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American Morning
31 Marines Die in Helicopter Crash in Baghdad; Social Security Reform
Aired January 26, 2005 - 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.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news from Iraq to tell you about. Disaster in the western desert. Thirty-one U.S. Marines killed when their transport helicopter goes down. The investigation on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody. Breaking news out of Iraq again this hour tops our newscast here. Thirty-one American Marines are dead in a helicopter crash in the western part of Iraq. In a separate incident, we're hearing four other Marines killed in a combat mission, killed in action west of Baghdad.
Jeff Koinange's in Baghdad. Barbara Starr's at the Pentagon. Both coming up here in a moment.
O'BRIEN: Also this morning, we're talking about Social Security reform with Senator Olympia Snowe. She expressed doubts about the president's plan to create private savings accounts, but that was before she met with him yesterday. We're going to find out if the president was able to change her mind.
Jack has moved on this morning, run out to go attend a meeting, but we're going right to this top story, the breaking news out of Iraq. Thirty-one U.S. Marines killed, their helicopter, as we told you, going down in the western part of the country, near the town of Ar Rutbah. A search and rescue team is now there on the scene.
CNN's Jeff Koinange is in Baghdad this morning.
Jeff, good morning, again.
JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
And we're hearing from a spokesman from the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force that the helicopter, a CH-53 Sea Stallion, crashed about 1:20 a.m. local time here early Wednesday morning. It crashed near the town of Ar Rutbah. That's in the Al Anbar Province, very volatile section, as you know, in the Sunni Triangle, not too far from the towns of Falluja and Ramadi, where insurgents have been attacking U.S. forces on the ground.
This spokesman confirming 31 Marines killed. He couldn't tell us how many Marines were onboard or, indeed, how many have been injured in the incident. He did further elaborate by saying a search and rescue team is on the ground as we speak. And an investigation is being launched as to what the cause of the crash was, whether it was a hostile attack or an accident. We can tell you, 31 are dead.
In a separate incident not too far from there, four Marines killed by insurgents in an ambush. So 35 U.S. Marines killed in a single day, bringing the total to one of the highest casualty rates of U.S. forces on the ground. And overall, Soledad, since the war began nearly two years ago, the death toll of U.S. forces has climbed upwards of 1,400 -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: A terrible toll. Jeff Koinange for us in Baghdad this morning. Jeff, thank you for that update -- Bill.
HEMMER: Let's see what else we can find out at the Pentagon. Barbara Starr is checking in there.
Barbara, good morning there. It's called a CH-53, a Sea Stallion, commonly used aircraft for the Marines. What more can you tell us?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bill, indeed, the Sea Stallion is one of the workhorse helicopters of the fleet. Anywhere you travel these days in Iraq, in Afghanistan, in any of the front line zone, you are going to be on one of these Sea Stallion helicopters.
The Sea Stallion in its various configurations carries troops, supply, equipment. There are a number of variants. It even operates with Special Forces.
In some configurations, it carries more than 50 troops. By all accounts, it was carrying something around 30 on this mission.
The Sea Stallion is also capable of conducting some in-flight refueling while it's in the air. Always a mission with some risk.
This helicopter has a very long tradition of service in the United States military. In recent years, on those front line zones, it has operated in Mogadishu and Somalia, it has operated throughout the Balkans and, as we say, throughout Iraq and Afghanistan.
Now, we don't know, of course, the exact mission that this helicopter was on in western Iraq, a very remote area of Iraq. But U.S. troops do go out there on a regular basis.
They go out to the border areas along the Jordanian border. Of course, along the border a bit north with Syria. This is part, always, of an effort to control movements of potential insurgents, potential insurgent activities in that western desert.
It would not be unusual for a significant number of troops to be carried by helicopter out to there. As you say, though, the investigation goes on. We simply do not know at this point how this tragedy occurred -- Bill. HEMMER: You mentioned it's remote. That's a bit of an understatement, too.
That part of Iraq, there is virtually nothing out there. There's a highway that connects Amman, Jordan, with Baghdad, that's used by contractors, we know, the U.S. military. It had been used by journalists quite often until the airport reopened there, just west of Baghdad. But aside from all of that, is anyone at the Pentagon talking about weather conditions when this helicopter went down, Barbara?
STARR: Well, that is something they are looking into, of course. And they are going to try to reconstruct all that. But I must tell you, the helicopter, barring, as you have indicated, visibility issues, do operate through some -- what we as civilians would consider some fairly severe weather conditions.
They do watch. There has been -- there's always the issue of sand, blowing sand in the wind, of fog, of rain. It is wintertime in Iraq. And you might not think that it rains out there, but it certainly does.
So they will be looking at that and trying to determine what exactly did happen here. That investigation, of course, like all military investigations, expected to take sometime -- Bill.
HEMMER: All right. Barbara, thanks.
Thirty-one dead in that helicopter incident. Four other Marines dead west of Baghdad. Brings the total in the past hour to 35 that we're reporting here on CNN. More on this throughout the hour and day here -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Let's get other headlines now with Carol Costello.
