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American Morning
Bush, Kerry Campaigns; Fight for Iraq; Terror Threat
Aired August 09, 2004 - 8:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. Nine o'clock here in New York. Absolutely stunning day yet again here in the Northeast.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you for ordering that up. I appreciate it.
HEMMER: And it's all for you, darling.
KAGAN: Thank you, thank you, thank you.
HEMMER: Daryn Kagan working with Soledad -- or for Soledad today. Working with us here.
Good morning to you.
KAGAN: I'm working for her, with her, all those things.
HEMMER: That's what I'm talking about. She's at home waiting.
KAGAN: Yes, waiting.
HEMMER: And resting.
KAGAN: Yes. And keeping those babies where they're supposed to be for now.
HEMMER: Hang in there, Soledad.
KAGAN: Yes.
HEMMER: Some of the other news making headlines this hour: the Kerry campaign rolling through a couple of showdown states both today and tomorrow. Kerry has had some choice words about the color-coded threat terror system. He has some different ideas.
Also talk about what he would do with American troops within the first year in the White House if elected. We'll talk to a senior adviser for the Kerry campaign on that in a moment.
KAGAN: Also, from Iraq, militia fighters are vowing to stay put in Najaf, the site of a bloody uprising. What will it take to quell the violence there? We're going to talk to CNN military analyst, retired General David Grange. HEMMER: Also this hour, we'll look at one doctor's fight against a humanitarian crisis still under way in Sudan. Chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour is there. We'll get to that story ahead this hour.
Jack is off this week.
KAGAN: That he is.
HEMMER: He's got some vacation. Andy Borowitz working the -- the e-mails for us today. So back to Any in a moment, huh?
KAGAN: And a good question today.
HEMMER: All right.
In the meantime, though, campaign 2004. President Bush heads to Virginia today after spending the weekend in Maine. Mr. Bush this week takes his campaign to nine different states. From the White House this morning, Suzanne Malveaux is on the front lawn there.
Good morning.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Bill.
President Bush got a brief break from this campaigning. He was at the weekend at the Kennebunkport family compound. That is where they went fishing as a family. They also attended the wedding of George P. Bush, the president's nephew.
But today, of course, it is back on the campaign trail. The president making a day trip to Annandale, Virginia, at a community college. He's going to be talking about an era of ownership. And also tomorrow, if you just take a look at what this schedule means, we're talking about nine states here.
Tomorrow, it's going to be three stops in Florida, Pensacola, Knightsville, Panama City. Wednesday, on to New Mexico as well as Arizona. Thursday a hit in Las Vegas, Nevada; Santa Monica, California. Friday, on to Portland, Oregon, and on to two different cities in Washington State. Saturday on to Sioux City, Iowa.
Now, a familiar face that you're also going to see on the trail is senator -- this is Senator John McCain. He, of course, the maverick Republican trying to generate a lot of support there.
Also, the president again is going to repeat this refrain. He is going to ask Senator Kerry if he knows what he knows today, would he go into Iraq, would he remove Saddam Hussein? The president making the case that he is the stronger one when it comes to national security -- Bill.
HEMMER: Suzanne, thanks for that.
Thursday night here on CNN, only here on CNN, the president and the first lady sit down with Larry King in his exclusive interview, 9:00 Eastern, 6:00 on the West Coast. Again, Thursday evening here on the cable news network.
Meanwhile, the senator, John Kerry, continues his whistle stop campaign tour out West. Ted Devine, a senior adviser to the Kerry campaign, now with us from D.C.
Good morning. Welcome back here to AMERICAN MORNING.
TAD DEVINE, SR. ADVISER, KERRY CAMPAIGN: Good morning.
HEMMER: "TIME" Magazine did a poll. On the screen for our viewers you can see it, who those surveyed trust more with leadership, strong leadership in difficult times. President Bush leads by five points on that category, 48 to 43 percent.
How do you counter this? How do you strike back?
DEVINE: Well, by continuing to tell the voters who John Kerry is and where he wants to lead the nation. In that poll, for example, on that particular question, John Kerry made enormous progress. He's ahead in the "TIME" poll by the same margin that he's behind in that question, 48-43.
I think the American people are seeing in John Kerry someone who is a very strong leader. He demonstrated that at the convention. He shared with them his experiences in combat, his vision for how to protect America, to make it stronger at home and respected again in the world. So as we continue to communicate, I think he will continue to gain advantage on that and every other measure.
HEMMER: On the topic of Iraq, over the weekend Senator Kerry did an interview with NPR. And this is what he said about bringing forces home: "I believe that within a year from now we can significantly reduce American forces in Iraq, and that's my plan."
What is that plan specifically to bring troops home?
DEVINE: Well, listen, the plan centers on the fact that John Kerry will reach out to the international community. You know, Bill, when the president turned his back on the traditional historic alliances of America, when he rushed to war in Iraq, he did tremendous damage to this country. And as a result, the burden sharing which should occur in Iraq is not occurring.
The American taxpayers are shouldering a burden of almost $200 billion in Iraq. And American troops are shouldering that burden almost alone.
The Kerry plan will be to reach out to countries, to involve them in Iraq, to give them a stake in Iraq's future, to allow them to participate, for example, in the rebuilding of Iraq and the oil industry of Iraq. And when that participation occurs, we're going to find that others will come in and will share the burden with the United States. HEMMER: But at this point, and back to the question about being specific, France and Germany have said you can forget about it, it's out of the question as to whether or not they will send troops into Iraq. If that's the case, and other countries are saying similar things about the own -- their own strain on their own militaries, where are the specifics for how that plan can be carried out?
DEVINE: Well, he's -- Senator Kerry has outlined a number of specifics recently in a "Washington Post" editorial which called for a realistic path in Iraq. He's going to give a speech next week to talk about all the tools in the arsenal of freedom that he wants to employ on behalf of this country as president.
And, by the way, I can understand France and Germany saying what they're saying. I think as long as George Bush is president, that's probably the case. We need a fresh start, a new president who can reach out to countries, get them involved and rebuild the historic alliances which have protected this nation for the better part of the last half century.
HEMMER: If I could, there is an event that happened over the weekend in Lawrence, Kansas. Listen, I know you guys are busy. But I guess there were several hundred supporters waiting by the side of train track there, and the train never stopped, just kept on going.
I understand Senator Edwards went back on Sunday afternoon. Is that right?
DEVINE: That's right. He traveled back. And Elizabeth Edwards actually -- Senator Edwards' wife -- communicated with the people in that town on the -- on the Web blog of the campaign. They made a special trip back there, because for John Edwards and John Kerry, there are not red states and blue states. There are the United States of America. So we made a special trip back there to show those people how determined this campaign is to reach out to everyone in this nation.
HEMMER: How did the two senators take that, with that train blowing through that town?
DEVINE: Well, it was unfortunate. They could see the people in the distance, and the train kept going.
I think everyone who was aware of it wanted to stop. But, you know, they were -- the conductor was moving ahead. But I think the fact that John Edwards would fly back there with his family and meet those people in that town really is a demonstration that this campaign is completely different.
We're not going to go by the old politics of the past. We're going to reach out to people in all sections of this country, rural communities. John Edwards and John Kerry are two Democrats who can run anywhere in this country.
HEMMER: Choo choo, huh? Thanks, Tad.
(LAUGHTER)
DEVINE: Thank you, Bill.
HEMMER: Amid all the serious talk we get a chance to smile. Tad Devine, thanks in D.C.
DEVINE: Thank you.
HEMMER: All right -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Not a lot to smile about in southern Iraq right now. Five days of clashes. Iraq's interim prime minister, Iyad Allawi, is urging militants to leave Najaf and to end some of the worst fighting in Iraq in months.
U.S. Marines are battling militants around the city's holiest site, where it's estimated more than 360 insurgents have been killed. Yesterday, Allawi made a surprise visit to Najaf and called on the militias to lay down their guns.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
IYAD ALLAWI, IRAQI INTERIM PRIME MINISTER (through translator): We hope this situation will end as soon as possible, and we believe gunmen should leave the holy sites quickly, lay down their weapons, and return to the rule of order and law.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: But is order within reach? Our military analyst, Brigadier General David Grange, is live from Chicago.
General, good morning. Thanks for being with us.
BRIG. GEN. DAVID GRANGE (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Thank you. Good morning.
KAGAN: How big of a risk was this for Allawi to go into Najaf?
GRANGE: Well, I think he's at risk every day. He's a primary target for the insurgents. He represents everything that they're against. And so it's a bold -- bold move by him as a leader. But again, he's demonstrating the leadership that's required right now to win this thing.
KAGAN: Does he really gain anything by going, though?
GRANGE: I think -- absolutely. His physical presence on scene, showing that he will not negotiate, that he demands that this is one Iraq, that those that are against the unification of this country will have to surrender, leave or be destroyed.
KAGAN: This was one of the first big battles since the turnover. Before the turnover, one of the big concerns was how would the U.S. military work alongside and work with the Iraqi military, and who would be in charge. How do you think that's working so far? GRANGE: I think on the decisions to go into a city like Najaf, to take on a group like Sadr's militia, is a decision of the Iraqi government, with U.S. backing, to provide the muscle, the heavy armor in order to get into areas, urban fighting, which is very difficult. And so the U.S. is always going to have a second role in this, even though they're going to be in some of the fiercest fighting. They're secondary to the Iraqi government.
KAGAN: But is that a situation you would want to be in, in a battle?
GRANGE: I believe so, because the commanders, the U.S. chain of command, is never going to agree to do anything that would not be advantageous to your own forces on the ground. Advantageous meaning the proper fire power is available, rules of engagement are set, and that the outcome is a clear objective in mind before you go ahead and commit yourself to this -- this area, like Najaf. So I think that was all done ahead of time.
KAGAN: And finally, a tactical question for you. This is -- this battle is raging near one of the holiest sites in the world of Islam, the shrine of the Imam Ali. How do you work around that and how do you do your best not to destroy something that would very much upset the Muslim world?
GRANGE: Well, extremely difficult, especially when the enemy forces that you face use the camouflage and concealment cover of facilities and people to protect themselves. But the U.S. military and, for instance, the military of Great Britain, are very well versed in fighting around off-limits areas like religious mosques, as an example in this case.
And so it's very tough. But they'll be able to do it. And they'll use the Iraqis in a close proximity of a mosque where need be.
And there are trained Iraqi special forces type units that can go in there and do that. But with U.S. backup. But it's difficult, but it can be done.
