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American Morning

Threatening Tape; London on Alert; Surge in Violence in Iraq

Aired August 04, 2005 - 09:00   ET

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

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: A developing story this hour. One of the most wanted terrorists in the world, the man called Osama bin Laden's second in command, making chilling new threats against the U.S. and Britain. A live report ahead.
London on guard this morning for any signs of terror on the streets or in subways. Four weeks to the day since the deadly transit bombings began, two weeks since the attempted ones. We'll have a live report on the mood there.

And on the Shuttle Discovery, one day after a remarkable repair mission, crew members waiting for NASA to say the word if there'll be yet another one.

All ahead 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: That was Winnie the Pooh hanging on that statue there.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Strange, yes.

M. O'BRIEN: I don't know where that came from. Kind of strange.

Good morning to you. We have a lot -- this has been a busy week, and this day is no different.

S. O'BRIEN: Absolutely.

M. O'BRIEN: We're glad you're with us. We'll keep you posted on all fronts.

S. O'BRIEN: In fact, we're going to begin with this developing story that we're following at this hour. Al Qaeda's number two man, a new tape from him. It's Ayman al-Zawahiri.

In the broadcast, he apparently blames British Prime Minister Tony Blair for the recent attacks in London. He issues several warnings for the United States as well.

Let's get right to Nic Robertson. He's in London for us.

Nic, good morning.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

Well, he warns that the losses that were seen in New York and Washington will be nothing compared to what would come in the future. That was his threat today.

This is very similar to the messages we've heard from Ayman al- Zawahiri before, but he seems to be taking the opportunity of the London bombings to relaunch that message. His speech released to Al- Jazeera television today has been partially played. We don't know the full takes of what is said. But it is clear from this that he is talking about the bombings in London.

He is blaming British Prime Minister Tony Blair for those bombings. What is not clear, though, is when this was recorded.

He talks about attacks in London. It's not clear if he's talking about the four bombings on July 7 that killed 52 people, or including the failed bombings just two weeks ago. And also, it seems that he's not claiming responsibility here for these bombings in London. Merely using this as an opportunity to relaunch that message, saying that as long -- as long as the situation in Palestine is not resolved, as long as there isn't peace there, then the United States, Great Britain and any of their allies in Iraq could expect further bloodshed -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, certainly a warning for the United States in that, and then even more in that tape, apparently. Is that right, Nic?

ROBERTSON: He does. He goes on to say that there could be more attacks in Britain, and -- but I think, Soledad, when we look at this and when we analyze this, this is the sort of rhetoric that we've heard before. It doesn't mean that it should be discounted out of hand, but we have heard this.

This is the third time we've heard from Ayman al-Zawahiri this year. February and June he released messages. They tend to stick to the same theme.

And within this message, he talks about the bombings in London, but very quickly gets back on to those themes of, as long as you're involved in Iraq, as long as you're involved in Afghanistan, then you, the United States, and the people of the United States can never have peace, can never have security.

In the context of the recent bombings in London, they can't be discounted. But when we analyze it, we do have to remember that we've heard this many times in the past -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: All right. Nic Robertson in London for us.

Nic, thanks.

Al-Zawahiri also says more attacks could target London. The city is already on high alert this morning.

Walt Rodgers is at Oxford Circus tube station this morning for us.

Walt, good morning to you. How are people reacting to continued warnings, and also a massive police presence as well today?

WALTER RODGERS, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Soledad, I don't think there's any denying, but that nerves are taught here. But people have to go to work, and they are going to work.

What makes this day so important, of course, is that it's the four-week anniversary of the first July 7 London bombing, and the bombers have always chosen Thursdays. July 7 was a Thursday. The second less successful bombing attack, July 21, also a Thursday.

So people here are concerned, but there is some reassurance in that the London police have upwards of 6,000 police on the streets. And more importantly, down below in the underground stations, the subway stations here in the city. Again, to deter a potential or would-be suicide bomber. But more importantly, I suspect, to reassure people that indeed the police are doing all they can.

Of course, this -- this puts the center -- the focus is on London. If someone decided to target another city, like Birmingham or Manchester, the police presence there is nowhere near what it is here in London.

So, again, people are more than a little concerned. You could hear gasps on the subway when morning when I was riding to work when the train stopped for no apparent reason in a darkened tunnel. And you could see anxiety written all over women's faces. So the nervousness is just below the surface, but it certainly is there -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes. Well, you say women, but I'm sure you mean absolutely everybody. All right. Walt Rodgers for us this morning.