Good morning, again, Carol.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. Good morning to all of you.
"Now in the News," the Senate Judiciary Committee is meeting in about 30 minutes to consider the nomination of Alberto Gonzales for attorney general. He is expected to easily pass the committee. The full Senate is also expected to take a final vote today on Condoleezza Rice's nomination for secretary of state. And be sure to stay tuned to CNN for live coverage of the vote beginning at 11:30 a.m. Eastern.
In southern California, fears of another mudslide forcing the evacuation of six homes at the bottom of a 70-foot slope. Dozens of people voluntarily leaving their homes. As much as an inch of rain is expected beginning today. Previous rains have already saturated the ground, and officials fear the slope could collapse.
The FBI now looking into charges that the Greater Alabama Boy Scout Council was listing fake numbers, inflating its numbers to gain funding from organizations like the United Way. The council is slated to get about $1 million from the United Way this year. A spokesman for the Boy Scouts national office says the organization is dedicated to accurate reporting of its membership.
And two space station crewmen are resting in their orbiting home after a five-hour space walk. Isn't that an amazing picture?
They used the time to install an experimental robotic arm and inspect air vents. And you can see one of them working at the lower part of the screen there. See him? He's moving?
O'BRIEN: Yes.
COSTELLO: This is their first space walk since arriving in October. It actually looks fake, doesn't it? This is not fake. Neither was that, actually. But...
An overturned truck in Howard County, Maryland. That's I-95. And you can see the truck there. There's a stream bed beneath it. So as you might imagine, this is a very dangerous situation right now.
Traffic must be a nightmare. Howard County is between Washington and Baltimore. Actually, it's closer to Washington than it is to Baltimore. And they're just trying to...
O'BRIEN: And a major thoroughfare, too. You've got to imagine that there are some angry motorists who are on either side of this.
COSTELLO: Yes. You see the truck down there? You see the men down there?
O'BRIEN: Right under the overpass.
COSTELLO: Any little thing that happens open the highways in that area causes a major, major, major delay. So you can just imagine how traffic is around this accident site.
O'BRIEN: And it's rush hour.
COSTELLO: And it is rush hour. And when we get more -- and we hope no one's hurt. When we get more information, though, we'll pass it along to you. There's a really good shot of it now.
Howard County, Maryland. And they're working to -- I don't know if they've gotten the truck driver out. Can you tell, Soledad?
O'BRIEN: It's hard to see from these pictures. But of course we'll update everybody on this story. Hopefully it's all turned out for the best at the end.
Carol, thank you very much. Appreciate that.
Let's head back to Bill.
HEMMER: All right, Soledad.
Seven minutes past the hour now. While President Bush's new Social Security plan continues to draw criticism, oftentimes from both sides of the political aisle, yesterday, members of the Senate Finance Committee met at the White House to talk about their concerns with the proposed changes in the program. Among those in attendance, Olympia Snowe, the senator from the state of Maine. I talked with her earlier and asked her what she thought about the meeting yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEN. OLYMPIA SNOWE (R), MAINE: Well, I thought it was a very constructive and productive meeting in the sense that we had a chance to talk with the president. He wanted to engage members of the Congress and those of us who sit on the Senate Finance Committee about the issues concerning Social Security. He indicated that a significant portion of the State of the Union Address will be dedicated and devoted to the issue of Social Security.
HEMMER: So you're hopeful for next Wednesday you're going to get more details? Is that what you're saying?
SNOWE: Exactly. And I gathered from his remarks yesterday that they are working through many of the details and more specificity with respect to his own proposals. So I would anticipate that we will learn more about what he intends to do and how he intends to go about looking at the issue.
HEMMER: Now, you have been publicly a bit of a critic about this private plan, about putting money into private accounts. Was that satisfactory yesterday, then, hearing that more details come out next week?
SNOWE: Well, certainly, I will be looking forward to hearing what the president has to say and how he intends to go about it. I did express my views yesterday.
It wasn't so much creating personal savings accounts in addition to Social Security. It was a question of using, you know, the payroll tax for a means of supporting it. And I think we have to continue to support the underlying tenets of the Social Security trust fund as providing a guaranteed defined benefit.
That's crucial. And looking at other options in retirement security is one -- one way in which we can address the issue of how we can expand personal retirement savings for Americans. And I think that's an important issue. But I don't want to undermine Social Security.
HEMMER: Well, some Republicans, I think yourself included, believe the White House is using the PR campaign on this issue. Is that the case, do you believe, or is it just early in the process now?
SNOWE: Well, I think the discussion in the public domain has gotten ahead of where we are today, sort of a free-fall in that sense. And I do think it's going to be critical for us to not rush to act, not act precipitously.
I think we have to approach this issue very cautiously because it's so important to so many Americans for now and in the future. So I think in the parameters of this debate the process hasn't been defined, and certainly the message. And I think the president understands that. And that's why he hopes to correct some of these issues in the State of the Union Address. So we'll go from there and look at these issues.
