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American Morning

Pakistan Claims Sting Operation Compromised After U.S. Prematurely Released Name of Terrorist Operative; 'Paging Dr. Gupta'

Aired August 09, 2004 - 08:30   ET

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

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


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Are you kidding me? Look at that blue sky.
This is a Willie Nelson kind of day. I say that when Soledad is here; it's a blue-sky kind of day.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Just for Soledad?

HEMMER: Well, no, I say it for you, Daryn.

KAGAN: Thank you. I just checked in with her. She's doing fine.

HEMMER: Yes, is she?

KAGAN: She's doing good. She's hanging in there.

HEMMER: She's resting?

KAGAN: We trade e-mail because she's bored.

HEMMER: Yes. Can we say she's days away, or not?

KAGAN: Hopefully not.

HEMMER: Yes?

KAGAN: I mean, she's trying to stretch it.

HEMMER: Oh, I see.

KAGAN: Yes, literally.

HEMMER: This is Daryn Kagan, working for Soledad.

Now you're updated on everything that's going on around here. Great to have you here in New York.

KAGAN: Good to be here.

HEMMER: Coming up in the next 30 minutes here, some of the latest news, the arrest of the two men in Albany, New York, accused of helping terrorists. The story broke on Thursday of last week.

They were caught in a government sting, we're told. We'll talk to a lawyer for one of the men who say this was just a case of entrapment, so that's coming up in a few moments here.

KAGAN: Also we are "Paging Dr. Gupta" -- soy has been a super food and a cure-all. It's been called that, at least. Dr. Gupta now has a little reality check for us, and that is coming up.

Meanwhile, though, want to check in on Pakistan. It claims it has a sting operation that was compromised after the U.S. prematurely released the name of a terrorist operative.

Pakistan is reportedly worried that al Qaeda might retaliate. Our Maria Ressa reports from Islamabad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARIA RESSA, JAKARTA BUREAU CHIEF: Over the weekend, another al Qaeda operative was arrested in Dubai and sent to Pakistan, part of an ongoing global crackdown which led to increased security in the U.S. and U.K.

It was spurred by a treasure-trove of information discovered after the July 13 arrest of computer expert Naeem Noor Khan.

Authorities here said he was working with them as a mole to help track down other al Qaeda operatives around the world, compromised after the U.S. prematurely released its name last week.

SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D) NEW YORK: Haider, the Pakistani interior minister, actually said --maybe -- of Khan's name -- if it hadn't been released it might have led to getting bin Laden himself.

RESSA: But U.S. officials say they had a duty to warn about possible pre-election plots against the U.S.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: The problem is that when you're trying to strike a balance between giving enough information to the public so that they know that you're dealing with a specific, credible, different kind of threat than you've dealt with in the past, you're always weighing that against kind of operational considerations.

RESSA: There are other irritants to the Pakistanis. Last week, a U.S. official warned of possible al Qaeda training camps in Pakistan, a charge officials here vehemently deny.

SHEIKH RASHID AHMED, PAKISTANI INFO. MINISTER: This is a (UNINTELLIGIBLE) propaganda and how expressive (ph) are our forces are there from inch to inch (ph) of our armed forces are moving in their training camps? No way at all.

RESSA: Since 9/11, Pakistan says it's doing all it can in the war on terror, including sending its armed forces into the tribal areas for the first time ever to hunt for al Qaeda.

Pakistan says it has arrested nearly 600 al Qaeda members. Now al Qaeda is striking back with increased bombings and targeted attacks. Two assassination attempts against Pakistan's president Pervez Musharraf and just two weeks ago, a suicide bombing attack against its prime minister designate.

Though questioning our commitment, now says Pakistan, even as it asked its cabinet ministers to cut down public appearances while this crackdown continues, anticipating what al Qaeda can do when its further pushed against the wall.

Maria Ressa, CNN, Islamabad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: The U.S. maintains that it did the correct thing in alerting the public about the name and potential terrorist plots as the 9/11 Commission report warns. Al Qaeda is looking to inflict catastrophic damage in the country.

HEMMER: About 26 minutes now before the hour. Two leaders of an Albany, New York mosque were arrested last week in a government sting operation. They were charged in a plot to buy a grenade launcher to be used to assassinate a Pakistani diplomat.

One of the men charged is Yassin Aref, reportedly listed as, quote, the commander in a book left behind at a vacated terrorist training camp in the country of Iraq. Terry Kindlon is the attorney for Yassin Aref.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER (voice-over): Why do you believe this was entrapment, sir?