Walt, thanks for the update. Appreciate it -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Two more deadly attacks in Iraq to report. Three U.S. soldiers killed overnight when their vehicle was blown up oun on the outskirts of Iraq. Also, a Marine kill Wednesday in Ramadi, just west of the capital city. The latest surge of violence brings the number of troops killed since Sunday to 27.

Barbara Starr at the Pentagon for us this morning.

Barbara, does the Pentagon have any sort of explanation on this spike in violence?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Miles, most of the attacks we've seen in recent weeks have been against Iraqi security forces, against Iraqi civilians who are less well protected. This week, this very deadly week, the attacks have been against U.S. forces, especially that attack yesterday in which 14 Marines were killed in their heavily armored assault vehicle.

Now, the Pentagon and military officials saying they are trying to figure out exactly what type of explosive device it was that left this crater this large that killed those 14 Marines. But for their families it is just a terribly grief-stricken period, especially in Ohio where that Marine reserve unit was based.

Some of the parents now talking about their -- their serving children in the military. One set of parents spoke about their son, 23-year-old Lance Corporal Edward Schroeder.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL SCHROEDER, SON KILLED IN IRAQ: Every operation would be a week or two out in the field, at some loss of life, or at least wounded. And they would leave, and then the insurgents would come back. And obviously, they were back in Haditha, which was supposedly cleared out in Operation New Market in early June.

The insurgents were back in Haditha yesterday. And his vehicle, unfortunately, hit -- struck a roadside bomb.

So his comment to us about it was becoming less and less worthwhile, I think -- I took to mean that he was seeing that this was a bit fruitless.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: So in the wake of this tragedy, a lot of parents expressing very mixed feelings about the situation in which their children served, although they certainly are all honoring them -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon.

Let's check the headlines now. Carol Costello with that.

Carol, good morning.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Miles. Good morning to all of you.

"Now in the News," a tribute in space. The Discovery crew remembering the seven astronauts killed in the Columbia disaster back in 2003. Discovery astronauts honored their memory by observing three minutes of silence.

Also today, NASA engineers will decide whether to go ahead with a fourth space walk to repair a torn thermal blanket on Discovery's surface. There is concern the material could rip away during reentry and pose a risk to the shuttle. The shuttle landing is still scheduled for Monday.

In Colorado, search teams are out looking for a missing cargo plane and its crew members. The plane disappeared from radar as it was approaching landing near Denver.

Bad weather is said to be hurting rescue efforts which began overnight. But officials are hoping that a homing beacon will help them locate the craft. It's not known how many people are on board.

Martha Stewart is going to have to keep herself busy at home until the end of the month. She was due to be released from house arrest, but now it's been extended by three weeks. Stewart's attorney wouldn't tell us why, but a report in Sunday's "New York Post" said Stewart had been spotted driving around her estate in her mule, which is a fancy-schmancy dune buggy-like thing, and she also was spotted going to a yoga class with her daughter, and then shopping for books afterwards.

Ooh, big no-nos.

Baltimore Orioles first baseman Rafael Palmeiro's troubles are far from over. Just days after testing positive for steroids, a congressional committee is opening a perjury probe. Palmeiro told the panel back in March that he never, never took steroids.

The committee has received permission to look at the records of his drug test. And in fairness, Rafael Palmeiro says, look all you want. I'm open and I am cooperating.

And we have been tracking yet another tropical storm in the Atlantic this morning.

(WEATHER REPORT)

M. O'BRIEN: All right. Thank you, Chad.

S. O'BRIEN: Fair to describe it yesterday, hot.

M. O'BRIEN: Hot. Yes, 97 in New York. It's hot, it's hazy, it's humid, and dirty, you know, on top of that.

S. O'BRIEN: It's not dirty.

M. O'BRIEN: Grimy. It's a grimy feel.

S. O'BRIEN: As your wife pointed out when she e-mailed me, you just miss your family.

M. O'BRIEN: I do.

S. O'BRIEN: And that's why you like to diss our fine city here.

M. O'BRIEN: It's still grimy here.

Still to come on the program, the latest on the condition of that newborn baby girl. The sad twist on this is she was born to a brain- dead mother. We'll look at the baby's prospects for a healthy life, though.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, certainly sad news and happy news for that family.

Also, we're talking about the crisis in Niger. Finally, help is arriving in some of the poorest villages there. It might not be enough, though. We'll explain.

And the difficult task that's at hand for one Marine commander in Ohio. His job is to tell families that their children have died in war. We've got his story ahead as we continue right here.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Doctors in Virginia say that a baby girl who was born three months premature to a brain-dead mother has an excellent chance of surviving. Another possible complication, though.

Susan Torres, the mother, went on life support after a stroke last may. That stroke apparently caused by cancer, which had spread to her brain and then most of her body.

