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American Morning

Bodies of Two Navy SEALs Recovered; In Enemy Territory; G8 Summit Demonstrations; D.C. Evacuation Test; Anti-Crime Cameras

Aired July 05, 2005 - 07:29   ET

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

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: That's a festive shirt he's wearing, rainbow-colored, this morning. It's just about half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Coming up, new developments in Afghanistan on the fate of three missing Navy SEALs. Live from the Pentagon in a moment.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Also ahead this morning, an aggressive new tactic by Baltimore police to try to fight crime, dozens of cameras recording every minute of the day. Well, some residents love it. Some hate it. We're going to let you be the judge this morning.

First, though, a look at the headlines with Carol Costello.

Good morning.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning and welcome back.

S. O'BRIEN: Thank you.

COSTELLO: Good morning to all of you.

"Now in the News."

President Bush is set to leave for Europe within an half-hour ahead of tomorrow's G8 summit. The president first stops in Denmark for a meeting with the prime minister there, and then it's on to Scotland for the summit. The three-day talks will focus on easing poverty in Africa and on climate change.

In the meantime, protesters clashed with police last night in Scotland. We'll have more on those demonstrations just ahead.

In Aruba, one suspect remains behind bars in the Natalee Holloway case. Joran Van Der Sloot can appeal after a judge ruled Monday that he must stay in custody for another 60 days. In the meantime, two brothers held for nearly a month have been freed, but they can be re- arrested. No normal charges have been filed in the case. And Natalee Holloway was last seen early May 30.

A tsunami warning was issued for parts of the Indian Ocean this morning after a 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck off the northwest coast of Indonesia near Sumatra. The epicenter was more than 200 miles south of Banda Aceh, the Indonesian city devastated by a tsunami last year. Officials say the possibility of a tsunami is small, but they are not taking any chances.

In New Hampshire, one 10-year-old boy is very lucky. He got caught in a rip tide, but unfortunately the boy's father and one other man were killed trying to rescue him. The incident took place late in the day on Monday. No lifeguards were on duty at the time. Officials say rip tides are especially severe this season because of strong storms in May.

And some quick action helped one man escape an explosion at a gas station. Watch as this man is filling up his classic 1977 Ferrari. You see the car just burst into flames. The gas station owner moved very quickly. He put out the burning gasoline with a fire extinguisher. The driver of this car escaped with minor injuries, but his 1977 Ferrari, it's a goner.

M. O'BRIEN: A little TLC maybe can bring it back, I don't know.

COSTELLO: I don't think so.

S. O'BRIEN: All that thing needs is a coat of paint, and it will be fine.

COSTELLO: Oh, yes.

S. O'BRIEN: But seriously, he's lucky.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes.

COSTELLO: Really lucky.

M. O'BRIEN: Fast acting.

S. O'BRIEN: All right, Carol, thanks.

COSTELLO: Sure.

S. O'BRIEN: We're learning more about the Navy SEALs who are missing in the mountains of Afghanistan.

Barbara Starr is at the Pentagon this morning with the very latest on that.

Hey, Barbara, good morning to you.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Soledad.

Well, senior military officials are now confirming that the bodies two of more Navy SEALs have been located in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan. And those bodies are now in the process of being recovered.

What we must tell you is, of course, there are three additional Navy SEALs missing. So, three families have now been notified that two bodies are recovered, because the Navy so far is unable to identify those two bodies. They know they have two, but they don't know who they are. So, they've notified all three families.

There is still, of course, one more Navy SEAL out there missing, unaccounted for at this point. It was a four-man team. Two now recovered dead, one missing. And, of course, the Navy SEAL who was recovered alive, we are told, he is making a recovery, that he will be fine.

We are also told that the Navy SEALs are now planning a memorial service sometime in the next several days here in the United States in memory of the at least 10 comrades that they lost. They don't know at this point if that will go to 11 -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon this morning. Barbara, thanks -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Well, so what can soldiers do to avoid capture and yet be found by the good guys when trapped behind enemy lines? Someone who knows a lot about that is Scott O'Grady. He's a retired Air Force captain who survived six days in Bosnia in 1995. You'll remember that image. Who could forget it? His F-16 was shot down. He joins us this morning from Dallas.

Scott, good to have you with us this morning.

CAPT. SCOTT O'GRADY (RET.), U.S. AIR FORCE: Good morning.

M. O'BRIEN: It's got to be difficult to evade being captured by the enemy and yet be found by those who are trying to find you.

O'GRADY: Well, we're highly-trained. I actually went through survival school. I'm not a Special Forces operator. They actually receive much more, you know, severe training to be able to be able to survive and fight on land and sea. But my survival training consisted of evasion training.