TERENCE KINDLON, ATTORNEY FOR YASSIN AREF: This so-called crime was entirely the creation of the imagination of the FBI and an undercover informant. There is no actual crime here.

What happened was that this fantastical story was made up -- it was told to, I think, two very unsuspecting individuals and they were tricked into believing that something was happening that in fact wasn't happening.

HEMMER: What explains then why your client was listed as commander in this terrorist training camp, a book that was found in a camp in Iraq?

KINDLON: Well, you know, that's an interesting question. I've heard this and the source of that information is said to be an -- an unidentified confidential government source who leaked it to the "New York Post" or somebody. I really would like very much to see the document that they're talking about.

My experience with the government is that when it's holding all the cards, and it's holding them close to its chest and saying to you I have here a card that says such and such the best response for me is to be as skeptical as possible. I'd like to see what it is that they've got and see what it is they're talking about.

It -- certainly it could be almost anything.

HEMMER: The governor of New York, George Pataki was with us on Friday. Here's how he talked about the case at this point then.

GOV. GEORGE PATAKI (R) NEW YORK: I'm not a criminal lawyer but I think the answer is very simple. If someone comes to you and says he's a terrorist operative and he needs you to illegally get him tens of thousands of dollars so he can buy a shoulder-fired missile to kill the Pakistani ambassador, how are you going to react?

If your reaction would be -- I mean, I think 99 out of 100 at least people would say this is a criminal act. They'd either turn the person in or they'd certainly say no.

HEMMER: That's what the governor said on Friday. How do you respond to that?

KINDLON: Well, first of all, I deeply resent the governor sticking his nose into a pending criminal case. He has no business doing that. He is maybe not a criminal lawyer but he certainly is a lawyer and he should know better than to use his position as the executive of the state of New York to try to influence a case.

I think that he was incorrect in doing that and also just to be bipartisan about this, Charles Schumer weighed in and he had some negative things to say as well. They should know well enough to wait for the process to run its course.

You know, this is a marvelous, magnificent criminal justice system that we've got and I'm confident that in the fullness of time it's going to exonerate both of these men but to have interference from people in elective office -- it really does everybody a disservice.

HEMMER: You met with your client the end of last week. Your impressions of him are what?

KINDLON: He seems like a really nice guy to me. He's a family man; he is a refugee in this country. You know, he grew up in Kurdistan, which is in northern Iraq. He fled there to Syria.

Studied comparative religion while he was in that country. Married, became the father of three children to whom he's very devoted and then finally secured refugee status and was privileged to leave Syria and to immigrate to this country and when he got here through a process of church activity he was sent to Albany, New York and here he's established himself as an imam at the local mosque.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: Again, Terry Kindlon earlier today, the attorney for Aref. If convicted, 70 years in prison he could face and a $750,000. Now Daryn with more.

KAGAN: We are just about at 38 past the hour, time for a look at some of today's other news. Carol Costello handling that -- hi, Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Daryn -- thank you.

Ohio police are searching for a 15-year-old Ethiopian girl who was missing after competing in the International Children's Games. Aden Alemu disappeared from her sponsoring family's home on Saturday.

Family members say they overheard the young girl talking on the phone about defecting to the United States. Police believe she may have been heading to Atlanta.

And in California, the search for 9-year-old David Gonzales, missing for more than a week in the San Bernardino Mountains is over. Authorities reluctantly called off the search Sunday after hundreds of deputies and volunteers failed to turn up any trace of the boy. He disappeared during a family camping trip.

Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader says he'll keep trying to get on California's ballot. Officials said Nader fell short of the 153,000 signatures needed to get his name before the state voters in November. His campaign spokesman says Nader may try to run on the Green Ticket, even though the party has already chosen a candidate.

And finally, it's not the hanging chads that are worrying some federal election officials come November; it's the elderly poll workers. According to U.S. election officials, cited in "U.S.A. Today," the average age of a U.S. poll worker is 72. The commission wants to minimize voting glitches this November by issuing an online tool kit and recruiting and training new volunteers. Back to you, Daryn.

KAGAN: All right, Carol, thank you for that.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: Still ahead on AMERICAN MORNING while you might have to postpone your home improvement plans, shortages could send cement prices through the roof. We'll tell you what it will cost you.

HEMMER: Also having some soymilk on your cereal today perhaps? Soy products, the latest American obsession. Are we making too much of them, Daryn?

KAGAN: We could be, perhaps.

HEMMER: Sanjay has some guidance next here on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: They were once considered a culinary pariah, but soy and soy products have become a potential panacea for everything from baldness to cancer. Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us now from the CNN Center to set the record straight on soy -- Sanjay, good morning.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

About 4,000 years that soybeans have been around. And there's been very little in the way of clinical trials to actually determine whether or not it actually cures any of those things you were talking about.