Dr. Yang Kim joins us this morning. She's a clinical director of neonatal intensive care at Bellevue Hospital in New York, NYU Medical Center, obviously.

Thanks for coming in to talk to us. We should mention you're not the doctor to this patient, and you haven't examined this baby. But there's lots of questions that I think are raised.

I didn't realize that cancer could cross the placenta. That was obviously a huge concern, about when to take this baby off of life support. Is that common?

DR. YANG KIM, BELLEVUE HOSPITAL: Usually, it's neoplasms that crosses through the placenta or the infant is very rare. But in case of melanoma, which is the case that this mother had, it's not so uncommon. It's actually very common.

S. O'BRIEN: Oh. So because she had melanoma, there was a serious concern that this baby could, in fact, get cancer?

KIM: Exactly. And also, the staging of the melanoma. Obviously, this mother had brain metastasis. So that was much more of severe illness of melanoma than very, you know, acute staging.

S. O'BRIEN: It seemed very aggressive as well.

KIM: Right. Right.

S. O'BRIEN: That was a concern. I know the word we're getting thus far -- and I think that tests are still being done -- is that the baby doesn't appear to have any kind of cancer.

KIM: Yes. I think it's about, like, 20 to 25 percent chance that placenta could be involved. And that not just the gross exam of the placenta, but you should really do microscopic exam of histology, staining of this tissue.

S. O'BRIEN: And then monitor the child through the rest of her life? KIM: Or at least up to a year or two, very close monitoring.

S. O'BRIEN: Well, and I'm sure forever. Certainly her dad, and the family members.

How unusual is it that you have a patient who is brain-dead, who is suffering some horrible illness, is pregnant and goes ahead, and you have to keep the baby alive? I mean, it sounds like...

KIM: I have not heard much of this same kind of situation, but we do have instances that occur commonly that, if the mother had a car accident or something acutely happened while she was pregnant, that she might be brain dead, and they might keep her alive until they do cesarean section and take the baby out. And it could take 10 minutes or 20 minutes, but instead of a long period of keeping her alive, this would be maybe, you know, 20, 30 minutes of that.

S. O'BRIEN: We heard from the uncle who we spoke to this morning of this baby, Susan, that she's breathing on her own, getting some additional oxygen, at under two pounds and at 27 weeks, just, you know, delivered at 27 weeks gestation.

KIM: Right.

S. O'BRIEN: When you hear all of that, how does it sound to you? I mean, she looks teeny-tiny.

KIM: Right. You know, everybody thinks of premature infants to have a bad outcome.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes.

KIM: But usually for 27 weeks of gestation, these days you have a 90 percent rate of survival rate.

S. O'BRIEN: How about beyond survival? How about healthy...

KIM: Some complications, yes. There -- you might have maybe about 60 percent -- 50 to 60 percent of really having no major complications.

S. O'BRIEN: So it's good odds.

KIM: So that's very good outcome. And I think that could be the reason why kept her up to 27 weeks of gestation, versus 24 weeks or 25 weeks of gestation.

S. O'BRIEN: Because 26 seems to be that magic line.

KIM: OR at least 27. I would like to gain another week.

S. O'BRIEN: I'm willing to give you that. I'll spot you that week. I know when I was pregnant with my kids, we were always trying to make it to a certain deadline.

KIM: Exactly. S. O'BRIEN: All pregnant women try to make it to a certain -- so you feel good about this baby's chances?

KIM: I think so.

S. O'BRIEN: Good.

KIM: I think the birth weight of around 820 grams and 27 weeks of gestation, and the fact the baby's not really requiring respirator, and just requiring supplemental oxygen is a good news.

S. O'BRIEN: All good news.

KIM: I think this is a good outcome. Yet, you have to remember that first 48 hours, you have this honeymoon period that they tend to do much better. So very close observation is probably necessary.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, by everybody, the doctors and the family, I'm sure as well.

KIM: Yes.

S. O'BRIEN: Dr. Yang Kim, nice to you have. Thanks for joining us with some explanations. We sure appreciate it -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Still to come on the program, the controversy over a new TV sitcom. Does it trivialize a dangerous disorder that affects millions of people? That's next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: In Hollywood, thin is always in, but a new TV sitcom called "Starved" may be pushing over the edge of good taste. It's a dark comedy that some say is hard to stomach.

Here's Brooke Anderson.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE, "STARVED": I ate the chocolate cake out of the trash again this morning.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE, "STARVED": If you were you a dog, I'd kick you in the face.

BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A scene from "Starved," a new television sitcom premiering tonight on FX.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE, "STARVED": I'm Adam and I'm bulimic.