KAGAN: Brigadier General Retired David Grange. General, thank you for your time this morning -- Bill.
GRANGE: Thank you.
HEMMER: All right, Daryn. Ten minutes past the hour. Back to Carol Costello, starting again with Iraq.
Good morning, Carol.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: That's right.
Also on the subject of Iraq, the head of Iraq's war crimes tribunal is accused in connection with a murder in Iraq. His uncle, Ahmed Chalabi, a former member of Iraq's Governing Council, faces counterfeiting charges. Both men deny the accusations against them and say they are politically motivated. Terry Nichols is set to face formal sentencing just about an hour from now. Nichols was convicted in state court last May on 161 counts of murder for the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. He's already serving one life sentence for the murder of federal agents in the attack. Nichols is expected to get a second life sentence on state charges today.
In Britain, get this, trace amounts of the anti-depressant drug Prozac are being found in the drinking water. A British paper reports that an environment watchdog agency has found Prozac building up both in river systems and the ground water used for drinking supplies. Environmentalists are referring to the reported findings as hidden mass medication.
And in Illinois, thousands turned out for the opening of one of the largest Hindu temples in North America. The 22,400-square-foot temple has hand-carved Italian marble, Turkish limestone arches and gold-plated spires. It took volunteers more than two million hours and some $15 million to complete.
Back to New York now.
HEMMER: Carol, thanks for that.
If you had a good weekend weather-wise, I'll tell you what, it doesn't get much better. And we're not complaining for a second. Here's Chad Myers and CNN's...
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: For a change.
HEMMER: Come on. Come on.
MYERS: Actually, Carol...
HEMMER: (UNINTELLIGIBLE), by the way?
MYERS: Carol is the whiner, by the way.
HEMMER: Yes?
MYERS: Yes.
HEMMER: Carol?
MYERS: She is the whiner.
COSTELLO: I'll have to admit that I am indeed -- I'm drinking coffee. I am indeed the whiner. I'm drinking coffee because I'm tired.
(LAUGHTER)
HEMMER: At least you're honest.
COSTELLO: True.
MYERS: I have the violin out every morning for her.
Hey, good morning, everybody.
(WEATHER)
MYERS: Daryn, back to you.
KAGAN: Lovely. Thank you. I'm enjoying every minute of it.
HEMMER: That's right. What else would you say?
KAGAN: You know, I'm capable of whining as well. But I'm very happy today.
HEMMER: You got it. Let's get a break here.
In a moment, new evidence out of Saudi Arabia in a moment. A chilling videotape captures preparations for a deadly al Qaeda attack. Is it a how-to for future terror plots? We'll get to that.
KAGAN: And the clock is ticking for the tragic young victims of Sudan's humanitarian crisis. Christiane Amanpour has a live report.
HEMMER: Also, miracle twins. They survive risky separation surgery. Their doctor talks about the boys' recovery, which will not be easy. Still to come this hour.
Back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: More developments this morning in the war on terror. The White House defending its decision to raise the terror level last week, and says past intelligence has pointed at threats against the Capitol building and specific members of Congress. But it would not provide details on that.
Also, "TIME" Magazine reporting that al Qaeda has considered using limousines packed with explosives, hijacked helicopters and speed boats in terror attacks here in New York. We talked about that exclusive report on al Qaeda with "TIME" Magazine news director Howard Chua-Eoan earlier today.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: When the warning came out last weekend from Tom Ridge on that Sunday afternoon, why did it take a week for these details to come out and go public?
HOWARD CHUA-EOAN, "TIME" MAGAZINE: They were still going through a lot of it, because a lot of the information came from these disks which they basically only picked up on July 25. And he made the announcement six days later.
So a lot of this -- this information and all the details were only becoming clearer to everyone as the week went on. I mean, it was clear to them, they had seen a lot of it. That's what prompted them.
HEMMER: It was a question of time before going through and deciphering and getting the word out. First, about the limousines, what are you reporting on that? How -- what was the strategy behind using those?
CHUA-EOAN: The strategy was trucks would have been too obvious and they wouldn't have been -- they wouldn't have been able to bring them too close to the building they thought. But a limo stripped out and packed with explosives, driven up, no one seemed to mind, and no one seemed to -- would have stopped a limo.
HEMMER: Because you can see those vehicles on the streets in Manhattan.
CHUA-EOAN: Right. They're all over the place.
HEMMER: Plenty. You're exactly right. The heliports in New York City, what was the idea behind those?
CHUA-EOAN: Perhaps hijacking helicopters and launching attacks on the New York-New Jersey area. Parts of new York, there were photographs that are marked "midtown," "downtown," so that whoever had taken over the helicopter would be able to tell what part of town they were in.
HEMMER: Wow. What about the -- the Citigroup building? There were similarities that it found to the World Trade Center.
CHUA-EOAN: Yes. The analysis they had was that the building was built very much like the World Trade Center. A large gasoline bomb, tanker-truck would probably bring it down, they surmised.
And then it's interesting. They stopped doing that, they stopped thinking about that, because they had realized that these tanker- truckers -- trucks -- have GPS trackers. So they decided maybe it's not the right way to go.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: Again, from earlier today, "TIME" Magazine news director Howard Chua-Eoan. It is out on newsstands today as a fascinating piece of journalism, too, there in "TIME" Magazine -- Daryn.
KAGAN: There is new evidence out of Saudi Arabia on how al Qaeda conducts its terror operation. CNN has obtained a videotape that focuses on a terrorist attack last year. And as the U.S. tries to avert future terror attacks, this tape shows that the group uses information from surveillance and does detailed planning far in advance. More now from CNN's Brian Todd.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Surveillance, an al Qaeda staple. This tape showing what's believed to be the Al-Muhaya civilian housing compound in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This is that same neighborhood, and the product of that reconnaissance.
November of last year, suicide car bombs setting off three explosions kill at least 17 people at Al-Muhaya and wound more than 100. This type of surveillance now very much in the American public consciousness, as officials ratchet up the terrorism alert based partly on information about the casing of financial buildings in the U.S. at least three years ago.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Al Qaeda does meticulous planning over many years.
TODD: On this tape, we learn how the November attack in Riyadh was planned from the group believed to have carried it out, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
BEN VENZKE, INTELCENTER: And it's the kind of expertise that is frequent and -- frequently used and trained by al Qaeda cells around the world.
TODD: CNN obtained this tape from a group called IntelCenter, a consulting firm that works with U.S. government agencies. Experts who we consulted confirmed the authenticity of the tape. We see al Qaeda members displaying rocket-propelled grenades and surface-to-air missiles. But the operational part of the tape is perhaps the most chilling.
A diagram is shown of what IntelCenter says is the Al-Muhaya complex, and a technique which later proved very effective. A vehicle is painted with the markings and insignia of the Saudi security forces. Those vehicles were used to breach the Al-Muhaya compound.
We also see a man next to one of the vehicles later identified as Nasir al-Sayari (ph), an al Qaeda operative killed in that suicide attack. This tape, produced some months ago, was originally posted on a Web site. We asked IntelCenter why al Qaeda would tip off people on their operational techniques.
VENZKE: It's used for instructional material for future recruits. It's released after attacks to drive fund-raising, and as a morale boost for the group.
TODD (on camera): Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: Terrorism experts say that one other reason for distributing this tape is that since al Qaeda can no longer operate training camps with any consistency, the Internet and such tapes are a virtual replacement for those camps and often used as a communications network.
HEMMER: Let's get a break here. In a moment, Scott Peterson's defense team thinks their client could soon walk. Will he? All this coming now as word that the prosecution is ready to bring out its star witness. That story in a moment when we continue after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Convicted sex offender Mary Kay Letourneau has not spoken with her former child lover. On Friday, a judge lifted an order that banned her from seeing Vili Fualaau, now age 21. However, a close friend of Letourneau's tells CNN the former teacher has not spoken with him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mary usually handles things very well. And she handled prison with grace. And she -- she was a real class act. She really was.
But I'm telling you, the transition back into the world is a little -- it's taking a little bit of a toll on her. She said she just she said, "Christina, I look like a crime scene." She said, "I just am a mess."
And all she can focus on right now is her son, Steven (ph), her oldest son, and her other three children with -- you know, Mary Claire (ph), Nicholas (ph) and Jacqueline (ph). She just wants to see her kids.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Letourneau served more than seven years in prison for statutory rape. She had two daughters with her teenage lover. Again, now age 21.
Jack's on vacation, right, Daryn?
KAGAN: That, he is. And last I checked, Andy Borowitz was here with the "Question of the Day."
I softly talked to that earlier.
ANDY BOROWITZ, BOROWITZREPORT.COM: Well, now that you've stoked the audience's appetite for this question, new legislation's been introduced to carve Ronald Reagan's face on to Mount Rushmore. He would be joining George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. So as long as we're talking about adding someone else, our question is, whose face do you think should be added to Mount Rushmore?
Anne from Westbury writes: "If anyone's face should be added to Mount Rushmore, it should be Franklin D. Roosevelt. He not only brought us back from the depression, he brought us through World War II -- and he brought us and the world through the World War II. He was elected more times than any other president and was probably the only wealthy president to care about the common man."
OK.
David from Park Hills, Kentucky, writes: "Whoever is eventually credited with winning the war on terrorism. It could be Bush, it could be Kerry. And if it ends up being Kerry, his head is so thin, you could add yet another face."
(LAUGHTER)
Perhaps this thin face, I don't know.
Jim from Andover, Massachusetts's, writes: "I think we should add Michael Jackson. Put his old face on it and don't maintain it. That way time might eventually change it to his current face, truly living art."
And finally, D.W. from Crescent City, California, writes: "How about Monica Lewinsky? The present group looks like they need something to cheer them up."
There you go.
HEMMER: A little dour.
BOROWITZ: Very helpful.
HEMMER: The granite.
KAGAN: I think we do -- we need a woman up there. I don't know that that was the woman I was thinking of. But I was going to say, yes, a woman.
BOROWITZ: Well, there you go.
HEMMER: Kagan?
KAGAN: Me in particular?
HEMMER: Yes.
KAGAN: No, I think we can do a little better than that.
HEMMER: I think we have a graphics department on that right now.
Thank you, Andy.
In a moment here, get our week started with "90-Second Pop" in a moment on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: All ready for the opening bell there live from Wall Street, starting today where the Dow on Friday hit a new low for the year, off 147 points. That was the second straight day of triple- digit losses for the Dow 30, 9815 is your opening mark there.