HEMMER: Sure. Now, you've said that seniors are scared based on what they're hearing or not hearing at this point. But the reform is more targeted at younger Americans, is it not?
SNOWE: Well, I think the question is what's going to happen to the overall Social Security trust fund and the concern of using up to $2 trillion in the payroll tax to finance personal savings accounts. Using the existing payroll tax, it would raise questions of whether or not the government would pay it back, when they'll pay it back, and whether or not we're doing anything to strengthen the existing system.
The personal savings account would be designed for younger workers. That makes sense for the future in some way, in some dimension of the overall broader issue of retirement security. But I think we have to make sure that we send a message to seniors that we're going to continue to support and strengthen the existing Social Security trust fund.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: The State of the Union Address next Wednesday in Washington. Republican Senator Olympia Snowe from the Capitol earlier today.
Getting word from the White House now the president will make an address in the briefing room at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time, about, oh, 49 minutes from now. So we will have that live for you from the White House when we see the president there -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Thanks, Bill.
Another look at the weather now. Chad Myers at the CNN Center with the latest forecast for us.
Hey, Chad. Good morning again.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Soledad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: Well, we're glad that they are nice and warm. Chad, thank you very much. Appreciate it.
HEMMER: Again, we're getting word now the president will speak at the White House, he'll take questions from reporters 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time. We'll have it live here for you on CNN when it happens.
O'BRIEN: Well, as you well know, some states tax cigarettes, others tax alcohol. Although one lawmaker now wants to tax vanity. We'll explain just ahead. HEMMER: Also, an entire seaside town coated in a thick layer of ice. We'll talk to one woman. She's lived there for 30 years and says her home feels like an igloo. From these pictures, she's probably right.
Back in a moment here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: A Washington State lawmaker is behind a plan that would raise millions for children's health care. State Senator Karen Keiser is proposing a vanity tax on cosmetic procedures, like facelifts and tummy tucks and hair implants. She joins us from Olympia, Washington, to talks about her 6 percent solution, some are calling it.
Nice to see you, ma'am. Thanks for being with us.
KAREN KEISER, WASHINGTON STATE SENATE: Thank you, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: What do you define as cosmetic surgery? Because, of course, some people would say, well, if you're getting a breast job because of vanity, yes, that is. But if you're having a breast reduction because you've got horrible back pain, that wouldn't be. I mean, where do you draw the line?
KEISER: Well, you have it right there, Soledad. If it -- if it is a medical procedure, merely for cosmetic purposes, then it would be subject to our sales tax. If it has a medical purpose, to reduce back pain, to improve eyesight, in some way to improve the body's function, then it's a medical procedure and it is exempt from sales tax.
O'BRIEN: You say that as if it's a very clear line. But I have to imagine that there are lots of doctors out there who would say, well, actually, that's a very thin line. It's not always so clear, and sometimes something can be medically beneficial and also be based on vanity as well. How do you define that line?
KEISER: Well, in the bill, we define it with the actual treatments listed that would come under the sales tax. The bill proposes, for instance, that liposuction would be subject to the sales tax, that hair transplants would be subject to the sales tax, that facelifts would be subject.
However, reconstruction for, say, breast cancer, or reconstruction surgery on the face because of an accident, where there was major damage that had to be fixed or repaired, that's exempt. So we've tried to draw that fine line. And that's what making law is all about, is finding that fine line.
But I want to say that what we're really trying to do here is to help fund children's health care. Because we have a crisis right now, not only in our budget, but in the ability of our state to provide health services for kids. And as you probably know, the state of health care among our kids is not that good. We have asthma problems, we have obesity problems, we have all kinds of... O'BRIEN: So given all that -- and I agree with you, there's a huge litany of problems that I think experts everywhere would agree with you. How much money do you think you can raise by putting on this vanity tax?
KEISER: Well, it does seem to be a growth industry. I will say that. And that's encouraging, because there does seem to be more interest of individuals taking advantage of these kinds of medical procedures.
So on an estimate at this point annually, we're looking at somewhere between $20 million and $25 million a year. And certainly that's -- that's not the biggest source of funds in the world, but it will help. And when you're talking about a bill that dedicates the source of funding to children's health services, it will help a lot.
O'BRIEN: Are plastic surgeons marching in front of your offices now? What seriously has been the reaction right now?
KEISER: Well, you have that pretty well nailed. I'm afraid they're up in arms at the moment and making their case. And that's the whole process we go through with legislation.
We will be having hearings. The bill's been referred to the health care committee. And we'll be having hearings shortly on that. And everyone will have their chance to give their perspective, and then we'll try and get a vote and get this thing passed.
O'BRIEN: A little bit of work to do before this goes forward.
KEISER: Quite a bit.
O'BRIEN: Karen Keiser with the Washington State Senate. Thanks for joining us this morning. Appreciate it.
KEISER: Thank you, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Bill.