UNIDENTIFIED GROUP, "STARVED": It's not OK.

ANDERSON: "Starve" follows four 30-something friends in Brooklyn, each battling an eating disorder include anorexia, bulimia and compulsive overeating. The series is described as a comedy, but some, including Sandra Fischbein, don't find it amusing. Fischbein is a recovered bulimic and now a psychotherapist for people who suffer from eating disorders.

SANDRA FISCHBEIN, TREATS EATING DISORDERS: It's trivializing behavior that ends up killing people in this country and all over the world. There aren't any other shows being put on the air about leukemia, cancer, other illnesses that are killing people.

ANDERSON: This new series comes at time in Hollywood when you can never be too thin, as evidenced by Mary-Kate Olsen, Nicole Richie and Lindsay Lohan, who told CNN she doesn't have an eating disorder.

LINDSAY LOHAN, ACTRESS: I'm healthy. And I'm not an idiot. I don't want to be sick. I don't want to be -- I'm not like that.

ANDERSON: The National Eating Disorders Association has called for a boycott of "Starved." CEO Lynne Grefe says the show could be dangerous to those with eating disorders.

LYNNE GREFE, NATIONAL EATING DISORDERS ASSN.: And so it attracts those people who are in denial about their eating disorder. And rather than seek treatment, they just find themselves reassured that this is a lifestyle choice and it's OK, and don't worry about it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE, "STARVED": Damn it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE, "STARVED": What?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE, "STARVED": 5'9", 140?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE, "STARVED": A little thick for me.

ANDERSON: Eric Schaeffer is the creator, executive producer, writer, director and star of "Starved." Schaeffer, who reveals he's been battling food addictions for 22 years, says laughter is the best medicine.

ERIC SCHAEFFER, CREATOR, "STARVED": I know from my recovery in all areas of addiction that humor is a tremendously important -- it's a tremendously important anecdote to recovery.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE, "STARVED": So I had this idea that maybe if I weigh my laxatives like I weigh my food, I might be able to keep them to a manageable amount.

ANDERSON: Grefe says this is no laughing matter.

GREFE: Nearly 10 million women suffer from anorexia or bulimia, and one million men. And another 25 million with binge eating disorder.

ANDERSON: But Schaeffer insists his show is not harmful.

SCHAEFFER: At the heart of my show is a spirit of thoughtfulness and kindness and consideration.

ANDERSON: Brooke Anderson, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

M. O'BRIEN: "Starved" debuts tonight on FX.

S. O'BRIEN: I think I'm going to miss it.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes. Not on my list. Not going to TiVo that one.

S. O'BRIEN: No. No. Because it doesn't look funny at all for a comedy. Does it?

M. O'BRIEN: All right. No. We're giving it thumbs down here, thumbs down. Two thumbs down.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes.

Still to come this morning, a new videotape from Osama bin Laden's right-hand man. We're going to take a closer look about what it says about the London terror attacks and potential attacks against the U.S. as well. That's up next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. 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, the Shuttle Discovery isn't the only NASA mission going on in space right now. We'll look at the latest discoveries made by a pair of plucky, intrepid Energizer bunny-type rovers.

That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Good morning. Welcome back, everybody. It is just about 9:30 here in New York.

The Shuttle Discovery, the star, really, I think it's fair to say, on NASA's stage this week, the pictures yesterday. I was blown away by those.

M. O'BRIEN: It was -- you know, these are the days of miracles and wonders. There they are up there in space, 200 miles above us, 1,750 miles an hour, and we're just...

S. O'BRIEN: And those pictures.

M. O'BRIEN: We're just right there with Steve Robinson, over his shoulder.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, pretty cool. It was great.

But, you know what? We're going to talk about some smaller players on that stage, really stealing the show. Those are, of course, the Mars rovers. They keep going and going and going and going.

M. O'BRIEN: We also have some news breaks this morning.

Ayman al-Zawahiri, who is the chief deputy for Osama bin Laden, or so it is said, is out with a videotape this morning on the Al- Jazeera network, the Arabic language network. In that broadcast, Zawahiri blames British Prime Minister Tony Blair for the recent attacks in London. He also threatens more destruction.

Joining us now with more on that is Octavia Nasr, who is our senior editor for Arab affairs.

Octavia, I know you've had a chance to see the tape, hear it. What are your initial impressions?

OCTAVIA NASR, CNN. SR. EDITOR, ARAB AFFAIRS: Well, first of all, let's be clear, this is Ayman al-Zawahiri, not to be mistaken with Zarqawi, the Jordanian terrorist mastermind who is operating in Iraq, or who's believed to be operating in Iraq. This is Ayman al-Zawahiri.

