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CNN Live Today

Terror In Jordan; Bush Defending His Record; Tips to Reduce Your Debt

Aired November 11, 2005 - 10:00   ET

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

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: This is Oakland, California, in the east bay, just across San Francisco Bay from San Francisco. This is a four-alarm fire that firefighters are battling this morning. Authorities saying this is a fire burning in a commercial building. For those of you who know Oakland, I'll tell you East 12th and Fifth Avenue. The fire first reported about an hour ago.
We'll keep an eye on that, as well as a salute to those who have given their all to the United States. In New York, a Veterans Day parade set to begin within the hour. In the nation's capital, a more solemn celebration of this day. Visitors paying respects to the fallen at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Extensive live coverage of Veterans Days events around the country over the next several hours here on CNN.

First, though, let's take a look at what's happening "Now in the News."

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice departs from her Mid East itinerary and makes a surprise stop in Iraq. In Mosul, Rice urged Iraq's Sunni Arabs to cooperate and take part in Iraq's upcoming national elections. She's meeting with Iraqi and U.S. officials in Baghdad today. Rice says she's also considering a side trip to Jordan.

As America celebrates Veterans Day, London's Big Ben chimes a reminder of the Armistice. The 11th hour, of the 11th day of the 11th month. The moment that peace was declared at the end of World War I in 1918. The bells were followed by two minutes of silence. CNN will have coverage of Veterans Days events throughout the day.

And a warning for women wearing a popular birth control patch. The makers of Ortho Evra say that the patch which exposes women to higher doses of estrogen than the standard pill. The exposure puts users at greater risk for possible blood clots and other serious side effects.

Well, it is Friday. I'm Daryn Kagan at CNN Center in Atlanta.

We're going to start with a developing story this morning. We have new information for you on the deadly hotel bombings in Jordan. Wednesday's attacks have now killed 57 people. Jordan's deputy prime minister says arrests have been made but he'll not release the nationalities of all those being held. Marwan Rash (ph) also said that he cannot confirm a Web site claim that the bombings were carried out by four Iraqis, including a husband and wife team. Investigators are turning to surveillance tapes in hopes of learning some critical details. CNN's Hala Gorani is in Amman, Jordan, where Jordanians there have actually poured into the streets for a second day of protest.

Hala, hello.

HALA GORANI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Daryn.

I'm in front of the Radisson Hotel and there's a candlelight vigil here for the second night running. And we're seeing small vans with people coming out joining this small protest here behind me. In fact, it's more of a demonstration of support for those who died in this hotel behind me at the Radisson. There was a wedding celebration going on here two nights ago and that's where a suicide bomber detonated explosives strapped to his body killing so many people.

There were also prayers. Today is Friday, the holy day in the Muslim week, and there were demonstrations in the streets of Jordan. Once again, thousands of individuals saying that they support their monarchy. That they support their king. And saying that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, even though he is Jordanian born, does not certainly represent them and that they -- in fact, they are calling for his death.

Now the king of Jordan, Abdullah II, also had some very strong words for those who organized these attacks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KING ABDULLAH, JORDAN: Obviously this has been a horrendous crime that was perpetrated on innocent people. But this is nothing new, unfortunately, to our world. Jordan is now part of many countries that have suffered from the senseless violence of suicide bomber. Whether it's in European countries or in Arab or Muslim countries. And so, unfortunately, we are on that list. But I have to tell you that there is tremendous outrage by the Jordanian public that these people have targeted just innocent people. And I can tell you that we Jordanians, we get mad and we get even and these people will report to justice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GORANI: All right, there you heard King Abdullah II making this statement, saying that Jordanians don't just get mad, they get even. Vowing to bring the organizers of these attacks to justice.

Daryn.

KAGAN: Hala, what about the hunt for more suspects and organizers?

GORANI: Now there was a third Internet claim made that there was a fourth person involved in the bombings in these hotels. The deputy prime minister of Jordan did not entirely exclude this. He didn't say that it was impossible. However, he did say that he was not able to confirm this latest blame. We do know there was security and surveillance video rolling on the nights that the bombs exploded and the attacks were carried out and that the investigators here in Jordan, backed also by investigators from the FBI, would be looking at that evidence.

