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American Morning
A White-Knuckle Morning at White House; 2,000 Americans Killed in Iraq
Aired October 26, 2005 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Miles O'Brien. A white-knuckle morning at the White House. The clock winds down on the CIA leaked grand jury. Will indictments be handed out? And who will be named?
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Zain Verjee, in for Soledad. For U.S. troops in Iraq, incredible risks, extraordinary sacrifices, 2,000 Americans killed. What does that number mean for the U.S. mission? We'll bring you a live report from Baghdad just ahead.
O'BRIEN: And desperate days in Florida, post Wilma, millions without power and supplies, tempers starting to flare, on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Good morning. Welcome to AMERICAN MORNING. It is Wednesday, and a dryer day for me. It's good to be back. Zain Verjee in for Soledad. The escape from Wilma was not easy. No power, no gas, and I had firsthand witness to those tempers flaring. People upset in those gas lines.
VERJEE: It's good to see you here, and marvelous finally in person, and I've only ever met you in Atlanta in the makeup room.
O'BRIEN: All right, well, let's get right to it. It is grand jury day in Washington. An indictment, maybe one, maybe more than one could come as early as today in the CIA leak case. The grand jury is meeting later this morning.
AMERICAN MORNING's Bob Franken is outside the federal courthouse.
Bob, do we -- let's read some tea leaves here. What do we know about the possibility of an indictment being handed up today?
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, let me just add, maybe none to that list we were giving just a moment ago. And what we know is the grand jury is nearing the end of its term Friday. And many of the lawyers involved and not involved in this case believe that action might come as soon as today. The special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald is expected here this morning to talk with the grand jury, to decide whether he's going to pursue indictments in this case that grows out of the identification of Valerie Plame as an undercover CIA agent. She's the wife of Joseph Wilson, an administration critic.
Now, this morning, leaving his house, Karl Rove, Karl Rove the deputy chief of staff of the White House, also the president's top political adviser. He left his house this morning going to the White House. And also Scooter Libby, the vice president's chief of staff, leaving his house in suburban McLean, Virginia, also going to the White House. The two of them have been the public focus of much of this investigation. Did they, in their conversations with reporters break the law concerning the identification of undercover espionage agents? Or did they, in the course of the grand jury investigation, which has gone over two years, they or others, somehow break the law when it came to possibly giving false statements, or obstruction of justice or perjury?
Was their a conspiracy facet to this? What role did Vice President Cheney have in this? We do know that the special prosecutor has asked question of witnesses about that.
All of these unanswered questions we expect to get answers to as the grand jury meets today with an expectation, as we pointed out, that there's a good possibility that the decision on indictments could come by the end of the day -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: All right, Bob, the grand jury's term expires on Friday. It could, in fact, be extended. That's one option, if there's no indictments today. What are the other options?
FRANKEN: Well, there are other options, including the lack of a decision. The other option would be that Fitzgerald could go to grand juries. There's nothing sacrosanct about going to this grand jury, except its institutional knowledge, but if he had some loose ends, or some unloose ends, he could go to another grand jury and say, OK, could consider the facts, let me present them to you.
O'BRIEN: Bob Franken at the courthouse. We'll be checking back with you throughout the morning. Thank you very much. None of this is helping the president in the polls. Here's the latest one for you. CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup conducted over the weekend, only 42 percent approve of the way the president is handling his job right about now, 55 percent disapprove. If this were a presidential election year, only 39 percent say they would vote for bush, 55 percent say they would vote for the Democrat -- Zain.
VERJEE: Miles, another troubling number for President Bush is the number 2000. That's how many U.S. servicemen and women have died in Iraq. While the death toll is bringing a lot of attention here, troops in Iraq count each fallen comrade the same.
Nic Robertson is live in Baghdad for us. Nic, good morning.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Zain.
Well, there is no big commemoration planned here among U.S. troops for the 2,000th soldier to die. Indeed, it's very hard for people to tell exactly who that soldier was.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTSON (voice-over): A standard military news release about a Marine killed in action, but no mention that this incident marks the passing of the 2,000th U.S. servicemen. Like so many U.S. deaths here, No cameras to record the moment. Likely, but by no means certain, the 2,000th to die. No name yet either, until the family is informed. For now, anonymity, simply the 2,000th to be announced dead.
Here pain and loss turns numbers back into men and women. Memorials like this, rarely witnessed, it's gut wrenching. This memorial for numbers 367 through 383, killed aboard a helicopter shot down in western Iraq November 2nd, 2003.
Sergeant Ernest Bucklu (ph) among the 16 killed.