It's a video. So we have no doubt that it is him. He is the number two man in al Qaeda.

This is his second message in about a month. His last message was June 17. In it, we were looking for clues.

Usually when Ayman al-Zawahiri speaks, an attack follows. We were looking for clues in that June 17 tape. There were none, but maybe for his supporters there were.

So today, a new tape.

You look at this video. He looks a bit different. His face looks a bit washed out.

You also -- the background is a bit different. You can see the sun shining there in the background, something that we hadn't seen before. The earlier tapes that we've gotten from him show a closure, basically as if he's sitting in a room, or a studio or a closed environment. The message, let's take a look at one of the things that he said.

Here's an example, the rhetoric is the same as in previous dates, except this one, he mentions what happened in New York on 9/11 and also what happened in London. He says, our message is clear. What you saw in New York and Washington, and what you saw -- and what you are seeing in Afghanistan and Iraq, all of these are nothing compared to what you will see next. There is a mention there of what happened in the hearts of London. Of course, he doesn't say exactly the date or what really happened, but he mentioned London, and he blames it basically on the British Prime Minister Tony Blair. He said that he is to blame for what happened, and he also threatens of more.

Here, take a look at this. He says to the British, I am telling you that Blair brought you destruction in the middle of London, and more will come, God willing. So, Miles, very interesting, again. It's interesting to hear from these people, because, you know, you think they're on the run. You look at that video, and you don't see a man who's wearing wretched clothes or dirty clothes. He looks pretty neat and clean, as if he's living in a comfortable environment, getting his clothes pressed and cleaned. And look at him, he's a bit threatening. Usually he doesn't gesture much. This time around, a lot gesturing and a lot of threats in his language -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: As you look at that, I always wonder, Octavia, the ability to get these tapes out. This has been going on four years now, and they can never be traced back to the source. It's Interesting to me that that hasn't generated some clues as to their whereabouts.

NASR: Exactly. And you think this is a man on the run. I mean, is he traveling with a camera, a camera crew, or does he have a camera available to him wherever he lands? Plus, if we are to believe that this is someone who's living in the remote areas on the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, do they really have power to generate, enough power to run this equipment and get this kind of quality audio and video? I mean, many, many questions, but you know, you talked to Al Jazeera, for example, who end up running these tapes.

I mean, they seem to be the ones who are exclusively getting their hands on these tapes, and they tell that you someone delivered the tape, and that someone says that someone gave them a tape. So many hands are dealing with these tapes to the point where it's really hard to trace them back.

M. O'BRIEN: And very key point, too, is I didn't see anywhere where Zawahiri took credit for what happened in London?

NASR: Right. And this is a new thing. Zawahiri doesn't need to take credit for what happened in London. All he needs to do is claim victory. So basically he doesn't need to claim that it was his group or it was Al Qaeda behind what happened. All he wants to do is take credit -- I mean, take victory. Say, look, we've achieved what we wanted to achieve, and basically, if this is a tape meant to recruit more people, this is a perfect opportunity for him to remind his followers of why these attacks take place in the first place.

You know, they always say that it is because the infidels, what they call the infidels, are on the land of the Arabian peninsula. That mean,s you know, Saudi Arabia for one, and now their presence in Iraq, you know, the presence of the U.S., the Brits and their allies in Iraq. All of that is fueling anger among many extreme Muslims, to the point where that drives them to commit acts of terrorism.

So here is the number-two man in Al Qaeda, going on television, knowing very well that his picture is going to be broadcast everywhere around the world, in all languages possible, and he's sending a message that's loud and clear. He doesn't care to say, we are behind what happened in London. All he's saying is, there will be more. You haven't seen anything yet, and basically blame your leaders for what's happening in your countries.

M. O'BRIEN: Familiar diatribe. Octavia Nasr, thank you very much.

Let's a check of the headlines now. Carol Costello with that -- Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to all of you.

Now in the news, NASA engineers will soon decide if another space walk is needed to repair a damaged thermal blanket on Discovery. Photos of a 20-inch-by-4-inch blanket show its punctured at one end and puffed out at the other. Engineers were testing samples of the material. There is concern it could tear away and hit the orbiter on re-entry. NASA officials say they were absolutely relieved by the eve of the Wednesday's repair. Astronaut Steve Robinson had no problem removing from the shuttle's underbelly. He says, based on the success, he is confident any decision NASA makes regarding the damaged blanket will be just as successful.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHEN ROBINSON, FROM DISCOVERY: We have so much -- there are so many engineers on the ground looking at lots more data than we currently have right now, that we have a lot of faith in what they're going to decide. It seems unlikely that we would do that, but based on what we just saw on the plan that they came up with, all our good support folks on the ground, the plan that they came up with for removing the gap-fillers, that was an outstanding plan. That came together in just a couple of days, and it worked perfectly. So we have a lot of confidence in whatever is going to happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

We'll find out more about NASA's plans later today.

