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American Morning
Iraq Bloodshed; 'Newsweek' Error; U.N. Scandal
Aired May 16, 2005 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: A new wave of murders sweeping Iraq. Insurgents wearing disguises, murdering Iraqi men in cold blood, and the death toll is rising again.
A fire started in Afghanistan by a "Newsweek" article. Can a "Newsweek" apology put that fire out?
And two brothers who would never have met if they haven't gone to war. Their incredible story on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.
S. O'BRIEN: Good morning. Welcome back, everybody. Bill Hemmer's got the day off. Miles O'Brien, though, is helping us out.
Hey, Miles. Nice to see you.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good to be here. Good morning to you.
Also ahead, defense attorney Anne Bremner is back with us this morning to talk about the Michael Jackson trial.
S. O'BRIEN: We're going to take a look at what's next and just also how Jackson's former attorney, Mark Geragos, did on the stand.
Also this morning, Mr. Cafferty.
Good morning.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Soledad.
While "Newsweek" is in damage control mode over that story about them flushing a copy of the Quran down the toilet at Guantanamo Bay, there is a new survey out that shows the public has serious issues with the press, including roughly 20 percent of the people interviewed who think the government ought to censor what we do.
Does the press enjoy too much freedom? AM@CNN.com.
S. O'BRIEN: Good question. All right, Jack. Thanks.
M. O'BRIEN: All right. Let's check the headlines. Carol Costello here with that.
Good morning, Carol. CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Good morning to all of you.
"Now in the News," a new development in the standoff over North Korea's nuclear program. South Korea making a new offer to try to get North Korea to resume international talks. Senior officials from both countries are meeting this morning, their first direct contact in almost a year. No word yet on what South Korea is offering.
First the list came out, now the explanations. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is set to go before the Federal Base Closings Commission later today. He's defending the Pentagon's plan to close or restructure 62 military bases at a cost of some 28,000 civilian and military jobs. The states hardest hit by the deadly hurricanes will find out what's on the horizon for this season.
Last year's record storms killed at least 130 people, caused more than $22 billion worth of damage. In about three hours, officials at the hurricane center in Miami will announce their predictions for this year. And it is expected to be another active season.
And a humongous donation from Microsoft's billionaire Bill Gates. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is pledging a quarter of a billion dollars for global health research. The announcement coming just this hour in Geneva. The Gates Foundation has been working to speed up the development of medical technology and drugs in third world countries.
Wow -- back to you.
M. O'BRIEN: A lot of money.
COSTELLO: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: Huge. Really bringing up -- I wonder what their total -- total is, because they've given an amount about that same amount in past years.
M. O'BRIEN: Billions and billions. It's a Carl Sagan number. Billions and billions.
S. O'BRIEN: I know. Mind-boggling. Hey, good for them.
Let's turn back to Iraq now. The death toll climbs with the discovery of the bodies of at least 55 Iraqis. All apparently were killed since Saturday. CNN's Ryan Chilcote live in Baghdad this morning.
Ryan, good morning. What are the Iraqi police saying about the discovery of these bodies?
RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, gruesome news. They say that over the last three days they found bodies at six different sites. We'll go through some of that with you, beginning here in Baghdad. Eight bodies were found in northeastern Baghdad. In that case, their hands were tied behind their backs and they'd been blindfolded. All had been shot in the head.
Four bodies were found in southeastern Baghdad. Police also found two survivors at that site. They said they'd been arrested by men wearing army uniforms, then taken to a remote location to be shot.
Thirteen bodies were found in Baghdad at a garbage dump. All of them had been stripped to their underwear, all appeared to have been tortured.
Eleven bodies found in the city of Latifya. It's an area that's also known as the Triangle of Death. The bodies were found in two trucks. Some of them had been beheaded. The drivers of those trucks were arrested.
Then 10 bodies were found in Ramadi. They are all apparently the bodies of Iraqi soldiers.
And finally, nine more bodies found today just south of Baghdad in Mada'in. The police think they were all civilians.
Soledad, that's a total of 55 bodies found here at those six sites in just the last three days -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Oh, incredible numbers. How is it going as far as insurgent attacks, Ryan?
CHILCOTE: Well, the insurgent attacks continue. A total of three attacks today just north of Baghdad.
A roadside bomb was used in an attack on Iraqi security forces in the city of Baquba. That killed some five Iraqis there, wounding about 10.
Then here in Baghdad, in the Iraqi capital, a mortar hit a university, killing one Iraqi, wounding two students. And then just south of the Iraqi capital, again in what is called the Triangle of Death, two Iraqi journalists and their driver were shot to death as they were trying to drive back to the Iraqi capital -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Ryan Chilcote updating us this morning. Ryan, thanks -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: The U.S. Army says it wants to reach out to the people of Afghanistan. That in response to deadly anti-U.S. rioting over a "Newsweek" story. Today, the magazine is apologize apologizing for errors in its report that U.S. troops desecrated the Quran.