Nasdaq also a tough day in trading on Friday; 1776 is where we open up today. Issues of oil $44 a barrel. You've got Iraq out there, the election, interest rates this week, with the fed meeting this week. So a whole lot going on for investors to think about. So we'll see if we can stabilize things today.
KAGAN: We will.
HEMMER: How are you doing, all right?
KAGAN: I'm doing great. I'm enjoying my one day up here.
HEMMER: Yes? Daryn Kagan up here for Soledad.
KAGAN: Yes.
HEMMER: She's resting at home.
KAGAN: She is. Doing a good job.
HEMMER: And it's good to have you.
KAGAN: Thank you. Good to be had.
HEMMER: That's what I'm talking about.
All right. In a moment here live to Sudan. There's an ongoing humanitarian crisis there, but there are some people trying to make things better. We'll look at one doctor doing just that. Christiane Amanpour is live. We'll get to Christiane in a matter of moments.
KAGAN: Also, here at home, we have the latest on those formerly -- and we stress "formerly" -- conjoined twins. Just two years old. They aren't out of the woods yet, but they're doing OK. And we're going to talk to their lead pediatrician.
HEMMER: Good deal.
In the meantime, though, this humanitarian crisis under way in Darfur, Sudan. Ethnic cleansing and starvation, the victims are young children there. Our chief international correspondent, Christiane Amanpour, live in west Darfur, Sudan.
What are they telling you, the doctors, Christiane, about the situation there?
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, as you mentioned, we did run into an American doctor yesterday who was treating some of the most severely malnourished children in an MSF hospital in the town not far from where we are now, the town of Al-Janina. Today, we're in the camp of Al-Janina, just on the outskirts of the city, and this is where the bulk of the displaced people, if you like, from this region have been gathered.
And again, we talked to another MSF doctor today, and she said that there's a big threat of diseases, there's a big threat of -- of a lot of suffering, because we're in the rainy season. It means this place is inundated on a regular basis, and it also means that not only is there not enough food, but there's also the threat of waterborne diseases and all sorts of things like malaria epidemics, diarrhea, respiratory diseases. And this could cause a real problem unless a lot of humanitarian aid reaches places like these very quickly. The doctor we talked to complained that even though this crisis has been going on for the better part of the last year and a half, it's only recently that the aid pipeline has been opened. And there hasn't been any pre-positioning of large stockpiles of food.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARIE NOELLE RODRIGUE, MSF COORDINATOR: They should have food during the rainy season, and they should have thought of having some -- - some planes and some storage on the ground to be ready. And they have been delays.
This assistance is overdue today. And the needs are here. Once you start to do deliver food, you have to do it on a regular basis. And we can see some delays in food distribution still now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AMANPOUR: So the Sudanese government, which is now under the international spotlight, is opening up these accesses for humanitarian workers and NGOSs much more than it was doing over the last several months. But still, there's about two million people in urgent need of food and medical treatment.
Now, of that two million, about a third are out of sight and out of reach of the humanitarian groups. They're not in camps like these. They're disbursed in the wilderness and haven't been able to come into these kinds of camps. So those are the people who are the most vulnerable. And the whole aid community, including USAID, is concerned about what happens to these people unless rapid humanitarian assistance reaches them -- Bill.
HEMMER: Christiane, your last report you talked about the rainy season coming there and bringing even more problems. How far are we from that period of time when it reaches Sudan, the rainy season?
AMANPOUR: Well, we're in it. We're in it right now, except it's just at the beginning. So you get heavy rains, perhaps every other day, and they last perhaps an hour or so.
But in the next few weeks, in the next month, certainly, it will be sheet rain for a long, long time. It ends somewhere around the end of September. And that rain is not only uncomfortable, but it makes transport almost impossible.
As I say, it increases the risk of waterborne diseases. It increases the risk of malaria mosquitoes and an epidemic of malaria. So these are very, very serious problems that are just compounded by the rainy season. And because there wasn't any pre-positioning before the rainy season, it is making it even more difficult to get food to the needy.
HEMMER: Christiane, thanks. Christiane Amanpour in Darfur, Sudan, live there -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Back here in the U.S., Scott Peterson's double murder trial resumes tomorrow morning. The judge put the trial on hold last Thursday so defense attorneys can investigate newly-discovered evidence. Our Rusty Dornin has this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Could Scott Peterson walk out of court a free man as a result of this newly- discovered evidence? His attorney Mark Geragos thinks it's possible. But legal observers here are doubtful.
MICHAEL CARDOZA, LEGAL ANALYST: My sense of this is, whatever it is will not end this trial. But it certainly could help the defense.
DORNIN: Geragos says it could potentially exonerate Peterson. A source close to the case tells CNN it's a piece of physical evidence found close to the remains of Laci Peterson or her unborn son. Following the evidence announcement, Geragos emerged from court with Peterson's mother, Jackie, but refused to elaborate.
MARK GERAGOS, PETERSON'S ATTORNEY: And all I can tell you is that obviously, as the judge indicated, we need to -- we need to follow up on it, and that's what we're going to do.
DORNIN: Geragos said outside the courtroom the evidence was turned over to the defense by the prosecution. Two days earlier, prosecutors were soundly rebuked by the judge for not turning over all evidence to the defense. Judge Alfred Delucchi was so angry he struck down the testimony of one prosecution witness.
Another prosecution witness testified Peterson searched the Internet for boat and fishing information early in the same month his wife went missing. Last week's proceedings also revealed that Peterson ordered pornography channels to be added to his cable TV just a weeks following his wife's disappearance.
Court will resume Tuesday, and coming up, the star prosecution witness is expected to finally take the stand, Amber Frey, Scott Peterson's former girlfriend. In a trial that often has empty seats in the courtroom, for this witness there won't be any.
Rusty Dornin, CNN, Redwood City, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: We are at 36 minutes past the hour. Time for a look at some of the day's other news. Carol Costello has that.
Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: Good morning, Daryn. Thank you.
Californians are being urged to turn down the air-conditioning. A summer heat wave is forcing state authorities to issue a power watch. Demand for electricity is expected to surge to record heights today as temperatures in parts of the state hit triple digits. More than 150 firefighters in Chicago are now battling an extra (ph) alarm fire. The four-alarm blaze was reported earlier this morning at an abandoned warehouse at the city's south side. A police official says the inferno is about two city blocks long. No injuries reported.
In Arizona, five illegal immigrants are dead after trying to cross the desert near the U.S.-Mexican border. The bodies found yesterday were part of a larger group stranded in the hot and rugged terrain. Authorities are searching for a sixth group member. Four other people survived the ordeal.
And finally, another try at the $10 million ANSARI X Prize. The Rubicon I (ph) exploded shortly after launch near Olympic National Park yesterday. No one was hurt.
More than two dozen teams are competing to send a privately- funded reusable craft into sub-orbit. It's part of a plan to encourage and develop space travel. So they'll have to try, try again -- Bill.
HEMMER: And those cases, what goes up comes back down, as we see. Hey, thank you, Carol.
A check of the weather now with Chad Myers, looking outside. We're taking a picture of this day.
MYERS: Yes, and put it in a bottle. Wow! Yes, good stuff -- and good stuff all weekend, for that matter, Bill.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MYERS: Daryn, back to you.
KAGAN: Chad, thank you so much.
To New York now. It is just one week after 2-year-old twins are separated. Doctors say their recovery is exceeding expectations.
The Filipino boys are not out of the woods yet. We're showing you some new video just in to us here at CNN. It's our first look at the children since completion of the procedure.
Clarence and Carl were joined at the head. Dr. Robert Marion is the lead pediatrician at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: What is the latest you can tell us about Carl and Clarence?
DR. ROBERT MARION, MONTEFIORE MEDICAL CENTER: Well, I think they're doing really well. As you said, they're really exceeding expectations.
I saw them a little while ago. They are both sleeping comfortably this morning, but their vital signs are fine. And there really have been no complications at all to speak of. They're really doing miraculously well.
KAGAN: When you say they are still sleeping, are you keeping them sedated purposely?
MARION: Yes. We are keeping them sedated in order to prevent them from feeling significant pain, but also to prevent them from moving around too much, because we really want their wounds to heel.
KAGAN: And is Carl in particular facing some more challenges with some brain fluid?
MARION: Yes. What happened with Carl was that when they -- at the time of surgery it was found that Clarence really owned the covering of the brain called the dura.
At the time of surgery, Dr. Goodrich had to rebuild a dura for Carl. And as a result of that, we are worried about the drainage of cerebral spinal fluid, the normal fluid that bathes and protects the brain in Carl.
So, we're worried that he may build up some fluid in his brain, a condition called hydrocephalus. But if that becomes the case, we may have to do a shunt on him. But that's certainly an eventuality that we almost expect, and we'll see if we really need to do that.
KAGAN: I understand, it would seem to me to make sense that people are focusing on the brain and what happens with potential brain damage. But there's another challenge in that both systems -- now that you've separated these boys...
MARION: Yes.
KAGAN: ... their other body organs need to take over. How is that going for each boy?
MARION: It seems to be going pretty well. It was clear also from the beginning that Clarence was more dominant in some areas in terms of his body's functioning than Carl. Clarence was always hypertensive. He had increased blood pressure, and his kidneys were working more actively, I guess, than Carl.
Carl has done fine since the surgery, but it was almost as if at the time that the boys were separated it was almost as if the umbilical cord was cut, and Carl now has to start functioning on his own. He was dependent on Clarence for some of his normal functioning. But he seems to be doing fine. All systems are go.
KAGAN: An interesting dilemma for mom over the weekend, because since the boys are now separated for the first time they went to different places in the hospital. She had to choose which boy she was supposed to go with.
MARION: That's true. It becomes a very big problem for Arlene, their mom. She's only known them prior to surgery as Carl and Clarence together. When they went to the O.R. and were separated, Carl and Clarence basically ceased to be as a single entity. And they came back as two separate little boys.
And now she has to learn how really how to re-mother them. She has to learn how to bathe them and to feed them and all of the rest of the things that mothers normally have to learn to do in the first few weeks of life.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: And once again, new pictures we're just getting into us here at CNN, as we remind you, the twins were separated during four different surgeries. They still are at high risk for complications.
HEMMER: We have seen in similar stories in the past, though, recovery process is long.
KAGAN: It is long. And they're not...
HEMMER: Operations do come.
KAGAN: And they're not done with the other surgeries.
