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American Morning

Homegrown Terror; Westmoreland, 1914-2005; Minding Your Business; Flip Flop Flak

Aired July 19, 2005 - 07:30   ET

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

BETTY NGUYEN: The true voice of the religion to be mobilized.
There is word that Iraq's constitution could be ready by the end of this month. Now that is weeks ahead of the August 15th deadline. A spokesman for Iraq's interim president made that announcement earlier this morning. The draft of the document is expected to be put before voters in October.

And a vote could come today on whether to add more military bases to the current list of proposed closings. More than 60 bases have already been chosen to be shut down or downsized. But a member of the commission on base closings says the list does not add up to a lot of savings. President Bush and Congress are expected to finalize that list this fall.

Taking precautions in Texas ahead of a possible hit from Hurricane Emily. They are battening down the hatches in South Padre Island. Some evacuations are possible. Emily is now a strong category one, packing winds of about 90 miles per hour. But the storm could pick up again.

Yucatan's Peninsula was feeling Emily's wrath on Monday. Take a look. Strong winds and rain knocked down trees, leaving tourists stranded and hundreds of people living in the area homeless.

Now for more on Emily and the latest check on the weather, let's go to Chad Myers at the CNN Center.

Good morning, Chad.

(WEATHER REPORT)

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: British Prime Minister Tony Blair's meeting with leaders of Britain's Muslim community a little over an hour ago had on the agenda the issue, of course, home-grown terror. The four men who carried out those attacks all were born in the United Kingdom. This morning, we're going to go on terror's trail to look at how federal agents here in the U.S. are tracking down American citizens who may be plotting to sow terror here at home.

Counterterrorism Expert Pat D'Amuro is a CNN security analyst. He led the FBI investigation into the 9/11 attacks and he was assistant director of the FBI's New York office until April when he became chairman and CEO of Giuliani Security and Safety. Yes, that Giuliani.

Pat, good to have you with us this morning.

Let's talk about homegrown terror. This complicates matters a little bit when you're talking about people who have U.S. passports, right?

PAT D'AMURO, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: Well, exactly, but it's not a new phenomenon to the United States either. We had the Lackawana (ph) six, as you're well aware, where they were second generation U.S. citizens and still went overseas to train in the terrorist camps in Afghanistan.

O'BRIEN: So what are the tools then? Those trips? The suspicious trips, for example, to Afghanistan? How would investigators be able to track something like this?

D'AMURO: Well, there's a vast array of tools and techniques that the FBI utilizes. The significance of the bureau having both the criminal tools and the national security tools, many other countries don't have that. So we don't have the stove pipes of sharing information within an agency to try to disrupt. We use investigations that are ongoing to collect intelligence. We use foreign service organizations that provide intelligence to us. There's a vast array of tools, of travel information, telephonic information.

O'BRIEN: Well, is there too much information though? I mean, is that the hard part, sorting through it all?

D'AMURO: There is an overload of information and it is difficult sorting through all of that. But that's what investigators do.

O'BRIEN: Give us a sense of the kinds of say gathering points, or, you know, the ways that these people are recruited and which, of course, would help investigators try to find these people.

D'AMURO: Well, as I previously mentioned, somebody that would be affiliated with al Qaeda would be considered an agent of a foreign power or a foreign terrorist organization. So therefore, you can utilize the national security tools available to the FBI. Those tools are what we call FISA, Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which allows us to monitor telephonic communications, Internet communications. We have individuals that are identified as people who are associated with members or al Qaeda or individuals on the fringes of al Qaeda. So we would utilize those techniques in conducting a full field inquiry into an individual.

O'BRIEN: You know, you mentioned the Internet. It seems like the Internet has really become such a crucial tool for these people to sort of, you know, create virtual associations. I think I read somewhere that the Internet has replaced Afghanistan as a way of binding them together. Are there enough tools? Are there enough ways to go about these getting going after these Web sites and trying to identify suspects?

D'AMURO: I believe there are. The tools that the bureau can employ are significant. And the of course, there's numerous organizations overseeing the bureau to make sure they don't over or abuse their powers or their authorities to conduct those investigations.

O'BRIEN: Let's shift just slightly here and talk about you know, we've been talking about essentially Islamic fueled terror. There's any number of other stripes of domestic terror. We saw it in Oklahoma City with Tim McVeigh. We're about to talk about Eric Rudolph again, who just, you know, got his life sentence for those bombings. Specifically for that Birmingham bombing. Is that different or are pretty much the same tactics employed?