Suzanne Malveaux with our story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two weeks ago, "Newsweek" magazine reported that U.S. interrogators at the Guantanamo Bay prison had flushed the Muslims' holy book, the Quran, down the toilet to rattle terror suspects.
MICHAEL ISIKOFF, "NEWSWEEK" REPORTER: The specific allegations about the desecration of the Quran did -- did surface.
MALVEAUX: The article by the "Newsweek" reporters Michael Isikoff and John Barry was quickly picked up in newspapers in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Rage and riots erupted throughout the Middle East, leaving 15 dead in Afghanistan and scores injured. U.S. officials already tarnished by the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal pledged to get to the bottom of it.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: I want to speak directly to Muslims in America and throughout the world. Disrespect for the holy Quran is not now, nor has it ever been, nor will it ever be tolerated by the United States.
SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The detainees at this base are treated humanely.
MALVEAUX: Pentagon officials said there was no corroboration of "Newsweek's report that the Quran was being desecrated.
GEN. RICHARD MYERS, CHAIRMAN, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: There are several logged entries that show the Quran may have been moved to -- and detainees became irritated about it, but never an incident where it was thrown in the toilet.
MALVEAUX: Now it turns out the Pentagon was right and "Newsweek" was wrong.
DANIEL KLAIDMAN, "NEWSWEEK" WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF: This was an honest mistake. We are obviously not very happy about it.
MALVEAUX: In this week's issue, the magazine writes how it happened, explaining, "On Saturday, Isikoff spoke with his original source, the senior government official, who said that he clearly recalled reading investigative reports about mishandling the Quran, including a toilet incident. But the official, still speaking anonymously, could no longer be sure that these concerns surfaced in a southern command report."
Told of what the "Newsweek" source said, Defense Department spokesman Larry DiRita exploded. "People are dead because of what this son of a b---- said. How could he be credible now?"
DiRita confirmed to CNN his quote in "Newsweek" and separately said to CNN, "People are dying. They are burning American flags. Our forces are in danger because of this."
"Newsweek's" Washington bureau chief offered a public apology.
KLAIDMAN: We extend our sympathies to the victims here, and we think it's terribly unfortunate.
MALVEAUX (on camera): National Security Adviser Steve Hadley, who at the time was not aware of "Newsweek's admission, said on CNN's "LATE EDITION," "The political damage is already done."
Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: Now, "Newsweek" claims to have a U.S. circulation of about three million and a million others outside America. Twenty-one million readers worldwide -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Well, a Senate panel is releasing a flood of documents that could implicate top Russian officials in the U.N. oil- for-food scandal. CNN Senior U.N. Correspondent Richard Roth is here to sort it out because it is very, very complicated.
What's been learned now?
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Well, Soledad, it seems there are as many chapters to this oil-for-food scandal as the "Star Wars" movie saga. Now serious questions being raised about senior Russian officials following Senate disclosures involving the oil-for-food.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROTH (voice-over): Vladimir Zhirinovsky may be best known for his ultra-nationalist views, his bawdy behavior during three failed runs for president of Russia, or his antics inside the Russian parliament. But according to U.S. congressional investigators, Russia's deputy parliament speaker was also a recipient of lucrative vouchers from Saddam Hussein's regime to buy Iraqi oil under the U.N.'s oil-for-food program.
A report released today alleges that Zhirinovsky and his political party were allocated 76 million barrels of Iraqi crude between 1997 and 2002. The oil was allegedly a reward for supporting Saddam's regime and calling for an end to economic sanctions against him, according to former top Iraqi officials interviewed by Senate investigators.
Iraqi oil ministry records cited in the report allege Zhirinovsky even hired an American company, Houston based Bayoil, as a middleman to take possession of some of his oil and sell it on the open market. Bayoil and its CEO are under federal indictment for paying Saddam illegal surcharges to get Iraqi oil.
The alleged profits for Zhirinovsky on his deals? About $9 million. But according to the Senate report, Zhirinovsky was not the only Russian politician rewarded by Iraq.
The report says President Vladimir Putin's United Russia Party got oil allocations, as did top Putin adviser Alexander Voloshin and the Russian foreign ministry. In all, some 90 million barrels to top Russian officials and $3 million profit, according to the Senate report. Former Iraqi officials told investigators they were "buying influence" and providing "compensation for support," especially at the U.N. Security Council. (END VIDEOTAPE)
ROTH: Russia and Russian companies were the biggest dealers involving oil-for-food, legally, or now maybe illegally, 30 percent. And at times, according to the Senate committee, when the cash hull piled up too high in the Iraqi embassy in Moscow it was sent by diplomatic pouch by a courier to Baghdad. No comment so far from some of the figures names. A lot say they want to read the report -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: So what happens then to Russian officials named, to the other European politicians who were named last week?