Security is extra tight in London this morning, as thousands of police officers are guarding the city's transit system. It's been exactly four weeks since the first wave of bombings there. The first person charged in connection with the failed bombing attacks on July 21st made a brief appearance in court earlier.

During the 10-minute hearing, Ismael Abdurahman waved to observers, and he blew a kiss. He's accusing of withholding information about the suspects in that attempt. He will remain in custody until a hearing next week.

President Bush is back in his Texas ranch this morning. He'll be meeting for lunch with Colombia's president. They're expected to discuss efforts to stop drug trafficking and crackdown on rebels. President Bush is taking a month-long working vacation at his Crawford, Texas ranch.

(WEATHER REPORT)

Let's talk about some of the tragic news coming to us out Iraq today. Twenty-seven U.S. service members killed in combat since Sunday. Today plans are being made for a memorial service in Brook Park, Ohio. That's a Cleveland suburb, and that is where 19 of the slain soldiers were based. Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich is helping prepare for that service, and he had this to say. "When a blow of his enormity hits, it is absolutely staggering. Brook Park is a community whose heart is just broken right now."

Joining us this morning from Brook Park is Lieutenant Colonel Kevin Rush. He's an officer who's duty is to notify the families of those who have been killed in action.

Thank you for talking with us, lieutenant colonel. We certainly appreciate your time.

You're the site commander for the 3rd Battalion, and you're also the notification officer, and in that capacity, you're the guy whose job it is to walk up to people's homes and knock on the door and give them the most horrible news that they have been dreading since their son or daughter headed off to the war. How do you prepare for that? How do you know what to say?

LT. COL. KEVIN RUSH, NOTIFICATION OFFICER: Good morning, Soledad.

It's very difficult to prepare for anything such as this. But first I'd just would like to extend on behalf of 3rd Battalion 25th Marines, our deepest sympathies and condolences to the families of all of these Marines. It's a time of grieving for them, and it's truly a great loss for them, and for the Marine Corps as well, and I'd just like to extend those condolences.

S. O'BRIEN: Certainly appreciate that.

RUSH: Yes, but in preparation for this, for the next-of-kin notification, we undergo some training prior to that, prior to this incident ever coming up, and what we do is, we'll attend a class sponsored by headquarters Marine Corps, the casualty branch, and they'll fill us in on a lot the details, how do it, how to prepare for it, how to conduct a lot of the administrative work after the fact and logistics works.

But, really, by the time you walk up to that door and you ring that doorbell, it's you and your team and you're all alone. Your heart is thumping so hard it's practically beating out of your chest, but you know you've got a job to do. And it's important that you represent the Marine Corps in a very professional manner and the families expect that and they deserve that.

S. O'BRIEN: Earlier today, we spoke to the Schroeder family. Their son, Edward Schroeder, 23 years old, was killed in the recent violence. And you were the one who notified them, that their son, this young man, you know, is no longer -- is gone, had died, was killed. And what did you say to them? I mean, no matter how many administrative courses you take, I got to imagine that to, some degree, as you walk up there, you just kind of got to go with your gut?

RUSH: That's exactly it, Soledad. There really is no preparation for looking into the eyes of a father and a mother and telling them that their son was killed in action. It's all got to come from the heart. It's got to come directly, like you said, right from the gut. It's -- you just emphasize your own personal feelings towards them.

Obviously, you offer your condolences and your sympathies. And you've got to understand that there's no way you can ease their pain, but you can help provide support to them and help just provide the best sympathies that you can.

S. O'BRIEN: How much harder is it in the situation that you have see now, which is not one young person or five young people, but nearly two dozen in a short period of time have lost their lives?

RUSH: It's -- it's sad. And it's very difficult. But we're all -- all of us here at 3rd Battalion 25th Marines are professional. We're well-trained, well-disciplined. We know that it's an important job that we have to do and we work through our own personal griefs and our own personal mournings and we continue to accomplish our mission on a daily basis.

S. O'BRIEN: Do you bring in counselors? Do you offer extra help for these families that -- is there, I got to imagine, crying on your shoulder, might need more than that?

RUSH: Yes, we do. In fact, right now here at our reserve center, we have a volunteer counselor and he's an army reservist and he's also a counselor in civilian occupation. And he's here to counsel any of the marines that he's already helped on coping with all of these incidents and these issues.