D'AMURO: Well, it's different in that you only have the criminal tools available to you. Because Eric Rudolph is not considered an agent of a foreign power or a foreign terrorist organization, you only have criminal remedies available to you and those tools to conduct that investigation. So it does limit your authority.

O'BRIEN: Well, be specific then. What would be different if Eric Rudolph were associated with al Qaeda in some way?

D'AMURO: Well, for example, if you were looking at somebody associated with al Qaeda, you could possibly utilize the FISA technique, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, to collect telephonic information or computer information.

O'BRIEN: So easier to top those sources?

D'AMURO: A lower threshold of probable cause needed to go to the FISA court to get that authority. In a criminal court, the threshold is much higher, the level of probable cause is much higher, to be able to collect that information on a United States citizen.

O'BRIEN: And should that be changed? Would there be people at the FBI who would say that the bar needs to be changed there?

D'AMURO: I think it's something they're going to have to look at in the future because we haven't seen the end of indigenous organizations or domestic organizations that are going to conduct terrorist attacks here.

O'BRIEN: All right. Counterterrorism Expert and CNN Analyst Pat D'Amuro, thanks for your time. Appreciate it.

D'AMURO: Thanks, Miles.

O'BRIEN: Now in court yesterday, bombing victim Emily Lyons faced Eric Rudolph for the first time as he was sentenced to a life imprisonment. It was a tense, emotional moment. You met her here yesterday. She's an amazing person. Emily and her husband Jeff Lyons now in their own words.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EMILY LYONS, BOMBING SURVIVOR: It's probably the first time I have felt that strongly when I've spoken to a group. And getting to see him and knowing that he was listening to at least some of what I said to him fulfilled a spot for me. What I told him essentially was that he failed. He didn't shut the clinic down or the one in Atlanta. He did not cause anyone to leave the employment of the clinic and patients either rescheduled or went to another clinic. He made me a mentally stronger person than I had ever been. So he's the one to thank for that.

He nodded a few times when I was thanking him for leaving evidence of his guilt behind. He nodded and had a little tight grin on his face. Other than that, he would nod occasionally, but the expression never changed.

I don't think there is any justice in this situation. There is no punishment that will cause him to suffer like we have and the suffering he has caused others. The death penalty, the death sentence, would have provided an additional punishment for the injuries he caused to myself and to the people in Atlanta. But we didn't get it, so we understand why.

The only satisfaction out of all of this is knowing that he will never be able to hurt someone like this again. That no one else in this country will have to suffer from his actions.

JEFF LYONS, HUSBAND: In case it doesn't show, I'm very proud of my wife. She's a very strong woman. And we said our piece and we're going to get on with living.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: That's Emily and Jeff Lyons in their own words.

Now Rudolph still faces sentencing for three other bombings that he's admitted to in the Atlanta area, including one that rocked the 1996 Summer Olympics.

Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: A key figure from the Vietnam War era has died. General William Westmoreland died of natural causes last night. His career was defined by the build-up of U.S. troops under his command between the years of 1964 and 1968. Robin Meade looks back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBIN MEADE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: General William C. Westmoreland, the man in charge when the mission in Vietnam moved from advising the South Vietnamese to joining the fight in what would become the longest armed conflict in the history of the United States.

GEN. WILLIAM C. WESTMORELAND: And I was center stage in the most unpopular episode or one of the most unpopular episode in the history of America. But it doesn't bother me. Nothing bothers me that I can't change.

MEADE: He was a top West Point graduate who would later run the academy. And at one point, the U.S. Army's youngest major general. He went on to command U.S. troops in South Vietnam, a mission that went from advising an ally to leading a fighting force of nearly 500,000. He became a lightning rod, a symbol for the growing anti-war movement in the United States and Europe. In 1967, at the urging of President Lyndon Johnson, Westmoreland made a series of speeches to help convince Congress and the country that the United States was winning the war.

WESTMORELAND: Backed at home by resolve, confidence, patience, determination, and continued support, we will prevail in Vietnam over the communist aggressor.

MEADE: But the tide of support quickly turned in early 1968. A major North Vietnamese attack on the U.S. base at Cason (ph). Then the T.E.D. (ph) offensive, a series of attacks throughout South Vietnam. The U.S. fought off the attacks, losing by some accounts about 1,000 men, but killing some 40,000 enemy troops. But in Saigon, the Vietcong attacked the presidential palace and the U.S. embassy, dealing a major blow to American public opinion.