ROTH: Well, it may depend on what their internal government forces do, because the long arm of the U.S. Justice Department and others who are investigating this, the Senate committee, may not extend that far. It's still a little unclear what happens to all of these people who are named in reports.
S. O'BRIEN: Wasn't Paul Volcker supposed to-come in and sort of clear this all up, bring some resolution to this massively complicated problem?
ROTH: He was, and that's what makes developments in the last two weeks so startling. One of his lead reporters who made a big report about Kofi Anna, the U.N. secretary-general, and his son, quit, he says, in principle, but now has given documents to a Senate committee, which has angered Paul Volcker, who went to court to get an injunction on the release of these papers. So this is just a bad mess getting even worse for all players.
S. O'BRIEN: It sure sounds like it. Richard Roth, thanks as always -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Let's check the nation's weather. Chad Myers on his birthday is hovering over the Northeast to begin.
Good morning, Chad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
S. O'BRIEN: All right, Chad. Thanks.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You're welcome.
S. O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, Michael Jackson's former lawyer testifies. Did he help the defense's case? Attorney Anne Bremner will talk with us next.
M. O'BRIEN: A new cancer treatment making an extraordinary impact. We'll tell you about that.
S. O'BRIEN: And two young sailors about to be deployed to Iraq. You won't believe what they learned about each other. That's coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: The war in Iraq has helped bring together two long lost brothers from Brooklyn. Sailors Sean Hurley and Albert Hendrick Jr. sat down for a game of cards in Camp Lejeune in North Carolina just days before heading off to war. Soon after the game ended they knew they had an amazing story to tell.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: Sailors Sean Hurley and Albert Hendrick Jr. are in Tukatum (ph), Iraq.
Good morning to you guys. Thanks for talking with us.
Albert, tell...
ALBERT HENDRICK JR., SEAMAN, U.S. NAVY: Thank you. Thanks for having us on.
S. O'BRIEN: Sure. Our pleasure.
Albert, tell us the story a little bit. You're playing cards a couple of days before you're set to be deployed to Iraq, and all of a sudden you make a pretty big discovery. What exactly happened?
HENDRICK: Well, we were two days out of our deployment, leaving for our deployment, actually, and we were playing cards. We were playing spades in the lounge, which is a company office also. And one of my shipmates was behind me playing pool. And me and Sean were partners, and my shipmate behind me asked me to turn around so I could look at his shot, but when he asked me he called me by my first name.
And Sean heard him say my first name. And he asked me, like "What did he call" -- like, "What did that guy call you? What he did call you?" And I said, "He called me by my first name," you know, looking at him kind of strange, like why is he asking me.
And he asked me was I a junior. And I said, "Yes, I am a junior." And then he said, "Well, after the game I've got to ask you something."
So we finished playing cards, and he pulled me over to the side and he asked me did my father drive the bus for the city of New York. And I said, "Yes, he drove the bus. He drove in Brooklyn, he retired."
And he's like, "Well," paused for a minute, and then he said, "Well, we might be brothers." And, you know, that just came as a shock to me and I couldn't believe it.
S. O'BRIEN: Sean, you thought you were an only child, right? Did you have any idea that you might have a brother?
SEAN HURLEY, PETTY OFFICER, U.S. NAVY: Well, I knew I had an older brother that I was told about. But as for a younger brother, no, I didn't have any idea that he existed. S. O'BRIEN: And this was because your mom, after the relationship with your dad, actually took you to St. Croix, right?
HURLEY: That's right, ma'am.
S. O'BRIEN: Now, Albert, you get on the phone because you want to call your dad. You want to tell him two things.
One, you're heading off to Iraq in just a couple of days. But then you have something else to tell them as well, you have a brother. What's your dad's reaction?
HENDRICK: Well, my father is just like real shocked and amazed, and he kind of got teary-eyed. It sounded like he was getting teary- eyed on the phone.
And he was just like, "Oh, my god, I can't believe it. Albert, I haven't seen Sean in over 20 years, and I didn't have no contact with him." And it's just unbelievable. He couldn't believe it when I told him.
S. O'BRIEN: Now, give Sean back the microphone, because I want to ask Sean, what was your conversation with your dad like? You hadn't even spoken to him or seen him for 20-plus years.
HURLEY: It was pretty amazing. Like I said, I haven't spoken to him over 20 years, so I have -- of course, I had a lot of questions as for, you know, what happened, you know, where was he all this time. So it was a pretty good feeling to talk to my dad in over 20 years.