And my primary job, when I was an evader, was to avoid combat and to be able to come back to friendly forces to fight another day. And your primary tasks are to conceal yourself to make sure you don't get caught and captured, if the situation allows you to be able to do so. And then the next task you want to do is make communication to be able to talk to friendly forces, to be able to authenticate yourself and be able to come home.

M. O'BRIEN: How were you able to do that? How were you able to evade capture and yet, you know, reach out and make contact with those trying to find you?

O'GRADY: Well, a lot of it comes down to the situation as it dictates itself. I mean, you know, I could have actually been shot down in a different location, at a different time in Bosnia and maybe have gotten caught. But my situation allowed me the fortunate ability to be able to get into cover. I did have enemy forces on top of my site very quickly, and I got into some concealment.

You want to conceal yourself, conceal your silhouette of your body, try to get some camouflage to be able to hide yourself. But the two things that are also very important is that you want to lay very still and not make very much noise, any noise at all, because motion and noise can draw attention to your location, and that can get you caught.

M. O'BRIEN: Well, and motion and noise is what you need to do if you're trying to signal to a rescue party to come get you. So, did you just wait until nightfall and be very quiet about using radios and that sort of thing?

O'GRADY: Yes, there were certain times where I would not do anything, because the enemy was close by. I could actually see them from my position just a few feet away sometimes. And then there were other times where in the cover of night, where I would be trying to make communication with friendly forces. So, you had to share in the task and to be prudent as to when you could do which of the other, because trying to make communication is of the utmost importance but not to the detriment of giving away your position.

M. O'BRIEN: What is that like to be, you know, camouflaged and that close to somebody who means you harm?

O'GRADY: Well, you know, I was armed with a pistol, but I was also heavily outnumbered and outgunned. So, I actually didn't have the thought in my mind to actually even use my pistol until friend forces were on site to rescue me. The United States Marines came and rescued my life. And I'm very thankful to that.

But when they're walking right by you, your heart is pounding. And I was scared. You know, and that's just normal. I mean, anybody that's in combat that says they're not, I kind of question that. But it's also where you are a professional, and you are an American soldier. And we have a code of conduct that you will not give up, you will not surrender of your own free will, and that code of conduct really holds close to our hearts.

M. O'BRIEN: Now, you mentioned briefly these Special Operation guys would have much more significant training for being in a situation like this, more food, communication, all of the gear would be better, because in the case of an F-16 pilot, the hope is that you're not in this situation. These guys are, after all, going into that knowingly in advance. So, they have really a lot of advantages in this situation, don't they?

O'GRADY: Well, yes, advantages in the essence that they are the elite experts of this type of warfare. And I have to tell you, the American people should be incredibly proud of them, incredibly proud of the service of our Special Operations forces, especially those gentlemen, the Navy SEALs that are in Afghanistan. I have the utmost respect for these individuals. And it's because of these men that are taking the fight to the enemy, the very enemy that threatens our country, that we live in freedom today. And I honor them.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, we're proud of you, too. Retired Captain Scott O'Grady, thanks for being with us.

O'GRADY: Thank you. M. O'BRIEN: Soledad.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush leaves for Europe in just about a half-an-hour. He and the leaders of the Group of eight nations won't be in Scotland until tomorrow. But violent protests already have begun.

Paula Hancocks is in Edinburgh, Scotland, with the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It was billed as a carnival for full enjoyment. This is how it ended: protesters throwing bottles and stones at police in certain areas of Edinburgh. Riot police responding in force.

Large areas of the city's center were closed off by lines of police that then dispersed demonstrators, many bystanders being caught up in the chaos.

Police say approximately 90 protesters were arrested. More than two dozen treated for minor injuries, including some police. Many criticize the police for heavy-handed tactics. The police say their actions were justified.

TOM HALPIN, ASSISTANT CHIEF CONSTABLE: What we're seeing today is behavior that's absolutely irresponsible and unacceptable. The police response to that has been measured and proportionate. Indeed I would say that we've been professional in how we've engaged with the protesters.

HANCOCKS: Earlier Monday in western Scotland, more than 400 protesters blocked the entrance to the major naval base that houses Britain's nuclear-armed Trident submarine fleet.

Some areas of Edinburgh managed to maintain a carnival atmosphere, protesters making their voices heard through song and dance. Some spelling it out for the G8 leaders meeting next week 40 miles north of here.

(on camera): As more protesters arrived in Edinburgh, there are some who are worried that Monday's scuttles may just be a dress rehearsal for Wednesday, when the G8 summit actually begins.