WESTMORELAND: The casualties were unbelievable. So they didn't really, in the final analysis, win anything military, but they won psychologically. I knew the T.E.D. offensive is coming. And if I had to do it over again, I would have called a press conference and made known the intelligence we had and alerted the American people.

MEADE: Not long after T.E.D., Westmoreland returned state side to become Army Chief of Staff. By the time he retired in 1972, the Nixon administration had reduced U.S. ground forces in South Vietnam to fewer than 150,000. In his later years, Westmoreland appeared at military events around the country. And journalists would venture to his South Carolina home to ask about his career, especially his years in South Vietnam running the war. He would remind them that the U.S. military did not lose.

WESTMORELAND: I did my conscientious best.

MEADE: He died Monday night. His wife by his side. General William C. Westmoreland was 91.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Robin Meade reporting.

General Westmoreland is also remembered for his $120 million libel suit against CBS for a documentary about the war. He settled that suit in 1985 after a two-year legal battle.

O'BRIEN: Still to come, we're "Minding Your Business." Hewlett- Packard printing up some pink slips. Lots of them. That's next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Big layoffs to tell you about. It's Hewlett-Packard. Gerri Willis with that and other things.

Good morning, Gerri.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good to see you guys.

Bad news for employees at Hewlett-Packard. Some 14,500 people, employees, are going to be getting pink slips, layoffs. The company announcing it today. Details going to analysts in about an hour. Now this represents about 10 percent of the company's employees. So this is a very big round of layoffs.

As you know, the company's been struggling. It produces personal computers and printers. The printer business had really taken off. They had a management shake-up earlier in the year. Carly Fiorina, the CEO of that company, out, Mark Hurd in. This is really his first action as chief executive.

And this is really becoming more and more common these days, the layoffs. June was the highest number of layoffs in 17 months. Bad news for workers out there.

O'BRIEN: Well, now HP was in the midst of a reorganization as well. And I guess this is all part of that.

WILLIS: It's all part of that. And they're saying that they're going to save as much as $1.9 billion annually with this move, but it's going to cost them $1 billion to put it in to place.

COSTELLO: Wow.

O'BRIEN: Wow. OK.

WILLIS: Fuzzy math there.

O'BRIEN: Yes. Yes. Big numbers.

How are the markets?

WILLIS: The markets are looking happier today than they were yesterday. As you probably know, what we saw yesterday was a disappointing earnings statement from Citigroup but we're seeing some better news in earnings this morning and we'll tell you more about it later in the show.

COSTELLO: And hopefully it's all good news.

WILLIS: That's right.

COSTELLO: Thank you, Gerri.

WILLIS: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: If you got a chance to meet the president at the White House, what would you wear? Some of these national la crosse champions chose to wear fancy flip flops. Is it a major fashion foe pa or much ado about nothing? Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COSTELLO: Few Americans get the chance to meet the president in person. As we told you on Monday, the Northwestern University women's la crosse team was recently invited to the White House in honor of their NCAA Division I championship. Some people are saying the team did not put their best feet forward. They were seen in flip flops, as you can see from the picture.

So that begs the question. What should you wear when you go to the White House? Capricia Marshall was the White House social secretary in the Clinton administration and she ought to know.

Good morning, Capricia.

CAPRICIA MARSHALL, FMR. WHITE HOUSE SOCIAL SECY.: Good morning, Carol. How are you this morning?

COSTELLO: I'm fine.

A lot of people are talking about this, which is rather surprising to me.

MARSHALL: Yes, they are. Yes, they are. And I think that it's an interesting question that has been presented to some of the younger generation today, is what exactly are you supposed to wear and how are you supposed to act in certain situations.

COSTELLO: Exactly and that's what we want to talk about this morning.

First off, though, when you saw the picture of a team of lovely young women. They were in nice dresses. And then on their feet were these flip flops. When you saw this picture, what went through your mind as a formal social secretary at the White House?

MARSHALL: Well, first and foremost, I say congratulations. And I'm really excited for these young women who have achieved a great honor, and with their 21-0 record, and they should be celebrated. But then I think it's such a shame that such a wonderful record was clouded by what they were wearing. And social rules of etiquette and dress are in place so that you feel comfortable and that such great honors, such as a 21-0 record, are not clouded by what you're wearing.

COSTELLO: Well, and the other great honor too, it's unusual to get invited to the White House to meet the president, isn't it?