But there are some fewer -- smaller studies out there. Some -- fewer than -- and we sort of put it all together. So here's what the soybean can and cannot do for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA (voice-over): Tofu and amama (ph), soymilk. Once considered a food only for health nuts, now 25 percent of Americans use at least one soy product a week. That's according to the industry and by next year annual sales of soy are expected to hit almost $5 billion.

So what's the real story on soy?

DR. ALAN RICHMOND: It's not a cure-all, it's not an end-all, it's not a magic potion, but it is a good dietary supplement.

GUPTA: Soy is good for the heart. It's high in protein, low in saturated fat, and has no cholesterol.

The FDA has gone on record saying a daily intake of soy can actually help lower your cholesterol by 5 to 10 percent.

What about soy and menopause?

RICHMOND: It doesn't change the cognitive effects of menopause. It doesn't change the sleep disturbances of menopause. But yes, it will take away hot flashes.

GUPTA: The reason: soy contains isoflavones, which can mimic estrogen. Some researchers had been concerned that the ingredients could cause cancer in post-menopausal women, but recent studies show that's not the case.

Studies suggest soy might reduce the risk of breast cancer for some women, but if you're at risk for breast cancer, the American Cancer Society says taking soy may not be a good idea.

What about reversing hair loss or prostate cancer in men?

RICHMOND: In some studies it has suggested that it may slow down the balding process in men and it also will decrease the growth of prostate cancer. Is it a cure for prostate cancer? No.

GUPTA: Knowing how much soy to eat isn't easy. The FDA recommends 25 grams of soy protein per day for heart health. Read the labels, because soy products aren't regulated by the FDA. Levels of protein and isoflavones vary.

Some examples: a little over three glasses of soy milk, half a cup of soy nuts or three Boca burgers will get you your daily allowance.

More research is needed, but many doctors believe soy is good for most people.

So, pass the soy nuts.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA: High in protein, low in fat, high in vitamins, Daryn. May be good not just for adults but children as well. Soy is definitely making a comeback -- Daryn.

KAGAN: But, Sanjay, then there's that -- that taste and that texture kind of thing. Some people might not be into the tofu. Might prefer candy, let's say. So those people -- could they take a pill instead of eating all this soy stuff?

GUPTA: Here's a general rule on all -- questions related to all sorts of foods and whether or not you can take a pill. Generally the food is going to be better because it's very hard to get all the nutritious value from food into a pill.

But for the most part if you can -- if you're going to take pills, take at least 25 grams of the isoflavones. That's the active ingredient, that's what you need. Try and get that every day, Daryn.

KAGAN: All right, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thank you.

GUPTA: Thank you.

KAGAN: Still to come, Americans are feeling the pain of high prices and shortages. We're not just talking gas prices, we are talking cement. If you have a home improvement project in the works, it could cost you. We will tell you how much. Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: All right, welcome back everyone. A key component of America's construction industry: the price is skyrocketing.

Cement going through the roof. No pun intended -- Christine Romans here "Minding Your Business" for Andy Serwer -- good morning to you.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, you know it's expensive if you can get it. It's something that we at CNN have been following since the spring but today landed on the front page of the "Wall Street Journal" and "U.S.A. Today" about cement shortages.

I've talked to some builders in Florida who have had to delay projects because they can't get a hold of this stuff. One of the reasons is demand is so high for home building in this country. As you know, you know, record pace of home sales and home building here in the United States, also China has a voracious appetite for all things raw material. And so cement being shipped around Asia instead of the imports we usually rely on to finish off that last little bit of demand in the United States. So the Gulf States, the Carolinas, also in Florida, the Sun Belt, as you say -- you're seeing some shortages in cement.

So if you can get a hold of it, it's expensive. You know, $84 a ton but in some places its real tough to get a hold of.

HEMMER: All right, and stocks have been moving lower. Thursday and Friday, tough, tough days. Any chance we'll go this way again?

ROMANS: Yes -- well you know...

HEMMER: Sideways is better than that, right?

ROMANS: Well, I guess you hope. And there's always some people who take those big tough weeks and decide to buy stocks but last week really brutal. You know, 3 percent loss for the Dow and for the S&P and the Nasdaq down about 6 percent. You know and on the subject of raw materials, oil prices, one of the reasons -- one of the problems here -- $44 a barrel.

A lot of people say they expect oil to go $50 and last week...

HEMMER: $50.