I had always planned to look for him some day and, you know, find out where I come from the other side of the -- you know, of the family line. So it was a pretty good experience to talk to my dad once again.
S. O'BRIEN: You guys are both in the medical field, in the same unit. You share a room now, and now you've got a dad who's -- who is keeping his fingers crossed and praying for his two sons who are in Iraq. You guys, good luck to you. It's nice to catch up and chat with you.
HURLEY: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: Here here's another discovery that the brothers made. Albert's wife runs a day care center at Camp Lejeune, and one of the children that she looks after is Sean's daughter -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Small world.
Well, it's being called one of the most promising new cancer treatments, the drug that's cutting the reoccurrence of a certain type of cancer in half. Stay with us for details.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) M. O'BRIEN: One of the most popular stories on our CNN Web site right now, it deals with last night's "Survivor" finale. The winner of the popular reality TV series is a real-life survivor himself, Tom Westman, a firefighter from New York City, 41 years old, the oldest "Survivor" winner in the show's history. Westman won $1 million and a new car, and says he'll use the money to get his kids through college and to fix up his house.
S. O'BRIEN: Look at how cute his kids are and his wife.
M. O'BRIEN: And a happy family. I wonder if he goes back to the job. He probably will, right? Anyway, there's always more of that kind of stuff at CNN.com.
S. O'BRIEN: Time to get right to Jack. He's got the "Question of the Day."
CAFFERTY: Thanks, Soledad.
"Newsweek" is backpedaling on that story that U.S. interrogators at Guantanamo Bay flushed a copy of the Quran down the toilet while interrogating Muslim terror suspects. The magazine now says its report, which is being blamed for riots and deaths in Afghanistan, may have been wrong.
Coincidentally, a survey out today by the University of Connecticut, Department of Public Policy, shows the public has serious issues when it comes to the news media. Only 40 percent of the people surveyed think the media are accurate, 60 percent think the media show bias, 22 percent think the government ought to censor the press.
The question this morning is does the press have too much freedom?
Chris in Japan writes, "I think it's time to hold the press to the same accountability that we hold our business leaders. Let's see some big fines and prison terms."
Jim in Pennsylvania, "No, the press doesn't have too much freedom. Its freedom is properly limited by laws of libel, lawsuits and reader reaction."
Donna in Wisconsin, "The press should not be censored by the government. It should be censored by the people. Irresponsible reporting such as this ought to be the death knell for 'Newsweek.'"
And Carolyn in Toronto, "Well, maybe I just happen to have particularly small toilet, but how exactly do you flush a book down a toilet? Did the 'Newsweek' reporter happen to inquire further about this?"
S. O'BRIEN: You know, we were talking about this last week when this report first came out. And I remember thinking the exact same thing, like, wow, that would be kind of -- you're talking about Guantanamo, too. It's not like they have very modern, you know, facilities there. M. O'BRIEN: It would be to be a pretty large basin, wouldn't it?
S. O'BRIEN: And people were actually saying that, like, wow, just logistically that would be something that would kind of raise a question you might want to...
CAFFERTY: Unless your tore the pages out one at a time and...
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, maybe, but, you know, who knows?
CAFFERTY: I don't.
S. O'BRIEN: And apparently not the case. All right, Jack. Thanks.
Well, after days of speculation, comic Dave Chappelle speaks out. His surprising reasons for running off to South Africa. We're going to talk to the reporter who got the exclusive interview with Chappelle. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Get the latest news every morning in your e-mail. Sign up for AMERICAN MORNING quick news at CNN.com/am.
Still to come this morning, Michael Jackson's former attorney takes the stand. Did his testimony help the pop star? Attorney Anne Bremner was in the courtroom. She's talking to us next.
Stay with us. You're watching AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: After a little bit of rain it's going to be another nice day here in New York City. Welcome back, everybody.
M. O'BRIEN: A good time for a visit.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: It looks nice out there. It does.
S. O'BRIEN: It's kind of getting that way.
Just about half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING. Bill Hemmer's got the day off. He's playing a little golf.
M. O'BRIEN: An important golf tournament for Bill.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes. It honors his grandfather who died a couple years ago.
M. O'BRIEN: Coming up on the program, the mystery over what happened to comedian David Chappelle has been solved now. We'll talk to the reporter who got the exclusive interview on that. S. O'BRIEN: Yes. He's actually got a very interesting story to tell, and it will be interesting to hear what the folks at Comedy Central have to say in return.
M. O'BRIEN: He and one other person do that entire show.
S. O'BRIEN: Pretty much, yes.
M. O'BRIEN: That's pretty -- it's amazing. All right.
S. O'BRIEN: When he makes claims about lack of creative control, it's kind of like, huh?
M. O'BRIEN: Huh? Yes. How does that work.
S. O'BRIEN: We'll see.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
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Aired May 16, 2005 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: A new wave of murders sweeping Iraq. Insurgents wearing disguises, murdering Iraqi men in cold blood, and the death toll is rising again.
