Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
New Developments in London Terror Investigation; Was Space Shuttle Discovery Damaged During Liftoff?
Aired July 27, 2005 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: New developments in the London terror investigation. Four men arrested today in connection with last week's attempted bombings. We're live on this breaking story straight ahead.
Was the Space Shuttle Discovery damaged during lift-off? Astronauts performing a difficult mission this morning, looking for the source of a mysterious object seen by NASA's cameras.
And for millions of Americans on the East Coast, more triple digit temperatures. The brutal heat wave rages on, 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.
M. O'BRIEN: Good morning to you.
Also ahead, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in Iraq today, paying an unannounced visit on the country's leaders.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: We, in fact, have a live report from Baghdad coming up.
Also, we're going to talk to Congressman Chris Shays. He's just back from his ninth trip to Iraq. He says he's feeling a little bit more confident in the situation there. We're going to find out why.
M. O'BRIEN: Glad to hear that.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes.
First, though, let's get a look at the news.
Carol Costello -- good morning.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.
Good morning to all of you.
Now in the news, the crew of the Space Shuttle Discovery beginning its first full day of work today. Astronauts will use a camera attached to the spacecraft's arm to inspect possible damage on its wings and nose. NASA says some debris may have broken off during the lift-off. You see it highlighted there in that video. Officials say the debris could be a piece of tile. We'll keep you posted. Authorities in Aruba are now draining a pond. It's the latest step in the Natalee Holloway investigation. Law enforcement sources tell CNN they are acting on a tip from a new possible witness, a local gardener. The man claims to have seen Joran van der Sloot and the Kalpoe brothers in the area the night Holloway disappeared. All three are suspects in the case but have not been charged. Van der Sloot remains behind bars.
And Boston Red Sox pitcher Matt Clement is under observation at a Florida hospital. Did you see these? These pictures show Clement getting hit in the head with a line drive. It hit him just below his right ear. He was on the ground for a full five minutes. Look at the power of that ball. After it hits him in the head, it goes out to the outfield. Isn't that something else?
Amazingly, he was put on a stretcher, was taken to the hospital. He never lost consciousness, according to trainers from the Boston Red Sox. And he is in good spirits this morning, but he's still in the hospital. They want to keep watching him to make sure nothing is wrong.
S. O'BRIEN: I wonder, how fast is a ball like that going?
M. O'BRIEN: Well, I mean the pitch could be 90 miles an hour.
COSTELLO: Well, he's pitching -- yes.
M. O'BRIEN: And you deflect it. It could be at least that, maybe even more, potentially.
S. O'BRIEN: Oh.
COSTELLO: It makes you wonder why pitchers don't wear helmets, but I guess that wouldn't be manly. I don't know.
S. O'BRIEN: Oh, man.
M. O'BRIEN: Wow! That is...
S. O'BRIEN: Whatever...
COSTELLO: But it makes me wish he had one on.
S. O'BRIEN: Oh, I'm glad, though, he seems like he's OK, at least.
M. O'BRIEN: And did you see that diving board shot from yesterday, too, the woman who hit the diving board?
S. O'BRIEN: Oh, that -- yes.
M. O'BRIEN: So I'm trying to decide which is the worst piece of tape to watch. That's a problem, yes.
COSTELLO: It's a close -- yes.
M. O'BRIEN: Right.
COSTELLO: It's a tie.
M. O'BRIEN: I hope he's better.
Carol, thanks.
COSTELLO: Sure.
M. O'BRIEN: In Iraq this morning, there is talk of a substantial pullout of American troops. It comes during a surprise visit from Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. He's there meeting with Iraq leaders, as well as U.S. troops and commanders, of course.
Aneesh Raman live now in Baghdad.
Tell us about the secretary's agenda today -- Aneesh.
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Miles, good morning.
Some strong words coming from the defense secretary to Iraq's political leadership. Just a few hours ago, he met with Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, essentially pushing the prime minister on two points.
First, Secretary Rumsfeld saying Iraq needs to be much more aggressive in its dealings with neighbors Syria and Iran, calling on both of those countries to do more to secure the borders and prevent the ongoing flow of firefighters that we have seen coming into Iraq.