This is what we know so far. These are the initial stages of the investigation. But we were also told that 12 individuals had been arrested. The deputy prime minister, though, not saying what nationality the individuals that were arrested -- what countries they came from.

Daryn.

KAGAN: Hala Gorani, live from Amman, Jordan, thank you.

Today Americans celebrate Veterans Day and their commander in chief will be throwing down a gauntlet of his own. Less than two hours from now, Mr. Bush will use a military backdrop to launch a counterattack on critics who say his administration manipulated pre- war intelligence. CNN's Andrea Koppel is at the White House with more on that.

Andrea, good morning.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

Well, in a sign as to just how concerned the Bush White House is about new polls that show an increasing number of Americans who actually doubt now that the Bush White House and that the Blair government in Britain gave them faulty information to justify the U.S. invasion of Iraq, President Bush is going to take his message today, on this Veterans Day, in a speech and he's going take on those critics in Pennsylvania. For the last couple of weeks, especially since one of the vice president's top aides Scooter Libby was indicted, the president has seen various poll numbers fall to record lows and has come under increasing fire, especially from Democrats, who are accusing the Bush administration of twisting intelligence in making its case for war.

Earlier this week, senior White House officials had told CNN that they were working on a campaign-style strategy to respond to Democratic criticism. One administration official put it this way. He said, that it is legitimate to criticize decisions or conduct of the war, but it is not legitimate to make false claims about how that war began.

Now, in addition to speaking about the war in Iraq, President Bush, according to administration officials, is going to again condemn those attacks in Amman, Jordan, this week. As you know, President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush visited the Jordanian embassy on Thursday to pay their condolences to the Jordanian people. You can hear -- listen for Mr. Bush to condemn those attacks and also to mention Abu Musab al-Zarqawi by name. That's the man who heads al Qaeda's operations in Iraq and who is the prime suspect in those bombings.

Now Bush is also, as you might expect, Daryn, going to pay tribute to the 25 million American veterans of various wars over the years. And he's going to talk about how they need to provide adequate medical care for those veterans, as well as to increase the budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Daryn.

KAGAN: Andrea Koppel, live at the White House.

Andrea, thank you.

And we will have live coverage of President Bush's speech now scheduled for noon Eastern, 9:00 Pacific. You'll see it live right here on CNN.

Meanwhile, Vice President Dick Cheney is marking Veterans Day at a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery. Veterans Day is a day to honor all Americans who have served in the U.S. military. According to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, more than 43 million Americans have served in combat, 652,696 have died in battle. There are more than 18 million living war veterans.

In the next hour, the vice president is expected to deliver remarks at this remembrance ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. We'll bring that to you live when it happens.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made a surprise visit to Iraq today. She stopped first in the northern city of Mosul where she urged Iraqis to bridge sectarian differences and participate in December's legislative elections. Rice also said that much is riding on Iraq's future.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: As we help the Iraqi people secure their freedom, we, indeed, secure our own. Because if Iraq does not succeed and should Iraq become a place of despair, generations of Americans would also be condemned to fear.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: The secretary of state also traveled to Baghdad for meetings with Iraqi and U.S. military officials. This was her second visit to Iraq as secretary of state.

The U.S. military says three more Americans have died in Iraq. A homemade bomb killed a U.S. Marine in Karabila as part of Operation Steel Curtain. That's the U.S.-led offensive in an insurgent stronghold along Syrian's board. Two U.S. soldiers assigned to the second Marine division were killed by small arms fire as well.

Let's show you more live coverage as we go back to Oakland, California. Getting a little bit more information about this four- alarm fire. About a hundred firefighters on the scene. We're getting word that what is on fire is a Chinese market in Oakland, California. You can see the smoke and there were some flames there as well pouring out of a building that houses the Sun Hot Fat (ph) market in Oakland. The fire first reported just over an hour ago and it escalated to a four-alarm fire in less than 30 minutes.

Our live coverage of Veterans Day events continues here on CNN LIVE TODAY, including a speech by the president on the war on terror. That taking place at noon Eastern.