SGT. SALVADOR RUEDA-CARABALLO, THIRD ARMORED CALVARY REGIMENT: He was the kind of person who was a tough kind of guy. And he would just tell me, come on, Sal, you know, we can't stop right now. We've just got to continue.
ROBERTSON: Commanders come intent in taking every soldier home. Captain Patiola (ph) was one such soldier, much love and respected. An insurgent mortar cut him down on January 2, 2004. He was number 487, maybe 490. Four U.S. soldiers were killed in Iraq that day.
LT. COL. NATE SASSAMAN, 1ST I.D.: Yesterday they fired from northwest.
ROBERTSON: Lieutenant Colonel Nate Sassaman, his commanding officer, held him as he died. Sassaman also lost others.
SASSAAMAN: Two killed and 35 wounded. I shed a lot of tears. My heart's broken.
ROBERTSON: The desire of most commanders to get even.
CAPT. BOBBY TOON, 3RD I.D.: And I lost some soldiers. That was the starting point where we really got the resources and help from brigade and the higher command.
ROBERTSON: Perceived wisdom here is those who killed U.S. soldiers are killed or captured. To the family of soldier 2,000, that may be of some comfort this day. Likely they're at the beginning of unspeakable suffering, and possibly immeasurable pride.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTSON: And for the soldiers I've been with recently, they don't seem to be affected. Their morale doesn't seem to be affected. They know they have a job to do, Zain, and that's what they tell us what they're about to do.
VERJEE: Nice, put this number a little bit in perspective for us. I mean, how does this number compare to the number of Iraqi civilian casualties?
ROBERTSON: Well, it's very hard to track the number of Iraqi civilian casualties. Estimates vary from between the mid 20,000s to as many as 30,000 killed since Saddam Hussein's regime fell from power. That compares to about at this time about 66 U.S. soldiers on average so far this year killed every month, about 1,000 Iraqis in the same period on average every month being killed, just caught up in roadside bombs or being targeted by insurgents. We've seen those huge bombs targeting people queuing up for work, killing at times as many as 100 -- Zain.
VERJEE: Nic Robertson reporting for us in Baghdad. Thanks, Nic -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: In the heavily populated areas of South Florida this morning, there is a lot of anger and a lot tempers that are on edge in the wake of Hurricane Wilma. I know myself it took 130 miles of driving just to find a gas station that didn't have a line that didn't stretch all way around the block.
CNN's Allan Chernoff joins us from Sunny Isles, Florida, just north of Miami, where some of the damage was worst.
And, Allan, I guess the best thing we can say about it is you're wearing a windbreaker this morning. The weather is not so bad in the wake of Wilma.
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. The cool weather certainly helping thing out, because still many people without power, 2.7 million people in the state, so having that cool weather means the lack of air-conditioning is not a problem.
Let me describe what we have right behind me. This is a portion of a giant construction crane that came tumbling down from a construction site, wedged between two high rise condominiums. And thank goodness it didn't fall on one of the buildings. It fell here in the parking lot, and no one was injured. These construction cranes are supposed to be able to withstand 150 mile-per-hour winds. Obviously this one failed.
Now Another failure around here, the distribution of ice and water, lots of anger yesterday because there were some very long lines at several distribution sites, not only in Broward County, but also in Miami-Dade county. Now this is particularly an embarrassment for the state and for FEMA, because before the storm the governor was bragging about how many truckloads of water and ice are ready to go, how the state was all prepared. But it really didn't do any good because those trucks were not able to get to the distribution sites on time. Why did that happen? The head of Broward County was quoted today as saying it was a matter of fuel, that some of these trucks didn't have fuel. That's hard to believe that there could be such a messup.
Another obvious problem was the fact that communication systems are down. It has been very, very difficult to get a cellphone system out, and perhaps it was tough to get hold of these drivers to tell them exactly where to take the trucks, but clearly a failure of coordination here, and a lot of anger in South Florida -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Well, Alan, let's remind viewers that the head of Florida Emergency Management said in advance of this storm, if we don't get ice, and water to food to people within 24 hours, we consider that a failure. So by their own measure, this has not worked out so well. CHERNOFF: Absolutely, a failure there. And overall, people a little surprised at just how hard this hurricane did hit. Lots of people also concerned about the power situation, because Florida Power and Light saying to get all the power back on could take weeks. And keep in mind, here in Southern Florida, there are many elderly people who live in these high-rises 20 stories up. Some of them are trapped.
O'BRIEN: It's worth reminding people this is a broader power outage than Hurricane Andrew. After the previous record was Frances, this is much more extensive as far as power outages go, and that's what is inconveniencing people.