HEMMER: Let's get a break here. In a moment, when Alan Greenspan talks, and when the Fed meets, the market listens. What does tomorrow's Fed meeting mean for the markets? We'll get to that.
KAGAN: And talk's not cheap, at least not when it comes to Oprah. The big deal that's keeping her talk show on the air for a few more years. We'll tell you about that.
Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: We are reviving the career of Bon Jovi single-handedly here on AMERICAN MORNING. It's Monday, "90-Second Pop" time, rounding up the usual suspects today.
Say hello to Toure, contributing editor for "Rolling Stone"; Sarah of "New York Magazine"; and B.J. from "US Weekly."
SARAH BERNARD, "NEW YORK" MAGAZINE: This is a game show.
HEMMER: No last names needed. You guys are as big as ever. It's like Elvis. It's like Madonna. It's like Oprah.
(CROSSTALK)
HEMMER: Let's start with Oprah, 600 million over six years, is that what it took?
BERNARD: I know. Yes, that's what it took. Well, you know, it proves that even if you're Oprah if you threaten to quit, you get a raise. So, this is actually very good strategy on her part. She...
HEMMER: She was going to retire in 2006.
BERNARD: She was going to retire, exactly, and then so she extended it five more years to 2011, which will be her 25th anniversary of the show.
Now, I think what's interesting about this what it does to all of the people who were preparing to fill her shoes, you know, Dr. Phil, Ellen DeGeneres, even the Jane Pauley show, which is starting up soon. I think they were really hoping that Oprah was going to move out of the way. It would be like if, you know, Johnny Carson was like, no, I'll stay five more years.
HEMMER: Right.
BERNARD: And then Jay Leno had nothing.
TOURE, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, "ROLLING STONE": This is really actually good news for Hillary Clinton, because when Oprah is ready to run for president, it's over. It's her slam dunk. And your boy, Michael Moore, agrees with me. He says in his book Oprah could be president like that.
HEMMER: Whose boy?
TOURE: Michael Moore.
HEMMER: Whose boy?
(CROSSTALK)
HEMMER: Go ahead, B.J.
B.J. SIGESMUND, "US WEEKLY": The thing with Oprah is she's not doing it for the money. She's already a billionaire. She lives better than Donald Trump. She has her own private jet.
But Oprah is incredibly influential. Look at how she influences the culture. Look at how she picks "Anna Karenina" for her book club and gets, you know, millions of people reading that book this June. And she wants to do new shows, not just her own, but she wants her production company, Harpo, to start up new shows.
HEMMER: From a business perspective, is there much of a risk here paying out all that money going into 2011 trying to make sure she still has her appeal?
TOURE: Not for Oprah.
SIGESMUND: No.
BERNARD: No, I don't think so.
TOURE: Not for Oprah. I mean, she has got an army behind her.
SIGESMUND: Yes.
TOURE: I mean, people love her. She's an American television institution.
HEMMER: Got it. Next topic, B.J., it's a first-name basis only here. Have you picked that up yet? You saw a creepy film called "Open Water."
SIGESMUND: I did. Yes.
HEMMER: By the way, it plays to all of my worst fears.
SIGESMUND: I love it. It's got tons of good buzz. For people who don't know, "Open Water" is the "Blair Witch Project" meets "Jaws" type movie. It's a low-budget film. It takes place in the Bahamas, where this workaholic American couple gets stranded in the middle of the water and surrounded by sharks.
It's incredibly disturbing. It stays with you for days. It played in 50 theaters this weekend and it made about $1 million. But they're going to platform it, and by August...
(CROSSTALK)
HEMMER: So hang on, hang on. Sharks in dark waters. That's enough of a nightmare for me. BERNARD: I saw the trailer, and I was under the seat. There is no way I could see that movie.
HEMMER: But you recommend it.
SIGESMUND: Oh, yes. And I think it's going to build and become the sleeper hit of the late summer.
HEMMER: What about "Collateral," over the weekend 22 million?
TOURE: "Collateral" was the bomb. It's so much fun. Let me tell you, Jamie Foxx is about to become a gigantic star...
BERNARD: Absolutely.
TOURE: ... like the top A-list level like Denzel, Will Smith, Jamie Foxx. And after Ray comes out, the Ray Charles movie in November, Oscar buzz, he's going to be out of here, supernova megastar.
SIGESMUND: Don't forget this was an R-rated movie, and Tom Cruise has proven in his last three roles -- there was "Vanilla Sky," there was "Last Samurai" and now "Collateral" - that he can still open a movie big at number one, even when it's R-rated and even this time when he's playing against type as a villain in a gray-haired wig.
TOURE: Right. Don't you think that he watched "Training Day," and was like, hey?
HEMMER: ... brilliant idea.
TOURE: It worked.
HEMMER: Yes. BERNARD: I think people don't like to see Tom Cruise in that role with his salt and pepper hair. They don't like seeing him like that. So, I think people went to see it for Jamie. I really do.
HEMMER: He's 42 and getting gray. I know a little bit about that.
Toure, you're all hyped up for Dave Chappelle, a $50 million deal on Comedy Central?
TOURE: He deserves it. This is one of the best shows on TV. It's consistently funny. It's better than the "Chris Rock Show," which that was amazing in its time. So, I mean, people are watch this on DVD over and over. This is some cult stuff.
BERNARD: This is a lot of money, though. And it just proves that when something is successful on TV, I think people are so confused right now about what is going to make money that they just throw money at it. I mean, it's almost like the Oprah thing, right?
TOURE: But they need Chappelle at Comedy Central. BERNARD: They need him.
SIGESMUND: What was so interesting, though, is his $50 million deal includes DVD dividends. Like this has been the best-selling DVD of the year. It sold 1.7 million copies, and people more and more -- James Gandolfini reportedly also wanted a cut of the DVD for "The Sopranos."
BERNARD: Right, it used to be syndication, and now it's DVD.
TOURE: And Chappelle is getting DVD money from the past.
SIGESMUND: Right.
HEMMER: But the irony in all of this, he was working on a film about Rick James.
SIGESMUND: Right.
BERNARD: That's right.
TOURE: It's going to be hard for Chappelle to do a funny satirical movie about Rick James now that he's gone.
SIGESMUND: The joke is gone.
TOURE: Like, yes, that's it.
BERNARD: He can pull it out.
HEMMER: Well, you're all super freaks to me, by the way.
SIGESMUND: Thank you.
TOURE: Give it to me, baby. HEMMER: Good to see you on a Monday, all right? B.J., Sarah, Toure, thanks.
All right. Here's Daryn now.
KAGAN: Still to come, jobs are down. Will rates go up? The Fed is expected to raise interest rates tomorrow. Is it a bad sign for the economy?
Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Plenty of interest in what might happen with interest rates. Christine Romans in for Andy Serwer, "Minding Your Business."
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT: A little bit of reluctance before a Fed meeting tomorrow. Yes. We get that a lot.
The Fed will meet tomorrow and try to decide whether it's going to raise interest rates another 25 basis points, as they say, on Wall Street. And it's expected they will.
The Fed up 25 points at 9840. A bit of a calm day after a stormy session on Wall Street on Friday. Triple-digit sell-off. Also a really tough week for stocks last week.
So what will Greenspan say about the really tough jobs report? Maybe they -- maybe they'll say something in their -- in their statements, that the economy is still in that little rough patch that we're trying to get through. We keep saying the economy is stuck between a soft patch and an oil patch, because oil prices went up, and they've been near record today. The market, as -- as you might expect, just biding its time for that meeting tomorrow.
KAGAN: So when the Fed gets together, do they really decide on that day or do they kind of know going in?
ROMANS: They do decide on that day. Although the Fed has given us some pretty good indications that it will continue to raise rates at a measured pace. That's what they had said the last time around.
Rates are so low, a lot of people think they've got to race them 25 basis points for the next few meetings. What people didn't expect was that the jobs market was going to be so weak.
A lot of folks thought the jobs market was going to be showing some signs of improvement right now. And it just hasn't. You know, it's not just about monetary policy. Now it's political, too, because, you know, you've got three months until the -- until the election.
So both sides playing off the -- the jobs situation. It's going to be -- it's going to be wild, I predict, in the next three months.
KAGAN: Christine, thank you for that. ROMANS: Sure.
HEMMER: Jack is on vacation. Andy Borowitz is doing the "Question of the Day" for us.
How are you doing? You're very tall, by the way.
BOROWITZ: Well, thank you. That answers one question: am I tall or not?
(LAUGHTER)
Well, a California congressman would like to add Ronald Reagan's face to Mount Rushmore. And so our question was, as long as we're going to add somebody to Mount Rushmore, who should it be? And you had some interesting answers.
Chris from Huron, South Dakota, writes: "Oh, good grief. If you want to start blasting away at mountains, pick one in California and knock yourselves out. Mount Rushmore is a finished product and should not be changed."
OK.
Betty from Twin Falls, Idaho, writes: "If Reagan, father of the homeless, is added to the mountain with our other really great leaders, the entire mountain will fall down."
Well, so the trickle-down theory. OK.
William from Miami, Florida, writes: "Enough with the highlighting of big white men to Mount Rushmore. Let's save the available space for our first president of color or who is female."
There you go.
HEMMER: In 2004? I don't think that's going to happen because John Kerry's white and George Bush is white. But I was thinking, you know, I mean, if we could do a -- if we could just some day save space for (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
BOROWITZ: Oh, look at that. Look at that.
HEMMER: I think the chances of that happening...
(CROSSTALK)
BOROWITZ: I feel that I am jutting a little too far out. It's sort of scary.
HEMMER: Excellent positioning, too.
BOROWITZ: Excellent.
KAGAN: Thank you. I would be forever next to you in eternity.
HEMMER: There you go. Or in granite.
KAGAN: Think about that. He's scratching that idea. Exactly.
All right. Thank you for that, Bill.
Coming up on CNN, we have chilling details on what could be the plan for al Qaeda's next big attack. Scary new methods are mentioned and America's weaknesses are outlined. That is coming up in the next hour with Drew Griffin on "CNN LIVE TODAY," doing my job.
Thank you, Drew.
AMERICAN MORNING will be back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: All right. We've got to run. Thanks for being with us today on this Monday. We'll see you tomorrow.
See you tomorrow, Daryn.
KAGAN: Yes. I'm heading back to Atlanta to do my regular job. I'll be back here in a couple of weeks.
HEMMER: OK.
KAGAN: Yes.
HEMMER: We'll see you then, back in Granite.