A fire started in Afghanistan by a "Newsweek" article. Can a "Newsweek" apology put that fire out?
And two brothers who would never have met if they haven't gone to war. Their incredible story on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.
S. O'BRIEN: Good morning. Welcome back, everybody. Bill Hemmer's got the day off. Miles O'Brien, though, is helping us out.
Hey, Miles. Nice to see you.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good to be here. Good morning to you.
Also ahead, defense attorney Anne Bremner is back with us this morning to talk about the Michael Jackson trial.
S. O'BRIEN: We're going to take a look at what's next and just also how Jackson's former attorney, Mark Geragos, did on the stand.
Also this morning, Mr. Cafferty.
Good morning.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Soledad.
While "Newsweek" is in damage control mode over that story about them flushing a copy of the Quran down the toilet at Guantanamo Bay, there is a new survey out that shows the public has serious issues with the press, including roughly 20 percent of the people interviewed who think the government ought to censor what we do.
Does the press enjoy too much freedom? AM@CNN.com.
S. O'BRIEN: Good question. All right, Jack. Thanks.
M. O'BRIEN: All right. Let's check the headlines. Carol Costello here with that.
Good morning, Carol. CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Good morning to all of you.
"Now in the News," a new development in the standoff over North Korea's nuclear program. South Korea making a new offer to try to get North Korea to resume international talks. Senior officials from both countries are meeting this morning, their first direct contact in almost a year. No word yet on what South Korea is offering.
First the list came out, now the explanations. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is set to go before the Federal Base Closings Commission later today. He's defending the Pentagon's plan to close or restructure 62 military bases at a cost of some 28,000 civilian and military jobs. The states hardest hit by the deadly hurricanes will find out what's on the horizon for this season.
Last year's record storms killed at least 130 people, caused more than $22 billion worth of damage. In about three hours, officials at the hurricane center in Miami will announce their predictions for this year. And it is expected to be another active season.
And a humongous donation from Microsoft's billionaire Bill Gates. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is pledging a quarter of a billion dollars for global health research. The announcement coming just this hour in Geneva. The Gates Foundation has been working to speed up the development of medical technology and drugs in third world countries.
Wow -- back to you.
M. O'BRIEN: A lot of money.
COSTELLO: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: Huge. Really bringing up -- I wonder what their total -- total is, because they've given an amount about that same amount in past years.
M. O'BRIEN: Billions and billions. It's a Carl Sagan number. Billions and billions.
S. O'BRIEN: I know. Mind-boggling. Hey, good for them.
Let's turn back to Iraq now. The death toll climbs with the discovery of the bodies of at least 55 Iraqis. All apparently were killed since Saturday. CNN's Ryan Chilcote live in Baghdad this morning.
Ryan, good morning. What are the Iraqi police saying about the discovery of these bodies?
RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, gruesome news. They say that over the last three days they found bodies at six different sites. We'll go through some of that with you, beginning here in Baghdad. Eight bodies were found in northeastern Baghdad. In that case, their hands were tied behind their backs and they'd been blindfolded. All had been shot in the head.
Four bodies were found in southeastern Baghdad. Police also found two survivors at that site. They said they'd been arrested by men wearing army uniforms, then taken to a remote location to be shot.
Thirteen bodies were found in Baghdad at a garbage dump. All of them had been stripped to their underwear, all appeared to have been tortured.
Eleven bodies found in the city of Latifya. It's an area that's also known as the Triangle of Death. The bodies were found in two trucks. Some of them had been beheaded. The drivers of those trucks were arrested.
Then 10 bodies were found in Ramadi. They are all apparently the bodies of Iraqi soldiers.
And finally, nine more bodies found today just south of Baghdad in Mada'in. The police think they were all civilians.
Soledad, that's a total of 55 bodies found here at those six sites in just the last three days -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Oh, incredible numbers. How is it going as far as insurgent attacks, Ryan?
CHILCOTE: Well, the insurgent attacks continue. A total of three attacks today just north of Baghdad.
A roadside bomb was used in an attack on Iraqi security forces in the city of Baquba. That killed some five Iraqis there, wounding about 10.
Then here in Baghdad, in the Iraqi capital, a mortar hit a university, killing one Iraqi, wounding two students. And then just south of the Iraqi capital, again in what is called the Triangle of Death, two Iraqi journalists and their driver were shot to death as they were trying to drive back to the Iraqi capital -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Ryan Chilcote updating us this morning. Ryan, thanks -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: The U.S. Army says it wants to reach out to the people of Afghanistan. That in response to deadly anti-U.S. rioting over a "Newsweek" story. Today, the magazine is apologize apologizing for errors in its report that U.S. troops desecrated the Quran.