ROMANS: Yes, $50. Last week an expert told me that to heat your home this winter is going to be another $250 to $400 more than you paid last year so that's anther thing that kind of weighs into the sentiment for the consumer and for the investor.

HEMMER: You've got the terror warnings, you have Iraq, you have the election, you have interest rates this week, which may move.

ROMANS: Which may move a little bit higher. Which may move a little bit higher. Maybe a quarter of a percentage point is what they think the Fed is going to do, so...

HEMMER: Thanks, Christine. Good to have you here, by the way.

ROMANS: Thanks; I'll be here for the next couple of days.

HEMMER: Terrific. OK.

KAGAN: Meanwhile, with all that happening in the world, economist in California have time to think about Mount Rushmore and Andy Borowitz is here with more on that.

ANDY BOROWITZ, BOROWITZREPORT.COM: Yes, I'm here. Well, actually, we're here with something a little different -- we're here with the Borowitz Report.

KAGAN: Oh, we'll get to the "Question of the Day" later?

BOROWITZ: We'll do the "Question of the Day" -- we'll do the -- no, it's OK. We're all improvising here. We'll do the "Question of the Day" later.

See, here's the Borowitz Report. Now, we've all had two things: but when you're a gorilla, you have to come up with a creative way to get yourself a dentist. That's what Coco the Gorilla figured out when she had a pain in her mouth.

Coco used her American Sign Language skills to tell her handlers she had a problem. Twelve doctors, including three dentists arrived on the scene, proving that Coco is not in an HMO. Coco has mastered about a thousand signs and was even able to point to a pain chart indicating that the pain was a 9 out of 10, which, incidentally, is what I gave "Cat Woman."

OK now this is a story we're calling "make tea, not love." There's a new poll in Britain suggesting that British woman prefer having tea over having sex. Tell me something I don't know.

Fifty-two percent of women say they cannot wait for a steaming hot cup of tea, but only one in 100 say they'd like to steam up the bedroom.

Men on the other hand have a slightly higher preference for sex but not much. Only five percent want sex when they wake up, but 42 percent want to get their kettles on. Yes, baby.

(LAUGHTER)

All right, this next story we should first note the difference between solicited and unsolicited toe licking, because it's unsolicited toe-licking that's coming under fire in Amsterdam. Yes, the Dutch Labor Party wants to pass a law making unsolicited toe- licking an offense.

The issue came to light last Friday after female sunbathers complained of a man sneaking up to them and their toes. And I apologize. Dutch press reports say the man has been licking stranger's toes for about three years now but was only recently caught by police. One member of Dutch Parliament said it's a violation of ones privacy and, quote; no one should touch your body if you haven't asked them first.

Governor Schwarzenegger also believes that, by the way.

All right, finally, it's not just Donald Trump's hair that's the talk of the town. Oh, no. Now the Donald wants you to dress for success, meaning dress just like him.

He's launching his own line of men's suits, coats, slacks and possibly golfing gear. Suits will retail for about $575 -- that's actually a fraction of what his suits cost. No word on when the Trump Comb-Over will be hitting the runway, too.

KAGAN: I think that's one of a kind.

BOROWITZ: I think it is.

HEMMER: For all you toe-suckers out there, back off.

BOROWITZ: You think you've got issues, man. Unsolicited toe suckers.

HEMMER: Right. Jack's on vacation all week. We'd be remiss if we did not continue what Jack started here. The update on our 9/11 Commission watch. Number of days since the Commission made recommendations for protecting the country against terrorism: 18.

Number of recommendations adopted by Congress to date: zero.

To be fair, here's what the speaker of the house, Dennis Hastert, had to say on NBC on Sunday:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP DENNIS HASTERT (R) HOUSE SPEAKER: We're having 15 hearings, some of them already have been done in this month and I hope that when we come back in September and October we have the recommendations to move forward.

But I want to say is that we don't want to knee jerk into something with bad results. We need to make sure that we listen -- look at all the potentials and go through the whole hearing process, regular order, if you will, before we come up with a bill.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Again, Dennis Hastert with Tim Russert yesterday. By the way, Jack's on vacation this week.

KAGAN: Yes, what's he doing to protect the country?

HEMMER: The irony is there, so...

KAGAN: Still a lot more to get to, including national insecurity: which candidate do Americans trust more in these times of terror alerts? Insight from a campaign insider. Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Good morning, the campaign showdown over Homeland Security with three cities under orange alert, who do you trust to keep America safe?

Out of Saudi Arabia chilling new look inside al Qaeda and specific too. The terror group's plans for an attack now caught on videotape.