HEMMER: All right. Back to Massachusetts now. This weekend's blizzard with freezing temperatures and hurricane-force squalls pushed waves over a Massachusetts town. Homes and cars covered in ice. The pictures are extraordinary.
Some residents say their homes look and feel like an igloo. Polly Feinberg is one of them. She lives in the town of Hull, Massachusetts.
Good morning, Polly. And wouldn't you know it, it's snowing again today. Good morning to you, and thank...
POLLY FEINBERG, HOMETOWN FROZEN IN ICE: Hi, Bill.
HEMMER: What does this look like, your home?
FEINBERG: Well, my home looks like a scene from "Dr. Zhivago" in the middle of the winter. It's totally covered with ice from the top to the bottom.
HEMMER: Yes. How long have you lived there?
FEINBERG: We have lived in Hull for 30 years. We've been through many storms, including the blizzard of '78.
HEMMER: But anything like this?
FEINBERG: Nothing with the ice coverage like this. I think since it was so bitter cold, as soon as the splash from the waves hit the house, it would freeze. And then all during the high tide, for about two hours, the waves were hitting the house. So the ice just continued to build up and up and up until it was all covered.
HEMMER: So this is saltwater on your house. Is that right?
FEINBERG: Yes, it's saltwater from the ocean.
HEMMER: Does it look any different from what regular water would look like?
FEINBERG: I think it has a slightly yellowish tinge to it. It's not crystal clear. It's very thick on the houses.
HEMMER: When you woke up, that first morning, what did it look like?
FEINBERG: Well, the -- we have big picture windows that looked out over the ocean and they were totally covered with ice. It was like living in a igloo. We couldn't see at all out except for one window in the corner of the house.
And it was just -- the house was very dark. And it seemed just hazy all over the house. It was very unnerving.
HEMMER: Yes. How did you get out? How did you get out, Polly?
FEINBERG: We were able to get out the side door with a lot of effort, because the winds were about 60, 70 miles an hour, and they were pushing against the door. So you had to lean against it really hard and then grab the railing once you were outside so you wouldn't get blown down the porch.
HEMMER: My, my.
FEINBERG: But once the tide came in, we didn't want to get out at all, anyways. The streets were flooded.
HEMMER: Yes, I bet. We spoke with a neighbor of yours earlier today, Christy Smith (ph) and her daughter, Devin (ph). If you know them, how are the neighbors helping each other out?
FEINBERG: Well, we just sort of keep in contact with each other and make sure everybody's all right and your cars are OK, and you've got heat and that everybody's got heat and water going. So we just sort of telephone each other. HEMMER: Got to wait for that stuff to melt, sooner rather than later.
FEINBERG: Yes.
HEMMER: Hey, thank you, Polly. Thanks for sharing with us today. It's an extraordinary picture, too, and one that caught our interest yesterday. So thanks for coming on today. Polly Feinberg up there in Hull, Massachusetts. And good luck -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: As we continue here on AMERICAN MORNING, we're going to continue to update you on this terrible tragedy out of Iraq to tell you about, 32 U.S. Marines now dead when the chopper goes down. More information on that is just ahead.
Also, the president is talking to reporters. We expect his remarks at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time coming to us from the briefing room at the White House. We are told he'll be talking about his opening statements on his second-term agenda, then he's going to take some questions.
We expect, of course, that he's going to have something to say about this deadly day for the military. That's ahead at the top of the hour.
Stay with us. You're watching AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Much more to tell you about in this deadly tragedy in Iraq. Thirty-one Marines dead.
It happened in the western part of the country, as you can see right there, in Rutbah, right around there. It is on the border with Jordan. Not much actually going on in that particular area. And the details of what exactly happened with this chopper going down are unclear at this hour.
No word yet if it was an attack or, if, in fact, it was an accident. More information we expect to be coming in as search and rescue is on the ground there.
The Sea Stallion, it is a super Stallion. It is called the workhorse of the fleet. You can see some of the details there.
It can hold up to 55 troops, three crewmembers. We are told somewhere around 30-plus members the military are -- were on that -- on that chopper. Much more to tell you about. And we're expecting, of course, to get more information from the president on this, as well, shortly, really.
HEMMER: We will get to that about 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time, which is about 34 minutes from now.
In the meantime, though, in California, Glendale, California, look at this now. Two commuter trains apparently side swiped one another. It is early there on the West Coast, just about 6:30 local time. This would be commuter traffic, morning traffic.
Not much information to us now other than this: KABC is our affiliate working this story. Glendale, California, two commuter trains sideswiped each other. And that's about all we have now. We'll continue to work that story as well.
Soledad mentioned the president. He will speak at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time from the briefing room at the White House. We can anticipate two topics, Iraq, with the elections four days away, this Marine helicopter incident that we've been reporting now for the past two hours. And also, the ambitions for the second term for this president. State of the Union Address comes Wednesday night next week in Washington.