KAGAN: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
HEMMER: Here's Drew Griffin at the CNN Center.
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 - 8:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. Nine o'clock here in New York. Absolutely stunning day yet again here in the Northeast.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you for ordering that up. I appreciate it.
HEMMER: And it's all for you, darling.
KAGAN: Thank you, thank you, thank you.
HEMMER: Daryn Kagan working with Soledad -- or for Soledad today. Working with us here.
Good morning to you.
KAGAN: I'm working for her, with her, all those things.
HEMMER: That's what I'm talking about. She's at home waiting.
KAGAN: Yes, waiting.
HEMMER: And resting.
KAGAN: Yes. And keeping those babies where they're supposed to be for now.
HEMMER: Hang in there, Soledad.
KAGAN: Yes.
HEMMER: Some of the other news making headlines this hour: the Kerry campaign rolling through a couple of showdown states both today and tomorrow. Kerry has had some choice words about the color-coded threat terror system. He has some different ideas.
Also talk about what he would do with American troops within the first year in the White House if elected. We'll talk to a senior adviser for the Kerry campaign on that in a moment.
KAGAN: Also, from Iraq, militia fighters are vowing to stay put in Najaf, the site of a bloody uprising. What will it take to quell the violence there? We're going to talk to CNN military analyst, retired General David Grange. HEMMER: Also this hour, we'll look at one doctor's fight against a humanitarian crisis still under way in Sudan. Chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour is there. We'll get to that story ahead this hour.
Jack is off this week.
KAGAN: That he is.
HEMMER: He's got some vacation. Andy Borowitz working the -- the e-mails for us today. So back to Any in a moment, huh?
KAGAN: And a good question today.
HEMMER: All right.
In the meantime, though, campaign 2004. President Bush heads to Virginia today after spending the weekend in Maine. Mr. Bush this week takes his campaign to nine different states. From the White House this morning, Suzanne Malveaux is on the front lawn there.
Good morning.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Bill.
President Bush got a brief break from this campaigning. He was at the weekend at the Kennebunkport family compound. That is where they went fishing as a family. They also attended the wedding of George P. Bush, the president's nephew.
But today, of course, it is back on the campaign trail. The president making a day trip to Annandale, Virginia, at a community college. He's going to be talking about an era of ownership. And also tomorrow, if you just take a look at what this schedule means, we're talking about nine states here.
Tomorrow, it's going to be three stops in Florida, Pensacola, Knightsville, Panama City. Wednesday, on to New Mexico as well as Arizona. Thursday a hit in Las Vegas, Nevada; Santa Monica, California. Friday, on to Portland, Oregon, and on to two different cities in Washington State. Saturday on to Sioux City, Iowa.
Now, a familiar face that you're also going to see on the trail is senator -- this is Senator John McCain. He, of course, the maverick Republican trying to generate a lot of support there.
Also, the president again is going to repeat this refrain. He is going to ask Senator Kerry if he knows what he knows today, would he go into Iraq, would he remove Saddam Hussein? The president making the case that he is the stronger one when it comes to national security -- Bill.
HEMMER: Suzanne, thanks for that.
Thursday night here on CNN, only here on CNN, the president and the first lady sit down with Larry King in his exclusive interview, 9:00 Eastern, 6:00 on the West Coast. Again, Thursday evening here on the cable news network.
Meanwhile, the senator, John Kerry, continues his whistle stop campaign tour out West. Ted Devine, a senior adviser to the Kerry campaign, now with us from D.C.
Good morning. Welcome back here to AMERICAN MORNING.
TAD DEVINE, SR. ADVISER, KERRY CAMPAIGN: Good morning.
HEMMER: "TIME" Magazine did a poll. On the screen for our viewers you can see it, who those surveyed trust more with leadership, strong leadership in difficult times. President Bush leads by five points on that category, 48 to 43 percent.
How do you counter this? How do you strike back?
DEVINE: Well, by continuing to tell the voters who John Kerry is and where he wants to lead the nation. In that poll, for example, on that particular question, John Kerry made enormous progress. He's ahead in the "TIME" poll by the same margin that he's behind in that question, 48-43.
I think the American people are seeing in John Kerry someone who is a very strong leader. He demonstrated that at the convention. He shared with them his experiences in combat, his vision for how to protect America, to make it stronger at home and respected again in the world. So as we continue to communicate, I think he will continue to gain advantage on that and every other measure.
HEMMER: On the topic of Iraq, over the weekend Senator Kerry did an interview with NPR. And this is what he said about bringing forces home: "I believe that within a year from now we can significantly reduce American forces in Iraq, and that's my plan."
What is that plan specifically to bring troops home?
DEVINE: Well, listen, the plan centers on the fact that John Kerry will reach out to the international community. You know, Bill, when the president turned his back on the traditional historic alliances of America, when he rushed to war in Iraq, he did tremendous damage to this country. And as a result, the burden sharing which should occur in Iraq is not occurring.
The American taxpayers are shouldering a burden of almost $200 billion in Iraq. And American troops are shouldering that burden almost alone.
The Kerry plan will be to reach out to countries, to involve them in Iraq, to give them a stake in Iraq's future, to allow them to participate, for example, in the rebuilding of Iraq and the oil industry of Iraq. And when that participation occurs, we're going to find that others will come in and will share the burden with the United States. HEMMER: But at this point, and back to the question about being specific, France and Germany have said you can forget about it, it's out of the question as to whether or not they will send troops into Iraq. If that's the case, and other countries are saying similar things about the own -- their own strain on their own militaries, where are the specifics for how that plan can be carried out?
DEVINE: Well, he's -- Senator Kerry has outlined a number of specifics recently in a "Washington Post" editorial which called for a realistic path in Iraq. He's going to give a speech next week to talk about all the tools in the arsenal of freedom that he wants to employ on behalf of this country as president.
And, by the way, I can understand France and Germany saying what they're saying. I think as long as George Bush is president, that's probably the case. We need a fresh start, a new president who can reach out to countries, get them involved and rebuild the historic alliances which have protected this nation for the better part of the last half century.
HEMMER: If I could, there is an event that happened over the weekend in Lawrence, Kansas. Listen, I know you guys are busy. But I guess there were several hundred supporters waiting by the side of train track there, and the train never stopped, just kept on going.
I understand Senator Edwards went back on Sunday afternoon. Is that right?
DEVINE: That's right. He traveled back. And Elizabeth Edwards actually -- Senator Edwards' wife -- communicated with the people in that town on the -- on the Web blog of the campaign. They made a special trip back there, because for John Edwards and John Kerry, there are not red states and blue states. There are the United States of America. So we made a special trip back there to show those people how determined this campaign is to reach out to everyone in this nation.
HEMMER: How did the two senators take that, with that train blowing through that town?
DEVINE: Well, it was unfortunate. They could see the people in the distance, and the train kept going.
I think everyone who was aware of it wanted to stop. But, you know, they were -- the conductor was moving ahead. But I think the fact that John Edwards would fly back there with his family and meet those people in that town really is a demonstration that this campaign is completely different.
We're not going to go by the old politics of the past. We're going to reach out to people in all sections of this country, rural communities. John Edwards and John Kerry are two Democrats who can run anywhere in this country.
HEMMER: Choo choo, huh? Thanks, Tad.
(LAUGHTER)
DEVINE: Thank you, Bill.
HEMMER: Amid all the serious talk we get a chance to smile. Tad Devine, thanks in D.C.
DEVINE: Thank you.
HEMMER: All right -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Not a lot to smile about in southern Iraq right now. Five days of clashes. Iraq's interim prime minister, Iyad Allawi, is urging militants to leave Najaf and to end some of the worst fighting in Iraq in months.
U.S. Marines are battling militants around the city's holiest site, where it's estimated more than 360 insurgents have been killed. Yesterday, Allawi made a surprise visit to Najaf and called on the militias to lay down their guns.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
IYAD ALLAWI, IRAQI INTERIM PRIME MINISTER (through translator): We hope this situation will end as soon as possible, and we believe gunmen should leave the holy sites quickly, lay down their weapons, and return to the rule of order and law.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: But is order within reach? Our military analyst, Brigadier General David Grange, is live from Chicago.
General, good morning. Thanks for being with us.
BRIG. GEN. DAVID GRANGE (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Thank you. Good morning.
KAGAN: How big of a risk was this for Allawi to go into Najaf?
GRANGE: Well, I think he's at risk every day. He's a primary target for the insurgents. He represents everything that they're against. And so it's a bold -- bold move by him as a leader. But again, he's demonstrating the leadership that's required right now to win this thing.
KAGAN: Does he really gain anything by going, though?
GRANGE: I think -- absolutely. His physical presence on scene, showing that he will not negotiate, that he demands that this is one Iraq, that those that are against the unification of this country will have to surrender, leave or be destroyed.
KAGAN: This was one of the first big battles since the turnover. Before the turnover, one of the big concerns was how would the U.S. military work alongside and work with the Iraqi military, and who would be in charge. How do you think that's working so far? GRANGE: I think on the decisions to go into a city like Najaf, to take on a group like Sadr's militia, is a decision of the Iraqi government, with U.S. backing, to provide the muscle, the heavy armor in order to get into areas, urban fighting, which is very difficult. And so the U.S. is always going to have a second role in this, even though they're going to be in some of the fiercest fighting. They're secondary to the Iraqi government.
KAGAN: But is that a situation you would want to be in, in a battle?
GRANGE: I believe so, because the commanders, the U.S. chain of command, is never going to agree to do anything that would not be advantageous to your own forces on the ground. Advantageous meaning the proper fire power is available, rules of engagement are set, and that the outcome is a clear objective in mind before you go ahead and commit yourself to this -- this area, like Najaf. So I think that was all done ahead of time.
KAGAN: And finally, a tactical question for you. This is -- this battle is raging near one of the holiest sites in the world of Islam, the shrine of the Imam Ali. How do you work around that and how do you do your best not to destroy something that would very much upset the Muslim world?
GRANGE: Well, extremely difficult, especially when the enemy forces that you face use the camouflage and concealment cover of facilities and people to protect themselves. But the U.S. military and, for instance, the military of Great Britain, are very well versed in fighting around off-limits areas like religious mosques, as an example in this case.
And so it's very tough. But they'll be able to do it. And they'll use the Iraqis in a close proximity of a mosque where need be.
And there are trained Iraqi special forces type units that can go in there and do that. But with U.S. backup. But it's difficult, but it can be done.
KAGAN: Brigadier General Retired David Grange. General, thank you for your time this morning -- Bill.
