another concern, too, and that is the privacy concerns or privacy issues.
What's that all about?
JENNINGS: Well, you know, is it snooping or is it safety? You know, the number one problem is there are all of these black boxes in cars without people's knowledge. That's the first problem that's going to be addressed. You know, secondly, what comes from that? You know, there are rental companies using black boxes to set the rates of their cars, meaning you sign an agreement saying you won't speed, the black box says you sped, they put a big surcharge on your bill.
The next is will insurance companies require black boxes as a condition of being insured? There are many, many questions.
COLLINS: Yes, whether or not it'll actually be an option.
I understand that this is going to be in places, or at least they're hoping for it to be in place by 2008.
Jean Jennings...
JENNINGS: It's not a rule. It's not a regulation. They're re -- they're asking for mand -- for the companies to do this voluntarily at this point.
COLLINS: Voluntarily.
Very good.
Jean Jennings from "Automobile" magazine.
Thanks so much, Jean.
HEMMER: We want to get a break here.
In a moment here, some news on The Boss today. You might have heard Bruce Springsteen's music on the trail with John Kerry played often at many rallies. Now Springsteen is about to take that a step further. Back in a moment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, ROCK STAR: Come on up for the rising, come on up for the rising tonight.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Once again, my man, Jack Cafferty.
CAFFERTY: There you go again.
The Mary Kay Letourneau story is the question du jour here. She was this elementary school teacher in Seattle, Washington who began having sex with a 12-year-old student and kept it up until eventually she was in prison and they had two children. It's just, it's disgusting.
She got out of jail yesterday and there's a court order in place prohibiting the two of them from resuming their relationship. Vili Fualaau wants the judge to let them reunite. He's 21 now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VILI FUALAAU, FORMER STUDENT & LOVER OF MARY KAY LETOURNEAU: I'm kind of nervous. I don't know what my feelings are right now. But I know I do love her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAFFERTY: So the question is should the courts keep this woman, Mary Kay Letourneau, and her victim apart?
Stanley in Springfield, Massachusetts: "I'm usually with you on most subjects, Jack. But this time you are so wrong. Shakespeare wrote of tragic situations and thus is this. Try to understand that she truly loves him and he is now an adult. Why do you want her to suffer more? Have you no feelings?"
You're close.
Wayne writes: "Let them reunite so they can get past the fantasies they're both attached to and face reality. He's 21, never finished school and unemployed. She's a 42-year-old registered sex offender. I give it two months."
Jim in Seguin, Texas: "The Mary Kay Letourneau drama is a microcosm of what is wrong with America today. She violated our reproductive rules and we made her pay dearly. In Canada, females have the right to consent at age 14. Interestingly enough, they have half the teen pregnancy rate that we have here in the United States."
Peter in Houston: "There are two children involved in this mess who know and visit their mother and father. If Letourneau and the 21- year-old former victim now get together permanently, this may be good for the children. Good, indeed, might well come from evil."
And finally, J.B. writes: "Surely you jest. I mean asking the American people to judge a two time sex offender about reuniting with her under aged male lover. Of course they should be reunited. He's probably too old for her anyway. That's the silliest question AMERICAN MORNING has ever come up w."
It's probably in the top five, J.B., I'll have to agree with you, but, hey, that's all we've got.
COLLINS: You know what, though, there are six children involved, because there's the four children that she had with her first husband.
CAFFERTY: Well, a woman like this can't have too many children, you know. Just get out there and have some more kids. It's a good deal.
HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.
COLLINS: It's sad for that.
HEMMER: Rock stars, in good numbers, too, planning to stage concerts in nine key states in support of John Kerry starting the first of October. Bruce Springsteen is the headliner.
He talked with Ted Koppel about why he is involved now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "NIGHTLINE," COURTESY OF ABC NEWS)
SPRINGSTEEN: The point is a way where I can feel we're going out and we're trying to level the playing field with a lot of the kind of corporate donations and different things that the Republicans can raise, you know? And the idea here, we are trying to infuse, you know, the campaign with a certain amount of cash at that time. It's going to enable foot soldiers to go out and go door to door and activate voters and get people to the polls. And there's a very specific goal that we're -- that we feel is worth accomplishing, you know? And so that's really the bottom line as far as I'm concerned.
TED KOPPEL, HOST: And when I suggest that that goal is beating Bush...
SPRINGSTEEN: Yes, it is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: That tour is sponsored by moveon.org. REM, The Dave Matthews Band, some members of the Dixie Chicks all involved in that. A variance of opinion as to whether or not this tour will have an effect. Some say it will attract young voters to the polls. Others suggest no. We'll all find out in October when they roll on. Key states, though, battleground states. No small coincidence for the states they chose.
COLLINS: You've got to listen to The Boss for a while.
HEMMER: That's what I'm talking about.
COLLINS: We'll come to that.
All right, still to come, the latest in Lynndie England's military hearing. Her fellow soldiers do not portray her in a flattering light.
Plus, we'll talk to the man who tracked down a brutal serial killer after chasing him for 20 years. He'll tell us why it's as if the killer picked the perfect victims.
Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