Suzanne Malveaux with our story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two weeks ago, "Newsweek" magazine reported that U.S. interrogators at the Guantanamo Bay prison had flushed the Muslims' holy book, the Quran, down the toilet to rattle terror suspects.
MICHAEL ISIKOFF, "NEWSWEEK" REPORTER: The specific allegations about the desecration of the Quran did -- did surface.
MALVEAUX: The article by the "Newsweek" reporters Michael Isikoff and John Barry was quickly picked up in newspapers in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Rage and riots erupted throughout the Middle East, leaving 15 dead in Afghanistan and scores injured. U.S. officials already tarnished by the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal pledged to get to the bottom of it.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: I want to speak directly to Muslims in America and throughout the world. Disrespect for the holy Quran is not now, nor has it ever been, nor will it ever be tolerated by the United States.
SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The detainees at this base are treated humanely.
MALVEAUX: Pentagon officials said there was no corroboration of "Newsweek's report that the Quran was being desecrated.
GEN. RICHARD MYERS, CHAIRMAN, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: There are several logged entries that show the Quran may have been moved to -- and detainees became irritated about it, but never an incident where it was thrown in the toilet.
MALVEAUX: Now it turns out the Pentagon was right and "Newsweek" was wrong.
DANIEL KLAIDMAN, "NEWSWEEK" WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF: This was an honest mistake. We are obviously not very happy about it.
MALVEAUX: In this week's issue, the magazine writes how it happened, explaining, "On Saturday, Isikoff spoke with his original source, the senior government official, who said that he clearly recalled reading investigative reports about mishandling the Quran, including a toilet incident. But the official, still speaking anonymously, could no longer be sure that these concerns surfaced in a southern command report."
Told of what the "Newsweek" source said, Defense Department spokesman Larry DiRita exploded. "People are dead because of what this son of a b---- said. How could he be credible now?"
DiRita confirmed to CNN his quote in "Newsweek" and separately said to CNN, "People are dying. They are burning American flags. Our forces are in danger because of this."
"Newsweek's" Washington bureau chief offered a public apology.
KLAIDMAN: We extend our sympathies to the victims here, and we think it's terribly unfortunate.
MALVEAUX (on camera): National Security Adviser Steve Hadley, who at the time was not aware of "Newsweek's admission, said on CNN's "LATE EDITION," "The political damage is already done."
Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: Now, "Newsweek" claims to have a U.S. circulation of about three million and a million others outside America. Twenty-one million readers worldwide -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Well, a Senate panel is releasing a flood of documents that could implicate top Russian officials in the U.N. oil- for-food scandal. CNN Senior U.N. Correspondent Richard Roth is here to sort it out because it is very, very complicated.
What's been learned now?
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Well, Soledad, it seems there are as many chapters to this oil-for-food scandal as the "Star Wars" movie saga. Now serious questions being raised about senior Russian officials following Senate disclosures involving the oil-for-food.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROTH (voice-over): Vladimir Zhirinovsky may be best known for his ultra-nationalist views, his bawdy behavior during three failed runs for president of Russia, or his antics inside the Russian parliament. But according to U.S. congressional investigators, Russia's deputy parliament speaker was also a recipient of lucrative vouchers from Saddam Hussein's regime to buy Iraqi oil under the U.N.'s oil-for-food program.
A report released today alleges that Zhirinovsky and his political party were allocated 76 million barrels of Iraqi crude between 1997 and 2002. The oil was allegedly a reward for supporting Saddam's regime and calling for an end to economic sanctions against him, according to former top Iraqi officials interviewed by Senate investigators.
Iraqi oil ministry records cited in the report allege Zhirinovsky even hired an American company, Houston based Bayoil, as a middleman to take possession of some of his oil and sell it on the open market. Bayoil and its CEO are under federal indictment for paying Saddam illegal surcharges to get Iraqi oil.
The alleged profits for Zhirinovsky on his deals? About $9 million. But according to the Senate report, Zhirinovsky was not the only Russian politician rewarded by Iraq.
The report says President Vladimir Putin's United Russia Party got oil allocations, as did top Putin adviser Alexander Voloshin and the Russian foreign ministry. In all, some 90 million barrels to top Russian officials and $3 million profit, according to the Senate report. Former Iraqi officials told investigators they were "buying influence" and providing "compensation for support," especially at the U.N. Security Council. (END VIDEOTAPE)
ROTH: Russia and Russian companies were the biggest dealers involving oil-for-food, legally, or now maybe illegally, 30 percent. And at times, according to the Senate committee, when the cash hull piled up too high in the Iraqi embassy in Moscow it was sent by diplomatic pouch by a courier to Baghdad. No comment so far from some of the figures names. A lot say they want to read the report -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: So what happens then to Russian officials named, to the other European politicians who were named last week?