And as Scott Peterson close to going free; that's the question just as the prosecution gets ready to call a star witness in that case.

Those stories ahead this hour here on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

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 9, 2004 - 08:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Are you kidding me? Look at that blue sky.
This is a Willie Nelson kind of day. I say that when Soledad is here; it's a blue-sky kind of day.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Just for Soledad?

HEMMER: Well, no, I say it for you, Daryn.

KAGAN: Thank you. I just checked in with her. She's doing fine.

HEMMER: Yes, is she?

KAGAN: She's doing good. She's hanging in there.

HEMMER: She's resting?

KAGAN: We trade e-mail because she's bored.

HEMMER: Yes. Can we say she's days away, or not?

KAGAN: Hopefully not.

HEMMER: Yes?

KAGAN: I mean, she's trying to stretch it.

HEMMER: Oh, I see.

KAGAN: Yes, literally.

HEMMER: This is Daryn Kagan, working for Soledad.

Now you're updated on everything that's going on around here. Great to have you here in New York.

KAGAN: Good to be here.

HEMMER: Coming up in the next 30 minutes here, some of the latest news, the arrest of the two men in Albany, New York, accused of helping terrorists. The story broke on Thursday of last week.

They were caught in a government sting, we're told. We'll talk to a lawyer for one of the men who say this was just a case of entrapment, so that's coming up in a few moments here.

KAGAN: Also we are "Paging Dr. Gupta" -- soy has been a super food and a cure-all. It's been called that, at least. Dr. Gupta now has a little reality check for us, and that is coming up.

Meanwhile, though, want to check in on Pakistan. It claims it has a sting operation that was compromised after the U.S. prematurely released the name of a terrorist operative.

Pakistan is reportedly worried that al Qaeda might retaliate. Our Maria Ressa reports from Islamabad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARIA RESSA, JAKARTA BUREAU CHIEF: Over the weekend, another al Qaeda operative was arrested in Dubai and sent to Pakistan, part of an ongoing global crackdown which led to increased security in the U.S. and U.K.

It was spurred by a treasure-trove of information discovered after the July 13 arrest of computer expert Naeem Noor Khan.

Authorities here said he was working with them as a mole to help track down other al Qaeda operatives around the world, compromised after the U.S. prematurely released its name last week.

SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D) NEW YORK: Haider, the Pakistani interior minister, actually said --maybe -- of Khan's name -- if it hadn't been released it might have led to getting bin Laden himself.

RESSA: But U.S. officials say they had a duty to warn about possible pre-election plots against the U.S.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: The problem is that when you're trying to strike a balance between giving enough information to the public so that they know that you're dealing with a specific, credible, different kind of threat than you've dealt with in the past, you're always weighing that against kind of operational considerations.

RESSA: There are other irritants to the Pakistanis. Last week, a U.S. official warned of possible al Qaeda training camps in Pakistan, a charge officials here vehemently deny.

SHEIKH RASHID AHMED, PAKISTANI INFO. MINISTER: This is a (UNINTELLIGIBLE) propaganda and how expressive (ph) are our forces are there from inch to inch (ph) of our armed forces are moving in their training camps? No way at all.

RESSA: Since 9/11, Pakistan says it's doing all it can in the war on terror, including sending its armed forces into the tribal areas for the first time ever to hunt for al Qaeda.

Pakistan says it has arrested nearly 600 al Qaeda members. Now al Qaeda is striking back with increased bombings and targeted attacks. Two assassination attempts against Pakistan's president Pervez Musharraf and just two weeks ago, a suicide bombing attack against its prime minister designate.

Though questioning our commitment, now says Pakistan, even as it asked its cabinet ministers to cut down public appearances while this crackdown continues, anticipating what al Qaeda can do when its further pushed against the wall.

Maria Ressa, CNN, Islamabad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: The U.S. maintains that it did the correct thing in alerting the public about the name and potential terrorist plots as the 9/11 Commission report warns. Al Qaeda is looking to inflict catastrophic damage in the country.

HEMMER: About 26 minutes now before the hour. Two leaders of an Albany, New York mosque were arrested last week in a government sting operation. They were charged in a plot to buy a grenade launcher to be used to assassinate a Pakistani diplomat.

One of the men charged is Yassin Aref, reportedly listed as, quote, the commander in a book left behind at a vacated terrorist training camp in the country of Iraq. Terry Kindlon is the attorney for Yassin Aref.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER (voice-over): Why do you believe this was entrapment, sir?

TERENCE KINDLON, ATTORNEY FOR YASSIN AREF: This so-called crime was entirely the creation of the imagination of the FBI and an undercover informant. There is no actual crime here.