MARSHALL: Absolutely. Very, very few people are invited for a personal time reception with the president. And so this is a great honor for them to have this personal moment and celebrate their victories.

COSTELLO: So when you get invited to the White House for this private meeting, are there any instructions on the invitation as to how to dress?

MARSHALL: No, there aren't. But there is the social office, where I worked, where there are many people who are there to advise. And so if someone had just called and asked, what would we wear and how do we act, we were always very happy and it continues from administration to administration, to give the appropriate advice.

COSTELLO: So what is the appropriate advice? How should women and men dress when they visit the White House?

MARSHALL: Well, I would say, first and foremost, closed toed shoes. I think that young women are taken more seriously when they wear closed toe shoes. An appropriate business suit. It can be a pant suit or a skirt suit. And a nice blouse. I think a man wears a business suit, shirt and tie, and dress shoes.

COSTELLO: That's pretty common sense, though. I guess I'm rather surprised. But are we being too hard on these girls? Because maybe it's just a generation gap sort of thing and they think flip flops are dressy and nice if worn with the appropriate outfit.

MARSHALL: Well, I think that some folks I mean today, flip flops can cost quite a few bucks. And so some people believe that, when you've spent the money on attractive shoe wear, that that is appropriate. But I don't think it's generational. I think that we need to teach our young women I did at the White House, the interns, the volunteers, and young women who worked in my office, how you were taken seriously and how you act and how you behave in certain social situations. And it's really incumbent upon I do this for my five- year-old little boy. I think it's incumbent also upon parents that they begin to teach their young children how they act in certain social situations.

COSTELLO: Yes, but certainly we've become more casual in our dress at this country. I mean look at the Bush twins. They're very casual when they go out in the public. And also, the president, you see him in jeans.

MARSHALL: Well, in certain situations. But if they were greeting celebrity of sorts, someone of high honor, they would be dressed in appropriate attire. I would never see the president greeting them, greeting the Northwestern Champions, in blue jeans. He would greet them in appropriate attire. And I think that it really is important for us to impress upon our young people today how you act, how you dress in these certain social situations. And I don't mean that we need to be stodgy. You certainly don't need to dress with, you know, chunky heels. You can loot look some of my favorite magazines like "Vogue" even gives great guidance for how young women can dress for appropriate attire in certain social situations.

COSTELLO: All right, we got the message. Former White House Social Secretary Capricia Marshall, thank you for joining AMERICAN MORNING.

MARSHALL: Thank you.

COSTELLO: So there you have it, Miles, the final word on the flip flop flap.

O'BRIEN: I think she came through very loud and clear on the flip flops. There was no equivocating on the flip flops. No flip flopping, you might say.

In a moment, the power of "Harry Potter." The new book in the series is flying off shelves at a record pace. But how does it stack up against the great literature of the past? That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Still to come on the program, tracking hurricanes and heat. They're hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst along the Gulf Coast right now. The latest on the path of Hurricane Emily ahead.

And not just hurricanes, but oppressive heat to tell you about. Heat warnings in effect and more than half of the U.S. expected to reach higher than 90 today. Some cities well into the 100s. Some reporting heat related deaths. We'll tell you who's at risk. Stay with us for more AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Hurricane warnings now posted from South Texas to La Cruz, Mexico, as Emily bears down on coastal towns. The storm expected to gain strength. A live report from Southern Texas.

Mourners rush the streets in an Iraqi town near Baghdad after another bloody attack. Ten civilians gunned down. We're live with the latest.

Ad high alert in the Middle East. A huge protest in Gaza, between 50,000 and 100,000 people are expected. We are live on the scene on this AMERICAN MORNING.

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

O'BRIEN: Good morning to you. Glad you're with us. I'm Miles O'Brien.

COSTELLO: And I'm Carol Costello, in for Soledad.

Also ahead, stunning sales of the new "Harry Potter" book. Almost 9 million copies sold in the first day.

O'BRIEN: Wow.

COSTELLO: That's amazing. We'll talk about where this series fits in, in the all-time literary records when we talk about the power of "Harry Potter" coming up.

O'BRIEN: I would say power is an understatement.

Let's check the headlines, though, first. Betty Nguyen at the CNN Center with that.

Good morning, Betty. NGUYEN: Yes, a lot of power with Potter. But "Now in the News," let's talk about this.

President Bush could name his pick to the Supreme Court as early as today. The president said Monday he wants to move quickly on a replacement for retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and possibly get a confirmation by October.

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