Paula Hancocks, CNN, Edinburgh.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

S. O'BRIEN: Violent protests erupted at G8 summits in Genoa, Italy, back in 2001 and in Evian, France, back in 2003 -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Forecasters are tracking two storms that could hit the U.S., one within the next 24 hours.

(WEATHER REPORT) M. O'BRIEN: In Washington, they celebrated the Fourth of July with what else? A massive fireworks display. But there was also a test. Thousands turned out to watch the fireworks on the National Mall, giving officials the opportunity to test out D.C.'s emergency evacuation plan. The real-time drill was Washington's largest evacuation exercise since the 9/11 attacks.

WJLA's Alisa Parenti has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALISA PARENTI, WJLA REPORTER (voice over): A focus on safety, complete with an established perimeter, 20 checkpoints and a post- event evacuation drill didn't seem to dampen spirits.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There seems to be a nice security presence, but it's not overwhelming.

PARENTI: From the quiet command center in the Reeves Building, transportation officials watched closely the loud but orderly departure of hundreds of thousands of people from the National Mall. The city's emergency evacuation plan has police direct traffic onto seven pre-designated routes with green and red lights lasting longer.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If it helps in the real thing, the real time of need, it's a great idea.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, I can't really say if it's effective or not. Everybody has been having a good time. And I really don't think everybody has been focusing on this whole evacuation thing.

PARENTI: One concern for those monitoring the situation, a larger-than-anticipated crowd on foot. That required some readjustments and proved to be the major snag in the drill.

MICHELLE POURSIAU, D.C. DEPT. OF TRANSPORTATION: The pedestrian movements are very tricky. We've probably got more volumes of people at the fireworks this year than in any recent years with the nice weather. So, we need to look at that more carefully.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

S. O'BRIEN: That's good news on that test. It, seemed to go pretty well.

M. O'BRIEN: It did.

S. O'BRIEN: And it's nice to see that technology is catching up with potential problems.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes, I was asking yesterday if they said, you know, this is a drill, run for your lives. That would be a bad idea, right?

S. O'BRIEN: Yes.

M. O'BRIEN: Apparently... S. O'BRIEN: That's why you are not managing emergency evacuations of any cities.

M. O'BRIEN: It's a good reason I sit here, yes.

S. O'BRIEN: That is correct.

Still to come on AMERICAN MORNING, good news if you're planning an overseas vacation. Andy has got that as he minds your business just ahead.

M. O'BRIEN: And police in Baltimore, as they say there, have found a way to put extra eyes on the streets. But they say it's helping reduce crime. But residents are not so happy about it, a little Big Brother thing going there. Kelly Wallace with a special report next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Here's an issue that faces most American cities. How do you make the streets safer? Well, city officials in Baltimore, Maryland, have a promising solution. They're using cameras to try to catch criminals.

Kelly Wallace has more on this program.

Good morning.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

Baltimore is following the lead of other cities such as Chicago and New Orleans. They say initially they hope to have about 180 cameras deployed throughout the city, the start of what officials say could be one of the most extensive real-time surveillance networks in the country. But some residents say the police are going too far.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you shoot down towards Grane (ph) and Lexington? There are two number one males. One guy has a striped shirt on.

WALLACE (voice over): In Baltimore, a police officer spots potential trouble miles away, thanks to new surveillance cameras in select areas of the city recording what's happening 24 hours a day.

One of those cameras is just blocks from where Betty Harris lives.

(on camera): What was this area like before the cameras?

BETTY HARRIS, BALTIMORE RESIDENT: Terrible. Drugs everywhere, terrible. It's much better now.

WALLACE: You say drugs everywhere. You can walk any time of day?

HARRIS: Any time. Any time.

WALLACE: Now?

HARRIS: Look at it. Oh, thank you, Jesus!

WALLACE (voice over): Betty knows firsthand. She says she used to buy drugs here, but has been clean for the past six years.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's so good that we can actually pick up the license plate number of a car.

WALLACE: Extra eyes on the streets working to prevent crime and nab offenders when a crime takes place, like in this case, where cameras catch a man who police say is preparing to do drugs. Minutes later, officers move in.

Ironically, this all happened just as Baltimore's mayor was holding a news conference back in May, unveiling the new cameras. He says they're already making a difference.

MAYOR MARTIN O'MALLEY, BALTIMORE, MARYLAND: Just in the first month here, we've seen a more-than-double-digit reduction in violent crime, even in this area of the downtown, which is generally safer than most anyway.

WALLACE: But back in Betty's neighborhood, some residents are concerned.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's an invasion of privacy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can't even come and sit on your own steps no more without the police pulling up in front of your door talking about why y'all out here, what y'all doing?