What happened was that this fantastical story was made up -- it was told to, I think, two very unsuspecting individuals and they were tricked into believing that something was happening that in fact wasn't happening.

HEMMER: What explains then why your client was listed as commander in this terrorist training camp, a book that was found in a camp in Iraq?

KINDLON: Well, you know, that's an interesting question. I've heard this and the source of that information is said to be an -- an unidentified confidential government source who leaked it to the "New York Post" or somebody. I really would like very much to see the document that they're talking about.

My experience with the government is that when it's holding all the cards, and it's holding them close to its chest and saying to you I have here a card that says such and such the best response for me is to be as skeptical as possible. I'd like to see what it is that they've got and see what it is they're talking about.

It -- certainly it could be almost anything.

HEMMER: The governor of New York, George Pataki was with us on Friday. Here's how he talked about the case at this point then.

GOV. GEORGE PATAKI (R) NEW YORK: I'm not a criminal lawyer but I think the answer is very simple. If someone comes to you and says he's a terrorist operative and he needs you to illegally get him tens of thousands of dollars so he can buy a shoulder-fired missile to kill the Pakistani ambassador, how are you going to react?

If your reaction would be -- I mean, I think 99 out of 100 at least people would say this is a criminal act. They'd either turn the person in or they'd certainly say no.

HEMMER: That's what the governor said on Friday. How do you respond to that?

KINDLON: Well, first of all, I deeply resent the governor sticking his nose into a pending criminal case. He has no business doing that. He is maybe not a criminal lawyer but he certainly is a lawyer and he should know better than to use his position as the executive of the state of New York to try to influence a case.

I think that he was incorrect in doing that and also just to be bipartisan about this, Charles Schumer weighed in and he had some negative things to say as well. They should know well enough to wait for the process to run its course.

You know, this is a marvelous, magnificent criminal justice system that we've got and I'm confident that in the fullness of time it's going to exonerate both of these men but to have interference from people in elective office -- it really does everybody a disservice.

HEMMER: You met with your client the end of last week. Your impressions of him are what?

KINDLON: He seems like a really nice guy to me. He's a family man; he is a refugee in this country. You know, he grew up in Kurdistan, which is in northern Iraq. He fled there to Syria.

Studied comparative religion while he was in that country. Married, became the father of three children to whom he's very devoted and then finally secured refugee status and was privileged to leave Syria and to immigrate to this country and when he got here through a process of church activity he was sent to Albany, New York and here he's established himself as an imam at the local mosque.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HEMMER: Again, Terry Kindlon earlier today, the attorney for Aref. If convicted, 70 years in prison he could face and a $750,000. Now Daryn with more.

KAGAN: We are just about at 38 past the hour, time for a look at some of today's other news. Carol Costello handling that -- hi, Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Daryn -- thank you.

Ohio police are searching for a 15-year-old Ethiopian girl who was missing after competing in the International Children's Games. Aden Alemu disappeared from her sponsoring family's home on Saturday.

Family members say they overheard the young girl talking on the phone about defecting to the United States. Police believe she may have been heading to Atlanta.

And in California, the search for 9-year-old David Gonzales, missing for more than a week in the San Bernardino Mountains is over. Authorities reluctantly called off the search Sunday after hundreds of deputies and volunteers failed to turn up any trace of the boy. He disappeared during a family camping trip.

Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader says he'll keep trying to get on California's ballot. Officials said Nader fell short of the 153,000 signatures needed to get his name before the state voters in November. His campaign spokesman says Nader may try to run on the Green Ticket, even though the party has already chosen a candidate.

And finally, it's not the hanging chads that are worrying some federal election officials come November; it's the elderly poll workers. According to U.S. election officials, cited in "U.S.A. Today," the average age of a U.S. poll worker is 72. The commission wants to minimize voting glitches this November by issuing an online tool kit and recruiting and training new volunteers. Back to you, Daryn.

KAGAN: All right, Carol, thank you for that.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: Still ahead on AMERICAN MORNING while you might have to postpone your home improvement plans, shortages could send cement prices through the roof. We'll tell you what it will cost you.

HEMMER: Also having some soymilk on your cereal today perhaps? Soy products, the latest American obsession. Are we making too much of them, Daryn?

KAGAN: We could be, perhaps.

HEMMER: Sanjay has some guidance next here on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: They were once considered a culinary pariah, but soy and soy products have become a potential panacea for everything from baldness to cancer. Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us now from the CNN Center to set the record straight on soy -- Sanjay, good morning.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

About 4,000 years that soybeans have been around. And there's been very little in the way of clinical trials to actually determine whether or not it actually cures any of those things you were talking about.