GRANGE: Thank you.
HEMMER: All right, Daryn. Ten minutes past the hour. Back to Carol Costello, starting again with Iraq.
Good morning, Carol.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: That's right.
Also on the subject of Iraq, the head of Iraq's war crimes tribunal is accused in connection with a murder in Iraq. His uncle, Ahmed Chalabi, a former member of Iraq's Governing Council, faces counterfeiting charges. Both men deny the accusations against them and say they are politically motivated. Terry Nichols is set to face formal sentencing just about an hour from now. Nichols was convicted in state court last May on 161 counts of murder for the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. He's already serving one life sentence for the murder of federal agents in the attack. Nichols is expected to get a second life sentence on state charges today.
In Britain, get this, trace amounts of the anti-depressant drug Prozac are being found in the drinking water. A British paper reports that an environment watchdog agency has found Prozac building up both in river systems and the ground water used for drinking supplies. Environmentalists are referring to the reported findings as hidden mass medication.
And in Illinois, thousands turned out for the opening of one of the largest Hindu temples in North America. The 22,400-square-foot temple has hand-carved Italian marble, Turkish limestone arches and gold-plated spires. It took volunteers more than two million hours and some $15 million to complete.
Back to New York now.
HEMMER: Carol, thanks for that.
If you had a good weekend weather-wise, I'll tell you what, it doesn't get much better. And we're not complaining for a second. Here's Chad Myers and CNN's...
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: For a change.
HEMMER: Come on. Come on.
MYERS: Actually, Carol...
HEMMER: (UNINTELLIGIBLE), by the way?
MYERS: Carol is the whiner, by the way.
HEMMER: Yes?
MYERS: Yes.
HEMMER: Carol?
MYERS: She is the whiner.
COSTELLO: I'll have to admit that I am indeed -- I'm drinking coffee. I am indeed the whiner. I'm drinking coffee because I'm tired.
(LAUGHTER)
HEMMER: At least you're honest.
COSTELLO: True.
MYERS: I have the violin out every morning for her.
Hey, good morning, everybody.
(WEATHER)
MYERS: Daryn, back to you.
KAGAN: Lovely. Thank you. I'm enjoying every minute of it.
HEMMER: That's right. What else would you say?
KAGAN: You know, I'm capable of whining as well. But I'm very happy today.
HEMMER: You got it. Let's get a break here.
In a moment, new evidence out of Saudi Arabia in a moment. A chilling videotape captures preparations for a deadly al Qaeda attack. Is it a how-to for future terror plots? We'll get to that.
KAGAN: And the clock is ticking for the tragic young victims of Sudan's humanitarian crisis. Christiane Amanpour has a live report.
HEMMER: Also, miracle twins. They survive risky separation surgery. Their doctor talks about the boys' recovery, which will not be easy. Still to come this hour.
Back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: More developments this morning in the war on terror. The White House defending its decision to raise the terror level last week, and says past intelligence has pointed at threats against the Capitol building and specific members of Congress. But it would not provide details on that.
Also, "TIME" Magazine reporting that al Qaeda has considered using limousines packed with explosives, hijacked helicopters and speed boats in terror attacks here in New York. We talked about that exclusive report on al Qaeda with "TIME" Magazine news director Howard Chua-Eoan earlier today.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: When the warning came out last weekend from Tom Ridge on that Sunday afternoon, why did it take a week for these details to come out and go public?
HOWARD CHUA-EOAN, "TIME" MAGAZINE: They were still going through a lot of it, because a lot of the information came from these disks which they basically only picked up on July 25. And he made the announcement six days later.
So a lot of this -- this information and all the details were only becoming clearer to everyone as the week went on. I mean, it was clear to them, they had seen a lot of it. That's what prompted them.
HEMMER: It was a question of time before going through and deciphering and getting the word out. First, about the limousines, what are you reporting on that? How -- what was the strategy behind using those?
CHUA-EOAN: The strategy was trucks would have been too obvious and they wouldn't have been -- they wouldn't have been able to bring them too close to the building they thought. But a limo stripped out and packed with explosives, driven up, no one seemed to mind, and no one seemed to -- would have stopped a limo.
HEMMER: Because you can see those vehicles on the streets in Manhattan.
CHUA-EOAN: Right. They're all over the place.
HEMMER: Plenty. You're exactly right. The heliports in New York City, what was the idea behind those?
CHUA-EOAN: Perhaps hijacking helicopters and launching attacks on the New York-New Jersey area. Parts of new York, there were photographs that are marked "midtown," "downtown," so that whoever had taken over the helicopter would be able to tell what part of town they were in.
HEMMER: Wow. What about the -- the Citigroup building? There were similarities that it found to the World Trade Center.
CHUA-EOAN: Yes. The analysis they had was that the building was built very much like the World Trade Center. A large gasoline bomb, tanker-truck would probably bring it down, they surmised.
And then it's interesting. They stopped doing that, they stopped thinking about that, because they had realized that these tanker- truckers -- trucks -- have GPS trackers. So they decided maybe it's not the right way to go.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: Again, from earlier today, "TIME" Magazine news director Howard Chua-Eoan. It is out on newsstands today as a fascinating piece of journalism, too, there in "TIME" Magazine -- Daryn.
KAGAN: There is new evidence out of Saudi Arabia on how al Qaeda conducts its terror operation. CNN has obtained a videotape that focuses on a terrorist attack last year. And as the U.S. tries to avert future terror attacks, this tape shows that the group uses information from surveillance and does detailed planning far in advance. More now from CNN's Brian Todd.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Surveillance, an al Qaeda staple. This tape showing what's believed to be the Al-Muhaya civilian housing compound in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This is that same neighborhood, and the product of that reconnaissance.
November of last year, suicide car bombs setting off three explosions kill at least 17 people at Al-Muhaya and wound more than 100. This type of surveillance now very much in the American public consciousness, as officials ratchet up the terrorism alert based partly on information about the casing of financial buildings in the U.S. at least three years ago.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Al Qaeda does meticulous planning over many years.
TODD: On this tape, we learn how the November attack in Riyadh was planned from the group believed to have carried it out, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
BEN VENZKE, INTELCENTER: And it's the kind of expertise that is frequent and -- frequently used and trained by al Qaeda cells around the world.
TODD: CNN obtained this tape from a group called IntelCenter, a consulting firm that works with U.S. government agencies. Experts who we consulted confirmed the authenticity of the tape. We see al Qaeda members displaying rocket-propelled grenades and surface-to-air missiles. But the operational part of the tape is perhaps the most chilling.
A diagram is shown of what IntelCenter says is the Al-Muhaya complex, and a technique which later proved very effective. A vehicle is painted with the markings and insignia of the Saudi security forces. Those vehicles were used to breach the Al-Muhaya compound.
We also see a man next to one of the vehicles later identified as Nasir al-Sayari (ph), an al Qaeda operative killed in that suicide attack. This tape, produced some months ago, was originally posted on a Web site. We asked IntelCenter why al Qaeda would tip off people on their operational techniques.
VENZKE: It's used for instructional material for future recruits. It's released after attacks to drive fund-raising, and as a morale boost for the group.
TODD (on camera): Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: Terrorism experts say that one other reason for distributing this tape is that since al Qaeda can no longer operate training camps with any consistency, the Internet and such tapes are a virtual replacement for those camps and often used as a communications network.
HEMMER: Let's get a break here. In a moment, Scott Peterson's defense team thinks their client could soon walk. Will he? All this coming now as word that the prosecution is ready to bring out its star witness. That story in a moment when we continue after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Convicted sex offender Mary Kay Letourneau has not spoken with her former child lover. On Friday, a judge lifted an order that banned her from seeing Vili Fualaau, now age 21. However, a close friend of Letourneau's tells CNN the former teacher has not spoken with him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mary usually handles things very well. And she handled prison with grace. And she -- she was a real class act. She really was.
But I'm telling you, the transition back into the world is a little -- it's taking a little bit of a toll on her. She said she just she said, "Christina, I look like a crime scene." She said, "I just am a mess."
And all she can focus on right now is her son, Steven (ph), her oldest son, and her other three children with -- you know, Mary Claire (ph), Nicholas (ph) and Jacqueline (ph). She just wants to see her kids.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Letourneau served more than seven years in prison for statutory rape. She had two daughters with her teenage lover. Again, now age 21.
Jack's on vacation, right, Daryn?
KAGAN: That, he is. And last I checked, Andy Borowitz was here with the "Question of the Day."
I softly talked to that earlier.
ANDY BOROWITZ, BOROWITZREPORT.COM: Well, now that you've stoked the audience's appetite for this question, new legislation's been introduced to carve Ronald Reagan's face on to Mount Rushmore. He would be joining George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. So as long as we're talking about adding someone else, our question is, whose face do you think should be added to Mount Rushmore?
Anne from Westbury writes: "If anyone's face should be added to Mount Rushmore, it should be Franklin D. Roosevelt. He not only brought us back from the depression, he brought us through World War II -- and he brought us and the world through the World War II. He was elected more times than any other president and was probably the only wealthy president to care about the common man."
OK.
David from Park Hills, Kentucky, writes: "Whoever is eventually credited with winning the war on terrorism. It could be Bush, it could be Kerry. And if it ends up being Kerry, his head is so thin, you could add yet another face."
(LAUGHTER)
Perhaps this thin face, I don't know.
Jim from Andover, Massachusetts's, writes: "I think we should add Michael Jackson. Put his old face on it and don't maintain it. That way time might eventually change it to his current face, truly living art."
And finally, D.W. from Crescent City, California, writes: "How about Monica Lewinsky? The present group looks like they need something to cheer them up."
There you go.
HEMMER: A little dour.
BOROWITZ: Very helpful.
HEMMER: The granite.
KAGAN: I think we do -- we need a woman up there. I don't know that that was the woman I was thinking of. But I was going to say, yes, a woman.
BOROWITZ: Well, there you go.
HEMMER: Kagan?
KAGAN: Me in particular?
HEMMER: Yes.
KAGAN: No, I think we can do a little better than that.
HEMMER: I think we have a graphics department on that right now.
Thank you, Andy.
In a moment here, get our week started with "90-Second Pop" in a moment on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: All ready for the opening bell there live from Wall Street, starting today where the Dow on Friday hit a new low for the year, off 147 points. That was the second straight day of triple- digit losses for the Dow 30, 9815 is your opening mark there.