Plus, salvaging our war history. The efforts to preserve artifacts at the D-Day Museum in New Orleans that were damaged during Hurricane Katrina.

A scary situation in the subway station. Watch this video. You'll see what happens when the doors close on a baby stroller and the train starts to pull away. A mother who refuses to give up. That story still ahead.

And anger and frustration between the family of a murder victim and the family of his killer. Hear the shocking comments from the suspect's family that sparked a courtroom brawl.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: A smokey scene there in Oakland, California, in the east bay. That's a Chinese market, we're being told, that's on fire. A four-alarm fire that started just over an hour ago. About a hundred firefighters on the scene trying to battle those flames and all that smoke.

And now on to a surveillance tape. You've got to see this one to believe it. It's coming, I'm told, it's going to be there. OK, now watch this. The woman pushing a baby stroller goes to get in the subway, but the stroller gets caught in the door. This happened in South Korea. The mother's coat also trapped in the door and the train begins to move. Now this mother quick thinking grabs her kid, but doesn't realize her coat is still stuck and so she's dragged as well. Along with a bystander who was trying to help. They were all dragged along the platform. We can tell you the train did stop before it entered a tunnel. The woman suffered only minor injuries and the baby is fine.

To Tennessee now. Students at a school where an assistant principal was shot dead will be allowed to go back today to pick up their belongings. A 14-year-old student in Jacksboro, Tennessee, is accused of fatally shooting Assistant Principal Ken Bruce and seriously wounding the principal and track coach. The accused shooter is due to make his first court appearance on Monday. Authorities are seeking to try him as an adult.

Let's check in on weather. Bonnie Schneider's here with us today and we are thinking a lot about the veterans and there are a lot of events especially in Washington, D.C.

What does the weather look like there, Bonnie?

(WEATHER REPORT) KAGAN: A pretty picture at Andrew's Air Force Base. At least the weather's looking good. That's Marine One arriving. President Bush should be getting off any minute. He's going to be making the transfer to Air Force One heading to Wilksberry (ph), Pennsylvania, where the plane will land and ultimately to Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania. That's where President Bush will be giving his speech today on this Veteran's Day. This is also going to be -- the thrust of President Bush's speech, we're told, will be about the war on terror, continuing to talk to the American people about his platform of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan and how that is linked to winning the war on terror and advancing the cause of democracy and freedom. When he gets to Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania, about 2,500 people are expected to be there.

And there's President Bush. President Bush on this day paying tribute to 25 million veterans, discussing both the government's commitment to providing them quality medical care and the budget of the Department of Veterans Affairs. So all those topics we expect to hear from President Bush in the noon Eastern hour. You will see that speech live here on CNN, as well as those who are critical of the president's position.

Meanwhile, are your bills piling up? Do you need some help getting out from under your debt? Gerri Willis is here with some "Top Five Tips."

He, Ger.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Daryn, good to see you.

Clipping coupons is old school. We'll show you some new ways to cut your bills. "Five Tips" is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: And we're keeping our eyes on three developing stories. In the top left part of your screen, that's a four-alarm fire. A Chinese market on fire in Oakland, California. Top right, that's Air Force One. President Bush getting ready to leave from Andrews Air Force Base, head to Pennsylvania where he'll give a speech on the war on terror. And the bottom of your screen, on this Veterans Day, a look as people pass by the Vietnam War Memorial.

Not too far from there, in about 35 minutes, Vice President Dick Cheney will be laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns and giving a speech. We'll bring that to you live here on CNN.

Meanwhile, we've all heard about the perils of consumer debt. A lot of us may have our own cautionary tales out there to share. Last month, though, for the first time in nearly a year, credit card spending and other kinds of consumer debt actually dropped. That's a good sign. Our personal finance editor, Gerri Willis, has her "Top Five Tips" on how you, the individual, can reduce your debt.

Gerri, hello.

WILLIS: Hey, Daryn, good to see you. First off, I've just got to say, that's great performance and something totally unexpected that debt could go down. But now we're going to show you how to make it go way, way down.