But there are some fewer -- smaller studies out there. Some -- fewer than -- and we sort of put it all together. So here's what the soybean can and cannot do for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA (voice-over): Tofu and amama (ph), soymilk. Once considered a food only for health nuts, now 25 percent of Americans use at least one soy product a week. That's according to the industry and by next year annual sales of soy are expected to hit almost $5 billion.

So what's the real story on soy?

DR. ALAN RICHMOND: It's not a cure-all, it's not an end-all, it's not a magic potion, but it is a good dietary supplement.

GUPTA: Soy is good for the heart. It's high in protein, low in saturated fat, and has no cholesterol.

The FDA has gone on record saying a daily intake of soy can actually help lower your cholesterol by 5 to 10 percent.

What about soy and menopause?

RICHMOND: It doesn't change the cognitive effects of menopause. It doesn't change the sleep disturbances of menopause. But yes, it will take away hot flashes.

GUPTA: The reason: soy contains isoflavones, which can mimic estrogen. Some researchers had been concerned that the ingredients could cause cancer in post-menopausal women, but recent studies show that's not the case.

Studies suggest soy might reduce the risk of breast cancer for some women, but if you're at risk for breast cancer, the American Cancer Society says taking soy may not be a good idea.

What about reversing hair loss or prostate cancer in men?

RICHMOND: In some studies it has suggested that it may slow down the balding process in men and it also will decrease the growth of prostate cancer. Is it a cure for prostate cancer? No.

GUPTA: Knowing how much soy to eat isn't easy. The FDA recommends 25 grams of soy protein per day for heart health. Read the labels, because soy products aren't regulated by the FDA. Levels of protein and isoflavones vary.

Some examples: a little over three glasses of soy milk, half a cup of soy nuts or three Boca burgers will get you your daily allowance.

More research is needed, but many doctors believe soy is good for most people.

So, pass the soy nuts.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA: High in protein, low in fat, high in vitamins, Daryn. May be good not just for adults but children as well. Soy is definitely making a comeback -- Daryn.

KAGAN: But, Sanjay, then there's that -- that taste and that texture kind of thing. Some people might not be into the tofu. Might prefer candy, let's say. So those people -- could they take a pill instead of eating all this soy stuff?

GUPTA: Here's a general rule on all -- questions related to all sorts of foods and whether or not you can take a pill. Generally the food is going to be better because it's very hard to get all the nutritious value from food into a pill.

But for the most part if you can -- if you're going to take pills, take at least 25 grams of the isoflavones. That's the active ingredient, that's what you need. Try and get that every day, Daryn.

KAGAN: All right, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thank you.

GUPTA: Thank you.

KAGAN: Still to come, Americans are feeling the pain of high prices and shortages. We're not just talking gas prices, we are talking cement. If you have a home improvement project in the works, it could cost you. We will tell you how much. Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: All right, welcome back everyone. A key component of America's construction industry: the price is skyrocketing.

Cement going through the roof. No pun intended -- Christine Romans here "Minding Your Business" for Andy Serwer -- good morning to you.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, you know it's expensive if you can get it. It's something that we at CNN have been following since the spring but today landed on the front page of the "Wall Street Journal" and "U.S.A. Today" about cement shortages.

I've talked to some builders in Florida who have had to delay projects because they can't get a hold of this stuff. One of the reasons is demand is so high for home building in this country. As you know, you know, record pace of home sales and home building here in the United States, also China has a voracious appetite for all things raw material. And so cement being shipped around Asia instead of the imports we usually rely on to finish off that last little bit of demand in the United States. So the Gulf States, the Carolinas, also in Florida, the Sun Belt, as you say -- you're seeing some shortages in cement.

So if you can get a hold of it, it's expensive. You know, $84 a ton but in some places its real tough to get a hold of.

HEMMER: All right, and stocks have been moving lower. Thursday and Friday, tough, tough days. Any chance we'll go this way again?

ROMANS: Yes -- well you know...

HEMMER: Sideways is better than that, right?

ROMANS: Well, I guess you hope. And there's always some people who take those big tough weeks and decide to buy stocks but last week really brutal. You know, 3 percent loss for the Dow and for the S&P and the Nasdaq down about 6 percent. You know and on the subject of raw materials, oil prices, one of the reasons -- one of the problems here -- $44 a barrel.

A lot of people say they expect oil to go $50 and last week...

HEMMER: $50.

ROMANS: Yes, $50. Last week an expert told me that to heat your home this winter is going to be another $250 to $400 more than you paid last year so that's anther thing that kind of weighs into the sentiment for the consumer and for the investor.