Nasdaq also a tough day in trading on Friday; 1776 is where we open up today. Issues of oil $44 a barrel. You've got Iraq out there, the election, interest rates this week, with the fed meeting this week. So a whole lot going on for investors to think about. So we'll see if we can stabilize things today.
KAGAN: We will.
HEMMER: How are you doing, all right?
KAGAN: I'm doing great. I'm enjoying my one day up here.
HEMMER: Yes? Daryn Kagan up here for Soledad.
KAGAN: Yes.
HEMMER: She's resting at home.
KAGAN: She is. Doing a good job.
HEMMER: And it's good to have you.
KAGAN: Thank you. Good to be had.
HEMMER: That's what I'm talking about.
All right. In a moment here live to Sudan. There's an ongoing humanitarian crisis there, but there are some people trying to make things better. We'll look at one doctor doing just that. Christiane Amanpour is live. We'll get to Christiane in a matter of moments.
KAGAN: Also, here at home, we have the latest on those formerly -- and we stress "formerly" -- conjoined twins. Just two years old. They aren't out of the woods yet, but they're doing OK. And we're going to talk to their lead pediatrician.
HEMMER: Good deal.
In the meantime, though, this humanitarian crisis under way in Darfur, Sudan. Ethnic cleansing and starvation, the victims are young children there. Our chief international correspondent, Christiane Amanpour, live in west Darfur, Sudan.
What are they telling you, the doctors, Christiane, about the situation there?
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, as you mentioned, we did run into an American doctor yesterday who was treating some of the most severely malnourished children in an MSF hospital in the town not far from where we are now, the town of Al-Janina. Today, we're in the camp of Al-Janina, just on the outskirts of the city, and this is where the bulk of the displaced people, if you like, from this region have been gathered.
And again, we talked to another MSF doctor today, and she said that there's a big threat of diseases, there's a big threat of -- of a lot of suffering, because we're in the rainy season. It means this place is inundated on a regular basis, and it also means that not only is there not enough food, but there's also the threat of waterborne diseases and all sorts of things like malaria epidemics, diarrhea, respiratory diseases. And this could cause a real problem unless a lot of humanitarian aid reaches places like these very quickly. The doctor we talked to complained that even though this crisis has been going on for the better part of the last year and a half, it's only recently that the aid pipeline has been opened. And there hasn't been any pre-positioning of large stockpiles of food.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARIE NOELLE RODRIGUE, MSF COORDINATOR: They should have food during the rainy season, and they should have thought of having some -- - some planes and some storage on the ground to be ready. And they have been delays.
This assistance is overdue today. And the needs are here. Once you start to do deliver food, you have to do it on a regular basis. And we can see some delays in food distribution still now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AMANPOUR: So the Sudanese government, which is now under the international spotlight, is opening up these accesses for humanitarian workers and NGOSs much more than it was doing over the last several months. But still, there's about two million people in urgent need of food and medical treatment.
Now, of that two million, about a third are out of sight and out of reach of the humanitarian groups. They're not in camps like these. They're disbursed in the wilderness and haven't been able to come into these kinds of camps. So those are the people who are the most vulnerable. And the whole aid community, including USAID, is concerned about what happens to these people unless rapid humanitarian assistance reaches them -- Bill.
HEMMER: Christiane, your last report you talked about the rainy season coming there and bringing even more problems. How far are we from that period of time when it reaches Sudan, the rainy season?
AMANPOUR: Well, we're in it. We're in it right now, except it's just at the beginning. So you get heavy rains, perhaps every other day, and they last perhaps an hour or so.
But in the next few weeks, in the next month, certainly, it will be sheet rain for a long, long time. It ends somewhere around the end of September. And that rain is not only uncomfortable, but it makes transport almost impossible.
As I say, it increases the risk of waterborne diseases. It increases the risk of malaria mosquitoes and an epidemic of malaria. So these are very, very serious problems that are just compounded by the rainy season. And because there wasn't any pre-positioning before the rainy season, it is making it even more difficult to get food to the needy.
HEMMER: Christiane, thanks. Christiane Amanpour in Darfur, Sudan, live there -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Back here in the U.S., Scott Peterson's double murder trial resumes tomorrow morning. The judge put the trial on hold last Thursday so defense attorneys can investigate newly-discovered evidence. Our Rusty Dornin has this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Could Scott Peterson walk out of court a free man as a result of this newly- discovered evidence? His attorney Mark Geragos thinks it's possible. But legal observers here are doubtful.
MICHAEL CARDOZA, LEGAL ANALYST: My sense of this is, whatever it is will not end this trial. But it certainly could help the defense.
DORNIN: Geragos says it could potentially exonerate Peterson. A source close to the case tells CNN it's a piece of physical evidence found close to the remains of Laci Peterson or her unborn son. Following the evidence announcement, Geragos emerged from court with Peterson's mother, Jackie, but refused to elaborate.
MARK GERAGOS, PETERSON'S ATTORNEY: And all I can tell you is that obviously, as the judge indicated, we need to -- we need to follow up on it, and that's what we're going to do.
DORNIN: Geragos said outside the courtroom the evidence was turned over to the defense by the prosecution. Two days earlier, prosecutors were soundly rebuked by the judge for not turning over all evidence to the defense. Judge Alfred Delucchi was so angry he struck down the testimony of one prosecution witness.
Another prosecution witness testified Peterson searched the Internet for boat and fishing information early in the same month his wife went missing. Last week's proceedings also revealed that Peterson ordered pornography channels to be added to his cable TV just a weeks following his wife's disappearance.
Court will resume Tuesday, and coming up, the star prosecution witness is expected to finally take the stand, Amber Frey, Scott Peterson's former girlfriend. In a trial that often has empty seats in the courtroom, for this witness there won't be any.
Rusty Dornin, CNN, Redwood City, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: We are at 36 minutes past the hour. Time for a look at some of the day's other news. Carol Costello has that.
Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: Good morning, Daryn. Thank you.
Californians are being urged to turn down the air-conditioning. A summer heat wave is forcing state authorities to issue a power watch. Demand for electricity is expected to surge to record heights today as temperatures in parts of the state hit triple digits. More than 150 firefighters in Chicago are now battling an extra (ph) alarm fire. The four-alarm blaze was reported earlier this morning at an abandoned warehouse at the city's south side. A police official says the inferno is about two city blocks long. No injuries reported.
In Arizona, five illegal immigrants are dead after trying to cross the desert near the U.S.-Mexican border. The bodies found yesterday were part of a larger group stranded in the hot and rugged terrain. Authorities are searching for a sixth group member. Four other people survived the ordeal.
And finally, another try at the $10 million ANSARI X Prize. The Rubicon I (ph) exploded shortly after launch near Olympic National Park yesterday. No one was hurt.
More than two dozen teams are competing to send a privately- funded reusable craft into sub-orbit. It's part of a plan to encourage and develop space travel. So they'll have to try, try again -- Bill.
HEMMER: And those cases, what goes up comes back down, as we see. Hey, thank you, Carol.
A check of the weather now with Chad Myers, looking outside. We're taking a picture of this day.
MYERS: Yes, and put it in a bottle. Wow! Yes, good stuff -- and good stuff all weekend, for that matter, Bill.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MYERS: Daryn, back to you.
KAGAN: Chad, thank you so much.
To New York now. It is just one week after 2-year-old twins are separated. Doctors say their recovery is exceeding expectations.
The Filipino boys are not out of the woods yet. We're showing you some new video just in to us here at CNN. It's our first look at the children since completion of the procedure.
Clarence and Carl were joined at the head. Dr. Robert Marion is the lead pediatrician at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: What is the latest you can tell us about Carl and Clarence?
DR. ROBERT MARION, MONTEFIORE MEDICAL CENTER: Well, I think they're doing really well. As you said, they're really exceeding expectations.
I saw them a little while ago. They are both sleeping comfortably this morning, but their vital signs are fine. And there really have been no complications at all to speak of. They're really doing miraculously well.
KAGAN: When you say they are still sleeping, are you keeping them sedated purposely?
MARION: Yes. We are keeping them sedated in order to prevent them from feeling significant pain, but also to prevent them from moving around too much, because we really want their wounds to heel.
KAGAN: And is Carl in particular facing some more challenges with some brain fluid?
MARION: Yes. What happened with Carl was that when they -- at the time of surgery it was found that Clarence really owned the covering of the brain called the dura.
At the time of surgery, Dr. Goodrich had to rebuild a dura for Carl. And as a result of that, we are worried about the drainage of cerebral spinal fluid, the normal fluid that bathes and protects the brain in Carl.
So, we're worried that he may build up some fluid in his brain, a condition called hydrocephalus. But if that becomes the case, we may have to do a shunt on him. But that's certainly an eventuality that we almost expect, and we'll see if we really need to do that.
KAGAN: I understand, it would seem to me to make sense that people are focusing on the brain and what happens with potential brain damage. But there's another challenge in that both systems -- now that you've separated these boys...
MARION: Yes.
KAGAN: ... their other body organs need to take over. How is that going for each boy?
MARION: It seems to be going pretty well. It was clear also from the beginning that Clarence was more dominant in some areas in terms of his body's functioning than Carl. Clarence was always hypertensive. He had increased blood pressure, and his kidneys were working more actively, I guess, than Carl.
Carl has done fine since the surgery, but it was almost as if at the time that the boys were separated it was almost as if the umbilical cord was cut, and Carl now has to start functioning on his own. He was dependent on Clarence for some of his normal functioning. But he seems to be doing fine. All systems are go.
KAGAN: An interesting dilemma for mom over the weekend, because since the boys are now separated for the first time they went to different places in the hospital. She had to choose which boy she was supposed to go with.
MARION: That's true. It becomes a very big problem for Arlene, their mom. She's only known them prior to surgery as Carl and Clarence together. When they went to the O.R. and were separated, Carl and Clarence basically ceased to be as a single entity. And they came back as two separate little boys.
And now she has to learn how really how to re-mother them. She has to learn how to bathe them and to feed them and all of the rest of the things that mothers normally have to learn to do in the first few weeks of life.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: And once again, new pictures we're just getting into us here at CNN, as we remind you, the twins were separated during four different surgeries. They still are at high risk for complications.
HEMMER: We have seen in similar stories in the past, though, recovery process is long.
KAGAN: It is long. And they're not...
HEMMER: Operations do come.
KAGAN: And they're not done with the other surgeries.
HEMMER: Let's get a break here. In a moment, when Alan Greenspan talks, and when the Fed meets, the market listens. What does tomorrow's Fed meeting mean for the markets? We'll get to that.