Back in a moment here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired January 26, 2005 - 8:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news from Iraq to tell you about. Disaster in the western desert. Thirty-one U.S. Marines killed when their transport helicopter goes down. The investigation on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody. Breaking news out of Iraq again this hour tops our newscast here. Thirty-one American Marines are dead in a helicopter crash in the western part of Iraq. In a separate incident, we're hearing four other Marines killed in a combat mission, killed in action west of Baghdad.
Jeff Koinange's in Baghdad. Barbara Starr's at the Pentagon. Both coming up here in a moment.
O'BRIEN: Also this morning, we're talking about Social Security reform with Senator Olympia Snowe. She expressed doubts about the president's plan to create private savings accounts, but that was before she met with him yesterday. We're going to find out if the president was able to change her mind.
Jack has moved on this morning, run out to go attend a meeting, but we're going right to this top story, the breaking news out of Iraq. Thirty-one U.S. Marines killed, their helicopter, as we told you, going down in the western part of the country, near the town of Ar Rutbah. A search and rescue team is now there on the scene.
CNN's Jeff Koinange is in Baghdad this morning.
Jeff, good morning, again.
JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
And we're hearing from a spokesman from the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force that the helicopter, a CH-53 Sea Stallion, crashed about 1:20 a.m. local time here early Wednesday morning. It crashed near the town of Ar Rutbah. That's in the Al Anbar Province, very volatile section, as you know, in the Sunni Triangle, not too far from the towns of Falluja and Ramadi, where insurgents have been attacking U.S. forces on the ground.
This spokesman confirming 31 Marines killed. He couldn't tell us how many Marines were onboard or, indeed, how many have been injured in the incident. He did further elaborate by saying a search and rescue team is on the ground as we speak. And an investigation is being launched as to what the cause of the crash was, whether it was a hostile attack or an accident. We can tell you, 31 are dead.
In a separate incident not too far from there, four Marines killed by insurgents in an ambush. So 35 U.S. Marines killed in a single day, bringing the total to one of the highest casualty rates of U.S. forces on the ground. And overall, Soledad, since the war began nearly two years ago, the death toll of U.S. forces has climbed upwards of 1,400 -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: A terrible toll. Jeff Koinange for us in Baghdad this morning. Jeff, thank you for that update -- Bill.
HEMMER: Let's see what else we can find out at the Pentagon. Barbara Starr is checking in there.
Barbara, good morning there. It's called a CH-53, a Sea Stallion, commonly used aircraft for the Marines. What more can you tell us?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bill, indeed, the Sea Stallion is one of the workhorse helicopters of the fleet. Anywhere you travel these days in Iraq, in Afghanistan, in any of the front line zone, you are going to be on one of these Sea Stallion helicopters.
The Sea Stallion in its various configurations carries troops, supply, equipment. There are a number of variants. It even operates with Special Forces.
In some configurations, it carries more than 50 troops. By all accounts, it was carrying something around 30 on this mission.
The Sea Stallion is also capable of conducting some in-flight refueling while it's in the air. Always a mission with some risk.
This helicopter has a very long tradition of service in the United States military. In recent years, on those front line zones, it has operated in Mogadishu and Somalia, it has operated throughout the Balkans and, as we say, throughout Iraq and Afghanistan.
Now, we don't know, of course, the exact mission that this helicopter was on in western Iraq, a very remote area of Iraq. But U.S. troops do go out there on a regular basis.
They go out to the border areas along the Jordanian border. Of course, along the border a bit north with Syria. This is part, always, of an effort to control movements of potential insurgents, potential insurgent activities in that western desert.
It would not be unusual for a significant number of troops to be carried by helicopter out to there. As you say, though, the investigation goes on. We simply do not know at this point how this tragedy occurred -- Bill. HEMMER: You mentioned it's remote. That's a bit of an understatement, too.
That part of Iraq, there is virtually nothing out there. There's a highway that connects Amman, Jordan, with Baghdad, that's used by contractors, we know, the U.S. military. It had been used by journalists quite often until the airport reopened there, just west of Baghdad. But aside from all of that, is anyone at the Pentagon talking about weather conditions when this helicopter went down, Barbara?
STARR: Well, that is something they are looking into, of course. And they are going to try to reconstruct all that. But I must tell you, the helicopter, barring, as you have indicated, visibility issues, do operate through some -- what we as civilians would consider some fairly severe weather conditions.
They do watch. There has been -- there's always the issue of sand, blowing sand in the wind, of fog, of rain. It is wintertime in Iraq. And you might not think that it rains out there, but it certainly does.
So they will be looking at that and trying to determine what exactly did happen here. That investigation, of course, like all military investigations, expected to take sometime -- Bill.
HEMMER: All right. Barbara, thanks.
Thirty-one dead in that helicopter incident. Four other Marines dead west of Baghdad. Brings the total in the past hour to 35 that we're reporting here on CNN. More on this throughout the hour and day here -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Let's get other headlines now with Carol Costello.