He's also pushing with some strong rhetoric the Iraqi government to meet that August 15th deadline now looming just weeks away by when they have to have the constitution written so it can go to a referendum by the people in mid-October. Now, wherever the secretary goes, as you mentioned, so follow questions about troop size in Iraq and any potential of reduction.
At a press conference earlier today with General George Casey, the top American commander here, the general said that we could see substantive troop withdrawals beginning as early as spring of next year. Now, that's in accordance with what -- that's in accordance with what Iraq's national security adviser had told me last week, that by mid-next year, we could see a substantive decrease in coalition troops.
It is all, though, Miles, incumbent on any number of variables -- the political process, but most importantly, the Iraqi security forces and how prepared they are to take control of parts of this country -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: So a lot of big ifs in that statement.
All right, Aneesh Raman, thank you very much -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Let's talk about the weather now. Temperatures today dangerous and uncomfortably hot. From the Southwest to the Northeast, residents are going to have to sweat it out once again today, as America's heat wave sizzles on. As much as 24 heat related deaths are now being reported in Arizona; two in Las Vegas; possibly 12 others in that part of Nevada. Three reported deaths in Missouri. Heat advisories and warnings are already in effect in the Carolinas, where the so-called real feel temperature is expected to top 110 degrees.
The same story in the Northeast. Power grids everywhere are being pushed to the max.
Let's get right to Chad Myers.
He's got a look at the latest weather update for us -- hey, Chad, sort of a list of bad news there.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, it's so dangerous today. But today really is the last day. And in talking about using your energy to heat your house or cool your house, I just got an e-mail from Reg in Thunder Bay, Ontario. It's 35 degrees there right now.
So, continuing all the way down to the South into D.C., where it's already in the 80s and the heat index today will be well over 110 in a lot of Virginia and North Carolina.
You can see the contrast between the warm and the cold. The cold front stretches all the way down to Oklahoma City, all along this line. If you're west of here, you're nice and cool. If you're east of here, you're very hot.
Eighty-seven is what it feels like right now in Philadelphia. You have 30 minute airport delays in Philadelphia because of the haze around right now. Very hot up the East Coast. Very good behind the cold front. And the cold front does move offshore tomorrow, but along the I-95, you're 95 degrees or better for today. And if you are traveling down across the South, in fact, Orlando 95; Miami 91. It'll be 105 in Raleigh today -- 14 degrees warmer in North Carolina than in Miami. That's going to tell you how much humidity and how much heat is in the air up there. But it's literally, literally, for 24 more hours and it gets pushed offshore.
A hundred and seven in Phoenix. Eighty-four in Albuquerque and still fairly warm in San Antonio and Houston. But look at that relief in Dallas -- only 81 -- back to you.
S. O'BRIEN: All right.
Thanks, Chad.
MYERS: You're welcome.
S. O'BRIEN: Let's get right to developments from London this morning and the terrorism investigation.
Four men have been arrested overnight, this time in the town of Birmingham in central England.
And that's where we find Nic Robertson -- Nic, good afternoon to you.
I don't know if you can hear me.
Give us the latest on these arrests.
Do we know now who these four people are?
Hey, Nic, can you hear me?
Let me check again and see if he has audio.
Do you guys know if he's having audio issues?
Hey, Nic, if you can hear me, the question for you is these four arrests overnight, do we know -- he obviously can't hear us.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: ... Omar Yasin, Hassan Omar. He is one of the people that -- one of the bombers from last week that the police have named. We talked to a lady who has been watching that house where he was picked up this morning. She said over the last two weeks, a lot of -- four men have been coming and going in a car at odd hours. She doesn't know who they are. She doesn't know where they are from.
And we asked her could one of them be the bombers who have been photographed, the photograph published, given out by the police? She said she didn't know for sure.
What is also a line of inquiry for the police at the moment is a bomb they found last week. And the question over that is does that mean there's a fifth bomber?
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
ROBERTSON (voice-over): It's the bomb that hasn't been explained. It was found when someone noticed a suspicious backpack in London's Little Wormwood Scrubs Park. It was similar to the four bombs, like this one found on a bus in East London, that failed to go off on July 21st. In fact, it used the exact same container as the other four bombs, and police were forced to use controlled explosions to disarm it.
(on camera): The ground is still damaged where the bomb disposal team dealt with bomb number five. But the question is who left it here?