ROTH: Well, it may depend on what their internal government forces do, because the long arm of the U.S. Justice Department and others who are investigating this, the Senate committee, may not extend that far. It's still a little unclear what happens to all of these people who are named in reports.
S. O'BRIEN: Wasn't Paul Volcker supposed to-come in and sort of clear this all up, bring some resolution to this massively complicated problem?
ROTH: He was, and that's what makes developments in the last two weeks so startling. One of his lead reporters who made a big report about Kofi Anna, the U.N. secretary-general, and his son, quit, he says, in principle, but now has given documents to a Senate committee, which has angered Paul Volcker, who went to court to get an injunction on the release of these papers. So this is just a bad mess getting even worse for all players.
S. O'BRIEN: It sure sounds like it. Richard Roth, thanks as always -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Let's check the nation's weather. Chad Myers on his birthday is hovering over the Northeast to begin.
Good morning, Chad.
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S. O'BRIEN: All right, Chad. Thanks.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You're welcome.
S. O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, Michael Jackson's former lawyer testifies. Did he help the defense's case? Attorney Anne Bremner will talk with us next.
M. O'BRIEN: A new cancer treatment making an extraordinary impact. We'll tell you about that.
S. O'BRIEN: And two young sailors about to be deployed to Iraq. You won't believe what they learned about each other. That's coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING.
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S. O'BRIEN: The war in Iraq has helped bring together two long lost brothers from Brooklyn. Sailors Sean Hurley and Albert Hendrick Jr. sat down for a game of cards in Camp Lejeune in North Carolina just days before heading off to war. Soon after the game ended they knew they had an amazing story to tell.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: Sailors Sean Hurley and Albert Hendrick Jr. are in Tukatum (ph), Iraq.
Good morning to you guys. Thanks for talking with us.
Albert, tell...
ALBERT HENDRICK JR., SEAMAN, U.S. NAVY: Thank you. Thanks for having us on.
S. O'BRIEN: Sure. Our pleasure.
Albert, tell us the story a little bit. You're playing cards a couple of days before you're set to be deployed to Iraq, and all of a sudden you make a pretty big discovery. What exactly happened?
HENDRICK: Well, we were two days out of our deployment, leaving for our deployment, actually, and we were playing cards. We were playing spades in the lounge, which is a company office also. And one of my shipmates was behind me playing pool. And me and Sean were partners, and my shipmate behind me asked me to turn around so I could look at his shot, but when he asked me he called me by my first name.
And Sean heard him say my first name. And he asked me, like "What did he call" -- like, "What did that guy call you? What he did call you?" And I said, "He called me by my first name," you know, looking at him kind of strange, like why is he asking me.
And he asked me was I a junior. And I said, "Yes, I am a junior." And then he said, "Well, after the game I've got to ask you something."
So we finished playing cards, and he pulled me over to the side and he asked me did my father drive the bus for the city of New York. And I said, "Yes, he drove the bus. He drove in Brooklyn, he retired."
And he's like, "Well," paused for a minute, and then he said, "Well, we might be brothers." And, you know, that just came as a shock to me and I couldn't believe it.
S. O'BRIEN: Sean, you thought you were an only child, right? Did you have any idea that you might have a brother?
SEAN HURLEY, PETTY OFFICER, U.S. NAVY: Well, I knew I had an older brother that I was told about. But as for a younger brother, no, I didn't have any idea that he existed. S. O'BRIEN: And this was because your mom, after the relationship with your dad, actually took you to St. Croix, right?
HURLEY: That's right, ma'am.
S. O'BRIEN: Now, Albert, you get on the phone because you want to call your dad. You want to tell him two things.
One, you're heading off to Iraq in just a couple of days. But then you have something else to tell them as well, you have a brother. What's your dad's reaction?
HENDRICK: Well, my father is just like real shocked and amazed, and he kind of got teary-eyed. It sounded like he was getting teary- eyed on the phone.
And he was just like, "Oh, my god, I can't believe it. Albert, I haven't seen Sean in over 20 years, and I didn't have no contact with him." And it's just unbelievable. He couldn't believe it when I told him.
S. O'BRIEN: Now, give Sean back the microphone, because I want to ask Sean, what was your conversation with your dad like? You hadn't even spoken to him or seen him for 20-plus years.
HURLEY: It was pretty amazing. Like I said, I haven't spoken to him over 20 years, so I have -- of course, I had a lot of questions as for, you know, what happened, you know, where was he all this time. So it was a pretty good feeling to talk to my dad in over 20 years.