Good morning, again, Carol.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. Good morning to all of you.
"Now in the News," the Senate Judiciary Committee is meeting in about 30 minutes to consider the nomination of Alberto Gonzales for attorney general. He is expected to easily pass the committee. The full Senate is also expected to take a final vote today on Condoleezza Rice's nomination for secretary of state. And be sure to stay tuned to CNN for live coverage of the vote beginning at 11:30 a.m. Eastern.
In southern California, fears of another mudslide forcing the evacuation of six homes at the bottom of a 70-foot slope. Dozens of people voluntarily leaving their homes. As much as an inch of rain is expected beginning today. Previous rains have already saturated the ground, and officials fear the slope could collapse.
The FBI now looking into charges that the Greater Alabama Boy Scout Council was listing fake numbers, inflating its numbers to gain funding from organizations like the United Way. The council is slated to get about $1 million from the United Way this year. A spokesman for the Boy Scouts national office says the organization is dedicated to accurate reporting of its membership.
And two space station crewmen are resting in their orbiting home after a five-hour space walk. Isn't that an amazing picture?
They used the time to install an experimental robotic arm and inspect air vents. And you can see one of them working at the lower part of the screen there. See him? He's moving?
O'BRIEN: Yes.
COSTELLO: This is their first space walk since arriving in October. It actually looks fake, doesn't it? This is not fake. Neither was that, actually. But...
An overturned truck in Howard County, Maryland. That's I-95. And you can see the truck there. There's a stream bed beneath it. So as you might imagine, this is a very dangerous situation right now.
Traffic must be a nightmare. Howard County is between Washington and Baltimore. Actually, it's closer to Washington than it is to Baltimore. And they're just trying to...
O'BRIEN: And a major thoroughfare, too. You've got to imagine that there are some angry motorists who are on either side of this.
COSTELLO: Yes. You see the truck down there? You see the men down there?
O'BRIEN: Right under the overpass.
COSTELLO: Any little thing that happens open the highways in that area causes a major, major, major delay. So you can just imagine how traffic is around this accident site.
O'BRIEN: And it's rush hour.
COSTELLO: And it is rush hour. And when we get more -- and we hope no one's hurt. When we get more information, though, we'll pass it along to you. There's a really good shot of it now.
Howard County, Maryland. And they're working to -- I don't know if they've gotten the truck driver out. Can you tell, Soledad?
O'BRIEN: It's hard to see from these pictures. But of course we'll update everybody on this story. Hopefully it's all turned out for the best at the end.
Carol, thank you very much. Appreciate that.
Let's head back to Bill.
HEMMER: All right, Soledad.
Seven minutes past the hour now. While President Bush's new Social Security plan continues to draw criticism, oftentimes from both sides of the political aisle, yesterday, members of the Senate Finance Committee met at the White House to talk about their concerns with the proposed changes in the program. Among those in attendance, Olympia Snowe, the senator from the state of Maine. I talked with her earlier and asked her what she thought about the meeting yesterday.
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SEN. OLYMPIA SNOWE (R), MAINE: Well, I thought it was a very constructive and productive meeting in the sense that we had a chance to talk with the president. He wanted to engage members of the Congress and those of us who sit on the Senate Finance Committee about the issues concerning Social Security. He indicated that a significant portion of the State of the Union Address will be dedicated and devoted to the issue of Social Security.
HEMMER: So you're hopeful for next Wednesday you're going to get more details? Is that what you're saying?
SNOWE: Exactly. And I gathered from his remarks yesterday that they are working through many of the details and more specificity with respect to his own proposals. So I would anticipate that we will learn more about what he intends to do and how he intends to go about looking at the issue.
HEMMER: Now, you have been publicly a bit of a critic about this private plan, about putting money into private accounts. Was that satisfactory yesterday, then, hearing that more details come out next week?
SNOWE: Well, certainly, I will be looking forward to hearing what the president has to say and how he intends to go about it. I did express my views yesterday.
It wasn't so much creating personal savings accounts in addition to Social Security. It was a question of using, you know, the payroll tax for a means of supporting it. And I think we have to continue to support the underlying tenets of the Social Security trust fund as providing a guaranteed defined benefit.
That's crucial. And looking at other options in retirement security is one -- one way in which we can address the issue of how we can expand personal retirement savings for Americans. And I think that's an important issue. But I don't want to undermine Social Security.
HEMMER: Well, some Republicans, I think yourself included, believe the White House is using the PR campaign on this issue. Is that the case, do you believe, or is it just early in the process now?
SNOWE: Well, I think the discussion in the public domain has gotten ahead of where we are today, sort of a free-fall in that sense. And I do think it's going to be critical for us to not rush to act, not act precipitously.
I think we have to approach this issue very cautiously because it's so important to so many Americans for now and in the future. So I think in the parameters of this debate the process hasn't been defined, and certainly the message. And I think the president understands that. And that's why he hopes to correct some of these issues in the State of the Union Address. So we'll go from there and look at these issues.