Allan Chernoff in Sunny Isles, thank you very much -- Zain.
VERJEE: Miles, some severe weather headaches up north as well, quite similar. A powerful nor'easter knocking out power in parts of New England and the mid-Atlantic states. Have a look at the snow in New Hampshire overnight.
Ray Brewer of our affiliate WMUR has more from Sunapee, New Hampshire.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RAY BREWER, WMR REPORTER (on camera): It has, indeed, been a crazy couple of days as far as the weather is concerned here in New Hampshire. Yesterday dealing with the nor'easter, the storm surge, the howling winds, and today many people in the granite states are waking up to find the first snowfall of the season.
Now the snow beginning to taper off a little bit, but it has been accumulating throughout the night. Some parts of New Hampshire reporting up to a foot of snow. The snow is also being blamed for one death in Maine, a woman sliding on some snow-covered roads. And the storm is being blamed for about 5,000 power outages here in the state of New Hampshire.
Other part of the Granite State, though, aren't seeing snow; they're continuing to see rain. And a floodwatch remains in effect. It seems there's a little bit of everything in New Hampshire, except sunshine.
Reporting for CNN, I'm Ray Brewer in Sunapee, New Hampshire.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: Were you up late watching the game?
VERJEE: No, I was fast asleep.
O'BRIEN: For us, we got up early. They were still playing the game. The World Series game was something last night. It was wonderful. For the record books, the longest game in World Series history, five hours and 45 minutes, ended with this, 10 after 1:00 Central Time, played at Minute Maid Park, where they do the Central Time thing. That wasn't it. The visiting Chicago White Sox and Houston Astros, there's the dinger, tied at five runs each. The hero, utility infielder named Jeff Bloom, who led off with a homer, his first hit in seven weeks. White Sox win it 7-5. Forty-three players used in the game, 18 pitches, nine from each team. The Sox now up 3-0 in the series, could win the championship tonight.
Tell me, did you know anything I was talking about, or was that just like Greek?
VERJEE: You know, I did. I did a little bit of homework, and I know that it would be -- if the White Sox won, it would be the first time since 1918, I think.
O'BRIEN: Seventeen. That's good enough, close enough, close enough.
VERJEE: All right, thought it was 1918.
O'BRIEN: That's good. And the fact that they're up 3-0 is significant, right?
VERJEE: Right. They have to win four, and the Astros have never one, and there's Clemens.
O'BRIEN: Roger Clemens. I'm very impressed.
VERJEE: No, no, I studied.
O'BRIEN: Next break we'll do rounders, shall we?
VERJEE: Or netball.
O'BRIEN: Netball? I want to hear about that.
VERJEE: It's like basketball, but you can only take one step.
O'BRIEN: Small court, I guess, huh? Just one step.
VERJEE: Still to come, dainty -- dainty -- more on the CIA leak investigation. Will there be an indictment today? That is the critical question. CNN legal analyst Jeff Toobin may have the answer.
O'BRIEN: And we'll give you an update on that story we've been telling you about. You remember that frozen body found in the High Sierras, many people believe it was a military airman who went down in 1942. Who was he? Three sisters in Ohio might solve this mystery. We'll shed some light on it for you in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VERJEE: If there are indictments in the CIA leak case, they could come today. Senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin is here to talk about that, as well as the Harriet Miers nomination.
Good to see you, Jeff. JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SR. LEGAL ANALYST: Busy day.
VERJEE: Oh goodness, could be critical and potentially catastrophic. If something does come down, why do you think it could come down today?
TOOBIN: The grand jury expires Friday. Prosecutors never like to leave things to the last day, because when you have a grand jury, you could lose a quorum. You might not have everybody present on Friday. Then you'd had all types of problems. Better to do it the session before the grand jury expires, and that would be today.
VERJEE: There's all this talk also that Patrick Fitzgerald has set up a Web site, and that could be some sort of indicator. Is that...
TOOBIN: Well, it is unusual to set up a Web site a week before you're supposed to expire if you're not planning on doing anything. And he set up this Web site last Friday.
There it is right there.
Every reporter in America is going to be hitting refresh every five minutes for the next eight hours. But yes, he set it up last Friday. And it would be a place where indictments would be posted, if there are indictments.
VERJEE: And just so everyone knows that's familiar, a grand jury is essentially a prosecutor's tool, right?