And also, this upcoming Saturday, we're offering -- we're inviting all of the families within the local area of 3rd Battalion 25th Marines, to come on in, speak to a team coming up from Marine Forces Reserve. It's called a crisis incidence stress management team. And they fly out on a moment's notice to any of these sites. And they're here to counsel the families.

Essentially, the families of the marines that are still fighting in Iraq, they help alleviate some of the fears and provide a little support and assistance to those families, because they know that their sons are still -- or sons or husbands are still in harm's way.

S. O'BRIEN: All right. A terrible time, really, on both fronts. Isn't it? All right. Lieutenant Colonel Kevin Rush, thanks for talking to us this morning. He's in Brook Park in Ohio. Thanks -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Still to come, we are "Minding Your Business." Andy has details on who could be in line to succeed Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan. Not that robot! Definitely not that robot.

The other NASA mission that going on in space, though, we'll tell you about. A pair of Martian rovers that are still going. They were only warranteed for, like, 30 days, and I don't know, it's been about ten years now they've been up there, so it seems. The guy we're about to meet will tell you just how long it's been. That's next up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) M. O'BRIEN: Live pictures from space now. There you see a little piece of the International Space Station, the Quest Airlock, the Destiny Laboratory, the shuttle -- excuse me, space station robot arm, where Steve Robinson performed that excellent space walk to pull out those gap fillers, making Discovery's belly smooth as a baby's bottom, hopefully making it nice and safe for a return to Earth on Monday.

Now, let's go a little farther out in space, shall we? It was a project that was only supposed to last about five months. Nineteen months later from Mars, two rovers are still sending back valuable information to NASA scientists. Can they outlast the scientists?

The lead scientist to that mission, Steve Squyres, has written a book about the mission called "Roving Mars." And he's a certified member of the Mars nation. Steve Squyres, joining us now. Good to have you with us.

STEVE SQUYRES, AUTHOR, "ROVING MARS": Good to see you again, Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: How did you find time to write a book while doing all this?

SQUYRES: I sort of wrote it as therapy while the mission was going on. You know, you were sort of were lurching from crisis to crisis through much of the development. And then once we got on the surface, it was just wild. And it was a way to sort of unwind at the end of the day. It was, sit down and write.

M. O'BRIEN: Mars is a tough racket. I think two-thirds of the missions sent there have failed. You've been involved in I think four failures. I know you don't want to get into that right now. But you've had this stunning success. It's got to be great to the savor something like this?

SQUYRES: It feels very good. You know, this mission was brought about by a really passionate group of engineers and scientists and jet propulsion laboratory across the country. And it's been just a great experience for all of us.

M. O'BRIEN: In watching these picture, let's remind people -- because it, you know, when the real news came out, it's been a little while now. These pictures have told you tremendously important things about the possibility that life once might have existed on this planet.

SQUYRES: That was really the point of the mission. The point was to determine whether or not Mars had the conditions that would have been right for life. Did it have water on the surface? The answer is, yes, and we've got the data to show that now.

M. O'BRIEN: So if there's water -- and that's what we've learned, looking all throughout this part of the world, this part of the universe, I should say, our world -- where there's water, there's life. Right? SQUYRES: On Earth, that's the case, yes. Now, that doesn't mean that there was life on Mars, but we know the kind of place to go look for it now.

M. O'BRIEN: All right. Like this picture right here. This is one of the smoking gun pictures. That's like sedimentary layers, right?

SQUYRES: What the -- that's not just sedimentary layers. What you see there are actual ripples in the rock that were formed as water flowed over the Martian surface a long time ago.

M. O'BRIEN: Man, that was a big one. And the other one were the blueberries.

SQUYRES: Yes.

M. O'BRIEN: Tell us about those.

SQUYRES: Those were just a huge surprise. These are what geologists called concretions. They're made of hemotite (ph). They form when water saturated the rock and then the mineral precipitated out to make these little round things.

M. O'BRIEN: And when you saw those, that was great. Now, what about this one? What does that tell you?

SQUYRES: Oh, this one has some holes in it that were formed when they were crystals of a mineral that dissolved away and left these holes behind. Again, water was the agent that did that.

M. O'BRIEN: Take a -- what we get here is kind of the inside and what people were thinking and the anxiety you all went through during the landing and all the -- you know, the stuff that goes on on the human side of a robotic mission.

SQUYRES: Well, what I wanted to write -- I wanted to write an adventure story. You know, it's not really a science book, it's not really an engineering book. It's a straight up adventure story. This was huge adventure for those of us who were part of it and I wanted to tell that story.