You've got to find a better credit card. So many people pay so much interest for their credit card. Go to cardweb.com. You can find a credit card with a lower rate, maybe better terms. It's easy enough to do. And also, think about automating your payment online. That way you won't pay late and that's how you get into big trouble, Daryn, $40 fees. What's more, you could find yourself with an interest rate in the double digits up to 20 percent.

KAGAN: What about saving money on your cell phone?

WILLIS: Well, get the family plan. So many families are spending $100 and more for their cell phone bill. It's just too much money. If you get the family plan, you can cut that by $20, $30, even $50. What they do is, you don't have to pay the activation fees. It's just much cheaper for people. And you might want to curb in that teenager as well with a prepaid cell phone. That way the costs can't spiral out of control.

KAGAN: Oh, tell that to the teenager. OK.

Shopping for insurance.

WILLIS: Right. This is an easy way to save some money. Tip number one, buy your auto and home insurance from the same people. Sometimes you can get discounts for that. Shop around. There are a lot of great places to go on the web. Insureweb, for example, is a great place to go to find some deals. And don't forget about all of the discounts out there available to people. If, for example, fire alarms, you're close to the fire station, you've got a dead bolt on your front door, if you're a safe driver. There are all kinds of ways to save. You've got to talk to your insurance agent or really investigate the web of your insurer to find out how you can save money. But there are lots of ways to get great deals.

KAGAN: People are living in fear of those home heating bills which are supposed to be historic this year.

WILLIS: They're really bad. My best idea here, join a co-op, particularly if you're paying for heating oil. A lot of people in the northeast use heating oil. If you want to trim those bills, they're really out of control, find a co-op and they charge you wholesale prices. Much lower than what you can get from anybody else. It's a great place to go. You can also get discounts from them as well. Check out their discount plans for joining membership in that co-op.

KAGAN: And finally, what about saving on your mortgage?

WILLIS: Big deal here. Interest rates are going higher, higher, higher. Americans have said, we love adjustable rate loans and they've all taken out all these ARM mortgages. Guess what? Your rate could readjust here higher, significantly higher, as rate goes up. What you want to do is make sure you have the best deal out there. It may be the 30-year fixed rate mortgage. Think about nailing that in right now because, I'm telling you, these rates could go far higher up to 6.7 percent in the next year. And I'm telling you, there's more headroom from there.

KAGAN: All right, Gerri Willis, thank you.

WILLIS: Thank you.

KAGAN: We, today, are remembering the men and women who have served their country. A live look at the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C. That's where fellow soldiers, family, friends, even strangers are paying their respects to those who died. A World War II veteran talks to us about this special day just ahead.

Also, the efforts to save many valuable pieces of the nation's war history damaged by Hurricane Katrina. A check on recovery efforts at the National D-Day Museum in New Orleans when CNN LIVE TODAY returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: I'm Daryn Kagan. Let's take a look at what's happening "Now in the News."

Including what's happening in Oakland, California. About a hundred firefighters on the scene of this four-alarm fire. We understand it's a Chinese market that's on fire. It broke out about 6 a.m. local time in California. No word if anybody was in the market or if there were any injuries or fatalities. More on that just ahead.

To France. Police say the fifteenth consecutive night of violence has seen the intensity weakening. Fewer cars were burned and fewer protesters clashing with police. It's been France's most violent protests since the student worker uprising in 1968. Today, residences of some of the most heavily hit suburbs plan to launch their own demonstrations, calling for an end to the vandalism.

The Supreme Court nomination of Samuel Alito is now officially in the hands of the Senate. Within hours of President Bush formally sending the matter to the Senate, a leading Republican called for Alito's quick response to a possible conflict of interest. At issue, Alito's 2003 ruling that involved a financial firm where he had large amounts of money invested. Alito says he has never violated conflict of interest guidelines as a judge.

Bird flu has reached Kuwait. A Kuwaiti agriculture official says the deadly strain of the virus has been found in a flamingo. It's the same strain that has killed more than 60 people in Asia.

And now on to the Mid East. A West Bank ceremony marking the first anniversary of Yasser Arafat's death. Hundreds gathered in the Palestinian leader's old compound where he spent his final years encircled by the Israeli army. Arafat died at a military hospital outside Paris last year. He was 75.

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