(voice-over): Could it have been one of the suspected bombers that police are hunting for? Or is there a fifth man?
Westbourne Park subway station in West London at 12:21 p.m. last Thursday. While three would-be bombers were setting off together on their mission from a South London subway station, the man police call suspect number four is caught, apparently alone, on a security camera here. He is just minutes away from boarding a train and trying to detonate the explosives in his backpack and is the only one of the four bombers known to go anywhere near Little Wormwood Scrubs Park, where the fifth bomb will be discovered two days later.
(on camera): The important thing to note here is that he only has one backpack and it's only big enough for one set of explosives. Now remember that as we go along the route.
(voice-over): His journey would have been quick, passing through just two stations.
(on camera): The police say when he tried to let off his bomb, he then escaped by climbing out the back window of the train.
(voice-over): They say he left his backpack on the train and that he ran along the track for about 200 to 300 yards, then climbed down behind these houses.
(on camera): He came from the backyard through an open door at the back of this house, out the front door, onto the street and then took off up the street.
RIZGIR NASIR, EYEWITNESS: Yes, he ran down here.
ROBERTSON: Down the street here?
NASIR: Down the street here. Yes, down there.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Rizgir Nasir was working in a garage at the end of the street. He says the man he saw running down the street, the man police think was the would-be bomber, was alone.
(on camera): Was he carrying anything?
NASIR: No. Just he, I think he had spare clothes with him.
ROBERTSON: Spare clothes. No second backpack?
NASIR: No.
ROBERTSON: No backpack at all?
NASIR: Definitely not.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): Suspect number four was last seen about 10 minutes later under this bridge, not carrying a pack. He was half a mile from Little Wormwood Scrubs Park.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
ROBERTSON: So we've heard that suspect number four was alone, that he wasn't carrying another bag. So does it mean that there is a fifth bomber out there on the loose? And if that's the case, why are the police saying they're only looking for four men? Of course, the big question right now is was the man arrested on this street a few hours ago one of those four bombers -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Nic Robertson for us with the very latest on that investigation. Nic, thank you -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Still to come on the program, the Florida zip code that is home to more sex offenders than anywhere else in the state. We'll meet a grandmother who's fighting to make sure children are safe there.
S. O'BRIEN: Also, is the U.S. turning the tide against Iraq's insurgency? We're going to talk to a congressman who's just back from that country.
M. O'BRIEN: Plus, the Iraq war is turned into a new TV show. We'll look at whether it's too soon to turn the conflict into entertainment.
Stay with us for more AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: On a surprise visit to Iraq today, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld meeting with U.S. troops and commanders. He's also talking to Iraqi leaders, encouraging them to meet the August 15th deadline for the constitution.
Congressman Chris Shays just returned last night from a trip to Iraq.
Representative Christopher Shays joins us from Capitol Hill this morning.
Nice to see you, sir.
Thanks for talking with us.
REP. CHRISTOPHER SHAYS (R), CONNECTICUT: Nice to be with you.
S. O'BRIEN: Thank you very much.
This is your ninth visit, or was your ninth visit.
SHAYS: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: The first term you went was back in April of 2003.
SHAYS: Right.
S. O'BRIEN: In a nutshell, then, are things improving?
SHAYS: Well, in April we were at a fairly good level. People were pretty excited about us. But then we dug a deep hole when we fired, basically, just eliminated the police, the border patrol and the army. And there got to be some real antagonism. And now we've built, you know, we're getting out of this hole. So we're higher than where we were in April.
But it needs to be understood that we just really created some problems for ourselves.
S. O'BRIEN: The impression that many people have back here is that the insurgents, the insurgency, is going very strong. I mean in the last few days, you've had attacks every single day, massive numbers of casualties, frankly.
Is that the sense that you got, that the insurgents and the insurgency is strong?
SHAYS: No. Well, the bombing is horrific. But it just takes one suicide bomber to destroy a lot of people. The bottom line is, though, we, having created this void and created huge problems, we're beginning to fill the void up. We are training the police. We are training the border patrol. We are training their military. Their military is fighting side by side there, in some cases acting independent, with embedded Americans and other coalition forces. And they're fighting independently.