HEMMER: You've got the terror warnings, you have Iraq, you have the election, you have interest rates this week, which may move.

ROMANS: Which may move a little bit higher. Which may move a little bit higher. Maybe a quarter of a percentage point is what they think the Fed is going to do, so...

HEMMER: Thanks, Christine. Good to have you here, by the way.

ROMANS: Thanks; I'll be here for the next couple of days.

HEMMER: Terrific. OK.

KAGAN: Meanwhile, with all that happening in the world, economist in California have time to think about Mount Rushmore and Andy Borowitz is here with more on that.

ANDY BOROWITZ, BOROWITZREPORT.COM: Yes, I'm here. Well, actually, we're here with something a little different -- we're here with the Borowitz Report.

KAGAN: Oh, we'll get to the "Question of the Day" later?

BOROWITZ: We'll do the "Question of the Day" -- we'll do the -- no, it's OK. We're all improvising here. We'll do the "Question of the Day" later.

See, here's the Borowitz Report. Now, we've all had two things: but when you're a gorilla, you have to come up with a creative way to get yourself a dentist. That's what Coco the Gorilla figured out when she had a pain in her mouth.

Coco used her American Sign Language skills to tell her handlers she had a problem. Twelve doctors, including three dentists arrived on the scene, proving that Coco is not in an HMO. Coco has mastered about a thousand signs and was even able to point to a pain chart indicating that the pain was a 9 out of 10, which, incidentally, is what I gave "Cat Woman."

OK now this is a story we're calling "make tea, not love." There's a new poll in Britain suggesting that British woman prefer having tea over having sex. Tell me something I don't know.

Fifty-two percent of women say they cannot wait for a steaming hot cup of tea, but only one in 100 say they'd like to steam up the bedroom.

Men on the other hand have a slightly higher preference for sex but not much. Only five percent want sex when they wake up, but 42 percent want to get their kettles on. Yes, baby.

(LAUGHTER)

All right, this next story we should first note the difference between solicited and unsolicited toe licking, because it's unsolicited toe-licking that's coming under fire in Amsterdam. Yes, the Dutch Labor Party wants to pass a law making unsolicited toe- licking an offense.

The issue came to light last Friday after female sunbathers complained of a man sneaking up to them and their toes. And I apologize. Dutch press reports say the man has been licking stranger's toes for about three years now but was only recently caught by police. One member of Dutch Parliament said it's a violation of ones privacy and, quote; no one should touch your body if you haven't asked them first.

Governor Schwarzenegger also believes that, by the way.

All right, finally, it's not just Donald Trump's hair that's the talk of the town. Oh, no. Now the Donald wants you to dress for success, meaning dress just like him.

He's launching his own line of men's suits, coats, slacks and possibly golfing gear. Suits will retail for about $575 -- that's actually a fraction of what his suits cost. No word on when the Trump Comb-Over will be hitting the runway, too.

KAGAN: I think that's one of a kind.

BOROWITZ: I think it is.

HEMMER: For all you toe-suckers out there, back off.

BOROWITZ: You think you've got issues, man. Unsolicited toe suckers.

HEMMER: Right. Jack's on vacation all week. We'd be remiss if we did not continue what Jack started here. The update on our 9/11 Commission watch. Number of days since the Commission made recommendations for protecting the country against terrorism: 18.

Number of recommendations adopted by Congress to date: zero.

To be fair, here's what the speaker of the house, Dennis Hastert, had to say on NBC on Sunday:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP DENNIS HASTERT (R) HOUSE SPEAKER: We're having 15 hearings, some of them already have been done in this month and I hope that when we come back in September and October we have the recommendations to move forward.

But I want to say is that we don't want to knee jerk into something with bad results. We need to make sure that we listen -- look at all the potentials and go through the whole hearing process, regular order, if you will, before we come up with a bill.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: Again, Dennis Hastert with Tim Russert yesterday. By the way, Jack's on vacation this week.

KAGAN: Yes, what's he doing to protect the country?

HEMMER: The irony is there, so...

KAGAN: Still a lot more to get to, including national insecurity: which candidate do Americans trust more in these times of terror alerts? Insight from a campaign insider. Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Good morning, the campaign showdown over Homeland Security with three cities under orange alert, who do you trust to keep America safe?

Out of Saudi Arabia chilling new look inside al Qaeda and specific too. The terror group's plans for an attack now caught on videotape.

And as Scott Peterson close to going free; that's the question just as the prosecution gets ready to call a star witness in that case.

Those stories ahead this hour here on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

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