TOOBIN: Right, well, more or less. A famous judge said any prosecutor worth his salt could get a grand jury to indict a ham sandwich. Grand juries very much do what prosecutors want them to do. They only have to find probable cause. You only need 12 out of 23 grand jurors to agree to an indictment. So it is a much lower burden for prosecutors than a trial jury. There's no defense lawyer present in a grand jury room, so it's a very much a prosecutor's tool.
VERJEE: There are so many different players in this drama. Somebody is trying to follow it through the papers, or listening to us and could potentially get really confused. What is it that Patrick Fitzgerald is looking for in this investigation?
TOOBIN: Well, what he started looking for was the leak of Valerie Plame's name. Did any administration official intentionally blow her undercover status? And that's how it all started, because she was identified in a column by Robert Novak two years ago.
But what he has subsequently sought authority for to investigate was the issue of obstruction of justice, of perjury, of making false statements in the course of his investigation. And historically in Washington scandals, you know, the old line, it's not the crime, it's the coverup; it is making false statements in investigations that has made people get in trouble.
VERJEE: You've met Fitzgerald. What kind of a person is he? We hear straight arrow, the Elliot Ness of today, someone who is so meticulous in his mind, but open his drawer and out comes socks.
TOOBIN: He was a junior federal prosecutor in Manhattan when I was a junior federal prosecutor in Brooklyn. We've known each other a little bit over the years. You know, he was the star of his class. He made his name in New York investigating terrorism cases. He prosecuted the people involved in the bombing of our embassies in Tanzania and Kenya. He indicted Osama Bin Laden long before most people had ever heard of him.
He then moved to Chicago, where's he now the U.S. attorney. He has an absolutely sterling reputation, and apolitical.
VERJEE: And finally, if we can just Harriet Miers, her nomination, she's expected to put in the questionnaire back today, right?
TOOBIN: Her do over, yes.
VERJEE: It could be a potential for confrontation.
TOOBIN: Absolutely. This is something to really keep an eye on, because one of the things that the senators asked her to do again was to talk about what kind of constitutional advice she gave to the president. On Monday, the president said we are not going to disclose that kind of information, because that would compromise the independence of the executive branch, what kind of advice people could give. So they're really could be, in addition to all of Harriet Miers other problems, this conflict over the questionnaire that could escalate and be another thing that determines her nomination, and we'll know that today, too. I'm not going anywhere.
VERJEE: Jeff Toobin, thank you so much. You'll stay put, stay right there. We'll bring you some coffee.
TOOBIN: All right.
VERJEE: Jeff Toobin, thanks -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Let's bring meals in for Jeff. He's got a day ahead of him. Thank you very much, Jeff. Appreciate it.
Unhealthy employees need not apply. You won't see that in the newspaper, or the Wal-Mart store fronts, but it is part of a cost- saving plan by the megastore possibly. Andy explains next in "Minding Your Business." That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: All right, there's a report out this morning about Wal- Mart. It's an internal memo that's supposedly circulating around with some ideas on how to cut health care costs. Andy Serwer on that and more as we check business.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Miles, good to see you.
Just days after Wal-Mart unveiled what it termed a generous new health care plan, "The New York Times" obtained an internal memo which shows the retailing giant is still looking to cut health care costs. According to this memo, the company wants to hire more part-time workers to keep those health care costs down, and also discourage unhealthy people from taking jobs at the company. It also wants everyone to do physical labor, so cashiers have to move carts around. It also wants to have education packed, this to encourage younger workers.
Now this is a bit of a tempest in the teapot, because I think all companies are looking to do this kind of thing. This is news about Wal-Mart, because of the new plan they revealed the other day, because it's the largest employer in the United States, and because it's in the crosshairs in terms of news and what it pays people and its benefit packages.
O'BRIEN: It's legal to do this?
SERWER: Yes, I don't think there's anything in the memo that's illegal. And you know, looking to hold down health care costs, you know, all people are trying to do that.
O'BRIEN: Well, you can hire people who don't smoke, for example, and stop them from smoking, right? Isn't that legal?
SERWER: Controversial, but something they're trying to do.
O'BRIEN: There was a time at this company, Turner Broadcasting, where you had to sign that waiver saying you didn't smoke. ]
So anyway, what else you got?
SERWER: Just talk about the markets very quickly. A down day yesterday. Higher oil prices, consumer confidence taking a little bit of a hit, but this morning futures are up because oil prices are down, and here we go yet again.
O'BRIEN: Here we go again. Andy Serwer, see you in a bit.
Still to come on the program, the mystery of a World War II airman found frozen in the High Sierras. Could it be the discovery the -- some Ohio sisters -- there they are -- waited a lifetime for? We'll tell you their story ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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