In some provinces, about 14, you don't see American presence anymore. It's being filled now by Iraqis. And that's huge. And the key is when we transferred power, when we had the elections, and now making that August 15th deadline. The Iraqis are going to do it and that's huge.
S. O'BRIEN: You're feeling confident that they're going to make that deadline.
SHAYS: Absolutely.
S. O'BRIEN: I'm curious to know why you're confidence seems so strong. When you look at polls of the American public, the confidence dropping from 2004, actually, 46 percent felt that there was confidence there. And then the number down to 37 percent. SHAYS: Well, it's easy to explain. I mean, having been there every three months, I was pretty unhappy about a year ago because I felt a year- and-a-half ago, what we had been doing. But I've seen constant progress since then. But people are comparing April 2003 to where we are now, not realizing how deep that hole was.
The key, I think, is not the American poll. The key are the Iraqi polls. They're blaming the insurgents now. They're not blaming the Americans. They get it. Sistani has been able to tell the Shias to calm down, don't react to the Sunnis.
So you're seeing these bombings but they'/re not impacting recruiting. Recruiting is huge. It's -- they have more recruits than they can handle.
S. O'BRIEN: The U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, says that there are serious concerns about civil war.
Do you think that's true?
SHAYS: Oh, yes. I mean there are serious concerns. I mean, but, you know, there were serious concerns when we were forming our constitution. We didn't know we'd succeed. And if you read the new book, "1776," you'll realize that it's a miracle that we did as well as we did. And I don't think we're looking for a miracle coming out of Baghdad.
S. O'BRIEN: Do you think that Baghdad is not a realistic picture of how all of Iraq is going?
SHAYS: Oh, I bet if the press moved to Basra, you'd see the bombings happening in Basra. This is for the consumption of the world and it's obviously to intimidate the Iraqis. But I'm meeting with these Iraqis who are on the national assembly and who are -- and the constitutional convention. I mean they feel like the Madisons, the Roger Shermans, the George Washingtons, the Benjamin Franklins. They get it. They understand that they are making history.
S. O'BRIEN: Your ninth trip.
When do you go back?
SHAYS: I'll go back in another two or three months.
S. O'BRIEN: All right, Congressman Christopher Shays, Republican from Connecticut, joining us this morning.
Nice to see you, sir.
SHAYS: Thank you.
S. O'BRIEN: Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Well, art is now imitating life in Iraq. And some wonder if it is the right idea, much less the right time to be doing it. We're talking about a new entertainment TV show from the legendary producer, Steven Bochco, which will take us right to the front lines in Iraq.
Brooke Anderson has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
(VIDEO CLIP FROM "OVER THERE," COURTESY OF FX NETWORKS)
BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These images of war may seem real, but they're not. This is a scene from the new television series, "Over There."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "OVER THERE," COURTESY OF FX NETWORKS)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We into it now, huh?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: The location is in the California desert, double for Iraq. The drama, which debuts Wednesday on FX, also depicts life on the home front.
We screened the first three episodes with Lisa Stehle, whose husband served in Iraq.
(on camera): Is it hard for you to watch this?
LISA STEHLE, MILITARY WIFE: No. I mean, it's not hard to watch because I've put it into a mode of it's just another show.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "OVER THERE," COURTESY OF FX NETWORKS)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shut up and stay alive, Dim, OK?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEHLE: I was afraid that the show would sensationalize war. I thought that it would put this war in my living room. The war did not come into my living room. It's a TV show.
ANDERSON (voice-over): Co-creator and executive producer Steven Bochco was initially reluctant to make this potentially controversial program.
STEVEN BOCHCO, "OVER THERE" EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: I think whatever political perceptions one might have about the show speak more to, you know, the mindset of the viewer watching.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "OVER THERE," COURTESY OF FX NETWORKS)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Jesus, I can't do this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: On the day I stopped by the set north of Los Angeles, the action involved a dangerous search mission.
(on camera): Why do people need to see this? Why do you think they do?
MARK-PAUL GOSSELAAR, ACTOR: Why not show it? I think that it's, the way that they're filming this and the way that it's being shown, I think that it's going to be eye-opening. They're either going to hate it or love it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "OVER THERE," COURTESY OF FX NETWORKS)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's go!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON (voice-over): Lisa Stehle, whose husband expects to return to Iraq, isn't sure she'll keep watching.