HEMMER: Sure. Now, you've said that seniors are scared based on what they're hearing or not hearing at this point. But the reform is more targeted at younger Americans, is it not?
SNOWE: Well, I think the question is what's going to happen to the overall Social Security trust fund and the concern of using up to $2 trillion in the payroll tax to finance personal savings accounts. Using the existing payroll tax, it would raise questions of whether or not the government would pay it back, when they'll pay it back, and whether or not we're doing anything to strengthen the existing system.
The personal savings account would be designed for younger workers. That makes sense for the future in some way, in some dimension of the overall broader issue of retirement security. But I think we have to make sure that we send a message to seniors that we're going to continue to support and strengthen the existing Social Security trust fund.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: The State of the Union Address next Wednesday in Washington. Republican Senator Olympia Snowe from the Capitol earlier today.
Getting word from the White House now the president will make an address in the briefing room at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time, about, oh, 49 minutes from now. So we will have that live for you from the White House when we see the president there -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Thanks, Bill.
Another look at the weather now. Chad Myers at the CNN Center with the latest forecast for us.
Hey, Chad. Good morning again.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Soledad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: Well, we're glad that they are nice and warm. Chad, thank you very much. Appreciate it.
HEMMER: Again, we're getting word now the president will speak at the White House, he'll take questions from reporters 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time. We'll have it live here for you on CNN when it happens.
O'BRIEN: Well, as you well know, some states tax cigarettes, others tax alcohol. Although one lawmaker now wants to tax vanity. We'll explain just ahead. HEMMER: Also, an entire seaside town coated in a thick layer of ice. We'll talk to one woman. She's lived there for 30 years and says her home feels like an igloo. From these pictures, she's probably right.
Back in a moment here on AMERICAN MORNING.
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O'BRIEN: A Washington State lawmaker is behind a plan that would raise millions for children's health care. State Senator Karen Keiser is proposing a vanity tax on cosmetic procedures, like facelifts and tummy tucks and hair implants. She joins us from Olympia, Washington, to talks about her 6 percent solution, some are calling it.
Nice to see you, ma'am. Thanks for being with us.
KAREN KEISER, WASHINGTON STATE SENATE: Thank you, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: What do you define as cosmetic surgery? Because, of course, some people would say, well, if you're getting a breast job because of vanity, yes, that is. But if you're having a breast reduction because you've got horrible back pain, that wouldn't be. I mean, where do you draw the line?
KEISER: Well, you have it right there, Soledad. If it -- if it is a medical procedure, merely for cosmetic purposes, then it would be subject to our sales tax. If it has a medical purpose, to reduce back pain, to improve eyesight, in some way to improve the body's function, then it's a medical procedure and it is exempt from sales tax.
O'BRIEN: You say that as if it's a very clear line. But I have to imagine that there are lots of doctors out there who would say, well, actually, that's a very thin line. It's not always so clear, and sometimes something can be medically beneficial and also be based on vanity as well. How do you define that line?
KEISER: Well, in the bill, we define it with the actual treatments listed that would come under the sales tax. The bill proposes, for instance, that liposuction would be subject to the sales tax, that hair transplants would be subject to the sales tax, that facelifts would be subject.
However, reconstruction for, say, breast cancer, or reconstruction surgery on the face because of an accident, where there was major damage that had to be fixed or repaired, that's exempt. So we've tried to draw that fine line. And that's what making law is all about, is finding that fine line.
But I want to say that what we're really trying to do here is to help fund children's health care. Because we have a crisis right now, not only in our budget, but in the ability of our state to provide health services for kids. And as you probably know, the state of health care among our kids is not that good. We have asthma problems, we have obesity problems, we have all kinds of... O'BRIEN: So given all that -- and I agree with you, there's a huge litany of problems that I think experts everywhere would agree with you. How much money do you think you can raise by putting on this vanity tax?
KEISER: Well, it does seem to be a growth industry. I will say that. And that's encouraging, because there does seem to be more interest of individuals taking advantage of these kinds of medical procedures.
So on an estimate at this point annually, we're looking at somewhere between $20 million and $25 million a year. And certainly that's -- that's not the biggest source of funds in the world, but it will help. And when you're talking about a bill that dedicates the source of funding to children's health services, it will help a lot.
O'BRIEN: Are plastic surgeons marching in front of your offices now? What seriously has been the reaction right now?
KEISER: Well, you have that pretty well nailed. I'm afraid they're up in arms at the moment and making their case. And that's the whole process we go through with legislation.
We will be having hearings. The bill's been referred to the health care committee. And we'll be having hearings shortly on that. And everyone will have their chance to give their perspective, and then we'll try and get a vote and get this thing passed.
O'BRIEN: A little bit of work to do before this goes forward.
KEISER: Quite a bit.
O'BRIEN: Karen Keiser with the Washington State Senate. Thanks for joining us this morning. Appreciate it.
KEISER: Thank you, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Bill.