I had always planned to look for him some day and, you know, find out where I come from the other side of the -- you know, of the family line. So it was a pretty good experience to talk to my dad once again.
S. O'BRIEN: You guys are both in the medical field, in the same unit. You share a room now, and now you've got a dad who's -- who is keeping his fingers crossed and praying for his two sons who are in Iraq. You guys, good luck to you. It's nice to catch up and chat with you.
HURLEY: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: Here here's another discovery that the brothers made. Albert's wife runs a day care center at Camp Lejeune, and one of the children that she looks after is Sean's daughter -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Small world.
Well, it's being called one of the most promising new cancer treatments, the drug that's cutting the reoccurrence of a certain type of cancer in half. Stay with us for details.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) M. O'BRIEN: One of the most popular stories on our CNN Web site right now, it deals with last night's "Survivor" finale. The winner of the popular reality TV series is a real-life survivor himself, Tom Westman, a firefighter from New York City, 41 years old, the oldest "Survivor" winner in the show's history. Westman won $1 million and a new car, and says he'll use the money to get his kids through college and to fix up his house.
S. O'BRIEN: Look at how cute his kids are and his wife.
M. O'BRIEN: And a happy family. I wonder if he goes back to the job. He probably will, right? Anyway, there's always more of that kind of stuff at CNN.com.
S. O'BRIEN: Time to get right to Jack. He's got the "Question of the Day."
CAFFERTY: Thanks, Soledad.
"Newsweek" is backpedaling on that story that U.S. interrogators at Guantanamo Bay flushed a copy of the Quran down the toilet while interrogating Muslim terror suspects. The magazine now says its report, which is being blamed for riots and deaths in Afghanistan, may have been wrong.
Coincidentally, a survey out today by the University of Connecticut, Department of Public Policy, shows the public has serious issues when it comes to the news media. Only 40 percent of the people surveyed think the media are accurate, 60 percent think the media show bias, 22 percent think the government ought to censor the press.
The question this morning is does the press have too much freedom?
Chris in Japan writes, "I think it's time to hold the press to the same accountability that we hold our business leaders. Let's see some big fines and prison terms."
Jim in Pennsylvania, "No, the press doesn't have too much freedom. Its freedom is properly limited by laws of libel, lawsuits and reader reaction."
Donna in Wisconsin, "The press should not be censored by the government. It should be censored by the people. Irresponsible reporting such as this ought to be the death knell for 'Newsweek.'"
And Carolyn in Toronto, "Well, maybe I just happen to have particularly small toilet, but how exactly do you flush a book down a toilet? Did the 'Newsweek' reporter happen to inquire further about this?"
S. O'BRIEN: You know, we were talking about this last week when this report first came out. And I remember thinking the exact same thing, like, wow, that would be kind of -- you're talking about Guantanamo, too. It's not like they have very modern, you know, facilities there. M. O'BRIEN: It would be to be a pretty large basin, wouldn't it?
S. O'BRIEN: And people were actually saying that, like, wow, just logistically that would be something that would kind of raise a question you might want to...
CAFFERTY: Unless your tore the pages out one at a time and...
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, maybe, but, you know, who knows?
CAFFERTY: I don't.
S. O'BRIEN: And apparently not the case. All right, Jack. Thanks.
Well, after days of speculation, comic Dave Chappelle speaks out. His surprising reasons for running off to South Africa. We're going to talk to the reporter who got the exclusive interview with Chappelle. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Get the latest news every morning in your e-mail. Sign up for AMERICAN MORNING quick news at CNN.com/am.
Still to come this morning, Michael Jackson's former attorney takes the stand. Did his testimony help the pop star? Attorney Anne Bremner was in the courtroom. She's talking to us next.
Stay with us. You're watching AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: After a little bit of rain it's going to be another nice day here in New York City. Welcome back, everybody.
M. O'BRIEN: A good time for a visit.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: It looks nice out there. It does.
S. O'BRIEN: It's kind of getting that way.
Just about half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING. Bill Hemmer's got the day off. He's playing a little golf.
M. O'BRIEN: An important golf tournament for Bill.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes. It honors his grandfather who died a couple years ago.
M. O'BRIEN: Coming up on the program, the mystery over what happened to comedian David Chappelle has been solved now. We'll talk to the reporter who got the exclusive interview on that. S. O'BRIEN: Yes. He's actually got a very interesting story to tell, and it will be interesting to hear what the folks at Comedy Central have to say in return.
M. O'BRIEN: He and one other person do that entire show.
S. O'BRIEN: Pretty much, yes.
M. O'BRIEN: That's pretty -- it's amazing. All right.
S. O'BRIEN: When he makes claims about lack of creative control, it's kind of like, huh?
M. O'BRIEN: Huh? Yes. How does that work.
S. O'BRIEN: We'll see.
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