WALLACE: Leonard Hamm has served on the police force for 22 years and was appointed police commissioner in November.

(on camera): You've heard the critics who say it's like Big Brother is watching. It's impacting my privacy to have cameras watching you 24-7. What do you say to that?

LEONARD HAMM, BALTIMORE POLICE COMMISSIONER: I say before we put cameras up, we go to the community and say this is what we want to do. What do you think? And they say, "Give them to us." And every community we go into, they want more and more and more.

WALLACE (voice over): And some of the cameras are on the move. Officers take them to areas with high crime rates. They are designed to deter.

Commissioner Hamm says it's all about giving Baltimore streets back to the people.

HAMM: It allows them to live their life and sit on the steps, to ride their bicycles, to go to the stores. That's what citizens want.

WALLACE: That is what Betty wants.

HARRIS: This is a safe neighborhood, not the hood, the neighborhood.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE: So, how much does it all cost? Police sources say the city has spent more than $5 million so far on cameras, 2 million coming from the federal government in the form of homeland security grants to fight terrorism.

Here is the thing: Officials say that those cameras in the downtown area are protecting federal building and other sites from any kind of terror attack at the same time they are being used to fight crime.

S. O'BRIEN: Right. I mean, even though they're used for terrorism, it seems like what they're getting are guys who are, you know, about to do drugs or smoke pot or something. And it seems as if, you know, minorities are being disproportionately -- the subjects of where these cameras are pointing. Is that fair to say?

WALLACE: Well, it's a big concern, and it's a big concern of some of the critics who say they will monitor the implementation of this and see what happens. But that's a big concern, because the cameras are placed predominantly really in African-American areas. So then, you feel that African-Americans are being targeted here.

What the police will say is that they hope to have in all parts of the city, all connected by cameras. And, again, they hope it's a deterrence, and they hope it fights crime.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes. We'll see what the numbers show in one year...

WALLACE: Right.

S. O'BRIEN: ... two years, three years.

WALLACE: Exactly.

S. O'BRIEN: All right, Kelly, thanks.

WALLACE: Sure.

S. O'BRIEN: Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Still to come in the program, the U.S. dollar versus the euro. The dollar is now at its strongest in over a year. Will the trend continue? Should you book a flight to Europe? We're "Minding Your Business" ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Well, we haven't said this in a while: It is a good time to spend your dollars in Europe. And, of course, we're looking at oil prices this morning.

Andy Serwer is here "Minding Your Business" -- Andy.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Good morning, Miles.

The recent strength in the dollar has many economists scratching their heads. They're easily confused. The dollar has rallied significantly against the euro this year, and that's great news for anyone who is traveling to Europe this summer. For instance, euro now $1.19 versus $1.36. That's a 12-percent increase just this year.

Now, currency fluctuations, Miles, are always a double-edged sword. We said it's great for U.S. tourists, but it's bad for tourists from Europe who are coming here. And therefore bad for businesses in the U.S., say in New York City, that cater to those tourists.

As far as businesses go, the strong dollar is bad news for businesses here in the United States that sell in Europe. But it's good news when companies are sending goods from Europe to the United States. In other words, if you're looking to buy a bottle of French wine here in the United States, it's great news, because the prices are falling.

M. O'BRIEN: So, why is the dollar doing better?

SERWER: Primarily because interest rates have been climbing here. That shows strength in the economy in terms of the Federal Reserve addressing problems here in the United States. Also, the economy in Europe not faring so well. In particular, there are problems with the European Union and getting that whole business together. We've talked about that over the past couple of months. Interesting to see how things pan out at the G8 in Scotland coming up.

Let's talk about oil prices, because here we go again, folks. Just when I was telling you that we had gone from $60 a barrel to $57, now this morning we are back up to 59. It looks like we're headed towards $60. And, of course, the financial markets are not at all happy with that. So, stock futures are down rather sharply this morning. And we really are a prisoner here with these oil prices. Any time oil prices go down, the stock market goes up, and vice versa. So, it's kind of a little bit of a bit of a trap right now.

M. O'BRIEN: And that's not going to change anytime soon.

SERWER: No. It looks like it's going to continue. So, it's just a tough bit of sledding right now.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, Andy Serwer, thank you very much.

SERWER: Thank you.

M. O'BRIEN: Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Today's top stories are ahead in just a moment, including the story of two brothers now released in the Natalee Holloway investigation. Prosecutors say, though, that does not mean that they've been ruled out as suspects. So, why were they let go? This morning we talk to a lawyer with cases in Aruba. Stay with us. You're watching AMERICAN MORNING.

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