HEMMER: All right. Back to Massachusetts now. This weekend's blizzard with freezing temperatures and hurricane-force squalls pushed waves over a Massachusetts town. Homes and cars covered in ice. The pictures are extraordinary.
Some residents say their homes look and feel like an igloo. Polly Feinberg is one of them. She lives in the town of Hull, Massachusetts.
Good morning, Polly. And wouldn't you know it, it's snowing again today. Good morning to you, and thank...
POLLY FEINBERG, HOMETOWN FROZEN IN ICE: Hi, Bill.
HEMMER: What does this look like, your home?
FEINBERG: Well, my home looks like a scene from "Dr. Zhivago" in the middle of the winter. It's totally covered with ice from the top to the bottom.
HEMMER: Yes. How long have you lived there?
FEINBERG: We have lived in Hull for 30 years. We've been through many storms, including the blizzard of '78.
HEMMER: But anything like this?
FEINBERG: Nothing with the ice coverage like this. I think since it was so bitter cold, as soon as the splash from the waves hit the house, it would freeze. And then all during the high tide, for about two hours, the waves were hitting the house. So the ice just continued to build up and up and up until it was all covered.
HEMMER: So this is saltwater on your house. Is that right?
FEINBERG: Yes, it's saltwater from the ocean.
HEMMER: Does it look any different from what regular water would look like?
FEINBERG: I think it has a slightly yellowish tinge to it. It's not crystal clear. It's very thick on the houses.
HEMMER: When you woke up, that first morning, what did it look like?
FEINBERG: Well, the -- we have big picture windows that looked out over the ocean and they were totally covered with ice. It was like living in a igloo. We couldn't see at all out except for one window in the corner of the house.
And it was just -- the house was very dark. And it seemed just hazy all over the house. It was very unnerving.
HEMMER: Yes. How did you get out? How did you get out, Polly?
FEINBERG: We were able to get out the side door with a lot of effort, because the winds were about 60, 70 miles an hour, and they were pushing against the door. So you had to lean against it really hard and then grab the railing once you were outside so you wouldn't get blown down the porch.
HEMMER: My, my.
FEINBERG: But once the tide came in, we didn't want to get out at all, anyways. The streets were flooded.
HEMMER: Yes, I bet. We spoke with a neighbor of yours earlier today, Christy Smith (ph) and her daughter, Devin (ph). If you know them, how are the neighbors helping each other out?
FEINBERG: Well, we just sort of keep in contact with each other and make sure everybody's all right and your cars are OK, and you've got heat and that everybody's got heat and water going. So we just sort of telephone each other. HEMMER: Got to wait for that stuff to melt, sooner rather than later.
FEINBERG: Yes.
HEMMER: Hey, thank you, Polly. Thanks for sharing with us today. It's an extraordinary picture, too, and one that caught our interest yesterday. So thanks for coming on today. Polly Feinberg up there in Hull, Massachusetts. And good luck -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: As we continue here on AMERICAN MORNING, we're going to continue to update you on this terrible tragedy out of Iraq to tell you about, 32 U.S. Marines now dead when the chopper goes down. More information on that is just ahead.
Also, the president is talking to reporters. We expect his remarks at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time coming to us from the briefing room at the White House. We are told he'll be talking about his opening statements on his second-term agenda, then he's going to take some questions.
We expect, of course, that he's going to have something to say about this deadly day for the military. That's ahead at the top of the hour.
Stay with us. You're watching AMERICAN MORNING.
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O'BRIEN: Much more to tell you about in this deadly tragedy in Iraq. Thirty-one Marines dead.
It happened in the western part of the country, as you can see right there, in Rutbah, right around there. It is on the border with Jordan. Not much actually going on in that particular area. And the details of what exactly happened with this chopper going down are unclear at this hour.
No word yet if it was an attack or, if, in fact, it was an accident. More information we expect to be coming in as search and rescue is on the ground there.
The Sea Stallion, it is a super Stallion. It is called the workhorse of the fleet. You can see some of the details there.
It can hold up to 55 troops, three crewmembers. We are told somewhere around 30-plus members the military are -- were on that -- on that chopper. Much more to tell you about. And we're expecting, of course, to get more information from the president on this, as well, shortly, really.
HEMMER: We will get to that about 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time, which is about 34 minutes from now.
In the meantime, though, in California, Glendale, California, look at this now. Two commuter trains apparently side swiped one another. It is early there on the West Coast, just about 6:30 local time. This would be commuter traffic, morning traffic.
Not much information to us now other than this: KABC is our affiliate working this story. Glendale, California, two commuter trains sideswiped each other. And that's about all we have now. We'll continue to work that story as well.
Soledad mentioned the president. He will speak at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time from the briefing room at the White House. We can anticipate two topics, Iraq, with the elections four days away, this Marine helicopter incident that we've been reporting now for the past two hours. And also, the ambitions for the second term for this president. State of the Union Address comes Wednesday night next week in Washington.
Back in a moment here on AMERICAN MORNING.
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