STEHLE: I just don't think that it's the most appropriate things for some of our families to see.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "OVER THERE," COURTESY OF FX NETWORKS)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've made it through our first weekend, anyways, which not everybody thought was going to happen, let me tell you. Just that right there is a victory.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Brooke Anderson, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: Tonight's episode focuses on a fictional army unit, as soldiers arrive in Iraq for their first tour of duty. It also explores how soldiers quickly form bonds of brotherhood in the face of war. There's a timeless scene there.
In a moment, a CNN exclusive -- new details on how Afghan villagers risked their lives to save a U.S. Navy SEAL. A harrowing tale. Stay with us for that on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: And now something you will see only here on CNN -- details of how one U.S. Navy SEAL survived when 19 other commandos were killed in Afghanistan. You remember that story. It's also a story about the courage of Afghan villagers who risked their lives to save him.
Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr with the story.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): CNN has learned it was a more brutal and bloody firefight than the military has acknowledged. In the mountains of eastern Afghanistan, more than 50 Taliban and al Qaeda fighters surrounded and killed three members of a Navy SEAL ground team. Sixteen commandos on board a helicopter were shot down and killed just seconds before attempting a rescue.
The Navy SEAL who survived was found by a local Afghan and taken to his remote mountain village. Those villagers saved the American's life. But the full story of how an Afghan village risked its safety is now being told.
Military officials with knowledge of the incident confirm that Taliban and al Qaeda fighters came to the village, demanding the American be handed over. The villagers refused. The insurgents came back, offering up to $100,000 for the American commando. The villagers, knowing they risked attack, refused again. The insurgents remain nearby, watching for an opportunity to snatch the American.
The commando wrote a secret note, verifying his identity. A villager took the note to U.S. troops in the area.
But how to sneak the Navy commando out of the village without the Taliban and al Qaeda noticing? The SEAL was disguised in local garb. Then villagers took him to a nearby location, where U.S. troops picked him up.
Later, a military chaplain assigned to comfort the SEAL posted on a Web site confidential conversations he had with the SEAL just hours after the rescue. Furious military officials say the chaplain may now face disciplinary action.
(on camera): Those who have spoken to the Navy SEAL say he remains grief-stricken at the death of his fellow commandos. That rescue effort almost succeeded. Just as the helicopter was being shot down, all 16 commandos on board were standing at the rear of the helicopter ready to fast-rope down to the ground. They never made it.
Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: What a story.
That helicopter crash was the single worst day death toll for U.S. forces since the Afghan War began nearly four years ago -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Well, still to come this morning, Pope Benedict XVI marking an important milestone today in his leadership of the Catholic Church. We'll check in with our Vatican analyst on that just 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, the Florida zip code that is home to more registered sex offenders than anywhere else in that state. Has it become a dumping ground for predators?
A look at that is ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.
It's coming up upon 8:30 in the morning here in New York.
Ahead, a discovery that really could shock, I think it's fair to say, just about anybody. What would you do if you found out that in your little neighborhood, there were more registered sex offenders than anywhere else in your state, which, by the way, has, I think, the most sex offenders in the country?
M. O'BRIEN: That would be bad.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: That would not make me very happy.
S. O'BRIEN: Well, what if you had five grandchildren?
M. O'BRIEN: That would make me even more unhappy. That -- and it all happened to one women you're going to meet very shortly. We'll show you what she did about it. But right now let's get the headlines.
Carol Costello with that -- good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: Good morning to all of you.
Now in the news, General George Casey, the top American commander in Iraq, says he believes there could be a fairly substantial pullout of American troops next spring and summer, just as long as progress continues to be made there. The announcement comes as Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is making a surprise visit to Iraq.
Secretary Rumsfeld is calling on Iraqi leaders to stand strong against interference from its neighbors.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: ... to feel it's important for them to work with their neighbors, to see that the behavior of particularly Iran and Syria improves. It has been harmful. And Iraq is a big country, an important country. There is -- they live in that neighborhood, they're going to be in that neighborhood, and they need to be aggressively communicating with their neighbors to see that...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Secretary Rumsfeld also pushing the Iraqis to come up with a new constitution quickly.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