M. O'BRIEN: And it must be amazingly gratifying to rewrite the textbooks. And that's what this does, right?

SQUYRES: Well, we're still rewriting them every day. I mean, there's new data that just came down from Opportunity this morning, that I was just looking at before I came over to the studio. So we're still rewriting the textbooks.

M. O'BRIEN: Still going. How do you explain that? How long can they go?

SQUYRES: My wife keeps asking me that! I don't know.

M. O'BRIEN: She'd like you back, I think. SQUYRES: We've been lucky. You know, we've had some good fortune when gusts of wind clean dust off of the solar rays. You know, they could die tomorrow or they last another year. We have no way of knowing.

M. O'BRIEN: Well, we'll be there every step of the way, and we look forward to more scientific news coming out of it. Steve Squyres, great tale, great yarn. As you say, not a science book, more an adventure tale.

SQUYRES: Yes.

M. O'BRIEN: Kind of an Indiana Jones thing.

SQUYRES: On Mars.

M. O'BRIEN: On Mars. All right. Thanks for being with us. The book is "Roving Mars" by Steve Squyres -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: CNN LIVE TODAY is coming up next. Daryn Kagan is in Atlanta this morning. Hey, Daryn, what are you working on?

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Soledad.

Straight ahead on "CNN LIVE TODAY," do you know how much our government can spy on us? More than you think? You might be shocked or perhaps comforted, as we continue our series, "Safe at Home."

Also, he's been called America's best preacher, a shepherd to the shattered. The bishop T.D. Jakes joins me for a spirited interview. You can put your faith in CNN LIVE TODAY, today and every day.

Now back to you.

S. O'BRIEN: That's right. All right, Daryn, thanks.

KAGAN: Sure.

S. O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, when Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan eventually steps down, just who's in line to replace him? A look at that up next, as we mind your business with Andy. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Business news now. Just who's going to fill Alan Greenspan's shoes next year? With that, plus a check of Wall Street, Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business." Want to start with Wall Street?

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" COLUMNIST: I do, Soledad. Let's talk about what's going on down on Wall Street. Trading at this hour, stocks slipping a little bit. Down 33 on the Dow, you can see here. A little profit-taking after that scorching month of July. This morning, we're seeing some big retailers announcing numbers from last month. Wal-Mart and CostCo and B.J.'s looking pretty good. Many utility stocks have been soaring lately. We've been telling you about that. The hot weather producing some surging demand in energy. That's been boosting those stocks. We kind of have a warning out this morning about record energy usage in the mid-Atlantic and Ohio Valley. So watch out. Possible, possible brownouts. Just this weather just continues to be up -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: No surprise there, yes. It's hot.

SERWER: That's right. We all know that Alan Greenspan's term expires in January. He may actually stay on a few more months. But at some point, we've got to start looking for a new Fed chairman.

S. O'BRIEN: How old is he?

SERWER: He is -- geez, I am not exactly sure, Soledad. I can't -- 70-something.

S. O'BRIEN: Sorry.

SERWER: No, that's OK. That's OK. But I'll get back to you on that one. He is going to be stepping down and, of course, we're looking for a replacement as we speak. And there's a couple favorites. But a new name has come to the fore, that being Larry Lindsey. He's pictured here on the right. This tape goes back a few years, when he was the president's chief economic adviser. That's Spencer Abraham on the left, the former energy secretary.

And kind of would be a controversial pick, Soledad, because you may remember, he got in trouble of September of '02 for predicting that the war in Iraq would cost between $100 and $200 billion, was sort of forced out in December of that year. And the war in Iraq, as of today, has cost, estimates say, about $200 billion, so...

S. O'BRIEN: In the end, he was right.

SERWER: It turns out he was right.

S. O'BRIEN: And maybe more.

SERWER: That's absolutely correct. So it may show some independence, which is always good to have with the presidents, but would be a very intriguing pick.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, certainly.

SERWER: More to come there.

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

SERWER: You're welcome.

S. O'BRIEN: Coming up tomorrow on AMERICAN MORNING, from talking about your money to talking about something else, we all really care about. Our cellulite. An old treatment apparently is making a comeback, especially if you don't want liposuction or you don't want plastic surgery. People are swearing by it. Is it safe, of course, is the big question? It's called cellulite therapy. A look at that tomorrow at 7:00 Eastern.

We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Alan Greenspan?

SERWER: Alan Greenspan turns 80 on March 6th of 2000.

S. O'BRIEN: That's why I raised it. I wanted to be able to say congratulations.

SERWER: He was born in 1926.

(CROSSTALK)

SERWER: That's my bad, not yours.

S. O'BRIEN: You guys, we're out of time. Let's head right down to Daryn Kagan. She's at the CNN Center.

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