KAGAN: And talk's not cheap, at least not when it comes to Oprah. The big deal that's keeping her talk show on the air for a few more years. We'll tell you about that.
Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: We are reviving the career of Bon Jovi single-handedly here on AMERICAN MORNING. It's Monday, "90-Second Pop" time, rounding up the usual suspects today.
Say hello to Toure, contributing editor for "Rolling Stone"; Sarah of "New York Magazine"; and B.J. from "US Weekly."
SARAH BERNARD, "NEW YORK" MAGAZINE: This is a game show.
HEMMER: No last names needed. You guys are as big as ever. It's like Elvis. It's like Madonna. It's like Oprah.
(CROSSTALK)
HEMMER: Let's start with Oprah, 600 million over six years, is that what it took?
BERNARD: I know. Yes, that's what it took. Well, you know, it proves that even if you're Oprah if you threaten to quit, you get a raise. So, this is actually very good strategy on her part. She...
HEMMER: She was going to retire in 2006.
BERNARD: She was going to retire, exactly, and then so she extended it five more years to 2011, which will be her 25th anniversary of the show.
Now, I think what's interesting about this what it does to all of the people who were preparing to fill her shoes, you know, Dr. Phil, Ellen DeGeneres, even the Jane Pauley show, which is starting up soon. I think they were really hoping that Oprah was going to move out of the way. It would be like if, you know, Johnny Carson was like, no, I'll stay five more years.
HEMMER: Right.
BERNARD: And then Jay Leno had nothing.
TOURE, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, "ROLLING STONE": This is really actually good news for Hillary Clinton, because when Oprah is ready to run for president, it's over. It's her slam dunk. And your boy, Michael Moore, agrees with me. He says in his book Oprah could be president like that.
HEMMER: Whose boy?
TOURE: Michael Moore.
HEMMER: Whose boy?
(CROSSTALK)
HEMMER: Go ahead, B.J.
B.J. SIGESMUND, "US WEEKLY": The thing with Oprah is she's not doing it for the money. She's already a billionaire. She lives better than Donald Trump. She has her own private jet.
But Oprah is incredibly influential. Look at how she influences the culture. Look at how she picks "Anna Karenina" for her book club and gets, you know, millions of people reading that book this June. And she wants to do new shows, not just her own, but she wants her production company, Harpo, to start up new shows.
HEMMER: From a business perspective, is there much of a risk here paying out all that money going into 2011 trying to make sure she still has her appeal?
TOURE: Not for Oprah.
SIGESMUND: No.
BERNARD: No, I don't think so.
TOURE: Not for Oprah. I mean, she has got an army behind her.
SIGESMUND: Yes.
TOURE: I mean, people love her. She's an American television institution.
HEMMER: Got it. Next topic, B.J., it's a first-name basis only here. Have you picked that up yet? You saw a creepy film called "Open Water."
SIGESMUND: I did. Yes.
HEMMER: By the way, it plays to all of my worst fears.
SIGESMUND: I love it. It's got tons of good buzz. For people who don't know, "Open Water" is the "Blair Witch Project" meets "Jaws" type movie. It's a low-budget film. It takes place in the Bahamas, where this workaholic American couple gets stranded in the middle of the water and surrounded by sharks.
It's incredibly disturbing. It stays with you for days. It played in 50 theaters this weekend and it made about $1 million. But they're going to platform it, and by August...
(CROSSTALK)
HEMMER: So hang on, hang on. Sharks in dark waters. That's enough of a nightmare for me. BERNARD: I saw the trailer, and I was under the seat. There is no way I could see that movie.
HEMMER: But you recommend it.
SIGESMUND: Oh, yes. And I think it's going to build and become the sleeper hit of the late summer.
HEMMER: What about "Collateral," over the weekend 22 million?
TOURE: "Collateral" was the bomb. It's so much fun. Let me tell you, Jamie Foxx is about to become a gigantic star...
BERNARD: Absolutely.
TOURE: ... like the top A-list level like Denzel, Will Smith, Jamie Foxx. And after Ray comes out, the Ray Charles movie in November, Oscar buzz, he's going to be out of here, supernova megastar.
SIGESMUND: Don't forget this was an R-rated movie, and Tom Cruise has proven in his last three roles -- there was "Vanilla Sky," there was "Last Samurai" and now "Collateral" - that he can still open a movie big at number one, even when it's R-rated and even this time when he's playing against type as a villain in a gray-haired wig.
TOURE: Right. Don't you think that he watched "Training Day," and was like, hey?
HEMMER: ... brilliant idea.
TOURE: It worked.
HEMMER: Yes. BERNARD: I think people don't like to see Tom Cruise in that role with his salt and pepper hair. They don't like seeing him like that. So, I think people went to see it for Jamie. I really do.
HEMMER: He's 42 and getting gray. I know a little bit about that.
Toure, you're all hyped up for Dave Chappelle, a $50 million deal on Comedy Central?
TOURE: He deserves it. This is one of the best shows on TV. It's consistently funny. It's better than the "Chris Rock Show," which that was amazing in its time. So, I mean, people are watch this on DVD over and over. This is some cult stuff.
BERNARD: This is a lot of money, though. And it just proves that when something is successful on TV, I think people are so confused right now about what is going to make money that they just throw money at it. I mean, it's almost like the Oprah thing, right?
TOURE: But they need Chappelle at Comedy Central. BERNARD: They need him.
SIGESMUND: What was so interesting, though, is his $50 million deal includes DVD dividends. Like this has been the best-selling DVD of the year. It sold 1.7 million copies, and people more and more -- James Gandolfini reportedly also wanted a cut of the DVD for "The Sopranos."
BERNARD: Right, it used to be syndication, and now it's DVD.
TOURE: And Chappelle is getting DVD money from the past.
SIGESMUND: Right.
HEMMER: But the irony in all of this, he was working on a film about Rick James.
SIGESMUND: Right.
BERNARD: That's right.
TOURE: It's going to be hard for Chappelle to do a funny satirical movie about Rick James now that he's gone.
SIGESMUND: The joke is gone.
TOURE: Like, yes, that's it.
BERNARD: He can pull it out.
HEMMER: Well, you're all super freaks to me, by the way.
SIGESMUND: Thank you.
TOURE: Give it to me, baby. HEMMER: Good to see you on a Monday, all right? B.J., Sarah, Toure, thanks.
All right. Here's Daryn now.
KAGAN: Still to come, jobs are down. Will rates go up? The Fed is expected to raise interest rates tomorrow. Is it a bad sign for the economy?
Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Plenty of interest in what might happen with interest rates. Christine Romans in for Andy Serwer, "Minding Your Business."
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT: A little bit of reluctance before a Fed meeting tomorrow. Yes. We get that a lot.
The Fed will meet tomorrow and try to decide whether it's going to raise interest rates another 25 basis points, as they say, on Wall Street. And it's expected they will.
The Fed up 25 points at 9840. A bit of a calm day after a stormy session on Wall Street on Friday. Triple-digit sell-off. Also a really tough week for stocks last week.
So what will Greenspan say about the really tough jobs report? Maybe they -- maybe they'll say something in their -- in their statements, that the economy is still in that little rough patch that we're trying to get through. We keep saying the economy is stuck between a soft patch and an oil patch, because oil prices went up, and they've been near record today. The market, as -- as you might expect, just biding its time for that meeting tomorrow.
KAGAN: So when the Fed gets together, do they really decide on that day or do they kind of know going in?
ROMANS: They do decide on that day. Although the Fed has given us some pretty good indications that it will continue to raise rates at a measured pace. That's what they had said the last time around.
Rates are so low, a lot of people think they've got to race them 25 basis points for the next few meetings. What people didn't expect was that the jobs market was going to be so weak.
A lot of folks thought the jobs market was going to be showing some signs of improvement right now. And it just hasn't. You know, it's not just about monetary policy. Now it's political, too, because, you know, you've got three months until the -- until the election.
So both sides playing off the -- the jobs situation. It's going to be -- it's going to be wild, I predict, in the next three months.
KAGAN: Christine, thank you for that. ROMANS: Sure.
HEMMER: Jack is on vacation. Andy Borowitz is doing the "Question of the Day" for us.
How are you doing? You're very tall, by the way.
BOROWITZ: Well, thank you. That answers one question: am I tall or not?
(LAUGHTER)
Well, a California congressman would like to add Ronald Reagan's face to Mount Rushmore. And so our question was, as long as we're going to add somebody to Mount Rushmore, who should it be? And you had some interesting answers.
Chris from Huron, South Dakota, writes: "Oh, good grief. If you want to start blasting away at mountains, pick one in California and knock yourselves out. Mount Rushmore is a finished product and should not be changed."
OK.
Betty from Twin Falls, Idaho, writes: "If Reagan, father of the homeless, is added to the mountain with our other really great leaders, the entire mountain will fall down."
Well, so the trickle-down theory. OK.
William from Miami, Florida, writes: "Enough with the highlighting of big white men to Mount Rushmore. Let's save the available space for our first president of color or who is female."
There you go.
HEMMER: In 2004? I don't think that's going to happen because John Kerry's white and George Bush is white. But I was thinking, you know, I mean, if we could do a -- if we could just some day save space for (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
BOROWITZ: Oh, look at that. Look at that.
HEMMER: I think the chances of that happening...
(CROSSTALK)
BOROWITZ: I feel that I am jutting a little too far out. It's sort of scary.
HEMMER: Excellent positioning, too.
BOROWITZ: Excellent.
KAGAN: Thank you. I would be forever next to you in eternity.
HEMMER: There you go. Or in granite.
KAGAN: Think about that. He's scratching that idea. Exactly.
All right. Thank you for that, Bill.
Coming up on CNN, we have chilling details on what could be the plan for al Qaeda's next big attack. Scary new methods are mentioned and America's weaknesses are outlined. That is coming up in the next hour with Drew Griffin on "CNN LIVE TODAY," doing my job.
Thank you, Drew.
AMERICAN MORNING will be back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: All right. We've got to run. Thanks for being with us today on this Monday. We'll see you tomorrow.
See you tomorrow, Daryn.
KAGAN: Yes. I'm heading back to Atlanta to do my regular job. I'll be back here in a couple of weeks.
HEMMER: OK.
KAGAN: Yes.
HEMMER: We'll see you then, back in Granite.
KAGAN: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
HEMMER: Here's Drew Griffin at the CNN Center.
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